PeterRS

Great post and great photos of a much more fun time at the beach. Many thanks for posting.

Blued and Jack'd work well on my wireless iPad in Asia but Blued is marginally better on my phone.

I guess I must be completely naive! I have owned my own condo in Bangkok since before I first got the annual retirement visa a dozen or so years ago. Like anddy, I fly out of Thailand at least once every two months. Accordingly in all the years I have lived in Thailand I have never once had to do a 90 day report. Now this TM 30 nonsense. When I arrive back in Thailand, I fill out an Immigration form. This gives Immigration my full condo address, my email and my phone number. This quickly gets inserted into Immigration computers. On arrival, I immediately go to my home. The only reason I would leave home when in Thailand is go to another part of the country. I always stay in hotels which will then report my dates to Immigration and that information will go into my file. (The only exception is every second year when I stay with friends in their home for 3 or 4 days. In that case it is their obligation to make a report.) Immigration already has all my condo details from the annual visa extension exercise. So Immigration has on its computer system precise details of everywhere I stay in Thailand. Yet now I am supposed to add to the bureaucracy and fill in a ridiculous TM 30 form every time I get back home from BKK over a dozen times a year - even though Immigration has all that detail. This whole nonsense is just part of the policy initiated last year to weed out those who cheat the system, the foreigners who live on less than 65K baht monthly, the crook agents and especially the crook immigration officers who hand out visas in return for dollops of bribes. Now it is seemingly to weed out those who rent properties. As a guest in this country, I understand completely the desire of the authorities to get rid of those who break the rules. What really pisses me off no end is that instead of developing a way to focus on the root cause of their problems - those crook Immigration officers - the new regulations are specifically designed to hit absolutely every non-Thai. The tens of thousands who have always played by the rules are all caught up in a new or tightened up bureaucratic net.

Thank you reader - and more thanks for posting the asiancorrespondent book review. I had not realised that Thomson had clearly become a somewhat reserved man in his later years and despondent at the westernisation of Thailand. If I remember correctly one puzzle the 2017 documentary does not solve relates to the bloodhounds and the sudden loss of a trail on the road. It is known that Thomson had walked for two miles along the same road in the morning. He was then met by his friends also staying at Moonlight Cottage and they all drove on to Church. This is the road on which the bloodhounds allegedly later lost the trail. I do not know how long a scent can last but I have always assumed it is a relatively long period of at least half a day. The morning walk started at roughly around 9.00 am. During the afternoon walk he was last sighted at about 4:00 pm. By 6.00 pm he had failed to return to the Cottage. So there was a gap of about 6 or 7 hours between the two walks. If the bloodhounds picked up on the fact that the afternoon trail had suddenly stopped, surely a bit of sniffing around would have enabled them to pick up the scent from the morning walk. Another concerns the man the documentary alleges he was going to meet in Phnom Penh. But this almost certainly involves a subject which cannot be mentioned in Thailand. So it is best left as a mystery.

