Saturday 31 August 2013

Cliteracy 101 - The Truth About The Clitoris

Artist Sophia Wallace Wants You To Know The Truth About The Clitoris.

"It's appalling and shocking to think that scientifically, the clitoris was only discovered in 1998," Wallace told The Huffington Post from her Brooklyn studio last week. "But really, it may as well have never been discovered at all because there's still such ignorance when it comes to the female body."



In 1998, Australian urologist Helen O’Connell published a paper in the Journal of Urology describing the sheer scope and size of the clitoris. She wrote that the unerect clitoris, most of which is subterranean, could be up to 9 centimeters long -- longer, as some have described it, than an unerect penis.

Last year, during her tenure in the Art & Law Residency, Wallace started work on a multi-media project that she hoped would serve to challenge these misconceptions and to lift the veil on this enduring ignorance about the female body.

Aptly entitled "Cliteracy," the project, which is ongoing, includes Wallace's "100 Laws of Cliteracy," street art about the organ, as well as a "clit rodeo" that involves an interactive installment of a giant golden clitoris.



Read the full article at HuffPost.


Thursday 29 August 2013

Bangkok Nightlife - online guide goes live

"Up until now, there hasn't been a comprehensive guide for everything there is to see and do for foreigners in Bangkok" claims BangkokNightlife.com founder – Johannes Bergstrom.




With the launch of Bangkok Nightlife visitor can get weekly reviews, articles, and the latest information of what is going after the sun goes down in the city that never sleeps. Bangkok Nightlife provides the most unique and comprehensive video guide to Bangkok’s restaurant, clubs, bars, go-go and cultural scene.

Also, what is a unique feature are our up-to-date Happy Hour and Great Deals pages, which provide the visitors with a stream of offers for a week or two ahead of time.


Myanmar opens its doors to foreigners

Myanmar has allowed foreigners holding its visas to freely choose to travel to the country via any of its six entry channels.



The channels cover three land border crossings in Chiang Rai's Mae Sai district, Tak's Mae Sot district and Ranong's Muang district and three air entry ports through Myanmar's airports in Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw.



Wednesday 28 August 2013

Bumpy Road Ahead for the Thai Tourist Industry?

Thailand currently has a number of tourism related issues that many feel are critical to address if Thailand is to be able to compete against other neighbouring countries that are embracing tourism for all it is worth, such a Malaysia and Singapore.



So what are the problems that Thailand must deal with in order to compete? There are the usual concerns such a safety and the rising level of violent crime. Whilst Thailand has a population of just 1/6th that of the United States it’s gun related crime is six times higher.
On top of that we have the continuous reports of foreign tourists being mugged, scammed and raped; all of which are taking their toll on the number of foreign tourists visiting Thailand.

For a tourism industry to flourish a number of key ingredients are needed; safety, friendliness, competency and above all the ability to communicate.

Of course, for this to occur, the Thai authorities and Thai people must change their attitudes towards foreign nationals. Foreign tourists should never be viewed upon as simply being cash-cows but rather as valued guests that allow Thais to learn about other cultures. Tourism, when handled by an effective Government, produces benefits not only for its country in economical terms but also in the education of it people as it promotes a wider understanding.



Currently Malaysia is ahead of the tourism numbers with approximately 25 million visitors a year compared to Thailand’s reported 22 million. Of course neighbouring countries such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos are also concentrating on the tourist trade and as Myanmar steps into the scene the number of foreign tourists available is being spread even thinner.
There is no doubt that Thailand is at a crossroads and it has a clear choice but whether those ruling the country will sacrifice their power and wealth through their continued control is another matter but will ultimately seal the fate of Thailand as a nation and tourist destination.

Read the full article at Meebal. Worth reading as it contains links to many additional articles supporting their case for concern regarding the future of the Thai tourist industry.

EMIRATES is boosting capacity between Dubai and Bangkok

EMIRATES is boosting capacity between Dubai and Bangkok by adding a second daily Airbus A380 service and upsizing its aircraft on existing operations.



The airline will begin its second daily A380 service on October 27 and upgrade its regular Bangkok-Dubai route from an A330-200 to a Boeing 777-300ER, starting September 1.

Read the full article at TTG Asia.


