Rogie

Something tells me Kermit has an inflated view of himself . . .

Definitely in agreement with Vinapu and Z re Luang Prabang. However, I'd suggest fitting that into an extended visit to Laos, which is a country ideally suited to travelling at a slower pace. With ten days only then your thoughts on Samui ought to work out fine, provided flights there and back to Bangkok fit in with your travel plans. You've probably already checked out flights so if they are convenient your projected time spent there seems reasonable to me. As you will already have been several days in Pattaya by then it probably won't matter so much if the nightlife is a bit tamer! Pattaya: 5 nights / 6 days Samui: 3 nights / 4 days Bangkok: 1 or 2 nights

I see Michael has wisely decided not to upload any of Nok Air's calendar girls! As some of our readers and members are keen on planes, how about this instead? Photo courtesy of Planespotters.net http://www.planespotters.net/Production_List/Boeing/737/26612,HS-TDE-Nok-Air.php

Not having been to Samui recently I cannot offer any useful comment I'm afraid. I see you are planning 10 days in Thailand, that's great, but it seems to me to try and squeeze in something between Pattaya and Bangkok is maybe rushing it a bit. . . unless the place you choose is quick and easy to get to - presumably you will be getting to and from wherever it is you decide upon from Bangkok. I have only visited Bali once and IMO it is worth a visit on it's own, rather than tacking it on as a 'side trip' from Thailand. Vietnam ditto.

More 'hit men'! The seamy underworld of drugs seemingly knows no bounds: Recent article in The Observer (sister paper to The Guardian): Last week the FBI arrested Dread Pirate Roberts, founder of Silk Road, a site on the 'dark net' where visitors could buy drugs at the click of a mouse. Though Dread – aka Ross Ulbricht – earned millions, was he really driven by America's anti-state libertarian philosophy? http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/oct/06/dark-net-drugs see also the thread on this forum on drug seizures: http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/9178-drug-seizures/

To test the system, yesterday I sent As It Is a PM. It obviously did not get through as when I checked a few minutes ago it said '. . . has left the conversation'. Maybe that means AsItIs has decided to resign his membership, but as it is still possible to send a PM the situation is clearly more complicated. Is there any chance AsItIs has inadvertently set his account so he cannot receive PM's?

I know Koko was just copying what was written, but (despite my mild 'go at them') moderators, doing as they do sticking their heads above the parapet, ought not to have to suffer the indignity of crude variations on their screen names. It smacks to me rather too much of the school playground and silly adolescent obsessions with anal and genital body parts.

Good to know you don't have liver cancer James. There are two aspects to your post, the 'Chinese whispers' and the dangers of self-medication (for that is what it was as although many pharmacists are extremely proficient, sadly some are hardly more than quacks). Running with the ball on the drug front, it is always a really good idea to check out all the possible problems that might occur, either short-term or long term side effects. Paracetamol (aka acetaminophen) is a good case in point. I think it falls into something of a loophole as most people have taken it short-term (for example to treat fever, pain, headache) at some stage in their lives, so they feel 'familiar' with it so the temptation to self-medicate can override the usual caution. Whereas when you are prescribed (by your doctor or competant pharmacist) a drug you've never used before, indeed quite possibly never even heard of, you will almost certainly read through the information sheet supplied, noting the correct dose as well as the list of side-effects, etc. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15837468

I can't see any mention of the Royal Thai Police on the Bitchboard page. I've not heard of them before but perhaps the prefix 'Royal' might be a clue? Or it could be more or less meaningless, like Britain's RAC, the Royal Automobile Club. . . (now a wholly owned subsidiary of a private equity firm!). The webpage could not be found: explanation:- This error (HTTP 404 Not Found) means that Internet Explorer was able to connect to the website, but the page you wanted was not found. It's possible that the webpage is temporarily unavailable. Alternatively, the website might have changed or removed the webpage. We've seen many an incarnation of these bitchy forums, it seems the antics off-screen are even more lurid and destructive than the gobs of vile spleen spewed forth in ever spiralling quantities. I see no harm in the concept of a gay bitch forum, afterall some moderators and many posters take their own self-importance far too seriously, so to puncture a few bloated egos from time to time for the amusement of their feeble-minded readers (of which I am one!!) is fairly harmless provided it is done in the right spirit. Once personal vendettas take over then a bitch board thus infected becomes a virulent waste of time IMO.

