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Showing content with the highest reputation on 03/06/2022 in all areas

  1. I thought he must be in a retirement home by now - or should that be 'she'? It's a long time since we heard about the gay icon Dame Edna Everage. But even at age 88 she is still on the go. Next month she starts a 2 month The Man Behind The Mask tour around the UK. Well, I suppose it really should be 'he' for it is Barry Humphries who is touring and others appearing will no doubt be legendary characters like Sir Les Patterson. I once had the opportunity of meeting him. I was in Hong Kong and had had discussions with his manager, at that time John Reid. Barry wanted to do a week's season in a theatre in Hong Kong. After all, he had something to prove. In the late 70's he had done a stint at a cabaret restaurant at the top of the Mandarin Hotel - and totally bombed. Reid wanted me to meet him to give him some background on the territory. As requested, I called him at the Regent hotel on the other side of the harbour. He was charming. Rather than my going over to see him, he would be shopping in the afternoon. Could I meet him in the lobby of the Mandarin Hotel at 5:00pm? He suggested he tell me what he was wearing so I would recognise him. Oh, that's certainly not necessary, I said, as you are such a well known personality. Five minutes in advance, I was plonked on a comfy armchair in the lobby. I waited. Still I waited. By ten past 5:00, I realised the personality I knew was Dame Edna, not Barry Humphries. What if i missed him? So from then on I asked almost every middle-aged man who entered with shopping bags if he was "Mr. Humphries"! I felt so stupid. Eventually he arrived at 5:35 wearing a double breasted suit and carrying at least six large shopping bags. He was full of apologies. We ended up having a lovely long chat and I met Mrs. Humphries #3. I helped as much as I could but he was never to appear in Hong Kong. I understood from a promoter that he wanted a large fee on account of around 90% of all revenues including sponsorships. Around the end of the 1980s, as Dame Edna he did a series of interview shows for one of the London TV companies with many famous guests. Some were hilarious, including one with Sean Connery. This used to be available on youtube but has sadly been taken down. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/mar/05/this-much-i-know-barry-humphries-edna-can-say-things-i-could-not-possibly-express
    3 points
  2. vinapu

