KhunTina

Fantastic! It is amazing to have a King who has developed such great tools for not only his people, but for others. I haven't heard of any other monarchs who have created so much for their people as King Bhumibol.

As a person who suffers low blood pressure, this sounds like good news to me. My blood pressure is invariably normal here, maybe because I eat prik nam blah with everything Thai. The average Thai has a very good diet here, small amounts of meat, most often seafood, with lots of vegies and some carbs. Typically, I tend to eat very little rice, if any, but love Gaeng Som, Nam Yah and Kuah Gling. All good for my system, with Pad Pak Miang and other green veggies like Kah Nah.

I adore the Thai cuisine. I feel like it's good for me.

Due to internet problems in Thailand, I just saw this update.

What surprises me about this story is that I haven't read too many like it, many times already. The idiotic speedboat operators around Phuket have been seriously lucky not to have killed people on a monthly basis, the way they race at stupid speeds over snorkellers and divers, particularly at Racha Yai. We have been horrified several times, also watching divers getting into distress because they were left in the water waiting for a pick up for so long. Very few of the divers are marked, so careless, arrogant, stupid speedboat drivers have even less cause to show care in bays.

Their behaviour in many ways is some of the worst I've seen of any industry in Thailand. Forget the tuk tuk and taxi mafia!

Hi, I can recommend Jim Poulsen of Lee Marine in Phuket. We purchased our boat through him and still, 5 years later he checks up with us that everything's ok. Great, honest guy. His number is; +66818913237.

Sheryl, you seem to know a lot about this. Really good answer about choosing the surgeon, not the hospital.

I haven't had any cosmetic work done by him, but I know people who have and say he is amazing. One lady in particular had a tummy tuck redone twice in Perth as well as a dodgy breast lift (I met her in the hospital when this doctor put 50 stitches into my lips after a dog bite and caught up with her again several months later). He fixed her stomach, her breasts and did liposuction on her hips. She is ecstatic with the results. Another friend I know had a tummy tuck by him and it looks great. I've seen two eye lifts he did as well, both very good and clients happy. He is the surgeon that did all the operations on Robert Borland, the guy that was severely burned in the Phuket air crash.

His name is Piyapas Pichaichanarong and is based in Phuket. You are probably after someone in Bangkok, but just in case, I thought I'd let you know about him. He works out of the Bangkok Phuket Hospital. His bedside manner is amazing, as well as his follow up care. He was so warm and kind to me when I met him in the Emergency Ward. Incidentally, he is also a Biochemist and has formulated some brilliant sunscreen. The only one I've used that doesn't sting my eyes. It's listed as SPF50, but he says it is closer to 90.

http://phuketindex.com/jungceylonplasticsurgeryclinic/

By the way, he frequently does rhinoplasties on Thai and other Asian people.

I certainly wouldn't use Jetstar, I don't even use them in Australia and have heard bad reports on them from friends who've used them.

We use Singapore Airlines. Very good airline, but it is impossible to use your points to upgrade with them - well, for 11 + months into and out of Perth, anyway. We are not impressed at the way they promote their Krisflyer points, but it does feel as though there's some false advertising going on.

I second Kate's. Kate does a great cut, colour and also does hair extensions. She used to be a top stylist for T & G.

Such a terrible story, poor Linda will have terrible memories for the rest of her life. What a waste of a life. If they were truly just hungry, why didn't they ask for food? No matter what excuse they give, there is none that can justify what they did.

I hope the family can find some peace.

I haven't read all the posts here and I don't know where your thoughts are at present, but if you're interested, we have a contract to build a villa in a secure new housing estate which 1.2m baht deposit has been paid. We are looking for someone to take over the contract at a discounted price. If you're interested, send me a pm.

