mister_handy

Plans changed -- and nobody got in touch with me about the earlier trip. I may try going through Ekkamai if nobody gets in touch, but if anyone wants to split a cab either way, I'll be going down on Sunday (noonish -- my flight now gets in at 10:30) and back on Tues also noonish (perhaps a little earlier).

Thanks, guys! Biddingfortravel listed them both as coming up priceline, along with the JW Marriott, and with the similarity in the names, wondered if they were the same. I ended up bidding for 2 nights, $56/night, and got the JW. Not bad for Bangkok, given that Majestic is 1500bht/night for a double, so nearly $40

Is this the same hotel as the former Westin Grande? Also, does anyone know if it's guest friendly?

I'm getting in really late on the 11th and plan to get a room for that night -- want to head down pattaya way on the 12th or more likely the 13th -- anyone want to split a car/cab either of those days? I'm not 100% on what hotel I'll be at but it will be something in the general area of nana/sukhumvit perhaps Majestic Suites.

Anyone interested in heading back to Bangkok on the 29th? I don't have a set time, just want to get one night in around Nana before heading back to the states...

Vegas_Don: I get in a bit earlier than you and already have a Taxi arranged but it's good to hear that someone else is getting in that day. See you at FLB! Ed Handy

I was checking on fares for a friend and was amazed to see the itinerary I'm coming in on (leaving SFO on 3/22 this coming Sat and returning on Sun the 30th) is available for $642! Not bad for under a week. It's one of these wannabe priceline "won't tell you the details" fares, but if you've got the chance to clear out, this sounds like a great chance to do it. mr H

I head back to BKK on the 29th but I'll be around on the 28th.

...and back to BKK sometime (morning?) on 29 march

A couple of the shops seemed to include gear rental in the 3000 baht rate, with a discount for bringing your own. I forget which shops, though. I plan to dive four or five days in a row on my next trip in March.

Thanks Hubster... I probably missed this elsewhere, but what's PSC? Ed

I got 40x (two ten-day cycles) of Bactrim (a sulfa antibiotic) while I was in Pattaya last (I get ear infections and it takes forever to convince my doc here that it's a bacterial ear infection and not "just a virus") for 110 baht at the Boots in the big shopping center by the Marriott. So 500 baht for amoxicillin sounds very, very high. Also, someone above made a joke about vitamin V raising your BP -- actually, it lowers it (which is why those on BP meds should be careful about taking it, though my doc says it's fine with the low dosage BP med I'm on) -- it's just the activity you take it /for/ that makes it go up :) Finally, as someone else noted, generic drugs can have different trade names in different countries (or even multiple trade names in the same country!) -- I can recommend RXlist (http://www.rxlist.com) which has a lot of good information on prescription drugs and had (at least for a couple I looked at picking up) the names used in different countries, including Thailand among the information there.

Any other SCUBA divers here who've gone diving in the Pattaya area? If so, can anyone recommend (or warn me away from) any of the dive shops or dive boat operators? I'm hoping to go diving pretty much every day I'm in Pattaya. Also, where do the dive boats tend to depart from? I don't recall seeing a pier while I was there last, but I was a lot busier with girlwatching.