Leaderboard

My honest opinion is nicely fitted out I just don't understand how they'll separate from one bar to the next. We went in sat in the middle and a girl with a drink card from another bar not the bar we were sitting in front of rushed over to get our drink order. So it seems that all those tables in the middle it's a free-for-all for customers and for the bars to go get their customers. The problem is going to come from you'll have a bar that will have a group of very aggressive service girls and they'll be running up and down that place not mattering where their bar is located in the complex because they can take drink orders throughout. I can see this becoming a problem between the bars. The Winn bar had food catered in for the grand opening from a Chinese place here in town very nice but again here comes the problem the food is at their bar but you've got 200 people sitting in the middle of the place not sitting at any specific bar having drinks from all the other bars. Well I Can Only Imagine that some of those guys are going to take advantage and Wander Over and Avail themselves of the offerings despite not even drinking or having drinks from that particular bar. I think the customer prices are pretty much in line I think they're. Fair Lady drinks at 170 baht with the girls getting 70 of that as a commission. If you're sitting in the middle and say you order a drink from Caesar's Palace bar and a girl comes over to have a chat with you from Planet Hollywood Bar and you decide you'd like to buy her a drink now you have 2 bins. One of our group asked the girls if after getting the drink they could wander through the complex and have a look with their drink in their bin to which she replied no you have to settle your been here before you can walk through and look at the other places. I understand why they want you to do this because there is going to be without question some bins that are missing at the end of the night with people wandering through before settling up at the particular bar where they got the drink from It was considerably cooler in the complex than it was outside so the air conditioning was working as the owner said 880000 BTU's the electric bill is going to be absolutely massive. The music level I thought was just about right you could hold a conversation and hear what the others were saying this is when the DJ was there before the band started we left before the band got going so can't comment on that. The bar fine is 800. As another board member that we met there said this could very well work for the tourists but I don't think they're going to get a tremendous expat following or guys that have been coming for years and I could be wrong it would not be the first time. I wish them the best it takes a big set of balls to get into a venture like this

Keeping in mind that there is a huge difference in a cheap Charlie and a guy who is just living within his means.

A look under the partly-closed shutters of LV Beer Bar Complex this evening:

A walk along the beach before the sun goes down,love this time of year when the tides way out. Trying out the camera phone,it's as good as the Sony point and shoot I've shot similar shots with ,actually think the zooms better !

My latest trip (and apologies for not making the coffee meet up - I had a lot going on) started kind of well. my (comfortable and slept for a solid 9 hours) EVA flight arrived early, de planed and immigration was pretty clear. By way of some miracle my bags were among the first to come off (same happened on my return journey) and I was out, and into the Nams taxi by 16:30, so less than an hour after hitting the tarmac. I then LINE messaged my friend, (who had given the deposit for my room) immediately called me back. "got a problem with your room mate" "oh no, what's the score" "well, I went to the Hotel this morning to drop you off a few beers" (See, he's a good mate)" and they'd given your room away" "what the fucking hell are you on about?". "yeah, so I got an arse on and spoke to the manager, read him his horoscope and told him he's in breach of contract, so they've upgraded your room for the entire stay, oh and you've got breakfast thrown in as well". My mate managed to work a miracle, and it was a great start to a great trip. Upon arriving at the hotel the senor receptionist gave me a sheepish look and told me that my friend had been quite firm in his manner. For those of you who are wondering, it was Cerberus, the former owner of the Devils Den who sorted everything. In addition, I also got a free cocktail voucher. I was pretty tired, and believe it or not on my first night I fell asleep on the bed with a bag of crisps and a beer and woke up 10 hours later picking broken crisps out of my bumcrack. Fast forward a few days, and I was eating my breakfast when there was some commotion going on. The place (Page10 Soi 10) had only gone and caught fire. Worse still, my room was 3 floors above it. As panic was obviously starting to set in, they evacuated the hotel, however, as everyone was running out, I was running upstairs to grab my cash, cards, passport and phone charger (no idea why I grabbed the charger though), and despite the staff telling me otherwise, I was fucking having none of it. Last thing I needed was to be stranded with no money or cards and having to ponce drinks and sleep in abandoned bars. Luckily Pattaya's finest fire service managed to get their 48 year old fire tender to work and extinguish the fire. My room stunk of smoke, so I aired it all day, stayed at my friends for the night and returned the following day. By way of compensation we were given a cup of tea or coffee in the restaurant. I thought that was generous given the fact I could have been looking at losing all my clothes, my passport, airline tickets and the thick end of a few grand in readies. So, lesson learned and the moral of the story, if your hotel catches fire and you're lucky enough to be there at the time, grab everything and ignore any toxic smoke or instructions from the staff.

