Thai worker killed by leftover ammunition in Israeli orchard

[ongengwai]

So i just got a job offer to work in Hemaraj Industrial Estate in Chonburi, and im going to take it. If you search Hemaraj Chonburi in google map, the right location will show up.

I live in northern thailand at the moment, so im going to move down to Chonburi. My wife will kove down with me as well. She is an adult student who needs to attend courses like 2 times a week in Bangkok.

I have been to Hemaraj Chonburi physically and frankly it is not residentially friendly - as in there is nohthing else in the immediate vicinity (say 15 minutes drive) except factories and bare necessities.

The factory owner, a farang, lives with his family around Pattaya. From his house to factory, it takrs about 30 minutes drive.

I dont intend to live in or around Pattaya, because A. It is further away from Bangkok, B. Pattaya is more expensive.

My initial conclusion is to live around Central Plaza Chonburi. I found a house rent (7000THB) which is 5 minutes drive to Centtal Chonburi. On google map it says it takes about an hour drive for the 50km between Central Plaza Chonburi and Hemaraj Chonburi. My reasons to live around Central Plaza Chonburi are as following :

Theres a Fitness First in Central Chonburi. I want to improve my physical fitness. Living close to Fitness First motivates me to go there in the first place, whereas if it takes half an hour drive just to reach Central Chonburi, then I will be detered and discouraged.

Fitness First offers many yoga / pilates sessions. I want my wife to attend yoga regularly there too. She likes yoga but i know she wil be lazy to go if it is far away.

Central Plaza offers lots of shops, restaurants. And around Central there must be a lot of streetfood. Central Chonburi should be not far from Chonburi city centre too, which will make life more interesting for the family.

My main concerns are :

A. I have never lived or stayed in Chonburi, i dont know the actual traffic situations. I dont know if it really takes an hour drive to work.

B. Is an hour drive to work every day tiring? Throughout my life i have never been in the situation where i need to drive an hour to work. Most of the time i live within walking distance from work. However, i have extensive driving experience in Thailand. I must have made about 20 times 600km trips in last year without any accident. I had only driven sporadically within congested bangkok.

C. I had commuted to work every weekday for a few months, where it took slightly more than an hour of walk, bus, and BTS. Is the tiredness of commuting on packed public ttansports comparable to driving in congested traffic ?

D. How congested are the roads aroudn chonburi industrials ? Is an hour for 50km realistic, or wildly underestimating ?

E. I know i need to socialise and network a lot in my new job. Im in industrial sales. Although selling through wining and dining has never been my forte but it is part and parcel of my job. And i bet people want to be entertained in Pattaya rather than in Chonburi. And netowrking events (like chamber of commerce meetup) occur in Pattaya rather than in Chonburi. My boss also lives near Pattaya, so it is extra incentive for me to live close to Pattaya.

I know there are gyms and pillate/yoga classess in Pattaya, but Fitness First offer them under the same roof with lots of facilities. Im not into the nightlife and pub scene, so Pattaya is less attractive to me.

Can you please help me scrutinize my reasonings and rationales. I would dearly appreciate any input from you. Im sorry if i sound incoherent, because im indeed confused and a bit clueless.Also, it is late night and im finger typing on a phone.

Thank you so much.

[joepattaya1961]

Basically you made your choice and you'd like to hear from us why you definetely should live in Chonburi.

If you pick a location to live on the "dark side" of Pattaya near the #36 and the #7, you're pretty close to Hemaraj; even better would be close to the #331.

The best area could be around Mabrachan Lake with loads of accommodation available.

For your wife and her study.......yes Chonburi is closer to Bangkok, but there are direct connections from Pattaya to Suvarnabuhmi Airport and using the Airportlink into town will get your wife where she wants to be.

Chonburi is an industrial city and is basically a "dead" city after 8 p.m., apart from some establishments in Ang Sila and Bang Saen.

Traffic from and to Chonburi can be a pain and especially with the new toll-way (#7) coming up, it may become busier than ever.

[1BADDAT]

I drive from Naklua (north of Pattaya) to Hemaraj Industrial in Rayong. Most of my coworkers live in Siracha, but one lives in Bang Saen. The road from Hameraj to Siracha is TERIBBLE. Its like a roller coaster ride.

I would not rent or buy anything before I drove the route during rush hour. The volume of traffic around that area is very high and the driving is pretty stressful in places.

The fact that you are looking at home prices and that is a factor to avoid Pattaya really says something. You should really be looking into the total time you will spend in the car and the amount of money you will waste on fuel and wear and tear on your car.

[ongengwai]

I drive from Naklua (north of Pattaya) to Hemaraj Industrial in Rayong. Most of my coworkers live in Siracha, but one lives in Bang Saen. The road from Hameraj to Siracha is TERIBBLE. Its like a roller coaster ride.

I would not rent or buy anything before I drove the route during rush hour. The volume of traffic around that area is very high and the driving is pretty stressful in places.

The fact that you are looking at home prices and that is a factor to avoid Pattaya really says something. You should really be looking into the total time you will spend in the car and the amount of money you will waste on fuel and wear and tear on your car.