Tuesday 27 August 2013

Monday 26 August 2013

Aussie couple in Bangkok bag-tamper marijuana scam scare

A Melbourne couple say they were fortunate not to have fallen victim to tough Thai drug laws after marijuana was planted in their luggage.

About to check in for a flight from Phuket to Bangkok, the couple noticed their bags were overweight, but it wasn't until they realised that one of the bags was missing a lock and part of her boyfriend's suitcase had been cut through. that they thought something was strange.



They took their bags to a nearby hotel and, after a search, found marijuana in a small pocket of a bag inside woman's suitcase.
She suspects that she and her boyfriend were victims of a scam that should have involved fake police or customs officers.

Read the full article at The Brisbane Times.

Rag - scary stuff. 

Pity the article doesn't report when/where the bags were out of the couples sight - hotel, taxi, airport and which hotel they stayed in. You also have to wonder if the 'officials' involved the scam were fake. If they were about to check in where would they have come in to contact with fake officials? Outside Bangkok airport possibly but you have to wonder?    


Britain's Female Sex Tourists

They are called ‘bumsters’ in Gambia, ‘Rastitutes’ or ‘beach boys’ in the Caribbean and ‘sanky pankies’ in the Dominican Republic.

These are the men who, in increasing numbers, are providing sex in return for money or goods to women who want a holiday ‘romance’. The men are invariably from impoverished families, have little or no education and are sometimes illiterate.



Most of the women are white, middle-aged or older and come from Europe and North America. They travel alone or with female friends and often have a history of unhappy relationships with men at home. They are looking for attention and excitement but end up, often without realising it, being one half of a prostitution deal.

At night, in bars playing loud reggae, young men would pull older white women to their feet and show them how to do ‘dirty dancing’, by way of ‘introducing them to my body’, as one man told me. It was an unusual sight — women, some in their 70s, bumping and grinding with men young enough to be their grandsons and drinking Red Stripe beer out of cans.

Each year, as many as 600,000 women from Western countries are said to engage in sex tourism

Read the full article at Mail Online.

Rag - couldn't sex tourists save a lot of money if male sex tourists hooked up with female sex tourists.....


Sunday 25 August 2013

Sexy Asian Lady #137

Goldfinger said that if I looked down at him like this HE'd be hypnotised.....




Saturday 24 August 2013

Friday 23 August 2013

Club Insomnia Pattaya's August Full Moon Party

An album of photos from Club Insomnia Pattaya's August Full Moon Party.

Either I'm getting less pickie or the girls are getting prettier......



I'm watching EPL on Thai CTH

Thanks to Rag reader Terry W., I had two CTH satellite boxes installed at my home today just two days after placing the order. Looking good, bye bye Truevisions.


Sky News HD

It cost me Bt1,500 for two boxes, Bt500 for two HDMI cables and Bt250 for a cable splitter. That was it, no charge for cable and no obvious charge for labour. Could I have bought the HDMI cables and splitter cheaper elsewhere? Possibly, but the guy did such a good job I didn't quibble.

Everything's installed and I haven't paid anything yet for the channel package. On top of that, the satellite guy went to CTH Laem Chabang to pick up the CTH boxes and had them coded at the shop. I believe the coding normally happens after installation and you can wait days for the technician to turn up to do the job.

There are 274 channels, at least half of which are in Thai. No problem for me as there are more than enough English channels to keep me happy. What's the 'Men' channel all about I wonder - beautiful women sitting around in their underwear. Might be of interest if I was in Saudi but I can't see it having much value to the male population of Thailand......

So far so good. The electronic program schedules are a bit inconsistent, some listed, some not but I  can live with it. Oh and did I mention the footie......

Update: I forgot to mention the Bt1,800/- deposit I had to pay CTH on each box.


Online uproar leads to Bangkok cabbie's arrest

Intimidating taxi drivers can no longer escape the long arm of the law partly because many victims can now speak up on the Internet, which is what led to the arrest of Thanet Boonsermsap, 37, in Samut Prakan yesterday.



Thanet drives a pink taxi with licence plate number "Tor [Tahan] Sor [Sala] 856" and there have been many reports on the social media of his extortion and intimidating behaviour. Just on Wednesday, a woman lambasted him for banging her car on a Bangkok road via an Internet post that was widely reported.