Finally I found my form, lost my 2nd match to a guy I gave a 3 start to 6 and the 8 as his extra money ball. It's double elimination, so I beat all of the guys on the loosers side until I got to play the same guy again. This time I was playing real well and beat him hill hill. In the final I slaughtered the guy 7 to 2, I had to give him a 2 start, so he didn't win a game. Very very satisfying to finally start to play to my potential. Unfortunately it has taken 5 months and I will be returning home soon to terrorise the fish! At least over the 5 months my flight has been paid for!

About to take off ,lhr to doha ,bkk Back 5 rows were empty, 3 seats to lie down on,happy days.

Braver than me, ambushing and emptying a few Thai Motorbike drivers 😂

Enjoyed some fantastic trail running over the Malvern Hills today, friggin love this place

Good summary by Larry. I thought the place had a good vibe going and have come around to thinking the place stands a good chance of being a success. I suspect they'll have a problem with drink and dash customers as it's going to be very hard for the staff to keep a watchful eye on all their customers. Made harder by the fact there is nothing to distinguish one bart's bin from another bar. Unfortunately it's the staff who will have to cover the drink cost when a customer walks away without paying. And as Larry pointed out, their electric bill is going to be massive. Even more so as surprisingly they don't have an air curtain at the entrance. Something unique to the beer garden are dB meters at the front and two bars in on each side. At around 90 dB you could still carry on a converstation without having to shout.

Might as well start a tr as don't think posting many pics in the what are you doing now thread is a good idea,will be mostly hua hin and any side trips,along the lines of the following pics,scenery,people,ect and anything else I find interesting.

To me it is more about the accuser than the accused. It is definitely popular amongst Farang business owners to bandy about accusations of cheap charlies not wanting to pay their exorbitant prices, whereas I look to see what I am getting for my money compared to other places and just stay away. So am I a cheap bastard?? All they want is your money (of course - they are in business!)! They aren't your mates, especially if you only see them 3 weeks a year but also if you see them 3 times a week but only in their place of business !!!! So in conclusion. I am the biggest cheap bastard I know...!!

Last night's Anniversary meal

Knocked up a sticky chicken and cashew nuts. Was lovely, but it is pretty heavy on the salt, so suggest using reduced salt soy sauce if needed. I love the taste of Hoisin sauce. Topped with spring onions, sesame seeds and chilli flakes.

Red-tailed Hawk today...

At the end of this morning's bike ride I'd thought I'd relax with a massage. There's an older lady at a massage shop on Klang that waves to me most mornings as I ride by, so as I was looking for a legit massage I thought I'd give her a try. I pull up and while locking up my bike I confirm her shop has a shower I can use to cool down a bit before the massage. She said yes, but then went on to explain something about the big boss of the shop going home for Songkran so we'll have to use a different room, but it's a very nice room with a good shower. She then proceeds to lead me down Klang. As we're walking I ask her how far and she says not far. So we trudge along about 25m, turn up an adjoining soi, go another 25m and make a another turn into an alley which I then cotton on to is the building where she has a room. She then puts her finger to her lips and motions me to follow her quietly up the stairs. So up, up, up we go until finally we end our ascent on the 6th floor. To her credit she wasn't even breathing hard and while I wasn't either, the climb after a bike ride in the hot sun meant I was seriously overheating. It was also at that point I realized there was a good chance her room was a fan only room. Sure enough, we get to the end of the hall, she unlocks her door and while it's a nice corner room with good breeze from the open windows, it lacks A/C. It was also obvious that my hoped for legit massage was not to be and that insead if I stayed I'd probably be treated to the sight of a naked great grandmother. Using my overheated state as an excuse, I explained politely to her that even with her promised very good shower, it will be impossible for me to cool down enough to enjoy a massage. I felt bad for her as she pleaded with me to not go as she has very few customers and very little money, but I quickly left after slipping 100B into her hand for her time.

Arrived in Philippines on a PAL flight, will be in and around manila this week.

Just taken a taxi down to Suk soi 4 at 2am, only have to cross the road to soi 3 to be home. Still pissed up wankers trying to wet everyone waiting to cross the road. It's a popular pick up point for the lady boys, a bit of a confrontation between the 2 and the wankers retreat. Thankfully I made it home dry, credit to the cock in a frock brigade!

