Asiantravel

l3fty I would just like to say that even though it's only my opinion, based on what you have written about the lady with the sour face and the unfriendly command unless you particularly have to ( or want to ) go to Vientiane that a visa from the consulate in Savannakhet would have been friendlier and easier. You may wish to try it next time and you can still fly directly there from Bangkok.

Yeah!

I've got a new borscht report.

I randomly came across a funky little Russian and Thai food restaurant on 2nd road across from the Hard Rock Hotel.

It is actually located in a Russian TOUR AGENCY.

This is in NO WAY an inviting place. In fact, the opposite. The look of it does not welcome you in and neither does the staff.

I wouldn't suggest visiting this place if you are feeling depressed or living on a high floor condo.

Anyway, I was looking for new borscht and viewed their menu.

Very limited menu of Russian items but one of the few choices was UKRAINIAN borscht, yes specifically spelled out as UKRAINIAN so you know I had to give it a try.

At only 80 baht you wouldn't expect a large portion and you wouldn't get it. The borscht presented did indeed have a very red, very "beety" broth which was closer to my Bubbe's borscht than any I have had locally. The contents were quite thin, some veg. and it contained a small funky looking beef bone, but the FLAVOR of the broth was at least OK, not stellar at all but I wouldn't insult it as wimpy.

I also made the mistake of having some beef pelmeni at 120 baht, tiny portion and very boring, and BTW, where's the beef?

Bread would have better with the borscht but didn't see it listed on the menu and none was brought to the table.

I also ordered pickle, a tiny pathetic thing it was, at 10 baht, a very small amusement.

The drink I ordered ... well ... it never arrived.

The service was beyond horrible, it was so odd that it was almost a source of entertainment, but again, don't come depressed, this place is a DOWNER.

Oh, hilariously, a SERVICE CHARGE is added to the bill, in a total dive that doesn't welcome you ... what will they think of next?

I would go again if I can't find better locally, but I hope I do because this place may be a threat to my already questionable mental health.

It's really just a snack though so perhaps good to go for an appetizer and then leave ...

" Bread would have better with the borscht but didn't see it listed on the menu and none was brought to the table "

That's funny because when I was in the Mexican restaurant the other day some Russian people on the next table were strenuously trying to ask the Thai waiter for bread. He simply couldn't understand them and when I tried to help them out by telling the waiter what it was in Thai . (But obviously not with the correct tone ). he couldn't understand me either

to begin with but then the penny dropped

OP "are there actually any good reasons for living here rather than somewhere else?"

Well, I guess if I lived in another country I might ask myself, "are there actually any good reasons for living here rather than somewhere else?"

Over in the Khmer forum for Cambodian expats someone just posted the exact same question, so it kind of proves your point

In Pattaya running a red light seems to be a very frequent occurrence.

For example if you just stand on the corner of second road and Pattaya Klang , you will see an enormous number of drivers that continue driving along second road well after the traffic light has turned red.

You will see huge numbers of tourists waiting patiently to cross the road at this point, including many Russians and Indians who are not familiar with the driving habits of Pattaya motorists and I have seen far too many near misses.

This is despite the fact that there is a police box on the same corner manned with at least two police officers most of the time but they are usually too preoccupied booking motorcyclists that don't have a helmet or have made a left turn on a red light.

I would like to hear the other side story. I am sure there are hundreds of people who say no to these watch sellers every week but they don't get beaten up?

I have seen tourists sometimes with their friends being sarcastic about the product and generally making the watch sellers feel uncomfortable. It depends what these. Russians said to them and how they conducted themselves.

Something tells me that if you politely say no, after you have looked at the product they will not suddenly attack you?

They need some kind of repository or swap facility for kids helmets because obviously as they are growing up, they go through many different sizes which I'm sure the average family can't afford to keep renewing.

How many times do you see father and mother wearing a helmet and the kid sitting in the middle with nothing and their skulls are particularly soft.

I think it was better when it was Carrefour, Tesco on Sukhumvit has become so much better lateky.

I think the topic is:

Do you eat at central festival pattaya?

When was Carrefour ever in Central Festival Pattaya?

You have to excuse him because he is a Scotsman and he experiences language difficulties

My favourite time of the year is coming up!

Do you have an electric water heater in your bathroom? I have visited Si Saket many times during November December January and

I love the fresh air in the evening in the morning time but I hated having to take a cold shower involving the ladling bowls of water

I haven't been to CM since January of this year. What stage are they at regarding construction and when is it likely to open?

I wouldn't take the risk when it comes to making a vital connection . Anything can and usually does happen with Thai railways.

