elzach

5 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

If that had been the case this thread would have reached 20 pages of outrage already

There are different standards of reporting in Thailand (and other Asian countries). The farang incidents that cause "outrage" among the locals, and many foreigners, are usually "Tuesday at 15:30:15" on local Thai TV news. 

On 2/20/2019 at 10:06 PM, josephbloggs said:

Thanks for your insight.  Been here nearly 24 years thank you and I have never been scammed by a Thai, never been disrespected by a Thai, and I haven't been murdered by one in the sea.  

 

It seem these terrible things only happen to a certain group of people on this forum who go around the country complaining, treating people disrespectfully, looking down on the Thais, making no effort to learn the language, hanging around exclusively with prostitutes, and generally being arsey and disdainful.    I think that is no coincidence.

Obviously you think I've just been lucky.

No offense, but "never been scammed" is a big statement. Either a) you've been "scammed" wittingly (i.e. willingly paying "farang" prices etc.) and gave up thinking about it or b) you haven't realized yet that pretty much everything you spend money on (except your grocery shopping and restaurants) is over what a Thai would pay for the exact same thing (from rent to your bike to a used laptop).

I think the other poster is comparing Thailand with Japan, and of course that is an "unfortunate" comparison, given that no country in Asia can compare with Japan.

So the war against smokers continues unabated. Meanwhile, you are actually encouraged to drink alcohol (in Pattaya at least) anywhere, any time. Last time I checked, a smoker was hardly a danger to others while riding a motor bike, or a public nuisance while walking (unlike some other substance abusers).

I don't smoke cigarettes, only cigars and pipe tobacco. And even though Pattaya bus station has a nice smoking area (kudos), at Mochit bus station (and I imagine Ekamai also) I had to walk away from the platforms and find a spot where I can commit my "crime" where no one can spot me.

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Sure about that? Only takes an accident on the road or a bus breakdown and your schedule is toast.

Going on the second to last bus allows for the unexpected.

 

Personally, I stay in Bkk the night before a flight.

You're right and I did think about that. In fact the Roong Reuang bus I was on from Mochit station to Pattaya broke down in March right after the toll booth in BKK. It was afternoon, we waited for 45 min to an hour for the replacement bus to pick us up.

I think many of us can attest that many/most of these buses are near the end, or have exceeded, their serviceable lives.

I ended up taking the bus from Thappraya station.

4 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Yep, that's 1)

http://airportpattayabus.com/V2/

 

2) Bell Bus:

http://www.belltravelservice.com/

They pick you up by minivan at most hotels/apartment/condos.

You have to be ready for pickup 30 to 45 min before departure from Northern terminal.

Thank you so much. Yes the last bus with Bell appears to be at 7 pm, which is too early for me (my flight is at 3 am).

So I guess I'll go to Thaphraya station to catch the 9 pm bus. Getting there at 8-8:15 should be no problem in getting a ticket?

The info on the Pattaya Bus web page clearly states that it leaves from Thaphraya Rd, every hour till 9 pm. However, when I called them, the woman said from North Pattaya station. I also asked if I can check in 2 bags totaling 25 kg, but communication was very difficult.

Can anyone confirm this? I need to catch the last bus tomorrow night, as my flight is late after midnight.

If for some reason I miss that bus, I can catch the bus to Ekkamai and how late?

8 hours ago, DMC1 said:

Can’t find another topic but I’ve seen in news that Grab will be taking over from Uber in SE Asia within the next few weeks. I’ve never bothered to install the Grab app but it looks like we’ll have to switch over fairly soon...

Yesterday Uber sold its entire SE Asia business to Grab.

It seems that the "local" brand (Grab, based in Singapore) had far better political connections. The latest evidence of that was in the Philippines a few months ago where the DOT basically suspended Uber.

Now in Thailand, as others have reported, GrabCar rates have already gone up markedly since last year. In BKK last month I was quoted a rate of 350 baht from Sutthisan to Don Mueang at 8:15 pm ( last year it would have been 200-250). In Pattaya Klang last month, I had two Grab drivers cancel on me, back to back, 10 min after they confirmed (i.e. practically zero enforcement of policy on drivers by Grab).

GrabTaxi all of a sudden makes more sense.

Hi all, any promo codes for Grab or Uber recently?

1 hour ago, Jingthing said:

It doesn't look like the actual meats are seasoned at all. Only add on flavor.

She could up her game by doing that.

Of course traditional Mexican tacos don't have any cheese, but with the Tex Mex sign she isn't claiming they are authentic in that way.

Well said JT. I was wondering the same thing myself looking at the photos.

A taco is not just slapping together some cut vegetables and meat and putting them in a tortilla. The meat (usually ground beef) has to be seasoned slowly in taco/burrito seasoning mix and have to use taco sauce on top, not just any Thai spicy sauce lying around.

4 hours ago, sadinc said:

see  many taxi drivers  around Bangkok stopping behind bushes especially coming from Rama II and Srinakarin main and pee on the side of the HW.so what? Only issue is such pics even if there are quickly taken off.. matter of loosing face I suppose...here Its a small child and may be they cleaned it later..

