Gaybutton

I've never heard of him, but one thing I noticed when I read through his web site . . . he doesn't have a car. He apparently will meet with you wherever you are, but you'll be traveling around Bangkok on public transportation.

I too have never had my laptop searched, but these searches seem to be a recent thing. Customs officials do check people who fit certain profiles. I don't have any idea how they arrive at these profiles, but it does seem logical for them to have suspicions about a single man with a lot of entry and exit stamps from Thailand in his passport. Maybe your laptop will be searched and maybe it won't. The trouble is there is no way to know until you try to pass through customs. The obvious solution . . . don't have anything questionable on your laptop. I don't know how the law works, but even with the encryption software I wonder if customs has the authority to insist that you decrypt the files for inspection or have your laptop seized. Does anyone know? To my mind, the whole thing seems ridiculous. To me, it's just like the Pattaya police spending so much time worrying about fining helmetless motorcyclists when there is so much true crime out there. I'd rather see customs officials spending their time searching for drugs and possible terrorist activity rather than spending any time at all worrying about whether someone has pornographic photos on a laptop.

You've certainly answered my question. I can't argue the fact that they are going overboard with the wording of their promotions. At least they admit it, right at the end of their statement where it is signed: Respectfully Submitted Niddy's Nook Promotions Apparently Allen has been doing quite a bit to help Niddy's Nook along, so a tribute to him coming from them seems appropriate to me. But I do agree that I would much rather see the emphasis placed on a tribute to Allen instead of the emphasis being placed on the venue in their promotional jargon. Whether they mean it that way or not, it does come across that way. I intend to be there, but for Allen's sake, not for the sake of the venue. I do agree, though, that Allen deserves to be honored from many more venues and organizations than just the one. I hope that eventually happens.

It's interesting you wrote about this. A friend of mine recently had the same sort of thing happen to him at the Detroit airport when he recently returned from Thailand. He was detained for over an hour and a half while Customs searched through his laptop. He did have photos of boys on his computer, but all were of age and all were at least partially clad and in non-pornographic poses. Customs gave him the third degree. At first the inspector refused to believe that the boys were at least 18 years old. They even said they want to go to his home and search his desk top computer. I don't know if they actually did that. I have not heard from him since he told me the story. The point is, be very careful about what is on your laptop computer when you are traveling. Obviously customs officials are checking. The whoile thing seems absurd to me because anyone can take the photos on a laptop and E-mail them to themselves or store them on the Internet somewhere, and then delete them from their computer. I dislike the idea of Customs prying into people's personal affairs whether it's legal or not. Most people are not foolish enough to place illegal photos on their laptops when traveling internationally and the time it takes for such searches can easily cause people to miss connecting flights. Just what you need after a long haul flight . . . a needless delay and hassle getting through customs that can cause you to miss a connecting flight, and then having to go through an ordeal just trying to get back home. Such an experience can ruin an entire holiday, and for what?

The "Under New Management" party this evening (July 28) was great fun for all. The buffet was set up right outside and was catered by the Whte Night Restaurant. Everything you can imagine was included, ranging from salads to main courses to desserts. Everyone was getting their food and sitting down inside the bar. It was a ton of fun having dinner and watching the go-go boys at the same time. It was a great crowd too. Allen (Pattayagay.com) was there. Of course Googie and Dave were there. Phil Graham, owner of "Spice" Magazine was there. WowPow came too, along with Richard Burk, owner of the Amor Restaurant, Jim Lumsden of the Ambiance and Boyz Boyz Boyz, and Chris and Niddy, owners of Niddy's Nook. Several of my close friends and many faces I recognized also put in an appearance. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the evening. Best of luck to the "new" Top Man. For those of you unfamiliar with Pattaya, Top Man is located right at the entrance of Sunee Plaza, just around the corner from the White Night restaurant. Next time you are in Pattaya, have a wonderful dinner buffet at White Night and enjoy an evening in Top Man.

