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Many of you are probably familiar with Wi's Retaurant, located on Third Road in Pattaya, just across the street from the X-Zyte disco. That restaurant is one of my personal favorites. He has plenty of a-la carte items and a nightly set menu. Every entree includes his salad bar. Along with the salad bar, the set menu, which changes every Sunday, includes a bread basket, amuse bouche, appetizer, soup, sherbet, main course, dessert, and a glass of your choice of red or white wine. The main course is your choice of a beef, pork, chicken, or fish dish. Those of you who have been there also know how beautifully the food is presented and the top notch quality of the food and service. The set menu is 495 baht. Last night, which was a Sunday, Geezer and I ate at Wi's. Now his Sunday set menu includes everything except for the glass of wine at the incredible price of 275 baht. That has to be one of the best bargains in town. Wi's Restaurant Pattaya Thailand - European restaurant five star food and services at a one star price.

My friend, what you're looking at is their T-shirt or jersey lifted up from the front and looped behind their neck like that so that they can look a bit sexier in the photo they are posing for.

As long as you get the "official scoop," does it matter whether it comes from Gun or a farang? Personally I would take Gun's word much quicker than I would most farang anyhow.

I'm not sure what kind of advice you are seeking. What do you need advice about? If you're asking whether Bumrungrad is a good hospital, the answer is yes.

I disagree. Once in 1956 I heard truer words . . .

The flier says for further information call Gun at Euroboys and gives a phone number. Why not just call him and ask? Gun speaks English fairly well.

Philippine Gay Party on Ballot for the First Time By Elizabeth Yuan, CNN May 9, 2010 (CNN) -- A gay political party will be on the ballot Monday for the first time in the Philippines, where eight out of 10 households are Roman Catholics. The elections will determine whether Ang Ladlad ("Out of the Closet") -- which represents lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender Filipinos (LGBT) -- will get the maximum three seats allowable for a marginalized or underrepresented party in Congress. "We consider it a milestone in Philippine human rights," said Leila De Lima, head of the Commission on Human Rights in the Philippines. "They are really always victims of discrimination, exclusion and even violence." The Commission sided with Ang Ladlad when its legal fight to stand for elections reached the Supreme Court. Philippine gay party on ballot for the first time

If the latest news is any indication of what is to come, there seems to be little hope now of a peaceful, positive outcome or a quick agreement between all parties and an imminent end to the crisis. People are still being injured and killed. The Red-Shirt leadership is reconsidering acceptance of the peace plan and according to the news they are meeting today to discuss it. The plan for the Red-Shirts to disband and return home on Monday has been put on hold and instead thousands more Red-Shirts are arriving in Bangkok. ____________________ Thousands of Red Shirts Arrive in City CONCERN AT SWELLING PROTEST Published: 9/05/2010 More red shirt members from the north and northeastern provinces arrived in Bangkok yesterday to join their comrades at Ratchaprasong intersection. Around 5,000 red shirt supporters, mainly from Udon Thani and Khon Kaen, started off yesterday morning and reached the capital later in the day. Thousands of red shirts arrive in city I think I ought to point out to those trying to decide whether to come to Thailand or postpone your plans, there are no problems at the airport. In major gay destinations such as Pattaya, Samui, Phuket, etc. there are also no problems. In Pattaya, there is nothing going on at all other than at City Hall, and most holiday makers aren't going to venture anywhere near there in the first place. I really don't know how the protests are affecting the gay areas of Bangkok and I wish someone currently in Bangkok would give us a report, but I can tell you that if your plans are to come to Pattaya or other destinations in Thailand, there is no reason to postpone your plans. I think every farang in Pattaya would agree with me when I say that if it wasn't for the news media, you wouldn't even know anything is happening in Bangkok. Pattaya is perfectly normal (if you can call life here 'normal' in the first place).

I'm glad you realize now what the boy was really up to. I agree that the 500 baht figure is not the real issue. To me the issue is farang new to Thailand being taken advantage of and ending up duped. It did work out well for you and that's good and you were lucky. It doesn't always work out that way. To me the issue is the boy told you he wants to go with you "for free" when he really intended from the outset to try to get money out of you. To me, that's being dishonest and although it wasn't much money, it was still an an intentional con job. I don't see the main issue as being 500 baht, 50 baht, or 5000 baht. What matters to me is that this boy tried, successfully, to con you as to his actual intentions. I don't pay to be conned and that's why I'm saying I would have given him taxi fare and nothing more. The only place I know in Pattaya where you're not expected to hand over cash is at the Sansuk Sauna. If a boy tells me he wants to go with me "for free" (which never happens anyway), my most likely response would be, "Sorry, I can't afford free."

I'm having some difficulty understanding you. You say you're looking for a romantic, gay-friendly hotel on the beach, a hotel with swimming pool. You say your partner worked hard all year and now wants to be pampered. We have been telling you that the Rabbit Resort is the ideal hotel for you. And yet you are reluctant to stay there because it's more expensive than many other places. Sometimes it is worth paying more to get what you want. I would think if your partner wants to pamper himself after working hard all year, spending a few extra baht to be in precisely the kind of hotel you want in precisely the location you want would be worth doing. For what you are looking for, you're not going to find a better deal in Pattaya than the Rabbit Resort for a very simple reason. No other hotel exists that meets all your criteria.

