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The Grand Palace in Bangkok is a series of buildings right in the heart of the city. A visit to Bangkok without seeing this magnificent compound at least once is a shame. Every time I go there I am transported back to the King and I movie I saw as a child. It really is simply breathtaking and photos do not do it justice. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is one of my favorite areas. It is quite stunning.

For those that need a cell phone repair or a new phone, the place to go in Pattaya is Tuk Com but the place to go in Bangkok is MBK. They have a massive section for cell phone sales, repair, etc. However, every time we tried to take out our cameras, we were asked to put them away. LOL I guess they didn't want photos of all the knock offs? MBK is also a mall with a ton of stores and places to eat. It also has a movie theater. MBK is often the place where my boys say they want to shop when they have some money to spend on clothes. Siam Paragon is for high end shoppers and I can't afford most of the stores there but I love the food court. However, MBK is much more affordable and many Thai's love shopping there. I like the movie theater there and have seen my fair share of movies at MBK. I don't like their food court as much as most other malls in this area but the boys like it as it has a lot of Thai food. All in all, MBK is a fun experience if you have not been there.

I had breakfast at the Plaza Athenee Bangkok, A Royal Meridien Hotel. It is located at: 61 Wireless Road Bangkok, Thailand It is on the same road and not too far from the USA Embassy. Their Sunday Brunch Buffet's are famous but I wanted to try their breakfast buffet as I had a friend staying there and was invited over. The spread of food was great. It served a bit of everything from a great omelet station, a noodle station, waffles, pancakes, pastries, Thai, Asian and Japanese soups and entrees, fruits, cereals, yogurts, etc. I love American style bacon and they had plenty of it. They has a wide variety of drinks but I loved their smoothie shots of chocolate and strawberry protein. Breakfast was at the Rain Tree Café on the ground floor served between 5:30-10:30 AM. I met my friend around 7AM as he has a business meeting. His breakfast did not come with his room but he had a Le Meridan Card that got us 50% off the cost of the food. The regular price must have been around 900 baht each as the final for two of us was 950 baht after the discount. He said he purchased the card for around 8k baht and got several free hotel nights in Bangkok as well as discounts all year. I have not looked into the card but if it is also good for The W, I may have to check it out.

One of the things to do in the daytime in Bangkok is to go to the mall. There are several malls to go to but we always enjoy our time in Siam Paragon. Siam Paragon is HUGE! All size queens should love this mall. It has just about everything you could possible want. In Thailand, when kids in high school get out of school, many head to the malls. Also, this mall is right next to several Universities and several go there to study, meet friends and just hang out in a cool place. First, in order to get to the mall you can take public transportation or taxis. There are good things and bad things about both. For the Skytrain, it is very easy to get around anywhere that there is a skyway stop. Signs are in English and easy to read and understand. Once you buy you ticket once, you will find it a breeze the rest of the time. When you take a taxi in Bangkok during the day, be prepared for traffic. It is a true PITA to get around the city at times but that also depends on where you travel and if you know the times of the day the main traffic hits. Of course, you can always take a motorcycle taxi which is always ready to get you there faster and get out in front of the traffic. Even the animals are often excited to get to the mall. Once at Siam Paragon, you have many choices of things to do. There is a massive food court. I love the giant aquariums that you can beside. There are tons of great stores. There are places to view and buy luxury cars. There is a great bookstore that has English books but also every other language. There is a massive IMax Movie Theater with seats that are amazing and that have regular theaters and VIP theaters as well as IMax. Naturally, there is also just people watching.

