Gay Thailand

What is usually the best way to get USD converted to baht? I have usually waiting till I am in a city before I convert things over but it is better to do at the airport?

Got the tourist visa application. Need the name and address of someone in Thailand for the visa . I have visited Thailand several times, but do not have the name or address of anyone there. (No boyfriend). Any suggestions? Thanks

THE NATION is running a series of articles about financial information for foreigners and expats. The first article in the series appeared today and subsequent articles will be published weekly. The first is about bank accounts for foreigners. Unless things have dramatically changed, I disagree with part of this first article. The article is making it seem as if foreigners who have no work permit or enter without at least a Type "O" visa won't be allowed to open a Thai bank account anywhere. As far as my experience tells me, that is simply not correct. I know of one friend who opened a bank account at Siam Commercial bank, without at Type "O" visa, as recently a…

Unnnnnnnnbelievable! Folks, lately it has been almost raining farang. We went for months without any "flying farang." Now, all of a sudden, you're taking your chances just walking down the street because one might land on you. Here's the latest (getting boring reading about them; there have been so many) from the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: see http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000006398 for photos. _____ PATTAYA‘S MIKE SHOPPING MALL SCENE OF YET ANOTHER FOREIGN SUICIDE One of Pattaya‘s favourite suicide spots, Mike Shopping Mall, was the launch site on 23 June 2008 for yet another apparent foreign suicide. At around 6.00 pm, police recei…

BUY 1, FLY 2" PROMOTION MARKS THAI AIRWAYS 48TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS The special offer which marks the company‘s 48th anniversary is valid between 25 June and 30 September 2008 with return tickets valid for 3 months from the date of the commencing journey. Thai Airways International has launched a "Buy 1, Fly 2" promotion. The special deal is available to Royal First and Royal Silk travelers and even includes full Royal Orchid Plus mileage accumulation on both tickets. Under the "Buy 1, Fly 2" promotion, passengers who buy one international ticket from Bangkok to all cities in Europe, Japan and Korea, Johannesburg, Auckland, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou…

I had a nice meal at the News Cafe last night. No pizza is on the menu. I know I have eaten Pizza there before but my memory is bad and perhaps I have not. Anyway, they have a host of good food selections and I decided on a board of Steak and veggies. It was absolutely delicious. The steak was not as good as Manhattans but it was excellent. The rest of the meal was much better than Manhattans IMHO. I did break down and have the Crème brûlée. It was good but not great. Cost 130 baht. News Cafe is located right after Bruno's Restaurant if you are headed from Pattaya to Jomptien and it is right before Chateau Dale and the View Tallays. The atmosphere is nice a…

Hi Guys I am starting a round the world trip and need some advice on Thailand i would love to visit Bangkok, pattaya and Phuket.How far away from each other are these? Also looking to stay in Thailand for around 2 weeks Can you recommend decent hotels not too expensive? Also what is the current exchange rate? And which are the best Go Go bars to use ........Looking for some hot times with 18 plus guys Thanks any help really appreciated

Well, sorry, I am kidding on that one. Just wanted to give a nod to my friend Ear Wig and let me know he is still loved. As for Sunee, I am sure that you veterans have heard this over and over again, and it has never come to fruition. But, having visited Pattaya and spent time in Phuket, most that I talk to outside of the Sunee area say it is on its last leg. It is at the end of its heyday. I met several in Pattaya show say they will no longer go there and many others who say that they will not support any businesses related to the bars or the owners there. I am sure many of you have lived through the roller coaster ride before. Is this the beginning of…

Well, I thought I had pizza at News Cafe in the past and stopped by to ask the manager about it and he said No, they never had it. I told him I had eaten there when they had the 2nd floor open. He said that was not News Cafe but Gians and that the place had now moved next door to them. Yes, my memory is not good and it fails me often. So, for my last dinner in Thailand, I took my favorite guys to eat at Gians. We ordered 2 pizzas for appetizers. One was a sausage pizza and the other one seafood. I had 5 guys with me. Each had a slice of each and loved them and we boxed the rest for later that night. We ordered 4 main dishes to share together as I wanted them…

Returning to Thailand again in November, but this time for a trial run at actually retiring there. Will probably enter with a tourist visa to give myself some time to get things rolling. I know I can apply for a retirement visa in Thailand, but it does require a bank account in Thailand. Can I open an account with a tourist visit? Or do I need to change the tourist visa to an O visa in Thailand to open an account? Thanks

If two Thai guys decide to go into business together and they jointly sign a lease as business partners would both signatures be needed to sell the business or just one? Or, if 2 Thais own a company and the company buys a business, is it able to be liquidated by only one?

