The first question assumes the actuality of a god.

The second question assumes conceptual thought...if rats and roaches had conceptual thought, by their very physical toughness, combined with intelligence, they would be dominating the world already.

I thought ants were more widepsread, bloody well seems like it here at times. Would "Adam Ant" be the ants God?

Sometimes i sit here, in the middle of the night all on my only and just CACKLE with laughter!!!!

Hello Yabaaaa. If this is your first visit to Bedlam, tell us a little about yourself here: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Before-t101950.html&st=575

(Tell us about the origins of your member name as well - hopefully it's not what it seems.)

Sometimes i sit here, in the middle of the night all on my only and just CACKLE with laughter!!!!

Hahaha...thats awesome.

Totally mad.

But awesome!

Why were all the sensible people allowed to join Bedlam and then when I got here I found it not to be the case?

Even at 10.45 in the morning I am CACKLING with laughter. Not in a bad way, just in a good mood way.

It's raining here, by the way. That dam_n cat came in last night all soggy.

Pisses me off a bit - i was supposed to go and meet my best friend for an afternoon of wine tasting on a nice sunny terrace.

Well, you could still go to the nice sunny terrace (you'll just have to use an umbrella against the miserable weather to get there).

Umbrellas are used to great effect in the Ukrainian parliament, apparently.

Why am I bored......?????????

Because you are in dreary NZ instead of wonderful Phuket?

Because you are in dreary NZ instead of wonderful Phuket?

At the moment I think I prefer dreary old NZ.

Thailand is LoS ........ LOST

No idea wot's gunna happen next.

I don't follow. Yes, some issues in Bangkok and active politicking in the north east, but no probs in the pearl of the Andaman...

In any case, it will all be over and forgotten soon enough - you only have to look at the history of the place...

Am I doing the right thing? Selling (or giving away) everything to move to a foreign country?

I didn't realise that it was permanent on this particular occasion... but haven't we had this discussion before?

In any case, in the unlikely event that you are not happy there, what's to stop you moving back to Oz again (do remember that Perth's a mere four or five hours by air from Phuket). Perhaps, if you were to return to Oz, you could move over to the east coast to somewhere like Melbourne, with its beautiful sights and sounds, the clean air, the friendly people (you know - everything that Sydney's not).

Bags, don't dip your toes in - you may think the water's too cold. Jump in and paddle around and you'll find the water is just fine.

I do have plans B and C.

It was time to profit from the property boom. I more than doubled my money in the house in about six years, so it was time to try something different.

See how it goes, an extended holiday is how I'm looking at it!

Yes, good stuff. You're back in a few weeks? Have you organised accom yet? Where you stay?

Yes, good stuff. You're back in a few weeks? Have you organised accom yet? Where you stay?

Back on 22/6. Where I stay? GF have small bungalow in Karon. I'll stay there initially, then look for a long term rental. Dont know where yet.

I want a place with a private pool, but most are in the southern areas. GF wants to stay close to where she is for friends/work etc.

Fair enough too. I'd give Chalong a wide berth - cheap, but seems to be out of control with crime. I've seen some places around Rawai with private pool for a reasonable price, but (like Chalong) a bit of a commute for your GF to Karon. Same with Kathu. Anywhere else, your desire for a pool in a decent location is going to put you in a quite high rental bracket - I'd be thinking twice about that one. There's a communal one where I rent - I've never used it.

I dunno about your thoughts on Chalong, agree about Rawai.

6 years holiday in LoS, mainl stay being in Chalong, I find it ideal.

Transport from Chalong to most anywhere is very good.

Certainly preferable, at present anyway, to Patong and it's mafia.

Karon and Kata too, are pretty good.

No Ping, not because of Come On Bar, which I enjoy because of the laid back ambience.

Ping and Pete,

Thanks for your thoughts.

Is Chalong more crime ridden than it's neighbor Rawai? Are the risks in that general area any greater than living within the auspices of the TT mafia? Maybe I'm big, ugly and nasty enough to keep most wouldbe thieves away.

I do like Patong and have always stayed in or near there, but, as an Old Croc and not as mobile as most, I'm aware that living there involves a lot of walking or use of the a/holes transport. It would be difficult to park and use a car there.

Can I ask, Ping, what sort of place, and in what area, do you normally rent in Patong?

A place in Kata or Karon would suit, but are hard to find.

With my self funded pension and additional income from investments I can afford to pay above the basic.

Ping and Pete,

Thanks for your thoughts.

