InternationalTraveler

I have seen snake / scorpion whiskey in one of the Bangkok malls..this was a few years back .....cannot remember which one but definitely not Paragon. I have only ever seen these in Laos and China. From Luang Prabang on the Mekong .

I looked at Tuk com but decided to buy my Garmin from Central Festival 3rd floor for around 7500 baht around 15 months ago...you can now get them with the camera attachment which records your travel movements ...also can be good for accidents....proving liability when it's not your fault.

Having read all the recommendations on this topic (including one from an Italian) This week I found myself trying my very first pizza in Pattaya. It’s not that I don’t like pizza, normally this type of food is never even on my radar for an afternoon /evening meal in Thailand but when I am in other countries then that is a different matter. Tried the Hawaiian at 240 baht and washed it down with a 95 baht bottle of San Miguel. I am not saying it was my best ever pizza...lots of pineapple but it was good and I did eat it all even the crust. Pizza Big on Naklua Road will now be on my list of

Having installed these over the last few weeks, we now know they are bollards....very nice and shiny chrome plated posts but at the moment they do not serve any specific purpose other than catching out unsuspecting motor bike riders during the twilight hours or when the Chang has kicked in. Why they are placed in the centre of the walkway is anybody’s guess...there must be a reason which may become obvious over time. Maybe it could be to designate one side as a cycle lane..who knows what the deviants at City Hall are planning as a surprise. At last the lovely ladies will now have some

Spent most of last week incarserated in my own home. Last Monday morning I was struck down with food poisoning whether it was from something I ate or drank I have yet to establish the cause….this time it will probably remain a mystery. The last time I determined it was from the mussels I consumed from a Bang Saray sea food restaurant….not once but on 2- different occasions…..i am a sucker for punishment. Normally my first reaction is to dive for my tried and trusted LOMOTIL… somewhere in the medicine cabinet or in my travel bag…..on this occasion panic set in as I only had one strip of pill

My Honda also runs at around 100 baht and my standard pitch is.. gao-nueng....nueng roi octane 91 ...100 baht and i only have that amount in my hand as the tank will not take much more. However up North sitting in my car... dtem tang...fill tank.... the last reading was 650...which i thought was unusual.... he took my 1000 baht note and never gave me any change. When i looked again at the meter it had been zeroed... so i was screwed and the bastard made more than a days pay in one transaction. Once scammed.....is another lesson in Thai culture and now i always get out the car and watc

Camera is nothing special.. probably 4-years old Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W120 7.2 Mega Pixel if i recall around £100....5000 baht.

Finally this week i have been able to continue my regimental speed walk up and down beach road as the market stalls have finally been dismantled and taken away. It is amazing that even with 15 metres of paved promenade the stalls have to be placed so there is less than a metre between them. This must be a Thai trait intending to slow the walking traffic to a crawl….this can also be seen on the pavements. Having spent most of my time being careful not to tread on cut and frayed electric cables, ducking and diving to stop my eyes being pierced with the tubular sections of stalls, tents and st

Just confirms again that the Pattaya 'BAD' Planning Department is totally incompetent. The brain dead cretins have not got a clue. It started off as a speed retarder /speed hump /sleeping policeman......and has now degenerated into a gentle incline so what was the point? No signs, warning or paint markings and now with the Evil Knievel stunt. A type of reverse engineering......dig a hole....wait for someone to fall in...then put a barrier around it....TIT

Returning on a Thai airways flight from Beijing last night I have never been on a flight that was so under occupancy. The Chinese are running scared. The capacity of the 747-400 is around 375 and only had around 85 seats taken. Bearing in mind I flew the same route, same airline and same time in August and I only saw one seat unused. It was not a case of pick your seat you could have picked your row. The aft section of the plane was completely empty. I read that Thai had just lost around 6 billion baht in revenue for the few preceding months and so this is not good news for the Nationa

I am in China now...returning to Patts in a few days. You can get a 30- day tourist visa from Bangkok Consulate in a day if you have all the documentation. Guangzhou immigration is not much different to Bangkok and sometimes can take up to 1-hour. The big cities in China are civilized..... smaller places have a tendency to deal only in cash which can also give you a problem and English language can also be limited....it still is a third world country and the driving is worse than Thailand. Bank of China is one of the few banks i can withdraw cash with my UK card and never been able to with

If the Japs and Koreans all go there then all the better...the last thing you want is to be in the group behind ....they can take almost 6-hours to play a round. I always liked playing at Phoenix because it is so easy to get to and only 30 minutes away. Walking the course is more important to me than the price as the exercise is one of the main reasons i play.....compulsory buggy is just another rip off. But to double the price...it is not worth it...the course is good... but nothing special. Still ..the good news is that there are another 20- odd courses nearby and reduced green fees

I am also strictly a cash man......I alway thought cash was king. Playing with plastic is like chips at vegas.... i like the feel of real money when it passes through my hands i can see it. I have only ever used my Kasikorn card for... Extracting 20,000 baht from the ATM Or paying for an expensive item such as a laptop or washing machine. Even so.... sometimes within 5-seconds of withdrawing cash or buying something my Thai phone has a message telling me how much has been withdrawn and then how much my balance is....that gives me peace of mind.

