Pdoggg

Very often Thai ladyboys only want to talk to guys who are in Thailand who want to see them that same day. Part of the reason is that in Thailand there is lots of turnover in customers and part of it is that it is a real chore for them to write and talk English. OTOH Filipina ladyboys are often anxious to develop an online relationship. Even if the guy never goes to the Philippines he might send her some money anyway. A good free dating site for the Philippines is Pina Love Pina Love Link

I suppose we all have different opinions and advice but I think it is actually counterproductive to contact ladyboys on Line before one's first trip. There is a good chance that you might make promises that you won't want to keep once you arrive in Pattaya. Instead I recommend: 1) Don't contact any ladyboys before your first trip. 2) Every afternoon walk up and down Soi Honey and Soi Chaiyapoon and get a massage from a ladyboy that looks appealing. 3) At night, try every ladyboy bar and go into bars if you see an appealing ladyboy when walking by. Talk with the ladyboy for a minute. If she still seems appealing then buy her a drink and get to know her better. If she is boom boom material then pay the barfine. 4) Join Thai Friendly and check out the ladyboys (it's free) but don't contact anyone from home and don't contact her in Thailand until 10 minutes before you want her to come over. Thai Friendly Link 5) if a ladyboy rocks your world in bed then make sure you get her number/Line/Facebook. If you probably want to see her again then also get her contact details. Otherwise don't exchange information which will save you the hassle of repeated attempts to get you to go with her again. This is my advice for guys who have never been to Pattaya before; it's different once you know the ropes. YMMV and others may have completely different opinions. Have fun!

Their website says all their branches offer the same rates. So it might be that some branches are slow to update their signs for some currencies.

Have you started playing with ladyboys or not yet started?

Just went to their Facebook page and see that they now have a website. https://ttexchange.com/ This site is usually accurate when I've checked. But I see the closing price on the Super Rich website says 30.12 for the USD while on the other site it's 30.11. Doesn't sound like a big deal but if you are exchanging $5000 it's 50 baht. I do have to exchange big money and will try to find Super Rich or SIA whichever has a better posted rate for that day. I have to go to Bangkok anyway otherwise the approx 250 baht or so difference between Bangkok and Pattaya wouldn't cover the bus fare. Yea, I do realize that some guys would not want to walk a mile to save 50 baht but I think of it as exploring a new part of Bangkok and I like walking around.

Size matters! Think the base was built for a Chinese clientele. Not for me but one buddy liked it there. If living alone and never bringing back overnight guests then I reckon that 30 sq m would be better as a studio. But a second room is better if you want to sleep while some else is awake. One thing the Base does have going for it is that the kitchen is separate while in many Pattaya condos the kitchen is part of the living room. I don't like condos that have glass instead of a wall between the living room and bedroom such as the Centric Sea in North Pattaya.

For Americans the best rates for cash in Thailand are: Super Rich Thailand (only at their main branch not at Swampy) https://www.superrichthailand.com/#!/en/exchange SIA (at main branch). http://www.sia-moneyexchange.com/en/rate.php A little less favorable but ore convenient for many is Vasu on Sukhumvit at Soi 9/1. http://www.vasuexchange.com/ All these 3 places close early in the evening and are also closed on Sunday. You will get the very best rate if you exchange 100's. Bring bills that are as new as possible. In Pattaya and almost as as good as these Bangkok exchanges are Super T in the art/antique store on 2nd Road near Soi 16 and the various TT Exchanges. The TT Exchanges do not always have the same rate. It might have to do when they update rates. Today the antique store rate was 30.10 and TT 30.08 but some days TT is better. If you are withdrawing from ATMs I recommend using either the Schwab Visa Card or a Fidelity Visa Card that is linked to a Fidelity Cash Management account. When returning home I recommend changing almost all your baht to US Singles at either Super Rich Thailand (green) or Value Plus (red) at the Rail Link in the basement of Suvarnabhumi. I'm not sure which is the best for other currencies. Note for every 1 satang difference in the exchange rate when changing $500 you will get an additional 5 baht. There can be quite a bit of difference between the above exchange places and major Thai banks. Changing at Suvarnabhumi (except for the rail link) will give you an extremely poor rate. Don't do it. Changing your currency for Thai baht in your home country will get you an even worse rate than the extremely poor rate above.

