Bellacissa

I think it all boils down to common sense. I drive on the Suk in Pattaya most days. The far left is absolutely lethal for a motorbike rider. Uneven pavement, drainage grids, cars bolting out of the sois (or worse, coming half way out into the lane and stopping), motorbikes going up the road the wrong direction, large trucks and double-decker tour buses double parked or trying to turn onto a tiny soi... And all of this at 60 - 70 kph. I definitely stay to the center or even the right hand side of the left lane on the Suk. I'll even move into the center lane if I have to.

On the side roads, I tend to stay a little further left. Although many of the same hazards are present, I'm going at a slower speed and can correct for them more easily. I still won't stay far left, though. It's just too dangerous.

Could be a bit of a debate about this. Basically, if you're keeping up with what passes for a flow of traffic here, you should be allowed as much of the lane as anyone else (car, bicycle, motorcy), but if you're going significantly slower than the flow, you should keep left/out of the way. It's speed rather than just position that's key.

Position is very important actually, when your trained in England to ride a motorbike, they tell you to ride off centre to the left because the middle of the road is where most of the oil, grease etc comes from cars over periods of time making dangerous to ride directly in the middle of the road. I think you'll find the majority of people who are riding in the middle of the road are untrained.

It used to be taught this way in the states as well, but visibility wise, staying to the center (not necessarily DEAD center, but close) and further back is now considered preferable to riding on either side of the lane. This way, people can see you in all three mirrors instead of just the one side that you're riding on.

Yes, there is sometimes an oil slick in the center of the lane, especially after a light rain. However, if you stay just to the left of that line, you are in a better position to make a quick escape than if you're staying far left.

The very first thing you learn in a motorcycle safety course (in the US anyway) is to always give yourself multiple outs in case you get into trouble. Driving in the far left of the far left lane gives you no outs whatsoever. If someone comes barreling towards you, you have nowhere to go. I stay in the center of the lane. That way, I at least have a chance of going one of two directions if I come across an obstacle.

I also don't run up on the car in front of me. If he stops short, I have no desire to fly over the roof of his vehicle. I stay far enough back so that I can see both side mirrors of the car in front of me. Unfortunately, staying a little further back also means that people think they can squeeze in the gap.

And, because it will likely come up, yes... I'm female.

I'm nearly ready to take the plunge and pick up an Xbox One for my son. Does anyone know where I can find one in Pattaya? I've seen the PS4 at the Sony store in Central Festival, but I've yet to see the One for sale anywhere.

Also, is anyone already hooked up and playing the One? I'm just curious if there's anything I need to know about getting it up and running here in Thailand. In the states, you just plug it in and go, but I'm not sure if it's as simple as that here.

Any info you may have would be greatly appreciated by my gamer child.

I just spit coffee all over my laptop laughing at that headline.

Read in my best over-the-top preacher voice "...racist orgy SHAME!"

I tip about 10% for deliveries as well. Maybe a little more if the denominations work out that way, but not less.

"Juree Vichit-vadakarn, chairman of the NAC's subcommittee on conscience and awareness building, said the main committee had decided to provide three courses on "grow up and not corrupt" to teachers under the jurisdiction of the Education Ministry and local administrations in June, July and August."

Dear Chairman,

I would like to offer my expertise in advertising and marketing to help you with the naming of new initiatives - this one needs some help. All it will cost you is a Non-B, a work permit and some 80 baht lottery tickets.

Respectfully yours,
Bellacissa

"Well, I'm shocked," said No One Ever.

When all of this started, I thought it would be a minimum of three years before we saw an election. One more date push and I'll be right on the money.

I think you are being optimistic....you don't seem to have taken into account WHY it will be repeatedly postponed.......(and no i can't help you on that one).

Agreed. That's why I took the over instead of the under. Three years was the minimum. The maximum is yet to be determined.

And before anyone panics about gambling, no it was not a real wager. Just a little internal bet with myself. As far as I know, Vegas doesn't have odds on this one.

"Well, I'm shocked," said No One Ever.

When all of this started, I thought it would be a minimum of three years before we saw an election. One more date push and I'll be right on the money.

In light of Craig's warning, I must decry your use of the N-word. You can no longer say "negro." It is politically incorrect. Please use African-American. Thank you for you understanding in these sensitive times.

