syd barrett

I see that Qatar are doing flights to some European destinations for 17,000 Baht ++, making them about 27,000.

Limited availability, but pretty good if you want to go next month.

Prices for London return is 28990 THB that is GBP558

Considering return flights from the UK start at 350 GBP it's expensive in the LOS now.

I reckon the best idea is to fly one-way to the U.K. and buy a year return in the UK.

To me the answer is simple. I could not enjoy the life I have in Thailand in the U.K. for 50K Thai Baht per month.

So, quality of life in Thailand is much improved:

Restaurants, transportation, beer, no council tax, no TV licence, no insurance, cheap gasoline, house maintenance, fair utility bills, less VAT, cheap clothes, entertainment and nightlife, hot weather, lots of sunshine, cheap DVD's, cheap computer repairs, sport available on TV, most western food available, cheap healthcare and pharmacy etc etc.

In Britain, struggling with constant bills, ripped off left right and centre and fined for putting my wheely-bin out on the wrong day, jailed for swearing at vandals and gypsies, paying 4 quid for a single tube journey, Council tax 200 quid a month on top of 40% tax and 11% National Insurance.

Slightly off subject, but I remember about 7 years ago, I was at Pattaya immigration on Soi 8 stood outside waiting for it to open, and I was chatting to a member of staff outside who was smoking.

I was moaning about the visa situation in Thailand and he said he could fix me up with a five year visa for 40,000 baht (off the record). I didn't take up the offer, but I still wonder about it, to this day.

This is beginning to look like the Etihad fan club thread, but they are my favorite airline from Manchester by far. Normally cheaper and better in every way than my second and third favourites, Emirates and Qatar. There are no direct flights from Manchester by anyone so that isn't an option at any price and the Etihad layover in the new terminal at Abu Dhabi is just about the right length for me to stretch my legs. I've also flown Manchester to BKK and return with Turkish Airlines and Finnair because of special price deals at the time - never again!

If you keep your eyes peeled, at certain times of the year BA offer flights to Bangkok return for 399 GBP and you can add on the domestic flight from Manchester/Birmingham etc. for 60 quid.

I am feeling that BA are improving now and on an upward trend for Y class customers.

the price of beer here is now MORE expensive then then uk

i saw a reort that you canpick up 24 cans of stella from tesco for 10 ( 500 THB ) .. but ths is specail offer

but then i remember back in the uk i got 6 large Fosters for 5 Quid, ( 250 THB ) and it was the norm it off licences

with the excange rate a beer in thailand s more then uk !

However, don't forget the % of Chang is 6.4 and that must be described as a strong beer. In the U.K. normal strength beer is 4% so Chang beer is more than 50% stronger. The current 7-11 price is 38 baht, but expect this to rise soon to about 40-41 baht soon.

Also, that is for a 640 ml (large bottle)

So for a 500ml can of beer in the U.K. priced at GBP 0.83 at 4% strength

In Thailand a 640ml bottle priced at THB 38 = GBP= 0.73 at 6.4% strength

So I am sure you would agree, Thailand beer still represents better value for money.

Door-to-Door own all three delivery services as far as I know.

That is D2D/WOW/D.Express

I have used these delivery services in the past, but don't bother any more following some disappointing results and the collapse of the British pound.

The only thing I have delivered now is the odd pizza.

I really reckon it's worth making the effort to go outside yourself and look for the nearest food vendor. I'm walking distance from a guy who sells chicken wings and legs on sticks for 20/30 baht or else I buy a spaceman meal from 7-11 and microwave it later in the evening.

Another Airport Alert

About two years ago I was at the airport, sitting in Burger King enjoying a burger, when all of a sudden there was a kerfuffle behind me with two Indian men and security guards. They had been accused of taking an extra can of drink from the self-service fridge.

They were well dressed and didn't look short of cash, in fact during the argument one of the Indian men threw a wad of notes onto the table as if to prove his worth.

Because they could not show receipts (from Burger King) they were detained and missed their flight. I know this because I spoke to some of their fellow Indian friends at the Emirates gate later.

I would advise everyone to always ask for, and keep your receipts at airport shops. Even Burger King.

I agree.

There are just a handful of very nasty characters posting in the 'Pattaya' forum. They know who they are. I won't mention names. One in particular has bombarded me with poisonous PM's.

<snip>

I really don't understand why such persons would want to join a peace-loving forum, where the aim is to want to swap experiences and advice without malice or the need to abuse innocent members.

