stailmanki

i found that it is very difficult to unlearn bad prnounciation

and now talks like a trashy issan bar girl

don't make my mistake

Hahaha , me too. I'm often asked where/how I learned to speak my version of Issan bar girl Thai. My answer is always (in Thai) at the Nana Plaza University in Bangkok.

Trashy bar girl Thai is just fine , everybody understands &, if you only associate with trashy bar girls you fit right in, also you learn idiomatic language & slang which is good for everyday communication (& understanding TV soap opreas) What I have seen is that if you learn from a formal school and from books most Thais won't even understand what you are trying to say.

I don't regret learning to speak Thai in girlie bars , I have not tried to learn how to read and write the language.

Regarding the OP's quest for a quality tutor , I would recommend finding a Thai person who is learning English and start a two way exchange,,,,,, my choice would be a trashy Issan bar girl but you'd probably be better off with a person from central Thailand ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,not employed in the entertainment industry.

now where can i eat my way through the 5000 i have in the bank?

if i eat any more Ali Baba i will be wearing a turban...

I have been saving up the points and now have 13,000.

If I eat my way through all the points at Ali Baba I may end up selling suits on beach road,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

I want the IPhone but I'm only just over halfway there. I have noticed that some sponsers have pulled out, for example the Bluo Bowling people and the drinks offer at the Irish joint in LK metro are no longer there.

Should I keep saving for the phone and risk somebody beating me to it or try using them up now before more sponsers pull out or all the prizes are claimed ?

Great, I will ask him to look at the fret board too which has worn away where the previous owners have thrashed out C,F,G,D chords & now buzzes when other chords are played.

I have 2 more weeks work before R&R so I will take it to him 22nd and post back the results.

Thanks again.

Thanks for that one , I've been wondering for a while if there are any good repair shops here.

I have an old (1972) Takamine acoustic that needs an overhaul/set up.

I hope this guy can fix the major problem which is that open chords are fine but bar chords up the neck sound off key , maybe the neck & or bridge has been warped from all the travel and different temperatures.

Yes, but it's not my relationship with the management that matters but the way that the bar is managed. .

Like the OP :" All I care about is the music volume/quality, temperature of the drinks, and the staff/service"

Watch out if you use the Bell Bus Pattaya website.

I tried to book from work on my computer ,,,,,,,, the Bell Bus site is blocked by our administrator.

Could be a problem if you don't have the lasest security protection on your computer.

I only pay 10 Baht from Jomtien to as far as Central but to North Pattaya & as mentioned to Naklua the drivers want more.

They are not all bad ; recently three of us wanted to go to the end of Jomtien beach road where the usual busses do not go, when we got past Chaiyapruk the driver stopped and asked where we were going , when we told him he drove all the way& we were ready to pay more but this driver didn't ask for anything & wouldn't even accept a tip.

After 25 years of regular visits & now living most of the time here in Thailand the only time I ever got sick from food here was from a club sandwich at a Thai resort. Watch out ordering foreign food in a place where it's not usually eaten.

What I have also seen more than a few times is Thais getting really sick from eating Khnom Jeen. That's the fish curry soup over rice noodles that you see presenetd with a table of fresh herbs & salad type vegetables. I guess the greens are washed but everybody digs in ( with their hands) pulling off what they want to add to their meal,,,,,,,,,,,,,, & Nobody washes their hands,,,,,,,,, It's a nice dish if you order it in a good restaurant, or make it yourself.

Do what I do and order 18 pints of lager at 1.55pm......lovely jubbly

haha

never experienced going to a resturant that sold alcohol where the "no alcohol between these hours has been enforced though"

The Fuji Japanese chain will not sell you beer between 2.00 and 5.00 pm, irritates me because the children like to go there on Sunday afternoons so I have to suggest other places - and so Fuji loses business of course - most other places, Thai restaurants etc., have no problem with it.

Patrick

I have a problem with this stupid law. It seems whenever I'm shopping say at Central Festival & want to buy a bottle of wine or what ever Two Bells has sounded and I have to go elsewhere Tesco the same,,,,,,,,,however no problem at Foodmart in Jomtien.Unusual that only the major chains seem to take any notice of the law.

At Fuji in North Pattaya recently , lunch at 14:30. "No beer allowed sir". Look out the window into the courtyard & there's a bar selling beer to anybody & everybody. Is this law intended to protect school kids ? Are patrons of a fairly expensive restaurant less capable of controlling their liquor intake than shirtless people at a bar beer ?

