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So I had an old friend in Bangkok who messaged me out of the blue, which made me think about Thailand, which made me think about this forum. It has been 20(!) months since my last Thailand trip, in December 2019. It has been way too long. I have, of course, been putting most of my travel eggs in the Brazil basket this pandemic, which is a pretty good consolation prize, since going to Thailand seems to still not be in the cards any time soon, and I have a feeling, not even this year. I always wondered how Brazil can be as open like they are - with virtually all the boy saunas open. Even if the big Brazilian gay dance clubs are still closed, I'll take that over the totally closed Thailand. I hope the situation changes soon, though from the posts here it does not seem likely. I guess I have to keep taking those Brazil trips to get me through the year. Anyway, back to my old friend, who messaged me today. He is probably known to some of you on here, but I won't divulge his identity. He is not a boy, but you have probably crossed paths with him if you have ever taken tours in Bangkok (and beyond). He opened up the conversation, telling me about how he remembered me today when he drove by my old party condo building Centric in Sathorn: I haven't been paying close attention, but are there really no boy bars open? That seems really sad: I've always wondered how the boys are surviving. Not being able to eat is grim. I know there are apps, but without the tourist numbers, there is only so much money they can earn: "Boys will get old before open" was a very funny thing to say, but this also applies to us, the farang clients. Grim. So this made me sad. Maybe 2022 will be better? Or have any of you heard about the rest of this year? And will we be able to see the old boy bars back? I am dreading how this long closure has affected the bars. When do you think I can go back to Bangkok again to a nice boy bar? Any guesses?

From The Nation Police raided a field hospital in Bang Phli district of Samut Prakan province after learning that some patients had engaged in group sex and smuggled in illegal cigarettes. he raid happened on Thursday afternoon after a tip-off by staff at the fifth field hospital in the province. In addition to police, officials of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) joined the operation to maintain peace after reports of brawls. Isoc officials told the press that they found 23 cartons of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, which the patients had brought in illegally. They were later confiscated by the hospital. Continues with photos https://www.nationthailand.com/in-focus/40005355

I try to be optimistic and so am heartened that the infection rate has stopped rising and that vaccinations are increasing. As for the resilient Thai population, I recall the sight of shop-keepers in Pattaya Tai standing knee-deep in flood water to continue their selling; I suspect that the moment restrictions are lifted we will see a similar determination to resume business. And to put my money in the till.

Now that is a very positive outlook. Bravo! Remember also that in addition to cities and sights, Thailand has some amazing Festivals. We all know about Songkran and Loy Krathong, but I wonder how many have ever ventured to the Candle Festival in Ubon Ratchathani or perhaps the most famous of the Ghost Festivals in Dansai in Loei Province. Loei itself is a fascinating Province to explore as it hardly seems like Thailand: lush, green, hilly, it even has a vineyard. These two Festivals coincide with the start of Buddhist Lent in the summer and the dates are often not confirmed until about 6 months in advance. Also Dansai is a small village of only around 10,000 people. There is only one good hotel that is within walking distance, the Phunacome up in the hill behind the town. It has an excellent shuttle service if you don't want to climb the hill. But there are nearby hotels that provide transport to and from the Festival. The Candle Festival is not a Parade of people holding candles! Every temple n the city has artisans spending a month beforehand decorating trucks and lorries with wax carvings, mostly of Buddhist scenes. The Parade is so long and encompasses not just the 40 or so trucks but also various other traditional activities. Lots of cute guys there! The Ghost Festival is spread over 3 days but I found the day of the Parade the most fascinating. I throughly recommend them as fantastic days. Udon Candle Festival Loei Ghost Festival

I dont mised the bar or massage places but i miss the boys. So as long as boys are around and willing to join me, i should be good. Bar and massage places makes it easier for us but if there isnt any, back to the apps then.

no country will be the same and so won't us after pandemic. But desires to earn some easy money and to spent it on some willing warm body will be still there. Recovery may be prolonged or swift like Afganistan's collapse but will happen , at least to some degree for reason above. If bars won't open soon than those who will come at least get a chance to see more Thailand behind just soi 4 and Boyztown. Many of us 2 weeks millionaires never set a foot in Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Sukhotai, Kanchanaburi, Samui, Krabi etc. It took me 16 trips before I sent my foot in MBM and I doubt I'm alone, how many of us did not visit Wat Halampong or Snake Farm, literally just steps from our beloved soi Twilight. So instead of sowing gloom which may or may not happen we better start planning how to be busy in case when Moonlight or Nice Boys won't be opened. And still is worth to remember that by end of day / literally, again / we need only one bar and one boy from that bar. We have heat wave and as expected my A/c broke last night. This morning I went without any hope to see if at least one , scratched and damaged will be left in store. Miraculously in the 4th one I visited was one leftover , still unsealed. Bought, installed and is humming nicely, how not to be an optimist?

