Leaderboard

Getting out of the Rio/Sao Paulo Bubble Even in non-COVID times, some of the other cities in Brazil are unfortunately neglected when it comes to the general public’s knowledge about visiting Brazil. Which would be a mistake, obviously, because there are untold riches out there that are not found in the doorsteps of Lagoa or Point 202, and even during the pandemic, this fact is still true. The BF and I were discussing possible getaways to the Northeast (Nordeste) of the country to get away from the Southern (Santa Catarina) and the Southeastern (Rio and SP) parts of Brazil that we were staying in. With COVID still a big thing, not all cities had all the usual services open. At the time of our research, the usual reliable Salvador had their beaches still “officially” closed with the pandemic still raging there. The one city that held promise, as well as having open beaches and allowing street vendors, was the other big Northeastern city: Recife. We have been to this city once before, trip report here, and we had much fun traipsing through the beaches and I had fun with one of the saunas: Termas Boa Vista, report here. So its my own damn fault that I decided to get a BF, while at the same time, whoring it up in Brazil. I’ll spare you the details, but as our Recife trip drew closer, the BF tells me to just go to the city alone, as we needed to “evaluate” our relationship. So I find myself getting on the plane to Recife, from Rio, alone, without my sidekick all this time. In all honesty, the break was necessary, and there was nothing like Recife’s beaches and sun, to help clear one’s mind of one’s mistakes and wrong-headedness. So my trip went from a lover’s getaway, to a whore trip, or so I thought. More on that later. I’m gonna reserve my comments on Recife’s COVID response on maybe a future post, but for now, let’s focus on my first trip to Recife’s main sauna, Termas Boa Vista. It is named as such because it is in the Boa Vista district in the main part of Recife. I’ve been to this sauna only once before, and have no qualms going back, especially since I am suddenly alone this trip. As with what other posters here have commented, even if this was a Brazilian sauna, this was not Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, so therefore, maybe, there are less of the painfully perfect adonises here than in those other two cities, and, maybe, Recife saunas were filled with more of the cute boy-next-door types. Which meant that the boys here were a little bit cheaper, starting at 50 reais (!) to the standard 100 reais for a good programa with a decent boy. Signage at the front door shows the hours and entrance fee: At other saunas, the opening hours of 3 PM to 10 PM seems standard, but this is Recife, and pre-COVID, the closing time was 6 AM (!). Yes, they have a per noite rate here, like a motel, and you can stay with your favorite boy toy till the morning (or you) came, for less than what you would in RJ or SP for an hour. If you go to their Facebook site for Termas Boa Vista, you see some regulars lamenting the fact that their per noite system is temporarily unavailable due to COVID. I don’t see any reason for me to stay in a sauna for that long, knowing that I find saunas, in general, kind of gross and unappetizing, but still, the option was at least intriguing. OK, I take back the “gross and unappetizing” part of my comment earlier. Indeed, certain saunas need a little cleaning up (I’m looking at you Point 202), but Termas Boa Vista was then, and is still now, perhaps the cleanest saunas I’ve ever been to in Brazil. Also, the space itself reminds me of my days in Sao Paulo's Thermas Lagoa (the old location), which had more than ample open space, enough that you can get lost in, to frolic and mingle. They don’t have a pool here (unlike Thermas Lagoa), but everything else was pretty open and had its place. For example: The nightclub part of the sauna (every sauna has them), where there is a stage and seating are, is in a separate part of the building. There is even a short corridor that separates it from the rest of the sauna. Which is useful sometimes if you want to avoid this part of the sauna, or at least to avoid the "noise" of the entertainment. Places like Espaco Lagoa has both the main bar and the stage area in the same place, so if the upstairs bar was closed, you’d have to go to the fairly busy stage area to get a drink. A pain sometimes, especially if you just want to get a drink and not see the show. The bar is, as I said, separate from the stage area and everything else: And drinks are cheap(er) than what you see in SP and RJ: If you were ever worried about COVID (and looking around in this sauna, it seems that no one is worried about it, due to no mask wearing, among other things), the bar area had very ample ventilation, as seen below. You can see the sky and there was a healthy breeze going through the area, to mitigate transmission (I guess). The gods blessed the Northeast of Brazil with great weather, so they can afford to be open like this: There’s a lot of other things I can say about this sauna, but let’s talk about the boys. There are less boys here than in SP and RJ. And there are way more clients, proportionally (it is the opposite in the RJ saunas these days). And there are even less boys I would consider to be hot enough for me to pay for it. Last time I was here, I got a hot boy to fuck, but he would be considered average in Club 117. But I am not in RJ, so I have to adjust my expectations accordingly, otherwise I’d be just doing the comparison game (i.e. RJ has better looking boys!), which will make me wonder why I am in Recife in the first place. So I order myself my usual drink – the Cuba Libre, and drink to my heart’s content while observing the clientele. I get some weird looks, and I am used to that, since I am probably atypical of what the average client is like. Still, the main reason they were looking was probably because I still had my tank top and shorts on. Everyone else in the sauna was in a towel. I was not ready to do that yet. I was just observing, drinking, biding my time. I see about one or two boys that was a maybe for me. But noone really stood out, so I just sat there, waiting. And then, I feel a hand on my left shoulder. “Boa noite,” a deep voice behind me said. I turn around. I see a tall guy in a towel, with an outstretched hand. And he looked like he belonged in Rio de Janeiro, not in Recife. So next, my night with him…

Just finished reading Namazu's reports from Brazil that he posts on Boy Toy. Absolutely sizzling accounts of sauna happenings. Guaranteed to take your mind off what we miss most. https://www.boytoy.com/forums/topic/32503-the-reopening-of-brazil-to-foreigners-some-observations/

He is now working in the VIP section of Fake so I assume he is fine with gay customers, as long as they have fat bank accounts.

