Los Boliches

Los Boliches

Growing Old Abroad

Published by Owen Jones on 21 July 2018
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Growing Old Abroad

Growing Old Abroad

Growing Old Abroad

Old age creeps up on us, as does getting older in general. Parents regularly wonder what happened to their youth, and older people wonder why they hadn’t noticed it happening to them. These are common experiences, but when you have been growing old abroad, there are other factors.

Those who are growing old abroad probably only have elderly friends. More than likely, they don’t have younger family members around them as they would, if they had stayed at home (in Britain, for example).

That can make growing old abroad pretty difficult for an ex-pat, much more so than if they had stayed at home near their family.

This is quite obvious, but it still surprises most elderly people because they didn’t see it coming. It seems as if one day, they were frolicking on the beach, or at least going out for walks every day, and the next they were house-bound or in a wheelchair and lonely.

However, it is a very depressing experience that a lot of ex-pats growing old abroad will have to come to grips with one day.

Sex Matters

It is easier for a man in some ways. He can go to the pub, but many women will not do that alone. They tend to live longer than men too, giving them longer to have to cope with ever-deepening depression.

This now very common phenomenon of ex-pats growing old abroad is one of the reasons why Neem Jones established Fuengirola Home Help Services. It is meant to provide home help and companionship to those who need it – the elderly, the infirm, the house-bound and busy parents.

If you would like to discuss your requirements completely confidentially with Neem, please go to her Facebook page and click ‘Submit Message‘, which will give you the option to phone, email or Message her.

https://www.facebook.com/fuengirolahomehelp/

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Growing Old Abroad

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Thai Food in Fuengirola

Published by Owen Jones on 21 July 2018

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Thai Food in Fuengirola

Thai Food in Fuengirola

Thai Food in Fuengirola

I have been living and eating Thai food in Fuengirola for about a year, so I know the place fairly well. I also love Thai food. In fact, I lived in Thailand for thirteen years with my Thai wife and her family in a small, rice-farming village in the north.

So far, I have discovered four fully or partly Thai restaurants in Fuengirola and Los Boliches.

Mr Noodles: cooks some types of Thai food and Thai noodles from what I have seen, although I have not eaten there yet, because noodles are not my favourite food.

Padthaiwok: is located in the same street, opposite the bus station, as Mr. Noodles. It seems to be mostly noodles again, and so I have not eaten there, but my Thai wife has and she liked it. I did notice that they do not provide pork there and that it is Halal.

Srithai: is about two hundred yards opposite Padthaiwad in ‘Fish Alley’. I have eaten there and loved the food. I can vouch for the fact that it is authentic. The staff are very friendly too.

Thai Lanna: this restaurant is located in Los Boliches. I have eaten here too and it is my favourite in the area. The food is fantastic and the decor made my wife cry one day when she was feeling particularly homesick.

I have been told that there is another in Los Boliches on beach road near the border with Fuengirola. My wife went looking for it one evening, but failed to find it.

The other thing that I want to say about the above restaurants is that the staff are either mostly or completely Thai. The waiters are often local, but the cooks are Thai.

Give them a try. I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.

** Breaking news! There is now a Thai home catering service active in Fuengirola and Los Boliches. I have tried their food too and it is authentic and delicious Thai cuisine cooked by Thai ladies. They will either cook for you in your home or pub for your special occasion or cook in their homes and deliver it. See Thai Home Catering Services in Fuengirola on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThaiCateringInFuengirola/ **

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Thai Food in Fuengirola

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Thai-Lanna Restaurant, Los Boliches

Published by Owen Jones on 21 August 2017
Thai-Lanna, Los Boliches, Fuengirola
Thai-Lanna, Los Boliches, Fuengirola

Thai-Lanna Restaurant, Los Boliches, Fuengirola

**UPDATE** There are no Thais working here now and the owner still owes wages from August 2017 – AVOID!!!

The Thai-Lanna Restaurant is situated at Calle Francisco Cano 80, which is the third street back from the sea in Los Boliches, a suburb of Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol in south-eastern Spain. It is open Monday to Saturday from seven until eleven p.m. but the closing time is flexible (and the staff arrive at six) and if you ring +34 952 587 139, ask for Jose before Sunday, he may open for you on their day off.

The decor in the Thai-Lanna is exquisite – there is no other word for it. When I took my homesick Thai wife there, she kept touching the woodwork and artefacts murmuring: “Oh, this is real Thai!’ She must have said it twenty times before our food arrived.

There is a wide selection of food and I can vouch for the fact that it is authentic Thai too, because I know the two chefs. They are both middle-aged Thai ladies who grew up in Thailand, and in Thailand, ALL females (and most men) learn to cook from a very early age. In addition to that, I lived in a northern Thai village for thirteen years.

Needless to say, but I will anyway, as this is a review, the food was superb.

