mahjongguy

My Thai friend speaks English well enough to have moved beyond the sort of Thai-based constructions mentioned above. But he just cannot pronounce the letter V.
I've tried to convince him that there are simple methods to learn consonants that don't occur in Thai (e.g. put your upper teeth on your lower lip...) but as is often the case he just doesn't believe me. So I get wacation and wery and wisa. And Wolwo.
Ten years ago I told him if he could say Volvo I'd buy him one. We're still driving the same old Honda.
 
 
 

My Thai friend speaks English well enough to have moved beyond the sort of Thai-based constructions mentioned above. But he just cannot pronounce the letter V.
I've tried to convince him that there are simple methods to learn consonants that don't occur in Thai (e.g. put your upper teeth on your lower lip...) but as is often the case he just doesn't believe me. So I get wacation and wery and wisa. And Wolwo.
Ten years ago I told him if he could say Volvo I'd buy him one. We're still driving the same old Honda.
 
 
 

My Thai friend speaks English well enough to have moved beyond the sort of Thai-based constructions mentioned above. But he just cannot pronounce the letter V.
I've tried to convince him that there are simple methods to learn consonants that don't occur in Thai (e.g. put your upper teeth on your lower lip...) but as is often the case he just doesn't believe me. So I get wacation and wery and wisa. And Wolwo.
Ten years ago I told him if he could say Volvo I'd buy him one. We're still driving the same old Honda.
 
 
 

My Thai friend speaks English well enough to have moved beyond the sort of Thai-based constructions mentioned above. But he just cannot pronounce the letter V.
I've tried to convince him that there are simple methods to learn consonants that don't occur in Thai (e.g. put your upper teeth on your lower lip...) but as is often the case he just doesn't believe me. So I get wacation and wery and wisa. And Wolwo.
Ten years ago I told him if he could say Volvo I'd buy him one. We're still driving the same old Honda.
 
 
 

My Thai friend speaks English well enough to have moved beyond the sort of Thai-based constructions mentioned above. But he just cannot pronounce the letter V.
I've tried to convince him that there are simple methods to learn consonants that don't occur in Thai (e.g. put your upper teeth on your lower lip...) but as is often the case he just doesn't believe me. So I get wacation and wery and wisa. And Wolwo.
Ten years ago I told him if he could say Volvo I'd buy him one. We're still driving the same old Honda.
 
 
 

My Thai friend speaks English well enough to have moved beyond the sort of Thai-based constructions mentioned above. But he just cannot pronounce the letter V.
I've tried to convince him that there are simple methods to learn consonants that don't occur in Thai (e.g. put your upper teeth on your lower lip...) but as is often the case he just doesn't believe me. So I get wacation and wery and wisa. And Wolwo.
Ten years ago I told him if he could say Volvo I'd buy him one. We're still driving the same old Honda.
 
 
 

My partner and I live in Thailand but we had a Civil Partnership in the UK
The reason being to try to make it easier for him to access the spouse pension from my pensions when the day eventually comes and I am no more.
I meet my guy over 8 years ago and we took it slowly, including us living together for 2 years in the UK so we could both assess what a permanent everyday relationship would be like.
He came from a poor family, so I have made a serious financial committment in land and a house (secured for what it's worth with a 30 year lease in my name)
I have never regretted it, my financial input has been repaid many times with his emotional input.

Usually, depending on the tides, there's no longer enough beach in that area to play volleyball. So, there is a mostly-gay group that plays down at the end of Dong Tarn beach next to the rescue station in the late afternoon. At the same time, another group plays at the beach courts across from the Jomtien Night Market just before Beach Road soi 9.

Usually, depending on the tides, there's no longer enough beach in that area to play volleyball. So, there is a mostly-gay group that plays down at the end of Dong Tarn beach next to the rescue station in the late afternoon. At the same time, another group plays at the beach courts across from the Jomtien Night Market just before Beach Road soi 9.

Sure, you can adapt in a civilized country. Here you've got motorbikes coming at you on or over the yellow line.
 
