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Excerpted from South China Morning Post Harlan Goldstein, the self-proclaimed “celebrity chef of Hong Kong”, is back – but this time he is about to open a restaurant in Pattaya, just outside the city by Mabphrachan Lake. Called Harlan Goldstein’s Comfort, the restaurant – which has the tagline “Food for Friends” – opened on March 28 and serve an eclectic menu of various cuisines. “The dining scene in Pattaya is like Hong Kong 30 years ago,” he says, perhaps hinting that he has been down that road before. Goldstein also says that he is happy to be back in the kitchen, unlike in Hong Kong where he was managing several restaurants at once. Goldstein says he has calmed down since moving to Thailand, but admits that he is still not used to things being done less efficiently than they are in Hong Kong. “What takes 10 minutes in Hong Kong takes 10 days here. I have to bite my tongue,” he says. “Also I have seen that staff will quit if you are difficult. The people here are very friendly and warm, but productivity is like a nightmare. It’s something I have to get used to.” Goldstein abruptly resigned from Hong Kong-based ZS Hospitality Group in September 2016 due to what he says were differences between him and chairwoman Elizabeth Chu Yuet-han. The restaurant group gave him what he calls a “golden handshake” – almost US$3 million – and he decided, after 26 years in Hong Kong, on a change of scenery and moved to Thailand. “I’ve been here for seven months and originally I wanted to go to Bangkok. I was there for two weeks, then Chiang Mai for two weeks. And then I told my wife [Helen Pong] we should check out Pattaya,” he says. He explains that the place isn’t just about its seedy undertones. “Only certain areas are like that. I’m in an area that’s surrounded by luxury condos and there are a lot of Russians, Belgians, French and Americans. In Pattaya there’s the low-end market, then the mid-section where people have money and good jobs, and then the mega rich.” The chef and restaurateur is now putting the finishing touches on his new restaurant, which he claims the owner has handed to him rent-free for nine years. It features a giant mural of King Kong looking like rapper 50 Cent, an open kitchen and colourful bathrooms, including one called the “banana room” which has a poster listing countries and the lengths of their bananas under the banner “Know Your Banana”. There is also what he calls a Russian toilet, which is pink and has a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The menu features 34 dishes – the best of the recipes Goldstein has picked up in 38 years of world travel, he says. From Italy there’s pappardelle with mushrooms, truffles and slow-cooked egg; from Mexico, pulled pork tacos; from America, slow-cooked Sriracha glazed pork ribs; and from Thailand, crispy soft shell crab with yellow curry and roti. He adds there will also be daily specials. http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article/2136094/iconoclast-chef-hong-kong-back-pattaya-new-restaurant-thai