Don't name 1 or 2 countries when Asia is what it is..health and Hygiene is still a long way off-

Lets get real..and understand being unbiased takes courage..

http://tastythailand.com/where-can-you-pee-in-thailand-the-street-will-do-featured-photo/

This reads like a "China apology" attempt. Peeing behind bushes is the same as shitting in front of one of the largest shopping malls in Pattaya/Thailand??

Just curious sadinc, are you zhongguoren?

And now for something slightly different....if having a 130 baht cup of coffee at Starbucks and watching the other patrons mesmerized with their phones is not your "cup of tea", try Cafe de Palms on Beach Road (250 meters north of Pattaya Klang), next to the Twin Palms hotel entrance and adjacent to Pastry Addiction (which also looks very inviting but definitely pricey).

You get a beautiful serene setting with views of the beach, plus some of the best cafe prices in town in that area. For example, large iced coffee + ham sandwich (tasted pretty good) for 110 baht. Smoothies for 75-85 baht. Cappuccino for 80 baht.

It's a small place, there are only 2-3 small tables inside, but quite a few tables and chairs outside in the garden. The service was good, efficient and polite.

The other day I made a cash deposit to my landlord's account at a SCB branch in Pattaya of 2000 baht (as deposit for a rental in BKK) and had to pay a fee of 30 baht. The owner's account is at SCB in BKK. I don't remember having to pay any fee before for any cash deposit, but I never had to pay from out of town. Curious if it's a fixed fee.

15 hours ago, hawker9000 said:

Hmmm.   Eureka!  THERE'S an idea!!   So if we could just get THAAD on the Thai shopping list along with the subs ...

 

It's become a huge deal in China. S. Korea became enemy no. 1 (in the "rotation" of countries that are the usual suspects) for quite a few months. The government shut down Lotte supermarkets (kid you not, google it) and there was vandalism at a few that stayed open. Basically China, along with many of its "impressionable" people in fact, aspires to have a N Korean type of regime.

11 minutes ago, geriatrickid said:

You people are  so out of the loop. This is sharing culture.

Thailand to promote cultural experience based tourism in 2017

The tourism industry accounts for about 10 percent of gross domestic product of Thailand while according to TAT, tourism is now recognized by Thai leaders and policymakers as "one of kingdom's most successful economic pillars".In recent years, number of Chinese tourists is increasing rapidly, and now accounts for about 30 percent of total foreign tourists visiting the kingdom, which is the biggest share. TAT expected the number of Chinese tourists to be over 10 million as it has reached 8 million in 2015 after an increase of about 70 percent. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-07/12/c_135505614.htm

 

enjoy!!!!!

 

In certain places, such as North Pattaya, Huay Khwang in BKK, not to mention CM etc, they comprise about 80% of foreign tourists.

In the end though, from my experience of living in China on and off the last 6 years, I can tell you that the above has a lot less to do with Thailand itself, than it has to do with China, in fact. The Chinese today are so thirsty to get out of the hellhole called the Mainland, that a) we'll see similar numbers in places like the Philippines (or wherever the government is friendly to the CCP). Yes, the government in China controls everything, including the outbound tourism business. Eg: after the recent spat with S Korea over THAAD, Chinese tourism there dropped by 80%.

And the "China dream" has become "emigration". If they cannot fully achieve their "dream", they can at least take as many short and cheap trips out of the mainland as often as possible.

9 hours ago, lonewolf99 said:

IMO If this is about a relationship - and you are thinking of using a Private Sleuth......don't ...

The list of people not to be trusted here is a long one, starts with bar girls and it also includes lawyers and Private Dicks...Do an extensive search on Thai Visa and you will see the carnage over the years. 

And even thinking about using a Private Detective tells you that the relationship is doomed any way....move on - There are loads of fish swimming upstream in Thailand...SE Asia, China, Russian Federation etc....etc

Did you just advise him to move on from "Thailand" to "other SE Asia" and "China"? :)

The only thing I'm surprised at is....how many people here are surprised of this.

This is standard behavior ANYWHERE in China (despite what a few people claimed here), including their biggest cities like Shanghai and Beijing. Source: 6 years of living in Shanghai on and off.

In fact, it doesn't even matter what the education or wealth level is. Proof: instances of this are regularly happening in Hong Kong  and posted in the mainland media. Now, the majority of trips to HK by mainland Chinese are shopping trips of luxury items.

2 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

Years ago when this was interesting to me: quite possible.

AEON ATMs are rare.

I remember the one at Tesco Lotus on North Pattaya rd.

Forgot about the others.

 

The one in the district town close to where I live had at first been downgraded to an older box and now vanished.

 

The advantage of AEON ATMs has dwindled close to zero.

Technical transaction limit cut down to 20'000 (formerly up to 100'000).

Is there still a lesser fee than at other banks? (150 vs. 220?).

Not much attraction anymore.

 

Agreed, the advantage is dwindling. But if you do your shopping at Big C or Tesco then there's no reason not to use them.

Btw, Aeon ATMs are not so rare, outside of Pattaya that is. In Rayong, of all places, I see 6 ATMs on their site. And in BKK they are in every single Big C and Tesco, i.e. everywhere.

