Razzler1973

Haha, great idea even for a joke. Imagine the reactions on being calculated at a low sin sod though

Perfume counter in the mall is always the quality test of a nations female population

I have been hearing of this for some time now. That's why i have avoided transiting through the UAE. I have deliberately avoided Abu Dhabi and chosen to fly QATAR passing through Doha. However i doubt if my avoidance of this "snake pit" of a country by using another airline , will make any difference, everybody needs to grow some balls and do the same, then they might start asking questions.

Going through Doha rather than Dubai or Abu Dhabi? They're not exactly known for their forward thinking in Qatar. Whatever you fear in the UAE can you multiply by 10 for Qatar with less chance of getting away with it compared to here in Dubai

Ah the 'ol shorts or short skirt connumdrum, very tricky but I think it's your duty, all our duties to find out exactly what these girls are wearing at all times!!

Grace is always full of ladyboys outside. I found places just past Grace and into the soi behind are much better for the same or less money

I live in the Middle East so it's a great place for me to change dirhams into Baht if I need to, better than exchange/bank rates

I have a house and family in Kan. Moved permanently from Sriracha a couple of years ago into what was our holiday home. Best decision I made. Kan is a world apart from Bangkok or the more notorious tourist resorts. It's not quite as it was when I first came here 30 years ago but it hasn't changed as much as Sriracha for example.

You can rent rooms on the river very cheaply as fellow posters have pointed out. But if you want to stay a whole month you can get these rooms for just 3000 baht. A biking friend stayed there last winter for a month. He was very happy. I prefer a bit "posher" hotel and I used to stay at the RS Hotel (GPS N14.05878 E99.50061) at the Sai Yok end of town for 1000 baht. Songthaew buses are frequent along the main drag for a flat 10B so you are never far from downtown or that bridge.

It has rained in Kan this summer but so far very little. Seems to be the driest place in the country. I suppose that could change next month. Last winter it didn't rain at all for 6 months. Not a drop. If you like motorcycling the roads are excellent, particularly the minor main roads. Good surfaces, tree lined and mostly free of traffic. Great scenery too. The main Sai Yok highway is rather dangerous, but the Erawan road much less so. You can rent bikes in town at loads of places. Canoeing down river is quite popular. Your guest house will probably have details. The canoe companies usually take you and a canoe up river to Wat Tha Namtuen (N14.05482 E99.47498) or further up and let you paddle back home. Sometimes they provide a canoeing guide to accompany you.

The tourist guest house road, Maenamkwai Road (N14.03506 E99.51843) is a small version of the Khao San Road in Bangkok and is full of farangs and farang food. It's not my cup of tea and I rarely visit apart from the occasional trip to the Tesco Express shop. There's a big Tesco store at the Bangkok end of town, and a massive new Robinsons complex (N14.02758 E99.55271) - opened a few months ago - on the by-pass at the junction with the 324 highway, so your shopping needs will be well catered for.

Good luck. And I hope you enjoy my favourite part of Thailand.

Nice post

Is that 3K a month in the hotel/guesthouses for a month stay or you mean a rented room/flat for 3K a month?

I have a house and family in Kan. Moved permanently from Sriracha a couple of years ago into what was our holiday home. Best decision I made. Kan is a world apart from Bangkok or the more notorious tourist resorts. It's not quite as it was when I first came here 30 years ago but it hasn't changed as much as Sriracha for example.

You can rent rooms on the river very cheaply as fellow posters have pointed out. But if you want to stay a whole month you can get these rooms for just 3000 baht. A biking friend stayed there last winter for a month. He was very happy. I prefer a bit "posher" hotel and I used to stay at the RS Hotel (GPS N14.05878 E99.50061) at the Sai Yok end of town for 1000 baht. Songthaew buses are frequent along the main drag for a flat 10B so you are never far from downtown or that bridge.

