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I have read that there are two Bangkok Bank branches that are often more lenient as far as opening an account for farang without a visa. One is located on Pattaya Tai, right next to the corner where Walking St begins. If you are facing the Walking St overhead sign, it is just on your left. The other branch is also Bangkok Bank on Pattaya SaiSong (Second Road) across from the end of soi 6. I have no experience with either one. I got my K-Bank account many years ago in Chiang Mai with just a passport and my hotel address. If the bank asks for proof of residence, your friend can obtain written proof of residence from the immigration office, even if staying in a hotel. Hotels send the info to the immigration police for all hotel guests, so they can easily verify the address of residence because it's already in their computer system. I would suggest not wearing shorts, rubber flip-flops, and a Singha Beer T-shirt to the bank when asking to open an account without a long term visa, even though it is Pattaya.

I've checked my line account during the whole year and all I saw were owners of massage shops promoting and getting new boys. I don't think they've yet closed once this year (as long as they pay the local police well) and these are all in bangkok

Do you remember which visa you had at the time? Those of you who have been on the boards long enough may recall I used to very often urge those considering retiring in Thailand or making multiple trips to Thailand to open a Thai bank account while you still can - because it was getting more and more difficult to do so. Many years ago when I opened my Bangkok Bank account, which I still hold, I had no problem doing it on the 30 day privilege. Obviously now it is far more difficult for foreigners to open a Thai bank account. No problem at all, though, if you hold a retirement visa. So - if TotallyOz's friend succeeds and we find out how he did it, I'll repeat my advice - if you may ever need a Thai bank account, open one while you still can . . .

100 % correct for me!!! Even though holiday preparation was a pain and did'nt exactly go like planned (applied for COE, but embassy after long wait decided to decline and told me to reapply for Thailand Pass, so I have basically been forced to apply on the first day possible), I always had in my mind using the chance of seeing Thailand as long as there is only a low number of turists and famous sights are not totally overcrowded which under normal circumstances isnt possible anymore. Hotels are embarrassingly cheap, I am having the huge pool for me alone, and very soon I will be heading off to one of the beautiful southern islands with an adorable cute boy I met in an open massage shop (could be right out of a BL series). As Vinapu already announced, more details to come - but holiday comes first.

Bear in mind the way things seem to work with the banks. If you don't get the answer you want at one bank branch, just go to another - and another. Chances are if you go to enough of them, sooner later you'll be able to open an account. Don't forget to also get online banking. I suggest trying Kasikorn Bank, aka K-Bank.

There was a notice by Arena that they were reopening on October 1st when the lockdowns rules were relaxed and I believe they did reopen and that other massage places were able to as well.

ChaoPraya rives still flows her course to the sea and War Arun stands where it was before. I even venture that chicken with cashew nuts tastes still great and so does Singha beer. What is missing are bars and guys IN them but that doesn't mean all willing and handsome guy evaporated all of the sudden. They may be now on other side of bar door

based on recent announcements bars won't open until mid-January. Whether they will open at all and have a show there's no way telling until they actually open. I'd not worry about charges now as they may go 3 ways after opening- stay the same , go up to made up for lost income or go down to bring custom and earn ANY baht in the same way hotel charges went down. So in short all entertainment is great unknown now IMHO

If you're considering a Tokyo connection, ANA and JAL have been providing reliable service prior to and after Nov. 1 opening.

Im so sorry guys. I was supposed to post about 9 days ago when we returned from the DR and I didn't. That' makes me suchhhhhhh a BAD WHORE and a terrible person. I'm sorry. So we arrived and the usual happens. Manny sends this new guy to me. OMG!!!! I will call him BIG RED!!!! sooooo handsome! So tall and such a BIG THICK DICK that gets hard the minute he pulls his pants down. BIG RED will fkuc you all day long. What I liked most about him is that he fkuced me until I nutted and when he knew I was about to Nutt, he dug harder and deeper. It might have been the best orgasm of my life because while he was fkucing me my husband was sucking one nippLE, another guy was suckin the other nipple and BIG RED was deeply gazing in my eyes. IT WAS UH-FKUCING-MAZING! I think he lives close to the colonial zone because we were outside when he came over the third time. Yes, I said 3rd time. Come onnnnnnnn, you guys know I'm an insatiable WHORE. The guy is amazing and his dick is soooooo thick and big. Manny has a few other new guys also. One pic he just sent and the guys dick is almost to his knee. It's bigggggggggg and you know if I say it's biggggggggg then it's biggggggg. I will be back Saturday 11/20/21. Manny and I are planning a sex party. I've rented a beautiful home so we have space to get FREAKY AS HELL. I'm actually thinking about doing a LIVE sex party where you can watch the action as it happens. Manny and I just finished texting a few minutes ago and he's already lining up 4-6 guys. I'm actually a Lil nervous, but it should be lots of fun for me and you tramps also. Ohhhhhhhhhh, I almost forgot. BIG RED fukced a bottom with a HUGE ROUND ASS. OMG! IT WAS AMAZING. part of that video is on my Twitter page. BLAKSUPERMAN2 Next time you are in DR ask Manny for BIG RED. He's a DREAMBOAT. Easy on the eyes VERY FRIENDLY and a HUGE FAT DICK InShot_20211113_054158633.mp4

