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Update. I’ve been in Bangkok for two full days now and I can honestly say I’m getting the hang of traveling around. I figured out how to use the MRT and the BTS line also finally utilized the grab application. I used the grab app to get a bike and headed over to Arena around 4pm. I did as much research as I could and I’m glad I did. Lots of people here and on various websites recommended this place and since this is my first time in Bangkok, I put it very high on my list of things to experience. And man was it an experience. I’ve heard that the exterior of this place looked a bit run down and I completely agree. There are restaurants and shops within the complex but aesthetically the building looks dated. I knew it was on the third floor towards the right hand side so I followed the escalators up. One thing to note is that the escalators don’t start moving until you step on them, that was interesting. Also tons of signage everywhere saying not to touch the handrail for some reason. I spotted the sign and made my over. A few guys were chilling outside and since I was the only one walking towards the front door they all gestured me in. I read that upon entering you’ll see men working out and once you’re in they’ll line up for you. And that’s exactly what happened. I stepped into the lobby area and about 15 extremely gorgeous and incredibly sexy men looked up and all smiled at me. An employee, perhaps the manager, guided me to a chair with a menu of the services. I picked a two hour aroma therapy massage with one of the hottest men I’ve ever laid my eyes on. Before picking him, the manager told me to “take my time picking a boy” and I’m glad he said that because I was literally in awe. All of them were smiling, waving, flexing at me, trying to get my attention. Flattering but honestly a bit intimidating. It was a very very hard decision but all it took for this man who was standing in the back was a simple head nod and seductive smirk. I’m sold! The manager kindly offered me a drink, and then the masseur guided me up a couple of flights of stairs into our room. All of this is very very new to me and as excited as I was, I truly didn’t know what to do but thankfully he took notice and guided me through everything. The room itself it quite alright. A rather large bed in the middle, a little window towards the right and what it looks to be looking into the next room and a shower near the door. He told me shower and left the room. After I showered, he came back and took his shower. He gestured me to lay down onto the bed and the he worked his magic and gave me the best two hours ever. Focusing on the massage itself, he did amazing. The pressure was great and he took his time working the main muscle groups and then isolated into each leg followed by my arms. For the “extra service”, he was more than I ever expected. He definitely left me speechless. The whole time I kept thinking this is crazy, this is insane, this man is so fu*king sexy, oh sh*t, fu*k! After everything was done, we showered together and I handed him his tip and asked when he works. Apparently he’s there most days. He asks how long I’ll be staying in Bangkok and I told him a month. He smiles and I told him I’ll be back. He kindly guided me down the stairs and wished me a great day. I’m still smiling from that wonderful out-of this-world experience. I’ve read tons about other people’s experiences but to experience it myself is just sensational.

No only I can vouch but need to inform you that when I went there last night at 9 at least two mamasans were asking me ''where are your friends"'?. On personal note I must say that I was never so welcomed at that location / Jupiter , Boy66, now Moonlight / like yesterday so certainly we left good impression without lavishing those stupid garland. One of the boys I left 100 baht tip went even as far as going from the stage to welcome me in the bar , fact that there were only 2 other customers no doubt contributed to that welcoming but certainly 'genius loci ' of that location changed for a better as far as I'm concerned

Thank you for bringing it up, in fact it is directly across from Jupiter and sitting there with some very twinky but witty host from Laos between 7.30 and 8.20. I had pleasure of spying Jupiter guys coming to work , not to mention commentary of my host, drink 80, boy drink 140 if I recall correctly

Maybe everyone already knows this place, but it was new to me. A boy I know from ex soi Twilight Hotmale host bar told me he'd start working here after the demise of Twilight. I was there a few weeks ago (August) and saw he and several other hosts are indeed working at Welcome Bar. It's almost directly across from Jupiter. Good place. Are there other host bars in Bangkok now?

Ist er jung? Don't forget, anyone age 60 or more gets special treatment in Brazil. No more waiting in regular lines in stores and no more paying to ride on city buses and/or metro. Anyone 60 or older also gets early boarding on departing aircraft even if the older person does not have status with the airline. Such a deal - Of course there are many disadvantages of being old. Death is at the top of that list.

Oh no! I’m sure I’ll be back in Bangkok after my trip is over. We’ll definitely have to plan something!

