MidTMike

We recently went on the all day adventure with the Grand Pearl Cruise. It started out by bus and ended with a river cruise. The day was spent at the summer palace of the King as well as the ancient city of Ayutthaya, the World Heritage site. The staff were great and spoke English and everything was easy to book and communicate. We used LINE to book and just paid via bank transfer. http://www.grandpearlcruise.com/en/route-program/route-program.html

I bought both a Vitamix and a coffee machine from Bon Cafe and was impressed with their service.

I had a gastric sleeve done at Bumrungrad in December 2017. I thought others might like to hear my experience. First, I spent a lot of time researching and talking to my doctor. He recommended a surgeon for me and I met with him. I liked him and we set a date for the preoperative procedures which included sending a camera down my throat and heart exam, etc. The throat exam was done under anesthesia and thus I remember nothing. But, all the doctors I met with signed off on the procedure so it was a go. The cost for the surgery was estimated at 650,000-700,000 Thai-Baht which included 4 nights in the hospital. The procedure itself took 2 hours. I was in the post op room for 2 more hours and then in my room. The doctors and nurses took great care of me in the room. The first night was very uncomfortable but not a great deal of pain. They did have me on pain killers. It was hard to sleep though although I felt I got more sleep in those 4 days than ever in my life. I had two doctors that checked in on me daily. The nurses were never more than one minute away if I pressed the button. They were professional and the room was great. I opted for a single room and it had a table and chairs and a sofa. It allowed me to move from my bed to different places in the room during the day to sit and read email, etc. The hotel Internet was great and never went down. The food was very bland as I was on an all liquid diet but that was expected. When the doctor released me, I felt fine and no pain. I had to go back to the doctor two times the first week to have the stitches removed and get checked. All was good and after those two visits, I was told to come back in one month. They put me on an all liquid diet and it has been fine. After 2 weeks of surgery I had lost 25 pounds. I can't express how much I recommend Bumrungrad. If others are interested in the doctor's name, PM me and I'll be happy to share.

I had to go to Pantip Plaza to get some cords for my computer. The place is fascinating. Shops in Pantip Plaza offer a wide selection of new and second-hand computers from most of the major manufacturers, together with a selection of secondhand and custom equipment. For me, I have build custom computers in the past and always found decent deals on memory, etc. Here are some photos from around the area and my journey to get to the space.

Under the planned educational reform, Thai children will have access to optimum education and learning in happy atmosphere and become full-fledged under the 4Hs theme - Head, Heart, Hand and Health.

In recent years the number of Bangladeshi students eager to go abroad for higher education has increased noticeably. Studying abroad not only results in achieving foreign degrees but also relevant skills and enriched experiences, as young individuals expose themselves to global cultures. For Bangladeshis, the countries mostly preferred for higher education are the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. However, some students also choose several good universities in Asian countries like Singapore, Malaysia, India and Thailand. I recently visited some of the best ranked universities of Thailand courtesy of the Royal Thai Embassy. I observed that these universities offer excellent academic environment in the global competition for the world's brightest minds. International programmes have been widely encouraged to promote a global education in Thailand. As a result, the number of international programmes taught at Thai higher education institutions has increased considerably. http://www.thedailystar.net/shout/education/higher-studies-thailand-163663

