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Arrival was smooth. Once you had all your Test and Go paperwork, it was an easy ride in from the airport. The advantage of landing around midnight. I ended up in the Quarter in Silom. Central, solid, cheap. Only real downside is they are doing construction and it is noisy during the day. Test took the full 12 hours. I was sampled at midnight at the drive through, but didn’t get my clearance until just before noon. Masking up everywhere, including on the open street is a bit annoying, but it seems like things are otherwise beginning to get back to normal. No night market, and many places still closed, but a solid core still open. Bars aren’t enforcing the mask mandate at all, though given how few customers there are, it felt very safe to me even so. I hadn’t expected I’d feel comfortable to unmask. Frankly, I felt far more uncomfortable being the only patron in several I visited. I could have my pick of the boys, because everybody is looking just at you. If you like being the center of attention, now is the time to go. Bonus for me, no Chinese ladies. Dreamboys: I was the only customer, I think. Maybe two locals. Two other foreigners came in and left shortly thereafter. About 18 boys, good mix of types. One guy, however, looked like he was on the other side of 40 and pretty used. I wondered what his story was that he was trying to make it as a go-go boy. Freshboys: Again, no customers, I didn’t stay. (400baht beers add up) About a dozen boys, towards the twinkier end, though lots of tattoos. Moonlight: 6 boys, but all that perfect jock muscled look I love. Could have offed any of them. Will return. Had about 3 other customer groups, so very light, but not entirely empty. Attentive staff. Jupiter2018: Sad. I’m not a fan, but about 6 boys, half of whom even in the show didn’t take off their shirts. Most wore mask shields (boys weren’t masked anywhere else) which we know do nothing so not sure of the point. Had maybe 4 other customers. Half the boys didn’t make eye contact when they walked in front of you. Just stared into space. Guys were hot enough though. Tawan: As bad as I feared. 2 Guys, muscled but fat, both probably 40+. A few more in the place, who might have been guys on offer, but they’re fully dressed sitting by the sides, playing on their phones. In the dim room, you can’t really see them, and they never even looked up, despite the fact that it's pretty clear that having a customer is rare. Place is tiny, but since there’s no one there, I guess it doesn’t matter. I drank my expensive beer and left. I took one for the team. I don't suggest you bother unless you're a complete muscle nut. On the plus side, visiting some tourist places I hadn’t been before. I recommend both the flower market and the amulet market for a fun bit of exploring. Icon Siam for those who like ogling temples of consumerism (a $1.65B dollar mall). The Thursday Muay Thai fights at Rajadamnern Stadium were fun. I stayed through the first title bout, but the Thursday card runs from 6pm to something like 10:30pm, and the next title fight is the last fight of the night. Fights are thursdays and sundays.

After almost 2.5 year absence I am back in Thailand. I arrived today. Test&Go scheme. I am not into writing trip reports so I won’t do that. But I would love to write down some things that I would have loved to have read before departure. The PCR test results wait time can be speed up to only a 1 to 2 hour wait time. I had my test and I asked the lady when will the results be ready? The answer: “tomorrow morning”. Then I asked what it would cost to speed it up. They said you can arrange with hotel. Back at hotel the hotel staff called the clinic and I think 1 hour later I had the result. Negative. Price for speeding it up: 3900 baht. This gave me one extra day of holiday because I really had written the Thursday off. Considered it a day of quarantine. Around 21.00 I went on a tour to Sunee and Boyztown to see what bars are open, what massage places and if it is busy or not. Here the results of this scientific research. Of the 3 parallel roads that make up Boyztown only one is alive. It is moderately busy. Not very busy. The boys are not my number 1 or 2 type to be honest. There is at 21.30 a live show on the street in Boyztown. Of Sunee’s two parallel streets only one has some activity but very very modest. Maybe after 21.00 it gets more busy. I doubt that however. But the single street that is alive in Sunee is it only barely. Then I also went to see what massages shops I normally visited in the Tukcom and Boyztown areas are still active. The massages places near Boyztown, along that big road where the baht bus goes, are about 50% closed. Maybe even more. Didn’t see any boys outside in the ones that were open. Tukcom has still massage places with boys. SomJit for example still exists. Jomtien is the most active. Massage is open. Bars is open. Good activity. Happy my hotel is there. (I have also accidentally posted this in a sub section of this forum.)

we can't travel together, lol

10 days jail for few hours of fun ? Is oxygen lever in Thailand's corridors of power at normal level or it's new normal ?

