thaibeachlovers

The workers laying the new pavement tiles in front of The Avenue, started from farthest away from the curb and when they reached the curb, the tiles didn't line up, so have to cut every tile to fit!

Perhaps there is some technical reason for this, but can't see it offhand, as it's just a grassy bank at the back.

Woman driving a car on Sukhumvit Rd. with a dog in her lap!

the guy on koh larn with the fluro lime green g string certainly did for me

Not to split hairs here but on a woman it's a g-string, on a guy it's a thong.

Thanks for your attention.

Not in the UK it's not. They are both for women and the difference is in the design.

2, 3, 4, 6, if it's such a boring post, why were you compelled to answer? Wouldn't it have been easier to just hit return!

Your post is critical of Pattaya yet you insist on coming here from the UK year by year .What gives ?

My post is not critical of Pattaya itself, just of the idea that certain persons would like to portray Pattaya as a TOP WORLD CLASS tourist resort, which is frankly ludicrous to anyone that has been to a real top world class tourist resort.

I myself love Pattaya, and have been coming for many many years, and hopefully will continue to visit for many years to come.

IMO the Russians saved the southern end of Walking Street. After the Walking Street first came into existence, and the cars were stopped driving through, the customers at that end of the Street ( passed where Tony's is ) dropped to near zero, but with the arrival of the Russians it is booming again.

Far from ruining Pattaya, their money and custom has probably saved a lot of businesses.

Anyway, those Russian women strolling along Walking Street are gorgeous, so very welcome.

I didn't mean Tony's, sorry. More like where Soho Square is now.

Try Big C.

The baht bus queue at the corner of Second and South Rd. Rather than passengers getting on the bus that has been waiting longest, wherever it happens to be, they have to get on the one at the back of the queue, and then all the other buses start their motors to move back. Must cause a lot of wasted fuel and wear and tear.

Sending a present that cost 500 Baht and the recipient being taxed an extra 10 Euro by the Customs Department if he/she wants to receive it.

Paying extra money for everything you buy to get it recollected and processed as garbage when it doesn't work anymore (Recupbel).

Seeing how a serial child molester (Dutroux) and his pals are escaping his guards while reading how he could escape conviction.

Seeing how a speeding drunk guy in a big Mercedes crashes my mother on the doorstep, 6 meters off the road, get back on the road and stops 100 meters further away, and in court my dead mother is declared guilty because "it was evening and she was dressed in dark clothes". Thus the judge convicts the family of the defunct to pay 120,000 Baht in damages to the Mercedes.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was talking about my own (fuc_king) country ............................

(Look at your own country before complaining about another country.

Loose translation of a well known idiom.)

If I was going to complain about my own country, I'd need about 25 hours to write about all the BS PC crap!

This post wasn't started to COMPLAIN, just to make observations about really insane things.

IMO the Russians saved the southern end of Walking Street. After the Walking Street first came into existence, and the cars were stopped driving through, the customers at that end of the Street ( passed where Tony's is ) dropped to near zero, but with the arrival of the Russians it is booming again.

Far from ruining Pattaya, their money and custom has probably saved a lot of businesses.

Anyway, those Russian women strolling along Walking Street are gorgeous, so very welcome.

2, 3, 4, 6, if it's such a boring post, why were you compelled to answer? Wouldn't it have been easier to just hit return!

Went for a stroll along 3rd Rd. from North Rd. to South Rd. and there's not much evidence of anything world class, unless an average Thai town is a top tourist destination. So all there is are a few resorts in a strip between Beach and 2nd Rd. and a broken down beach walk. Talk about trying to make a silk purse from a sow's ear!

Mind you, it was interesting to see how built up it has become, as I was here when they built it through empty scrubland. I thought at the time that it was too narrow, but it doesn't seem to be a problem at present.

Before I went out, was watching a show on telly about the Egyptian resort towns of Hurguda and Sharm el Sheik. Now those are resort towns, and I hope Pattaya never ever gets as awful as them. Huge hotels with thousands of cheap package tourists, jam packed beaches and hundreds of dive boats destroying every reef in the Red Sea.

Thanks for the help.

lalana, I've been before, on a half day tour, but it wasn't enough time to see everything. I had to miss the show just to be able to have a walk around.

