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This is the eulogy to be read by the celebrant at the funeral. If anyone has anything to add please let me know. EULOGY Phil was born in Leeds on the 14th March 1970. He was raised with his sister Louise and Brother Mark. Happy times were had in the 1980’s when the family holidayed in Filey, spending time looking for crabs on Filey Brigg, fishing and building sandcastle fortresses. Phil career was varied and living for a time in Lanzarote meant that he ran a bar but then turned his hand to building swimming pools, a job which he loved. In 2006 Phil returned to the UK and began work fitting carpets for various establishments. He was well known and every one liked him. His friends expressed what a good friend he was and how he always wore a warm smile even on a dark day. He was knowledgeable about a variety of things and was always happy to help at the drop of a hat. Nothing was too much trouble for Phil and even if it was he was too polite to say so. He will be remembered by his fellow tradesmen for his reaction when he hit his hand with a hammer as he would run up and down blowing on his fingers. Phil had itchy feet and didn’t settle anywhere long. He made friends all over the world and in 2009 on a trip to Thailand he met his soulmate Puang. In 2011 their relationship began and I am told they were perfectly matched from the beginning. In 2013 Phil moved to Thailand to be with his wife to be. Puang had her own business renting out Motorbikes and the couple began working together, adding the sale of Android TV Boxes to their empire. In 2016 the couple moved to the UK. They were a couple built on great trust, shown especially when Puang sold her business and entrusted Phil with the money to set up a new life for them both in the UK. In 2017 the couple returned to Thailand to get married. They have been totally devoted to each other for ten years. There is a moment in time when the universe turns itself completely upside down and nothing makes sense anymore. It is a moment when facts become fiction and every truth you ever believed in instantly becomes a lie… It’s when the present becomes the past, your life story becomes a myth and your dreams become little more than childish fantasies… Your reality becomes an illusion as your anxieties transform into fear because somewhere inside you realize that this is the moment you are watching everything dissolve away into nothing… This is what it feels like to lose the love of your life - life can be so cruel. I know that in the days and months a head Phil would want you to help Puang as much as you are able. One of Phil's legacies is a forum he set up for mensimilar to himself who had a connection with Thailand. He was universally liked. Liked isn't a strong enough word, loved and admired would be more appropriate.Phil had over 15 000 followers and dedicated himself to the forum often spending all night on line helping people. Phil loving created the family home in Middleton andon the 29th November 2018 he became a very proud Daddy to Thomas. Sadly two years ago Phil was diagnosed with cancer. Puang, Thomas and Phil have spent every waking moment together creating memories. The day Phil went home for the last timethere was delight in his eyes to be with Puang and Thomas. Andy told me that as they were leaving Phil was helping him with good local information on how to get back to their homes the quickest and safest way. Literally helping others to the very end. Phil stayed strong for Thomas throughout his illness he wanted his life to be as normal as possible and for him to remember who his Daddy was. We can help Thomas to remember his wonderful Daddy by always speaking about him and keeping his memory alive. I hope today you can be comforted by this important last act of love and respect that you have shared in here today. Phil’s life has been like a tapestry into which you are all woven to some extent. The tapestry began on the 14th March 1970 and the threads were carefully knotted as Phil took to his final sleep surrounded by the love of his family; Puang, Thomas and Louise all holding his hand on 22nd August 2020. Phil's tapestry is made up of many threads of memories which, no matter how time passes, will always remain somewhere in your hearts, safely stored to be accessed when you need them.

It was never my plan to end up living here. When I retired back in 2004, I meant to settle down long-term in the Philippines as I'd been to the country a lot, liked it, and had several good friends there. For the first two years after finishing work I had a lot of loose ends in the UK and Europe to tie-up so I was flying back regularly. Thailand, with its superior infrastructure, would be an easier place to manage things from at the outset so I planned on spending 2 or 3 years here, then moving on to Cambodia for a year or two as I had another good friend there and quite liked the place, though it wasn't sufficiently developed at the time to be a viable long-term home for me (not even a proper international hospital back then), and finally head off to the PI to settle down permanently, either in Mindoro or possibly Davao. What happened in reality (and this was probably predictable) was that I made some friends in Pattaya and got sucked into the life here, even buying a Gogo Bar on Soi Diamond in 2007. That was too much like hard work so I flogged it but one of the dancers had become my GF by then. She was a lovely thing but way too young for her own good, she'd end up bored stiff living with an old fart like myself, so I had to gently extricate myself from that situation, but then somehow I found myself involved with a young Khmer filly down in Koh Kong and I was commuting there. I'm not sure what was going on back then, but clearly my little head was over-ruling my big head, lol. Having got rid of the Thai bird I now had to worm my way out from the relationship with the Khmer lassie, which turned out to be much easier than I thought when her young Khmer boyfriend pointed a gun at me and told me he'd shoot me if he ever saw me near Vatoy again. My gonads may have been on overdrive, but I could take a hint and I'd had enough of Cambo for a while anyway so I returned to Pattaya quite happily, a free man. Then the financial crisis reared its ugly head and i was still a decade away from taking my pensions. I knew that times were going to be challenging financially and it probably wasn't a good time to make the move to the PI, so I girded my loins (or whatever one does in these situations, lol) and stayed put in the rented condo in Jomtien. Without a regular income things were indeed a bit tough, but I was lucky with my investments (God, but I loved QE, certain things were soooo predictable!) and had enough to live on. One obvious way of making the money go further was to buy a place instead of renting, even though somewhere in my mind I thought that I'd still be moving to the PI eventually. I knew two guys living out there who both had a condo in Pattaya that they rented out, so why not? I ended up buying a bungalow in a nice village in South Pattaya, 5 minutes from Jomtien Beach, 5 minutes from Walking Street, and 5 minutes from Sukhimvit. I settled into the village life and now found that I had a new Thai GF, a former Windmill showgirl. She could be a headstrong kwai when she wanted to be, and although I'd planned on her moving in with me we always seemed to have a major barney just when I was going to ask her, and in the end I decided that we were best off living apart and seeing each other as need be. That system is still working, and it leaves her free to do what she wants without bothering me, and I can have a dirty night out in Windmill without bothering her. She stays here whenever I feel like some company, cleans my place and does things for me that I can't be arsed with, especially anything involving the Thai bureaucracy, and in return I keep her financially solvent. That situation has gone on for almost a decade now, and it seems to suit us both, though she'd still prefer to move in with me, but I'm no longer interested, I'm more like Albert Steptoe in my ways now, lol. And what happened to my dreams of moving to the PI? Well, my best friends who ran a hotel outside Sabang ended up losing their jobs in a classic case of Pinoy corruption that would make any Thai farang-hater admire the country. They decided, after having already changed island in the PI five times, and thinking they were finally settled for life on Mindoro, that it was just too much hassle and they moved back to England. Another guy I knew well had also left, and I would almost have been starting from scratch there myself now, whereas in Pattaya I have friends, the GF and her dogs, the house, car, motorbike, everyone in the village knows me and it's a nice place to live so why leave? I'd still been toying with the idea of moving to Davao for several reasons, but the pandemic finally put paid to that as the madman in Manila has imposed one of the longest lockdowns in the world on the country and it hasn't been very effective. I'm in my mid-60's now and have probably got enough energy and interest left to relocate one last time, and if I was 100% certain that life in the PI would be a lot better than it is in Pattaya then I'd still give it a shot. But the truth is that I'm far from 100% certain, not even 50% certain perhaps, so why chuck away what I've built in Pattaya over the last 16 years for what's probably a pipedream? It's not perfect here, but it's a lot better than living back home and I still enjoy it very much, warts and all, so I guess that no matter what my fantasies of finding a better place may be, I'm probably going to stay here and just dream on. And this is a small lesson for the younger BM's thinking about their retirement. There are many old sayings that apply, but remember John Lennon's song to his son, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." And remember that things change and there's nothing you can do about it, so don't kick yourself if things don't work out like you'd wanted, but equally don't congratulate yourself too much if they do work out nicely, a lot of it is still entirely down to luck.

Met with a good customer from My Secrets and Babydoll days for a catch up. I started in Pandoras to have a drink with Ricky always good for a chat. He had about 12 or maybe a few more girls and while that may not seem like many, for a place the size of his it is a good number. I saw a few that if i was shopping for a girl would have made me happy. He has a good little customer crowd as well. Went down to High Rollers to meet up with my friend and this place is nicely laid out but can not help thinking they can not make up their minds what they are wanting from this bar. A gogo ? a sports bar ? a gentleman's club ?. Lots of girls but not many that would have interested me for a session away from the bar Next was Kink i was told many Babydolls girls were working the playpit on the second floor and indeed there was about 7 or 8 I worked with. It was great fun and it was totally Pre virus action and nice to see the girls were happy to get up close and personnel with the the old boss.......For drinks of course. I let a couple know I would be willing to help their financial situation if they found themselves in a bind for cash I expect to hear from a couple of they in the not to distance future. The bar was very busy customers happy and the girls making lots of money. Next and last stop was Paradise. I was called in from another xbabydoll service girl. The old mamasan also from babydolls was there we had a nice talk she said she misses the old days at babydolls I told her we did have some fun times there. They had about 25 girls there a couple I would rate but most falling in the 5 to 6 out of 10 on my scale. All in all LK was very busy this Thursday night Billabong, Gibbys, Cafe Racer all packed as was Time bar. I think it is safe to say we are very close to getting back to normal. High Rollers door boys said they were open till 2AM so that pretty much tells the story

I have been traveling the country for 6 of the last 8 weeks. It is a good time to be here if you do not get your income from Thailand. There are tons of women all over I have been to Kanchanburi, Ayutthaya, Ubon, Khon Khen, Buriram, Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Hua Hin, Surat Thani, Koh Samui. I spent either 2 or 3 nights in each location as well as started the trip and finished it in Bangkok. Now home and looking to book another trip very soon. I traveled on Trains ,Buses, Mini buses,Mini Vans all over the road saw great things. It is so cheap to travel now the rooms were never more than 600 baht a night and most 450 or 500. My only must haves were big bed Air Con and flat screen TV and Fridge. All of them had these things most also had coffee makers as well. I also booked hotels close to the bus and Train stations in each town. the last trip the total cost of everything Transportation, Food ,Rooms and massages 57,500 baht or about 1850 US Dollars. 5 girls ST also in those numbers. I really did not want to post this as it mose likely not easy to read for some that have no idea when they will be allowed back. Tommy Dee called me on another matter and said I should post it so i have. Here are a few Photos nothing special but stuff I took during the trip Sorry if any of the photos are posted twice I screwed up

