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Pattaya, turned out to be great for me. Just paying an attention to close environment was fruitful as, I landed really good guy from one of massage shops just by Agate, my hotel. 2 massages and 2 LT's in 3 days says a bit ! Generosity seems to pay off as I upped his requested 1st night tip and second one was almost bordering on exhausting and it was not only me who noted it. Professional behavior too, no stupid tears on departure just kiss, embrace and hand shake. Agate was almost empty like most hotels those days but at lease, was opened and I landed nice room for relatively peanuts. Great French bakery on the corner opposite Soda massage. Sunee was dead zone but even in the afternoon arrond 5 there was some life and if pressed even I would find 1 or 2 to take with me for a stroll or something. Skinny for my taste and more mid than low 20 ties but this is what I look for anyways so hope is there. Boyztwn is disaster zone with only Scandic opened if only to carry the torch, one or 3 hunks there but I skipped this part. ALT Heidelberg closed but not boarded, Berliner Cafe opened and few money exhnagers opened had actually better rate for euros 37.70 and more than world famous booths by train station in the basement of Swampy 37.30. But generally one in need to change currency needs to look for one opened as 2/3 of booths in both Pattaya and Bangkok are closed. What is, interesting thought, ones survived are those which offered better rates which if you think about this, makes sense. More traffic more chance to survive. Walking Street is 93.5 disaster zone but 6.5 is enough for few tourists wandering Pattaya streets right now. Bars not opened but winks and whispers are. Disaster time, like in Bangkok was not wasted by some. Some premises are not boarded but spruced, renovated and spiffied, sometimes for other than original purpose. So old saying : "never waster good crisis" was, taken by some seriously. From Dec 15 on frequency of Jomtien airport bus is increased by 1 to 7 a day if I recall so again that is good sign. Bus full both ways. As mentioned Swampy exchange counters are operating but only 3 or 4 of previous 8 or 10. Airport mid day yesterday was quite empty but not completely empty, another good sign considering size of arrival hall. Stores are opened as before and ever good hearted I upported 7/11 by buying coffee and purchasing soap spending money as it is no tomorrow. Flight to Chiang Mai was I think completely full, nice view of country from above. In the airport I did not bother with economizing on busses or tuk tuks and went with flat rate taxis. There are 2 companies with booths beside each other offering 150 rate but this seem to be to Old city. Since I,m staying bit further I was, quoted 200. Since I, m close to Adam's Apple I passed by but that is, another piece of history as bar is closed and place up for sale. But view from room, I think bigger then my apartment is excellent, air is crisp, banana pancake can be had for 30, street food abounds and city walkable. Being here for 1st time I ventured out actually after dark as I arrived late and easily found my way there and back. First impression is 7/11 are less ubiquitous than in Bangkok and Pattaya but adds on apps are deceitful and photos hopped all the same. Temple sightseeing started with Classic House massage. Will return to report more as first sample may be inconclusive, all the same like room visit from Romeo. I try not to jump into conclusions after just 1 statistic sample. Sleeping alone but with wide opened both windows was very pleasant though, will repeat tonight unless something happens, one ever knows.

