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It was originally my intention to do an extensive trip report but I acknowledge many here have already been so will instead precis with a few photos included later..... Despite an extensive trip count to Thailand that would have the Inland Revenue eyes watering I have never been to Angeles City or indeed even the Philippines...an absolute virgin trip. My friend had been twice in the late 1990s with originally Brian Kelly and Nick Hurn with 25 odd others on 2 group tours with that "Thai Adventures" group (later became Asean Explorer) one trip to be known as the "Pinatubo Ashes" am sure some here will remember them pre the internet taking off. Wonder what happened to them.... He had wanted me to come back then but I had met a Thai girl and was lubbed up lol in 1998 and aborted and subsequently married her instead....... Always regretted not going and the 2 times he went he had really enjoyed it as a young 32 year old with some great memories and photos.....but roll forward to November 2019 and I said how about Angeles lol. He looked at me as if to say are you serious to which I said lets get it booked time for some action.....Game on Will tell the story warts and all for hopefully benefit of others who havent been previously....it was 22 years since my mate went. Times had changed clearly I had asked elsewhere about Hotels and Flights and Larry had responded elsewhere over the Hotels which will come to later.... The issue though on flights is an extensive roundabout route to get to Clark International close to AC or fly into Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila with the associated traffic... Cebu Pacific had great departure times from Bangkok but the return timings were not good so we booked one way on Cebu out for £81 and will mention Air Asia on return sector later back into Don Maung (right minger of an aircraft lol) Checked in at Survanabhumbi (didnt bother with online check in) and having already sussed supposedly that the aircraft was an A320 the seat allocation is clearly indicating a wide body instead...... Bit bizarre but in fact it was an A330 with an all economy configuration at nine abreast with the motor being about 40% full at best and In the all economy set up most have been 400 odd seats plus....Flight attendants had Denim skirts on lol most delightful...... We had paid for 20kg of checked bags and they included 7kg of cabin bags....we were nowhere near the limit but had decided not to purchase in advance onboard any food. It was absolutely dirt cheap anyway if you fancied a snack. Literally £2 or so so unless you're desperate for a meal booked in advance I'd not bother.....just grab something onboard Pushed back early with a 2 hour 45 flight time. As it was daytime great to see the islands as we're starting to get nearer to Manila.....both toilets were inoperative on centre section of aircraft and one out as well at the front.....good job motor was not full. I'm 6 foot 2 and leg room was fine (even if had been a full flight) so no sweat. No onboard entertainment but no surpise obviously Landing was heavy to say the least and we docked right at the far end of T3 and filtered off pretty quickly....as we were sat right beside the exit door we were off promptly thinking that immigration likely to be busy so we'll at least keep in front of all the people on this flight but there was no need..... As we walked along a Qatar widebody drew up on an airbridge.......approached immigration and theres literally no sod there....... Am not joking.......Mate went to front of one desk and myself to another and literally 60 seconds later we're on the carousel....I (and he) had been anticipating big queues but couldn't have been further from the truth in reality On each of the carousels they have CCTV of the baggage handlers lol. Lets just say clearly they dont give a shit as the tossers were lobbing the bags in specatacular fashion on to the rollers.....thank christ ours came off intact am sure others may not have... Came into T3 area and now its heaving.....girls am guessing waiting for their teeraks everywhere and I'm smiling at all and sundry in usual fashion and not only are they smiling back keenly but saying hello. I'm thinking shit we're only at the exchange booths and we're underway..... Unlike the arrivals exchange Cartel at Suvarnabhumbi the exchange rates at the airport at Manila are only marginally below what they were at Angeles as it turned out...... At T3 they were around 64.30 for Sterling and Interbank on the day we landed was 65.43 so very fair rate no question so we lobbed over a ton each just needing enough for first night and got 6430 Peso each back......the Hotel had pre booked a taxi for us at 3000 Peso to be charged to the hotel bill and they had given very clear instructions as to his location with our names on a board outside the entrance to the Burger King and clearly all was going swimmingly well..... The tosser aint there............................lol Shit.... To be continued......