Rag - Love this and it's given me the idea to start a Facebook group for you to comment on bad Pattaya song-taew and motor-cyke taxi drivers. It's an open group so post your good and bad experiences, if you have any.


Thursday 22 August 2013

Beautiful Krabi, Thailand




Sonic Bang - Bangkok

Reminder - It's this weekend.




Wednesday 21 August 2013

Tuesday 20 August 2013

Airlines Scramble to Land in Myanmar, but Visas Still up in the Air

Foreign airline companies big and small are falling over one another in a battle for landing rights in Myanmar to tap into Southeast Asia’s new and rapidly rising tourist destination.

Myanmar may still be a long way behind its neighbor Thailand in visitor numbers, but since President U Thein Sein began opening up the country two years ago, tourism has become one of its biggest businesses.

More than 20 foreign airlines now fly direct to several cities in Myanmar, ranging from the big German holiday package charter operator Condor to Thailand’s tiny Nok Air.



Major European airline companies are still hesitant about starting up services directly to Myanmar. For example, while the Middle East’s Qatar Air flies out of London to Yangon via its Doha hub base, British Airways flies to Bangkok, where passengers have to transfer to Bangkok Airways for a Yangon connection. Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi does the same out of London.

Both Singapore Airlines and its budget carrier subsidiary Silk Air connect with Yangon, vying with budget line Jetstar, which is owned by Australia’s major airline Qantas.

China Eastern Airlines and All Nippon Airways, or ANA, fly direct between Tokyo and Yangon.

Japan Airlines and Mitsubishi Logistics Corporation have launched a joint venture cargo business to and from Myanmar.

Other regional airlines now servicing Myanmar include Malaysia Airlines, Laos Airlines and Vietnam Airlines, while another major carrier using its budget subsidiary for Myanmar routes is Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific, whose Dragon Air is expected to attract mostly Chinese passengers.

Another issue, according to TTR Weekly, is when Myanmar will relax its visa requirements for citizens of fellow Association of Southeast Asian Nation (Asean) member states.

“Although tourism is opening up, there has been no clear indication when Myanmar will comply with the Asean requirement that all 10 member states should allow visa free entry for up to 14 days for Asean region citizens,” the magazine said.

The Myanmar Tourism Promotion Board in June told a regional tourism conference in Bangkok that a review of the present rules would be made “soon.”

Read the full article at the Irrawaddy.


Monday 19 August 2013

CTH and EPL cable feeds in Pattaya

I was in the CTH shop on Sukhumvit, (near Index), a few days ago and inquired about the availability of cable feeds for CTH channels in Pattaya. They advised me they only handled satellite feeds, it was a shop on South Pattaya Road that handled the cable feed installations. That's all they knew, a shop on South Pattaya Road.

Over a month ago I'd actually registered for a CTH cable feed with a Sophon shop on the corner of South Pattaya Road and Third Road. So I assumed that was the shop I still had to deal with for a cable feed. I went back there today and was advised they were no longer in partnership with CTH for cable or satellite installations. Where was my month old application I inquired. Don't know was the helpful reply.



After a bit of digging around on the Internet I found a telephone number for CTH Pattaya, (085-2460007), and phoned to check their location. Turns out the shop for CTH cable feeds is now on the corner of Soi 1, South Pattaya Road, just around the corner from the Vientiane Restaurant.

I like Treasure Hunts so this was starting to be fun........   Anyway I get to the shop only to find they will only have cable feeds in Pattaya in THREE MONTHS TIME...... MAYBE...... FFS......

As a compromise, I was told I could have a satellite feed installed in about 1 weeks time and then change that to a cable feed when the cable boxes become available for NO EXTRA CHARGE. I've a feeling satellite installations are more expensive than cable installations so I think I'm being mugged somehow..... hay ho, another day in paradise.

An existing user of CTH satellite was in the shop and said in his opinion CTH channels were much better than Truevision's for one third of the price. He also confirmed EPL matches are broadcast with English commentary and the pundit panels for previewing/reviewing games were also being broadcast, if you are in to that sort of thing.

Note 1 - the CTH shop on Sukhumvit said they could install a dish/feed in 2 days whereas the shop on South Pattaya Road said they would take 1 week. Maybe the latter was just being honest.....

