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Tawan has finally opened at the new location. As part of circumventing the rule of bars to stay closed, they are selling Thai snacks. So I can have 2 of my favorite things in 1 place. 5555

I contacted Manny in Santo Domingo and Ezequial in Punta Cana. Manny was very friendly in his replies, hasn't sent any pictures yet. I'm hesitant to push for the pictures yet, since maybe he's worried about pic collectors? I am curious about what kinds of guys to expect. Certainly from BlkSuperman's twitter, enormous endowments are a given, but I am curious about faces and bodies. Most of the guys on his twitter seem to be quite lanky, with the one called Manaconda having some muscle on him. For my taste, I'm willing to give up an inch or two for good bodies and handsome faces (and good attitudes, for that matter...) Ezequial was slow to respond and eventually his assistant Rose responded. She sent me clothed pics of 3 guys. They were pleasant looking fellows, though I wouldn't say they are really the machos I'm looking for. They were young (I'm pretty open on age) but also pretty lanky and at least through the clothes didn't seem to have any muscle to them. I asked her if she knew their height (I prefer taller) and endowments were and she said she would get back to me. Can't really say that I would bother making the trip from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana on the basis of these guys. Have any of you guys met Ezequial's guys? If any of you guys have any feedback of what to expect with Manny and Ezequial's guys (especially if tall muscular guys are available), much appreciated. I know this is not Rio's 117 Island-version so trying to keep my expectations in check

Pavilion Hotel just beside Fresh Boys and opposite of Dreamboys has short time rooms for 500. I was offered that option when offing twink from Dreamboys in Dec but politely declined preferring my own room in Quarter. Furama Silom may have cheap regular rooms worth the walk . I used one for 550 as short time on my first night in Bkk as I did not want to drag my Jupiter guy to my quarantine hotel. Breakfast was even included but we did not utilize it .

If they didn't know about it before they arrive, visitors to Phuket (domestic and international) soon learn about what many feel are the outrageously high fares charged by taxi drivers. Today's Thiager carries yet another account. --------------------- If you’ve been to Phuket, you’ve probably paid way too much for a taxi. Now, one Thai traveller claims a Phuket taxi driver ripped him off by charging a fare of 600 baht and even got the police involved to sort out the situation. He filmed confrontations with the police and taxi driver, posting the videos on Facebook and drawing criticism on the island’s notoriously high taxi fares. The traveller had tried to book a ride through the application Bolt to get back to his hotel, but he says the driver refused service because he was afraid of the taxi drivers in the area. He tried booking a Grab, but the same thing happened and the driver refused service. He and his girlfriend then decided to hail a taxi, but the driver charged them 600 baht… much higher than the 168 baht fare listed on Bolt. The 21-minute drive was around 12 kilometres from Cafe Del Mar in Kathu to a hotel near Patong Beach. In the video, the man who appears to be the driver yells that the fare is 600 baht. He added that he wasn’t scared of the police, daring the customers to call and saying he and the police are friends. After talking with the police, officers called the driver to the station. Reports say that the driver insisted that 600 baht was the standard price and that no one forced the traveller to use his service. Since it was late at night and the trip was quite far, the price at 600 baht was responsible, the driver reportedly claimed, adding that he would increase the price with more passengers. The traveller is the son well-known dentist who has a large following on TikTok, so his posts drew a lot of attention on social media. Some commented saying they’ve had similar situations in Phuket. Phuket officials reviewed taxi rates in July of last year after some tourists under the Sandbox, or the island’s pilot reopening programme, reported high prices. The Phuket Tourist Police Department then announced maximum taxi fares for rides from the Phuket International Airport and encouraged travellers to report rip-offs. For a roughly 20-kilometre ride from the airport to Surin Beach, a taxi driver can charge up to 550 baht. Read more about the maximum taxi fares HERE. https://thethaiger.com/news/phuket/traveller-calls-police-over-high-fare-charged-by-phuket-taxi-driver

Every time I hear we need a higher birth rate, I think of the growth of human population and wonder where we will put them all. We're already near the carrying capacity of planet Earth with clean air and water harder to come by as our population grows. Is this really the time to add another billion or two humans to the draw? Sounds like the main argument in favor of a growing population is increasing the ratio of more-productive to less-productive humans and, looking at that metric alone, one could make a case for higher birth rates. But, as long as we continue to deplete the planet's resources at the current rate, we'll all hit the wall in the foreseeable future. It could be that countries willing and able to redistribute income equitably among their citizens (shades of socialism! 😳) will find a way to grow modestly and still make sure young and old all have enough to get by. But unrestrained economic growth, combined with institutionalized inequality and finite natural resources, doesn't seem to bode well for any of the less economically productive members of society. Of which I count myself a proud, if endangered, example.

