Kingdomguy

Christmas Lunch 25-Dec-25
For the third year in a row, I decided to book Christmas lunch at the Red Lion on soi 13 again.
The Red Lion is a traditional English pub that has become quite an institution in BKK over the years.
I have had a lot of problems with my leg since I flew back, so I left it until the 24th to make the booking. Luckily I managed to get a slot for 1600-1800, which is a bit later than I prefer, but beggars cannot be choosers.
The Red Lion offers a very flexible set of choices for Christmas lunch:
The Menu

I was joined by @Behan and as I had tried to drink my weight in whisky last night, I decided the best course of action was to follow him with a soft welcome drink. 
@Behan ordered the main course option and I went for the two courses, foregoing the desserts, as I didn't want to aggravate the leg.
The portions were very generous and the food was both authentic and good quality.
Starter - Prawn Cocktail


Main Course - Turkey and Ham



There were representatives from all the major food groups on the over-sized plate and even two items which always triggered great debate in our family household. I remember endless annual arguments between my sisters and parents about whether peas and Yorkshire Pudding were traditional for Christmas lunch. My parents had a Victorian colonial outlook and it was considered heresy to serve Yorkshire puddings with anything other than roast beef. Thankfully traditions do change with the times.
The jury is out on the peas, but I am glad that Yorkshire Pudding has now become a new tradition. 
Coffee

I ended my meal with a coffee, which at the Red Lion is Lavazza and is very good. 
Summary
If you are in BKK next Christmas and at a loss as to where to celebrate on the 25-Dec, I would highly recommend the Red Lion. This pub also serves very good Sunday Roasts, all day breakfasts, as well as other standard British pub food.
Baht Buster Breakfast - THB 150

I had the Lorne Breakfast with @Kingdomguy earlier this year and he gave it the Caledonian seal of approval!

SAG

Pulse clinic on soi 13 for Prep is all good. Doxy you will find in any pharmacies.

Booking this hotel was a bit of a gamble. Didn't see much of recent reports, but a great rate and prime location made me do it anyhow.
The hotel is located down Soi 4, opposite of Swan restaurant, with a 7-11 and Why Not bar both very nearby. The entrance is behind the bar with the same name, although the bar is run by a third party. Not possible to charge drinks to your room Inside the hotel, they have a refrigerator with drinks for sale, in the lobby. 
The hotel apparently is run by Indian guys. Check in before 2pm on arrival date wasn't possible. I could leave my luggage and come back later. Deposit = 1000 THB.
I've booked the junior suite, a spacious room, on the 6th floor. Small fridge, two huge couches, a great bed and coffee making equipment. Bathroom has a spacious shower and a (too small) jacuzzi. Their choice of coloring can be considered off, but in general I am satisfied with the room. The only thing annoying me is the water pressure in the shower, which seems to be on interval mode. From perfect to nearly nothing to perfect aso.
I didn't include breakfast. It's no problem to have ladyboys in the room, but sometimes receptionist will ask them to leave their ID!
Costs approx 63 Euro per night.
Pic of the loom:

I wonder when it will be made available worldwide? Even with an efficacy rate of only 30-40% it has to be better than nothing!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cded26z16leo
World-first gonorrhoea vaccine launched by NHS England as infections soar
  Image caption,
Campaigner Max says he will definitely be getting the new vaccine
Andrew Rogers & James Gallagher BBC News   Published 8 hours ago England will be the first country in the world to start vaccinating people against the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhoea.
It will not be available for everyone. The focus will mainly be on gay and bisexual men with a history of multiple sexual partners or an STI.
The vaccine is 30-40% effective, but NHS England hopes it will reverse soaring numbers of infections.
There were more than 85,000 cases in 2023 – the highest since records began in 1918.
Gonorrhoea does not always have symptoms, but they can include pain, unusual discharge, inflammation of the genitals and infertility.
How many people will choose to be immunised is uncertain.
But projections by Imperial College London show that if the jab proves popular then it could prevent 100,000 cases and save the NHS nearly £8m over the next decade, external.
Max, a sexual health campaigner, told BBC Newsbeat he would "100%" take the vaccine after being diagnosed with gonorrhoea twice within a year.
"I think this is great that it's been announced", he says, adding: "It's going to take the pressure off the clinics, it's just a big win all round."
Vaccination will start in August and will be offered through sexual health services.
Public Health Scotland said it was also working on plans to launch its own programme for high-risk individuals.
BBC Newsbeat has asked health bodies in Wales and Northern Ireland whether they intend to do the same.
Is it effective enough?
This vaccine wasn't designed for gonorrhoea. It's the meningitis B vaccine currently given to babies.
But the bacteria that cause the two diseases are so closely related that the MenB jab appears to cut gonorrhoea cases by around a third.
That will require a delicate conversation in sexual health clinics as the vaccine will not eliminate the risk of catching gonorrhoea. It is normally caught while having sex without a condom.
But Prof Andrew Pollard, the chair of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which recommended the vaccine, said despite it only being 30% effective, it was "worth having" and could have "a huge impact" overall.
The decision is not just about the record numbers of cases. Gonorrhoea is becoming increasingly difficult to treat.
Most cases are treated with a single dose of antibiotics, but there is an 80-year history of the bacterium which causes gonorrhoea repeatedly evolving resistance to our antibiotics.
It's happening to the current treatments too and is why some doctors are concerned gonorrhoea could one-day become untreatable, external.
 
