henrik2000

Hi, thanks for more reminiscences!

Hi all, thanks for some very interesting, detailed re-views! Interesting to learn about the very dramatic change in a short time and about your personal involvement including ghosts, snakes and dust. If now anything more springs to mind, let's hear! One wonders if other backwaters may change as rapidly and dramatically as once-backwater Jomtien, for instance Na Jomtien and Bang Saray, both no mere fishing villages anymore by now, maybe even over the edge. One wonders if the change will also take place further away from Bangkok, also in coastal places that look now quaint, like Bang Saphan Yai (PKK). And if anything like that would happen on a place not on the beach.

Hi, thanks for some interesting observations so far. Agreed about the Thepprasit mess.

Hello, what changes did you notice in Jomtien (not Pattaya) since 2005 or so? When did influx of Russians become very noticeable? Which changes did that bring generally? Changes in beach etiquette? Attitudes of Thai locals? Business models going up, going down? Number of people milling streets and beaches? Amount of traffic, what kind of change? Property building? Changes relative to other beach resorts like Pattaya, Phuket etc? Changes in your desire to go there for a few hours, days, years - and why? Thanks for your experiences!

I just ordered a Bolt from Jomtien to Nam Rang Beach for 397. The driver confirmed, then messaged: "Very far, request 800." I declined, he cancelled. Got another car within 2 minutes and asked driver through car window again if 397 was ok. "Yes yes."

Hi all, I want to stress that I think the Pattaya area is very bad for bicycling. Still I am interested in that bicycling because of a sudden change of preferences and because the bicycle is unexpectedly still with me while in Jomtien after a long provincial sojourn. Around Pattaya, one cycles through a lot of wastelands and faceless urban sprawl, I didn't see one rice field and only one small sunflower field, and a lot of boring cassava. Then unavoidably one has to use the monster highway or other big highways. One is hemmed in by the sea, the monster highway and military areas where sometimes you don't know if they let you through or not. More than elsewhere, small roads are not connected but just exist as dead end stubs, so you're forced back onto big roads. Several times where the GPS app and the satellite pictures show ground floor crossings of the monster highway, those crossings were obviously very recently also blocked with new walls (steel, not concrete). So you have to bicycle a long way (perhaps in an unwanted direction) to find a crossing; you may have to bicycle the monster highway’s slow lane in the wrong direction (like many motorcycles); and in one case I felt forced to carry the bicycle up and down a high pedestrian bridge, to the entertainment of a gaggle of street sweepers. Then again, the dogs are especially chilled around Pattaya (exceptions apply). If you just want to move your legs for exercise, the Pattaya area has several smooth parcours mentioned by others in this thread, and maybe those are even better or more plentiful than elsewhere. But if you bicycle out to have some good view, funny encounters, backwaters experience, small town Thailand and reach some interesting destination, to lurk here and there, many other provinces are better.

Well, too bad, thanks for reporting your trials.

Hello, thanks also for the suggestion to bicycle to Bang Saray, which I did today, in spite of unavoidably using the super highway most of the time. I quite enjoyed loitering on the fishing piers, but I'd say it's being gentrified and might be the next Jomtien or Na Jomtien. I cycled on to Sattahip town, which to me seemed quirky and lively, with a well visited temple too. And there I didn't notice condominium high-rises (Del Mare, in Bang Saray….), massage shop clusters, hotels on piers, rude foreigners in muscle shirts or girlie bars (which Bang Saray all has). To my big surprise I found Sattahip quite sympathetic and after staying 4+ nights in backwaters like Taphan Hin, Khun Han, villages in Uttaradit and Nakhon Si Thammarat provinces, I could now well imagine a spell in Sattahip too, still have to research the live music scene there. Some stations today: Khanom Krok stall on hwy 3 next to Ban Amphoer school beach Bang Saray fishing and hotel piers Bang Saray Che Junction Market (lots of street food stalls, clean toilet and ample seating) Wat Khao Khanthamat nearby (pretty but empty) Wat Sattahip (less pretty, but busy) Puean Talay Restaurant (nice rambling wooden affair over the water, seafood and sailom in Sattahip 😋) And long planned as the final stop in the area was post-prandially a coffee shop out on the pier not far from, but outside Sattahip’s military zone, according to Open Street Map. And within eyesight of that coffee shop the army stopped me again (see my posts about not reaching Hat Nam Sai); after some moaning another uniformed guy pedalled along on a bicycle wreck and declared between chews on his gum that indeed I couldn't proceed the 100 m or so to that interesting coffee shop out on the pier. Well other rim talay coffee shops aren't in short supply there. I couldn't see myself bicycling back the direct route on the monster highway, so composed a route back to Jomtien on a lot of back roads which lengthened this one way trip to 45 km or so, but it was nice and peaceful. In Jomtien itself from the south to the center this time I used Second Road, not Beach Road, which is much faster at sunset, if not more scenic. Thanks again for another great suggestion which, combined with some subsequent research, made for a great day trip!

