LaosLover

No Soi 7 Beer Garden mention? No, you don't have to be a local. All walks of life are welcome.

I learned to drive in Wales, like most Americans do (it's a mini-industry). I drove through every square foot of it and no other place in Europe has such a variety of scenery in so small a space. The Welsh vastly prefer Americans to The English. Just like when I lived in Suffolk, I ranked higher among the locals than a Londoner. Grudge-wise, the English beat out even the Serbs. Their grudges and accents change every 20 kms headed north. I have English family living in some ex-coal mine slag heap of a town. Three generations later, they're still distinctly English and very anti-Welsh.

The Welsh are even harder to understand. They sound like they're trying cough up a Brillo pad.

Sadly, that cockney accent is all but gone. It's like if you want to hear a Martin Scorcese-level New Yawk accent, you have to go out to The Pocono's or far north New Jersey, where all the cops retired to. My mother was a true cockney. Born within the sound of ball bag's bells, or whatever the saying is.

I'm half-English. I never hear them refer to themselves as British. Because Great Britain includes Wales, which they regard as the Alabama of the UK.

He's more English than Suggs from Madness.

Look at the Aree Garden restaurant mall. Def stay in Ari if the weekend market is your focus. I auditioned the Ari neighborhood for living in. Verdict: heavily over-sold on Youtube in terms of how lively it is, but surprisingly low-scale for how close to the city center it is. I tried Victory Monument too, the same, only more lively and less low-scale.

I read in The Buddha Brain that we're hard-wired for negativity. It's that edginess that helped us dodge masterdons back in the day. Can't fault that last sentence.

Hua Hin is like Soho compared to Ayuthaya. As a ruin, it's underwhelming. That night cruise? A mosquito-infested swat-fest. And I was burning a coil on the boat. Sukothai trounces Ayuthaya and then some. It's a good place to shop for amulets and small statues. Since it's a pilgrimage stop, lots of stuff is made there and/or ends up there. When I was still collecting Nang Kwak's and stuff like that, about 20% of my stuff came from there. You can get a half-meter plastic Nang Kwak for 500 baht. A 7/11 Chang and some amulet haggling in the PM? Sign me up. Pass the Santip.

Say what you will, it's a great time filler. Your love of travel may wane a bit over time. I moved to Thailand a year ago. I thought I'd be exploring every last corner of SEA. I've been to ho-hum Penang and Singapore for visa runs. And then I went to Laos for a hard week (nothing was open, wife got dengue). Settling into Chiang Mai has really lessened my wanderlust. I don't have to get on a plane to get my Thai hit anymore. It's now all around me. Net effect: Much happier, much less adventurous. I used to be the kind of guy who would go and eat Khao Soi Noodles in 10 places, because that's the kind of thing you do as a tourist. Now I have 3 good Khao Soi places within a five minute walk. But I'm not even going to rotate among them, I'm just going to the one with no name -when I want Khao Soi -which I want a lot less now that it's on Khao Soi-tap compared to when I lived in the states. I've been meaning to go to Muslim Khao Soi for a year. It's 15 minutes away in a cab. I want to see if it's truly 5* Khao Soi or just benefiting from liberal-type, affirmative action, over-positive Google-reviewing due having the word, "Muslim" in the shop name. But I'll have to wait for tourist friends to show up to solve this mystery. If I pitch it to my wife, she'll say, "can't we just eat on our street instead?". And I will agree. We can hop on one foot to a dozen great eateries without shifting feet. If I won't even go to Muslim Khao Soi, Myanmar beaches and another look in on Xieng Kok are definitely on hold. And if you move here, you'll prob be some variety of the same.

Classes cost money. Bob is free.

But if you had the choice of spending it or leaving it behind (assuming loved ones were taken care of), what blow out thing would you buy? I've seen Tuscan Super Red's for $200+ a bottle. Toss another million on to my pile, and I'd add a thousand dollar a week onto my budget until death -I'd be taking some pricey South Seas cruises, maybe getting a personal driver and chef. Def would have Pied de Terre in Silom. Some one asked Howard Hughes butler, how much money did he leave? The butler replied: "All of it". A lesson for us all.

Yes. If Biden did X, Y, or Z, turn him into a love sponge for both The Bloods and the Crips gangs in prison. Same for Orange Fattie?

We need to meet up at Happy Frog. They have a panini press.

What motivates him to endlessly debase himself? Trump's voters wouldn't spit on him. DeSantis is like a guy who pays for a third water buffalo.

In your experience, would a 50-55 year old Thai woman be open to falafel dining or should I just take her to Ginger Kitchen? I'm also thinking they're pretty straight arrow in bed. That -and the falafel conundrum- are why I am likely to stick with the filthy, fat white heathens.

That's what I'm saying, at a certain point, it's not "what a waste", it's how can I waste more? See also: BS high end whiskey like Johnny Walker Blue Label. The people paying $220 for a bottle of whiskey are mad that they're not drinking a $1000 whiskey. They can only drink so much in a lifetime; be gone swill!! The people drinking Johnny Walker Blue are successful dentists, not true VIP's. Thrift alert: JW-Blue is only $160 in Vientiane.

If I'm going to be hitting it with someone 20 years younger, I'll need a better diet. That's why I specified a 20 years-younger Thai. They'll be less fussy.

I have a relative who was a rinser (sugar-speak for rip off). She would collect the little cash gift at the beginning, then feign illness. Like $200 a pop. She did it about half a dozen times. On the various sites, many women say they're offering platonic only. So try your hand at that. No wait, that came out wrong.

I'm 70, my American wife is 60. If I had to replace her, I'd do a 15 year age diff. Nor is 20 out of the question. Prob not with a Thai woman, tho. But if I'm going native, then more likely 20 years younger than 15.

Trump says every day that he has the right to hold on to secret papers -that he also swears the FBI planted on him. Both those things cannot be true. So no, I won't be lording my American wonderfulness over anyone anytime soon.

My wife has some health issues, so when she flew back to the states, she went first class. It was $5K and a great experience. 6 months later, that same flight now costs $12K. But at my age, I have to spend it down. So with an extra mill in the bank, We could both do that 4 times without even really denting the mill. That's what luxury is about; you have too much money -various purveyors want to help you out with that.

I recently bought a $150 polo shirt, so I might upgrade all of my $70 ones. I see Versace has $1,000 polo shirts, so put me down for two. I might buy an old Buddha at River City High End Antique Mall. A high quality fake one. Other than that, I can't spend the money I already have. If I order in Starbucks, go out for sushi, make a booze or pot run, and tip like I'm going to death row, it's still hard to crack a $100 bill a day here. How many toddler arm-sized river prawns am I expected to choke down?

Julie Burchill said that Stephen Fry was a stupid person's idea of a smart person. Piers Morgan is a chav's idea of a classy person.

I was drinking with an Aussie oldie in Vientiane tonight and we went down a Midnight Oil conversational rabbit hole. She knew Amphette from The Divynals. We were eating quail and 48 hour marinated duck right off the grill in a falling down, jungle-ish shack right in the middle of downtown and quaffing dollar dark Beer Lao's. Not all that boring. Maybe a tenner per person all in.