The best way to deal with a drug-resistant infection is to never catch it in the first place.
Dr Amanda Doyle, from NHS England, said: "The launch of a world-first routine vaccination for gonorrhoea is a huge step forward for sexual health and will be crucial in protecting individuals, helping to prevent the spread of infection and reduce the rising rates of antibiotic resistant strains of the bacteria."
The people most affected by gonorrhoea in the UK are those aged 16-to-25, gay and bisexual men, and those of black and Caribbean ancestry.
The vaccine – which costs around £8 per dose – is value for money when primarily offered to gay and bisexual men, rather than all teenagers.
However, clinicians do have the freedom to use their own judgement and offer the vaccine to people using sexual health services they think are of equally high risk.
People will be offered mpox (formerly known as monkeypox), HPV and hepatitis vaccines at the same time.
 
Potential new antibiotic for treating gonorrhoea Don't ditch condoms, sexual health experts say Prof Matt Phillips, president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV, said: "This is excellent news and a landmark moment for sexual health in England.
"Gonorrhoea diagnoses are at their highest since records began and this has the potential to help us to turn that around."
It is not known how long the protection provided by the vaccine will last or how often booster jabs might be required.
The decision comes almost a year and a half after a vaccination programme was recommended by the UK's JCVI.
Sexual health campaigners had criticised that long wait, but have welcomed this decision.
Katie Clark, head of policy and advocacy at the Terrance Higgins Trust, called it a "huge win".

Christmas Lunch 25-Dec-24
In what seems to have become a Christmas tradition, I decided to book lunch at the Red Lion on soi 13 again.
The Red Lion is a traditional English pub that has become quite an institution in BKK over the years.
They were running 3 sittings: 1300, 1500, 1700 and so I opted for the 1500 slot. (I fully understand why businesses have a sittings system for busy event days, but I always have a sense of trepidation, as on occasion this has been problematic. Luckily the people who were at our table had finished and left, so all was well).
Just like last year, there were 3 courses and also a welcome drink. The 3 course option was priced at THB 950, which was very good value and considering that the Red Lion is just minutes away from where I live, the choice of venue was a no-brainer.
For the welcome drink they offered Cava, Bucks Fizz, and Beer. After 3 heavy nights in a row, I couldn't face drinking again, so opted to give 2 glasses of Cava to my Christmas companion.
The starters were similar to last year: pea and ham soup, prawn cocktail and a vegetarian option of Camembert spring rolls.
There were 4 main courses: traditional turkey and ham, steak, salmon and a vegetarian cauliflower cheese.
Desserts were limited to traditional Christmas pudding and trifle.
The portions were very generous and the food was both authentic* and good quality.
I really enjoyed the lunch and even my Thai LB companion, who was fearing the worst, seemed to enjoy it, although she struggled with the sheer volume on the plates.
I placed an asterisk next to authentic as some of the ingredients on my plate brought a smile to my lips. I remember endless annual arguments between my sisters and parents about whether peas and Yorkshire pudding were traditional for Christmas lunch. My parents had a Victorian colonial outlook and it was considered heresy to serve Yorkshire puddings with anything other than roast beef. Thankfully traditions do change with the times.
If you are in BKK next Christmas and at a loss as to where to celebrate on the 25-Dec I would highly recommend the Red Lion. This pub also serves very good all day breakfasts as well as other standard British pub food.
I was last in there for a Scottish Breakfast about 2 months ago with @Kingdomguy and he gave the Lorne sausages two thumbs up.
Photo 1 - Starters

Photo 2 Main Courses

Thanks @SAGuy! Happy to try answer this from my experience  
When in Thailand I generally only eat between 11am-7pm, which regulates body to an extent.
Build up slowly. For example, I wouldn’t go with “Notto size” at the start of my holiday, more towards middle-end. Otherwise, I’d be put out of commission lol. 
Also, loads of lube! 