It has rained in Kan this summer but so far very little. Seems to be the driest place in the country. I suppose that could change next month. Last winter it didn't rain at all for 6 months. Not a drop. If you like motorcycling the roads are excellent, particularly the minor main roads. Good surfaces, tree lined and mostly free of traffic. Great scenery too. The main Sai Yok highway is rather dangerous, but the Erawan road much less so. You can rent bikes in town at loads of places. Canoeing down river is quite popular. Your guest house will probably have details. The canoe companies usually take you and a canoe up river to Wat Tha Namtuen (N14.05482 E99.47498) or further up and let you paddle back home. Sometimes they provide a canoeing guide to accompany you.

The tourist guest house road, Maenamkwai Road (N14.03506 E99.51843) is a small version of the Khao San Road in Bangkok and is full of farangs and farang food. It's not my cup of tea and I rarely visit apart from the occasional trip to the Tesco Express shop. There's a big Tesco store at the Bangkok end of town, and a massive new Robinsons complex (N14.02758 E99.55271) - opened a few months ago - on the by-pass at the junction with the 324 highway, so your shopping needs will be well catered for.

Good luck. And I hope you enjoy my favourite part of Thailand.

Nice post

Is that 3K a month rooms in the usual hotel/guesthouse places or you mean a seperate rented room in a house type place for 3K?

That Trance was utterly awful was a completely tacked on ending

I used my credit card when booking a week in some place on the islands in the south and no issues

I wouldn't use it for bits and pieces tbh

Maybe a respectable looking bar I may use it, have done so in other parts of Asia but usually I take cash

7-part mini-series 'Top of the Lake' ... well worth watching

I always enjoy White Collar, good police procedural show and wanted to come up with something different the usual answers that everyone should know by now!

Vampire Diaries is actually very under-rated if you're into vampire type stuff and of course True Blood if that hasn't been mentioned yet

Just finished watching series 5 of Dexter.Never watched anything from Dexter until a few weeks ago and now I'm hooked.Busy downloading series 6 right now

If Ryan Gosling is in it I am gonna go out on a limb and say it's won't really be that hardcore and stuff

My lifestyle probably wouldn't appeal to a lot of people... I don't enjoy going out so I don't do it. (I also don't drink or smoke.) I enjoy swimming, walking, reading and writing, which doesn't cost me anything. My current house is a new (1 year old) bungalow with sea views on Phangan (Had Yao West), typical bungalow size, easily big enough for me and with a nice large balcony. Well built & decently equipped for my needs (not much of a kitchen but I don't need one).

I might downgrade to a 7-8K bungalow, been looking for one and found a few, somewhat older and so lower standard but otherwise same. I'm not too fussy as long as electricity + internet works and I don't get too many bugs or other critters.

As far as food goes, I eat out 3-7 times a week, usually dinner. I like simple food, rice with something simple added, rarely pay more than 200 B per meal, even though I don't hunt for the cheapest restaurants - often eat at the beach, which is obviously more expensive. I'm not a vegetarian but don't eat beef/pork, sometimes I eat vegetarian, sometimes seafood and occasionally chicken. Apart from that I only eat fresh fruit - some days I eat nothing else. Mangoes are my staple, right now 40-50 B/kg. When there's good durian I do spend more but that doesn't happen too often in these parts. Bike rent is 3K + petrol.

I've been thinking about cutting my costs, might move to a 7-8 K bungalow in Chaloklum & get rid of the bike, I'd save ~6K.

Like I said, probably not a lifestyle that would appeal to a lot of people... I enjoy a very simple life, reading books, swimming and hiking being among my greatest joys. I'd like to live without a bike but buying fruit becomes tricky if I can't get to Thong Sala easily - Chaloklum just might work though.

Have you considered buying yourself a rice cooker? They're not that expensive and a 5kg or 10kg bag of rice and you're sorted for ages ... can go buy curries and dishes from the market and places in Thong Sala (Maybe the supermarket also do them) for 30-40 bucks a time and in the long run you're probably cutting costs more

Even a hot plate and pan to make an omelette to supplement the various side dishes and I reckon in the long run you'd probably save on food and also enjoy eating on your balcony (which is ace!!!)

Does anyone know what that giant thing they were building on Haad Rin is, opposite Chicken Corner?

It looks like it may be an enormous hotel/resort thingy *yikes*

Also, seems less and less food stalls around Haad Rin itself or am I missing something?