From CNN The adventures of Boji, Istanbul’s traveling dog A street dog named Boji has become something of a celebrity in Istanbul, where he travels around the city on its ferries, trams and subway cars https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/10/travel/dog-istanbul-boji-cnnphotos/

Well I'm not sure if we should share the info with you but us UK gays are starting a concerted campaign to persuade Kylie to remain here in the UK and not return home as she advertised she would be doing. She SAYS she's going to jump back and forward between the two countries but we're not so easily fooled, we know this is the start of the "it's me not you" conversation and so urgent measures need to be taken to get her to change her mind - well we've decided either that or just removing her passport and holding her here against her will, we've voted and either option is currently considered as feasible and acceptable ! But the main thing is we feel it's important to address the REALLY pressing matters that affect gay mens live here while we have the chance.

there's no way to prevent passing bug by asymptomatic people as they have no idea they have it. Or there's way , locking everybody for 2-3 weeks but after that we could have no covid but nations full of hungry and depressed zombies. And governments need to take calculated risk , if only to keep economies rolling. There are nations heavily dependent on tourism - think about small Caribbean island states and in almost every nation there are heavily tourist dependent places like Pattaya, Venice, Mar del Plata or Sharm-el-Sheikh just to name a few. While UK can afford closing Brighton can be the same said about Cuba and Varadero ?

Yep, and you both can be asymptomatic and pass it on to others of course, but hey, who's caring about that as long as you're already Jack eh.......anyway, you're right, make your own choices, I'm merely pointing out why the rules were there to begin with, as to whether you chose to follow them or not is of course 'up to you" - just lets not all complain when covid is still with us all in a year or two from now with possible lockdowns and dear knows what still occurring then eh.

Maybe Babe "doesn't eat men," but I'd eat him all over and then some! ...such a fresh-lookin' young guy who'd love my tongue bath that I'd give to him, both front and back-- head to toe.

I’m not huge on labels but, for what it is worth, I identify as bisexual.

Not forgetting of course that even if you're vaccinated or not there is a valid reason WHY they're closing everywhere and so putting yourself ( and then others) at risk if you catch or pass on Covid that you picked up somwhere like that by flouting the health advice / rules is something to consider too of course - if even just for your own health if nothing else.

The problem is not with arriving to Thailand but the complicated process to get the Thai pass to enter the country ,at the YouTube video below arriving to Thailand was smooth and easy but it took them nerve-racking weeks to receive the Thai pass .

You'll find scattered posts about open (and some closed) massage shops on the board over the past several months. Although there have been reports of some open in the Silom area, they appear more numerous the further out you go. The Saphan Kwai area (reachable by BTS) has been mentioned several times. Most are offering both on-site and off-site service, and I heard one report that a few are not charging an off fee. Totally Oz has posted about some of the offerings. Many shops have LINE accounts.

I've taken the plunge and booked for December. Flights booked with Thai Airways and Thailand pass received which took 3 days from application to receipt of QR code.

I will wait. Covid cases in Europe are rising. Netherlands going into new lockdown. Also the gogo bars are still closed. Are massage shops open already? I will wait till at least a few weeks everything is back to normal. And boys have arrived back to Pattaya. Bars have been operating normally for a few weeks. Then I feel confident to return. I aim for January or February

Sudden is perhaps not the best choice of word here. Will keep this relatively concise. Following more than 20 years of internal strife (drug wars, paramilitaries, FARC) that made life in Colombia difficult, a peace agreement was reached (not yet ratified in 2021) that finally brought stability to much of the country. Since that time, tourism has grown significantly year-over-year until the pandemic. For an entire generation of Colombians, seeing foreign tourist is a novelty that they rarely saw during this period. Mass tourism as a business is relatively new, and Colombia sees tourists from all over the world. The NYT named it their top international travel destination in 2018. So this is not "sudden", I apologise, but rather a growing business that is still novel for the locals.

Street dogs are a way of life for Istanbul 's residents, many of whom feed and support them.

Tourists could also go to a wat & pray for the bars to reopen.

So what will potential tourists do if they come to Thailand sit at their rooms and watch TV ? Ridiculous .

