One Pattaya
Fun Town’s most vibrant
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1 - 15 December 2010 Issue 5 www.pattayaone.net
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% Truth behind famous photo hoax % How do you like your rat? % Foreigner involved in raid on bar
Steven, Enda and David
Knife used in pattaya jet ski scam Irish Tourist’s Life Threatened By Staff Writers
Irish tourists) hire jet skis for half an hour from a vendor. He watched as they took the jet skis out into the water and later was adamant as he told Pattaya One that at no stage did the three men engage in any act which could have damaged the jet skis. On their return a small piece of missing rubber trim was pointed out to one tourist. Interviewed later by Pattaya One, he said his name was Steven, from Ireland, but, along with his two friends, Enda and David, they did not want their surnames disclosed. Steven noted, “The guys immediately went to check this damage as I came out of the water, as though they knew what to look for. They then demanded 18,000 baht for it.” Being in no way a reasonable estimation of the
damage, and having not damaged the machine anyway, he refused to pay.
Knife threat To the shock of all watching this incident unfold, one member of the jet ski gang pulled off his shirt and wrapped it around a long-bladed knife, thrusting it at Steven, threatening to stab him unless he paid the extortionate amount of cash demanded. This happened in broad daylight in full view of dozens of members of the public, both Thai and foreign, on the busiest stretch of road in this tourist-oriented city.
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An Irish tourist, on his first visit to Pattaya with two friends, was threatened with a long-bladed knife by one of a group of Thai men who hire out jet skis opposite Mike Shopping Mall. In what is becoming an increasingly common occurrence in Pattaya, certain jet ski operators have taken a leaf out of the scam book made infamous by their Phuket cousins, and are almost daily extorting money for alleged damage to their property from tourists who hire out the vessels. A local resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, witnessed a violent confrontation recently between the scammers and tourists, where a large knife was pulled. Within half an hour of arriving on Pattaya beach he saw three young men (later identified as
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Knife used in Pattaya jet ski scam From page one
The rest of the jet ski gang then surrounded Steven and his two friends, and the physical encounter threatened to spill over. A phone call was made by one of the jet ski gang and within minutes a number of men in uniform, who looked like police but may only have been volunteers, or imposters, arrived on the scene. What is certain, they only made matters worse by ignoring the tourists’ request for help and not doing anything about the man who had pulled the knife. The local resident told the pleading tourists to ask for the Tourist Police to attend. A sympathetic bystander allowed them to use his phone to call a lawyer and the Irish Embassy to report the situation.
Internet publicity Reports on international and national websites and forums, Internet photographs and, in particular, YouTube videos seem to suggest the collusion of officials, as the same individuals are regularly called to the scene by the jet ski scammers. They always side with the operators, often not even inspecting the damage, and then bring further pressure on hapless tourists to pay the inflated demands of the vendors. In this case, an on-duty policeman turned up, allegedly from Soi 9 station. Our informant claimed he looked similar to an officer featured in a YouTube video highlighting the jet ski scam on the Internet.
Expensive Rubber. The officer made matters worse by being aggressive and unhelpful to the tourists, laughing and joking with the gang, and telling Steven he must pay for the damage. He ignored the knife complaint and prevented Steven from leaving the beach until the matter was settled. When Steven told the officer he was waiting for the Tourist Police to arrive, the uniformed policeman said it was they who had asked him to attend the incident. This was clearly untrue, as the Tourist Police turned up shortly afterwards. Perhaps it was no surprise when the three people in uniforms quickly disappeared. Whether they are really police assistants and a proper policeman is not known, but they were all in uniform and the two assistants were driving a truck belonging to some official organisation. The Tourist Policeman helped Steven and his friends to negotiate the fee for the alleged damage down from 18,000 baht to 5,000 baht. Given the circumstances, they were relieved to pay.
Russian robbed by two females
You can see I am a man of exquisite taste
A Russian tourist was allegedly drugged and robbed of a substantial amount in his hotel room after taking two Thai ladies back to engage in sexual activities for money. A 46-year-old Russian national named Valeri Gribunov woke up with a bit of a sore head in his room at the Royal Cliff Beach resort in south Pattaya. He quickly realized he was alone and had been robbed. He called hotel personnel who alerted the police who arrived to
He advised them to ignore the knife threat, and just walk away. As Steven told Pattaya One, “We definitely did not damage that small piece of trim. Maybe it is held on by something, and is designed to fall off in the water.” He added, “We were not expecting to have our lives threatened by a knife-wielding maniac in broad daylight on a public beach, on our first trip to Pattaya and we won’t be coming again.” His friend David said, “What shocked us more than the inflated money demand and the large aggressive gang, was the knife being pulled. And the police who attended were not interested at all in that.”
Tourist warning David continued, “The tourist policeman really helped in the negotiation, getting it down to a sensible price, but where do tourhear the Russian’s tale of woe. Mr Gribunov said he had wandered into Walking Street and was having a few drinks at the Siren Bar complex at the north entrance when he espied a couple of young ladies who took his fancy. He invited them both back for a good time in his hotel room and they agreed as long as he was prepared to hand over 1,500 baht for their time and charms. The good time turned into a bonanza for the pair as they apparently slipped a Mickey Finn into Mr Gribunov’s drinks and, when he had passed out, they somehow managed to work out the security number on the room safe and stole a number of rings and other jewelry which Mr Gribunov claims were
ists have to go to get help when someone pulls a knife on them in Pattaya, if the police won’t help them?” His friend Enda commented, “The first three policemen who arrived seemed to be friends with the mafia gang, smiling, hugging and helping them scam us. It was like they just didn’t care about us. Don’t they realise how bad this looks?” Steven added: “We had heard of the jet ski scams in Phuket, but not in Pattaya. We will look to take this up with the Irish embassy, as we were shocked and disappointed to be ripped off in the first place, but to have a large knife pulled on us in broad daylight as part of this robbery, and for the police to do nothing about it, it’s just unacceptable. We will never hire jet skis in Thailand again. Please warn your readers about this.” The longtime resident who witnessed the incident said: “To see this confrontation escalate on a city beach in the middle of the day was shocking. Clearly these robbers act with impunity and with protection from their ‘friends’ in uniform. The Tourist Police officer was helpful and effective but the other attending uniforms seemed to be in on it, and were a disgrace to the city. The fact they even got 5,000 baht for this damage was unacceptable. “It’s only a matter of time before someone is murdered on the beach in the daytime by these vicious thugs,” said the local. Pattaya One’s advice to readers is not to hire jet skis in the town while the threat of violence and scamming is so high. We suggest tourists take a note of the Tourist Police emergency number (1155) and contact them if they get into difficulties on Pattaya beach or elsewhere in the city. Jet ski scams damaged the tourism industry in Phuket and the same may now happen in Pattaya if these rogue operators are not brought to heel by effective police action. worth about 10 million baht. Although the pair proffered ID cards, showing one as aged only 19, it was quickly established the ID cards were fake. Fortunately, Mr Gribunov had paid a photographer on Walking Street to take a picture with himself and the two women and police will now see if they can track down the pair.
I had one hand here and one hand there and then the lights went out
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Pattaya One 03
Swedish national arrested for fake credit card use
Go-go bar raided by Immigration police A very popular off-Walking Street go go bar was raided at midnight by officers from the Human Trafficking Department and Immigration Police in a sting operation involving a foreign male. Officials entered the Champagne go-go bar located in Soi LK Metro at the witching hour after sending a foreign male (unconfirmed rumours suggest he was a rival bar owner) into the premises with marked bank notes with instructions to pay the bar fine for a dancer and take her upstairs to rooms allegedly set aside for the purposes of engaging in sexual activities for monetary reward.
This doesn’t look anything like the church social
After entering the very busy premises, officials averted their eyes from the selection of ladies caressing the chrome poles and instead launched themselves up a couple of flights of stairs and entered a room where they found their fully-clothed foreign informant waiting while a young lady, later identified as No 86, aged 25, was wearing nothing more than a pink towel and an irritated look. Even though there was one of those table football games inside the room it was pretty obvious the girl wasn’t about to play a fantasy version of Chelsea vs Arsenal. Officers then spent as much time as possible photographing the layout of the plush rooms and taking happy snaps of the women employed by the bar and engaging in a bit of friendly banter with them. After all this joviality, they arrested the mamasan of Champagne go-go, as well as 14 females. The lady who had been caught in the room with the foreign informant was charged with engaging in prostitution. The other 13 were charged on suspicion of being prostitutes, although they insisted their occupation was simply ‘dancer’.
Cool
music for the hot city
www.pattaya105.com
A Swedish national wanted for alleged credit card scams was arrested on Walking Street by Immigration Police. A 27-year-old Swedish national named Charbel Malkesson was taken into custody on Walking Street by Immigration police on charges of being involved in a scam whereby the credit card details of up to 260 people had been obtained and fake credit cards produced. Police from the Transnational Crime Data Center at Chonburi Immigration in Jomtien Soi 5 had been searching for Mr Malkesson, who was born in Beirut in Lebanon but was now a Swedish national, for some time. Evidence was shown of Mr Malkesson obtaining money and materials as far back as 2008 from allegedly fake credit cards. While in custody Mr Malkesson made a number of phone calls and sent text messages while his Thai girlfriend, suitably attired in a Loy Krathong outfit, looked disappointed with the outcome of the evening.
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Fun Town’s most vibrant
Pete’s Peregrinations By Peter Lloyd
Of Baht & Buses I often really enjoy the pleasure – or should I say, the experience - of getting baht buses between Jomtien and Pattaya, even though the city centre road chaos has made it much less enjoyable recently. Sometimes, especially in high season, getting baht buses is like watching a soap opera, and the later at night it gets the more you see, although, frankly, not much of it is that pleasant. It’s more like Russian Roulette. Earlier in the low season, there were so few tourists around I was once outnumbered one evening by
a gang of female pickpockets (five women with oversized, empty bags on their laps, who promptly got off my bus when it reached town, crossed the road, got on another one and headed back to Jomtien). They spent the journey either raucously conversing or eyeing up my well protected pockets. Sometimes you get a feel for how international the city is becoming by talking to or overhearing people on baht buses. A few days ago I met an Ethiopian who was here for medical tourism at Bumrungrad Hospital and had come to Pattaya for the weekend; that was an interesting conversation as I had recently been to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, which is where he lived. I rapidly followed that up with encountering a couple from Liberia, here for a two-week holiday. More negatively, on another baht bus ride I witnessed a German guy sternly request a sprawling Indian to take his feet off the seats, and other passengers huffing and
puffing as an ignorant passenger lit up a cigarette and choked out the others. I also often smile (or sneer?) at the reluctance, bordering on willful refusal, of Russians to give up even an inch of the ample space next to them, when there are other people wanting to sit down. As an experiment, at 1:00am recently, I waited for a baht bus in town on a Sunday night to take me back to Jomtien. No less than SIXTEEN buses passed me before one stopped. Most had been hired privately by couples or foursomes, but the others were empty, kerb-crawling looking for special rides at stupid rates from pissed-up tourists. They were oblivious to the likes of me, waiting for a 10 baht ride. It took well over 20 minutes before one stopped for me. Often, on the way into town in the evening, I see the usual high season queues of Russian and other Jomtien tourists stranded on Thappraya Road, unable to hail
a baht bus going into town as mostly Russian couples and foursomes have hired them already. This is an increasing problem. I think it’s high time the baht bus mafia stopped blocking the establishment of a proper bus service in Pattaya, subsidized by City Hall if need be, to cater for revellers who are otherwise stranded earlier in the evening, trying to get into town, or by the late night greed of baht bus drivers, or lack of available baht buses, on their way home. Even if it only ran at night in high season, it would be worthwhile. It isn’t right to say the best interests of the city as a tourist destination are being best served by the current cartel, and although, on the whole, I am actually a fan of baht buses, I also think they are preventing the city from catering to all tourists, by inadequately coping with high season numbers, as the increasing queues of frustrated people waiting for rides gets longer every high season.
Diving in Puerto Galera I am writing this in Puerto Galera in the Philippines, where I come to dive as often as possible. It’s a laid-back place, and without the diving I’d probably have to resort to self harm to keep me entertained. Luckily the diving is world class, so that won’t be happening anytime soon.
Comprised of over 7,000 islands, the Philippines is heavily reliant on both national and international maritime links, for goods and people, and bad weather at this time of year plays havoc with inter-island shipping, as the authorities have learned the hard way that unstable, overloaded and
badly-maintained craft in heavy, stormy seas, equals very bad news all round, and they often close the shipping lanes in bad weather. But whatever the weather, below the waves the sea life here is wonderful. Hopefully these photographs of Nudibrancs will covey the picture better than my waffle.
Contact me at pattayaonepete@gmail.com
1 - 15 December 2010 Issue 5
Pattaya One 05
Fun Town’s most vibrant
Pattaya Focus on ......
