As early as 2006 Alcohol advertising laws were adopted in Thailand but went largely unnoticed due to the subsequent coup that happened in 2007. In 2008 the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act came into existence which prohibits the advertising of alcoholic beverages anywhere, including inside of a bar. Even though the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act and various other laws have been in place they haven’t been enforced…until now.

This week Pattaya bars found out how serious the Thai government is about this as a joint task force of Pattaya and Bangkok police went throughout the town visiting bars and giving warnings that they must begin to comply with the law immediately. Not only are outside signs advertising alcoholic beverages illegal but any signs inside as well, including beer taps, beer cozy’s and unfortunately those famous Singha girls that occasionally visit bars in their skimpy little Singha uniforms.

Now, at first glance this is the stupidest law I have ever heard of enforced in Thailand. Think about this for a minute…you can walk into any bar in Thailand and order a Heineken that clearly has a a Heineken label affixed to the bottle and you will be fine legally. Now, wrap that cold Heineken bottle in a Heineken labeled beer cozy  and the owner of said bar can be fined 500,000 Baht and or jailed! Anyone else see a problem here?

Before I go too far; there are some serious underlying issues behind these laws that warrant looking into but this is not the way to do it.

Obviously there is a drinking problem in Thailand from underage drinking to drinking and driving as well as the rising rate of alcoholism in Thai males and the Thai government is looking for ways to stop it.

Unfortunately this will work as well as the cigarette advertising campaign worked. The advertising of cigarettes is illegal in Thailand as well and each cigarette pack must carry one of several dire warnings related to cigarette usage and health, for those who can’t read they make sure you understand with very graphic pictures.

What about warnings for alcohol bottles you ask? You guessed it, they are coming up shortly.

The following 6 types of pictorial labels and warning statements of disadvantages and dangers of alcoholic beverages shall be labeled in accordance with the templates as appeared in the annex :

Type 1 “Drinking alcohol causes the hypertension liver cirrhosis”

Type 2 “Drunk driving causes disability or death”

Type 3 “Drinking alcohol leads to unconsciousness and even death”

Type 4 “Drinking alcohol leads to sexual impotency”

Type 5 “Drinking alcohol leads to adverse health effect and family problems

Type 6 “Drinking alcohol is a bad role model for children and young people”

The display of pictorial labels and warning statements of disadvantages and dangers of alcoholic beverages shall be made in compliance with the following criteria:
If the packaging is in the square shape, the size of the pictorial labels and warning statement shall not be less than 50 percent of the side that has the maximum space or the sides that are considered as front and back side of the packaging;
If the packaging is in the round or cylindrical shape, the size of the warning statement shall not be less than 30 percent of the total packaging’s surface space;
If the packaging is of the other shapes than as specified in (1) and (2), the size of the warning statement shall not be less than 30 percent of the total packaging’s surface space.

To prepare the pictorial labels and warning statement of disadvantages and dangers of alcoholic beverages, the alcoholic producers or importers shall use the original format that is prepared by the Office of the Alcohol Beverage. However, the size can be adjusted as deemed appropriate, provided that the ratio of vertical and horizontal cannot be changed.
Clause 5:  The display of the pictorial labels and warning statement of disadvantages and dangers of alcoholic beverages as mentioned in Clause 4 shall be placed on the packaging or other covered-up materials that permanently sticking on the packaging and shall not be easily peeled off or destroyed.

I don’t see the problem with warning labels on alcohol bottles and I have absolutely no problem with not allowing alcohol advertising in the open such as street signs, liquor store fronts, bars etc. but inside of bars is, well, just plain stupid. Keep it from the eyes of children by all means but keeping alcohol advertising from someone drinking alcohol in a bar makes no sense.

Unfortunately this will do little to curb Thailand’s growing alcohol problem. You may very well point to the cigarette advertising ban and say “yes, but surely this has done some good?” The answer, sadly, would be NO. The number of Thai women smokers is expected to drastically rise from 1,664,000 in 2000 to 12 million in 2025. Yes, the cigarette packs look bad but it stops no one from smoking.

And just in case you don’t think the Thai government is very serious this time then have a talk with the Manager of Insomnia night club in Pattaya. The police conducted a raid of the night club Wednesday night in which they found foam beer bottle covers( beer cozy’s) advertising alcoholic beverages and also found advertising around the bar and in the toilets in contravention of Section 32 of the Alcoholic Beverage Act. The manager of the club, Khun Posapon aged 25 was duly arrested and taken to Pattaya Police Station and charged in relation to the illegal advertising.