You better off taking a bus or minivan to Bangkok and will have far greater peace of mind

It does seem to be rather a lot of money but we don't know much about the background functionality. It's obviously much more sophisticated than a simple website.

From my past experience of contracting for the building of highly functional computer systems the main causes of failure are the customer not being closely involved in the development and inadequate testing. The signs are that these two problems are behind the troubles encountered by Obamacare's system.

A simple webpage like that would be 3000-30.000 USD.

With the reasonable background things it can be a couple of millions, but not 300 million.

I think the reasons are:

No exact planing because the regulations weren't fixed when they started and than the regulations changed and are way too complex.

Additional you have customer who don't even understand the questions and not much testing.

Two ways to fix it:

a) scrap the complete Obamacare and make it simple and logic and not that terrible mess it is now-->Start from zero.

or

b ) Make a html webpage with a formmail.cgi for 300 USD. Customer can put in their data. That they will be called back, sent information material and called again...walked thru everything on the phone and get their options per mail again. So it can be started. Based on that information, step by step a webpage is built that based on the experience on the phone requests more and more information.

But in my opinion the complete Obamacare isn't a system to help the people, it is a system for corruption....give money to insurances and other companies. Else they could have just copied one of European working healthcare systems.

but its not $300 million anymore it 1 BILLION !

ah now everything is clear simply jobs for the boys?

Nothing to do with efficiency and getting value for money for the American people

Where is the outrage by Americans ?

And they say Thailand is corrupt !! sheesh

Michelle Obama’s Princeton classmate is executive at company that built Obamacare website

http://dailycaller.com/2013/10/25/michelle-obamas-princeton-classmate-is-executive-at-company-that-built-obamacare-website/

It's unfortunate that the little guy cops it. Sure, he's tried to capitalize on another's name, and the law is all about precedents, so if Starbucks does nothing, then it can be seen as permissive, and when a thousand others are doing it, they have no punch in the courts, so they must act.

Many years ago, I knew a Greek family here in Melbourne, Australia. The parents had been to the US on a vacation and liked the name 'Planet Hollywood', so when they came back, they registered it for their little hamburger joint in Richmond, that had been previously known as Kosta's Hamburger Joint. The name Planet Hollywood had not been previously registered.

When Planet Hollywood wanted to move into Australia, and found the name already registered, the company intimidated the poor (now ageing) Greeks and they relinquished the name rather than go bankrujpt fighting a multinational. PH didn't offer to buy the name. They told the owners that if they didn't give it up, they'd have their a$$es dragged through the courts until they had no money left.

That's the other side of the coin, bullying corporations.

And that story, if it's true, has all exactly what to do with this one, where the "little guy" is clearly the interloper and the "bully corporation" (ya' just gotta' laugh...) has played entirely by the rules?

Erin Brockovich would consider them a " bully corporation "

I ate there a couple of times and they were very nice people.

I also missed them quite a few times. I was disappointed...... amazingly I found another place to eat.

The food speaks for itself...no, actually the whiners speak for the food at this place. Upset they can't get at it on the rare day they choose to grace the restaurant with their presence.

Boycotting them is a little over dramatic. If you need a cause, the baby seals are still getting clubbed...

" Upset they can't get at it on the rare day they choose to grace the restaurant with their presence. "

ermmm.......... the same can actually be said about the proprietors

And in an earlier similar thread to this somebody commented they had expressed an interest in selling the business as a going concern, which is a little hard to achieve under the circumstances, don't you think?

I love it when someone Fresh Off The Boat suddenly comes to the realization that--"Wot! Oim in a Third World country! Quite a mess here."

Ah, to go back to that virginal state. Making acquaintance with all the nice, sincere ladies eager to serve me . . . .

Try a Mexican sidewalk for comparison. That was MY first experience.

But I don't understand? Then how can a Third World country seriously aspire to be the hub of so many things?

Where did "seriously" come from? More naivete.

You should travel more

go and see the state of the pavements in neighbouring countries and you will see they are in far better condition than Pattaya

even sleepy little Sihanoukville in Cambodia has far better standard sidewalks than Thailand and that country can really claim to be Third World ...........whereas Thailand only wants to be regarded as Third World when it suits them

I love it when someone Fresh Off The Boat suddenly comes to the realization that--"Wot! Oim in a Third World country! Quite a mess here."

Ah, to go back to that virginal state. Making acquaintance with all the nice, sincere ladies eager to serve me . . . .

Try a Mexican sidewalk for comparison. That was MY first experience.

