paul1970

Last week I went to this restaurant with my wife and her brother and his boyfriend. The service was good but the next morning we all suffered very bad food poisoning and my wife spent 3 nights in hospital.

It seems there was something wrong with the fish as we all had seafood.

Have other members suffered at this place recently?

Is Amor the restaurant just off Soi 13/4 going into the Boyzone area?

The unfortunate thing about eating in any restaurant in Thailand is that any staff who have diaorrhea are unlikely to call in sick and the chances of food poisoining by somebody with diaorrhea is very high. Of course the other thing is Thai people seem to have diaorrhea a lot more often than they should. It amazes me the amount of falang that I see eating the street vendors food and are then suprised when they get sicK !!!!! Tw*ts.

I used to work for the NHS in the UK and the hospital staff there where forced to stay away from work for 2 weeks after having diaorrhea as well as the time off while you had it and this was for all staff not just nursing staff and doctors.

Believe you me I've eaten at "the best" in Pattaya and if that's what you think is "best" - get a life!

however..there ARE good places to eat in Pattaya, but pizza is not on tghe menu....why? Because they know what they can cook

I'm with you there is nothing that I've experienced in Pattaya that I could class up with the best. I'd like tp know the good places to eat though.

Yes Wilco keep believing that you are the food expert and everyone elses opinion is bull-shit.

Btw they do have great wines, they do have some really good chefs and they do have real Parmaham.

Give us a break... You give me a brake.

I have nothing to do with others..

If i like the place i like the place.

Everybody please dont go there because Wilco doesn't like so no one will!!

yes..just the kind of reply I would expect.

most of the people I see around Pattaya restaurants who think that food is great are the kind that drink and smoke so much that they wouldn't know a dog turd if it was plopped in their mouth....the rest just haven't eaten good food.

Yeah Wilco you are right..

Man i know some great places to eat in Pattaya.

And i'm not the only one there are a lot of foreigners who know great places to go.

Maybe you should stop going to these cheap restaurants and find some real restaurants like Mantra, Dusit..

And i can make a list of at least 50 places where you can get delicious food.

But you are right.

Keep believing it.

I have eaten at most places in Pattaya and in general I find the food here dissapointing so I would really like to see that list of 50? places where you can get delicious food, I must be missing something.

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with regard to this estate,fine as it is ,two years ago we offered 30,000 bhat a month for a property advertised at 50000 ,we were turned down ,two years later it is still empty ,since then we have rented a larger house for 30k which as i have signed a new contract has been reduced to 28000, on driving around said estate most of the houses we saw empty 2 years ago still are.

i also have a friend who is an estate agent and he has not sold a house for at least a year ,although condos do sell,

I live next to what I think is the biggest house on this estate which has been for sale all the time I've been here, up for 21 million or 20 million depending which estate agents website you look at, one website

http://www.rosegate-consulting.com/propert...ttaya-mansion-9

even has the balls to say that viewing is highly recommended as this won't be available for long ????? I've been here 2 years and it most certainly is still available and even though I have seen people looking there have never been any takers.

There are certainly a lot of empty houses on this estate though I don't know about occupancy rates on other estates.

Four of us took a Pattaya Taxi(Yellow) yesterday evening from hotel Mercure to middle of Third Road,between Central Pattaya Rd. and North Pattaya Rd.,restaurant (forgot the name)on the corner(left) of the street which join the 2d.road(Big C),taxi has a meter , says he only used it for "big"distances,the price was 150 Thb,we asked before the price to a BathTaxi (also 150 Thb)so we took the cab,at least we had airco,the driver rent the taxi for 1.000 Thb a day to the "company",we told him to pick us up 2 hours later and there he was,gave us his telephone number in case of.

I would insist on using the meter for short or long distances as a matter of principle. MY girlfriends uncle is a taxi driver in BKK and he tells me all the taxi drivers would prefer short 35 baht or 40 baht rides all day as the number of these they can do in a given time will give them more income than longer rides. His example was he can easily to a hundred 35 baht rides in BKK in a day and make 3500 baht where if he had a fare to Pattaya he may get 1500 if he's lucky and the falang doesn't haggle and then 500 to come back which would give him 2000 but a lot more expense gas wise and he would be more tired.

Paying 150 baht to go a short distance is just going to encourage more rip offs.

Anybody know of any bars showing the Liverpool v Marseille Champions League match live which I think will be about 3am Wednesday morning ?

