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While having dinner with three others at G’s on Soi 4 the other night, one member of our party got up to use rest room. When he returned, Guido’s cat had taken the opportunity occupy his seat. The quick thinking waiter—acknowledging that negotiation wasn’t an option—simply moved the chair to the head of the table and found a replacement for the temporarily displaced diner. 
For the remainder of our meal, the cat presided over the table, lifting his head only occasionally. He charitably permitted me to pet him under his chin on my way out. He rules the house with the disposition of a Jupiter model.

From Pattaya News
The Pattaya International Kite on the Beach Festival 2025 is set to take place from February 26th to March 2nd, 2025, at Pattaya Beach in front of Central Pattaya shopping center. The event is free for all visitors!
Attendees can look forward to a spectacular display of giant kites designed in the shapes of various animals from different countries.
 

While having dinner with three others at G’s on Soi 4 the other night, one member of our party got up to use rest room. When he returned, Guido’s cat had taken the opportunity occupy his seat. The quick thinking waiter—acknowledging that negotiation wasn’t an option—simply moved the chair to the head of the table and found a replacement for the temporarily displaced diner. 
For the remainder of our meal, the cat presided over the table, lifting his head only occasionally. He charitably permitted me to pet him under his chin on my way out. He rules the house with the disposition of a Jupiter model.

From Pattaya News

The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and allies launched a joint assault on Myanmar’s strategic Mapali base in Bilin, Mon State, on February 1st. The attack lasted just 30 minutes before Myanmar troops reportedly surrendered.
KNLA forces captured 29 Myanmar soldiers and seized a large cache of weapons, including an M109 howitzer with ammunition. At least 40 Myanmar soldiers were killed in the battle.
According to sources from the KNLA, the assault involved mortar fire and continuous drone strikes, forcing Myanmar troops into retreat. Many reportedly surrendered without resistance due to a lack of reinforcements from the Southeast Regional Command.
 
Karen National Union (KNU) officials confirmed that captured soldiers were being held under humane conditions, and being provided with food and water. Karen forces have gained control over multiple Myanmar military positions, particularly in Karen State.
Myanmar has been embroiled in civil war for years now between the military junta and multiple ethnic groups.
https://thepattayanews.com/2025/02/04/karen-forces-capture-key-myanmar-military-base-in-mon-state/

Companies have grown so large that the right hand doesn't know there is a left hand 😳

I apologize for the quality of the above Day 37 (03 February 2025) trip report - I did it in a rush and I had already packed my mouse and keyboard - and I was reduced to using the laptop built-in touchpad, which I hate, and consequently, the quality of my postings deteriorates.
Day 38 (04 Febuary 2025) - prepared with my separate mouse and keyboard  :>)
Restless night sleeping and I wake up too early. Try to go back to sleep but it was not a good second sleep.
Eat breakfast in the room and I pack my bags and luggage for the move across the street.  There is still 1 hour to kill, so I quickly post yesterday's trip report update (sloppily).
At 11am I “check out” of the room with the understanding that I can leave my luggage in the room in a corner to not obstruct Juliet and her husband from being able to clean the room for the next AirBnB guest..  So, I walk over to Civit Coffee and I drink it very slowly until 12:15pm,  Then I move over to the Mactan Alfresco open air food court to eat a very slow lunch.  At 1:45pm, I head back to my OPR condo to move the luggage from my room over to the One Manchester building to start the check-in process with their security team and with Estela, the Filipina lady who takes care of the AirBnB room for the owner who is in Australia.  Her and I have a great conversation in the room, as I discover that she lives in a small home that is over by the Dusit Thani resort, which I passed yesterday on the motorbike.  She was quite impressed that I want to go out and explore and to not only stay within the Jim Carrey fake Truman Show walls of the Mactan Newtown township.
For @macaroni21, this new building, One Manchester Residence (OMR), is not as nice as the luxurious OPR (One Pacific Residence) AirBnB condo that I just left.  Furthermore, the OMR tower that I am in, is directly adjacent to both The Pearl Global Residences and La Victoria Global Residences, with construction going on day and night and you can hear it in my room.  Let’s see how I will sleep tonight.
https://www.megaworldluxury.com/cebu/the-pearl-global-residences/
https://www.megaworldluxury.com/cebu/la-victoria-global-residences/
In my previous condo, I was isolated from this construction noise, as I was in the farthest tower away and on the opposite side of the street.