By Tar Mack
Thappraya Road Tourism
Olympic Sized Swimming Pool Goes In Some cynical readers have suggested there has been a hint of irony or even sarcasm in these features on the glories of Thappraya Road. Not a bit of it, I assure you. Who could fail to be impressed with the remarkable job being done. Alas, however, it’s time to bid our farewells to Thappraya Road. We shall revisit it in a few months time, just to check on progress. But as we’re coming up to high season I thought I would try to accentuate the positive about the road, and its ‘in-progress’ nature, so as not to deter potential visiting tourists from the city, and to show
dumbstruck tourists already here that there can be upsides to downsides. So, with that in mind, let’s take a fresh look at the state of Thappraya Road and its marketing potential. I think Pattaya tourist chiefs could advertise Adventure Holidays in Pattaya, roping in thrill-seekers young and old, with just a bit of creative thinking. For people who want to drive all-terrain four-wheel vehicles or off-road motorbikes, at dangerous speeds, why not market the Thappraya Road Trail as a holiday activity.
Caving could be a winner with some of the many underground chambers exposed to the inquisitive:
Or how about promoting the new urban sport of pavement slalom, with this example (of the many) pavement obstacle courses:
We could also promote nature rambles in the central reservation jungle, or on the yet-to-be pavemented roadside tracks.
Or take a restful rural walk along the site of the old pavement, which is now a Depression-era sized dust bowl.
Or you could try your luck fishing in this example of the many stagnant, deep water pits, for a genetically mutated Thappraya Road Monster, while your kids play lucky dip with the rubbish.
For urban trekkers, the many inhospitable landscapes of Thappraya Road would make for great adventures:
And while the adults are out trekking, their children can play hide and seek and perilously explore the nearby road detritus:
And for urban scuba divers, there are a plethora of dangerously deep chambers to explore, like this one outside a bar?! in the Jomtien Complex. The slogan could be: Thappraya Road. Fun For All The Family.
Next Edition: Focus on Pattaya Beach Road
06 Pattaya One
Eating Rats Recently peckish, I trawled the Secrets web board in the hope of finding some juicy gastronomic pointers, and wasn’t disappointed when I discovered two threads about eating rats.
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Fun Town’s most vibrant
ABOVE BAWD
IN PATTAYA
By JOHN THOMAS our Internet Forum Snoop I have to say that the cooking smells permeating from the kitchen were quite nice, but there’s no way I could eat the thing. Brownie shuddered: a rat with an 18 inch body?? Feck catching it. I’d have run a mile. Is it a normal rat with gigantism or another type of rat? Secrettom was cool on the great taste of rat: Treated like a rabbit by the Thais, they are field rats and I accidentally ate some a few years ago; greasy foul shite.
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relatively speaking free range, so why not eat them. LionKing weighed in with a late night Pattaya tale in a street behind South Pattaya Market, for anyone tempted after a night out: half way up there are some stalls selling skinned rats and dozens of other things dead and alive. However they are probably Beach Road or City rats rather than the delicious free range rice field rats.
readers – let us know how it turns out!), commenting: Serve ground rat meat on an oval dish with livers and heart on the top. Circle with garnish of basil leaves and halves of lime. Serve with white rice. The flavor will be hot and tangy with a mild crunchy chew to it. It is not to be considered the main dish, but a nice hot and spicy accent to other prepared dishes. Eddibabyyeah said: During a trip around LOS last year myself & the missus came across lots of sellers at the side of the road selling
Step one, bringing in the freshly caught Buriram field mice
Step four cook the field mice over the open fire
The threads were: “What’s for Breakfast?”, and “Rats - would you eat one!” Now these rats aren’t your common or garden sewer-dwelling city rats (I hope) but are instead ones that live in the rice fields (but who can really say where they were caught when they are skinned, gutted and barbecued?)
Sinclair1969 said My girlfriend loves to eat these wild rats, they are different from the city rats in that they have been living in a clean environment. They are for sale along the main roads in many parts of Thailand and are a favorite among many villagers.
Pumpuynarak kicked us off with: Wifey and I visited her mum in the village on Friday. As we were about to leave there was considerable excitement from the neighbours, whose son had caught a rat. This rat was a fxxking monster. It must have been 18 inches long, minus the tail, that’s in part what all the excitement was about. I am told by wifey they rarely catch them that size. Within minutes it had been skinned and was divvied up amongst them and wifey had her share. So off we go, back home with the rat.
Step two, give the bodies a nice wash to get rid of dust and grit Comsic36 helpfully weighed in with: I work in a rat/mouse lab and we have a freezer full of 800 rats cut up in various pieces. What is your wife’s address, I can feed the village for a year. Hilly helpfully set out what looked like a delicious recipe for rat (in post 10, Rats – Would you eat one thread for adventurous
No sooner had we got in the door than wifey is cutting it up and chopping it into small pieces, the remainder went into the fridge. Now the cooking commenced. After about 20 mins of frying wifey is tucking into this rat with the biggest smile on her face i have ever seen.
Step three, remove the fur and lay the bodies out in the sun
BBQ’d rats. She stopped and bought one. The thing smelled bloody awful. I did have a small bite of it and it was full of bones and tasted nothing like rabbit.
Merv believes the dearest meat in Thailand is Rice Rat. Why I asked, and the answer is quite simple really “they are very difficult to catch” i thought they tasted a bit gamey and very chewy. So there you have it. Rice field rats sound like they could be quite tasty, urban rats are literally “bog” standard. Any intrepid tasters out there, be sure to let us know.
Heymarky said he’d eaten one in Bangkok unknowingly many moons ago. Tasted like pork only sweeter. I’d have thought a Bangkok rat would be full of diseases, and taste disgusting, but what do I know. I bottled my only opportunity to taste upcountry rat. Unlike me, Bottleymike didn’t bottle, and said I have eaten barbequed rat up country. It tasted OK, and probably a lot healthier than the steroids fed pork, or the farmed fish that are fed on chicken crap. The rats live in the rice fields and feed off of the rice, so are
Step five, serve the delicacy in a bowl with available veggies Next Edition: Other unusual food Choices in Thailand. All comments or Web Board tipoffs gratefully received at jt@pattayaone.net
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Fun Town’s most vibrant
Kris & Noi’s
Private
Do you have a question about customs or culture, or perhaps just a general comment on life in Thailand? Email Kris & Noi at: knprivateposts@gmail.com Mea Culpa?
Being fairly new to Thailand, I have become an avid—if new— reader of your very helpful column, and pleased that it has re-appeared in this new publication. My problem, because I know so little about Thais and nothing of the Thai language, has to do with my Thai girlfriend—or “wife” as Noi prefers to call herself, though we are only living together. So, acceding to Noi’s wishes, I call her my wife (mia) in the presence of family and Thai friends. But a couple days ago Noi got all bent out of shape during a family gathering when I called to her across the
By Khun Dee
Spell Healthy with a Wai Wash, wai and quit whining. That’s our formula for staying healthy this cold and flu season. As high season unfolds, Pattaya welcomes tens of thousands of visitors escaping frigid climes and bleak skies. Not so welcome here is the concomitant outbreak of seasonal colds, influenza and pneumonia. Coincidence? I don’t think so. While ailments such as the flu and pneumonia usually are regarded as merely temporary nuisances, they can be life threatening to Pattaya’s older expat community. In fact, they are two of the leading causes of death among those older than 50, and pose particular risk for anyone with heart, lung or kidney disease, not to mention HIV. Odds are you will come down with a cold or the flu sometime in
room, “Mia Noi.” First she went into a tantrum, then went all silent and hasn’t talked to me since. What did I do wrong? H. Peesauce More than a few married Thai men have a regular lady on hand for extramarital nooky. Unlike Western men, they do not appear to make any effort to hide their presence; in fact, the way these ladies are flaunted by wealthy, influential men at parties and official functions, it would seem to be de riguer to have “Supporting a regular totty” listed on a man’s CV. Such a kept lady is known as a mia
noi—meaning minor wife. So your Miss Noi would have been mortified when you implied to her family and friends that, instead of being your beloved, she was in fact just the farang’s bit of spare. However, profuse apologies, an explanation of your mistake and, most importantly, a decent gift, will no doubt restore your relationship. And call her faen instead of mia; less chance of confusion. Thanks for the nice words about the column, as well as the tittersome tale.
Bar Room Boors
My husband and I enjoy Pattaya’s
Pattaya One 07
night life atmosphere, and make regular visits to bars. He chats with his friends, and I talk with the girls in the bar, who are very nice with me. I have got to know several of them very well, and I make no comments about their chosen way of life; we just have a good natter and a laugh. But I do think that the attitude of some, not all, expats, towards the girls is awful. They talk rudely to them, grope girls as they try to walk past, and talk about the girls’ looks as though they were buying farm stock. They like to call the girls stupid, whereas I think it is them who show their ignorance. Leanne Perrins
Most expats treat the girls in a decent, friendly manner, but there are also some out and out tossers amongst the punters. However, the girls mostly know how to put up with their slobbery and illmanners, and can handle it well enough—and probably get their revenge with a less than stellar performance when hitting the mattress. The girls may be uneducated, but are often smarter than some customers; the dumbest acts you will witness in a bar are almost always performed by expats.
Living Healthy in Pattaya Wai? Don’t Ask, Just Do It the next month or so. But you can beat the odds. How? Wash, wai and quit whining. That is to say, wash your hands frequently, wai others instead of shaking hands, and swap your complaints for a positive attitude. Granted, vaccinations provide your best chance to prevent the flu as well as pneumonia. Most people can benefit from such periodic immunization, but it is crucial for those in high risk groups--older people and those with chronic ailments. However, with or without those injections, you can do wonders to avoid seasonal illness by bolstering your immune system and adopting healthy personal habits. That begins with a diet consisting of lots of fruits and vegetables, limited saturated fats, and vitamin supplements--as well as daily exercise. And it ends with keeping your hands free of germs and your mind free of negativity. Hand washing is the single most important step in preventing the
spread of diseases. We use our hands much more frequently than we realize, and they come into contact with millions of germs a day. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, droplets laden with bacteria or viruses spread onto the hands or to nearby surfaces; these germs can remain active anywhere from two to 48 hours. You have no idea that you’ve been contaminated when you touch that doorknob, that menu, that extended hand. That’s why it is so important to wash your hands frequently--before and after preparing and/or eating food; after using the toilet; after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing; after touching an animal or animal waste; after handling garbage, and before and after treating a cut. And it is equally important to wash properly: Use warm water (not cold or hot) and soap. Work up lather on both sides of your hands, your wrists, between your fingers, around and under your nails. Wash for about 15 to 20 seconds (sing
‘Happy Birthday’ twice). Then rinse and dry well with a clean towel. If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand rub. Finally, take heart. Cold and flu germs have a harder time taking hold in people who have a positive outlook. You no doubt know that anger or stress can cause ill health. Inversely, positive thoughts play a key role in your health and immunity. Not only can upbeat thinking help you steer clear of sickness, but it can also make your symptoms milder should you forget to wash your hands and then come down with something.
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Fun Town’s most vibrant
Topical
Thailand/Burma border markets act as deadly trade gateway for tigers Advertiser Talk recently claimed black markets along Burma, Thailand and China’s shared borders played a crucial role in facilitating the deadly illicit trade in tigers and other endangered species, according to a new World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and TRAFFIC report. The report, The Big Cat Trade in Myanmar and Thailand, documents black market sales of large wild felines. Hundreds of tiger and leopard parts, representing over 400 individual animals, were observed during nearly a decade of investigations in Burma and Thailand. Live big cats, including endangered tigers and a rare Asiatic lion were also observed in trade. “With as few as 3,200 wild tigers worldwide, the ongoing large-scale trafficking documented in this report is having a disastrous impact on tigers and other big cats. Lack of good governance goes hand in hand with the corruption that is allowing this illegal trade gateway to act like floodgates, spilling out the lifeblood of the forest,” said Crawford Allan, director TRAFFIC North America. “Wildlife laws in Burma and Thailand clearly prohibit trafficking in tigers and other big cats. These areas need enforcement crackdowns to clean up this criminal mess and bring the full weight of the law to bear upon traffickers.” Provincial markets and retail outlets located in the Burma towns of Mong La, near the China border, and Tachilek, on the Thai border, were found to play a pivotal role in
the large scale distribution of big cat parts including whole skins, bones, paws, penises, and teeth. The products are transported by road and sea into China and Thailand, or sold to Chinese nationals who cross the Burma border to gamble and consume exotic wildlife.
‘Posh Dave’ Cancels his Christmas Trip to Thailand
Travelweekly reported (‘Cameron ditches luxury trip to Thailand’) that British Prime Minister David Cameron has cancelled a family holiday to Thailand at Christmas over concerns that it would be seen as extravagant as Britain faces a raft of spending cuts. The Cameron’s were apparently booked into a resort in Phuket where rooms cost at least £1,000 a night. However, Downing Street advisers were reportedly concerned that the trip was inappropriate during the economic downturn. The prime minister also faced pressure from campaigners who said visiting Thailand would suggest Cameron supports the recent crackdowns on pro-democracy demonstrators.
