seasia

I used to like to go to the small lake at Wat Yansangwararam South East of Pattaya on the way to Golden Buddha Mountain in Hua Yai. It was always an easy going place to be and lots of food etc.

Many also go to Lake Maphrachan.

Both places are easy to get to and have parking unlike down town Pattaya on beach rd etc.

Gone, thanks for your post, have just googled the Wat you mentioned, had never heard of it to be honest and would like to visit sometime.

A couple of questions :

From naklua would it be further than Golden Buddha Mountain, I`m guessing it is but maybe wrong ?

One website shows the Wat as closing at 5.00 PM, do you happen to know it that apples to the lake and grounds as well.

I usually go to Pattaya Beach for Loy Krathong but the crowds and traffic in recent years have made it less enjoyable for me.( or I`m just getting older ! )

Thanks

i used to take ibuprofen but because i had a bad stomach i was put on co-codamal,but the last yr.or 2 i have been taking

DAGA PARACETAMOL 500mg.and found them good.

if you do need to visit a good pharmacy i have used the same one in korat since i have been here let me know.

Hi

I could be wrong but thought that co codamal was not available in Thailand as it contains codeine.

I don`t often use painkillers but that one is the one that seems to work best for me.

I did actually ask for it in a Thai clinic, answer was " cannot sell "

I`d genuinely like to know where it is available.

Thanks.

Maybe look at Numchai , bought 3 items from them, including a fridge, happy enough, they knocked a little more off for buying more than 1 item and paying cash, which I was going to anyway.

Start prices were reasonable.

Tesco Lotus for special offers ?

Power Buy ?

Hi

What is the usual spread ( buy to sell price ) for 1 baht ingots please ?

Is it 100 baht ( money that is), noticed 1 store seemed to have just a 60 baht spread.?

I could be wrong though.

Thanks

Hi

Out of courtesy to those who answered the OP, which helped me just a quick report on my 2 day trip :

I visited Chinatown, enjoyed that, colourful and lively, and yes big for sure, had a nice duck based dish to eat whilst there

Golden Mount was interesting and nice view from the top, think spent about a couple of hours there.

Used the BTS, MRT and river boat, all first time for me.

1 hour cruise on river was nice, with the company that Baloo22 had provided a link to.

BTS station was about 3 or 4 minutes from where I was staying and that proved useful.

Hi

Very useful thread.

As a result of which have just booked a hotel on Suk soi 20 for a 2 night stay( coming up from naklua/pattaya) tomorrow

Just for a break but hopefully visit China Town, Golden Mountain Buddha and take a river boat trip then a few beers in the evenings.

It`s been at least 8 years since I stayed in Bangkok.

Any suggestions for laid back bars, maybe with some live music near to where I am staying most welcome.

Thanks, some excellent posts .

I recall some of your posts.

Just looked at your blog, will read more another time.

Hope you get your transplant soon and can enjoy Thailand again.

I`ve flown with both EVA & Thai and prefer EVA, efficient and fuss free.

Surely just advertise here and baht sold website with the title everything must go ?

Even most farang I know just eat one standard meal at a time. Often one dish is more than enough to satisfy my hunger and I tend to only eat 2 meals a day most times.

You seem to be the same as me in that respect.

i would normally eat one Thai meal daytime( or merely a snack) then one other meal later.

Enough for me, I do like to eat " western food "but actually sometimes struggle to finish 2 courses.

i guess people just have different levels of appetite and absolutely nothing to do with money.

off topic but my Thai GF often cooks for me and I constantly have to ask her to make the meal smaller.

Funny really.

I never did respond with a more itemized cost of living here, although I wrote about it in a different thread previously as part of a more comprehensive guide to navigating chumphon town. Better late than never.

- Rent: 2500 + water (which was flat 200 baht but now we have a meter which it works out to be cheaper now). I stay in a single-story shop house near the beach. 2br/2bath. 1 kitchen. 1 room. the rest is a large open area something like 12m x 18m + outside covered area. wash clothes about every other day or so.

- electric: gov't rate, avg about 2200 baht a month, running the air con unit for customers or for the baby...about 3-8 hours a day. The fans are on 12-24 hours a day depending on the room. Shower has hot water.

- food: around 8000-12,000, including diapers and other toiletries.

- transportation: 300-500 in gas for motorbike to go everywhere, or hop with someone who goes into the town.

- visa: 1 year non immigrant visa is 6000 baht + appx 18-30k in travel expenses to obtain + 90 day visa runs 1200 baht x 4. I could cut the travel expenses down significantly if I were married to a Thai. I usually get 14.5 -15 months total stay per 1 non-o visa. So that works out to be about 2700 baht/mo on the high end, 2000/mo on low end, and 1000/mo to obtain the visa closer to home. Extensions would be even cheaper, but there are paperwork hassles and temporary monetary tie-ups to consider.

8,000-15,000 a month single; 15k+ with a family. It does depend greatly on what you want and how western you want to go; we aren't living in rags.

The older expats tend to have either townhouses, or detached houses / bungalows designed to attract foreigners. These can vary from 7,000-15,000 + electric + water. Gas and sometimes internet is included with cleaning once per week. Away from the beach there are cheaper options as well.

The studio bungalows and studio rooms at the guesthouses with a balcony were 3000-8000/mo + electric. Again, cheaper as you go away from the beach.

Try finding a place in Hawaii (Oahu, Big Island) for those prices.....even during low season.

I suppose private int'l school would be a much larger chunk if I opt not to do any homeschooling or a private school with a religions affiliation. That's something to consider as I get older.

