Bits and pieces from Pattaya Mail

Anything and everything about Thailand
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Re: Bits and pieces from Pattaya Mail

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Pattaya Mail wrote: Sun Jun 18, 2023 6:58 pm ֎ The tourism council asks how to encourage retiree expats to settle in Thailand. Abolishing the 90 days report might make a great start. Agreed?
No. Since the 90-day address report can be done online now, at least for me it's a non-issue. I think a great start would be getting rid of, or at least drastically reducing, the 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account requirement for the retirement visa.
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Re: Bits and pieces from Pattaya Mail

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Pattaya Prowl: Tourist tax good riddance

By Pattaya Mail

July 10, 2023

The caretaker government has put off “until next year” the introduction of the 300 baht tourist tax on all arrivals by air (150 baht for land and sea), so let’s hope the incoming administration ditches the notion for good. All foreigners would be subject each and every time they enter Thailand except for babes in arms and those holding a Department of Employment work permit. And even those tiny groups would likely have to claim the cash back at a later date as airlines and booking centers have said the problems of sorting out who has to pay, and who doesn’t, are just unsolvable.

It is hardly a tourist tax as expats – one year retirees or marriage visa holders, non-immigrant visas, Elite and even 10-year Long Term Visas and permanent residents would be charged for every future journey as well as short term tourists. Collecting the tax has defied the most brilliant minds as, for example, huge queues might easily build up at land borders with foreigners requiring change or being unable to process their electronic cards. The last thing Thailand tourism needs is more queues.

How the cash would be spent is another area of concern. Mainly it would repair and update tourist monuments such as temples and zoos. A small percentage would be reserved for handing out compensation in tragic accidents such as boat sinkings or minibus crashes. The idea sometimes heard that the fund would cover all tourists’ medical expenses whilst in Thailand is pure fiction. You still need medical insurance or pay cash.

֎ The most impressive neon sign on Walking Street has got to be the frontage outside the Fahrenheit bar.

֎ A bar on Soi Buakhao is offering a 20 percent reduction on bills provided customers have a “tourist” visa. There have already been definitional disputes about “what is a tourist visa and does it include visa exemption and non-immigrant “O”?

֎ Expat Brits are wondering why they still can’t vote in UK elections even though the law was changed last year. It’s because secondary legislation is required. Now you know.

֎ No travel writer I have ever known has written about the importance of ample parking. So said J.G. Ballard.

֎ Three days after death and hair and nails continue to grow, but phone calls taper off. That’s according to Johnny Carson.

֎ Something different November 27 to Dec 9: Pattaya will host the international world shooting championship. No illegal guns please.

֎ The Pattaya Thepprasit Road center road concrete blocks to prevent people turning off or joining the flow is a disaster. This thoroughfare is not a motorway but a busy route with businesses on both sides. Better think it out again City Hall.

֎ There are now several expat shops selling imported foods in Pattaya. We paid our first visit this week and were impressed by the variety, the cleanliness and the clear pricing labels at The Pantry located at the Hanuman statue not far from Jomtien beach road

֎ Big news of the week in Soi Buakhao is that the go go girls are now realizing tattoos are not a good selling point. Step in the right direction?

֎ Did you know that gay tourism swells the coffers of the Thai treasury by 4 million baht a day? You do now, but it’s not news you can use..

֎ Seen outside a Jomtien cafe. “Order one beef burger, pay for two and get the second one free.” Again please.

֎ Pattaya Marathon is the weekend July 22-23. Usual traffic dislocation.

֎ Saturday July 29 sees the Fashion TV beach model award 2023 at the Central Pattaya intersection. Two sexes we understand, or maybe even three.

֎ A reader asks a Thai border pass. It’s a short stay entry permission given mostly to traders who work in one country and sleep in another. Not a visa for farang.

֎ Americans can renew their passport by mail, but must send their expiring one as part of the application package. Usually takes 2-3 weeks.

