This is only my second post, but I'm not really a newbie, I Lived in Thailand before and I am happy to be back. I know things have and always will change here...sometimes for the better and sometimes not, but I really believe that we make what we will of a situation.

I'm living in Ban Amphur, which is an area I knew very well some years ago, but it has really changed a lot. I'm impressed with how many new shops and restaurants there are. I'll be doing a lot of exploring in Ban Amphur to see what's good, and as I find worthwhile eateries, I'll make a post to tell other people who might be interested.

Looking forward to your reviews.

And welcome back

Yermanee

Welcome back wave!

Got some friends in your area. I live down the road in Bang Saray. Great area.

If you don't mind, on 1st impression, what has changed for better or worse?

Lots of nice people live in Ban Amphur

For all: Thanks for the friendly messages welcoming me back.

For Beardog: Thanks for the reminder to get up the road soon to visit Bang Saray.

For flyingfox: The impression that struck me first and foremost was how much busier this area seems to be. I knew from other sources that Pattaya has been growing in every way, and I pretty much expected the increased congestion there but not in Ban Amphur. It seemed that in the past, the only times this little village got busy was on long weekends when Bangkok yuppies would flock to the seafood restaurants. Now there appears to be a lot more traffic on Sukhumvit Rd. going through Ban Amphur at most times of the day, and crossing Sukhumvit to get into the parking lot of my building can take quite a while sometimes -- never remember waiting so long so often to cross Suk before. But there's no stopping the wheels of progress, and with growth comes the good and the bad.

forget ban amphur move to pattaya jontiem and do some real exploring---------------he he he he he

forget ban amphur move to pattaya jontiem and do some real exploring---------------he he he he he

How would you know? You have never even been to Ban Ampur

forget ban amphur move to pattaya jontiem and do some real exploring---------------he he he he he

Each to his own, neilf. I found the excitement of the same old BG conversations and come-ons again and again wore tiresome pretty quickly. Besides, just because one lives in Ban Amphur, doesn't mean that we can't go to Pattaya or Jomtien when the urge hits us. It's only a 15-20 minute drive.

forget ban amphur move to pattaya jontiem and do some real exploring---------------he he he he he

Each to his own, neilf. I found the excitement of the same old BG conversations and come-ons again and again wore tiresome pretty quickly. Besides, just because one lives in Ban Amphur, doesn't mean that we can't go to Pattaya or Jomtien when the urge hits us. It's only a 15-20 minute drive.

and just what sort of urge would that be then

forget ban amphur move to pattaya jontiem and do some real exploring---------------he he he he he

How would you know? You have never even been to Ban Ampur

sure i have -----------its that set of traffic lights --------------fantastic place if the lights are on green you can go straight by it on your way back to pattaya ------------we have 10 mcdonalds so there innit

Welcome! There are quite a few of us who live down here. I'll PM you with my contact details. We live just across from the Ambassador. We love it here as it is much quieter and as you mentioned, only 15 or 20 minutes to the craziness of Pattaya. But traffic is getting heavier for sure.

Also, Preecha's is closed for renovation. Toey's is open, but we prefer Preecha's food. It is always packed on the weekends with Thai's from Bangkok...

forget ban amphur move to pattaya jontiem and do some real exploring---------------he he he he he

Each to his own, neilf. I found the excitement of the same old BG conversations and come-ons again and again wore tiresome pretty quickly. Besides, just because one lives in Ban Amphur, doesn't mean that we can't go to Pattaya or Jomtien when the urge hits us. It's only a 15-20 minute drive.

and just what sort of urge would that be then

LOL

Nudge-nudge-wink-wink. Say no more!

The urge for lamb chops, of course. (Assuming that "lamb chops" doesn't have any hidden sexual meaning.)