Some good advice from Vinapu there. A few thoughts on the subject: The robbery referred to in that article describes a 73 year old Maltese man being harrassed by several ('4 or 5') ladyboys, one of whom stole his wallet. In the photo he looks his age and physically he's clearly no rambo, so a case of a group of cowards ganging up on an easy target. Let us not forget that ladyboys are men, and most of them are more than capable of packing a hefty punch! What they all need is a good spanking, I wonder just how hard the Pattaya police try to stop this kind of thing happening. I believe the vast majority of ladyboys (even in Pattaya!) are not thieves. At least I'd like to think that. They earn their money by honest means; obviously I am including turning a few tricks in that category, they're there in Pattaya for a good reason after all! It seems to me there are two kinds of instances in which ladyboys turn bad. Those such as mentioned already who blatantly attack their victim using either direct force or 'force of numbers', and those who are more subtle. By that I mean stealing from the john's hotel room when he is not looking, spiking his drinks so he falls asleep or unconscious, etc. In the first group, the victim maybe completely innocent, targeted because he us seen as easy. On the other hand some victims start out by being 'chatted up', and perhaps lower their defences, as for example the classic baht bus ladyboy thieves we often hear about. However I think that in the second category, where ladyboy(s) steal by more devious means, the victim is quite often at least somewhat to blame. I know it's easier said than done, and I am sure we would all be quite convinced we would never drink anything a ladyboy offered us, but in the real world it's not so simple. Obviously men who go with ladyboys are sexually attracted to them, so once in the hotel room a rush of blood to the cock seems to deprive the brain of much-needed sense. I guess it was ever thus and applies to any two people sexually attracted to one another. But, in the case of sex-for-pay, no doubt some men forget in the heat of the moment that it's a mere financial transaction in which the sex-worker feels nothing emotionally. That must suit a criminally-minded ladyboy/gay guy/ straight guy/ woman who is then able to remain cold and calculating in his/her schemes.

Thanks for those photos MrBill. As you rightly mention, the key words are treated humanely. I'm a great fan of elephants, been to the elephant round-up in Surin and elephant villages and always enjoyed seeing these wonderful creatures. Unfortunately, like many things in life there is a downside. Some elephants are treated humanely, but many are not. I wasn't aware, until I read the article linked below, that baby elephants are smuggled over the border from Burma into Thailand. I think it's a bit unfair to generalise and say all tourists bear a responsibility to ensure the elephant camp or elephant show they go to watch treats their elephants fairly, but IMO tourists should at least be aware that mistreatment is commonly used to break the spirits of very young elephants. I don't see a problem with elephants born in captivity and raised by their natural mother in a normal loving way. But to steal a baby from its natural family, horribly mistreat it and transplant it into an artificial elephant camp (so that it's made to look as if it was born there and the adult female elephant it's seen with is its natural mother) is wicked. We can never know just how widespread this practice is but at least if we are aware of it we can make a choice as to whether to visit an elephant camp In Thailand or not, and if we do to maybe ask a few questions about the way the camp treats its elephants, especially its new-born. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2176957/The-agonising-blows-expose-evil-secrets-Thailands-elephant-tourism-The-Duchess-Cornwalls-brother-tells-baby-elephants-brutally-starved-tortured.html#ixzz21Jpby7X2

That's right. I went a few years ago during songkran with a young Thai man and it was absolutely fine. No problems at all and he loved it.

Anyone visiting Burma and expecting a gay scene immediately accessible to farangs will be disappointed. But the country has a lot to offer in many other ways. By the way, the article mentioned below suggests to me Burmese gay men have a great sense of humour as well as resilience and deserve to be given credit for that. Agree. _________________________________________________________________________ There was a mention of Polari, the language of gay men in London in the 50's and 60's, in the Lone Ranger thread in the Beer Bar. http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/9012-hi-ho-silver-the-long-ranger/?do=findComment&comment=70249 There is a Burmese equivalent! There are also slang terms. Back to Burmese gay men and their ability to cope with ingrained prejudice: I came across a fascinating article in the New Mandala. Here are a few quotes. Going to Pagan: Gay slang in Burma As we might expect, Burmese attitudes to homosexuality go back a long way: It would be interesting to how Burma viewed homosexuality before this (the late 19th Century). I suspect the same as some other Buddhist countries do today, although I have no evidence for that. I think these attitudes would have been swept away a long time ago had it not been for the decades of stifling military rule. (Draconian regimes seem to thrive on regimenting their populace much more than democratic countries with free and fair elections. You're allowed to do this, but you can't do that, and if you do, you do it at your peril!) Here are some examples of slang and the innovative way gay men have adapted to the prevailing situation: The article concludes: http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2009/10/20/going-to-pagan-gay-slang-in-burma/

How it all started: How it all ended: hope u lot r all rofl Rogie (the textspeak police)

Ah, but there's different kinds of I don't get it lists. If you are restricting it to message boards then fair enough. They all have their own peculiar quirks and styles, their own do's and don't's and of course their (usually anonymous) mix of members and posters. However, if Thailand as a whole is taken into account, there must surely be dozens more worthy competing for top spot. My top spot? For Thailand: It has to be the country's ability to shoot itself in the foot time after time. A beautiful country with charming people is being gradually ruined by greed, corruption, incompetance, etc etc. For our beloved GT: With such a large readership and membership, why we don't get more people posting. To anybody reading this who hasn't posted in a long while or maybe never at all, why not take a couple of minutes to give us your views and opinions? Nobody's going to shoot you down (well, maybe the pesky spelling and grammar police but they've been well muzzled!).

