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A fair review?
Dear Sir,
I, a weekly reader, am amazed that of the 52 restaurants,
give or take, reviewed annually by Miss Terry Diner, all are “Excellent”,
“Good value for the money”, and on and on but never a simply bad place/food,
or poor service or, to pricey or, no parking.
I have been to several reviewed as excellent and found
the reviews did not list negatives experienced and appear biased in favour
of the establishment.
Sincerely,
Don
Miss Terry replies:
The function of a review is to give the reader an idea of
what the experience was like for the Dining Out Team. There is absolutely no
point in publishing a negative review. It is not the reviewer’s right to
break anyone’s rice bowl. When we find a restaurant not up to scratch, we
inform the manager of the problems and stop the review. If the restaurant
wishes to be reviewed again, after correcting the problems, then we do. It
should also be remembered that the standards as required of a “cheap and
cheerful” are not the standards applied to fine dining restaurants.
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Hats off to Pattaya Country Club
Dear Editor
As Mailbag is so often a venue for complaints I would
like to use it for a compliment.
Back in 1993 I was the Project Manager for the
installation of the irrigation system at Pattaya Country Club. For the first
three years or so, the course held its reputation as a well maintained, well
managed resort.
Over the ensuing years however the quality of maintenance
on the course gradually got worse and many went to other courses to play.
What were the reasons for this deterioration? Who
knows... let’s just say it simply happened. Many local players liked the
layout very much but the conditions kept them from being frequent players.
Something good is in the works at Pattaya Country Club
right now though. Throughout the entire course and clubhouse area there is
evidence of a real change in not only the visual appearance, but in the
amount of real changes taking place there. The condition of the greens has
improved by huge standards, though not quite there yet, in terms of speed
and roll, they are getting very close, and all the tee boxes are being
renovated.
New fairway mowing lines are being established, weed
eradication is taking place. It is becoming a golf course again. It looks
like a Superintendent is now in place that has the confidence of the owners
to bring the club back to its earlier days. Let’s hope the support stays in
place.
Building a golf course is easy compared to keeping it in
the highest standards of playability. Maintenance costs are rising all the
time, labor costs are up etc. etc.
I am a graduate of University Of Massachusetts,
Department of Landscape Architecture, and have been employed as Project
Manager on numerous golf courses throughout Asia over the past 30 years. So
often we turn over a project in pristine condition only to come back a few
years later to see it in decay.
It really makes me happy to see what Pattaya Country Club
is doing. Keep it up!
No, I do not have anything to do with PCC in any way. I
am simply telling them well done, just as I would tell them where they
needed help.
Yours,
Bob Neylon (Huay Yai)
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Three jewels of the beach
Three
young beachcombers help to keep the place clean.
Aloha Pattaya Mail
We just wanted to share these 3 beautiful nit-noi Thai
girls that for no reason, but to help us, pick up toxic cigarette butts,
plastic and other dangers left behind by uncaring people, it brought a tear
to our eyes as others looked on.
They are the reason we do what we do.
Pattaya City Hall needs to start imposing fines to people
that litter our beaches, so it will be a safe clean place to bring children
to.
Signed,
KOTO (Keeper of The Ocean)
Freelance musicians beware
Dear Sir,
I always play for free when in Thailand, I have been
to Pattaya many times, but it looks like this and my visits may be
coming to an end. This must be the only place in the world this happens.
Dear musicians, we have a sad message. For
approximately 10 months, we have had the Sunday Charity Jam in New
Garden and some in Somsiri Garden too. It has been fine without any
problems. The people who like music have attended and charity money has
gone to those who need it. Musicians have been exposed and it’s good for
tourism that these events are held.
Many of you probably know what happened in Naklua a
while back where those who performed were fined. We have strong signals
that this is only the beginning and that no place will go free, as well
as known blues places and of course Somsiri Garden and the New Garden.
To arrange charity events will not help just now. The
only thing that is legal and safe is to have a work permit. The minimum
fine when “working” in Thailand is 20.000 baht. Somsiri Garden will
probably continue to have music with Thai musicians. If any foreigners
want to play, it’s of course up to them.
