montrii

So what's the upshot here: CheckInn is closing and won't relocate to any new location, but the house band is going to be relocating elsewhere?

I don't know details, but have been told they're close to making an agreement for a new place at least for the short term, and it won't be for just the band, but for the whole scene, as much as can be transferred over. But nothing's ever quite the same, we all know that . . . who knows, though, in the end it all might be better! In any case even if this latest possibility falls through, the search goes on. Keep tuned.

The Nana plaza shutdown thread will be interesting when it gets demolished..only a matter of time really. Bangkok is evolving and will be very interesting to see it in 10 years time

Yeah that whole part of town is on borrowed time for sure. No doubt somebody will make the case for it as a unique cultural icon.

Somebody might, and it won't be me, but I hope they don't immediately get overwhelmed with sarcastic putdowns (which of course is a vain wish - seems to be the way some folks like to spend their days). But there was a time before Nana, and there will be a time after Nana, and I don't think the last is too far off. What the heck, they'll just build a fancier one somewhere else whether you like it or not.

What I don't like (and this has been said before by many) is the attempted Singaporization of Bangkok. It's mostly ugly, tasteless, and completely ignores old neighborhoods. There's no zoning and virtually no planning, a huge amount of developer greed, and . . . well . . . there goes the neighborhood! Of course, here I am in a condo such as you might find in Miami, so no position to whine. Observe, take the bad with the good.

You're quoting Dylan in support of a derivative cabaret act?

Seriously?

I give up. You ain't gonna see it, you ain't gonna see it. But I don't think Dylan would think that was putting it to bad use. Anyhow that's it for me on this.

Yeah, I thought the band were pretty slick at what they do. But what they do is bland, cruise ship entertainment.

Cool, a positive take! Yet why the "but?" Their shows aren't spozed to be opera. Just good fun. And nothin wrong with that. I worked cruise ships, too, and while there's a lot of silly stuff there, we also had world-class stuff, Victor Borge, Gary Burton, etc. And CheckInn has world-class people come through all the time. Lots of best-selling authors, probably some you've read, if you read, hang out regularly there. Not just a few, lots.The place is no palace, but what's wrong with that? A little run-down, too funky in some ways, the air conditioning isn't top of the line, but it's real, and there's a real community around it. The jazz jams are uneven, but have really musical moments, the regular rhythm section (all Thai) is very solid, and sometimes some truly stellar players, even big names, drop in and blow me away. The place is happening, that's all I can say. If you don't see it, just don't put down people who do.

The 'but' is because it's a shame to see such obviously talented people performing generic, by the numbers rubbish. Those girls can sing. It would be nice to see what they can do beyond bland karaoke.

It just comes too easily to you to call something "rubbish," or "bland." To say it's not to your taste, ok. Don't go back, then. But they do a lot of really classic material, good songs that people like, in different ways than the usual. Entertaining, ya know? And they like doing it. I don't think they'd call it rubbish, in fact they like it. I've enjoyed watching the shows I've seen, and they do seem to draw. They may do more serious stuff on the side, sing arias with Somtow and the Bkk Opera, I dunno, but I get the impression they're having fun. That may be the level of talent they have, just doing fun stuff. They choreograph, they work out harmonies, etc. etc., and aren't really copying anyone. When rock'n'roll came in, a lot of people called that simplistic rubbish, too. "Three great guys, three great chords," etc. . . . but it got something universal. Changed the world, in fact. You wanna see highbrow, go highbrow. You wanna have fun, easy entertainment, go see Music of the Heart. And I think Dylan got it right with "don't put down what you don't understand." Of course, if you think you understand everything, I suppose that doesn't apply, right? But you know you don't. Just don't be so quick on the draw, try to see what others see in this. Or don't. But it's not cool to be snobbish. If you met the folks in that band and knew them as real people you'd have a clearer picture, methinks.

Yeah, I thought the band were pretty slick at what they do. But what they do is bland, cruise ship entertainment.