Visit #2: Best Pizza in Bangkok Tour A Review of the Finest Pizza in Bangkok Scoozi Pizza The address is hard to find even on their website but the pizza place is right across the street and down a block or two from the Tarntawan Hotel. Scoozi has 18 branches in Bangkok and so this review is only for this branch. We wanted something that was fairly close to the gay bars and choose Scoozi. I have eaten there on many occasions in the past and always enjoyed it. I first found the place many years ago when a friend was in Bangkok studying Thai and I met him and we went there for dinner. I love the inside as you can actually watch the guys making the pizza. The Pizza is cooked on a hot wood fire. It is really fun to watch them and see the progress of your pizza. Tonight, we decided to order the Hawaiian Pizza. The cost was 450 baht. We all had drinks as well. l The pizza crust was great and one of our favorite things. So much so, the BF ate the last piece but only the crust. The pizza had plenty of cheese on it as well as it tasted great. The pizza is supposed to be framed after those from Napoli, Italy. Scoozi has online ordering and having stayed in the Sathorn area in the past, we ordered from it on several occasion and it was good but not as good as the in house. Last night we sat inside but they seats are very uncomfortable. The ones outside are much more comfortable and you do get some eye candy that walks by. Our Hawaiian Pizza was excellent and we all really enjoyed it. We gave it 3.8 stars out of 5. (2 of us gave it 4 stars and one gave it 3.5) Attached are a few photos. http://www.scoozipizza.com

Visit #1: Best Pizza in Bangkok Tour A Review of the Finest Pizza in Bangkok Limoncello Ristorante Pizzeria The Limoncello Ristorante Pizzeria located in one of the most popular restaurant/night club area of Bangkok. A full menu of Italian dishes of the highest quality, is available imported from Italy every week. The Pizza’s made in wood oven is considered among the very best in Bangkok. It is across the street from the Grand President Hotel and it is before you get to Bed Super Club. The place is very cozy with Italian music playing at a level you can hear but enjoy conversations. The yellow and white table tops were cute. There were several families there. This is owned by the same group as Zanotti's. We ordered a special Pizza called the Zanotti with ham and mushroom and a great tasting cheese. We also had drinks and an order of Calamari. We all enjoyed the pizza and the atmosphere. I esp. enjoyed the taste of this pizza. It was not my typical NY Style Pizza I like and the crust was thin and light but the taste was great. Plus, our waiter was a cute boy from Italy. We each gave Pizzeria Limoncello 4 Stars. We all enjoyed it. The cost was 1200 baht. The best thing about this place is that it is on the same soi as my favorite massage place, Hero. So, for those who want an afternoon snack before you get a Hero desert, it is within walking distance. Pizzeria Limoncello Soi Sukhumvit 11, Sukhumvit Road, Klongtoey-Nua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand Tel: +66 02 651 0707