Post 2 - Bangkok report My trip was broken into 5/6 days staying in each of Bangkok - Phuket - Pattaya - Phuket - Bangkok. As explained in the previous post I'll give a report of each location rather than a chronological order of the trip, so this post will be about my Bangkok experiences. Daytime activities During the day I like to do a lot of walking. General plan is there is no plan. Went exploring and got lost, have a coffee, move on see where the wind takes me. I couldn't access lumphini park, the entrances I found were all closed but I saw people in there so there must have an entrance I couldn't find. Visited the Ari area, the riverside area and took 2 boat trips. To enter the malls had to scan temperature each time. Generally each day ended up with a massage from one of the establishments on either the surawong or silom roads. I didnt get to any of the more upmarket gay massage places this time, mainly through being otherwise occupied rather than choice. Bars/Nightlife I should point out that food was available in all the establishments I visited. The place to be was Silom Soi 4. The place was buzzing, even on week nights. When I visited at the weekend I couldn't get a seat either at the new Circus bar or Balcony bar so ventured on those nights to a quieter cozy bar at the end of the soi where I got a seat (and happily chatted to some handsome waiters). The Circus bar seemed to be in the in place to be and when meeting up with some local guys this was the bar of choice where they would like to meet for a drink. I frequented the Pride bar (seemed to be more local Thai oriented - maybe because of the live singer - but just my impression) and visited Connections bar where I was warmly welcomed by the Australian owner and his boyfriend. In my first Bangkok stint I mainly frequented Balcony, Circus and Connections but I'd have no hesitation in supporting any of the bars on this soi and would be happy drinking in them all. Closing time most nights was either 11pm or 12 pm and earlier in the trip on some days alcohol could not be purchased after 9pm or 10pm. I don't know what rules are/were, and would simply follow the flow and directions of the staff. Soi 2 - I visited the DJ station complex a couple of times and the bar opposite as it had opened up during my visit. There were times where I was the only foreigner there and I didn't get to chat to anyone. I still enjoyed visiting though. I think they closed at midnight. Patpong area - This was very quiet and dark. There was one gogo bar open and this changed to three on my return. I did visit one of the gogo bars open (full street clothes only) which I won't name because I didn't enjoy the experience. The tout told me a drink was 250 bht only to be given a bill for 450 bht. I'm not tight, but that left a sour taste so I finished my drink, payed my bill and didn't return. Maybe it was just some confusion. I hope that post covid this area can get back in full swing again. Jupiter 2018 - This turned out to be the highlight of my trip. It had opened up on my second visit. Unfortunately for the bar there were very few customers but fortunately for me it meant much more interaction with the staff. About 8-10 models each night with a rotating live singer and catwalk format for the evening. About 15 minutes each rotation. Drink price was 170 thb for a beer and no entry fee - expect this to change when the shows return. Because they were very welcoming and had reasonable drink prices I was happy to open up and spend. The mamasans/captains here are not pushy and I found them very friendly. I got acquainted with a few of the guys there strutting the catwalk where some of them were happy to come back to the hotel after the bar had closed on various evenings to discuss the climate crisis. Hotels I stayed in Trinity Silom (one night only), Crowne Plaza and Quarter Silom. Crowne Plaza without a doubt turned out to be the best value for money for me and I enjoyed staying here. It was very cheap at average price of about 1400 thb through the Agoda app. For my stay at Quarter Silom Soi 6 and paid an average of 750thb. In normal times I would stay at the quarter again, but, for a brand new hotel I was surprised at a couple of things. Firstly the bathroom and part of the room flooded when taking a shower (could be avoided if holding the shower head and carefully angling away), only two bath towels provided (not hand towels) and a lack of storage space. For a city centre hotel I would stay here again but in my opinion there are much better value options during the present time with many good quality hotels heavily discounted (purely my opinion of course and we are all different and I guess my view was tainted as i had been spoiled with high end hotels in other parts of the trip). Restaurants Many options in Silom Soi 4 but don't expect anything fancy. I had good meals in Gs, Pride and Balcony. I also visited some more upmarket restaurants and was taken to a fancy Italian restaurant on Witthaya Road (can't remember all the names sorry...) Two restaurants visited on Sukhumvit soi 11 - Hemingway's for Sunday lunch (nice roast) and Oskar for dinner. Guys Ive already mentioned my acquaintances at Jupiter. Everything else was via the apps. When I first arrived was bombarded with many offers from mostly Cambodian guys looking for some tips and got to know a few of them. What did surprise me was how many local and other expat asian guys there were interested in meeting up for free. It just needed a little patience and spectrum ranged from 21 year old twinky students to 35 year old very handsome muscle guys which wouldn't look out of place at some of the model bars and a few older gents too. Would you believe I even had one very attractive 25 hiso guy take me out to dinner picking me up in his BMW!! I couldn't believe my luck - he was just sexually attracted to older white guys. Back to our friends looking for some support I noticed more isaan boys on the apps for the second Bangkok stint where I became acquainted with a few of them - hopefully a sign many are starting to return back to the cities. Transport Mainly walking. I used the BTS and when needing to take a taxi I used the bolt app. The bolt app ended up being the best and cheapest taxi app. Overall, with the exception of Patpong being closed, and with some adjustment elsewhere there was much on offer in Bangkok.

