graymatter

Did you get to place on the map that says "here there be dragons"? After all that is how St George got his reputation.

It seems very obvious but you should check your email settings to disable macros and disable the Automatic download feature for pictures web pages etc. Even the most careful operator can pick up malware nowadays.

In Australia you can only bring back 50 cigarettes. I'm not a smoker but my brother is so I thought I might bring back a carton and I got a shock when I found out that I was way over the limit. I opened the carton and had individual packets in every pocket of my shorts and shirt. Shouldn't have worried because I just walked straight through customs. My worst issue was when I bought back three boxes of Kamagra. I ticked the declaration card that I was bringing back drugs and the customs guy gave me a quick look over until I started listing all my prescription medication. He just smiled and waved me through.

I can't talk for all of Pattaya but its business as usual in most places. I usually get a few T/shirts in a plastic bag so I can sit in a gogo without dripping touch. Missed last year but the year before the girls virtually shut up shop on the last day so they could "play Songkran" We headed down soi 6 and most of the bars were actually closed. It was quite surreal. Fortunately, I arranged a home visit with a meal in my room after 7pm and my friend was ore than happy to come over and get dry after standing in second road all day. Just a point...if you ride a bike on the last two days you need your head read. Most dangerous days of the year.

Would have to be minus C wouldn't it.

If your act is as good as this then count me in//// in fact I might pay you to let me manage you/

If you just want a drawing of a picture then perhaps there is a software solution. I posted this picture last week It takes a few minutes to turn this into a drawing and you just print the size that suits you Saves a lot of messing around.

I have done two Songkrans so far and would love to do another one. Last year I walked down Soi Buakhao. past the “made in Thailand “ lane and saw a small boy with his grandmother. He must have been about 3 pr 4 and he had a water-gun bigger than him but try as he might there was no way he could get more than 6 inches of stream and he looked very frustrated, In the end I needed to sit down on the steps of the massage parlour that they emerged from and lower my head so I could be annointed. The huge grin I got was worth every drop of water and at the end even the toothless smile from grandma as she splashed water from her plastic plate made me feel good. The sprit of Songkran is very strong and says so much about the Thai people. My TGF was quite happy to shack up for a few evenings in the hotel room as we avoided most of the idiots who were standing on the side of the roads shivering like children. Staying in with takeaway and a good movie and some adult fun suits me. . Of course during the day she insisted on going to her bar to "play songkran” and bless her heart she sent me down to soi 6 to keep me occupied while she payed with her mates. Even on the last days which I remembered as mayhem I was well prepared for getting soaking wet and drinking from 12 noon to 9pm. The TGF was off with her mates and I ran into a few of mine as we ventured up and down soi 7 and soi 8 with frequent trips along beach road. I was soaking wet, lady boys rub talc in my hair, strange girls gave me wet sloppy kisses and a few dick head farangs attempted to remove my eyes with water cannon from 5 feet away. This was the culmination of the Songkran week and the streets were alive with dancing , music as 10 different stereos attempted to drown out the ones next door. I was soaked and despite the plastic holder for my wallet around my neck even my baht was drowning. Every now and then I would dash into a bar and buy another Heineken which was the only safe way to drink as one after another farang with their water cannons tried to dilute my beer. During these side trips into bars that I have never been in, you get adopted by the locals as they wage war on the bar across the Soi. I throw a few water buckets and retreat to the rear of the bar and watch to look on the faces. Somehow the girls eyes are wider than usual and you can not be mistaken...You are in the land of smiles. Girls who normally spend hours applying make-up have converted back to natural young women who are just wanting to have fun. They would rather pour water on you than bar fine you and somehow you understand. Eventually you head back to your room. You have walked miles (no one rides a motor bike on songkram), you have drunk more than you should have and getting home and dry is looking very attractive. As you near your room you notice the wet foot prints heading to your door and you realise that the TGF has only just got home. You open the door and lying on the bed is a naked TGF. "I wait you for long time" she says with a naughty grin. You know the truth but who cares....A great way to end Songkram. For those who have been you will know what I mean. You might have a different opinion but its all in the POV. For those who haven’t been I will offer this picture that I found years ago. Don’t know who took it and several people have claimed it but it tells you why I love Songkram

I have only gone the other way and it cost me 800 baht but the trip is about 50 minutes and the taxi might not get a return so IUnderstand the pricing. Best advice is to pre book and talk to other passengers in Phukhet. You are bound to find someine who wants to share..Who knows you might start a conversation with someone who wants more than a taxi ride.

