Evil Penevil

Ask the hotel if you can store your luggage there even if you're not staying there again. Most hotels will let you. Alternatively, ask the hotel where you will be staying if you can store your luggage there prior to checking in. Evil

As always, I gave the waitress exactly what was appropriate. Not one baht more, not one baht less. That way, I can never under tip or over tip. Evil

I don't know anything about the guy in the grey shirt. I can't recall seeing him at LPP any time I ate there. I always thought the guy in the white chief's jacket was the owner, but of course he could have partners. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful. Evil

There is no late evening or night bus service between Swampy and Pattaya. Around 9 pm, taxi is the only real option for getting to Pattaya from the airport. Evil

I ate at the Lone Star Texas Grill on Soi Lengkee (LK Metro area) last night. Here's the meal I had: The corn chips and dip were complementary and came with the beer. The chips were homemade and very good. It would have been better with a little salsa instead of the dip, but that's no biggy considering it was complementary. I ordered the Sunday special, which was filet steak for 199 baht. I ordered a medium potato salad (60 baht) and corn on the cob (40 baht) as sides. I don't remember exactly how much the San Miguel Light was, but I think 70 or 80 baht. I ordered the steak rare and it wasn't overcooked. It was tender and for local beef, tasty. My only criticism would be that the grill wasn't hot enough or the cook took the steak off too quickly. It could have done with a bit more surface "char," which would have given it a better color and would have imparted more of the charcoal grill flavor, but wouldn't have cooked the meat too much on the inside. EDIT IN: The owner of the Lone Star has said on another board that there was some confusion on the part of his staff and the daily specials should include two sides as part of the 199-baht price. He also agreed the corn chips should come with salsa and that the steak should have been grilled better. He's taken some constructive criticism to heart. Assuming the next time a customer orders a fillet steak for 199 baht and gets two side dishes as well as an attractively grilled steak, then that would be a bargain in the hard-to-beat category.. The potato salad was good - it wasn't overpowered by the dressing - and it was a generous portion for medium. The corn was properly cooked and tasted fresh. I thought the meal was well worth the price I paid - 300 baht for the food. It was good value - and taste - for the money. You have to be realistic in your expectations. Better steaks (imported Australian beef) are available at the Lone Star and elsewhere in Pattaya, but you'll pay more than 199 baht for them. For what I got, the price was very reasonable. I had no problems with the service. The food came quickly and with a smile. The waitress had explained to me that the special only included the steak and sides had to be ordered separately. She also tried to tell me something about the sauce or gravy, but I couldn't make out what she saying. I certainly don't want gravy with a charcoal grilled steak and thankfully, it came in a boat. I didn't bother to taste it. The next time I visit the Lone Star I'll try the ribs. That's what most of the other customers (it was about half-full at 8 p.m. last night) appeared to be having. The restaurant has Tex Mex and Mexican food as well as a variety of steaks and several types of smoked ribs. There are daily specials for 179 or 199 baht for the budget minded. If your TG doesn't like farang food, the Lone Star offers Thai dishes as well. I'm not much worried about a restaurant's decor, especially when I'm eating alone. But the Lone Star is a relatively new place (been open a few months) and it was clean, comfortable and well lit, with colorful accents on and along the walls. Evil Some other pics from the Lone Star:

There are a lot of good eating places around TukCom for both Thai and farang food. I'll be doing some more reports on them. Evil

All the lounges and day rooms at Swampy are located airside, or within the secure area of the terminal. I don't know if policies have changed, but a few years ago it was possible to use a day room in the itransit area after de-planing from an international flight. However, you have to use it BEFORE going through immigration control because once you exit the customs area, you're landside and can't get back into the international airside area without a boarding pass for an international flight. You can get some info here: Louis' Tavern Dayroom & CIP Lounges. Landside, the Novotel Hotel at the airport has a "Freshen Up" offer that gives you access to a regular hotel room, fitness center and pool for 2 to 5 hours.. But the minimum charge is 2,000 baht, more than you want to pay. You could also book a room at a hotel near the airport. Most are are within 15 minutes' ride and several of those hotels come in under 1,000 baht and have free shuttle service. If you're flying into Swampy on a Star Alliance carrier and are a gold-level Star Alliance frequent flyer, you can use the Thai business lounge for free as long as the domestic connecting flight is on the same itinerary as the international flight. You might also want to ask Thai is it is possible to buy a one-time pass to their domestic biz lounge. It may also be possible to do a last-minute upgrade to biz class on your domestic flight for 1,000 baht or so, which would give you complimentary access to the biz lounge. Evil