From VN Express International Thai sex workers are offered unofficial protection, but for the men and women who walk Saigon's dark streets, the security is not there. “Call me Ryn, I like that name!” a transgender woman told me with a hoarse voice and a shy smile, preferring the female name than her given one. Ryn works at a bar in Soi Nana, one of many glittering alleys along Sukhumvit which often sit on top of the must-visit places in Bangkok. At these red light districts, sex workers, male or female, provide all kinds of services, from a fun date to arousing massages. The alleys stand right next to a shopping center crowded with Muslims. A man having fun all night at Soi Cowboy can take a short walk to the mall and buy beautiful hijabs for his wife or lover back home. It’s hard to work out if prostitution is legal in Thailand. The country has at least three laws defining the acts of selling one’s body and enticing sexual desires for money as illegal. In 2003, the Ministry of Justice planned to legalize prostitution to collect taxes and try to control STDs, but eventually it could not rule over traditional ethical values. Lacking a legal status, red light districts remain an important part of Thailand's tourism industry, generating $6.4 billion in 2015. Authorities in Bangkok and Pattaya have loosened their grip by allowing red light districts to appear on tourist maps. Officials tend to turn a blind eye and dismiss sex deals as a one-night stands with mutual benefits. So whether the Thai government wants its country to be associated with a famous sex industry or not, the business has been booming for the past decades. Thailand’s health ministry said the country has around 120,000 sex workers. Each of them earned 5,000 baht ($160) per night in 2017, 17 times more than the country’s minimum wage. Ryn sends most of her money back to her rural home in northern Thailand, which she left to escape discriminatory eyes. She said her job helps her to take care of her entire family, and it has paid for a house for her parents and her transgender operation. She said she has received support from civil rights groups for regular health checks and protection against sexual violence and human trafficking. Red light districts in Thailand are constantly guarded by police guard to make sure sex workers are not beaten or abused. They are unofficially recognized as part of the economy. In Vietnam, sex workers are commonly looked down upon as social evils. Nguyen Xuan Lap, director of the Social Evil Prevention Department at the labor ministry, told reporters last week that: “Prostitution cannot be a job. Not until 2020 at least.” Lap said that Vietnamese authorities have been “too humane” by not criminalizing prostitution or publicly shaming sex workers. These workers are fined in Vietnam if caught. His statement makes me worried for the sex workers who stand on dark streets or run their motorbikes around Saigon looking for clients, an uneasy feeling that I don't have about Ryn and her wellbeing. Figures in 2016 indicated there were nearly 101,300 sex workers in Vietnam, not much less than in Thailand. I do not think that threats to criminalize them will eliminate their existence in the near future. No matter how the authorities put it, prostitution is practically a job, but those that who follow that line of occupation in Vietnam do not receive protection. They struggle by themselves with the risks of diseases, abuse, violence, rip-offs and trafficking. It’s not clear when prostitution will be deemed legal in Vietnam, possibly never, and that uncertainty will lead to many consequences, such as child sex and sex slavery, which used to plague the Thai industry before its red light districts were recognized. *Khai Don is a writer based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The opinions expressed are her own. https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/perspectives/lessons-to-be-learned-in-vietnam-from-thailand-s-sex-industry-3731503.html

From Pattaya One A spacious art venue in west Bangkok will host a weeks-long festival celebrating all things cool about Thailand’s northeast. More than just the country music that has entered the DNA of Bangkok culture, the Isan Spirit Festival will highlight art, food, fashion and lifestyle inspired by unique Isaan culture and custom. The artists include Ubon Ratchathani singer-songwriter Rasmee Wayrana, aka Rasmee Isan Soul, who will perform her mix of mor lam and soul. The Isan Spirit Festival will start April 13 and continue until May 6 at Changchui. The 11-rai art space, closed every Wednesday, is located near the Bang Bamru Railway Station on Sirindhorn Road in Bang Phlat district. Best known for his Isarn Boy Soi 4 project shown internationally, Maitree Siriboon is back and will show his 2016 photography series Save Thai Buffalo. He will also live-paint a buffalo at the event (Don’t tell PETA). With the talent of makeup artist Amata Chittasenee, aka Pearypie, Khon Kaen textiles will be transformed into fashionable costumes. She will also share makeup techniques paired with traditional Thai costumes. First known as a creative schoolboy from Khon Kaen, teen fashionista Madaew, aka Apichet “Madaew” Atirattana, will deliver a performance that goes beyond the wardrobe. Expect a lot more about Isaan as well, from a parade of masked Phi Ta Khon ghosts and displays of hoon kra tip (sticky rice-basket puppets) to giant sand pagodas and traditional live performances. Shop through stalls of Isaan fusion food, arts and crafts as well. https://pattayaone.news/en/northeastern-cool-isaan-spirit-fest-coming-bangkok/Isan Spirit festival