Cool, a positive take! Yet why the "but?" Their shows aren't spozed to be opera. Just good fun. And nothin wrong with that. I worked cruise ships, too, and while there's a lot of silly stuff there, we also had world-class stuff, Victor Borge, Gary Burton, etc. And CheckInn has world-class people come through all the time. Lots of best-selling authors, probably some you've read, if you read, hang out regularly there. Not just a few, lots.The place is no palace, but what's wrong with that? A little run-down, too funky in some ways, the air conditioning isn't top of the line, but it's real, and there's a real community around it. The jazz jams are uneven, but have really musical moments, the regular rhythm section (all Thai) is very solid, and sometimes some truly stellar players, even big names, drop in and blow me away. The place is happening, that's all I can say. If you don't see it, just don't put down people who do.

Dude, it's a bar full of aging sexpats with a cheesy Philippina band. Hardly some precious piece of Thai culture.

What is this, biker dude? We're supposed to take you as some kind of cultural authority? If you'd ever paid attention to that band you call cheesy - that is, if you knew how to pay attention - you'd have seen more showmanship than in 95%+ of the acts that are in or come through Bangkok. Yeah, they do pop & oldies, but they are serious pros. I made my living as a musician/entertainer for decades, and those guys impress me. In Dec. 2014 I played 5 days in Checkinn 99 with a Blues Brothers tribute horn band from Holland. Good charts, fun playing. The Filipinas joined us for almost a whole show. Our first rehearsal they nailed every tune on the first take, close harmonies, too, that's how much they'd rehearsed before we got there. And they can dance, too. I mean, really dance.

Man this forum is full of cynics. Know-nothings that pretend to know it all. "Sexpats," sheesh. How original. Maybe that term can be legitimately applied to the clientele of some of the bars around, but not this one. Why don't the trolls here just butt out? Ah, maybe badmouthing is an uncontrollable addiction. I expect nothing will change, we're gonna probably hear more belches and farts from SoiBiker and friends, they can't help it. Probably the best entertainment they have all day, listening to their own self-righteous squawks and yammering.

Anyhow they are looking around to open somewere else nearby, and there are many, many very cool people, young and old, who are hoping this happens, and soon. You ignorant naysayers, just be aware that the Checkinn plays a unique and valuable role for a good number of us who call Thailand home. Ah, but you're the ones who knows what good taste is, right? Sorry, I forgot myself for a minute.

I thought the manager of Check Inn actually posted on here?

I don't think that's happened on this thread, anyhow. I know those guys. Actually it's a pretty amazing story there. You can read about it in a recent book called Bangkok Beat (by Kevin Cummings), I think it's available at Asia Books. A whole chapter, detailed and colorful history. Trolls will never get it, but there's more to the expat scene in this town than geezers and girlie bars. I mean, nothing against geezers and girlie bars (except the trolls that run with them), but Checkinn is a whole nother thing.

All the people saying I've never been there I've walked in a couple of times,been handed the menu card,took one look and walked out again to the plethora of other better value,busier bars in that area.Had all the whingers coming out of the woodwork on here actually supported this dive it wouldn't be closing down now,would it?

How many bars that are fantastically priced,packed to the rafters with cheery expat folk as we're being led to believe,all smiling at each other and getting on,insisting on paying each other's bills while swapping Special Forces stories of incursions into enemy territory close down?

That's right the answer is a big,fat ZERO!

MyFrenU, your ignorance is showing again. The place is not closing because business was bad. Business was fine. It was the building owner, who snapped up a big offer from a developer to put something else in. The Checkinn 99 management thought they had secured a 10-year lease from him, in fact, and he went back on his word to provide them with that. The race is on to find a replacement place.

I know it must be awful to say something nice and bitter like your empty posts and then have them cut down, but that's what they deserve. If you don't know what you're talking about, you shouldn't say anything. And think before you say something negative . . . your words seem designed to hurt. About the food, it's not a restaurant. They just have a few snack foods, I think 99baht. And the clientele is way multinational, not special forces.

Also never said you haven't been there. You just never learned anything about the place. That's OK, but then you don't have any business talking about it, either.

