General Reports

[Horatio]

Never been to Thailand, but I have a question about something I was reading elsewhere:

"Thailand has legal prostitution yet many Thai prostitutes were trafficked from Burma or Cambodia and live squalorous lives like animals--many contract aids, they are not permitted to say no to men who don't want to wear condoms--they suffer even under legalized prostitution."

To what extent is this true, or does this pertain only to certain segments of the market like brothels that cater to Thai men, or is it general.

Please don't reply and say this is not true unless you have fairly detailed knowledge of Thai society that goes beyond the tourist experience.

You repeat a scurrilous accusation from some unnamed news source and then say not to rebut it except from fairly detailed knowledge. I would suggest you should not repeat the accusation unless you have fairly detailed knowledge that it is true.

Nothing I have read supports your assertion, except obvious propaganda from anti-prostitution groups. That being said I don't know.

Horatio

[Tiger 888]

..."Thailand has legal prostitution...

Who said that? not only is prostitutin illegal in Thailand, neither does it happen. Read the Thai newspapers, they will proof. Even barfines have nothing to do with Sex and Bars are no brothels!!!! Ask Giotto when in doubt.

[Frannie]

Never been to Thailand, but I have a question about something I was reading elsewhere:

"Thailand has legal prostitution yet many Thai prostitutes were trafficked from Burma or Cambodia and live squalorous lives like animals--many contract aids, they are not permitted to say no to men who don't want to wear condoms--they suffer even under legalized prostitution."

To what extent is this true, or does this pertain only to certain segments of the market like brothels that cater to Thai men, or is it general.

Please don't reply and say this is not true unless you have fairly detailed knowledge of Thai society that goes beyond the tourist experience.

[Tiger 888]

Nope Tiger, in person, both places are buying a $100 USD bill for 3285 baht. Exactly the same rate.

My experience is that, absent a clerical error, i.e. one place has yet to update their daily rate sheet, and the other has, that the best and the worst banks in Bangkok won't vary by more than around 5 baht (~15 cents) per $100 USD.

I did once stumble across a branch of a bank with a day-old rate sheet posted that didn't comprehend an overnight 0.36% drop in the dollar, so that morning, I changed $500 there. Another branch of the same bank 3 blocks away had the correct (12 baht/$100 USD lower) rate.

It's not the buying rate I talk about. It's the spread. I manged to buy USD (20 bills) from Superrich at a rate 10 Satang less than their selling rate of 100s. Now go and compare that with any money changer. The rate BKK Bank publishes at 32.85 is for wires not cash.

[Member #2041]

Nope Tiger, in person, both places are buying a $100 USD bill for 3285 baht. Exactly the same rate.

My experience is that, absent a clerical error, i.e. one place has yet to update their daily rate sheet, and the other has, that the best and the worst banks in Bangkok won't vary by more than around 5 baht (~15 cents) per $100 USD.

I did once stumble across a branch of a bank with a day-old rate sheet posted that didn't comprehend an overnight 0.36% drop in the dollar, so that morning, I changed $500 there. Another branch of the same bank 3 blocks away had the correct (12 baht/$100 USD lower) rate.

[Tiger 888]

I just found that Superrich in Bangkok who give by far the best exchange rates have them online.
Here is the link. You need to register (its free) to see them.

http://www.superrich1965.com/node/40


Attached: an example Ratesheet for Jamuary 19, 2008. Just compare it with Bangkok Bank.

[Hoboken Michael]

Do any of you have reports/stories to offer of bringing "furry handcuffs" from your local sex shop while on your vacation to Thailand. I have a pair of furry cuffs that are tempting to bring in Feb. And have used them on a gal who I recently had an affair with in NYC who loved to wear them while being picked up and screwed hard. Cowgirl. Against a mirror. This took place in a NYC short-time hotel. Expensive at $60 per hour when I had visited and she got a real kick the couple of times that we broke the mirror and there may have been consequences.

Luckily, I had signed my name "Mickey Mouse" at the front desk upon registration and could not be tracked once having left the hotel. And when we went back to the hotel, we had different front desk clerks most of the time.

Any stories? Lucky for me, she loved the "M" in "S&M"!

[Dirty Tom]

I agree, I have read only the 20 pages or so from one of the Thailand threads... need to do it in all of them, thanks!

If you read 20+ pages from all the threads you would have a very, very good idea about all the prices and things to do and places to visit.

Come back with specific questions and we will help you.

So RTFF.

[Duniawala]

My bad buddy... I did not intend what you interpreted... but my impression after reading through about 20+ pages was that this thread discusses a lot of interesting things other than just the BF/ST/LT prices... which is awesome! I am not complaining at all.

