Horizondave

Well, my good friend at BA was right with the jungle drum noise. I did think it would be this coming winter start for the schedule.

Pity it is out of Gatwick, but I have recently found out that there are direct Swansea to Gatwick National Express coaches so that is a bonus.

It will definitely have an affect on prices, even though it will start 3 times a week and does go out of Gatwick on a Boeing 777. The additional return to Kuala Lumpur (out of Heathrow), will also increase inventory to SE Asia. The good thing for me is that I have access to great airline discounts, so now the ability to go non stop to Bangkok is a boon.

Great news, it can only be a positive for the traveler regardless of what you think of BA.

Never had a problem with the food on all the flights I have ever taken. I am sure some weren't as filling as others but I don't remember any poor offerings.

I have traveled all classes and many different airlines across nearly all continents. Ironically the only times I have had a nervous stomach after eating was on a few business class flights, I think the quality of the food isn't something I am used to and maybe I ate too much cheese and biscuits or had too many glasses of port. 

I actually prefer my fine food on the ground and economy food in the air.

I won't buy food on a short flight, I will sneak a sandwich onboard if I need sustenance.

12 hours ago, Blue Streak said:

Their tequila lime chicken with fettuccini pasta is sublime. Love eating there before heading across the road to Monsoon.

On 3/2/2024 at 1:17 AM, Glasseye said:

 

Nope, right thread mate.

Now I note you are talking about Rama 2, I concur. Thought you were referring to Hua Hin itself.

2 minutes ago, Butch said:

Duxford is brilliant, but the food is hellishly expensive.

When I was there I walked through Concorde (never realised how tiny it actually was) and around the Comet. They've got a few decent displays of Warbirds and some restoration going on as well.

Concorde was indeed small, I have been on that bird 3 times when it was operating. 

There is also an Imperial War Museum in Manchester and at Duxford Aerodrome in Cambridgeshire (a branch mainly committed to air power).

28 minutes ago, Glasseye said:

Roads were torn to hell in some parts last time. Probably still is. Concrete dust everywhere.

Ha Ha, are you sure you posted on the right thread....... lol

Pity I can't share my Hua Hin thread that I created on PattayaLive a few years back, that had so much in it, even if some of the items aren't all relevant now.

Can't remember how old your child is but a trip to Vana Nava Waterpark is a must. In fact if you stayed at the Holiday Inn you will have free unlimited entry to the park.

https://www.vananavahuahin.com/

A trip to Pala U Waterfalls with a car is a worthwhile trip, various levels can be ascended although some are tougher than others. It's on the road out of Hua Hin that would pass by the road off to Wat Mongkol, so could do both in the day. The link below highlights the National Park of Kaeng Krachan of which Palu U is part of. There is a map if moving down through the link.

https://www.thainationalparks.com/kaeng-krachan-national-park

The guys have mentioned quite a few other side trips, but there are a few others including Swiss Farm north of Cha Am which is worth a short visit if with smaller children.

Afternoon tea at the Centara and drinks on the 27th floor rooftop bar of the Holiday Inn, while looking straight down through the glass are both enjoyable.

The following link is TripAdvisor's view on 10 best things for kids but, for me, the list applies to adults as well. If you like good atmosphere, good food and music then a trip down to Cicada Market (near Khao Takiab) is a must. The Tamarind market is directly next door and easily accessible, actually it is my favourite place as that is where the best food is. When I was there in September last, the food was so good; I had a massive plate of the large prawns for 300 baht and a good size plate of scallops for 150. There are pizza stations and other great food options. The stalls in the Cicada Market sell some interesting wares, I am sure the wife would love it. I would suggest getting a Grab or taxi as parking can be a nightmare. It is open only on weekends.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g297922-Activities-zft11306-Hua_Hin_Prachuap_Khiri_Khan_Province.html

Love Hua Hin, even when just talking about it lol

Just signed in to my Hotmail account to be advised my storage limit has been reached. Seems I am only allowed 5GB of storage on OneDrive which includes Hotmail. I have 19.1Gb across OneDrive and they are now not allowing me access unless I pay.

