jonniebkk

Went to Tesco Lotus this morning and bought a few items, 1 one of which was a t-shirt. At the cashiers desk, she put the t-shirt through first and then again thinking I hadn't noticed. I stopped her then and asked why she did that. I only have 1 t-shirt, why did you charge twice?

I don't doubt your story but just wondering what the incentive would be to do this...as since it registers as a sale the cashier will have to have that amount of money in the till when they cash-out. It's not like they will have an overage and they can pocket the money. Was there a directive from management to increase the store's sales any way possible?

Since you speak about books (reading one about prisoners), one thing I have always heard is that foreign prisoners very much appreciate receiving language appropriate reading material. Be it books or magazines, as it surely helps them pass their endless days confinement.

By the way, if there is anyone reading this who visits the prisons in the Pattaya area and wants to take some books, I have a collection of around 30-40 paperbacks that I would be glad to get rid of.

Maneerat Nee, Henry's wife of five years who was 27 at the time of the killing, is accused of hiring a hit man so she could collect on his $1-million life-insurance policy.

Are there still guys dumb enough to buy life insurance policies on their own lives...it's just like signing your own death warrant

The first thing a wise old-timer told me when I first came to Thailand is to always make sure that if you get involved with Thais in any way (business, romance, whatever) to always be sure that you are more valuable to them alive than if you are dead. For if it is the other way around, it won't be long before you are in fact dead!

A decade later, I'm still kicking

It's such a simple rule...why do so many not heed it?

U.S. citizens may or may not get a physical stamp upon entry, but there is a record made as the passport is scanned.

Upon departure the airline scans the passport and forwards that detail to CBP, so there are records of arrival and departure.

Well, it makes for a nice easy departure for both citizens and visitors as having the airlines basically perform the passport control function eliminates one wait in line

In Pattaya, Whitehouse Condetel has a CAT ADSL connection with 400 mbps real download, 100 mbps real upload speeds

Is the Whitehouse speed comparable to what the Solitaire offers or is Solitaire faster?

Whitehouse has the cheek to charge B 120 per day extra for i-net access. Maybe being low season, I can get them to throw it in for free

No worries at all mate.

Sounds like you do, sorry if touched a nerve mate.?

Just for your info a ladyboy has a dick and balls so its male.

For some people, everything has to be either black or white. If that makes it easier to go about your daily existence, then so be it. However, life is much more about shades of grey

In the example of ladyboys, their sex is what is between their legs; but their gender is what is in their minds. What a person thinks is usually more important to their psychological wellbeing than their physical appearance. So if they think they are "girls," so be it.

I thought initially the talk was to put the extension of 7 and its re-entry point back onto Sukhumvit somewhere south of Jomtien -

Indeed correct, as per my post above.

IMHO they should have done phase 2 (to Jomtien) before phase 1 (into central Pattaya).

Yes, I saw your post after mine posted

Seems to me the only one they need is the one entering south of Pattaya...that way you take some of the traffic that doesn't need to pass through Pattaya off Sukhumvit completely.

Yep...that's what they say. I often see guys go off with their "prizes" with a big ole grin on their faces. And then, while I'm still at the bar, back she comes 15 minutes later and B 500 in the black

Jonnie do you have problems telling the difference between

Male and Females?

Do you have a problem accepting people for who they are?

By definition, transexuals consider themselves to be females, therefore, I have no problem referring to them in feminine gender terms. It's a little like Barack Obama holding himself out in public as an "African-American," even though he is half white. He has chosen to live life as an African-American and self-identifies as such so people respect that. I do the same for members of the 3rd sex.

I don't see why so many have such a problem with differences in gender expression. I guess one must be of a certain age to have such hang-ups.

You can clearly see the big intersection at the right top corner, where the highway nr.7 comes together with highway nr. 36, with the unfinished part in the direction of Pattaya.

I put red balls at all the sections under construction towards Pattaya, and you'll clearly see where the road will end up, at Sukhumvit where they are now doing the construction!

Thanks...that explains it nicely. That all I was interested to know.

So what's the purpose of this new road (other than to line the pockets of the landowners along the route, the politicians, and the construction companies)? I mean, the current set-up with people just coming down to Sukhumvit past the international school and then making a right onto Sukhumvit to enter town or head on down to Satahip is easy enough.

