Gaybutton

I know of no troll posts that appeared on this thread. What troll posts? What post on this thread appears to be a troll post? Oogleman, why did you say that? Travelerjim, why did you eliminate your original post and replace it with an apology? Am I missing something here? Every response that was written on this thread is still there, completely intact. Where are you getting the idea that anyone here was offended? I see nothing to indicate that in any of the responses and I saw nothing offensive in your original post. And even if someone was offended, too bad. That's their problem. Anybody posting here has the right to post an opposing opinion, as long as it contains no personal attacks, but nobody posted anything that indicates they were offended by your original post and I see no attacks or even opposition to your opinion. Also, you know that if someone had written an attack post, then I would have immediately gotten rid of the post and would have placed whoever wrote it on moderated mode. Where is this coming from? I don't understand what the problem is. Why are you leaving this board?

Does the first class or second class accommodation have any electrical outlets?

The following appears in PATTAYA ONE: _____ Pattaya Music Festival 2009 Announcement. On Tuesday Morning at the VIP meeting room at Pattaya City Hall, Khun Wirawat, Deputy Mayor of Pattaya chaired a further preparation meeting for the upcoming Pattaya Music Festival which will take place between 20th and 22nd March. Representatives from the GMM-Grammy Record Company and the organizing committee were in attendance. It was confirmed that there will be three stages, one at the Bali Hai Port at the south end of Pattaya Beach, one on Pattaya Beach Road between Soi’s 4 and 5 and a third stage will be located further up the beach in front of the Central Pattaya intersection. Singers and groups from Thailand and around the region are set to appear at the event. Some of the featured international artists include Cirque de Freak from Australia and Girls Generation from South Korea. ____________________ For photos and a second article, see: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000008597

Ask at Thais for Life. They might be interested. Some of those types of items eventually become collectors items and may already have value. Don't be so quick to throw it all away. My mother did that to the baseball card collection I had as a child. If I still had those cards, now they would be worth quite a bundle. Sometimes I see programs listed for sale on eBAY, and people do buy them.

The next PGF (Pattaya Gay Festival) dinner will be held at the La Dolce Vita restaurant on Sunday, April 5 at 7:00pm. There is a very good review of the restaurant, including location and directions, at: http://www.pattayamail.com/812/dining.shtml The information is included on the following flier. You can make reservations through Jim Lumsden at The Ambiance (telephone: 038 424 099) or you can make reservations online at: http://www.liberty-computers.com/mail_pgf/...cation_form.php _________________________________________

It's a problem, but I don't see it as particularly catastrophic. Even if someone is thinking with his crotch, rather than his head, and takes a boy off without checking his ID, then the boy will be refused admittance to most reputable hotels if he has no ID. Another part of the equation is that I know of no incidents, ever, in which a farang was arrested when he took a bar boy off. So, this is not necessarily a big problem, but it becomes one when a bar tries to pass off a boy working illegally as if he were a boy working legitimately. Obviously, the safest and most cautious thing to do is to take boys off only if they can produce an Thai national ID card, checking to make sure the card is actually his own, and that he is at least 18 years old. If you do otherwise, then you have to judge for yourself how much of a risk you're taking. I do agree that the bars are wrong to hire boys who are working illegally and it's even more wrong if the bars encourage the boys to lie to customers about who they really are.

Wal-Mart

Oh, come on! You say that as if it's the adult version of a child saying, "But he did it too." Can you explain to me how the fact that the silence of the Americans and British justifies the Pope's silence or enhances his qualifications to be canonized as a saint? If anything, the USA and UK did what they did in the name of politics and trying to fight a war. That doesn't make it right in any sense, but I thought the Pope was supposed to be acting in the name of religion and virtue, hardly the same thing as politics or war. I think the USA and UK were dead wrong to be silent about the Holocaust when it was happening. I also think the Pope, who is supposed to be infallible, was also dead wrong. Why didn't he try to do anything about it? Why didn't he ever say one word about it? Just for the sake of argument, suppose he was totally unaware of the Holocaust. Again, what it is that qualifies him as a saint or motivates the present day Catholic Church to be moving in the direction of canonizing him as a saint? With respect to Catholics, that is something else that made it to my "I Don't Get It" list.

To find out, click the following link and watch the video. I thought it was truly fascinating. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/06/...ail;mostPopular

That's not 100% true. There are resorts out here, mainly along the reservoir.

