According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) international tourist arrivals rose 15.45% in the first three months of 2016 from a year earlier and are expected to grow 13% in the current quarter, but almost all businesses on the beautiful island of Phuket - tour companies, sailboat hires, hair & nail salons, massage shops and restaurants - they all have complained of a slow and quiet season. Same for Chiang Mai: In full contrast to previous years, Hotels were not fully booked for this year's Songkran festival. This year occupancy was only 70-80%. In Pattaya there is still an unsolved discrepancy between the 10 million tourists claimed by the TAT and the only about 6 million visitors Pattaya's hotels and bussinesses welcomed last year. According to Thailand's Board of Investment (BoI) the number of applications for BoI privileges rose by 98% year-on-year in the first quarter, with the total value of investment up by a big 234% in the period. Government data show Thailand's customs-cleared exports rose again in March from a year earlier contrary to market expectations of a contraction. But Thailand's Siam Commercial Bank has maintained Thailand's growth forecast at 2.5% but remains wary of downside risks, especially exports and fewer working hours in the private sector. Exports will likely decline further and private investment, which expands in line with public investment, may grow more slowly than expected, the bank's research unit claims.

Today Bangkok Post reports that the average hotel occupancy rate in Prachuap Khiri Khan, mainly contributed by Hua Hin, was 55-65% in the first four months of this year compared with 67-70% in the same period the year before. In the same periode the number of trips fell 21% and tourism revenue dropped 19%.

It is very known that you should be very careful when taking a medizin together with any kind of alcoholic beverages. But do you know that

• Iron supplements are ineffective when taking with coffee, tea or red wine. Tannic acid in this drinks binds the iron molecules. As a result the iron doesn't get into the bloodstream, but directly into the next toilet.
  Take iron supplements with water only.
• Birth Control Pills lose their effectiveness if they are taken with Hypericum perforatum - also known as St. John's wort or common Saint John's wort and perforate St John's-wort.
• The ingredients of Antibiotics together with the calcium in the milk form small lumps. The lumps are no longer absorbed by the body's intestinal wall.
  The result: The antibiotic therapy is ineffective.
• Grapefruits are affecting more than 50 drugs. The bitter substance in the fruit blocks the degradation of drugs. The ingredients of the drugs are no longer absorbed by the intestinal wall but go directly in the bloodstream. This can lead to intoxication or, combined with Terfenadine (a antihistamine), to your death.
  Avoid drinking Grapefruit juice or eating Grapefruits if you have to take another antihistamine drug too!
• Broccoli can triple the effect of a cancer drug. Therefore consult your doctor first before including this otherwise vitamin-rich vegetable into your diet.

One liter of classic Coke contains 7% of sugar, Nutrition Consultants are warning. But they forget to tell you that other Soft Drinks (Fanta, Sprite, 7up, Mirinda, Mountain Dew, Est, BIG or A/W Root Beer to name a few only) contain between 7 and 12% of sugar. Thailand's (healthy ?) Fruit Juices and Green or Ice Teas as well as the country's popular Energy Drinks 'inject' up to 25% (250 g/l) of sugar into your body!

On April 26th Thailand's National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) voted to table a sugar tax for cabinet consideration for larger state revenue as well as better public health. Retail prices of carbonated drinks, green tea, coffee, energy drinks, sour milk, soy milk and juices containing 6g to 10g sugar per 100ml would have to raise their retail prices by at least 20%. Those with more than 10g of sugar will have to rise their prices at least 25%. The NSRA was appointed by Thailand's Dictator General Prayuth Chan-ocha on October 5th, 2015, to guide reforms in this country. It includes 80 military officers and 120 civilians, all hand-picked by the Dictator. On May 24th The Nation reports that Thailand's Excise Department prepares a Sugar Tax that wouldn't hurt the involved industries... Let's hope they take into account the latest studies that claim that artificial sweeteners may change our gut bacteria in dangerous ways that could lead to obesity and Sugar substitutes may cut calories, but no health benefits for individuals with obesity. Moreover there seems to be a link between the consumption of artificially sweetened drinks during pregnancy and an increase in the body mass index of their infants.

Despite the annoucement to reopen in May, Left or Right, Jomtien's A Go-Go Club at the Rompho Bar Complex, was still closed on May 4th, 2016...

On Naklua Road, just at the entrance to Soi 29/1, the Windmill opened its small but cosy open-air Foodcourt with the first few tenants providing Thai food and all kinds of tasty drinks.

O La La, a well-known restaurant on Soi 7, closed.

