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Age anyway 🙂 Here’s a tip that may help you conserve time.: One Spa in Saphan Kwai at last check has 28 pages (9 guys to a page) of masseurs posted on line. Has to be biggest in town.

You don't necessarily have to do nasty things. This thread may give you some ideas.

You might inquire what your hotel would charge to arrange it. I'd expect it would be at least twice the taxi fare but might be worth it for your peace of mind. Personally I take the train if it's running on my arrival. Excellent safety record and great people watching.

Nothing succeeds like excess.☺️

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon The tweak in the Thai Revenue rules, affecting both Thai and foreign tax residents, means that income derived from assessable foreign sources is to be taxable from new year’s day 2024. The exact impact and scope remain fog-bound, but it is no exaggeration to say that the move has put the cat firmly amongst the expat pigeons who spend six months or more in the kingdom in a calendar year. The fiscal move may indeed be aimed at wealthy Thais with offshore bank accounts or profits from overseas businesses, but the typical expat risks being trapped in the crossfire. The Thai tax authority is still mulling the detail. Officers know that whatever tax is due on cash transferred to Thailand during 2024 won’t appear on an individual’s tax return until 2025. So no hurry in their eyes. Most expats, of course, have barely heard of a Thai tin (tax identification number), let alone filled one in. And that’s part of the problem. Many older expats hate the idea of being ensnared in Thai financial bureaucracy and, potentially, needing to hire a tax lawyer. Or, of course, leave the country for pastures new. It may not come to that. For example, the Revenue has not issued a ruling on whether foreign income (such as pensions) are taxable under the enforcement decree. It may come down to the detail in double taxation agreements which Thailand has made with scores of countries. But they are all different in scope and most readers will require an expert to decipher the meaning of some of the clauses. Many Bangkok-based accountancy and legal firms are already anticipating a huge rise in the number of troubled clients. What is at stake, of course, is Thailand’s future as a retirement base. Over the years, Thailand has built up a reputation as a safe and attractive home for expats. Many have bought condominium units or set up a company to purchase a house. In future, there is no guarantee that foreigners sending money for these purposes won’t be taxed on the lump sum. If so, the prospects for the Thai property market might well take a downward swing without precedent. Whether the Thai government has thought out all the consequences of the Revenue decree seems unlikely. The Thai Board of Investment has suggested that the solution is for foreigners to apply for the 10 year golden visa, Long Term Residence, as this permits most overseas income to be brought into Thailand without any taxes together, as well as granting other financial and immigration perks. But the LTR isn’t available for retirees unless their annual income is at least US$80,000 a year or they are prepared to invest mega-cash in Thai banks or securities. There is no shield from the Revenue in Elite visas or one year extensions of stay based on retirement, marriage etc. Although no formal government statistics are issued, there are believed to be 400,000 to 500,000 longstay foreigners in Thailand who could be affected by the latest Revenue move. Some of these hold authorized work permits and already have a tax identification number for their local salary. Others are freelancers conducting online activities and earning from international clients. But most are older expats, retirees existing mainly or solely on pre-taxed pension and social security payments. The challenge for Thailand now is how to maintain competiveness in the global market. In the meantime, the internet is awash with wrong information such as a fabricated claim that retirees have to prove to immigration that their 800,000 cash lump sum has already been taxed in the home country or that all visa holders over 50 must have a tax identification number when renewing their annual permit. Optimistic bloggers say that the whole Revenue business is a chimera and that nothing will happen in practice, whilst pessimists predict that any foreign cash will have 35 percent automatically deducted on arrival. None of that is true, but continued silence about the government’s intentions can only boost falsehoods, innuendos and gossip. That’s no way to run a taxation system or to market a country to the outside world.

Sadly, even actual concert goes are known to exhibit these characteristics. Book a ticket to SE Asia, a sure cure for the blues that beset you. Will buy you a suitable glass of wine and introduce you some guys who badly want to become your new best friend. Allow me to be the first to wish you a happier New Year! 😊 There is no need to thank me.

You cast a wide net, Marc. Sure there aren't any "thugs' in your own back yard you'd care to include? From Wikipedia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethnic-cultural terms. As commonly conceptualized, the modern states of South Asia include Afghanistan,[7] Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and in some cases, Iran. South Asia borders East Asia to the northeast, Central Asia to the northwest, West Asia to the west and Southeast Asia to the east. Topographically, it is dominated by the Indian subcontinent and is bounded by the Indian Ocean in the south, and the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Pamir mountains in the north.

