I haven't seen Thailand this dead at any time of year (even the summer) in over a decade.

These kinds of rumors abound, and some folks are apparently taking it seriously:
http://pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/219488/urgent-leaked-memo-reveals-possible-isis-plot-against-russians-in-pattaya/

For the high season this is unimaginable. Today I called down to Pattaya to see about a room and they wouldn't take my reservation. They just said to come on down.

I'm very lightly complected with blond hair and blue eyes. In Pattaya the Russkies often mistake me for one of their own, which means any Syrian assassins would certainly be unable to make that distinction. Makes me uncomfortable, but I'm going anyway to boink a former regular that I haven't seen in a long time.

Have a funny feeling I should lock up and head over to the Phils, in spite of the rampant gonorrhea there.

(Gee, I just spelled "gonorrhea" without having to use the spell check. Now that's scary!)

funny on the spelling joke.

I've had my life threatened through Facebook and Whatsapp 3 times in 2 years of living in Malaysia. The last one saying ISIS put out a contract on me and he asked for my address. Here's the thing: you can't worry about shit like that. Go by the stats. Add to that it takes a lot of effort to kill someone. Most of these guys like to talk big and have little in the way of follow up skills. Not too smart either. Plus they're saying prayers 5 times a day, have multiple wives. And it's Christmas season. They don't have the time to find and kill me.

Go, have a good time and as my FBI contact at the US Embassy in KL said when I gave him the info on my last threat: "keep your head down, just in case " Then we both laughed.

Pattaya? but a lot of middle east are visiting too.
I hear Jomtien has alot of Russian but I've never been.

I wouldn't worry about it.
Anyway...Pattaya is not a big headline city for ISIS. They're not going do anything in that shithole of a town.

My experience with government type warnings: they're usually highly exaggerated baseless and are as varied as the people giving the briefing, which makes them useless. I read the article you linked to and IMO it's a display of capabilities by the Russian government. "We see you" is essentially the message, hence why it was leaked. Just my opinion.

But if you're concerned I'd avoid places that are hard to keep secure like discos. Beer bars and smaller go gos tend to have a doorman who watches everything and everyone. I'd give Walking Street a pass too. If I were a terrorist nothing would look better than bodies all over Walking Street. Russian themed restaurants and bars--out. Marriott-out. It's a great hotel brand and therefore a great target.

Otherwise, have fun!

I would assume Soi 6 is safe.... And with no lack of opportunity

this year definitely seems quiet in bkk. not that the previous couple years could be considered 'busy'. that term hasn't applied since pre 2010.

i think the currency markets and price increases are playing a bigger role than the terrorist threats. alot of currencies are down 10% to the THB over the last two years. and those same currencies were down even more but recovered a bit lately (euro, yen, pound, aussie). the ruble is down 50%. at the same time, prices for beer, food, and girls have all gone up in thai baht. even if you are working with USD (up 10% in two years) things are more expensive than years past. only thing cheap is rent (and probably hotel prices). i've seen condos/apartments advertised for 18,000/mo and they used to ask for twice that.

there are only a handful of bars in cowboy and nana with decent business. mandarin and mercury seem to attract people. rainbow one was great for awhile but something must have happened. last couple times i went in there, only a few girls on stage at 10pm. i know rainbow 4 got shutdown for awhile but this is rainbow 1.

crazy house and baccara are the busy bars in cowboy. shark has some good nights. you can't even get a seat at crazy house during some periods of thurs/fri/sat.

one semi positive development for me is the downfall of the arab bars. while they are still open, they don't employ many girls anymore. many of these coyote girls have moved on to places like mandarin or shark. their bar fine is 1,500 so a bit steep. not all go with customers but you can ask the mamasan which one's will. short time with them is 2,500 (some will ask for 3000). i know we all cursed the day that these coyotes took over the bars. but they seem to be the only new bodies arriving in most bars.

i prefer these girls as i feel like the regular go go girls haven't had many added to the herd over the years. it is the same girls every day. which means, they are now 30+, maybe 35+. i know girls in shark that are over 40. i'm not targeting the youngest girls possible but i'm trying to avoid the girls with the most mileage. and alot of the 'older' girls have resorted to fake tits and plastic surgery to their face (which looks horrible) in order to keep working and attracting customers.

i should add that my 'get away' towns from bkk are manila, saigon, and danang. i gave up on pattaya, phuket, and AC. sometime next year, bangkok airways will have nonstop service to danang. some of you may want to give it a try.

