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 time was some three and half hours, the extra time was because they picked me up an hour earlier. It cost 500 baht, compared to Mr Toom's price of 1700 for a car. I booked it through an agent on Soi 11, which connects 2nd Road to Soi Buakhow. The driver kept to a sensible speed and the journey was comfortable. I had booked a noon departure, but the van was in an accident I was told. No one was hurt, but they could not do the noon run. They offered to pick me up and take me to the Bell bus, but I preferred to change the time to 5 p.m.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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. It is an unimposing place near LAX.

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 they were selling. They closed soon after opening. I asked, but could never find out where the original cook went...one of life's minor regrets.

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 foil as an accent. The dish is also likely to have a small amount of raisins and slivered almonds. Wish someone made it in Thailand but it is not likely. Tikka Center in Soi Buakhow, having Pakistani style cooking (many people now prefer a real Pakistani restaurant to an Indian one) is a possibility. But the owners come from the Punjab, and they have their own style of biryani.

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.

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?

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.

What is a "current" account?

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 have to go to the branch where the account was opened in case of trouble. I did not know that. So if I feel like more adventure I am going to head there, maybe. The manager is cute and I want to ask her out on a date anyway.

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 ask for a signature under a certain amount. But most people use a PIN and the transaction is over like snapping your fingers. And – oh my god this must be the end of civilization – at many locations you cannot even pay with cash (nor a sack of beads). That IS going to happen here too, in one form or another. The people who are doing it now are simply ahead – way ahead – of you. I will bet almost anything you used to think computers were the devil’s spawn, and cell phones the swansong of humanity – and did not take to either until it was totally commonplace. And if you have to wait a little longer behind me at a checkout line – tough shit. Wear diapers if you cannot cross your legs that long. Don’t vent your rage at a changing world – instead try to make things safer and better with some sensible suggestions.

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 this should be a safe place. I noticed the girl was struggling a bit with the process and ran the card twice. When I checked my account online I noticed a charge of 1.45 in addition to the correct charge of 145. So the first time she must have charged 1.45, and gone ahead and charged 145 without removing the earlier charge Not much to worry about, but I decided to use the opportunity to see what I could do about it. I went to the Central Thanachart and explained the situation, making it clear (I hope) that I was interested in finding out what I could do in case a bigger amount was involved. The response, after some attempts, was a classic case of washing their hands off a prickly problem: Go to the branch where you opened the account. Go to MacDonald’s. The terminal at MacD was from Bangkok Bank, so: Speak to Bangkok Bank. I was left with a totally helpless feeling: there did not seem to be anything I could do at my end to stop this incorrect charge. Even though I had never signed a slip – which I pointed out. I am not sure I will take the matter further, it will just add to frustration. The best solution seems to be to discontinue use of the card. Next time the mistake could be several thousand instead of 1.45.

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.

Real turkey? The kind you roast and carve?

Crap...that caught me out!

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?

Maybe you can elaborate little ... mainly why is it not ok for a 3 or 4 night stay?

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?