thaibeachlovers

I live here in Patters with my familly,well on the outskirts and love it ,but to be honest if i was looking for a high class destination to bring my familly on holiday it certainly wouldnt be here. its a holiday destination for single guys not famillys,as GK10002000 said anything they do is like putting lipstick on a pig.

at the weekend we drove down to Bang Sean and it was heaving with thai weekenders and the beaches were packed,just down the road is the new Central mall ,that was heaving as well .Pattaya? ,well we all know what that is like now ,dead,

Well, I've been saying for ages that the lack of family and so called "quality" tourists would be a "good thing" to destroy once and for all City Hall's attempt to upmarket and trendify Pattaya. It may take a year or two more of pain for the bars, but there have been too many of them for years anyway, and a reduction in number would make the remainder more prosperous.

Assuming that the world economies will be back in a couple years, that should be long enough for the "powers that be" to realise where the money is, and stop harrassing the bar punters with restrictive visas etc.

Thanks for those replies.

Actually, I want to leave after 6 weeks at the start of August, and return for the 2nd entry as late as possible. Then I will stay the full 3 months.

November 30th is the last day you can enter.

Thank you for your quick reply.

Hi,

Having collected passport from embassy with double entry tourist visa ( on 4th June ), I see that it says "enter before 1 Dec 2009". Can anyone tell me if that is literally meaning last day of November, or is it OK to arrive on the 1st December?

Also, is there any limit to the number of days between leaving after the first visa entry, and re enering on the 2nd entry?

I'm probably worrying about nothing, but don't want to arrive on December 1 expecting 3 months, and only getting 30 days!

Thanks for any help.

Actually the OP is probably mistaken, from the description he has actually observed Ex-Pat Pattaya man. Pattaya man is very rarely sighted at this time of year.

Ex-Pat Pattaya man is one of the last adult stages of the species.

Life for Ex-Pat Pattaya man begins on far flung shores.

After completing his first childhood he enters his first adult stage when he is known as Family Man.

Family Man builds a nest and breeds with Family woman. He forages to feed the offspring from this union and gradually builds a stronger and bigger nest. When the nest is sufficiently large, he is set upon and forced out of the nest by Family Woman and the predator commonly known as Family Lawyer and has to move to a smaller nest to live alone.

Family Man finds it difficult to survive the cold winter months in these far off shores as nearly all the flesh has been picked from his bones by Family Woman and Family Lawyer.

Using his last remaining strength and resources he manages to migrate to warmer climates, especially Pattaya.

Here, he sheds his Family Man skin and enters the next stage of the cycle – Second Childhood.

During Second Childhood he regains his handsumness and achieves new sexy-man status. He nourishes himself at the various oasis called beer bars Eventually, he stumbles across the tribe known as Agogo and is enchanted by their mating dances.

When the weather in Pattaya becomes too hot, he returns to his homeland and forages to build up sustainance for the next migration.

This migration occurs for a few years, until he acclimatizes and is able to stay in Pattaya for longer periods. This is when he evolves from second childhood into Pattaya Man.

Pattaya Man continues to nourish himself at the Bar Beers and builds up sufficient fat layers to become irresistible to the local wildlife. He now has ample resources and resistance that he no longer needs to return to his homeland for additional sustainance.

At this point he enters the last stage of his life. By a strange quirk, not all of the Pattaya Man species will evolve the same. Many will become Ex-Pat Pattaya Man, Others will regress to Family Man again and some will become Isaan Man.

Unfortunately Family Man and Isaan Man often suffer with the disease "My girl is different" and get infected by a parasite known as Isaan Wife. This parasite sucks his blood until he is nearly dry and forced to return and forage in his homeland

Great post, and oh so true, especially the part about family woman, and being forced from the nest.

Just wait till the OP has joined the ranks of ( ex ) family man, and becomes Pattaya man. Will he remember his words then?

Why don't you want her to like your home-country and prefer it? It means you prefer Thailand, and the question is why?

There in lies the key to this issue.

maybe he dont like an empowerd women.

in los he the boss

Not sure whether you're serious when you write that, but isn't that it in a nutshell. I've been married to a "farang" woman, and the reason I want to marry a Thai woman is that she wouldn't have the western "attitude" that made us split up.

