Bangkok Reports

[QUOTE=Polyorchid]Any ways around this? I'm sure we have some tech heavies on site who can help.[/QUOTE]

just google for "anonymizer" and you should find lots of help

[QUOTE=GoodEnough]Thanks for this assessment, you've summarized the difference between Bangkok and Manila succinctly and accurately. Aside from central Makati and parts of Ft. Bonafacio, Manila is in fact unappealing: dirty, somewhat unsafe, and wholly congested, with none of the cultural attractions of Bangkok. It's also true that the local food ranks at the very bottom of any culinary taxonomy, though there are, to be fair, some excellent French and Italian restaurants in Makati and the Fort. You're also correct about the hotel accommodations being more expensive in the Philippines, with less value for money than in Thailand.

Another major difference between the two countries--for those who wish to venture out of the capital cities--is that the physical infrastructure in the Philippines is extremely poor, while that of Thailand is typically extremely good. Thus, it's far less stressful to travel within Thailand than to island-hop here in the Philippines.

Another factor that potential visitors to the Philippines should consider is that of air safety. The systems required for instrument flights have been failing at the Manila airport recently--they're old and should have been replaced years ago--with the result that there have been times recently that take offs and landings have been subject only to visual flight rules, which can be fairly frightening in cases of bad weather causing impaired visibility for the pilots. Te radars at Manila airport were supposed to have been replaced ten years ago, but never were, and there are two other systems that have been failing and should have been replaced, but never were.

GE[/QUOTE]I will add something too, although I'll probably get flamed for it. I was in Manila for five days. The number of really good looking women I'd say I could keep an easy count of. Whether in malls or even passing in front of universities, I just didn't see what I expected to see (when I compare that with walking past Chula or Ramkamhaeng or walking into any mall in the city at any time, where the numbers just stagger). And for those who prefer freelancers, as an even bigger bummer, the LA Cafe has been closed down, a place that I really did enjoy.

[QUOTE=Kumbu]

I love you too Stew.[/QUOTE]

Guys, you're scaring me!

[QUOTE=Polyorchid]... I am living in Bangkok and when trying to access my favorite porn site, youporn.com, it seems to be blocked...[/QUOTE]

As already explained by Zauberfee, you should try an anonymizer or one of the numerous proxy services mentioned in this thread:
[url]http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/showthread.php?t=2188[/url]

[quote=goyave]as already explained by zauberfee, you should try an anonymizer or one of the numerous proxy services mentioned in this thread:
[url]http://www.internationalsexguide.info/forum/showthread.php?t=2188[/url][/quote]you should be aware that using any kind of anonymizer is illegal under thai law, and in the present climate you could get banged up for it.

since the coup in 2006 and the law changes after that use of any anonymizing tool is now illegal.

freedom of speech is going downhill fast as is the country.

have a read of this :

[url]http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/prachatai-to-shut-down-web-board-30133464.html[/url]

(ps, i kid you not, using any proxy or telling others how to use a proxy breaks the law under the current regime in thailand).

[QUOTE=Oldian]Some folks seem to really enjoy it there. Yeah, the girls speak English (which isn't such a bonus if one can speak Thai), but I found that accommodations were far more pricey than Thailand (including what one got for the money, on the low end), Manila is a fairly unsafe and unappealing city, and the biggest one is that the food in the Philippines ranks up there with the world's worst. Other than that, no complaints.[/QUOTE]Oldian, lots of places with good prices, there are more and more places popping up all the time, remember, Bangkok used to be expensive until all the boutique hotels starting popping up.

Like this one, a good deal if you ask me, and the food in the bar is great too :

[url]http://www.howzat.ph/howzat_inn.html[/url]

Manila used to be a little dangerous, but I find it very much ok now, no more or less hassles or aggro than Bangkok if you ask me.

Food, so many restaurants there I do not know how you can say food is no good, unless of course you are talking "local" food, in which case yes Thai food is good.

Anyway, each to their own. Given the present government (military) in Thailand, and given the new anti-corruption President in the Philippines, given the strength of the Baht and the relative (to the Baht) weakness of the Peso, they could finally turn Manila into solid competition to Bangkok in the coming years.

You never know.

[QUOTE=TimTimGuy]Guys, you're scaring me![/QUOTE]


Maybe the wedding can be held at the Penthouse, and party moved to the Ktten Club thereafter and when the honeymoon is over Kumbu can write his story for those that didn't get invited?

