Barrief

Morris was recommended by a friend some years ago. Then, one of his clients asked him if he would like a permanent job as his Carer. Morris agreed, and so I lost his services for two or three years. I had various drivers to and from the Airport whilst Morris was unavailable, both good and bad, and some very unreliable. Then, unfortunately, Morris's elderly client died and so I was able to use Morris again. So, if you are sick of being let down, then this may help.

Do you have another Band lined up Martin?

Oh sorry, I didn't know that.

Yes… totally agree with everything said here about Rhythm Tracks. The Band are a big part of why I go into FLB, and will continue to do so when I visit Pattaya. If you haven't seen the Band yet, and you don't fancy the long walk up Walking Street in the heat and humidity, get a Motor Bike Taxi and tell him "Soi 16, Walking Street." FLB is just a hundred yards on the left from the bottom of Soi 16. I was lucky enough to take some Video shots of the Band a while back. The Video below is one of them. This the first time this vid "Sex Bomb" has been posted anywhere. There is a little bit of nostalgia at the end of the Vid which demonstrates just how much they have improved their presentation during the last couple of years or so. And continue to improve. This is an HD Vid, so if you have a fast Broadband connection watch it in Full Screen. It's great. This Vid of the Band I posted sometime back. "Bohemian Rhapsody." There aren't many Bands who would take this one on.

Yippeee! It works!

I've made an adjustment to the code in Vimeo. It seems to be working now.

Thanks for your response Guys. Before the Forum changed it's software, I had no problem in pasting Videos. Switch on HTLM, and Auto Line Break Mode, and it works. However, in the New Forum software the "Auto Line Break Mode" is not there to select. This is what I want to do: (Widescreen, no 'Letterboxing." http://www.pattayata...with-the-girls/ It's a Video I posted in August 2011. Mods, can you help me please.

Please let me know. This is a test Video from Hua Hin. A full trip report follows shortly. If all you can see is the code, would you please let me know below. If the Video works would you also please let me know. Unfortunately the "Auto Line Break Mode" function is not available so I'm not sure if it works. Thanks.

http://pattayathailandvideos.com/sanctuary-of-truth-video/ Hi Trvlr, From Big C it's just five minutes in a Baht Bus down the Naklua Road. It's sign posted off to the Left. I haven't been there for a couple of years so I don't know if it's finished or not. They've been working on it for more than thirty years and it will probably never be finished. They just keep adding to it. No Matter, it's just absolutely incredible. You can't leave Pattaya without seeing it. I have a video I made of my visit there if you want to have a look at it. When it loads it's in widescreen... there's nothing wrong with your computer. :) http://pattayathailandvideos.com/sanctuary-of-truth-video/

Taser Phones are legal in the United States, Thailand and other Countries but not in the UK. You could be facing a long spell in Prison if you bring one home. Have a look at this News item from Sky...

Some of my kids are coming out to join me on this trip. One of the places I want to take them is for a day out on Koh Larn. I have been there many times, but have always used the ferries. I want to make this trip to the Island a little special for them and want to hire a speedboat. Can anyone recommend a place to hire a boat for the day? I know I can get a boat from the Beach, but having read about the scams on Speed Boats, and Jet skis, on Pattaya Beach, I would prefer to avoid hiring a boat from the beach without a recommendation. Also, I usually go to Samai Beach, but it is very stony at the water line and I would like to try another Beach. Which one do you recommend and do you have any pics? Thanks.

A while back, I move a load of furniture for a Girl. Cost me two hundred baht, and the driver did most of the lifting.

Very clear.. no confusion there then

Thank you. ============================================= Thanks for your comments everyone. Much appreciated. B.

Thanks for that Ballbag.

My info is based on last year. Has the price increased for Thais? Perhaps someone who is there now can let us know.

As previously mentioned, the "Tour of the Sois" and the Interactive Pattaya Map, are primarily designed for 'Newbies.' Although some of those who are experienced in the ways of Pattaya may benefit from a little nostalgia when viewing them. BAHT BUSES We (Mongers) refer to this mode of transport as Baht Buses. I have no idea where the term originated, it was being used when I first joined the Forum eleven years ago and we all use it. "A rose by any other name etc…." Call them what you will… they are an incredible mode of Transport around Pattaya. Like electricity or water, we take them for granted, rarely giving them a second thought, they are just there. But if they disappeared overnight, Pattaya wouldn't function prperly. You are rarely more than 30seconds away from a Baht Bus. There are no designated 'Bus Stops.' You just stand on the side of the road, and stick your hand out when one comes along, and it'll stop for you. When you want to get off, press the bell (Buzzer) in the roof, Pay the driver, and you're on your way. It's that easy and convenient. COST Amazing! It's ten Baht for you, and five Baht for a Thai. No matter how long or short your journey. What's amazing, is that the cost has been the same for at least ten years. There are a few negatives. When you get to know Pattaya a little, you may have to change Buses several times to get where you want to go. Plus: give the Driver the correct money. You will rarely get 'change.' There is no point in getting upset about the 'two tier' pricing system. That's how it is. Live with it. And the "No Change"thing? Same, same. You quickly learn to hang on to your 10baht coins and 20baht notes, to pay Baht Buses. (And for smaller, general, tips.) If you can't accept this, don't go to Thailand. It's not the same as your culture… it's theirs. Leave your preconceptions at home. Just to complicate things a little… sometimes the Baht Buses become Taxis. For example: when you leave Walking Street in the evening, you'll find a great line of stationary Baht Buses in South Pattaya Road (Pattaya Thai) near the junction of Walking Street. If you want to use one of these, you have to negotiate the price. They are acting as Taxis. They are not Metered. There are other instances where Baht Buses can be used as Taxis. You'll soon get the hang of it. In the following Video, "Soi Buakhao" you'll see many baht Buses with people getting on and off etc. There are many hundreds of these around Pattaya, there is never a shortage, as you'll see when you get there. And, like the rest of us, take them for granted. As a slight digression, if you hire a motorbike (as I do) NEVER, NEVER, pass a Baht Bus on the left. Do this too often and you won't make it through your vacation. Good Luck. (Chok Dee) Click the Video to tour Soi Buakhao... If you have missed any of the previous Soi Tours, click here to go to the Interactive Map!