I couldn't agree more. I fully came to realize this fact when I learned Thai and the writing system, which (a) makes a lot of sense, (b) has a clear system behind it for the tones (which unfortunately even Thais are unaware of as they aren't being taught their own scropt in that way. So it is best avoided learinng Thai script from Thais, farangs do a better job at it), and (c) all vowels (36 of them, if I recall correctly) make one, and exactly ONE sound, and there are separate characters for the same sound but of differennt spoken length (short and long). That's unlike in English where a written vowel makes a multitude of sounds (just consider "a", what sound does it make? Many if you just look at a few examples: Sam, same, sample, awning (the latter being ore an "o" than an "a"!). So I sympathise with Thais finding English difficult. My own theory (which I believe to be very plausible) for this mess in English is, that English in fact does not have a script for it's own language. Instead, it hijacked the Latin one for it's purpose. But that was invented for Latin, and nothing else. Thus the difficulties encountered in many languages using Latin script. Spanish being a descendant of Latin apparently has much less of a problem as @10tazione mentions. which also seems only logical. Other languages made some adaptations to Latin (such as German for the Umlaute, French has accents, Vietnamese alls sorts of "extras"), but English made so such attempt. Latin having only 5 written vowels is simply unworkable for English with many many more vowel sounds. So the 36 in Thai may sound like a lot, but it's actually far far easier that way. Hardly pronouncing final consonants t, k, p is actually only half true. It depends on the vowel preceding it. Some vowels can have an ending consonant, some cannot. The "ai" sound as in "like" (Thai: ไ) can't have one. Therefore "like" (and our fave app LINE) become "lai". Pet, ont he other hand is a permitted combination, and indeed the word exists in Thai: เผ็ด pronounced the same as the English "pet" but meaning "spicy". Skipping the ending "t" is actually a Burmese accent for the Thai language, they apparently don't have many ending consonants. Makes them difficult to understand when they speak, Thai, but I got used to it by now as I chat (and flirt lol) with some at my regular eatery al the time. The upshot of all this is, when speaking Thai it makes understanding Thai street English so much easier, as one knows where they're coming from with their seemingly odd pronuciation.

At least from what i heard, he wont. But he will go with male customer to their hotel. Possible for something more light. Not sure the details on what he can and cannot do though. Id assume at the very least he will get naked, and masturbate? And maybe let you touch. But honestly, i have no idea as ive never took him lol Also this guess is based on the time he was in moonlight, so i have no idea now that he no longer working at moonlight full time.

yes he is as previously stated when he is on his visits to NYC the old Lagoa was actually 3 houses cobbled together and owned by 3 brothers for the last 20+ years and the entire block was bought up piecemeal by a develoment company, Rudolfo the current owner knew he was going to have to vacate for at least the 2 years preceding the move. I personally believe that have a Lagoa exist is alot better even if it is not as grand as the old place then not aving one at all ! just ask the NYC crowd what it is like now compared to the pre Guilliani era when you had the Gaiety, stellas, Cats, etc, or Miami of the 90's. i am happy brazil still has suanas if they can survive

Hehe thanks @reader. @paulsf let me know that gaythailand had a link to my current trip report in boytoy, so thanks to him too. Indeed, with Thailand still closed, I am spending all my free time in Brazil. I do hope Thailand opens soon, so I can go and then write about the trip as well. In the meantime, for those who want to see how Brazil is doing their reopening efforts, follow the thread above!

From The Diplomat The shrinking Tonle Sap, the river’s “beating heart,” is the latest wake-up call of the damage wrought by dams. By Tom Fawthrop The miracle of the Mekong, where the pulsating force of the monsoon-driven river every year pushes its tributary to back up and reverse its flow into the great Tonle Sap lake in Cambodia, has again been disrupted and obstructed by dams, drought, and climate change. “This is a terrible disaster for the whole Mekong region,” Thai academic Chainarong Setthachua declared. He told The Diplomat, “If we lose the Tonle Sap we lose the heart of the biggest inland fisheries in the world.” The lake is a critical fishing ground for Cambodia, as well as supporting fish migrations along the entire Mekong. Back in 2014, Chheng Phen, the former director of Cambodia’s Inland Fisheries Research and Development Institute, told the New York Times, “If the Tonle Sap does not function,” he said, “then the whole fishery of the Mekong will collapse.” That is exactly what the Mekong region is facing today. For the second year running, the wild pulsating waters of the Mekong have failed to work their traditional monsoon magic, which in normal times empowers the Tonle Sap lake to expand to five times its dry season size. The Tonle Sap’s area before (left) and after the annual flooding expands its banks. Image courtesy of Eureka Films. It is hard to exaggerate the extent of the unfolding disaster caused primarily by Chinese dams upstream, trapping both water and sediment that is vital to the healthy survival of the Mekong ecosystem. The Tonle Sap crisis has also been greatly exacerbated by the two Lao dams – the Xayaburi dam and the Don Sahong launched in 2019 – that have blocked fish movement and sediment. Thailand and Malaysia are the developers and prime investors for those projects. The Mekong-driven reverse flow had for centuries transformed the Tonle Sap lake, flooding what was once a sizable forest into part of the largest inland lake in Southeast Asia. In normal times the arrival of the rainy season flood and the reversal of the Tonle Sap tributary replenishes an amazing nursery of the fisheries by giving birth to the flooded forest of the lake. But in 2020, like last year, too little water arrived and too late in the five-month rainy season from June to October. In 2019 the belated arrival of the flood pulse in mid-August led to the influx of shallow, warm, oxygen-starved waters and countless thousands of dead fish. The same drought syndrome is happening again in 2020, with the damaged Mekong monsoon flow too weak push the Tonle Sap tributary back into the lake until mid-August (in a normal year it starts in June). The Stimson Foundation’s Mekong specialist Brian Eyler recalled the wider impacts of last year’s disaster, now repeating itself: “The Tonle Sap’s 2.5 million fishermen took on higher levels of debt to cope with the extremely low fish catch. Now in 2020 it is maybe worse. These cycles of high debt and low fish catch can only be repeated so many times before the economy around the lake and likely the country itself begins to fall apart.” Senglong Youk, the Tonle Sap team leader of local NGO FACT (Fisheries Action Coalition), estimates that 20-30 percent of all fishermen have abandoned their livelihood to look for alternative employment. Eyler, who is also the author of “The Last Days of the Mighty Mekong,” closely monitors China’s dams upstream. His research has now confirmed that “Chinese dams in July 2020 began to restrict an unprecedented amount of water while the countries downstream suffered drought in a repeat performance of last year.” While the Chinese government and the Mekong River Commission (MRC) have claimed the primary causes of the drought are extra low rainfall and the El Nino effect, several studies have convincingly shown that these factors are far less important in causing the decimation of lower Mekong fisheries than the rapid expansion of hydropower. A 2013 study from Aalto University in Finland conducted by Timo Rasanen demonstrated the impacts of upstream dams far outweighed climate change in its effects on the Tonle Sap lake. Ian Cowx, director of Hull University’s International Fisheries Institute (HIFI) in the U.K., explained via email that the biggest long-term obstacle to the recovery of fisheries would not come from climate change and this drought, but rather from the dams upstream. “All fish species are adapted to periods of droughts and floods,” he wrote. “The big issue here is the reduction in flows caused by Chinese dams, the Lower Sesan 2 dam [on a Mekong tributary in Cambodia], and the loss of the Hou Sahong channel because of Don Sahong dam.” All these dams – not only the Chinese but also Thailand’s massive Xayaburi dam in Laos and the Malaysian-promoted Don Sahong dam – have changed the hydrology flow of the river and undermined the flood-pulse. Continues at https://thediplomat.com/2020/09/the-last-farewell-to-the-mighty-mekong/ (Tom Fawthrop, based in Southeast Asia, has been a regular contributor to the Guardian, Economist, South China Morning Post, and The Diplomat for many years)

If the GOP can steal a Presidential election, they can easily steal a Senate seat..... Crooks will be crooks.

