BugJackBaron

A couple of points. Want cool temperatures .....Cameron Highlands. Chiang Mai can be cool but not in the hot season ..of course...

English better than Thailand? In tourist areas it's good and of course, like in  Thailand, you can meet educated Malays that speak excellent English but there are plenty

who have no English. Unlike Thailand there is little "Thaiglish" or  even simple

words to help you . In the train station in Kaula Lampur I could barely understand

what the cashier in a fast food place was saying.

But so what? Learn the lingo if you live there(or here). 

Coffee way better than Birdie..  Food choices better too - especially Indian -and yes I do like some Thai food.

There is so much more to discuss than just religion.

Hey anyone checked out their new location on Thapraya Rd not far from View Talay 1/2 ?

Imagine if you were abandoned in some place in China with no ability to speak Chinese. And most of China is not as tourist

friendly as Thailand. They may be uncouth but they don't deserve this.

Isaan in general is considerably cheaper than Bangkok. OK I concede that supermarket prices are similar, but tell me where in Bangkok can you get gents haircut for 40 baht?

In Patgtaya the lowest haircut price I have seen = 100 Baht.

So color this Cheap Charlie impressed.

Was the cut competent?

I have that problem mostly with celery. Too much going in the trash. You can't buy a tiny portion of it and how much of it can you eat? I don't even buy cucumbers as they are so common in restaurant meals, that's enough.

One thing about frozen berries which I didn't realize until I saw a tip on a website.

It said just eat them directly frozen.

I hadn't thought of that and had thawed them before.

Thawed they lose a lot of flavor. Directly from frozen ... very good.

I never eat in restaurants......frozen berries, I have a package in the deep freeze since 1 year. I put them direct frozen in the yoghurt.

Blueberries. But the taste is nothing in compare to these my mother took from the forest when I was a child.

Right. Frozen berries are better than thawed frozen berries. It's really true. Not going to get berries direct from the forest here!

right, but what I wanted to say mainly is that these frozen berries are crap, they even were crap before they were frozen.

triple the size of the real one, but less than 10% of the taste. It is like forest strawberries vs. the huge supermarket one.

No going into the forest in Thailand isn't an option, even I am sure there are delicious things there.

What if you live in the forest?

I have business contacts with Russians who I know and trust. One tells me that what we see now is just the tip

of the iceberg - probably the Russians still in town bought package tours before the financial crisis. The next wave

will be a trickle.

Logical.

Kale or simialr dark-green leafy vegetables are availble in Thailnad and, marianated, are one of the most delicious

side-dishes I have had in Thailand. Wish I knew the Thai name...

Probably a great source of iron...

The standard of Western breakfasts in tourist-trap Jomtien is appalling. Better British breakfasts can be found in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

Better English breakfasts can also be found in London and Manchester.

This is a thread about breakfasts in Jomtien.

Duh!

And I gave my opinion. This was just a side-rant. Doubler Duh!

Kai Loua

in tourist-trap Jomtien is appalling. Better British breakfasts can be found in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

Bit of a silly comment.

I suppose given your name any meal would be great after a few changs.

It's obvious you have forgotten just how good western grub is in western countries.

Only fools judge a book by its cover.

Have a nice breakfast in Bangkok or chiang- Mai.

Nah, I just judge a book by its first few pages . Enjoy your ham and eggs.

Wow what a gruesome story. Absolutely horrible, but nothing surprises me here. These kinds of stories occur all the time. It's even worse to hear about the theft of his belongings after he died, absolutely sickening.

Best advice is NEVER EVER cross a road in Thailand, always use the overpass or occasionally, underpass.

Even the local temple cat who is quite a smarty can be seen using the overpas

Kai Loua

in tourist-trap Jomtien is appalling. Better British breakfasts can be found in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

Bit of a silly comment.

I suppose given your name any meal would be great after a few changs.

It's obvious you have forgotten just how good western grub is in western countries.

Kai Loua ( heated egg interior in a cup) from the friendly sidecart vendor for 10 Baht.The standard of Western breakfasts,

in tourist-trap Jomtien is appalling. Better British breakfasts can be found in Bangkok or Chiang Mai.

Rayong the town is as dull as dishwater but there is a Lamtong mall if that is your thing.It is mostly

a jumping off point for trips to Ko Samet and other destinations.

Funny this, I befriended a Norwegian over here and he constantly pestered me for money, always said he'd pay it back on a certain date then didn't.. in fact it would usually take a fair few weeks of pestering him to get it back... found out I wasn't the only one he did this to either, in fact every mutual friend we had lent him money and then he'd mess them around paying them back.

So my advise to handle these "friends":

Loan them a few amount, of course they fail to give back, but they will avoid yourself.

Means you paid a few amount to be quit of these unpleasant "friends".

Wasn' t that the advice of a gangter to a young protogee in a certain movie set in New York? Anyone recall the movie? I think it came out in the 90s

I'm not sure what the story is. There was a sign saying they would close from Dec 12-16 and

sometimes they open only in the afternoon...

Is This the Best Spaghetti and Meatballs in Pattaya?

Not if that photograph is anything to go by.

Your "disinterested" review sounds like a badly written paid promotion.

It was meant to be a relatively comprehensive and honest review written quickly after a good meal and a couple of wines; I wasn't concentrating on being poetic I have no connection to the restaurant or owner and I fail to see how it is very different from

other review threads that run in this forum.

Recently, I had a hankering for old style spaghetti and meatballs which is of course not the usual fair in many restaurants here - even Western ones.

