Butch

Morgan +8…I like your style. Hope the termites in Thailand don't eat the ash frame though. Surely though, being practical it would be better to sell it in the UK then present the Mrs with a brand new Fortuner?

billions, if you're in the diamond area, have a look for the old defunct pattayalivecam unit sat looking a bit forlorn...

I recently revisited what I thought was the old "LK Metro" site, to see it has developed into this. It's not a revolutionary concept in the field of Pattaya live cams. there was a site around 2000 (pattayalivecam.com) that had Soi diamond, Jenny Bar, Walking Street, Tonys, soi 8 and Royal plaza on streaming cam, and in fact I'm not sure if it is still there, but if you walk up Soi diamond, past the "super gogo's" and into the alleyway, look up into the shop awnings on the left as you go along walking toward 2nd road, there's still one there, covered in dust and cobwebs which used to be outside the "Swiss food restaurant". They were very advanced cameras back then and provided online streaming, but the site went down as the owner turned out to be a conman. I'm surprised it has taken this long for someone to get a decent streaming cam up. For some reason the FLB one seldom worked for me (still doesn't).

Yep, the girl had a red uniform and a Cathay badge on.

Hi, We've been long term Cathay customers, for reasons which along with our experiences today , ensures we remain so. 3 PAX from LHR to MNL (sister in law, mother in law and brother in law). Arrived at LHR way too early, only to find the desks open but for an earlier flight. There were no other passengers waiting, the girl at the desk beckoned me over when I explained that we're for the 18:30 flight (it was 13:45). Expecting to be told to fuck off and get a coffee, she said... No problem, I'll check you in. FF cards all scanned , she didn't even look at the hand carry stuff. 90 kg's allowance and the scales tip at 105kg, she didn't even bat an eyelid. All bags checked, then wheelchair assistance turns up after she called them to come and get the mother in law. Priority boarding, they stowed the bags in the lockers, made sure MIL was comfortable and then sister called to say they were turning off the phones getting ready for taxi. Left on time (2 early actually). Top notch service, We're flying them next year, now have enough points for a biz class upgrade as well.

I've seen the resulting carnage on facebook, with some interesting pics & videos. Someone mentioned that the snakes tend to move up higher as their burrows flood out, and "higher" in some areas means "people's houses". I know the drainage isn't up to much, but the same happens in Manila when the storms hit, and even in some areas of the UK, and it doesn't take much for drainage to be overwhelmed by rainwater. A friend's wife has cut her leg to shreds walking into a sharp object hidden by the floodwater, so she needs to be carfeul of infection now, because there is a fair amount of poo mixed in with it as well. Who remembers the poor farang who died after being electrocuted when he stood in a puddle which had a live electrical wire in it a few years back?.

during my last trip in May I noticed the bars there toward the rear of the comlex were closed or empty, but the ones along the front and the alleyway leading up to PBG were open and populated by BG's of varying levels of beauty and size...

Probably going to make way for another big hotel. There's an awfully large footprint of land there if the parking area is included. It'll be a shame to see it go, I remember when it was pretty much the only decent sized supermarket in Pattaya other than Big C. An easy walk from any hotel in soi 7 / 8 and as many have said, ideal for stocking up one's hotel fridge with adequate "tart fuel" (lady type drinks) to satisfy your "wife for the night". I'll miss the bakery, plus the fact it's served as an occasional Air conditioned respite during a stroll around that area of town or after running the gauntlet of the crossroads in between traffic.

This stinks of a set up. SY nor releasing anything which might come back and bite them in the arse is standard practice, along with "losing" or "misplacing" essential documents, oddly enough when one of their "known associates" is up for a stretch. They're as bent as fuck and not interested in justice for two farm workers without a pot to piss in on the other side of the world. If you think the Thai police are corrupt, well, they obviously took a few good lessons from the British.

Like putting a band aid on a busted leg.

This is on my "to do" list, finding a decent Indian is tough in Patts and while I will probably only go there maybe once on our next trip, it is appreciated because I've heard some real horror stories about a few along BR. Thanks Chaps.

One of my guilty pleasures is to open a bottle of red, grab some Stilton and a pack of crackers and sit down and go through Firth's excellent TR's. Now, I've deliberately not viewed any of his recent ones because I haven't had the time to relax and enjoy reading them, however, next week Mrs Butch is working in Barcelona and I've got 3 days off work, along with a few damn good bottles of red. And some Stilton. I agree, your TR's are worthy of their own section, along with those of Rhino, Patna and Grubert. Great stuff,it's interesting to read and much appreciated.

Great review, thanks for taking the time to post it up Evil.

This is going to be slightly TF'ing, never tried JW blue but I have had Glenmorangie 25 year old once. It was absolutely incredible and even though I'm not a lover of Whiskey , it was like nothing I've ever tasted before. Also, I always bring my friend some Stilton on each trip, I usually get 1/2 kg from Waitrose but bloody hell, it needs some serious packing cos it bloody stinks. Tastes awesome though.

Due to the recent renovations at swampy near the EVA arrival gate meant that buggy service was unavailable on my last trip in May because it couldn't get between the areas that had been shut off (gate 11 I think), so I had to walk with the peasants from the "economy section"?? (not sure what that is) which was not nice because they had a peculiar odour and were poor. Actually, the truth is, I was told that by a friend who works at the airport and gets me through the fastrack if I (well, Mrs Butch) sends her an email in time. Although I don't get the buggy, it is a godsend not to have to stand in line shuffling along every few seconds.