֎ A reader asks if UK citizens can have their new passport sent directly to their home address in Thailand. Not directly. The UK authorities will send the new one only to the Bangkok embassy for collection.

֎ The clearest indication it won’t rain today in Pattaya is an official statement by the weather folks that it will. Agreed?

֎ Latest threat to Walking Street is the plan to build a huge pier terminal at the Bali Hai district. Big boats currently have to dock at Bangkok or Laem Chabang. Can bars and clubs survive the latest demolition dangers?

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/pattay ... nce-435604
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Re: Bits and pieces from Pattaya Mail

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I love getting the right opportunity to post my all time favorite photo of this sign outside of a beauty salon that was on Pattaya Tai, just outside of Center Condo. The shop disappeared many years ago, but this quote from the article above is, I'd say, the right opportunity:
Gaybutton wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2023 8:27 pm ֎ Seen outside a Jomtien cafe. “Order one beef burger, pay for two and get the second one free.” Again please.

Image

I don't know which I would have preferred to do first - peel the new face or fumigate the steam . . .
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Re: Bits and pieces from Pattaya Mail

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It's been a while since any of these were published, but here 'tiz . . .

If you want to see that "Best Songkran Picture" click on the link at the end of this post.
___________________________________________________________

Pattaya Prowl: The Best Songkran Picture

By Bernard Trunk

April 14, 2024

֍ Las Vegas Beer Garden on Soi Diana opened according to schedule April 10. Upmarket, noisy and busy. If that’s your scene, mosey on over.

֍ When women sleep around they’re considered sluts, but when gay men do the same it’s called networking. You figure it.

֍ Valentino Restaurant, Jomtien, is promoting a happy hour (17.30-19.30) with all beers 60 baht. A visit is in order.

֍ Tobasco hot sauce disappeared from the supermarkets earlier this year. But it’s back in Foodland.

֍ Advance notice if you have tired of the water festival: the Pattaya Fireworks Festival is booked for November 24 and 25. More traffic jams will be the order of the day.

֍ Julius Caesar said the British were the most ignorant people he had ever encountered. They didn’t speak Latin of course.

֍ Not too late for the Royal Cliff’s Songkran buffet on Sunday April 14, 17.30 to 21.30. Expect the very best for 900++ baht. Reservations 038 250421, x 2037.

֍ Thai police will be using artificial intelligence (AI) to fine vehicles which park illegally on sidewalks. Say that again please.

֍ Apparently, it’s all lies that Marie Antoinette ever said “Let them eat cake!” or that the Vikings had horns on their helmets. Fake news goes back a long way.

֍ More relevantly, several fake news sites last week claimed that the immigration bureau would be open all through the Songkran holidays. For the record, immigration offices are never open to the public on weekends or on public holidays.

֍ The liveliest night sport in Pattaya is surely Soi 6. The girls don’t look as if they need to go on a diet, so head for the action.

֍ Many gurus predicted Sharples’ traditional fish and chips wouldn’t succeed in three separate branches in Pattaya, Jomtien and at Lakeside. Shaun proved them wrong.

֍ A friend of mine said his wife is an angel, but sadly mine is still alive. Any comment would be superfluous.

֍ Several businesses have now moved out of Tree Town on Soi Buakhao. What’s going on? More about this as I learn of it.

֍ There was a report that short time sex can cost you 6,000 baht in Bangkok. But it turned out to be an April Fool’s joke. Still, there might be a grain of truth there.

֍ I met a girl in Pattaya and, when we got back to her place, I got an unpleasant surprise. She was female. Case of huMAN natURE.

֍ Give an example of a comment you would never hear in the 1980s: “I lost my mobile phone.” Keep ‘em coming.

֍ The Thai premier Srettha Thavisin is not the tallest head of state in the world at 192cm. First prize goes to Filip Vujanovic of Montenegro or Serbia’s Aleksander Vucic at around 198cm

But I don’t give a hoot!