There will also be birthday parties and other
celebrations held, with notification being given to the Immigration
police every time.
We will come back with new information when we know
more and when we can find the time to hand over the charity money we
already have to the Redemptorist Center/Father Ray Foundation.
I like to take this opportunity to thank you all!
Best regards,
Per/PK
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Unlawful noise
Dear Sir,
If a very high level of anger and utter frustration
shows through in this letter, it is because I, like many others have
been keep awake all night yet again, by a bar in the extension of Soi
Jeraphon, crossing over Soi Buakhao, it has been going on ALL night, as
it has on previous occasions, and now at 9.30 in the morning is still
blasting away. It began last night at 7.30pm, and as you will then
understand, 14 hours of racket, at a decibel level that shakes the glass
in our windows and doors and negates any possibility of sleep. Is there
no sanity?
We have over the past years, presented petitions to
City Hall, written letters to all those who should care, i.e. City Hall,
the police (Banglamung and Pattaya), in fact just about everything we
can think of we have done, within the law, obviously to no avail. We are
representing 370 apartments and many more people.
The law, therein, is the crux of the problem. Why
have a law that is constantly flouted? If a law is not upheld and
enforced, you simply make fools of the law, and of those supposedly
charged with maintaining it. If it is not upheld, or cannot be, then do
away with it, and stop the farce and pretense of their actually being a
law.
At 9 a.m.this morning, after many calls from
frustrated residents and tourist/renters/holidayers, I went to look at
the situation and photographed the place, there were NO tourists, but
rather about 8 Thai people, in various stages of inebriation, or worse
(and that is not a value judgment, but from the experience of many years
as a drug and alcohol councellor), falling around the place, and
screaming into the karaoke system.
Because of our efforts, and obvious failure, it begs
the question, is money changing hands the reason why the law is not up
held? When previously, the management here petitioned City Hall, wait
for it, it took over 6 months for even so much as a return call or
inquiry, what a sick joke. In that time we were kept awake again and
again, often until dawn.
Consider, how much effort it would take, upon getting
a complaint, to have just ONE officer, on his bike, go to the offenders,
and lay down the law.
We often hear of Pattaya having drives to encourage
tourists to the city, why bother when all efforts are nulled by a very
few, who make a joke of the law, have no consideration for others, and
drive away those who have come to rest and relax, fat chance of that.
And as for calling 1337, it is a joke, a red herring.
No one is saying close the bars, but at least have
them live within the bounds of the law, so that we all know where we
stand.
We have tried to get an answer from the various
authorities, to this question, but of course never a word. “How can it
be, that discos, and karaokes are bound by laws concerning opening hours
and noise containment and levels, when a rogue bar open on ALL sides,
can erect giant speakers, out in the open, on the actual road, and
unabatedly emit noise of obvious high decibel levels, and do so night
after night until the next dawning, to the distress of at least
hundreds, possibly thousands?
Please City Hall answer us, in this paper, so that it
is clarified. Answer please, please!
Signed,
Frustrated and Sleepless (yet again)
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Pattaya turning point
Dear Editor,
Having considered this issue at length, we would like
to recommend that the new U-turn on Sukhumvit between Pattaya Nua and
Pattaya Klang be built beneath the Highway 7 overpass, as far south as
possible, i.e. as soon as the height of the overpass permits.
A U- turn at this location will offer minimal
disruption to other traffic, as a lot of traffic will be on the overpass
above. Also, the lights at the end of Highway 7 will create breaks in
the traffic flow, which turning traffic can take advantage of.
Further, minimal roadworks will be required, as the
drainage at this location is not required. Other locations will probably
require extensive drainage works.
A further advantage is that this is the highest point
on the road, so some (small) energy savings will occur as energy is not
wasted on unnecessary braking, which would occur were the turn be
located at a lower elevation.
Yours,
Jan Chris & Stuart Saunders (Pattaya Progress Association)
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