    TAWAN MUSCLE BAR

    Despite repeat efforts of many members here, there are quite a few of us in this forum who like Tawan and her boys and exactly for reason you mentioned - guys there tended to be much more interactive with clients, circulating freely than in other bars. I'm using past time because formula may be different after re-opening with different venue and possibly different staff. Horses for courses-sure, as much as some Tawan guys should be released to pasture as you say, in some other bars at times I think almost the some - guys there should be let to finish school before going into the bar wild.
    3 points
  3. From The Thaiger / CNN Russians were the most visible travellers heading to Thailand post February 1, 2022, when the Thailand Pass Test & Go option was rebooted. Even with its 2 days of pre-booked SHA+ quarantine and PCR tests, along with US$50,000 Covid insurance (which has since been reduced to $20,000), the Russian travellers were delighted to jump on a plane and take the long trip to the much warmer Land of Smiles. That situation has now radically changed and the world is reverberating to the full impact of Russia’s aggression and the invasion of Ukraine. Now there’s a mere trickle of daily flights between Russia and either Suvarnabhumi or Phuket in Thailand. Whilst much of the rest of the world have said ’nyet’ to the arrival of any planes from Russia, Thailand is still allowing them to arrive. But even if the planes are still coming (albeit in vastly reduced numbers), the pressure of world sanctions, bans and the plunge of the Russian Ruble has already made the decision for any potential Russian travellers. Now, the latest data from ForwardKeys, shows that the Russian invasion of Ukraine, now into its 9th day, has prompted an instant spike in flight cancellations to and from Russia, worldwide. On the day after the first tanks rolled into Ukraine, every booking that was made for travel to Russia was outweighed by six cancellations of existing bookings. Russians escaping their bleak winter and heading to sunnier destinations were suddenly cancelling their trips. The cancellation rates between February 24 – 26 were Cyprus (300%), Egypt (234%), Turkey (153%), the UK (153%), Armenia (200%), and Maldives (165%). Bookings for March, April and May were already reaching 32% of the pre-Covid levels of travel for outbound Russians. They were heading to Mexico, Seychelles, Eygpt and Maldives. And Thailand. The outlook for Q3 this year was looking even stronger. All that Russian travel enthusiasm has now collapsed and, given the harsh economic weapons thrown at Vladimir Putin, his banks, his ‘friends’ and his citizens, any recovery will be a long, long way down the track. Even if there was a swift and unexpected reversal of the Ukraine situation, Russia has already been dealt a fatal economic blow – in just one week the country been turned into a pariah state and much of the rest of the world seems happy to punish the entire country for Putin’s violence. For countries like the Seychelles, Maldives and Cyprus, Russian arrivals represented a high percentage of their international arrivals. In Thailand that was about 8% of the total tourist mix. And, whilst the Chinese are still in China for at least the rest of this year, the loss of the Russian travel market probably represented an even higher percentage of tourists that won’t be coming to Thailand in 2022. The world travel industry will be further hit by rising airfares (due to the sharp surge in oil prices), cancellations of routes (across Eastern Europe), a higher resistance to international travel (for perceived safety reasons) and a lingering instability in world politics. While the Thailand Pass is still seen by many potential travellers as a significant barrier to their choice of Thailand as their next travel destination, and the Russian and Chinese traveller-tap turned off, Thailand’s immediate travel future looks bleak. And this follows nearly 2 years of border closures, false restarts, over-hyped TAT arrival projections and the former Thai tourism workforce heading home to find other work. The loss of the Russian travellers underscores a critical need for the Thai government to quickly modify the Thailand Pass, or scrap it completely. With so many other factors now making international travel difficult, Thailand will have to rethink their short to medium term tourism strategies to retain its share of the international travel market. Of course there is no comparison of the humanitarian tragedy underway inside the borders of Ukraine at this time, but Russia’s aggression will likely have much more long-term, and far-reaching, effects than the clear and present danger it poses on the Ukranian nation right now.
    2 points
  4. OK, I stand corrected , I should say " there's no issue in the world in any country on which 96 % of statistic sample agrees"
    2 points
  5. This is an example of enhanced digital media , a method used to manufacture video for advertising or--in this case--propaganda purposes.
    2 points
  6. orson

    TAWAN MUSCLE BAR

    Very well said @vinapu. I like men, not boys. Hopefully the smaller venue will mean more interactions with the men of tawan.
    2 points
  7. I hope you are very young because it will take decades to get him before the Court - if ever. At least Russia signed the Rome Treaty setting up the Court. George Bush famously said that no American would ever be hauled before the ICC and the USA is not a member. Nor is China! for that matter.
    2 points
  8. 2 points
  9. Here is a list of the current (February 2022) list of bars that cater to a gay male crowd in Cartagena: Gabanna Club Bar Calle 32 #18B 108 Local 1A, Cartagena The most popular of the clubs at the moment, the Gabanna Club features two bar areas, a showroom, and a dark-room cruising area upstairs. Gets very crowded on weekends. The featured shows are generally drag on Friday, Go-Go dancers on Saturday, and live sex shows on Sunday. These are usually interactive with a roster of performers. Drinks are beer and shots (rum, whiskey) and soft drinks. The Crowd includes a wide range of ages and tastes—generally something for everyone. The dark room can get packed on the weekend, come prepared (and watch your wallet/phone). https://www.google.com/maps/place/Gabanna+Bar+Club+Cartagena/@10.4224301,-75.5363337,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x615c35e5e98e7e35?sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi5l4jWj6b2AhXxIDQIHUb2A8kQ_BJ6BAgrEAU City Club Calle 8A ##24-16, Cartagena This large North American-style club above a popular salsa bar features two large rooms with a DJ playing club anthems and latin pop and reggaeton. The entrance is just below the double balcony on Calle 8A (esquina Arsenal), diagonally across the street from the Convention Center entrance. The crowd is a mix of foreign tourists, rent boys and locals looking for a big night out. Prices are very expensive by Colombian standards – drinks will run 10-20K COP each. Drug use is rampant and open in the club – the washrooms are closely patrolled. Expect to be approached by the working boys present, many whom will happily show you shots of the goods on their phones. Open weekends only (Thursday-Friday-Saturday) and Sundays when national holidays fall on Monday. Cover charge depends on the event. Avatar Disco Bar 59 Avenida Pedro de Heredia #30 (2do piso) The locals flock to Avatar, locally known as Aventura, to drink cheap beer and rum, and dance the night away. This bar is comfortable room with plenty of tables and a dance floor above a Chinese restaurant off the main Pedro de Heredia just south of Carrera 59. This is place where the locals hang out and listen to local music (salsa, bachata, vallenato, champeta, and some reggaeton) and socialize. The booze flows and you will have plenty of chances to mix with the locals for dancing and more. This bar goes late on weekends and gets packed as other places close around 2am. Olimpio Night Club 7 Avenida Pedro de Heredia (Urbanizacion Los Angeles – esquina Carrera 62) - Located next door to flower shop Catering to the younger gay crowd, Olimpio is the place to see and been seen each weekend in gay Cartagena. The club is two connected rooms in shocking pink décor with a DJ spinning latin pop and reggaeton each Thursday – Friday – Saturday night. Expect a younger crowd looking to dance and socialize away the night. Drinks are higher priced here, hookah service available. Crowds arrive later – 11pm until 2am are the busiest hours.
    1 point
  10. Axiom2020

