Laawman

Indeed, this was one of the main culprits!

It isn't - it's a st8 bar, but one of the co-managers has an (un)healthy interest in LBs and is always taking some flak for it! Can't see LBs ever getting a foothold there, as the clientele is for the majority, working class British men and that's whom the club caters for in the main. The owner does a sterling job of promoting Pattaya, and along with it, his bar and those of his co-conspirators. Also agree 100% about soi 6 (Yodsak) as it used to be my go to place for some after hours action, especially 6/1. Always loved Jasmine bar, though King Kong was the most notorious. What was that bar that had a coffee table with no glass top on it? Must've caught many out with that!

They used to be known as short time bars, but were re-badged as Gentleman's Clubs in the forlorn hope of attracting a more discerning customer. I wonder how that worked out?

Can't say I know any bars that are exclusive - but I think some are 'mixed'. There's always the LB restaurant, assuming it's still going! https://youtu.be/jLMa7FV5xj4?si=ORXpHBJ9cUol95zz

Not sure about the others, but I had a hard time understanding what they were saying! Good podcast though, but I was rather wondering what he does for a living what with all the chat about porn movies. I've subscribed to the channel for future references and will investigate in the future.

Opened a new account with Krungthai bank in Pattaya Klang as per Maneerat's instruction. An easy 5min wait and then the usual flurry of wet signatures whilst I signed my life away. B500 to open including the debit card, where the limit was set to 150k - everything else at 50k as per the new norm. On the way back home I realized I hadn't set the limit to 800k ready for the 'Maneerat assistance package', so I quickly called into the shop only to be told not to worry as they only need my debit card and PIN when the time comes. Not sure how they work it now, but I guess I'll find out in a few months.

I used to do the 90 day report online in a few minutes, until they started rejecting it for no reason. Maneerat was free up unto a few months ago, but now charge B100 - suits me as I can't be arsed to go to soi 5 just to be fucked around.

Went to pick up my passport for the 90 day from Maneerat today, so I enquired about the cost of renewing the retirement visa it whist I was there. Because of the Bangkok bank debacle, they now want to see an account with Krungthai bank and suggested I open one at the Klang branch as they are less busy and more lax. The price has also risen to 15,500 (which includes the financial 'assistance'). He also reckoned to open an account sooner rather than later as it might get more onerous in the near future. Interested to see what other agents are asking, so I might ask FarangThai Visa for a quote as they dealt with my driving licence. She is ex-Jomtien immigration if that has any weight at all.

Well I guess she should consider herself fortunate - most of my UK friends wouldn't even look twice at her because they're not interested in Asians. Even my own mother used to call them 'slant eyed bitches' but then I guess she was a product of the war years and naturally opposed to anything south of the English channel. If Yu wants to know the meaning of the word fetishization , then she should try growing a dick and becoming a ladyboy.

Yes, it can be done! I used to get a shit-ton of then when I got my number, but now have found out you can cancel them by calling *137 and following the prompts. Hope this will be useful to someone.

Well I can't say I blame you - I used to use those dispensers also, but stopped after one had an earthy taste to the water which suggested that it was full of sediment where the filters hadn't been changed. I then bought myself a Brita filter jug which was good, but of course it didn't filter at a bacterial level and so had to boil it first which wasn't an issue as I only put it in the kettle anyway. But............... the last set of filters I bought I truly believe were fake as the water just didn't taste right - and as the filters appeared to have been manufactured in China (for Brita) I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions. I've now reverted to the bottled stuff, Singha water actually, as it has the softest taste to it and retains the mineral content. The water you see on your truck photo is going to be reverse osmosis. I used to order that way, until one day I found a ring of green algae at the bottom of a carboy so clearly they don't make any attempt to clean them out before refilling. Kind of like dressing a wound with a dirty bandage!

Found this useful link whilst searching for types of bottled water. I definitely won't be using those roadside dispensers ever again! https://www.chiangmailocator.com/wiki-drinking-water-quality-in-thailand-p152

I'll keep the Kbank account open for now. I've ring fenced 20k in there just in case of emergencies - like paying the 20k excess on my medical insurance in case of a claim.

Yes, I think transferring to Kbank is the only viable option here, but it's just annoying that I have to resort to that. I may go in and threaten to close my account, and they should ask why, which is when I'll give them the squalid details! Probably tell me to fuck off then and don't darken our doorways again - all said in the most polite way of course. Kbank charge me B200 p.a for my debit/atm card so if I keep my account open I'll have to be mindful of that.

Having successfully transferred monies via Wise for a couple of years, I now find them being rejected by Kbank for no apparent reason. I've rung their helpline twice, been into 2 branches, yet no-one has any idea why. I've sent with both Wise and now Revolut, but rejected every time. Wise say it's a Kbank problem and Kbank say it's the sender not giving the correct info. What a clusterfuck. Thankfully I still have a Bkk bank account which is business as usual for receiving cash from abroad. Oddly enough, an LB told she never uses Kbank because it's 'a cheap bank' - and I'm beginning to agree. So......... where to go from here? I can do internal transfers ok, atm withdrawals etc, but no international. The only option I can think of is to close the account, wait until I'm out of the system, and then re-open another keeping my fingers crossed. I like Kbank solely because of the proliferation of ATMs - there's even one at my condo. With Bkk bank it tends to be 'wherefore art thou ATM?' as the one in TukCom has since disappeared. Is anyone else experiencing this shitshow?