Paagai

I have just read on a thai webboard (TMM Society) that Free Guy would have closed.

I hope I misunderstood the statement as I liked the boys there a lot ...

News to me......... two nights ago I had a drink with a couple of guys from there, before they went to work, so believe it was business as usual Went to a party there about ten days ago and the place was in full swing; many new handsome "waiters". I think there is a misunderstanding somewhere but will report back if I hear different.

SCAM ALERT-AN EXAMPLE OF A SCAM:

The Gay Romeo names of this con artist is CHACK1985, KENGMARK and HECKMAN, and others. He changes names frequently to escape retribution by his marks. His target is older, gay white guys. Be especially alert when dealing with him. He is English speaking Thai confidence man and scam artist and is very polished and clever in relieving you of your money without delivering any services. His specialty is to promise to meet you and then call advising that he has run out of gas and is stranded in Nan province, without money and food and needs you to wire funds to his Bangkok Bank account. He will then tell you that his grandmother had a heart attack and that he used some of the money to take her to the hospital so (...send more money please…) and that it is very dangerous for gays in Issan and he has to escape. He will never show up and will not answer his cell phone. If he does show up he will rob you. He is not even gay although he purports to be. He will then re-contact you and beg forgiveness and that he will pay you back if you will send him money to come to Pattaya to get a job. He will phone every 30 minutes begging for money to be transferred to his bank account and that he is frightened and in danger where he is stranded. He is an accomplished liar and a thief. BEWARE! If you do not do as he says he will threaten to kill you or says he will go to the police to get you deported. He is a toothless tiger as the threats are all a bluff.

So how much did he take you for?

I know Thai guys who practically live in the internet cafe and make a good income doing exactly this; its nothing new. It always amazes me the ease with which some Farang will send money to a complete stranger they've just met on the internet. How gullible can you get? More money than sense I guess, sorry but I have zero sympathy for anyone scammed in this way.

like what ?

You mean the "better solutions"? I don't think we want to get into discussing those on this forum There seems to be unanimous agreement the BIB won't do anything, so you need to do like Thai people do. Justice, like most things in Thailand one might expect to be "free" (e.g. water ), has a price

i agree with the cctv system, will be getting installed soon as, by the way, the white lotus on loi kroh was broken into recently,and they have a cctv system installed, the theives located the hard disk recorder,disconected it and stole that as well,was thinking of leaving my killer german shepard overnight, but i know they would only poisen her

Any decent hard disc recorder includes motion detection alarms and the ability to automatically upload video to an ftp site when an alarm is detected (and send email alerts with still pictures - e.g. to a mobile phone). The recorder should be located in a hidden secure location (e.g. in a metal box/safe). It, the Power supply for the cameras and the internet modem should be locked away too and powered via a UPS. That should buy some time and get an alarm and off site copy of the video before the intruders can disable the system. Other tricks include dummy cameras and hidden backup cameras to confuse. None of this stuff is expensive here.

Ta22 has it spot on, especially CCTV Systems are cheap and very effective, including internet connection so you can monitor your place from afar. Very effective detterent and they have the added bonus you can see what you did (and who you did it with ) when you came home drunk the night before!

Personally I'd recommend a couple of security/bodyguards too; invaluable! As to the BIB, if you have a name and know who the perpertrators are why would you go to the BIB? This is Thailand, there are much better solutions to such problems.......

I meet a boy in the club.

That about sums it up..............Caveat emptor

CM seems to have closed down all its gay go-gos, what happened?

Er, I don't think so......... Commercial bars here in CM have remained more or less constant for the last two and a half years - since Adam's closed down. All these bars are what's best described as host bars with a show rather than true go-go. Shows in some are quite raunchy. Best currently, (it changes, and is of course a matter of opinion/preference) is Free Guy, followed by New My Way (Few more lady boy acts), then Circle Pub (very popular with Thais). The old Doi Boys is now called Club Grooves (by Doi Boys), had a brief attempt at being a dance bar but has succumbed to its old ways. I have heard some very bad things about this place recently - AYOR.