The name of the restaurant needs some explanation, but I will jump to the second word first, ‘Lanna’, which is actually two words, but Thai does not leave spaces between words. “Lan” means a million, and ‘Na” means rice field(s), since Thai does not use plurals. So, Lanna means “The Land of a Million Rice Fields”, which was a kingdom stretching across northern Thailand and beyond between about 1292 and 1607. “Thai” means free, so Thailand is the land of the free, and Thais are “The Free People’.

Give the Thai-Lanna Restaurant a try, you will not find a better or more authentic northern-Thai style, which is not as hot as the food from Isaan or the south west, although if you want it hot, just tell the waitress. Those ladies in the kitchen can cook anything Thai.

Five Stars out of Five.

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Thai Catering Services in Fuengirola

Published by Owen Jones on 30 July 2017
Thai Catering Services in Fuengirola and Los Boliches
Thai Catering Services in Fuengirola and Los Boliches

Thai Catering Services in Fuengirola have launched!

The Three Lions in Fuengirola is now offering authentic Thai Sweet Green Curry made by Neem of the above-mentioned company in Fuengirola and Los Boliches.

Nick and Luke of the Three Lions took delivery of two of Neem’s home-made Thai meals this week, so they are now offering Kaeng Kiouw Wan (Thai Sweet Green Curry) and rice and Pom Pia (Spring Rolls) the latter with Thailand’s most popular accompaniment to Pom Pia, a hot and sweet sauce.

Thai Catering Services

When asked about the range of food she can provide, she said: ‘I can cook any Thai food you want to order, but at the moment, I have selected eight of Thailand’s most famous and popular traditional dishes. I have chosen to prepare them with chicken because it is the least likely meat to offend, but I can adapt the recipes for pork, beef or prawns if someone wants it. The same with the Spring Rolls. My standard Spring Rolls are vegetarian, but I can easily add meat or prawns if people want’.

Why not pop into the Three Lions this evening to sample the ambience and Neem’s traditional, authentic Thai cuisine, or give her a call and arrange for your own order to be delivered to your premises?

You can find out more about what Neem has to offer on her Facebook pages here:

Fuengirola Home Help Services

Thai Catering Services in Fuengirola

All the best,

Owen

Our sister blog: The Amiable Dragon

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The Three Lions – Fuengirola

Published by Owen Jones on 5 July 2017

Three Lions - Fuengirola

Three Lions – Fuengirola

The Three Lions – Fuengirola

The Three Lions is fairly large pub in Reyes Catolicos, a street in north Fuengirola about fifty metres from the beach. It is not far from Los Boliches and easy to find on the Internet, which will give you more precise directions on how to get to it.

The Three Lions is owned and run by two British brothers, Luke and Nick, who, if not behind the bar, are usually to be found on the small square outside, which they share with the restaurant next door ‘Just Ribs’.

This is handy, because although the Three Lions is a well-stocked bar, they are not able to provide much in the way of food yet. Their temporary solution is to allow their clientele to order something to eat from next door, or the pizzeria or chip shop near-by, which will deliver.

Nick and Luke are also in negotiation with Neem of Thai Catering Services to provide authentic Thai food (see her details elsewhere on this blog or her page on Facebook). I will keep you informed about how that pans out.

The Three Lions is basically a sports bar, but it is not obtrusively so. Not being particularly sports-orientated myself, I would call it a music bar, because, despite the three large flat-screen TV’s showing sport, the two pool tables and the dartboard, and the competitions and leagues they are in, the two brothers can answer any question on music you care to fire at them. Their knowledge on the subject is quite impressive!

The clientele is mixed. People of all ages and both sexes go there, both expats and holidaymakers. Their nationalities are also varied, with British and Scandinavians making up the majority, followed by Spaniards and Moroccans. Being situated so close to the sea, many customers often take a break from the bar to go for a dip in the water, and many sunbathers pop in for refreshments. This means that casual is the dress mode at all times 🙂

The Three Lions is not open all day, but usually is from about five till twelve or one, when you will find young and old wandering in and out or enjoying a game of pool, which many of them take pretty seriously.

Why not pop along and join in the fun one evening, I am sure you wont regret it. Say, you read about them on my blog for an extra warm welcome, and if I hear you say that, I will say ‘Hello’ as well 🙂

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: The Three Lions, Fuengirola

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Fuengirola and Los Boliches

Published by Owen Jones on 3 July 2017 1

Fuengirola and Los Boliches

Fuengirola and Los Boliches

Fuengirola and Los Boliches

It is my pleasure to introduce to the residents of, and the holidaymakers in, Fuengirola and Los Boliches, Pranom Jones, better known as Neem. Neem is a Thai lady who moved to Fuengirola with her husband in January 2017, and is now keen to take part in the local community.

Neem is offering two separate types of services to the folk in Fuengirola and Los Boliches. They are, in essence, home help and Thai catering, but I will explain them in more detail below.

