torrenova

I live in View Talay 2 and can thoroughly recommend it. A couple of minute walk to Thrappaya Road and the baht buses whisk you into South Pattaya (Walking Street) in 5 to 10 minutes. Getting back at night is no problem either. The rooms in View Talay 2 are larger than View Talay 1 and VT2 has 2 pools to choose from. I have a contact who may have a high floor room available. PM me if you are interested.

You need a tor tor 3. The money should also be transferred in your local currency and exchanged at this end (through the receiving bank). I use Bangkok Bank as their correspondent bank is HSBC in Bangkok and I can use HSBC in the UK or Hong Kong to wire the money. As for your price, you'll be lucky to get a 1 bed in a good block on the bus routes or near the beach. remember the old adage - buy the smallest in the best block rather than the best in the worst block. As for whether you really need a 1 bed. If guests come, they can stay in an hotel. Sure, having a bedroom is nice but not an absolute necessity. I would advise coming and renting for a couple of months and seeing where you want to live rather than being constrained by your budget and then finding out that you don't realy like the area, the block or the find transport inconvenient.

Swimming with dolphins is not a good idea actually due to the fact that humans can pass on infections and disease. Better to look and marvel rather than endulge a desire at the expense of exploited animals.

Great assistance to the environment, filling the place with chewed up plastic water bottles ! Bad idea.

I used Wexas for years as a travel company but the internet has basically left it on the shelf. I cancelled it a couple of years ago.

I do this all the time but only fly direct, usually on Thai. Buy the Bangkok Post and Pattaya Mail (Fridays) and look in there. Current deals are Bt28,000 plus taxes totally around Bt5000. Thailand has no yield management for the main airlines but you get the flexibility of a fully changeable 6 month ticket on Thai which would cost a lot more going the other way around.

I usually wear long pants at night because it give a better impression to the ladies and also, there is Malaria present in Thailand, which is more apparent during the rainy season (ie. NOW ) Cheers Thats bollocks. The ladies don't care what you wear as long as it and you are clean. As for malaria, then that is bollocks too. One serious thing though is to have access to cash and more than you think. Multiple credit and debit cards are the best way, backed up with some cash. Don't change money until in LOS as rates very poor. Use ATM at the airport. Also, bring clothes. yes cheap in LOS but you don't come to Pattaya to spend all day shopping in 40c heat do you. Some idiots do but they they have probably been out in the sun too long !!!

Official jobs would be difficult due to permits etc. Also, jobs such as managing a go-go etc. would not really be open to someone with limited contacts and experience on the ground. I really don't think you even have enough time to contemplate consultancy work for multi-nationals in Bangkok. Sorry but legally, I think the answer is no.

I used to stay there when a tourist and think it is geting better value for money as others raise their rates. The downsides are / were location and very poor food.

Not as much profit as before on football shirts. Size is always a problem. There is a place which will guarantee delivery or your money back (minus the postage) but I'm not putting it on here. Do your homework on the ground in Pattaya but I'd look for something other than football shirts.

This is Thailand and the currency is Thai baht, not USD. No, you can't use them except at the exchange counters.

Qantas has already flown LHR-SYD non stop or vice versa to celebrate its 70th (?) anniversary. The problem is that with such vast distances, the reserve fuel, allowing for adverse weather, circling, diversions etc. would be almost depleted. The flight they took for this one off was barely laden, few if any passengers and little or no cargo. Basically, a PR stunt. In any case, the viability of LHR-SYD has to be questioned. Current stop offs at SIN or BKK or in the case of JAL or ANA at NRT mean that you can garner business along the way. You can also take people who do not want to complete the full journey. Look at say Qantas now. They drop us lot off from LHR-BKK. If it goes LHR-SYD, then we won't fly, we'll have to get someone else. Much more rationale for the SYD-NYK leg.

Near market rates: http://www.xe.net/ucc/

I was thinking that yesterday after reading this article. Perhaps a marketing point missed by airbus there ? Can't wait to get on one of those new super jumbos though. Might have to fly Singapore Airlines to get a feel.

Thats the way to go. Get hold of the maid on day one, ask for more towels as 2 is never enough and give her a couple of hundred baht. repeat this after a few days and you'll get whatever you want for the duration of your stay. If 2 maids, tip them both.

So if an agent, who is getting a commission charges Bt900 then the hotel should charge you less than Bt900 as they do not have to pay a commission. Rather than asking for further discount, perhaps ask for a better room.

Even if it is closed, the girls will just work in another of his go-gos

As with other out of the way places, it can prove a false economy when you factor in the cost of transport to and from your hotel / condo to where you want to go during the daytime and nightime. Also, a bit of a drag if you want to go home for a quick shower and a change of clothes.

galt67, Good effort but just a couple of points: A Non Immigrant "O" visa is not dependent upon being married to a Thai. It is a visa issued to visit friends or family etc. for extended periods of time. For those in the UK, here is a link: http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/ Here is the link for the Thai immigration website: http://www.imm.police.go.th/nov2004/en/base.php Also, I'd be careful of including some figures in your calculations. For instance, no account is given over to flights back "home", no-one pays USD 300 for a suit (unless stupid), the girl does not have to be "less then half your age" etc. Sounds a bit as if you're trying to convince yourself you've made the right choice as the tone of the site is very hey, c'mon and live the dream etc. Not a criticism.

Would not be quite the same if it was every man for himself rather than a team backing one man. Is he still shagging Shania Twain ?

If you are under 50, get a 4 entry tourist visa GBP 100 (60 days + 30 extendable) or a multiple entry non-immigrant "O" visa (GBP 90) just by saying you are visiting friends or family and getting a friend to sign a guarantee. Piece of piss, send off to Hull to rubber stamp http://www.thaiconsul-uk.com/

How about the Grottino ? http://www.grottino.com/ Suk Soi 19 near Cowboy.

Further to my posts going back 18 months, all these changes have been brought on people by others including those on this board. They book rooms, even in high season and then never show, even deliberately booking rooms at numerous hotels. It ain't funny nor clever and all it does it put the price up and forces owners to make demands such as full prepayment. Then we hear tales of woe from the same people - not aiming this at you stevoman. If you haven't stayed there before, offer them 1 nights accommodation charge. They will probably accept. As you know, anything regarding building work could change between now and October. I don't agree with their position but I do fully appreciate why they are doing it.

You couldn't be arsed to look on google then ?

Poaching staff is a big no-no here in Funtown but there are usually no contracts of employment so there you go. Threads arising from doing such a thing do exist. The biggest worry for a go-go is losing the mamasan or head mamasan if there is more than one. In well managed go-gos, I have first hand experience that 50% plus of the girls would follow the mamasan. Actually, this new go-go is being rather two faced as I know first hand that he tried to poach a mamasan from another go-go about 2 months ago !!! In any case, a farang boss would not be the one to go poaching in a go-go, you would use your current girls. In any case, to fill up the go-go with girls, he will have to resort to some form of poaching or bribery himself !!!