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It’s probably worth viewing this through a wider lens—the political one. The nation is still experiencing the upheaval of much contested elections and it will be a while before things settle. Individuals, parties and private interests are vying for power and influence. This is nothing new in the history of Thailand, whether the change in government resulted from a coup or elections. If you go back about 16 years, under the Thaksin regime, police staged a very well publicized raid on Babylon sauna. The media was there in force and if I recall correctly the justification was that the premises didn’t have a license to operate as a hotel. But it occurred in the larger context of a “social order” campaign. It came as a surprise to many because the owner was a quite wealthy and influential individual. Popular gay venues have always been popular locations when a point is to be made because few will rise to their defense. It’s perhaps worth noting that the raid on Prince was publicized only in the Thai media. No English language site has reported on it to the best of my knowledge. Similar social movements emerge periodically but particularly when a regime desires to make a point that lends legitimacy to its rule. These events can be popular among certain segments of the population while alienating others. But they all have one thing in common: things tend to regress to the norm in time-honored Thai fashion. Thailand—like many nations—is experiencing its own surge of nationalism. And that nationalism challenges the ASEAN ties built up over time. If history is any predictor, the needle will slowly fluctuate back to the norm, driven by economic and social factors, and of course, politics of the day. It’s probably wise not to make too much or too little of day-to-day events in trying to discern the long-term direction of a government. Successful prior governments have proven adept at maneuvering through political minefields to keep the economy on track and the masses mollified. Until, of course, they don’t.

To follow up on ggobkk post here is the email. Warmest greetings from TCC Hotel Group !! We would like to thank you for the excellent relationship we have enjoyed with you over the years. Throughout its tenure, The Tarntawan Hotel Surawong Bangkok has consistently welcomed guests with memorable experiences. We would like to take this opportunity to announce that we will embark on a new chapter in its remarkable story. The Tarntawan Surawong Bangkok will be temporarily closed between 1 June – 15 July 2019 for an extensive project to revitalize this property. In the meantime, we are pleased to welcome all pre-booked guests and new reservations staying from 16 July 2019. Please note that the name will be remain or not change to be imm Hotel as my informed earlier. We would like to apologize for any confusion by reverting back to “The Tarntawan Surawong Bangkok”. We are very grateful for the many years of support you have given us and thank you for your kind understanding and cooperation. For all enquiries, please contact me at below shown number. Yours sincerely, Thanadon Tibkham Hotel Manager The Tarntawan Surawong Bangkok 119/5-10 Surawong Rd., Suriyawong, Bangrak, Bangkok, 10500, Thailand. M: +66 (0) 89 204 9461 | T: +66 (0) 2238 2620 | E: hm@tarntawansurawong.com | W:www.tarntawansurawong.com

"authoritarian" YES. Someone who understands.

Hahahaha. Was it Malcolm Gladwell or someone like that who said 10,000 hours of practice? If so I am woefully short of the requirement to be an expert, but working on it. Or to the contrary, and more realistically, maybe it takes about 3 times to become an expert, so most forum members qualify.

Lion's Club, I was told today they "expect it to open some where between the 10th and the 15th of this month! They have been doing a lot of renovations and I was told the sound systems and lighting were the most expensive part! Also Lagoa in Sao Paulo will be moving in December to a 3 Story Building. They are presently on a month to month lease. The new building is not as large as what they are in now!

1. I love his music. 2. He is hot and sexy. 3. Brave! https://www.advocate.com/people/2019/7/01/countryrap-superstar-lil-nas-x-comes-out

There's always a home in the gay community for musicians who are hot and sexy. They don't even have to be gay.

https://ilikepinga.com/2018/07/13/douglas/ Douglas is an outstanding kisser. Of course, he is Carioca. I am not sure what your preferences are, but he is 100% bottom. Plus, he is significantly more affordable than Carlos, and a talented masseur.

