sabaidii2

Eye examinations and prescriptions (both contact lenses and frames) are available. The only downside is that the examination isn't as sophisticated as in the West (no optical devices used) and high-end eyeglass frames aren't available. You may want to be examined at home and take your prescription with you. The frames should be acceptable to most people though. The prices of course are a bargain.

There's no lamb/mutton because sheep aren't raised in LOS (though I'm not clear on where beef comes from). Now if you'd like to try some interesting indigenous food, try some crocodile meat (tastes like chicken). One place I know where it's available is the Chinese restaurant on the second floor of the "Tops" shopping center: 2nd Road at Central Road (Pattaya Klang). Or you can go to the Million Year Stone Park & Crocodile Zoo. I don't know enough about Buddhism to comment about meat-eating but I can assure you that Thai's are not vegetarians.

There's no lamb/mutton because sheep aren't raised in LOS (though I'm not clear on where beef comes from). Now if you'd like to try some interesting indigenous food, try some crocodile meat (tastes like chicken). One place I know where it's available is the Chinese restaurant on the second floor of the "Tops" shopping center: 2nd Road at Central Road (Pattaya Klang). Or you can go to the Million Year Stone Park & Crocodile Zoo. I don't know enough about Buddhism to comment about meat-eating but I can assure you that Thai's are not vegetarians.

If anyone just happens to find themself in Bangkok and then just happens to wander into Phantip Plaza... I'd appreciate getting the Adobe "Acrobat 6.0 Standard" CD. This is a tool used to create/edit PDF files. The CD should run about 150 baht (it costs $299 in the US). I'd be happy to reimburse the cost of the CD, mailing, transport to Phantip Plaza, a stop to have a beer to quench the thirst from the walk, and even a stop on the way for a soapy (nah, on second thought, this is one stop too many - you'll forget what your mission was. I know what happens when the little head takes over.) Thanks, Steve Seltzer 319 Getchell St. Santa Cruz, CA 95060 USA

In this week's Pattaya Mail, check out the letter from one Ignatius Riley about "Saddened by reports of street crime". He's the main character in A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Easily one of the funniest books I've ever read (though to be honest, every person I've recommended the book to hated it - just goes to show how I'm right and everyone else is wrong I guess - but I digress.) http://www.pattayamail.com/current/letters.shtml

Yeah. I got an outstanding deal from them: only 1200 baht from Jan 7-9 (peak season, what can you do?) I'll be looking around for other accomodations once I hit town (I'm staying through the 29th). Since you stay for longer periods, why not not get something cheaper than hotels? I think you could get a fairly nice condo/apartment for 15000-20000 baht a month. Maid service could also be arranged. The Pattaya Mail is a good place to start looking for a place.

Which Flipper Lodge are you referring to: Soi 7 or Soi 8?

I'm looking for a hotel that has a shower large enough for two - I don't care about a bathtub. I'd also like to keep the price to less than 1200 baht (1000 would be even better). I want to try a new place so please recommend hotels other than the following: On Soi 2 Sabai Inn Sabai Lodge On Soi 3 Sunshine Vista Patayaland 2 Penthouse Residence Garden (great hotel but the location isn't great) Places that I'm considering: 1) Hotel Koenig (I know it's near Sunee Plaza) 2) Yen Sabai Condos (also near Sunee Plaza) 3) Soi 7 & Soi 8 hotels (disadvantage: if you barfine in that area then the inevitable cat calls will fire up as walk past with your latest love).

Oh! Oh! Reminds me... There's a shopping center (Tops) at the intersection of 2nd and Central ( Pattaya Klang ) Roads. In Tops there's a nice restaurant on the second floor that serves mostly Asian cuisine PLUS... crocodile meat. It's not bad. Sorta tastes like chicken. They promote it as very low fat. So you can try something different if you don't mind eating a giant lizard. Thailand has these crocodile zoos (Crocodile Farm & Million Years Stone Park ) where, for 20 baht, you can feed the pretties chicken carcasses. Just be sure not to fall over the railing when you're feeding them. I heard a story about how someone decided to commit suicide by jumping over the barrier. I don't think it was a great way to go, but I digress.

