Editor;

In your current edition you give a news report relating to the death of my sister in Pattaya. Her correct name was Katherine Jane Smith, and she was born on 30th July 1964. She was the youngest child of Barbara and the late Ronald Smith, and only sister to her brothers Ronnie, David and Christopher. Her long-term partner Bernard lived with her in Pattaya.

A family memorial service was held at St Andrews Parish Church in her hometown of Keighley, West Yorkshire, England.

She will be sadly missed by all her family, her friend Julie, and all her other friends both in England and Thailand.

At her request her ashes are to be scattered partly in Pattaya, and on Haworth Moor near her hometown, as she enjoyed many happy moments in both locations.

May I convey my thanks to all who attended her funeral, which her family were unable to do. If anybody wishes to contact me, I will convey messages / photos / tributes to our family.

Thank you,

Manchester, England

Dear Editor;

I fully agree with Frequent Farang (Pattaya Mail 19 Oct. 2001). For someone like me to travel half way across the globe to Pattaya, only to become upset because there is no alcohol available after 02.00, is ridiculous. Let them close 02.00. Keep some liquor in the hotel room should you be that thirsty. We will return as soon as possible as we love Pattaya (little paradise) and its people.

Dear Pattaya Mail,

Pattaya seems to have an all year low season and the future of tourism seems bleak.

As a regular and faithful visitor to Pattaya I was extremely shocked at the treatment I received at a hotel in Soi Buakhao. When I checked in for a one night stay at the Bri Enjoy Apartment, the receptionist said the prices had risen as it is high season in Pattaya. This was a surprise as we all know its low season, and I saw no other guests at the hotel.

She demanded a 1000 baht deposit for the mini bar which was another surprise considering the mini bar had about 150 baht of drinks.

In the morning when I went to check out I had used nothing from the fridge and asked for my deposit back. A cleaning lady emerged waving a pillowslip. The receptionist said there was gel on the pillowslip and that I would have to pay for one pair of pillowslips. I was shocked as there was a faint, small blemish on the pillowslip which could be easily washed out. I commented that normally hotels washed the bed linen after each guest and but she demanded 360 baht. I have been here for five years and know that to launder a pillowslip cost about five baht; however, she ranted and raved and said I’d have to pay for 2.

I commented that two pillowslips cost 120 baht here and that such a slight soiling was quite normal. I asked for the manager and her name and was told she did not have a name and said “the big boss no here”.

I know one should refrain from losing one’s temper but this is a downright con, it is unscrupulous incidents like this that keep tourists from coming back. After arguing for ten minutes she decided to make a special deal: 250 baht. I said if I had to purchase them I would take them with me....this was not allowed. She whisked the pillowcases under the table and refused to give me my money. I wonder how many people are conned like this in this hotel, I wonder indeed if the pillowslips she showed were the ones from my room or just a prop to make some money.

I have traveled throughout Thailand for 5 years and never experienced such a con. I sincerely hope Pattaya Mail will publish this letter to warn tourists to be alert when staying at this hotel.

Yours sincerely,

Editor;

On the publication day of last week’s Pattaya Mail an amazing sight took place in Soi Khaotalo, the Soi which looks more like a dirt track, with so many potholes that one wonders why it is called a Soi at all.

Lorries arrived and dumped loads of a gray powder mixed with stones in an attempt to fill in the holes. Left in heaps, expecting the vehicles traveling up and down to compress the mixture it was inevitably not going to be there for long. The rain arrived and much was swept away leaving the Soi as if nothing had been done.

We wonder why City Hall or whoever is responsible for repairs of the roads in Pattaya did this. Surly those responsible would realize that this would happen. Only having been in Pattaya for a short period it was obvious to us Farangs that this was going to happen and it did, sooner than expected! - within 24 hours.

Now not only do drivers have to navigate their way around the potholes but the last rain washed away much of the sides of the road. Driving too close to the edge may be the last one sees of ones vehicle, as there are some very big holes on the side now.

The Soi needs urgently a completely new concrete road with drainage. The Soi is like a river in full flood during the monsoon rains, a canoe would be the required form of transport at this time.

Please, please can we have some positive action in our Soi?

Angry Residents (again)

Dear Sir,

The situation concerning telephone lines in the Jomtien area is nothing short of a scandal; the lines are so frequently ‘down’ that one wonders whether those responsible in the Telephone Organization of Thailand know how to correct the problem permanently.

This is not an occasional problem caused by a thunderstorm but a very frequent one caused, it seems, by rain. We are paying good money for these lines and surely are entitled to better service than this.

Yours faithfully,

Hi,

I will be arriving in the land of smiles in a few weeks time. I must say that I am not happy with the 2 a.m. close down. My holiday costs me in excess of ฃ2000. After flying 6000 miles to the land of smiles and being told that the bars will shut at 2 a.m. I ask myself, ‘ is it worth it?’

I know that you can drink at your hotel room but the atmosphere is not the same as you get at the bars. Then there is the noise element, as someone will always complain to the hotel staff if any noise comes from your room after 2 a.m.

I come to Pattaya three times a year but now I think that after this visit it will be back to the Canary Islands next year for me and my friends. I like to enjoy my holiday in my own way; late to bed and late to rise. I don’t want to be told what and when I can do things. I get enough of that at work.

London, England

Dear Editor;

I sit here typing this letter thinking that I am no longer in the land of smiles, but in the land of smells. The regular occurrence (for those of us who live in Jomtien) of no water has left me shower-less once again despite having two storage tanks. Following a couple of days of no city water that caused my storage tanks to empty, I wake up to find that once again I have no water. I stumble to the water meter to see if anything is trickling from the mains only to find that my water meter is missing.

Being a busy person and going about my daily business, I didn’t notice the lack of a water bill last month. It’s your own fault I hear you say and I would agree but for one simple fact. The people that arrive at the house with the water bill insist on sticking the bill in a bush, or try to pin it on the fence. Why don’t they put it in the letterbox where it is supposed to go? The first shower washes the bill away and then city water cut off your supply. Then you have to pay for re-connection and instead of paying a bill of 168 baht, the bill exceeds 700 baht.

Of course the money isn’t the main issue. Lack of water for the daily bodily functions like washing and flushing the loo cause us falangs to long for a better system. Why don’t they issue reminders? Why don’t they just turn the water off but leave the meter in place and put a seal through the valve?

I am now trying to set up a direct debit with my bank to prevent a re-occurrence of this situation, but even that will not solve the problem of mai mee nahm in Jomtien.

Editor;

I’m a farang from Sweden and I have seen the way Sweden have done. Some cities close all bar’s at 3.00, then the black market starts and it’s not only beer they are dealing with.

I started to go to Pattaya because it was the only place on the earth that I know where the time was not the thing to live after. In the way European people live they are looking at the watch, what time it is and see what they can do.

So for the best for Pattaya, let the time be!