Hospitals in Thailand are much different than they are in the United States. First of all the hospitals here are much cleaner and better organized than they are in the USA. I had some problems with my legs and so I made an appointment to see a doctor at Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok. http://www.bumrungrad.com The main difference between the hospitals in Thailand and the hospitals in America probably comes in the customer service that is presented at the hospitals in Thailand. When you walk into the hospital, you can go to pretty much any doctor that you want to see. You do not have to go to the emergency room in order to see see a physician. You check in at the information desk on the first floor and tell them what is wrong and they will point you in the right direction. You can go for any ailment or issue and not have to pay the high emergency room fees. For me they sent me to see a cardiologist. The cardiologist was on the 15th floor of the hospital. Once they determine what kind of a doctor I need to see, I went up to the floor and gave my information to the nurse at the front desk. Once she had my information they do a blood pressure test and check your weight and then you are asked to sit back down and wait for the doctor to see you. The wait is never long. Or, I should say, not as long as the wait in USA. Once the doctor sees you he makes a plan of what he wants you to do in order to find the problems. For me this was a Doppler x-ray of my legs, a urine sample, blood work, a chest x-ray and some other odds and ends. For me every time I would go to a different part of the hospital a nurse would walk with me and direct me to the next reception area in order to check in. Once I finished in that area, another nurse would take me to the next area. And so on and so forth until I got back to my main doctor. I have had some problems with my legs swelling and my feet swelling since I was in the USA for about 3 to 4 weeks. The doctor in the USA gave me a pharmacy for Lasix for 20 mg. For the last few months I've seen three different doctors in the USA. None of them seem to help at all. None of them also did any test except for some blood work to check to see if there was a problem with the kidney, liver, or the heart. This doctor however prescribed for me to see a radiologist and have a Doppler scan of my legs to be sure that there was no blockage of the arteries that was causing the problem. He also had a chest x-ray and several other x-rays done. All of them actually turned out normal and I had no blockage and I had no problems with any of the x-rays. He prescribed for me 80 mg of Lasix twice per day as opposed to one dosage of 20mg per day. Today was the first day that I've actually seen the size of my legs decrease and the swelling on my ankles decrease. All in all I spent two days at the hospital, I saw a cardiologist, radiologist, a regular doctor, several nurses I had time to test done I was there about six hours each day for two days. The total cost for the two days was right around $1100. Not only is the cost much less than what is in the US, you also get much better service in a Thai hospital then you would get a hospital in the USA. That said, this hospital is a pay hospital is a for-profit hospital. This is not a typical hospital that many Thai people would go to. This is something that is very expensive for their culture. The hospitals clientele consists mostly of foreigners. The majority of those foreigners come from the Middle East. The reason for this is many Middle Eastern countries send their citizens to Bangkok in order to be treated at the hospital. They have an agreement with the hospital to wear any of their medical needs the baby is covered by that country. My Blue Cross Blue Shield policy covers me while I'm overseas but I have to pay out-of-pocket and then get reimbursed from Blue Cross Blue Shield in the USA. I had a very good friend that did a got stamps from the hospital last year. He received three stents was in the hospital for one week and the cost of the entire surgery including follow up visits and consultations and meds was less than US$10,000. For me, the doctors appointment with the cardiologist each day was less than US$25. The cost for the radiologist was a bit more rounded to be about US$100. The radiologist actually did the Doppler of my legs and spent the entire hour with me and didn't outsource this to a technician. The price that I gave you for the cost of the entire two days also included all medicines that they prescribed for me on both days as well as a pair of socks that I that were prescription that would go on my legs. The socks were over 80 USD, which is insane. LOL They cost more than seeing my doctor. I did get a break down of the bill which was fascinating as the costs were so low compared to anything I could get done in the USA. The biggest problem that I have with the hospital is the area that it is located. The area is not a bad area for violence. However the area is a very bad area for traffic. It took me an hour go from my hotel to the hospital which is less than 5 miles. There is a sky train in Bangkok that is available for anyone to use, however it is not really convenient for this particular hospital. I have told my sister for many years that if I ever have a major medical problem but I wanted to be in Thailand to be treated. The main reason for this is the friendliness of the people that work in the hospitals, and the cleanliness of the hospitals. Hospitals in Bangkok Thailand in general that expats use really do look and feel more like a hotel that they do a hospital. My one night that I stayed at a hospital in Thailand had a balcony, a mini bar, and a huge well decorated room. As someone who likes to be treated in a certain way, the hospitals and Thailand certainly do not disappoint.

I love the Sathorn area and since I was last here The W Hotel has opened. It is one of my favorite hotels and I am happy it is right across the street from me. I walked over today for their Breakfast Buffet and it was delicious. The W is a great hotel and I am rarely disappointed with them. In the USA, it was one of the only nice hotels I was able to get my dogs in when I traveled with them. The breakfast buffet is on the 2nd Floor and up a winding staircase. I did not see a way to use the elevators to get there unless you go to 3rd floor and walk down. They have a wide variety of foods including make your own omelet and wonderful breakfast pizza. They have a Japanese area as well as all you can eat and drink. They had a bit of everything as you can see from the photos. I loved the coffee mugs and the glasses. They definitely run a high class establishment. The staff was adorable and funny and many many gays boys there flirting with me. In fact, I had seen some on Grindr and was wondering why so many boys were nearby me and now I know. They work at the W. The cost was 950 baht after taxes and service charge. It is not something I would do everyday but it was great for a treat.