I will admit that I use a torrent site to keep up to date with my TV shows and movies. This is obviously illegal and you might risk some future trouble if your government legislates to force ISP’s to share your Metadata information. (Metadata is simply the address information on the web pages you visit). The Australian Federal Police have already stated that they will use the information to combat video piracy. My opinion is that the practice is so wide spread that any action regarding piracy is likely to be aimed at the owners of the torrent sites rather than the users but I understand that some downloaders have received warning letters from lawyers. That being said, I use a site called Torrentz.eu, This site is not a torrents site as such but a torrents search site. They list the programs available and you can select a variety of different torrents sites to use to down load each program. I usually use the Kickass.to site but I have used other sites. Be very careful of some sites that will try to download a program on your PC to download the file. I think you should use a program like Utorrent and just down load the torrent information. I use a Mac to download and constantly delete “exe" files that get downloaded. If I were using a PC my computer would be infected with viruses from these sites.

I’m not sure if I am more offended by his state of inebriation or his state of undress. The rule is that if you can’t see the beach then you need to put your shirt on...and pants. Of course, the reaction from the Thais is good. They obviously don’t appreciate this kind of behaviour and any soi 6 ladyboy could take him out so it is amazing that he was allowed to get away with it.

Are you saying that this behaviour is not acceptable? That explains the reaction I get when I react that way to missing a putt

There might be a number of reasons why the shop didn’t want you to sample their wares. The first most obvious one is that their staff have been picked to deal with Russians. Language and customs can e different. I know this is a valid excuse when gogo’s advertise...Japanese only. In some cases English, American or Australian patrons get a bit silly and spoil the atmosphere for other patrons. I saw this in Soi 6 last year when two young POMs were arcing up in one bar making it uncomfortable for the other 10 drinkers. I’m sure that controlling the demographics of the patrons will help to maintain the harmony of the bar. Personally, I would be happy to join in with a sing song of "Oiy da ne vecher (Oiy, it’s not evening yet)” and I would be very disappointed if a few Aussie lads decided to wade in with a few verses of Waltzing Mathilda. Discrimination is practised in Thailand but I doubt that you can actually blame he Thais, There are many bars that won’t let Thais enter and its their country.

Putting aside for the moment that the Author is attempting to sell his book and 'Thailand peaceful destination' isn’t going to have the same appeal as “thailand Dangerous Destination”. Now there is no doubt that Thailand is an adult destination and needs to be respected as such. Each year the Australian foreign Affairs department publishes a list of places where Australians get injured while on overseas holidays. Inevitably, places where young Aussies congregate to let down their hair and their inhibitions will rate highly on the injury list but it seems obvious that the problems often relate to the people rather than the location. Take tubing in Chaing Mai as an example. No more dangerous than other parts of the world until you introduce alcohol and a lack of respect for the rules. Same as riding motor bikes. I cringe when I see farangs riding the wrong way down second road. You wouldn’t expect to get away with it back home so why is Thailand different. I don’t walk down dark alleys when I’m pissed. Same rules in Thailand....Its about common sense and respecting your environment. I don’t think Thailand is any more dangerous that most other places. If you look at places like Mexico city , Thailand is very tame.

I wonder if you also get to invest in a time share in Jomtien?

I agree with your choice. I would grab a kebab on my way home to soi lengkee on most nights. Always happy with the food and her service.

From Teak Door today Drew Walter Noyes an American confidence trickster who posed as a lawyer in Thailand was jailed for two years at Pattaya Provincial Court today for attempted extortion. And with him to the cells went Wanrapa Boonsu (‘Kung’) his female sidekick who helped him play the big shot entrepreneur in the resort city. Noyes, 59, and Boonsu, an unlikely Bonnie and Clyde, ran between them a series of projects by using a fake legal company and their Pattaya Times newspaper to cash in on foreigners investing in the Thai resort. Noyes posed as a 'friendly, reassuring and most credible businessman' while Wanrapa played the part of his engaging companion and femme fatale. They started an 'Expats Club', a branch of 'Optimists International'. They even set up a 'Police' website inviting people to report crimes direct to them. They had been separated for years but put on a show of being husband and wife for business reasons. But they were undone when the owner of a beauty clinic in their resort called their bluff. Using Australian former brothel owner David Hanks as their emissary they set about a scheme to defraud the Thonglor Clinic in Jomtien out of seven million baht and Hanks, 66, turned up at the clinic in Thappraya Road, Jomtien, seeking facial treatment. Hanks told Australian Michael Goulet, a partner in the clinic, that he was formerly in the sex trade in Australia, that he knew the Chinese mafia, and that his boss (Noyes) wanted to see him to show how he could smoothly operate a clinic in Pattaya. That involved paying cash to Noyes. When Goulet contacted Noyes he was told that he needed to pay seven million baht to stop a police raid on the premises, where, presumably, illegal substances would be found. Noyes said he was very well connected. But Goulet had checked out Noyes on the internet and found out his real background on andrew-drummond.com. Together with his partner he called the police and a ‘sting’ operation was put into place. Goulet recorded his calls and calls from Wanrapa to him telling him to hurry up with the cash. Then Pattaya police arranged for 100,000 baht to be put into a suitcase as a ‘down payment’. Hanks, Boonsu and Noyes were all waiting in the Swedish owned ‘News Restaurant’ when Goulet arrived to make a down payment in March 2012 – when police pounced. But they arrested only Noyes and Boonsu. The Thonglor Clinic was indeed raided by officers of the Crime Suppression Division, but nothing illegal was found. Stories on andrew-drummond.com had highlighted Noyes dubious career in the United States, where he was exposed for dodgy property and share dealing, sexual harassment, and having a totally fake biography.