OK, I can delete a lot of email attachments etc., and transfer a lot of photos to another storage capability but after doing a lot of checking, it appears I can have 50 GB storage including 15 GB on Hotmail so for just £1.99 a month, I have just signed up, and now every thing is syncing and I can now receive emails.

My Hotmail has always been my account for everything, so moving to Gmail or another service is just not practical.

I am expecting some very important emails relating to financial benefits so the payment was a no brainer, it was quick and easy to do.

I am only paying for the Microsoft 365 ability to have email and OneDrive storage, I am not interested in the Office part.

6 hours ago, Blue Streak said:

Good bar years ago but lacked the stunners on my last trip. One of my very good friends met his wife there, living happily in Davao now.

3 hours ago, Toy Boy said:

Found this on the Wales Online website... our much-loved Dear Leader, lol

I don't know anyone who likes the man. Even my cousin's in Merthyr can't stand the man, yet Wales will still vote Labour in at the next election, although not with the overwhelming majority they have held previously. 

The farmers rebellion and the 20 mph speed limit will see votes go elsewhere.

Don't need to put this post in the politics thread, we are a small nation and it  couldn't possibly create a long thread of replies unless the sheep get a chance to have their say.

4 hours ago, Stillearly said:

Hairy Bikers star Dave Myers has died at the age of 66, less than two years after revealing his cancer diagnosis. His death was announced by co-star and fellow motorcycle-riding chef, Si King, who said he was with Myers when he died "peacefully at home" on 28 February.

That is really sad, loved those guys and their program. Actually thought the guy was getting better as he had been on tele,  shocked at the news. Very sad.

15 minutes ago, Horizondave said:

Been drinking Brains SA, Rhymney Export and Spitfire at the Great Western Pub in Cardiff. Had a lovely afternoon drinking with Gazza (@Binlid).

Needed the steak and kidney pudding to soak it all up.

 

Edit, now in the Neath Wetherspoon, having another Brains SA, waiting for the wife and child. Can't take much more, need a sleep.

Been drinking Brains SA, Rhymney Export and Spitfire at the Great Western Pub in Cardiff. Had a lovely afternoon drinking with Gazza (@Binlid).

Needed the steak and kidney pudding to soak it all up.

5 hours ago, Yessongs said:

@Horizondave I can no longer maintain that ability but my history of companions isn't really anything I have many photos of and is mainly in the memory cells. Unlike @Yessongs, I have never taken a photo of a girl in my bedroom, I have had photos of girls outside the boudoir, but most have been destroyed by me or past companions. I just won't take the risk of having photos posted on a forum (or stories of liaisons) as they may be used by 'white knights' to ruin what I have going presently. That happened once on another Pattaya based forum and my marriage suffered because of it. 

 

Just to clarify a few things here, with respect to taking pics of the gals that I took back in the day. I always asked them if they minded if taking pics of them was going to be a problem? 95% of the time the answer was "no ploblem" Now, if any of these gals had said "No ploblem to take pics, just please do not post any on a public forum etc."  I would have kept my portion of the deal for sure.

Very few did, with the exception of a trip in 2011 to Ko Samui. 2 gals there let me take pics, but asked me not to put on any forum etc. To this day, I never have and never will. When I joined the Secrets Forum in 2008, the "members trip report" section was quite good and vibrant. Alot of us shared our pics, stories, pricing etc. At the time, I was relatively new to ANY forum and found that alot of us had alot in common, liked to kick up our heels on holiday here in Thailand etc. Seeing pics of the talent was a good way for me to gauge where I was at, as far as quality and pricing, check your ego at the door, I was NOT an expert in everything. 

I fully understand your "white knight" scenario. Luckily that never happened to me, but there were 2 clowns on the Secrets Forum who talked shit about me to others in Pattaya. Got word one evening on a dinner gig with one of the board members, he told me they were saying that "yessongs likes to brag about his bar fines" etc. etc. etc. One of these guys was one who was complaining that "no one ever posts trip reports anymore, this forum has really gone downhill" blah,blah,blah. Of course he NEVER posted any reports of any type, other then to complain.

