HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Increase in hotel prices

What is this place coming to?

Re: Hippo golf equipment from Supersports

Once upon a time

Another disturbing karaoke

An accident waiting to happen

Go and live in Cambodia

Increase in hotel prices

Editor:
What a great idea. Destroy one of the main reasons to visit Pattaya, inexpensive rooms. What extra services will be added when rates increase? Will the streets be cleaned? Will the police put a stop to crime? Will the hotels do anything? I doubt it. I expect minimal service and luxury when I use a budget hotel. What money I save on the room is spent elsewhere in Pattaya having fun. Next time I visit, I will spend less money on trinkets and more expensive entertainment venues. If Pattaya isn’t careful they will cut the throat of the tourist industry.
Regards,
Bill Turner
California, USA

What is this place coming to?

Dear Editor;
When I read Don Aleman’s letter “Life’s not fair here” I immediately thought that he must have had a crystal ball and was able to look into the future.
At around the time he was writing his letter, we, two members of a service organisation in Pattaya, were involved in more or less the exact scenario that Don fictionally described in his letter.
The articles in the previous issues that Mr. Don referred to - which were about donations of time and money from foreign clubs - were no doubt reports about the many activities that clubs like ours initiate to assist the needy and help the underprivileged in our community.
On Thursday evening, November 1st, we were leaving a meeting with a team from the National Ability Centre at the Redemptorist Centre. Last year the National Ability Centre (NAC) in the USA sent 130 wheelchairs and other equipment for the disabled, which were distributed with support from clubs in the Pattaya and Chang Mai areas. This time they were three days here in Pattaya and Chonburi to provide sports training to the disabled.
Anyhow - whilst backing out the car, we slightly hit a car which was owned by what appeared to be an affluent Thai gentleman. It was a thin scratch about an inch long on the rear bumper. We offered to pay for the damage. The gentleman called his garage, mentioned explicitly that it involved a farang and came back to us with a price that was double of what I paid for re-spraying my complete rear bumper. We refused to pay that much and the gentleman started to get agitated and threatened to call his buddies at the police. We convinced him that it would be better to call the insurance company. In our point of view the gentleman remained a gentleman even though he had tried to abuse the situation. What was less gentlemanly happened after that. After an hour the insurance chap had not yet arrived and my fellow member, who has a hernia, decided to sit in the car and started the engine to allow the air-conditioner to cool him down a bit. In the meantime a crowd of onlookers had gathered.
Another Thai gentleman knocked on window and ordered us to turn off the engine. Apparently his daughter had bought a cup of noodles at the pool restaurant further down and had decided to come over and sit down behind the car to have her meal. Slightly irritated by all this, the gentleman was told by us that the kid should not be sitting behind the car to eat in the first place. Promptly we were verbally assaulted and accused that farangs do not care for Thai children. It could have come to a fist fight if I had not recognised the “gentleman”. He turned out to be the nice car air-conditioning guy who (after letting my car engine running idle for about 15 minutes himself), conned me into buying a re-conditioned compressor for what I now believe was double the price. Fortunately a kind and true gentleman Mr. Anonth Collaco (who works at the centre) overheard the heated discussion and politely in Thai informed all that they were on the private grounds of the Redemptorist Centre - which could not have been built without the donations and support that people like these two farangs and their clubs had been giving. He also requested them to leave. My “friend” from the car air company refused to shake hands with me and left immediately - probably to look for his lost face.
After the insurance representative had filled in all the forms and taken the obligatory photographs we asked him how much the insurance would be paying for the damage. We were told that It would not be more than what we had offered to pay two hours earlier.
I could mention a few more similar incidents involving not only Thai but also many farangs that turn out not to be the gentlemen they initially appeared to be.
Where is this place (and this world) going to?
Mr. “Trying to do Good”