It reminds me of the mayor in "Jaws," who was much more concerned about his town's image than he was about doing something substantial to protect people from the shark. Sometimes, when I'm on the road, I see trucks carrying live poultry. The chickens are stuffed in like sardines. I always wonder where these chickens came from and whether they were satisfatorally inspected prior to being shipped out. When the prior outbreaks were so much more widespread, there were several instances, as I recall, that shipments containing diseased birds were caught. When it becomes a question of money or safety, somehow money often prevails. That's the scariest thought of all, in my opinion. The latest is in the following article: ________ BANGKOK, July 28 (TNA) Thai authorities in provinces formerly infected with bird flu virus are on high alert for a possible re-emergence of the disease after the nation confirmed the first death from avian flu in one and a half years earlier this week. Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin said as a new outbreak of bid flu which killed a 17-year-old teenage boy--the first human bird flu death in the kingdom since February 2005--was reported in the northern Phichit Province earlier this week, he had ordered officials across the metropolis to monitor all signs of a re-emergence of the disease. The governor visited a chicken farm in the East of the capital, saying it was not widely known that Bangkok has 24 modern poultry farms with some 1.1 million birds altogether. However, he said surveillance measures against the threat of a possible re-emergence of bird flu imposed during the last outbreaks are still in place at these chicken farms. Mr. Apirak directed city officials to continue to educate poultry farmers, especially those small-scale producers who keep chickens at their homes, about the new outbreak and how to prevent themselves from contracting the disease. "Poultry farmers must inform officials at once if their chickens die mysteriously and they must not move the animals,'' the Bangkok governor said. He said city officials would coordinate closely with the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives to prevent a new outbreak in Bangkok. Meanwhile, in Kanchanaburi on the Myanmar border, West of Bangkok, livestock officials met Friday to discuss measures to prevent the disease from returning in areas infected by the virus during previous outbreaks. Viriya Kaewthong, provincial livestock chief, said checkpoints would be set up in areas at risk, especially in Phanomtuan District, to prevent the illegal movement of poultry. Local officials have been on high alert to monitor for a bird flu outbreak and indicated that they would spray chemical disinfectant to kill the virus. ''Some chickens have died in the province but our tests confirmed they were free of bird flu,'' Mr. Viriya said. Boonnam Chaiwisuth, head of the provincial health service, said he directed health officials and volunteers to visit villagers to educate them on bird flu virus and prevention as the current changeable weather from rainy season to winter could help the virus spread more quickly. ''Hospitals across the province would also monitor for patients with bird flu-like symptoms," he said. Similar measures have been imposed by livestock officials in the southern Phang-nga Province, according to local sources. Teams of officials were sent into several villages in Ta Kua Pa District, hard hit by the bird flu outbreaks two years ago, to conduct a thorough check for sick fowls and humans. They also sprayed the areas to prevent the virus from returning. During the past outbreaks, Phang-nga had culled hundreds of thousands of chickens to contain the virus. Bird flu virus has claimed 15 lives in Thailand so far. The country reported the first outbreak in early 2004 and since then has devastated the country's poultry business. It has also spread in many countries in Asia, Africa and Europe and killed more than 130 people around the globe (TNA)--E110, E002

A statue and a drink named after me? Well, as far as a statue is concerned, considering the amount of weight I should lose, it would have to be an awfully big piece of marble. Some say piss and vinegar would be an appropriate drink to name for me. Perhaps it would be appropriate to name a sandwich after me too . . . half tongue and half baloney.

