11/29/2002 11:06 PM:

First trip report. I am sitting at the gate in LAX, waiting for my boarding call. Execucar picked me up and whisked me away on time, just after the Laker's game ended. My driver was a huge Laker's fan, too. So we listened to NBA post-game and talked basketball and sports on the way to the airport. What a good start to the trip! The airport is very easy. Instead of getting there 3 hours before I got there 1 hour and 45 minutes before, and the timing was just right. I was very nervous, but now that I am through security and in the gate area ahead of schedule I am starting to relax. Now I've got a 141/2 -hour flight to Taipei, Taiwan. I hope to have time to write a quick check-in from there, but it may be tight because I only have 1.5 hours between flights. Oh well, signing out for about a day of travel. - JS

11/30/2002 2:09 PM Pacific Daylight Time: (6:10 AM Taipei, Taiwan):

It was a very uneventful and easy flight over. Man! I cannot tell you how much difference the EVA Deluxe Class makes over Economy/Coach! Huge! You get better food, better seating, individual video at your seat, and you get to be first off the plane. The difference in price for me on my quoted fair was $200 out of $850, so it was worth it. I've got about an hour and a half to wait for my flight. That's enough time to get some more pictures of this STARK Taiwan terminal and also to take pictures of the mini-Taiwan Museum exhibit hear in the airport.

I sat next to a gentleman who was going back to Bombai, India (where he was born) to celebrate his parent's 50th Anniversary together. He made a very good travel mate, quiet and not too talkative, but interesting for some small conversations. We sat next to each other on the first long-leg. I only had one seat next to me and I got an aisle seat. I recommend an aisle on trans-oceanic flights so you can get up and stretch whenever you want without disturbing the person next to you. I took a sleeping pill to hopefully get some major shut-eye after the first meal, but it didn't seem to affect me that much. I did get about 3-4 hours in though. My new blow-up travel pillow from REI was also invaluable. And the tips I got from a travel-buddy that told me to take lots of water. Man, those flights REALLY DO dry you out. They don't serve you nearly enough liquid so you need to bring your own. Well I'm signing out to go get a few pictures and my next flight. - JS

12/2/2002 9:36 AM:
The flight from Taipei was uneventful. I sat next to my buddy Berog from India again. This time we talked more and we ended up very glad to have met and sat next to each other. I feel bad for him in that while I was back at my hotel, taking a shower after that exhausting travel, he was in the BKK airport handling a 6 hour layover before the flight to Bombai. Man, I bet he was so tired when he finished his travel! I gave him the tip that there was a Thai Massage in the Bangkok Airport where you could get an hour next/back massage for inexpensive. I also told him to see if Cathay has a lounge here. (I had no clue if they did.)

When I got done with Customs, my driver was waiting. We got the hotel quickly and I got checked in. Then I went up to my room and showered and got all my electronics setup. I feel kinda like James Bond with all these gadgets, but that's a GOOD THING! LOL. I setup my latop and plugged in my new DVD drive. I also setup my new Sony travel-speakers and my new MP3 player and was soon listening to some cool tunes and admiring the view out my window toward the sky train. I got cleaned up and headed down to get some eats.

I ended up sitting at a little open air pub called "The Meeting Place" and had some appetizers and a beer and watched the people shopping around the street market. It started to rain, then poured for a few hours. The open air shops all threw up there canopies and soon I was walking around the Thai markets and bars with rain pounding hard just outside. It was very neat and I love the rain. I hunted down a nice Internet café and checked in with my website so my friends wouldn't worry. I had email waiting from my fishing guide. He is picking me up at 7am the day after tomorrow at my hotel for fishing (and the action now sounds great, huge Siamese Carp, Snakehead and Catfish.) Then I headed back to my room to lay down and watch a movie (The Player) and eventually fell asleep. Tomorrow is suit-shopping, dvd-shopping (and shopping-shopping lol) and laying around day. Also, I will get some pictures together tomorrow and complete my trip reports I have written, so far, on my laptop. Then I hope to post them tomorrow.

I had a few bears and a shot of Jack Daniels at the After Hours bar before the scene started. I can't hold too much alcohol (without practice lol) so I was feeling great. I couldn't drink any more without starting to get drunk. So I headed back to my hotel, the Majestic Suites. I got some BBQ pork and chicken strips, a rice cake and a chicken drumstick (a feast fit for a caveman). Then I head up to watch "The Player" (Woopie Goldberg/Lyle Lovett spelling?). I feel asleep for a few hours then woke up. I felt like just crashing. But I forced myself to head down to NANA to at least check out the babes.

It was early (about 10:30) and I headed into Rainbow II. The girls were all dancing topless (almost). Last year, in Jan. I didn't remember this place being topless, but I could definitely be wrong about that since I only spent a few hours in this place. I saw a very hot cutie with shorter hair, a killer body, nice breasts with larger areolas. I tried to get a smile going with her, but she was on the far side of the stage. When she came off she went and hung on a young Japanese dude for a while, then disappeared. Damn! Strike One!