Monday, cloudy, and everyone is working. Perfect time for some catch up with my writing. Let's share a little bit more detail on my Grindr adventure. I am going to call him the Baker. He is actually not a baker, but does work at the counter of a bakery. For those who know Argentina, you are familiar with the ubiquity and centrality of bakeries in our culture. I have always fantasized with the guys wearing aprons and working in the ovens behind the counters, and I liked imagining this guys as one of those. Let's me share a few pictures. His face is clearly visible in the other pics, so I am keeping those private, he is not a professional. I had my doubts about the second pic, but later learned it was real and taken where I sat when I came to his place. What decidedly made my mind was the weed. My nephew got me some, but it looked like a great idea to supplement my tiny supply. The Baker is 36 years old, but looks like in his 20s. When I arrived to his place he was waiting for me at his door. We had to climb five floors through stairs, no elevator. The situation was weird without being uncomfortable. He would not chat with me but just walk fast forcing me to keep my pace and distance from him. Once at his apartment, I tried to make conversation but it was awkward, I was mostly asking questions and getting short answers, and he would not follow up after my answers to the few questions he did ask. He rolled a joint, we smoked it, and then I suggested to start playing, as we were sitting not at physical contact distance. We left our chairs, and started to explore our bodies standing up. I tried to kiss him, but he would avoid my mouth, apparently he was more interested in my dick. I asked whether he was into kissing, and he would avoid a direct answer. Soon we were naked and stepping into his bedroom. His body looked just like the pictures, his skin was perfectly smooth and hairless, his face was more telling of his age than his body. He had piercing in his nipples. We did a lot of 69, but he would still avoid kissing although the interaction was very passionate and his dick was rock hard. He was not easily submissive, we would wrestle for control and I liked that. However, my dick was getting soft without kissing. Eventually, I scaled down his passion to tell him that he was hot but we were not really a match, as I do need kissing to enjoy sex. He laughed and roll his eyes making some kind of comment about kissers, and immediately started kissing me passionately. My dick was back. He also had a piercing in his tongue. We kept playing for a while and busted jerking off and kissing. Although we did not fuck, it was a sexually satisfactory meeting. It was funny that in some moment, I do not know exactly when, I switched to English. I noticed it because he was responding to me also in English. This happens to me often when I am having sex, specially if I am stoned, which I am usually when fucking. We finished late, he had to work the following morning (bakeries here open every day), so we quickly got dressed and I left after a little more of conversation. He was not talkative, I was left with the clear filing that he is saving for himself a lot of who he is and where he is coming from. The little bit he showed was very interesting to me. Not only he was fluent in English, but also in French. I did not get to talk about his education background, but he obviously has one much more advance than most guys I know in this area of the country. His tattoos, his piercings, his talent to roll a joint, all speak to me of an urban culture that did not exist in Corrientes when I was living here 40 years ago. We said goodbye with the promise of keeping in touch. My hope is that he will slowly open up and share more about him. He is just 4 block away from my place, and I am confident we will meet again.

I am in Corrientes, and my Grindr is melting. The pos is the abundance of young guys of all kinds interested in an older bear. The con is to find them amongst the even more abundant closeted guys with no pictures. And they are so fucking insistent! I hope there is no limits for blocking profiles. Yesterday I hooked up with a 30 y.o. hottie who invited me to his apartment, four blocks away from my mother's place, where I am staying while here. Great time, I will see him again at least one more time before flying back to Buenos Aires. Prices here are so much better than in Buenos Aires. Margaritas are $AR 130. And they are huge and strong. Last night I had two and got as drunk as I do with 4 or five American drinks. Today I am inviting my family to eat to a Brazilian style parrilla. $AR 400 per guest and you eat delicious meats and sides with a regional touch (besides the standard ones things like chipas, mandioca (yuca), mbaipu) until you stop. Once again I am missing this year an annual event that started in Buenos Aires after I emigrated. This year was the 5th edition of the "Night of the Philosophy". It is an amazing festival where the local thinkers and artists merge art and philosophy, and is a quite popular middle class event. You will need to translate if you do not read Spanish, but here you have a nicely written report: https://www.lanacion.com.ar/cultura/la-noche-filosofia-le-puso-calor-del-nid2263100 The translator may give you non sense some times, the report is full of regionalisms. A thing that caught my attention was one of the author's remarks. In one of the night events, students from Schools of Philosophy present in four minutes the topics of the papers they are working on. The author highlights as "disturbing" the topic Why do we fight, out of a list that includes Sexual Diversity, Photography and Memory, Game and Justice, and Theater and performance. The whole event seems very representative of the Buenos Aires I experienced in the 80s and 90s, and I am terrible sorry that I missed it AGAIN. If you can schedule your travels to coincide with the next edition, you should. I will be more careful next year if my fucking bad memory allows me.

Hello everyone. As usual, planning for my trips in advance. Actually, I am leaving to Buenos Aires on June 25th. As Argentina is well known territory, I am not planning for it. But during my staying in Buenos Aires, I will spend one week in Rio. THAT is unknown territory, it would be my first time there. I already have the tickets. I decided to rent an airbnb instead of going to a hotel. That decision on which one is not yet made, I am waiting for some suggestions from sister @numazu1, who is too busy hanging out with Brazilian boys and has abandoned us but still chats in WhatsApp, and sends teasing pictures all the time. If anyone is going to be around, let me know if you want to meet. My plan is very simple. Writing and networking in the morning, beach at noon and early afternoon, sauna in the evening. Any tips about other things to do will be very appreciated. I do not think I would leave Ipanema/Copacabana area. For instance, I have zero interest on visiting the Cristo.