Don't get me wrong that I did not want to RTFF - just that the estimates I got did not make me feel comfortable enough mentally about the prices.

Don't be mad at me - we are all a community and have to learn from each others' experiences ... so peace! I need all the help and advice from experienced folks like yourself... and thanks for being around - it certainly helps

Take care and have fun,
-Rakesh.

If you read 20+ pages from all the threads you would have a very, very good idea about all the prices and things to do and places to visit.

Come back with specific questions and we will help you.

So RTFF.

[Member #3428]

I think its important to reconfirm here that the girls work multiple bars.

Goes without saying, just like we hit a few places so do the FL. I've seen many the same ladies all over Nana area from soi 3 to soi 8 this past week and a half. Not just one place, if an area is dead they move on, just like we do. There were some absolutely stunners on the walk from Soi 4 to Soi 8 today.

[Dirty Tom]

My bad buddy... I did not intend what you interpreted... but my impression after reading through about 20+ pages was that this thread discusses a lot of interesting things other than just the BF/ST/LT prices... which is awesome! I am not complaining at all.

Don't get me wrong that I did not want to RTFF - just that the estimates I got did not make me feel comfortable enough mentally about the prices.

Don't be mad at me - we are all a community and have to learn from each others' experiences ... so peace! I need all the help and advice from experienced folks like yourself... and thanks for being around - it certainly helps

Take care and have fun,
-Rakesh.

Define recently...mine is 'being lazy'
Define participation....mine is 'ignore list'

[Easy2007]

But you can get a 1,000 to 2,000 baht girl from Gullivers who is great looking and of great quality. Depends what you want and where you are comfortable.

I think its important to reconfirm here that the girls work multiple bars. Some girls work two, some three or four bars, and so therefore don't think by picking up in one place she's only from there, or indeed limit your choices.

Some girls work Gullivers Soi 5 and Beer Garden Soi 7 (you'll see them alternate between the two, couple of hours in one, and if not luck then move to the other for a couple of hours, then back again etc..)

Some girls work Gullivers Soi 5, Beer Garden Soi 7, Absolute Soi 7/1.

Some girls work Gullivers Soi 5, Beer Garden Soi 7, Thermae.

And so on and so forth with a few other freelancer places thrown in. Very few girls work exclusively in one place, they may do this for a month or so, and then be exclusive in a different bar for a month or so.

I often hear people say the girls in "x" bar are better than "y" bar.......but at the end of the day the freelancers are generally not exclusive, and will work a lot of different bars. Different bars have different clients, and thats the important thing for a freelancer, exposure to potential customers.

[Traveler1234]

I agree, but its possible that things may have changed recently - so was looking for some latest info from those who may have been there recently... and it doesn't hurt to ask for more participation...

Define recently...mine is 'being lazy'
Define participation....mine is 'ignore list'

[Retired Army]

as a "virgin" traveler to your country, i am wondering how many of you have passed through customs into thailand with medicines - heart/mental health (anti-depressants)/legal patches/liquid supplements (fish oils, etc.) when the customs department of thailand appears to be so strict on this issue.

in particular, several key bulleted points on the offical website for thai customs state that:

• dangerous drugs and psychotropic substances such as opium heroin, cannabis, lsd, ketamine, ecstasy, and etc;

• prosecution and confirep001ion of the prohibited/controlled items if they fail to produce a valid licence for the goods.

• plants and animals;

• medicines and chemical products;

so hypothetically, if i am carrying exactly all of the following: klonopin (anti-seizure med), valerian root (tranquilizer pills for sleeping), prozac, imodium, benadryl and no license/prescriptions for any of what i am carrying, what risk do i have at thai customs before exiting the airport and what exactly needs to be noted or not noted on the customs form that is handed to me earlier?

thanks,

michael

unless you are bringing in large quanties of the above mentioned items thia customs isn;t going to say anything. just make sure you have a prescription bottle if possible. not in plastic bags which looks suspisous. most of the stuff you have mentioned can be bought at the local corner drugstore without a prescription.

[Retired Army]

Friends,

I wanted to know where to find the best looking / best servicing gals in BKK, someone suggested Monet & The Office (or something like that)...let me know if you have more options.

Could someone give me a decent estimate on the latest price trend, I do not want to sound stupid trying to bargain at a very low rate nor a bigger stupid - agreeing to something ridiculously high! This being my first time to BKK - I want to be thoroughly prepared. Please tell me bar fine / ST / LT rates.

Thanks,
-R.

Why don't you chjeck out the BKK Escort Agency thread?