PhilHarries

What amazes me the most is that one city is partial flooded and a whole country is deprived of basic goods for months.

Probably you'll find most of the distribution depots are in and around Bangkok and, of course, many of the transport routes have been impassable.

What's Pattaya like for accommodation now? I'm flying in Saturday and haven't booked anywhere yet as I never usually have a problem.

Well I'd hazard a guess the Khmers think they've won the war but they might just find they only won round one.

The Thais don't like getting beat up particularly by foreigners so expect a rematch once the odds have been "evened" out.

I don't think it's a big deal but I think calling the people you are seeing in Nana Africans rather than blacks would be better.

How do you know they are Africans? They could be British, French, American or many other nationalities.

I would agree this time of the year HCMC, great city just to hang out for a few days. Pleasant to walk around (unlike Bangkok), sidewalk coffee shops , art shops and some wonderful food. Hanoi can also be fun (with even more art) but i have been there on a couple of cold wet days and would not want to repeat that. Hard to put my finger on but i just find HCMC a more relaxing place for a short break.

Many of the sidewalks are very pleasant to walk on but many are impossible due to motorbikes parked on them, vendors sprawled across them and the coffee drinkers on those tiny plastic stools. The one along Le Loi past all the arty shops, in addition to those hazards, is a bit like an assault course due to the tree roots lifting the surface.

The only time I was in Ha Noi was January/February and, though it was comfortable day time, it got a bit nippy at night. Also a bit strange coming out of the Spotted Cow at ten thirty in the evening and there not being another living soul to be seen in the street. Felt like I was caught up in a John Le Carre novel.

I liked Ha Noi, especially the old quarter, but HCMC is a lot more cosmopolitan.

In Buriram ,absolutely no shortage of Chang bottles or cans,

Apart from the fact that Buriram is a complete 'AVOID' zone for for most farangs (reasons obvious to most long-termers)... this is the Pattaya forum so i would hazard a guess that most poeple are not too concerned what happened in up there in the sticks

Whatever the problem is I hope they have it sorted by Dec 10th when I arrive for a five day stopover SGN-LHR. Within reason I don't mind the price as long as there is beer, not Heineken, available. If not I'll reschedule and just keep going through to London or stop here in HCMC where at the moment it is lashing down but we do have plenty of beer.

Could be that by end of 2012 Germany is the only European nation where people can still afford to fly anyplace.

For a few days I would recommend HCMC especially this time of year as the weather is better, warmer and more sunshine.

There's not a heck of a lot to do in the city but in the area around Pham Ngu Lao in District 1 there are hosts of travel shops offering everything from one day city tours upwards.

If you fancy crawling along narrow tunnels there the war era Viet Cong tunnels at Cu Chi. They've enlarged sections so westerners can get down there but it can still be a bit claustrphobic.

Alternatively you can take a Mekong Delta tour for up to three days but you tend to be herded everywhere in a group.

You can take a bus out to Mui Ne for some reasonable beach resorts but not a lot else.

Or you could just stay in the city, do the War Remnants Museum (ex Museum of American War Crimes), The Notre Damme (cathedral is open mornings and afternoons), the Central Post Office (not joking, it is impressive inside) and the plethora of restaurants. Bars are a bit thin on the ground but there are a few as there are nightclubs but they're not my scene.

I followed Big c:s advice I did. Have 138 cases of Singha beer & 140 of Leo. No panic buying mind you..

OK on a serious note, plenty of beer about.

What no bottle of sherry for the sheilas?

I alway eat at the Sportsman when I pass through town, as likely I will again mid Dec, and will say, though their food is generally good, some of their meals are crap. I've never eaten their carvery lunches as I am not a fan of buffet style food cooked 'n' hours ago so I won't be bothered by this revelation. The place, as already remarked, serves little more than pub grub and if I want to spend over 400THB on a meal I'll find a better place than the Sportsman.

They used to knock out some really good sandwiches but last time I was there the range was much reduced and the quality left a lot to be desired. So maybe, like a lot of places, they are feeling the pinch and are cutting back on quality and, very likely, quantity.

Though I believe you're simply trolling for you own amusement , I'll bite anyway. That you believe that most Thai families wouldn't be horrified, and even disown their daughter if she became a stripper/gogo dancer only speaks to your ignorance of all things related to Thailand.

I think you'll find most, as in most numerically, wouldn't, and don't, ask too many questions regarding where the money comes from. As long as it keeps coming they will keep taking it.