It looks like some bar owners on Soi Honey are going to try that, according to this Facebook post from Ricky of Lips Lounge: I think it's a great idea and hope it catches on...

Getting someone prepared to participate in their first Songkran. We've kinda shielded her from it before, but now she's raring to go, and it's a lot more civilised round where we are!

First day where I am almost feeling normal. I had 22 hours of flight time and me poor bum paid the price. Altogether I had 30 hours of travel from Bkk hotel to landing at Durango airport. I slept for 2 straight days.

I have had atrial fibrillation for about 18 years and all too frequently my heart rate has been running in the low 40's and I've occasionally had spells of lightheadedness and dizziness. This can lead to fainting, which will likely be at the wrong place and wrong time. So last Monday I had a pacemaker installed. But not the commonly used type with a battery implanted in the chest and leads going to the heart, but instead it's the newer leadless pacemaker. This consists of a metal cylinder smaller than a AAA battery. It's inserted into the femoral vein at the groin and implanted into the right atrium of the heart. The cylinder has a threaded end and this is screwed into the wall of the heart. Battery is supposed to last 15 to 25 years. As I'll be 87 in August battery live is not really a concern for me. However it can be removed or simply left in place and a second cylinder installed. Procedure lasted about 2 hours and I had a (miserable, sleepless) overnight stay. I took the pressure bandage off on Wed morning and could shower. No driving for a few days to protect the incision. Otherwise not much drama post-op.

Chicken fajitas in the Sportsman Bkk. These really are consistently good.

How an Eclipse works VID-20240408-WA0002.mp4

The fact spring finally arrived yesterday and it’s nice and warm. Gonna be bike shopping next week.

Penang gai in Krua Khun puk.

Love this bread pudding some Thai hotels do at breakfast. Then I wonder how I put weight on in Thailand, the amount of sugar and custard in it ffs

It is some sort of soup and the shop only sells this one meal. I don’t speak Thai and the cook doesn’t speak English so I have no idea what the name of the dish is.

I like train travel so today I am catching the train from Udon Thani to Khon Kaen. About 120km each way and the return trips takes a bit over 5 hours.

I've been back nearly 4 weeks. It's rained on every day bar 3. This morning yet another gale along the Solent. I'm supposedly not returning to Thailand until October, but last Friday's miserable weather had me looking at flights for next week....

Not sure if I know the difference....

3 as a starter!

Marks & Spencer lasagne,really nice

Will start going through the 383 pictures I took in Patts today. Of course wifey is already looking and saying such things as " Wow, I am looking a bit older in pictures these days" I felt like saying "Welcome to the club"! LOL!

Playing in another pool comp. So far I have won one and lost one hill hill in the group stage. My game is pretty good so far tonight.

Yesterdays dinner....I'll be glad when SWMBO gets back,getting bored with cooking & generally looking after myself.

It's something no one can accuse me of ... I pay Top Dollar 500 Baht for 6 polo shirts at Tony Candy's! And only stayed at the Sizzler salad buffet last night for 4 hours, instead of my usual lunch and dinner 6 hours. I'm on holiday ffs, you have to kick back and spend a bit more. That said, my wife and daughter do get a bit upset on our return with beans on toast for a month to pay for it, but you can't live like a King all the time ...

What's the ratio of girls to vloggers .. ? 😜 555

After dinner last night, wifey and I went over to see Phil. Was going to go tonite. Good decision as he is leaving today for Dallas,Texas. Tells me his is fascinated by the JFK assassination and is going to see it up close and personal. He will be on the "grassy knoll" in 2 days. Have not seen Phil since Sept 2018, we did alot of catching up over the hour we were there. Great guy, talked music, concerts, health, and of course girls.

I'm reading this in a taxi on the way to Swampy. Looks like I'm getting out of Dodge in the nick of time, although I thought I had made a two day buffer.

Waiting for taxi pick up 3,30am to malaga airport,got to hotel last night just in time for sunset ,only been here 6 hours. Not a bad way to end a trip offshore.

Dinner last night in malaga.

Just won my 2nd game 7 to 4, giving him a 4 start. Very difficult, miss a ball at the wrong time and it's curtains. Got lucky a couple of times again too! Qualified now for the final knock out stage. Hopefully get lucky with the drawer.