FarangBuddha

I just saw the tv reports of this one, if they're to be believed there was at least one passenger who tried to reason with the (speeding) driver and was told to shut up or get off.

I have noticed the past few trips on the bus rides between Pattaya and Bangkok return that the bus drivers drive noticeably slower than in the past. So slow in fact that I almost thought the bus had some kind of engine trouble and we would shortly be coming to a stop. In any case, this has new "slow-speed" driving policy has been in force on each trip I've taken for the past several months. I surmise that possibly the buses have been fitted with GPS tracking devices and the central office can now monitor the speed of the buses.

I do feel safer now and it has not added any time to the trip at 2 hours (but it's no longer sometimes 1.5 hours).

Maz 3 is a great car...especially in the 2.0 engine/trim level. Loads of room inside (and I'm a little big) and if you get the hatchback version, very big loading space as well. I believe all the 2.0 models come standard with a sun/moon roof, which I wouldn't pay extra for but if it's standard (I know, included in the price already) it's a nice perk.

Most likely died of boredom...I know I would if I ever watched a soccer match; either that of he placed a heavy wrong-side bet and realized how much money he was in the hole which caused a heart attack.

As already mentioned, most milk sold in Thailand is made from imported milk powder. It is my understanding that under Thai food labeling regulations, if milk has the appellation "fresh" in its description/label then it is what we in the west would consider as whole milk (non-powdered). If you check the labels, you will see that it's very rare to find any with the word "fresh" milk...if you do, that brand or at least that line, is non-powdered milk.

As for the milks in general, I don't find any of them having any particular taste/odor issues...but I use non-fat milk and mainly for mixing in my morning protein shakes.

And what, pray tell, is iGoogle? Never heard of it. Oh wait, maybe that's why they are ending it.

iGoogle, which I too use on occasion, was a way to pull in various Google web-services, e.g., Gmail, Calendar, RSS/news feeds, Google Finance, Docs, etc., into one webpage (which could also be one's homepage) and it would be updated in real-time with notifications of new mail/notices. It is a handy service and I too wonder why Google is disbanding it. I mean, it's just some software code that resides on a Google server somewhere so why discoutinue it...it can't cost that much to leave online and running.

Getting a little tired of Google (and other cloud-based service providers) starting services (e.g., Buzz, Wave) and people start using them and then deciding to pull the plug on said service!

What kind of high-end components are you looking for...I have found just about everything I ever was looking for at Tuk...mostly at Hardware House and JIB...and if it's not in stock, what's wrong with waiting a couple days for them to ship it down from Bangkok? You're living in a beach resort town now so relax and chill out

This being Thailand, I'm sure the answer is "yes" to all your questions. Suggestions: Don't live in a tourist ghetto...they tend to noisy, dirty, and crowded.

Pook Bar on soi Bua Khow gets my vote. The group can do dinner at the Butcher's Arms pub first and retire for drinks, pool, and whatever at Pook next door.

not a good idea, as some wives may loose their husbands to the real girls who work at Pooks

While for others, it would be the only acceptable bar in which their partners would be allowed to go.

The Marriott has a nice lobby bar area overlooking the pool.

They must have 24 hour service.

Certainly the Marriott is not going to like you camping out in their lobby in the middle of the night with your laptop unless you are a paying customer and nothing from the Marriott bar is going to be cheap.

Not sure about the policy.

Don't they offer discount cards to locals? Buy a drink or two, tip the staff, should be no problem.

I bet there is an interesting mix of people coming and going at that hour.

They might charge for the wi-fi and that won't be cheap.

To be honest, I'm not even sure if the bar in the lobby is open 24 hours. Can't recon they get many customers in the wee hours. Also, it's not an A/C environment if that's important. I'm gonna stick by my original suggestion of Mc D's on Sukumvit near Soi Kow Noi as they get quite a flow of ppl to watch at all hours, have a cafe, sell food, have A/C, and I believe even have wifi (although I always use my 3G when in there)

Agree, yours was and is still the best suggestion. No hotel bars in Pattaya are open much past midnite I would imagine and they would be expensive and all you would see there that late is a lonely drunken hotel guest trying to talk the bartendee up to his room when the place closes. The beer-bars would be loud, have instant coffee, and be infested with drunks, louts, and pesky leftovers looking for drinks. The Micky Ds on Sukie is not your typical type but one of their newer more cafe types, with some comfortable lounge chairs, a McCafe with decent espresso based coffee drinks, and bakery items.

Is it just me or are the ladyboys on beach road OUT OF CONTROL robbing people?

I think it's just you...as I have taken strolls along Beach Road too many times to recall, at all times of the day and nite, and have never had an unwelcome encounter with any of the ladyboys who were also out for a stroll (or a stand). I have had a couple of welcome encounters, however. This may be on account of my stern purposeful look/walk of a local and not the wandering clueless camera-touting actions of your typical tourist.

