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My week in Chiang Mai was great. Lots of great food. There definitely seemed to be more non-Asian tourists in Chiang Mai than in Bangkok. I stayed in an AirBnB which was great. Lots of space, decent Wifi, balcony, washing machine, kitchen etc, and for very little money for the week. I spent most of my time with a boy I met a couple of years ago and with whom I have been in touch with ever since. He is a university student and his English is very good. I met him on Grindr (not a money boy). We spent most days with him coming over to my apartment, going for lunch and then off to an art gallery or other local attraction. It was a very chilled out few days. On Thursday, he had to go home to BKK to see his mum and sister. I had a couple of days to myself so checked out Grindr to see what was about. I hooked up with a few guys over the next three days. There are plenty of guys on the app so didn't have to try to hard to find someone. Lots of massage boys on Grindr in Chiang Mai and the prices are about 50% cheaper than in BKK. One money boy got in touch with an initial price of 2000 thb but i wasn't really interested. He kept trying though and was down to 700 by the time he got the message and looked elsewhere. I didn't really check out the gay scene in Chiang Mai. I did go to Orion Bar which had a cabaret show on at about 9pm? It was empty when i sat down for a drink at 8pm ish but by the time of the show it had filled up quite a bit and there was a bit of a crowd. I like Chiang Mai it is an easy place to hang out and relax. And there are some signs of life returning. Venues appear to be filling up again. There was excellent Thai restaurant near my apartment. They do a Burmese style curry which is one of the best things i have ever eaten. Having been there twice already, I thought I would treat myself on my last night and go again. I turned up to find a queue to get! It was way too hot for me to stand around so found another venue. This is the place if you are interested - https://www.facebook.com/TongTemToh/ It is right next door to an Italian restaurant called Why Not? It is also excellent - http://whynotchiangmai.com/ Back to BKK for one night and stayed at The Raya. What a fantastic little hotel. Very good value, large room and you can't beat the location. I caught up with a forum member for drinks in Soi 4. It does seem to be a little more lively than it was when i was there a week before. Maybe the impact of a few more tourists and Songkran in a couple of days? My drinking partner let me depart early as I had important "errands" to attend to. I managed to hook up with the birthday boy I mentioned in an earlier post. We had planned to meet straight after his work at 6pm but he then had to take overtime at work and was not able to meet until later. Sadly, that meant that our hook up was much curtailed in terms of time together. Still, he was as excellent as the first time we met. My flight back is not until late tonight but it has been a low key day. It is blisteringly hot today and I feel complete; I don't feel the need to be doing much more. Checkout at The Raya is 12pm but you can have a later checkout time at the cost of 100 thb per hour, which feels like excellent value to me. It means I can hang out here and take sanctuary in the air conditioning! I have just ventured out to the @vinapucommended, 5* dining experience, and now back in the room. I have Grindr on and a few messages coming in but I think I am done now, I have had my fill. Some reflections on a couple of weeks back in Thailand: Print all of the documentation out. I can't imagine trying to manage it all off the phone. On the way out my papers were checked 5 times and not all the same combination of documentation. The testing is a nightmare and a waste of time and without a doubt killing tourism. I bought a phone sim at the airport - dtac have a shop by baggage reclaim. It turns out the deal i got was better than i thought it was and no more expensive than buying from a 7-11. I know this because I thought i had only got a 2gb data limit. It turns out it was Unlimited data. My phone had an odd setting which made it appear to be limited to 2gb. When i went to a dtac shop to increase my data she couldn't really understand what/ why I was asking. It was only then i realised my (good) mistake. It was a good job i did get the sim card at the airport, as my first trip outside of my room after Day 1 PCR test confinement, I got locked in a stairwell! Luckily, I was able to phone reception and they sent someone to let me out! Like everywhere else, Covid has hit businesses. That compounded with only a trickle of tourism, many shops, bars, restaurants have closed and show little to no sign of returning anytime soon. Many of the tourist dependent shops have gone - the night bizarre in Chiang Mai is half the size I remember it being and many places even though they say are open in Google have just disappeared. Grindr worked really well for me. Lots of local guys not trade to hook up with. Yes, there are money boys and massage guys on there as well and very easy to find, but plenty of local guys just looking for fun as well. I learnt on a number of occasions to go with the flow. Two local guys I nearly ignored turned out to be two of the best hook ups ever. This is my second time in Thailand and I know that I will be coming back. My first visit, two years ago just before Covid, was spoilt a bit by a heavy cold that I came down with the day before I flew out. It really hit my first week in BKK. This time, once the testing had been successfully navigated, I was able to have a much fuller experience. Yes, there are some restrictions and things not open, but there is still plenty of things that are still standing to enjoy. Hopefully, travel restrictions will ease over the next few months and people will start coming back. I am already planning my next trip out and have got my boss to agree to let me work UK hours in Thailand, if possible for a month. I can think of no better escape from the UK winter!