From Bangkok Post Authorities will set aside up to 500,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccines for foreign workers as it prepares to welcome them back to the country to help ease a labour shortage, a government minister said on Wednesday. The government plans to allow workers from neighbouring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos to re-enter the country beginning next month and fill up shortages in big exporting industries such as food and rubber production. Workers will be placed in a two-week quarantine and during that time the vaccines will be administered, Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin said. They will also be tested for Covid-19. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2213231/govt-offers-covid-19-vaccines-to-migrant-workers

From Bangkok Post Standing alongside Wat Mahathat Yuwaratrangsarit and Sanam Luang, the historical Thaworawatthu Building was ordered to be built during the reign of King Rama V to serve as a supplementary edifice for HRH Prince Maha Vajirunhis' royal cremation ritual. The construction, completed in the reign of King Rama VI, later transformed into the Hor Phra Samut Samrap Phra Nakhon (Library for the Capital City) before being developed into the National Library, allowing the public to access its services. As part of the "King Chulalongkorn The Great (Rama V) Memorial" exhibition, it is now opening its chambers to showcase a rare collection of 47 classic gilded black lacquered cabinets to highlight Thailand's first-class craftsmanship and local wisdom. Aiming to conserve Thai art and promote its values to young artisans, King Chulalongkorn collected the cabinets from various places to use as bookcases in the Hor Phra Samut Vajirayana Samrap Phra Nakhon (Vajirayana Library for the Capital City), all of which were crafted in the Ayutthaya, Thon Buri and Rattanakosin periods. Over the last century, the collection has grown from 130 to more than 390, with the majority currently kept at the National Library of Thailand on Samsen Road. This exhibition is arranged in six themes to display the cabinets, the majority of which are from the series "Gold-Motif Cabinets Books By The Office Of National Library". Continues with many photos https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/arts-and-entertainment/2209439/timeless-designs

From Channel News Asia Thailand’s Kotchakorn makes mark at global climate change talks The rooftop garden of Thammasat University is the largest in Asia. (Photo: Land Process) GLASGOW: David Attenborough was in the middle of arguably one of his most important public calls to action. To more than 100 world leaders, on the biggest stage at the opening of global climate change talks in Glasgow, he called on delegates to rewrite the human story in the face of a monumental challenge. As he paused, for a moment, another face appeared onscreen with a decidedly different accent. “Can we fix the climate problem in one generation? My answer would be yes. We have to,” said Kotchakorn Voraakhom. The video excerpt was from an interview Kotchakorn had done in the lead up to COP26, a short film in a YouTube series sharing the voice of the people on the frontline of climate change. Kotachakorn was last year named a United Nations Global Climate Action Award winner for her transformative work building innovative landscape solutions for urban resilience in Bangkok. That recognition gave rise to her attending COP26 in the UK, which began on Nov 1. Given the logistical difficulties, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the apparent limited access to the conference from attendees from the Global South, she admitted that she felt fortunate to even be there. The 40-year-old’s work has made an impact in Bangkok, where she founded her urban design firm, Landprocess. She has been a leading voice promoting functional green spaces in Bangkok’s new developments and converted spaces. Her sights have been set on sustainable green infrastructure that makes the city more liveable, walkable, and suitable for its future and new uncertainties to come. At a campus for Thammasat University, Kotchakorn’s designs have given birth to Asia’s biggest rooftop garden, a place with incredible aesthetics and true function. The 22,000 sq m space recreates a rice terrace, includes micro-watersheds from its cascading roof and has expansive areas for students to grow organic vegetables and herbs. It has aesthetics but more critically, purpose. Opened in 2017, Chulalongkorn Centenary Park is a critical piece of functional architecture that reduces inundation risk in the city during periods of heavy rain, by collecting, treating, and holding millions of litres of water, reducing pressure on sewage infrastructure. Bangkok is one of the world’s most vulnerable cities to climate change impacts. The megacity is slowly sinking, just as sea levels rise. It means much of the city could be underwater within decades and increasingly exposed to dangerous flooding. The looming crisis, and the chance to witness global talks up close, has given Kotchakorn more perspective about the need for greater action, the inequalities that exist and the frustrations of political negotiations. Continues with photos https://www.channelnewsasia.com/sustainability/cop26-climate-change-thailand-kotchakorn-landscape-architect-2292241

I agree but another turn off is the closure of entertainment venues till mid of January ( and in my opinion it will be longer than that because the current Thai government is determined to change the Thai int'l image to family friendly destination) I love Thailand and pay many visits over the past twenty years but the current situation and restrictions is making me wonder if it is still the land of smiles I used to love and cherish ?

Guess you Guys will have to wait a bit longer. Got this Notification from Moonlight today... The Thai government announced the postponement Open for entertainment on 15th January 2022 and may change depending on the situation at that time. We will inform you in all social media and sorry for any inconvenience. 🙄