Dawn
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Posts posted by Dawn
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You can buy Phillip Bryce's book here if you're located in Thailand:
http://www.paknambooks.com/index.php?page=...rt&Itemid=1
Or there's another site to order from if you're outside of Thailand:
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Can I just say that it's great to read so many positive posts about enjoying life in Thailand! I visit this forum on a daily basis and get tired of reading all the posts from people whinging about LOS and I must admit it makes me think 'why the hel_l are you still in Thailand then'!! Unfortunately me and my husband are still 'stuck' in the UK but we're coming over to join you guys within the next few years and we can't wait. I try to read between the lines of some of the posts on here and keep trying to remember why I love Thailand so much as, to be honest, sometimes the negative posts tend to make you think again, if only just for a little while, and I sometimes begin to question my judgement about our move. We only get to visit Thailand once a year at the minute and we can't wait for our next 6 week visit in January. The weather over in the UK at the minute is crap - I drive home from work in the dark, it's dark when I try to get my arse out of bed in the morning and it's bloody freezing. In fact, we had sleet up here in Newcastle last night! Can't say I'm going to miss it one little bit! Thanks for cheering me up you lot!!
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DLock & ChiangMaiAmerican,
Thanks for your posts - greatly appreciated and very informative.
I think the best thing to do is have a 'training session' with the vet and get him/her to buy the anti-venom for us. I'm sure they'll be more than willing if we explain we're going to be on a small island where as speedy response will be needed.
Hmmmm, think we'll be investing in moth balls and sulphur too!
Cheers
Dawn
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I think it's bang out of order that the hospital wouldn't sell you any anti-venom for your dog!! My dogs are like my babies and I'd be really p****d off if I was refused some - it would be like refusing it to my children! After all, I'm sure we'd all be willing to pay, no matter how much they charged.
We're moving to Thailand soon and I plan to have a fridge especially for anti-venom - for me and my husband, kids and dogs. I'd welcome any advice as to how long the anti-venom would last in a fridge if anyone knows? I plan to do my research and get a stock of all anti-venom that we might need - any suggestions for a comprehensive stock list? I don't want to take any chances as we'll be on an island and a quick response to any bites is going to be needed.
Condolences for your loss mate - I really feel for you. We lost our first dog to cancer two years ago and we still dream about him and talk about him on a regular basis.
We've got an English Bull Terrier now (into everything) and a Rhodesian Ridgeback (takes little encouragement from the Bullie) so I need to plan ahead!
Dawn
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When we were heading home to the UK in Feb we bought a bottle of vodka and tequilla in King Power to take home as presents. We didn't even think about the liquids thing back in the UK. King Power weren't checking which destination you were heading for and subsequently weren't sealing duty free bags. So, when we arrived in Amsterdam and then tried to get on our connecting flight back to Newcastle, the 'friendly' (cough) chaps on the baggage check informed us that we couldn't take the bottles through even though they were in a King Power bag and we had the receipt. The duty free at Amsterdam airport wouldn't/couldn't seal the bags for us for fear of losing their jobs. So, it was either drink the whole bloody lot and get on the plane trashed, or put the bottles in the bin for them to dispose of. Sorry, I meant to say 'fish out and drink later on with their mates' at a free party at our expense
Anyhoo, safe to say I got 'on one' and after realising that we had to drive when we got back, to pick up our dogs from the kennels, there was no way that we could drink the stuff. And in order to make sure the b*****ds didn't get their party, we took the tops of each bottle, took a swig and then poured each one into the bin and chucked the empty bottle in after it. The place stunk but we didn't care
I know, I know, the guys were only doing their job and they couldn't let us on with the booze in case we decided to rig up some kind of bomb in the toilet and blow the plane out of the air using a concoction of vodka and tequilla......
I'm getting to the point.....honest.....rant over.....
Are King Power now sealing bags when you buy liquids? Is the facility there if you ask? After going through this in my head at the gate, whilst trying to calm down, the trail lead back to them and the fact that the buggers were selling the booze to us without checking where we were going knowing fine well that we couldn't put the stuff in our hold baggage as it had already been checked in and that we were going to have to hand it over when we got to Europe. I know the responsibility also lies with me to remember about the new rules but after 6 weeks on a beach I wasn't really thinking about good old Blighty and her new ridiculous rules. I stupidly thought that a duty free bag and receipt would do. It was down to me AND King Power and both of us just didn't give a toss.....
Do King Power now give a toss?
Will they kindly remind me of the rules and offer to seal my bag when I come back home after our next trip?
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Long overdue I know but I did get back eventually......