A new outbreak of Bird Flu is occurring in Thailand. So far it is confined to the Phichit area, which is just to the south of a city with which many of you may be more familiar, Phitsanulok. Phichit is also located in the Kamphaeng Phet-Sukothai area, and that's the same area where the last outbreak occurred. So far there has been one death and several illnesses that, to date, have not resulted in death. From what I have read about Bird Flu, you don't get the disease from eating poultry or eggs. You get it by direct contact with infected bird droppings and/or direct contact with live or dead infected birds. So, unless you are going to be somewhere where you might come in to such contact, as far as I know you are safe. You might want to read the following article: _______ PHICHIT, July 27 (TNA) Eleven more suspected bird flu cases were reported in Thailand's lower northern province of Phichit on Thursday. Dr. Prajak Wattanakul, head of the Phichit provincial public health office, said that the 11 patients, mostly children aged between 4-14, are suspected of being infected with avian influenza virus and were admitted to five different hospitals in the province on Thursday. Some of them had contacted with dead poultry and others live in areas where a large number of fowls died of unknown causes. All the 11 patients were quarantined and samples of their blood and phlegm were sent for laboratory tests in the medical science centre in Nakhon Sawan, expected to be able to release the test results Friday, the doctor said. (TNA)-E009

If you feel that way, and obviously many others do as well, I yield to that, but I wish those who want to criticize Niddy's Nook would at least also write something in praise of all the fine work Allen has done. Many out there would be hard pressed for the kind of information he presents if it weren't for all the work he puts in. I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong, but it just seems to me to be inappropriate to be attacking Niddy's Nook within the same thread that I thought would be about praising Allen. Of course, if Allen agrees with the idea that this whole thing is nothing more than a publicity stunt at his expense, then I suppose he might choose to express that opinion by refusing to show up. I also concede that I must be missing something. The only time I've eaten at Niddy's Nook was the night they first opened, so I don't really know anything about the place. I've only met Chris and Niddy once and they seemed nice enough to me. I only rarely read the Sawatdee forum, but I have seen threads there criticizing Niddy's Nook, although I admit I didn't read through them. If there is a reason why there is such harshness toward Niddy's Nook and a reason for the assumption that this tribute to Allen is only a publicity stunt rather than something genuine, perhaps someone can write about what that reason is. In all honesty, I have no idea.

Why all the sarcasm? I don't think anyone would rightly dispute the fact that Allen deserves to be awarded for all the work he has put in over the years. As far as I know, since the first weekly report he ever did, he has not missed publishing the report even once. He gets it done even when he is traveling, ill, dealing with personal problems, or anything else. If anyone thinks obtaining all the information, writing it up, and publishing it is easy, then try it and see for yourself how much work goes into it. People have come to rely on his web site for information and the latest for what's going on around town. He asks for nothing in return for all the work he does for the gay community. I realize that some out there have something against Niddy's Nook for whatever reasons you have and yes, Allen deserves to be rewarded at the finest restaurant, but I hope people will consider posting the statements of gratitude that he so richly deserves rather than using this thread as an excuse to chop apart the venue in which the award will be presented.

How other people see me is no concern of mine. The difference is at 16 it is illegal and a person who engages in it risks suffering all the legal consequences. I consistently point that out to people, not out of hatred but as a warning. Not everyone who reads these boards has been reading them for years, as you have. Some are new to these boards and may not be aware of it at all. That is why I am going to continue those sorts of posts whether it bothers you or not.

Actually, it's DTAC, not D-tech. There are two ways to buy DTAC. One is a prepaid phone card, just like One-Two-Call. The other is to open an account. Only Thai citizens can open a DTAC account. In your case I advise sticking with either One-Two-Call or the DTAC prepaid card. If you open a DTAC account for him , then you will receive a monthly bill, and Lord only knows how much the boy will charge up. You won't have any control. At least with a prepaid card you can specify how much you will give him each month for phone cards and set a limitation. As for whether One-Two-Call or DTAC prepaid is better, as far as I can tell it's six of one, half a dozen of the other. I haven't observed any differences between the two at all. Both are available anywhere in Thailand provided the phone is in reach of a signal. Out in the boondocks, there are often problems because sometimes the signal doesn't reach that far.

