199 replies to this topic

[paultain]

Pattaya 2009
(The Preparations)

The Flight! (Amsterdam – Bangkok)

For the newbie’s……All though I was not going to Patt’s until June 2009, Because of the credit crunch and the fuel prices had went up in late 2008, I start to look up flights in Nov- Dec 2008, which I normally do. The price of the tickets then were 80 euros more that when I came to book in Feb 2009. As most airlines are on-line, saving the administration cost of a travel agent, in my case it is 40 Euro’s. So that was 120 euro’s savings right away.

I would find that from March – June, and Sept – Oct, would be the cheapest times to fly to Thailand. July and August is a bit iffy, so I compare the air fares of direct flights, to several different airlines, in my case I selected EVA, which was the cheapest. I previous two times I went by KLM, the first time was good, but the second time, the highlight of the meal was ‘cup a soup’, so never again.

Also you will find if you travel midweek (Tuesday thru Thursday) you will find cheaper than say Friday, as that is the most popular day people fly. So I play around with the dates, see the price difference, and adjust my vacation accordingly. You will find you will save a bit of money, as the airfare itself burns the biggest hole in your pocket. Try to book the flight yourself, as it’s quite simple. Also on-line you will come across some bargains and reductions on airfares, so watch out for them. Other BM’s regularly post these bargains, when they hear of them. And advice from others is welcome on this subject.

Right now KLM is doing a special of 280 euro’s for a month only, but of course add on 300 plus airport tax and fuel charges on top of that, from Schipol, which is the most expensive airport in Europe. I did meet a couple of guys at Johns bar in Soi 7, who didn’t plan to come, but there was an advert in the newspaper from London to Bangkok at 380 GBP. So they just couldn’t help them selves.

In my walkabouts in Patt’s, I met up with a bunch of Dutch guys, and we discussed this, and they informed me something I never heard of before……. Wile booking on line, and before making the decision, send the airline an e-mail saying you think the air fare is too dear, and would they do something about it. If the airline knows the flight is half full, they will answer back with a better offer. These guys do it all the time.

Booking the Hotel

Book it directly your self by e-mail, bargain with them, and every hotel has internet facilities, no need to go through a middle man, someone has to pay him, and it’s going to be you. I reckoned because of the protests, credit crunch, and swine flu, there were bargains to be had. So I e-mailed several hotels that I never stayed at before, knowing well that the low-season room rate is only for one night, but then I am staying for 3 weeks, so I expect a further reduction for that. I wrote off to six hotels, and wasn’t satisfied with two of them, but the other 4 were quite willing to bargain with me.

I selected the ‘Cuba Hut Resort’ in Soi Boekhaow and got a big room for 600 baht a night. I use to walk past it thinking it was a bit up market for me, and was amazed Da my contact of the hotel was able to give me a room for that price. The e-mails went like this;

Me; I am planning to stay in Pattaya for 3 weeks, what is your best rate you can give me?

Da; 700 baht, but if you don’t want breakfast, then 600 baht.

Me; Ok, I will be there from such n such a date, till that date, have a room reserved for me.

Da; Ok sir, can you send a deposit by Western Union, to Mr. such n such, as we haven’t on-line credit card facilities.

Me; Say what? ....... I am not in the habit of sending money to people I don’t know, and you can expect me at the reception on the 15 June for 3 weeks ……. So you better have a room for me. Once I get to know you then maybe next time I will send you a deposit. (Knowing well if I stay there the first time and we all get to know each other, the next time I book, I will not be asked for a deposit again.)

Da; Ok sir, I understand you don’t know me, and I will have your room reserved for you.

I forgot to ask was there a joiners fee, but as I was taking 2 and 3 guests in at night, and nobody batted an eye, and I guess the attitude was; well if you can all fit in one bed ….. Then fair play to you.

Transport from the Airport to Pattaya

Because of recommendations from my mate 69Billy, I reserved on line a seat with the ‘Bell Bus Company’, for 200 baht, but I normally go by limo. I found that it wasn’t necessary to reserve it, and there was 2 other companies doing the same, for 160 baht. But ‘Bell Bus’ has a transfer directly to your hotel included in the price, the others just go to the bus station in Pattaya, therefore you will have to pay for transport to your hotel on top of the 160 baht, so it can cost you more in the long run.

Dentists in Pattaya

As the European dentists are way over the top with their prices, I have been getting my teeth sorted out every time I go to Pattaya, for the last ten years. In Pattaya it costs from 10% to 30% of the cost here in Holland, depending on what you have to get done. I recently got a tooth extracted but wear dentures, so I had to get a tooth added to three sets I had made previously in Pattaya, as I like to have a couple of sets spare. The cost to add on a tooth on one set of dentures here in Holland was going to be 160 Euros, so I went on line, and googled ‘Dentists in Pattaya’, and e-mailed 4-5 dentists, and got replies that it would cost 20 Euros, for the same job.

