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Day 25, the last I can hear collective sigh of relief from readership , ‘ finally he is finishing this babbling” And I wouldn’t be surprised. I always say that there are three subjects : sickness , children and travel everybody likes to talk about their own but doesn’t want to listen about that of other’s. If I managed to bore you to death I’m not apologetic, you should skip it in the first place. On another hand if somebody can take some ideas how to spend good holidays from my stories I’d be very happy. Smiling guy and me had a breakfast in the world famous Foodland Patpong then we parted ways , both still smiling. My next task was dream of mine for long time – to take boat and survey Chao Praya downstream , not in usual opposite direction up the river. So off I went to Saphan Taksin pier where boats can be hired. As expected I had a bit of hard time to explain what I want, that I’m not interested in any scenic canals, I just want the river. It cost 1200 for 1.50 hr. , not a problem , still cheaper than short time and soon we took off. We toll all the way to Bhumibol bridge and back . As expected banks had more industrial character, quite a few ships moored here and there. Still river was more quiet than I’d expect for normal working day . some more pics from that lesser known side of river will be posted immediately below At 2.30 pm my last trip to this vacation headquarters – Sabaidee spa to see T. Seven meetings in one trip , two of them crowned with a party for boys working there says something. . Lots of good time , good memories and for T, good tips. Even him at one point asked me “why you are so good to me? ” . “ Because I like you” was the answer and I did make it up even if I did not manage to squeeze long time from him and he did not go with me to Pattaya as we planned. Handsome meaty hunk like my friend called him, even his lack of English we easily overcome with Google translate. Our last session was all the same with plenty of good massage and a bit of funny afters. Shaking hands farang way, smiles and I was gone , on my way stopping at Pulse clinic to collect my test results. In the hotel room I started gathering my things together mindful that X will hopefully show up and at agreed hour , perhaps 2-3 minutes later there was knock to the door and yes , it was him. Sexy looking as yesterday , knowing that both his and my time is limited , we did not waste time although my romantic mood from last night encounter with Jupiter smiling boy did not leave me so it was not as steamy but more huggy and caressy than previous two meetings. No fuss , just proper “ I’m here for you “ attitude. Fitting last encounter for this trip. Since he was going to his bar to take part of show he treated me with make-up spectacle beautifying himself in my bathroom, , in my opinion totally unnecessarily . I used that opportunity to extract few more intimate moments with him. I told him I will pack and go to Foodland after for my last supper and he promised to see me there . This is exactly what I did but he did not show up so I went to make my last stroll along Patpong 2 and when passing by Hot Male X suddenly showed up rushing in my direction So I used this opportunity to invite him for a meal there, had a tea to keep him company and time came for us to go back to work or back home. Last walk to soi 3 , I picked up my luggage, took BTS to Phaya Thai, airport train to Swampy , no fuss checking in, but test result was asked for and just before midnight we took off ending my 21st trip to Thailand, my longest so far and successful only on my 3rd attempt. Final notes tomorrow and you guys can have a rest from this vinapu's marathon.

lesser known Chao Praya south of Sathorn and airport dragon waving me 'see you soon man"

Boring? Never! I am only slightly envious (alright, I am seriously envious) of your wonderful holiday trip. You really know how to make the most of every opportunity, you are also kind and generous, and I am sure the young gentlemen who have kept you company are grateful to have met you too. Thank you for these great reports, you have cheered me up enormously.

