Ruthrieston

4 weekends of a big music festival on Pattaya beach, and fireworks celebration at the end of November and full on Loy Kratong, but no bars allowed to open??? Insanity reigns. Sigh.

A lovely project, and great to see efforts towards a more green environment. In Pattaya what I cannot understand is the now constant cutting down of trees and greenery on empty plots of land, which apparently has something to do with the avoidance of some kind of land tax. I have seen so many mature, beautiful trees being chopped down and the land left bare in recent times. Sad.

After being closed up in my condo in Pattaya for seven and a half months I am heading to Bangkok in a couple of weeks for some hospital appointments and I intend to make full use of the restaurants in Soi 4 serving alcohol with my food and just enjoying the sense of being free again now that I am fully vaccinated. I have so much respect for the Thai families I see in the shopping centres like Central Festival, with even the toddlers and babies in their prams wearing masks. Stay safe people.

What a beautiful, heartwarming story. He was so lucky to get started at 16! And such a beginning to being gay and free. I hope he is still living a good, happy life.

Most weather forecasts are untrustworthy. This morning there is a deep haze across Pattaya, from my condo on Pratumnak I cannot see the island of Koh Larn at all. I have no idea what is causing this but it is sad after many months of lovely clean and clear air here.

All good, but the Star Award goes to the intelligent young lady in that last Gaetz picture! Excellent work young lady, keep it up.

Very kind, thank you TotallyOz. I think keeping to myself in my condo, not meeting friends since early April has meant that I have done too much thinking and remembering.

In my early teenage years in a small Scottish town I was so scared of being gay that I tried to kill myself three times, one of which almost worked. I was also sexually abused by the son of a coupe who were close friends of my parents, he was a soldier in his early twenties, just back from his second tour in Northern Ireland during the worst of the 'troubles". I got away from him when he tried to rape me in some bushes by the river and ran into a policemen. My treatment by the police was appalling. I was around 13 years old. They put me in the back of the police car next to my abuser. At fourteen I converted from the Scottish Presbyterian Church to the Roman Catholic Church, and at 18 I entered a silent, enclosed monastery, Latin Office and Mass sung in Plainchant daily. The Abbey was built in 1230, semi-ruined still and we were restoring it. Seven years there, with a community who were good, holy men. They respected me, accepted me. No messing about, we lived in separate cells and were silent. Those years of safety and peace enabled me to accept myself as a gay man. The Benedictine rule requires the community to have a secret vote on whether a new monk can be received into vows, and a two thirds plus one vote is required as a minimum. The Abbot told me my vote was unanimous. That was the day I knew there was nothing wrong with me. Three years later I left, and started to live my life at the age of twenty five. I became a nurse. During my three years training to be a Registered Nurse I also volunteered on Gay Switchboard, a phone help line for gay people. Sorry if this is too boring, I shall shut up now!

I looked in the mirror

Frankly I wouldn't touch "Facebook" with a bargepole. In my last job as Chief Executive (silly, grandiose title for a basic management job) of a small Hospice charity in the UK I employed a young man as adviser on communications and publicity on a campaign to increase our fundraising income by over 30% in one year (we achieved over 50% increase) and he advised me to set up an account on Facebook. I had no idea what he was talking about. The next day I went down to lunch in the staff dining area and the cook said she was really upset with me. I asked her what I had done to upset her and she told me she had asked to be my friend on Facebook and I had ignored her. I immediately told my staff to delete this stupid account and never looked at Facebook again.

I always book directly with the hotel and get better rates than any of these dodgy sites.

There is still no real indication as to when the bars will reopen in Pattaya. I am hoping for early in November, but it is anyone's guess. I shan't be fully vaccinated until 30th October, and then need two weeks until my immune system builds it's defence so I shan't be going to a bar until mid November at the earliest anyway. Just walking around the shopping centres is depressing as every time I go something else has closed down. In Central Festival the latest closure has been Duc De Preslin, just empty floor space now. In Terminal 21 the Tom Toms cafe on the ground floor has shut down too. So sad. The worst is Royal Garden where almost 80% of the shop units are shut down. Wine Connection is the only draw for me there now.

