Gaybutton

ChristianPFC's post is a perfect example of why to do that. In the past, with some banks it was difficult to open an account if you didn't hold a non-immigrant visa, but this is the first time I've ever heard of anyone being asked for a work permit. These days you can open an account at most Thai banks even if you are in Thailand only under the 30-day privilege. As far a I know, every bank will open an account for you for a minimum deposit of 500 baht. For years I have been urging people who are regular visitors to Thailand to open a Thai bank account. You never know if regulations are going to change and the day may come when you wish you had an account. Yes - all of them. I know of no bank that requires a work permit. I opened my account with K-Bank at their branch in Central Festival without any problem whatsoever. They made a copy of my passport's face page, but were not even interested in what kind of visa I held and nothing at all was mentioned about a work permit. IRS requires you to report any foreign accounts that held the equivalent of greater than US $10,000 during the tax year. You might wish to read the following: http://www.irs.gov/Businesses/Small-Businesses-&-Self-Employed/FAQs-Regarding-Report-of-Foreign-Bank-and-Financial-Accounts-%28FBAR%29---Filing-Requirements

I wasn't aware of that. Does that apply only to K-Bank? After reading your post I logged on to my online banking with K-Bank. I can't find where or how to do that. How is it done?

For simply holding a bank account for deposit and withdrawal purposes, I think just about any Thai bank will do, so you might as well go with one of the recommendations above. K-Bank seems to be getting the most votes. I have an account with K-Bank too. All of these banks offer online banking. When I opened my K-Bank account, they arranged for my online banking right then and there. They told me the account would be accessible online in about three hours. By the time I arrived home, about forty minutes later, my online banking was already in place. If you have online banking, you can check your account from any computer. However, if you wish to do any transactions online, then you must have a Thai mobile phone. When doing most types of transactions, these banks will send an OTP (One Time Password) to your mobile phone. You cannot do a transaction without that OTP, which is why you would need a Thai mobile phone number. Of course, you can also do most transactions at ATMs without a mobile phone, but other than withdrawing money, it would have to be an ATM for your bank. One convenience is at ATMs or via online banking, you can top-up your mobile phone. All of these banks offer top-ups at 50 baht increments, starting with a minimum of 50 baht on up to 1500 baht. Until recently, most Thai banks were charging a 20 baht fee for withdrawing money at ATMs other than their own. Lately, I have not been charged that fee even when withdrawing money from another bank's ATM. Also, many of these banks permit transactions or just checking your account via your mobile phone. Having a smartphone or iPhone with internet access is a big help. If you anticipate that your future needs will require additional services, you might want to check to see which banks offer what you'll eventually need. For example, many expats receive pension funds via direct deposit, which means you would need a Thai bank that has a branch in your home country. As far as I know, Bangkok Bank has more international branches than any other Thai banks. For their listing see: http://www.bangkokbank.com/BangkokBank/InternationalNetwork/InternationalBranches/Pages/default.aspx To the best of my knowledge: Kasikorn Bank has a branch in Los Angeles, but not in any other western countries. Siam Commercial Bank has a branch in Hong Kong. Bank of Ayudhya has a branch in Vientiane.

Everything in your post is incorrect - starting with a cross-ban policy. That's not quite the way it worked. I won't say anything more about that aspect of it. I've already said I was wrong to do it, but I'm not going to spend the rest of my life apologizing either. Please let me know if you've never done anything in your life that you later regretted and wished you had never done. As for banning people, there are many ways to do it. The only time I've ever used IP addresses for banning purposes was trying to put a stop to the phony Russian bot registration attempts. I banned the IP addresses from those sources, but have since figured out other methods and stopped using IP addresses entirely. That's because "collateral damage" started happening when that method was also causing legitimate board members to inadvertently become banned. As for the other methods, sorry - you'll just have to take my word for it. I don't see any reason to post "trade secrets" that might help people intended to be banned figure out ways around it. Obviously people can simply register again under a new name. If people really want to be part of a board where they're not wanted, that's their choice.

For the record, I have never given a "tip" to this board about banning anyone. Also I, and to my knowledge no other board, has ever exchanged IP numbers or any other form of personal information. Scooby runs a clean, honest board. When Michael owned this board, so did he. Before you try to attribute anything that takes place on this board to anything coming from me, try knowing what you're talking about first.

I had a look at the photos to see if I could find any that are my type. You know which ones are my type? ALL of them . . .

You want yuck? Try balut. Look up some photos for yourselves. It's too disgusting for me to even post a photo.

As far as I can tell, in far too many cases no matter how much you spend on or give to the boyfriend, it's never enough.