Lauderdale County High School Head Coach's Hate Speech is hard to listen to. Click the link at the bottom and head the actual audio. School district officials are investigating allegations that a Lauderdale County High School teacher made slurs in the presence of students regarding first lady Michelle Obama and gays. Superintendent Jennifer Gray confirmed the investigation concerns the school’s head football coach, Bob Grisham, who also teaches driver’s education and psychology. The investigation includes a 1-minute, 24-second audiotape of Grisham asking who knows who is behind the 600-calorie school lunch. “Fat butt Michelle Obama,” he said. “Look at her. She looks like she weighs 185 or 190. She’s overweight.” Male voices interject comments during the discussion, at one point referring to Michelle Obama as a “fat gorilla.” Later in the tape, Grisham referred to the U.S. as going in the “wrong direction” and tells the students they can “get pissed off at me or not. You can go tell the principal, call the superintendent and tell her. I don’t believe in queers. I don’t like queers, I don’t hate them as a person, but what they do is wrong and an abomination against God.” The tape was reportedly recorded by a student Monday and took place on school campus during the school day. Grisham told the TimesDaily on Wednesday afternoon he misspoke. “I misspoke in a debate-type situation,” he said. “I have no hatred toward anyone or any group. People that know my heart, they know that.” For the full story: http://timesdaily.com/stories/Teacher-linked-to-gay-slurs-at-school,201960 Be sure to read the comments at the bottom of that article as well. What a moron this guy is!

Jim Nabors, the Hawaii resident well known for his starring role in the 1960s television sitcom "Gomer Pyle, USMC," married his longtime male partner early this month, he told Hawaii News Now Tuesday. Nabors, 82, said he married his companion of 38 years, Stan Cadwallader, who's 64, in Seattle on Jan. 15. Nabors declined an on-camera interview but spoke to Hawaii News Now by phone. "I'm 82 and he's in his 60s and so we've been together for 38 years and I'm not ashamed of people knowing, it's just that it was such a personal thing, I didn't tell anybody," Nabors said. "I'm very happy that I've had a partner of 38 years and I feel very blessed. And, what can I tell you, I'm just very happy." Nabors said he and Cadwallader traveled to Washington state, where gay marriages became legal in early December 2012. They were married at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. A judge performed the marriage ceremony in the privacy of their hotel room with a couple of friends who live down the street from them near Diamond Head as witnesses, Nabors said. http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/20805642/exclusive-actor-jim-nabors-marries-his-longtime-male-partner

Thailand is falling behind its neighbours when it comes to abolition of the death penalty, activists and experts said at a seminar yesterday. The event, organised by the Union for Civil Liberty with support from the European Union, the French Embassy and others, brought together participants from across Southeast Asia to Thammasat University in Bangkok. There was talk of progress made in the region and a call for Thailand to speed up the abolition of the death penalty. "We sincerely urge Thailand to take the lead" in abolishing the death penalty in the region, said Debbie Stothard, deputy secretary-general of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH). Two countries in the region, the Philippines and Cambodia, no longer have the death penalty, she said. In Southeast Asia, Thailand's death-row population is second to that of Malaysia, where about 900 prisoners are awaiting execution. In Thailand, the number of inmates on death row is around 600 - about half of them drug-trafficking convicts, according to Amnesty International Thailand. Singapore was named by Amnesty International in 2004 as the country with the highest per-capita ratio of death-row prisoners, but their numbers have since been markedly reduced with far fewer executions in recent years, said Mabasamy Ravi, a lawyer and death-penalty opponent from Singapore. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Experts-call-for-end-to-death-penalty-in-Thailand-30196019.html

