yogi100

Good pics. 120 baht draught beer! To us British punters that works out at little over 5 quid a pint. It reminded me why I foresake BKK for Pattaya.

Last time I looked the place seemed very quiet. I imagine with less numbers of tourists arriving in Pattaya it will soon be gone especially with large amount of competition in the immediate vicinity. I remember when the only two cafes were Crazy Daves and Seaside 2 and the handy little Thai food place on the far side of where the Triangle Bar now stands where chicken noodle soup was 30 baht.

The novelty has certainly worn off now. I went in there the other night and there were just three punters in the place including myself but a few decent girls were doing their thing on the stage and trying to attract attention. I occasionally see one of their staff who previously worked in other GGBs in the area and I felt a bit embarrassed for her and her chums. It was the quietest of all the GGBs I visited in LKM on that particular night. Champagne, Destiny, The Office and Love Girls had reasonable crowds in allowing for the low season and the current political climate. I did not go anywhere else. When I commented on the lack of customers she said it was because Falangs can't smoke in there. They also shut up shop at 2 am apart from Fridays and Saturdays. The other LKM GGBs are open till 3 or 4 am. It's none of my business but if I'd have spent the fortune it must have cost for the set up I'd allow smoking because if that was a typical night they won't last long unless the owner is loaded and regards the enterprise as an expensive hobby. Or I may have just visited on a unusually quiet night.

Tried that MM. This then appeared - 'Sorry, no new content found.'

When I click on VNC only old topics appear not new ones.

Bertolli Olive Oil Spread 500g 196 baht. Friendship Supermarket, South Pattaya Rd

Good advice. I was in Pattaya last Songkran against my better judgement and every time I went out I got soaked to the skin and it went on every day for a week until late in the evening. There is no avoiding it in Pattaya. I will not be here this year, I made sure of that when I booked my flight. Tempers fray and sometimes lead to unpleasant incidents. It would be tolerable if it was just confined to a few sois for the appropriate couple of days but there's no longer any chance of that. It's madness but not in a funny way for those who object to having buckets of water and sometimes ice cubes thrown at them. You can't stay in all the time so what's the point of coming to Pattaya to be a recluse.

I've visited war cemetries in Belgium, France and Crete but this one in Thailand had the most profound affect on me because unlike the other cemetries in Europe those boys who lie beneath the gravestones were not killed in combat. As prisoners of war they were worked to death, denied basic medicines, health treatment and enough food and in some cases simply shot or beaten to death. They were allowed to die or murdered. The oppressive heat was also a factor that could be related to, it was bad enough for us to cope with on holiday let alone having to perform hard manual labour in such temperatures. I grew up after WW2 and us kids idolised our elders who'd fought in the 2 World Wars and remember ex soldiers saying that while those that had fought the Germans they did not hate them like did the ones did that fought the Japanese. I had a few old chums who'd been POWs in Germany and both said they had been treated reasonably and the vast majority of the POWs of the Germans got to survive the war and return home. Just over half of those in the Jap camps had the same good fortune, the two I knew would not even talk about their experiences and we soon learned not to ask any questions of them. The Asian prisoners of the Japs fared even worse.

Nearly every one of my chums most of whom are over 50 and are long termers, expats and regular holiday makers in Pattaya live a sensible and well balanced life both in Pattaya and back in their native countries. Most are single by choice but there are several that are in relationships. One or two are teetotal and the rest drink in moderation or to be sociable just as they would in falangland. That video concentrated on fellows with a weakness for strong drink and we all know that they don't last the course in Pattaya. Most if not all 50 odd and 60 odd year olds I've known to expire in Pattaya have been alcoholics. Just like the alkies I've known who have died prematurely back in London where I'm from. Only a fool would attempt to live on a UK state pension in Pattaya and expect to bar hop for any length of time, it's just not possible for anyone in command of his senses, it's just about possible if you don't drink! You'll never see the BBC nor Channel 4 show native born British working class men in a favourable light let alone those who choose to live in places like Pattaya. Just like our politicians the posh middle class toffs who are raking it in at the BBC regard the WWC as just so much shit on the bottom of their shoe. Heaven forbid that a British working man should desert dictatorial Britain and choose to go and live in a tropical paradise like Pattaya. In truth we walk, socialise, swim, play golf if we can afford it, have an occasional trip, go shopping, read, watch TV, do puzzles, cook, go on the internet, download films etc, eat out and visit bars in the evening and sometimes do a bit of entertaining if and when the fancy takes us. The big worry is health. Few have insurance as it is too expensive and has exclusions and some keep a fund for such an eventuality to either pay for it in Pattaya or if you are able to get on a flight home. Sometimes you have to take a chance in life for the sake of your own happiness however brief that happiness may turn out to be.

You can get full Engish breakrasts all over Pattaya but IMO the best value for money is at the Irish Rovers in LKM as mentioned by Big Mick. It's a bit of a challenge finishing it all so make sure you've got an appetite. It must cost more than 99 baht to buy and cook all the ingredients (Ssh, don't tell the management) of such a belt stretcher and it even includes mushrooms and black pudding! Unless you've got tapeworms you won't be able to eat again till the evening.

Bring TCs, it's easy to lose money on holiday especially if you're partial to strong drink and consorting with prostitutes. Better still if you're a regular visitor for a few hundred baht you can open up a Thai bank account and have no worries. I recommend the Kasikorn Bank with whom it is easy to set up internet banking.

