Gaybutton

Of course not. I doubt that, in and of itself, would stop anyone from coming. It's the combination of all the factors, including that one, that stop people from coming.

Fountainhall, the one aspect of your post with which I disagree is that part in which you talk about the two tier policies in other countries. The fact that other countries do it does not, in my opinion, justify Thailand doing it in light of the current tourist industry troubles. I also don't see any reason why other countries do it. Again, how much could they really be making to justify the practice?

I'm with GT on this one. We have always allowed gay venues to post ads here without charge. Those 'floodgates' have been open since the very day this board came into existence. As long as the advertisers don't go overboard with it, why not? It brings more customers to the gay venues, and maybe helps to keep them from ending up closed due to lack of customers, and also lets the gay community know that these venues even exist. It also lets people know about it when special events are being planned. I regularly post Casa Pascal's menus and ads for La Cage, without charge. Nobody has ever objected to those. Why are you objecting to this particular ad? I'm sure if we suddenly get so many ads being posted that it interferes with the nature of this forum, then we'll do something about it. For example, Candlepspa posted his ad on both this forum and our 'Gay Asia' forum. I don't think that is necessary, but so far I don't see that it has caused a problem.

That's a good point, but the USA doesn't depend on foreign tourists for the tourism industry to survive anywhere near to the degree Thailand depends on it. Thailand certainly has a much greater incentive to attract foreign tourists than the USA does. I think when comparing the USA tourism industry to the Thai tourism industry, it would be correct to say that a major downturn in foreign tourist numbers in the USA means less profit. In Thailand it means huge losses. I agree that would certainly bring more tourists to Thailand, but I believe the main problem is getting tourists to spend a lot of money once they arrive. In the past few months many of the articles I've read are quite clear on the idea that in many instances the numbers of foreign tourists coming to Thailand is only part of the issue because the tourists that do come just are not spending money anywhere near to the extent to which they had been spending in the past. That part of the problem can be solved if something can be done to decrease the strength of the baht against foreign currencies. I also think part of the problem is all this crazy building that's going on in Pattaya and now extending to "The Dark Side" as well (with no major improvements to the infrastructure). If there is a square inch of land available anywhere in the Pattaya vicinity, someone is building on it. I don't know who they think is going to be buying all these units. Are they creating a de facto ghost town? That remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure: At the moment it's a buyer's market. That's another good point. While a debate constantly goes on as to whether the two tiered pricing is justified, very few foreign tourists like it whether it is justified or not. I don't know how much that pricing affects tourism, but to me the obvious question is: Is two tiered pricing truly necessary? Does the two tiered pricing really bring in so much money that Thailand would significantly suffer without it? I wouldn't personally object if admission prices to both public and private venues were on the order of 50 baht or so above Thai prices, but sometimes it's two or even three times the price Thais pay. I find it very difficult to see the justification in that. I also think the two tiered pricing is totally unjustifiable on public transportation, such as the baht buses. I fail to see any reason why a foreigner should pay anything more than a Thai person pays. I don't see any validity in the argument that farang have more money than most Thais have, therefore they should pay more. While I don't think the additional cost for farang is going to break anyone's bank account, I can certainly see the annoyance that a person feels if he is being penalized because he was fortunate enough in life to make more money than many Thais make. To my mind, even if Bill Gates was here and wanted to ride a baht bus, he shouldn't have to pay one baht more than Thai people pay. If nothing else, I think the Thai tourism industry should take into consideration that enough foreigners dislike the two tiered pricing to make it a serious issue. If they ever take Astrrro's advice about subsidizing airfares, why not also subsidize public tourist attractions and public transportation in order to solve the two tiered pricing problem? I also think Thailand needs to take a much closer and serious look at the way tourists are all too often treated by baht bus drivers, taxi drivers who refuse to turn on their meters, and, often enough, abuses on the part of the police. I think the Thai authorities need to understand that tourists don't come here to find themselves victims of intimidation, abuse, and rip-offs. If I had my way, baht bus drivers, taxi drivers, police officers, and anyone else who engages in that kind of behavior would lose their jobs the same day. If the Thai authorities would actually get serious about it, instead of just talking about it all the time, that would quickly put a stop to it. All of this is what I'm talking about when I say that I think Thailand needs to take a serious look at changing the paradigm.

