A Rant

   Almost gone.  And I’m bouncing between “I can’t wait to leave.”  And “I don’t want to leave.”  It doesn’t make sense.  It really doesn’t.

   I don’t want to go because, unlike most GIs here, I actually like this country.  (And, yes, I like looking at the women here.)  I like the food, culture and good times that I’ve had while here.  I know that I’m going to miss the friends I have made, people I would never have had the chance to meet if I had stayed in the States because they just aren’t my usual crowd.  I could, probably, go on about it, but I won’t.

   Then, on the other hand, I can’t wait to leave this place.  That mainly comes from my work environment.  Not Biz, we get along great.  It’s the people that I have to deal with that can really screw my career.  Because I don’t get along with the ones that really count, and even though I worked my ass off for this unit, (I refuse to do anything less.) I am considered a shitbag by them.  The end result, I am being forced out of a unit that I have loved for the past 7 years.  And I still want to be in it.  Hell, I wanted to retire from it in 2 years.  But, because of the climate during my last year, I’m actually glad to be leaving.  I have worked my ass off, and never given less than my all for this unit, and in return, they kick me in the nuts and send me back to the big Army.  Fine, I’ll go back to where I am an outstanding soldier, instead of an average soldier.  (Sorry for the rant.  Its almost over.  I promise.)  Looks like I’ll be finishing my Army career where it all began, the 101st.  It was my first unit, and it will be my last.

   I’ll see ya’ll later.

Memorial Day

   I kind of feel ashamed of myself.  “Ashamed?” you say.  Yes.  With everything that I have been doing for the past month, I forgot what this weekend was/is.  I am a day late in remembering too.  This is Memorial Day Weekend.  For most people, its jut another holiday, a day off work, the start of the grilling season.  But to those of us, present and former, in the military, and for those with loved ones serving, it is more than that.  It is a day of remembrance of those that made the ultimate sacrifice for all of the freedoms we take for granted.  There were two things that I saw today that reminded me.  The first, an e-mail from Mother Biz, I show below:

Happy Memorial Day! I hope all the protesting didn't get you down too much. I saw all that crap on the news, pisses me off too. Anyway, thank you for what you do, you can never know how much it means to me and all the Americans that truely believe in what you do. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I hope you had a good weekend!

Mother Bizkit

  This kind of choked me up a little bit.  Here is this woman, who I have never even met, and the only thing we have in common is her son, Biz, thanking me for being a soldier.  And it was just me, in at least this e-mail, I was the only one it was addressed to, no mass send out.  I truly am touched when people tell me “Thank you.”  I don’t feel that I have done anything to really deserve a complete stranger thanking me.  

   She also was concerned that seeing, or hearing, about the protests occurring this weekend upset me.  Honestly, until she said something about it, I hadn’t heard anything, and still haven’t.  But people exercising a right that I guarantee to them by serving, doesn’t bother me, its expected.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and to express it.  That is one of the things that make America the greatest nation on earth.  And I am proud to stand up for your right to denigrate me.  Just don’t think you could get away with it to my face, or we may have, ahem, further discussions.  

   The other thing I saw was over on OpFor.  It’s a speech by former President Reagan (In my opinion, one of the greatest presidents we have ever had.) given at the 40th D-Day Anniversary, on the cliffs overlooking Omaha Beach.  I copied it and pasted it here, exactly as it appeared there, no alterations.  Most of this speech came from a man that was a private on D-Day, through his daughter.  And it shows some of how we (the military) feel about events such as these.    I don’t think a civilian can understand,.  Hell, I can’t understand something like this, I’m just a support soldier.  But, I do have an idea, I have lost friends in these two most recent wars.  So that does give me an idea of what PFC Zannatta feels, but only an idea.  While this is one of Reagan’s best speeches, what I really would like you to see are the last three sentences.  If we all do the first two, the third will come to pass.  Mr. President, I salute you.

(Again, this is lifted straight from the OpFor blog site.  Please pop over there and take a look around.)
We stand today at a place of battle, one that 40 years ago saw and felt the worst of war. Men bled and died here for a few feet of - or inches of sand, as bullets and shellfire cut through their ranks. About them, General Omar Bradley later said, "Every man who set foot on Omaha Beach that day was a hero."

Some who survived the battle of June 6, 1944, are here today. Others who hoped to return never did.

