Up2u

"Let me give you a lesson about Gaythailand as I have been cumming to Thailand just about every year since 1976 and made a study of the Thai culture I consider my self a mini expert, may be you know different............." It's obvious to me. He has been performing his own "exit" polls since 1976. However, as we know the accuracy of "exit" polling is questionable but it is my sense his percentages are in the ballpark.

Yes, the THB continues to strengthen and where will it go long-term is anybody's guess. Old-timers tell me of the days when it was 25 THB/USD. http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/DEXTHUS?&cid=15 My problem is financial planning for my retriement to LOS in about 3 years. What exchange rate to use? For expats already in LOS what exchange rate did they use and have currency fluctuations seriously impacted their life-style? There is that endless debate on Renting Vs Buying but those expats that purchased condos a few years back I would say are in the drivers seat. The costs for the roof over their head is basically fixed.

When I first visited Thailand (1998) I stayed at La Residence. A year later I started to stay at the Tarntawan and loved it. If you are going to the bars every night you can't be the location. The last few years I've stayed at the Pinnacle (thru Jimmy) and am very pleased with location and consider it a good value. I now actually prefer the location because of the subway access and connection with Skytrain although it is minor inconvenience getting back from the bars after the MRT/BTS closes at midnight.

I agree with the concept of a minimum tip but if implemented it could cause problems. The "off" fee is charged because the customer is removing the employee (dancer, waiter, mamasan, etc.) from the premises. What goes on between the two later is between them and the bar "in theory" is oblivious. By posting or collecting a minimum tip the bar may have crossed that fine line between pimping and/or prostitution. Massage parlors charge the tip because the assumption is that it is for a regular massage (right!). If the bar collected the tip some people would be concerned that the full amount goes to the boy. I think message boards like this should educate the "newbies" on tipping standards and despite it's flaws let the tip be "Up2u".

Good advice so far. But importantly, when do you plan to travel? Are you a budget traveler or prefer 4 or 5-star accomodations? During high-season (mid-Nov to Feb) many of the gay accomdations mentioned are already booked. Traveling during the summer months you can save some baht.

Probably. What it means?... I don't know. It could be somebody's name. I forgot the Thai spelling and don't have a Thai-English dictionary handy. Yiou're right. If in fact Pan Pan is an English name then the Thai transliteration (there is small Thai script on their neon sign) is wrong. But in any case if you say Pan Pan to a Thai he won't know what you're talking about and if you say Bhun Bhun to most farangs they won't understand either. Similarily, if you say Koh Larn (a typical transliteration of the island off Pattaya) to a Thai he won't understand either. If we (farangs) took time to understand the transliteration system we would learn that phonetically Koh Larn sounds like Ga Lawn.

I've enjoyed this thread and agree with what's been said so far. I have friends who have studied Thai for years and can both speak, read and write but still can not understand the slang and many of the colloqialisms. What the massage boys at the beach speak between themselves, for example, is like another language. I think adding a Thai language forum to this site would be a nice addition. We could discuss "gay" terms/words that are often not talked about on other language sites. Perhaps someone who is fluent AND can read Thai should take the lead. Often confusion arises because of the transliteration system used and I wish there would be a standard one. This is why attempting to learn even a little on the Thai alphabet is important. I chuckle listening to farangs really butcher Thai (not that I'm at fault). One of my regular eating-holes when in Pattaya is the Pan Pan and listening to friends pronounce it like the Pan in Peter Pan (it's bpun bpun or phun phun or pun pun or bun bun, again on which transliteration system one uses)

Thanks for the map! I seldom venture that far south on Jom Tien Beach Rd. when I use a baht bus. The pick-up point does not look convenient for me.

"The Pattaya bus terminus is located at the beginning of Soi Chaiyapruk 1, 100 meters away from Jomtien Beach"....and where exactly in Jom Tien is this? Wonder why they wouldn't round the price to 105 or 110 baht?....guess it makes life too easy for everybody.

My view is one of presumption of innocense and these pics do not help the alleged criminal's defense. These pictures are seldom taken at the crime scene but staged later at the police station. They are photo ops for the police officials. Taking pictures of alleged juvenile criminals accomplishes nothing and it's certainly not a crime deterrent.

Well this is good news. Something positive for a change. I hope his experience wasn't because his arrival was late at night during off-peak hours. My EVA arrivals and departures are mid-day and I look forward to reports from others with a similar schedule. I'm also interested on how to connect with my pre-arranged taxi driver (Pon&Gems Taxi Servie) upon arrival.

Strong baht (weak USD) means Thailand is less of a value for tourists (and expats). Consequently tourism suffers which is a major player in the Thai ecoonmy. This is balanced by the fact imports (oil as example) costs for Thais. My friends who have traveled to Thailand much longer than I, tell me prior to the 1997 economic crisis the exchange had been about 25 THB to the USD for many years. I'm sure we (tourists and expats) don't want to see those days again. I'm also told back then the standard off tip was 500 baht, not that much different in USD if one applies today's exchange rates. I'm sure the BOT very much desires stability in the exchange rates. I thought exchange rate would suffer much more because of the coup and don't really understand why not.