I certainly hope so. 😀

So glad you watched the video 😊

Foreign tourists, reported to be of Indian nationality, engaged in a violent brawl with Thai people right on Pattaya Beach Road early today, sending shockwaves through the city just one day before its New Year’s celebration. For those interested, the video of the incident. Keep in mind, although nobody was seriously injured and the video is not graphic, extremely sensitive viewers should use caution. https://fb.watch/pd1DYdAKjL/?mibextid=Nif5oz On December 28th, 2023, at dawn, local residents and joggers running along Pattaya Beach captured the shocking incident on video, which quickly went viral on Thai social media. The roughly one-minute clip depicted Thai and Indian people, both men and women, exchanging blows in the middle of busy Pattaya Beach Road near Soi 13 in the Nongprue sub-district. The video showed individuals wielding dangerous objects like sticks over a meter long, belts, glass bottles, and even metal kitchen ladles. The aggressive behavior brought traffic on part of Beach Road to a standstill as onlookers feared getting caught in the crossfire. Despite the distressed cries of women in the vicinity, no one dared intervene, and the brawl continued unabated for an unknown period. The cause of the initial confrontation remains unclear as of press time, but the incident has cast a shadow over Pattaya’s image as a peaceful tourist destination, particularly at a time when the town is gearing up for a grand New Year’s celebration, the eyewitness said. Pattaya police have not yet disclosed if any complaints regarding the incident have been filed, but an investigation is underway. Police are expected to interview both parties involved and collect CCTV footage from the area as evidence for potential legal proceedings.

NOTE -- There are as many "lists" as there are cities and I don't put a lot of stock in any. The Mastercard one at least bases its information on cash transactions (you know you've won when they give you the money 😄). From The Nation Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya were among the top 20 most visited cities in the world this year, according to a report by the payment-processing corporation Mastercard. Thailand’s capital topped the ranking with 22.78 million international visitors. Following Bangkok are Paris (19.10 million visitors) and London (19.09 million visitors). Phuket ranked 14th with 9.89 million visitors, while Pattaya ranked 15th with 9.44 million visitors.

From The Nation A giant demon statue criticised as “un-Buddhist and scary” was removed from in front of The Bazaar Hotel in Bangkok's Huai Khwang district on Thursday. The move came after the State Railway of Thailand ordered that the statue of Khru Kai Kaeo, a winged demon with fangs and crimson talons, be removed by December 30. The hotel’s operator, Suan Lum Night Bazaar Ratchadaphisek, has also been ordered to pay a fine of 1.3 million baht for violating the Building Control Act. The statue of Khru Kai Kaeo and its accompanying nine-tailed fox figure were removed to the rear of the hotel, out of public sight. "The front of The Bazaar Hotel will be transformed into an activity area for guests," said the hotel’s owner Pairoj Thungthong. The giant demon statue made headlines when it was erected in August this year, baffling motorists and passersby on Ratchadaphisek Road. It spawned online groups who began discussing their devotion to Khru Kai Kaeo, a mythical figure said to be the teacher of Jayavarman VII, a former king of the Khmer empire. Some worshippers also reportedly regarded him as a god of wealth. However, a group calling itself the Council of Artists Supporting Thai Buddhism urged the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration to remove the statue, claiming it encouraged demon worship. Khru Kai Kaeo worshippers were promoting un-Buddhist practices including the sacrifice of animals, the group claimed. Meanwhile, the venerable Phra Phayom Kalayano, abbot of Wat Suan Kaew in Nonthaburi, advised devotees to be cautious about what they worshipped, lamenting that anything could be made into a statue to worship these days. Devotees should instead worship spiritual beings like the Buddha or Jesus, as role models of goodness, he added.

From MSN / Bangkok Post Airfares are expected to gradually fall next year due to an increase in licensed airlines and a higher number of aircraft in the air transport sector, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT). The CAAT said on Tuesday night that eight airlines had recently received air operator licences from the transport minister (Suriya Jungrungreangkit) and were planning to deploy a total of 60 airplanes throughout 2024. According to the aviation authority, five of the eight airlines are domestic. They include Ezy Airlines (formerly known as Landarch Airlines), Pattaya Airways, P80 Air, Really Cool Airlines and Siam Seaplane. With a combined investment of 3.85 billion baht, these airlines have yet to receive air operator certificates to start operation. The CAAT acknowledged that airlines often need to make profits to support flights that yield marginal profits, as long as ticket prices remain within the ceiling prices set by the authority. Concerning the increase in airfares during festivals, the CAAT assured that all airlines continue to adhere to the stipulated airfare ceilings. The CAAT recommended that the sooner passengers booked tickets, the cheaper they would pay for flights. It explained that airlines had downsized personnel, fleets, infrastructures and management systems during the Covid-19 pandemic for survival. At present, demand for air travel exceeds supply and airfares have seen an increase of 17% worldwide. The CAAT added that airfares in the country increased partly because of the expiration of a reduction in excise tax on jet fuel in July.

