Trip 4 - Day 2

11th August

To wake up in LoS with A still sleeping at my side is just great. The timing of my arrival was not the best though as this is the 'wrong' week for A, so I shall have to wait a while for the more intimate pleasures that I have been waiting for. It's not a real problem though, as I will have plenty of time this trip.

A is suffering a little this morning with a hangover and I realise that using the scooter last night was probably not such a good idea. In addition, the headlight 'blew' last night on the way back, so it was full beam only which drew attention to us as well.

There's no food in, so after showering and dressing, it's off to Big C where we splash out in the food hall and spend a total of 65 baht for food for the two of us. Chicken Panang and rice for breakfast? It's just great.

This is now the time for me to make good on my promise from the last trip that I would buy a gold ring for A and as I didn't purchase anything for her from duty free, I feel that I also owe her a present. (I had set aside a budget of 7000 baht (£100) for this), so we visit the gold shop and a ring is bought as well as a quarter baht gold chain (half half). A discount is negotiated for buying two items and it costs me 5000 baht.

We then go to the store to buy some basics including a couple of big bottles of Beer Chang at 35 baht each. A asks if I want to buy milk and I say that I will not bother. I'm planning to cut out on most dairy product during this trip in a bid to live a healthier lifestyle and keep cholesterol levels down.

Back to the room and I'm left on my own whilst A goes off to get the bike light sorted out. This gave me the opportunity to write up the TR, however I encounter communications problems and the link is not particularly stable. I finally manage to get an upload done and then have a quick chat with BM Shuggy on the Addicts shoutbox and he lets me know that he'll be in the FLB from around 21:30 with Gan. He kindly offers to buy me a few beers, so that's the plan for tonight then. A also met both of them back in February, so it should be okay with her.

Once A returns, I'm returned 500 baht from the 1000 baht that I'd given her to get the bike sotred, then it's a quick trip down the road for a haircut for me as I had decided that paying £8 (550 baht) in Stansted was just a waste compared to the price in LoS. 50 baht later, I'm feeling much cooler and looking more presentable. We return to the room and A cooks up a great meal and I decide that I'm going to have to learn how to cook some of these meals myself so that I can prepare the food sometimes.

After eating, A says that she's not feeling too well and doesn't really want to go out tonight, so I'm told that it's okay for me to go out 'alone' tonight. After SSS and A giving me a manicure, she drives me into town and drops me off at Tukcom so that I can withdraw some money to repay a debt to BM t.l.o. (Jim). as he has sent me a text saying that he'll meet me later at FLB.
As I wander along Pattaya Tai, the sounds and smells of the market assult the senses and the place just feels so familiar and friendly. I cross the road and walk past Secrets and on to Walking Street. I then remember that BM Rightsaid is having his birthday party at TQ2 tonight. It's just past 21:00, so I've got time to spend a little time there before seeing Shuggy and as I am not with A, there is no 'problem' if I see 'Avatar Girl'.

As I enter TQ2, the place is packed and it's a battle to get round to see Alf. As I say hello and wish him a great birthday, I am gently 'assualted' from behind. As I turn around, I given a big kiss by #30 and I realise that this is going to be a complication, but I fear that I may succumb at some point. I make my way round to the bar where it's a drink for me and a drink for Ann. We are chatting away for 15 - 20 minutes and she tells me that she has had people coming to the bar saying that they know who she is and asking if she knows George. I explain that I put the picture that I took of her on Walking Street on the Internet and check that she doesn't mind. It seems that all is okay, but it goes to show that even avatar pics are mentioned by BM's to the girls.

Ann goes off to change and returns in streetwear. I explain to her that I am living with a girlfriend, so seeing her might be somewhat difficult and she then drops the bombshell that she's currently working 14:00 - 21:00, so if I want, I could come and see her during the daytime, so I fear that my resolve will weaken and in the not too distant future.

I have a second drink (courtesy of the TQ2 privilege card) and buy a second drink for Ann. I am feeling far too comfortable and realise that I am playing with fire, so I spend some time chatting with other BM's (Father Mojo, Scumbag, Aussiechic, Badboy & Bruiser) before paying checkbin and saying my goodbyes to Rightsaid (and Ann).