It's not nearly as bad as you might think. When you live out here it doesn't take very long to find ways around most of the problems and you quickly get used to the days and times that traffic problems are likely. The good news is that during the times you would normally go to and from the beach and to and from the gay venues there is rarely a traffic problem at all. Rush hour is between about 5:00pm to about 7:00pm. That's when you usually run into serious traffic delays out here, but that happens only intermittently. Mornings, however, are rarely ever backed up. I have no idea why. Personally, I wouldn't object to living in a luxury condo at View Talay, but since that's not affordable for me, I'm perfectly happy right where I am. Unless I could afford a luxury condo at the beach, if I had to do it all over again, knowing what I know now, I would still choose to live on the Dark Side. I would not want to live on the Dark Side, however, without my own transportation unless I live relatively close to Sukhumvit, where public transportation is readily available on all the Dark Side sois.

All anyone needs to do is send me an Email (gaybutton@gmail.com) or PM about a week before your arrival. Let me know where you intend to stay and how long you will be in Pattaya. If you have a phone number in Thailand, better still. Let me know your intentions. Are you house hunting? Do you simply want a tour of the area? Do you want to go to one of the Dark Side restaurants? Just let me know what you want to do so that I'll have some idea of how much time is required. Assuming I'll be in town myself, we'll probably be able to work out an arrangement. I'll see Email much sooner than I'll see a PM. I can check Email on my mobile phone, but I can't check PMs.

With all due respect to Catholics, so far nobody has said anything about why the Catholic Church wishes to canonize this Pope as a saint in the first place. I am not trying to bash anything. I'm trying to understand. What is it about this Pope that qualifies him as a saint? I don't think there would be too many people who would dispute that whatever he was, he was no Mother Theresa. So, what is it that makes him a candidate for sainthood?

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Airport Thieves Under Spotlight Police Believe a Number of Gangs are Operating at Suvarnabhumi By: Saritdet Marukatat and Wassayos Ngamkham Police don't believe the arrest of three suspects last month will end the scourge of thieves targeting outbound passengers at Suvarnabhumi airport. "I believe there is more than one gang operating at the airport," tourist police chief Adis Ngamchitsuksri said. Suspects Amorn Wisetya, Suranart Channum and Pairat Saengpong were arrested on Feb 26 after the Tourist Police Division was contacted by Mohammad Umar. Mr Mohammad, a 57-year-old Qatari, left Bangkok on Feb 11 only to discover after picking up his luggage in Doha that a bag had been damaged and the lock broken. A mobile phone and gold ring were among the items missing. Tourist police focused their inquiries on the assumption the bag had been interfered with between the check-in counter and the aircraft. Lady Luck was on their side too, as Mr Mohammad was alerted that someone was using his stolen designer Samsung Giorgio Armani mobile, thanks to a special function on the phone which allows it to be tracked even after the SIM card has been replaced. The investigators used the new phone number to track the suspects. They discovered the phone had been sold to a shop in the Rangsit area of Pathum Thani and the ring was sold to a shop in Don Muang district in Bangkok. Finding the stolen items not only made Mr Mohammad happy but also proved the police theory correct. The thieves worked for a baggage handling agent commissioned by Qatar Airways. According to the tourist police commander, they damaged the bag while it was being loaded on to the aircraft. Once the thieves targeted a bag, it took them just a few minutes to break its lock and steal whatever valuables it contained. Nobody suspected what they were up to as they were the only ones inside the plane's hold, stacking luggage. They stole small but valuable items as they were easy to conceal. While such items did not translate into big money for the thieves, stealing them greatly damaged the reputation of Thailand. And while airlines were informed about the problem, they preferred to keep it quiet by paying damages to the passengers so the issue would not hurt their reputation. The next step for police was to try and get undercover officers to work with baggage handling firms. The hard part of this, said Pol Maj-Gen Adis, was to get his agents involved in the scam. Suvarnabhumi is not the only airport in Thailand facing this problem. A similar complaint had been sent from a budget airline flying out of Phuket airport. Tourist police investigators are now investigating. After seeing so many such cases, Pol Maj-Gen Adis can offer a word of advice on baggage security. "Passengers should put all valuables in hardcover baggage because it is more difficult for criminals to break. Do not use soft baggage," he said. But Thailand's main airport has more problems than thieving baggage handlers. Passengers have filed complaints about luggage being snatched or pick-pocketing in the departures area. On Jan 15, Tahar Boutrigue, an Algerian, was arrested after police followed him when a passenger reported his luggage stolen two days earlier. Tourist police say when they raided his apartment they found him with a stolen notebook computer, camera and bag. He had targeted people who left their luggage unattended, Pol Maj-Gen Adis said. On Feb 27, two Mongolians, Tsedendorj Tserendash and Chinbold Darisuren, were arrested on charges of pick-pocketing a purse from Japanese tourists on the departures floor. In addition to the Algerians and Mongolians, Laotians, Chinese and South Americans have been arrested, according to the Tourist Police Division. Their prime operating time is from 7pm to 9pm, said Pol Maj-Gen Adis. That is when Suvarnabhumi's departures hall is busiest with travellers checking-in for their night flights. "Japanese travelers are the favourite target for Asian pickpockets, especially those from China," Pol Maj-Gen Adis said.

