lawling

Does anyone know if it is possible to rent a road or light mountain bike around Pattaya or Jomtien? I'm planning a trip for February next.

I know there used to be a few bike shops on Thepprasit Road - probably still there - and I wonder if any of them would be prepared to rent out a bike for a month or so.

As I recall you had earlier thought about getting her started as a lottery ticket seller and a baht bus driver.

Would the 30 hours a week leave her with enough time for her other jobs?

Since work on this 2 km stretch of Thappraya Road began almost 5 years ago, City Hall and those charged with carrying out the work, have treated road users - visitors and locals alike - with contempt. The project has been a total disgrace and all associated with it should be ashamed of themselves.

About 3 years ago, one of the local papers indicated that it would keep highlighting the shortcomings of the project until they were resolved. Since then it, and the rest of the local Press, have been noticeably silent. One wonders why?

Every time I am shopping at TOPS supermarket Pattaya Klang I am asked at the checkout whether I have a TOPS discount swipe card.

I haven't, but when I asked how to get one I could not make myself understood, but I gather that you have to pre-register with photograph ID and name & address etc.

Is it only for Thais or available for farang?

What are the benefits? Is there a % discount?

I picked up an application form at the customer services desk - near the Second Road door, beside the cheese counter. It was very simple to complete and I don't recall having to provide photo ID.

That was 2 or 3 years ago - maybe the process is more complicated now - but I can't imagine why it would be.

There is also a Shrine behind the the Palm Beach opposite the tax office which may also be an issue.

Actually, I think the shrine will be quite a few metres away from the new road but the road will separate it - and part of the existing car/bus park - from the rest of the hotel property.

I think the line will be something like this - the spirit house is to the right of the green plastic/tarpaulin near the "old" road.

I took a look at the rest of the Second Road development and was surprised to see how much work had been done.

I had been led to believe previously that it was to join Sukhumvit at Chaiyapreuk but I see that it will come out further along - opposite the S-Con concrete sign.

All very exciting - but I imagine it will be a little while before it is all complete.

Someone remarked to me that the authorities must be expecting frost as there is sand on all the roads around Jomtien.

Maybe that's why they are so slow sorting out the Hanuman end of the road - they have to buy the land off the Palm Beach hotel, who will probably be holding out for some ridiculous sum? Looking at Google Earth, they have left a section of land free between the row of shops and the two condo buildings (Shining Star & Plaza 2). I guess this is where the road will come out to meet Thappraya at Hanuman. At least it's a nice straight-line extrapolation of the existing 2nd road route. That seems to mean that not only will they have to buy a large chunk of land off Palm Beach, but also demolish a biggish service building that's in the way too.

Guderian

I don't think they need to demolish any buildings belonging to Palm Beach. That greenish area that appears to be in the way, was the hotel tennis courts, I think.

But I imagine you're right in that they probably didn't sell cheaply.

What is the plan for joining the new road with Thappraya? At the moment, it finishes by Rompho market, and then you have the old road that goes past teh tax office and twists around the block of shops (Pukky's Bar and the bakery), and then twists again by Shining Star/Jomtien Plaza Phase 2 until it reaches the Somme battlefield Hanuman Statue.

Are they going to cut a straight road from Rompho to Thappraya? That would (AFAICS) involve consuming a large piece of the land at the rear of Jomtien Palm Beach hotel. Or is the new road also going to twist and turn, like a twisty-turny thing.

I understand it will go straight through from the market to Hanuman - through the Hotel grounds, passing the row of shops at the Lan Bae end and then through the battlefield!

What a mess it is and what an advert for the upmarket resort they are trying to promote!

It is now 3 or 4 years since they first started digging holes in the road at the Hanuman statue and this is what it now looks like on one of its better days.

God help people who are trying to carry on a business in that area.

When I see reports about folks from the provinces coming to Pattaya to learn about how things are done by the professionals here, I wonder if they tell them about how it is almost 5 years since they started work on the 2 km stretch of the Thappraya road.

Wheres the best place to get cans of Guinness and Cider in the Pattaya area? Not in the same can.

Foodmart at Jomtien has cans of Guinness and at least 6 different varieties of cider - some in bottles, some in cans.

I don't use buses, but I think the Jomtien "bus terminal" (such as it is) is on Soi Chayapruek. You could take a look down there, or ask someone.

