vinapu

This is what governments and businesses are always saying when raising taxes and prices. "In order to serve you better", so they simply used this time tested formula not even thinking anybody will believe it anyways. While I agree with Moses and you that for most visitors 500 is just a drop in the bucket I still rather spend it at say, Nature Boy than Swampy.

Everywhere in the world if you emerge from ATM or exchange counter you are marking yourself as man with money and prey / not always easy but still prey /. For this very reason in less known places I'm always limiting my trips to bank machine and prefer to take more in one shot and then stash it in hotel's safe as Rogie suggested. Never been robbed but have 2 cousins robbed while emerging from ATM , both in supposedly safe cities / Melbourne and Zurych /. I was followed once in Yogyakarta / Java / after I left machine but guardian angel sent me taxi I could jump in. On another hand never , ever felt uneasy in BKK , day on night so I'm surprised with Devint adventures but again, ChristianPFC was threatened with knife at Saranrom while ago so we can't go low on guard So my advice would be handle you cash way you feel comfortable with. If you not planning to go right back to hotel use Rogie's approach, better pay 150 baht per withdrawal even couple times a day than swallow lead. If you need to exchange lot on money try to use few booths as this limits your time there. By time you count 30000 baht half Silom will see you standing at the counter. But again , do what you are comfortable with. And never keep all the money in one pocket, use shirt with at least 2 and trousers with 4 and spread money between them.

Rogie , stop talking about me, I'm shy guy and don't like publicity. LOL Well said nevertheless, thank you for expressing nicely in short sentence why we love LOS even if factor X doesn't work sometimes as hoped for.

you are right big time on both counts, he is trying to eat cake and still have it

I'm surprised too that he did not drown by accident somewhere mid-river.

I like your post but story is appalling and no wonder your boyfriend doesn't like assholes like one you described. One of those I mentioned above acting like they own the place and it's people. Do not think how much it cost you but count all those merits you earned by taking those boys there, money well spent.

The BF who does not like many farangs in Thailand Not sure it definitely implies he doesn't like majority of them, my reading was rather ' quite often is voicing unfavorable opinion about farangs in Thailand' which would not be surprising considering that some of them behave like they own the place and this is not going well in the nation never colonized. No idea about Thais love of pizza but do not assume all farangs like it , I don't for one but found this threat entertaining and interesting

Hard to explain but certainly there's something to it as most people likely can confirm. How do you know guy was straight, may be you just weren't his type?

Removed you from my "unkind Sukhumvit farangs" list as requested vinapu

understand, read somewhere about boys complaining about them looking for sex but not willing to pay and lady bars asking for tips to be paid up front so it must be something to it.

so likely as they spent boorish behavior will be tolerated, I wonder how good tippers they are, any feedback from boys?

yes it was 500 baht and they even had automats to purchase this exit ticket

Are Russians really that bad? Just asking as I have rather good opinion of them and I travel quite a bit, granted never been to Pattaya but this oversight will be corrected soon

Turkey does, they call it visa on arrival but in reality is just nothing more than something like postal stamp placed in passport -no form to be filed. Actually I'd consider all countries offering visa on arrival in the same league- it's nothing else than nice dressing for arrival fee. I received one in Indonesia in May and don't recall even filing an application Idea is just cash grab. I see already problem with implementing 30/baht per day fee for short term visitors, when it will be collected-presumably in advance, what if somebody will leave sooner, will they get refund?.

Welcome back to civilization ! Clearly buy likes you or situation he found himself in or both , congratulation on finding rare specie of smiling tiger.

