jackcorbett

I think what is appropriate or even necessary in the U.S. particularly on the farm is not appropriate in Thailand. I would probably agree with you that the idea of having a lot of Americans, Brits, or whomever running around Pattaya's beer bars with either concealed or not concealed weapons is scary. But imagine yourself living on a farm. You are out on the tractor alone, working 15 hour days and nights--sometimes even more. And when you go home, the nearest house is nearly a kilometer from you. THe night is upon you. You spie a coyote who is watching you drive your tractor up and down the field. You think, at least something is interested in what I am diong out here. Then you think about how crazy a lot of people are. Men have been shot and killed not far from you in both directions. Drug dealers routinely head out into the country to siphon off Nitrogen from farmers' anhyrhous ammonia tanks so they can use this to manufacture Crystal Meth. But on the console in front of you there is a loded .357 magnum revolver or a .45 automatic and you feel safe. I also want to mention that for a farmer a gun is a tool as well as a means of vital self protection. If someone wanted to rob me at the apartment I am presently living in I could get to the intruder with a machete or bowie knife, samurai sword, etc. Sure, a gun would be more comforting, but I think the edged weapon would make me feel comfortable enough because of the confined close quarters of the apartment. But the edged weapon would not do at the farm. There one has to figure that anyone wanting to rob a man's house or kill his family would have a gun, possibly a shotgun or semi automatic high powered rifle. So a knife or sword simply would not do. Here at the apartmentI would not need a gun as a tool. On the farm I've been called upon to shoot and kill a hog that was dying of disease. My neighbor had a Saint Bernard that had gotten into a fight with another Saint Bernard. The dog nearly had its ear bitten off. Maggots had set in and the dog was dying so my neighbor had to have the dog put away. He asked me if he could use one of my guns, and his cousin then used my rifle to kill the dog. We've been perpertually plagued by gophers which we call ground squirrels. These rodents eat the first two rows of crops along the drainage ditches as soon as they emerge from the soil. I was pretty successful at ridding some of my fields of the ground squirrels mainly because I often kept a gun close at hand and I was a good shot. I once ran into a deer with my Miata Sports car. THe animal was badly wounded, probably mortally, and was struggling to rise from the road. I had a small pistol iwth me and I put a bullet behind his ear and that was that--an instant and painless death for the deer, which was the only deer I've ever killed although I have lots of capable rifles. I"ve had to shoot kittens that I had not seen out in the field which I accidentally ran over with a stalk shredder, which made a bloody mess out of them but not always killed the animals. As you can see, the gun is still an absolutely essential tool for the American farmer as well as being completely necessary for his protection and that of his family. You see, the farm is the last vestige of the old American frontier, where the gun was both an essential tool as well as being vital to one's self defense. And any Ameriican who does not appreciate that is just poorly informed either not having a knowledge of his own nation's History or not understanding or caring about the living conditions of his fellow Americans living out in isolated rural areas. or both.

