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LETTERS

  HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]: 
 
10 Reasons to Love Pattaya

Thanks for your support

Clarification

The Pattaya Mail Story

Forging ahead through obstacles

Anonymity is the best policy

No hot pants for the Doc

Response to Mr. K.Guiney

10 Reasons to Love Pattaya

Dear Sir,

After reading so many letters in past editions to your newspaper regarding negative comments about Pattaya I felt obliged to give a positive opinion.

10 Reasons to love Pattaya:

1) Pattaya has great beaches where visitors can enjoy the fine climate and take a refreshing swim or just amble the time away watching the many family people play with their children.

2) Shopping is easy and fun, especially in Royal Garden or Big C where anything can be purchased at a reasonable rate. Any day of the week the farangs can get whatever they need or sit in one of the public areas and socialise with one of the locals going about their daily chores.

3) Getting around Pattaya is no problem. If you want to be taken, there are many baht taxis with drivers who are more than willing to take you where you want to go and they all speak such good English. The fares are cheap, you’ll never pay more than 100 baht and I always felt an extra 100 baht tip was well deserved for these hard working and helpful drivers.

4) There are plenty of hotels to choose from with staff who seem friendly, honest and always ready to help you. Whenever I have stayed in any hotel in Pattaya my room has always had a fan on the ceiling so the hot nights were made enjoyable. Security was never a problem as I always put my passport and excess cash and credit cards in at reception, the staff are happy to take charge of this personally. Now that’s what I call service!

5) Pattaya is full of things to do both during the day and at night, no matter what you fancy you can do it. Ride an elephant, feed the monkey, have a Thai massage or just walk along Beach Road at night and take in the sea breeze and meet the locals who are so friendly. You can enjoy a cold beer in one of the hundreds of watering holes in Pattaya, all the bar staff are so willing to help you and they all speak such good English yet most of them have only recently moved to Pattaya, just goes to show how high the standard of education is in Thailand!

6) The discos are great, its fun to see everyone dancing, I don’t know where they get the energy to dance till the early hours. Often the busy time doesn’t seem to start till 2am, I suppose that’s because they work long hours to provide for their family.

7) Eating out in Pattaya is a great experience and the reviews in the Pattaya Mail are so accurate. I always feel so spoilt for choice. I can have toad in the hole any day of the week and finish up with something creamy, or the delight of having Thai.

8) Medical provision in Pattaya just isn’t a problem, a lot of the chemists shops are very helpful in understanding what you want. The hospitals are excellent if you need a diagnosis... so I’ve been told.

9) So many people seem to have gone to live in Pattaya permanently from Europe; this surely is a sign of the satisfaction with Pattaya and the Thai people, why else? It can only be for the same reason so many visit this place.

10) The Pattaya people are friendly, genuine, hard working, helpful, honest and trustworthy, reliable, dependable, kind and most of all willing to do anything for you! This is why so many love Pattaya.

Regards,
Peter Fernau
Shepherds Bush
London
UK

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Thanks for your support

Dear Readers,

On 23 July we had a wonderful afternoon in the Orphanage Center with Father Brennan. We want to thank our sponsors that helped to make this wonderful afternoon happen: Delaney’s, Las Vegas, TQ 1, Jesters M.C., Patrick’s Belgian Restaurant, Scandinavian Bar, Hash House Harriers, Wonderful Bar, Birdie Bar, Belgium Beer Bar, Atlantic Bar and all the VIP’s. Also the people who came to support us. We raised 48,000 baht, double over last year.

Thanks everybody,
Patrick and Fini

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Clarification

Editor,

In reference to the letter titled, “A Case of Mistaken Identity” printed in the Mailbag last week (August 4th), we sincerely regret the writer’s choosing to include the names of motorcycle clubs in his text. We would like to make it clear that the individual acted solely on his own and the opinions and statements expressed in the said letter were strictly his alone and not representative of the club, whose name he elected to write below his own, in any way whatsoever.

LWU

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The Pattaya Mail Story

Editor;

I was in Pattaya 5 years ago when I first came across the Pattaya Mail and have been an avid reader ever since. Thank you for keeping me up to date on Pattaya while I’ve continued my living in New Jersey.

Had no idea the Pattaya Mail was only 5 years old until just reading your Pattaya Mail Story on the internet. The overall quality of the paper has always given me the impression that the paper was around since Pattaya’s beginnings. So, now I realize that I was probably picking up some of your first issues when I began reading and wish to express my thanks to all of you for helping me keep abreast of news, views and “for sales” both while living in Pattaya and living in the U.S.

Larry

Editor’s reply: Actually, we just celebrated our 7th anniversary.