If some other restaurants don’t start to open they may have to start taking reservations. Almost a full house when I stopped by last night.

Yes whatever I have learnt, it was through the sharings in this forum. A great thank you to all.

Chiang Mai is showing signs of life again particularly with the approach of Songkran - Adams Apple remains closed and Pandee Bar, Secrets Bar have ceased operation. In the night bazaar area Orion Bar and Ram Bar are open and provided cabaret shows. There are several boy host bars Pose, Maya, Route 181 which really don't kick off till 11.00 pm - staff at these venues can be invited to drink with you at a fee per hour - post work arrangements can be negotiated individually. Barrocco karaoke works similarly. Most of these venues have Facebook pages. The gay Apps used here include Hornet, Grindr and Blue'd and there are plenty of members. The authenticity of some profiles is questionable. Chiang Mai old city is a great place to wander around and the Saturday and Sunday walking street markets are worth a visit. Food is a great attraction here as is coffee - some excellent coffee locations. You have to try khao Soy crispy fried noodles atop a coconut curry broth with chicken and yellow noodles. Classic House massage is close to the old city and remains one of the steadfast gay massage places. Woody at Classic House also does tours and he is a really good guy - a day tour costs around 2500 - 3000 thb Some really nice places to visit outside Chiang Mai - Doi Inthanon, Mon Chaem, Mae Khompong, Chiang Rai (overnight is best). However there is haze around at present which limits views. The large mountain Doi Suthep overlooks Chiang Mai and is a nice spot on a clear day. At present one of the fads is going to a watercourse , sitting on a chair in the water and eating and drinking and getting wet of course. Lots of people go to the lake Huay Taeng Tao to eat and spread out in the bamboo huts overlooking the water.