Jomtiem Complex bars are open again now. There was a meeting of bar owners today.

Hotel: Centre Point Silom Riverview Plane landed 6 am, in hotel at 7, test taken at 10.30 am in the hotel, result came 9.55 pm Transport not shared, I did not care if it would as plane was 80 % full anyways. Food, sampled all three but breakfast on the next day as I was full after flight. I was presented with some choices. I liked what was left at the door for me. Cost 5200.80 baht Also booked at Agoda with cancellationnavailabe to a day before arrival / Thai time /

After reading so many trip reports on here I thought it was time I contributed back as I've just finished a 4 week stay in Thailand. I'm afraid it won't be as good as many of the excellent reports on here but Ill do my best. My trip consisted of Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya. All of my hotels were booked through Agoda and I had great deals in all 3 cities through the app. I'll break it down in to 5 posts in this thread but it might take me a while to get all the posts up as I'm still playing catch up with work. Post 1 will be general planning/entry into the country, Post 2 Bangkok report, Post 3 Phuket report, Post 4 Pattaya report and Post 5 general observations (including info on internal flights). So here goes Post 1... My trip planning started on 1st November when the Thailand pass become live. I realised there were going to be many hurdles to overcome but I was determined after a 2 year break from the country. I juggled about whether to book the flight first or apply for the pass first, in the end I applied for the pass and kept fingers crossed it would be approved. The preparation took me quite a few hours because it was a nightmare trying to understand how to convert all the documents into jpg (something that I don't think is required now with later modifications). It took 3 days for my pass to be approved and 5 days later with pass in hand I was finally on a plane again to Thailand. Arrival into Bangkok Arrived 8 am and Suvarnabhumi airport was very well organised. As soon as I left the plane and turned right there were plastic chairs in the corridor. We asked to move along to the first available vacant chair. The chairs seemed to be in batches of about 30. This was first 'provisional' check of documents where a team swept through and checked we had the correct documents and asked us to put them in a particular order ready for the official check. This took only about 5 minutes but once our batch of people had been checked we were then asked to move forward to the Thailand Pass desk for the official check. They checked the pass and also wanted to the plane seat number (squeaky bum time because the plane I was on was full). Everything ok, took literally less than a minute and then on to immigration. Immigration was brilliant - no queues and all barriers removed - I walked straight up to a desk. Got my 30 day stamp, picked up my luggage and then into the arrivals hall where we were greeted with all the hotel reps and looked for the Trinity Silom sign form my 24 hour incarceration. I was put in a van on my own which I previously requested by email. I think from leaving the plane to getting into the van took 15 - 20 minutes. It felt good to be in Thailand again but apprehensive of getting over the quarantine hurdle. Quarantine I was take into the basement of the hotel and immediately had a swab for the PCR. It was about 10 am and asked how the long the result would take and they told me tomorrow morning. It was a bit nerve wracking thinking of the 'what ifs' but a shower and then some sleep. About 12 noon some lunch delivered outside the door and then to my surprise at 1pm (just 3 hours after arrival) the phone rang. Sir we have your results... and we have to inform you (gulp)... it is negative so you are free to check out when you want. I didn't want to stay in prison any longer than necessary so I immediately got onto Agoda and got a great deal at another hotel. I checked out, was given a copy of the PCR negative result and lateral flow test which I was told just for me to check after 7 days, no mention of reporting the result or about any apps. After checking out of the quarantine hotel I headed into the Bangkok streets for the adventure...

Hotel: Amara Plane landed at about 10:50 am. Transported to hotel by Mr Ball, not shared. Arrived about noon. Told to come down to lobby at 3pm for test. I did so but sent back to room to await a call. Finally tested at 4pm. Down to lobby in one lift then up to carpark via another lift for testing. Food: 3 choices, very tasty but small serve and no drink. Test result at 8am. Cost about 6400thb via Agoda

Picture says it all! Hope someone can do a report on the opening!

