PattayaMale

Yesterday, Wednesday, my Thai friend and I went out to eat at Cherry's Restaurant on Third Road. We haven't been there in a long time and so we were surprised that they had a buffet laid out. You could have the buffet or the regular menu. The buffet is only 295 and included salad bar, appetizers such as medium shrimp on toast, spring roles, quiche, chicken wings, cold cuts such as ham, roast beef and other. The main dishes were 4 different fish dishes including salmon, battered cod, white fish in white sauce, and grilled fish, beef fillet, beef stuffed with cheese, beef in wine sauce, thinly sliced roast beef, lamb served with mint sauce (sauce on the side), pork medallions in mushroom sauce, pork stuffed with spinach, chicken in a white sauce, mixed vegetables, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, spaghetti with four different sauces, fried rice and I am sure I have forgotten some dishes. Desert section had fresh fruit, caramel flan, teramisu (sp?), and several other items. I am not sure because I was so full I did not want any more. Maybe this was reported before but I missed it. The food was great!

I looked at the CNN clips and noticed that in Thaskin's clip. He was not asked any questions. While Abhisit was asked many question asking him to rebut Thaskin's claims. Has anyone seen an interview where Thaskin is asked hard questions?

Words are so easy to be careless with.

Abihist should have asked China how to deal with protests.

Mark, as I understand, smoking will NOT be permitted inside the bar; and as a concerned owner you will be making a comfortable area outside. If that is right I really applaud what you are doing. I enjoy Krazy Dragon. I almost crossed it off my list when I thought you might change your current policy.

I was at The Bumrungrad Hospital from yesterday until 7:30 pm this evening (April 9). There was good reporting on blocked roads but no suggestions for alternate road use. My Thai friend who was driving was thinking we would be tied up in traffic for hours, but fortunately, the traffic on the route he took had no heavy traffic. The heavy rains made it more difficult to drive. It took us 3 hours from Bangkok to our home. My Thai friend usually doesn't say much about politics, but felt it really unfair to block people from getting home to their children after work and blocking the streets which affected 25 hospitals. He said they should be bombed!

On April 2 my Thai friend and I went for his interview at the US Embassy in hopes he would get a USA visa. We spent the last 2 months getting what was asked for in the US Visa sections. Photos, bank books and bank statements, ticket receipts for trips we have taken outside Thailand together, evidence of assets owned showing he would return to Thailand. We even bought a suit for him to wear (which my friend hated to wear). But he really looked handsome in my eyes. At a friend's suggestions I even crafted a letter to the Ambassador explaining our long term relationship At 6:45 am we lined up in front of the embassy so we would not be late for his interview appointment. We had our plan set after to talking to several others that have taken their Thai boyfriends for the interview. He wanted me to be with him to make sure he turned in the correct paper work. Then I would sit outside the room he would interview in. The other farangs had told me that after the 15 minute interview, the US Embassy personnel called them up to the window and asked them a couple of questions. This was to make sure they really knew each other well. Well, it seems that they changed the policy. I was told I could not accompany him into the Embassy. I explained I was an American citizen, but it did not matter. Our plan had crumpled to the ground. I could do no more than to ensure my friend that he would do well on his own and off he went through the new security doors. At 9:45 am I was still waiting for him to finish his interview. Others told me it was about a 20 minute process. But it had been well over 2 1/2 hours by then. Finally my friend came out of the embassy and I nervously asked, "Did you get the visa?" The look on his face told me we had failed. So I ensured him it was not a problem. We would just try again in the future. So we returned to Pattaya. Two days later I was sitting at my computer desk thinking of writing to the Embassy to ask why a US citizen could not accompany his Thai partner of 10 years into the Embassy. While thinking about what I would say, I looked down at my desk and saw my friend' passport sitting there. He forgot to put it back in the safe I thought. So I picked it up and for some reason opened it and sure enough there was a USA 10 year visa with multiple entries pasted inside. I called out to him and said "what is this?". "Oh they just delivered it" was his reply. Damn those Thai boys... I want to thank Traveler Jim and his Thai boyfriend for all their advice and help. Also Soi 10 Tom who suggested I talk to Traveler Jim. To others who think they may not have a chance to get their Thai friend a visa, I suggest that this may be a good time to try. The process seems very simple now. My Thai friend actually was interviewed for less than 3 minutes. The only "evidence" they asked for was his bank statements and my passports (which I gave him) to show I had been to Thailand several times and had an "O" (retirement) visa for several years. The processing time is amazingly fast. The passport comes back by EMS messenger service. Turn around time was just 2 days. If anyone is interested, I would be happy help explain what we did. Just send a PM.