Thank you so much on your input. I guess I should not have mentioned home rent. Home rent differences are a very minuscule of my salary and it should not be a factor of consideration.

I checked on Google map, it says naklua to Hemaraj Rayong takes about 60 minutes and 50km. Is this true in real life rush hour ?

[ongengwai]

Basically you made your choice and you'd like to hear from us why you definetely should live in Chonburi.

If you pick a location to live on the "dark side" of Pattaya near the #36 and the #7, you're pretty close to Hemaraj; even better would be close to the #331.

The best area could be around Mabrachan Lake with loads of accommodation available.

For your wife and her study.......yes Chonburi is closer to Bangkok, but there are direct connections from Pattaya to Suvarnabuhmi Airport and using the Airportlink into town will get your wife where she wants to be.

Chonburi is an industrial city and is basically a "dead" city after 8 p.m., apart from some establishments in Ang Sila and Bang Saen.

Traffic from and to Chonburi can be a pain and especially with the new toll-way (#7) coming up, it may become busier than ever.

Thank you so much. I will ponder on your points

[1BADDAT]

I drive from Naklua (north of Pattaya) to Hemaraj Industrial in Rayong. Most of my coworkers live in Siracha, but one lives in Bang Saen. The road from Hameraj to Siracha is TERIBBLE. Its like a roller coaster ride.

I would not rent or buy anything before I drove the route during rush hour. The volume of traffic around that area is very high and the driving is pretty stressful in places.

The fact that you are looking at home prices and that is a factor to avoid Pattaya really says something. You should really be looking into the total time you will spend in the car and the amount of money you will waste on fuel and wear and tear on your car.

Thank you so much on your input. I guess I should not have mentioned home rent. Home rent differences are a very minuscule of my salary and it should not be a factor of consideration.

I checked on Google map, it says naklua to Hemaraj Rayong takes about 60 minutes and 50km. Is this true in real life rush hour ?

It really depends on what time you leave in the morning. For reference my condo is near the bang lamung police station and my factory is near the general motors plant. If I leave at 7 it takes me an hour to get to work. If I leave at 8 it takes me 40-45 minutes. On the motorcycle if I am really booking, I can make it in 30 minutes. It generally takes me at least 45 minutes to get home if I leave exactly at 5 or a few minutes before.

This traffic volume in out and of the Industrial area is MASSIVE. 15 minutes difference in departure time can mean 30 more minutes in the care sometimes. I am not sure about the traffic in the industrial park you are referring to, because I think it is across 331 from where I work.

Home rent is important factor, but I just mean to look at the big picture and all the costs. For me, my time is valuable too me so that was a major consideration in where I chose to live.

[ongengwai]

Thanks 1BADDAT ! The figures you provided are very helpful.

[crickets]

Chon buri sucks for a farang, its so boring. Traffic is crazy. Live in pattaya.

[KhunBENQ]

Chon buri sucks for a farang, its so boring. Traffic is crazy. Live in pattaya.

Good luck in experiencing "non crazy" traffic in Pattaya.

Escpecially if you live west of Sukhumvit ("in the city").

The current construction mayhem will probably not make life easier?

Edited February 25, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[ongengwai]

Chon buri sucks for a farang, its so boring. Traffic is crazy. Live in pattaya.

What is your take on the traffics around Central Plaza Chonburi ?

[joepattaya1961]

Chon buri sucks for a farang, its so boring. Traffic is crazy. Live in pattaya.

I didn't want to put it so harsh, but you're right.

[joepattaya1961]

Traffic around/near Central can be horrendous in weekends and during weekday rush hours.

The only good thing is, that there is a connecting road which connects Sukhumvit (near Central) with the Chonburi bypass and the #7.

The only problem then is that the exit at the #7 for Hemaraj is congested.

Most important is in my opinion the place where you settle; it'll be your home and the place you like to return to after work.

It's also a place where living is convenient and where you can build on a professional and social network. Muang Chonburi isn't really a place where I would like to live again.

Edited February 25, 2015 by joepattaya1961

[crickets]

Dark side is ok because u have the bypass road. I avoid sukumvut in a car like the plague. Chon buri people are a different breed to the thais in pattaya. I never warmed to them and vice versa.

[raro]

Again a vote for Pattaya dark side. The closer to the high way the better. No worries about Pattaya traffic, you won't see it from there.

The traffic at the industrial Estates is something to worry about. Beat it by moving very close to the estate, this is about as interesting as living in Chonburi.

The dark side of Pattaya is very quiet, lots of normal people living there and still the vicinity to the crazy side of town.

[ongengwai]

Traffic around/near Central can be horrendous in weekends and during weekday rush hours.

The only good thing is, that there is a connecting road which connects Sukhumvit (near Central) with the Chonburi bypass and the #7.

The only problem then is that the exit at the #7 for Hemaraj is congested.

Most important is in my opinion the place where you settle; it'll be your home and the place you like to return to after work.

It's also a place where living is convenient and where you can build on a professional and social network. Muang Chonburi isn't really a place where I would like to live again.

You are absolutely right. I really should live in somewhere I can build on a professional and social network. I will think hard on this.