Bout's Wife to Sue Thailand
The Moscow Times reported that the wife of suspected arms trafficker Viktor Bout would sue Thailand in an attempt to get him
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Thailand
released from U.S. custody after Bangkok extradited him recently. Alla Bout also said at a news conference in Bangkok that her husband would not cut a deal with U.S. authorities. He pleaded not guilty in New York on a conspiracy charge that alleges he illicitly traded arms to a terrorist group. There has been speculation that Bout holds Russian intelligence he might exchange for leniency. Bout denies that, but Moscow strongly opposed his extradition.
Tyre maker slows production in Thailand
Focus Taiwan highlighted a Taiwanese tyre manufacturer, Maxxis International Co., which has reduced production in Thailand as it seeks to resolve a labor dispute. The Thailand subsidiary of Maxxis, the world's 10th largest tyre brand, "has decided to reduce production temporarily" as the company is negotiating with its workers in Thailand. "Full production will resume as soon as the negotiations are completed" a Taiwanese Stock Exchange statement said. Maxxis also noticed that some of its production line workers were "not actively working.” Maxxis is one of several foreign companies troubled recently by a series of worker strikes in Rayong, Thailand.
Israeli farmers on strike to bring in more Thai workers
The BBC reported a strike by Israeli farmers who wanted to bring an additional 4,000 workers from Thailand to work in the agriculture industry in Israel. "I have fruit but not the people to pick it," complained Gili Swisa, a tomato grower. He claimed the labour shortage was pushing up prices of produce for consumers. Until the start of the second intifada in 2000, when Israel increased border security, thousands of people from the occupied Palestinian territories worked on Israeli farms. They were substituted with cheap labourers from overseas, particularly Thailand. "We can't work without the Thais. They work very hard,” Mr Swisa said. Shlomi Shefer, a finance ministry spokesman said: "We had an agreement with the farmers via the agriculture ministry for a declining amount of foreign workers in the farming industry. This is to increase the number of Israelis in farming," There have been reports that radical solutions to the farmers' labour crisis are being considered. According to Israeli radio, Defence Minister Ehud Barak asked the cabinet for permission to hire 1,200 Palestinian workers from the north of the occupied West Bank.
English Test Centres seminar brings together Pattaya competitors With the competitive business of Visa agents in Pattaya you would hardly expect them to be talking to each other, however, not only were they doing this but were sat around a table in the same room. The reason for this was a seminar being run by English Test Centres, part of the Lloyds group of businesses. English Test Centres were the first accredited business to carry out the new A1 English for the UK Border Agency in Pattaya and Bangkok. An A1 certificate became a requirement from the 29th November for all those wish-
ing to apply for a settlement visa to the UK. Over the past few months English Test Centres have been running trial tests and were disappointed to find that the failure rate was almost 100%. Had these been real applicants then not only would they have had to repeat the test but pay the 6,000 Baht fee again for the further testing. As a result English Test Centres decided to run Pre-Test Seminars for groups so they could find out more about the actual test and assess their English standard, at a
cost of 1,000 Baht. The major visa companies in Pattaya decided it would be of benefit to their clients if they themselves were better informed regarding the test, so representatives from Key Visa Company, OK VISA, and Visas-Plus were sat around the table to listen to Lloyd Jones, the chief tester for English Test Centres. Lloyd, who has himself many years experience in the visa field, was also in his past a UK University Key Skills Assessor, a useful qualification. The test being run is
administered by Mont Rose College of Marketing and Sciences in London and is the MRELTS test. It takes about 35 minutes and is fully recorded for audit purposes by the Border Agency. To find our more, book a test or a pre-test seminar call English Test Centres, Khun Baitoey on 084 362 8983; call in at Saraan House Sukhumvit Road (opposite Big C) or visit one of the companies who attended this seminar. Similar seminars will be run at CentralWorld Bangkok.
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Pattaya One 09
Fun Town’s most vibrant
Letters to the Editor If you would like to voice your opinion in print, please send us your thoughts and ideas by email to: editor@pattayaone.net Letters may be edited to improve clarity and spelling.
traffic bind Sir, I live on the Dark Side and have watched with amusement and not some annoyance at the antics of the local authorities when it comes to the traffic lights and crossings at the railway road. When they first opened the two roads you might recall they were both two-way, but this wasn’t going to work and they changed them to one-way. Good move. Then the geniuses in charge turned on the traffic lights and what ensued was instant gridlock. Traffic was banked back in every direction along roads like Ngern Plub Wan, Kow Noi and Khao Talo. Finally, I guess a lot of people complained and they turned the lights off and traffic seemed to move OK, apart from the real morning and night peak hours. A couple of weeks ago I read or heard a news report saying the traffic lights would be turned on again because the clowns in charge of traffic had worked out a way that these lights would be able to turn green when enough cars had collected behind them. Smart lights, but not so smart local authorities. Most people, Thai and foreign, that I speak to who live on the Dark Side reckon these smart lights will not solve a thing and traffic will only be worse. I noticed they turned the lights on at Khao Talo, but turned them off again after the usual bank-ups and hold-ups occurred. You’d think they’d have learnt the first time. They didn’t and now the lights seem to be turned on at a whim. Is there any way of letting the local government know the whole idea of turning these lights on will just be a disaster? Bill Reynolds, by email Dear Bill, You don’t say where on the Dark Side (East Pattaya) you live, but we will presume it’s one of the three sois you mention in your letter. We are aware the new traffic light system has been activated at the intersections south of Soi Khao Talo. These roads tend to be
less busy in terms of traffic coming from east to west and west to east, so tailbacks shouldn’t be a problem. You are certainly right about the main sois such as Khao Talo, Kow Noi, Ngern Plub Wan and Siam Country Club where traffic heading east to west and west to east is as heavy, if not heavier than the numbers going south or north. Accidents certainly occur at these intersections, although given the volume of traffic going through them it’s not excessive. Most people, both foreigners and Thais, who use these roads regularly appear to drive through the intersections fairly sensibly. Unfortunately, there are always morons who can’t seem to think beyond their own desires to get wherever they want to go as fast as possible and with as little inconvenience. Then again, you see them driving or riding like idiots whether it’s on a small side soi, the railway roads or Sukhumvit Road. Pattaya One agrees with you that turning the traffic lights on at the intersections you mention will probably only make things worse. What’s really required, and does happen on occasions, is that Highway Patrol police are stationed at these roads to control traffic flow for a couple of hours in the morning and again for a couple of hours in the evening. We will pass on your thoughts to the relevant authorities, but don’t hold your breath.
What’s the number? Sir, Is it only me or have others noticed the amazing number of cars and motorbikes driving around Pattaya without a number plate? This is not a few isolated instances. I have seen far more than should ever be allowed and I always think to myself ‘what are these people up to?’ The police seem concerned with nabbing people without helmets, but only at certain times of the month or certain times of the day and cars can just breeze by with no rear or even front number plate and nothing happens. According to
my insurance company they said if I was involved in an accident and the driver of the other vehicle didn’t stop and I could not identify the vehicle then all costs are down to me. So maybe these people without number plates know this and figure they can get away with it and if they do have an accident they’ll just drive off. I have been driving in Thailand for over eight years and lived in Pattaya now for the last five and I never noticed much of this until the last year or so. There was even one I saw the other day without plates on the front or back. George Jones, by email Dear George, Pattaya One thinks you are quite right as we have certainly noticed a lot of cars and motorbikes on the roads not sporting number plates. It is completely illegal but no real action appears to be taking place to rectify or stop the practice.
Lights of a Different Shade Sir, I want to complain about the new traffic lights in Pattaya, and to tell you about my using four sets of them today. The first ones I tried to cross near South Pattaya market, were broken, and changed automatically, giving cars only 10 seconds to pass, before changing to 20 seconds for pedestrians, even when there weren’t any pedestrians crossing. No wonder nobody stops for them. The lights outside Central, on Second Road, in spite of having a huge picture of a grinning city official on them were broken when I tried to use them, so I had to take my life in my hands and cross Second Road as usual. The ones I used on Pattaya Beach Road, OK, they worked, but nobody stops at them, so what’s the point of having them?
In Jomtien I was amused to see two City flunkies waving oversize hankies at cars to make them stop at the red lights at the bottom of Soi 5. I suppose it’s better than having people being killed by drivers who don’t stop, but is it efficient use of manpower, to have 2 people for one crossing? Surely the idea is to have NO people and all the cars stop. How much was spent on these lights? And how many work? Also, shouldn’t the police be staking out these lights and fining drivers who don’t stop. Or is there no money in it as the wealthy drivers (foreigners) mostly do stop but I notice it is mostly Thais who drive right through them even when people are crossing. It seems a nice little earner for the police, and here they would be performing an important public service in making sure drivers stop at red lights, and tourists and residents can cross the city’s roads safely, if they hand out massive fines to light-jumping drivers and motorbike riders. Maybe they will eventually catch on to this new income stream - only after somebody is killed. Yours sincerely Andy from Birmingham. Dear Andy, It seems anything to do with regulating roads and traffic is a major concern with people, given the content of some of the other letters we have received in recent times. The idea of the pedestrian lights was a good one, in principle. The main Beach and Second Roads do not have any pedestrian overpasses and there is simply no way any driver will ever stop at a pedestrian crossing, so a light system was introduced. Interestingly, you are right about foreign drivers stopping and many Thais simply ignoring the things and many people are saying as you have, it will only be a matter of time before someone is either killed or injured while legally crossing at the lights. Sad to say, it’s yet another good idea poorly implemented.
10 Pattaya One By Tim Gladwin, Managing Director of Sallmanns
how to beat a buyer’s market It should be news to no-one that the Pattaya real estate market has been relatively quiet since the start of the global economic downturn. One of the main reasons is that, notwithstanding recent increased interest in the market from, typically Bangkok-based Thai buyers, much of the money that has driven the market to grow very significantly over the last decade or so has originated from overseas. The fact that the effects of the economic crisis have been particularly severe in the West has for the time being reduced the amount of money being invested in Thai property by foreign buyers.
Fun Town’s most vibrant
Talking Real Estate
of the house. In most cases, the same can be said for the installation of new bathrooms and kitchens, although it is worth bearing in mind that it is often said that houses are most commonly sold by their bathrooms and kitchens.
Turn your pumpkin into a palace improvements that can be made that have the ability both to make a house a great deal more sellable (in this or any other market) and also, typically, to increase the value and likely selling price of the property by more than the cost of the work.
to a very large extent, motivated by aesthetic appearance. More often than not they buy on the basis of the way something looks rather than the way something could look, and they often pay a premium for properties that look particularly nice.
We deal with a surprisingly large number of sellers who try to sell houses/condos that they have allowed to get into a really bad state. In some cases, the properties have clearly not even been cleaned for a long time. Paintwork, both exterior and interior, is flaking off and badly stained. If there is any furniture, it is generally old and falling apart. In a market such as the one with which we are currently faced, for such a property to have any chance whatsoever of being sold, the asking price would have to be so low as to be simply unrealistic.
In this regard, the best example, over and above a good clean, tends to be painting both the interior and exterior of a house that looks run down. If you know where to look, the cost of paint and capable painters here in Pattaya can be extremely reasonable. For example, when I painted the outside of my house (shortly after buying it) the total cost was in the region of 30,000 Baht for a very good job. And it positively transformed the place appearance-wise. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the value of the house increased by several times more than the 30,000 Baht I spent. Moreover, an ugly looking house, by reason of the previous colour scheme, became a very attractive one almost overnight. I see an awful lot of properties for sale where the same effect could be achieved by a similar exercise.
Accordingly, taking the time or, alternatively, employing a specialist to decorate and furnish the inside of your property can regularly pay dividends, again both in terms of attracting a buyer (or a tenant) and in terms of the purchase price (or rent) that you will be able to achieve. Speaking from experience, the houses and condos that we have decorated and furnished for our clients have undoubtedly fared well in both the sales and rental markets such that the clients in question certainly consider that the cost, which need not be a particularly large amount, has been money well spent.
I understand that some sellers do not have the money to undertake significant improvements to properties they are looking to sell. That said, I have a hard time believing that they can’t find themselves a mop, a bucket and a duster. However, for those who do have the ability to finance a little more, there are various
For those who have the ability to spend a little bit more, there is also no doubt that “dressing” a property nicely can make it hugely more interesting to a majority of buyers. It is for this very reason that property developers spend an awful lot of time and money making their show units as beautiful as possible. Buyers are,
One obvious consequence of there being fewer buyers around is that sellers of properties face more competition. In other words it is a buyers’ market. The most obvious way to compete with other sellers is on price and those sellers who are most motivated to sell have been reducing the prices of their properties, making for some very attractive deals for opportunistic purchasers over recent months. However, in a buyers’ market, an attractive price is not always enough.