The sex workers are looking for acknowledgement that they are service providers and desire equal protection under the law. Those services attract a considerable share of tourism in any given year, bolstering the Thai economy. That's your sociology and economics lessons for today. As always, there's no need to thank me.

Looks like they have a date

Sorry to disappoint you, but it's my english that is not good. He said it in Thai and used the word กิน . But in the end, you should try .. nothing ventured, nothing gained.

LatBear4blk The beach is 25 minute Uber ride away and nothing much to do there during the week. Probresso is a small tpwn, I think you will much prefer centro Merida. , litterally over a 100*dining places within walking distance and 4 gay bars([re covid) I buoght my house in Centro in Merida alkost 4 years ago and am very happy with it(although i haven/t seen it in 10 mpnths)

both are working tirelessly on reducing earth overpopulation but what is most important Numazu is sound and healthy

That's one, if not THE most prominent hallmark of Thai policy - inconsistency. Paired with often not making sense and/or being illogical (both to the western mind, at least) makes it utterly unpredictable. As @spoon already said, TiT, and all we can do is shake our heads. Conclusion: Yes. Tourism sector trashed? Overall economy suffering as a consequence? They don't care. Or rather they pretend to care, and come up with remedial policies, which in turn suffer from the usual ailments mentioned above. The Phuket model aiming to "restart tourism" may be somewhat of a "restart" but will be less than a drop in the bucket given their aim for a whopping 1200 tourist admissions per month.

So we know his English is not good. But, will he have sex with man?

