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(part 10) As mentioned in part 9, a Thai boy who's working in X-boy asked me to take him to another bar to watch a show (X-boy itself has no longer offered any shows post-Covid). Since I like the boy and wanted to do something nice for him on my last day in Pattaya, I told him to go to Jomtien complex that night at 9pm and we would go watching a show together. I'd buy him drinks, pay his bar fine of 500, and also a short time fee of 1500. Then around 8pm, he messaged me with a reschedule request, saying something about having "other business". Looks like the dramatic "I was born to never watch a show" (his words via some awkward Google translation) wasn't that important. His last-minute cancellation means I scrambled to find a replacement. Then the next night, when I was in Bangkok already, he messaged me again, whining that he had no customer at all that night, not even a boy drink so he's broke. Turns out, on previous night, a customer to the bar bought him a drink so he cancelled me in hope of getting another off then going with me the next day. Too bad the customer didn't off him eventually and I wasn't available the day after either - a typical case of he who tries to have it all ends up with nothing. On my way back to Bangkok, the first thing I do was to contact Boy No 26 from Dream Boy (mentioned in part 8 ) for a repeat. Guess what, he was on his way to Pattaya. It was his birthday so his boyfriend took him to Pattaya to celebrate. Wait, his boyfriend??? Turns out the one I thought was his ex back in Chiang Mai is still with him. "So your boyfriend doesn't mind that you are working in Dream Boy?" "No, he's also working at the same bar." "His number was 24 right?" I jumped to a conclusion, remembering very well he picked boy No 24 when I asked him to choose a boy from the rotation. "No, No 99." "Aha! Then why you picked No 24 last time?" "Because my boyfriend didn't come to work that night." "So if I off both you and your boyfriend at the same time, would you mind?" I asked, again just testing how far they would go (he already showed me pictures of his boyfriend, not my type at all). His answer actually surprised me a little. "I don't like three people, but it's okay if the third person is my boyfriend" Well, well, well, it looks like if that night I actually offed No 24, No 26 wouldn't go with it. Also that's how you sell your boyfriend as an add-on Apart from Boy No 26 going where I just left, another unfortunate coincidence was that the Tiny Lao (mentioned in part 7) has gone home for about a month to be with his family and also renew his passport. The Hotmale downstairs didn't feel the same without him. I kinda miss his warm hug and gentle touch. This time in Bangkok, I finally paid a visit to Moonlight, the only go-go bar I haven't tried so far on this month-long trip. There were about 10 floor guys, most of whom are neither here nor there (not twink but not hunk either). I just read Numazu's latest report and am very curious about his MonBoy (the same way I'm about Vinapu's K - the nice single dad in Tawan), but can't recall anyone that impressive the night I visited. Then the pre-show model parade. At least three of them, Tum, Babe and Korn (and probably Smarch also) looked like they had their nose redone. Babe looked tired with under-eye circles clearly visible despite heavy makeup. His smiles were still very sweet though. Tum and York appeared to be following in Nicky's footsteps with flabbier arms and fat rippling around the belly area. I guess they are pushing 40 and at that age, working out alone would not suffice anymore. You need to watch what you eat and drink, and also the quality of your sleep, to minimize fat deposit. Korn was the only model who showed any form of 6 packs that night. Personally, I found the guys in Jupiter more "model-like" than those in Moonlight. Well-toned, flat stomach, lean but ripped body, nice height/size ratio. And for perspective, below is Jupiter's poster boy, who is over 30 but still can keep that Ms. Universe-like waistline to go with his well-developed chest and arms. (in real life, his waist looks even smaller and arms more muscular) There wasn't much going on in the tip department although the house was half-packed with mostly Asian customers. Before, it often looked like someone got tipped every few minutes or so in that bar, which made me think they probably used fake tips to get the ball rolling, especially when it comes to 1000-Baht garlands. Like if Day 1, models A and B get a garland, then Day 2, models C and D would get it, and so forth. Sometimes, model A gets 2 garlands on Day 1, or he gets another on Day 2. So my guess is that: the first one on Day 1 was staged by the bar. Any extra one on the same day or those on other days were actually from customers. What I saw this time seems to confirm my theory: very early in the parade one model got a garland (can't remember it was Nut or Smarch), presented by a Mamasan, who pointed vaguely at someone (could be anyone) in the audience. The same Mamasan then walked around the house, waving a bunch of garlands but there were no takers. So no one else got that 1000B tip, and throughout the show, only two or three models got tipped 100B with a nip of whisky. Finally, to answer @AlexThompson's question about Bangkok pre- vs. post-Covid, I would say cheaper accommodation, fewer tourists, more discounts at brand name shops, much less traffic at least at night (very easy to cross Suwarong road in the evening these days), more willing boys on apps (I met a few university graduates who haven't been able to find a job and who said they never thought they would sell themselves on app before Covid) - which I like. On the other hand, fewer gay bars, fewer options for traveling to Pattaya, and fewer street food stalls - which I don't like. One thing I certainly have problems with is the increasing number of straight MBs, who appear to use "being man" as an excuse for doing next to nothing in bed. I understand if they are unwilling about being f*ck, but no sucking and no kissing? in this kind of profession and for that kind of money? Some don't even perform the top role because they say they can't get hard for another man. Basically those would just lie there, being serviced and then getting paid handomely for "being a man"! Before Covid, I had heard about and also met many willing straight boys from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, who could do everything. Vietnamese boys were notorious exceptions. Now, it doesn't seem the case anymore, at least in those Bangkok and Pattaya go-go and host bars I visited. It looks like those straight boys, regardless of nationality, just copied each other by asking for more while doing less. Speaking of which, most Viet boys working in gay bars in Bangkok are straight and came from rural areas in central Vietnam (read: conservative and narrow-minded). So even when they are "reduced to" selling sex to men to earn a living, they still want to keep the illusion of "being a man with dignity and all" (I'm talking