    Medellin

    I'd love to hook up and feast as well as be deeply plummeted by each and everyone of these hotties!!!
    1 point
  11. 1 point
  12. vinapu

    365 The River massage

    you may be right, In Dec I visited 2 of such further away places and one had only 3 guys available , all suitable I hast to say, other one by Saphan Kwai station did not have any but helpful mamasan showed me pictures and told me which guy can be there in how many minutes.
    1 point
  13. Well since my content can't be worse than pretending not to understand that somebody who's been under direct physical bombardment and personal threat to his life for over a week might be sleep deprived, I guess I'll continue with it: re: Hmm...
    1 point
  14. Putin doesn't have to worry about old age, he has to worry about the oligarchs turning on him and encouraging/supporting a new, younger model to take his place. But it's not like they'd use polonium or Novichok... oh wait, yes they fucking would. Hence his obvious paranoia which is hopefully well founded. Even without a pre-mature and suspicious death, the second he's out of power he knows he'd lose all his hidden wealth as soon as his powerful and rich friends saw no benefit in maintaining association. They might also be about to fuck around and find out with democratic revolution, though I guess the citizens saw far more prosperity under Putin than their 5 minutes of democracy (am I remembering wrong that Yeltzin was elected...? And maybe Putin the first time or two?). The rampant kleptocracy is obvious to the west, but I also hear that many people believe that Putin isn't rich at all, since he keeps his mega yachts and villas out of his own name and publicly denies their existence on state media. I guess the first step will be the citizens realizing that state media is nothing but lies, which the Ukraine situation is helping with. IF ONLY the fucking vestiges of Voice of America/Freedom hadn't just been shut down by Trump/Pomptato on Putin's request...
    1 point
  15. macdaddi

    Medellin

    @Latbear4blkLove that you are diving into your paisa homework Am familiar with several of these faces but don't want to muddy the waters--do your own research, right? Jejeje. Am neck deep in personal stuff (renovations to my place in Canada last month) so still sorting things out, but thinking about a quick trip before the rainy season begins. Will be in touch if we can connect in Medalló.
    1 point
  16. pong2

    365 The River massage

    Advertises also on thaimassageboy. Not really near BangSue (I guess some 2-2,5 kms away), more west toward that brand new parliament monstrosity of building and, sorry, also very near the Chuan Taharn=army compound. (from where they start any military coup d´etat). There should be some brand new MRT stop close by (forgot the name). Could be a very new compound building where before was a closed down and long time empty dept.store. Again: pix may not be actual. I recognise at least 1 and maybe 2 guys from another place and I returned from last visit to LOS now 2 yrs ago=the exact day when all these covid measures came in force. It quite often only means they have some contact with that guy (=fone nr) and will (try to) call him of someone asks for this guy. But by now most regular Thai customers fone/app/line and make a fixed appointmt. Casual visitors are very rare nowadays in such places
    1 point
  17. pong2

