Swiss1960

There is a huge risk with trying to get fake watches, clothes, bags, electronics etc. through customes, definitely in all European countries, but assumingly the same in Canada / USA.

It is a copyright infringement and not only the goods will be confiscated and destroyed later, but you as the buyer will be seen as a partner to the crime and will receive a hefty fine.

In Italy - just one example - buying fake sunglasses / bags from street vendors does carry a fine of up to 2'000 Euros for the buyer!

It all depends on what one is looking for in a gym. If one in primarily interested in cardio-work and/or resistance work, WOW might fit the bill, as that's basically all they have. They have lots of aero-machines, a couple studios for group work, and a good selection of machine weights (can't remember if the free-weight offerings were extensive or not from my tour). But that's it - there is no sauna (from memory...I could be wrong on this), pool, tennis, squash, spa, grounds to relax. It is also usually crowded (plenty of machines but space is very limited so you are hemmed-in on all sides by other people/machines. It also self-selects for a rather down-market crowd but if that's you or you don't mind such an atmosphere then it's fine. Also, the locker/shower facilities are small.

Fairtex, on the other hand, is a complete fitness facility/resort, with all of the above mentioned facilities, and more, like a rock-climbing wall and badminton. It is also more upscale and is never crowded. There are several membership plans and the fees are surprising low considering what you get. There is also full towel service, which I can't remember if WOW has.

Many things you say about California Wow are spot on....

but upmarket, down market? Give us a break. There's a huge "upmarket" crowd of Thais at California Wow who never break a sweat and sit on machines while operating the latest smartphones... and helped along by their personal trainers so they can pretend they train.

Fairtex may have a good variety of other things to do, but people who really workout don't judge gyms on their rock climbing facilities, swimming pools and saunas. I want to see their dumbbell rack. I walked out after seeing their small weight area. That's all I needed to see.

Each to their own.

I think it's pretty hard to break a sweat no matter how hard one is training if the air-con is set at 22 or 23 as I think someone reported As to the comparisons btwn WOW and Fairtex, they are really two different products serving different markets. For the OP (and other ST visitors), who just want to continue a regular exercise routine while on vacation in Pattaya WOW may fit the bill, as they do have a decent selection of both aerobic and anaerobic training options available and these type of people are likely to have pools back at their hotels. WOW may also suffice for a local who is centrally located or doesn't have their own transport who again is satisfied with the limited training options and facilities WOW has on offer.

For the person looking for a more complete sports and recreation experience, where they can do all of the above and much more in a relaxed resort like atmosphere then Fairtex is a better option. (Forgot to mention they also have basketball courts as well.)

I too do allot of resistance training so a gym's weight selection is important to me. I can't remember specifically now as it has been some time since I toured WOW but my general recollection is that the weight-training equipment was pretty standard but nothing exceptional and that it was very crowded (machines/benches/lifting areas cramed together) and it would be a challenge to do a complete workout in a safe manner. While the training area at Fairtex may not be as large as WOW, the machines and training areas are properly spaced apart for a relaxing and safe workout. The selection is also very complete, including: 2 squat-racks, 3 bar-bell benches (flat, incline, and decline), the standard selection of machines based rack and pulley systems for shoulder/back work, and around 5 free standing benches (both flat and incline) for seated bar-bell work. As for the dumb-bell selection, it's complete up to 100 lbs, with double-sets up to 25 lbs. I don't know how many sets of weights you require for your work-out but I'm sure this would suffice. There is also a complete circuit of weight-machines for those who use these in their work-out.

Thanks for ALL of your comments. It gives me a pretty good overview.

Personally, i only do cardio for my weight, but i want to do it daily for 1 hour with the resistance that keeps my heart rate at around 130-140. That is my main goal (helps digest the beers from the night before also... ) In parallel, I will do runs / fast walks on the beach (Jomtien) every morning for 1-2 hours which also helps me get some tan on my (currently) white skin

Weight is not for me, I really hate those machings.

so thanks again, I have the information I was looking for, really appreciate all your comments.

Thank you all guys, very interesting to read for me and I will have a look at both of them.

WOW looks promising as it's close to my hotel, I could just walk their, do my cardio (1 hour a day) and then back to the hotel for shower... Fairtex looks promising with regards to all the other facilities, so I'll drop by there also to check.

The first thing i would demand is a DNA test. I would'nt be trusting that bitch.

Totally stupid sentence... as many others I did see...

What do we know about the OP and his GF? Nothing, because he does not answer the questions like where he lives, whether he legally accepted the child... and I would like to know what the OP did to this girl... he seems to be the father (he says), but did he ask his GF to marry him?

Or did he tell his GF that he can not marry her but will want to see the child but not support her raising the kid??? Because in that situation, I would be completely on the girl's side...

So without further information, every comment about the girl might be completely false and wrongly insulting...

Another vote for Fairtex.

Thank you as well for your vote

Calif. WOW.....Good , clean gym.

Thanks a lot for that recommendation also, found their homepage

at least you should tell whether you are living with her or whether you live in a long-distance relationship, whether you are married to her (seems not if you write about girlfriend) and finally whether you are the legal (documented) father of the child... only then your options can be reviewed

We should do a poll about which is worse:

- him doing rap songs

- him posting on TV

.....

Fairtex Sports Club...best in Pattaya. Google for complete info.

Thanks a lot, already found it, will definitely try it out

Have search the Pattaya forum and find many questions about cheapes gyms... not looking for that... looking for the following:

- gym that offers membership on a weekly / daily / 1-month basis (no matter the price)

- gym that is clean and has decent aircon

- gym that has cross trainers (my favorite machine for what I want to achieve)

- gym that offers heart rate control on their machines (i.e. wireless around the chest)

preferred location is central in Pattaya (will stay near Mike shopping center) or at least access with Baht bus if outside center.

