Saddic

no, that place is long gone... Ninja is south of that location (on the same side of the road)... At night you can see a big neon hot pot in front of the place. Here: http://www.pattayaphotoguide.com/?9zzRUMBvkcxB7CAA

You have got to get a picture of the pumping station when it is doing a full discharge onto the beach...

why don't you just get it where they get it... torrent it...

March 4 thru April 4... Then get out to avoid Songkran... and to get home in time to do taxes...

I saw this thread and have been struggling with how to answer (over an above the usual response level)... So here are my experiences, hope you find it informative: (enjoy) All pretty much agrees with my experience... I work for an Indian outsourcing company and have to make quarterly trips to the mothership... How I got there was through pure luck??? But I do take side trips both on the inbound and outbound side of the trip to a little 'burg by the sea :) Now to the part about working in India.. It never gets any better or easier... I've been doing the trip since the late '80's The country is filthy. With over 50% of the county population living below the poverty level... standards for health, water, pollution, etc??? Don't bring your western ideals... DO NOT drink water from unknown sources!!! under any circumstances. You WILL be sorry... for over a week! Maybe more.. The risk of contamination to food due to non-constant power is pretty high. Traffic is a nightmare... It takes HOURS to get anywhere... My situation the office is located outside of a main population center... What would take me maybe 15 minutes in the west... takes about an hour... Construction is done like most countries (from the 50's by hand... hardly any heavy construction equipment, so it takes FOREVER!!!) So any type of road construction project is likely to f*ck you up for years... Power goes out constantly (although it has gotten better) since the late '80s (when I started going back and forth)... Most western connected business have alt-power (UPS at a minimum).. Garbage is dumped into piles in the street... "civil services" like garbage collection happens... but FIRST, the low classes get their pick of the choice parts, then the lower than low.... then the animals (cows, horses, dogs, rats!!!, crows, etc)... What is left is blown around by the winds...(including whatever bacteria happened to be growing... which you eventually breath in with the dust...)... eventually, a truck comes by and gets shoveled up by the work crew... Shanty towns are where ever there is space... this is where the lowly folks live... usually by the rivers where the human wastes can run off (to god knows where, but I assume that generations of this type of behavior has polluted the ground water something fierce... Eventually the surface water makes it's way to the Ganges river... (remember this when you see all those tourist and travel shows showing all the people bathing in the river...) Most business folks making the trip get put up in one of the western (or near western) hotels... for about $300+/night... A total rip off, but there are only so many of these types of hotels, and demand is high... Since I work for an Indian company, they put me in a Guest house (about $25/night).. It, I liken, to most of the youth hostels I visited during my backpacking days through Europe... (including no hot water)... I can tolerate it for about a week... (but after that, I need a Soapy to get clean)... Working conditions are pretty much what you would imagine, open office space, with lots of folks crammed in... Equipment, chairs, desks are very worn, broken, old, or obsolete (by western standards), but pretty much "modern" by local standards... Getting new computer equipment is a paperwork nightmare (lots of government rules & regs to follow)... so nothing is quick (where as in the west (or even thailand) you'd just go over to the local IT center and buy the stuff)... Strikes are another annoying occurance... they happen often... They happen for lots of reasons, mostly political... and with a multi-party gov... that means often... What it means to you as a worker? You can't make it to the office, or your folks can't make it to the office... and/or public transportation won't be working that day... you are f*cked... No problem you say... I'll just dial in and work from home... I say, In your dreams... While internet is offered (in some of the more populated places)... the type, speed, & level of service is spotty at best... My folks can't get anything better than dial up speed 56k... I am told that faster is available, but you will pay plenty for it... if it is available in your area... It is cost prohibited for most of the locals... So bottom line: Your mileage may vary... It will depend on where you get located, and how much the company will pay for you... So you wanna work in India!?!!? My advice, get a job in a huge multi-national company and hunt around for projects that are being outsourced... then volunteer to be their bitch!!! You will be up against all the other Indians in the company who see it as their stepping stone, or want to go home, etc... and you will be up against the HUGE workforce in India who are desperate to get a job to take them out of the country... The odds are not good unless you have tons of experience. ... but then again you might get shipped to rural China instead... but that's another post... Good luck... PS: Oh yeah, Full disclosure: I am not Indian, and am not based in India... As near as I can figure, I still have this job only because the client insists (otherwise I think the Indian company would have gotten rid of me long ago... In my company, I think I am the only non-Indian)... Read into that what you will...