Ever since my family got our first TV set back in the early '60s I only failed to watch the Remembrance Day Parade when I was out of the country until the last few years. I've bought a poppy every year, when I've been in Pattaya I've made a point of getting one from either Tropical Bert's or the 18 Coins (well done to the owners who've made the effort to get some) and every year I make a donation the the Royal British Legion. The last few years it has made my stomach churn when I've seen the likes of Blair, Brown, Clegg and Cameron solemnly laying their wreaths at the Cenotaph all the while knowing that these are the very arseholes who, to curry favour with their chums in the armaments and oil businesses have been content to send young working class boys off to get killed and maimed for life on the pointless fools' errands in Iraq and Afghanistan. I could only watch brief snippets of it this year or I'd have smashed my television up. If I had my way those politicians would be forced to donate the rest of their lives, wealth and every ounce of energy they possess to caring for the young men who have been blinded, crippled and had their lives ruined by the criminally insane decisions those evil rogues in Westminster decded upon. The Falklands war was justifiable but there was no justification for these latest conflicts.

Great pics RT especially the ones depicting 'then and now'. Never seen them before in a TR. I first visited BKK in 1984 and did not return till 1999. What struck me was the skyline with all the new skyscrapers and all the corregated iron, timber and plywood hovels that stretched for acres all over BKK in '84 had disappeared by '99. We did not realise at first that these structures that looked like dilapidated garden sheds were actually peoples' homes, it was my first experience of real poverty.

We're not all religious nuts. I'm another who never knew it.

I usually use Thai Airways but have yet to hear negative comments about Qatar or Etihad if you don't mind the stop overs. There are also less complaints about Jet Airways these days especially for those who may be on a budget. It's a good idea to google customer's reviews on airlines before you choose.

Some funny anecdotes there and perfectly true what you've said about Beach Rd.

A friend of mine is teetotal but goes round the bars, has soft drinks and is quite happy doing so. Being sober all the time means he is always capable of taking advantage of the other pursuits Pattaya is famous for. He normally slopes off a bit sharpish with one of the better looking girls while the rest of us mostly wind up drunk or staggering home alone which is pretty much what we do in our own countries. It makes you wonder why some punters bother coming to Pattaya!

The pills are not that popular with punters for some reason, most use the Kamagra gels. They are about 80 - 100 baht each in a pharmacy but if you want to splash out on a box of 50 they work out considerably cheaper. The pharmacy next to Tim's Agogo on Second Rd sells 'em by the box at between 1500 and 2000 depending what mood they seem to be in. The advantage with pills is that if you do not need a whole one you can bite off a third or a half and save the remainder for another time whereas if you're out and about you can't do the same with a gel as it will turn to liquid with the heat from your body.

The Thai embassy in London is the representative of the Thai govt in the UK just as the British embassy in Bangkok represents the British govt in Thailand. That's why a Thai wishing to visit the UK needs to apply for a visa at the British embassy in BKK. They are governmental departments run by their respective foreign offices.

I don't think you've ever been able to obtain a visa through the post from the Embassy you have had to apply in person and it requires two visits, one to present your passport and application and the other to collect it. Only the consulates in Hull, Liverpool or Birmingham issue visas through the post. It seems strange that the Thai govt wish to place so many hurdles in the way of those who wish to spend time and often considerable amounts of money in their country which can only benefit the economy. Ever thought why they ask you how much you earn on that little immigration form that they give you to fill out on the plane when you fly to BKK. Perhaps they think that by discouraging the likes of Joe Bloggs visiting the LOS their places will be replaced by the hordes of British millionaires that are secretly biding their time for the hoi polloi or the great unwashed to be made unwelcome in Thailand.

Comical, although there's no mention of an Islamic prayer room and revolving toilet seats that can be turned round to face away from Mecca regardless of the ship's position. Sadly in some respects it's not too far from the truth.

Too true, she had some guts confronting all those Muslims in the way she did, not many men would have had the guts to do what she did on her own with just a film crew backing her.

I had my ears cleaned by a barber a few years ago and had an excruciatingly painful ear ache later that day. I had to take 600 mg Ibroprofen pills which relieved the pain till I got some antibiotics and ear drops which cured it. The chemist confirmed that it was caused by the barber's ministrations although I had figured out myself by that time. I swim in the pool most days and occasionally get an itching or a very mild earache but the drops which you can buy over the counter for about 70 baht always put it right within a few hours. Regular swimming also prevents the build up of wax. No way would I let a barber or hairdresser fiddle around with my ears ever again, I can still remember when the pain kicked in, I was in a baht bus turning left out of Soi Buakhaow on to Central road heading towards Second Road, I had to get off the BB and get the pain killers immediately that's how bad it was and it was about 6 years ago. If you need wax removing get it done by someone who'se qualified to do so. Syringing only costs about 800 baht.

Teacher asks young Jamal what he wants to be when he grows up. Young Jamal, " I wanna be a rap star and sell coke on the side and become a billionaire with a Lear jet. I wanna wear a 10 pound gold chain round my neck, go to the best clubs, take the best bitch with me, let her use my Ferrari and flat in the West End of London and my mansion on the outskirts of Paris, give her an infinite Visa card and shag her three times a day!" The teacher being quite shocked and not knowing what to say decides to ignore young Jamal and continue the lesson, "And you Susie, what do you want to be?" "I wanna be Jamal's bitch!"

I've heard of two bikes being stolen from the punter's hotel or guest house. It was suspected they were lifted by the rental people knowing the punter was due to go home and in each case considerable compensation was demanded. The fact that the security locks were attached to the front brake discs in both cases more or less spoke for itself.