As the saying goes, "All work and no play makes Jack/Mack a dull boy". In Bangkok recently for work, I made sure my evenings were free. Then tacked on a few more days in Pattaya. The first of four trip reports is up at http://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog with one new report a day. Beware -- these are long reads. Sunday evening upload: Bangkok bars Monday evening upload: Bangkok massage Tuesday evening: Pattaya bars Wednesday evening: Pattaya massage.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/chris-christie-chuck-todd-pretentious-know-it-all

I hope Rodolfo keeps the gym equipment. It is convenient to get a basic improvised workout scheduled in when you are waiting for Mr. Right Now.

I didn't watch the debates, so don't know how Todd acted. But I have watched Christie's career. To say he did "annoying" things would be glossing over his record. Bridgegate alone "annoyed" tens of thousands of people.

Think my point was: if you are one, then you know one when you see it. Agree Todd is very good, but he has seemed needlessly as Christie described him annoying as a debate moderator.

The New Yorker has an extensive article on Hunter Biden. Besides being an alcoholic, he has a history of cocaine use, including crack not all that long ago. But what gets me the most from the article is how intertwined all of the Washington people are. Hunter had a job with the same bank that donated millions to his dad. He was on boards that he had no business being on. His relationships with Chinese businessmen stink to high hell. And his dad is running for president. I'll bet not for long. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/07/08/will-hunter-biden-jeopardize-his-fathers-campaign

I am certainly not an expert on anything to do with police or immigration raids. We're all aware of the Immigration raids and press conferences that seem to have been a weekly (or more) phenomenon under Big Joke and now Big Oud. I only mentioned that it was Immigration Police & press conference because the whole episode doesn't seem like the typical tea-money kerfuffle. Also rather interesting because the rumor certainly was for years that Prince/My Hero had a high connection in the police. Also, a bit surprising that there was no advance warning. As we all know, the BKK go-go bars typically (but not always) get a heads up before raids. I agree the whole thing is a bit silly. But massage is on the list of professions reserved for Thais. Prince and VCK definitely have a well-deserved reputation for guys who try to rush the massage. Even so, unless it's something outrageous, I encourage people not to be clock-watchers. It's not like you're buying a dozen donuts and only got 10. Was it a good pleasurable experience? Then if it's 5± minutes short I usually don't mind. I know people do care about it so I make the observation if it happens when I'm reporting on a shop, but after a half-way decent massage and rambunctious sex, who cares about the time. (Also, to be fair, on more than one occasion things have run longer than the allotted time, and it's been my "fault.")

and this is all that counts , our money , our pleasure

# me too

If they aren't old, white and male, I'll support them in the primary. If it isn't orange and a rapist, I'll vote for it in the general. We vote late enough that there isn't much point paying too much attention because the race is basically over by the time we vote in Oregon. I did make a small donation to Pete though.

Very good news for Pete Buttigieg. His formula is working so far. Pete Buttigieg Raises a Stunning $24.8 Million in Second Quarter I'm on my third donation to his campaign. I urge my fellow homos to send his campaign whatever you can afford. Pete is good for America. We need to elevate him as high as we can for as long as we can. https://peteforamerica.com/

It's not a golden rule. Some boys that avoided making an eye contact were great and even developed to LT it turned out that they were too shine to make a straight eye contact with me. In the contrary some of the boys that did make eye contact and showed enthusiasm turned to be a disaster in bed they just knew how to 'sell' themself for an off. It's very difficult to predict how the boy will turn out to be from first impression.

Instagram recently up ...