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Clearly there are countless other areas in which you can consider undertaking home improvements and most of them, assuming they are done properly, will make your property more sellable. That said, not all of them will increase the value of your property by as much as or more than the cost of the work. A good example tends to be replacing windows for, say, UPVC double glazing. It definitely benefits the property and will make it more attractive to buyers, but it is rare that the cost will be fully reflected in the increased value
Here in Thailand, bearing in mind the hot, sunny climate, there are a couple of home improvements that can be undertaken that suit the environment and thus tend to make a house a great deal more sellable and also more valuable. Firstly, assuming you have the space, it tends to be a good idea to install a private swimming pool. The dream of lots of prospective purchasers (and tenants) from overseas is to own a house with its own pool. Without one, you tend to limit the number of people who would be interested in your house. Moreover, with it being possible to build a nice, good quality 8 x 4 metre pool for around 500,000 Baht, the cost and usually a little more can generally be recovered by way of the increased value of the property. Secondly, installing solar panels can attract prospective purchasers who are concerned about reducing their so-called “carbon footprint”. Increasingly, individuals everywhere are becoming more and more concerned with environmental issues. Offering a house for sale that is considered to be “green” is not only socially responsible, but it differentiates a property from others that prospective purchasers might also be considering. This is one of the reasons why we (at Sallmanns) have recently partnered with Thailand’s leading authority on solar power. By installing on-grid systems you can generate and sell electricity to the Provincial Electricity Authority for which you will typically be paid a little more than 10% of the cost of the equipment each year (for example a system costing around 350,000 Baht will normally generate roughly 35,000 Bahts’ worth of electricity each year). Bearing in mind that panels come with 20 to 25 year warranties, not only are the panels environmentally friendly, they also make exceptionally good financial sense. If you have any questions or queries in relation to the above, or if you would like to discuss any other matters related to the local real estate market, please call me on 087 137 0392 or email me at tgladwin@sallmannsthailand.com.
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Classifieds One Pattaya
Send us your classified advertisement by the 23rd of the previous month for the 1st of the next month edition or by the 6th for the 16th of the month edition. Maximum 75 words. All Classifieds are taken subject to available space. Send your Classified adverts to: classifieds@pattayaone.net
0364/GW – Bar with rooms Ground floor bar with 3 rental rooms above. Located on busy road in South Pattaya. Rent 25,000 baht per month with annual key money of 100,000 baht. Sale Price: 750,000 baht 0365/GW – Bar with rooms Ground floor bar with 5 rental rooms above. Located in South Pattaya. Rent 25,000 baht per month + key money. Sale Price: 950,000 baht 0343/GW – Bar/Restaurant Located in busy night life Soi in Central Pattaya. Rent 25,000 baht per month, with annual Key Money of 200,000 baht per year. Sale Price: 1.2 million baht 0371/SLN – Mini Mart Located on ground floor of apartment block in South Pattaya. Rent only 10,000 baht per month. Profitable business. Ideal for girlfriend or wife. Included in sale price is 200,000 bahts worth of stock. Sale Price: 1.25 million baht 0330/SLN – Laundry with Rooms – 3 storey single shop house, located in Central Pattaya. Totally refurbished to a very high standard. Three rental rooms on the upper floors. Rent paid till Jan. 2010. Sale Price: 1.5 million baht 0219/SLN – Open Beer Bar Located in busy night life area of South Pattaya. Extremely profitable. Key Money has been paid in full till Jan. 2011. Sale Price: 1.8 million baht 0313/SLN – Bar with Rooms 4 storey single shop house located in busy soi just off Beach Road, Central Pattaya. Ground floor bar with 5 rental rooms on the upper floors. Rent only 9,000 baht per month. Key Money has been paid till March 2012. Sale Price: 1.85 million baht 0319/SLN – Bar with Rooms 4 storey single shop house located in Jomtien. Ground floor bar, with 4 rental rooms & large apartment on upper floors. Long lease available. Currently being operated as a Gay Bar, but could easily be changed. Key Money paid till January 2013. Rent 25,000 baht per month. Sale Price: 1.65 million baht. Freehold also available for an additional 5.5million baht 0357/SLN – Bar & Guesthouse 3 storey double shop house located in South Pattaya. Large ground floor bar with 6 rental rooms on the upper floors. Rent 20,000 baht per month paid one year in advance. No Key Money. Sale Price: 2.3 million baht 0357/SLN – Bar & Guesthouse 3 storey, double shop house located in South Pattaya. Ground floor bar with kitchen facilities. 6 rental rooms on upper floors. Rent 20,000 baht per month. Sale Price: 2.5 million baht 0367/GW – Bar & Guesthouse Large ground floor bar with 8 rental rooms, located in busy nightlife area of Central Pattaya. Rent 44,000 baht per month and Key Money has been paid till 2012. Sale Price: 2.5 million baht 0320/SLN – Bar with Rooms and large kitchen 4 storey single shop house located in Jomtien. Ground floor bar with pool table. On the upper floors is 4 rental rooms a modern kitchen and a small dining area. Rent only 27,500 baht per month .Sale Price: 2.65 million 0331/SLN – Bar with Rooms 4 storey single – end unit located on Thappraya
Road between Pattaya and Jomtien Beach. Ground floor bar with 2 rooms & 2 large apartments on upper floors. Profitable business. Sale Price: 2.75 million baht 0311/SLN – Guesthouse 4 storey, single shop house, located in Central Pattaya. Ground floor bar/dining area with kitchen. On the upper floors are 12 rental rooms and one large apartment. Rent 45,000 baht per month and no Key Money. 6 year lease. Sale Price: 2.8 million baht 0360/SLN – Beer Bar Located just off Walking Street in the heart of the ‘night life’ action. 3 + 3 lease. Rent 50,000 baht per month with Key Money payable every 3 years. Sale Price: 2.75 million baht 0363/SLN – Bar Recently refurbished bar located in Central Pattaya. Rent 25,000 baht per month and No Key Money. Sale Price: 3 million baht 0366/SLN – A Go Go Bar Located in busy nightlife area. Busy bar with excellent reputation earning good profits Key Money is paid with a good long lease. Rent is only 44,000 baht per month. Sale Price: 3.5 million baht 0359/SLN – Restaurant/Bar Double, single storey shop house located in South Pattaya opposite a large hotel. Caters for both western and Thai food. Extremely cheap rent, which has been fully paid till September 2012. Sale Price: 3.5 million baht 0284/SLN – Bar with Rooms 3 storey double shop house located in the heart of the ‘night life’ action on Soi 6 Beach Road. Ground floor bar which was totally refurbished in January 2010. 6 rooms and one large apartment on the upper floors. Rent 30,000 baht per month. Key Money has been paid till December 2011. Sale Price: 3.65 million baht 0312/SLN – Restaurant. Located on busy road in ‘high foot traffic’ area. Seating capacity for 75+ diners with external bar and terrace area. Double shop house with 8 rooms on the upper floors. Rent 60,000 baht per month. Sale Price: 4.2 million baht 0269/SLN – Bar & Guesthouse 3 storey double shop house, located in busy ‘night life’ area of North Pattaya. Large ground floor bar with external seating area and 7 rental rooms above. Very profitable. Sale Price: 4.9 million baht 0356/SLN – Lounge Bar with Rooms, Office Suite & large apartment – double, 4 storey shop house – located on 3rd Road in Central Pattaya. Tastefully decorated and furnished ground floor Lounge Bar with Jacuzzi suite. 2nd floor – 3 large ensuite bedrooms all with air con. 3rd Floor offices with meeting room. Top floor 120sqm 1 bedroom apartment with en suite & air con. Good lease available – No Key Money. 60,000 baht per month rent. Sale Price: 5.2 million baht Owner finance available 0374/SLN – Bakery Located in Central Pattaya. Ground floor shop and bakery. Second floor air-con store room. 3rd and 4th floor offices and living accommodation. 50% partnership 3 million baht Sale Price: 5.2 million 0283/SLN – Bar & Guesthouse
4 – storey double shop house with large ground floor bar and 10 rental rooms. Located between South and Central Pattaya close to night life area. Profitable business ready for immediate transfer. Rent is 45,000 baht per month payable 6 months in advance. Sale Price: 6.25 million baht 0358/SLN – Bar & Guesthouse 3 – storey triple shop house – located in Jomtien. Ground floor bar with kitchen facilities. 9 en suite bedrooms and 4 staff rooms on upper floors. Rent only 35,000 baht per month and No Key Money. Good profitable business. Sale Price: 6.5 million baht 0324/SLN – Bar with Rooms 4 interconnected shop houses located in Jomtien. Large ground floor bar with 16 bedrooms & staff dormitory, Sale Price: 6.5 million 0372/SLN – Massage Shops. Two massage shops both located in Central Pattaya earning good profits. The business was established 5 years ago and has gone from strength to strength increasing profits every year. Foot and traditional Thai massage are offered along with Jacuzzi and sauna facilities. Included in the sale is a Thai registered Limited Company enabling any potential buyer to apply for a work permit. Sale Price: 6.9 million baht 0352/SLN – Gentlemans Club with residence. Private house on corner plot, very close to Soi Country Club road with access to communal swimming pool. Ground floor lounge, kitchen and bar. 3 bedrooms on upper floor. Sale price includes building and land in Foreign ownership with company. Sale Price: 7 million 0377/SLN – Bar & Guesthouse 4 storey, triple shop house located on in a ‘high foot traffic’ area of Central Pattaya. Ground floor bar and shop with 16 rental rooms on the upper floors. The rooms have enjoyed 90% occupancy over the last 12 months. Rent is 125,000 baht per month and No Key Money. This is a very sound business opportunity. Sale Price: 7.95 million baht 0321/SLN – Bar with Rooms 4 storey unit located just off Walking Street. Ground & 2nd floor bar area with pool table. 3 bedrooms on 3rd floor. 4th floor luxury apartment with en suite Jacuzzi. Key Money paid till July 2011. Sale Price: 9 million baht 0326/SLN – Pub & Restaurant. 3 storey double shop house located on Soi Buo Khao. Large ground floor bar with pool table. Large kitchen and 3 bedrooms all with en suite and air con on the upper floors. A further 4 rooms could be built on the top floor. The business is open 24 hours and is earning good profits. This is a business opportunity not to be missed. Sale Price: 11.75 million baht 0327/SLN – Publishing RARE OPPORTUNITY The business has an exclusive license for Chonburi to print daily foreign newspapers from around the world., Extremely profitable. Previous publishing back ground not required. Current owner will stay on within the business for 1 month to help and oversee a smooth transition. Sale Price: POA 0362/SLN – Pub & Restaurant Located in East Pattaya. A sought after English style pub & restaurant. Ground floor bar & dining area with pool table & separate modern kitchen. On the upper floor is 3 bedrooms all with en suite bathrooms and air con. The sale price includes the
land & buildings. Sale Price: 15.5 million 0378/SLN – Bar, Restaurant & Guesthouse. 3 storey double shop house located in East Pattaya. Very profitable business. Ground floor bar and dining area with external terrace. 8 rental rooms on the upper floors. Recently installed, fully equipped modern kitchen. Sale price includes the land and building in foreign name. Sale Price: 22.75 million baht 0376/SLN – Exclusive Serviced Apartments. Located in a very sought after area of South Pattaya. The building has been built to a very high specification using only top quality materials and furnishings. Built on ½ a Rai of land. The building consists of 6 suite rooms which command a rental from THB 24,000 per month to THB 52,800 per month depending on the room and the season. The rooms have enjoyed 90% occupancy since opening in February 2009. The business is very easy to manage and only employs 2 full time and one part time staff. This is an excellent business opportunity offering a sound return on investment. The price includes the land and buildings. Sale Price: 28 million baht 0379/SLN – Pub & Restaurant. Four number, 2 storey detached properties located in South Pattaya. On the ground floor is an English style pub and restaurant, swimming pool, modern kitchen facilities and an office On the upper floors are 12 rental rooms, a laundry room. The business is earning good profits which the current owner can verify. Included in the sale price is the land and buildings. Excellent business opportunity, which will give a good return on investment. Sale Price: 30 million baht 0314/SLN – Wholesale & Retail Supplier of Fine Foods. A 2 million baht registered Company established in 2004 supplying Fine foods and meat products to hotels, bars and restaurants within Pattaya. The company has an excellent reputation for both customer service and the products they supply. Included in the sale is over 5 million bahts worth of assets, the building (which includes a retail shop) with 2 walk in refrigeration units, vehicles and a customer base of over 150 clients. The current owner would be prepared to stay on for 2-3 months to over see the transfer of the business. Proof of funding will be required before full financial details will be released. Sale Price: 32 million baht 0361/SLN – Hotel, Pub & Restaurant. 32 bedroom hotel located in Jomtien, only 2 minutes walk from the beach front. All bedrooms are with air con and en suite bathrooms. Ground floor Pub with modern kitchen facilities which was totally refurbished in 2009. The sale price includes the land and building in foreign ownership. Sale Price: 55 million baht Spectacular Town home for sale. Pratamnuk Hill. Very nice and quiet area , very close to Cozy Beach, 205 Sqm for living space. 2 big bedrooms and 2 huge bathrooms-(master with Jacuzzi) 2 big balconies, beautifully decorated throughout with quality furniture. Hi-spec. European kitchen, hi- speed internet, satellite dish, 3 televisions, 3 a/c’s, garage. Also equipped with alarm system. Bt: 6 Million for quick sale. Call 081 357 7491 or 089 607 9850 Urgent Sale. House on 86 Tlw in good quiet village. Siam Country Club Rd (Natheekran Village). Nice garden with covered carport. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathroom, 3 a/c’s. Price for quick sale Bt: 3.5 Million. Call 081 357 7491 or 081 334 5291