My friend drives over to Laos but he always brings along a passenger who can lean out and tell him when it's safe to pass.

There's a Corvette I see on Jomtien Beach Road. Be great to have one but how can you drive it on the left without killing someone? 

"Bangkok has a population of roughly eight million people; about 25 percent of them are citizens from other countries, including the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, and Japan. About a third of the total Western population of the city is American."
 
I have to wonder where the author got numbers like that? Couldn't figure out how to use Google so she just hit random keys on her calculator?

My Thai friend watches a show with a title that seems to translate as "Gay or Man?". On each episode there is a cute young guy who is teased and sexually harassed by the hosts who then vote whether they think he's gay or not. It's very very odd.

Two hours ago I had a root canal. Thank God I wasn't born in some other century.

I am one of those "some" though I would say you need to obtain an extension of your current permission to stay before it expires
 
I don't have a Retirement Visa (Non-OA), I have a Non-O Visa and it expired 10 years ago and there is no procedure that I know of at an embassy or consulate overseas or at an Immigration Police office in Thailand to renew or extend a visa be it a Non-OA, a Non-O or any other visa class
 
my current permission to stay expires in May 2015 and when I go to the Immigration Police office next May I will fill out a TM7 form  "APPLICATION FOR EXTENSION OF TEMPORARY STAY IN THE KINGDOM" and in the reason for extension I will state "Retirement" and produce the necessary supporting documentation. The officer will then stamp a new permission to stay till May 2016 into my passport
 
I would argue that the distinction between a visa and a permission to stay is important and if people understand the distinction and use the correct terminology then fewer forum threads would descend into confusion and misunderstanding. the same applies to the distinction between a Retirement Visa (Non-OA) and an extension of permission to stay based on retirement using a Non-O visa. others (not necessarily you) claim that this is just being pedantic and it does not matter what you call things - I don't really understand this line of reasoning!
 
similarly re your point 1 - a "retirement" visa does not become "null and void" when you leave the country, it or any other class of visa becomes null and void when you have used all permitted entries into the country or the expiry date has passed. if you have a multi-entry Non-OA Retirement Visa valid till 1 January 2015 and a current permission to stay till 1 December 2015 you don't need a re-entry permit if you plan to exit and return before 1 January 2015 (you will get a new permission to stay of 12 months from date of arrival), you do need a re-entry permit if you plan to exit and return after 1 January  before 1 December 2015 (you will get a permission to stay of 1 December 2015 on arrival), and you do not need a re-entry permit if you plan to exit and return after 1 December 2015 (you will need a new visa). if you have a single entry Non-O visa valid till 1 September 2014 and a current permission to stay till 1 December 2015 you do need a re-entry permit if you plan to exit and return before 1 December 2015 (you will get a permission to stay of 1 December 2015 on arrival), and you do not need a re-entry permit if you plan to exit and return after 1 December 2015 (you will need a new visa).
 
again I would argue that people need to understand how re-entry permits work in relation to visas and permissions to stay. wile I know you where talking about a specific case I think your statement is inherently confusing, and I don't think "everybody needs to remember that they need a reentry permit whenever they leave or their retirement visa (one-year extension based on retirement) is null and void upon exiting the country" really helps people understand how things work
 
from the responses of various posters here and other gay forums I am obviously flogging a dead horse on this but anyone who regularly reads threads in any forum on these issues, particularly including the "Thai visas, residency and work permits" forum on ThaiVisa, will I think quickly agree that correct terminology reduces confusion dramatically
 
bkkguy
 
 
 

EZTV has chronic technical problems. It's always been like that. They'll be back.
 
It's a useful site, but you don't need it. All they do is post a filtered list of tv show torrents taken from The Pirate Bay. To see the full unfiltered list, just go to
http://thepiratebay.org/browse.

Day 1: Bangkok to Siem Reap
 
The boys and I decided to go visit Cambodia and Angkor Wat for a few days. And, since my family has been giving me a hard time for staying in the same places and same hotels, I decided this trip would be more of an adventure than a 5 star holiday. I won't skimp on some good things but we will try to make it to Cambodia the cheapest way possible and stay in Siem Reap at an inexpensive hotel.
 
