chrisinbangkok

I have the misfortune to live in Jomtien. I can leave? No, I can't. The condo I own represents most of my assets and until I sell it, which I'm trying to do, I'm stuck here.

Today 22 Aug. 2010, an average day in Pattaya:-

9.00am rang Fascino Pharmacy Central Pattaya to ask if they stocked a drug an ill friend required. They did stock it but were out of it and offered to order it. I asked if their N. Pattaya branch would have it and they said probably it did. I rang there and got a gentleman who interrupted me before I'd finished my question with "No have." I told him their Central P. branch did stock it. I spelt the name of the drug for him using the British A phonetic alphabet. This proved too much for him. Eventually he got the name of the drug (I think) and he told me to hold on. He turned on the music and left me holding. After 4/5 mins I hung up. That shop has 4 tel. numbers and I rang all four and got no reply with several attempts.

Fortunately I did get the drug in a Jomtien pharmacy. The man who needed it is a farang in his 80's and suffers from panic attacks.

At 10.00am I ventured out and took a baht bus to the Continental Bakery. When I got off I paid the driver on the driver's side. He threw a rage yelling that I had to pay him on the other side and then snatched the money out of my hand.

I ordered breakfast in the Continental Bakery stressing that I would like the bacon well done, dry (heng heng). It is usually a problem getting crispy bacon here. Sure enough it arrived done Thai style i.e. lightly cooked. I pointed this out and the staff started a loud conversation among themselves, punctuated with laughter. I was informed it was well done.

Next I went to Tesco S. Pattaya to do some shopping and afterwards stopped at the open market nearby. I then took a baht bus which stopped at the Thepprasit/Thappraya junction. The driver ordered me out. As I paid him I asked if he wasn't going to Jomtien. He snarled that I had to take another baht bus in Thappraya road. He then turned left into Thappraya road and headed towards Jomtien. (I have done this route before. If there are Thais on board you do not get dumped out at the junction.)

I am now at home and thankfully have no need to have to face the gratuitous nastiness that is the daily lot of farangs in Pattaya. I will however have to endure the screeching from the bars that have sprouted around the condo building since I bought the unit 20 years ago.

I am assured by a Thai business woman that the vast majority of Thais "hate" farangs.

My advice to anyone who isn't stuck here, as I am, is to leave, and to those thinking of coming here, don't.

all the above you mention happens to everyone everyday, and its took you 20 years to work that lot out??????????

time to start enjoying it my friend, buy a push bike so you dont have to deal with scam bus drivers, and pick your mates pharmacy up be fore he runs out ie the week before when in town, and your bacon sandwhich is always done best by yourself

stop passing the book, and move on to a better life, im sure your home country has changed a little in 20 years, maybe you wont like that anymore??

good luck for your future and your friend.

i would have thought it would be extremely high rents/ key money etc they would pay in these expensive shopping areas that would determine the slightly higher prices.

sounds like a good thing for the consumer, but nightmare for industry.

very grey area for the different outlets to conform or not.

nightmare to police.

be interesting to see how it turns out or not.

I cannot believe this was a standard bashing and robbery in Soi 6 at 9pm. There are a few ladyboy bars there now on the main Soi and I'm guessing he may have seriously offended someone to get bashed like that.

I wonder why an Aussie is walking around with US cash?

not sure if its the same soi 6 your thinking of??? they may have lb bars down there though looking at the photos i dont think it is, but not 100% sure.

"assault in Soi 6, Second Road" "At the scene, Second Road end of Soi 6" "walking along Soi 6 towards Second Road"

Get out of my sand box!! No, you get out of mine....... I tell my mummy off on you. Goway! (throws sand at him)

Like bloody kids! Asian politics, gotta love it!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand-off_at_the_Fords_of_Arkaig

arnt we all!!!

Prior to coming to Thailand I used "gym's" for some 30 years 5 times a week (I am still doing the same here) and after each workout I also used either the Sauna or the steam room (Turkish bath) ...

