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Two things I feel need to be acknowledged: first, it may have taken a lot of fits and starts but Thailand is making good on its promise to restore its tourism sector. Second, we all owe a tip of the hat to those members who have been among the vanguard of returnees and posted about their experiences. They are giving the rest of us renewed hope and entertainment while we impatiently await our trip. A few naysayers were predicting that some Pattaya and Bangkok entertainment zones would never reopen. And the one most frequently cited was Walking Street, Sin City's celebrated girlie bar haven. So I smiled when I read an item (below) the Pattaya Mail this morning. Some were assuring us that Soi 4 was doomed and Patpong was toast. Today Soi 4 seems to be nearly as popular as ever and Patpong 2 is slowly emerging from the doldrums. ============================================== Pattaya’s Walking Street is back in business By Barry Kenyon Both pilloried and praised for 40 years, Pattaya’s most famous street is sputtering into life after being left for dead. Many buildings remain in darkness or disrepair, but about 10 commercial enterprises have already opened up in earnest in recent days. They include the New York Diner, a lavishly renovated eatery and extensive bar area which stretches from the cobbled street to the sea, an area of about 200 yards. The multi-page menu carries the logo of the former Insomnia nightclub. It’s popular with Thais and the as-yet small number of foreign tourists in town......Pattaya Walking Street began in the 1960s as a rest and recreation haunt for American service personnel. It has undergone many changes and, prior to the Covid pandemic, had already lost its wilder elements and pornographic shows. Many had assumed that the Asian foreign investors in the Eastern Economic Corridor (which includes Pattaya) were planning to knock down the entire street and establish a family-orientated leisure and business district. That is still on the cards. But the Walking Street certainly knows how to put up a fight for survival. https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/pattayas-walking-street-is-back-in-business-383057

It's one of the iconic movies of the 1960s - the Robert Wise recreation of the smash hit Broadway musical by the gay quartet of Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim and Jerome Robbins. An entire generation grew up knowing many of its main songs and its updating of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" play. Yet the movie was of a time for its time. Nowadays, classic though it is, it does seem dated. So it was perhaps not surprising when Spielberg announced a couple of years ago that he would remake the movie for today's generation. Many were shocked. How would Spielberg update the story? Would it become the disaster that was his attempt at the Peter Pan story with his flop movie "Hook". Not so, have most critics announced. In fact the movie has received almost universal praise. But its opening box office week-end in North America was way below expectations. Only US$10 million taken when any hit movie should gross upwards ot $150 million. The covid pandemic and reluctance to be in a large crowd will inevitably have had an effect. But others have pointed out that the shock value of the original, despite the miscasting of Maria and Tony, is no longer shocking 6 decades later when violence is much more common on our cinema screens. Also the US bible Variety Magazine suggests that older movie goers will not be attracted to the movie having already seen the original. It further suggests the movie stands little chance of recouping the $300 million that will be needed to see it go into profit. The movie is now playing in Thailand. A few critics have gone to town to criticise the movie, especially in this long review below from The New Yorker Magazine which starts – "A rich and famous artist spends a hundred million dollars to revive a corpse with the blood of young people. The creature is still alive, but barely, and the infusion leaves it deader than when it started. This is not the plot of the latest horror film from A24 but the unfortunate tale of Steven Spielberg’s efforts to remake “West Side Story,” the movie musical about love and ethnic rivalry among New York City gangs. With the screenwriter Tony Kushner, Spielberg has attempted to fix the dubious aspects of the 1961 film, including its cavalier depiction of Puerto Rican characters and its stereotypes of a hardscrabble New York. But, instead of reconceiving the story, they’ve shored it up with flimsy new struts of sociology and psychology, along with slight dramatic rearrangements. They’ve made ill-conceived additions and misguided revisions. In the process, they’ve managed to subtract doubly from the original." https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/review-steven-spielbergs-west-side-story-remake-is-worse-than-the-original

NOTE -- When I attempted to access the site with the hyperlink below, I encountered a problem. It may be a work in progress. From Bangkok Post Thailand has launched a new tourism website, aiming to make travel to the country easier for the 8-15 million tourists expected to visit next year. The central platform, named Entry Thailand, includes necessary information before arrival, providing basic information and documents that tourists have to prepare in advance with complete links to third-party organisations involved with entry requirements, websites for authorised SHA+ hotels, Covid-19 insurance, Thailand Pass registration and MorChana -- the official tracking app. The extensive services also cover arrival, tax refunds and online alerts to the Tourist Police through an application. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, the tourism and sports minister, said the ministry created the portal website as a part of its e-service roadmap between 2022 and 2024 to facilitate tourists who face more difficulties due to complicated requirements during the pandemic. "The pile of paperwork and several organisations tourists have to deal with are inconvenient. The ministry wants this platform to help reduce their difficulties when planning trips to Thailand," said Mr Phiphat. As the Covid-19 situation has improved recently, he said the government is hoping that border reopening to four neighbouring countries -- Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia -- will drive the number of tourists next year to 8-15 million, generating 1.3-1.8 trillion baht for the economy. He said if the upward trend gains momentum in 2023, Thailand should receive 20 million international tourists, and that will require the country to have an established system to handle such huge demand. According to the ministry, the portal website will help centralise the scattered information regarding travel experiences in Thailand, such as attractions, transportation and food. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/2232631/tourism-ministry-unveils-portal-to-assist-visitors