I like #43 in the first picture

Dreamboys were in posing straps for the show, and Moonlight showed a lot more with the show. Jupiter no, and can't say about the other ones. Hotmale is open, but I didn't go in, so can't report. It does feel like you have the country to yourself. There are tourists, but not many.

NOTE - This doesn't mean many long-haul tourists will escape the pre-depdrture tests as most airlines require them, especially for transit passengers. From Thai Enquirer New rules on April 1 Thailand will lift the pre-travel test for entry regulations next month, the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) decided on Friday. To encourage more tourists, all travellers will no longer require an RT-PRC test 72 hours before departure to Thailand, starting April 1. The remaining tests for vaccinated travellers going through the Test and Go and Sandbox procedures include an RT-PCR test on arrival and a self-administered rapid antigen test (self-ATK) on the fifth day of arrival. For people going through the quarantine programmes, the quarantine period is five days with the same testing procedures. Starting April 1, the number of “Blue Zones” an area where tourist sandboxes are located and Covid restrictions are more relaxed has been increased from eight to ten provinces. The provinces include, Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Krabi, Chonburi, Chiang Mai (new addition) Nonthaburi, Pathumthani, Phang Nga, Phetchaburi (new addition) and Phuket. https://www.thaienquirer.com/38733/covid-restrictions-ease-in-hopes-to-draw-new-tourists/ ========================== From The Tourism Authority of Thailand Relaxed rules from 1 April, 2022: Eligible travellers International arrivals under any of the current three entry schemes – TEST & GO, Sandbox, and Alternative Quarantine (AQ) – will be allowed to enter Thailand without the need to show proof of a negative RT-PCR test within 72 hours of travel. Points of entry Air, land, and water points of entry. Number of approved airports increased from 7 to 8 – Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi, Phuket, Krabi, Samui, Chiang Mai, U-Tapao, and Hat Yai (new). Land border checkpoints increased from 3 to 4 – Nong Khai, Udon Thani, Songkhla, and Satun (new) Water points of entry increased from ports and piers in 2 to 3 provinces – Phuket, Chon Buri, and Surat Thani (new). Types of vessels also increased from yachts to also cover ships of Thai government agencies, while Thai crew members on cargo ships will also be allowed to enter Thailand. Testing requirement Two tests remain in place for the TEST & GO and Sandbox travellers: RT-PCR test upon arrival (Day 0) and an antigen self-test on Day 5. Sandbox staying period Reduced to 5 days from currently 7 days. After completing five days within the Sandbox destinations, travellers will be allowed to travel domestically within Thailand. AQ requirement Quarantine reduced to 5 days and an RT-PCR test on Day 4-5. ================================

I bought it from esimthailand website. I bought the Pattaya esim (it also works everywhere else by the way). But it only means you will use while in Pattaya the best network. When you buy you receive in your mail a QR code. Scan the code with your phone. The eSIM is added. I configured my primary sim for call and data. Only when landed I changed the cellular data preference to the eSIM. It all worked as advertised.

I bought while at home - on the day of departure - a eSIM. When I landed I configured this eSIM for cellular data. And it worked perfectly. So I was already online via a Thai sim when I was still in the plane. Recent iPhones support eSIM.