Thanks in advance

Absolute troll, everyone knows the best looking live in my house, sheeeeesh.

So THAT is where she went after I left her...

Just one thought... Troll....

12. talk about UK pensions...

I did not use a hose, let alone a high pressure one (I didn't mention a hose at all, but I didn't clarify the exact spashing device I was using). Just a mini bowl scoop (like the ones used for pale flush toilet) and tap water (nothing added). The "pressure" was nothing deadly or anywhere near that. A person (paying attention and/or driving at the speed limit) has enough time to see the water bucket. More than enough people had enough time to wave me off if they didn't want it, although there were a few that did it right as I raised up the dish. So no malicious intent, although I could have phrased the OP a bit better to reflect this.

So the excuse for your stupid and dangerous action against somebody driving on a motorcycle is "other's do the same"???? How more stupid can you get? What if he would have fallen down and cracked his head???? Would you also say "other's do the same"????

Especially when there is a beach nearby and a big market up the street. If he is so intelligent, experienced, and wise to his surroundings, why not take a back road or wear a poncho and/or helmet?

So again, the excuse for your stupid and dangerous action against somebody driving on a motorcycle is "it's his own fault"???? How more stupid can you get? What if he would have fallen down and cracked his head???? Would you also say "it's his own fault, he could have worn a helmet"????

U could have saved more money sitting outside during Songkran and just have the mouth open... no need to buy water or beer

Easy...

your insurance company will use a very low exchange rate, as they have to pay the money back to you... and depending on your insurance policy, they might not be willing to pay for everything (i.e. food, telephone cost etc. that they take off the invoice)

your credit card company (you did not say which one) will use the highest possible exchange rate and add whatever foreign exhange fees / TT add up percentage that your credit card contract allowes...

so without you having the detailed explanations for both companies, your guess is as good as anybody's guess... AND you don't phone MasterCard, you call your credit care issuing bank...

Your definitely looking in pretty much everything... according to your posts

- 19y old, one trip to Thailand, now back in Canada

- trying to find somebody in Koh Samui to export "items" to you

- have safed 5 grand but want to spend them travelling from Canada through Europe to Thailand an low wage jobs...

- but thinking about currency dealings and asking this question on a Thailand forum....

must be your age, I would guess... so you are excused for "looking into pretty much everything"...

Traffic police officers??? Just a waste of money during these days... when there are tens of thousands of cars too many on the streets and can't mover more than 2 meters per minute, all those cops can do is look and collect some tea money...

It is a cultural thing in China and Japan specifically... having a courtesan and showing off with her means showing your business partners how powerful and masculin you are. Look also at the Geisha culture in Japan, it's about the same thing.

If you don't like it, stay at home. Based on your other posts which I dropped over, it might also be a good idea to stop posting such rubbish on TV... specially for the reputation of us other Swiss who like Thailand...

Isn't "very very safe investment" and "joint account with wife" contradicting each other???

Was hoping to get a perspective on something. Why buy a new condomium, perhaps for 130k baht/m2 when you can buy an older building across the street for 70-75k b/m2 ?

Is the newer condominium going to last longer?

It does not cost that much to do interior decorating and what does the building's exterior really matter? if you have been to hong kong you know that buildings may look like a slum from the outside and be furnished with marbel and expensive fittings inside.

also, many of these very expensive condominiums are not even very nice inside. they are fitted with very cheap materials.

Depends on the area. Not all of bkk is 130k per sqm, personally I think that's a crazy price unless your back is facing an embassy. If you look outside Silom, sathorn, riverside and lower sukhumvit you can find good options for brand new at 70-80,000 sqm near thai language schools, TESL schools or thai/English schools that hire foreign teachers. Fit it with cheap furniture from big c and advertise there (pay them the agent fee) and your good to go.

I think it is much more than just the area when the OP is taking about 60% of the price per square meter "across the street". Then the age of the building, the quality of the construction, the joint infrastructure (pool, gym, shops etc.), the level of past investment in maintenance, the interior design (furnitures, kitchen etc.) etc. all have to be taken into account.

And finally, prices of course depend on how many new building sites are going up in the same area... since most people would then tend to buy new apartments, depreciation will be high on older buildings.

Okay thought so but wasnt sure

Had some scratches from the days before but they were still ''crusty'' after it

What would you do?

When was your latest tetanus vaccination? should be repeated every 10 years (for adults) and then you should be ok - but check with your doctor if there is any inflammation growing around the scratches

Funny so many fell for it. But smart punters only take girls that require ID, and of course they've already checked it if her age is in question.

No ID no money is always wise.

And arrange with the staff that you get a photocopy of the ID for future reference, it's come in very handy for me more than once over the years.

Correct. When ever I spend time with a bar girl, I tell her beforehand that the hotel will require to make a copy of her ID... and I always make sure that my valuables are inside the hotel safe even before I leave the room to "surf" around the bars... basic security measures that can protect you from the worst

Its best to check that they have an ISO 9001 Quality Management System as well.

Nice if they have that paperwork... but as a potential long-term customer, I tend to do some personal on-site and in-deep in-depth quality checks on my own before signing any long-term contracts

Funny so many fell for it. But smart punters only take girls that require ID, and of course they've already checked it if her age is in question.

No ID no money is always wise.

And arrange with the staff that you get a photocopy of the ID for future reference, it's come in very handy for me more than once over the years.

Correct. When ever I spend time with a bar girl, I tell her beforehand that the hotel will require to make a copy of her ID... and I always make sure that my valuables are inside the hotel safe even before I leave the room to "surf" around the bars... basic security measures that can protect you from the worst