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Two tier pricing and traffic problems in Pattaya

Thai people dislike being addressed in Thai by farangs?

Take care of your belongings

Drivers and scams

Two tier pricing and traffic problems in Pattaya

Editor;
Hello to all at Pattaya Mail. I would like to wish you a Happy New Year.
It is the first time I have written to a newspaper, but alas, I have felt the need to join the ranks of the complaining, moaning, and “getting all freaked out” because of the two tier price system, which “starts from the top down, most notably the National Parks. It never fails to amaze me on entering any National Park the entrance price which can vary from 10/20thb for a Thai to 200/400tbh for a foreigner.
And all down the line.
I have always felt that since I was raised in a country by a family who taught us to respect all of God’s children equally that I or many of the foreigners who visit Thailand are far from equal on a financial level with 40% of the Thais. It is also I believe safe to say that many well-off Thais are paid well above my financial height.
Since I have a work permit, I have used it and have been charged the Thai price. But this is not always the case, but I find it’s better to pay than ruin my day or the day of anyone else in my company.
It is our choice to live or visit this beautiful country, which I feel very privileged to do. We take the good with the bad and a little mai pen rai
On New Years Eve, I, like anyone who has friends, celebrated over a few drinks, our choice was a bar in Walking Street. We spent some three hours enjoying their hospitality. When I asked for my tab, when looking as I always do, I noticed there was a drink that I nor any of my friends had ordered. I showed the girl at which time an English man who was serving drinks asked what was the problem.
I told him that I have been over charged, at which he looked at me with a puzzled look, and said its only 135thb! Since the age of 13 I have worked in hotels, restaurants, pubs, up to building and running one of the largest pub & club complexes in Europe. This is a new one on me.
In a popular disco, on another evening, as I entered I went to the bar and ordered one “Singha Beer”. The bar man took the bottle from the shelf, opened it in front of me, I handed him 200thb and while waiting for my change of this over priced beer I took a drink. As quickly as it had entered my mouth it left back into the bottle from where it came.
I told the bar man that this bottle of beer was off. I asked him if he would please change it for another Singha, and he’s reply was no. I asked to speak with a manager, to which a foreign gent approached, and he told me this is Thai beer and that’s the way it tastes. I told him that I have being enjoying the taste off Singha Beer for nearly ten years and it does not taste of a flat foul opened re-caped and left on the shelf beer.
Needless to say he point blank refused to exchange the beer or refund my money. And needless to say I shan’t darken their door again.
I hope I do not bore you, but there is still one other point I would like to make, with regards to traffic in Pattaya. In the Pattaya Mail it was reported that a meeting had taken place on Dec 22nd with Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn and the committee of the Pattaya Traffic Study Project.
As I was involved in a collision with a motorbike at the intersection of South Pattaya Road and 2nd Road recently where a motorbike rider had run a red light, I feel Pattaya City Hall has the responsibility and accountability to protect its residents and tourists alike.
The streets of Pattaya are death traps; every road, pavement, intersection and roundabout. Here are my thoughts to solve at least one Traffic problem.
Reverse, yes reverse Second Road and Beach Road.
What you ask?! Think about it, where are the delays? Beach Road towards Walking Street, coming from Pratamnak Hill towards South Pattaya Road, and Dolphin Roundabout. The problem is all the traffic has to cross itself, hence congestion.
Sometimes the easiest solution of successfully dealing with a problem is not always the most obvious.
The traffic from Naklua is now directed to North Pattaya Road and has to do a life and death U turn to return to Dolphin roundabout. There would be no need of this, and there would be no congestion for traffic coming from Beach Road going in the direction of Naklua.
At South Pattaya Road, traffic from Jomtien and Pratamnak Hill could move without delay toward Beach Road, taking a continuous left hand lane turn.
The traffic now traveling on 2nd Rd. could have a continuous left turn to South Pattaya Road and a continuous right lane to Beach Road.
Traffic on 2nd Road that wishes to go in the direction of Jomtien would share a traffic light with those who wish to travel from South Pattaya Road towards Beach Road.
All other sois and streets off Beach Road and 2nd Road could remain as they are.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. It is my belief that whatever city hall does, sometime in the future this problem will have to be addressed. After all, we do drive on the left and not the right.
Yours sincerely,
PR Pratamnak

Thai people dislike being addressed in Thai by farangs?

