Mr. Smooth

Beautiful unit, I'm sure it won't be available for too long. Love how the owner designed the interior, very nice.

On 11/3/2022 at 11:41 PM, Golfingboy said:

Ray Guy, longtime Raider and maybe the greatest punter in NFL history, gone at 72. 
 

 It’s one of the least glamorous positions in the NFL, so for me to remember a player who retired when I was 10…….you know he was good. Our California BM knew him well I’m sure….

 

I remember my dad taking me to a few Oakland Raider games in the 70's and I would see Ray Guy punt the ball so high that the ball would reach it's apex well above the 3rd deck rim of the stadium before cascading down into the arms of the punt returner some 60-65 yards down field. He kicked with such force and the ball would be so high, that for the first time since the beginning of the NFL, the term, "hang time" was coined, and it is now a regular stat with scouting punters in today's game.

He was the one punter whose ability to either pin the opposing team back near their own goal line or push them back so far down field from one of his legendary booming kicks, that the game plan for the other team would literally have to change because of the poor field position they would start out with due to a Guy punt.

A true great of the game. And another of my boyhood sports heroes has passed on. 

RIP.

23 hours ago, Golfingboy said:

Well over 10 is right…..I started posting regularly on Secrets in 2008, I forget who started the topic but it was very popular……and raunchy. Seems like a gal who truly enjoys her work. That other dark FL was a sadder story if I recall

Was that the one who usually hung around the Beach Rd opposite the Starbucks, around Soi 13 or very close by there? Forgot her name if the one I'm thinking about, but skin dark enough to be mistaken for African. There was a thread about her on the old Secrets board that ran for a bit.

I was tempted once but at the time she had some blotches on her face and I wasn't sure if she was totally healthy or not. I passed.

Maybe her name was "Na"?

7 hours ago, maipenrai said:

I find as I get older that I am not as motivated to knock as many of them off in a given time as I used to be - especially on the longer trips where you're not so concerned about making every day count. In the early years it was always LT but nowadays I find that I am happier with ST unless I know the girl well because I simply sleep better alone, and it seems that most of the girls would rather do ST themselves. Plus, I think that LT is a good deal if she is willing to come across with the goods in the morning, but if she just wants to bugger off then you've basically paid her to sleep with you and I can't justify this. I've always been a beer bar/hostess bar/GC type of punter, have no interest in paying stupidly expensive barfines and while not a cheap charlie, I do keep tabs on my expenses and don't give extravagant tips. I don't mind the go-go experience occasionally but won't hang around them every night. 

But I do enjoy the social aspect of it -  the "hunt" so to speak, just cruising around from area to area, bar to bar and seeing what is around the next corner, a bit of banter here and there and I've found some real gems this way. Sometimes I end up drinking too much and going home alone but if I had a good time I'm fine with that and the girls will be there the next day. One thing I love about Pattaya is that even if I don't feel like having sex on a particular day, I know that it's only five minutes away in one form or another if I change my mind and it will certainly never be that way at home. 

Great post, maipenrai! I would bet that many here, especially gentleman of a certain age, would agree with your synopsis of their own "hunting" adventures while in Pattaya.

Your description above pretty much fits me to a T.

According to the CDC, in America, the average number of comorbidities a person had been diagnosed with who died of Covid, was 2.8. That was for people 65 years old and up, who made up 75% of the deaths attributed to Covid. 

So, with this group of people is such a bad way, they were goners eventually. Their bodies too weak to fight Covid in such a state. But what I found so curious, is that, at least when the media was concerned, what happened to all the people who would have ordinarily died due to heart disease? Or some other ailment that all of a sudden, never got any play. Each day it was Covid...Covid...Covid. Nobody seemed to die from any other cause except Covid! There were death counts on a couple of cable news channels and fforest was right about hospitals being compensated quite handsomely for every death they determined was due to Covid. Why those numbers weren't scrutinized more is beyond me. When the government is paying you according to how many deaths are determined to be the cause, then people get greedy. Even hospital administrators.

So you had stories of people dying in accidents but when brought to the hospital, they would be tested, and come up positive for Covid whether they may have had any symptoms at all, but their death would be put down as due to Covid. At best, for 100s of thousands, maybe millions around the world, Covid might have been a contributor but not the chief reason.

