Gaybutton

I agree with lvdkeyes about that. The last time I was there was about four years ago, but I don't recall anything particularly interesting about the restaurant other than the show. However, for those in Pattaya without their own transportation, it's within easy walking distance of most of the popular gay hotels. I think Thai House is much better, but also much more difficult getting there without your own transportation. If you don't mind motorcycle taxis, then it's no problem. If you won't use the motorcycle taxis, then you'll have to get there by baht bus. Take a baht bus north on Second Road. Go to North Road (Pattaya Nua). If you're lucky, the bus will turn right on North Road. If not, then you'll have to take a second baht bus, going up North Road in the direction of Sukhumvit Highway. You'll spot it on the right side of North Road, shortly after you pass the first traffic signal.

I spoke with Geezer today and again I am posting this with his full knowledge and permission. First, he wants to thank everyone for all the kind words and thoughts. He has seen the threads on the various message boards. Yesterday he did have the drain tube inserted. It's a bit uncomfortable, but so far it's working. He still has no idea when he will be able to be released from the hospital, but he says he's fine with that. While he would rather be in his own apartment, at least he's now getting the food he likes. Other than that, there's not much to report.

Now I have the answer. It's no. Today I was really curious about this and I stopped by the Immigration Police office to ask. I was told the programmers are still working on it, but for the time being you still have to personally report to the Immigration Police office to submit your address report. I asked if anybody had any idea as to when online reporting would become available. Nobody knows. I also asked about how the required receipt will be done. I was told that's one of the things the programmers are working on. Oh well . . . At least we know online address reporting is coming. As for just when, ask Nostradamus.

A friend alerted me to the following URL for those who hold long-term visas and are required to report their address every 90 days. Apparently, now you can do the address report online. I have not tried this and I am somewhat reluctant to be the first one who tries doing it this way. Has anyone tried it and made sure it is acceptable? If yes, whenever you personally report your address, they staple a receipt into your passport that shows you have made the report, includes the signature of the immigration officer, and tells you when the next address report is due. How do they handle that part if you submit your report online? They can't E-mail you a receipt because nothing on the online submission includes your E-mail address. Does the receipt come up after clicking the 'send' button? http://www.pattaya-immigration.org/dform/form_tm47.php

It depends on what you're looking for. Many people recommend the open-air restaurant on Second Road, right by Pattayaland Soi 2. Many recommend the Leng Kee restaurant on Central Road (Pattaya Klang). If you like seafood, most of the seafood restaurants on Walking Street are excellent and the prices are quite reasonable. At the Bali Hai Pier end of Walking Street, many people love the Vientiane restaurant. There is a second location for the Vientiane Restaurant at the junction of South Road (Pattaya Tai) and Soi Korpai. It's about 150 yards before you get as far as the Big-C on Pattaya Tai. If you have access to a car, the seafood restaurant at Bang Sare (pronounced "bahng sa-LAY") is a great place, right on the water with a panoramic view of Pattaya. To get there you would go south on Sukhumvit Highway and look for the right turn about a mile beyond the Nong Nooch park. Several people recommend the P.C. Kitchen, just off Second Road, near Central Road. If you are coming from Pattayaland, look for sign on the left. If you want a choice between Thai food and "farang" food, both the Amor restaurant and Cherry's include Thai menus, and are popular with the Thais. You can view the menu for the Amor on their web site at: http://www.amorrestaurant.com . If you would like a traditional Thai dancing show along with your dinner, I recommend the Ruen Thai restaurant, next door to Casa Pascal. An even better one, in my opinion, is the Thai House restaurant on North Road (Pattaya Nua). The prices are on par with most other Thai restaurants. You don't end up paying a lot more for the show. Outside of those and recommendations others may post, in my opinion Thai food is Thai food. To me, the average Thai restaurants are pretty much the same as most other Thai restaurants.

Also, if you are going to be at the beach, some of the vendors have them. If you are in Pattaya, you should be able to find them at the Wat Chai market, across the street from Center Condo. I think I've seen them at the Mike Shopping Center, near Pattayaland.

