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Getting exact dates for this year's 2024 Songkran festivities has been confusing because the local government extended everything to help the slumping local economy. Below is what the PCEC (Pattaya City Expats Club) posted in their recent newsletter about the Songkran dates which I used to book my flight to Vietnam to escape the water bazooka mayhem. https://mailchi.mp/6c8ad0cceeae/your-news-from-pattaya-city-expats-club?e=f32891168a

You and Moses both wrote the same response. I am well aware that nothing is done for "free". The point that I was trying to make is: In the 1980s in New York City (NYC) these types of concierge services and access to a type of bellboy service were readily made available to you by the building that you lived in. Yes you had to tip them - so it was not free and their salaries were in the condo assessment fee. Now in the 2000s these services are no longer readily available - except for the elite and ultra rich - due to cost cutting and outsourcing. Now in the 2000s (2024) what was once available in NYC in the 1980s is still available in Thailand in many of the large condo places. Yes it is not free - as their salaries are included in the condo assessment fee. But what is more important is that these concierge / bellboy services were not taken away from us in Thailand. So, by living in Thailand - you can have the joy of going back in time to the good old days and get services (not free) that were readily available in the 1980s that are still available in Thailand.

I am enjoying your cock tease writing style. I cannot wait for the next segment....

One of the joys of retiring in Thailand is that the past is still alive. When I lived in New York City in the 80s is was still popular for concierge / bell boy services to still be free and abundant in many of the NYC residential buildings. Fast forward with the western move to outsource everything and to eliminate formerly "free" services - these types of free concierge services quickly disappeared - remaining only for the elite and ultra rich people. I moved to Pattaya 18 months ago and the services available to us condo dwellers in View Talay are amazing and remind me of that time in NYC when we also had these free services. For example - I don't own a car - but when I first started settling into my condo - I had to make many big purchases and rent special Bolt vans - SUVs to get these purchases home. I would struggle to get them out of the Bolt when it arrived to the View Talay lobby and amazingly, many from the condo security team would run towards me to help me unload these large boxes and then assist me with the freight elevator and bring them into my condo room - all for free - and with a BIG smile as they are always happy to see you return home. Of course I tipped them all. This is one example of many where the free services we get in Thailand are a remnant of what we used to get back in the west.... so, retire in Thailand and have the joy of going back in time :>))

he is hot and is my type of man. is he in BKK or in Pattaya or somewhere else in Thailand ?

Yes I agree - it has been hotter than hell here. With my ongoing motorbike lessons, two of my Thai friends suggested that we go over to Koh Larn (there are no cars on the island - only baht bus songthaews) which makes learning to ride a motorbike great. But the piercing sun limited how much we could drive around on our motorbikes so we just headed over to my favorite beach, Tien beach to lay in the shade under the trees. Thais being Thais would not join me to swim (they wanted the shade) in the lovely transparent turquoise clean water. I had my first fall on my motorbike - this was lesson #10 - my fault - during the ride up the steep narrow mountain road from Tawaen beach over to Tien beach - the wind started to blow my hat off of my head and I instinctively with one of my hands let go of the handlebar to capture my hat resulting in me going off the side of the narrow steep path - speed was VERY slow as it was a steep incline and on a curve. So physically to the motorbike or my body no damage was done - only just to my ego. However, I learned a valuable lesson to keep both hands on the handlebar when driving a motorbike (let the sun hat fly away) - unlike when driving a car - to take one hand off the steering wheel does not have the same risk.....

exactly - usually from Twitter when a Thai person is quoting prices for the various services it is for Thai-on-Thai and generally NOT for us farangs - as the marketing of Thai services to us farang is usually done in Grindr, Hornet, Heesay, or PlanetRomeo where the price is generally much higher than the Thai-on-Thai price. Kind of like what us farangs pay to get into a national park versus what a Thai pays to get into that same national park In my opinion, this is fair - as our incomes tend to be several multiples more than theirs......

wow - first I learned about the "Vinapu tuck" and then I started to apply it in my life Now I learn about VST - at first I was confused - as I thought that it was a new time zone = Vinapu time....

