Gaybutton

I used the service to return to Pattaya from the airport. It's on the lower level. Facing outside, you turn left and go all the way to the end of the corridor. The bus makes two stops. The first is at the bus station on Sukhumvit, just south of Central Road (Pattaya Klang). The second is the Soi Chaiyapruk stop. Those are the only stops. So, there are all kinds of choices for getting to and from the airport. The problem is the scheduling. As far as I can tell, the less expensive services are fine if you are arriving or departing during the day, but if you are arriving or departing in the wee hours, you still have little else you can do other than use taxis.

I agree with Buaseng's post. As far as I can tell, those who make these decisions do not even factor in anything at all about tourists and revenue losses for the entertainment venues, both gay and straight. This has been an extremely difficult year for just about any form of business that caters to tourists, especially foreign tourists, in Pattaya. There have been numerous mandatory closings throughout the year for this holiday, that election, this religious ceremony, etc. Couple that with certain monetary demands on certain venues from certain members of the local constabulary and now there is even more of a problem for the businesses. Considering that Pattaya is a city whose life blood literally depends on foreign tourism, it often seems as if the officials do everything they can to undermine tourists from wanting to come to Pattaya at all. One of the biggest resentments is these absurd closing hours of 1:00am. Why? Then there are the numerous raids that had been occurring at Sunee Plaza. The police seem virtually helpless to do anything about the lady-boy prostitutes along Beach Road. Every week there is at least one story about a tourist being pick-pocketed. You can't ride a baht bus without worrying about whether someone is going to try to pick your pocket. Then there are the bag snatchings and gold chain snatchings, to the point that it is nearly insane to even wear jewelery of any kind while in Pattaya. Simply trying to cross a street on foot is worth your life. Stores put barriers on the streets in front of their shops so that nobody can park there. For the life of me I can't figure out why they do that. How does a car parked in the street in front of their store hurt their business in any way? How are people who drive supposed to even get to their store if they can't park there? What gives them the right in the first place to put barriers in a public street? Who knows? Maybe the law permits it. I've never heard of any authorities telling any of these stores not to barrier the parking zones. I've never heard of any police fining any of these stores for doing that. On top of all that, you have a number of baht bus drivers that try to cheat their customers and/or treat them like scum. Worse yet, gang violence has gotten out of control. Have a look at this story from the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownews.p...NEWS=0000007734 That sort of brutality by street gangs is becoming more and more common. Just a few years ago gang violence was virtually unheard of in Pattaya. Thankfully most of it occurs when the majority of people are usually asleep in the wee hours of the morning, but why should tourists have to be frightened of gangs? Why can't the police seem to be able to do much of anything about it? Why, if you happen to be out from about 1:30am to 6:30am do you have to be afraid there's a good chance that you might not make it back to your room in one piece or without having been robbed or caught in gang crossfire? These gangs will attack people for the slightest provocation. Simply making eye contact with gang members can end up costing you your life. One poor guy was attacked about a week or so ago. He's still in a coma. He was carrying no ID, so the police have no idea who he even is. Apparently nobody associated with wherever he was staying has thus far bothered to call the police to alert them that one of their tenants has gone missing for several days. Pattaya can't bring the flooding problems under control during torrential rain storms that have been occurring almost daily. Road construction sits idle for months, and then when work finally begins again they pick high season to do it, but invariably any road construction takes forever to complete. In many cases by the time they complete it, the work was so shoddy that the same streets that were repaired are filled with potholes again. Traffic is getting worse and worse. A trip that used to take me ten minutes now takes thirty to forty minutes, and that's if I'm lucky. Tremendous amounts of traffic, and few places to park. There are times when you have to park so far from where you're trying to go that you still end up taking a taxi. Less than a week ago I was going to join a friend for dinner at the White Night. Big mistake and bad timing. It was raining rather heavily and traffic literally snarled. If you were driving there was no way to get out of it. Normally it would take me about fifteen minutes to get from my house to the White Night. That day it took an hour and forty-five minutes! By the time I could get out of the traffic I couldn't just turn around and go home. I would have ended up in a traffic jam just as bad going the opposite direction. So, I pressed on to the White Night. Then you have the people who don't mind double parking and sometimes even triple parking on major thoroughfares even during rush hour. They park like that with virtual impunity, especially if it's raining. When it's raining, you're not going to find police out there enforcing traffic laws (are there any?) or enforcing anything else. They seem to become totally invisible when the weather is bad. Other than that, everything is just ginger peachy. All of this, and more, adds to the problems faced by businesses. But you know something? Despite all these problems, and plenty more I didn't even list, I still would rather be here in Pattaya than anywhere else on Earth.