    Visiting in rainy season

    Having also visited LOS (Land of Smiles for unknowing) so many times and spread through the year: the very worst of times is the end of dry season: NOW till when first rains come. Too sticky hot and muggy, the rains then come as refreshing. Thats also why Thai schools have holidays (their ´summer´ hols) in this period. And thats why there is that awful Songkran=water splashing festival to cool down. In the long south strip of TH it is different for east/west side, due to monsoon winds. But when the rainy season ends=sept, oct, it may also be not that pleasant: it all gets so saturated that floods may occur and it also somehow seems to me that the usual hour late-afternoon of rains tends to get longer&longer. If you can lay your hand on some travel agency program or online: prices for all-in Hols are lowest when wheather is worst, and ditto for reverse! Same applies for airfares, at least from EUR
    1 point
  18. Should read : We felt cheated and didn't appreciate the way he had taken us for granted. (Damn auto-correct!!)
    1 point
  19. I support @JKaneon this. He posts some great stuff on politics.
    1 point
  20. I went to his show here in Perth a few years ago. Having seen many of his performances on youtube, a few live shows and video (remember vcr?) which my friends had taped years ago, I was very disappointed with the show. I had heard all the jokes, except one, many times before. Given the price of the ticket I think the audience deserved a new show, not a rehash of old material. Given his age, he had a lot of trouble walking on the stage; he spend most of the time standing in one place. His banter with the audience was the same old, same old. "Come straight from work, have you?" "How can I describe your dress? Affordable, I'd say." Halfway through the show he sat down and we watched replays of his old TV shows where he interviewed famous people. The audience who were familiar with his work were unimpressed to say the least! We felt chested and didn't zodiacs the way he had taken us for granted. Still, the few younger members of the audience would have enjoyed it.
    1 point
  21. PeterRS

    TAWAN MUSCLE BAR

    Oh I think with a facelift here and there, a hair transplant (if there was any left to transplant) and botox injections every six months, maybe we would have lasted a little longer. Whether everything would be in good working order is another matter, but I'm told there are medications to help. On the other hand, with all those procedures we'd probably have no cash left for trips to Thailand!
    1 point
  22. vinapu

    TAWAN MUSCLE BAR

    and what's even worse imagine devastation that way of thinking would bring if Thai boys followed the same concept in respect of their customers
    1 point
  23. reader

    TAWAN MUSCLE BAR

    If our former employers had followed that line of thinking, we'd all have been out of work at an early age.😉
    1 point
  24. From the New York Times yesterday, Following this, Aeroflot said it would suspend all international flights starting from 8 March 2022. Other Russian airlines are expected to follow suit. The problem seems to be that many (most?) planes are leased and when the Russian companies are unable to pay leasing fees, the leasing companies may seize them as soon as they land in a foriegn country. In any case, with Boeing and Airbus not supplying spare parts, it is doubtful if the planes could have been kept flying safely for long. This shouldn't stop Russian tourists from taking other airlines such as Emirates or Air China, though, but then there are still the questions of the exchange rate and payments systems. MasterCard and Visa has suspended use of Russian-bank-issued cards outside of Russia. But this little snippet from BBC is interesting:
    1 point
  25. right , AK-47 is faster, ask Ceausescu or Khaddaffi
    1 point
  26. or trying not to vomit looking at that piece of Russian fake war propaganda. But dead bodies are real
    1 point
  27. Unfortunately Russia, like China, has undetectable hypersonic nuclear missiles and in spite of all the $ and research we've poured in we don't yet. You're right, Russia's best (maybe only) chance is to surprise the US with a wipeout nuclear attack. That's not a good position to put your enemy in. The chances we'll die soon in a nuclear war have skyrocketed and will get worse every day. It's much more frightening than the Cuban missile crisis. Putin won't be president long because he's getting old, if no other reason. We should have grabbed the Minsk treaties and waited him out. China's much more a problem today and for the future and pushing Russia into China's arms was dumb even if we don't have a nuclear attack soon. Sun Tzu in The Art of War said that you should build golden bridges for your enemy to retreat over (and he never had to even deal with crazy Russians). But if we have a nuclear attack I won't come back and say I told you so.
    1 point
  28. Latbear4blk