Forums and... https://lmgtfy.com/?q=+Airports+Thailand

Dead hopefully

This time of year ( despite the rain .. ) driving around today , most of the hedgerows all seem have either daffodils , snowdrops and crocuses blooming - spring is on the way 🙂

Don't ever give up ... keep fighting even if you feel that you have no fight left ... f******ing fight ~! ( those are my asterisks - LOL ) I remember when I was in the "joint" ... I wanted to lay down and die on some days - just give up ... but, every morning I said to myself ... fight .... and fought I did ... there is always light in the dark tunnel ...

Also ... if you get a chance go to Koi Lipe ( recommended for sure ) ... I am there all the time with Ziggy ( my young daughter ) and it is a great little island and there is also a Walking Street ( lol ) ... So you fly into Hat Yai airport ... so much less hassle than Phuket Intl .... then take a mini van to Park Bara .. just a tad more than 100 baht ... There is a sea port ( very, very small ) but some pretty big boats there .... and you then take a boat for around 300 baht to Koi Lipe ... a little more than 1 hour But stay in a hotel on the north side of the island .. much more private with pristine beaches ..... you need to take company with you because the P4P ( like Pattaya or BKK ) does not exist ... a beautiful place .............. https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ACYBGNR44yWeW7HokuNKNoYD6FvBgVYFkw:1582113901094&q=pictures+of+Koh+Lipe&tbm=isch&source=univ&client=firefox-b-d&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjbpsbIyd3nAhXwwjgGHZfHCQUQsAR6BAgKEAE&biw=1920&bih=916 If you want then you can take a day trip from Koi Lipe on a boat to Langkawi island ( this is Malaysia ) .. don't worry about a Visa or any of that shit ( I am serious ) ... some great little restaurants and small hotels there .... there are so many boat trips daily from Koi Lipe and if it is an off the grid spot you are thinking then just rent a long tail ( very easy to do ) You cannot go wrong where ever you go to ... in the South on the Adaman sea side of Thailand ... the sea and beaches are beautiful down in this area I am a sea / beach type of guy .. that is why I live down here .... plus, this is where Beach gal grew up ...

The big difference between him and CF is that he was known to Secrets and didn't hide behind a key board.

The Shaolin Temple Kung Fu Academy is the largest school of its kind in China. (Tagou Martial Arts School) 36,000 Kids You Don’t Want to Mess With | Short Film Showcase

A little side note .. if you are planning on going to Phuket ..... fly into Hat Yai instead of Phuket ... It is about the same time getting into Phuket town from Hat Yai -- driving about 1 hour --- and if you get stuck leaving Phuket airport at the toll booth then it takes longer than 1 hour You can regularly get round trip flights to Hat Yai from BKK for less than 1K baht -- sometimes right around 600 baht Hat Yai is a very small and efficient airport ... if I don't drive to BKK when I leave home in the South then I always fly from Hat Yai to BKK and then back again .... then a 1 hour drive drive home which is close to Pak Bara ... Hat Yai to Phuket town is right around 1 hour .. sometimes less - sometimes just a tad more .. for a little more than 100 baht in a mini van

Were you an electrician in a previous life? I've seen that emoji before somewhere 🤔

Err, isn't that a function of forums? But waiting with bated breath for "how much is the baht bus".

If he comes back with a question after that.....f**k me.