Hi everyone. Just to let you know that I’ve took the decision to close the bar at this present time, to comply with the Government’s drive to combat the spread of the covid-19 virus. Technically I can open as i have a food licence, but, if I’m being honest, it didn’t feel right. Le Pub is primarily a bar and isn’t set up well to be a fully blown restaurant. If one of my customers caught the virus and spread it in the bar or one of my staff got it, I’d feel terrible. This really is a war, all be it with an invisible enemy. If I end up sleeping on Beach Rd (I’m a long way from that by the way ) I would do so knowing I did the right thing. Many of the staff sleeping in the bar for free and I’m providing food every day for them. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be back soon enough to see West Brom win the Championship and Leeds loose in the play-offs. Please keep yourselves and your families safe. Phil

The forum was two years old yesterday. Firstly I am sure that no one will forget, Phil (Lanazlad) who initially created and developed the forum. His presence on the forum and behind the scenes will be sadly missed. Secondly the world is somewhat different to what it was a year ago. Tourism has been badly hit in many if not all parts of the world. The airline industry has been devestated at least in the short and medium term. How things will develop in reality I would suggest that no one really knows. Whilst there has been fluctuations in the number of members viewing and posting on the forum, by and large our numbers have been reasonably consistent. My thanks to all members who have continued to post and contribute to the forum. I took a decision to fly home in April of this year; others took a decision to remain in Thailand. Special thanks go to those still in Thailand, both ex pats and long term visitors, for their informative posts (including photographs) which have been great. Over the next year, I would hope that the restrictions on tourists visiting Thailand will be eased; I am not sure which way things will move and I do not think that anyone else has the answer to that question. The forum is developing and evolving. In conclusion may I thank all members who have contributed in many different and positive ways to the development of this forum. Thank You John

I checked on Facebook, the last time we chatted was exactly 2 weeks ago, he called me via Facebook on the 8th. He didn't even seem that bad when we chatted, quite stoic about it all, calm. But he'd been like that a lot when we chatted. I tried to call him near every day last week, but as the days went on and the phone wasn't answered, it dawned on me i probably wouldn't get to ever chat with him again. I can remember he had a small condo in the same complex directly across from mine, and i had him over checking things out, advising about this or that. Nothing was ever too much bother for him. 'I'm just on the balcony having a cuppa and ciggy' was his usual saying. Such a nice and genuine guy. One of the last times we did chat, i can't remember online on on the phone, he mentioned the forum, and i said to him don't worry mate, the forum will go on, and he was happy at that. I just can't get little Thomas out of my head, probably because me and Phil often chatted about our two kids, shared funny stories or pics, they are of a similar age. That poor wee guy will be most likely a bit oblivious to the magnitude of what's happened, and it just breaks my heart to think of him asking for his Daddy in a week or so. Puang too, lovely girl, thankfully quite strong. Welling up here, i feel tears coming, gonna go and hug my daughter. Goodbye my friend, you will be missed by many, many people. You were one if the good guys!

I am on target to make a small profit this month, enough to pay my kids school fees and keep me in baked beans. The effort put in by my staff has been really great. In reference to barfines, I estimated zero as generally expats Dont barfine, but we have had a few. As other bars open then close again (Atlantic Bar being the latest) the staff realise that our little place is doing ok really. I have no plans to close again any time soon, that could change, but so far, so good. Be realistic.

I got my first job putting up tables and chairs in the auditorium of the local Catholic church on Fridays after school when I was 14. Paid $10 bucks for a couple hours work. And from that point on, I usually had some type of after school job, usually as a part time dishwasher and busboy at a local restaurant. Other odd jobs here and there would follow, before a 3 year hitch in the US Army, and a duty assignment in then, West Germany, and a whole new world was discovered by me at 18 years of age, filled with much more liberal social mores that were absent from my working class family upbringing where I lived. I felt like Columbus. After getting out of the military, it would indirectly lead me to what would become my life's career, working in the US Postal Service, for the last 30 years plus, a job that would go on to afford me, as time and money would allow, to see much of the world, meet it's people and customs, and indulge myself in the company of each foreign land's female companionship. But late last month, I filled out my retirement packet and sent it off to Human Resources to begin the out processing for retiring from the post office. Effective December 31, 2020, as we all say good riddance to what has to rank as one of, if not the, most miserable years of our lives, I'll quietly punch the time clock for the final time and say goodbye to the post office and calling it quits. For years, I had imagined a celebratory retirement trip to Pattaya for a few weeks, meeting up with friends and drinking cohorts I've met through the years from all over the world, enjoying spoiling myself a time or two with an agogo dancer or hostess or both, walk the beach smelling the sea air, admiring the wide kaleidescope of neon blazing colorful streams of light into the night sky, and maybe even taking the time to reflect on my very first trip in 1994, a lifetime ago really, when seated at a beach road beer bar and watching middle aged men walking hand in hand with a sexy, slender, brown skinned babe who could be their daughter, or even grand daughter, if he was old enough, and vowing that someday, I was going to be that guy living in Pattaya year round. I had found my Paradise and that old guy was my new hero! Alas, after all this time, my 29 year old self from back then will soon become a 56 year old self now, that guy on the beach from long ago, and though that dream has been tempered some regarding the amount of time I would spend there, the desire to return has remained as strong as ever. But as we all have become painfully aware, at this time it just ain't happening. My ringing the bell a time or two and buying a round for the house has, sadly, been deferred thanks to a virus. Unlike a few who spent endless hours and posts debating back and forth on when to retire, and one in particular who made a career out of deciding when to go (ex-Secrets bm's know who I'm talking about), I have no reservations about pulling the plug. As a single guy with no ex's or kids, and relatively healthy and young, I'm anxious to turn the page and get started on the next phase of life. Travel will be a big part of it, as will possibly selling my house in California and relocating to another state to live about 6 months a year, while being abroad the other 6. Not to mention being on top of a broad for that matter! I've always enjoyed the retirement posts, the advice offered, the recommendations from others about how to spend wisely, both your money and your time, and trying to live your daily life with some sort of routine as well as taking care of one's health. Financially, I should be pretty good. I'm not going to be wealthy by any stretch of the imagination but I should be comfortable, which is good enough for me. Besides, there aren't any prizes given out for being the richest guy in the cemetery. I was fortunate in the market these last 4 years, and last decade really, with my retirement fund, and with a monthly draw that should help keep the wolf from the door, as well as a modest rate of return, I should have clean socks and underwear in my drawers and an occasional surf n turf on the grill well into the time when my teeth fall out and my night nurse is wiping the drool from my chin. So in addition to that, paying my rent without any difficulty shouldn't be a problem as well as being able to swing my bar tab. Though my return to Thailand will be delayed, I am cautiously optimistic that before too long, perhaps the back end of 2021, closer to the holidays, it will be safe to return and be able to cross paths with many of you who are retired living there or just enjoying an extended holiday, solving the world's problems one beer at a time and having a few laughs along the way. I look forward to the next chapter......

An update. We collected £2918 plus pennies. £2273 paid for the funeral. £180 was the cost of the celebrant to host the funeral and I topped up the remainder to make a nice round £500 which I gave to Puang today. I know that there are possibly another couple of donations to come but I wanted to give Puang some money today. She is fine but under a lot of pressure. I met a very old friend of Phil's today who, along with his wife, is helping her. Thomas is just a bundle of fun and is definitely going to be a big lad like his dad. Although he has dark hair like his mother I told him today not to get too attached to it as I think he may end up with a similar amount of it to his father. Puang asked me to tell everyone involved that she thanks them from the bottom of her heart and doesn't know what she would have done without the very generous acts of so many people. I thank everyone too and am very proud to know so many good hearted guys. The first drinks are definitely on me the next time I meet each and every one of you. Funeral is next Friday at 15:10 at Cottingley Hall crematorium. I'll make sure that there is a small floral tribute from the board. Was thinking to just put "from your friends in Thailand 247." Thanks again Andy

