Stray

3 hours ago, sambum said:

Of course not! The "warm welcome " is for TOURISTS, as stated above!

Perhaps you missed the report on the seminar in Chiang Mai where those that were working/retired here were referred to as 'long-stay tourists.'

From http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/950215-expats-air-their-concerns-with-minister-of-tourism-sports/#comment-11265140

"Long stay tourists are defined differently by different departments, the TAT identifies anyone as a long-stayer who has been in Thailand more than year, while other organizations can view people as long-stay who are here for more than a month."

Check out the tabs at the top of the page:

Forum Home > Regional Forums > Cambodia Forum > Cambodia News > PM Shoots Down Royal Amnesty

4 hours ago, Kommissar123 said:

It seems to be me that the people who actually have the Thai Elite Visa evaluate the program much more positively than those who don't have the visa. That alone says a lot.

 

In any case, though, I would like to ask if the current Thai Elite Visa holders are comfortable with their visa and their decision to go for the premium solution given the current political climate. Please be so kind and only reply if you actually have the visa stamped in YOUR passport.

 

Secondly, I'd like to know if there is a Thai Elite office in Pattaya that I can visit.

As several other posters have commented, I also feel much more secure with a PE visa than any other.

When my current 5 year TE membership expires, I will be purchasing a 20 year membership.  Unless, of course, a longer term option becomes available.

4 hours ago, Misterwhisper said:

Bravo! Now that demented idiot is so totally convinced of the power of his stupid amulet that from now on he can drive even more recklessly.

 

Get this twit off the roads before someone actually dies!

 

And charge him with five offences:

1) ignoring a warning sign

2) crossing a railroad track illegally (i.e. driving around the half-barriers instead of staying on his side of the road)

2) being unfit to drive (he obviously must be blind AND deaf for not seeing those bright lights nor hear or see the train coming)

3) willfully endangering the lives of others

4) damaging public property (let him pay for the damage to the track and locomotive)

 

Oh, and did anyone notice the empty M-150 bottle under the seat? They usually gulp that dangerous crap down to stay "awake and alert".

Don't know who drinks M-150 but, around these parts, the empty bottles are used for refilling with Lao Khao.  That crap has the opposite effect of the original contents of the bottle and would go a long way to explaining his choice of driving technique.  In addition to not having a clue about how to drive, in the first place.

2 hours ago, DUS said:

The dilemma of not being sure what membership level to go for ...

 

<Snip>

 

5 years: 500,000

10 years: 800,000

20 years: 1,000,000

 

<Snip>

 

So, if you were in my position (don´t like visa-runs, don´t like yearly visits to immi for extensions of stay etc, but also not 100% sure of how long you will actually live in TH) would you opt for the 5, 10 or 20 years membership of TE? And yes, FOR ME it is going to be one of the 3 ....

 

Would be interested in your choice of option and the reason why......

 

Cheers and have a great w/end everyone!

 

DUS

I'm a '5 year' member but will definitely rejoin for 20 years at the expiration of my current membership.  Unless, a more attractive offering (time wise) crops up in the next 3 years.

Why?

Thailand is home and I'm not in a hurry to head off.  The peace of mind that membership in Thailand Elite offers just can't be beat.

On ‎10‎/‎09‎/‎2016 at 5:26 AM, wordchild said:

I have used that area unescorted on a number of occasions. I have TE membership (original version), though i dont use the visa currently as i have a work permit. I was challenged once, i showed my membership card, and was waved through. i travel pretty frequently (2/3 times per month) in and out of swampy, usually for short  business trips. I prefer to drive myself to the airport and leave my car there. I dont use the TE limo service very often and, for me, the airport  escort service is a waste of time. I can find my own way around the airport.

I do not understand your second last sentence; ". . . escort service is a waste of time."

Are you saying that you can get off the aircraft, run through Swampy airport, pass through immigration, pick up your bags, get to the long term car park, load up your car and high tail it onto the expressway faster than utilising the TE arrival escort service and Beemer?

