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Stickman

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Everything posted by Stickman

  1. Thanks a lot for reviewing this. I'd probably have never otherwise have known about this. I spent WAY too much time on my Commodore 64 when I really should have been out chasing skirt....that is probably a contributing factor of why I ended up in Bangkok! Looking at the list of "stars" in this movie, it really takes me back to the days when we used to hoist the jolly roger!
  2. Pay for flights and hotels with credit card from home. Paying for these with any decent credit card will automatically activate travel insurance. Take currency from your homeland to Thailand and exchange it at Vasu or Super Rich where the rates are excellent. Have a credit card or two as a backup. That's the way I do it and never a problem.
  3. I'm not sure what this is all about and don't really follow many threads closely at all these days. New Zealand is not perfect, far from it in fact. But it's home and it has a lot more going for it than going against it. If you want a quiet, peaceful and largely stress-free existence then New Zealand is a pretty good place. If you want excitement then it's far from the best place on the planet! Like I say, it's home.
  4. 100% with Coss on this. Gangs aren't an issue here for most people. Over in our sister city of Hastings you see plenty of patched gang members around and when you walk past them they will invariably raise their eyebrows at you in a silent greeting. Unless you're a magnet for trouble, no issue with them for Joe Public.
  5. Install the Google Maps app if you have not already, and go from there!
  6. The cost of living in New Zealand is relatively high yet the country is towards the bottom of the lost of OECD countries when it comes to earnings which makes it a double whammy. Houses cost a bomb, rents are high and even groceries can be crazy priced. There's a bit of a running joke in New Zealand that if you want to buy New Zealand wine or New Zealand butter cheap, go to a supermarket in London (where they are cheaper than in NZ!).
  7. Cripes, Coss, are you living in the heart of Otara Town Centre? I didn't know such cheap rents existed in Auckland!
  8. Like everywhere, New Zealand has its pros and cons. Take an extended holiday, travel around both islands and see how you like it. Think hard about exactly what you're looking for - while New Zealand excels in so many ways and for many ,it is paradise. But to others it might suck. The biggest downside is the cost of living which is very, very high. Houses cost crazy money in any major city and unless you have a large nest egg and / or a salary well in to 6 figures you're going to be renting - and that is silly money too. Local produce, meats etc. are of a very high quality but also very, very expensive. Eating out - small Asian eateries aside - is also very expensive and drinking in bars in New Zealand sets you back silly money. Regardless of the lifestyle you're looking for, I'd say only consider moving to New Zealand if you have the skills to secure a 6-figure income and / or you have a large nest egg. Having moved back to New Zealand after 17 years in Bangkok, I am happy here.....but being frank, a lot of that is because it's home - where friends, family and things I identify with all are. There's much I like, but the cost of living is just plain crazy.
  9. No, they're largely a thing of the past - but free wi-fi can be found all over the place, from farang pubs and bars to coffee shops to malls etc.
  10. Stickman

    Prices 2018

    Stickman ist hier. I said what I had to say and have not changed my mind. I still think it's more an issue of service level and not knowing what you're going to get than price. No disrespect intended when I say this but that's what I believe and am very unlikely to change my mind hence there's no real reason for me to post any more about it.
  11. Stickman

    Prices 2018

    Do you really think the issue is the money or the poor levels of service? I think it is the latter. If a lady charged you 5,000 baht for long-time and you had a couple of outstanding sexual experiences, she was sweet and tender with you, stayed all night and she did not hurry to leave in the morning, is that not worth 5,000 baht? Personally, I think that's more than fair value. I really think the issue is less the amount of money the ladies charge these days, but more the crap service and the false promises and being let down by a really poor experience that is the issue.
  12. I don't remember any real change happening around 2005. After 2009 i.e. from 2010 onwards then yes, I think attitudes changed markedly but up until late 2009 I thought Thailand nightlife remained a compelling product.
  13. Stickman