Final notes. Travelling in covid time is nerve wrecking due to multitude of regulations , not coordinated from country to country and from airline to airline but at end of day it proved doable. I’m glad I stick to my plan of jumping on earliest occasion as soon as quarantine will be cancelled. This did not happen but “Test and Go ‘ option seemed reasonable so when I learned it’s available it was no brainer to gather paperwork and apply. My Thai Pass came in exactly 7 days, 2 weeks later I was on my way. Mandatory tests and insurance raised prices but on another hand very good deals on accommodation mitigated that expense. I doubt in future I will be able to sleep in hotels and rooms I was utilizing this trip. Me and Crowne Plaza ? even few forum friends were surprised. I liked it even if really I don’t need fancy accommodations but if price is right, why not ?. Doom and gloom of some on forums proved exaggeration. Yes, bars were closed as well as many massager places but what was opened was good enough to keep me occupied and spending whenever I wanted. Line and apps helped. It was actually first time ever I used apps. Can’t say it was very successful but with more practice and more experience navigation of them may be more fruitful. One thing is sure , few guys I met had their profiles on apps and I must say almost universally I wouldn’t take them if I only saw them there. N, Ah-Poo, V, Soviet they all looked better in flesh. It’s why I like massages and bars better and always will because I can see real thing. I doubt you read those long reports with much attention to details but if you did you could notice one notable absence – covid itself. In those 25 days it was never really on my radar. Yes I wore mask like whole Thailand. If I spot 30 people without mask on the street in those 25 days , that’s it . I thought it will be annoying in that heat but actually was unnoticeably bearable. I have more problem at home in winter with constant fogging of my glasses . Wherever they measured temperature I placed my hand too but it was all like ritual, not a preventive measure. No restaurant bothered to check vaccination certificate and Zing was only hotel which asked for it. Accidentally it was also only hotel which asked my guest for ID. No problems with visitors I the room but dearth of foreign visitors was visible plainly and everywhere. Phor Liang Meun and Crowne Plaza were only hotels where there was some kind of crowd but even there ‘crowd’ was exaggeration. Thais now have country to themselves for good and bad . Unfortunately mostly bad. Closed and quiet Walking Street , Boyztown or Patpong are shocking views indeed. Even Silom , Suriwong and Sukhumvit are far from themselves in more normal times so economic devastation must be enormous. Foodland Patpong in lunch time was sometimes plain empty , so were malls and area around Grand Palace. Not even once I saw crowded BTS train. Those were things which I should enjoy but in fact made me sad as I was thinking about all those people who lost their earnings or had them greatly reduced. But boys are holding up . I never really heard complains , from time to time they ritually mentioned lack of customers but somehow managed to find other jobs, never before I heard from so many guys that they work also somewhere else. I did not notice notable reduction on tip expectations, neither bars reduced their prices with notable exception of Jupiter but even them raised prices for Christmas and New Year period. What was easier was to find guys willing to do long time, that may be positive covid effect but also possibly just my good luck or coincidence. I have pleasure to meet few forum member past and present,10tazione, Z909, Gaybutton , Aussie_, Newscene, ChristianPFC, 18past49, Anddy . Thank you for your time, in few cases introducing me to their friends and in impossible to underestimate case of 18past19 - leaving me few leads to guys he could issue personal recommendation for like V and above all X. Few people asked me which guy I liked the most. Hard question. S, the smartphone guy definitely sensed the best what makes me happy, N was crown of Pattaya stay and 5 nights with him were most passionate and steamy, T, T2 and X were three best built and for me , fond of manly muscular guys they were exactly made of my dreams. T was most offed by far and organized two memorable parties in his shop but failed to keep his promise on 2 occasions, T2 was most clingy out those three heroes of my dreams, muscles and not only were made of steel but was shorter than me , cooling factor in my book. X was hunk made of dreams and muscles , I had best conversation with him and service wise he was most professional knowing exactly what he is there for but also most costly but I knew what I’m getting into in this respect. And there were few guys I met only once who warranted multiple offs – sexy and talkative Soviet, funny and even more talkative M and quiet, manly but clingy V. Hard choice indeed so I need to go with one more trait – personality and here ranking become more clear so gold medal in competition ‘ Guy of the trip “ goes to X , silver to V and bronze to N. If you surprised take comfort that my ranking surprised me too. Regrets: I should go to Jey Spa more often, threw one more party at Sabaidee , off Gap , twink from Dreamboys from my 2nd night once more and try to off that very straight looking handsome guy from Jupiter. But with nobody to blame for those failures I just register them for curious. One of forum friends also noticed that I did not off at all guys known from previous trips. That’s correct with notable exception of Art in Pattaya. I don’t count Soviet as repeat since he did not recall me and I did not recall him until day or two after we met. No, it was not by design, it just happened, I just swim with the flow . When comes to hotels I don’t have a bad word against any of 11 or 12 I stay at , but I liked the best executive suite at Furama Sathorn, closest to normal flat. Of course for decoration Phor Liang Meun Teracotta Arts in Chiang Mai can’t be beaten. No idea when I will return, I hope it will be soon but until world will make it’s mind what to do with covid my advice , to myself and everybody else is to monitor situation closely and be ready to jump into any openings which will be created. I’m glad I did. thank you for all your 'likes" and contributions to this somewhat long thread

Not at all. I read every word. In fact, I looked forward to each installment. Thank you for brightening up these dreary, chaotic times with these wonderful tales of adventure.

