The Beer Bar

From Bangkok Post The recent discovery of an ancient human skeleton, estimated to be at least 29,000 years old, in Prachuap Khiri Khan proves that the area which is now Thailand was inhabited by humans in the Old Stone Age. On Monday, the Fine Arts Department and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation (DNP) jointly announced the discovery of a skeleton from the Pleistocene period and ancient cave paintings at the Tham Din archaeological site in Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. According to the Fine Art Department's Director General Phanombootra Chandrajoti, the skeleton, believed to be of an eight-year-old child, is the old…

From Patttaya News Thienprasit Chaiyapatranun, President of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), raised concerns over increasing foreign acquisitions of hotels, pool villas, and luxury residences in key tourist destinations like Phuket and Bangkok. Some foreign owners, particularly Russians, have been illegally renting out properties on a daily basis, according to Thienprasit. In Bangkok, both Thai and foreign investors are reportedly buying entire floors in condominiums for short-term rentals, while Chinese investors have been purchasing nearly entire luxury housing projects and offering full-scale shuttle services for tourists. THA urged the gove…

From The Patttaya Mail By Barry Kenyon The Canadian embassy in Bangkok has announced that it will no longer issue letters of guarantee about the income of Canadian citizens wishing to obtain annually-renewable visas in Thailand. The ruling also applies to the Canadian consulate in Chiang Mai. The announcement parrots the line used by the British, American and Australian embassies in the past – officers have no way of verifying the truth of claimed income or cash reserves in the home country. Those affected, principally retirees, will need either to show 800,000 baht in a Thai bank account (which never insisted on embassy confirmation) or use the method of …

From CNN Imagine you’re booking a flight. For most people, it’s an easy decision: the cheapest fare or the easiest route will be the one to win out. But for many, it’s a different scenario. They’re willing to spend more, fly at awkward times or even make multiple connections to reach their destination — all to earn airline loyalty points. This is the dance of the frequent flyer program — often a costly dance, but one that reaps benefits in the form of lounge access, free seat selection, priority security and other things that make flying in the crowded 21st century a little more bearable — as long as you spend or fly enough to earn enough poin…

I shall be staying in Hat Yai for April. I'm not particularly looking for any adult entertainment but if there's a bar where one can have a nice evening and laugh with ease & humour, that would be nice. I'm aware there's not very much to entertain a gay audience in HT but that is not my focus so I don't mind, that said. if you have knowledge I would be foolish not to educate myself. I've rented an apartment to 'live' (slap bang in the center) and plan on taking it easy, mostly sat at a laptop colour gradding video, it's what I do to keep me busy. That said, I need exercise, outdoor time, walks, but nothing mad, I'm not backpacking and jogging …

I love John Oliver...tonight's show was good, first segment very good...second was long but informative... he shares a link on the screen, be sure to go to it and change your Facebook settings and Android or iPhone settings too... Change settings:https://johnoliverwantsyourraterotica.com/ watch episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eeq6nd5LsSc This is more about the phone and FB settings, is why I posted here and not in politics..... How far buried these setting were, by design I'm sure, we'd never find them.....

In a reversal of form, legendary high-end Apple has introduced a new, cheaper phone while Oppo—long the home of the low cost mobile—is marketing a pricey folding model to compete with Samsung and Huawei models.. From The Verge iPhone 16E: all the news on Apple’s new $599 phone Apple has announced an update to the iPhone SE, but this time around, it’s called the iPhone 16E. As the rumors predicted, Apple’s new budget iPhone model has an updated design with a Face ID-enabled notch, replacing the old model that had a home button and Touch ID interface. Another new element is that this is the first iPhone with an Apple-designed 5G modem inside, the…

In my long very personal essay, I added that I would resurrect one other series of posts, this time of Gay Icons. As I leave for Europe on Saturday and will not post during the nearly 3 weeks I will be away. I shall merely post this first one and one other before I depart. Today the gay community in much of the world has gained a freedom and acceptance unthought of little more than half a century ago. Along with this liberation has come an understanding that gay icons are important, especially for younger gay boys and girls. Chatting with friends over dinner some years ago, the conversation drifted into two rather interesting directions. Who were the first gay icons,…