I certainly will, but don't forget what I wrote above. He can view the messages and receive PMs right from his hospital bed.

You might be right about that. I'm not sure. From what I've seen, the waiters in the restaurant work only in the restaurant and the waiters at the bar work only at the bar. If they exchange places, I haven't seen it.

I would like to preface this by making it clear that I am posting this with Geezer's full knowledge, permission, and at his own request. A few people who think it's appropriate to post personal business and personal affairs about others might want to bear that in mind. ____________________ Many of you know the gentleman who posts here as "Geezer." Many of you also know that he has been in Bumrungrad hospital, in Bangkok, for the better part of two weeks. He had to undergo an angioplasty and heart valve replacement. I speak with him every day and he wishes for everyone concerned about his health to know that he feels just fine, is in no pain, and is in excellent spirits. Because of the length of time he must spend in the hospital, he is occupying himself by watching movies on DVD. His beloved boyfriend is with him constantly and takes wonderful care of him. He says the hospital staff couldn't possibly be more caring and attentive to his needs. There have been some minor complications. For a few days there was a problem with arrhythmia, but that seems to have been taken care of and that problem seems to be over. The current problem is that fluid has formed around his heart. They have been trying to take care of that with medication, but it doesn't seem to be working. He says he will probably have to undergo a procedure to drain the fluid, but he is told that is routine and should not cause him any pain. Food has been a problem too. Many of you know that Geezer is, shall we say, particular about what he eats. He won't eat the hospital food. He has been living on food from the McDonald's in the hospital lobby. The doctors have put the kibosh on that. They sent a nutritionist to him and now he is getting the kind of food he likes and what the doctors approve. He has no idea at this point how much longer he will have to be in the hospital. He also anticipates that once he is released he will be asked to stay in Bangkok for a week or two, to make sure everything is ok before he returns to Pattaya. He does have Internet access, so he will be able to see any responses to this post and will be able to receive PMs. If there are any significant changes, I will post here, but only if Geezer knows about it in advance and wishes further information posted.

My preference is the Bank of Ayudhya web site. They update the rates several times each business day and I have always found them to be accurate. http://www.krungsri.com/thai/exchange01.aspx

I don't know, but it could give a whole new meaning to the Door-2-Door service . . .

Nope. I won't do that. Very sorry, but I'll be the one who decides what I wish to discuss and when I wish to discuss it. I didn't say I won't discuss it further under any circumstances, but I won't discuss it on this thread. I don't feel that this is the appropriate thread for that discussion. I really don't see much value in going through this same old debate again, with the same people posting the same positions they held the last time, and the last time, and the last time, but if you want to bring it up on a separate thread, feel free. We can get involved in yet another debate about it on that thread.

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Soi Chayapoon Bars Targeted as Crackdown Continues Bar Owners around Pattaya are now coming to terms with the fact that a Bar Crackdown is underway. With initial threats of 60 day closure notices, many are checking their licenses and employees to make sure they fully comply with the law. We joined a team of Banglamung District Licensing Officers who were backed up by Pattaya Police Officers and civil volunteers as they conducted a spot check on bars in Soi Chayapoon in Central Pattaya. A total of 20 establishments along the street were checked. Licenses were checked and ID cards of employees and patrons were checked to ensure that employees were over the age of 18 and patrons were at least 20 years of age. At the end of the inspection we were informed by Police that 10 venues required further action to be taken by Licensing Officers. Failure to show a valid license and expired licenses were some of the offences uncovered in the inspection. We urge all bar owners to check their licenses and ensure their bar fully complies with the law at this time, otherwise your business could experience a forced 60 day closure or worse.

Not really. Clubber's.

Considering the number of times this has been discussed over the years and the number of times I've made my stance clear and my reasons for it clear, I'm not going to get dragged in to another discussion of it. Sorry.

