Up2U

As my computer is in my work-place (although it is my personal property) I am logged in throughout the working day - 6am to 7pm. But there is a very relaxed attitude to doing personal work during working hours, due to the long time frame. As it is now dark by 7 pm, we shall soon shorten the working day, so there may be less rostings from me - to the joy and relief of others

And even with these long hours, Suvarnabhumi Airport is falling further behind schedule every week. May be on two shifts soon, but only certain trades can work productively in the dark.

Not if you go with him as an accompanying adult. But he may have problems getting a drink.

I do not know what all the rules are, but basically 'places of entertainment' are restricted to people over 20 (Dave Thailand - correct me if I am wrong) unless accompanied by an adult. Drinking is restricted to people over 20.

But if the police raid a place you are in, different rules may be applied. Don't ask me what, it will depend on the officer-in-charge.

Basically - don't stand out from the crowd. Don't get rat-arssed, don't try dancing on the stage, don't drop your drawers, or do any of the things that you would do in Ibiza. Then you can have a great holiday in Party City, with lots of great memories.

(By the way, if you are approached by any very tall, very good looking girls in Patty, check the elbow-bend before proceeding further, or you might have a whole new outlook on life )

I would recommend the Siam Commercial.

And go to a branch in a farang-oriented area, as you will be more likely to succeed there. Out-of-town many banks do not welcome foreigners - don't know why.

It may only be a small thing, but remember also that if you draw cash from an ATM outside your official home branch area, you will pay a 10 baht charge. Also if you use your ATM card in another bank's machines, you will pay a 10 baht charge.

And DO NOT open a joint account. If you wish, set up an arrangement whereby you put a small amount regularly into your g/f account. Give her money, give her gold, give her a house, but never, NEVER give her access to your bank account. She has many pressures on her from family, from 'friends', to show how rich you are. 'My b/f has bought me a car' - 'my b/f has bought me a house' - 'My b/f has bought me a car and a house' - 'My b/f has bought all of the above, plus a house in Korat for my family' - 'Ditto, plus a tractor, ten rai of land, two buffalo' and so on. And without really thinking about it, she's emptied the account to keep up with her friends.

Many Thai girls really think that money grows on trees out there in farang-land.

Very much agree with the comments.

I would have expected people like Tesco and Carrefour to insist on having experienced expat managers in their stores, to maintain their reputation. this happens in Saudi, where goods are usually available. Depends on the import restrictions and so on.

But here it seems that such jobs are reserved for Thais. So things will not improve. I have said before, some months ago in a similar thread, that small family-run shops, which rely on high turnover of popular items, do not give good training for running a major supermarket, where less popular items may stay on the shelves longer, but should give a better return and, simply by being there, draw in prospective customers for other goods.

For instance, if your Japanese shaving gel was known to be always available at Tesco store in On Nut (say), then that is where you are likely to go for other FMCG as well.

If you turned over without knowing it was on, you would think it was a comedy. In actual fact they are serious in giving free guns to clients when they open a bank account - dear me!

You're just jealous 'cause in Aussie, you can't have one legally!

Bank account or hand-gun ??

And the tuna has been canned and will be found on supermarket shelves throughout the world ......

This is the same as many religious foundation books.

For many generations most of the work is transmitted orally, by many followers (there are 11 Imams in Islam, credited with spreading the word). What has then been collected and written down is not the pure word of God, Jhwh / Hashem, Allah, whoever; it is the remembered word of followers, or followers of followers.

I have read several English language translations of the Holy Koran, and all are slightly different, all are open to several interpretations of each phrase, let alone each Surah.

Look also at the Christian Bible. If you are British, you probably believe that the original was written down as the King James version. It is the best that I have read, but it was still a translation of the Latin, which was a translation of the Greek, which was a translation of the Aramaic, which ws written down some 100 - 200 years after the crucifixion. (OK, the letters of St Paul are different, I know). And the Latin had been transcribed by hand for over a thousand years - so how many changes have taken place in the 1500+ years between the crucifixion and the KJ Bible?

This is just the imposition of a new, politically slanted, code of behaviour - which in UK and US would be treated as political 'spin'.

When I was in KL getting my Non-Immi 'O' (Thai wife) the guy at the next counter was asking for a straight-forward 60 day tourist visa. He was (I think) Algerian - anyway, one of the North African countries.

The girl at the counter refused. Told him the nearest place he could get a visa was Nice (France).

I had to go out and get some additional photo-copies - took maybe twenty minutes. When I got back he was still at the counter, arguing. Eventually the girl gave him a twelve-hour, airport-premises-only visa so that he could get a ticket from BKK out. Which he could have done from Kuala Lumpur anyway.

So it seems that there are strict regulations for some nationalities. We should be thankful that the Thais are tolerant of so many of us. And helpful in most Consulates.

Try going through the Green Line without it

Satellite, yes (but not sure on legality)

Cable in Bangkok, sorry, don't know of any.

ooohhh

Thats not fair! you have'nt even revealed yourself yet, your still a mystery.

Sorry - I drop in every so often, but usually I'm pretty knackered after working all week and playing with my daughter all weekend.

When I drop in it's usually between 9.30 and ten for one beer and listen to the opening set start-up. So I don't stand out.

Be in town this weekend - may drop by and say hello.

Personally I prefer the duo's playing in the little open bars outside the Blues Factory - don't have to put up with DT then     

Those 'duos' are mostly inaudiable due to the 'duo' at the next bar 60cm away.

Its called stereo

It bothers me because it did use to be a great place. I loved going there and enjoying a stroll at sunset, having a nice, quiet dinner and an enjoyable, but not harrased evening out.