The usage has health benefits of course, but bear in mind that when using a "steam room" make sure it is well cleaned and serviced because it can create serious health problems particular in tropical areas .... in a steam room system, water is converted via extreme heat into steam, unfortunately however condenced water vapour creates a perfect envirement for dangerous viruses that can, and do cause serious diseases one of them is named .. "Legionnaire's Disease" which in many cases ends into fatal results.

The Sauna (Finnish bath) has an exposure of very hot dry air and does not create the same danger as in a steam room.

Thus before using a Turkish bath in the gym of your choice, make sure that its operational system in terms of general cleanliness and hygiene is up to standard.

sounds good advice, but i dont know about the clenliness of this one,

second road opposite soi 6, big building has both sauna and steam, and cold pools, was 250 per day with free fruit and water, hopefully still same price but not sure.

Sad story, this man became very ill. I think the hospital is getting a bad rap medical care is not free any were.

this man lived for 70 years where it is FREE, may he rip.

nice one, lets hope he keeps it up, next time keep your head down tho:)

I hope they catch the low life

the 50,000 bhat reward is a good idea, but only if everyone mainly thais know about it.

i thought it was law to have cctv footage in all bars resteraunts hotels guesthouses,

this man didnt just spring out of no where, sure he puts gasoline in his bike and sure he go's in a 711 and stays in a hotel/ guesthouse?? maybe even footage of a street cctv unit and follow his route backwards, they need to put some ie plenty of bobby's on the job and the girls 2 mates looking at cctv footage from around any location that had a man with a beard in that area on that day!

hope they get him and string him up, these girls have a hard enough job as it is!

F^ck the US Navy... (I sort of only half mean that:) )...

They have been on a boat in a warzone for 97 days, getting paid a shedload (with all the allowances added in)... they got free transport TOO Phuket, they have free accommodation while they are there... if they have to drop $60 on a fare into town, it is only a drop in the ocean for their 'shore leave budget'...

This should just highlight how much of a pain in the @rse these Tuk Tuk c^nts are for all visitors to Phuket... I was there last year with my family (in Kata) and chose to rent a car instead of dealing with local transport hassles... luckily for my family I have spent a lot of time on the roads in Thailand, so feel confident to do that, where I am sure others would not...

The cost AND HASSLE of transport around Phuket is a big influence on visitors enjoyment... I actually think that if they had Meter Taxi's charging Western fares (to everyone), drivers who knew where they were going, were safe and comfortable, tourists would be happy... Tourists hate feeling ripped off, and feeling taken advantage of, and hate the hassle... I HATE haggling with taxi drivers and tuk tuk drivers... I was actually lucky, In Kata one night, just me an my two boys (3 and 5) were walking back to the hotel... I asked a Tuk Tuk driver in Thai "how much to ride for 5 minutes?" he was confused, and asked where... I replied, just ride, for the boys, 5 minutes... he was happy with 100baht, and so was I, if he had started at 500, I would have just walked on, my boys would have missed one of the highlights of their trip (yep, hundreds of thousands of baht spent, and a 100baht tuk tuk ride is their highlight, kids ... )

You guys on here need to understand that for most tourists, 100 baht for a short journey and 500 baht for a longer one probably isn't a concern... for most tourists paying 10,000 a night for their hotel room, and 250,000 baht for the airfares to get there... what they don't want is hassle, and to feel like they have been treated like sh!t...

If the price was 1,000 I bet most of the Sailors wouldn't have cared, as long as there was no hassle...

As to the subject of the officers keeping the free busses, I assume that is pretty standard for any port visit... I know here in Sydney my dad (after his retirement) loved driving the minibuss with the officers around, while the sailors had to deal with local transport...

Cheers,

Daewoo

"As to the subject of the officers keeping the free busses, I assume that is pretty standard for any port visit... I know here in Sydney my dad (after his retirement) loved driving the minibuss with the officers around, while the sailors had to deal with local transport..."

sounds like you and your dad have a lot in common. why would anyone want to see anyone else struggle??

If Farang wants to come to Thailand, they should contribute to the local economy too.