I have no idea why they cannot take cards. Someone else I know is currently also sending a friend to pay. The room was large and quiet. Plenty of free water and toilet rolls etc. Bed comfy.

From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon Thai law is explicit. When you enter an eatery, whether one serving hearty meals or a booze bar offering stale nuts, you should prove you have had an antigen test within the last 72 hours or submit to one at the entrance administered by staff. In the optimistic words of the government-friendly Pattaya radio ad, “If they don’t ask, you walk.” There is very little sign of walking. Soi Buakhao, the current center of Pattaya nightlife, is packed nightly with Thais, expats and tourists but no evidence of any health checks whatsoever in the venues visited. A motorbike cop parked near Tree Tops said, “That’s up to health inspectors not us, we are here to check the bars close at 11 pm.” However, the Ministry of Health doesn’t usually work after dark. On Walking Street, a mixture of bright lights, music and derelict buildings these days, there were two voluntary “testing stations”, one charging 100 baht for a genuine ATK result, but most venues seemed unconcerned about the law. The doorman at a well-known seafood restaurant said, “We want to welcome customers, not examine their credentials.” At the Jomtien Complex, the hub of what remains of the resort’s gay scene, several bars and eateries sporting Safety and Health Authority stickers, were indeed administering customer health tests. But not all. A nearby cafe asked us to self-administer a test for 50 baht. “But don’t push the stick too far up your nose,” advised the waiter. “We don’t want to start a panic.” Meanwhile, at a high class buffet in north Pattaya, security staff were checking that customers had brought evidence of a recent antigen test. If not, one was offered for 100 baht. A customer showed a picture of an antigen kit on his cell phone, but without any actual proof of the date it was taken. “It always works,” he said, “I use the same photo with a different date written on a card.” “Pattaya is a city of illusion,” said long term expat Phil Ashton who works as a chef in a five star hotel, “all about appearances rather than reality,” adding that the last two years have bankrupted many Pattaya businesses and left others gasping for breath. He concludes, “A drowning man doesn’t reach for his indigestion tablets.” https://www.pattayamail.com/latestnews/news/pattaya-restaurants-ignoring-health-tests-on-entry-388546

These days hotel prices are so low that there seems little point in a short time hotel, as I discovered last night. I stayed at the Quarter on z909’s recommendation and thank you! It was perfect. Nice breakfast, no hassle bringing boys in (ahem, twice!—Hornet sure is busy around there!). $21 Cdn (about 500 baht) for the whole night. I’ll be back.

' don't ask, don't tell ' is policy I always employ

no issues at all, fact that I checked-in one of my boys perhaps helped and one which came mid-day was escorted by me from outside but no, nobody blinked an eye. Bald guy on reception seems to be gay to those tired eyes, that helps too

Agreed! The rule is far too onerous. Although the article was about the situation in Pattaya, I assume the same rule applies throughout the country. I simply cannot imagine the hundreds of thousands of restaurants and eateries all over Thailand implementing this.

How many boys? What is the quality?

Your title made me think I was going to see some strange furry porn.

From Channel News Asia Omicron-specific booster may not be needed CHICAGO: A study in monkeys pitting the current Moderna COVID-19 booster against an Omicron-specific booster showed no significant differences in protection, suggesting an Omicron-specific booster may not be needed, US government researchers reported on Friday (Feb 4). The study involved monkeys vaccinated with two doses of Moderna's vaccine who were dosed nine months later with either the conventional Moderna booster or one specifically targeting the Omicron variant. The researchers tested various aspects of the animals' immune responses and exposed them to the virus. They found both boosters produced "comparable and significant increases in neutralising antibody responses" against all of the variants of concern, including Omicron, according to the study, posted on bioRxiv ahead of peer review. Both Moderna and BioNTech-Pfizer have started testing Omicron-specific boosters of their vaccines in human clinical trials. "This is very, very good news," Daniel Douek, a vaccine researcher at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who co-lead the study, said in a telephone interview. "It means we don't need to radically redesign the vaccine to make it an Omicron vaccine." https://www.channelnewsasia.com/business/china-argentina-pledge-deepen-partnership-expand-trade-2482431

nope....tired of app "fakes or old pics".... I've had more disappointments in people from aps, worldwide. Maybe they've said the same thing about me too 😝

Yesterday I received an email with a malware payload purporting to be from the Malaysia Hotel. I don't suppose the hotel has anything to do with it, but it looks as if their email system or website may have been compromised. If you receive anything similar, don't open (as if you would!) the attached spreadsheet.

