js007

I have Kasikorn account and a few USA accounts with ATM cards. Still, I always try to have some back-up funding. Cash, travelers checks, etc. Enough for a few weeks, at least.

I always book a room for a day or two in advance via Agoda, especially if I'll be arriving around midnight. That way, the room is bought and paid for, at least for the first few days. On Agoda, you can use a credit card or a debit card. Sometimes, the hotel will also want a small deposit for the mini-bar when you arrive, so be aware of that.

Don't forget DHL. They have a place on Second Road sort of near Soi Diana Inn.

Free Wi-Fi? If a hotel doesn't offer it, I don't stay there. And when I go out to lunch or just go out for a few beers, the free Wi-Fi places rise to the top of the list. Some businesses get it, some don't.

Supposedly, you can purchase some sort of "fast track" service that speeds the process. I've never had any big delay, though. The last time I went through to the boarding area, there were two or three people in front of me? I was in and good to go within about three minutes.

No.

Instead of buy a top up card, they now give you a cash register receipt with a code on it. It's up to you, I guess, to figure out how to enter it all into your phone, or, if you're lucky, the girl at the Family Mart or wherever will do it for you if you have your phone with you. I've also sen machines around, like vending machines, that sell minutes.

I've heard horror stories about PayPal freezing people's accounts over payment disputes, of taking months for the matter to be resolved, etc. Also, I got tired of getting fake? emails telling me my Paypal account had been compromised. It all seemed like more trouble than it was worth, so I closed my Paypal account.

I once considered the PayPal thing, but, given PayPal's reputation, I decided against it. Instead, I just spend $40 once in a while to wire some money to Thailand. It's still cheaper than all the foreign ATM fees I would have to pay using my Chase debit card.

It'll be fine. Just go. If you're out and about and it starts raining, just pop into a beer bar for a beer or two. It usually doesn't rain for long.

I like the idea. Sometimes, I want to agree with something that someone says, but I'm sort of too lazy to write a special post just to say so.

I tried to give a post a positive vote, but the software said I had already used up my votes for the day, even though I'd never tried to do that before.

There's no way I would ever give anyone in Pattaya my credit card details via fax. I might pay for a room in advance via Agoda or one of the internet booking sites, but that's it. Otherwise, they can find another sucker. Anyway, you can almost always find a room in Pattaya without booking in advance.

I can't speak Russian, so I haven't exactly spent a lot of time talking to Russians in Pattaya, except for two girls once on a baht bus who were from Moscow and could speak English. Anyway, I don't see a problem. The Russian girls are sort of interesting.

One of the reasons I like to stay at small guesthouses is security. They usually have in-room safes and, depending on the place, there may be someone at the front desk 24/7. I've never had a problem. They usually keep an eye on who's coming and going. Still, I try not to leave many valuables in the safe. A passport, some extra ATM cards or whatever, and perhaps a small amount of cash. I always have e-tickets for my flight, so there's no airplane tickets to lose. And there's always insurance.

Windy Inn has a pool across the street from the hotel.

That's what I did. I opened the account with a thousand dollars or so worth of traveler's checks. And every once in a while, I wire them some money, just to keep the account active. When I got there last time, all my money was there, just waiting for me. Using the Kasikorn ATMs beats paying outrageous fees to Chase.

For what it's worth, I think it is possible to own the house separate from the land it sits on. Falangs can own houses, just not land. Someone ought to start manufacturing houses on wheels in Thailand.

Blue Parrot uneatable? Granted, the place wouldn't last long in San Diego, but for Pattaya, it's OK. One plus: I've never gotten sick from eating the food there.

Tequila Reef is OK. So is the Blue Parrot. Those are the only two places I've found to have OK Mexican food (for Pattaya). Every other place I've tried was pretty much horrible.

Well, it sounds like at least some of the property has free Wi-Fi. I won't stay anywhere that doesn't.

I wonder if they have free Wi-Fi? I know Sabai Lodge didn't a few years ago. For me, that's a deal breaker.

I was in the DC area on 9/11 and, from my window at work, could see the smoke rising up from the Pentagon after the plane or whatever hit it. My building was evacuated 10 minute later.

In the USA, it might seem like $40K is near poverty, but the government doesn't look at it that way. Actually, that's a fairly normal wage for people in the USA. With a husband and wife both working, that would be $80K a year, and in many areas, the average income levels for a family aren't even that high. I don't know much about The Thai upper income people, but if you look on YouTube there are a few videos about the Thailand Ferrari Club. From what I could tell, it looked like a bunch of kids from Bangkok that all had Ferraris. I guess the Bangkok well-to-do people make enough money to buy their kids Ferraris to play around in.

If they charge 5 baht, they charge 5 baht. I'm not going to sit around worrying about it.