Ah well, lots of gargle under the bridge now.

5 hours ago, misteregg said:

Don’t ask. Expensive. 500 baht barfines next door. 

Ah....gotta use similar bar fine tactics that the major players on WS use, to discourage the staff from all leaving with a customer too early. Will there be a drop in the bf amount once it reaches a certain time at night, such as after midnight, or 1 am?

Could I assume that overall drink prices will be a bit higher than next door as well? Not to worry Phil, if I visit LePub, I'll stop in the new place as well.

At least you won't have a long commute from one bar to the other as I'm sure your presence will now be split between the two places.

This reminds me of one time many years ago while talking with a Canadian expat over a few beers. He said he would never live in any condo building above the 5th or 6th floor, no matter how gorgeous the view might be up on the 10th or 18th or 24th floor. When I asked him why, he said it's because the firefighters equipment, ladders and so forth, would only reach as high up as the 5th or 6th floor and that was it. If a fire broke out in the lower floors, then they might be able to limit the damage done and people could escape unharmed. But if it was high up, 15 or 20 floors or more, in some "Towering Inferno", scenario, you were basically f***d.

I would sure hope that the interior sprinkler systems in those buildings, especially the older ones, are inspected regularly and in good working order. I've never skydived and have no knowledge of how much elevation, at a minimum, is required in order to open a parachute for you to land safely on the ground below, but I would imagine if ever trying to escape from a high rise fire, even if taking a leap off the rooftop from 27 or 30 floors up, the velocity of the fall would have you go splat on the concrete below before that chute fully opens even if pulling the ripcord a millisecond after taking that leap.

19 hours ago, Yessongs said:

Like alot of us that have been around a while, we all long for the time when violence etc. was not so prevalent. There are no easy answers no doubt, the world has changed and not so sure for the better. 

I have never been one to live my life in fear, I am not going to start now, but....for those of us who have kids that have been a very important part of your life, I worry about them going forward. When you are in your 30's, you are in the peak of your life ( so to speak) you want to go out and do things, you are not the " sit around the house type" then you have to be aware of your surroundings these days. Sad...........but true. 

@Glasseye The incident you referred to must have hit home for you from North Carolina...just senseless. 

Same in Stockton, Calif for me, they arrested a guy who was just going around shooting people for what appears to be absolutely no reason. His MO was to go at night and if you happen to walk by him, he just turned around and shot you. Absolutely mind boggling the type of people out there today. 

This was major news in the Sacramento area naturally and a sense of relief from the residents, as well as appreciation for LE, once the guy was arrested. For myself, it hurts for me when a local law enforcement officer....police, Deputy Sherriff, Highway Patrol, is killed in the line of duty and it's announced that the dead officer leaves behind a wife and however many kids. My father was a cop for nearly 30 years and as a youngster, I just took it for granted he would come home after his shift. Only when I was older did it hit me what could happen, and it's heartbreaking to know those kids won't ever have their father coming home again.

What did affect me the most in recent times I guess was that among the 13 dead US servicemen and women in Afghanistan during the withdraw of American forces in August of 2021, was a young woman just a few years out of high school serving her country, who had lived and went to school not 10 minutes away from my house. I know it's different being in the military from just an innocent civilian being shot to death for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but still, that hit me, as well as the community up here, pretty hard.

20 minutes ago, SteveBC said:

Even more surprising when the fire station is only about 300mtrs away, just behind the Pattaya Hospital.

There had to be calls notifying the fire dept within seconds that a fire had broken out among the cluster of power lines. Whether a construction worker, passerby, vendor.....somebody.....to let them know and they should have responded much faster than they did. No excuse for such lackadaisical response time.

Watching that video, I can't believe it took firefighters so long to reach the scene and begin to put out the fire. I'm just glad that the damage done wasn't worse.

On 10/7/2022 at 2:10 AM, boydeste said:

555555, the first time that happened to me in Candy shop I nearly dropped the guy. Good job he was quick to move or I may have been in a world of hurt! Lol

As for the toilet,  the more the merier when ya need to go.

