newnative

Never heard of her.

Getting rid of foreign students likely will not make universities cheaper. With many state colleges and universities, there is a 3-tier payment system: in-state students, out-of-state students, and foreign students--who pay the most. That was the system at the state college where I worked. Just one example, Shippensburg University, a state university in Pennsylvania. In-state American students pay $3828 in tuition; out-of-state American students pay $5787, and international students pay $8681--more than double what in-state students pay. International students help keep the fees for American students lower. Plus, they contribute to a diverse student body.

No 'if". You should be saving whether you are moving to Pattaya, to somewhere else, or not moving at all.

Seriously doubt changing the elevator walls to 25 cm from 30 cm caused the collapse. It may have been a contributing factor but likely there were more factors in play.

Total overreaction to a harmless remark. I think he is more suited to a behind the scenes job. And, the headline to the story is horrible--there was only one tourist and he wasn't 'racist'.

Thanks. Have fun with your search.

No. Ditto for submarine rides.

Someone needs to do one of these for Pattaya, too.

In your shoes, I'd center my search on Wongamat. I think it checks a number of your boxes: * There are a number of nice condo projects right on the beach or nearby, most with their own good gym. You mentioned Riviera Jomtien--there is also a Riviera Wongamat, equally nice. * Two hospitals nearby--Bangkok Pattaya and Pattaya International. * Several good grocery stores nearby, including the new Best, Lotus's, Big C Marina, and Tops at T21. * Close to T21 and Central Festival malls, with Naklua Fish Market also nearby. * Lots of restaurants, both stand alone and at the malls. * Quieter, upscale area but close or not too far from a lot of things. Having lived in south Jomtien, central Jomtien, Pratamnuk, south Pattaya, north Pattaya, and Wongamat, I would choose Wongamat for beachside. There are a number of mega projects going up or in the works for Jomtien and they will make that area-already very bad for traffic--even worse. One alternative I might mention is the Darkside, where my spouse and I ended up after a number of condo stops all over Pattaya. I think a previous poster mentioned Siam Royal View, a very nice project also on the Darkside. We are in a different area--near Lake Mabprachan and the Motorway--and we like it a lot. Although we are on the eastern side of Sukhumvit, we can jump on the Motorway and be at T21, Lotus's, Index, the hospital, etc., in an easy drive of 15 minutes or so. For less than the price we sold our 1 bedroom seaview condo for, we built a 4-bedroom pool villa in a nice project. We traded a seaview for a lot more space, including a home gym, and have no regrets. The Darkside is booming with lots of new projects to choose from, should you want to go in a slightly different direction. As I've said many times, one of the great things about Pattaya is the number of diverse neighborhoods it has, each with its own vibe. You'll likely find one that's just what you're looking for, or comes closer than about anywhere else. Along with the variety of neighborhoods is a huge selection of housing at all price points, both as rentals and to own. It's really an abundance of choice--and that's all to the good. Have fun with your search and good luck.

Maybe after this latest crime, apparently one of many, the Thai guy will finally be locked up--where he belongs.

If nothing else, hope the voters will severely punish both dad and son.

Yes. Totally agree.

2 years in Japan as a child. 4 years on Okinawa as a teenager. Will be starting my 15th year here in June.

Persevere. I watched it when it first came out but missed some of the episodes. I am re-watching it and enjoying it immensely. Variety named it the second best series of all time--and I agree.

I've used Temu a number of times. As others have mentioned, you can track your order. I just ordered several items and I received emails as to the progress of my order. The items were supposed to arrive on the 21st but I got them yesterday. You do need to be aware of sizes and dimensions when you order. That would be my biggest caution. I find that to be also true for Lazada and Shopee. For example, I've been shopping for a shoe rack bench and some of the photos will show a bench holding 8 or 10 pairs of shoes on 2 racks. When you look at the dimensions, the item is just 60 cm wide--no way could you get 8 or 10 pairs of regular size shoes side by side on 2 shelves just 60 cm wide. Also, some items require assembly. I wouldn't use any of the online services--Temu, Lazada, Shopee--for some things but I've been happy with what I have ordered using them. I use all three and order from the one that comes closest to what I am looking for--at the price I have in mind. With Temu, I have ordered such things as decorative pillow covers, woven baskets, storge containers, art prints, picture frames, decorative picture hangers, etc. I think all three are great for finding things that might not be readily available locally. I mentioned ordering baskets--there was a huge variety to choose from and I was able to find the exact size to fit a shelf space in a new house I am furnishing. Ditto for art prints--a huge variety in all sizes and subjects. I can spend hours looking through them searching for just the right ones. In our current house, we ordered some of the ceiling pendant lights and floor lamps on-line--again, there was a huge variety and far more to choose from than what was available locally.