When entering Israel, all passengers get tested in TLV airport upon arrival and must quarantine until they get their results. That is perfect time for me to start writing. Intro – 8th trip report (and 8th visit) to my favorite city in the world. 37yo Israeli. Last trip was for the White Party of New Year’s Eve 2020 with my husband. I remember that before we flew to BKK on the end of Dec 2019, reports were starting to come about some virus in China. I couldn’t imagine back then that this virus will make me separate from BKK for such a long time. More than 2 years and 4 Pfizer vaccines later I booked this solo long weekend, to see if even after Covid changed a lot in the world, the BKK magic is still there. And it is still there 😊 Bureaucracy – Once I booked my first night directly (Grand Hyatt Erawan) and got the authorization I submitted all documents online and Thai pass was approved in less than 24 hours. Since this trip was exactly 5 days, I did not need a second PCR. And also, they now dropped the second test anyways. I found the whole procedure friendly and fast. Flight – One of the unfortunate results of Covid is of course the chaos of booking flights. We used to have 3(!) TLV-BKK direct flights a day. Now we have once a week, and 3 times a week TLV-HKT (Phuket) -BKK. None of the direct options suited my very specific flight schedule requirements so I booked Turkish Airlines with an Istanbul connection (650 USD). This is a 14 hour journey with the main leg being over night which is exactly one of my firmest requirements of a flight to BKK. A couple of days before the flight, when the probability of me actually taking that flight was high, I found that business class fare declined dramatically so I upgraded (Additional 1600 USD). The TLV-IST leg in both directions was a full flight and the IST-BKK flight was half full in both directions. Flights were great, slept great and woke up refreshed. Suvarnabhumi was kind of empty and I was out in no time. Hotel – Grand Hyatt Erawan (9400 THB test & go package with fast PCR) – Not my preferred location. Hotel lacks character but they did supply the only thing that I really wanted them to – a really fast PCR result. On my way to the hotel, we stopped by Medpark Hospital for a drive thru test – 16:18 was the swab time. At 17:41 the phone rang with the negative results. They did what they promised they would and that was great. They were also very generous with a 4PM checkout time to match my next hotel check in. Breakfast was OK. After that I went for a stroll in Silom. Soi 4 seemed pleasantly crowded. Some places closed; others opened instead. All and all, I was surprised to see a lively scene, not far from the way it used to be. I enjoyed my walking thru the different streets and venues and waited for 22:30 for the show at Tawan to start. Tawan was a sad place that Thursday night. As some photos here show, it is forth of its original size – and the stage has almost no accessories or decorations. Actually, that night there was not even a show, just 4 guys going up and down the stage for an audience of 3 people. Guys on stage are not my type, some are off season, some are in no season, but as Vinapu said – it only takes one guy. And that guy was there – I think his name was Nut but I’m not sure. A Lean bodybuilder classic type. I didn’t want to leave Silom as I wanted to party later that night so it was coinvent that they offered a room. 2800 THB later (500 off, 300 room, 2K for the guy) and we were at their room which was descent enough for the muscle worship session I wanted. He supplied it to the max and I left there very happy for myself but sad for that establishment. I do think/hope that they will improve as more and more tourists come. After that went to DJ station, which was not full as it used to be but also not empty. Music there is still shit 😊. GOD was closed that night which disappointed me but I knew it would open for the weekend so I called it a night. Will continue soon.

Z909’s first picture has cropped up on gay sites for a number of years, for good reason,- don’t we just love that line up of handsome Gogo boys !. I think it is at least 10 years since it was taken.

What? I was talking about the Easter Bunny. Where's your proof, Tasso?

Yes, it's possible to get around the requirement in certain defined circumstances. Conditions that could affect a passenger's need for a per-departure test: Requirements of the country of departure Requirements of the air carrier Requirements in transit country (if applicable) Requirements in destination country. Any of these conditions are subject to change at any time. The one thing all travelers want to avoid is arriving at the airport and inadvertently not having all required documents.

Wow - those numbers really are tiny. I am amazed there are any businesses still going. I will be doing my bit soon - arrive on the 28 March as long as I manage to avoid the plague pre departure!

Glad to hear Moonlight kind of shines, at least compared to other bars. Is Hot Male opened? Asking since you did not mention it. Jupiter impressions reflect mine from December , hot guys , no eye contact, Looks like that's their modus operandi. How is number of tourists? Still feeling of having country to yourself?

I got a sealed cup of water from a dispenser on the bus in Brazil, not that I would want to stim my bladder to have to use the toilet. I must have slept through the gourmet meal service. LOL. The lie-flat did not suit my 6-foot frame because the angle is such that the middle part is slightly convex and the foot part drops down, so there is ergonomic pressure pushing up into the lower back. Passengers talking loudly and incessantly on their phones rather than texting, waking me up in spite of noise-cancelling earphones. Some watching things on devices without headphones. We live in an age of shared-space etiquette absence. The consolation is the bus travel savings covers one or more hot fucks at one’s destination.

I hadn't thought of that, I just looked and the AIS tourist plans are all eSIM compatible. https://www.ais.th/travellersim/ 300GB/30Days/5G for 1250 baht and I can keep my existing SIM in for calls from home with data turned off. Thanks for the suggestion

But this is all speculation on your part. And it fits with what Putin would like the world to believe.

I just came back from my second massage and the Jomtien bars are already closed. It is 23.23 as I write this. Before covid these bars were open till after midnight, isn’t it ?