As far as wifey finding out about any of my past fun times here, we have already had "the talk" She is not naive by any means, be rest assured no more bar fines, back to the loom for me anymore. When my buddies come to town, I am fairly certain that she does not think that after dinner, we are all back in our hotel rooms by 8:00pm. I do not think it would be a big deal breaker to her, if she found out I bought a few gals LD's when downtown macking it up with friends.  She does not ask to see my camera, tell me the truth, did you take any girls back to your room? Sorry some ass-holes ruined it for you. 

@Trip I may have been " fly" back in the day, but now I am "no lie" when she asks me questions.....once again, check your ego at the door..I need her, more then she needs me. 😄

 

I have had many girls give me photos, even would have been happy to have photos taken. The issue for me wasn't whether they gave agreement, that wasn't the issue. The issue was whether anybody would use those photos against me.

I made the error of embellishing a story of my time in Angeles and some forum member gave my wife a log in to see what I had written, damage done and I am no longer married to that girl.

Even keeping photos in a safe place is not safe where women are concerned. They usually find the photos, especially a while later when you are not being so thorough at concealing them. Very early on I realised it was not a good thing to keep photos around the house. Thing is, even a conversation advising your partner that these photos were taken years before tends to fall on deaf ears, you are just a rat.

Luckily I am no longer in situations where compromising photos are taken.

3 hours ago, boydeste said:

The plane seemed to come in further on the piss than many of the others, the decision to go around after he felt the conditions probably saved a disaster. I doubt they experience such harsh conditions very often. 

He/she done a good job the second time assuming the same person kept control.

Different types of aircraft probably respond better than others in these conditions too.

I too know f**k all about flying a plane.

The wind can affect take offs as well.

I was in Hong Kong many years back and a typhoon had recently gone through. I was on a BA Tristar and we were told that the crosswinds were bordering a constant 20 knots which was the aircraft's max. We attempted to take off but aborted as the crosswind was preventing the aircraft from staying on the centre line. We had just seen a Virgin A330 take off before us, but we were told the Virgin plane had an authorised take off crosswind component of 25 knots.

I believe Hong Kong Airport, itself, can restrict take offs when the crosswind component is over 20 knots.

When we did take off it was like being on a big dipper up and down, pretty scary. We also had to head straight north for a couple of hours and turned west just south of Beijing.

2 minutes ago, Blue Streak said:

That looks like an establishment I have used a few times on my way back to my hotel off Fields in Angeles?

Similar to a few guys here, can't remember the last time I paid a bar fine in Pattaya. In fact don't travel to Pattaya as much now although, if there, more likely to find me dark side meeting up with my mates. 

Even if I don't bar fine, I will still buy drinks and do enjoy the companionship of a lady sitting close. I actually like bar hopping, moving around and, maybe, it's just the same bullshit I have heard over the many years I have been in Thailand and visiting that sees my money getting more value outside of the girly scene.

I still like the atmosphere of being immersed in the bar area and clocking girls (mainly in Hua Hin) but, as I have said a few times before, my bed partners now are a cup of tea and a packet of Oreos.

29 minutes ago, Horizondave said:

Unfortunately he was in the air when I saw this thread. He should be landing in about 15 mins.

 

Edit Been stacking over Surrey but heading to join finals now.

He's down in one piece.

For info

https://www.finnair.com/gb-en/service-break-in-finnair-plus-program

For anybody who might be booking Finnair soon.

1 hour ago, fygjam said:

If you have his email you could always send him the link so he can watch 2 hours of landings before it's his turn.

 

Unfortunately he was in the air when I saw this thread. He should be landing in about 15 mins.

I know a former member who is flying in at 5 pm from Barcelona, be interesting to hear if his flight lands ok.

If with family, a pool is a must, even if by the sea, as my daughter will walk the beach but doesn't like to swim in it. She is in the pool everyday on holidays.

If alone, I really don't care as it is unlikely I will use it. I have often thought I would use the pool if there is one, but my history of experience has shown me that I rarely use a pool.

I did stay at the Mercure Soi 15 Pattaya once, and I hated the fact it had a pool. I checked in to the hotel early afternoon after arriving from UK and wanted to sleep. There was a conference of workers from India who decided to play water polo in the pool, the noise was worse than a school full of kids. I was on the 13th floor but the noise was terrible, luckily reception moved me.

Not on my top list but, if there is one, I always ask to be housed on the opposite side of the hotel to the pool.