Gonzo

Then you are both wrong. The Thai cop really meant to write Teriffic Pattaya Police on his bike. The Thai cops have their head stuck so far up their own arse, they can hardly breathe. All that is important to them, is to look pretty in their tight brown uniforms covering their puny bodies and to relieve Farangs of money for infringements on their bikes or in their cars they did not commit. Traffic and traffic rules are concepts they do not understand with their little heads and small brains. Walking around and showing off with their guns and looking into a mirror at every opportunity is

G'day This is called arbitrary spelling and often very common on this board. With arbitrary spelling anything goes. The police man could have shortened it down further to trific and thereby reduced an eight-letter word to a six-letter word. He would have saved 25% in letter usage just for the one word and we still would have known he meant to say terrific.

I used to watch a lot of Italian Serie A football, when I was still living in Australia, which was shown on Australian SBS free to air on Sundays. The Italians are very professional but their football is not as entertaining to watch as English Premier League football and often very boring. I also watch Bundesliga football when in Pattaya, which is very entertaining, but probably not quite of the same high standard as Spanish and English football. England is lagging behind with its National team to Spain, Germany, Holland and Italy. It will be interesting to see what they can achieve next y

I second that. His clinic is close to the Day Night Hotel in a Soi just before Tukcom on South Pattaya Road. Actually, Dr. Oliver came from Switzerland many years ago. I trust his advice on any medical issue more, than I would with any Thai doctor. Dr. Oliver is easy to talk to and is fluent in English, Thai, German, French and probably a few other languages as well. I took a mate with a badly ulcerated foot to see him and the problem was fixed within a couple of weeks. In the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital they would have probably amputated the foot. He is a bloody good pox doctor as well. If you h

If you want to pay THB 15 000 in Notrh Pattaya for a decent house at present you are paying too much.

Jk was only trying to give the correct advice. By the sounds of it the OP, he is unsure about what he is talking about. A 30 day stamp on arrival is not a visa. There is no need to jump down Jk's throat as he usually knows his stuff and gives valuable advice to a lot of board members.

As an Aussie I am not complaining. We have been getting a very good exchange rate for quite a long time. A country rich in minerals for export to China and India at present = more Thai Baht.

I have aircon but never use it. I have lived in the tropics for most of my life and a ceiling fan at low speed is good enough and healthier.

Where is Owen, the financial gure on this board, when we need his opinion? Has the US finally managed to stuff up the financial system for good or is there some light at the end of the tunnel?

They are planning for the future. Thailand is not on the verge of going broke like the once mighty USA.

Most sellers offer free delivery. How do you think I carried my 59 KGs (130 lbs) safe back to my condo? On my shoulder? Don't buy from Homeworks on Sukhumvit. They are twice as dear as the small adjacent Pattaya Safe Shop Tel: 0814292290 on the ground floor on the bottom of Big C on Sukhumvit. Pattaya Safe has a good selection as well.

You will get the best deal on the ground floor in the Big C building on Sukhumvit Road. That is where I bought mine.

A couple of nice shoe-box condos (30sqm) sold for 680 000 THB at Jomtien Beach Condos a short while ago. I know because I live here. Jomtien Beach Condos are nicer than View Talay 1 or 2. This is a buyer's market. Gabor should hang on to his investment until the property market picks up again. This could take longer than a year, in my opinion.

I think it affects Thailand as well. I am not an expert, but I think a lot of re-routing has slowed things down for us here as well for the last few days. I can still connect, but it seems to take a bit longer.

I had the opposite experience. I was with TT&T for mor than a year and had problems most of the time. Last February I moved to a higher floor in the same building in Jomtien and connected with TOT ADSL Goldcyber. It has been a big improvement and works nearly all of the time. With TT&T there were periods when I could not connect for days. I spent more time in their little office at Carrfour complaining, than I did on the Internet.

Good on you for supporting Father Contarian and the Camillian Centre. That reminds me, I am a bit overdue to make my donation.

Have you ever heard about decorum and good manners?

Cheshire Tom, sorry I missed your post. I don't know that much about real estate away from Pattaya, Jomtien. I asked a friend (Thai) about the Sri Racha area. He lives there. He told me there are some nice and reasonably-priced properties, but one has to take care not to buy in the wrong area. There seems to be a fair amount of industrial pollution in some of the region. I only had a good look at Sri Racha, the township, and I do not think I would want to live there. An Aussie friend took me down to Sattahip and Rayong and I like the area. I did not spend enough time there to give an opin

Gary, you could be right there. He and his electrician friend did a fantastic job refurbishing my condo at a very reasonable rate.

http://www.pattayaholidayrentals.com/html_...a3f433e834f31c8 Doing a Google I found this.

Torrenova, you are probably right. The Thai guy who refurbished my condo took me on a guided tour to some of the places in the Eakmongkol Villages (Soi Khaotalo), where he does most of his work on new buildings. The figures I quoted are his and there could have been some misunderstanding, as he only speaks Thai. I was surprised when he told me houses there could be had for as low as 1.5 Mill. THB. Cheers

Here is a typical house in East Pattaya and it will cost 2 Mill. THB or less. I had a good look at the Sri Racha area and it did not appeal to me. I also checked out the Sattahip/Rayong area. I liked what I saw, but I think I would find it difficult to live there after a while, unless I could make friends with some Farangs. Living with mainly Thais is not always easy. Rayong reminds me of Hua Hin. Both places are very clean, with very friendly people and to drive a car there is no different from driving in Europe or the USA. None of that crazy traffic and road behaviour you find in Pattay

Gary, I agree with everything you say. There are some very nice two-level houses in East-Pattaya and you can either purchase or rent. If you have a family, a car is a necessity. For 2 Mill THB (purchase) or 12 000 THB (rent) you will get a nice house. I would not live over there if you paid me for it. I am happy with my cheap condo in Jomtien close to the beach, which cost just as much as a good house on the other side of Sukhumvit. Here I get a good sea breeze on most days and I love being close to the sea. The security in the condo complex is excellent and shops, restaurants, the beach

Thais just burn their rubbish and pollute the air.