MM

Yeah, I like living at the Hard Rock Hotel. Tom, the title of the thread was why you like living here, and I doubt you'll find many who come to live here for the Big Macs or Starbucks. Oh, well, the horse is dead anyway.

I like "international". It definitely does not (only) mean Starbucks and McDonalds, unless someone is just being thick.

By "international", I meant that I can stay in Pattaya and meet people from all over the world. I've become much better at decoding accents and jargon, though am still a bit slow with some of those from the British Isles. Having spent most of my life in the USA, it's a pleasure (for me) to meet people from a variety of other countries without actually going anywhere. Having chain outlets from the USA, Italy, England or whatever had nothing to do with what I meant. Why you would even assume that was my meaning is puzzling in the extreme.

I said in reference to living in other parts of Thailand that might not have a Tuk.Com or computer store. I didn't mean to say, nor did I unambigously imply, that Pattaya is high tech. I meant that I like technology (like broadband, ATMs, elevators, cell phone coverage). These were comparisons to what some people like to call "the real Thailand".

Good point, but can you elaborate on the vice versa part? With respect to your post, agreed now that the topic should have been "Reasons you like living in Pattaya". I like this place because it is very international and has a good infrastructure. Living outside Pattaya, especially if you like technology, would be a bit more challenging.

Kind of why I started the thread

uh, cause it became an emergency...oh, and cause when he's working the bar is open and the computer repair shops are closed.

Ok, maybe the ladies are a big big part of it, but there's more. As an example, today I had to get a computer repair done for the bar computer. Damned thing came up saying "no operating system found". So, I checked and it turns out the hard disk wasn't being found. I had my reception guy meet me with the computer at Tuk.com (he didn't complain, even though it was outside his work hours). We took the computer to the Hardware Store on the 4th floor. The fixit guy promptly took it back to his workroom while I followed like a concerned parent. He took the cover off, jiggled some wires, hooked up a monitor and keyboard, booted it and the disk was found. Hmm, I thought. All this time wasted for a loose connector. He rebooted and we tried to recreate the problem, but it never failed again. This computer had been dead for a month, so it apparently just wanted to get out for an afternoon. He replaced the connector between the motherboard and the hard disk, just to be sure. Rebooted a few more times...no problem still. I said "thanks for that, how much do I owe you?" He said "nothing". I said, "You put in new connector". He said "mai bpen rai, up to you". I gave him 100b. Nowhere in my home country of the USA would this ever happen, especially in a tourist area. There are lots of reasons to live here...little things that are unimaginable back in the old country.

Just some internal changes. Nothing major.

Still there and no apparent change (road is still closed and torn up).

For a proper restaurant, every time I have eaten at the Cherry Restaurant (across from Exzyte on 3rd Road), I have enjoyed the food, the presentation and the value. For Bami Moo Daeng (yellow noodles with red pork), I go to the stand in front of the Family Mart on Soi Buakhao just before you get to the big market area. Thanks for the tip on gai tawt (fried chicken). I'll give them a go. Oh, for fruit shakes, the best place I've found is near that fried chicken place in the market...15b for a delicious and fresh smoothie. So many other places, depending on the mood...lots of good food in town.

luvtomuff - you can now send a PM.

That's an awesome rate for the one bedroom suite. I only negotiated 3000/night for that room (normally 4600), so I can't see how 1600/night would be possible. Are you sure you booked the one bedroom suite? If you send me a PM with your last name, I can double check your reservation for you. Something sounds wrong here. I'd hate for you to be surprised or disappointed when you arrive.

Sorry, it's too silly a question to even respond to.

It's purely an honor system between the customer, the girl and the bar.

On a holiday, the bars that I know of are still paying the salary to the girl. This is a standard apparently around Pattaya. At FLB, all salaries, cuts, bar fine policies are managed by Moulie and the cashier Nee, as they have been since before I bought the bar. I have no interest in tinkering with the system if it is standard throughout the town. In addition, the bar fined girl, in order to let you avoid paying the bar fine on a holiday, would have to lie to the mamasan and forego her cut of the bar fine amount. It's unlikely she will do that, but if she does, you then have your bar-fine-free holiday. Perhaps you should explain to the girl that you don't want to pay bar where she works (and will continue to work after you leave) and that she shouldn't mention the fact that she spent the holiday with you. Of course, there is a chance she might just tell you to go have the holiday by yourself. She might think you're cheap, but of course, it's the principle, as we all know.

Two questions, same answer.

An Asian goes into a chip shop and asks, "How are the chips cooked."

I know some of us have strong opinions on the current political state of Thailand, but I'm going to have to ask you to try to avoid characterizing the current regime in a derogatory fashion. I do consider the politics of Thailand relevant to the membership and Pattaya, but because the current political administration is a military junta with broad powers, I'd prefer not to be holding the bag if someone gets their panties in a twist because of something someone said on here. Thanks.

I am pretty sure the rate is inclusive of tax.

Thanks for the review. I've been meaning to give them a try some evening myself.

I was in the USA.

Your MONKEYWATCH reports have always been very entertaining, but this one had me in stiches. One of the best ever, IMHO.

My comment comparing posts of relative "peculiarness" was in response to your comment in this thread shown below. Whatever the poster to whom you were responding said that might seem peculiar to you was nothing compared to your posts of a decidedly peculiar nature in the past. Give him a break and contribute yourself rather than trying to ridicule him. And, for your information, referring to, and describing, your prior posts is not flaming.