PattayaMale

Thank you GB for turning it around............how did you do that???

A reminder that a Tour group who catered to gays and produced a magazine was accused of promoting underage sex and the magazine was ruled as pornographic or obscene. The magazine was certainly not as many will remember. The agency had to close and open under another name. Corruption is a real money maker here in Thailand. I imagine that if the economy gets worse and tourism falls and more people are out of work, corruption may become worse. That does not excuse people having sex with underage people. But everyone is at risk of being accused of anything if true or not.

You are right, you get more for $100. If they are not in good condition, many banks won't exchange them

Yes, I hope it has been a good year for all of us and may 2009 be even better. For those that do not visit the Ting tong site they also have a Holiday greeting which includes some picture of Pattaya Ting $ Tong

I went there today and thought the dinner was excellent.....sorry for posting the menu sideways ________________________________ I hope you don't mind. I took the liberty of posting it rightside-up for you. GB

Here is something I just found out while talking to a Belgium expat at Oud's. He had a international driver's license. When he went to get his Thai drivers license he was also able to get his Thai motorbike license off the same international driver's license. He told me that the people processing the license said he could get the motorbike license (even though he only had car marked on the international license). The office did not volunteer the information but he had filled out both applications. Of course the color and reaction test was required twice but no written or driving test. He showed me both licenses. Has anyone else done this?

This counterfeit issue is really growing. It is getting so bad I tried to pay an entertainment worker with a 1000 baht note and he asked if I had smaller bills so I gave him a 20 baht note. (That was really lame, I know but I need a 3rd post for today )

Sure go on February 9. or take a bus or taxi or Do a Google search or check with a travel agent

Thai Air does. Just check their site and make a reservation. Cost will be about 4000 baht

Tonight was a first for me as it was the first time I have been into Mike' Le cage and the first time I have heard George Stanley perform. I went there since one of the owners from Oud's asked me to go with him. I thought the performance was great. I liked the type of songs George sang and the changes he had made to some lyrics. maybe I am the only one who hasn't heard George perform, but if there are others you may want to see him perform. As to Mike's Place, I thought his staff was great and Mike himself a wonderful host.

Googie was feeling well enough to have lunch with me today. Here is what he told me. He is having contract problems with his landlord. There are 2 contracts since he has 2 side by side shops that make the current Googies. One contract has ended and the landlord does not want to renew that contract. Of course there is no way to open one side only of the restaurant. Today when we drove by the restaurant a sign had been put up on one side saying it was for rent. So Googie may have no choice but to pull all his equipment out. Basically closing down. He also told me he may have some other options and will let people know when he knows.

Thank you Geezer for the card, but if you were truly appreciative, you would tell us where we can find the model!!

George has given us a good example of what can be done when a great doctor like Dr. Philippe has the tools to work those miracles that many in the west take almost for granted. And I think it appropriate to remember that doing this takes money. Raising this money has been done in great part by the PGF through their events. For those not wishing to participate in the PGF events I am sure their is a way to contribute directly but I do not know how to do this.

They said it would take 4 days, but they called me on the third day. I told them not to rush as I was most interested in a good job.

Sorry GB, I left out that it was from Bangkok - Saigon (Ho Chi min).

About 3 weeks ago I ate at Casa Pascal on their gourmet menu. (1400 baht) I asked about the veal liver since I had seen it on a few menus. I was told it was very popular in Europe so I had that for my main course. It was fantastic! Now that I see it for 395, I will make sure to go there again hoping it will be as good as when on the gourmet menu. Of course their all the wine you want to drink for 1400 baht which I also had, might have contributed to the wonderful taste of the meal.

Topjohn5 makes a really good point. Checking airfares is not easy anymore because of all the extra fees which do not show until you go to the web site and search. However, in comparing Bangkok Air and Air Asia, Air Asia usually wins since they fly to many more places and do have significantly lower fees (but extra fees can add a lot to what you pay). I did this comparison. Jan 8 - Jan 11 return: Bangkok Air 10,100, Air Asia 6,400. If you need to travel with extra baggage extra charges can eat up the savings quickly

There is a small outdoor restaurant on Third Road right beside Cherry's and across the street from Xzyte.(Beside Mama Villa) I also really like the food. The lady that owns it really knows the difference between Thai taste and farang taste. So both you and your Thai friend should enjoy the food and the price.

I was at Oud's cafe last night and one of the owners told me the man had been into the bar and then he pointed the man out when he came by. His arms and hand certainly are scared from this. I had not seen the report of this before the owner told me last night. GB maybe R has more information

To only crack down on the Red Shirts who give fuel to the unrest. I think GB is correct that Abhisit has all ready told the PAD that he needed to do this for the country's stability. I think what "accountable" may mean is payment for damage, not jail time for anyone. We will see in a few days for sure

Several years ago I purchased some rings from Honest Gems and was happy with the price and quality. This time I wanted 2 custom rings made so my Thai friend of many years and I would have matching rings. I had kept my mother's diamond rings for a long time and thought I would use these to create our rings. I also wanted to make sure that the white gold from my mother's rings was used in the new rings also. I spent about 45 minutes with the owner figuring out the design of the rings. Also I needed to be comfortable that the gold and the diamonds would be those actually used in the rings as the sentimental value was very high for me. Well, today we received the rings and they were exactly as promised. So for those that may be looking to buy a special gift for your Thai friend I would suggest you stop by Honest Gems. It is located on the corner of Beach Road and Pattayaland soi 2

You may be correct but consider they already had a hassle and it seems insulting to have to go to immigration. I would not even know where to begin to find immigration in Bangkok and doubt that it would be fun to stand in line for hours to get this solved. The other point is that if I go to Malaysia I simply get a stamp giving me 90 days in that country. Thailand NEEDS tourists and investors. The laws being passed are not helpful to this goal. It would be great if a new government with "younger" ideas realize this and acts.

I am having lunch with Googie later today after his hospital appointment. Maybe he will have some positive news which he will allow me to post. I hope he can open soon.

I think you may be reading too much into this laurence. His Majesty has been ill and is recovering. It is not unusual for people to show their allegiance to the King this way. It is part of a legal process that must be followed. The King can not appear at every function so a picture is often used, even when the King is well. It would be nice to see the King feeling well enough and I hope that prosperity returns to the Kingdom soon

"Pattaya, Thailand will be hosting a week-long celebration to bring in the New Year that aims to attract a million visitors, generate 500 million baht in revenue and will be telecast across the world. “The event is part of [an extended] message sent overseas, saying Thailand is a good place to visit,” said the mayor of the tourist resort, Vittaya Khunpluem. “It will be the country’s biggest countdown celebration this year.” The popular Thai beach resort east of Bangkok is hoping to make this the beginning of an annual world-class event that attracts foreign visitors to the country"............Carrental.co.uk It seems a bit late to be just putting out this promotion. Of course at the same time we read about bar raids and closures, more restrictions on alcohol sales (stores being fined for doing any promotion to sell alcohol), 15 day visas instead of 30 days. A Belgium friend told me that he had a group of friends who were going to visit for a month. They had all their hotels pre- paid as well as some tours. When the airports closed, they were flown to Singapore then Malaysia and bused to Thailand. Of course since they were coming across a land border they were only given a 15 day visa instead of the expected 30 day. Where is the coordination? TIT