Hi Sydneyboy1, Please check out my GayGuides forum post that I made in January - as I discuss 2 of the many Twitter/Line groups that discuss massage shops and their masseurs extensively primarily in Bangkok - with some comments for Chiang Mai, Phuket, HatYai, and Korea and Japan. Unfortunately, there is nothing for Pattaya as the massage scene here in Pattaya is messed up when it comes to social media access and online booking systems like Bangkok has. I hope that this information will help as I see that TCS Spa and Prestige are perhaps in the top 20 of the places discussed in these Twitter/Line forums. Note that this information is only in Thai but with Google Translate you can open this gem which is chock full of juicy and great information. I have even put my own questions into their forums (using Google Translate) and the forum members were very helpful and responsive.

I am also escaping the water bazooka squirting madness of Pattaya - I leave for Vietnam on 12 April and return after the last squirts and water splashing should have been concluded on 22 April. Some years back, I participated in the Songkran madness but one of my eyes got an infection from some of the dirty water that is splashed around and it took 1 entire week for the infection to go away - so I want to avoid this year's festivities. Many of my friends are saying that I should wear googles but I also wear glasses and it is just so inconvenient to do that for 7 continuous days of water madness..... Already here the stores are selling these GIANT bazooka water pistols - OMG

In my opinion you HIT the nail on the head with what you wrote above. Firstly, there is a HUGE missed opportunity of presenting ALL of the Gay Pattaya on social media. Currently it is fragmented - you have the Jomtien Supertown Complex website system (https://www.gaysupertown.com/) which has web media, blog, Facebook, and Twitter feeds. BUT - it is ONLY focused on what is within the walls of the Jomtien Supertown Complex - like a medieval city. To hell with anything gay that is outside of those walls - even if they exist in Jomtien. This blog also is missing a very much needed section on how to retire successfully in the Pattaya area - like what are the things to do and those things to avoid. Instead, each of us who chose to retire here need to do it on our own and pray and hope that we made the right decisions to make it successful. Then Boyztown and Sunee are almost non-existent in social media. So, in my opinion, the worst enemy of the gay community in Pattaya is the same gay community that allows for this defragmented and not united methodology to marketing on ALL of the millions of social media outlets a COMBINED focus on what Gay Pattaya has to offer. It is absent. In closing, in my opinion, until there is a change in the above marketing deficiencies - I believe that Gay Pattaya will continue to disappear - as there is no SINGLE marketing voice to market Gay Pattaya to the world.

I was down in Songkhla Province - including Songkhla city and also HatYai and many other places for 17 days during the Christmas and New Year (2024) period. In HatYai city there was the G-Club Spa https://line.me/ti/p/RQSlvYKWJv --> Twitter information below and also the Kamyan HatYai Massage https://line.me/ti/p/lL62VopRFv -> does not have a presence on Twitter I then also employed the services of 3 different local tour companions that I found in Twitter and Hornet - in case you need more information.

I believe that there are around 4 primary Buddhist holidays where the bars must shut down (due to the no alcohol sales rule), of which the Makha Bucha Day holiday is one of these 4 holidays. I was also in the Jomtien Supertown Complex last night and at midnight all the bars were already closing with lights off. It lasts for 24 hours. Performing a Wikipedia search https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_in_Thailand below is a list of these holidays but I am not sure which ones require an alcohol ban - perhaps those with the "Bucha" word in the holiday name? Do any of our more knowledgeable readers know ?

oh no - these words cast a bad omen on us new entries - I started retiring here in September 2022 how much time would you estimate I have left before I won't know what is going on as I crawl into my turtle shell into my expat retiree sheltered life ?

Hello JD. Hit me up if you want to hang out after you arrive in Pattaya. I sent you a DM.

It was great to see you again Vinapu and to catch up after 1 year. Firstly, I loved those urinal photos that you took from Phuket. That is very original. I guess the only things that can watch you piss are the bats and birds ? Since you shared with us you offing sexy ARM - I can share that I offed 2 small guys that looked almost like brothers - but one was Thai and the other Cambodian (? was that correct Vinapu ?) - anyway they lived kind of near each other where only the Thai/Cambodian border separated them but they met in Pattaya in the go-go bar scene and then became good friends. I used the usual technique - call down the first guy and see if he is cool with the second guy - which the mamsans confirmed and were elated that Vinapu and myself - we offed 3 of their best looking guys within 30 minutes ? Were mine good ? Yes, we got the deed done in bed but only after I fed them as they were both starving and we made a food stall stop on the way to my place. Then after everybody's respective orgasms - they showered and left - unlike Vinapu - I love to sleep alone - as I find it difficult to sleep with one eye open. And remember Vinapu - I want to join you one time in BKK - because since I retired here in Jomtien since September 2022, I have only been in BKK (other than the airport) 1 single time - and it was for shopping. So, I need a Vinapu training course regarding the delights of BKK and the guys..... But I am not complaining - as Pattaya and Jomtien keep my hands busy....

