BugJackBaron

Really? No good greek restaurants at all? That's surprising for such a big city. There is such an abundance of everything else, why not Greek?

There was one on the main drag in Chiang Mai a year ago...it wasnt that good..

there was one near emporium in bangkoka few years ago ...since closed

I'm surprised (and again, NOT surprised) that people here dislike the WSJ. I think it's great satire on Pattaya life - albeit mainly satire on the hetero life - still a great read. It's the only publication here that describes Pattaya like it is and not a watered-down, stale rag like the one Neils Colov gives us... honestly, does anyone care about some Deputy Mayor's assistant's son getting married? No. Give me satire and anecdotes relating to the countless personal tragedies manifested by too many Changs at a Soi 7 bar, a bar slag who's "different" than all the others, and her family's sick water buffalo in Nakhon Nowhere.

I'm amused and disheartened by the poster who is currently planning to "report" this paper to the authorities, citing its over-the-top sexual nature as the smoking gun. Has he ever stopped to think there are people out there that might enjoy something that he does not? Is he aware that he can simply bypass the paper at the newsstand, and thus, not become offended by its contents? Is he aware that the owner is another farang like him doing what they can to fill the hours? He must really despise freedom.

I was in Pattaya recently(now live in Bangkok) and thought I would try to find a copy.

Nowhere. Is it still being published?

The magazine "pattaya expat" seems to have vanished too.

Anyone got the scoop on this?

I would hate to see this society, for all its problems

become a semi-police state like Britain is becoming or have 1000 laws for everything like in

America. (remember the old song "signs" "can't you read the sign"?)

So YOU would, but offer all the Thais a free ticket to Britain or the USA and a job there and the whole country would empty out--IF they could bring along their families. THEY know where the better standard of living is. And they would vote with their feet, never mind the mouthings. The elite would quickly pass a law against emigration.

Thailand isn't a semi-police state? Does the word "coup" ring a bell anywhere? Haven't been stopped by the police lately for a shakedown? Tried ordering a beer in a restaurant between 2 - 5 pm? Gimme a break. Seems you know nothing about Thailand really.

A lot of our besotted posters have lost sight of the advantages of the West. But why not like Britain and the USA at the same time you can like Thailand, Malaysia, Mexico, Japan, or Indonesia? Perspective, perspective.

Sure they would go. Like Koreans who went and are going. Only to find that linguistic and cultural

barriers make them want to come back. Oh and that 7 buck a hour job doesn't quite pay the bills.

Oh, did you mean give them all CEO type jobs?

Police state is relative of course;I would call it having an unstable government.

And some Thais may and do prosper in the West of course.

I agree that many farang have lost sight of the advantages of the West. But you it seems

have lost sight of the disadvantages.

Seems to me there are too many people living here now without really assimilating. they like the girls, nightlife and the cost of living but hate everything else. They spend their time homesick and dreaming of hotdogs, pork pies and suchlike.. So they are happy when Thailand becomes more like 'home' The rest of us who prefer 'Moo Ping' and 'Khao neaow' are gradually loosing what we loved.. and worse newbies now tell us 'if you don't like it go home'' Pretty funny when after 20 yrs this is my home. I just don't want to see it ruined like countless other towns in the name of 'progress'

Well, now, why is it "better" to be assimilated? First of all, no farang can really be assimilated, though some may have the delusion that they have been or can be. Thais won't let a farang be truly assimilated anyway. Try buying land for yourself. A farang can never be a Thai according to Thais. What's desired is that the farang's money gets assimilated while the interests of the Thai elite are enhanced and protected; Pattaya is continuing to develop to help ensure that goal. I can't wait until the day finally comes when they get rid of the baht buses.

Yet development does help ordinary Thais pull themselves out of the poverty, ignorance, fear, and superstition that enable much of what tourists condescendingly find so charming. And Thais themselves want this progress. If they didn't, then Bangkok wouldn't exist; it's not on account of the farangs.

Me, it's true, I don't want to be assimilated. I like who I am, a kind of global person. In fact, I think the more that Thais get assimilated by farang culture, with its values of freedom, individuality, rationality, equality before the law, separation of church and state, binding contracts, and democracy, the better off they'll be. (I concede that the implementation of Western values in Western countries often falls woefully short of the ideal, but Thai culture even more often falls short of its own ideals. For example, a major Buddhist stricture is against lying--believe it or not!)

