Evil Penevil

UPDATE: Gas leak believed to be cause of massive explosion at restaurant in the center of Pattaya

Massive explosion obliterates Thai restaurants and buildings in the center of Pattaya, one Laotian worker seriously injuried

I've eaten in Govindam, the Indian restaurant said to have sustained minor damage.  It's located on Pattaya Klang near 2nd Road.  The explosion appears to have occurred in a subsoi off Klang.  Lucky it occurred at 5.30 a.m. and not 5.30 p.m.

Evil

I'm posting the news story here in case anyone missed it.  I'll post my reaction and any follow-up discussion in the Politics Club.

This young man apparently didn't like me taking photos on WS.  The fool wasn't in any of the shots, but stepped in front of me and made a fake back-hand punch motion and then tried to grab my camera.  I was rescued by door staff at a go go bar who knew me. He sprinted away when he saw  them coming.

3 minutes ago, Stillearly said:

Think the debt thing applied more to Soapies than to beer bars and GoGos ... I know of a friend who paid it at Christin in Phuket , but as you say some of those girls were trafficked and had little freedom 

If you go back 40-50 years, debt bondage could be found in Thai-owned bars of all types, but mostly soapies and brothels. It even occurred in small shops and restaurants.  Thailand's economic boom since the mid-1980s and tougher enforcement  has gradually done away with debt bondage.  I've always heard it was never a factor in farang-owned bars.

Evil

4 hours ago, Bazle said:

I was told the same about Singha, and advised to drink Singha Gold instead.

Yes, there were a lot of rumors about formaldehyde in beer brewed in Asia.  They go back as far as the Viet Nam War,  but had a resurgence due to the Internet.  From an article that busts these myths back in 2003 (Beer Myths: Formaldehyde😞

"Of course there is no formaldehyde in Singha -- any more than there is formaldehyde in Chang, the other popular Thai beer, or the Philippines beer San Miguel, or the Vietnamese 33, or Singapore’s Tiger beer, all of which have also been rumored to contain formaldehyde. Think about that for a minute while we solidly dispose of the Singha rumor."

There's a grain of truth about trace amounts formaldehyde in Chinese beers in the past, but those beers were never exported.  They contained barely measurably amount of formaldehyde below levels the WHO considers safe for consumption.  

In the U.S., rumors about urine in Corona beer from Mexico have been repeatedly busted, but still crop up:  Urine in Corona Beer.

Evil

On 7/25/2022 at 4:20 PM, Butch said:

"The Permanent Barfine"

Was it a myth? ...

Does it still exist? - Did it ever exist? - would it work today?.

@Evil Penevil - your thoughts on this would be appreciated 🙂

@Butch  Permanent bar fines did exist, but in my opinion, they were not a major factor in the grand scheme of P4P in Thailand.  Perhaps they occurred more frequently in the 1960s through 1990s, but they never affected more than very few customers.  I don't believe any bar would have a chance of collecting a permanent bar fine today unless the customer was extremely naive and the girl was in on the scam.

Supposedly the purpose of the permanent bar fine was to ensure the girl left the bar on good terms and could return to work there in the future if she wished to.  Twenty to  60 years ago, bar owners had a lot more power over the girls than today, especially in Bangkok. 

The names of girls who were fired or quit abruptly were said to have been put on a blacklist so they could never again work in a bar.  That was more legend than fact, but a lot of TGs believed it and wanted the permanent BF paid.  It wasn't permanent, though. 

A friend of mine took a girl out of a BKK bar for six weeks in the late 1990s and paid 7,000 baht for the permanent BF.  On his next trip, he wanted to take her for a month and they asked for another 7,000 baht.  It was in reality a long-term BF he didn't mind paying since he was earning a lot of money from a series of jobs in the Middle East.  He got along well with the girl and arranged for her to stay with him two years while he was on a major construction project.  The bar wanted 20,000 baht that time, but he refused, more because he thought they were playing him for a sucker.