Talking to some guys on the ground it seems guys are moving away from bars somewhat as the place to hook up with ladyboys and instead go to massage and Thai Friendly Not that this is an overnight occurence but it does seem with every passing year there is greater reluctance to pay for ladydrinks and barfines especially if one just wants sex and doesn't really enjoy drinking at bars. I'm out of the game but guys seem quite pleased with Zaza Massage! http://www.ladyboyreview.com/index.php?/topic/7347-zaza-massage-pattaya/

Ladyboy Gold is the most popular of these sites. But depending on your interests one of the niche sites above might appeal to you more.

If I was single, my choice would be Paxky!

Welcome aboard IK

I passed by today and see it's open to the street so not a place to grope. Backpacker in a place's name can boost business as backpackers want to meet other backpackers. But the really successful hostels work hard to provide a lively bar scene downstairs by hiring fun staff that promotes the party vibe. But I've never seen anyone getting head in a backpacker bar. Odd that we take for granted that there actually are bars where you can get head.

I think many guys on their first few trips spend money like a drunken sailor but once coming to Thailand becomes a habit or even an addiction, to afford multiple trips they cut back on much of the waste that brings little return. A prime example is buying a drink for a bargirl's friend or an uphelpful mamasan. In response to this drink for friend question my knee jerk reply is "check bin" as I instantly lose interest in talking to a girl that in a rare splurge I bought a drink for. But I don't really need to economize because I have mostly lost interest in going to hostess bars. I don't go out too much so it actually doesn't affect me that much if I'm in a 90 baht joint and I'm having a good time. But when I go to a bar that's not enjoyable then I'm thinking what the hell are we doing here? Even the lowest riced bars, say 50 baht for a Leo in Kateseree or New Plaza doesn't come close to the 15 baht drafts in Phnom Penh but to be fair in Phnom Penh hostess bars the typical price for a draft is 45 baht which doesn't compare all that unfavorably to Pattaya gogos that have a cheap draft beer option. But I'm willing to spend if there is value for money. Kink on LK Metro is a good example as they don't have cheap draft or happy hours but a much better experience than a typical LK Metro gogo. Things get even more complicated for guys who don't drink booze as a small glass of Coke can be quite expensive in some gogos. The price of Singha Light also varies greatly. It's cheaper than Leo in a 7/11 but more expensive in bars.

Just had lunch at the Tin Cup. No prices on the menu but most dishes are 40 baht if together on one plate and 80 baht if separate on two plates. Free ice, free water, free condiments. It's directly across from Sports World on Buakhao. Sounds like fun!

Some Grand Ave Condo units are now occupied although some units still require some finishing touches and furnishing. It's located on Soi 15 between the Avenue Mall and The Hideaway. Very long swimming pool that wraps around the complex plus multiple gyms and a steam and sauna. They don't have studios but they do have 1 Bedrooms that are studio size. I asked how much to rent and she said she would contact me as she wasn't really sure but when pressed said 16K to 18K per month for the small one bedrooms. Unclear if this is for a long term contract or if you could get this price for one month. So it seems there will be a glut of housing on Soi 15 just around the time that the powers that me on clamping down on condo rentals of less than one month. So renters should be in a good negotiating position in what I think is a superb location. http://grandavenuepattaya.com/

Is Surprise Yourself now Spot Bar?