Here's something I didn't know until last night. It had never even occurred to me that you might be able to take a boy "off" from a restaurant. I was eating in a gay-owned restaurant. One of the waiters was flirting with one of my friends. My friend asked the waiter what time he finishes work. The boy said 1:00 AM, but that's not a problem because he can be taken "off" just like the bars. I asked him if he was serious. He said yes and that several gay-owned restaurants allow it. Neither of us asked him how much the "off" fee is, but I would imagine it would be in par with the "off" fees charged in bars when someone wants to "off" a waiter.

Tell that to the people who object to the idea of giving even as much as 1000 baht (about US $28) to a boy in Thailand they've taken "off."

I agree. Although I am a moderator on the message board, I have nothing to do with the rest of the web site or its design, and I am not involved with the decision making. I believe people come to this web site for information about gay aspects of Thailand. I have no particular objection to the existence of porn links, but I don't think that should be the first thing people should see when they access the web site. It makes the site appear as if its main focus is porn, rather than information, and I also think it diminishes the credibility of the entire site. In my opinion, if the web site owners wish to include porn links, that's their decision, but I think the placement of those links ought to be reconsidered, as Kenrfc suggests.

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Immigration Check Niran Grand Condo in Search of Illegal Foreigners Police Colonel Itipon, the Superintendent of Pattaya;s Immigration Bureau along with Police Colonel Sutin, the Superintendent of Pattaya Police accompanied by Immigration Police Volunteers made their way to the Niran Grand Condo Complex in Soi Arunothai in Central Pattaya on Wednesday Afternoon. The purpose of the operation was to conduct an inspection of each of the four main condo blocks in search of foreigners with either expired visas or those who have entered Thailand illegally and do not possess a valid passport. The search led to the arrest of one man from Russia who was not in the possession of a passport. He will be dealt with in accordance with Immigration Laws. The Immigration Police would like to warn viewers that random checks on foreigners will be made over the coming weeks so please ensure that you carry your original passport with you at all times and for those who are residing in Thailand on long stay visas, you must report to the Immigration Office every ninety days confirming your current address and telephone number. Failure to do this can result in a fine not exceeding 5,000 Baht.

The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Beer Bars and Go-Go Bars Told to Cover up or Face Closure Police Colonel Sutin, the Superintendent of Pattaya Police along with Khun Ronagit, Deputy Mayor of Pattaya, chaired this Friday Morning Meeting attended by 360 staff members of Beer Bars and Go-Go Bars operating here in Pattaya. They were told that the Police and Pattaya Administration will no longer tolerate explicit shows and nakedness in the bars of Pattaya and any establishment found to be disregarding these orders will face a minimum of a 60 day closure order and even the revocation of entertainment and liquor licenses. It is thought that a Bar Crackdown will shortly follow to ensure that bars are following these newly enforced regulations.

I doubt that anyone but the boy himself can really give you the reasons for it. There are no standards by which to judge because so many people have gone to meet the families for any number of reasons. He might be serious about you and he might not. He might simply miss his family and you're the one who is going to pay his way to get there. He might elevate his status by having a "farang," just as if you are a commodity. He might simply want you to meet his family because he likes you. In other words, anybody's guess could be the right guess. You have known him for quite some time. What does your gut feeling tell you? Unless he has done things in the past to give you a reason to suspect some sort of sinister reason, then I'd say to give him the benefit of the doubt and have a nice time. Going to a boy's home town and spending time with the family has been the highlight of the trip for many people. I agree with Silom about giving gifts. The way I would do it would be to give the boy whatever amount you wish to spend on gifts, and I wouldn't make it more than one or two-thousand baht, and let him choose what to bring them. One time I made a trip to Laos with my boyfriend and one of his Laotian friends. His friend wanted to bring gifts for his mother. Do you know what he wanted to bring? Laundry detergent and fish sauce. I asked him what kind of gift is that to give to a woman, especially his mother. But that's what he wanted to give her and she was absolutely delighted (or she was one hell of a good actress). In other words, let the boy be the one who decides what gifts to bring. You are going to be expected to foot the bill for everything once you are there. That includes paying for the family if you go out to dinner somewhere. Quite often they want to throw a party "in your honor." Guess who pays for that. Be careful if anyone starts talking about a party. It can get quite expensive. It is common for just about everyone they know to be invited and some of the people who get invited don't have any qualms about bringing some of their own friends along. When the whiskey and food starts running low, you'll be expected to pay for more. The way around those kinds of things is to make it clear to the boy, before you go, what you do and do not want to happen. I would also make it clear that if he wants you to do or pay for anything you didn't know about in advance, then take you aside and speak to you privately. Quite often "farang" are asked right in front of the very people the boy is talking about. That makes it quite difficult to say no. If you don't object to the party, which is very likely to occur, then tell the boy how much you are willing to spend on it and that you won't pay one baht more. Tell him that if you are going to take the family out to dinner, that's the immediate family, and not all the cousins, aunts, uncles, and Lord-knows-who. The trick is to make all these things clear before you go. Otherwise you can really get stuck.

