Gaybutton

I don't know. Would you care to have me reveal to the world the size of your own? I won't do that, though. You already have enough to be embarrassed about . . .

That's all I ask. Ok, problem solved . . . I hope.

Fine, but be damned careful about what you say. The one caught right in the middle of these disputes is me, and that's not a position I appreciate being placed in. I didn't post these things, but I'm always the recipient of the complaints and I'm the one living here and having to deal personally with these people. It places me in a no win situation. If I leave these posts alone, I'm the one who has to take the heat from the victims of the posts. If I do something about the posts, I'm the one who has to take the heat from the message board end. Either way, through no fault of my own, I end up taking the heat. Meanwhile, none of these posts came from me in the first place. GT has advised me that when this kind of issue comes up, he prefers that I just make the post invisible rather than edit anything out. From now on that's what I'll do. It's his board and I'll abide by his wishes.

Actually, he is Scottish. A few minutes ago I received a response from the owner of Corner Bar. He said his bar has not been sold and the person who posted that it had been sold never spoke to him at all. I was asked to remove the portion of the post that claimed the bar was sold and I have done so. I have also heard from other bar owners. I have to ask that people do not post personal information about others or rumors about business dealings. I was asked to make it clear that if a bar owner wants his business dealings posted, he'll either post it himself or will contact me and ask me to do the posting about it. I ask that my request voluntarily be honored, so that I won't have make sure it is forcibly honored. Ok? Thank you.

I agree with you. There is one little problem, though; trying to figure out just what the Thai way is.

I'm not surprised. This kind of inconsistency is so typical of just about everything in Thailand. Because I was always asked to produce the letter when I renew in Pattaya, until the above posts I assumed that it's a requirement at all immigration offices. I've never attempted to renew anywhere else. And since apparently only Pattaya requires it, the banks have managed to cash in. They all have the template for the letter in their computers. All they have to do is add your name and account information, and then print out the letter . . . for 200 baht.

Bully for their policy. What can they do about it if you refuse to pay? Cancel your service? Isn't that why you were there in the first place? Welcome to the latest addition to my "I Don't Get It" list.

Wanna bet?

That's the problem, isn't it? Nobody, including the immigration authorities, knows what's going on. That means whenever some official decides, apparently at whim, that you don't get to have another visa, then now you're up Shit Creek. Instead of knowing what to expect, with these rules you never know whether you'll be granted another visa or not. Another problem . . . even if you are granted a new visa, Immigration can still deny entry to Thailand upon arrival if they so choose. So, now you have two gauntlets to run, and unless you are eligible for a long term non-immigrant visa, those are gauntlets you'll have to run every 60 days.

The following appears in the CHIANG MAI MAIL: _____ Crackdown on Back-to-Back 60-day Tourist Visas CMM reporters A further crackdown on 60-day tourist visas by Immigration authorities has been announced through Thai Embassies and Consulates in neighbouring countries and will be effective immediately. Applicants will be subject to increased screening and may have their re-entry visa refused. The announcement reads as follows:

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." - E. Cameron (1940)

I don't understand. If you are canceling the service, what is there to guarantee? The only thing that makes any sense to me would be if they are charging a fee to hold your telephone number for whatever length of time without selling it to someone else. Did they explain what the guaranty guarantees?

Not necessarily. If you have information about the goings on involving any of the immigration offices, please feel free to post.

I agree. After living here for several years it is my opinion that the powers-that-be don't really give a damn about any of the goings on. I believe it is all about money and pressure from foreign embassies and NGOs, with the top priority being money. I really believe the righteous attitude those in power try to convey is in reality nothing more than window dressing, while behind the scenes they personally couldn't care less about opening and closing hours, drug use, or under-age boys, especially if there is something in it for their own wallets.

Beats me. I've never seen one . . .

That was very kind of you to say. I truly appreciate it. With all the complaints, criticism, put-downs, etc, knowing that at least some people out there benefit from the effort, that's what makes it all worth doing.

On a recent thread I posted that you can now open a PayPal account in Thailand. It is relatively easy to open the account. I opened mine using Bangkok Bank as my bank account. Part of the registration requires a credit card number. I used my Bangkok Bank debit card number and it was accepted. PayPal makes a small deposit into your account. A security code is part of the deposit. I could not see the code with use of online banking, so I called Bangkok Bank and they knew exactly what I was asking for and gave me the code. Now I had a confirmed account. In order to remove restrictions you need to upgrade to PayPal's Premium account. That was simple. One click of a button on the PayPal site and I was instantly upgraded. If you are going to withdraw funds from your PayPal account by having them deposit your funds into your Thai bank account, they charge 50 baht if the withdrawal is less than 5000 baht. If it is greater than 5000 baht there is no charge. After having done that, it was time for "proof of the pudding." PayPal's web site says it takes 5 to 7 business days for the deposit to go through to a Thai bank account. On Sunday night I transferred money from my PayPal account to my Bangkok Bank account. Today is Thursday. This morning, 9:00am I checked my account and the money I transferred had arrived. So, not only does it really work, but it only took 3 business days. That offers some alternatives. For example, if you have a Thai boyfriend, if he has a Thai bank account then you can have him open a PayPal account and transfer money to him via PayPal. Also, if you hold a Thai bank account and wish to avoid those 150 baht ATM fees, then you can do as I did and transfer money from PayPal into your own Thai bank account, and then use your Thai ATM card when you are in Thailand. At any ATM in Thailand the fee for a withdrawal is usually 25 baht. If you are in the province where you opened your Thai bank account, then if you use your own bank's ATMs, there is no withdrawal fee at all. Be advised that while PayPal issues a debit card of their own upon request, they do not issue a debit card based on a Thai bank account.

Very good. I didn't know about that. It's not entirely the same as what I have, but it's close enough.

Maybe he got that idea from the story about George Washington chopping down the cherry tree.

That depends upon whether they receive police orders to close for the holiday. If they don't receive 'close for holiday' orders, they can remain open or make their own decisions. Usually police orders are not issued until about 24 hours in advance, so there is no way to answer your question until the time comes.

Yes. You don't even need the passport. Cash is your passport.

I'll try to find it next time I'm in there.

Today I tried your sausage recipe. Absolutely perfect!!!! It came out exactly the way I hoped it would and also tastes just like I hoped. Thank you very much for that recipe. Another thing I like about it is that is is very easy to make and the spices are not expensive at all. I was able to find all of them, but finding the sage was a problem. I looked in three different grocery stores and couldn't find any. I finally found the sage in the grocery store at the new Central shopping mall.

Finding available boys, even when the bars are closed, will be the least of your problems. Many who are not familiar with Thailand are under the impression that you have to go to the bars to find boys. Thank God, that's not true at all. Cruise areas, shopping centers, restaurants (plenty of waiters are gay and willing), beaches, saunas, and virtually anywhere you can easily, very easily, find willing boys. And there are always the gay personals sites. My favorite is Gay Romeo. Get on Gay Romeo ( http://www.gayromeo.com ) and make a profile that shows your area as Bangkok or Pattaya. That way, every Thai boy who uses Gay Romeo will see you on their own search. You don't even need to include a photo if you prefer not to. Then log in and don't do a thing. Just sit there. I'd be willing to bet about anything that within ten minutes, probably less, at least one boy will send you a message telling you he wants to meet you right now!

Sounds just the same as some of the farang at the beach, to me . . .