Looking back on my first sojourn to Thailand I thought I’d share my impressions.

I found the Thai people to be friendly and pleasant overall.  They generally carry themselves with an air of dignity and pride.  For example, even the beggars were gracious and never harassing.  The would sit demurely on the sidewalk with a cup in front of them, never asking but always thanking you for whatever pittance you provided.  Similarly, the street touts and vendors would show you their wares, and if you declined their offering they would simply walk away.  That was a nice change from being continuously hassled as in the norm in the Philippines.  I make it the first point here because dealing with third world poverty and desperation really wears me down.  And while I of course felt sympathy for the unfortunates, I appreciated the fact that it was not constantly in my face.  I mean, you do what you can, but you can’t help everyone.  When I ask to not be bothered I appreciate those wishes being respected.  That was almost always the case in Thailand.

I found Thai women to be quite attractive and they carry themselves with a certain grace that is quite appealing.  Regular readers know that there is something about the style and manner of Korean women that really trips my triggers, but I’ll say that Thai women come in at a close second on my (mental) listing of the relative beauty of Asian women.

I rather enjoyed Bangkok and its vibrant streets.  I mostly walked everywhere I went and never felt uncomfortable in doing so.  There is of course a well-established night life catering to whatever your particular tastes might be.  As I’ve written before, I’m not into the whole “go-go” bar scene with nearly naked (or in some cases totally naked) gals shuffling around on a stage.  Not criticizing those who enjoy that kind of thing, but it leaves me cold.  Luckily, the streets are also full of beer bar type establishments which I much prefer.  I find it quite entertaining to sit at an outside table and just watch the world go by.  Yeah, pathetic as it may be.

My impression of Bangkok was that it is relatively clean and modern.  To be sure, it’s not up to Seoul standards but it is also nothing like that disgrace of a city called Manila.  Infrastructure was mostly good and I found it pretty easy to get around.

Wide streets, modern buildings…

Would I consider living there?  Probably not.  I’d return for a visit but it just didn’t feel like a place I could call home.  Can’t put my finger on why exactly, just so big and alien I’d feel disconnected and estranged somehow.  Granted, I was only there six days so maybe I’d get more comfortable in time.  I did meet a couple of expats and enjoyed their company so that was good.

What can I say about Pattaya?  It’s a huge tourist destination.  Reminded me a little of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, except with prostitute bars.  There were some nice scenic areas along the waterfront and many high-rise condominiums.  Lots of expats around, so I guess I could fit in.  But here’s the thing, sitting in the beer bars watching the people pass by made me consider whether I’d ever really want to fit in with that crowd.  Not being critical, but I’m honestly not a whore monger.  And that seems to be the main attraction for guys in my demographic.

Oh my!

What I found especially shocking was the number of old farts I’d see trolling the streets.  Now, I’m no spring chicken obviously, but these guys looked like refugees from a nursing home.  Old as dirt, shuffling along with canes and walkers.  I’m like “I don’t want to wind up that!”  On the other hand, I assume they’ve found what makes them happy in life, something I’ve not managed to accomplish as yet.

I could certainly do worse than Pattaya…

Anyway, while I could make do in Pattaya I suppose, I’m hoping to do better than making do when I re-retire next year.

There are two more places I want to see in Thailand before I make any final decisions—Phuket and Chaing Mai.  Heard good things about both, and from what I’ve heard Chaing Mai might be more my speed.

One big issue for me with Thailand is the language barrier.  Yes, I could learn some of the language, just like I’ve done in Korea.  But ordering up beer and asking for the restroom is a long way from having a meaningful and satisfying conversation with the locals I’d live amongst.  And I think my inability to speak Korean with my Korean wife was a large factor in the failure of that marriage.  I definitely do not want to make that mistake again!

In a future post I will do a little comparison of the places that are on my short list of potential retirement destinations.

Stay tuned!

The King of Thailand died yesterday.  As an American I’ve never been keen on the monarchy concept.  But by all accounts, Bhumibol Adulyadej was revered by the Thai people and he seemed to have a genuine concern for the well-being of his citizens.

I’m wearing black today in respect for the mourning of the Thai people.
The King is dead! Long live the King!

