The first TV member

[junglechef]

In the hidden Thaivisa archives I found the first ever post:

1923 - Somerset Maugham at Oriental Hotel - Bangkok

About The Oriental Maugham noted in "The Gentleman in the Parlour": ‘The hotel faced the river. My room was dark, one of a long line, with a verandah on each side of it, the breeze blew through, but it was stifling. The dining-room was large and dim, and for coolness’ sake the windows were shuttered. One was waited on by silent Chinese boys. I did not know why, the insipid Eastern food sickened me. The heat of Bangkok was overwhelming. The wats oppressed me by their garish magnificence, making my headache

[Ulysses G.]

Great writer and probably a sex tourist as well.

[ezzra]

What even greater that in those days my screen was my screen, and not loaded with all

kind of annoying ads, banners and poop ups rubbish covering good 50% of it........

[masuk]

But he's writing about Bangkok. Wonder why he thought the boys were Chinese? Probably all looked alike to him!

[Frank James]

"Insipid Eastern food?" Was he longing for steak & kidney pie?

White man's Burden, 1920's version.

Maugham was a great writer, though. The Moon & Sixpence inspired me to go East for good.

[northernjohn]

Who was the poster? What year?

[CMHomeboy78]

But he's writing about Bangkok. Wonder why he thought the boys were Chinese? Probably all looked alike to him!

That is probably because they were Chinese.

During the 1920s Chinese immigration to Siam surged, reaching its peak around 1930 when the Chinese population of the country amounted to about 12%. Most of them were concentrated in Bangkok, where the distinguished historian David Wyatt - and others - have estimated that they made up at least 40% of the population at that time.

[Thailand]

Who was the poster? What year?

Wasn't me! (-:

But I guess mid to end of 2002?

[Jingthing]

Maybe the food was insipid (and maybe the "Chinese boys" were silent because they didn't speak English)!

Of course the real mystery here is about the check bin ... was "Plus Plus" added or not?

Edited June 28, 2015 by Jingthing

[Sawan Chan 7]

Great writer and probably a sex tourist as well.

Why, are you? I'm not.

[narkeddiver]

In the hidden Thaivisa archives I found the first ever post:

1923 - Somerset Maugham at Oriental Hotel - Bangkok

About The Oriental Maugham noted in "The Gentleman in the Parlour": ‘The hotel faced the river. My room was dark, one of a long line, with a verandah on each side of it, the breeze blew through, but it was stifling. The dining-room was large and dim, and for coolness’ sake the windows were shuttered. One was waited on by silent Chinese boys. I did not know why, the insipid Eastern food sickened me. The heat of Bangkok was overwhelming. The wats oppressed me by their garish magnificence, making my headache

2nd post was where can I get the best burger

[Ulysses G.]

Great writer and probably a sex tourist as well.

Why, are you? I'm not.

Somerset Maugham was gay and known for being very sexually promiscuous - with women as well as men and Bangkok was wide open during his day. He had great artistic and financial success with his work. He remains the writer with the most film and TV adaptations of his work – some 98 in all - to this day, .I doubt if he was fighting temptation very hard back when he was in his prime.

.

[Saan]

A wonder Maugham complained about Thailand after hisi sojourn in Samoa at Sadie Thompson's.

He described it "as a 'dilapidated lodging house with a corrugated tin roof'" and complained that "he contracted 'a stubborn rash, no doubt fungus, while in the hotel in Pago Pago, and it took weeks to cure it.'".

Perhaps, as Ulysses G suggested, he was a sex tourist and contracted a different sort of rash.

[Beetlejuice]

Back about 30 years ago, I met a 91-year-old American gentleman named Richard (Dickie), he did not mention his surname, who lived in a small community off the Tung Hotel Road in Chiang Mai. Did any of you long timers know of him?

Dick explained to me that he was an American journalist sent over to what was then Siam during the 1920s to write an article about the country for an American magazine. After a couple of months he met and fell in love with a beautiful 17 years old village girl, got married and decided to base himself in Chiang Mai, Siam. At the time the girl`s family already had a lot of land that one could buy for a pittance in those days, practically give away when land was not considered as an asset of value and he just plonked himself on there, built a home and then traveled back and forth to the States to maintain a living. Having to travel by ship he would be away for long periods at a time. He told me that as a young handsome white guy, the Thai girls were flocking to be his girlfriends, before and after he was married, with the parents and families actively encouraging their daughters to flirt with the farang. He never bothered with visas back then as farangs were considered a rarity and a novelty; the Immigration formalities were hardly implemented and something he never concerned himself with. Dick told me that Thais from all over the city would turn up just to introduce themselves to him, sometimes suggesting they have a nice niece if he`s interested.

