Mescalito

I just used Mr. Toom's service again on this trip and it went perfectly. I hade already been in Bangkkok for a few days and arranged for a driver to pick up up at my hotel and get me to the RG. He was actually quite early and waited patiently for me to get ready, and despite hitting some traffic in the usual places on the way south I arrived at the RG in a very reasonable amount of time.

Q: Do you know why the disorder was named Pre-Menstrual Syndrome? A: "Mad Cow Disease" was already taken.

In Bangkok, I can now vouch for the showers in the Grottino Residence; three of us (Yours Truly & 2 girls from PlaySkool) fit in there 2 nights ago with ample room left over!

I can't speak for those coming out of the UK, but I've flown CI's biz class from San Francisco several times (including today!) and rather like it. The food is good, the service is good, and the seats are roomy enough and comfortable. On the 747-400's I've now found what is for me the best seat available: 17A. It's the port-side window seat in the first row of biz class. You have only a bulkhead in front of you, which gives you plenty of leg room and nobody crowding you when they tilt their seat all the way back. I got a good 8 hours of sleep crossing the Pacific in that seat, helped by 2 Tylenol PM's I admit, but it was pretty good. On the other hand, I'm also used to domestic US carriers, so anything better than a cattle car with Nurse Ratchit handing out peanuts will impress me.

A friend of mine sent me these new takes on the more traditional greeting cards. I think we've all wanted to send some of these at some point . . . . . . . __________________________________________________________________ My tire was thumping. I thought it was flat When I looked at the tire... I noticed your cat. Sorry! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Heard your wife left you, How upset you must be. But don't fret about it... She moved in with me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Looking back over the years that we've been together, I can't help but wonder... "What the hell was I thinking?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Congratulations on your wedding day! Too bad no one likes your husband. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ How could two people as beautiful as you Have such an ugly baby? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I've always wanted to have someone to hold, someone to love. After having met you .. I've changed my mind. ---------------------------------------------------- I must admit, you brought Religion into my life. I never believed in Hell until I met you. ---------------------------------------------------- As the days go by, I think of how lucky I am... That you're not here to ruin it for me. ----------------------------------------------------- Congratulations on your promotion. Before you go... Would you like to take this knife out of my back? You'll probably need it again. ----------------------------------------------------- Happy Birthday, Uncle Dad! (Available only in Tennessee, Kentucky & West Virginia) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Happy birthday! You look great for your age. Almost Lifelike! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When we were together, you always said you'd die for me. Now that we've broken up, I think it's time you kept your promise. --------------------------------------------------------- We have been friends for a very long time ..... Let's say we stop? --------------------------------------------------------- I'm so miserable without you it's almost like you're here. --------------------------------------------------------- Congratulations on your new bundle of joy. Did you ever find out who the father was? ---------------------------------------------------------- Your friends and I wanted to do something special for your birthday. So we're having you put to sleep. ----------------------------------------------------------- So your daughter's a hooker, and it spoiled your day. But look at the bright side, It's really good pay.

I've only used him once -- on my last trip -- but would use his service in again without hesitation. One of his drivers met me at Nana Hotel, where I'd been staying for a couple of days, and got me door-to-door to the RG in less than 2 hours. He was actually about 10 minutes early picking me up and it was a great ride. The driver was friendly and courteous, spoke good English, and I still don't believe the car was as old as he said it was; it was spotless.

Definitely count me in. I get into Pattaya on the 1st and will be staying at the RG, so this is particularly convenient. Besides, I need to exact my revenge on those trees on the left side of the 1st hole at Phoenix. Can I also put in an advance reservation for a caddy? If so, I'd like Nok, #268. That girl can read greens like Olivier reads Shakespeare.

Absolutely. This year's will be my 3rd in a row and I plan on making this an annual event from here on out. I couple of pix from the last 2:

Ummmmm . . . . on their web site? Just a guess.

First, welcome to the board, to Thailand, and to Pattaya. Trust me: after this, your life will never be the same! A few random bits of advice . . . . Don't fall in love with a bar girl. Don't make plans; they become useless pretty quickly. If you do make plans, resign yourself to throwing them out the window. Probably within the hour. Don't fall in love with a bar girl. Learn a few basic -- but important -- Thai phrases (hello, thank you, etc.), as well as some of the basics of Thai etiquette so as to avoid inadvertent insults or taboos. The Thai value good manners and polite behavior, so making an effort to respect that goes a long way. Don't fall in love with a bar girl. As others have suggested, when you get to Pattaya go find any board members who are in town, and FLB will be the best place to start. The veterans are always willing to take someone under their wings, and can save you a lot of time & trouble getting oriented to what's going on. Don't fall in love with a bar girl. Drink lots of fluids of the non-alcoholic variety; Gatorade is available at the Family Marts and 7-11's. The heat and humidity can be pretty brutal to the uninitiated. Don't fall in love with a bar girl. Take advantage of all the area has to offer, not just the nightlife. Visit the temples, feel the spirituality of the country, take in such things as the Thai Cultural Show at Nong Nooch Tropical Gardens, see the Big Buddha mountain as it's usually called. And oh, yeah, I almost forgot: Don't fall in love with a bar girl.

Of what? You're asking someone who regularly flies halfway around the world to indulge his carnal appetites in the P4P scene -- which I imagine you do, too -- if he's "considered the moral & ethical" implications? GMAFB

On those rare occassions when I'm actually home in Long Beach, CA I live in a small condo complex, about 20 units in 2 levels around a courtyard. I've just discovered that there is someone running an open wireless network within range and I can connect to it! In fact, I'm connected to it at this very moment. The guy across from me has a set-up at home, but I've asked him and it's not his; he has an industrial-strength firewall. I am, admittedly, a bit concerned about security, so needless to say I won't be logging onto my on-line banking or financial services accounts from here. Kind of fun, though!

