syd barrett

One girly bar where you will not be hasseled is Wonderful bar 2 on 2nd road .They also have live music and cheap beer prices .

2nd Road is a long road. Where is the Wonderful Bar?

Well no one is listening to me... the 0844 number I gave in full will do the trick for 1p a minute - make it as complicated as you like

That's what I use from the landline at home but I can't see it being 1p a minute using a mobile.

Thats because it isnt its a s said above its 1 p a mninute + your service providers charge, 15p upwards a minute approx. I just tried the T Mobile number that wa s worse cost me 25p just to cal T Mobile before connection call lasted 30 seconds. Im on virgin PAYG and I know they use T Mobiles network.

Virgins website states this . So it will be this a minute + the 1p best price will be 16p a minute on PAYg with them.

National toll rate numbers (0870, 0871, 0844)4,6 15p per minute

Vodaphone Pay-as-you-go offers calls to a Thailand landline for 5p per minute and mobile for 15p per minute. You won't find better on Pay-as-you-go in the U.K.

By the way : What are the prices at " The Smugglers Bar " please ?

Small Chang 45 baht so not as good as Tee Rak bar.

For a hassle free evening why not pop along to the bar a couple of doors away from The Buffalo Bar. It's called 'The Castle'. Definately not clicky in there. Nicely decorated, although the furniture is a little uncomfortable.

Thanks for that tip. I'll pop in for beer tomorrow and check the place out.

I've not been there for years. When I first came to Pattaya a so-called 'wise guy' told be the place was a hidden gem on Third Road, that only Pattaya regulars knew about. (In those days, I was hanging around soi 7 & 8 ). So one day I made the big effort and went to see for myself.

I was puzzled and asked 'wise guy' what was so good about the place, the only vague answer I got was that it was clicky and that there were short-time rooms available. Big Deal!

I'm willing to give it another go, if anyone has any good recent reports.

Tee Rak Bar, Soi Bukhaow, first big turning point coming from Pattaya Klang in front of "Air Con Apartments",Ayutthaya Bank, nice sittings, good prices ( 35 Thb small Leo), caring staff, area where a lot of "working girls" have their sojourn.

Do they DO 'small Leos' ? I'll check the place out walking down from 'The Smugglers' bar.

On the face of it, it looks like free phone calls from a UK landline to a Thai landline or mobile.

But what happens AFTER the 10 minute call?

Do you have to re-register with a new email address and password?

I have been passing by the food and drinks bar just outside the Villa Market Supermarket for a while now. What are your experiences of the food served there? I see that they sell draught beer, how much is it and does it taste any good? Do they sell bottled beers as well?

What do you think of the place?

There is more information in this newspaper report: See link below:

It seems the British government wouldn't do this unless there was money to be had or saved.

1. Tax status ie non-domiciled

2. Tax status ie. Non-resident

3. Benefits cheats

I think national security reasons is a red herring.

Big Brother Britain

I totally agree.

I wonder if this will stray into the realm of 'habitual residency' for people returning to the UK and trying to claim a whole range of benefits including child benefit, tax credits, etc.

Habitual residency tests are easily met by stating on the habitual residency form: 'That you wish to return to the U.K. for good'. Whether or not you change your mind later is upto you and you will get benefits immediately.

This has been tested in the high courts.

In the bad old days, if you arrived back into the U.K. flat broke you were not entitled to any benefits at all for six months and had to kip on a park bench. I had a few mates who returned back to the U.K. flat broke after failed bars and failed Thai relationships and lived as vagrants for six months.

There is more information in this newspaper report: See link below:

It seems the British government wouldn't do this unless there was money to be had or saved.

1. Tax status ie non-domiciled

2. Tax status ie. Non-resident

3. Benefits cheats

I think national security reasons is a red herring.

Big Brother Britain

I was there today and all the food restaurants on the upper floors were full. The queue outside Sizzler was ridiculous. Remind me someone, can you revisit the salad bar as many times as you want? What do you actually pay for?

The Shabushi place is basically an all you can eat for 270 baht in 1 hour and fifteen minutes. I looked through the window and saw some right greedy b'stards. One Oriental bloke as fat as a Sumo looked like he was in sort of eating competition, grabbing at plates rolling past.

It was great entertainment watching at the big glass window. I'll take my camera tomorrow and grab some 'greedy shots'.

I've not actually tried myself, but several British mates have brought different types of sausages from the new Central Supermarket and all have reported them to be very good and tasty, Cumberland variety gets the biggest thumbs up from all so far.

Thanks for the heads-up. I will check that new supermarket out tomorrow and report back a 'sausage report.'