Or if no bars are showing it will any of the Thai TV channels be showing this game? dam_n UBC has died today and True can't get anybody out until Thursday

Surfing around the internet I found a mention of the Welsh society of Pattaya that I guess used to meet at The Prince of Wales Pub in Soi Khao Noi.

Does anyone know if this pub is still around, it's website is still online at http://www.geocities.com/princeofwalespattaya/

but I have driven up and down the soi and can't find this pub.

Also anybody know if the Welsh Society is still going and if so where do they meet up ? I have been in Pattaya for 2 years and I can't say I've bumped into any fellow Welshmen who live here though I have met quite a few Welsh tourists.

Iechyd da a cwrw braf.

"with the whole site being served with super high-speed Internet"

In Thailand, yeah right. That will be 512Kbs/128Kbs then !!!!

And what is with all the high class developments in Pattaya and Jomtien, don't these developers realize that once all the beer bars and ho's are driven out of town that it will almost certainly be the end of Pattaya as a tourist destination.

Let's get real on why tourists come here, is it for the beautiful beaches in Pattaya and Jomtien......I don't think so, there are much better beaches elsewhere in Thailand.

Could it be for the wonderful cheap gourmet food and cheap beer, again that is available at places much closer to Europe and the USA...so then I wonder why most of these tourists drag themselves halfway round the world, could it have anything to do with the friendly lasses of Thailand I wonder.

So I wonder where these developments will make their money when all the tourists realize that all is left is a miserable dirty beach, expensive hotels and shopping centers and pretty much nothing else.

At the end of the day even though I love living in Pattaya it's not what I would class as a Paradise destination.

Now if you really wanted to make money I would suggest finding another fishing village like Pattaya once was then develop it to the point where pattaya was at maybe 10 years ago and STOP, get all the girls from Pattaya there and watch the cash roll in, oh if only I had the capital.

I live in Soi Nernplubwaan and while I have never had any problems with the Thai muslims in Pattaya, I was almost killed in Pakistan 5 years ago when the muslims decided to drive a car bomb up to the foyer of the Karachi Sheraton and have had a mistrust of muslims of all sorts since, while I know you can't tar everybody with the same brush with these people ther is no way of distinguishing the good from the extreme minority and the big sign on the muslim school in nernplubwaan that reads "no rule yankee" certainly doesnt put one at ease.

The other issue I have with them is one they play that darn music over the loudspeakers at 3 or 4 in the morning, very inconsiderate. As I already said I have no issues with the Thai muslims in pattaya but I would certainly be in no rush to go to South Thailand

As to the history of the muslims in Pattaya, my ex girlfriend once told me that Suwattana Garden Homes are built on top of a muslim burial site, which if it's true suggests that the muslims have been in pattaya a long time.

I rent a house in Suwattana Garden in soi nernplubwaan and have stayed here for 2 years, there have been houses up for sale here for these 2 years and absolutely none have shifted, I would say about 50% of the houses in the village are for sale with prices ranging from 3 million to 21 million baht.

I think anybody buying a house in Pattaya as an investment should be wary as the when the time to sell comes you won't be finding many locals lining up to bay at falang prices and there doesn't seem to be too many falangs lining up either.

Any property you buy in Thailand is probably best bought with money you are not too worried about losing some of, I think those looking to make a quick buck will be dissapointed with the Pattaya property market.

I have a cell phone contract with DTAC and have a voicemailbox which I can access and listen to messages within Thailand with no problem.

I spent about 50% of my time outside Thailand on business and cannot access the voicemailbox to listen to left messages, I can get to listen to my greeting and leave myself a message, how good is that !!!!

I have asked DTAC customer service and I might as well have asked a monkey, in facyt maybe it was a monkey. All they said was call your usual 1802 number but outside of Thailand you just get to leave yourself a message, anybody experienced this or found a way to actually get to listen to messages that have been left ?

Thanks.

As for MK in Pattaya, they are hugely overpriced for the food and the service they offer. Yes, they have an extensive training reprograming course for staff, so unless you want exactly what is on the menu you are bound to be disapointed, in particular with regard to ice in drinks. A small point but enough to keep me out of the place. I would be interested in what the staff pay structure is.

My girlfriend used to work in MK and BBQ Plaza and I can tell you that she got 32 Baht an hour at MK and 36 Baht an hour at BBQ Plaza. She also said that she's never work again at MK as the staff are treated like dirt but apparantly like working for BBQ Plaza.