Why is there always an assumption that everybody is familiar with what is being talked about? I've never heard of this Hutch wifi and I have no idea what it is. How about telling us the details?

It's true. These other services charging 1000 baht and up are fine, but it makes no sense to me to spend the money when you can do the same thing for a tenth of the price. On top of everything else, private drivers expect a good tip along with the fare, making it that much more expensive.

Regarding Bell, the following was posted by Astrrro on June 5: _____

I just received some information from the owner of the La Cage bar, in Sunee Plaza. He says he can't get a definitive answer at this point, but from what he is hearing so far he expects to be closed the 14th, 15th, and 16th. He also says the White Night buffet restaurant will be open, but will not be serving alcohol. In other words, not even the bar owners have anything official at this point. However, based on the rumblings, I have a feeling the bars are going to end up closed. Those of you in Thailand on a holiday might be well served to make your weekend "arrangements" in advance. Look at the bright side. If the bars do end up closing, but you are able to make whatever advance arrangements you wish with a potential young gentleman companion, you'll save about 1500 baht in off fees and buy-drink-for-boy fees. I also expect that liquor will not be sold, even in stores, during that time period. Those of you who enjoy an occasional schnapps (for medicinal purposes only, of course) might want to do a little shopping within the next couple of days, before liquor sales are shut down. ____________________ We have two threads going about the bar situation, so I shut down one thread and rearranged things so that all relevant posts will appear only on this thread, to avoid any confusion. This just in, from Oogleman:

If either of us gets a chance to ask additional bar owners, let's do that and get it posted so that everyone will know what to expect. If anyone can help us out with reliable information for Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket, that would also be greatly appreciated.

As many of you know, the funeral ceremonies for HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana will take place from Friday, November 14 through Sunday, November 16. Many have been asking whether the bars will be open. Again, as many of you know, quite often the final word from the police is not given until midnight the night before, but the latest information I have is that the Thai government has declared those three days as an official mourning period. The government will not close the bars, but has "requested" that the bars "tone down" the entertainment during that period. That's all anyone has been told at this point. In other words, as it stands at the time of this post, it's up to each individual bar as to whether they will be open and also up to each individual bar as to whether alcohol will be served. Again, bear in mind that this information can change at any moment, but this is the latest. If anything changes, I'll certainly post as soon as I know.

Not long ago the question of transportation to and from Pattaya and Suvarnabhumi Airport came up. I had posted about a very nice express bus that leaves Pattaya from Soi Chaiyapruk, but I didn't have the schedule. Today I stopped in and got the schedule: Pattaya to Suvarnabhumi 9:00am 1:00pm 4:00pm 7:30pm Suvarnabhumi to Pattaya 6:30am 9:00am 1:00pm 5:00pm The fare is 112 baht, one way. For further information the telephone numbers are: 038 231 142 -or- 02 134 4099 Finding the bus station is simple. Any baht bus can take you to Soi Chaiyapruk. Soi Chaiyapruk is about a mile or so down Jomtien Beach from the gay beach area. If you exit the baht bus at Soi Chaiyapruk at the beach road, just walk up Soi Chaiyapruk about half a block. You'll spot the little ticket office on the right.

That's certainly encouraging. Ok, it looks like a trip is back on my things-to-do list.

There's certainly nothing new in that. Sometimes it's difficult to be sure the two are even talking about the same thing. You don't have to. According to several news reports, all you have to do is find a local street gang and make eye contact with them. Apparently, that's enough to get them to take care of the gun-to-the-head problem.

