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Totally agree that Thailand has so much to see outside the main cities and tourist spots. There are also lots of local events that are stunning and quite unique to Thailand. I have referred before to the Candle Festival in Ubon Ratchathani and the Ghost Festival in the village of Dansai in Loei Province. These both take place during the period of Buddhist Lent and so usually the June/July period. Although there is occasional rain, it is not the main rainy season. The Ubon Festival is not a procession of townsfolk parading through with hand-held candles. For about a month beforehand, each temple prepares massive wax carvings on trucks. These depict scenes from Buddhist scriptures. About 30 or so of these form the main part of the Parade which also includes participation by thousands including many cute students from the local university. There are many ghost festivals around Thailand but Dansai is I believe the largest and most popular. Loei is a lovely green province where the weather is generally little cooler. There is even a large vineyard. The only problem for visitors to the Festival is the lack of good hotel rooms in or very close to the village. There really is only one on the hill above the village and so it needs to be booked far in advance. Many visitors stay in Loei which is about 1 hr 20 minutes away and go by tourist bus.

I used Scoot to get to Bangkok last week. Give everything a go once is my motto. I used the scoot plus hoping it equated to premium economy in a standard full service airline and that’s just what it is. Just be prepared for no in flight entertainment (easy if you have a tablet or read) and less food (I brought some snacks), one average meal was included and you could buy more. check in line was slow, but fine once I realised with plus you could go round the side with premium. main issue was we were sat on plane for 2 hrs before journey started, they said this was a Gatwick airport issue with short staff and take off paperwork being cleared. Hmmm!? Others on here are better at looking up their regular punctuality. anyway, overall it is a serviceable, direct route. If you really want to save money go in back of plane and travel in standard short haul type seating. It was busy and not surprisingly looked very backpacker types would I use again? Well I have a return so am next weekend! but yes, I’d use their premium again if it was a decent saving over equivalent direct with Thai, Eva or BA

My preference is more on the variety of the shows provided by the gogo bars, and the bars having the boys that i like. For that purpose, im ok with jeans, but i need them to be at least shirtless so i can see their muscles lol. Usually, pre-covid, these muscle guys are more than happy to show their body, or a quick word with mamasan will do the trick too. Of course for the show parts, pre-covid shows line up are great reason for me to pay up that drink/entrance price. Multiple sexy, well-choreographed pieces, big dick shows, jerk off shows, sex shows etc make my minimum one drink 400 baht price worth it for me. That means i still get to see all the goods during shows too if the guy i like is participating.

Yes I was there last night. There was a photographer there clicking away, mainly at the ladyboy songstresses but also the Tawan boys during the show. I didn’t really expect much from the show as the bar has only been re-opened for a few weeks and the stage is so small, but quite a good show considering. - three bodybuilders doing muscle-posing with dicks poking out of shorts - big did show. Because venue is so intimate and customer No’s were down, the guys moved through the audience encouraging a grope. - one Tawan guy literally fucked a watermelon. 🍉 🍆 😳 - chuckwow (2 guys; only bigger, muscled guy came) - Mr Ten and Mr X wearing g-strings and balaclavas. Mr X sucked Mr Ten; Mr Ten soon lost his g-string and started dry-humping Mr X and then buried his face deep into Mr X’s ass (so much so that the other Tawan guys in the audience laughed in admiration. Apparently Mr Ten had gone above and beyond tonight). Drinks 400฿ It was nice (for me at least) to see some familiar pre-Covid faces.

In an argument above I'm more in reader's camp but on another hand I'm afraid Z909 represents prevailing view. While I find guys in jeans sexy if they don't start undressing slowly but surely distinction between bar and street may be lost. And so will reason to pay 400 baht for 43 baht bottle of beer. But our view, one of farangs who renewed their drivers license many times may be one of minority. Majority of customers , after covid debacle ends will be likely younger Asians and they may look at things differently. Entertainment may mean different thing to different people too. As for myself, too loud a music chases me from bar faster than completely dressed twinks, others may run away at the very sight of boys in jeans. Lack of smiles on Jupiter guy's faces is more painful for me than their bodies covered etc

Our favorite 5 Star dining establishment has added capacity today. Few more tables and much less social distancing between tables. Anticipating the arrival of a certain daily diner and his friends.

The Pattaya News is reporting that the Thailand Health Ministry plans to propose lowering the national Covid alert level from 3 to 2 at the next meeting of the Center for Covid Administration on May 20. Level 2 means that the public can mostly resume life almost as normal to the pre-Covid period. More preventive measures will be relaxed and more businesses will be reopened or fully operated. This may include the (legal) return of entertainment venues and some relaxed measures at outside venues like parks and beaches, such as mask mandates in certain settings.

