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I arrived at a busy time at the end of March. Although the mass of desks and logos was initially confusing, all I had to do is to state by hotel name to the nearest desk staff, and I was pointed to the right desk. All in all a 5 minute process from exiting customs to being in a car. 2500B extra got me a test result in under 2 hours. The only clunky element to the Thai Pass process was the website which would not allow .pdf file unloads. If you want to see chaos, visit a UK airport immigration hall.

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.

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.

Just saw his stepmother’s retrospective exhibition at the Kuntshaus in Zürich on Sunday.

If they are hot and reply to me they are a money boy 😅 You can just ask where they work, if they say student, restaurant or regular shop 50% chance MB, if they say bar or massage 100% chance. Then they will sometimes just tell you they are a money boy, or you can ask if they want money to come to your hotel. It's not seen as a rude question in my experience as long as you don't make it weird.

Virtually 100% of the time if a guy has a selfie in an elevator flexing his muscles in an elevator mirror he's in the trade. Escorts spend much more time than most other people in hotel elevators and on the way up they're cleaned, groomed, and dressed nice. They see themselves in mirrored elevators as top-form. Few other people take pics in elevator mirrors while there's few escort ads that don't have an elevator selfie. Anyway it works 90% for me. Usually a simple "escort?" will not be an immense insult. Usually. I would not ask in person though.

I thought Country Boy 2 was OK. The story is very slight. Oak's over the top character might have been a little better if he was toned down a bit, but I presume that was what the director wanted. I think I enjoyed CB1 a bit more.

The good news is that Airports of Thailand officials said they have since increased the number of counters and arranged them alphabetically to make it easier for passengers to spot their hotel’s logo.

In Phuket there is a man with a microphone that you tell your hotel to and they call it out so a person responsible for that hotel waves to you, then the representative calls your driver for them to pull up. I could imagine if BKK had multiple full flight arrivals at the same time being a bit more chaotic.

I’ve seen lots of post saying using dating apps to find money boys, but how do you identify if someone is a money boy without asking in an awkward straightforward way? Do money boys use any code in their profiles to hint that? Thanks

I'm glad to hear that as my experience with apps is minuscule - 3 trials and none particularly memorable but I comb them for fun from time to time and noticed some familiar faces I met using other means i.e introduction or met them in bar. None of those actually identifies himself as MB in profile so we need to look for other signs , ask straight or use approach Londoner mentioned - if guy is interested in guy of my age he must be in for the money or have really weird sense of humor

Where did you stay that you got your test results so fast (under 2 hours)? Thanks for a hint ;).

My experience was the same as vinapu's. If someone young was interested in a guy of my age, he was a mb. Yes, yes, I know that miracles do happen in saunas- or used to- but if memory serves, I found that Pattaya's Romeo twinks expected to be paid without my needing to ask.

Looks like things might get worse before they get better - https://loyaltylobby.com/2022/04/12/chaos-at-bangkok-airport-arrivals-area-leads-to-additional-counters-testing-requirement-possibly-be-eased-soon/

I have stayed in 2 Marriott hotels in Vietnam. 2 years ago just before lockdown I was at the Four Points by Sheraton in Danang. Lovely hotel. 300 rooms but probably only 30 occupied. The hotel's only problem really is that you have to cross the main dual carriageway into town to get to the beach. The year before I used points for 5 nights at the quite beautiful Marriott Resort on the island of Phu Quoc. Although part of Vietnam, it is located under Cambodia. Pre-covid there was a daily Bangkok Airways flight linking the island. From Ho Chi Minh, there is a short flight but almost better to take the jetfoil service. This is one of the Bill Bensley-designed hotels in Asia. I thought it one of the loveliest I have ever stayed at. It is right on its own private beach which was spotlessly clean. All the staff were wonderful, even though the young lady at the bar was not sure how to make a proper extra dry vodka martini. I showed her and the result was excellent. The only problem with the Marriott brand is that it tends to be more expensive. I could never have paid for my nights at Phu Quoc or I would be back again in a flash.

From AFP Taiwan's military published a handbook on Tuesday advising civilians on how to prepare for a potential Chinese invasion, including where to find bomb shelters and how to stockpile emergency supplies. China's Communist Party has never controlled self-ruled Taiwan but it nonetheless views the island as part of its territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if necessary. Those threats have turned more bellicose under Xi Jinping, China's most authoritarian leader in a generation. Russia's recent invasion of Ukraine has also heightened fears that China might one day follow through on threats to annex its smaller neighbour. The 28-page guide contains information which "the general public can use as an emergency response guideline in a military crisis or natural disaster," defence ministry spokesman Sun Li-fang said during an introduction at an online press conference. It is the first time Taiwan's military has published such a handbook. Drawn from similar guides by Sweden and Japan, it tells residents where to find bomb shelters via mobile phone apps and what to do in an emergency including how to distinguish air raid sirens. "The guide is for the public to better prepare themselves before a war or disaster happens," Liu Tai-yi, an official of the ministry’s All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency, said. It includes information on basic survival skills for the public during air raids, massive fires, building collapses, power outages and natural disasters. "We hope the public can familiarise themselves where the safety shelters are beforehand," he added.

Certainly my case from beginning of December. In fact I was impressed how smooth and efficient it was although my arrival was on Sunday early morning , not a busiest time at the airport

MB letters, dollar or baht sign, desired age 18-80 or even 18-99 are signs that he is MB indeed. I agree with Gaybutton, nothing awkward to ask straight away, if they may be offended , usually profile says ' not MB' or something to that effect. Don't be shy to ask as some profiles of bona fide escorts don't give any hint

Good indeed ! Last year was a total mess for renewals. People need to remember that many countries require your passport be valid for 6 months past your trip there. Caused me a lot of headache last fall.

What's wrong with asking in a straightforward way? There is nothing awkward about it. There is no code. I almost always simply ask, "Are you money boy?" I have never been lied to about it and the boys don't mind at all. When a boy tells me yes, he is a money boy, if I am interested in him I make my offer and take it from there. If a boy resents me asking, fine - I'll move right to the next boy.

La Setenta!! Now I am really missing Medalló. BTW it is a very Colombian thing -- the correct way to say no is a single "Gracias" and the vendor moves on. Simple and civilized.

I renewed mine, sent it in on January 11th and had it back in my hands February 10th, expedited US Passport service. I was surprised.

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

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,

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

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

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!

Do you think Holocaust deniers are entitled to express their point of view? This isn't much different.