Gary

I live upcountry and rarely go into Pattaya because I find everything I want in Jomtien. When I do spend an evening in Pattaya, I find it pretty easy to go through 5,000 baht. I can't even tell you how I spend that much but I find that checking my wallet in the morning finds it 5,000 baht lighter.

If I sit and wait for the baht bus to fill up, I pay the ten baht to Jomtien like everyone else. If I flag one down and go from Pattaya to Jomtien or Jomtien to Pattaya, I now pay 20 baht.

Different strokes for different folks. I live upcountry but go down to Jomtien several times a year. During my last trip, I was in Jomtien about ten days. I usually take a baht bus to Pattaya but this time I never bothered. I usually find enough to do in Jomtien to stay clear of Pattaya. The ideal situation in Jomtien is to rent a motorbike. I refuse to ride a motorbike in Pattaya but Jomtien is a much slower pace. It's still dangerous but NOTHING like insane Pattaya. There are at least twenty new bars on the second road beside the fresh market. There are several places on Soi Chaiyapruk

Actually the E52 does have Assisted GPS. I keep it turned off and don't use it anyways. I have several dedicated Garmin units, actually four of them and even the two hand helds are MUCH better than any phone I have seen. I am a bit hard of hearing and the audio qualities of the Nokia are excellent. As far as applications, I only use two of them. The SMS Spam and call blocker and a Thai English/ English Thai translator. I tried several other applications and actually found them to be just toys and of VERY little practical use. I belong to Audible book club and on occasion do listen to t

Some of the knockoffs look pretty good but they are junk. A friend of mine bought a Nokiga that looked like a genuine Nokia but I wouldn't have given a hundred baht for it. If you are going to buy a high end phone, you better know how to be sure it is the genuine article. I hate touch screen phones but do like the features of smart phones. I use an E52 Nokia that does everything the iPhone does at less than half the price of the iPhone. It has about five times the battery life of an iPhone. Different strokes for different folks. I had a touch screen phone that did everything but I hat

I'd have someone call him and ask for an explanation. There may be a good reason.

I'm glad I'm not the only sentimental one. Thanks Tom for a great video and for supporting a great organization.

The painter, Daeng, who Gonzo so kindly told me about did a fine job for me. I can highly recommend him. I'll PM you his phone number. ADDED - Apparently you cannot receive PM messages. The number for Daeng is; 089 606 1349

A Google search of that problem told me that your LCD is indeed failing. It may be annoying but it is likely to run a long time if the blinking doesn't get on your nerves too much. It also said that the area of the problem, bottom, was likely caused by the hinge friction causing the LCD to bend slightly when opened and closed.

I agree except for the menu. The hamburgers need some improvement and I don't remember seeing any chili dogs on the menu. Did I miss them? Despite that, it is indeed my favorite place in Pattaya.

A polite belch is better than a sneaky fart.

That's a shame. Sounds like it is likely gone forever. Pattaya needs a Beer, Burgers and Dogs place along with a comfortable bar, friendly girls and good service. I really don't care for a heavy meal when I'm drinking but I do like a good sandwich. A small menu like burgers, hot dogs, chili dogs, chili soup and french fries would suit me fine when I'm out on the prowl.

I'm not a Mexican food lover but two of my friends are and insisted on going to Mike's. I was outnumbered so I went too. Both friends insist that Mike's is better than Tequila Reef. As far as my food, I found it pretty bland.

I drive from Loei down to Jomtien several times a year. What is it with the Toyota fortuner drivers needing to go faster than everyone else? The highlight of one of my more recent trips was an asshole behind me driving a shiny white fortuner. He was swerving back and forth and blinking his lights. I was doing my normal 100 KPH. The fortuner windows were tinted so dark that I could hardly see the driver. I did pull over as far as I could and he passed me managing to run an oncoming car off the road. Ten or fifteen kilometers up the road, I saw something had happened. As I passed by I saw a

Actually I always enjoyed the girls working there. At least to me, they were chatty and friendly. I love hamburgers and I think the hamburgers were as good or better than any found in Pattaya and the surrounding areas. I DON'T want any fillers or flavoring in my hamburger. I'll put on the condiments that I want. If I want a spicy sausage sandwich, I'll order a sausage sandwich.

There is a thread running on Thai Visa saying that BBQ Bob's has given up. Is it true? Other than being a little pricey, I liked the place. Dale is a nice guy and if it has closed, down, I hate to see that happen

Talk with your insurance man. I never do those things myself, actually, I would have no idea how to do them. My insurance man takes care of everything. There are fixers all over Thailand, most of the vehicle checking stations will do it for you too.

I DON'T use my credit card here in Thailand. There is simply too much fraud to take a chance. I do use it often for online purchases, online hotel reservations and airline tickets. I use a Bank of America Visa card. I considered that risky too but using a credit card is usually about the only way to to make a purchase online. Here in Thailand, I make a bank transfer for in country companies. That's kind of inconvenient because it requires a trip to an ATM. Bank of America used to refuse at least one out of three of my online international transactions. I would have to call them to get thos

I have used the Thai EMS to mail sensitive and important documents and never had a problem. I am impressed with the EMS service and consider it very good considering that the other government services are so bad. The bank and credit cards that were delivered here came by registered mail and they got here OK. Bank of America did use FedEx for a credit card and it got here fine also. Normally Bank of America sends credit cards via registered mail but they neglected to mail my new card and when I complained they sent it FedEx.

I have been riding motorcycles for fifty years and I still ride here in Thailand. While in the US, I used Bell and Arthur Fulmer helmets. Neither brand would be good here because of the hot weather. For Thailand you need a well ventilated helmet. I did look at Fulmer and bell helmets on the Internet and now they do offer ventilated models. I looked at a Real "Ozzie" model here and the dealer told me that I wouldn't be happy with it because it would be too hot to wear here. I agreed with him. Anyways, what I'm trying to say is that you would be well advised to get one that is well venti

I had a feeling the baht would get stronger so I made a wire transfer that will last me a full year. I got 30.25 baht per dollar. Now I have a year to see how this shakes out.

There are a lot of cheap helmets available here. Some made here and some from china. As far as I know, only the Real brand is DOT certified. You an buy a Real helmet for less than 2,000 baht. The most important thing about a safe helmet is the fit. Unfortunately it seems like the Real brand is made for round Asian heads. I couldn't find one that fit properly. For my head shape, they are tight front to back and loose on the sides. Make sure you try the helmet on before you buy it. It should be snug all the way around. There are a lot of shops in Pattaya. I bought my last one from a small shop o

The usufruct violates my number two rule for life in Thailand. Rule number two - NEVER be worth more dead than alive.

I just got back home from one of my Jomtien trips. I made the trip especially for the 4TH of July celebration. I normally eat at the Soi 9 Rich Man Poor Man. I thought it worth mentioning that there is a fairly big menu and if you want a home cooked stick to you ribs meal, you won't be disappointed here. Eddie is from New York and he does it right. The mashed potatoes have plenty of butter in them and are the best I have ever had in Thailand. Cole slaw and potato salad are great too. The Mexican food and pizza are also well worth trying. Tell him that Loei Gary sent you.