eyebee

Cars kill more than guns

But guns are made specifically to kill. Cars aren't...

I would go to Key Visa in soi LK Metro. They will tell you exactly what you need, and will take your letter to the Embassy and return it for around 300 baht. Far cheaper than going to BKK yourself.

One of the first light-hearted stories of 2013 took a very disturbing and serious turn involving a civil servant with a non-existent birthday and a disgraced minister that made a fool out of himself with an unbelievable rant, not without consequences.

Earlier this week, news spread about a man called Sangwian Kuncharoen, an assistant village chief in a small community in Sa Kaeo province, located on the Eastern border of Thailand. The 53-year-old actually isn’t supposed to be that old – he isn’t supposed to able to celebrate his birthday ever – because Mr. Sangwian has an usual bureaucratic problem:

See full story: http://asiancorrespondent.com/95150/tongue-thaied-part-xviii-born-on-february-30-roasted-on-january-10/

Little Wonder, in the arcade next to Kiss restaurant on 2nd Road. It's a British style greasy spoon. Typical British dishes and they do great chips (like French Fries for you Americans, but bigger). One difference, though, is for Londoners they do Pie, Mash and Liquor! Not quite the same as you would get at Manze's or Cooke's in London, but pretty good all the same. Two pies and single mash - 180 baht. Has seating inside (air-con) and outside.

Il Primo Sole, Beach Road between sois 5 and 6. Very nice Italian restaurant. They do all the standard Italian dishes, and a great bruschetta. Prices reasonable e.g. approx 250 baht for Penne A l'Amatriciana. Also do Pizzas, though I've not had one. Sort of a strange location as you eat in a corridor! Used to be called Al Capone.

Sounds interesting...thanks for the tip. One other thing I feel people should mention is if the place has enclosed air-con seating. In this climate, this is a make or break issue for many. For Il Primo, is their corridor air-conditioned?

Nope, as it's open at the front and the back (but not overhead). However, lots of fans.

Il Primo Sole, Beach Road between sois 5 and 6. Very nice Italian restaurant. They do all the standard Italian dishes, and a great bruschetta. Prices reasonable e.g. approx 250 baht for Penne A l'Amatriciana. Also do Pizzas, though I've not had one. Sort of a strange location as you eat in a corridor! Used to be called Al Capone.

The law was placed on the books back in 1972 by "The Revolutionary Council" during some coup or another. Its intention was to preveny rioting during the coup. The law was ignored for many years until Thaksin found it was still on the books and decided to enforce it to prevent schoolchildren buying booze. That was clearly a disingenuous reason as the only times you can't buy alcohol is when the kids are at school! And how about enforcing the rule that only over-20s can buy alcohol? Anyway it is something I have come to live with. Thank God it doesn't apply to the bars!

1. Song-sip baht is wrong (should be yee-sip)

2. Yee-sip pan baht (they have another word for 10,000)

3. The Thai word for "pack" is song (same as two)

6. Thais divide the day into 4 (0 to 5, 6 to 12 etc)

7. I thought there were 76 provinces

1. sometimes shortened to yip, as in yiphaa baht for 25 baht.

2. meun

3. different spelling, different pronounciation.

7. I thought it was 77?

Yes, 77, but only if you include Bangkok as a province, though it's technically a Special Administrative Area.

1. Song-sip baht is wrong (should be yee-sip)

2. Yee-sip pan baht (they have another word for 10,000)

3. The Thai word for "pack" is song (same as two)

6. Thais divide the day into 4 (0 to 5, 6 to 12 etc)

7. I thought there were 76 provinces

Please watch out for the following people over the next few weeks, and report to the police if seen:

Emma Dreaming

Arthur White

Chris Muss

Jess Like-Dee

Juan Zwee

Hugh Sterno

Wendy Treetops-Glissen

Anne Chilled-Wren

Liz Anne “Two Ears” Laybelle

Cindy Snow

Emma Dreaming

Arthur White

Chris Musswit

Avery Crease

Miss Carr

Di Wright

Mayor Dazeby

Mary Ann Bright

Ann May-Hall-York-Rhys

Mrs B White

Whatever happened to Harold Camping???

Many of the lasses in the gogo bars don't seem to have many clothes. Perhaps they'd be grateful....

Didn't anyone actually read the big sign above the leaders - it says "ASEAN - U.S. Leaders' Meeting". Last time I looked, Obama was President of the US...