First let me say, that I realize that looking at pics of Pattaya, can be redundant. We have all seen alot of these same pics over and over again for many years. I tried to think “outside the box” a bit here, got to go on an ATV adventure, so hopefully that should mix it up a bit. I am sure many of you also know, that alot of the pics I would like to take, you just can’t do sadly these days, security will not let you at all, like at Insomnia. Did some wifey things, like Nong Nooch Gardens and visited a few temples to see the monks and she brought them gift baskets etc. Won’t bore you with those pics. With that said, I took her for her B-Day here for 5 nights. Usually I would just book a trip for us and surprise her you know? Decided to get her input back in Feb. I asked her “So, for your B-Day how about we go to Koh Lipe, Ko Phi Phi/Phuket, Ko Chang, Krabi”? She looks at me and says “Why don’t we just go to Pattaya”? Whoa…was not expecting that, after being in Hua Hin in Feb. I practically broke my ankle getting up to my “man cave” to look at hotels LOL! She saved me 10k baht on airfare you know? So, looked at Dusit Thani, Avani, Centara Grand Mirage, Hilton etc. Found this hotel that was relatively new called “Arbour Residence” looked at alot of reviews on various web-sites, seems to be getting great reviews and took a chance and booked it. Nice place on 3rd road, 15 minute walk to the beach, 20 minute taxi to Walking Street at night. Breakfast buffet is included in the price and on the 24th floor a rooftop pool, bar and very nice view of Pattaya. Got a standard King Room, very comfortable bed. So we hit a few places over our time there. B-Day night we went to “King Seafood” was very good eating right on the water in the back. After, we hit “I Bar” where we got there after dinner about 8:30pm. Well….alot of complaints these days about “prices” I have to say I Bar happy hour from 8:00pm-10:00pm is not to be missed. 49 baht for my favorite, Sangsom and Coke, and wifey is throwing down Heinekens. Again, out back by the water was nice. Not too crowded yet as it was Monday night. About 10:00pm, it is picking up and these drunk Aussies come in with their Thai Birds right? One guy accidentally bumps into me, says “Oh sorry mate” I tell him “No problem” he smiles and sits down next to us. Next round comes, and the waitress tells us he bought these for us. OK cool…..he leans over and asks me “Mate, just have to ask you, anyone ever tell you, you look like Joe Biden”? I told him “No, but my wife has told me after she is pissed off at me, that I look like Charlie Manson” LOL! Cool guys and the girls they were with, were quite fine. Next stop, Insomnia. So up the stairs there, security tells me “No pictures with the camera OK”? I told him “Kao Jai Krap” All good. Get in there towards the back and man this place is “heaving” with women….I mean alot. Got a table next to where the Insomnia dancer girls are taking rotations, some nice looking women dancing there. I had not been here for at least 7 years I am pretty sure. The lasers, thumping music, the vibe pretty good for a Monday night. So…at this point wifey is felling pretty good I can tell. She is NOT a drinker by any means, even beer. But this night, she is Courtney Love LOL! She asks me “Can I hab Corona now”? I told her you should not start mixing beers together, you should stick with Heineken. Well…..you know how that goes right? Ok..so this place is in full swing now. A quick trip to the bathroom, stop by the DJ booth, he comes down, I tell him it is wifey’s B-day and could he give her a shout out and perhaps play some “80’s funk music” He was totally cool, spoke perfect English and understood everything. I gave him a 200 baht tip. 10 minutes later his voice comes on and says “Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a birthday girl in the house tonite, give it up for Rachanee” and one of his associates brings over this huge flashlight and shines it on us….cool. Several Thai Birds come over to her, you know the gig, all hugs and love! He then launches into “Love Roller Coaster” by The Ohio Players. She looks at me and says “Can I go up dere”? Jesus Christ, I didn’t even get a chance to answer and she is on this small stage with 2 other Thai Birds letting it fly….I didn't know she could dance like that……good lord! Next up is “No Parking On The Dance Floor” and “Play That Funky Music White Boy” So after she comes down, I can really tell she is buzzed now, she asks me “Can I hab anudder Ka Rona”? Ok…this is not going to end well, but it is her night. So, one of the Insomnia dancers come over to her, who knows what they were saying to each other. She was fine looking, it was OK by me, but I suspect something is in the works right? I was right, she asks me “Can you buy her dlink”? Yeah Ok…200 baht for the LD. So this girl tells me her name is “Pim/Pom” or something like that. Speaks good English, thanks me for the “dlink” and tells me she gets 75 baht for this. Wifey heads over to the bathroom, so I am feeling pretty good myself, so I ask her “Are you able to bar fine from here and can you go with customers”? She said “Yes, but I cannot go until at least 12:30am” Ok so I asked her “How much for ST/LT”? She tells me “3k ST, 6k LT” Ok…So wifey comes back, we stay another hour and get out of there at 1:00am. Get the taxi back to the hotel, shower up and time for bed. 6:00am she is poking me in the side and tells me “I hab headache” Well, well, well, what a shocker huh? I told her "That is why I am the husband, and you are the wife” LOL! They never listen…do they? Two 500MG Tylenol and a glass of water and 4 hours later she is better. So over the next few days, did all the basic things. Hit the beach, stayed at the hotel by the pool, had dinner at Hard Rock Cafe, that was interesting. Got a table right next to the railing, where we heard this commotion and leaned over and saw a guy puking right there on the sidewalk….nice. Stayed at Hard Rock the entire night and drank in the bar. Decided to take a flyer and take an ATV adventure. That was good, this company picks you up at your hotel. 2 hour ride, lot’s of choices. Had 3 really cute Thai girls with us in the van. They had game, each one took the 2 wheel ATV. We took the 2 seat dune buggy. So…after an hour out in the mountains, and god knows where else, the 2 guides tell us that we can now branch out and for those that want to, we can “upgrade” for the last hour and take it up a notch. We did that and that was a blast! Full pedal to the medal and the girls went on the cruiser route with the other guide. Wifey was screaming, her head was bouncing around….felt like our wedding night LOL! She wanted to hit one of the “Go Go’s” one night after dinner on Walking Street.I know no one is going to believe this, she has NEVER been in a Go Go here in Thailand. We did, hit Baccara. God I love this woman to death, but she is so naive at times. Get in there, we get seated, they’re just changing girls and 12-15 new ones come on right? Few minutes later, about 4 of them right in front of us drop their tops…..it was quite nice. She looks over at me and says “Oh my god, they let the girls do like this”? I was hoping one would come over to us and sit next to me topless and ask me to buy her an LD?? Didn’t happen……as Metallica once said “Sad……………………..But True” Pattaya still fun after all these years.

Hit Lake Tahoe the week of July 11th-17th. Pulled into The Hard Rock Hotel. 91 degrees ( 32c) when we got there, a far cry from Feb 2020 when we arrived it was 25 degrees ( -3.8c) Room was nice, King Bed very comfortable. Alice Cooper kept us company there. 8th floor overlooking the Montbleu and Harrah’s hotels. They play great music in the casino. There are some really nice looking girls all over that place, both working on the casino floor ( Blackjack dealers especially) Cocktail waitresses and girls there on holiday They are hurting for “labor" all over Tahoe at this time. The Alpine Union restaurant we had breakfast at in the morning, have “imported” 8 Thai kids. They “sniffed” Rachanee out right away as you can see. They told her they love it there, they don’t want to go back. Came in May and have to go back in October as they are on a 6 month work visa. My morning breakfast there was “French Toast” tasted great, not so good for the waist line though. Did alot, certainly one of the highlights was renting a speed boat for a half day one afternoon. 25 foot, 2021Yamaha AR 250 with all the bells and whistles. Full LED/Digital displays, Bluetooth where we loaded up our music, Stones, Zeppelin, Foreigner, Journey etc. Sound system was outstanding. 350 HP dual engines and we screamed along the lake. Just outstanding day out. She even drove for a while……that was an experience. She was “running it up” at full speed! Met my buddy Roland and his fiancé Lisa one evening for Italian dinner and gambling. He has a condo up there. Various trips to Emerald Bay, hiking at Eagle Falls ( tougher then you think at 6,500 feet, 1,981 meters) over for lunch one afternoon at north shore at Incline Village. Rachanee found this creek over there, stopped for a few pics. We also hit “Baldwin Beach” which was very nice. The locals told us the water has not been this warm in many years. 73 degrees is warm for Tahoe, we both went in all the way. 50 years going to Tahoe and have never been in the water that far out. No snow run off for 2 years in a row due to the drought. That they told us, has made the water warmer. The Environmentalist are having a field day, saying the lake will be ruined if this continues. Night time activities were dinner, drinking and gambling. Had dinner at Harvey’s Casino one evening and hit “Hell’s Kitchen” Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant. Was good, but very over priced. She loves throwing the dice in “Craps” with my money of course LOL! Last night there, we hit “Park Prime” restaurant at Hard Rock. I had Salmon, she had the Chilean Sea Bass and topped it off with Chocolate Mousse/Vanilla Ice-Cream. Lake Tahoe still great after all of these years. Gas prices? Not so much LOL! Rachanee and I went to Fresno to see “Foreigner” in concert. Sadly last year May 2020, had tickets at Concord Pavilion, 5th row to see "Journey” and was cancelled. Was not going to miss this opportunity, so we spent the night there at the “Double Tree/Hilton” Great location, right across the street from “Saroyan Theater” where the show was. King Bed, room and hotel both very nice and breakfast buffet included. This is the way to go, shared a bottle of Wine and had dinner right at the hotel, then head across the street, 5 minute walk. 103 degrees (39c) outside, thank god for indoor shows. This is their 45th year together, a few band member changes though. Sadly the original vocalist, Lou Gramm is no longer touring with the band. He retired due to health reason in 2002. They bring in “Kelly Hansen” and this guy is the voice they need. He is good and has been with the band now since 2005 since being named the "official” lead singer for 16 years. Rachanee tells me he reminds her a lot of “Steven Tyler” from Aerosmith…..good analogy. So they cancelled a lot of shows in 2020, they are now back on the road again for 145 shows in USA and Europe, through June 2022 ending in Paris. They are playing "Foreigners Greatest Hits” and they did not miss a beat. Opening up with “Double Vision” they were on their game, they just had 3 weeks off prior to this show they said, and were raring to get back again. Next up was “Head Games” at this point I knew it was going to be a great night as Rachanee was already throwing her “fist in the air” LOL! Wine does wonders for her! Reserved seats in the 8th row dead center, that’s the good news, the bad news was no one sat down the entire night. Ok by me, I was geeked up too. This is not “Celine Dion” you know? Kelly Hansen introduced all the band members. Gets to Bruce Watson the lead Guitarist. Tells everyone “Please any of you who ever have a chance to meet Bruce, in the airport, at the hotel, out tasting various fine beers across the world, perhaps at a car race, just please, please, do not ask him if he is Brian May"?? He looks over at him and Bruce starts playing “Tie your Mother Down” by Queen and the rest of the band joins in for a few riffs. Pretty cool…they all start laughing. Seems like a bunch of real cool guys who like playing together. My “Sony Cyber Shot” small camera did well with no flash in concert lighting. I tell you these guys play all that Foreigner music crisp, clean and clear. The cadence and timing of every tune is just spot on. “Cold as Ice” “I've been Waiting for a Girl like you” “Blue Morning, Blue Day” “Dirty White Boy” “ Feels like the First Time” “Urgent” and a few others were all played. Closed the show with a blistering version of “Juke Box Hero” and came back with encores of “Long, Long Way From Home, I Want To Know What Love Is” and then one more encore of “Hot Blooded” to close out the night. Well done to Foreigner, glad they still tour.

First lesson learned: Any hotel that has "luxury" as part of it's name probably is not luxurious at all 😏 Arrived mid day 27/11 feeling elated to be back in Thailand and exhausted from the stress of long distance travel in these messed up times. That said both flights from London and Dubai were great with a whole row to stretch out on. I decided fresh air and a balcony were at the top of my list of priorities for quarantine. The O2 did not disappoint. It's out of town about 20mins from Swampy. Having a balcony was an absolute god send, the room only got an hour of early morning sun and I had the doors open all day. The room was around 45 square metres, spotlessly clean and for the vast majority of the time I was there, very quiet. Internet was fast and reliable, no worries running my firestick, lappy and phone at the same time. On day 7 after a negative Covid test I was able to use the roof area. Met some good lads up here which made my incarceration that much easier to deal with. You are only supposed to go up once a day for an hour but it wasn't policed at all, so a group of us would meet up 2 or 3 times a day. Lots of laughs and interesting people/stories. On the downside: I did not enjoy the food. For me it was at best 3 out of 10, I am only giving it that because of the fruit 😬. You get to choose from a menu for the next day. Only 1 guy I met said the food was ok. So pleased I brought a cheese board, bickies, anti-pasta and chocolate with me. You could order from a limited 7-11 menu though. I am not afraid to say the quarantine thing was mentally tougher than I thought it would be. Staying in a hotel room for 2 weeks, how fucking hard can it be?? Well first off you really can't leave the room and I felt the walls closing in a few times. The stress of knowing all could turn to shit if you tested positive or inconclusive really can't be underestimated either. Once I had finished the food I brought with me, I found my day was centered around the meals, if they were shite (most of them were) then that affected my mood. Part 2 coming soon...