Forget any purported terrorist threat, you can get whacked anywhere. Pattaya prices are off the hook, international visitors have strongly influenced BF pricing. Not to mention GFE has been impossible in LOS ever since I can remember. Too bad, it used to be a top ticket destination.

Good insights Buick, thanks for sharing. Any more info you can provide on Danang? That's not a destination on my radar.

Hey Buick,

"i know girls in shark that are over 40" --

Holy smokes...I like sharks since alot of the girls are under 25.

"i think the currency markets and price increases are playing a bigger role than the terrorist threats" ---

I don't think currency really matter since Thailand is still fairly cheap. One currency almost offset the other. As the Euro dropped 15% but the THB dropped around 15% also. So your almost at the same rate as before.

Even if the THB dropped under 30 per USD..I would think its still cheap.

My concern is the talent has fallen off since the coup early 2014.

The big drop-off was the explosion last year. No doubt.

I was in Danang earlier this year, but I went with a girl and stayed at a resort on the beach. Didn't look for any action. Danang was ok, nice beach, good food.

That said, Phuket is my go-to when I have three nights . Stay in Rawai, away from all (most of) the tourists. I've had very good service from the small beer bars scattered about Rawai. Really good food, easy to get around on a scooter and it's a 2 hour flight from KL.

Everyone has their spot that works for them. Right now for me, it's Phuket. Maybe Jakarta will work it's way up the list - but it's a totally different vibe.

WS - rawai is okay. i like nai hairn beach (the 'r' is silent and not always used in english spelling). but i can't deal with patong and how bad it has become over the last few years.

CN - one euro was 45thb two years ago. now it is 40thb (and it touched 35 for a few months in 2015). i can tell you i did not enjoy seeing the USD to the thb drop from 34ish to 29 over a couple yrs. nothing felt cheap to me as i've spent at least 8 months of the last 7 years in thailand. having it back at 36 is fantastic (especially since i've made nothing on my investment accts in two years !!!!). think about the ruble, down 50%, that makes pattaya empty big time. i can tell you bkk is awash with tourists right now. not mongers, but families and retired couples. they are all over the place. for them, it is still cheap as they aren't subjected to the pussy price increases.

in any case, i'm sure it is some of both. not everyone worries about the terrorism and not everyone worries about the money. just want people to be aware of the currency piece as that is not in the media as much as the terrorism.

baxter - check the treeview and look for danang. i did a report from 2008 or 2009. i love the place. no go go bars. you deal with moto taxi guys for the ladies. not much has changed over the years other than a bunch of new buildings going up. i'd do a more specific recent review but i don't want our good buddy 'portege' reading it and going over and screwing the place up with his way of doing things. if someone can confirm he is no longer a member, i'll do a report.

i tried to edit my message i guess i passed the 30 minute time limit for an edit. what i wanted to clarify is that costar is/was correct about bkk being somewhat empty for a high season as of the time of his post. my comment a week later about 'awash in tourists' is based on what i saw beginning pre xmas to present. all you see around sukhumvit and asoke, soi 11, and shopping malls are tourists. they have arrived. albeit late for a high season.

Buick,

If it makes you feel better. Two weeks ago I took a client out for Thai by our office.

Som Tum, Spring rolls, chicken entree, shrimp Entree and two singha's

Total was $77 (2770 THB lunch)

Can't wait to order my 35 THB som tum thai when I land.


"especially since i've made nothing on my investment accts in two years"

Glass half full....at least you didn't lose your investments.

Don't get me wrong. it sure adds up when I'm in BKK. Not including hotel, I'm around 10K THB a day.