Thanks for your feedback. Could you elaborate some more about your choice to stay at the almost southern point on Koh Chang? The reason that I ask is we are thinking of returning again to Koh Chang and maybe it would be nice for us to also stay at the Chivapuri Beach Resort. Is there civilization outside of the resort? We noticed that the farther away that you got from the 2 primary tourist areas; White Sands beach and Lonely Beach it becomes quite remote. Was that your experience? We truly enjoyed eating outside of our resort at the Beach Tango place at the White Sands beach as it was much more lively and genuine than the sterile type of experience you can have when you remain confined within a resort for too long. Many thanks in advance for any ideas, suggestions, feedback you can share regarding this almost southern most point of the island.

Then I consider myself lucky - as I only recall a few mosquito bites that only left small bite marks - none of those large bloodsucker bite marks that I hate and itch for days.

Trip Report – Koh Chang – 15 Jan 2024 – 18 Jan 2024 I am behind on my trip reports. I present this one from Koh Chang (which was easier to prepare) and then I will have a bigger one from Christmas/New Years - 17 day trip report for Songkhla. Sorry for the delays. Up to now, my favorite island in proximity of Pattaya has been Koh Samet. Hanging out with my volleyball friends at the Dongtan beach (Sea Rescue area), we were chatting about a new island place to go to and we decided to make a 4 day / 3 night visit to Koh Chang. Aerial shot of the Trat island archipelago One of them has a car, so that made the transportation modality easy. Note that a quick search in Google - notes that there are many busses that also go there – primarily from Bangkok but I believe that I saw one from Pattaya as well. -> Please note that their facial photos are included in this trip report with their permission given as well as their contact details in case any of you would like to use their services. <- We departed Jomtien around 9:45am and we arrived at the Ao Thammachat pier in Trat at around 14:30pm, almost 5 hours – leisurely driving with breaks for the bathroom, iced coffee, and gas. We were able to get onto the 15:30pm car ferry at a cost of 120 baht for the car and then 80 baht for the each of us for a total of 360 baht. The ferry crossing is about 30 minutes. Ferry info can be found here at: Koh Chang Ferries price list 2023 / 2024 Map of Koh Chang and surrounding islands. As you can see there are many ferry options to arrive onto the island from the mainland. Above places highlighted with a red circle are the places that we visited We booked our 3 night stay at the Klong Prao Resort Klong Prao Beach Resort webpage We booked 2 rooms and paid 1,840 baht per night for a total of 11,040 baht for 3 nights. This resort is lovely and very big with a beautiful sandy beach and lush tropical plants everywhere. As we booked kind of at the last minute we were assigned to 2 older rooms. There are 3 distinct zones around a large pond, where the zone we stayed in is the oldest and the other 2 zones are more modern. My only complaint about our rooms were there were hardly any electrical outlets for all of our devices (electric razor, tooth brush, boom box, mobile phones, etc.). Other than this inconvenience the rooms were perfect – air con worked very well, shower had hot water, and unlike my stay in Koh Samet and also in Songkhla (I still need to write this trip report) there were NO noisy geckos to wake us up in the early morning with their annoying chirping sounds. However, they are very handy for eating any annoying mosquitos, bugs and spiders. Note that the 2 newer zones have many electrical outlets as they were probably built after the advent of the popularity of mobile phones and all of our electrical gadgets. The highlights of this resort for us were: The pool and their pool bar with early evening 2 for 1 sunset happy hours – as evidenced in the below photos, The white sandy beaches and blue turquoise water. Note that the Koh Chang municipality has strict rules that keep the noisy speed boats and jet skis away – thus rendering the beaches to be more in their wonderful natural state. Day 1 (15 Jan 2024) itinerary Arrive onto the island, check in unpack, enjoy the resort grounds, pool, beach, happy hour, fantastic sunset and eat at the resort dining facility = RimHad Restaurant. Watched a great fire show performed by some hunky macho guys (similar to the familiar B-Boys, who perform all over Pattaya, Boyztown, Jomtien) on the beach in front of our resort restaurant. Like when I visited Koh Samet, these fire show guys can be found traveling up and down the beach performing in front of the many resorts and beach restaurants. It lasted about 10 minutes and was very entertaining. I realized that I did not take any still photos so the above photo is from a movie clip that I made. Then before going to sleep I received my customary massage – as both of these volleyball friends are also masseurs. Day 2 (16 Jan 2024) itinerary After the great resort buffet breakfast (an enormous selection of Western and Thai foods were available) we headed off to the Khlong Phlu Waterfall in the National Park. It was nearby, and perhaps after 30 minutes by car we were already at the trailhead for our hike. The hike took about 30 minutes and was rather easy. Explore Koh Chang - description of Koh Chang waterfalls As it was not rainy season, the waterfall was a little bit subdued, but it was still cool and refreshing to take a dip and to swim with the millions of fish that were in the water. You need to resist their lite nibbles at your skin – kind of like those tourist places that you see all over Thailand where the tourists put their feet into a fish tank