MrMango

The real test is what is the upload speed? You need both for a reliable connection.

I have had Vonage for a number of years, and bring it with me on my travels. At best, it is marginal in Pattaya, due to the reliably of steady upstream and downstream bandwidth. Forget about Hotels, as it never worked there, and if you use it in an Internet Café, make sure that you go when they are not busy, and it will work fine, but when it gets busy, the traffic simply drops the VOIP off. When I lived in Jomtiem, I never could have DSL installed in my Condo (Thanx TOT), so I could never try it there. IMHO, Thailand needs better Broadband for VOIP.

I found that it is cheaper to buy one in Pattaya, as I did not have a good one in the States. Most of the new ones hat they sell in the States are Tri-band, which you need here, or in Europe, so if you have one of these, (Goggle it to see) it is not a problem to unlock it here. All of the ones that I have seen in Thailand are unlocked, but due to high import taxes, the price is about the same, but you have a wide variety of choices and models.

I like EVA air - They are a lot better than JAL or China Air. When I commute from Hawaii to Bangkok, the best thing about them is they leave at Midnight, rather than in the late morning, which gets you into Bangkok around noon, not midnight. Also when you depart, they leave about 13:00 rather than 08:00 or so, which give you a good night sleep. The other thing I look for is a short connection. I have seen flights with 12 hour layover times - Bummer...

When I stayed there, I had no problems bringing a GF tot he room. They had a security guard at the elevator who took the girls ID and off we went...

I saw a self-storage place in Jomtiem that will store anything for you. It was in the high rise building across from the Male bars just before the bend in the road approaching the beach.

I did not mean to knock them totally, it's just that some of their guests topics are bizarre.

I was not singing the praises of the Ex-Pats club - A bunch of old farts with guests speaking on the number of wings that a fly has - Very boring, but some of the info is good. Check out their web site and newsletter to find out who is at the meeting before you go.

The Ex-Pats club that meets on Sunday at Bean's sometimes has the Bangkok Bank there to open a account. My TW and I did this, and with a minimum of 1,000 Baht, we opened an account, and received our ATM in about a week. All we needed was our passports and a address.

Normally, if you go over the hill, the fare goes to 20 Baht. This seems to be the rule, but I usually have the exact fare ready, get out, give it to them, and then immediately walk the other direction - Never had any problems...

I used to live at the Jomtiem Bach Condos near Soi 10. Usually when you get on one in Pattaya, they will take you as far as you want to go, and when you get off, they turn around. That said, I have had a few turn around half way down the Beach and say that this is the end of the line. The few times that I have taken one south, they usually as far as the tourist box, which is pretty near the end where the construction starts.

It has been my expedience that VOIP is not reliable any whee in Thailand, due to the lack of bandwidth. Every time I have tried to use mine, someone that was on the same connection would start downloading some porn or something, and the connection would go south.

It is no windup - He was an asshole, and i walked away, simple as that. I have been threatened before, and almost always a fake threat. I was only out of pocket about 20,000 Baht, so just waking away and forgetting about it was my best choice. In case that he is reading this, I however, have other options that my Thai lawyer has advised me - I almost wish that he would press the point.

At the end of the day, it did not make any difference, as I have gone through Immigration several times since then. It was the idea of a shakedown that pissed me off.

I have had a bad experience leasing a condo in Jomtiem. The Failing owner asked and received 3 months in advance, plus 7,000 Baht for a bribe to have the phone connected and the DSL box upon my arrival, and assurances that he also would have DSL running. After 3 months, still no DSL, so I moved out. I later found out that he pocketed the 5,000 and 2,000 for the DSL, and then demanded an additional payment of 10,000 Baht for "extras", and if I refused threatened to have me arrested for theft, as he had a copy of my passport and visa. Needless to say, I told him to take a flying fuck, bu

I drink lao Beer when I am in Issan, and I like it - Good beer at a reasonable price.

I agree to skip Bangkok and go to Pattaya directly, but you probably will arrive about 02:00. The last time I arrived about this time, it took about 1.5 hours to get through customs and immigration. Make sure that you book a pickup car in advance - Do not trust the touts at the airport, as most simply turn you over to a cab that does not know Pattaya and will get lost trying to find your hotel. One time, it took me over 3 hours doing this... Enjoy...

Jomtien has some nice beaches with umbrellas, beer and food available from vendors everywhere, and also has pretty good water compared to Pattaya. I don't know about snorkeling though, as I do not remember seeing anybody doing this there. You might want to take the ferry to the island Koh Larn for 20 Baht, and a motor bike over the hill to some very nice beaches with the same facilities above. Much nicer water and very relaxing.

The Bus station on Pattaya North road has only one type of bus going to Bangkok (Air conditioned and a Toilet on board). They have several other busses going to other destinations, but just go to the window that says Bangkok (All signs are also in English), pony up your money, get your ticket, and then look on the ticket for the bus number, departure time, and seat number. Everything is in English and there is no need for any translation. They automatically book you on the next available bus leaving. During busy hours, they leave every 10 min. or so, so sometimes i have had to wait 20-30 Minut

I have taken the bus several times to Bangkok with no problems. It has reserved seating, AC, and quite comfortable. I usually take it first thing in the morning (6:30 or so) when I have to go to the U.S. Embassy. If you get off at Mo Chit (Sp) you can jump on the skytrain at the beginning and not have to hassle for a seat at Ekamai, and you also beat the Bangkok traffic. It usually takes less than 2 hours which I think is just as fast as a taxi. Returning is a little slower, as the bus stops several places and usually takes around 3 hours to return. IMHO, the best way to go to Bangkok

Do not forget about transportation. An earlier poster said that transportation (Baht bus) was available, but this would only be if you hire one downtown to take you home. Getting one from your house would be another matter, as I don't believe that their is a Baht bus route anywhere near the properties east of town - I could not even find one on 3rd road. I have noticed that there are a few places in Jomtien that are a short walk to beach road where busses are available.

The last time I was in the U.S., I used my Vonage VOIP phone, and I talked to my Thai wife on her Mobile for 60 min. at a cost of $7.20 - Not bad.

AAHAHH - this could be a big problem...

I stayed at the Grand a couple of years ago and was not a happy camper. Very long on the tooth, and musty with bad service. I actually moved to the Diamond which was much better....