Thank you Vinapu for the time you take to write all your reports. I am pleased you have enjoyed your visit, you certainly deserve to with your consideration and generosity to the guys you meet. I hope it's not too long before you are back supporting the local economy ( and entertaining us with your reports)

I was trying not to get too stingy but in almost if not all cases described above fun came well before my generosity and that mean guys were trying hard before they knew what they will be compensated ....... remember my nephew "battery " rule I mentioned earlier, never deplete to zero , never load to full capacity

Thank you, Vinapu, for taking the time to write up those reports. At times I actually felt I was there, and your reports brought back many fond memories. I'm a great believer that you get what you pay for in life. And your reports demonstrate that the amount of fun you can have in Thailand is often dependant on how generous you are willing to be. And also on the strength of your libido, of which I'm envious!

Absolutely amazing trip reports. They were amazing and excellent. I enjoyed them so much. Your trip was filled with amazing adventures and we appreciate you sharing them with us.

Not that he's contagious any more, but to have lied on his visa application and to have promoted a false narrative regarding immunizations, I'm sure glad he received what was coming to him. He's a talented player with a despicable character, in my view... I'm glad he didn't receive some "exception" due to his fame. It would have sent the wrong message.

What about Paul Thomas Anderson's Hard Eight? Nice movie, actually.

Too bad that your report is ending. Can never have enough of trip reports!!! If anything, its my sole reason why i join this forum. A lot of the information shared here cant be obtained elsewhere hehe.

Babble away as much as you like, it's been an enjoyable read

VInapu's reports brought me closer to my beloved Thailand; and closer to my beloved partner. A daily fix (or two), much- enjoyed and much- needed.

you should see his generous endowment

Thanks everyone! So I have booked a flight tomorrow from Boston to Phuket, actually three flights, the second of which, NY to Singapore, is said to be the longest flight scheduled in the world, at 18 hours and 40 minutes. Economy Premium so it might be bearable as long as the pilots don’t nod off somewhere over the Arctic. The process turned out to be complicated and anxiety producing. For some reason both the hotel and the testing company would only take something called OTP which I think means One Time Password. They wanted me to have a local phone number to send passwords to, which I didn't have. Without that local contact, neither my American nor Canadian credit cards worked for payment. Aaargh! But Dear Husband is still in Bangkok, and he was able to go into the woods and shake fairy dust on the sleeping leprechaun, or whatever one does, and miraculously produce for me proof of my hotel stay and my COVID test schedule, both of which I need to board the plane. I don’t know how I would have navigated all this without a Thai contact within Thailand. But then, there’s a reason he is Dear Husband. So I leave on Monday and arrive on Wednesday. Hotel staff assure me that once the first test comes back negative, I am free to roam the island. Dear Husband arrives on Thursday with my summer wear and speedos. See you soon! It’s 4:11pm here, which means it’s 4:11am there.

Let the Right One In (The original swedish film is awesome.) The Big Lebowski \

In high school, we played star trek on the teletype which called the mainframe in Raleigh NC on an acoustic coupler modem. The teacher let us, but didn't like it because the game used a LOT of paper. Rogue on the Unix minicomputer when I got to college was probably the first real video game. When Hack came around, I thought it was a revolution. And probably nobody here knows what I'm talking about. That's the cost of being older than dirt in the computer gaming world, I guess.

All I know he is standing on the wrong balcony! And if it is all about center of gravity, Isaan guys are pretty save on any balcony. Please excuse the inappropriate humour in this thread.

I am a bit disappointed from this series the great cast was promising but the plot is weird and sometimes boring, However I watched the whole series because I like the actors .

As I see it, the problem is one not uncommon throughout much of Asia. There is an assumption that one man one vote is the solution for democratic rule. That presumably is what the American colonial power assumed when it drew up the Constitution before leaving the The Philippines. Prior to to the US taking over as the colonial power, the country's Constitution had been based on the French model. That Constitution was immediately changed and in 1935, aware that it would eventually have to give the country independence, a new Constitution was adopted based almost exclusively on that of the USA. It has been changed since, but the earlier Constitution established the democratic principles by which the country would initially govern itself. It did put in place the institutions essential to a functioning democracy. And it is true that for a while the judiciary was independent and the first Presidents were acclaimed for their trusteeship of the post, particularly Ramon Magsaysay and Diosdado Macapagal. Then came Marcos, martial law and the descent. It is tempting to call Filipinos politically naive. As @TMax points out, Filipinos are addicted far more to popularity than policies. I cannot believe that the actor Joseph Estrada would have been elected in any other country. Even Duterte at the time of his election would only have had an outside chance - although with right wing nationalism sweeping much of the world, that might not be the case today. If Bongbong Marcos wins, as seems likely, it will largely be because he comes from one of the wealthiest families in the country and the fake history that is proving so successful in sanitising his father and mother's crimes. But I forgot in my earlier post to mention the dark horse. Another popular figure is in the race - Manny Pacquiao. Although he happens to be a member of parliament, he is a boxer who became famous because of his pugilistic exploits around the world. He is virtually worshipped in the country. He is also a noted homophobe. He has continually called homosexuals "worse than animals". He is also a bible thumper. So it would seem to this outsider that the choice is between one of two evils. I suspect Pacquiao will tamper less with the country's government. Marcos is the real danger man because he knows exactly how the country is run and knows exactly where his family's ghosts are hidden. So much for democracy!

