Trip 4 - Day 12

21st August

I awake when A does and there is little conversation, so I know that I'm in the 'doghouse'. She says that the boat is in today instead of yesterday, so she will be late tonight. I decide that I'll stay in tonight so that I'm in when (if?) she returns which means I'll miss the party at FLB, but so be it.

After a cup of tea and some toast, I set off to see Steve Carleton at Alan Bolton Estate Agents on 2nd Road. I walk to Pattaya Klang and get a bus to the junction of 2nd Road and then make the walk northward to their offices. I arrive on time and Steve says he has a few properties that he thinks Kevin will be interested in and which he has expressed an interest in during email exchanges.

The brief is quite straightforward. Not too far from town; at least two bedrooms; private pool; air con in bedrooms and european kitchen as he does like his Sunday roast dinners. ADSL as a 'nice to have'.

A list of 4 properties has been prepared and we set off to the first place which is located East of Thappraya and North of Thepprasit (sort of round the back of Jade). The pool is great, but there is no air con in the lounge, the kitchen doesn't have an oven; the bathroom only has a handheld shower attached to the bath taps and the place is cramped, so it's not exactly within the brief (Don't you just love estate agents that follow the customer's brief? Or is it a ploy that they always show something unsuitable as the first place?)

The next property is the other end of town near Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. The place is good and spacious and has the benefit of Hi speed ADSL Internet service already installed, so that will appeal. The only downside is that the place is a little close to the railway line, but to be honest I haven't found that to be a problem where I'm located and the sounds from the railway will probably be heard from most of the places in East Pattaya that meet the criteria of being 'close to town'.

There are two big double bedrooms with en-suite; a great pool; 'maids room & bathroom' and a great open plan lounge, diner, kitchen. I then get a call from an unrecognised Thai number and it turns out that it's Joy (She lost her mobile and therefore has a new number). Steve speaks to her and it's agreed that we return to pick her up and then bring her to look at this house. 45 minutes later, we're back again and it's obvious that Joy also likes the place.

We then go to look at a couple of properties on an estate just off Soi Siam Country Club. The first is again quite small and cramped and the pool is more of a plunge pool than a swimming pool; the second we don't actually get to see because Steve has brought the wrong set of keys with him. (To be honest, the estate woiuld drive me crazy as speed humps have been installed every 50 feet or so. It's a long and uncomfortable drive to reach both the properties that are on offer)
We see the outside of the second place and Steve chats with Joy to determine if she wants to return to the office to get the keys and come back, but it seems she's still keen on the first property that she'd seen, so we simply return to the office to make calls to the owner and see if the terms are acceptable.

The property is being advertised at 45k baht a month, however for a 12 month let, the price is agreed at 40k baht a month inclusive of garden & pool maintenance and provision of ADSL Internet service.

This is within the budget that Kevin had set (just!). We try to contact Kevin both on MSN Messenger and by mobile 'phone but he is incommunicado, so both myself and Steve check with Joy that she is sure that the location is okay and that it's not too far out of town. She says she is sure that it's okay, so it's time to get contracts drawn up and the deposit paid.

Steve drives me round to my room so that I can collect sufficient traveller's cheques to pay the deposit and provide Joy with some spending money until Kev arrives at the end of the month.
After changing the TC's, 80k goes to Alan Bolton and 20k to Joy, so from 4th September, the parties are to be at Kev's place.

Everything is done and Steve then returns me back to Soi Khao Noi at 15:45 when I realise that I'm pretty hungry as I've only had a couple of pieces of toast to eat in about 30 hours. A quick walk to the chicken stall just past Noi's Bar and I get half a chicken and the 'mandatory' sweet chilli sauce and 'sticky' rice. As I return to the room, I also buy a big bottle of Coke and a couple of bottles of Beer Chang to replenish the depleted supplies.

After eating, I feel much better and I settle down to watch a couple of DVDs.

At 21:05, I get a text from Nok asking "Are you come to party tonight?". I cry off with a 'white lie' that I'm not feeling too well and will not make it, but I'll see her some other time.

After showering, I call A and it turns out that she doesn't expect to be back tonight as if she finishes too late she'll just go and stay with Mama. I'm told that she was 'angly' with me last night not so much for being out, but for not letting her know when I'd be back. It seems that she wouldn't eat until she knew whether I was going to eat with her or not, so I was right about being in the 'doghouse'.

I'm certainly finding it difficult to avoid all the parties and holidaying. I guess that I simply have to learn to say "No!"

Spending

Baht Bus - 10 baht
Chicken - 45 baht
Beer Chang & Coke - 109 baht

Oh, I forgot to mention the 1000 baht weekly allowance to Mama yesterday. and there was and additional 50 baht for a beer in the Hideaway Lagoon on Sunday that I'd forgotten aboiut as well.