.

I don't see where it's closing?

The article is from 2013.

Unfortunately, the news is true, if sudden.

No surprise whatsoever,always empty,ridiculously overpriced for a beer it's not rocket science is it?Probably run on the expert marketing strategy so prevalent in Thailand that the emptier you are the more you charge for a beer,just to make up the shortfall TiT!

Trying to see this response in any sort of positive light is impossible. MyFrenU, you obviously don't know anything about the scene there. Beers are about what they are everywhere else, the place is often packed, and besides the amazing nightly Filipina show band and the well-run Sunday jazz jam, there are cultural events . . . film showings, poetry readings, celebrity interviews, even the Vagina Monologues. Very near and dear to a lot of expats, and the management are some serious and dedicated folks, hard to find. "no surprise whatsoever," wow.

I am having a really hard time imagining what is prompting the endless and meaningless back-and-forth nasty comments on this topic, one saying "you'll get bitten on the arse," then another saying "NO! It's YOU who'll get bitten!" And you have to read to the bottom of endless quotes to even figure out what the comment is. I certainly can't keep track of who is who in this empty blathering (which includes a lot of bad grammar and misspelling, not to mention spurious logic), and I hope it stops.

What is getting lost here is that two people have been condemned to death, and unless one is seriously out of touch, it's pretty obvious there's a LOT of doubt about their guilt. To tar people who believe in their innocence with nasty epithets such as "truther" is not only rude and mean, but is disrespectful of the life-and-death seriousness of the issue.

I have followed actions in the Thai courts and by the Thai police for decades. I think that anyone who has even a small idea of the way things work on this side of the world will not minimize the corruption, ass-covering, power plays, lies, twisting of words, and scapegoating that goes on in the legal system here. Thailand is not governed by what we in the Western world call "rule of law." Judges may indeed listen to evidence, but very often their minds have been made up long before they even get to that, and as a general rule judicial decisions seem to follow the preferences of the powers that be, rather than what we would see as due process.We see this over and over and over!

It has been painfully obvious to me from the beginning that this conviction is a gross miscarriage of justice. I never saw the "social media" stuff, FB or anywhere else, I just followed the news from day 1. At every step I experienced the rank smell of corruption. This whole thing stinks to high heaven, and how can someone be convicted in an atmosphere like that?

So, unless you are really familiar with the way things work in my adopted country, have not followed this since it began, and if you are only responding to a bunch of social media posts, I think you should not make judgments about what's going on. And in any case, enough with the name-calling. This is about people's lives, not about you and your prejudices and your ego.

I could go on. I myself have spent considerable time on Koh Tao and just that gives me a pretty good perspective on this. But enough. Let's just hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

After initially believing in the innocence of the two charged men, I now believe the family of the murdered man who strongly believe in their guilt after consultations with UK police involved with the matter and their attendance at court. It was difficult to accept but they are the ones who had the most interest in deciding the guilt or otherwise of the two charged men and must have looked very critically at the evidence presented so I believe them.

What I don't agree with, however, is the death penalty for the two men in case any further evidence is presented in the future that would overturn their convictions.

That is complete tosh! The last people you would ask for an opinion about this are those who have a huge vested emotional interest in it.

Also, from news reports I've read about the family's agreement . . . they were apparently treated to a VIP-level song-and-dance show run by master publicists. They did not hear from Dr. Porntip, or any of the serious critics of the police. Their comments hold very little weight with me. And the young woman's parents held back from saying anything.

What a pile of garbage. All these same issues all over again.

Like lack of witnesses... Does the author truly believe that there would be witnesses to the murder hanging around that cove in the middle of the night? It's almost as if the author wasn't familiar with the case at all and just read some conspiracy Facebook pages.

This response angers me. I hate "conspiracy theories" in general, am a true skeptic. But to write something like this is to say you yourself have not followed the case. Or maybe you're not familiar with the kind of "sweeping under the rug" that is the absolute norm here. But I have more than 50 years' experience in Thailand, and I am convinced the police case stinks to high heaven and low hell. I'm 99% sure these poor cats are getting railroaded and are likely to lose their lives, very likely to protect someone who has pockets deep enough to deflect blame from the true culprit. I suggest that this poster is actually the one unfamiliar with the case.