But I don't understand? Then how can a Third World country seriously aspire to be the hub of so many things?

The only problem with that theory is that Pao when it was open offered certain food experiences offered nowhere else in town. Sure you could spend your money elsewhere, but you wouldn't get what they sold. So if you boycott them when they are open, if you like what they sell, who are you hurting more?

It's not a choice between two MK locations and you dislike one for some reason.

I don't care how good the food is if the price you have to pay to possibly be able to eat there is the high probability that it will be closed That price is far too high for me. I don't know about you, but I've got better things to do than make wasted journeys to that place.

And your expression in an earlier post that it is a “ hobby business “ is an oxymoron because if you are not making money, you do not have a business.

Hmm... did they do something to you, bangkokstick? Didn't hear any complaints about the food or any negative comments about the way that they treated their customers.

If you are simply moaning about their opening hours, you are taking your bitterness a little too far.

There is no contract being them and any one of us. We are not compelled to eat there every day and they are not compelled to open every day.

I think it's a shame that they couldn't attract more customers. Does that mean that they should just sit around day after day hoping that you will turn up??

Perhaps they are working on other schemes in order to make a living and just open when they can afford to do so.

Good luck to them and I'll happily eat there if they are open.

Don't be silly. You can't run a business like that. Are you the owner?

Are you American? Who are you to say how they should run their business?

Like the man said, he doesn't tell you how you should treat your girlfriend....

Hal Rosenbluth, Rosenbluth International

Hmm... did they do something to you, bangkokstick? Didn't hear any complaints about the food or any negative comments about the way that they treated their customers.

If you are simply moaning about their opening hours, you are taking your bitterness a little too far.

There is no contract being them and any one of us. We are not compelled to eat there every day and they are not compelled to open every day.

I think it's a shame that they couldn't attract more customers. Does that mean that they should just sit around day after day hoping that you will turn up??

Perhaps they are working on other schemes in order to make a living and just open when they can afford to do so.

Good luck to them and I'll happily eat there if they are open.

You are missing the point. Why couldn't they have set up a website from the very beginning with some sort of timetable so that customers can be informed well in advance when they intend to open and when they will be closed?

The way they just sporadically open and close to suit themselves shows no consideration for the customer who has made the effort and the journey to then find its closed. I found myself in this position on more than one occasion, which is why I stopped going there.

I hope you are able to pursue the matter and find an exact reason for their refusal and that you can post the information here. During her previous visits did she ever stay beyond the period of her Visa or did she ever have any problems with the authorities? I just find it incredible that someone has adhered to the laws and rules during previous visits but that they suddenly now react in this way?

Okay, but now it's becoming outrageous and ridiculous!

Report: Total Cost of Obamacare Website to Exceed $1 Billion

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/10/24/report-obamacare-cost-1-billion

In Jomtien the new second road sidewalk has a lot of collapsed sections too.

Has anyone seen the condition of the gazebo type structure right at the end of the beach walk in Jomtien next to Sugar Beach condominium and just around the corner from the new Centara hotel? It has literally half collapsed! I should have taken some photos when I was there the other day but actually I was probably so shocked that the authorities would simply allow this structure to remain in this condition i forgot to do so.

Admittedly some destitute people seem to sleep there in the night time but it is now in a very dangerous condition and yet people are still sitting inside during the day as they take shelter from the sun. I could see the whole thing just collapsing without any warning. Considering who some of the neighbours are in that area you would think at the very least they would take special pride in this part of Jomtien .

A condo in Sugar Beach will set you back B27 million, I did take this one pic, the gazebo is just beside it

set you back B27 million,

Wow !!!

in some ways its not a bad thing

in many countries i have visited you stand a good chance of getting knocked down on the boardwalk by a senior on a mobility scooter

I am sure you could sue the pants off a senior on a mobility scooter if they knock you down but if you twist your ankle badly or even worse if paving stones happen to give way, who will meet your medical bills?

If he is found guilty of rape, I would assume this is a more serious crime than whatever definition is attached to sexual abuse? Rapists usually get quite long sentences so perhaps the courts will be tougher this time around

Regarding the pavements, you are totally right. They are a danger to the users, both pedestrians and motor bikes.

But your solution wouldn't be workable here. Why ? TIT

But why does it have to be this way? Thailand wants to be the hub of everything on the planet and yet there seems to be this strong resistance to introducing traffic management policies which everywhere else in the world believe it is necessary to adopt and which could provide a steady stream of income to the city? I can't work out if it is laziness or corruption or both? This is becoming even more important now with such an ever increasing volume of traffic on the roads.