1st September
I awake at just after 09:00 after having a fairly disturbed nights sleep. I still have a headache, my back aches and I've got a sore throat, so I'm going to pop out to the pharmacy to get some paracetamol and something for the sore throat.
First off though, I do the laundry as the basket is getting full and it won't get done itself. I know that this is something that the female neighbours regard as being a womans job and not that of a man, but as A isn't here and it's not exactly an arduous task, I just get it done.
I then speak with Kevin. He's been told by MM that it's possible to get beefburgers, English sausages and 'proper' bacon from a food place somewhere near me. We determine that he's talking about Foodland, so I agree to give the place a 'recce' on my way to Carrefour.
I'm sorry to report that the only burgers I found on offer were frozen chicken burgers; the sausages are mainly German smoked meat varieties and the bacon isn't 'proper' bacon, but more like an anemic thinly sliced pork rasher. For reference, I made a note of some of the prices of products in Foodland and compared them to the prices in Carrefour and they were without exception more expensive, however the selection of 'farang' imported food is greater (but at a price).
Into Carrefour and the first stop is the pharmacy counter where I get 100 x 500mg paracetamol for 27 baht (No 'nanny state' rationing in force here) and I then explain that I have a sore throat which is making it uncomfortable to swallow and instantly 10 x 500mg Amoxicillin appear on the counter (No checking whether you are allergic to penicillin). Total bill for meds is 67 baht.
Then it's the mundane stuff such as washing powder and fabric conditioner that comprise the bulk of the shopping bill. Some meat and some fruit bring the total up to 580 baht.
I return home and am grateful that I'm not spotted by 'the coven' as I would no doubt be chastised for not asking one of them for a lift or borrowing a scooter.
I then get a call from BM Volsfan enquiring as to whether I can meet up to sort out the PC. Of course I can, so we arrange to meet at KFC in Carrefour, so off I set once again. We meet up and drive to his condo which is nearby. The laptop is great. Considerably more 'oomph' than my own machine and it will have no problem running more 'heavyweight' apps. He says that I can simply borrow the machine on a long term basis for which I am extremely grateful.
He then drives me back home and it dawns on me that there are no power points near to the location of the desk. Some creative work with extension leads is called for, but as this is Thailand and a morass of electricity cables is the norm, this shouldn't pose any major problems.
I talk with Kevin on the phone and he says that he's planning a Sunday roast dinner outing on Soi 'half a dozen' and the meal and any subsequent 'dessert' are to be his treat. I remember my last couple of trips down that Soi and there is 'unfinished business' in TG Bar with a fun girl who was called 'Kangaroo'! I was in her company when there with Kev & Talen back in May (the night we 'bailed out' of the Beach Road FLB Bar Crawl) and again when on a crawl with Don Dadda (the afternoon he went with the big mamasan), Talen & Dirty Sanchez.
I send her a text and we exchange a couple more before she ends up calling me. She verifies that I do know her by asking me what her name was at TG Bar and we then chat for nearly 10 minutes. In summary, she says that she no longer 'works bar', has returned home and is now looking for 'job with company'.
I then prepare myself my evening meal (a pre-cooked bag of green curry that I'd bought in Carrefour earlier for 19 baht) along with some freshly cooked rice and afterwards I get the washing in; iron a T-shirt; SSS and it's time to go to Cherry Bar.
Yet another crossing of the Sukhumvit highway (which doesn't get any easier with experience) is as hair raising as ever, but I survive and head to Pattaya Klang. Jump on board the waiting baht bus and 5 minutes later we're off. As we approach 2nd Road, it's a lottery as to whether we'll turn right to head up to Big C or carry straight on to Beach Road. We turn right, so it's a speedy bell ring and just a short walk back down 2nd Road to Soi 8. I get 'accosted' by a couple of girls as I head down to Cherry Bar which is all good fun and just part of the everyday Pattaya 'experience'
The party is a fairly 'low key' affair, but it has to be said that everywhere is looking fairly quiet tonight. At just 40 baht a time, the Singha draft is fine and it's a pleasant way to spend the evening and I get to meet a couple of new BM's. Dode was one and I'm afraid that I didn't really catch the name of the other guy.
At the end of the night (03:45) I pay checkbin which is all of 400 baht and that includes a couple of drinks for Aoy (well I had to buy her a drink after she'd bought me one.) and at 04:10 I'm on a scooter with Tai & Pun as they take me back home.
Expenditure :
Carrefour shopping : 580 baht
Pharmacy : 67 baht
Baht bus : 20 baht
Cherry Bar : 420 baht (inc. tip)
Saturday 1 September 2007
Friday 31 August 2007
Trip 4 - Day 22
31st August
Oh my Buddha! I have a thumper of a hangover and just moving is hard work. A returns home at 09:30 and orders me to get up and "go shower. NOW!"
She says that she'll only be home for a few hours as she is working again tonight and possibly tomorrow night as well. It's definately not what I had anticipated when I came out here, but as I have said many times before, it is for me to adapt to her life rather than the other way round.
