London Lowf

I can understand tourists having problems with the Phuket taxis/tuk tuks, but surely she should have known better, even if she's not a local?

Last year I visited Thailand three times, always on 60-day Evisa's. On my January trip I extended by 30 days but only used 13. On my June trip I stayed for 59 days and so didn't need to extend. On my October trip I extended by 30 days but only used 17. On my latest arrival in January this year, again with an Evisa, the immigration officer at Phuket delayed me for fifteen minutes (including vanishing for a while, presumably to consult with her boss?) while the queue behind me got understandably irritated. She eventually stamped me in for the 60 days, but I've no idea why she had a problem - as far as I am aware I'm not breaking any rules and I am certainly not taking the pee by doing border runs. Those in authority in Thailand like to excercise their discretion!

If you have an Android phone, then Google Maps Timeline saves all your phone's moves all the time. Sometimes I go for a walk and leave my phone in the scooter or at home. GMaps doesn't know this. Sometimes Google asks me to review a business that I have never used - usually because that business is located next to a red light that I got stuck at for a while and Google assumes that I went inside. Sometimes Google tells me that I have done a car journey - apart from the taxi to/from the airport, I never use cars in Thailand. Dumb! (I commit a crime in the next town but leave my phone at home - will Google give me an alibi?)

And how do you get the water if you have no electricity for the pump?

So, the Andaman Sea is a Phuket reservoir? Is it really so difficult to jump on a scooter and take a photo of a "real" Phuket reservoir? I'll save anyone the trouble - this is Bang Neow Dum Reservoir a few days ago. Very low, but still plenty of water.

I think that I also bumped into those guys on Friday! Walking along a crowded Bangla there is a mutual courtesy that ensures that everyone avoids everyone else - however, these guys were not playing by those rules and were clearly looking for trouble - but only with "papa" soft targets like you and I apparently. We bumped slightly and one made a comment to me which I didn't catch but I was in no position to escalate the situation and so simply carried on my way. The point is - the vast majority of people are just fine, whether they be Brits, Russians, Chinese, North Africans, Indians, etc. Howver, it is the minority that get our attention and can lead to negative thoughts - all you can do is ignore them and concentrate on the good guys. Hopefully, Karma (or a bunch of Thai "guards) will teach the yobs a lesson one day but regretfully life doesn't seem to work that way.

This is exactly what happened to me in the UK a few years ago. I was getting pain and some difficulty with mobility - particularly geting in and out of a car. X-rays showed early arthritis but doctor explained that, although hip replacement is a very common procedure, it is nethertheless major surgery with a long recovery and some attendant risks - he also advised that I put up with it for as long as possible. In those days I slept on my side (always the left) but now I am more comfortable flat on my stomach with my feet over the edge of the bed. It wasn't until I read this post that I remembered that I even had this problem - it's completely vanished!

It's so easy to try before you buy - make a shortlist, rent each one for a day (or even an hour if you can) and pick the one that you feel the most comfortable on. Note that most scooters on the market are scaled for an Oriental body - I'm only 173cm and found the Click very cramped and unstable whereas the ADV which I bought is a perfect fit and feels very safe.

I've used Nord for a couple of years, primarily for streaming my paid UK subscriptions while I am in Thailand and vice versa. However, in the last couple of weeks Eurosport have finally sussed Nord out and I am blocked.

Hardly - the name is plastered all over the wall!

I use a Clarity card and Kamala Krungsri is the same - no hassle, no fee and I've used them several times over the last few years for B50,000 to B100,000 withdrawals. I was worried that they may divert me to the ATM if I only wanted B20,000 but they didn't. I buy stuff on Lazada most days and earlier today the (MasterCard) rate was 45.234 - not great but with the total lack of fees it's acceptable. The transactions show up on the app within minutes.

And because of his visit all of the bars in Kamala had to close at midnight last night!

Has anyone experience of the Kitaco exhaust? What is the sound like? I think that it is only available through a Honda dealer and, at B9,990, it should be decent quality although the one that I've seen parked up in Patong looks as if it's had a hard life.

The transmission on my ADV keeps the RPM at a constant 5,500 from launch until it locks into it's top gearing, which is at about 60kph? Riding around Phuket, I generally stay below that speed. (I always thought that a rev counter on a little scooter with CVT was complete overkill, but it's just proved its worth!)

There are full "Akrapovic" systems (pipework and end can) on Lazada for under B1,700 - rather you than me! Elsewhere on that site there is also a full "Akrapovic" system for B7,500 - this still seems too cheap for a genuine system, but who knows? I hate the tinny sound of the standard system but do not want an excessively noisy straight-through, which is what I would imagine a lot of these cheap aftermarket systems are.