FarangBuddha

There is a veggie resto on North Pattaya Road just a bit up the road from the bus station (towards the beach) and also, the Fairtex Sports Club near the Dolphin roundabout has a vegetarian restaurant.

Dude rent a house...I pay B 85 per month!

I would suggest posting an inquiry like this in the Bang Saray forum

Pattaya isn't Bangkok. The crowd here isn't as sophisticated (putting it mildly). I wish the place great success of course but I wouldn't go so far as to predict trouble to get seated. We'll see. Should be interesting.

I agree...I fear for the future of the place as it's not really the kind of "Chinese" food most farangs in Pattaya are looking for and not sure if there are enough Thai-Chinese in town to keep the place afloat. In addition, if the place really did get popular, it's likely these two couldn't keep up the quality and the place would go to h#ll...seen this many times with restos.

My advice to those who like the place is to get there often as it may not be around long. Of course, I would be most happy if my prediction is 100% incorrect.

A light showing from the Frugal Freddy group for a combination of reasons, probably the most important one is many expats have left town already for most of the month of April. We only had 11 at one of the most popular Frugal Freddy restaurants on Monday when we were there last we had over 30. We will have to give Pao another try in a couple of months.

The member that were there did vote the restaurant in as a Frugal Freddy regular restaurant.

One problem is the location...specifically the lack of parking...not all of us are baht-bus riding members. Do they validate for any of the local hotel parking lots in the area or do you have any recommendations for local car parking.

Generally there is lots of street parking on 3rd road north of Klang, only 10 min walk to Pao from there. Parking on Klang is a non-starter since the nightmarket starts setting up after 6pm. Otherwise the sois behind Pao have a whole lot of nothing, should be easy to find parking there if your feeling brave.

Thanks for the parking suggestions. I did drop in tonite and ran into Mr. Frugal himself! I agree with what has already been posted here that pao is a real find. Really authentic hkg Chinese food!

I sampled many dishes, including the fried pot-stickers, beef dumping, beef noodle bowl, and the stir-fried beef with black pepper. All were quite good, with the beef buns so tasty I ordered seconds I will definitely be a regular here.

Pao will be closed from 13-23rd; they are open till at least midnite so good if an attack of the late nite munchies occurs.

A light showing from the Frugal Freddy group for a combination of reasons, probably the most important one is many expats have left town already for most of the month of April. We only had 11 at one of the most popular Frugal Freddy restaurants on Monday when we were there last we had over 30. We will have to give Pao another try in a couple of months.

The member that were there did vote the restaurant in as a Frugal Freddy regular restaurant.

One problem is the location...specifically the lack of parking...not all of us are baht-bus riding members. Do they validate for any of the local hotel parking lots in the area or do you have any recommendations for local car parking.

Royal and Dusit are nice but facilities are a little long in the tooth...maybe check out Avalon Resort and there is also really nice new place right on Dongton Beach in Jomtien...Google Map she give the name. Also, if you want lots of water fun, maybe consider the new Centara Mirage in Naklua. Lots of good choices for the upscale visitor.

Ladyboys are hot...except those two.

Can also just go for the Mazda B-50...same truck on the inside and looks good in person...interior is much better than the Ford and that's where the driver spends 90% of their time.

Central Department Store on Beach Road fits the bill nicely for me...maybe you can find something in your price-range during one of their many sales.

I had two quotes from dealers outside of pattaya giving me every extra available except the Navigation system.

Special offer ... We hope this offer make you smile

1. Exhaust finisher 9. Key ring

2. Mirrored Lamps 10. Roadside assistant 24 h.

3. Door Visor 11. Licence Plate

4. Floor Mats

5. Cargo Liner

6. Upper Glove Box

7. LED Kick Plate

8. Wax + anti rush

The Pattaya Dealer offered #8 - #10 and #11

One of them quoted a package price for the Nav system:

*** DVD+NAVI 7inch system + Rear cam + TV 3/5/7/9 ***

*** Bluetooth + USB + MP3 + Touchscreen + i-pod/i-phone ***

Special Price = 28,000 Bath/package

The Pattaya Dealer wanted almost 20K more for the same package and wouldn't budge.

They obviously don't need the business. With TWO other dealers giving identical quotes (except for the nav package) it leads me to believe you can get a MUCH better deal elsewhere.

Most of this stuff is just standard manufacturer's package you can get from any dealer for any truck if you are a good negotiator. I see you are not getting useful things like tinted windows but inexpensive useless cosmetic stuff like a finished exaust and a key ring...but I guess the little things in life make you happy.

I hope that sunroof has a real dark tint too:) Looks cool, but not sure it's a good idea for this climate.

I'm sure there is a sliding screen...like the Mazda 3.

Care to enlighten us all what was the good deal OUTSIDE OF PATTAYA that you obtained that the Pattaya dealer was not interested in matching, Or should we blindly vote with our feet on your good hearsay word.

Agree...will we make-up in a better deal what we spend on the extra gas for all the trips out of town to find and then negotiate and then pick-up this great deal (sounds like 3-4 return trips to me to either the Rayong or Chonburi City areas)?