The Reno was great and we'd definately go back again. The deluxe poolside rooms were indeed poolside and they were very clean and well maintained. The pool looked a bit dirty so we didn't bother but when we passed through again on our way home, they'd cleaned it up and if we'd had time we would have tried it.
We had a TV that worked and a fridge stocked with a mini bar. Room service was brilliant and the food was really nice although the portion sizes were a little bit small though.
The hubby was ill with a really bad flu for the 3 days we were there and he said he wouldn't have wanted to have been ill in 'any other hotel we've stayed in so far'. That speaks volumes...
The bathroom was really nice and the water was hot. The bath was big enough to lie in although the pressure of the water when you ran it (the shower pressure was fab) meant that you could go out and order a meal downstairs and probably get back before it came anywhere near to overflowing. Mind you, most of you won't want a bath. The hubby had the shakes and was really cold and felt like one due to being ill so we thought we'd try it out.
And as you all mentioned, the location is fantastic. 1 minute walk to MBK which was a god send for me with the hubby being laid up in bed and asleep most of the time....'I'll just go shopping then...see you later!'...
Nice staff too and they didn't even bat an eyelid when we left our luggage with them (a big bag of warm UK duds) and told them we wouldn't be back for a month.
Highly recommended. PM me for contact details if you need them as I'm at work and don't have their business card on me.
Your welcome!
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How about trying Ko Lanta, just off the coast of Krabi? One of my favourites
There's a dive outfit on the island that has 5 star IDC status so it'll be perfect for you. PM me if you want the link to their website.
Dawn
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Paul MBMG,
Sorry, forgot to thank you too!
Many thanks for the swift advice,
Dawn
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Sunbelt,
Many thanks for the clear and concise response which has put my mind at ease
I'll still be setting up my limited company as my business will be engaged in activity on list 3.
If I worried constantly about changes that may be made 'in the future' to small businesses on this list then I'd never get off my backside and move to LOS.
Life is full of risks and I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't taken many of them in the past! Business is no different.
Many thanks
Dawn
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I for one would really appreciate Sunbelt's take on all of this......you guys know your stuff!
Personally, I would like to know if this means I can still set up my own Limited Company, still become a Director and be in control of my business when I move to LOS?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated from the experts
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Thanks folks! Gold bracelets it is - I thought this might be the answer
Don't think we can stretch to the house, car and loan pay off this year
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Definitely vitamins - but a quality brand that has good strength and no crap in them.
<link removed>
That would be wonderful
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Good morning from a bright but cold Newcastle
When we come back to LOS this January we'll be visiting two of our Thai friends who have just had babies.
We want to take a few little presents but I was wondering what's the 'done' thing in Thailand? Gold, baby clothes???? What do you buy for new Thai babies or mothers?
Any advice would be most welcome!
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I'd just like to add that we've had a tremendous amount of (free) professional advice from Sunbelt Asia in Bangkok over the last few years and their service is second to none
We're looking forward to meeting the Sunbelt Asia property people in Bangkok in January - we're wanting to buy a condo soon and we wouldn't use anyone else for advice
Thanks guys!
Dawn
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Great post, Dawn, and good there is more than one Geordie on Tv. Mines a broon!
Ahhhh!! The dulcet tones of the Toon!!
Nice to meet you Baboon
Are you in LOS or stuck here on the banks of the Tyne?
Crap weather we're having.......
Dawn
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Bev,
We always use the Educational Travel Centre on the Khao San Road:
www.etc.co.th
They're very good and very, very reliable - we've used them for the last 5 years.
Ask for Pradit
Dawn
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www.etc.co.th
Ask for Pradit at the branch on the Khao San Road. We've used them for the last five years and they're very very reliable.
Dawn
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We fly with them every year and have done for the last 5 years.
They're always the cheapest (from Newcastle) and the long lay over is champion for those little jaunts into Amsterdam Central
The seats are a good size, plenty of leg room and you get two really decent films during the flight.
The food, however, is very hit and miss but they make up sandwiches and you can help yourself throughout the flight. I even got quite pally with one of the attendants last year and he kept feeding me ice cream
Buy plenty of snacks at the airport!
You tend to get some right arsey Dutch/Germans on the flight who all seem to have appalling manners and are dripping with gold. The treat the attendants like s**t so a little smile from you will go a long way (and may even earn you ice cream!)
Booked up to fly with them again at the end Jan 07 (coming back a month later) and got the flight from Newcastle via Amsterdam for £535. Bargain!
