Butch

Hi, This might not go well for me lol. I know Patts is still a good destination, offering decent hotels and restaurants, bars and some good fun to be had, but the "demise" of Walking street into a very aggressively marketed commercial centre, and the hardened attitudes of the girls working there has turned it into an place to be avoided by most mongers, apart from looking at some eye candy and the odd, decent venue worth visiting like FLB, Mistys, Babydolls or Diablo. These kinds of venue are slowly becoming the exceptions rather than the rules of WS though. Now this isn't (hopefully) going to turn into a thread about prices, more of one about attitudes. Has the behaviour and attitude of farangs in recent years effectively turned the girls off us?. Not only this, has it also had a bearing upon how we're now viewed by alot of Bar Managers and Mamasans?. We all know that we were never flavour of the month, despite paying their wages, but still, there was an element of customer service and a reasonable attitude. These days, in some GGB's you're less of a customer and seemingly more of an inconvenience, albeit one with a few baht. Even 5 years ago we didnt have Agency girls. The dancers were , mostly, keen and eager to get BF'd. now, there is a definite apathy evident. Jesus, I honestly think I was looked at with some disdain by them last trip (no sarcasm please...) :) It's easy to blame the girls and managment, and maybe they are partly responsible, but the attitudes and behaviour of mongers has changed in recent times as well. More fights, more arguments with the staff over being ripped off, more guys getting thrown out of GGB's for taking pics, more bare chested guys swaggering around & less respect being shown to the girls in general. It might even be easy to blame the Russians or the younger crowd, but there's no denying we all change, sometimes for better or sometimes for worse. I know that Pattaya has made me alot more cynical over the years. Be interested to read peoples thoughts on this. We often read about bad attitudes from the girls etc, but seldom admit that the fault may lie a bit closer to home, not in our own behaviour, but of those perceived to be our countrymen by the Thais (read: Farangs). Cheers Butch

It is this coming Sunday , I saw no harm in posting early.

Apologies if this is in the wrong section, but it affects all of us. None of us would enjoy the freedoms we have today without the sacrifice of those who have served and fallen, and continue to serve. God Bless. When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say, For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today. Lest we forget.

There was a doco on football hooligans a good few years back, and they interviewed one of the owners of this bar. Basically he sued the Police for wrongful arrest and got £25k, then moved to Patts and opened the bar. My memory is pretty hazy though but I think thats what he said at the time. There is still an underbelly of hooliganism in football today, nowhere near as bad as it was in the 80's though. Represents all that is bad about the UK, hoolies and lager louts did horrific damage to the reputation of England over the past years which, in all truth, still exsists to this day. shameful.

As an update: Cebu are offering cheap fares (1400) peso to BKK one way from MNL, however, here's the catch: Booking / Admin Fee php 100 per person. Departure Tax php 550 per person (aka Terminal Fee) Fuel surcharge php from 400 to 2600 per person. Travel Tax php 1620 Country specific Taxes from php 415 to php 1500 I saw this in the Manila Herald just three days ago, but it's also on their website.

Hi, Stun guns afaik are a firearms offence in the UK, along with pepper spray and CS Gas and fall under the legislation of having a complete ban, meaning there is no legal reason to own one and you cannot get a licence (along with some martial arts stuff and gravity / flick knives). Trying to bring one through UK customs is naughty and will land you, very possibly, a stretch (it's seen like trying to smuggle a firearm in). Importation of stun guns can lead from a fine to up to 6 months in prison, or both. In more serious cases, you can end up spending up to 7 years in prison. Remember this is only in the case of importation, in the case of importation and possession of stun guns, it can lead to a fine or up to 10 years in prison, or both.

Oddly during my last trip, their price for tea was the same regardless of how large the size was. 75 baht iirc. Not a big fan of Starbucks, I'd rather support my local, independant coffee shop. Why is it though in every Starbucks the world over that the girls who work there are attractive but the blokes all poofters?. Enquiring minds need to know. cheers Butch

Pt taxi service are reliable and as good as any, 1000 baht from swampy to patts. I usually give the driver 120 baht for the tolls plus a tip if he hasn't given me a coronary during the journey. Good lads, they load up your luggage and take it to hotel reception on arrival, so all in all a decent service. I know it's basic stuff, but in each email I always give my hotel & flight details etc, and ask what would happen in the event of a delay on my part, plus a contact no if he's not there. Pt always reply with confirmation and info. I always reconfirm via email on the day before travel . Cheers Butch.

