BugJackBaron

Checked it out // 1 hour ago?

Wow! previously i passed by it thinking it was just some kind of sports bar

but I can confirm that the beer is 40 baht - even for Heiniken! and they had

an incredible range of spirits like gay goose vodka(very expensive at foodland)

for about 100 baht a glass. And yes the beer was cold.

Also the second floor is..well..maybe some of you might remember the "dark side" of Grissom

in CSI..looks like similar pleasures may be available...

Overall the most surprising bar I have encountered yet in Pattaya.

And VERY low key..look on the street if you want to see the sign.........there almost isnt any...

wileycoyote

Casa Pascal is about Baht 900 (used to include a glass of wine)

Bad news - doesn't start doing Sunday brunch again until beginning October!

At 900 baht I could have a buffet in any expensive joint in Canada or America.

Come on , this is Thailand and a good buffet should be doable at 300 baht (600 should be superb).

I find most buffets in Pattaya to be too pricey and/or simply not good.

The complete lack of new Thai business owners who don't think outside the box. Laundry shop, small market, hair dresser/salon, postal service and internet cafe... Any new row of shophouses that are built will have only these types of businesses - even if there's a hair salon two doors down, someone will open up another hair salon. Here, and Thailand in general is the lack of small, family-owned specialty shops. You have to do to Carrefour, Index or Boonthavorn to find items like these when I would much rather spend a few extra baht and give the money to a small Thai business.

I'm not so sure this is unique to Thailand. Believe me, it is even worse in South Korea....

Sorry to interrupt your religeous debate, but back to the topic at hand.

I took the Mrs to Pattaya recently (not sure why but I did) and stayed at a fairly new hotel on 2nd road owned by a big french hotel group. You can fill in the blanks.

The hotel was full of Chinese Tourists, 5 busloads in fact. Families and couples. The rest was mostly local Bangkokians who drove down from the weekend.

What if any conclusions I can draw from this?

When this hotel opened a couple years back it was full of farangs / locals. Based solely on my last trip, their target group has changed to Chinese Tour Groups as their primary focus. And let's face it, Pattaya isn't exactly a draw for Western couples with kids as it once was .

Reasons: Just speaking outloud but me thinks the Chinese like the place (Pattaya). It's cheap, it's a novelity to stair at eastern European girls dancing, it's close to Bangkok, and did I mention it's cheap.

Oh, and I don't envision busloads showing up on Samui or in Phuket anytime soon despite what the guy quoted in the article suggest TAT to do.

Yes, Even a couple of years ago when I took the Kho Larn trip from Pattaya beach, I remember being only one of a handful of

"white guys", the rest beng Chinese and obviously part of a group tour. They seemed to love it.

Some of the hotels at the end of Jomtien beach also seem to be "Chinese only" and may not even understand you unless you

speak Chinese or Thai

The Koreans also seem to love the group tours.

..... I consider Buddhism a philosopphy rather than a religion.

This is a very common sentiment from Westerners who typically

learn about buddhism from a philosophical point of view.

But when you see it in practice, with the blessings, prayers, belief in reincarnation - hence a kind

of afterlife - you might see many elements of other religions too.

I would consider Confucianism a philosophy as there is no reference to anything supernatural in it.

Anyone tried Pizza 2000? I tried them for the first time

at that Pattaya beach outdoor food event last week, and

was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the slices. At 50 Baht a slice not too bad..

One restaurant worth mentioning is definitely Berlin 2000 Cafe. Their food is absolutely great prepared by a German chef. I live in Bangkok and would go to Pattaya over the weekend just to go to Berlin 2000. Their meat is great, so are the french fries. Portions are so large I can hardly ever finish. Their salad dressing is worth a medal.

Berlin 2000 Cafe is located just at the beginning of South Pattaya Road on the left, around the corner from Beach Road.

I tend to think that the German restaurants, though not super cheap, generally

give better value for the baht than other western joints - there are a couple of other german restauant near berlin 2000 that are

worth checking out too.