'Don't know whether you're interested, but there are swiftlet condominiums (who'd have thought?). Nakhon Si Thammarat is one of the most ancient cities in Thailand and also the place where Buddhism was introduced to the country, so if you're interested in Buddhism or any of the associated amulets, (including the now less-than-fashionable Jatukam) the temple is the place to go. Khun Phan, the famous psychic police chief's body laid in state at the temple for 6 months until being cremated(?) in February, 2007. It is one of the most famous temples in Thailand, but I can't remember the name of it, sorry. There are also the relics of the ancient city wall, built in the 1200's to see.

I haven't spent enough time there to take a good look at the city yet, I've only spent a couple of days there, but I think Nakhon Si Thammarat is very nice, I'll revisit there when I get the chance.

Yes, there is parking at Thammalung Pier. If you ask for Khun Sam, he will make sure your car is ok. Give him a tip, though.

We have stayed at the Purimas in Rayong and thought it was great. Actually, it is very good value and quite a nice hotel. We stayed in the suite there which included a spa bath.

Here's the website; http://www.purimas.com/aboutus.html

Hi guys, I'm new here.

Just let me go a tiny bit OT here.... Is that you TinaPerth? If so, welcome to TV Phuket! (Well, I guess welcome in any case, even if you're a different Tina!)

Yes, it is me, who's that? I can't tell from your pic.

I need to get used to this forum. I see that I didn't end up posting my previous reply about the crayfish. I lost it somehow and I am not receiving email notifications. Maybe I haven't set this up correctly.

I wrote to Claude at La Boucherie about this thread and he told me that a new French chef has started. His name is Yvon Blandin, formerly of Indigo in Bangkok and former owner of a 1 Michelin Star restaurant in France. Sounds good to me. I know that Claude takes a lot of pride in his resort and restaurants and would very much like to hear feedback in person. He assures me that the OP of this thread is most welcome to come back to his restaurant for a complimentary meal where he hopes he can impress him.

Hi rockchick. There is Sunshine Village at Ko Sirey, but they are well supported by Lions Club International. Although it is not an orphanage, there is the Asia Centre Foundation in Kathu which gets some support, but are in need of more. They have a safe house where 8 children who were "at risk" of abuse in one form or another are kept in a family atmosphere. They also have the day care centre for 60 indigent children whose parents are unable to afford to care for them or don't care. They are given some education, taught hygiene, are fed food and vitamins. They also provide some scholarships for children who've grown out of the centre. We have been involved with the Asia Centre Foundation for a few years now and are satisfied with what they are doing for the children.

It appears I can't post the link, so just look up the Asia Center Foundation.

Some very tempting suggestions here, 'will definitely have to try some of them.

I don't see any mention of the pork ribs at Friendship Beach or any of the restaurants at the Royal Phuket Marina, which I would recommend. Great ambience/location with a variety of restaurants including Mom Tri's Regatta, Skipper's Bar & Restaurant, Les Anges, Limoncello's and Kampai (Japanese). Also, the Italian restaurant at Boat Lagoon is very good, as is La Gaetana in Phuket Town. Limoncello's at RPM is improving. I haven't tried the Watermark since Roberto took it over and converted that to Italian to compliment(?) Limoncello's. I would have thought that 3 Italian restaurants within the space of 200m was a bit much.

I love Thai food, so tend to eat that more often than western food, but most of the places I like to eat at don't really have names.

Hi guys, I'm new here. I just want to say that Phuket lobster is actually a painted crayfish, which is a vegetarian. It lacks the flavour of a meat eating crayfish. Australian crayfish are fantastic, but I am not a fan of Thai lobster at all.

Back to the original post, I have eaten at La Boucherie three times and cannot agree with the comments that have been posted here (although everyone is entitled to their opinion). I ate a fantastic steak at the new restaurant there in February as well as some delicious Thai food. The new restaurant by the pool is beautiful and well worth visiting. I know the owner had a few problems with the sudden departure of a chef and perhaps the OP encountered a bad moment at that time. When I visited the restaurant, the owner was still in the midst of problems with staff, so the menu at the new restaurant was the same as La Boucherie. It will be changed soon though, if not already.