I am not sure if there are any recent books on his life with new information on what might have happened to him. Two years ago there was a showing in Bangkok of a new documentary "Who Killed Jim Thomson The Thai Silk King" with new details supplied in interviews with relatives of several men who were involved with both Thomson and his disappearance. The director and relatives were in attendance for a Q&A session after the showing of the film. Unfortunately I cannot locate it on the internet. But the long Q&A is interesting - Basically the documentary suggests that Thomson went reluctantly on his trip to Malaysia. The purpose was to meet the leader of the Malaysian communist insurgency, Chin Peng, who was going to arrange for him to be flown secretly to Phnom Penh. There he was to meet a former Prime Minister of Thailand who had fled to Beijing in the early 1950s and could not return. At the time of Thomson's disappearance, China and Cambodia had diplomatic relations and so travel between the two capitals was easy. The ex-Prime Minster had wanted to meet a member of the Thai government, but this person was reluctant to do so in case word of the meeting got out. So at the last minute he asked his good friend Jim Thomson to go in his place. With his spy background Thomson knew about the Malaysian communists. He knew he had to be careful. He also knew that Moonlight Cottage where he stayed on his trip had at one time been the centre of the Malaysian communists. Thomson had to wait for several days at the Cottage before contact could be made. On a Sunday morning he had walked down the road from the Cottage to attend a Church further down the hill. That afternoon it is assumed he received word that the communists were ready to meet him. He quickly left the Cottage to walk down the hill where transport would be waiting for him. His departure was obviously hasty as he left behind several personal items. He then vanished. The documentary claims that Chin Peng and his associates did not know Thomson before being advised he would be the intermediary. In doing their research, they discovered he had been a senior US intelligence agent. They became alarmed. The last thing they wanted was a spy providing information about their exact whereabouts and capabilities. The film decries previous theories that Thomson could have mistakenly walked into the forest, got lost and was killed by animals. Thomson knew the area well. It claims that Chin Peng had in fact laid a trap. When Thomson found the transport due to take him to the plane for Phnom Penh, he climbed in and the vehicle drove off. It is known that tracker dogs discovered that his trail on the road suddenly ended, suggesting that he entered a vehicle. It is then assumed that Chin Peng had him murdered and his body buried far from Moonlight Cottage. Hence the search which was limited to the environs of the Cottage could find no evidence of a body or his clothing. It is of course merely a theory, one of many. for example it was also well known that not everyone in Thailand liked Thomson. In particular some of the other silk manufacturers were very angry that a farang had come and had much greater success than they had achieved. He was also taking market share away from them. One or more of these businessmen would have had a good reason for wishing to get rid of him. So this is just the latest theory. After watching the documentary it seemed to me to have more than a degree of authenticity. But it will likely always remain one of lifes great mysteries.

I agree its a shame the restaurant has closed. Before Suriwong it was located for several years on Saladaeng Soi 1 just down from the HSBC headquarters. Whenever I went with friends it always seemed to be busy with quite a number of tourists. Not sure why it moved. Maybe rent increases. In that location now there is a restaurant called Bitterman. Some months ago we tried it. We had a bad meal with really bad service. Although we got there at 7:50pm, we were presented with the menu and the drinks list. Having ordered my gin and tonic, I heard the waiter at another table tell the group that drinks were two for the price of one until Happy Hour ended at 8:00pm. So when mine arrived I told the waiter that Id like him to wait 15 minutes before bringing my second gin. Oh, gin and tonic is not on the Happy Hour list we were told. He then brought the Happy Hour drinks menu which we had never seen before. It did include mojito which I would have been perfectly happy to order. But by then it was just after 8:00pm. I called the manager, a middle-aged Thai lady. After recounting my story, she placed the blame on me! So I told her she was wrong and eventually the waiter agreed. With a sour face she then agreed on this occasion she would provide a second G&T. That never arrived. Will never return.

Hainan is a great airline. It is 7th in the Skytrax World's Best Airlines 2019 list and gets mostly excellent reviews on the Skytrax comments site. 8 out of 10 is even better than Singapore Airlines 7 out of 10. Round trip biz class to Chicago is presently 84,500 baht ex BKK. That involves just one stop in Beijing but a very long stopover on the outward sector. My one small problem would be that the outward 5 hour sector is a short night flight on a 737 with recliner seats in biz class rather than flat beds.

It definitely will be spectacular! It is an event like no other and not to be missed. I saw a full procession with the former King. The full processions are rare events and make for an amazing afternoon. The problem is finding a spot to see it without having to get there hours beforehand. Many hundreds of thousands will be competing for limited viewing spots. By far the best way to view it is on one of the official seating areas. A friend and I purchased seats on one site at the Admiralty not far from Wat Arun. This gave us a great view not only of the procession itself but of the Grand palace and the temple complex across the river. Not yet sure when these seats go on sale nor how much will now be charged for them. I guess somewhere around 2,000 baht. There will also be tickets on sale for the rehearsals of which there should be at least two. These consist of all the barges but without the Royal Family present.

This is far from a unique story and it happens all the time with guys as well as women, although the older man/younger Thai woman is much more common. I suspect he has more problems about to knock on his temple door. Apart from having no work permit and making money by working, he will almost certainly be running afoul of the Immigration laws as regards personal finances. If/when discovered, he can be turfed out of the country as quickly as he entered.

Done!