Today is my first day of getting up feeling rested and reenergized. Two nights in a raw sleeping more than 7 hours have made their work. I just finished reading the news and drinking my home made coffee before sitting down to write my daily entry to this travel log. Before saying anything else, I want to report that I bought lube. This is one of the particularities here that I forgot to report. Full size pharmacies in Medellin are a rare species. What you have is many small stores, as little and as abundant as “kioskos” in Buenos Aires. The one around my corner did not have a full bottle (good! I do not think I could pass one through the airport security check), so I bought a bunch of little packets. Another reason feel rested today is that yesterday I stayed in my base the whole day, doing some online work and just chilling. Therefore, I do not really have much to report today. One thing that I did and allowed me to take a breath was shutting down Grindr and Scruff in the evening. At noon I met Randy Junior, I guess you have already read my report in the blog. We tried to fuck but my boner was slacking. I shared before that I am in a transition in my aging process, where I may need to re examine my sexual habits. I do not have the same stamina I used to. Just a beautiful man is not anymore the only condition to function, now the connection is more important than the looks. This is not something I am finding out now in Medellin, but something that has been going on for about one year now. I also noticed it in my last trip to Argentina. Randy is beautiful, but our connection was not enough motivation. My review is honest, so I will not repeat myself here. Once we finished the interview and he left, I kept working for a while before lighting up an apanado and relaxing. I talked to Max Avila, who confirmed me he is not escorting, but who is a much more interesting character than Randy. You will see when I publish it that Randy’s answers to my questions are quite conventional and safe, I could tell he was delivering talking points. I expect more from Max, who strikes me as smarter and more idiosyncratic. He is organizing sex parties and is taking a leadership position in the local adult entertainment industry. I am meeting him this afternoon, and have a lot of expectations on what my network could gain if we click and I can develop a partnership with him in Medellin, similar to the partnership I developed with Rhyheim in the USA and Brazil markets. I also talked to Fercho. I have an appointment for this evening, with a guy called “Mafioso” in his Bilatinmen scenes. I also asked Fercho whether he was interested in an interview and being featured in the blog, he responded that we would talk this evening at Bliss. I could have ordered Mafioso to be delivered at my nest, but wanted to check the hotel to report how the service is over there. I also contacted the owner of El Sillon Rojo. Sex parties have never been my thing, and that is not going to change now. However, I understand the guy has an extensive network amongst local porn creators and sex workers, and would also love to cultivate a partnership with him. They modified their themed parties agenda because of Semana Santa, and tonight is the Bears event, which is the best fit for me. However, I do not think I will be in the mood to attend the event after fucking at the Bliss Hotel. Last evening, before I turned them off, the hook up apps were driving me crazy, out of temptation. It is amazing the number of attractive young men into older guys, without any transactions. Unfortunately, I have been studying the series of homicides of gay men in the city (6 so far, the last one about 2 weeks ago), and the modus operandi is concerning. For instance, one of the things that usually would make me feel safe is when the guys are not insistent. Well, apparently the 6 cases looked like regular hook ups, the killer/s did not harass their victims at all. The victims were all single men living alone or who met in an hotel, and they all were tortured and murdered before being robbed. I learned a Spanish word that I had never seen before: sevicia. You can look for it. Initially, the killers’ cruelty (so far there are two suspects detained, but 4 murderers are still unresolved) made the police detectives think of homophobic serial killers, but now they think they are dealing with homosexual homicides who know when the victim is in his most vulnerable moment to kill him. So I am not at ease with online hookups, and I will focus on the contacts I had made a long time ago, and kept during the preparations. Guys like the montanero, the costeño, and a guy I am meeting tomorrow. Hooks ups like the Venezuelan bakers are not going to happen again (I think, I am a slut with a very weak self control), at least my focus will not be that kind of hook up. If I had a room mate with me, it would be completely different. In that case, it would be safe to bring guys to my place, at least I would feel safer than even going to an hotel with them. Several victims were murdered in hotels. I do not like Viagra because I get red like a tomato, but I guess I will take one to go to the Bliss today. I can waste a meeting for free, but I would hate to pay and not being able to perform as I like to. And now, I go for one of my walks before coming back to wait for Max. Today I want to take a closer look to “la 70”. Hugs.

From Nikkei Asia Thailand's 'boys love' dramas stealing hearts around the world In Thailand, its "boys love" or BL dramas are popular mainly among young women, as the country is more accepting of the LGBTQ community than most other Asian countries. © GMMTV YUKIHIRO ENOMOTO, KOGA HASHIZUME and MARIMI KISHIMOTO, Nikkei staff writers TOKYO -- The hashtag #ThaiNuma (meaning #Thaiswamp) has skyrocketed on Japanese social media in recent years, thanks to the growing popularity of Thailand's "boys love" dramas. As some fans say of the captivating genre, "You'll never get out once you get stuck, like a bottomless swamp." The country thinks its BL dramas could storm the world like K-pop. Nearly every time Bright, 24, and Win, 23 -- popular actors of the megahit "2gether" said something during an October 2021 online event held for Thai and Japanese fans, followers raved with replies like "Thank you for a wonderful time" or "I will love you forever." The hashtag #BrightWinJAPAN became the No. 1 trending hashtag at the time. Bright and Win each have more than 10 million followers on Instagram. They even held live meet-and-greets with fans in Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, New York and London in 2020.In Thailand, its "boys love" or BL dramas are popular mainly among young women, as the country is more accepting of the LGBTQ community than most other Asian countries. © GMMTV Continues with videos https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Media-Entertainment/Thailand-s-boys-love-dramas-stealing-hearts-around-the-world