@numazu I'd say don't expect to be able to make a trip to Thailand that's worth your while this year. The country is still virtually closed, the supposed "opening" through the Phuket Sandbox is way too onerous to deserve the label "opening". I don't see a true opening anytime soon really. They could have done a test- and qaurantine-free true opening for vaccinated guests during this 3rd wave, since they pose a close to zero risk to the covid situation in Thailand with their 20k domestic new cases every day. But they are still irrationally paranoid about foreigners. Go figure. As for nightlife and bars, hard to predict when they will open again and under what conditions. Now a "green card" is being touted in a way back to a "new normalcy". Any bar openings will probably gradual, with some remaining closed because it's not (yet) viable to open with the continued lack of foreigner. Sad state of affairs, predictions and planning are futile, so I advise to follow the single best strategy there has been since this began: wait and see.

Smart Fit seems to be an “upscale” chain I have seen in DR, Columbia and brazil. Been to a Santo Domingo one with a local friend. Many hot (gay) guys. Guess worth checking Smart Fit out.

don't worry , you did right thing. It's time for us to start reclaiming our lives and letting people to make their own living

Here’s hoping!

Australia's national carrier Qantas has said it's tentative plan is for direct Bangkok flights to resume in April 2022. So that's my realistic goal at the moment, although if the tide turns and things improve before then I will return sooner.

From the Thaiger Thai Vietjet will resume international flights to and from Taiwan and Singapore starting on October 20 and 21 respectively. Flights from Singapore will have routes to Bangkok and Phuket. Sealed domestic flights connecting for those entering under the Phuket “Sandbox” will be available for those on the Taipei-Bangkok flights. Thai Vietjet had also previously stated that domestic flights across Thailand would begin on September 15th. Instead of using Bangkok as a hub for domestic travel, the airline will fly directly between Phuket and Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, and Udon Thani. Currently, Bangkok Airways operates a weekly trip from Samui to Singapore, which is the island’s only international service. https://thethaiger.com/news/national/thai-vietjet-to-resume-flights-to-singapore-and-taiwan-starting-october

When I was in a new city, I always looked to train at a fashionable gym. So I asked the gay guys I met which gym they considered to have the best trainers, equipment etc and which gym was popular with gay men. Usually it was easy to discover the best place to go. And when I joined, I used to say I preferred to train with a gay trainer. That inevitably led to questions being asked of me…and when I met a cute trainer, I discussed “and more” as you put it @Ethanmiami

with that usually comes desire to earn money to repay that debt

Once gay tourists return, there will surely be an increase in demand for bars, massage spas and saunas. But those which are presently closed due to the lockdown are still having to pay rent and some staff costs. Pre-lockdown, reports on this forum suggested that outside of Bangkok Soi 4, there were few customers at the other venues. Once the lockdown and curfew eases or is cancelled, some patrons will return. But few tourists are likely to do so if only because there are so few of them around. So the chances that those which do manage to open can make up their losses in the medium term most surely be almost zero. Their financial situation will remain fragile. For those which have closed permanently, presumably the managements have given up the leases and have stopped paying rent on their premises. Without a sudden flood of new tourists, is it realistic to expect they will have sufficient available cash to find other premises, pay advance rent and key money, pay all the costs of renovating to provide proper services and pay some basic staff costs? My gut feel is that those which have closed will remain closed. They will not move elsewhere. After all, long before the pandemic, long-term popular and centrally located spas like Albury and Aqua closed because they just could not make ends meet. This may have been a result of rent increases or in the case of Albury a failling customer base after it moved from Suk Soi 11. But if they could not continue operating when tourism was still pretty high, what chance is there those who have closed with tourism almost zero when it is probably also true that the managements have substantial unpaid debts.

