Pattaya Reports

[QUOTE=Slackerslacker; 1466095]Her rent / electric / water are probably at least 5000. Her food (for 2) , petrol, motorbike, clothing, etc. Are probably another 5000.

So, after paying for their basic survival, she is left with basically no money at the end of the month, so NO. 350 / day is not good for Thailand.[/QUOTE]You're probably overestimating the costs. But its true that nowadays 350 / day is quite a low income, since the legal minimum wage in many parts of Thailand is now 300 / day. My friends who employ lots of people say that 500 / day is normally the least you can get away with paying for people with any skills at all.

[QUOTE=CorporateMalaya;1466125]My birthday is coming up, and based on my current plans will be celebrated in Pattaya. Required some input on the bottle service pricing at Insomnia, common things like Vodka and Whiskey. Read on the PA site, that it is cheaper with the I-rewards card. Are we allowed to stow the unfinished bottles for a later outing.[/QUOTE]It depends on which brand it is. I'm a Sang Som man so 1000 baht for me. Absolut and Remy will run you up to 3000. They charge extra for ice and chaser. I have seen some places charge 400 baht for 2 liters of Cola. You can stow it there or take it with you if you don't finish it.

[QUOTE=GreenBud;1466018]Thailand does not have a tipping culture (for locals).[/QUOTE]Nonsense. Most Thais I know are more generous with tips than the average Pattaya khii nok expat.

As far as massages go, the gf went in for one the other day and on a bill of B200 tipped B60. 'I was going to give her B40 but she was really good, ' she said. Sounds about right to me. B20 these days would definitely feel cheap. But of course, as they say, it's up to you.

[QUOTE=Betong; 1466180]Nonsense. Most Thais I know are more generous with tips than the average Pattaya khii nok expat.

As far as massages go, the gf went in for one the other day and on a bill of B200 tipped B60. 'I was going to give her B40 but she was really good, ' she said. Sounds about right to me. B20 these days would definitely feel cheap. But of course, as they say, it's up to you.[/QUOTE]There again Thai's are more into making face then most visitors or ex pats, face is everything.

[QUOTE=Mr Enternational; 1465805]Despite what mant punters in the Thailand and PI thread think, a working girl will never be shy to ask for money. Ways to know:

1. Ask her what she does. She will say I go with man for money if she is working.

2. When you ask her to come back to your place, she will say how much you give me?

3. If money isn't brought up you can wait until it is time for her to go home the next day. If she is dressed and just sits on the end of the bed like she is waiting, then she is waiting for you to pay her. Give her 1000 baht and a hug and tell her to be safe.[/QUOTE]Maybe shy wasn't the best word and I'm going take your experience over mine but I don't think most guys realize how super submissive most Thai girls are and how tricky it can get. Can't tell you how many I've picked up cold in and out of prostitution areas and fucked within the hour but what makes it bizarre is some don't even crack a smile and seem to be very disinterested in me. Am I the only one to fuck a girl who looked totally unhappy from start to finish but no mention of money? It's like in the West a girl might not like you but give you a flirty conversation. I feel like a girl here could not like you but have sex with you. I just take charge, get them to my room and we fuck. Many then leave with no desire to see me again, regardless of the sex was great, not like it's horrible but puzzling. Now If I pursue it again some would and the girls into me are obviously easier to navigate but it's odd.

So we are going with these laws folks. Do not pay a girl unless she asks for money or looks like she is waiting for money? I followed that rule but also paid girls in prostitution areas that looked like they had no interest in me. I'm going to stop doing this and now only pay them if they ask me for money. Also, sometimes you can agree to a price off the bat with a girl and things go so great it looks like she will leave afterwards without wanting money. There may have been a few times where I paid at the end and she may have just left without asking for money. Hopefully someone can translate that gibberish.

[QUOTE=PunterWanderer;1412164]the 90% of the so called 'freebie' who go with the farangs basically are freelance / semi-pro, so they go for money and making up their incomes.[/QUOTE]On the other hand I agree with this but have to stop being such a nice guy. It's really a weakness. They will have to be more forthcoming and see myself getting cheaper and cheaper the longer I am here disconnecting with the way I did things in the West.