Now for those pseudo-farang Thais, not to worry: there will likely always be food carts w/ moo ping and khao neaow on the streets for Thai staff from upcountry. BTW, did you read the thread on food poisoning here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Food-Poisoni...em-t245579.html

I think the danger here is that it is YOU that is being condescending.

Global citizen? Take a course in anthropology.

Yes development helps some, but not all development is equal.

Ignorance and fear? Sure. Do you think our scientific understanding is a perfect picture?

The beliefs of today may become the superstitions of the 22nd century .

I find many Thai customs charming - <snip>. And if they

want to a have a shrine inside their home that's OK too.

How about the ignorance and fear that led to the financial crisis?

You are right that body can be totally assimilated and western values may improve

life for some but not for others. I would hate to see this society, for all its problems

become a semi-police state like Britain is becoming or have 1000 laws for everything like in

America. (remember the old song "signs" "can't you read the sign"?)

how does anyone have the energy to *hate* a shopping mall? &lt;deleted&gt; is wrong with you people???

Haters, thats what they are. They hate everything.

We don't "hate" everything. We love Pattaya the way it used to be, should be. We just hate crappy big malls that get built over nice bar complexes. Why don't all you people who like to buy expensive shirts move to expensive horrible places like Hua Hin. They have a big new mall there. You'll feel right at home.

I'm sure there are Thai fishermen who wish the bars never came to town.

It's called development and progress. You were happy when the place progressed from fishing village to whore town, now it's progressing from whore town to tourist town. Move over, your time here is done. Find an undeveloped town somewhere else and relive your past again. Try Sihanoukville, you'll feel right at home.

Poppycock. . Pattaya is still a fishing village - check out the old town Naklua.

It is also a tourist town - and that includes sex tourists.

The new mall hasn't changed that at all though it has improved some tourist things.

Bangkok is tourist town a business centre and a monger's paradise.

Is this coexistence so hard to grasp or accept?

As to the new mall, I finally visited Pattaya after six weeks and got to see it.

It was better than I expected. It is nice to have an alternative to dot.com for

electronics - something most department stores and malls in Pattaya were weak on.

This is something that is more of benefit to expats than tourists as it is unlikely tourists

will come here and buy a laptop.

The food court at the bottom was a nice improvement but it is unlikely we

will see the same level of choice as in Bangkok. Same with the bookstores..

On the bad side the food court at the top was WAY too pushy, the greeter following you around

like a lost puppy. I hope this is temporary - if I want to browse, I want to browse in peace.

Again, this is not what happens in Bangkok.

The one concern I have is that its a bit too far down beach road, Think RG always had a great location, but cr*p shops and facilities, while New Central has good shops and facilities in a cr*p location.

That's an interesting point and may be the saving grace for Royal Garden and also help the Avenue. The mass tourism center of town has been further south, Royal Garden/Walking Street and the new mall is a bit far to walk all the time. On the other hand, the new mall may in effect push the center further north.

That's a strange assessment, because it's located conveniently in the middle of Beach Road with an equal amount of tourists residing both north and south from there. You couldn't have found a better location if you tried. Being at the very centre of the main baht bus loop it is in a convenient location for just about everyone.

This is an interesting question. Do tourists in fact have an equal distribution between North and South?

Ask the nits at the ministry of tourism!

One thing though, let's face it...the action is toward walking street...this means Mikes shopping and RG will see more traffic because that is are which has the greatest density of shops.

Sorry to be a grammar nazi but it should read:

Thai People Are Getting Taller, Fatter, More Tubular.

The use of the present progressive is mandated here.

Posts from Thaivisa News should be up to newspaper standards.

Even non grammar nazis are thinking it should be "are becoming"! Adolf

Try reading for meaning. It makes much more sense and you learn much more once the blinkers are off.