Hey guy, please don't be too put off by the huge number of cynics here. Most of them have been through the school of hard knocks, which you may or may not be about to enter. The trouble with their advice is that their bad experiences have outweighed the good. I have run the gamut of experiences here and have ended up happy, seriously happy, for a number of years now. I've also been screwed over in just about all the other ways at one point or another . . . live and learn. The reason most guys are attracted to the women here is that there truly is something different going on, and it does have potential that's very hard to find elsewhere. So just keep your eyes open, but have courage. Go for it, and good luck. If it doesn't work out, you've learned something. Be prepared to be disappointed, but try to take away something positive. If the chemistry's right, and you're VERY lucky, you might have something really cool this very first time. But be prepared to come down from your high. Just don't let the bastards grind you down. Some of the finest women I've met in the world have been women with stories similar to yours. The cynics will scoff at that, but it's as true as anything I know. And I've been around Thailand a lot longer than practically anyone on this board. Seriously. My regret is that I had to choose only one, but that's how it goes in this life, can't really get away with more than that.

it s not their side roads ... roads are public and use to walk.

I think it s scandalous that I have to walk on the road and go around shops because they transformed the side walks to a shopping center.

So . . . you might want to try Singapore! Oh . . . wait a minute . . . that's what they're trying to turn Bangkok into. Let me out of here!!

More years ago than I want to say, I came here as a 21-year-old U.S. Peace Corps volunteer. I was young and in great physical shape, but almost the hardest thing to get used to was the heat. After a few months I did get used to it, but never embraced it. It is a pretty ridiculously hot/humid country a lot of the time. I'm still used to it, but it still annoys me - I just hold my tongue, don't complain. However, the Thais themselves don't like it. I just took my wife on her first visit to the States, and she LOVED the weather. Of course, it was summer . . . but she's been talking about going back ever since! Plus complaining about the heat here. I have a lot of Thai friends, and believe me, the heat is not a favorite of theirs, either. They are pretty apprehensive about global warming!

The Euro was never about money or the economies. It was always about control. There is no reason under the sun other than controlling people and countries to have a common currency.

It will fail.

the US-Dollar did not fail when it was forced on the confederate states and the European Union did not (to the best of my knowledge) face a civil war since inception of the €UR.

Whatever, neversure, but the conversation would be more comfortable if you'd live up to your name and not be so all-fired sure about everything, making such grand pronouncements. We weren't discussing "homogenizing," as if Europe were some sort of milk, either. We were talking about a monetary system. And how do you think the almighty dollar got started? The 13 colonies had people declaring the same sorts of things as you are now. They all had different currencies and trading with each other was a ridiculous proposition. They worked it out and came up with a common currency. It was much more about convenience than control. And, just as in Europe, it was voted on. I'm sure there are some people who behave as unelected masters, but they certainly don't get their way all the time. OK, you see some bad headlines and preach doom and gloom. You're welcome to your belief, but I'd urge you to get real. There's a lot more to all of this than you appear to be seeing.

The USA was entirely different. It formed one country with one central government, one monetary system, one language and one set of goals. I know of no group and certainly no state that wants to disband it. Even though there was a Civil War 140 years ago it has functioned as intended.

Europe has no such common government and certainly not the Constitution and not a similar language as the USA has.

The US was formed largely by people who were escaping Europe and mostly the King of England. They were rebellious against the King to the point of having The Boston Tea Party^R and other things. The People, in democratic fashion, rose up against the Central Government of The King of England^R and had a revolution. From that came the homogenization but it was a willing homogenization.

Anyone who thinks that Europe remotely resembles the founding of the United States (United being important here) of America isn't paying attention.

Cheers.

Montrii ^^^ You really need to stop the insulting talk. It adds nothing to the points you want to make.