I'm no ecomomist. Why would that be?

I'd rather read GB's posts anytime than that dribble from Cederic, Bad Boy Billy or some of the other all-stars on that other board.

I know Punya and wish him well and hope he suceeds in his new business adventure. To be successful I believe he needs to attract young Thai men; after all farangs aren't going to go there to meet other farangs. I know few Thais that could afford a 250 baht admission. That price would be even higher than the Babylon in pricey Bangkok. I'm not an advocate of dual pricing but I think it makes good business sense to charge the Thais a lower price that they can afford. I would also follow the Babylon's lead and discourage commercial boys (which by the way is not Punya's policy at Howard's).

If the Thais have to pay 250 baht I'm afraid it's going to be a bunch of old farangs groping each other in the dark room. Gives me the shrivers just thinking about it.

You're right, I was mistaken. You must read ...I'm impressed (I'm trying to learn).

These numbers are probably skewed since most Thais would not have immediate access to a computer and would not participate in a poll from an English speaking newspaper (BKK Post) either. His numbers maybe way down outside of Bangkok but I suspect he is still popular in Isaan and the north (Chiang Mai).

I found this interview to be informative. Non-immigrant O visas available within Thailand.....great! http://khaosanroad.com/thailand_visa_issues.htm New Thailand Visa Regulations Become Clearer On Saturday night Sabah Cafe & Cinema had a semi-formal visit from Immigration Police Major Suppachai Paladech, Inspector of the Immigration Detention Centre and Secretary to the Commissioner of Immigration; technically the second in command at Immigration. The intended purpose of the visit was to clear up some rumors and ally fears that many long term 'tourist' are having regarding the implementation of updated immigration regulations on the 1st October 2006. To avoid confusion and in the interest of clarity, questions and answers were discussed by a few before the process was repeated with an adjudicator and Police Major Suppachai Paladech addressing an audience. Questions and Answers: Question: It is obvious that the present border runners will change into visa runners to other countries. What are the Department of Immigrations thoughts on this? Police Major Suppachai: From October 1st you can travel to the border and re-enter 3 times using the system of waiver of a visa. After that, if you get a single entry tourist visa from abroad you can stay here for 60 days, after that you can get a visa extension for 30 days, so it is already 6 months. Each time you leave the country you can come back with the visa extension again, so the tourist visa intervenes. Question: So if we buy a tourist visa and extend it for 1 month can we leave buy another tourist visa and back, can we continue to do that? Police Major Suppachai: Yes, you can do that. We don't want some people staying on visa extensions for ever. Some people stay for 10 years. The main thing at the moment is that now people that come to Thailand for 10 years are not getting screened. With the tourist visa the police now have a chance to check the people that are not on the blacklist. That is the main thing of this new law. Question: When does the new rule effecting 90-day maximum wavered visas come into affect? Police Major Suppachai: It means that the person who has been staying on visa extensions for years, you can depart. If your visa ends on the 30 September, you leave the country and come back on the 30th September, you still can use that 3 times. There was misinformation on the Internet, it doesn't count by stamps, it counts by days. This is very important, it counts by days not stamps. Yeah counts by days. Question: This is going to effect the airlines. How is Immigration going to handle this? How does an airline know when a passenger comes to their stamp quota? The airline is responsible for their passenger? Police Major Suppachai: Your question is a very good question. OK we know that from the first of October it counts from 90 days and the problems will come back. Many people will be stopped at the border, right. So within 90 days we will try to do something. Because we are thinking about the electronic visas. We will use that kind of visa where the airline will have to submit the name of the person to our office before to issue the ticket, similar system to the US. It needs at least 1 year. We don't want people using that kind of system (visa waiver) to stay in our country forever, we have to use the tourist visa to intervene in that system to screen them, to screen the people who are staying in our country. Question: We have heard that there will be a 3 month visa you can buy here in Bangkok. Is this a new rule, if so when is it in place, is it already in existence, can you explain? Police Major Suppachai: It is not a new visa, it is a new regulation for foreigners who don't have a visa, but visa extension, it means you can apply for a non immigration type B and O at the Immigration Bureau. Question: In Thailand right? Police Major Suppachai: Yes. But it means that you have to have at least 3 weeks, I mean visa. It means when you come in right, you have 4 weeks. In the first week you have to contact immigration, in Bangkok in Suan Phlu and submit the papers that you want to change your visa. You have to have a visa. Before we could change the category of visa from tourist to non-immigrant, but this time we can issue the visa as well. A summary of points that were discussed in more detail: The reason for the new regulations are twofold: 1. Try to eliminate known foreign criminals from entering Thailand. It is desired by the authorities that those staying longer term in Thailand should be screened through a more thorough computer system available at Embassies, Consulates and Immigration offices. Hence the reasoning of forcing people into applying for longer stays after a maximum of 90 days by obtaining 3 consecutive free 30 day waivers of a visa at entry points. Border crossing checkpoints are currently limited to screening out undesirables on the 'Blacklist' and high profile undesirables. 2. Persuade foreigners that are on the incorrect visas or stamps to correct their paperwork in line with the law. By making the trip to an Embassy, Consulate or Immigration office necessary within 90 days from 1st October 2006, it is hoped that foreigners who are disrespecting Thai law rectify the situation by applying for the correct visa. To aid this, Non immigrant B and O visas will be issued inside Thailand at the Immigration Office in Bangkok. IMPORTANTLY, to apply you have to have at least 3 weeks remaining on your current stamp and obviously the correct paperwork. The visa needed to apply is yet to be clarified. The Department of Immigration controls borders and The Department of Foreign Affairs controls Consulates and Embassies. There has been no official orders to tighten controls on issuing visas abroad. It is at the discretion of the issuing officer. It is business as usual. There is and never was a guarantee that you would be issued a single, double, etc visa. At borders the 90 day max of 'waivers of a visa' will be enforced once your 90 days FROM 1st October have been utilized within the period of 180 days. Days in country are counted and NOT number of stamps. There is an issue here with airlines and the Department of Immigration understands this. It is their wish that a system similar to something like the US where passenger list are checked electronically before departure will be installed in the future to eliminate problems. This may take some time. The Department of Immigration understands that their will be problems with the new regulations and will review as necessary.

