monkeyman

I want to use my air miles for an upgrade, but I'm not sure what to do as the EVA website isn't too helpful. Can I buy a ticket and order an upgrade from anywhere or do I have to go through EVA? And what exactly do you have to do?

Well, that last bit nipped a couple of dozen Dr Who jokes in the bud.

I don't think I like the sound of that...

Maybe they just wanted to test the cake.

Agreed. And they're Pattaya based, so the drivers know where all the hotels are.

A moving tribute. Thanks Ben.

My only real criticism of Sabai Lodge is that the rooms tend to be rather dark, though this isn't true of the new Sabai Wing.

Thanks Pete. Having seen and talked to Om so shortly before her death has made this all the more poignant for me. I hope our efforts will in some small way help her family to get through their tragic loss.

Martin Thanks for reopening the account as I hadn't seen your post until now. I've just sent a donation. Hopefully there will be many more to follow. Om deserves nothing less. be seeing you monkeyman

This is the first time I've been on the board since I last spoke to Om just three short days ago. The news is still sinking in as I try to write this. Shit happens. But why did it have to happen to her? I don't think I can write any more right now. Rest in peace, little one. I will always remember you.

Didn't mention sex though, did he?

Maybe there's another angle to what's happening. Consider this. My recollection is that Toxin never really stood in the spotlight when it came to the so-called "Social Order Policy", but always took a step back and let Puritannical, Preacher or whoever be the focus of whatever was going on. It occurred to me that perhaps this was a policy he didn't necessarily believe in, but was something he perceived, probably correctly, as being popular with people whose votes he needed. Now the election is over and he has the majority he needs, he no longer needs to compromise or cow-tow to such people but can do things the way he wants regardless of public opinion. I think he may be such a man. If this is the case, there is at least a possibility that his re-election with a big majority might be good news rather than bad. I don't think that morality is high on his personal list of priorities, and he no longer needs to pretend that it is. He is a businessman and I would expect him to behave like one. All the better for us if he does IMHO. Hopefully this bar stuff will slip down the agenda. If the man wants greatness, he won't get it by closing bars in a futile attempt to fight a battle that I'm sure he's intelligent enough to know he can never win. He will have bigger fish to fry, that will give him greater kudos and greater accolades. None of this works if there's any social or moral basis behind these leaflets, which is why I would at least consider the possibility that the origin and purpose of this threatened first round of post-election bar closures is far more important than the mere fact of them. But then what do I know about Thai politics? Nothing. be seeing you monkeyman

So where did this directive originate from? It all seems too low key to be any kind of political gesture.

Is that the Thai version of Bombay Mix?

I believe they managed to save the furry dice.

A baht bus hit one of these farang "lovelies" the other day. "Didn't you see me?" she shouted "Yes" "Well why didn't you drive round me?" "Didn't have enough fuel"

I think that the criticism tends to be on aesthetic rather than geographical grounds. Good accessibility, bad ambience.

Well, a move to Walking Street would make a lot of sense as the biggest criticism you ever hear of the Vientiane is its location.

This has got to be the FUNNIEST thing I've ever heard in my life, so I thought it was time to share it with those who haven't discovered it yet. Briefly, "Ask Elvis" is a short slot that appears here and there as part of the Steve Wright Show on Radio 2 in the UK. People phone in questions about anything from nuclear fission to what is the ideal body temperature for their cat and "Elvis" is straight in there with the definitive answer, and it is SERIOUSLY funny. The best bits for me are when he breaks into song, doing anything from "Stairway To Heaven" to "Banana Splits". The best way to get to hear it is to go to the Radio 2 website where they've got a selection of some of the best clips for you to play back. Just type "ask elvis" into your search engine. The Brits among you have just gotta try the one called "Cor Blimey Trousers" and hear the immortal "Elvis" rendition of "My Old Man's A Dustman". Bloody priceless. be seeing you monkeyman

Vientiane or the shopping centre?

Lifestyle Shopping Centres. Another dose of cultural poison. Great.

....then you click on edit and correct your spelling mistakes.

For you ze var iss over...

.... or eating grits. Sheeeeeeiiiiit!!!

That was probably just Gai with a couple of punters.