mauRICE

There was very heavy rain in Pattaya last night and some of the roads were flooded. I've seen some of the pictures but can't share them because I haven't got clearance from the boys. It was bad (but not devastating) and apparently some of the boys in Jomtien Complex couldn't get home. I hope everyone got home safe eventually.

Turn it off. You, of all people, don't need it! How are things at the orphanage?

Captain Jack Sparrow? Oooh a-447 would love him. 😏

Fantastic! The StarThai teen Nene Royal wins RM4mil on 'America's Got Talent'Rattikarn Amloy, better known by her stage name Nene Royal, was crowned the winner.

Another forum member I haven't seen in a while is @jamiebee . I believe he lives in the Middle East and hope he's alright.

Yes, strongly recommend it. Although he primarily talks about the dangers and pitfalls within the bar scene, many of the lessons can be applied to the non-bar scene too, instant friends/lovers met over the Internet, etc. The cover of the edition that I have is of a long-haired (presumably) bar-girl holding a shaving knife behind her back. Coincidentally the word for shaving knife in Malay is pisau cukur which is the same word we use to describe golddiggers. I guess it metaphorically implies that once they've got you hooked, they're going to "shave you clean" of all your posessions. 🤷 One tactic that farang often don't catch on to until it's too late is the old "throwing a sprat to catch a mackerel". Get it for free now but pay later BIG BIG. This tactic is mostly commonly used by non-bar guys and girls on egoistical, naive farang who love to gloat about how they've landed a non-hoe bf/gf.

This is an inaccurate generalisation, IMHO. Some are, some aren't. While straight couples (emphasis on couples) tend to be more physically expressive in public, I've seen guys holding hands, one affectionately rubbing his hand on the head of another (acceptable in a relationship), dressing alike, etc. My partner likes to put his hand on my back or over my left shoulder as we walk (I draw the line at head rubbing😅). More pertinently, why would someone you've just met be into public displays of affection when presumably there hasn't been any affection between you? That would be weird! 😅 Do you do that with strangers in the US? 🤔 It's perfectly acceptable to eat pizza with your hands especially at a place like CM Pizza. Broadly speaking, pizza and KFC are probably the most popular "farang food" among Thais and, if he works in hospitality, he's probably not unaccustomed to farang and farang ways. Anyway, happy to hear that your holiday in Chiang Mai is coming along. And no news of bad weather thus far which is good news. 😊

Great idea! Working your glutes by having your legs over your deltoids all the time isn't enough. Please hire a trainer for safety reasons, at least in the beginning. I do resistance training with a trainer three days a week and cardio on my own. Lately all my workouts have been in the gym because of the haze. 😔 You might also want to look into calisthenics. They're so big on health and fitness in Australia and, barring legitimate health and mobility issues, there's really no excuse not to get on it.

Yes and somebody should pin this up. True happiness (or in my case, contentment) comes from within. It may be a cliche but cliches often have some basis in truth. I've seen people frequently change partners, change jobs, move house - they're always running away from something - but still remain unhappy. In effect, they're running away from themselves, which, short of flying off a Pattaya balcony, one can't really do. Now, I'm not at all suggesting that anyone jump off a building, but to at least take steps to heal those old wounds or learn to manage them and move on. Otherwise they'll always be running and chasing. Another good one. My friends used to tease me that I'd end up with a farang boyfriend but it never happened. Despite having lived in the UK for 10 years from the age of 17, enjoying many aspects of western culture particularly literature and film, and having had several suitors - a couple of them double-barrels - I never really connected with a farang. It's hard to pin down what it is - too much work perhaps - but if I had to I'd say it boils down to ways of thinking. With my partner, I don't have that problem and we can communicate volumes with just eye contact, and by what is unsaid as much as what's vocalised. That said, relationships do require a lot of work, time and commitment even without the challenges @Travelingguy and I have alluded to. In @bkkmfj2648's case he's also looking for a potential caregiver, which adds another dimension to the paradigm.