I was told that Person of Color (or POC) is the most recent politically correct term. Many POC in the US do not consider themselves African-American any longer and are offended by the term.

Oh dear ''politically incorrect'' shudder shudder and three hail mary's

I can't keep up with what I'm supposed to call someone in the states. Political correctness is one of the reasons I left. You can't say boo for fear of offending someone. Sigh.

With regards to the article, I imagine that once the officer realized the woman was there with her child and not just loitering, he no longer deemed her a nuisance. I doubt that it had to do with her being American. But, I've certainly been wrong before. This is Thailand after all.

In light of Craig's warning, I must decry your use of the N-word. You can no longer say "negro." It is politically incorrect. Please use African-American. Thank you for you understanding in these sensitive times.

I was told that Person of Color (or POC) is the most recent politically correct term. Many POC in the US do not consider themselves African-American any longer and are offended by the term.

I'm a 5' 7" (168 cm for you metric folks) blonde from Texas, but I've been asked several times if I'm Russian by... wait for it... Russians. Apparently being light skinned with blonde hair in Pattaya automatically makes me Russian for some reason.

As an American, I do think we get a little higher level of appreciation than some other countrymen, but I go out of my way to befriend people that don't care where I'm from. The last thing I need is to be pigeon-holed into the stereotype of the typical white American. There's a reason that I left the states. I don't WANT to be roped in with the 'Murica!' crowd.


Edited for typos: It's early and I haven't had coffee yet.

Whichever one has a two-for-one promotion on for me. But generally New York Pizza delivery to the Darkside...the best.

Thanks for the suggestion. I didn't know they delivered to our area. I have a 13 year old boy, so good pizza is a big deal in our house.

With regards to Pizza Company vs. Pizza Hut, I'll take Pizza Company every time. The pizzas are smaller than Pizza Hut, but so much tastier. And they get here in half an hour instead of an hour and a half.

I dutifully ride my motorbike in the left lane on the Suk like a good girl. Which works fine until I'm coming down the road at speed and someone turns out of a soi to go the wrong way. And then he looks at me like I should move over to get out of his way! We're not talking about a little soi or even Second Road. This is the Talladega Speedway of Pattaya.

I'm starting to think I should move over a lane and just take my chances with getting a ticket. I'd rather pay a fine than get into a head on collision. Of course, then I'd have to worry more about being flattened by a double-decker tour bus. Luckily, I'm finding more and more ways around driving on the Suk each day. It might take me longer, but I've got a greater chance of survival.

Yes definitely no anti Chinese sentiment here. At least the Russkies are being left alone for a while. It amuses me that a bunch of uninvited expats feel they have a right to criticise some other nationalities who choose to visit Thailand short term. Yes of course they may be annoying to some but let the Thais do the complaining. Most of you lot are considered second rate uninvited guests by the Pattaya locals so why not just be quiet and get on with your lives. Of course you can move elsewhere or even back to your own countries! So think about it.

I couldn't care less what nationality of people are on the buses. It's the buses themselves that are the problem for me. Traffic (which was already bad at the best of times) is nearly impossible to navigate when you have these monstrosities making u-turns on two lane roads and trying to squeeze down sois that were never meant for these things. Not to mention the damage that's being done to the roads.

I'm all for tourism, but there needs to be some kind of restriction on where these buses can go. Drop the people at a bus depot and let them use baht buses and motorcy taxis to get around. There are PLENTY of those just waiting for someone to use them. Then, park the buses outside of town somewhere until it's time to pick them up at the depot three days later. It's not a perfect solution, but it's something. And it adds to the economy when they use the local transportation options.

And all 7.8 million of them are in those buses lined up on the streets of Pattaya.

Half filled buses, mind you. Can't fill them up... No, that would lead to less buses and less buses makes it look like less tourists. Can't have that, now can we? Sigh...

Still busy on Suk at the underpass - it would not be if people observed the 'get into two lanes sign'. But Thais and some resident Farangs just cannot resist some empty tarmac. That is what causes the hold up. It will never change.

That bottleneck will remain until the tunnel is finished. I've started taking the bypass down to Threppasit or up to the side streets that lead to Pattaya Nua just to avoid that section of the Suk altogether. I'd rather go a few extra km than deal with that mess.