Entering the FLB, I see Alice sitting at the bar and after a quick hello to her and Da from behind the bar, I make my way to the table to joing Shuggy & Gan. Whilst we're chatting, we're joined by the 'gang' from TQ2 and also BM Blacknight comes over to say hello. Shuggy is very generous and buys me a couple of beers before I start my own checkbin. We chat about his trip and some of the things he'd done including the purchase of an iPod from a BM that had 'overdone' it and had to sell stuff to pay for the rest of his trip.

We are then joined by the new 'green badger' and she looks just great in a long clingy red dress. It turns out that her mother is in hospital and she needs to make more money than working as service girl, so she has become a hostess. She'd told A the previous night that she's a little worried about the dancing competitions and she doesn't want to 'show' anything, so I guess we shall see what happens at Aussiechics party on the 21st.

Next thing I know, three girls arrive with a guy and sit at the next table. "Hello George" is called out and when I look, it's three girls that I know from Goanna Bar. I'm asked where A is and how is she, so I simply call her from my phone and hand it over to them to chat with her. Ten minutes later, I'm given my phone back and informed that she's feeling tired and has already gone to bed, however I am also told that she is very happy that I have returned.

After having another beer, it seems that a few are heading off to Covent Garden complex and others to Peppermint. I'm tempted to go along as well, but decide that a more sensible move is a return home. As we are all settling checkbins, Shuggy then informs the service girl that he is paying for me, so thanks again Shuggy; it's much appreciated my friend.

I get a scooter taxi home and that costs me a further 60 baht.


Spending for the day

Breakfast at Big C = 65 baht
Provisions at Big C = 450 baht
Gold = 5000 baht
Bike repair = 500 baht
Telephone card for A = 100 baht
Petrol = 100 baht
Haircut = 50 baht
Apple from Pattaya Tai market = 10 baht
TQ2 = 350 baht
FLB = 0 baht
Scooter Taxi = 60 baht
Total 6685 baht against a budget of 7000 + 1000 = 8000 baht

Trip 4 - Journey & Day 1

August 9 & 10 2007

An 04:00 departure on Thursday morning from the bed-sit in Stansted in order to catch the 04:40 coach to Heathrow where I had to make my way to the Diamond lounge in Terminal 3 arrivals in order to collect my ticket (£673 for a 1 year return on Air India, booked through Southall Travel).

Then it's a trek back to the departures hall to join the queue for check in. An hour later, I'm finally checked in and I've got rid of the 31.5kg of checked luggage which contains all the clothes that I own as well as other personal effects.(Southall Travel have a deal where their customers have a 32kg baggage allowance instead of the standard 20kg). Terminal 3 is a nightmare place with queues snaking around each other and many of the staff trying to direct passengers having English as their second or even third language.

Then it's time to join the queue for airport security. This is another nightmare and takes another hour to get to the x-ray machine where my shaving cream is confiscated and my nail clippers are deemed to be a weapon (WTF?). Having negotiated all this, there's then the queue for having your shoes scanned which takes anther 15 minutes before I'm finally 'airside'.

Off to the American Express counter to change my cash into Travellers Cheques as these can be replaced in the event of any problem during the trip. This takes another half an hour and by the time I'm finished, it's time to get straight to the gate for the flight.

The aircraft is late arriving from New York, so misses its departure slot at Heathrow and we're finally 'wheels up' at 10:20. I'm travelling this leg on a Boeing 747 which is certainly looking somewhat 'tired', however the cabin crew are very polite and quite efficient (unlike my Aeroflot experience on the last trip).

I'm not interested in watching the films on offer, so settle down to read the latest Harry Potter and manage to grab a few cat naps en route to our first stop at Delhi where there is a crew change and what passes for a cleaning of the aircraft. We are delayed waiting for two passengers to turn up and this stopover ends up taking just over two hours before we are on our way again. Next stop is Mumbai where I've got an hour and a half stopover before making the final leg of the journey to Bangkok. It has to be said that Mumbai airport is the pits. It's in the process of being redeveloped apparently, but there is nothing there and even the duty free shop has virtually nothing to sell and there are no bars either, so it's just a case of more sitting around and waiting for the next flight.