[QUOTE=Col Law;1466189]There again Thai's are more into making face then most visitors or ex pats, face is everything.[/QUOTE]Ah don't get me started. Yes, there is a certain concept of face in Thai culture, but it is by no means as all-powerful as most non-Thais seem to imagine (and it also isn't as different from Western equivalents such as 'pride', 'macho', etc as they might think). If you want an organizing principle for Thai society, look into 'kreng jai'. It's more subtle and complex than saving or losing face, and it contributes to good things in Thailand as well as not-so-good ones.

Sure there are situations where Thais tip to show off (at fancy clubs for example) , but generally if you ask them why they left a tip it's because they sympathize with the person they're tipping. I've heard it a hundred times from Thai friends: 'He / she works so hard and gets paid so little'.

Sorry for the sociology in a forum that's supposed to be devoted to Pattaya, but I think we should dispel for once and for all the idea that Thais are cheap and ungenerous and therefore we can be too. It just isn't true.

[QUOTE=Betong; 1466180]Nonsense. Most Thais I know are more generous with tips than the average Pattaya khii nok expat.

As far as massages go, the gf went in for one the other day and on a bill of B200 tipped B60. 'I was going to give her B40 but she was really good, ' she said. Sounds about right to me. B20 these days would definitely feel cheap. But of course, as they say, it's up to you.[/QUOTE]

Yeah but let's face it but (no offense) a farang's girlfriend in Pattaya is not a normal Thai person. 'Respectable' Thais (I work with them) either tip nothing or maybe tip 20 baht at the very most.

Tipping in Thailand is 'disdaining to pick up the coins', not a conscious decision to benefit the worker. That said, there are lots of exceptions depending on context, particularly as Thai society is sadly dissolving in the maelstrom of globalization. But the general cultural rule that is 'Thai' is still as it was before the bad times - no tipping.

[QUOTE=Opebo; 1466745]Yeah but let's face it but (no offense) a farang's girlfriend in Pattaya is not a normal Thai person. 'Respectable' Thais (I work with them) either tip nothing or maybe tip 20 baht at the very most.

Tipping in Thailand is 'disdaining to pick up the coins', not a conscious decision to benefit the worker. That said, there are lots of exceptions depending on context, particularly as Thai society is sadly dissolving in the maelstrom of globalization. But the general cultural rule that is 'Thai' is still as it was before the bad times. No tipping.[/QUOTE]I agree with Opebo 100% about this. I've lived in Thailand, and this is what I observed as well. It goes double once you get out of the tourist areas.

However, the world over, people in the service industry tend to tip more than people who've not been in the industry. Basically, they know what it feels like to get a good tip so they want to pass that on.

[QUOTE=Opebo;1466745]Yeah but let's face it but (no offense) a farang's girlfriend in Pattaya is not a normal Thai person.[/QUOTE]No offense taken. But we're 1000km from Pattaya and she's just an ordinary middle-class Thai woman who knows exactly one farang (me) and is way too stubborn to have changed anything because of it. No doubt there are plenty of poorer Thais who couldn't afford to tip even if they wanted. But most of my Thai friends are college-educated middle class, and believe me, they do tip. And that's what I am, so I do too.

Tip a lot, a little or nothing at all here, nobody cares nearly as much as in the West.

[QUOTE=Betong; 1467087]No offense taken. But we're 1000km from Pattaya and she's just an ordinary middle-class Thai woman who knows exactly one farang (me) and is way too stubborn to have changed anything because of it. No doubt there are plenty of poorer Thais who couldn't afford to tip even if they wanted. But most of my Thai friends are college-educated middle class, and believe me, they do tip. And that's what I am, so I do too.

Tip a lot, a little or nothing at all here, nobody cares nearly as much as in the West.[/QUOTE]A last thought about this tipping thing:

Since this is the Pattaya section, I assume we are talking about Pattaya massage ladies.

Keep in mind, these ladies are all living far from home. They all must pay rent, electric, and food costs at inflated prices. In fact, if they were doing massage in Issan, they would be likely be living rent-free in the family shack. In such a "local" environment, yes, the tipping situation would be different. The massage ladies come to Pattaya because that is where the farang money is. We should make some small effort to encourage these ladies to come and stay in Pattaya, and one way to do that is to make their jobs at least somewhat lucrative.

Despite Pattaya being a tourist area full of Thais looking to take our money, look at the situation:

You can get a professional Thai or foot massage for one hour for (at some locations) a mere 100baht. They are practically giving it away.

