dano

try the fulay hotel.....city beach is great if you want to buy something from burger king across the street, visit the police station next door or buy flesh out the back door.l....

Not so recently the Bangkok Post had an article on a company, i believe the name is TCC Ltd., planning to develop a theme park just north of Cha Am.....this land development company is part of the Beer Chang/Imperial Hotel group. They have cash, expertise and a very large tract of land north of Cha Am which currently houses the older looking Eurasia Hotel. A good deal of this land looks to be tidal flats and mangrove and one has to wonder where all those delicious mangrove crab will scurry off to when their home is filled in.....as it is now it's a great place to ride my bicycle in the early am

so here i am with a retirement visa and a nice condo(which is fully paid for) on the beach between Cha Am and Hua Hin. After 8 mos of travel, riding my bicycle in more than a few places around Thailand and playing golf 3 days a week I find myself a bit bored. Maybe it's the people thing I miss or that nasty little work ethic monkey on my shoulder but I'm a young 54 and feel like i need a bit of structure in my life and maybe even meet some middle class Thai folks.

For the past 15 yrs I've owned my on business(in a non pedagogical field) on an island in the Western Pacific. Prior to that I was an ESL person for 14 years

in the US, Japan and Micronesia. I hold an BA in Education and an MA in ESL from that bastion of intellect, the Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa having worked with junior high, university and post graduate students.

Two months back I decided to dust off my diplomas and throw my hat into the academic ring once again here in Thailand. Since then I've interviewed for 4 positions, three at govt universities and one at a fly by nite language centre in Mukdahan. Lo and behold, every place has offered me a position....guess i interview well. Anyway, I find their offers of around 30,000 baht per mos more than a little on the low side. Granted, 15 classroom hours per week is not a heavy load but when you throw in office hours, prep hours and time to catch up and embellish a few rumors in the teachers lounge it turns out to be a full time job.

My question is: should I be appalled at 25-33 thousand baht per month for my charm, wit and expertise or should I just be thankful someone wants me?

wonder who fingered him?......sumimasendeshta, gomen

I've a group interested in flying up to kunming(either bangkok to kunming or chiang mai to kunming) for 5 days of golf and being a tourist. Anyone out there have a good travel agent setting up these things or perhaps just give me a few hints on the best way to get a reasonably priced deal?

Keep in in the short grass...dano

check these people out.....they'll get you off road for sure!

http://www.bangkokbikehash.com/

not qualified to comment on the Pattaya side of the gulf but over in and around Hua Hin there is plenty to do if you like the outdoors. Golf courses are better than adequate and not too crowded this time of year, wind/kite surfing is good with the right weather, great bicycling all around the outskirts of Hua Hin and Cha Am and even a little hiking or bird watching to be found.

Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott and Dusit all have properties in Hua Hin if you like that style and there are dozens of other less expensive & less corporate options. Some very nice boutique places just south of the town centre.

I've a condo 18 km north of Hua Hin which puts me 5 km south of Cha Am and i really think i have the best of both worlds. My two favorite golf courses are just a bit closer and the cycling is great with very little traffic in the area. The beach is usually empty and clean and numerous restaurants to try. The old palace on the beach is worth a visit and there is even a new environmental park(altho i don't know what that means exactly) Taxis to either town are easy to find and relatively inexpensive .

There is a new Veranda Hotel just down the beach....have had a few drinks in their beautiful bar.....very trendy looking place with lotsa Bangkok BMWs and the like parked on the weekend....i'm sure they have a website. Also just up from my place is a neat looking boutique hotel called CasaPapaya(they might have a website)......i spoke with the owners a couple yrs back and they were great folks....looked like a nice place for a romantic getaway

anyway, enjoy the weekend....

Just wondering if anyone knows of any possible opportunities for someone with a BA in education and MA in ESL from that bastion of intellect....the Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa. I've 15 yrs teaching experience in US, Micronesia and Japan but have been away from the field for 15 yrs running my own restaurant on an island south of Japan.

The condo is payed for, I've a couple million baht in the bank and I just want to work on my golf game and ride my bicycle. Don't think the cash on hand is enuf to make it last forever so I may have to work a bit.

Thought I might spend a few hours a week in a classroom just for fun and a few baht. Anything worthwhile in either Hua Hin or the Cha Am areas?

dano