Many thanks for all your great inputs and expert opinion. When I realized my impulsivity and anxiety, i was a bit too late. Now there is no more available room for Test and Go package at Furama Silom on Agoda anymore. It may pop up later.. I wont be surprised if I am going to be banned by Agoda site soon. I have cancelled so many reservations for this upcoming trip. I blamed it all to lots of unknown and uncertainties though admittedly, most of them were because of my anxiety and impulsivity. One review on the Trinity Silom says "..... my food was eaten by AUNTS ..." Since I dont want to be eaten by AUNTS, I again cancelled my test and go package with them.

So sun is shining again

I went to the Marriott Fair again today. Yes, the prices are only available through vouchers purchased at the Fair. Most of the hotels had no blackout dates but a few had an increase over Christmas. Not Le Meridien though. Just for info, the Le Meridien nightly price at the Fair is 3,700 baht inclusive of breakfast for 2, tax and service. Additionally there is a 500 baht daily credit for use in the hotel's F&B outlets. Pretty good deal I reckon! It's valid till March 31.

Hotel: Trinity Silom Plane landed 8 am Test result 1.30pm same day (just over 3 hours but was originally told it would be next morning by the hotel rep on arrival). Transport not shared, confirmed by e-mail in advance, no extra charge. Food: Fair. Only sampled lunch. Left outside door, Thai option only. Cost: 5000 approx (Nov 2021) Booked via Agoda, with good cancellation rights Additional note: Test was taken as soon as I arrived at the hotel. A nurse and a hotel rep was waiting in the basement of the hotel where they had a small area for swabbing guests on arrival.

We can only hope thing return to more normal in few days. Certainly bar closures don,t eliminate availability of suitable companions. I landed great guy in one of massage places just by making preemptive move by pressing 100 baht in his hand while passing by. Next time I walked by in our ot two interest in me was guaranteed and we had no less then 4 exhaustive session of checking my banknote collection then I started to wonder if I,m not too old to be such avid collector. Bottom line, while bars are closed, entertainment is not. I agree with z909 sentiment the police movements seem to be discriminatory but as other posted noted, this is how Thai system works and is not up To us to repair it. We can only report.

It took me exactly 7 days (including the weekend) for my Thai Pass application to be approved. Since I live in a state where there is no such a thing yet as QR code for COVID vaccine certificate (yes we dont participate in CDC's VAMS system if anyone wonders), I just submitted screen shots of my CDC white card vaccine certificate. everything on the card is handwritten except stickers of the vaccines' lot/batch number. Regarding the health insurance, I just used my current local one.. i thought i'd just wait and see what happened since i still had a little more than two weeks before my trip. That time, i didnt realize that we needed a dedicated confirmation letter from a hotel for our one night quarantine stay. so i just submitted a screen shot of my booking confirmation from agoda site. It took me about only 10 min or so on my little phone screen and i got the confirmation email immediately with the receipt number. My anxiety kicked in after 3 days or so ... then I decided to submit another application with more prepared documents including a confirmation letter from Furama Silom for the test and go program. My first application was submitted around 2 pm EST on a Monday and when the status said still "Reviewing" on Sunday night (Monday morning BKK time), I started making phone calls to the numbers listed on Thai Pass site using Skype. The first question I was asked was my intended departure date. then I was told that i still had more than one week, and it could have been the reason I was told. The staff was quite helpful and she gathered my info including passport number, thai pass application receipt number and my email address etc. Then she said he was going to forward my information to "the officer". I also explained to her there's no way that i could get QR code for my COVID vaccine certificate, also asked her if i would need a Thai insurance plan. She said as long as i have a health insurance that would cover COVID related expenses, I wouldnt need to buy another one. But she urged me to submit another application if i wanted to. So, I decided to submit my third application after I talked to her on Sunday night. This time, I used Adobe fill and sign to put in my passport number and nationality on my vaccine card front page and my info again on the back of the card as well. Also I bought an insurance from AXA thailand (costed me about $45). and i submitted my third application. When the status of my all 3 applications remained "Reviewing" when I woke up on Monday morning, I started to make phone calls to local Thai consulate and started thinking to use an agent's help. Then all of the sudden around 2 pm on Monday, i received an email saying that my application was approved. When i checked it was my very first application, I still have two applications under "Reviewing". the approved one was the one that i submitted using my small phone screen without proper confirmation letter from the hotel etc. the one without a thai insurance.

