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Great feel good story. Watch the video. A crowd full of strangers filled a northwest Calgary park to celebrate a boy's rainbow-themed birthday during Pride Week. Leah O'Donnell says when her son Brody Neville came out as gay this spring, the 12-year-old lost many of his friends. That made the prospect of celebrating his birthday this year a sad one. "I was asking him what he wanted to do for his birthday and he was in tears and said since he came out as gay he lost all his friends, so he didn't even have people who could come," https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/rainbow-birthday-calgary-1.6157335?fbclid=IwAR13xrjfVWKBGg1b0btO9YsGcE7M6Y-ZHscC4xeRWrJPappzKk7RSJKL-oY

From Lonely Planet Nok Aen Cliff at Phu Kradueng National Park © mr_gateway / Shutterstock Forget the Rockies or the Alps, trekking in Thailand is the business. With wistful misty peaks, ancient hidden temples, otherworldly karst outcrops and dense jungle teeming with wildlife, the country offers a veritable feast for hikers. Whether you want to conquer mountains, circumnavigate stunning sandy islands or simply hotstep to Thailand's biggest waterfall, there's plenty to pick from. What's more, with a superb transport system, it's easy to reach most hiking trails independently – though there are plenty of excellent trekking guides available too. So grab a heavy-duty insect repellent, pack some sunscreen and buy some leech socks, we’re about to set off. These are the best hikes in Thailand. (NOTE - What follows are capsule descriptions of the sites. Visit the link at the end of article for additional information on all of these scenic locations.) Krabi’s Tiger Cave Temple 0.6 miles (1km), half day, moderate It's a short, steep climb up to the 278m-high (912ft) limestone outcrop that overlooks Krabi Town, but hikers who successfully tackle the 1260 stairs to the summit are rewarded with a access to Wat Tham Suea (Tiger Cave Temple) and some stellar views. Khao Yai National Park Distances vary, 2-3 hours, easy Established as Thailand's first national park in 1962, Khao Yai is the best place for a jungle trek near Bangkok. It boasts more than 31 miles (50km) of hiking trails that teem with macaques, gibbons, civets, barking deer and endemic bird species such as the Great Hornbill. Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail Best hike in Thailand 1.6 miles (2.7km), 2-3 hours, easy The short Kew Mae Pan Nature Trail offers hikers a chance to see one of the most beautiful panoramic views in Thailand. Set inside the Doi Inthanon National Park near Chiang Mai, the 2200m-high (7218ft) Kew Mae Pan mountain stands only a few hundred meters south of Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest peak at 2565m (8415ft). Khao Sok national park Best jungle trek Distances vary, 2-3 hours, moderate Skirting the southern side of Cheow Lan lake, the dense forest and towering limestone karsts of Khao Sok make the national park one of the best jungle treks in southern Thailand. With 48 mammals roaming the forests, there’s plenty of excellent wildlife spotting opportunities too. It’s gibbons, macaques and barking deer for the most part, but more elusive species such as sun bears, clouded leopards and tigers have been known to make an appearance too. Koh Jum Distances vary, 4-6 hours, easy to moderate Motorcycles are the only vehicles allowed on the low-key island of Koh Jum, just off of Krabi. Fortunately, the most rewarding way to explore this paradisical atoll is on foot. The western coast has a flat trail that flits between coves and quiet beaches for 3.7-miles (6km), but for views as far as Ko Phi-Phi (on clear days), tackle the steep climb up Khao Koh Pu hill. Um Phang Best multi-day hike Distances and times vary, moderate-to-hard Overlooked for the more popular Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son provinces, Um Phang and Tak offer spectacular hiking but with a fraction of the visitors. All treks start in and around the Um Phang Wildlife Sanctuary and use the Mae Klong River as a handy artery for deeper jungle exploration. Phanom Rung 0.6 miles (1km), half-day, easy It may not be a traditional hike, but few places are more inspiring than the Phanom Rung complex near Buriram. Standing on the rim of a dormant volcano, some 200m (656ft) above the rice fields of Isan, this 10th-century Khmer temple is built from pink sandstone. Phu Kradueng National Park 5.9 miles (9.5km), 4-6 hours, moderate-to-hard Phu Kradueng (Bell Mountain) is the main peak in the namesake national park of Loei Province in northeast Isan. The climb isn’t that taxing to begin with, but it gets tougher as hikers approach the plateau-like summit. A campsite at the top offers hikers the chance to spend the night and rent bicycles for those wanting to explore the area at their own pace. Bangkok Phrapradaeng Loop Best hike near Bangkok 7.5 miles (12km), 3 hours, easy Known as the "Green Lung'' of Bangkok, this walking trail and bicycle path starts at the Bang Kachao Pier and has been protected by long-standing laws prohibiting the construction of tall buildings in this area. Hiking out here is a rare opportunity to see how the Thai capital looked a few decades ago. Continues with photos https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/best-hikes-in-thailand