I was being generous Gramps. Of course I read for meaning - otherwise many posts would be 

unreadable

I think it's really very impressive, although I must admit that I was pretty cynical about it until I actually visited. After the disappointment of the Avenue, I was delighted by the new Central Festival Mall. In a cursory two-hour visit I found four bookshops, and I expect there are more hidden away in the depths of the place. The electronics and computer shops also provide a welcome change from TukCom, Numchai, Lotus, et al. I'm not big on clothes and all the fashion places, but that's just me, I'm sure there will be thousands of visitors to Pattaya who will love the new mall if only for these shops. And what a great location, straight out of the air conditioning and onto Beach Road.

I think they are very unlucky with timing, but that's no fault of the developer. I sincerely wish the place the best of luck and hope they are able to make a decent fist of it. It's a very welcome addition to Pattaya, IMHO.

BTW, Asia Books on the 3rd floor has a 3-for-2 sale on all books until the 26th February. I went back home with over 3000 Baht worth of paperbacks!

OK ASIA BOOKS! How many of those do we need in Pattaya?

Now if they had a real quality chain like Kinakuniya as we have in Bangkok

I would be impressed. It's nice to have sales of books but that is not unique as

RG on the 3rd floor booksotre(forget its name) had some lovely bargains too....

Sorry to be a grammar nazi but it should read:

Thai People Are Getting Taller, Fatter, More Tubular.

The use of the present progressive is mandated here.

Posts from Thaivisa News should be up to newspaper standards.

The mall is great!

There is NO PROBLEM with access! Either use the elevators or the escalators (I totally disagree with you that they are excessively spaced). There is no problem getting to the cinema! Just use your noodle, dude. Enter the mall and immediately go to floor 5 on the elevator, then one floor up the escalator, and voila. The restaurant choice is the best in town and the department store is a first for Pattaya. Also the basement food court is absolutely the best food court Pattaya has ever had. If you are headed for most of the food options instead of shopping, simply enter the mall and go directly to floor 4 or 5 by elevator. There they are.

I haven't checked it out yet but what I was hoping for was a real alternative

like Chit Lom Central in Bangkok ..I bet the movies are now 120 baht instead

of the 80 they were in RG..

Does anyone remember the failed shopping mall/complex near Soi Welcome in Jomtien..?

The result of too optimistic forecast of growth...

Seems we never learn....

Will the new mall thrive or become part of the "urban decay" of Pattaya....?

Chances are it will simply endure waiting

like a cactus for water....

Hasn't anyone yet mentioned these loathsome two?

WHO'S instead of WHOSE

and especially

IT'S instead of ITS, as in "The Kingdom of Thailand and its inhabitants" or "The plan is good; its only flaw is that it's too optimistic"

the latter being so common that I start seeing it in reputable newspapers too.

And it would be nice to see WHOM a little more often, but I understand I'm asking too much.

"The Kingdom of Thailand and its inhabitants" or "The plan is good; its only flaw is that it's too optimistic"

Embarrassed, but in order to understand better, I admit I don't understand what is wrong with those sentences. I know my grammar is lacking. Any chance of an explanation? (An explanation of the sentences, not as to why my grammar is lacking )

It is not clear to me the OP meant those sentences to be examples of bad grammar. They are both

correct.

I have a classic!! Some years ago I ordered a capaccino in a small but long running restaurant in south Pattaya. It was taking a while to come so, using the extensive mirrors that run down each side of the restaurant, I managed to take a peek at the girl behind the counter who was "making" my capuccino. Lo and behold it seems the machine was not working and so she was blowing through a straw into my coffee to try to make it look like capuccino!! When it arrived I did not have the heart to point this out to someone so obviously retarded so I merely paid, had a glass of water instead and left!!!! Amazing Thailand eh!!??

You should have at least tried it

Seriously, this reminds me of the small convenience store inside the Pattaya Bus Terminal(intercity)

They have a machine that offers coffee such as expresso, cappicino, cafe au lait..

It's quite cheap - maybe 20 baht or so..

Cafe au lait was coffee with a bit of milk on top!

I refused to pay and the owner got quite miffed.

The Cambodian beggar kids following you go no farther....

was that funny?

Sure some of the stuff is edible, like the hot dogs.

But the salmon sandwhich? What a joke! A bare hint of salmon

in some crummy bread quickly pressed...

I really think some expats here have forgotten just how good

even the most humble salmon sandwhich is in the west...

