LukDod

The following link provides the common rates for the area courses, for the month of July. The rate list is updated monthly... http://www.pattayasports.org/golf/Golf_Rate_and_Tel_July.xls

Earlier this year, on a motorcycle trip through Issan, I used my Thai drivers license in a number of parks and sites...and always rec'd the Thai price. In one park...a natural hotsprings...with a small geyser, I was charged 40-Bt and the grungy 5-backpackers ahead of me each paid 250-Bt. It brought glee to my heart....

Others have given you the info you need to apply for a Thai license. If you have to take the written test (there are 2 tests, one auto, one motos), then pay attention to the hour pre-test presentation, even though it's in Thai. They will show pictures of road signs which can be easily identified by you. I recall youi need 60 or 70% correct to pass. If you pass then you will take the driving test...one for cars, one for motos...both on the same track. Also some of the test questions will seem strange...so note the following: -it is legal for a moto to drive on the sidewalk if traffic is congested! (true) -a moto can carry only 2 people (1-driver & 1 passenger).._OR_ the driver an a 50kg package (true) [funny, but I've never heard of the latter law being enforced, but it's the law!!]

Opinions? YES!! Forget that site! They want you to pay _exhorbitant_ fees for a IDL fees ($50/1-yr, $70/2-yr, $99/3-yr!!!...and it may well be a fake!!)...when an IDL (actual name is Intern'l Drivers Permit , not 'License') should cost you no more than $10 (and _never_ more than $20), from a local a Auto Club agency, regardless if it's a 1-yr or 3-yr license. If you obtain an IDL in the States..see this link: http://www.ineed2know.org/IntlDriversPermit.htm Note, IDL's issued in Thailand are valid for only one year...see this link for details: http://geocities.com/bkkriders/law/idp.html And note... an IDL is _not_ valid for use in the country in which it was issued.

I've never actually clocked the distances....but the course is NE of SriRacha approx 10-km's

http://www.speedbandits.dk/

Re-posted from Secrets, with permission: I've been to many Pattaya golf tournaments in the years I'd previously visited and now that I live here, but I've NEVER been to any tournament, like the AEROGATE INVITATIONAL that offers so much for such a small entry fee!!! The 2nd Aerogate Invitational 2007 golf tournament is to be held on Friday, January 12th, at the Pattaya Country Club. Rules (the fine print): Medal singles play, maximum handicap 36. Entry restrictions:: As this is a fun tournament, any currently registered and/or ex-professional golfers are barred from entry. Handicaps: Recognized handicaps are IPGC/PSC/Bangkok golf groups affiliated with theTG/R&A/and official USGA or R&A handicap. Multiple handicap issues will be resolved by the tournament committee. All non-IPGC or non-PSC handicapped golfers are required to provide proof of their current handicap at the time of course registration. Anyone without proof of current handicap will play off scratch. R&A/USGA and local course competition rules apply. Entry fee ot 1,500-Bt includes: *Green and caddie fee *A hole-in-one chance, on the nominated 3-par hole, for a new Toyota Fortuna SUV. *Any hole-in-one on any other 3-par hole - prize provided by Pattaya Country Club *Golf shirt, cap, towel, a sleeve of golf balls and a drink insulator. *Coupons for 300-Bt worth of on-course drinks & snacks. *Evening buffet *Trophies, Prizes, Lucky Draw and Evening Buffet will commence at Pattaya Country Club at approximately 6:00pm. *Prizes for nearest the pin, longest drive, nearest the line and lowest card of the day *If transportation is needed, you must indicate at the time of entry. Free transportation to/from the course, departing at 8:30am from the Sugar Shack (Soi 13/3 -aka Pattayaland-1) and returning to the Sugar Shack after the event. Prizes: Tournament Overall Winner (trophy and a high quality prize). Other place prizes for men and women winners. (Note: the sponsor has yet to determine the full prize list) Entry Fee & Registration: Submit entry forms and total entry fee to Tom Cooper at the Sugar Shack, no later than Sunday, January 7th. Tom is usually there between 2pm - 10pm; he will have entry forms if needed. Entry fee is non-refundable in the event of non-attendance and/or late registration at the course on the day of the event. ***Entries are limited and will fill-up fast...surely long before the January 7th closing date*** ****Addendum.... I played at the 1st Aerogate. The hole-in-one prize was a Lexus SUV worth 4.2M-Bt, but as the insurance cost the sponsor (the CEO of Aerogate) about 350,000-Bt, he decided to reduce his expenses and this year offers the Toyota Fortuna SUV as the hole-in-one insurance was _only_ 125,000-Bt.!! While many of the prizes have not yet been selected, for comparison, last year's prizes for each division were 1st prize a $1000-US cell phone, 2nd was a set of Calloway clubs, etc., etc.; Lucky draw had Calloway golf bags, etc. Surely, whatever prizes will be offered, they will be nice and far superior to any other non-professional bar or PSC tournament in Pattaya. This tournament is unlike any other in Pattaya...where you might be charged high fees of 2500-3500-Bt and get far less!! But, this tournament is subsidized, at a _significant_ cost by Aerogate.