The good news is that the views from my new AirBnB OMR balcony (when not looking at the 2 distinct construction sites) are sweeping and are comprised of the 2 bodies of beautiful blue water, which are:
Magellan Bay --> this was the view that I had in the previous condo, Hilutungan Channel (the waterway that separates Mactan island from Olango island).  This is the sea that I was trying to have a view on as it is more beautiful in my opinion.  I was told by both Estela – the housekeeper of this AirBnB and also when I went to visit the official Megaworld realtors – that there are very few condos that face the Hilutungan Channel and to find one is a rare in demand find.
When I look to the left I can finally see downtown Cebu city where my first 32nd floor AirBnB condo was.  Remember, from the balcony of this Cebu city condo that I could see the Mactan Newtown and Mactan airport.

And this is the view from the balcony that makes this AirBnB condo special --> to have a seaview of BOTH of the 2 important waterways as shown above.
I have a nice WhatsApp chat with Mr. B, as he is curious how my move went and more importantly to discuss our trip to Boracay on Thursday, in just 2 days.
 
By now it is almost 3pm and I want to jump on my motorbike to ride out of the parking lot, but the parking attendant tells me that I need to pay another 30 pesos – as 1 day has already elapsed.  I then drive again to the end of the Mactan island and explore some of the different areas before sunset and it gets dark.  I had hoped to find some fun beaches to access, but unlike in Jomtien, where you can access the beach freely wherever you want, that is not the case here because those beaches that are maintained and groomed are part of these 3, 4, and 5 star  hotel resorts and consequently, there are no other places where you can just park your motorbike and take a walk on the beach.  This concept just does not seem to exist  - at least here in this Mactan area.
Sun is setting so I return to the Mactan Newtown township and park the motorbike after paying for another 24 hours = 30 pesos.  I am itching for some good Italian food, so I walk over to the  and I eat at the   Italian restaurant:
https://www.facebook.com/p/Taste-of-Lucania-Italian-Restaurant-100090292723715/
I ordered the scrumptious Crab Cake, and then the Octopus with Asparagus dish, followed with a yummy Mango + Coconut dessert.  And my drink was an Aperol Spritz.  Truly a lovely dinner, as shown below:

I return to my new condo room and I do not attempt to unpack my steamer trunk – as I will go to the airport in 2 days and this steamer trunk will go into the X10 storage here in Mactan Newtown.
I crash on the sofa and had a great nap – even with the nearby construction noise going on.
I wake up and have a lovely LINE video chat with my Thai boyfriend, who is sitting with his friends on the Jomtien soi 4 enjoying the sunset and he is looking really good after that nasty sickness.  I was very surprised (and also proud) when he told me: “there is a Mor Lam concert tonight in North Pattaya and all of my friends are going…..”, he pauses – as he knows me all too well, and before I could open my mouth, he says to me, “I decided to not go as it is more important to get fully healthy again….”  He smiles at me – as he knows that I was just about to launch into a tirade – but instead I was really proud of him for deciding by himself to put his health first.  Hallelujah!!!
I finish writing this update and off to bed.
 
No massages or extra-curricular activities today.
 
Day 38 (04 Febuary 2025)  concluded.

I really enjoyed reading your trip reports and your adventures and misadventures while searching for an alternative place to retire. 
As a Filipino myself, you are 💯 correct. Before becoming an expat I was also like this, this way of thinking was ingrained to everyone's upbringing. Just follow and don't ask questions, otherwise you will be pointed as being disrespectful for talking back. 😵‍💫

Sounds very hot to me. Ufffff! 🥵 And it's fun to be with someone who is expanding their horizons.

Indeed it seems thet tips are all over the place. Some boys are restraining themselves, others are trying waaay too hard to extract every last penny. But at end of day what counts is not money spent but how happy we are left after encounter.
I know Nut from Maha for a while and like him a lot, talkative indeed but very well muscled for such diminutive guy. 
Great report roughjock. As for swearing not to return to Jupiter I did it at least 3 times in my life and yet returned every trip at least once, lol. I guess is nice to have a bar where everybody on the stage is good looking. We're you there on Saturday? 
If yes we saw each other unknowingly. 

While having dinner with three others at G’s on Soi 4 the other night, one member of our party got up to use rest room. When he returned, Guido’s cat had taken the opportunity occupy his seat. The quick thinking waiter—acknowledging that negotiation wasn’t an option—simply moved the chair to the head of the table and found a replacement for the temporarily displaced diner. 
For the remainder of our meal, the cat presided over the table, lifting his head only occasionally. He charitably permitted me to pet him under his chin on my way out. He rules the house with the disposition of a Jupiter model.

While having dinner with three others at G’s on Soi 4 the other night, one member of our party got up to use rest room. When he returned, Guido’s cat had taken the opportunity occupy his seat. The quick thinking waiter—acknowledging that negotiation wasn’t an option—simply moved the chair to the head of the table and found a replacement for the temporarily displaced diner. 
For the remainder of our meal, the cat presided over the table, lifting his head only occasionally. He charitably permitted me to pet him under his chin on my way out. He rules the house with the disposition of a Jupiter model.