"Someday, Lis, I'll go back," said Private First Class Peter Robert Zannata, of the 37th Engineer Combat Battalion, and first assault wave to hit Omaha Beach. "I'll go back, and I'll see it all again. I'll see the beach, the barricades, and the graves."

Those words of Private Zanatta come to us from his daughter, Lisa Zanatta Henn, in a heart-rending story about the event her father spoke of so often. "In his words, the Normandy invasion would change his life forever," she said. She tells some of his stories of World War II but says of her father, "the story to end all stories was D-Day."

"He made me feel the fear of being on the boat waiting to land. I can smell the ocean and feel the sea sickness. I can see the looks on his fellow soldiers' faces-the fear, the anguish, the uncertainty of what lay ahead. And when they landed, I can feel the strength and courage of the men who took those first steps through the tide to what must have surely looked like instant death."

Private Zannata's daughter wrote to me, "I don't know how or why I can feel this emptiness, this fear, or this determination, but I do. Maybe it's the bond I had with my father. All I know is that it brings tears to my eyes to think about my father as a 20-year old boy having to face that beach."

The anniversary of D-Day was always special to her family. And like all the families of those who went to war, she describes how she came to realize her own father's survival was a miracle: "So many men died. I know that my father watched many of his friends be killed. I know that he must have died inside a little each time. But his explanation to me was, `You did what you had to do, and you kept on going."

When men like Private Zannata and all our Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy 40 years ago they came not as conquerors, but as liberators. When these troops swept across the French countryside and into the forests of Belgium and Luxembourg they came not to take, but to return what had been wrongfully seized. When our forces marched into Germany they came not to prey on a brave and defeated people, but to nurture the seeds of democracy among those who yearned to bee free again.

We salute them today. But, Mr. President [Francois Mitterand of France], we also salute those who, like yourself, were already engaging the enemy inside your beloved country-the French Resistance. Your valiant struggle for France did so much to cripple the enemy and spur the advance of the armies of liberation. The French Forces of the Interior will forever personify courage and national spirit. They will be a timeless inspiration to all who are free and to all who would be free.

Today, in their memory, and for all who fought here, we celebrate the triumph of democracy. We reaffirm the unity of democratic people who fought a war and then joined with the vanquished in a firm resolve to keep the peace.

From a terrible war we learned that unity made us invincible; now, in peace, that same unity makes us secure. We sought to bring all freedom-loving nations together in a community dedicated to the defense and preservation of our sacred values. Our alliance, forged in the crucible of war, tempered and shaped by the realities of the post-war world, has succeeded. In Europe, the threat has been contained, the peace has been kept.

Today, the living here assembled-officials, veterans, citizens-are a tribute to what was achieved here 40 years ago. This land is secure. We are free. These things are worth fighting and dying for.

Lisa Zannata Henn began her story by quoting her father, who promised that he would return to Normandy. She ended with a promise to her father, who died 8 years ago of cancer: "I'm going there, Dad, and I'll see the beaches and the barricades and the monuments. I'll see the graves, and I'll put flowers there just like you wanted to do. I'll never forget what you went through, Dad, nor will I let any one else forget. And, Dad, I'll always be proud."

Through the words of his loving daughter, who is here with us today, a D-Day veteran has shown us the meaning of this day far better than any President can. It is enough to say about Private Zannata and all the men of honor and courage who fought beside him four decades ago: We will always remember. We will always be proud. We will always be prepared, so we may always be free.

Thank you.

   I’m not going to do my usual sign off.  Instead, I just want to ask you remember, and if you know a service member, tell them “Thank You.”  You have no idea what it will mean to them.

Almost Out of Here

   Well, this weekend was a sure sign that I spent entirely too much money on my trip.  I was only able to go out on Friday night.  Of course, Biz is down in Cheju-do (Cheju Island) enjoying his weekend off.  Anyways, I headed out at around 9 PM and went straight for the Crew. (I just had to go and see Momma.)  And on the way there, I noticed that traffic was extremely light.  And there weren’t a lot of people in the shopping area on the way to the Crew.  I didn’t think that it was a Korean holiday, but wasn’t sure.  

   I found out what was going on when I got to the Crew.  There was a World Cup game, with South Korea playing Bosnia, on the TV there.  (The TV is new since the last time I was there.)  Well, Momma and her daughter both give me big hugs when I get there.  (And Momma grabbed my ass! Dirty old woman!!!)  Plus there is a new bartender on Friday nights.  And she is cute!  Her name is Helen.  (Well, at least her English name.  Don’t know what her real name is, yet.  That’s why I don’t feel too bad about putting her name here.)  Of course I get my usual drink, screwdrivers.  And Momma’s daughter tells Helen to make it for me.  And I’ll tell you what; she knows how to make them strong.  (I think I’m in love.)  So, I kept having her get my drinks for me.