16 Pattaya One Beautiful Family House –very spacious with swimming pool in large well kept garden. 3 Beds,3 baths and large lounge. Soi Siam Country Club, (only 800 meters from Sukhumvit Road) Quality furnished throughout, European kitchen, high security alarm system and electric gate. The owner leaving, only Bt:13 Million. Don’t miss this one!! Call 081 357 7491 or 081 334 5291 Spectacular Town home for sale. Pratamnuk Hill. Very nice and quite area , very close to Cozy Beach, 205 Sqm for living space, in Thai company name, 2 big bedrooms and 2 huge bathrooms-(master with Jacuzzi) 2 big balconies, beautifully decorated throughout with quality furniture. Hi-spec. European kitchen, hi- speed internet, satellite dish, 3 television, 3 a/c’s, garage. Bt: 6 Million for quick sale. Call 081 357 7491 or 081 334 5291 Very Rare Beach House (situated in the garden of a good condo development). Wongamat Beach (Immediate Beachfront). 250 sqm. 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, modern style kitchen with washing machine and dryer, Great views from a big balcony. All sports facilities inc. Swimming pool / tennis and car parking etc. A private house with all the facilities of a condo set in a well kept private garden. Bangkok owner wants to sell quickly. (This area commands a selling price of over18 Million Baht) Bargain for only Bt: 16 Million ! Call 081 357 7491 or 081 334 5291 Big bargain on big family house. Massive 2 storey house with 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 7 a/c’s, European kitchen, a quality furniture from England. Top floor could easily convert to separate apartment. The owner wants to leave Thailand and wants to sell quickly hence the asking price of only 7 Million Baht. Don’t miss it. Call 081 357 7491 or 081 334 5291 Huge Detached Residence (Huayai) with guest bungalow. Close to Phoenix Golf Club Land size 1 Rai 31 Tlw (1,724m2 Approx). Buildings 360m2 Approx.. Main House Large living / dining area with wood feature ceiling (6m x 11m). European kitchen with 80cm oven (6m x 6m) 1 Master Bedroom (6m x 6m) with large en-suite,
25 billion baht, the estimated value of exports from the Thailand border crossing of Mae Sot into the town of Myawaddy and beyond in Burma in 2009. In July 2010 the Burmese government closed the border crossing. 700 the approximate number of African elephant tusks seized by customs officials at Suvarnabhumi airport in the six months from February to July 2010. The Director of the Customs Department claimed the value of the seized tusks was around three billion baht. He stated the value of all elephant tusks confiscated in 2009 amounted to around 65 million baht. Since 2006 Thailand has been on a watch list of countries that the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (a mouthful thankfully better known simply as Cites) believes is engaged in the illegal wildlife trade. According to some sources, a pair of intact and complete tusks can be worth anywhere from 300,000 to 500,000 baht. The only problem is that to get a set intact, the elephant has to be deceased. 25,000 the estimated number of troops who make up the United
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Fun Town’s most vibrant 1 Office / Games room (6m x 6m) 5 A/c’s,1 Guest Bathroom,1 Store room Hot water heaters throughout. Bungalow Guest bungalow with en-suite. Maids room with toilet. Outside Garden with Swimming pool, shower / changing room,BBQ / bar area, Sala Thai. 2 Car Carport. Amenities include Thai style kitchen / laundry, 2 Wells with filtration system .Alarm system. CCTV, Broadband Internet and WiFi, motorised satellite dish for TV Full PU Spray insulation, Furnished. Registered in Company Name. Bargain at:Bt: 10,500,000 . Call 081 357 7491 or 081 334 5291 Studio Condo for Sale. Khieng Talay (nr.Cosy beach) 40 sq.Mts on 5th Floor (mountain views). Good sized kitchenette and bathroom. Completely renovated with all brand new equipment and furniture. Bargain at Bt:1.3 mill. (In foreign name). Call 081 357 7491 or 089 607 9850
ty!!! Call 081 357 7491 or 081 334 5291 Near Ambassador City. Land for sale 7–2-97 Rai. Directly on Sukhumvit Road. Perfect for a small housing project. For quick sale only Bt:6 Million per Rai. Call 081 357 7491 or 081 334 5291 1 Act quick!!! Great Penthouse on Wong Amart Beach in the Low Rice condominium for 20 Million Baht, 260 sqm, two level, with beautiful interior designs, with a really spacious living area, executive decorated, sea view, just 1 minute walk to Wong Amart Beach and convenience to get of every where. , a lot of facilities are available. To view please call: 081 334 5291. 3.Luxury Beachfront Condo for sale. Spectacular sea view and private beach in North Pattaya, 137 sqm, 1 big bedroom,2 air cons, 2 bath, living room,
with large balcony direct phone line, 2 flat screen T.Vs. Hi-fi system, kitchenette, all build-in with real wood, tastefully and luxuriously furnished and equipped, ready to move in. , 24hr security, swimming pool, fully furnished. Price at 13 Million Baht. To views please call 081 3345291. 1/2 4. Fantastic sea view and private beach in North Pattaya, Leam-Chabang view, 137 sqm, 2 bedrooms, 2 bath, no furnished, big living room, with large balcony, 24hr security, swimming pool, no furnished. Price at 12 Million Baht. To views please call 081 334 5291. 6. Condo for rent, sea view and private beach in North Pattaya, Leam-Chabang view, 110sqm, 1 bedrooms, 2 bath, fully furnished, living room, with balcony, 24hr security, swimming pool, no furnished. For rent at 30,000 Million Baht per month. To views please call 081 334 5291.
Studio Condo for SALE. Khieng Talay (nr.Cosy beach) 40 sq.Mts on 5th Floor ( mountain views). Good sized kitchenette and bathroom. Completely renovated with all brand new equipment and furniture. Bargain at Bt:1.5 mill. (In foreign name). Call 081 357 7491 or 081 334 5291 Luxury condo Wongamat Beach. Great unobstructed sea views to Koh Larn, Spaciously set out in 210 sqm. 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, European kitchen and beautifully decorated and furnished throughout. Very quiet location with all condo facilities. Bt: 18 Million. ( foreign name transferable) Call 081 357 7491 or 081 334 5291Low Cost Studio Apartment for SALE Threppasit Road, (Govnmt Housing Project – Nr Lotus) 32 Sq Mt with balcony. Jomtien sea views. (Special deal available on furniture and equipment.) Only Bt :550,000. Call 081 357 7491 or 081 334 5291 Spectacular Island in Trad Province. Beach front land for sale. 50 Rai, with Nor-Sor-Sam (legal paper). Very rare opportunity. Land direct from the original local Island people. The good chance to own on an island at only 2 million Baht per Rai. Be quick –this is a fantastic investor opportuni-
7943 By the 861 NUMBERS 2
Wa State Army (UWSA) fighting the Burmese government just across the northern Thai border in the Golden Triangle region. The UWSA is a known illicit drug producer and considered a bane for Thailand because of the amount of illicit drugs trafficked into the Kingdom. 3,000 cubic metres of water per second, the acknowledged capacity of the Chao Phraya River. In 2006, heavy rains sent an average of 4,000 cubic metres per second down the river, causing it to burst its banks and flood the central plains. The heavy rains of 2010 apparently reached a similar figure of 4,000 cubic metres of water per second. That’s one speedy water slide ride. 42 million people, the estimated number of people claimed to have travelled through Suvarnabhumi
Airport in 2010. The director of the airport, Nirun Teeranatsin, has said he intends to develop the facility to the extent that it will eventually be rated among the top 10 in the world. The first item on the race to the top 10 agenda appears to be a strategy of calling Suvarnabhumi the ‘Airport of Smile’. According to some unkind reports the strategy is working well as a singular smile is about the best you will get, especially in the Customs queue. We are not sure of the truth of the rumour that when it was pointed out to a senior official that the correct English should read ‘Airport of Smiles’ he nodded knowingly, smiled, just once, and then curtly pointed out he knew precisely what the difference between ‘smile’ and ‘smiles’ happened to be. 9,000 the number of M-60 machine gun rounds discovered ‘missing’
from the Army Ordnance Department compound in Lopburi in early September. Also missing were 10 RPG-2 rockets. Although a lowly sergeant and three civilians were arrested in connection with the missing weaponry no-one really knows just who stole it or where it’s all gone. We will have to wait for the next big bang to get an idea of just who had the deadly material away. 77 the number of provinces in Thailand. The latest addition to the provincial numbers occurred in August 2010 when Bung Kan, an area of 4,300 square kilometres containing a population of around 400,000 people in the Mekong-flanked province of Nong Khai, was officially created. Consisting of eight former districts of Nong Khai, one of the districts was known as Bueng Kan. This particular district had previously been known as Chaiburi when it was part of the province of Nakhon Phanom. In 1917 Chaiburi was moved into the province of Nong Khai. The district was then re-named Bueng Kan in 1939. If this new province was a person, all this moving about and name changing over the years would be enough to appear suspicious.
1 - 15 December 2010 Issue 5
Fun Town’s most vibrant
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Pattaya One 17
18 Pattaya One
Fun Town’s most vibrant
1 - 15 December 2010 Issue 5
15 November 2010 email: quizpattaya@hotmail.com 25 Oct 01 Nov 08 Nov 15 Nov 22 Nov 29 Nov 06 Dec 13 Dec 20 Dec Total Total Sc. Pts Sc. Pts Sc. Pts Sc. Pts Sc. Pts Sc. Pts Sc. Pts Sc. Pts Sc. Pts Score Points
PATTAYA QUIZ LEAGUE STANDINGS
MONDAY QUIZ LEAGUE
84 5 1 PALMERS MONDAY QUIZ LEAGUE 9425 Oct12 2 BOWLING GREEN 92 Pts Sc. 3 CHEERS 10 84 14 PALMERS 86 56 OFFSHORE BAR 94 12 2 BOWLING GREEN 92 10 5 THE LONDONER 92 10 3 CHEERS 88 67 64 OFFSHORE RISING SUNBAR 86 92 57 THE LONDONER 82 10 NOM'S BAR 4 88 68 RISING SUN 80 72 NERVOUS WRECK 82 7 NOM'S BAR 4 82 98 W. TANKIE 42 80 NERVOUS WRECK 109 LEGENDS 14 78 82 W. TANKIE
10 LEGENDScorrect by round 78 Percentage Percentage thiscorrect week. by round this week.
80 12 76 7 01 Nov Sc. 77 Pts 8 80 80 12 12 76 7 67 4 77 8 66 12 3 80 67 74 46 66 74 36 74 6 60 1 74 6 64 60 21
1Geog.64
Geog. 67.1%
67.1%
86 12 92 12 15 November 2010 77 10 92 12 08 Nov 15 Nov 22 Nov 29 Nov Sc. 70 Pts 6 Sc. 78 Pts 8 Sc. Pts Sc. Pts 86 70 12 6 92 76 12 6 77 10 92 12 67 3 78 8 70 6 78 8 76 68 76 70 65 70 67 74 37 78 70 85 76 70 86 70 54 52 74 7 70 5 59 1 56 3 70 6 54 2 63 59 21 53 56 13
342 41 email: quizpattaya@hotmail.com 339 41 06 Dec 13 Dec 20 Dec Total Total 317 Points 32 Sc. Pts Sc. Pts Sc. Pts Score 342 312 41 30 339 41 304 25 317 32 300 30 23 312 304 300 25 22 300 278 23 16 300 22 257 9 278 16 258 96 257
2Sport 63
2 53 Movies 1 History Science Reading General
75.7%
74.3%
Sport History Movies Science Reading General 74.3% 90.0% 57.1% 74.3% 65.6% 75.7%
90.0%
57.1%
74.3%
65.6%
All
258 Team 6 Average All Average Team Total: 71.9 71.9% 71.9%
Total: 71.9
R4Q1: Q: On On film, film, which which actor actor did did Mae Mae West West invite invite to to 'come 'come up up some some time time and and see see me'? me'? A: A: Cary Cary Grant. Grant. R4Q1: Q: Rising Sun appealed for Cooper (Gary, rather than Tommy, I guess!). From Wikipedia: Mae West's famous line line to to Cary Cary Grant Grant is is "Why "Why don't don't you you come come up up some some time time and and see see me?" me?" in in She She Done Done Him Him Wrong. Wrong. Appeal Appeal denied. denied.
R5Q1: Q: Drambuie is a liqueur made from what? A: Scotch Whisky. Cheers appealed for Orange, saying R5Q1: Q: Drambuie is aNom's liqueurformade from what? A: Scotch Cheers appealed for Orange, saying that's what it tasted of, Whisky and Orange, RisingWhisky. Sun for Whisky, and Londoner for Whisky and Honey. From Wikipedia: Drambuie is a honeyand herb-flavoured golden liqueur from for aged malt and that's what it tasted of, Nom's for Whisky and Orange, Rising Sun for Whisky, andmade Londoner Whisky whisky, heather honey and a secret blend of herbs and spices. Two points to Rising Sun and Londoner.
