CampariO

3 hours ago, mic10 said:

That's an interesting perspective on LED pool lights! I'm curious to know if anyone has experienced any specific benefits or drawbacks when switching from halogen lights to LED lights in their pool. Has anyone noticed a significant improvement in terms of durability and maintenance? As i am considering some universal lighting lamps  And for those who have made the switch, how would you compare the overall cost-effectiveness of LED lights versus traditional halogen lights? I'd love to hear about your personal experiences and insights regarding the transition to LED pool lights.

It has been 4 years since I replaced the Halogen with LED. No issues. Was always a headache to replace the bulbs or to re-seal the lamps. 

2 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

Wonder what the smaller tubes are for.

I think that they can be used as steps to enter the large pipe for cleaning via the medium sized pipe which is likely to be on top. 

Seen recently on Sukhumvit Pattaya.

8 hours ago, ChiFlyer said:

Nice looking place and properly priced IMO given the location. I will pass this onto the Mrs. who does some realty work from time to time. She would expect 3% or so if she could affect a sale.

Thanks for the offer, but I was offered 3% as well, so there would be nothing left for me.

Posting for a friend who is leaving Thailand:

The Bliss 2 in Huay Yai, for sale:

3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, European and Thai kitchen, laundry and storage room, private pool.

412 sqm / 103 TW

The Bliss 2  is a well-managed and secure village. 12 km from Pattaya city, 3.5 km from the beach.

Sales price 6.2 million Baht, transfer 50/50.

The studio will be available at the end of the month.

I intend to put in a new kitchen with washing machine and make a few other changes, the rental price will then be 16500 per month. The condo can also be rented as is for 15000 per month.

I fly from Don Muang to China. Drove 3 hours, there was a traffic jam for half an hour because a truck decided to take a nap.

Lots of Chinese at the airport, blocking the pathways as usual, although neither immigration (8 people in the queue) nor security (3 people in the queue) were busy. 

Power came back at midnight. Now still light rain.

2 hours ago, fygjam said:

Go fly a kite.

 

Went to Drifters instead. A couple of beer Lao, a pizza and some Margaritas....who needs electricity?

Now back home, the PEA truck just left but still 120 V only, they don't pick up the phone and the deep freezer is at -4°C. 

Lightning hit my house and one of the fuses tripped. Can't rack it in again, so there must be a short circuit. In addition, a bit later the main power went down. Waiting for the sparky. What will happen next?

Unbelievable....on the other hand, unbelievable how many underground casinos have been operating under the eyes of the public and nothing was done.....🙈 🙉 🙊

All over already, no flooding to be expected.

Torrential rain just arrived in Huay Yai.

How I became a gangster.

Wow.

My movie is different.

Almost 50% higher electric bill this month.....but with such bad air I don't leave the doors open.

10 hours ago, ChiFlyer said:

Meanwhile, back at the swimming pool.

We seem to have settled down a bit activity wise from the moving and getting the house startup activities done. I am starting to notice additional things that need to be done. Went for a night time swim tonight and noticed that one of the under water lights was out. 

Like I have said before, I have never owned a swimming pool before. I am guessing that this is an easy fix, but would prefer not to electrocute myself. Turn off the light, hmm maybe kill the electricity to the pool, unscrew the mounting, replace the bulb, reset the mounting, get out of the pool, turn on electricity, test the light.

Any comments? 

You will not get electrocuted as the pool lights have a low voltage power supply which is not dangerous at all.

If your lightbulbs are halogen, they usually don't last long and replacing them is usually a pain in the ass. If the lamp is not assembled correctly, water will enter and corrosion will occur. Then a brownish water filling makes the lamp look ugly.

Best solution:

Replace all lamps with LED lights. No more bulb replacement required. Will cost you at least 3000 Bt per lamp depending on whether you want colored light or not. But it's worth it.

Anybody can recommend a good frozen Indian curry? Used to buy at Siambury's but I believe they ran out of the brand I liked so much. Now had a Madras from Mughal, very spicy and otherwise bland. The Tikka Masala wasn't much better, at least could eat without getting any blisters on my tongue.

Arrived at Swampy around 1pm today. It seemed like all of the immigration desks (in a new look, rotated 90 degrees) were open, with about 10 people queuing at each one. Went through long before my suitcase arrived.

Happy Birthday Larry. Have a good time. 

On 3/9/2023 at 4:11 PM, Lemondropkid said:

Anyway good luck with journey,  and let us know how it turns out!!