She prepares a meal which I force myself to eat and tells me that there is enough for me to eat tonight, then she's off out the door again.
My hangover is actually more than that I fear, as I have a streaming nose and even by mid afternoon, the headache hasn't gone away.
In the middle of the afternoon, I get a call from A who asks me if I believe that she is working. (WTF?) I say that I do believe her and ask why I shouldn't. It seems that she's had a phone call from one of the neighbours telling her that she should be at home and not out working all the time and that she is not 'good'. She asks me if I want her to finish work and come home and I tell her that it's okay. I understand that she is working to earn money and as I will be here for a long time, it isn't that important that I see her all the time. (I'd 'prefer' it if she were at home of course)
I finish the curry from this morning and cannot even be bothered to have a bottle of beer. At 20:00, I just give in and go to bed.
Expenditure :
Food money for A : 200 baht
Oh my Buddha! I have a thumper of a hangover and just moving is hard work. A returns home at 09:30 and orders me to get up and "go shower. NOW!"
She says that she'll only be home for a few hours as she is working again tonight and possibly tomorrow night as well. It's definately not what I had anticipated when I came out here, but as I have said many times before, it is for me to adapt to her life rather than the other way round.
She prepares a meal which I force myself to eat and tells me that there is enough for me to eat tonight, then she's off out the door again.
My hangover is actually more than that I fear, as I have a streaming nose and even by mid afternoon, the headache hasn't gone away.
In the middle of the afternoon, I get a call from A who asks me if I believe that she is working. (WTF?) I say that I do believe her and ask why I shouldn't. It seems that she's had a phone call from one of the neighbours telling her that she should be at home and not out working all the time and that she is not 'good'. She asks me if I want her to finish work and come home and I tell her that it's okay. I understand that she is working to earn money and as I will be here for a long time, it isn't that important that I see her all the time. (I'd 'prefer' it if she were at home of course)
I finish the curry from this morning and cannot even be bothered to have a bottle of beer. At 20:00, I just give in and go to bed.
Expenditure :
Food money for A : 200 baht
Thursday 30 August 2007
Trip 4 - Day 21
30th August
A surprisingly early start to the day ( 09:30 ) considering the late finish last night. I have 6 'man drink' vouchers from last night and it appears that I have acquired a three letter 'Thai' name of JOD.
I trade a few text messages with A and it seems that she will not be returning tonight either, but as it's the Thursday Bar Crawl, it's not really a great problem.
In the middle of the afternoon, Tai (Cherry Bar and resident of #13) suddenly appears at the door with a plate of KFC food for me and later on the lady from #2 calls to me and says that she's going to the market and asks if I want anything buying.
It seems that the women folk have decided that I am incapable of looking after myself, so I have become some sort of 'project'.
Later on, Nam returns to her room and we stand out on the landing and we chat about the previous night and she says that it had been quite busy for a Wednesday as "often there are only 3 or 4 custonmers all night". She has been out today buying 30 glasses for the Singha 'draft beer' that is being introduced on Saturday night at Gae's birthday party. (Only 40 baht a time)
She tells me that Adam is a bit worried about the beer not being cold enough, so in addition to the chiller for the beer, he is looking to keep the glasses cold as well. To this end, Nam has been researching fridge units and she proceeds to show me the brochures of the units that she's been looking at.
She also tells me that DiscoCol has paid for a party for Pim later in the year, but it seems that she wants an extra 2000 baht as she wants live music as well. (Sorry to be the bearer of the bad news mate)
The rest of the day simply passes me by and when I realise that it's starting to get dark, I SSS in readiness to get over to the FLB for the crawl (and free curry!). As I'm walking down the Soi, there are flashes of lightning and it starts to rain, so I abandon the idea of walking to Pattaya Klang to get a bus and simply jump on the first available motorcycle taxi. At the intersection with Soi Buakhow, we are nearly mown down by a bus just pulling out in front of us. I get a good view of the passengers in the back and BM Scumbag is sitting there. I call out but he is oblivious to my call and we shoot off weaving in and out of the traffic in front of us.
I'm dropped off in Soi 14 and it costs me 50 baht for the privilege, but at least I haven't got too wet. As I enter Walking Street, it's the quietest I think I've ever seen it in the evening.
I walk down to the FLB and Kevin is there with MM. We have a quick chat and then Scumbag arrives and shortly afterwards Volsfan turns up with a mate in tow. I'm asked if I've had any joy in sorting out a new PC and I say that I haven't as yet. Volsfan then tells me that he's got a laptop at home that he no longer uses as he finds it too heavy to carry about. He says that he'll check that it's still in working order and I can check it out and if it's okay, then I can make him an offer. (Cheers!)
MM announces that the free food is ready (Curry this week rather than pizza) and it's not bad. At around 20:40, we settle up and the crawl is underway. First stop is TQ2 and as it's before 21:00, Avatar girl is still on duty, so that's a lady drink and a small tip straight away. She says that she's not feeling too well as she is 'red', but the big smile is ever present.