Friday saw a huge queue outside our studios , about 1000, for free food. helping us was the inimitable Mr. Egg, le bub, who has been out to us twice to help for free. When you wonder about people standing in line for 4 hours for food, which has to be proof they need it, both I and Egg were totally fucked after just 90 minutes of handing out the bags, milk and water. Whilst my health isnt the best, I was seriously concerned for Egg as he crashed at the end. the heat got to him as it did us all. Scrambled for sure, and you gotta love him, sat with his head in his hands trying to recover he had been an amazing help to us. just goes to show how hard he worked. ( I sat watching of course i dont do manual labour ;) ) Thanks Phil.. superstar mate. cheque is in the post

Me and the lads out in Afghanistan. There was about 60 of us surrounded by hundreds of Taliban. The temp. was pushing 50 when we got there. We went out on patrol every day carrying 50-60lb of weapons, ammunition and equipment..... ..... often getting into ferocious fire-fights with the enemy. There were land mines, booby traps and IED’s everywhere. We were living in derelict buildings, sleeping on camp beds and the water in the showers was ice cold.....(the temp. dropped to -20 over the winter) ......and the fuckers fired mortars or Chinese Rockets at us most nights. We had to shit in a trench, sitting on a plank of wood with a hole in it.... ....can you imagine what a trench full of shit smells like in 50 degrees heat? And one week there wasn’t enough supply helicopters... ...so we had to make the decision as to whether we wanted food or ammunition? We then lived on 2 x cups of noodles per day for 4-5 days. Now. I was lucky enough (depending on how you look at it) to get blown up after 2 months... ....and came home to get patched up and recover. The boys did another 4 months of it. By the end..... 2 were dead. (not the lads in the picture) Several others had suffered life changing injuries. Numerous lads had been shot. And one lad who’d been in my Section sadly took his own life last year after suffering years of PTSD. That’s why it makes me want to fucking cry when I see on the news... ....that people can’t just stay in their fucking house for a couple of months. You’ve got food. Water. A hot shower. A nice comfy bed. A telly, an iPad, a phone and music at your finger tips. Amazon will deliver anything else you want to your house tomorrow. Nobody is shooting at you. And. If you do need to go out for food. You haven’t got to worry about stepping on a fucking booby trap! So please. The weather is going to be nice this week 😎. But don’t be a dick. Understand and appreciate how lucky you are to be in the position you’re in.... ....and stay in your fucking house. The sooner we all screw the nut the sooner this is over👊👊👊.

So spent 2 nights downtown at Nana and had the opportunity to meet up with BM'S Maipenrai, Boydeste and Lemondropkid. I have not been down to that area since 2018, been a while. We all stayed at the Dynasty Grande Hotel Soi 6. Nice hotel, very good and fair pricing. Breakfast for 2 mornings for me was at “Novotel” right next door for 400 baht. 6:00pm meet up at Hooters and the night has begun. Pulled in for a drink, asked the bartender if she wouldn’t mind turning down the music a bit so we could talk, she did. Moved to the back of the restaurant for our meal and I was devastated they no longer have the “Mushroom Swiss Cheeseburger” which I liked. They now have “Build your own Burger” which was OK too. The gals were all nice, took a few pics and made our way down Sukhumvit around 8:00pm to see “Thermae” which opens at 8:00pm. Last time there for me was 2017 with BM VPI78. Just a word to the wise, there are some real “sketchy” Nigerian guys in packs of 3-4 when walking, will ask you if you “need anything” as far as drugs…..beware. The BIB should just clear these guys out of here. Ok an institution like this has to be seen. It did not disappoint, even at 8:00pm on a Sun evening, you have alot of choices.We all agreed that if we were in the market for a little “Poontang” we all would have done well here as far as finding someone we liked. Pricing at this point was NOT discussed with any of the girls…..more on that later. 45 minutes or so there and then we all walked to Nana where our first stop of the night was “Long Gun” Nice Go Go, nice looking girls, I would suggest that perhaps some of you “entrepreneurs” might want to set up shop outside this place and perhaps sell "Gillette Mach 3 Turbo” Razors! I will let you all figure out why LOL! Next stop was “Spice Girls” where we took up residence in the upper tier and “oogled” the girls. Think we would all agree, only 1 really nice looking gal there that was in front of us, she was a beauty. Next stop was “Crazy House” Boydeste had suggested. Been there a few times over the years, but 2018 is a long time ago and did not know what to expect. Well…..it was heaping with girls downstairs, so much that we had to go upstairs to get 4 seats. No problem, not many girls up there but……………….I fell in love with this gal “Nii” who by far, has one of the nicest man made racks I have ever well…..got up close and personal with. LD for her and a 100 baht tip for her efforts to make me feel like she actually liked me LOL! I told her I might be back tomorrow night….well I was there for sure, more on that later. Next stop was back to “Thermae” again for a second look. Some of the same girls were there, one was still there and she smiled at all of us as we made our way back to the exact same place to drink. I asked her “Nobody has taken you yet”? She said “No, I go with you” So we milled around 30 minutes or so this time around and a few more very nice looking girls have now arrived. OK I am the “sacrificial lamb” and took one for the team and zeroed in on this really attractive girl standing in the back. I walk over there, she smiled, asked how she was doing tonite, she said she is fine. I asked her what kind of pricing she needs to take her tonite? She says “It is 4k ST, 8K LT” I asked her if I pay the price she wants, can I take pictures of her. She said “Yes but only take pictures if you pay me 8K LT” OK I thanked her for her honesty and told her have a nice evening. There you go boys, hope some of you bought “Bitcoin” when it first came out LOL! Prices are up, no doubt about it. Ok we closed out the night and Maipenrai suggested we head back to Nana now and hit “Mandarin” as on a recent trip for him, he was getting some attention with several gals. Ok yeah parked in the “upper tier” once again and he got the attention of this one young gal that looked Brazilian, and had a booty that should have its own zip code. She was nice, very unique look and was glad to be right next to him when he was getting some play. Gord? Fair assessment? I look over at Boydeste and he was sucking on some girls tits…what’s not to like? LOL! Final place we hit was “Billboard” where the girls were on revolving stages, and the girls in the jacuzzi were nice too. Lot’s of lookers in here, but…….at this point we all had enough of the god dam, mind-blowing volume of the music they play at these Go Go’s these days. We are all feeling no pain at this point and was a great night out and had a blast. I went back to the hotel and the rest headed off to Soi 7 I believe. Night #2 I was the "Lone Wolf” during the day walked a bit around the city, picked up a few things and had lunch at Hooters with “Fish and Chips” Was good, the gal “Milk” was really nice. Sat at the bar and chatted with her. So at night for dinner I hit “Hiliary 1” where I ordered "Plakapong” Fish aka “Fried Snapper” which I really like, have that alot here when wifey and I go out. Got there at 5:30pm, about 10 minutes later, this gal dressed fairly nice walks over to me and asks me “How are you tonite”? I told her I was fine and I asked her if she was the owner? She said “Yes I am Hiliary”!! "The Hilliary"? Yes well OK nice to meet you and she was really pleasant to talk with. Finished up there and was now on my way to “Patpong” These fucking taxi drivers, call one over he tells me “300 baht” I politely told him to have a nice day. Next guy pulls up and tells me “200 baht” Ok just go with it. I did. Hit Patpong and again last trip here was 2018. This place will always be in my heart a bit you know, first time in 1999 is the first place some co-workers took me in the office you know. First biz trip to Bangkok and they have now made me decide, I need a lifetime membership here. The first place I ever went into was “Kings Castle” They set me up with this gal and the rest is history. Yes alot has happened since then, but a creature of habit that I am, on this trip, the first and only Go Go I went into was “Kings Castle” at 8:00pm. Alot of the places are no longer there, alot of closed doors/buildings etc. Not as many street vendors down the middle, some, but now mostly Thai food vendors who were doing well. So a nice, young selection of girls were there on Monday, not many older girls at all. So this one catches my eye, she starts playing the smiley face game, OK I bite, she was cute as a button. I told the service girl to tell her to come down to me and there were not alot of guys there yet. She was young, but I just shudder at asking her how old she was? I finally popped the question and she tells me 20 years old. Ok, she was polite as hell after I bought her LD though. She tells me she has only been there 4 days and tells me “nobody eber buy me dlink, you be da first” OK, well.. at least she will remember me right LOL! Of course I could tell she has been “schooled” by the other girls and the Mamasan as she asked me "Can you buy me food, I no eat as I hurry today” Yeah OK, it was only 100 baht and was there in 5 minutes. She was adorable really. 45 minutes, few LD’s and is time to move on. She thanked me for helping her and gave me a small kiss on the cheek. Don’t hate on me LOL! Took a taxi back to “Crazy House” where I just had to see that gal “Nii” again. That bastard Boydeste has now ruined me for life, by suggesting we go in there the night before LOL! I get there and the place once again is just “heaving” with naked women everywhere. She spots me walking in, gets off the stage she was on, and promptly grabs my hand and tells me “We go upstairs now” Well…I kind of wanted to oogle the girls downstairs a bit, but hell…don’t look a gift horse in the mouth right? Get up there and she pulls me into this corner slot up there, and is immediately letting me “get acquainted” with the “girls” again. Ok this is good and she asks me "Where yo friends”? I told her all you guys were already hitting your regulars you all have LOL! Well, I spent the next 2 hours there with her, she told me the Mamasan said as long as I buy her LD’s, she does not have to leave and go dance again. Ok….I like this business plan kind of………as you can imagine, many LD’s later and I am feeling pretty good and she is telling me she wants to be my “Mia Noi” or some shit like that. I had a blast with her for sure, she is good, I would take her in a heartbeat if I could. But I was born at night……but it wasn’t last night…I got alot more to lose then gain, if I bring something back home to wifey you know? Final total 3k out the door which included LD’s, drinks for me, 500 baht tip to the Mamasan and a 1K baht tip to Nii for her efforts to make me feel good. Took a walk down Cowboy one last time before heading back to the hotel. Got half way down and this gal sitting in front of “Fannys” looks at me, smiles and well….the rest is history. I hate it when the girls start grabbing your arm and shit you know. She didn’t and was rewarded with my company for an hour LOL! Jum is 29 years old, been working there for a few years and actually lives right upstairs there with 4 other gals she told me. So…my business process model is, if they DO NOT ask me right away after I order my drink, “Can I hab dlink too” then halfway through mine, she is well rewarded for her patience. That is exactly how the rest of my time with her went and she was having Sangsom shots with Coke and I went with Sangsom and Coke. Feeling really good now, especially after time at “Crazy House” and this gal is real mellow, very soft spoken and after the second round of shots for her, she leans over to me and says “Last time I went with guy, we went to Landmark that was 2 weeks ago and no one has f***d me since. Can you help me”? Well… I am glad I got that information LOL! She then pulled out her phone and showed me some very nice pics of her at that place he took of her with her phone. Not much left to the imagination to be had. Dam…...she is tall and lean and a very nice choice I would think. Again a great time with this gal, 2k all in for the LD’s which included a 500 baht tip for her. I will close this report out by saying “The rumors that Nana, Soi Cowboy and Patpong are all dead………...have been greatly exaggerated” Thank you Mark Twain.

