Evil Penevil

The biggest problem with the Lone Star seems to be inconsistency. In different reports, the description of the food served has varied from good to not acceptable. I've eaten three meals there, all the Sunday steak specials. The first was described in the OP. The second came two weeks later. The steak itself was cooked the same as in the OP, so no improvement there, but the quality of the side dishes had diminished. The third time was at the end of April and everything was fine, with the steak grilled properly. An American friend and his girlfriend also ate steaks and they were both happy. I've heard the owner has been out of Thailand for family and business reasons. Very often when the owner isn't on site, the quality slips. Maybe that is the reason behind the varying reports. Evil

I stayed there for five days in January and can second what cisco says: The comfort level of the serviced apartment itself was high. I'd have no problem living in the building on a permanent basis if the only consideration was the standard of the apartment and facilities. No difficulties at all in bringing back girls, but the wifi connection was weak during peak hours. However, the "clash of cultures" element was pretty strong. A lot of the other guests were from Russia or the Middle East. One afternoon the TG who was staying with me went out on her own to get some things. In the elevator on her way back, she got hassled and mauled heavily by three ME guys. They even tried to restrain her from getting off at the floor on which we were staying, laughing at her the whole time. She came back to the apartment in tears. I wanted to complain to the management, but begged me not to, saying it would only make things worse for her. The Russians, beyond their customary rudeness, would tie up the four computers in the lobby for hours, handing them off among family or friends so other guests couldn't use them. Russian kids would also use the computers to play online games with each other. I did complain about that and the reception staff chased the kids off the computers. But ten minutes later, a Russian man, maybe the kids' father, came down and started raging at me and the Thai staff in Russian. He was very angry and the staff asked me to go back to my apartment until they could calm him down. I wasn't inclined to do that, but with hindsight, it was probably the best solution. I just hoped the "calming down" process would involve him getting a kicking, but I doubt that happened. The other (relatively minor) downside factor was the location if you're going to be spending a lot of time on Walking Street or any other point south of Pattaya Klang. Getting back from WS is no problem, but getting to WS meant a 15-minute hike via Soi 6 to the Beach Road baht buses. Same-same long walk to Soi Bukhao. Of course, if you use a moto, that isn't an issue, nor is it an issue if you mainly visit points north of @ Mind. Evil

That picture would make any Philadelphian puke. Here's what a real Philly cheesesteak looks like: from Pat's: or Geno's: Evil

I've never eaten a Philly steak sandwich at Tequila Reef, so there is nothing I can say. I don't usually eat iconic American dishes in Pattaya. They can never be as good as back home. Evil

It's more to inform the agent or booking site of what is available on that date. Whether you're able to actually buy a ticket at the given price will depend if that particular agent has tickets available for the class designation. There are 10 or more "class codes" (H,N,Q,V, S, K, etc.) for discounted tickets in the economy cabin, each of which carries a different price. The most heavily discounted carry the most restrictions. It's not so much the case that air fares go up in high season, it's that far fewer discounted tickets are available. You have to pay more because the ticket you have to buy has a code designator in a higher price class than the more discounted tickets. For example, a ticket with the class code H is more expensive than S or K, but passengers receive the same inflight services. Evil

I don't think they are skewers, but I'm not sure what they are. Only a guess, but perhaps they are tossed on the charcoal for an aromatic flavor effect. Here's another place, in the opposite direction to Tuk.Com if you start from LK Metro. It's on Pattaya Klang (right side as you walk towards Beach Road) between Soi Bukow and 2nd Road. It's a rather large roofed eating hall. Regular sit-down meals (heavy on seafood) are available, as are many "street style" dishes. In front of it are stalls that sell fresh fruit and other foodstuffs. One stall offers very good mango with sticky rice, the perfect finish for any Thai meal. Evil

I will. Thanks for the tip. Evil

Here's a photo of couple of Thai meals my then TGF ordered at Pattaya Beer Garden for herself, her daughter and a visiting friend. I had a jittery stomach that week, so I only ate steamed rice with a Pepto Bismol chaser. I can't say how the food tasted, but the ladies liked it, judging by what they said and the portions they ate. Even the little girl, a picky eater, did justice to her plate of food. Evil

Thank you! Here are a few more pics: The first two are bowls of noodle soup from the place behind Tuk.Com that I described in post #19. This is an "indoor-outdoor" restaurant across the street from that same noodle shop. Cheap beer as well as cheap and tasty food: Still in the vicinity of Tuk.Com, this is a sit-down place across the subsoi from Cucumber on Pattaya Tai: Around lunch or in the evening, it is usually packed by a mixed crowd of Thais and mostly Russian farangs. It could be the decor that's as big as attraction as the food. EDIT IN: a few more pics of the food: The next sets of pics are straight-out street food from the "night food market" along Pattaya Tai. I was a bit leery of the salt-encrusted fish, but it is truly delicious. Moist with a mild flavor. The last is my second-favorite Thai dessert, banana crepes. (My most favorite would be mango with sticky rice). This lady made especially good banana crepes, better than most I've had. If you're walking towards 2nd Road from Tuk.Com, her cart is at the corner of the second subsoi. She only seems to work that location between about 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Yum! Evil