From Phnom Penh Post Cambodia and Thailand plan to officially open a new international border checkpoint in mid-May, an official confirmed on Sunday. Keo Bunthoeun, deputy border police chief at Unit 817, said officials agreed to inaugurate the Phnom Dev International Border Checkpoint, which connects Battambang province and Thailand’s Sa Kaeo province, on May 18. Ngin Linazano, director of the Phnom Dev immigration office, said the border checkpoint building has been completed and is just awaiting the installation of equipment to monitor the flow of tourists. “We expect that the upgrade of the Phnom Dev border checkpoint to an international border checkpoint will bring development for people and the governments of both countries since it will enable larger and wider commercial flow,” he said. The existing checkpoint currently allows Cambodian and Thai nationals to cross for the purposes of work and trade. https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/cambodia-thailand-agree-open-international-border-checkpoint-mid-may

It's been a few years since I stayed at Tarntawan Hotel. It wasn't the service that caused me to go elsewhere; it was the old mattresses I found very unforgiving of my aging back. When in town, I still stop by to say hello to the veteran elevator guard and Mac, the friendly bell hop of days gone by who was working the front desk and back office last time I saw him. With tourism booming and unemployment extremely low, I suspect they have trouble keeping room cleaners. I'm sure the large, upscale hotels are more desirable jobs. I noticed an uptick in the number of males filling these jobs of late.

From Pattaya Mail The on-again, mostly-off-again effort to stop erosion from wiping Pattaya Beach off the map is off again after Chulalongkorn University consultants, for the third time, bungled the job of finding the right sand. Restarted earlier this month after a 15-month suspension, the sand-refill project at the far northern end of Pattaya Beach was halted March 20 when the Marine Department decreed that the sand brought in from Koh Rang, a small island south of Koh Chang, doesn’t match Pattaya’s beachfront well enough. Marine Director Eakaraj Kantaro said no more of the Trat Province sand will be brought to Pattaya and the entire project will be sent back, once again, to consultants at Chulalongkorn University who twice before recommended the wrong sand. Previous contractor Kijakarn Ruamka Marine Construction Co. restarted work on the 483-million-baht project – which has ballooned far over that first estimate due to the many stops, starts and new-contractor contracts – in October 2016 following a 13-month hiatus. The work stopped on Dec. that year after beach users complained about the sand laid near the Dusit Thani Hotel. http://www.pattayamail.com/news/pattaya-halts-beach-restoration-205822

From NHK Newsline Every year, roughly 17,000 people in Thailand die from a rare bile duct cancer. The World Health Organization says this is caused primarily by a popular food in the Mekong region. Chop raw fish, add lime juice, mix with herbs and a dash of spice. That’s all it takes to make a favorite dish in northeastern Thailand, “koi pla.” But this beloved meal actually comes with a high risk of parasites that have taken many lives over the years. It's called a liver fluke, and it can be found in freshwater fish in the Mekong region, such as carp. Once ingested, flukes can survive in bile ducts for over 20 years, and cause inflammation. If left untreated, it can develop into a fatal cancer. In Thailand's northeastern region, locals catching fish in nearby rivers and ponds is a common sight. 3 years ago, doctors gave health checks in this village to residents over 40 years old. Out of about 1000 people, 400 had liver flukes. "We've been eating raw fish for as long as I can remember, and over generations," says a local who was affected. Continues with video https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/editors/1/belovedthaidishposes/