Just make sure you let Rhonda know you want the miles. I think there were times that she could have gotten even less expensive rates if you were willing to forfeit the miles, so make sure she knows you want flights with miles available. Don't forget, my information may not be accurate now. Except for the one time I used her 2 years ago, since living in Thailand the last time I used Rhonda was in 2004. You'll probably get better answers from people who have used her more recently. An even weirder idea is to just call Rhonda and ask . . .

I'm sorry. I do have a life away from the message boards and did not see your message until now. When I bought my tickets through Rhonda, I always got the miles.

I would agree with you if ChristianPFC had been the one who had done the asking. But it was the boy who approached, asked, and said he wanted to go for free. If that isn't what he meant, then he shouldn't have said it. ChristianPFC, as far as I can tell from his post, wasn't even looking for company. I can't speak for anyone other than myself, but if it had been me the boy would have gotten taxi fare to go back and that's it.

My friend, I'm sure you now realize that all you meant to him was 500 baht. Let me see if I've understood this correctly. He asked to go with you, for free. Is that correct? Somehow free turned into 500 baht. You didn't do anything with him other than take him for a walk and then to the Buddha hill. Is that also correct? Where does the 500 baht part come in? Why did you give that much to him if all you were offering was bus or taxi fare to go back where he came from? Did you pay the bar an off fee? I could see that if it was you asking him to go with you, but the way I'm seeing it is that it was the other way around and he virtually imposed himself upon you, just the same as when in a bar and a boy comes, uninvited, to sit with you and then expects a tip. I don't know. Maybe I'm looking at it the wrong way, but I see this as him having an afternoon away from the bar, at your expense, without any sex involved at all, and he got 500 baht for it. What you got was 'taken.' That's my opinion, anyway.

Maybe, but I doubt that's how it got started. Bangkok boys seem to average around 500 baht per off more than boys get elsewhere, and that seems to apply only to bar boys. The only higher cost for them in Bangkok that I can think of might be their rooms. And if a higher cost of living in Bangkok really is the reason, then that makes it all the more difficult to explain why freelancers, such as the boys at Saranrom Park, actually ask for much less than boys ask in Pattaya. Of course, the available boys that work places such as Saranrom Park are expecting mostly Thai customers, so they expect Thai prices. In those kinds of areas it's unusual for farang customers to be there at all. Not very many farang venture out to places other than the bars and they know that Thai customers aren't about to give them anything even close to 1500 to 2500 baht, so the standards are lower. Don't forget, a lot of Thai men are gay too and as they age they lose their looks just as farang do. But when was the last time you saw Thai customers in the bars, Bangkok or anywhere else, buying drinks and taking boys off?

Don't you think the names, locations, and contact information for those restaurants might be a wee bit helpful?

Regarding Rhonda, it works both ways. A couple years ago I went back to the USA for a few weeks. I did all the price checking online that I could and went to some Thai travel agencies. Then I called Rhonda. Even when the trip originates in Thailand, she still was able to get me a price hundreds of dollars less than anything else I could find.

I'm sure you'll see several responses from others stating what they pay. But something I've never fully understood is why Bangkok boys should be more expensive than anywhere else. Perhaps a few people can give us their thoughts about that as well.

Do you realize what you're saying? The question suggests that every gay who comes to Thailand spends all of his time in the bars and taking boys off. I know you didn't mean it that way, but there is a hell of a lot more to Thailand than only sex and booze.

Yes, we can, but my hopes are fading. Abhisit is going to have to be a hell of a good juggler if this is going to work. The PAD is raising hell about the proposals and is also demanding martial law. The PAD is the Yellow-Shirts. Remember them? And the Multicolor-Shirts are raising hell about November elections. Somehow, I'm not ready to say the crisis is over just yet. Maybe I'm wrong, but it looks to me that while the Red-Shirts seem willing to accept the proposals, the other factions are not and a whole new crisis could flare up. So, assuming the Red-Shirts do accept the proposals and start going home by Monday, what happens next? Are the other shirts going to start up new protests? I hope I'm being overly pessimistic about this, but I was completely wrong when I thought the Red-Shirt rallies were going to amount to nothing. I can only hope my pessimism will make me completely wrong again.

How about Pattaya? Are there any restaurants in Pattaya you can recommend? I'm always on the lookout for a good prime rib, which I loved at Manhattans when the original manager, Tom, was there. But ever since Tom left, in my opinion the quality I enjoyed left with him. It just was never the same after that.