   A little later mine, and Biz’s, Aussie friend shows up, sans his girl.  (They’re on a month long break for now.  She didn’t show ‘cause she was in Viet Nam.  Hope I get to see her next week to say good bye.)    And we bullshit for a while, when someone grabs me from behind.  Luckily for both of us, I heard him laugh just as he grabbed me, and recognized him.  It was Kid.  And of course, he had to hear about my trip, and then complain that I wasn’t there when his family came out.  But, almost in the same breath, he says he’s glad I didn’t get to meet hi sister.  (I’ve seen pics.  Pretty cute.)  At around 1 AM we head out to Communes.  (A pure teacher bar.)  We get there and one of my Kiwi friends (the male one) is there in a contest.  I start helping him and his team with the contest, getting one that no one else in the place knew. (Sweet it is to die for my country.  It was in Latin, and is pure bullshit.  Better to make them die for theirs.)  And started talking with some of the other teachers there, who were quite surprised to find a GI in their midst.

   After the contest, we went to another teacher bar, one I’ve been to before, once, Thunderbird.  And, Kid, myself, and a few others hung out there for a little bit.  I ran into Kiwi there.  She’s been feeling extremely bad lately; a friend of her’s is in a coma here.  And so, she was pretty drunk.  She told me the same thing four times because she didn’t remember telling me before.  And I ran into Helen there and we talked a little bit.  (Too bad this weekend is my last one here.)  She’s seems pretty well put together.  (Mentally, at least.  I can see that physically, she IS well put together.)  Kid picked up this girl from Mississippi that I had first met about 8 months ago.  Funny thing about this place was this one guy hanging around.  He was an American, and pretty drunk.  First he tried to pick up Kiwi, (And was blatantly obvious about it, and about trying for the really drunk girls.) until she decided that she needed to go eat.  He tried to go along, but she flat out told him to stay there.  She’s not dumb (not like NB) not by a long shot.  So, this guy then decides to try for the girl that Kid is working on.  Just hanging out and trying to butt into the conversation, and getting completely ignored.  Until he had enough.  I have to say; at least he was smart enough to know to just leave instead of starting a fight.  He would have been through.  (I was quite sober by this time.)  Well, Kid left with that girl, and I hung out a little bit longer talking to a few more teacher friends of mine, until it was time that I could go home.

   I get home and go to sleep.  And for the rest of the weekend, I just played around on my laptop and got stuff ready for the movers, who get here on Friday.  I can’t believe that my year is just about over.  One year already!  I don’t know right now if I’m going to continue this blog, or not.  I want to so that people can keep up on what is going on with me.  But, lets face it, my life isn’t even remotely interesting.  And when I get back to Ft. Campbell, I’m not going to be in the same unit that I’ve been in for the past 7 years.  I’ll be going back to my first unit, the 101st.  So, my life will be even more boring.  And if I do continue this, there will be a noticeable change to the content.  But we will have to see.

   I’ll see ya’ll later.

Down With Phelps.

   Today I’m going to lay off of the trip for a little bit.  (But only for a little bit.)  If you will recall, a few months back I mentioned the Rev. Phelps and his protests against military funerals and the formation of the Patriot Guard against him.  At the time, there were a few states considering enacting laws against such protests.  Well, it seems that Congress has acted.  

   Its called the “Respect For America’s Fallen Heroes Act”, and it bars protests within 300 feet of the entrance to a cemetery, and within 150 feet of the road leading to a cemetery, from 60 minutes prior to and following the funeral.  It was approved by both houses and sent up to G-Dub for his signature on Wednesday.  (And I have no doubt that he will sign it.  Or he’ll get an earful from Daddy Bush.)  

   Now, while this Bill is a good thing, overall, there are a few problems, at least on the surface.  First, the act only covers our national cemeteries.  However, this isn’t as bad as it seems.  Congress can only enact laws like this on federal land, not state, or private, land.  So this limitation makes sense.  Also, if this law survives the second problem, it will serve as a precedent for states to enact their own legislation.

