Shilo

Let me jump in seeing as I know the answers... The best place to open an account with Bangkok Bank here in Pattaya is at the main branch on 2nd road across from Soi 6. Once you have an account with Bangkok Bank it is good at all branches... so both New York and Pattaya are the same number. If you're asked for an address then get the address for the New York branch. Every bank has an ABA routing number... you'll need the Bangkok Bank ABA number and your account number. Personally, I do my banking with Fidelity Investments and have had an account for years. Once I opened the Bangkok Bank account I was able to set up the linkage and process the money movement all online.

Congrats FWIW: Last time I wired money from Fidelity account to the Bangkok Bank account... I moved $9000 and was charged $10 by the New York branch and another 500 baht by the Pattaya branch... so a total cost of about $25 with an exchange rate of 32.76 which was the current rate at the time. Lately, I've been moving several 15,000 baht atm withdrawals because Fidelity puts the 150 baht atm fee back into my account. And they have added a new feature where I can go online and have email alerts sent anytime there is activity on my atm card. A handy feature with all the Russians in town... about 18 months ago they cloned my card here in Pattaya and took $500 out of an atm in Moscow. I got the money back but getting the new card sent over from the states was a pain in the ass... now I only use atms in the Central Festival Mall.

No need to open a "Bangkok Bank, New York branch" account. Just open an account here in Pattaya at the 2nd road branch and use the account number to set up the linkage. I only mention the New York branch so you know that the money will flow from your US bank to the New York branch before being credited to your Bangkok Bank account...

I have no problem with this if it's done in the business section... in fact I kind of think that it's refreshing.

Sabai Massage 90 min. outcall is 750 plus xxxx baht assuming there are extras. http://pattayaoutcallmassage.com/ MyGirlMassage 90 min. outcall is 950 plus xxxx baht assuming there are extras. http://mygirlmassage.com/get-to-know-me.html Dream Teen for 90 min. is 800 plus xxxx presumed for extras. http://www.dream-teen-pattaya.com/ladies.html Devils Den for 90 min 2000 "extras" a given and a massage totally optional. http://devilsdenthailand.com/profiles.html I happen to believe that "outcall", escorts, freelancer websites are the wave of the future in Pattaya. But for now, if I wanted a massage then I pick Dream Teen from this list based on website pics and value. On the other hand, if I know going in that the "extras" are more important then a massage on a given evening then Devils Den wins hands down.... none of the other 3 are even in the same ballpark.

The main branch of Bangkok Bank in Pattaya is on 2nd Rd. across from Soi 6. Open an account there, pick up an atm card, set up online access and cellphone alerts. Let a couple of days go by to allow the account to settle. Then set up a linkage between your American bank and the Bangkok Bank branch in New York. At least with my Fidelity Brokerage account I was able to do this online. When you're ready to move money just "push" the funds from your American account to the Bangkok Bank account. Depending on your American account you should be able to set up automatic "pushes" from one to the other. It takes about 2-3 days for the funds to transfer with a small fee and the current exchange rates. I don't think that you will be able to get an American bank to allow a Thai bank to "pull" money in and to be honest I wouldn't feel comfortable with that option.

I went out for a walk today (been trying to do more of that lately) and made a point of looking for PCX 150's but didn't see a single one on my walk... that is until I got back to the condo complex. Then I saw about 6 side by side out in front of the building. Had a chat with a neighbor who laughed when I mention this to him and he said "look out back and you'll see another 25 parked back there..." He had a few other things to say about the PCX 150. He felt they were over priced at 75-100K decked out, he felt that they used more gas then the smaller 125's, and he mentioned that the idle shutoff was a keen idea but that he had seen several cases where it didn't start back up right away and the rider had to start the process over with the key... My gut feeling is that the PCX 150 is the kind of bike I would want once I had made up my mind that I was going to join the "bike riding community" but I'm also aware that I'm no where near that point yet. First I just need to get on a bike... pretty much any bike... learn the basics... and most importantly, achieve a reasonable degree of comfort. Then I can start looking for "The Bike" for the long haul. So maybe I should modify my title with "What is the Best Motorbike for a Fat Newbie... Looking to Learn how to Ride?" I'm pretty sure that it's wiser to start off by renting a bike. But should a learn on a 125 Click or Wave... or because of my size am I safer on a 150? I guess I'm just looking for some advice on what bike to pop my cherry on that won't result in me popping my nuts in the process...

Thanks I think that I had heard that I'd be better off with a 150 vs a 125. I think I also read somewhere that there were different braking systems (something that is very high on my list of features)... does the Honda PCX brake from the front or rear wheel... and does it matter?

OK... first off, I have been coming to Pattaya for more then a dozen years and living here for the past 6 so I am well aware of the dangers of riding a motorbike. But frankly I'm just getting really tired of sharing the baht buses with over weight Russian women. I want to start my research now and then either rent or buy a bike around the beginning of June to use during the low season... I don't plan to be riding a lot (at least in the beginning) at night, while drinking, or out on the open road to Ban Chang. So I really don't need pages of warnings... what I need is a little advice of what bikes to look at. I'm old and fat. I know that I have no business trying to learn how to ride a bike at my age. But putting that to the side, what I'd like to know is what would be the best option for a starter bike. I could use some help with brands, size and features like braking options. Thanks in advance

This would be true except for the fact that the ruble has also fallen about 12% ytd against the dollar... Guys seem to be focused on the word "Pity" in the title of the thread... seriously, I couldn't care less about the rate of the ruble, or the Aussie dollar or English pound if you want to know the truth... other then how they might effect some of my friends. But to me personally, no effect so no concerns. But when the dollar and pound took a big hit against the baht it had a huge effect on the Pattaya p4p scene. And with Russians making up over 40% of the current Pattaya tourist and condo sales market... well, I think that it's just news worthy to keep an eye on this trend and see how it plays out. Agreed, it might impact 7-11 beer sales... but condos just got 20% more expensive for our russie friends over the past 90 days. With all the building going on it's enough to prick the bubble.