From what I could see from Googling, you need a USB 2.0 Certified A to Mini flat 8-pin cable for a Lumix DMC-FX07. I'd be very surprised if that cable weren't available at Tukcom. You might want to try asking for it in those terms. It is also apparently compatible with some Nikon, Olympus, Konica and Pentax cameras, so you could ask in retail shops that sell those brands if you can't find a Lumix retailer in Pattaya. Evil

There's a restaurant a bit further down on the opposite side of Soi Day Night 2 as you walk away from TukCom that bills itself a "French -Thai restaurant." I've never eaten there, though. On the corner of the first intersecting subsoi, there's Le Bordeaux, a bit more expensive restaurant. You can check out the full menu here. If you turn right at that intersecting subsoi , there's the Dolphin Restaurant (also French) in the middle of the block, with a thee-course-dinner offer similar in price to LPP. Evil

Excellent! I hadn't heard that one before. My personal favorite is: There was a young poet named McNameter Who had a tool of tremendous diameter. But it wasn't his size that gave the girls a surprise, Twas his rhythm - iambic pentameter. Evil

Here's a pic of the Drinking Street sign so you'll recognize it as the baht bus approaches: I've been a several times through the years, but was never very impressed. A quirk of fate put me for a week in mid-January in a hotel on Soi 1 off 2nd Road and I passed Drinking Street two, sometimes three, times a night. A couple of the bars always seemed to have a lot of customers, while most others varied from deserted to busy, depending on the time of night and the day of the week. I was going to check out the bar with the 1,000-baht-BF coyote dancers to see if the girls were as snobby as some reports have indicated. However, when I approached that bar, a group of drunk young Russians sitting there started arguing among themselves. It looked like Thai guys were going to get involved, so I decided it wasn't a good occasion to sit down and have a beer. I went back another night when the atmosphere was calmer. I didn't notice any girls who were particularly pretty, but they didn't seem stand-offish, either. In short, Drinking Street appeared no better or no worse that a dozen other beer bar complexes scattered around Pattaya. I'm sure there are attractive girls scattered among its twenty or so bars, but that's true of any beer bar complex and finding them is always a matter of luck and personal preference. And if you are in any way troubled by Russian, Indian or Middle Eastern guys who move in groups, there were a lot of them at Drinking Street in January. Now that I live in Jomtien, getting to Drinking Street would take a long time. For me, a return visit would be a bit like trekking across Death Valley to eat at a McDonalds - the destination isn't worth the effort the journey would require. Evil