Thank you.

I booked the limo and fast track for 4:20 a.m. The driver arrived 3:55, 5 minutes before my alarm clock rang. We left 4:10 (10 minutes early) and arrived at the airport 5:40. 

Car was a new Camry, driver was wearing a black suit.

On the highway the driver stopped briefly to move my hand luggage from the trunk to inside the car which puzzled me. Later he stopped for a toilet break, maybe he was worried somebody would steal the bag out of the trunk.

Drive was smooth with torrential rain from time to time. The driver had to reduce speed from 120-130 to below 80.

10 minutes before arriving at the airport he called his colleague and asked about the meeting point (you are supposed to do that according to the voucher). Traffic was busy at the airport entry with most of the cars trying to drop their passengers at door 1.

The colleague waited outside of door 4 and took my suitcase. We went to one of the self- check in screens near row H but it didn't work as I had checked in online already. The guy was a bit confused despite me showing him my boarding pass and he contacted one of the Thai Airways staff which told us to go to row D. There were some more screens with some cute airport staff. They took over and printed my boarding pass and luggage tag. The the guy helped me with dropping the suitcase at the belt.

We then proceeded to the new (and only?) fast track near row A. I read that all passengers could use this while the airport is doing the security revamp but there were only few people.

There is a separate entrance for first class passengers of Thai airways but it uses the same facilities as the business class entry. The guy was greeted by a man in brown uniform and left. Security screening was passed quickly and there was a TV screen indication a 7 minutes waiting time at immigration. Only 2 officers working, later another on was added. 

I was through at  6:05, so 25 minutes processing time from leaving the limousine.

I had a glance at the regular immigration which was busy with around 10 people at each counter and a short queue but not really crowded. No idea how busy the security zone was.

So, I don't think I was saving a lot of time using the fast track but given the recommendation from the AOT to arrive 3 hours before departure due to the modification work and flying at peak hours it gave me some peace of mind.

Without the self-check in / baggage drop which I believe can be used only when flying with 4 or 5 airlines the processing time would be much longer and depends on the queue of the individual airline. There were ling lines at the Thai Airways row, probably for passengers who must show additional paperwork such as visa to the staff. No idea if the fast track company are using the first class counter in this case but one would think so.

On 3/8/2023 at 4:55 AM, Lemondropkid said:

I was in economy, so open to all.

You can book the fast track alone without the limo at this link:

Cost is 1,250 baht https://www.limousine.in.th/fast-track-immigration.php

They do a departures and arrivals service. So have a read through the detail.  As it was the last day of my holiday returning home, I splashed and also went for the limo, same firm prices are here

https://www.limousine.in.th/index.php#transferrates

With both services, limo pick up and hotel. Driver called ahead to the rep who portered my luggage (this is meant to be another 350 baht according to the above links but that came included)

The rep printing of my boarding passes, then took me to the bag drop, and onto immigration, where he was calling ahead to one of the immigration officials in the fast track area where the business class folks would go, who waved me through to the scanning machine.

In the context of a relaxed end to a long trip, in a very busy airport I was very happy.

Hope this helps

 

I am flying from Suvarnabhumi with Thai Airways to Korea on Monday, 8 a.m.

Thinking about 2 options:

No. 1 is to book the limo+fast track, leave Patty around 4:30 a.m. to arrive at 6 a.m. (the limo service suggested to arrive 2 hours early)

No. 2 is to let Mrs. CO drive me a day earlier to a hotel near the airport, take the shuttle at 5:30, arriving 2 hours 20 min. No fast track but 1 hour more sleep.

Given the queues reported by Sherlock, do you think it is better to get up earlier and take the fast track? 

Saw on the Covid thread somebody mentioning air polution in London.....

Oh, the historical data is still in favor of London.

8 hours ago, ChiFlyer said:

• With all things finally straightened away, I did an internet search for a nearby Massage Parlor. Looking for a regular massage with possible options depending on the therapist. Found an interesting one, internet wise, about 15 minutes South in Satahip. Drove over and the place was one that I wanted no part of. Just me.

 

I usually go to Friendly massage opposite the Ambassador. They have individual rooms for the oil massage. Currently 7 massage ladies working, most of them old and experienced. 10 minutes or 7.5 km from your place.

If you like John Wick....

you will love Nobody.

2 hours ago, john luke said:

Another that has stood the test of time: does anyone know what the badge is?  I have seen it on several classic cars.

 

From the government: Department of local administration