    Kodi

    I know a lot of people complain about the cost but I think Sky isn't such a bad deal for rugby fans - there's A LOT of home-grown rugby programs from the rugby talk shows to the first XV matches to really excellent coverage of all local rugby. Many complain about the price of Sky TV but I think in terms of the big picture it's not *that* expensive. The main problem in NZ is not the prices of things like Sky, but the cost of housing which is now at levels so high that you don't have a lot of money left over for other stuff - which makes it seem expensive. If you'd paid half what you did for your house, your mortgage would be much less and all these other things wouldn't seem so expensive.
  14. Rugby 7s is a version of rugby (which is played by 15 players, and not 7). Many countries which aren't strong at rugby have very strong 7s teams - Kenya and USA are two examples. The traditional powerhouses of rugby - New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and England - don't always do so well in 7s. Fiji used to be the best at 7s and are still very good, but there is no clear top side at the moment although South Africa would be right up there.
  15. It seems to me that when a woman cries foul in New Zealand that her word is taken as Gospel and whomever she may have accused should be castrated. NZ was always so sensible but things are getting ridiculous - and it seems that just about everything is political these days. I wonder what the real story with this 19-year old is....maybe she didn't get the plum position she thought dropping her knickers for entitled her to?
  16. Damn, I go to the Bangkok Post for a snapshop of Thai news and what's the latest story just posted? Google is testing flying taxis.....in New Zealand! https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/world/1427998/google-guru-page-tests-flying-taxis-in-new-zealand?utm_source=bangkopost.com&utm_medium=homepage&utm_campaign=most_recent_box
  17. You guys make it sound like lots happens in New Zealand.....which kinda goes against what I experience here! But seriously, this Clinton crap comes up on NewsTalkZB (NZ's top ranking radio station / right-wing conservative talkback) from time to time.
  18. There used to be a Honda service centre on Narathiwat Road, closer to Chan Road than Sathorn Road - about a 15-minute walk from the Chongnonsee BTS station. Also, there is a branch on Rama 3 Road, very close to the Sathu Pradit end of Rama 3 Road. Much less traffic down that way. Not sure where in Bangkok you are but one of those two branches might be convenient. I used both as I used to live in the Narathiwat Road area.
  19. Full story about the Patpong snake show here : https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/weekly-column/2016/03/snake-dancer/
  20. Wouldn't it be nice to know the exact date we were going to check out, even if that date was much sooner than we'd like? At least that way we'd be able to plan from a finances point of view. But it's not just finances, is it? There are so many things to consider when we pull the plug. The world is changing so fast that the things we once thought we'd like to do in retirement might no longer be possible or might not be nearly as enjoyable as they would have been had we done them earlier. Case in point: I backpacked around continental Europe for 3.5 months when I was 20. Even the really popular places weren't that busy back then and it wasn't hard to escape the crowds at all. I see videos of St Mark's Square in Venice these days and simply don't think I would enjoy visiting with it getting many tens of thousands of visitors every day. Knowing just when to pull the plug and retire and once and for all is one helluva tough decision.
  21. I'm in a holding pattern at the moment and mainly in cash. Low return, of course, but I just see so many black clouds around at the moment. It all comes back to one's risk profile, doesn't it?
  22. Been in his condo and it's a great unit, right at the front of the View Talay building next to Central Festical - fantastic location and it's big enough you could have quite a party in there as I am sure Sharky has done many a time.
  23. Yeah, I'd agree that KS is pretty much the same. Never did see him wai a waitress when he walked in to a bar or when they brought his change
  24. Off the top of my head, in Nana probably Sexy Night is the oldest which started around 1986, and Tilac in Soi Cowboy which started around the same time. Flash would know more about the Patpong bars. Doesn't SuperStar date back to the '70s - but I have a feeling it has moved location.....Flash would be the guy to confirm that.
  25. Rooms at The Landmark are very nice and its proximity to the plaza makes it a good choice for anyone who wants to be close to the action. Very good buffets at The Landmark too, both breakfast and dinner. Obviously a room at The Landmark will run much more than you had been paying!
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