LBM

[QUOTE=The Pro]You should be aware that using any kind of anonymizer is illegal under Thai law...[/QUOTE]

Yes, I know. Prostitution too is illegal in this country as everybody knows!

[QUOTE=The Pro]... and in the present climate you could get banged up for it...[/QUOTE]

If you are using a proxy only to get some porn (not of the kiddie sort, of course!) and don't have anything related with local political matters on your computer, the risk of a harsh punishment exists, but is minimal in my humble opinion.

Anyway, it's a good reminder and people should use these tools and services knowingly and at their own risk.

[QUOTE=The Pro]Bangkok used to be expensive until all the boutique hotels starting popping up.[/QUOTE]Er, no. Bangkok, and Thailand in general, has always offered really good value for money in accommodation. All the boutique hotels have done is to offer a bit more style in the mid-price range (B1500-2500). What's getting expensive now in Bangkok, unfortunately, are the girls.

[QUOTE=The Pro]Oldian, lots of places with good prices, there are more and more places popping up all the time, remember, Bangkok used to be expensive until all the boutique hotels starting popping up.[/QUOTE]

I guess you mean like Livingstones. So your own hotel venture fell through and you've moved the concept to PI?

Thank you.

This is the point I was trying to make earlier about the exchnage of hard information. For example, I added them to my palm/phone, now I can simply refer to the information right on the spot.


[QUOTE=Evianist]Not positive and I might be missing a few, but:

Rio, Sahara, Deja Vu, Midnite, Spice Girls, Kiss[/QUOTE]

Interesting, a bookeepers assessment of Thailand.

[QUOTE=Kumbu]I was recently in Thailand for a full month – 30 glorious days. On day 1, when I landed, I decided I would track my expenses. So from the time I paid for my taxi to the hotel, until the time I paid for my triple Americano at the airport Starbuck's on my way back, I tracked every baht spent. Maniacal? Maybe. Useful to you? Hopefully.

Gents, with respect, I'm hoping no one will waste our time with cracks about 'what kind of whacko would track their expenses like this?' - that helps no one here. I tracked the expenses for my own purposes, and I share these numbers now on the thought (and hope) that this will be useful information to those planning their first trips. I believe this is in keeping with the basic mission of the ISG, and hopefully it will encourage new users to pony up their $20 and support this great institution.

I am, however, curious to hear what others think of my spending habits. I'm not sure how these numbers stack up against others' expenditures, as I have rarely seen an expense account of this sort published here.

Three notes of warning in interpreting these numbers.
(i) These numbers do [b]not[/b] include the cost of hotel in Bangkok – that was pre-paid, and so you should take that into account.
(ii) I was not frugal – I spent like money was the plague and I had to get away from it. I never once didn't do something because it was too expensive. This is a rather unusual mode for me, but given that the month was all about fantasy (see earlier discussion with Angus Magee, Fon Tok and Oldian), it seemed appropriate. So I ate wherever I pleased, whenever I pleased. I consumed far too much coffee, I double paid for the bus down to Pattaya (because the extra empty seat was comfortable), and I sometimes overpaid girls. I tried to reign in that final urge, but on occasion, I was caught out. I reported on many of my escapades, with numbers included, so you can go back and see the context for the overpaying, if that is what I did.
(iii) These numbers are greatly inflated by the fact that I was based in BKK and I made regular trips down to Pattaya. This meant I double paid on accommodation, plus the cost of transportation, etc. If you spend half your time in Pattaya, and the other half in BKK (or other locations), I think your budget will be far, far leaner.

In total, I spent 127,620 baht over the 30 days, broken down as shown below. The figure to the right of the category is baht (percentage of total expenditure). Notes on each category follow.
1. Girls...................51,950 (40.7%)
2. Drinks.................19,270 (15.1%)
3. Hotel (Pattaya)....19,835 (15.5%)
4. Bus (Pattaya)........2,260 (1.8%)
5. Transportation.......4,793 (3.8%)
6. Food...................17,869 (14.0%)
7. Coffee..................4,935 (3.9%)
8. Miscellaneous.........6,708 (5.3%)

1. Girls. This included Bar Fine, plus payment to girl. Nothing else. In total, I paid into this category 22 times over the 30 nights. Insert your own judgmental statement here :). 51,950 over 22 girls comes to an average of 2,361baht (BF+girl). Considering that on some nights I did FLs from a club for 1,500B, and on other nights I did the Cadillac thing with LT gogo girl (3-4K + BF), an average of 2,361 baht seems about right.