It says much for the current junta’s ability to govern Thailand that they have chosen to exploit the very same idea, or one very near to it, which last year led them to depose their sworn enemy—former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. Or at least that was the feeling after Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak unveiled on October 16th a ‘swoosh’ styled, long-term program to kick-start the country’s lagging economy that featured front-and-center a… rice subsidy scheme. Smoked was nevertheless quick to point out that this new version is far better than that which Yingluck’s government introduced (cue raising of eyebrows.) While Yingluck’s government subsided rice farming by paying an inflated price for the crop, the junta’s scheme paid farmers a direct cash handout last year of 1000 baht per 0.4 of an acre. Yes, there are additional inclusions to the junta’s 35 billion baht plans to boost Thailand’s agricultural structure, such as in diversification of crops, but in essence there is little difference between these plans and those that Yingluck’s government sought to implement. Which tells us one thing: the junta is, to be perfectly blunt, entirely out of ideas. Implementing a policy of this nature in the same week that Yingluck was threatened with having her assets seized to compensate for the alleged failures of almost the exact same policy – a move that has been initiated entirely outside the legal system – is a perfect example of Thailand’s cognitive dissonance. Smoked might be making the right kind of noises about encouraging the Thai people to generate their own wealth and attracting foreign investment (a ridiculous proposition given the current political climate), but the answer so far still seems to revolve around throwing money at the problem and hoping it goes away. As a result of the 2014 coup, the economy is in crisis and no amount of back-pedaling can change that fact. GDP growth was halved compared to the rate expected last year, while exports are set to contract by a worse-than-anticipated 5 percent year on year. Blast from the past When Yingluck Shinawatra introduced what became known as the ‘Rice Scheme,’ she continued her brother Thaksin’s policy of currying grassroots support in the poorer agricultural areas of the north and north-east in order to foster a power base there that could rival that in Bangkok. With over a third of Thailand’s entire population involved in rice farming in some form or other and a purchase price guaranteed that was 50 percent higher than was the usual, Yingluck needed to do little else to secure the support of a now enthusiastic electorate. A significant improvement on her older brother’s earlier attempts to empower the northern electorate through cheap mobile phone deals, Yingluck nonetheless became the second Shinawatra to fall foul of Bangkok’s powerful military. http://thediplomat.com/2015/10/new-rice-scheme-reveals-thailand-juntas-dearth-of-ideas/

Having been a true lover of Olympics for decades, I was happy to see someone I have watched and rooted for come out and tell the world he is gay. I wish him great luck in his life and hope that he finds love and happiness!

I loved the high drama with Hillary regarding the Benghazi hearings. However, she kept her cool and appeared not only Presidential but confident, approachable and calm. She was even funny at time. It was great to see her on this true test of what could have been a horrible day for her rise to the occasion and kick ass!

Bangkok was busy with tourists this week. Many tourists are coming from China and other Asian countries. The vast number of tourists that come from these places will help to curb the loss of tourists that delayed or canceled their trip because of the bombings a few months back. Officials are now saying they expect to have 30 million tourists by the end of the year. That would be a great recovery since just a few months back, the world was predicting a massive slowdown to tourists to Thailand.

I just got back from 3 days in Hero and every day there were tons of sexy guys and beautiful boys. The place is always clean and amazing. The massages are wonderful and the massage rooms are very clean. It is not your typical gay massage in Thailand. It is perhaps one of the very best. After 3 days at Hero, I have to say that it gets better each time I go.

Gay Thailand is busy. The bars are busy and the clubs are busy. The gay areas in both Bangkok and Pattaya (last week) are also busy. But, my recent travel to Thailand told me that Grindr and Jack'ed are also very busy. I found some amazing guys on both. Gay Thailand is fun and enjoyable online and off!

A very interesting story. I did find it interesting the Thai lady said that she didn't know they were not a "normal" couple. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3167994/Gay-fathers-battle-leave-Thailand-surrogate-baby-daughter-mother-says-not-normal-couple-refuses-let-child-passport.html

I travel to India often and the visa process is always painful. But, not they have an online visa applicaiton process which makes it much easier to get a tourist visa.

It has been a while since I stayed in this hotel and I am glad I gave it another try. The rooms were really updated to high standards and I had the biggest TV I had in any hotel. The rooms were large and easy to be very comfortable in. The area is fantastic. You are within walking distance of literally 5 of the best malls in Thailand. There is a great Starbucks across the street. The Executive Lounge is great and they were very professional and helped us with many things. The breakfast was amazing and the people who run the lounge are great. The bellboy who took my luggage up remembered me from over 10 years back as I have been at the hotel before so many times. But, it was nice he remembered details about me and my family and friends. It just makes you feel special when someone at a large hotel like this remembers you. The check in and out were easy, fast and efficient. As a Platinum Royal Ambassador, I feel this hotel went to the max to make me fell my VIP status actually had value in their hotel. The room upgrade was excellent, the VIP lounge was great and the service was wonderful. The rooms were great and they really do have wonderful tech gadgets for those of us who like to stay wired when on holiday. A true first class business hotel. I would recommend this hotel to anyone who has high standards and wishes to be catered to.