I used to love visiting Manila for long week-ends. Before Bangkok became the Asian centre for commercial gay activities, Manila beat it hands down. A long week-end at the Philippine Plaza Hotel by the bay was incredibly inexpensive given its high quality and there were always so many gay westerners from all around Asia with their Filipino boys du jour. It really was gay central. I have written before of the delights of the huge barn of a place 690 Retiro Strip in the Quezon City area with its catwalks and well over 100 naked guys. In those waning years of the Marcos dictatorship, we were blissfully unaware of the depths to which Marcos and his cronies had sunk. Clearly corruption on a massive scale enabled the plethora of bars and clubs for all types to exist. One of Marcos' main antagonists of the time was the Cardinal of the country, a seemingly lovely man named I often thought rather appropriately Cardinal Sin. Jaime Sin was much loved and respected in the almost exclusively Catholic country. While his ranting against the evils of the Marcos regime seemed to come to nought, his open support for Corazon Aquino must have helped ensure the success of People Power. It took the murder in broad daylight of her husband, the main opposition leader Benigno Aquino returning from medical treatment in the USA, to waken us up a little. By then I had become enchanted with the gay scene in Bangkok and my visits to Manila tapered off. On my rare visits to Manila in recent decades, I have been depressed at the gay scene. For those interested, though, I am told other parts of the country are very beautiful and there are plenty of young willing men around. Any member been recently?

I used to have some faith in mankind. The last few years cured me of it. Now I just hope we can avoid total disaster for a few more decades when I won't be around to see "The Walking Dead" happen in real life.

Back in the days when I weighed 97 kilos I used to tell my Thai boyfriend that if he did push me off the balcony since my condo is only on the second floor I would probably just bounce back up and flatten him. He never even laughed. These suicides leave me so sad.

Was just in Istanbul the first two weeks of December. Lots of he-man type escorts in romeo and rentmen. Did meet up for an hour with an incredibly hot escort. Went back and forth in my head about whether it was crazy to go to Aquarius with omicron taking off, but went twice just at the end. Definitely some attractive guys there. A few male model types who really aren't my thing. Had a great time with a few working class type guys. They're the kind of guys I grew up with and have always been the most attractive for me. Didn't get Covid. I suppose the guys there would have had it already, maybe more than once. It was must be a pretty conducive place for transmission, little rooms, close contact. It was incredibly cheap with the TL collapsing, but guilt inducing because the economic problems are really hard on the working people. Also went to Barcelona, but the Thermas site said foreigners needed a document I didn't have. I had a French covid pass that might have got me in, but I didn't feel like trying to sort something like that out at door. Had a nice time in Paris with an escort and a duo in Madrid. I'm at an age where just some body contact and some light activities are more my thing. All of the escorts I met were good guys and I had a good time with them. Not many tourists around Europe, but the cafes and bars everywhere are busy, especially Paris. It was kind of surreal seeing people packed together, not wearing any masks.

