Valentine

I recently installed Pool RX & the reports so far are very positive such as "no more slimy feel on the tiles" & "have managed to cut back the pump running times". They are placed in the pump basket & give off a slow release which acts as an algaecide. Every 2 or 3 months a booster is needed but the original unit should last one year. Please note this pool also has saltwater chlorinators installed.

My understanding is that ozone is a far more effective sanitiser than chlorine but the problem is you cannot maintain a residual so effectiveness depends on how you look at it.

I think Jetset has the right idea on what's truly going down. This was been in the planning stage for a long time before construction started. It is a bit like the 3G debacle, where the potential spin offs are huge. but on a much smaller scale.

Unfortunately the Taverns owner died..

Was a good spot for roasts, breakfasts, etc.. Handy if you had kids or pets as out of the way and both could be accommodated.

I heard he had been ill but did not realise he had passed on. Then again it has been quite a while since I have been there. A nice guy who produced good food in a very pleasant spot.

I too would like to find a decent but cheap Xmas dinner for myself & two daughters. Don's is on the list but the only other options I see in this thread will generally be too expensive for me.

Several years ago my family & I had an excellent Xmas lunch at The Tavern On The Hill in Patong. I cannot remember the price but it was well under 1,000 per head.

Seems a bit odd that someone who was driving a stolen car or a car used for crime would only replace one licence plate. If your going to the effort of stealing the back one then why wouldnt you also take the other. OK so the check points usualy only check the front but that still doesnt explain it. If you are trying to look leggit then you cover all the angles and would have both your plates, Im sure even the most simple minded criminal could work that out.

My first thought was they would put different numbers on the front & back to confuse the issue in case of any eye witness reports. The criminal mind can be extremely devious so who really knows why they need a single number plate except it has to be related to cars.

Yes I have noticed this too. Dozens of cars. Surely the owners know they have no rear plates. Maybe it is a sign that they are above the law?

No_plates.BMP

Knowing the powers of observation here I would suggest that most of them do not know & if they do would surely report it to the police. What does the reigistration office do? Issue a new single plate knowing the same number could be on another car illegally or issue a new set with a new number? The process would probably be quite convoluted such as having to prove your car is the correct one which means an inspection & all sorts of paperwork.

I am thinking about Xmas dinner at home & was wondering if it is possible to get it packed up for take away.

Every day I am seeing cars with a missing number plate on the back & sometimes I have been able to confirm the one in the front (white) is still in place. I assume it is against the law not to display both number plates & I also assume the back ones have been stolen as I have seen far too many for it to be coincidence or accidental & the police check points are only looking at the vehicles coming towards them. I wonder how long it takes for the owner to realise his number plate is missing. I certainly have never been in the habit of checking if my number plates are still in place but will do so from now on.

Is there something sinister going on in that these plates are being used for criminal activities such as replacing plates on stolen cars or changing the plates on cars used for robberies. Imagine being accused by the police of your car being involved in a crime.

The other day at Tesco Toyota were shwocasing an interesting finance option that could be worth checking out i.e. pay a fairly small deposit with reasonable monthly payments over 47 months after which you pay the balance by cash or refinance the outstanding amount. For the top of the line Vios it worked out to be an extra 20,000 over the cash price if you paid the balance in cash after 47 months.

It is disturbing to think that by taking the nasal spray vaccine then those people will be able to spread the flu afterwards. I hope this is not the case.

There are many who say this flu is no worse than normal flu outbreaks but the evidence suggests if not treated in time it can kill quite quickly & therein lies the danger especially if supplies of medication become scarce.

Where exactly are these bars? there is a fair distance between Yaowarat Road and Dibuk Road.

I would have thought that area would have been fairly commercial.

Yaowarat starts at the circle near the market & runs through to Sam Kong so it intersects Dibuk. Not sure if longtime popular hang out Timberhut is one of the places which has to close early. If so they have taken a long time to enforce the rules as it has been running about 15+ years.

My speed test through San Fransisco is pretty much the same as it always is i.e. 1910 down & 292 up, using TOT's 3Mbs package (Platinum Cyber). Looking at the Phuket Internet Speed Reporting website the results from others do not indicate any dramatic change. We can expect an update at Woody's computer clinic this Sunday.

Try this website run by Khun Woody as it shows all the latest speed test results from around Phuket, from the different providers & their respective packages. Anyone can participate & is easy to join the group. Woody's computer clinics (at one of his sandwich shops) every Sunday morning are also a good source for the latest information on all things computer including interent connections.

http://www.live-access.com/phuketinternet.aspx

This week there have been some strange happenings with limited or no access to some popular sites & many thought they were closed by the MICT. I don't know what really happened but there was an announcement about the opening up of a new international fibre optic cable to which Thailand is connected & this may have caused some glitches but supposedly should increase the access speeds.

