ou can always get great Thai cuisine in the upmarket hotels in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. My ex-wife used to cook Thai food all the time, I really liked it. Home cooking is almost always better than eating out, but when it comes to Western cuisine I'd prefer to eat out all the time.

Several foreigners in Pattaya have told me they think the Thai food there is "crap" and they don't eat it. Maybe that's true. I have eaten some local grub there over the last two years or so, I did not really like it, although I'd stop short of saying it was "crap".

The thing is, in Pattaya, it mostly exists to cater to the every whim of Western men, mostly in the 45-70 year age bracket. There are more Chinese and Arabs and Indians in Pattaya, but in general the White Western Male still reigns supreme.

That means, whats most popular is steaks, spare ribs, roast lamb, pork, chicken, English breakfasts, traditional British and Australian fish and chips. I always liked Thai soups, tom yum goong, and tom yum kai for example, with corriander, limes, lemongrass, coconut, etc.

In China I also mostly ate Western food. One place I went to in Nanning a lot was "Ban Xian Ju" at Yang Guang 100 ( Sunshine 100 ) That place has great Guangdong cuisine. I like Sichuan also. Cow and Boy for steak in Nanning.

Generally, I don't like either Thai or Chinese cuisine however.

Thai fried rice is a superior dish than the Chinese version don't you think. The best fried rice I've had in China was in a university restaurant. But they changed the cook one day and it reverted back to swimming in oil.

Chiang Mai is a good place to get Chinese visas, isn't it?

Taking the plunge then, there for good soon. Will you rent a house? They allow you to buy a condominium I understand.