Next on the agenda is LD1, where I am interested to see what 'improvements' have been made during their recent 2 month 'refurbishment'
Then Windmill in Soi Diamond where the girls have few inhibitions until the lights suddenly flash once and all the girls suddenly cover up. This is a valid reason to settle checkbin and make a departure which I'm glad I did as a couple of BM's were delayed when the place was raided just a few minutes later.
Onwards again and this time we troop into Dollhouse where I chat with BM Treacle and he tells me of some of the issues he has to deal with on a regular basis.
I am just settling in when it's announced that we are on the move again and the next venue is Living Dolls Showcase. I end up sitting right next to the stage, but I actually pay more attention to a couple of cute service girls that look after me very well. So a couple more LD's and the budget is in tatters now.
Once we leave LDS, the last stop on the crawl is to be Club Bouche, but as it's not a great favourite of mine, I decide to join Kevin in bailing out and having a 'nightcap' in the FLB and buy a couple of drinks for Da the bartender.
A surprisingly early start to the day ( 09:30 ) considering the late finish last night. I have 6 'man drink' vouchers from last night and it appears that I have acquired a three letter 'Thai' name of JOD.
I trade a few text messages with A and it seems that she will not be returning tonight either, but as it's the Thursday Bar Crawl, it's not really a great problem.
In the middle of the afternoon, Tai (Cherry Bar and resident of #13) suddenly appears at the door with a plate of KFC food for me and later on the lady from #2 calls to me and says that she's going to the market and asks if I want anything buying.
It seems that the women folk have decided that I am incapable of looking after myself, so I have become some sort of 'project'.
Later on, Nam returns to her room and we stand out on the landing and we chat about the previous night and she says that it had been quite busy for a Wednesday as "often there are only 3 or 4 custonmers all night". She has been out today buying 30 glasses for the Singha 'draft beer' that is being introduced on Saturday night at Gae's birthday party. (Only 40 baht a time)
She tells me that Adam is a bit worried about the beer not being cold enough, so in addition to the chiller for the beer, he is looking to keep the glasses cold as well. To this end, Nam has been researching fridge units and she proceeds to show me the brochures of the units that she's been looking at.
She also tells me that DiscoCol has paid for a party for Pim later in the year, but it seems that she wants an extra 2000 baht as she wants live music as well. (Sorry to be the bearer of the bad news mate)
The rest of the day simply passes me by and when I realise that it's starting to get dark, I SSS in readiness to get over to the FLB for the crawl (and free curry!). As I'm walking down the Soi, there are flashes of lightning and it starts to rain, so I abandon the idea of walking to Pattaya Klang to get a bus and simply jump on the first available motorcycle taxi. At the intersection with Soi Buakhow, we are nearly mown down by a bus just pulling out in front of us. I get a good view of the passengers in the back and BM Scumbag is sitting there. I call out but he is oblivious to my call and we shoot off weaving in and out of the traffic in front of us.
I'm dropped off in Soi 14 and it costs me 50 baht for the privilege, but at least I haven't got too wet. As I enter Walking Street, it's the quietest I think I've ever seen it in the evening.
I walk down to the FLB and Kevin is there with MM. We have a quick chat and then Scumbag arrives and shortly afterwards Volsfan turns up with a mate in tow. I'm asked if I've had any joy in sorting out a new PC and I say that I haven't as yet. Volsfan then tells me that he's got a laptop at home that he no longer uses as he finds it too heavy to carry about. He says that he'll check that it's still in working order and I can check it out and if it's okay, then I can make him an offer. (Cheers!)
MM announces that the free food is ready (Curry this week rather than pizza) and it's not bad. At around 20:40, we settle up and the crawl is underway. First stop is TQ2 and as it's before 21:00, Avatar girl is still on duty, so that's a lady drink and a small tip straight away. She says that she's not feeling too well as she is 'red', but the big smile is ever present.
Next on the agenda is LD1, where I am interested to see what 'improvements' have been made during their recent 2 month 'refurbishment'
Then Windmill in Soi Diamond where the girls have few inhibitions until the lights suddenly flash once and all the girls suddenly cover up. This is a valid reason to settle checkbin and make a departure which I'm glad I did as a couple of BM's were delayed when the place was raided just a few minutes later.
Onwards again and this time we troop into Dollhouse where I chat with BM Treacle and he tells me of some of the issues he has to deal with on a regular basis.
I am just settling in when it's announced that we are on the move again and the next venue is Living Dolls Showcase. I end up sitting right next to the stage, but I actually pay more attention to a couple of cute service girls that look after me very well. So a couple more LD's and the budget is in tatters now.
Once we leave LDS, the last stop on the crawl is to be Club Bouche, but as it's not a great favourite of mine, I decide to join Kevin in bailing out and having a 'nightcap' in the FLB and buy a couple of drinks for Da the bartender.
I finally collect the bag of DVD's that Kevin has given to me and head off to Marine Plaza to get a scooter taxi home. I am charged 100 baht for this journey which is over the odds I suspect, but I doubt I'd have got home any other way.
