London Lowf

Fulani could have diffused the whole thing but instead she dug her heels in and made a meal of it. She is quoted somewhere as saying that she doesn't want to appear to have a chip on her shoulder - well, you said it!

So, what was I doing wrong that the second shop miraculously circumvented? And by the way, I tried to do it online and AIS refused both my VISA and MasterCard - the same as they did last year. No other online retailer (Lazada, booking.com, Shopee) or bank (Krungsri) has a problem.

Kwasaki's link was to Durex's Nigerian site where 57mm are available - "made specifically for the Nigeria men". It seems the biggest they do in Thailand are 56mm - but there are plenty of other brands available in your local 7-11 these days.

I went to the phone kiosk at my local Big C to try to put credit on my phone for the monthly auto-renewal that was due in two days - they told me to come back in two days! I went to the proper phone shop along the road and got it all sorted within a couple of minutes.

I was going to make the effort to compose a considered reply but............

Or pre-owned!

Yes indeed - that looks very similar to the problem section on the existing road - which I read elsewhere is now open both ways to cars and vans.

There's more than enough racist hate on this site and I'd rather not fuel it.

I used to be a bit like you but then I grew up and became a little more mellow.

No need! However, this visit I have noticed that there are a few of them spending good money in the bars and restaurants of Patong rather than haggling over the price of a coke in the 7-11 (I've seen it!) and then sharing it.

I was on Bangla last night and it was noticeable there were very few working girls - still a few freelancers but I think the organised/managed/pimped* ones were absent. I'm sure that they'll be back soon. (* There's a grotesque fat woman who clearly manages half a dozen quite pretty LBs just next to Sea Dragon - used to target only Chinese punters (naive?) in the old days.)

I went to WSB in 2019 and was toying with going to Moto GP this year but could not find any accommodation within 100km let alone finding flights from DMK.

Cynical but accurate assessment of the way that F1 is run these days, hence the sport-washing events in the cash-rich Middle East.

They also have an electronic breathalyzer on the Kamala-Patong road and yes, I have seen it.

When I first came to Phuket I used to stay in Patong but after three visits grew tired of the constant traffic, crowding and noise. I discovered Kamala......... A decent beach, although I prefer to ride to Layan or Nai Yang for days out, and there are high-rise developments at each end of town but the centre still has a village feel. Yes, it is a bit touristy during high season, but there are also many expats who have settled here. I rent a small apartment right at the back of town at the edge of the foothills (attached is the view from my balcony) and I am the only farang in the soi. It's a generally conservative Muslim area but there are plenty of bars and restaurants for an evening out and Patong is just over the hill for some better shopping. Worth a look if you want to stay on Phuket?

After all of that drinking you still had B12,000 in your pocket? I'm impressed!

Never stopped plenty on here giving their expert appraisals - an AN speciality!

Is that rhyming slang?

She's been there on the road for quite a while in between the eastern end and the Tiger bars, along with several food vendors just a stone's throw from the "official" Bangla food market.

I am with NordVPN - last year I paid $59.00 and this year was quoted $106.44 to renew. I sent a terse complaint and they replied "Our costs grew with these upgrades, and that led to the price change." I cancelled the auto-renewal and was going to move away but two weeks later got another email offering me two years for $83.23 (includes 20% UK tax) which I accepted - a week later I got another email to say that they'd given me an extra month. However, I only ever use it in Thailand to link with UK-based TV channels that are geographically limited and on this visit I have noticed that the BBC seem to know that I am using a VPN although it only causes minor issues. Eurosport (now part of Discovery for live/rerun Superbikes) and Channel 4 (F1 highlights), my main targets, are fine.

As a pom, I would hope that the rest of the world would not judge me on the basis of Boris Johnson or Liz Truss. If I was a yank, I would hope that the rest of the world would not judge me on the basis of Donald Trump.

Twice. I now remember that, a few years ago, I rode straight through a checkpoint and the cop was a bit half-hearted and vague and it wasn't until a few yards later that it dawned on me that he wanted me to stop. I just carried on and nothing happened, but I wouldn't want to push my luck.

So, how many times have you actually done that?

Of course they have the upper hand! They are the Thai police and they carry guns and I'm just a barely-tolerated tourist. I always carry an IDP (which was virtually destroyed in last night's flood) and it has been checked several times at various checkpoints over the years with no issues. I was nudged gently for a non-specific contribution once but I played deaf (easy as i am mildly disabled) and he didn't pursue it. Apart from that my only run-in was a parking ticket that I paid off at Patong police station. Let's hope it stays that way.

With the rather overbearing police and the dreadful weather I don't think that any first-time visitors to Phuket will ever return - I was here at this time last year as a Sandboxer so I know Oct/Nov is not the best time but this is rather extreme.