baobao

I called a few of my - let's say - less sociable friends here in California, and was told several different things about the teardrop tattoo under an eye. They all had to do with unpleasant behavior, that much was agreed on; the least friendly being that you'd killed someone. I'd side with your BF on this one, but hopefully he was joking about the "cutting it off" part, especially if he was thinking of Lorena Bobbit!

That was a great post, Michael! I think candid shots of folks in public (as long as folks aren't doing something immoral or illegal and aren't being featured on a porn-based site) show the real flavor of a place while traveling. I enjoy seeing a familiar place through different eyes, and this filled the bill (for me, anyway). When I'm travelling I'm not much a mall shopper, per se - there are malls a-plenty within a short drive of where I live in the U.S. - but I walk around in them to people watch, eat, catch a movie or browse a book store. The casual flavor of people going about their ordinary business in your photo assortment made it interesting. Certainly plenty of young men in the assortment, and I'd notice one of them before I'd note a Versace storefront, too!

Another interesting report, Christian. I'm glad the stories about Chantaburi sparked a nice weekend for you!

My guess would be from the top of this abandoned high-rise in the Sathorn area of Bangkok, near the Robinson's department store and the Centre Point condo complex. Kudos if you've actually climbed to the top of it! I don't recall if I've already posted a picture of this place or not - I took it almost five years ago. Is this it?

I'm somewhat partial to the idea used in the movie "Defending Your Life": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQmJl1CQx2o

That's enough of a refund that others you socialize with ought to be buying YOU a beer if they do as well with this info!

Yes, California. Sometimes it seems we go miles out of our way to make things more complicated!

...or as we've all read often enough you don't live, and others hopefully learn. Glad this worked out as a lesson and not a fatality.

I learned many years ago to simply reach up and move it to point away from me before I even turn the tap on. Works for me, anyway. The part that sometimes gets me is them positioning of the bath mat so it's completely saturated when I walk in, rendering it useless for it's intended purpose. If it is, I take my friend's towel and use that (assuming it isn't draped over a chair in the other room where they change) and just call housekeeping to ask for replacements.

First of all, my condolences to PattayaMale and all who cared for David. May more of us be fortunate enough to be remembered as kindly as he has been. I never knowingly met the man - and suspect that, being human, he had his moments - but it was good to read of his willingness to make what sounds like a genuine effort to spread some good will. My hat's off to you, David, wherever you are now. Arranging things in advance is the only logical thing to do, unless you don't care what happens to your spent body or anything you leave behind - property, land or monies. If you own land or a house in the U.S. the most common way of protecting things is via a living (or revocable) trust. This avoids probate and legal fees that can run as high as 40% for a single gay man. Having helped set up two of these for single relatives that I later served as executor for that's been my experience, anyway. It bypasses probate and directly transfers many things to those you wish to have them after you're gone. A trust can be changed as long as you're "competent". I can't speak to the legalities U.S. citizens who hold foreign accounts or own land in Thailand, for example, but they DO offer significant protection from fees and taxes here in the U.S.. A simple trust (which includes a will, by the way) will run you anywhere from $1,200 to twice that, depending on the complexity - but for many it's a very good idea. A late (and very frugal) uncle of mine didn't want to spend the money on one until I reminded him that if he didn't he was leaving 30-40% of his estate to the government... and he signed the papers as soon as they were prepared.

Chris, we may have lucked out... I bought my first basic cell phone to use in Thailand back in early 2006/7 at a shop in Center One Mall along with an AIS SIM. Same pink box, same "Freedom" product description. WHY I still have that packaging and user manual (99.9% of it in Thai) I don't know, but I just looked and you're correct on the type. Any minutes I add updates the validity for a full year. That chip's in a newer phone, but still works like a charm.

Another amazing bunch of photos and observations. My hat's off to you again. Thank you!

A splendid report about a magnificent adventure. I'm also a firm believer in learning more than a smidgen about a destination. Thank you so much for posting this... I've added Istanbul to the bucket list!

With recent adjustments to keep the top of the pages cleaner there isn't a need for a special Agoda banner, IMHO. What I see now is a somewhat unattractive blob obscuring the search, videos and forum tabs, but I'm guessing that's just a transient thing. As for clearing the Agoda cookie(s) before booking through this site I'd do that, myself. Why not make sure the credit's going where you want it to go? Only takes a moment to do.