The law on the books actually falls under the various health departments who are now enforcing the law with the help of the police. Don’t think this is just the normal yearly crackdown of sorts that happens in Pattaya, this is a nationwide campaign and all bars will be getting a visit from the local Health dept and police.

Just look at these poor girls, whatever will become of them now that they are out of a job? They can’t even afford clothes as it is!

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If you are in or around Pattaya later today you won’t want to miss one of the best events of the season, the second annual International Bed Races. It’s expected that over 20,000 people will be in attendance to watch over 100 bed racing teams compete for the coveted title of Bed Racing Champions.

This event will be an all day affair starting with a family fair at noon and also including a bed parade and lots of games and fun. After the actual bed race there will be a huge party that will go until the event ends at 6pm. The location is Pattaya Second Road in front of The Avenue a Pattaya shopping mall which is one of this years major sponsors.

Organized by the Rotary Club of Pattaya in partnership with Pattaya City Hall, the Bed Race will provide a great social activity for everyone in the Pattaya community to participate and enjoy! Hopefully, it will bring all the clubs, community groups and businesses together and attract sponsors for this unique, not to be missed, event in Thailand. The main sponsors this year are: The Avenue Pattaya, Global i-care (Pattaya GIC Card), BarterCard, CTLS Language School, Mercure Hotel and Pattaya People Media Group.

The idea of a Bed Race is a very popular fundraising and family activity in many countries around the world including the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand. It is a tried and tested successful way of raising money for local charities and community projects. It involves teams of up to 6 members dressed as outrageous and funny as possible, pushing their spectacularly decorated beds from a designated starting point to the finishing line. The object is to not only get to the line in the shortest time but also to keep the designated passenger to remain on the bed at all times.

This second Bed Push Race in Pattaya will be a major undertaking by the Rotary Club of Pattaya and will undoubtedly help promote Pattaya as a fun, family resort. It will provide good wholesome family entertainment in a safe environment, whilst bringing together the multi faceted groups working for a better community, and will become an annual event on the Pattaya Calendar.

Not only will this be a great day of family fun for all but all the proceeds will benefit local charities. So, stop by and have some fun and help the Rotary club of Pattaya and Pattaya City Hall make this an event to remember while supporting the community.

For more information on today’s event you can check out the official Pattaya International Bed Race web site.

Pictures courtesy Pattaya Daily Mail

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While I am missing Thailand and have the blues in general those aren’t the blues I am talking about at the moment. No, I’m talking about music and Thailand has some of the best live entertainment you could ever hope to see while on holiday.

My first trip to Thailand I was amazed at the quality and quantity of live music from Bangkok to Pattaya. From pop and dance music to hard rock and country you can find great music any night in any number of bars and clubs. Even bars that are no bigger than a storage shed have live bands that will keep you rockin throughout the night and coming back for more.

One night I was sitting in a bar on walking street talking to a friend about all the great live music and he asked me if I had been to the Blues Factory which was just up the street on Soi Lucky Star just opposite Marine Disco. When I said I had never been there he motioned for our bartender to checkbin us and we were off to the Blues Factory.

The Blues Factory is a great venue to listen to live music and have a great night but what I was unprepared for was seeing one of the best guitarists I had ever seen, his name was Lam Morrison. I was blown away by his guitar work and his band and I have seen him play quite a few times since.

Known as Thailand’s guitar King  Lam has been around the music scene for a while. Picking up the guitar by 13 it wasn’t  long before Lam started his first band called VIP and started touring around the American bases during the Vietnam war playing the rock music the soldiers loved to hear.

Due to the fact that rock music wasn’t a very big scene in Thailand the VIP found it hard to get gigs after the war ended and the G.I.’s returned home. Although gigs were few and far between at one gig in Bangkok a German tourist saw the band and told Lam he should go to Germany and play. While touring through Germany Lam won a guitar dueling contest and earned his guitar King title. After Germany he contnued to tour through Europe and North America.

When Lam returned home to Thailand he was signed by EMI Music and released his first album entitled Night in Bangkok. The album took off and sold over a million copies which was a first for a rock artist in Thailand. After the release of the album he went back out on the road touring through Europe with such bands as UFO and Deep Purple.

Lam plays quite a few instruments including the piano, bass and harmonica as well as singing, but it’s his guitar work that brings them in and keeps them there. While there are many bands playing the night clubs and bars of Pattaya there is definitely no one of the same caliber as Lam Morrison.