Woi said anything about fun?

I’ve posted before about successfully using my US insurance to get reimbursed for emergency room visit to Bangkok Christian Hospital in 2022. Nothing illegal about it. It’s a benefit of the policy. He makes it very clear towards end of video that it only covers emergencies and not a substitute for standard health insurance.

I’ll have my lawyer call your lawyer to work out pre-nup.

There’s so much to be considered. Could we agree to an open marriage (we both get to screw around with other guys). Would our parents approve. Who’ll wash the dishes. Are you rich. 🙂

Do you believe in long engagements?

Would love to but the men I like are already married.....to women.🙂

From The Nation With an outbreak of the potentially fatal Zika virus now Bangkok, residents were on Wednesday warned by a leading virologist to protect themselves against mosquito bites. Yong Poovorawan, head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, posted on his Facebook wall that many cases of the mosquito-borne infection of Zika virus have been detected in Bangkok and even in temples. The doctor did not give the exact figures of Zika cases in the capital but he did write that the infection could be fatal for some people. It can also cause birth defects. He posted that the Zika virus’ symptoms were similar to those of Dengue but the condition would be less severe. In addition to being transmitted from a pregnant woman to her fetus during pregnancy, Zika can be passed on through sexual contact, blood transfusion, and organ transplantation. Symptoms for those who do experience them usually appear within 3-7 days of being infected and can include fever, rash, joint pain, red eyes (conjunctivitis), headache, muscle pain and fatigue.

From National Public Radio Hong Kong's LGBTQ community is cautiously optimistic that the government will legalize same-sex marriage following landmark rulings in favor of granting gay and lesbian couples more rights. Hong Kong's civil liberties have been in decline since China's government imposed a national security law there. That law followed large-scale and sometimes violent anti-government protests in 2019. But the rights of LGBTQ people seem to have been left alone for the most part. And this year, Hong Kong's courts made several key rulings in favor of granting gay and lesbian couples more rights. This is sparking hopes that the city will join a growing number of places in Asia with legalized same-sex marriage. Cindy Sui sent us this report from Hong Kong. Click on link to 5-minute podcast: https://www.npr.org/2023/12/26/1221725599/recent-rulings-have-sparked-hopes-that-hong-kong-will-soon-legalize-same-sex-mar

While we applaud declining interest rates we must also accept their economic realities. There's a correlation between the interest rate of our home currency with its corresponding value to the baht, as can be observed in the charts below. And if the trend continues--as most economists believe it will--the baht will continue to strength barring an unforeseen crisis in confidence. The exchange rate also influences the price we pay for international airline tickets and the hotel rates in Thailand, as can be seen in the daily (if not hourly) fluctuations on any of the booking sites. Since carriers collude on essentially fixing airfares, there's not much the consumer can do but shop for the occasional seasonal dips. When it comes to hotel rates, however, there's much greater competition. It's not all bad news. The cost of goods and services in our home countries should likewise be retreating although that is often hard to discern at the checkout counter.

Entertaining video from one of Clinton's better cabinet selections. And he makes some solid points. One of the carriers he mentioned (Southwest) was recently fined $140 million by the government for its disastrous handling an episode a year ago. There's ample blame to go around. Somehow I don't automatically extrapolate the scenario to gogo bars or massage shops in Thailand. Unlike air passengers who--for a variety of reasons--have a compelling need to fly, customers in entertainment venues do not. They can use the apps as many have suggested, or try to get lucky the old fashioned way: cruising the conventional bars or dance clubs, or looking for street trade (yes, it still exits). Gogo bars and massage shops don't have a monopoly on sex akin to the airlines' grip on flying.

Eight Jey Spa guys were kind enough to make themselves available for holiday work today. You only get one guess as to who's Vinapu's choice would be if he was hard-pressed to choose just one.