These ladies certainly deserve more than a bt20 tip.

[QUOTE=Slackerslacker; 1467413]A last thought about this tipping thing:

Since this is the Pattaya section, I assume we are talking about Pattaya massage ladies.

Keep in mind, these ladies are all living far from home. They all must pay rent, electric, and food costs at inflated prices. In fact, if they were doing massage in Issan, they would be likely be living rent-free in the family shack. In such a "local" environment, yes, the tipping situation would be different. The massage ladies come to Pattaya because that is where the farang money is. We should make some small effort to encourage these ladies to come and stay in Pattaya, and one way to do that is to make their jobs at least somewhat lucrative.

Despite Pattaya being a tourist area full of Thais looking to take our money, look at the situation:

You can get a professional Thai or foot massage for one hour for (at some locations) a mere 100baht. They are practically giving it away.

These ladies certainly deserve more than a bt20 tip.[/QUOTE]Oops! You are making the tips mandatory and as well as the amount too. Whatever their back ground is, they came here for work and they know what they are getting from here. It happens upon the both parties mutual understanding. So far as I understand tips is a part of generosity not to be listed and printed in the menu to be placed in front of us.

Ar you like to go more deep? E. G. Their ethnic analysis?

[QUOTE=Slackerslacker; 1467413]A last thought about this tipping thing:

Since this is the Pattaya section, I assume we are talking about Pattaya massage ladies.

Keep in mind, these ladies are all living far from home. They all must pay rent, electric, and food costs at inflated prices. In fact, if they were doing massage in Issan, they would be likely be living rent-free in the family shack. In such a "local" environment, yes, the tipping situation would be different. The massage ladies come to Pattaya because that is where the farang money is. We should make some small effort to encourage these ladies to come and stay in Pattaya, and one way to do that is to make their jobs at least somewhat lucrative.

Despite Pattaya being a tourist area full of Thais looking to take our money, look at the situation:

You can get a professional Thai or foot massage for one hour for (at some locations) a mere 100baht. They are practically giving it away.

These ladies certainly deserve more than a bt20 tip.[/QUOTE]The cheaper the massage, the more the tip I give. As the price varies from 100 in the interior sois to 300 on the main roads. The cut the girls get I assume would be fixed and the rest for the house.

[QUOTE=Mua Tur; 1467431]Oops! You are making the tips mandatory and as well as the amount too. Whatever their back ground is, they came here for work and they know what they are getting from here. It happens upon the both parties mutual understanding. So far as I understand tips is a part of generosity not to be listed and printed in the menu to be placed in front of us.

Ar you like to go more deep? E. G. Their ethnic analysis?[/QUOTE]Hi, if going to BKK.Pattaya for couple of weeks end of Sept.first week of Oct, should I let weather be a factor so much that I change plans. ? Please any info would be great, thanks, let me know how bad it rains this time of year.

[QUOTE=RacShack;1467711]Hi, if going to BKK.Pattaya for couple of weeks end of Sept.first week of Oct, should I let weather be a factor so much that I change plans. ? Please any info would be great, thanks, let me know how bad it rains this time of year.[/QUOTE]According to the statistics that is still the rainy period and two years ago the whole of Thailand was almost flushed into the sea by torrential rains that started in August and stopped only in November. Last year however, it was OK.

You will probably see some rain every day but that should not stop you from coming here. There is always a bar or club you can hop in to shelter from the elements.

Long time forecasts (for what they are worth) at: [url]http://www.tmd.go.th/en[/url]

[QUOTE=RacShack;1467711]Hi, if going to BKK.Pattaya for couple of weeks end of Sept.first week of Oct, should I let weather be a factor so much that I change plans. ? Please any info would be great, thanks, let me know how bad it rains this time of year.[/QUOTE]Not necessary to change your plan even it is rainy season. Everything is in business as usual they do round the year. If you are into picking girls from bars or clubs, rain can not stop you. Although no worry for the beach road girls too. Whenever rain stops, girls come back in business quickly. If you are lucky you may have a gem in easy bargaining (if she is pissed of for running off from raining).

Oh, if you are serious you can try for Tsunami forecast, if any. LOL. Once Thailand experienced with Tsunami effect too. But that was not the end of our beloved mongering world.