They keep coming up with everything to "fix" the tourist industry except what they really need to do to attract people. Obviously the Thai government can't help things that are beyond their control, such as the protest rallies every 14 seconds, but there is plenty they can do that is easily within their control. The first thing they can do is do away with these asinine bar operating hours. That's one of the most common complaints. They can also do away with unnecessary things that anger tourists, such as the 150 baht ATM fees. They need to provide tourists with incentives to choose Thailand as their holiday destination. Telling adults it's beddy-bye time at 1:00am, ripping people off at ATMs, allowing police harassment instead of police protection, making things overly complex at immigration, arresting incoming families because they brought too many cigarettes with them, etc. is hardly the way to get people to come to Thailand. What I think Thailand needs to do is have appropriate government officials sit down with foreign tourist representatives and interested individuals, and revamp this whole mess. I don't think the "tailspin" will stop without a complete paradigm change.

Don't think that hasn't crossed my mind . . .

All in my head. I don't have a clue why I know and remember these things, since I can't remember much of anything else, but there it is . . .

"As an actor, nobody could touch him. As a human being, nobody wanted to touch him." - Walter Matthau, 'The Sunshine Boys'

I don't get it. I don't understand North Korea's actions and saber-rattling statements. The way I see it, that country's behavior is like the mean little neighborhood bully making more and more threats after the other neighborhood kids decide not to put up with it anymore, thinking he can frighten the other kids into giving in to him. North Korea must know that if they actually start attacking other countries, that's tantamount to their own suicide in the end. They are now alienating their closest allies. Why? What are they really trying to accomplish? I don't see what they believe they can gain from all this nonsense.

Farrah Fawcett, Sex Symbol and Actress, Dies (CNN) -- Farrah Fawcett, the blonde-maned actress whose best-selling poster and "Charlie's Angels" stardom made her one of the most famous faces in the world, died Thursday. She was 62. Fawcett's death was confirmed by Paul Bloch, one of her representatives at Rogers and Cowan, an entertainment public relations firm. Fawcett, who checked into a hospital in early April, had been battling anal cancer on and off for three years. Bloch told CNN that Ryan O'Neal, Fawcett's romantic partner since the mid-1980s, and her friend Alana Stewart were with Fawcett at Saint John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California, when she died. "Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world," O'Neal said in a written statement. O'Neal is the father of Fawcett's son, Redmond O'Neal, born in 1985. Redmond O'Neal is in an intense rehabilitation program conducted in the Los Angeles county jail, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Whitmore told CNN on Thursday. Fawcett's son was informed on Wednesday night by a grief counselor and a chaplain that his mother's death was imminent, and a grief counselor and chaplain also told him when she died, Whitmore said. The young man, who is currently with a chaplain, has spoken with his father, Whitmore said. Ryan O'Neal had recently told People magazine that the sex symbol was declining. "She stays in bed now. The doctors see that she is comfortable. Farrah is on IVs, but some of that is for nourishment. The treatment has pretty much ended," he said in a story posted May 7. Fawcett's cancer journey has been documented in a television special partly shot by the actress. Fawcett began shooting "Farrah's Story," by taking a camera to a doctor's appointment. Eventually, the film expanded to include trips overseas in hopes of treating the cancer. The documentary aired on NBC on May 15. Fawcett's beauty -- her gleaming smile was printed on millions of posters -- initially made her famous. But she later established herself as a serious actress. She starred as a battered wife in the 1984 TV movie "The Burning Bed." She appeared on stage as a woman who extracts vengeance from a would-be rapist in William Mastrosimone's play "Extremities." She reprised the "Extremities" role on film in 1986. Other Fawcett films include "Logan's Run" (1976), "Saturn 3" (1980), "The Cannonball Run" (1981), "The Apostle" (1997) and the Robert Altman-directed "Dr. T and the Women" (2000). To many, Fawcett will always be best known for her red-swimsuited image on the pinup poster, which sold a reputed 12 million copies after its release in 1976. iReport: Share your memories of Farrah Fawcett Fawcett was a model best known for bit parts, commercials and as "Six Million Dollar Man" actor Lee Majors' wife when she shot the poster in early 1976 at the behest of Pro Arts, a Cleveland, Ohio, company. Photographer Bruce McBroom placed Fawcett -- then known as Farrah Fawcett-Majors -- in the Indian blanket-draped front seat of his 1937 Chevy and snapped away. Fawcett did her own hair -- a long, tousled cascade of blonde locks -- picked out the red bathing suit and chose the frame later used for the poster, according to a story in the Toronto Star. The poster, with Fawcett's million-dollar smile front and center, became a sensation. Soon after the photo shoot, Fawcett was asked to join the cast of a new Aaron Spelling TV show, "Charlie's Angels," about a trio of female detectives who work for a mysterious man named Charlie, whose only appearance in the show was through his voice (supplied by John Forsythe). Fawcett, who played Jill Munroe, was the last to be cast. Co-star Kate Jackson was the known name at the time, but thanks to her poster, Fawcett became the breakout star. The highly rated TV series kicked off what came to be known as "jiggle TV," series full of pretty actresses who appeared in bikinis at the drop of a hat. "Denunciations of 'massage parlor television' and 'voyeurism' only brought more viewers to the screen, to see what the controversy was about," wrote Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh about "Charlie's Angels" in their indispensable reference, "The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows." ABC's "Three's Company" and CBS's "The American Girls" were among the shows that immediately followed, and shows such as "Baywatch" owe "Charlie's Angels" a debt. But Fawcett didn't stay with "Angels" long. At the end of the first season, unhappy with her contract, she left the show and was replaced by Cheryl Ladd. Fawcett's career stagnated for a time after "Charlie's Angels." She appeared in a handful of forgettable films and divorced Majors. But her career received a major boost with her starring role in "The Burning Bed," a 1984 TV movie co-starring Paul Le Mat. Fawcett played an abused wife who sets fire to her husband's bed as he lies sleeping. Fawcett received an Emmy nomination for her performance. Fawcett also became romantically involved with O'Neal around this time. The pair had a son, Redmond, in 1985. In recent years, Fawcett has appeared sporadically in the public eye. She posed nude for Playboy in 1995. In 1997, she appeared on "The Late Show with David Letterman," an interview that became notorious for Fawcett's apparent incoherence. She later said she was just having fun with Letterman. She reunited with her "Charlie's Angels" co-stars, Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, for an awards show in 2006. Fawcett was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1947. She married Majors in 1973; they divorced nine years later. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.