If there is a very small amount of sugar or food crumbs around, guaranteed within a few minutes it will be infested with ants, they even love the dead cockeroaches. The ants that come out from my ceiling and down the wall, I spray them and they stay away for a couple of weeks. Why do they follow eachother in an exact line? they dont do that in the UK... it puzzles me.

Maybe they are army ants!

Thanks folks, I'll be here all week.

Mata hari's has the best food I have had in Pattaya, steak diane to die for. down pratamak rd a bit is o'garahs? which is close to quality of mata haris but cheaper

sorry about the spelling

Agree re Mata Hari's. the food and the service is excellent. Not cheap but worth the money.

Anyone tried Manhattan Steakhouse also at the Nirvana?

CB

I refuse to go to Manhatten's even if their steaks are great,,,

The prices they quote on Sophon(600 for "2 course" 900 for "3 course") are almost obscene for Thailand -

and there is no reason to pay so much even for a good western

steak. If I can get a great one Si Ra Cha for 300 baht(complete with wine), why not here?

Buy Dvd's? With a good internet connection and minimal technical know-how,

you can download 'em

One advantage of this is that you can get great movies from the past (anything more than 10 years old)

that you would never see sold on the srteet...

I guess my technical know-how is even less than minimum!

I have wrestled with Vuze, Limewire, Mininove, uTorrent and can't capture any downloads.

There are lots of older movies I would like to see again, like Indochine and the cult classic Eating Raoul.......they are listed but out of my reach.

Too bad about that ..What kind of connection are you using?

I have no machine myself(our apartment doesn't allow any)

but I have downloaded stuff in various Internet rooms..One great one is on Soi bukow and has a

HDSL and ADSL connection. I have heard if you just use wifi then the upload speeds

are not sufficent ...

Who needs a movie channel in Pattaya when you can buy dvds for next to nothing???

The only channels you really need are the sport channels and supersport from SA has just about everything that you would ever want to watch for sport.

Buy Dvd's? With a good internet connection and minimal technical know-how,

you can download 'em

One advantage of this is that you can get great movies from the past (anything more than 10 years old)

that you would never see sold on the srteet...

Simon's Fish Bar, Jomtien. Best fish and chips I've tasted!

I'ts on the right hand side heading towards the beach, about 100 meters before the arch.

I also disagree. Soggy overpriced junk. Unfortunately it seems almost all the places on Jomtien

are simply there to exploit their location.

So whadaya think ? You know, the one with

Uncle Festus...

1) great satire

2) slightly amusing

3) vile sexist rag

4) good for a laugh

5) useful to wrap fish in...

Just wondered why you should ask?

Is it on-line? if so I could give my unbiased honest opinion as I am not in Pattaya for many weeks yet.

BB

BB

Why? Because inquiring minds want to know...?

And I was getting bored with the usual pattaya bashing threads...

Not sure if its online...

So whadaya think ? You know, the one with

Uncle Festus...

1) great satire

2) slightly amusing

3) vile sexist rag

4) good for a laugh

5) useful to wrap fish in...

This morning on Thappraya Rd next to the foodland supermarket the bus lost its breaks...it careened down the road

and hit a barracade next to the seven eleven by Pattaya properites and Papa Davids

Wires everywhere dangling, a car and motorbike totalled but no injuries I think...people still out here..

Since no one has yet answered what the scam is I'll relate my experience. A couple of months ago I was walking along Jomtien Beach in the afternoon and a youngish Indian guy pulled up on a motorcycle beside me and asked if I spoke English. I saw some kind of sales pitch/scam coming but since I didn't have anything better to do I thought I would see what he had to say. He showed me a number of cards, kind of the type you get when you buy a lottery ticket in the US, that you scratch off and it shows what you won. He said they were having the drawing very shortly and said he would give me 3 of the cards and that I could win some very nice prizes, like a digital camera etc. That's when I told him I had something better to do and he went on his way. He wasn't threating at all. I would assume when you got to whereever the drawing was being conducted, if you weren't robbed, then their was probably some kind of sales pitch for timeshares, condo etc.

Yep that is the same game they have been playing in Pattaya for quite a while now.