So I was pleasantly surprised to find great spaghetti and meatballs in a

cozy and convenient corner of Jomtien.

The restaurant is called Mama Da Food and Drink and has recently upgraded its menu and location while still maintaining the friendly family atmosphere people remember from its previous location.

Specifically it is now located next to La Merenda which is across from the Rumpo Complex on Jomtien beach 2nd Rd.

The menu is quite extensive and offers European food such as Makaroonitaatikko( a Finnish item) , cheeseburgers as well as typical Thai

entrees. I chose the Spaghetti and meatballs and a short time later was

enjoying a well seasoned dish with noodles cooked just right and a tasty tomato sauce for a very reasonable price, The service was swift and friendly and the level of English very good. To wash it down , I chose a good red wine for just 70 Baht a glass. Beer at low prices is also offered but my partner chose a Gin and Tonic which was piquant and not watered down (like many places do) for a mere 100 Baht.

In addition they offer a very good Wifi connection for those who need to check Facebook as well as free pool. It is open from around 11 in the morning to late at night every day. All in all, it is excellent value for money and worth a trip from anywhere in Pattaya.

Hm

Just a few weeks ago I was trapped in the ironically named "Makestic " on soi Banchana in Jomtien.

It was scary and it took the local maintainence team 30 minutes to

get the doors to cooperate and open.

I have read that modern elevator systems(ours has got to be 30 years old and has broken down many times)

have safety systems that allow them to get to the next floor and automatically open in the

event of power failure. Does anyone know if any of these systems are actually in

use in Thailand?

Yes, they are in use in the condo I own in Jomtien. Experienced it myself , the elevator goes down to the next floor and doors open.

Cool. I wonder what

the status is of view talays like 1 and 2 that are fairly old but too popular....

Hm

Just a few weeks ago I was trapped in the ironically named "Makestic " on soi Banchana in Jomtien.

It was scary and it took the local maintainence team 30 minutes to

get the doors to cooperate and open.

I have read that modern elevator systems(ours has got to be 30 years old and has broken down many times)

have safety systems that allow them to get to the next floor and automatically open in the

event of power failure. Does anyone know if any of these systems are actually in

use in Thailand?

I'm not sure about that one but I like the "undiscovered" nature of the place. Long gone out of favor but

worth it for a cheap meal.

New Location for Farang/Thai Bar-Restaurant.

MamaDar' restaurant formerly of Rumpole Market has recently moved and reopened on

Jomtien 2nd Rd. next between The Office Bar and La Merenda Italian restaurant.

This reviewer was pleased to see that prices of beer have actually gone down - a rarity and in the world of Pattaya Bars -

and beer is as cheap as 50 Baht. Furthermore, there is now a wide selection of Thai and Farang Food,

I enjoyed the Beef steak with mashed potatoes and mushroom sauce for a mere 250 Baht, They also do an

all-day breakfast and have free pool and wifi available. There is a nice friendly family atmosphere with the owner, her daughter and young grandson.

10 dollars, so about 300 baht for a sandwhich. It better be good for that price.

Before people say you get what you pay for, I will just say that at the Landmark Hotel

in Bangkok I can get a quality sandwhich for about 5 bucks(150 Baht) or less as they have ha;lf price after

7pm.

In Pattaya, quality is either too expensive or just not there.... but I will probably give 'em a try.

I have to agree that it makes a lot of sense as that it will offer baht bus service on 2nd road.

If the powers to be want to develop the area Chaiyapruek and 2nd road baht bus service will

be needed. I think once people get over the initial disruption, it might actually be embraced.

By extension it may even get those Baht buses up and down Soi wat boon kanchana and other negleted but major roads. Right now they are left without public transport.

I went into Pattaya Saturday morning to do some shopping, and as I was driving down South Pattaya Road, it struck me just how ugly Pattaya is. I'm not bashing the place, but it really is an amazingly ugly city. The infrastructure is badly decrepit with a jumble of wires, signs and nothing of interest or attractiveness. Not to be insulting to its residents, both long and short term, but I just can't understand why anyone would choose to live there. I'm happy that it has the shopping I want and that I can scoot in to grab what I want then get back out.

Maybe its very run-down appearance and gross overcrowding are contributing a little more each day to keeping people away. Its substantial amount of crime doesn't help, either. Unfortunately, the Pattaya local government has let it go for so long without any planning or improvements that making it an even tolerable place to live for many of us is beyond hope.

Have to agree with this. I used to go running on Buddha hill, at the top there is a nice flat seating area which has gone to rack n ruin.

Toilets that are both disgusting and no longer in use. There used to be wooden beams for the flowers to run along, they are all broken and most have been taken away.

The one thing I notice about Pattaya and it's probably the same for the rest of Thailand is... they make things and they can be beautiful but that's as good as it gets. Repairs never seem to get carried out.

Not worth startting a seperate thread but on Sukimvit and Soi BoonChana , the bus shelter in front of Wat Boon collapsed this morning. Anybody under it would have been hurt or killed. No maintenance whatsoever.

Too bad my camera phone wasn't with me.

I sat outside my house on the darkside watching the incredible lightening in the distance. Didn't know if it was over Pattaya or not - but it seems you really copped it last night according to 'black fox' post. Just shows you how local this stuff is. Here I am 7 kms outside Patts and we had some modest rain - that's all. Hope you have recovered!

I did he same from my balcony in Jomtien. Nice show but it scared the daylights out of my lady.