Look around you'll see them. One thing to be aware of is that lobster is quite expensive. Nearly every nationality is represented: Middle Eastern (Indian, Pakistan, Arabic) European (Italian, Russian, Belgium, German, French, English) American (Burger King, McDonalds, Dunkin' Donuts, as well as "American Breakfasts": bacon-ham-eggs-toast-cold-cereal). Asian (Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai) Mexican (on Soi 7/8) Didn't see any African or Australian/New Zealand (I'm assuming of course that there is such a thing Aussie/New Zealand cuisine)

The following is a true story. The point being that it's not just foreign airlines to be cautious of... Oh, while at Narita airport on the way back home, one other minor adventure happened: I nearly died. The United Airlines plane is on the tarmac waiting for clearance to take off. All of a sudden: Bang! accompanied with a vibration. Two minutes later an announcement: "Ladies and gentlemen. We're not sure what just occurred. If anyone saw something from the windows, please tell us." This is very reassuring. Turns out a tire blew. We ended up getting towed away and sat on the ground for two hours while the problem got fixed. But I sort of wonder what would the outcome have been had this occurred while taking off? The young Mormon missionary sitting next to me (returning home after a 2-year stint in Taiwan proselytizing to the heathens - like the Taiwanese don't have enough to worry about what with mainland China breathing down their necks) says "God is looking out for us." I respond with "I am really pissed at the airline. I don't like cutting things this close." Ah, to be young and insipid.

1) The link you mentioned is $549 + Tax = $649 total 2) The flight dates are restricted 3) The downside to priceline is that the tickets are non-changeable and non-refundable 4) You won't know your itinerary until AFTER purchasing. I once got a 10-hour layover at Narita. Most of the time it's okay: departure=3 hour layover, return=2 hour layover). 5) Tickets are not eligible for Frequent Flyer points, though I have managed to get the points from JAL by asking for them when at the airport or up to 6 months later via phone (retain your flight stub). 6) Two months is too long for me (I get burned out)

I just got a flight (SFO to BKK) from priceline.com for a grand total of $598.60 (bid was $510). The airline is JAL Depart: 6 Jan 04 Return: 29 Jan 04 This is at least $100 less than published prices

Unfortunately, Thais prefer a very limited variety of music. They are: Techno-dance (You can't say that you've lived until you listen to the 10 minute techno version of Jingle Bells. I kid you not.) 70s, 80s rock (You'll hear, and tire of hearing, Hotel California since it's played several times each night.) Isaan traditional music. Not bad, just sounds strange. The girls love it. All music is played at deafening levels (bring ear plugs for use in discos). Discos. Another subject. They're different. The best in Pattaya is XZyte. They put on a really outstanding song and dance show. There's no central dance area. You simply dance at your table. Bring a date. BBK, being a large city, has more music variety than Pattaya.

Here's a link to current music in BBK: http://www.bangkokgigguide.com/

Try the Hard Rock hotel. It's guest friendly, on Beach Road, has a very nice daytime lounge/pool setup with live music. It's so nice in fact that non-guests have to pay a user fee to enjoy the facilities (I'm talking about other farangs, not your guest). The rooms are supposed to be also very nice. Another alternative is the Penthouse hotel. Not necessarily upscale so much as unique (boy, is that an understatement): The rooms are done up as something out of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Except that there are mirrors on the walls, on the ceiling, a bar to hold onto at the head of the bed which itself is 3 feet off the ground, you get the idea. And if you go for the “Penthouse Party Patpong” room, you get a disco dance stage, ’massage’ swing (a signed “not responsible for injuries” document is required for use) along with a Jacuzzi, mirrors, and the rest. But wait! You can get even more outrageous with the “Babylon Suite Triplex” (I’m afraid to know what more is included as my heart might not take it). The mind boggles. You’re not going to find many places like this. Guest friendly you ask? I think so. The Penthouse doesn’t bother with ID checks. Oh, and each room has an extensive supply of whatever you might be in need of: toiletries, snacks, mini-bar, condoms, lube, stuffed toys. There’s an orientation notebook that has, in addition to what’s going on in town and a restaurant menu, some heartfelt advice that perhaps using condoms is a good idea and attempts to cast light on the concept of ladyboys (I haven’t figured out where they fit into the spectrum of things so to speak, but then again, I haven’t figured out Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity). Oh, oh! Almost forgot. The television has a closed circuit channel offering a view into the gogo on the ground floor. Gogo girl room service is available. I kid you not.

Ml, The reason everyone is ribbing you is because the tropical climate is unlike anything you're familiar with (I see that you're from England): the heat is like a blast furnace and the humidity is oppressive (though if you visit in the "cool" season it's not quite that bad). I consider myself to be in good shape doing martial arts. In LOS, I'm dying within 5 to 10 minutes. Personally I'm in awe at the Muay Thai guys; but to be fair, Thais really can tolerate the climate better than farangs. As OzNoomLaw says, there's not any places to ride. There are no bike paths. There is traffic which, unfortuately, you'll be riding along with. You'll see when you visit. Believe me, riding a bike in the sun is tough. By the way, bring sun block. Although you'll see some visitors tanning themselves, don't be one of them. You can get sunburnt within 20 minutes. Alot of sun worshippers end up passing right through the hoped-for "golden bronze" zone right onto "lobster red". You can guess what that would do for your sanukking holiday.