My flight over the Sierra Nevada range was a rental. The Cirrus is a single seater. No problems with claustrophobia as it's a fairly large cockpit. Strange thing is, I'm scared of heights, but for some reason flying doesn't trigger that fear. Pic of the cockpit. The trailer in the foreground is the ship's home when I wasn't flying her. Pic of myself and a friend catching a thermal over Hartford, WI (HXF), our home airport

^ next outing for the coffee and cap club .... 😉

The 29 biggest airports in Thailand IATA Name City Airlines Destinations BKK Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok 98 121 HKT Phuket International Airport Phuket 42 32 CNX Chiang Mai International Airport Chiang Mai 32 26 KBV Krabi Airport Krabi 13 6 CEI Chiang Rai International Airport Chiang Rai 11 3 USM Samui Airport Na Thon (Ko Samui Island) 8 10 DMK Don Mueang International Airport Bangkok 7 48 HDY Hat Yai International Airport Hat Yai 5 5 URT Surat Thani Airport Surat Thani 4 3 UTH Udon Thani Airport Udon Thani 4 4 PHS Phitsanulok Airport 3 2 UBP Ubon Ratchathani Airport Ubon Ratchathani 3 2 NNT Nan Airport 2 2 TST Trang Airport 2 1 KKC Khon Kaen Airport Khon Kaen 2 2 KOP Nakhon Phanom Airport 2 1 NST Nakhon Si Thammarat Airport Nakhon Si Thammarat 2 1 TDX Trat Airport 1 1 UTP U-Tapao International Airport Rayong 1 2 HGN Mae Hong Son Airport 1 1 LPT Lampang Airport 1 1 MAQ Mae Sot Airport 1 1 THS Sukhothai Airport 1 1 NAW Narathiwat Airport 1 1 UNN Ranong Airport 1 1 SNO Sakon Nakhon Airport 1 1 LOE Loei Airport 1 1 BFV Buri Ram Airport 1 1 ROI Roi Et Airport

ChangFai had different goals with his posts on Secrets as opposed to Thai Visa and Addicts. He wanted to damage and disrupt Secrets as much as he could, whereas he sought to be accepted as a knowledgeable poster on TV and P-A. But he had a huge obstacle to overcome. Posters who remain totally anonymous to everyone, including the board's Admin and Mods, seldom gain much respect. It's hypocritical to seek a high profile on a forum but to remain behind a cloak of invisibility. That's often a sign of a destructive troll. When the Secrets finally tired of him and kicked him off in the board's final months, he began posting daily on P-A, mostly helpful and informative stuff. However, he never went the full copy-and-paste route he had used on Secrets as a counterbalance to his baiting and flaming. When his dark side emerged in full bloom on Addicts, the Mods had less tolerance for him. They weren't willing to cut him any slack. Unfortunately, it's not unusual on the Pattaya boards. I've gone up against several of the worst hobby trolls. Basically, they all have a bully's mentality. Disrupting a forum gives them a rather pathetic sense of power. Evil

British Library is a treasure. Regardless of whether books are not to our individuals tastes keeping them and making them available marks as down as civilised society.

It would all depend on what she looked like.

To be honest, a few months ago I didn't think I'd see Christmas but I made it with the battle of my life. Today I got to see my son open all his parents for the first time.

Jeez .. it seems the Gestapo all over again ... Burning books is totally "out of bounds" if you ask me .. every book has value .... even if you don't like it It figures .. and another left wing college ... This really sucks .... can't people live together regardless of their differences ... I guess not https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2020/02/14/georgetown-u-library-bans-books-that-offend-students/

Just picked up 2 tickets to see "Journey" with Arnel Pinada on May 27th here.....wifey will be quite happy. Have only seen Journey with Steve Perry back in the 80's, Arnel has done a nice job of taking over for him for 13 years now. Can't wait to see Neal Schon and his screaming Guitar solo on this tune.

Whose Chesty Bond is it?

You need to have words with your signmaker. Neither of the guys pictured (Greig Laidlaw and Sergio Parisse) will be playing on Saturday.

Have to be honest if I was in the market for a car I'd have bought the Captiva at the price of 499,000 which is a great deal. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1861084/buyers-flock-to-chevrolet-showrooms-for-cheap-cars

I think it's another plug for his youtube videos.

In the Brick house trying an alternative to Guinness as they have run out too.

It's pretty good, the mushrooms aren't the best though!