BiggusDikkus’s excellent account of his first experience of Bangkok planted the idea that a thread on ‘First Encounters’ with the City of Angels could be entertaining. Here is mine to kick things off. Before landing the story in Bangkok I need to back up a little as I had a vicarious familiarity with Bangkok long before I first visited. My perfect gentleman of a father (on one occasion, after finding a slug in his salad, he wrapped it in lettuce, doused it in dressing and ate it to avoid any embarrassment to his hostess) spent time in Japan and South East Asia on business in the 1960s/70s. He was very nice and very slightly naughty. As a child I was fascinated by beautifully produced Geisha House books he brought back from Japan, full of oval pictures of perfectly made-up young women. He and my mother were each other’s best friend so whatever he found to amuse himself, it was done with her knowledge and if not blessing then at least understanding. My parents had a broad outlook and so my being gay was a practical issue not a moral one. They had gay friends. The World was tough on homosexuals (the then term-of-use). This was unfortunate but a fact. How could they help? They lead me to believe that sex is enjoyable, even more so if you and your partner have a connection. Nothing wrong with casual sex, but avoid becoming fixated on mere physical sex. Sex is also a mental pleasure, which is why a connection is so important. To balance the enjoyment, there are risks. Life is a bugger. No Free Lunch and No Free Hedonism. Unplanned pregnancy can be a major life problem (although you are probably free of that one) as are diseases. Particularly syphilis (this was pre-AIDS). To clarify the point for a fifteen year old they gave me some quite advanced and very graphically illustrated medical texts. The autopsied syphilitic brain looking like a Swiss cheese was a standout image. To paraphrase my father “Swimming is great fun. Try to only swim in clean water. If you suspect the water may be less than clean, cover up properly and wash thoroughly afterwards, in which effort medicinal alcohol is useful”. So I was launched into the World with few hang-ups about my sexuality, open to and aware of the pleasures of the flesh and totally paranoid about STDs. Even with raging teenage hormones the image of the brain-as-Swiss-cheese could deflate my dick in seconds. Preparing for my first encounter with Bangkok in the pre-internet age my advance research was undertaken at the local gay bookstore. My father recommended his hotel, which is now the Anantara by Ratchadamri BTS but which back then may have been a Peninsula as that was his regular chain, and assured me that the Thais were very charming and open minded people and that I would like them. In Bangkok, ensconced at the now-Anantara, I made a strategic decision that I soon reversed. I was not sure exactly who I would encounter at the clubs and, despite my father’s assurances of open-mindedness, I could not picture myself walking comfortably through that stunning lobby with a pickup. Guided by my gay guide I went to the Tarntawan and reserved a room for recreational purposes. Friday, my first evening free of business obligations and I am excited. I have a map. I have a rec room. Krung Thep, mon amour! However, there is No Free Hedonism. As I am about to going swimming in possibly less-than-clean water, I am possessed by an almost paralyzing fear of Swiss-cheese-brain-syndrome. It takes several sazeracs to reduce this to manageable dimensions before I launch myself into the night. The hotel porter whistles up a cab (this is pre-BTS), I give the cab driver my destination and into the traffic we go. The driver looks at me in the mirror. ‘You like boy?’. Yeesss, I carefully reply. “I take you better bar”. I feel a surge of almost crazy elation. Yes, he is probably going to his friend’s bar where he gets a commission, but these people are relaxed. I decide to go with the flow. I have a map. ‘Ok’. I have no idea where he took me. Starting several sazeracs in and then continuing to drink at bar after bar, I have only a sketchy memory of the evening. I wanted to see it all and my memory is a blur of many bars, many boys and tip jars swallowing many red notes. All fun. It was all huge fun, even if I can’t recall the details. Finally I took a guy off from a bar that had an aquatic show. Tall, elegant, looking wonderful in speedos. Charming. And very understanding of someone with a few too many drinks in him. He took me to a hole in the wall restaurant for carbs and coffee. Possibly I was worth sobering up as, back then, I had thick floppy bond hair and a trim swimmers build. Possibly, understandably, he did not enjoy the fumbling of drunks. We spent several sensuous hours in mutual exploration and pillow talk. He was a student. This was how he financed his studies. How long was I in Bangkok? Not long enough, I thought. Departing in the morning we ran a gauntlet of stares from much older farang breakfasting with last night’s offs. The kind of detached lust-absorbed stares of people trying to picture you naked, people whose conversation is best avoided as it is often distasteful. The people who in my then-not-so-far-back youth had caused me to stop going to gay clubs and switch allegiance to jazz bars. I began to dislike the Tarntawan. In the evening I headed out to reconnect with Elegant-in-Speedos. Pre-Line, pre-iphone, pre-internet there was no easy way to remain in touch. I had to go back to the bar. But which bar? At the time I was not sure it was the aquatic one. Exploration is fun. I began at Tawan, planning to do the rounds in an efficient non-drinking manner until I found the right bar. Leaving Tawan I was accosted by the tout from a small bar across the soi. Many boy, you like! It was a small shabby bar with maybe eight guys who upon my entry mounted the stage and gyrated in a semi-sensual vaguely come-hither torpor. All except one and that one guy worked it with every asset and move he had. He was the most masculine of the group. An intelligent lively face, deep brown, solid muscle on a slender frame and large hands and feet which accurately indicated the potential of his endowment. In bed at the Tarntawan after showering together I am in sexual overdrive. This guy is hot. And then, the third time he removes my exploring hand from between his stunning buns, he holds it against my chest and gives me a polite but firm lesson in reality. He like girl. Have girlfriend. Have men sex as it pay a lot more than construction. While I am customer, he is himself, has boundaries, I need to respect them and him. It had never occurred to me that any guy working gogo would be anything but gay (naivety) or that anything within my vanilla repertoire would be off-limits (arrogance). He sees these thoughts on my face and smiles, pulls close and says ‘Here what I do’. I tell him what I do and then, as two tops, we proceed to make each other feel good. Within his boundaries he is very sexual. Why is more of the World not like this? After showering we leave together, him to his girlfriend and me to the more comfortable accommodations of the now-Anantara. It is around 1am and in the lobby I again encounter the gauntlet of stares from the sexually-fixated. Now I dislike the Tarntawan. Sunday, my final free evening, I reconnect with Elegant-in-Speedos. Looking at him in his street clothes I think I would not at all mind being seen with him at the now-Anantara. So that is where we go. We have cocktails and Thai food from the twenty four hour menu in the lobby. No one stares. In the room there is a bowl of red spiky Thai fruit which I have not been sure how to approach. His eyes light up and he shells one for each of us. They have a sweet and slightly scented taste. Our lips lock in a sweet and scented kiss. I looked for him the next time I visited Bangkok. ‘How long you not here? He graduate, go home’. The beginning of a cycle. A long and enjoyable cycle. Long may it last!