At the age of 13, ready to “win in life”, Júnior Barbosa (47) left the small town of Cedro (Ceará) heading for São Paulo and, later, for Rio de Janeiro. He slept on the beach, in squares, went hungry, became a prostitute, was a street vendor, sold “hotspots”, did a little of everything until he became one of the biggest businessmen in the gay nightlife in Rio de Janeiro. For over 20 years, Barbosa has owned one of the best-known saunas in Rio de Janeiro – and the only one in Copacabana – but the path has been arduous. His three-story house is a stronghold of young men and visitors from all over the world, including famous people. In a chat with the staff of GAY BLOG BR, Barbosa recounted the difficulties of the past and his trajectory until he became a successful businessman in his segment in Rio. A vida no Ceará era muito difícil… Era, pois vim de uma família humilde, e éramos em seis irmãos. O sonho de todo nordestino é morar em São Paulo, só que quando cheguei, passei perrengue pior do que no Ceará. Quando cheguei, morei na casa de uma tia. Sofri humilhação e descaso. E comecei a trabalhar com tudo que aparecia: fui balconista, faxineiro, passei roupa nas confecções do Brás etc. E chegando ao Rio de Janeiro, como foi? Eu acabei me envolvendo com a prostituição na Avenida São Luís e um agenciador perguntou se eu não queria ir para casa de uma amiga dele, travesti, no Rio de Janeiro. Na época eu não sabia o que era uma travesti. E vim para o Rio, morando no Baratão 200 [edifício na rua Barata Ribeiro com 507 apartamentos onde, no passado, ficou famoso por aparecer na televisão em programas de investigações policiais]. Acabei sendo explorado por ela também, e eu era quase um “escravo”. Comecei a trabalhar para pagar o aluguel dela e todos os seus gastos. Além disso, ela quase não me deixava sair do apartamento e eu ainda dormia no chão. Foram só três meses, mas de intenso sofrimento.

I had a quick look on Bonvoy last night and didn't see any mention, just the usual deals so it looks like the way you mention paying at the booth is the only way to lock in that rate. Thanks for the info. Marriott are typically the same in my experience, they do sometimes make exception to the blackout/quota if you're a plat or ambassador level.. but not at my peasant level haha.

Great report, waiting impatiently for next 4 installments with benefit of being in Thailand myself. Hope 18past19 will have such enviable turnarrond as well, I was imprisoned 7am to 22 pm at Centre Point with test taken at 10.30am

I,d stick to Furama as they have bigger rooms and better view from them. Important when you enclosed forcibly. Don't worry about reviews by a strangers though. People tend to extrapolate their one time experience into universal truth. Turnaround is important but your timing may not necessarily match that of others. I used Centre Point Silom, took their biggest room available ( this trip because rates are so cheap in every hotel with exception of Raya I splurge on the best room to treat myself) and did not worry about Turnaround time as that may be factor beyond their control. What I liked is the despite fact I arrived at 6 am they let me che check in early for free so I was not worried about need to pay for second night. Most important fact is that you arrive in good tome to be in Bangkok IMNSHO

Very impressive turnaround time! I really appreciate the info. I just cancelled my booking with Furama Silom and just put in a new reservation with Trinity Silom.

Or we can rotate our tablet like I did

You have to pay for the number of days you want at the fair. You then decide and book the actual dates when you are ready. You obviously run the risk that your dates may not be available if it is a really popular period like Songkran. I'd check with the hotel now if they have dates available at Songkran before paying the cash. But in these days of covid, the chances that there are no rooms available must be infinitesimal! In almost every other case, though, you should have no problem. I'm going back to Paragon today to pay for another hotel for an early May stay. You might be able to book directly at the hotel or via the Bonvoy site during the fair period, but I have not checked that.