I'd say five minutes walk is very optimistic, more like 15-20 minutes to Soi Six from Nova Gold. It would take about five minutes by moto. I haven't stayed at the NG, but have stayed at the Amari Nova and @ Mind Residence (Soi 4 off 2nd Rd), both of which aren't far from the NG. If you start at NG, you'll pass @ Mind about 2/3s of the way to Soi Six. It took me a good five minutes just to walk from @ Mind to Soi Six. It can also take several minutes just to cross 2nd Road when the traffic is heavy. The location of the NG isn't that convenient. It would take 15-20 minutes to walk to either 2nd Road or Pattaya Klang at Soi Bukow. Of course, the NG has a shuttle (actually an extended golf buggy) that will take you to Klang and if you take a moto, you can get anywhere fairly fast. It's the baht bus connections that aren't convenient, especially if you're heading south. Evil

Same-same. I have four more trips to the U.S. booked and paid for through January 2013 and I've already been upgraded to biz on each and every leg of the flights. The inconvenient times for arriving/departing Thailand are the biggest downside to United. Evil

I've usually seen it spelled bustier or bustiere, but it is a top, usually intended to push up the breasts. It wouldn't cover the groin area. Evil

Historically, it's the part of a women's outfit that covers her from the neck or bust line to the waist. In more modern times, it can refer to a garment (or part of a garment) that covers roughly the same area, such as the black garment in the second "bunny girl" pic. The upper part of a dress or frock is often called the bodice. Evil

Yandy.com has a "bunny kit" consisting of bunny ears, bow-tie collar, cuffs and bunny tail. You would also have to get a bodice, usually a one-piece swim suit. Another Internet outlet has a complete bunny costume (with bodice) for about US$19.00. There are also videos on YouTube about making a bunny costume for next to nothing, assuming the girl already has an article of clothing that can serve as a bodice. Evil

Not my morning glory, but she's certainly welcome to nibble on it. In my case, maybe the alternate name of "water spinach" would be more appropriate. Evil For those who favor very inexpensive street-style dishes, here are three more options, all close to Tukcom. They aren't strictly "streateries," but sought of like a hybrid of a hole-in-the-wall restaurant and a street restaurant. The first is behind Tukcom, at the corner of the first intersection of the bounding subsois as you exit to the left. Great noodle soup, cooked to order and very tasty at 30 or 40 baht a bowl, depending on what's in it. The second is on Pattaya Tai, diagonally across the street from Tukcom. It serves a great boiled chicken and rice dish (for sit-down or take-away) at 40 baht. The third is on one of the subsois that runs off Pattaya Tai (third down from Tukcom as you walk towards 2nd Road) . It's about in the middle of the block. Very cheap and tasty food and a great variety of dishes. I failed to take a picture of it, but my favorite dish was squid with salted eggs. It's where one of the girls I know would take her mother for a meal when the mother came to visit. The two dishes in the pic - pork with garlic and Thai-style stuffed omelet, cost a whopping 80 baht total. I can't imagine what the health authorities in any Western restaurant would say about this restaurant, but I was eating there on almost a daily basis for several weeks and never had a hint of a stomach problem.

One of my favorites is the street restaurant diagonally across from Beach Club on Soi 15. However, on several recent occasions, I haven't noticed it in operation. Whether that is due to a lengthy Songkran holiday or other reasons, I don't know. But if it is still there, it's worth a try. It offers very fresh seafood and other dishes at reasonable prices, although they aren't the cheapest around. The Thai man who does the cooking really knows his stuff. The portions are substantial. It's a favorite spot for the better-off girls who work in the WS bars. Others favorites are the late-night street restaurants on Pattaya Tai close to Tukcom. Very cheap and tasty food, made to order. It's the real thing and I've eaten there many a night with the ladies of FLB. And the ladies outnumber the males at those restaurants by 10 to one and it's easy to make contact with the girls if you're still looking at that hour (after 3.00 a.m.). Evil

