vinapu

It depends on where you want to go.  If you want to go to any of the cities where the curfew has already been lifted, you could go right now without any problems.  The way things are starting to play out, the curfew is likely to be lifted entirely long before November.
 
Whether you decide to go and where you decide to go, one piece of advice:  Don't wait around very long to make your flight and hotel bookings.  I don't know about other cities, but if this year goes as it always has, In Pattaya the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to get a room in the area you prefer to stay.  If you wait too long, you'll be lucky if you can get a room at all.

I cannot comment on hotels, but from hanging out last night (well, evening, before the curfew started), I got the impression that the number of people that are out and about is much lower than usual. I went to a place in the Lower Sukhumvit area that usually gets very crowded on a Saturday night, and I saw fewer people there than even on a typical weekday night. Also, the BTS felt much less crowded when heading back home.
 
All things considered, it looks like overall tourist numbers aren't down by a lot (from what I've read, by 10% to 20% here in Bangkok), but maybe those who do visit now focus more on daytime activities like shopping and sightseeing, so hotels might not suffer as much as restaurants and bars.

My answer would be, as temporary very short term solution to cool down hot heads, may be. As an alternative to democracy, fuck NO

I don't completely agree Bob about he should return.  The same elected elected officials who passed these laws also used torture to extract information, and killed an American in Yeman (and his 16 year old son) without any kind of trail.  Can Snowden get a fair trail from people who have sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution of the US and failed to do so?  I really have my doubts that any evidence they present would be reliable.  These are oath breakers and yes, that includes Obama who promised us one thing but has taken another darker path on this issue.

Alternatively, you can "PrtScr" and insert in Paint. That gives the entire screen.
 
I saved that post from the bitchboard, but now your questions is answered I don't need to dig it up.

555. Exactly what Hitler and Stalin once said, but you don't have to be in the military just able to control it.

That "new" website is quite old - and some of the information on it is quite out of date, but Bas, Ton and Ar are still there certainly and all are nice, friendly, chilled out guys who are good at their jobs and always good to call in with and have a drink with (or whatever )........and as the last time I left their bar four nights in a row at well after 5am it's a good bar for that last late night drink if you're out somewhere else in the Soi or even elsewhere in Pattaya perhaps.  ( and yes this is a shameless plug for them as they're all nice guys and deserve it so why not :-)

This bar has also moved our of the night bazaar area and is now next to secret on Chayapoom Rd which is on the East side of the moat..  However the small soi off the road is not marked so the best way to find it is to ask to go to the Disco Spicy, when you reach spicy walk with the flow of traffic and you will see this sign next to what looks like a dead end alley.  Trust me it opens up and there you will find both bars filled with customers. 
 

Not knowing the deceased personally, I think I'm getting a good picture, thanks to ALL (!) the replies here, and therefor I think it's good that both his friends and his foes are given the opportunity to comment on his passing. Hopefully, that will then be it, may he rest in peace and the others move on. He was apparently a controversial figure and made both friends and enemies with passion. That's not unusual with passionate people, I might add.

As noted, some of you have said your "bit elsewhere" and, given Neal was not a poster here (or at least not a regular poster), what's the point of rehashing all that on this board?  Please....just a request.....keep the praising/trashing of him or each other elsewhere. 

We could spend hours (months?) debating how Thailand got to this pathetic point.  Regardless, I'd love to see the next elected leader at his/her first speech say the following:
 
"The military is very valuable and necessary to the country's defense and I will support the military in completing its proper mission.  Regardless of all that, the military needs to learn that it is subservient to the civilian government, takes its orders from the civilian government, and has no right whatsoever to operate within or without the borders of Thailand without the permission of the civilian government.  And I might add that any action in violation of the orders of its civilian commanders let alone a military coup overthowing any civilian government is what any sane government would clearly call it, namely:  treason."

As you well know taste is not the reason not to drink any sodas.
 
They are bad for you in a million different ways and it is much easier to become healthy when you drop them at least to a great extent from your diet.

I suppose I never understood the addiction to Diet Coke?  I often go to dinner with friends in US where we have some good wines but one friend always must have a DC to ruin an otherwise fine meal. 

Best thing that ever happened for you Michael.
 
Drink water!!!!!

There is a God!

You can also get the other end of the gastro-intestinal tract whitened but not at the dentist.

Tour guide or not depends on your priorities.
 
If you don't want to spend time to prepare your trip or lose time traveling and don't mind an extra expense, hire one!
 
I started on my own, found out everything alone or from internet or from friends, and now travel, eat and stay mostly alone and by local standards.

Your is voice of reason and wisdom. Hope we will be treated with trip report from time to time.

I am scheduled to visit starting June 18.
 
I will monitor the situation but I see no reason to cancel. Most of my time is in Pattaya and they have returned to normal with no curfews.
 
I usually spend a few days in BKK at the endif the month and I will make a decision on that closer to the date.
 
The only worry I have is if the airport was taken over again. I just don't think the Army will allow that fiasco to take place again.
 
Besides all those cute boys need money!!!

I've had sex with 2 guys I later saw on PBM. One worked at Happy Boys and was the only non-fem guy there. He was great in bed and loved to bottom.
The other guy worked in a bar in Boyztown. I was shocked to see him barebacking in a movie and decided not to see him anymore. Shame, as he was really "yai" - 9 inches, if I recall.

I think most Chase cards have been moving to no fees.
 
I believe it's also possible that your credit card issuer could charge you a foreign transaction fee even if it is billed in USD if it is done in a foreign country (presuming that your card has foreign transaction fees). 

I never pay hotels, shops and restaurents using my cards. I pay cash in baht. I withdraw this in relatively large amounts (say 20,000 baht) from the ATM's situated in banks (not on the street). This mitigates the fees charged. I keep the bulk of the notes in the room safe.
At the start of my trips I often change pounds or euros that i bring with me, although the rate seems to be worse than when using ATM's.
I suppose if i was resident in Thailand I would open a bank account and transfer money in bulk.
With the current turmoil you would think that there would be a further decline in the Thai Baht against dollar/euro/pound.

Always instruct the cashier, Thai baht, if you see USD anywhere on the receipt it means they have done an unfavorable DCC (dynamic currency conversion). I have had to tell cashiers to back out the transaction and do it properly using, Thai baht. If you are in Thailand and hand your card to the cashier, always say Thai baht. If you are at an ATM and are asked any question like "home currency" conversion, always decline.

Let me tell you, I was in Bangkok and Ang Thong during the 22-5 curfew and would not have been able to tell if there is a curfew or not from observing traffic during the curfew hours.

Absolutely safe, as long as we stay away from any protest it is safe as houses here, just hoping the night life picks up now the curfew is a bit later. I think maybe too many people panicked and cancelled but that is their choice, this coup is different to the others in that there has been no blood letting.