I've not seen any political posters here in central Pattaya, and for previous elections they've been all over the place. My guess is that there are no elections in Pattaya itself. So carry on partying...

My wife used to love going to Stockton Beach (near Newcastle) for day trips to collect pippis - could not get her head around the limit of number of pippis to be collected, especially when a council guy said she had to discard the extras she had collected.

What the hell are pippis???

Barry Kenyon mentioned this possibility to me a couple of months ago when I was extending my visa.

I don't know about spirits, as I very rarely drink them. I've lived here for over 10 years and I don't think Walking Street is a rip off. If you're a beer drinker most bars have a cheap draught for around 65 baht (some bars cheaper some more expensive), and bottled beer is usually around 125 baht. OK more than you would pay in a beer bar, but you're getting much better entertainment. As for food, just wander into soi 15 and you will find Khow Man Gai for 30 baht or Khow Phat Moo for 50 baht. Not expensive methinks! As for Soi LK Metro, none of the gogos there could hold a candle to the WS gogos. The only exception might be Queen Club, but that's because it has the same owners as Iron Club and uses the same girls and shows.

For me Walking Street is the best place to be, for newbies and expats alike. Discuss.

I think Mario's suggestion is probably the best way to go. If you have ANY income at all (even as little as 1,000 baht a month) and can prove it, you don't need to season your money in the bank. All you need to show is that your monthly income x 12, plus the money in your bank is 800,000 or more or your monthly income plus your bank balance / 12 is 65,000 or more. Hope it works out for you.

I think baht bus drivers are much the same as any other group of people: some bad - some good. What surprised me in my original post was that I had two good experiences on the same day!

I do agree that groups of Russians, Indians or whatever, hijacking a bus can be annoying, especially if there are other people already on the bus. And what's worse, many times they are on Beach Road and want to go north or on 2nd Road and want to go south. Can't they take the short walk through to the appropriate road? Or maybe they don't know?

It is my policy to only pay 5 baht if the driver goes off the normal route, and I have never had any problems, or even little shows of anger with this policy. Yes, I end up paying 15 baht instead of 10 baht, but I feel justified.

I live in North Pattaya near the beach and often travel to South Pattaya, so use the baht buses quite a lot. The other day I had to go to South Pattaya so flagged down a baht bus. The traffic on Beach Road was particularly heavy and the driver decided to turn off down Pattaya Klang. "Here we go again", I thought as I approached the driver's window intending to give him 5 baht (as I usually do if they turn off), but he waved me away with a big smile. I thanked him and got another bus down to South Pattaya.

Later that same day I returned to North Pattaya, so flagged down a bus on 2nd Road. A group of Japanese got on at Central Festival and spoke to the driver, I didn't hear what they said. As we got to the lights at Pattaya Klang, the driver got out of his cab and ran to the baht bus in front. He came back and explained to me that the Japanese wanted to be taken to Beach Road, but the driver in front was going north. Again he didn't expect me to pay him, and I just jumped on the bus in front.

So they're not all bad out there, whatever JT thinks!

By way of a gloat, I've got Irn Bru (diet & wholemeal), Barrs cream soda, limeade, cherryade - oh and Waitrose cloudy lemonade in my local shopping centre...

SC

Nae red cola or Tunnocks wafers?

Much tae gloat aboot that aye!

Or Vimto?

Vimto is popular in Burma - plenty there...

Mtw, don't forget to get a multiple re-entry permit as well. This will cost you 3,800 baht but will allow an unlimited number of trips overseas during the validity of your extension. I suspect that you didn't get one after the expiry of your O-A visa. During the first year of an O-A visa you don't need a re-entry permit, but once it has expired, your O-A visa will be cancelled unless you have a re-entry permit, and you only get a 30 day permission to stay. I guess this is what happened to you.

Edit: JT just beat me to it!

In Pattaya it always runs from 12th to 19th April. 19th April being the wettest day. I always escape from Pattaya during Songkran...

I was walking past the Starbucks on the corner of soi 13/1 and Beach Road last night. It IS closed for remodelling and the sign on the door says it will reopen on September 27. Case closed!

I don't think it's closed down, but being remodelled. There is a temporary Starbuck's sign on the front door, which was put there after it closed, and a notice in Thai (which I can't read). Anyway we shall see. I used to like sitting on the top floor outside, great view of the beach and people passing by. Though I agree that the prices are outrageous. Better coffee and better prices in Chester's Grill at Big C, N. Pattaya, but not a very good view...