And speaking of cynical. I ended up having a four hour phone conversation yesterday with a former client/friend and the subject of Kamala came up. It also had a lot to do with all these points we've been posting about relating to Independents. So this is a wandering rant about Independents and the fucked up politics of America Divided 2020. This guy, who I've known for 20 years, is my poster child for understanding Independent thinking. That said, I think that in part because the tendencies I notice in him match with what I've seen with Independents in poll after poll after poll. When I read polls I pay the most attention to what Independents think. Because usually their views are in between where Democrats and Republicans are, even though they are not necessarily centrists. So they are the ones who more likely than not will determine whether candidates or policies win or lose. At this point I'd hardly describe myself as objective or dispassionate. But I do try to read and hear opposing points of view. I'm developing an increasingly hardened and pessimistic view about the political era we are in. Which is to say I think the polarization and disunity will remain with us for a very long time, and perhaps intensify. And on balance I think Independents will be of no real pragmatic use in bringing the two sides together. They'll keep doing what they do. They broke for Obama in 2008, Romney in 2012, Trump in 2016, and it looks like Biden now in 2020. In theory you could call that bipartisanship. But in reality it means we're divided, increasingly polarized, and nothing ever gets done unless one party can dominate. So the goal of the Democratic Party, to me, should be to try to dominate - which includes winning over enough Independents as often as we can. What I told this guy is it means treating him like a lab rat in a maze and just getting very good at figuring out where we want Independents to go with delicious pieces of cheese. He took that as an insult, which is how it was meant. But everything I heard in four hours and in 20 years of knowing him suggests that's the real bottom line. If his job as an Independent is to be thoughtful and more objective than a Democrat like me and help create some stable majority that can solve big problems, he's failing. Everything I heard for four hours suggested this is probably the most sober view of reality. Politics will be increasingly winner take all, not both sides trying to find a way to compromise. An important caveat: it will also be loser take all, if you are President Toxic and you lose the popular vote by 2 million votes. You still claim democratic legitimacy to invent whatever rules you want and drive through three conservative justices. You argue "the American people spoke" and that's what gave you the right to do it. Fuck Democrats, and fuck Crooked Hillary, and fuck RBG. My friend told me there's two things he's hearing a lot among his friends. "His friends" would include people like the CEOs of the local banks and hospitals, who are all sort of country clubs friends with their US Senators and House members. He's worked with and served on boards with God knows how many current and former Governors as part of his business. So if there is such a thing as "the country's owners", these are people who either are in that group, or at least know who the group is. (By the way, can you post a list of the country's owners. I'm curious. ) The two things he said he's been hearing the most are the sense of deep exhaustion with all the antics of President Toxic, which turn him and most of the people he knows off. The other thing is that the concerns are about Kamala, not Biden. Part of the thinking is that Biden has lost a step, and Kamala may be President. That's not viewed as a positive. She may be too liberal. There were some unfavorable references to Black Lives Matter, although it wasn't clear to me whether that sense had anything to do with Kamala herself. At some point I decided I really didn't want to probe his views of Kamala too much, because he'd just be showing me how ignorant he is and piss me off. In the terms of your comment, @tassojunior, if Kamala is the person the country's owners chose, this guy hasn't gotten the memo. He is pretty much smack dab in the Establishment Center, meaning like people from Democrat Bob Graham on the left to Chuck Grassley on the right. No Bernie, no Tea Party. They are worried about Kamala. Which does not surprise me in the least. These are the kinds of reactions that probably suggested to Hillary in 2016 that she was better off with Kaine. And at least in my friend's case, it worked. He despised Trump but hated the idea of voting for Hillary, who he has met and worked with. So he planned to vote for Gary Johnson. Before he voted it struck him that President Toxic would be such a disaster that he'd rather be stuck with Hillary. Having Kaine on the ticket rather than Bernie probably made his vote for Hillary easier for him to bear. There's two ways I have described my friend to his face for years that I think describe two of the best and worst qualities of Indepedents. First, he's an early warning system. That's meant as a compliment. Second, he's a dilettante. That's of course meant, and taken, as an insult. As a result, he's like you. Reactive, and mostly unhappy and negative. The two parties suck, a pox on both their houses, and there's nothing I can do about it. That's my picture of the environment many Independents have created for themselves. So they'll basically keep punishing any party that does anything. Because they don't like what either party does. At least if you are a Democrat, you liked what your government did in 2009. Republicans mostly liked what their government did in 2017. Many Independents are never happy, and never able to do anything about it. They haven't figured out how to have a party of their own, like the Green Party in Europe. So all they can do is bitch, pick the lesser of evils, and bitch more. His messages last night fit exactly into my view of what Independents like him add to the debate. It's not exactly news that there is Trump fatigue and Kamala jitters. For me, it was one little piece of data I take as an early warning system. It's another indicator President Toxic will lose, because people in the center of political gravity are sick of him. But there are these Kamala jitters that could blow up. Less likely in this campaign, if she makes some gaffe or says something that sounds too scary to moderates. More likely down the line, if she becomes President or looks like she could become President. It also was, to me, a great example of being a dilettante. I told him he was feeding me buzz words and bumper stickers from Trump commercials. Biden is senile. He's surrounded by scary socialists. Be afraid. My friend hasn't made any effort I could discern to study Kamala's history or any of the controversies around her positions. At one point I mentioned things Biden is saying about saving jobs in Michigan. He asked me why it would matter what Biden says about what Obama did. I told him that it matters because Obama put Biden in charge of the Recovery Act, and things like working with the unions and auto industry to save and restore manufacturing jobs. My friend knew none of this. So if the job of an Independent is to be objective and knowledgeable and committed to making our politics better, sorry. He fails. He didn't like hearing that. But I didn't hear a good rebuttal. His main point is that both parties ought to be working to persuade people like him. I get the idea, and he's not wrong. But I couldn't help notice - this has been a pattern for 20 years - that he's making a lot of his decisions based on impressions you get in 30 second attacks ads. During 2014, for example, I got very annoyed with the constant refrain of how Obamacare is "crap, crap, crap". I'm sure he got that from any of the thousands of Republican attack ads. I stated, and my friend agreed, that it would be better if we could go back to the politics of the 1990's. Back then George Mitchell and Bob Dole met weekly and had a cordial relationship. Bill Clinton and John Kasich are examples of politicians of that time who say that members of both parties could mostly sit down together and solve problems through compromise. By most objective metrics - job growth, income levels, poverty reduction, wealth creation, home ownership, federal budget surpluses - it was a good decade for most Americans. And in an environment like that Independents could elect Bill Clinton in 1992, then punish him in 1994, then re-elect him in 1996, then punish him in 1998. And it all worked out okay. Because whether the Clinton people or the Kasich people had more or less power, they could still compromise and get shit done. They claimed that they understood their job was to make life better for the American people. Right around then was one of the few times in my adult life when over 50 % of Americans said they trusted the federal government to mostly get things right. I think that's causation. I also stated, and my friend agreed, that we're probably not going to get back to that in our lifetimes. We even more likely won't get back to the Ike and JFK eras, where 3 in 4 Americans trusted their government. He agreed. Again, if Independents have a plan to get what they want, I don't hear it. He's not happy. But he has no plan to fix it other than, "You guys should make me happy about what you do." I mentioned Rick Wilson, of Never Trump Republican/Lincoln Project/"Everything Trump Touches Dies" fame. There's two things about him that matter to me. First, I've heard him talk online about how in his GOP days he could get just about any House Democrat fired by checking the gun registrations, cross referencing it with voter registrations, and sending targeted messages to Democratic male gun owners that sent them into a frenzy. ("The socialists are coming for your guns!") I use him as an example of how you find the right piece of cheese to lure the rat in the maze to where you want. Wilson also talks about how the Republicans had to be strategic and thoughtful about cultivating Republicans who could be elected Governor in states like Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maryland. Obviously, they succeeded. And they are not like Republican Governors in West Virginia or Texas or Idaho. I think that's the challenge for Democrats. I think there is a role for Independents. But it's not a pretty one. I think Democrats have to be strategic and thoughtful about building a party where we can try to secure at least 270 electoral votes. And get rid of the electoral college as soon as we can. And also try to secure 50 Senate seats and a majority of House seats for several cycles. That involves your dreaded suburban women, and Democrats like Lucy McBath in suburban Atlanta and Lauren Underwood in suburban Chicago. We're going to have to figure out things that both Bernie Sanders and Joe Manchin can agree on. That won't be easy. But like I said above, the Republicans could figure it out with red Governors in blue states. My sense with Independents like my friend and you is you are doomed to political misery. But at the end of the day the Rick Wilson-like political task is to lure you with a nice piece of cheese through the maze to where I want you to go, which is a voting booth where you vote Democratic. Example: you won't like what Joe Biden does on health care. It won't be Medicare For All. But you can decide that in 2022 you want Republicans to win big and start to try to repeal whatever Biden does, like in 2010. Or you can follow that awfully delicious piece of cheese and keep the House and Senate Democratic. That's basically all you get to decide. Cheese, or Tom Cotton? Your decision. If you really don't like the cheese and do nothing, you can have President Nikki Haley in 2024. Or President Don Jr. Wouldn't that be swell? I said it to my friend and to you that way to sound like an arrogant prick and get a reaction. But I don't think I'm fundamentally wrong. At the federal level, I'm planning on 100 % Republican obstruction. More likely than not, they will fill RBG's seat. That will set the tone for much of what follows, if Democrats take the Senate. The message to Republicans I like is: "You can sit there for four or eight years and watch us work. We have the minimum votes. Or you can participate and compromise." At some point they might decide to participate and compromise. At least The Squad, which has four votes, is on the team that wants to compromise with each other and have a majority that can legislate and govern.

And don't forget Sun City -- great Hindu-themed sauna in Paris!

From Bangkok Post Risk plan can handle any new infections Thailand will have to tolerate the possibility of new coronavirus cases when it reopens its borders to international tourists, but the country can minimise the impact and avoid a bruising level of unemployment with risk management, says the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). After the country reported its first local transmission in 100 days last week, the TAT downgraded its 2020 estimates to 70 million domestic trips from 80 million, contributing 418 billion baht in revenue, a decrease of 61% from 2019. International arrivals remain unchanged at 6.7 million, the same forecast before the border closure, with revenue of 332 billion baht, down 65% from 2019. "We have to bring in tourists by the last quarter as the domestic market alone cannot keep tourism workers employed. If we keep delaying their entry, around 2.5 million jobs out of 4 million will be at risk," said TAT governor Yuthasak Supasorn. To reopen the country to tourists, the government should implement a careful plan and improve communications to avoid local opposition, said Mr Yuthasak. The current plan is to open the country to international tourists with a limited number of arrivals and locations. Arrivals have to comply with strict safety and health measures and the same screening and surveillance procedures as Thai returnees. If the pilot model succeeds, Thailand will allow more tourists and more destinations to join the scheme. "We cannot avoid new cases, but the most important thing is to have risk management in place. If there are five cases among 5 million tourists, and we can contain those infections with stringent measures, that would be a good balance between public health and business survival," he said. Meanwhile, the TAT plans to propose to the cabinet next week a special tourist visa scheme for long-stay visitors that costs around 2,000 baht and can be extended up to 270 days. The TAT is working with the private sector on the next step, finding safety measures viable for short-haul visitors who cannot stay for a two-week quarantine. This plan require need bilateral agreements with targeted countries, said Mr Yuthasak. Marisa Sukosol Nunbhakdi, president of the Thai Hotels Association, said zero infections is an unrealistic target for the tourism industry. The country should find a balance between risk and gain, she said. The Public Health Ministry must inform the public alternative state quarantine (ASQ) hotels in tourism destinations will have the same standards as those in Bangkok, said Mrs Marisa. If certified hotels operated with no problems the past few months, the plan to welcome tourists to those ASQ properties will not trigger new cases, she said.