Generally I would agree with the sentiments so far expressed. Joiners can be easier at less expensive hotels. I did have one very embarrassing experience at what was then the 5-star Regent Hotel on Rajadamri (so we are going back quite a few years - it later became the Four Seasons and is now the Anantara). I took a boy back from one of the bars at around 10:00 pm. I knew there were security staff on duty at the lift lobby and managed to get into a lift without being seen. I had forgotten about cctv cameras, though. Within a minute of getting to my room there was a knock on the door. It was security. I did not answer. After various similar episodes, the phone rang. And then rang again. I refused to answer. The end result was a less than satisfactory tryst. I also agree with @reader that the Montien definitely had a no joiner policy. I have written before about a conversation I had with the Assistant GM of the Mandarin Oriental hotel - again quite some time ago. We were having drinks in the lobby when a young man entered with what was obviously a bar girl. Before they even got to the lifts, a security officer approached them. End result? The girl had to leave. No argument about it. I asked my colleague what the hotel's policy was. No joiners after a certain time as it was against the law for hotels to accommodate non-guests who were not registered. But if the guest brought a girl or a boy who was dressed in line with the hotel policies - i.e. pleasantly casual but no tank tops, no flip flops etc. - then they would be given the benefit of the doubt and allowed upstairs. I have heard that there is no problem with joiners at Le Meridien on Suriwong. When I spent my one test&go night there last week, I saw no security in the lobby at all and the lift area can not be seen from the front desk. At two mid-price hotels in that area there used to be desks by the lift lobby to get extra payments for guests taking joiners to their rooms. Not sure what the situation is now. Checking hotel policies in advance as suggested by @z909 is a good idea, although given the government's overnight rule, I still think it is best to book a double room and then have your boy du jour register. Chiang Mai There is certainly a lot to see in and around Chiang Mai. From @musgrave's post, though, it seems Chiang Mai's gay scene continues in the death throes that started more than 5 years ago. We found the bars now situated across from Le Meridien boring. The money boys are more interested in the locals who frequent them or in their cell phones than new customers. There are certainly other gay massage spas in addition to Classic. The two gay saunas seem to be doing quite good business. Club One-Seven is located near the southern outskirts on the river across from the huge Holiday Inn Hotel. The older House of Male in the north west of the city always seems to have some students from the nearby University, but with the Songkran holiday about to start I suspect there may not be many until term time starts again. This site is worth checking - https://www.gay-in-chiangmai.com

big change in comparison to December when on several occasions I was there at various times of day and night it was at most 1/3 full

I'm glad that ranks of forum members fond of Foodland Patpong are growing

Well, my goal of getting much throat stretching wasn't met on this trip and I'm fine with that, because the relaxation I achieved from two weeks in the DR was a terrific way to lift up my spirits after 2 years of the pandemic in San Francisco. The one hookup through Manny with an especially nicely hung young dude, and the footage of throating his inches, was satisfying while I'm enjoying editing the videos. There was a turning point in SDQ where simply hanging out on El Conde and in Parque Duarte, the queer evening gathering spot, and man-watching was superbly satisfying. These old bones of mine, reveled in the heat and humidity, which they don't get in perpetually chilly SF, were happy on this holiday. Another week at the beach in Las Terrenas would have been great, but that will have to wait for my next visit to the Dominican Republic.

Read the trip reports in this forum. Numerous members have generously posted about their experiences in recent months. Within a few hours, you will acquire a ton of information. That way you'll be prepared to ask specific questions if you still have any. Good luck with your trip.

I agree. In 20+years, I never had an issue with bringing someone back, and that includes the grande dame Dusit Thani. As others have said above, the best hotels exercise discretion in these situations. One of the few that's been known for interrogating guests about joiners is the Moniein off Surawong.