Well guys, I think some of you have it wrong when it comes to why I would like to keep a handful of firearms in Thailand. First off, I live in the St. Louis Metro East. One of my favorite place to have a few beers is in East St. Louis, a municipality known for crime. Example in Point, if you've ever seen the movie "Vacation" starring Chevy Chase, the scene is in East St. Louis in which the cars wheels are stripped. Yet, I do not go armed for two reasons. 1. If I am drinking my judgement is likely to impaired so I don't want to even take the chance of shooting someone in the possibly mistaken belief I am being threatened. Number 2. I don't wish to be stopped by the police, who might find a weapon in the car which will then increase the chances of their slapping me with a DUI. I do not propose to go armed in Thailand. If I were allowed to keep firearms there I would keep them safely locked in a gun safe out of reach of bar girls unfamiliar with weapons handling who might accidentally injure or kill someone. I simply have a deep reverence for firearms starting when I was less than 10. Then when I was 12 I worked hard outdoors all summer long to scrape up fifty dollars to buy a WWII Springfield 03-A3 30-06. Then in the past four years I've been writing for adult magazines here in the U.S. often supplying all photography for my articles. For something like 15 issues straight I wrote a gun article for Xtreme Magazine on the weapon of my choice. For each article I chose a model who worked as either a house dancer (stripper) or feature entertainer and shot the pictures of her with a Nikon D-1 X. I chose for the most part what I considered to be Historically significant weapons--eg. the Browning 50 caliber machine gun, Uzi, the AK-47, the M-1, the Springfield 1861 Civil War rifle, the Colt .45 Peacemaker, the Mauser 98, the Thompson submachine gun, the M-1 Carbine, SKS, M-16, PPK, .1911 .45 automatic, etc. In my articles I attempted to blend History with the weapon I was reviewing and often included my perceptions of the girl. I could never have been successful in writing these articles if it were not for my love of History (I was a History Major, taught school for a year, and ultimately got a Masters Degree). And whether some people like it or not, firearms were a central part of American History for better or worse. My writing gun articles for Xtreme eventually culminated in the owner of Xtreme, my editor, and a gun owner who supplied some of the weapons I wrote about and I combining to design, produce and sell the 2004 Xtreme Weapons calendar which I have been selling on my web site at http://www.alphapro.com (you can still buy it there although I advise you not to since it's a 2004 calendar). Because of my love of History I would want to keep a handful of firearms just as I would want to keep the old roll top desk my father used and his father before him, my book collection, or the 1865 Union Cavalry saber used in the American Civil War. As far as keeping them for self defense I'd say there would be a far better chance of a Thai bar girl accidentally hurting someone with one of my guns than my ever using it to shoot someone who was actually threatening my life.--if I did not keep them locked away in a safe that is. Okay--Now you know why and how I would want to keep firearms in Thailand. Let me now address some of the anti gun statements that have been made here that categorically state that no guns should be allowed in any circumstances in the hands of the citizenry of a given nation. I lived on a farm for over twenty years. I would like to know where the law was that would protect me or my family while I was living on the farm. Once while my nephew was visiting us at the farm, my nephew and my step son who were around twelve or thirteen then went down to the farm pond which was just off the interstate but two miles from the farm house. Older boys came onto the property to swim in the pond. They were around 18. They pulled a knife on the younger boys and chased them from the pond. When my wife came the boys laughed at her. Finally I wound up driving past. My wife drove up to me in her vehicle to tell me what had happened. I happened to have a mini 14 in the pickup. At first I yelled at the boys who by this time were hiding under a raft in the middle of the pond. They did not come out, ignoring me when I told them to come out of the water. I then took the Mini 14 out of the pickup and shot into the air. Since the blast of a .223 cartridge is rather loud, the boys became frightened and started to swim to the dock where I was standing. At this point I put the gun away in my pickup and told the boys I was not threatening them with it but if they tried to come out of the water, I would quickly retrieve the rifle from my pickup and shoot the tires on their vehicle to pieces. Now that got their atttention. My wife then called the sheriff. His deputy arrived 30 minutes later. Meanwhile I calmly talked to the boys who by this time had swum up to the raft. A few months later one of the boys went to the penitentiary for raping a 16 year old girl. In the same general time period a gas station attendant was shot in the head around six o'clock in the morning. This was just half a mile from one of the farms I farmed. No one knows why his killer shot him and to this day no one knows who killed the man. In the opposite direction five miles from where we lived another man was shot in the head at the Farmersville Shell Station. The man used to change the oil of my car. Farmersville is a small town with a population of just 600. Two men had come into the gas station where they shot the other attendant in the throat. When Greg heard the report of the gun, he came out of the office and was promptly killed. the other man survived his throat wound. Meanwhile there was a woman pumping gas into her car. When she heard the gunfire she drove off. The two killers followed her in their car. When she got twenty miles up the highway the state highway patrol stopped the murderers who were stilll following her. She had used her cell phone to call the police. What I want to know is "would my family and I have slept better had the U.S. government stripped me of my right to bear arms" while we were all living on a relatively isolated farm 30 minutes from the nearest police or deputy?

This is the first site I found about the complex http://asiatours.net/thailand/properties/w...ence/index.html Then just tonight, I found the following site, http://www.condo-pattaya.com/General.htm which shows progress pictures of the project as of November 2004. Anyone know anything about the place including the desireability of the general location Wongamat Beach, reputation of the company behind it, etc.---apparent quality of construction (to those who might have seen the site in progress)?