Enjoy!

i know what you mean. i was in the US for four straight months this year (jul-oct). i thought i was ready to leave bkk for good when i left on the trip (but i did keep my bkk apartment). thank god the USD went from 32.5 to 36 while i was gone. and now it seems the coyote ladies are worth talking with so i'm not going to have to write the 'i'm leaving bangkok' report' !!!

Buick is correct about this week between Xmas and New Year's being as crowded as ever: the usual hotels in Bangkok and Pattaya are full. (The Landmark wants over THB 7000 for any room.)

The "two-week millionaires" are here bidding up the prices of everything, not least of which is girls. And this is in spite of the heat returning after only a couple of cool days, and gonorrhea and chlamydia! The Esarn girls who bare-back for premium prices seem to be waiting until the high-season is over to get infections taken care of --without regard for their customers.

Any girls in the Crazy House now are single moms. (Mandarin's no longer even worth checking out as far as I'm concerned.)

Buick, please message me re: where you go in Manila (if you go anywhere besides Burgos and EDSA). I'm getting out of here.

Totally off-topic, but is this a great theme song for an expat or what?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZB4jcPmFGo

Ceenotes, I believe your Thai restaurant example is not an accurate sample of regular prices, given the location of your office and the city you work in. I'm pretty sure I know which restaurant you are talking about, and can assure you much cheaper Thai can be had in that area!

Having made a last minute, spontaneous trip to Bangkok, I am astonished at how many hotels had availability this week, going into New Year's no less. Historically it would have been impossible to find a decent room this week. Not this year. Practically everybody had rooms on Agoda. Sure, prices are higher because of the holiday - but they actually have rooms. Blew me away.

Buick - With $550 airfare to BKK instead of $1200, I may skip the draft beer and go for a cold bottle.


Costar- "And this is in spite of the heat returning after only a couple of cool days, and gonorrhea and chlamydia! The Esarn girls who bare-back for premium prices seem to be waiting until the high-season is over to get infections taken care of --without regard for their customers"

Holy shit...the girls will just burn and drip until late Feb?
Your unlucky number come up?


Murasaki - you guess correct on the restaurant by the office and keep in mind, lunch menu is cheaper then the dinner menu.
But you can't find Som tom in the city for less then $9 bucks, average dinner entree is $12+ now at a hole in a wall.
How's the talent at Shark/Baccara?

>> "...the girls will just burn and drip until late Feb?"

Proof: In September I got the clap from a certain "Toy" at the Rainbow club. I had traveled with her and she was absolutely the only girl I had been with in a month. (The doctor said that gonorrhea takes about four days to show up after infection.) So there was utterly no question that she was the one.

After getting treatment, I explained the above to the nurse, called Toy from the hospital, and handed my phone to the nurse. She talked to Toy for a good five minutes (no kidding!) explaining the situation, so Toy must have understood.

That evening I popped in to the Rainbow, and there was Toy in her bikini, shaking her little money-maker on stage.

These girls don't give a damn about our welfare.
____________________________________

Found BigPoppa's comment about Walking Street unnerving, then today found myself for the first time in months eating at Siam Paragon, which was even more crowded. Couldn't wait to get out of there. "Siam Paranoid."

costar - upper mandarin has changed alot recently. they had a problem with police and there are alot of new girls. this 'change' happened within the last six weeks. still have the pushy mamasans but i've been impressed with the talent. guys dont always agree on these places but stop in if you havent been for two months. crazy house is not as good as it used to be. many dancers too fat for nude dancing IMHO. but it sure gets crowded.

>> crazy house is not as good as it used to be... ...but it sure gets crowded.

I know! It reminds me of the scene in The Ten Commandments when Moses comes down from the mountain and sees everyone engaged in debauchery.

And with all the Koreans there lately, it's about as smoky a place as I've ever been in. (In Korea every man, woman, and child smokes.) The way their HVAC is set up, sometimes just moving one seat over can help a lot with that.

What bugs me more than anything else about that place is that if a girl gives you BBFS, then she's doing it for everybody and you're sleeping with the world. (Come to think of it, that's probably true for all clubs. Duh.)