My friend accidentally purchased 2 tickets on the wrong date: Sunday, May 29, 3 PM. 2 tickets, Orchestra Row G. The tickets are $128 each. Several are selling on StubHub for $400. My friend is not interested in upselling. $128 each is what he paid. This award-winning revival play features full-frontal male nudity. It's a limited run. PM me if you are interested in buying these tickets. https://2st.com/shows/take-me-out

John Lennon’s first-born son Julian performed his dad’s famous song “Imagine” for the first time publicly to benefit war-torn Ukraine and its people. I thought this was truly beautiful and a perfect time for this song asking for peace. "Imagine" continues to be a strong powerful message for the human race and hopefully the invaders will cease this destruction.

Have you tried tadalafil (generic Cialis)...effective without the red face?

What may be holding things up is Airports of Thailand's reported lack of preparedness for the large influx in international arrivals after April 1 when the pre-departure PCR test was dropped from Test-and-Go requirements. The Thai Enquirer has published articles, describing the chaos at Suvarnabhumi that overwhelmed staff. If the PCR test is indeed replaced by the rapid antigen test and administered at the airport upon arrival, authorities likely fear an even greater dilemma when passenger numbers increase anew. ======================================= From The Thai Enquirer After a famous Thai YouTuber exposed to the world how lost tourists were at the airport upon their arrival in Thailand, causing national shame overnight, it took just a day for officials to address the issue. Even worse, the officials claimed the photos of the crowded airport hallway were taken during rush hours, when most passengers were arriving. More travelers entered the kingdom this month as the government removed the mandatory pre-arrival RT-PCR test certificate under the Test and Go scheme. On Sunday, Atichan Cherngchavano, the owner of the YouTube channel Spin9 with over 631,000 subscribers, shared a post shedding light on how chaotic Suvarnabhumi Airport was while travelers were struggling to find their vans to their hotels to take their post-arrival RT-PCR test. “No one was able to go anywhere; they were put together in long queues,” Atichan wrote. “Hotel staff screamed their hotels’ names until their voices cracked.” Atichan said there was no directory guiding passengers, except for a pack of hotels’ logos on one counter. “Everything is placed randomly and unalphabetically.” Once the passengers found their hotel counter, they had to join a long queue since there was only one staff handling bookings for many hotels, he added. His post has gone viral, with over 37,000 retweets and 6,600 shares across Facebook. The embarrassment on the faces of those officials prompted them to release a statement to rescue their integrity a day later. “Such traffic occurred during the peak hours,” said Airports of Thailand (AOT), the state-run operator of airports in Thailand. According to the statement, Suvarnabhumi Airport had to handle an uptick in passenger numbers, from 6,000 – 7,000 to 9,000 – 10,000 a day, amid Covid-19 precautions. The officials also said they had increased the number of counters and arranged them alphabetically to make it easier for passengers to spot their hotel’s logo. No doubt the airport officials were quick to respond to those complaints. Sadly, this was nothing more than the outcome of a slap in the face from one of the prominent influencers who is able to create online outrage overnight. It proves the unflattering fact that those authorities are only willing to take action properly to facilitate their citizens and guests when the problems cause them embarrassment to some extent. Given how the government is treating foreign visitors who contributed substantially to the country’s economy prior to the pandemic, Thailand’s tourism prosperity may not be on the horizon anytime soon.

I have no problem cross-dressing myself and be a woman for a handsome and horny straight guy. In fact, I am looking for a salon in Bangkok to do my makeup before going out to clubs

I and not only me on this forum don't mind spending money on straights as long as they do their part and often they do with gusto,

Thanks Vinapu. Yes he had the str8 look to him. Just seeing is fine. Prob wouldn't wanna shell out money for "str8 guys" lolw...

His nick is Smart, apparently according to the grapevine he is straight if it's at all possible to be straight and work as male model in boy bar

You should also know that you can get it delivered through Rappi, along with poppers and viagra. Seriously.