We do agree about most things. This is about something where we have completely opposite views. I think we both would be just fine if Sanders or Warren had been the nominee. I would have been just fine with Castro as VP. Florida would have been harder with Sanders and socialism. I don't know Texas would be easier. But it could be a realistic target. The type of massive expansion of the electorate Bernie promised didn't quite materialize. So I don't assume for a minute that Bernie would win because all these young progressives would magically appear. The lesson of Bernie is the opposite. Organizing is hard work. And in a state like Texas, where I think Bernie's army organized their asses off, the results were impressive, I though. But it still wasn't enough. They lost. In others, they lost. But in the larger sense, they lost. Warren lost, too. I'll go to the grave thinking that the only way either could have won is if they'd agreed upfront that they would both fight like hell to make sure one or the other was going to be the nominee, and they would let the electorate decide which one was best. My observation of them in 2019 suggested to me they had actually cut such a deal. When it all blew up earlier this year, we all learned they had simply agreed to disagree. That decision, or inability build a coalition, may have doomed both of their candidacies. The thing that has impressed me most about Biden this year is that it is obvious that he is not senile, and that his coalition buildings skills after 50 years in politics are actually quite good. He's not the kind of guy that is magnetic like Obama or ground breaking like Hillary was by virtue of being a woman in politics when most politicians are men. Morning Joe keeps saying politics is about addition, not subtraction. He keeps saying President Toxic has no clue how to do that, in part because he doesn't want to do it. Biden is very good at addition. I think part of the narrative is that 2020 happened to be the year that something Biden was offering all of a sudden looked pretty attractive. Especially compared to President Toxic. My read of Warren's behavior is that once she realized she couldn't win she started playing for influence. She's a "personnel is policy" person and she's getting her progressive pals placed all around Biden. Bernie is doing the same thing. My impression is that Biden is playing with them more easily than Hillary did. We are seeing a "Biden coalition" being built right before our eyes. So this idea that reformers are being driven out is ridiculous. Biden is embracing them, because he obviously realizes the politics of 2020 is not the politics of 1980 or 2000. And he needs them to win. In an earlier post you cited Ojeda as an example of how you can be a progressive in West Virginia. True enough. But here's the thing. He lost, too. Manchin won. So the example makes my point, not yours. I'm all for AOC and Cori Bush getting elected. Maybe in 20 or 30 years they could be elected President by the 2040 or 2050 electorate. But I don't think they can be elected today, outside very liberal urban enclaves. Again, how well did Cynthia Nixon do in royal blue New York? What does that tell us about what Democrats want, let alone Republicans? I gave Jimmy Dore a try for a while, and just stopped listening. He's more fun that Saager and Krystal. Mostly I feel they just parrot dumb ideas, that are often enough built on a factually shoddy analysis. Dore just says lots of provocative shit that he doesn't even try to wed to facts, or polls, or complicated analysis. It's just a good old rant. Which is fine. I obviously love rants. But if he thinks it has anything to do with winning, he's full of shit. Sorry, but the kinds of candidates Jimmy defends and lifts up, like Bernie, are usually the ones that lose.

are those people for real with that non-senses, it may be takers for those but how many ? 1 in 873 149 of those waiting to travel there ? Who would pay airfare to watch live show from their hotel windows , hotel they are locked in. It sounds like people spewing those ideas never took vacations themselves and have no idea what it is , just like lesbians discussing merits of gay male sex

I was being facetious, Suckrates. I like your pictures.

Where's Rockhard when you need him?