Next, I got a smile going with a cutie on the end of the stage I liked. But when they came off a different girl (that looked surprisingly like the one I had been smiling with) came and asked to sit down. I said, "Sure". Two-seconds later there was the girl I was smiling with on-stage walking by giving me the "sad-eyes". Stike Two!

The girl next to me seemed fine. I chatted with a bloke who told me he comes in just to look. The girls at Rainbow II are too expensive he said. "They want 2000BHT plus barfine for ST.", he said. He told me get them outside off the pavement for $500BHT/ST or better yet, go to Thermae. I didn't listen cause I was tired, and it was my first night. Strike Three! Instead, I bargain this girl down to $1200BHT/ST at my hotel for 2 hours with no holes barred.

We got to my room and started making out a bit. Next thing you know she has a badly running nose she has to blow all the time. (She didn't seem to have a cold in the club.) I got a BBBJ from her, that I would rate a 7. I should've given her the facial, but grabbed the towel instead. (Strike 4???? -lol) Then I suddenly got the urge to be alone and watch a movie and eat. I didn't want to lay with this sick whore until another chubby appeared, so I told her she could vacate now for $1000 or stay and boom boom for the rest. So, as you all know, I got to watch my movie. I headed down for more BBQ, then layed back to watch the Matrix.

All I can say is that I should know better. But, I was lazy and laziness doesn't reward. I hope to turn in a more respectable performance today. (Maybe the viagra I'll buy will contribute to that.) This morning, I'll watch more NFL (good Bucks/Saints game on now) then get some brunch and maybe a massage. I'll scour CH this morning for the Massage recommendations. I was going to do Eden today, but I think I'll pass. Instead I'll buy some suits in the afternoon. Hang-out around the little bars and tonight go to Thermae for the first time. Man I have read a lot about it, but never been.

There is something that amuses me no end about watching Monday Night football live on Tuesday morning. (-;

Rasta,

I'd recommend New Cleopatra massage on Din Daeng road.

You won't be disappointed!

Rasta. I just got back, and I'm putting the final touches on my report. I got suits and shirts made that I'm really happy with. I did a lot of shopping around and went with Louis's Tailors on Sukhumvit near Soi 8. Ask for Mr. Kenny. I got 4 super 150s wool/cashmere suits, 4 long-sleeve silk shirts, 4 long sleeve egyptian cotton shirts for $650. I highly recommend. Have a great trip

Boy have I got a story for all of you. I can't type it now though, I have to get to a haircut and get on this bus with my girl (hint!) to go to Pattaya for a few days. I'll type the info into my laptop tonight and post tomorrow. I'm exhausted, but with good reason. I landed a world-record Giant Mekong Catfish yesterday (52Kg)... I'll post pics of that, too, tomorrow. Take care all! (Getting indoctrinated into life here...) Rasta

I typed a book this morning, but forgot my floppy disk at the hotel. (Bonehead move!) Anyway, its the King of Thailand's Birthday today so am going to watch parade and celebrate. I promise to post my novella tomorrow AM. Wish you all could be here. Andrew, thanks for the tips on the suits. And Xenono, thanks for the tip on the massage!

Rainbow II used to be nude before that asshole Purachai came along. Nothing like it used to be.

I've had problems with the girls wanting a lot of money in both Rainbow I and II, this trip and the last. They consistently ask for the most money out of all the bars in Nana, and a lot of them won't budge on the price, though thankfully some do and others don't ask for the moon. I passed on a girl last week at RB I, who wanted 2000 and wouldn't consider 1500. Sorry honey, you're not worth it.

I discussed this state of affairs with Khun Mor, and told him my theory: it's because out of all the bars in Nana, these two get a really heavy flow of Japanese customers streaming through. These guys pay higher prices, thus driving up the girl's expectations. Two weeks ago when I was in RB II, I would guess that 40% of the customers were Japanese.

I try to stay away from go go bars with a lot of light-skinned "Chinese-Thai" looking girls as these are the girls the Japanese guys will go for and they will pay anything and ask for very little from the girl....great customers from the girls perspective but I cant go to Thailand 5 times a year without being reasonable about how much I spend on ladies. If the experience is spectacular then they deserve 2,000-3,000 baht but these girls are asking for 2,000 up front and the experience might be miserable

I know this has been discussed before, but I refuse to go with any girl who asks for any amount up front. Even if she offered 1,000 for LT I would turn her down !! The vast majority of the girls do not ask for any specific amount or even mention money!! I can count on one hand the number of girls who have complained about how much they get. In fact I usually put the money in their purse while they are showering before going home. I tell them I have put satang in their purse and most never even look to see how much it is. Certainly unique to Thai girls ! Discussing money totally turns me off to the whole experience.