I've been frequenting the Beer Garden right from day one. I was the first paying and non paying customer there. At that time who could have forecast the phenomenal success that this place would be. Certainly not Pete. After two years retirement he opened the Beer Garden to keep occupied. To have something to do. And that's what's caused the problems there. He's a victim of his own success. The Beer Garden is the biggest Bar/Restaurant in Pattaya, and as Pete says, it will take time to rectify the problems there. In the meantime may I make a suggestion. Place a large Chalkboard just inside the main entrance, giving an estimate of the Service time at that moment. OK, I accept that the board will need updating every 15/30 minutes during peak times, but not difficult to do. This will relieve the pressure on the Kitchen and ensure that the quality is maintained. Customers will have the choice of waiting for food or just having a drink.

Exactly right. That's how I've regarded it during the last few years. It's just a holiday destination. Albeit, the best. There was one other consideration when making the decision re her treatment. I am substantially older than Ooy. I would pop my clogs long before her, given that her treatment continued. So the medication would have finished anyway, with the same conclusion.

Have thought about it in depth again, and the honest answer is the same now as then… I don't know. There were too many "what ifs." Too many variables. I sometimes wish that I'd continued paying for her treatment, and that she was still alive, but then she may have continued on to infect others. What would you have done? It wouldn't happen again however. I don't stay with a Girl long enough to get emotionally involved.

Yes.. absolutely true. But I didn't know it then.

I do go short time, but not often. I prefer the Girl Friend Experience. During the last ten years I have visited the "Villages" many times. It's sometimes good to get out of the madness of Pattaya for a few days. I am no expert, but I have learned something about Thais and Thai Culture. Some of it I wish we could adopt in the 'West.' But some of it is so alien to my culture that it is completely unacceptable. I could relate many examples, but one will do for now. Some time ago, I was making my second trip to the home of a Girl I rather liked. On my first trip there I was greeted warmly and made to feel very welcome, so I was looking forward to returning. But there was something amiss. Whilst they were polite, the warmth and friendliness was somewhat less. My first thought was that maybe I'd upset them. Perhaps I'd inadvertently said or done something 'out of line.' (It's easy to do.) During the three days that I was there, people would drift in and sit with my Girls Parents, talking and looking very serious, virtually ignoring my presence. Sometimes they would go outside, and after a while, the visitors would wander off. Plus, my Girl was not her usual affectionate self. I was eager to leave the Village and get back to Pattaya. Initially, on our return to Pattaya, my Girl was subdued. I wasn't going to put up with this for the rest of my holiday, so after a couple of days, I asked her what I'd done wrong. I was surprised when she started to cry. She explained… Her Uncle, her Mothers Brother, had been in Hospital for a few weeks, and was quite sick. The Family, and extended family, had been paying for his treatment. What I had witnessed in the 'Village' was the Family making the decision wether to continue paying for the Uncle's stay in Hospital. They decided not to, and withdrew the funding. My Girl said that had they continued paying for the Uncle's treatment, he would have recovered. "Leg him not good" she said. "leg must go." I suspected that he'd had some kind of accident and that gangrene had set in to the leg, and that it needed to be amputated. I learned later that the uncle died. My Girl said: "him happy now." To give you a further insight into Thai thinking… Some of the long standing 'Boardies' here will remember Winston. (Tom) Winston was a prolific poster on here and entertained us with his "Pattaya Prowls." Then he had an accident on his Motorbike. He was seriously ill for a month or two and died whilst being transferred to an Air Ambulance. Winston was 'Skint.' (No money) So an appeal was launched on here to pay for his treatment. Meanwhile, a friend here in the UK, (Boardie, Mirkwood,Dave,) was keeping his Thai Wife up to date with the Winston Saga. When he told her that Winston had died, she said: "It good him die. Now he not problem for family." Obviously, Dave (and I) was stunned at this "off hand" remark by his Wife. Most Thais genuinely believe in the "after-life" and "rebirth," and that now Winston was dead, Buddha would take care of him. I understand now, why the Family let Ooy die. And so, through the years, my involvement with Thai Girls has somewhat altered. I still prefer the Girl Friend Experience, but I don't want to get too involved with them. Or risk falling in love with one. Now, when I find a good one, I keep her for the whole Holiday. But rarely go back to her the next trip. "Once and away." I could give a whole list of examples of Thai Culture that I couldn't accept. However, there is much that I admire. Do a Village trip, and see the poverty that some have to endure. And through it all, wonder at how they can be so happy, and cheerful, and welcoming.

No problem jacko. No offence taken. Re "Dr Barrie." I relate only what Dr Prasit at the Pattaya Bangkok Hospital told me. Plus: if you have been circumcised, you are less likely to contract STDs. Re Thai Culture. Will reply in an hour or so.

Yep, I'm in Pattaya from the 21st April to 9th May. It's a notable date for me on two counts. It's the tenth anniversary of my first trip to Pattaya, plus a big birthday. I have some of my Kids coming out to help me celebrate (their first visit,) so it should be a good one. I use FLB regularly, so if you want to PM me during the above dates, I would be pleased to have a drink with you.