Regardless of entry cost, I'd like to go back for a full day, but if possible save transport cost.

Absolutely a wonderful and magical garden. I half expected to see Alice chase the white rabbit!

Other than the all inclusive tour from the Nong Nooch office on Central Road, is there any easy way of getting to Nong Nooch Gardens for a person without transport that doesn't cost the earth.

Given that the tour includes tickets to the shows, and the departure point is in a convenient location for me to get to, is there a cheaper, and just as simple, way ( I'm not going to hire a motorbike ) of getting there. I'm assuming that the cost of hiring a baht bus, plus entrance and show fees would be about the same as the official tour.

I suppose I could catch one of the songtheaws along Sukhumvit, but it's a long walk from the main road to the gardens.

Thanks for any help. With the rapidly shrinking pound, I'm having to try and save money wherever I can.

I asked the person who told me of his experience, and he said it was a big bus from Ekamai, and that they were searched before leaving Ekamai Bus Station by the Bangkok police.

I never heard of such before, but he seems quite genuine.

Thanks for the information, especially Jim Siam.

I actually need it for a medical condition ( brought a supply, with prescription, from the UK ), but will make sure to get a prescription here if I run out.

I have been wondering about this too...but I've been wondering for the past 5 years and they still keep throwing up new condos, hotels, shophouse rows, shopping malls, and housing estates...so there must still be plenty of money in it. Of course, that's what everybody said about the (in hindsight) real estate bubbles in the US, Britain, Japan, and Spain too...until the bottoms fell out of all of them also.

And you didn't even mention the proposed huge Waterfront and South Point developments on the drawing boards for the Bali Hai pier area, the (I guess it's still around) Ocean 1 Tower in Jomtien, the next VT project wherever it might spring up, and all the other stuff we don't even know about. Is there demand now for what's already built and will there be demand for all the stuff coming down the line?

The other nite, I spent some time in the entertainment area at the top of sois 1,2 & 3...the beer bars in that area and it was a mess. I had not been down there in maybe 9 months and it was completely dead! Of course, it didn't help matters that it seems half the street frontage from sois 1-4 beachside is in the process of being torn down and rebuild as condos or what-have-you. I quickly left and came on home as the area lacked anything of interest.

This brings up the question that interests me of when the tipping point is reached that they tear down enough of the entertainment areas to build condos that the tourists that come for the nitelife don't have enough to interest them anymore and stop coming and then there is no one to sell all the newly built condos too. I wonder if we could be getting near that point?

I don't think there's any danger of that at present, as as fast as they tear down one block of bars another springs up somewhere else. More of a "danger", IMO, is that if the pound continues to sink, and the airfares continue to rise, us middle income earners just won't be able to come any more, and it'll all become up market and too expensive anyway.

There's nothing to stop them jumping on the Japanese retirement bandwagon, selling Pattaya as a retirement centre for oldies, and the BGs will all become home helps!

Actually I think my rant was kinda refreshing. Im not talking about retirement, Im not talking about tourism strength, Im not talking about the currency, I'm not talking about apartment prices, Im not talking about quality of visitors. Im simply saying, for two young guys from Bangkok, Pattaya was NO FUN, despite having a FUN reputation. If it is perenniel then the reputation should be adjusted to "FUN (so long as you visit between X and Y)". Hope this turns up in SERPS under "is pattaya really that fun".

I'm not saying its boring. Im saying it doesnt DESERVE its reputation as FUN CENTRAL.

Gottit?

p.s. In the hope of being proved wrong, I titled this thread "what did I miss". Thank you to the 0.004% of you who didnt take this thread personally and actually suggested a couple of places to visit.

I don't think anyone could just turn up in Pattaya and expect to have "fun" without a bit of serious looking around. Also depends on what you term fun. However, I guarantee that the opportunity existed for you to have "fun", you just didn't look hard enough. The first time I went to Bangkok, I didn't have fun either, but the second time I went, I did.

As for suggestions, without more of an idea of what you classify as "fun", I'd be loathe to make any.

I know you can buy Viagra over the counter at pharmacies, but is it legal without a prescription, should the police find it on you?