to get their dead skin nibbled off. There were about 20 to 25 people there when we visited with about half of them brave enough to enter the chilly refreshing water. There is a lifeguard off to the left up on the rocks to prevent that tourists climb up onto the waterfall, as it can be quite dangerous as it is very slippery. And there I am trying to acclimate myself to the lite nibbles by the fish before I dove in and swam over to where the water was cascading down – as that end is very deep. Entrance fee to the waterfall (which is part of the national park system) was 40 baht for each of my 2 Thai friends and 200 baht for me for a total cost of 280 baht. Afterwards, back to our resort to relax, swim in the pool, take advantage of the 2-for-1 drink specials at the pool bar, and to watch the sunset. For that night’s dinner we drove over to the popular White Sands Beach area – full of restaurants, hotels, resorts, markets, etc. to eat at the Beach Tango restaurant Beach Tango restaurant Facebook page which became our favorite go-to place to eat. Why? The food and drinks were good. There was interesting eye candy – one of the wait staff had our constant attention. Plus, there were many interesting people walking up and down the beach – as there are many, many, bars and restaurants in this area. Beach Tango is smack in the middle of all of the fun and is an entertaining place to be situated. Then after dinner back to the room to relax for my nightly massage. Life is good. Day 3 (17 Jan 2024) itinerary Enjoy the buffet breakfast and then head down to the extreme southern part of Koh Chang (on the opposite side of the island) to visit the very famous Koh Ngam beach. It was a very long drive as we needed to cross the island to the other side (mainland facing), and this part of the island is not built up like the other side, so consequently, the main road became narrower and narrower up into the mountains to the point where there was only room for 1 car to pass one way with very steep curvy roads. Scary, but well worth the reward to arrive at the tiny boat station to take the 10 minute boat to cross over to the breath taking Koh Ngam. You can choose your mode of transportation – by kayak or by motorboat. We chose by motorboat as we were too excited to already be on Koh Ngam. I believe that we paid 80 baht for each Thai person, and I as a farang had to pay 200 baht, which included the boat ride over to the island. Fee is paid to a ranger on Koh Ngam – as it is now part of the Thailand National Park system. Here is a good short video with some drone footage of Koh Ngam: Youtube video with drone footage of Koh Ngam And here is what awaits you on Koh Ngam – truly amazing. After enjoying Koh Ngam (swimming, relaxing, and enjoying the view and the nature) – back on the boat to Koh Chang and then back in the car for the 1 hour trip back to our resort for those 2-for-1 pool bar cocktails and amazing sunsets. Rinse and repeat the previous night at Beach Tango for dinner and drinks and then back to the resort for my nightly good-night massage. Day 4 (18 Jan 2024) itinerary Enjoy the last breakfast buffet and check-out of the resort for the long 5 hour drive back to Pattaya (Jomtien). Phong says to me – do you want to see one more exciting place before we head back? I say, sure, why not. So, we drive over to the Kai Bae Viewpoint, which is famous for its spectacular view of 4 of the Koh Chang archipelago islands, Koh Yuak, Koh Man Noi, Koh Pli and Koh Man Nok. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Kai+Bae+Viewpoint/@12.0205768,102.2919516,15z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x3104105179b452c7:0x2b4a04572dce185b!8m2!3d12.0205768!4d102.2919516!16s%2Fg%2F11b6tz721w?hl=en&entry=ttu Note that there is excellent coffee available at this Kai Bae viewpoint. Before almost reaching Pattaya, my 2 tour guides noticed that we were all sad that our 4 day trip was coming to a quick end, so they said do you want to eat at a fun place that is near Pattaya (about 1 hour away) before we call it a day? I said sure – as I really like to see and experience new places. So, we stopped off at the Tamnanpar Resort & Restaurant – one of these many nearby Pattaya / Rayong restaurants that are tucked away in a jungle theme – various Thai friends have taken me to different ones as each Thai person swears that his/her’s is the best. Tamnanpar resort and restaurant Facebook page This place is famous for their unique game cuisine where you can eat ostrich, crocodile, snake, and deer. All was good and our random waiter was someone that my 2 tour guides already knew and were teasing him about his in-the-bed attributes – he was quite shy but willing to tease back my 2 Thai friends. I truly enjoy when the Thais do this to each other as it is very entertaining. Then they dropped me off at my condo room in Jomtien and our trip concluded. Trip summary: Would I go back to Koh Chang? Most certainly – it is a large island and there is still more to see. Especially to visit many of the many off-shore islands in the archipelago. Maybe stay for one more additional day to take some time to do kayaking. Any regrets? Yes, we did not have time to see the famous abandoned boat “ghost” hotel. Nation Thailand article on the famous "ghost" ship on Koh Chang Contact details (HORNET and Line) for my 2 Thai tour guides from the Dongtan volleyball field in Jomtien. They can be available to be a tour guide, companion, or masseur. permission was granted to me by the both of them to publish their details for all of you Also, come and visit them at volleyball (nightly from about 5:30 pm until 8pm to 9pm daily) – right next to the Sea Rescue in front of the Pattaya Park Tower on the beach road of our Dongtan beach. Phong Hornet ID is: @m-thailand Boat Hornet ID is: @13hq91

