Gaybutton

Actually I almost didn't go at all. I went to Lotus with a friend, but he almost always prefers to shop at Big-C. We did try it this evening. Because of the promotion, the place was packed. There were four of us. We had to wait over an hour to get in. Usually we won't wait that long, but we wanted to try it and we figured by the time we go somewhere else and get served we might as well wait. If you like "suki" and sashimi, then this restaurant is worth a try. The food itself is similar to the MK Suki chain, but much less expensive considering you eat whatever you want and however much you want. They also have tempura, chicken, various pot stickers, etc. Whatever you want to drink is included in the price. You serve yourself. They also had a variety of fresh fruits, fruit salad, and even three different ice cream flavors . . . all unlimited. If you want to try it, we now know there is one at the Central Festival (6th floor) and now at the Sukhumvit Lotus. Who knows, maybe there are already more, or more will soon come. It certainly looks like a highly successful operation and certainly worth the price, even at the full price. Also, in my original post I was wrong about it all being counter seating. They have table seating too. The only drawback to the tables is that whoever is sitting on the outside either has to reach over the person on the inside to get their food from the conveyor belt or whoever on the inside has to grab whatever the person on the outside wants. That was no problem for us at all. One other thing . . . you better be capable of eating with chop sticks. There are no forks. That hour and a quarter they give you to eat is plenty. We were all stuffed in about 45 minutes.

You're dreaming. If you need accommodations that inexpensive, then the only thing you can do is try to find a room in one of the tenement types of apartments and rent it for a month. You can find places that are as inexpensive as 3000 baht per month. It will be a dump, but you'll get a bed, some broken down furniture and maybe a ceiling fan. If that suits you, those kinds of places are available. Don't forget to tell us all about how the boy you take off likes it when you take him to your room . . . All kidding aside, if you really can't afford decent accommodations, then don't you think you're better off saving your money until you can?

Nothing. I've never heard of a bar supplying boys with fake IDs. If a boy has a fake ID, then he obtained it on his own.

1. I hate to break the bad news, but in order for your posts to be eligible for the contest, you must have a minimum of 150 posts. Before today, you had a grand total of 3 posts in one day, so if you wish to become eligible, you have a hell of a lot of posting to do between now and the end of the month. 2. The proof-of-income statement is acceptable for up to a year. You won't have any problem renewing a month in advance. 3. Your bank account will be active.

In the thread about the new Central Festival mall I wrote the following: Today we had a nice surprise. We went to the Lotus on Sukhumvit. As we walked in, lo and behold there was another Sabushi Restaurant that just opened. It's exactly the same as the one in Central Festival. Some of you may find this one a little more convenient. They are open until 11:00pm. Today only they are having an opening promotion. The price will be 140 baht per person up to 11:00pm tonight. That price is only for today folks, so this might be a good day to give it a try.

Chiang Mai will have a much more traditional Songkran. That would be my recommendation. As for budget accommodations, I recommend the Come-On Place. It's gay owned, very nice, easy transportation, and very helpful staff. They charge about 800 baht per night. Just about anywhere else in Chiang Mai starts at 1300 baht per night. I really like Come-On Place. It's always my first choice whenever I visit Chiang Mai. Their web site is: http://www.comeonplace.net/comeon_index.php

I agree. People who think a great idea is to drink and drive will manage to find a way to drink and drive, even if they can't buy their booze at a gas station.

I think that problem can be solved if you get those people to download and install Thai fonts. The most commonly used Thai font is 'Angsana New.' If they already have it, then maybe they need to do something to activate it. Most Email programs have some sort of a 'settings' feature. I use Gmail. My settings default for display language is US English. It does have a selection choice to set the display language to Thai. Maybe that's what your recipients need to do. Another solution is to write your Email on a word processor first, convert it to a PDF format, and attach the file to the Email. Then they should be able to see the Thai lettering.

To my knowledge, that's right. In your case I would advise contacting the Thai embassy in your home country, explain your circumstances to them, and see what they tell you. The last thing I would do would be to rely on message board advice. If you don't already have a retirement visa, then you might be better off obtaining a first visa in your home country, rather than coming to Thailand to try to obtain it here. That way you will know all the requirements and be entering Thailand with the visa already in your hands. Part of the problem is that the regulations seem to change quite often. At this moment nobody really knows just what is going on, if anything. So far, nobody who posts here is saying they have been asked. I think people are blowing this up all out of proportion. For whatever reasons, sometimes it seems as if people start to panic over nothing. If Immigration really does ask for additional proof, what's the problem? I doubt it would take much to satisfy them. I truly believe what they are trying to do is find a way to catch people who lie about their income level and end up causing problems for Thailand. Since people do seem to be getting concerned about what would be proof enough for Immigration, then don't wait until the last minute to renew the visa. Apparently you can renew up to three months in advance. So, it seems simple enough to me. Renew several weeks in advance. That way, if they really do want additional proof from you, you're leaving yourself enough time to obtain it before your current visa expires.

