Thailand New Year’s Fever

Time flies… Hey guys, there’s never a truer saying, especially when you are eating into the decades in your life. Another year has almost ended and I wonder where the past 12 months has gone. Furthermore, what an eventful year it has been for Thailand. We look on and wonder what 2009 will have in store for us all. I fear that it will be a slow start for Thailand’s tourism industry. But, ever the optimist, I think things will work out. It will take time, but people will get on with there lives and foreigners will return to Thailand. Just how many decide to visit Thailand throughout 2009 is unknown. Some people predict that Thailand might only receive 7 million foreign visitors in 2009, rather than 14 million. I cannot say how many of course, but I expect there will be more than the predicted 7 million visitors in 2009. Some people tend to underestimate how resilient Thailand is. Bangkok is the gateway to Asia and therefore receives the most visitors in the whole continent. To review the past year, you could call it a mixture of the good, the bad and the ugly…

THE GOOD – The good refers to the fact that we are so spoiled as farangs in Thailand. A friend recently returned from visiting Los Angeles and Las Vegas in the USA. I was a bit surprised to hear that he enjoyed the shopping more than the nightlife. Yes, this is a MAN we are talking about, and he is as straight as a Roman road. He commented, “I have travelled all over the world and nothing compares to Thailand.” Apart from a comfortable lifestyle, he was of course referring to boy-meets-girl. There are so many HOT BABES in Thailand. Multitudes of Thai women are overflowing with the ‘A’ Factor — Adorable, Available and Affordable. Other countries have beautiful women, but many farangs feel that Thai girls are certainly something special. An abundance of Thai women ooze sexuality and they are blessed with natural beauty. Thai women are Thailand’s secret weapon in many ways. I think Thailand has ‘WOMD’ but these are ‘WEAPONS OF MASS DISTRACTION!’ No matter what happens hot-blooded men from around the globe will seek out these hot Thai babes. We must not forget that Thai girls from all lifestyles and social circles are available. Life is still good in Thailand for farang socialites. 

THE BAD – The bad refers to the ongoing political problems in Thailand. Also, it refers to the global economic crisis, which is taking its toll. In many ways, Thailand’s political problems, plus worldwide financial worries has distracted some of us from enjoying our lives. It is feared that 2009 will be a bad financial year for many companies and individuals alike. The unanswered questions are whether Thailand will regain political and economic stability, regain its tourist industry and generally, wake up and smell the coffee! During tough times, the Thais tend to raise prices, because they have no clue about customer care. But, I believe that life is still what we make of it. Thailand will still be here and so will all of the beautiful Thai women. Sexy Thai girls (in their many guises) right across Thailand probably need you more than ever. You can turn a negative into a positive by taking advantage of the multitudes of adorable, affordable and available Thai girls. Well, those of you who are dedicated to hornythology can!

DAVES RAVES — Hornythology is the intense study and handling of dolly birds.

THE UGLY – The ugly refers to continued violence and terrorism around the globe, some of which is happening in Thailand. Parts of the South of Thailand (close to the Malaysian border), remain unsafe and that is an ongoing concern. Sadly, terrorism is a worldwide problem and it is not going to go away. It is so ugly to comprehend that religious beliefs are the root cause of this evil. There is some good news, because terrorist attacks do appear to be more isolated these days. Let’s hope and pray that it stays that way.

The affects of Thailand’s political problems have caused damage to Thailand’s image and economy. Unfortunately, Thailand’s ugly side was exposed for the whole world to see through the eyes of the media. It’s still hard to believe that Bangkok’s international airport was closed for 8 days. In addition, throughout Thailand’s political crisis, we witnessed some of the worst civil unrest in decades. The impact will continue in 2009 to affect businesses in Thailand. Therefore, I think that airlines, tour operators, and Thailand’s tourist industry as a whole, should compromise. This compromise should come in the form of discounts and promotion packages. However, in a country where they are notorious for ‘making something of nothing and nothing of something’ I will be surprised if positive steps actually happen. So come on Thailand surprise us! 

THAI GIRLS TRYING TO BE A CUT ABOVE THE REST

You cannot help but notice how many Thai girls are blessed by Mother Nature. I constantly try to no avail, to appear as though my eyes are not popping out of their sockets! Even though they possess this natural beauty, some Thai girls proceed to have face and boob jobs. I can never understand why attractive Thai girls want a ‘farang’ nose. I think you will agree that we like Thai women because of their natural looks. Lord forbids we have a nation of Thai girls with farang noses! I am sure there are more than a few farang boyfriends, who have been shocked to discover that their Thai girlfriend now has a set of fake knockers. To add insult to injury, she has had a nose job too. Unless it is really necessary, I do not think Thai women should mess around with their bodies and faces. Mind you, I know some Bangkok bar girls who have greatly enhanced their boobs and therefore, greatly enhanced their bank balance! Some go-go bar girls never particularly stand out in the crowd. They are classed as the ‘Plain Jane’ type bar girl.  You know guys, not ugly, but certainly not beautiful either. However, that can soon change when they invest in a boob job. I personally know some previously ‘Plain Janes’ who have had breast implants. WOW! Quite a few boob job bar girls in Bangkok’s go-go bars, get more guys than some people have hot dinners! OK, so we have established that big boobs on a go-go bar girl are understandable. But, young, attractive Thai women who chop their faces to pieces are plain crazy in my opinion. Perhaps some laser treatment to remove bags under the eyes is OK. But, trying to be a ‘cut’ above the rest, with a farang nose job is not OK in my opinion. My point is emphasised in this true Thai tale below…

THAI BAR GIRL CHOPS HER NOSE OFF TO SPITE HER FACE

A friend of mine was seeing a pretty Thai bar girl, but she isn’t pretty anymore. Very angry and in a drunken stupor, she went and had a nose job. It was a very bad nose job and it turned her face into something quite hideous. In some bizarre way, she did this to get back at her farang ‘sponsor’ (missionary man). Apparently, the ‘sponsor’ was against cosmetic surgery, especially nose jobs. And so, she tried to spite missionary man by having a nose job. She endeavoured to chop her nose off to spite her sponsor. This previously pretty Thai girl now has to live with this irreversible mistake for the rest of her life. My friend was left with no choice, but to take her off his ‘to do’ list. They still remain friends, but the relationship is purely plutonic. This particular Thai bar girl has not only changed her face, but she has changed her life too. In this case, a Thai bar girl literally did chop her nose off to spite her face. This is a very sad story indeed.

BANGKOK GOVERNOR ELECTIONS – DRY DAYS IN JANUARY

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but Bangkok is holding more elections. These are to vote for the new Bangkok Governor. Therefore, it is most likely that January 2nd, 3rd and 4th will be ‘NO ALCOHOL’ dry days in most of Bangkok’s bars, go-go bars and nightclubs. This will happen again on January 9th, 10th and 11th. You will be pleased to know that outside Bangkok it is business as usual. Therefore, plan your booze cruise accordingly.    

AFTER DARK ASIA MAGAZINE AND 2009 CALENDAR

Volume 9 of the excellent After Dark Asia magazine is out now. Thailand’s most popular go-go girly magazine costs 160 baht per copy. In Pattaya, After Dark Asia Volume 9 is widely available in bookshops, newsstands and various go-go bars. In Bangkok, copies of After Dark Asia are available from various newsstands, including the two pharmacies next to Bully’s Pub (towards the entrance to Soi Nana). Don’t forget that the 2009 After Dark Asia Calendar makes a great New Year’s gift. You can buy them from Angelwitch in Nana Plaza for the reasonable price of 300 baht.            

 DAVES RAVES – NEW YEAR’S EVE IN THAILAND