Don't worry, though. I hear that the widow of some Nigerian finance minister has about 100 million sitting in banks she needs help getting out of the country and will give a nice commission for the help. I'm sure you'll be hearing from her if you haven't already!

Korean Air has become my favorite for trans-Pacific flight. The food is excellent, and thanks to them I've become a big fan of Korean food; yes, even kimchee! Very good service and and attentive, well-trained flight attendants. Those of the female variety are far from hideous, too! Plenty of good in-seat video entertainment options, and the seats themselves are very good. I've flown them business class several times, and their biz class beats any domestic US first class by miles. If you have a long layover at Incheon book yourself a room at the transit hotel inside the terminal. It's reasonably priced, very well appointed, and there is a good restaurant immediately adjacent.

I'll definitely be back playing for the US! Board Name: Mescalito Current Index: 6.9 Shirt Size: Large

Count me in! Board name = Mescalito Current Index = 6.9 Shirt size = Large

Subject: A Letter from a Marine Recruit. LETTER FROM A FARM KID (Now at San Diego Marine Corps recruit training) Dear Ma and Pa, I am well. Hope you are. Tell Brother Walt and Brother Elmer the Marine Corps beats working for old man Minch by a mile. Tell them to join up quick before all of the places are filled. I was restless at first because you got to stay in bed till nearly 6am, but I am getting so I like to sleep late. Tell Walt and Elmer all you do before breakfast is smooth your cot, and shine some things. No hogs to slop, feed to pitch, mash to mix, wood to split, fire to lay. Practically nothing. Men got to shave but it is not so bad, there's warm water. Breakfast is strong on trimmings like fruit juice, cereal, eggs, bacon, etc., but kind of weak on chops, potatoes, ham, steak, fried eggplant, pie and other regular food, but tell Walt and Elmer you can always sit by the two city boys that live on coffee. Their food plus yours holds you until noon when you get fed again. It's no wonder these city boys can't walk much. We go on "route marches," which the platoon sergeant says are long walks to harden us. If he thinks so, it's not my place to tell him different. A "route march" is about as far as to our mailbox at home. Then the city guys get sore feet and we all ride back in trucks. The country is nice but awful flat. The sergeant is like a school teacher. He nags a lot. The captain is like the school board. Majors and colonels just ride around and frown. They don't bother you none. This next will kill Walt and Elmer with laughing. I keep getting medals for shooting. I don't know why. The bulls-eye is near as big as a chipmunk head and don't move, and it ain't shooting at you like the Higgett boys at home. All you got to do is lie there all comfortable and hit it. You don't even load your own cartridges. They come in boxes. Then we have what they call hand-to-hand combat training. You get to wrestle with them city boys. I have to be real careful though, they break real easy. It ain't like fighting with that ole bull at home. I'm about the best they got in this except for that Tug Jordan from over in Silver Lake. I only beat him once. He joined up the same time as me, but I'm only 5'6" and 130 pounds, and he's 6'8" and near 300 pounds dry. Be sure to tell Walt and Elmer to hurry and join before other fellers get onto this setup and come stampeding in. Your loving daughter, Alice

I took Air France from New York (JFK) to Paris (CDG) about 2 years ago and was pleasantly surprised. Admittedly this was in business class, which ought to be very good anyway, and I was quite pleased with the food, service, seats, etc. CDG, however, is one of the worst airports I've experienced, but that's something for another already-done-to-death thread.

Yes -- it's the night of Sunday, November 5th.

What would be the best hotel on the Chao Praya from which to view the festivities at Loy Krathong this year? Is there one with a patio area or preferably outside dining near the river where one can sit and enjoy the sights?

With or without medical expenses? I won't get on a bike here in the US, much less in Thailand. A moving target is still a target, and I suspect there are more motorcyle riders in LOS hospitals than there are from any other injuries.

I think I saw this as a cartoon in the brilliant but now gone comic strip called "Bloom County".

People either love it or hate it, but I think staying there once is something one should do as a right of passage, an initiation ritual of sorts. Yes, the place is pretty worn down. The carpets need replacing, the walls need patching & painting, a lot of the furniture looks about a month a way from being sent to second store or donated to the Salvation Army, and someone really needs to take a look at the plumbing in some areas. Nana Hotel, though, is almost an alternate universe, a place that exists outside normal time and space -- and reality for that matter. Unless you're someone who insists on high quality accommodations at all times, it's something to be done once just for the surreal experience of being there. And oh, yeah: the breakfast buffet ain't too bad!

I'm not aware of any bias against Indians in Pattaya, at least I've never seen any evidence of it. Admittedly, I also haven't seen a lot of Indians in Pattaya to begin with, except for those working at the tailors or jewelry stores; not a lot of Indian tourists, however. Some of the gogo bars, it seems, do strongly prefer not to have people from Arab countries in their clubs, and I know of at least one with a sign to that effect.

Dave, Welcome to the board and welcome -- when it happens -- to Thailand. As was noted earlier there will be a pretty good collection of board members in town the same time as you'll be around so there will be no shortage of people to lead you astray .... ummmmm ..... I mean show you around! Make sure you stroll on into FLB where many of us congregate and introduce yourself. We're a relatively friendly lot. As far as advice goes, there's plenty of it here. Try the Search function to look for specific issues; wander through the various sections and see what topics are covered; and by all means check out the Pattaya Wiki (the link is at the top right of the screen). There probably isn't a question about Pattaya that hasn't been asked an answered (many times over, perhaps) somewhere on this board. Cheers!