Zum Pfälzer Bier Stüble, a popular meetingpoint with Bar and Restaurant dedicated to tasty and affordable German foods on Soi 7, closed the door. Its Bosses take their traditional 3-month long relaxing holidays in good old Germany.

On Pattaya Beach Road, between CentralFestival and the 7-eleven Minimarket at the entry to the ViewTalay skyscraper a new Restaurant with an easy to remember name opened on May 18th, 4 days behind schedule: Maesriruen, also known as Mae Sri Ruen, claims to be The Original Chicken Noodle & Thai Foods (outlet). Maesriruen isn't a newcomer to Pattaya. The original venue is located on Central Pattaya Road, between BigC Extra! and 3rd Road. But its most popular outlet was in the now defunct CentralCenter (BigC North Pattaya). A forth Maesriruen can be found at Pattaya Outlet Mall on Thepprasit Road. Maesriruen is known for its excellent food at reasonable prices.

Pattaya's much hyped robotic car park at the Bali Hai Pier had to close. Pattaya officials canceled the concession because MP Meg, the operator, failed to run the facility. The car park opened on April 1st, 2015, nearly two years after it was originally scheduled to open. The 738-million-Baht expensive garage offered 417 parking spaces on seven floors. It was initiated by Pattaya Mayor Itthiphol Khunplome and his City Hall Crew.

On May 6th a blaze destroyed a new tourist attraction before it could open, media reports. The destroyed tourist attraction is owned by Khunthong Ou-ngern, a former tourist police officer, who also owns Pattaya's Poipet Market. The fire started shortly before 11:00 at Ban Phaya Mai's 15-rai compound. A dozen of big and small fire trucks rushed to the scene, but because of a narrow path, only two small fire engines could get access to the fire... Please click here for a movie of the incident. Within a few months it is the second blaze destroying a complete building before its official opening.

Pattaya's all new Leisure Complex called the Bay was first announced to open during the fourth quarter of 2015, later the management of Beach Road' s new Food and Drink Complex announced they will open the new building during the first quarter of 2016. It didn't happen. The shell of the building seems to be almost complete, but with the missing tourists perhaps the management is missing the tenants too... TiT (This is Thailand)

Mood, the Blues Café located on Pratumnak Soi 6, closed at the end of April. The declining number of good tourists in Pattaya just claimed another victim.

Mityon's X-speed outlet seems to be so successful that Pattaya's largest Motorcycle Dealer opened a new and much larger shop on the Northern part of Pattaya 3rd Road, just at the entrance to the You Know Me Seafood Restaurant.

No News yet, please come back in a few days.

Rolling Live, formerly known as Rolling Stone and located on Walking Street at the entrance to Soi 16, will celebrate a Farewell Party on May 31st, 2016. Use the opportunity to recall the good old times of Pattaya when a smile was a smile and you could hear a thank you while spending a ladydrink....

Fever, a Dancing, once announced as The Heartbeat of Pattaya, collapsed. On May 9th a banner on the door said closed for 1 day, but as you can see on the picture from that day, all the neon-signs, including the one from the Russian Cafe were already removed. A few days later, the venue reopened on May 14th as The Nashaa Club, an Indian Nightclub providing (indian) food and Belly Dancers. To remain exotic - that's obviously still important here in Pattaya - the Belly Dancer comes from Russia...

The closure of Gentlemen's Club A Go-Go, located on Soi Diamond, is definite. As the photo shows, the venue is on the block.

Shark, an A Go-Go Club located on Soi Diamond closed down its second floor business and moved its dancers into Spice A Go-Go on Soi 15. You already know that Spice is the successor of Beach Club which moved into new premise in Soi Happy, off Walking Street. But rumours claim that Spice will be renamed in a few days (or weeks) time to Shark...

Only O, an A Go-Go Club located on Soi Diamond is closed since many days.

Ever since I can remember, I was riding on a bicycle. Therefore, when I moved to Thailand, the first thing I bought was a bicycle. It didn't take a lot more than a few days until I learned that Thailand is different from Switzerland. In my home country I used the cycle pump one or two times only a year, here I have to use it every few days. Buying a new tube or even a new bicycle didn't help. An unexpected help came from a friend running a small factory in China. On his latest journey to Thailand he had a small present for me: A pair of China made tubes. They didn't look very different from the one I had to use here - but they are really different: Since I use them I never had to use my cycle pump anymore. The explanation of my friend: It's hard - if not even impossible - to produce Quality with uneducated People.

We all know it from our daily life: The sausage, the bread and not even the beer you will buy tomorrow will look and taste the same as the one you bought yesterday or the day before. TiT (This is Thailand).