Misc stuff-
Here are some things that I elaborated on in the report, but I felt it important enough to place in a seperate thread. Pattaya seems like a place which is subject to a lot of interpretation and I have found that no one ever seems to know the real story. The women tell me one story, the veterans of Pattaya tell me another story, ex-pats that live there seem to have other stories, etc. I honestly do not know who is right or wrong, but here are my observations.
Pattaya is a place where everyone seems to have their own reality and not one way is right or wrong. Just as long as you have fun and don't get into trouble/cause trouble then you are on the right path. I met an older guy there that just came to stay in a hotel with an older heavyset Thai woman for 2 weeks. This was the woman he was most comfortable with and he had no regrets. He had fun, he was happy with his decisions and his way was not wrong. This guy probably had more fun on his stay then some mongers who slept with 40 women in two weeks. Its all up to you. However you do it, as long as you have fun and are happy with your decisions, thats what counts.
Base price- Whenever you purchase a service of any kind, consider the fact that what you are seeing might just be the base price. There are always other fees. For example, the hotel. There are always other hidden fees at every hotel that seem to pop up at the end. The "Rock Island" is another good example. The 120 baht fair is just the base price to get to the island. Once there, there are many other costs that seem to jump out at you.
Health- Get as healthy as you can before the trip especially cardio. As soon as you have any signs of sickness visit the pharmacy or medical clinic. They are fairly inexpensive there. My biggest mistake was trying to wait out my fever and diahrea to see if it would get better. It didnt and negatively effected the trip. I spent 150 baht at the pharmacy for some antibiotics, Tylenol and immodium which did the trick. The pharmacist is obviously not a doctor, but I felt comfortable enough with what they gave me. I had taken these antibiotics in the past and so I was not uncomfortable with their diagnosis. You will have to decide for yourself whether consulting with a Thailand pharmacist is best for you.
The women here seem more fit then in Angeles City. The action is such where you will need to be a little extra fit for these energetic sessions. It didnt seem to matter who I barfined...thin, thick, older, younger...whoever I fined seemed to provide a very energetic sesssion and they all seemed more uninhibited then the Angeles City variations.
They sell real Cialis there and I got mine for 2400 baht (4 tablets). I looked through other message forums and that price seemed to be the going rate in Thailand. I saw dated threads of 3-4 years ago where people stated they spent 2000 baht for the tablets. I have tried India's generic Cialis through Richie Labs in the past which seemed to work and was much cheaper. I thought the generic Cialias was less potent, but still worked. I didn't ask the pharmacist if he had this, but Im sure the cheaper generic stuff is around there too.
Airport- It will take at least 30 minutes to get through immigration coming and going. Figure in at least an hour to get through immigration when making plans. I waited in a larger line coming then going. I was not charged any fees to come or go. I read somewhere that 500 baht was charged, but I don't recall paying any immigration fees at the airport.
If you have leftover baht before getting on the airplane, there are places there that will buy it back after you get through security.
From the airport to Pattaya, it will take about 2.5 hours. I used http://www.belltravelservice.com/ which cost me 200 baht. However, the shuttle they provide is only available during limited hours. If your flight comes late, then you will have to take a taxi which runs around 1000-1500 baht. The taxi will get you to Pattaya only slightly faster. Bell has a large air conditioned bus which goes from the airport to a central hub in Pattaya. At the hub, you then get in a van which then takes you directly to the hotel.
After you get off the plane, immediately go to the lowest floor and find the revolving door which has a number 7 over it. It took me a while to find the escalator that gets down to the lowest floor as I was not familiar with the airport. If you can't find a bus or shuttle at that point, you can also find a taxi at that level.
When departing back to your home country, the earliest time to check in baggage is 3 hours before the plane leaves. The latest possible time is 1 hour before the plane leaves (according to a sign I saw posted).
When arriving, figure in about 3.5 to 4 hours from the time the plane lands to the point where you are checking into the hotel. When departing, get to the airport about 2-3 hours early from when the flight is about to leave.
Negotiations- Many of the Thai vendors utilize a calculator to communicate their price when negotiating. Many of the stores used a calculator to negotiate prices on certain items. I used a small calculator when haggleing prices with the vendors and the women. No one seemed to mind or became insulted. Actually, they seemed to prefer it as there were no misunderstandings as to the price.