Amen....Peter is a very upright guy who dealt honestly and fairly with his customers. It the Thai (Jum) that created the problem...for the clients, Peter & his family. It's sad to read posts from those that didn't know him, are uninformed and LEAP to conclusions. But such posts speak volumes of the character of the poster.....

FWIW...and my 2-satang.... I believe the US has devalued the dollar in order to help reduce debt. Imported goods far ourweigh the amount of exports. Devaluing the dollar makes US goods more attractive to foreign buyers, hopefully helping our out-of-kilter balance of trade. From various reports, there seems to be a consensus that the Thai's _may_ let the Baht drop as low as 35-Bt to $1-US...but will support the Baht from dropping any lower than that. Even at 36:1 it's surely curtailed some of my fun...

This may be helpful to those who leave Thailand for a while and want to maintain their current AIS-12Call number. FWIW: I reside in Thailand but make few calls, yet receive many, and those I do make are of short duration. Initially I was on the regular program whereby you buy a 300-Bt card and receive an additional month's extension. Yet, I rarely made 300-Bt worth of calls in a month. So I learned of AIS's 'nung nung' (sp?) program. This program provides that you receive a month's additional extension for every 100-Bt you add to your existing balance. Unlike AIS's regular program, where calls are about 1-bt a minute, the 'nung nung' program charges calls a premium of 5-Bt/minute. On a average month, on the 'nung nung' program I probably make 100-150-Bt worth of calls. I usually buy the 300-Bt cards to add time and each one provides 3-additional months . My current expiration date for the balance and my phone number is Jan 4 2008!!! This approach may not be economic for those that constantly make phone calls. This is much cheaper tham obtaining a 1500-Bt card from telewiz, as someone earlier posted, and the full amount can be used for phone calls.

Richard is good and is popular with many farang low and high handicappers. I had and still take some lessons from Richard, but as he charges 700-Bt for a _half-hour_ lesson...and spends some of the time wanting to just chat rather than teach. None-the-less he's a good instructor. I've begun getting lessons from Khun Chakat...a Thai instructor, who is fluent in English, at the Pride Driving Range (on Sukhumvit at Central Rd). I like his teaching methods. ChaKat gives hour lessons at 700-Bt and he will also do 1/2-hour lessons at 400-Bt. I prefer the latter. His mobile is 086-329-4439. Chakat doesn't teach every day...call for an appointment.

I'd suggest "All Season Travel" which many Pattaya locals use...including myself. Located on South Rd (Pattaya Tai), on the opposite side of the street from Friendship Market. Excellent service, speak English. They also produce the tickets for a number of other travel agents in Pattaya. Re: R/T's...I use to get R/T tix BKK-USA...with an open return. 1-year open cost an additional $50 and $25 for a 6-month open return. That was a few years back...prices may well have changed.

Laem Chabang...cart mandatory and only 1-player per cart. Phoenix...last I heard they were asking 75k-Bt for a years membership.

Another voice head from... I already had a landline...which _doesn't_ go through a switchboard (this is important and unfortunately common in hotels, some condos, etc.) I ordered a 512/256 ADSL connection from TTT phone company. They have an office in Carrefour. Bought a router (you don't want to use their 'free' modem or any modem..potential security probs). Did a self-install. They said my acc't would be actviated 7-days after I ordered the service ..and it was. Problem with DSL is that is is often s-l-o-w during the day; okay early mornings & late night. I use to have DSL in the States and regularly obtained up to 1500kbs...but Thailand still has a long way to go to build up their infrastructure and reliability! YMMV

No, the prices will be the same....unless the farang has too much disposable income and is clueless doesn't _negotiate_!! Negotiation is a national sport in Thailand, as well as many other countries...and alien to many western cultures. Some will use a Thai friend or GF to make the initial contact and get a price and use that as a benchmark. Some do well by shopping around, comparing prices for similarly equipped condos in like locations (i.e. beach front, inland, etc). Further, I'm of the opinion (worth nothing) that condo prices will not escalate due to the new restrictions on houses/land. I imagine that the current overbuilding and stronger Baht will cause just the opposite. Many realtors are indicating that the market is currently very slow...some say it is dead.

You're a dreaming newbie...but not a bad dream to consider, though! Such would be _very_ rare!! If the gal values having her job, why risk it with some farang she'll likely not see again? I lived in Pattaya 3-yrs and golf regularly with many other expats. I've yet to hear of any of them ever getting a BJ on the course. Possible...yes, but not very probable...!! OTOH...I do know that it is not uncommon for some caddies to see farangs when not working. You just need to chat up the caddie see if she is 'available' to earn a little extra money. Usually inexpensive (comparatively) S/T's and sometime L/T's!