There is a solution to that. Simply go into a bank and have them withdraw funds from your ATM card as if they are doing a cash advance on a VISA or MasterCard. Then you can take out whatever amount you wish. Of course, that works only if your ATM card has the VISA or MasterCard logo on it. I did that when I had to come up with a huge amount of money to finish paying off the mortgage on my home in Thailand. There was no problem at all. Also, whenever traveling to a foreign country you should notify your bank and credit card companies as to where you will be, your arrival date, your departure date, and whether you intend to do any large-amount transactions. That way, if they know what to expect in advance, you won't end up trying to use an ATM card or credit card only to find it locked or the transaction rejected. It also helps them track down the culprit if there is ever any fraudulent use of your card. One time that happened to me. When I arrived back home after a trip to Thailand there was letter from my credit card company asking me to contact them as soon as possible. When I did, they told me that there were several large transactions that had taken place in Korea and they wanted to know if those were mine. I said they were not. They immediately restored the amount of those transactions to my account. Three weeks later I received a 'thank you' letter from them, telling me that the fact I had notified them in advance as to where I will be alterted them and they were able to charge back to whoever had accepted the phony transactions. They said they lost no money at all because I had informed them in advance.

This evening, July 26, was the latest Pattaya Gay Festival (PGF) dinner at Richard Burk's Amor Restaurant. The restaurant was packed and everyone had a wonderful time. Jim Lumsden did a magnificent job as MC, and he was delightfully entertaining as always. Richard's menu was just delicious. Everything was truly superb. I especially enjoyed the Salmon Rillettes and the Chicken Breast with Herbed Cheeses. After dinner there were great raffle prizes, including bottles of premium wines and liquors, dinners at fine restaurants, a luxury holiday in Phuket, and much more. Congratulations to both Richard and Jim for a fabulous evening. You will see more reports about this evening's dinner on boxertravels.com and in Spice Magazine. The next PGF dinner will be at Bruno's restaurant in August. See www.pattayagayfestival.com for details.

As many of you know, the Top Man bar at Sunee Plaza is under new ownership and has been for about three weeks. The new owner is hosting a party, beginning at 9:00 PM, Friday, July 28. There will be a free buffet and all are welcome. See you there!

Rest assured that whoever did the editing, it wasn't me. I don't even get an 'edit' button unless I wish to edit my own post.

For a first time visit to Pattaya, I am going to suggest either the Ambiance or Le Cafe Royale. Both are located in the heart of Boyztown, right in the middle of all the action. In the Sunee Plaza area, just about everyone who has stayed at Howard's Hotel has thoroughly enjoyed it there and they stay there again and again. All three of those are gay hotels and not only can help you find everything, but they also know all the ropes about helping you to prevent becoming the victim of theft or ending up with an under-age boy. If you wish, shortly before you come to Thailand send me an E-mail at gaybutton@gmail.com . I will be happy to help you out in any way I can and personally show you around.

I'm surprised it takes up to twelve hours. I do online transfers with Bangkok Bank and it's instant.

Well, I'm glad to see you are not going to be contentious, beligerent, or pissy. Sorry, but I have taken a stand against pedophiles for many years and I intend to continue to do so. If that bothers you, then I suggest you refrain from reading my posts because I am going to continue exactly the same kind of posting. Nothing personal, but if someone is going to decide when it's been enough, I guarantee it isn't going to be you.

I didn't say I miss those. I only said you never see them in Thailand, although I wouldn't mind some Lima beans. I also wouldn't mind seeing Lucy and Ethel working in the chocolate factory again. As for Albanian pizza, does it have anchovies? If yes, then send me Granny's recipe . . . I don't know whether they were Thai or not, but I have seen orientals looking at me in Las Vegas. Of course the look I got from them was more like a "you must be joking" look.