There is a new luxury bus service going non-stop from the Foodmart parking lot by Soi Thepprasit to Swampy airport. It's only 124 Baht and leaves every 2 hours. You could then find your way from the Swampy bus station to anywhere in Bangkok.

If you're interested, the new Jomtien-Swampy bus service has a website HERE.

I stopped by the Soi Chayapruek area and the tourist office there said the bus station is just down the street from the intersection on Chayapruek. She mentioned that they don't have bus service to Bangkok, just to the airport. I'll have to use the bus station on North Pattaya.

There is a Jomtien to Bangkok bus on Sukumwit which stops along the way. I have taken that bus up to Bang Saen which takes about 1.5 hours. So a trip to Bangkok would probably take about 2.5 hours.

The bus service to the airport from Thepprasit looks interesting. I'll have to try it out when I need to get to the airport.

I used the 9 pm bus from the airport to Thepprasit last week and it was excellent. 124 baht - nice new bus with lots of legroom. A big advantage over Bell bus is its later departures - the last Bell bus from the airport is still 6pm, I think.

Also, for me, the depot at the Foodmart car park suits as it is only a couple of minutes from my place. I see that taxis now wait there for bus arrivals - as they do at the Pattaya Nua depot - and I suppose it's not a great deal more difficult to get to central Pattaya locations from Thepprasit than it is from Pattaya Nua.

I've recently been experiencing sleep paralysis and waking suddenly with muscle spasms. This has coincided with a detox from most sugars, alcohol and cigarettes. Could the sleep problems be related to the release of toxins in the body, and is there anything natural I can take or do to get a calmer nights sleep?

Thanks people.

I experienced sleep paralysis for many years and it is a very scary phenomenon. Complete paralysis of all muscles and a feeling of total helplessness and panic.

Then one day, about 25 years ago, I heard a doctor on a phone-in radio show give a fellow-sufferer advice - "Stop sleeping on your back!" It sounded almost dismissive and far too simple - but I tried it and it worked 100%.

The only difficulty is in training yourself not to turn on to your back during sleep, but that's not impossible - and certainly the thought of another onset of the paralysis can be a wonderful incentive!

Give it a try!

I am absolutely sick and tired of the Thai wife lying around all day watching unfunny comedy programmes with irritating sound effects and the even more pathetic Thai soap series that run every evening from 8.00pm onwards.

I have an idea to set her up with a laundry business. I reckon I can rent a premises for 6,000 per month then there is utility bills on top.

Comments appreciated.

One of the major considerations will be siting of your premises. Location, location, location!

From what I have seen, the concept of over supply or over-provision of facilities does not exist in Thailand. So, to do things the Thai way, you should look out for a laundry that is already operating successfully and then locate next door - since it is obviously a lucky area. If there are already 2 or more laundries operating side by side, then all the more reason to locate as close to them as possible.

Incidentally, will the missus be able to take a break from the ironing occasionally to sell lottery tickets? I presume lottery sales isn't a full time job - just a couple of busy days twice a month.

If you are heading for the Immigration Office you might want to be aware that some of the roads in the surrounding area are in a bad condition due the ongoing road-works. The recent rain isn't helping.

Soi 5, from Beach Road as far as the office, is OK (and it is usually fairly easy to find a parking spot on it close to the office.)

However, the top of Soi 5 and the surrounding area has serious potholes and there is constant flooding in the direction of the Revenue Office. That's how it was as recently as this morning and the way they're going it's doubtful if it will be fixed by Friday.

So drive carefully.

An alternative return route would be back down soi 5, left along Beach Road and then Watboon back to Sukhumvit but that would be a bit longer than the way you are suggesting.

Incidentally, the road works now seem to be progressing fairly quickly but with little regard to the convenience of road-users. The whole approach just seems very sloppy - for example, cables which were cut from poles at the start of the current phase a few weeks ago are just left lying in the mud to be driven over. They could probably have been gathered up and disposed of in no more than a couple of minutes!

Interesting. Many thanks to both of you.

It was the handling of subscript and vowels and that had me curious.

Apologies, in advance, if this has been asked previously.

Are there word games, like Scrabble, for example, in Thai - or crosswords?

This kind of short sighted behavior is sadly common here. One time rip off and lose customers for life. even recognized regulars.

It amazes me that restaurateurs fail to realise how a poor or sloppy attitude can result, not only in losing a customer for life, but in the resulting bad publicity turning away others.