I stayed at Skytop between October 22nd and November 22nd and will be here again, this time for two months from March 12th on. I concur, that Pete is a nice guy. The Internet Cafe is handy. In fact, esential to me. And that large lit up bar next door is very convenient.

When I was in Pattaya from October 22-November 22nd, my cat nearlly died back here in the states. Although I left her in great hands, she stopped eating, and wouldn't let her new caretakers get within two feet of her. Finally they threw her out of the house and put her in a one car garage one hundred feet away thinking she wouldn't be as upset hearing strange voices. This is one very loyal animal. I am coming to Pattaya again on March 12 and will stay two months, then return to the U.S. for the summer, to return to Pattaya early August and stay an entire year. But I will have to do something with my cat then. If I can bring her to Thailand that is what I will do. I understand taking her there is not that big of a problem depending on what rules the airlines have. Normally I fly to Bangkok on Eva Airplines. I like the stewardesses for one thing. The Chinese girls are real lookers and just the thing to get me all geared up in my head for Thai women. The American airlines pull their stewardesses out of moth balls and don't even bother to brush the cobwebs off before sticking them in front of me.

Thanks. Are you living in Pattaya now? Right now I am looking from my window as I type a water tower. So all is secure here at this apartment. If the power goes out, I have kerosene lamps and the like that I can read by. I could in fact get a small generator to give me enough heat to get by. I could go to a creek, bring some water back and boil it. But I sure like the weather a lot better in Pattaya at this time of the year, the women 10,000 times more, the music which I infinitely prefer to the rap, hip hop and other crap we have over here, and I love the food so much that I go to one of two Chinese restaurants close to this apartment six times a week and only because I would have to drive half an hour away to get thai food (which probably is not quite the same as what I got in Thailand).

Roy........I appreciate your reply that as a farang I would be wrong no matter what. Let me mention where I'm coming from and what I have in mind....if this is prudent that is. The types of guns I have in mind are not hideout guns. I would never go out with any of them and they would always be locked up in some form of safe. THe contents of this safe would never be available to anyone but myself and this would include any girlfriends I might have. I like guns, pure and simple. And here in the U.S. I often go out into areas some might consider to be unsafe. Nevertheless, I never go into these areas armed. I do go to shooting ranges however. So if I could prudently transfer say five or six of my guns to a THai majority owned corporation managed by myself without incurring the wrath of the authorities and risk deportation for keeping them securely locked in a heavy safe I would want to do so. I grew up in the country. On my birthdays and at Christmas my Dad would once in awhile get me a pistol or rifle beginning with pellet guns when I was pretty young. So a love amounting to reverence for guns was instilled in me at an early age. By the time I was 12 I wanted a Springfield 03 rifle so bad I could taste it. A doctor living across the golf course had one hidden under his bed but when he was not home his son and I would take it out and look at it. It was kept unloaded by the way. When I was 12 I worked all summer and very hard, outdoors. I pulled weeds out of bean fields, I helped clean cisterns out and helped put new roofs on small buildings and at the end of the summer I had fifty dollars which I used to buy a pristine 1943 Springfield 03-A3 rifle from a local police officer. Keep in mind most boys won't even buy a .22 at 12. But I had to buy a 30-06 which fired shells 3 inches long which had a sharp kick to it, especially for someone who was 12. But I could handle its recoil even then. I still have that rifle. I also want to mention that I am a History Major even though I received my liberal arts degree many years ago. But both before and after getting the degree I"ve maintained a strong interest in History and the role that weapons have played. When I was 12 I finished for example "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" which was around 1000 pages long and by the time I was 13 I think I had already read over 30 books on the American Civil War. But recently, during the past three years I've written gun articles for something like 18 months straight for of all things, an adult American East Coast Magazine. I'd choose whichever model I liked and a weapon which I deemed was Historically significant, then shoot the pictures of the model and write up the article while trying hard to explain not just how the weapon performed or worked but why it was historically important. I would just like to keep a few guns around which I could once in awhile take out and look. So I am wondering if I could do this without getting into trouble with the Thai authorities if I went the corporate route. I think one needs 51 % Thai ownership and at least 7 Thai stockholders. The guns, if I could transfer them, would be kept under lock and key. I would not want to hide what I was doing from the authorities either.