I can recommend La Petite Planete for French-style cuisine. It's run by a Belgian who knows his cooking. It's located about half-way down a sub soi that runs along one side of Tukcom, the side closet to 2nd Road. It's small and there's nothing fancy about the place, but the food is excellent. For a quick, unpretentious French-style bistro meal, La Petite Planete is a good choice. It also features a limit menu of Thai food and the girls I've taken there who've sampled the Thai dishes gave it the thumbs up. I've never had a bad meal there and more than one truly good one. He's one of my favorites, couscous with grilled meat and seasonal root vegetables. The couscous had been steamed properly, the vegetables, served as a side dish, were flavorful and the meat (quarter chicken, leg and thigh; some chunks of beef; and two small pieces of lamb) was tasty. It cost 350 baht. Last weekend had the three-course Special of the Day. You get three or four choices each for the starter, main course and dessert. For starters, you can have soup; salad or pate. The four main-course possibilities are a beef, pork, chicken or fish dish, while dessert is pudding, cake, sorbet or fruit salad. The main dish is accompanied by your choice of potato (French fried, mashed, baked or boiled) and a small serving of vegetables as well as fresh French bread. I started with country-style pate (the homemade pickles were a nice touch): and followed with Chicken Cordon Bleu: The chicken fillet had been pounded thin; the slice of ham added the right flavor accent and saltiness; and the Swiss cheese inside was bubbly. The outside surface was browned nicely and added flavor. For dessert, I had creme caramel. The top surface looks dark in the picture, but in fact it was caramelized to just the right level . The sauce wasn't sickenly sweet. It cost 270 baht for the three-course meal and another 70 baht for a bottle of San Miguel Light. Chang, Tiger and Leo are available for 40 or 50 baht, but I prefer SML. One night I wasn't very hungry and just ordered the crab salad. I can't remember exactly how much it was, but about 100 baht. Side note: One night, this young lady was sitting at the table across from mine. She smiled invitingly and asked me why I was eating alone. I smiled back and answered, "Because I am alone - tonight." She laughed, but before she could say anything else, she got a text message on her cell phone and was occupied with it for several minutes, then finished her meal quickly and paid, smiling sweetly at me on the way out. I have to wonder what she might have said/offered without the text message. Maybe she would invited me to join her in hopes I'd pick up the tab, but certain services might also have been offered at some point in the conversation. I'm guessing she worked in one of the Russian places on Walking Street, as those girls all live in the Day-Night Apartments just around the corner from La Petite Planete. Evil

This will do wonders to enhance the reputation of Indian tourists in Pattaya. I'd bet every Thai P4P provider of any orientation knows this story by now. Evil

I ate there the other night at about 2.00 a.m. I wasn't very impressed. Had a pork quesadilla, Kind of bland and flavorless, roughly the equivalent of the stuff you get at Taco Bell. I won't be rushing back, but if I'm hungry late at night, am passing by and there's nowhere else close to get better food at that time, I might eat there again. It's the way I feel about Taco Bell or McDonalds. Not my first, second or third choice, but also not a place to be avoided at all costs. Evil

I'm guessing, but I imagine the Spanky's post in your thread was an unintentional mistake. The Spanky's guy probably hit the "Reply to This Topic" button instead of "Start New Topic." Evil

A Jomtien branch opened on Thap Phraya Road in October last year. About the same menu as P & W on Soi 7, but I don't have much experience eating in either of them. Evil

This isn't a restaurant review. I've only eaten once at the Pig and Whistle in Jomtien, but the meal I had was very nice at a reasonable price, so I thought I'd mention it. I stopped in for lunch Sunday and choose the Special of the Day, which was a choice of roast beef or roast pork, with Yorkshire pudding, roasted or mashed potatoes, peas, carrots, broccoli and gravy. It came with a small link of sausage wrapped in bacon and a small square of bread stuffing. I haven't had much luck with beef in Pattaya, so I went with the roast pork. It wasn't the most attractive plating of food I've seen, but it tasted damn good and that is what is most important. I would have preferred the gravy on the side, although that's no big thing. The meat (five slices) was flavorful and juicy. Unfortunately, the gravy hides the meat in the pic. The veggies were fresh and not over- boiled. The gravy, stuffing, potatoes and Yorkshire pudding were delicious. A very generous portion, too. It cost 225 baht. A bottle of SML at 75 baht brought me to an even 300 baht, not bad for a big meal of that quality. I may go back this Sunday to try the roast beef. Evil

A few weeks ago in Jomtien, 22 baht buses went past me in a 15-minute span early in the evening. Eleven were crammed to the last inch with Russians, four had been chartered by small groups and the rest zoomed past empty. A guy waiting in the same spot said he been there 15 minutes before I arrived and it had been the same thing for 30 minutes. I gave up at that point and ducked into a restaurant for dinner. Forty-five minutes later, bus after bus went past without stopping. I started walking opposite to the direction in which I wanted to go, hoping to reach the point where all the Russians were boarding the buses. Luckily, it wasn't too far - the curve in the road by the police station on Jomtien Beach Road. But what a scene that was. The Ruskies were pushing and shoving to get on like each bus was the last transport out of a besieged city. One elderly British man who took a few seconds too long to get on got pushed so hard he fell. The two men with him yelled at the Russian to take it easy, he could have hurt the old man. The Russian didn't care, he just shrugged his shoulders and smirked. I certainly don't like to do it, but if necessary, I can push and shove with the best. I decided if I wanted to get into Pattaya that night, I'd have to join the melee. It was indeed a hard struggle to get on the next bus, but I did it and the Russians didn't seem to mind. They accept shoving as normal behavior, to be expected in every situation. When God handed out decency and manners, the Russians were all either out for a shot of vodka or waiting in another queue for whatever else was in short supply at the time. Maybe they'll learn in time, but it will take another generation before a sense of manners filters down to Siberia. Evil

