Norman

Good value but there's constant construction next to it so it may not be interesting unless you're deaf. If you're a big fan of Carrefour, it's right out the back. As I said in an earlier post, Vanaporn on the corner of Arunotai/Klang is the way to go as Carrefour is argueably the center of the city.

Chivas, I checked out the apartments behind Carrerfour called Nivan apartments. That is on the way in from the 3rd. road entrance. They were air con and fully furnished rooms with a small balcony for cooking or washing if you need it. It was 7,000 baht p/m last year + electric, might be worth checking out too.

Yes. Go to Shagwell Mansions on soi Arunotai and speak with John Nelmes (Australia). His wife Angela is the hotel manager. I believe he's qualified.

there is a gym opposite Tony's Disco on Wanking Street, not sure of the prices though.

There WAS a gym above Julie Hotel/Vientienne resto on WS but he has since moved to 3rd Rd south of Tai. The quality and AC is no better

Tony's gym is parallel to WS but is up on 3rd road as well. IMO this is Pats' top gym. Many fit Thai & Russian ladies train there which is incentive enough to get your ass over there.

Located 70km out of Pattaya, I'd like to hook up with any board members preferrably with a car so we can carpool. Here's the information. I'll collect names/tel. # if anyone PMs me and co-ordinate things.

http://www.thailand.com/travel/festival/fe...uffaloraces.htm

http://www.thailandgrandfestival.com/festival.asp?festID=363

http://www.thailandlife.com/buffalo.htm

With regards to Jomtien, I lived right there on Dongtan beach facing the police station for a few months. I'll warn you right now that if you're facing the beach, there are more parties on each night than you've got toes to count. The police won't be going around saying "shhhh!" or "hey fellas, can you keep it down, there's farrangs trying to sleep before 3am."

I would recommend Naklua. You can stay anywhere from soi 22 to 16 and feel like you're in Munich or go further North to the market area which boasts a really nice seaside park (a rarity in this town). If I didn't have such a dislike of driving on Naklua Rd., I would have moved to that area myself. Other option is to use Sukhumvit to get in/out.

My other suggestion is to get something out of town past Jomtien on the way to Sattahip. My friends are renting a swanky palace for 20k/month all included.

The options were hummus, pickles, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, various salads, etc.

I felt the hummus was delicious. I'll be back.

Thanks for the tip but the issue has been resolved.

A great little place on Pattaya Tai (South Pattaya Rd) I think it was between Soi Bukhao and 3rd Rd.....It is on the right side of road if looking towards the beach.......Fixed my Canon Video Camera which blew a tiny IC on a hot day....I Just put old sim in phone....Phone Number...038723527....They are very cluey, fast and cheap......I think they sent a guy on a motorbike to bangkok canon to get the part.....it was as big as half a matchhead.....cost around 1000B if I remember.....please tell me how you went.

Conclusion: I wrote Canon an email specifying my probs and they suggested I reset the settings to default. Then I closed and re-opened the LCD (the little screen) and *BING*, this worked! I feel like saying TIT but...

I agree with what you say. For almost each of the massage shops I've listed, almost all the girls are crap but there's one that stands out in each place and she's my favorite. It's absolutely true what you say though because I had to go through some aches and pains until I find the good ones. To each their own. Some guys like their balls sucked hard. That kills me! So there you go.

Most of the cheap foot massage places are just that...cheap price cheap service and aches and pains when you leave. Basically you usually get what you pay for.

First Foot Massage on 2nd Road charges 200 baht per hour for foot massage and the massage is excellent......the best in Patters in my humble opinion. Whats the slogan...`I`ve tried the rest now I go to the best`

As far as `happy endings are concerned Norman...it`s probably all in the mind`

4-Next to the Castle 3rd Road. 2 hours for 200 bt. For those wondering (Dave cough Dave), happy endings are available.

1-arunotai soi 5. try jit. noisy and has AC.

2-arunotai soi 2. quiet and has AC.

3-soi Xzyte in Paradise House. No AC but good massages.

4-Next to the Castle 3rd Road. 2 hours for 200 bt.

5-Blind massage on 3rd road, naklua soi 22, and Jomtien complex 130 baht.

6-Across from Carrefour has a few for 150 baht. There is a fishbowl selection option at one on the north side of Klang corner 3rd road in a green painted building. No stunners. 150 baht.

Please add any other cheap massage shops. Thanks.

I've noticed the dispensers but I didn't want to lug all those full bottles in the itty bitty basket on my bike. I'll leave 'em for the scavengers.

There are R.O. water machines all over Pattaya: 1 baht per litre: refill your empty bottles for 5-6 baht and the water tastes great!

If you really don't want your empty bottles; just stack them next to a bin; scavengers love them; they are worth 1-2 baht to them.

With your 5 years experience here, surely you could pass on a few cheap this or that tips of your own Dave. The point of the thread was to exchange tips until you hijacked it. hehe.

Not everyone here makes a killing selling alcohol every day and goes to dine at the Manhattan Steak House, Cheap draft beer is at Tops. Thanks for reminding me.

Cheap kebabs, cheap massages!!!