Needless to say I made an appointment with one of them, after finding its location using the ‘Pattaya Photo Guide’. I made the appointment for 2 days after I arrived, knowing well I would be out on the piss the first day, and would have a hangover the next, so it was best to leave it until the following day. And doing it on line, made sure I didn’t have to wait a week for a slot in their schedule.

Now that everything is organized its time to count the days till the trip begins.

[paultain]

The Trip to Thailand

A couple of days before the flight, I went to the shops to buy a few boxes of Belgian chocolates and a few family size bars, for the girls of my destination, when I bumped into my son Folk, his missus and kid. I hadn’t seen them since Christmas, and we realized we where all going to Thailand the same day. But they were going by Düsseldorf and I from Amsterdam. So we planed to meet up in Pattaya sometime in the middle of the vacation, and that we would keep in touch by e-mail, on when exactly we would meet up.

As I was leaving on a Sunday, the trains were too late to catch the flight, so I had to get one of my mates to drive the 3 hour journey instead. As he looks the same as me, he walked right up to the check-in, and stood along side me, wile the girl checked my passport, and then started to ask my mate some questions, “No no, I’m not going he is”, and with a confusing smile she looked again at the passport photo, wile we made jokes about which one of us was the better looking. Unknown to me at that time she got very suspicious.

After I checked in, we parted ways, with me going through passport control. And waltzed about for a couple of hours in duty free and got something to eat. When it was time to hit the gate E18, a half an hour before boarding, I made my way there. Waiting for me at the boarding pass reception was the same girl that checked me in, and asked for my passport again, and ran it through the computer again. I guess she was still not sure which one of us was taking the flight. She ran it through and there seemed to be no problems.

The next thing was getting through security, metal detectors and x-ray machines, and as the flight was half full, I seemed to be the last one there as everyone was sitting in the boarding lounge. So I took off my watch, and my ditty bag that was around my waist, with all my keys, cash, tickets, change, passport, and personal documents. Set them in the basket to go through the x-ray machine, and past through the metal detector, without a hitch. And then went to pick up my ditty bag at the other side of the x-ray.

Now it must have been out of shear boredom that a little Arab security guy followed the bag, and asked me, “Do you mind if I take a look sir?”…….. “Why? …… you just x-rayed it and you know all that is inside” ………. “Just doing my job sir!” …… “Oh go ahead then!” …….. So instead of of flicking through it with his fingers, he starts to take everything out item by item, and the flight is now boarding. That pissed me off slightly, until he took out the 3000 Euro cash I had in an envelope for my holiday, and started to count the fucking thing. “What the fuck are you doing boy?” …….. “My job sir” ….. “That’s none of your fucking business ….. It’s not your job to do that……. Now stop it and put it away”. He quickly put it down, and then started to read my personal document, I really started to boil, and started to raise my voice, “Now what the fuck do you think you’re doing now boy?” ……. “My job sir!” ……… “Reading peoples personal documents is not in your job description mate …….. Do you think your above the law?, just because your wearing that boy scouts uniform, get a real job mate.”

Just then his supervisor came over to see what all the fuss was all about, “What seems to be the problem sir?” He was a big tall African, and judging by the way he spoke Dutch and English, he was not long in the country, and reminded me of an asylum seeker. “The problem is who do you people think you are?.... the Gestapo? ……….. This idiot here is counting my money and reading my personal documents, which has got nothing to do with security and after it has been x-rayed”.

“You don’t understand sir, anything on paper doesn’t show up in the x-ray……. It could be soaked in drugs, which won’t show up”…………. “Oh so now you think you’re the fucking customs and excise, or the special branch of the Dutch drug squad? ……. Give me a fucking break, that’s up to the customs at the destination, you might pull this stunt with some stupid people, but your not with me boy”. Now as I am talking the supervisor, the little shit that was going through my stuff, finished and just said, “Thank you sir”, and walked away to his other Arab buddy, leaving all my contents of my bag in a pile. That made me even more angry, and as I started to put everything back, last was a pen, I called the little fucker back over, and asked for his ID, the supervisors ID, and noted all their details down, as I told them I will make an official complaint through a lawyer when I returned. I really had to bite my lip, other wise I was not getting on the plane, as I would have loved to rip them both an new ass hole.

