KhorTose

Yes, but the number varies depending on the time of the day? Actually GB and Maurice, this is informative and agrees with what I've heard said by many a poster who has bothered to learn Thai. (Aside: Cudos to both of you). "Thais do not speak their own language very well, and it varies by class, and location." Being from the USA, I wonder if the Thai variations are greater then the English ones in the USA. It also reminds me of that thread we had on the differences between America's and England's, English.

Normally the quality of the food is more important to me then the atmosphere of the place. However, this time I am looking for a restaurant in Bangkok that serves Thai food and is fairly fancy. By fancy, maybe not a tie, but linen, views, first class furniture,etc. Suggestions?

YES --could not agree more.

If you don't mind the Thai red buses it is easy to get to town. You can arrange for a regular driver to come when you call, but I would recommend a car or motor bike.

I am not addicted. I am just temporarily hooked. I know I can quit if I have to. If it wasn't for the severe stomach cramps and cold sweats I would have quit some time ago. You just wait any day now I will make up my mind not to return and I will stick to it. All I need is one more short trip----oh say 15 or 20 years long and I will beat this thing.

Unlike some people you don't require a "posse" of yes men (all dressed in pink) to be generous to others, but you picking up the tab is hardly fair or right. Why not contact SGT and TT and agree to a three way party, where the bill is picked up by all three boards. I bet they would go for it. Actually, why not just charge everyone a small amount (500 Bht) and donate that amount straight to charity? Well, thats my two cents worth.

whoops

No, that is the URL. It has been hijacked. Jasmine is a first class real estate business with a fantastic web site so I am sure they will have it back up soon.

Good point GB. Try to stay away from the area SE of Chiang Mai near the original city site. The reason the city is not now on that site now is because of constant flooding. Most of the rest of the areas are okay.

Asmerom, all of the advice and replys sound very good to me. I agree with all written here, and I truly think you will like Chiang Mai and be safe here. May I suggest that the problem in not the advice, but Chiang Mai House. I too have had problems with this agency. Very flakey people who seem to have some agenda with real estate not high on thier list. I would like to suggest you contact Jasmine Homes, who has a professional staff and specializes in gated communities for Farangs. I hope this works and know you will enjoy Chiang Mai where you will find a large community of friendly gay and straight people. http://www.jasminehomes.co.th/ Some other places you might look http://www.chiangmai-property.thailand-real-estate.info/ http://www.chiangmairealty.com/ Good luck and, if successful, welcome

I don't mind picking hair out of my teeth, but feathers--no way. On subject the Buffet at D2 (Dusit 2)in Chiang Mai is outstanding. They only do it now and then, but when they do it is a great bargain and done first class.

Stef if you really want the beach and a good gay life with bars and boys try Boracay. The beaches are pure white and many of the resorts are gay or gay friendly. Cebu is nice, but the gay scene is more in the malls and with no real gay bars. Two bars in a near by suburbs with straight boy dancers, but not to my taste and AYOR in all of Cebu. Manila has a good scene( a little grungy), and Baguio is very very gay friendly with a lot of college ages kids, but do watch out for the scams everywhere you go. The Church has filled all the boys heads with so much negative crap that it is very hard to find anyone that is out in the gay community that is not f**ked in the head. Scams are very common and well know to all the PI boys, so do be on your guard. I spent two months in the PI, and had a very good time, but would not retire there, even if I found a good boy. I can give you a list of hotels and places to stay if you need it for Cebu, manila and Baguio. The tropicana is OK. Sort of like the Malaysia in Bangkok. I stayed on the Pan Pacific in Malate and had no problem with bringing anyone to the hotel. PM me and I can give you a name to call for a discount. Not as expensive as other Pan Pacific's.

Let me see if I understand what you are saying. If we all pretend that Sunee is not filled with boys on drugs and pedos then it will all go away. All the normal people who will visit Sunee will only see roses and smell perfume? Have you ever heard of an Ostrich? Peek-a-Boo, I can't see you, Everything must be grand. Boo-ka-Pe, they can't see me, As long as I've got me head in the sand. Peek-a-Boo, it may be true, There's something in what you've said, But we've got enough troubles in everyday life, I just bury me head. I've got a radical counter suggestion. Why don't I, GB and everyone else with a sense of decency keep reporting the truth about Sunee until the authorities get so embarrassed that they put an end to this disgrace to humanity, or to you prefer seeing a bunch of kids on drugs, and little boys being molested by pedos. You may regaurd my comments as a put down, but really what do you see when you are in Sunee? I'm not looking for either little boys or drugs, and yet in less then ten minutes I could easily discern that these things where a very big part of Sunee. So I repeat--how could you NOT see this?

NO

BINGO.................... Bob you and GB are correct. Since he was receiving such good advice i stayed out of the conversation. Lucky me.

He certainly is a top Bob. Just think how long he has been f**king the voters of Alabama all of these years, Knowing what it is like to be in the closet, I used to be sorry for these guys. In this day and age, even in Alabama, there is really no more excuses for this kind of behavior. Using homophobia and pretending to be anti-gay to hide the fact that he is gay, shows a complete lack of moral fiber. Gay or straight the man is a cowardly prick.

The boy I took loved the film. Went a monday day showing. Many thais in theather--more then usual. Saw many happy people when movie over. Not great, but definetly worth seeing. John McEvoy is cute cute cute and he has worked out and has one great body

You are wrong GB, all the honest boys do have a venue. They all go to my bedroom. I know they are honest as they all tell me what a good heart I have, and how much they love me.

Have a safe trip. We will be passing each other as I am leaving today for 33 days in Chiang Mai.

One advantage to having that extra weight is that if you do fall, you will only bounce.

Ad your ad says it is the iphone 3G, and it does have GPS like all iphones do. It is cheaper to buy but has a longer contract at more money so it works out to be near the same price as the old one. It is much faster, and so far, it cannot be unlocked. I have the iphone 16G unlocked and would love to see an offical carrier in Thailand. However, you can get most of the features to work in Thailand without an offical carrier.

Really good timing. Tonight on 60 minutes one of the segments was a summery of the bad results one gets from deep sleep deprivation. One doctor has found a definite correlation between lack of deep sleep and weight gain. Your ability to get deep rem sleep with alpha waves appears to decrease with age and may actually be the reason for slow mental processes in seniors. Also related to diabeties. Goody the story is on their web site. http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/60minutes/main3415.shtml

It is the person who owns the unit that pays the fee to the agent. I think there is no set rule on fees. May be both commission and one time fee depending on the agency. This is knowledge I've acquired in Chiang Mai only by word of mouth, so check with locals to get a better more precise answer for Pattaya. If no one else knows ask GB. If he does not know he will know who to ask to get an answer. Best of Luck.

I agree with GB. The agent is paid a commission by the seller and sometimes they are offered more to push certain properties and homes. Maybe you will be lucky, but I have given up getting straight answers out of them. They have their own agendas, not yours. Also I recommend bargining and bargining hard. If you are planning to rent for one year you should get a LARGE discount over the asking rental.

I hope you enjoy your stay in Chiang Mai. If you need a car to go on side trips, and there are some great side trips I can recommend, try North Wheels. They are on the internet. You can get a car for 1300 BT a day with very good insurance at North Wheels. You can also try POP3 where you can bargain even a cheaper deal. Glad to hear you are staying at PJ's. Peter and Jiap are two of my favorite people. Believe me you are in great hands. I will be in CM in two weeks, and I am staying for 33 days. Say hello to Peter and Jiap for me and have a great time.