Yes, I do. I keep them in such a way (by type, folded in half with the fold facing up) that I can reach into the pocket where I keep them and by touch know if I'm pulling out two 20s, a hundred or a thousand. 50s and 500s are in a different spot as I don't use them nearly as often. It saves me pulling my wallet out in full view. It's not foolproof - once in a hurry I handed a taxi driver a 500B bill for a 45B fare - but it made for a good story for me, and I'm sure a better one for him later on.

I've heard differing opinions on this 1-2-Call time limit before credits expire and I confess I'm still a bit confused about it. I don't maintain a Thai bank account and have just added minutes to my phone near the end of each trip. So far I've been fortunate enough to get the message after topping up that my credits will expire a year from the date they were added. I probably ought to do a search in a couple of places and see if/how SIMs can be topped up from home.

It's really the most fair way of paying for excess weight that I've heard yet... and honestly - I'm not being judgmental about people's personal weight whatsoever. Nobody's called me anything close to "petite" in decades. If you exceed a weight limit with your baggage you pay a premium for the overage... why not gauge passenger fees by weight?

Here's wishing Jim smooth sailing through his upcoming procedure. Having seen a couple of others through hip replacements I know it's not easy or comfortable, but from the little I know about Jim my guess is he'll keep the good attitude and actively participate in the rehabilitation afterwards, which is the key to the entire thing. One thing's [nearly] certain: he's got good medical insurance! Best of luck to him.

Agreed. While the USA certainly doesn't set the pace for this sad behavior it's to our national shame. Man's inhumanity to man, I suppose. A well educated and otherwise right-thinking person was walking with me as we passed a couple of guys sleeping along the (then new) walkway along Beach Road one morning, and when I asked about them he said matter-of-factly "They're Burmese. They do the jobs the Thai don't care to do. When they're done they'll probably be found to be undesirable and shipped back home." Reminded me of the Bracero program here in California that finally ended in the mid-1960s.

While I freely admit I'm a both a rice- and bean-queen, my take on this is that there are already plenty of sites that feature such photos. If members begin sharing risque or erotic images from who knows where there's too much risk of publishing photos of folks who would not care to have their images shared in places other than where they may have posted them themselves, IMHO. iPhone photos are a good example. Granted, once something's on the web it's almost impossible to control, but I think most would agree there are boundaries of common decency. Yes, I post photos of people taken at the beach and other spots and don't have a signed model release from them, but I don't run a site that features porn - nor is it promoted as a "gay" site. I'm gay, but it isn't a large percentage of my posts that deal directly with the subject. Either way, sometimes I look, sometimes I don't. If I (or anyone else) doesn't want to see them the thread can be skipped over. LOTS of other things to read here.

Great report, ceejay! I'll get there next trip to Chiang Mai - thanks! BTW, Bob, they do have - or have had - cockfighting (and dog fighting) at Chatuchak. I ran across it one one of my early trips, and found it more than mildly disturbing. I kind of stumbled across the dog area while poking around for photo ops off the heavily traveled paths, and got looks from a couple of guys that made me turn on my heel and head back out onto the regular walkways.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions so far. My friend is currently scuba diving in Phuket, but will be out shopping in Bangkok in about a week, I expect. Again, he's not looking for anything other than a phone. If anyone else has input they'd like to add (brands, shops, etc.) I'll pass it along.

You write fine reports... I'm ready to follow along, too. Might just make it there one day. Thanks!

I have a friend now already in Thailand a few days who's old "pre-smart" phone is giving him problems and he's looking to buy a new one. Can anyone recommend a shop in Pantip, MBK, Tukcom or somewhere to buy a new phone where they've had a good experience. Yes, I know there are tens of thousands of places... that's why I'm asking. Horror stories aren't necessary, thanks. Preferably in Bangkok but he might wait until he hits Pattaya, so either location. I purchased phones for a couple sponsored students last trip, but that was at a shop in the Tesco complex that my friend probably wouldn't find. Hell, I'm not sure I could find it again. Thanks!

Nothing too surprising about that, but it happens unreasonably often there, I'm told. Most who favor one forum at least check the others every so often, so folks will find you. It's the internet, there's room for all and I wish it luck.