First, we did not make any reservations for transportation. We did make hotel reservations as I would not be able to make the journey without having security of knowing I had a place to stay. So, I went to Expedia. I found a great deal for 3 nights in Siem Reap at the Angkor Miracle Resort & Spa. They were having a sale at Expedia and we took advantage of it and booked our room for 45 USD per night for a pool view. There were cheaper hotels but I heard this one had good Internet and it got good reviews on Trip Advisor, so I booked it.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
http://www.angkormiracle.com/
 
While we were in Bangkok, we decided that we wanted a true adventure and so we chose to take the train to Cambodia. It was a hard decision for me as they had only one and it was not air conditioned and it was very rustic but we decided together this would be fun. The boys told me there was not enough room for my luggage so I packed only ONE backpack. When I got on the train, I saw I had been fooled as there was plenty of overhead space! (but, it would have been a real pain in the butt if I had taken 5 bags to cross the border. less is better on this trip)
 

 

 
 
 
We woke up at 4:30 AM and got showered and left at 5:00 AM. We took a taxi to the train station. The taxi cost 60 baht or about 2USD. The train station only took us about 10 minutes that time of the morning. The train station was Bangkok's main Hualamphong station and the morning train left at 05:55 every day and arriving Aranyaprathet 11:35 (so they say, we were about 30 min late).
 
 

 

 
 
Once you get there, you walk over to the place that sells the tickets. This area has many windows and if you ask, you will be directed to the right one. We all approached and gave our ID's and I was told 48 baht (1.50 USD). That was the price of my ticket but the boys were free as they are Thai and only had to show ID card for the free ticket.
 
 

 
 
 
We got our tickets and made way to the track that we were told to wait at (also on the tickets). The boys told me: "be careful of your pockets" and I said OK. I do remember one boy I met in Pattaya had lived at this train station from the time he was 8 until he was 15 and moved to Pattaya and he said he lived with a group of kids and they all mugged people and picked their pockets. Since I know of this, I was careful.
 
The train is 3rd class only and there is no air conditioner. They do have bathrooms in all the cars but it is VERY basic. The seats are comfortable and you sit 2 to each seat. The boys and I took the spots we wanted and were happy with them. But, the window was broken and so we quickly moved one seat over. That was a good move as a few people sat there on the 6 hour journey and the window came crashing down on them.
 

 

 
 
 
We met a nice couple from England and had a nice chat with them.
 
The train stopped at every little village and town we passed by. Sometimes, there was not even a station in the town but there was just a little dirt near the tracks where people were waiting.
 
We were offered food and drinks on board by the vendors that get on the train and walk up and down the entire time. We got some water which was 10 baht.
 

 

 

 
 
 
We did not eat on the train but many people did.
 
There was a wide variety of people on this train and we met everything from businessmen to students to GoGo boys. There was also a great deal of tourist and backpackers on board. It was a very eclectic mix.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
The seat broke on me. Sad story. But, yes, my girth killed it (or at least flattened it). The boys laughed but I was very embarrassed. It wasn't destroyed but it just moved down a bit. But, it was as loud as the thunder you hear in the midst of a store! I stayed where I was at for a bit but then I moved over to a single seat. It was much better for me. There were periods of time when the train was over full and times when it was sparse with customers. So, when one seat emptied out, I took possession and was very happy the rest of the trip.
 
 

 
 
The train is comfortable and the people working it were all very kind to me and stopped and chatted with us.
 
We got off at Aranyaprathet a bit after 12 and there were Tuk Tuk's waiting for us. They were waiting directly outside the train and as we were getting off, they were all yelling for us to choose them. I chose one once we got off and he said it was 100 baht to the border. I said fine and off we went. It was about 3 miles to the border.
 

