californiabeachboy

I am coming over to Thailand to visit some friends and would like to burn some music CDs for them here in the US. Will there be any compatibility issues? The songs are all unrestricted so there are no problems with the songs themselves. I will be burning them in MP3 format on Windows Media Player. I have no idea what kind of cd player my friends have, but does it matter?

Thanks to all for the information. It sounds like the things I mentioned can be done.

I will definitely check out the other places mentioned. I am sure many who read this post were thinking "If he isn't interested in bargirls, why is he looking at Jomtien and Phuket?" The reason is that I want to ease into the cultural/geographic changes, so I want to start out in areas that have significant expat populations for at least a few months, and those two places seem to fit the bill (Bangkok just too big).

I will watch out for the katoeys while running - I should be able to spot them as they are gaining on me.

Cheers.

I have been lurking on this form for a few weeks and found some very useful tips. I am a semi-retired Yankee looking for a place to spend a few months each year, and will be coming over to Thailand in March/April to check things out. I have narrowed my seach down to Jomtien Beach or Phuket (Patong/Kata/Karon). My questions are:

1. I like to run on the beach, and because of the heat, will be doing it as soon as the sun comes up (or earlier). Will I be eaten alive by mosquitos? Should I just cover myself with repellent and hope for the best? How fast can a Thai mosquito fly?

2. I am just leaning to cook and love Thai food. But rather than sign up for a formal cooking class, is it possible to hire someone there to help me to cook a couple of basic Thai meals, either in my apartment or some other place. If so, where would I find that (classifieds?).

3. I am looking for a place to stay by the week with cooking facilities, and a lot of the websites are a bit vague on what the rooms include in the way of cooking facilities. Any recommendations on places to stay for about $300US per week with some cooking facilities and within 5 blocks of the beach?

3. Is it possible to rent a bicycle and ride along Jomtien Beach road, or somewhere in Phuket, and live to tell about it?

4. A touchy issue. I like listening to live music. I hear so much about the aggresive bar girls in Thailand. If I want to just go out and listen to live music for a while, and go home alone, are there many places to do that? I know someone will say I don't have to take them up on it, but I don't want to worry about having to deal with aggressive "vendors". Any recommendations for good live music bars would be welcome.

Thanks to all for your help.