Love the place, early evening in for some food, read the paper (please stop doing the Daily Mail crosswords - whoever you are) and then onto wherever. I've also seen some fantastic lightning shows out at sea from here during the evening. One complaint, albeit a pedantic one, please change the music videos. Cheers Butch

Hi, Yep agree 100% with Cheshire. I opened an AC with Kasikorn in Big C within 30 mins of stepping out of the shower once I arrived in Pattaya. Piece of piss. All i needed was my hotel address, passport and of course, cash. They did all the paperwork, issued me a Debit card there and then and the girl showed me how to change the PIN. If you have an account, set up your internet banking while in Pattaya, because I understand it's not possible to do this once you've left for some reason, then you can transfer your money before you arrive the next time. I'm not sure how long the AC is kept open if the balance is low, or if indeed there's a minimum balance needed for it to be active after a while. for those on a 2 trip / 3 trip yearly, KKB is by far the best option. Concerning Hotel safes, if you're building a hotel and need a safe for 500 rooms, you're going to go for the cheapest option, weith that comes a compromise in security of the thing and even it's structural integrity. It is possible to open one with a hard bang on the top, or if not some very basic tools. (youtube to the rescue)... If I were faced with leaving valuables or cash in my room, first stop would be to put it in my case,& lock the case with a length of plastic reinforced steel cable wrapped around it. Sounds like overkill ,and if anyone wanted to steal it, they could but, making it harder to do kind of gives you a feeling that you've done your best.... Cheers Butch

Sorry to threadfuck, but I'm flying on the Malaysia Airbus A380 KUL-LHR this week,then LHR-KUL A380 KUL-MNL B737. Going cattle class cos it was a last minute flight job, not that I can afford business on the fucker anyway. Only went LHR-BKK once on Thai on one of thier shitty 747's. Never again, the EVA 777-300ER's far outclass the Thai service, despite the fall in EVA's quality since the 1990's (who remembers giving the hostesses a round of applause at the end of every flight on the 747's?).

Philippines? Angeles is similar to Walking Street of the early 90's. Del Pilar and P Burgos a shadow of their former selves, hardly worth a visit, and if the new PM has his way, they'll be redeveloped anyway. However, local knowledge goes a long way and there's some cracking bars around Mabini, Cavite, Bacoor, Laguna & Ayala, but well off the tourist route and unless you live here, they'll not be easy to find.

Horrific story about the Norwegian. RIP. Bloody hell I used to go to Pattaya to get away from all the fighting and trouble in the English pubs.

I see the quality of the girls on the " half dozen" has slightly improved then........ Tiger, Caligulas, Fire and Ice, Marilyns.....Soi 7 & 8 as dirt tracks.....I could go on. Change happens, perhaps we've witnessed it exponentially in Pattaya, FWIW I look at patts as a "micro climate" where everything happens faster, change is not always good and despite many protestations, I recall seeing my first sign in Russian Cryllic in 1995, even then people were moaning about the influx. I remember going to Happy A GoGo's opening night, Dagmar then running the joint. Is it better today? bet your last buck it is. Not all change is bad. Peppermint being a shithole next to Marine. Happy days, but on reflection, Pattaya still offers the ultimate hedonistic lifestyle for 2/3 weeks if you can afford it, you've just got to go a bit farther afield to get better value, thats all.

Agree 100% with the above. Pattaya is a safe place, most of the problems seem to be Thai on Thai, none of our business. Safer than most of London at night,certainly safer than pretty much all of Manila with the exception of Alabang, & I'd wager safer than alot of other places BM's live.

Hi, For alot of guys it's a case of none at all. For some it's a few. For the average 2/3 week monger , how many actually spend the whole trip with a BG overnight every night?. I stopped my mongering yonks ago. Couple of reasons, one is cos I'm now older & with Mrs Butch and the other is that in the PI it's so easy to monger the thrill of it all has kind of worn off. Besides, X number of years of it wore thin and keeping it under the radar was becoming a chore. Anyways , during my trips to Patts there's more often than not the case of guys on a trip finding a keeper after a few days and spending the trip with them, but the guys who tend to skylab a bit more end up spending less time with company overnight. Bit of a paradox that, cos you'd have assumed the budderfrysumbitch would have had more company over the trip. Doesn't seem that way though, or maybe my observations are clouded by cheap thai whisky and Finlandia. Of course, not all rules are hard and fast, but lets be truthful. How many blokes actually feel the need to have a BG each night of the trip?. I used to need a break, but the downfall being that when I got home I felt I'd "wasted" the nights I spent alone and promised to make amends next time. Thats the crux, going home feeling that you've missed out and could have done more does no good to alleviate the Pattaya blues whatsoever. Cheers Butch