Hi

Interesting and well written, Thanks.

I`ve glanced at your older post, will read fully later

TC1

I`ll just say Thanks for posting.

It has been an interesting thread.

I`d hate to have my laptop confiscated, not at all good with IT matters and if it ever happened would cause me a lot of inconvenience.

Merely bookmarks/contacts etc.nothing particularly secret.

No problem so far but :

Time for me to back up some info I guess.

Hi

Lovely post, only part read the thread so far.

Yes, I have a small number of friends, one of whom I`ve known most of my life.( He`s in UK I`m in Thailand but I catch up on the phone/email plus when I visit)

I can be rather quiet at times but like listening to people, their lives, experiences etc.

If I can help with something( not talking financial here but some info or just an ear to listen,) often do so.

I meet up once a week with someone who lives here, we share a similar interest/enjoyment of music, maybe just an hour or so but always look forward to catching up.

Older than me, quite likely wiser and has at times put perspective on something I`ve been " down " on.

As well as a few others who might not be close friends but enjoy chatting to for a while.

If you plan to base yourself in north pattaya/naklua whilst looking for a longer term option here are some ideas :

Palm Garden hotel, north Pattaya 2nd Rd, less than a minute walk from the Dolphin roundabout.

Has swimming pool, does not have elevator, internet not good there. about 880- 1200 baht.

Lek Villa, naklua, good location, large swimming pool, elevator/s maybe about 1600 baht

Maybe one of the Sabai group hotels, north pattaya , unsure of pricing and they do put them up at that time of year, 1100/1200 baht maybe ?

Cheaper options in naklua would include Thai Thong soi 27, basic, old about 500 baht a night, maybe 400 baht.

Tassanee garden, soi 27 again, about 800 baht.

soi roi lang ( sp ) apartments soi 27 from about 500 baht, basic again.

All above prices approx.

Hope that might help

Thanks for the report !

Handy to know,

There are a couple of furniture shops at the back of Big C 2nd Road, if not too far out of your way, might have something suitable

Not sure as wasn`t looking for what you are, might be a waste of time but just a suggestion.

There is a fake/copy watch seller in Pattaya that invite potential customers to place the( copy of waterproof) watch in water, they provide the tank and allow 15 minutes for the watch to be tested.

They do not claim the watches to be genuine of course.

It is not an uncommon testing method( for a copy waterproof model)

Yes, as above, fairly sure Big C north ( 2nd Rd ) had some a couple of weeks ago

I also think you will be fine on that.

regarding Pattaya in particular, there`s such a wide range of places to stay, eat and drink ( if you do) plus getting around is cheap, quite easily.

BKK, I know very little about.

Udon I`ve visited, (flying from BKK with Air Asia ) seemed good value.

Enjoy your trip.

Hi

Not the same crossing but I paid $35 US for Laos visa, the option to pay 1500 baht was available.

This at the crossing near Vientiane.

Not sure if that helps ?

If you have a couple of hours to spare, take a walk up sois 10, 12, 14, 16 off Pattaya Klang, these will all be on your left if you`ve started at say the 2nd Road/klang/Tops junction.

One of those sois might have nothing suitable, not sure, think soi16 maybe the best bet but been a while since I`ve been in that area.

You may well find something, MS House or maybe Lux Mansion might have something available about that price.

You could then walk to your school.

GL

i did pattaya to hua hin the other day

have done it a few times and i found this method to be the best so far

11 am bus out of north road bus station, pattaya to suvarnabhumi - 250B arrives 12.30

then bus from floor 1, next to food hall, to hua hin. big yellow VIP bus, very comfy, leaves 1.30pm - 305B

arrived hua hin bus station about 5pm.

journey can be done quicker, but this way was comfortable, plus felt safer

Thank You

I hadn`t considered that schedule, very convenient, plus I live just 5 minutes from Pattaya Nua bus station.

I live in naklua, quite happily, 4 years now.

I wouldn`t describe it as hi-so though.

It`s just somewhere to live, easy to get around from and more laid back than central pattaya.

No ferry available.

The quickest way is the 'dangerous' minibus.

Or rent a car to take you.

There is a minibus from Pattaya Tai and an old TV thread here.

Not sure if these guys still operate on Tai.

Pattaya_to_Hua_Hin_Minibus_2.JPG

I used the minibus service from Pattaya Tai earlier this year

Journey to Hua Hin took 5+ hours, many stops along the way.

Cramped and uncomfortable.

Return was 4.5 hours.

I wouldn`t choose it again, either big Yellow bus( time for Hua Hin arrival not good though), bus to BKK and fly when Nok Air start, or maybe the Bell Travel service suggested by a previous poster.

Hi

I live in naklua, in a good location, 5 minutes to Wong Amat

A neighbour who was paying 7 K baht( before bills, electric,water, internet etc) a month has just moved out

Rooms OK, basically furnished, very safe and secure.

Elevator, decent security( currently) no swimming pool

Rolling monthly contract, 4 K deposit, he might be able to get the room for 6-6.5 K baht a month

Internet poor, only answer to that would be to pay for a direct connection with an ISP.

He would need also to buy basic bedding/towels etc, maybe 2000+ baht or so to spend on moving in.

Room comes with bed ( 6 ft) wardrobe, dressing table, table & chairs, air con plus fan ( both), balcony, plenty of places to eat or drink nearby.

No website, they don`t reply to emails, phone only.

If of any use, PM me, I`ll pass on the phone number, you can have a chat with the owner/reception