I've already seen Argo and greatly enjoyed it. While some of it is contrived to make a better movie, the actual history and series of events are accurate. I won't reveal anything about it, but one actor who plays a small part as an Iranian airport security guard - in my opinion he steals the whole movie.

J.J. Abrams has written and produced many hit TV shows. He also directed 'Super 8' - a fantasy film I enjoyed. I think he's a good choice and has that "Spielberg Touch" that adds to movies. Also Kathleen Kennedy is producing and George Lucas is one of the writers, so potentially it has an excellent chance of being really good. Let's hope so.

Neither one. Martian . . .

Messing with other boards? If the owner of this board ever requests that I stop posting here, I will. If the owner tells me he feels that I'm "messing" with his board, I'll comply with whatever his wishes are, Until then, very sorry, but I have just as much right to post my opinions and views as you do. I'll let you guess for yourself how much I care whether you like it or not. You say, "I just hate this short period of time and, as I mentioned before, cannot avoid it." Ok, now we all know what you hate. Now we all know you hate Russians, hate long lines, and the rest of your hate list, along with apparently hating me too. Congratulations.

I have no idea. There are many more Russians and Middle Easterners coming to Pattaya than ever before, but I have never had a problem with any of them. That's not to say others haven't had problems, but so far none of them have been any kind of problem for me at all. In any case, if there is a city I dislike, then I don't go to that city. Some complain consistently about Pattaya, and yet many of the complainers come to Pattaya and often Pattaya is the only city in Thailand they go to. I see posts regularly - "I don't like the beach." "I don't like the restaurants." "I don't like the traffic." "I don't like the baht buses." "I don't like the bars." "I don't like the boys." "I don't like the farang." It goes on and on - "I don't like this. I don't like that." And many are sure to say, "And I especially don't like Gaybutton." Ok, again - for those who dislike Pattaya so much, then why come to Pattaya? Seems like an easy decision to me - if you don't like Pattaya, go somewhere else.

I haven't tried Don Joe yet, but most people I know who have been there gave it excellent reviews. One Italian restaurant that the local media has given rave reviews is Pasta Pasta at the Ambassador Hotel. Several of us tried it. We won't be back. We all agreed that while the restaurant has nice atmosphere and very good service, the food was not good at all and very overpriced. I can't think of the name of it, but one we do like is the Italian restaurant across from Pan Pan in the little shopping center where Food Mart and the buses to Suvarnabhumi Airport are located. The owner is Italian and we like the food there and the prices are inexpensive. I would not say it's the best in Pattaya at all, but it's the best we've so far found in the Jomtien area.

For those who dislike Pattaya, I have a solution to suggest - go somewhere else.

It is valid only if you are also carrying a valid driving license from your home country. You are required to have both. People can say what they want, but I learned a long time ago - if you drive in Thailand, you might as well expect to periodically be a victim of these scams. You can raise hell, use flawless logic, prove you are correct about the law, prove you did nothing wrong, or anything else you want to try. You know where it will get you? Nowhere. You're not going to get out of it and if anything, you'll only make things worse. Do what you want, but my advice is just pay it and go on and don't even try to argue about it. You're either going to have to accept it as part of living in Thailand or, if you can't, then you're better off following painai's advice and refrain from driving in Thailand at all. That's just the way things are, folks.

"The Dark Side" is a local term for everything on the east side of Sukhumvit in Pattaya. Technically, it's not part of Pattaya at all. The major roads leading off of Sukhumvit are Soi Khao Tolo, Soi Khao Noi, Soi Neurnplabwan, and Soi Siam Country Club. It is an up and coming area. When I first moved to "The Dark Side" there really wasn't much of anything. Now it's all kinds of housing developments, markets, bars (no gay bars yet, though, that I know of), restaurants, banks, ATMs, a couple trillion 7-Elevens, Family Marts etc. - you name it. The only thing that isn't out here yet is a shopping mall. There are baht buses out here, but none that run to and from Pattaya. If you do stay out here, unless you have your own transportation, you're on motorbike taxis. However, if you decide to stay at the Eastern Grand Palace Hotel, since it's a large hotel perhaps they have some sort of transportation service to and from the city, although I don't know whether they do or not. If not, there is a motorbike taxi stand at the hotel entrance at Soi Khao Tolo and it seems to be manned 24 hours a day. It is a nice hotel, yes, but I wouldn't give you two baht for their restaurant, though. Fortunately, there are plenty of good restaurants just up the road a bit.

You're right. I missed that somehow. My mistake.

