CMHomeboy78

Beat me to it. The tabs hung that nickname on him when he was in his teens. Then he married that red headed tart who was filmed by a pool having her toes sucked by one of her toy boys. These slimebags are a disgrace. I hope William and Kate will eventually bring back some level of decency.

Agreed, the juggernaut of Eretz Israel will be their downfall. Just like the "victory" of Bolshevism in Russia led to bloody internal strife and eventual disintegration.

I can't say for sure, but as far as I know Photo Bug is a CM based operation with no branches in other cities. Phetchabun and Pee-lok may have some decent digital color labs now. It all depends on what quality level you want. As a graphic artist, I have hi-res scans of my originals done for digital art prints. Photo Bug does an excellent job of the scans. I have the prints done at Pattrara Pre-press in CM, or Bloom Pro Lab in Bangkok. I recently had some old family photos copied and printed at Photo Bug. late 19th and early 20th century silver prints reproduced exceptionally well, with the sepia tones coming out very close to our photos. Tech support means everything in these places. Good luck with your projects.

Indeed it was. Old photos show it as a little fishing village before the Vietnam War, I first saw it in the late 1970s a few years after the GIs had left. At that time, it was still booming but the demographics had changed dramatically. The place had a lot to offer, small as it was in those days. Also, numerous attractions close by - Bang Saen with its Monkey Mountain and many more until mass tourism and over development destroyed the lot. No amount of border fighting will kill Pattaya. Even if a full-scale conflict did break out, it would more than likely revert to its old identity as a party town for combatants. Sleaze-by-the Sea will never die.

I forgot to add the photo.

PhotoBug Digital Color Lab. 49 Chang Puak Rd. Sri Phum, A. Muang, Chiang Mai. Tel. 053 287 148 This is the go-to place for graphic arts professionals in CM. They have some excellent tech guys who have always given me the best of service at reasonable prices.

Good points about family here. My own experience bears it out. While you're generally right about the importance of language proficiency, there have been notable exceptions. Bernard Trink and Jim Thompson come to mind, but many others have certainly qualified as Old Asia Hands without being fluent in Thai. Their business and social milieu was largely populated by English speakers so there was no compelling reason for them to learn - presuming they were able to in the first place. That said, for those of us who don't fly so high, it is much better to be able to communicate directly and understand what is being said around us.

Disabuse yourself of the notion that Thais look upon the Buddhist Sangha as "beggars". With very few exceptions they certainly do not. "...Thais believe they do gain merit by giving to beggars, be they monks or lay people". You're right about the monks but wrong about the "lay people". Beggars were a rare sight anywhere in Thailand when I first came here in the late 1970s. As time went by, more and more refugees - mostly Khmer and Lao - started arriving and becane a familiar sight begging on pedestrian overpasses and other places where they were likely to get some money. In the '80s and '90s most were organized by gangs and taught how to use children and how to fake disabilities if they didn't have them already. Thais never saw giving to them as "merit". Learn more about Thailand before posting nonsense.

Exactly. The racial idiocy so prevalent in the West would be seen as ridiculous anywhere else. It would be comical if the consequences hadn't proved to be so catastrophic. The country I grew up in has changed out of recognition as a result of it. There is nothing to go back to.

The last I heard was that he had returned to San Francisco. He was a prolific poster here on the CM Forum and ran one of the best used bookshops in town for many years.

That's true. The trekking company also ran a popular guesthouse in Fa-hahm back in the day. Their guides - mostly Karien and Lisu - flat out refused to accept Israelis after having so many bad experiences with them. To say it was anti-semitism would be ludicrous. It's not race, religion, or politics, it's the way they act.

The whole place has been on life-support for a long time. Just a ghost of what it once was. My only reason for going there was Good Speed Computer, my go-to shop for repairs and low prices on new equipment. They are now located on the same street [Manee Nopparat] just a little further along at #332 3. Good people to deal with - honest, efficient, and courteous.

If tourist arrivals were to fall drastically then you would see more - and hopefully more effective - action to stop this ongoing insanity. In all probability more money is spent to promote tourism in Northern Thailand than is spent in firefighting in the mountains and in strictly enforcing the seasonal laws against agricultural burning. A moratorium on promoting holiday travel to what is on some days the most polluted city in the world would be a good first step. According to my son-in-law who lives there, Singapore has had success recently in greatly reducing smoke haze caused by agribusinesses in the region. They impose sanctions that have had the desired effect. Gov't inaction here in Chiang Mai isn't surprising, but it is really discouraging to see the widespread apathy - especially among young people - when faced with this public health crisis.

Spot on... Charles Sobhraj didn't operate out of the Boston Inn. He had a flat in Kanit House and his partner-in-crime, Ajay Chowdury was based at the Malaysia Hotel from where they met many of their victims. Jailed in India after his luck ran out in 1976, his story has been written about and filmed many times as an ongoing criminal adventure. He's still alive as far as I know. Recent information about him is hard to find. Maybe some members could give an update. Those who were here in the late 1970's will remember the large numbers of Thais - and many foreigners - who were con-artists of one type or another. Maybe not homicidal nutcases like Sobhraj, but just as clever at parting you from your money, your valuables, or your passport. It was all part of the journey and there was nothing "sentimental" about it. When I first came here in 1978 I knew what to expect because I had done the Hippie Trail two years earlier with a friend, riding two-up on his BMW 650, so I had already graduated cum laude.

What is on the table is usually a lot less than what passes under it... TIT.