Chantal

Yes, this was awful and thank goodness the Swedish couple are alive.

Such a disgrace that the driver of the silver vehicle sped off. We tried to get his number but unfortunately could not.

Bump.....

....and on Phuket?

Also try the Friendship Bungalows in Rawai.

Have to say that out of all the bands I thoroughly enjoyed The Groove Doctors and The Blues Machine from Pattaya.

Sorry I dont know about a snake catcher. We have the same problem around our house and the Thais always kill them. What I want to know - is the sulphur powder okay for pets? I opted not to use it as I was concerned about our cats and dogs.

I know this establishment well and I can assure you that the taxi driver was for whatever reason talking rubbish. The taxis sometimes park in their parking lot if there is space available. They are also parked out on the street next to the main entrance of this hotel.

You've obviously got the wrong hotel

There are no taxis parked outside The BH

The road is too narrow

and our driver was not talking rubbish.

Actually sorry to dispute you Wellington but you are totally incorrect. They do manage to park in Koktanod road (next to the street entrance of the BH opposite The Two Chefs restaurant). I work across the road from the BH and we have been using these taxi drivers on a daily basis for over 10 years. Also many customers from the BH have also used them if they decide not to use the hotel driver.

I know this establishment well and I can assure you that the taxi driver was for whatever reason talking rubbish. The taxis sometimes park in their parking lot if there is space available. They are also parked out on the street next to the main entrance of this hotel.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves last year and will be going again this year.

Will pass the word on and contact you if I have any bites.

Sorry Sean, have to agree with Steven. There is not only 1 DC on Phuket who has the most flexibility as most of the DC's offer exactly the same dive tours.

Hi

Don't know about Norwegian restaurants but do know that The Two Chefs restaurants in Kata and Karon have a Scandinavian Dinner on the 24th. They usually get fully booked in advance as they are very popular.

Hi Moni

There is definitely a need for good quality bikinis and bathing suits. Most of the rubbish sold in the small souvenir / clothing shops last a couple of days and then lose the elasticity.

I have just bought 4 bikinis from a shop in Karon (across from The Marina Cottages) who also sell Brazilian Bikinis. The reason why I bought 4 was in case they do not get more for this season.

An idea would be to visit the Dive Centers as many of the Instructors are always in need of bathing suits.

Let me know when you get some in.

Good luck!

James

Try Tik and Toe Salon at the bottom of Rang Hill. Their tel number is 076 234959 and the address is 151 Patipat (Korsimbee) road. If I remember correctly they are closed on Tuesdays and very busy with the office workers over the weekend. I know many expat men who have been going there for years for the perfect cut.

Great to see you there Gerd and glad that you survived the cobra incident.

The Oasis is definitely worth a visit. Lovely setting, great Tapas at the Tapas Bar and the restaurants menu looks very interesting. I highly recommend the meat and goats cheese balls. Will definitely be frequenting this new establishment.

Dr Chusaks number is 076 330115. He is open from 8:00am - 8:00pm everyday except for Sundays. Have to agree with the OP - he is a great Doctor. He has been our Doctor for 15 years and has always been spot on with his treatment and recommendations for surgery etc.

Try Aquamaster in Chalong en route to the Pier. They sell good value for money PSI Mask and Snorkel sets around 1000 baht per set.

Some more items:

Marmite

Bovril

Branston Pickle

Colemans Mustard

Haloumi Cheese

Feta Cheese

Ryvita

Weetbix

Wishing you all the best with your new venture!

Our Thai neighbour's puppy was also poisoned yesterday off Soi Kuan Tone in Kata.

There is another Pinnochio Restaurant in Kata. I dont think that they are owned by the same people as the owner says he only has the 1 restaurant and has closed his original restaurant which I think was located in Patong. The 1 in Kata opened recently and the meals we have had there were excellent. The Pizzas are also great.

It is located where the Mellow Bar was before at 95 Pakbang road (northern end of Kata Beach).

Pakbang Road is the Beach Road. You don't mean Thai Na Road? There is a new Italian restaurant at the place where my shop used to be, don't know the name, opposite the soi to Easy Riders, at 93-95 Thai Na Road.

Hi Steven

No I dont mean Thaina road - I see that an Italian restaurant has opened there. Have not been there yet. Pinocchio is located where the Mellow Bar was on Pakbang road which is the beach road. The premises are huge - both indoors and outdoors.

It is so nice to have a new good restaurant in Kata. Hope it stays that way. Would be interested to hear if Todd enjoys it if he goes.

Hi the Tappas and Wine Bar is located in the new Kata road next to the Kata Garden Grill opposite the north end of Club Med. You can check the map on the following link.

http://www.tapasandwinephuket.com/where.htm

It is well worth a visit and I highly recommend the Gung Sarong there. The wines are also very reasonably priced. For example a bottle of SA Red (Footprint) costs 590 baht.

Hi Todd

We had a very pleasant experience at the new Pinocchio restaurant in Kata last night. It is located where the Mellow Bar was before at 95 Pakbang road (northern end of Kata Beach). The Italian owner is very helpful and arranged for my sole to be cooked exactly to my liking. My hubby's veal was also awesome. This establishment only opened in Kata about a week ago although I believe that they ran a restaurant in Patong before. The pizzas also looked good but I cannot comment until I have tried one.

The Italian owner (think his name is Nunzio) seems to run the establishment hands on and we found him to be very hospitable. He heard from another diner (apparently a regular from before) that we live in Kata and without even a question we received a substantial discount on our bill. This was not what we were after as we would have been more than happy to pay our bill at the normal price. Nevertheless his hospitality impressed us. One word of warning is that the Thai staff are a little shy but really try hard.

With regards to Ryan who used to work at the Greenman I have heard that he returned back home due to someone in his family being very ill. Unlike some of the claims from some TV members made in another thread where he was supposedly fired.

Otherwise if you try this restaurant hope you have as pleasant an experience as we did. We would not hesitate to go back there again.

Irrespective of whose crowd my face does fit in with, lets simply agree to differ LivinginKata. It really is easy. I am not going to lie and say that I have found the food is bad and the establishment is terrible when I have most definitely have not experienced this.

Have to agree with you JAF - I have over the years seen some dreadful sights there in Ranong. It is a pity that there is no welfare society there.

Also Dianne - I tried to send a message to scadbangkok but the link on their website is broken.

Just goes to show how everybody can have totally different experiences. I have always enjoyed The Greenman. Both Howard and his Wife are extremely friendly and warm. The food is generally very good and with the social atmosphere we have always met many people there.