newnative

My partner and I noticed this construction fence has gone up, as well. Seems to be a quite large piece of property with an old low-rise hotel and some shops on it. Definitely a prime location and it will be interesting to see what is built on it. This part of Pattaya, already one of the most desirable areas of the city with Dusit, Holiday Inn, Amari, Northshore and others, really jumped up a few notches more when T21 and Grand Centre Point 1 arrived. Grand Centre Point 2 and Akara will only add to that, as did Mytt Hotel and the new Amari Suites. As I've said before, it's interesting to note that all this new, nice development is about as far from Walking Street as you can get and still be on or near Pattaya Beach.

We have the current CR-V AWD model and have not had to change the tires every year. We just changed the tires this week for the first time after having the car for 3 years.

My partner and I have a CR-V and love it. We have the current model type. It is very comfortable, good acceleration, very stable, easy in and out, not too big and not too small. We love that it easily swallows up anything we buy--usually with room to spare. The rear doors open very wide. Great for trips--we had a very nice driving trip to Phuket and have driven it several times to CM--where we loaded it up with treasures we found. Have not had any problems. We will likely buy the next generation when it comes out.

Thank you! I thought his post was ludicrous, as well.

I agree. It was nice to have the views out the windows--my partner and I always tried to snag a window table. Now the ugly parking garage will be blocking them. Pity the ugly eyesore fronts so prominently on North Pattaya Road and wasn't tucked away on the side street.

I don't think Pattaya was getting 35 million tourists a year. pre-covid. Various figures are bandied about. The mayor says Pattaya had 15 million visitors in 2019. Mastercard says around 9 million plus--that might be international visitors. One other source I can't remember said 19 million. I think the 15 million and 19 million estimates would be both international and domestic visitors.

Pretty simple lessons to be learned. There will be no tourists until there is no quarantine anywhere and all those 3 letter hoops are canned--starting with COE and SHA.

Feet must be very sore from kicking that can down the road since 2017.

Just a reminder that the majority of the visitors to Pattaya in 2019 did not fly 'half-way around the world' to visit. They took shorter plane rides from China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, and other Asian countries. And, a large number, domestic visitors, took no plane ride at all. It will be interesting to see how things go once Thailand and Pattaya fully open up.

With apologies to Yogi Berra, if nobody's coming anyway why not make it easy for them? Have just one requirement: fully vaccinated.

Phuket was not really 'open'. Few came because the requirements were both too many and too difficult. Few will come to the rest of Thailand either until there is no quarantine and no curfew anywhere and the only requirement is to be fully vaccinated.

Yes.

Lake Mabprachan (also a reservoir) in the northern part of the Darkside has added a very nice paved walking and biking trail that runs along the lake. In addition to the park already there, they are currently improving another area near Flowerland that highlights a large pond. Lots more parking is being added with new lighting and the road is also being improved. Very popular on weekends and in the evenings with both Thais and expats.

I think a lot of the tours spend 3 or 4 days in Bangkok and a couple of days in Pattaya, with one of the Pattaya days often being a boat trip.

You could do one or two attractions on a 'day tour from Bkk' but saying 'they can all be done on a day tour' is just not true. Nong Nooch Gardens would take most of a day by itself if you took in the shows and enjoyed all the different, beautiful gardens. Ditto for a boat trip or a visit to one of the 3 water parks. Or a round of golf at one of the many nice courses. I suppose you could cram a few more attractions in if you didn't get out of the car and just did a drive by. "On your left is the Sanctuary of Truth. We will pause for a minute while you snap a photo. Next up, a quick drive by of Legend of Siam." You'd likely want to stay over anyway so in the evening you could take in the Kaan show at the D'Luck Theater. Or, one of several other shows. Or, T21 is fun. People are always scoffing but there is plenty to do in Pattaya away from Walking Street. And, for longer than a day trip. Hopefully, the attractions that have been closed due to covid will re-open when Thailand opens the country up.

For hopefully the last time, Thailand does not have a 'large stock pile' of vaccines that it is sitting on, and certainly not 125 million. The headline touting 125 million vaccines 'stockpiled' was misleading. Thailand has struggled all year to find vaccines and has never had any to 'stockpile'. As the vaccines have arrived, they have been used. Some vaccines were temporarily kept in reserve for required second jabs. Reuters says Thailand will have received 120 million vaccines by the end of 2021. This figure includes the large number of vaccines already received and already used in the vaccine program. The headline should have said Thailand is expected to have received, by the end of the year, a total of 125 million vaccine doses in 2021. (Or 120 million if you prefer the tally by Reuters.)

There's not 125 million doses stockpiled.

I think another misleading headline. Thailand will not have a 'stockpile' of 125 million vaccines by the end of the year. According to Reuters, Thailand will have received a total of 120 million vaccines during 2021. Obviously, many of them have already been used in the vaccination program. So, no 'stockpile' of 125 million doses waiting to be used.

I think most of the chain stores were doing ok at both malls, pre-covid. I'm of the belief that if a chain store has one 'struggling' store in a town, it's unlikely they will open a second branch just down the street in the same town. Pre-covid, in 2019, Thailand and Pattaya were attracting record numbers of visitors. And, you need those big numbers to sustain T21-type enterprises, which rely on a large steady stream of both new and returning visitors. Probably some of the small one-of-a-kind mom and pop stores on the side aisles at T21 were not doing that well--especially those in the remotest aisles. Some people know what they are doing with retail, some do not. With some of the mom and pops, my partner and I could tell they likely wouldn't make it simply because they did not have merchandise of enough variety in enough quantity to sell enough of it to make the rent. With shopping malls, there is always a churn; one store opens, another store closes. Some succeed, some fail. That's business.

So to clarify, we screwed up and we're sending this hapless guy out to try to make it look like the other guy screwed up.

What I found interesting was that when T21 opened in Pattaya several big chain stores, such as H&M and Uniqlo, which already had outlets just down the street at Central Festival, opened second outlets at T21. Obviously, pre-covid, there was enough business from Thais, international visitors, and local expats to support second outlets. Ditto for a number of smaller chain stores and chain restaurants.

In addition to the above, boat trips to the islands, Sanctuary of Truth, Legend Siam, 2 big water parks, Dolphinarium and the aquarium, Silver Lake, Terminal 21, beachfront Thai restaurants, lots of nice golf courses, and more. My partner and I used to live at a beachfront condo in Wong Amat and a nice boutique hotel went up next door. It had a steady stream of Indian and other visitors year-round. Some were in small tour groups and others were traveling on their own. The beach there is quite nice and that was also an attraction.

A lot seems to be unexplained and I have no idea when the lawyer entered the picture. My point was to get everything in writing in detail on the contract before the sale. As a buyer--and I've bought a number of condos--I would never agree verbally to allow the seller to remain in the property I've bought for a vague 3 months--or 3 days, for that matter. If I agreed to something like that it would have to be in writing with very specific rental terms like a regular rental contract--which is what it is, regardless of whether it's 3 days, 3 weeks, or 3 months.

I'm not seeing anything 'bold' here.

This is a good example of why it is so important to have everything in writing. Everything. Take the time to make a contract addendum that lists everything that conveys and everything that does not convey. If it's agreed that the seller can remain for a designated period, have that in writing with a specific exit date and with specific details as to who pays for what, what happens with damages, etc. Never assume anything. Well, I just assumed. . . Don't. Get it in writing.