The scandal involving French implant company Poly Implant Prothèse (PIP)’s use of substandard, industrial silicone for breast implants concerns potentially tens of thousands of women in at least half a dozen European countries. So far, it appears that none of these implants, which reportedly are prone to rupturing, were distributed in Southeast Asia. As reported […]
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Bachelor in Bangkok: Khun Lee on comparisons between Thailand and the U.S.
Sitting in one of my favorite bars with a mate last night, we were discussing our various methods of charming the opposite sex and satisfying our disgusting animal urges. My mate happened to mention that when making love to a woman “doggy” style he often attempts to enter another pleasure zone in that general region, […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Kempei Tai: Japanese Secret Service’ by Richard Deacon
Veteran espionage historian Richard Deacon really seems to love the Kempei Tai, Japan’s pre-Cold War military police-based intelligence agency. His Kempei Tai: A History of the Japanese Secret Service (1983, ISBN 0-8253-0131-9) is replete with personal histories of its founders and leaders, stories of intrigue, and arcane espionage factoids. The author emphasizes intelligence-gathering as practically […]
Read the rest of this entry »PC Air’s ladyboy flight attendants now flying in Thailand
As WoWasis reported earlier this year, Bangkok’s PC Air began to interview ladyboys as flight attendants. Now, they’re flying! This month, as reported by MailOnline, PC Air President Peter Chan has hired four ladyboys as flight attendants, Chayathisa Nakmai, Dissanai Chitpraphachin, Nathatai Sukkaset and Phuntakarn Sringern, after receiving more than 100 applications. The airline noted […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Chinese Eunuchs: The Structure of Intimate Politics’
Although the last of the remaining Chinese court eunuchs died in the early 20th century, the world continues to be fascinated by them. Kyoto University scholar Taisuke Mitamura’s Chinese Eunuchs: The Structure of Intimate Politics (1963, 1970 English translation by Charles A. Pomeroy) is an informative, readable monograph on the history of the individuals and […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Frances FitzGerald’s ‘Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam’
What would Frances FitzGerald say today? Her Pulitzer Prize/National Book Award/Bancroft Prize for History-winning book Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam (1972, ISBN 0-679-72394-3) was published in 1972. The U.S. still maintained a military presence there, and Nixon was still in power. Today’s visitors to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City are […]
Read the rest of this entry »A 3-way for my wife and I in Bangkok?
The Good Manner: Advice on Thailand from WoWasis’ Pa Farang Today’s question: a 3-way for my wife and I in Bangkok? Dear Pa Farang, We will be traveling to Bangkok at the end of January. We are married (she is Chinese; I am white) and looking for adult fun for both of us. She is […]
Read the rest of this entry »Deadly bar scams on Bangkok’s Soi Cowboy?
For several years now, we’ve been hearing allegations that patrons have been unfairly overcharged at several bars on Bangkok’s Soi Cowboy. When they’ve challenged the bill, they’ve told stories about being physically threatened. The allegations have been made in particular regarding a number of bars owned by an Iranian who is known locally as “The Arab.” […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: ‘Big Business in Thailand’… unveiling the mystery of Thailand’s business families
So you’re a Westerner who wants to open a large business in Thailand. You don’t really know the lay of the land, but you find that things keep getting in the way. Could be bureaucratic red tape, “tea money,” or even worse, you’re stalled and you don’t know why. Could you have run afoul of […]
Read the rest of this entry »WoWasis book review: Skip Thomsen’s ‘Affordable Paradise: The Secrets of an Affordable Life in Hawaii’
Most of us here at WoWasis either live or have dreamed of living in the tropics. Many countries present problem with that (notably Thailand) unless you’re a citizen of that nation. That’s where Hawai’i comes in. Especially on the Big Island of Hawai’i, and most especially in the city of Hilo, where property is still […]
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