Yesterday, Sunday, was cloudier than Saturday and definitely a more tolerable temperature for me. I could easily get used to the humidity, but I think that, in order to be fully happy while living in this city, I would need easy access to a swimming pool. The day would have been perfect to check avenues and streets turned into pedestrian ways, but he headed in a different direction. Punctually, my bisexual new friend stopped by to pick me up. Damn he is tall, my face was at the height of his chess. I was confused about his origins. He is not a rare Black Paisa as I reported before, but an import from Barranquilla. From now on, I will refer him as “the Costeño”. We walked to Carrera 70, the Laureles Avenue with the highest concentration of bars and restaurants. Coming over there at night is still in my to do list. Nearby there is a stadium and sports complex and there was a soccer game scheduled for later in the afternoon. The restaurants and side walks were pack with soccer fans. I made a pause to prepare and fix my version of a Paisa breakfast: Back to yesterday, the whole area was taken over by local soccer fans. Several Chivas were parked along the avenue, all of them fancier than the one I had seen during the ride from the airport to my nest. You have one here, modified for transporting tourists: They come in all sizes and designs, this is just an example. We were looking for a place to have lunch. I had asked the Costeño to avoid restaurants for export and choose one attended by locals. His first choice was a small place with no tables outside. We were looking to eat a bandeja paisa, and I did not want to eat such a heavy dish inside a little hot room. Perhaps I should have accepted, as our final choice was comfortable but I did not like the food. We ended in a corner, a store that had both foods and souvenirs, and tables outside in the side walk. The bandeja paisa was $24.9K (U$S 6.6): I did not like the morcilla (I am peaky with meat), and the chicharron was so hard to chew that I was afraid of breaking my denture. I did enjoyed the rest of the ingredients and I will hold my judgement on this traditional dish. I will try it again some other time, probably in other trip. The best part of having lunch in the sidewalk by a corner was witnessing the soccer fans. They were drunk, excited, happy AND HOT. They were extremely affectionate to each other, what made me think that perhaps I mistook some of the Montañero affectionate physical expressions. So many years in the States have made me forget how Latino men’s friendships can be easily misunderstood by less passionate cultures. We love our friends, and we show our love physically and passionately. We walked a little bit more around the area until finally got in the metro station. The Costeño was about to give me the first lesson on Medellin public transportation 101. The whole Metro system seems modern beautiful, and functional, at the same or even higher level than most big cities. We were in our way to visit Parque Arvi and therefore, to take the Metro Cable. IMG_0058.MOV I made here another of my mistakes. I do not remember whether I shared that I suffer from vertigo. Traveling inside this boxes seemed safe to me from the outside, but in one of the sections (you have to switch to a different cart to get to Parque Arvi), in the last one to be precise, I sat looking in the wrong direction (down), and had to use all my tricks to avoid a panic attack. It was long and painful while it lasted. Later on we laugh with the Costeño. He noticed that I was tense and sweating (I did tell him about my vertigo issues), and was very scared I was going to faint inside of the cart, and that he would need to call for help and an ambulance. He was even looking for and reading all the emergency directions printed in the walls. Fortunately, I survived. Once we passed the first half of the trajectory, the view was not triggering my vertigo anymore. The view, once I calmed down, was amazing. You are traveling a few meters above rain forest, the vegetation is exuberant and I wonder about the fauna. All I could see was gigantic colorful butterflies, and hear many different birds. Once you get closer to the Parque, the view turns to beautifully landscaped gardens. I have nothing to report about the Parque itself, we walked around and it is worth another longer visit, perhaps paying the 40K fee foreigners must pay to participate in all guided experiences. We just walked around for free. Taking the Metro Cable back was a more enjoyable experience, as I already knew where to sit to avoid my vertigo. When we were almost arriving to the end, the carts stopped. As you can imagine, inercia made the vehicle swing a few times. A lady in front of me started to share that she was very scared. I was afraid she was going to start moving and make the vehicle lose balance, so I held her hands and asked her to look at my eyes. She did, and when I felt she was calming down asked her to look down and focus on her knees. She was traveling with a male companion, who said: “yeah, focus on your trembling knees.” We all laughed and the cable started moving again. The soccer game was about to start, and the Metro stations were packed. Every time we had to make a combination, flocks of fans would ran to be the first in line to take the next train. The lines were long, so in San Agustin we walked out of the Metro System and called for an Uber. Back at my quarters, we took a shower, smoke one of my “apanados”, and started to make up. We ended having a four hours sex session. I skip the details because this is not paid sex and remain private. The only thing I am going to share is … I FORGOT AGAIN TO BUY LUBE!!!!! Damn The Costeño left about 9pm. I was of course drained, hungry, and did not make it to the bars or to Fercho. I did not even step out for diner. Instead, I call Rappi and order another popular paisa dish: salchipapas: The meats were better than in my early Bandeja Paisa, and I was stoned and hungry, so I enjoyed this monumental piece of trash food, a lot. However, it is not something to eat very often, as it is very greasy and unhealthy. Before going to sleep, I confirmed my appointments with Randy (he is coming over in a few hours) and Max (tomorrow), and for the first time since I arrived I was snoring at 10:30. When I got up today at 7, I found a message from the Venezuelan baker. We did not coincide last night. On day 3 of my trip, I still have nothing to report on escorts (only plans). I had sex with a Venezuelan and with a Costeño, I made up with a Montañero, I am still waiting for the first Paisa who will jump to my bed. I think Randy Junior is a Paisa, so the first one will not be for free. I am loving Medellin. Thank you so much to the friends giving me tips and recommendations through PM. There are too many things to do, and I do not want to be stressed about doing things. I will take as much advantage as possible from your advise, but right now it looks like I will be back, definitively. On Wednesday I may have another guy I met in Grindr taking me around. We have been talking about walking Centro Prado, and also going to the montes to enjoy the city view. Let’s see. On Thursday, Semana Santa starts and the city may be left deserted, I am told, as a lot of people go out to suburban and exurban fincas. See you tomorrow.