In reading and writing some of the posts in this thread, I've been entertained, informed and even re-considered certain thoughts and assumptions but you see I'm very comfortable with being challenged and hearing new perspectives. Going down memory lane was especially sweet, never bitter. Therefore, I'm a bit surprised to see some people getting so easily triggered and becoming very defensive over alternative viewpoints and varying recollections. Clearly, despite their claims of extensive knowledge and familiarity with Chiang Mai having travelled there since The Pleistocene (allegedly), they haven't learned anything from the generally equable and humble northerners and, unfortunately, still speak in that high-handed, finger-wagging, superior colonial tone. I can almost envision their blood pressure piercing through their dusty pith helmets and, if it's like this on an anonymous chat forum, I can only imagine it must be going through the roof in real life. Good Morning. 😊

No, I'm afraid you misunderstood again. I meant the space where Chiang Mai 19 is. I first went to Chiang Mai on my own as a young adult in 2001. We went as a family when I was a kid a couple of times. But, as I said earlier, it's not a competition, not from my side of things anyway. Fantastic. Again, not a competition. Great! Neither do I.

Well-said, @Travelingguy . https://www.instagram.com/reel/DL6cM6bNw5h/?stkn=YnpqNjR5aG03bWhw

There are no sleepers in third class. 😏

Older sister. I've also got an older brother.

I'm glad you didn't say granny...😅

My 2026 keeps getting better. Just got a call from my niece's husband to tell me that she gave birth to a healthy baby girl about an hour ago. Oh my the texts are coming in... Mother and child are safe and I've now officially become a great uncle! 👶😍🥰💞

No, I'm not in a hole. I'm enjoying a lovely cup of tea and some very moist fruitcake in a beautiful tearoom overlooking the Twin Towers. There are fresh flowers on the table and soft music playing in the background. Recollections and viewpoints may vary but I've said what I wanted to say on the topic without resorting to calling people fools or using ad hominem attacks to support my arguments. Others may disagree with me which is to be expected in a forum like this; I don't view disagreements as a slight on me personally but as part of the learning experience.

😮😯😲

He was in Thailand either in late April or May this year.

I'm very sorry to hear this, @zoomomancs . May you continue to make good recovery.🙏🏻🤲 Out of curiosity, where are you from?

What about Chinese Americans? Isn't there a derogatory, racist descriptor you'd like to ascribe to them? With due respect, you're quick to jump and attack over the slightest perceived slur on yourself yet are so generous dishing them out to others.

And both with the same hair!

Didn't you say you were planning to try out different places for six months at a time? So do that. It doesn't have to be either or. Bearing in mind that six months is 26 weeks, and say you visit one new place a week, very soon you're going to run out of elephant camps and you'll still need to figure out what you're going to do with the rest of your time. You've been in Thailand a month now; have you made a Thai friend yet? If you're thinking of learning Thai, I can suggest several no-pressure beginner Thai classes. PS I like the omelette and veggies. Keep it up. 👍

If you liked Kon and Mai, I think you'll find someone there to your liking. The current owner is a pleasant, soft-spoken, Thai-speaking German guy who takes good care of and is respected by his staff, which I always see as a good sign. Also check out Circle Pub. A note about them: they tend to hold handsome/sexy boy contests quite often which are open to guys who aren't working in the bar. Therefore, the handsome guys you see on their socials may not be on staff.

Please. This isn't a competition and there's no need to apologise even if you felt that you had made a mistake. I understood your post to be your experience based on your 3-day jaunt, nothing more, nothing less. I, on the other hand, was only sharing my experiences of the area that go back a decade at least. Reviews of a venue may be helpful but they only provide a snapshot of the time we were there and are influenced by our biases, moods, personalities and perceived knowledge, not to mention the day-to-day variables that affect the venue itself. Moreover, things are always changing and businesses open and close all the time. This is why I say go and experience it for yourself and be cognizant of the variables that I just mentioned. Hence, I wouldn't tell anyone to "avoid, avoid, avoid" a certain venue just because I had a negative experience. To share my own experience, I never liked Pattaya very much but enjoyed my two most recent trips tremendously. Looking back, I realise that my views of Pattaya were largely impacted by my feelings about Sunee Plaza and the horrible things that were going on there, and the fact that one could barely walk around the main tourist areas in the city without running into a bar or brothel of some kind. Now, all that's changed and I'm already looking forward to my next visit before the end of the year.