Lam has been playing as the house band at the Blues Factory since 2002 with a years break or so in 2007 when he opened his own club. He is back as the house act at The Blues Factory and should definitely not be missed if you are going to be in town during the holidays or after.

Lam is truly a national treasure and one of Thailand’s best kept secrets. You can check out a few of his videos below and check out his show times at The Blues Factory. If you are heading to Pattaya set aside a night for some excellent music from a guitar virtuoso, I’ll guarantee you’ll thank me for it.

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Since my first trip to Thailand I have never ceased to be amazed when I go to Pattaya. A thriving beach town that has everything on offer at every turn. Aside from all the beautiful Thai women and the immense choice when it comes to entertaining oneself , Pattaya is the perfect town to get anything done or do nothing at all.

Once you get past the deer in headlights stage of your initial Pattaya experience and settle in you realize that this town is all about tourism and usually tourism is good. But even in the best of times I just can’t seem to fathom how many of these businesses stay above water. The bars and nightlife venues seem to have a handle on it during the best of times but those that are barely making it close fast when tourism is down. That’s to be expected in any tourist town where the nightlife is the staple of entertainment. What’s closed today will reopen eventually under new name and management.

What I can’t get over is the sheer number of ordinary businesses that are replicated block after block and street after street. After a while it looks like a baker made Pattaya using a good bit of dough and a few cookie cutters. Every block has a minimum of one 7/11, one family mart, 2 dentists, 3 massage parlors, one gold shop,  one travel agent, 5 guest houses or hotels, one optician and 1 clinic.  If you live in Pattaya proper you really never need to leave the block you live on because everything you need is there including at least two Thai restaurants and two bars.

If you’ve just realized you are running low on cigarettes and have just passed a 7/11 there is no reason to stop because there is one just ahead of you too, not to mention the family mart just across the street. The convenience stores I can almost understand…they’re conveniantly everywhere you might need one and I have never seen one empty.

I wonder though how some of these businesses make it or what they were thinking when they decided to open shop right next door to a competitor. Take, for instance, the three optical shops in the top picture. Having two competing optical shops next to each other is bad enough but to then open yet another one to make it three is absurd, especially when two of the shops are the same exact franchise!

I’ve never seen a town with so many convenient stores, dentists and hotels in my life. Then again that’s part of Pattaya’s charm and in a way that’s the Thai way, to make sure you are comfortable and have everything you need whenever you need it. No need to worry about choices, just take it as it comes and as you need.

I try not to think about how they stay in business any more when I walk into the opticians place. By the time I get to the counter the beautiful optometrist and her two lovely assistants have already greeted me with a cold glass of orange juice and a smile and I start wondering why more places aren’t like this,

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Normally when I stay in Pattaya I like to book a nice room in a small boutique hotel because they are much cheaper and they have less rooms which means more attention is payed to the guests they have. Personally I love to stay in the Soi Bukow/Soi Dianna area because it’s central to everything.

This past trip in April I decided to stay at the LK Renaissance Hotel located on Soi Dianna. I had seen it being built in early 2008 and it looked like it was going to be very nice. Considering it was being built by the LK group who also own the LK Metropole there really was no doubt just how nice it would be.

When I began booking flights I looked into the LK renaissance and found that their smallest room, the suite, would run me about $70 a night. I decided to check the prices of several online hotel booking sites and found that the same room through Agoda would cost me $52 a night including all tariffs so I booked the room through Agoda.

From the second we arrived at the LK renaissance I was very impressed with the way they operate. We were met at our taxi by the doorman who removed our bags and brought them inside. While we were filling out the usual paperwork at reception the bell boy took our bags to the room and we were served complimentary drinks. When we completed the check in paperwork we were informed that we would receive a complimentary breakfast for 2 each morning in their adjoining restaurant. A nice touch as the usual breakfast deals are normally just for one person.

The suite room at the LK Renaissance is the cheapest and smallest accommodation they have, it was neither small or cheap in appearance. The room was large and very well appointed. When you enter there is a small kitchen area across from the bathroom. The kitchen area has a nice sized refrigerator, a sink and some cabinets to store snacks. This area opens up into the room which has a king sized bed, a writing/computer table, a large flat screen T.V with a DVD/CD player, a small eating area and a small sofa.

The room also had a balcony to the rear of the building which is great considering the LK renaissance is directly across from the beer bars on Soi Dianna which can be quite loud at night. Although small, the balcony is still useable. It seems that all of the suites face the rea of the building.