   The second problem is one that the, so called, Rev. Phelps himself brought up.  He says that it was "blatantly violating the First Amendment."   While this is an issue for the Supreme Court to rule on, I’m going to put my two cents in here.  I don’t see this as restricting their right to protest, it only says where they can not do it at.  They can still spout their vitriol, but they are forced to respect other people’s right to grieve.  I’ve always been taught that my rights end where they intrude on someone else’s.  I have the right to say anything I want to, so long as it is not harmful to others.  And Phelps’ protests are definitely harmful to those suffering from the loss of a loved one.  He’s just lucky that those families he has offended have been able to control themselves; of the Phelps family would have suffered a loss of their own.  I know that I would have a few choice words (And body blows) to give him.  No doubt that the ACLU will get involved with this one.  If they do, I foresee them getting knocked down several pegs by the backlash.  (And I would just love to see that!)
   All in all, I see this bill as a great first step in protecting those in mourning from having to put up with the likes of Phelps.  And not just fallen military members, but everyone should be protected in the same way.  Its just a shame that we have to make laws like this when it should be plain old decent human behavior.
   I’ll see ya’ll later.

Public Service Announcement

Okay, I've been talking about my trip to Thailand for the past few days. (And probably will for a few more.) And its mostly been good stuff for the average Type "A" personality, heterosexual male. Now, before I go any further, there are some things there that you need to be aware of. Let me show you some pictures.

These are pictures (All from news sources, not my own.) from a beauty pageant that went on while I was there. It was even nationally televised. The first one is of the winner. Second of the runner-ups, and last of other contestants. So, what do you think of these girls. not too bad, right? WRONG!!!!!!! Those are all men. That's right, they are guys. And this is why I'm doing the PSA.

Some of these Katoys (Thai word for them.) are really very convincing. They appear to have all the right equipment. Hell, some of them even have even had equipment removed. (Insert a big horror film scream.) Now, not all of them are this good, not even most. But they are good enough to fool the unwary drunk.

But there is a a kind of bright side to this. Almost everyone of the Katoys are honest about what they are if you ask them, but you do have to ask them. They won't come out and tell you. And there are certain things that you can look for if you're not sure. The voice (It'll be deeper than most women), Adam's apple will show (But thee are surgeries), height (most are taller than the average Thai woman, a lot taller), the size of the hands (more "man" sized) and suprisingly strong (I saw one pick up a 240 lb guy like he was a child).

And, yes, I did meet one. He/she/it was a friend of one of the bargirls at QT and came in one night. I thought that It didn't look too bad, but something just wasn't right. You know what I mean. The bargirl saw the look of confusion on my face and asked me what was wrong. When I told her that there was something wrong with that woman over there, but I can't figure it out, she laughed and said, "Ladyboy." And then laughed even more when my jaw hit the floor. She called It over and introduced us. (I just wanted it to go away.) And I flat out asked if it was a man. It said yes. After that, it left the bar and every time I would pass by It's spot, It would call my name and wave. (By the way, this is the one I saw pick up someone.) And the night before I left, It actually came over to me on my way out and asked why I hadn't taken it home. I just had to tell It that I just wasn't interested. And It had the nerve to look hurt.

So, consider yourselves warned, and my public obligation fulfilled. Always ask if there is even the slightest doubt. Or go to one of the Go-Go bars where you can "inspect the merchandice" first. And since I don't want to leave you with a bad feeling about the place, here's aother pick of some bargirls. Real Girls.

I'll see ya'll later.

PARTY

I was going to write about something else today, (I still will, but when I get home.) but I got these pics from Tony (Sa, the owner of QT’s, fiancée) from the night we had a party there. Yesterday, I couldn’t find any pics that showed what to expect from the open air bars. Well, thanks to Tony, I have some.

This first pic shows the bargirls, but this only about half of the ones that work there.

This one gives a better view of what the typical open air bar is like.


Here’s a pic of QT’s owner, Sa.


And, finally, a pic of Tony with a couple of the guys. (He's in the middle.)


I wasn’t going to write about the going away party we had there until later, but the pics got me to thinking about it. It started at around 8 PM and myself and a guy from Ft. Campbell (We’ll call him Pat) were the first ones to show. When we got there, the bar was full of Koreans from a tour group. (We knew they were all from the same group because they all had matching shirts.) After they noticed me and Pat were there, it took them all of about 3 minutes to clear the bar, all of them. Guess they didn’t want to be around the Americans. Fine by us, we didn’t want them there either.