What's next caviar and steak? Some things just cannot be sold like

that.

7-11 is pushing it and I really resent seeing them sprout up like mushrooms

everywhere now..must be 10 in the Victory Square area alone.

OK I'm going to mention Villa-in Market again

This time in the Bangkok location nearest to Nana Plaza..

I was there a couple of months ago checking it out, dressed

in typical tourist threads. There were almost no farang - or anyone - there.

But to top it off, as I was browsing the various ailes and came around a corner

I saw a security(in plain clothes) hastily retreat. He had obvioussly and amateurishly

been following me for no good reason..

And they didn't even have Grape Nuts!

LAST TIME THERE

Here is something that gets me, though I sometimes still come back..

Take the Villa Market restaurant ...they have a "grandma's turkey" with a picture on the

wall showing turkey and COOKED VEGETABLES like brocolli..

When you get it you will get the Turkey but only a small salad with dressing on the side...

In the west we would call that misleading advertising...

Good Grief,was it that bad !

Well I am not optimistic. Chances are it will be as bad as the old one -

the only Thai place my buddy, who has a cast-iron stomach, felt sick

afterwords.

The sea breeze was torn down and this is a new building...

Only in LOS, where alse have you heard of this????

I can confirm that there was at least one bar/restaurant in

Seoul Korea(Itaewon) where a sign clearly stated "No Nigerians allowed"

There were many complaints by business oweners - both Korean

and western against them last year/

Unfortunately there is a basis to bias against them just as there is a

basis to certain problems associated with US military based personel..

It doesnt mean all nigerians - or whoever - is bad.

I have also heard that russians are not welcome in many

bathhouses in Japan as they are considered "troublemakers"

Bias happens..sometimes there is a basis for it..

Everything you need to know is in the movies or in song..

Here is Springsteen on the issue...

"You can't start a fire

you can't start a fire without a spark

This gun's for hire

even if we're just dancing in the dark"

haha probably should have seen that coming but i didnt

An oldie but a goodie...brought back memories of that Frank Zappa song..

"Catholic girls..do you know how they go?"

The best way - ThePirateBay.org

Have you ever heard about Torrent and P2P?

If like he said they take forever to download then he is probably not

on ADSL(broadband)

With ADSL popular movies can be downloaded in a matter of as short as an hour

sometimes...

Party Poopers

Sorry, but if you think that place is good you know NOTHING about fish and chips. The snapper tastes nothing like the white fish normally used for fish and chips, and the chips...well, theyre not chips at all, theyre kind of chunky potato wedge things. The portions are tiny, and the flavour is terrible.

If you want good fish and chips in Ch Mai, the best two places by a distance are Charlies, just off Loi Kroh, and the UN Irish pub. Both are LIGHT YEARS ahead of this apology for a fish and chip shop. Astonishing, that ANYONE in their right mind could give a recommendation for this place!!! Yukhhh!!

Is Charlies the kinda open-air one in that small Soi run by an English dude? And they serve only

fish and chips? If so it was great when I was there last year..

Mos Burger in CentralWorld Bangkok. They are a Japanese burger chain coming soon to Pattaya. Expect queues for the burgers at least when they first open.

How anyone can confuse the slab of bland processed(with a hint of the taste of real beef)

stuff that is MosBurger - Moss would be perfect as a name! - with a real burger

is beyond me. Sure it's better than MceeD or A&W but that's not saying much....

I had a good breakfast in Jomtien on the bend just before the archway. It was called Papa Docs or Papa Davids or something like that anyway.

Papa Davids, Lots of choice, good service, no problem asking for specials, available all day, David is usually there every morning. If you are in the area, its a perfect choice to relax and start the day

Overpriced mediocre breakfast. Turgid mediocre quality Sunday roast dinner.

As with most places in Jomtien area

I have not tried Papa's Sunday dinner but the breakfast is acceptable. However the sausage was (as you described) mediocre.

A question mark still hangs in the air above eating establishments in Jomtien regarding the quality of sausages offered.

While not a full English Breakfast, Seafood Emporium - on that road that is 1/10th completed behind and running parallel to Jomtien beach road has a decent and reasonably priced bacon and eggs.

The bacon is quite good and when I asked, the owner said it was imported....