Gaybutton

Depending on where he wants to go and how often he wants to go, he might actually be better off either buying a used car or renting a car and hiring a driver. If it's going to be only a once in a while thing, then if you have any trouble finding someone, I would ask local motorcycle taxi drivers and ask staff members in some of the local hotels. If anyone would know, they would.

While I'm sure we can certainly concede that you're nuts, what you say is correct. Google has its system and Pattaya has its own.

The following appears in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: _____ TOURIST VISA EXEMPTION IN EFFECT FROM 5TH MARCH In a bid to promote tourism Thailand is removing the requirement of a tourist visa for all travelers for a period of three months starting from Thursday, 5th March 2009. The exemption was announced by Tharit Charungvat, Director-General of the Department of Information of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Usually, Thailand gives a Visa On Arrival to citizens of 20 countries for a period not exceeding 15 days, and a visa-free stay for travelers from another 42 countries for up to 30 days. The new ruling effectively waives the Tourist Visa On Arrival and visitors no longer have to apply for a tourist visa to Thailand at Thai consulates and embassies worldwide. However those wishing to stay for longer periods will have to apply for a visa before arriving in Thailand. This allows for a stay of up to 60 days and will be free of charge. All foreigners applying for a visa other than a tourist visa must still pay the regular price. On 3rd February the Thai government also approved a visa exemption scheme for transit passengers at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok. Aimed specifically at the 1000 passengers a day who have to wait for up to 8 hours for connecting flights, the waiver will allow transit passengers to leave the airport for a short visit to the local area. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is personally involved in the efforts to revive tourism following the political unrest, and to offset the impact of the global financial crisis. The TAT is expecting tourist arrivals to reach 14 million in 2009, producing revenue of 505 billion Baht.

You'll probably find what you're looking for in the sauna itself. From what I hear, the best time to go is late afternoon to evening. Also, it's fairly easy to get to the Jomtien Complex from there. There are several gay bars there, including Two Faces, Question Mark, Hanne, Monty's, Rock Hard, and a couple massage places. Even many of the waiters in the Jomtien Complex restaurants are gay and willing. Give it a try. Of course, during the day there's usually several of that type who show up at the beach, hunting farang. Best time to try to find those types of boys at the beach is between about 1:30 and 3:30pm.

Nothing to be sorry about. I had a feeling you misunderstood.

I'm talking about a poster who writes the following: How does he know who is and is not a doctor or who has the qualifications to form a diagnosis? To me, that's being 'disagreeable.'

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Songkran Booze Ban 'Useless' Published: 4/03/2009 Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has been asked to consider three options on the ban of sales of alcoholic drinks during next month's Songkran festival. Business operators question the practicality of such action with one saying it would be of no benefit in cutting the road toll. The Public Health Ministry and relevant agencies Wednesday held talks with suppliers and hoteliers on ways to control alcohol sales during Songkran and other long holidays. Delegates said excessive drinking was the main cause of a sharp rise in road accidents during those periods. Mr Abhisit, as chairman of the government's alcohol control committee, will be asked to decide whether to ban alcohol sales throughout the entire Songkran holiday period, for five days or for just three days. Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nop-amornbodi told a press conference Wednesday the ban should not apply to the start or the end of the holiday festival because road accidents usually peak between April 12 and 14, the middle of the Songkran festival. Mr Manit said apart from limiting the hours alcohol could be sold during long holidays, his ministry also planned to limit the places where alcohol sales could take place. Boon Rawd Brewery marketing manager Chutchai Wiratyosin said after the meeting that any restrictions on the hours and places alcohol could be sold would be useless. He said consumers could still go to shops where alcohol was sold and stock up before the start of the ban.

I hope you're right.

Congratulations. You've definitely convinced me. Now all you have to do is convince the powers-that-be.

The article is talking about widening Beach Road. That's the road along the beach that stretches from North Road (Pattaya Nua) to Walking Street. What Pattaya, in its infinite wisdom, is doing along Thappraya Road, the road that goes from the city to Jomtien Beach, is widening it, but also putting in a median strip. Meanwhile there are shops, restaurants, hotels, etc, on each side of the road along nearly the entire stretch. So, what do you think is going to happen? Cars trying to get from one side of the road to the other will no longer be able to simply make the turn. They'll have to find a place to make a U-turn. Unless someone knows something I don't, I see that causing major bottlenecks and traffic backups, worse than the situation already is.