Wow, you're more sensitive than I am. I don't see how I've been insulting. It's just that calling yourself "neversure" and then being so positive about things as to say flatly "it will fail," "It was never about . . ." and "no reason under the sun," to mention a few, does not compute to me. You don't seem to be keeping an open mind about the issue, and I'm pointing that out. If that's an insult, it's not intended as such. You do see you are making rather grand prophecies, do you not?

Now in relation to Europe and the founding of the US, you're muddying the waters. I was merely stating a fact about the problems the US faced after winning the Revolutionary war, the problems which led it to create a common currency and agree on a new and strong constitution. It took quite a few years for them to get to this point, after struggling with a much looser union. This speaks to your contention that control is the only factor at work in creating a single currency. No. Convenience is certainly a factor, would you not say? I traveled Europe when it had many currencies, and crossing borders meant all sorts of financial complications. And there are plenty of other factors.

If you find my comments insulting, I'm sorry, but I do find your observations less than thoughtful, informed, or incisive. They are simply statements of opinion, presented as truth. I say that not to hurt you or to support my own arguments, just to say that this is part of what I see wrong in political discourse today, opinions stated as fact. I'm not going to tell you what's going to happen with the Euro, whether it will meet with success or failure, whatever those terms may mean in this case, but you are. You might even be right, I don't know, maybe it will fail. But you've certainly given me no reason to think that with these pronouncements of yours.

The Euro was never about money or the economies. It was always about control. There is no reason under the sun other than controlling people and countries to have a common currency.

It will fail.

the US-Dollar did not fail when it was forced on the confederate states and the European Union did not (to the best of my knowledge) face a civil war since inception of the €UR.

Funny you should use those examples, because it took a Civil War in the US to impose central control as the Confederate states were attempting to secede from the Northern union due to social and economic reasons... Same as is happening in the EU today...

I think Naam made an unfortunate choice of words. The Union didn't "force" a new currency after Lee's surrender. It won the war, and things went back to the way they'd been before. The dollar was a product of the original United States Constitution. And it solved many problems arising from the use of multiple currencies.

The EU was formed as a monetary and economic union, not a political union... What the EU has become is a union of countries that are being forced into political decisions mandated by the unelected economic bureaucrats in Brussels... The economies of each country in the EU is different, so you cannot simply lay a template over all countries and expect monetary flows to equate... Northern EU countries are far more productive economically than southern countries... As long as each country had the ability to print their own currency, they could inflate their way out of economic crisis... Not any more as all fall under IMF, ECB control... We now hear noise from leaders such as Hollande calling for a unified European government, which in my opinion was the goal all along... Slippery slope and it might have worked long term, but TPTB have screwed up any chance of success with further pressure placed on the EU nations by unbridled immigration of people from dissimilar cultures, placing further economic pressure on each country...

I wouldn't say they've screwed up "any chance," to me it seems more like a normal <deleted>. There are pressures, and they're not being handled well. OK. Maybe some solutions will be found. What is success, anyhow? 100 years? 500? Or 30? Let's watch and see what happens next.

The Euro was ill conceived and will fail. It's just a matter of time. No such group of countries with different cultures and even different languages can be homogenized.

The only thing that might save it is total control. It was always about control so let's see how that goes for those who are trying to control. You know - the unelected masters who sit on their thrones.

It isn't working.

Cheers

Whatever, neversure, but the conversation would be more comfortable if you'd live up to your name and not be so all-fired sure about everything, making such grand pronouncements. We weren't discussing "homogenizing," as if Europe were some sort of milk, either. We were talking about a monetary system. And how do you think the almighty dollar got started? The 13 colonies had people declaring the same sorts of things as you are now. They all had different currencies and trading with each other was a ridiculous proposition. They worked it out and came up with a common currency. It was much more about convenience than control. And, just as in Europe, it was voted on. I'm sure there are some people who behave as unelected masters, but they certainly don't get their way all the time. OK, you see some bad headlines and preach doom and gloom. You're welcome to your belief, but I'd urge you to get real. There's a lot more to all of this than you appear to be seeing.