After almost 2.5 year absence I am back in Thailand. I arrived today. Test&Go scheme. I am not into writing trip reports so I won’t do that. But I would love to write down some things that I would have loved to have read before departure. The PCR test results wait time can be speed up to only a 1 to 2 hour wait time. I had my test and I asked the lady when will the results be ready? The answer: “tomorrow morning”. Then I asked what it would cost to speed it up. They said you can arrange with hotel. Back at hotel the hotel staff called the clinic and I think 1 hour later I had the result. Negative. Price for speeding it up: 3900 baht. This gave me one extra day of holiday because I really had written the Thursday off. Considered it a day of quarantine. Around 21.00 I went on a tour to Sunee and Boyztown to see what bars are open, what massage places and if it is busy or not. Here the results of this scientific research. Of the 3 parallel roads that make up Boyztown only one is alive. It is moderately busy. Not very busy. The boys are not my number 1 or 2 type to be honest. There is at 21.30 a live show on the street in Boyztown. Of Sunee’s two parallel streets only one has some activity but very very modest. Maybe after 21.00 it gets more busy. I doubt that however. But the single street that is alive in Sunee is it only barely. Then I also went to see what massages shops I normally visited in the Tukcom and Boyztown areas are still active. The massages places near Boyztown, along that big road where the baht bus goes, are about 50% closed. Maybe even more. Didn’t see any boys outside in the ones that were open. Tukcom has still massage places with boys. SomJit for example still exists. Jomtien is the most active. Massage is open. Bars is open. Good activity. Happy my hotel is there.

Thanks Numazu, I am not surprised you had the answers. I swear you should be a gay travel agent! You would make a mint!

From Hua Hin Today Popular blogger Richard Barrow has received a British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to British nationals overseas. Richard was presented with the medal by British Ambassador Mark Gooding. Posting on Twitter, Richard said:” I was honoured today to receive the British Empire Medal (BEM) from the British Ambassador @markgooding. HM Queen Elizabeth II had awarded this to me “for services to British nationals overseas”. Continues with photos https://www.huahintoday.com/thailand-news/richard-barrow-receives-british-empire-medal-bem-for-services-to-british-nationals-overseas/

Patriot batteries are defensive systems used to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft. They are not offensive weapons. The ones you mention have been supplied to provide Poland with the means to defend itself from attack. One of their advantages is that they can be operational within 30 minutes of delivery. Now you may choose to believe that Patriot systems are bad because they do in fact represent a threat to an attacker's offensive capability. But a funny phenomenon frequently occurs in the minds of citizens when their country is threatened by an aggressor: the need to protect themselves. That's why similar Patriot systems are in service in Germany, Greece, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Poland, Sweden, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Romania, Spain, and Taiwan. Surely you wouldn't deprive these nations of such a safeguard. According to UN protocols, it would have been the parties involved in the conflict (Russia and Ukraine) and somehow I think Russia would have been the first to object. Here's a quote from the UN on the use of peacekeeping forces: UN Peacekeeping is guided by the basic principles: Consent of the parties; Impartiality; Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate.

Have had Google Fi for years and LOVE it.

Yes. I'm frightened of mobile technology (in fact , all technology) and am unable even to put a new SIM in my phone. I also wish to phone P the minute I'm on the ground and so an airport shop that provides them is essential, particularly if I'm to be under armed-guard at an ASQ hotel. Yes, I know that I could use LINE , as Z909 told me some months back...but, bluntly , it's not the same since P's internet connection in darkest Kamphaeng Phaet isn't reliable. That airport shop is crucial for my peace of mind.

One advantage of getting the SIM card at the airport is the ease of use: The staff will usually set it up for you, so you know it works. No problem with damaged SIM or configuration issues. And the instructions are in English. I bought a SIM package in town once that was Thai only, so figuring out how to reload etc was extra effort. The local packages are usually better value though, bye a few THB...

Why on earth get in the UK? The other day I wanted a spare (to use as a hotspot in a spare phone). I just went to a 7-ll and bought one. I had to let them photo my passport and then take my photo with her phone. I don't know about the airport but am sure I read that they are there (before your day's quarantine?). The 7-11 assistant had a huge bundle of cards, so I suppose there was a variety of types and manufacturers available.

I didn't feel like the last posts were judgmental. I think people were just sharing their thoughts, opinions and own experience regarding a subject which is usually sensitive.

