forcebwithu

For those that have gone electric, PEA has charging stations on Tai. CAT on Tai closer to 3rd Rd has a couple of charging stations as well, but they didn't look to be in working order.

On this morning's ride I explored an interesting hidden gem in central Pattaya. It's an undeveloped area off of Pattaya Tai, behind Pattaya City Resort. From the road the new shops going up on Tai look like nothing special. But behind the shops is a nice park area around a small lake. The hidden gem is farther back and on the other side of the lake. There's a dirt road that circles around a large undeveloped area with a lilly filled pond. The area is currently being used to grow various plants. I hope the city sees the value of keeping some green space and that they never plant buildings here instead.

More construction at the Nirun market site. Wonder what these new structures will house.

I wouldn't be stepping into what's left of this shower with bare feet.

Canopy covers at the new Nirun market going back up this morning.

Pics of Hooters from last September.

Sounds like you'll miss the next topless killer pool game by a few days. Some nice titty pictures of the last game, which I'm surprised the FB censors didn't catch. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=122158081118089195&id=61552675856847&__cft__[0]=AZWnN110-tWMSL64JLOhnLDH3DxxoR9phxBtOfbxL46e-tWCzqoQ2srRHxMpDMsTkBf-km5OCe3oRB5LWgM2HhkLdZXWxtN-I7b7FdC875ku0q180F4gkj_F_QeNRPpFcQ4iODoP1R7jVEbgopagyXSAAfRH7ZQymLNTrBLoBBvlr9A9x8tUdr_oMLX_viu8icmNYHUDT5blXf6-_sygJhOv&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R

The footpath around the Bali Hai area is still used as a parking lot in some spots, making it an obstacle course for pedestrians. It's a shame there isn't parking nearby. Oh, wait, what's this directly across the road... There was a news report a week or two ago about the big clean up operation in the Bali Hai marina to get rid of the broken pieces of floating piers and derelict boats. Seems they missed one. Over on WS the old tree is still hanging in there. And those temporary, illegal bridges city officials demanded be removed how many years ago...

Looks like one use of the middle steel structure is support for the lighting at the new market. Attaching 220v lines to a steel structure, what could possibly go wrong. What's missing is an insulator between the attachment point and the steel support cables. A good stock of electrical goods at the new, nearby store, including a couple of e-bikes.

One simple solution to resolving the bottlenecks that occur too frequently on Buakhao is to allow parking on only one side of the soi for the entire length. Of course, while simple in practise, the reality is it would never work as laws are only suggestions and are generally not enforced so are regularly ignored.

No idea what they'll be selling at the new place next to Nirun, but I expect those synthetic canopy tops are going to look old and worn by the end of the year due to exposure to UV and the elements.

No chance of anyone trying to sneak into the Edge from 2nd Rd. They've done a good job with the barricades to stop right turns from 2nd Rd. Soi Honey might be easier for an illegal entry. Just wait until the cop has his back turned.

I'm in favor of making Buakhao one way too. The green and white trucks parked in front of Tops caused quite a traffic jam for those heading south this morning. Even on my bicycle there wasn't a gap wide enough for me to sneak through. I had to divert through LK Metro, and, I admit it, ride up Diana the wrong way to snap this pic.

I had a front row seat at Nikom to watch just that. From about 18:00 to 19:30 while there I watched a steady stream of motorbikes going the wrong way. I also counted one taxi, one Bolt, a car, and a delivery truck doing the same. The Bolt was the worst as it was a truck that parked up in front of the spaghetti stand and waited about 10 minutes for a passenger. So not only was it blocking the spaghetti stand it was also parked on the wrong side of the road. There were also no cops on foot to be seen while I sat there. Probably because of the rain. IMHO, making Soi Diana has helped with the traffic congestion at that intersection. The occasional motorbike going the wrong way had no effect on the congestion, but the four vehicles that came from the wrong direction caused an immediate backup of traffic.

Construction update on the land opposite Nirun.

There's a cut through from Soi 10 to Tree Town that's a nice short cut for walkers and bikes that want to get to 2nd Rd or Soi Honey. About a month ago I was disappointed to find it blocked off by a gate a hotel put up, but found out this morning it's not always closed. Soi 10 side of short cut. Tree Town side. The parking area for Honey Slip and Slide Massage is the cut through from Soi 10 to Soi Honey. Also, on Soi 10 is plenty of bike parking spaces for Hemingways.

Photos from this morning of the activated one way sois. Good to see a painted sign outside the entrance to LK Metro to remind exiting traffic which way is one way. Still a WIP on Diana. I only saw two things I would have done different if I were czar of road signs. One is I would have positioned this sign on the other side of the parking exit to remind traffic that might be tempted to turn right that they would be turning the wrong way. The other change I would make is to make the signs red instead of blue at the top of the one way sois.

Prepping Soi Honey today for one way status tomorrow. Later today I expect Soi Diana will get the same treatment.

I've noticed that when the power went out, it would sometimes come back in two stages. Each stage 110v. It was noticeable as the fan would start to kick over, but not at full speed until the power came back up to the nominal 220v. Smart lady you have to throw the breaker until after the storm has passed. For killing ants I've found the bait packs to be easier to put out, so would recommend just sticking with that. If you have pets, place them where the pet can't get to them. I had a bit of concern when one my dogs got chewing on one, but when I looked up the active ingredient (boric acid) I relaxed. They'd have to eat 10 - 20 times what is in those small packets to have any ill effect.

To add to this topic, here's a C&P of a post I made on the same topic on another forum. I was having a problem with tiny ants that were fond of making nests in my computers and other electronic gear. They're also a problem in the kitchen when any foodstuffs have been left out too long. Based on a recommendation on another board I bought the two products pictured below. Both have proven very effective at eliminating the ant problem around the house. https://www.lazada.co.th/products/i577712854-s1067362695.html https://www.lazada.co.th/products/i4557133900-s18558024373.htm

Thought I'd start a new topic rather with a reply to your post rather than go OT on teelack's OFTR topic. One thing that's greatly improved over the years is the electric infrastructure in Pattaya. Like you I had two very close lightning strikes during a storm last week. In the past the strike would usually be followed by a multi-hour power outage. But in the past couple years it's been rare to have an outage, and if there was one the electric company usually had power restored in less than hour. That still doesn't preclude power spikes on the line. To protect against those I have several UPS's (uninterruptible power supply) scattered around the house. Anything electronic gets plugged into them and they've probably saved my electronics on a number of occasions. I would recommend sticking to name brand UPS's. For my computer equipement I have the APC Back-UPS 1400VA which has enough capacity for all my electronics in my home office. For the smaller electronics, like access points, hubs, CCTV cameras I use Zircon UPS's. Perhaps @frostfire can also provide recommendations.