Most car dealers are pretty much just order takers and offer pretty much the same deals. I assume it's mostly because there are way more buyers than product for sale for most makes/models at the moment (as has been the case for some time) so why would a dealer/seller work very hard or discount to make a sale? Just basic economics...no need to make dispersions on Thailand or Thai business culture; it would be the same in any country under similar conditions.

Go back to the newspaper story link and read the update on the story...it looks like there may be more to this story...like someone connecting the laundry line and aerial to a live power source. It may have been a case of foul play.

Mama-mia!

High end drives like the Scorpio are made mostly for export...will be cheaper in Western markets as well. I'm sure someone at Tuk Com has them or can order for you or have a buddy bring one over on next visit.

Number one rule in Thailand...don't do business with any farang businessmen as they are all a bunch of scammers, cons on the run from the law, and assorted other tossers. Don't trust any of them...much safer dealing with legitimate Thai businessmen and companies...and at least some semblence of legal recourse if things don't go as planned.

i have no idea but i would visit estate agents and simply ask them how much land would cost in that area and do they have any to sell. Or is that too easy?

I have just the opposite advice...stay the h#ll away from any and all Pattaya property pimps (aka "estate agents") as for the most part they are useless fools with no greater knowledge of the property market or laws regarding real property in Thailand than anyone else. You wife has the right idea...first start at the land office and see what the official assessed value of land is in the area...this is a good place to start but as you say, is not likely the current market price. She should just walk around the area she is interested in and look like someone interested in buying land and she will meet locals or current property owners (or get the numbers of owners from current occupants/neighbors) and deal with them directly. After she has found land for sale and dealt directly with the owner/seller, then it's time to bring in a qualified THAI lawyer to perform due diligence on the property (check title, mortgages, or any other encumberences) and draw-up the purchase contract and deal with the land office.

Full spec sheet , same i got from the dealer is available here

http://www.motortrivia.com/section-movie/grand-opening/0056-mazda-bt-50/2012-all-new-mazda-BT-50.html

Maybe that somebody with more Thai reading capabilities then me ( not difficult as i cannot read Thai at all ) can help me and others out .

Download and install Google's Chrome web-browser...this browser has the built-in ability to automatically translate webpage in non-English languages into English. The Thai translation is pretty good considering Thai is a non-Western/Latin based language and uses non-Roman script; this is a must for any farang web-using Thai resident.

Still not 100% on the 2 vs 4 door model .

Do you or anyone else know the difference in annual road-tax/registration between the 2-door and 4-door models?

I've heard it is quite a bit.

Seen a lot of the new BT50's on the roads in all colour's ...... What a difference the colour makes, the Black ones look bad, the the white and red look very good, blue and the gold looks OK. not sure about the grey or the beige look So so. but better than the Black ones..

Maybe it is me, but the Vigo looks good in Black

I saw these colours at the show - the white will work but it looks a bit plain - would need a set of 20" black/chrome wheels to set it off. I liked the gunmetal blue the most I think, and in top spec 2.2 with leather it looked good inside (874K). I didn't ask, but is the first year insurance free? Too many bloody people there to be bothered asking questions.

Yes, one year first class insurance on all models.

Thx all.

take the bus, it will stop at the exhibition centre if you ask on its way to Ekkamai

It's at Muang Thong Thani NOT BITIC!

I went yesterday and may go again later this week to order a new truck...PM me if interested in a ride...you'll have to chip in for gas

Had a chance to get up to the auto show at Muang Thong Thani yesterday and note a few impressions. The show didn't seem as big as past ones I have attended but plenty of people in attendance. The "pretties" didn't seem as pretty as in the past. Now, on to the vehicles...it's amazing to me to say it but the best looking cars at the show (that most of us could afford) were the Hyundais. They were head and shoulders above the Japanese makes is styling and amenities and very competitive in price. Both the Sonata and Elantra were beautiful, and the Tucson SUV was as well. They all were comfortable to sit in and had pleasant interiors. I will leave it to others more experienced to comment on build quality and reliability but the international press reviews have been very positive for both models. Of course, the issues of the small number of dealers and thence service support could be an issue.

As for the new bread of trucks...Ford Ranger, Mazda BT-50, Chevy, and Isuzu V-Cross, IMO the Mazda is the class winner in terms of both exterior and interior styling. It seems much more car-like on the inside and with more quality finishes than the Ford and the Ford's boxy exterior is very boring compared to the Mazda. Yes, I agree with everyone else that the Mazda looks like crap in most photos but in person (or I guess "auto") it looks very good. The Chevy/Isuzu seemed to have very cheap interiors and did not impress me that much.

Very tempted to return before the show closes and put an order in for the Mazda

When one orders a vehicle at one of the major auto shows, like the current one in Bangkok, how does it work? Since many models are back-ordered for months, I assume one doesn't pay all in advance...does one make a deposit and then pay the balance on delivery? If so, what is the standard deposit amount (assuming an cash sale). Also, again I assume delivery is made by the nearest dealer to one's residence in Thailand. Another question, when you buy at the shows, is one buying from a dealer or the manufacturer...or are you dealing with the manufacturer and they assign one's purchase to the nearest local dealer?

Thanks in advance for any replies.