Is Chalong more crime ridden than it's neighbor Rawai? Are the risks in that general area any greater than living within the auspices of the TT mafia? Maybe I'm big, ugly and nasty enough to keep most wouldbe thieves away.

I do like Patong and have always stayed in or near there, but, as an Old Croc and not as mobile as most, I'm aware that living there involves a lot of walking or use of the a/holes transport. It would be difficult to park and use a car there.

Can I ask, Ping, what sort of place, and in what area, do you normally rent in Patong?

A place in Kata or Karon would suit, but are hard to find.

With my self funded pension and additional income from investments I can afford to pay above the basic.

OC, I find Patomg to be like Bangers, good in short doses.

There has been a lot of new stuff going on around Chalong and Rawai of late.

Still my preference tho'.

Very central in Patong, Bags. Don't want to say more on here because the place is a gem and rental accom here is already hard enough to find without advertising it - I nearly didn't get a place there myself for this year. I'll discuss it with you (and show you around the place if you wish) when I see you.

I wouldn't stay anywhere else except Patong. It is just far too convenient. Driving around the town is not a problem for me, and I can always find parking at or close to all the areas I frequent in the town that are not already in walking distance from the house.

And BTW Pete - I can't stand Bangkok (or Pattaya, for that matter)!

An afterthought, Bags; consider sending a PM to LivinLOS - from what I've read of his posts here and elsewhere, he seems to know the rental market on the island backwards and I'm sure he'd be only too willing to point you in the right direction.

E: Clarification

Very central in Patong, Bags. Don't want to say more on here because the place is a gem and rental accom here is already hard enough to find without advertising it - I nearly didn't get a place there myself for this year. I'll discuss it with you (and show you around the place if you wish) when I see you.

I wouldn't stay anywhere else except Patong. It is just far too convenient. Driving around the town is not a problem for me, and I can always find parking at or close to all the areas I frequent in the town that are not already in walking distance from the house.

And BTW Pete - I can't stand Bangkok (or Pattaya, for that matter)!

Agree with you about Pattaya.

Chiang Mai would be choice, but it does get cold, defeating any reason for living in LoS.

Just found this................

Phuket shunned by travellers

PHUKET: -- In poll results sure to shock many in Phuket, Thailand's Koh Lanta, Khao Lak, Koh Pha-Ngan and Koh Samui have won 4 out of 10 honors for the Top Ten beach destinations in Asia. Phuket did not rank among them.

Read more if you have not seen it..

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Phuket-Shunn...rs-t364589.html

Koh Samui? A backwater of seething resentment against farang and untouchable Thai mafia types...

Just found this................

Phuket shunned by travellers

PHUKET: -- In poll results sure to shock many in Phuket, Thailand's Koh Lanta, Khao Lak, Koh Pha-Ngan and Koh Samui have won 4 out of 10 honors for the Top Ten beach destinations in Asia. Phuket did not rank among them.

Read more if you have not seen it..

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Phuket-Shunn...rs-t364589.html

Wanna laugh?

Read this........

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Phuket-Tuk-T...50#entry3593050

Thanks Pete - hadn't been aware of that article. Why am I not suprised by the boos, jeers and catcalls from the TV membership? What does such a reaction indicate? I hope that the Phuket Gazette reports this feedback, because it's indicative of the almost universal disregard in which expats and regular travellers to the place hold the Tuk Tuk 'Mafia'.

The TTM argue about the prices being necessary for them to gain a fair wage - well this new regime will certainly further underpin their assurances of getting it (although it was a virtual monoply before this new entrerpise, with prices reflecting accordingly). I like to compare them with the baht buses in Pattaya - the folk who drive the baht buses seem to be able to do okay without charging extortionate prices. Indeed, the baht buses are popular for the very reason of their value. If the TTM were to quarter their prices, people would use them much more frequently - eg, jumping in a tuk tuk instead of doing that two or three block walk, or tourists going for more visits to places outside Patong than they currently undertake because of the expense.

As I've said before, the main reason they will continue to seek exorbitant fare prices is because their greed priced them out of common usage in the first place. So they now need to exist on one or two fares in a whole day. If they quartered their fares, they would probably increase their business ten fold.

So what's next? Now that they have an almost 100% monopoly by association, don't be surprised to see more pressure being applied by them to get rid of the few songthaew services available to tourist-based areas that currently exist - the sweetener being a dual fare structure.

E:T

What's the correct procedure if a newby with about three posts adds you to their friends list?

Keep in mind I'm a notorious snob and dedicated hermit anyway

You can set up your whatsit to require that you approve them before they are added.