Where do you get this shit from? I am guessing your point is that not picking Bernie for VP is the same as "keeping reformers out of the party at all cost." The polling I found interesting is that Warren was more likely to be named than Harris as a favorite VP choice among Democrats. Even among Blacks, it was pretty much a tie. All that changed when George Floyd was murdered and BLM erupted. It would have been interesting to see if there had been push back if he selected a White man, albeit a progressive one like Bernie. Other articles I've posted talk about how Biden is surrounding himself with Warrencrat economic advisers. When asked about the Green New Deal, Biden says he and Bernie's folks negotiated a plan that is now "my deal" and is in the platform. Of course, Biden will really play his cards when he wins. Then we'll learn whether the Treasury Secretary is Warren, or a progressive like her, or Summers, or a Wall Streeter like him. The verdict is out. Voting will matter. Biden is a survivor. He'll notice who makes up "the Biden coalition". That's who he'll pay the most attention to, since he'll want them to vote for him or his successor in 2024. My political hack view of the best way for "reformers" and "progressives" to make sure they are at the center of the Biden coalition is to turn out in droves and elect a Democratic majority. But if this is your definition of Democrats being "vicious" in "keeping reformers out of the party at all cost", you may be suffering from the same dementia Joe Biden apparently has. The immediate question is whether progressive Millennials and Gen Z types are running for the exits, or Canada, or some mythical progressive nirvana. They're not. Younger voters choose Biden over Trump — but they're not wild about either It's not a shocker that Millennials and Gen Z are not wild about Biden. My nieces and nephews who wanted either Bernie or Warren can tell you why. They'll also tell you why they're of course voting for Biden, not President Toxic. My guess is that RBG's death was both horrible timing and perfect timing. It of course would have been better if she'd lived six months longer. That said, there is every reason to think the fight over who replaces her will drive certain progressive types into a frenzy. Just like the idea that Hillary Clinton would decide who replaced Scalia was one factor in why 2 million more Republicans turned out in 2016 for President Toxic than they did in 2012 for Romney. This time, the shoe is on the other foot. My strong hunch is that lots of Millennials who care about climate change and fair elections and money in politics and abortion and voting rights and all kinds of things will be extremely motivated to vote for RBG - or at least for her legacy. Biden is doing better than Hillary with two of three key groups: Millennials/Gen Z, and the suburban voters with college degrees. Where he most lags, and in some cases (like Florida) is doing worse than Hillary is with Hispanics. I've got a theory for what explains part of this. With Millennials, the key things he needed to do play to Biden's strengths. He is a deal maker, and a coalition builder. His survival depended on building coalitions and cutting deals with Blacks all along the way. The best expressions of that were his marriage with Obama, and how Blacks saved his ass in the 2020 primaries. So the idea that Biden may be slowly but successfully weaving activist progressives into a left-leaning coalition isn't shocking. These people are engaged, and they don't support Trump. (Although among White AND male Millennials, there perhaps is a slight preference for President Toxic.) Biden needs to do the same thing with Latinos. And for left-leaning and engaged Latinos, I suspect he will. That said, Biden has never been and never will be an organizer, a lightning rod, an RBG-like pioneer. So if the premise of Latino activists is right - that there are huge chunks of ambivalent and disengaged Latinos in all these swing states that can be organized into a Democratic majority - Biden was never going to be the best candidate to do that. This article, which I found while digging around for data on Millennials and Hispanics, provides an excellent set of data that may explain why. These Are the Voters Who Could Decide the Election Latinas and ambivalent Latino voters are key to winning back the White House in 2020. There's a graphic that sums up Latino participation by state I can't cut and paste. it's about "base" voters and "ambivalent" Latino voters. But here's a few examples, based on the data presented by Latino activists. In Arizona, 31 % of Latinos are Democratic base voters, and 14 % are Trump base voters. Add what Valencia calls "mobilization" voters, Latinos who are Democrats at heart but need a nudge to vote, and you get to 38 % of Arizona Latinos supporting Democrats. Meanwhile, 40 % of Arizona Latinos are "ambivalent". The author implies they are probably more likely to vote Democratic. But that can't be assumed. What can be assumed is that many of them are simply not likely to vote. Here's what she says happened in 2016: Bernie, with the help of the Latino pros, gave a glimpse of what a real effort to engage more Latinos in states like Nevada and Texas would look like. Again, I don't think Tio Bernie or Tio Joe are the right ones. Democrats ought to be looking for Mexican American Tio Bernardos and young Cuban Tia Josefas. The Republicans have Marco Rubio. If Democrats don't do it, Republicans eventually will. If these numbers are right, Florida is the one state where the Trump Latino base (30 %) is actually bigger than the Democratic Latino base (21 %, which goes up to 34 % if you nudge all the "mobilization" Latino voters). Either way, there's 30 % who are "ambivalent" and could go either way, or just not vote, according to this data. These numbers make intuitive sense to me based on what actually happened in 2016 and 2018. In 2016, states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and Michigan broke for President Toxic. That was clearly driven by shifts to him from Whites without colleges degrees. Meanwhile, many "natural" Democratic constituencies like Blacks and Millennials just voted less. I've never read anything clear about what Hispanics in Wisconsin or Michigan did in 2016. In 2018 in the same states, higher turnout from Democratic constituencies produced very different results. If this data is correct, Hispanics could be an increasingly important part of El Muro Azul in the Rust Belt. Of those that are engaged, most are Democratic. Only 1 in 10 of them are identified as being in the "Trump base" in these Rust Belt states. Nevada and Arizona and California were all bright spots for Democrats in 2016 and 2018. In 2016, Hillary won Nevada and held a Senate seat with a Latina. In 2018 we flipped a Senate seat in Arizona. In Orange County we flipped multiple House seats from red to blue. Hispanic candidates and voters had a lot to do with that. In states like Pennsylvania, the challenge is to slow down or stop the drift of White voters without college degrees away from Democrats. In states like Arizona, the challenge is to speed up the movement of Latinos into the Democratic tent. The one "Latino" stronghold that was the exception, especially in 2018, was Florida. This perhaps helps explain why. According to this data, Democrats have little no natural advantage with Latinos in Florida. In fact, Republicans may have the advantage. Both because they are better at mobilizing their Latino "Trump base", and because they are better at reaching out to ambivalent Latino voters. One offset is that it seems likely that Biden will do better with older White voters, and Whites without college degrees, than Hillary did. That may be more than enough to offset Democratic problems with Latinos in Florida and all over the US in 2020. But it is not a long term solution. I don't think this is really a Biden problem. I think it is a huge long term challenge for Democrats.

