Travel between Jomtien and BT

[arsenal]

My experience and timings and those of Newalaan differ. Why do I want to visit each area 2/3 times a night? Well, because I do. The atmosphere changes throughout the night. And I'm virtually tea-total in Thailand. A 10 day trip recently yielded an alcohol consumption of exactly one beer.

[newalaan2]

So, rent a bike for sure, but do be aware the police have now caught on to their latest big money making scheme and I dont see that changing any time soon so be sure to park it up if in any doubt ( or carry 10000 baht spare cash with you if not). PS HAS anyone heard anything different to the 10000 baht rumour i.e is that feel discussable perhaps ?

These higher demands have been going on for a while now in Pattaya (usually higher than Bt10000). True story...........back on my June trip this year my friend from Navanakorn came to Pattaya for a couple days as he sometimes does during my trips and we visit some of the guys we know in local bands, one of the nights after we had finished our travels he went to the room of a friend, he then headed back to our place at Mosiak at 6am and was caught in a police check point enroute, not very drunk but certainly over the limit.

He is just a normal Thai guy working in an engineering company earning about Bt15,000 a month. The police demanded Bt20,000, with immediate payment and he goes nowhere until paid! He got that 'down' to Bt15,000...so his friend who was with him on the back of the bike had to take my friends ATM card and withdraw what he could, about Bt10,000, he called me I lent the other Bt5,000. The friend retunred claiming to police he couldn't raise the full Bt15,000 (even though he had it in case they didn't budge)..... police finally accepted Bt8,000 for a quick resolution. But he said it STILL took a lot of negotiation over 3 hours all in, pleads that he would lose his job etc... to get it resolved. His friend whose bike it was and was probably over the limit was allowed to drive them away......he came back to room about 10am, repaid my Bt5,000 and headed back to Navanakorn to start his work on the night shift.

A447 suggests Bt10,000 is ridiculous for a Thai, and it is! but that's what the police expect and get nowadays from ordinary Thais. I have no experience of their expectation from Farangs, but still seems negotiable depending circumstances...and definitely not worth the risk. If my friend had not come up with enough the police were going to hold him until he paid, it might have meant him missing his shift later that night back in Navanakorn which would have been more serious than simply having to come up with Bt10-15,000. I think the police digging their heals in until the farang came up with the whole amount could be a problem, however if you did have Bt5,000 on you to hand over immediately for a quick resolution for both parties that might be enough, certainly worth a try, but who knows.

My experience and timings and those of Newalaan differ. Why do I want to visit each area 2/3 times a night? Well, because I do. The atmosphere changes throughout the night. And I'm virtually tea-total in Thailand. A 10 day trip recently yielded an alcohol consumption of exactly one beer.

That makes sense with the 'virtually tea-total' line........you don't drink in the evenings...I do. Once I have found somewhere I like, I prefer to settle there for a good while. I find enough time used up just with the out and return, personally I couldn't be bothered with 4-6 times a night, but could understand if you have the freedom of a bike and don't drink.....a position I've never found myself in Pattaya this past 18 years or so!

But in what way does your experience and timings differ to mine journeying between the two as a matter of interest? and maybe helpful to the OP. If you use your motocy and never use baht buses how would you be aware how long a journey takes in one, or, are you saying you have experience of regularly taking an hour to travel between Jomtien and Sth Pattaya by baht bus or motocy? or that it takes an hour at a certain time of day? As I say, I regularly travel between the two, both directions, from about 2pm through 5am and apart from the specific times I mentioned 6-8pm it takes about 10 mins by baht bus for that journey. What are you experiencing differently from me?

[vnman]

I'm still using Uber for longer distances.

I just returned to Pattaya, but in Oktober, I took at least 6 rides. Not sure about their precise status. it seems that they get fined when picking up customers. From Tukcom to the outlet on Sukumvit would set you back around 90bt. The cars provided are/were usually new and full size.

At night you can still take a 10bt ride with the busses. If you are lucky you can stop one roadside. Otherwise, if you are in boys Town, walk to the corner of 3rd and South Pattaya rd. You can get on there for the same 10bt.