Totally canadian way to support the kid like that. There's dust in my eyes watching the video. Makes me want to move there lol

still possible Christmas Travel 2020.mp4

Vessey’s account of the economics of being a rent boy in Pattaya is an excellent presentation of the realities of their lives. It caused me to reflect on my own experience of rent boys in Pattaya over the last 20 years concluding with my last trip in February last year. One boy I remember going back to my second trip years ago stands out in my memory. I was sat talking to a pal in one of the concessions on the gay beach during the late afternoon when two boys appeared and after some hesitation seated themselves close by. One was a really nice looking twink in the 18 to 20 range whereas the other was rather older maybe 26 to 29. We very quickly invited them over and bought them drinks. The older one could speak some English but the younger none. He said that they both worked nights at a laundry but the younger had only been there a week having arrived from Korat. He (the older)had come to the beach to try and find a farang to help him with his rent, whereas the twink was just sightseeing. After perhaps half an hour my pal went off with the older to his hotel whereas I took the younger to a short time room. I returned to the beach the next day hoping to meet him again but he didn’t appear and the day after I went back home. Returning a couple of months later I visited Sunee and spotted him dancing in the Euro Boys Gogo. I offed him and discovered that after our first meeting that he had transitioned over a week or so into full time work in gogos which he found much to his liking than the laundry.

I find the incredible delay in testing in packed slum areas like Klong Toey one of the government's biggest failings. They just had to look at the huge clusters discovered among Singapore's migrant workers dormitories or even that among both legal and illegal workers at the Samui Sakhon fish market way back in December - both a result of failure to test. But then this Thailand government has little time for the poor. They have to fend for themselves no matter that we are in the midst of a pandemic.

Its 3am here and im reading about leeches lol Anyway, from my readings, it says not to use salt to remove leeches. Instead, remove it by hand with proper technique or let the leech finished feeding and came off by itself is a better option. What not to do Do not remove a leech using any of the following methods. These can cause the leech to vomit blood into your wound and increase your risk of infection: salting fire shampoo bug repellant Source

Perhaps finally we will get decent timed and reasonably fast connection from Bangkok to Pattaya as now 6.30 am train is not all that convenient. At least two times I was planning to use it just for fun but who and his boy would wake up that early?

The SPOT= http://www.restaurantespot.com.br/ EVERYTHING is great here, make reservation ahead of time. They only hold so many tables for res and rest is 1st come. Casa de Porco= https://acasadoporco.com.br/ Michelin star rated Veridiana Pizza= https://www.veridiana.com.br/contato AMAZING pizza and service. Can order one pizza with 3 different types, kind if like 1/2 & 1/2 but 3 Terraco Italia= https://www.terracoitalia.com.br/ Food, View, ServiceLos Burritos= http://www.losburritossp.com.br/ Crazy good Mexican food, I live in Mexico 😉 Those are my favorites, off the top of my head. Plenty more too... So many good gourmet hamburger places. I remember when McDonald's was the best burger you'd find in Brasil, lol