Two separate issues have been mentioned in this thread: 1) money transfers for money laundering and terrorist financing operations; and 2) scams and fraud at the retail level involving ATM and credit cards.. MMs OP dealt with the first. Here's a link to the original announcement from the intergovernmental Financial Action Task Force: Feb 2012. AML stands for anti-money laundering and CFT for countering of financing of terrorism. Basically, the announcement says Thailand has been put on the watch list because it doesn't have strong enough laws or enforcement procedures to deal with money laundering and financing of terrorism. "Despite Thailand’s high-level political commitment to work with the FATF and APG to address its strategic AML/CFT deficiencies, Thailand has not made sufficient progress in implementing its action plan, and certain strategic AML/CFT deficiencies remain, although Thailand has faced external difficulties from 2009 to 2011 which significantly impacted the legislative process for the necessary laws and regulations. Thailand has taken steps towards improving its AML/CFT regime, including by substantially completing an AML/CFT risk assessment for its financial sector. Thailand should work on implementing its action plan to address the remaining deficiencies, including by: (1) adequately criminalising terrorist financing (Special Recommendation II); (2) establishing and implementing adequate procedures to identify and freeze terrorist assets (Special Recommendation III); and (3) further strengthening AML/CFT supervision (Recommendation 23). The FATF encourages Thailand to address its remaining deficiencies and continue the process of implementing its action plan." It's doubtful there will be an immediate impact on expats transferring money between homeland and Thai accounts because tighter enforcement requires legislative action by the Parliament. The second issue isn't directly tied to the first. ATM and credit cards issued by foreign banks are often blocked in Thailand because of widespread scams that take advantage of lax procedures at the retail level. It's very inconvenient if your card gets blocked while you're trying to use it in Thailand, but most cases of fraud are committed against people who aren't in Thailand at the time, so the banks are vigilant about all transactions in Thailand. Better safe than sorry. Evil

For a stay of a month, your best bet is probably a serviced apartment. I used to stay at the Mosaik Apartments behind Tukcom, You can get a one-bedroom apartment for about 16,000 baht a month and a studio apartment for less. Electricity/water will run you another 2,000 baht or so. There are many serviced apartments in Pattaya and it's usually not a good idea to commit yourself to a month-long stay if you haven't seen the apartment. Use the Internet to make a short list of promising properties, but only book a hotel room for a couple of nights to give yourself the chance to check them out. Evil

I haven't seen anyone have much luck with these kinds of posts. A taxi share is just too difficult to arrange unless both passengers are on the same flight. You're probably better off asking at the baggage carousel if anyone is heading to Pattaya and wants to share a taxi. I've also seen guys in the departure lounge who held up signs reading "Share a taxi to Pattaya?" or similar. Since you're landing at 15.05 BKK time, you could catch the 1600 hrs Bell Bus to Pattaya. That's even cheaper than a taxi share. If you're not familiar with Bell Bus, do a board search. Several threads about it. Evil

I had had exactly the same problems you describe on and off since I moved into a condo in Jomtien in Feb. But after a week-long trip to the U.S., the connection has been solid and nearly twice the speed as before. I don't know what happened, but it is a definite improvement. Evil

I'll try to make it, but it's so hard to make definite commitments. Many is the time I've started out for a bar but have gotten distracted on the way. Anyway, Happy Birthday, Nam! Evil

After living long stretches in Beijing, Hong Kong and Taipei, I seldom eat in Chinese restaurants in other countries. There are a few good Chinese restaurants in Bangkok, but I've yet to find a really good one in Pattaya. Just a note - Classic Peking Duck, the kind you get at the Bianyifang and Quanjude restaurants in Beijing, consists of crispy duck skin and very thin crepes (Mandarin pancakes), served with spring onions and hoisin sauce. The skin should be sliced at the table; otherwise, it's not authentic Peking Duck. The meat of the duck doesn't figure in. It's boiled for soup or served as separate dish, but it's not part of classic Peking Duck. It's duck skin that is the highlight of Peking duck. Very, very few restaurants outside of China serve real Peking Duck. Evil

I believe it was an early morning issue. Last night I got another Fast Track voucher from United for re-entry into Thailand (everyone in biz did), but I didn't use it as I had already booked Fast Track service. That wasn't so much because I feared long lines at 11.00 p.m., but because I had three very big and heavy bags that wouldn't fit on one trolley. Customs also tends not to be curious about luggage when you have a Fast Track escort. The lines were short at the regular immigration counters. However, on the way to the control point I did see three separate groups of Asian travelers gathering up behind the tour guides' flags. If they hit Immigration Control all at the same time, the wait would have been considerable for anyone behind them. Evil

EVA is already a partner of United (see https://www.united.c....aspx?ItemId=71), so you can already book EVA flights in combination with UAL flights and/or use Award Miles for EVA flights. So far, though, it has been in practice virtually impossible to UAL FF points to upgrade an EVA flight. Maybe that will change if they join Star Alliance. Evil