Amazes me how they can get the motivation to get out of bed for such terrible wages and I really don't begrudge giving tips to people on such low wages. I'm from the UK but lived in California for 3 years and I have to say the the whole tipping thing over there is just B/S.

Had an Indian delivered last night from Ahaar.

Onion Bahji - just ok, yet too find a good bahji in Thailand

Chicken tikka - Good, well cooked with just a little bit of charring as a good tikka should have

Chicken tikka masala - not good, very bland sauce with no hint of spiciness. Sauce tasted like it had been made with old teabags.

Naans - just OK, most times I make my own Naans from the frozen Garlic Naans they sell in Foodland but I don't microwave them as suggested on the packet, I warm them in a hot frying pan without oil until the bottom gets crisp, better than any resteraunt Naan in LOS IMHO.

Pilau rice - well they can't get that wrong can they.

Definetely won't eat masala from here again.

Just had a quick look around Festival Center, in Big C they had the N72 for 7990 baht not the N82.

In the Nokia shop they said it would be available Saturday for 22800 baht which is more like it unfortunately.

Does anyone know if any phone dealers are selling the new Nokia N82 in Pattaya yet and if so how much ?

Available at Festival Center second road Big C for 8000 Baht.

Barry

Thanks Barry, are you sure of the price though as I have seen it outside Thailand at around US$ 650 or about 20000 Baht.

Does anyone know if this mobile phone is available in Thailand yet ? If so where and how much ? Where are the best deals for mobiles in Thailand, I guess MBK ?

Paul,

What would possibly concern the visa officer is that you have only known each other three months. Even if you have evidence of contact covering this period, the relationship is not really of sufficient longevity to outweigh any perceived lack of intention to return on your girlfriend's behalf. Additionally, that she is your second girlfriend (in short succession?) may raise some doubts in the visa officer's mind about how genuine the relationship actually is.

That's not to dissuade your current girlfriend from applying, but to make you aware that this one may not be such plain sailing. Also, your girlfriend will have to get her parents' permission to apply for a passport as she is under 20.

Scouse.

Thanks Scouse,

We did the Thai passport run last week and I brought her parents from Korat to go to the passport office and the g/f received her passport yesterday. I have photos of me staying in the family home with her parents who have really taken to me, I'm hoping that showing photos of me with her parents will help to prove that it's a serious relationship and not a bargirl kind of deal.

Anyway thanks for the advice.

I was just wondering how difficult it would be to get a British visitors visa for my new g/f and if anyone had any useful advice.

My previous g/f visited the UK 3 times with a visitors visa but she had been to Sweden before meeting me so I think that made things easier for her and she also had very good English.

My new g/f has a little english and has never been out of thailand and also we've only been together for 3 months whereas the my ex we had been together a year before she applied for her first UK visa. Also I'm wondering if age has any bearing on the visa application as my new g/f is only 19. As I will be sponsoring her to come to the UK I'm assuming that the fact that she has very little money in a bank account herself will not be an issue ?

The first time I did the visa for my ex I used one of the visa companies in BKK, I won't be doing the same mistake again, cost me 20000 baht and they virtually didn't do anything that I couldn't have done myself.

Any suggestions or advice greatly appreciated.

I've been to Korat (actually Lamplaimat about 90Km from Korat heading toward Buri Ram) twice in 2 weeks, the first time was by bus from Morchit but returning on a bus direct to Pattaya. The bus we took back took us to the bus station on 3rd road anout 500m past the TOT office.

The missus took a 8.30 am regular bus direct from Pattaya to Korat, it only took her 8 hours she said "bus no good" I should bleeding say, cost was I think 235 baht. So coming back from my first trip there she promised me it would be a pure luxury VIP bus, cost 385 baht caught it at 10:30 PM in Laplaimat arrived Pattay bus station 3rd road at 4:30 AM, VIP bus my a*se, maybe it's VIP if your just a little over 4ft tall but at 6ft I though I'd have to have my legs amputated by the time we got to Pattaya, so if youre over 6 ft take my advice and rent a car oh and by the way some thermal underwear won't go amiss, the air con was absolutely freezing, the missus was like a vibrator all the way she was so cold.