On ‎01‎/‎09‎/‎2016 at 9:20 AM, Seizetheday said:

I'm not interested in your view of me. However, by your own admission you haven't been to Pattaya, so why bother commenting on it. 

I'm sure there are topics that you do have knowledge that could help some people.

As a regular FIFO tourist to Pattaya, in your opinion, do you believe it is going downhill?

If you believe it is going downhill, in what way and why would you keep returning?

If you don't believe it is going downhill, what initially attracted you to the place and will it become your 'retirement home?'

Yes, by my own admission, I have never been to Pattaya but, as the topic has been raised by the OP, I am trying to get a better handle on the intrigue and allure of Pattaya and some insight as to why some paint the place in such a negative light (although, the imagery and explanation has been given by another poster as to why this is so).  I do not believe a visit would suffice (a brief holiday to any place can give a 'one time' tourist the wrong impression), hence my queries on a PUBLIC forum.

6 hours ago, yaagjon said:

Before you pass comment on the comments, why don't you keep your views to yourself and actually visit Pattaya??

By visiting Pattaya, that would change my view about you how?

I understand the point several of you are making that the growth of Pattaya is not necessarily a good thing, particularly in an unplanned way.  However, the OP stated that Pattaya was going downhill because it was not growing.  The person wrote that, many, many projects were being abandoned, bars and shops were being closed, tourist numbers were in decline etc.

Many of these items have been discussed and several incorrect observations were corrected (at least, in the mind of this poster).

As this thread evolves it seems the tone, according to some, is that Pattaya is going downhill due to it's expansion, not contraction.  I don't think the OP expected that.

If nothing else, Pattaya appears to bring out some passionate views, both for and against.  That does seem unique to the area.  While people in other towns and cities have their likes and dislikes of where they live, work, relax and play, the level of attack and defence on those places does not seem to reach the levels as the mention of 'Pattaya' does.

There are even posters, who claim to dislike Pattaya, that get upset when they think you are being negative about the place.  Dare I say that many feel a great pride for Pattaya, regardless of their view?

As always, it's been an interesting topic to see unfold.

23 minutes ago, Bender said:

Confused? Lol

You are the one who is confused,

Who is the one, who posted a dozen of items crime news on a pattaya forum?

You never been to pattaya but you compare it to Vietnam. I am sure you never been to Vietnam either.

 

I wonder why you are wasting, your and our time on this subforum. 

Thank you Bender, you  just proved my comment.  I rest my case.

20 hours ago, Bender said:

"Do you admit to claiming that Pattaya's local daily crime figures exceed Vietnam's national daily crime figures?"

 

No, that was me who claimed that But i admit, i exaggerated a little bit  

 

(because the Stray troll posted few crimes in Vietnam claiming how much this country is unsafe. You can not reply seriously to this kind of nonsense )

Bender, Bender, Bender, like the cartoon character you use for your profile, you are a very confused individual.

With reference to my post #206, re-read (very, very, very slowly) my post #227.  Every word.

Where did I ever make any comparison of crime figures, or even crimes, between Vietnam and Pattaya?  I didn't!!!  You quickly scanned over my post and, without having any comprehension of what was being discussed, jumped in with one of your usual poorly thought out troll posts.

I understand that English is not your first language but it makes you look very foolish when you jump in to a post without any understanding of what is being discussed.

The topic at hand is a discussion on why some believe Pattaya is going downhill.  My addition to this topic is that this discussion can (and is) being thrown around at many large towns/cities, around SEA, which have a large population of expats.

