vinapu

they should be not such words in any travelers vocabulary unless used as excuse when somebody wants to drag you out to place you don't want to see or to meet person you don't want to.

you don't need to wait for the night to sample boys. Some massage places open early as well as you can always arrange with bar boy to come to your room during day to help you with your siesta.

Perhaps they have the same system USA and Canada has - when you are leaving you are not going through immigration / emigration at all, just through security and you are out.

I don't think buying drink or more is a problem or cause of grief. What frequent complaints are is constant pestering by mamasans or sometimes boys planting themselves uninvited to buy them a drink . In such a case I think not as much money is an issue but rather being seen as easy target making this or subsequent visit even worse. I know about some farangs giving certain bars wide berth because of that and while I never had such a problems in bars I know a feeling each time I enter Boyztown. One of boys from Scandic I had massage in the past remembers me and literally hounds me for another round for last 2 or 3 trips.

remind it here closer to your arrival date as we are still couple month from your arrival. Bar hopping with forum members is always highlight of my trips but for that one I can be of assistance as i won't be there.

Boys in brown ie. police may not like an idea without substantial contributions to their tea fund . Boys themselves probably don't mind but they need to know that some money is in such an idea. Why they should like to be touched here and there for free ? Sometimes in bars I see farang with hand in boy's undies and not even boy drink on the table. I assume tip will follow but from various posts on the forums we know it's not always a case. In short , money needs to follow fun.

Welcome back, long time no hear from you ! I guess more than 1 year. Glad to hear parenthood is going very well. As for your question hope numazu will chip in as he has experience for comparison of both. If you have a time read his trips reports from both end of year 2016 trip and Songkran this year which you being busy parent could overlook here.

don't be sorry , we appreciate that you remember about us. I'm sure I speak for many here. Your adventure with ATM chillingly reminds us not to relay on it as a sole source of funds, specially if in foreign country. I had such refusal by ATM in Thailand few times but at least cards were always returned. It's good to have an access to more thank one account just in case i.e. checking account as well as cash advance from credit card or line of credit. Even if everything is set with bank properly we may still have a problem when power goes off or your bank system goes down . Since I went through that including my own country now when travelling on the first day I always put aside some money roughly equivalent of 30-50 USD , in Thailand 1000 baht , always have it on me but it's forgotten till last day. Like you even if everything is prepaid I feel very uncomfortable without some funds on me as one never knows. Great report from Kanchanaburi , way you went , with train is actually more fun than taking van tour from BKK , only advantage of van is that is A/c 'd. Day without boy in bed is OK but night?

Definitely was one at Swampy when I was there in Dec and reason I remember is that even if I'm not ASEAN passport holder I was directed to go there by the barker because nobody was waiting in line there.

not a bad idea to measure digitization by counting numbers of people glued to their phones. But really , what does it change to be first of 17th ? One person more on the smartphone means one less reading paper or a book and even if one is watching porn is still missing sight of all those beautiful bodies passing by. I'm exaggerating a bit for a reason not to save like caveman but to point that while most changes brought by technology are great , not all of them are. Ubiquitous spying or ability to comes to mind first but there are plenty of more mundane things technology changed but not really for a better. Where I live they recently digitalized public transport schedules ie. paper schedules on the bus stops disappeared instead we are asked to use an app to find when next bus is coming. Not a problem for pupils and students but what about their grandmothers heading to a doctor ? Sure one may say they should go with the times and learn how to use it but what about those who can't afford having smartphone subscription ?. Did that change improve bus frequency or punctuality ? No, just schedule become invisible to a many.

I doubt as long as it will be clearly marked "Hong Kong passport holders only". After all such ideas are employer world all over with separate lines for domestic passport holders ,some specials ie. EU or ASEAN passports only and all others. And as Z909 suggested , hire some barkers making sure hordes are standing in proper line . I guess going through fire in zoo on arrival is part and parcel of modern air travel, price we are paying for affordability of tickets but surely some airports are coping better than others. Behavior of passengers counts for streamlining as well, once I was witness of boarding two planes , both the same 767's to two European destinations. It started at the same time and one going to say , destination better known for order was done good 10 minutes then the other going to more relaxed place.

Only drink you are supposed to buy is your own. Sure you can politely or at times not even very politely , decline buying it for others although pressure probably will continue unfortunately. Easier to say than stand your ground so if you really want to spend some time in the bar be prepared to succumb and buy the damn drink if only to avoid pestering and still to have a chance to ogle boys.

thanks God , Thailand has other advantages making us visit and do it often

would you guys ease up or we are on the way to have another thread locked?

this can be said about a lot of things we eat unfortunately

Plenty of things in our developed countries doesn't work as well / remember 'chads' in Florida's election machines / so it must be something in Thailand which makes you suffering all those long 10 years.

.... otherwise you will do it , right?

Few years ago I visited Ukrainian city of Lviv and I was shown passing tramway / streetcar for North Americans/ number if I recall 2. I was told that this line started at end of XIX century when city belonged to Austria. Then it become part of Poland, was occupied by Soviets and Germans in II WW, then it become part of USSR and subsequently of Ukraine and throughout all that route and number is unchanged. Speaking about stability of city transit

to keep you busy during long flight I guess

card is non issue for me , after all while Europe does not use it, both US and Canada do although for arrivals only. Place this in your passport and guard with it but pay attention every time you pull your passport - to register in the hotel or exchanging money as those are moments when one may lose departure card.

bordering on insanity, and this is supposed to be low season ?

Reading about your adventures I guess lots of us are getting jealous, LOL

bottom line of all that is that charges imposed by both our domestic banks and Thai ones are greatly distorting effective exchange rate so depending on financial ,institution one may be OK with using ATM and another one is better served by bringing warm / from money belt being close to your body / cash. I for one monitor those thing close just for fun of it and in 15 trips spanning 16 years pattern of best rates is the same in descending order 1. US cash bought with my domestic currency 2. domestic currency 3. purchases by credit card being charged in THAI BAHT 4. Cash withdrawal from ATM 5. Baht purchased at home Bangkok airport rates are somewhere between 2-5. Good news is that for amount average tourist is spending differences while visible do not amount to anything close to ruin so do not spoil your vacation time chasing the best rate all over but when about the city just check rates here and there as short 50 m walk may save you enough to buy a beer and ice cream at 7/11 on exchange of say, 100 $ note

Drinks may be cheaper but what about tip boys expect ?More in line with old Jupiter or rather soi 6 bars?

I got an impression you are cutting us short sglad. LOL