You are right, drink is just our admission ticket. Before one would gather meaningful statistic sample ' in situ ' to answer your question his budget would be busted and liver ruined / in your case kidneys as I gather you do not drink alcohol /. When I watch now cold rain outside I 'm sure I'd gladly pay those inflated prices we are discussing here just to be there. And really we can always vote with our feet like we do, you are good hunting non-moneyboys and have stable source of cheap company at Saranrom, firecat returned to Pattaya nad immediately found smiling tiger and I should shut up completely as I like massage over bar boys / last trip 7 out of 9 /. Thus attendance in bars is owners problem , sometimes one client leaving upset over something is just creating empty chair for next one entering door at the moment

The same happened to me in May in Jupiter 2 nights in row. And I liked it because I was ignored completely by mamasans other than first drink. Imagine , good hour in the bar without familiar pestering, just this is worth 300 baht drink.

There is always remote danger that increased presence of Asians in PTY will eventually lead to increase of prices there as it did in BKK

1/5 of world population goes to bed hungry and Dr. Eugenia Cheng is providing the rest with the scientific formula for perfect pizza. God, where's your thunder ? Interesting read though, thank you Rogie.

Visited said Remington few years ago , beer 4.50 or 4.75 so price with tip will be 6 $=180 baht, you are right , much cheaper than Soi, Private lap dance was 20$ per song, song lasting 3-5 minutes. Got toughly-feely with very handsome dancer for about 20-25 minutes, 5 songs. Cost 100 $ = 3000 baht. Then realized that this is more then generous long-time tip in BKK. Since then strictly follow z909 advice above- make adjustments to expenditure patterns at home and save money for holiday. Generally our view on bar pricing depends on whether we are: long term residents- obviously not willing or able to afford those prices on daily basis, people on longer , once a- lifetime vacations who will be more prolific spenders but still watching budget, specially toward end of vacation and all those Singaporeans on long weekend hops to LOS or people visiting Thailand for short period of time / 5 or 7 days in my case/ on the way to, from or between other countries in region whose tolerance for prices is much higher as usually we are on the way to airport before money run out and do not want to waste an opportunity over overpriced 10-13 $ drink. So no reason to consider anybody cheap Charlie or fools parting soon with money as our motivations and spending patters are different. I, for one probably overspend on drinks, boy tips and definitely massages, others spend much more on restaurants, fancy hotels, taxis , discos, saunas etc. After all those are our vacations and we can treat ourselves however we see fit. Is bad to wake up in the morning feeling like idiot over spending way too much in the bar last night and also no good to open eyes to empty space in the bed beside over difference in tip's size.

nothing wrong with protecting brand but against real threat. Case we are discussing is case somebody trying to kill mosquito with baseball bat

As long as we have that choice we are good. I leave complaining about prices to others as IMHO Thailand is still one of best value for money countries in the world for travel for both vanilla and body to body tourists. I think Bangkok relies more on occasional sex tourist who is not adverse to pay those prices once every few years or may be once in the lifetime while Pattaya relies more on long term and returning visitors who are more inclined to look around for a better deal. I still recall my first visit to the soi Twilight almost 12 years ago and remember I'd pay any price quoted for any drink as soon as I entered my first bar , owners are cashing in on the novelty value and are getting away with murder for this very reason. And it's not that difficult to avoid those prices with beer bars , massages and GR . Bangkok Massage across the soi from Dreamboy charges 700 for oil massage and min tip is 700 for a total 1400, weigh it against 380 for drink and 600 off fee from the Dreamboys and now we are presented with real choice before even boy tip is considered..

Guy selling coffee on the street for 20 baht is not even competition to Starbucks " classy ' venues as he serves different market sector. While drugs companies may be right that thy are subsidizing health system of poor countries they are just repaying favor as cheap labor in poor countries is subsidizing prolific consumption in the reach part of the world. At end both sides can be winners as long as some balance is maintained . Gee, I sound like Brezhnev but so be it.

That 's why you were quiet recently on the forum, I thought you left LOS for some less rainy destination. This is not good and hope you feeling better now. If boy was fun, flirtatious and cute it's rather less surprising that all of you connoisseurs voted for him. Looks you guys had a nice convention two nights in row . .

so it looks each one of us needs to make own judgment if is getting good value for money and act accordingly. Certainly as firecat noticed bar hopping at 300 bht /drink is an option only for very prolific spenders.