From Reuters / MSN Thailand develops robotic system to squeeze out more vaccine doses Reuters/JUARAWEE KITTISILPA A vaccine extraction machine called AutoVacc, designed by the Chulalongkorn University's Biomedical Engineering Research Center to extract extra doses out of AstraZeneca vaccine vials, is seen in Bangkok BANGKOK (Reuters) - As Thailand struggles with its worst coronavirus outbreak yet, researchers in the country have developed a machine to draw out COVID-19 vaccine doses more efficiently and optimise lower-than-expected supplies. Using a robotic arm, the "AutoVacc" system can draw 12 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in four minutes from a vial, according to researchers at Chulalongkorn University, who made the machine that has been used at the university's vaccination centre since Monday. That is up 20% from the standard 10 doses drawn manually, they said. The machine only works on AstraZeneca multi-dose vials currently and labels show each vial can provide 10 to 11 doses. "The machine guarantees with accuracy that we can gain an extra 20% from each vaccine vial - from 10 to 12 doses," said Juthamas Ratanavaraporn, the lead researcher of the team at the university's Biomedical Engineering Research Center. "The extra 20% that we get means that if we have AstraZeneca for 1 million people, this machine can increase the number of doses to 1.2 million people," said Juthamas. Continues with photos https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/thailand-develops-robotic-system-to-squeeze-out-more-vaccine-doses/ar-AANICqt

From Thai Enquirer Bangkok considers re-opening dine-in with following restrictions The government are considering a proposal to allow dining-in in Bangkok with some restrictions. Here is a quick recap: https://www.thaienquirer.com/31760/infographics-bangkok-considers-re-opening-dine-in-with-following-restrictions/ ====================================== Number of waiting-list for hospital beds significantly drop over the past three weeks The amount of Covid patients who are waiting for hospital beds has significantly dropped over the past three weeks, the Ministry of Public Health said on Thursday. “The numbers of patients with mild, moderate and severe symptoms who are waiting have clearly reduced after the launched of the home isolation and the community isolation programs,” said Dr Somsak Akksilp, Director-General of the Department of Medical Services (DMS). There were 39 registered Covid patients waiting for a hospital bed on August 25 compared to nearly 7,000 on May 31. From the 39 patients who were waiting for a hospital bed, 16 have mild symptoms (green group), 21 patients with moderate symptoms (yellow group) and two severe cases (red group). “There are not that many patients within the yellow and red groups who have to wait for more than 24 hours to find a hospital bed,” Somsak said. Registered Covid patients in the green group will enter either the home isolation program or the community isolation program. For home isolation, they will receive medical equipment, medicine, food and a way to communicate with a medical worker while they isolated themselves at home. https://www.thaienquirer.com/31829/number-of-waiting-list-for-hospital-beds-significantly-drop-over-the-past-three-weeks/

good chance OF just did a huge publicity stunt.

A lot of interesting comments from a variety of former generals and, importantly in my view, US and British vets, arising from the terrorist bombing at Kabul airport yesterday. Almost all is criticism of the Biden administration for not having started the evacuation, particularly of the Afghan assistants, interpreters etc. and there families much sooner. Others have asked why the US, knowing well in advance of the size of the exercise in getting many tens of thousands of Afghan helpers and their families out, did not also hold on to the heavily fortified Bagram Air base so that there were two exits from the country. Bagram could also handle the large aircraft which use Kabul and it's far more defensible! One, though, questioned whether the issues of war can be left to a President as Commander in Chief. Of course each President has a large body of military and other experts surrounding him. But he does not have to obey them - as far as I know. This pundit pointed out that Bush was determined to go into Iraq to finish what his father had started - come what may. His immediate coterie of conservative neo-cons were with him. Many others were not, at least hoping he would wait until the UN weapons inspectors presented their final report and the UN passed a second resolution. As usual, the spin doctors were immediately at work - who can forget Condoleeza Rice's comments about mushroom clouds if Saddam was not stopped (one of many lies)? - and a spider's web of tales were fabricated in support. After 9/11 virtually all of Congress and the country was behind him. Biden has been against the adventure in Afghanistan for well over a decade and was determined to get out. Unlike Bush, we are told he overruled many of his immediate advisors and military chiefs in his haste to announce a date. He stuck to much of Trump's agreement made with the Taliban (made with the Mullah Pakistan/the US had incarcerated for 8 years) and went ahead with his decision without consulting his NATO allies, those very allies he had pledged to consult after Trump had paid virtually no attention to them. And then during the four months leading up to the August 31 date the US administration sat on its hands for much of that time. The vets are the most angry that many of the guys who helped them and who were promised that they and their families would be looked after are now stuck in a Taliban controlled country, many likely to die despite Mullah Baradar's sweet words.