Thanks @SAGuy! Happy to try answer this from my experience  
When in Thailand I generally only eat between 11am-7pm, which regulates body to an extent.
Build up slowly. For example, I wouldn’t go with “Notto size” at the start of my holiday, more towards middle-end. Otherwise, I’d be put out of commission lol. 
Also, loads of lube! 

greedy bugger, lol

Oh I often start with big ones... Sensible advice, thanks!

Thanks @SAGuy! Happy to try answer this from my experience  
When in Thailand I generally only eat between 11am-7pm, which regulates body to an extent.
Build up slowly. For example, I wouldn’t go with “Notto size” at the start of my holiday, more towards middle-end. Otherwise, I’d be put out of commission lol. 
Also, loads of lube! 

I think this is a great topic for @Kingdomguy to answer, as he is the uncrowned 'Legend', with up to 5 liaisons in a day!
SAG

Still off topic/actual question.  but hopefully useful. Same day pickup and return but you pay for the added laziness. 
https://www.washdrop.com/laundry-bangkok/
I use them because they split colours and whites. Wash at 30degrees and don’t mix with other customers. Offer ironing as well. (I’m a bit anal about laundry  )

The guy asks the question about hotels and doesn’t bother coming back on the forum to see replies. 

Haha, if he's already this stingy about a hotel, I don't think the ladyboy bars will miss him 

Yeah it’s quite a bit more than 30 bucks unfortunately!

I know this adds very little to the conversation - but my method of madness is the value i get from the lounge access. Hilton on 22 is approx. £120 per night but with status i get lounge access. I estimate i drink (mainly) and eat £50 per session. So i got ‘the flavour’ before i go out-out.. That brings it down in my head to £70 a night,  bargain! 
 
i also like the Park Plaza on 18, for £75 a night you can grt one of their 3 suites (vv large). The sofa/sitting area, office area and walk in shower just allows for more ‘diverse action’ and the option to keep the  bed ‘sleepable’. 

It's the chain Fitness First, lots of them through out Bangkok.  I've been a member for a long time and have used many of them.  Landmarks Fitness First is one of the oldest but I prefer it over Paragon, Q House and others because it's not as crowded and easy to get to.  I get free parking at Landmark.
I see hotel guests sign something and show a room key to get in. 
As for the Landmark pool it's also dated but clean.  Nothing special in my book.  As a Fitness First member I have access to the pool and there's seldom anyone there. 
Some good restaurants in the Landmark.  

I think Kingdomguy, it reflects my normal holiday activities or my chosen lifestyle that unfortunately I did not mention Landmarks gym nor could say anything about it!
 

Ibis soi 4 would meet the criteria. Dawin too. 

@Knobby forgot to tag you in above!

Yeah I had no issues with bringing lbs back last year - rooms were nice and comfortable. Also handy to be right across the road from WN04

My name is Jean.
I had story with lb, some years ago. Great experience, and more problems.
I like this forum, thanks to those, who share .
Happy New Year.

It was in terminal B from memory mate! (Think they called it queens terminal!) 
The entrance to fast track is to the right hand side of the standard security entrance. I just showed the guy at the desk my first class ticket and he waved me through. 

here’s the website from Heathrow with guidance on what you need to do to get through fast track security mate!
was brilliant - through security in under 5 mins!
https://www.heathrowexpress.com/the-onboard-experience/business-first-class#/

 
 

Hey,
if you buy a first class Heathrow express ticket from Paddington London to heathrow then you can use the fast track / vip security section at heathrow.
i tested it in November and it worked. I was through security in less than 5 mins.
Standard class is roughly 25 quid and first class was 32. (Although could always use Elizabeth line but takes an extra 40 mins plus going through normal security).
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/heathrow-express-fast-track-london-airport-transport-elizabeth-line-cost-b1032416.html?amp
Could be a useful alternative if pressed for time or can’t be arsed with the long waits!!

Hey,
if you buy a first class Heathrow express ticket from Paddington London to heathrow then you can use the fast track / vip security section at heathrow.
i tested it in November and it worked. I was through security in less than 5 mins.
Standard class is roughly 25 quid and first class was 32. (Although could always use Elizabeth line but takes an extra 40 mins plus going through normal security).
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/heathrow-express-fast-track-london-airport-transport-elizabeth-line-cost-b1032416.html?amp
Could be a useful alternative if pressed for time or can’t be arsed with the long waits!!