Why? I don't see much point in doing that. Everyone has his own favorites for a variety of reasons. There is no way I could narrow my own choice down to just one bar. There are bars many may not have even been to yet, and that includes me. I fail to see what difference it would make as to which bar would get the most votes. Run the same poll two weeks later and you would likely get entirely different results. If you wish to set up a poll that includes every go-go bar in both Bangkok and Pattaya (and I remind you that the Silom-Surawong area is not the only area in Bangkok with go-go bars), feel free, but it seems rather pointless to me. Personally, I would prefer to just let people write about their personal favorites.

What it means is you have to be able to show sufficient evidence that you have an income that averages to (I forget the exact figure) at least about 65,000 baht per month. If you do the math, that works out to just about 800,000 baht per year. Immigration couldn't care less about where the money is coming from other than the requirement that it is coming from a foreign source. I would guess that monthly statements from your Thai bank account plus the letter from the bank, along with a proof-of-income statement from you embassy will probably suffice. I am also guessing, for those who have a Thai bank account, but don't make much use of it, will have to show evidence of your income in some other way, if they ask. What we need to find out is whether they are asking for additional evidence and what sort of evidence is acceptable to Immigration. So far I haven't seen anything to show just what kind of evidence they want. I have a feeling that people are getting themselves all upset over this for nothing. I doubt very much that they're going to ask for additional evidence unless they have reason to suspect that you're lying about your income. I'm going to stick my neck out and guess that very few, if any, of the retirees reading this message board are going to be asked at all. Time will tell. If nobody is able to provide any answers, then next time I'm in the Immigration office I'll see what I can find out. So far, only Lvdkeyes has posted about renewing his visa and, if you haven't noticed, he wasn't asked to provide anything other than the same documents he provides every year.

You're starting to get into 'what ifs' and 'maybes.' Between your own scrutiny and that of the hotel staff, that's the best you can do. If that still isn't enough for your peace of mind, then the only thing I can suggest is to take the boy to the police station first, have them check his ID, and have them give you a written, notarized statement that the boy is 18+ years old. Either that, or stop taking boys off at all. There comes a time when caution begins to lapse into paranoia.

I'd love to live to see that day come. Part of the problem with the Republicans, in my opinion, is that in reality they couldn't care less about anyone except themselves. They put getting themselves re-elected as priority number 1, ahead of anything else including the national interest. They'll continue to support the white collar criminals who have no problem about treating themselves like royalty and live lavishly on obscenely high salaries and severance packages at the expense of everyone else, including helping themselves to other people's retirement pensions. The Republicans will continue to support them because they rely on their money to get re-elected. It sometimes seems as if the laws are designed to get the criminals off the street as long as that street isn't Wall Street.

I agree, but with one slight change. Anything that works and curtails DWI is welcome. I doubt this is it.

Who comes up with these brilliant ideas? Here's another item for my "I Don't Get It" list. Gas station convenience stores won't be able to sell liquor. Is whoever the person is who came up with this proposal blind? There are more 7-Elevens, Family Marts, and other local convenience stores in Thailand than Carter's has Liver Pills. Even in the rural boondocks there are 7-Elevens all over the place, and most of them have nothing to do with gas stations. Maybe I'm wrong, but it sure seems like a strange idea to me.

That's all part of what it takes to be a good, effective politician. You have to look good on television and you have to be entertaining. I'm sorry he wasn't entertaining enough. He needs to learn that you lose people if you take more than 30 seconds to answer a question, especially if you can't include a couple catchy one-liners within the answer. I'm sure many people thought the same way . . . that time is much better spent being entertained by watching 'The Simpsons' or reruns of 'I Love Lucy' than watching the President explain his new policies during his first press conference. Well, that's ok. I'm sure plenty of people will contact the White House and ask that he intersperse his next press conference with a magic act, spinning plates, and a sing-along. That'll be sure to hold everyone's attention.

Of course not. Just as everywhere else, they have to use a rope . . .

According to Wikipedia: _____ The word Golf in its English form, was first mentioned in writing in 1457 on a Scottish statute of forbidden games as gouf, possibly derived from the Scots word goulf (variously spelled) meaning "to strike or cuff". This word may, in turn, be derived from the Dutch word kolf, meaning "bat", or "club", and the Dutch sport of the same name. The idea that “golf” is an acronym from "gentlemen only, ladies forbidden" is false - this is a folk etymology.

Who cares about him licking his own tool? If he wants to lick mine, that's a different story.