There is, I believe, a collection company in Thailand which collects royalties from public venues playing music copyrighted outside Thailand. They sell what are, in effect, public performance licences and distribute the revenues among their clients. The equivalent organisation in the UK is the Performing Rights Society. One of the reasons you hear western music in these venues is that there is just one such company so licencing is simple. For Thai music there are more than 20 and it is easy not to have the right licences and too costly to have them all. Castro and the Venue probably do have the right licences. The licence companies do inspect and do prosecute. If you were a barber's shop in Nakhon Nowhere you could probably get away with not having one, but an entertainment venue in a tourist district? I doubt it.

All live and recorded music performed in any public space has to be covered by a licence from Music Copyright Thailand Ltd. There is a sliding scale of rates. Not sure of the capacities of The Venue and Castro Bar. If between 60 and 100 seats the fee is 20,000 baht per year. Above 300 seats the fee is 100,000 baht. Royalties are also payable in go-go bars and for places like music in hotel lifts. Whether the enforcement agency actually makes the bars pay, is another matter!!

As it happens, Busaba massage is no longer there. Ir technically maybe it is, in a sense. But it has changed dramatically. The shop seems to have been renovated and refurbished, looking like new and more upscale than the old Busaba now. Also the name changed to "Relax Thai Massage". See this picture taken from Natural Massage just opposite: In rather typical Thai fashion, nobody bothered to take off the big old Busaba sign board above. Otherwise, it has no resemblance to the old place. This changed happened very suddenly and very quickly, I had seen the old place not very long ago, maybe in May. As for other shops, on the right hand side there are the following shops, in this order coming from Silom: 1. the new Natural Massage as described by Mack in his blog, some boys sitting outside 2. Center Point Massage, almost invisible as nobody ever sits outside 3. Paradise Massage, not THAT new anymore, but facilities still in excellent shape, always boys sitting outside. Very gay, no minimum tip but extras virtually always offered, but still good massages (my experience). In Mack's categorization I'd put this between type 2 and 3. 4. Classic Massage, formerly Ben Ten girlie massage. Changed their concept from girlie to mixed, now always boys (and some girls) sitting outside 5. The Green Massage, sometimes, but not always boys sitting outside. Well known type 2 shop using Mack's system.

The impeachment of Clinton didn’t even start until October 8, 1998, only a month before the midterm elections. In the midterms of November 1998, the Democrats picked up only five seats in the House and the Republicans still maintained majority control. In 2000, which was the next Presidential election post-Clinton impeachment, the GOP regained the Presidency and the House. Looks like the GOP won that battle. And BTW, Clinton was a very popular President, one who won both of his terms by popular vote and who had a 73% approval rating at the time of impeachment proceedings. Donnie Dollhands Drumpf is a one-termer who steadily remains the least popular President in the 60 year polling history, and only “won” by the electoral college (and the help of a foreign adversary). And Clinton was impeached for lying about a fucking blowjob — insignificant compared to the multitude of treasonous crimes committed by the Dotard In Chief. Trump supporters are the absolute worst. No, what’s even worse is a gay (closeted or not) dick-sucking, male hooker-hiring Trump supporter, doing the bid of an Evangelical Right that wants you dead.

New Years is fun in Rio, the largest NYE celebration in the world. However, I don't go to saunas about 2-3 days after Christmas until the middle of January. The saunas are SOOO full , that the wait for a room is ridiculous and with so many tourists (nationals as well as foreigners). The boys ask higher than normal and stick to their high price, for the most part. And is very frustrating when you really like someone and he's taken with two more waiting for him. The first three weeks of December has been some of my best times in saunas....people thinking about Christmas, business is slow. The boys need money to buy presents for whomever, hardly any tourists....they are hungry for business and really try to earn it. Rooms/apts are cheaper....overall your money will go a lot further.

Most western gay tourist has moved to sunee plaza and jomtien is my guess, where fem twinks are abundant and drink prices still reasonable.