I'm not talking about living with a "doormat", as I've yet to associate with a Thai woman who fits that particular profile, but I find that western women want it all, and just expect me to accomodate their wishes without giving me anything back. I also don't find western women to be anywhere near as feminine as Thai ladies. My TGF is the perfect woman for me, and we get on really well, but the last place I would want to take her is to live in my home country where she would become indoctrinated with the present culture, which IMO is very "anti male".

On the radio the other day, I heard a feminist saying that the next "phase" in the feminist movement is to make men "more like women", so they would be happy to stay home and share the child rearing duties! In other words, men are only of use if they are pseudo women. Cripes, real men not needed.

Was down at the embassy the other day, and saw a farang guy with the ex BG wife and the kids. He looked just as "broken" as any guy married to a western woman. I was feeling really sorry for him, as he was probably some guy who liked Thailand, and had met some really cute BG, and thought that he'd found "Paradise", but now he's no better off than if he'd married some western woman, and never gone to Thailand. In fact, he'd probably have been better off if he'd never been there, as he wouldn't know what he was missing out on.

Can't believe so many people are saying that the OP should just give into the wife and stay in Oz. Don't they remember why they wanted to live in Thailand in the first place?

TAWP asks why the OP prefers Thailand: what a bonkers question!

If he's anything like me, he loves Thailand, and prefers it anyday to the over-regulated, feminised, PC country that is his so called "homeland".

those add ons are interesting, I would guess they have been added because the above structure has started moving, I couldnt imagine any other reason, which means the steel inside was in sufficient or not wielded properly, weather those add ons solve the problem I dont know but its certainly a sign that the building is substandard, there anyway, who knows where else and weather its the result of shoddy inspection or cost cutting

My 5 cents-

I can't see the point of flanges like that unless the floor above had given signs ( cracking around the concrete column? ) of collapsing down around the columns. If the problem was the column itself, they would have reinforced the pillar from floor to ceiling. However, by ( I presume ) drilling bolt holes through the column, they have just weakened it, which will lead to other, obvious complications.

As for the "shuddering", are they not still constructing an hotel above the mall?

When I got home to Canada at the end of March I was continually being asked about the dreadful problems in Thailand. I said "What problems? I didn't have any problems." That is because I was not involved with the airport fiasco and I stayed away from any and all political rallies. That doesn't mean there weren't terrible reports sent all over the world which DID affect the tourism industry in a VERY negative manner. The fiasco at the airport probably did more damage to the Thai tourism industry than even the down turn in the economy. Foreign governments were issuing travel warnings to all travel agencies throughout the world recommending not visiting Thailand. It will take a while for people to forget.

OK i spent 4 days sleeping in airports in London/India and Singapore and an extra 500gbp to get here due to the airport closure last year, that didnt stop me returning ....... On April 2009 the day of Songkran i got to BKK was staying in Petchburi Rd Soi 1 and was awoken to 1000's of army and police firing what at the time i thought was live amunition at protesters i met the night before, there were buses on fire and it was total chaos .... whilst this made me check out the hotel 1 day later it wouldnt stop me coming back.

But what will stop me coming back is feeling threatened in situations similar to that in post 32

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=2776240

And the general anomosity and genuine dislike Thais seem to be more willing to let out towards farang these days, when they arent getting their easy money off stupid farang! And i just cant see how this is going to get any better with an inevitable retraction of the tourist industry.

Nothing is going to stop me RETURNING to Thailand, even the situation as related in post 32 ( that sort of thing has been going on with baht bus drivers as long as I've been going to Pattaya- a very long time ), unless Cambodia can recreate the night life and ease of living that I experienced in Thailand in the early to late '90s. If that happens, it's bye bye Thailand, hello Cambodia. Bad and nasty people exist in every country that I've lived in, but nowhere beats the friendliness of the average Thai bar girl.

Reading thru the posts it seems most of us are in agreement that the dramatic rise of tourism in Thailand has been a disaster, that a few Thais and many foreigners do make a phenomenal amount of money off the labors of a few underpaid workers, and that things were much more sustainable a decade or two past. Let's hope this tendency toward a more positive tourist industry (mainly smaller numbers) continues.