Apparently, this move by the UK actually makes it even more difficult to force Thaksin back to Thailand. The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ The Bad News Is... Revoking the UK visas of Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife, confirmed by the Foreign Ministry on Saturday, will add to the difficulties of bringing the former prime minister home to serve his jail term. Sirisak Tiyaphan, the director-general of the Office of the Attorney-General's International Affairs Department, said a problem emerging from the decision by the United Kingdom to revoke Thak-sin's visa would be tracking his whereabouts from now on. As a first step, police and the Foreign Ministry had to work closely together to locate Thaksin before the government could start the process of applying to his host country to extradite him, Mr Sirisak said. If Thaksin stays in a country which has no extradition agreement with Thailand, the kingdom could possibly make a reciprocal deal with that country, he added. Thaksin had spent most of his time in London with Khunying Potjaman and his family after being ousted in a coup two years ago. He had sought political asylum in the UK. He was sentenced to two years in jail by the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions for conflict of interest when his wife bought government land in 2003. On July 31 the Criminal Court sentenced his wife to three years in prison for tax evasion. The pair have had arrest warrants issued for them. The Office of the Attorney-General has all the evidence it needs to start the extradition process. It had planned to start the process if Thaksin decided not to appeal his case. He has until Nov 20 to make a decision on an appeal. Deputy Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thongphakdi said the British embassy in Thailand had confirmed Thaksin and his wife's visas had been cancelled, but refused to give details. "The decision is made under authority of the British government," he said. The Bangkok office of the UK Border Agency at the embassy has alerted airlines about revoking the visas issued to Thaksin and Khunying Potjaman in their diplomatic passports. The information was sent to airlines which were asked not to carry the pair to any destinations in the UK. The couple still have ordinary Thai passports in their possession. Thaksin is in China now, a source in the Thaksin-backed People Power party said Saturday. The government has not decided to cancel Thaksin's diplomatic passport. The issue of his diplomatic passport has been tossed back and forth between the prime minister and the Foreign Ministry. Then foreign minister Tej Bunnag wanted then prime minister Samak Sundaravej to make the decision. But Mr Samak stepped down and now the case has been sent back to the ministry. The ministry was waiting for direction from Foreign Minister Sompong Amornvivat on the case, the deputy spokesman said. Former ambassador Kasit Piromya said the British decision sent a signal to Thaksin that his chances for political asylum were over and showed the British government respected the Thai judicial system. Other countries which are members of the Commonwealth could follow the example of the UK by not allowing him to enter their countries, he noted. One of the reasons Thaksin was seeking asylum was his claim that he was unfairly treated during the trial. Mr Kasit and several senior members of the Democrat party called on the government to invalidate Thaksin's diplomatic passport. The delay damaged the reputation of the ministry, he added. Thaksin's supporters believe the loss of their visas would pose no problems for him and his wife. His former lawyer Noppadon Pattama said Thaksin would consider staying in countries which welcomed him and his wife. Acting PPP spokesman Kudep Saikrachang claimed many countries were ready to give Thaksin and his wife a place to stay. Thaksin and his wife have reportedly been given honorary citizenship by the Bahamas. (By Post Reporters)

We haven't had a "flying farang" story in quite a while, so I suppose we were overdue. Here's the latest from the PATTAYA DAILY NEWS: _____ GERMAN NATIONAL DIES IN SUSPECTED SUICIDE FALL FROM PATTAYA CONDO ROOF A German national suspected of committing suicide was found dead following a fall from the roof of a Pattaya apartment block. Responding to a report received by Police Lieutenant Colonel Aniwat Thichan at 6.00 am. on the 8th November 2008, an emergency response squad consisting of the police, a Banglamung hospital team and a Sawang Boriboon Rescue Team rushed to the scene. On the ground outside Building A of the View Talay Condominium, Project 1, Moo. 12, Jomtien, police found the dead body of a German national, Michael Ulrich Schwintenschlogi (52). He was wearing a green shirt and jeans and was lying on his side covered in blood. He had sustained a broken skull, arms and legs. Police found 1000 baht in his pocket and some documents, which were kept as evidence. Police inspected the immediate area including the roof-deck on the 15th floor and then went to investigate Mr. Schwintenschlogi’s room on the 5th Floor. They found no evidence of fighting, or a sign of anything unusual. Police questioned his wife, Mrs. Suwanna Wantawee (42) residing at 3/427 Moo. 10 Nongprue, who said they had been living together for more than 7 years. Mrs. Suwanna explained that she was in the room when the incident occurred. She believed that her husband was drinking at a bar near their place and he had called her saying that he would be back soon. Not long after his phone call, the security guard knocked on the door and told her that he had jumped from the roof-deck. She also explained that her husband rented out 10 rooms in the same condo. Business was very bad now with their rooms empty and her husband owed his friend about 6000 Euros which he could not pay back on time. He was also suffering from heart disease. She presumed that he killed himself because of the stress. Police revealed that they had questioned witnesses and were told that Mr. Schwintenschlogi and his wife occasionally had arguments. Police will be gathering more evidence surrounding the suicide and the German Embassy has been notified of the incident and that proceedings are ongoing. ____________________ And this, from PATTAYA ONE: _____ German Businessman Jumps to his Death from View Talay 1. Just before daybreak on Saturday, Police Lieutenant Anuwat from Pattaya Police Station was called to View Talay Condominium 1 located on the Thappraya Road leading to Jomtien Beach to investigate a suspected suicide. At the base of the building lay the body of Mr. Michael Ulrich Schwingenschlogel aged 52 from Germany. Trauma injuries suggested he had fallen from a high floor at the condominium block. The body was identified by his Thai Wife, Khun Suana aged 42 who was understandably distraught after witnessing her Husband’s suicide. She explained to Police that they had been married for 5 years and the deceased ran a condo rental business in Pattaya which was not going very well. This led him to drink heavily on a regular basis. In the early hours of Saturday Morning, the pair had gone to a bar located on the ground floor of the building. Mr. Ulrich made his way back to his 5th floor apartment alone, leaving his Wife downstairs. It appears that Mr. Ulrich made his way to the 16th floor and jumped off the building and his body fell in front of the bar and in front of his Wife. Forensic evidence has been taken from 16th floor and Police are satisfied this was indeed a suicide. The German Embassy in Bangkok has been informed of the death and are currently conducting their own investigation into the death.