1 hour ago, morrobay said:

 

Indeed, Central Festival  Mall / Hilton  -  Along with driving around in circles all day

seems to be the main attraction in Pattaya these days. What a difference 6 years made 

And if Stray visits Pattaya and takes the run around you prescribed , I would like to hear what he thinks of Pattaya

in the context of Nha Trang, a seaside resort in Vietnam. And furthermore I dare say he will be agreeing with the OP and others.

morrobay, as you have mentioned Nha Trang in two of your posts, at the risk of going waaay off topic, here's a select list from just the first 30 (of 860) headlines when the word 'nha trang' is entered into the Thanh Nien (online) newspaper search function:

• Ship hits several boats in Nha Trang, terrifies foreign tourists
• Nha Trang restaurant suspended for tainted food that sent 119 to hospital
• Vietnam to deport 64 illegal Chinese workers of Nha Trang travel firm
• Party at Nha Trang restaurant sends 60 to hospital with food poisoning
• Australian man found dead in Nha Trang apartment
• Development at a cost: How Nha Trang has changed over the last 10 years
• Nha Trang offers reward for information on beggars
• Nha Trang to blacklist overcharging hotels, restaurants
• Nha Trang restaurant suspended after waitress throws food at diners
• 4 nabbed for stabbing man to death over traffic dispute in Nha Trang
• Canadian tourist dies after fall from Nha Trang hotel
• Russian man commits suicide in Nha Trang hotel after business losses
• Tourism project developer fined for illegally filling Nha Trang Bay
• Malaysian man nabbed for exchanging fake money in Nha Trang
• Resort town Nha Trang not ready for Chinese tourist boom: report
• 29 Russian tourists rescued from sinking ship off Nha Trang
• 13 arrested for brutal gang fight in Nha Trang
• Tourists run gauntlet of rough seas in Nha Trang, many injured

These are some headlines from just one online newspaper in the past year (from November 2015).  Imagine how some of the expats, that live there, are moaning?  Your comment only reinforces one of the points in my earlier posting (#206); around SEAsia it is quite possible to remove the word 'Pattaya' and insert another popular tourist destination name and have a similar thread running.

On ‎8‎/‎19‎/‎2016 at 4:09 PM, JSixpack said:

 

Bender's one of our trolls, hopefully on his way out. Pay no attn & keep in mind what the average poster here looks like.

 

Every man should visit Pattaya at least once in his life. Stay in central Pattaya, park the car right away & take baht buses & motorbike taxis. Burn the inside of your leg on a motorbike exhaust pipe. Later this will be a good spot for a Pattaya Forever tattoo. Have lunch at Hippo in the mall or at the Hilton buffet. Hit the classics. TQ, oldest go-go bar in Pattaya, for "daytime is playtime." Feelin' good, head down the Hopf for a bite & some of their fine wheat beer. Next block, walk down Soi Post Office, been there forever and about the same as its always been. Oh--get sleazy at the Nevada Go-Go near the Beach Rd. corner. Then make THE classic walk down Beach Rd to Walking Street for an evening of whatever. Next day, explore the Soi Buakhao area; lots of restos and Pattaya craziness; after 6, hit the go-gos on LK Metro. Hit Soi 6 at some point; watch your wallet among the katoeys halfway down the soi. Have a bite at the Queen Vic and a Guinness.   As for Jomtien, mmmm, not a must-see but the view from the Pattaya Park tower is worth seeing.

 

Notwithstanding the infestation of whingers, cynics, and rabid bashers on the forum, most of us are pretty happy living in our cesspool. There's actually lots more to do here than, you know, just drinkin' and enjoyin' soapies and threesomes all the time—which ain't too bad, come down to it. Relevant threads: When boredom starts to rule the day, I Love Pattaya, and Why live in Pattaya?.

 

Finally you'll need to get yourself an I Love Pattaya T-shirt from a street vendor and wear it to the Big C shopping mall on Pattaya Klang and to Foodland further up the same street. Your purpose? To check the bulletin boards for a rental apartment to move here permanently!

Thanks for the tips, JSixpack.

I'm no stranger to SEAsia after spending the late '80's in Vietnam (a country that, according to the *experts, was never going to take off), all of the '90's in Vietnam and Cambodia (during that time, according to the experts, Vietnam had hit it's peak, was going downhill and Cambodia was never going to take off, did so, hit it's peak and was going downhill) and all of the '00's in Vietnam (during which time, according to the experts, had hit rock bottom/was still going downhill and would never rebound from it's peak in the mid-90's).

