TheShockMaster

Just back from Goose's. I'll sum it up the best way a Scottish chippy eating champion can... it was 5hit.

I got the 3 battered sausages and chips, my gf got the cod and chips. We both had approx 8 chips each and twice as much batter to sausage/fish ratio.

Clearly owned by someone who rarely visits chippy's when back in the UK. Advertising itself as a Genuine British Chippy is nonsense. I was expecting at least a deep fat fryer counter but it was a bog standard (albeit clean) restaurant with photo's of South End pier on the walls.

All in all, we won't be going back.

Shock horror - imported food is expensive! As an expat of 7 years, let me tell you supermarkets like Villa are life savers. Just think in baht, rather tha £'s or $'s.

The original point I was getting at was that it's MORE expensive than other places for imported food. Not the fact that imported food is expensive. I earn my money in £'s as my company is UK based so I always think in £ when it comes to everyday items like food. Even thinking in Baht, the imported cheese and meats in Villa are a lot more than your average supermarkets imported cheese and meats.

I'd be up for it. Play guitar. I'm in South Pattaya. Fire on the beach sounds good.

Swensens have an amazing selection of Ice Cream Cakes in their freezers. Check the Swensens on Beach Road at The Royal Garden Plaza. They look amazing. All be it, cost around 800-1200 Baht.

I generally brush my teeth whilst in the shower. Although not swallowing the water, I'm sure I some of it will enter my system. Not had any issues.

Villa can be crazy expensive, however whenever i try to shop somewhere else, i always end up going back to villa to pick up something.

I'm the same. I only go there to buy Robinson's juice as I can't find it anywhere else. Still, it costs about £3 a bottle. Crazy.

Probably exaggerated those first prices a little, but trust me, not by much.

Popped in to my new local supermarket around the corner to see what delights I could pick up for my lunch and stock the fridge. I'm talking about the Villa at 'The Avenue' on 2nd Road. I think I've found the reason why nobody visits The Avenue anymore... the Villa's prices are enough to scare the richest farangs away within a 2 mile radius.

Unbelievable. I'm talking almost triple the price than any other Supermarket, 7/11 or Family Mart. They have a good selection of food, cheese, meats etc but why would anyone shop in there? Even if it's convenient why would anyone pay £6.70 for a packet of 5 slices of Edam cheese or £8 for a small pack of Salami? I'd sooner take a walk along to Friendship Supermarket and get a months supply of cheese for the same price.

I seriously think they need to reconsider their strategy and pricing if they are to survive, otherwise it will be another large empty unit at The Avenue in no time.

Are there any other 'Villa' supermarkets in Pattaya or is this a one off, owend by the same people who are running The Avenue in to the ground?

I presume from your complaint of double pricing that you both had the exact same to eat and drink?

This line confuses me - "I will never go back there because we farangs are the ones that usually drink beer, not bottled water."

No doubt that double pricing is an issue but I have never had that problem in all the years I've been in Pattaya. The price on the menu is the price you pay unless it states somewhere that an extra 7% tax or service charge will be added. If you can't see the price of your food before you are buying it, don't buy it. Surely you were both given the same menu to look at?

Yes, this was taken from the Pattaya Beer Garden. My favourite eatery in Pattaya although it can get quite noisy when all of those pipes are spewing water. Great views though.

The Pattaya beach road drainage system working over time a couple of days ago.... shortly after the photo was taken, the other pipes started gushing too.

I don't know why "redsn0w" wouldn't work to both unlock and jailbreak it like one poster said?

Cash converters world wide in now closed and ironically the owner lives here on the dark side.

tukcom won't give you much at all especially if it is cracked on the back...just buying power for them however sure you can sell it there.

Like one said try the classifieds here or: www.bahtsold.com or even craigslist.

Even paying the 6000 baht might be cheaper then giving it away and having to buy new as the 4gs are new iPhones

The 64g goes for 28,000 baht so maybe easier to pay to have it unlocked if you can't use "redsn0w" or "absinthe" Both of which you just download on your computer to unlock and jailbreak... And no, jailbreaking is NOT illegal.

If he has updated the firmware to one that is not jailbreakable then he may not be able to.

Can you please post what version you are on? My 4s is 5.1.1 (9B206) you will find this in the settings - general - about section.

The phone is also on 5.1.1 (9B206) and a Gevy sim won't work. I'm taking along to Tukcom today to see if they are interested in buying it.

There are no rules and regulations, you just sell it and they give you baht. If you have a computer or laptop it is pretty easy to unlock yourself with a program called redsn0w. It is all automated pretty much unless you have updated your phone to a point where it cannot be unlocked that way yet. I doubt you will get much for it if you sell it a shop as it is damaged, old, locked and they want their profit as well.