I also think he will stay out of Thailand. As long as he and/or his wife face the prospect of prison terms, why would he come back? The only way I can see him returning would be if he does eventually receive a royal pardon, a trial in absentia that results in either being found not guilty or a suspended sentence, or something else that could occur to allow him to return with virtual impunity. I don't foresee any of those things happening. Regarding the question about whether Thais are discussing it, if they are, then they're not seeking me out to discuss it. As far as I can tell, they're much more interested in Obama than they are in Thaksin.

Actually, I don't think it's too much of a problem in Thailand. I don't think it can hurt anything to get the shot, but as for whether you need it, I would ask a doctor, although Lvdkeyes and Topjohn5 might be able to give us their opinion. Both are knowledgeable.

I'm not following what you mean by "something different." Everything you listed seems like standard breakfast fare to me, but for a lot more money than most restaurants charge for breakfast. What is it about this restaurant that makes it different? Another one I like for "different" is Linda's, located on Thappraya directly across from the Jomtien Complex. Most of the breakfasts there are standard fare, but she also serves a "Scandinavian Breakfast, " consisting of fabulous open-face sandwiches. Linda speaks excellent English and acquired her Scandinavian cooking skills from many years in Scandinavia. As a matter of fact, Linda's entire web site is in Swedish (no option for English that I was able to fine), but here's the URL: http://www.lindasrestaurant.com

Since you doubt me, see for yourself: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/11/08...cs_30087916.php

It was: Why can't the English teach their children how to speak? Norwegians learn Norwegian. The Greeks all learn their Greek. If you spoke as she does, sir, instead of the way you do, Why you might be selling flowers too. - My Fair Lady