So, here’s the situation. I will not make any apologies for my own personal views or my language during the running of this thread. I have some very strong opinions about this invasion! I am in Kyiv right now. Locked down tight in my hotel. Not allowed in the streets at all. Russian soldiers are in the north of the city in the Obolon district, which is around 4 miles away from me. We had 4 evacuations into the bomb shelter last night. You can’t see or hear the cruise missiles, but I could certainly hear the AA firing and hear the sound of explosions from the cruise missiles hitting their targets! it’s a shit show of the highest standard! There isn’t a chance that Ukrainian armed forces can hold out against the Russian aggression, but we hope and pray they do! Putin Huylo!!! Glory to Ukraine, Glory to the Heroes!

29 Years ago we got wed in a Bangkok registry office.The only witness was her brother who was working as a teacher in Bangkok at the time.Afterwards he took us to his favourite restaurant & my new bride ate a crispy fried frog....wtf have I got myself into here I thought. Later we went to Jools in Soi Nana where I imbibed lots & lots of champagne & ended up in a right old state as the pic below shows.I guess my new bride was thinking wtf have I got myself into here as she took the photo. Fortunately 29 years later we are still wondering....

So we hit Las Vegas for 5 nights, Southwest Airlines/Hotel Package deal and stayed at “The Mirage” Temperatures the entire stay were between 90 and 93 degrees, warm, but certainly comfortable by the pool and especially at night in the 70’s. Got a “King Room” that was very nice on the 8th floor. Hit 3 shows that included Aerosmith at the Park MGM Hotel/Casino. Fantasy…Well that one was for me, a topless girl show with dancers, comedians, singers, sexy role play etc. Played at “Luxor” and was good, not a tattoo in sight and the girls well……they were quite nice, not a bad one in the group, all natural. No pictures allowed. Wifey looks over at me and says “Oiii, they let the girls come out like this and show their breast’? I said “I had no idea they would do this” LOL! She is kind of “naive” to some things here still. Cirque Du Soleil, Michael Jackson “One”…. Another great Cirque show, this was not Michael Jackson impersonators at all. These were all the Cirque guys/gals doing some phenomenal gymnastics/acrobatics to his music and they did not disappoint…well worth the money playing at “Mandalay Bay” They were coming down from the ceiling/rafters, they were flying all over the place, the dancing was incredible by these performers, the message they portrayed for his music was second to none. No pictures allowed. So we hit all the hotels in the area for buffet dinners at night at Bellagio, Cosmopolitan, Park MGM, Wynn and of course after a few nights, we had to try the local Thai food restaurant where wifey “dusted” about 5 different types of dishes. She did give me the “Tilapia” and the “Pineapple Fried Rice” which was good. Walked around a lot during the day on the strip, hit different food places during the walk, hit the pool at Mirage everyday for an hour or so. Got to give it up to Las Vegas, the vibe there is still good, streets on the strip are impeccably clean and the night life is still fun after all of these years. Had a great time, eat, drink and gamble. The Fountains at night at Bellagio and the Volcanoes at Mirage still fun to watch. Went to see Aerosmith at Park MGM Las Vegas. They have been doing a residency there since 2019. Nice hotel/casino and no smoking anywhere at either location. The Dolby Theater, 5,200 seats and not a bad seat there. Sat in Sec 305, Row B and it was perfect. Aerosmith is now the ONLY band in music history that have been together for 50 years with all of the original band members still playing with the band. Yep Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Brad Whitford, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer still going strong. Sadly, Joey Kramer was not there for this round of shows, as his wife died July 22nd and he is just taking some time off. There is a reason why these guys are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Steven Tyler is in The Songwriters Hall of Fame…..simply put, these guys are still great, no mistake about it. Can’t believe last time I saw them was in 1982. Their stage presence and delivery is spot on, the lights, staging, sound and performance is second to none. 8:00pm show time, no opening band, they have these huge screens that play 30 minutes worth of interviews, footage of the band from back many years ago, interviews with every band member etc.etc. until 8:15pm they come on. The screens ascend high into the air to reveal the stage and out they come from behind the drummer. There was no doubt Aerosmith was in the house, with that opening Drum Rhythm and Joe Perry’s Riff leading the way for the opener “Back In The Saddle Again” I knew it was going to be a good night. Buffet dinner before the show and wifey had a few drinks….and she was already pumping her fist in the air……as was I and everyone else around us. Good lord, some of the women there were dressed to the “9”s” Steven Tyler was certainly up for the task as the “Screaming Demon” was on his game, even at 74 years old. Having had a few months off now, and starting up this 15 show residency “The Bad Boys From Boston” are certainly performing at a high level. They played all of the great music from the past 50 years or so and no one was complaining. Continuing the night saw the following play list ...“Same Old Song and Dance” “Rag Doll” “Crying” “Love in an Elevator” They reached way back to 1975 for “Toys in the Attic” where these well….toys descended far from the rafters down to stage level. They just tore it up with “Living on The Edge” (my personal favorite) They also played “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” from the movie “Armageddon” where it won both a Grammy and an Academy Award for Best Song. “Sweet Emotion” was next up and then closed the night with a blistering version of “Dude Looks Like a Lady” 10 minute wait for the encore where Steven Tyler comes out with a cape on and a Baby Grand Piano rises from under the stage and they launch into “Dream On” that was just outstanding. But….Joe Perry was not to be out done and his opening “Riff” leads them into “Walk This Way” to close the show where this “Cat Walk” descends from the rafters on to the stage where Tyler and Perry literally walk out high above the stage into the audience and right above us screaming “Walk This Way……. Talk This Way”!! Well done to Aerosmith for being relevant and still playing well in 2022. Life is good!

Well, I searched back into the archives to dust this thread off and was pleasantly entertained from what some of the members had to say, all very kind words. As this was 2 years ago, and things were much different, both the world in general and mine personally, I'm now about to put into gear the next big move I had been thinking about when I pulled the plug on work, and in changing up life a little bit. I'm moving this weekend from California next door to Nevada, Las Vegas specifically. After spending all my life in California, save for a 3 year enlistment in the US Army stationed in Germany, I'm joining the exodus of people leaving California behind and settling just over the border in Sin City. Trading in the Golden State for the Silver State. Seems the glitter is a little more shiny on that side of the border. And as I've joked with a few close friends, I'll now be able to watch my football team, The Las Vegas Raiders, blow another big lead and lose the game from only about 15 miles away instead of 600 miles away! I sold my home to one of those home buying outfits that have become quite popular in the last 10-15 years. I was presented an offer that while I know was under market value, it also allowed me to avoid all the headaches that home sellers have placed in front of them when wanting to sell. No showings on weekends, no keeping the place spotless, no spending thousands of dollars to fix this, repair that or refurbish something else. Just an "as is" deal, no inspection, no closing costs, no nada. They take care of it all. And even better, I could leave anything in the house I don't want to take with me, and they will come in and clear it all out. Which means no moving van and loading and unloading furniture. My beds, living room furnishings, even the pool table in my garage....all of it....will be staying behind. A very easy, worry-free and convenient sales process. And my new bank account is about to get a little plump, so thats worth a few bell ringings when I return to Pattaya in time to celebrate New Years Eve. I bought a 2 bd 2 ba singlewide mobile home in a very clean, well maintained park, close to all necessary conveniences, and a short drive from the Fremont Street Experience, for those of you who have been to Vegas and know about the old downtown. It will finally afford me the opportunity I've wanted for many years to live in a stateside base comfortably, though less expensive in California, and have the chance to basically take off when I want and for a much longer time. No more 2-3 week trips like before. Now, a month or 6 weeks at least. And when that brutal summer heat arrives in Vegas, you can be sure I'll be outta Dodge for at least 2 months, maybe longer. Starting in 2023, I'm going to try doing 6 months stateside and 6 overseas, or some close variation. I'll see how things go. And if any of you find yourself in Vegas for a few days in the future, drop a pm to give me a heads up. If I'm not overseas myself at the time, I'll be happy to meet you for a beer and bite to eat. Sunday morning I pull out of the driveway from the house I've called home for 30 years for the last time and I'm hitting the highway, full speed ahead into the next chapter. Wish me luck!

Boy it feels good to be back on this amazing Island. We have a sea front apartment. It's 9.50 and baking hot.

There is an old lady that appears to be a little off her rocker I only see her when I go to the market .. she seems to sleep wherever ... and just rides her bike all day long Anyway, Ziggy and I were at the market this afternoon and we saw this old lady sitting on the curb crying her eyes out and stomping her feet .. acting kinda nuts ... Ziggy walks right up to this person and asks her what is wrong ..... I don't know what the lady said to Ziggy because whenever she says something to me it is all gobbly guck ... Ziggy tells me the tires are flat on her bicycle ... I tell Ziggy not to worry .. we will fix .... Ziggy gets this old lady to stop crying ... we walk a couple of blocks to this motor bike shop ( they always seem to be everywhere ) ... I sent a young guy at the motorbike store to go buy whatever he needed to fix this old ladys bike ... About 1 hour later .. the old ladys bike was fixed and she seemed happy ... I asked Ziggy how did she know this old lady .. she told me she always stops by moms flower shop and mom gives her a little baht to eat .... I told Ziggy good ...