    Medellin

    https://ilikepinga.com/2022/03/05/medellin-escorts/
    1 point
  29. I doubt there's anyone who "supports Putin" (and few who support Trump) but there's a politics forum for a reason and allowing another thread related to travel to be destroyed by page-long spam posts of political memes doesn't help the site.
    1 point
  30. Let them talk, indeed. They are entitled to their freedom of speech. Now... kindness?
    1 point
  31. spoon

    TAWAN MUSCLE BAR

    @GoldMember should be there already right? 😏
    1 point
  32. caeron

    TAWAN MUSCLE BAR

    I'll stop by in a few weeks. Given the state of the world in this pandemic, I'm not expecting much. I am not sure the report will reflect what it may become when things open up more, but I'll report my take since I'm sure photos are still out.
    1 point
  33. Patanawet

    Sexy swimwear and lycra

    The stall that I mentioned earlier in Silom has some brands in XXL
    1 point
  34. I did the same a year ago. Convenience and peace of mind has a lot of value, so I don't regret the expense at all. However, it does not absolve us from the idiotic 90 day reporting. But that is WAY less of a nuisance than all the other stuff, as it can be done online in a matter of a couple of minutes. I've done it since it became relevant for me with covid and has worked like a charm (except one time when the system was down for some weeks or even month. The new system they introduced I think in December is even much much easier to use than the old one, so doing that is even more convenient than the other option to avoid an unnecessary trip to Chaengwattana, i.e. have the Elite people do it for you, That involves a trip too (to their office, twice). When the system was down last year I had them do it, but for me that trip is negligible as it is a 3 minute walk from me 😉 Anyway online is THE way to go with that. 2 minutes on the couch.
    1 point
  35. I don't see these as destroying a thread. Some are very amusing. I seem to recall a saying that there is a very fine line between comedy and tragedy.
    1 point
  36. The Immigration office in Pattaya can be very busy, but I have taken over the past eighteen months or so to going late, 3.30pm (they close at 4.30pm) and I have avoided the queues. In fact the office has usually been empty. As to the 800,000 locked up in my account, I view it as the money I shall use to travel to the Dignitas Clinic in Switzerland when it is time to leave. The worst part for me is the exchange rate for the UK pound, The day before the vote to leave the EU I got 56 Baht to the pound, the day after it went down to 36. Now we are struggling to hold around 43, so the loss of almost 30% of my income over these five or more years has been really painful. Another two and a half years till I receive my state pension, but that should help. More than ten years since I retired early and came to live in Thailand and I don't regret it at all.
    1 point
  37. An interesting bunch of comments but none that have not been discussed at some time on this and other Thailand chat rooms. Without going through each one, as a longish-time resident in Bangkok I have recently decided that the constant visits to Immigration at Chaengwattana for 90 day reporting and annual visa/re-entry permit renewals is such a pain that I purchased a Thailand Elite membership. A 20 years visa for 1 million baht is obviously a lot more expensive than having either 65,000 remitted monthly or the other ridiculous method of having 400,000/800,000 tied up unspent in a savings account. But it is vastly more convenient for those who can afford it. Of course you will not get your 1 million back at the end of the term whereas that 800,000 is yours once you die! I am just delighted that Chaengwattana will be a distant memory once I can travel again (travel outside the country just once a year and you never need return there). But even if you never travel, the once-a-year visit to Immigration is a breeze because there is a young lady there to help you and a special counter. Last year I had an appointment at 11:00 am and was out by 11:20. Before getting the Elite visa, I'd have to be there around 7:30 am and was rarely out much before noon thanks to huge queues. Now I rarely have to queue. Even once I start travelling again, Elite members can use the dedicated first/business class lanes. (In that regard, over 70s also can use these lanes.) The paperwork in this country is just plain ridiculous. Bar girls/boys not loving you is again just something everyone has to have at the front of their minds. Of course there are exceptions, but these are mostly few and far between. Two-tier pricing has never bothered me, but it seems to strike a nerve with some posters who are