They might know in their hearts what she is doing but as long as she don't work in a gogo bar in the same village or come swinging through wearing outrageously lurid and revealing clothes they just ignore it.

And from days long past, Thermae used to be a place full of westerners. I went in a few months back to use the facilities, and over the last 5 or 6 years since i had been on there last, the place had sure changed. The clientele was almost exclusively eastern Asian. So I do think eastern Asians are "high up on the ladder" here.I do know that Koreans now are pretty popular in all aspect of life. K-Pop stars play here regularly before full houses when western bands rarely sell out

And what types of Westerners used to go to Thermae - high up the ladder ones?

Yeah, window cleaners.

You use toilet paper as a subsitute for tissue paper on the dinner table.

Err, what is tissue paper?

You wear your jacket back to front while riding your motorbike.

Not much different than billiards really. Those long hard sticks and flying balls can do real damage, you know.

You're right and I've never known a game like pool for heated disputes and it's not always alcohol fueled.

When I lived in the UK back in the '80s I arrived at my local off the train home from work a few minutes before opening time. As I walked in so did two lads who started playing a game of pool. Before I was even halfway down my pint they were almost at each others throats over some nuance in the rules. The landlord had to tell them to calm down or get out. God knows what they'd be like after a skinful.

I think if anyone is serious in starting table tennis, ping pong, call it what you like in Pattaya they'd probably be best starting with the hotels and try and get some sort of weekly tourney going.

I don't see it as a goer in bars, takes up too much space for a start. Then the problem with the heat, as someone said the a/c units draft would be a problem so you'd need a largish hall with ducted a/c.

Could always try it as a beach game but the sea breeze is going to be awkward at times but then it would add to the challenge. Anyone can play ping pong in dead still air conditions, throw in a crosswind and it's a whole new ball game (awful pun intended ).

Good old Amneasty International, bang up to date as usual.....NOT!

How many years has the insurgency been running in the south and how many teachers and other civilians have been killed? Sound like AI is looking for pastures new as everyone else is totally ignoring them.

I know they do a good job at highlighting real abuses of human rights, rather than the plastic version being tried on by British criminals, but when was the last time their efforts stopped anything? Governments the world over, of all persuations, just ignore them.

It beats the hel_l out of me why anyone would want to take a photo in a supermarket,

"this is one of me in the vegetables aisle and this is the wife at the deli counter".

Still it takes all sorts, but I suppose it does deter the plankers.

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And if he had left it in the hotel safe and it got broken into, no doubt some members would label him stupid for trusting the hotel safe! He was not stupid, merely unfortunate.

Its better to trust the hotel safe (if you live in a fairly decent hotel) than your pocket.

So yes this guy is stupid in my opinion.

Agreed, he'd have been better off hiding the money under his mattress than carrying it around Pattaya or, in fact, any town/city in the world late at night.

Stupid is as stupid does.

High heels?

Well I'm from Sai Gon and can tell you there are some mightily pished off restauranteurs here.

Only joking, or maybe not.

Thing is there was a letter in the paper that shall not be mentioned going on about the strays should all be rounded up, neutered/spayed and found good homes or some similar scheme.

Fine sentiments however it fails to fulfill one basic criteria. The plan does not make money unless people are charged for the dogs they take in therefore very few will be taken in. Rounding them up and exporting them over here makes a few dollars for very little investment.

You don't need an MBA in business studies to see which one is the better investment in Thai eyes.

Sure it would be nice if all the little doggies were looked after and lived long and happy lives but that doesn't even happen in the west.

As for boycotting Thailand for the stray dogs for food trade what about all the endangered species that get trucked up through the country en route to Chinese dining tables? What about a boycott against Thailand, amongst others, for the traffiking of human beings?

She's showing her political niaivete again here. She should realise that politicians, when elected, are given days, not week nor months, to start sorting things out. Unfair? Of course it is and she has to be prepared to see her popularity plunge. She's not got off to a good start with the backtracking on the minimum wage issue and it remains to be seen how that affects her overall standing.

It's the same the world over, the people want change and they want it NOW! Plus of course by "change" they mean anything that puts more money in THEIR pockets, stuff the rest of the country.

Good luck to her, she's going to need it because if she thinks she can totally rely on the rest of her government to support her then she has a rude wake up call coming.

Just Google Vietnam Visa or go to the Vietnamese Embassy website and you'll find a link there.