Things seem pretty much business as usual here in Bangkok, with one notable exception. Last night I walked over to see what was happening at Nana Plaza.  It was dark. That’s huge!  Got back to my Soi and all seemed normal.  Until the police showed up.  In brown shirts. Whereupon they ordered all the bars to close down immediately.  That certainly put a damper on my usual routine.  Not sure how long this restriction on alcohol consumption is going to last, I’ve heard rumors of 30 days.  I’m supposed to compete in a dart tournament tonight, we’ll see if that is still happening.

Last night’s dining extravaganza:

I don’t always travel to Thailand, but when I do I eat Mexican food.

I guess it is apparent that I’m taking a bit of a holiday from the low-carb lifestyle as well.  I’ll get back on the program when I return home on Sunday.  At least I’m maintaining my walking rhythm.

In other news, I foolishly failed to pack a sufficient quantity of vaping juice to get me through the week.  I realized this on Tuesday.  Went online to see if there were any retailers in the area only to discover that not only does no one sell vape supplies, they are illegal to even possess.  Well, I had heard that on the street and now I’m glad they didn’t search my carry on bag when I arrived at customs.  I brought 10 vaping pens and 90 ML of oil with me.  I’ve since lost one of my pens and consumed 80 ML of juice.

Anyway, I was trying to decide what to do.  Cut back on consumption, go full on and deal with nicotine withdrawal symptoms when I’d exhausted my supply of oil, or heaven forbid, buy a pack of cigarettes.  As I contemplated these options while walking the streets of Bangkok yesterday afternoon I happened upon a street vendor selling vaping supplies.  It was a bit of kismet because I normally don’t even look at the crap being sold on the street.

I’m a little worried about the quality of the ingredients, but it is a load off my mind knowing I’ll be able to feed my addiction.

Now it’s time to head out and burn some of those carbs I’ve been consuming.  See you on the other side!

UPDATE:  I guess it’s official.  No nightlife for 30 days.

So, I can cross Walking Street in Pattaya off my bucket list.

I came. I saw. I drank. I left.

Walking Street is a bar district on speed.  I sampled just a few of them.  More of the same really, just more of it.  How many gals can you watch dancing in a bikini (or less) before it gets old.  My tolerance seems to be approximately one beer.

Oh my!

Actually, this is low season.  And a Tuesday night.  The ratio of bargirls to customers was probably 5-1 in the joints I visited.  Even the street was relatively empty.  I’ve been reading online that the bars are really struggling.  The Chinese are visiting by the busload, but they are just looky-loos, didn’t see any of them partaking of the nightlife–just photographs from the street.

As regular readers know, I much prefer sitting at a street side table with a cold beer and watching the people go by.  I was pretty surprised to see western men with their American-sized gals checking out the night life.  I can only imagine what was going through their heads (him: I could have this instead of that!, her: oh these poor exploited women, these bars must be closed forever!).  Ah, but who knows?

Which reminds me of the time I was sitting at a bar and these two largish women were talking in what sounded like a Scottish accent.  Being friendly, I asked “are you ladies from Scotland?”.  I got a dirty look and a snide “no, Wales”.  I politely responded, “sorry, are you whales from Scotland?.  Bada bing!

There was something on walking street to cater to every demographic.  Russian bars, Indian nightclubs, and of course the infamous “ladyboy” clubs.  Being both open minded and curious, I ventured into one called Katoeys are Us.  I sat down and ordered up a beer. I got big smiles and waves from all the dancers on stage.  There was one “gal” across the room who challenged me to a stare fight.  Or so it seemed.  I lost so called her over for a drink.  She was quite lovely actually and had a beautiful smile to compliment her overly large and obviously fake breasts.  Given our lack of a common language and my nervousness as she started rubbing my thigh, that’s as far as the conversation went.  I downed my beer and headed back out to the relative safety of Walking Street.

In my haste to escape I realized that I had failed to empty my bladder.  I *almost* made it to another bar’s restroom, but did experience some leakage before I could relieve myself.  I was embarrassed by a fairly obvious wet spot on my blue jeans so I began to make my way home.  I took the Beach Road route figuring it would be less crowded and dark enough to hide my shame.  Was surprised at the number of free lance prostitutes I encountered there.  Some were quite attractive but I’m even less interested in street hookers than I am of the gals who ply their trade from the go-go bars.  I quickly crossed the road and discreetly sat at an outside table at Hooters where I enjoyed watching them ply their trade over a beer and chicken wings.