The reason I believe is that Aeon targets the "local" market, not the tourist areas.

Where are the Aeon Bank ATMs in Pattaya? I mistakenly assumed that Big C supercenters would have one, but the one at Central Marina does not. The Aeon web site only shows three ATMs, 2 at Tesco Lotus and 1 at the Big C on Pattaya Klang. Is that possible?

Thanks!

On 7/29/2017 at 9:29 PM, Jingthing said:

Raju Egg and Veg

 

NEW. Only open a month. 

"Famous" specialty EGG restaurant from Gujarat India, now an international chain (India, Dubai, USA).

Every dish has eggs.

If you don't want to eat eggs, you're in the wrong spot!

First Location in Thailand.

EGGSCITING.

Soi 16 (between 2nd and Walking Street) 

One of the famous Arabic sois

Location is close to Walking Street on the left side coming from 2nd.

NIGHT and LATE NIGHT ONLY! 

Opens 6 pm

Closes 6 am

 

What can I say? This is a new specialty to me.

Boiled, Fried, "Half Fried" (sunny side up?), Mixed in a "crush"

 

I did some research on the menu from their Hicksville NY location which has a lot more dishes than just egg dishes. But the Pattaya location is the real deal, the real core of their brand. Eggs, eggs, and more eggs.

 

It's got a real foodie following in India, USA, and Dubai so I consider that we're very lucky to have it here.

 

Prices between 90 and 200. I assume the dishes that aren't rice based come with buttered buns. If you want more buttered buns, you can order extra.

 

JT, how is the "hygiene" in these kind of places on Pattaya soi 16?

I know this can be raised for any place in Pattaya of course, but let's stick to these areas around/near walking street.

26 minutes ago, VBF said:

@elzach So to be clear, you filled in the usual TM7, they gave you a TM30 (presumably just to fill in the hotel name & address?) but what exactly did you show for "hotel reservation"?

Was it a receipt from where you're staying, an email giving your itinerary or what exactly? 

Yes, for the TM 30 I filled in the hotel name and address and for the hotel reservation I just handed in my prepaid reservation receipt from Hotels.com.

Btw, I forgot to include in my earlier post, the guy at the photo-copying next door told me that an Airbnb receipt is usually no problem either. My guess though is that with an Airbnb they may "examine" the TM 30 in more detail though. I would think that it may also make a difference whether the landlord is Thai or foreigner, as we can imagine.

Because a good thing has to be shared.

75 baht off GRAB car and taxi promo code: HEYPTY (can be used 3 times )

I believe it's valid till October.

On a side note, Grab (and probably Uber) is more expensive here than in BKK, predictably though. A 4 km Grab car ride was 190 baht, before the coupon, at 1 pm. 190 baht in BKK would be a 10 km ride at least (with not too much traffic).

To Ubonjoe and everyone else here.

I just came back from Jomtien Immigration. I was in and out in 10 minutes (about 2:00 pm), with my 30-day visa-exemption extension. I spent more time filling out the forms on site and getting copies of everything.

I said "forms" because, yes, the TM-30 is handed out to you automatically, along with the TM-7. The guy making copies (and advising and taking photos) next door told me it's nothing to worry about and explained how to fill it out.

I had a hotel reservation and a "clean" passport (just 2 entries and 1 extension over the last 18 months), so "your mileage may vary".

There were far more people doing 90-day reporting and change of address btw.

Tip: If you have any questions, go to the guys right next door, inside the parking lot, making copies. They probably have seen it all.

11 hours ago, Pim Kemasingki said:

I wrote to Travel+Leisure to ask them why Chiang Mai was voted, here was their answer: http://www.chiangmaicitylife.com/citylife-articles/editorial-august-2017/

So the answer was "culture and history", plus "Chiang Mai has many top properties that deliver a standout guest experience".

With due respect, and with a proviso that do I like CM, I wonder how many places in Asia fill, and exceed, that criteria....sans the pollution during certain months (not days) of the year. 

I'll have to stick to my very first statement here, the Chinese tourists voted up the place. They may not be "posh travelers" as someone noted before, but the numbers (i.e. just 5% voting for CM) can overwhelm any travel ranking.

6 minutes ago, ubonjoe said:

You can do it tomorrow without a problem.

The last day is not considered late. After that it is late and will result in a overstay fine of 500 baht per day.

The 4th is a Friday a normally busy day at immigration. 

Thanks so much Ubonjoe. Your fast replies are of great help.

Btw, I know this has been discussed before several times, if the stamp says "Admitted until Aug. 4", that means one has to leave on Aug 4, or Aug 5?

On 7/12/2017 at 11:20 AM, ubonjoe said:

They will do it at CW. 

Ubonjoe, I didn't do it at CW. I'm in Pattaya now till Aug 3. I can go tomorrow to Jomtien to do it.

Or I can go to CW on Aug 4, the very date when my visa-exemption stamp is valid to. Would that be considered late? or frowned upon? (i.e. "he waited till the very last minute to get his extension")?

Thanks!