Annual memberships are great...if you love a particular course and play it often. Otherwise variety of courses may be best for you. But...if the course is not local to where you reside...will you have transportation to get to the course. Some courses are quite distant from Pattaya...Treasure Hills, Century Chonburi (very cheap to play though), Noble Place, to name just a few. In addition to membership fees, some course also have additional annual fees to members. Shop carefully. Some have member fees of only 40k-Bt and they are usually distant courses...but others can be quite expensive. Lean Chabang might cost you at _least_ 2-300K-Bt or more for a membership. Here's a site where memberships are bought/sold....look for costs for courses in the Pattaya area: www.worldsplendour.co.th/trade.htm

While many come here for the gals, the gals & clubs really represent a small segment (but a fun segment!) of the overall population. There are a number of service organizations (Rotary, Lions, etc), and ex-pat clubs through which you can get to know some of the community leaders and businessmen as well as spend time on projects benefiting the less fortunate. Work is an option, but be careful about working w/out a permit, though many are currently doing it. Some are under the radar, with somethng like an E-Bay business.

I'm familiar with silverfish...at least whatever variety is found in the States, and I don't think the pictured bugs are silverfish. Silverfish are often found in paper and cellulose products; they scurry for cover when discovered. They are relatively fast moving; have fairly long legs and antennae. The bugs I...and the poster...have, are nothing like the silverfish I'm familiar with. In my case, I most often find them on the bathroom wall tiles...and far less frequently on the walls of the other rooms. Never on clothing or any other location. I always look for them, but only infrequently do I find them, even with diligent investigation...and then it is usually only a few of them...never an infestation. These critters, unlike silverfish, do not move when disturbed. There are no long legs...or any legs apparent to the casual view. No antennae apparent. I've yet to find them in books, papers or any cellu;ose product. They are much smaller than silverfish. I'm not aware of any damage that has ever been caused by these bugs and I'm very diligent with my house-keeping. I've asked some Thai's...to no avail. Guess I need to ask a few more Thai's and maybe then I'll know what they are...

Hmmm...maybe you shoud be more selective in the women you allow in your place ;-) Seriously, I also periodically find a few of the same critters. I usually find them in on the walls of either of the bathrooms; rarely in other rooms. I'm on the 11th floor, but often have the windows open. I'm not aware of their ever causing any damage...to books, clothing or anything of value. When found I just pick-em off the wall, squash them and toss 'em in the trash. When I first encountered some of them, I initially thought they were just lint from the washing machine! I've yet to find someone who can identify the critters...

You can find studio apartments w/ A/C and fridge for about 4k-Bt/mo, plus pay for water and electric. Suggest forget ADSL in room, as a land line phone is required and will add to your expense. There are _many_ Internet shops offering ADSL service quite inexpensively. If you be here for at _least_ a few months, consider staying at a hotel for a few days and spend some time looking around and inspect some of the places offering accomodations in the area you prefer. Such is the best way to find decent accomodations that satisfy your requirements and offer some value for your Baht. I reside in a nice 95sqM, 2-bdrm/2-bath condo which came with a land-line for a mere 8k-Bt/mo. It pays to ask and shop around!!

If you want to be insured with Thai Health, you can obtain some exceptional group rates by simply joining the Pattaya Expat's Club, which meets every Saturday. Via the AA Brokerage you'll end up paying about 1/3 of the rates that Thai Health asks. For example, I've their "WH4000" plan, with an annual cost of 31K-Bt for my age group, yet via the group coverage available to the Expat's Club, I'm charged only 9,707-Bt. Quite a savings!

Me thinks Perturbed and Gary are in conflict on 'much ado about nothing.' There is a main Bangkok branch on 2nd Rd, north of Pattaya Klang, near Soi-6, where the bank's facilities...and the tellers...are upstairs. Same for the main Bangkok branch, located in Naklua, on Naklua Rd, just north of Sawang Fa Rd. There the bank's facilities..and the tellers...are also upstairs. Now...I may be mistaken, but I believe 'Gary' might not be referring to a bank 'near Walking St', but the one on 2nd Rd. Maybe he's referring to the Siam bank which is on Beach Rd, just before Walking St??? And, FWIW, the sub-branch, located in Lotus, by the corner of Sukhumvit and Thepprasit is on the main floor...there are just food courts, book stores and gadget sellers upstairs. Whew....

Yes...last month the gov't announced that the banks (all of them) are increasing their rates on 1-year time deposits to 4.05%. Re: BKK Bank sub-branch at Lotus on Sukhumvit. I have an acc't there as well as one at Thai Military Bank near Pattayland-2. The lines at the BKK Lotus branch are minimal, compared to the main BKK bank in Naklua or the branch on 2nd Rd, north of Pattaya Klang. The banks normally pay a mere 1/2 - 1% interest on savings acc'ts. Some expats have told me that they've never rec'd _any_ interest, but I've found if you talk to the managers they correct your acc't so you receive it. I've not had a problem here. I suggest keeping only a minimal amount in the Thai banks as the interest is so little. Re: Siam Bank: There is a small branch located directly across the street from where I reside. It would be very convenient for me to open an acc't with Siam...but I never will!! Though an anomaly in their system, I keep receiving the bank's mail for some farang and also a Thai, at my residence. Sometimes the mail is for their ATM p/w numbers or recent statements of acc't transactions. I taken the mail back to the branch across the street, telling them to please verify the acc't owner's address, as this is very sensitive info. I've returned the mail and spoken to the manageer a number of times...yet I still get their personal mail. Consider the problem if they also mailed the ATM cards...