London Lowf

My bad - I haven't been there for a few years so I guess they've scrapped it. Plenty of other countries charge it though, as indicated above. (I was going to cite Zambia as an example (my dad goes on a fishing trip on the Zambesi every year) , but I just checked and they scrapped their US$50 VOA last October)

Stop - you're making me nostalgic! It's clear that you and a few others detest Patong - you are heavily outnumbered by those that love it, warts and all. Do you really think that anyone will be dissuaded from a holiday in Patong because of your comments? I don't go on the Buriram forum (is there one?) telling everyone it's the pits - I accept that it's different strokes for different folks.

A long weekend in Buriram is a real experience that I will be happy not to repeat - Phuket suits my holiday needs perfectly, and that of many others who live in a cold, dark, wet and miserable northern European country.

I had a full laryngectomy 13 years ago and am stable - my consultant signed me off many years ago. I use Provox base plates and filters and Blom Singer speech valves and, as long as I keep travelling back to the UK, I can pick up supplies to keep me going. However, at some point in the future I would like to move to Thailand full-time but can find no way of obtaining them over there. I realise that it will be fairly expensive but I am prepared for that. Is anyone in a similar situation, or can provide some advice.

The other way around - I'm a Pom with a dual-SIM phone. When I depart the UK I turn on roaming (costs nothing) and when I arrive in Thailand I switch to my AIS SIM. When I need to receive a OTP I switch to the UK for a minute to receive it and then back to the Thai SIM. Every time I also get a text from my UK provider offering me a calls and data package at an exorbitant rate but I just delete it.

You're ignoring energy costs, which are eye-watering at the moment. I live in a two-bedroom apartment but only heat half of it - my electricity and piped gas during this cold weather is running at over B10,000 a month. My electricity bill in Phuket runs at about B250 a month since I love the heat and never turn on the air con - not sure if it even works! The weather in Phuket means that I don't need a car, just a cheap little scooter. And yes, the girls.......

Not necessarily as that would also catch Thais. Before I discovered Thailand I used to got to Turkey - or Türkiye as they have now rebranded themselves - and non-Turks had to queue up at a kiosk to pay an entry fee and get a receipt before going through immigration. I can't remember how much it was but it was much more than B300. I think that quite a lot of countries do this.

Thanks for that - just out of interest I looked at the bookings and it offered me various slots from 03:00 to 07:45 on Friday 13th! I think I'll pop in one day as it's not much of a detour on my usual daytrips and suss it out. But, good to know that they do them - thanks.

You need to choose better bars - the ones I frequent use pieces of carpet.

... and then click on "Patong disgrace."! Defence inadmissable.

Post deleted - thought you were someone else.

Does Blue Tree do 30-day TR extensions? I dislike the disorganised scuffle at the Patong office (and the surly senior IO there) and usually go to Phuket Town which is a bit of a shlep from Kamala.

I have no class at all - I am quite happy at the food soi at the end of Bangla! But maybe I'll treat myself to a snitzel at Blue Beach next week.

Oh dear - perhaps I'd better cancel my flights for Saturday................. and again at the end of May!

The bargirl lies are no problem for 95% of customers - we know some of them lie, they know some of us lie, it's all part of the game and both sides don't take it too seriously. Guys have cash to flash and want cheap thrills with a hottie infinitely more attractive than the available women back home. Generally, it's all harmless fun. Some guys are happy to spend 5-10,000 buying ladydrinks and ringing the bell just for the attention and tame groping. Maybe it's a little nasty of me, but sometimes it does amuse me to see some pale-skinned young newbie fresh off the plane and in a Thai girlie-bar for the first time in his life and he gets mercilessly fleeced - once the girls spot weekness they are all on him like vultures. It happened to me years ago and I think that it's a right of passage if you are a single guy in Thailand.

I've been bar-flying in Patong for a few years but I still get caught out. Last visit I was having a beer in one of my favourite bars and a couple of the girls gave me a thumbs up - it was very noisy and so I assumed they were just trying to extend a "Hi". A couple of minutes later a new tab was dropped in my bin with a couple of ladydrinks on it - apparently, my returned thumbs up was an acceptance to buy them drinks. Doh!

"Oh, you were the girl that was stuck to seat 38 on Phydeaux III"

How is this so? Chinese require Covid certificate the same as I will next week. (Covid cases are soaring in the UK and our health service is in crisis)

From personal experience, weed makes you drive slower and savour the experience whereas alcohol makes you fearless and hence drive faster. Anyway, a sad story and I hope the victims RIP or come back as something noble - depending on their beliefs.

Is that the girl or the punter? For every lie that a bargirl tells a customer there is a lie in the other direction.

Jeez Juice - on how many threads are you going to ask exactly the same question?

Your airline will not let you check in if you do not satisfy the entry requirements, so don't worry about that. I agree with ukrules that the expiry that you linked to is the shelf life - it would seem that, as long as you are double-vaxed, the you are good to go.

"No customer buy me drink for three days ????"

If you are capable of "accidentally" walking out despite the signage and uniformed ushers guiding you then you probably wouldn't be able to find your way home after a night out ????

But how many have been disappointed with The West and/or the man and returned to Thailand? I have met quite a few. Anyway, as always, good to read an update from you - keep an eye out for me in about ten days!