The sale of alcohol in public places will be restricted under a Health Ministry draft regulation. The Health Ministry board, chaired by minister Pradit Sintawanarong, approved the regulation yesterday. Likely to take effect on Jan 1, 2013, it prohibits the sale of alcoholic drinks on footpaths, in public parks, and in public areas nationwide. Retail alcohol sales will be permitted only from 11am-2pm and from 5pm-12am except at international airports and at licensed entertainment venues. Violators of the ban could be jailed for up to six months and/or fined up to 10,000 baht. http://bangkokpost.com/news/local/325856/alcohol-sales-in-public-places-face-restrictions

Standard & Poor’s Rating Services has affirmed Thailand’s stable outlook on long-term foreign and local currency ratings, citing a favourable external position, light government indebtedness and the credibility of the country’s monetary policy as the main rating supports. Chularat Sutheethorn, director general of the Finance Ministry's Public Debt Management Office, said S&P’s also affirms the 'axAA/axA-1' ASEAN regional scale rating for Thailand as well as its ratings on Thailand's outstanding debt issuances. The rating agency projects Thailand's foreign exchange reserves at US$190 billion (eight months of current account payments) by the end of 2012, and indicates that Thailand has run (mostly small) current account surpluses since 2006. “We expect this trend to continue at least through 2015. As a result, we estimate net external liabilities at 14 per cent of current account receipts at yearend 2012 and expect external liquid assets of the government and financial sector to be double that of the nation's external debt,” says S&P’s. It continues, “Similarly, the general government has run surpluses or small deficits since its recovery from the Asian financial crisis of 1997. After steadily declining to 17 per cent of GDP in fiscal 2008 (ending September 30, 2008), net general government debt rose to 24 per cent of GDP at the end of fiscal 2011. We expect the ratio to increase only modestly through 2015. The general government's interest burden remained a comfortable 5.5 per cent of revenue. http://www.mcot.net/site/content?id=50c940a3150ba0943a000185#.UMmDn7Z8VD0

Thailand’s teachers in the besieged southernmost provinces, represented by their Teachers Federation, on Wednesday endorsed a collective decision to close all schools in the provinces one day after presumed insurgents entered a school in Pattani and killed a teacher and the school principal. The two teachers were shot dead while they were having lunch in the Baan Bango school in Mayor district on Tuesday. The federation meeting action effectively closes all school tomorrow and Friday (December 13-14), to permit security agencies time to assess their operation in providing teachers’ protection, find and apprehend those who are guilty of attacking and killing the teachers. The teachers are asking the security agencies to propose improved security plans to protect teachers on Monday. Federation representatives conceded that both Buddhist and Muslim teachers fear for their safety and dare not to go to school. http://www.mcot.net/site/content?id=50c852ca150ba0a37e000205#.UMmDTrZ8VD0

Without civic cooperation, the decade-long violence in Thailand’s far South will not be resolved despite the government’s allocation of a huge anti-insurgency budget, according to Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha. He was apparently referring to the government’s approval of a new Bt7 billion budget to combat the southern insurgency which has recently escalated with a series of fatal shootings of civilians and teachers. The army chief today accompanies Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to inspect the southern region and join a meeting of state officials in charge of security. Gen Prayuth said 70 per cent of the Bt7 billion budget (about US$225 million) will go to salaries and allowances for military forces on duty in the trouble-plagued provinces. http://www.mcot.net/site/content?id=50c93e74150ba0b972000384#.UMmBRLZ8VD0

The Pattaya Cross Bay swim in a charity swim every year. It is usually a great deal of fun. It is for a good cause. We went today to cheer on these fine young men and ladies and they were brave to swim in the busy bay! I hope you enjoy the photos!