This leg is completed on an Airbus operated by Czech Airways on behalf of Air India. Once again, Air India are not particularly organised and we are kept waiting for 30 minutes beyond the stated departure time for no apparent reason. The flight is full and conditions are somewhat cramped for a 4 hour flight, but we eventually touchdown at Bangkok at 10:45 (40 minutes late) where I find that we have landed just behind a 747 from China along with a couple of other flights, so the queues to get through Passport Control are the worst I've encountered at Bangkok. It takes over an hour to get through, however eventually I make it to the head of the queue and I'm photographed and have my passport stamped.

I've finally made it into Thailand!

I collect my case and make my way into the arrivals hall. There's no Mr. Toom for me this time, as I've decided that 1200 baht is an unnecessary expense, so I make my way straight ahead out of the terminal and just in front of all the 'limousines' is the bus stop marked 'Shuttle Bus'. This is a free service to the airport bus terminal and the transfer takes about ten minutes. It's now 12:15 and I buy a ticket for the 13:00 bus to Pattaya which costs the grand total of 106 baht.

The bus is a comfortable air conditioned 40 seater and does the journey as quickly as a car with a journey time of 2 hours (heavy traffic on the highway through Sri Racha & Laem Chabang).

I alight at Pattaya Klang and there's a baht bus pulling up straight away when the driver spots me with the case. He wants 200 baht to take me to 'loom' which is over the top, but I am now far too tired to hassle over the rate and just want to get the journey finished, have a shower and get some fresh clothes on.

Ten minutes later, I've made it. It's 15:30, and I've been travelling for 29.5 hours. As I get into the room, I'm presented with a cup of coffee by my next door neighbour (Nam from Cherry Bar). It seems A has to go and do a couple of hours work, so she says she'll be back around 7 pm and then sets off on the scooter. I have a shower and a shave and get into some fresh clothes and feel much better. I then meet another neighbour; Pun (also from Cherry Bar and a previous LT barfine to boot) and we just chat about nothing in particular for 15 minutes or so.

I then sort out my laptop and get the AIS GPRS package working ( 100 hours access for 350 baht + 7% VAT ) and log on to the boards to see what's happening and where everyone is going to be later. Seems that there's an Addicts meet at Shooters at 21:30 for a couple of hours, so the plan is to eat, go to Cherry Bar to see Adam and the neighbours, then a trip to Shooters and end the night going to the FLB to see MM.

At 18:45, Pun knocks on the door and I'm handed Nam's little dog to look after until she returns home, so when A arrives 25 minutes later, I'm on the PC with a yappy dog jumping all over me. She goes to shower and change; Nam returns and takes her dog back and we set off to the buffet at Big C on Pattaya Tai. As we get there it starts to rain and all the covered tables are in use, so we make an adjustment to the 'plan' and decide to eat at MK instead. It's a little more expensive at 450 baht for the two of us, but it is my first night. After eating, we're off up 2nd Road to Soi 8 and Cherry Bar. We chat with Adam for a while and say hello to all the regular Cherry girls as well as meeting up and some big hugs for BMs Aussiechic & BadBoy.

The smile has returned and life feels good. Adam buys us a drink in to the bargain, so checkbin is a massive 150 baht!!!

Then it's back on the scooter and we're heading down Beach Road and on to Shooters in Soi Diamond. As we enter, the place is very quiet, so it would seem that the meet up has finished a little early. We sit at the bar for a drink where we are joined by BM Bruiser who also buys us both a drink. It's another 150 baht checkbin and then the three of us head off to my first Walking Street visit of this trip.

As we enter the FLB, there's a "Hello George" from one of the hostesses working at the door. I don't recognise her at first, but then realise who it is. Another red badger has gone green.

We walk through the bar and say hello to MM. At the same time, BM's Scumbag & TheDeportedOne arrive at the bar, so we all grab a table and settle down to chat and drink. I buy a couple of LDs for our new green badger as well as beers for A and myself. BM LordFlash arrives and there are more big hello celebrations. He also buys me a beer which is great. Checkbin at the end of the night is 715 baht when we settle up at 02:20 and then we head back to 'home'.

My first night in Pattaya has cost 1585 baht inclusive of tips and a couple of LD's. (Lady Drinks)As Monday is a holiday in Thailand because of the Queen's birthday tomorrow, A isn't working, so we are treating this first long weekend as a bit of a holiday and a settling in time, so there will be a few expenses that will not be regular events, but there is no room for major 'blowouts' this time.

All in All, it feels bloody great to be back and next week I need to get started on making sure that I can continue a little more comfortably!