Day 24 Trip is about to finish and nothing reminded me about that sad fact more than morning trip to a Pulse clinic on Silom to do mandatory pre-departure PCR test. Airline requires it and so does my country . 3100 baht instead of going to long time off went to the clinic but I still was happy that I did not need to look for a place to do it, clinic is right there in Silom and advertises test option on the front door . Quite upscale place and very efficient, I was surprised how busy it was but it’s well known place to go for men’s sex health problems, Covid test is just a side business. I found price good value since the same pre-departure test at home cost me about 4600 baht. I was told result is guaranteed before midnight as long as test is done before 4 pm , result will come by e-mail but if I want paper copy of it I can pick it up before 6 tomorrow. All that is joy of travelling in covid time I guess. Rest of morning I spent wandering around Silom markets in soi 8 and soi 5 on opposite side , took some market pictures for folks at home and made slow trek to soi Sri Bumphen , opposite Malaysia hotel where I was supposed to have a lunch with Chritian PFC. On my way I checked Prince in soi Suan Plu, closed although without any signs so hopefully will go back to life after restrictions will be removed. Passed by another man-to-man massage place I-Come then I took shortcut through side soi where surprisingly I spotted mamasan from Fresh Boys on the motorsai taxi. In the middle of 10 million city , in the side soi! Time to buy lottery tickets. Right after I received Line message from model X confirming our meeting and suggesting we have a dinner before home visit, why not , we settled on the place and that was my lottery win I guess. I don’t recall name of the place were supposed to eat with Christian but it’s well established there according to him. I arrived first , ordered beer and in few minutes Christian showed up. Food was great indeed so reputation of place was not exaggerated. We had nice talk about his stay in Cambodia, papal visit in Thailand back in 2019, I got souvenir hat and a book about the event from Christian and of course we talk about boys. Since I was in the area I got moment of enlightenment that I can go and see T at Sabaidee, short walk distance from there but he responded in Line that he is busy and won’t be there before late afternoon when I had plans with X already. Later on by sheer coincidence I learned who he was busy with . Since it did not work I turned to plan B and took motorsai to Arena. For years I used to start every trip from visit there but times changed I guess but going up, all the same like before I feel that nice tingling which I feel only when going there and Senso, nowhere else. I was greeted by veteran mamasan Art who after perhaps 4 years since we meet last time still recognized me, remembered that I used to off Dit often and informed me that Dit went home already well before covid time. Hi got some weight but when I touch his stomach is was still steely like before. He used to give quite good massage in his younger days. Selection now , in mid-day was limited, 3 muscly and tattooed hunks in later 30ties and 2 twinks of which I selected one. I did not go by smile since all 5 smiled nicely . My choice turned out to be good one, massage was good, twinky body still shapely and muscular and equipment impressive, what’s more important not mutilated by any dubious enhancements like silicon, mooks , etc. 1500 for the boy , 700 for the shop and 100 for Art. I’m glad I went there and in all those years I think I had only one time when I was not satisfied there. Then to Suriowong where X and me were supposed to dine. He arrived impressively on time and appeared more sexy than he was yesterday with tight, partially unbuttoned short sleeve shirt showing his shapely, muscular chest and biceps tightly fitting into those sleeves. Hot, hot, hot !. And that for me ? Judging by the looks of staff in restaurant not only I was impressed. Dinner was very down to earth affair as I had you know what and he ordered something ordinary as well, without any fireworks like expensive seafood. Conversation , all the same like yesterday was lively and when lottery seller showed up suddenly I recalled that chance meeting of Fresh Boy mamasan in side soi earlier today and bought him two tickets. He promised to share spoils with me but since I did not hear from him yet I understand he is waiting until I return to Thailand, LOL Than at his suggestion we walked to my hotel where no time was wasted on stamp collection , we moved to solve climate crisis right away. Like happens very often , second meeting was better than first, if that’s at all possible, because we knew each other better and I liked him even better too. No wonder 18past 19 was so impressed , now I’m even more. What about tomorrow? Turned out his schedule was packed but after some head scratching he come with late afternoon idea which fitted to my plans nicely with enough time to see T before and pack and go after. Long hug before he went away was worth depleting my treasury , I still wonder how just hand holding session with him would work out ?. Since today is my last full day I’m not done yet. Another member Anddy returned to BKK after some travel in provinces and today is our first and last chance to meet. And there’s that smiling boy from Jupiter I noticed in beginning of my trip and I was thinking about offing because of that smile. Now I become even more determined after I learned from another member about some gross misfortune at his home. So like my first night this trip, my last was meant to be spent visiting soi 4. Waiting for anddy I parked myself in front of Jupiter but immediately message from him came on Line that he is dining in German restaurant and saw me passing by so I went to see him there. After we caught with news I suggested we go to Jupiter and we arrived just in time for boys parade , my intended guy was not there but I pointed to anddy another one I like, very, very handsome in Jupiter boys style. Anddy said he looks very straight . Anyways I have mission so called mamasan , show him picture of smiling guy on my phone and he told me today is his day off but he will call him and in few minutes announced he is on his way. Great ! Waiting we watched show , than , all smiles my guy arrived , agreed to long time on the spot so we finished out drinks, I paid off fee , we waved good bye to anddy and went home. Guy on reception did not even blink an eye seeing me with another guy this evening but really , why should he? Since tonight is my last night and smiling boy is my third encounter today we settled on slow moving romantic stuff , like in his embraces I wanted to preserve memories of this trip and all guys I was with before he crowned that adventure. No, he did not stop smiling at all. Fitting end of day 24 , quite packed with fun and smiles all over.

