Hobgoblin

I live in Sihanoukville and a friend came to visit and to get a new tourist visa, and he has the same tale of woe. Fortunately, the local travel agency that arranges Thailand visas told him about these ludicrous new rules.

For people staying long-term in Thailand, a house lease will apparently suffice, but the airline ticket? What about the scores of people who leave Thailand overland? Did immigration think of that? Of course not.

Thailand should just put snipers at their border crossings and shoot any foreigner trying to enter - it does seem to be their end game. I'm so happy I left.

Hi,

The last two days, I've had crippling problems connecting to Skype using my 3BB TT&T connection in East Pattaya. In the event I can connect, I can make Skype to Skype calls without any problem, but trying to dial internationally is proving to be impossible at the moment.

I've heard there are ongoing connectivity issues with 3BB in Pattaya, but I have no real issues connecting to other websites and Internet services - only Skype. This implies a problem with Skype itself - I can't seem to login to my account on the Skype website either.

Is anyone else experiencing similar issues using Skype? Could this have something to do with the ongoing governmental crisis?

-H

Having been to all corners of Cambodia, I conclude the following:

Sihanoukville = Koh Phangnan/Phuket

Phnom Penh = Bangkok

Siem Reap = Chiang Mai

Poipet = Pattaya

Subs 'n Suds on Soi Yamoto (Soi 13/1) 100 meters from Beach Road. Not the cheapest, but the quality can't be beat.

-H

I was gutted when I got the news late last night. Lee was one-of-a-kind, always happy, and enjoying life to it's fullest. He will be sorely missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. As anyone who knew him will tell you, he always had a smile on his face and made you feel welcome in his bar.

Rest in Peace, Lee.

-H

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Check to be sure you don't have the Dvorak keyboard installed by mistake. Dvorak is an alternate layout for the US-English keyboard that some use to type faster (letters are in more logical places).

I once changed a mate's keyboard to Dvorak as a practical joke - drove him absolutely nuts

For XP:

Control Panel -> Regional and Language Options -> Languages Tab -> Details button in top section; Then you should see if you have Dvorak instead of the standard.

If you see it there, remove it and make sure you have the US Standard keyboard installed - any program that's switching to Dvorak will no longer do this, as the layout is no longer installed.

It is the same for me with Firefox, I updated all Javascript and Flash programmes but would still not work, so downloaded Google Chrome and "Hey Presto" works like a charm.

I do not think it is the fault of Firefox more likely the Web Designer did not make the site compatible with Firefox.

I use Firefox and I have no issues viewing the site. As a web programmer, I checked the source of the site, and see it's XHTML-compliant and their use of jQuery makes their Javascript code cross-browser compatible.

I'd check any Firefox plugins you employ, especially if you are running quite a few. It's not unheard of for certain plugins to "clash" with others and compromise your browsing experience.

This shop has the propensity to "fix" what you simply requested an estimate for, and subsequently charging an arm and a leg. This was three years ago and I haven't been back. I can't attest to their current practices.

For PC repairs, use Watthana on Pattaya Klang; they're miracle workers.

I can second the suggestions for Stephano Cho. His shop is on Sukhumvit just north of Pattaya Nua (North) on the southbound traffic side, and the sign reads StephanOcho. I had a recliner made there over four years ago, and I still have it - very high quality, about 11,000 for a leather/PVC chair (PVC on the sides and back).

This is bad news... Scoby's was the only pizza in Thailand that even came close to being what I was used to eating in the states.

As far as the Pizza Company comments go - all I can do is laugh (and cringe)... I wouldn't eat that mass-produced crap if I were paid to. Again, people in this town cannot appreciate GOOD food, and settle for crap simply because they have a larger advertising budget. Pizza Company/Hut is no more pizza than McDonalds is burgers.

Anytime I find something here that I enjoy, whether it's some snack at 7-11, a beverage or restaurant - it goes away.