It's been a good night and I've met a few new people including BM's Golucky, Ned_Kelly, Treacle & Cecco as well as the 'usual suspects'; Hammer, MM, Volsfan, Kev0184 & Casper UK
Expenditure :
Scooter Taxis : 150 baht
Drinks; LD's & Tips : 2010 baht
Wednesday 29 August 2007
Trip 4 - Day 20
29th August
A doesn't have such an early start today, so we have a couple of hours to ourselves and as I have food in the fridge, she hasn't got to feel the need to prepare anything for me. But at 09:30, she's off and I won't see her until tomorrow afternoon. I accept that it is me fitting in with her life and whilst it can be frustrating with her being away so much, it's just the way it is.
I check my phone and I've had a text from DiscoCol (or whatever his latest board name is.) wishing me luck for tonight and asking if I could check that Pim is okay. (She is mate. She's just been 'busy' for a few days)
For lunch I have my Pad Thai from yesterday and in the afternoon I grab a couple of hours nap as I know it's going to be a late night tonight.
I awake around 17:00 and I'm not feeling too bright. I have some tea & toast, but it doesn't stay down too long. After an hour or so, I feel somewhat better, so it's SSS and at 19:15, I head off to Cherry Bar on Soi 8.
I realise that I'm still 'not 100%', so I get a motorcycle taxi rather than walking to Pattaya Klang to catch a bus. As we head down Pattaya Tai, the smells of the food stalls make me feel very queasy and by the time I get to Soi 8, I need to visit the loo as a matter of some urgency, but I really do feel much better afterwards.
So, back to the bar and a I realise just how quiet the complexes are at this hour. Having lots of girls about hides the fact that there are very few customers. A few guys do turn up however and I get to chat with a few of them including a fleeting (or should that be fleeing) visit from Casper UK.
The first BM to arrive is Scumbag along with Mrs. Scumbag. Chatting is difficult as there is music blasting at us from both the adjacent bars as well as a live band playing in what was Midnight bar back in May. (Midnight has now moved yet again to take over the bar left vacant when Hansa closed down).
BM's Mike100 and his wife, Elvis30 and a mate of his, Luvtomuff with his fiance and Carbine all appear during the night as well, so I've got to meet a few new BM faces which is good and also a couple of guys that are not members on the forums (John & Eric)
Next thing I know, the girls have started playing 'spin the bottle' and the forfeit is a shot of Sangsom. I watching the antics and joining in the laughing, when I'm dragged in to form part of the circle. Despite blatant cheating (who'd have thought it of a BG?), I get away lightly with only two shots consumed, but some of the others got 'caught' several times and the effects started to show.
Time passes by quickly and before I know it, it's 03:00 and the customers have all but dispapeared. We're sitting chatting at the bar and I get chastised for walking everywhere. I'm told that if I want to go shopping, I should simply knock on the door of one of the girls and borrow a scooter.
At 04:00, I'm given a lift home by Tai and it's quite strange seeing the building so busy with Nam, Tai, Pun and myself all going into our respective rooms.
A doesn't have such an early start today, so we have a couple of hours to ourselves and as I have food in the fridge, she hasn't got to feel the need to prepare anything for me. But at 09:30, she's off and I won't see her until tomorrow afternoon. I accept that it is me fitting in with her life and whilst it can be frustrating with her being away so much, it's just the way it is.
I check my phone and I've had a text from DiscoCol (or whatever his latest board name is.) wishing me luck for tonight and asking if I could check that Pim is okay. (She is mate. She's just been 'busy' for a few days)
For lunch I have my Pad Thai from yesterday and in the afternoon I grab a couple of hours nap as I know it's going to be a late night tonight.
I awake around 17:00 and I'm not feeling too bright. I have some tea & toast, but it doesn't stay down too long. After an hour or so, I feel somewhat better, so it's SSS and at 19:15, I head off to Cherry Bar on Soi 8.
I realise that I'm still 'not 100%', so I get a motorcycle taxi rather than walking to Pattaya Klang to catch a bus. As we head down Pattaya Tai, the smells of the food stalls make me feel very queasy and by the time I get to Soi 8, I need to visit the loo as a matter of some urgency, but I really do feel much better afterwards.
So, back to the bar and a I realise just how quiet the complexes are at this hour. Having lots of girls about hides the fact that there are very few customers. A few guys do turn up however and I get to chat with a few of them including a fleeting (or should that be fleeing) visit from Casper UK.
The first BM to arrive is Scumbag along with Mrs. Scumbag. Chatting is difficult as there is music blasting at us from both the adjacent bars as well as a live band playing in what was Midnight bar back in May. (Midnight has now moved yet again to take over the bar left vacant when Hansa closed down).
BM's Mike100 and his wife, Elvis30 and a mate of his, Luvtomuff with his fiance and Carbine all appear during the night as well, so I've got to meet a few new BM faces which is good and also a couple of guys that are not members on the forums (John & Eric)
Next thing I know, the girls have started playing 'spin the bottle' and the forfeit is a shot of Sangsom. I watching the antics and joining in the laughing, when I'm dragged in to form part of the circle. Despite blatant cheating (who'd have thought it of a BG?), I get away lightly with only two shots consumed, but some of the others got 'caught' several times and the effects started to show.