I’ve got a debt of gratitude to all my fellow forum posters. The knowledge and tales you’ve shared have really been helpful. I’ll try not to bore you with unnecessary details but I’d like to share my experience in this first trip to Brazil To start, I’m glad I even got here. With omicron seemingly everywhere I was concerned about getting a negative test for the flight. Equally concerning is traveling with so many flight cancellations left and right. To recap what others have said, I needed proof of vaccine, a negative Covid test within 72 hours (PCR test) or an antigen test within 24 hours, a health document filled out and printed within 24 hours as well. The entire process was smooth on American Airlines part and when I arrived at passport control in Rio he just causally glanced at my vaccine card but didn’t ask for any other documents. I haven’t traveled internationally in a couple of years and I feel rusty. I didn’t account for my flight arriving at 730 am and my Airbnb wouldn’t be ready till 3pm. So I ended up booking a hotel room in Copacabana. I should have booked the entire previous day to ensure my room was ready. But it’s all good. I took Uber from the airport. One curiosity I’ve had to learn (at least from the airport context) is communication with your driver prior to pickup. They need confirmation or something via text. There was miscommunication and I had a few drivers drop the transaction until a lovely lady picked me up. Uber prices are cheap so I went “upscale” and booked Uber black because it was apparent the moment I exited the doors that winter was behind me and I needed air conditioning. For what it’s worth my Uber black car was just a non old Honda Civic. Perfectly capable and acceptable for the price though. Despite the relatively mild temps, the humidity here is killing me. It will take a few days to adjust to the weather. But it feels good to be back in a real city. The vibe on the street at first appears to be really relaxed and chill. And my god, Every third guy is my type of guy. Splitting my time between working in Alaska and holidays at home in Ohio with my family, I encounter very few gay guys and very few that are my type. I took a long long nap once I got my room and decided to check out Pointe tonight for a little bit. Let me tell you, it’s like paradise. There were two dozen guys that easily fall within my type there and I really tried not to bite on the first guy that came around. It was kind of overwhelming and I’m positive I stuck out like crazy. I didn’t change into sauna attire as I wasn’t going to be out late tonight but I’ll probably partake in the whole experience tomorrow. I tell you what I find really endearing, all of the guys seem to be very sincere. I know that of course it’s a market setting and that transactions are the goal, but I cant help but be enamored by the gentle yet masculine spirits I encountered. It’s just really nice. I hooked up with a super cute guy from Salvador and it was money and time well spent. Like most of the guys there he had a very nice dick and was a wonderful kisser. I’m telling you all, this is a Las Vegas buffet but for handsome guys with big dicks. The three guys I talked to the most asked from 150-200. My guy wanted 150 and I added a 50 tip on top of that. It was a good experience. My lack of Portuguese is a negative though. I used translation apps to eeek out a conversation but it’s awkward. This might be a wonderful excuse to spend a few months here taking language classes in my off season. In many ways today was a reminder of why I love to travel. Being in new cultures far from home, away from the normal comforts you cultivate in your home county is a challenge. It’ll take a few days or a week to get back into my travel mode life. Especially after our winters of Covid discontent. I’m going to end this here because a guy named Lucca just wrote me on Grindr. You can’t say no to a guy named Lucca.

