Razzler1973

Has anybody ridden on the London Underground lately, with it graffiti and gratuitous violence, particularly in the evenings. Or the mass drunkeness and football hooligans at the weekend?

I spend a goodf 6 or 7 weeks a year back in London where I am from and I don't experience any of those things and didn't when I lived there either.

I find it all so compicated I just stand up and be done with it all!

ever hear of hot coffee and let it cool and the put in fridge better that that crap

But he wants Oishi coffee, hence the question

So if you're relatively long term and rent a small place to live do you or the building owner/real estate company report your presence to the authorities?

I usually just fill any old hotel name in on the landing card and sometimes stay there and sometimes stay somewhere else ... of course you sign in again. Do they ever match the two up at all? If not, don't see the point really.

I also like how pretty much everywhere in Thailand just still loves the big ledger book. Computers? No thanks, sir we'll right everything down in a big book! Even this smallish place I booked online before ... turned up and ... big ledger with all the details in. The request must be made electronically via email and I guess it's just easier to write it down

I remember some 10+ years back being down south on a bus heading towards Surat train station from one of the provinces and lo and behold some japesters decided to throw water at the bus. It cracked the front window of the bus as the ran off. The bus stopped ... all the other passengers hopped into pick ups and on motorbikes until muggings was left standing with no clue what was happening and no way to get to the train station and therefore my flight.

My beginner-ish Thai got me to 'the bus ain't gonna nowhere, mate, sort yourself out'! and after hanging around comtemplating my next move I managed to speak to someone living nearby and got a lift to the station.

I have hated Songkran since

Which came first the 'they're building an airport on the island' or 'they're gonna stop the full moon' stories? Both seem to have been around about 15 years in my time anyway

There's more than one arrival pier now as well as several jumping off points, it seems. I can never remember which is which. One that you arrive at is a bit further down from the 'main' one (with the 'welcome to KC' sign) and the number of songthaews on that other one is useless.

People always say the roads on KC are bad but to be honest I have never had a problem renting a bike and driving and I am far from a super-duper motorcyclist. I just get the click and start ones and don't drive like a nutter and yes they're twisty turny but never had a problem. Nice little drive. Does it link up in a loop yet?

All that resistence to fast food on White Sand and what do they open ... bleedin' Chester Chicken of all things

There's a big bus between Trat and Pattaya? I am sure it's just mini-buses only which are all over the place or go to Chonburi and get a Bangkok bus coming through to Trat

You can get on the airport express and change to subway at Makasan and then get to Hualomphong and take a city bus from there (think it's 53 or 56?) but can be a long wait and will take an age. Can do that and it's 60-80 baht in a cab to Khao San area from Hualomphong

Down by the river where a lot of the guesthouses are there is quite a row of them IIRC, especially on the corner

Head over the bridge into Samsen Road, some nice little places down there or just go Nakorn Pink in Soi 6 or the nearby Suksawadi for reasonable Chinese-run type places. Phra-Arthit has some nicer places that you may pay a bit more for

Singha all day long for me. Great beer.

I sometimes partake in a bit of Leo and Chang cause it's all over the place! I do prefer Leo to Chang though but if there's a decent deal on Draught Chang then I'll happily drink it but Singha wins hands down for me

I have a feeling I know where all the decent members have gone to.

Where? (genuinely don't know and don't want to miss out!)

Jesus any half decent barrister would destroy any prosecutor claiming an individual is in possession for having a poppy seed in a shirt or a sugar grain sized lump of cannabis on his shoe ??

Unfortunately half decent barristers aren't allowed in this part of the world, you can only be represented in court by a local Arab so there are plenty of law firms and even big UK law firms but they can't actually go to court with you, only hope to be recommened someone who isn't an idiot but tribal lines are strong and so is family influence here.

Dragging something out as long as possible and hoping it goes away if a big legal tactic

It's not only UAE, the whole region will is the same.

UAE doesn't have any oil? Are you joking, there is tons and tons of it in Abu Dhai, who do you think funded Dubai's 'expansion'? Big brother Abu Dhabi and banks!

I have put these things, protected and well wrapped, in checked luggage before with no problem

Also, I googled it and it came up first hit: (Rin Beach resort Koh Pha Ngan)

http://www.rinbeachresort.com/

Ah, I know where it is, it's right near that Samui pier on the non-Full Moon side. Which is much better if you ask me as it's not more than 10 minutes and you can stay a bit away from the madness whilst still joining in.

It's just past that Om Restaurant on the left, has it's own small entrance thing. Looks decent. Beach there isn't good, they may have a pool and short walk to Full Moon beach anyway

Book it soon as possible but I would take the Nok Air or Air Asia flight to Surat and then go from there.

Nok Air have a combo ticket that'll take you from Bkk airport all the way to Koh Samui pier

Always used the ol bum gum in Asia and even here in the Middle East. It annoys me when I am back in England and we don't have them, makes perfect sense to me

If I am heading back to my room after drinking I tend to stop off in 7/11 for a final beer and always like to grab a small 'Moo Yor' to eat with my beer, bloody addicted to the bloody stuff when drunk!

Num Dtok

Som Tum Phuu

Gai Nor Mai

even the lowly Khao Mum Gai ...

.... jeez, this list could go on for ages!

I love Thai food and also don't have a problem with street food or small noodle shops, love it.

You're right about Filipino food though, not only worst in Asia but amongst the worst in the world Here in the Middle East we have a large Filipino community so plenty of Filipino places around, cheap as anything and this is mainly cause it's usually consumed by the Filipinos themselves (and no one else!) whereas Thai food has quite a lot of international acclaim so most Thai food here and back in England tends to be '5 star restuarant' type stuff or more expensive

I live in Dubai, Etihad are fine, have seat back TVs (also important to me). Emirates have been getting slated for a fair while, planes looking a bit tatty but think they have no planes now on long haul routes (those double-decker ones). Qatar Air are decent enough. Steer well clear of Gulf Air, utterly hopeless and a history of awful service

Like those stupid rumours years ago that it contained formaldehyde- OMG!!! and that rumour eventually transferred to Beer Chang ... both utterly ridiculous, of course. People stay say it contains formaldehyde to this day