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I heard that there used to be some other massage place there a couple of years ago. So maybe this one took over the space? I often stay at Siri Sathorn. This place much be practically next door. All those pictures of the boys with their hands bound like old time muay thai boxers seems a bit strange.

The Siri Sathorn has token operated laundry as well. Also Bt100 per token need 1 for the wash and 1 for the dry. At least you don't have to provide your own detergent or anything. I have a lot of cotton socks and things like that though which never seem to dry so I have to hang them up to finish drying. The Fraser Suites Sukhumvit 11 has a washer/dryer unit in each apartment which is even more convenient.

Google is your friend. Yes, Thai nationals need a visa. It appears that it must be arranged in advance. This place looks like a visa agent in Bangkok for Indian visas http://www.ivac-th.com/index.html Note that there is an online application option Tourist visa is good for 2 entries in 6 months validity period. Fees look reasonable to me

I have stayed at the former Fraser Pattaya (when it was Fraser and now as Aya Boutique) a couple of times. I didn't find it to be "ghastly". There is a bit of an odd smell in the place, that I will admit. I never found a problem with sound through the walls or anything. The biggest problem on my last stay was the Middle Easterners leaving their doors open. I just got my own breakfast. But that is all way off topic. :-)

I stayed at this aLoft last year shortly after it opened. Construction was actually still going on at the time. I think I may have been the first guest to stay in the room I had. It's quite nice. Very "design-y". Regular rooms are not large by any means, probably a bit smaller than the Le Meridien for example. Some rooms will have zero view as they will look directly at the other new hotel directly next door. I booked the "urban" room which was a little more expensive but had a view out over the city. I have never stayed at a hotel in Thailand that seemed anything other than "gay friendly" to me. Thai hospitality is Thai hospitality. If what you are really asking is, how prostitute friendly it is, that I cannot answer. I think they aim to be a hip, stylish, fun brand. This property is all over social media. Bed supperclub is right across the street and they have some sort of partnership. Hero is down at the end of the soi. I suppose about a 5-10 minutes walk. The hotel is about mid-soi from Sukhumvit. There is another massage place nearby on the same street, more or less right across the street from the Frasier Suites. Personally I think I would select the Frasier all other things being equal. Lots more space, decent breakfast, washer/dryer which is nice for longer stays.

Bummed to hear about all these scams. I never had a problem. But it's been a little while since I have taken a taxi. The rates have been dirt cheap for a long time though and probably deserve to be raised a bit.

I definitely agree with going out and seeing things while you can. By the time I am ready to retire who knows how mobile I will be. My arthritic knee is already a bit of a problem at 44! My job is one that has a lot of autonomy which allows me 5 weeks of vacation time each year (plus government holidays which equal another couple of weeks). The last several years I have spent at least 3 weeks in SE Asia...last year it was 5 weeks. But I figure since I am going halfway around the world I need to make it worthwhile. Those first and business class award seats sure help out though too. My friends get jealous too.

I think it depends on where you go. If you judge by Bangkok it is likely a very skewed view since there are so many middle class and upper class Thais there. I would bet you don't see a lot of fat kids in the poorer areas on the country. But combine high fat, high sugar fast food products with sedentary lifestyle spent playing video games, etc and you get fat kids. And I think the notion mentioned about that Thais equate being overweight with being wealthy is likely a part of people not worrying about it. I would argue against the notion of chubby Buddhas meaning anything though. That is a Chinese thing. Thai and SE Asian Buddhas are almost always very svelte.

Wow. That seems crazy. Senso tried to get away with that too. But I think I will take my business somewhere else. The old management never required a minimum tip as far as I can remember. But I usually tipped in the neighborhood of Bt1000.

Under new management from late last year. Supposedly they did a bit of a clean up and remodel. The place was getting a bit dirty before then so a good scrubbing would have been a good thing. Under the previous management I went a few times and generally had a pretty good time. As Firecat notes, the rooms are large with large, low beds. Large shower-room attached to the room. Water temp and pressure was usually an issue. Maybe that's been corrected? a/c tends to blow right on the bed as well which seems to be par for the course but isn't always very comfortable. My last visit was an excellent massage by a beautifully toned guy in his early 30's or so who really knew what he was doing. But I suspect the guys come and go pretty frequently from all of these places. It's relatively easy to find on the small sub soi just off Silom.

I don't think Maxis is really any better. Seems pretty much the same as Dick's with regard to food and service to me. But I do enjoy the table just inside the door for viewing the dinner theater.

I check the Bangkok Post and Nation pretty much every day. I like to keep informed. I also listen to FAT radio (104.5) for a few hours each day as well. Of course I mainly don't understand what is being said but can pick up little bits and pieces. I just like the music.

