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dave@davephx.com
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Promoting Intimacy and Other-Centered Sexuality

Thailand Intimacy & Healthy (Adult) Sexuality Research Report

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Cabby gets lost Going To Pattaya
Dave’s adventures continue

From my Hotel (Omni Tower) in Bangkok I needed to get to Eastiny Inn in Pattaya. I knew the asking rate as 1400-1500B but 1200 is a reasonable price that taxis’ should accept. Early I think I had negotiated a rate for the limo outside Nana Hotel. I tried to explain they would have to pick me up at Omni at 2PM since I had lots of luggage to carry. But I wasn’t sure whether the guy really understood or not. He kept saying "yes, yes, we do" and bowing.

After reading this, Patrick wrote:

To get to Pattaya you can take the bus from the Eakamai station in Bangkok for about 80 baht.The bus'es are clean and air conditioned and run about every half hour. Dave if you would have taken a meter taxi from your hotel the Omni in Bangkok to the bus station cost of fare would have been about 70 to 80 baht, add that to your bus fare plus a additional 20 baht fare from the taxi at the Pattaya bus station to your hotel and the total cost would be about 200 baht!

My reaction however, is while a Thai or someone who is a good negotiator who speaks good Thai might bargain for these cab rates or insist on a metered cab with an honest meter, to me its worth the extra cost to avoid the hassle and go straight from Omni to Pattaya Hotel without worrying about hauling 3 bags of luggage from taxi to bus to taxi etc. Without haggling I found the taxi's outside the hotels want at least 100 baht to take you anywhere.  Again with luggage and no Thai language skills, I am not about to walk around to try and find a willing taxi to just use the meter.

Well about 2:15 no sign of the limo, so bellman directed over the cab waiting. Before they got all my luggage loaded was trying to tell driver I wanted him to take me to Eastiny Inn Soi 8 in Pattaya. I had the full address written down, but it was all in English not Thai. They bellman knew not much more English than the cabby and they were having lots of discussion trying to figure out where I wanted to go it seemed. Bellman told me 400B. For that price I feared he was taking me to the wrong place, since that’s far to low than normal rates. So I emphasized Pattaya showed address and said 1200B. Maybe he really was going to take me there for 400B but I think I would have just wound up on other side of Bangkok! Anyway after lots of discussion between cabby and bellman they seemed to understand where I wanted to go and 1200B was fine. But I still had fears of winding up who knows where. I sure hope this guy knows where Pattaya is at least! I figured if the drive is much less than 2 hours, I probably won’t be in Pattaya!

Anyway off we went in the general direction that seemed right. He didn’t even try and get an extra 40B for the tollway, but paid it himself.

He only made one wrong turn on the way…oops, sorry, as he turned around; at least he knew he had gone the wrong way.

Well we got the "Welcome to Pattaya" sign so at least we were in Pattaya. Now, has this guy have a clue where Soi 8 is off Beach Road? Eventually I spotted the Welcome Inn sign so I figured that maybe he did know where he was going. Well not quite. Drove and drove he seemed lost. I had a map from the Internet showing Beach Road and all the Soi’s off it and some of businesses along the way. Since it was in English not sure how much it helped. Then I tried to explain it was off Beach Road, which had the ocean on one side. Did he know where the ocean was, since we hadn’t seen it yet! I couldn’t see hardly any street signs anywhere so addresses didn’t help much. Later walking I see some signs, which are short and usually blocked by other signs so hard to see from the street.

At this point, he was obviously lost. In the heavy traffic we had motorbike taxi’s all around us, so I sort of suggested might ask one of them for directions while stopped in traffic or at a light. Finally he spotted a guy and gal that looked like students walking. He pulled over, rolled down the window and started asking him questions. Lots of laughter, confusion, trying to get directions to Soi 8 off Beach Road. Finally with lots of laughter the guy leaves the gal and gets into the cab front seat to act as guide to find Soi 8.

After a long drive we did find Soi 8, even had a sign! But OK I really don’t want to just get out here, we need to find Eastiny. Of course Soi 8 was a one-way the wrong way so he had to go around a long block to get going the right way on Soi 8. Finally we all rejoiced seeing the Eastiny sign!

Seems like a very nice hotel, takes to Pattaya Pete booked with his special rate of 1500B for the Jr Executive Suite, 150B credit a night at his bar and free breakfasts at the hotel. I will do a more complete report on the hotel later. Zillions of girls everywhere, but ratio seems to be even worse (for the girls) than in BKK. Like more like 100 girls per guy here. Will explore and do lots more "research" the next 5 days just like I did in Bangkok.

I’m writing this a day later since I used up all my Internet time and had to find a place in Pattaya to get a new Webnet kit for another 20 hours from LoxInfo. Will report on that story separately with hints where to get that may help others with laptop but no local ISP connection.

Now that I am a bit more acquainted with the roads in Pattaya (being here all of less than 1 day) from roaming the streets etc., I think the cabby was on Second Street. He could easily get to Soi 8, but the street signs are so hard to see, I think he went past it a few times without realizing it. Of course at that point, I didn’t have a clue. Now I could probably direct a cabby here without nearly the problem he had.

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