Evil Penevil

Wow! You quoted a two-sentence post I made two years, seven months ago. Now that has to be a real grudge match! Or are you just trying to run interference for Gabor? The proceeds of illegal activities. It could be the profits of international operations like drugs, arms sales, prostitution and human trafficking, or from domestic activities like gambling, smuggling, extortion, kidnapping, etc. Organized crime in Russia, the Soviet-successor states and East Europe is not a monolith, but several thousand very different gangs. Some are big and sophisticated, others small and crude. But they all share one thing in common - the need to make the proceeds of their criminal activities look legitimate. No matter how many million rubles, dollars, euros, etc. they accumulate, it's no fun if they can't spend that money. They have to have a "cover" to explain their wealth, otherwise a Russian prosecutor could ask, "How can an ex-con with no education, no visible means of support and who pays no taxes afford to live in a 60-room mansion and drive a Lamborghini?" Using money-laundering services abroad makes it far more difficult for LE to prove the mobsters' lifestyles are supported by ill-gotten gains. Considering the huge numbers of Russian tourists who visit Pattaya each year, it wouldn't be hard for the Beet-Soup Boys to send trusted family members with cash or pre-loaded debit cards to Thailand. Many reasons. Among them: Russians don't need a visa to enter for up to 30 days, which makes it easy for the couriers to do laundry runs. It's also easy for Russians who want to stay for long periods to get visas to do so. Rules are much tighter for Russians who want to visit other countries. There are many small independent exchange booths and by using a number of them for a series of modest transactions, large amounts of cash can be changed without raising suspicion. The abundance of ATM machines makes it convenient to use pre-loaded debt cards to withdraw cash that went in as dirty dollars or rubles but comes out as squeaky clean baht. Say a card was loaded with USD10,000, which converts to about 300,000 baht. Fifteen trips to various ATMs and you've got it all out with absolutely no paper trail. Do that every day for a few months and you'll have laundered USD1 million. At the time I wrote the comment you cited, Thailand had an extremely small and limited anti-money-laundering law enforcement unit. Under international pressure, Thailand has upped it's game in the past two years, but there's still no Thai LE unit that is equipped or trained to tackle Russian money laundering head-on. Little risk, big reward. Bars are a convenient legal "entry level" business for Russian mobsters who want to expand internationally. It's easy and relatively inexpensive to set up a gogo bar, nightclub, etc. in Pattaya. Formal licensing is a snap and there's no background check of the owners as in some countries. The mobster has a convenient base while awaiting further opportunities for more lucrative and large-scale ventures like real estate. Russian wiseguyskis often prefer to live abroad as life in Russia can carry a big risk of lead poisoning, 9mm style. Pattaya has become a welcoming environment and secure place for them. And I could go on and on with the answers. I've got enough to answer every question you can think of. Take your best shot. Evil

Ironic (but not really surprising) that a thread intended to welcome The Fiend in his new role has become Evil

Did anyone ever meet dontcha in real life? Evil

I'm always happy to help keep you entertained! Here's a musical version of some of your posts. But remember, those who can't play nicely with others often have to play with themselves. Evil

Best of luck with what's always a tough job. Let's hope it won't take up too much of your time. Evil

Ouch! Mark Beales should fire his editor. Apparently he ripped off a copyrighted photo of Cherry Lynne. Unless he has permission from Cherry Lynne, he could be sued in Thailand or elsewhere. Posting a copyrighted photo on a forum without permission is one thing, but using it on an ebook that's sold through mainstream channels is very much another. Ouch again! Evil

No reason to feel sorry for them. The Aussie dollar appreciated for fundamental and speculative reasons; now the trend has reversed. Currency fluctuation is the name of the game and the Aussie had a good long run. But Australian exporters and the tourist secor won't be sad to see it depreciate. Last night, I saw one of the bank-affiliated booths was buying USD 100 bills at 30.71 baht per dollar. Didn't see an independent booth price, but it would have probably been at about 30.90. Today Superrich is buying USD at a rate of 31.07, but that rate is only available at its Rajadumri and Silom branches in Bangkok. Evil

Yesterday evening I changed a US$100 bill at an independent exchange booth on Soi 7 and got 30.51 baht to the dollar. Bank affliliated booths were offering bewteen 30.27 and 30.38. Evil

