JimTripper

So you spend your life indoors?

How would they tap in, run a wire from the actual meter, or could it be done from an external line somewhere outside the building?

I found the emotional honesty of Vietnam quite refreshing after living in Thailand. I don't necessarily want every person smiling at me, kissing arse or too helpful. It's pitiful and not natural. I did not get that vibe in Vietnam.

Are you happy breathing stale chemical treated air all day and night? A/c makes me feel like I'm at work in an office.

Walking the Gangway in a tight white uniform. All aboard! Tha plane! The plane! Mr. Rorke as Ricardo Monteblan in Corinthian Leather and Tattoo as the Midget in Fantasy Island. What riding that little guy could do when he was on his high horse. It was a class act, Cordoba.

If you're getting a bill from condo management you're not on goverment rate. There's no reason for them to bother doing that unless they are padding the rate. Unpadded bills from the utility company would arrive direct to your mailbox.

He was another one of those guys who needed to bring the country they are from (UK) with them. Likely ran the A/c constantly. There are also other things like thick comforters on the beds and fancy heavy European cookware, etc that don't fit into a Thai lifestyle very well. My guess is he also ate out every day at overpriced foreigner restaurants and never shopped at local markets or ate Thai food much.

I just got mine and it's 653 baht. The last bloke who lived here had bills averaging around 3,000-5,000 baht. All appliances and fixtures are the same.

That was the problem. One guy bought everything expecting people in the neighboring villas to pitch in later on (we lived in a small compound of 3 villas around a center pond), but nobody was clear on how much was actually to be spent or what the budget was. However, at the end people just disappeared. That's why that one guy was banging on people's doors later that night. He was too drunk to sort anything earlier. He got some money, but just token amounts not enough to cover everything. I think it cost around 20k baht or something like that.

Me and the neighbors had one when I lived in Chiang Mai years ago. Good turnout and nice outdoor venue. People came from all over town, maybe 40 people or so. Had a catered food spread, makeshirt bar for drinks and a Thai guy played guitar on a small stage. Neighbor got plastered and was banging on people's doors later that night wanting people to help pay for the party 😂 Have not been to one since. They don't seem very popular in Thailand among expats, or maybe my social network is not what it used to be. I could use a good outdoor keg party for something different then bars.

Extreme!

I like those glass soda bottles in Thailand that have been reused. Not recycled, but washed and reused. I can see the scrapes on the sides like seaglass. I think about all the prior customers who drank out of that bottle and how far it has traveled to get to me.

I think the Op is misinterpreting the silence or avoidance as a negative, when it's just disinterest. I just interpret it as disinterest. You never want to put off people however, especially if you're not interested or don't want further interaction. You are spot on then. The best thing to do is the common courtesy greeting and then walk if you don't want to take it further. Subsequent silence is not viewed negatively because the initial greeting was offered. That's probably my problem with the lobby staff/security. They don't get that greeting every time, misinterpret it as hostile or at least abnormal, then stare and act weird. If they get the hello each time it diffuses the interaction so there is no tension there. It's easier to just do the greeting then to worry about the staring.

They want loser drunks here, not smart sophisticated visitors. The tourist industry is setup to keep people transitory, drinking & fornicating. The alcohol sales bans are used to keep the locals peaceful.

3,700 sounds high. I think I could get a round trip ticket to Vietnam for that much. Maybe I will go say hello to Hanoi again. When I arrive I will have a nice strong coffee.

I agree with you about Centerpoint & Euro. I can't see anything wrong with the Pkcp concrete exterior though. All three buildings have 24/7 security, but not keycard type security. It's more like a guard at a desk and lock and key setup. I think you are just looking for a more modern newer building. Those look a bit newer but I see them as poor quality. I like solid older buildings as long as they are clean. If you are talking about the grungyness of the neighborhood, you are going to get that most anywhere in Central Pattaya. They don't have clean Bangkok type upscale areas here. Maybe you can look at LK Legend. It's in a grotty area though near Nirun, but I think the building itself is newer.

Pkcp is one of the best condo buildings in that area! What did you not like about the outside? Did you also checkout the Euro & Centerpoint buildings right behind Pkcp?

It probably depends on the particular officer 😂

Are you allowed to use an atm to get 20k baht then return a second time right away at the same crossing, or do you need to wait before trying again?

Sometimes I feel like Mr. Grinch in Pattaya. After the crowds of Chinese New Year I'm not looking forward to any more celebrations or revelry. Just quiet me time with no Thai people making noise, no fireworks, no "happy" rushing and bustling, just sweet silence and nothingness.

It's probably purely the agent you get that determines potential problems. I don't think where you are matters much. People do these reports of one crossing or another, but it's likely just chance unless they do some sort of special training at that location or the head guy is particularly stringent with the officers at that location or not.

9 hours in a minivan sounds like hell. I may reconsider and do a short flight out of Bkk instead.

Not entirely, you left out distraction. Your sales pitch is a distraction among many. Too many un-needed distractions leads to irritation because it takes energy and time to hear you out, analyze your offer and decided what to do with it.

Plus, an elevator is an enclosed tight space. We are talking people with their back to you, body odors, and potentially no security cameras. I would err on the side of caution, esp if it's male/female.

You left out why most guys are here.