My absolute fav is Ninja also... I gotta go there at least once or twice per trip... I love the seafood buffet option 300 baht... One not mentioned, but only kinda a buffett Jade house on Wednesdays... free... well sort of... really 200 baht... love the pig skin... and the extra's aren't bad either... (and I'm not talking food... ) Montien Seafood Friday's are really good, but as mentioned pricey... Cherry Resturant Wed is awesome... very classy.. Sushi shi (the conveyor belt place in Festival) also has a new outlet @ Big C... but last time I went (in Nov) they had changed the items they offer to a cheaper selection of items... so it wasn't really worth it anymore IMHO... YMMV There is another Thai style bbq place just up the street from Ninja BBQ on 3rd Road, but I've never been there... Emil likes that place so maybe he'll tell us about that place...

If you haven't already done so.... backup the files you don't want to lose to an external hard drive...

Good for you Adam, Less headaches... Hope you kept the wii... Cheers

14. "Fuck the No Smoking Sign..." , passenger on the hindenburg

The worst I ever experienced was a little chinese king who the parents could not control... and the mother babied over him the entire flight... The brat would not even feed himself... Cried when he was not being paid attention to... made a fuss, screamed, ran up and down the isles, etc... Whenever the father took over the duties, the kid threw a fit... An obvious tragedy of the one child law in China... Of course, to be fair... The other worst was an elderly Japanese man who was complaining loudly and often (just before takeoff)... the entire cabin crew tried to placate him, to no success... finally I guess a Senior Manager presented himself in proper Japanese fashion... and I guess he was moved up to 1st class, because he disappeared... Bastard held the plane up for an hour...

Anybody ever read Jigzaw Man by Larry Niven? 'Nuff Said...

Hey Bob, Last year's T'day feast was great!... (Turkey day, for those not in the know.... ) Wishing I could be there this year... Cheers

Yeah, a real BLT! Great to hear!... Hey Mikey! long time no see... Gosh, I wish I was there... Cheers...

Yeah, I go caught at Pattaya Klang and 2nd road too... Funny thing is I notice the sign now although I don't have a picture of it... I seem to remember it is blue and looks like it was spray painted... Anyone have a pic?

Couldn't agree more... It won't be long before another LB place opens in it's spot... Good luck Paul... See ya next time...

I paid 245.03 pp... They sell beer too, but as I was there on a dry night... they were not selling... btw2: they have a lower price for lunch, but I don't know what it is...

Went to the new Shabu Ichi Restaurant at the Avenues... 3rd floor above Shenanigans. It's an all you can eat hotpot style restaurant with a difference... Instead of a communal pot where cooking is shared... Each placement has an individual little pot for cooking... It is fantastic!! I love the place and wish there was one back home... I really don't see how they can stay in business given their set price and knowing the rents in the Avenues (huge bhat)... ... so enjoy it while it lasts... They have huge (properly chilled) selection of items (mushrooms, fishballs, veg's, noodles, etc) for your hotpot... and a refrigerated selection of precut meats (pork, beef, fish, shrimp, squid, etc). There's a self serve drink fountain, and a small selection of sushi and perpared foods (fried rice, fried shimp, fried hotdogs, and some other thai dishes)... So if you like hotpot style, this is the place for you... otherwise, McDonalds is down stairs...

Had their steak and mushroom pie today... very tasty... and only 80 bhat... Gonna go back and try their other menu items... What more can you ask for cheap eats, reasonable priced drinks (55 for beer)... and you can oggle the ladies across the soi too! MM how was the stew?