2020 has been rough for many of us. Let's hope that there is a light in the tunnel during 2021. Wishing everyone a happy New Year with perhaps a path back to Thailand for those who are not already there and that Thailand remains low risk. I wish those in business, the best and that they are able to survive during these difficult times. Stay positive Stay safe y'all

There are members here who will continue to keep Thomas fully aware of what a great father Phil was, I will be one of those and my daughter Kataleya also who has recently spent a week with Thomas, calling him brother, she will always keep Thomas's mind full of the the positive impact his father had on those around him. Phil set up a Facebook page only accessible to himself, Puang and Thomas where he has uploaded all the photos, videos of their time together which will also serve as a great insight into his father's legacy. Thomas will know who his father is for sure.

Sai's not talking to me after she lost a 100 baht bet on the Jacob's Cream Cracker challenge. 🤣 Our local Robinson's Shopping Center has a supermarket which stocks a number of "western" lines that you do not tend to see elsewhere in Thailand. One of these is Jacob's Cream Crackers which I am quite partial to as a snack or just in lieu of bread. I was eating some today which accompanied a rice "pot soup" I had as a snack lunch. Sai had never tried a cream cracker and picked up one of mine which was simply buttered. Thai's cannot resist trying something new or some of anything off your plate if they have already declined to have there own individual portion. I asked her afterwards if she enjoyed the cream cracker expecting her to say "mai arroy!" but, no, it had been met with approval. So I wondered if Sai would like a little "challenge" involving a bet. "Sai, I have a little challenge for you if you are up for it. I bet you 500 baht against your 100 baht that you cannot eat 6 Jacob's Cream Crackers in one minute." "So when I eat the 6 crackers in a minute you give me 500 baht?" "Yes, and if you fail you give me 100 baht." "Okay, go get the crackers." To be fair, I did tell Sai it was not as easy as it might seem and that she had to eat each cracker one after the other. Her and her sister had a little chat in Thai then "Are they buttered?" "No." says I Another chat in Thai then "can I have a drink of water?" "Yes, you can drink now but once you start the first cracker nothing else until you finish." "Right, but sister Joy keeps the time." "Fine with me." 3 - 2 -1 GO! Sister Joy calls time at 1 minute 30 seconds and sai is still trying to swallow cracker number two which is below average in the list of abject failures! 🤣 I tried to decline payment but pride requires the 100 baht to pass to me. Its all gone quiet................... For a while. 🤣

So wifey and I finally made it to Lake Tahoe to see and experience the snow. First time ever for her, I had not been to the Sierra Nevada Mountains in the Winter since 1993. 4 hour drive from my home, the last hour is the best as you get into the Mountains. Pulled into Harvey’s Hotel/Casino for a 6 night stay. Nice place, reasonable at $90 per night for a King Bed, Standard Room, 9th floor view etc. Great Sports Bar for breakfast in the morning. The tale of 2 weather patterns over 6 days, first 2 days, 25 and 27 degrees ( -3 and -2.7 C) then warming to 44 degrees ( 6 C) over the last 4 days. Nights were brutally cold after the sunset. Rachanee was a “gamer” though, thermals, goose feathered jacket, sharks beanie, gloves and snow boots and she is ready. Don’t want to bore you with all the things we did, but a trip around the lake, over to the North Shore to explore a bit and small hike, over to Incline Village where all the rich people have their homes were all things we did. But several highlights were as follows: The Gondola ride up to see the lake at 10,000 feet ( 3,048 meters) is a must, then an additional 2,000 feet ( 609 meters) to watch these young guys ski/snowboard was fun………..23 degrees ( -5 C) will check your ego at the door LOL! Damn…….luckily clear and cold and no wind. Snowmobile riding was first time for me too. Never did this before and sorry I missed this all those years ago. $200 for 2.5 hours, included 30 minutes with a guide who taught you the right way not to kill yourself LOL! Then he leads 10 of us on a 2 hour, 16 mile drive deep into the “motherlode” of the Sierra Nevada’s. This was just outstanding, with several stops along the way for photos etc. I had no idea how fast 40 MPH ( 60KM) is on one of these. These things get real fast, real easy. Rachanee asked me if she could drive the final hour? I was hoping she wouldn’t ask. She took the lesson like all of us, she did go much slower though. My biggest concern was she was going to go off some ravine in 200 feet of snow, no one would notice we were gone from the group, they would find us next May when the snow melts, looking like a couple of frozen popsicle sticks LOL! She did well though and we made it back safely. Night time activities? Well it should be obvious, buffet dinners, had a great meal at Montbleu Casino with Chinese Food, then what else but drink and gamble a bit. Told Rachanee I was going to give her $100 per night to gamble…….her eyes lit up like a Christmas Tree! She has fun with it, one night at Hard Rock she wants to “throw the dice” OK….get to our turn at the table, good crowd, $10 min, puts $20 on the pass line, rolls a “Nine” so the point is 9 right? Previous to this she asked me why this one guy keeps yelling “33”? She said no 33 on the board. I told her that the point was 6, then if he rolls a “hard 6” which is both dice have to come up 3 and 3..he not only wins on the pass line for hitting his point, he also gets 9 to 1 payout, for this for rolling 3 and 3. She gets ready to roll on her 4th roll right? She yells out “Gao” the stickman and the pit boss look at me and I tell them “Oh, that’s Thai language for 9” They both laughed. 2 rolls later she rolls a nine and wins another $20….she was happy and so was the rest of the guys who played pass line or the field. By far, Hard Rock Casino had the best looking girls working there, there were 2 Philipino gals dealing Blackjack that were pretty fine for sure. The Casinos are pretty cool letting you take pics inside, just no pics allowed anywhere near the gaming tables, but anywhere near the slot machines are fair game with no hassles. Security guys helped us take a few pics….cool dudes. On Friday night we hit “Opal” nightclub at Montbleu Casino, $15 cover for guys, girls get in free. No cameras allowed as they have topless Go Go dancers who not all night, but at some points in the evening, drop their tops for a song or two. Security guys are cool, check your camera in for you no charge. This Fri evening was “80’s funk/disco” night” Play that funky music…white boy…..right up my alley LOL! Forgot how good all those tunes sounded….especially buzzed! Nice looking girls doing bottle service and a good crowd of ladies over all there. Crown Royal and Seven Up was $15 per drink well poured, wifey had Corona at $12 per. Great trip and Lake Tahoe still fun after all these years.

To be honest, a few months ago I didn't think I'd see Christmas but I made it with the battle of my life. Today I got to see my son open all his parents for the first time.

Danny you're not taking enough credit we all worked hard to make it work and we were successful or as much as we could be anyway until it's self-destructed by means that you have posted. But when I left the bar at night I had no trouble sleeping. I wasn't responsible for making sure people got paid or for making sure we had enough money to even open the doors the next day. I did not have to make sure maintenance got done or anything else. That all fell on your shoulders and you carried it as far as you could. As far as the decline after my leaving I put down to failure for promotion. I remember being told the bar will survive on its own The Forum won't have any effect on it one way or the other what a stupid comment. The Forum built that bar and made it what it was and to think you could just stop promoting it basically and it would survive and carry on was just silly. When I got arrested on that setup drummed up charge who is the guy that went around to ATMs draining their personal accounts to get enough money to pay bail it was you. If you hadn't been there I would have spent far more time in the gray bar Hotel before I would have been released. In the end there was nothing you could do because the people above you just didn't care anymore. You can't save a sinking ship when the captain is not concerned

So Rachanee and I went to see ZZ Top at The Mountain Winery in Saratoga, Calif set high in the hills where all the rich people live. I really like this place, just outstanding. 12th row seats in the center, just a bit to the left of the stage. Hit “Krungthai” for dinner before the show. After went to “Straits” for a drink then headed out. 75 degrees when we pulled into the parking lot. Nice night out there. Last time I saw ZZ Top was at the Cow Palace, July 1981 with Loverboy as the opening band. Sadly, original Bass Guitarist, Dusty Hill passed away last year, they now have his Bass Tech named Elwood Francis, who knows the music quite well. Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard are the 2 remaining originals for 51 years now. Billy Gibbons was telling everyone when he took the job, he was clean shaven, 6 months later, rehearsals for this tour started and he grew a beard and he will fit in quite nicely with me! Aerosmith is now the ONLY band together for 50 years that have all of the original members still with the band. 8:00pm out they come….they launch into “Got Me Under Pressure” then the rest of the night was just all of the great material they played over the decades “I Thank You” “Jesus Just Left Chicago” “Pearl Necklace” "I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide” “Sleeping Bag" “Sharp Dressed Man” “Just Got Paid” few others and closing the show with “Gimme All Your Lovin” and a blistering version of “Legs” with all the women just busting out of their seats letting it go! They brought out those Guitars made by “Dean” with all the white fuzz on them…just like in the video! I have to say, Billy Gibbons is 72 years old now, man that guys “Growl” and that voice he has, has not changed one bit. He still sounds amazing. Was pleasantly surprised at how many women were at this show dressed to impress….seriously. Encores of “Tube Snake Boogie” and “La Grange” closed out a great night, clean, crisp and clear performance….well done to ZZ Top.