On another web site I read an article written by a Rick Armstrong in which he urges prospective condo purchasers to rent rather than to buy. The first reason he gives is what he describes as the widespread noise pollution in Pattaya and that there is little a farang can do about it if the noise level escalates beyond what the farang expected. Rick wrote: "Farangs are permitted to own condos. But before you go rushing into buying a bargain-priced apartment in Bangkok or Pattaya here is one critical reason why you should rent instead: Noise Pollution! Thais seem to live in a world of noise, maybe because they are more tolerant than westerners, or perhaps because they don't know any better. Noise is a fact of life in the kingdom. Especially in poorer neighborhoods of the capital, and upcountry villages. In many provinces of southern Thailand, for example, the noise pollution starts at dawn with a tirade of government announcements amplified over loudspeakers in every other suburban soi. There are Muslim mosques, even in Pattaya, where some amplified, out-of-tune mullah calls the faithful to prayer starting before dawn, with several similar sessions all day, every day. Not to be outdone, the Buddhist temples with their amplified droning and chanting at funerals and other ceremonies can make life miserable for any apartment dweller. Then there are the mobile billboards, blaring music and adverts amplified from slow-moving trucks crawling along major streets." (and so on with more examples of noise pollution). Teenagers across the nation think it is cool to race down city streets on noisy little two-stroke motorcycles, the exhaust mufflers modified to emit the loudest sound possible. And usually in the wee hours when everyone is trying to sleep. And how could you forget those barking soi dogs in the middle of the night. A horrible nightmare One friend of mine complained bitterly to me after buying a condo apartment in what appeared to be a very quiet upmarket street. Jack was no stranger to Thailand. He has lived here for several years. But despite my advice to the contrary, he decided to invest in a condo. Thinking he was seasoned and experienced, he shopped around for several weeks. When he finally decided on the building he wanted, he made a careful inspection of the surrounding streets and neighborhood. At all hours of the day and into the evening. He even drove by around 11 p.m. just in case. But all was quiet. This must be the perfect spot. Alas that was not to be. The very first night, money invested and a very proud owner, he moved into his new premises. Imagine his horror when around half after midnight, there was a horrible din from down below. A pork butcher team had arrived and started work chopping up pork carcasses out in the street, adjacent to his building. The noise of the of chopping blocks, the motorcycles roaring off in the early hours with their orders to the early morning markets. The blood and offal going down the sewers, the smell, cockroaches, rats running about everywhere. It was a nightmare without end. There was nothing Jack could do. It was something he just had to put up with. He ended up selling out at a loss, exported what was left of his cash back to the States, took my advice and rented instead. Generally speaking, the more expensive the condo, the more classy and upmarket the residents, and the less chance of noise pollution within and outside the building. But this does not always apply. If the "family from hell" moves in next door, above you, or down the hallway, there is very little you can do about it. You could complain to the condo corporate management, but you'll most likely receive a broad smile and a "mai pen rai" (no worries) response. Don't expect you friendly co-owners to help either. Thais will accept noise, tolerate it, perhaps even be oblivious to it. At most they would think the distressed farang a bit strange and amusing. Now you might argue that these same problems exist for tenants. But renting is a simple affair here in the kingdom. You pay your money every month with little interaction. Unless there are major repairs needed. Minor repairs are usually the tenant's responsibility. If the neighborhood turns bad, such as in the the examples above, if the family from hell moves in next door, or some dude down the street decides to open a welding shop or a karaoke bar, you can pack up quickly and get out... keeping your sanity intact. At most, all you will lose is your security deposit. But hey, the landlord isn't going to give that back anyway. And renting is cheap by western standards. For example, a downtown studio apartment, or a two-storey townhouse in Pattaya typically costs around 5-6,000 baht a month, and that often includes free cable television.' However, it could be that Rick is biased since he apparently sells overseas investments to expatriates settling in Thailand. If the farang buys a condo or house in Thailand he won't have as much to invest with Rick. Nevertheless here in the U.S. my thoughts are very similar to Rick's who might in fact be giving very sound advice. I am presently renting an 1100 square foot apartment that most visitors think is a condo. It is perfect for me. There is no risk in the financial arrangements I have made and if something goes wrong the problem is fixed. Moreover, I have the flexibility to easily move elsewhere. But one issue that concerns me is as follows: I noticed there was heavy contruction in the area I was staying in North Pattaya (2nd Road near Soi 6) near the beach and was informed by an English Expatriate who had been living in Pattaya for 20 years that he expected the city's population to double in the next five years. So I am concerned that rents in and around Pattaya will increase dramatically and very soon. Therefore, buying in and around Pattaya makes more sense to me than in the U.S. On the other hand, I totally concur with Rick's advice to invest outside of Thailand where one understands the rules and has much more consumer protection than in Thailand. To be honest, I'm torn. I'd like to buy the right condo, but I'm very concerned that situations might develop beyond my control (eg...the demotion derby or a sewage plant moves next door raising the decibel or olfactactory threshood to unprecedented levels) that shreds the value of the purchased property yet I'm at the same time concerned about rapidly escalating rental and purchase price increases in both Central Pattaya and desireable areas in Jomtien close to the beach. Is anyone here familiar with a very newly developed condo complex in Jomtien about 1/3rd of a block off the beach called Panchalae that I mentioned in an earlier post? http://www.panchalae.com/ I looked at several condos in that complex of 75 units, and really liked what I saw. Several condos fit me to a tee. Prices go from around 3.6 million baht and up running what appears to be 33,000 baht per square meter but the deck area is included in the square footage and the decks are substantial is size (which is to my liking). In addition maintainance fees for what I consider to be a very attractive building and grounds are rather high, running from $850 American per year and up. Lest everyone think I'm rambling I'll now get to my core questions. I am asking 1. Strictly about this development in particular, 2. While also using this as an example of what I am really looking for. A. Does anyone know anything about this development and the reputation of the company (Panchasarp) behind it? B. Given both my apprehension about assuming the risk of ownership and my fear that there will soon be rapid price escalation in the more desireable areas in Pattaya how risky do you think buying one of these units is or something similar from someone else? A completely different alternative to buying a condo in March or April would be to follow through with my plan of staying in Pattaya for two months starting early March, then return to the U.S. until early August after which I will return again to Pattaya, this time for a year in which I can test the waters. I would rent a small place and possibly try several units out. This strategy would make me much more knowledgeable as to what my next course should be.