incensed by it. I have never understood why! It is not that this is unique to Thailand because it isn't. And during my career before coming to Thailand I have earned a lot more than the vast majority of Thais. Plus it's their country. What bothered me most when I first settled here is the endemic corruption. It pervades virtually every aspect of life in Thailand. For a time it drove me nuts. But like living anywhere that is not your home country, there are certain issues that will always piss you off. As with all cops being on the take, you have no option other than get used to it - or move to another country. (Note: my comments above refer to Bangkok. I understand Immigration can be a lot easier in places like Pattaya, Chiang Mai etc.)
    1 point
  38. I visited Cebu a few years back now (2017) and had a blast. Back then Mango Square was the place to go with lots of str8 and ladyboy bars - and so where the ladyboys went the gays followed both in the bars and hanging around on the streets outside the bars. BUT I believe a lot of the Mango Square area has since been gentrified and they're trying to clean up it's image a bit, a quick google shows me that some bars are still there but I'm guessing it's not the bustling night life place it once was - but I'm also guessing there's fun to be had in Cebu in general, if not there then in other areas. I know my grindr just never stopped the entire time I was there and if I'd wanted I wouldn't have needed to go to ANY bars for the duration of the trip thats for sure ! Should it help you I stayed at the St Mark hotel https://www.stmarkhotel.ph which a quick goggle shows me is still there. It was spot on hotel wise and just around the corner from the bars. One thing back just to give a word of caution, when there I was warned by several people ( not all guys and it wasn't chat up lines) not to walk home alone 'in general" at night and certainly not to and from the bars, as being the white guy I stood out like a sore thumb of course as a robbery target ( which seemed quite prevalent there at the time I heard. I did follow that advice the first few nights ( ro got someone to walk home with me "for safety" lol, but after a while I relaxed and did walk about quite freely - as to whether or not that was actually wise idea late at night or not I'm not so sure. But do check the PH's message boards etc as it seems info is always quite hard to pin down there ( and in the PH's in general) as everyone likes to put up that "holier than thou" front - and yet the bars once you get into them are busy - funny that eh ! Oh and I would concur with what a few others said, I went to a few so called go go bars in Manila ( the old location, not where the new O bar is at now - link here - https://www.travelgay.com/venue/o-bar-manila/#comment-13023 and the guys ( in the old gay bar area area of Malate - where they may actually still be a few gays bars I believe?) but they were nothing to write home about in the slightest, and I'm guessing mainly straight. There were however plently of friendly guys OUTSIDE the bars, who I'm guessing weren't allowed in as they were freelancing - they I found were VERY friendly and in fact I spent a few days with one of the guys I met there and we had a great time seeing the sights "and stuff" 🙂 The Ph's can feel like hard work sometimes when trying to plan a trip online as nothing is easy or laid out on a plate for you and the info online can tend to be years out of date sometimes ( although bars facebook pages seem a better option sometimes), BUT the guys there I found always to be plentiful on arrival the minute you walked out the door and ( and also many of them were hot) and a lot of them always very keen to be "friendly" either for money or not actually half times and many were just keen for a good night out ( and in) with you - the only downside of course being that every Flipino seems to think they're you're bf after 10 minutes, but I'm sure you're well experienced in correcting that misapprehension FAST ! Hope that helped in some way.
    1 point
  39. I was a frequent visitor to the Philippines. But now it has been 2 years since my last trip there. My first advice is to skip Manila, unless you have meet a sweet guy online and made arrangements to meet. As said previously, the Go-Go Bars and Massage Places are not worth your time or money. Online I find Gay Romeo a good way to meet guys. And there many gay men use Whatsapp. So if you only plan to visit Manila I would start chatting with Filipinos and then make plans to meet them in Manila. But I love going to the South of the Philippines. To Cebu, Bohol, Mandaue or Palawan. My reqular visits were to Cebu City or Davao City. I met many hot guys who loved older men! And we enjoyed Traveling or going out to Discos or to Shop. Of course the most beautiful beaches are on Boracay or Palawan. But now you need to plan ahead to get to visit Boracay. Though I think with the opening up of the Philippines, things will be changing. All in all the Philippines are a great place to vist and there many "right" young men to spend your time with there!! INGAT!!
