Entertainment Ban:

[mcgriffith]

Just do what the above poster said, and do as most of the Thais do.

Stock up ahead of time, and party at home for a few days. No big deal.

[sendbaht]

"I sure am... I loved it when she was with the Supremes....."

[baahjun]

Why have respect for the culture of the country you are living in right ?

Go back to where you come from when you can't live a couple of days without alcohol and bargirls !

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I'm sure something will be organized as part of the ceremony, possibly at Thapae Gate or at the Three Kings Monument area. That would provide something to do and participate in in case anyone's biggest concern is not having something to do.

I also respectfully disagree with 'this hurthing tourism again'... Personally as a tourist I would value the opportunity to witness a very important part of Thai life and culture. Why do so many people equate tourism with drinking booze and partying?

Look at the tourism demographic, it's shifting and it's NOT shifting towards more people who are here for the party. There's a lot more people with kids or othewise more 'mature' tourists here, i.e. NOT the traditional market of xxx tourists getting boozed up or backpackers smoking opium in the hills.

For Ulysses, this is not necessarily a bad thing; xxx tourists aren't here to buy books are they.

Edited November 7, 2008 by WinnieTheKhwai

[Gonzo the Face]

For Ulysses, this is not necessarily a bad thing; xxx tourists aren't here to buy books are they.

Yes, they do ..... How to Books....... " How to get a Bargirl" , number 1 on the CM Times Best seller list for the past 846 weeks. ... and number 2 ....

"How to Discretely get a Blood Test, and blame it on your wife back home"

[Ulysses G.]

The sex tourists read as much as anyone else and most of them tend to go for cheap, beach reading like Grisham or Clancy that is easy to find and easy to replace. Let's face it, most of the people reading books in Thailand are not big intellectuals. They tend to be folks without a TV for the first time in their life trying to entertain themselves.

The backpackers go trecking and blow their minds on opium and the drop by for something like a modern classic or Booker Prize winner. These can be fairly difficult to come by and the youngsters want to send them home to start a library even though the postage costs more than the book, so they don't trade them back in. That makes the price higher as they usually need to be replaced by literature imported from overseas.

The sex tourists tend to be easier to please, but the backpackers who want to know more about books can be interesting to talk to.

Edited November 7, 2008 by Ulysses G.

[Ulysses G.]

When I visited Pattaya a few weeks ago, I met the author of "My Name is Nol. You like Me?"

He also has a publishing company that publishes such books in a few other languages.

These titles are quite popular with middle aged men, but I usually don't enjoy them personally.

[Krupnik]

Glad I knew about this in plenty of time, thanks! Better stock up with a few boxes of wine!! Party at mine if anyone's free.

[StevieH]

so to clarify there will be zero alcohol available in bars and restaurants in chiang mai as of tomorrow morning until monday and there will be no music in public venues. do bar owners normally bother opening in instances such as this? am curious how the whole thing works out as i've not been present in thailand for a state funeral before.

[whiterussian]

My local will be serving "tea" in tin tea pots.

He does rather well when the rest of town is off limits!

Edited November 13, 2008 by UKWEBPRO

[StevieH]

*cough*, PM please?

[Loaded]

Why have respect for the culture of the country you are living in right ?

Go back to where you come from when you can't live a couple of days without alcohol and bargirls !

I don't think you have understood this thread.