While I don't see that "most" agree on the disastrous increase in tourist numbers, I would agree, though IMO it is the increase of high end tourists that has been most detrimental. These people have no interest in Thailand other than as an exotic destination, with luxurious hotels and fawning staff. To feed their endless demands for "infinity pools" and other obscenities, once beautiful beaches have been destroyed, forests and mangroves encroached, local populations enticed to become servants in their own lands.

Ever since the economic crisis loomed last year, I have been writing that I hope all the development companies go bankrupt, and all the farang "investors" lose everything that they commited in the name of greed over environment. I still hope that, though it may not mean a return to those idyllic beaches of the mid '90s. Once a perfect beach has been overbuilt with concrete monstrocities, there's probably no going back.

Do you have any facts to back your statement that "many foreigners make lots of money off poor Thais"? I'd have thought that those who own the land make the real money.

IMO, even if there is a return to smaller tourist numbers, the genie is not going to go back in the bottle, with some magical return to life as it was 15 years ago.

yes, way too many farangs on this thread thinking 'if it wasn't for me and my pension, the Thai economy would fall in a heap'.

No but several local wage Thai JOBS for each and every retired expat is not chopped liver.

...and would be more than replaced with increased foreign investment if Thailand wasn't viewed as the knock shop of Asia....

this won't change that impression, but it is a first step....

What an absurd thing to claim.

How on Earth is capping border visa runs a first step to changing Thailand's reputation or the way this country is viewed abroad?

Again, whiners using visa rules as a red-herring for their own deficiencies.

The same goes for people using a discussion on these rules to denigrate other expats and their contribution to Thailand.

Well said.

I can't be the only reader who is sick of the "dog in the manger, I'm all right Jack's" who rabbit on about how if they can afford a visa everyone else should be able to, and the only people who want to use the border runs are criminals and scum.

There are enough threads on TV about how there are hardly any tourists now to prove that there is a serious problem for thousands of locals who used to make a decent living from western tourists, and it would seem to be a rather strange time to be making it more difficult for western tourists to visit. Bordering countries with more liberal arrangements must be loving the way Thailand is continually shooting itself in the foot.

As for the more liberal arrangements for the Chinese, anyone who thinks hordes of Chinese are going to compensate for the absent western tourists is dreaming.

I just don't get the desire to "improve" Pattaya. It was fine as it was. If you don't like "low life foreign visitors", no one is forcing you to stay.

What a beautiful stupidity. What a nonsense!

Who is forcing Thai people and government to stay in Pattaya?

They hate it and they are doing everything they can to make life miserable for western social rejects. They even resorted to bringing Russians and their families.

Who can tell Thais to leave if they don't like that place in their own country?

Actually, what you are saying is stupid. Pattaya has been it's present way for probably longer than most of the Thais living in Pattaya were born. In 1967 I doubt their families would have even been living there. So they knew what they were moving to.

For them to complain about it is like moving next to an airport and complaining about the aircraft noise!

What are they doing to make life miserable for westerners? You are writing rubbish!

I've seen plenty of adult Russians, but few children, so where are these mythical Russian families? Anyway, as most of the Russian women that cruise Walking Street are stunningly beautiful and dress to please men, they are very welcome.

When you get your double-entry tourist visa, it will have a text something like "must enter before <date>". Both entries into Thailand must be made not later than one day before that date. After your first entry into and departure from Thailand you can stay outside Thailand until one day before that expiration date of your visa if you want to use the second entry of it.

--

Maestro

Thanks Maestro, guess I'll just have to wait till I get the visa to see what my options are.

In a sober state of mind, listen to the world news or global busniness reports and you will understand the reason for the global (not just Pattaya or Thailand) downturn in not only tourism but business in general. Why blame Pattaya's downturn on all the things you personally don't like about progress in Pattaya. Those of you who wish, hope and pray for Pattaya to return to being a low rent district of Thailand for so many low life foreign visitors are not thinking about what is really best for the people of Thailand. New businesses like Central World are not to attract foreign visitors of any kind but are intended to help improve the reputation of Pattaya and attract Thai tourists. Global economic recovery will be slow and conservative as will tourism worldwide. Pattaya has a chance to improve it's image during this recovery period and I for one support their effort.