The Red Shirt rally that took place a couple days ago in Pattaya, at the junction of Sukhumvit and Soi Khaotalo was entirely peaceful. It caused traffic inconvenience, but there was no other drama. Now the Red Shirts are saying they will start a new round of violence to bring back Thaksin and put him in place as Prime Minister again: _____ More Violence Expected in Future Anti-Govt Protests: Democratic Party Bangkok, June 25 - TNA Thailand’s ruling Democrat Party has received documents relating to anti-government United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) members stating that the group will boost the level of violence in their future rallies and eventually bring back fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a senior official said on Thursday. Thepthai Senpong, spokesman for Democrat Party leader Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, said the alleged ‘Taksin 2 plan’ stipulates that the UDD will follow “seven strategic plans” to move towards more violent means and to also bring back Mr. Thaksin, now living in self-imposed exile, to Thailand. Mr. Thepthai said he hoped that the plan will not become reality because if it is implemented it could “create severe conflicts in the country” at a time when the country appears to be “running smoothly,” without apparent discord. Many of the so-called Red Shirts are being charged with having violated the State of Emergency Decree by leading a gathering at Government House as well as having created a series riots and violent street incidents in the eastern seaside resort of Pattaya and in Bangkok in April. The UDD announced last Thursday that it would hold a series of four rallies in Bangkok, with the last to be held at Government House for an indefinite period. The first rally will take place on Saturday at Bangkok’s Sanam Luang. Dates for the remaining three have yet to be fixed. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, who oversees security affairs, said intelligence officials had not yet informed him of the UDD’s ‘Taksin 2 plan’. Urging everybody to help solve problems prevailing in the country, Mr. Suthep said Thailand had faced several risks earlier and economic problem is a major one. Mr. Suthep asked those preparing to join Saturday’s rally to strictly adhere to the law, and warned that security personnel will take action against anyone breaking the law. “They (the demonstrators) can hold a peaceful rally but if they seize the Government House or government offices, the government will have to take a drastic action as happened during the Songkran festival in April,” he added. Key leaders of the United front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) Jatuporn Promphan and Natthawut Saikuea, however, said the group had no knowledge of any plot to topple the government by violent means. (TNA)