Time passes by quickly and before I know it, it's 03:00 and the customers have all but dispapeared. We're sitting chatting at the bar and I get chastised for walking everywhere. I'm told that if I want to go shopping, I should simply knock on the door of one of the girls and borrow a scooter.
At 04:00, I'm given a lift home by Tai and it's quite strange seeing the building so busy with Nam, Tai, Pun and myself all going into our respective rooms.
Expenditure :
Motorcycle Taxi : 50 baht
Toilet Fee : 5 baht
Tuesday 28 August 2007
Trip 4 - Day 19
28th August
A heads off to work and she thinks that she's going to be working tonight, so I 'plan' to have a quiet night in.
I logon to download my emails and I have a message from my ISP, but the issue of my webspace has still not been resolved.
This mail is a response to one that I'd sent 4 days ago though, so I send a fairly sarcastic email to the helpdesk and cc it to the directors of the parent company and any other support email address that I can find.
At 16:30, I realise that I haven't eaten since breakfast, so I decide to go and get a half chicken from the stall just past Noi's bar, but when I get there, it's closed so I cross the road and end up having a green curry and rice at one of the roadside stalls. It's very tasty, but I know that I'll want something else to eat later, so as I head back home, I buy a chicken & rice meal from a stall I've used before.
I get back and find that I have received a very apologetic email from Tech Support explaining what the problem was and advising me that the matter had now been resolved.
I upload my files to the server and then start the process of checking how the update of pages and features works.
Whilst doing this I get a text from BM Casper UK asking "Anyone up for the curry night tonight?". I send a reply saying that I've eaten, but if he does go to give me a call and I'll join him for a beer. He texts straight back that he'll be there at 19:30 and Kevin will also be there.
I break off from the computer to SSS and get ready. As I go to leave, A is just arriving home (?). It seems that there is going to be work Tuesday & Wednesday, so as she knows I'm out tomorrow, she's changed shift. She's brought Pad Thai for me, but says that it's okay and "You can eat tomorrow. You go see Kevin now." As I leave, I send a text to Kevin "C U in 5"
I arrive at Noi's and say "Hi" to Kevin, Casper UK, Scumbag & Lord Flash. Kolobos, Mulphy & Helicopter are other BM's that I recognise and of course Chef is busy collecting money from those that have already partaken of the curry (Jalfrezi was on the menu tonight and was once again very tasty I'm informed).
I grab a seat at the table when the girls go off to play on the Wii in the lounge and it's a very relaxing way to spend a few hours just drinking beer; chatting with a few mates and generally just letting the world go by. Kolobos is an extremely generous host and buys several rounds for the table as well as a bell ring for the whole bar, and with Kevin also buying, my checkbin at the end of the night was pretty small considering that I was fairly well gone.
Expenditure :
Green curry at food stall : 20 baht
Chicken & rice to take to room : 25 baht
Checkbin at Noi's : 225 baht
A heads off to work and she thinks that she's going to be working tonight, so I 'plan' to have a quiet night in.
I logon to download my emails and I have a message from my ISP, but the issue of my webspace has still not been resolved.
Regrettably, I am unable to provide you with a timescale for resolution as our
diagnostics require further investigation. On your behalf I will contact our
faults team to request we raise the priority on this matter.
This mail is a response to one that I'd sent 4 days ago though, so I send a fairly sarcastic email to the helpdesk and cc it to the directors of the parent company and any other support email address that I can find.
This message was simply a response to my email of 24th August, so it just proves
that your internal systems are not working as they should. It took three days
from me sending you a mail explaining the problem for it to be logged and so far
it has taken three days for it not to be fixed despite assurances from everybody
that the priority is being raised and that it would be resolved in 24 – 48 hours.I checked my access to homepages and the problem still has not been fixed, so the email from the Helpdesk was yet another false promise or downright lie.
Welcome to the absurd world of Demon non-Support
Will somebody please have the decency to explain to me why this problem has taken so long to resolve? I cannot believe that it is really that difficult to create an account
on the homepages server.
At 16:30, I realise that I haven't eaten since breakfast, so I decide to go and get a half chicken from the stall just past Noi's bar, but when I get there, it's closed so I cross the road and end up having a green curry and rice at one of the roadside stalls. It's very tasty, but I know that I'll want something else to eat later, so as I head back home, I buy a chicken & rice meal from a stall I've used before.
I get back and find that I have received a very apologetic email from Tech Support explaining what the problem was and advising me that the matter had now been resolved.
I upload my files to the server and then start the process of checking how the update of pages and features works.
Whilst doing this I get a text from BM Casper UK asking "Anyone up for the curry night tonight?". I send a reply saying that I've eaten, but if he does go to give me a call and I'll join him for a beer. He texts straight back that he'll be there at 19:30 and Kevin will also be there.