I agree with most moderation issues but I think that warnings should be more frequent. Continued abuse should be met with warnings and suspension, then banning.

I am no angel myself. But rules are rules. I do think that some TV members have obvious personality disorders and/or psychiatric needs.

^^

Thanks for the feedback Chai mai.

I will report back with a full report regarding the P&W sausage.

OK, on Thursdays they do a pair of chicken breasts in an herb tomato sauce. Sounds boring to me, but there it is.

Only missing Tuesdays now!

MONDAY - Gammon Steak

TUESDAY - ?????

WEDNESDAY - Beef Stew

THURSDAY - Chicken breasts w/ tomato herb sauce

FRIDAY - Fish and Chips with mushy/garden peas and tartar sauce

SATURDAY - Bangers and mash

SUNDAY - Roast beef and yorkshire pudding

It is Saturday today, so I might just check up the P&W for the 'Bangers and Mash'. Can anyone advise me on the quality of the P&W Sausage?

Am I the only man on this forum shaving with Vaseline?

Or cheaper generic petroleum jelly?

I would say for a healthy adult, who is eating proper regular meals and drinking water regularly throughout the day especially durng hot weather, then these electrolyte mixes are unecessary.

However, if you have bad diarrhea, are a chronic alcoholic, miss meals regularly, exercise in hot weather and have other physical disease, then they are a good idea.

Eating and drinking water are the key here. Drink too much water and don't eat, you will flush away your electrolytes. Don't do it.

i came home from work to the dark side stopped at two 7-11's i got beer and sansong but every bar i past shut . so best stock up in the good old 7-11 and it was b4 5pm love it . would rather sit at home drinking then in some shit bar with the lights out and drinking from a coffee mug .

I had no problem at 7-11 buying a couple of Changs. Have you noticed that they now sell large Chang 2-packs for 67 Baht yet a single large Chang is priced at 38 Baht. That is a saving of 4.5 baht per bottle. Good news at last!

In 2008, I went for the first time to Pattaya. I was aware the beach in Pattaya was not good, but i was told Jomtien beach was good enough. Well, I found it a little better, but I'm still lokking for even better.

Now, some people talk to me about Naklua Beach and about Wang Amat beach, so i have some questions:

1- What kind of beaches are they? Quiet or Crowded? Safe?

2- Do they have restaurants or similar places there, where I can eat and drink?

3- Is it possible to go there using the baht bus? If not, how would it cost me, daily, to rent a motorbike?

4- If i stay in South Pattaya, how far i am from Naklua or Wang Amat? How long does it take me to get there?

Thanks.

I recommend Wongamat Beach. I go there regularly when the weather is best and not too hot: (October-March).

I get Mrs. Barrett to drive me to Naklua, then take a left down Soi 16 and find a place to park at the end. Then walk past a high Condo unit for 25 yards and you will see a sloping back-passage that leads to the beach.

On the Beach there are the usual umbrellas and chairs (free) for people buying cold beers (me) (waiter service) and enjoy a clean beach with water that looks good, but still not recommended for other than a paddle. Enjoy! You can get basic meals as well!

When you say you use Vista are you using the mail program that comes with it? If so can you access your e-mail via IE? If you can do so and check if someone has sent you an e-mail with a large attachment or anything else that is causing Vista to block downloading your mail e.g. spam. Delete the 7 e-mails in there at the moment if they're not important and see if this clears things up.

I am using Windows Mail which comes with Vista. My email is from my domain name: eg. [email protected] and is a POP3 account. Large emails are no problem, the blue progress bar shows me how progress is being made.

The problem is it says downloading message 2 and nothing is coming matter how long connected so all my other emails are blocked in the system

For the first time in my living memory in Pattaya: Friendship Supermarket is refusing to sell beer & spirits today (Friday May 8th 2009).

It is very annoying, do what I do:

Ring the bell and get off and go and sit next to the driver for the remainder of your journey.

PS. Don't do this for baht bus # 375 or #77

You've tried on another ISP/Computer?

I've tried on a different ISP.

The problem is on receive mail on my POP3 account.

I don't know what to do about this. Any techno-whizz people out there know?

I operate Windows Vista and the free Windows Email (Which is my personal email account (my domain) POP 3 etc.

When I check email it says you have seven messages, the first one downloads to my inbox in 1 second, then it 'starts'on the second message. No matter how long I wait, there is no progress with this second message, not even a blue-bar-graphic progress, so all my emails are blocked.

