Evil Penevil

Time for an update to the Saigon Bistro review. I ate there twice last week in the company of the same young lady as in the first review. There weren't many customers on the first visit of the new year. That's what I had as my main dish in the initial outing for 2014. I can't remember the Vietnamese name, either, except for "pho". It was indeed delicious. Bow and I make a point of trying each other's food when we order separate dishes and she really liked the boiled spareribs. She wished she'd ordered it instead of her pho, which was certainly good: She also ordered shrimp and appetizers that we shared. The appetizers are rolled up in lettuce leaves, with herbs, veggies and noodles added. My communal choice was minced pork wrapped in a thin rice crepe and topped with Vietnamese sausage. Two days later we went back so she could have the sparerib soup, which she ate with gusto. A friend of hers kept us company. This was her friend's pho: And mine (barbecued pork): The communal dishes: pork appetizers, shrimp again and a fried crab dish. I ordered a Vietnamese-style crepe filled with pork and vegetables, with a sauce on the side. The crepe was airy and tissue-paper thin. Bottom line: still good Vietnamese food at a reasonable price (both meals around 1,000 baht without drinks. Add the drinks (two beers for me, water and a Coke for her and it was about 1,200 baht. Evil

As a private person, nothing. When an individual is so far gone that he can't see himself how desperate his situation is, there's nothing his friends can do other than making his life a bit easier by buying him a square meal or paying for a room for the night. Beyond that, it's up to Thai and UK authorities to handle the situation, although I doubt he'd happier living as a homeless person in the UK than in Pattaya. Evil

You (and everyone else) should steer clear of anything that smacks of the production of pornography. That is a big deal in Thailand and could become a bigger one if political realities change in the future. There are also quite a few bitter and vindictive individuals in Pattaya who are extremely jealous of anyone who's able to enjoy their retirement in comfort. It's a very bad idea to have physical evidence floating around in the form of CDs. To be on the safe side, you could state on the board that all the pics taken at FLB parties have been destroyed, pin that thread and lock it. Of course, if you choose to give certain members access to photos (that officially don't exist) on a private basis arranged outside of posts on the board, that's another thing. Evil

I got a taxi to Pattaya at the public rank at DM on Dec. 22. Cost was 1,600 baht, including tolls. However, ground transport conditions were close to chaotic that morning at DM due to demonstrations disrupting traffic in Bangkok. There were huge crowds at the shuttle buses stops and extremely long lines for taxis. Because of the number of people waiting to board the shuttle to Swampy, boarding passes or tickets for flights from BKK were being checked. It took me 45 minutes to get to the front of the taxi queue. I had to wait another 15 minutes until the taxi starter could locate a driver willing to go to Pattaya (many refused). Once on the road, it took an hour to clear BKK and another two hours to drive to Pattaya. The plane had landed at 10.15 a.m. at DM and I wasn't in my condo until 2.30 p.m. The trip from Pattaya to DM four days earlier had taken less than two hours, with no significant traffic delays. The demonstrations can indeed mess up travel plans. Evil

I believe you'd be better served by trekking or climbing poles, rather than Nordic walking poles, which are mainly for athletic training. You can buy hiking and climbing poles through LightintheBox.com, which does ship to Thailand. I was in Chiang Rai recently and took about a 1 km hike up to the summit of Phu Chi Fa from the parking area. Traditional long bamboo walking staffs were widely available and function pretty well if the trek isn't too long. I certainly don't know, but I'm guessing a bamboo staff could be had for very little money in any steep area of Thailand. Evil

The main benefit of the "meet and greet" services is that you get to use the Premium Lane to go through immigration control, which saves you a lot of time if there are big lines at IC or you end up behind a long string of passengers from China, Russia or the Middle East. It takes those passengers much longer per person to clear IC than plain vanilla farangs. The benefit in clearing customs is minimal, but I doubt very much Customs officers would ever pull you over for inspection if a "meet and greet" staffer were pushing your cart. It's true that the "meet and greet" service is a bit like fire insurance - you don't need it most of the time, but you're damn glad you have it when you do. Evil

No, there is no "on arrival" option to buy a Premium Lane voucher. What you order via the Internet from BFS and similar companies is "meet and greet" service, of which Premium Lane access is only a part. It used to be possible to buy vouchers from certain travel agencies in Bangkok, but I believe that has been stopped. Premium Lane immigration control is intended mainly as a benefit for airline passengers who pay business and first-class fares. Evil

I've used them a number of times because I loathe waiting in line and am happy to pay to avoid doing so. Nowadays I get Premium Lane vouchers from United, but since there's not always a line at Immigration Control when I arrive/depart, I have extras to use when not flying with United or Thai. When I arrived on the Thai flight from Frankfurt on Dec. 15 at 6.30 a.m., there was a massive queue at IC. The feeder snake was totally full and the queue minders were attempting to extend it, but that was like herding cats. I'm sure it would have taken an hour to clear IC that morning. Even the Premium Lanes had lines, but a lot of them were people who weren't entitled to the Premium Lane but had chanced it since the ordinary line was so long. Luckily, I had flown in First Class with Thai, so I had a "personal assistant" who took me through the diplomatic channel where there was no line. Evil

