The ' Sometimes I do hate my friends when they send me that kind of Pics ' section - Part 1

Right , even if I'm doing my best to Globe-trot around the World as many times as I can ...There are still many places I would like to set foot upon ...
Fortunately , I do have some attentionate friends who, acting as unofficial correspondents ,never forget to send me pictures of their most memorable trips .

Such is my dear Japanese friend Makoto Wakamatsu ( whom I first met in person in Chicago in Summer 2001 , courtesy of Matt Sherman & Raymond Benson ) who sent me the following pics taken during his pilgrimage in Taïwan and Bangkok some years ago , on the trail of ' The Man With The Golden Gun ' actual scenery .

Afficionados will no doubt recognize the then famous 'James Bond Island ' of Scaramanga, near Phuket .

Interestingly , it has now let go of its James Bond inheritance and simply retails these days its original name . Another friend of mine , who shot a commercial in Bangkok two years ago , went there too and couldn't find a trace of the 9th James Bond film except for that ...Souvenir painted rock he graciously brought me back ( now pride & joy of my 007 Merchandise collection ! ) .

The famous ' Klongs ' , on another hand , are still there of course , as well as the Thaï Boxing arena where Miss Anders turned up dead ...

To end on my usual merry note , Guy Hamilton told me the crew was almost permanently food sick while shooting near Phuket...It also seems the Thaï have a very different way of shooting movies than us , Westerners .

For instance , the indoor studios and sets are not ...Air conditionned and not ...Sound proof either .

A detail which could easily drive mad some famous British film director ...

Many thanks to Makoto Wakamatsu and Julien Vialon for their kind help and photographic skills .