Anyway went to Lamplaimat again last week, the missus said we go bus, I said over my dead body and rented a jazz from D.V. car rent on 3rd road (recommended, 1300 baht 1 day) and I drove, actually not a bad drive through the country and did in 4.5 hours though I was pushing it a bit. It's the first time I've never seen her indoors take a nap in 4.5 hours though she did drop off for 5 minutes but a quick stab of the brake pedal when I was going 170 Kmh put a stop to that nap though bought a nasty glare from her.

But from my point of view they will never catch me on a bus to Isaan again.

Does anyone know if any phone dealers are selling the new Nokia N82 in Pattaya yet and if so how much ?

Can anyone recommend good Brit style Chinese or Indian resteraunts here in Pattaya.

I tried the supposedly Brit style chinese in Soi Buakhow some time ago, forgotten the name but unfortunately not the grub. Totally disgusting, even my Thai gf who had been back in the UK a few times and loved the chinese takeaways back home couldn't stomach it and she's off the insect eating persuasion.

As for Indians I have tried a few but been dissapointed many times, now I tend to stick to Alibaba and the Indian near Subways on beach road, can't remember the name. Alibaba is good at times but is very inconsistent in the quality and spicyness of the food, had a Chicken tikka marsala this week that was about as spicy as a vindaloo would be back home, as for the one on beach road I find the consistency of the food better but in my opinion about average at best.

Anyone tried the Taj on 3rd road ? it looks OK when I've driven past but haven't got round to trying it yet.

Invisilign Braces would probably be the best way to go if you can find a place in Pattaya that does them as they are the newest technology. Bumrungrad Hospital Dentistry Dept now does them in Bangkok. My own Dentist is currently using invisilign brace system to straighten his teeth and they are so far superior to the old wire braces that they are not even comparable. I cannot even tell that he has them on even when looking directly at him. Google 'Invisilign Braces' and you will see what I mean when I say this new system is really fantastic.

Some of the advantages over conventional braces are ( taken from a website):

Invisible, so no one can tell you are straightening your teeth. So now you can smile more DURING treatment as well as after.

Removable, so you can eat and drink what you want while in treatment, plus brushing and flossing are no problem.

Comfortable, because it has no metal to cause mouth abrasions during treatment. And no metal and wires means you spend less time in your doctor's office getting adjustments.

Oral hygiene is improved

Invisalign allows you to view your own virtual treatment plan when you start, so you can see how your straight teeth will look when you treatment is complete.

May reduce the risk of cavities and gum disease when compared to wire braces that trap food and plaque.

Visit dentist only 1x every 6 weeks

Is usually faster than conventional braces

No metal braces

In most cases the aligners are doing multiple tooth movements simultaneously. Commonly, in conventional bracketing, some movements get ignored until another movement is completed by the current mechanics

Work usually completed in 15 months conventional braces takes on the average of 2 years

.

I will have to look into that, even going to BKK every 6 weeks could be tolerated. I imagine the cost is alot higher than the black & decker look though.

Thanks for the suggestions

If anybody gets quoted for Invisalign braces it would be interesting to see what the quote comes to as I asked about at the dental hospital in BKK 2 years ago and was quoted $12000 US, at that price I'll stick with the crooked smile.

Seems to be a mixed bag of replies. At the moment she hasn't asked for money and I haven't offered we have just been getting on with me giving her some cash if she goes to buy food or if she says she needs something which seems a whole lot better way of how I used to do it with the ex. Like somebody else mentioned theres nothing worse than the hand coming out at the start of a month asking wheres the cash, it does make you feel like your still whoring.

The biggest outlay so far was a trip back to Korat for Mama and Papa to give me their approval which cost about 10000 baht in booze and food, never seen so many dam_n cousins in all my life

Somebody also mentioned if I was scared she was trying to rip me off but she seems more concerned in saving me money as she needed to go to hospital so I took her to the Memorial hospital and she said that she won't go there because it's expensive so I had to take her to Banglamung hospital, now if she wants to save my money so Mama and Papa hove more to grab at only time will tell.

I think if she does ask for a monthly allowance seems 10000 baht is the average which considering there are no bills for her to worry about should be adequate monthly spending money for a Thai girl considering some of the salary's thai workers get.

After looking at the options she insited that she wanted a Thai person to teach her english at home well after speaking to a few it was pretty obvious that native Thai english teachers weren't up to much.

So I finally got her to go to AUA by the Dolphin roundabout as I'd heard good reports for this school and she has finally agreed to give that a go. Hopefully the results will be as good as the rep this place seems to have.