Adam's Apple is rumoured to be reopening for Songkran - I'll believe it if and when I see it. The goodwill is long gone and new construction opposite will make access and parking a nightmare.

For an up to date guide to the Chiang Mai scene try radchada dot com and follow the links to the gay guide. One place thats had a big resurgence is Soho who had their re-launch party last night. Apparently it was standing room only with people spilling out onto the sidewalk! The night bazzar by contrast is totally dead, especially the couple of remaining bars at the Peak, the predictions about no "high season" this year certainly seem true.

Suggest you try Software Park:

http://www.swpark.or.th/

They are a government sponsored organisation based in Bangkok and offer a business match making service to help find business for Thai IT companies. Their website also has links to other government IT agencies that may be able to assist you.

Maybe the reason you've never been in any fights is because you only visit gay bars?

Sorry to dispoint, but this theory just doesn't add up. I have seen just as many fights in Chinag Mai gay bars as anywhere else, and I'm not just talking about screaching katoeys brandishing handbags (that's just the cabaret . I mean, fists, knives, snooker cues, machetes and even guns. Remember, these places are often full of young punks high on alcohol, yaabaa, and testosterone; a volatile combination!

For Chiang Mai have a look at the Chiang Mai Forum on TV; every other thread seems to be food orientated (though you may get the mistaken impression that CM has more burger bars than noodle carts, and the price of water is more important than the food )

Depends on how upmarket you want, a lot of ex-pats I know like the big five star hotel restaurants, D2, Shangri la, Chedi, Amari etc. Personally, spending half my life in such hotels on business trips, I avoid like the plauge when at home Also, you are paying for where you are rather than the food.

Some of the places I go to when I want somewhere a above average, without exagerating too much:

• Comedara - thai food on the river, has an art gallery as well and a more relaxed/select atmosphere than some of the other riverside restaurants (website is comedara dot com).
  
• Cafe De'nimman (spelling?) Nimmana Haeminda Road -opposite Warm Up -excellent Thai food and not overpriced. You can go for after dinner drinks and fun in Warm Up too (Bar disco type place - popular with gays) and grab a pre-dinner cocktail in the Glass Onion round the corner.
  
• Nimman (again not sure of the spelling, and not be confused with the above) located at the Kantary Hills hotel and also a short walk from Warm up. Western food menu.
  
• Pasta Cafe, Nimmana Haeminda Road, Soi 1 food fits with the name.
  
• The House and Ginger Kafe - Moon Muang (on the moat). Varied food, Thai and Western. Usually excellent, but a bit pricey by CM standards.
  

There are many, many other places here, but I doubt you'd be disappointed by any of the above.

One final comment, if you want somewhere nice to take the boyfriend for a drink, Soho bar on Huay Kaew Road has recently been sold to a very genial American gentleman who in a couple of weeks has totally turned the place around. It's gone back to being what it was in its hey day and is attracting a great crowd now. Mix of ex-pats, a few tourists and non MB type Thais. Real refreshing change for the Chiang Mai scene, especially as the remaining Night Bazzar venues very dismal and seedy now. I believe Soho also has food provided by the nearby Lemon Tree restaurant which Endure mentioned already.

Depends on is he was a Navy Seal. They are as bad as anybody!

Haven't you noticed that EVERY one of them is ex-special forces?

Navy Seals, SAS, etc. = special ops

Special Forces = well... Special Forces - you know, the pepper shaker guys... but then no, you probably don't...

btw General, is the In and Out still on the Hang Dong Rd? I read the Hamburger thread and thought I'd stop in but couldn't find it...

No i don't know. But I don't make up stories about being a super secret elite killing machine like many of these idiots you meet all over Thailand.

My point was that these blowhards all claim to be some kind of super hero. No one ever admits to having spent 8 years organising laundry in a base in Alabama. This is a land of Walter Mittys. They get so extreme because they mostly tell their stories to bar girls who coo appreciatively until by the time they get to a fellow westerner their story is so extreme and full of holes it sounds ridiculous.