Scoby's closed their dine-in/take-away shop about a month or two ago to focus only on delivery (which is presumably where 99% of their business came from) while cutting the need to have an expensive shop to rent... which is why there are "For Sale" and "Closed" signs there.

They have been doing delivery in the meantime, but I tried tonight, and got the "Mai samat tid tor" message on the phone. Hopefully they are just on holiday and haven't packed it in, because their pizza was just perfect.

If anyone knows their new number, PLEASE post it here or PM it to me... I'm dying here.

-H

Have you tried Dublin - that has exactly what you are looking for.

Thanks for the accurate, yet captious response.

Let's assume that one wishes to have a night out in Pattaya that does not involve bar fines, and pesky women sitting next to you asking for drinks. A place where some friends and I can go out and knock a few pints of suds back in a comfortable atmosphere - in other words - a proper pub, not a beer bar.

Not the kind of place where patrons sit outside with a bottle of Chang inserted into a styrofoam holder, but somewhere that has cold, delicious draft beer on tap, no overbearing techno music to distract from conversation.

We've found a few - Jameson's, Shenanigans (no smoking at the bar) to name a couple, but it would be great if a list could be compiled here as reference to other farangs that are looking for the same kind of night out.

Obviously, what I'm alluding to are British and Irish style pubs.

Please suggest.

I'd love to see Tangle Foot or Old Speckled Hen sold somewhere here - or better yet - on tap at a real British-style pub with polite staff, smoking permitted and no slags full stop.

One can dream.

No Hookers, Modern Train station, No vendors.... there already is a place. Toulon, France. Why not go there and stop daydreaming about Pattaya becoming something it's not?

Hi,

A very good friend and neighbor has a 15 year-old son who has developed a serious yaba addiction. I've lived next to this family (middle class) for about three years and have since become a regular part of their lives. I've noticed that the kid's attitude towards everything has been deteriorating rapidly, much to the despair of his friends and family. Several of his good friends have stopped hanging around him, and he's been spending time with other teenagers who we can just tell are NOT good people. He has been staying away from home for days, even a week at a time, and his family are at wit's end on what to do about it.

The important thing is, he knows that he has a serious problem and wants to quit, but he lacks an environment suitable to successfully kick it. I truly empathize with him because I had a serious cocaine addiction when I was in my early 20's, and only an intervention and two months at a private rehab center organized by my family and the few close friends I had left gave me the opportunity to kick the habit once and for all.

The problem is, I know there are many government-run rehab clinics for kids his age, but I've seen what these places are like, and it's not much better than a prison... they all wear hospital gowns, have to have their head shaved, cannot smoke (something that although not good, vital for drug rehab), and have a very low rate of success. I'd like to know if there is some privately-run facility somewhere (we live outside of Pattaya) that will ease their patients into rehab in a more nurturing manner - TV, football pitch, gardens, a pool, rec room - the same type of place you'd find in Canada, the US or Europe.

With such a huge amount of youth addicted to yaba in this country, many of whom are middle and high-class, I would assume (hopelessly, perhaps) that there is a place that can help this kid. I've known him for years, and he's very bright, although has dropped out of school, can fix virtually anything around my house that needs to be fixed, and when he's not high or coming down, he's polite and generally a pleasant person to have around.

I believe that a place that feels more like a retreat and less like a prison would be met with less resistance and hostility should his family, myself and some friends of mine decide to hold an intervention. I hate seeing a life (and a family) get needlessly ruined because of drugs - I've been there myself, and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I'd like to do my part in changing his life and his family's life for the better.

Anyone out there have ideas or suggestions?

Thanks for listening.

-H

I've never had a bad pie from Scoby's, I will not order pizza from anywhere else.

They're open quite late and deliver for free anywhere in the city, and it's never taken longer than 30 minutes (and I live on the darkside)

0859593258, she'll ask you "What kind of pizza you WAAAANT?"

The owner is Mexican from San Diego

No he's not. Puro gringo!

