Rogie

I've been impressed with the Brandt series of guidebooks in the past so was hoping and expecting to find they have a Burma/Myanmar one but apparently not (I just checked). No doubt there will be someone out there researching one but these things take time, so in fact I would be a bit suspicious if any guidebook from a company who haven't produced one before appeared out of the blue, as it's probably too soon to expect a decent one to come out following Burma's emergence into the limelight. The only other guidebook I could track down was one called the Blueprint Guide. Here is a link to a site with some info on it, preceded by a rather quirky exerpt: I don't suppose you frequent the Pickeled Liver pub do you Fountainhall, or how about you Michael next time you are in Bangkok; but it might be worth your while checking it out, or if anyone is planning an independent trip whether as a first time traveller or as a more committed Burma-phile. http://tools4fools.info/blueprinthome.html

Here's showing my ignorance: the only Lincoln statue I've ever seen is the famous one in Washington DC the one where he's seated. I may have seen others, but if so they haven't stuck in my mind. I'd need a ton of clues to even get to first base guess-wise.

Welcome to the forum Anddy. That's a nice photo. I would like to make a suggestion: (but it's Michael's call as he's set the competition up) Have an award as originally intended for best kiss but, also an award for best near-kiss or looking-like-they-may-end-up-kissing, or whatever.

Apart from a bit of controversy (the long-running, but now largely forgotten, should you or should you not visit Burma argument) as far as I know the LP guide has traditionally been well regarded. I have only ever bought one - the 2000 - edition and used that for several visits in subsequent years and was always grateful to have it. I can't comment on the latest edition as I didn't buy it for my brief visit earlier this year, but I have to say I would be surprised if the old LP ethos could survive such a transformation. Soon after I bought my Burma LP guide and following an enquiry I'd made to Lonely Planet I received a long email from them answering my queries in full and signed by none other than Tony Wheeler himself (the founder of Lonely Planet). Now as to whether it was the great man himself who actually sat down and compiled that email I shall never know but now all links with LP's origins have been broken I cannot see them building up the same faithful following of independent travellers who bought the books because usually (I'm sure not all - inevitably there must have been a few dogs) they could be relied upon being researched and written by people not much different from themselves. That's important because it makes what might seem a daunting prospect, visiting a country you know hardly anything about (the cover of the 2000 edition actually had a a sub-heading Myanmar - The Unknown Golden Land) more accessible and do-able by just about anybody with the right can-do attitude. Yes that is a good foundation for a travel route. I don't think you could really expect to see more of the country on a first visit and in fact I only managed to visit 3 of the 4 mentioned. I failed to get to Inle Lake, although I went trekking for 3 days from a base in Kalaw instead. One has to bear in mind the distances are quite big and the roads slow and buses old so you need to allow lots of time for travelling. Some of the roads are probably better now. Z's comment raises and interesting point. I would suggest that anyone wishing to visit Myanmar as an independent traveller will need to do a lot more forward planning than was formerly necessary. Ideas of just walking into a hotel and expecting to get a room may no longer be realistic, I don't know, but no harm in pre-booking provided you have your itinerary all worked out. And that's the rub, isn't it? The beauty of independant travel is the ability to make your plans on the hoof or to alter them at short notice. So, all in all I think I would recommend anybody visiting for the first time to join an organised tour. There will (and Nikom's comments ring true about other Asians wanting a slice of the action) be plenty of new tours being offered, although if I were contemplating joining a tour group I would use one from my home country rather than a Myanmar-based one - who knows some of the new crop of entrepreneurs may have 'previous' form, shall we say.

Can I add a 'like this' to the elephant festival report?

Good discussion and info. I didn't know how the masseurs were remunerated - basic wage plus 'tips' (for want of a better word). Could one draw a parallel with an offed go-go boy versus a boy working in a beer bar who simply spends time chatting with the bar's customers? The happy-ending masseur gets a good 'tip' (the equivalent of the 'up to you') and the masseur undertaking the plain massage gets a lot less, but at least 100 baht seems reasonable with 200 baht a decent 'tip' for a good enjoyable massage. Even if just a plain massage I like it when you can sense the masseur is enjoying what he's doing and so would tip more for someone doing a wholehearted one than if he was chatting to his co-masseurs, on his mobile or watching TV, although I have to admit there's nothing remarkable about most people's bodies so I guess it's understandable if the average masseur has difficulty summoning up much enthusiasm, especially in the case of an ordinary one hour no-frills massage. The happy-ending masseur might be expected to show a lot more enthusiasm, because if nothing else, he's going to be well remunerated. Duck or grouse!

Last time I checked Bob (in May this year) there were twice weekly flights from Chiang Mai to Rangoon. Not sure what airline though. See link plus discussion at: http://www.gaythaila...012/#entry56794

The rainy season's over! Surely this was just a heavy downpour. It would be interesting to know if other parts of Bangkok also were also overwhelmed, or whether it was just a little local difficulty.

So which of those was it? I didn't get to see it!! Was it monstrous? Deformed? Grotesque? Maligned? Not sure what that means - does it mean one that's been the victim of an SM attack? Or, more likely, was it a perfect 10?

Just a quick consideration of Dale's point that leaving a house unattended is risky. Why not employ a live-in maid? He/she can stay behind and look after the place when you are away. It will not make the house 100% secure but ought to deter the casual or opportunistic thief.