I became a new retiree in Pattaya in September 2022 - but I have been visiting since 2014 off and on. So, I cannot speak for what has happened in the last 20 years. But I can share an observation that any of us visiting or living here has probably noticed - the distribution of people on the online apps (Grindr, Hornet, HeeSay, Romeo, etc.) - which in my opinion has shifted: From Asians and Farangs TO Russians, Asians, and Farangs I would venture to say that the Russians represent between 30% to 40% of the online community in Grindr and Hornet. In Romeo - predominantly a Farang and somewhat Asian hangout place it has shrunk in popularity but has not see this big influx of Russians. Regarding HeeSay (formerly BLUED), I am a new member - and I see a small farang representation and a much bigger Asian representation. Do you all think this shift in what we see of "who is online" is representative of what is happening in Pattaya in 2024? Regarding the 3 forums - you can definitely see that they are shrinking and dying off. What they have been replaced with I am not sure that there are any other social media vehicles that fill the role that these 3 forums did (Gaybutton, Sawatdee Gay Thailand, and GayGuides).

once upon a time - you could rent a room above the Dorothy Showbar in the complex --> IF --> any of the rooms were empty. I believe that the asking price might have been 500 baht - but only for a couple of hours....

Thanks for your reply regarding this need to maintain this 'artificial' image of Pattaya/Jomtien. But this does not explain why Chiang Mai, Phuket, and small Hat Yai are all allowed to have similar marketing strategies and methodologies for massage services as found in Bangkok.

