Pattaya Mail — Letters

It is noticed that the letters herein in no way reflect the opinions of the editor or writers for Pattaya Mail, but are unsolicited letters from our readers, expressing their own opinions. No anonymous letters or those without genuine addresses are printed, and, whilst we do not object to the use of a nom de plume, preference will be given to those signed.

Give us your opinion on any subject.

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Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail will also be on our website .

Honour your bookings

Dear Sir

Found your Internet site recently. Good stuff. As a frequent visitor to Pattaya I am always interested to read of the goings on.

Now to the bad news: I arrived on Boxing Day, having booked a room at a hotel in Pattaya-Land when I stayed there in August. A friend re-confirmed it when he was there in November. Somewhat embarrassed, the receptionist told me they were full - I gathered subsequently that this ‘bouncing’ of guests is not unusual, but very annoying. I had to scrabble around for a room for the night and subsequently found a condo-hotel for the remainder of my stay. OK, I know my way around Pattaya, but for those on a first or second visit it could be a different tale. I visited T.A.T., who were about as much use as an ashtray on a tuk-tuk - they gave me a list of hotels and suggested I ask a travel agent!

If you guys want to encourage tourism - and without it Pattaya dies - I would suggest honouring confirmed bookings a good place to begin. I know cancellations are a problem, but this happens all over the world. A deposit taken at booking time would largely prevent this being a financial burden. A friend of mine who had fully paid in advance (in cash!) for a specific room at a hotel was moved to another room - and this was in a good class tourist hotel.

Good luck with 1998 - I shall return - if I can get a confirmed reservation!

Christian Gilbert,
London

Driving is an experience in Pattaya

Editor:
I read every week with increasing interest, the numerous stories about ‘Baht-bus’ drivers, but how come no-one has yet complained about the notorious ‘motorcycle taxis.’ These must surely be some of the most obnoxious and dangerous people on the roads. Not only do they drive on which side of the road that takes their fancy (giving rise to my latest idiom that Thailand must the only country in the world where ‘Drive on the left’ is merely a guideline), but they weave in and out, cutting people up, and in some cases knocking them off their perches. This happened to me in North Pattaya recently when a motorcycle taxi suddenly appeared from the blind side of a parked vehicle, sending me and my precious mount sprawling. The police, when called, obviously sided with me, when they suggested that we both ‘go about our business’ no real harm done’ (except for me bleeding profusely, and the taxi’s number plate bent). The fact that he was to blame was proven, however, when he demanded a mere Baht 500 compensation. I immediately agreed to this sum, providing that he played ball, and paid for my expenses.

This made the police laugh, and him not. His plea that he just did not see me also made the local constabulary laugh, as my machine is bright yellow and I was entirely clad in that said colour. In the end, after what seemed endless deliberation, I paid the paltry sum, more to get some treatment to my wounds than anything else.

I must say, though, that driving in Pattaya is an experience never forgotten. I liken it to one of these ‘Wild West’ games, where flaps open at any place or time and a villain appears from no-where. You must keep 200% concentration and your hand on your gun (namely the brakes) at all times. They would not be out of place on the moon, and of course the infamous ‘sleeping policeman’ or speed bumps that must have been constructed during the second world war to repel enemy tanks.

Yours Faithfully
The Yellow Peril

A poem for U-Tapao

Dear Sir:
In Vol. VI. No. 1 of 26th December, there is a photo of a new lounge being opened in U-Tapao Airport. We were in transit there, to and from Phuket, and I have come up with the following, which should tell its own story:

Three cheers for U-Tapao Airport! A new lounge has been opened...

But I need to report that it was a required emend.

In early December, as depressing place with no comfort at all.

In fact, quite a ‘Loss-of-face" for Bureaucrats, short or tall.

At U-Tapao we spent many hours; told to wait in Transport room.

But there was no such room in which to embower and we were full of gloom.

The soft-drink machine needed a wallop before it would deliver its goods.

Insanitary toilets with doors a flip-flop and coffee shop no appetising foods.

Foreign tourists for Pattaya, fly to U-Tapao.

The image of Thailand quite bizarre. "Amazing Thailand"...a wow!

Now this new lounge for those eligible, what type of persons are they?

Who exactly is permissible into lounge to enjoy a glacé?

By now having a new facelift, maybe the image has changed.

The transit period might be too swift to take pleasure in comforts gained.

At that time I made a vow, never go to U-Tapao.

But if I’m allowed into the lounge, to U-Tapao I may plunge!

With best wishes to you and your staff for a profitable 1998.