I expect houses are expensive to buy in Pattaya and you can probably forget it in Bangkok, whereas in many towns and cities away from the bright lights probably affordable to the average farang retiring to Thailand - where I understand you need a Thai partner in order to 'legimitise' the sale. Many farang choose to have their dream home built from scatch, buying a plot of land, choosing an architect and builder and moving in a few months later. In places where land is scarce and property prices accordingly high, if I chose to live there I'd opt for a condo but if I was living the quiet life in Isarn or northern Thailand I'd rent a house first and if I was happy living in that area and decided to put down roots there I'd consider buying a house. . . it wouldn't be stocked with much of value and I'd make certain all the locals knew that. No Rothko's on the walls, no antiques, no jewellery blah blah.

If I was living in Pattaya I'd definitely go along and take a look, but I'm not. Thanks for the tip though. Let's hope another GT member decides to buy one. Would be interesting to hear how a first-time bread machine user gets on with one.

Some time after I said that, I read an article written by a man who'd been circumcised as a boy for religious reasons. He now has a son and had been agonising over whether to have him circumcised. He decided in the end not to. I am wavering somewhat as a result of reading that. I haven't had a chance to look up Christian's links yet as my 'net connection's a bit slow. Maybe I'll get a chance later.

No, you have a first-class mind khun Koko. 'Dirty' minds are only a problem if that person has a one-track mind, which you certainly do not have as you tantalise us baffle us and intrigue us at your many quizzes. Quite a battle of the wits sometimes.

No Bob. you're no Adonis, sorry - you ain't Adonis. I wasn't too thrilled to read this smug statement from a guy called Tobias (what parent would want to call his kid Tobias, Toby's ok, but Tobias. . . ?) I'm no socialist, but to me that's screaming: if you want proof the gap between rich and poor is widening . . . look no further! ______________________________________________________________________ And thank you Koko, I forgot to say I enjoyed checking out the site you linked to in post #14.

Sorry to hear you had to go to hospital after eating croc. Were you joking, did you really eat crocodile meat? What did it taste like and does it have to be cooked in any particular way? Are we going to see it on sale in franchise outlets any time soon?

I thought so too, until I realised he's not a fan of Magnums of Champagne - rather the thing on a stick that goes all gooey when you suck them . . .

Do you mean Mormon Koko? I haven't seen this fim but Moron doesn't make sense to me! Later : just twigged, the film's called Latter Days so must be two Mormon guys.

Just a guess - you pay for a two year membership but if you are going out of town for a few weeks or months you can put it on hold. Then resume when you get back, so a 2 year membership might end up lasting a lot longer.

How do you know it's a cold one? Do you take it on trust or do you cop a quick feel first. Another good reason to be based in Jomtien rather than Pattaya. No need to rush back. I've read there's a film called The Impossible with a storyline based around the tsunami. Not sure if it's been released yet.

I'm going up to Chiang Rai later today, arriving tomorrow. A search brought up this thread from March this year. Anyone ever stayed there that can recommend accommodation? Any updated news re places to visit would be very welcome. Khun Nekete: I see you last accessed the board last month so hopefully you are still reading this forum. I hope your trip in March went well.

That raises an interesting point Z. Jogging on the beach sounds nice, especially early morning, but what about those living in Bangkok for example? (assuming you don't want to go to a gym) I think I would head for one of the parks. Lumphini Park is a good one and although I haven't done so would be good for jogging I imagine. I've seen people there doing the organised dancing-on-the-spot thing and the atmosphere always seems fun.

My Thai companion and myself were dancing in one of those places on the beach in Samet (the island) and a couple of young-ish falung males made some noises but hardly an incident, just a mild annoyance. On a related subject, and in view of the feeling the majority of adverse comments made come from the mouths of drunken yobs, one has to be very careful if you yourself have drunk a little too much. You may be able to hold your drink and shrug it off but your Thai friend especially if he's had a few may react badly risking escalating the problem. I say that because although Thais are lovely people under normal circumstances, when they risk losing face there is the chance they may turn violent. If the offending homophobic falung(s) is/are old and fat that's one thing but if they are young and bristling with testosterone better watch out!

That photo is surrealistic, like a disaster movie almost. I had no idea such big ships could do that. From the tourists point of view, how awful to arrive at the train station just as a cruise ship disgorges its passengers. Presumably Venice Council, or whoever have responsibility for running the city, know when a cruise ship's due to dock so a call to them will tell the day visitor which days to avoid.

That's a great photo in post #35. Like many I have my likes and dislikes and most have been touched on: 1. sausages: the ones in Up2U's photo look ok so I am in agreement with GB there - but it pays to be wary; who wants to eat an inferior product for breakfast, a meal with the potential to set you up for the whole day? Decent breakfast sausages are sadly seldom encountered. Can you buy sausage-makers? Same idea as bread machines for example. That would be fun and I'd love to try my hand at that - otherwise, I doubt I'll be rushing over to GBT to check out the 'hands on' recipes; sounds like too much of a steep learning curve for me. 2. baked beans versus tomato: you can't beat some nice tomato wedges cooked just enough to be soft and juicy. The ones in the photo look good. Some places substitute tinned (canned) tomatoes but they just don't cut it for me, like eating instant mashed potato versus the real thing. Some places offer beans or tomato. I often say no to baked beans even if tomato is offered as well. I hate it when the beans are all runny and the juice slops all over the plate. I like the way the beans are served in that photo - in their own tiny dish. 3. There is no #3. I just realised if I carry on I'll end up listing about a dozen things I'm fussy about . . . guess that's more or less everything.