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One advantage of Banana Club is that you are provided with small locker with key in wet area. In places like Arena and My Hero that have showers in the message room, you have an added sense of security. In these places I choose to roll up my trousers (all with zipper pockets) rather than hanging them on a hook or hanger. Likewise, I carry less than 1,000 baht beyond what I know I'll need.

Point well taken. I've only had a few guys who requested more than agreed on when it was time for them to leave. In both cases, I declined, reassured by the fact that I was staying in a hotel that holds guests' ID's until they check with me. In most situations, however, I believe the advice to be clear in advance is sufficient to prevent unpleasant outcomes. And if you're taking someone from a bar or message shop with a good reputation on the boards, I believe that you're even less likely to encounter problems. That is one of the great advantages the boards--and this one in particular--offers readers. I reiterate what I've said in other threads as advice of newbies who have little or no experience with massage shops. I strongly recommend that they try what I feel are the most reliable places: Arena and Banana Club. Whoever you choose should be showering before and after with you. Tip expectations are known. And many reviews appear here and on Travelgayasia website. Then when you experiment with other places, you'll have a good standard for comparison. I believe that newbies are better off starting with known venues before venturing onto the apps in search of partners.

Here's just a sampling of ladyboy incidents, none of which involved insurance fraud. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SULXS_C4Cd0 Pattaya police officers made the statement about arrest Mr Chayarat Muttiko aged 26 and Mr Itthipol Sichumpol aged 22, they are ladyboys, on charge of robbery. Pol Lt Col Chitdecha revealed that he was notified from a Chinese tourist on July 25 that these ladyboys robbed his gold necklace with amulet. They tried to befriend and offer him prostitute before they snatched and went away quickly. http://pattayadailynews.com/pattaya-ladyboys-busted-for-theft/ Two motorbike taxis won kudos from police after they apprehended two transvestites accused of pickpocketing a Middle Eastern tourist. http://www.pattayamail.com/news/motorcycle-taxi-drivers-chase-down-accused-ladyboy-thieves-136965 Thai police are engaged in a worsening street battle against ladyboys, who have become increasingly aggressive as they beat and rob tourists in popular ‘girlie’ resort towns.In the latest brutal attack, German tourist Lutz Mohler was smashed in the face with a rock after being approached by two ladyboys in the Pattaya area, south of Bangkok, resulting in him losing consciousness and being robbed of all his money. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3558652/Thai-police-warn-gangs-ladyboys-targeting-tourists-wave-muggings-German-man-attacked-robbed.html A Facebook page WE LOVE PATTYA has posted a video clip that 2 foreign tourists had been surrounded by a group of Thai ladyboys before the foreigners were attacked. http://pattayadailynews.com/foreigners-attacked-by-ladyboy-gang-on-pattaya-beach/ Police are investigating whether a British man jumped or was pushed to his death by a group of transvestites out the fourth-floor window of a central Pattaya apartment house. http://www.pattayamail.com/news/police-question-british-mans-fatal-tumble-from-pattaya-apartment-54115 Phuket ladyboys nabbed after snatching from Swedish tourists http://phuketwan.com/tourism/phuket-ladyboys-nabbed-patong-snatching-swedish-tourists-18920/ Two lady boys who snatched a tourist’s wallet were subdued by motorbike taxi drivers at the scene. http://pattayatoday.net/news/news-from-around-pattaya/ladyboys-busted/ Thai police are again alerting foreign tourists to the dangers posed by some ladyboys robbing unwary visitors. http://pattayatoday.net/news/latest-edition/police-warn-tourists-beware-ladyboys/ Two transvestites have been arrested for allegedly pickpocketing an Australian tourist on Walking Street. http://www.pattayamail.com/news/2-ladyboys-nabbed-pickpocketing-aussie-178533

While scanning through the Bangkok Coconuts website, came across a reference to a list titled "Best LGBT Cities 2017." It was generated by a Berlin-based company, Netpick, that's in the business of connecting property owners and tenants. What captured my attention was that it ranked Bangkok in 61st place worldwide, barely edging out Rotterdam and Cardiff. What were some of the cities that ranked higher? How about Tel Aviv, Brighton, Austin, Edinburgh, Reykjavik and Calgary. It's a classic example of what happens when arbitrary values are assigned to selective criteria and Excel spews out the results. You be the judge. Here's the complete list: https://www.nestpick.com/best-lgbt-cities/

