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Displayed prices are for multiple nights. Check the site for price per night. I see hostels starting at 200b/day and hotels from 500b/day on agoda.

Trvlr

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Everything posted by Trvlr

  1. Trvlr
    There is still one operating, and it can be quite agreeable. In my case the company suffered a mishap, so there was a hitch, but it turned out okay in the end. First the modus operandi, then I will explain the hitch. The van is operated by a company called EBC, and leaves Pattaya twice a day - noon and 5 p.m. I had chosen to stay in a godforsaken location in Jomtien to which the Bell bus vans did not journey. They pick up an hour to half hour before departure. After some more pickups, we first went to Suvarnabhumi, and then I was dropped off at my hotel on Sukhumvit 13. In my case the total
  2. Trvlr
    A market makes it hard for the working girls. Some of them just go home at times when there is an extended market. If you want to pray, then just pray for a traffic closure, though that may not stop the motorcyclists. Copacabana is a wonderful example of what a traffic closure (Sundays) can do to enhance pedestrian pleasure. And they do not allow the road to be overrun by stalls.
  3. Trvlr
    It IS a direct service, so no change of vehicles. the bus waits with all your luggage. On the way back luggage has to be taken out because Thailand wants to x-ray everything. BKK-Siem Reap is closer to 9 hours - the time depends on the wait at the border. When I went it was a two-hour wait. Returning is about an hour quicker. I had posted a more detailed report here in July - maybe search if you need to know more.
  4. Trvlr
    I spent a night in Bangkok and took the 9 a.m. direct bus to Siem Reap from Mochit. Spent a nice three nights there and returned on the same bus. On the way back the bus gets into Mochit about 4 p.m., so I just hopped on a bus to Pattaya. The direct bus has become popular enough that reservations ahead of time are now needed. The total cost is a bit more than a day visa run, but it is far more pleasant. And it is not all that much more expensive.
  5. Trvlr
    A woman also died on Beach Road recently. She emerged from one of the sois on a motorcycle, probably without looking which seems normal here, and was struck by an oncoming motorcycle.
  6. Trvlr
    It looks like the newly repaved and redesigned promenade along Beach Road is being fitted with a wood extension. The addition is about 5 feet wide in most places with a railing, and looks quite nice. It remains to be seen if it will be fitted throughout the length of the road or just in a few places. The railing does give a support for girls to lean against and, who knows, maybe some benches will also be installed later? There seems to be some urgency to the work, because they have been working in the evenings also.
  7. Trvlr
    In the interest of fair play, I should post that Tequilareef just sent me a message, informing me that the 535 baht price we were charged was a "mistake", and with an included 200 baht coupon. I doubt that I will use the coupon, but i thought I should let people know.
  8. Trvlr
    The ladies I converse with are not too happy with the ladyboys on Beach Road. Especially later at night. And the ladies cannot even help tourists by reporting to police - they say the lady boys return and beat them up. Strange - never thought someone who was getting his ass buggered would have that much balls!
  9. Trvlr
    I used to stay at the original Dynasty in the Bangkok Nana area. I moved out the day they charged me for using a third towel. Coincidentally, when I was leaving there was another guest at the counter - humourously asking if he would be charged extra for watching a little TV!
  10. Trvlr
    Both Pakistan and Indian food sold in the areas of London and Birmingham with large subcontinent populations is excellent. It is far superior to what is available in Los Angeles. Thailand is not even in the running. Indian food in Los Angeles is not that good. There are some places in the Little India area of Artesia/Cerritos that are okay. Mostly for chats and vegetarian food. The best all-round food in that area is served by a Pakistani owner. The best known restaurant in the entire LA area amongst people who enjoy food from he subcontinent is Al-Watan, again owned by people from Pakistan
  11. Trvlr