Just the opposite. I hardly drink at all now.

As others have said, it's gotten super-busy and parking is really inadequate. Spouse and I no longer stop there as it is such a mess. They really need at least one more of these along the motorway to spread out the business. They have built several restroom stops along the motorway but it's too bad they didn't include a few fast food joints with them.

I would turn your sentence around a bit and change it to: Traffic is becoming unbearable, so it does matter where you are in Pattaya. Which was the point I was making in my post.

What utter rubbish. You visit for a few weeks and complain you had no routine during your visit. Of course you didn't--you were on vacation. The whole point of a vacation is to get out of your routine. Then, you add insult to injury by claiming that since you had no routine in Pattaya, nobody else does, either. If you actually lived here year-round, rather than always just visiting, you would soon get into what is a normal routine for you, which would be different from how you spend your time on vacation. For most expats living here year-round, their normal routine does not include hanging out at a bar at 9am.

Totally agree. I try to avoid the 787 if I possibly can. Its shortcomings were highlighted several years ago when my spouse and I took 2 flights back-to-back. The first flight was a 787 from BKK to Japan. Awful. The seat was, indeed, very narrow and it was difficult eating with so little arm room. Changed planes in Japan and the second flight was on a 777. What a difference. Spouse and I were on 2 middle row seats and there was a fairly large gap between our 2 seats and the other two. Much more room--which was easy to note having just been on the 787.

I'm an American and I pronounce the 'T'.

Earlier I posted on the importance of living within one's means. Equally important is how one is living. One might question why they are spending 'everyday' of their life in 'sports lounges' drinking '100 baht beers'. (Or is it '125 baht beers'? The price changed midway through your post. I guess the Trump tariffs kicked in. )

Thanks.

There have been numerous threads on this--likely some by you. Can you live on ________ amount in Thailand? Fill in various amounts, including the latest, yours, of 40k. If you have read any of those numerous past threads, you'll recall a lot of different answers. But, basically, it pretty much boils down to two. You have the posters who say, no way could they live on _______ amount. And, you have the posters who say they could easily live on _________ amount, with some posting that they could live on even less. A responsible person will make whatever amount they are working with meet their needs. And, especially if that amount is small, they will do that by adjusting their needs according to the amount they have. When my spouse and I first moved to Thailand in 2010, our income dropped quite a bit and we were living on just a pension of around 65,000 baht a month, about what Immigration requires. I would turn 59 that year and Social Security would not kick in until I turned 62. 65,000 baht is not a lot, especially for two, but it's more than some receive and we made it work by making adjustments. That meant buying a small condo to save on rent. That meant buying a small condo we could afford and not a large house we couldn't afford--living within our means--which many have never learned to do. Could we live in a small, one-room studio with only one bathroom and not kill each other? Yes, we could--and we did. A studio was all that was within our means at that time, so we made it work. That's really all there is to it, whatever your income--living within your means. Being realistic and making it work. There used to be a popular expression, years ago when I was growing up, "Keeping up with the Joneses". If you're not a Jones, don't try to keep up with them. Keep up with yourself, instead. Just as an aside, by buying, not renting, we put to work for us the largest chunk of money we had each month to do anything with to better ourselves--our housing money to keep a roof over our heads. Instead of paying a landlord rent, we paid ourselves. We used what we would have spent on rent to fix up the condo we bought and then we sold it--at a profit. Then, rinsed and repeated.

Buh bye bye