1. Don't wear anything gold. 2. Be wary of ladyboys, particularly in Pattaya and especially when they are in groups of two or more. The following article describes theft from a foreigner by ladyboys. This is a commonplace event in Pattaya and some involve violence. From Pattaya One A Chinese tourist claims his 150,000 baht platinum necklace has gone missing after he hugged two ladyboys in Pattaya. Li Shengyu, 36, a bank manager, told police how he was walking on Soi 2 Pattaya during the early hours of Wednesday morning when him and his friends were approached by the ladyboys. The ladyboys approached the three Chinese men by telling them that one of them had dropped something. When they stopped to check the ladyboys started touching and hugging the men, Mr Li said. When the men returned to their hotel, Mr Li said he realised his expensive platinum necklace was missing and that he believes the ladyboys had stolen it from him. Police said they will check nearby CCTV footage. http://pattayaone.news/en/chinese-tourist-hugs-ladyboys/

I have the same issues at massage places, particularly where I have picked same guy more than one time. Vinapu provides solid advice but, as he says, you can't predict how individual boys will react. I think you're more likely to run into this in the smaller places. I was anticipating the dilemma as I approached one of my favorite haunts last month but I lucked out: my regular had gone home for a week. In the end, it's always best to be as nice as possible about it while bearing in mind that we're the customer.

From The Nation THE SLANG TERMS popular among young people this year are a mixed bag, with the most references accruing to lam yai, which means to feel annoyed; tamu tami, “cute” or “adorable”; and nok, or a person whose flirtations have been rejected. Those were the results of a recent survey conducted by the Culture Ministry and Suan Dusit Poll, which also found that 65.4 per cent of respondents knew about Thai Language Day, which falls on July 29 every year. The poll surveyed the opinions of 3,306 children, young people and other members of the public nationwide. Culture Minister Veera Rojpojanarat said 57.34 per cent of respondents knew the day had been established to mark His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s participation in a discussion about the Thai language at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Arts on July 29, 1962. Respondents cited the most popular slang, in descending order, with 39.44 per cent referring to lam yai, 36.86 per cent to tamu tami and 36.23 per cent to nok. Other top contenders in the lexicon included jung boei, which means “very much”, as in jung loei, but with a child’s lisp (34.67 per cent); tay or don tay, meaning to abandon or to be abandoned (34 per cent); ei ei, a tongue-in-cheek laughing expression (33.61 per cent); pay or sai pay, meaning a person who likes to treat others (30.12 per cent); teng, ta-eng or tal-eng, all of which mean “you” with a connotation of closeness like addressing a boyfriend or girlfriend (27.28 per cent); and mung ming, which is another way to say “cute” (26.06 per cent). Continues at http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30321891

I should have stressed that the card is not valid for international air travel. The advantage I see that the card has over carrying a copy of passport when out and about is that it's issued by the State Dept. for ID purposes. The passport card can be used fro entering the United States at land border crossings and sea ports-of-entry from: Canada Mexico The Caribbean Bermuda Regarding other governments, Wikipedia reports that "The card is manufactured by L-1 Identity Solutions.[5]National identity cards with similar utility are common inside the European Union countries for both national and international use. Although I don't have a card, I plan to get one when I next renew passport.

From Coconuts Suvarnabhumi Airport caught two baggage handlers stealing money and accessories from passengers’ suitcases on Friday night as they were loading a plane. Nattapon Thammarat, 20, is a newly-hired security guard who discovered the two alleged thieves. At around 6pm on Friday he became suspicious of two handlers loading luggage onto MH783, a Malaysia Airlines flight leaving Bangkok for Kuala Lumpur. The baggage handlers in question were identified as Sitthichai Sawtiew, 24, and Piyapong Juisuwan, 28. Both were employed by Bangkok Flight Services Co. to handle checked baggage. The pair were found carrying about CNY10,000 (or THB50,000). Bangkok Post reported that Piyapong allegedly stayed on the lookout, while Sitthichai allegedly took money from a passenger’s backpack. A large piece of luggage, placed in a certain position, was used to block the security guard’s view. Continues https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/busted-baggage-handlers-suvarnabhumi-airport-caught-stealing-passengers/

Thanks for instructing us how to categorize our glad lad's personas. Spot on, McGarty!

