disforkid

I'm thinking bout getting cable TV for my house in north Pattaya, from what I understand there are 2 companies Sophon Cable TV and Banglamung Cable TV covering the Pattaya area. I have looked at both their websites http://www.pattayacabletv.com/ and http://www.pattayabtv.com/ and cant get much info from them as they are both in Thai and my Thai reading skills are pretty basic. (Sophon's home page has a dual language button - but it seems like the 'eng' link is broken?)

Does anyone have any recommendations on which company is better on both service and content also how much the service might cost, as I said I'm in a house not an apartment complex - which I believe affects the cost?

Also please don't post anything about UBC satellite services, I used to have UBC and I'm just checking in to the alternatives.

Thanks.

Hi

Since i had accumulated some 300.000 kilometers practice on motorized two-wheelers (anything from 50cc 25 KM/h to 900cc turbocharged 270 KM/h) before sitting behind the wheel of a CAR for the first time, i can say that i have never been scared of the typical thai road behaviour.

The way i ride my RXZ (which is a not-too-small 135cc two-stroke bike with "real tank" etc that is capable of getting to speed if i wish) here is as follows:

1) TWO mirrors available - short enough to enable me to "snake" thru traffic jams without having to fold them but still enabling me to see what's behind me.

2) ALL lights and other systems of my bike in 100% working order, PARTICULAR brake light, horn and indicators (in that order!)

3) Always "going with the flow" - if the traffic moves at 90 KM/h, so do i. If the traffic moves at 60, so do i. If the traffic does 120, then so do i!

4) Paying attention to BUSES. They don't give a sh!t for anyone else and specially not for motorbikes. If i get beside one - GAS and PASS as quickly as possible.

5) Paying attention to PEDESTRIANS - people often step onto the (otherwise empty) road when a motorbike approaches, usually concentrating on their cell phone conversation.

6) Using the RIGHT lane of the (multi-lane) road if i can see far enough ahead to make sure there's no cops waiting for me. The right lane usually has less potholes and enables a safer ride. Problem is - cops know that too and regularly hold up motorbikes doing it (it's against the law, the LEFT lane is to be used by motorbikes).

7) ALWAYS keeping a distance between ME and the car in front - and DEFENDING that distance against "squeeze-in'ers" by riding in the MIDDLE of my lane. Important as many cars here have no functioning brake lights (particular taxis for which "maintenance" is an alien word).

8) NEVER be shy to use the HORN, and make sure to have a LOUD one too! It reminds TV-watching or cell phone yakking car drivers that they are NOT alone on the road.

9) NEVER show RESPECT for any expensive or new cars. Once when a FERRARI almost had me run into it by cutting out of a soi in front of me without looking (on the phone of course!) i stopped right beside him at the next traffic light and told him in very clear words what i thought about his driving style. And i got an apology! Being a billionnaire does NOT make them better drivers, and they need to be told so!

10) Keep 100-Baht notes ready. Cops will ALWAYS stop motorbikes for little things like driving on the right lane, using an overpass forbidden for bikes or using the Bangna-Trat road (where no signs whatsoever showed it's forbidden for bikes! Such signs have only been put there a few weeks ago!) Even having the passenger's foot pegs down when no passenger is present is apparently illegal, as is wearing slippers/sandals (!) The cops will normally take a 100 Baht in their pocket and let you go. If you have no 100 Baht note, it'll get you a ticket, an hour of wasted time at the cop shop and 200-400 Baht for the actual fine.

11) (had to add this one due to a recent happening) Use a full-face helmet, they offer MUCH better protection! But if you ride a smaller bike, you will not need a 20.000 Baht helmet! An "Index" is just fine. I had mine STOLEN recently - in front of Udomsuk Post Office, my Index hanging on the steering bar, my boyfriend's on the seat, me standing there waiting for my boyfriend to mail a parcel. Motorbike in front of me wants to get out, i had to move mine a little - my boyfriend's helmet fell down and rolled onto the street. I had to catch it, took me 10 seconds with my back to the bike - when i turned around, the bike in front of me just took off - and my Index was gone! Lucky it was a 1.000 Baht one that i could replace half an hour later at Carrefour......

So far i have done little over 25.000 Kilometers on the bike in Bangkok without as much as a scratch to it (or me).

Best regards.....

Thanh

Great post!

Thanks, I'll head up to the Pattaya Klang bus stop later and see if I can find out frequency etc...

cheers cali good info - are the buses a/c?

Hi There,

Does anyone know the best (and cheapest!!) way for me to get from Patters to Trat, I've heard there is a public bus that you can pick up on Sukumvit road, if so where and what time? If this isn't the best way does any one know of any alternative/s?

Cheers!

PS planning to leave early tomorrow morning if possible.

I always use my Thai driving licence, even when I fly on Air Asia from BKK to Chiang Mai no need for a passport at all..If you are hold a valid WP you can enter all national parks etc.. at the Thai price BUT as always it just depends on the guy running the show for that park - some are just greedy as***les!