Thanks. I'm so pleased you enjoyed Chiang Mai and recognised that it "life was returning". It's one of our favourite places, though I prefer Chiang Rai- similar but smaller and less commercialised. It is certainly a city where it's probably best to have a companion. The gay scene was quite something twenty years back but now....well, you were right to have your own entertainment available.

Hope this heralds the opening of land borers to the ASEAN guys. From The Thaiger Thailand is looking to bring in more labourers from neighbouring countries with the help of recruitment agencies, as the government seeks to employ an army of around 150,000 foreign workers to make up for the country’s low percentage of people willing to do manual labour jobs. But the general public is worried about the clutter and spread of Covid-19 from migrant workers, sparking a debate about immigration procedures. The labour ministry is attempting to solve the shortage in labour in two ways. The first is to use the labour memorandum of understanding procedure, or MoU, to bring in people from three neighbhouring nations to work for Thai companies, according to the director-general of the Department of Employment, Pairoj Chotikasathien. Thailand employers have already used the MoU platform to apply to recruit nearly 168,00 workers, requesting approximately 117,000 people from Myanmar, 39,000 people from Cambodia, and 12,000 people rom Laos. So far, 144,709 of the applicants have been approved, with applications submitted to their home countries. Around 6,000 workers from Cambodia and Laos have already entered Thailand. The second way to address labour shortages is by allowing migrant workers who are currently in Thailand stay and work legally. More than 2 million workers who have already arrived in Thailand can now apply for jobs and stay in Thailand rather than returning to their home countries, Pattaya Mail reported.

Given the conditions those poor people work under already I hope this improves their lives

as long as we have Bangkok we will be Ok

I dropped in on my final night in Bogota, three weeks ago. I actually arrived early as I was in the neighbourhood. The bar is operating back to normal -- many new dancers in the roster along with the ones from the website. The early evening is a popular pre-game for groups of friends looking to meet up before clubbing. That goes until about 11:00pm. After that, wave number two consists of those looking for trade or catch the sex shows. The dancers were very open about soliciting dates after the club closes at 2am. Many in the crowd make their way over from Dark Club (a block away) to catch last call and maybe pick up some dessert to take home.