Tony and Sa got the party catered by a guy named Bob (An American) who owns a Texas style BBQ place in Pattaya. There were tacos, burritos, ribs, chicken and all kinds of other stuff. And a lot of it. Good thing there was a lot of food to eat because a lot of alcohol was consumed that night. (It was one of only two nights that I actually got drunk there. And I was drinking a lot almost every night.) The rest of the guys that were there on the trip showed up over the next hour, or so. And the party really began.

Just about everyone was there. Officers, flight and the rest of us peons. The best thing was that it was the way the unit used to be. Rank didn’t matter. Flight or non-flight didn’t matter. It was just a bunch of friends having a good time together. (But that was over afterwards and everything went back to normal.) That night all of the other bars in the place were pretty much empty, but QTs was packed all night long. Drinks were coming faster than you could drink them. You just couldn’t keep up. Every once in a while someone would ring the bell, and more drinks would go around. (OK quick aside here, the open air bars all have a bell. And the girls will try to get the unsuspecting to ring it. What happens when you ring it is up to the owner of the bar, but it will be one of two things. Either you buy a drink for all of the bar girls, or for the whole bar. The first one is the most common. You have been warned now.)

I remarked to Pat that for some reason I really wanted some Soju. But of course, since it was Thailand and not Korea, there wasn’t any. Not five minutes after I said that, a two liter bottle of Soju was broken out. (One of the guys had brought a few combat bottles with him.) I started drinking this along with my usual Mekong and Coke. I even got some of the bargirls to try it. But none of them wanted seconds. You should have seen the looks on their faces when it hit them. Priceless.

Anyways the partying goes on till about 3 AM. Well, that’s when I decided to leave. I was talking to someone, and Pat was standing about two feet in front of me talking to one of the girls. Well, Pat gets a shot of Tequila and downs it. I don’t see this because I’m otherwise engaged, and when I’m drunk, I can only focus on one thing at a time. Well, I’m talking when I feel something warm and wet splash on my neck. Of course, I’m a little surprised and look up at Pat. When I see the look on his face, at about the same time I touch my neck, I realize what happened, and am immediately sober. I look at Pat and say “You didn’t!” He just nods his head and heads for the bathroom. The son of a bitch just puked on me! I take my shirt off and use it to clean most of it off of me and head to the bathroom to get better cleaned up. When I get back, Sa gave me a new shirt to wear. Needless to say, it was at that point that I decided to go home.

I’ll have another entry when I get home. I’ll see ya’ll later.

Part II

Ok. Lunch is over. Back to my trip. Where was I? Oh yeah, I just finished up with the restaurants there. However, the one thing that Thais can not make decently is a proper cup of coffee. Not the hotel I was at, or any of the restaurants (except the Italian one) have any clue how to make coffee. Even Starbucks' coffee was bad. They just make it ENTIRELY too strong. Its so strong that you could use it to degrease engines. And no amount of doctoring can help it. That was the worst part of the whole trip, a month with out coffee. The mornings I worked (I usually was on night shift.) were pure hell because I couldn't get my java fix.

There is one thing that I want to point out about Thailand. Its 7-11s. You can't throw a rock in any direction without hitting one. As an example, Walking Street is about a half mile long, and it has three of them. These things are every where. Its amazing, really, if you compare to the US. I'm from California, we have 7-11s there. They have them in Virginia and Florida, but not in Tennessee or Kentucky. And I guess I got used to not seeing them. But they have them in Korea and Thailand. (And there must be millions of them in Thailand.) I don't think that I will ever understand.

Another interesting thing there is that most people at least speak a little bit of English. Enough to get basic meanings across. But, there is a catch. (Of course, isn't there always.) Not that they won't speak it (unlike Koreans) they will speak as well as they can, and actually like to get the chance to practice. (They are just that friendly.) Its in the pronunciation. Ok, let me show you. Here are some words and I want you to say them to yourself. (And actually listen to what you say.)

KFC (Yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken. They have those too.)
7-11 (Think of the sign.)
Botany
Geoff
Rat

Ok. I bet that you said them just as they are written. After all, that's the way its supposed to be. But if you did that to a Thai, they won't have a clue about what you're saying. Here's how they would say the same things. (In same order. By syllable. Don't know how to spell that one.)

K-epp-C
7 (That's it. They only see the # on the sign.)
Bow-ta-nay
Gepf
Lot (That's right. No R or A.)