Shit Happens......I am open to a number of possible avenues. Most of the listings I've looked at show condos that are already furnished. Many of these show what I consider to be deplorable tastes. But then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I'm sure many would find what I like to be in bad taste. I have an apartment here in the U.S. that I really love as in nearly every aspect it fits me to a tee. But I went an extra step, hanging celing fans where I wanted, putting in over 15 feet of floor to ceiling mirrors on certain walls which I could use for my photography (of models) and which also makes the narrow room look much more spacious. I put in shelves in the kitchen and bathroom, where I changed the fixtures from chrome to brass, then I had someone come in to rewall paper the bathroom with a map style wall paper of the American Civil War on one side and logs on the other. This is an apartment, not a condo, so one does not normally do these kinds of things, and I really expected to be living here for quite a few years. But it's now looking like I'll be reestablishing myself in Pattaya. So I might be interested in getting something that is unfurnished so I can get just the look (and the furniture) that I want. So I would be interested in hearing more about your mate, what kind of work he does, etc.

I understand that Thailand is pretty hostile about gun ownership particularly if they are owned by non Thais. I used to write a gun article month for a small magazine here in the U.S. and simply like guns even though I don't hunt anymore and don't go around armed. I am wondering whether or not one is allowed to sell several guns to a corporation that is majority Thai owned, then lease them back while keeping them securly locked in a heavy safe. First....is this legal under Thai Law? Also, would one be unduly risking the ire of the authorities? We are assuming that one was not trying to hide what he is doing here but at the same time is being very discrete by not showing the firearms off to his Thai girlfriends, waving them around at parties, etc.