All the idiots in Pattaya who claim to be hooked up with the Mafia and the Police are a different kettle of fish as even the bar girls know they're full of it, so they look for tourists to spout off to, until they run into an expat who knows they're speaking rubbish.

People who've REALLY been in the Special Forces, or whatever, are typically very coy about their past actvities.

Bagging about police connections can actually get you into a lot of trouble in Thailand, when you meet those who REALLY have them and ain't bragging.

Aren't hamburgers REALLY dog food - and this was the mad dog thread, right?

I am looking for a place to go out a bit more exclusive...

I do not mean 5 star hotels but where the more upperclass Thai hang out..

Does any of you have sugestions?

Club Grooves, Chiang Mai's latest sophisticated venue.

Also about wanting to find sex......I am very happily in a monogamous relationship for the last seven years and we are not into groupies or switching partners or whatever else.

The same poster's words less than 5 months ago:

Ok...I know its slightly off topic...but does anybody here know where I can find young cute farangs (18 to 25).in Bangkok..for whatever reasons...the ones on gay.com who claim to be 28 or in their thirties always look old...at least ten years older.

I believe the OP speaks with forked tongue, and definitely has a fixation with age (some of us would call "age-bias").

So glad I left that scene back in the West. So distasteful when westerners import it here.

Sounds like the OP pretends to be HiSo but would be more at home in Sunni Plaza "for whatever reasons" doesn't need a dictionary to translate.

Does anybody know of a good English speaking hairdresser in the Chiang Mai area?

keithkarmann

Khun Poo at Shampoo Salon speaks English and has a lot of Farang regulars. On Si Don Chai Road opposite Chiang Mai Plaza hotel

Whilst I agree Steve and his partner are nice guys I've found the place can be very hit and miss with the service and the food. They'd be better off getting some decent staff rather than trying to do it all themselves.

The Tai Yai waiter is very cute though

PS if anyone can tell me the 'original name' of the bar please, that'd be grand.

KK Saloon

Anyway, in my opinion Chiang Mai lost much of its "roughness" when "Mai Paeng" took to selling flowerpots.

I dont know of any American pool halls in Chiang Mai, though there are certainely a few Thai Snooker Halls, though im sure they have pool, aswell as Snooker! Suppose they are off the tourist track a bit though.

If you want a good game of pool, i guess stick to a pub/bar, such as O'Malleys, or The Half Moon Bar, etc, etc.

Round Chang Pheuak district there are many local "snooker" halls, but pool is the game usually played. It's not really my thing, but I believe they are full size snooker tables and you get a choice of a snooker or pool set of balls.

Godzilla, on Manee Nopparat Soi2 (Northern outer moat) behind the gas station is a good example, can think of a few others if anyone is interested. Doubt anyone speaks much English though. Food and alcohol available too.

There's a world of difference between the quality of tables though - the tables in some of the Thai snooker places are functional at best - the proper pool tables on their way are in an entirely different league - you are playing on ice rather than wading through treacle!

The skull shaped dents and bloodstains on the cues don't help either

i reckon that spicy at about 3am is about the roughest area in chiang mai. like newcastle's bigg market on a quiet night, almost.

Wai Aye man

Guess you've never been to some of the Tha Yai Karaoke places around Kamtieng at that time in the morning then?

Come on, China Airlines and Eva are the best airlines that run AMS-BKK direct. (Or AMS-CNX rather )

Cheap Charlie options IMHO. KLM Business class only for me. Some of my collegues tell me EVA business class is also OK though never tried it. CI - foget about that; I have a couple of Taiwanese friends who work for CI - way too much information.......

7 major crashes and 747 dead passengers in the last 20 years, old planes and very poor service . What's "pretty good" about that?

Since this is about safety, isn't it, (I'll take Cathay Pacific, Malaysian Airways or Thai Air if service was the #1 factor), could you please explain how KLM Business class is safer than KLM economy.

I agree completely about the service with the airlines you mention, though Thai can be hit and miss, especially flying to India; Singapore are also excellent. However, the thread was about flights to Amsterdam, and none of these airlines fly there from Thailand AFAIK.

