Gaybutton

Ok, gentlemen. Welcome to the new posting policy. I suppose some people simply don't think I mean what I say. On the very thread on which we announce that we are not going to permit any more threads to deviate from the original intent and become a series of attacks and counter attacks, it's turning into just that. We are not going to have any more of it on this thread or any other. This thread is now locked.

In all honesty, I'm not. At least not yet. The problem is that I can't help but compare Sansuk with Babylon and that really is not fair to do. If I had never been to Babylon, then I probably would have been much more impressed. But at least Pattaya finally has something and I think it's a very positive thing and I hope Sansuk succeeds. I think those who go there looking for the sex so readily available at Babylon will be disappointed for the time being. Perhaps once the Sansuk is established and enough gay Thais give it a try it can be a success. If people give Sansuk a try, without expecting a clone of Babylon, then I think they will be pleased. I intend to go there because I happen to really enjoy steam saunas for their own sake. The fact that it will also be a gay environment will be great for me. I used to go quite often to a combination sauna and traditional Thai massage in Naklua. The only reason I was there was for the steam rooms. Several months ago the sauna closed and re-opened in a new location on Third Road, very close to the bridge. However, they have yet to open steam rooms. Every time I check, I'm told it will be a few more months. Now that Sansuk has opened, I plan on being there. I also think it will be a viable alternative to the bars. We'll see.

Since the Sansuk Sauna has now opened in Pattaya, this afternoon I paid my first visit. Unfortunately I was there too early. I went at 2:00. They don't open until 3:00, but I was given a tour. First, the operating hours, for the time being are 3:00 PM until 11:00PM to 12:00AM. The closing time will depend on the number of customers. Also, for the time being, the admission price is 180 baht. I looked through the sauna, but did not look at the guesthouse at all, at least not today. The entrance decor did remind me of the Babylon Sauna in Bangkok . . . all tile and quite appealing. I suppose comparing Sansuk to Babylon can't be helped. It is similar to Babylon on a much smaller scale. On the ground floor there is a large lounge area, with a bar, tables, couches, etc. The drink prices range from 40 baht to about 160 baht, depending on what you order. In the lounge area there is a large-screen television. A few boys, employees of the sauna, were watching a music program and the volume was turned up quite high, far too high for my taste. Of course, this was before opening hours so perhaps the volume is more subdued when customers are present. I asked about the towels. They do have large size towels for the, shall we say, more portly among us. There is a swimming pool, about half the size of the pool at the Babylon. The ground floor is where the sauna is. There is a one hot rock sauna that is essentially identical to the one at the Babylon. There is one steam sauna, much smaller than the one at Babylon. It is rectangular shaped. The second floor consists of privacy rooms, quite similar to the Babylon. The third floor is another lounge, all outdoors, with plenty of tables and chairs, a view of the swimming pool, and a bar. I was told restaurant facilities will soon be there, similar to the old Babylon. There is an exercise room, well equipped. However, if you wish to observe boys working out, you'll have to be in there with them. It is not glass-fronted as is done at the Babylon. I was impressed with the quality of the furnishings and decor. However, I feel that the steam sauna is much too small and there is nowhere to sit down in there. Also, the Babylon has water fountains available. I saw none at Sansuk. While I was there, all the rooms, sauna, privacy rooms, etc, were awash with sunlight. If they are going to darken everything, Babylon style, I think that may need some work. Of course, after nightfall, it all will be naturally dark. Now, bear in mind that I was there a full hour before opening time and the sauna has only been open for a few days. Punya was not there, so I was not able to ask him any questions. I will have another look during opening hours and post my observations unless someone else beats me to it. I have attached the Sansuk business card below.

I'd appreciate it.

Are you sure you read my post correctly? I believe I said there will be no appreciable changes coming from me. The change I stated above comes from an agreement with GayThailand and the moderators and would have taken place whether he was going to be around or not. We feel that the flame and attack posts are serving no purpose other than diminishing the quality of this board. If anyone feels that such posts enhance the quality of a board, then that opinion differs from ours. Before people start finding me guilty of reviving my "control freak" attitude, how about first waiting at least until I commit the crime. Rainwalker, if you do decide to move on, I wish to state that I have greatly appreciated your help, wisdom, and advice. Your participation here as a moderator will be sorely missed.