I have always found the way Thais speak English to be charming. And anyway I realize that their English is a million times better than my very limited Thai. I know what you mean about the driving. I just sit back, put on my seatbelt and try not to pay much attention to what is going on outside the car. Of course not being the driver allows one to do that. I'll always remember my first time in Bangkok and the ride from Don Muang Airport down to the Tarntawan hotel. The tour company had arranged for a driver to pick me up. It was one of those awful old Volvo 960's that are still in use all over there. I had to basically close my eyes as we drove along the highway because we were going so fast just inches away from the other traffic.

You'll never meet nicer people anywhere than in SE Asia. They take hospitality very seriously. I love Thailand but I am not sure I could live there for a variety of reasons. But I will also agree that there is much more to Thailand than sex. While that is certainly a lot of fun I like the culture almost as much. :-) There is tons of ancient history and old temples everywhere, great music, good food, good shopping, good travel infrastructure.

I typically book direct with the property or chain's website. I may do some research in advance using other booking sites though.

In a case like this I think a Thai travel agent is probably your best bet. I would also have them price one way and round trip tickets to see what the difference is. If the RT is cheaper you can always buy that but not use the return.

Apparently his only hope for an appeal is if he comes up with some sort of new evidence. Not likely to happen. I don't imagine this verdict really changes much of anything. The red shirts will continue to simmer. If they are smart they will find a way to disengage from Thaksin because I think he ends up being more of a distraction to their cause than anything. His unclean hands taint their movement. And they have some very strong arguments about the way things have evolved over time. Another thing that hurts them is all of the "final showdown" talk. Whether that is a creation of the English language Thai press or something the red shirt leaders keep putting out there I don't know. But it makes them look like the boy who cried wolf when there are so many "final" events. They keep talking about having giant protests which keep getting postponed. That makes them look very disorganized. Will they manage to scrape together their big protest in a couple of weeks? Perhaps that will be the end if it doesn't materialize. Thaksin looks increasingly desperate despite getting half of his money back. Perhaps the greatest issue for him is the whole issue of "face". Despite the court's somewhat Solomonic decision, they still ruled that he was very corrupt. His bitter statement on TV today seemed to really bristle at that characterization. The longer he is out of the country the more marginalized he will continue to be. Appearing via video link isn't really a substitute for being there. And his talk of revolution last year put his followers in the line of fire while he sat cozily in Dubai. Do the people still in his camp want to be his pawns for his personal redemption? Or will they fall away as their own problems take precedence over that of this fugitive billionaire? Maybe he should join a monastery or something.

Dusit Thani is directly across the street from Lumpini Park. From there to Tawan is probably a 15 minute walk if you walk fast, particularly when the night bazaar is blocking all of the sidewalks. You may also want to consider a place like the Siri Sathorn or one of the other serviced apartments in that general neighborhood. It's on a relatively quiet street about 10 minutes walk from Silom. So, probably 20-25 minutes walk to Tawan. You get a good amount of space and your own full kitchen, etc. But I think they are not 60+ sq m. And cost is in the 3000++ region for their least expensive room. Lebua suites are probably more luxurious. I have read that Lebua is having a big sale on their rooms these days and your post bears that out.

you would need to set your account up for international roaming. You can do that with DTAC, but I don't know about 1-2-call. Then you need to know which networks they will work with in the country where you are. Not all countries will be possible.

besides, the baht bus driver's gotta eat too.

I would guess sinking a cruise ship is probably much easier to do by boat than it would be by plane. The pirates in the Gulf of Aden and certain parts of Indonesia have certainly proven that hijacking ships is not all that tough.

well, I think the government is waiting out the court rulings. They are hoping that once the courts agree to let the country keep Thaksin's billions that he will be wounded enough to stop some of his shenanigans. I have also wondered why they "allow" him to phone in and do his video links. I think ultimately the answer is they simply are not able stop him from doing so technologically speaking. If they could keep him quiet I think they would. The government missed an opportunity early on to try and win over some of Thaksin's followers. Now they are more hardened than ever. Of course the other side is not going to sit quietly by if/when he comes back to power. I have long thought that they could set a trap for Thaksin and his enormous ego. Let him run things and fail. And then see what the disillusioned masses do in response.

Exactly. It is total theater to make people believe they are somehow safer. These idiotic new rules making everyone sit strapped to their seats for the last hour with empty hands and laps is beyond stupid. If a terrorist really wants to blow up your plane why wouldn't he just do it 90 minutes before the end of the flight? Or immediately after take off? Where does it all end? I also have been reading on frequent flier forums that airlines are being required to shut off their IFE systems because of the real time moving map function. Real security with well-trained, properly paid security personnel would be a great idea. But all of these over the top measures that make flying even more inconvenient are just going to lead to more and more losses for the airlines as fewer people bother to put up with it all. And anyway, was the issue the screening he received at AMS or when he left Nigeria in the first place? Once you get past the first screening and are airside typically you can move to your departure gate without further screening.

those photos are gorgeous. I am in the midst of planning a long trip to Bhutan for next year. I am very excited about it. Here's a link to the reasons behind all of the phalluses painted everywhere. The Phallus : an arcane symbol

I prefer "introvert". :-)