There  was a darker side to permanent bar fines having to do with debt bondage.  Thai bar owners would lend a sum of money to a girl's family and the girl would have to remain working in the bar until the loan was repaid. If a farang wanted to take a girl with a debt out of the bar, he'd have to pay off the debt as a permanent bar fine.  Debt bondage is now considered a form of trafficking.

Evil

On 7/23/2022 at 12:03 PM, Butch said:

If you leave some of your draft beer in ahem...certain GoGo's, is it then (along with others) "recycled" into another glass for the next punter and the cost pocketed by the staff?.

This is more a cautionary tale than a myth.  Certainly it happens all over the world, not just in Pattaya.

Before I made my first trip to Thailand in 1979, I was working in Taipei and had a lot of contact with U.S. military guys, active duty and vets.  They told me that in girlie bars in Asia I should only order bottled beer and insist that the bottle be opened in front of me.  One guy who had served on a U.S. base in Thailand even said I should carry my own bottle opener and pop the caps myself!

Opening bottles of beer in front of the customer was the routine in some Thai go go bars through the 1990s, although it has since faded.  However, I still only order bottled beer in Thai girlie establishments.  I prefer draft, but draft beer is a fresh product that has to be transported, stored and dispensed properly, which isn't always the case in Thailand.  Many bars fail to regularly clear and clean their dispensing systems, not to mention the disgusting practice of topping up mugs with slops and recycled beer.   

On 7/23/2022 at 3:38 PM, Butch said:

Ok, this one's for @Evil Penevil - as he will know of whom I speak...

Can you really pick up an off duty GoGo stunner for 1000 baht ST?.

On 7/23/2022 at 4:38 PM, boydeste said:

No myth, many hot GOGO dancers will ST for 1k out of work hours if they know/like you well.

I agree with @boydeste It's not a myth at all.  Once a girl gets to know a customer and has a favorable impression, she'll often go with him for her "most favored" price, often 1,000 baht.  Resident ex-pats and regular visitors to LOS are usually aware of this.  One proviso:  not all girls have a "most-favored-customer price" and you can never count on it happening, but it's not uncommon.

@ButchIt's possible the Malicious Munchkin had regulars who accepted 1,000 baht from him for their services; nothing extraordinary in that, thousands have done the same.  However, he crossed the line into dishonesty and  absurdity when he claimed he could get any go go dancer for his 1,000-baht limit.  He was vague on how he did it and  it seemed like he was proposing either Jedi mind tricks or magic spells.  When pressed hard, he revealed his technique consisted of psychologically manipulating the girl by standing fast on price.  That, he said, made him "strong" () in the girl's  eyes  and she'd drop her price to his level  .

Stunners for 1,000 baht is not a myth, but becomes one in Gabor's telling.

Pattaya myths is for me a very interesting topic.  Some that I and others have busted in the past:

• Paying the girls more than one punter decrees is appropriate drives up prices and ruins the scene for everyone.
• There is a market rate or correct level for P4P prices in Pattaya.
• Many dancers in go gos work for drinks only and never go with customers.
• Prices for (pick the one you want) lady drinks, bar fines, girls' fees have recently skyrocketed.
• Pattaya got its start as "Sin City" as an R & R destination for U.S. troops during the Viet Nam War.
• Pattaya bar owners are greedy.
• If you treat a Thai girl nicely, she'll become spoiled and won't respect you.
• Larry was actually Xendu, a 25-million-year-old alien who headed the cult of secretologists.  (That's my personal favorite among the Pattaya myths). Evil Penevil was both a grand master and head assassin in the same cult (I actually found that rather flattering!  )  Eyenitnoi, Mr DK and several others were also grandmasters.

@Stillearly That's a real meal, for sure.  It looks excellent, especially the dessert.  👍

Evil

I don't really eat a plate of bacon like that at one sitting, but I do bake a full package to use in other dishes.  My niece also eats it.

Evil

4 hours ago, john luke said:

Dinner at Mai Thai 

Looks great! I wish I could have a dinner like that! 

I guess I'll have to make do with my bacon until I get back to Thailand..  

Evil

40 minutes ago, Zambo said:

Don't know which would be more deadly, the gun or the mountain of streaky bacon. Looks good though...