Definitely back to normal 😉

I couldn't stand another letdown after waiting for years for the remake of Dune... turned out it was not for me. (others loved it and praise it to the sky). Now I see a possibility it might happen again with this long awaited movie but I'm certainly not going to allow the New Yorker film critic to make my decision for me.

Hi all, Since my travel dates are closer and closer, I was wondering which apps are most popular now in Bangkok and Pattaya? Any suggestions and/or good experiences? Thanks a lot for all the hints. Mat

Solacesoul thank you for the information. I have an appointment set for Sunday.

Sign up here then go to your appointment at one of these pharmacy branches, Droga Raia : https://www.drogaraia.com.br/agendamento/covid19/ Or this one, Drogasmil: https://www.drogasmil.com.br/servicos/teste-de-covid

Thursday night (3rd night if my trip) was much improved. I spent the evening at 117. I was pleased that I saw 4 GP’s from previous trips back at the club. It was not very busy but there were many more there than Wednesday. I spent the whole evening with 2 old favorites. I paid for a third (bottom) to join us in a suite so I could watch my 2 friends do him. It was quite hot. As for the going rate it seems to be 150 from what I can see which at $26 is quite the bargain. Hoping tonight is even busier. There was a GP there last night who kept making eye contact with me while I was with my 2 companions. He was very handsome so if he is there again tonight I might hire him. Tomorrow is the managers birthday celebration and they expect a bigger crowd. I’ll let you know. Today I have to find a place to line up a COVID test to take on Sunday so I can fly home on Monday. Wish me luck! On a side note, Google Translate is much improved since my last trip making conversation pretty easy.

Indeed, we are very thankful for all recent information and reports. You doing great job Thanks a lot and give us as many "good" information as you can .

Overnight rates vary wildly. It really depends on the garoto and sometimes, the nature of the relationship with the client. A little of it (but not much) has to do with negotiating skills. I’ve seen as low as 200 reais (rare), and as high as 2500 reais (also rare). You just have to decide what you’re willing to pay and if it’s not in that range, be okay with walking away. Some advertising garotos indicate on their ads (Viva Local, Garoto Com Local) what their overnight prices are. That would be a good place to start to get a general sense of overnight pricing.

I just tried the link. It's operational now. 👍

Going rate is 150 Reals for Sao Paulo and Rio

2nd night I started out a 202 since I had not been there in years. The building was in slightly better shape than I remember. It was very full since it was their free room night. Many more boys than clients (from what I could see). Once again no one asked for any vaccination proof. My GP friend from 117 went with me. I did not find any one who was exactly what I was looking for so after an hour we headed over to 117. This was a mistake as the place was totally dead and near empty. At one point I counted 6 clients and 7 boys. I hope tonight has a bigger crowd.

Coconuts Bangkok has posted a great photo essay about the reprieve that Hua Lamphong (aka, Bangkok Railway Station) has received. End of the line for Bangkok’s grand rail terminal? Not quite yet. Continues at https://coconuts.co/bangkok/features/end-of-the-line-for-bangkoks-grand-rail-terminal-not-quite-yet-photos/

I found the animal clinic that is right next to the bar in the video: https://www.google.com/maps/place/โรงพยาบาลสัตว์+อเดย์+แอนิมอล/@13.8696085,100.4503848,647m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xbd6d85e33f4d5d8!8m2!3d13.8695839!4d100.4513749 The bar must be the building on the left, but in streetview the shutters are down. Looks pretty off the beaten track, but from MRT purple line station "Bang Rak Noi Tha It" it would be about 500m walk. Is that station already open?