I just don't get the desire to "improve" Pattaya. It was fine as it was. If you don't like "low life foreign visitors", no one is forcing you to stay. There are hundreds of other towns in Thailand to live in. Perhaps Hua Hin would suit; it's full of pretentious greedy business owners, and I hated the place more than any other resort town I'd ever been in.

The truth is, Pattaya was a popular town due to the night life, not because of the beach, or any other factor, and a bunch of "greedies" decided to make money by piggybacking onto it's popularity, but then decided it wasn't "good enough" for their inflated egos, so the push to "trendify" it. I can even remember many years ago, some restaurant owner idiot who thought that his customers should have to dress up before he'd let them in!

Central World is going to fail, just like The Avenues. Anyone stupid enough to build a place that charges Bangkok prices in a small tourist resort town deserves to go bankrupt.

As for "not thinking about what is best for the people of Thailand", which people are those? Certainly not the thousands of poor people that eke out a living in nightlife related activities in and around Pattaya. I'm guessing that your sympathies lie with the rich of Thailand.

Again, Pattaya became what it is on the backs of poor working girls ( and boys ), and if anyone doesn't like that, or the town, feel free to go elsewhere.

relayer, thanks for the reply.

I was beginning to wonder if there were any TV posters down there!

OK, so I'm getting a double entry tourist visa and I might want to do some sightseeing in a border country in combination with the visa run. ie. stay 60 days in Thailand, cross the border and stay out of Thailand for a week or two, then return to Thailand on the second visa.

Have done a search, but all the posts I read only mention leaving and returning the same day.

So, my question is- how long can I stay out of Thailand before the second visa validity expires?

Yes I know that I can extend by 30 days without leaving Thailand, but I still need to do a visa run, and if I can stay out for a couple of weeks, I won't need to pay for the extension AND do a border run.

If it makes any difference, I am travelling on a British passport and I am over 50.

Thanks for helpful replies.

I passed through there awhile back and had a snoop around.

The aim of the Tourist Information Center is to provide a place for tourists to book activities and/or to ask questions relating to Pattaya and the surrounding area.

Of course they did it backwards. They opened the doors first, then began to gather information relating to tours/activities.

On the plus side, they will try to create more activities at The Avenue Shopping Mall... Thai Boxing on Friday nights and they are looking into having more activities in the courtyard area. Maybe Thai dancing or something. They are doing this as they are trying to help the mall generate revenue by increasing foot traffic.

But I really think that mall is dying a slow death. Crap location, open air in the tropical heat, no strong vendors to get people past McD's, playing tag with cars crossing 2nd Road...

My suggestion is that they tear it down and put up a modest priced hotel or remodel the place so that it can be air conditioned or lower the rent to get tenants or change it to a Nana Plaza type place (I bet that would fill the place up). But have it so that the entrance into the clubs was on the side away from 2nd Road so the tour buses would be "spared" the view.

Anyway, they are looking for suggestions, so if you pop into the Info Center, have a chat with the staff.

In this case, I think I can say that it was pretty obvious from the start that it would not work, with the access to shops being in the heat and humidity. Neither a mall, nor cheap. Whoever thought the idea up probably never asked anyone who lives in Pattaya if it was a good idea.

Anyway, Pattaya needs another hotel like I need a boil on my butt. However, the Nana Plaza style bar beer complex is a winner, IMO. As they are obviously keen to close Soi 7 and 8, just move everything to "The Avenues Plaza".

The other idea that might work is to tear out all the walls and relocate the "Made in Thailand" stalls there. As they are already hot and humid, moving to an upmarket building might give them the boost they so obviously need.

Hi guys,

need a cheap place to stay in Songkhla while doing some border runs.

Going to LOS on the "free" visa for 3 months, but will then need to do up to 3 border runs. As my TGF is keen on the beach, I thought staying at Songkhla and taking the bus down to the border every couple of weeks would be the cheapest option. However, as by this time I will be seriously financially embarrassed I need somewhere cheap, but on or near the beach. In Pattaya I can get a reasonable room with TV, ensuite bathroom, hot water shower, fridge etc for 3000 a week. Can I expect to find similar in Songkhla, or without the mod cans for less? Cheaper the better, but not a hovel, thanks.

Any opinions on the suitability of Songkhla as a visa run base?

Thanks for any helpful answers.

