X-Centre

[orang37]

... snip ... Women have built in ATM's.

Sawasdee Khrup, Khun CobraSnakeNeckTie,

Now, that's a delightfully "Zen" response !

Yet, a second response, after laughing, was to think of male farang in Thailand being often considered an ATM, if not sometimes referred to literally as "Eeh Tee Em."

On those occasions in the long-ago past when some wealthy collector of antiquities hired us to be their factotum in hunting, negotiating in places in Bangkok (Talat Chautjak, Silom Galleria, River City, and less well known venues for higher-end art), and then insisted we accompany them to Patpong for the usual gawking, we would introduce ourself (we were only a human, then) to whatever young hostesses joined us, when asked what our name was, by saying "Pom cheu 'Tinnaikan,' ... chu len: 'Eeh Tee Em') [My name is 'Bank,' nickname 'ATM']. Said intro, often producing either laughter, or, that strange mixture where the Thai smile is accompanied by a slight contraction of the muscles of the eyes, and a slight forehead wrinkling, that we interpret ... in the context of such venues ... as "kink alert: possible threat to immediate revenue or 'windfall potential.' "

But, for the record, we absolutely refused to ever accompany a client to any of the so-called "shows" above the street on Patpong which we consider absoutely disgusting, and degrading to women. However, lest we sound like we pretend (hypocritically) to have flown through Dragon-Breath's City's night-mares' stables on some moral-plane: long ago we once really liked to visit the old Hollywood Bar in Nana Plaza: to watch the simulated lesbian show where, under "black light," two women au naturel were painted with beautiful flourescent designs of flowers, butterflies, sworls in the Thai style, and then danced/performed to slow music (we would always sit up on the highest tier there with our back to the wall to observe the spectacle ... and as protection from the randomly flying fists, feet, and beer bottles, sometimes leading to bloodshed, or, heart-attacks as Mr. Sixty-Something Whale-Belly Farang, soaked to the gills on Bloody Marys, or whatever potions, decided to get up and go-go dance ... that accompanied the rest of what went on at Hollywood ... that most resembled a Cecil B. Demille scene from an ancient movie before the Hollywood censorship mechanism was put into place).

But, all of the above, is a footnote to "ancient" history, now that what was "I" is a chimeric twosome. About as meaningful, in the long run, as styrofoam trash in a congested klong.

best, ~o:37;

Edited January 12, 2011 by orang37

[LJW]

I was looking at a story the owner wrote on a bike trip to Sirikit Dam.

From his writing, he seems like a good guy. He is from New Zealand,

and has a Thai wife and business partner. He has been doing similar

tourist things in Pattaya since the early nineties. I think he must be pretty

clued in to Thai workers. I was there once to get a paintball air-tank refilled.

Excellent service from a worker who spoke excellent English.

Good impression from my visit and what he wrote

[RidersCorner]

You should give "Flight of the Gibbon" a shot in Chiang Mai, I think it's been voted number 1 tourist attraction

link here (click the english version top right)

http://www.treetopasia.com/

Edited June 5, 2011 by RidersCnx