Cheap hotel, cheap food, very reasonable luxuries. Im not surprise bangkok is top.

Please make this happen 🤞

Thanks @vinapu for you rich and through report! A really great and useful read. I am heading to BKK and then Chiang Mai at the end of March for a couple of weeks. any issues with joiners at Phor Liang Meun Teracotta Arts in Chiang Mai? I AirBnb last time i was in Chiang Mai but the hotels all have really good rates so might do that this time.

I wouldn't want to start that precedent, 2-4% is a very low number, we might not like the result if we start looking at a country by country arrival positive test rate.

Many of you know my board, https://www.gaybuttonthai.com was down for a couple days. The problem has now been fixed and we are up and running again. Thank you very much Moses, owner of the Sawatdee board, for fixing the problem.

BL ghost story. I like that it's something different.

I think this is a key issue that few seem to discuss. Literacy rates in the USA are presently estimated at 79%. Compare that with the literacy rate in the country the USA and its allies did its best to bomb into virtual oblivion. Vietnam's literacy rate for over 15s in 2018 was 95%. In that same year the rate in China was 96.8% with youth literacy rate (15-24 yo) at 99.7%. https://knoema.com/atlas/China/topics/Education/Literacy/Adult-literacy-rate

My current favourite route to to go via Helsinki on Finnair. It's usually a 3+8 hour flight on the way out and 9+3 on the way back. Nice modern a350 fleet also and a hassle free transfer at Helsinki. Although the food is pretty awful!

coming soon.

Enchante is very promising. I am finishing ep 1. The leads are adorable and have good chemistry.

Ive always been frugal since young. Basically in my family, im probably the only one lol. Im sure its something that can be thought but most of it are habits. Based on your report, seems like bangkok guy is fitting those frugal molds hehe, and will do well if he has a good steady income. I wonder if thailand banks gives a good return on interest? If not, is there a place where thai naitional can put their money in that is low risk but gives returns of around 4-5% and allow him to take his fund anytime? Then maybe its wise for him to put a portion of the business saving there. Anything higher than a normal saving accounts really.

It is foundational to wealth accreation. The key point of the only book my parents ever gave me on financial management was that the surest way to accumulate wealth is to not dissapate it. Actually it was my mother who gave me the book as she could see I took after my father, very able to make money and also very able to let it slip through my fingers. It has provided a necessary break on my behavior, albeit not as much of one as she desired. Bangkok Guy is much more in her mould.

I wouldve been useless advisor for businesses too. My own strategy is very conservative investing majority of my savings in low risk funds. My strength has always been in the amount of savings i set aside for those funds. Of course i can afford to save as i made quite a good income from my jobs and i live in a country with a very low cost of living and my lifestyle are what most consider as frugal. Im not sure how this will be feasible for the boys though.

I've tried three different projects with P; none have been successful commercially. The third was devastating; a shop in his village which sold bags and similar accessories. It was undercut by a market after a lot of money had been spent on it. Bluntly, it was too "posh" for an economically -depressed area. A costly failure. I've never been a business man and so I'm of little help. The current project is a small-holding a few kms away. it is successful in that not much of a profit is expected. To me, the investment is worthwhile because it gives P purpose and interest. Good for the soul; and the farming work is good for the body. As long as he watches out for the snakes- the alpha predator in his district!

To each his own... I am enjoying "Your My Sky", mainly due to the "supporting" couples. We will just need to wiatand see what happens with Fah and Thorn. I find "Not Me" hard to believe; that the main guy can pass as his Twin... And "Enchante" has only dropped one episode. Seems promising. CHEERS

I watched the first two episodes of You're My Sky. I'm not really a fan of the main couple. The senior is just too taciturn and I'm already a bit bored by their storyline. The soccer player who's stalking the cute med student is more interesting. Even the guy who's going to steal his sister's boyfriend is more interesting. Is anyone watching Not Me? The YT algorithm keeps recommending it. Enchante looks interesting too

as others commented, in corrupt countries it may be easy to obtain negative result certificate or , if business need to dictate, positive result. In meantime in non-corrupt countries nonsense has it's day too. Today I travelled between two decent countries. Got tested ( PRC ) in the morning in one at cost of 150 USD, received negative result , boarded plane , on the same day later arrived home and despite showing negative result from test done perhaps 10 hrs earlier I was ' randomly" selected to undergo another PRC test , this time free. I'm locked until another negative result will come which may take up to 48 hrs. I guess intense lobbying by testing industry replaces corruption in non-corrupt countries