You get into Bangkok at about 8 in the morning - which is good - and when you fly back home the flight leaves at about 3am. Stay up all night, board the plane, wait for your food, have a few shots of voddy and 'hey presto!' - you've been a kip for 8 hours straight and you're nearly home. You can fly with KLM for about £40 more a ticket but the flight times just aren't right for us.
Safe journey!
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You know when you have people writing tripe like this you know there is little hope. The extreme fundamentalist Islamic cause is opposed to Democracy in all its facets- it wants to erase its existence. And moreover for those sceptics who think all this is a diversification so New York, Bali, Madrid, London are all propaganda made up. Really get with it the death toll would have been in many thousands if these airlines had gone up in mid air this week. This is reality babe.
Democracy? You really think the UK and the US are truely democratic? Pull the other one......
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taxexile,
I question every story I hear about terroism when it appears on the news - that's the way I am, I trust no one. I'm not saying that using liquid explosives isn't possible - I don't know anything about liquid explosives for a start! That's not my point and sorry if it came across that way. I certainly aint a professor!
All I'm saying is that personally, I don't believe everything I hear on the news and I always question why the propoganda merchants are feeding us what they are feeding us on a day to day basis. I'm a huge sceptic and I don't belive the news or the politicians.
In my humble opinion (and it's just mine and I'm not wanting to force it on anyone else) I feel that the Government of this country, and the US, are keeping us fearful and paranoid by drip feeding us news so we are blinded by the so called 'good' that is being done to stop terroism. While this is happening they're free to go on bombing innocent people in the name of the fight against terror while our attentions are focused on something else.
Who are the real terroists in all of this?
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Unfortunately, the value of the information and the truth that lies in it, is worth very little. It is a great weapon of mass distraction used by Goebbels, by Blair and by Bush. These kinds of alledged plots, hardly ever materialize and stay in the stages of talking about it. It distracts the attention of the war in Iraq (which was needed after Lieberman got beaten and Bush and Blair gets ratings that are on seage level) and Lebanon.
Anyone who believes that it is logical to come up with a liquid explosive is not of this world. There are just three substances that would qualify and all either instable or impossible to use without difficult to smuggle devices.
These plots are designed by governments to allow our privacy to get violated. It is like a dirty bomb. You scare the hel_l out of simple people arrest a few people and in the end it appears just to be an unworkable idea.
Do not trust your government!
Here, here deminister! I watched the story unfold on the news last night and took it all with a pinch of salt. Fuel the fear and the paranoia and the masses forget all about the war and are led to believe that terroists are on the rampage and our Government (and the US Government for that matter) are all saints and are working for the good of the people. Absolute crap
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I'm emailing them soon so I'll let you all know the latest prices.
We're only staying a few nights so thought we'd try the 'deluxe pool side' room and see how 'deluxe' they are
We're not heading over until the 24th Jan but I'll try and remember to post a review when we get there
Most of the review that are out there (and there aint that many) say the same thing - 'nice new reception, rooms have been updated too but they're still a bit basic' - but good value for money and worth staying at for the location alone.
But you could apply the above statement to most of the hotels/guest houses on the Khao San though couldn't you?
Personally, I'm not a fan of Novotel-type-hotels (you know the ones - once inside you could pretend to be anywhere in the world as long as you didn't look out of the window) and it sounds like it'll do the job. We usually stay in one of the Sawasdee Hotels on the Khao San so we're not used to marble bathrooms and plasma screens.
Happy to report back once we get there
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percy2/wilko,
Many thanks for your responses. According to the Lonely Planet website it's just had a recent make and it gets good reviews elsewhere as a budget hotel in a great location.
We're used to staying on the Khao San Road so we're not looking for anything upmarket - just decent rooms, a pool and good food.
Think we'll go for it!
Cheers
Dawn
Anyone Lost A Bull Terrier
in Phuket
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Paul,
We've got a 3 year old English Bull Terrier who dives straight into any small dog/fluffy animal - cats included. She's a bugger with other dogs too but that's just bullies. We've tried getting her to accept them with not much luck but bought her knowing that that's the "bully way" and that we might not be able to crack that side of her training. That said, we don't have a cat or another small dog - our other dog is a Ridgeback - so she's not around them day in/day out.
She's an absolute angel with our one year old daughter and is such a softie but the 'red mist' comes down when it comes to small animals!
The best thing to do is make sure the dog is around your cats all the time but keep him on a tether and see how things go - you never know. Getting him castrated may help but I do know a couple of people who have had dogs done and it hasn't made the slightest bit of difference! It will reduce the risks of cancer in later life though so not a totally wasted procedure.
Good luck! As a breed they're really worth perservering with - total lovable, loyal clowns with not an ounce of common sense!