The bathroom is very large with a jacuzzi tub and a large sink area. My only complaint was the shower head is actually a hand held type that lifts out of the tub and no shower curtain. Minor things that you will get used to but they can be a pain at times.

The bed was by far the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in in Thailand. The wardrobe was adequate with space for hanging clothes and drawers for folded clothes. There is also an in room safe located in wardrobe.

As usual with all hotels they offer the standard amenities such as laundry service, day trips to local attractions and room service. And as usual they are over priced for these services. With several small laundry services located right on Soi Dianna as well as travel agencies there is no need to to bother using LK Renaissance for either of  these services.

LK Renaissance also owns a Spa that adjoins the hotel as well as their own restaurant. While I didn’t use the Spa I did eat breakfast in the restaurant daily. The breakfast was standard fare for Pattaya, offering both English, American and Thai style breakfasts cooked to order. I could find no fault with the restaurant or it’s service staff, everything was fine. They also offer lunch and dinner but I didn’t eat either there. Room service can be had from early in the morning until late at night.

LK Renaissance also has a small pool located on the fourth floor. Although a bit small it’s an excellent place to relax on those hot afternoons.

The front desk personnel were above average and were happy to help with any request from getting a room cleaned later in the day to getting extra towels. They also offer free DVD’s from their very large collection that you can borrow for the night or several nights if you so choose.

Everything about my stay at the LK Renaissance was perfect and I plan on staying there again. For more information on the LK Renaissance as well as their sister hotels you can visit the LK hotel Group. I would highly recommend booking rooms at the LK Renaissance through through Agoda to get the absolute best deal on rooms.

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As I mentioned in an earlier post I was lucky enough to spend the Thai New Year, known as Songkran, in 4 different provinces. I spent the first day of Songkran in Pattaya on soi Diana playing with all the bar girls and the subsequent days I spent in Mukdahan, That Phanom and Nakhon Phanom.

For those of you not in the know Songkran is basically the worlds largest water fight that takes place throughout the entire country of Thailand for 3 straight days ( 5 or more days in Pattaya). You’ll be assaulted with squirt guns, hoses, water sticks and bowls of water. Aside from the water you will have baby powder smeared on your cheeks and dumped on your head. Sometimes large blocks of ice are used to chill the water used and depending on where you are the water and powder may be dyed different colors as well as scented. Cold green colored water and mentholated baby powder happen to be my kryptonite! I did enjoy the jasmine scented water I ran into here and there though.

Songkran in pattaya is what you would expect, many falangs and bar girls having fun. Unfortunately I witnessed a few incidents where some falangs didn’t want to play and became irate at getting wet. Why would you be out and about during Songkran if you didn’t want to get wet? One occasion I witnessed a very old falang hit a Thai girl for squirting him. The only reason he wasn’t beaten to death on the spot was due to the fact that he is well known in the area and apparently has a mental disorder. For the most part it was a great time getting soaked and powdered.

Mukdahan was quite a different story. Although it is a nice sized city most of the action took place on the side roads and on the roads leading out of the city. This of course necessitated a truck to drive around in and a few good sized barrels filled with water. When the water ran out we just stopped at someones house or a water station for a refill. We spent 12 hours driving around throwing water between Mukdahan and That Phanom, stopping occasionally for food and water.

One thing that caught my eye were the many colorful stands on the rural roads decorated in red and yellow selling some sort of clay pots. It wasn’t long before I was offered a drink from one of these clay pots that made everything very clear. It seems the Thai’s in rural Thailand make their own Thai whiskey just for Songkran and everyone and their brother sells it on the roadside. Now I know why there are so many drunk driving deaths in Issan during Songkran. I have to admit though, it was pretty good hooch.

The last day of Songkran was spent in Nakhon Phanom driving through the side streets of the city and along the scenic Mekong where the majority of revelers congregated. There were at least a thousand trucks driving through the city and up the road that paralleled the Mekong. Along the Mekong there were also three concert areas as well as many stalls set up for merchants and traditional Songkran dancing and music

I’d have to say Nakhon Phanom won me over hands down for being the best Songkran experience. Everyone was extremely friendly and sharing everything from beer and food to their water and powder of course. I think the best part was hanging out with Pooki’s family…especially her beautiful little girl Fa.

You may not like huge water fights but I think everyone should take part in Songkran at least once in their lifetime.

If you want to see what it all looked like I’ve added over 600 pictures of my Songkran experience to the gallery Songkran 2009

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While you may see  trucks full of red shirt protesters here and there throughout Pattaya for the most part they have kept to the Royal Cliff Resort area of town where the ASEAN summit is meeting.  Today the red shirts stormed one of the convention centers where Asian leaders were to meet this morning,  forcing Thailand to declare a state of emergency and cancel the ASEAN summit.