From Pattaya Mail Japan’s rail operator JR Hokkaido is donating the train cars decommissioned since 2016 to Thailand, with the cost of transportation and refurbishment covered by the SRT. The State Railway of Thailand has stressed the used trains from Japan it is receiving as donations are still in good condition. The state railway operator will need to pay for the transportation of the 17 train carriages at a cost of 42.5 million baht. The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) has announced outcomes of the inspection of the 17 multiple unit diesel train carriages being donated by Japan, finding them all in good condition. Japan’s rail operator JR Hokkaido is donating the train cars decommissioned since 2016 to Thailand, with the cost of transportation and refurbishment covered by the SRT. Mr Aekkarat Sriarayanpong, the SRT’s Public Relations director, said the SRT will conduct a safety inspection and refurbishment of these trains on their arrival, to make the trains suitable for operations in Thailand as tourism trains. The SRT had earlier in October 2018 received 10 train cars from Japan. These carriages are also being refurbished to serve as a tourism train. The trains, expected to enter service next year, will include three regular passenger carriages, a family car, and a recreational car, with the livery reflecting areas the tourist train passes through. (NNT) Continues with photos https://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnews/thailand-will-employ-japan-donated-trains-in-tourism-371507

or carry vinegar with you... LOL

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/forums/asia-thailand/thailand/chiang-mai-leeches-in-waterfall-pools

Haha, yes, knowing (and loving) Yorkshire folk as I do, they would regard going across the border into Lancashire as being 'foreign travel'.

What sounds like an interesting movie has just wrapped filming in Brighton, England. It tells the story of a loving married couple (man and woman) living in a happy menage a trois with the husband's male lover. "My Policeman" is an adaptation of a novel which covers the interesting period between the 1950s and 1990s when attitudes to sex and sexuality went through much change in Britain and much of the rest of the world. An article in The Guardian takes as its theme the role of the lover, played by the gay actor Rupert Everett. This, the writer suggests, is ideal casting as Everett has had to live through many changes in recent years following his starring role in the film version of the E. M. Foster novel, "Another Country" in 1984. Although homosexuality in England was not decriminalised until 1967, attitudes took time to change. Then came the gay plague AIDS which set advances back a few years. It also resulted in closet gay personalities like Rock Hudson and Liberace having to die with neither privacy nor dignity. The writer has interviewed many gay actors over the last 40 or so years. He wonders if the public as a whole actually was as homophobic as the media claimed. He is depressed that when interviewing the gay actors Richard Chamberlain and Sir Anthony Sher (the latter is one of Britain's most famous actors particularly for his roles at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre and who became best known for his portrayal of Shakespeare's Richard III who first appears in silhouette on crutches rather like an overlarge spider), their PR masters had informed him that on no account could he discuss their private lives. Photo: from Anthony Sher, Year of the King - Nick Heron Books Like so many others, both hid their sexuality and Sher actually got married as a disguise. Sher, who sadly is dying of a serious unspecified illness, now agrees that not talking about his private life essentially was like having a neon sign over his head saying "This guy is gay!" Sher eventually came out and was one of the first to enter into a civil partnership with his long time lover. Some, like the macho Harry Andrews, was firmly in the closet despite being partnered. Interviewed when he was in his 70s, the writer thinks Andrews had wanted to come out but he was then being considered for a starring role in the hit TV series "Dynasty" as Blake Carrington's father. Had he been known as gay he would almost certainly not have got the part. Earlier in 1970 he had been cast in the role of a leading gay man in the film of Joe Orton's hilarious "Entertaining Mr. Sloane". It was almost as though he had wanted to send a signal by accepting this role, but was always reluctant to discuss his participation in that movie in his rare interviews. Others like John Schlesinger, the director who in 1971 made "Sunday Bloody Sunday" with its famous lips-on-lips deep gay kiss, was quite happy to be out. When there were media objections to Ian McKellen's award of a knighthood, he signed an open letter defending him. “I could hear a particular sound in my head the morning it was published,” Schlesinger told me, grinning. “It was teacups clinking disdainfully on saucers in Cheltenham as little old ladies said to each other ‘My dear, it’s so unnecessary’.” The writer ends the article by stressing - "Each of the actors I spoke to found his own modus vivendi. What’s not in question is that the tabloids and some politicians had made these relatively recent years a distinctly hostile environment for gay people." https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/sep/08/40-years-celebrity-interviews-attitudes-gay-men