Baht Likely to Weaken Further in Near Future: KRC BANGKOK, Mar 4 (TNA) – The baht is likely to weaken to around 37 to the US dollar in parallel with most currencies in the region, according to Kasikorn Research Center. The leading think tank said the baht had depreciated to a 2-year low of around 36.30 to the dollar this week in response to news reports that the Bank of Thailand (BoT) had intervened to stabilize the baht's value. The BoT’s move was made in harmony with those of other Asian central banks, which had attempted to rein in the volatility after many currencies in the region weakened to their lowest point in many years. In the near future, KRC said, the baht is projected to fall to around 36.5-37 to the dollar while the greenback is likely to strengthen against other currencies. More noticeably, the weakening of baht this year is absolutely different from that in 1997 as the currency depreciation does not result from the weakness of Thailand’s economic fundamentals, which are currently much stronger than in 1997 when the economic crisis erupted. The balance of payments and the current account balance are likely to record a surplus for this year. At the same time, Thailand’s foreign debts remain low, and international reserves exceed $100 billion. (TNA)

Unfortunately it doesn't work that way for everybody. The service I've received there has always been excellent, but I have not always been so fortunate with the competence of the doctors. Many of the doctors are not staff doctors. They have private practices and also maintain office space at the hospital. My chief complaint about this hospital is the cost. It is much more expensive to go there than any other local hospital. Also, some of the treatment that was recommended to me was unnecessary. The dental clinic is a good example. The dental clinic is excellent. Meanwhile, the local clinic I go to is staffed by several of the same dentists who also work at Bangkok-Pattaya. Their facilities are just as good as what you'll find at Bangkok-Pattaya, but the price is a fraction of what I have paid for precisely the same treatment at Bangkok-Pattaya, and their service is just as good as Bangkok-Pattaya. In my case, because of some of the unnecessary tests, the cost, personal experiences, and mixed reviews from people, I choose to go to Bangkok-Pattaya only in case of an emergency, and that's only because it's the closest hospital to where I live. If you're satisfied with the care and treatment you've received there and are willing to pay their price, that's your choice. My choice, if it's not an emergency that requires me to get to the nearest hospital as quickly as possible, is to start with either Memorial Hospital or Queen Sirikit Hospital (in Sattahip), or Dr. Belen.

That's precisely why they'll never do it that way. I'll be surprised if they ever do anything at all, other than talk about it. If it goes as usual, they'll hire some fly-by-night contractor to do the work, and then there will come the inevitable excuses as to why it's taking so long. The work will stop for months on end and will resume right in the middle of high season. Of course, rather than solve problems, they're more likely to create a nightmare. Don't you love my positive attitude?

I'm very sorry to hear that. You're in the USA for a half hour and they steal your bike! I hope you get lucky and manage to get it back.

For those of you who don't know what kinds of seats are available on the various aircraft used by the airlines, you might want to check the following web site before you book your flight and before you decide upon an economy, business, or first class seat: http://www.seatguru.com

Here are a few photos of the name drawing: The names are all in. Marriott's Management Trainee mixing up the names. The magic moment when the winning name, lvdkeyes, is drawn! - And thank you very much, GaySacGuy, for supplying the photos.

I was hoping a non-resident could advise us residents. So far, as a resident I have no clue. I can guess, but that doesn't mean much. The only thing that makes any sense to me is that it will eventually be a connector to the Rt. 7 expressway to Bangkok. If it is to be something else, then I can't imagine what. I'm visualizing ten years from now: That flyover has been open for a month. The work on Thappraya Road is nearing completion. The city has decided to do something about the potholes on all the secondary streets. And plans for removing all the overhead wires and placing them all underground have been finalized and approved for two weeks. The work will begin in six months. Don't worry, though. I believe the powers-that-be have decided to speed up the works. I'm sure I read somewhere that they want to try to catch up to and keep pace with the speed of continental drift.