That last one was the name of a friend of mine there. I was shown it written down, because the place was extremely loud, and when I said it the way we would, I was ignored. Then I heard another Thai call that person and say "Lot" getting a response. Sometimes it was funny, others frustrating. The first night I went out, when it was time to go home, I tried to tell a taxi where to go. So I said "Botany." The driver got this confused look, so I tried again. No luck. I went and asked one of the QT's bar girls, Nong, to tell the taxi driver where I wanted to go. She comes out and says "Bow-ta-nay." And the driver smiles and says, "OK. Bow-ta-nay." And I'm left thinking that that is just what I said.

While I didn't really do the tourist thing, there was one site one the way to work I couldn't help but see. On the side of a mountain (well, they call it a mountain, I'ld say it was only about 1500 feet high.) is a huge golden, female Buddha. Its not a statue, its like an outline drawing, on the side of the mountain. It is very impressive. I also had a day off where I went to a place called One Million Years Stone Park and Crocodile Farm. This place has petrified trees, (Didn't know they had those in Thailand.) natural rock formations, a kind of zoo and of course, crocodiles. Lots and lots of them. They even have a show. Those guys were nuts. Sticking their heads into croc mouths and stuff like that. No thank you! Not for me. You could also go and feed some crocs at one of the pools. At another spot they had these huge catfish. Their heads were easily 10 inches across, and the bodies around 3-4 feet long. (Just a guess there, the water was really murky. But they were huge.) And I only did a little bit of shopping.

When you're sitting at these open air bars, there are people going around and trying to get you to buy stuff from them. Most of the times I would just tell them (In Thai) "Meow, kop." (Pronounce as spelled.) It means No, but politely. And most of them would take it at that. Some were more persistant, and I would have to get borderline rude. (And we all know how much I like to do that.) But this one guy that was selling bracelets actually got me to buy something. He came up and I said no. I guess that as soon as I opened my mouth, he picked up that I was American. (There's mostly Europeans and very few Americans.) So he pesists and shows me one that says USA. And again I tell him no. So, he flips through his little book of bracelets and points to a yellow and black one saying Fuck Bin Laden. I laughed and just had to buy it.

The only other thing that I really wanted to do while I was there in Thailand was get a few more tattoos from Mong. I knew what the one I wanted on my back would have in it, but not how it would actually look. The picture just refused to form in my head. I wanted a dragon around a cross. But the rest was fuzzy until I was going through one of Mong's books and saw a picture of an green oriental dragon wrapped around a dagger. It was perfect, everthing just clicked. I asked Mong to change the dagger to a cross, and the style of the cross. Changed the color of the dragon from green to a deep blue and presto. Here's the finished product:

I'm very happy with the result. But, I will never get another tat on my back. That was painful. Especially over the areas where the bone is close to the skin.

The other one I got, is similar to the one above in that it has a blue oriental dragon and a yin-yang symbol. But that's all. I didn't do any alterations to it, i liked it just the way it was. Originally it was going to go on the opposite shoulder blade. But that wasn't going to happen now. So, I decided to put it on the outside of my left calf. I figured that there was plenty of meat there so there shouldn't be any more pain than what I had on my shoulders. Wrong, I forgot about right above the shin bone. Oh well. Here's that one.

All of my tattos (yeah, all 4.) have one thing in common. They all have a yin-yang in them. The first two were just different stylized yin-yangs. (#1 was horse heads, #2 two tigers and tribal around it.) And 3 out of the 4 were done by Mong. As a matter of fact , just before we went back to Thailand for this trip, Mong was about to retire, but he came out to do work on us. He made so much money off of us that he's now opening up another shop for his daughter. (From what I've seen of her work, she's pretty good too.) He was busy with us every day from about 1 PM till midnight (Sometimes much later) for a little over 3 weeks. He loves it when we come to town. He was telling us about two weeks earlier, a whole shipload of Marines and Navy were in town for a week. Out of about 2000 guys, he only did two tattoos. He called them a bunch of pussies. By comparison he did 20 guys tattoos from us. (And that's just who I can think of off of the top of my head.) And almost everyone of us went back multiple times. Simply put, he made a killing.

Well, I think that that is enough for one day. I'll probably be talking about this for the next few days at least. So, please be patient. Oh, and I'm down to the three week mark untill I leave Korea. In a way, I don't want to leave. (After all, who is going to keep Biz out of trouble. I think a month is about all he can manage on his own, and he came close as it is.) But I am ready to go home and see my kids. So, until tomorrow.