Next in opening line is Fresh boys, I visited on Tuesday, familiar Mamasan, ( no, not Lucy), few fully dressed boys on the stage so it, s just beginning but start it is ! Twink lovers would pick somebody, that sure thing. Drink 350, boy drink the same. Mamasan told me that Tawan will be moving across the soi, news confirmed by one of their boys I met on Wed in Sabaidee spa. At this time, no sign of moving though. The same Tuesday at Jupiter I survived (barely) shock of my life. 20 years after I first went there I received a smile from one of their guys and it was, repeated few times. So when they did their usual parade, still fully dressed and handsome as always I rewarded him with 500 note so that historical moment was not lost neither on me nor on my pocket. For now they have karaoke format with few guys on duty waiting in the wings I. E. on their phones and not paying attention to audience and their but considering circumstances it makes some sense. Smiling guy was kind of exception. I should take an advantage of situation but that night I had another expactancy, not realized as I learned later. At one point karaoke stopped and for few minutes guys made their usual parade on the stage and audience, whole few of us and still couple od them managed studiously to avoid even cursory eye contact so old habits die fast but as I said, there are signs of encarougemnt. SoiTwilight is now green space, even if fully boarded and inaccessible, I will post picture later as I have it in plain view from my Raya window.

From The Thaiger Bangkok’s Train Night Market Ratchada is now returns with a new location and new name, but still with the same vendors with a wide variety of stalls including street food, clothes and accessories, furniture, vintage items, handcrafts. The market, now called JODD Fairs, is near CentralPlaza Grand Rama 9. The new spacious area has open-air bars to hang out and more “Instagrammable” spots. The market is located behind Central’s building, just drop at Rama 9 MRT Station Exit. 2 and work through the shopping mall to the market. The market is open everyday from 11am until midnight. Find more information via their Facebook page JODD FAIRS : จ๊อดแฟร์ https://thethaiger.com/news/bangkok/bangkoks-train-night-market-ratchada-opens-in-a-new-location-under-new-name

It was supposed to be Jun 2020 trip but Thailand did not let us in, then I tried my luck for October this year but canceled it. When Thai Pass came to an effect I decided to finally utilize that prehistoric ticket I bought back on Dec 3, 2019 for Jun 2020. And here I'm, feeling like chewing gum after 27 hrs trek, locked in my hotel room, waiting for a nurse to come and take my sample for dreaded PCR test. First time took Swiss and must say that their good reputation is well deserved, massive Boeing 777 plane was surprisingly full with plenty of mixed Thai-Caucasian couples prominently visible in statistic sample and a lot of young people. Few nice surprises on arrival. Thai bashers will be disappointed to hear that admission process was extremely efficiently conducted, well organized and well staffed. In reality they want to see your passport, Thai Pass QR code, immigration T6 form or whatever it'called AND YOUR BOARDING PASS FROM LEG BRINGING YOU TO THAILAND, somewhat unexpected. At 6 am weather extremely pleasant, perhaps no more than balmy 23,even now at 9.30 I' m sitting in my room with balcony door wide opened, AC turned off and all that in the room actually facing the sun. Traffic was also light, Sunday morning has it' s charms. Dtac booth selling Sim cards was opened, just past luggage belts and I noticed 1 exchange booth open but rates were kind disappointing so I did not change money there. Somebody reported messy and disorganized taxi procedure but it was not my experience,as you leave customs area there tables with names of participating hotels and somebody will lead you to your car from there. I must say I need to bite my tongue not to ask my hotel representative if he would be interested in LT since he will be right in place on the Moonlight stage. That is it for now, I will try to update you guys but test, results and well deserved rest first before I even venture anywhere from my temporary and quite pleasant confinement.

After anxiously waiting for exactly 7 days, my Thai Pass application was approved this afternoon. Initially I was holding a reservation with Furama Silom for my first 24 hours confinement. They have been very responsive, have always been in touch since. The whole package for a deluxe room (more than 400 Sq ft) is about $130 through Agoda. Then because of an impressive turnaround time with Trinity Silom (that I read on a trip report), I went ahead and cancelled my reservation with Furama Silom and just put in a new reservation with Trinity Silom without much thinking. Then it was when I started reading their reviews, I became a bit scared ("inedible food", bugs, etc). The package for a deluxe room (about 340 Sq ft) is $150. So, they are a bit more than Furama Silom. As much as I would prefer a decent and hygienic room (without any bugs) with edible meals, what matters most for me is going to be a quick turnaround time for my PCR test. Since my flight is landing at 11 pm at night, Furama said they were not sure if I would need to spend one more night with them.