There is a loophole on page 7833, §12799

Another Few Days in Rio, Part 2 – 23 is the Golden Age This sounds horrible, but I feel that this pandemic in Brazil has been good to me. With seemingly more options this quarantine – more available boys in saunas with fewer client competition, more free Grindr options with less tourist traffic and more boys eager to hook up, and me being able to work remotely and thus I am able to stay in Brazil longer, I’d say that this has been one of the more enjoyable trips I’ve had so far. Some personal storms coming in the horizon, unfortunately, since whoring it up and having a BF at the same time is certainly not the way to do things, but I’ll resolve that in due time. I’m sure it is true for everyone who has been a fan of the saunas: we all have met boys there who seemingly “get” our sexual proclivities, and therefore we hire them over and over, whenever possible, in between searching for new meat. I’ve certainly collected a handful of these boys, who I have handy in my Whatsapp, who are ready to swoop in when necessary, whenever it is a slow day at the sauna, or if I need a reliable long timer who I know what to expect, and sometimes charge me less for being a “cliente fixo”. So two of these boys, these boys that I would go back to and dip back into their pools, I was eager to hire again this trip. Boy 1, a total top, straight, but oh so passionate in bed, was a stunner. He was tall, about 6’4, lean muscular, had a third arm for a cock, and is now 23. Last year I finally got him for the first time in Club 117, after seeing and missing him in Sao Paulo’s Thermas Lagoa, and seeing and missing him in 117. I knew he was popular, why would he not be. A branquinho, with his natural boyish Carioca charm, he was very very passionate when he wanted to be. He was also very chill, and week-long stays with him were very relaxing, like hiring your own personal spa. He is game to do just about everything, in sex, in tourist activities, even what to eat, except bottoming. Which was a shame, but really, a fairly small blemish in an otherwise great (and big) companion. Boy 2, a versatile bottom, straight-ish (more bi), and frenetic in bed, was also a stunner, but of a different variety. He did everything in bed, probably more towards the bottom part of the spectrum. He was 5’10, more twinky with 0% body fat but developed musculature, an average cock, but a fairly plump butt. I met this guy in Lions last year, and he was also 23, but looked younger. He looked whiter than most Brazilians, and could be mistaken for anyone I’ve grown up with in my mostly white neighborhood in my native California. As a companion, he was more demanding, had more of an opinion of what he wanted to do than most, but everything was enjoyable and fun with him and sometimes I let him run me roughshod. After winter last year I hired these two for a two day stretch, and they played pretty nicely together, which was a good thing, since when we all met in my apartment that time, it was the first time they met each other, and have not even encountered each other in any of the saunas (Boy 1 the top only went to Club 117, and Boy 2 the vers went mainly to Point 202 and Lions). They humored my request to fuck each other, for my viewing pleasure, and they let me even film them to add to my personal (and to never be shared) collection. And more importantly, they also complemented each other, with Boy 1 able to temper Boy 2’s sometimes frenetic pace, and Boy 2 was able to add some variety to the usual mellow demeanor of Boy 1. So I wanted them again this trip, but not together this time. Instead, I asked both to find a friend for us to play and stay with, a friend that would be like them. So that’s how I ended with two tops the first day, and two bottoms the second day. Day 1: When Big Horse met an even Bigger Horse Life is hard during the pandemic everywhere, but especially with the GPs that relied on the sauna scene. Boy 1 (Lucas) only went to Club 117, and said he does not like Point 202, even when it opened early, and would rather rely on some local clients to support him, than going there. He recommended someone who was a sometime GP who worked at a pousada (like a motel). He gave me photos of the guy, as well as the guy’s Instagram. The guy was good-looking for sure, but the one thing that stood out, literally, was his gigantic cock. It was fat and long, even bigger than Lucas’, which was saying something I agreed to meet the guy, if only to get this gift horse in my mouth. I met Lucas at the AirBNB. Handsome as always. 20 minutes later, his friend, Marcus, arrives as well. We meet him just outside the AirBNB. He was shy at first, but indoors he quickly warmed up, as he quickly took off his shirt. It was a warm Rio afternoon, so pretty soon we all lost the shirts, popped open some beers, and just talked. I got to hear about life in Rio during COVID for the two 23 year old boys who were super hung and devastatingly handsome. Which was the same everywhere, and for everyone else. I count myself lucky for still having a job and getting to travel the way I do. Marcus was very chill, as chill as Lucas. He was also a moreno, and, perhaps this is splitting hairs – hotter than Lucas. I have a soft spot for Cariocas, and Marcus was the ultimate Carioca – casual, easy-going, with golden skin and a warm demeanor. Sex was also easy-going, except for the penetrative part. There was nothing easy-going about these pair of jackhammers. I almost couldn’t take it, but somehow I did. They allowed me to film them cumming on my chest, towering over me like a couple of waterfalls – Cachoieras das Cariocas – the twin gushers. After that, a well earned dinner at a Churrascaria, which was long and lovely, with beers and some laughter afterwards. A nighttime stroll in Copacabana, and then some Netflix and some more beers and fun. The next day was some almoco and some farewell fucks. 400 each was the fee. I asked Marcus for his Whatsapp. I am sure I will see him again. Lucas chose well. Day 2: Politics and Sex Don’t Mix Boy 2, let’s call him Henrique, was a student in a Rio University when I met him last year. Burning the candle at both ends meant earning the moneys in the sauna and then the next day, having to attend class in the morning. The pandemic meant the halt of both sauna money and a pause of school, but school restarted in earnest, and he had to earn money in the sauna as well. He thanks Point 202 for reopening early in July, as he was having a hard time getting money for rent and food, and he had to move back with mom in far away Recreio just to get by. But since the sauna reopened, he has moved back to Santa Teresa in Rio, which is closer to his University and the saunas. As a third, he invited one of his school and sauna buddies, who was also 23 years old. He sent me photos of the boy, gorgeous, golden skin, again typical Carioca. His cock was fine but clearly he knew what his money maker was: that gigantically perfectly round ass. That night I meet this guy, Tiago, for the first time, and he was wearing a speedo, just having gone from a programa in Point 202. He said he would just take a quick shower and we could go to Lions (from the previous post). He knew what he was doing by wearing this speedo. His skin was flawless, bronzed, and with curves in the right places. Big powerful thighs, and developed torso and abs. But it was that face: boyish, big watt smile, and somewhat innocent look that drew me to him. So Henrique and Tiago were my dates at Lions. When we got there, Tiago was immediately greeted by clients and boys alike. He was popular for sure. During the Lion’s show, he would sometimes leave my side to say hi to a client, but he would scurry back into my arms after a while. After Lion’s we all decide to get some food at Siquiera Grill, a popular after sauna haunt for the boys. The food was fine, but after the meal, I mistakenly asked them about how they thought Bolsonaro fared at coping with the COVID crisis. Oh boy, do not talk about politics, anywhere! Henrique was pro-Bolsonaro, and Tiago was against the guy, and the two argued for their sides as only two passionate Brazilians can. I even filmed some of the discussion to be viewed later. It sounded like some typical partisan stuff I am familiar with at home. But the argument went on long after the ice in our drinks melted. It was an engaging discussion, and they asked me what I thought of things as they went along, but it was near closing time, and there was still a whole night to contend with. All three of us finally got home, and thankfully the boys calmed down enough to kiss and make up. Tiago mentioned that, yes, political discussions can seem heated at times, but in the end, this does not ruin any friendships they may have. Which came to the sex part of the evening. One, and then the other, prepared for the act, and since they were bottoms, it took them longer to prepare and <ahem> clean down there. By the time we were all naked, in bed, it was almost 2. No matter, the wait was worth it. The two wore me out. As I had, and wanted, to be one of the tops in this Carioca sandwich, I had to have the stamina. The two were very obliging and passionate. The one thing I must say is that they are used to bareback sex, a departure from my two tops just earlier. I won’t say that I partook of this practice or not, but it sure looked hot while I was filming them. I came once, they both came twice each. The bed was a mess. We woke up around noon the next day, totally spent from the night before. Lunch, and then some more fun after, before I had to rush to Santos Dumont to get to Recife for a night flight. They both went with me to Santos Dumont, and then I let them use my Uber app to get them home. 350 each. So, what have learned, children? That it is good to get boys you already know and like, to get more boys for you, as they already know what you like, and they can advise their friends on your own proclivities for a smoother experience. Oh, and 23 is the perfect age for a boy to be in. In a trip where I am chasing perfection, this was as close to perfect as I could in any point of this trip so far. Next, Recife!

The beach is on the Gulf of Mexico, like Galveston Texas....nothing great, but is a beach...I couldn't live there...is still closed because of Covid. Stay anywhere in Centro, is walkable from most places and ubers are about $1.25usd from anywhere in Centro. On any given night, I have guys over and playing board games, with dares...everyone ends up naked in the pool. Not money guys, but there are plenty of those around....these guys are happy with free liquor . Amazon has been selling New Amsterdam Vodka for 99 pesos $4.69 is a steal, even during the dry law at times here, I have the police coming for bottles from me, lol. I love traveling but many people ask why I live here, and why Tom Bought a house so fast....because it is a puteria here, like no place I've seen before.

that's how:

