Master Bator Milestones

[Master Bator]

Somebody told me he once (around that time) got an armpit job for that kind of money.

[pacman]

I wasn't taking into account the freebies we scored on a few occasions but 25 baht? That's cheap.

I am talking about GGs, were the LBs considered to be worth less?

Back in Bangkok, I remember the ST/LT rates were 200/400 baht with a couple of real glamours asking 500 baht. Outrageous!

[Master Bator]

Bucket was always more expensive than Bangers or Patts, not to mention CM. Even in those days.

PS Guys feel free to post pictures, even if they feature GG's.
Just to relive the atmosphere of those good old days.

Not saying that life is not good for us these days. We're just a bit spoilt.

Just found an enveloppe " Phuket 1988" in the box but guess what?
Only the pictures of temples and beaches are in there.
The wife has been rather thorough in destroying all evidence of her past!

[Master Bator]

I take it that you would be more interested in beaches than temples so I have selected a few of Patong beach, Phi Phi, and Khao Lak from those days but now we have the upload problem.

So I€™ll just jabber along a bit about my first experiences with Thailand and its people.

One thing I noticed when I first came to Thailand on my own or with my friends was that I, despite all my years in Malaysia, was still falling for the same scams as first timers.
I had the same disadvantage that I did not speak the language and that not many Thais spoke good English. But there was also a major difference in their attitude towards farangs. In Malaysia, even after the independence, there was a certain degree of respect for their former colonial masters, in particular those like my father who were instrumental in the gradual decolonisation in the late sixties and throughout the seventies.

Before World War II, Indonesia and Burma were amongst the most developed and civilised countries in Asia. Even though the Allied Forces eventually won the war on the Japanese, the €œorang susu ( milk man) or orang puteh (white man)€ had lost a lot of face. There was a strong movement (fuelled by the communists) to throw them out.
And look where Burma and Indonesia are now!

I€™m not out to defend my Dutch Indonesian ancestors but IMHO things went way too fast in those countries.
Look at where Singapore is now and where Malaysia could have been if they had not gone too fundamental. The Singapore population was predominantly Chinese and their first and long-time Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yoe was smart enough to realise that the little island state he was governing would only prosper if he would surround himself by British and Dutch advisors. They did not bury their colonial past , take pride in their past and show great respect for their founder Sir Stamford Raffles, admitting that without him Singapore would still be a swampy island full of coconut trees instead of skyscrapers.

Malaysia on the other hand had more of an ethnical diversity. The majority consisted of native Malays, who without generalising too much, are rather lazy, and a large number of Chinese immigrants who were the entrepreneurs and cunning business men. Last but not least the Indians where you had the different castes into account. The Tamils were the workers, brought in by the Brits to work on the rubber estates or on the tin mining dredges and construction sites. The Sikhs with their big bodies and turbans were the favoured security guards and the Punjabi€™s were initially tailors and traders (competing with the Chinese) but later professionals (lawyers, doctors, dentists, scientists).

Until the independence only Caucasians were able to supervise all three of them. When my father, who was the managing director of a chemical company, would go on leave he would have to bring in his retired colleague to keep matters under control. If not, the Chinese sales director, the Malay factory manager and the Indian chief chemist would be fighting amongst each other. Even over small issues like who would be allowed to park his car in the covered area reserved for dad!

Thailand takes great pride in never having been colonised. This is thanks to King Rama V who anticipated that Siam would become a battlefield, with the Brits invading from the West (Burma) and South (Malaya or Straits Settlements as it was called in those days) versus the French who were moving in from the East (Indochina).
The much revered King travelled to Britain and Europe to make agreements with the various heads of state and new maps were drawn. In a way saved the country from bloodshed and being carved up but looking back one might wonder whether the Brits were not a bit too generous in giving up Southern Thailand (if it would be part of Malaysia there would not have been the insurgency problem). And if the French had held on to their influence zone in Eastern Thailand there we would not have the issue about the Khmer (Cambodian Temples).

And of course they forgot about the Northern borders. Over the previous century there has been an influx of immigrants from Southern China who encountered no resistance at all and became the true colonisers and masters of Thailand.
I would daresay €œthe root of all evil€€¦.

[Master Bator]

Enough of that political and cultural nonsense MB.

Picture posting is working again.

Here's Sukhumvit Road in 1988. And we thought the traffic was bad then!
And of course the ongoing roadworks. This was well before they even started on the skytrain. There's a bit of a story to that visit.
In 1987 I visited with a mate from work. Obviously we had asked the travel agent to book us near the action. When we were in Bangkok we stayed at the Mandarin Hotel, at that time a good 4 star hotel near Patpong.
In Pattaya the Siam Bayview - smack on the beach near South Pattaya.

Upon return I started dating a half black american girl and soon we had a relationship. We had planned to go on a holiday to Asia together and already booked the trip. We broke up just before departure so I immediately persuaded a male friend to join.

Downside was they put us up in a family hotel on Sukhumvit (Impala Hotel) and we had to share the room. Fortunately twin sharing (twin beds) and in the beginning we took turns in our room, next one of us would be shagging in the bathroom and the other in the bed and eventually down in Phuket we managed to find close friends who didn't mind sharing us and the room.

[Master Bator]

Just found an enveloppe " Phuket 1988" in the box but guess what?
Only the pictures of temples and beaches are in there.
The wife has been rather thorough in destroying all evidence of her past!

Okay then beaches it will be (unless you want temples?)

Picture 1.

My mate on Patong Beach. This was high season!

Picture 2.

Being two week millionairs we could afford to stay in seaview suites -right at the top of Soi Bangla-at the amazing price of 500 Baht.
Soi Bangla was still a dirt track in those days.

Picture 3.

MB, alone on the beach at Phi Phi Island -before it became the lost paradise

[jimslim]

Interesting stuff Master Bator cheers

[Ivor Biggun]

With Master Bator's kind permission here's 3 circa 1989 looking along the beach across from where Rat u Thit Roead is towards Nanai and the end of Rat U Thit across to where the Kata/Karon road now runs. The Green Roofed building is the Family Inn, still there. The building across from it is the old hospital.

[Guest]

ive stayed at family inn
but last trip thought it had gone ?

steviep

[s69]

MB, this is the 1st time i see this post and i thank you for giving an insight to the history of LOS. and that u guys r always there to remind us that we need to enjoy life as it is and not to always expect everything on a silver platter !!! should i meet u then 1st on me

[Ivor Biggun]

(parada @ Jul. 13 2009,23:59) ive stayed at family inn
but last trip thought it had gone ?

steviep

As of one minute ago it was still there!!

[Ivor Biggun]

OK here's the link to the old patong pages- some interesting reads http://www.thai-blogs.com/index.p....paged=3

I've poached a photo of Bangla Road off the site.

[laputanegra]

nice thread and you are a cute boy MB

[f0xxee]

I know everyone gets nostagic in middle age, but you look at Patong now compared to then and you can;t help but think paradise is well and truly lost.

This is a really excellent thread MB... enjoying it even if I do miss the good old days....

[Master Bator]

(laputanegra @ Jul. 14 2009,12:56) nice thread and you are a cute boy MB

Fortunately I have still kept a bit of that "Na Rak" charm.
The girls still like to cum all over my cute face -want to give it a shot someday Tan?
And guys -wait till you see me wearing my wig!