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56
Bald, Fat, Sweaty, Hairy, Old, and Boring
Please let us know your favored deodorant then we can all smell like YOU! 🙄- 1
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458
Pattaya Bar/Go-Go Death Watch
After 31 years here I still can afford the beans at 67 baht a tin. How about you? -
3
Democrats at DNC Attempt to Reverse the Narrative on its Immigration Record
I'm actually surprised that the democrats are not asking that a new addition be added to the Bible of Harris opening the borders of the USA like Moses, to lead those in need of the entire world to the promised land -
17
Foreign man caught standing naked in cannabis shop in Phuket
Sorry, but to blame the weed would be completely wrong. Weed does not affect people in this way. Not normally anyway. Something else may have contributed to his exuberant show haha.. But I seriously doubt the weed caused him to act this way.- 1
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22
Experience with a Ret. Visa from Jomtien but moving to another province
The main immigration office is on the mainland in Laem Ngob TRAT. Koh Chang has a sub office for 90 day reports. -
16
Scandal erupts over judge’s joke about defunct MFP
The insurgency has been active for generations! Of course the Chinese play the long game! -
3
Yvette Cooper Vows Unprecedented Crackdown on Illegal Migration
Highly unlikely. More likely she will reclassify them as "refugees" and give them a free house with the heating allowance Labour took away from old pensioners. -
16
Scandal erupts over judge’s joke about defunct MFP
Like the system you grew up under was any better, there are those with wealth and power and the majority without, even a so called 'communist' revolution in Russia didn't change that, only the names in the front row changed. -
653
Going short-time only, shallow or succulent?
I had a UTI from a long-term partner in Australia. A particularly virulent one. The nurse who saw my urine sample said she had never seen anything like it. It's the only STD I have ever had. I walked out on the relationship shortly afterwards. -
10
Thai Man Attacks Escort over Service Time Dispute
There is a famous song by Chris de Burgh...."Don't pay the ferry man...." -
56
Bald, Fat, Sweaty, Hairy, Old, and Boring
Just shower and deodorant regularly. Thai's (and me) don't like smelly foreigners. -
43
Brazil Travel Report
I only visited Salvador once on a few hours trip from a cruise , just enough time to see the sights up on the top. But worked in Recife, Aracaju and Fortaleza so got plenty of the northern beaches experience. Ubatuba was our nearest beach, more popular than classy and attracted the tourists from São Paulo. The small town we lived in survived purely from coffee growing and had a unique micro community of rich land owners and poor people who worked for them, a real step back in time. As a world travelling Gringo ( as a Brit not strictly a gringo but i didn’t mind ) presumably loaded !! ( i wasn’t ! ) my wife soon integrated us into the rich land owner clique, i hated it as a simple mechanical engineer on a cushy assignment. But I did like the advantages being friends to the elite ( for a small agricultural town ! ) would bring, a couple’s parents owned an apartment in Ipanema ( bought in the 60’s with sacks of coffee allegedly ) which we visited frequently in groups, sometimes we would be relegated to the hotel next door but it was all good, even the 6 hour drive was worth it. Some other friends had bought an apartment on Copacabana which was an awful apartment but did allow us to enjoy the New Year Fireworks at leisure then crash in the apartment on mattresses ( Thai style ). Loved Rio, despite the extra expense, and got to know the place quite well, had worked in a factory nearby, Santa Cruz, on many occasions and became the guide for visiting colleagues. Young Darren and myself ( late 1994 ) on Sugarloaf, Darren in yellow. On an expansion of the factory ( 1996 ) we were all put in a hotel ( few Brits many Americans ) in the most southerly beach of Rio ( Recreio dos Bandeirantes ) , we attracted a lot of attention from locals/girls/drug dealers and the police but we had a blast. One American quit his job there and then because of a local girl hoping to get hired at the plant ….. he didn’t, but I did hear years later he was hanging in there, 6 months US, 6 months Brazil, from a colleague of his ! Such is the power of a young exotic female ! -
458
Pattaya Bar/Go-Go Death Watch
Pardon but ru saying Pattaya hasn't recovered since covid times? Were u awake during those 2/3 yrs? -
11
Driving from Pattaya to Buriram - what to see along the way?
