The Lola Boys

Nuts In Huts!

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Andrew and Paul had waited for over an hour in searing heat on the pier at Tagbilaran, a small scruffy city on the island of Bohol in The Philippines. The taxi which Paul had ordered to collect them had not materialised. Instead, they drank the local ‘Red Horse’ beer with a bunch of local taxi drivers and did impressions of Rod Stewart. For some reason Paul had recently been getting a lot of folk telling him he looked like the Scottish rock star. He was kind of thrilled, although Rod […]

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The Lola Boys

Hashtag Him Too!

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Paul and Andrew arrived in The Philippines with a bang. Literally! Their small plane hit the equally tiny runway with such force that Paul had expected the ‘Brace. Brace’ command at any second. Luckily the reverse thrust kicked into overdrive and they managed to stay on the tarmac – just. The boys had eventually arrived in Bohol. The tenth largest island in the Filipino Archipelago – far south of Manila towards the equator. Home to the Tarsier and ‘The Chocolate Hills’, plus countless typhoons and earthquakes. It had taken them twenty […]

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The Lola Boys

A Special Nan!

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Paul and Andrew had made there way further east, they were now residing in the small city of Nan, on the Thai/Laos border. It was an unfashionable town. Not currently on many a traveller’s itinerary – other than the odd Thai or two who visited her odd temples. This made the settlement even more likeable and he and Andrew had only been there a day, when they’d both decided they loved the place. ‘How d’you spell it?’, Andrew had asked Paul for the umpteenth time. ‘ NAN!’ Paul snapped impatiently, ‘Think […]

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The Lola Boys

Don’t Say A ‘Phrae’ For Me Now – It’s Too Late!

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Paul and Andrew clambered into the mini-bus in Lampang to embark on a windy journey east. Windy being in the circuitous sense and not the flatulent. Thank Buddha! For mini was definitely what the van was. It had obviously been built for day-tripping Munchkins. Or perhaps the odd Oompah-Loompah. The antiquated jalopy had certainly not been constructed with any six foot ‘falang’* in mind. Along with the discomfort of the vehicle’s bijou interior, Paul was nursing a painful urinary infection, which had been diagnosed, thankfully, by a sweet young Thai […]

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The Lola Boy's Blog

Lampang – The Beautifully Cursed City!

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As Paul headed towards the lavatory on the plane, taking he and Andrew to the north of Thailand, all he could see was a sea of paranoid eyes. Everyone on the aircraft was covered up, as if attending a masquerade ball. Other than he and Andrew. They had just left from a provincial airport to which the Thai nationals just evacuated from the virus -hit city of Wuhan were just about to arrive. The boys had had to pick their way through cameramen and press past an army of reporters […]

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The Lola Boys

Just A Small Dose Of Koh Samet!

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The Lola Boys had decided to head back to the north of Thailand. Not because they were remotely scared of the irritating new virus that seemed to have infected everyone with fear, but because they were looking for somewhere more remote. Plus they had left a rucksack full of toiletries at a small guest house in Chiang Mai and Paul was missing his conditioner and a couple of face masks. Not the viral kind. In fact the whole ‘masking up’ business was beginning to pall Paul. The only facewear he’d […]

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The Lola Boys

Going Viral – Hopefully Not!

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Koh Samet, a small island set in the Gulf of Thailand, was a famous weekend spot for well to do Bangkokians, it was a wonderful escape from the madness of Pattaya. Apparently it had been founded by a band of notorious pirates who had buried their treasure neath it’s silken sands. Paul and Andrew had been on the peaceful island for a few days, now thoroughly chilled, and staying at a boarding house belonging to the very friendly Miss Hong. Each morning Miss Hong had greeted them with amusement, laughing […]

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The Lola Boys

Sodom And Pattaya!

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Paul and Andrew left the ancient northern city of Chiang Mai and headed south to the incredibly popular and populous city of Pattaya on the Gulf of Thailand. On arrival, it was clear there was more than a gulf of difference between the two urban sprawls. The former retaining an element of class – the latter an abundance of brass! Paul had visited Pattaya over two decades earlier whilst performing in ’The Mikado’ on the beautiful QE2 cruise liner. There had been an element of performance too within the city. […]

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The Lola Boys

We Woke!

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Paul woke in the Thai hostel at 6.30 am, or rather was woken at that unearthly hour by the motorway above which he and Andrew had been ‘sleeping’ for the last few days. He went to the floor below to make a coffee for Andrew, a rare occurrence as he was never normally up before his partner. Well not in the morning! As he rooted through flaxseed, linseed and milk produced from organic rice picked by a chanting virgin, he attempted to blot out the conversation coming from a small […]

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The Lola Boy's Blog

A Long-Brawl Trip!

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After a mammoth long-brawl journey involving three flights, two taxis, a rickety shuttle bus and a near emergency landing due to some old git having a panic attack at 37,000 feet, The Lola Boys arrived in Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Neither of them felt or looked their best. In fact Paul literally had no eyes! This happened to be an irony, as had he used his irises, when he still possessed them, he may not have booked he and Andrew into the ‘VIP’ room at the ‘Iris Hostel.’ The […]

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