Papa

Baybreeze 600 baht/night, not to far from beach and soi 8, should suit you.

In Udon Thani looked for left-handed clubs at a golf course, drinign range and a couple shops selling used clubs. Not a left-handed club to be found.

It's been raining every day in Udon Thani and Khan Kean. The rice fields are green and wet. Pattaya should catch some of this wet weather.

Ken, I am very likely to be visiting an acquaintence in Chiayaphum within a few days. What is the name of a good hotel there for a foreigner? Thanks. Tom

This past week may have given me some insight on opposing comments (good value vs. crap) on the Bay Breeze hotel. I've mentioned before that I've been patronizing the Bay Breeze Hotel for the past 10 years and was a satisfied customer. Being the low season, Bay Breeze has many empty rooms and I had a chance to look at half a dozen. The room I was originally given was clean and in good shape. But the airconditioner blew a fuse, leaving the room without air or lights. No problem - they transferred me to the room next door. However, adjoining room had the "dive look." There was a hole in the carpet about the size of a cigarette pack. Either a patch job was in-progress or had came apart. The cloth on one of the false headboards was badly shredded. I requested a different room and was given a couple room keys to look around. I chose another pleasant room. My conclusion is that the Bay Breeze management is not doing the necessary maintenance on room appearance. Some rooms have a run down look. But, as stated before, management has made major improvements over the last several years. The old elevator was replaced with one that even is airconditioned. The frayed carpets in the common areas were replaced with tile and new carpet. New tvs and cable give you dozens of stations - mostly aisan of course. Rooms have electronic safes now. Two bottle of water are provided free. I looked at the two suites that during this low season are let for B1000. It is a regular room plus another similar size room with a bar/sink/small refrigerator. Furnature was wicker sofa and chairs. The large rooms are B700 right now. If you do not like the looks of a particular room in the Bay Breeze Hotel, ask to move to another and you may be satsified. Right now the pool is closed. I see maintenance personnel there working on the tile. So they are doing some proper maintenace.

Bay Breeze Hotel at 600 baht has shower/tub and in-room safe. It has a small pool on the third floor. A large room is 800 baht.

I am so sorry to hear of Om's passing. She was such a sweet Thai lady. Maybe I shall shop for a very good helmet for my Thai girl friend. A pretty one, so she might wear it occasionally. I do not think she owns one. Very sad.

For the past ten years I've been arriving at the Bay Breeze Hotel without a reservation. One time they were full. I went to a nearby hotel for a day, moved into the Bay Breeze the following day. It is very unlikely they will be full except for mid-December through January and the week of Song Khran in April. All the decent hotels will say they are full during those weeks, but there will be vacancies here and there. I always stay in Bangkok for at least one day. I take the bus to Pattaya, arriving in the afternoon fresh enough so that it would not bother me to walk or take a taxi to another hotel. If there was no vacancy, I might leave my heavy luggage in Bay Breeze lobby, walk around to the nearby hotels to find a room, then come back for my luggage. There are perhaps eight hotels further down Soi Honey Inn. I have no experience with them. But I believe they are about the same rate or less than the Bay Breeze. If you go back to Second Road and take a left the Apex and the Diana hotels are a block away. I'd likely take a right and two short blocks away is Soi Skaw Beach and the Skaw Beach Hotel is half way down the soi. Skaw Beech hotel has been renovated since I last stayed there and I would like to see what they have done. There are dozens of hotels in easy walking distance of the Bay Breeze Hotel.

The Second Road enterance onto Soi Honey Inn, where the Bay Breeze Hotel is located, has a (green and orange) Seven/Eleven on one corner and a bank on the other. If you are arriving in a baht bus look ahead to your right. You will pass the Apex and Diana hotels on the right maybe 15 second before you get to the Seven/Eleven store. So when you see one of these hotels get ready to push the buzzer to stop and get off the bus. It's about a fifty paces (or yards) from Second Road to the hotel steps. I've had an inexperienced taxi driver (not baht bus driver) who had never heard of Bay Breeze. When I told him to take me to the Apex Hotel, he could do that. Upon arriving at the Apex, I directed him foward the next hundred yards to the Bay Breeze Hotel. The only thing that ever bothered me at the Bay Breeze was the one time that I was given a room that had twin beds pushed together with twin mattresses atop. If you find a problem particular to one room, it is easy enough to ask for another room. If you spill some soda on the wash basin, you'll likely find a party of very small ants celebrating their find the next morning. It is a good value for money. I like a bit of variety; so I do not stay at the Bay Breeze Hotel every day of my vacations in Pattaya. Last visit I stayed at TP Guesthouse, a pleasant, small, German-run hotel, on Soi Seven off Jomtien Beach Road. At 400 baht a night it was another good value and suited me. But since it is too far from Pattaya for most FLBers, there's no point in mentioning its pros and cons. Uh.. Don't tell everbody, but Elvis is running a shophouse beer bar about fifty yards from the TP Guest House. Has a big Elvis sign out front.

