Trvlr

I wonder if enough board members have had bikes stolen - or things stolen from bikes - for us to be able to identify the more susceptible spots. If we note the location in Pattaya where this happened we may be able to draw some conclusions. Please give as much information as you know - for instance, the building name alone may not be enough if someone is not familiar with it. Other identifying factors, such as "in front of 7-11" may also help. If not many members have had this happen then it will not tell us much, but it is worth trying. It may also help to post if you know of someone else to whom it happened. I know a woman who lost her bike in front of 7-11. I do not know which one, but when I find out I will post it.

JS - when you say collect telephone numbers of taxi services, you mean companies like Mr T? These will answer the phone at 0230? Evil -There is no staff or front desk here, this is a small private building. But there is a hotel a few blocks from here. I will walk down and try to find out if they will be able to summon a taxi at that time. And this flurry of taxis - where would I find them? Do they park at one place, or few places. Just waiting for a taxi on Second Road does not appear to be very productive. Thanks.

I am going to be asking for one of the local taxi services to pick me up at around 2 a.m. Just in case the taxi does not show up, what are my options? How can I get hold of transport to Suvarnabhumi at that hour at short notice? Thanks...

Er...and what will you do with the canoe? Go salmon fishing? (Sorry...could not resist it after watching the movie, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.)

Check with the Admin maybe. There should be a way.

I have a suggestion that will help us. I can explain if you PM.

Is this place Maleez still there? I have walked south on Buakhao from a little beyond the Soi LK Metro intersection, and see no sign of it. If it has decent chicken curries for 110 baht I want to try it. I am with Papillon, there is no reason for a curry at a run-of-the-mill cafe to cost more than 100 baht. Look to Los Angeles: a nice vegetarian meal with (small) portions of 3 or 4 items for $5-6, or 150 to 180 baht.

Thanks for the reply. Here is a business idea for you: Consider self-insurance. You know you have no theft losses, so it will be pure profit. The rental companies in the US make big money out of it. Offer insurance to bike renters at a reasonable price, say 50 baht a day for short term rentals. Do your accounting after a while and adjust the price as needed. Just think what it will do for your business - a lot of people will want to rent from you.

I have never rented a bike in Pattaya, so I am unfamiliar wih the mechanics. My question is, why isnt it possible to get insurance on these bikes? And is there someone who rents insured bikes? It does not make sense to risk 25000 baht or more when I want to rent a bike for a week or less.

I normally do not like going back and forth, but a few corrections are in order perhaps. About ordering from Canada, only someone very silly or ignorant is going to order from Canada if the equivalent is available at Walmart or other stores. I have mentioned US generic prices to my Canadian friends - including a doctor - and they drool at those prices. US physicians will give prescriptions for as long as one year if it is a maintenance drug. It can be renewed after that by phone if the doctor has seen you in the meantime. If he has not seen you for a year then he probably will want to - and that is a good thing. Next time you are in the predicament of being in the US without enough drugs, try one of the Urgent Care centers. But please do have some evidence that you take the drug. No ethical doctor is going to write you a prescription for a restricted drug simply on your say so - again I think it is a good thing. (Some drug stores like CVS now have nurse practitioners who can write some prescriptions. Try those also.) As for buying drugs without a prescription, do you really think it is a good idea? Dont forget that much of antibiotic resistance starts in Asia, where these are sold even in your local ice cream parlor (a euphemism!). I agree that it can be relaxed a bit for some medicines, but I dont think all controls should be removed. Someone here mentioned a BP medicine that is cheaper in Thailand. If it is branded it may be. But if a generic is available then post the name, strength and frequency on here and I will research it for you. No, Walmart is not the only store that has this pricing - they started it. Target does it too, and there are so many of those in urban areas that they classify as neighnorhood stores almost. And they will price match. CVS - again a bunch of them - also has the pricing, but you have to sign on with them. I am sure there are a whole lot of others that do it too. As with everything these days, you meed to be somewhat knowledgable. Depending on the quantity you need to take, they are not somewhat cheaper, but MUCH cheaper. That is a good thing. If you are prescribed Doxycyline 3 times a day for 30 days, you will pay 450 baht here - $15. In the US you will pay $4. The Pattaya price is from a pharmacy on 2nd Road. As I mentioned in my original post, if a generic is not available, then the drug is going to be expensive. Is it a rip off? Maybe. That is another argument. But consider that if a company had not created and tested the drug over some 10 years it probably would not exist.

This topic was sparked by a comment on another thread about the US ripoff on drugs. I thought it deserved a separate topic. The US continues to maintain its position as the cheapest "developed" country in the world to live in. (There are different yardsticks for measuring this.) This has applied to many medicines also for the past few years. Agreed, that many patented drugs are still horrendously expensive - the manufacturers justify it as cost of research, but that is another topic. But most of us use medicines which are no longer under patent protection - most of the time any way. I, for instance, have never had to use a patented medicine in my entire life - generics were always available. And the US is probably the cheapest country for them - cheaper than Thailand, and most other countries I have been to. Walmart started the trend some five years or so ago, and many other pharmacies have had to follow suit. Walmart provides a month's supply of generics for some 300 (not sure of number) drugs for $4. So, if a doctor prescribes Doxycycline three times a day for 20 days you pay just $4. Try getting that in Pattaya (sorry, I do not know about the smaller towns) as a tourist. This is also true of many maintenance drugs, for hypertension, high cholesterol, etc. And a three month's supply is just $10. (They charge a little more for some drugs in California, because the state asks them to for some obscure reason. Has to do with competition I think.) And no insurance is involved - you can just go with a prescription and buy the stuff.