Oh cool question. No, I brought them from Europe as well as the Schwalbe AirPlus inner tubes and more. Compared to the original Asian tires I had one year ago, the Schwalbes saved me from about 95% of the punctures which is very well worth the effort. I used Schwalbe Mondial, and not the even more protective SmartGuard, because the Mondial can be folded very small. And now that I want to sell the bicycle, nobody considers the Mondial tires a great thing to have. Also my bicycle dealer confirmed that nobody is interested in single parts and their usefulness, but only in the overall look, so people don't think the Schwalbes are any better than any Asian tires. (While in Europe every single screw is discussed at infinitum.)

Thanks, good to know.

It's also a beach and a roundabout. Also tourism texts mention it. Hopefully the shooting range is not audible from the beach. Actually now I saw another review on G Maps for Nam Sai where a foreigner complained he wasn't allowed in even though he had had residency and paid local taxes for 6 years. Then again, other seemingly foreigners do review the place, just 2 months ago.

Thanks, noted.

I second that and had the same experience several times. One example not completely off topic: On Ao Manao military beach near Prachuap Khiri Khan town (I do go places), where anybody may dwell in daylight hours, an overseer told me I was not allowed to park my bicycle under the trees in the sandy Beach area. The bicycle should be on an out of sight parking lot. We discussed back and forth for a nervous 5 minutes. Suddenly he told me to lay my bicycle flat on the ground *behind* the tree and ran away. In the case at hand, the checkpoint for Nam Sai, the soldier was adamant, there was no way of naively sneaking in and I was not energetic enough to talk more into him (also there were other nice beaches nearby that were open to me). When I asked again later at the Nang Rong parking lot and the soldier said no again, I just didn't want to risk to cycle in the midday heat into the bush and then being sent away after I sweated it already. I do speak basic Thai and can say things like "Hat Nam Sai pai dai mai khrap?"

Thanks, i assume you came from the north on road 3126, that also leads to Curve beach and Nang Ram beach? About 2 km before those beaches there is a turn off to the left, signposted to Nam Sai beach as if anybody was invited. The turnoff yesterday had a huge, dark checkpoint built like some kind of A-Frame house over the road. There I was sent back. Or maybe you came from the south, which looks more complicated.

Hello, in Satthahip district I would like to go to Hat Yao beach and Nam Sai beach. I would also be interested in the built-up area with many piers just south of Hat Nam Sai (all beaches army controlled, but at least partly open for a fee). These beaches are about 40 km south from Pattaya and just a little bit south from the more well known beaches Nang Ram and Nang Rong. Nang Ram on map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/yv9tBcq71DLPdsdT6 Nam Sai on map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/R2sWxuxtU7389jds6 But while foreigners review Nam Sai on Google Maps, soldiers on the ground told me foreigners cannot go there: - This happened at the checkpoint on road 3126 leading to Nang Ram beach from the North, where the road to Nam Sai beach forks off - no passage for me (on bicycle). - At Nang Rong Beach, there is a back road into Nam Sai. At the main parking lot of Nang Rong beach I asked a soldier if I could cycle to Nam Sai, and he declined. But is it possible to enter these beaches from the south? Is a passport asked there? If Hat Yao and Nam Sai beaches are open to foreigners somehow, I would like to know your mode of transport to go there from Jomtien: - In theory I could go by bicycle (distance no problem, but roads from Jomtien leading there not agreeable), - songthaeow (how? reasonable?) - taxi app (Bolt, Grab 1way 410, 440 Baht, not sure if any driver in Jomtien would pick up the offer). - I'm quite against a rental car even if that would be cheaper than the taxi app. I would go on a weekday Monday to Friday. Thanks for your real life experience!

