Quietguy

Thanks for the info DK. I thought it was in the same Soi 10 as the hotel I will be staying in. Probably just as well it isn't or I might not have left the Soi at all! Not too far though, and another bar to check out in 25 days time.

Yes I was using that pdogg, but when I clicked on 'Choose File', nothing happened. I does seem to be working now though.

Som's birthday is on Friday 16 November, She will be 23 in Thai years, 22 in farang years.

I seem to be unable to access my files to upload pictures at the moment. Didn't have that problem before. Edit: Ah - seems I can access them if I use the basic uploader option.

Yes thanks for the update Quinn. I hope we can make Som's birthday livelier than last year.

Thanks for the pics mardhi. Did iceberg make it after his long trip?

I did consider smuggling in a box (3 litres) of white wine on my last trip, but I know they do random xrays of suitcases now at bkk so decided it wasn't worth the potential fine and hassle. I'll just stick to Singhas while I'm in los.

Is that why they're having the cosplay and bikini party tonight!

I had heard you were partial to French faggots, Kahuna! Were you in the Navy? i'm told they like rum, bum,and baccy!

Sorry that should have been 750 Baht in the 7/11, about twice as much as in a London supermarket. And yes she was worth it, though she did drag me into a gay gogo bar, called Top Boyz in Boyztown on our way back to the hotel. The next day she said it was because she had never drank wine before and I made her 'dunk'.

I think that wine prices are quite high in los. You have to pay a high rate of tax on 'luxury' goods. I saw Australian white wines in the 7/11 for 750 Baht if I remember correctly, so with the restaurant mark up it would be around 1,000 Baht.

Well I'm no wine expert by any means. In my younger days I usually drank 'real ales' in London pubs. These days I drink more at home and apart from a cold Cobra or Kingfisher (lager) beer or Old Rosie scrumpy cider on a hot summers day (OK I know that's unusual in London), I do usually drink wine. In the colder months I will drink red wine, usually a full bodied fruity Australian shiraz or merlot,. and in the summer a nice crisp dry white wine. Doesn't really matter where it's from as to be honest they all taste much the same to me when they are chilled. I do like a Portuguese Frascati or a French muscadet because they are the driest whites I've tasted. This summer though it's been mainly Pinot Grigio from Italy, which has been popular here this year. I only drank wine once in los, on my last trip when I had a bottle of Australian Cabernet Sauvignon when I took my ladyboy companion for a meal to the seafood restaurant at the end of Jomtien beach. It cost 1,000 Baht - about 3 times the cost that it would be in London, and she thought I was being extravagant! But tonight I will be opening a bottle of Australian Hardys Shiraz Cabernet.

My hotel in November is in Soi 10, so I shall report on any sign of a new ladyboy bar.

I'd be up for that too bb.

Thanks for that Quinn. If you do see Som could you ask if she is working from another bar? I would quite like to meet up with her in November, as I regret not bfing her in February. Thanks in advance for any info.

Might need to check that Som will be there on 16th November. She was last year but there wasn't a party. She did light a couple of paper lanterns for good luck. Unfortunately the first one got caught in a tree in the hotel grounds opposite the bar, which wasn't very auspicious, so she lit another which did take off alright. The bar was quiet that night with not many customers. Som took all the staff for a meal in Pattaya after the bar closed. If she is going to be there it would be nice to have a good turnout as you say bumblebee. Ripper - if you are going to be there in February, it's Nuch's birthday on 24 February. I will be in Pattaya in February, but unfortunately leave from BKK early on 25th, so don't think I can make it.

Sounds good to me too - it's Som's 23rd birthday on Friday 16 November. Som:

You;re welcome pdogg. I don't think you need a reason to call into the Roadhouse though! Nuch is a nice lady to talk to, but if the bar is busy she is usually moving round ensuring that customers are being taken care of. I will be calling in during my trip in November to see how things are going and if there are any changes under the new management.

You are welcome Big Tel. Nuch also said the other reason she gave up teaching was that she had to cut her hair short to teach, and she decided that she didn't want to do that.

Sorry for delay in posting pics but I'm not too good at this computer stuff. Anyway here are some pics of Nuch/Nus. I talked to her quite a lot last November, and saw her in the bar again this February. She is a very intelligent lady, who has good English, and speaks other languages too, including Japanese and Korean. She did a University degree in statistics, and used to teach Mathematics in High School, but says she could earn as much in a week in the bar as she did in a month teaching, and like most younger Thais has to support her parents. She said she would probably go back to teaching when she is too old to work in the bar. She is the unofficial mamasan in the bar, meeting and greeting, making sure that customers are being served, and generally organising the running, but she says she did not want the responsibility of being an actual mamasan. She is a nice person and very informative about anything you want to know.

I think some of the older British guys in baggy shorts, socks with sandals, and 'wifebeater' vests might qualify too - thought that might include me apart from the socks! And how come the Australians in boardies, vests, and flipflops don't get a mention?

Well maybe it's just me. But I'm 61, when I was younger the actual journey was exciting,, part of the adventure and experience. Now it's just something to be endured in order to get to my destination. And I find the flights increasingly uncomfortable. I have usually gone on long haul trips to escape the UK winter. The trips to los take from 11 to 15/16 hours depending on whether it's non-stop or with a stopover in the Middle East. I would prefer to get there as soon as possible, but I find even 11-12 hours on a plane quite difficult, so in a way I like to have a break enroute. On my next trip I will have a stopover. On the following trip (already booked too) I am flying non-stop. It also depends on the price. I didn't think it worth the hassle of the long flights to just go for 2 weeks, so my next two trips are for 3 weeks, and I am thinking of going just once a year after that but for 60 days. That will save time and money on flights and maximise my time in los. The money I save on one return flight will pay for 2-3 weeks hotel costs. Perhaps my flights are more uncomfortable because I travel in Economy class. Maybe it's better in Business Class but I don't want to pay that much. I can't understand how guys can endure long flights for just one week in los. And I don't know how you US guys can do those much longer trips, perhaps you are more used to flying.

I'm surprised that you would be worried about high murder rates in Mexico, when there seem to be quite a number of suspicious deaths in Pattaya, and from what i read a large number of murders in the USA - though probably not in New England. But I can understand that it must be increasingly difficult to make the long flights from the USA to LOS as you get older.

A BM on lbp has reported that Tim has sold the Roadhouse Bar (formerly Sally's) to a guy who owns two other bars in Soi 5. There is a leaving party for Tim this Friday 31 August. Ripper - I was there last November, there were 5 ladyboys there then - Nus/Nuch, Som, Nan, Dow, and a ladyboy from Laos who usually worked behind the bar, I think her name was Jane or Jen. I think the girl you are thinking of may be Dow/Dao - does that ring a bell? If she had boobs then it would probably be Dow as only Som and Dow had boltons. I will try to post the photos I took of them when I have time - probably at the weekend. Edit: If it was Dow I have her email and mobile number if you want it.

Thanks pdogg!