Seems many realized, as I just did, that the Vientiane is my favorite Pattaya restaurant, the one I don't want to change.

It's been over a year since I ate there, but it's likely that at Uncle Charlies Bar and Coffee Shop it's business as usual. It's across the soi from the Bay Breeze Hotel. If you walk past it in the morning, all you will see is the ubiquitious rusty, rolled-down, steel door. It doesn't have much farang business other than the two steak days. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting around 1800, Uncle Charlies offers large (16oz?) T-bone or porterhouse steaks with baked potatoe, corn-on-cob, roll and salad. A plate of Isarn food for your date is best secured from next door. The proper accompaniments are supplied: sour cream, butter, chopped chives, bottles of condiments, etc. Uncle Charlie (passed on in '95) was an American Vietnam vet who went to Bangkok to buy tender and tasty steaks for his shophouse restaurant. His widow Gokie carried on the tradition of serving quality grilled steaks. Expats patronizing Uncle Charlies add to the ambiance with talk of local doings. Gokie's second husband Tony the cop, who passed on a year or two ago, seemed to invigorate the business. His passing left Gokie comfortably off with a house, car, and money. Hopefully, Gokie's personal financial success will not have a deleterious effect on her business - providing the best and biggest grilled steaks in Pattaya. BTW after a few years of reading FLB threads, IMO most of the members would consider the Bay Breeze Hotel too far removed from the action.

Greg, Thanks for the information. This is what ANA posts on their home page: "We have the perfect tool for busy travelers! You may now register your e-mail address and we will e-mail the following information to you when you make a reservation directly with ANA: 1. Itinerary Information Your itinerary will be sent to your registered e-mail address. 2. Notice of Waitlist Clearance E-mail will be sent to you when seats are confirmed from a waitlist. 3.E-mail with e-Ticket Itinerary Receipt Your e-Ticket Itinerary Receipt will be e-mailed to you in PDF file. To take advantage of the service, your reservation including flight awards must be made by calling the ANA Contact Center and registering your e-mail address." But I am not making a "reservation directly with ANA." If I complete the transaction, it will be with Travelocity. Would not ANA be selling the same seat at the posted rate? My next action will be a search of the ANA homepage where I expect to find (approximately?) the same rate.

Folks, What does a newbie need to know about e-tickets. My ticket purchases have always been through an agent who provided me with tickets well before my flight. My guess is that the usual tickets will not be sent to my home address. Do I get email that I need to print out and take to the airport? Can I confirm my reservations? What informs me that my e-tickets are being properly processed? BTW ANA offers a credit card with an annual fee that accumulates mileage at a rate of a mile per U.S. dollar charged. The past year ANA had several promotions that enabled me to pick up about 20,000 free miles. These promotions have been ad hoc but indicate a marketing policy that may continue. Travelocity is showing an ANA flight from Dulles (IAD), Virginia to Bangkok for $854 that is attractive. My e-ticket jitters make me hesitate.

There are several Pattaya sites showing condos on the market. I believe Gabor has a Thai homepage with links to these. Ken of KenandLat also has good links. There are some good FLB threads discussing both buying a Pattaya condo and the cost of living in Thailand or Pattaya. Recommend you do a thorough search for this. It would be very difficult, if not impossible, for you to get a Thai mortgage. It is also difficult for any foreigner to earn a living in Thailand. Thai law prevents a foreigner from performing any work that a Thai can do. Teaching English seems to be the major opening (at 35000TB/month?). See ajurn.com for this. The financial expert of Pattaya Mail recently offered his assessment of buying a Pattaya condo. He still recommends putting the money in an “offshore investment” and renting instead. So the local money says rent, don’t buy a Pattaya condo. This was about month ago. Better choices? Can you buy a condo in the USA at the current low rates, pay it off and later use the money from selling your USA condo? Can you do as my brother is doing – live with your folks and put one or two thousand in the bank every month? How about a part-time second job? A nice Pattaya condo is about $30,000 and up. However, you can find a drab 25 square meter condo a half mile from the beach for $5000 – not a good retirement choice. Many choices available to you, borrowing now to buy a condo to retire later to Pattaya may be the most difficult and risky,

Fonz, Bobby Joe's Sixties Bar is on Soi Zero about a hundred yards off Beach Road. Soi Zero was sometines called Soi Bowling Alley because of the bowling alley at the 2nd road end. It may be best known becaues of Bruno's Restaurant. Some also call the road Soi Busstop. Some may remenber when the Sixties Bar was located on Soi Pattayaland two next to the Blue Parrot bar. Bobby Joe moved his bar about 2 years ago. Bobby Joe's Sixties Bar remains one of my favorites.