I ate dinner at Mulligans on Beach Road outside of the Central Festival mall, I'd never been to Mulligans before because it always struck me as the kind of Irish pub you'd find at a shopping mall in a suburb of Akron, Ohio. I haven't had much luck with Irish pubs outside of Ireland, but there a few good ones in Boston and New York City. I wouldn't have gone this evening, either, if it hadn't been for a friend who wanted to eat there. He wanted a break from Thai food and had heard the "pub grub" at Mulligans was good. So despite my aversion to imitation Irish pubs, I ventured into Mulligans to keep my friend company. Happy to say, the bowl of Irish stew I got was excellent. A substantial portion with a lot of perfectly cooked chunks of lamb in a tasty gravy. A simple dish, but done as it should be. Since the stew had been so good, I decided to try the bread and butter pudding. I stretched my luck with that one, though. A nice presentation but it looked better than it tasted. In fact, it didn't taste much of anything but sweet, Only two raisins and not the slightest hint of nutmeg.Very little custard sauce and it had been mucked up with what seemed to be straight-from-the-bottle Hershey's chocolate sauce. A travesty! It wasn't cheap. I imagine the location added 15% to 20% to the prices. The Irish stew cost 420 baht, the pudding 150 baht and a SML 130 baht (more than you pay in a lot of go go bars). I'll probably go back to eat the Irish stew again or try the shepherd's pie, but it won't become a regular haunt. I can't comment on Mulligans qualities as a pub as I was there early (about 5 p.m. and most of the customers were sitting outside. Some interior shots: Evil

Let's hope the weather gods smile in your favor as well. I plan on coming! Evil

I ate Saturday night at Pupen, the well-known crab and seafood restaurant at the far end of Jomtien Beach Road, as one of a group of 11 people (three farang males, eight Thai ladies) . I'd eaten there in the past, but hadn't been back for about a year. This time round, the food was just as delicious as I'd remembered it. And the blue crab was photographed as much as always. The iconic photo from the Internet, not one I took: Pupen, which I've been told means "live crab" in English, opened in the mid-1980's as a no-name restaurant with five beach-side tables. It's specialty was fresh seafood, with crabs kept alive in baskets lowered into the sea until needed. The restaurant expanded considerably through the years and now the fish and crabs are held in tanks. I don't know how many seats it has (500? maybe more?), but it's big. Most of the customers, probably 80%-85%, were Thais. The reminder were mostly Asian tour groups. I also saw some Russians, but not many other farang. The menus we got were in Thai except for the cover page. I always let my TGF order anyway, so no problem for me. I was responsible for seven of the group and here's what we ordered: The main feature was two kilos of crab at 560 baht per kilo. I don't eat much crab (or lobster) for medical reasons, but the ladies had no problems in polishing it off on their own. We also had a lovely fried fish: And a squid dish: A coconut-based seafood stew (never had it before, but really liked it): My GF wanted som tam and we also got a place of vegetables and herbs: My lady doesn't think I eat enough vegetables, so she ordered the shrimp-veggie stir-fry for me: We also had a bowl of tom khai gai that arrived towards the end of the meal, but I forgot to take a pic of it. Some shots from the interior of the restaurant: We got there at about 6 p.m. and didn't have a problem getting a table. The outside tables facing the sea were all occupied, but there were plenty of seats inside. However, by the time we left at 7.30 p,m,, the restaurant was quite full. I imagine it's nightmare to even try to get a table on a Thai holiday weekend. And forget about a beach-side table unless you get there very early. I've read criticism of Pupen for the slowness of service and the rudeness of the staff. We certainly didn't have those problems on Saturday. The food came quickly and the waitresses and waiters were as polite and friendly as they usually are in LOS. Total damages were 2, 650 baht, very reasonable for such a meal for seven people. Considering the two kilos of crab cost 1,120 and I had two SMLs and a watermelon smoothie to drink, the rest of the meal was cheap indeed. The ladies all drank water. Bottom line: Pupen is one of the best places for fresh seafood in Pattaya. It loses a few points due to the lack of English-language menus and the hassle involved in getting to and from Pupen as well as the difficulty you might encounter in finding a table on a busy night. Evil

Mosaik Apartments near TukCom (about 10 minutes walk from Walking Street, two minutes by baht bus) have studio apartments for about 750 baht per night. Great location and value for money. You can book through Agoda. Evil

Flew Cathay to Hong Kong on May 14, return on May 16, no hassles with carry-on bags and the flight was full. Evil

Whether or not airline personnel strictly enforce carry-on limits (size, weight, number of bags) depends to some degree if they are expecting a full flight. I've never been asked by Thai check-in agents to weigh my carry-on bag, but it has happened on occasion with other airlines. I fly mostly with United and it doesn't have a stated weight limit for carry-on bags. I don't pack my carry-on very heavily, but it is easy to go over 15 lbs. I always carry one of those "stowable" bags that unfolds to give me the option of one carry-on bag and one "personal item." A few times when airlines (usually regional carriers in the U.S.) have been really tough or I'd bought a lot of stuff, I checked the loaded fold-out bag. Fold-out bags come in all sizes, from small to a full 61 linear inches. I find them very useful. I can travel light to the U.S., with no need to wait at EWR or JFK for bags, then go back to Thailand fully loaded with checked baggage. Evil