There was a suggestion in the thread that the Thai people might be thrown off by the use of a calculator. I did not find that this was the case during the trip. When negotiating price, the Thai people are the king. Whatever you do during the negotiation won't phase them. There is nothing you can say or do when it comes to negotiating that will offend them. They have seen it all dealing with the multitude of people they deal with on a day to day basis. The Thai people are not shy when it comes to communicating a price, bill or charge so you should not be shy in negotiating.
The most notable use of the calculator is when I bought my fake Ray-bans (which the lenses have fallen out about 3 times since). The vendor started at 1000 baht and it was calculator versus calculator. I finally got down to 500 baht which was the sale price. Then about 5 days later I walked by a store which was having a sale on sunglasses for 100 baht per. ;)
I have found that all over the world, negotiation of a price seems the norm. In the United States, you don't ever really negotiate except in certain circumstances like at a car-lot or when buying a house. Negotiating in Thailand seems to be more prevalent like in many under-developed countries I have visited.
What to bring- I brought way too much stuff. Next time around, I will bring only carry-ons and buy whatever else I need there. If you have to check in luggage, then you are probably bringing too much stuff.
Do not bother bringing such things like toothpaste, shaving cream, mouthwash or deodorant. They have all that stuff there and its probably cheaper then in the United States. The only thing I will bring next time around is a toothbrush and some good blades for shaving.
There are internet cafes there that charge 40 baht per hour and you can plug in a USB drive to their computers. You dont need to bring a laptop.
You can get your laundry done there. Im not sure if they use Tide or will put your laundry through that extra rinse, but they will get it cleaner then when you handed it to them.
If you need shorts and t-shirts, do not buy them before you go. China is close to Thailand so they have vendors loaded down there with everything you can imagine at cut-rate prices. On Beach Rd, you can find vendors selling fake brands of shorts and t-shirts from 10 to 15 US dollars.
You could probably bring nothing with you and simply buy everything there. You can even buy fake brands of luggage for 300-500 baht per piece to bring back the stuff you buy.
Crime- My observation was that the crime factor was better then it was in Angeles City. There still is crime in Pattaya and you should always be aware. I saw on “Pattaya People” where 2 Iranians were robbed of 60,000 baht when the guys left the room to hit the 7-11 and the Beach Rd girls took off. The ladies will most always ask for you to take a shower. Always lock up and put away your stuff whenever the ladies are in the room.
$100 bills- You will get the best exchange rate with $100 bills. The exchange places will probably not accept any bills that are marked or ripped. If you have 20s or 50s, then you will get less baht back for your dollar. Bring $100s.
Hotels-
Do not expect the world from hotels under 1000 baht per night.
Rooms facing a main street like Beach Rd or Second will have a lot of noise.
There are several hundred hotels and guest houses in the area. I saw some places for as little as 500 baht per night. However, when I looked at the cheap rooms, there was something which was obviously wrong in each case.
The Secrets Hotel seemed like the best bang for under 1000 baht. The rooms were quiet, the furnishings seemed new and its location was very good.
For the cheapest rates, consider a condo or a condo-tel. You can do a google search and find condo-owners willing to rent their condo out for a fraction of staying at a hotel. You wont get things like maid-service or the extras of a hotel, but you do all that stuff at home anyway;) right? I saw one condo-tel on Walking Street which advertised a rate of 8500 baht a month for a studio.
Keep an eye on that mini-bar. The hotels have stacked the mini-bars with things the ladies enjoy. The ladies will attack that mini-bar.
Keep an eye on the hotel bill. The hotel is just as interested in your baht as the street vendors. There is no hotel out there that will not attempt to stack something on the bill. Hidden fees are commonplace at Pattaya hotels.
Barfines/Ladies/Long-time/Short-time-
If you barfine a woman long-time, then she will most likely expect you to pay for her other expenses such as eating. There were a few women I barfined long-time that insisted I pay for their dinner.
Some women and bars believe that “short-time” is one hour or one pop. Others, like the Secrets, will say 2-3 hours. Some women and bars believe that “long-time” is defined as when the bar closes while others, like the Secrets, believe its until 9am.