Enter your details, dates, port of entry etc and next day you'll receive notification of your visa requirement and cost. Wire them the money and the next day you'll get the invitation letter. Take a copy of that, i recommend two as sometimes the airline wants a copy (no you won't be allowed to check in without it), with a passport sized photo and turn up at the visa on arrival window at Ha Noi or Sai Gon, fill out the form, pay some more money and you're in. Even if you forget the photo, as I once did, they'll take it for you for an extra $5, no worries.

You have to nominate your port of entry but as long as you arrive at an airport when you opted for one you are okay as the letter is faxed to all international airports. The only problem would come if you nominated an airport and tried to enter via a land crossing, or vice versa.

You'll also find that they've done away with the arrival forms so you don't even have to bother with that crap.

And yes. Saigon beer is great stuff but the Bia Hoi is the stuff if you are on a tight budget. 6,000 VND a liter (less than 30 cents US) and it ain't bad grog but the places you get it are not exactly westernised.

These people die in Thailand why blame Thailand for their deaths. How many of the deaths could be associated with alcohol or some other drug abuse, that is the tell all stat.

or suicide, or road traffic accidents.

People prone to chronic depression are going to go at least part way down the suicide route in any country. They have support charities back home but it should not be the responsibility of other countries to set up such support just for foriegners.

As for RTA's, how many of those are due to the foreigner driving while pissed or driving like a <deleted>' lunatic or both? A lot of foreigners see Thais doing stupid things on the road and automatically assume they can too. If they die in the process is that the fault of the country or the individual?

I haven't seen the piece but it's fairly typical of the news media's output these days. Just because the NOTW has gone doesn't mean the denizons of the gutter that brought it down have gone, just moved on. The news these days is purely to seel newpapers or attract viewers and the more sensational and lurid it is the more we (the people not necessarily the individuals) want to read it.

Indeed, it is the name that causes confusion. I'm not sure about the wrong direction story. I don't see too many people speeding the wrong way down the beach road. Who knows....?

With the greatest respect I'd ask how much experience you have of Beach Road at 5 am?

Crockery via the post? You'll need 15kg of shock absorbent packing to give the stuff even a fighting chance of making it intact.

Don't give Sai Gon a miss, it's a great place to start and plan your tour. The traffic is totally manic and about as close to pure unadulterated anarchy as you'll get. The big surprise to me is how few accidents happen and those that do are just minor shunts. Once you get out of the city though speeds pick up and the accidents are as horrific as any you've seen in Thailand.

In two years in Sai Gon using taxis every day, work and pleasure, I've been ripped off once. Stick to either Vinasun or Mai Linh taxis and you'll be fine. The meter is switched on day or night without having to ask. My rip off experience came from not using one of those taxi companies and not checking the meter is zeroed before starting. I've heard tell of taxis with special souped up meters that rack up a charge like nobody's business but never experienced it myself.

Like BKK, airport taxis are a breed apart. When you get to the airport, pull out any old charge/credit card or something that looks like one and say you want to pay by card. That gets rid of the rip off flies and you'll get an official taxi at half to a third the cost.

There are plenty of small hotels in the Pham Ngu Lao/De Tham area for around $25 per night, a/c room, en suite but just make sure you get a room out the back. You do not want to have a room overlooking the street. Vietnamese sound their horns while driving even if there isn't another living soul in sight.

Regular buses are like cattle trucks, worth a short trip for the experience but for long didtance get a tour bus, tickets from any travel agent.

This info I just dug out is a couple of years old but It'll give you some idea of costs and journey times:-

SGN - Nha Trang $8 (10 sleeper) circa 10 hours.

SGN - Da Lat $7 circa 7 hours

SGN - Mui Ne $5 (8 sleeper) circa 6 hours

This route I only have the price:-

SGN - Mui Ne - Da Lat - Nha Trang - Hoi An - Hue - Ha Noi $38

That just about takes in the whole of the country.

Usually there is a choice of regular or VIP bus but it's like a couple of dollars more so, for me, there's no choice.

Triple entry tourist visa with extensions will give you 9 months then obtain in Cambodia double entry, will give you up to another 6 months.

£700-800 a month doable if not partaking too much of the night life.

Can't beat Pattaya for choices in my opinion cheap accommodation and cheap Farang food.

Whilst I agree 750 a month is doable it is only just so. Then at the end of the year he goes back to the UK with four tenths of phi alpha. It rather depends on his circumstances in the UK whether he could return to the country and find a place to stay for next to nothing.

Also, yes though Pattaya is a good place for choices not all of them work out cheap in the long run and some of them will clean him out in the blink of an eye. That depends on how strong a will power he has, or rather how strong his won't power is.