1. Go to almost any major city in the United States and open the phone book under escorts. You will see dozens of pages filled with ads for those services. 2. The school where I use to teach at, had a group of 30 students who saved their money for 2 years to visit Thailand on a school trip. There are many great places to visit and many things to do where you never even come close to the sex trade. Most of us know where to find "it" so to some it may seem that is all there is to Thailand. 3.As I read some of the posts (so it may have to do with my reading) some posters seem to have disdain for the sex and those that are involved. If this is so I think it is too bad that they feel that way about themselves. 4. For me and my Thai friend, things have worked out fine so far (10 years)

Thai has a promotion. If you have 164,000 you can get a free award ticket. This is NOT an upgrade but a full ticket in Business Class. So if it is 120,000 for an upgrade fro 44,000 more miles you would not pay anything

I like the system in Los Angeles much better. You simply pull up to a restaurant, give a guy you never met your keys (car, house, etc.) so he can drive off and park it. Oh, and it only costs $5. Next day your car is stolen and your house broken into..........

Interestingly, last night I was just leaving Sunee Plaza about 3am and what an amazing sight. Seeing these "angels" para shooting to the ground from 3 World Vision Helicopters. AND I AM NOT MAKING THAT UP!!

I suggest you look online at Purple Dragon to get an idea of things to see during the day in different cities. Pattaya is only a bit more than an hour from the airport. You may want to give it a try. You will get a lot of info online if you search for gay pattaya. or just pattaya

I have had to send some checks that I have received here in Pattaya from my insurance company to the US. My Thai friend took them to be mailed as I said "just send them regular airmail". At the post office they asked what was in the envelope and my friend told them it was a check. They suggested using EMS which cost 600 baht to prevent it from getting lost. You can trace the package just like Fed ex. It took 5 days. I was satisfied but regular mail is only 70 baht I think.

This year so far, some bars have done well and some have not done well at all. Usually the gay sector is not hit as hard as other groups. But whoever is effected may need to cut back. Every low season there will be less boys at the bars, so this year won't be different. You may want to contact a few hotels and ask the question as they have a better idea of how advance bookings are going.

I wonder how many of the forum readers have taken the 2 minutes it takes to sign the petition and let others know about this. Too many of us have been or will be denied the opportunity to show our Thai partner our home country (if a US citizen). Yet it seems that possibly we have decided that our voice is not worth much....other than to complain to our gay friends here in Thailand. We have been disappointed before so it is better not to get our hopes up. But look at the power we really do have, especially now, while we have a President that will sign the bill into law when passed. If we sign the petition and get 5 friends (gay, straight, or bi) to sign and they each get 3 or 4 to sign we can turn 5 minutes of our time into a pretty large force. Please sign the petition. Then just copy the link and send an email asking others to do the same. You don't have to use the sites form letter. Use your own email program. I di dthid and honestly 5 minutes and I sent the link with my personal appeal to 30 people I know in several different states. Thanks

Do you remember the South Pacific song, "Carefully Taught"? You've got to be taught To hate and fear, You've got to be taught From year to year, It's got to be drummed In your dear little ear You've got to be carefully taught. You've got to be taught before it's too late, Before you are six or seven or eight, To hate all the people your relatives hate, You've got to be carefully taught From "The World History of Male Love" Click Here The most civilized culture in antiquity also developed a highly evolved form of homosexual love. In ancient Greece love between males, or more precisely, love between young men and adolescent boys, was harnessed for the good of the state and of the lovers. Though not strictly gay love as we know it today, it was founded on the erotic passion between two males. It was held that the youth was enriched by the friendship of his lover and that the man strove to attain heights of achievement, in battle, sports or his profession, to be worthy of his beloved. These partnerships of lovers were said to make men undefeatable in battle. Seen in that light, one wonders what all the fuss is today in the US about gay soldiers. Love between men in China begins with the very beginning of history, with the first (semi-legendary) ruler, the Yellow Emperor. Historians claimed he was the first to establish the custom of taking a male bedmate. Many, if not most Chinese emperors had gay lovers. The tradition was known as the Way of the Cut Sleeve, or the Way of the Bitten Peach. China also stands out as one of the richest sources of erotic homosexual art. Sadly, only a small fraction has been preserved, as most of it was destroyed in the "Cultural" Revolution. Now as others have written, it matters what the law says in each country more than song verse, historical writings and far ago cultural practices. But it is interesting to debate and discuss these issues. And yes, in my view, much of "law" is religiously inspired.