I watched it too. I thought he was forthright, direct, and tried to explain his position so that people could really understand what he was saying and why he was saying it. I also liked the way he refused to allow Helen Thomas to continue her reign as queen bee of the White House correspondents when she tried to cut him off with another question. He simply ignored her and moved on to the next correspondent. I'll bet she'll be fuming over that for quite some time. I hope his economic package does pass mostly intact and that it works. It ought to be obvious to anyone, and he made it clear, that the Republican policies simply did not work. Maybe Obama's policies will. I can't imagine that very many people would disagree with the idea that a totally different approach to pulling the USA out of this economic mess is at least worth trying.

I'll give you a better one than that. I am not aware of anyone who ever took a boy off from a bar and got busted, no matter what the age of the boy was. Obviously I don't advise taking an under-age boy off, because a 'bust' could happen, but in all honesty I'm not aware of a single case in which it ever has. Still, I think it is a risk not worth taking. I've said it before; most of these cases arise from people taking street boys and/or diddling around with under-age boys in their own neighborhoods. I suppose Pattayamale's idea of having a police officer, or whoever, address the Expat's Club, or address some other group, can't hurt anything, but I doubt you would hear much of anything beyond advice to check ID's as thoroughly as you can, but the responsibility still rests on your shoulders. If it helps anything, even when these busts do occur, it is rarely when someone had a boy with him who was 16 or 17. Most of the stories I read involve someone with a boy much younger and it almost always turns out that the person had been involved with multiple under-age boys and had been under some form of surveillance for months before an arrest warrant is issued. I really don't think the police are after people who unintentionally were cheated by an under-age bar boy. I think they go after the people who intentionally seek out boys years younger than 18.

It will also be interesting to see if the US embassy ever changes its policy of accepting solely a sworn statement, which is nothing more than simply taking one's word for it. Nevertheless, whether the policy changes or remains the same, my question also remains the same: If Thailand's policy is heading for change such that Immigration will no longer accept an embassy's proof-of-income statement as the actual proof, then why require a proof-of-income statement at all anymore? Personally, I'd rather show Immigration proof than have to go to the embassy once a year and go through the inconvenience, as well as the expense, of obtaining the statement. Not everyone lives close to Bangkok and it can cost many retirees a lot of money each year, which I think would be an unnecessary expense if the proof-of-income statement literally will end up not being worth the paper it's written on. At the moment, Immigration has the option of accepting the proof-of-income statement or requiring more proof. I have no problem with it if it is either-or, but I can't see much logic in requiring both. In my opinion, either accept the embassy's statement or require proof. I wish they would just flip a coin and decide one way or another. Now when applying for the initial visa or applying for a renewal, it's going to be necessary to have the proof with you in case you are asked for it. As it stands now, you really don't have any idea whether you're going to be asked for additional proof or not. The whole thing makes little sense to me in the first place. If Immigration is moving toward a policy change, then the next obvious question is why? For what reason is Immigration suddenly requiring additional proof from people? What problem is causing them to do this? How is the decision made regarding from whom they will ask for additional proof? What do they do, decide based on whether they like someone's looks or not? Is it based on the idea that people may be lying about how much guaranteed monthly income they have? Is it random? Is it simply based on the whim of the Immigration officer?

Here's another thought: If a proof-of-income statement from the embassy is no longer sufficient to prove income, then why require the proof-of-income statement at all anymore? Another one for my "I Don't Get It" list. What do they do, hire someone to sit around and come up with new unnecessary ideas to make life more difficult for farang retirees? Now they can require additional proof if they so choose. But the question is are they asking for additional proof? If you have renewed your retirement visa since this announcement came out or if you are going to renew in the near future, please let us know if they really are asking for additional proof.

Ok, I'll give you some more trivia: 1. Anthropologists announced the discovery of another Mohican. The books are in the process of being recalled to be re-titled, "The Next to Last of the Mohicans." 2. Medical researchers announced today that saliva has been shown to be a leading cause of stomach cancer, but only when swallowed in small amounts over a period of many years. 3. Police fired warning shots over the heads of protesters. Unfortunately they killed 18 people who lived on the second floor. 4. A one-armed man was arrested today at a nearby lake. It seemed he was bothering the other row-boaters by continuously rowing in a circle. 5. A dog exploded at a busy downtown intersection this morning. Several people were overcome by fur. 36 fleas also lost their lives in the blast. 6. The ASPCA filed charges against a man they allege was keeping live goldfish in a moving blender. The man claimed this was only to provide them with exercise. He further claimed that he never had the setting above 'mix.' The ASPCA claims to have evidence that he had the blender up to 'whip' and 'puree' several times. 7. A woman attempting to walk around the world drowned today. 8. A Delaware man was arrested this morning when he was caught trying mail a watermelon with food stamps. 9. A man barricaded himself inside his house today. No one was hurt and no one is paying him the slightest bit of attention. 10. Weather reports say that the forecast for tonight is dark. Darkness is predicted to continue over a period of several hours. Widely scattered light is expected in the early morning hours. - George Carlin

My all time favorites are the urine drinkers. Someone had to be the first person to think of that. The unbelievable part is the fact that it actually caught on.