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ UK Cancels Visas of Thaksin, Wife Published on November 8, 2008 The British Embassy has revoked entry visas of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife Pojaman. The cancellation, which was decided while the couple were outside England, has been notified to airlines yesterday. The decision was made by the United Kingdom Border Agency, and the notification email was signed by Bangkok-based Immigration Liaison Manager Andy Gray. The email read: "Dear All, The United Kingdom Border Agency has revoked the UK visas held by the following Thai nations: Thaksin Shinawatra. Thai Passport Number D215863 Potjaman Shinawatra. Thai Passport Number D206635 The UK visas contained in the passports of the individuals listed above are no longer valid for travel. Airlines are advised not to carry these passengers to the UK" *** end ***** The embassy would not comment on the report. Contacted embassy officials said they "cannot comment on policy matters." It was a big political blow for Thaksin, who was believed to be on his way from China to the Philippines yesterday. It was understood that the cancellation had to do with the recent court rulings that found Pojaman guilty of tax evasion and Thaksin guilty of breaking the conflict of interest law in the Ratchadapisek land purchase scandal. Their children's British visas are still valid. A senior People Power Party politician who has been in China this week answered The Nation's phone contact but replied to the inquiry about Thaksin's visa situation with only "I don't know. I don't know." Thaksin has always described England as a "democratically mature" country as compared to Thailand. But he always denied having applied for asylum although he said England would be the country where he wanted to live in exile. Last Saturday, in a controversial long-distance phone-in from Hong Kong, Thaksin accused his political opponents of breaking his family apart. In the same address, he also begged for royal pardon or a popular show of force to bring him back to Thailand. "Nobody can bring me back to Thailand, except royal kindness of HM the King or the power of the people," Thaksin said. He also claimed that many countries have offered him "honorary citizenship", "which made me a bit sad because I could do many things for anybody else in the world, but nothing now for my country." The statement triggered a major controversy in Thailand, with Thaksin being accused of trying to drag HM the King into politics. The UK visa move, however, gave Thaksin's statement a whole new perspective, making him sound more like someone desperate to find refuge rather than trying to provoke a political reaction. It is not immediately known, however, whether Thaksin was aware of the impending visa cancellation before he left England the last time. A source familiar with the UK legal and diplomatic thinking said the cancellation could have been based on "the different statuses" of Thaksin between the time he was issued the visa and now. The Supreme Court only found Thaksin guilty in the Ratchadapisek land case late last month, weeks after he fled Thailand during the Beijing Olympics. He fled with his wife, who only days earlier had been found guilty of tax evasion. England has been under the world community's watchful eyes when Thaksin is concerned. Diplomatic observers have said a decision whether or not to give Thaksin asylum would generate strong ramifications on England's relations with Thailand, as well as London's reputations when democracy, foreign relations and legal principles are concerned.

You're referring to a 'chanut,' which is essentially the same as a title deed. Unless it is registered in the Land Office, in your name, it isn't worth the paper it's written on. Before ever accepting it as a form of collateral, make sure to consult a competent Thai attorney.

I like Euro Boys too, but as far as that "bringing a few new guys from the north" is concerned, they've been singing that tune for the last six months.

Why do you make that assumption? I understood everything and I'm American. Most Americans who are at least semi well-read and have a halfway decent education would likely also understand. Perhaps we Americans are not quite so ignorant as you appear to believe. I can also understand why Lvdkeyes felt that you were being snide, even if you truly were not trying to be. You don't deny that you have before posted cutting remarks about the American version of English, do you? I recall a recent post of yours in which you said that American English is nothing more than a bastardized version of real English. Some Americans might not appreciate those kinds of remarks and would consider them snide. After reading that sort of post from you, a logical interpretation of your post above would be that you meant it as a snide remark. I'm glad to know that's not the way you meant it. In all honesty, I haven't seen the need for those remarks either. Simply because we do not speak or spell English precisely the same as you do, that doesn't somehow make us lesser people than you. Even if it does, why post about it at all, especially when what you're saying about American English really has nothing to do with the thread at hand in the first place? For me, the only time I have any problem understanding the British form of English is when some of the accents are so thick that I can't make out what is being said. There are also several British food item terms that I find difficult to understand. Other than that, I have no problem "understanding English."

I'm somewhat surprised, but I'm glad you posted this. I had heard that Sihanoukville is an up-and-coming gay area, but based on what you are saying, you may have just saved me a trip.

At the moment I think the beach concessions and vendors would be grateful even for low tourist numbers. Over the past few weeks there has been so much rain that beach days have been only few and far between. It must really be difficult for them. Not only that, but many of the beach concessions have annual Loy Kratong parties, complete with buffets, fireworks, etc. That holiday is only five days from the time of this post. Because of the weather, many people, including me, are seriously considering not buying tickets for the parties this year. If I can even get to the beach, because of the weather, I'm probably going to buy a ticket from Rit's Beach, where I usually go, out of loyalty for him, despite the fact that it may end up rained out. By the way, tickets this year, at least for Rit's Beach, are 390 baht per person. I would imagine most of the beach concessions that hold parties will charge a similar price.

I don't understand what you mean. I'm looking for rights while still alive. Also, if nothing else, in the USA married couples have a tremendous tax advantage over single people. Some gay couples wish to be married for religious reasons. While some may not see gay marriage as a major problem, or use of the term as a major problem, enough people do so that the issue is beginning to end up on ballots. To me, whether actually being married under the law is not so important, the fact that gay couples cannot choose to be married is a denial of their rights. To me, denying people the right to get married because they are gay is no different from telling a black person he cannot drink from this water fountain because he is black.