I am not sure if porn links can be posted here, so I have sent you a pm

I heard it is a law about pubic hair not being permitted on screen. If that happens to be true, Im surprised they just dont all shave themselves. Then no need for those damn pixels! But it does seem producers of those vdos are pushing the envelope pretty far. In the vdos of 10 years ago, you could make out very little. Now it feels you are looking through slightly out of focus spectacles. There is also quite a lot of unpixilated Japanese nudity on some porn sites - both gay and straight.

Did you miss this earlier referring to British Airways? BA is as bad as any any airline I have flown. Twice lost my luggage. Each time left my contact numbers. Accessing its helpline is impossible because it is rarely answered. When it is, they are clueless. Once at Lyon airport having been in that part of the world for three days, I called more than a dozen times, got zero notification and was certain I would end up crossing the Atlantic without my case, Back at Lyon airport I decided just to look at the lost luggage area. There it was. I dont take many European airlines. I like Easyjet and have had only good experience on it. Never tried Ryanair. Have not had a problem with Air France, KLM, Lufthansa or Finnair. Nothing as bad as American from Miami to La Guardia when half the passengers were stuck at LGA for an hour and 45 minutes because they could not open the rear cargo door of the 757. It was after midnight before someone found the right spanner or whatever they needed. Everyones experience is different. Checking the Skytrax reviews gives a pretty good ides of what an airline will be like if you chuck out the best and worst reviews and then take an average.

.... or travel on an Asian airline LOL

I am delighted there is at least one carrier which is better than the biggies like United, Delta and American. They may be profitable, bur for the passenger experience they mostly scrape the barrel compared to a huge proportion of other airlines. In case you misunderstood I was referring in particular to the soft product. I have flown all three I mentioned. I get quoted a basic fare and then have to pay for all sorts of extras for my hold baggage, a pilllow or blanket, for a tiny bag of peanuts, a coke and so on. When I travel in Asia, all that is free unless I take a real budget carrier. Plus on the US carriers the service on board and frequently on the ground is like you are doing them a service instead of the other way around. On most other carriers I usually get at least a smile or two! Incidentally you say on Jet Blue you can carry two bags for free. Bags in the hold? I dont think so. Im certain that is only a wheelie bag and a computer or handbag on board. In coach on most carriers I fly outside the US I get one free bag in the hold, a free meal or even two, free drinks, free blanket and pillow etc. And in many cases I get a 32 inch seat pitch (although I admit not all).

I have a problem with total free competition. When it comes to airlines it appears to end up as a race to the bottom. I didn't experience BA when it was a state owned carrier. When it was first privatised it was extremely good. Now it is a near disaster - and a costly one at that. Economy class is close to a joke and business class is definitely a joke. What other airline has 8 across seating in business class and forces its business class customers to pay a huge amount to select their seats advance? Want a seat on the upper deck of an A380? Fine. Be prepared to add £105 per sector on to the cost of your ticket. And beware! That extra charge is going up soon. Cathay Pacific used to have an enviable reputation. it is still a fine airline but its standards have dropped considerably especially in F&B. Putting 10 across economy seating on long haul 777s is sardine time. Try that on a 17 hour flight from New York to Hong Kong! Another area is seat pitch. On long haul economy 747 flights sitting at a window seat I can recall when it was relatively easy to pass the other two passengers without disturbing them. Now that is absolutely impossible even if you are a small child. As for airlines in the USA, well most scrape the bottom of the barrel in almost every respects. Thats what happens with outright competition. I realise the Gulf carriers are subsidised and certainly Emirates and Qatar (havent tried Etihad yet) have a business class that is almost unbeatable. If those subsidies were taken away, i have no doubt that all that the hard and soft products on all three airlines would plummet. The fact is there can never be real competition. Vietnam Airlines has a good reputation for its business class. But its costs for pilots, cabin and maintenance crew will be very substantially lower than SQ and CX. So what can those airlines in much higher wage countries do?