There was virtually nowhere to obtain western type foods, hardly a motor vehicle to be seen, no proper concrete roads as such, no one had a telephone and most communities did not have electricity and the only water supplies were from small lakes or communal wells where people went with their buckets to draw out the water. There were small bar type brothels everywhere in mostly bamboo spit and sawdust type buildings.

Later during the 1960s Dick was sent to Vietnam by the US military as a journalist to cover events of the war. He was already way too old to do active service by then. After that he returned to Thailand, retired and stayed for good. Throughout the years in first Siam and then Thailand, Dick had fathered over 25 children with several different women. Most of the younger village generations were related to him. He told me that he had so many grandchildren and great grandchildren, that he’d lost count of them and forgotten their names. Towards the end of his days, Dick ran low on finances and his village kinfolk supported him. Even at the end of his life, Dick never bothered obtaining a visa, even his passport had expired many years previous.

Sadly only 11 months after I first met Dick he died at the age of 92, healthy right up to the end. I can say he was one of the most intriguing and interesting characters I had met in my life. Only wish someone would have made an initiative to write his life story that I’m sure would have made a most interesting read.

Edited June 28, 2015 by Beetlejuice

[ziggy3]

Great writer and probably a sex tourist as well.

Why, are you? I'm not.

Somerset Maugham was gay and known for being very sexually promiscuous - with women as well as men

.

Isn't that called bi and not gay?

(I'm neither, but that's my understanding of the terminology)

[Torrens54]

Great writer and probably a sex tourist as well.

Just sounds like a Pompous old Ass. Probably a good thing that the "Sun has well and truly Set on him."

[uptheos]

Great writer and probably a sex tourist as well.

I doubt very much that 'probably' ever entered into it.

[Jingthing]

To call Maugham any kind of "tourist" is quite dense.

[uptheos]

To call Maugham any kind of "tourist" is quite dense.

OK a fine writer and a sex addict, boy or girl, wherever he happened to be.

[Jessi]

Back about 30 years ago, I met a 91-year-old American gentleman named Richard (Dickie), he did not mention his surname, who lived in a small community off the Tung Hotel Road in Chiang Mai. Did any of you long timers know of him?

Dick explained to me that he was an American journalist sent over to what was then Siam during the 1920s to write an article about the country for an American magazine. After a couple of months he met and fell in love with a beautiful 17 years old village girl, got married and decided to base himself in Chiang Mai, Siam. At the time the girl`s family already had a lot of land that one could buy for a pittance in those days, practically give away when land was not considered as an asset of value and he just plonked himself on there, built a home and then traveled back and forth to the States to maintain a living. Having to travel by ship he would be away for long periods at a time. He told me that as a young handsome white guy, the Thai girls were flocking to be his girlfriends, before and after he was married, with the parents and families actively encouraging their daughters to flirt with the farang. He never bothered with visas back then as farangs were considered a rarity and a novelty; the Immigration formalities were hardly implemented and something he never concerned himself with. Dick told me that Thais from all over the city would turn up just to introduce themselves to him, sometimes suggesting they have a nice niece if he`s interested.

There was virtually nowhere to obtain western type foods, hardly a motor vehicle to be seen, no proper concrete roads as such, no one had a telephone and most communities did not have electricity and the only water supplies were from small lakes or communal wells where people went with their buckets to draw out the water. There were small bar type brothels everywhere in mostly bamboo spit and sawdust type buildings.

Later during the 1960s Dick was sent to Vietnam by the US military as a journalist to cover events of the war. He was already way too old to do active service by then. After that he returned to Thailand, retired and stayed for good. Throughout the years in first Siam and then Thailand, Dick had fathered over 25 children with several different women. Most of the younger village generations were related to him. He told me that he had so many grandchildren and great grandchildren, that he’d lost count of them and forgotten their names. Towards the end of his days, Dick ran low on finances and his village kinfolk supported him. Even at the end of his life, Dick never bothered obtaining a visa, even his passport had expired many years previous.

Sadly only 11 months after I first met Dick he died at the age of 92, healthy right up to the end. I can say he was one of the most intriguing and interesting characters I had met in my life. Only wish someone would have made an initiative to write his life story that I’m sure would have made a most interesting read.

This is why we call it "The good old days"