Responding to PeterRS above: Interesting that you raised the issue of gender balance. This was one aspect that particularly struck me after a long hiatus from the scene, and indeed I have quite a bit to say about that (how did you guess?) I think this will be the real death knell for the bars. And I hope some bars begin to experiment with a “Men Only” door policy. Here are the social realities: Straight women outnumber gay men at least 10 to 1. Ditto straight men. Once straight women start getting comfortable in these bars, more and more will follow and gay men will be flooded out. Straight men, chasing women, will start to follow the straight women into the bars.That 10:1 demographic imbalance is such that we cannot pretend that a place can ever remain a gay safe space once the women start coming in numbers. We shouldn’t forget that even today, many gay men are still guarded about their sexual identities. I think it was here on Gay Thailand forum when, in another thread, an issue was made about a bar being careless with its videos, exposing faces of customers. This only shows how delicate the matter is. I had a friend who once noticed a (male) work colleague coming into the bar. He was almost freaked out when their eyes met (from nearly across the room). But at least he could say to himself, "well it’s a case of mutual assured destruction if he outs me. If he is in the bar, he’s gay too. To tell anyone that he saw me in this bar is to admit that he too was in the bar." So in that sense, it was still a safe space. But imagine if my friend noticed a straight female work colleague coming into the same bar (perhaps with a gaggle of other women). Immediately, he would be at a serious disadvantage. She could claim the moral superiority of being heterosexual and interested in the male form (socially fairly acceptable), but he would be exposed as gay (in many countries, still socially unacceptable). The threat of mutual assured destruction is no longer there; it is asymmetrical: a risk to the gay man, not a risk to the straight women. I think in the long run, the bars will need to implement either a men-only policy or have differential pricing where women have to pay twice or thrice what men pay. From some idealistic quarters I can hear people cry “discrimination”. Well, how about calling it “affirmative action” to protect a vulnerable group from being swamped out, and keeping a space safe for them? In any case, why is no one screaming hell and damnation for the discrimination that occurs in so many bars and dance clubs every week where, on “Ladies Nights”, women get in free or real cheap? Read this story from ThaiVisa https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/645338-sometimes-you-go-to-a-women-only-lounge-and-its-just-kind-of-depressing/ Ignore the details of the story. The point is that it describes a bar with a policy to exclude male patrons. If it’s OK to forbid entry to men, it should be OK to forbid entry to women. I come back to an earlier sentence: We shouldn’t forget that even today, many gay men are very guarded about their sexual identities. There is no doubt that there has been an Asianisation of these bars. We’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. Consider three factors: The populations of China, India and Indonesia are huge; They will grow steadily wealthier; Their societies remain socially conservative. If we are seeing 200* gay men arriving each day from other Asian countries, some time down the road, we may see 2,000 a day. There is a future for these bars (and massage parlours); the potential market is there. But because their societies are socially conservative, it is important to keep the bars a safe space for them, otherwise why should they come? *A wild guess, not that I have any data.

Not at all. In Pattaya there are plenty of them all over town, and now more of them than before. They're not just for farang and Thais. Most accommodate Thai couples who need a place to go other than at home with their entire families present. As stated above, if you want to off a boy and take him to a short-time room, why ask us? Ask the boys. They all know just where to go. Have a look here, and these are just some of them: http://www.pattayasweethearts.com/loveinns.htm

