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Yogi · Joined: 04 Apr 2008 Posts: 183 Location: England

Hi Peter ,
I do have a question , but I don`t think that you can answer it , as i believe you may have to talk to some of your girls for this information . Has you know I like Pattaya ( really !! )
, but I seem to spend every holiday doing the same things etc etc on my next jaunt to Thailand I would like to visit some other places e.g Korat . I understand that N.C.A run air buses from Pattaya to Bangkok and other select isaan Towns, could you find out if Korat is one of these destinations . Has my foot heals I don`t want to spend everynight of my holiday ligged on my back ( why not ???? ) and I thought that I would see different places in Thailand for a change , but I am going to be based obviously in Pattaya . Cheers Peter .

Regards Yogi

p.s
If you are wondering , the operation went okay ........ and I have`nt bumped my head or anything else ....... I am just a culture vulture .............. LIKE MONTY Rolling Eyes

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You never lose your girl , you just lose your place in the queue !!!! .

jimmy mac · Joined: 12 May 2008 Posts: 188 Location: England

hi yogi

you can get either the train from bkk, a coach like you said which my dads wife does when she comes down from kohrat but it takes forever!!! or the way we did last time and get a taxi overnight so you dont waste a days holida. It takes 8 hours and cost us 3500 baht between three of us. My dads got a nice house up in nakong ratchima hence my visit but they welcome travellers just have to look into where to stay. It is very nice to see how thais live up in the villages only for a few days as i tend to get very board, no disrespect as the people are very welcoming and will do anything you want but theres only so much you can do, and its hot hot hot when you go inland. appart from that you could try koh samet or koh chang both are very nice and alittle more busy than the local village, will email you some pics of koh samet if you like ????.

Below are a few pics of the local town where my dad lives

and a couple of my dads wifes farm in the village called (lam pla mat)

we also had a bit of a BBQ to pass the time, any excuse to get pissed i suppose Very Happy

jim
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Yogi · Joined: 04 Apr 2008 Posts: 183 Location: England

Hi Jim ,
I have checked a few things out on the web ( not 100 % accurate I know ) , but it appears an air bus ( v.i.p ) costs approx 160 baht and takes approx 3.5 hours from Ekami bus station in bkk . But I would be travelling ( hopefully ) directly from Pattaya and I was going on a possibly 4 .5 hours , or am i being overly knaive here . I want to sample rural life away from Pattaya for a couple of nights , you know a trip into the styx . In November I may do a couple of two nighters away and next year even more as I would like just a mini break from " hello sexy man ....I wanna go wit yu !!!! . I would like to try the udon area as well , as I have already sampled much of what the area has to offer in Pattaya !!!!! ...another story that one .
I am also going back to Bangkok for a few nights , a mate of mine as put me onto a really nice hotel where its very quite and I won`t get any hassle from any bar girls ...... I think its called the " The Nana Hotel " ...... very quiet apparently !!!!! Rolling Eyes

. Cheers Jim

regards Yogi
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You never lose your girl , you just lose your place in the queue !!!! .

PeterP · Joined: 04 Apr 2008 Posts: 193

Hi Yogi, glad you are on the mend and thinking about holidaying again!

Korat is a huge city - nothing rural about it - however, it is the gateway to the Isaan. There are Air-Con buses direct from Pattaya, not sure how long they take - I can drive it in around 3-4 hours - so a bus 4-5 hrs. They drive very fast - but do stop every now and again!

If you want the rural experience then most people get this by going to a girl's home village. Most of the girls live in glorified sheds - so don't expect much!

Make sure she understands that you just want a trip - this is not her taking a prospective husband to meet the family!

When you get there - be generous (as I know you would), normally the bus stops in the local town (she will tell you she lives in Korat/Bury Ram, etc - she probably doesn't, it will be a town with a market, bus station, hospital, local goverment offices and a few schools) you will be met by a group in a Pick-up (which you will pay for a hire) - you will go to the market, buy loads of food whilst wondering why everyone else isn't gagging on the smells.

You should also buy (there will probably be a 7-11): drinking water, fags (especially if you smoke International brands) and booze. Large bottles of Chang are a luxury - or you can buy Leo. Also some spirits - probably a case of Rice Wine and a half a dozen Mekong type spirits. Also buy a Mosquito net (a friend of mind caught malaria in Koen Ken)

You then all go to the village - could be 10-30 minutes away. The house will be bristling with people - some to look at you. All to drink your grog. Some will come, grab some food - and simply melt back to whence they came!