But since you asked about the Business/Economy difference, apart from getting a good nights sleep and minimising time lost to jet lag, there is one big safety issue with economy:

http://www.economyclasssyndrome.net/

Hi,

Been in CM a few weeks. From my experiences here so far, I would say that the 'Farang Hotspots' (Lady bar and disco areas) seem to attract a lot rougher kind of farang than the Bangkok ones.

On TWO nights within the last week, I have almost come to blows with a different, drunken farang who wanted someone smaller than him to fight. These were in areas near to Spicy, and another spot which name I have forgotten.

Would anybody agree or disagree? I am a likeable guy by nature, mind my own business, very unconfrontational.

Yep, Spicy and similar places do have a certain reputation, and attract the more objectional Farangs. I see this as something as a public service as it keeps these louts away from other places. Just avoid Spicy unless you fit in that category.

Of course, a couple of drunken Farangs staggering around trying to land a punch is mere comedy. Have seen some awsome gang fights between locals with flying furniture, waving machetes, slingshots and even guns. Try Chiang Mai land most weekends!

Come on, China Airlines and Eva are the best airlines that run AMS-BKK direct. (Or AMS-CNX rather )

Cheap Charlie options IMHO. KLM Business class only for me. Some of my collegues tell me EVA business class is also OK though never tried it. CI - foget about that; I have a couple of Taiwanese friends who work for CI - way too much information.......

Both are pretty good airlines these days.

These passengers wouldn't agree with you:

7 major crashes and 747 dead passengers in the last 20 years, old planes and very poor service . What's "pretty good" about that?

Ever heard about people who have to pay for their ticket?Didn't know KLM never had a plane crash.

If I'm not paying for the ticket I fly first with BA

Of course, an impatient KLM Captain did cause the world's worst air disaster in Teneriefe, but that was over 30 years ago. There was much navel gazing after that and they've had an excellent record since.

I dont know of any American pool halls in Chiang Mai, though there are certainely a few Thai Snooker Halls, though im sure they have pool, aswell as Snooker! Suppose they are off the tourist track a bit though.

If you want a good game of pool, i guess stick to a pub/bar, such as O'Malleys, or The Half Moon Bar, etc, etc.

Round Chang Pheuak district there are many local "snooker" halls, but pool is the game usually played. It's not really my thing, but I believe they are full size snooker tables and you get a choice of a snooker or pool set of balls.

Godzilla, on Manee Nopparat Soi2 (Northern outer moat) behind the gas station is a good example, can think of a few others if anyone is interested. Doubt anyone speaks much English though. Food and alcohol available too.

Some in this thread seem to be trying to argue, Thai guys are all perfect, totally honest, and want nothing more than to settle down with a lover and live happily everafter. Why then was "goohok" one of the first words I learned in the Thai language?

The most sane response I've seen in this thread is the Alice in wonderland quote in Ijustwannateach's sig

Just as many dissadvantaged young northern girls are encouraged to work in BKK/Pattaya etc does the same apply to boys?

I'm not sure why you would ask such a question but the answer is yes; many, many. As I'm sure quite a few posters on this forum who like the dark skinned Issan look and physique will happily confirm!

I live on Canal Road and I have heard 4 or 5 so far today.

Got up at 8:00. Haven't heard a plane since then. It's 12:22

So I guess they're routing them differently.

Guess so -its been as noisy as hel_l over Chang Phueak this morning, seems like many more planes than usual + lots of military

Come on, China Airlines and Eva are the best airlines that run AMS-BKK direct. (Or AMS-CNX rather )

Cheap Charlie options IMHO. KLM Business class only for me. Some of my collegues tell me EVA business class is also OK though never tried it. CI - foget about that; I have a couple of Taiwanese friends who work for CI - way too much information.......

Both are pretty good airlines these days.

These passengers wouldn't agree with you:

7 major crashes and 747 dead passengers in the last 20 years, old planes and very poor service . What's "pretty good" about that?