Commuting Distance?

[Ithailian]

Is it possible to commute from a Bangkok suburb (like Minburi or Bang Na) to 15km east of Pattaya each day? How long would that take at rush time? I really don't want to raise my kids near Pattaya ... too much sleaze (for their little eyes). Plus all my friends are in BKK. Any suggestions? How is Chonburi for living?

[lopburi3]

Do you really want to be on the road 3 or 4 hours a day to avoid the Pattaya strip? Don't believe your children will see much of you either. Of course it might help if we knew the age range of children and if they require special school facilities but in general if you keep off the main drags near the beach do not believe living in Pattaya or Jomtien area would be a problem for them. Chonburi would also be possible for some but others might feel too far away from the local pizza joint.

Really hard to make a general statement but I would not want to make that drive every working day.

[thaihome]

I have to agree with Lop here. Doesn't sound like you are too familiar with the entire Pattaya area and are basing your opinion on a very small area that is very easy to avoid.

Your post is particularly amusing to me, as my daughter goes to school in Pattaya and then stays with us in Bangkok on the weekends. The school provides a bus to and from Bangkok each weekend for the other 10 or so kids whose parents are doing the same thing.

TH

[et33.com]

move to bangkok...

[Khutan]

Bang-na down the elevated "Tollway" a bit less than 2 hours all the way to the middle of Pattaya, depending on how fast you drive.

There are some nice places on the way there, you should get in a car and have a look.

[Ithailian]

I have to agree with Lop here.  Doesn't sound like you are too familiar with the entire Pattaya area and are basing your opinion on a very small area that is very easy to avoid. 

TH

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

That's true. I've never been down to Pattaya or other points further south on the eastern seaboard. I've been to Chonburi (once to see a Carabao concert) but it was dark and I was drunk so it looked quite habitable.

I'm actually trying to avoid living in a farang getto but would like to have access to all the facilities a big city offers. This is why I like the Ramkamheng/Minburi area.

Anyway, I'll be back to Thailand soon so I'll just have to go down there and check it out.

[bkk_mike]

The commute would be fine if it wasn't for the stretch between the end of the Bangkok-Chonburi motorway and the turnoff for Laem Chabang port.

Only a dual carriageway, and EXTREMELY busy with trucks going to the port.

Either side of that stretch is generally pretty quick, with no big delays involved...

[Digger]

Is it possible to commute from a Bangkok suburb (like Minburi or Bang Na) to 15km east of Pattaya each day?  How long would that take at rush time?  I really don't want to raise my kids near Pattaya ... too much sleaze (for their little eyes).  Plus all my friends are in BKK.  Any suggestions?  How is Chonburi for living?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have a look around Maprachan Resevoir - its about 10km's inland from Sukhumvit Road and very convenient for the motorway up to BKK, about 10 minutes away but very quiet area. Many large houses owned by welathy Thai's and farangs who do not want to be in centre of Pattaya. Lots of villages being built and single houses on large pieces of land. Regents Int school nearby this area which acocunts for why most of the expats on big allowances and school fee's live around there.

To find it, you would come down the highway from Bangkok and where the 36 splits to go to Pattaya and Rayong, you take the Rayong direction. Past the petrol station on the left hand side about 800m from the split you will see a bridge crossing the 36. Turn left and then go on that bridge over the 36 road. Just keep going on this road for about 2 km's and you end up at a T junction with the resevoir straight in front of you. Turn left takes you to where most of the housing is connecting to Siam Country Club road which goes straight down to Sukhumvit and into Pattaya.

The Resevoir area is zoned and tightly controlled planning wise, so no industrial activity is permitted in the area so its basically farming and houses. Having said that the housing is quite expensive on the whole (at least by normal Thai surburban standards) and very few places avilable for cheap Thai ghettos - therefore immediately around the resevoir no Karaokes, late night drunk Thai hangouts etc. Its probably as idyliic as anywhere you could hope to find on the Eastern Seaboard. Lots of people use the resevoir for fishing, canoeing, windsurfing as well as cycling around the resevoir. Many houses for rent in the area including an estate I have seen advertised that is just high end exclusive (and expensive no doubt) large houses for expats which is near to Horseshoe Point Resort. Family who own Horseshoe Point are also one of the richest in the country and no doubt it helps that they own about 1500 acres of land here which tends to keep a tight control on what happens in the area. Quite a few restaurants opening up around the resevoir as well, but you are only 15 minutes from Sukhumvit Road and the main part of Pattaya for supermarkets, shops, cinemas etc.