I'll force anyone who tries to carjack me to eat the plate of bacon at gunpoint.  About 400 carjackings in Philly so far this year and 305 homicides to date.

Evil

This is my breakfast before driving into Philadelphia. To date, there have been 305 homicides this year in Philly.

Just joking!  I don't put my gun on the table when I eat breakfast.

Evil

This joke is so side-splittingly funny I just had to share it with everyone.  And like so many good jokes, it's very close to the truth.

Evil

Gabor looks up on the Internet the cost of a tooth extraction in Pattaya. In a rage over what he reads, he prints out the post, walks into the dentist's office and shakes it angrily in the dentist's face.

"You greedy dental-clinic owner! You think I lame-dupe overpaying gullible newbie who can be mislead by sponsored fake post? I never pay 2,000 baht to pull fugly tooth!"

The dentist explained that was the standard charge and couldn't be reduced. Gabor then began to bargain.

 "Liar! Mental cripple liar! Was only 1,000 baht 15 years ago! How about you no use - how you say- stuff to make no ouch-ouch in mouth?"

 A tooth extraction without anesthesia would be extremely painful for the patient, but could be done for 1,750 baht. Gabor still wasn't satisfied and asked if he could have a further discount if the procedure was done quickly. "S/T or L/T, up to you."

The dentist explain a hurried procedure wouldn't produce a good result, but would cost 1,500 baht. Gabor pushed even harder.

 "Mental wanker loser! How about student assistant, not you, do it after office close? I give her noodle soup, too, make her very happy."

 The dentist explained a procedure under such circumstances would be extremely traumatic and painful for the patient and the results would most likely be terrible, but it could be done for 1,000 baht.

 "Fair and honest price!" Gabor said with a broad smile. "I make appointment for my Thai girlfriend to come tomorrow."

RIP and safe journey.

6 hours ago, Butch said:

Can't say I'm a massive fan of weed, I won't be consuming it in any form.

Are they going to limit the THC content though?, so really the stuff these places are selling won't have any effect?. I'm clueless about this so sorry for the daft question.

There's a lengthy discussion of the ramifications of the legalization of marijuana for medical use in another thread.

On 6/28/2022 at 10:22 AM, Evil Penevil said:

It's still unclear exactly what will be allowed and not allowed after cannabis sativa was legalized in Thailand on June 9.  It is, however, evident the government is NOT permitting the use of weed for recreational purposes.  From the official government Facebook page:

An article in  The Washington Post stated:

Although Thailand legalized the use of medical marijuana in 2018, Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul warns that those who are caught using the drug in “nonproductive ways,” such as smoking joints outside, will still be met with harsh penalties, and could face up to three months behind bars and a fine of about $780. Officials said they were not looking to cultivate marijuana-fueled tourism.

“We [have always] emphasized using cannabis extractions and raw materials for medical purposes and for health,”  Anutin told CNN. “There has never once been a moment that we would think about advocating people to use cannabis in terms of recreation — or use it in a way that it could irritate others.”

The government announcement of the removal of marijuana and hemp from the list of controlled substances gave three objectives for legalization:

"The Government has a policy to liberalize the use of cannabis and hemp, with the following objectives:

1. For medical purposes;

2. For economic benefits;

3. For people to have a choice in taking care of their own health."

Read more: https://thailand.prd.go.th/ewt_news.php?nid=12631...

Of those objectives, number two is by far the most important.  Thai farmers were slammed hard by the Covid pandemic as demand for Thai agricultural products fell and the cost of fertilizer rose.  Small farmers desperately needed a new crop and cannabis sativa fit the bill.  It's easily grown in Thailand; does not require significant investment;  is not a labor-intensive crop;  and doesn't require farmers to learn a new skill set.

Small entrepreneurs who process and sell cannabis products at the retail level will also get a boost, as will those involved in medical tourism.  The cumulative effects of the cannabis trade will almost certainly have a positive effect on Thailand's national and international accounts.  The legalization of cannabis is likely to prove a big win for the Thai economy.