Looking at this morning's news, indications are that virtually all sides are dissatisfied with Abhisit's peace proposals and the whole thing may already be coming apart at the seams. The PAD dislikes the plan. The Red Shirt demonstrators say their leadership might find the plan acceptable, but they do not. CRES is again threatening to use force to disperse the demonstrators. ____________________ PAD Rejects Road Map Abhisit denies claims of hidden agenda Published: 7/05/2010 Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has run into opposition to his reconciliation plan from the People's Alliance for Democracy and multi-coloured protesters. The groups oppose the road map to bring an end to the political crisis by seeking a reconciliation with the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship. Mr Abhisit began drumming up support for his plan yesterday by meeting for two hours at parliament with Panthep Puapongpan and Pibhop Dhongchai of the PAD. Today he will talk with representatives of the multi-coloured group. The meeting with the PAD was called after the group came out this week to criticise the prime minister and suggest there was a hidden agenda behind his five-point plan to end the political stand-off. After talks with the PAD, the prime minister dismissed allegations his initiative was aimed at protecting the Democrat Party, reaching a compromise with wrongdoers involved in the red shirt protests, and allowing his party to form a coalition government with the Puea Thai Party. PAD rejects road map ____________________ Protesters Unhappy with PM's Grand Plan Published: 7/05/2010 Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's proposed road map might have drawn tentative support from red shirt leaders but it is seen as a failure by many of those scattered around the rally ground. At Ratchaprasong intersection, where anti-government protesters are rallying for an immediate dissolution of the lower house, the five-point proposal is not what they had been bargaining for. Some of the protesters are said to be upset with the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship leaders' "unexpected" support for the road map. "We are not achieving much if you take into consideration our losses," said Manit In-amkha, referring to the April 10 clashes between the protesters and government forces. Mr Manit, who travelled from Udon Thani, said some of the "radicals" he had been talking to had rejected the prime minister's road map outright and demanded all-out changes in the government. He said the red shirts' efforts were not in vain as Mr Abhisit had finally softened his stance. He also noted more efforts and pressure might bring about a dissolution earlier than September. Mr Manit said the plight of red shirt demonstrators could be successfully tackled only when there was a change of government. "Northeastern people face a lot of problems: land, injustice, mistreatment and the practice of double standards by authorities," he said. "Changes will come only when there is a change to the government." Protesters unhappy with PM's grand plan

Apparently the water situation is destined to become quite serious unless we get a lot of rain in the right places, and soon. Photos and full article: Hot Weather Causing Pattaya's Reservoir to Run Dry Hot Weather Causing Pattaya’s Reservoir to Run Dry Pattaya is slowly but surely running low on water as the hot weather looks set to stay causing reservoirs to dry up and water services to be cut resulting in supplies at night only. Pattaya 5th May 2010 [PDN] Reports regarding the affects of the exceedingly hot weather in April this year states that the water in Mabprachan reservoir is getting lower with each day, with the water for supplying production found to be lacking in Banglamung and Pattaya City area.

I received information today that Manhattans Restaurant has changed ownership. The latest Pattaya Pride dinner was scheduled to take place at Manhattans on Sunday, May 16. I understand the new owners have canceled the dinner. I have not been told the reason why the dinner has been canceled. It has also come to my attention that the manager, Hugh Millar, who many of you may remember from the Ambiance, Symphony Brasserie, and the Poseidon Restaurant, has been fired. I have not been told the reason why he was fired. Those are, to the best of my knowledge, the facts. I will stick strictly to the facts and leave my personal opinion out of it.

After yesterday's announcements that the Red-Shirts have accepted the Prime Minister's peace proposals, many of us breathed a big sigh of relief. Unfortunately, the first thing I'm seeing in the morning news is that sigh of relief turns out to be somewhat premature. The Red-Shirts have set conditions for full acceptance and have made it clear that the protests will continue until the Red-Shirt leadership is satisfied. ____________________ Acceptable if... By The Nation Published on May 5, 2010 Leaders of the Democratic Alliance against Dictatorship (DAAD) appear ready to accept Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's five-point road map for national reconciliation, but have set the following conditions: DAAD CHAIRMAN VEERA MUSIGAPONG  The government must set a clear date for the dissolution of Parliament. The November 14 elections, as set by Abhisit, might not be correct because polls come under the authority of the Election Commission.  To show its sincerity, the government must stop making threats.  Red-shirt leaders do not need an amnesty for terrorism and lese majeste charges.  The government must stop dragging the monarchy into political conflicts. DAAD SECRETARY-GENERAL NATTHAWUT SAIKUA  The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) must take over all cases involving incidents on April 10, 22 and 28.  If arrest warrants are issued for red-shirt leaders over charges of terrorism and lese majeste, the DSI should also issue warrants for those who killed protesters in the three bloody incidents, because "equality is the beginning of reconciliation".  The government should return basic rights to the citizens such as the freedom of movement, expression and the right to know. It was unfair that the government had the armed forces and the freedom to distort information, while the red shirts had nothing. PROTEST LEADER JATUPORN PROMPHAN  The DSI should also charge the yellow-shirt group, which had earlier closed Bangkok airports, on counts of terrorism and lese majeste.  The red-shirt protesters reserve the right to continue their rally in the heart of the capital until Abhisit announces the date for House dissolution. ARISMAN PONGRUANRONG  The government should reopen all red-shirt media outlets and give the movement freedom of communication. Acceptable if...