You can find Baby Boom info

The Thai bank I like best is the Yellow Bank, Krungsri aka Bank of Ayudhaya. I recommend having two accounts with them. A regular savings account which pays 0.3% interest and a Mee Tae Dai savings account which pays 1.3% interest but there a a hefty fee if you make more than 2 withdrawals a month. So the bulk of your money would be in the Mee Tae Dai account and then once a month you would transfer what you will be spending every month from Mee Tae Dai to the regular savings account. You can link these accounts online so that you can transfer between them but have the debit card linked to only the regular savings account. Let's say that you have an average balance of one million baht in your Mee Tae Dai account. If the interest rate remains 1.3% you'd earn 13,000 baht in interest that year. If you don't register your Tax ID number with the bank they would withhold 15% of the 13,000 for taxes. This works out to 1950 baht. It's best if the bank doesn't withhold any of your money. If they do you can file a tax return and get a refund but it's best to avoid that process. You don't get the Tax ID Number at Immigration. You get it at the Revenue Office which is just off Jomtien 2nd Road next to Tony's Gym. The Tax ID number is free. The Revenue workers don't speak English nearly as well as those at Immigration so it might help if you bring Dao along with you. https://www.krungsri.com/bank/en/PersonalBanking/DepositProducts/SavingsDeposit/MeeTaeDaiSavings.html

Farangs are now having 15% of their interest withheld if you have a Thai bank account. It started in May; just realized it was happening now. If you show the bank your Tax ID Card it should revert to old method that they only withheld when the interest for a year is more than 20K baht. I already have a Thai Tax ID number which seems to have complicated the situation. I gave the lady at the bank my ID number but she said my number was not in the system. She said I needed to get a card at the Revenue Office which is next to Tony's gym off Jomtien 2nd Road which is easier to get to than going to Immigration on Soi 5. Given that I have a new passport number I probably should have just asked for a new ID number which would (maybe) come with a card. Instead they gave me a printout that had my number which makes it a little more difficult for the bank. So the bank could not promise me exactly when the witholding would stop. I have a special type of savings account (not a time deposit) at the Yellow Bank which currently pays 1.3% interest. I hope it is fixed before January 2020 which would make life easier for me, So how do I get my withheld money back? I believe there is no tax due if one earns less than 150,000 baht. To get a refund you must fill out a very short form at the Revenue Office between January to March. Then at some future point they mail you a notice that your refund is ready and you go back to the Revenue Office and pick it up. The problem arises if you're out of Thailand when the notice arrives. SoI plan to go the first week of January and if goes as expected I such get my refund. What if you aren't here in January to March? I believe you can file late for a 200 baht fee. You can also file late going back 3 years. In the past I filed late for a few years as I had assumed that the tax withheld was actual tax instead of just withholding that I would get refunded. There is a longer time lag for if you file late but I eventually got my refund which is why I currently have my Tax ID Number. It's not all that complicated and not a big deal for me to hop on a baht bus to go to the Revenue Office. But could be a hassle if you live in Nakhon Nowhere. Many of you might just choose to fuck it if the amount withheld is rather small. But if you are in Thailand now you probably can get it sorted out once and for all by getting your Tax ID Card now and then in January just filing once for your refund and in 2020 there should be no money withheld.

Met up with a mate for a couple of drinks last night and was quite pleased when he suggested the Family Mart on Soi 15. There are three tables out front in the lot within almost spitting distance of the Hideaway. The place is not devoid of ladyboys as it seems robed ladyboys from Baby Boom and elsewhere occasionally plopped into the place. My buddy and I aren't down and out pathetic losers such that we have to drink in a joint like this but we thought we'd give it a go since it is quite convenient for us and you can avoid walking on Soi Buakhao which I find unpleasant. It's an alternative to hanging out at a friend's place. If drinking beer it's not that much cheaper than Kateseree which is a proper bar that offers free buckets of ice. But the advantage comes when ordering drinks other than beer. Breezer and Vodka Ice type drinks are 35 and 37 baht in cans. Cheap snacks are available and if one wants to avoid a hangover you can switch to Club Soda for 9 baht. The refrigeration system is superior to most bars. And they have a bottle opener. There are some negatives though. The bench seats are at an odd incline making them a bit uncomfortable. There aren't any fans. There were a group of Thais having a party of sorts at another table and they had their car door open blasting music. If it rains you're under the stars (there are actually a few seats inside with AC but not really conducive to an extended chinwag). Probably the biggest downside is the lack of a hong nam. The Thai guys were going across the soi and urinating in a somewhat hidden area but I wouldn't want my mug in the Pattaya Mail for peeing outside a Family Mart. There is a 24/7 free toilet in the Avenue Mall but the round trip is 5 minutes. Bottom line is we won't be in a rush to go back but won't rule it out either. Sometimes it's just nice not to have any bargirls around.