Note 2 - CTH have EPL broadcast rights for 3 seasons and you have to pay 3 years monthly channel fees in advance to benefit from the promotional price of Bt599/- plus tax per month. That's approx Bt24,000. You then have to add the charges for installation of dish/box/caable. I believe you have to add Bt200 to the monthly channel fee for each additional TV you add to the feed.

Hope that helps.... clear as mud.......


Asian overloading Vs British overloading

When it comes to getting the biggest load on  a vehicle there is really only one winner.....





Trundling along at 30mph this crazy couple try to get home with TWO sofas strapped to the roof of their Nissan Micra.

Judging by these photos it's no competition. Asia the winner.

If you want to see more photos of amazing loads in Asia go to The Mirror.


Saturday 17 August 2013

Friday 16 August 2013

Wednesday 14 August 2013

All you ever wanted to know about Myanmar

A quick and quirky guide on what to see, do, eat and drink in this up-and-coming Southeast Asia star.



Take a cab to town after arriving at Yangon's International Airport and you’ll quickly realize you've arrived in a place like no other.

Your taxi driver may have replaced his seat with a garden chair.

Without doubt, he’ll be wearing what looks like a skirt and chewing betel, which has turned his mouth a crimson red.

There might be a hole in the floor of the vehicle, or the steering wheel could be upside down.

It's a theme that'll continue throughout your trip.

With a lack of international brand saturation and an abundance of parks, lakes and gleaming pagodas, vibrant street life and friendly locals, Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city and former capital, is a city worth getting to know before venturing elsewhere in this strange, wonderful country.

For information on Yangoon's hotels, nightlife and shops go to 'Why Yangoon is hot right now' and 'Yangoon: Colonial buildings, artisan cheese and local art'.

For information on what to eat go  to '10 meals every visitor to Myanmar should try'.

For information on Myanmar's beaches go to 'Myanmar's best beaches'.

Footnote: A recurring theme in articles on Myanmar is good accommodation is in short supply so make sure you have a rock solid reservation before travelling.


Tuesday 13 August 2013

Monday 12 August 2013

Sexy Asian #132



Amazone Cartoon Network Theme Park, Bang Saray, Thailand

Scheduled to open late 2013.



Amazone will be Cartoon Network's first water park, with rides inspired by the channel's most popular characters, including Ben 10, The Powerpuff Girls, Johnny and Johnny Bravo.

Younger visitors can play on what will be the world's largest interactive play fortress, while elsewhere there'll be a lazy river, speed-racing slides and an enormous wave pool.

For more info on this and 10 other theme parks scheduled to open in the next 12 months go to CNN,com.

Perseids meteor shower starts Tuesday

The Perseids meteor shower will be visible in Thailand in the early hours of tomorrow if clouds do not block the view of the night sky.



The meteor shower, which happens when trails of debris left by the Swift Tuttle comet collide with the Earth's atmosphere, will be expected from "all directions in the sky" across the country between midnight and 5am Tuesday, astronomer Worawit Tanwutthibandit said Sunday.

Clouds could be a party pooper.......

To read more on Perseids go to the Bangkok Post.


Bangkok's Best Restaurants 2013

When it comes to dining in Bangkok, the question is not what, where, or even when to eat. With so many possibilities just outside your hotel’s doorstep, you might wonder how best to experience it all.



We tried many and it took a while but here are our favourite 18 restaurants.


Sunday 11 August 2013

Saturday 10 August 2013

Sexy Asian Lady #129 and #130

Two for the price of one today.....






Friday 9 August 2013

Sexy Asian Lady #128



Sonic Bang International Music Festival, Bangkok - 24th August

Sonic Bang International Music Festival, at Impact Arena, Muang Thong Thani, Bangkok, on 24th August from 10,00am till late.

30 bands, 6 stages, 1 day.



Timetable of events:



Thursday 8 August 2013

Insomnia Pattaya's Sexy Black Party

An album of photos from Insomnia Pattaya's recent Sexy Black Party.



10 rules for managing your penis

Recent news stories involving sexting, wine, toasters, politicians and penises indicate some men are losing the plot, so here are 10 rules for keeping your penis out of trouble.......



Amazing to think the fire brigade has had to warn men not to put their genitals in toasters, radiators and vacuum cleaners. 

