two quick pattaya comments

[gera]

Just arrived in Pattaya.
1. Expect traffic jams due to omnipresent road construction (one stretches along beach road creating terrible jams).
2. New rip off from local banks.Offer their own exchange rates (in my case from Thai baht to US dollar). TMB forces very bad exchange rate (less than 29 baht per US dollar). Kasikorn bank gives a choice of conversion and nonconversion. Conversion exchange rate is bad. SIAM commercial bank proceeded without conversion. This is on top of 220 baht fees. DO NOT TAKE THEIR OFFER OF CONVERSION. In particular, TMB atms should not be used for withdrawal (at least from dollar denominated offshore accounts).

[Daniel]

I’ve used a TMB ATM in both Jomtien and Pattaya numerous times over the last five weeks and on every occasion it has given me the option to decline their conversion rate.