I never even realized there was such a thing as salt farming. Great idea for thread Stoolie! It's nice to see something new and different about Thailand!

Welcome back Stoolie!

The falang owner of Hidden AGoGo on Walking Street didn't pay his staff so the girls went to the police to complain.

Seems in this thread forum members have had different experiences with this bus as far as departure times. My experience is more in line with BB's. They sometimes add extra busses during busy times. Of course a bus and a driver needs to be available at Swampy. Here is the official schedule: https://airportpattayabus.com/from-suvarnabhumi-airport/ My feelings are kind of the opposite of QG in that he seems to prefer the service going to the airport and I prefer the service coming from the airport. I never know for sure what time my flight will arrive so it's difficult figuring what time to book the Bell Bus. And if you have the wrong debit card sometimes Bell won't accept it. It's frustrating to get knocked back over such a small purchase. OTOH, I am more concerned about timing, reliability, and making it easy when going to the airport. So, I usually use the Bell Bus. I don't want going to the airport to be stressful. I'm more willing to put up with hassles when coming from the airport. Also when coming from Jomtien the baht bus stops an easy 5 minute walk, 7 with luggage, from where I stay. The reverse is not true as going there I'm packed like a sardine at the Pattaya Tai to Jomtien baht bus queue and my luggage becomes problematic. Note the last two busses of the day from the airport don't go to Jomtien. Instead the terminus is the North Pattaya Bus Station. The Bell Bus in now 300 baht compared with the 140 (130 for Jomtien bus + 10 baht for the baht bus) but it's worth it to me when catching a plane. http://www.belltravelservice.com/shared-transfer/ Where should one get off the Jomtien Bus as they make a couple quick stops on Sukhumvit? For most people, I recommend taking it all the way to Jomtien although there are a few stops on the wrong side of Sukhumvit. I used to stay at a place a minute's walk from Pattaya Tai and 3rd Road, so it was more convienent to get off at Sukhumvit and Pattaya Tai. But using the Sukhumvit overpass in the rain with luggage blows. Taxis? Friend have had good experiences with PT (1000 to airport; 1100 from the airport). https://pttaxiservice.com/services-rates/ If flying at an inconvenient time an often overlooked alternative to taxis is staying at the Great Residence Hotel near the airport. It's inexpensive, saves a night's lodging in Pattaya and offers 2 way reliable transport to the airport. It's about a 7 minute drive. Can generally be booked on Booking.com or Agoda but sometimes they have multiple options so you need to be careful to choose 2 Way Airport Transfer Included. I've used it both when arriving late and departing early. To Book Great Residence on Agoda Through Our Partner Site Travelling to Bangkok for a quick one or two night trip? I'll take the Jomtien Bus as I'm just taking a backpack. At the airport I'll take the Airport Link to either Makkasan 35 baht or PhayaThai 45 baht. If going to Nana best to get off at Phayathai and transfer to the BTS. If going to Soi Cowboy best to get off at Makkasan and transfer to the MRT. If travelling to Bangkok City from Pattaya with luggage perhaps the door to door service of the Bell Bus plus two vans at 400 baht is better. But just a backpack prefer the Jomtien Bus plus rail transport to avoid Bangkok traffic. https://www.bangkokairportonline.com/bangkok-airport-rail-link/ Waiting at the airport is not really a big deal for me. I like to walk around the basement exchange booths in the basement, maybe go to the AIS counter to see if my Sims are still valid as I find it difficult to open my phone but for them it's a snap, maybe have a bite at the cafeteria near the bus ticket counter, take a dump, read my Kindle, the time goes by fairly quickly.

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