steamer

If you do decide against Pattaya and go to Hua Hin there are buses from the airport. I've never taken them myself as I always arrive after they finish operating for the day but there are alternatives to taxis. http://www.airporthuahinbus.com/

Hua Hin of course is the other direction but there are no gogo's and It's a more laid back but nicer town overall. There is the King's old summer residence that is perfect to wander around in. The floating market in Patts is terrible but the one in Hua Hin isn't worth changing your plans just to visit. You might be better off going to the new water-park.

I agree with the others that it's nothing special. The one in Hua Hin is worth a look if anyone is in that part of the country.

The smaller places give better rates but they don't take t-cheques. Prior to that I get commission free cheques and get about 1% better at the big banks. I can get $500 cheques so after all is said and done I used to gain about 120 baht per cheque after the 33 baht fee. Enough for a free drink for the hassle.

Worst comes to worst, change your ticket to AC.

In Canada, as soon as a new bill is introduced the banks pull all the old ones and in a matter of months the old ones look peculiar. Hard to do I'm sure with a trillion $ worth in US notes circulating around the globe

I rarely use an ATM card at home. Some say that having cash on hand makes it easier to spend but I find it is just the opposite.

kick-ass is an understatement describing those margarita's.

I tried American once and they didn't seem to offer a connection but rather sloughed you off to China Eastern and that really sucked. They bypassed Narita/Japan altogether.

Every-time I'm waiting in Narita I'm constantly surprised how many announcements there are for flights to BKK

That might make it impossible to haggle for a better price to Hua Hin or Patts. I've never paid the prices on their laminated cards. I'd take a bus or similar if it wasn't for landing at ridiculous hours.

That flight is always full for me too. Crappy plane and IFE tho. Maybe there is a silver lining as the flight times might change as I always seem to arrive around 23:00 or so.

I've never had pizza there but the one meal I did have had me wishing I had Spaghetti O's in it's stead.

1000 for an arranged pick up is a good deal. I haven't used mr T for a pick up at the airport but I have used him 3 times going the other direction. One driver was shit, one car was shit and one driver was an asshole.

BECAUSE I'M PROBABLY 3 FOR 3 THAT I'VE BEEN CHARGED EXTRA. My very first trip Secrets charged me ~4% and other hotels have done the same. It taught me a lesson esp since many places don't even take cc's and I've always gotten a better rate for T-cheques than cash at most booth's anyway (until recently,) I don't agree with the last bit of this quote. While we're on the subject of credit cards... You should be aware that many shops in Thailand, while they may accept credits, will often charge you more for using one. The typical surcharges are 3% for Visa or MasterCard and 5% for A

According to Google maps, avoiding tolls increases the travel time from 3 hours 40 minutes to 4 hours 7 minutes. Rather than just hopping on a bike and going the same old way I guess I'll have to plan this one out a bit. NP.

I don't use a cc much in Thailand but the few times I have the hotels charged an extra fee

There isn't anything nearby AFAIK. It is at the very end of a dead end street near a hwy exit and you'll need a taxi to go anywhere.

I get my t-cheques for free and my bank charges me ~150 baht for each international transaction.

I normally do T-cheques but I found them difficult to cash in Ban Chang. Other places have been easier by far.

yikes, that's weird. So what if one has a litrebike?

so, is there a special lane where the bikes bypass the toll? Does one just pick any lane and get waved or do they need to pay a toll?

good for you. Never understood the fascination with expensive watches or rings etc. I like stereos and will gladly pay twice as much for a 20 % improvement (to my ears anyway)

What do bikes do when they hit a toll?

I'd just ride with all my gear. Backpack, duffel and computer bag. I've ridden from Vancouver to Vegas to San Diego and back so Hua Hin ain't a stretch. ~5,000 km. (I was too afraid to ride in Mexico so I just walked across). edit.... I thought there might be an insurance/registration issue.