I found the market-rate on Walking Street for short-time is 1000-1500 baht for the lady's fee and then 600 baht for the bar's fee. Some ladies will say 2000 baht, but they will all come down even in the better go-gos like Happy.
The ladies do have a quota to make when it comes to barfines or the bar will let her go. There was one woman who approached me stating that she would pay for the barfine and then subtract it from her rate. So lets say the barfine was 600 baht and her rate 1000 baht, so I would pay 400 baht. When this first happened, I was not sure what was going on so I declined. Oftentimes when I am approached with such situations for the first time, I shy away because I don't know whats going on. I shyed away from that situation and now wish I didn't;) In that situation, the woman was simply trying to make her quota.
Knowing they have a quota of barfines to make for the bar can help you better understand their situation. If you are in the bar during the last week of the month, then the ladies will be pushing to make their quota. They may volunteer to take a hit on the barfine and give you a steep discount on the fine. As well, a woman who is trying to escape early might be more inclined to stay if they know you will fine them again the next day.
When negotiating, do it away from the mamason and other girls. I heard the mamason sometimes takes a percentage of the ultimate fine. As well, you will do better at negotiating a lower rate if the girls can save face and the other ladies do not know how much was the ultimate fine.
Always discuss the details before you leave the bar in regards to price and time of stay. Are they just going to bolt after 1 hour? Make sure to bring a digital clock with you and place it on the night-stand for all to see so there are no misunderstandings in regards to time.
The women do not have any preference as to looks or personality. They will go just as easily with the 65 year old overweight male as they will with the 22 year old quarterback. The women's ultimate concern is getting paid and staying employed with the bar. Their concern is not your looks or personality. I found that personality and looks played a certain part in the game, but no matter what, the women expected to be paid at the end. I hung out with a few women during the day and no matter how they appeared to enjoy themselves or how much they liked me, they all expected money at the end. There were a few women who came over to hang out and talk with me back in the hotel room on their own accord, but no one stayed unless money was paid. There were quite a few who seemed to like me as a person, but personality does not help pay their bills and they can't send my personality to their mama.
If a woman declines to go with you, then most likely, she has another guy on the way who has or will pay her. Its nothing personal against you, she just has someone else on the way.
In Angeles City, the women do not seem to be as oriented with money. I was able to hang out with a lot of women in Angeles outside of the bar without the expectation of money being paid. The women in Pattaya are loyal to the baht though and I do not blame them. Bills have to get paid somehow. I also believe the women in Angeles want out of the Phils anyway possible so they are extra nice to you. The women in Pattaya seem less receptive to becoming a US citizen and simply want the baht.
Language barrier- The women speak Thai and, in general, little English. Do not expect to be understood unless you know some Thai. An electronic pocket translator might help. Any English spoken will have to be done at a slow pace. One time I ordered coffee and got a mug full of Chang, for example. I called up one girl to say that I was leaving for the airport and she told me that “I will see you tomorrow.” Misunderstandings are common place.
Renting a motorbike or a motorcycle- I would have rented a motorbike for the week from the start if I was more familiar with it. After renting one a few times, I seemed to drive well enough where I was comfortable navigating it through traffic. The motorbike saves you a lot of time. I would not be drinking an motorbiking though;) If you plan on renting one, know the helmets provided seem fairly light-weight, loosely constructed and may not fit. Bring your own helmet if protection is a priority. Also bring some type of lock to make the motorbikes less stealable. I saw people using chains, padlocks and small kryptonite locks. I heard from the ladies that motorbike theft is an issue. I found a woman on Beach Rd who was working there because she said her bike got stolen.
Baht-bus- The best option for getting around. They charge only 10 baht and will give you change. Keep those coins for the baht-bus. They run along the main streets in one direction. To get on, simply flag them down and they will stop. Then get on the back, you dont need to talk to the driver. To get off, press the buzzer button in the back which is located usually on the roof. Walk to the front and the driver will pull his window down so he can get paid. The driver of the baht bus will allow you to ride up in the front if you are handicapped or the back is full. You can talk to the driver, but he may not know English.
Motorbike guys in green vests- They will charge 20 baht and you can ride on the back of their motorbike.