    That is entirely possible. Cooking is not a science, however much recipe books would like us to believe it. She must have an inner affinity for that dish. As an aside, there was a stall in the Tops (Central) food court many years ago that did some excellent Pakistan/Indian style dishes. I used to look forward to visiting it. The counter person was a Thai lady, but a friend told me that the cooking was done by someone from Pakistan or India. It was replaced by a stall operated by people from Nepal, and that was crap. Not to say Nepalese food is crap, but they just did not know how to cook what
  12. Trvlr
    You will get many different interpretations of what biryani is supposed to look like, or even what it is. But the most commonly accepted look in Muslim homes is actually quite pleasing. Also called "pulao" (again, there may be dissenters) it is meat layered in basmati rice, and then drizzled with saffron water (saffron soaked in water). So the look is brilliant white rice with a saffron accent. I will search the net at some point and see what I can find in the way of an image. It is not an everyday dish - it is cooked on festive occasions. So sometimes it will have bits of very thin silver
  13. Trvlr
    Some years ago there used to be vans that would provide transport from hotel/condo to same between Bangkok and Pattaya. Plus luggage. Has anyone used one of them recently? I will appreciate an address where I can visit to make enquiries or a booking. And what did it cost? Edit: I should clarify that I am talking about shared vans, not renting the whole thing.
  14. Trvlr
    I don't have one of these visas but I am curious: What happenes if you do not show up at 90 days, or if you are late a week? Do they stamp the passport every 90 days?
  15. Trvlr
    They did not give the above price of 495 baht, even when I pointed out that that was what was advertised. Produced some flyer showing 535 baht, plus tax. We paid it without arguing, but I am not going back. Even if the diference is small, I figure that an establishment that is being dishonest in one area is likely to be dishonest in other areas too, such as food preparation.
  16. Trvlr
    What is a "current" account?
  17. Trvlr
    Maybe I was harsher than I needed to be ... so, sorry about that. But all is not lost. If you will notice, no one has mentioned a fraudulent or incorrect charge except me - and in my case it was a teenage girl trying to cope. I am continuing to use the card. And so are other people. You may have noticed that the use of cards has increased hugely in Thailand in the last 5 years. It is not going to go back - a lot of people make money off this use and they are going to try and keep fraud down. Fondles above had a solid piece of information for me: that it is standard practice in Thailand to
  18. Trvlr
    You really have lived in those tree branches far too long. What do you do – take a sack of beads to your local trading post? Why is paying electronically pathetic? Does the money become sad as it exits my account? Or does it make you sad that people can do these things while you still haul around your sack of beads? Let me provide you a little education, because you seem to have lived in those tree branches too long. In the US, and I am sure many other countries, it is quicker to pay with a card than fumbling with wallets and handbags. Even when using a credit card, many stores will not even
  19. Trvlr
    A recent experience highlights the dangers of using a debit card in Thailand. I have always been leery of debit cards because the money is out your account right away, but started using a Thanachart Bank MC branded card. I restricted usage to just a few places – Tesco, Big C almost exclusively. This being a cash back card, I was getting back enough to cover the 200 baht annual fee for the card – but that depends on my length of stay. Not a whole lot of money, but I felt some glee in being able to beat their system. Last week I decided to use it at the MacDonald’s in Avenue – I reasoned that t
  20. Trvlr
    I have seen a shop with big bikes near Big C at Pattaya Tai-Sukhumvit. It is in an alley to the west of the store. So if you stand on Sukhumvit and look at the store, there is an alley on the right. Go down this and you will almost run into the bike place.
  21. Trvlr
    Real turkey? The kind you roast and carve?
  22. Trvlr
    Crap...that caught me out!
  23. Trvlr
    A couple of posters have mentioned new visa rules. Are new visa rules being written for sure? Or are these general statements meaning that if new visa rules are enacted they may affect property or rental values?
  24. Trvlr
    Maybe you can elaborate little ... mainly why is it not ok for a 3 or 4 night stay?
  25. Trvlr
    I see scooters on the shoulder on the Pattaya-Bangkok toll highway all the time. And bigger bikes that can keep up with the traffic riding in the traffic lanes. They are all breaking the law?
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