From Vietnam News HÀ NỘI — Fully vaccinated foreign arrivals with negative COVID-19 test results will only need to self-quarantine at home or places of accommodation for three days upon entry into Việt Nam by air, according to the latest guidance from the health ministry issued on Thursday. The new policies will be effective from January 1, 2022, the day Việt Nam is set to resume – on a pilot basis – regular international flights, starting first with Beijing/Quangzhou (China), Tokyo (Japan), Seoul (South Korea), Taipei (Taiwan, China), Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore, Vientiane (Laos), Phnom Penh (Cambodia), and San Francisco/Los Angeles (the United States), before pushing ahead with more destinations, including Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Hong Kong (China), Paris (France), Frankfurt (Germany), Sydney (Australia), and Moscow (Russia). According to the guidance, the arrivals must have proof of negative COVID-19 test results (using the gold-standard PCR method) within 72 hours prior to entry (except in the case of children under two years old), must declare their health status before entry and must install Việt Nam’s PC-COVID app (available on both Android and iOS) for contact tracing and medical declaration purposes. The installation of the app is only on a ‘recommended’ basis for diplomats and entrants on official businesses. Two RT-PCR tests will be conducted, on the first and third day of entry. If the results return negative, then the entrants still need to self-monitor their health status for 14 days after arrival, but this is already a huge step down from the current policies of mandatory seven days of centralised quarantine and seven days of follow-up medical self-observation. If they are willing to get a COVID-19 test (RT-PCR) on the tenth day, then the medical self-observation could end then. https://vietnamnews.vn/society/1106932/viet-nam-cuts-self-quarantine-to-three-days-for-fully-vaccinated-arrivals-with-negative-covid-19-tests-health-ministry.html

The mini-bar extinction is mainly an artefact of concern related to microbial transmission from surfaces. The contents may have been handled by any number of room occupants. Think CoV-infected runny-nosed rugrat. Hotels assert broad-range fomite disinfection between stays but it’s impractical to swab every Toblerone and Smirnoff that the filthy guest prior to you may have mauled and placed back. Some people also use hotels for quarantine if they have been in contact with an infected person, for example to protect other family members, and it is not obligatory to report the reason for stay. Hoteliers have always hated the labour-intensity and minimal profit margins of mini-bars anyway. Surface contact transmission is less of a concern for an airborne pathogen but I doubt we’ll see a return of this amenity in establishments that have amputated them.

Hotel: Glo Hotel Sukhumvit 5 Plane landed 2230 on Nov 30 Tested next day at 0930 Result at 1930 Two people, Two tests, two results. Stayed the extra night at no cost. Food: Disgusting. Cost: $312 Canadian or about 8000 Baht via Agoda I think we could have done a lot better.

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

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 /

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.

The "muay thai" guys are from this bar/restaurant called ChangSha*. The content creator only put it's location in the VIP section which I'm not a member. I also did tried searching for it as well but I can't find. The creator only mentioned that it took him 30 mins drive from Sathorn. It could be quite far from the silom area. Here is another youtube video focusing on the bar/restaurant. The guys are mostly straight (as mentioned in the video) and they will keep you company while drinking eating. I'm not sure if there are any other services provided. *ChangSha is a location in China.

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.

Airport exchange booth was by the luggage belts. Because of covid I was, whisked to the waiting taxi so no chance to see whether booths at railway station are opened. What I noticed in Silom area few booths are closed presumably due to lack of tourists. I like to steer you to a "" Silom bars" thread where I posted a bit about Dreamboys show. As you see, live is slowly going back to normal. There was some movements I Hot Male outside too but did not have a chance to check it out yet. Soi 4 on Monday was, less busy but by no means deserted although at Jupiter it seemed only waiters were present and perhaps two boys but it could change later. Bars are starting earlier, at 8 but also closing earlier, at 11. Walked certain twink to a taxi past midnight through Patpong 1 and few bars were showing sign of life. On another hand atop of Mahanakhon between 10 and 10.50 apart from first arrival I. E. me only 3 other tourists appeared, one of them stepped on the glass platform, but I was first anyways. Lunching with another forum member at world famous, 5 Michelin stars Foodland Patpong restaurant between 1 and 2 it was almost empty as well with more staff than diners. Quarter Silom, new hotel in soi 6, just past Tawan or at least when Tawan once was, perish the thought is very modern and well appointed, even with a pool and a gym. Rooms not too big but very well appointed and organized, I liked long desk particularly. There's breakfast buffet, well stuffed particularly with Asian style food, if not included in room rate one needs to splash 129 baht. Kind of novelty are almost universal so far( 3 out of 4) requests for deposits at check-in, either 1000 or 500 so be prepared with cash or card number. Whether it's new trend or just kind of my bad luck remains to be seen. Dragon fruits are quite big this year so it looks covid works well for that crop. And jet lag is still killing me, as usual 3rd day is the worst. Getting old is no fun, jet lags, twinks and other disasters don't compensate for a fact that from time to time somebody yields the seat in the subway car or bus.