Hiring the baht-bus- You can hire an empty baht-bus for yourself which will take you to any destination for 110 baht. This is usually not needed. I hired one to get to the Secrets because I had a lot of luggage. However, I saw people offloading large amounts of luggage on the regular baht-bus. I even saw a guy in a wheel chair traveling around on the regular baht bus.
Happy Go-Go- This is the one go-go that is a must go. High level of energy and great looks. Dont pay more then 1500 baht for short-time.
“Rock Island”- There are two main ways to go to the Island. The speedboats cost 400 baht round-trip. The big slower boats cost 120 baht round trip. When they say the boat leaves at 5pm, they really mean the boat leaves at 4:30pm. Make sure to get to the boat area early. I found this to be a must go experience. It costs 500 baht to rent a motorbike for the day and there are baht busses on the island.
Sitting on the beach- You can sit on the beach in Pattaya if you enjoy getting approached by vendors every 10 minutes. Jontiem and Rock Island are the better places for sitting on the beach.
Jontiem vs. Pattaya- Jontiem is more like a first world vacation then a mongering experience. There are beer bars and a few go-gos there, but the mongering scene is much less then in Pattaya. You can still baht bus it to Pattaya which is only about 10-15 minutes. All of the go-gos and bars in Pattaya have or know where there are short-time rooms that range in price from 100-300 baht...sometimes the short time rooms are free.
In Jontiem, there are much fewer vendors and the scene is a lot more laid back. The hotels seem more upscale, the beach is definitely cleaner and the overall scene a lot more high-brow.
I could picture taking a family to Jontiem for a regular vacation where as I could not possibly imagine taking a family to Pattaya.
Getting into trouble- I watched on television how the police seemed tolerant to the tourist who streaked naked through the street multiple times despite repeated warnings and detentions. I saw quite a few drunkards causing trouble and passing out without getting into much trouble. It seems a bit harder to get into trouble in Pattaya then it does in the United States. I know if I were to get naked and walk through the streets in the US then I would be arrested and taken to jail without a warning.
I wouldnt fool around with drugs in a place like Thailand. There were dealers on Beach Rd who would yell out “marijuana” when you walked by and some had the marijuana leaf shirts. These guys can probably get you into more trouble then anything else.
Beach Road-Disco freelancers- Most freelancers are not really freelancers. Most are go-go or bar girls just trying to make some extra baht. Some people say the freelancers do not get tested for HIV which is true, but the chances of a male getting HIV through protected vaginal sex are very minimal. You can google it for the true odds and there are many variables, but assuming the condom is new, good quality and there is no breakage, then you have better chances of getting struck by lightning then getting infected by HIV through protected vaginal sex. I use Trojan Magnum XLs and have never had a problem with them.
Bars/Hotels/Streets- Almost on every street there is another bar or hotel. I would have to say there are tens of thousands of women and probably thousands of bars or hotels. It seemed like wherever I went there was somewhere to drink, stay or hire out women. The bars and go-gos seemed to be open until late 2-4am. I saw some bars open until 6am.
The Smile and Stare- The signal is to smile and stare at the woman. If the woman smiles and stares back, then she confirmed the signal and is game. You can now approach her or more likely she will approach you. You can do the smile&stare at any location, bar/go-go or the beach or the mall or wherever. This simple technique seemed to work.
Living there- I believe its very possible to live in or around Pattaya on the cheap. You can find a nice place for a few hundred American dollars per month. Visas I dont believe are an issue. I saw many commercials on “Pattaya People” for lawyers that know about these matters. One guy said “If I dont get you a visa, you dont pay”. There was also many shops on the street with lots of lawyers. It comes down to discipline though. It is fairly easy to spend thousands of dollars a month on the usual temptations. The women will try to extract that extra dollar out of you. If anyone knows you have money, then they will try to get it from you. You have to be a little streetsmart and have that discipline to live in Pattaya.
Lets say you are a 67 year old guy living on a pension or social security in a random state. I truly believe you could live cheaper in Pattaya and have that access to 20-something year old women you could not have in the United States. You might even be able to live better in Pattaya then in the United States.
(Message edited by Portege on December 22, 2009)
(Message edited by Portege on December 22, 2009)