I used to visit Manila quite a few times but these were way back in the early 1980s. Those trips made a welcome relaxing break from the more hothouse atmosphere of working in Hong Kong. Besides, gay life in Hong Kong in those days was limited and against the old British colonial sodomy law (not repealed until 1991). Each year 3 or 4 guys would be thrown in jail for a couple of years for some alleged offence or other. It was known the police kept tabs on the handful of gay venues and cruising places. Triad activity involving rent boys was rife. Manila on the other hand was a haven of beautiful and willing boys. Like many gays I'd stay at Imelda Marcos' lovely Philippine Plaza Hotel on the Bay (her murdering, thieving dictator of a husband owned the posher Manila Hotel not far away). The rooms were large and well-furnished, the view over the bay superb and the pool and garden a superb place to relax over a drink or two - or three. At week-ends the hotel seemed like cruise central. So many expats would be there from Hong Kong, Singapore and elsewhere, each with a different boy du jour every time at breakfast. Even with martial law in force, gay life seemed not to be curtailed. Coco Banana was the in-place for more up-market gays, a sort-of Studio 54 of Manila with DJs playing the latest disco music from the US, a melange of fashion, society and entertainment - and lots of gorgeous boys. I believe it was Asia's first openly gay club and seemed to stay open all night. I met and brought several guys to the hotel, spending time with the same one on several visits. Gay life in Manila at that time seemed more active and raunchier than Bangkok. The place to go for sleaze was an enormous barn of a place at 690 Retiro Strip in the nearby Quezon City district. When getting a taxi, you never had to utter more than "690" for the driver knew exactly where you wanted to go. Packed to the gunnels at week-ends, this bar/club had long catwalks with beautiful Filipino boys parading wearing little or nothing. Shows with naked boys and soap suds were common before I ever saw one in Bangkok. The one depressing factor of those trips was the horrendous poverty. At every intersection, tiny waifs would hold out their little hands for a peso or two. Marcos had had placed large boards by the massive rubbish tips where children seemed to be everywhere scavenging for anything they could find that they could sell. Marcos and the dreadful Imelda couldn't bear visitors to see the reality behind the facade of their beautiful city. As Bangkok's nightlife developed, I switched my allegiance to Thailand. Frankly, I had grown a bit tired of Manila whereas I have never tired of Bangkok. I have since been back for three work visits, the last around 1998. Unsurprisingly the whole scene had changed. One alleged gay bar I attended was not gay at all and the "boys" seemed all in their 40s. I am sure there were several which I just did not bother to visit. For me the glamour of the gay scene had descended to pretty basic levels. Perhaps it was just that Thailand at that time offered vastly more in terms of nighttime entertainment and willing young guys. Perhaps the elected governments had tightened up restrictions. In the mid-1990s Manila's Mayor Alfredo Lim was The Philippines predecessor to Thailand's Interior Minister Purachai. He was unrelenting in his campaign to close down all Filipino prostitute bars - both gay and straight - all of which were raided from time to time. Many ended up just closing. In the mid 2000s, the media - in particular the leading broadsheet The Philippine Enquirer - started an anti-gay campaign led by a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Who knows? Times change.

This initiative has not passed in other states. Perhaps if signed into law, this will be the first of many. https://www.yahoo.com/news/california-moves-outlaw-stealthing-removing-182749429.html

No, not domestically. But, they got together for a collaboration and I loved the outfits. Both truly icons. https://www.complex.com/music/lil-nas-x-links-up-with-elton-john-for-uber-eats-campaign-ahead-of-montero-collab?

I have a huge crush on that boy.

I don't know how manny continually finds these guys, but he sent me new pics and I choose from the pics. Hisb2 new guys, COCO and 6'5 are hung and stay hard.

The one place in Brazil where I got mugged (about 10 years ago). Be VERY careful in the quaint colonial area. The safety changes block by block.