It's running again here to , just won 50.

Is there a problem with the website today? See below , it is the message I am getting,,,,,,,,,,,

Connection reset by peer

Description: Connection reset by peer

Who gives 50k Euros to somebody who calls you on the phone? I know the response from tv posters will be that these call center guys prey on the elderly, but c'mon folks, wise up

I don't think that you would say that if you had ever been approached by a highly trained high pressure investment scam company but I must say that despite not even getting close to handing over any money I was very shocked and surprised how far these con artists can force and trick their way into your life even if you think you are wise enough to avoid getting sucked into something that you don't want. I'll explain step by step how they tried to stitch me up in the hope that if any TV readers recognise any of the symptoms that I describe in their own life they will be forewarned and forearmed and hopefully help to get these people locked up..

Step one. In this step they get your name and make intial contact with you. In my case a pleasant lady ( Filipina according to her accent but reluctant to admit it when I asked her and spoke Tagalog to her) calls me on the landline in my office. ( she knew my name but didn't seem to know what my job is) and states that she works for a "Consultant" in Korea and that they are interested in discussing a potential business opportunity with me/my employer .. When I ask questions about the business opportunity she tries to tell me that all of my questions are answered in a report that she wants to mail to me and requests my mailing address which I refuse to do I already smell a rat and start asking more questions about the nature of her business and what their interest in my Employer is which she tried to avoid answering.until I asked her directly if her company was interested in doing any personal investment business with me. She confirmed that was correct and I just said" I am not interested. Don't call me again!" and put the phone down. In this step they get your name and phone number and importantly they make contact with you whether you like it or not. In future they can always call you and say " do you remember me we talked last week? month or whatever. I think they got my name by calling the office general number then convincing the receptionist to transfer their call to the farang in charge. She tried to get my name and other other personal information from me.A company name was given to me but was so forgettable that Ican't recall it. All I remember is that it sounded like an English stately home. They also attempted to find out my nationality at this time and you can see how this was used against me in steps 4 and 5 below

Step 2 She keeps calling and asking for my mailing address which I refuse and put the phone down on her so she calls again and again until one of my colleagues answered my phone when I was out and the Lady tells him that I had a phone conversation with her in which she agreed to send some printed info to me ( a lie). My Colleague didn't suspect anything and innocently give her my address. They now cleverly have a way of getting their documents into my hands wether I like it or not

.

Step 3 A package arrives about a week later consisting of very professional looking brochures detailing amazingly successful investment tips.I flick through it and bin it.However now they have an excuse to call me again and again. " Did you receive the package?". " Did you have time to read the docs yet? No! At this point she introduces the time pressure element by informing me that some of these amazingly successful investment ops need a quick decision to get the projected benefits. I tell her to stop calling me because I wasn't interested in their investments and had no intention of reading their documents. She calls back multiple times over several days and each time I put the phone down on her.This gets very annoying and disturbs the office with unecessary phone cals..Because they use the landline I couldn't even switch off my phone

Step 4 Now they start to get really devious as a British guy calls me out of the blue and says there is a note in their office diary that I had requested a follow up call to discuss their document package on that date. I tell him that I told the girl not to call me again. He tries to get on the subject of investments etc again but I soon shut him down. However Brit on Brit and guy to guy and him being polite and very well coached with it I have to admit that he got a lot more of my time than the girl was getting as he dragged me into conversation.. I told him that I wasn't interested in his company or its products and told him not to contact me again and to write that in the office diary .

Step 5. This is where they brought in the heavy guns. Another Brit calls talking to me like I'm an old friend using every snippet of info that his colleagues had squeezed from to feign familiarity with me and my life. At one point I really started to think that he was an old friend of mine that I hadn't seen for years but whose name I couldn't quite remember. Mixed in with all the matey talk he was telling me about some unbelievably good predictions for financial success if I was to buy shares in a certain company whose name and stock exchange ticker code that he gave to me free of charge so I could check out its performance for myself thus proving how good their insider knowledge was. He then went into a sales pitch overdrive and good? I think he had been very well trained. Again being a Brit and a guy meant that he got more of my time than he should have but when he started to ask me how much money I had access to I decided that a bit of "Plain English" was required and it obviously got through to him because neither he nor his colleagues have ever called me again. But this was scary very polished stuff and right in the middle of my office and during working hours.

Based on my experience my advice to TV members especially those who are working in LoS.