It is very hard to describe the Sriracha Tiger Zoo near Pattaya. All I can really say is it is a day filled with fun and often unusual things. I love petting the tigers and at this place, you can pet the baby tigers, feed the baby tigers and even pet a full-grown tiger. You can spend time up close and personal with a variety of animals from orangutans to camels to elephants. You can feed the crocodiles. You can ride an elephant. You can hang out with the Scorpion Queen. You can see a fabulous elephant show and a tiger show. Today, there was a group of young kids there from a local school and they were preparing for the running of the bulls in Spain. To do this, they were running with the pigs. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. The boys and I had fun today and we always enjoy the day. It is too far for me to ride on a motorbike so we took a taxi. He was with us the entire time and the cost was 1,000 baht or about 30 USD for the day. He took us there and brought us back. When we got there, he wanted to get the tickets for us. I agreed and it as 450 baht each. But, I think he must have pulled some trick as I think he must get a commission or something. We ate lunch there as well and they have great fish, shrimp, crocodile, and other animals. I love their ginger snaps. The day was fun and enjoyable! I hope you enjoy a few of the photos.

We love Mini Siam. It is a bit goofy but it is fun to see and an enjoyable afternoon. Plus, I love telling stories to the BF of the places I have been and hope to show him one day on our great Tuk Tuk adventure!

Visits by Obama, Panetta, Clinton to be followed by Wen from China Thailand and the United States will revive and strengthen their security and military cooperation during the visit to Bangkok by Defence Secretary Leon Panetta this week and President Barack Obama next week. The US is "rebalancing" its security focus on the Asia Pacific to counter the rise of China. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Heavyweights-heading-this-way-30194201.html

BANGKOK, Nov 13 – Thailand and the US will discuss an adjustment in military cooperation between the two countries to cope with new menacing challenges in Southeast Asia, according to Thai defence ministry spokesman Thanathip Sawangsaeng. US Secretary of Defence Leon E Panetta and his team will visit Thailand on Thursday and Friday during which they will pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and hold talks with Thai Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat. The Thai and US defence teams will meet on Thursday to discuss bilateral military cooperation for the stability and security of the Asia-Pacific region. Col Thanathip said other issues set for discussion include the Thai-US defence alliance, peace-keeping operations, operations for off-shore stability, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and efficient preparedness for bilateral and multilateral operations in order to strengthen the relationship and cooperation on every level. (MCOT online news) http://englishnews.mcot.net/site/content?id=50a1b262150ba0ef5c0001a6#.UKG574V8OuM

RANONG, Nov 12 – An increasing number of land developers have encroached the habitats of the Moken ethnic community, the so-called sea gypsies in this southern Thai province on the Andaman Sea, a provincial official said Monday. Viroj Saengsivarith, deputy governor of Ranong, expressed concern for the plight of the indigenous Moken and Urak Lawoi peoples who have lived on various islands including Lau, Sinhai, Payam and Chang. According to an initial report, he said, about seven rai of land on Lau Island inhabited by the seafaring people have been taken over by land developers, and Land Department officials have been instructed to find out if they were granted permission to legally occupy the land. The tsunami which struck southern Thailand in 2004 has changed the sea gypsies’ way of life though the impact was not as severe as in neighbouring Phuket, Phang-nga and Krabi provinces. Jirasak Boonsong, an official of the Public Organisation -- private body assisting the seafaring people in Ranong, said Moken are stateless people not entitled to any legal rights. He called on the government to allow the sea gypsies to live in a provided settlement, which could be called a special cultural zone, to protect them from external encroachment. Sidit Pramongkit, chief of the Moken dwellers on Lau island, said 201 Moken people, 39 families, currently live on the Lau, Payam and Chang Islands. (MCOT online news) http://englishnews.mcot.net/site/content?id=50a0cf92150ba0b461000051#.UKG5sIV8OuM