Here's another stupid photo of a loris. It looks cute but apparently when it puts its hands up like that it's because it feels threatened. Leave the poor creaures alone. Mind you so often we hear about animals like this having to contend with threats to their natural habitat. Elephants, tigers, orang-utans come to mind; hundreds of others. Ok to have some in zoos I suppose, maybe that's where they'll all end up. News headline in 2050. . . "your Tesco Lotus store has been sold as people have stopped going there as they are hoarding stocks of food they buy from poachers. The new site owner just got planning permission to build an enormous zoo" As far as that pop singer is concerned she sucks.

I know you are not asking anyone to explain it to you, but I shall attempt to do so. Message boards are organic entities . . . a good board should be like life in general, this one is usually sober but sometimes takes a few drinks and changes its personality; the topic would have been better in the Beer Bar for that reason! (I'm just trying to be lighthearted; there's nothing to be gained IMO by getting all introspective). Here is a link to the original topic which was posted in the gay businesses forum. The OP in this thread was based on that. http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/9082-eat-me-off-soi-convent-in-gay-bangkok/?do=findComment&comment=69901 Thank you for your recommendation.

Michael I am confused as you say you were 'back to Bangkok - or NOT' and then promptly head the other way. Phnom Penh is a lot farther from Bkk than Siem Reap! And although I haven't travelled between Siem Rap and PP by road (I used the boat) a quick glance at a map looks to me like a similar length of journey as say Bkk into Isarn, and roads in Thailand may not be the best but they're ok. Why didn't you fly back to Bkk from Angkor? Ok, so you did it your way and the beauty of doing that is it made for an interesting day. Fraught with mishap, from the mini-bar saga onwards. Had you flown straight back to Bkk, when you look back on this day's events in future years you wouldn't remember it. But you will certainly remember the taxi ride and the over-priced gatorade.

Perhaps as an occasional visitor I am typical, perhaps not. I've never fancied driving a car, let alone riding a small motorcy in Bangkok. So there I use public transport. The first time I hired a car was in Pattaya, not so much to get around there as I generally use the baht buses for that, but to drive to Isarn to meet up with my then bf, about a 7 hour drive. After doing that a few times without mishap, and travelling (together with my bf as passenger)around eastern and south-eastern Thailand, and later up to Chiang Mai and all places in between, my experience is that driving a car in Thailand (Bangkok excepted!) is great. I say that, fingerd crossed, as no accidents to date. . . I'd add however, I do feel happier, as our colleague Vinapu mentions in his post, driving with a Thai companion. I don't speak any Thai, so the thought of an accident whilst driving on my own . . .well, I just DON'T ever try to think about it! But surely ANY accident you are involved in is MEGA-trouble? Maybe so, but my bf was good to have around for several reasons and one of those is loyalty. I always knew he'd 'protect me' in dealings with other Thais, police etc, as best he could. Luckily he was never put to that particular test.

Good thread here that backs up Vinapu's comments about balloon flights. http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/8781-balloons-over-bagan/?do=findComment&comment=66998 Thanks for useful tip. I use dropbox but hadn't thought to use it for photos.

T0ol's confusion was perfectly understandable. I just took that rather mischievous reference (in the article quoted in the OP) to a guy's beard as his 'manhood' and inserted that into the subject header for my topic. A bit cheeky really, as we all know manhood is a natural progression from boyhood, as in numbers 1, 2 and 4 below. Webster's college dictionary gives these: 1. the state or time of being a man.. 2. traditional manly qualities. 3. the male genitalia. 4. men collectively. 5. the state of being human. When referring to a man's (the male of the species!) manhood we usually mean his cock, or cock and balls. So Vinapu's timely post above is perhaps worth dwelling on, although I see there are 400 replies to that topic 'All about pubic hair' on that particular forum which I have no intention of reading as I think it can be summarised in 8 words. Some men shave down there and some don't. Going off at a tangent, I came across this website Manhood: the foreskin substitute for circumcised men. I can hear the cries of anguish already . . . "oh no, not that topic again". That's true, we flogged it to death not long ago. But this is something a little different, at least to me, first time I've heard of it. For anyone interested, check out: http://manhood.mb.ca/