If you're looking at options it might be worth considering the current Le Meridien deal: https://www.marriott.com/offers/step-into-thailand-in-style-off-34608?propertycode=bkkdm They say that they do a drive-through test at the BNH hospital on the way to the hotel, so i would imagine that would significantly improve the turn around time. I stayed there for my last BKK trip and loved the hotel, no AUNTS in sight.

I agree Furama Silom is an excellent choice location is great less then 10 minutes walking from Patpong , spacious rooms , private entrance to the elevator so you can bring visitors easily bypassing the reception , nice rooftop pool with panoramic view of BKK (not sure it's open these days) and excellent breakfast buffet. I recommend you to stay there very conveniently for your whole stay in BKK .

Remarkable! For those who, like me, don’t speak Portuguese…I just ran this through Google Translate: Life in Ceará was very difficult… I was, because I came from a humble family, and we were in six brothers. Every northeaster's dream is to live in São Paulo, but when I arrived, I had worse trouble than in Ceará. When I arrived, I lived in an aunt's house. I suffered humiliation and neglect. And I started to work with everything that appeared: I was a clerk, a janitor, I ironed clothes in Brás, etc. And arriving in Rio de Janeiro, how was it? I ended up getting involved with prostitution on Avenida São Luís and an agent asked me if I wanted to go to a friend of his, a transvestite, in Rio de Janeiro. At the time I didn't know what a transvestite was. And I came to Rio, living in Baratão 200 [a building on Rua Barata Ribeiro with 507 apartments where, in the past, he became famous for appearing on television in police investigation programs]. I ended up being exploited by her too, and I was almost a "slave". I started working to pay her rent and all her expenses. Also, she barely let me out of the apartment and I still slept on the floor. It was only three months, but of intense suffering.

Unfortunately it won,t be me, saying that with bleeding heart indeed

Hope there are more before my trip in Feb 22.

I've stayed in neither hotel before. I booked blind. The quarantine at trinity silom is in a separate block. I found it old and tired (but clean). There is no view and I certainly wouldn't want to be confined there for any more time than needed.

I hope you get as lucky as me. Just a word of caution - they did tell me it would be next morning for the result when they took the swab - but was very happy when the phone rang 3 hours later!

I didn't have to pay any extra.

Thanks guys. I did request solo transport by email (the same time I emailed them all the documents they required). It just so happens it was a van they used as the vehicle. They kept to their word as I saw the agents itinerary at the airport had me down as solo in one vehicle. Thanks for raising this as a discussion point because I think it's also useful for anyone else booking a trip to make sure they ask the hotel (and get confirmation) that solo transport will be arranged.

Agreed with Vinapu, I am arriving on Friday and have booked with Furama Silom as well, I actually liked their non quarantine price too so decided to stay whole trip with them. Trinity I won't be so sure about as I have stayed with them once, didn't like much, though it was a short stay and during peak season so your experience might be different.

Did you have to pay extra for this?

Im not sure how marriots treat their vouchers redemption, but some hotels do have blackouts and only allocated a certain amount of rooms that is available for redemption (quota). If this is the case, ud probably need to be flexible with your bookings especially during high season. Still a good deals, 50% is a lot.

Thank heavens some members have found a new hobby, photographing closed bars and complaining about the way the thai system operates!

Not Me new BL series started today.

At Home Bar is open till 9.00 pm as a cafe and alcohol is not being served. They have very good coffee, sodas and cakes. I saw a bar/restaurant outside of the Complex at Dongtan beach last night thronging with people and dancing in a large group with no distancing. The closure of Jomtien Complex bars/restaurants is very unfair.

