jetjock

I have spent equal time visiting Hua Hin and Pattaya but am not an expert as I have not lived in either city. I have not decided yet which place I would prefer to live because they both have pros and cons but have noticed the following differences based on my limited experiences in these cities.

Hua Hin is much cleaner and the ocean in less polluted. (I will swim at the beaches in HH but not in Pattaya.)

Pattaya has many more activities and things to do for farangs than HH.

Real estate in Hua Hin is more expensive than Pattaya.

Pattaya is closer to Bangkok than HH which could be an advantage to certain people.

Pattaya is closer to the new airport than HH

Many-many more girls in Pattaya than HH

It appears that closer attention is focused on keeping things clean and orderly in HH than in Pattaya (probably because of the King and Queen residing there.)

HH seems to be a big destination for many Scandanavians whereas Pattaya seems to be the big destination of the English and Germans. (being an American, I do not know which is better so will let you Euro's decide that one !

I am sure that there are many more major differences between these cities that other forum posters can contribute.

Anyone interested in aviation that would like to see a video clip of an Israeli Air Force pilot landing an F-15 safely with only one wing after a mid-air collision-go to the following link: [http://www.whoisthemonkey.com/videos/31f15-flying-with-1-wing]

It is really amazing example of how tough an aircraft can be in survival mode ( A lot of luck also helps !! .

High speed tape (looks like shiny aluminum foil) is to airplanes what duct tape is to cars--it will fix several problems temporarily !! But if it doesn't-enjoy the ride down !

Anybody can tell me a place in BKK that sells men’s shoes? (size 13 in the USA

Good question. I am also a size 13 and in the many years I have been traveling back and forth to Thailand, I have always guarded my running shoes like I guard my wallet (fortunately the BG's are only interested in my wallet ). Guess I have been doing the right thing as I had a feeling if I lost them I would be s**t out of luck . I will keep watching this topic in case someone comes up with a definite place so maybe someday I can relax and quit putting my running shoes in the safe every night !

Im trying to understand how things work in thailand and more about thai girls. It seems that many girls i Thailand are looking for a farang relationship. Im thinking why would they do this unless it was for some economical reason. Does this mean that they are just on the lookout for a better more comfortable life (which is understandable)...

I think it all boils down to the fact that regardless of country, culture, or socio-economic backround, some girls have good hearts and some have black hearts. It may be that it is a little more difficult to tell which is which in Thailand but it is basically same-same wherever you go in the world. The trick is to find out about her heart before investing too much of your heart and money !

As most of us know, Thailand has many wonderful and beautiful woman..I think that the trick is to have a lot of fun but proceed with caution.........

Hi everyone,

I recently discovered this forum so signed on about a week ago. This is a terrific forum and I really enjoy reading all the valuable (and some not so valuable) information. I have made 2 posts so far and have received informative replies in answer to my questions. I have been coming to Thailand for many years and I think it is a unique and wonderful place, so when I am at home in California and Hawaii, I find that reading the forum brings me closer to being there.

I have been flying airplanes, traveling the world, and chasing woman for the past 40 years so these are the only areas in which I have a small degree of expertise. I am sure that by reading this forum, the many wise members will expand my horizons !

I am married to a wonderful and beautiful Thai woman so my chasing days are over. She has told me that I can have a 'mia noi', but if I do, she will have to "cut it off and tie it to a helium baloon and I can wave bye bye to it !"

We come to Thailand 2 or 3 times a year and usually spend 4-8 weeks there each time. I was also considering buying a house there but reading the forum has caused me to reconsider so I am now back in the rent versus buy conundrum.

I think the forum is great and the members have a great sense of humor so I am looking forward to reading all the great forum topics and perhaps occasionally making a slight contribution.

Cheers to all.........

Thanks to all for the information about taxi to Pattaya. Does anyone know the approximate taxi fare and time enroute in light traffic from the new airport to Sukhumvit in Bangkok ?

Is the taxi procedure at the new airport about the same as Don Muang? Is there a taxi stand at outside International arrivals where we can get a metered taxi to BKK or Pattaya ? What is the approximate fare including airport surcharge to Sukhumvit area and what would approximate time be with light traffic? How about fare and time to Pattaya??

The answer my question is probably already somewhere is this forum but was unable to search it out so would appreciate any help as I will be arriving in about 10 days ...Thanks

Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and need some advice on what type of visa would probably work best and be the least hassle for me in the long run. As for my backround, I live in Califonia and Hawaii and am a US citizen, over 50 years old, can easily meet the financial requirements of any type of visa and have been coming to Thailand off and on for the past 10 years. In the past, I have always come over on the automatic 30 day visa and if I decided to stay an extra month, I just made a border run for extension.

My circumstances have changed since my last trip earlier this year as I married a Thai girl and she is now here with me in the US and she has already obtained her green card. Now that we are married, we will be making two or three trips to Thailand every year and will stay there between 1 to 3 months (max) on each trip.

I am not sure if I understand all the ins and outs of the different types of visa. Some questions I have are: If I get a retirement visa, does this mean I can only make one entry on the visa or are there multiple entry retirement visas available to US citizens ? Now that I am married to a Thai citizen, is there any type of visa available to me that would work better for me than a retirement visa for multiple entries in the course of a year.

Many thank for any help I can get on this question. I am aware of the change in the border run policy which will be taking effect and I realize things are subject to change with the current political situation and I will be coming to Thailand again in about 2 weeks so any help I can get on this matter will be greatly appreciated .