Hello, perhaps i (repeat tourist) would like to store a bicycle in Jomtien (preferred) or Pattaya for 1 to 2 years, for a fee. Are there any reasonable official offers for that? Or private offers? I see official storage offers for Pattaya that seem to charge more than 200 Baht per day or are just a document safe. Both is not feasible. I could take off the bicycle’s front wheel to make it more compact, and if need be, I could also take off handlebar and back wheel. Together with the bicycle I want to leave a small plastic bag with things like beach towel, beach mat, bicycle parts, small travel stuff. I would take pictures of everything that I leave with the keeper. I'm happy if everything is covered with plastic or other material, but I don't have that material. Right now I am in Jomtien and I could hand in the bicycle around February 10th, 2024. If a private person would store it for me, say in the garden shed, I would suggest this agreement: I pay upfront for storage until February 10, 2026 (longer time span would be nice, but perhaps too much to ask for) If i retrieve the bicycle after one year, not 2 years, the keeper may keep the money paid for the second year or best would be he returns the extra money or I may return the bicycle for another storage span after my holiday If I don't pick up the bicycle until the last day, February 10, 2026, the keeper can have the bicycle and things for himself, I have no more claim The keeper must be available by mail, line and or phone most days The bicycle must be available for pickup most days (certainly I will only need the bicycle in the cool season, next cool season 2024-25 or second next cool season, 2025-2026; certainly not in any April or July) The keeper is free to browse my stuff for any illegal or degradable content in my presence or when I'm away; I'm happy to present every single item upon handing it in If I return and the bicycle is damaged or gone, I don't know what to do or what to agree upon Are there reasonable official or private offers for this wish? Any ideas? Thanks! Backgrounds: My bicycle maybe worth only 3,000 or 5,000 Baht on the second hand market, but it has been modified considerably to my taste and for me personally it's worth much more, even if not for the general public. It seems difficult to sell. The alternative seems to be to dump it at Bali Hai pier (legal?). I have no hotel contact in Jomtien or Pattaya. Local friends have no space. Currently I stay in Jomtien in a friend's condo. He is not around and not reachable. The condo's laundry shop lady, who seems to know everything, suggested I wrap the bicycle in plastic and then lock it to a lamp post on the condo’s outdoor parking lot. I will certainly not do that, it's bad for me, for the bicycle and for the other inmates. She didn't have a suggestion for storage in the underground parking or elsewhere. Thanks!

Yes, but I like some people watching, have no parking problems with a bicycle and am not looking for deep relaxation necessarily. Beach pics above were taken at Nang Rong Beach near Nang Ram Beach on Saturday noon.

Hi all, thanks for some very good suggestions! From your suggestions, so far I did Day 1: Wat Yan and nearby attractions Day 2: Nang Ram Beach, Nang Rong Beach Other suggestions are still on the TDL, even if at Nang Rong Beach my front disc brake fell apart. Arriving at both destinations was very pleasant and I was quite stunned with the initial impressions, thankful for both suggestions, happy to be there and relax and just look and have a coffee with the scenery. Around Wat Yan it was nicely quaint and provincial as I like it, and the roads there indeed partly feel like a bicycle park. Other things there irked me to the bones, even if nothing new (see pic). Going there wasn't half as fun, either through the wastelands or down highways. I use a very bicycle-friendly OSM-based GPS app that finds smallest roads and field tracks and I fine-tune the route suggestions and consult the satellite pic; still if you think, “the road is the destination”, I guess the Pattaya hinterland is not ideal, at least not to the South. But I knew that, from taxi trips, car trips etc, and it was still good to arrive at the destinations proper, and it was nice to bicycle in early morning with the sea breeze in my hair. And at least, right next to the monstrous highway, the Kilometer 10 Market has khanom krok, a rarity in Chonburi (see pic; also found on Buakhao market). From Nang Ram Beach I also wanted to go to Hat Yao Beach and to Nam Sai beach: https://maps.app.goo.gl/YLRC3rz5x534XHdm9 But military wouldn't let me. On the official turn off from rd 3126 to Nam Sai Beach, a soldier told me in no uncertain terms that foreigners aren't allowed (I speak enough Thai for that). So I had to cycle into Nang Ram Beach, Nang Rong Beach, where on the map there is a back road into Nam Sai Beach and another soldier there told me again I wasn't wanted. And I forgot to bring my Kalashnikov. On the other hand, where a poster told me that I as a foreigner had to pay 50 THB entry fee, I was waved in with a shrug and no demand. They had short a discussion among themselves first, obviously for them a bicyclist was a totally new and strange encounter (just as for street dogs). Many foreigners review Hat Yao Beach and Nam Sai Beach on Google Maps. How did they get there? They don't even mention problems getting there. A general Google search didn't bring a solution. Also going to the Nang Ram area by bicycle seems to involve a lot of completely unavoidable very big roads (unlike to Wat Yan). Those big roads were not totally terrible in my experience, and there were comfortable slow lanes well usable, still it's noisy and ugly. I want to stress that I find most car drivers and even truck drivers quite considerate regarding bicyclists (ever tried India, Vietnam or Italy?). This is not true for downtown Pattaya and Jomtien, but for most other areas I cycled. Dangerous in my experience: Motorcycles using the highway in the wrong direction Young men and school kids on motorcycles Foreigners on motorcycles in holiday party spots Many motorcycles also have the indicator uselessly on, sometimes for kilometers and end.