From Reuters BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand’s cabinet approved on Tuesday a high-speed railway project expected to cost about 225 billion baht ($7.22 billion), that will link three airports, a government official said. The approval comes at a time when surging tourist arrivals - now equivalent to more than half of the Thai population - have put some strain on Thai infrastructure. The rail link will connect the two airports in the Bangkok area - Don Mueang International and Suvarnabhumi International - with U-Tapao, built during the Vietnam War in the eastern province of Rayong. The government expects to select winners for the public-private partnership project (PPP) in October and expects it to be in service in 2023, Nathporn Chatusripitak, a spokesman for Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak, told reporters. According to a government statement, the cost of the project is about 225 billion baht, slightly higher than 200 billion baht mentioned earlier by officials. “We will wait to see the TOR (terms of reference) of the auction before considering participation because this is a long-term investment,” a spokesperson at CH Karnchang Pcl told Reuters. The firm built a large portion of Bangkok’s metro systems and subsidiary Bangkok Expressway and Metro built and operates expressways and mass transit systems. The high-speed railway is part of the government’s larger transport infrastructure investment action plan worth 2.02 trillion baht, covering rails, roads, airports and seaports. The junta has ramped up infrastructure investment in a bid to boost growth Thailand has lagged regional peers since the army took power in 2014. The finance ministry has forecast economic growth of 4.2 percent this year, after 3.9 percent growth last year, the fastest pace in five years. Infrastructure projects will also help ease pressure from the influx of foreign tourists. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thailand-economy-railway/thailand-approves-7-2-billion-high-speed-rail-project-to-link-airports-idUSKBN1H319F

Anything that preserves the Twilight venues can only be a good thing. Patpong 2 gets a ton of foot traffic. The addition of Fresh Boys would fortify the gay presence and perhaps encourage more.

It seems that it's not just the red light districts that Thailand's leaders have in their cross hairs. And as we look back over the past year, the clues were all too evident. It started with crack downs on street vendors and steadily worked its way toward the nightlife venues. Now the bureaucracy admits that its goal is to make Bangkok resemble Singapore. A post over on the GB site linked to a Washington Post article that walks the reader through their rationale. They seem bent on destroying what makes Bangkok such an attractive place to travelers from around the globe: a budget-wise destination that promised what they can't find elsewhere. So what we see unfolding on Soi Twilight may just be the current chapter in this campaign to remake Bangkok with more malls, more condos and--above all--more high net worth tourists than its city state neighbor to the south. According to the article, leaders feel the pressure to impose their their social order stamp before the promised 2019 elections. Article with video: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/lights-dim-on-bangkoks-nightlife-as-military-tries-to-salvage-legacy/2018/03/23/1e8c6780-2856-11e8-874b-d517e912f125_story.html

The menu and prices are in English; the map is in English. Do you really need an English (or Thai for that matter) description to understand this page? http://www.ganymedespa.com/page-35833.html

Definition from Wikipedia -- A website is a collection of related web pages, including multimedia content, typically identified with a common domain name, and published on at least one web server. Ganymede site contains menu of services, photos, map and hyperlinks to additional pages. Content is similar to many other massage shop websites. Don't know how much more is required to pass muster.

Ganymede now has a website. http://www.ganymedespa.com/

From Thai Visa News PATTAYA:--Pattaya will add more signage to bus stops on Second and Beach roads following complaints they weren’t being used. Anuwat Thongkham, director of the Traffic Department, acknowledged the city has been bombarded by complaints that baht-bus stops the military ordered built are a waste of money and don’t correspond to how people actually use public transport. In its efforts to bring order to the chaotic baht-bus system, the National Council for Peace and Order had Pattaya paint 168 stopping zones on streets across the area. The goal was to have the pickup truck taxis and tour buses stop only in designated areas, not wherever they wanted, as they normally do. That hasn’t happened. Baht buses continue to stop, double-park, pick up and drop off people as they always have. Except for those in front of large shopping malls or office buildings, the stops are ignored. https://news.thaivisa.com/article/18111/signs-to-be-erected-at-ignored-pattaya-bus-stops

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — A Silom drag queen destination is ready to level up its extravaganza-ness and blow a birthday candle or six later this month. For its sixth birthday, The Stranger Bar will throw itself a 69 Anonymousary Partyfeaturing live stage performances from lip-syncing and high-energy dancing to just throwing shade by international and local drag artists. The March 31 party will welcome two special guest drag queens Bernie Barrantes and Brigiding “Gigi” Aricheta who will be flying in from the Philippines. By their sides will be the bar’s nine resident stars: M Stranger Fox, Jaja, Zymone, Kandy, Gisele, Meannie Minaj, Cherilyn, Angele and Ze-pee. DJ So Shine will work the deck. The event starts at 9pm on March 31 and will run until late. The Stranger Bar is located on Soi Silom 4 and can be reached by foot from BTS Sala Daeng. http://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2018/03/21/silom-drag-queen-bar-to-throw-hbd-blowout/