J. Daeng Restaurant is located on 2nd Road at the corner of Soi 9, across the street from the Siam Bayview Hotel. The emphasis is on Thai and Chinese seafood, but the extensive menu features a variety of dishes, including some standard Western ones. It's not the best nor the cheapest seafood restaurant in Pattaya, but it is a moderately priced option for those who are looking for fresh and well-prepared seafood in a convenient location. I've had a number of meals there since I moved into the neighborhood a couple of months ago and have never been disappointed. The Thais and farang friends I've taken have also liked it and have wanted to go back. I like the fact that you can see at least some of the food being prepared. It's not an enclosed restaurant, but the powerful overhead fans keep it cool. There's also an outdoor section along Soi 9. The service is friendly, attentive and quick. I've never waited more than 20 minutes before the first dish hit the table. One feature I liked is that most dishes can be ordered in small and large portions. The customer base seems evenly split between farang (a lot of Russians) and Thais and other Asians. The menu includes all the usual favorites: as well as some that aren't so common. How about steamed shark, Chinese style? Or crocodile stir-fry? Before anyone asks, the crocodile didn't taste like chicken. In fact, the meat itself didn't taste like much of anything beyond the other ingredients in the dish, but the sauce was excellent. The grilled seafood had just the right taste of charcoal that didn't overwhelm the subtle flavor of crab and rock lobster. Thai girls do enjoy playing with their food. It's an unpretentious restaurant and the girls feel comfortable there. And if you need to do some shopping for everything from clothes and luggage to souvenir knick-knacks, the Night Bazaar is right next door. If you're looking for a fine dining experience, J. Daeng isn't the place. Better food is available at the more famous restaurants at the far ends of Jomtien and Naklua. But if you don't have your own wheels or don't want to spend the time and effort to get to an out-of-the-way eatery, J. Daeng is a solid choice in central Pattaya. Evil

Speaking of big portions, My Way also loads up its customers' plates. I ate there again last night. I had a huge wienerschnitzel that had been pounded, breaded and cooked properly. The home fries were also very good. The onions had been carmelized (a rarity in LOS) and bits of bacon added for flavor. A farang friend choose the pork cordon bleu, which he also liked very much: And his GF took the filet mignon: My Way is closed Fridays and there was a sign on the door saying it would be closed June 1- June 30. Evil

The baht buses tend to be jammed with Jomtien Russians these days, sometimes even in low season. When I lived in View Talay 5C, many would go past me because they were already full. Gave up a few times after waiting 30 minutes or more for a bus to stop. Evil

Yes, she really liked the omelette but didn't like the beans and didn't touch the bread. Evil

I don't know much about hotels in that part of Pattaya, having stayed only at the Vault and Residence Garden and that was several years ago. If for some reason you don't like the Residence Garden, I believe you'll struggle to find a hotel in that area which is equivalent to Sutus Court in terms of value for money and facilities. Evil

I was in Hong Kong for a few days. Dinner the first night at a street eatery in the Temple Street night market. A few simple dishes but they tasted good. Mostly local residents, but a few gwai lo (foreign devils). My breakfast: And hers: Noodle soup with pork for me in a hole-in-the-wall place at the Ladies Market: She had steamed pork: Evil

HiSo it's not. In fact, quite the opposite. There are scads of much, much better hotels in more convenient locations at the same prices. Evil

But the beef is as good as ever at On My Way! I really like that when I order "medium rare," that's how it's cooked. Beef with oyster sauce. A basic dish, but a favorite of mine when done well. The guy at the "Govinda" street eatery on Soi 15 (off WS, between the Sapphire and Beach go gos) really knows how to cook. The beef was very tasty. Evil

I've had several really good Sunday meals at Punch & Judy's, but I hadn't been there since late January and was concerned in light of some recent reports about a decline in quality. Here's the "trio of meats" (lamb, pork, beef) roast dinner I got there yesterday: In comparison, a couple of photos I posted from earlier meals: Sad to say, yesterday's meal wasn't as tasty as the earlier ones. Nothing really wrong with it, just not as flavorful. It does seem the standard has slipped a bit. I had a wait of about 30 minutes for my meal, which wasn't that bad considering how many people were in the restaurant. The cost was the same - 295 baht. I'll give the Sunday roast at P&J another try, but I won't be rushing back. For me, it's a bit of hassle to get there and the effort doesn't justify the reward. I'm happy to make the effort for an outstanding meal, but not for a so-so one. Evil