You didn't say why you dislike booking companies such as Agoda. In Pattaya the further you are away from the beach and the "Pattaya part" of Pattaya, the less expensive and less likely to be fully booked hotels get. If all else fails for those of you who want to come to Pattaya, but can't find any vacancies, "The Dark Side" is an option. Maybe not a very desirable option for holiday makers, but at least you can get a room. There are numerous hotels and guesthouses on "The Dark Side" and you would be unlikely to encounter a serious problem finding something. And several of these accommodations are new, some less than six months to a year old. If it were me and I couldn't find a room where I really want one, I would try the Eastern Grand Palace Hotel. It's on "The Dark Side" just a couple hundred meters up Soi Khao Tolo. That location puts you only about ten minutes away from the beach and the gay venues by motorbike taxi. If you are interested, have a look at the following web site: http://hotelpictures.info/eastern-grand-palace-hotel-pattaya/

For the handyman, I recommend Toon. I won't use anyone else. He does everything except air conditioning, does it right, guarantees his work, and at very reasonable prices. His number is 081 694 6206. For TV repair, I really don't know, although I do know that the electronics shop in the basement of Tuk Com does that kind of work. If you use Toon, he might know someone who will do TV repair in your home. To get to the Numchai on Sukhumvit - if you're going northbound, you'll see it on your right after you pass the Pattaya Klang intersection, just before you get to the next intersection at Soi Siam Country Club, a few hundred feet further on. Make a U-Turn at the Soi SIam Country Club intersection. I understand Numchai does repair work, but I've heard that you have to bring the TV to them and they send it out somewhere. If you have a Sony, there is a Sony repair center, also on Sukhumvit. I forget the precise location. It's on the east side of Sukhumvit just north of the Pattaya Tai intersection as I recall.

As an afterthought, when it comes to buying computer hardware, such as a monitor screen, another hard drive, DVD drive, or whatever, I no longer go to buy those things myself. I call Killin at 081 295 3860. He'll get what I need, will make sure it's best for my computer, he'll bring it to me, and he'll install it and make sure it works. He'll get it cheaper than I am ever able to find it myself. And he doesn't ask for a deposit.

None of these stories come as any surprise to me. The surprise would be when things go smoothly. We've illustrated the point many times over the years in various posts about how if you go to one bank and don't get the answer you want, just go to another branch of the same bank and you're almost certain to get an entirely different answer. The most glaring example that comes to mind was the story a few years back about the farang who was going to take a trip to Laos. He held a retirement visa and went to immigration to buy a reentry permit. He was told that a trip to Laos does not require a reentry permit. Off he went - without the permit. About two months after he returned he went to immigration to submit the 90-day address report. They told him he has overstayed his visa by more than a month and will have to pay the fine. That's when it was made clear to him that the information given to him was wrong and not only has he lost his retirement visa, but also has to pay the fine for the number of days he's overstayed. Those were the days before you could get a retirement visa with only the 30-day privilege. He ended up having to pay the fine, leave Thailand and go to Singapore, get a new tourist visa, return to Thailand, and start the process all over again to get the retirement visa. By the time he was done, it had all cost him hundreds and hundreds of dollars. Meanwhile, when he was told that he had lost his retirement visa because he didn't have a reentry permit he went to speak with the chief of the immigration office. He was told that the immigration officer was mistaken and there were several other farang in the same position, but the law is the law and they can't do anything to help him even though they knew he had been given erroneous information by their own officer. Welcome to Thailand - That's just the way things are here. It can be very frustrating, for sure, but if you're going to live here you have two choices: One is to get frustrated and angry. The other is to accept that this is the way it works here and sooner or later (probably sooner) you're going to run into these kinds of problems. As for Michael's monitor screen - I learned a long time ago not to give a deposit for anything around here. If one store doesn't have it, I'll look for it in another store. If I still can't find it, I'll do without whatever it is. But as soon as you hand over any money, if something goes wrong - even if it's their fault and they admit it's their fault - good luck ever getting any of it back.

I'm going to try the beer cheese bread recipe soon. As for the bagels being hard to make, try it once and see. I find it very simple and easy to do. There's a little more to it than putting ingredients into the bread machine, turning it on, and waiting, but there's really nothing to it. And they sure come out good.

How about posting the recipes for the beer cheese bread and any others you really like. I, for one, would like to give them a try. Do you like bagels? I found a recipe for making bagels using the bread machine to make the dough. They come out really good. I've been making them and giving them out to friends and the bagels have gotten excellent responses. Two New Yorkers told me they are almost as good as any you can get in New York, and if anybody knows bagels, it's New Yorkers. And they're really easy to make. You'll find the recipe at: http://www.gaybutton....php?f=6&t=5148

I'm glad you got it. I made the dough for baguettes with mine. I found the secret for getting that crunchy crust baguettes are supposed to have. Get a small spray bottle. Put ice cold water in it and mist spray the baguettes a few times while they're baking in the oven.