Hang tight & do some research first. My perception is that all the providers have their ups & downs. I use TOT which has been quite consistent here in Chalong but TT&T Maxnet has now been basically taken over by an entity called 3BB, they have a stall in Central & I have seen them at the TT&T office in Poonpol Plaza.

Try calling Peter Davison at Phuket International as he should be able to advise you on the best course of action.

It can typically be a little quieter in the run up to Xmas before it peaks although talking with a friend who works nights in the centre of Bangla & has been doing so since 2004 & she said it is the quietest she has ever seen it at this time.

Kata to Patong in 2001; 400 baht, perhaps your driver was the last of the dying breed of benevolent Tuk-Tuk drivers !!

I remember a cost of 10 baht from Bangla to my hotel with no money & the driver coming to collect it the next day. Now that is going back a long time, 1990/91. I still see this guy on occasion & still working Patong.

Recently in BKK I asked a taxi driver for a fixed price to take me to the airport rather than waiting & trying to find a taxi willing to turn on the meter or use the hotel limo at Baht 2,000. The agreed price was 450 which we were both happy with for the ride from Sukhumbit Soi 19. When I compare sitting in an air conditioned taxi at this price for a fairly long haul to paying 500 in a noisy open air tuk tuk from Kata to Patong there is no comparison. As long as those up the line continue to receive their "commissions" nothing will change.

Thank you for this info. 1. i saw and even touched by accident two of the big babies you filed at patong Beach within the last few weeks. But they did not sting. 2. i have been trying to understand what the invisible pin prick critters are for ten years. Most people aren't especially effected by them but they can bother me for 3-4 days and require a skin cream to reduce inflammation.

I started noticing the "invisible" ones at Patong many years ago & I suppose for most people, myself included, they just produce a bit of a tingling sensation. However, one of my daughters suffers a similar effect as you as they can produce quite large welts on her body which take several days to disappear.

This 3G saga has been dragging on for far too long. There are just too many vested interests wanting to get their fingers in the pie.

I just had no problem accessing Facebook & CNN through TOT in Phuket.

Check a paint shop which sells Jotun paints & enquire about using Penguard to paint your pool.

I don't understand how you know this is a scam.

Last evening I was eating at Au Bon Pain and a young lady came up with similar literature. I assumed she was authentic, but I was angry that she would interrupt my dinner, and I let her know it.

One I encounter occasionally in Phuket when sitting in a restaurant are those with a little sign stating they are deaf & connot speak. They often plonk themselves down on a spare chair. I consider this a complete lack of courtesy or manners on their part & always wave them away, besides I do not believe their written spiel. We also get what I consider to be fake monks calling out from the gate asking me or my GF to make merit. There are also the noisy blind singers.

As for the street beggars I feel they are part of an organised ring & even though they may be genuinely in hardship most of the money goes to the boss.

In India children & others can be deliberately maimed in order to gain more sympathy while begging & I wonder if that happens here. Nothing in this country would surprise me anymore as to the depths to which some elements will stoop to feed their greed. Trading on human misery is despicable to say the least.

Assisting groups or people who are in genuine need of help by giving them the means to be self sufficient is far better than giving them cash. Just think about all the money that disappeared during the tsunami recovery.

If you are coming from Saphan Hin or immigration towards the town turn right at the lights, go past Robinsons & continue straight through the next lights, a little further down on the right (before the big circle) you will see a place called Food Barn or something like that. I have never been in there but it may be the one you are looking for.

pardon me..i meant your daughter..god bless still

My daughters originally attended Dowroong Witthaya school, attended a school camp & occasionally went to the catholic church. I am happy they are able to experience both Buddhism & Christianity as I feel it will help them with a more balanced view on life. I did not see any evidence of catholicism being rammed down their throats, it was simply a minor part in a varied curriculum.

I wonder how the police differentiate whom they should arrest for prostitution? Even though it is against the law it is widely tolerated so why make any arrests at all? Perhaps they were not forthcoming on the licence fee. If it is purely based on enforcing the law then there must be grounds to make thousands of arrests every month.

As for embezzlement there must be huge numbers of unreported cases & many more that continue without being caught. If caught they are often just fired & can easily get another job. If they were charged & convicted & if prospective employers were to ask for police reports then it may decrease. I would venture to suggest embezzlemnt is rife in the work place as I often here about it from friends & acquaintances plus I occasionally see it happening when shopping e.g teller taking the money but not ringing it up in the till.