Not that I've ever seen. The baht buses that operate within Pattaya are blue. The ones that operate along Sukhumvit are white. The ones that operate on Soi Neurnplabwan are red. I have seen blue baht buses on the Dark Side many times, but I believe those were either hired from within the city or are simply baht bus drivers going home, going to work, or are out on the Dark Side going somewhere themselves. Sometimes people on the Dark Side make an arrangement for a blue baht bus to pick them up and take them somewhere. I've done that if I'm going to the bus station with too much luggage to carry on a motorcycle taxi if I'm not going to take my car. I've never spotted just where the red buses originate. However, if you intend to explore the Dark Side, I wouldn't plan to rely on catching a red baht bus. Even if you catch one, lord-only-knows how long it will take you to catch another one to take you back. Unlike within the city, out on the Dark Side there are very few red buses. You're much better off using a motorcycle taxi, renting a motorcycle or car, hiring a baht bus for private use for a few hours, or even using Shank's Mare. Or, as I said above, you can also contact me and I'll be glad to take you through myself if I'm available. Given my usual social life, I'll probably be available. However, I will expect anyone who asks me to take him to return the favor by at least putting some fuel in the car.

There can be any number of reasons. The fact that your particular flight was 'standing room only' doesn't necessarily mean all flights are like that. It could be that the airlines are not running as many flights as they were a year ago. The real question is how many hotel rooms are occupied this year in comparison to a year ago. How much money is being spent in comparison to a year ago. Apparently, not nearly as much is being spent. Thai Airways recently reported huge losses. Another factor is the way people spend their money once they get here. Are people staying in the more expensive, luxurious hotels or are they now opting for less expensive accommodations? Are they eating in the better restaurants or eating in the cheaper places? Are they spending as much on entertainment? Are they spending as much in the shops? Are they staying as long as a year ago? All those things, plus much more, have to be entered into the equation.

Now that the brouhaha about this seems to have settled down, I'm wondering if anyone who recently renewed was actually asked to provide additional proof of income, beyond the embassy statement.

I don't think any of us can accurately predict what will happen with specific currencies. The pound has remained just about the same against the baht for at least a week now. Maybe someone who has better knowledge about currencies, and that would be just about anyone, can make a better guess, but my own guess is that if the baht itself will weaken, then the pound will strengthen against it by default, unless the pound weakens on par with the baht.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ KRC: Baht May Weaken Further Published: 8/03/2009 at 11:15 AM The baht next week would likely depreciate between 36.00 and 36.30 baht to a US dollar, according to Kasikorn Research Centre (KRC)'s forecast. The Thai currency may weaken in parallel with other regional currencies, but the Bank of Thailand (BoT) may intervene to lessen fluctuation in foreign exchange rates, the think tank said on Sunday. External factors that may affect the baht value include unemployment outside the agricultural sector and economic figures to be released in the US together with the movement of the US dollar. Moving to the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), the KRC expected the market to follow other foreign markets and move in a narrow range next week, with low trading volume. The support level should be between 400 and 380 points while its resistance level should be around 423 to 429 points.

Ok, ok, ok . . . I give up already. The hill isn't steep.