Yes, I have attempted to unlock both iPhones myself but the Firmware is beyond that, hence the Gevy sim also won't work. Thanks for replying though.

I've moved over to Pattaya with an iPhone 4 locked to the UK O2 network (it's legit, not stolen) and I'd rather sell it and get a cheap phone and Thai sim than bother with unlocking or using a Gevy sim (that's another story, in another thread so let's not go into that in this post).

Is there anywhere in Pattaya that buy iPhone 4's? It's a 64GB black model, cracked on the back but it works perfectly. I've read that there's a Cash Convertors in Pattaya but what are the selling rules and regulations etc.

Thanks.

When I visited last year, it was around 3pm and they offered to let me go in to the baby room so I think as long as the babies aren't sleeping then they will allow you to go in. I didn't go in to the room, I just left my donations, waved to some kids who were playing in the main room and left quietly.

Once the condos behind it are finished it will have good business from all the people in the condos.

Well, we stay at the Avenue Residence behind the Avenue Centre. There's also the Garden condos and The Urban right next to us but I think everyone just uses the Avenue centre to pass through on to second road. There are a couple of new signs up today. The Pool Hall is opening soon and a huge sign stating that an all new 'Pattaya Avenue' is coming soon.

Best bar by far is the Pattaya Beer Garden. We had our lunch and dinner there today. Food is great and cheap, booze is cheap (cheap enough), the music is good and a great volume and the views are perfect.

Word of warning about HGH. It doesn't actually make your moustache or sex appeal grow but it will shrink your wallet.

That place has gone downhill since day 1 of opening. McD's and Starbuck's seems to do OK but most of the other places, the few that are there, seem to be barely hanging on. Aside from those guys, anyone paying more than 10k baht for 50sqm/month, is probably overpaying.

Not to mention the massively overpriced "farang friendly" View shopping market. I couldn't believe the price of their cheese and meats.

The actual Avenue building doesn't look finished, I almost feel bad for Shenanigans irish pub up stairs, you have to see all of the building site crap lying about just to get to their pub. We went in there for food last night, it was great but it's in a terrible location.

Apparently it is becoming a music centre with karaoke bars!

Excellent, Pattaya doesn't have enough of those... *sarcasm*

There's a karaoke place right next to my condo building, about 100 yards from The Avenue. Nice looking little place but always dead.

You now understand the expression opening down?

haha nice one!

Apparently it is becoming a music centre with karaoke bars!

Excellent, Pattaya doesn't have enough of those... *sarcasm*

There's a karaoke place right next to my condo building, about 100 yards from The Avenue. Nice looking little place but always dead.

Is it shutting down or opening up?

To be honest,I think it is opening down,once again.

Is the pool hall using the premises previously used by Cawow?

Opening down? Which is it? Opening up or closing down? hahah. Confusing me there.

I'm not sure what used to be in the pool hall but it has a large glass front and the ceiling is covered in umbrella's? It's on the ground level right next to the Pizza Pizza restaurant. I don't think CAwow was in there, was that not up the stairs?

A couple of years ago I visited The Avenue Shopping Centre on 2nd Road, down from Mikes Shopping Mall. From what I can remember it was a thriving little area of busy shops and plenty of people wandering about. Now that I live just down the road from it and pass through it every day, I've noticed that it's an absolute mess. 80% of the units are closed, the escalator doesn't work and today I couldn't tell if they were taking the 'Avenue' sign down or putting it back up.

I'm guessing a lot of trade has been lost since California WOW closed it's doors. It looks like there's a new pool hall being constructed but other than that, it's an absolute tip.

Any ideas what's going on there? Is it shutting down or opening up?

OP, how high are your ceilings? If you are on the 5th floor and the girl reckons you are higher than 100metres, it must be some building

Yeh, that's exactly what I was thinking but rather than argue with the lady and thinking I would be showing her up or as the Thai's put it, making her 'lose face' I just left. It's only a 7 story building. It's the Avenue Residence off second road along from the Avenue shopping centre. Not sure I want to make an arse of myself by going back along to the True shop at Tesco Lotus only to be told the same thing.

I think I'll give them a call, hopefully they understand what I'm looking for.

All in all... a nightmare so far.

Trouble with a condo is, if your renting it you need the owner to put the internet in for you. They have to show there Tabian Baan, house docs. If you own it then sorry don't have an answer for you.

That wouldn't be a problem getting the owner to put the internet in for me as he lives just across the road but I didn't even get that far with the lady at the True Shop. It was almost as if she had other things to be getting on with and couldn't be arsed to help.