The shifting sands of Pattaya's fate The news today regarding Pattaya's near-term future is mixed at best. The good news--well, as good as it gets for the moment--is that it opens under a Phuket-like sandbox scheme with all the accompanying testing and restrictions and entry requirements that will put off most punters. But at least it's a first step toward some semblance of normalcy. There's also news that foreign investor are keenly snooping about for distressed hotels they hope to scoop up on the cheap. Not that there's anything wrong with that but many here would be disappointed if the like of Poseidon and others, which have long served the gay community with good food and accommodations, fall into the hands of opportunists. But I suppose that's the price we have to expect to pay for survival. For those who can tolerate the inconvenience and bureaucratic madness in exchange for an early return, your time may soon be at hand. But for the rest of us it looks like early 2022 before arriving in Thailand is anything like we recall from 2019. ================================= From Pattaya Mail Pattaya open to fully vaccinated foreign tourists in October The Thai government has reiterated health and safety measures as it prepares for the second phase of its tourism reigniting plan and many look forward to the annual high season. Proceeding along its path to again welcome foreign travelers after having notable success with its Sandbox programs over the past two months, producing 1.634 billion baht in revenue, the government is poised to continue the effort to support economic recovery. In October, the administration is to implement its Universal Prevention measures while entering the second phase of its reopening timeline, which will see Bangkok, Chonburi (Pattaya), Petchaburi, Prachuapkirikan and Chiang Mai will be allowed to receive foreign guests once again, on the condition they meet vaccination targets. The Bangkok Sandbox and Hua Hin Recharge campaigns have already been outlined in anticipation of the transition. Phase three of the plan is to begin in the middle of October and see 21 more provinces reopen under strict COVID-19 prevention measures. The fourth phase begins in January of next year and will focus on 13 border provinces and the use of travel bubbles. One province slated to reopen on October 1st is Chonburi with its Pattaya Moves On program covering Pattaya, Banglamung and Sattahip. Various committees have been established in anticipation of the date, and they will oversee matters such as meeting a 70 percent vaccination target in the local population. Visitors to Chonburi will have to be fully vaccinated or have RT-PCR test results from their country of origin and a health certificate. They will have to submit to another RT-PCR test upon arrival in Chonburi and undergo a total of three checks during their stay, the second being during the first six to seven days of their stay and the third on the fourteenth day. https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/pattaya-open-to-fully-vaccinated-foreign-tourists-in-october-371282 ================================ From The Thaiger / BP Foreign investors keep a close eye on struggling Pattaya hotels With Pattaya hotel operators in dire financial straits brought on by the lack of tourists during the pandemic, foreign investors are apparently keeping a close eye on the situation. The hotel operators in the tourist city are being warned that if they do not get assistance for their outstanding loans, then their businesses could be taken over by foreign investors. Pattaya is one of the areas in Thailand that has been hit the hardest by Covid-19. The city’s famous “Walking Street” has been compared to the zombie apocalypse series, the “Walking Dead.” Many businesses have been struggling to stay afloat. The president of the hotel association of the eastern region warned hotel operators to take care of their outstanding loans and called on the government to support the hotel sector, such as by suspending loan payments to financial institutions and cutting interest rates. He says that if hotels do not get help, and if the tight travel restrictions remain in 2022, then many will have no other option than to sell the business and many groups of foreign investors, mostly Chinese, are interested in buying hotels in Pattaya. https://thethaiger.com/news/pattaya/foreign-investors-keep-a-close-eye-on-struggling-pattaya-hotels ================================ From Channel News Asia ASEAN-China travel bubble ? KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob proposed that the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China could consider a cross-border travel bubble, adding that it would be “vital for recovery” from the COVID-19 pandemic. In a recorded video message during the 18th China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO) on Friday (Sep 10), he said both sides could explore common initiatives such as travel bubbles and quarantine arrangements. “By doing this, we will be in a much better position to revive not only the tourism industry, but also our people-to-people connectivity,” Mr Ismail Sabri said. Mutual recognition of vaccination certification is also a fertile area for collaboration, the prime minister noted. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-ismail-sabri-asean-china-travel-bubble-covid-19-2168991

Also, Kaique was in the original block of photos I had posted, but they are more at the level of thumbprints.