Mai Ben Arai

P.S. The New Year Horror "We’re just waiting for our passengers to be run over by a bus". Could apply to U-Tapao airport!

Queensbury vs. Thai?

Editor:

It wasn’t exactly billed as ‘The Fight of the Century", but then again not a great many people had heard about it. Those that had, though, gathered in anticipation at the Marine Bar on Friday night to witness the pride of Geordieland, Brian ‘Bomber’ Wilkinson, a barman from Hamburg, take on one of the local boxers at their own sport.

The third bout of the evening saw the intrepid and brave Englishman rush from his corner and put the Thai on the canvas twice in the opening twenty seconds. Then it all turned to worms. Brian was caught in a flurry of blows to the head and body, culminating in a vicious punch that sent him sprawling. Luckily, the bell sounded for the end of the first round. Brian, however, seemed quite content to stay where he was, not moving. Still, when in Rome. He was finally coaxed back to his corner, accompanied by jeers and cat-calls from the partisan crowd.

After a good five minutes to get their breath back, the second round began exactly as the first did, but yet again finished in identical fashion, albeit slightly sooner and Brian was counted out. To say he had been annihilated would be a gross injustice on the lad, but he was most definitely outclassed.

Brian put his defeat down to the fact that he had spent the previous 24 hours non-stop sampling the local delicacies. All ended with handshakes and laughter from the competitors, and more good natured abuse from the crowd.

Three cheers for British guts, determination (and perhaps stupidity).

Martin J. Knapp

Friendly smiles don't make up for a downside

Dear Editor:

I would like to respond to the letter of one of your readers. In his article, Mr. X wrote regarding to an unpleasant incident with some bus drivers in Pattaya: "This nasty little incident will have a number of consequences. First, I will rethink my plan to buy a condo in Jomtien as a weekend retreat - I just can’t take the risk of being assaulted again, especially as my young daughter often accompanies me on my motorcycle. Second, as a senior journalist who is often asked his opinion of Thailand, I will have only more negative aspects to relate. Third, it can only widen the "them" and "us" divide between Thai and farang."

OK on the condo in Jomtien, this is his personal opinion and consequence out of the incident.

But, as a senior journalist, as he describes himself, he should well make a difference between this incident and his opinion about Thailand. Nowadays too many people tell their personal opinion about Thailand based on any bad experience, which can happen in any place on the world. Same with "Them" and "Us"... I am sure your reader has some Thai friends and he should be intelligent enough not to judge all Thai people by this.

U. Stobbe, Germany

Double pricing on Children's Day

Dear Sir,
As it was Children’s Day today, we were looking for special activities that we could partake in with our three youngsters and were pleased to note on page 4 of the Pattaya Mail on 9th Jan. that a theme park on Sukhumvit Highway near Naklua had a Children’s Day special of 40 Baht for adults and 10 baht for children.

The story was a little different, however, when we arrived. They refused to give the prices quoted in the Pattaya Mail and indeed wanted us to pay the full regular price of 200 baht for adults and 100 baht for children.

We were both shocked and dismayed. After much discussion we managed to get them to reduce the price to 100 baht for adults and 50 baht for children.

This episode has done nothing to endear us to Mini Siam and we will not be recommending a visit to any of our friends or guests in Pattaya.

We hope that you can reconcile our story (and that of other farang’s who also visited Mini Siam today and received the same treatment) with your source for the article.

Regards

Russell Waugh, South Pattaya

Editors note: We do understand that these double pricing are prevailent in Pattaya and we are very much against it. Unfortunately, the information we received was supplied by officials of the Tourist Authority of Thailand office in Pattaya.

Clean up Soi 7

Dear Sirs:

I have lived in or close by Soi 7 for many years, and for most of that time, little or no attention has been paid regarding its upkeep (lighting, refuse etc.) by the city council. But now it is an absolute disgrace to the city of Pattaya.

Garbage and God knows what are dumped willy-nilly by all and sundry onto the undeveloped land: taxi drivers in particular, but many others stop to urinate and defecate on this land and it is now looking like one huge garbage dump, and stray cats and dogs abound, plus, I presume, much vermin.

Many, many tourists use this Soi to go to the beach. What on earth do they think, this year of ‘Amazing Thailand"; "Disgusting Thailand" is more likely!

Surely, something must be done by the ‘powers that be’ regarding this awful, filthy eyesore. Perhaps you could use your good auspices to bring this problem to the people responsible for ensuring that Pattaya, tries at least, to have a semblance of cleanliness.

Thank You.

Yours Faithfully,
Terry Clifton