Finally, some downtime to write. Here are other parts of my trip. This post is about my night 2 weeks ago: Another Few Days in Rio, Part 1 - The Sauna Duds After my two weeks all holed up (and remotely working) the BF at his apartment in cold and wet winter in Santa Catarina, we were all set up to take a week off in Recife, a northeastern city. But first, I carved out a two night stay in Rio to play around a bit, before reuniting with the BF to jet up to Recife. As Brazil (and most of the world) reopens, with precaution for COVID, there is word that the two other saunas in Rio are reopening as well, to give Point 202 a run for its money. With the tourist numbers still depressed, it will be interesting to see how these three vie for the local market. What I’ve seen in Point 202 has been tepid at best, a few stunners, but overall a bit mediocre, not to mention, the crumbling infrastructure and shoddy cleaning procedures is not impressive. So there is word that Lions was opening the Friday I’m gonna be in Rio, and Club 117 is opening the next Monday, unfortunately I’d be in Recife already. I guess I’d just have to check it out next Rio visit. I made two overnight dates for the two nights I was going to be alone in Rio, with two boy pairs, for the one pair was a pair two tops, and the other, a pair of two vers-bottoms. I know that does not make any sense, pairing a key with another key, and having the two slots together, but this perceived incompatibility is actually an interesting experiment I’m willing to take. More on this next post. I get to Rio at night, at meet up with the two tops at the AirBNB. The next day I met the two bottoms at 202, because I wanted to get a boy in the sauna before retiring to the apartment with my two dates. I run a volume business, apparently. Insatiable sex drive + increasing dollar value = never ending possibilities. Anyway, as I was prepping to go to the sauna, Bottom 1 texts me: He then called me to tell me that Point 202 is actually pretty empty, and he said it was better to go to Lions tonight, as it is its first night to reopen. I told him to stay put, because I wanted to at least get one boy in 202, but agreed that we should go to Lion's afterwards. So I haul my ass out of my post-coital bliss with the two tops I just played with, showered and got dressed, and headed to Point 202. Getting to Point, I was expecting a Friday crowd, which in the pandemic meant at least a decent crowd but not standing room only. I was wrong. The sauna was dissapointingly empty, with a few boys, and with really just one boy hot that I would be just OK with fucking. Bottom 1 finds me and gives me a big hug, and then a big wet kiss. I told him he was right, that the sauna was empty, even if it was a Friday night: The sauna was veeerrrryyyy slow. Slow enough that when I was looking around, I noticed something for the very first time, and I would not have not noticed if the sauna was busy and my attention would be elsewhere: a big mural of the sauna owner on display. I would not have noticed this in a million years. Has this always been there? : Bottom 2 joined us and invited us to go to the upstairs bar to smoke. Again, super-duper empty: After 30 minutes of searching, in vain, for my Point prince charming, I said fuck it and told the two boys that we should check out Lions. It was Lions first night back, and they said it will be super busy with festivities tonight. So we all check out of the empty Point, and we get the Uber to Lions. 20 minutes later, we were there. The alleyway where Lions had some mask-less agglomeration already, so I knew the club at least had some action tonight. And indeed, they are open! Finally, another sauna open to compete for Rio’s business: And compared to Point 202, they seem to have their COVID health theater down. Samples: At the door, signage telling people that masks are required, reduced capacity crowds indoors, promoting social distancing, and sanitization of the facilities: At check-in, hand sanitizer with foot pedal for application to hands (with Lion’s branding!): The tables had this signage, saying the tables and chairs were cleaned, which is reassuring, even if it was more or less accurate: Everything was decked out for the reopening, and the festive music and atmosphere was fairly exciting: Looking at the fairly healthy sized crowds of both customers and boys, I was quite surprised. I know that masks are mandatory, but most if not all customers and boys had no masks on. The employees, and the owner, had masks on, though. There was a good crowd inside, almost to a point that I felt transported to another time, pre-COVID. Lots of agglomeration, lots of contact, and lots of drinking, dancing, and merry-making. At this point in my trip, I was less queasy about the whole COVID precautions thing, having been lulled into a false sense of security by surviving a month in Brazil without any health scares, but still, this was new. I just rolled with it and drank and laughed and flirted with the rest of the folk. Life is short, have fun when you can. Yeah you might get sick and die tomorrow, but you only have right now that you can control. There was a show with some drag queens and a stripper that was heavily decked out in indio gear. Not my cup of tea, but I rolled with it: As for hunting boys, the place was a dud, for me. There was one or two that caught my attention, but with the atmosphere more geared towards being a bar to hang out in, rather than a sauna that you got boys from, I was just not feeling the motivation to pick a boy to fuck in the sauna. After a few drinks and merriment, and with the two bottom boys in hand, I felt that I had enough, without fucking a boy, and just told the boys that we should just go home and continue our festivities there, hopefully with all of us naked. Two saunas, one super slow, one busy and lively, but both not quite good enough for me to get a boy to fuck. Oh well, can't win them all. Next post, a date with two tops, and then a date with two bottoms.

From Reuters Activists say Thailand's prostitution law, which criminalises sex work, does little to protect sex workers By Nanchanok Wongsamuth BANGKOK, Sept 22 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Sex workers in Thailand have launched a petition calling for prostitution to be decriminalised and urging authorities to remove all penalties for selling sex. Empower Foundation, a Chiang Mai-based group that supports sex workers, said it hoped to collect 10,000 signatures and present the petition to parliament to help persuade lawmakers to consider changing the country's prostitution law. "The law punishes sex workers - 80% of whom are mothers and the main breadwinner for the whole family," said Mai Junta, a representative from Empower. "It turns us into criminals," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Tuesday. More than 1,000 people had signed the petition since it was launched on Saturday. Thailand is predominantly Buddhist and deeply conservative, but is home to an extensive sex industry, largely catering to Thai men. Hordes of tourists also flock to the bright lights of go-go bars and massage parlours in the Thai capital Bangkok, and the country's main tourist towns. Women and LGBT+ rights activists say the current law, which made prostitution illegal in 1960, does little to protect sex workers, while repeated arrests and fines for doing sex work has driven them further into poverty. The women's affairs department at Thailand's Ministry of Social Development and Human Security said it was in the process of amending the prostitution law and would launch an online public hearing next year, without giving further details. "We are aware of complaints regarding rights violations of sex workers due to this law... and we are not neglecting their suggestions (to repeal the law)," a spokesman said. A 2014 report by the U.N. agency fighting AIDS estimated that there were 123,530 sex workers in Thailand but advocacy groups put the figure at more than twice that number and say it includes tens of thousands of migrants from neighbouring Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Prostitution is currently punishable by a fine of up to 40,000 baht ($1,274) or two years in prison, or both. People who pay for sex with underage workers can be jailed for up to six years. More than 24,000 people were arrested, prosecuted and fined for sex work-related offences in Thailand last year, according to the Royal Thai Police. Surang Janyam, director of the Service Workers in Group, a Thailand-based support organisation for sex workers, said the prostitution law should be repealed to allow sex workers to be protected under labour laws.

This is nuncess , In the contrary if prostitution become legal the sex secen will florish, sex workers won't be afraid of police raids and arrests .