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Forging ahead through obstacles

Editor;

Having observed what has been printed in the press the past few weeks, I feel compelled to tell what has never been reported.

What differentiates entrepreneurs from others? Have you ever thought about the answer?

In my opinion: Their courage to risk and venture, and the vision to build something new.

Thailand has a lot of courageous people. Some made it, and some did not. Yet all of them have something in common: they are all very different.

The owners of Angel Air are no different than the people with that difference. An opportunity came by, and they made it fly and made it happen under the toughest economic conditions of this country. One has to respect their courage to venture into unknown spheres in such difficult times.

And along the way they had to make other tough decisions, including flight suspensions, which were made public in the press, not the least to undergo a restructuring of the airline, which engulfed rethinking of the business strategy. Realization is one thing, but acting on it is another, and it takes courage to take such decisions.

Born in the worst economic crisis of Thailand, Angel Air has been going through teething problems, but everything possible will be done to help it mature, and this takes again a lot of courage. This is nothing new to an airline in the making. Many airlines have faced similar difficulties and managed to make it. Angel Air will also make it, not only as the second national carrier of Thailand, but also as the airline of choice, and should be given whatever it takes to get there.

Question is: Does the travel trade and press have what it takes to support an airline for their choice?

Rudi Fischer

EVP Magellan Corp. Ltd. and Advisor to Angel Air

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Anonymity is the best policy

Dear Sir,

I have just read my very first edition of the Pattaya Mail (despite having been coming to Thailand every year for over 15 years) and was very impressed.

I do have one point of concern however - the couple who say they are considering moving back to Pattaya sometime in the next three years and then ask to be provided with a complete list of US/UK expats including names, addresses, business owned, phone numbers and e-mail addresses. The only thing they left out was bank account numbers! Some of the more cynical amongst us might think that they were actually trying to compile a database of potential customers that they could then sell on to other companies. I for one would not be thrilled to have my personal details given out to complete strangers.

Chris

Khon Kaen

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No hot pants for the Doc

Editor;

T. Crossly made some fair comments about the Pattaya Mail Channel but I would say the standard and coverage has markedly improved over recent weeks. It is clear to me that they are clearly cognisant of some of the past shortcomings and are addressing them. The only bone of contention I have with T. Crossly’s opinions are those concerning the criticism of Iain Corness. I find his interviewing technique most acceptable and entertaining. I think that his Nite Beat slot is excellent. It’s probably why I make sure to watch. The idea of a Thai girl conducting such interviews would not work in my view. I cannot envisage such a person having the verbal dexterity, instant wit and subtle humour including innuendo. I could be wrong but Dr Iain’s skill set would be a tough act to follow unless you want it BBC (boring) style. Keep up the good work Doc. As for the guy who shot two tourists (that was a Policeman as I recall), I believe he has been promoted to General in the spirit of the new banking guidelines and general attitude toward farangs. I have it on good authority that he, having read T. Crossly’s letter, is looking for a hat trick. Hey Doc, when you have the op, go for a ‘D’ cup. I do not envy those ducks... and am most certainly not looking forward to seeing you in a boob tube and hot pants.

Noel Thomas

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Response to Mr. K. Guiney

Dear Mr. Guiney,

I assure you that I am not an American with a chest full of medals although I did manage to win a couple of them in Southeast Asia a few years back during a Vietnamese tourist celebration called “Tet 1968”. In fact, my chest has slipped a few inches south towards my belt and all that dark lush hair that I was so proud of has turned to gray.

As far as linguistically challenged goes, I submit to you that English is a growing language. Any time that a word enters mainstream English, it can properly be considered acceptable just as some words leave the mainstream and are no longer considered acceptable.

You would probably get the same response as I do if you approach the matter in a quiet, polite, non threatening manner. The last time I was in the NCO Open Mess having lunch with my family we were seated next to a small (5-6) group of newly promoted sergeants whose language got a bit extreme. I went over to them and said “Gentlemen, my five year old daughter has been listening and has asked me about some of the words that you have been using. Would you mind explaining them to her?” Problem solved. There was instance silence, almost as instance red faces, and sheepish grins. To give credit where credit was due, they got up, walked to our table, and all apologized to my wife and daughter.

No threats issued, no voices raised, just a group of young men properly chastised in a very non threatening manner.

There is no moral to this story other than you should be willing to stand up for what you believe.

Regards
Paul Garner
United States Air Force (Retired)

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  Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail  
are also on our website.

It is noticed that the letters herein in no way reflect the opinions of the editor or writers for Pattaya Mail, but are unsolicited letters from our readers, expressing their own opinions. No anonymous letters or those without genuine addresses are printed, and, whilst we do not object to the use of a nom de plume, preference will be given to those signed.