Honey. From Wikipedia: Drambuie is a honey- and herb-flavoured golden liqueur made from aged malt whisky, heather honey and a secret blend of herbs and spices. Two points to Rising Sun and Londoner.
R7Q2: Q: The Book of Revelations names the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Apocalypse. Give any 2 names names. A: Conquest, Slaughter, Famine, Death. Several teams appealed this, giving Pestilence and War as alternatives. and other sources War, Famine, , whereas R7Q2: Q: TheWikipedia Book of Revelations namessay the they Fourrepresent: HorsemenConquest, of the Apocalypse Apocalypse. Give and any Death 2 names names. A: apocalypse-soon.com and other sources say: The four horsemen are traditionally named War, Famine, Conquest, Slaughter, Famine, Death. Several teams appealed this, giving Pestilence and War as Pestilence, and Death. I will accept any combination of the above. Two points to W. Tankie and Palmers. alternatives. and other sources sayOffshore they represent: Conquest, War, Famine, and Death , whereas One point to Wikipedia Cheers, Nom's, Bowling Green, and Nervous Wreck.
apocalypse-soon.com and other sources say: The four horsemen are traditionally named War, Famine, Next week'sand matches 29th November: WEDNESDAY QUIZ LEAGUE November 2010 Pestilence, Death. I will accept any combination of the above.Results Two pointsfor to 17th W. Tankie and Palmers. Londoner BowlingNom's, Green,Bowling Cheers vs. Nervous Wreck W. Offshore B/F 06Green, Oct Palmers, 13 Offshore Oct 20 Octand27Nervous Oct 03 vs. Nov 10 Tankie, Nov 17 Nov 24 Novvs.01Legends, Dec Total One point vs. to Cheers, Wreck. Rising vs. Nom's. 1 THESun LONDONER
28 3 3 3 3 47 3 1 3 WEDNESDAY QUIZ LEAGUE Results November 2010 2 PALMERS 26 3 1 3 for 17th 1 41 3 1 3 B/F 06 Oct 13 Oct 20 Oct 27 Oct 03 Nov 10 Nov 17 Nov 24 Nov 01 Dec Total Next week's matches 29th November: 3 OFFSHORE 22 3 3 3 3 41 3 3 1 1 THE LONDONER 28 3 3 3 3Offshore vs. Legends,47 3 1Wreck 3vs. W. Tankie, Londoner vs. Bowling vs. Nervous 3 3 3 42 BOWLING GREEN Green, Cheers 24 13 Palmers, 11 33 11 39 PALMERS 26 41 3 1 3 Rising Sun vs. Nom's. 53 SHAGWELL MANSION 20 3 3 3 3 39 1 3 3 OFFSHORE 22 3 3 3 3 41 3 3 1 CHEERS GREEN 23 21 11 39 33 33 33 46 BOWLING 24 31 13 39 RISING SUN MANSION 22 37 31 3 13 57 SHAGWELL 20 31 33 31 33 39 68 CHEERS 23 21 13 1 3 39 31 31 3 NERVOUS WRECK 18 31 79 RISING 22 11 31 37 31 31 11 QUEEN SUN VICTORIA 19 31 13 28 NERVOUS 18 31 108 W. TANKIEWRECK 16 11 33 11 13 25 11 11 13 9 QUEEN VICTORIA 19 3 1 1 1 28 1 1 1 1 3 1 11 THE BUNKER 12 2 1 3 1 24 10 W. TANKIE 16 1 3 1 1 25 1 1 1 HOME AWAY 1 3 1 11 THE BUNKER 12 2 1 3 1 24 Palmers Offshore 95 98 HOME AWAY Queen Victoria Cheers 64 89 Palmers Offshore 95 98 RisingVictoria Sun The Bunker Email: quizpattaya@hotmail.com 80 74 Queen Cheers 64 89 Shagwell Bowling Green 88 82 RisingMansion Sun The Bunker Email: quizpattaya@hotmail.com 80 74 W. Tankie The Londoner 83 89 Shagwell Mansion Bowling Green 88 82 Nervous Wreck W. Bye Tankie The Londoner 83 89 W L L
Bye
Nervous Wreck
W
R1Q7 Q: What is the name of Bruce Willis Willis' character in the Die Hard films? A: John NcClane (sic). R1Q7 Q: is the nameis,ofofBruce Willis Willis' character in the Die Hard A:wrong John NcClane (sic). TheWhat correct answer course, John McClane. Cheers were films? marked for "McClain", The correct answer is, of course, John McClane. Cheers were marked wrong for "McClain", and Queen Victoria for "John McLean". As both names are pronounced the same way as the and Queen Victoria for "John McLean". As both names are pronounced the same way as the correct answer, they are allowable. Two points to both teams. correct answer, they are allowable. Two points to both teams. R2Q2 R2Q2 Q: Q: Which Which is is the the southernmost southernmost of of the the lakes lakes in in the the Lake Lake District District National National Park? Park? A: A: Coniston Coniston Water. Several teams appealed for Windermere. Windermere does stretch further north than Coniston but it also stretches further south Coniston, Earth I found that the south. Using Google Earth, northernmost northernmost point point of of Windermere Windermere is is at at 54°25'N, 54°25'N, and and the the southernmost southernmost is is at at 54°16'N. 54°16'N. Coniston Coniston stretches stretches from from 54°22'N 54°22'N to to 54°18'N. 54°18'N. II will will therefore therefore overturn overturn the the quiz quiz answer answer and and give give Windermere Windermere as as correct. correct. Two Two points points to to all all teams teams who who put put Windermere, Windermere, and and two two points points deducted from Cheers. deducted from Cheers.
R2Q3 Q: Where is the westernmost inhabited island of Great Britain? A: St Kilda. Offshore appealed R2Q3 Q: is the westernmost island of Great A: StBoth Kilda. Offshore appealed for Where Scilly Isles and Rising Suninhabited for St Agnes (also in the Britain? Scilly Isles). teams said that St for Scilly Isles andinhabited. Rising Sun forBowling St Agnes (also appealed in the Scilly teamsI agree said that Kilda is no longer And Green forIsles). Outer Both Hebrides. thatStthe Kilda is nocould longer inhabited. And Bowling Green appealed Outer Hebrides. that the question have been phrased better (i.e. "Which is..."),forbut I cannot acceptI agree Bowling question could have (i.e. "Which is..."), I cannot accept Green's answer as it been is toophrased general.better Wikipedia says about Stbut Kilda: Currently, theBowling only yearround residents personnel although a variety workers, volunteers Green's answer are as itdefence is too general. Wikipedia says about of St conservation Kilda: Currently, the only yearand scientists spend time there in the summer months. Soofit conservation is inhabited, ifworkers, only by volunteers the round residents are defence personnel although a variety military. Appeals denied. and scientists spend time there in the summer months. So it is inhabited, if only by the
military. Appeals denied. R2Q4 Q: Wardour Street in London is the centre of which industry in Britain? A: Film Industry. Industry Offshore appealed for Show business. Sorry Offshore, the answer has to be Film or Movie R2Q4 Industry. Q: Wardour Street in London is the centre of which industry in Britain? A: Film Industry. Industry Offshore appealed for Show business. Sorry Offshore, the answer has to be Film or Movie
R2Q5 Q: The names of which two American State Capitals end in "apolis"? A: Indianapolis and Industry. Annapolis. Palmers, Queen Victoria and Cheers appealed for Minneapolis. The Capital of R2Q5 Q: The names of Minneapolis, which two American State in "apolis"? Indianapolis and Minnesota is not but Saint Paul,Capitals which isend a separate city.A:Appeals denied.
Annapolis. Palmers, Queen Victoria and Cheers appealed for Minneapolis. The Capital of
is not Minneapolis, but Saint Paul, is a separate denied. R3Q1 Minnesota Q: At the start of the 2008/9 season, who waswhich the manager of Hullcity. CityAppeals FC? A: Ron Brown (sic). The quiz answer is wrong, his name is actually Phil Brown. And Bowling Green were forthe their correct answer. Two points to them. of Hull City FC? A: Ron Brown R3Q1 marked Q: At thewrong start of 2008/9 season, who was the manager
(sic). matches The quizDecember answer is 1st: wrong, his name is actually Phil Brown. And Bowling Green were Next week's wrong for their correct Two points tovs. them. Bowlingmarked Green vs. Bunker, Cheers vs. answer. Shagwell, Londoner Palmers, Queen Victoria vs. Nervous
General Information The Pattaya Quiz League is held on a Monday and Wednesday night throughout the year. The games are conducted on a home and away basis. The Monday league consists of 10 teams with Wednesday fielding up to 12 teams. All the teams play for bars and restaurants in the Pattaya area. Scoring for the Monday league is on a grand prix basis. The Monday quiz consists of 50 questions divided into seven categories for which two points are awarded for each correct answer. The team with the highest score out of a possible 100 is awarded 12 points. The next best receives 10 points, third garners eight and then the points go progressively down from seven to one (obviously for the team that answers the least number of questions correctly). The Wednesday league has 48 questions divided into six categories with a further 24 points from a picture round that usually is made up of 12 photos, maps or diagrams. Three points are awarded to the winning team, two points for a draw and one point for a loss. Everybody is welcome to play for any team at any time. Games usually start at about 8:30pm and are generally completed within two hours.
Where do you find us? FOODLAND SUPERMARKET, Central Pattaya Rd CARREFOUR SUPERMARKET, Central Pattaya Rd TOPS SUPERMARKET, Central Pattaya Rd FOODMART SUPERMARKET, Thappraya Road, Jomtien In front of KASIKORN BANK, Soi 3 Beach Rd, Jomtien All 17 SE-ED BOOKSTORES (eg, Carrefour, Central Pattaya Rd; Tukcom, South Pattaya Rd; Tesco-Lotus, North Pattaya Rd) Most outdoor news vendors from Naklua to Jomtien Selected 7-Eleven and Family Mart stores. Free on-line at: www.pattayaone.net www.thaivisa.com (as a free download in PDF format)
1 - 15 December 2010 Issue 5
Fun Town’s most vibrant chummy to the utterly carnal. A British friend has suggested that such a woman should be called “me woman wot does.” While charmed by this earthy expression, I believe “sidekick” to be more concise.) New Taoism gives men the following advice: 1. Never go shopping with your sidekick. It will only give you ulcers. 2. If you cannot avoid shopping with your sidekick, remember that the answer to any question she may ask must always be “Yes, dear.” If it’s an “either-or” type of question, never answer, “Which one is cheaper?” The correct answer is “Why don’t you buy them both, dear?”
THAI Lite The Tao of Shopping
3. If at all possible, contrive to run into one of her girlfriends. This will enable you to suggest, “Why don’t you girls continue shopping? I’ll just shuffle off to Walking Street to look up me mates and have a little drinkie.” 4. If you see something you like, buy it. Do not browse. Do not shop around. Do not compare prices. That is what women do, and it is extremely unhealthy for the male disposition. It is also a huge waste of time. Immediately after completing your purchase, speed quickly to
Pattaya One 19 Walking Street for a drink with your mates. Tarrying in the shopping area can be hazardous to your peace of mind. You may come across a better product of the same type, at a cheaper price. And that will ruin your day. 5. Remember the aphorism, “A Corvette always looks better in the showroom.” Any product always looks bright and shiny before you buy it, but suddenly looks shabby and shopworn immediately afterwards. To apply this insight, follow the Pretense Principle. Imagine that you’ve already bought the product. See how it has lost its magical allure, how its luster has suddenly dimmed, how it has morphed into a despicable reject, odious and foul! Who would want such a wretched thing? You can save a lot of money by following the Pretense Principle. 6. Never try to explain the Pretense Principle to your sidekick. Women are genetically programmed to reject it instantly, without discussion, and may throw violent temper tantrums if you persist.
S. Tsow can be flamed at s.tsow@ ymail.com, except when he’s shuffling off to Walking Street to look up his mates and have a little drinkie.
By S. Tsow
None of the traditional religions have anything good to say about shopping, which just shows how out of touch they are with the needs of today’s trendy, switched-on world. But there’s good news for the pious, for a new school of Taoism is promoting an entire moral code devoted to that esteemed activity. Traditional Taoism doesn’t even mention shopping. But if it did, it would probably say something like this: Best shopping is no shopping. No matter what you may be thinking of buying, you don’t need it. If you did, you’d already have it. The fact that you’ve lived this long without it proves that it is utterly superfluous to your life. So put that shopping cart back where you got it, tear up your credit card, and retire to a hermitage in the mountains. There you can enjoy the spiritual bliss of going weeks without a bath, developing an intimate acquaintance with lice and vermin, subsisting entirely on cold water and boiled nettles, and contemplating the Great Oneness. You can see from this that traditional Taoism was no fun at all. No wonder its founder, Lao Tzu (meaning the Old Master), has been relegated to the ranks of philosophical has-beens.