All of these stories, pertaining to Pattaya, are not unique.  Remove the word 'Pattaya' and just insert Saigon/HCMC, Vung Tau, Mui Ne, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville/Kompong Som, Siem Reap and you could almost have the same thread running.

What really makes a place is what you make of it.  If there's some aspect you don't like, avoid it.  If you can't avoid it, do something to change or alleviate it.  It's not easy to do but, instead of expending the energy on complaining, use the energy on research.  Join civic/community groups and get active.  If you're truly a member of the community you should be taking an interest in the things that are in your community and working with your neighbours to improve it.

Perhaps you won't achieve jack-sh!t but you'll be doing something more constructive than moaning to a passive audience on a forum.

Then, for those who are quite happy to be where they are, more power to them.  Not everyone wants to change the world and are enjoying what they have, where they have it.  Sure, we all like to have a good moan, from time to time, regardless of how good things are.  But, leave it at that.  Why continually shoot down those that don't share your negative feelings?  They may see your point but don't necessarily have to share in your depression.

I've spent most of my adult life in SEAsia and, while each of the countries are uniquely different (as well as regions within those countries), what isn't different are the tales (particularly of doom) that the expats in each of these areas tell.

JSixpack, you're a breath of fresh air and I thank you for taking the time to enlighten us all with your bright and witty insights on an otherwise dull thread of doom and gloom.  Your tips won't be wasted as I'll definitely be down your way, by the end of the year, to have fun on the long, long, long downhill slide . . .

*expert.  An 'ex-' is an 'has been.'  A 'xpert' (spurt) is a drip under pressure.

7 hours ago, Bender said:

you never been to pattaya, great. One advice just continue to stay away...

Do you live in Pattaya and are suggesting that I am not welcome in Pattaya?

If you are a Pattaya resident then, if the reports of it's demise are true, people like you would be a reason for that.  Luckily, there are people like JSixpack, onemorechang and bkk6060 (among others) who do not offer the same advise as you. 

Based on your response to me (and your later comments which have been removed), your laughing emoticon does not allay the nasty intent behind your post.  Rather than put me off visiting Pattaya, the off-chance of meeting a goose, such as yourself, gives me just another reason for a visit . . .

18 hours ago, JSixpack said:

 

 

Exactly.

 

<snip>

 

 

 

Brilliant post, JSixpack!

The reason I have never visited Pattaya has nothing to do with any preconceived opinion I have.  It's only that I've never bothered driving south of Bangkok (a drive I occasionally make (a couple times a year) to buy things that are not available, locally).  However, based on your summation and reports, I am now intrigued and will take the time to cruise down to your neck of the woods.

It will be one more car jamming up the (over-crowded) roads of (dead) Pattaya and it will all be your fault, JSixpack!

I've never been to Pattaya and must admit, after reading this thread, that I am very, very confused.

If the city is on it's last legs (for the past 20 years) and a ghost town full of empty shops and apartments and devoid of tourists, what is it with all of these traffic issues that are being brought up?

To my way of thinking, an empty city and traffic jams are not two items that usually occur in the same place.  Regardless of how poorly the roads are planned, set out and maintained, if no one is using the roads, there are no traffic snarls.

Instead of counting the number of dark apartments and closed shop shutters, wouldn't a better gauge of the number of nails in Pattaya's coffin be based on how quickly you can cruise through downtown?

27 minutes ago, oxo1947 said:

Anyway I'm very sorry to hear about your dog----if you do decide to get another one, keep well away from them  Labrador's wont you.

.

It's frightening how many those owners you see that have gone blind.........

After reading through the unhinged and increasing ramblings of the OP, I suspect the dog may have committed suicide when it overheard it's owner was returning early.

Do hope the OP opens a new thread somewhere as it's been an entertaining interlude whilst I wait for the next post by the '5 baht egg guy who was accosted by a US marine on a bicycle.'