That is a very good point, one I hadn't thought of. I suppose there are plenty of people out there with nothing better to do. However, so far nothing is really in evidence to suggest that those posts are from pranksters, so for the moment I'm taking them seriously. And yes, suggestions are exactly what I'm looking for. Fountainhall's point is also well taken. He's right. There are plenty of gay personals sites out there and I agree with him that there is no need to turn this site into yet another one. That, of course, is GT's decision. For the time being there is no problem. There are not enough of those posts to concern me - only enough to raise my eyebrows in curiosity and puzzlement as to why they're suddenly appearing here. I was more concerned for the people posting their ads to succeed in finding what they're looking for. So far there are not enough of those posts to cause concern about the nature of this forum. But if this forum starts gaining a reputation out there as a place to post personal ads, and if a lot of people start doing that, then that has the potential of becoming a problem, so I guess I'm looking for solutions now, in case it really does start becoming an issue.

I've never been there, but have you tried asking your airline for information about that airport or where you could get information from? You might also contact the People's Republic of China Embassy at: http://www.china-embassy.org

All of a sudden we're getting personal ads posted here. While I have no objection to it at all if people wish to make such posts, I wonder if they are reading this board before they post. This is not a hookups board. I have a feeling some other board somewhere is referring people to this board for hookups or some search engine is sending people this way. I don't know how much, if any, success or satisfaction personal ads posters are going to find here. To me, posting personal ads on this forum makes about as much sense as posting ads for feminine hygiene deodorant on web sites for ceiling fans. They're welcome to try if they wish, but I think they would have much better luck on sites such as Gay Romeo: http://www.gayromeo.com Rate Fun: http://www.ratefun.net and other personals sites. Feel free to post additional links to your favorite gay personals sites, if you wish. GT, if people are going to start posting personal ads here, maybe we ought to consider an additional forum for personals.

Somehow I can't help but visualize GT riding through the countryside as follows:

He made at least 1200 baht, and that's if he used gasoline. He probably didn't. Many of the taxis have switched over to LP gas, which is much less expensive.