BANGKOK, Nov 13 – The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has mapped out an ambitious plan to recruit 10,000 new members for the ‘elite card’—a scheme which had ‘gone silent’, but is now to be resurrected following cabinet approval yesterday. The cabinet action allows a maximum expense of Bt100 million from the remaining registered capital of Thailand Privilege Card (TPC) Co for the revived operation which includes recruitment of a manager, personnel and management. It should take three months to fully launch the project after which the company should have sufficient cash flow from the sales of membership, according to deputy government spokesman Pakdiharn Himathongkam. As the sole owner of TPC, the national tourism agency projects 10,000 new members in the next 10 years, with each paying a one-time membership fee of Bt 2 million plus an annual fee of Bt 20,000. A membership is valid for 20 years. The status-bearing TPC currently has 2,562 members. TAT plans to recruit 1,300 members in the first year of the revived programme (2013), 1,200 members in the second year, 1,100 members in the third year, 1,000 members in the fourth to seventh years, 900 members in the eighth year, 800 members in the ninth year and 700 members in the tenth or final year. It hopes to earn Bt2.016 billion after the first year but the loss remains at Bt 117 million due to the accumulated deficit of Bt1.284 billion. TPC should make a Bt 242 million profit in 2014 and pay off the accumulated deficit by 2017. In 2042 when the elite card turns 20 years, TPC should have Bt 2.280 billion in cash or a profit of Bt 1.095 billion. (MCOT online news) http://www.mcot.net/site/content?id=50a1b2d9150ba03f62000106#.UKG5KIV8OuM

There are so many things to see and do in Thailand and I often think I have seen them all. But, I am often amazed when I find something so close that I have not been to before or even heard much about. Today was one of those days. The Nong Nooch Garden is one of these places. It is a short distance from Pattaya. It is a beautiful garden with some wild animals and tons of gardens and things to do. It also has a place for lunch that is OK as well. http://www.nongnoochgarden.com/

I'll admit that I love Breakfast and I think it is a very important part of my day. I get up early and I like to eat early. Pattaya is a party paradise. There is simply no place on earth like it. It has every thing a man can desire here: sexy guys and gals, great gogo's, a plethora of like minded falangs, an infinite number of secret little hidden gems that people know only by word of month or just happen to wander by. Well, for a few months, I'll try to find some of these little gems in my desire to find a great Breakfast place. I'll test many. I'll love many. I'll hate many. My opinions are only that. They are opinions. I hope everyone realizes that I grew up in the deep South in the USA and to me, good Breakfast entails Biscuits and sausage gravy. I have yet to find that in Thailand but I'll keep searching. I'll try to find 20 decent places in Pattaya that I would be happy to eat in again. I'll rate these on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best. Here goes: Stop 1: Grottino's Bakery in Soi Day Night 2 I have eaten at Grottino's Bakery quite a bit over the years as I use to live directly above the place and they open very early. They serve good coffee. They have a host of regular clients. They are German/Swiss owned and they have a large German clientele. I am not German but I have always felt welcome and comfortable in there. Today, I had the Breakfast Special for 150 baht. This included 2 fried eggs, several small pieces of bacon and a bread basket. The food was tasty and good. It was served fast and it had a very pleasant look to it. Grottino's is very clean and the chairs are comfortable. The staff has always been friendly and quick to take orders and deliver food. It is located right in the Day Night 2 area directly across from Pattaya's best Thai food at Salt and Pepper. You will notice Grottino's by the big penguin out front. It is easy to notice and the bakery has lots of signage. Overall, I liked the food at Grottino's. They have some great hash browns and some German delicacies that I have not seen to many places but for today, I attempted to try just a regular Breakfast special. It tasted good and the service was fast. The cost is very reasonable at 150 baht. A soda is 45 baht. I would give this place a 3.5 out of 5.

Some friends and I went to Copa tonight to get out of the rain. It was delightful. The show was great. The atmosphere was fun and lively and the place has really been decorated fabulously. The performers were really great and the costumes have obviously been given a great deal of thought and money spent. It is a nice Cabaret show with some ladyboy singers and they also have a water show. It is something that is done very well! If you are in the area, drop by the Copa bar and show them some love! I really enjoyed my time there and I am sure you will as well! 325/106-109 Pattayaland Soi 3, Pattaya, Thailand Tel: +66 (0)38 488694/5 Fax: +66 (0)38 428888 Email: info@copapattaya.com