I must say I find the description "fierce competitors" as more than hyperbole - its a total joke. The only route on which the carriers compete is the ultra-short haul KL to SIngaore. I actually prefer just to take the bus on that route. SIA is one of the world's great airlines and a highly successful one even, though like many it is facing problems. Malaysian used to be very good but it has gone through all sorts of troubles in recent years - at least a decade - and it still cannot establish itself. The hardware is nowhere near as good as SIA. Business class seats in much of its fleet are the old angle-flat variety. For years it has been trying to get rid of its A380s. Maybe they are gone by now, I don't know. MAS must be on at least its third CEO in recent years and yet another restructuring plan. The downing of its 777 over Ukraine and the still unexplained disappearance of another 777 have not helped. But it just cannot compete with Air Asia at the lower end of the market nor with SIA nearer the top. Around 20 years ago the cheapest round the world rickets which could be purchased in Asia were ex-KL. They resulted in a major saving. Then it was Bangkok. Now I dont know. But MAS must be being kept alive by substantial state aid. Frankly I cannot see what SIA will get out of the deal. Better for Malaysia if Mahatir can stomach it to let MAS go under, sell its assets and then start a smaller, much more focussed airline if thats what Malaysia wants. What SIA is going to get out of this proposed merger I havent the faintest idea!

Although I was a prophet of gloom once the demise of Soi Twilight was announced, I am delighted the bars have found alternative accommodations and are still relatively close together. What I miss is the proliferation of beer bars staffed often by very cute guys where one could just sit having a drink at a reasonable price with pleasant company watching the gay world go by. The gogo bars are there but not the atmosphere. Not yet!

Fair point. But I still dont get the reason for descriptions of individual masseurs. Because we all have different bodies, expectations, ages and previous experiences, a massage is almost the most totally personal experience and highly unlikely to be repeated with a different customer. Unless readers want a bit of an erotic thrill, I dont see the point.

For decades it was a favourite destination for masses of gay visitors to Bangkok. A few will not have liked it - the increasingly aggressive touts, the decline in the quality of the shows, the regular increases in drink prices to almost ridiculous levels and so on. I can quite understand that some preferred to keep away. On the other hand, even if my visits to the gogo bars declined in recent years, I enjoyed sitting in Dicks Cafe, enjoying a couple of drinks, a reasonable meal and the chance to sit and just people watch. Increasingly I preferred the attentions of some of the cute waiters in the beer bars where drinks were far more reasonably priced and where the company was often great fun. But time moves on. It was a part of my history that I will recall with much pleasure.

Does it really matter? In my experience massage is a far more personal experience than a go-go bar or a sauna. Some customers will love the attention of one masseur and so the spa in general is praised. For others either the massage skills or his post massage attentions are lacking. So the spa gets a bad review. Surely massage is very much a case of one mans meat . . . Why someone likes a masseur or not is just too personal. No point writing about it in my view. Unless of course the review is not the massage itself and much more about the condition of the spa and its facilities.

No matter what problems he faced, this is one key issue that I trust is at the forefront of his mind as he starts his new life. After all, he wrote this tearjerker in his blog - The fact is that when you run a business single-handedly you set yourself up for a whole host of unexpected events. It is your job to have sufficient financial and other cover to get through these. I know. I once ran a one-man service company. It is not the fault of his customers that his partners were deported or that another partner stole from the company. It is not the fault of the customers that a company he hooked up with went belly-up. It is not the fault of the customers that unfortunately he suffered from health crises. Nor is it the fault of his customers that there were problems with Google. He ran the company and as far as his customers were concerned he was ultimately responsible for everything - including not paying back some of them. I hope for their sake that those booking Bhutan trips through his new company have the best travel insurance. With the litany of woes Thomson outlined, I would think twice before booking through any new company run by him. Sorry to say it, but its my money he would be looking after!

It may be up but I do not think it is running! I called its phone number. No reply and no answering service. Click on "Bangkok Office" and you get this message - Error 404 The page you have requested no longer exists or is temporarily unavailable. My understanding is that domain names on websites are paid for on an annual basis. If true, then I expect Thomson just didnt bother taking it down. If someone had taken it over I am certain he/she would have been in touch with this forum as well as to all on the regular Purple Dragon mailing list to inform them. As we know, the company went bust owing several customers seemingly quite a lot of cash in lost deposits. I cannot think why anyone would wish to resurrect it when their first job would have to be to pay back those deposits. There is just too much competition out there.

Oooh! Worth going just for that dessert LOL