There was a time when The Philippines, released from colonialism by its former master the United States, enjoyed one of the most dynamic economies in the world. It was also politically stable and seemingly a thriving democracy. By the mid-1960s, other countries in Asia were mired in their own problems. Japan was recovering from World War 2. South Korea was in a worse mess following the Korean War. Hong Kong was still a sweatshop about to be engulfed by the mainland's Cultural Revolution. Malaysia and Singapore were much too young to have developed their economies. So when the Asian Development Bank was deciding where to locate its headquarters, there was only one real option - Manila. What no one then knew was that within a few years The Philippines would start a long period of disastrous decline, headed by a murdering kleptocrat who had been voted into the Presidency in that same year - 1965. With America soon to become engulfed in its series of wars in IndoChina, Ferdinand Marcos knew his previous colonial masters needed him and the military bases he could provide - big time. They would in no way force him to accept the usual checks and balances. As power increasingly went to his head, he declared martial law in 1972. There then followed a period of plunder of the nation's wealth, extra judicial killings and a massive increase in dire poverty nationwide. Opponents were first silenced and then killed. His dreadful wife Imelda whom he created the Governor of Manila believed, or so she claimed, her job was to give the Filipino people the glamour that none could even think about when they could barely afford to feed their families. By February 1986, the Filipinos had had enough of the murdering thieving Marcoses. They booted them out in a People Power Revolution and installed in his place as President Corazon Aquino, the widow of a senator killed by Marcos. That should have been the end of the Marcoses who deserved to be consigned to oblivion. The family fled into exile in Hawaii where they plotted their return to take power again in their home country. Only Marcos himself was by now too ill and died in 1989. President Aquino allowed the rest of the family to return to The Philippines to face justice for the billions they had stolen and ensure it was returned to the state. This was a decision that many were to come to regret. Marcos' all-powerful wife was hale and hearty and his children had all been earlier installed in positions of power. All used their former cronies to build a wall of silence around their kleptomania. Alleged to have stolen up to US$10 billion, the state has so far only managed to recover little more than $3.5 billion. The body of Marcos was kept embalmed in his home province until a national burial in the Cemetery of Heros was approved by President Duterte in 2016. To escape from the law, Imelda ran for office - and won. Even today at age 83 she out of reach of the arms of the law as a Member of the House of Representatives. She remains cocooned in her fantasy world of beauty, fine art, haute couture dresses, goodness knows how many pairs of shoes - and the rock solid belief that her husband was betrayed and wronged. Why this should still be something many in the media are now talking about again is the fact that another Marcos, another crook, seems set to become the next President of the country in May. Bongbong is the couple's only son. 4 years ago he was pretty much out of favour. Thanks to Trump-like use of social media he has cultivated an almost totally different persona. He has been almost completely disassociated with his father's crimes. Now he is a clean-cut businessman promising Filipinos a great future. Sadly, memories are short and too many believe him. In a recent survey, close to half of all Filipino voters are ready to vote for the former dictator's son. Not surprisingly, the man is a liar. He studied at Oxford University where he claims he was awarded a Bachelor of Arts. In fact he failed in Economics and twice in Politics. He did not receive a degree. He enrolled in the Wharton School of Business and again failed to graduate. Back in The Philippines, his father made him Chairman of the Telecoms company Philcomsat in early1985. Despite rarely visiting the company's offices or doing any work at all, he drew a salary that was allegedly up to $97,000 per month. Since his return, he has played major part in ensuring the family's ill-gotten wealth remains hidden. He has consistently trashed those who accuse his father of his many human rights abuses. But thanks largely to social media, Bongbong the crook stands at the pinnacle of power in a country where the government is infested with corruption and where power remains vested in a small number of hugely wealthy and influential families. Marcos senior frequently claimed that he would make The Philippines the Singapore of East Asia. Lee Kwan Yew loathed Marcos and wrote of him in 2000, "a self-indulgent ageing ruler who allowed his wife and cronies to clean out the country through ingenious monopolies and put the government heavily in debt . . . Only in The Philippines could a leader like Ferdinand Marcos, who pillaged his country for over 20 years, still be considered for a national burial." Once Bongbong sits on the throne, let's be ready for all manner of pardons and the still undiscovered stolen wealth remaining hidden where it will never be discovered. It now seems clear that yet again the Filipinos will elect a ridiculous, yet highly dangerous, figure to lead it. Adapted from https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2021/12/14/what-is-behind-the-resurgence-of-the-marcos-dynasty

It seems to me that the chatter about power mad politicians and bureaucrats is a bit too fearful in the opposite direction. There are so many variables with this disease and the decisions public health authorities must make are still life and death. I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes. I had some experience in my union being on the executive, and many decisions we had to make led to accusations of being overly controlling, power mad, etc. Not really true but some of our members let their emotions run away with them. Here’s an article on the current situation with Omicron, from the New Yorker. We can see that there are still many unanswered questions and it is not at all clear how and where and when countries and economies should open up. This leaves me with considerable empathy for the people making these decisions, and also a feeling of gratefulness that it’s not me making them. Omicron by the Numbers https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/01/24/do-the-omicron-numbers-mean-what-we-think-they-mean?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_011622&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&utm_term=tny_daily_recirc&bxid=5be9c79a24c17c6adf38ceb9&cndid=49338263&hasha=d8197887bc61ba75b03a39936ec68ff0&hashb=b5c5ac9a21955ee3cb29f1de63c473536955a688&hashc=532810e5334f61be3659e870f74e0064f6d9b0376f350eed40fceecdd149fbfb&esrc=AUTO_PRINT&mbid=CRMNYR062419

that's paranoia through and trough

another benefit is to make friends with forum members, Out of 3 best guys from this trip 1 was recommended and another one introduced to me by another forum member

Like father like son. Is there anything worse than parents of sports stars?