Dont want to scare anyone but just be aware that there is also a fair amount of whooping cough in Pattaya. This is a contagious disease, and the problen is it is contagious before the whooping stage sets in, so people do not even know it. It is viral, so it has to run its course, but if someone has a bad cough it may be a good idea to avoid self medication alone and see a doctor. I have never gotten a cough in many many years of visits, and I do most things mentioned above except smoking. But I also walk a lot, take my vitamins regularly, and eat a lot of ice cream.

It is kind of late to be correcting this, but never late than never, as they told us in school. $500 cash at 29.47 gets you 14735 baht. A $500 check at 29.61 gets you 14805 baht. Deduct the 33 baht fee and you end up with 14772 baht. As for the 1% fee when you buy TCs, I never pay it because I show my Amex card and they waive the fee. However, you are right in that these days moneychangers are giving better rates than the banks. That was not always the case though. I prefer to carry checks because I have had a lot of trouble over the years with money changers not accepting some bank notes - even if they are clean and unmarked, the year may be something they dont like, or the series, or some such crap. No problem with TCs.

Can you first tell us if you are pro- or anti-gun control? Member of the NRA? (US National Rifle Assoc.)

Happens in other countries too, including the US. In the US it has to do with Mexican custom - the tissue in that country - at least some years ago - was not designed to disintegrate in the sewer. Hence they had big bins in which they dumped them. Many do that in the US also, out of habit I suppose. Especially near the border areas. I have seen such signs elsewhere too, Vietnam comes to mind. Their sewerage system was not designed for tissue, the sign stated.

Has anyone used this other than the OP? Not meaning to question the veracity of what he said - it is a useful post - but some supporting posts will be helpful. Is the speed fine? Are there plenty of hotspots...

I had asked earlier if Thai was doing this, and the consensus was that it was not, and EVA was the only carrier to watch for. Well I came a couple of days ago and I, and a few hundred other passengers, found that Thai was also enforcing the limit. The attendant at the check in line told me that they may let 8 kg through, but after that it is hard to get by. Mine was 12 kg, and I checked it in after removing a few things. I was told it was for security reasons, whatever that implies. But these days they can pin almost anything on security in the US and people just go along. Escalator is not working? Sorry, security reasons. Obviously I do not know if they enforce the limit every flight, but people should watch out.

And you, Jacko, are a pathetic person that everyone steps on in real life. Which is why you hide behind the anonymity of these boards to be rude and disgusting to polite and considerate people. Learn to carry on a real discussion or piss off and crawl back into whichever hole you live in. No one needs your useless comments. What I carry is my business, not yours.

Overstuffing of the overheads has to do with volume, not weight. I am allowed a certain size carry on, and whether I put 15 pounds in it, or 40, it will take up the same space. I thought that was obvious. As to why people need to carry stuff - I think most people want to pare down weight. The problem is security, and essentials. Security is a major problem at some airports. Heathrow and Kennedy are famous for pilfering, and I have friends who have had their bags broken into. Mine has been too. I wouldn't want to place a camera or other valuable in checked baggage. Airlines themselves warn against placing valuables in checked baggage. So once you have placed a couple of cameras, chargers, shaver, electric toothbrush, a change of clothing, essential toiletries, documents, maybe some meds, condoms, a magazine or two, some computer accessories, and maybe the laptop itself, you are way over the 15 pound limit if your bag itself weighs 8 or 9 pounds.

Thanks for the thought...unfortunately it is an apples and oranges situation. The carry ons shown are backpacks, or the type that have to hang from the shoulder. Given the amount of walking needed at airports these days, most people want something with wheels, and these don't have them. Carrying a 25-pound bag, plus a personal item with your laptop - well that is not smart for most people. The one bag I looked at in detail did not even give the weight, just the dimensions. But, as I said, thanks for the thought. Think like an activist - instead of us having to conform to unfair rules, we should do what we can to make the airline change its rules!

The U.S. airlines I have flown recently do not bat an eyelid at a 40-pound carry on. They just monitor the size. The 15-pound limit enforced in Europe and by EVA at LAX is such a rip off. Any halfway decent carry on weighs 8 to 10 pounds. I have a Travelpro Lite, and that is 8 or 9 pounds. What can a person carry to remain within the limit - a couple of cameras and a handkerchief? I even ordered a rolling duffel, thinking it will be lighter because of its thinner construction. But it is not - it needs to have a frame and the total weight comes to 7 pounds or so. Well, I dont fly EVA from LAX unless the price or schedule forces me to. That happens sometimes. I wish regulatory bodies update the weight limit and bring it up to a sensible level.

Has anyone flown Thai from LAX to BKK recently? I am trying to find out if they are enforcing the 15-pound carry on limit, or if they are relaxed about it like most airlines. Last time I flew Thai from LAX was a few years ago, and at that time they did not care.

Thank you OP. Let me get to Pattaya. If you still have it then I will take a look and check prices. As you may have gathered I am generally against riding a m'bike there and prefer a bicycle, but I am considering. How do I get in touch - send an IM?

Ha! Funny! But - I don't know what mental image you have of me. The reality is closer to your description - someone who should be riding to the 7-11 far more often on a cheap bicycle! Maybe Big C is the way to go.

Thanks for the suggestions. The problem is that it is quite probable I will simply ditch the bicycle after a couple of months and I dont think paying 6000 baht makes economic sense. Well, maybe for some, not for me. Selling in a few days' does not appear likely either. It is not meant for serious riding - just for getting to short distances. It achieves two objectives - gets me from A to B more safely than on a motorbike, and keeps bicycling body parts somewhat in use. I have more than 200,000 km on big bikes, but prefer to stay away from them in Pattaya. What do these Big C bicycles cost?