By Todd Leopold CNN (CNN) -- Ed McMahon, the longtime pitchman and Johnny Carson sidekick whose "Heeeeeeerre's Johnny!" became a part of the vernacular, has died. McMahon passed away peacefully shortly after midnight at the Ronald Reagan/UCLA Medical Center, his publicist, Howard Bragman, said Tuesday McMahon, 86, was hospitalized in February with pneumonia and other medical problems. He had suffered a number of health problems in recent years, including a neck injury caused by a 2007 fall. In 2002, he sued various insurance companies and contractors over mold in his house and later collected a $7 million settlement. Though he later hosted a variety of shows - including "Star Search" and "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes" -- McMahon's biggest fame came alongside Carson on "The Tonight Show," which Carson hosted from 1962 to 1992. The two met not long after Carson began hosting the game show "Who Do You Trust?" in 1957. "Johnny didn't look as if he was dying to see me," McMahon, who was hosting a show on a Philadelphia TV station, told People magazine in 1980 about the pair's first meeting. "He was standing with his back to the door, staring at a couple of workmen putting letters on a theater marquee. I walked over and stood beside him. Finally the two guys finished, and Johnny asked, 'What have you been doing?' I told him. He said, 'Good to meet you, Ed,' shook my hand, and I was out of the office. The whole meeting was about as exciting as watching a traffic light change." Though McMahon was surprised to be offered the job as Carson's sidekick, the two soon proved to have a strong chemistry. Carson was, by nature, introverted and dry-witted; McMahon was the boisterous and outgoing second banana, content to give Carson straight lines or laugh uproariously at his jokes (a characteristic much-parodied by comedians). Carson made cracks about McMahon's weight, his drinking and the pair's trouble with divorce. McMahon was married three times; Carson, who died in 2005, had four wives. McMahon was also the show's designated pitchman, a talent he honed to perfection during "Tonight's" 30-year run with Carson, even if sometimes the in-show commercial spots fell flat. For one of the show's regular sponsors, Alpo dog food, McMahon usually extolled the virtues of the product while a dog eagerly gobbled down a bowl. But one day the show's regular dog wasn't available, and the substitute pooch wasn't very hungry. McMahon recalled the incident in his 1998 memoir, "For Laughing Out Loud." "Then I saw Johnny come into my little commercial area. He got down on his hands and knees and came over to me. ... I started to pet Johnny. Nice boss, I was thinking as I pet him on the head, nice boss. By this point the audience was hysterical. ... I just kept going. I was going to get my commercial done. 'The next time you're looking at the canned dog food ...' -- he rubbed his cheek against my leg -- " ... reach for the can that contains real beef.' Johnny got up on his knees and started begging for more. I started petting him again ... and then he licked my hand." McMahon also promoted Budweiser, American Family Insurance and -- during the most recent Super Bowl -- Cash4Gold.com. Entertainment Weekly named him No. 1 on its list of TV's greatest sidekicks. Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr. was born in Detroit, Michigan, on March 6, 1923. His father was a promoter, and McMahon remembered moving a lot during his childhood. "I changed towns more often than a pickpocket," McMahon told People. He later joined the Marines and served in World War II and Korea. Though McMahon was well-rewarded by NBC -- the 1980 People article listed his salary between $600,000 and $1 million -- his divorces and some poor investments took their toll. In June 2008, The Wall Street Journal reported that McMahon was $644,000 in arrears on a $4.8 million loan for a home in Beverly Hills, California, and his lender had filed a notice of default. McMahon and his wife, Pamela, told CNN's Larry King that McMahon had gotten caught in a spate of financial problems. "If you spend more money than you make, you know what happens. And it can happen. You know, a couple of divorces thrown in, a few things like that," said McMahon, who added that he hadn't worked much since the neck injury. McMahon later struck a deal that allowed him to stay in the house. He is survived by his wife, Pamela, and five children. A sixth child, McMahon's son Michael, died in 1995.

The following appears in the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: _____ FUGITIVE PAEDOPHILE CAPTURED IN PATTAYA FACES 30 YEARS IN US JAIL On 10th June PDN published the report of a fugitive American paedophile, Curtis David Fahlberg (63), who had been tracked down and arrested in Pattaya. He was consequently deported to the USA, where he was arrested on arrival. We have received the following report from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) which we reproduce for the benefit of our readers: Los Angeles, California - A 63-year-old retired engineer from Mississippi made his initial appearance in federal court here late yesterday afternoon on charges stemming from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) into allegations he engaged in illicit sexual conduct with underage girls in Thailand and Cambodia. Curtis David Fahlberg, of Pascagoula, Miss., was taken into custody by ICE agents June 12 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) following his deportation from Thailand. Fahlberg, accompanied by ICE agents, was returned from Thailand to face charges detailed in a criminal complaint filed last month that he engaged in illicit sexual conduct in foreign places. The violation carries a maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison. The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California. Fahlberg was arrested June 9 at his residence in Pattaya City, Thailand, by Thai immigration authorities and placed in deportation proceedings. At yesterday's hearing, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jennifer T. Lum ordered Fahlberg detained pending trial. ICE's probe into Fahlberg's activities began in June 2006 after officers with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at LAX questioned him following his return from a trip to Thailand. A preliminary examination by CBP of two laptop computers and a cell phone Fahlberg had in his possession revealed images of children in various stages of undress. A subsequent forensic analysis by ICE of those media uncovered more sexually explicit images of children as well as numerous emails written by Fahlberg detailing his sexual exploitation of children in Thailand and Cambodia. The affidavit filed in connection with the criminal complaint describes the defendant's alleged sexual activities with several underage girls, the youngest of whom told investigators she was in second grade when the defendant began photographing her in the nude. According to the affidavit, several of the girls Fahlberg had sexual encounters with were child prostitutes who worked in the Cambodian village of Svay Pak outside Phnom Pehn. In an email recovered from Fahlberg's computer, he wrote,"I don't worry how old a girl is if I like her." "The charges against this defendant are a direct result of the extraordinary cooperation we received from Thai and Cambodian law enforcement," said Robert Schoch, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Los Angeles. "Some pedophiles mistakenly believe they can escape detection and prosecution by committing child sex crimes overseas. We are putting pedophiles on notice that ICE and its law enforcement partners here and abroad stand ready to pursue and prosecute those who sexually exploit children." "The exploitation of children is among the most heinous of crimes," said Director of Field Operations Kevin Weeks. "CBP will remain vigilant in our efforts to secure our borders - and our communities - by working diligently to enforce laws involving crimes against children." The probe into Fahlberg's activities was conducted by ICE's Office of Investigations in Los Angeles and the agency's attaché office in Bangkok. ICE worked closely on the case with the Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, the Cambodian National Police and the Royal Thai Police. ICE also received substantial assistance from Hagar International and World Vision, two non-governmental organizations involved in the effort to aid Cambodian child sex tourism victims. Fahlberg is being prosecuted under the provisions of the PROTECT Act. The PROTECT Act, which went into effect six years ago, substantially strengthened federal laws against predatory crimes involving children outside the United States by adding new crimes and increasing the penalties for these charges. This investigation is part of Operation Predator, an ongoing ICE initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders, and child sex traffickers. ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com

