Manchester has good food

Dear Sir,

I resent the ridiculous statement made by Grapevine (November 19) inferring that Manchester restaurants are less than clean and with dubious cuisine. For your information, Manchester is the centre of a large number of international restaurants including many Chinese, Indian, Thai, Italian, Middle Eastern, Turkish, Armenian, Cypriot, Greek and many others which are strictly controlled and checked by the health authorities. Many people come from all over Lancashire, Yorkshire, The Midlands, Derbyshire and yes, even Liverpool, just to sample the many varieties of cuisine on offer. Manchester is the capital of the North and not just the home of a brilliant football team. Your so called humorous criticism shows an old fashioned ignorance of the city. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Stan Feldman

Grapevine replies: We should have known better, especially as one member of GEOC (Grapevine Eating Out Collective) lived in Manchester for twenty years.”

Keeping in touch on the web

Dear Editor,

I am very impressed with your website, which I discovered shortly after returning from a wonderful vacation in Thailand. This was my first trip to the country and, I must admit, I fell in love with the culture, the people, the food, not to mention the low prices!

After visiting Pattaya for a whole week and really enjoying my stay there, I just had to find some way to keep in touch with this popular travel destination. Your website offered just the answer with its excellent archive of articles that provides a wealth of knowledge about local events, visitors’ experiences, Thai cuisine, real estate, legal issues, and much, much more.

I have surfed websites for other travel spots in Thailand, but found none to contain the depth and scope of information featured in your website. Now I can enjoy vicarious visits to Pattaya on the web, while I bide my time before my next vacation back to “Amazing Thailand”!

Pat Murphy,
Seattle, WA

Change for the better

Editor;

As readers of your excellent paper over the past years we noticed the change to the front page. Immediately we said, “good for you” - we like it.

We realize that pictures and headlines grab people’s attention and probably prompts a sale where there may not have been one. However, we pray your circulation will not decrease but increase! We believe this is a good newspaper and worthy of reading. We have been reading this paper from cover to cover for three years now and we have a drawer full of clippings that we have cut out for future reference.

You are a great service to the community. Keep up the good work.

Sincerely,

Fred And Dianne Doell
Victory Family Church

In Response to Shrimp III

Editor,

After reading the letter from “Shrimp III” “Beggars Brigade Article”, people that were deformed, and I do mean “PEOPLE” who were on the streets requesting help, what Shrimp III says, makes me so mad. There is no country in the world that does not have people who are in need of help, but never in my stays in Thailand have I felt upset about the people on the streets. They certainly don’t accost me like my fellow Americans, and besides I feel what goes around comes around. I will always help Thai people if I can. Thai people are the most wonderful people in the world. (My humble opinion.)

Wuhilaer

Bothered by touts

Dear Editor:

Just wanted to comment on the Beach Road entranceway to the Royal Garden Plaza. It has gotten so bad with peddlers, scammers, solicitors, real estate sales people, as well as jewelry displays standing all around the stairs and sidewalks that you can barely make your way up the stairs to enter the businesses. Some of the characters standing around are pretty scary looking people and this sets a bad example in a prime area for tourists to visit. (I also noticed an unmanned Police Box in close proximity). Tell me that this was not noticed by the authorities. Can’t they just do an occasional walk through and clear the walkways of this type of activity?

Sincerely,

K. Ouimet
USA

No access to beach promenade

Dear Editor:

Though the recent improvements to Pattaya’s beach promenade are, for the most part, interesting and attractive, one glaring error emerges when viewed from the perspective of a handicapped person. There are no (zero - none) handicapped access points to the lovely tree lined walkway from the pier to the north end of the beach for handicapped persons. No access - No egress. Non-ambulatory persons are unable to use this publicly supplied benefit. Those in wheelchairs and other forms of handicapped transportation are relegated to dodging the cacophony of busses, baht cabs and motorcycles on the parkway itself. This requires a latent death wish - not a pleasant prospect.

My good friend Johnny spends six to eight months of the year, and not a few hard earned baht, enjoying Pattaya’s climate and many opportunities for recreation and leisure. He views Thailand and Pattaya as the bright spot in an otherwise dim existence. He spends quite a lot of his retirement income to enjoy these perks. Since he suffered a stroke in 1995, which deprived him of the use of his entire left side, he has made the best of a bad situation by positive thinking and by acquiring wheelchair and electric scooter transportation (at no small expense). Until recent ‘improvements’ to the beach promenade he was able to enjoy safe traverse from north to south via the beach walkway. Now he, and all handicapped persons confined to wheelchairs, are denied use of the otherwise beautiful public walkway along beach road due to an obvious oversight by local officials.

Public officials:

* Please provide access to the Pattaya beach promenade for handicapped persons.

* Please pay attention to the needs of those not so fortunate persons who patronize and support the local economy by recognizing the needs of handicapped persons.

* Please adopt a policy to encourage local businesses to provide handicapped access to essential services, retail sales and restaurant facilities.

Sincerely,

Khun Bobby, AKA Robert Peterson

Drive carefully

Dear Sir,

I’ve read Mr. Leslie Wright’s article “Driving You Crazy”. His description of the (lack of) traffic culture in Thailand is rather accurate.

His view on the police work (I believe) is not so accurate, though. I believe the reason for the normal police not reacting to all the violations of the traffic rules is simply that the policeman does not know them. The rules of Thailand are more or less a blueprint of the ones in UK. Consequently, the average farang motorist knows more about the Thai laws than the average policeman.

When it comes to a confrontation between a farang and a Thai, the policeman’s heart - not his brain - will govern his behavior. He feels for the poor Thai ‘without any money’ and not for the ‘rich’ farang, so he chooses to connive at the unpleasant facts and the law. This is the Thai way. Most farangs prefer to get away from it all and get home, so he gives in and pays. This selfish (yes I call it selfish) attitude of the farangs will strengthen the police’s and the Thai motorists’ feeling that ‘Farang always pays’. Please remember that the Thai’s government insurance is supposed to cover damage on your side. Unless we talk about petty cash, please follow up. It may help you next time; at least it will help the next guy in a similar situation. Think global (at least Pattaya).

I dare say that most accidents between a farang and a Thai (at least here in Pattaya) are due to an error of the Thai (due to his/her lack of driving education - and the farang’s reluctance to adopt the Thai lawless and reckless driving habits). Provided you as a farang are hit by a Thai who went wrong and the policeman (probably not higher rank than corporal) insists that it is your error and that you should pay, you should demand that they all go to the police station to talk to the inspector on duty. The Thai may change his mind already at this stage. If not, the inspector, though he wants to defend and protect his own officer, knows the law. He cannot afford to lose his face (and even worse the face of his colonel) in a court. He has to follow the law - and you do not have to pay!

I have had 6 such accidents - three times with the police involved out of which twice with the inspector on duty. I have paid the total sum of 0 baht up to now. Mind you it was never necessary to mention my relations to a few high ranking officers. The last time I had an accident I told the inspector after everything was settled, about my relationship to his boss. He was quite shocked that I had kept quiet about it. I take it his consolation was ‘Farangs are crazy!’

Re: buying a second had car. Never, never, never! buy a car without having the car’s original book of registration in your hand.

Re: rent-a-bike. I assume there may be a rent-a-bike with full compulsory insurance in Pattaya, but I’ve never come across any. On inquiry, the average renter is likely to maintain his bike is insured. What he means is that he has paid for the compulsory 3rd party government insurance - only. Consequently, you will have to pay for any damage to yourself and his bike. This is OK as long as you know about it, then you have a choice - bike or no bike. Those who do not know...

Drive carefully.

With kind regards,
Jon Tellefsen

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