Yesterday I took a nice long walk (24,000 steps) and worked up a good sweat.  Decided to stick close to home for my nighttime activities.  So many bars, so little time!

“Fcuk Inn. Liquor in the front. Poker in the rear”.
Gotta give ’em props on the creativity, but I never actually went inside to partake of either.

I did have a couple of beers at a street side bar and enjoyed watching the katoey’s in a bar across the road work hard at trying to entice passerby to come inside for a unique experience.

Good luck with that!

I had heard that you really couldn’t tell the difference. Taller than normal, lots of makeup, fake tits are all tell-tale signs. Still, many are quite attractive and I have no issues with folks who go for that kind of thing. Me? I’m a lesbian trapped in a man’s body. I only like women.

In my wanderings, I came across another creatively named bar:

I’m no Donald Trump but I grabbed a beer here anyway…

Turns out the name of the bar was intended to be ironic. Or so it appeared. 
Actually, I quite enjoyed chatting with Gee. She was kind enough to let me use some mosquito repellent for my legs, I reciprocated with a drink for her. It was nice to have a decent conversation in English, although we confined ourselves to topics like travel and the relative merits of vaping versus smoking. Definitely a girl with something extra!

Today I’m heading back to Bangkok to finish out my holiday in Thailand.  Later I’ll post my impressions and observations of Pattaya overall.  The community, not the bars.  Promise!

Well, I’m not the world’s most physical guy, but when she held me tight she nearly broke my spine, oh my Lola.

Well I’m not dumb but I can’t understand why she walked like a woman but talked like a man, oh my Lola.

Literally.

Hired a driver through my new friend Tia (who owns the New Cowboy dart bar) to transport me from Bangkok to Pattaya, about a 2 hour drive.  The driver spoke no English and arrived 30 minutes late, but no biggie.  We got to Pattaya with no problem, but then he couldn’t find my hotel.  Well, I’d written the address down in English, but apparently he didn’t read English so much.  Anyway, he actually stopped and asked for directions 5 or 6 times, but we eventually found our way to the Mareez Lodge.

Worst fucking hotel I can recall ever staying at.  I’d compare it to a Motel 6, but that’s probably not fair.  To Motel 6.  Actually, the room is better than the service, so there’s that. I chose this lodging because of it’s central location and based on the recommendation of Lunian, a nice Romanian guy I met at my hotel restaurant in Bangkok.  I guess our taste in lodging differs.  Anyway, for 20 bucks a night I can suck it up.  It’s not like I’m spending a lot of time in the room anyway.

Anyway, after checking in I figured I’d take a hike and reconnoiter the area.  I was walking pretty much randomly but came upon the infamous Walking Street.

Of course by day it’s almost serene. I’ll check it out in all its decadent glory tonight…

A typical Walking Street venue.

Well, I guess that settles it.

So, I headed back to the hotel via Beach Road but then I totally lost my bearings.  Nothing looked familiar and given that all the street signs were written in a language that looks like scribbling to me, my English language hotel map on the back of a business card was useless.  In desperation (but not panic) I approached a motorcycle taxi driver and asked him if he knew where my hotel was.  Although he spoke no English he seemed to indicate in the affirmative and offered a ride for 40 baht.  I guess the last time I rode on the back of a motor scooter was in Phnom Penh.  I was drunk then but it was still a scary ride.  Totally sober like yesterdayfelt like I was living life on the edge.  Without a helmet to boot.  Well, we rode around for awhile and still nothing looked familiar.  And then he stopped and asked for directions.  Then took me to a place called the Marin, and I tried my best to explain that no, this is not where I’m going.  When he stopped for directions again I finally just gave up in frustration, paid him and started walking again.  I found a neighborhood I’d seen before, but still had no clue as to where my hotel might be.  So I asked another moto-taxi guy who consulted with another driver and he told me to walk 50 meters and turn right.  And sure enough, there it was!  I did manage 17,000 steps on my adventure.