I'm running Windows Me (I know, it's not listed as being compatible in the User's Manual, but that's what I've got to run). I'm getting: Component 'comdlg32.ocx' or one of its dependents not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid

BigDUSA, I guess I've been lucky (or stupid) but I've never been ripped off. So the concern isn't with your major money that's already in a safe (either the in-room or the hotel safe). Okay. Now I see your point. But just how much are we talking about? I change $300 (about 12000 baht) when I go to the ATM. When I go out for a night I'll take, say, 5000 to 6000 baht. The rest is stashed somewhere in the room. You arrive back in the room later that evening with your new-found love. How much money is left to steal? Now, if your girl is taking a shower by herself (I always offer to shower together but sometimes you get the "me shy" routine), you can always stash the evening's cash somewhere out of sight. In any case, an in-room safe is not a criteria for me when choosing a hotel. For me, the absolute necessity is a 2-person shower. I couldn't care less about the rest.

You're all focusing on in-room safes WAY too much. So let me set the record straight: 1) LOS is SAFE in general. Ain't nobody going to rob you (though you could get wiped out in a traffic accident). 2) Granted, an in-room safe is more convenenient than using the one at the hotel's desk, but choosing a hotel based on this criteria is losing the plot. 3) If you should manage to forget your "secret" number (and no, you shouldn't use your birth date, your street address, or any other "natural" number), the hotel can always open it up with a "master" number. 4) Whether you use an in-room safe or the hotel's safe, it's unlikely that your money will be stolen. A smooth-running hotel operation is far more valuable than having to deal with the police and ensuing bad reputation. 5) Using your ATM card in place of cash and traveler's checks (a major hassle) is more convenient and avoids the problem of theft or fraud. Just be sure to contact your ATM company before leaving to verify that it'll work while in Thailand.

When doing a general search using the websites below, the best price is not always given. Resubmit the search looking for airlines by name and a better price may result. Also, check with the airline’s own website as you may find that a special price is being offered. http://www.angeltravel.com/ http://www.cheaptickets.com http://www.expedia.com http://www.orbitz.com http://www.travelocity.com http://www.priceline.com - This is best if you have more time than money. The way to pay the least amount is to bid ludicrously low for an itinerary. A counter-offer “good only for the next hour” will be emailed back. Compare this offer to those at the other sites and expect to see about a 20% discount. Be aware though: layovers (Taipei or Narita if you're coming in from the US) may be long (i.e., 10 hours). Flight details won't be disclosed until after payment has been made. It's not always as bad as this example but there is a trade-off like most things in life.

This discussion is dumb. 1) On the main board (i.e., not the forum) there is a hotel review page. There are three reviews from May, June, and July of this year (Is that recent enough?). The guest issue is covered. Has anyone actually looked at it? 2) Why doesn't the hotel respond? Maybe because the question is somewhat embarrassing to address directly. 3) As bert postlethwaite stated, if you're at a place and it doesn't suit your needs, for whatever reason, just pickup and move elsewhere as there are so many places - especially during low season.

Stay in the YenSabai condos. A nice place that is less expensive than a hotel and is still a short stroll to Walking Street (the main drag). There are rental offices available (http://www.123pattaya.com/yensabai). Do a web search or check out the Pattaya Mail Newspaper (http://www.pattayamail.com). If you're not familiar with Pattaya, plan to stay in a hotel for a week or so while looking around for a room. Map of Pattaya showing the town layout and places of nightlife interest. http://bahtbus.com/map/index.html

If you already read a review stating that they are guest friendly, then why are you asking? You are in effect asking that the board repeat itself.

"The Flipper lodge sounds great but would I have to take a bht bus to go Pattaya 1 or 2 where I understand everything is. Do you get dirty look from hotel staff when you have a girl in tow? How bad is it cause I'm little shy. " 1) You'll be taking the baht buses all the time (they pretty much just drive in a circuit). Just pay the 10 baht (and no folks, I don't want to hear the 5-baht vs. 10-baht argument again). 2) The hotel staff won't be interested in your girl one way or the other: everyone understands what the deal is. They will most likely keep the girl's ID overnight and return it in the morning (this is for your protection and is no big deal). If you fall in love and bring her back again to your room, they'll recognize her and won't ask for her ID. 3) Shyness is a major problem though as there's a tendency to lose it on trips to Thailand. You might consider insuring it against loss, though the insurance company (bastards that they are) sometimes argue that while you might lose shyness you also gain a new outlook on life so you will have actually gained more than lost - and even owe the company! Have fun!