Through out the 11 hour flight, I was still raging about it, and landed in Bangkok, and past through customs around 5am, so I had a few hours to kill as the bus didn’t go until 8.30am. So I wandered around and got a coffee and sat outside for a smoke, with all the taxi touts. We laughed and joked for a few hours, and I was offered a taxi for as little as 500 baht to a maximum of 800 baht, including tolls. But they seem to be a bit more interested in my Buddha amulet that was around my neck, and it seemed everywhere I went throughout the holiday, the Thais would stop me to take a closer inspection of it. Although an old monk gave me it several years back, it seems to be worth something today, although I didn’t check it out. But some can be worth millions now.

Anyway the crack was 90, with them all in the airport, and I wasn’t in a hurry as I thought check-in at the hotel was probably noon, so I might be stuck at the open air reception till then. But I remember calming down with all the crack, and thinking to myself, its nice to be in a civilized country after that bullshit in Amsterdam.

[paultain]

Arrival in Pattaya

Bell bus was ok, on time and about 10 people onboard, and in reaching the Pattaya bus station, there was no hanging around, and straight into a mini bus for 10 minutes, and there I was at the hotel. Walked into reception to be greeted by Da, “I thought you weren’t coming Mr. Paul”……. “You mean I didn’t have to hang around the airport?”……Shit!”…. “Yes you can come anytime, as long as we know……… you can go straight to the room that is reserved for you.” So I paid him up front the agreed price for the 3 weeks, and he led me to my room, on the way Da was trying to rent out a motorcycle to me. It was a bigger than usual room that I am use to, but it was in the oldest part of the resort, but it was great value for 600 baht.

So I got the mini bar removed, to make room for my own cheaper selection from the 7/11 across the road, and tipped the maid right away, as I like to make a good start with the staff, which will always work in my favor in days to come. Unpacked and took a shower to freshen up, and as I gazed out the window, I noticed a new 4 story building by the swimming pool, that was never on the hotels web site.

So I got dressed and went to reception to get a security box to put my things in, still looking over at this new building. I asked Da what was this place and why he never told me about it. Da explained as we were sending each other e-mails, this building was not yet finished, and basically didn’t exist at the time, and was not long opened. As it looked dead smart I asked him to take a look at the rooms, and he took me over to one on the ground floor. Only one person had stayed in it before, and I fell in love with it right away.

Large flat screen TV, dvd player, remote controlled air con, the lot, everything brand new. So I ask Da how much was it a day, he answered 1000 baht, “Yes Da…… but how much for me?”…………. “How about 800 baht…….. And I’ll throw in a motorcycle for two days free?”………. “Right done……. Give me the keys right now…….. And I’ll pay the difference at reception”. He gave me the last day free also, as I was checking out late in the evening; he wasn’t bothered to charge me for that day.

The resort wasn’t that big, but you couldn’t hear the traffic from Soi Boekhaow, or the noise from the nearby bars. Except for one of the bars that had a couple of karaoke nights and had it blasting way above the norm, but sure you could have heard that if you were in Bangkok. So I packed again and moved to the new room, then filled the fridge from 7/11.

Right outside the hotel there was a Siam Commercial Bank exchange, and normally gives the best rate, but just across the road was a ‘K’ Excellence’ Exchange that gave the best rate in town, and is always in green color. So I topped off there, after paying the hotel.

I asked Da did they need any plugging as I belonged to some forums, he said no not really as they are 60%, when the majority of hotels were sitting at 20% occupancy. The staff was around 15 personnel, so it was quite easy to get to know them all, and have a healthy friendship with them. The rooms had a safe, as well as a safety box at reception, which is available 24 hours. So you could use them both at the same time. I personally prefer the reception as it is well guarded and they don’t ask for a deposit for the keys. Lately it has been in the Pattaya news often, of some girls doping customers in the room, then heading out and coming back with a large suitcase with a few tools, then unbolting the whole safe, and packing it into the suitcase, and walking casually out with it.

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[Legend]

any chance we can just get to the cock pics.?

[bensark]

Loving the detail so far, hoping this will be good!

[Ric007]

Hotel looks nice.

Where are the action pics?

Ric

[petesie]

Excellent Paul.......now we can look forward to a daily delivery of how things went down during your trip to Sin City.......... :wink:

Boy o' boy......

[paultain]

any chance we can just get to the cock pics.?

No!....... sorry no cock pic's this trip........ I just couldn't be bothered..... besides.. I'd rather be out there fucking them instead of sitting here having a wank over photo's........ If you realize how many mouths my cock has been in, in the last 3 weeks ........ then you would understand I didn't have any time to take cock pics. :wink:

[dixon cox]

Out of boredom I counted the words (using Word).

2480 before we even arrived in Pattaya


I can't wait for the rest, literally :|

[thailearner]

Hi

Do you have a web address or email address for the hotel

THanks

[noodles]

some useful tips though for a fellow Dutch guy like me, so thanks for that!