But there’s a new school of Taoism that has been updated and adapted to our consumption-crazed, shop-till-you-drop world. Founded by a graduate of the Harvard Business School who calls himself Hsin Tzu (meaning the New Master), New Taoism has a more positive attitude toward shopping and offers wise advice to contemporary shoppers. It focuses on male shoppers, on the premise that women don’t need to be told how to shop. Women have a gender-specific chromosome that gives them a natural instinct for shopping. They are genetically programmed to follow three vital principles: 1. If it’s for sale, buy it. 2. If two identical items have different prices, go for the expensive one. 3. When in doubt, buy both. Men are genetically challenged, shopping-wise, so they require guidance. Sometimes they are trapped into shopping with a woman, usually their sidekick. (Scholarly digression: I have chosen the term “sidekick” to replace the cold and unfeeling term “partner,” on the grounds that “partner” implies a business relationship. A sidekick can be any woman with whom one enjoys an intimate relationship, ranging from the merely
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19 Girl A Diamond among the rough. From a Diamond go-go in house dance contest
20 Pattaya One
Fun Town’s most vibrant
Is that a Zebra Crossing? Has anyone else noticed the subtle changes being made to Pattaya’s road systems? No, I don’t mean those well thought out improvements making the roads more efficient and less congested, I mean those making the traffic system a little more confusing. Beach Road, Second Road and South Pattaya Road, to name but a few, have been blessed with the installation of new zebra crossings, complete with pedestrian-friendly flashing amber lights, warning signs and panic buttons. One may conclude this is a good idea and an improvement to road safety, but I am not convinced Pattaya’s motoring public are ready for this totally foreign concept. In my book Money Number One I gave the warning: “In most Western countries, a pedestrian crossing means the pedestrian has rightof-way and vehicles must stop. However, without mentioning any names, in some countries pedestrian crossings are only there because, once the workers marking the lanes had finished, there were several gallons of paint left over. Rather than waste it, they got the idea of painting zebra crossings across the
road just like the pictures in foreign magazines. You could find yourself severely dead if you believe that any vehicle will stop for you at a pedestrian/zebra crossing in Pattaya.” I formed that opinion back in 1999 and the crossings I was referring to were those along Pattaya Second Road, particularly the one near Mike’s Shopping Mall. To confirm that little had changed over the past decade and the danger still existed, I checked out some recent comments sent to the Bangkok Post. Hua Hin Paul wrote, “about the dangers of pedestrian crossings in Bangkok. Thai drivers, including police, have absolutely no respect for pedestrians. Daily I witness near-tragedies, as drivers zip across pedestrian crossings even with signs asking them to stop for pedestrians and plastic policemen emphasising the point. These crossings indicate the safest place of the road for a
pedestrian to cross. But in fact they are the deadliest.” Sukit Bejrsuwana said, “My dangerous crossing is in front of the national police headquarters. Each time I feel like a wildebeest making my way across the crocodile-infested Mara River. Once you step onto the zebra lines, the buses, motorcycle taxis and vans seem intent on pouncing. The false sense of security provided by the crossings is bad enough for locals, but imagine what happens to naive tourists from lands where they mean safe passage.” That last writer hit the nail on the head. Consider a small child on a beach, playing and paddling in the shallow water. He is instinctively afraid to go out any deeper because he suspects it is dangerous. His mother comes along and places an air-inflated flotation ring around his torso and declares he is now safe from drowning. With his confidence rising, the boy gradually heads out into deeper and deeper water, gets swept away by a tidal rip and eaten by a shark. He took a risk due to the false sense of security provided by his mother. The problem with pedestrian crossings stems from a lack of driver education. I don’t drive in Thailand so I don’t have a Thai driver’s licence, but I have expat friends who do. I asked a motoring mate if any question regarding the rules relating to pedestrian crossings was asked on the written test he took to obtain his licence. He gave me a wink and said he couldn’t remember. Oh, it’s like that, is it? Let me tell you what I remember of Zebra Crossings in Australia. Just as a cathedral or monastery provided
1 - 15 December 2010 Issue 5 sanctuary for someone running from the law back in the Dark Ages, the Zebra Crossing was a safe haven for hapless pedestrians. They were the holiest of holies, the most sacred of sacred sites and a place not to be taken lightly. Prisoner A: “What are you in for?” Prisoner B: “A double murder and half a dozen rapes. I’m serving twenty-five to life. What are you in for?” Prisoner A: “I got life without parole. I failed to stop at a pedestrian crossing and almost hit an old lady.” Prisoner B: “You sick bastard! Guard! Guard! I’d like to be moved to another cell!” In Australia, a driver must come to a complete stop whenever a pedestrian puts so much as a little toe on the crossing. Even if the pedestrian stands on the footpath and looks like there is a chance he is thinking about possibly making a motion to cross the street at some point in the future, the motoring enthusiast must bring his vehicle to a complete stop. And it doesn’t matter what side of the street the pedestrian is crossing from. A friend of mine was once fined and publicly humiliated for not stopping at a crossing. He was driving in the outside lane of a four-lane divided highway. The median strip was the width of a basketball court and grandmother touched her walking stick to bitumen on the far side of the road. She was a full three traffic lanes and a basketball court away, and you almost needed binoculars to see her. When he tried to explain this to the promotion-hunting, power-hungry PC Plod who pulled him over, my friend got the old line: “I don’t make the laws, you godless perp, I just enforce them.” But pedestrians don’t get it all their own way. The Road Rules state that “A pedestrian must not cross a road, or part of a road, within 20 metres of a crossing on the road, except at the crossing.” Basically, if there is a pedestrian crossing nearby you are supposed to use it to cross the street. If you jaywalk within 20 metres of a zebra crossing you are open game for PC Plod or a fed up motorist bent on revenge. In Pattaya, foreign licence holders already know these rules so the success or otherwise of zebra crossings will depend upon the action of traffic police in educating Thai drivers. I fear that simply saying “Paint it and they will stop,” is a recipe for disaster.
1 - 15 December 2010 Issue 5
Fun Town’s most vibrant
Pattaya: One Rainbow Counting The Pattaya Blessings That eminent American social scribe and confirmed bachelor, Eric Hoffer, once said, ‘The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.’ He obviously never visited Pattaya. Here, no complex calculation is required to tot up the countless blessings that are abundantly bestowed upon the gay man who has chosen to make his home or holiday in the city. Pattaya is now on the brink of another high season, enjoying the most pleasant weather of its year and full of optimism about the fresh influx of cash happy tourists who will check in, while the home countries of its visitors are mostly mired in the cold and miserably bleak desperation of winter.
By James Barnes They are suffering the onslaught of commercial overkill promising the fake and ersatz spirit of Christmas past with unhappy family reunions and worrying about how to pay the fuel bills and service the credit cards. The warm sea breeze that blows reassuringly through Pattaya is more than enough to sweep away the chill wind memories of home. The elegant and graceful palm trees that fringe pools and Dong Tan beach are so much more appealing than those naked winter branches back in London, Hamburg, Chicago or wherever. The sizzling and
GAYMARCH Email: gaymarchpattayaone@gmail.com
(the ones on the walls, as well as the ones serving you). Rumor has it that they’ll soon be adding a karaoke and sauna to their facility. SugarNSpice, next door to Ganymede, replaced the ladies with guys recently.
GANYMEDE by GAYMARCH Jomtien Complex, a collection of three sois off Thappraya Road, opposite the Hanuman Statue, is home to more than twenty gay and gay friendly businesses, including host bars, cabaret shows, massage venues and several fine dining choices. You won’t find go-go bars here. However, many find the Complex a laid back and sophisticated alternative to Boyz Town or Sunee Plaza. One of the more popular clubs in Jomtien Complex is The Venue, a large, beautiful night club offering three nightly cabaret shows, showcasing good-looking guys and glamorous ladyboys in stunning costumes and featuring Broadway show tunes, as well as hosting special tributes and theme nights. The Venue also offers guest rooms at attractive prices. Ganymede is a Greek themed host bar and guest house, across from the Pagoda Restaurant. You’ll love the Greek gods
Jomtien Complex offers several beer bars/massage parlors. The ever popular Question Mark has just expanded and taken over the former girlie bar next door. Next door to Question Mark is Two Faces, which offers breakfast and sandwiches, along with booze, boys and massage. Several other beer and massage options include Festival Boy Club and Duo House. These are located near the popular eatery, Dick’s Café. Derby Men’s Club, also adjacent to Dick’s, offers steam, sauna, exercise equipment and, of course, boy massage. For a ‘legitimate’ massage, try the Thai Blind Massage Institute, on the same soi as Ganymede. If you’re hungry, there are lots of places to sate your appetite. Delicious meals can be enjoyed at Poseidon (same management as Casa Pascal), which is also a guest house. Aquarius, L’Arc and Pagoda also offer delicious dining choices. Da Claudio, which just reopened, serves tasty Italian
smoking street food stimulates the senses and puts no stress on the wallet. Pennies for a baht bus or a motorcycle taxi will deliver you to your chosen department of heaven. A stroll through Boyztown, Sunee Plaza or Jomtien Complex offers no end of neon buzzing gay entertainment, brilliant bars, sensational shows, rafts of restaurants, marvellous massage et al. Their host of handsome young touts all offering the sort of temptations it would be patently churlish to refuse and that have a unique Pattaya style that has no comparison, let alone equal, back home.
Pattaya One 21 dark morning, cold, dark evening commutes to and from the insecurities of employment in jobs that they would rather not do but are desperate not to lose. Here you are in Pattaya. Feeling smug? Enjoy it. You have earned it. You deserve it. However, the biggest and best blessing of all is free and available to all in Pattaya with just one small qualification. Try it out. Next time you are bouncing in the back of a baht bus along with a handsome young Thai guy; or pass some sexily lithe hunk on the street or beach, just smile. Look him in the eyes and smile. The open, million dollar, Hollywood beam that is returned to you in a flash of brilliant white teeth is devoid of inhibition or reserve. Now that’s a blessing that you can count on. James Barnes is editor-in-chief of OUT in Thailand Magazine.
Back home, hordes of grim faced commuters are braving their cold,
fare. L’Olivier has a set menu and a salad and appetizer bar. ANTZ offers delicious Thai food at very reasonable prices; and of course, there’s the aforementioned Dick’s, for food, drinks, coffee and people watching.
and decorating. There’s comfortable, sofa seating and a big stage in the front. More than twenty hunky Davids were on display. Nonalcoholic drinks went for 120 baht; while the inebriating types were 160. Give it a try.
Not far, on Jomtien Beach, is The Bondi Beach Bar. The Bondi boasts a contemporary lounge with lots of cute waiter/ hosts, has musical entertainment at night, as well as a monthly Quiz Night. They also have reasonably priced guest rooms. Around the corner is Bamboo Bar, which seems to have been around forever; and is a popular place to stop for a beer and a boy after an afternoon at the beach.
Lots of stuff is planned at KRAZY DRAGON male table top dancing den of iniquity in Sunee Plaza. They’ll be turning on the Christmas lights on 15 December and have Christmas and New Years parties planned for 24 and 31 December.
TAKE CARE!!, the volunteer organization that distributes free ‘safer sex’ packs to bars and other gay venues throughout Pattaya, will be having a gala fundraiser at Cafe Royale in Boyz Town on Thursday 9th December. They’ll be celebrating six years of continuous service to the gay community. Dr. Philippe Seur, of Heart 2000, will be guest of honor. Entertainment will include the popular EL DUO and ‘B-BOYS’ dancers. Dinner will be available for 750 baht, 250 of which will go to TAKE CARE!! The volunteer group will also get a cut of all drinks sold. Advance booking is recommended. DAVID, a new go-go emporium, on Pattayaland Soi 1, has opened up in the former Star Boys. The transvestite boss, from Bangkok, has done a great job refurnishing
QM by GAYMARCH
22 Pattaya One
Fun Town’s most vibrant
Postcard from Bangkok by Stickman
The furious trade Bangkok’s Insomnia is doing at the weekend is not mirrored on weeknights. Open less than a month, many of us are picking that it will ultimately attract a similar crowd to the Pattaya branch. Many club-goers decry the 100 baht entry fee to Thai women – which is 300 baht to everyone else - claiming that this is no real deterrent in keeping out what some of them consider undesirables. The sois and sub-sois of the expat enclave, Sukhumvit Road, have made for a variety of backdrops for the filming of Hangover 2 to include Sukhumvit Soi 7/1 and Soi Cowboy. Bar owners have been playing the one-upmanship game, telling anyone who cares to listen how much they were paid for allowing their bar to be used, or how much they received in compensation for lost business while closed. 60,000 baht was the actual fee paid to most venues, despite claims from some of receiving many times that amount! Should you invite a guest to join you at the Nana Hotel, to enjoy a movie on TV or perhaps admire the period architecture, don’t take it personally if your invitation is declined. Ghost stories abound amongst ladies familiar with the 43-year old landmark after a Brit and his lovely companion, a former Shark Bar employee, checked in to the hotel, but never checked out. A third companion, also a Thai lady, made it out of the hotel but was later found dead. It is speculated that they had consumed a new drug known locally as “super ice”. Popular Nana Plaza bar Spanky’s have some fabulous new shows, so exciting in fact that one customer had a heart attack in the bar and despite
frantic efforts to get him medical attention, he was pronounced dead before he reached hospital. And in a week when it looked like Westerners in Bangkok would become a threatened species, a Canadian found out that abusing bar security staff results in a single outcome. Security in that bar summoned the cavalry, security from other bars in the same group. Khun Canuck’s lack of manners was considered serious enough to warrant a vicious beating. Security from other venues outside the group witnessed what was going on and intervened to help the bloodied Canuck. As is often the case, the beating had overstepped the mark. Despite their timely intervention, the fell-mouthed Canuck staggered away much worse for wear. Gerry Finnegan has opened a second Irish pub, Finnegan’s 2, located beside Exchange Tower and attached to Asoke Suites at Sukhumvit soi 18. Official opening is set for December 4th. Marc of Spanky’s Bar has picked up DC 10, one of the last few originalstyle gogo bars left in Nana Plaza. He has plans to renovate it with the interior being remodeled to look like the interior of a jet liner. It should reopen before Christmas. Some longtime Bangkok residents lament the venue’s theme change, arguing that there is a niche for the older style, seedier bars. Truth be told, such venues don’t do so well these days and struggle to compete with the bigger, brighter, more modern venues. Its transformation means just Sexy Night in Nana and just a few other old-style venues scattered around Patpong and Cowboy remain.