So I stuck close by my lodging last night.  Fortunately(?) there are multitudes of bars to choose from within a 3 block radius.  I chose several.  Dined on street food, although I didn’t go Thai–an egg burger and a chicken kabob.  Both were good, at least as far as my drunken palate was concerned.  There’s a massage place next to my hotel, so I popped in there on my way home.  As I perused the menu I was told they were offering a “two for one” special.  I asked, ‘what’s that?” and was advised four hands for the price of two.  I’m never one to refuse a bargain!  But truthfully, those extra hands were a bit distracting.  I’ll stick with one set in the future.

Got up this morning and took my dirty clothes to a laundry service.  Because it is hot and I sweat a lot, I normally have to change twice a day.  Rather than carry a big ass suitcase I generally just take advantage of getting them washed and folded for less than I hand out in tips to bargirls.  Then I went out in search of breakfast.  I took careful note this time of where I was and identified specific landmarks along the way to ensure I’d find my way back without incident.  And at Jolly’s hotel and restaurant I ordered up a ham, cheese, and mushroom omelette.

Biggest damn omelette I ever did see! And the coffee was excellent too.

After consuming about 2/3s of that monster I commenced to walking.  Found my way back to Beach Road, which led me to Walking Street.  Then I walked down a long ass pier.  Here’s some of what I saw along the way:

The Queen of Thailand…

The ocean.

A beach to the left of me…

And one on the right…

A view from the pier…

And another…

You can see the sea…

Made my way back and although I didn’t leave any bread crumbs along the road, I feel confident now that I can manage to get home tonight without being lost.  Even when I’m drunk, and odds are good I will be.

After a nice long walk it is important to re=hydrate.  And so I did.

I’ve gotten to like the little beer bar across the street from my hotel. Friendly staff, although we mostly communicate with smiles.

Kevin asks in the comments to my previous post if I’m going to be doing anything more interesting than drinking beer, such as riding an elephant.  Probably not.  When I travel alone I don’t usually go for the touristy stuff.  Mostly because it underscores the fact that I’m, well, traveling alone.  I’m content to just go walking about and taking in whatever I come across. Although I do prefer to avoid getting lost.  And the drinking helps me forget about being alone.  And as long as you are buying lady drinks you can pretend that you are not.

Stay tuned for a report on Walking Street at night.  God help me!

Did some more walking around yesterday.  The mission: Find an ATM that has an English interface and replenish my dwindling supply of Thai baht.  Third try was magic.

Had a couple of brews and a nice massage.  Took a nap and headed out to Soi Cowboy to see the sights.  Oh boy.

Soi Cowboy street scene. I won’t be going back I expect.

I’m not a fan of the “go-go” bar scene in general.  Watching young women “dance” in bikinis is just plain ass boring.  I had a beer in a bar called Dollhouse and was shocked and a little disgusted when the girls removed the bikinis and danced totally nude.  I’m sorry, but leaving nothing to the imagination is just not sexy in my opinion.  One beer and I was out of there.

Back on the street I found a nice beer bar and had a very pleasant conversation with my waitress.  First Thai I’ve met that could speak reasonably good English.  I rewarded her with a couple of lady drinks which made her night.

I started walking back to my neck of the woods.  Felt sorry for a couple of the beggars I saw on the street.  A young mother and her filthy child and a young girl of maybe 12 laying on the sidewalk with a cup in front of them and eyes that begged in a way words could never convey.  I handed out 100 baht notes like candy but it didn’t make me feel much better.

I passed by Nana Plaza and popped into Hooters for more beer and people watching.

The view from Hooters. Much cheaper than partaking in the debauchery taking place across the street.

A beer and some chicken tenders and I was out of there.  Well, they screwed up my tab but we eventually got that sorted out.  Finished the night with the best massage I’ve had thus far.  Over tipped the masseuse, bet hey, it’s only money and it made her night.

At breakfast this morning the TV was blaring CNN “news” about the debate.  I asked the manager to turn it off and he graciously did so.  Then we had a very nice  non-political chat.  He’s originally from Romania and is also a fan of the low-carb lifestyle.  Heh, we are even Facebook friends now!  Anyway, he gave me some pointers on where to stay in Pattaya which was much appreciated.  I’ll be heading down there in an hour or so.

Well, at least in Pattaya I can look at the ocean instead of the dancing girls.

Life is grand.