Just to finalize. After reading the small print. 7. Our free vehicle lifting-towing service can be used for no more than 35 kilometers from where the vehicle breakdown. If the distance is more than 35 kilometers, the company will charge a service fee of 10 baht per kilometer or a lump sum fee. I guess i got charged the lump sum fee. live and learn.

Never had a problem either.....the last time i was there the girl could not speak a word of English...now thats not being fussy. Been Krabi twice taking a taxi from Phuket. Stayed Best Western...good pool and also Beach Terrace..which has restaurant on the beach which was nice view during breakfast. Hired motorbike but for only one day as there was not much to see. ...A ride into Krabi town and towards the other end of the beach...thats about it. Couple of girly areas as indicated on the map...If you follow the Tsunami signs out of town to higher ground there is an Irish pub up a sid

Mymads, I guess you had an unforgettable experience in Pattaya. Met a lovely girl who suckered you in and blew you out in bubbles. Ten out of ten for the temptress.... her acting skills need rewarding. Send her at least 50,000 baht a month to keep her out of the discos so she can make her mother happy and keep her brother supplied with SangSom....just a suggestion.

Ban Chang, Ban Phe and Mae Phim have some lovely beaches down there but too quiet for me ...you would also have to speak decent Thai or take a friend! Koh Samet is for families. Koh Chang is a better choice..it has more action...but again another hour on a boat.

I am with PP on this one....the b.i.b. are getting smart...it is just another 'cash cow' The other month on my m/c took a sneaky look round the corner before turning left off Pattaya Tai onto 3rd Road towards Tony's Gym..the b'stard jumped out of the shadows. It was not the 400 baht that hurt... it was the 1- hours wait in the Soi 9 Station waiting to pay my fine...pick a number and join the queue. White writing on a blue background sign just before the turn...blue is mandatory. Now i always wait for green.

The only difference between the UK and USA International driving licence (IDP) is that USA licence costs a little more. $20 against £5.50 They are almost identical page for page as i was comparing my UK with an Amercian friend only the other day. Before getting my Thai licences producing the IDP at many checkpoints was sufficient to get waived on without having to grease their palm with silver...

Stoke...don't be silly ducky..Nottingham has much better nightlife...but not as good as Pattaya. Seriously Hua Hin has enough of everything to be my 2nd choice due to its proximity to Bangkok. There are much nicer places like Phi Phi, Koh Chang, Samui and Krabi, but another flight and hours in boat and taxi would be too much.

Typical......i read the Captain did a runner..TIT or in this case a dam good swimmer. And the ferry company was insured....300,000 baht for a death. That's not even enough to send you home in a box.

The ride from Sisaket back to Pat's cost me 15,000 baht...I had to transfer 6,000 baht to a Kasikorn account over the internet before the rescue truck would even leave Chachoengsao to come over to Sisaket.....we also got stopped at a checkpoint by the police on the way home and the b.i.b. gave the driver a ticket for a faded white light at the top of his cab that should have been green...1000 baht fine. Of course he did not have that kind of money on him so i had to bail him out before we could continue the journey....sometimes you couldn't make it up. The girlfriend dealt with all the ca

24- Hour 7- Days a week Vehicle Breakdown Recovery......but not on this occasion. When i got my 1st Class car insurance at AA next to Big C near South Pattaya Road I chose a policy from LMG that included a 24-hour 7- days a week vehicle breakdown recovery as the difference in the price of policies was minimal. Maybe I was under some illusion that it was like the AA /RAC (Automobile Association) that takes your car to any dealer or garage of your choice for free when it breaks down. When my car broke down last week in the North Eastern province of Thailand I was not too concerned. Pi

Passed this hotel a gazillion times...best paintwork job on the sea front....thought the car was a cadillac not a roller.

Stayed in Woraburi a few years ago...think they had a free tuk tuk but never available and a fair walk. Found myself always lathered in sweat by the time i got to Nana. Have also stayed in the Nana.. best location but prices have creeped up and could never get in on short notice. Was in Bangkok a few months ago and stayed in the Unico Express which is in the other direction oposite Nana over the lights and in my estimate less of a walk. Also got a good deal with B/F Superior for less than a 1000 baht....booked direct with hotel. Also at the back of the hotel is the Saen Seab canal and i