macaroni21

It's not that big a time zone change. Only 5 hours' difference in the northern winter and 4 hours' difference in the northern summer. Try flying from Sydney to anywhere interesting! In any case, one thing about being senior and retired (presumably you are) is that we have all the time on the world. My usual solution when I fly anywhere with more than 6 hours' time zone change is to plan to stay an extra day after arriving in the foreign country; no pressure to do anything other than settle in, walk the neighbourhood and familiarise myself with useful things like where's the nearest convenience store, the nearest ATM, the nearest laundry shop, etc. And sleep as much as I need. If you're slow to adjust, then stay 2 extra days at the start of the holiday. Only costs a bit more compared to flights costs. Cheaper than those who absolutely must fly business class for its flat bed (if any) - and still suffer from jet lag. 🤪

It's already less twinky than in its heyday when Sunnee Plaza was the centre of the action. Some punters miss those days and that scene.

A haircut had better go well. I think most of us would be furious if it didn't; the result might lead to public embarrassment. 😡

I've come across boys working in Type 2, 3 or 4 places, who started off with formal training and a job in a Type 1 place. The two most common reasons they've shared with me for leaving a Type 1 place is that (a) there is a lot of waiting around for just a few customers, so not a lot of tips. This tends to happen in hotel-linked establishments, where most customers choose female therapists; or (b) they get too much work with little rest between one customer and the next. This tends to happen in HealthLand and Prime. I'm sure the attraction of bigger tips in Type 2, 3 or 4 places also factors in, but generally, it is left unsaid. A type 1 place is a shop that is strict about offering only massage, with next to no possibility of sex. A type 2 place is a shop that maintains the fiction that it is about massage and with good reason - because their boys (and girls) are trained; however most boys (and girls) do offer sex in the room, if clients show interest though some service providers may still not offer. A type 3 place also maintains the fiction that it is about massage, but their staff generally have no training in massage, and it is common knowledge among their clients that one visits for some other objective. A type 4 place is open about the fact (in its marketing) that it is about sex.

Should we assume that an enhanced dick was the primary reason you were unhappy with your visit to Fafa? And that poor housekeeping or asking for payment upfront (objectionable though it is to me too) were secondary reasons? I would agree that a place that is essentially a knock shop should have the manager knowing that customers dislike enhanced dicks and the manager should have checked before hiring. Failing to do so would be unacceptable. But it doesn't mean that all the other boys too had enhancements, and therefore a single instance of siliconisation does not warrant, by my books, a complete write-off of the entire shop and its entire stable of boys. @Keithambrose you have hope yet. The last time I encountered an enhanced dick was some years ago in one of the shops opposite the Meridien on Surawong Road. Naturally, it was a big disappointment. Unlike Fafa, these shops are Type 2 - they don't see themselves as being in the sex business - so the managers would not have a right to inspect the genital equipment of their staff (male or female) before hiring. I therefore could not blame the management for my disappointment. Yet, that incident was memorable. After I discovered in the massage room that my guy had been enhanced, I simply decided that I wouldn't do him, and with my eyes mostly closed, let him do me. What resulted was one of the best edging sessions I had. The bugger had skills!

Kuwaitis? 🤣

That's completely opposite to my experience, albeit that it was just one visit and a few years ago. Hope it hasn't gone downhill. The thing about reports and reviews is that to make sense, we really need multiple reports over time. For what I think is a less-frequented place like Fafa, this may be lacking. Same with the Saphan Khwai places. Ever since reader left this board, we haven't had many reports. He was a regular patron of those places. Yet, by all impressions from their social media, they're going strong.

Speaking only of the gogo bars in the patpong area, and including Jupiter on soi 4 and Moonlight, they open around 9, but expect to be the lonely first customer until about 10pm. They start emptying out by 11:30 or midnight.