Thank you very much, GT, and best of luck with your new venture. Now, before people start to panic about the board being essentially in my hands over the next few months, you do not have to worry (or celebrate) that this board is now under the control of the power hungry "control freak" that I am often reputed to be. I have agreed to moderate this board by the policies and wishes set by GayThailand, keeping in mind that this board belongs to him and not to me. GayThailand and I disagree about certain types of posts and specific posters that appear on this board. Quite frankly, if this board belonged to me there would be a few people who regularly post here who would have been history long before now. However, I fully intend to do things as GayThailand wants them done without regard to my personal opinion. Before anyone starts contacting me, telling me who I should ban from posting, I think I better make it clear that I have agreed not to ban anyone. Despite the fact that GayThailand is off doing whatever it is that he's doing, that doesn't mean we're out of touch. If there is any reason to ban someone, I will contact GayThailand and that decision will still rest solely with him. There will be one change, however, and GayThailand and I agreed to this before he told me about his upcoming hiatus. It has to do with the preponderance of attack posts. What we are going to do is to lock threads that deviate from the intent of the original topic and start to become nothing more than a series of attacks and counter attacks. We will also delete any threads or individual posts that, in our opinion, are an attempt to circumvent threads that have been locked. Other than that, there will probably be very few noticeable changes.

For the record, the Sansuk Sauna in Pattaya has no connection of any kind with the Babylon Sauna in Bangkok.

CHIANG MAI, Jan 6 (TNA) A British tourist committed suicide Saturday morning by jumping from his room on the sixth floor of a condominium in this northern city, falling to his death on the roof of an adjacent building, police said. Entirely naked, the victim -- identified as Mark Anthony, age 35 -- leaped from his apartment room, breaking his neck and wrists in the fall. Police said he had lived in the central Chiang Mai condominium for more than six months. Police said Mr. Anthony had a medical checkup at a provincial hospital two days earlier and was stressed after returning to his room, apparently after learning that he was suffering from a chronic disease. Police said they would conduct further investigation. His body is now being kept at a hospital here. (TNA)-E111

That's true whenever such an article is online. I hadn't thought of that. Ok, now the basics, I believe, are covered. Are we at some point going to discuss the content of the article?

Ear Wig did attribute this posting to Sticky Rice. It is, however, at the end of the article. There is nothing wrong with that, but I would prefer to see attributions at the beginning of a post. If it is from a magazine article, then it should include the title of the magazine, issue number, title of the article, and name of the author if it is given. However, this time I don't see how anyone can say that Ear Wig plagiarized. He cited his source, and that makes it ok. Personally, I would also rather read comments about the content of the article instead of even more arguing about plagiarism, Ear Wig, etc.