I break off from the computer to SSS and get ready. As I go to leave, A is just arriving home (?). It seems that there is going to be work Tuesday & Wednesday, so as she knows I'm out tomorrow, she's changed shift. She's brought Pad Thai for me, but says that it's okay and "You can eat tomorrow. You go see Kevin now." As I leave, I send a text to Kevin "C U in 5"
I arrive at Noi's and say "Hi" to Kevin, Casper UK, Scumbag & Lord Flash. Kolobos, Mulphy & Helicopter are other BM's that I recognise and of course Chef is busy collecting money from those that have already partaken of the curry (Jalfrezi was on the menu tonight and was once again very tasty I'm informed).
I grab a seat at the table when the girls go off to play on the Wii in the lounge and it's a very relaxing way to spend a few hours just drinking beer; chatting with a few mates and generally just letting the world go by. Kolobos is an extremely generous host and buys several rounds for the table as well as a bell ring for the whole bar, and with Kevin also buying, my checkbin at the end of the night was pretty small considering that I was fairly well gone.
Expenditure :
Green curry at food stall : 20 baht
Chicken & rice to take to room : 25 baht
Checkbin at Noi's : 225 baht
Monday 27 August 2007
Trip 4 - Day 18
27th August
It's Monday and it's 'Buddha Day'. A says that she will only work a half day today and as there is no work tonight, she will 'do cooking'. I spend the morning writing ever more aggresive emails to my ISP who have still failed to even acknowledge the emails that I have sent them, but as it's only 05:00 in the UK, I guess that nobody in Customer 'Service?' or Technical 'Support?' has started work yet.
Lunch is simple; just a ham salad baguette (same as yesterday) with a mug of tea and a DVD playing on the TV, however any idea of lasting peace and quiet (and possibly a short snooze) is shattered when the little girl from #2 arrives and wants to play Pinball on the PC again. I log off everything and leave her to get on with it whilst I then busy myself doing domestic duties cleaning the room.
A returns back from work and says that she has to go and buy food and asks for 500 baht, so I assume that she's off to buy food for the week. No; she's off to buy duck and chicken and various other 'items' and when she returns, there's a repeat performance of the 'big cook' that took place last night.
Plates of food are washed down with beer, spy or whiskey once again however the night isn't so late and we retire at around 23:00.
Expenditure :
Food : 500 baht
Allowance for Mama : 1000 baht
It's Monday and it's 'Buddha Day'. A says that she will only work a half day today and as there is no work tonight, she will 'do cooking'. I spend the morning writing ever more aggresive emails to my ISP who have still failed to even acknowledge the emails that I have sent them, but as it's only 05:00 in the UK, I guess that nobody in Customer 'Service?' or Technical 'Support?' has started work yet.
Lunch is simple; just a ham salad baguette (same as yesterday) with a mug of tea and a DVD playing on the TV, however any idea of lasting peace and quiet (and possibly a short snooze) is shattered when the little girl from #2 arrives and wants to play Pinball on the PC again. I log off everything and leave her to get on with it whilst I then busy myself doing domestic duties cleaning the room.
A returns back from work and says that she has to go and buy food and asks for 500 baht, so I assume that she's off to buy food for the week. No; she's off to buy duck and chicken and various other 'items' and when she returns, there's a repeat performance of the 'big cook' that took place last night.
Plates of food are washed down with beer, spy or whiskey once again however the night isn't so late and we retire at around 23:00.
Expenditure :
Food : 500 baht
Allowance for Mama : 1000 baht
Sunday 26 August 2007
Trip 4 - Day 17
26th August
A is off to work again this morning, so I grab a lift with her to the junction of Pattaya Nua (North Pattaya Road) in order to have a morning constitutional in a different part of town and to find the shop where my neighbour 'Robin' works.
He works for a tailors called Jame's Fashion which I find, but at 09:15 on a Sunday, the place isn't open yet. (The owner also has an outlet in Bangkok and many of the reports seem quite favourable, so I may take up Robin on his offer to 'check the product'. I've already told him that I am not interested in buying as I have no need for a suit or shirts at the moment, however being the ever optinmistic salesman, he says that I should just come along one day and have a look because if I have friends in Pattaya, maybe I could introduce them to the shop.)
There is little else of interest for me along this road as I am not interested in buying ceramics or specialist housewares. There is also the "largest jewellery shop in the world" which is somewhere that I hope never to need to report on.
At the junction with 3rd Road, I turn left back towards Pattaya Klang and again there is little of interest to see or do along this stretch of road. There is a very good Thai buffet on the left that I've been to with A a couple of times and is where I was planning to go with her tonight before other arrangements were made. There are also several car wash outlets and a plethora of finance company offices, so it's not an area catering for the tourist population.
I reach Pattaya Klang and turn left again to go to Carrefour for the shopping. It's now 10:15, so I need to spend at least 45 minutes in the store as alcohol cannot be bought before 11:00.