Yes you stick around 'I'm sure she's for real!!!!' Send her whatever money she needs to sort things out. I'm sure she will wait for you with the added bonus of she is getting younger for you she will soon be 15 again. Jesus man get a grip

Why would I need to get a grip or send her money? She is sitting right beside me in Bangkok. If you can't give an opinion, then don't reply.

???

She is sitting right beside you while you are asking, on a public forum, about getting rid of her???

The story is getting better and better just a pity you can't edit out your earlier 'typos.'

Edit to add:

What should you do?

In future, write the story on paper, proof read it, give it to someone else to proof read, correct any obvious mistakes, rectify any plot holes, note and repair any contradictions. Then, when you (and any other proof readers/editors) are satisfied that the story is okay, take the paper, scrunch it up (softer on the backside) and hang it on the nail next to the squat hole.

Actually, to be honest, I have found this thread to be quite entertaining. Keep posting.

my fridge, like many other modern appliances (tv's, electric power tools etc), is 'double - insulated' and does not require earthing.

however, it is plugged into a multi board together with my also double insulated espresso machine.

this board is situated on the floor next to the fridge door.

i often wonder what would happen if i stood barefoot right next to that multi - board and dropped a bottle of water all over it...

yes, rcd's (safety switches) certainly are a good idea - if the place you live in has earth wiring installed.

As manfredtillmann points out, many modern appliances are double insulated and should not be earthed. Check the data plate for the 'square within a square' symbol. If it has this then any internal conductive parts are insulated from the outer casing.

Off topic but, for your information, the driving test IS performed on the road, in normal traffic conditions, in Bangkok.

Driving lessons are giving in vehicles with dual pedals, i.e., the instructor's pedals, on the passenger side of the vehicle, override the learner driver's pedals.

My friend recently obtained her driving licence but failed, in her first attempt, by putting one of her tyres onto the kerb when being tested for parallel parking. Both times her driving test was performed on regular roads, in normal traffic, on Bangkok streets.

Back to the topic.

Well it obviously fails in its objective - making sure drivers are competent.

With respect to your statement, the 'objective' does not fail for those that take driving lessons and properly pass the written and driving tests. Where the system fails is in the great number of people who just pay money (under the table) to obtain a licence, or drive with no licence. The latter possibly accounts for a number of the 'runners.' Well, those that aren't under the influence of drugs/alcohol, have outstanding warrants or are driving stolen vehicles when they are involved in traffic incidents.

If he damaged my car he would be one injured rich kid. There again maybe he was taking his driving test.

FYI The driving test does not involve driving on the roads in normal traffic. it involves negotiating road cones and being able to stop before a white line at a special road test area off the road.

Off topic but, for your information, the driving test IS performed on the road, in normal traffic conditions, in Bangkok.

Driving lessons are giving in vehicles with dual pedals, i.e., the instructor's pedals, on the passenger side of the vehicle, override the learner driver's pedals.

My friend recently obtained her driving licence but failed, in her first attempt, by putting one of her tyres onto the kerb when being tested for parallel parking. Both times her driving test was performed on regular roads, in normal traffic, on Bangkok streets.

Back to the topic.

I know what you're looking for but, failing the exact product, you might try Pangolin Safety Products in Bangkok.

This is the link to their hardhats, http://www.pangolin.co.th/product_ppe.php?cid=9. Occasionally they do have other styles in stock which aren't listed on their website.

You could try calling them and asking if they would order a specific product for you.

After you've walked across burning coals, 'unleased the power within' and 'unlocked your full potential,' what happens next?

Besides sitting in a burns ward, salivating over an autographed picture of Tony Robbins (complete with a motivational passage extolling how much money HE has made), what is your next tender step?

Brilliant round up News Team!

No, not a sarcastic comment.

I find this weekly news brief to be in a similar vein to the old "Graham Kennedy's News Show" (later, "Coast to Coast").

A light hearted look at both important and amusing current affairs. Keep it coming!