Furioso

Two months ago here in Pattaya I decided I needed a Thai motorcycle licence. I went to 2 different agencies. The first one wouldn't quote me on the phone, so I went in and got the typical car salesman treatment. "Oh, it might take weeks, (even months!)to get an appointment by the end of this year..if you pay 20,000 baht we guarantee an earlier appointment". I quickly GTFO. The 2nd agency I went to was the total opposite. She told me straight up 4K Baht. I didn't want to pay that much but I really didn't want to do it myself I just wanted it done. 1. I texted her on a Tuesday, met her for at the DL Bureau on Wed w/requested documents. She made the appointments. 2. I went back to the DL Bureau on Sat for the safety course. I had to sit around for about 6-8 hours in a room next to the actual safety course, which was in Thai language. I met a couple of foreigners, ate lunch, had coffee, had to pay something like 500 baht at the end. NOT a horrible experience at all. 3. My 3rd and final trip to the DL Bureau was on Monday. My agent met me again. I took a reflex test, which took less than a minute. Then I took their computerized driving license test. 50 questions, needed 45 to pass. My Russian friend didn't pass but obv. english a 2nd language. I studied hard for 1 hour, passed the test no problem. Next I went outside, they had me drive a motorbike around a course, the important part was to drive on a straight line without swerving off, which I did no problem. Then I got my picture taken, waited for my license. My agent even drove me back home I paid the 4K Baht. All in all I texted her on a Tuesday, finished on a Monday. I have a copy of the online study guide if anyone needs it.

Is Miami the one with the unstable astroturf making it difficult to walk without stumbling a bit? It's okay but Jomtien Night Market seems to have expanded a bit and has much better food options. I have seen prices spike up a bit but nothing nearly as bad as what I've seen in Pattaya. For instance the new Bangladeshi Kebab guy raised his Kebab from 60-70baht, not bad. Plus, he's a lot friendlier than the other Kebab guy in the other row, who did jack his Kebab's up to 80 or 90 but due to the new competition lowered it back down. Signed, Jomtien Night Market Inspector.

I second that about Power Buy. I dropped by tonight and they had several Laptops that were 2,500, 3,000, and even 4,000 Baht discount.

Welp, I ended up going to Pattaya Beach to watch the fireworks. Just slightly off topic I moseyed through Soi 6 and looked at A LOT of bar girls. Man, all I see them do is eat and yell and most are fat. Then I go down to the beach and that crowd had hardly any fat girls..of course the girls were mostly with their husbands or boyfriends but them girls were so nice to look at after walking down the Soi I'll never walk down again. The firework show was fantastic, the best one I've ever seen..I really enjoyed the fire lamps, amazed nobody got torched. All in all it was a good time.

I went out last night everyplace was insanely packed, I yelled to my friend, who's lived here for many years, "if it's this crazy tonight, just think what tomorrow night's going to be like!" but he couldn't hear me because of all the loud music blaring. Tonight will probably go down as one of the busiest, craziest, most jammed pack New Years Eve ever.

My best suggestion is rent a bike if you have a license and drive to a bunch of Condo buildings, ask to see if there are any postings in the lobby, this might circumvent an agent which will save you $$$. There are many online maps that display the name of every single condo, very helpful. Check a few different condos every day, you'll find some good ones all on your own. Other suggestions: 1. No smaller than 45sqm. 2. No more than 20K a month. 3. Be wary of neighbors(trust me). 4. North Pattaya probably better than Central Pattaya(Beirut is probably better than Central Pattaya). Jomtien is fine but I don't think will meet your needs. 5 At least a couple of streets away from the beach.

I rented an Airbnb condo in Jomtien for 30 days. I was very quiet/discreet and it was cheaper than a hotel. Airbnb and Condo owner gave me good, quality service, the condo owner took care of my few needs right away. I did get one short, bad look from a resident, maybe he thought I was a one week stayer? I did all my communication through the Airbnb website. I did give the gals at the front desk a tip to show I appreciated them. I don't know if I would attempt a shorter stay than 30 days, maybe if by comparison a hotel was just too damn expensive. For short stays I do prefer Hotels even if they are more pricey because they offer so much more; bottled water, ice, quicker maintenance, free wi-fi, cleaner, maid service, free coffee/tea, 24 hour front desk, bar/restaurant. In short, I won't bash nor judge you. I will say that through many, many years of me making what seemed to be small violations of rules have led to much bigger consequences than I could have ever imagined. There is a fork in the road ahead, one fork will lead you to peace of mind and life fulfillment, the other fork is very dark, full of potholes & UXO's. I wish you the best of times on your upcoming vacation henrik2000. I truly do.

What the H? I can almost throw a rock and hit Rattanakorn, never knew it was there. Still, I'm going to comparison shop vs. Rhompo. Ngl for S&G I checked out the fruit/veg market outside Mikes Arcade in central Pattaya and they were about double Rhompo prices.

Yes you're right it's a Non O + 1 Year. It cost 25K for the Visa and 3K for the Bangkok Bank account. They took me to immigration, escorted me to the front of the line, took my picture and I was out of there in 1 minute. From beginning to end everything took about 2-3 hours. Manareet said once my 15 months runs out I can renew for 12 months for 12.5K. If I do 27 months here I estimate the cost comes down to 1.5K(40K Total)a month.

I estimate its still 3x cheaper here than western countries like the U.S. central pattaya is now a madhouse though, which isn't always a bad thing

I used Manereet Visa agency and I'm very happy with their service. I got the combo deal that gave me a 15-month Visa, accident insurance card, and Thai bank account.