1. You say that "Benelux," a common market in the center of Europe which led to prosperity all around, eventually inspiring the European Common Market, the Euro..."

2. So you agree that the common market without a common currency led to prosperity. Good.

3. I contend that this prosperity has not continued as promised under the Euro, and the headline news today proves it.

4. This would do nothing to prevent wars and has nothing to do with that.

Your posting style is rather rude, BTW.

Cheers

Ah, neversure, sorry if it came across as rude, I do understand how that might be, but I was just calling it as I saw it. I could add more adjectives, but since I don't want to add to my rudeness, suffice it to say the comment made me mad. It exemplified to me a most unfortunate mind-set I see everywhere of using absolutes and seeing no subtlety in the events of human history, at a time when subtler understanding is sorely needed. Yes, the common market led to prosperity. I disagree that it "has not continued as promised under the Euro," or that current headlines prove that thesis. As another poster noted, all currencies have ups and downs. Who is at fault for this particular crisis? That's up for debate, plenty of blame to go around. But in this debate there have been voices both calling for careful and for draconian approaches. Take your pick there as to whose side you're on, but draconian won, this time. Maybe next time careful will win. There's a back and forth that is competely missed in your "It will fail" comment. If the moniker "neversure" reflects your actual attitudes in life, perhaps you'd do well to apply a little more of those to this question.

The Euro was never about money or the economies. It was always about control. There is no reason under the sun other than controlling people and countries to have a common currency.

It will fail.

Such a shortsighted, narrow-minded, and flat-out ignorant comment! Also pretentious, as if the poster had some deep ability to know the future. "Never about money or the economies," what nonsense! Does the poster know about all the struggles to break down trade barriers in the European states going back before WWI that eventually created "Benelux," a common market in the center of Europe which led to prosperity all around, eventually inspiring the European Common Market, the Euro, and . . . unbelievably, after centuries of internecine warfare . . . the European Union? So many forces involved, not just powerful corporations, but labor groups and people of good will and conscience? "No reason under the sun," ha! How about simplicity in crossing borders and buying goods in other countries, just for a basic starter. Sheeesh!

@Bannork . . . putting your quote in because I forgot to do it at the start . . .

Bannork wrote:

". . . we will have to agree to disagree. I've done my share of reading and writing Thai over the years, I did a Bachelor degree in Humanities, majoring in Thai language at Ramkhamhaeng, the year after Andrew Biggs- that involved a lot of reading and writing and I say again, it's not that difficult."

Well, not knowing more than that, I just say my hat's off to you if you feel it's easy - you're certainly not ignorant! - but I doubt that perception is shared by many. I love the cool-looking characters and the history in them, but I believe the language would be well served by a serious reworking of the writing system. A lot of me would hate to see it Romanized, after the Vietnamese model, but I believe it would promote increased literacy in Thailand and make the language more accessible to scholars. But I see disadvantages in that, too. At the very least, though, I think they should start parsing words (putting spaces between them), and making a more sophisticated and consistent use of punctuation.

I've had deep conversations about related subjects with educated Thais, and have often heard Thais of all educational levels say they developed a dislike of reading at an early age because reading was agonizingly difficult to learn when they were in those early school years. Very common story, almost the same one every time. Thailand has some avid readers, but I don't believe nearly as many as in Western countries. Yes, millions easily (more than I) read newspapers every day and are not incredibly talented, but they were taught in early years, and had nothing to compare it to. Most of those same "easy readers" have tremendous difficulty with English and other Roman-alphabetic languages, and much of that is because they're taught to relate the sounds to their own rigid system. Learning to read Thai is certainly not be as hard as reading Japanese (the hardest one I've seriously looked at), but it's a way, way harder than for Korean, and I think than any European language, too.

I guess we can go on agreeing to disagree, but it would be good to hear from others who've made serious attempts at learning it and get more opinions.

Wait a minute . . . GMH wrote it that way? When? I see only normal versions . . . as http://www.potw.org/archive/potw29.html