Like I said... the action today on the Russian stock market ain't pretty...

Actually the problems in Russia started long before this Ukraine issue came up... Ukraine just made a bad situation worst for them: The country is seeing its fourth straight month of contraction, with a reading of 48.5. New orders and employment at Russian factories both declined, with new orders seeing their fastest contraction since 2009. A hike in interest rates and a market crash is the last thing Russia needs. Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/russian-pmi-2014-3#ixzz2utukGbLq This really wouldn't matter much to many of us here in Pattaya if it wasn't for the fact that Russians now seem to make up about 40% (or more) of the business around here. Again, it's still a little soon to say how this will play out but forgetting the monger scene for just a moment... we could be looking at the lowest of low season in years.

Since the beginning of this year the Ruble has fallen nearly 20% against the Thai baht from 1.06 to .89, add to that an 8% drop in their stock market today alone and the interest rates jumping from 5.5% to 7% overnight... Hard to say where this is headed but if the trend holds this could be a very very low season...

Can't speak from personal experience (God, I wish I could... come on Songkran) but I meet up with several other Pattaya expats on most weekends for an afternoon bull session and several of these guys get over there about once every 2-3 months for 3-5 day visits. And we have a couple of AC friends who come to Pattaya for short visits and visa runs. To the man, every one of them say that the trips have never been better.

I was trying to use it with my home desktop computer and I have watched a lot of other streaming content with a Flash player.. for whatever reason, the usatvnow system would just keep buffering without starting the program. The customer service guys gave me a direct link to a player that would load if I clicked the start several times till something caught... but that site stopped working when my 30 day trial ran out. So the free service only seems available on the main site which has never worked for me. My best guess is that it didn't connect well with my fiber optic ISP. But I still recommend it to any other expats who want to watch live feeds of primary American channels like ABC,CBS,NBC and FOX.

Can someone help me to understand this piece... I tried reading though it but came away confused. http://www.businessinsider.com/2014-the-year-america-ruined-the-internet-2014-2 As best I can tell it is suggesting that there are some big changes coming that will give more power to the American ISP Corps but I'm not sure what if any effect it might have on the rest of us around the globe...

I used an induction oven a couple of times... got decent results with meats and stews but never had much success with baking. One of my best purchases since moving to Pattaya was my electric oven from Makro for around 3800 baht...

There use to be a shop on the 2nd floor above the TOPs market at the corner of Second Rd. and Pattaya Klang. I'm guessing that it's still there but to be honest, I haven't been up there in the past few years...

I have no clue about Netflix... never used it. Do you need an account or does it offer anything for free? I always assumed that it was a pay-per-view service... Sidenote: has anyone tried USTVnow.com? I ran into a guy here in Pattaya who used it to watch college football. It lets you stream about 6 stations for free on a feed coming out of Philly. I signed up but could never get it to work properly. Great response times from their online customer service group but their best efforts never fixed the problem. http://www.ustvnow.com/

Well, I installed the program which was simple and so far pretty easy to use. No major changes to my computer or browser other then it added a small "firely head" icon in the top right corner of the firefox browser... I was able to use it to connect into Hulu which works great. If I try Hulu without it I get a message that says that I must be in the US to use the service. But once I click the firely head it allows me to chose what country I am viewing from and a US connection works every time. On the other hand, I have tried to use it with ABC.com which I use to like to use to catch the national news. It makes the US connection but then the site asks for my American cable tv provider. I haven't been able to get around that question because I don't know which (if any) the Hola system would show to the abc.com site... Next week I plan to test it out on the Olympics coverage and next month to see if it helps with the NCAABB Final Four coverage. A couple of years ago I was able to watch any (or all) of the Final Four Tournament games live. But last year I was getting a message that I had to be viewing from the US. Beyond those that I mentioned above I'm not sure what else it will help with because I don't watch a lot of main stream content over the web other then my NFL Gamepass service for the football games... I just use torrents for everything else. The article that clued me into the program said that it helps with several sites from England. And was great for anyone signed up with a Netflixs account. So for now it's just a niffty tool to have if and when I come across one of those "you have to be in the US to view" messages. Sidenote: it also seems useless to get around the Thai porn censors.

Just came across this news item talking about Hola: http://www.businessinsider.com/hola-tv-watch-olympics-vpn-blocker-netflix-world-2014-1 https://hola.org/ which is timely because was looking for something that will let me watch the Olympics next month (and March Madness later) without Thai commentary or having to wait for delayed torrents. The piece makes it sound pretty cool and easy to use. But I wanted to see if anyone had any experience with it before I started downloading it to my browser...

Funny... I don't believe that I have ever run across that problem before. Anyway, if it helps, here is the info on the film and the torrent link as another option: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1251761/ http://thepiratebay.se/torrent/8106598/Somtum_%282008%29_%5BThai_Movie%5D

Just ran across this on youtube and thought I'd share... IMHO the best movie ever made in Pattaya. Somtum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJz3tXlcwCM

Resurrected: as in he was dead but now he has returned... One of the smartest TV shows out of England is back for it's third season. If you haven't seen the first 2 seasons then I strongly suggest that you go back and start at the beginning. Each season is made up of three 1.5 hour episodes. And if you have been watching all along then you might want to go back and watch the final episode from season 2. It's well worth the effort and is a great way to set the tone for this new season. Here is a small taste of the program (note to newbies: season 2 ended with the death of Sherlock)... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2u_6z1wLIo Torrents for seasons 1-2 plus the first episode of season 3: http://eztv.it/shows/376/sherlock/