From CNBC
 
So-called “strongman” leaders of Europe — most of whom are allied with the likes of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin — look increasingly weak, analysts say, with their popularity waning ahead of key elections.
Trump’s inauguration was expected to give a shot in the arm to nationalist-populist leaders and parties such as Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Slovakia’s Robert Fico, Germany’s right-wing AfD party and Marine Le Pen and her National Rally party in France. But such a boost is not a foregone conclusion, as domestic pressures and economic challenges weigh on their popularity and power.
  “The re-election of Donald Trump for a second term in the U.S. had seemed to be a clarion call for a structural political shift towards similarly populist, MAGA style movements across Europe,” Timothy Ash, senior emerging markets strategist at RBC Bluebay Asset Management, said in emailed comments Thursday. MAGA refers to “Make America Great Again” — a slogan that has historically underpinned Trump’s nationalist campaign.
“Actually what we are seeing is a somewhat mixed picture across Europe, and actually with many of Trump’s apostles being on the back foot,” Ash said.
Continues at
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/04/strongman-leaders-of-europe-dont-look-so-strong-anymore.html
 

Sounds like a dick. I actually believe the police. The xenophobic Daily Mail will print anything that shows foreigners in a bad light. Wonder if they even bothered to check the story with the "owner of the lodging" before printing.

Look at the tits on him 😵

From CNBC
 
So-called “strongman” leaders of Europe — most of whom are allied with the likes of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin — look increasingly weak, analysts say, with their popularity waning ahead of key elections.
Trump’s inauguration was expected to give a shot in the arm to nationalist-populist leaders and parties such as Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Slovakia’s Robert Fico, Germany’s right-wing AfD party and Marine Le Pen and her National Rally party in France. But such a boost is not a foregone conclusion, as domestic pressures and economic challenges weigh on their popularity and power.
  “The re-election of Donald Trump for a second term in the U.S. had seemed to be a clarion call for a structural political shift towards similarly populist, MAGA style movements across Europe,” Timothy Ash, senior emerging markets strategist at RBC Bluebay Asset Management, said in emailed comments Thursday. MAGA refers to “Make America Great Again” — a slogan that has historically underpinned Trump’s nationalist campaign.
“Actually what we are seeing is a somewhat mixed picture across Europe, and actually with many of Trump’s apostles being on the back foot,” Ash said.
Continues at
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/04/strongman-leaders-of-europe-dont-look-so-strong-anymore.html
 

While having dinner with three others at G’s on Soi 4 the other night, one member of our party got up to use rest room. When he returned, Guido’s cat had taken the opportunity occupy his seat. The quick thinking waiter—acknowledging that negotiation wasn’t an option—simply moved the chair to the head of the table and found a replacement for the temporarily displaced diner. 
For the remainder of our meal, the cat presided over the table, lifting his head only occasionally. He charitably permitted me to pet him under his chin on my way out. He rules the house with the disposition of a Jupiter model.

From Pattaya News

Pattaya– The Daily Mail website recently reported that a British tourist complained of being allegedly assaulted by Thai police, being detained for 36 hours, and then being forced to pay 15,000 baht for his release after according to him accidentally walking into a traffic barrier. Pattaya police, however, insist they followed legal procedures and did nothing incorrectly.
Mr. Andrew Hopkins, a British tourist, told foreign media such as The Daily Mail that he accidentally walked into a traffic barrier while leaving his apartment. A security guard then shouted at him in Thai, which he did not understand, and he tried to apologize. Shortly after, police arrived and arrested him, according to his statement.
Andrew claimed that after being detained for more than 36 hours, an unidentified Italian man allegedly informed him that he needed to pay 15,000 baht in cash for his release. He stated that the police took him to withdraw money from an ATM, and two high-ranking officers took the money before releasing him.
Pol. Col. Nawin Thirawit, Chief of Pattaya City Police Station, revealed that the original incident occurred on November 22, 2024, at 8:30 PM. Andrew allegedly destroyed a car barrier, not a sign as originally reported, at his lodging, and after being called by security police took him in to calm down, fining him only 100 baht before releasing him. Police say they believed he was heavily intoxicated and disorderly leading to them being called.
 