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/pattay ... ure-458182
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Re: Bits and pieces from Pattaya Mail

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Pattaya Prowl: No hospital on horizon

By Bernard Trunk

April 27, 2024

No chance the 1 million sqm Hospital City by Maprachan Lake will be opening any time soon. The 2021 timetable promised phase one would be open by the end of 2024. It’s a project of the Eastern Economic Corridor, with partners, and is designed to be a huge, high-tech medical complex and resort rather than just a traditional hospital. Apparently, the difficulties in securing the foundation in the shifty sand are proving trickier than anticipated. ‘Nuff said.

֍ The new Maggie May gentleman’s club, opposite Sharples’ fish and chips in Jomtien, is making its mark. Lots of ladies, discount cards, Guinness and even an organized pub crawl. Mosey on over.

֍ Get eight hours of beauty sleep. Nine if you’re ugly. (Betty White from the Golden Girls).

֍ Tourist question at Loch Ness, “At what time do they feed the monster?” Sign of the times I suppose. (Courtesy of Roger Crutchley).

֍ Three bottles for 200 baht at Happy Hour, 5-8 pm, on offer at Best Bar in Supertown, located in the mostly gay Jomtien Complex.

֍ Remember all that publicity last month about the price of retail wine about to fall steeply in Thailand’s supermarkets? A word to the wise: don’t believe all you read.

֍ Latest reports on the new Las Vegas beer bar complex, Soi Diana, say the open location is doing well, especially on weekends. If that’s your scene, hit it.

֍ Brits who miss home-cooked food, from gutbuster breakfasts to beer-battered fish and chips, are very loyal to Nicky’s on Soi Buakhao.

֍ After all these years, it’s hardly surprising that the immigration has got rid of the TM6 entry form at borders as well as at airports. Most of the scribbled addresses by weary travellers were unreadable in any case. A case of TIT (This is Thailand).

֍ I was very disappointed when I attended my first Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. I already knew everybody there.

֍ 7 A Side Football at Planet Stadium on Friday 3 May at 7 pm. Make up your own teams. Contact [email protected]

֍ The cheapest beer in town could be Bar 39 at Tree Town which has a special price of 39 baht (6-8 pm) and 49 baht (8-9 pm). Discounts on firewater too. I’ll keep you posted.

֍ People say I go out of my way to p*ss people off but, frankly speaking, it’s not out of my way at all.

֍ Tallulah Bankhead on being told there was no toilet paper. “Well, do you have two fives for a ten?”

֍ The popular Natan’s restaurant in Jomtien is taking a long Songkran break. 17 April to May 5. Now you know.

֍ Thursday night 7.30 pm is quiz night at Hemingway’s Lakeside. Eggheads and trivia lovers alike take note.

֍ A reader complains she bought a book online, “How to avoid scams on the internet”, but three months later it hasn’t arrived. Any comment would be superfluous.

֍ A reader asks where to find free-flow wine. Movenpick Siam Hotel offers that and a luxurious cold cuts and cheese platter for 1,290 baht++. In operation every Wednesday 6-10 pm in the Red Coral lounge.

֍ Beware the minibuses at Bangkok’s Ekkamai offering transport to Pattaya in competition with scheduled bus services. Some of the minibuses take an hour longer to get here as they pick up and drop off passengers en route. (Warning from Stickman).

But I don’t give a hoot!

https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/ ... zon-459196
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Re: Bits and pieces from Pattaya Mail

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Bernard Trunk wrote: Sun Apr 28, 2024 5:38 am֍ Three bottles for 200 baht at Happy Hour, 5-8 pm, on offer at Best Bar in Supertown, located in the mostly gay Jomtien Complex.
Considering the LOUD music they play later at night, I wouldn't even go there early at night.
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Re: Bits and pieces from Pattaya Mail

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Pattaya Prowl: Immigration Soi Chaos

By Bernard Trunk

May 19, 2024

Jomtien Soi 5, which houses immigration, has been a one way street for nearly two months now, but you would never know it. The only wheeled traffic should be from Second Road to the beach, with the nearby Soi 7 being one way in the opposite direction. But the City Hall notices have mostly disappeared on Soi 5 and serious traffic jams occur on a daily basis as cars and vans persist in ignoring the rule. Heated arguments and impatient honking are almost a daily occurrence.