Tal vez no es puro mexicano, but I did meet his mother, she WAS latino. He has latin blood in him, but this is besides the point. The POINT was that it was another Mexican place here that hadn't previously been mentioned.

I lived on Pratamnak Hill (Sois 6 and 5) a few years ago, and it's a great place to live, but a magnet for undesirables. It's an area that caters to the more affluent farang, and it's really close to the grimiest section of the city, so it's safe to say that it's a prime location for robberies. That being said, most houses there are higher quality than the run-of-the mill developments, and will accordingly have higher quality windows, burglar alarms and high walls. I never had a problem while living there, but I've had neighbors who have.

Farangs are always going to be the targets of burglars, especially now. If you're prudent about security, you don't flash wealth and remember to lock doors and set alarms, you won't have any issues.

First, I'd like to agree that there is a lack of proper Mexican food in Pattaya. Sunrise in Bangkok is excellent, and Miguel's in Chiang Mai is alone almost worth the trip up there.

I've tried most Mexican places here...

Mikes - good portions, but not at all spicy (when requesting the spicy entrees).

Tequila Reef - went there once about four years ago... enough said.

Blue Parrot - see above.

There is another well hidden Mexican eatery that hasn't been mentioned in this thread (at least not in the first three pages of the thread). The Pattaya Cantina, which is located near Soi Yensabai makes decent food, but not perfect food - but it gives these other places a run for the money. A plus for me is that they stock habaneros, and will add them to any dish you request. The owner is Mexican from San Diego, and I once had the pleasure of eating there when his mother was visiting... had a fabulous meal. On the downside, there isn't much to choose from on their menu - the Thai food section is bigger, but what they make is good. They tend to skimp on the cheese, but they always give extra cheese without charging extra for it. They also do not offer ground beef, which is what I prefer on nachos. The tortilla chips are great. Atmosphere is OK, there's a nice free pool table to use while you wait for your food. All in all, it's not on the same level as Miguel's or Sunrise, but it's where I choose to go in Pattaya when I'm too lazy to cook myself.

The place is situated in the southernmost of the new blocks of buildings built opposite the Family Mart on Soi Yensabai, right at the bend near Yensabai Condos. The coordinates are:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=12%C2%B055%2...l=en&tab=wl

Both ถ้า and หาก mean "if", but is there any discernible grammatical difference between the two, or can they be used interchangeably?

I know there is a huge thread in regards to where to eat over here on the Dark Side, but to save you (and anyone else) the trouble of sifting through nearly forty pages of postings, I'll reiterate a couple recommended places on Soi Khao Noi.

Cafè Uno - North side of the road, 50 meters before the first 7-11. They feature English food, excellent burgers, pizza any way you want it, a few Indian dishes and free WiFi. They're closed on Tuesdays.

PJ's - 200 meters past the third 7-11 (the first one after the bend), across from Soi 12. Like Cafè Uno food-wise, but more of a pub atmosphere - excellent Thai food, friendly staff, a pool and pool table. Arguably the best cheeseburger in Pattaya, if not Thailand.

There's also a fish and chips place, oddly enough called the Great British Fish & Chip Shop up on Khao Noi past the second 7-11 near the "Villa" supermarket. I have no experience personally, but I hear good things about their kebabs - they use lamb and stuff it inside a pita the proper way (most places roll it up). I'll have to try the fish sometime.

Yes. Hire one from the Philippines.

What's with all the calls for the death penalty here? This was attempted murder, not murder. In either case, the death penalty is never OK, only backwards, uncivilized countries like Saudi, Iran and the USA use it.

Politik aside, I'll infuriate even more TV members by playing devil's advocate here by saying that perhaps this attack was justified. Thai bar women are known to cheat, steal, and con - and it's always a farang that loses in these cases - perhaps someone finally fought back and gave the bìtçh exactly what she deserved. We'll never know the whole story or the reasons from biased newspaper reports - only Mr. Harry and Mrs. Sairoong know the full story.