NearestTheTee

Ive only ever used Nokia's and they connect real easily Via the Nokia PC suite software, as for sims, I just use my normal 1 two call sim, costs me 100b per month for 20hrs.

I'm also using the Nokia PC suite software. It connects quickly via Nokia phone with USB and is very easy to install and use. I bought a 12Call net sim for 139baht which includes 30 hours free. Once the 30 hours expire you can buy another 30 for only 99baht. Good value for money!

Correct. You don't have to travel on the exact flight you booked. You have to use the ticket within three months of the current departure date if you want to change the departure date.

We used to travel London - Bangkok a lot with our kids and generally the child fare was calculated as follows:

Infant: under 2 years of age = nominal fare. Used to be around GBP70 but infant had to go in bassinet or accompanying adults lap i.e. no allocated seat for infant.

Child: between age of 2 - 12 (upper limit on some airlines was 13 i think) = 2/3rds of the adult fare and allocated own seat.

anything above the upper age limit for child = full fare.

Don't know quite how much this has changed over recent years but thought it still applied to most non-budget airlines.

Can anyone clarify based on recent experiences of longhaul flights with kids?

I took up Ashtanga Yoga a couple of years ago and quickly realised about half of the western population are unable to squat. Mostly men.

Mmm, interesting. Must be differences in the genes, although i am a western man and able to squat. Maybe it's because i excercise regularly (running, football, cycling, golf)

Sorry for the crazy question - when you are wearing knee length shorts and have

to take an emergency crap at the petrol station, how do you stop the shorts touching

all over the wet floor?

Also, the porcelain squatters are usually very wet, and slippery, did anyone slip slop and

slap into the hole?

If wearing knee length shorts i just pull them up above the knees and hold onto them whilst i start to bend down into the squat position, and hold onto them again as i start to stand up so that they don't drop to the floor and get wet

Maybe someone should post a demo on YouTube hahaha

Had friends in town from Singapore recently. They went to Chatuchak at the weekend but come Monday and they were off to Suan Lum. Whilst the women were busy going around the market stalls the men drank ice cold beer and watched the stage show which was pretty good. At weekends, once the music/dancing has finished they normally will show the English Premiership on the big screen. Great for EPL fans

Can squat quite comfortable for 15-20 mins but after that the old knees start to ache

It's not the junk food that should be banned but some of the people that eat it. When i do rarely visit a fast food outlet i always seem to see a customer 'waddling' in through the door, going to the counter and ordering their favourite greasy burger with fries. The amusing thing for me is that they inevitable choose to 'upsize' their order and then out comes the puchline 'with a DIET Coke'

Migs,

It should take you around 4 hours give or take depending on how fast you drive, traffic conditions, where you are starting from in BKK etc. We used to travel BKK (Thong Lor) - Nong Phai which is on highway 21 just before Petchabun. Allowing for a couple of quick stops (food/toilet) we could get there in approx 4hrs.

A fugitive making demands in exchange for peace

As the primary reason for coming to Asia, is for your husband to launch an international business then i would have to say Singapore is the best place in the region in terms of 'ease of doing business'.

The Singapore Govt. has some good tax breaks in place for new business start ups and overall it's a very efficient place to run a regional business from.

Sure, Thailand is a more fun place to live but there is enough in Singapore to keep a family occupied for 6 months and you can always take a short/cheap flight up to BKK for long weekends :-)

Good luck.

Steve, Longball,

I will be checking these ranges out over the next few weeks.

Thanks for the info

NTT

Thank you for clarifying.

All the best.

NTT.

Go for Singapore and try to arrange flights/hotel yourself. Budget airlines: Air Asia, JetStar, Tiger Airways all fly BKK-SIN. Hotel: Try Roberston Quay Hotel. Great location and good rates but remember you are going at a peak time of year and all hotels will charge a premium.

Singapore Zoo is a must especially with kids. Entrace fees are SGD18 for adults and SGD9 for kids aged 3-12. Can easily spend the entire day there as i did many a time when we lived in Singapore. There are plenty of shows e.g. Elephant show, Polar bear feeding, Penguin feeding etc etc.

The man made beach at Sentosa (small island connected by bridge to the southern tip of Singapore) is ok plus there is Underwater World and other attractions.

Try and move around using public transport - buses and MRT are cheap, clean and have air-con. Taxis are ok but can get quite expensive.

Cheap eating can be found at the numerous 'hawker centres' - try the famous one at Newton Circus.

If your wife prefers HKG then take her around ChinaTown in Singapore!!!

Whatever you end up doing - Hope you have an enjoyable festive season

Sadly, it's often only the 'mules' that get caught whilst the ringleaders remain free and at large. Typically the 'mules' are un-educated and from poor backgrounds. The lure of some fast cash is too much for them to resist and even if they do, there is always someone else more than willing to take the risk.

But, at the end of the day un-educated or not, "you play with fire, you should be prepared to get burnt"!!!

What are the nearest golf ranges to Rayong City, preferably on the Ban Khai side of town?

NTT

I recently moved to LOS on a One Year, Non-Immigrant Cat O (Spouse) visa with multiple entries. It is my first such visa (not a renewal) and i have been told by some that i need to leave the country every 90 days and by others that i can visit the nearest immigration office every 90 days and get a stamp in my passport.

Can someone please clarify what the correct procedure is.

Thanks in advance.

NTT.

Richb2004v2

Did you manage to find a good coach? What are the details (where, how much, lesson duration, conatct nbr. etc)?

I am in Ban Khai, Rayong and would be willing to travel to Ban Chang area if there is a decent coach.

Thanks,

NTT.

Moved to Ban Khai, Rayong last month. Have only seen a few farang at the Big C up near the Rayong intersection. Could do with some farang interaction (chat/beer/golf/laugh)

NTT

Chris,

I moved up from Singapore last month and am currently staying with my wife's family near Rayong. We are considering a move to Ban Chang later next year and so i have been looking at rental prices for 3 bed houses there. There are some really nice properties, close to the beach and schools/amenities etc for around 30,000 baht per month. This is cheap when compared to the SGD3200 per month we were paying for a 3 bed condo in the Simei area of Sing. As mentioned by others there is also much cheaper alternatives available in neighbouring areas so it really does depend on what you want for your money and how close to Ban Chang you need to be.

Cars here are not cheap but don't come with all the COE/PARF related complications as in Sing. An economical option might be to buy a used truck (Isuzu D-Max or similar) and sell it when you leave without too much depreciation. Otherwise leasing something like a Toyota Altis will set you back around baht 20-25k per month.

Allowing 1000-1200 per month for utilities should suffice.

Hope this helps.

NTT.

Wanida, i just sent you a PM so please check the message and let me know.