I haven't stayed at any of them because I can't afford them, but I've seen the one in Chiang Mai and the one in Phuket. They are magnificent hotels, but I'm not sure I would stay at any of them even if I had the money. All I'm interested in doing in a hotel is going to sleep in the room. I don't spend time in hotels other than that, so I would feel like I'm throwing money out the window to pay hundreds of dollars for amenities I'm not going to use in the first place. I like a nice hotel, for sure, but unless I'm going to use what I'm paying for, I don't see the point in staying in a luxury hotel. That's just me, of course. In Phuket, for example, I'm perfectly happy in a place like the Connect Guesthouse because it offers what I'm looking for at a reasonable price. In Bangkok, I like staying at the Pinnacle for the same reason. Usually. when I go to Bangkok, I drive to get there. The Pinnacle is easy to get to from the expressway. The rooms are just what I'm looking for. The price, if I book through Jimmy, is reasonable. I'm not interested in swimming pools, spas, in-hotel shopping, or anything else. All I'm interested in is the room itself and the location of the hotel. In Chiang Mai, I like the Come On Place, although after reading about PJ's, I may give that a try next time I go to Chiang Mai. In other words, if you're looking for luxury and have the means to pay for it, then the hotels on the list would be excellent choices. If you're more like me, and have no interest in that kind of luxury, then despite how nice those hotels are I wouldn't stay at any of them. Besides, hotels like that probably frown on bringing a "guest" to the room. So, if a "guest" is part of your itinerary, can you imagine paying $500 or so for a room and ending up spending time in a short-time room somewhere? That's not for me.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Airlines Say Business as Usual After Bombs BOONSONG KOSITCHOTETHANA The bomb blasts in Bangkok have not scared away air travellers as most airlines reported no abnormal cancellations in reservations _ not even from sensitive Japanese and Singaporeans. It has been business as usual for airlines operating through Thailand, including Thai Airways International (THAI), Japan Airlines (JAL), Singapore Airlines (SIA), Bangkok Airways and AirAsia. To the surprise of many, Japanese and Singaporeans, who normally react swiftly to any negative incidents such as unrest, terrorism and disease outbreaks, had largely maintained travel plans to Thailand. Kriengsak Mungnirandr, deputy vice-president of JAL in Thailand, confirmed yesterday that the flow of Japanese, who represent about 80% of all passengers on Bangkok-Japan flights, remained surprisingly steady in the aftermath of the blasts. ''I think they may consider the incidents a local issue, not significant enough to necessitate them to change their visit plans,'' he said, adding that JAL continued to see a cabin factor of 80% on the five wide-body aircraft flights per day between Bangkok and Tokyo and Osaka. Furthermore, unlike governments of western countries and Malaysia, Japan has not urged its citizens to exercise caution when visiting Thailand. Their reaction would be drastically different if the bombs were the act of international terrorists, Mr Kriengsak said. Vipawan Potiket, passenger sales manager for SIA's Thailand office, was also taken aback by the calm reaction of Singaporean passengers, who comprise 60% of travellers from Singapore to Bangkok. ''Everything looks pretty normal for our flights in and out of Bangkok since New Year's Eve,'' she noted. ''There is no unusual sign.'' SIA operates 41 flights a week between Bangkok and Singapore. No unusual movements were recorded in THAI's reservation system, especially international flights through Thailand. ''No, there are no drops in bookings, though there are the usual cases of no-shows of three to four passengers on each flight'' in and out of Thailand, said Wallop Bhukkanasut, THAI's executive vice-president for commercial affairs. THAI's current cabin factor remains relatively high at 72%. Mr Wallop said one of the key reasons carriers have been able to sustain normal passenger traffic was the limited coverage of the bombings on global media networks including CNN and BBC World, where the execution of Saddam Hussein dominated coverage. Even so, Bangkok Airways reported some ''minor'' cancellations on domestic flights among certain Europeans, Australians and Americans who reacted to travel advisories, said an executive. At the budget carrier Thai AirAsia, staff had received no calls asking for refunds or flight changes as they did after the Sept 19 coup. Although short-term impact on air travel has not yet been felt, airline executives are concerned that further violence would really hurt the industry.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ BOMBINGS AFTERMATH CNS: Political Emergency May Last Two Months Govt Departments Put on High Alert, Public Asked to Cooperate to Prevent Further Attacks All government agencies nationwide were put on high security alert yesterday while the public was urged to cooperate in preventing further acts of urban terrorism as political turbulence was expected to last two months. The Council for National Security (CNS) in a circular to ministries, courts and state enterprises urged officials to watch out for strangers or unidentified objects left abandoned in buildings and public places. The agencies, including the ministries of finance, foreign affairs and public health, the Stock Exchange of Thailand and the Administrative Court, were told to inform their communities to prepare for possible threats to life and property. During a press conference following Thursday's coup rumours, Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said the public should prepare for more political violence after the New Year bomb blasts in the capital. He said he believed the country would see political turmoil for the next two months. The overthrow rumours may have been be part of a coordinated political attack, he said. "The bombings on December 31 and the subsequent rumour of a second coup appear to have a link." He had chaired a morning meeting at Government House with CNS chairman General Sonthi Boonyaratglin to assess the situation. CNS secretary Winai Phattiyakul also attended. On Thursday night, the coup buzz persisted even though government and military leaders issued a series of statements denying a second putsch. In a bid to quash future speculation, people should notify police or the Internal Security Operations Command about any provocation seemingly meant to undermine morale, Surayud said. Authorities will keep the public informed about troop movements and step up publicity designed to foster understanding in society, he said, adding that security in the capital would remain on high alert for one or two months as a precaution against political violence. Security measures are meant to deter further outbreaks of political violence, as authorities cannot anticipate every target of attack, he said. Authorities will try to enforce safety with moderate measures in order to cause the least inconvenience to the public, he said. "Public cooperation is the key to implementing security measures and boosting investor confidence," he said, adding that the local press could help by disseminating verified facts instead of spinning misinformation. In an early-morning interview broadcast live on Army Channel 5, CNS chief Sonthi ruled out the possibility of a power seizure produced by rifts among the eight CNS members. "We need unity in the Armed Forces. We believe in good ties and good spirit. I think there will be no coup," Sonthi said. Public trust in the military-installed government has nosedived in the aftermath of the New Year's Eve bombings, according to the Abac Poll Research Centre. Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said he had ordered his staff and all hospitals nationwide to prepare their personnel and equipment for any emergency situations created by political upheaval.