From Khaosod English SUVARNABHUMI — A potential tragedy was averted at Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi Airport when police successfully intercepted a British man attempting to jump from an elevated roadway, with crucial assistance from a Thai woman who acted as an negotiator during the tense situation. The incident, which occurred on February 21 at approximately 8:00 p.m. on Exit Route 1 of the airport’s elevated road system, was first revealed through social media on February 23 when the “Jor Jae Jab Jorn” Facebook page shared footage of the rescue operation. Police Colonel Jakrapong Nuchpadung, Superintendent of Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station (Airport…

From Bangkok Post The Ministry of Public Health yesterday confirmed the discovery of a new coronavirus, HKU5-CoV-2, by a laboratory in China but said no human infections have been recorded as yet. Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, said yesterday the virus found by a team of Chinese researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology is a variant within the Merbecovirus subgenus. "It is not considered a new strain or mutant virus. Instead, it is a virus in the coronavirus family, which has many subspecies," he said, adding that the research team found that HKU5-CoV-2 can enter human cells using the same gateway as the ea…

NOTE — could this affect plan to inaugurate prior arrival notice for foreigners scheduled for May 1, 2025? From Bangkok Post The Immigration Bureau failed to collect the biometric data of about 17 million travellers who entered and exited Thailand last year after the system reached its maximum capacity, according to People’s Party deputy leader Rangsiman Rome. “Thailand currently does not utilise the biometric system for border control security. This lack of data collection poses a significant risk of criminals re-entering the country,” the opposition politician said in a post on his Facebook account on Friday. “Throughout the entire year of 2024 and …

NOTE —. To those unfamiliar with the market, it serves as both a very popular wholesome and retail food center. Many of the city’s top restaurants source their ingredients there in the early morning hours before locals flow in for the fresh food at bargain prices. My guy loves to visit every few weeks. From Bangkok Posr The pavement next to Klong Toey Market on Rama IV Road offers plenty of pedestrian space after the Lao Market was recently demolished. (Photo: Somchai Poomlard) The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is renovating a walkway at Klong Toey Market on Rama IV Road after dismantling an extension market that had occupied the foot…

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon The unfortunate British tourist Pamela Gatehouse is facing medical and repatriation costs of around 80,000 pounds (3 million baht) and much more if a private plane evacuation proves necessary. Her husband says their travel insurance proved worthless because they visited India before Thailand, a technicality which invalidated all claims. Inevitably, the British embassy was contacted but there is no slush fund to cover non-insured tourists or expats. Indeed, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London has in the past pointed out that British taxpayers cannot, and should not, subsidize overseas tragedies no matt…

Spas! I was never really a massage guy until Albury opened around 1996 or so. I happened to be spending a long weekend with friends who lived at the far end of Sukhumvit Soi 15. They had heard that a new spa named Albury was opening nearby that weekend and suggested we go. I am not sure how the word got out, but it was surprisingly busy. I tend to be more into twinks than the more buffed guys and was slightly disappointed until I saw a fabulous looker who was exactly my type. I will not give his name for I know he now lives with his lover in Chiang Mai. But he gave a surprisingly good massage with great ‘afters’. He then became my regular monthly masseur for about six yea…

In those pre-internet days, almost the only gay information for those visiting Thailand was to be found in the thick Spartacus Guide, filled with AYOR against many venues it listed. On a one night stopover from Europe in my first year living in Asia, I had stupidly booked a hotel far from Suriwong. In those days the only way to the city was either a taxi or a THAI minibus. The latter were filled on a first-come-first-served basis And they stopped at the nearest hotel first. As luck would have it, I was the last. And the hotel was prepaid! Thankfully there was a tout outside. Normally I do not go near them, but I just had one night and had no clue where I was! For little m…