Re: Hippo golf equipment from Supersports

Dear Mailbag,
My sympathy goes to “uneasy rider” for his unhelpful treatment by Supersports re his claims under warranty. Has it occurred to him that these clubs may be knockoffs, which would account for the reluctance on behalf of Supersports to pursue the matter on his behalf? Maybe he should contact Hippo direct via: http://www.hippo-golf.com/us/ussets.html as they seem to be a very large company indeed, in Europe, and may be surprised they have dissatisfied customers here.
Please keep up the other good work.
With best regards,
Jim MacDonald
Rayong

Once upon a time

Editor:
Once upon a time in a far off land named Thailand, in a city called Pattaya, there was a was a traffic signal at a very busy intersection called Thappraya Road and Thepprasit Rd. One day the people of this busy little city awoke and found the traffic light gone, and in its place was a traffic jam.
People went about their business for many a day, until after many a day, the people went to a meeting with the city elders and asked where was their traffic light. The elders said they have bought a brand new traffic light so they took away the old traffic light while construction was underway on the roadway.
Many a day has passed and no new traffic light. Construction has stopped on the roadway, maybe waiting for the busy tourist season to begin in Pattaya before construction begins again. The people of Pattaya, who are very calm and understanding, have been quiet about their missing traffic light, and I guess by now, have totally forgotten there was ever a traffic light at the busy intersection.
Just a suggestion for the elders of Pattaya City, next time you buy a new traffic light for any intersection in the city, wait until it arrives before you take the old traffic signal down. And people of Pattaya, one day there will be a traffic signal at Thappraya Road and Thepprasit Road, and you will say “what a good idea the city elders had in putting a traffic light there”.
Robert OKane

Another disturbing karaoke

Dear Editor,
We have a children’s fair opposite Diana Estate. It’s wonderful, the kids love it and the operator keeps the noise at a decent level. Now one person, nothing to do with the fair, has put a huge karaoke machine on open ground behind the fun fair and regales us with 24 hour howling and dreadful noises.
I doubt anyone official knows that the karaoke is even there, so, as in the past, your help was great, I just wish to inform you because, no doubt, the complaints will return. As I live in the tower the echo makes it worse and it’s making life impossible. Maybe this information will help to contain it, at least to reasonable hours.
Many thanks.
Sincerely,
Lauren Perren

An accident waiting to happen

Dear Editor;
I recently stayed at a boutique apartment on Soi 4, Jomtien. It is without doubt the nicest boutique hotel in the Jomtien-Pattaya area. Unfortunately, I had to check out early because I couldn’t sleep at nights! An illegal Thai karaoke has opened across the soi from the hotel. Every night of my stay, my sleep was interrupted by drunk young people either keeping the door open so the blaring music could be heard in my room, fighting among each other in the soi, or the racing of motorcycles. I’m sure many of the customers must be underage.
I spoke to the management of the hotel. They have asked the local police to do something about it. But it seems like the police show up at maybe 11-12 pm and ask them to keep the music down. The problem is the major noise starts at 2 am and continues till 6am (8am if they can’t settle their fist fights quickly). It is just a matter of time before someone (either a guest of the hotel who gets in the way or one of the karaoke’s customers) receives major bodily harm.
One long term resident of the hotel said, “When I moved in here five months ago, there was no noise at nights whatsoever. Starting about 2 months ago, fights started in the soi. The fights brought more customers to the karaoke, which in turn, causes more fights. Now they have opened a pool hall next to the karaoke so they can stay drunk 24 hours and settle afternoon fights there. The police and local government seem to care less. I really sympathize with the owners of apartment building. I have seen many guests just quietly leave and say they will not come back due to these young thugs. Doesn’t anybody give a sh*t?”
Surly there must be someone in the local government who can get this place closed down.
Unhappy tourist
London

Go and live in Cambodia

Editor;
Re: RW postbag 9 Nov road works - You have nothing to complain about RW. The new road is going through the condos where I live. There are over 3000 units here, in 5 blocks, 2 to the front on Beach Road Jomtien and 3 to the back. The new 4 lane road is going between the front units and the back ones. And there has been nothing us owners can do about it. So if you farangs out there are thinking of buying a condo or into a housing estate in Thailand, come and have a look at what is happening to Jomtien Beach Condominium first, then go and live in Cambodia.
Col West

Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail
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