Go to this site for more info: http://ajarn.com/

The Wall St Inn is one of the cheaper hotels and is in the center of the action. Rates for a standard room are about 1,000 baht but they have a few very small interior rooms without windows that they will discount substantially.

This is a hot topic on the TV forum with many threads and posts. I haven't read anything about under 50s and multiple O or B visas. From Sunbeltasia on TV: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=82975 News from the new regulation: 1.Retirement Visa extension. If you have a foreign married spouse who is a dependent they will be able to get this dependent visa. ( change of what has been happing the last couple weeks in Bangkok) Example: You are 52 years old and you have a 34 year old wife who is from Germany, she can be a dependent. You only need 800,000 or a pension of 65,000 Baht per month as a couple. 2.Retirement visa extension: If you have children under 20. They will no longer be able to get a dependent visa based on you having an extension of stay on retirement. Immigration wants these kids to get it based on education so they go to school. 3.Investment Visa extension: Will no longer be available after Oct 1st for new applicants on 3 million Baht. 4. Investment visa extension. For existing extension of stay holders of 3 million Baht, we are now being told this will now be grandfathered in and they will be able to get the extension forever as long as they renew. 5.Now the news for frequent visitors: We have checked this upwards and backwards all day and it has been confirmed by a copy of the new regulation we have. If you have a visa on arrival or a Tourist Visa Exemption more than three times in six months, you cannot come into Thailand without a visa from an Embassy/Consulate. When you enter Thailand, even if you are here just 1 hour, this counts as 30 days. If you come back 6 weeks later for 2 days, this again is 30 days. If you arrive a month later for 4 days, still counts as 30 days. When you leave, you cannot enter Thailand for 3.5 months without coming back with a visa. The reason given is to force people who are supposed to have work permits to do so and pay tax. Another example; you arrive for a week, this counts as 30 days, One month later 3 days and its 30 days, two months later and its for a two week period, still another 30 days. You can reenter Thailand in 6 weeks without having a visa. The clock starts at zero on Oct 1st 2006, meaning everyone has a quota of three entries in the next six months. No matter how many previous entries you may have. 6.On extension of stay based support of a Thai national (Marriage visa), before if you applied for this extension of stay, you would get a 30 day consideration stamp. Once you return in 30 days you would get the one year extension. Now it will be the same as an extension of stay based on business with the norm of three 30 day consideration stamps. Immigration will go out and check to see if it

...and the under 50s will no longer have the 3M baht investment visa option (1 year renewable) after October 1.

Don't know how unknown it is but the Cucumber on South Pattaya Rd. near Center Condo opened this summer. It is owned by the owners of the Rabbit Ressort. International cuisine with a Thai menu too. Food was good not 5-star quality but neither were the prices. If you like the Cherry restaurant I suspect you'll like the Cucumber too.

Currently, my private limo driver (Pon & Gems) waits for my arrival and wheels my cart with luggage to the parking garage and then it's off to Pattaya. After reading this it looks like this will be possible at the new airport. None of the maps I've seen so far shows the new short-term parking garage. I know long-term parking is available near the new Transit Center.