As I am looking at the selection of beers, I am stopped by an American who tells me that in his opinion Chang is no longer any good as Thai beer and that some of the alternatives are better. I don't know if he is right, so I end up getting 3 x Leo; 3 x Cheers; 3 x Red Horse; 1 case (12 bottles) of Chang (to hell with the extra 4 baht :D) as well as 15 small bottles of Singha Lite (A's tipple); 6 Spy Classic & 6 Spy Red (lady #2 and lady #11's tipple), 2 x 30cl bottles of 'Master Blend' Scotch (Robin's tipple) (Once again it's cheaper to buy in smaller quantities, as a 30cl bottle is 75 baht yet a 70 cl bottle is 195 baht.) a case of soda water and 2 bottles of Coke.
Whilst I'm here, I also go to check the prices for a small computer desk for home as I know that I will be getting a desktop and it will not be practical to just use the coffee table as I can with the laptop. There is a 'flat pack' budget desk available for 299 baht (reduced until 28th August), so I decide that I might as well get this bought at the same time.
Then a visit to the fresh food area where I get 1kg of chicken breast; 1 kg of pork shoulder and .5 kg of minced pork. (Whilst there, I am a little lavish and spend 23 baht on a french stick; 35 baht on ham; 9 baht on tomatoes and 22 baht on lettuce.
The resultant ham salad baguette was just lovely though and did last for two meals.)
My 'checkbin' is 2354.85 baht (I've never seen satang apart from in a supermarket), however this is not too bad as it's to be offset against the 'birthday' budget.
I wheel my booze laden trolley to the Customer Service desk to find out about the home delivery service as this will save me at least 100 baht on a taxi and all is well until they ask me for my address.
I have no idea and saying "Room 10; The pink building; the end of Soi 5 off Soi Khao Noi" really isn't going to help I suspect.
I telephone A and ask her to speak with them. I then hear them say in a questioning voice "Sri Racha?". A has given them the address that she's at obviously. It gets sorted though, so I leave the trolley and head back home.
Around an hoiur and a half later, there's a guy at the door with the Computer Desk pack, I help him bring up all the bags containing the bottles and give him a tip of 20 baht.
The Carrefour delivery has got the interest of a couple of the kids and they come to investigate what has been delivered. After filling the fridge with alcoholic beverages and the freezer with meat, I start to open the flatpack and find that I have assistance in passing me the right pieces and hammering the dowels in as required. It doesn't take long to get the desk assembled and it will do for what I need.
When A arrives home, she checks everything and says that she wanted me to get two 'big' bottles of whiskey (there will ALWAYS be something that hasn't been done right), so I need to get extra. In addition, we talk about getting her gold 'upgrade' and she tells me that she would like the necklace changed and for it to be a little longer'. She takes it off and gives me the guarantee with the instruction to "buy for me beauty". She is off to the food market with lady #2 to get the non meat supplies for tonight, so I walk down to Sukhumvit and spend 10 baht for a bus trip to Big C.
First stop is the Aurora gold store, where I get a new necklace and part with 3300 baht (an extra half half baht) which brings the necklace up to half baht. (No budget for future 'upgrades' until Christmas)
Then it's a quick trip round the store for the other present that A has said that she wanted which is a cooking hotplate (1145 baht) as well as getting an additional two bottles of whiskey.
I get a baht bus back and as I walk past the furniture shop that we've bought many items from, I decide to check out the costs of a chair to use at the new desk and they have something suitable for 850 baht which is cheaper than those on offer at the big stores.
I make the purchase and am given a lift home in the delivery truck.
I return to a scene of fervent activity. There is cooking taking place on the gas bottle burner as well as the charcoal burner. Prawns and kebabs are being skewered; chicken is being coated in breadcrumbs; hotdog sausages are being cut into smaller pieces and the rice cooker is belching out steam.
I'm simply told "you go shower and I tell you when ready". Around 45 minutes later there's a call from downstairs and it's time for me (and the booze) to join the gathering. There's a veritable mountain of food and I am not surprised that we fail to finish it all.
I then get a 'phone call from BM Hammer to check if I'm still okay to spend Wednesday night at the Cherry Bar. I let him know that I'm looking forward to it and he says that he'll post an announcement on the boards.
A is off to work again this morning, so I grab a lift with her to the junction of Pattaya Nua (North Pattaya Road) in order to have a morning constitutional in a different part of town and to find the shop where my neighbour 'Robin' works.
He works for a tailors called Jame's Fashion which I find, but at 09:15 on a Sunday, the place isn't open yet. (The owner also has an outlet in Bangkok and many of the reports seem quite favourable, so I may take up Robin on his offer to 'check the product'. I've already told him that I am not interested in buying as I have no need for a suit or shirts at the moment, however being the ever optinmistic salesman, he says that I should just come along one day and have a look because if I have friends in Pattaya, maybe I could introduce them to the shop.)
There is little else of interest for me along this road as I am not interested in buying ceramics or specialist housewares. There is also the "largest jewellery shop in the world" which is somewhere that I hope never to need to report on.
At the junction with 3rd Road, I turn left back towards Pattaya Klang and again there is little of interest to see or do along this stretch of road. There is a very good Thai buffet on the left that I've been to with A a couple of times and is where I was planning to go with her tonight before other arrangements were made. There are also several car wash outlets and a plethora of finance company offices, so it's not an area catering for the tourist population.