Excerpts from Deseret News The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released an artistic rendering of the Bangkok Thailand Temple on Monday. The rendering depicts a six-story, 44,405-square-foot design featuring several spires, according to Mormon Newsroom. The temple will be located on Petchaburi Road in the center of a business and residential area of Bangkok on property the church has owned for a decade. An existing office building there houses the Thailand Bangkok Mission as well as the church’s welfare offices for the country. The property is located near the Makkasen Station of the Airport Rail Link line that runs from the Suvarnabhumi Airport through Bangkok. The property will also be served by a substantially sized underground parking facility. Announced in April 2015 by President Thomas S. Monson, the temple will be the first in Thailand. Church members in the area currently travel over 1,000 miles to the temple in Hong Kong. It is one of 23 temples that have been announced or are currently under construction. After 3 to 4 years of expected construction, the Bangkok Thailand Temple will join the 159 operating temples worldwide. https://www.deseretnews.com/article/900013381/lds-church-releases-artistic-rendering-of-the-bangkok-thailand-temple.html

NOTE -- First time I've seen tourism representing as much as 20% of the Thai economy. From Bloomberg News -- February arrivals from China surge past 1 million to record -- More than 10 million are expected for the whole of 2018 Tourism is the gift that keeps on giving in Thailand, thanks especially to China. Visitors from the world’s most-populous nation surged to a record 1.2 million in February, swelled by the Lunar New Year holiday period, Tourism Ministry data released Wednesday in Bangkok showed. The kingdom expects 38 million tourists overall this year, including more than 10 million from China. Thailand’s relationship with Chinese tourists has sometimes been rocky. Visitor numbers collapsed toward the end of 2016, when the Thai administration cracked down on operators bringing in large groups from China on cut-price holidays. Those curbs were eventually eased and numbers have since rocketed. Tourism is worth about a fifth of the Thai economy and has been an important growth driver for the military government that took power almost four years ago. But the boom is clogging infrastructure and threatens to take a bigger environmental cost on the beaches attracting so many visitors. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-21/chinese-tourists-just-can-t-get-enough-of-thailand

I travel light so I opt for airport link to MRT if it's operating. But if I had more than one roller bag, I take a taxi. Some things I keep in mind: My preferred arrival times are mid-morning and there after. If you take the airport train in bound during the morning rush hours, you'll be extremely cramped and unlikely top get a seat. Likewise, getting a cab at that time would be a nightmare so I'd rather kill a few hours at the airport. In most cases, it's too early to check in to hotels, anyway. If I arrive during the evening rush (as I did during last trip), the crowd will be going against the rush-hour grain and ride was OK. If I have an early evening departure, I try to leave by about 3 p.m. to beat the evening rush.

From Today on line BANGKOK — Thailand’s biggest convenience store chain, 7-Eleven, is to roll out state-of-the-art artificial intelligence technologies, including facial and gesture recognition and behaviour analysis of customers and employees, at the chain’s 11,000 stores. The ubiquitous retailer, whose Thai stores are operated by a unit of the Bangkok-based conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP), is to work with Remark Holdings, a Nasdaq-listed AI company with operations in China and the United States. Remark will deploy its KanKan technology, which uses gesture recognition to collect and analyse data points on traffic in stores, staff activities, how long customers linger at specific shelves and even their emotions as they pass through stores. It can identify members of 7-Eleven’s loyalty programme, allowing managers to single them out for promotions. Continues https://www.todayonline.com/world/thai-7-eleven-stores-adopt-facial-recognition-technology