I comment about the massage scene in Pattaya (Jomtien). As per the below Supertown Jomtien Complex webpage there are 10 massage shops noted by said web site administrator. Of which 9 are gay - where the Thai Blind Massage I do not know if they are gay even though they reside within the walls of the complex. I lament about the Jomtien massage scene because it is so disorganized when compared to the super sophisticated way that the Bangkok massage places market their masseurs. There is practically ZERO marketing for the Jomtien masseurs and near ZERO use of marketing technologies (i.e., Line, Twitter, webpages, etc.) In Bangkok, there are Line sites for most of the massage shops with pictures of the masseurs with information about their preferences. Then there is sometimes a booking system via Line or Twitter to obtain time with your favorite masseur. Bangkok has a couple of EXCELLENT chat and review systems that are enabled in Line. I joined 3 of them via Twitter, at: B_u_X: Massage Addicted - Twitter ID = @Massageaddictt1 - if you agree with his terms of engagement you can become a member for a small fee of 300 baht per year. Once you pay to his PromptPay, he will allow you to enter into his private Line Group where you will have access to the Chat, monthly .pdf masseur reviews, OpenChat, and promotional discounts and coupons. Note that everything is in Thai - but I just use Google Translate and I do quite well communicating. I find the monthly .pdf reviews VERY interesting (to translate these .pdf documents you need to use the Google Translate image translate function for each single page - cumbersome but FULL of very useful information - like how did the sex and/or happy ending go and the related rating of the masseur given by the designated rater). His Line group (B_u_X Massage Addicted By Bung) has 2,459 members and the chat is VERY active and busy. see sample screen shot below. Massage Insider - Twitter ID = @massageinside3 - if you agree with his terms of engagement you can become a member for a small fee of 300 baht per year. Once you pay to his Thai bank account, he will allow you to enter into his private Line Group where you will have access to the Chat, monthly (and sometimes weekly) masseur reviews (note that the reviews are written in Line in the Notes section in Thai - but you just click on the translate button in Line and you instantly see everything in English), OpenChat, and promotional discounts and coupons. Note that everything is in Thai - but I just use Google Translate and I do quite well communicating. His Line group (M Community) has 2,690 members and the chat is VERY active and busy. see sample screen shot below. Planet Worldz Massage - Twitter ID = @PlanetWorldX - his group is more expensive @500 baht for 1 year. I have not yet joined - but I am very tempted as I like what his offering is: Massage reviews in Line with the possibility of xxx photos from the actual massage that was reviewed, Weekly updates in Line and also on Twitter, Twitter access to thrilling clips with an emphasis on the xxx parts, Line group chat access. I note that the emphasis on the above 3 groups are primarily focused on Bangkok, but with some emphasis on Chiang Mai, Phuket, Hat Yai, and even Japan (occasionally). There was ZERO focus on Pattaya. So, my question to all of you is - why is Pattaya SO difficult and disorganized for massages ? I asked some of my Thai Jomtien based massage friends and they say that the local police in Jomtien/Pattaya have a FIRM control over them and that is why you don't see any of them having personal line profiles, booking systems, massage shop web pages, etc. Is this true? If so, why would the local police want to stranglehold the local massage industry in Pattaya/Jomtien when it has the potential to be vibrant like in Chiang Mai, Phuket, or even small Hat Yai - which has 3 massage shops down in the conservative southern part of Thailand?? Perplexed in Jomtien......

https://www.gay.it/locali-gay-a-napoli If you open the above referenced web page in Chrome - then you can right click on it to have it translated into English by Google. It is from the official site gay.it - which when I lived in Italy had relatively good up to date information. However, this web page does not discuss the cruising areas already mentioned in this thread. When I lived in Rome and I wanted to have fun in Naples I used either: PlanetRomeo https://www.romeo.com/ Hunqz https://www.hunqz.com/ enjoy

Olddaddy - some time ago you wrote something in one of your posts that really bothered me - something like - what do all of the farang retirees do in Jomtien to pass the day - sit on their balconies looking out onto the sea..... Well, I moved to Jomtien from the EU in September 2022 as a new retiree - and after 6 months I became bored looking out onto the sea from my balcony. That was the HARDEST part of being a new retiree - how to repurpose ourselves? What is our new purpose in life. Out of the blue - my ex-boss from the EU called me on a day that I was really bored - he asked me what I was doing. I replied, I am busy counting endless seashells on the seashore..... He laughed and said to me - "Do you want a NEW chance to use your brain and be intellectual again?" I jumped at the opportunity and I replied with a resounding = YES. So, within a month I was back in the EU in early 2023 on a 4.5 month short retiree consulting contract using my brain and it felt so good to have purpose again..... After night after night sitting in the Supertown Jomtien Complex sitting and drinking I was rapidly becoming more and more depressed and becoming negative - and that is not me - I am usually a happy lucky guy with a lot of energy. The Supertown Jomtien Complex is made in a way that does not allow us to expend energy - the mantra is: "falang sit - falang drink" ==> and it you go against this program they get upset as I tried on many occasions to stand and even dance....The preferred Supertown program is for us to be sedentary and to spend our money....and I find this program SO boring and not stimulating.... So Olddaddy - I did not like what you wrote some time ago about retiring in Jomtien as I was SO confident that I would find a way after my new retirement to BOTH use my little brain down on the 3rd leg (which I did and often with great satisfaction) --> but the joy from using your 3rd leg brain does NOTHING for stimulating the real brain. Anyone who is already retired in Jomtien - what is your secret to find ways to stimulate your brain to give it intellectual input and challenges??