The problem may be that BTS' Rabbit card also serves as a shopping card, which they have been promoting for years. They make money when cardholders use it that way too. So, I have a sneaky feeling that BTS sees the adoption of credit card gateways as a move that will gradually reduce the need to hold the Rabbit card, which will reduce the shopping side of the business.

Thanks @Foolish for filling us in on the absurd incompetence that night. Yup, the CEO of the airport should also be fired, and some of the line managers too.

Thanks for clearing this up. It sounds like a stupid rule, but then again, maybe "volunteering" has been abused in the past by other expats to earn an income on the side.

@Foolish Can you share with us when and how you finally got your luggage? Would give some of us an idea of what happens at Suvarnabhumi when things break down like this.

Why would barbering need a licence or certificate? While there may be such rules in developed countries, I can't imagine that to be the case in Cambodia. @Keithambrose 's question may be a lot more pertinent now that you have described how Cam will be busy helping families members in various towns. While volunteering is a great way to stay engaged and make new friends, I read somewhere that even unpaid volunteer work is not permitted, but was that for Thailand or Cambodia? Can't remember.

I don't understand this. Why would Thai airways prioritise helping other airlines (albeit "partners") and their passengers over its own customers? Or do we mean Bkk Suvarnabhumi airport management prioritising other airlines over Thai? If so, why? If you still have the link to the press articles, could you share?

Could I trouble you for a Google Map image or coordinates? Although, to be honest, cinemas are not my scene. The last time I ventured into one was decades ago when there were one or two in the Paholyothin area in Bangkok (do they still exist?). The whole place was so yucky, the air so stale, I fled.

Don't blame yourself. 😜 It's long been banned by American political correctness.

Now that @jimmie50 has reappeared in the Cambodia forum, to everyone's relief, @Foolish is missing in action. Last we heard, he was in a massive queue to file a baggage report. I hope he didn't have to spend all night at Suvarnabhumi in that queue, or better yet, I hope he's been reunited with his luggage by now. It's a very upsetting way to start a holiday.

That's a good attitude to have when things just can't be under ones control. When you're surrounded by people who will look out for you, you can trust that the "flow" they arrange will probably turn out fine, even if in unexpected ways. There have been situations when, having no choice but to go with the flow, I surprised myself what I could put up with and what I was capable of in circumstances I never imagined. A bit of an ego booster, then. Good to hear you're well and adjusting to a new life!

+1

Thank you for taking the trouble to write these reviews. They're very much to the point with useful information, though as you yourself said, ultimately taste can differ. But the information about shops and pricing are definitely helpful.

That's not what I see on their Japanese signboards. They say Don Quijote (sorry I spelled it as Don Quixote earlier). But you may be correct that the customers have long shortened it to Donki. See their own website: https://www.donki.com/en/. That said, corporate headquarters may be moving towards a uniform use of "Donki", seeing how their domain name for their website is "Donki".

@aaroninatl you've mentioned Chiang Mai being in the mountains and therefore cooler a few times. I don't know which video gave you that idea but the city is only 300 m above sea level. Considering that temperature drops on average about 6 to 7 degrees per 1000 m increase in elevation, we're only talking about 2 degrees effect on temperature. However, being inland, the air is usually drier unlike the high humidity of Bangkok. But inland can also mean that the summer maximum temp will be higher than Bangkok, say 40-42 degrees on bad days. Good that you're asking people you meet how they cope with haze. You may also want to ask about the hot season (after the haze).

I read somewhere that the original intention was to globalise the Don Quixote brand, but when the research business expansion into Southeast Asia, they found that "Don Quixote" had already been registered as trademarks in some countries. That's how "Donki" came to be adopted for their overseas expansion.

I have been admiring your very careful and patient research and planning. Glad to see that you have very comfortably and confidently made these big decisions. Does that mean that you will be splitting your time 50/50 between Cebu and Pattaya? Does Thailand allow you an aggregate of 180 days per year?

Haha, hold on a sec. The family isn't building a new house for @jimmie50 they're building one for themselves. If they are used to squat toilets, they will build squat toilets.