I have my suspicion there's more to this than that article lets on. Be that as it may, it piqued my interest in this Malaysian province/state. Here is a link to a useful short canter through Kelantan. An interesting area methinks. Anyone reading this been? http://wikitravel.org/en/Kelantan

There was a big problem in Thailand not so long ago when batches of ephedrine disappeared from hospital inventories, the strong suspicion being it was used as an ingredient in metamphetamine production. Doing a search engine throws up sites that will tell you how to make it, so it is all in the public domain. (Note to mods: apologies if the forum doesn't approve so feel free to delete this post if so). http://science.howstuffworks.com/meth3.htm Although discussing the situation in the US and Mexico, meth labs in Thailand,, Burma or anywhere in the world will use similar methods. As for marijuana, I see the stuff mentioned in the OP article was smuggled in from Laos (doesn't mean it was produced there, but no matter as it's relatively easy to make). We are experiencing a big problem in the UK. No wonder! A simple search comes up with many sites selling cannabis seeds by mail order. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/major-cannabis-factory-found-inside-disused-kent-office-block-8788556.html That's just one report. There have been many other instances; a typical method has the growers rent a rural property away from prying eyes and using it to grow the plants. Other times they use a property smack bang in the middle of town. The potential money to be made makes people take these risks. Finally, apparently there is a word opiophilia, a 'love of opioids'. Here is a blog devoted to it. http://opiophilia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/how-heroin-is-made.html

If I saw somebody like that in the modern era, maybe I could be forgiven for suspecting some crafty photoshopping, because how on earth can anybody function normally without a mouth? Yes it's in there somewhere, but forget about eating, I shudder to think about that, but if he was a smoker and many men were, that beard is such a health and safety hazard that every time he lit up he'd be advised to carry a portable fire extinguisher in one of his many pockets. Strange that the hair and side-whiskers are neatly groomed, yet the moustache is not. He'd've done better to wax it and curl it away from the mouth. Doing so he might have tickled the fancies of many a young admirer.

Good article. Whilst the plight of Burmese refugees and hill-tribe girls and boys (two examples mentioned in the article) is a recognised problem, as the article says although relatively few in absolute terms - 200 or so, compared with 30,000 Thais and unknown numbers of Lao, Burmese and Cambodians - foreigners sleeping rough serve as a jolt to the system for ordinary Thai people, unused to seeing foreigners who've hit rock bottom. I recall reading the odd post on the gay Thailand forums where a guy's Thai boyfriend has turned out a bad apple, perhaps the falung had invested money in a business with his Thai bf set up to run it. Maybe it was a bar, that's one of the most common, but whatever it might have been, the enterprise is ruined by dishonesty, laziness, or maybe just simple misunderstanding. Of course, some falung are hardly paragons of virtue themselves, but I'd like to stick to cases where it's the Thai person who messes up. There have also been cases of falung being strung along by reckless boyfriends just riding the gravy train for all it's worth. Throw a large gambling debt into the melting pot and you have a highly combustible situation. Many foreigners end up marrying Thai women, and of course there are many more heterosexual relationships then gay ones. As the article says, once the falung's wife has it all sown up - house in her name, etc - that's the point at which the genuine loving wife parts company from her conniving deceitful compatriot. One common problem is when the falung, under his wife's urging or perhaps out of ignorance, builds a house in her village or in the local vicinity. That's really raising the stakes as if things turn sour he has his wife's relatives to contend with. I've read of instances where the wife has died and her foreign husband driven off the land by greedy relatives. There will always be a plenty of foreign men coming to Thailand and falling for one of its girls or young men, but how do you stop it turning sour on you, or not getting out before it's too late? Forget about the wet behind the ears crowd who land in LoS borne along on a wave of euphoria but without a clue about what makes the country tick. That leaves us with the savvy know-alls. Trouble is, you might be a know-it-all in your home country, you might have the T-shirt even, but that counts for nothing in Thailand. Some of you will remember Brains, the master scientist in the Thunderbirds puppet series, poor chap, he probably never had much luck under the sheets, so unlikely he'd throw away his heart on an empty whim. And that's the problem with many foreign men - slowly but surely, behind all those testosterone-fuelled nights of passion, the old brain box atrophies away. If gay marriage becomes legal in Thailand, I don't think us guys have too much to worry about. It's true the person you might decide to marry is Thai, with all that entails, but what it boils down to is . . . he's a man. He's a man, not a woman.