There are dozens of old Khmer era temples, shrines and monuments in Sa Kaeo and Buriram provinces. Not so much in Chon Buri/Rayong/Chanthaburi/Trat/Prachinburi or Chachoengsao provinces for some reason. I've been to 9 in Sa Kaeo province though most are (now) just a few stones scattered around or well off the "beaten track". Prasat Sadok Kok Thom is a small but not too bad temple (though the reconstruction seems kind of amateurish). It's an 11th century, nearly complete temple complex (thanks to a lot of restoration work in the 1990s). Most of the other sites wouldn't be worth stopping at though unless you were a die-hard Khmer temple fan. In Buriram are some very nice sites. On the way from Sa Kaeo is Prasat Nong Hong. Not far from the highway (1.8 kms) and next to a school. Not a large site (probably less than an hour to see it all from the time you park until you are back in your vehicle). The "Big 2" are Prasat Muang Tam and Prasat Hin Khao Phanom Rung (or just "Phanom Rung). Prasat Muang Tam is on the flatlands not far (8kms or 5 miles) from Phanom Rung - which sits on top of a large hill (or wee small mountain if you prefer). Muang Tam is very nicely preserved/restored and fairly large. It's in my "Top 5" Khmer-era sites in Thailand. (Give yourself at least an hour for this site.) Phanom Rung is (arguably) the #1 ancient Khmer temple in Thailand. (Phimai in Korat may disagree.) For me, it's definitely Top 3. (Phanom Rung, Phimai, Muang Tam for the Top 3, plus Kamphaeng Phet and Prasat Mueang Sing in Kanchanaburi for the Top 5). Warning - Phanom Rung is a large site. If you park in the "East" (main) parking lot, you have to walk up to the start of the processional path and then it's 500 meters of (stone) path and a lot of stairs to get to the East entrance ! (But it's worth it - if you're into that kind of thing.) If walking isn't for you - there's another parking area just "West" of the main one (about 700 meters further along the main road) that takes you to a spot where it's a small flight of stairs and you are at the temple. (At the West entrance, where you can see straight through the temple to the East entrance. It is a popular spot twice a year (3-5 April and 8-10 Sept) as the sunrise shines directly through the temple. Loads of people make the trip and sit/stand at the West entrance to photograph the sun rising through the East entrance.) I did the Sunrise Ceremony last April. Spent the night at a cheap resort and was up the mountain at first light. The West parking area wasn't opened yet and there were a dozen cars outside waiting. I went to the main (East) parking area and walked to the "ticket booth" to find out I wasn't allowed to go any further until 05:30 so I sat on the stairs for 15 minutes. However that meant by the time I got to the West Entrance (after that long walk and all those stairs) there were already 80+ people there. (Khmer Temples are noted for all having their main entrance facing directly towards the sunrise so people gather at the West entrance to try and photograph the sun rising through the East entrance.) I've been to 7 temple sites in Buriram and have 5 more on my "to do" list but they are small, out of the way places and mostly just overgrown ruins. This map takes you to Sadok Kok Thom, Prasat Nong Hong, Prasat Muang Tam, Phanom Rung and to the "replica" Phanom Rung they built at the Chang Stadium. 453 kms total. Takes me (on a motorcycle) 3 hours from Pattaya to the Sadok Kok Thom temple in Sa Kaeo. It's about 66 kms from Sadok Kok Thom to Prasat Nong Hong. 39 kms from Nong Hong to Prasat Muang Tam. 8 kms from there up the hill to Phanom Rung. 62-68 kms from there to the Chang Stadium. https://www.google.co.th/maps/dir/PTT+ปตท.จิฟฟี่+ชลบุรี-พัทยากลาง…/RPVP%2BCWJ+SADOK+KOK+THOM+HISTORICAL+PARK,+Khok+Sung,+Khok+Sung+District,+Sa+Kaeo+27120/''/''/Prasat+Hin+Khao+Phanom+Rung+Park/Phanom+Rung+stone+castle+replica/@13.9370205,102.3719134,8.71z/data=!4m40!4m39!1m5!1m1!1s0x3102be1d7342dacd:0x6df1647e3cd9c4a3!2m2!1d100.9044285!2d12.9453967!1m5!1m1!1s0x311b03e818a47959:0xfe04b5cb40e5ccb!2m2!1d102.7372428!2d13.8435815!1m5!1m1!1s0x311bb578703a4a5b:0xdb46ce385cddfc87!2m2!1d102.7605818!2d14.3022973!1m5!1m1!1s0x311a2ff148cd2c25:0x9e24d39cea40ab86!2m2!1d102.9824029!2d14.4961986!1m5!1m1!1s0x311a2eaf58d467c9:0x5e018c585006c382!2m2!1d102.9399423!2d14.5319866!1m5!1m1!1s0x3119951566a74933:0xbd2510f67c89a76b!2m2!1d103.0898051!2d14.9659033!2m1!2b1!3e9?hl=en&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDgyMC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D The "been to" (circles with white squares) icons are mostly ancient Khmer temple sites I've visited so far in "Isaan" (that small corner of it at least) and a few resorts/hotels I've stayed at along the way. The "starred" icons are the sites on my "to do one day" list (as well as a few gas stations from previous trip planning). Sadok Kok Thom Prasat Nong Hong Prasat Muang Tam Prasat Phanom Rung I've also got a number of sites visited and "to do" in Surin and Si Sa Ket (as well as other places). I once did what I called a "23 temple tour" - in 3 days. I started from Pattaya and stopped at a couple small places in Sa Kaeo, then into Buriram and Surin. Next day was Si Sa Ket, Ubon Ratchathani and Amnat Charoen Day 3 I travelled to Yasothon, Roi Et and back to Surin and then on day 4 it was straight back to Pattaya. That trip was mainly about visiting Ubon, Amnat and Yasothon as those were the only 3 provinces in "Isaan" I hadn't been to yet. Many of the "temples" were little more than a few old laterite stones sticking out of the ground. Some were just a single Prang (or Chedi) in the middle of what is now a school yard. (That was a hoot, pulling into a school yard in a remote town in Roi Et on the Harley drew a crowd by itself. Taking off my helmet and listening to everyone when they saw I was a foreigner was good for a laugh.) Phrathat Chedi - Hua Ton village, Roi Et
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