Others may disagree with me, but I feel the following is appropriate: 1. Taking a boy "off," whether it be from a bar, the beach, or anything else: 1000 baht for "short time," 1500 to 2000 baht if he spends the entire night with you. 2. Beach massages in Pattaya are generally 200 baht. A 20 to 50 baht tip is plenty. 3. Taxi from the airport to the Tarntawan: 20 to 30 baht. 30 baht more if the driver helps you with heavy luggage. 4. Bartenders: I have never met anyone who tips Thai bartenders at all. You cannot add a taxi tip to the hotel bill. You'll have to tip the driver directly. I don't know why you won't have any Thai money until you reach the hotel. Hotel exchange rates are terrible. There are plenty of ATMs and exchange booths that take care of travel checks and/or cash at the airport. I suggest making your initial exchange at the airport upon arrival. You'll get the normal bank rates, which will be far better than rates you will get at your hotel.

"Your honor, not only does I deny the allegation, but I resents the 'alligator'" - George "Kingfish" Stevens, 'Amos 'n Andy'

The article can be found in the PATTAYA MAIL: _____ http://www.pattayamail.com/current/news.shtml#hd19

I don't know . . . is this a case of poetic justice? The following appears in the PATTAYA CITY NEWS: _____ Norwegian Man Seriously Injured by a Firework only 24 Hours AAfter He Kills Briton in Road Crash In the early hours of News Years Day medical staff at the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital admitted Mr. Hans Bjorger Hobraten aged 58 from Norway after he had sustained a serious injury to his left arm sustained during an accident with a firework. The accident occurred at the Jomtien Complex Condotel on Jomtien Beach Road and left him with serious muscle damage. His friend, Mrs. Anita Forberg aged 59 also from Norway explained to us that he was lighting a firework which failed to ignite. Mr. Hobraten approached and attempted to relight the firework, not realizing it was already alight. It exploded causing extensive damage to his arm. It has been a bad week for Mr. Hobraten who was involved in a hit and run road accident just 24 hours before which killed Mr. Jimmy Hassim aged 52 from England.

Hedda has responded to this accusation on the Baht-Stop forum. See http://www.baht-stop.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=967 to read Hedda's response.

Apparently that's only if you're unlucky. I was not asked for any kind of deposit at all when I checked in. When I checked out I was asked if I had taken anything from the mini-bar. They took my word for it when I answered. There was no waiting at all.

Sorry to dash your hopes, but most of the bar information you seek will have to come from all those spies of yours. I have stated many times that it is rare for me to go to the bars at all and, quite frankly, even if I was in the bars every night I still wouldn't be posting much "inside information" such as who owns what, who is selling what, who is buying what, and that sort of thing because I simply couldn't care less about any of it, so I never ask. When I do go to bars, I go to watch the dancers and have a drink or two. I don't like the shows in most of the bars, so when it's show time that's when I usually leave. Regarding which bars are featuring special functions, such as buffets, special shows, parties, etc, I post that information when I have it, but Gaypattayan does that job far better than anyone else in his weekly reports.

I don't think I gave any information at all about PJ's Place, but I can give a little bit about the Sansuk Sauna, due to open soon in Pattaya. Not long ago I and some friends stopped by to have a look. It looks beautiful and seems like its ambiance will be similar to Babylon, on a smaller scale. It appeared to be just about ready to open. The only negative, in my opinion, is the location. It is directly behind the Siam Thani. That means it is not going to be easily accessible. A baht bus can get you to the soi leading to it, but it's quite a hike down a steep hill to get there. Arriving by motorcycle taxi is going to be the best way for most people, but some people are afraid of motorcycle taxis. Also, unless a new motorcycle taxi stand is going to be opened close to the sauna, it's going to be quite a hike back up the hill unless you can get the attention of a motorcycle taxi driver stationed at the top of the hill. Perhaps the sauna will have some sort of system to get taxis for people trying to leave, but unless some sort of provision for transportation is provided, a lot of people, I think, will find it quite inconvenient to get there. Also, I hope they advertise it among the local Thai boys. I've spoken to several Thai boys who never heard of it and had no idea such a sauna is soon to open in Pattaya.