Got the job. So happy, it's brilliant. Just got to do a load of form's as they are dealing with insurance claims, they're hoping get me started in a week. f**k it, gonna treat myself to a nice fat bar of chocolate 🍫 as a reward.🤣

So the month of August rolled around and after so many days, weeks and months, thinking about it, I finally hit the road for a long awaited cross country trip from California to the Atlantic Ocean up on the coastline of Maine. It was 4 weeks and just over 8,000 miles into the heart of America. I was determined to make this trip on two lane and secondary highways, through small towns and open country, as much as I could. And I pretty much stuck to the script with the exception of the Northeast and those lousy toll roads. While I was gone, I was blessedly ignorant of the daily news and repeated failures of mankind to live in peace and being kind to your neighbor. The rest of the world has a real disadvantage to what they get shown of America, as the overwhelming view that gets exported to everyone beyond our shores is one of hatred, name calling, violence, entitlement, inhumanity and an overall inability to get along with one another. Almost like the political threads of a message board! I was determined to head out and see America as something different. A place where people were friendly and did get along. Where the vast social problems that burden the coastal population centers, and from which so much of that negative outlook the rest of the world gets from us, gets eagerly reported on, is as far removed from the Midwest prairie in North Dakota as it is from an Irish fishing village on the shores of the Atlantic. The road led me to Yellowstone Park, the Black Hills, the Great Lakes, the rocky coast of Maine, the Norman Rockwell-esque towns of Upstate New York, the Amish country of Eastern Ohio, the flat landscape of Kansas, the Rockies, the canyon country of Utah and in a final push for home, along the loneliest highway in America, US 50 across the middle of Nevada. My trusty horse for this ride was my brand new 2021 Dodge Ram Classic 1500, a retirement present to myself in order to make such a journey. It performed magnificently and looked good in doing so. It was a drive back through the history of our country. Towns that were established in the Old West during the railroad expansion in the mid to late 1800's, gave way to those in the Great Lakes region that began in the early 1800's, then to those from the 1700's in the Appalachians, and finally the coastal areas of our original 13 colonies where the towns beginnings harkened back to America's earliest days in the 1600's. Through it all, I was able to again come to truly see what a big, amazing, country we are and despite our foibles, arguments and disappointments, the goodness that fills our heart is still there, still genuine despite what the media portrays us to be. It was refreshing to not be told who to love or hate. Who shouldn't get along with whoever. What one should believe and not believe. That we still have a love of country and the people, despite whatever differences among us get the headlines, it's those things that we have in common that still matter most. It was a beautiful trip. The Dodge Ram brought me up into Idaho and crossing the gorgeous Snake River Canyon in Twin Falls. Over 45 years ago, somewhere up river, Evil Knievel tried jumping the canyon and it was a spectacular failure. I was cool with just admiring the view.

There is an old saying that goes, "If you want to make God laugh, then tell Him your plans." Such was my fate upon retiring at the end of last December. After nearly 34 years of civil service, I was finally free to travel and enjoy life with all my time being my own. It was gonna be great, it was going to be epic, it was going to be........delayed. Real life intervened in the form of my mother being diagnosed with dementia and could no longer live independently anymore. I suddenly found myself making a nearly 90 mile round trip up to her mobile home in the foothills east of Sacramento to check on her, do grocery shopping, take her to various appointments, etc. It quickly was taking a toll on me, as I'm sure many here on this board have had to deal with in their own families. I made the decision to move her in with me as I had the room, and more importantly, the time, to care for her. So, I placed all my own wants and desires on the backburner and devoted my life to caring for hers. And though it might be a challenge at times, I was able to allow a little time to myself for a mental break, which is where things like this board became a bit of a life preserver for me as it got my mind engaged in other things...the Covid situation in Thailand, the hope that I would be able to return by Christmas, how others were coping in their own countries, and even the back and forth of my political nemesis' on the US politics club, it became a welcome respite for me. So despite the name calling and animosity, I do have to give them, and the guys here in general, a thank you. By late June, my mom was relocated to live in a safe and loving environment with my sister and brother in law, who were both empty nesters, in a small coastal community a 5 hour drive away from me, and a few days later, I was on a flight out of San Francisco, a layover in Ft Lauderdale, and finally, blessedly, arriving once again to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, where the aqua blue waters of the Caribbean welcomed me back after 20 months away, like an old friend. Not to mention the local chicas, who had their own way of saying, "Bienvenidos a Republica de Dominicana" It was time to pick up the pieces and get back to living life. And down in the Caribbean, "livin' la vida loca" is more than just a saying.

Not sure if this is the right place to post this. My new YouTube video features Larry, who kindly gave me his time to talk about his days at Secrets and Babydolls. I’m so happy I got Larry to tell some stories on camera. I think he’s a natural. Part 1 is about Secrets. Subscribe for free for part 2 next week, which details Babydolls. Once again, thanks for your help Larry. When Phil Met Larry (Part 1 ) | PATTAYA BAR MANAGER LARRY FROM SECRETS WALKING STREET

As long as you are being honest with yourself and the reasons for leaving Thailand then the move should be a positive one. I was having a relatively good life in Thailand (15 years living there) but during that time I got divorced from my English wife, moved house a few times and had quite a bit of my offshore accounts suspended. I was told that I couldn't get a work permit when I wanted to work and I wasn't as well as I thought I was. I was feeling jaded about the future and many times found myself questioning 'what does the future hold but it wasn't really a UK v Thailand deal but just a realistic look at our future. Met a lovely Thai girl who gave me a beautiful daughter which got me thinking of what to do when she became of school age. I couldn't really afford a good international education for my daughter and many times I sat down and analysed everything and came up with the best solution for me was to return to the UK. I did have a home in Thailand (small build but livable) but the education issue kept coming up. Discussed the future with my soon to be wife and we came to the view that living in the UK would be best, even gave an incredible opportunity for her to be the bread winner as she was still young and I was nearing retirement age. Even her parents agreed education in the UK would be best which kind of shocked me. There are many benefits to living in the UK - pension increases, NHS use, education of a high standard, great areas of beauty to visit, your family, good friends, a government wanting to give handouts I was not even aware of, great shopping with the best variety of foods for all tastes, loads of good quality gyms and pubs, pubs, pubs with great beer (real beer)... the list goes on. I made the right move, if I hadn't come back I would probably be dead now as they found out I had a major heart valve problem and the severity was such that my prognosis was imminent death or no more than 12 months to live without doing something about it. Open heart surgery on the NHS for free and I am now a well man. My daughter has done exceptionally well at school and has integrated perfectly, better than we imagined, she starts a new school here in Wales next Monday. My wife has been working and earning good money despite being on furlough but that opportunity can not be taken away from her as even when I say 'do you miss Thailand' I get cut short with a 'only miss my family but I will never go back there to live'....she loves the UK and the opportunities it has given her. I have moved into a beautiful house which has just added to my quality of life, I am happy. Now your reasons must be genuine to you. Are you leaving just because you have no money or do you really want to be back in the UK for other more positive reasons. A desire to be in the UK as opposed to remaining in Thailand must be a priority. The move back may seem good on the surface but that desire may wane after a few weeks if your heart is in Thailand. I miss parts of Thailand but not the women or booze, I miss walks on the beach at Hua Hin, I miss the trail at Hellfire pass in Kanchanaburi and I miss the drive to Khon Kaen from Pattaya with great views going over the mountain pass before Korat. There are great hotels and some good beaches but my view of Thailand is now more of a tourist, not that of an expat. You seem to be trying to blame Thailand and the people you know and meet for your need to move back but don't use those things as excuses as Thailand is a great place for a single man with means and a property. If you have family then have you discussed this with them, a move back is a big decision. For me it has been the best move I have made in many years, it has been great for my mind, my health and my family. I hope your choice is based on good sound investment in the positive reasons, it is a major decision to make. I wish you well in whatever decision you arrive at.

I was glad that I was able to attend, pay my respects and offer my condolences to Puang. The service was non secular but very appropriate and professionally delivered by the celebrator. My particlar thanks go to Andy for the practical help and support that he has been able to give to Puang and Thomas. It was also good to meet Andy for a catch up chat.

It is over and went as well as these things can in these strange days. Can't write much now but Puang gave me permission to post this photo of Thomas and the flowers sent to represent the forum. Thanks to John Luke for attending and representing the forum.

Got to disagree. If it is a snapshot of what the situation is like it is informative even if depressing for the owners of those bars that are closed. If expats are aware of the bars that are open then good for them and they can continue to enjoy themselves. I used to live on the dark side so info like this would have given me a good insight into where there would be a reason to visit without wasting my time. I have seen on this thread where bars are open and where they are not and that is the very reason why this thread was started. If members find it depressing to see whole sections of bar areas closed that is not really anything but personal to them but BStreaks photos are pertinent presently and I thank him for taking the time to inform the forum of what parts of the city are like. It is obvious the city has places that are open and those that wish to enjoy themselves still can. Personally I never did soi 6 so a snapshot of the rest of the city is welcome.

Back to W/S... Soi 14, not a sausage........ The ''Night Bazaar'' has reopened up by MIT....... MIT in total darkness....... Behind the Kasikorn bank on Soi Buakhao those complex's have quite a few open..... Doesn't look like a lot going on at the rear of ''Tree Town''..... But the side and front looks open..... Unfortunately rain stopped play before I could venture south down Soi Buakhao, as this which I saw on the beach caught up with me.......lol...

Put your glasses on and you'll see your trying to type on your George Foreman grill.😀