Copa is hotel in Boyztown, just across the soi from BBB and fits all your specifications. Considering it's location obviously your boys are welcomed hassle free. May be bit noisy in the evening but not really problem for me over the years. Only disadvantages - no breakfast provided and whole soi will see who are walking in with. Just above BBB is Ambiance which was closed for a while but may be re-opened already, I personally don't like it's maze of corridors . In the parallel soi , on the corner and just above ABomb and another girlie bar there is Classrooms hotel with big rooms , most with balconies which is my favorite as it's quieter and has card operated side entry so you and your guests are entering undisturbed. Perhaps 5-10 $ ore than Copa. All three easily booked through Agoda. As for touchy bar try Nice Boys which has own thread on this forum . Is located in Sunee Plaza, 10 minutes walk from Boyztown . Guys are on rough side but not hunks, certainly touchy although last time I visited there in Dec with another member they were more flirtatious with their phones than customers. Small tip lie 20 baht will allow you short inspection and for a price of boy drink and say 100-200 tip you can prolong inspection easily. Not a place for shy. as for splitting time between BKK and Pattaya there will be as many opinions as members with some bypassing either city completely, some giving one much more time than another and some splitting their time evenly but since you , like me seem to like more hunky guys, more abound in Bangkok I'd say out of 2 weeks , 1st in Bkk, followed by 4 days in Pattaya and then last 3 days back in Bkk would be my advice. Pattaya is cheaper , hotels, drinks and expected tips but during day Bangkok offers much more to do than that " family friendly " destination. Whatever you decide though , you can't be much wrong. As tourist traffic is still way from normal it's easy now to change mind, cancel reservation in one place and extend it in another, just when booking make sure reservation is cancellable Whatever you decide , you are in for a ball, rest assured

did another World Heritage place , Madrid Tavern re-opened ?

A number of Blue Elephants in London. My favourite is two hundred yards from Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea FC. The taste is always better after we win!

Chakran close to the Aree stop on the Skytrain might be worth a visit. It is beautifully decorated, has a small pool, rooftop jacuzzi, snack bar and all the other usual facilities. It is now almost exclusively Thai for Thai or Thai for Asian, but since you are young (compared to many of us!) you might find success there. Certainly there will be a lot of young Thais/Asians. Don't confuse it with the massage spa which is located in the same building.

Dragon Man Club at North Pattaya has re-opened https://www.facebook.com/Dragonmanclub

Silipline Isaan (Sp) on a Third Road was open when I left about 6 weeks ago.

From Thiager / Thairath Thailand’s PM and the Minister of Defence Prayut Chan-o-cha is asking all relevant departments to recruit migrant workers using the Memorandum of Understanding or MOU system. The PM has also directed the Ministry of Labour to “take care of each worker”, and ensure that Covid-19 prevention measures are adhered to. Today, the PM’s Spokesperson, Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, told Thai media that the government had been closely monitoring the shortage of workers and would recruit more foreign workers to solve the problem. In the wake of the Thai government’s border closures in April 2020, many hundreds of thousands of migrant workers headed home to wait out the pandemic. This led to a critical labour shortage in Thailand. The spokesperson says that Thailand had recruited 588 Burmese migrant workers and let them enter Thailand through the Yangon-Myawaddy-Maesot Route on May 10 and 11. He emphasised that this was considered the “first migrant group” to be allowed to enter after travel measures were relaxed on May 1 (abandoning quarantine and testing for vaccinated people). PM Prayut asked that every relevant department should prepare local health measures to get ready and “welcome the foreign workers” too. According to the report, the Ministry of Labour required each worker to show an employment document, vaccination certificate, and Covid-19 insurance covering at least US$4,000 (which is less than international travellers who currently must cover up to US$10,000) After entering, the workers would receive a visa for a 2 year stay, get a health check and ATK tests by medical workers, and could start working if testing negative. Thailand has relied on up to 2 million Burmese and other migrant workers (Cambodians, Laotians, Vietnamese) to bolster its lower paid jobs for many decades. There is also a 2,500 kilometre long border between Myanmar and Thailand where people frequently cross, undocumented, to do lowly-paid cash jobs, and are susceptible to trafficking and poor working conditions.

Is that a money belt in your underpants or are you just pleased to see me........to paraphrase Mae West

The buzz, bustle and vibrancy of an Asian city.

I have a new recommendation from my last trip, it's not reasonably priced and more of a stuffy fine dining restaurant. The stunning boy I took with me turned a few heads, the table alongside us had an oh-so-posh British gay couple talking about this 1880s vintage they simply must try. They gave the best side eye glance and disapproving look I'd ever seen haha. The restaurant is Blue Elephant and was one of the best meals I've ever had in Bangkok, highly recommended if you want to try fine dining Thai food. https://www.blueelephant.com/bangkok/

Re Le Bouchon, we dined there yesterday evening. It felt a little strange as we kept trying to work out where the Babylon entrance and staircases had been! We found nothing familiar. Not surprising since it had been a ladies spa and another business since Babylon moved out to the larger premises further down the soi about two decades earlier. We had heard mixed reports about both the food and the service. Some of the staff from the old location on Patpong 2 were still there and they were excellent. Three tall, younger Thai ladies were rather dumb but we assume they will learn. Once seated and with our drinks, everything moved up quite a few notches. We both thought the food was excellent, especially a starter with Hokkaido scallops. The salmon was also near perfection. My plentiful chocolate mousse for dessert had a lovely chocolatey taste and a nice consistency. My partner's Creme Brûlée was as good. Price for a three course meal plus aperitifs and a glass of wine each was 1,900 baht for two. Good value even if on the slightly pricey side. The present menu will be gradually expanded as the staff get into their stride. We were told that the set lunch at 480 baht++ is packed virtually every day. Last night it was around three-quarters full. Closed every Tuesday.

January and February would likely offer some of the most agreeable weather with April traditionally being the hottest and most humid month. But I've enjoyed Thailand in all seasons so I wouldn't let that factor control my decision. JAL offers some of the best trip duration times and Tokyo airports are very efficient and easy to navigate. Your itinerary seems fine, especially if you want to get in some beach time. If you can stretch you stay into a third--or even fourth--week, you won't be disappointed. You may decide you wish to return to BKK or explore another Thai destination. Good luck with your planning.

No. Patpong 1 is still quite dark , but a few shops have started reopening very recently. still no Patpong night market.