In my early days of visiting Bangkok I used to hang out in Soi Twilight and offed guys from various bars in the soi. I also patronised the massage places there, too, from time to time. But then one afternoon I ventured into Soi Tarntawan and discovered a bar that was open - Golden Cock. I met a lovely guy there and he became my regular sex friend for my afternoon session. We've been friends ever since and he takes care of me every day I'm in Bangkok. In the evenings I would go to a show in Soi Twilight and then head back to Soi Tarntawan and meet up with all the guys at Golden Cock for drinks (and sometimes a blow job) then go to meet another lovely guy in Natureboy. He would pull up a stool, pull out his enormous Isaan cock and put his hand up my shorts. After an hour out so of mutual cock play we would retire to my hotel for a full-on session. In the early days I was top only, as was he, but we had great sex. After a few encounters we got to know each other and he moved into rimming and swallowing, which was a very pleasant surprise indeed! Unfortunately, years later he became the bar manager and was no longer available. I think he might had found a farang boyfriend who didn't want him to go with clients anymore. Luckily for me I quickly found a new guy at Natureboys. His name is Mai. He was also a really nice, friendly guy and had a beautiful smile. And a huge, fat cock. So the same fun continued in the bar and in my room; it was just with a different guy. I think the first guy broke up with his boyfriend because although he was still the manager, he became availabe to off once again when Mai wasn't working.. And this time he was the one who was surprised because in the meantime I had learnt how to bottom and he was more than happy to give me a good pounding. So was Mai, but his size was a problem for me and it took a while for me to agree to bottom for him. When I finally got up the courage, it was awesome! He took it slowly and once he managed to get it all in, he was very gentle with me. What a pro! So I was fortunate enough to have 3 regulars to take care of me in Bangkok, and all were from Soi Tarntawan. For a time I also had a guy who would bottom for me - he worked at Super A. He is a close friend of my regular boy at Golden Cock. Last time I heard, he had returned to his village, married and had a couple of kids. He was straight (as are all of my regulars) but realised he was sitting on a gold mine so decided to become a bottom. It was a role he played to perfection and I think he actually enjoyed it. So the demise of Soi Twilight wasn't a big thing for me. But I'm really looking forward to getting back to my friends in Soi Tarntawan. I'll be first taking them out to a nice dinner, followed by a shopping spree and then ending up in my hotel room. I can hardly wait!!!

Continuing my updates, yesterday's 14. 00 pm airport bus to Pattaya was full so if you are planning to use it, perhaps don't count on last minute seat. Instead of always we'll represented graying and balding, at times bit shaky, single white men, good portion of passengers were girls returning to work I suppose. So that could be good sign. Other forum member z909 gentlemanly mentioned in his post was me. I will see how Complex situation will look tonight, but as he said bars were chasing customers away due to police presence. But massages were opened and there were some lookers there, I couldn' t stop myself from forcing 100 on one of them just for look, but also in view of the future. As for apps I must say it was a bit shocking when after installing Grindr messages and pictures started coming immediately to a degree that at one point I just stop even looking at them. Whether what was, presented was of any interest is another question but certainly traffic is there. Nice weather too with another crispy morning.

As an avid concert goer I have had the joy of hearing many of the world' great pianists, and many who are not quite at that level. Rarely do I come across one of whom I have never heard. But one who just recently came to my attention and whose pianism I find riveting is this young man who prefers to be called Cateen instead of his real name, Hayato Sumino. He's 26, has been playing the instrument since he was three and never had any formal training apart from lessons from his mother. Never went to a Conservatory or Music Academy, although he does now study classical music and jazz with some notable teachers. In Japan he is best known as a jazz pianist. Go to one of the world's best-known jazz bars, Blue Note Tokyo, and the chances are good that he will turn up and play for a while. The customers will go wild and won't let him go! To get an idea of his amazing technique, listen to this video in which he plays Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm" at 10 levels of difficulty. Almost unknown outside his native Japan other than to his huge number of youtube followers, Cateen came to world attention in September when he won a place in what is now arguably the world's greatest Piano Competition, the Chopin Competition in Warsaw held every 5 years. He sailed through three rounds but just missed out on a place in the final 8. As an example of his classical work, listen to this short fiendishly difficult Etude Opus 10 No. 1 by Chopin. It's not recorded in a formal concert hall and the piano is fractionally out of tune. But I think this young man is incredible and should be much better known. I am certain he can attract hoardes of youngsters to listen to classical and other musical genres.

Good you are trying to cheer us up.