I stayed at the Sabai Wing for a week in mid-January (I was between condo rentals). It was good, no complaints on my part. I didn't notice any outside construction noise at all, but I'm a sound sleeper. There was some construction going on inside the hotel itself, but it didn't begin until 10.00 am on weekdays and wasn't that noisy at its worst. That work may well have been completed by now. I have no info on the baht buses on Soi 2 as I always walked down Soi 1 to Beach Road and caught the bus there when heading to points south. Evil

I agree. Even with the LAX-BKK non-stop, total flying time from an NYC metro airport is longer via LAX than non-stop flights from NYC via Tokyo or Hong Kong. Since Newark Liberty was a better departure airport for me and I have nearly all my FF points on Star Alliance members, I used the Continental (soon to be United) non-stop to Narita, then on to BKK. Total flying time was about 20 hours, including the connecting time in Tokyo. I never experienced any delays during winter months, although it is a possibility. I once got out a day ahead of a storm that screwed flights up for nearly a week. Evil

How much you enjoy the festival will depend largely on whether you like the music and to what degree huge crowds bother you. But the girls all love it. Evil

I intend to visit family/friends this summer in Europe and on the West Coast of the U.S., with Bangkok as my departure/return point. I looked into a Star Alliance round-the-world ticket that would include stops in Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia, I remember you can fly Papeete to Auckland and Auckland direct to BKK. Depending on the routing you choose, a round-the-world ticket that includes Tahiti will cost you between USD 3,000 and 4,000. Evil

Mr Dream is a very reliable driver. I've used him on numerous occasions to and from the airport as well as other destinations and he has never disappointed. He also speaks better English than most drivers. As a side note - I had to make a sudden trip into Swampy a few months ago and Mr Dream wasn't available. I tried one of the sidewalk taxi brokers on 2nd Road near Soi 14. She arranged a car for me immediately - good car, good driver, 900 baht all in. Evil

In December, I had 30,000 FF miles on Thai than were going to expire at the end of the month. I didn't want to fly anywhere in Thailand just to use them up, so I decided give a girl I knew a R/T ticket to the airport nearest her home village so she'd avoid a 12-hour bus trip each way. But some taxes had to be paid by CC and I had to go the Thai office on Beach Road to have the ticket "validated." Once that had been done, it wasn't necessary to show the CC when she checked in for the flight. The Thai agent said the procedure would have been the same if I'd bought the ticket for the girl instead of using award miles. If the CC is shown to a Thai agent (has to be an official Thai agent, can't be just a travel agent) ahead of check-in, the CC holder doesn't have to travel on the same itinerary or show the CC at the time of check-in. Evil

I have some recent first-hand experience of the need for foreigners to carry ID while in Thailand. A few nights ago on Suk Road in Bangkok, I was attacked by a crazy drunk farang. Turns out he had been in three or four fights that night and probably mistook me for someone else. I fought back, which resulted in injuries to both of us Cops came, slapped handcuffs on him and took away in the back of a pickup truck. They said I had to go to Thong Lor Police Station as well, but let me ride in a taxi. The police were very peeved that I wasn't carrying my passport or another form of ID (they told me a U.S. or Thai drivers license would also have been OK). I was told to go get my passport and U.S. drivers license and come immediately back. The other guy couldn't (or didn't want to) produce his passport. Cops kept my passport overnight, said I had to come back to the police station the next day to talk to "big police." Long, complicated story made short: Cops really didn't care that farang had been fighting or injured each other. They decided to hold the other guy for violating immigration law, with the goal of expelling him, once they finally sorted out his identity. Evil