4,900 cc V twin

I did the same ... she was a 20 year old "drop dead innocent gorgeous gal" .... . a little side thing I had going ( 1 out of a shit load ) before I married Beach Gal ..... I paid for the last 2 years of her Uni at Ramkhamaeng ... she was worth it .. for sure ... now and then I would give her some spending money .. never a lot though ... she was a super gal ... she is now living back in Chiang Mai ... working ... I see her now and then when I go to Chiang Mai to work at a hospital up there ... she met a home town ( Chiang Mai ) guy after we finished and being the loyal type of gal she is .... is still with him ..... good for her ... I wish her nothing but happiness .... I could still see her today and carry on where we left off ... but, my heart has always been with Beach Gal ...

It is always like that ... 1K ST or 2K all night ( most of the time 1.5K) ....... I try to keep my mouth shut when I hear the prices some guys pay ..... if they only knew ... LOL

I would scruff that down in a minute ... even the eggs look good ... When I lived in the UK .. I got used to beans with breakfast ( I never ate them when I was growing up in NY with breakfast ) ... even now I really like ... I'd say it adds something special with the breakfast ,, I am not sure what that 'special " is ... but, it is pretty tasty ...

It was mushroom soup but I'm sure its was condensed without the milk ie "cream of mushroom soup" I could stand my spoon up into it. I think the hospital food has come on so much with varied menu too and i had no completes over the quality of food.

Large chicken satay with rice and salad £8/ 320 baht, Leather Lane Market, East London. Very expensive, but top quality, damn good

Update: a well known Soi Diamond agogo came to visit me last night asking how I got my sign up, who I was paying etc. I told them that it was on an electric pylon so I wasn’t paying anyone. They said they’re going to do the same but wouldn’t mess with my sign. Let’s see. Told you it would kick up a fuss.

I can’t walk past it at 3am. Even when I make the cut through from LK Metro to the Metropole.....I start leaning right and end up out front.

Breakfast Sent from my LG-H990 using Tapatalk

Clickbait -- could be ..... you never know with the news these days until you research it ... Just seems on the surface to me a "really" bad thing ...

Did you have your cake and eat it too? Rhetorical question honestly.

One of the great things about the British Library , they keep a copy of every book published in the U.K. and Ireland .. not sure if all National libraries do the same

Damn and I thought everyone did😲 For me the thought of burning a book is a really shocking thing. I read loads of the Flashman novels as a late teen. Picked one up about 3 years ago to re-read, found it crass and mildly racist. Guess I'd grown up. Gave it and a few others to charity shop. Have no objection to anyone else enjoying, just wasn't my taste anymore. These books should be preserved as they document society at a point a time, whether I agree with it or not, right now is irrelevant

The Hard Rock closed on February 3, 2020, for approximately eight months of renovations. Virgin Hotels Las Vegas is scheduled to open in November 2020.

The holden commodore ( the real aussie ones)was sold in USA in big numbers as a Chev the Aussies kept all the real good ones like hsv and molo etc for the nz and Aussie market

I was never a huge Rod Stewart fan.... but this song (this version) kicks.

Have you tried over the road in The Brick House- food ok and pretty sure they do Guiness

Well, that was worth the watch, very thought provoking for those who have wives from NE Thailand who have moved overseas to join their foreign husbands ( I all into this category) It was depresssing at times but also having some positives and with this social documentaries, it is a record of what goes on in real life, sacrifices we make and things we do in seeking out a better life. The latter part of the documentary dealt with death, heartache, betrayal and ill health with a smattering of positivity with one of the ladies Thai born Sons being accepted into a prestigious Capital City Hotel on a catering apprenticeship. For me, it was a reminder of what my wife has scarified to come to the UK and raises the question of would I have done the same for her?.

I love the beans. Today's start to the day.

Tonight at about 18.30 downtown Patts time........

Waking up and doing what I want when I want no rules to follow. Deciding i want to take a little trip and can leave at a moments notice great position to be in,