Editor;
So ‘Green Grass’ really believes that Thai people dislike being addressed in Thai by farangs. What a load of rubbish. I worked in Thailand for several years and from experience know that most Thai people really appreciate it when a ‘farang’ speaks to them in Thai, even if it is only a few words.
Mr/Ms Green Grass should realise that he/she is in Thailand, and should not be so ignorant as to expect Thais to be able to speak English in their country (Thailand).
If a foreigner came to your own country would you expect them to speak your own language? I think you would!
DKF

Take care of your belongings

Dear Sirs
I write this letter to you in the hope you may be able to publish its contents, in the hope that it may serve as a reminder to all foreigners and Thai alike of what can befall you in Pattaya/Jomtien or for that matter any large city in the world.
If on reading it someone else is prevented from the same problem befalling them it will have been worthwhile.
On the night of New Year my sister in law, a Thai national, was returning home from the festivities on her motorcycle up Pattaya Klang. When suddenly a motorcycle with two Thai on board pulled alongside and attempted to snatch the shoulder bag she was carrying. Unable to cut the strap and obviously angry at their failed attempt they proceeded to kick the motorcycle from under her. This resulted in her losing control and hitting a car and another motorcycle and sustaining considerable damage to her face, requiring hospitalisation and what will be many months of treatment.
This, however, was not the end to her problems. Whilst laying injured and awaiting assistance someone in the crowd decided to relieve her of the small amount of finance that she had within her shoulder bag.
The original attack on the motorcycle was Thai against Thai. We often hear of visitors getting into strife because of plain carelessness or stupidity. But please be aware that these people do not care who they try and steal from, Thai or visitor.
Please can I strongly remind all residents of this great city to please take care. Do not ever carry a bag over your shoulder on a motorcycle at any time. Never show large amounts of gold, either necklaces or bracelets in public. It is asking for trouble.
I do not want anyone else to have the kind of start to the New Year that our family is having.
Signed,
Baz H

Drivers and scams

Dear Pattaya Mail,
I have been over to your lovely country several times now & read your paper regularly. I have a couple of points to make here. Firstly there seems to always be a lot of venom meted out to baht bus drivers. I’m no expert here; the first time I was in Pattaya I was picked up by a baht bus that had been chartered by a Chinese family to go back to their hotel in the middle of nowhere. Soon as I realised I tried to stop the driver but got the old “mai cow chai” despite waving my arms about. I had been chatting away to the Chinese father who kindly explained to the driver he should have said he wasn’t going the normal route, and he kindly paid the man to drop me back. When we got back the driver demanded 100B & went crazy when I refused. Baht Bus Driver Type 1.
Type 2 Baht Bus Driver was a completely different story. I got lost on Soi Buakao last Christmas & asked a group of youths which way to go. Further up the road they took me by surprise by hitting me over the head & taking my telephone & wallet. A driver going past saw the argument, stopped, shouted at the youths to get lost, and dropped me back to my hotel for nothing - I had no money but that was no problem - bleeding head and all. Whoever you were Type 2, thank you very much for that - I have not forgotten.
So give them a break, they aren’t all just the sharks people make them out to be.
On a different note, I have been reading letters from people who have been scammed. Here is one to watch: I arrived home in January 2005 - I had resorted to using an emergency credit card to draw cash over the counter (see above). When my credit card bill came in in June, I also had a letter from the company saying I was over limit. Impossible - I had not used it since returning to Blighty. On checking, a money exchange booth in Pattaya where I had drawn cash over the counter had drawn nearly £500 from my card in May 2005! Eh? Naturally the money was refunded by the credit card firm, but it would be worth making your readers aware that stuff like that goes on (everywhere, not just Thailand) which they ought to be on the lookout for, rather than moan about the extra 5B for being driven however far it is round Pattaya!
I hope to get back in a few months, my feet are itching. May I wish you all a Happy New Year from London where you’ll be amused to hear it’s presently very cold & very wet!
Kind regards,
Martyn Philipp
London UK

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