Life is short @davet and I don’t believe in wasting time. When I’m in a new city and I’ve found out which gym is fashionable/which has the hottest trainers, it’s straightforward. 1. I work out on my own 1x or 2x as part of checking out the trainers. I don’t go at “rush-hour”; I usually go mid/late morning when the trainers aren’t busy. Sometimes trainers have approached me to chat and ask if I’m interested in personal training. If not, I book personal training sessions at reception and say I want to work out with A or B or C (the hot guys I fancy). Reception is always happy to book who you want. 2. When I’m exercising with the trainer, I’m very friendly and chat. I tell the guy I’m visiting on my own, looking for some fun, and that I’m into men. If this sparks some interest with the trainer, I add that I’m happy to invite him out and pay for drinks or dinner. Also I emphasize that I’m low-key and discreet. If there’s no interest on his part, I ask him if he can recommend a friend who will help me out. Generally speaking, trainers know who is gay-friendly and could use some extra cash. 3. I make a point of inviting that first trainer out to lunch after our session, even if he’s turned me down. The trainers all talk together and it helps to be known as the friendly, generous new guy who’s into men. Once I’ve got names and phone numbers, I’m pretty direct. When trainers ask me what I’m into, I state I’m pretty vanilla but I’m a selfish top. If they want more details, I add that I’m into deep kissing, I like to fuck, and I really enjoy getting sucked off to completion.

Hi. There are a few massage places in SP. Gold https://www.goldtherapy.com.br/ Inhouse https://www.inhouseagencia.com.br/equipe MD https://md-massagem.com.br/ Lotus https://www.xtudiolotus.com.br/ I have never been to Prince, but from what I have read you could choose the guy there. All 4 places above ask you to book the guy in advance via whatsapp, but you could ask if you could select the masseur there. MD has the best infrastructure.

In another article in yesteday's issue of The Guardian, Afghanistan's reincarnation of Vietnam's Lt. William Calley has once again been revealed. Some of the article refers to incidents already itemised in the New Yorker article posted earlier by @fedssocr. But this is new, at least in this forum as far as I am aware. It speaks for itself. "The men of Zangabad village, Panjwai district lined up on the eve of 11 September to count and remember their dead, the dozens of relatives who they say were killed at the hands of the foreign forces that first appeared in their midst nearly 20 years ago. "Their cluster of mud houses, fields and pomegranate orchards was the site of perhaps the most notorious massacre of the war, when US SSgt Robert Bales walked out of a nearby base to slaughter local families in cold blood. He killed 16 people, nine of them children. "America’s tragedy, thousands of families’ terrible losses on that September morning in 2001, would indirectly unravel into similar grief for thousands of other families half a world away. "Afghans who knew little or nothing about the planes flying into towers in New York, and certainly had no link at all to al-Qaida, were caught up in the war that followed, and that claimed their loved ones year after year. "Haji Muhammad Wazir lost almost all his immediate family, apart from his four-year-old son in the early hours of 11 March 2012. It was more than a decade after the twin towers came down, but they were the reason the US military was on his doorstep. "Bales killed his wife, four sons, four daughters and two other relatives. He shot the children in the head then tried to burn their bodies. “It is very hard for me, I still feel like these things are happening right now,” Wazir told the Guardian, nearly a decade after the almost unimaginable slaughter ripped apart his life. “I am very happy the American forces have finally left Afghanistan, and very grateful to Allah for making this happen. At last I feel safe.” The article later points out that the Taliban, too, was responsible for the deaths of Afghanis. But it was the actions of some of the US servicemen and their NATO partners in the war that drove many Afghanis directly to the Taliban, either as fighters or as financial supporters. At least Bales was arrested for his crimes in what is now known as the Kandahar massacre. In a plea deal he pleaded guilty to murder, assault and attempted murder. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. The US Supreme Court refused to hear his case and his lawyer is now trying to get a new trial in a civilian court. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/sep/10/how-mass-killings-by-us-forces-after-911-boosted-support-for-the-taliban