Those chopped red and green Thai chillis are in diluted vinegar.

Belem voted for me. Can't give testimony that they are the best but..... Enjoyed many a cold beer with burger & fries at the Tahitian Queen. Fries are similar to Micky Dees - tasty. Some of my stops at Hamberger Denmark were per request of my date(s). The Denmark offers a chili-katsup that is worth a try. Don't think I could order a hamberger at the Pig and Whistle after a look at the menu. P&W does a fine fish and chips that (for me) is hard to resist. ;D

The Soi 8 Beer Garden you mentioned is a nice quiet place in the morning. I stop by for breakfast and read the paper. I also frequented the nearby Smile Internet. Smile rates are good and they have washer/dryers. They do laundry for you - have it dry and read for pickup in about 3 hours. :) Papa Tom

Ernie, Tell me if I'm wrong about this. Here's the mortgage situation for those intereseted. Thai banks will not approve a mortgage for foreigners. I was told the main problem is that a foreigner can do a runner. If there a problem, the foreigner can hop a plane and leave his problems in Thailand. Thai banks are in a difficult position on mortgages since, unlike most western nations, they can not take possession of the house if a debtor stops payment. And since the 1997 financial debacle banks policies lean heavily toward avoiding risky loans. Papa Tom

Nidnoyham's comments about lobbying a friend to get a condo with two bedrooms is interesting. I've not read any thread about sharing a condo - but it could be a plan. My last year in college I met a chap on the golf course. We became golfing buddies and later shared a 2-bedroom place. Both of us were living comfortably, receiving a monthly US government check (GI education Bill) for ex-military service personnel. Splitting the housing costs helped a good bit. Such an arrangement may work in Pattaya. The golf courses and 19th holes strike me as good spots to recruit a friend to share the condo bills. Also the threads about scams, accidents, etc. incline me to believe that developing some some kind of buddy system might be a smart thing to do. [smiley=grins-jump.gif] Papa Tom

From the defunct old board - "All the driving ranges have cold drinks available, and most have food as well. Pattaya is truely golf heaven, so many superb courses, and very cheap by International standards. All the courses have hire clubs and shoes etc. Be warned though.. metal spikes are no longer permitted on most courses (a decision I agree with) so change over to "soft spikes" if you are bringing your own shoes. Another great part of playing here is The Butterfly Bar, which caters exclusively to golfers on their way home after a round, but thats another story.. " If you read the various golf threads you'll find the bars and hotels that have scheduled transportation to take you to the various links. The Pattaya Asia Hotel (nice and cheap) 9-hole par three course is mentioned as are the driving ranges. There's a thread about the FLB's offer for a golf outing. There may be a discussion about the knock-off clubs available in Pattaya. I asked about buying golf shoes and was advised USA prices were lower. Some advised the knock-off clubs were poor quality. Driving ranges have lights so they can stay open late. Tip the caddy B100 for good work. :) Papa Tom

Anyone taking a strong fancy to Chiang Mai may want to check out this site for rental of Chiang Mai houses and condos. http://www.better-homes.com/ Papa Tom

Smart thinking Emil - leaving some luggage in LOS. Reminds me of something I saw on this board a couple years ago. Supposedly the Bangkok Dynasty Inn will store luggage in the hotel storage room for a few months. Believe someone wanted to leave golf clubs there. Don't recall anything other than that one post. Been trying to recall where I saw an open-air shop that did quality logo embroidering. Maybe it was on Second Road a few blocks south of the South Pattaya Road stop light. Remember seeing caps with the big gold letters and Harley Davidson type embroidery on jackets. Think I'd want to stand behind the chap at the sewing machine to see the design, colors, positioning were acceptable before the production was run. Maybe some tailors do this for you. And it might be best to take a logo sample to Pattaya if you have one you want to match. Papa Tom

The Thai stock market may (or may not?) rise significantly with the start or end of the Iraq-Allied war. ::) I'm not recommending SET investment, just giving a heads up that it may be an opportune time. A few board members in the past expressed an interest. The possibility of the elimination of USA taxes on dividends makes it more interesting. Many Thai stocks provide healthy annual dividends. FYI my favorite Thai stock advisor is Paul Renaud at http://www.thaistocks.com/ Papa Tom

Diana Dragon, located at the corner of Soi Diana and Soi Boukao Road, a short block off Second Road is worth a look. This is a block behind the Diana Inn. The single testimonial in the FLB hotel section reminds me of recommendations a while ago as being a good budget hotel. Check it out at http://www.golfasia.com/Diana%20Group/Dian...dianadragon.htm The price is right: 6500B per month for a/c and 3800B per month for fan. I like the central location. :) :) Chok dee! Papa Tom