The new law places a limit of 0.2% THC content on cannabis oil, but doesn't mention the permissible content in other parts of the plant.  Some Thais and foreign press reports have seen this omission as opening the door to recreational use of cannabis in the privacy of one's home.  Much stronger cannabis products have already gone on sale online and in shops, cafes, from trucks, etc.  Some Web sites have speculated Thailand will become a haven for tourists who like to spend their vacations stoned.

The recreational-use optimists may be jumping enthusiastically but unwisely into a regulatory void.  Subsequent ministerial decrees, departmental directives and even new laws or amendments to existing laws could close that loophole, especially if stoner Thais and foreign tourists openly flaunt recreational use.

Evil

 

It's back up!

Evil

I don't. but it has been updating for over 24 hours.

The Queen Victoria Inn is a venerable and popular restaurant and guest house that's been serving visitors to Pattaya for more than two decades.  I always found it a reliable and inexpensive place to have a meal or an ale while taking a break from the bustle of Soi 6.

My standard disclaimer:  I haven't been in Pattaya since late January 2020, so I can't know what's happened ass Pattaya emerges from the Covid restrictions.  I'm posted the Queen Vic menu for informative purposes.  Those with boots on the ground will have to write the reviews.

The queen Vic has plenty of specials and ordinary menu items under 300 baht.  It also has three weekly all-you-can-eat buffets, but the curry and U.K.-style Chinese buffets are 325 baht and the Sunday carvery is 370 baht.  You can find more info on the buffets on the Queen Vic Web site.

The QV Facebook page says they have begun offering Philly cheesesteaks, but I couldn't see any details regarding price.

The Nordic breakfast (scrambled eggs and smoked salmon) at 180 baht was a favorite of mine.

And this is my personal favorite when it comes to Gabor:

2 hours ago, Butch said:

Gabor would have loved that LOL.

He'd like this one even better:

The following is a screenshot of a post that appeared on the International Sex Guide in December of 2002, almost 20 years ago:

Compare the above "price list" with the prices given in SteveBC's post:

On 7/4/2022 at 9:45 AM, SteveBC said:

All girls from Beer Bars apart from one who was a waitress in a well known eatery.

Bar fines have mostly been 400bt, one bar was 300bt and for the waitress there was no BF as she was about to finish her shift.

The girls asked for 1,500bt for all night, 2 girls asked for 1,000bt for the same.

They told me that all were happy in the morning and received 100bt extra for the motorbike taxi home

 

What's most striking about the comparison is that prices for BBGs have remained remarkably stable since 2002.  Considering the cumulative effects of inflation in Thailand over the past 20 years have been about 40%, the two girls who accepted 1,000 baht for L/T from SteveBC's mates were actually getting 600 baht in real compensation on an inflation-adjusted basis compared with 2002.  On the flip side, SteveBC's mates paid those two girls 40% LESS in real money than they would have in 2002.

Of course, developments in prices for girls' fees in Pattaya depend on more than inflation.  The situation is particularly complicated regarding go go dancers, but that's beyond the scope of this thread.  I should mention bar fines, though, which have risen more significantly than the girls' fees.

That's because the purpose of a high bar fine is to DISCOURAGE customers from taking girls out of the bars.  The goal of high bar fines is not to generate profit through the fees themselves, but through the sale of drinks that might not have occurred if the girl(s) weren't in the bar.  A stage full of girls is the biggest, uh, asset a bar has in attracting the drinkers who ultimately determine whether a bar operates at a profit or loss.

Every time someone writes, "Two-thousand-baht bar fines are crazy.  I'll never pay that much," it proves the policy works.

Evil

I saw the Wombat & Kiwi Bar (corner of Soi 9, Jomtien Beach Road) mentioned on another board, so I went to their Facebook page.  The prices are very low:

This is their Monday special:

 

They also have "all-you-can-eat" specials for 99 baht!  I don't like to link directly to Facebook, but it's easy to find the details for anyone who's interested.  They also have a Sunday roast for 99 or 150 baht.

Since I've been in the U.S. for the past 30 months, I can't vouch for the quality of the food.  But at least one "boots-on-ground" reviewer whose judgment I trust says it's good and definitely value for money.

Evil