One thing for sure, it makes others who wants to give 100 baht tips feels inferior to do that when others are tipping big lol. I am so tempted to give babe something but he isnt the best guys i see that night for me. And mine goes to boss (100) and nut (200) and i get to give it personally when they do a number that makes all the models to goes down in a row same level with entrance and i can say they both appreciate my small tips very much. Vinapu can vouched for me haha

Living here is getting to be a severe problem. The Thai government appears to want to make it as difficult as they can for expats to reside in Thailand. More laws to cause us problems such as TM30, 90 day reporting and other harassment in acquiring a visa extension. The documentation they require is now about 8 pages and some they make you sign are exclusively in Thai language and you don't know what you are signing. What I really do not understand is WHY. Most of us spend a lot of money here but they continue to pile on problems for us. It is much better to just visit for a limited time. Come for a couple of weeks and go home to the West. You don't have a serious visa problem and most of the other silly requirements do not have to be deal with. They are much more welcoming to tourist.

From South China Morning Post See ever changing country from the Reunification Express on its 31-hour trip north to Hanoi A train passes through lush North Vietnam. Photo: Alamy Effortlessly grasp the size, varied landscapes and cultural diversity of Vietnam by taking the train – you can stop off at the places you’d like to explore Nha Trang has a fabulous beach and diving, Hue has history, and Dong Hoi the world’s largest cave Vietnam is long – extending 1,650km north to south – but only 50km across at its narrowest point. It includes stunning natural and architectural beauty that is best appreciated from the windows of the Reunification Express train – from the mountains of the north, to the endless miles of golden beaches in the middle, to the flat lushness of the Mekong Delta in the south. While “express” is something of a misnomer – a non-stop journey between the two cities takes 31 hours – the train journey is a great way to understand Vietnam’s size, ever changing landscape and cultural diversity; thankfully, the trip can be split into shorter, more manageable shorter segments. This it not only an economical way to travel, but is also a more environmentally sustainable travel experience, and a more interesting one as well, and many of Vietnam’s top attractions are within easy reach of stations along the route. Ho Chi Minh City is the ideal place to start the journey. Its French-colonial architecture, museums about the conflicts of the last century, and spacious parks contrast with the glass-and-steel skyscrapers and construction work that is rapidly reshaping its skyline. Trains leave from bustling Ga Saigon – the Vietnamese have made the French word for station, gare, their own. The metre-high portrait of Ho Chi Minh overlooking the waiting area is dwarfed by giant billboards for air conditioners amid the organised chaos of the waiting area – hundreds buying last-minute provisions, repacking voluminous luggage, and saying goodbye to loved ones. Long-distance trains offer a variety of carriage options – from wooden seats to sleeping compartments with four or six beds, to a small number of two-bed VIP ones – and provide a more intimate and interesting travel experience than flying. It is the noisier option, though, as the combination of carriages rattling on old rails, food sellers hawking their boiled corn, snacks and drinks, and children playing mean that headphones or ear plugs are worth bringing to help with sleep. Once the train leaves behind the sprawl of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s rural beauty is soon visible from the windows on both sides of the train – conical straw hats bobbing on the heads of workers tending rice fields alongside water buffalo and ancestral family shrines. Continues with photos and maps https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3018820/vietnam-train-see-ever-changing-country-reunification

Sao Paulo names most handsome elderly male https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-33815781 The winner was Aureo do Nascimento, a 63-year-old truck driver pictured here at the frontThe win

This line took me out!

If they run this hotel as proper gay botique hotel with nice modern fresh rooms and friendly attractive staff they could be a very successful hotel but instead they did nothing lousy service and dated rooms it's a miracle they lasted this long.

I mean on Netflix's Innocence...Bangkok G Story obviously ended.

Yes They are very much interested in an off. As Vinapu so rightly says, several of them have quite a personality and the view over to Jupiter can be quite entertaining.

63 is elderly?

Do u feel welcomed enough to start using their mamasan service? Haha.

Tomorrow my partner and I have to go up to Bangkok for 3 nights. We are monogamous but I have always promised myself a visit to Moonlight to ogle these wonderful specimens of manhood. I think this weekend will be the time

If it were not for my boyfriend who has a great job here in Thailand I would be in Mexico. You made a great decision.