I see what you mean about the complex's web page being under construction. Seems the projected completion date for your building is May, 2005 so they are running a bit behind schedule if you think it will be done in June. Looks like a nice spot though. You mentioned the high rises and how you didn't personally care for their looks. Is this the same company which is building your new home? By the way, the more I think about it the more rationale it seems to live in Jomtien and to play in Pattaya where the absolute mayheim occurs. I have still another question. The one thing I noticed in Pattaya was the absence for the most part of sail boats. I don't know if the same is true about Jomtien or not. Perhaps I was noticing this at the wrong time of the year. Would this possbly be because good consistent winds are not as present as they might be at other parts of the world? (I rented a small hobie cat in Belize several years ago.)

Sounds to me that bicycling is NOT a good proposition in the Pattaya area. Sunny--From what I understand the larger units where you expect to take up residence in June are already sold out with only the smaller studios not taken. If not, can you direct me to a web site for the development? Also....how long on an average does it take you to get to Central Pattaya on the baht bus? When we checked out the condos at Panchalae we were all tired from having just arrived in Pattaya from the states. I remember having to pay a higher fee because of the extra distance to this location...which is between Soi 8 and 9 near Wat Bun Rd. However, we probably got taken. Thereafter I normally paid the falang price of 10 baht around Pattaya and on one occasion when I did not have enough change I gave my Thai date just 10 baht and had her pay the driver for both of us while I hung back to the rear of the vehicle. No problem. on this single occasion when I paid the Thai price. I did like the looks of the units I saw, however. Maintainance fees were a bit higher than you will be paying at around 32,000 baht annually, but I really liked the looks of the grounds too. When we returned to North Pattaya on the baht bus there was a lot of traffic so the ride too awhile. I am wondering what to expect when the traffic is not as bad. Also...if one had a motorbike. How would this affect how much time it would take to get to say, Soi 8 in Pattaya itself? Jack Corbett

Many thanks, Sunny, for the helpful advice. While looking up the laws re foreign ownership requirements for condos I found the following, which sounds scary. Nevertheless it is the viewpoint of just one person. "Thai Condominium Law If you are tempted to buy a condominium unit in preference to trouble free renting, here is a copy of Thai Condominium Law as it applies to foreign ownership. My advice is not to even consider buying as an option, I could write a book about the rip-offs encountered by people I know, people I have met, and my own experiences in the world of property ownership. You name a bizarre method of cheating an unsuspecting foreigner, and I assure you that I can top it with a more unbelievable but true story. The problems start with the maintenance charges which the Thai occupants rarely pay, leaving the foreigners to increase their share if the lifts, pool and common areas are to be maintained. Staff wages, kick backs from contractors, over charging for everything including 100% mark-ups on water, electricity and telephone. I know people who have arrived back unannounced to find other people occupying their condo and paying rent to the management, in one case it was the manager and his family living there rent free! Units sold twice, units sold whilst there is still an unpaid mortgage on the unit. Units sold by the square metre being vastly over stated when you get a tape measure out. Parking spaces that constituted part of the overall floor area purchased being built over. Management tapping into your own metered power supply to avoid paying for electricity for their own apartments. These are just the tip of the iceberg and when you consider that you will be expected to pay more than a Thai national for the same unit, then have trouble selling it on if you want to leave and you may begin to see why I suggest that you invest the total price of the condo in an interest bearing investment and use the income generated to pay the rent. Sadly, interest rates are so low now that this option no longer works, but there are nothing but pitfalls associated with buying, and no problems associated with renting. The application of just a small amount of skill and judgement should help you make your mind up. To be fair though, I do know several people who have have had no trouble whatsoever.............................so far. Reading this makes one almost want to rent an apartment. How much truth is there to this viewpoint in your estiimation and how can one best get around avoiding the scamming the writer complains about. Also...You are perhaps best to ask this question since you are about to move to Jomtien. I have a nice bicycle which I am thinking of shipping over to Pattaya if I make this move. From what I have seen of the traffic in Pattaya itself riding it in Pattaya Central might get a little dangerous . How about the Jomtien area? About the same? And do you know of any good bicycle trails? And what do you think of the Jomtien area itself for walking or running compared to Beach Road between Central and North Pattaya (around Soi 6) where I did a fair amount of walking?