Went to see Paul McCartney May 8th Mothers Day here. Hit “Straits” restaurant Santana Row for dinner. Wifey had the “Spicy Basil Chicken” and I went with the “Spicy Dragon Prawns” Shared a Salad before hand and each of us had a glass of Wine with dinner and Kahlua Coffee after. Great food as always. 45 minute drive to Oakland Oracle Arena. Get there at 6:30pm, show is supposed to start at 7:30pm…fat chance you know, he came out 8:15pm. Opens up with “Can’t Buy Me Love” and from then on a 2 hour 45 minute non stop show that took a trip down memory lane from a lot of his Beatles catalog and then a good dishing of all of his solo material. One tends to forget how much great material he actually composed, wrote and produced outside The Beatles. Certainly he has stood the test of time, now at 80 years old, the guy looks 60 and his physical appearance certainly has him being able to sing and perform for this long is quite the tribute to him overall I think. Working through such Beatles hits as “Love Me Do” “ You Never Give Me Your Money” “Lady Madonna” “Something” “Got To Get You Into My Life” and many others. He completely had control of everybody in that arena…..he pulled out a never before played song of “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite” off Sgt Peppers was one of the highlights for me…Was pleasantly surprised at how many packs of women that were there you know? Trust me, these gals were digging it that were all in SEC 101 around us. They could not hold back any longer when they launched into “Get Back” Wifey was up too….throwing her fist in the air and all get up! Certainly McCartney has a very high budget for his production and nothing was spared expense wise. State of the art lighting systems were all in full display for sure and he certainly hit the mark with a blistering version of “Live And Let Die” at the end of the show. Good lord the lasers and the dynamite going off rivaled any Kiss or AC/DC show. He played a great version of “Blackbird” in the middle of the set, where he stepped onto a smaller stage where it raised him high above everyone in the arena and he nailed it! I did NOT know he also plays a mean Electric Guitar and pulled out a great lead on “I’ve Got A Feeling” that showed John Lennon singing his lead part on the projection screen they dubbed in behind them and what a great tribute to him also.. Few of the great tunes he played from his solo material included “Let Me Roll It” "Maybe I’m Amazed” while on Piano. They brought the Ukrainian Flag and a few others out after “Hey Jude” the final song of the night and then came back for a 5 song encore to finish the night that included "Birthday” “Helter Skelter” “Carry That Weight” Well done to Paul McCartney and his band for an absolute great night out! So nice to forget about all the crap going on in the world for just a few hours. So went to see Steve Hackett at The Fox Theater Oakland. Built in 1928, $75 Million Dollar renovation and re-opened in 2009. The “decor” in this place is absolutely stunning to say the least. 2,800 seats, all great views. Open bar opens at 5:00pm, doors to the theater open at 7:00pm. Went with a buddy from the gym who retired as a firefighter for 30 years. We had seats in the 12th row, little to the right of the stage. Dinner at Red Lobster then on to Oakland. Nice parking garage for $20, 5 minute walk to the theater and pleasantly surprised how clean the downtown area in Oakland is and uh…there were women everywhere at these outdoor bars, complete with music at 5:30pm, was not expecting that. Apparently Steve Hackett noticed too, as after his first song he told everyone “Nice to be back at the Fox Theater, nice to be out too working again. We got into the hotel about 1:00pm, I hate sitting around the room, so several of us went for a walk and there were a few nice girls outside who said “Hello” to all of us….I am glad my wife is back in England” Cool guy…. 8:15 pm out he comes and does 4 of his numbers from his solo material. Tells everyone they will take a quick break for 15 minutes, then be back to do a lot of the material from “Seconds Out” the double live Genesis album that in my opinion, is the best live album ever made. True to his word, out they come and launch into “Squonk” Very clean sound and the acoustics in that theater are second to none. The lead singer, Nad Sylvan has a tough job re-creating both Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins voices on the various Genesis material they play and many have said it is a tough job doing both these guys, but for this night, I thought he was very good. His band is tight and the drummer really showcased his talents doing an exceptional job for Phil Collins drumming back in the day. Needless to say, Steve Hackett is on another level.I did not realize after seeing him a few times over the years, how much he uses his “foot pedals” to get the exact sound on all the classic material he plays. He uses a Guitar that is made in Japan called a Fernandes. The “sustain” he can create is phenomenal. I know this cause my Son told me. Looks very similar to any Gibson Les Paul, but it isn’t and works well for him. Certainly his solo playing on “Firth of Fifth” "The Musical Box” “Suppers Ready” and “Afterglow” show how great of a progressive Guitarist he really is. You can feel every note coming out of those Marshall Amps of his. The evening was just one great performance after another with such classics as “The Carpet Crawlers” “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” “Cinema Show” and encores of “Dance On a Volcano” and a blistering version of “Los Endos” to close the night that raised the roof on the place! Steve Hackett is the real deal.

THE BEER GARDEN is OPEN - Without those Stupid Tests - Only a temperature scan - Perfect !!! Great Day being back there after so long..All the Staff are the Same...Good Service. The Menu is NEW - but all the Prices are the same as 2 years ago.. ( Manageress told me.) Draft Beer is only 60 Baht for a Big Glass - I had 2 + Gangaly Guy and Rice = Perfect.. I counted 30 people there - enjoying themselves. Didn't see any Freelancers...Bit early 3-00 P.M. Wonderful View - Sea Breeze - Great Atmosphere - Good background Music. + Newspaper - What more can you ask for.. Great to have it Back Again.

Just got up for my final day at work. Hard to believe after 19 years and 2 months it's all over. Last 2 weeks we have been palletising all the stock and shipping it to the new warehouse in Coventry. Not much left now so a couple of people are staying on a week or two to finish up. Checked the Internet banking and my final salary and redundancy payment has been made. Not everyday you wake up to a nice fat 5 figure sum in your balance. 🤣 Put my CV on the Internet but in no rush to get back working, got time now to look for something I really like the look of. Don't want too long off and get lazy. Plenty of work out there for warehouse /Forklift drivers and most paying more than I've been on. Would of had a nice bottle of single malt and champagne indoors to celebrate but have 4 can's of alcohol free Punk IPA in the fridge instead. 🤣 The future starts tomorrow. 👍

It's been a rough year all round for everyone. There is light at the end of the tunnel, so here's wishing every member here and their loved ones a very Happy 2022. 🥳🥳🥳🥳

Wasn't sure where to put this but as this is one of, if not the, first threads Phil started on the board I thought it might be fitting. It isn't about what I'm doing but rather what Phil's widow is doing. Yesterday she called me to pass on the news that she has been granted her indefinite leave to remain in the UK. So right now she has had a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. Due to her uncertain status she has been unable to receive a single penny of help from the government since Phil's death. Not even the family allowance for their son Thomas. At the beginning of the year I asked if she thought we should try to get some help in case her paperwork had gone missing or something. She said she'd wait one more month, which is what she'd been saying since October. In non-covid times a case like hers would be dealt with in eight weeks but I was unsure what was normal in these strange times. When Puang told me a couple of weeks ago that she knew of a case that had been dealt with in pretty much regular time I decided I must try to do something. I used to live in West Yorkshire and have some connections in the political world there. So I made some calls and found some people to make some noise in the right places. I can't be certain that this helped but she got her right to remain which is the important thing. I've been living on tenterhooks in case I'd done the wrong thing but thankfully it is all over now. Puang is eternally grateful for the help members of the forum gave when Phil passed away and mentions it often to me. At Christmas quite a few guys sent cards, gifts and money to Puang and Thomas after she told me she was unsure if it was OK to celebrate Christmas after Phil's passing. She got calls and messages from members and their wives at that time which I know helped her a lot. Right now she is taking Covid very seriously and is isolating completely. She has the food shopping delivered and isn't going passed her garden gate at the moment. She said to me that after losing two husbands to cancer she couldn't bear it if she lost one of her sons and she couldn't risk leaving them as orphans. That said she seems cheerful enough when we chat. Again many thanks from Puang and Thomas for all the extremely kind help given from members and their wives.

Just transferred another Aud$1000 (23,000 baht) to Thailand to be given to a temple that cares for children with HIV. In Australia we have a recycling scheme that pays 10 cents for every bottle and can. Once friends found out what my wife was doing we are getting bags of recyclables dropped off to our place all the time. Since lockdown a lot of people are drinking at home and the amount of bags getting dropped off went viral. We have now raised several thousand dollars for the kids.

Everything being looked into..... So many things that Puang needs to do after a loved one has passed away as many here may know. It has been a difficult time for Puang but Andy has stepped up, my wife has been a shoulder to cry on and I have assisted as well in looking through the paperwork to make life as easy as possible. Andy and I have been speaking every day and my wife has been constantly on the phone to Puang since Phil's passing. Please know that in the days before Phil passed away my wife had been staying with Puang to allow her to visit Phil in the hospice before he finally came home to be where he wanted to be, with his family. Both Andy and I visited Phil about a week before he passed away and that was a special time for all of us, his eyes were bright, his mind was alert but he was very weak but he wanted to ensure that Puang and Thomas were going to be OK. Tommy was updated regularly and everything was done to help as best as we could. Puang is strong and with Andy and my assistance together with my wife's support we believe everything is being done to protect Puang and Thomas. The support here and the financial assistance donated will go a long way in not only showing the love and friendship for a great guy but ensuring that his wife and son will be a little bit more comfortable going forward. Thanks guys.

Thought I make the most of the hot weather (without knowing that today was going to be the hottest day of the year so far) and take myself down to the River Thames for a walk. Started in Brentford, over Kew bridge and down the towpath, through Richmond to stop of for a few beers at work, and then carried down to Teddington where I called it a day and took the bus home! IMG_9783.MP4

On Monday Sai says to me "We are going to go somewhere you have not been to before - you might get wet." 😀 That was all I knew when Sai, myself and assorted family members packed into sister Joy's Asuzu station wagon and set off heading north east from Mae Sot. After about an hour we turned off the main road and after being vetted at an Army check point started what turned out to be a 40 minute drive through the jungle virtually all of which was on an unpaved dirt road. This was by far the best of the road surface and there were a lot of steep gradients. It felt very lonely as we only saw one motorbike and one truck in the whole journey. The last few hundred yards was down the steepest hill imaginable and all I could think of was how the hell are we going to get up that on the way back. 😀 Eventually we reached the end of the track and found a car park of sorts and several other parked vehicles which was a relief. We followed the path and arrived...........at the top of a cliff looking down on the Moei River which is the border between Thailand and Burma. You are looking down on a "community" that have set up homes etc etc quite literally on the Moei riverbed. Once the rainy season starts again they will have to shift the lot. Behind us, into the cliff itself is the entrance to a cave complex. There is quite a spectacular cave in the Mae Sot area which is one of the local tourist attractions. This is not that one! This is one for nutters who like risking themselves crawling underground. It is just like the one that the Thai youngsters had to be rescued from. There is a map on display outside which details the chain of tunnels throughout the cave. It looks like the London underground map. I looked for the Northern Line. Sai said: "Are you going to go in for a look? This is the photo I took of the entrance. Two chances of me going in there and you know what the second one is! 🤣 Once we had negotiated the hike down the hillside you come to the "bridge" taking you from Thailand to Burma. It is basically made from bamboo and you have to try to walk on the slats that have a pole underneath. That is the main "restaurant" which serves food to the customers sitting over the river. We brought our own but several portions of Thai food were bought and apparently enjoyed. When you have negotiated the bridge (safely) you are confronted by the following sign. This stretch of the Moei river contains some of those very big fish that Thailand is famous for in angling circles. You have to let them know that you are going to fish in advance. Sai say it cost you 1,000 baht if you catch one and they have to be released back into the river. Now the highlight of the day. For the grand sum of 300 baht we get a trip down the river and it was worth every single baht. The wee boat boy looks scared stiff. He cheared up when Well gave him 20 baht A most enjoyable trip down the river and we have a number of video's as well. Then it was time for lunch and a sleep. We had some guests for dinner. The very healthy looking dog ( he belonged to the restaurant) is called "Go Go" and he is a real water dog. He was catching wee fish in the shallows And so the end of a very enjoyable day with me looking absolutely knackered although I don't know why. 🤣