I reach Pattaya Klang and turn left again to go to Carrefour for the shopping. It's now 10:15, so I need to spend at least 45 minutes in the store as alcohol cannot be bought before 11:00.
As I am looking at the selection of beers, I am stopped by an American who tells me that in his opinion Chang is no longer any good as Thai beer and that some of the alternatives are better. I don't know if he is right, so I end up getting 3 x Leo; 3 x Cheers; 3 x Red Horse; 1 case (12 bottles) of Chang (to hell with the extra 4 baht :D) as well as 15 small bottles of Singha Lite (A's tipple); 6 Spy Classic & 6 Spy Red (lady #2 and lady #11's tipple), 2 x 30cl bottles of 'Master Blend' Scotch (Robin's tipple) (Once again it's cheaper to buy in smaller quantities, as a 30cl bottle is 75 baht yet a 70 cl bottle is 195 baht.) a case of soda water and 2 bottles of Coke.
Whilst I'm here, I also go to check the prices for a small computer desk for home as I know that I will be getting a desktop and it will not be practical to just use the coffee table as I can with the laptop. There is a 'flat pack' budget desk available for 299 baht (reduced until 28th August), so I decide that I might as well get this bought at the same time.
Then a visit to the fresh food area where I get 1kg of chicken breast; 1 kg of pork shoulder and .5 kg of minced pork. (Whilst there, I am a little lavish and spend 23 baht on a french stick; 35 baht on ham; 9 baht on tomatoes and 22 baht on lettuce.
The resultant ham salad baguette was just lovely though and did last for two meals.)
My 'checkbin' is 2354.85 baht (I've never seen satang apart from in a supermarket), however this is not too bad as it's to be offset against the 'birthday' budget.
I wheel my booze laden trolley to the Customer Service desk to find out about the home delivery service as this will save me at least 100 baht on a taxi and all is well until they ask me for my address.
I have no idea and saying "Room 10; The pink building; the end of Soi 5 off Soi Khao Noi" really isn't going to help I suspect.
I telephone A and ask her to speak with them. I then hear them say in a questioning voice "Sri Racha?". A has given them the address that she's at obviously. It gets sorted though, so I leave the trolley and head back home.
Around an hoiur and a half later, there's a guy at the door with the Computer Desk pack, I help him bring up all the bags containing the bottles and give him a tip of 20 baht.
The Carrefour delivery has got the interest of a couple of the kids and they come to investigate what has been delivered. After filling the fridge with alcoholic beverages and the freezer with meat, I start to open the flatpack and find that I have assistance in passing me the right pieces and hammering the dowels in as required. It doesn't take long to get the desk assembled and it will do for what I need.
When A arrives home, she checks everything and says that she wanted me to get two 'big' bottles of whiskey (there will ALWAYS be something that hasn't been done right), so I need to get extra. In addition, we talk about getting her gold 'upgrade' and she tells me that she would like the necklace changed and for it to be a little longer'. She takes it off and gives me the guarantee with the instruction to "buy for me beauty". She is off to the food market with lady #2 to get the non meat supplies for tonight, so I walk down to Sukhumvit and spend 10 baht for a bus trip to Big C.
First stop is the Aurora gold store, where I get a new necklace and part with 3300 baht (an extra half half baht) which brings the necklace up to half baht. (No budget for future 'upgrades' until Christmas)
Then it's a quick trip round the store for the other present that A has said that she wanted which is a cooking hotplate (1145 baht) as well as getting an additional two bottles of whiskey.
I get a baht bus back and as I walk past the furniture shop that we've bought many items from, I decide to check out the costs of a chair to use at the new desk and they have something suitable for 850 baht which is cheaper than those on offer at the big stores.
I make the purchase and am given a lift home in the delivery truck.
I return to a scene of fervent activity. There is cooking taking place on the gas bottle burner as well as the charcoal burner. Prawns and kebabs are being skewered; chicken is being coated in breadcrumbs; hotdog sausages are being cut into smaller pieces and the rice cooker is belching out steam.
I'm simply told "you go shower and I tell you when ready". Around 45 minutes later there's a call from downstairs and it's time for me (and the booze) to join the gathering. There's a veritable mountain of food and I am not surprised that we fail to finish it all.
I then get a 'phone call from BM Hammer to check if I'm still okay to spend Wednesday night at the Cherry Bar. I let him know that I'm looking forward to it and he says that he'll post an announcement on the boards.
We stay outside talking and drinking until the rain forces us 'inside' and we all pile into #2 where we continue even though the kids are asleep on the matress in the room with us.
At just after midnight, we wend our way back upstairs and just crash out.
Expenditure :
Carrefour : 2354 baht
Tip : 20 baht
Baht Bus : 20 baht
Big C : 4595 baht
Chair : 850 baht
(The budget for A's birthday was 10000 and actual expenditure came to 160 + (2354-225) + 4595 = 6884, so things are still on track and the desk / chair are effectively covered )
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