I hesitate to call this a trip report as it's much less detailed than many, but here are my observations from a trip to Pattaya earlier in May. Typically I only frequent gogo bars - massage is not generally my thing (I'll make an exception for a stunner), and host bars are usually a last resort. I spent a week in Hua Hin, one of my favourite places to unwind, before hitting Pattaya for 10 days. The transfer was hellish, for some reason known only to herself the driver decided a route via central Bangkok was best. The motorways were gridlocked on a Friday afternoon, so instead of the usual 5 hours the journey took 7.5 hours. It will be the ferry next time for sure. In Pattaya, Boyztown was subdued with very few customers in the outside bars. Panoroma in particular was very quiet, Castro and Serene seemed to be busier. A-Bomb, one of my regular bars, was closed for a long overdue refurbishment. I was disappointed as I'd been hoping to find a lad from my last visit. I found the A-Bomb barman working as a waiter in Dreamboys, along with several of the A-bomb lads. The waiter explained a couple of other A-bomb boys were working at Cupidol, including the lad I was looking for. He headed over to Cupidol, and brought my lad over to Dreamsboys for me. Now there's good service! I caught the Dreamboys first show, which is pretty much a copy of X-Boys and BBB minus the Bboys dancers. They started with a candle show, which I thought was extinct in Thailand. The candle boy was not really my type, pleasant looking but not a stunner, but as I watched he grew on me - the waiter helpfully explained he was "number 1 big cock" in the bar. However, it was his big chunky ass that capitvated me, especially when I saw him naked later during the big cock show. The waiter was talking about a 700 Baht off fee for the show boys, plus tips of "2000 Baht up", so I didn't off him. Later in the trip I saw the Dreamboys 2nd show, they seemed to have many more boys in the big cock show who I hadn't seen previously in the bar. It was fun. I spotted an exceptionally handsome older guy who I'd offed years ago - frustratingly I couldn't remember from where. It must have been BBB, or Dreamsboys in Bangkok, I think. I had a quick grope for 100 Baht. It was pity this was my last night and I already had a boy from Dreamboys sat with me. X-Boys had a good selection of boys. I always find the staff here a bit odd, other than asking if you want to off anyone they don't seem to want to engage or help you choose a boy as they do in other bars. Maybe their English is not up to a conversation. I did off a good looking lad, I wasn't sure he was gay when I saw him on stage but he soon convinced me he was. He'd already had a few drinks, and was in fact slightly drunk. This didn't really affect his performance. in Cupidol, other than my former A-Bomb guy who I offed a couple of times, I didn't find any boys my type - but then I rarely do. I ventured into BBB several times. I'm not a fan of the way the boys are generally fully dressed. The muscular ones who do take their tops off invariably have an unimaginative tattoo in the style of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, across one pec and a half-sleeve down the arm. Twice I offed one of my regulars, a cute gay lad from Chiang Mai with an unexpectedly large cock. One evening when he wasn't there, one of the muscular guys caught my attention. He's cute but distinctive looking with a great body. He was from Cambodia, which surprised me given his build. When he worked out what I liked (which is not difficult, I'm easily pleased), he was quite the dirty devil in bed. Unfortunately his cock, while looking good when soft, never got even slightly hard and was so pumped full of fillers and silicone it was quite off putting. After my usual short time I gave him 1500 Baht. He looked at it pretty disdainfully and asked for another 500 Baht. He hadn't mentioned it earlier in the bar, but I reckoned he probably thinks of himself as one of the stars in the bar and deserving of a minimum 2000 Baht. I gave him the extra 500 without any argument as I don't want any bad feeling. I made a mental note to check prices with "star" boys in future. I don't normally discuss tips in the bar, and rarely have a problem like this - it's happened 3 times in 20 years. With the 1200 Baht charge to the bar (2 drinks at 350 plus 500 off fee), it made for quite an expensive evening. He won't be joining my list of regulars. Toy Boys is the best run bar in Boyztown. My regular waiter knows what I like and works hard to find a suitable boy for me. I offed two boys from here - one was a sightly older guy with a great body I'd offed previously. He's straight but does everything. The other was a newly arrived young lad, straight but cute as a button. He was pretty useless in bed however, lying there like a sack of potatoes. I ventured over to Sunee once when inspiration in Boyztown was lacking. Sunee is a shadow of it's former self of course, with many bars closed and those that were open had very few if any customers. I went directly to Winner, in the hope of finding a boy from my last trip in February. He was new then, and unlike the typical Winner boy he's compact and muscular. I was slightly surprised to see him still working in the bar, he didn't really seem cut out for it. He remembered me and was pleased to see me. He'd grown in confidence and his English had improved, so he was a chatty companion. He was below average in bed, but I knew that anyway, and I find him attractive enough not to mind. Overall my tally in the gogo bars was 4 new boys and 6 repeats from previous trips. Next time I'll be on the lookout for more new boys - I'll aim for a 50:50 ratio.

It was most enjoyable to hear the story about your first encounter in Bangkok. I hope others will contribute!! To that end, this was my First Encounter in Bangkok... Mine is about a tiny bar across from Tawan. My first visit to Bangkok was in 2001. I was lucky to have met a German man on Yahoo Chat. We met at the Tarntawan and set out to do the Bars!! We went to Tomahawk Go-Go, which was directly across from Tawan. It was tiny place with banked seating along one side of the room and a small platform on the opposite side where the Boys came out to dance. One of the Guys dancing caught my eye and after he left the stage I ask the Mamasan to bring him over for a drink. As an aside, the Mamasan was Lek who later managed Soild and recently the small bar in Soi Twilight. So the young guy arrived and sat with me. But something did not seem quite right. We talked, all the standard questions. And then I excused myself to go to the toilet. It was toward the back of the Bar when the Boys hung out between their moments on the stage. A path was cleared for me to the toilet, I relieved myself, and when I came back out I saw standing there the Boy who I had really been smitten by earlier. What was going on?? Well it turns out it was his younger Brother who Lek had brought over!!! We quickly cleared up the confusion and both understood my preference for the older Brother. So off we went to Tarntawan for an excellent night!! The Boy who I will call “T” was a dream. He had a great body. Beautiful smile. A huge cock. A nice tattoo. He did everything!! He loved to smoke and be smoked and he even had me fuck him!!! Well I fell in Love!!! Too bad I had a long-time Boy Friend back home in the USA… Just to complete the story. We met several times on future trips. And I always enjoyed our time together. Went on several trips in Thailand. He had two sons he was raising himself. His younger brother was Gay and had a Thai BF. Now many years later, my Guy is in his late 30s and still looks good. He worked as a Mamasan at Boys Bangkok. And the last time I was in the Bar he took me down the Soi to meet his two sons who work in other Bars. They are both grown, equally handsome, married, and have children. Too bad I have not seen Grand Dad in several years. But the memories are still the best!! Hua jai kong pom ben kong koon!!