US citizens may apply for a passport card issued by the Dept. of State. https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/passports/information/card.html This is how the State Dept. describes the card: "The passport book and passport card are both U.S. passports. If issued for the full validity, they are both proof of your U.S. citizenship and identity." There's additional information on the Wikipedia site: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Passport_Card

The hell you say!

Can non-communist Vietnam keep them?

From The Nation Breaking News July 23, 2017 14:19 Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed the Immigration Bureau to decide whether to cancel the requirement for visitors to fill the 'TM6' arrival and departure form as part of measures to improve immigration procedure at airports, reduce waiting time and long queues.A Cabinet resolution had allowed use of the old TM6 form with two separate sections for arrival and departure to be used until September 30. This followed a request from the Ministry of Tourism and Sport's to adjust the new form in order to help the ministry to get information for analysing and planning tourism marketing strategies. The new TM6 form will have only one section for the visitor to fill, with an “automatic channel” barcode for more convenience, and would be used from October 1. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30321551

I acknowledge this but that does not prevent the BOT from knowing how much foreign currency enters and leaves the country.

From the BBC It was a jarring image; a group of Buddhist monks, with shaven heads and orange robes, sitting back in the soft-leather seats of an executive jet, passing luxury accessories among themselves. The video of the monk, now known by his pre-monk name, Wirapol Sukphol, went viral after being posted on YouTube in 2013. A subsequent investigation by the Thai Department of Special Investigations (DSI) uncovered a lifestyle of what appeared to be mind-blowing decadence. They tracked down at least 200 million Thai baht ($6m; £4.6m) in ten bank accounts, and the purchase of 22 Mercedes Benz cars. Wirapol had built a mansion in southern California, owned a large and gaudily-decorated house in his home town of Ubon Ratchathani, and had also constructed a giant replica of the famous Emerald Buddha statue in Bangkok's royal palace, which he claimed - falsely, as it turned out - contained nine tonnes of gold. There was evidence, too, the DSI said, of sexual relationships with a number of women. One woman claimed he had fathered a child with her when she was only 15 years old, a claim the DSI says is supported by DNA analysis. Wirapol fled to the US. It took four years for the Thai authorities to secure his extradition. He has denied criminal charges of fraud, money laundering and rape. How had a monk acquired so much influence, even in his early twenties? How was he allowed to behave in ways which clearly violate the patimokkha (the 227 precepts by which monks are supposed to live)? Monks are not even supposed to touch money, and sex is strictly off-limits. Monks behaving badly are nothing new in Thailand. The temptations of modern life have thrown up many examples of monks with unseemly wealth, monks taking drugs, dancing, enjoying sexual relations with men, women, girls and boys. There are also temples which have attracted large and dedicated followings, through skilful promotion of charismatic monks and abbots, said to have supernatural powers. These have capitalised on two aspects of modern Thai life; the yearning for spiritual succour among urban Thais, who no longer have a close relationship with a traditional village temple, and a belief that donating generously to powerful temples will bring success and more material wealth. It appears Wirapol tapped into this trend. He arrived in the poor North Eastern province of Sisaket in the early 2000s, establishing a monastery on donated land in the village of Ban Yang. But according to the sub-district head, Ittipol Nontha, few local people went to his temple, because they were too poor to offer the kind of donations he expected. Continues http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40678511

From Khaosod English PHUKET — Organizers of the Phuket Pride festival said Friday the annual event won’t be held next year but will return in 2019. Having seen low turnouts in recent years, organizer Phuket Loves You Club announced Wednesday that the LGBT celebration won’t happen next year as it has in various forms for the past 19 years. Instead, they hope to bring back a “bigger, better and more inclusive” event in 2019. Kenneth Miller, vice chairman of Phuket Loves You Club, said Friday the team will “take a year off” to gather ideas and plan a way to “get more visitors and local communities to involved.” http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/arts/2017/07/21/phuket-pride-skip-2018-bigger-2019/