22,000 steps yesterday checking out the lay of the land. First impressions:  Bangkok is no Seoul but it sure as hell ain’t Manila either (Manila being by far the worst place I ever did see).  Bangkok is a big-ass city but for the most part it appears that things work as intended.  Yeah, the traffic sucks but that is true in almost every major metropolis.  The infrastructure is decent, the streets are relatively clean,   I feel generally safer here than I do in the Philippines, and while there is evidence of some poverty it is not as up close and in your face as it is in the PI. There are beggars about but not nearly as numerous as I’m accustomed to seeing in my third world travels and they are certainly far less aggressive than I’ve seen elsewhere.

Part of the purpose of this trip was to ascertain if Thailand might be in play as a future retirement destination.  Thus far I can say that although I enjoy city life, I don’t see Bangkok feeling like home.  It’s no secret that I like to frequent the bar districts, but the types of bars that are in abundance here just don’t do it for me.  With a couple of exceptions the expat community doesn’t seem all that warm and welcoming.  And it was no surprise to discover that the language barrier here is huge.  What little English the locals I’ve met speak is barely understandable.  That’s just not the way I want to live in my adopted “hometown”.

Let’s go to the photos.

Wide streets, modern buildings…

The public transit is above ground…

They drive on the “wrong” side which can be disconcerting and dangerous when you are drunk…

Korean culture is ever present it seems…

There’s even a “Korea Town”.

One more street scene…

During my walkabout yesterday while waiting to cross the street I was vaping away.  A young expat warned me to be careful about vaping in public because it is illegal and the police might harass me about it.  Thailand actually is a police state, well, controlled by the military anyway.  There were cops stationed on just about every corner.  Most of them puffing away on cigarettes.  On what basis they would outlaw the relatively safer and less offensive vaping habit I cannot say.  It did make me a little more discreet and uncomfortable, but not enough to make me not vape while I walk.  Hey, it’s what I do.  Still, one more check mark in the negative column for Thailand.

Yesterday evening I went out to meet Johnny Witkowski at a dart bar called “The New Cowboy”.  While waiting for him to arrive I played a quick game with one of the bar girls.  She actually played pretty well, but not well enough to win.  The only other customer in the bar wanted to give me a go.  A guy from England here to play in a big dart tourney today.  I took him in cricket, and he returned the favor in 501.  So we played a rubber match during which I managed to eek a win.  He’s a more skilled player than I am, but sometimes skill doesn’t win out.  I quit while I was ahead.

Had a nice visit with Johnny.  He’s on old Seoul guy and played in the dart league back in the 90’s, long before my time.  He gave me some tips on finding my way around, and had the bar owner make arrangements for transportation to Pattaya tomorrow.  A good guy who made me feel very welcome in a strange city.  Thanks for that!

It was raining when I left for the dart bar, so I hired a Tuk Tuk to take me there. I wound up getting took took. Charged me 200 baht and left me several blocks from my destination. I’m such a tourist sometimes. Lost one of my vaping sticks in the process to boot. I did manage to find my way to the bar, pretty much by accident.

Of course, when you visit a new country it is important to sample the local cuisine. Me? I had the lemon pepper wings at Hooters. Sue me.

The scene of the crime. I dropped WAY to much money in there last night. The morning after a drunken night feels the same wherever you are in the world.

This afternoon I had a couple of beers in a street side bar called Stumble Inn. Then I had a massage that really sucked. And not in the good way. Came out with three mosquito bites on my leg. The massage itself was good though.

Had lunch at the resto next to my hotel. I had fun watching the girls at the bar across the street getting ready for the work day. This poor gal apparently had a late night and was trying to catch some Zzzz before the customers arrived.

Tonight I’m heading to another entertainment district, Soi Cowboy.  Going to try and be a bit more frugal this time.  Tomorrow at noon I’ll check out and head down to Pattaya.  I don’t think it’s going to be my cup of tea, but I figure I’ll see it once in this lifetime anyway. I’ll return to Bangkok on Thursday.  Playing in a darts tourney on Friday.  Then hooking up with a friend who’s flying in Saturday.  Then I’m outta here in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

More to come!

Bangkok to be precise.

I had it in my head for some reason that my flight was scheduled to depart at 1800.  Had a busy morning at work, and then we had a staff cookout to welcome the wonderful fall weather to Korea.