With all of the problems that Thailand is... ahem... trying to overcome, why is the price of a lottery ticket so high up on the list of priorities? Someone making 20 baht on the sale of a lottery ticket seems like a very small fish in a very, very big pond.

Is this that thing called Thainess again? Do I, as a farang, just not understand the importance of lottery ticket pricing?

Well, at least we have a couple of weeks before the next one. I think I'll plan a trip elsewhere for the end of July.

Are we finished with the long holiday weekends for awhile? I think we could all use a break from the descending hordes of people.

Between the u-turns instead of right turns on the Suk, the tour buses (don't get me started on the monster, double-decker buses trying to make a u-turn), the long traffic lights and just the general lack of spatial awareness that people seem to have here, I'm ready to start walking everywhere. I live out off of SSCC, and it would be a hike to get to town, but it would probably still be faster than trying to drive it on a holiday weekend.

I don't understand when they say the correct license is needed. Sisha is illegal in Thailand. Do the police mean the correct donations are not being paid.

Precisely. The bars - AFAIK - dont make a satang from the sale of Shisha : the guys who sell it bring the pipe into the bar, collect the money and leave. What really surprises me about it is that many of the biggest 'addicts' are people who dont smoke cigarettes, and many cigarette smokers wont touch it. I've never been a fan of any form of smoking, but I dont find shisha as annoying as cigarette smoke unless its being blown directly in my face.

The BiB would have recognised this as a solid gold revenue stream from the day the first pipes began appearing in Pattaya and I believe that its no coincidence that the General's crackdown on their revenue raising activities coincided with a jump from 150 to 180THB for a pipe and the tobacco/charcoal etc. Ironically, it seems even more popular with many of the girls when their bars are empty for most of the night than when they're busy - presumably it helps kill time. I've had both sexes tell me it has an aphrodisiac effect and others tell me they get some sort of high from it - smoking simply doesnt appeal to me but obviously there is a huge market for it.

I'll admit to smoking shisha and I'm not, nor have I ever been, a cigarette smoker. I first tried it on a trip to Dubai and fell in love with it. I can't comment on the aphrodisiac qualities (I've never experienced that) but there is a little "hit" that you get when you smoke it. We're not talking drug high or anything. I assume it's similar to the hit that cigarette smokers get with their first smoke of the day.

I like it because it is very smooth, the flavors taste wonderful and it's just relaxing. I'm not addicted to it by any means - I might smoke shisha once every couple of months. And you're right, most of the bars that have it aren't making anything off of it. They don't actually sell it, there's just a guy that drives by every 15 minutes or so offering it and changing out the charcoal on the ones that are in use.

Nevertheless, Prawit added that we should not think too much about this at the moment, as it is a matter for the future.

Consider only today, never tomorrow. Oh, the Thainess...

Is there an Office of Future Thinking? I think there is a definite need here. Maybe someone in the Inactive Post Department could slide over?

Shisha is flavored tobacco smoked in a hookah.

This is a REAL ambassador, not a dilettante that gave large monies to the presidential election committee. I personally am worried why the American sent such an experienced man.

This thought crossed my mind as well. We're not talking about some Assistant to the Grand Poobah that "moved up" to Ambassador. He's definitely got more credentials than I would have expected.

Well, this conversation went off the rails.

Have we concluded that this is supposed to be satirical? I'm still in that camp, personally. I can't imagine this being anyone's actual message to the Ambassador.

The guy comes from a job in North Korea and is used to enemies of the USA hating him. What he is probably not used to is allies hating him. He just needs to read Thai Visa for a while to understand how the country that you give all the money too still does not like you.

Do you have any idea how much money America has spent on Thailand? It is mind boggling. Not as much as Europe (120 billion in today's dollars reconstruction after WW2) of course but still mind boggling.

I don't know the number, but I'm pretty sure it's a pittance compared to what has been spent on other nations. Thailand is still just a blip on the radar for the US. They have bigger fish to fry.

I do think Thailand is a little closer to the spotlight because of what has happened in the past few years, but I still wouldn't say it is a big priority for the states. Might be moving up in the rankings as time goes on and the US starts to focus more on Asia, though. We shall see.