js007

Look on YouTube. Last night I saw some videos supposedly taken around Sukhumvit and/or Soi Nana. Barricades, tear gas, army guys with guns…. Looks like a mess.

I guess I don't get it. If Thailand is going to have a democracy, can't the large Red Shirt majority always elect one of their own?

I have a feeling none of this will end well.

Don't kid yourself. Here in the states there are plenty of old ladies at the grocery store writing checks in the checkout line. Not only do they take all day to write the check, they then balance their checkbook while standing in line. Finally, they leave after chatting with the cashier for five minutes. I'm usually tempted to ask them if they've ever heard of an invention called the debit card, but so far, I've restrained myself.

I can't imagine using a debit card in Thailand to do anything other than take cash out of an ATM. And even doing that, I'm careful. I take out 20,000 baht at a time. When I buy something, I pay cash.

I've heard of people making good money off their e-books. It might start out slowly, but if the books catch on, the sky is the limit.

When I saw the news story the other day, it didn't make much sense to me. Why fly to just Tokyo? They're in the airline business and they surely must have customers for the route between Tokyo and Bangkok.

How do you get that deal through Chase?

I'd try Agoda or one of the other online booking sites. You might find something there. As for Secrets? It's not that noisy staying there, so long as you're not in a room that backs up onto the What's Up? go go bar.

New Visa rules? That didn't ever happen, did it?

Very nice pictures! I want to visit there some day.

I usually bring all three. Some cash, some travelers checks, and credit cards. I also have a Thai bank account and a thai ATM card. You really don't want to be in Thailand and have your credit card and ATM cards frozen.

That looks like a real deal, for sure.

Was Boracay anywhere near the area hit by the Typhoon?

If you're trying to avoid the holiday people, then skip Christmas and New Years. In my experience, though, it can be fun to be in Pattaya over the holidays, provided you can find a room.

For what it's worth, I once bought some Ecco brand sandals in Phuket that are well made. I think it's a Swedish brand. Cost me 3000 baht.

For the heck of it I looked at the Teva website. They must have 100 different types of sandals. Are you Teva lovers talking about any particular style?

It seems to me like they ought to be able to operate a ferry safely. No bad weather, right?

The thing about a phone camera is that you usually have it with you. On the other hand, if you have a larger bulky camera, it might be better, but will you have it with you? Or will it be back in the hotel safe?

I'm sure there are tons of farming websites about pig farming. It's big business in parts of the world. It can also be risky business, I think, depending. Remember, pigs have to eat. And when it comes time to bring them to market, you may be lucky just to get your money back.

Tequila Reef can be good, depending on the cook. One time I went there and had a great burrito. Went back a week later and it wasn't so good. I guess anyplace can be hit or miss.

21 years ago! The funny thing is, 1992 seems like just yesterday for me. Anyway, nice report. Perhaps in another 20 years, in 2033, someone will post a trip report about the "good old days" in 2013.

I'm not sure what I was thinking in 1988, but at the time it wasn't Pattaya. My loss. I guess I didn't hear about the place until the late 1990s.

Pattaya is an easy place to live, but I'm not sure it would be my first choice. I like Phuket, but the public transportation system there sucks, and the real estate can be overpriced. I like Bangkok. I've thought about buying a place there for a base of operations for travel around Asia.

When I win the lottery I'm going to spend my time flying around the world first class and staying in five star hotels. The flight looked nice. On YouTube there are a few videos of the treatment you get in Thai first class. I guess some of the lounges have a massage service. I wonder how that is?