edwardandtubs

Don't forget to tip the hairdresser, doctor and dentist next time you go, especially if they're really cute. Some people really don't get it.

There's no need to tip. If you pay 200 baht you have already paid for the service. You don't need to pay an additional "service charge" for a service you've already paid for! If they wanted 250 baht for a massage they would charge you that instead.

I would propose that anyone transgendered and either preparing for or recovering from any operation may find it easier to fit-in with Thailand's more relaxed attitude towards sexual ambiguity, perceived or real. A much better environment for working towards a full-fledged life-change than say (for example) Bognor Regis? Open minds and better weather too!

The problem is the typical western bloke in Pattaya probably doesn't have a relaxed attitude to sexual ambiguity but sees transexuals as objects of entertainment at best. Not only that but many are hostile to white women so I don't think Pattaya would be the ideal place for a recovering transexual. Maybe Phuket with its more enlightened visitors would be a better choice? Then again, there's the problem of associating transexuals with entertainment. For the non-tourist parts of Thailand it's enough of a pain with kids chasing you around shouting "Farang!" but I'm sure if you were 6 foot 5 with broad shoulders, hairy arms and wearing a dress it would be many times worse.

As for whether Thailand is any better than Bognor Regis, the people in the Welsh village in Little Britain's "I'm the only queer around 'ere!" spring to mind.

If it's just a base to leave stuff then there are loads of really cheap places around Pattaya for well under 6000 baht. Just wonder around anywhere looking for the 'room to rent' signs or ask a beer bar girl - most of them stay in 2-3000 baht rooms.

Tell you want to have a look at a Thai passport out of interest and have a laugh at her passport photo.

Where did this take place?

Thanks for the lecture in post-masculine liberal transgender awareness. However, he/she was acting a bit of drama queen over an issue that should have been dealt with in a more civil manner and as a result stuck out like a sore thumb. Having said that I'm sure some white transgender people are really nice guys/gals but it seems odd that they would be so attracted to Pattaya. Sadly, I'm not sure they'll find acceptance here any more than anywhere else.

Natural mineral water is a greatly superior product to filtered tap water ("drinking water"), having undergone natural filtration, containing essential minerals and being bottled at source. Google "coca-cola water" to see what sort of crap gets sold as drinking water.

I am tolerant but I did feel sorry for the TT&T girl this transgendered person was badgering. The phrase "funniest most compassionate people i have met" doesn't ring true although I suppose "psychological stresses and emotional turmoil " may explain (but not excuse) his/her behaviour.

California Wow should have them

Naka.

Thanks, I'll give that place a go, though I'm not sure why a fitness centre would be selling them.

Where in Pattaya can I buy earmuff type ear defenders - the type that fit over the ear that you might use when drilling or whatever. Plenty of places sell earplugs but for ear defenders I've tried Carrefour, Home Pro, Index and Big C and they don't have them. The closest I got was Big C where the assistant took me from the tools section to the other side of the store and showed me some pink fluffy earmuffs. She meant well.

I've seen a few recently in Pattaya. They tend to be late middle aged and not at all convincing. They remind me of

In Thailand, where pay is so small, to add a bit extra for special service does not hurt me, but helps the staff greatly.

In reality it doesn't as the tip is factored into the staff's wages. In the UK, for example, tips are included for calculating a worker's pay for tax and minimum wage purposes so employers are free to pay a lower "base salary". I'm sure the same is true of Thailand or all the 7/11 workers would be running off to becomes waitresses instead.

Its normal to add sugar and/or salt to drinks in hot countries. Something about replacing lost nutrients.

Ok, this it explains it better:

"People living in hot countries and those who use a great deal of energy, such as athletes, lose more salt than the average person. This is lost through sweat in such large amounts that they can suffer from muscle cramps and heat exhaustion. Some athletes replenish the body's supply with salt tablets" source: www.saltinfo.com

Eating a normal Thai diet must give you at least double the recommended daily allowance of salt, even for a hot country. I think it's more to do with Thais having a "salty tongue" than the OJ vendors worrying about replacing their customers' lost nutrients.

I agree. Tipping is just a way to keep employees in a state of gratitude and serfdom. Payment for work is a right not something that should depend on the generosity of others.

Why would you tip for a service that is included in the price? If you pay 300 baht for a massage and you get one then there's no reason to tip, unless you're receiving "special services" of some description. It's different in a restaurant because you pay for the meal and tip for the service.

Today I went to my usual freshly squeezed 100% orange juice vendor to get my morning dose of vitamin C goodness and he announced this time he'd added salt. It was gross. As if the Thai diet doesn't have enough salt in they're adding it to orange juice now? What next - fish sauce and chili? I'm sticking to TipCo juices from now on.

I don't understand why anyone would choose filtered tap water (which is what all "drinking water" is) over mineral water. Better buy Minere or Carrefour mineral water.

If you can't even be honest in advertising your apartment why should we trust you as a landlord?

Give the guy a break. It sounds like an exceptional deal.

So what's with the "A thai friend has told me about..." nonsense? If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.

my guess is that a great deal of rapes are either unreported or never go to trail because the victim is paid off. I think many victims would rather take the cash than go through a court case.

I think that many of the victims take the money before they are raped - if you get my drift... they are victims of the Thai way of life.

You have a warped way of thinking if you believe that. There's no moral comparision between consensual prostitution and rape.

Are you hoping to test this potential new girlfriend without her noticing? You need to discuss this issue with her and go to a hospital or sexual health clinic together to get all the tests done.

When the issue of crime comes up people always say how they "feel" safer in Thailand than the UK (or wherever) but that proves nothing. People generally feel unsafe in the UK because of the hysterical crime reporting in the tabloid newspapers. In Thailand, on the other hand, crime is under-reported. I've never been a victim of serious crime in either country and I should think that's true of most people. Thailand does have the world's third highest rate of gun murder (after South Africa and Columbia) but I feel so much safer that I'll only get shot if I get into a dispute with someone.

If you can't even be honest in advertising your apartment why should we trust you as a landlord?

I hate to pester but can I pursue my question on minimum contract length? Not just for CAT but for the other providers too like BTV. For me and I'm sure many other it's important not to be stuck in a 6 month contract when we're never quite sure we will be staying here for that long.

It is only negative if used with a negative tone of voice.

That's just silly. If the word, used on it's own, can have negative connotations then it's an ethnic slur no different from any other. The fact that nigga and paki can be used without negative connotations if said with the right tone doesn't stop them being ethnic slurs.