Thong Sala has but Haad Rin where have the Khao Gairng places gone? There used to be a few

in town, especially up until afternoon but this last year I haven't seen any ... are they

hiding?

There's some food stall looking places on the road into Haad Rin but again, they seem

to be gone by sundown or not long after

That small alley just off the main street, no idea what it's called, sort of parellel

with the 7/11 street but behind .. they have an issan food place there (shut early-ish)

and the food stalls that were there have set up tables and chairs and become the usual

Thai food/farang style just like the guesthouses and stuff now

Am I missing a secret area ... even a bit of a walk on the way out of Haad Rin??

Cool, I will check that out

Annoying thing is I will be in Malaysia doing some work stuff so not quite sure on the exact date of flight until much nearer the time ... grrrrr

May get stuck with the train, which I assume would be more expensive booking from KL to Surat than somewhere in Thailand? Wondering if it would be worth KL to Haad Yai and then Haad Yai to Surat ... probably not worth the hassle

Do you need to remain in Thailand for a fixed period without leaving at all for this adoption to go through?

Get a student visa thingy for a year so the Thailand bit is taken care of and then continue your current client base in the Middle East? Do you need to be on the ground? Can you hire people to do some of the work for you in Saudi so at least money keeps ticking over?

Are there similar industry clients in Thailand you can target? Saudi clients have contacts in Asia you can discuss opportunities with?

It's not always possible to take the long train trips during the day, they are often overnight

I rarely get a 'proper' sleep on the trains anyway, even on the sleepers. I am always kind of disappointed when that guy comes along and makes the beds up ... I prefer the chairs and looking at the window with a couple of drinks

How locked was it, small lock through a couple of zips you can 'stretch out' and get in easily or she slashed the bag right open?

Ah, I see. You don't want Khao San cause you need to be near transport? Maybe around Hualomphong Train Station? There are always cheapish hotels around there in that price range, can't recommend one but almost certain you will find.

Sukhumvit is tricky

That Nasa Vegas looks a good option

I think Honey House is not too much more than that: http://www.honeyhouse.co.th/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=3〈=en

The old skool places around Ngam Dupli may be in that price range (around Malaysia Hotel) and the Lumphini underground isn't too far from there

I don't remember jet skis rentals on Koh Chang either

Do you not want to go down south at all? Head to Koh Pha-Ngan (non full-moon) it's a lovely looking island, some things to do but relaxing also, some good value places and hardly any P4P type shennanigans on most of the beaches

Not sure what people expect him to say 'yeah, loads of westerners around there so obviously people are trying to skank them as much as possible'

I like the side step on the scammers and none of that around here, not including the taxi and tuk-tuk 'mafia' then, they're some of the worst around there

Aside from that it's what I would expect someone in his position to say tbh

I witnessed a farang beaten to death in the street two years ago, the morning after Xmas. He was drunk and kicked a Thai guys car that honked at him as he wobbled across the street into another bar at about 4 a.m. 15 minutes later a mob of pipe wielding street punks came and dragged him out of the bar into the street, and things got really, really ugly. it took police more than 20 minutes to get there. We bailed to our hotel when the mob moved down the street towards us. This never made the papers or news.

Also, farangs are always getting their money removed when they wake up back in their rooms, discovering their princess has fled with her golden slippers, and your wallet. Nobody reports this...

And no-one recorded it on a phone or camera of which there must have been many, this being a tourist place? Maybe this was before Facebook, Twitter, etc existed?

Seems like a very odd story to me.

I will also be in KL next month aiming for KL to Surat for Koh Pha-Ngan, which airline did you use, seems like only Air Asia from KL to Surat?

I have left Koh Pha-Ngan on that early, early, super early ferry before like 6am or 7am, whichever and had it all organised to the airport for midday or 1pm ... then I found out the flight was put back until 5pm but hey, I still would have made it

There's more to Thailand and Asia than P4P scene and also more than temples too

I never came to Thailand and Asia for the girls, well, anymore than I will try to get girls wherever I am but the P4P is really not for me. I don't return for it either, or the temples, seen 'em!

http://www.tapeehotel.com/

This is in town, travel agent to arange bus to airport if you don't want to mess about