Joop

At the photo shop in Thailand, disposables run around 400-500 baht for like 30+ photos, here in the states they are like 2 for $10... So I buy in the states. I usually bring a couple disposables with me since I don't trust myself in a drunken state with a good camera... Disposables are great, you can even get water resistant/proof ones for like $10 US at the beach/dive shops... Which would be perfect for the water festival... Make sure to put anything valuable in ziplock baggies, you will have a hard time staying dry. Cheers Cris

Hey Rainer, there is a post further down about the US Navy and Marines in town... Cheers Cris

Here is the best gouge I can give you. I have been in the last three Cobra Gold’s as a US Marine. I am out now but plan on hitting Pattaya in April to mess with my buddies who are still in. There will be a ton of Marines down between Utapoe (Old military airport 40 minutes south of Pattaya) and Satthip (the Thai Navy base). These poor bastards are living in Thai barracks or in GP Tents (large canvas tents). They also get very little liberty so you will only see groups of fifty or so around Pattaya on any given day... Most have a midnight curfew, so short time rooms will be used the most and every one of them will be trying to get as drunk as possible, so buy the poor underpaid lads a cold one!!! There are a lucky group (about 200 of them) that stay in a hotel, this year it is in Jomtein I believe. Last year it was the Montien in central Pattaya. These guys are working 12 hour shifts in Sattahip, include the transportation time, 2hrs, and you have very little time to eat, drink and do Mary(or Nim or Pla)... Oh, you need to sleep a little too!!! Some "advanced party" groups show up soon to get the facilities set up so you will begin to see a few start to show up with in the next few weeks. These guys usually have been there before so they won't be completely hammered, but again, they are staying down south so many won't bother to make it up everyday... ( I managed to suck it up and do it everyday!!!) The actual exercise doesn't go until the middle weeks of May. Most of the people are out of the country immediately following the exercise with some left behind to pack out... So all in all, you won't notice that big of a rush like you do when a ship rolls into town... The US Navy had put Thailand off of the port call list because of the Islamic presence in the country. The last ship to hit Thailand that I know of was the Kitty Hawk Group back in December down in Phuket... I may be wrong but I have a lot of friends still in the service so I usually hear about it when they go to the LOS. Most of the ships are hitting Guam, Hawaii, and some are hitting Hong Kong... I am not sure when they will start coming back, trust me, if it were up to the sailors, it would be tomorrow!!! When they are in port, the young enlisted guys have a midnight curfew, so they have to get back to the ship so they use ST rooms. The senior enlisted and officers get overnight liberty, so those guys can get hotel rooms... The US Navy only partcipates in force in CG everyother year when they play with the Aussie (Tandem Thrust)...They did this last year. So there shouldn't be any big US Navy presence in Pattaya. So, long story short (Sorry ::)), you won't really notice a huge influx of business in the hotels, but you will see a few more short-haired drunk Americans wondering around with their eyes wide!!! Like I said, shake these guys hands and buy them a beer, they are good kids who have a tough job and are just trying to enjoy themselves... Cheers Cris

Hey Doug, I will be in Thailand on the 6th of April. So I will meet up with ya for a beer or three with a fellow Californian. What are you flying? I fly Korean Air out of LA, it is only $569 roundtrip to Bkk. Thai is way too hard for me to learn, I was in Japan for five years and picked it up eventually... My mind just doesn't do languages well... It is good to know a little Thai but you won't really use it too much. Cris

Yum, bugs are tasty...(when you are hammered!!!)