After spending a month in Pattaya--October 22-November 22 during this second visit, I am most interested in making the area my permanent residence, to the extent of checking into U.S. bank financing for a condo and contacting the Thai Consulate in Chicago so that I can get started on a retirement visa. then in March, I'm returning to Pattaya, this time for two months when I will most likely make a final decision on whether or not to buy and which unit to purchase. First off, in general what are the advantages and disadvantages of purchasing a condo here? I can see one advantage that being if the area is undergoing rapid expansion, and i believe it it, rents and property prices will tend to go up. But I'm certainly worried about getting ripped off. Second---what kind of condo and where should I be looking into? I am interested in getting something similar to the apartment I'm living in here in the U.S. which is around 1050 square feet, has two bedrooms, one which I use for a photography studio among other things. This apartment has a very nice private deck where I have bird and squirrel feeders. Ideally I would like something of similar square footage which is a bit less than 100 square meters. Since I have two motor vehicles I would be selling which I can put down on the condo, I am seriously consider paying a premium for what some might consider to be wasteful extravagances. A nice large sunny deck ideally facing the ocean would be a luxury I am most interested in. In fact, my best friend and I checked out a new development in Jomtien that is located between Soy 8 and Soy 9 called Panchalae where we looked at three different units. This complex has beatiful outdoor surroundings with a nice pool, an atrium, etc and it also had large outdoor decks with good views. All in all, quite appealing. I also want to mention that I'm into getting lots of outdoor exercise and here in the states I regularly walk or run and will often bicycle up to thirty miles in a couple of hours. For at least walking and running (I very much doubt Pattaya offers the bicyle trails the St. Louis area offers....eg....as just one part of one there is an abandoned suspension bridge across the Missippi River open to just bicyclists and pedestrians that is one mile long) Jomtien might be better than Central Pattaya. I just don't know since my experience with Pattaya is quite limited. I stayed in a small guesthouse in Northern Pattaya close to Soi 6 on Second Road and I enjoyed this area very much. And it is here where I'm returning in March. Upon my return to the U.S. I noticed that Northshore Condominiums has a web site and I have been looking over their floor plans. However, I do not remember seeing Northshore Condoniums on my walks. In any case, I am not sure if this development has anything like the decks I saw at Panchalae and I have no idea of their pricing as they have not e-mailed me back yet. I loved the proximity of this area to Big C and to Sois 7 and 8 and other areas where there's a lot of ladies to choose from. not to mention several nice retaurants where regularly had breakfast. I would think the Jomtien area would be much quieter since I understand it to be roughly 20 minutes from Central Pattaya by baht bus, which was my regular form of transportation. But we went here when we were all dead tired within 36 hours of our arrival from the U.S. I seem to recall we had to pay the baht bus driver more for taking us there. Since I am seriously considering living in the Pattaya area full time, leaving the U.S. altogether, as dearly as I love the night life action of Walking Street and the various Sois', I am wondering it this might start getting to be a little too much and that I would over the long pull sleep and rest better in Jomtien, get more exercise, etc. I am wondering if I could get my cake and eat it too or is this area substantially more pricey for food, be a bit too hard and time consuming to get from to the main center of action, etc.? There is also the aspect of condo maintainance fees. The grounds of the development I saw in Jomtien look and are expensive to maintain. If they weren't, they would soon deteriorate. I have been looking at various real estate listings on the Internet. There are quite a few from the Talay Condo Project which I understand are between Pattaya and Jomtien. Anyone here have any info on such units? And how long does it take to get to central Pattaya from there? I've talked about the ideal place. 1000 square feet, nice deck and balcony facing the ocean, proximity to the night life of Central Pattaya, less noisy and more relaxing (thus contradicting closeness to night life). Cost is also a factor although if I make this move I'll be saving lots of money by giving up the cars, the rent payment, the prospect of much higher medical bills, etc. and I do have a great advantage of having a nice steady U.S. income. If I do decide to relocate to Pattaya in the real world I will probably end up giving up or compromising on some of the criteria I've listed for choosing a condo.