I am not sure what what beach you are walking on. I walk down beach road daily in the evening, and it is a rare event that a ladyboy does not grab me or block my path. I feel safer walking past the drug dealers and jet ski mafia, at least these people let me walk by unmolested. After pushing them away, I have been scratched, pushed and kicked by them, I know now never to tern my back to them when walking away. Currently the most dangerous spot now are the ones opposite royal garden by the advertising box.

As I said, maybe it's your walk or maybe you are just luckier than me.

Pook Bar on soi Bua Khow gets my vote. The group can do dinner at the Butcher's Arms pub first and retire for drinks, pool, and whatever at Pook next door.

Thx. I can confirm that United also provides passes both in and outbound for business class passengers.

When flying either Thai or Singapore Airline business class within Asia, is it standard practice for them to provide immigration fast passes for use at Swampy?

Note to future Iranian thieves...if you're planning to steal something, leave the illegal drugs back at the hotel room. Then when you get caught, you're not facing a compounded felony!

At least he won't be returning home sans a hand.

Next major one is the Motor Expo 29 Nov - 10 Dec

Darn...that's a long wait. I like the shows because it the one place to see all the makes/models from all the major manufacturers. When I go around to the local Pattaya dealers, they usually have nothing to show or test drive. They just want you to order a B 1M vehicle from looking at the brochures!

Is it just me or are the ladyboys on beach road OUT OF CONTROL robbing people?

I think it's just you...as I have taken strolls along Beach Road too many times to recall, at all times of the day and nite, and have never had an unwelcome encounter with any of the ladyboys who were also out for a stroll (or a stand). I have had a couple of welcome encounters, however. This may be on account of my stern purposeful look/walk of a local and not the wandering clueless camera-touting actions of your typical tourist.

Fairtex Sports Club has a great pool...I think the day-use fee is around B300 (all club facilities).

I would love a place like that also.work this this times and it would be great as you said.I went to some internet cafe but could not work so god,reason whas next to me a lady boy keep showing hers/him big boobs to some boy friend on webcam and the other sida was a sexy girl flirting with me whan she was talking to her farang boy friend how much she loved him and to be honest the lady boy flirted with me also I hade a great night but not much work, so please any ideas with a more normal kind of places would be nice.

Where is this Internet shop again?

Isn't this the sort of thing people do in Starbucks and suchlike? I always assumed it was.

Is Starbucks 24hr here?

No.

Central Festival Beach mall, Tuk Com electronics center on south Pattaya road, and Big C (aka Carrefour) all have car wash/detail shops I their parking garages. You can leave the car for a wash and do some shopping at the same time.

Why would there be anything going on...last time I checked, Pattaya was in Thailand? The numerous thai religious and government holidays are enough to deal with, why would anyone want to slather on the American ones as well.

maybe I am being too picky but the suggestions so far seem too...utility-oriented. Both of those places would function just fine but they lack the ambiance which is the purpose of leaving the home to begin with. I want something with a little character.

To my knowledge, there are no such places as you describe in Pattaya. The Mickey Ds already suggested on Sukie would probably be your best bet, however, you are unlikely to find other farangs there at those hours for light banter if that's your wish.

It's kinda strange that a party/vacation resort town like Pattaya has a dearth of 24 hour dining, or as you are looking for, coffee shops. However, even stateside such places are rare. In my mid-sized American city, there are a couple 24hr diners and an all-nite donut shop that would fit the bill but that's it.

Rape isn't a joke. Next time we'll do much more than deleting the posts.

Rape is not a joke. But I don't logically understand how one man could let another man rape him. Knife or no knife, I would not be raped by a single person.

It is very rare for a man to be raped when the raped man is in the active sex role. It is very common, all over the world, for a man to be raped by a man when the raped man is in the passive sex role. The reasons are obvious. The raped man is intimidated, physically weaker, threatened with violence or already violently assaulted. It is so incredibly offensive to suggest men can't be raped. No wonder probably most of these crimes are never reported. The shame factor. Being falsely accused of really "wanting it" by the ignorant and homophobic. Of course, a ladyboy is a different kind of man, who has the gender identity of a woman. About this case, I don't know. Each case is a separate incident.

Personal note: I've not been raped but when I was 19 I found myself in a situation where a stronger, aggressive man had me in his power in a remote area and was pushing sex on me. Turns out he accepted my NO after about 50 tries but if he hadn't, there is no doubt in my mind he could have raped me. If he had raped me, I would not have "let" him do it, he would have forced it. It happens. A lot.

I guess some people are so clueless about the world that these things have to be explained to them. Also the perp may not have known the object of his lust was not a woman of the first category. After all, it was said by onlookers that she was good looking.

Rape isn't a joke. Next time we'll do much more than deleting the posts.

After reading the OP, I was expecting the usual TV comments.....I'm glad you have put a halt to them, it's simply not acceptable in any context. A good piece of moderation (am I allowed to say that?).

Comments on moderation are not allowed...I wonder why your post hasnt been removed...oops, I guess that's a comment on moderation too.

When is the next major motor show in Bangkok?