Sorry, but no way.

Then I stand corrected. You were the first . . .

I read these posts very carefully. So where is this place? Is it by any chance somewhere near the Nusa Playa Hotel . . . ?

That's ok. I'm not sure what to make of it either. Congratulations, you're assumption is absolutely right. Apparently you're the first one to figure out that I was joking. Pun intended. I was hoping for some moans on that one, but I didn't get any. Back to my reply. If you're talking about enjoying those 'sins,' and nothing more than that, then you don't have a problem. The problem is when an unsuspecting farang comes here, finds the boy of his dreams in the bars, falls in love with him, and convinces himself that the boy has also fallen madly in love with him, that's where the trouble starts. I'm not saying true love can't happen. Sometimes it does happen. I don't deny that, but it's definitely a risk. That's why I said the safe way. It does happen, but if you had seen and heard as many horror stories as I have, then you would know what I'm talking about. I think a holiday maker coming to Thailand for a couple weeks, and is also looking to fall in love with one of the boys, will get his wish. But you know the old saying - 'Be careful what you wish for. It might come true.' I'm not much for old sayings and clichés, but I do agree with that one. Certainly he will find love if that's what he's looking for. That's not the problem. The trouble is that in most cases that love is really infatuation and in most cases it's one-sided. Guess whose side. Many of these boys are experts at making a farang feel as if he has found true love, but what they're really after is a sugar-daddy, often multiple sugar-daddies who have no idea that the boy has racked up several, and they'll take all the sugar they can get until they bleed you white. As for Richard Burk's love life, I don't know and I wouldn't say even if I did know. As for my own, at present I am butterflying and enjoying the hell out of it. I do have a few on my top five list, but I'm not looking for anything permanent. But if I do find the one I think is just perfect for me, at least I'll have quite a bit of experience in Thailand behind me and I'm in a much better position than the average holiday maker to know what I'm doing and what I'm getting myself into. I'm sorry if I sound cynical, but that's the reality of what goes on here in a great many cases. One of my favorite phrases I hear all too often from farang is, "Not this boy. He's different." In short, if you're looking for love, when you think you've found it be realistic. Take off the rose-colored glasses, shed yourself of naivety, and think with your head instead of your crotch. When I (and Richard Burk) say, "If you want love in Thailand, rent it," in most cases that's the safe way and also the smart way. Very few farang, even the ones who actually did find true love, managed to do so without being burned at least once or twice along the way. Enjoy your time with the young man, help him out financially before you leave, and leave it at that when the time comes for you to return home. Unfortunately, there are an awful lot of people who now wish they had listened to that advice.

Just for that, if Suzanne Somers married Shelley Winters, she'd be Suzanne Somers Winters.

Why not give him one of these: After all, you sure give us enough of them . . .

I'm with Thaiworthy on this one. I don't think you're doing yourself any favors by singling out places not to look. Actually, I don't think you should look for love at all. It's when you're not looking that you're most likely to find it. I still prefer the safe way. I've posted this several times before, but I still believe it: Richard Burk, from the Amor Restaurant, says, "If you want love in Thailand, rent it." I do usually avoid the massage parlors, but that's only because some of those boys just rub me the wrong way . . .