It was Feb. when they approached me with the exact same game.

I assume it is timeshare or real estate of some sort.

I never felt threatened or was i in the remotest bit worried.

The only reason i stopped was because i had nothing to do and i wanted to see what sort of game they were playing.

Generally I never answer to anyone who I don't know just keep on walking. Anyone who walks up to you is scamming that is just the way it is in Thailand.

Unfortunately i have noticed in the capital cities around Australia now that anyone who approaches you is begging for money so i adopt the same philosophy in Australia as well.

I think it's the same real-estate tout - I'm not ready to say scam yet - that those people with their "surveys" are

involved in on the beach..except they are on foot. You participate in the draw but to collect your prize you have to come to

the crappy overpriced hotel where you will be hard selled a membership fee which will give you a discount

at all members of the hotell..you get the idea.

This happened to me in Bangkok four years ago and I declined the memebership(to the manager's obvious annoyance)

but still collected a small prize - some small bag or something- so I'm not sure if it's technically a scam.

It's a style of sale that I think was popular in America maybe 50 years ago but no longer is used much..(I hope)

There is no way that I would equate Starbucks with McDonalds. BTW, Starbucks is mostly closing stores that are too close to each other, for example, one on each corner. I think if you polled the expat residents in Jomtien, most would want a Starbucks. They might want a McD's also but I don't. I think you are wrong about Jomtien. It is becoming Pattaya anyway without the go go bars, better get used to it.

No way, Jose!! McD's ok but overpriced coffee no thanks - I can make a perfectly decent cup at home for about 5 baht and drink it on my balcony, why pay some conglomerate 100 baht+ for something that ain't half as good? TOPS........guess we will always get the more expensive supermarkets as well!

Yes Star's coffee is only so-so in my book and too pricey. It's funny how people here say they want American chains. I would

rather see more local Thai chains like Black Canyon (or bluecanyon) or S& P come here. They do coffee better than starbucks.

There is no way that I would equate Starbucks with McDonalds. BTW, Starbucks is mostly closing stores that are too close to each other, for example, one on each corner. I think if you polled the expat residents in Jomtien, most would want a Starbucks. They might want a McD's also but I don't. I think you are wrong about Jomtien. It is becoming Pattaya anyway without the go go bars, better get used to it.

You mean without the go-go bars that are in Jomtien complex soi 4 soi 5 soi welcome etc?

Or maybe you meant the kind that have shows with girls dancing...like that one by the Jomtien entrance.

I didn't mean to equate the quality of starbucks with that of mcdonalds but rather to say where

one chain is found so are usually the whole troop of them, both the relatively good and bad. I don't know about

polls..perhaps we should try one and see? I do admit that I enjoy the starbucks free newspaper and easy

to sit in lounge area...but you have to ask yourself why big chains are nowhere to be found here..

Take a look at the number of restaurants in Jomtien that have closed in the past year - maybe that is why?

When does the first Starbucks come to Jomtien? I don't actually go to Starbucks but it is symbolic.

A decent grocery for everyday needs that isn't a FoodMart style tourist trap is greatly overdue in Jomtien. We do need some other basic services such as a Watsons/Boots and a Thai language school.

What other basic services do you think we are missing here?

Well I hope a starbucks never comes here...arent they closing stores in most of the world?

If it did we would surely get MceeDee and other crap following...if I want that there is Pattaya..

By the way I think Foodmart has already sensed the competion - there is a sign now that they are

trying to expand goods and services. There is some kind of mini complex being built in the middle

of Jomtien beach road so we may get those "lovely" chains yet..

But I think there is a bit of a risk here too...just cruise down a little past Soi Welcome and

you can see a huge abandoned "shopping complex" and with a 30% decrease in tourism this year(thanks in part

to immigration changes) I'm not sure it would be worthwhile for a starbucks here..After all the Jomtien crowd

almost by definition moved here to avoid the trappings of Pattaya..

when you guys have to go for a visa,just go to Vientiane and enjoy a great fresh made large pizza for less than 150 baht at the VIAVIA.Or iff you want to pay more and enjoy the best pizza then go to Le Provencal.The french restaurants in Vientiane are far much better than anything you can find in Pattaya.