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1 - 15 December 2010 Issue 5
1 - 15 December 2010 Issue 5 Covering the cracks during a crackdown: For much of the first part of the high season the bars of Fun Town, be they go-go’s, coyote dens, or nightclubs have been subjected to one of those periodic and ultimately pointless crackdowns by the men in brown. It began with joints having to close their doors by 3:00am and then this was reefed back to 2:00am, probably affecting the financial bottom line of more nightclubs than anyone else. Why do they do it? Probably the same answer you would get if you could ask a dog why it licks its balls: “because I can.” Not quite Mission Impossible: People of a certain age may recall the start of each episode of the US television series Mission: Impossible where actor Peter Graves, as Jim Phelps, would find himself a tape recording in some obscure location and listen to it to find out his next assignment. “Good day Mr Phelps, here is a photo of The Office go-go bar in Soi LK Metro. It has failed in many previous incarnations, but the new management appears to have half an idea of what is needed to be successful. However, for some reason they are missing that little incentive to turn it into a proper theme bar that will make it a place to visit. Your mission Jim is to infiltrate the bar with your team and start making sensible suggestions to improve the joint. As usual should you or any of your team be caught, the Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. This tape will self-destruct in five seconds.” So, what would Phelps and his team suggest? The draft amber fluid prices are reasonable with Heineken at 70 baht and Tiger 60 baht; the aural stimulation is average, no better or worse than many other similar joints. The lighting is a bit on the dark side, which hides a multitude of sins, but again, this is not really a negative. The failure is in the theme. The service girls are really quite fetching in their pin-stripe short skirts and jackets, so that side of the theme idea works well. It’s the attire of the dancing damsels where the theme unravels. Some of the dancers wear a see-through white shirt and a couple even add a tie as well to the ensemble, so at least that’s partially in keeping with the theme. Unfortunately, it is let down by having the rest decked out in the standard g-string. With a little bit more thought and effort it surely wouldn’t take much to attire the 20-25 dancers they have in a sexy office-girl look that would, I’m almost certain, be appreciated by revellers and make a change from almost every other den in Fun Town. Nabokov would be mightily impressed: Just next door to The
Pattaya One 23
Fun Town’s most vibrant
N ghtmarch By Duncan Stearn
Office go-go is the Lolita’s gentleman’s (and others) one-eyed trouser snake handshake lounge. If there is a more plushly decorated boozing establishment in Pattaya I’m yet to find it. Libations start at around 60 baht, there is a pool table in the middle of the open ground floor (no charge for customers), but off to the side is a more enclosed area for punters who may wish to chat in a more intimate manner with any of the dozen or more damsels employed in Lolita’s. To get a load off your tiny mind with a lady prepared to talk in tongues is 700 baht, or 1,000 baht for a short-term bout of horizontal mattress dancing. A victim of its own success? The recent raid on the Champagne go-go bar in Soi LK Metro where an undercover foreign operative was used to take a willing dancing damsel upstairs to ostensibly engage in a cavity inspection for monetary reward raises a few questions. Question one: why Champagne? Answer: It’s foreign owned (it is extremely rare for a Thai-run operation to ever be targeted by the plod for an action of this nature). Question two: why Champagne? Answer: It’s proved to be an extremely successful gogo bar and is probably making a lot of money, and there are jealous people who would like to see some of the profits re-distributed into their pockets. Question three: why Champagne? Answer: their name came out of the ‘we need to look as though we’re tough on prostitution’ hat. Next week it will be someone else, but only if it’s foreign-owned and making money. Open, closed, changed, raided, and different: The moveable feast that is the nightlife scene of Fun Town is constantly in a state of flux with places opening and closing, sometimes faster than anyone can keep up with. In recent times, for example, we have seen the long-running Paris go-go in Soi Diamond close, change hands, re-open under the same name and now it has been re-badged as Atlantis. Re-arranging the deckchairs on the Titanic is a phrase that comes to mind. The opening of the Alcatraz go-go on Walking Street proper was delayed during November (the actual opening date escapes me), but Fahrenheit did open to less than universal acclaim. I’m told it’s owned by the same crew who has the Tiger and Shark dens, so
Email: duncan@pattayaone.net
expect a big bite in terms of booze prices. The re-opened Carousel go-go in Soi Diamond was another place subjected to a raid by the plod and it has suffered since then while Lucifer’s, the head-bangers club on Walking Street also had a visit from the peelers. Further afield the struggling First bar in Soi 8 is apparently going to return to its go-go format at the end of November (after the deadline for copy for this edition). Once again I am reminded of deckchairs and the Titanic. Congratulations are in order for the Classroom go-go in Pattayaland Soi 2, which turned 17 on 1 December. Although not in its original home, it is still in the same soi and when it opened in December 1993 in a single narrow shophouse, it quickly became one of the most popular dens in Fun Town. The original owners have long gone but Scott, the English manager has remained on deck throughout all the ups and downs of relocating, refurbishing and competing in an increasingly tough and expanding market. While it is no longer anywhere near as popular as in its heyday, Classroom has a loyal following built up over those 17 years, and much of it I’m sure has to do with Scott, who is probably now the longest serving manager of any den in Pattaya. So much more than a cover for your beer: One of the advertisements in Pattaya One is for Coaster Candy, which sounds a little like something you would offer schoolchildren as they wander out the front gate after class. In fact, they are a potentially great personalized advertisement for any boozer or noshery which uses drinks coasters
because customers are more than likely to pinch them as souvenirs. Light, portable and memorable: imagine Harold, sitting at home in his bungalow in Shellow Bowels, as he lifts a lager to his parched lips from his go-go bar coaster. He’s not thinking of the joy of the amber froth, he’s being reminded of the contortions number 69 from the Shagalots den performed on his prostrate form during his two-week holiday in Fun Town. I’m told by the people who operate Coaster Candy that a couple of Russians made contact and for some reason thought they could order a couple of willing East European damsels to come to their room for a quick lie down in exchange for monetary reward. Naturally, they weren’t interested in ordering a suitcase full of coasters. Such can be the problems with language. A new record, maybe? Congratulations to Lanky Yank Stan and Woolly Welsh Colin who celebrated an amazing 22 years at the same location in mid-November. The couple run the Cheers beer, but not a hostess in sight, bar on Pattayaland Soi 2. Over the years the pair have built up a pretty loyal following of expats and regulars, and I’ve no doubt it is this custom that has kept them afloat in recent years. Piece of Pith: Three stages to life in Thailand: 1.Thailand is paradise, the people are wonderful, everything is perfect. Disillusion sets in and then you hit stage 2. Thailand is awful, Thai people are horrible, it’s a hell on earth. Finally stage 3, which some people never reach: Thailand is just a place, like any other, with good and bad people like everywhere else. (Found on a Thai web forum)
" Voted Pattaya's
# 1 GoGo
2008 & 2009 "
SOI 15 Walking Street www.babydollspattaya.com
24 Pattaya One
Fun Town’s most vibrant
1 - 15 December 2010 Issue 5
Photograph purporting to be a Naga queen proved a brilliant exercise in how to market a myth Sometime in the late 1990s street vendors and shop owners all over Thailand began displaying and selling an impressive photograph which described the capture of a mythical Naga by men of a United States military unit operating at the Mekong River during the Vietnam War. The Naga is a serpent, or water spirit, steeped in Buddhist mythology. Carvings in stone and wood can be seen in many Buddhist temples all over Thailand. Nagas are believed to inhabit the murkier reaches of the Mekong River as mythology suggests this is where the centre of the kingdom of the Nagas is located. Every year, in late October or early November, people gather along the shores of the Mekong to watch a phenomenon called the Naga fireballs. Many locals believe the fireballs are caused by lurking but unseen Nagas. The caption on the photograph was intended, of course, to convey a statement of either incontrovertible or difficult to ascertain fact. It read, in poor English: ‘Queen of Nagas seized by American army at Mekhong River, Laos Military Base on June 27, 1973 with the length of 7.80 metres.’ Rumours quickly spread that the American soldiers seen holding the
White Naga carvings adorn the roof of Phra Ubosot in Ubon Ratchathani
Historical Feature By Duncan Stearn
Naga all died after eating the flesh of the dead creature. Another rumour claimed the plane carrying the carcass of the dead Naga back to the United States crashed. It wasn’t long before the photograph could be found hanging on the walls of guesthouses, smallscale hotels, noodle shops and ordinary homes as well as being offered for sale to gullible tourists and even more gullible locals. Just who first found the photograph and hit upon the idea to market it in the fashion they did has never been discovered.
Suspicious Naturally enough it wasn’t long before some people became sceptical about the photograph, doubting its authenticity and believing it to be a good example of the art of photo manipulation. In fact, the suspicion regarding the photograph was wrong on one count, but correct on another. The date and location of the alleged capture of the Naga were immediately suspicious to anyone with a reasonable working knowledge of the United States involvement in the Vietnam War as it pertains to Thailand and Laos. The Paris Peace Accords had been signed in January 1973 and by March that year all US combat forces had been removed from Vietnam. There were no US Marine Corps personnel north of the Sattahip naval base at that time, and the closest bases with US troops
were in Udon Thani and Nakhon Phanom. There had never been a US military base on the Laotian side of the Mekong, although the base at Nakhon Phanom in the extreme north-east was just across the Mekong from Laos. Known as the ‘City of Hills’ the Americans nicknamed it ‘Naked Fanny’ because it was so close to Laos. They called it ‘the worst base we had in Thailand, but the best one we had in Vietnam’. Some sceptics pointed out US forces had not been issued with the style of brown t-shirts shown being worn by the soldiers in the photograph as early as 1973. The background of the picture clearly shows a secure military base with aluminium fencing topped by barbed wire with a US Navy sailor in a white cap.
Reality The real story behind the photograph is far more prosaic. First of all, the photograph is indeed genuine, but is of an oarfish, a creature rarely found alive and rarely seen. The precise photograph of the oarfish being passed off as a Naga was first published in an issue of an American magazine called Ocean Realm in late 1996. The same picture was reproduced again in the April 1997 edition of the US Naval publication All Hands. In an article written by William Leo Smith for Ocean Realm, he stated instructors with the US Navy SEALS had found the body of an
oarfish measuring almost eight metres in length washed up on the shore at place called Coronado in California while they were out for a morning jog. The Navy ‘notified the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography [who sent three people] to the Naval Special Warfare Command…’ They looked at the specimen, took a few photos in situ on the beach and interviewed the SEAL instructors who found the fish. The scientists could not find any ‘obvious reasons for death… Externally, the fish had a few large gashes on its right side…behind the head, and a noticeable piece of the forehead had been removed as well.’ They surmised the oarfish’s ‘… wounds were caused by a propeller of some sort.’ The body of the oarfish was brought back to the Naval Special Warfare Command base where it was washed off and pictures were taken of the 100 kilogram-plus creature, ‘with different Navy personnel.’ The article noted, ‘Oarfish tend to be more tropical species…However, they are found worldwide… predominantly in the tropics.’ Little is known about the oarfish although it is known they are not good for eating. Some scientists baked a piece of the fish and said it shrank a lot and tasted like fibrous paper. Local ingenuity, a dash of the mystical and eerie, and some clever marketing all combined to create one of the most recognisable pictures of late twentieth century Thailand.
Naga statue located in Bang Saen
Published and Edited by Singhanart Rullapak for Napasingh 108 Co. Ltd., 353/62 M.9, Nongprue, Banglamung, Chonburi 20150. Printed by Pattaya Printing Solutions, Jomtien, Nongprue, Banglamung.