Some pics from the pre-Christmas Santa visits. I didn't take any photos myself, the pics from the Pattaya Orphanage were taken by a staff member there and I lifted the pics from the Rayong visit from the Pattaya Addicts' board. The Pattaya Orphanage: At the Camillian Service Center, I not only met the kids but also visited the hospice section for adults who don't have much time left (no photos allowed there). Some were so weak they could barely move, but they had big smiles and one wished me "Merry Christmas." I had to fight back the tears on that one and I struggled to keep my smile and "Ho! Ho! Ho!" tone of voice. Again, a big thanks to Nev, Bushcraft and all the others who participated. Look for the next report in December 2014! (for the last time this year) Santa Penevil

My Norton protection suite caught some attempted re-directs about mid-December, but there haven't been any further attempts for about 10 days (using Windows 8 and Chrome). Evil

The visits to both the Pattaya Orphanage and the Camillian Social Center went off very well. I didn't take any pics myself (too busy, it's not easy when you have dozens of children demanding your attention), but others did and hopefully I'll be able to post some of them. A big thanks to Bushcraft and his lovely lady who supplied Santa with a sleigh for the trip to Rayong and also made a generous donation. Another big thanks to Nev of the X-Zone and Southern Star Resort for his extremely generous donation. Santa will be dropping off the receipt for how the donation was used. And a third thanks to LaaMok and Viking of Night Wish and Pattaya Addicts, who brought bus loads of P-A members and girls to the Camillian Center. There was no mistaking the joy and excitement in the eyes of the kids over their presents and goodies. It was amzing how many of them just wanted to hug Santa and sit beside him. I also visited the adult section with a member of the Center staff to spread a bit of cheer there. I had to fight back the tears when some of them wished me "Merry Christmas." So to everyone who was involved my biggest: and Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Santa Penevil

Bumping this thread once more to give everyone a chance to participate. Hope to see a few Pattaya Talk BMs at the Camillian Center in Rayong. Santa Penevil

The visit to the Pattaya Orphanage went off very well. The kids were absolutely thrilled to see Santa. One little boy was disappointed I didn't bring any reindeer, but I told him Pattaya was too hot for reindeer and they were resting in Chiang Rai. I'll be posting a fuller account and some pics later. For those of you who want to participate in the visit to Camillian Center in Rayong on Dec. 22, the visit is being done in cooperation with Viking and LaaMok of the Night Wish Bar on Soi 6. They have arranged for several mini vans to transport participants. There's a thread about it on Pattaya Addicts called "Trip to the Rayong childrens HIV Center 22nd of December," You DO NOT have to be a member of Addicts to ride along. If you are a member, you should post your intention in that thread. If you're not, PM me and I'll let Viking and LaaMok know you're coming. I can promise you, there's no better way to celebrate the holidays than a visit to the Camillian Center. Santa Penevil

It would much easier to give you recommendations if we had an idea of the price range you have in mind. Also, anywhere you can take a tuk-tuk you can also go by taxi and taxis are cheap and readily available all times of day or night in Bangkok. So if you have had good experience with a certain hotel, you could stick with it and simply ride a taxi back and forth to Patpong. And you can negotiate the price by email ahead of your arrival. Evil

Try clicking on any of the settings you find on the left side of the "View New Content" page. See if that resets things, then click on the settings you really want. If that makes no difference, try signing out of Pattaya Talk, then close your browser and reboot your computer. If no improvement, sign out of P-T again, close the browser, clear your browser cache (Google for instructions for your browser if you don't know how), reboot and sign in again. If all that fails, it may be a problem with your Java script. Evil

Yeah, I just wish, wish, wish he had been some other nationality than U.S. (At least HB is Canadian). Can't fault him for his optimism, though. He invites viewers to donate towards the financing of future videos and offers "consulting services" at $25 per half hour. Oh well, TiT and he is one. Evil

No. I can tell you that without watching the video. Evil

That's a very generous offer and will go a long way to providing some extra cheer for the kids. I'll be in touch to arrange the details and make sure you get receipts as to how the money was used. Many, many thanks! You have my best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year! Santa Penevil

The visit to the orphanage will go off on Dec. 18 at 3 p.m. and the visit to the Camillian Center (as part of a large group) is planned for Dec. 22 (NOT Dec 17 as earlier stated). I'll message everyone who has contacted me to set up the time/place where we can meet before the orphanage visit and also give you the details about the items the orphanage has requested as donations. The kids really enjoy the Santa thing. The orphanage has asked me this year to meet some of the older kids as well as the toddlers because Santa is so popular with them. Thais don't see Christmas as a religious holiday. Like Halloween or Valentine's Day, it's just an excuse to have a party and maybe get some gifts. It's just a secular commercial event for Thais; I don't see any clash with Buddhist religious practices. One mamasan, who's very serious about honoring Buddha and goes to a temple almost every day, asked me for a plush Santa teddy bear to hang on the spirit altar in her bar. That was two years ago and Santa is still there today. Santa Penevil

I've never done a visa run with them, but Ist Class has been extremely helpful for me regarding other visa matters. They are well regarded by everyone who's dealt with them - at least I've never heard or read a negative word. Evil