LilWilly

Hi Ray. I've only been to Pattaya so can't comment on the other cities. First off, it depends on our chair and if you're travelling alone. I use a power chair which is very heavy - this limits my options. If you use a manual chair, you'll have greater flexibility, although you will still find challeges. Oops, just got a time warning, so make this brie Sunshine Vista and Sabai Lodge are wheelchair friendly in N. Pattaya (Soi 2/3) Many bathrooms are inacessible to me. A narrowr light chair would have more options.

The consolate in Toronto granted me a multiple entry OA visa to avoid visa runs. I'd mentioned to them that I'd had difficulty finding transport for the chair because it was so heavy and that I'd made one visa run without the chair - but couldn't manage the walk from the van to the Cambodia office. I just have to go to immigration in Jomtien Soi 5 every 3 months to tell them my address. I think I got special consideration because of the wheelchair as I didn't have to come up with proof of income or 800,000 baht deposit.

My medical conditions is degenerative, and I get weaker every month. My VISA is good for a year. The current plan is to stay in Pattaya as long as I can. When I finally go home, I don't expect to ever fly again. Also back home in Toronto has accessible transport services. I can hire wheelchair taxis to take me anywhere the bus and wheeltrans services don't go.

I land in Bangkok on the June 21nd at 11:30PM and have a ride booked to Pattaya. It's about two hours to Pattaya so no sleep till then, unless you want to nap in the van. If interested, let me know. I'd need your flight details and we'd wait for you at the arrivals gate.

I'm bringing a portable wheelchair ramp with me that I won't need after this trip. Rather then paying the excess baggage charge to the airline, I was wondering if anyone would be interested in it. (preferable someone in the taxi business who I could book if I make a 3rd trip). It is an aluminum Ez-access tri-fold ramp rated for 800lbs and weighs 38lbs. - unfold size: 6 feet x 29" x 3.5" - folded size: 37" x 15.5" x 9" http://www.homecareproducts.com/ramps/trifold.html Ramp would be available on my departure from Thailand. I paid $833.75 CDN new in June 2006. If interested,

You mean, like getting laid on the grass!

No, I don't think it's an error. I remember past posts where he mentioned he folllows a fairly modest lifestyle. I'd be looking for a live-in so going out to look for it wouldn't be a big expense; and I'm not a big drinker. A modest life style would suit me fine.

Oh, we are REALLY going to have to get togther. I was thinking $1,000 (CDN) per month was too little to even think about.

Good news for me as I'll be across the street from Welkom Inn - but unless their demolishing buildings, if memory serves theres an empty lot across from Welkom Inn, next door to Sunshine Vista Serviced Apartments. Also, it looks like there is a new complex going in on 2nd road between Soi 4 and 5. Not sure as they were just pouring the slab at the end of my trip.

Wimps!! I fly out June 19th 2006. My return is March 6th 2007.

Canadian Dollar not as good as February, but better then March - and Canadian dollar passed 90 cents to the US dollar. Haven't seen that in a long time.

Phony doctor gives free breast exams Thu Apr 20, 11:40 AM ET MIAMI (Reuters) - A 76-year-old man claiming to be a doctor went door-to-door in a Florida neighborhood offering free breast exams, and was charged with sexually assaulting two women who accepted the offer, police said on Thursday. One woman became suspicious after the man asked her to remove all her clothes and began conducting a purported genital exam without donning rubber gloves, investigators said. The woman then phoned the Broward County Sheriff's Office and the suspect fled. He was arrested at another woman's a

My understanding is that it is 6 months from your arrival date. I made my first trip arriving Feb 1st. My passport expires August 16th. So I only had 6 months and two weeks left on my passport when I arrived. Hmmm, I just realized I might have had a problem and was lucky. I extended my visa once at the immigration office, and did one visa run to Cambodia. In both cases I'd have had less then 6 months remaining. If they are strictly enforcing the 6 month rule - either of those extentions might have been refused.

Depends on how hard you party and how high on the hog you want to live. I stayed at Sunshine Vista on Soi 3 for 29,700 baht per month. Excluding hotel, I'd budgeted 5,000 baht per day. I took $4,000 in TC and $1,000 in cash CDN. The third week there, I extended my trip from 1 month to two months. Hotel and medical expenses (additional perscriptions plus dentist visit) were charged to my Visa. I used my ATM once to draw 10,000 baht (just to see that it worked and check exchange rates) At the end of my trip, I'd used up all the TCs plus the 10,000 baht from the ATM. I retur

Yeah, I picked a losy day to end my trip. As already mentioned, pretty much every bar closed Saturday after 6 (fortunately, I bf'd early and didn't notice). Sunday was a shock though when everyone was pretty much still closed around noon. Some of the bars started opening up later in the afternoon; but they weren't (openly) serving beer or alcohol, and the few I stopped in to weren't running bins - you'd payed when you got your drink - nothing on paper.

I'm planning on extending my trip which means I will need to do a visa run before March 17th. I know there are a number of companies out their that do these. The one I've talked to can't take my chair and would require that I bring an assistant. The good news is that they will only charge me half price for the second person. So, is their anyone out their that needs to do a visa run to Cambodia between March 3rd and March 17th who, for a savings of 1,000 Baht would be willing to be my assistant for the trip. You would need to be at Sunshine Vista on day of trip by 6:00am (pickup is a

Distances in Pattaya are not as great as I'd feared from looking at the maps. I've beenin Pattaya for 3 weeks and my electric wheel chair tracks miles travelled. I can tell you that from - Pattaya Soi 3 to the start of walking street is about 2 miles. - Pattaya Soi 3 to Jomtien Soi 5 (Immigration office) is 4 miles. (Fun trip in an electric wheelchair during the day - wouldn't try it at night).

You may be asking for trouble. I've read that raw fruits and vegetables that you don't peel should be avoided due to water quality issues and bacterium which we north americans aren't acclimated to.

Same here. Being in a wheelchair, I don't want to leave getting to Pattaya by chance. Even though it costs an additional 1000 baht, I rather reserve a wheelchair van than risk someone trying to lift my chair into the back of a regular van and perhaps dropping/damaging it.

I have a van booked.... bkk to pat Jan 31 landing at 23:30 pat to BKK Mar 1 take-off at 06:40 PM if interest in either before Jan 29.

As for size of TCs, I'm thinking it also depends on how comfortable you are carrying large sums. My bank carrys $100 & $500 TCs (CAD). Converted, that's either 3,400B or 17,000B. Not sure if I'd be comfortable carrying around 17,000B even if it's only from the bank back to the hotel to lock the extra up in the safe. 33b works out to about $1 CAD per check. I know, carrying around $500 at home isn't that big a deal, but 17,000B sounds like a lot to be carrying around in Thailand.

This is why you should always carry a camera with auto advance so you can shoot multiple frames. And to think, some people say I don't have a sense of humor.

LOL. I think someone needs to take his own advice.

I would think most of the ladies would have experience lifting drunken farangs, so they'd be well experienced on how to lift me. It would probably be more of a strength issue. Might need a couple of ladies to put me to bed each night.

Oh, I understood the sarcasm and did find some of the responses funny; but then I've been on the board long enough to recognize it was sarcasm. But a true newbie might not recognize it as such. Some of the "advice" like walking on the beach at midnight could put an inexperienced newbie at risk. I also understand from my reading that there is never a fight between a farang and a Thai. It may start that way but it always seems to end uo as a fight between a farang and 10-15 Thais - not a healthy situatuation if you are the newbie farang. In any dispute, the "rich" farang always pay