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thaiophilus

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Posts posted by thaiophilus

  1. You could take the "sprinter" train all the way to Ubon Ratchathani and make that your base for exploring eastern Isaan.

    Soutbound, take a train to Phetchaburi for a few days. There are temples and caves (surprise!) and a hilltop palace/observatory.

    The Mae Hong Son loop from Chiang Mai is worth doing, too. Public transport is probably not adequate so you will need wheels of some description (I did it in a hire car.)

  2. Going with an airline that has lots of flights also helps in case an aircraft is grounded for technical issues. If they only run a few flights a week they are unlikely to have a spare aircraft at the departure airport, nor the spare capacity to carry you on another flight. If they have several flights a day there's a better chance that they can find either replacement aircraft or seats  on another flight.

  3. I second the recommendations for Blue Elephant (the Bangkok one)

    Baan Chiang (on Th. Sri Wiang near BTS Surasak) is another restaurant similar to Mango Tree. I haven't been there for a while but it used to be pretty good.

  4. The nearest I've been to having anything checked was when checking in, the airline staff noticed that the dates of my arrival and departure flights were more than 30 days apart but I had no visa. I explained that I was planning to visit a neighbouring country (using a different airline) so I would be making two visits of less than 30 days. They took my word without proof and that was the end of the matter.

  5. 44 minutes ago, fedssocr said:

    I've never quite understood why you would want a race like this. Wouldn't you want it to last longer?

    What you want and what they will do are not always the same thing. It's a race with only one winner. As soon as he has won, they can all go back to their phones 🙄

  6. 18 hours ago, Vessey said:

     if they chuck-wow for you and cum then 300 baht is the expected tip. 
     

    In Nice Boys you can sponsor a chuck-wow contest with 300B.  Put the money in one of the pots they use for the check-bin, bang it on the table and (some of) the boys will race to be first to cum and take the prize money.

  7. Bell and Roong Reuang are the same company. The main difference is that the Bell service (equally professional but about twice the price) takes you right to your hotel, which is better than RR if your destination is in central Pattaya rather than Jomtien. Being dropped somewhere on Sukhumvit (especially at night) can be a bit disconcerting if you haven't visited Pattaya before.

  8. 3 hours ago, pong2 said:

    From what I remember the BELL bus is the one from airprot and sets down at most convenient points in PTY. Runs hourly and is/was often full if youcoame just before dep.

    The Bell bus runs every 2 hours 0800-1800 and has minibus transfer between the Pattaya bus station and your hotel. 

    TIcket sales are only by online pre-booking (or at their Pattaya office but not at the airport - they have no office there, just someone with a clipboard!)

  9. For another relaxing day excursion, how about Bang Krachao/Phra Padaeng. Taxi from Khlong Toei MRT to Wat Klong Toey Nok, or from Bang Na to Wat Bang Na Nok, from either place take the ferry across the river, hire a bicycle and spend a few hours in the jungle.  Or stay overnight among the trees at the Bangkok Tree House - somewhere a bit different for a night out of the city (and somewhere to impress a friend if you take one 😉)

  10. 16 hours ago, pong2 said:

    ALSO note that the old station Hualampong is no more-for trains. Its now the brand new ´central´ giant oversized thing near bang Sue=near weekend market

    ... (except for the Mae Khlong line which departs from Wongwian Yai station, and the Kanchanaburi line from Thonburi station, of course.)

  11. (usual disclaimer; in "normal" times these were all straightforward but I don't know about the present, so check before travelling.)

    Khao Yai: From Bangkok it's the most accessible national park - 3 hours or so by bus, minibus or train to Pak Chong. Hotels provide guided jungle tours and transfers from the bus/train station. The usual deal is a 2-night stay: arrive afternoon, take afternoon/evening tour including millions of bats leaving their cave at dusk. The following day take an all-day tour. There are longer options including overnight camping.

    See for example  Bobbys Jungle Tours.

     

  12. I too visited the museum not long after it opened and had a personal guided tour conducted by  "Sucky" Kriengsak, a former colleague of "Cowboy" Edwards (yes, that Cowboy, as in "Soi Cowboy".) Most enjoyable.

  13. 11 hours ago, New Londoner said:

    Perhaps there are guys today who feel the same?

    Yes. Like you I think I have a better understanding of the probabilities than when I first visited in the 1990s, but there is still a slight possibility of having an ill-chosen visitor.

    We all three (hotel, me, visitor) know perfectly well why the visitor is visiting, but since in Thai culture actually mentioning it would cause loss of face to all of us, that won't happen. SInce having the hotel check ID might prevent some unpleasantness (even if it's unlikely), and there is no downside, I think it's a good thing.

     

  14. 16 hours ago, pong2 said:

    Just walk along that busy road straight on-about 1,5 km (1 mile), you´ll see yet another BigC superstore and after it-a T-junction the ´sky´train which is in fact a subway/metro line that you could have taken back to Ram IV# Silom.

     

    That wasn't there when I last went to Nonthaburi! Thanks for the tip.

    Not strictly "skytrain", that would be the BTS. Actually it's the new MRT Purple Line which runs to the Bang Sue district and connects with the underground Blue Line at Tao Poon - very close to the Joncharoen swimming pool someone mentioned recently!

  15. 49 minutes ago, Milk78 said:

    I might just take a trip on the river. Recommendations very welcome!

    Take the Chao Phraya Express (ordinary orange flag, not the tourist boat) from Sathorn (Saphan Taksin BTS) to the end of the line at Nonthaburi, enjoy the scenery on the way, lunch in a riverside restaurant, return. (caveat: I don't know if the tourist-oriented restaurants are currently open but it's a big non-touristy town so you won't starve.)

    Cost: 2x15B plus whatever you spend on lunch.

  16. 7 hours ago, spoon said:

    If just standing, i would remove the gogo title too. Maybe we should call them statues.

    Such things have a long history under the name of "poses plastiques". Once popular as Lady Hamilton's  "Attitudes", they were nearly the downfall of the Earl of Euston in the Cleveland Street Scandal.

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