What I write here in no way is meant to excuse people. According to the CIP (a group that follows sexual child abuse), over 75% of sexual abuse is perpetrated on females. There web site also says 85% of the abuse is done by heterosexuals, and 21% abuse both boys and girls. Since statistically this should be the same percentage world wide, how is 99% of the reported abuse in Pattaya just about underage male abuse? Could it be that authorities only look in an area just populated by male boys? Could it be that there are areas in Pattaya that underage girls are being picked up? I don't know. But statistically it seems there should be. W

Too many problems for me as pointed out by GB. If I would go to the US for a visit just for 30 days (ex. 15 May to 15 June). 2 payments would be a waiting for me to show up at Bangkok Bank. And if I had to make recurring payments on my credit cards, and depended on my SS check to be able to make the payments how would I do this? For those that have a deposit account here, how would you make payments on Credit cards in America?

If anyone knows how I can locate Googie (Michael O'Brien), I would appreciate a PM. Thanks

I believe you are correct. That is what I had to show when I sold my condo and moved the money out of Thailand. The baht was about 31 to the dollar. So exchanging the sale proceeds into dollars helped. When buying a condo it is very important to keep the Tor Sam (or what ever it is called). Then when you sell, just take those to the bank along with a copy of the sales agreement and copy of the transfer that shows tax was paid. It was very easy to do since I had the documents.

In Los Angeles there are two Thai Banks: Kasikorn Bank on South Grand and Krung Thai Bank on Wilshire Blvd. New York Bangkok Bank in New York telephone number (212) 422-8200 Bank of Thailand (212) 750-0310 Krung Thai Bank(212) 832-5600 It may be worth spending a few baht to call or get an email address and ask the question to the bank in New York City. I don't understand the point of having a direct deposit account having to return the money to the US either. Once it is in my account, while I am alive, it is my money. I can understand where the bank would not be able to accept any more direct deposits after being notified of my death. Currently my Thai Friend has been told to go to my USA account, online, and transfer all my money to my US friend who will see he gets the money. This would be a good topic for the Expats Club to explore. By having an official explain the policies and different options. Also maybe they would be able to site the US regulation.

I don't understand this part of the article. I thought foreigners that were caught here committing a crime are prosecuted in Thailand.

Indeed it does. It is so different here than in most western countries. People may not think of the consequences here in Thailand. The In-justice system is very different than in most places westerners travel. It is indeed hard to remember to keep you temper under control. But very necessary. Thai jails must be terrible.

In my opinion you are way too sensitive to a comic remark about a 16 year old in the context of this post. It makes me wonder why. Surely you have your reason, and I am certainly not wanting to get into that. But let me give you 2 examples of harmless comic banter that involved me. When my Thai friend and I went to visit northern Thailand we took a private tour into the hills and there were 3 young kids whose job it seemed was to get paid for having their pictures taken in native dress, 2 girls and a boy. I had four pictures taken. One was a group of all of us taken by the tour guide, then a picture with each kid separately. While taking a picture with the one boy, my Thai friend said in Thai to the lady tour guide and then in English to me, "Ah, future gay." Since he and I were new in our relationship, it made me feel embarrassed. But everyone laughed. Now I understand that there is a lot of joking that goes on. It is harmless and does not have any intent, other than joking. The other example is a little while ago after my friend's brother had a baby. His wife and his brother were changing the baby's diapers at our house and his mother and father were standing there. My friend said that his brother knew that this was his baby for sure. I asked "how". His brother, the baby's father, said, "He has a big dick". His whole family laughed and I stammered a bit shocked by the comment "Oh." The jokes escalated from that. Again there was no intent other than joking. Some people seem to be damaged (I am talking about me) by the constant right wing conservative propaganda that I grew up hearing, that any comment about gay means terrible things; child molester, monster, mentally ill.........I am sure most reading this board can add their own. It has taken a lifetime for me to understand that this is BS. That being gay means none of it. And I strongly feel that many of my generation are still dealing with that guilt and at times feel the need to spout these same stupid ideas because they too have a damaged psyche and still do not realize it fully. By the way. I thought Geezer's comic comment was just that a joke. And I am sure that those reading my post can see I was dancing all around the issue because I was afraid someone would say.....see he wants sex with under legal age 16 year old boy. When I was actually thinking, "Damn I wish he was 18 and working in a bar in Pattaya". At the same time I really think that the abuse this boy suffered at the hands of an adult who whipped him is tragic. And much much worse than anything said here on a gay forum by far.

He certainly looks older than 16. By the way is it illegal to say a 16 year old has a great build? You should have seen me when I was 16. I was voted best build by my high school classmates. Also voted as having best hair. Time changes things for some people