The Asian leaders had to be air lifted to a nearby military base. Over 1000 protesters crashed through the glass doors to the convention center wreaking havoc and destroying property while calling for Prime Minister Abhisit to step down.

With over 10,000 police officers and I’m sure a military equivalent contingent,  I don’t understand how this could have happened unless someone wanted it to happen. They should have never allowed the protesters to get as close to the resort as they did. Obviously they were ill prepared and picking Pattaya for the summit was a bad idea to begin with.

Now that the red shirts have embarrassed Prime Minister Abhisit well and good where will their cause take them now? At the beginning of the week at massive rallies in Bangkok the leaders of the red shirt movement stated that they would close down the airports at the end of the month. They have backed away from that statement in the last few days but with the success of the ASEAN summit protests one can only wonder what they feel empowered to do now.

The state of emergency declared by Abhisit earlier today for the area surrounding the summit gives the military the right to restore order, allows authorities to suspend civil liberties, bans public gatherings of more than five people and bars the media from reporting news that “causes panic.”

The red shirt protests could turn out to be a much bigger problem than many originally thought.

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With Songkran just a few days away it’s high time we got prepared! First stop was the Tuesday/Friday market on soi bukaow  in Pattaya to shop for the most important thing for Songkran…the shirt! Colorful shirts are being sold everywhere and everyone in town is already wearing them. Of course to be well prepared you must be well armed too. So far we’ve picked up small ordinance for the kids back home, although that Pooh Bear back mount squirter could come in handy sooner.

Seeing As I will be in Pattaya for the first day of Songkran and will definitely be heading to the heaviest of war zones, soi 8, I had better start looking for the big guns because you don’t want to be caught short in this water battle. After leaving Pattaya I’ll be in Mukdahan for the second offensive or day 2 of Songkran and then on to Nakom Phanome for the final day of Songkran.

I’ll be taking a lot of pictures as long as I can waterproof the camera well enough…but with my history of breaking camera’s in Thailand I had better keep my fingers crossed.

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It’s become increasingly difficult to call the “red shirts” the DAAD party(The Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship). At one time the red shirts were synonymous with DAAD but with more and more groups joining their cause and donning the red shirts it’s become apparent that many in Thailand are dissolutioned with the political process that has been called democracy.

Today was D-Day for the red shirts with over 40,000 gathering in Bangkok to protest the government and it’s Prime Minister whom they feel was not democratically elected. The red shirts have taken a page out of the yellow shirts (PAD -People’s Alliance for Democracy)playbook and in speeches this morning leaders of the red shirt movement have declared they will shut down the airport at the end of the month.Of course this will probably piss off the blue shirts (club of operators of passenger vans in Bangkok) who will try and stop any closure of the airport. At least they are all color coordinated so you can tell them apart.

With the ASEAN summit beginning in a few days in Pattaya it seems that the political process will be played out at the beach. The red shirts plan on protesting en masse in Pattaya at all of the hotels and conference centers where the visiting dignataries will be gathering. Mix in the start of songkran and this could be a recipe for disaster.

I’m not sure how I feel about all of this at the moment. The red shirts definitely have a case and should be heard out. If they close the airport, which is a very real possibility , then I get some extra vacation time and if it plays out like it did when the yellow shirts shut down the airport then I might even get payed for my trouble.

Personally I would love to see the yellow and red shirts fade away to a united color that could bring Thailand’s people and classes together but I think that may be a tall order for a country struggling to find it’s political identity.

Anyone in Pattaya or Bangkok over the next few weeks might do well to stay away from wearing yellow or red shirts just in case.

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There are many Thai treats to be had but these are up near the top of my list. Crispy little crepes filled with marshmallow goodness and fruit. I’ve been eating these tasty treats since my first trip to the Kingdom in 2006. Unfortunately I don’t know what they are called so maybe one of you out there can enlighten me and I can stop calling them crispy marshmallow goodness.

Been raining pretty much every day but nothing to be bothered by. Day starts off sunny then at some point a storm breaks out for an hour or two and then the sun returns. Hardly a vacation breaker, especially when I have my crispy marshmallow goodness & shopping to do at Big C!

In other news the ASEAN Summit begins in Pattaya this week and the red shirts have already started protesting outside one of the hotels. Could be a very interesting week leading up to Songkran…will keep you posted.

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