RHINO

IT City/Tutcom, 4th (might be 5th) floor

-Cheaper, @ 120 baht/per movie

...

-AND, they have a punch card w/a free one after 10 purchased...

Hi,

I do not understand these prices...

In most shops of Tukcom floor 4

price is 100 baht/DVD,

or 6 DVD for 500 baht.

Why pay more at Tukcom ?

There seems to be some real confusion here. When I started this thread I meant it to be a thread about genuine, ie. NOT copied DVD's.

I know that you can buy cheap DVD copies in Tuk Com, everyone does, but they vary in quality. I have bought some copies that are useless, some that have been faulty half way through (very annoying) and some that were O.K. then six months later don't play and seem to jump or stop.

If you just plan on watching a movie once, like an action movie, they are great. But if you are a serious movie-buff who has an extensive library of classic movies, then copies are worthless.

Any stores in Pattaya selling original movies of note is good information. Thanks.

Hello All.

My wife has a pay as you go phone in the uk and we are looking for the cheapest way to phone thailand by this means. My friend says that this is an expensive way but we dont have a home phone at present as we are in the middle of moving house. Any answers will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Slippery

I hope your wife has a Vodaphone Pay-as-you-go SIM card. Calling Thailand is 5p per minute landline and 15p per minute mobile. Minimum charge 20p.

Normal UK numbers cost 20p per minute, so it is actually cheaper to call Thailand.

Nice report.

How far in advance did you book Cebu Pacific air tickets? Did you book them online? Was the plane from BKK full?

How about the Gideons? They often want people to put their bibles into hotel rooms.

I made a purchase of boursin cheese today at TOPS supermarket (Pattaya Klang). The first time that I have seen it for sale in Thailand.

I love most cheese (knob-cheese being the exception).

Happy to hear it. The bacteria in cheese are quite different than those found beneath your prepuce.

Has anyone ever managed to find Wensleydale?

Tried many and by far the best IMHO is the Sportsman on soi 13.

I agree 'The Sportsman' offers a good breakfast, but the breakfast is badly let down by the inferior quality of the sausage. Top marks for the 'Bubble & Squeak' though!

There are so many beatings of farang and indeed murders of farang that deliberately go unreported. Not that long ago a woman was knocked over and killed by a hit and run joyrider on Third Road and it was unreported.

A friend of mine was burgled and beaten very badly by four Thai men in the early hours. He lived but it was not reported. He went back to the U.K. for better treatment and died of a blood clot aged 47.

It is very dangerous here. But my biggest problem is not with the violence, it is the way everything is covered up and not reported.

There was a series of three beatings of elderley men in Jomtien late at night in secluded spots. Only one was reported (November 2008). He was stabbed badly, but lost his nerve completely and returned back home, leaving his Thai wife here.

I made a purchase of boursin cheese today at TOPS supermarket (Pattaya Klang). The first time that I have seen it for sale in Thailand.

New places need support but many can be bad. Finding a new place that is good makes you want to keep going back for you do not want it to close.

There is a place called "The Cafe" off Soi Boukouw, a soi on the left as you come in from Pattaya Klung.

Yes, highly recommended, thanks for the heads-up!

Jimmy Mack's Soi 6

Good Bacon, good banger & good cuppa splodge!

Then, straight into the King Kong Bar to curl one out.

Happy days.

I'll check this place out.

Thanks for the heads-up. The bacon sounds really good and in an ideal location as well.

I got food poisoning from a sea food pizza 2 weeks ago in Patts.All beware.I wont mention the establishment.

EPG.

How can we beware when you don't name the establishment?

Are you suggesting that people give up eating seafood pizzas everywhere?

Come on expatgaz, where did you buy that seafood pizza?

HB. What about frozen prawns that have been ready cooked and pasturised?

Thanks for the directions, have you bought any produce there and was it any good?

When I lived near there I was a regular customer - both eat in and take-away. Nver a problem, always good, always obliging.

This morning I was walking back to Suksabai Villa when I passed the Soi 17 market near Liberty Mansion. A Thai lady there was selling grilled sausages - fat, English-type sausages. Not bad, but Thai style - strong-tasting. She is there daily - 10 baht for each cooked sausage, with a bit of raw cabbage added. Worth sampling a couple.

She is next to the guy with the proper BBQ with metal chimney who sells pork scratchings and crackling.

Thanks for the heads-up HB. I will check out these Thai ladies sausages tomorrow.

I might be better to give Mr Tomb a miss.

There are buses that leave the airport going to Soi Chayaerpreauk in Jomtien. (Not Bell Buses) (Another company) 150 baht with a free bun.