Then it became what it is today, Shame really 

I first went to Pattaya in 1978.

Remember that there were go-go's, bars and such there then. maybe not so blatant, so in-your-face, but there - on Beach Road.

The place was smaller, less infrastructure, less farang-speaking Thais.

Still as many (in fact more then) beach vendors, not so much transport then, not so much choice of food, places to visit, general tourist facilities.

If you stay away fro the bar sois, Walking Street, Pattayaland then you can have a 'better' holiday now than you could all those years ago. The bar trade has put so much money into Pattaya that it is unrecognisable from thirty years ago.

And much better for it!

(It even has some live music venues )

Was he handcuffed?

My informants tell me - no handcuffs, no plastic bag over the head, not shot in the back.

Genuine accident.

let's not be too flippant, seems he was a nice guy, here to enjoy himself - albeit in a way that would scare most of us sh1tless. My sympathies to his family and friends.

I hope the petting zoo is still active?

Gets confusing - explaining to kids that we're going to a zoo where they can stroke the animals, then winding up at the tiger zoo.

I'll bet it does'nt happen (it better not because i advertise on 70 buses ) there will be an all mighty uproar from the baht buses.

The mayor has'nt got the power or influence to do it.

Do you mean you advertise on 70 buses, or that there are 70 adverts on baht buses?

I saw three of your adverts on one baht bus the other day - two next to each other. Fortunately there was a pretty girl sitting under them, so I didn't read all the text

** If Pattaya is serious about reducing te traffic caused by the excess baht busses, all they have to do is set the prive at a reasonable 5 baht. **

Actually, now that I think of it... last time I was in pattaya about 6 weeks ago, it looked like they had new fare tables put up in at least some of the songtaews, specifying the correct fare to pay between two places, and most trips came to about 5 baht. I don't remember though if these tables were in English or not. Anybody know the current status of those fare tables?

The fare tables have been up for a long time now - but refer to journeys off the recognised routes (i.e. private hire) these are for groups of up to five people and vary from about 50 baht for local journeys to 150 baht for Pattaya Nua to Jomtien.

With my wife and daughter, on a normal trip, we pay 15 baht - 10 for me, 5 for my wife, nothing for my seven-year-old. What would we pay on these new buses - assuming they operated down Pattaya Tai, along Second Road / down Pattaya Tai / Thepprasit / Jomtien Beach? 30 + 30 + ??. Sorry, but the Thais will never accept this rampant robbery by the new (TRT) mayor.

I am surprised he is still alive.

He ran an Internet drug-ring while in jail? Who helped him? Not other prisoners, but people in authority. I would have thought that as soon as he was found out by DEA / whoever, he would have had a nasty accident to cover the tracks of his co-conspirators. Except if they want to use him again, of course.

How many times have you seen them take out the card and put in in the machine,

then take out the slip of paper with the PIN number and read it before typing it in??

Don't leave your ATM slips in the bin beside the machine, the account number is on there in full with some banks. Another invitation to fraud.

Astral - many companies do not allow all their employees to go out at lunch time on a Friday to cash their pay. So one person collects a dozen or more cards, with PIN numbers, goes to the ATM and draws cash for their mates. So they need the PIN numbers to be written down.

Most of the poorer paid factory workers are from the boonies, without any idea of money management. The electronic world is beyond many Westerners understanding, so these guys stand no chance against even basic 'cons'.

Only Tony's, Hollywood, X-zyte, Marine and similar would have that sort of crowd, surely? nd they are 'disco's', rather than 'pubs'.

Wait for tomorrow's Pattaya Mail - or watch Howard on Pattaya City News

I'm a great fan of the 'Capt. Kirk doofer' and feel slightly unclean when forced to resort to tissue only in the UK. 

That's so right...

I tell you one problem I do have though, when I visit somewhere that only has the "hole in the floor" type toilet (I think I mean the Squat type) and instead of the hose and nozzle you get "bowl and water butt" (like at my gf's house).... I ALWAYS get in such a mess with those things, water everywhere... well I'm not gonna explain the rest, there must be a technique....

totster

That's why you don't use the left hand for eating

Middle East still uses a sort of watering can in most places, plus left hand. (Remember to trim your fingernails, especially if you suffer from piles )

I am in real estate

You were taking the praise for Subway advertising a week or so back as Director??

THen advertising Car rentals or was that before?

I need to knpow a wealthy guy like you:-)

He was trying to sell his interest in one business a few weeks ago, CTG.

Maybe not so wealthy, just hard-working.

Probabaly the private company that provide the new buses belongs to some uncle or relative of the mayor..and 30 baht instead of 10? If the one travel just few soi on second road I believe it's expensive.One conclusion: I will use rent car in Pattaya like I did all the times before...

What do you mean - 30 baht instead of 10? The vast majority of Sawng Thaew riders are Thais and only pay 5 baht. There have allready been 'experiments' with these minibuses in April / May. Unsuccessful.

How many passengers in total on these buses? I believe there are around 600 'baht buses' active 24-hours in Pattaya. No chance of this measly set of minibuses coping with that amount of traffic.

They'll wind up being farang-oriented on the main drags, causing even more chaos than at present. (But i'm thinking of buying a few tuk-tuk's, just-in-case )

As I've said above - go and enjoy.

And when you come back - post your findings. If you thought it a waste. I'll apologise. But I'll wager that you will be pleased to have gone.

Personally I prefer the duo's playing in the little open bars outside the Blues Factory - don't have to put up with DT then