I must say that Bolt in Pattaya has transformed my travelling around and means that I no longer need to rent a car once a month to do my big shopping. Also I no longer need to risk my life clinging to the back of a motorbike taxi. I pay less to travel in an airconditioned car than I used to pay for the motorbike taxi. Wonderful!

Very sad for the people of Myanmar, but a clear sign to the maniacs in the fake military junta that their insanity and arrogance will not pay off. Given their arrogance and disdain for the country and its people, sadly there is no easy way out of the situation they have created. There is no way I would travel to Myanmar while the army is still in control.

This is Thailand - can't arrest the Red Bull heir, but this innocent victim is quickly seized..........so sad.

The excellent work by the SWING charity in Pattaya reaching out to the boys working in the bars has achieved a great deal and deserves all our support. Handing out condoms and talking to the boys, and I remember my ex going on a weekend trip where they played games and had sessions learning about safer sex and condom use.

I agree with you entirely flguy. I have been so fortunate to live in Thailand through this pandemic - I have lived here for almost ten years now. Up to April this year we had less than 100 deaths here, but since then it is over ten thousand deaths. Infections and deaths appear to be slowing down now, but I too have been keeping to myself for the last five months as I am diabetic with other underlying conditions which place me at high risk. The absolute disaster around the vaccination programme in Thailand is outrageous, with barely ten percent of the population vaccinated so far. I was very fortunate to get my first dose of AstraZeneca on 7th August but of course I must wait twelve weeks for the second dose, so 30th October. Restrictions are starting to be lifted from tomorrow but I think I shall give it a couple of weeks yet to see how the figures move before I think about possible meeting with friends again. As you say it is about protecting ourselves and others from infection. The "long covid" damage has yet to be clarified but I think that may become significant for many people who have been infected.

No surprise here, the requirement for people to prove full vaccination status before being allowed to enter a restaurant did not appear in the Royal Gazette, so there will be no such crazy restriction. TiT.

With the planned lifting of some restrictions on Wednesday this week in Thailand the shopping centres and restaurants will open, but you can only go into the restaurant if you have been double vaccinated and have proof. Given that barely 10% of the population are fully vaccinated the restaurants are going to be rather empty. My second dose is booked for 30th October so two more months before I can eat in a restaurant again.

Italic Keyboard shortcut Ctrl+IThank you spoon. Two weeks now since my first dose and ten weeks more to wait for the second one, so three months till freedom!

You are all so lucky while here in Pattaya I continue to self isolate in my condo as the infections and deaths continue to be high. Even though I have had my first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine I am still not taking any risks. The lockdown has been in place since the end of March and cinemas will be gathering dust for at least another month or more yet here. Make the most of your freedom gentlemen.

The UK headed by BoJo the Bumbling Buffoon has made a far bigger mess of handing the pandemic with a death rate far higher than Thailand, and infections still 50% higher and deaths still 100 a day. Thankfully the excellent National Health Service has enabled a vaccine programme far greater than Thailand, but even double vaccinated people can still get really ill.

BoJo the Bumbling Buffoon would love to be able to do that!

All went very well at MedPark Hospital on Saturday. A lovely hospital, very efficient and great staff working hard. My four hour round trip from Pattaya using my favourite taxi firm was good. At the hospital it all took one and a half hours, including the half hour observation time after getting vaccinated. I am so grateful to have had the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine. I was given an appointment for 30th October to receive the second dose. I shall give it two to three weeks and then decide whether I feel safe enough to finally meet with friends again having kept to myself since the start of April.

You could sleep on my sofa for a very modest 25,000 Baht per night, as long as you wear a full PPE suit at all times inside my condo. TeeHee.