Good idea...it pays to advertise and getting a massage in your hotel room is great.... The prices seem reasonable for a one hour massage and I hope that the members on this forum support you. I definitely will give you a call on my next visit.

Despite my comments about eating Thai food in Thailand, I have enjoyed many meals in Skybar. I think Skeeter wants to fatten me up and I seem to fall into the trap each time I visit. What you haven’t said about the food at skybar is that you rarely get a bill so you feel obliged to drink more and perhaps invite the waitress upstairs. I know why she smiles.

It always amazes me when I see falangs who insist on eating western food in Thailand. I have heard the justification that they usually eat Thai food but every now and then like to get stuck into some comfort food from “home” but I believe the Thai culinary choices give so many options that there is a Thai dish for every occasion. I am a fan of PBG because the view is great, the staff are friendly and most of all I love the occasional cool breeze coming over the water. The added bonus for me s that the Thai menu has always had more than enough choices to keep me happy. My eyes have always been bigger than my stomach but in truth my choice of dish is made well before I get to the restaurant. The climate in Thailand is different and a big heavy dish covered in cheese seems great from a few thousand miles away but in the heat of a Pattaya evening I want something light. I am planning to get out and about and I am hoping for some energetic activities so tucking into a meal that makes me want to sit on the couch and have a sleep is not for me. I do wonder when I read a report on the food in a restaurant whether the negative comments stem from ordering the wrong food rather than the quality of food that was supplied. Still the OP’s report was generally favourable and the photographs were good enough to make the flavours come to life in my memories.

The retail world is changing and on line shopping is growing rapidly. When we take the Amazon,com and Ebay of the world we are all hoping to get a small price advantage and we pat ourselves on the back when it happens. This has some negative effects on our society with small retail operations getting squeezed out of the market and profits are heading overseas A few years ago, one in ten people were employed in retail and now the figures are less than 7% and falling. As consumers we chase the best deal but we need to understand that there are risks. You don’t get the consumer protection that your own government has legislated and we quickly find out that warranties differ all over the world. AliExpress is a consumer division of the Alibaba group. This is a resource enterprise making business to business connections. I don’t believe they actually sell products them selves but they put trade customers in touch with trade clients. AliExpress does the same but they connect retail businesses with retail clients. You save some money but lose some protection, If you buy a product your recourse is with the supplier not the referral point. I must admit that I like to go to a store to talk to the salesman rather than shoot off a few emails.

It might depend on the age of the kids but I like Mikes Garden Resort in Soi 4. Close to the beach about 1300 baht per night and big rooms. The kids will love the pool.

Makes sense if the nurse was a lady boy..

Can’t be there this year but if last year is any guide it will be a great place to be. There will be lots going on so drink at as many bars as possible to keep in the action.

One of mother natures cruel tricks is to link our cough response with our arsehole. We land in a place where we completely change our drinking and eating habits to the point that 70% of us get a dose of TD (Travellers Diarrhoea). Bacterial pathogens are the predominant risk, and locals soon become immune to the symptoms but when we first arrive the symptoms are predictable. Of course the other predictable illness is the dry cough. It might be the air-conditioning but I believe that a change in lifestyle together with strange bacteria cause most of us the same problem. Again the locals and long term visitors soon become un-effected by the symptoms. The irony is that both things often happen at the same time resulting in an urge to cough but a fear of doing so. As they say in Thailand...never trust a fart.