I was talking to a guy in the hotel who told me that his bus had been stopped by the police, on the way to Pattaya, and all single farangs taken off, luggage searched, and then fitted up for bribes.

Anyone else had this experience?

Well, enjoy your journey. I always prefer the train, too.

When you're there, make sure to visit the southern end of the beach. Songtheaws go down along the main highway from time to time, or if you're energetic, you could walk down the beach at low tide.

Have to return by dusk though, as the songtheaws stop then.

Be sure and let us know how you find the place.

Guys, can we please not discuss BGs, as the thread will just get terminated.

Another one:

The farang strolling around Walking Street in a Cheong Sam.

Visited Pattaya Park the other day, and noticed a large hotel development next door that appears to have been abandoned mid build. There is also the very large concrete building near Alcazar on Second Road ( with the Sushi restaurant on ground level ) that remains mainly empty after at least a year.

With the present very low level of tourists ( even for low season ), and the deteriorating world economy, rising air fares etc etc, are the new big developments ( Central Festival, the condo next to it, the new place currently building next to The Avenue ), and indeed The Avenue itself, destined to become "ghost buildings" like all those ones in Bangkok after the '97 crash?

There are still loads of Asian tourists ,and that demographic is increasing as far as i can tell .The building next to the Avenue is going to be a high class Hotel by the way .

If your "loads of Asian tourists" is referring to the ones that go around in huge tour buses, I have yet to see them shop anywhere other than Mike's Shopping Mall.

Just what Pattaya needs, another high class hotel!

Simplest cheap option:

Take bus from North Road bus terminal direct to Bangkok South Bus Terminal. Go early.

Find Hua Hin ticket office ( not that easy the first time ), plenty regular buses throughout the day. Food court nearby for breakfast.

Once in Hua Hin, guest houses all over the place near the bus destination, or if you have booked ahead, it's really small, so can walk, or take a trishaw. The Tuk Tuks are rip off bandits.

Thank you for the detailed reply. There are 2 options for Bangkok destinations at Pattaya North station: Ekamai and Morchit. I'm assuming Morchit is the south bus terminal you've mentioned. You mention "go early." Is this because there are infrequent buses or is it each 30 minutes like the Ekamai bus? How long is the travel from bkk to HH? Once in HH, how far on foot is the beach from the bus station? Thank you.

No. Morchit is the NORTH bus terminal.

Perhaps they've cancelled the 3rd option of the direct bus to the South Bus Terminal, but that's what I used last year. If that's so, there are various options. Personally, if I was on my own, I'd go to Ekamai, take the sky train as far west as it goes, then a taxi to the South Bus Terminal. If I was with someone else, I'd take a taxi from Ekamai, as it would work out about the same cost.

There might be a connecting bus from Morchit, but I always get confused in that place, it's so huge.

There's also the train option. The train station is just around the corner from the bus stop in Hua Hin. You can get sky train/ subway train direct to Hua Lumpong from Ekamai.

I say go early, as it's a long day's travel, and you don't want to be getting to Hua Hin in the evening ( unless you've booked accomodation ). I think Hua Hin buses go every half hour.

I think it was about 3 hours travel from Bangkok.

The beach is no more than a 10-15 minute walk from the bus stop ( it's only a shop house ), but it's not a beach such as in Pattaya. There's no road along it. The big hotel occupies the entire beach in town, and condos/ hotels line the rest of it. There is only 1 major access to the main beach on the south of the town.

Other than expensive places along the coast, all accomodation ( except a few places built over the water, next to the sea food restaurants ) is in the town, away from the shore.

Visited Pattaya Park the other day, and noticed a large hotel development next door that appears to have been abandoned mid build. There is also the very large concrete building near Alcazar on Second Road ( with the Sushi restaurant on ground level ) that remains mainly empty after at least a year.

With the present very low level of tourists ( even for low season ), and the deteriorating world economy, rising air fares etc etc, are the new big developments ( Central Festival, the condo next to it, the new place currently building next to The Avenue ), and indeed The Avenue itself, destined to become "ghost buildings" like all those ones in Bangkok after the '97 crash?

I'll start with:

The pavement slabs with the raised "guides" for blind people that actually lead them directly into power poles!

Zebra crossings that fool new visitors into thinking the cars will stop for them when crossing the road.