I suppose in a quantum physics sense observing movement is "controlling" it, but not really. People can travel within Thailand. TM30 has been going on for decades without anyone crying "police state" - it was just being done by the hotels. As I understand it, TM30 (or Section 38) is a Cold War era rule. It may have lost its original justification, but nowadays global terrorism seems to get people to the same mindset. (BTW - I'm NOT advocating the rules, and Im not saying that Thailand isn't a police state - I just try to find ways to understand how we get to where we are instead of just saying everything and everyone is irrational or a mustache-twirling corrupt villain.) Worth noting that the sequence of events is that last year there are a LOT of domestic press reports about people (some of them non-Thai) running illegals hotels through AirBnB. The hotels complained, the other condo residents complained, and then there were a lot of news reports. After that Immigration BKK announced it would "work to rule" and get strict. So maybe the AirBnB phenomenon is what pushed the powers that be into crazy defcon 5 mode. Yes, staying in one's home country avoids immigration hassles. Even more power to you if you live a home country that allows people from anywhere to stay in your country for as long as they want without any immigration restrictions, procedures, red tape, corrupt or incompetent people, nationalist batshit crazy anti-immigrant haters, etc. Would love to know that country. Sounds ideal. Canada? There absolutely are reports of corrupt immigration officers. However, my guess is that most people by far are able to process their papers without any particular problems. Some people go through "brokers" - some are mere facilitators and some are hired to get around the rules, such as the brokers who helped people get around the rules. But I think it is simply false to suggest that every expat has to pay a bribe to someone in the process.

Post like this are why we all come to this site! Thanks for always sharing your experiences! I’m going to SDQ in Sept for 4 days I’ll be sure to do the same.

kjun, thanks for the inquiry. The answer, of course, is nothing! Saying "all is forgiven" when trying to entice someone is fairly common*, almost cliche. I used it carelessly I guess. But, the thread has received little response. That surprised me. * https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/come-back-attila-all-is-forgiven.3393735/

First of all, for me there is a giant disconnect between the new immigration rules that affect long-term stayers and the broad [over]statement that somehow "Living in Thailand is Less Fun." I am having as much or more as I've ever had in Thailand. There's nothing new about 90-Day reports. Not sure why that's being dredged up. The new rules regarding seasoning funds before/after retirement extensions of stay for the 400K/800K people were put in place to stop the unscrupulous types using brokers (lenders) to stuff a bank account for the short instant when they applied for the extension of stay. To me that actually seems like a reasonable thing to do in response to an issue. Hardly some evil conspiracy to make Thailand less fun. For people on the income verification method, life became more difficult because the 4 embassies decided that they would stop giving the income certificate. So the thing that changed there was those 4 foreign embassies. Again, not the big bad Thai government. TM-30 admittedly is a shitshow. It had been ignored for us regular folk in Bangkok and many provinces, but actually was being enforced in some provinces (and life somehow went on for the people living there). Personally, I think we're stuck with it for a while. It's rule and someone big said it was time to enforce it. That big person might be a bit tone deaf on the PR consequences. All we can do is wait and "watch". [Get it - there's a pun of sorts - maybe it was his committee???.]. Why it's really happening, who the hell knows? There's stuff going at the highest levels that I think is beyond foreigners trying to understand. There's a different faction in the military in the ascendant right now. Does all this have anything to do with the old faction (Prawit/Prayut)? Not a clue. There is, I believe, also some legit security anxiety when more than 30 million tourists are crossing the borders. Does that play a part? Not a clue. I think it's very hard for bureaucrats and their bureau-bosses to turn off a rule once they've revived it. Or maybe it's all just punishment for whatever the real story was behind Big Joke's departure. Remember when people thought he was the problem? Oh, to have him back..... And yes, this means the good guys get caught up in the rules that are aimed at the bad guys, but that happens all the time. That's why we have to take off our shoes at the airport. I read a report of a business roundtable meeting with Immigration about TM-30. One speaker, a European woman, said that in some countries in Europe there are complicated rules when a foreigner lives in your home - she cited France - and others where the rules were more relaxed - she mentioned Germany and the Netherlands, I think. The point being that different countries have different regimes. In many, many, many ways, Thailand is easier for foreign long-term visitors than other countries. I do think that it is important for us all to realize that, "They should be grateful we're here" does not play well to Thai bureaucrats and the upper middle class that is running the show. Just sayin'. But, at the end of the day, if the difficulties outweigh the benefits of staying in a particular place, then DON'T GO THERE. There is vast easily accessible trove of information of happiness studies and enjoying life. Endlessly whining and complaining is not the path happiness. If TM-30 makes Thailand sufficiently not fun, don't go and find a better place. DON'T STAY IN THAILAND AND BE UNHAPPY. Or, stay in Thailand and make the best of it all. MAXIMIZE YOUR HAPPINESS.