The "Big House for Rent" thread is starting to talk about "The Dark Side." There really hasn't been much discussion about The Dark Side because few people who frequent the gay Thailand message boards ever venture out to The Dark Side. But since it was brought up, I might as well start a thread about it. Just in case anyone is not familiar with the term "Dark Side" as applied here, the Dark Side is anywhere on the east side of Sukhumvit Highway in Pattaya. Having lived on the Dark Side for years, I can tell you I'm definitely "spot on re transport." There are plenty of motorcycle taxis, but the further east you go, the less public transportation you'll find. There are baht buses out here as well, but they are few and far between and they run only on Soi Neurnplabwan. Coming from the north, heading south, on Sukhumvit first you come to Soi Siam Country Club. It's clearly marked with an archway and traffic signal. Then you'll pass a large Bangkok Bank branch and the next major soi is Soi Neurnplabwan. Just past Soi Neurnplabwan is the traffic signal for Pattaya Klang (Central Road). Pattaya Klang ends at Sukhumvit and does not extend into the Dark Side. Continuing south on Sukhumvit, then next major intersection is Soi Khaonoi. Then you'll come to the traffic signal at the junction of Sukhumvit and Pattaya Tai (South Road). Pattaya Tai also does not extend into the Dark Side. Still heading south and just before you reach the intersection of Sukhumvit and Tepprasit Road (which also does not extend into the Dark Side) you'll come to the traffic signal for Soi Khaotolo. Soi Siam Country Club, Soi Neurnplabwan, Soi Khaonoi, and Soi Khaotolo are the major sois that lead into the Dark Side. As far as I know, baht bus service, however sporadic, only runs up and down Soi Neurnplabwan. The other sois have motorcycle taxi service, but oddly enough once you get past the railroad tracks on Soi Siam Country Club, finding motorcycle taxis gets more and more difficult. The other sois seem to have plenty of them, just as in town, but there just doesn't seem to be all that much on Soi Siam Country Club, at least not yet. The Dark Side is an up-and-coming area and is quickly growing with brand new residential communities, resorts, excellent restaurants, etc. Also, living out here is far less expensive than living in town. For example, that house Mikegeorg is talking about is quite a bargain. One of my closest friends is renting a beautiful home in a secured community on Soi Khaotolo. The house is fully furnished, is two floors, 3 bedrooms, two bathrooms, a full kitchen, and even has a small guesthouse, a large yard, gated parking space, and is in mint condition. He pays 25,000 baht per month. There are quite a few bargains like these on the dark side. If you're interested in a straight sauna, the Country Sauna on Soi Siam Country Club is excellent. For 150 baht you get a very large swimming pool, a steam sauna, a dry heat sauna, a cold water jacuzzi, a hot water jacuzzi, an exercise area with exercise equipment, and they also have various massages (sorry, you do have to pay extra for those), and a very good Thai food menu. Of course, if you go out far enough on Soi Siam Country Club you'll eventually come to the country club itself. If you're a country club person, you'll find everything from golf to polo out here. http://www.siamcountryclub.com/home.html http://www.golforient.com/pattaya-courses/siam-country-club If you head off to the left, once you get out as far as the road to the country club, you'll be out at the reservoir. There are some beautiful, excellent restaurants and resorts out there. Some of my friends complain that it's often difficult to get me to come in to town to eat. That's because there are plenty of excellent restaurants out here on the Dark Side. My personal favorite is the Sure Park restaurant: http://www.sureparkpattaya.com But that's not the only good restaurant out here. There's a Continental Bakery on Soi Khaonoi. Some of my personal favorites include Ann's Garden, an inexpensive, but very good German restaurant. The Dao Cafe is French owned and serves lunch and dinner by the poolside. They have a reputation for some of the best pizza in the area too. The Ticino Italian restaurant serves gourmet quality Italian food. The Fisherman restaurant serves what in my opinion is the best Indian food in all of Pattaya. They have a real Indian chef and the restaurant has a real Tandoori oven. If you like Korean cooking there's the Gimchi Korean Barbeque. The Deli Bean has some of the best deli style sandwiches you'll find anywhere. The Courtyard is a very nice restaurant and does an excellent Sunday Roast. The Thai Visa forum has a sub-forum that tells you everything you would want to know about the Dark Side restaurants - 31 pages of posts. The most recent posts are on the last page, so you might want to work your way backwards. http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Dark-Side-t172786.html For those of you considering living in the Pattaya area, you might want to check out the Dark Side. Some of you might want to try some of the restaurants out here. You might even want to contact me personally. I do have a car, so if you ask, I just may be very happy to bring you out here to the Dark Side for a 'grand tour' and/or help you house hunt if you're interested in the Dark Side area.

The point is the police are letting lawbreakers get away with it. The fact that the police might be in agreement with them is no excuse for refusing to lift a finger to enforce the laws or make it crystal clear that they will protect people when they have been threatened with violence. I see no justification at all for the police not to have publicly stated that this is a legally sanctioned parade and any group trying to violently interfere with it or hurt people will be dispersed and/or arrested.

Punya

That would be anywhere from 15 to 20 km or so.

There are no baht buses on Soi Siam Country Club at all. You would have to rely on motorcycle taxis. Depending on how far out the house is, there may not be motorcycle taxis available. Also, in my opinion, you really would need at least some sort of transportation of your own just about anywhere on Soi Siam Country Club. I live near that area and I'm quite familiar with it. You would have to figure on at least 25 minutes to get to the "fleshpots," and that's if there are no traffic problems. The other factor is getting back again. You have an additional problem about how the boy you took off is going to get home. Either way, the transportation back and forth is going to be expensive. You're looking at at least 100 to 120 baht, and probably more than that, each way on a motorcycle taxi. In my opinion, that house is a steal at that price if you are going to use it as a residence, but I wouldn't even consider it without my own transportation and I also wouldn't consider it as a suitable holiday spot unless you intend to stay out in that area most of the time without venturing into town very often.