<br />Which company makes the highest quality, full-face motorcycle helmet readily available in Thailand.<br /><br />I say readily available because I'm not in BKK, and hope to be able to purchase it here in Krabi.<br /><br />Any and all info is greatly appreciated---make, model, price, etc...<br /><br />Thanks.<br />

Hi up country this post has been well replied to, but you just wont find a good lid in Krabi maybe in Phuket in one of the larger imported bike shops but you'll probably have to get one from BKK it's the only place you see good lids in Thailand and as a previous poster suggested the best place is Red Barron - directions to their shop are on their website.

I'm a long term BKK resident but have just moved to Pattaya (for work - honest!) I've been learning spoken Thai for a number of years and learning to read and write for about a year. I went to tried various schools in BKK but had the most success with AAA in Chitlom who use a union developed curriculum - I was wandering if anyone knows of a school in Pattaya that uses a union based cirriculum or infact is any good at all, as the schools I have looked at so far all seem a bit second rate.

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she very calmly and politely explained that I had not been asking for sun protection cream but pussy protection cream…oops!

<br /><br />To be more specific, 'anti-clitoris cream', i.e. cream to protect you from clitorises (clitorii?).<br />

Meadish thanks for for the clarification but is dtairt the slang/swearword for a clitoris if is there a more polite term - not that I'm planning to use it in everyday conversation but would like to know!!!

For those of you who know and have mixed these words up you soon understand my pain 2 posters have already touched on it.

When I first started to learn Thai I thought I was the muts nuts – I could chat to all the locals order drinks, chat to my mates on the phone unfortunately now seven years later I realise how absolutely appalling my Thai must have been, as and old friend of mine put it the other day (he finally feels comfortable to say this now!!) for the first 2 years we knew you, we loved to hear you speak Thai - but we couldn’t understand a word!

He had a point but he was wrong too, I could speak very clearly when I wanted too, especially in the Pharmacy. I hate getting sun burnt and I know the ladies over here go crazy for the pasty look, so I always use plenty of sun block when I’m out and about. So I’d always go into Pharmacies and ask for kream gan dtaird (lit. sun protection cream) but all that would happen is the old Chinese’s pharmacy ladies would chase me out of the shop shouting at the top of their voices and if there was a young female working in a pharmacy she would look at me like I was a complete loon or went bright red and ran off giggling with all the other girls and if there was a male pharmacists he would laugh so hard he couldn’t even serve me.

Man I thought Thai pharmacies were strange places this went on for about a year until a female shop assistant took pity on me and explained that my pronunciation was not correct and I should be saying daird not dtaird, I asked her what was the difference, they sounded pretty similar to me, and she very calmly and politely explained that I had not been asking for sun protection cream but pussy protection cream…oops!

Hi people,

I have just moved here from Bangkok and I can't for the life of me find a decent garden centre in Pattaya, I'm proabaly just being blind and have driven past one about five times but just havn't noticed it yet - can anyone help?!!please!!

sign me up plus one please!

Cheers guys - I'll have a look when I arrive.

I'm coming to Pattaya next week, I'm long term BKK resident but I know nothing about Pattaya so was just wondering if anyone can recommend a cheapish Hotel/GH in or around Pattaya (Jontiem or Naklua or fine too as will have own transport) any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks for the help everyone - digitalchromakey could you please post a URL for the required company paperwork listed on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website? It would much appreciated, cheers!

Has anyone out there with a valid three month work permit, tried to apply for a 12 month multi entry Non B in Penang recently? If so what were the results as I've been hearing mixed results...as always! Any comments will be much appreciated!

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I personally cannot understand why a 1-year visa extension application does not require proof of ability to (at least), speak passable Thai. After all, a visa extension application implies that one wishes to remain in Thailand for a reasonable length of time. Integration into Thai society, (if that's what we 'farang' should be doing) - implies knowledge of the local language and culture.

<br /><br />No, a VISA extension doesn't indicate that someone wants to integrate themselfs, it's just a wish to remain in place longer, be it for family or job. An expat relocated here to guide a regional office for 2 years shouldn't be demanded to learn the language to get his VISA since it has no true bearing on his job. If it had, he would already handle this with the company he is employed by.<br />

<br /><br />....and don't forget that a lot of Thais don't want or like farangs speaking THEIR language!<br /><br />

Revealing your ignorance.....Opps Me thinks someone spends too much time in girly bars/crappy tourist areas as thats the only time you will hear a Thai person say that they don't want to hear foreigners speaking Thai. And the only reason they don't like it is because if you speak Thai well enough you know the 'Thai way' and they can't rip you off!

I have lived and worked in many places in Thailand and outside of girly bars/crappy tourist ares you only get positive responses from Thai people if you can speak Thai - and in fact most of the time they well moan about laugh about farangs who have lived here for years and can't speak a word of Thai (especially BKK taxi drivers!) it makes no sense to them - this after all is Thailand, and if you can't speak Thai after living here for more than a couple of years you should be down right ashamed of yourself - thats pathetic!

Watched the simpsons movie last night, here in BKK at Century the Movie plaza - so i think you'll find they are showing the Simpsons Movie in thailand - where do people get thier information from???????

Thanks guys!

I have a 1 year multiple Non-B visa issued in the UK, I want to make sure that I get my 'bounus' 3 months from the visa by renewing it just before it runs out.

But I'm not sure exactly when that is. Is it taken from the date that I first arrived in the Kingdom on the visa or is it the date the visa is valid till?

Any help with this will be much appriciated!