Rag - Was the toaster powered on?

Read the list of rules at The Guardian.

Wednesday 7 August 2013

Sean Kelly to Lead Road Bike Tour from Bangkok to Phuket

SpiceRoads Cycle Tours has announced that legendary pro cycling champion Sean Kelly will be leading a road bike tour from Bangkok to Phuket, Thailand, on January 31- February 7, 2014.



This special road bike tour is designed for cyclists that want to push themselves hard each day and at the same time have an opportunity to ride with a former professional cyclist.

Read the full article at Adventure Travel News.

Tuesday 6 August 2013

Sexy Asian Lady #127



Thaksin's mega project to connect Bangkok with deep-sea port at Dawei, Myanmar staggers on

THE Burmese city of Dawei lies 350 kilometres (220 miles) west of the Thai capital, Bangkok. The two are separated by a stretch of mountainous jungle and have never been connected. But over the past five years, Thailand’s biggest construction company, ItalianThai, has cut a swathe through the jungle which, once paved, will cost roughly $1m per kilometre of road. The plan is that it will connect Bangkok with a $50 billion industrial hub and deep-sea port at Dawei on the Andaman Sea.



The plan is epic in scale. At 205 square kilometres (80 square miles), the project area is the size of the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, and nearly ten times as big as Thailand’s largest industrial area at Map Ta Phut. Thailand has a coastline on the Andaman Sea, but it is in the south of the country. Dawei’s proximity to Bangkok and the cheapness of Myanmar’s labour and land are attractive. And, crucially, the port would be a long way north and west of the potential chokepoint for shipping at the Strait of Malacca. Boosters of the project in Thailand suggest, somewhat implausibly, that it will increase annual Thai GDP by 2%. The hope is that the Thai middle class could soon be driving their Japanese cars over the mountains and through the jungle into Myanmar. In anticipation of a new gateway for international trade and tourism into South-East Asia, land prices in some parts of Thailand’s Kanchanaburi province have already begun to rise.

Read the full article at The Economist.


Monday 5 August 2013

Sexy Asian Lady #126


Can you feel the burn?


Thai Boost-Up Bra Advert goes Viral

Naughty vid that will appeal to many regulars at the I-Rovers, LK Metro.



via Coconuts Bangkok


Bagan: Trip of a Lifetime

Bagan in central Burma is one of the world’s greatest archeological sites, a sight to rival Machu Picchu or Angkor Wat but – for the time being at least – without the visitors. The setting is sublime – a verdant 26 square-mile plain, part-covered in stands of palm and tamarind caught in a bend of the lazy-flowing Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) river and framed by the hazy silver-grey of distant mountains.

Bagan: Trip of a Lifetime

Rising from the plain’s canopy of green are temples, dozens of them, hundreds of them, beautiful, other-worldly silhouettes that were built by the kings of Bagan between 1057 and 1287, when their kingdom was swept away by earthquakes and Kublai Khan and his invading Mongols. Some 2,230 of an original 4,450 temples survive, a legacy of the Buddhist belief that to build a temple was to earn merit.

To read the full and informative article go to The Telegraph.


Sunday 4 August 2013

Internal Security Act imposed in Bangkok

The Thai authorities, fearing violence at an anti-government rally on Sunday, have placed three districts in Bangkok under the country’s Internal Security Act (ISA) until Aug 10. These districts are Dusit, Phra Nakhon and Pomprap Satruphai.

The area affected is inside the red line:

bangkokISA

Read the full article at ScandAsia.


Saturday 3 August 2013

Friday 2 August 2013

Rocket Ball, Bali Hai, Pattaya

"2 SKY PATTAYA Rocket-Ball is a truly breathtaking experience where two brave riders are catapulted high up into the air at totally thrilling speeds, spinning and bouncing as they go!!! "



The Rocket Ball ride consists of two steel towers with a special cord connected to each tower. Both ends of the cord are attached to a caged steel vehicle in which 2 riders are seated. The vehicle is pulled to the ground, where riders board. When the vehicle is released from the loading station, the cords engage, sending riders on a high-speed vertical launch 50 meters into the air at speeds of 100 KPH in one second and 5G force power.

If you want to see what the ride is like check out the following video. Only funny if you are not actually on it!!!!