I just returned from two days in Bangkok. I did not look at the Internet at all until now. A quick scan of the message board and what do I see? The usual bickering and arguing about Ear Wig posts. Sigh . . . . Ok, first there have been reports about a bomb planted at the Big-C Central festival in North Pattaya. I first heard about it while I was in Bangkok. A friend in Pattaya called me and told me that his Thai language teacher told him that the Thai press was reporting this, but the English language press did not report it. I found that somewhat unusual because the English language press doesn't seem to have any problems reporting everything else. I checked the PATTAYA CITY NEWS and their article says the rumor was not true. Here is their article: _____ Rumors of a Bomb in Pattaya Discounted After Car Fire in North Pattaya. The Rumor Mill was working hard earlier this week as word spread of a bomb which had exploded in North Pattaya just hours after the bombs in Bangkok. This rumor was found to be untrue and we can now explain to you exactly what happened. At around 1am on New Years Day, Khun Natapoom aged 46 a local food vendor was driving his car to Naklua when he noticed a gaseous odor from the front of his vehicle. It became more intense and Khun Natapoom decided to pull over. As a precaution he turned off the valve on his LPG Tank located in the boot of his car. Soon flames began to emanate from the engine which soon turned into an inferno which was brought under control by firefighters soon after their arrival. Khun Natapoom explained to us that he had brought the car 10 months ago and had recently converted it so it could use the much cheaper LPG instead of gasoline. Fire Fighters tell us that a fault in the gas supply line was to blame for the fire. All rumors suggesting it was a planned explosion were quickly discounted. _____ You can see the article and photos of the car fire at: http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_03_01_50_2.htm _____ In Bangkok, there have been no further bombings. I saw a marked increase of police and soldier presence at the major MRT and BTS stops, but only at those stops. All the other stations appeared as always. In some areas of Bangkok there are police roadblocks. I was stopped at one. It was at night. The police officers shined a flashlight into my car for a quick check and then smiled, thanked us, and sent us on our way. They did not ask us to open the trunk of the car (or 'boot' to the Brits out there). I stayed at the Pinnacle Hotel. The Pinnacle has increased it's security precautions and I imagine other Bangkok hotels are doing something similar. Since I do not stay in hotels in Pattaya, perhaps someone who is presently in a Pattaya hotel can tell us if anything similar is the case. Here is the security notice the Pinnacle is posting in all their rooms: _____ Dear Guests and Visitors, As a result of the recent incident of the 31st December in Bangkok, we are implementing the following measurements for your security. 1) All persons wishing to visit guests of the hotel are requested to provide their identification (I.D) at the front desk. 2) Guests are required to meet their visitor(s) in the lobby in order for the visitor(s) to be permitted to the room. 3) Visitors who have been granted access onto the premises will be issued a Visitor Pass against their identification (I.D). This Pass must be carried by the visitor while on the premises and returned to the front desk in exchange of the I.D. upon leaving the hotel. The above policy is intended for your utmost safety while staying at the Pinnacle Hotel. We thank you for your co-operation while this policy is in effect and regret any inconvenience this may cause. Sincerely, Thanomsri Markmool Hotel Manager _____ I was with a friend who was going to have a boy meet him at the hotel. The boy arrived at midnight. The security precautions were done and the hotel did not ask for a joiner fee.

What happened to, "I'm going to be nice to GayButton this year !!!"? Sorry, but I've already stated the reason for my post and the reason I didn't address the other posts.

That is true. However, I'm not trying to "have a go" at Ear wig. On another thread I said, and meant, that my dispute with him is resolved now and I do not intend to attack him any further unless he attacks me first. I don't think my post was an attack and it was not meant to be an attack. When Ear Wig reads it, I don't believe he will take it as an attack either. I posted what I did because Ear Wig wrote that if he thinks I'm wrong about something, he'll say so. Therefore, if I feel he is wrong about something I see no reason to refrain from saying so if I so choose. I don't see why anyone would interpret my post as an attack and I tried to carefully word it so that it would not be taken as an attack. I did not address the attack posters because I thought that was irrelevant to the point I was trying to make. Unfortunately, no matter what Ear Wig posts, somebody is going to attack him whether he provokes it or not.

Apparently, you are not alone in that. The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Thai Rak Thai Demands Surayud to Name Culprits The Thai Rak Thai Party Tuesday called on Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont to spell out names of those the premier believes were behind the string of Bangkok bomb attacks on New Year Eve. Thai Rak Thai spokesman Sita Divari said Surayud had unfairly caused the public to suspect the Thai Rak Thai by simply stating that "the people who lost political benefits" were behind the attacks. Sita said Surayud's statement would also influence police investigations because police would rule out other possibilities and would focus the probe in line with Surayud's theory. "We call on Gen Surayud to disclose the names of those behind the attacks. The way he spoke without evidence caused the people to think that he took political opportunity while the people had suffered from untoward incidents," Sita said.