About a month ago I went to a place in Jomtien that I had been to previously and had found to be OK. The meal was OK - nothing to complain about there, apart from the fact that both food and drinks were expensive - but I knew that.

Anyway, I handed over 1000 baht note to pay my bill and received change out of 500. I drew the waiter's attention to it - no drama - simple mistake - but it was quite a few minutes before I was handed another 500 and that was without comment or apology. The grudging way the mistake was rectified almost made me feel that I had somehow been at fault for mentioning it. Incidentally the European owner had seen me querying the change but didn't see fit to intervene.

I went back to that place a couple of weeks later and ordered a chicken dish with vegetables I had had before and had enjoyed. When it arrived there were vegetables OK but the chicken was almost non-existent. I tried to catch the manager's eye but he was too absorbed talking to friends. So I just ate it, thought to myself, like Jingthing, that there are plenty of other places keen for business, and left - for good!

Last week, not far from that place I decided to try out a recently opened establishment. The prices looked high but I thought there might be something special about the cooking. There was. I had ordered a fish dish and what arrived was the smallest, thinnest piece of fish fillet I have ever been presented with. It was accompanied by 2 tiny florets of cauliflower, 2 thin slices of carrot and a small potato. Cost in the region of 300 baht.

I was the only customer - I think I know why - but I left wondering what those serving up such a miserly helping hoped to achieve. Doubling the quantities would have cost them a few more baht in raw materials but in return they might have had me returning or recommending them to others. Now they will have neither.

And, with some sadness, I have to report that a couple of nights ago I took 4 friends who had never been there before to Pattaya Beer Garden. I go there regularly and have always found it good value for money.

However, embarrassingly, on this occasion the helpings were small and in a couple of cases over-cooked. A steamed snapper at 230 baht was tiny, with no more than a couple of spoonfulls of meat. My friends were very disparaging. I will go back because I know that that meal was an aberration but, I'm sorry to say, from their reaction I know my friends will not be returning or recommending it to others.

What I find interesting about your experience is that you admit to almost having a heart attack. I would have felt the same way - or at least have been heading back home to change my underwear!

But practically every day I see Thai people - usually walking or on motorbikes - coming within millimetres of being killed and they continue on their way with a blank, bored expression as if nothing had happened.

Are they really as detached as they look and if so how do they do it? Is it because they have had close calls so often before that they are no longer remarkable or is it some dhamma thing?

Anyone asked any of the local papers to get involved?

Maybe the thought of a little adverse publicity would make TOT get the finger out.

Strangely, both yesterday and today, I have been able to access timesonline.co.uk.

I'm sure once it's fixed, we will get the usual full explanation, an effusive apology and an offer of compensation for the inconvenience caused.

Back in business at 15.06!

Me too - but, in a way, glad to know that it's not just me!

There's a decent seamstress in Jomtien Complex if that is near you. Assuming you know the area, it's in the corner shop unit to the left of the Two Donnas and Fantasy Bar, as you stand facing them. So one side of the shop is on the moo where Fantasy Bar is, and the other is on the moo heading east past L'Olivier's and the Hideaway Bar. (I hope that's fairly clear.) It used to be a gay place selling thongs and so on, called 'Vinegar' I think, but that may have changed. Anyway, there's a little old lady who hides away inside the shop, and she does cheap repairs. Just go inside and ask.

Thanks, Guderain. Indeed, that's only minutes away and I'll check it out.

I'm amazed at how I have passed all of those places regularly and didn't take note of them. I was in Tuk Com this morning - as I am frequently - and took notice, for the first time, of all the tailors and dressmakers slaving away over their sewing machines in the surrounding streets.

Reckon I need to open my eyes a bit more!

That could be handy too. Thanks, Easyride.

Anyone know where I can find one in the South Pattaya/ Jomtien area?

I used to go the lady with the sewing machine at the junction of Thepprasit and Thappraya Roads but she doesn't seem to be there anymore.

I don't want to know about Indian tailors - just need someone handy with a needle who will patch my pants!

I was going to ask about a 'dressmaker' but reckoned that would have people asking if I was into transvestism.

There is a lady who is set up on Soi Yamato who has taken up the legs of trousers for me good work and cheap, her hours seem to vary but you will see her sewing machine on your left as you walk from 2nd to Beach rd. PS I like the Sunnies look too.

Thanks Bob. That's useful to know.