From International Monetary Fund Rising Rates May Trigger Financial Instability Before the pandemic, investors worried about how persistently low inflation and interest rates would crimp bank profits. Paradoxically, they also worried about bank profitability when post-COVID reopening sent inflation and central bank interest rates soaring. The failure of Silicon Valley Bank and other US lenders in early 2023 appeared to validate these fears. Our new research on the relationship between inflation and bank profitability helps us make sense of these concerns. Most banks are largely insulated from shifts in inflation—the exposure of income and expenses …

My view is that it was the opening of gay saunas that led to a certain sameness in most of the gogo bars. Of course that took a while - 2 or 3 years or more - by which time Soi Twilight was seeing a few more gogo bars open, but being naked and hands on in gay saunas was relatively new in Thailand by the mid-1980s. The first I visited was Volt in a side Soi off Asoke. Fairly basic, its novelty lay in the total nudity, I guess. I recall meeting one guy there in 1986 who was the receptionist at a top hotel. We had a fling for a while and I got tickets for us for the 1987 Royal Barge Procession which celebrated the King’s auspicious 60th birthday - a magnificent almost religi…

From The Nation The Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) has ordered its provincial and district branches nationwide to closely monitor areas and communities where foreigners have settled to ensure legal compliance and prevent residents from being disturbed. The order was issued on Friday (February 21) via radio dispatch from ISOC’s Second Operational Command, which supervises immigrant-related issues. Provincial and district ISOC offices have been told to prevent clashes between foreigners and Thais from escalating into community-level confrontations, which might affect international relationships. ISOC officials were instructed to priori…

Putin’s secret weapon: The threat to the UK lurking on our sea beds https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-3036d1db-da99-49b3-9d64-272472095d4a These reports are all supported by other independent media sources.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon There is currently no official ban on Thai banks opening accounts for foreign tourists. But it’s clear that the government’s latest attempts to reduce call center scamming and flight-prone cryptocurrency deals are having a very marked effect. In a separate announcement, the beginning of April 2025 will see new accounts subject to further bureaucracy such as biometric authentication via facial recognition and the restriction for each account to be linked to a single registered device. It’s certainly possible that accounts may then become easier for short term tourists to open provided they have sound reasons, for example purchas…

Forgot to add pics from Petra which I just found with a couple at the end from Mt. Nebo where Moses is supposed to have climbed to die nearer to his God and one of the Roman Amphitheatre in Amman. Again I don't know why the pics are small but easy to increase the size by clicking on them. Also a few other destinations.

From The Nation The Thai and Myanmar governments are working together to repatriate 261 Thai nationals who had been deceived into work for call centre scamming gangs in Myanmar’s border towns, Deputy PM and Defence Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Wednesday. He said that about 7,000 more victims in Myanmar will be the next to be repatriated, adding that the Thai government would coordinate with their home countries to arrange direct transport so they do not find themselves stuck in Tak province after release. Phumtham said the government has contacted embassies of countries in Africa, Latin America, Europe, and Asia, incl…

From Bangkok Post City Hall has told 529 stallholders near the clock tower at Chatuchak weekend market they must move out by April 30 to make way for planned redevelopment. The instruction was issued by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's market office. Market office chairman Suksan Kittisupakorn, accompanied by other senior officials, explained the move during a media briefing at the BMA head office on Wednesday. It covered issues of transparency over the management of the weekend market, the refusal to renew the contracts of vendors using the 529 stalls, and guidelines for the further development of the market Vendors at Chatuchak weekend mark…

From The Thaiger The Transport Ministry is considering relocating Bangkok’s inter-provincial bus terminals to the Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal to enhance connectivity with the city’s mass transit system. Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit discussed this proposal with the Policy Monitoring Committee, instructing the Office of Transport and Traffic Policy Planning (OTP) to explore the feasibility of consolidating all state-operated bus terminals within this new central terminal. The proposed move would affect three main terminals: the Bangkok Bus Terminal (Mo Chit 2) in Chatuchak district, serving the north and northeast, the Ekkamai…