I think Dr Oliver has perhaps seen more dicks than the average Bargirl. He is very, very good indeed and sorted out several errant farangs VD effectively and quickly. Expect a telling off for barebacking though.

Edited purely to get BigD into trouble. Sorry BigD I just couldn't resist it.

The first is a photoshop, suspension on the black pickup isn't compressed, and there seems to be a driver with half a head in the one on top!... The second one seems pretty par for the course in SEA, while family on a 150cc moped...eek!

+1 for that impromptu Hotel Review RW! cheers bud.

I walked the gauntlet down there one evening around 0300, it was slightly nerve racking as going home with a busted ankle was not on my agenda. I'd stopped at a couple of bars on the way up the Soi with a friend, said my goodbyes at the top and walked back down. I think this Soi definitely has a future, with the area ever expanding it is only a matter of time before it begins to become an option. Perhaps as you say, the Bukhao end will start with the higher rents and better venues and it will slowly spread up the Soi. I noticed a couple of gay joints iirc, plus a few massage places, but the bars we stopped in were actually not bad at all with cheap drinks and some fair to middling eye candy. Triangle bar is a great venue, I enjoyed my time in there that evening and was set to return, but was slightly put off in the afternoon as it seemed to be full of Singha vest & flip flop wearing chancers who wouldn't look out of place sat in front of a 7/11 drinking a bottle of leo via osmosis. Like many things in LOS, the repairs are done on a "make do and mend" kind of philosophy, but to have any kind of decent marketing potential, it needs to be ripped up and resurfaced. That may well lead to an increase in vehicular traffic though.

No, sorry. I took the pic actually because I meant to say that "anyone looking for the 24/7 boutique hotel - here it is" as I wandered down. It seemed a bit out of place on the Soi, I have no idea when it was completed or even if it has a website etc.

With all the recent discussion about Soi honey, I decided to add some pics I took in May while walkabout...Taken as I wandered (lonely as a cloud...) from 2nd Rd to Bukhao.

Owe you a virtual beer Spud. Booked 3 tickets this weekend. Many thanks mate.

Years ago I made a few predictions about Pattaya,one of which was the change in the type of tourists arriving, the "Ibiza" crowd of young guys , reflected in the influx of nightclubs like Insomnia etc in town. It came to fruition and then that demographic of tourists changed again to Russian, which has changed again to more Indians than before and Chinese tour groups. I was totally wide of the mark with a few of my predictions though, so I'm just speculating here. I would say also that the "entertainment zone" which was mooted by others at the time has, in a way, come to fruition. LK Metro and the area around it has developed, but not in the way which was predicted. People were saying at the time that WS was going to be demolished on one side and the whole scene would move. Well, in a way it has, the scene for Expats has shifted across there I suppose. The biggest shock of all which nobody really saw was the total demise of Pattayaland 2, 1 and that area. However, in 10 years I think in a physical sense Patts will have reached saturation point regarding Hotels. The currently undeveloped areas of the higher end Sois (1, 2 and 3) will have been built up, the "safe swimming area" expanded to the whole beach and City Hall will have finally cleaned and sorted the drainage issue out. Traffic and pavements will be fine on Beach Road, but second road and beyond will still be a mess. Getting to WS on any given evening, especially weekends will be a nightmare. We will see the emergence of high end restaurants on Beach Road, with views over the ocean catering to more affluent tourists. WS will maybe remain an entertainment area, perhaps a couple of GGB's and Beer bars for the curious, but perhaps more high end bars for couples rather than mongers. Maybe, unless there has been some drastic changes, the "laundry shops" (GGB's ) will still be operating, it's hard to say. The party scene will have almost certainly moved toward LK, Diana, Bukhao and Chaiyapoon. LK will have more investment, rents will increase exponentially and push most out, the whole area stretching along Bukhao will become a gauntlet for the monger of traffic, people and bars. As the RP slowly gets its act together more might head to AC , but I honestly think that Cambodia will be the mongers choice. I expect we'll even start seeing direct flights to PP, better hotels, better bars and a less hateful attitude towards farangs from the locals to what we're used to from the Thais. Some in the Philippines realise that tourism brings in serious money, and like LOS, Sex tourism also brings in some serious money. We've already seen the relaxing of some rules in the RP regarding foreign land ownership, bank accounts and residency Visas. I'd bank on the Philippines becoming a more viable and safer option than LOS in the next 10 years, but not a replacement. Cambodia I think will become the replacement, depending upon how things pan out in LOS after the event mentioned above. Anyway,I'm probably totally and utterly wrong! all I hope in that 10 years time we're all still here, enjoying our health and still in touch guys! Cheers Butch

"I'll clean your guttering, to be sure to be sure...." In fact, Gawd Elpus will know of whom I speak, a previous BM on Thaigers (DD) Dad is a farmer. I popped round to see him this week and he mentioned the "pikeys" had been round asking if his (500 foot long) driveway needed tarmacking. "you've seen the driveway have you?" he asked "yes we have, we can improve it for you if you want" "well ,improve it by fucking off back down it then" All from a 70 year old man sat in his chair while polishing his shotgun...