Article has some nice info about other SEA countries too... (but seriously, would you buy a place in Thailand? given the current environment?) Thailand attracting expat retirees http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/b...s.php?id=120292 Thailand is the leading home-away-from-home for expatriate retirees seeking the sunnier climes of South-East Asia, but the kingdom faces growing competition from their neighbours, a leading international property consultant said Wednesday. Thailand, which has been actively trying to attract foreign retirees for years, granted 12,092 special retirement visas to foreigners in the first seven months of 2006, putting it at the forefront of the regional push to generate revenues off the elderly expatriate market, said James Pitchon, executive director of CB Richard Ellis Thailand (CBRE). According to CBRE, more and more South-East Asian countries are eyeing foreign retirees as second home purchasers (RSH), but Thailand is still in the lead. "Thailand stands in a very strong position competing to attract RSH purchasers against other countries in South-East Asia," said Pitchon. The boom in the property market in South-East Asia has resulted from, among other factors, the rise in property values in Europe and the US that have allowed retirees to sell their homes and move abroad, said Pitchon. Thailand, blessed with two coastlines, warm climate, and a hospitable population, has become a major destination for retirees buying second homes. "If we look at the country as a product, the 'Thai Brand' conveys messages of good quality of life for RSH, including advanced health care, safety in life, adequate infrastructure, beautiful vacations and the readiness of Thailand as a hub of air transportation in Asia," said Pitchon. But he cautioned that Thailand's growing market for retirees faces obstacles, such as restrictions on property ownership, financial facilitation and visa regulations. Compared with Malaysia, where there is no restriction on property ownership, Thailand does not allow foreigners to own land and grants only 30-year leases on land rental. For the ownership of high-rises, it allows 49 per cent freehold of foreigners for condominiums. Malaysia has been the most aggressive country in providing an attractive property ownership, financial aids and visa structure for retired second-home purchasers. The "Malaysia my second home programme" allows foreign sole ownership of land with houses, eligibility for domestic loans to buy the property and a 10-year-visa permit. Even so, over the past five years Malaysia's second home programme has only attracted 8,700 people. Singapore also binds no restriction on freehold condominiums. Although foreigners cannot buy land, the country provides 99-year leases on Sentosa Cove, the only land development specifically for foreigners. China allows 70-year leases for land tenants while Vietnam allows 50-year leases. Thailand, facing growing regional competition in the retirees as second home purchasers market, will need to be "involved in improving a better package of property ownership, domestic financing for foreigners and visa regulations," warned Pitchon.

Had a go at Slices (Soi Diana) last night... and I have to say they've floated to the top of my list... 1. Slices 2. Pizza Big 3. 24hour Service (2nd Road) 4. Hopf The crust was a little thicker than Pizza Big, and had a nice crunchy crust, with a chewy texture... very nice... Tried the Taco pizza too... not something that sounds right... but surprisingly works very well... Cheers

FYI, EVA is having a sale out of SFO to asia... see link.. ends July 30... http://www.evaair.com/html/b2c/english/dea..._SFO_062101.htm

Funny thing is I've been keeping a spreadsheet for assets (savings, investments, retirement expected income, house, pensions, SS, etc) and rough passes for estimated income based on various returns 5-7% from those assets... subtracting off either 25% or 33% for taxes... multiplied by a bhat/$ rate... to get a rough pass on what I could spend monthly (once I make the move)... When I started about a year ago... I was using 40 bhat/$ and feeling pretty comfortable... Today, I'm using 35 bhat/$ and don't feel any comfort level whatsoever... Hmmm, maybe will try 30 next... Depending on how the government thing shakes out... I figure my standard of living in LOS would still be better than in the US...

In the "private" sector... pensions only exist for the upper top tier of senior management... Us low life scum don't get squat... They along with other "benefits" are among the many takebacks that companies are resorting to to make the bottomline (or pay the upper top tier of senior management )... Same goes for whatever passes for healthcare... I was pleasantly surprised to find out that one of my old companies had actually rolled out their pension plan to Fidelity to manage after cutting any subsequent payment to it.... so if I live till retirement... I have a small sum coming I don't really expect to be able to "collect" on my SS payouts... but what ever I DO collect will probably go to TG's anyway... Healthcare??? mostly I think I'm screwed (i.e. whatever the government medicare/cade covers in 15 years from now... )... My Dad just calls us youngings... "stupid" because we don't have UNIONS to fight back... (i.e. He got a military gov pension, state pension, and union pension (i.e. he makes more now that he is retired, than when he was working..) +++ healthcare for life)...

Really cool site... thanks... Doh! I thought I had my calculations on cost of living mostly done... forgot to add visa run expenses... Site certainly pointed out my error... Question is, what other surprise expenses do you guys incur (monthly or quarterly) that don't show up on the calculator? (i.e. paying the BIB their tea money? and other types of extortion...).. Just wondering... Cheers...