I thought initially the talk was to put the extension of 7 and its re-entry point back onto Sukhumvit somewhere south of Jomtien - basically outside Pattaya proper. This way, trucks, buses, cars, in a word traffic, that was coming down highways 3 or 7 that was heading south of Pattaya and the Sattahip areas could bypass Pattaya altogether and therefore reduce congestion in town. But this road would just dump them in the middle of town!

It's still called a "bypass" road isn't it...but what is it bypassing?

Is 500 baht the going rate for a slip up Jomnie

Yep...that's what they say. I often see guys go off with their "prizes" with a big ole grin on their faces. And then, while I'm still at the bar, back she comes 15 minutes later and B 500 in the black

I was just curious about what and where the new roadworks on Sukhumvit was coming from and leading to...not the state of the motorways in GB

I still don't think we have the answer...there seems to be a couple of opinions on it. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

And all the post comparing the highways and roadworks in LOS to UK, Europe, or USA seems beside the point. How about a more useful comparison to other middle Second World nations like Brazil, Mexico, or maybe Phils or Indo (though these are much less developed countries). I think LOS comes out pretty good in comparison...at least in terms of amount of decent road network, signage, and surface quality. Maybe the best part...very lackadaisical policing

Well to their credit someone must be using their services or there wouldnt be so many.

You are most certainly right...there are many men who travel to Thailand to partake in their company exclusively! Not to mention all the Russians, Koreans, and Japanese who like to go out with them when their wives aren't looking

Also, have spoken to many and observed it in the bars too, that you homophobic heterosexuals are great for easy money for the many LDBs that can can easily pass until the pants come down in the room. They get lots of B 500 tips to leave for these "mistakes." A couple lady drinks, a barfine, and B 500 for 5 minutes show and tell in the room is good money for them!

Is it just me? havnt been in Walking Street for months but friends wanted to see it, Same Same as always except the number of ladyboys seem to have increased 10 fold (lowers the tone of the place ) are they being turfed out of BK or what!!

Oh please, don't get Cali all riled-up on the ladyboys...OIC...it's too late

The last time I left Germany heading for Thailand my Passport was checked but no exit stamp. I did ask for an exit stamp knowing that Thailand might ask me to prove where I just came from and the Immigration guy in Germany looked lost as to why I would want to bother.

Thats a good point...never thought of that. Of course, wouldn't work if coming from US as there is nobody to ask for a stamp - i guess with those departure kiosks, you get some type of receipt you could show. Maybe that is why Thai immigration sometime ask to see (and officially require one to have/show) your flight ticket/boarding pass stub. It proves where you came from if you don't have an exit stamp. Always wondered about that...thought it another instance of Thai inaneness but now makes perfect sense.

My assumption was if I didn't have an exit stamp from my most recent departure, the inference would be I was traveling from the country of my passport.

All I can say is, I'd hate to be on trial with a jury made up of some of the posters here. Some of the assumptions expressed here are totally out of line.

We're just playing the percentages that's all...and I like our odds much better than yours.

As I understand it, it is a flyover to avoid the right turning traffic going to Pattya Nua and ease congestion along Sukhumvit.

Not sure I understand...a flyover/bypass to avoid right turning traffic going to Nua? The far left lane is basically a no stop lane for that isn't it? So somewhere before Nua (heading south) one would drive up on the fly-over and then back down to Sukhumvit to entirely avoid the Nua/Sukhumvit intersection?

IMHO, many of these projects are only commissioned to bring cash to politicians.

Agree...just like in the West...but there it's to line the pockets of the construction trades unions and their political sponsors!

To me the beneft will be very marginal.

Most likely true but sometimes new roads do actually produce a better driving experience. Like the entire Sukhumvit road widening project of the past couple years has really eased congestion and the expansion of the highway to Bangkok is also wonderful IMO.

OIC...I guess as a US citizen, this is all "invisible" to me. Seems kinda cumbersome. Why not just have passport control lines at exit too? The plane did show a video on arrival about passport control procedures and there was some segment about those thumb-print machines people were supposed to use to record their departures back home.