Next time, they bring their own van, to visit their own bars, and drink their own beers, and perhaps even import their own girls (from the Philippines).

rucharee,

why do they bring there own van?? cos your boys are ripping them off 2000 bhat for a 200 bhat journey??

to visit there own bars?? cos they make them so we all feel welcome and want to spend money

to drink there own beers?? you never drank red label or jd, spy classic, bacardi breezer?? nice arnt they??

girls from phillipines?? well yes up the thais put up there prices too much or give bad service yes of course thats next.

your attitude is typical of holding back your own people, doing haarm to your own taxi drivers, but you wont admit it, thats very childish,

you ob read good english, to be on here and understand whats happing?? but you not listening??

look what everyones writing???

that boss from america who takes his boys on a holiday to have a good time, is met by your mob, who has given them a lovely welcome???

where do you think he's gonna take them next time???

possibly phillipines as you mention, where they also have a land of smiles!!

you should spend today telling off your taxi boys for having made your island look bad now around the world, and wave hello to them guys make them want to go back to your island.

unfortunatly i think you will just be happy someones getting made to use a taxi that is going to rip him off, make the most of it, it cant last!!

sounds like a good plan b if Vientiane goes t@ts up!!

Suspect the reason why Savannakhet has 'dropped off the map' is because double entry tourist visas have been available free of charge at Vientiane. Single entry tourist visa only at Savannakhet - based on member comment last month.

Hi all,

I did a Visa run through Mukdahan Border Control point into Laos (Savannakhet) with my girlfriend in November. She filled out 2 forms at the Muk bus station based on her new Thai ID card, (she had no passport then), and we crossed over. 1500 baht for a 30 Day Visa on Arrival for me.

Booked into NongSoda Guesthouse, really spacious and clean, fridge, TV, and a 2 minute walk to the Thai Consulate next door. Also near the Riverside Restaurant where the food was awesome and the Beer Lao cold. You can also eat up on the roadside restaurants which are good value and the food fine. never had any digestive complaints. Laos people are nice, happy and poor. They need your kip (Laos currency).

Be sure to arrive at the Thai Consulate at 0900 as the line grows quickly. I was there at 10.00 and had around 70 people there, whom were efficinetly dispatched by the 2 Thai Consulate staff working. Waited around 45 mins. Not bad. Left my application and passport there, and applied for a single entry 60 day TR. No doubles given at that time. Don't know about now, and free of course.

Returned at 1400 the next day and after a 20 minute wait I received my 60 Day visa, which I could have extended a further 30 days to a total of 90 days on the one visa, but left the country to go to work.

IMHO, Savannakhet is a great place to do a visa run.

Cheers

"No doubles given at that time."

did you see anyone apply or was told of anyone getting refused at all?

thanks very much a good report.

ps i have just phoned the consulte, he didnt answear so ill presume hes on his cornflakes and will call me soon

i may just go anyways as i want to see the 2nd friendshipbrige, trouble is i have about 5 friends going with me and they all seem to be counting pennies and want 6 months if you like.

thanks again

"Savannakhet does not appear to be a popular destination for getting a tourist visa, don't know why"

same same, so ill try go see, see if we cant be nice to them and cross thier palms with silver for a x2, just would make a nice change from vientiene although its nice ive been loads of time now.

again thanks

thinking of going to laos through Mukdahan, border and over to savannakhet to thai embassy / consulte, i hear (on here) that i wont probably get a tourist double entry, what are the chances of getting a single entry????

any info will be helpful, but please only reply if you personally have been (or a good friend in) the last say 6 months.

Thanks

Does anybody know the opening closing times of immigration at the friendship bridge ?

I'll be arriving in Nong Khai from Udon Thni after 7pm so wonder if it's worth continuing on to Vientiene.

i think it shuts at 8 ish, but dont quote me on it. if ya flying in to udon, maybe stay in udon for a night, good night out, up and at it next morning 6am head for border, at nong khai ( which is no where near nong khai anyway) and stright through to consulate for visa think that opens 8/ 8.30, get ready for big q.

did or have you ever been to the consulete there at that town city sanenaket or whatever name it is? and if so did you or vhave you heard if you can get a double entry tourist visa from there??

thanks for any info