Fuengirola Home Help Services

Fuengirola Home Help Services is about caring. Neem is learning Spanish, but currently speaks only Thai and English. However, there are many elderly expats and young English-speaking families in Fuengirola and Los Boliches, who might want to use Neem’s home help services.

Neem is offering to cook, clean, shop, walk the dog, push the wheelchair and be a companion, do the gardening and the laundry, or anything else of this nature. She can also babysit, pick up the kids from school or just keep them amused until you get home.

If you would like to talk to her about this sort of thing in complete confidence, please use the button on her Facebook page here:

Fuengirola Home Help Services

Thai Catering Services in Fuengirola

In this business, Neem is offering to cater for private parties in people’s own homes. She is a Thai chef par excellence, and will prepare the Thai food of your choice, with aqdvice from her, if you want, from start to wherever you want. She can do the shopping, prepare and cook the food in her or your own home and leave you to serve it, or she can do that too.

So, if you are looking for a meal with a difference, hot or not so hot, plan it with Neem.

Contact her using the button on her Facebook page here:

Thai Catering in Fuengirola

You will find Neem easy to talk to and very caring. She wants to help – it is one of the first things you will notice about her.

PS: if you own a bar and would like to use Neem’s catering services, that is possible too, just as her babysitting service is available to hoteliers.

Just contact her and ask, she will find a way.

All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Fuengirola and Los Boliches

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Thai Catering Services in Fuengirola

Published by Owen Jones on 24 June 2017 1

Thai Catering Services in Fuengirola

Thai Catering Services in Fuengirola

Thai Catering Services in Fuengirola

The lady behind Fuengirola Home Help Services, Pranom Jones, better known as Neem, today launched a new service to add to her already impressive array – home Thai catering services in Fuengirola and Los Boliches.

“Thai food is widely acknowledged to be one of the best cuisines in the world,” said Neem with an air of pride, and I have been cooking it, village style, since I was a schoolgirl! Every day of my life for about forty years!”

“I can cook real Thai style for those that want it that way, and basically I am talking about hot, but perfectly spiced, or I can tone it down a bit, as I have been doing for my British husband of fifteen years, but still retain the authenticity of the Thai meal”.

“It all depends on what the client wants. I can cook any Thai dish – from the north, south, centre or Isaan, because I come from the north, but worked in the south with many people from Isaan and the more commercial centre”.

When asked about the details, Neem replied, “The easiest for me, is to walk into a fully stocked kitchen with the food that I have bought to cook the meal. However, I understand that not every bar has cooking facilities or even a license to cook, so in those circumstances, I am willing to cook in my house and deliver it. I am very flexible, just call and see what we can work out…. satisfaction and authenticity is guaranteed… I only left Thailand a few months ago and I have been cooking Thai all my life.

“I want people in Fuengirola to realise that Thai country cooking is fantastic, but that they do not have to burn the skin off their tongues to appreciate it. Ask my husband, he eats the milder version”.

If you would like to know more about Neem’s Thai Catering Services in Fuengirola and Los Boliches, please head over to her Facebook page and contact her on the following page:

Thai Catering Services in Fuengirola

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Thai Catering Services in Fuengirola

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Spain, Here We Come!

Published by Owen Jones on 4 June 2016
Airbus A350 - Spain Here We Come!
Spain Here We Come

Spain, Here We Come!

Spain Here We Come!

We leaving for Spain in six days time, but my wife still hasn’t received her visa. Everything is pre-booked as a prerequisite for that visa, but it hasn’t seemed to help much. Neem phoned up this morning at ten thirty, and they told her thatthey were too busy to talk to anyone. She would have to email her query.

Meanwhile, I was checking our email and a message came in time-stamped ten oh-six that she could pick up her passport any time. However, it did not say that she has a visa. So, we won’t know until tomorrow because the embassy closes at one and it takes three hours to get there across Bangkok.

Spanish Visa in Bangkok

Why couldn’t they have said, “Oh, and by the way, congratulations!” just to put an end to her anxiety? It seems so petty and cruel.

If she has the visa, it’s the first bus or train back home (650km) for us, pack, say our Goodbyes, and then the return journey to Bangkok to stay with the sister-in-law a kilometre from the airport so we can be there easily on Monday morning.

If she has a visa, otherwise we will have to cancel our hotel and flights and reapply for a visa. The agony is not over yet, but we will know one way or the other in twenty hours.

Time for a few beers to help the hours pass, I think 🙂

Spain, Here We Come!

It will be the first time that that I have chosen a location specifically to write a book in. We are heading for the area around Fuengirola in Andalucía, southern Spain. I think it is the Costa del Sol, but I mix all the Costas up. I am hoping to find a place in or around Marbella or Los Boliches, so if you know of anything, please let me know.

Idealista.com is showing almost four hundred rooms to let in the general vicinity of Malaga, so we have nothing to worry about.

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All the best,

Owen

Podcast: Spain Here We Come!

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