If obtaining a "critical mass" of posters was the goal, your idea might be considered. I'm sure GT will consider it anyway, but from where I sit, and I've consistently said this for many years, numbers of posts and numbers of members mean absolutely nothing. That's not what we're all about and that's not what we're trying to become all about. My personal position is that we're after quality, meaningful, reliably informative posts. We're after being a place for people to come when they wish to discuss issues intelligently. We're after being a place for people to come when they have questions, and know they will receive answers to the best of our ability to provide, without being ridiculed simply for asking. We're after being a place to come where people know that personal attacks and slanders will not be tolerated. Those are the kinds of people and posters I want to see on this board. If there are people out there who wish to join us with regard to that kind of posting, they're welcome to do so. If that attracts more posters, wonderful. If not, so be it. But I'm definitely not interested in sacrificing the kind of quality we've set out to achieve here for the sake of gaining numbers of posts and posters whose posts are, shall we say, of a different nature.

You might want to have a look at this link: http://www.chiangmaichimes.com/restaurants...chiang-mai.html I also found the following review: _____ Chez Marco Lovers of French and Mediterranean food are in for a treat at this laid back new bistro and wine bar on Loi Kroh Road. Charming French-Japanese owner Marco cooks up a storm of what he calls 'soul food' a selection of home-cooked Southern French specialties and Continental fusion fare, from tangy tapenades, cheesy bruschette and other light bites to more substantial pastas and steak dishes. Indulge in a feast of stuffed roast vegetables and goat cheese salad, followed by pan-fried chicken steak with creamy mushroom sauce or traditional lasagna al forno, or satisfy your sweet tooth with luscious chocolate mousse and créme caramel. Wash everything down with a glass of full-bodied red or crisp white wine Marco stocks a very decent selection of French, Chilean and Argentine vintages from exclusive importer, Wine Connection. Prices are reasonable and service is friendly, making this a great city snack stop-off. Open 2 p.m. - 1 a.m. daily 15/7 Loi Kroh Road Tel: 053 207032, Email: marcolejap@hotmail.com

The following appears in PATTAYA ONE: _____ Meeting Discusses Plans to Extend the Width of Pattaya Beach Road On Monday afternoon at Pattaya City Hall, Khun Itipon, the Mayor of Pattaya chaired a meeting which discussed proposals to extend the width of Pattaya Beach Road, a plan which was prompted following a recent traffic survey. This initial meeting discussed the feasibility of the plan and what effects it would have on beach road businesses if the plan came to fruition. The plans indicate that the entire 3km stretch of Pattaya Beach Road which finishes at the entrance to Walking Street suffers from acute traffic congestion problems and an 18 meter extension to the width of the road has been proposed which will allow for up to two more lanes of traffic and may allow the road to become two way in the future. Discussions are in an early stage and further meetings are expected in the coming months.

How do you know when you're leaving one region and entering another? Is each province considered a separate region?

Don't forget that the exchange rate fluctuates a little bit during the day, but the trend is certainly moving favorably so far. It's about time too! The Baht closed today at 36.02 to the US Dollar.

There's always something bizarre going on with the banks. If you're being charged to update your passbook with a machine, try going to one of the tellers and have the teller update it. I believe there's no fee that way. For awhile Bangkok Bank was charging me 30 baht whenever I would make a deposit, and that was by cash machine or depositing via a teller. That lasted about a month. Then all of a sudden the charge for a deposit went away and now there is no charge again. It all goes on my "I Don't Get It" list. I don't see why there should be a charge if you use an ATM in a province different from the one where you opened your account. It all goes through a main central computer, so what's the justification? My favorite is when one branch of a bank tells you one thing, and then you go to another branch of the same bank and they tell you something entirely different.

Beats me why anybody would want it at all. I wouldn't want to live that way and I wouldn't want to subject my family to it. However, obviously there are plenty of people who would do just about anything to get it. They can have it. Even if Obama utterly fails, I still wouldn't vote for a Republican. Somehow, the thought of anybody following in the footsteps and policies of Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush Sr. and Jr, is about as nauseating a prospect as I can think of. I'd rather see a Democrat fail than a Republican succeed. I have to publicly admit, and publicly embarrass myself, that for a long time I fell for the Republican bullshit. I've learned my lesson. I won't make that mistake again.

For whoever was the original author of this, perhaps that wish has already been granted.