I'll see ya'll later. Oh, and I want to leave you with a picture of some bar girls.

Ain't they cute!!!!

I hate this office

Well, like I said last night, I am back. I'm glad to be back, but at the same time, I didn't want to leave. (Even though I really had to.) Anyway, I really didn't get to do too much of the tourist thing while I was there. I only had a few days where I didn't have to work, and the days that I did work averaged in at 10 hour days. But with that being said, I didn't get much sleep. I spent as much of my off time partying as possible. (After all, when am I going to get another chance to go to Thailand, and get paid for it?!) The Place I mostly went to is called Walking Street.



Its called Walking Street because from 7 PM till 2 AM it is completely blocked to vehicles. (Except for the always present scooters.) All down this street (and the adjacent roads and alleys) are Go-go clubs (Very interesting places, if I do say so myself), resteraunts and regular stores.
This is the main tourist area in Pattaya, mostly because of the above mentioned Go-go clubs. In these clubs, women dance up on stage and perform shows. (Either completely nude or, more usually, toppless.) And every girl has a button on them with a number. This number is so that if you see a girl that you're interested in, you can tell one of the servers the number and the girl will come over and talk to you. Her talking to you doesn't have to mean anything more, unless you want it to. If that's the case, then you ask about her bar fine. Basically that's how much it will cost you to be able to take her out of the place and do what ever you want to do. (Not nessisarily to have sex, but that is the usual reason.) Now, before I say more, if the girl doesn't want to go with you, she will tell you no. They have that choice. I saw quite a few tell people no.
Next are the open air bars. These places, usually about ten smaller bars in one big area, are completely staffed by women. These women will call to you, screem at you actually, to get your attention and get you to go to their bar. I'll tell you what, it can be an interesting experience. Its the closest thing to actually being a rock star that I can think of. The girls in the bar will sit there and talk to you (Admittedly to get you to spend more money.) and play games. (Connect-four, checkers, and a dice game called Shutbox are the most common.) They're really simple games, right? Don't expect to win very often (Unless the girl decides to let you.) because you will lose, regularly. The only exception is the shutbox because it relies completly on luck. And, as with most places here, the girls have a bar fine.
The place that I mostly went to is a bar called QT. The bar is owned by a great girl named Sa. We got to be fairly good friends while I was there. She would by me drinks and shots, but unfortunately, I could only get her OJ or cokes because she is pregnent right now. But, I could get her fiancee pretty drunk, and did on a few occasions. There were also a few times that I left Sa's place and the sun was comeing up. Those were rough nights. (Now, I know that you want to ask if I paid any bar fines. The answer would be no.)
And finally we get to the resteraunts, there are some pretty good ones here. And the have every type of food you can think of. I saw Russian, Mexican, Irish, Swiss, Thai (Big DUH on that one.) just about everything. And talk about fresh sea food. You get to pick what you want while its still alive. Doesn't get much fresher than that. Yes, I did have a lot of Thai food. Everyone had told me how spicy it was, and I wanted to find out for myself. I'll tell you right away though, I like spicy food, but it has to have flavor, not just turn my mouth into a cinder. Anyway, I didn't find Thai food to be all that hot. And I was eating stuff that the Thai's themselves were saying was to hot for them, with no problem.
Well, I'll have to continue this after lunch. I'll see ya'll later.

Im back

   I’m back from my little trip.  I worked my ass off, but had an extremely good time.  For those of you who don’t know, I just spent a month in Thailand.  The country is beautiful, the people are some of the friendliest anywhere I’ve been and its always warm.  (Well, warm to me, extremely hot and humid to most others.)  I don’t have any pics, I brought my camera, but for some reason, never used it.  (Less evidence that way.)

   I was outside of a city called Pattaya.  (A heavy European tourist spot.)  The place is unusual to me because of two reasons.  First, they drive on the wrong side of the road.  And there are lots, and lots of scooters there.  There’s like ten for every car.  They’re every where.  

   Anyway, I’m going to cut this short for now.  I’ll post some more later on when I get to work.  Just wanted to let everyone know I was back.

  I’ll see ya’ll later.

Quick Update

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I've been haveing too good of a time on "vacation". This place rocks! Can't say too much about it right now, but I will later when I get back. Biz, you're missing out, big time. Haha! That's about it for now, I'll see ya'll later. Sawadee