Once again, folks, I don't make these things up. The following appears in THE NATION: _____ For Whom the Toilet Flushes Published on June 23, 2008 Mae Fah Luang University students oppose the idea of separate toilets for transsexuals and want the money spent on facilities for others. The Education Ministry wants separate restrooms for transsexuals to avoid potential problems. But the university's students worry the facilities will be "isolated and disgusting". They add the move is unfair because its ignores homosexuals. Transsexual nursing student Worakarn Kantajaem, 19, says he and 200 other transsexuals participate in university acti…

Chris is a nice guy and I have known him for a few years. He seems to get along with everyone and his stories on living in Thailand are very well written and documented with photos and personal information. I suggest anything thinking of moving to the LOS read all his 5 chapters. It has a lot of great information in it. http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum...t-5-t15175.html

We've certainly waited long enough for a turn-around to improve the exchange rates. Especially for those of us who are residents in Thailand, we've lived with the exchange rate eating away at our funds for the better part of three years. Now, the political situation, inflation, fuel prices, diminishing tourist numbers, decline of the stock market, etc. are all having their effect on the exchange rates. Right now, the exchange rate is better than it has been in nearly a year (although it still sucks!), and has been slowly moving in a direction favorable to farang. Now the news reports are full of foreboding as to what is going to happen financially in Thailand. So…

Day 1: Pattaya to Phuket We started our adventure from Pattaya and took a hotel car to Phuket. We had a total of 4 people and 5 large bags. We needed to be sure to handle the bags so we used the Hotel car service. The rate from them was 3500 Baht for airport in large van. After about 45 minutes on the road I had a sudden, “oh Shit” moment. I forgot my medicine in the refrigerator of the hotel. I was given some medicine that will control my Thyroid when I was in LA a few weeks back and the doctor in Beverly Hills I went to needed me on this for 2 weeks and then another blood test to determine the right dose. We called the hotel and as we didn’t have time to turn a…

I love drink Propel. It is like Gatorade but without all the sugar. It is a drink that has lots of electrolytes and helps your body repair itself and it great for exercise or when sick. I have never seen it in Thailand and wanted to bring some with me but the bottles are so heavy that it would be impossible. I found a great solution for those that love the drink as much as I do. They sell it in a box with powder. It is called Propel Fit Powder. It comes in a box of 10 and is relatively inexpensive. I brought over a case of it and it weighs very little and easy to put into a suitcase. I ordered mine from Walgreens in the USA but many other stores have them as well…

Don't take my word for it. I'm going to let you read this one for yourselves. Just click on the link below: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000006364

George posted a detailed thread on SGF about the new owners of Memories Bar. It was a very well written detailed explanation and telling of recent events. I did finish my pot of coffee before I finished his story but it was well worth it. It is located here: http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum...ues-t15187.html

I dropped by the Hutch store near Tutcom the other day and saw their USB powered modem. It is supposed to give speeds up to 550 kb per second and is about 16k baht per year for the modem and the plan. Anyone tried this? I tried to buy the upgraded modem but they were sold out when I went there and they said it would be back in stock in 1-2 weeks. I have the ATT one for the USA and it is amazing and fantastic.

It is all happening in Boyztown, firstly it was announced that a lift would be installed in The Ambience Hotel, now I hear that Le Cafe Royale is also installing one, which is great news for us who are unable to negotiate the staircases, I used to like staying in the Penthouse above the old Throb/Splash, but gave up because of the stair issue, I now live here in Pattaya, so do not need the use of the Hotel, but I will certainly be informing my friends. Does anybody know when these will be installed? I should think it is quite a major (and expensive) job. Also, I noticed that the old Throb/Splash bar is undergoing a major refurbishment, both inside and out, apparently it…

I have gone up and down for a bit. I actually posted the weight loss journey I had last year. This year has gone well but I wanted to get ready for the San Francisco to Los Angeles Aids Lifecycle for charity. It is 550 miles in 7 days. I did it last year but I was not ready for it. I wanted to try it again this year but to be better prepared. I started getting ready in Chiang Mai in March and took a few escorted bike tours. They were mostly mountain bike trips and I had a nice time. They were not terribly long but they were enough to get me back into shape for the ride. I then went back to the fitness facility I had gone to previously http://www.campt…

Apple has now introduced the new Iphone GPS due to hit stores in many countries July 11th. It looks great and amazing. It is supposed to be sold in 70 countries and I am sure not long before Thailand will have an official carrier. The price is lower on this one than the previous ones. http://www.apple.com

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE CHOICES FOR YOU...UPDATED: Gay Thailand Friends, UPDATED TO INCLUDE MORE INTERNATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN CHOICES FOR YOU: In response to many requests for a policy which may cover "pre-existing conditions"... and wondering how they will be able to enjoy Thailand....for holiday visits or retirement life :-) Please pardon me for taking this time to announce a new international health care policy I now have ....and have sought after ....for the benefit of those traveling outside their home country... especially for those American Citizens: A special message to those who may be American Citizens and wish to h…

If you are a points guy like me, you love the free upgrades that hotels give when you are a priority member. Marriott is offering one to join up with them. All you need to do is go to the link below and sign up for the rewards program and give them your KLM number. Your Marriott will be upgraded to Gold. I have friends that have done this and it was instant. If you are already a Marriott member, you may go ahead and get another account or you can simply try to merge the two. The later works for some but not for others. I have friends that used this link with the current account and it was automatic upgraded the next day. It is worth a try for those of you that eve…

Prices have gotten higher in Thailand. Fuel costs are responsible for much of it. Gasoline is now over 40 baht per liter. At today's exchange rate, that's US $4.57 per gallon, folks. When I bought my car two years ago, I could fill it from empty for 800 baht. It now costs me over 1600 baht. I have noticed that prices that had never changed at all since I first started coming to Thailand are now going up. For example, there is a little mom-and-pop shop down the street from me, where the "mom" makes what I think is the best fried rice in Pattaya. It's always been 20 baht. Within the past week she had to raise her price to 25 baht. Now, that in itself won't bre…