I never saw any of the machines at the international departures area of SFO on my recent flight back to LOS. Not having any departure immigration lines makes for a quick departure...and the security check is no worse than Swampy's and not as bad as the triple checks at MNL!

I have noticed a particular thing about travel to the USA...that there are no passport/immigration control when one leaves the country. This is the only country to which I have been that operates in this fashion. Are there other countries like this?

I am a US passport holder so don't get a entry stamp on arrival or any limitation on my length of stay. Do foreigners entering the US receive such a stamp? I would suppose not as nobody checks any such stamp when they leave. Just seems sorta weird...and another example of American exceptionalism

What is the new elevated roadway they are building on Sukhumvit between North and Central roads? Where will it cut-in from and is it at all related to the new roads paralleling the railroad tracks?

From the photo of this guy's tats in the Post yesterday, anyone would have know he was associated with the Yakuza. Probably likely that she wanted to break it off and he lost the plod and killed her and jumped. Happens all the time in LOS and just goes to show that Japanese guys really do have emotions and can loose it just like ting-tong farangs

No mention of any Japanese girlfriend in the Post story, however. That throws a new twist into it.

So what have YOU been doing here since 2003, jonniepattaya late of Bangkok?

That's 1999...since I was 33 and been having a great time thank you. Don't see the relevance of your inquiry to my reply, however.

What have you been doing the past decade...working for "the man"?

The amount of extreme Are you inferring that the victims being robbed, assaulted, shot, etc, somehow deserve it?

Yep...basically I would. Just about every case I hear or read about of a "tourist" or "expat" who gets assaulted, robbed, or killed basically was putting his nose where it didn't belong or involved in some type criminal activity. Myself, and all my acquaintances, who have lived in Thailand for years, have never been the victim of any such incidents...of course, we also don't drive around at 5 in the morning with 13 year old girls in our company

The amount of extreme violence towards foreigners on Phuket is mind-boggling...where tourists/expats are stabbed, shot, mugged, killed weekly.

I don't suppose the "quality" of those tourists and expats has anything to do with it? IMO, those sexpats and over-sexed tourists and the low-life Thai hoodlums deserve each other

I am posting this reply so as to bring our wonderfully informative thread on Farside eateries back to the front of the Pattaya sub-forum...it's getting buried pretty far back there and starting to get forgotten. I am sure such "thread management" must be against the forum's rules and we will see what the mods do about it...just kidding

Actually, I do have some more information and views to add...specifically related to the Chonlada Coffee Shop restaurant. Just having returned from a trip back Stateside and having enjoyed so very much many mornings of American style breakfasts, I wanted some more of the same...therefore, I went on down for my second meal at Chonlada's. There are several English style breakfast places near my house but I just can't stomach going back to rashers and beans for breakfast quite so soon after returning and Chonlada has been well trained by George in the particulars of preparing many breakfast dishes American style

I had my heart set on an order of pancakes, as I had had tasted them before and they were quite good. Unfortunately, others must have also discovered this as she was all out of pancake mix As an alternative, I settled on the French toast. On the menu it's listed as being 3-4 slices of egg-dipped bread but my plate arrived with 7 slices of medium sliced french-style bread! It was well done for Thailand and tasty enough and good value for the money. I would have it again when I want French toast.

I surmise that George informed the hostess about my complaints about the omelettes being basically Thai style with farang ingredients and not truly American style fold-over omelettes because she proudly informed me when I came in that she now knew how to prepare omelettes "half-moon" style I shall give them another try sometime.

It was a pleasant breakfast and I am starting to think that this place will be a nice little addition to our area. The comfortable air-con seating is a plus and there is also the daily Nation provided for reading.

...What's wrong with getting another non-imm multi O...

You are right. From the first reply posters focussed on the OP’s statement that he wants to learn Thai. His mention of a pending relocation to Thailand indicates that he is still in his home country and a good solution for him is to get another multiple-entry non-O visa...

Plus there is some paperwork and back-and-forth between the Ministry of Education and Immigration folks to obtain and maintain the Ed Visa status. Finally, you are tied down to learning Thai/going to school to maintain your legal presence in Thailand. If you want to change school or give up studying all together, you're back to where you started. If the op qualifies (and he did once), a new non-imm O gives maximum flexibility (if you don't mind a border run every 3 months).