Don't enter into a discussion on the phone at with anyone who isn't known to you and who refuses or is reluctant to divulge their company name and/or the purpose of their call.

If you are sure that you are being approached by a dodgey investment company then you should immediately apply the the Plain English option don't wait till step 5 like I did. However make sure that the caller really isn't legitimate before doing something drastic!!!

Don't mock people who have been conned into handing over large sums of money to strangers. These crooks are your countrymen taking to you by phone only and very clever and well trained

Wow ! this is exactly what happened to a few of us expats here in Papua New Guinea. Exactly the same people , Fisher finance or someting similar ,the same Phillipina in Korea & smooth Brits.The brochures they sent here were very professional looking as was their website. Gold stocks in a company about to double or triple in value. It seems they were targetting expats with high incomes , not old people as mentioned above.Nobody here was scammed. These guys are good but if you have ever read about boiler room scams then you won't be duped in to losing all your money.Read Andrew Drummond.

I don't know why so many people are anti the seafood places on Walking St.

I had a very nice meal in Seazone the other night and truth be told I have not eaten much better in the so called Thai places like Mum Aroy or down in Bang Saray, ban amphur or numerous other seafood restaurants all over Thailand.

If the seafood is fresh then it is hard to go wrong really.

Your best bet are probably some of the top end hotels that offer seafood buffets that are excellent at around 2000b a head but these also can be hit or miss.

Exactly !

I still wonder why some people pretend to know that a seafood restaurant is better than another one !

Any place where fishes and crabs are alive in Aquarium proposes the same seafood, or if an animal is sick itsjust bad luck !

And any place with many customers can only sell fresh seafood because they are delivered everyday as they sell a lot.

So please explain me what makes a seafood restaurant better than another one ? It cannot be the staff, as I still have seen any good staff anywhere in Thailand...

It is the staff . The chefs & kitchen management are what makes a difference. Overcooked fish in rancid oil, too much or little seasoning,cold meals served at the wrong intervals & so on. Why do people tip the service staff when they have had a good meal anyway ?

I have tried most of the places on Walking Street & IMHO they are all good but overpriced.Tried Mum Aroi recently ( Nakula) & liked the setting but not impressed with the food. ( Chefs/managment not well trained) The best I have found is Pupen, that's the place with the big crab sign at the end of Jomtien beach road , consitently well cooked food & reasonable prices although I wouldn't call it high class.

Most of the seafod in Thailand is farmed in brackish water = insipid taste, the crabs & shellfish are wild stock though & taste good

Never talk to cops or low so people driving a bike, you should have escaped immediately, don't even stop when it happens.

I am sorry, this is totally irresponsible advise. And I suspect illegal, so isn't there a forum rule to ban these sort of comments?

If the accident is your fault then God help you. & even you weren't at fault & you can get away without getting involved then this is the best course of action in Thailand & all 3rd world countries.

As a footnote I work in Papua New Guinea & drive around the highlands as a part of my job. The rules here are the same as in the Middle East for expats : never stop at the scene of an accident & if you are involved Get Away !The thinking is that if you had not come to their country then the accident would not have happened & of course as a foreigner you are always in the wrong.

I know it's the opposite as in Countries like U.K. U.S.A. etc. where it Is a crime to leave the scene of a road accident but I did not know that this primitive mentality exists in Thailand as well,,,,,,,,,, until I tried to help once , see above.

I bought a cover that has an internal pull out LED light that works fine for reading in dim light. I recommend it.

And we can buy that where ?

Available from Amazon however if you already have a cover & want a cheap alternative try one of those everyready lights that are designed to clip on to paperbacks . I bought mine fromTesco & it works fine.

I live in Jomtien & the beach is a dissapointment ; too much rubbish & too many deck chairs , thanks to suggestions here I have been exploring further & further south from Pattaya to find some nice beachs.

Rayong is OK but,,,,,,,,,,,,

Chantaburi province is the best I have found so far; Hat Laem Sing area which seems to be a relatively prosperous place, 2-3 hours drive but worth it for sure : beachs that are cleaned daily & the fishing is good, great cheap seafood to eat & heaven if you like fruit , especiallly now mangosteens & rambutan are coming in season ,it's durian capital, advise driving 4 door saloon not a hatchback car when bringing back fruit , My Thai Mrs ( Issarn) got really excited when we first went there & saw all the durian orchards , we brought back heaps of fruit ( in the boot) It's a really green place. There is an interesting history here ( French occupied for a while and the biggest gothic cathderal in Thailand , really good roads with cycle paths & clean rest areas. National parks with waterfalls & very few farang ( no Russians)

Sounds great - is it possible to bike-it to these areas ? Not worried about the distance but are the roads decent with few potholes ?