    1 point
  40. Although I've been to Manila few times, I can't much help the OP with his questions. I've found the gay scene quite frustrating. Perhaps that's because I've become so used to Thai business practices. To take the last question first (Where in Manila should I stay?). There will probably be no good solution since the (few) gay places are scattered. With the caveat that I've only been there a few times and even then I found that busnesses open and close quite rapidly, the hotel search should focus on Quezon City's Cubao and Timog areas (they're about 2 km apart and perhaps 30 minutes by Grabcar given the traffic situation day and night). Personally, I end up walking between the two areas. It's faster than by car. There is a third area with macho-dancer bars, and that's way to the south in the Baclaran area and along Roxas Blvd. Allow 90 minutes by car from Quezon. But this area seems to have no massage businesses, and so I don't prefer it. I've hardly ever used apps in the Philippines, so I have no experience to share. The two types of venues which I can describe are: 1. Macho dancer bars. The first thing to do is to jettison everything you know about Thai gogobars. Macho-dancer bars operate on a completely model (and if you think Thai bars can be a rip-off, wait till you see Manila's). Macho-dancer bars tend to have just one guy dancing at any one time, and in a dreadfully boring way too. Between dance numbers, the boys are available to sit with you, but the point of sitting with you is to make you drink up more and buy more. Offing doesn't seem to the business objective. It seems to me that bars don't even allow their hosts to leave early, and there may not be an "off fee" rate. Instead, the objective is/was to entice you to a "private dance" in some rat-hole at the back of the bar, where clothes come off... but what else can you do in 20 - 30 minutes in a large-ish closet with peeling paint and sticky faux-leather soafs? It's been at least ten years since I enquired about the rate for a private dance (duration=3 songs, if I remember correctly) and even then it was a ridiculous price, something like 80 - 100 euros. I have never observed any customer to take a host for a private dance. I've had hosts try to fix up a "date" with me on a different day while sitting with me. They say such and such a day will be their day off and they can go on a date. Then they talk about dining, and shopping... and when I ask what else, they go quiet. The problem seems to be that the guys are mostly straight and homophobia is never far from the surface. They don't have the language or latitude to discuss/negotiate sex sessions with clients. I have yet to successfully take a host from any macho dancer bar because I have never managed to get any meaningful communication on this issue. In other words, I really don't have much information to offer. These macho-dancer bars target women as much as men. In fact, I think they average more women patrons than men, so the bars do not have gay vibes. One more thing, the hosts speak even less English than most Thai gogo boys. 2. Massage There are/were several tiny establishments in the Kamias Road and Kamuning Road areas midway between Timog and Cubao, All are little more than slum shacks. I've come across one that had no running water for days and yet still tried to open for business. Some have airconditioning, others don't. Most are fire traps. The common practice is for the masseurs to line up behind a one-way mirror, and you pick one. Massage skills are almost non-existent. Lacking skills, they progress quickly to play, so getting 60 minutes out of them might be a small miracle. In this, aptitude and skills naturally vary a lot from one guy to another. Tips in the region of 2,000 pesos (about 30 euros) should suffice -- in addition to what the shop charges for "massage". -- There are other places like "O bar" in Ortigas area, "One 690 bar" on Don A Roces Ave, and one more in the Cubao area -- I forget its name -- that really are show bars, again targetting women as much as men. But getting there is time-consuming and in Manila, the shows are very very late.
    1 point
  41. Ukrainian president Zelensky at time of his press-conference. March 3. Just watch it, you don't need to know Ukrainian. Only 42 sec. What do you think: alcohol or cocaine?
    -3 points
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