From Coconuts Bangkok As if anything were free from scams, travelers to Thailand have been tricked into paying fees for what’s supposed to be a free process. The COVID-19 task force today took a break from its usual doomcasting to note reports of people paying “registration fees” for the Thailand Pass system, which has been suspended since late last month due to the nation’s latest wave of infections. “To reiterate again, there is no registration fee for Thailand Pass,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Natapanu Nopakun said. “There have been reports of people asked illegally to pay registration fees. It is a service rendered free of charge.” When the system which facilitates travel from abroad for vaccinated travelers reopens, travelers should only apply via the official website rather than middlemen or agencies.

Looking at some of the Thailand Facebook pages there are quite a few that are going through agents or are looking for agents rather than doung it themselves, I long for the day when things get back as normal as possible and all that pass crap is done away with.

I am afraid of heights. I always told my family if I die from suicide by jumping off a building, it was NOT me. I don't even go out on the balcony. Now, I might die of a heart attack trying to go to the balcony, but the jump itself would be impossible. That being said, I have seen jumps in Pattaya out of the corner of my eye. I never thought that would be something I would see.

This could easily be about one of my trips from NYC to Montreal for Black and Blue and all the travelers were going to that event. The bathroom was a busy place.

I started watching "Not me", highly promising series including some social critisism. Not sure yet if it is a real BL series, but with Off-Gun as main leads what else could it be? Nice to see Off in the role of a "tough guy". The sound track reminds me of "Theory of Love".

Finished watching Baker Boys (2021) and I loved it. Pretty weird crime story but very entertaining! Awesome sweets, this series made me truly become a diabetic: This is Pooh, Punns clumsy bodyguard. One of the 4 main characters (but I thought his role is just a bit too stupid): This is Weir, played by Singto, charming as always, but still not my favorite. Even though he is very dominant in the series, it is not a BL series: This is Punn, the owner of the Cafeteria, played by Lee Thanat. Cute, and some forum members fall for his clear pronunciation, but he is still not my favorite: Finally my favorite, Krating, played by Pluem Purin, would love to see him in a real BL series: And a few more pictures ... Who could say no to this offer?

that's truly sick and insane assembling such crowds , suspected of covid at that better to wait it out in half empty bar

(photo: Pattaya Mail) People who have tested positive using home antigen tests (most of whom who have mild or no symptoms) converge on Pattaya's Banglamung Hospital. Here they'll be assigned to a room in the hospital, in an isolation center, in a "hospitel", or told to recuperate at home. It's easy to see how hospitals are becoming rapidly overwhelmed with the current procedure. https://www.pattayamail.com/news/long-lines-of-covid-infected-wait-at-pattaya-hospital-for-quarantine-bed-386280

Some good news at last. The experience across the world has been much the same, starting in South Africa where Omicron was born. It seems to have just about peaked here in the UK.

never too stingy when comes to tips, this time due to situation I decided to be even more generous so on quite a few occasions I actually upped amount they were asking for or quoting. Can't be specific because health systems worldwide are overwhelmed and we can't risk that our members gasping for air will be treated as covid infected.

we gladly will if only they reinstate it or even better , abolish it entirely

Why pay double for 4 hands when 2 are sufficient? most of us don't come for the massage but for the "afters" with the guy. It doesn't get double as good because there 2 of them.

I went to Phuket in December as a domestic tourist after completing test and go in Bangkok. If I wanted to return to Thailand and the 7 day Phuket sandbox was the only option available to return then I would do that, even for just a 2 week stay as there were enough things to do to keep occupied and still have the option of a visit to Bangkok or Pattaya - although of course we are all different and want different things. Regarding good SHA + hotels there is a wide selection, depends on budget, location etc. In the hotel I stayed there didn't seem to be any segregation between different types of guests. I think there are some reports on the net regarding the sandbox services offered by the hotels (transportation, tests etc.) found with a few searches maybe best homed in after finding a hotel that is liked. Also having just looked at the Thailand reopening Facebook group recommended by @z909 earlier in the thread, that looks a mine of information too.

How old is this gentleman?

Real covid figures must be pretty high now in Thailand - just judging from the fact that Gmmtv is posting almost every day on Instagram that one of their actors got tested positive. So hopefully this will be over soon.