The cycle ride from the Laem Sing turn off ( either one ) in to the beach area & around the coast would be good as there is a cycle way & the roads are in good condition.

Mr. T or Pattaya Limousine.

Mr T who would not work on Songkran and left forum members who he does very well out searching else where. 365 day of the year business.

Did you not pre-book? Or just call last minute? Just curious.

Mr T would not take pre-bookings on Songkran , stayed in BKK ( probably a good idea anyway)

Great Massamam curry is right at home. Tough to beat. Wifey agrees. It takes 24 hours to make this dish...as dazk says.

+1 ,,,,,,,,,,, I make it at home , it's really nice done with lamb shanks ; sizzle them up first, brown in a pan then simmer in the sauce for 3/4 hours.

http://www.realthairecipes.com/recipes/massaman-curry/

Best recipe/website is above.

OMG. I love sushi and that doesn't make me Japanese, mate!

That British curry roux sounds about as Indian Subcontinent as lox and bagels.

Curry powder? Are you having a laugh?

I love Hummus but I'm not a Levantine.

Roux not used at all in traditional Indian cooking (starch reduction)

These days if you served British curry the way I was taught only those into 70s retro type food would appreciate it. Chicken in the basket anybody ?

Sorry , double post

No, I am definitely smart enough to know that I don't know everything and I am open to be corrected as well. Also, I admire lots that is British. Such as the t.v. show Skins and Evelyn Waugh novels. But facts are facts -- hummus is NOT Greek food! Also, what I don't admire is British people thinking they have the last word on Indian food. Indians do and I admire Gordon Ramsey whether you disown him or not, for his frankness in saying the exact same thing.

Try telling a Greek Cypriot (part of the Levant) that Hummus is not Greek food & see what he has to say. Hummus has it's origins in Lebanon I believe & is eaten by all sorts of people.

As a part of the curriculim I was taught how to make British curry when I served my London City & Guilds chefs apprentiship in 1970s New Zealand ; curry sauce was made with a roux,curry powder, tomato paste,pineapple & sultanans etc.Another interesting dish we were taught how to make was Kedgeree; curried smoked fish with rice & hard boiled eggs (supposed to be haddock but we had to use snapper in N.Z.)

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/fish-recipes/kedgeree

Is indian by nature any good? Not bothered on the price just the quality, freshness and taste of the food. Also does anyone know where to buy pita bread from? Missing my greek food, wouldnt mind some houmus and other dips with some nice warm pitta bread.

I tried Indian By Nature two months ago & whilst the food,service & ambience was good I thought that it was way overpriced; 1800 Baht for two of us with two beers and a soft drink.I had the set menu which was OK but the sorbet served between courses is not an Indian thing & it was a bad attempt (crystalised) The tandoori prawns were good.

Try the Curry Hut at Rhompo Market, it has good curry at a fraction of the cost , I've heard that there is another new Indian place there which is also good

I live in Jomtien & the beach is a dissapointment ; too much rubbish & too many deck chairs , thanks to suggestions here I have been exploring further & further south from Pattaya to find some nice beachs.

Rayong is OK but,,,,,,,,,,,,

Chantaburi province is the best I have found so far; Hat Laem Sing area which seems to be a relatively prosperous place, 2-3 hours drive but worth it for sure : beachs that are cleaned daily & the fishing is good, great cheap seafood to eat & heaven if you like fruit , especiallly now mangosteens & rambutan are coming in season ,it's durian capital, advise driving 4 door saloon not a hatchback car when bringing back fruit , My Thai Mrs ( Issarn) got really excited when we first went there & saw all the durian orchards , we brought back heaps of fruit ( in the boot) It's a really green place. There is an interesting history here ( French occupied for a while and the biggest gothic cathderal in Thailand , really good roads with cycle paths & clean rest areas. National parks with waterfalls & very few farang ( no Russians)

Best way would be Bangkok Airways: Pattaya (U- Tapao) - Samui , Samui is closer to Krabi than Phuket I think, but the flight is expensive .

See itinerary below

= 7730.00 Baht return

https://pg-prod.sabresonicweb.com/SSW2010/PGPG/webqtrip.html?execution=e1s1