2. Drinks. This included drinks for myself, lady drinks, and drinks for others (e.g., Oscar, Spider, others). I don't have a count of how many lady drinks, personal drinks or 'other drinks' I bought (that really WOULD be maniacal), but I can tell you the 19,270 includes one crazy night when I got fleeced by a girl in Pattaya. Read about it here:
[post]1029542[/post]
If you take that night out of the equation, I think the total would be a good 5K baht lighter.

3. Hotel. This includes hotels in Pattaya only. I stayed at the Nova Platinum and the Dusit D2, the latter being better and more expensive. I think I stayed a total of 10 nights over the month, the last two in the Dusit. In retrospect, this was an exorbitant expenditure. I think I (and you) could be smarter about this – I was essentially double paying for accommodation: I had my hotel room in BKK empty while I played in Pattaya. Not very smart.

4. Bus. This was the cost of the bus to and from Pattaya. As you can see, this is almost negligible, and so by paying for two seats instead of one, I 'wasted' a grand total of 1,130 baht, approximately $35.

5. Transportation. This included all transportation: regular taxis, motocy, tuk-tuk, baht bus in Pattaya, everything. This also included taxis to and from work, which was the most expensive part of that expenditure, as well as a 30-trip BTS card. So all in all, transportation was pretty cheap.

6. Food. Did not include Breakfast in Bangkok (is that a movie starring Sissy Spacek?), as that was included in the cost of the hotel, but it DID include breakfast for the 10 mornings I was in Pattaya. And lunch, dinner, snacks, etc. for me and any companion I was with.

7. Coffee. This is a severe underestimate since when I was at work, my office mates mostly paid for my coffee (nice people they were). I would say that if I paid for all the coffee I drank, it would come to around 8,000baht. Very expensive, IMHO.

8. Miscellaneous. This includes gifts for the secretaries back home, the occasional medication, condoms, bowling fees at the Paragon, etc. I did no touristy stuff, very little shopping (other thank trinkets for people back home), and I did precious little in terms of entertainment other than trolling the sex plazas of Thailand. So you may need to plan on a larger budget in this category.

Now these numbers reflect me, and may not reflect your own experiences. You may be far more stingy with the girls than I am, or far more generous; You may prefer the FLs in night clubs (which is an economical way to do things, if you have the time and charisma) over the gogo girls; or you may go high end and visit places like Pegasus; you may not drink coffee; you may not buy so many lady drinks (or other drinks); you may want to do other expensive things like play golf or parasail. So keep in mind what these numbers reflect.

Were I to tighten the budget, I think I could have done pretty well with around half that budget. In fact, on previous 30-day trips to Thailand, I have indeed done it with a budget of around 70-80K (excluding the cost of hotel in Bangkok) and had a bundle of laughs doing so.

My work is done here.[/QUOTE]

Hey Thailand mongers

I'm heading to Thailand for the first time and am looking for an advice. I'll be traveling in the country for 10 days. Touristy stuff. But I was thinking about whether I should try to get a GFE for the duration of the travel. Will obviously pay her travel expense and some extra, but I'm curious if that is doable in Thailand and if so what is the course, or should I stick with the p4p scene only? The reason for wanting a GFE for the entire trip is so that I don't waste time looking for p4p at every new location I

End up traveling to.

Guys, stop it, please: you're making me blush.

[QUOTE=Fon Tok]I think we might need to start a new thread here...[/QUOTE][QUOTE=TimTimGuy]Guys, you're scaring me![/QUOTE][QUOTE=LittleBigMan]Maybe the wedding can be held at the Penthouse, and party thereafter and when the honeymoon is over Kumbu can write his story for those that didn't get invited?[/QUOTE]

I usually spend less on food (since I eat like khon-Thai - maybe 300B/day) and don't stay in the hi-class hotels either (again same as khon-Thai - maybe 500B/day) "girls" are generally ST off beach road and I don't add up the drinks. but my "misc budget" will usually be over 100k Baht (maybe even per week)

but Pattaya is just another "waypoint on the flight plan" :)