All of us somehow learn how to pronounce letters before we even attend school, sort of a muscle/mouth/breathing control that seems to get locked in and oftentimes is very difficult or impossible to change once we're older. Say the "v" sound and you'll notice how you automatically form that sound without even thinking about it. Given Thai has no "v" sound in their alphabet, it's generally impossible for Thais to pronounce. David becomes "Dawit" (the Thai "d" at the end of a word or syllable is pronounced like a "t") and, of course, tv becomes "tee wee." As for the "b's" in Bob, the Thai alphabet has a "b" (บ) which sounds exactly like an English "b" at the beginning of a word or syllable but it's always pronounced like a "p" at the end of a word or syllable; thus, I am forever "Bop" here. That same anomaly is why you oftentimes see "crab" both pronounced and written in Thai menus as "crap." Like Joshhb, I simply have never been able to pronounce the "ng" (ง)Thai consonant which is the initial consonant for Thai words such as snake (ngoo) or money (ngern). I've tried for almost 20 years to pronounce it right but just can't seem to do it. Whenever I do try to pronounce that damn consonant, usually Thais either badly attempt to hide a laugh at my attempt or, after a short tee hee, they actually try to help me pronounce it (without any real success so far).

Syphilis is contracted by physical contact with someone who is in an infective stage of the disease. Someone in an infective stage will have one or more sores and it is contact with these sores which transmits the disease, which is what makes condoms effective protection. In the early stage of the disease the sore(s) will be at the initial point of infection. eg on the penis or around the genital area (usually identifiable), in the anus (hard to see), in the mouth (can be hard to see). In a later stage they may appear in other places also. I enjoy kissing too and am not going to give it up. I just take enough precautions to feel comfortable. In addition to condoms my basic precaution is in three parts. (a) Enjoy a shower with your partner pre sex. Use this to subtly check him for signs of sores. (b) Enjoy some foreplay and use the opportunity to subtly check for sores. (b) Wash promptly after sex, including washing the body parts most used with a sterilizing agent. Medical alcohol for the genitals and anus, mouth wash for the mouth. I always offer this to the guys I am with, partly to remove any perception that I think they are 'unclean' compared to me and partly as good practice. Happy Kissing!

whatever, no risk no fun. I like kissing too, and I don't really care about diseases that could be transmitted that way, as those are easily treatable and curable. Big deal to catch Syphilis, get a shot and it's done with. Just be sure to get tested on a regular basis. Or else lead a no risk no fun life.

Few observations as to short and long time costs of girls in Pattaya (I have no experience of Bangkok). First thing to say is that it varies hugely, Short-time for Beach Road and other freelancers, Beer Bar girls, soi 6 girls, internet hook-ups, etc. from 1k baht. From agogos, depending on the popularity of the agogo, and of the girl, and if she wants to go with you or not, say from 2k upwards. Long time, cheaper end say 2k - 3k, and from the agogos 3k upwards. Showgirls from say Sapphire or What's Up, arguably the two most popular places off Walking Street, you may be being asked 5k for ST or up to 10k for LT and that is not counting the barfine (off-fee) that could be several thousand more baht. Ironically, and just to confuse you, any 'unsold' agogo girls still hoping for a little rent money might go to the various Walking Street Discos - such as Lucifer or Insomnia, in which case they can often agree to be hired for a fraction of their agogo price ranges and without any barfine. That is a very, generalised synopsis, the pages of Pattaya Addicts forum are littered with hotly argued 'price threads' that go on for pages and many many posts. LOL

Lovely report, thanks. You are correct. It probably was The Peninsula on Rajadamri. Now the Anantara it was built near the end of the 1970s as part of Hong Kong's Peninsula Group. Thats one reason why the lobby looks very like the lobby in the Hong Kong flagship. But bust quickly followed that economic boom and so the Peninsula management sold on to The Regent International Hotel Group in the early 1980s. Later it was then sold on to the Four Seasons. During the Regent era, there was a policy of no joiners. I once took a nice boy from the bars back to the hotel. I knew there was a security guard at the lift lobby and se we waited until he was otherwise engaged before sneaking in to one. I had forgotten about security cameras. About 3 minutes after we arrived at the room, the phone rang. I did not answer. It rang about 4 more times, and than thankfully ceased. But then came the knock on the door. I quickly realised this was security. I told my guest to be silent and did not respond. The knocking continued for about 5 minutes, after which we were finally left in peace. But I was furious! I checked the hotel regulations. Nothing there about not taking guests to the room. So I wrote an angry letter to the GM. He responded with a major apology and the offer of a free week-end. I made sure to book for two people!