Thanks, I just cycled there. Not sure how you mean it, but I found the distance easy to do, but the roads are perhaps not terribly dangerous, but utterly dull, noisy and ugly. It seems that for around 10 of 45 km you are forced to take the very big roads. More about it in my next post.

Thanks, sounds very interesting.

High Scuba and BBKo, thanks for really nice suggestions so far. I will look at them and maybe report back if\when I have been there. Thanks again!

Hello, would you recommend any day trips from Jomtien into real, down to earth Thailand to places that local Thais or maybe Thai tourists frequent? I could go by my sturdy own bicycle, Bolt\Grab taxi or bus. Have no car. Speak enough Thai to get around halfway. Travel time one way should not be more than 1 hour or so. I have looked at Chonburi town, but it seems too far from Jomtien, and attractions for me were not immediately obvious. Would love to go by bicycle and could start at 6:30 a.m., but no destination seems to offer a pleasant bicycle trip. Things I would enjoy: promenading in the park or on water’s edge casual dining (not upmarket) on water’s edge specialty food or coffee live music restaurants with lukthung\morlam or pleaua-chiwit (not rock) (transport back to Jomtien for instance by Bolt taxi must be guaranteed) real markets with fun snacks (not walking street dinner markets) maybe a nice beach, but no priority nice agriculture, especially young rice fields (not super monotonous) Not so interesting for me: museum (except if in fine old building) shopping malls, cute vintage stuff typical Thai downtowns highly industrialized dams girlie bars etc Nong Nooch (been there, terrible); water parks Any idea comes to mind? Thank you! Irrelevant background: I just spent two delightful months in small town Thailand with rental car and bicycle. Back in Jomtien, everything comes as a shock and the traffic and the driving styles seem murderous. I do have to stick it out in Jomtien for a little more, but a day trip into small town Thailand would be nice.

Thanks, interesting hint. It may be the case though that they are comparable with European values, which is my neck of the woods. I have to find out about it. I guess good bed sheets could only have competitive prices in Thailand if they are made right there.

... and explicitly excluded in OP.

Here are some specialist requests for - brand recommendations - shop recommendations in Pattaya or (preferred) Jomtien, even if Bangkok would be much better. Online ordering within Thailand is possible if useful. Bedsheets striped white in white In the hotels I enjoy the striped white in white bedsheets, and I would like to buy them in Thailand, if they are considerably cheaper and of good quality, especially 100% cotton, organic, and preferably Egyptian cotton. If Thailand bed sheets offer no big advantage over what you get in the west, I would prefer to buy later in the West, to keep my fly-home luggage smaller. Colours could be white and or totally undyed natural. Organic undyed\unbleached cotton very welcome. It could be packed ready to use or tailor-made. Actually, bespoke might be an advantage because the mattress at home is unusually high. I have 12 days before I fly back to the West. I would need: Fitted sheet (contour sheet, with rubber band) 200 x 160 x 25 cm (unusually *high* mattress) 2 pillow cases 40x80 cm cover duvet not necessarily Smart sandals, flip flops I believe Thai guys mostly wear closed shoes like sneakers or cotton tennis shoes, if they don't want to look completely casual, for example in restaurants, live music pubs or when out shopping (not to mention functions and office jobs). I also wear closed shoes sometimes, but I don't find them exactly convenient. I wonder if there is something like a half or ¾ closed sandal that looks not totally like poolside attire, adventurist or orthopedic, but slightly more smart and at least semi-acceptable in environments where Thai guys would wear closed shoes, like a restaurant. I would also like flip flops that look smarter and more fun than the usual job, but not clunky, childish or croc-ish. I used to have great ones from a small manufacturer in the Philippines. So here I ask you again for brand recommendations and for shop recommendations. Again, I would need a shop in Jomtien (preferred) or Pattaya, and I don't come to Bangkok. So far I have no better ideas than browsing the sports shops in Central mall, Pattaya.If the things are available for roughly the same price or a bit more in the West, I'd prefer to buy in the west. Online shopping within Thailand might not be an option with footwear and limited time. Thanks for your experience!