 

Happened to me for the first, and to the best of my knowledge, only, time at the old Blues Bar where Lam Morrison played. I'm at the urinal doing my thing when I felt hands suddenly massaging my shoulders.

I quickly pivoted to let the young man know that would not be necessary and he backed off. I have no clue as to why a bathroom attendant would even think something like that would be welcomed by a customer who just wants to drain the lizard and get back out to his table with minimal fuss.

I saw this story and could only feel sadness and heartbreak for the family and their loved ones. That lasted not very long until the devastating and horrific news about the massacre that happened in Thailand a few hours later. All those little children.....gone.

Evil is all around us. You can only hope and pray it doesn't find you or your own loved ones.

Tragedy, despair, fury, gut wrenching, agony, retribution, vengeance....human horrors like these transcend the gamut of human emotions. Along with all these, you always find yourself asking, "Why?"

If I ever find the answer, I'll be sure to let you know.

59 minutes ago, boydeste said:

Are they run on the same format as soi 6, or just your conventional bar?

Gotta admit, Soi Pothole has become a destination spot, with all the attention the usual vloggers have given it over the past few months. Even the one with the "boring" voice. I think I know who it was that others were talking about. The guy would make an excellent ASMR artist, as his very gentle tone would knock me out in under 20 minutes.

Seems there are several bars that have the same Soi 6 format, and all things considered, very reasonable with drink prices and bar fines. I'll definitely be taking a jaunt down that soi more than once when I get back.

Plus, always a nice pint of Guinness at Maggie Mays, which is a good enough reason to visit the soi on it's own!

19 hours ago, boydeste said:

I will be in country during that time, start dusting that cue off. 

Will you be in Pattaya during the first half of January or in parts up country? If in Patts, maybe we can meet up in LePub like last time some night. Still recall that evening at Phil's back in March of 2018 or maybe 2019. Great fun.

Hope a bunch of the fellas will be around then, be great to meet 'em.

4 hours ago, Glasseye said:

Used to stay at the Dynasty Inn on Soi 4 in the very early days. Never checked out the Grande.

 

Soi 4 got a bit tiring for me over the years. But Dynasty Inn had a nice little place to sit out front. You could eyeball all of the talent going to/from. Nice little relax spot for prime up time. 

My last time in Thailand, August 2019, I stayed here my last couple of nights before flying back home. Loved the location, maybe 150 feet to the entrance of Nana Plaza, and after about 7 pm, would see all the FLers standing on the sidewalk out front of the lobby just waiting for a customer.

What I liked about it was that off to the left, there is an access lane that goes to the back where the elevator was to take you upstairs to your room, as I had requested a room in the back away from the street noise as much as possible. I took a couple of FLers to my room using that access, no need to go through the lobby and front desk.

Would have booked again for a couple nights in January, but at the time they weren't listed on Agoda, so reserved a hotel just across Sukumvit Rd and up a side soi, but still within a 3-4 minute walk from Nana and all the classic bars in the area.

Judge went to high school about a 40 minute drive from my house. Great player, seems to have a decent attitude. Not a Yankee fan but damn, I can't help but admire historic accomplishments in sports. To be tied with the immortal Ruth, what a season this guy has had.

Roger Maris....you're on deck!

I had no idea about Aerosmith being the only band in rock and roll history to have been together 50 years with all the original members still intact! Despite all the drugs and alcohol abuse back in the 70's and 80's, and I'm sure since then, quite an achievement to still be alive, never mind still relevant in the music world. I imagine Tyler can still hit the high notes in "Dream On"?

Fantastic pics, and once again, you and the Mrs make a very elegant couple. Glad you enjoyed the visit.

I'll be having a look around Las Vegas soon enough for a potential residency of another kind and see what sort of an impression I get.

Of course, mine won't be along the Strip.

22 minutes ago, Zambo said:

No phone? (good for security i agree, but nowadays who goes anywhere without their phone) If you have your phone a photo of your passport would be better than nothing.

If no phone then back to the credit card sized colour passport photocopy. I used to use this all the time before the UK brought in photocard driving licences, never had it rejected as an ID. In this case just punch a hole and hang it around your neck.

I wrote that I DO take my phone, plus the money I think will sufficient for the night.