You'll be asking for the cheap charlie draft beer hangouts next.

I have'nt been to Manhattens yet, Have'nt you been either?

Its only a 10 minute walk for you.

ps

Any chance of removing my surname?

Happily retired. Bon appetit!

How long have you been running that 'little resto' now Norman?

I've got 2 large bags full of empty water bottles. I would prefer to recycle them or at the very least refill them. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Not everyone here makes a killing selling alcohol every day. Cheap draft beer is at Tops. Thanks for reminding me.

Cheap kebabs, cheap massages!!!

You'll be asking for the cheap charlie draft beer hangouts next.

1-arunotai soi 5. try jit. noisy and has AC.

2-arunotai soi 2. quiet and has AC.

3-soi Xzyte in Paradise House. No AC but good massages.

4-Next to the Castle 3rd Road. 2 hours for 200 bt.

5-Blind massage on 3rd road, naklua soi 22, and Jomtien complex 130 baht.

6-Across from Carrefour has a few for 150 baht. There is a fishbowl selection option at one on the north side of Klang corner 3rd road in a green painted building. No stunners. 150 baht.

Please add any other cheap massage shops. Thanks.

The most overlooked hotel in Pattaya is The Julie Complex Hotel on Walking Street. The hotel is on a pier so don't accidentally drop anything out your window or it floats away. A truly memorable experience for under 900 bt/night. Above Vientienne resto corner soi 16.

I bought a Canon Powershot A410 (great cheap camera) just a year ago and now there's white stripes visible on the viewer and on the pics themselves. Where could I get this repaired as Canon has no known service centers in Pats. Thanks.

I don't know the name but next to Stereo bar on soi buakow/soi LK, there's a resto selling chicken kebabs for 30 baht with a "how would you like that dressed sir?" salad bar. today i had 2. most places around town selling kebabs charge 50-60 baht. when you consider a foot long sandwhich as subway is about 200 baht, this is a great deal plus you can do some fantastic babe watching from your seat. eat and ogle the women: my 2 favorite activities.

brave men unclogging the arunotai drains.

quote: For anything greater than Baht 10,000 they would need a calculator

did you forget the 20k max. overstay charge?

if you only have 1 night in bkk, may i suggest the woraburi hotel on suk. soi 4. good quality for low price. look it up.

also, my friend stays at the rex hotel near ekamai which is convenient. look online for some details for both. the woraburi has a free shuttle (large tuk tuk) pick up service from the nana hotel. make sure you take their tel. #.

directly across from the front entrance of carrefour is the brand new vanaporn apartments on arunotai. they have wifi and a monthly starts at 7k + water/elec. the only complaint from me is no secured motorbike parking if that applies to you. do NOT stay at nirun or shagwell mansions. I didn't feel like chiming in on the nirun thread but the place really stinks and the rooms are closets. there's many thais and animals all over the place and neither can keep quiet for any length of time. my friend at nirun has a king sized bed and one can hardly walk around the room. the bed IS the room. try vanaporn as you won't have to conquer soi arunotai each time you leave your apartment. arunotai is dangerous at night IMO. at one point, young thai <deleted> were laying down planks of wood with nails to puncture the tires of passing bikes. it would flip the poor unsuspecting driver over the steering injuring him and then they would rob him! this has been stopped. then there's the elementary school which causes traffic mayhem and noise. there's also a horrible cover band that practices for 2 hours every day after class lets out. they are horrible and loud (TIT). the singer has to be shot. they rehearse the song "zombie" by the cranberries about 11 times a day. thais singing about 1916. funny.

there's a mob of taxi drivers on arunotai at the corner of the shagwell mansions (do NOT stay there either!!!). they are constantly shouting TAXI. HEY TAXI!! and clapping their hands to get anyone's attention. the muddy field next to the shagwell has been turned into a market. the traffic is insane now. arunotai is a very narrow soi so walking is to be done with caution. there are just some of my very verifiable reasons why you shouldn't stay too deep on arunotai. if you want to be close to carrefour, vanaporn is your best bet. anyone may pm me if you have questions. cheers.

just to add, i saw city trucks unclogging loads of shit out of the drains on arunotai today. it really becomes lake arunotai every night we get rain. arunotai has a 7-11 which is convenient.

This is what my lawyer friend said:

From a legal standpoint the police cant do anything as prostitution is

illegal so they can hardly take the side of the girl and arrest because

didnt pay enough money (ilegal to receive from prostitution not

ilegal

to pay)

From another point of view police do not just turn up at peoples

houses at midnight demanding money, so either seriously pissed this girl off for whatever reason.

If you got taken down the police station the police can hold you

legally for

72 hours then after that they either have to charge you and give you

police

bail or apply to the court for a further week to hold you while they

continue their enquiries, either way not a pleasant situation to be

in.

OK I think you keyboard warriors would buckle and pay any amount the coppers asked. Irrespective of contracts or agreements (written or verbal), I would doubt you would attempt to talk it out at the police station at midnight or later all by your lonesome if no other choice presented itself. The choice is to pay or expect the unknown at the station. Most, including YOU, would pay on the spot.