You can also get bank accounts with Thai Military Bank and Bank of Ayudhya. Bank of Ayudhya seems to have the easiest rules of all. Also, it doesn't hurt to try again even if you are told you can't open an account. I know of several instances in which a "farang" tried to open an account at one branch, was told he couldn't, and then went to another branch and walked out ten minutes later with a bank account. Regarding Bangkok Bank, I think they have now changed the rules so that you can open an account if you have a 90-day tourist visa. I know for a while they were saying that you must have the retirement visa or work permit, but only a few months ago I accompanied a friend to Bangkok Bank. He had the 90-day tourist visa and had no problem at all opening an account. You can get online banking with all of the banks, but as far as transferring money is concerned, you have to go to the bank, the branch office where the account was opened, and make arrangements to be able to transfer money online. With ATM's you can transfer money to any bank account, even if it is not the same bank. For example, if I want to transfer money at a Bank of Ayudhya ATM to an account someone holds with Siam Commercial, that is no problem at an ATM. You have to have an account with the bank from which you are doing the transfer, though. If you are transferring from a Bank of Ayudhya ATM, then you have to have an account with Bank of Ayudhya. Online is a different story. You can make arrangements to transfer money online, but both the source account and recipient account have to be the same bank. In other words, online you can arrange to transfer from one Bank of Ayudhya account to another Bank of Ayudhya account, but you can't transfer from a Bank of Ayudhya account to a Thai Military Bank account online. Many Thai banks also have telephone service and most have English speaking personnel. I've never tried it, but you might be able to do a transfer right over the telephone. Has anyone tried that?

That brings to mind an interesting question. By now most people are aware of the problems involved with forming a Thai corporation in order to buy housing. I have seen no discussion at all as to whether that also applies to buying a business. I wonder if that's the case. Can a "farang" buy a business without having to establish a Thai corporation under the same rules as buying a condo? Does anyone out there know the rules that apply to a "farang" establishing a business and buying the building?

Unfortunately, mauRICE is right. The problem posters, for reasons it would take a highly skilled psychiatrist to explain, seem to thrive on causing as many problems as they can get away with. Yes, I did have similar problems before when I was using a public access message board. That's one of the reasons I finally decided on using a board on which nobody could post at all unless they had registered. It's the only way to exercise control. Even Gaypattayan, from the Pattayagay.com web site, had problem posters and he finally got rid of his board entirely. He tried every which way to get these people to stop, but no matter what he did they continued to persist. He finally got fed up and eliminated the problem by eliminating the board. I remember one time he told me about a nut out there who had posted something outrageous. He deleted the post and sent a warning to the person who posted it. Next thing he knew, the message was posted again. He deleted it again. Less than five minutes later the message was back. He deleted and this person must have been sitting by his computer, waiting like a vulture, because every time the post was deleted the nut would re-post it. I don't get it. Apparently there are people out there who think a web site message board is the most important thing in the world, at least to them. That's just crazy. But then again, there are also people out there who do things such as traveling to Thailand and intentionally get involved with under-age sex. Do any of you long-time board users remember the person who used to post on my board under the handle "Aristo?" He would constantly post messages, bragging about coming to Thailand and having sex with under-age boys. He insisted that the worst that could happen would be a 200 baht fine. He would always say, "Big scare" Anybody remember that? What goes on in people's minds? The moment I began requiring registration and took control, that was the last anybody heard from "Aristo." For a long time people kept calling me a control freak. Perhaps I was, but sometimes that's what it takes in order to put a stop to these people.

I've never been in there, so I know nothing about the rooms or their "guest" policy. However, I've passed it often enough to tell you it looks nice enough from the outside. I can also tell you that it is located within easy walking distance of Royal Garden and not all that far from the Boyztown area. Other than that, maybe if there is someone out there who knows more about it than I do, he'll respond. Just out of curiosity, what made you decide on that particular hotel? You are the first time I have ever heard of a gay "farang" wanting to stay there. I suppose we'll all end up hearing all about the place from you rather than the other way around.

If you have not already done so, I suggest checking the board program software, Stef. Many message boards have an option that allows users to log in and remain logged in every time they access the board, rather than having to go through loggin in every time. The administrator section of the software may have a selection that allows you to turn on that option for the users.