It was a nice day for a little team building. And eating!

After lunch I had a brief meeting with my Deputy to discuss the “way ahead” during my absence and then I rushed off to Seoul Station to catch the airport railroad express train to Incheon.  On the way down the escalator to the platform I realized that in the rush of things I had forgotten to go by the credit union to grab some cash for my trip.  Damn, I hate when that happens!

Nothing to be done but go the ATM route.  I withdrew W500,000 then exchanged it for Thai Baht.  So I got screwed on the exchange by converting dollars from my bank account to Won (with the added expense of the ATM fee), and then again when I traded Won for Baht (dollars exchange at a higher rate).  And when my initial funds run dry I’ll be hitting ATMs here which is the worst possible way to obtain local currency.  Ah well, who says you can’t put a price on stupidity?

Arriving at Incheon I checked the flight information board and saw that my scheduled departure was 1830, exactly four hours from the moment I was standing there.  Except that the flight had been delayed until 1930.  I like to get to the airport with time to spare, but five hours is a bit much.  So I did my daily 15,000 steps by circumnavigating the terminal a few times, did some vaping in the smoking lounge, and got in the spirit of things by reading some tales from Thailand.

Good reading!

Boarded my flight a little after 1900.  It was my first time flying an Airbus 380, the world’s largest commercial airliner.  I was very pleased to discover that at least the way Asiana configures the cabin I had plenty of leg room.  The kind of leg room you pay extra for on a U.S. flag carrier.  And when the cabin door closed I was delighted to see that I was the only person sitting in my row of seats.  It was after 2130 before we were wheels up, and not long after that I was stretched out and soundly sleeping across three seats.  Quite comfortably in fact, and it made the flight go by like a dream.  Ahem.

We landed in Bangkok just before midnight local time (two hours earlier than Seoul).  The airport is modern and efficient and huge.  After a long hike I made it to immigration and got through the line in about 20 minutes with no issues.  Claimed my bag and went downstairs to catch a cab.

They have a pretty nice system in the cab queue.  All the cabs wait in numbered spaces in the parking area.  You get a ticket from a kiosk with the associated space number for your ride and then you just hook up with your cabbie.  I had a female driver who made me feel right at home by not speaking any English (and my Thai is non-existent at this point). I showed her the address of my hotel from my booking receipt and we were off.

It took about 40 minutes and two expressway tolls to reach my part of town (Nana). One thing I thought about during the ride is the feeling you get on your first visit to a new city.  I mean, it’s a little discomfiting to be completely clueless but also exciting to be experiencing something completely new and different.  That only happens once and I’m really embracing the moment.  Good stuff!

So my hotel is the iCheck Inn.  It is at the end of a narrow alley and my cabbie dropped me off on the main street.  I walked up the road hoping she had indeed left me at the right Soi (street), after after passing several beer bars and massage joints (and being enticed to come in by several lovely ladies) I made it to the entrance of my lodging.  It’s a 3 star venue, but is modern, clean and comfortable.  So far, so good.

By the time I completed check in (at the Check Inn, ha!) and got the room organized, it was after 2 a.m. (4 a.m. in Seoul).  That’s late for me in either country, but given my sound sleep on the flight I had enough energy to explore the neighborhood.  In my alley I found a place to enjoy a beer without being harassed by juicy girls.  I moved a bit further up the alley and had a beer at a bar featuring a live band.  Not my style of music (a Thai version of hip-hop) so it was one and out.  Walked a little up the main drag but everything was pretty much closed down for the night.  Except for the street walkers.  And I ignored their entreaties for company.

Returned to the room and had a very good morning’s sleep.  Up around 0900 and went downstairs for my free breakfast.

I’ve had better coffee, but never a better coffee mug. The breakfast was cooked to order, which I much prefer to buffet style.

Here’s my “alley” by day.

It’s a whole different look when the sun goes down.

And the entrance to my comfortable boutique hotel.

Time now to get on with the adventure.  I’m fixin’ to put on my walking shoes and explore the mean streets of Bangkok by day.  And reconnoiter where I might be spending the nighttime hours.  I’ve actually already hooked up on Facebook with the owner of a dart bar.  Back in the days before my time he played in the Seoul dart league.  Should be fun to meet up and share stories while chucking the arrows.

Stay tuned!