Later, Andrew returned to his original accommodation, but his room was canceled by his landlord due to an alleged history of making loud noises and problems while drunk, causing another commotion and altercation between Andrew and the owners of his lodging, according to Pattaya police.
The owner of the lodging called police again when Andrew allegedly refused to leave and caused a major scene while being heavily intoxicated, according to police and the owners of the lodging, whose name has been withheld pending further investigation.
This led to his re-arrest and further legal proceedings and charges. The police confirmed that all property was returned to Andrew, with photographs taken as evidence. They strongly denied stealing anything from Andrew and his claims of extortion.
Continues with photos 
https://thepattayanews.com/2025/02/03/pattaya-police-strongly-deny-assault-and-extortion-claims-by-british-tourist-in-foreign-press-release-evidence-contradicting-his-claims/

While having dinner with three others at G’s on Soi 4 the other night, one member of our party got up to use rest room. When he returned, Guido’s cat had taken the opportunity occupy his seat. The quick thinking waiter—acknowledging that negotiation wasn’t an option—simply moved the chair to the head of the table and found a replacement for the temporarily displaced diner. 
For the remainder of our meal, the cat presided over the table, lifting his head only occasionally. He charitably permitted me to pet him under his chin on my way out. He rules the house with the disposition of a Jupiter model.

While having dinner with three others at G’s on Soi 4 the other night, one member of our party got up to use rest room. When he returned, Guido’s cat had taken the opportunity occupy his seat. The quick thinking waiter—acknowledging that negotiation wasn’t an option—simply moved the chair to the head of the table and found a replacement for the temporarily displaced diner. 
For the remainder of our meal, the cat presided over the table, lifting his head only occasionally. He charitably permitted me to pet him under his chin on my way out. He rules the house with the disposition of a Jupiter model.

Sorry to hear that you were not successful a few months ago. I find 4 hand massages challenging. I think I’ve only had one that was great. That was in Mexico City. It was a mind blowing experience. I literally couldn’t think clearly at the end when it was time to tip them. I still don’t think I tipped them enough! lol The others I’ve had were lacking in chemistry between the two masseurs. You have to find guys who are comfortable working with each other in that situation.
As for my afternoon appointment, it wasn’t a home run but it was still pretty fun. I had him start off nude but he just gave a regular massage in the nude. I think he was nervous. He said it was his first time leaving the shop to give a massage. I was able to drop some hints and about halfway through, things heated up and became more interactive. It was all “outside” activity (no anal) but that was ok. By the end, we were both wiped out and very happy. 
Tomorrow’s plans include exploring SK and visiting Phoenix and maybe one other spa while I’m there. lol 

While having dinner with three others at G’s on Soi 4 the other night, one member of our party got up to use rest room. When he returned, Guido’s cat had taken the opportunity occupy his seat. The quick thinking waiter—acknowledging that negotiation wasn’t an option—simply moved the chair to the head of the table and found a replacement for the temporarily displaced diner. 
For the remainder of our meal, the cat presided over the table, lifting his head only occasionally. He charitably permitted me to pet him under his chin on my way out. He rules the house with the disposition of a Jupiter model.

Last night reserved guy at 15M massage in SK. When I arrived 12 minutes early, he was waiting in shop. Highly satisfactory session and I plan to repeat with him again.
I found it worth noting that there were seven other guys in the shop when I arrived, any of whom I would have been happy to take.
(this shop has another outlet, 27M, on Sutthisan Winitchai rd.)

From CNBC
 
So-called “strongman” leaders of Europe — most of whom are allied with the likes of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin — look increasingly weak, analysts say, with their popularity waning ahead of key elections.
Trump’s inauguration was expected to give a shot in the arm to nationalist-populist leaders and parties such as Hungary’s Viktor Orban, Slovakia’s Robert Fico, Germany’s right-wing AfD party and Marine Le Pen and her National Rally party in France. But such a boost is not a foregone conclusion, as domestic pressures and economic challenges weigh on their popularity and power.
  “The re-election of Donald Trump for a second term in the U.S. had seemed to be a clarion call for a structural political shift towards similarly populist, MAGA style movements across Europe,” Timothy Ash, senior emerging markets strategist at RBC Bluebay Asset Management, said in emailed comments Thursday. MAGA refers to “Make America Great Again” — a slogan that has historically underpinned Trump’s nationalist campaign.
“Actually what we are seeing is a somewhat mixed picture across Europe, and actually with many of Trump’s apostles being on the back foot,” Ash said.
Continues at
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/04/strongman-leaders-of-europe-dont-look-so-strong-anymore.html
 

While having dinner with three others at G’s on Soi 4 the other night, one member of our party got up to use rest room. When he returned, Guido’s cat had taken the opportunity occupy his seat. The quick thinking waiter—acknowledging that negotiation wasn’t an option—simply moved the chair to the head of the table and found a replacement for the temporarily displaced diner. 
For the remainder of our meal, the cat presided over the table, lifting his head only occasionally. He charitably permitted me to pet him under his chin on my way out. He rules the house with the disposition of a Jupiter model.