Depending upon the season you might then spend the evening getting drunk and dodging enormous insects that seem to drop down your back!

Everone will be very hospitable, giggle when you fart on the squat toilet and the men all want to prove their knowledge by quoting the names of English Footballers at you. Endlessly.

As Jim says, 2 days is enough. Before you go do a little research and find somewhere to visit on the second day. Also, take a trashy paperback to read - I average about one per day!

But you should have the experience - it's unforgetable!
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Yogi · Joined: 04 Apr 2008 Posts: 183 Location: England

Hi Peter ,
Thanks for the info , but it was just a quick two day look around thats all . I have noted the extra info Peter , but
I have no intention of having some skirt hanging onto me for two days . I was semi aware also what you said about a girl saying that she lives in Korat , at the end of the day she will live " near to " Korat and they are just being polite when they tell foreign men where they come from , as it will likely be a village so small even those boffins at N.A.S.A can`t locate it . I just see it as doing something different with my time in Thailand instead of drinking in pattaya every night .
Who knows I might even get lucky in Korat !!! .

Regards Yogi
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You never lose your girl , you just lose your place in the queue !!!! .

Montydog · Joined: 04 Apr 2008 Posts: 80 Location: Sunny Surrey

Yogi,

Personally I wouldn’t visit places like that without a purpose. Me and KP went to visit Fussy and Lek and based ourselves in Udon Thani and for 3 nights it was OK. But only because we had something to do, with the party one day and a “Grand Day Out” another. Otherwise I would have climbed the walls. There was enough to do in Udon at night for the 3 nights we were there (small bars etc) but I wouldn’t put small provincial towns on my must visit list. Confused

For a break from Pattaya ( I think we all need it after about 10 days) your better off going to one of the Islands and chilling on the beach Chang, Samet or Samui or Hua Hin is a nice place to visit that combines beach and a very reasonable night life scene. Or a very nice city is Chang Mai in the north you can do an overnight train from BKK or fly. I took the train there (good for the experience) and flew back all quite cheap and easily organised once in country. Very different to BKK or Pattaya nice sight seeing and some OK bars to find a tour guide for the next day. Twisted Evil

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Time is a great teacher, unfortunately it kills all it’s pupils

maik · Joined: 28 Jun 2008 Posts: 25 Location: Denmark

Your story isn't wasted Peter. I will proberly do it on my next trip to Thailand/Pattaya. On my last trip I visited ko Chang and ko Samet and need to see something completly different the next time. To me it will be no probleme to stay with the same girl for some days - at least not if it is the right girl. Wink

Maik

Yogi · Joined: 04 Apr 2008 Posts: 183 Location: England

Hi Monty ,
I believe that I am going to follow up your advice on Chiang mai , as I like the idea of going by train . I have looked on one site already about departure times etc and Chiang mai does have one advantage for me , in that I already have a guide lined up Embarassed

. I still would like to visit Korat , but I take your point about being bored in a provincial town , that is why it was only going to get two nights . on each visit to Thailand all I have done so far is visit as many watering holes as possible , this time I am going up country , but I would have to be there a long time to take every single town / city in . This has been brought on by the fact that my foot will be out of plaster on the 11/08/08 ( It had better be )and now I feel more comfortable walking around , as before it was sheer torture . I am thinking along the lines of going to Bkk staying overnight and then going upto Chiang mai later in the day and flying back into Bkk . I suppose I might even bump into you in Pattaya as I am there until the 08/12/08 , you never know . I am hoping to return to work on the 01/09/08 and that should give me a full 10 weeks work before Pattaya ....... thats gonna be a struggle Laughing

and then Thailand here I come . Thanks to all for their input on this thread .

Regards Yogi

p.s NICE PICTURES Jim ........... thats put me off my sunday dinner .
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You never lose your girl , you just lose your place in the queue !!!! .

Yogi · Joined: 04 Apr 2008 Posts: 183 Location: England

Hi Peter ,
I thought that I would correct one of your earlier posts , Yes I am on the mend , but I had already booked my flight etc in January for my trip in November . On the day I arrived home on the 8 th of june all I have thought about is Pattaya Laughing

like everybody else !!!! . I thought that I could offer you a written explanation for this , but instead here is a picture with four good reasons for all men to return A.S.AP. to Pattaya ......... I am sorry if it makes anybody throw up ..............enjoy !!! .

Regards Yogi

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You never lose your girl , you just lose your place in the queue !!!! .

MekongMike · Joined: 07 Apr 2008 Posts: 299 Location: Germany