Day 2. Woke up late at Grand Hyatt Erawan. After breakfast I asked for a late checkout and they gave me a 4PM checkout without hesitation. It is probably also a byproduct of the hotel still being in medium capacity. Went to CentralWorld only to discover they closed all Coffee Bean branches in BKK. I like the big department store in CentralWorld that used to be called Zen and is now called Central. It's same prices as home but with lots of Asian brands we don't have back home. Bought my husband a backpack that he wanted and carried on my way back to hotel for checkout. W Hotel - I only stayed the first night at the Hyatt for the fast “get out of jail” card. Rest of the nights I wanted to spend at Silom. I Usually stay at the Meridien but I wanted to diversify since hotel prices were the cheapest I ever saw in BKK. I booked a studio suite at W for a total of 750 USD for 3 nights. I used rewards that I have so didn't actually pay but the fact is that this room in this hotel usually costs more than double. I booked that room specifically since I had a naughty fantasy with that tub which will be fulfilled in my first night there. Hotel was great and they gave me a free 6PM(!) checkout which is something I never got for free before. After checking in, I had coffee with an old friend from previous trips and after that I wanted a massage. Arrived to Silom Plaza's Arena just to discover that they don't serve the dish that I'm after. And by that I refer to Asian muscle. By Vinapu and Andy's recommendations I took a motor taxi to Sabaideespa. 4 guys on display, one of them suits my needs, I think his name was Jack. For the first time, following Vinapus advice, I go for 90 mins. I got the whole 90 mins. Massage was fun, playful and that guy was with a very high conscious of giving good service. I left that place very happy. What I failed to mention so far is that one of my main motivations to come to BKK was to meet someone from a past trip. In a previous trip report, I named him V (after his perfect V shaped torso) and we met at the White Party of 2018. This is a link to the over detailed full report of that trip, but in short, I'll say he is a fun guy to party with, we have a good connection, and his body makes me extremely weak at my knees. Some more background: after meeting in January 2018, we kept in touch online for about a year. Then he suddenly blocked me without explanation. Social media did show he had a boyfriend and I assumed that for some reason that is the reason he blocked me. Fast forward to mid-2021 after he and his BF broke up he texts me apologizing for his behavior with some explanations that sounded ridiculous to me but honestly, I did not care that much, I was happy that he contacted and waited for the right time to meet him again. I asked him to stay with me at nights and made sure he understands that during the days I'll be out without him and that he can do whatever he wants. Back at the W after my massage I wait for V to finish his work and come to my hotel. We meet at the lobby. I'm not surprised to see that he looks exactly the same. He's a classic case of - I'm not sure what I want more, to look like him or to fuck him, but at least I got one of the two. After we make out in the room, and after some talking, he wanted to shower and it was the perfect timing for me to fulfill one of my fantasies. One of the main reasons I chose to get a higher-class room was the tub. I imagined us in the tub together, him on me when I hug him from behind and soap his body. And that fantasy was exactly what happened. I was pleased that I accomplished to manifest an image I had in my mind, and after that we were both hungry and go to Soi 4’s Mexican restaurant to have a reasonable dinner. Although he offers to pay every taxi, restaurant or party we attend, I never let him. Money was never a part of the relationship between us but I know he struggles for his salary and for me paying on these expenses is easy and appreciated. From dinner we head straight to GOD. Everything is similar as it was in 2018 - he is extremely fun and sexy to party with. On that Friday GOD was not full but had a nice amount of people. Music is awesome, smoking is thankfully but ridiculously still allowed. We dance exactly the same way we did four years ago. V is an attention seeker and he wants to dance shirtless, at the mezzanine of the club, where everyone sees him, and the guy touching him and holding him from behind, which was yours truly. That guy knows how to party and I love clubbing with him. At 1:20 AM the lights turn on. That's way earlier than it used to be, but V says I'm not allowed to complain and instead just be thankful that it reopened. V who is still high, wants to go to a private after party. I don't and promise him we will go tomorrow and that tonight I want him for myself. We arrive at the room, then as it was in the past, we argue who is sex DJ tonight. V likes shitty circuit music and I like deep house. We have it my way that night and have a sex night. Our sex is in different rhythms each night, and tonight was softer and more passionate. We go to sleep exhausted and satisfied at about 5AM. Time zone wise, I deliberately wanted to go to sleep each night somewhere between 4AM to 6AM so that on the one hand I stay at Israeli Time zone, and on the other hand we don't miss hotel breakfast

From Coconuts Bangkok The father of a university freshman killed during a university hazing ritual has refused to accept half a million baht in compensation from the upperclassmen responsible for his son’s death. Ekachai Chonphakdi, whose son Padyot “Prem” Chonphakdi died Sunday after being beaten while intoxicated, told reporters that he turned down the parents of the the seven students when they approached him yesterday. “Could I get my son’s life back?” the 55-year-old man said he told them. He wants justice from the criminal justice process instead. Padyot was the sole victim of a hazing ritual at Rajamangala University Technology of Isan where first-year students were forced to drink excessively then beaten. Prem died on the way to Fort Sunaree Hospital. An autopsy found bruises to his lungs and chest. His body is to be cremated Monday at Wat Noi in Nakhon Ratchasima. The seven students have been charged with assault. Police said additional charges are forthcoming as the families of two other students injured during the hazing plan to press charges.