Please does anyone have a solution to this big problem?

Emirates airline has announced an increase in its free baggage allowance for passengers effective for all tickets issued on or after May 4.

The new allowance, implemented across the airline's network of more than 100 destinations globally, is – 30kg for Economy Class passengers, 40kg for Business and 50kg for First Class.

Nabil Sultan, Emirates' Divisional Senior VP, Revenue Optimisation, said: "We has moved to these new free baggage levels to further demonstrate our commitment to putting the passenger first."

Gold and Silver members of Skywards – Emirates' frequent flyer programme – are entitled to an additional baggage allowance over their ticketed allowance – 16kg for Gold members and 12 kg for Silver. Codeshare passengers travelling on Emirates-operated flights are also eligible for the baggage allowances.

http://www.business24-7.ae/Articles/2009/5...7c1bafc782.aspx

About time too. Just a simple suitcase and a few encyclopedias weighs 20 kg.

But it will be some time before I travel Emirates again on the Bamgkok route. Those 747-300 series with 10 seats across instead of 9 just increases that sardine feeling. Sitting in the aisle means massive bruising to shoulders as you are knocked-around that much, and the ICE system entertainment boxes under the seats restrict leg comfort.

I have defected to Singapore Airlines who have dramatically slashed London-BKK fares now and if you time it right go on the new A380 Super-Plane.

Mate, I don't know how long ago you flew EK but they don't own any 747-300s or 400s. 777 and A340 long haul only in their fleet.

You are right! Sorry , I meant to say 777-300 .

My original criticism: Stet.

Ten across is barbaric.

Emirates airline has announced an increase in its free baggage allowance for passengers effective for all tickets issued on or after May 4.

The new allowance, implemented across the airline's network of more than 100 destinations globally, is – 30kg for Economy Class passengers, 40kg for Business and 50kg for First Class.

Nabil Sultan, Emirates' Divisional Senior VP, Revenue Optimisation, said: "We has moved to these new free baggage levels to further demonstrate our commitment to putting the passenger first."

Gold and Silver members of Skywards – Emirates' frequent flyer programme – are entitled to an additional baggage allowance over their ticketed allowance – 16kg for Gold members and 12 kg for Silver. Codeshare passengers travelling on Emirates-operated flights are also eligible for the baggage allowances.

http://www.business24-7.ae/Articles/2009/5...7c1bafc782.aspx

About time too. Just a simple suitcase and a few encyclopedias weighs 20 kg.

But it will be some time before I travel Emirates again on the Bamgkok route. Those 747-300 series with 10 seats across instead of 9 just increases that sardine feeling. Sitting in the aisle means massive bruising to shoulders as you are knocked-around that much, and the ICE system entertainment boxes under the seats restrict leg comfort.

I have defected to Singapore Airlines who have dramatically slashed London-BKK fares now and if you time it right go on the new A380 Super-Plane.

I also get called Britney Spears or Avril Lavigne by quite a few Thai people.. Maybe because they don't know any other foreign females to compare me to? ...

strange that, I often get labelled Bernard Breslaw, Big Bill Werbinek (the dead snooker player) or even Shrek on occasions. Am I offended? No of course not, these are all great people of our time.

Syd, embrace the Mr. Bean label you have been given.

Ha Ha, I thought I was the only one who remembered Bill Weibernek, he used to down 12 pints of lagers just to steady his cue...

As you said, better to embrace the nickname as a friendly and not malicious term.

I'm just sorry my original post attracted so much bad feeling from a couple of TV members towards a fellow poster, good to see some nasty posts removed.

Thanks all.

Hotels however almost always want to see a credit card, and even if the room is pre-paid they can give you grief if you don't have a credit card they can sight/imprint in advance to cover meals, incidentals etc. It must be a real pain for some people.

Don't ever give a Thai hotel your credit/debit card. They will memorise your 3 digit code on the back and empty your account. Just give them 5 thousand baht cash deposit (get a receipt).

I asked my girlfriend what she thought, if a Thai calls a farang "Mr. Bean" is it an insult? She said of course it's an insult, Mr. Bean is very stupid, but he thinks he's clever.

That is why I feel so depressed about it.

I have only sausage and black pudding and tripe to cheer me up.

Thanks for the opinions.

Why are me and my familly treated so well? could it be we live in an upper class Thai residential area

I would be interested to know more about 'upper class Thai residential areas'; Is this where aristocrats and diplomats live?