bradiston

Well, I avoid buying CP brands, full stop. Not in 7, Lotus or Makro. I shop extensively in Makro, but almost all is fresh produce, veg, organic eggs, olive oil, balsamic vinegar etc etc. Very rarely in Lotus except when I need just one item, and only for water in 7. Ok, I got my rebranding mixed up, Family Mart v 7. Now we all know.

I find the Lotus minimarts the best. Can't remember their name. Have fresh meat, veg, fruit, sugar free yoghurt etc etc.

Same goes for visa issuing authority, if you have applied. They don't look at your entry eligibility. The airlines can refuse a boarding pass if you don't meet the destination country's arrival requirements. And you can be turned back by immigration even though you have a valid visa/entry permit.

I guess not as I never shop in either of them. Just curious.

How do you know that? None that I've met here do. All 5 of them!

Maybe I'm mistaken. Soi 4 Pratamnak has 4 or 5 convenience stores. Soi 5 the same or more. Soi 6 also. I will check.

Yes, Family Mart too. In Soi 4 Pratamnak a Family Mart and a 7 have become Tops. Maybe CP realised they had far more 7s than was economically viable. But why would Tops take over a 7 outlet that CP presumably considered unviable?

I've noticed about every other 7/11 being converted to Tops. Are they independently owned/franchised? The produce is almost identical. Mostly rubbish in other words.

During COVID there were often all night beach parties. People really needed to get out and socialise. The police were in fairly regular attendance. I think they took a fairly benign view. Keep the volume down. There was a constant line from the beach to the 7s on the nights outside curfew. There has to be some way of policing the beach parties that allows people the freedom to enjoy themselves. The street cleaners come out every morning about 4am. They do a fantastic job. I'm talking Jomtien mainly. The whole of Beach Rd swept clean. But I'm not sure about beach cleaning. Fines?

And?

I've had an LG front loader for 7 years. Cost under 10k. In Pattaya there is a service centre where you can buy parts. I fitted a new heater element myself, no problem. Cost just over 500 THB. I'd suggest buying one that has a local service centre.

NO! OK?

There's not much parking on that side. There'd be no way through if there was. Today for some reason there was very little traffic. I was down at immigration today, so I visited the police station to ask why both gates aren't shut at 2200 hrs, which is when they're supposed to shut. Just let vehicles out after that, so people don't waste time and effort having to turn back at Pratamnak 5. Not us, it's City Hall, they cried and made some fairly rude gestures. Ah, right. It's not the police's business to lock and unlock the gates. Now I understand. But they did say they'd pass on my suggestions, which was nice. But of course it would mean staffing the gates for maybe 30 minutes each end, every night and unlocking in the morning. Well they have a guy up the Soi 5 end who does just that, but not at the other end. They'll spend heaven knows how much ripping up Beach Road AGAIN to lay some drains, but only one gatekeeper.

Fruitcake anyone? Help yourself.

You're right. Iranians are not Arabs, nor are Turks, nor Afghanis. None speak Arabic as a first language either. 31% of Lebanon is Christian. There's massive diversity in the Arab world of dialect and culture. When they talk of Arabs in this article, they're only referring to 100 or so Kuwaitis. Imagine all of Europe, or Caucasians, or Christians get branded a nuisance because of 100 Germans, Spaniards, Greeks, English, Norwegians? Bah.

I'm biased in that I live off Soi 5 so it's a great route to Jomtien. But I only ride a scooter, so a compromise for me might be only allow scooters. ???? I also see dedicated song thaew ferrying people to and from one particular restaurant. They could allow only a song thaew service running up and down it for beach, restaurant and other access. It's parking that causes the congestion. Park 'n Ride on Jomtien 2nd road? The whole of Pattaya is chockers with traffic.

Never read such drivel in all my life from "A partisan source". "Thaksin has anticipated himself to be physically contained somewhere in sort of house-arrest fashion where he could possibly literally babysit any of his seven grandchildren after he may have spent a short period of time at Bangkok Remand Prison." A new journalistic low.

Yes, I remember a poll was set up to gauge support for 24/7 opening but I never saw any result. Seems there was quite a lot of opposition. I'll make some polite enquiries.

Just last night, travelled north - south, Pratamnak Soi 5 to Jomtien Beach Rd, about 2220 hrs. All clear, no sign of imminent closure. Coming back, maybe 2240 hrs, road open at Jomtien end, but Soi 5 end closed! ???????????? Oh for heaven's sake, I don't believe it! No signs up warning you at Jomtien end. There's a set of steps you can use to bypass the gates rather than go all the way back. It's a bit precarious but doable. Just to warn people. I'm going to have a word with plod anyway. Sort yourselves out, can't you?

Any idea of cost?

Meanwhile, the protesters are looking for a suitable site for the Grave of Democracy, and to erect a stone tablet with the names of the 141 rats carved into it. The Roll of Shame.

An exceptional post. Thank you.

Stop making things up? The whole of this conversation is about you making things up. Most British don't like Arabs! It's a complete fiction. It's a sloppy gross generalisation. But you call it a fact. The only fact is, YOU don't like them. And to feel more secure in yourself, you've decided that most Brits agree with you. What's this thing you have with feeling comfortable? Is that left over from analysis? Or listen with mother? Are you feeling comfortable? Then I'll begin.

The references to Gates and WEF were meant as a joke. You know, preempt the conspiracy theories, not promote. I'm not in a position to share my source. And anyway, acting as an intermediary is probably highly questionable legally.

I haven't read the Guardian in 50 years. The trouble with the anti woke crowd is they're really just a bunch of neo Nazis. How else would you describe them? Normal? People sit back and nod and go along with the constant belittling of minorities, people who can't fight back. Like when you say "It's a fact. Most British don't like Arabs". Yeah, sounds harmless enough doesn't it? It's just simply unprovable. So it gets let go. But it legitimises not liking Arabs. Suddenly, it's the norm. Most people agree. It must be normal. So what? It's mass manipulation. Those kinds of attitudes get absorbed into mainstream thinking, into kids' education, into the police, into institutions that are supposed to guard against bigotry and extremism.