I have to agree with your bottom ranking. In post #69 above, I listed three shops where I had good experiences but did not mention the shop where I had a disappointing experience because I considered the fault to be that of management and not that of the boys. As soon as I was taken to the massage room at Bangkok massage, I noticed a strong smell of stale body odor. I should have asked for a different room on the spot but didn't so I have to assume some of the blame. Although the oil used could have been transmission fluid, the massage itself was satisfactory. But after the shower, the foul odor returned as I toweled off. The towel had not been washed, just dried out after the previous user(s). I immediately returned to the hotel and scrubbed away to remove the lingering odor. The experience left me with a greater appreciation for Divine Madman's attention to those locations that place an emphasis on hygiene. And the lesson learned: if I suspect a problem in this area, raise it immediately. As in all other matters of massage, communications is critical to ultimate satisfaction.

Not exclusively VN guys but a fair number were.

Definitely...and twice on Sundays!

Excerpts from Phuket Gazette The Tourism Authority of Thailand has released a projection which indicates an 18 percent growth in tourism income for the holiday period. The holiday is becoming more popular, not only among foreign tourists, but also among the locals who, with Government endorsement, are extending the annual break either side of the actual April 13 Thai New Year date. The tourism authority says both Thai and foreign tourists are expected to spend nearly 20 billion baht between April 12 to April 16 this year, with domestic tourism set to rise by about 3 million people – a 12 percent increase from last year. Foreign tourists will see more than half a million additional arrivals in comparison to 2017, a growth of 13 percent, according to the TaT. The TAT says the projected growth is due to longer holidays announced by the government, tax rebates for tourists, better confidence in the economy and growth in domestic flights. Forward incoming flight booking growth has come from France, Taiwan, South Korea, Russia, Australia, India, the United States and Japan. ---------------------- NOTE -- A quick check of availability of hotels in Silom area on Agoda website reflects price increases in vicinity of 25-30% over normal during Songkran period.

I would think easiest way would be to go to Jupiter. Member also reports at least one stunner at Moonlight and more likely to follow as they staff up. Dream Boy, according to reports of others, has history of guys you seek.

Massage report from my most recent trip Adam Massage, Soi 4. This place continues to provide consistent service from a group of somewhat older guys, many of whom have been there for several years. The boys, including one who has moved on top another shop, says the owner takes good care of them and they seem to be a happy group. The facilities are well maintained and you can be assured of clean sheets and fresh towels. Never been short changed on the clock. This is a place you should feel free to discuss, in advance, what you're looking for. If the guy you approach can't meet your your needs, he'll recommend a colleague who can. I customarily tip 1200 for one hour. You are offered a small bottle of water and a cup of very good herbal tea after. Nakarat Massage, Soi 4. A somewhat newer entry, the facilities a cut below Adam but nonetheless clean and you can also be assured of fresh sheets and towels. I enjoyed three excellent massages here and tipped 1200 for one hour and 1700 for 90 min. But there's a disappointing backstory. All three massages were performed by Vietnamese guys. But on the evening of March 13, police raided the place and arrested four Viet guys (all since released) and the shop shut down for employing illegal workers. It is now reopened but staffed only by Thais. Best Massage, Silom Plaza (same building as Arena Message). Arrived mid-afternoon and no guys outside. Assigned next guy in rotation who was a hunky Lao guy. He got out of his clothes in a blink of the eye and provided a satisfactory massage. But I became aware of his equipment preparing for afters as he did my back. He followed through with finesse and I left happy. Tipped 1200 for the hour. As i left, noted five guys now outside. No queens here. Overall comments: I can recommend all of the above without reservation. I'll note that I enjoy reversing roles, for 15-20 minutes, and massage the guy. In all messages at all of the above, my efforts were enthusiastically received. I really like that in a masseur and guarantees that I'll return. Now that i'm back home for a few days, I still recall the thrills. We're indeed lucky, lads. At home we may well be considered roadkill. Not so here. Get busy planning your next adventure.