While I believe in tipping guys generously for service rendered, lavishing 1000 baht tip on just being on the stage and looking pretty defies logic and probably is done by patrons trying to impress people they are with. By the way my customary 100 baht deserting tip was lavished on #4 and Smart , the model.

At least you saw boys, when Christian and I peeked in early evening mid week last week there was no boy on the stage , two hours later only 4 or 5. On Friday was better staffed though, enough for me to find somebody to take home.

This is copy of a post I posted recently : BEST DAYS OF SAUNAS IN RIO Updated August 13th 2019 From last information after opening of Lion's Rooms are charged by 30 minutes periods in Lion's and Pointe and by 40 minutes periods in 117 Monday 1. Pointe (*) 2. Lion s (*) 117 is closed Tuesday 117 (*). Rooms are free for 30 minutes. After this initial period, they are charged. Wednesday Pointe (*) Lion's (*) Thursdays 117 or Pointe Fridays Lion s (*) Pointe (*) 117 Saturday/Sunday 1. 117 (open saturday and sunday) 2. or Pointe (closed on sunday) Lion's is closed on sundays (*) = free cabins According to Pointe advertisement seen today. It seems that Pointe adapted his free suite program to Lion's. It is a promocao relampago which means it might not last forever and Pointe might come back to its initual program of free rooms on wednesdays only

Very easy! I have lived in the same condo for some years and still cannot find the exact address! Someone living temporarily in a rented/shared room somewhere may have no reason to know the postal address. Communication is by email, social media, Line, SMS, etc and no reason to know the postal mail address. They do know their "home address" as on their official ID.

From the Bangkok Post A tale of two cities Old Customs House There is no room for nostalgia in modern Thailand. At least, that's what the prevailing attitude in the capital appears to have been in recent decades, as its rapid development has continued apace. Grand old buildings, temples, villages and other heritage structures have been knocked down to make way for roads, urban rail, high-rises, condominiums and glitzy shopping malls. This has spread far beyond the capital, with towns and cities up and down the country embracing the trappings of modernity. Dazzled by all these new projects, many have forgotten how to appreciate the beauty of traditional forms of architecture. In an attempt to recapture the magic of old Bangkok and to raise awareness of the rich heritage of its old buildings and structures, British photographer and writer Ben Davies is releasing a book titled Vanishing Bangkok: The Changing Face Of The City. Vanishing Bangkok is a collection of black and white photographs shot over the past five years in a large format Linhof film camera. The book's publication will be followed by a photo exhibition, scheduled to take place at River City Bangkok Gallery during March and April of next year. "It's a fairly natural progression on what I've done before, which was looking at the old, changing traditions and ways of life. And it was really brought on by the speed at which Bangkok is changing," said Davies, who has lived in Thailand for almost 20 years. "We're just seeing this incredible transformation with shopping malls and condominiums. [But] rather than photograph that side, I went out and strolled the city looking for the old bits of Bangkok, the 236-year-old building in the city that people think has no history. I wanted to document what was left of this old side of the city." Vanishing Bangkok reveals the classic beauty and rich history of the city. From the photographs of old buildings along the banks of the Chao Phraya River to the teeming alleyways of Chinatown, narrow side streets of Talat Noi, sleepy canals and dilapidated buildings shrouded in antiquity, the book reveals the hidden charm, extraordinary history and diversity of this great city. Inspired by the stunning old architecture in cities like Hanoi, Yangon or Luang Prabang, Davies was driven to see what he could find in Bangkok. He explored the city on foot and by motorbike looking for curiosities in every corner. What he discovered is that, thankfully, there is still an extraordinary amount of the old city left, although much of it is hidden away in small pockets rather than in big areas. Davies believes it is well worth preserving. Bangkok continues to change rapidly. A decade from now, much of the city will be virtually unrecognisable. Many of the old buildings and neighbourhoods featured in the book may, sadly, be consigned to history. Indeed, Davies said that maybe 10 to 15% of the sites he documented have already gone. The Old Customs House, located along the Chao Phraya River between the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel, will soon share the same fate. Built in the 1880s, it's one of the city's oldest properties. Continues with many photos https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/1734079/a-tale-of-two-cities