4 hours ago, Zambo said:

You could colour photocopy your passport info page down to the size of a driving licence/credit card (it's still easily readable) then laminate. It becomes a good, wallet sized, photo ID.

Yeah, you could do that too I guess. My problem is, I never carry my wallet around with me either! When leaving the room for the night, all I take with me is my phone and an amount of cash I think would last me for the night, and then just a bit more than that.

In Kenya, I normally left to go out with about $8-10,000 KES...roughly $75-90 USD. Dinner and a tip might run 700-1000 KES with a beer. Afterward, those 500 ml sized bottles of beer were generally 250 shillings at a pub up to 300 at a nice lounge. Thats plenty of money for 7-8 beers plus buying a few for any women that caught my eye, in addition to tipping the staff and security guys at various spots, who always appreciated it.

If needing a ride back when calling it a night, that was only 100 shillings.

A check of my pockets in the morning would reveal still having 3000-3500 KES left.

And if I did have company that night, she might get 2500 of that. All in a days work as I might have $30,000 to 40,000 KES in my safe for my future endeavors.

2 hours ago, Pinoydave said:

@Mr. SmoothHow is it for safety?

Can you walk around freely at nighttime?
 

Do you really have to keep your passport with you all the time ?

It is as safe as anywhere I have ever traveled to, if not more. Several times I am the only white person at a pub and am treated with kindness and respect by staff and other customers might feel inclined to start up a conversation. And if there are any ladies nearby, more times than not, I'll catch them looking at me with a friendly expression. And the boda boda (motorbike) taxis are always nearby to get you home if needing a ride.

There is absolutely nothing to be concerned about, even walking alone at night. My experience, even if the only white face on the road walking to another pub, or even back to my apt, I've yet to have any problems.

My passport never left my room safe once I checked into my apt. If it makes you feel better, you can have the hotel reception desk run off a second copy for you after they keep one for their records, and keep that copy on you when out and about, but I never have worried about it.

But just in case something happens, like a medical emergency, it's probably not a bad idea to carry a copy with you. I very well just might start doing that going forward.

4 hours ago, Golfingboy said:

Great TR once again Eric. Sitting here getting shitfaced in Montreal since 5 PM. An African bank manager sat next to me, at about 6 PM and a stunner, an 11, bumped into me on the way to the terrace. Finally at 8 PM we’re both paying out tabs, I politely ask where everyone is from. She was from Senegal, I wanted to grab a snap but as pissed as I am I just wished them both a good evening. A freaking knockout…..No words

Moral of my story…..African ladies SEVERELY underrated IMHO

With all due respect to Whitney Houston, who was mentioned earlier, I've seen stunners in Kenya that would make her look like a plate of warmed over goulash.

A deceased Welshmen who went by the nickname of "Bugle", due to a prominent nose, who I first met at the Shamrock Bar in Pattaya in the mid to late 90's, once told me that some years before, he worked for a French oil company as a foreman in the Nigerian Delta. The men working under him were all paid a $10 USD per diem "allowance" in addition to their salary. When he asked what that was for, the guy who was interviewing him said that he hoped he wouldn't be offended, but that the men on their off-duty time, were known to have a drink and "enjoy" themselves with the local lasses.

Sure enough, when he told me how gorgeous some of these Nigerian women looked, he mentioned that even Naomie Campbell, who was probably the top black model then, couldn't even compare with many of them.

Vlogger "Rides 4 Kickz" with his latest video from a couple days ago. Looks fantastic!

1 hour ago, Derek Dangleberries said:

Whao..Whao..... hold on there ....... I had a young slim tiny Whitney Houston lookalike take care of me in Accra .. Stunning in a white bikini.... I think that she was Nigerian by birth...Anyways she said that she had just arrived from Kenya ...............

 

When I was first deciding on what country in Africa to visit, the one factor that had to be a necessity, was that it be an English-speaking country. Besides Kenya, my other choice was Ghana. I've seen pics, read up on nightlife, accommodations, the beach areas (Labadi Beach I believe is the primary public beach in Accra), women, the cost, etc...and whenever it is that I decide to give West Africa a go, Ghana will more than likely be the destination.