An added problem now is that the large car park on Soi 5 requires drivers to pay 40 baht as they enter which, again, causes traffic delays as they search for change or argue with the booth attendant about prices. Immigration says they are aware of the problem but point out that it’s the responsibility of the traffic division. There could be similar problems looming on Soi 11 and 13 of Pattaya Second Road which become one way on May 21 to link to Soi Buakhao.

֍ There’s a D-Day remembrance ceremony at Royal Varuna Yacht Club on June 6. Details from the club on 038 250 116.

֍ Sens Grill on Walking Street offers good Thai and international food and is open every night until the wee hours. People gather here after visiting the nearby constellations.

֍ I have an open door policy. You bring the beer and I open the door.

֍ Readers ask where to find a cheap and friendly bar in Jomtien to enjoy international football matches. Try Sevens bar to be found, as you’d expect, on Soi 7.

֍ Do you believe in safe sex? If you use the bed’s handrail you likely do.

֍ The tex-mex brunch at Beefeater in Soi Diana is good value at 345 baht. Book on 038 720 926 before you mosey on over.

֍ A reader says he bought a new microwave with a button marked “Pizza”. But he complains that the potato he put in still came out as a potato. Sign of the times.

֍ China has 1,300 coalfired power stations, so why all the fuss about your car going electric?

֍ June will be gay pride month in Pattaya with Saturday June 8 slated for parades etc. City Hall says Pattaya is now an inclusive city catering for most tastes. It always was.

֍ Sad news from Jomtien Complex where Max, aged 34 and a colleague at the Venue, has died after a TB illness.

֍ The current rainy weather in Pattaya is forcing the cockroaches and termites indoors which is an understandable phenomenon but a most unwelcome one. Agreed?

֍ A Pattaya quizzer criticized another player for not knowing what Armageddon was. He replied with indignation, “Oh shut up, it’s not as though it’s the end of the world.”

֍ If you are a male clubber who fancies Barbie doll types, there’s a number at Bliss on Walking Street. Or so the tom-toms have it.

֍ Some Sexy Soi 6 bars are regularly posting photos of their most glamorous hostesses on Facebook. But when the customer asks, they are told the girl in question has a day off is on holiday. More about this as I learn it.

֍ Any woman who says she wants a husband can’t have had one before.

֍ The Akira Club on Soi 15, Walking Street, is planning its first full moon party. Find out more on 081 135 4063.

֍ Marco’s Italian restaurant on Thrappaya Road, Jomtien, may be counted amongst the best. It’s often busy at lunchtime as well as evenings, a hard thing to do in this town.

֍ The longstanding gogo Living Dolls Showcase is now Imperia, subthemed Russian Show Girls. Changing names is a common thread on Walking Street.

֍ Beerfest’s beer offer is to buy 2 liters of any of their craft beers and receive an extra liter for free.

֍ All the bars in front of Pattaya Beer Garden appear to have been removed. What’s going on?

֍ Those fancying a change from Pattaya are again congregating in Angeles City, Philippines, according to the newsy Stickman column. The bars are said to have attractive hostesses and often open at noon rather than at dusk. Punters pay upfront at one time for all services rather than having to negotiate separately with the mamasan, the cashier and the lady of choice. A night out will likely cost you less than in Pattaya. How much less may be up to your negotiating skills.

But I don’t give a hoot!

https://www.pattayamail.com/news/pattay ... aos-460914
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