"Found BigPoppa's comment about Walking Street unnerving, then today found myself for the first time in months eating at Siam Paragon, which was even more crowded. Couldn't wait to get out of there. "Siam Paranoid.""

Sure, it's always crowded down in the food court, but the eating options are fucking awesome. What was it that made you paranoid? Just don't like crowds? I kind of like the craziness of big city crowds. It's not like the place is filled with a bunch of drunk thugs like WS. And the food market on the same level as the food court is a great place to grab fruits and veggies and other goodies to take back to the hotel.

BBFS is always high risk. You are right--if she says "yes" to you, she probably says "yes" to every guy. I have a friend who, as part of his interview, asks girls if they'll fuck him "no condom." If they say yes, he rejects them and moves to the next option.

>> "...the eating options are f***ing awesome."

No one can deny it. The biggest food-snob I know compares Paragon to places in SF and NYC, and says that they "ain't got nothin' on this place."

What bugged me is its location right across the road from the Erawan Shrine, and that it's just as crowded (dense) but with even more people.


>> "...asks girls if they'll f*** him "no condom."

I asked someone in Crazy House and she just put her finger up to her lips as if to say "Shhh."

You know, "Crazy House" is an appropriate name for that place.

"What bugged me is its location right across the road from the Erawan Shrine, and that it's just as crowded (dense) but with even more people."

Sort of across the street. Gaysorn Plaza is across the street from the shrine. Siam Paragon is another long block up from there, at the next BTS stop. Are there still crowds around the shrine? I thought the bombing there would have frightened most folks off.

i had a 'runner' the day before new year's eve. paid the 1500 bar fine (coyote at shark bar) plus two lady drinks. got to the next bar and after one drink she went to the toilet. came back claiming she got sick (probably did) and left the bar. a great way to finish out 2015 !!!!

>> "I thought the bombing there would have frightened most folks off."

There have been uniformed cops/security guards around the shrine, so at least it feels safe there now.


>> "i had a 'runner' the day before new year's eve."

OOOHHH! That SUCKS! I *HATE* being in Pattaya on New Year's Eve without a date! Ooh, that sucks. Sorry about that, Buick.

I'll always remember one New Year's Eve in Pattaya (2010, I think it was). I was with a genuine cutie, slim and brown in an evening dress. (A lucky catch for high-season.) We climbed up the fire escape of my hotel to watch fireworks. I stood there holding her from behind with my half-mast erection between her buns (clothes on, of course --dry hump). We could see silhouettes of other people on the roofs of surrounding hotels. Gosh, it is such a pleasant memory. (She was good enough to stay with me until New Years.)

(Sorry if this sounds a little "bloggy" but we ought to share positive experiences once in a while (rather than keep harping on disease transmission and air fares/logistics etc.)

Buick - Couldn't go back and tell mamasan? I would think she would let you grab another one with BF waived (but again its Thailand...only take and never give)

Costar- "No one can deny it. The biggest food-snob I know compares Paragon to places in SF and NYC, and says that they "ain't got nothin' on this place."

I disagree...food courts in Paragon, MBK, Terminal 21 is ok, but I know some street vendors that will blow them away. Can't burn coal in the malls, all gas fired.
You want desert or a fruit smoothie then yes, the mall is the best option.
Now as far to compare SF-NYC....no freakin way!

I found this new Khao Mun Gai street vendor off Sukhumvit that's insane.

Since it's so cheap. The dishes gets extra points for tasting better.


Outside of Thai food. Surprisingly, I find the food in Jakarta closer to SF-NYC. Thailand can't cook international food for shit!

CN - the girl came from shark bar and i know the mamasan there quite well. but i didn't even think about it. i just called it a loss and moved on. i'd been with the girl a couple times before. i saw her in the bar the next night and told her she could make it up to me sometime. and of course i'm still waiting for that !!!

she attempted to 'make it up' to me by offering to come by my room for s/t before she went to work one night. i said we had already agreed she would do that a few times a month as part of our new 'friendship' so that wasn't helping me out at all for the 'runner' night.

we'll see how things shake out now that many of the tourists are gone and the girls have to work more with the regulars again.