Thank you, Boxer. You probably just saved plenty of people from a lot of grief. This is a relatively new set of goings on. Only a few weeks ago there was a raid in Pattayaland. The police were checking foreigners for their passports, or acceptable copies of their passports. It is my understanding that no one was actually arrested, but those who were not even carrying an acceptable copy were subjected to a very stern warning. Now random checks are being conducted. Thai law does require that foreigners carry their passport with them at all times, just as it is required of Thai citizens to carry their national ID card at all times. Under Thai law, the police have every right to demand to see your passport and place you under arrest if you do not have it with you. In the past, a good copy of both the identification page and the visa page has been acceptable in lieu of carrying the actual passport, but technically the requirement is for the actual passport to be with you. You will have to make your own decisions, of course, whether to carry the actual passport or a copy. But if I were you, I'd at least carry one of them.

I don't know the answer to that one, but I do know that if you do not have the means to be able to keep 800,000 baht in your bank account, you can still use the income statement from your embassy in lieu of the money.

It's been a long time since anyone tried opening a go-go bar on Soi Day-Night, but Siam Boys is giving it a try once again. The location is the former location of the Red Dragon Bar, directly across from the Day-Night Hotel. It's a small, compact bar, featuring about a dozen boys. The bar has been open for less than two weeks. This evening I and some friends decided to have a look. At first we were disappointed, thinking it's a big nothing. All of the boys were on the stage, simply standing there, some shirtless and some wearing jerseys. That went on for about five or ten minutes. Then, the next thing we knew all but three of the boys left the stage. Off came the jerseys and the boys started dancing. Yes, dancing. Really dancing. There was none of the usual one-knee shuffling going on. The boys were all wearing white briefs, Then, when every boy had has his first dancing set, we had a little surprise. They removed their white briefs and underneath they were all wearing tiny string bikinis, buns fully exposed. That's when things began to get much more wild and much more fun. We ended up thoroughly enjoying the evening. I can certainly recommend that you give Siam Boys a try and see for yourselves. I would very much like to see Soi Day-Night take off and be up-and-coming again. Many of you know that for years there were several go-go bars on Soi Day-Night, but there was never enough of a customer base to support them and every one of the go-go bars finally gave up and either closed or converted to karaoke bars. I think Siam Boys has a good chance of becoming the catalyst that just may get Soi Day-Night going again. If it succeeds, then more go-go bars are bound to open up on Soi Day-Night and it will once again become Pattaya's third go-go boy bar mecca. Give Siam Boys a try. I think many of you will enjoy it. It's not for everyone. You won't find muscle boys at Siam Boys, but you will definitely enjoy it if you like the boy-next-door type, sexy underwear, and if your favorite part of hamburgers is the buns . . .

The story I am hearing is that an offer was made to Ralph, Jack, and Oud a few weeks ago and they turned down the offer. Then, several days ago they either reconsidered or whoever made the offer upped the ante. I don't know which. In any case they made the decision to sell. I have not yet heard whether they intend to reopen something else or bow out of the bar business.