Perhaps not individual transaction but certainly gross transactions of foreign currencies to the Bank of Thailand as do US banks to the Federal Reserve. Likewise, banks that issue credit cards report gross transactions of foreign currencies. In every currency exchange I have done in Thai banks or SuperRich, the first step is to copy the face page of my passport. They even ask for name of hotel. What makes you think, especially with the current administration, some of the transaction data is not being transmitted to the BOT? Central banks worldwide have a huge interest in the state of currencies entering and leaving the country. The spending table above shows only the average spending per foreigner. When George Orwell's 1984 was first published in 1949, it was seen as a futuristic fantasy film. Today, it's tame stuff compared to what information government can collect on its citizens and visitors. ------------- Bank of Thailand Starts Foreign Exchange Regulation Reform - June 14, 2017 The Bank of Thailand has started reform of Foreign Exchange Regulations. The move is seen as a starting point for further reforms of other regulations to enhance ease of doing business. Governor of the Bank of Thailand (BOT) Veerathai Santiprabhob stated that one of the most important impediments in enhancing the nation’s competitiveness involves obsolete regulations that are not accommodative to business management. Although the BOT has continually amended the regulations, certain rules are still not in line with the changing economic and financial environment. Nevertheless, he said, the relaxation must not affect the Bank’s responsibility to maintain financial stability or its ability to collect data for monitoring and analyses of capital flows to evaluate their impact on financial markets and the economy. Over the past six months, the BOT, working with a consultant who is experienced and internationally renowned, has been collaborating closely with representatives from the private sector such as the Board of Trade of Thailand, corporations, commercial banks, money changers, and money transfer agents. All of the mentioned parties identified obstacles and provided recommendations on revising the regulations, considering compliance costs incurred by the private sector. https://www.thailand-business-news.com/banking/58185-bank-thailand-starts-foreign-exchange-regulation-reform.html

The Madrid Patpong is great pizza. Read (on Stickman, I believe) it was a hangout for CIA and similar types during Vietnam era.

Apparently you have enough rope.

I believe that falls under the principle of "regression toward the mean" (technical way of saying that things tend to even out over time). This discussion prompted me to consider one of my favorite topics--massage--as an instrument for explaining why (IMHO) why it's in the best interest of the Thai government to do nothing to discourage it. Why? Because it provides for a transfer of wealth from the wealthier Thais and foreigners to the poorest members of Thai society, most of whom reside in the country's northeast quadrant. Think about it. A not insignificant portion of the tips provided end up supporting families that otherwise would have to rely wholly on agricultural income (or other manual labor). Without the social programs most of us take for granted (i.e., ss, pensions, national health), there's no safety net to speak of. Tip income finds it way to the neediest without taxation or corruption that applies to other forms of wages. OK, the shop may have to pay tea money and taxes in one form of another, but the tips themselves are, in effect, the perfect wealth transfer. Sure, some of it ends up in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, but the lion's share stays at home. So when we hand over those tips, we're doing more good than we probably spend much time thinking about. And it beats writing a check to some NGO that first takes its bite before going on to do its particular form of "good."

We have a system of user names that has worked very well. It ceases, however, to work well when a poster uses more than one user name. BTW Stevie, I don't believe you helped Sglad's case when you brought Trump in as a comparison. But then again, it may not have been your intent to help him at all; you just seek the last word. But by all means please carry on...do you have sufficient rope?

I hate to shatter your genteel sense of reality but we have user names (aka authors) here. This way we can distinguish between what posters write. Why don't you now take the opportunity to get us back on topic as you suggested.

We differ on my counts, Stevie, and this is just one more. When I go to a bookstore, books are arranged into categories like fiction and non fiction. About two-thirds of my selections are fiction and often authors I've read before. But if there was no distinction between the categories, I'd have no way of knowing whether I'm reading history, biography or fantasy. I don't think it's asking too much to expect the same here. As I said above, Sglad has talent but he seems to thrive more on deception than story-telling The deception obviously doesn't bother you so all I can say is happy reading! P.S. And yes, the thread has drifted off topic. Hopefully someone will some along and pull it back on track.

Agree that there's no fool-proof way to figure out exactly who's spending how much and on what activities. The most reliable gross spending indicator is the currency exchange transactions where passports are required. So they know name and nationality of persons exchanging specific quantities of foreign currencies into Thai. There's a limited number of ways visitors pay for goods and services: Thai currency they brought into the country with them; currency they exchange into baht and credit card transactions. (The first is the lone unknown factor; the latter two are easily tabulated into how much visitors from nation X spent). Divide that amount by number of in-bound visitors from that nation during a given period and you come with with an average per person. It's admittedly an imperfect number but it's useful in obtaining a snapshot.