StandIn

Keith, Good to see you again, last night (Thur, Feb 23), about 10:30 pm. I saw that you were really energetic meeting and greeting all the customers making everyone feel welcome and glad to be there. Glad you like the charm training idea. It should work with the right trainer. Martin, Also, good to see you again, last night. The bar had a nice crowd and there was even a tourist couple touch-dancing to the live band. It looked like everybody was having a good time. It was not like some of those outdoor bars where the customers sit and stare at the people passing by.

Just an update. I went to the Eastiny Travel office on Soi 8 and booked a metered taxi for 800 baht and paid the entire amount in advance. The travel lady said that a personal car would cost 1,400 baht and a mini-van would cost 400 baht. Also, the tolls for a metered taxi would run around 150 baht. She estimated a two-hour ride to the airport, but three hours if in a mini-van due to the time needed to go around to the different hotels to pick up other passengers. Also, she suggested adding another half hour to the transit time for traveling on Sunday. Thanks, everyone, for your input.

Everyone, thanks. Sounds like all options are good. Since I tend to be cautious and would like to get on my scheduled flight, I will avoid the little booths and book at a travel agency or hotel and give myself two hours leeway in case of traffic, vehicle breakdown, etc.

I see a lot of sidewalk booths on Second Road advertising 800 baht fare to the airport. Is this OK? If the vehicle does not show up on time, will the vendor be around? Can the vendor solve the no-show problem and solve it quickly? Any related scam story? Inside the Lek Hotel lobby, I saw a sign advertising 850 baht to the airport. The counter lady said that it was for the use of a taxi and not a private car. Also, to go by the highway, expressway, or toll road would cost another 165 baht extra. She said that a reservation should be made at least a day in advance. I will pro

Last night (Feb 21, 2006, Tuesday), I had the pleasure of meeting Keith, manager at FLB Bar, and a very friendly guy. In turn, he introduced me to the new owner, who took over from Pete about a year and a half ago. But, they said that Pete still runs this board. I had to admit that I had not been on the board for awhile, since it has been nearly a year and a half from my last visit to Pattaya. In fact, I tried to log in today under my old handle and the board did not recognize it. I did not do the lost password bit, because my e-mail address has changed. So, I registered under a new h