 
 
 
The Tuk Tuk driver tried to take us to the wrong place so he could earn some more money. They do this often. But, I knew this was not the "Official" place and I told him No. No. He finally took us to the right place to enter the line to exit Thailand. They tried to take every other group of foreigners to the same place. LOL When the group saw me raising my voice and directing him to turn around and go to the right place, the English couple did the same thing and 3 others followed. They didn't know what to expect at the border but they said they were glad they saw me leaving.
 

 
 
 
You must leave Thailand and get your passport stamped. I did that and as soon as you leave that area, you are approached by 100 people trying to get you to get their "official" Cambodian Visa. I didn't listen and just looked directly across the street to the real visa office and went there. My little group all followed. The boys did not have to do this as they had to get in another line to get their 15 day Free Visa.
 
The visa to Cambodia is 20 USD. It takes a bit to fill out the paperwork and then give them a photo and your passport and they will give you the visa. It took only about 10 minutes total. After I left there, I saw the Casino I like and I headed straight there as we all wanted to eat and use the restroom before the next journey. We also may have wanted to play a bit of blackjack.
 
After the casino, we had to get the stamp to enter Cambodia. This one took a bit longer as now the process you and take fingerprints of EVERY finger. This did not happen last time I went to Cambodia but it did this time. The process made the wait longer. It took me about 1 hour to get this done.
 
The boys were waiting outside for me as they didn't have to deal with all this bS.
 
Once outside, again everyone wanted us to follow them to either a taxi or a bus. We were tired and decided a taxi. I got the driver to agree to 1000 baht to take us to the hotel in Siem Reap. It took a bit over 2 hours.
 
The hotel is very nice. The pool is beautiful. The Internet works great. The rooms are very comfortable. We had dinner here and that was also very tasty. The boys forgot to bring swimsuits so they took a Tuk Tuk to the night market to buy something to swim in tomorrow.
 
The entire journey took us 12 hours. It was a very long day but I was able to see the Thai countryside and it was beautiful. Rice fields, water buffalo, amazing birds, green wherever we looked and the amazing Thai smiles.
 
It was defiantly a trip I will remember. We will be in Siem Reap for 3 nights and are very excited for our tour guide tomorrow to see the ruins!

Three things in my life had a strong influence on me.
 
In my 30's I had a gay partner with a similar income to mine. We bought a house together, had a big mortgage. This was long before any kind of domestic partnership was available, not that it would have helped much. So we paid good money for a set of matching wills and other documents to protect each other financially. That relationship ended after 18 years but it ended well.
 
During that time I had a co-worker, a friend, who likewise had a long term partner. When my friend died of AIDS, his partner found out that my friend's faraway family didn't know my friend was gay. The partner ended up on the street and died three years later in a homeless shelter. I found this out much later and was deeply shocked. I still don't understand it.
 
In Thailand, a decade ago, I settled down with a guy who seemed to have lost faith in life itself. The three people whom he'd cared most about had died much too young. His one good friend, his father, his sister. To this day he's distrustful of Fate but he's finally come to trust me when I explain how it's all going to work out for him. Still, it's hard to get him to spend money. He squirrels away in the bank his every baht. Won't let me buy him a new mobile or motorbike or anything else unnecessary. I wish he'd lighten up a bit more, and I guess he has to a degree. Anyway, I've done all I can do.     

Three things in my life had a strong influence on me.
 
In my 30's I had a gay partner with a similar income to mine. We bought a house together, had a big mortgage. This was long before any kind of domestic partnership was available, not that it would have helped much. So we paid good money for a set of matching wills and other documents to protect each other financially. That relationship ended after 18 years but it ended well.
 
During that time I had a co-worker, a friend, who likewise had a long term partner. When my friend died of AIDS, his partner found out that my friend's faraway family didn't know my friend was gay. The partner ended up on the street and died three years later in a homeless shelter. I found this out much later and was deeply shocked. I still don't understand it.
 
In Thailand, a decade ago, I settled down with a guy who seemed to have lost faith in life itself. The three people whom he'd cared most about had died much too young. His one good friend, his father, his sister. To this day he's distrustful of Fate but he's finally come to trust me when I explain how it's all going to work out for him. Still, it's hard to get him to spend money. He squirrels away in the bank his every baht. Won't let me buy him a new mobile or motorbike or anything else unnecessary. I wish he'd lighten up a bit more, and I guess he has to a degree. Anyway, I've done all I can do.     