A multiple entry non-o would be the best visa you could get. It would alow you to leave and re-enter the country as many times as you want to getting a 90 day permit to stay each time.

You can stay out of the country as long a you want and re-enter the country as long as the visa is still valid when you enter.

How easy it will to get the multiple entry visa will depend upon which country you are in. If you are in the UK you could get it without any problem at the conulate in Hull.

The tourist visa option would restrict the amount of time you could be out of the country and the number of times you leave.

Thanks for that. I'm in London, so would prefer to use the embassy. Is that a problem?

I hope someone can help me with my questions.

I want to stay in Thailand for a year ( or more ), but I do not have 800,000 baht in the bank for a retirement visa. I have enough money to live economically for a year.

I am confused as to which would be the best visa for me.

I know about tourist visa for 60 days with 30 day extension and I read about a non immgrant visa for 90 days. As a tourist over 60, would I qualify for a non immigrant 90 day multiple entry visa?

Secondly, with a multiple entry visa, how long can I be out of the country when doing a visa run? If possible, I'd like to be able to visit other countries for a while, without having to go through the hassle of getting a new visa every time.

Thanks for any help, or a pointer in the right direction to find the answers.

Spent a very pleasant few days at Bottle ( except for the mozzies ).

Took a walk out along the left shore to where the old huts are collapsing.

Is there anyone can tell me why they were abandoned, rather than upgraded. Wonderful views, and should have been still viable with a bit of investment.

Seems a shame that the hut remains have been allowed to become an eyesore. Could someone not at least put a match to the debris?

They are abandoned for years.

Not quite sure if they are belonging to the same family.

If you want more details, just ask bottle beach bakery (silver shop as well);

right-hand, on the main road leading to Tongsala if you are coming from Woktum.

Thanks for the reply.

Well, to add my 5 cents worth, I work in an operating theatre, and current practice in most theatres is not to bother with masks ( unless actually in the operating field ) as they are pointless.

To obtain protection from other people and the environment, respirator type masks as worn by the military are necessary. The sort of masks as worn by most people may provide some psychological comfort, but IMO are worthless in actually preventing infection.

As I see it, we are at risk because in the modern world, most people are too ignorant to actually cover their face when coughing/ sneezing, and wash their hands. Perhaps some manners would be more effective than spending money on worthless masks.

Spent a very pleasant few days at Bottle ( except for the mozzies ).

Took a walk out along the left shore to where the old huts are collapsing.

Is there anyone can tell me why they were abandoned, rather than upgraded. Wonderful views, and should have been still viable with a bit of investment.

Seems a shame that the hut remains have been allowed to become an eyesore. Could someone not at least put a match to the debris?

Rip off travel to Koh Larn warning.

If anyone in Pattaya feels like going to Koh Larn for the day, DON'T go with the company that offers a return trip to Samae Beach for 150 bht. They have a sign saying "free deck chair and toilet". They do NOT provide a free deck chair, and don't I know about the toilet ( 10 bht- what a rip off ), as when I was told to pay 100 bht for the deck chair I left. Deck chairs a short distance away are available for 30 bht. I wasn't the only one PO about it, as a European group was having at the guy as well, but all he would say was complain back in Pattaya- right!

The regular boat costs 20 bht, and the songtheaw to Samae costs 40, so you'll save yourself 30 bht on the rip off company.

As was passing Central Rd on Beach, noticed a slowdown, and on passing the police station saw a crowd of red shirts on both sides of the road waving placards.

After the Royal Cliff, I'd have thought it'd be a while before they showed up again in Pattaya!

Have observed it myself and think that while it's a perfectly good mall, it just does not belong there.

While the fast food and other restaurants seem busy, most of the shops are lacking that one vital ingredient- customers.

I'm sure that most Pattaya businesses can weather the low season, as they always do, but high rent places like those in the mall must require a constant income, and that is not happening. In any event, is there the demand for 50 more clothes shops in a town already flooded with them.

At least it does not seem to be affecting the traffic, which is, as usual, awful.

Incidentally, the cinema is 20 bht cheaper than Avenues.

No problem getting a seat. 8.30 pm show last night had about 10 people in a huge auditorium ( though that is better than what Avenues is managing ).

By the way, it's perfectly possible to like a place, but dislike an aspect of it, and why should one not complain about that?