Agreed. Not just French restaurants but food and lodging in general give better value for money than Pattaya.Too bad no beaches though.

As an impoverished 69 year old disabled pensioner on crutches, I am hoping to get some feedback on the Jomtien Hotel Longstay.

I have an initial booking of 5 days there followed by an option to stay longer, during which time I should be able to decide if I can cope there.

One element in particular that is critical to me is how high are the bed, too low and I cannot get up? Added to which the geography on the Google earthmap suggests that Dongtarn Beach is too far for me to walk there.

However at 5500 Baht per month plus utilities it is a snip for me.

I have not been in Jomtien/Pattaya for over 12 years now, so I anticipate huge changes. Any info or alternative and inexpensive lodging greatly appreciated.

I stay there. As far as I know it is the cheapest in the Jomtien area for an apartment. It also

has a pool on the fourth floor. Other good things are friendly staff and a very safe environment

(due to many old people and gays there?). Free daily Bangkok Post too.

The bad: the coffee shop/restaurant is good for neither western nor Thai food. Many rooms

may smell musty and old because, well, they are old. I shopped around for relatively clean one.

The beds are of average height but take a look for yourself. The bathtubs on the other hand seem

to be built for giraffes...you almost need to pole-vault over the side

Sorry, but I don't really have much sympathy for people who get robbed and/or injured from these types of gold snatchings anymore. It's long past the time they should have learned.

A bit heartless isn't it? What if she doesn't recover?

It is certainly a bad piece of luck for the girl...but was completely preventable. Sorta like crossing a street on a red-light and getting hit by a car...bad luck but preventable.

If she doesn't recover...she will die. People are born...and people die...it is part of the Wheel of Existence. It's likely she and her family are Buddhists so will expect her to be re-incarnated on a higher plane of existance (if she had sufficient good karma). Heck...for her next existance, she may really luck-out and come back as a man!

Petty crime is pretty rampant here; my girl had her cell phone pickpocketed in that nice sunday jomtien market..her friend had her purse snatched

while riding on her motorbike....yes she asks me why she is so unlucky..(my reply that she was lucky to meet me doesn't comfort her) and prays

to Buddha and reads the tarot. Dont forget that many of these girls are from more quiet areas like Isaan so such crime may come as a shock

to them..

Pattaya People rag is advocating for a major international film festival to come to Pattaya.

I think that is a great idea in abstract, but there is already a major film festival in Bangkok, so I think it would be better to MOVE that to Pattaya. Bangkok already has a more regional festival, the World Film festival. Do they really need two?

Pattaya People thinks that having such a major international CULTURAL event would change the international image for the better for Pattaya in a very dramatic way. I agree. I think the salvation from sex city for Pattaya can only come with more ARTS and CULTURE. A film festival is but one aspect, but I applaud Pattaya People rag for putting this big idea out on the table.

What do you think about it?

A great idea. Any attempt to bring more Arts and Culture to the city is definitely a good thing!

G

Well it will be nice to have pretentious artsy types invade the city...

Will it change the image? Hardly. International film festivals exist elsewhere of course...like Pusan

Korea. What you didn't hear of it? It's been going more than 10 years. My point is it will

take more than a film festival to put something "on the map" or change the image of a city.

Wouldn't mind seeing a "video room" place like the kind that is popular in Northeast Asia.

In these places, you pick a movie you want to see among a selection of DVDs, and get a private room to watch it with a big screen, like a minitheater.

Great for a date.

It exists. I don't remember the exact soi but it's in a small side street between Greg's Kitchen and big C shopping on second road. Look left when heading toward Naklua. It's combined with a 24 hours internet cafe.

This is one for Nignoy, Bendix and the few Thai BMs - or anyone else who knows things.

I know so little but I'll start eith - only one hill tribe in Thailand has a written language.

I believe it must be the Lisu tribe. The written language was a a recent invention

of Christian missionaries I heard