Cebu Pacific have garnered a poor reputation in the PI over the past year. They often come out with enticing deals but there are sometimes hidden charges, some very tight regs on the flight details and I've heard a rumour (unsubstantiated) that the price advertised on some deals was only for the first 50 Customers. either that or it's 888p one way, 10,888 return. I'd check it out first mate. we use them all the time to fly to Naga city and Legaspi from MNL and in all truth they're good, but again they have a well known habit of cancelling flights when it's not viable for them to operate. We have been left sitting at Naga City airport on more than one occasion waiting for our scheduled flight back to MNL to turn up because for whatever reason it's been re routed. On the plus side some of the Air hostesses are nice, and if ever you fly on the turbo props which they operate inland (Ex Lufthansa fokkers I think), get the first or second row of seats from the front on the right hand side facing the cockpit, because from there you get a great view up the hostesses' skirts when they're sat in the crew seats. Mango square is still going great guns, heading that way in a few weeks actually. Cheers Butch

Hi. The role of the mamasan has changed over the years. Back in the heady days of the 80's and 90's she was, to the girls, a matriarch, teacher, counsellor, money lender, advisor, scribe, translator and judge all rolled into one. Nowadays, the girls speak very passable English. Education is better (and with the internet, more accessible) and there's not much doubt that although alot of the girls in the game are still young, they now enter into it with much more knowledge and foresight than they ever have done before. Now, a good mamasan is worth her weight in gold, Moulee being one of them, but they are few and far between these days, with some bars actually negating the need for one. Some of the new "big guns" on Walking St don't have an overt mamasan, she's been replaced by a "manager", in many cases a male one. In the smaller beer bars the MS has been dropped and now dual roles as an MS / manager / cashier. Example, you want a girl from "XYZ" a GoGo? (Gabor this won't apply mate :) ) - how many of us would call over the mamasan?. i'd wager none, simply because she's not really needed. The girl can negotiate her own terms, she consults the floor manager of her BF and leaves with you. simple. In the old days one would ask the mamasan for the girl with the best English, or the one who wasn't on mensi, or the one who gave the best BBBJ. Any problems with the girl would be referred to her, she would sort out catfights, dance rotas etc etc. you may well have befriended her by getting a few drinks in, maybe for a return favour when you want Noi's phone number when she's off. It was a double edged sword though. i'm still very good mates with Jod, Ex "Happy a GoGo, Dollhouse" and "The Sea" Mamasan, who told me that she would always tell her girls to get as much baht from the farang as possible. Also to try and get him drunk so he doesn't want too much sex, making her tired for her next shift. If he had a good heart, get him to BF her for as long as possible and always bring him to the bar to see her friends. Old tricks I know, but ones that worked nonetheless. Many bars still retain the Ms, but her role is becoming less important to us, as customers. We no longer need her to interact on our behalf, or check our (now computerised) bin. Of course there will still be times when you get a problem with the girl.......... now where's that bloody mamasan when you need her?. waddya think? cheers Butch

Hi anyone know if they're ok if you decide to change rooms during your stay, or if you're not happy if they'll move you to a different one?. Reason I ask is that i've been told some of the ones nearer to the street are noisy at night. I guess a request could be made upon booking. Cheers Butch

Could have ended up seriously hurting her. Couple of idiots.

too funny, especially #6. Am I the only person who deliberately engages Indian Tailors in conversation then walks off half way through?. Cheers Butch

DOH!! lol thanks, you're spot on of course. Maybe 2 shots of the stuff is my limit though. For general drinking I like a drop of Woods. I do like a rum, where can I get some Sailor Jerry?. Never heard of it either in the UK or PI, then again unless it's Tanduay most flippers are in the dark... Cheers Butch

Hi Bacardi 151 is 75.5 % proof, never had anything so strong since "Doc" gave me a shot of genuine moonshine in FLB back in 2000 and my memory of the night is blank. If you're used to strong spirits and can handle the burning sensation as it goes down, then it won't take you long to get wankered on this stuff. Available in most SM Malls in the Philippines for the princely sum of 680 peso a bottle. Cheers Butch

Sorry Gonzo I was replying to Gawd elpus, aka Grazel , mr pastry etc..... Cheers Butch

Ahh Kelpie...whatever happened to him?. Bahtbus was a good forum, I sadly never got to meet Sweeny Todd, shame cos he seemed like a top bloke. Grazel ,can I be in your gang?. Are there any peculiar initiation ceremonies I need to be awre of?. Cheers Butch