Three things in my life had a strong influence on me.
 
In my 30's I had a gay partner with a similar income to mine. We bought a house together, had a big mortgage. This was long before any kind of domestic partnership was available, not that it would have helped much. So we paid good money for a set of matching wills and other documents to protect each other financially. That relationship ended after 18 years but it ended well.
 
During that time I had a co-worker, a friend, who likewise had a long term partner. When my friend died of AIDS, his partner found out that my friend's faraway family didn't know my friend was gay. The partner ended up on the street and died three years later in a homeless shelter. I found this out much later and was deeply shocked. I still don't understand it.
 
In Thailand, a decade ago, I settled down with a guy who seemed to have lost faith in life itself. The three people whom he'd cared most about had died much too young. His one good friend, his father, his sister. To this day he's distrustful of Fate but he's finally come to trust me when I explain how it's all going to work out for him. Still, it's hard to get him to spend money. He squirrels away in the bank his every baht. Won't let me buy him a new mobile or motorbike or anything else unnecessary. I wish he'd lighten up a bit more, and I guess he has to a degree. Anyway, I've done all I can do.     

I've been accused of being morbid because I take these matters so seriously, but for me it's a considerable source of pride.
 
When I'm gone it may be remembered that I was lacking in social skills but no one will say I was thoughtless. I promised my partner long ago that I would take care of him into the future and I've done everything I can to make that happen.

I've been accused of being morbid because I take these matters so seriously, but for me it's a considerable source of pride.
 
When I'm gone it may be remembered that I was lacking in social skills but no one will say I was thoughtless. I promised my partner long ago that I would take care of him into the future and I've done everything I can to make that happen.

Very generous, Michael. Thanks.

Lumphini Park
 
Lumphini Park is a park in the middle of the massive city of Bangkok. It is located right in the business area and is over 140 acres of land.
 

 
BTS Skytrain Silom Line Sala Daeng Station is nearby.
 
MRT (Bangkok) Lumphini Station and Si Lom Station are nearby.
 
It is also easy to take a taxi there as every taxi will be able to find the park. I would call it Bangkok's Central Park.
 
There is a great deal to do inside the oasis from the city.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
You can ride bikes and train here. They have marked road signs that show you how far you bike and many take advantage of the great trails through this beautiful park.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
You can work out at the outdoor gym. They also have a swim place there and another gym but I love watching the outdoor gym. It reminds me a bit of Muscle Beach at times.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
You can take a ride on the paddle boats. There are different kinds to choose from.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
You will see many different kinds of animals in the park. An abundance of birds, reptiles and other critters are always out and about.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
You will see a variety of beautiful flowers and scenery.
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
Some people just relax. You will see many bring a mat and tap a lunch nap or just sit and read a book. The park is very relaxing.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
Some people are there to play. I love playing chess in Washington Square Park and there is a group of guys that place chess here every day.
 

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
Some people are there to just enjoy life. After all, you are in one of the greatest cities on earth. How could not enjoy enjoy it?
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Not tipping for standard service seems quite logical to me. After all, no one tips the staff in the nearest 7-11, or those a multitude of other low paying customer facing jobs. So there's no real need to tip a masseur if he's done a standard job."
 
I'm sorry to say it so roughly but that's ignorant. 7-11 clerks get the same pay (now 300 baht minimum wage) whether there are customers or not. Masseurs get little more than a bowl of noodles for their 12-hour shift unless they get a customer and even then it's only an average of 100 baht out of the shop's 250 baht.
 
Massage shops are different from any other commerce here. It's not actually a tip at all, it's a system of separate payments where the amount for the masseur is up to you.
 
 
"Having said that, I usually offer something."
 
Offer? Like, in case they want it?
 
 
I get heated about this topic because I know a lot about the shops and the way they operate. Bottom line: if you like the fact that these shops exist then you need to help keep the staff from starving.