about this from the perspective of a Vietnamese). There is also peer pressure. Since they all got into this line of work through friends and acquaintances, they kinda know each other, forming a fairly close-knitted community with well-kept secrets (of course nobody in the village back home know what they are actually doing in Thailand). And in that small community, no one wants others to know that he can be anally f*cked by men. I've seen this in Vietnam too, many times. Some boys let me top them for more money, but made me promise I don't tell their MB peers about that. So if you really like a cute but unwilling boy, just try to get him into bed first. Then with patience, temptation of extra tip and the psychological power of situation, we and he himself would never know what he's capable of doing. Like that time a boy moved to French kiss me when he was about to cum, his first man-to-man kiss ever, as he later admitted, blushingly , and that he didn't think it could be so hot. Outside go-go bars, there are now quite a few Viet boys who work freelance on the app in Bangkok. They are mostly gay, from the south (read: more open- and business-minded), taking good care of their appearance, willing to do many things in bed sometimes for less (they still earn more than what they normally make at home though). I frequently ran into some of those southern boys in Silom road (their favorite spot is the the bus stop located between Patpong 1 and Silom Soi 6), who openly solicited in the street with "massage offers". Several Viet go-go boys when they learned that I'm from the north mentioned a boy from Hanoi who worked in Jupiter before Covid. That was the one who could do everything in bed, they told me. He went to gym, even got a facelift, and became very popular. After just a few years working in Bangkok, he already saved enough to buy a house back home. That's no small feat considering a small house in Hanoi could easily set you back more than a hundred thousand US dollars. So "Why don't you guys try to be like him?" I asked those boys, who were good-looking but admitted they have been able to save little or not at all from their work. Try to be more accommodating and get more customers, make a decent sum and then get the hell out of this line of work, go home open your own business and settle down (the last parts remain a life-long dream for many rural guys in Vietnam). But it looks like my advice always fell on deaf ears. Like that very cute Viet twink used to work in Lucky Boys I mentioned in a previous post. He got called from the stage by three different groups of customer, both Asians and farangs, in the span of a couple of hours I was there (and it wasn't even a busy night) but still no offs because later he told me, they all wanted him to bottom for them. He could have lost probably at least 300 potential customers per year (not to mention possible repeats) which translates into no less than 600K. Still, he couldn't care less about my math. While I was typing this part in the airport, Boy No 26 messaged me saying he just arrived in Bangkok. Are we star-crossed lovers or something? I jokingly asked if he's willing to do it in the airport. He replied with "555", so I said goodbye, hoping we'll have a chance to meet next time. Also told him if I ever see his boyfriend in Dream Boy, I'll tell the boyfriend he picked No 24 the last time. And with that little warning, I left Bangkok. (to be continued)

Since the bars are closed tonight (I did not factor the public holiday into my planning!), I thought I would have a night off and give a little bit of an update. I'm coming towards the end of my Thailand trip and it has been really great to be back here after a 2.5 year absence. My last update was made in the Phuket airport waiting for the flight back to Bangkok which was pretty non-eventful and upon arrival, I caught the arl/bts to Sala Daeng and walked with my suitcase back to Tarntawan whilst it was lightly raining. The room type I chose for this leg of the trip was the 'executive' and even though it is smaller than the corner suite I stayed in previously, I think I like this one better as it has a full length floor to ceiling window and a view which gives it a brighter feel (the corner suite felt a little dark and there was not much of a view). Dreamboys: Unexpectedly, and despite my plans for butterflying around, I have a regular boy here now - I'll call him DB (for lack of a better nickname) for short. As mentioned previously, he was my best off of my last trip to Thailand (2019) and we ended up reconnecting when I arrived here a couple of weeks ago. I didn't tell him I was coming, I just showed up and surprise! Anyway, I have offed him 4 times so far and every time it has been a really hot experience. There is definitely some sexual chemistry there, he kisses really well, is passionate, is always smiling and cheeky, has a beautiful body and an attractive face. And little things like he is not afraid to kiss me straight after he has just cum in my mouth. We are quite similar in age so it feels like he could just be a friend. I could easily fall for him, but I'm not the type to get attached so easily. It's just really nice when you are familiar with someone. It's these kinds of connections that I'm looking to make, and bear in mind that I haven't been doing these Thailand trips for that long so I still have plenty more time and plenty more trips to look forward to. I do like the boys at dreamboys - there is a wide variety and probably someone for everyone, but oh my lord, it is so loud!!! Freshboys: I decided to give this place another go after my last encounter with a straight boy, and inspired by @Min I asked the mamasan for a list of who is gay and got her to write it down for me. Being gay is not always an indication that they will perform better, but I'm sure that they will likely do more than the straight boys who do nothing. Anyway, some good choices from the list but I decided to go with the boy who had been previously trying really hard to get my attention the last time I went. Effort deserved reward right? Well.. this encounter was different. I wouldn't say that he was the dud, more like I was lol. Anyway, when he sat with me he was very clingy straight from the get go, and he was trying really hard in the bedroom, but I just wasn't really into it. He wasn't unattractive, and he has a really nice body but for some reason I just could not get into it. Kudos for him though as he was able to fuck longer that some of the other guys that I've had. I'll chalk it up to experience. Massage: I went to Prime again (gosh I love that place) and opted for a 1 hour Thai/1 hour oil and my goodness the oil massage was getting pretty sensual towards the end and I wondered if this was going to be one of the rare times where a handjob would be given, but alas it was not, but I didn't really mind as the massage quality was quite good. I also had a foot massage at Green (just right in front of Tarntawan). Since I walk past all the time, and the boys out the front see me walk past with a different guy, I thought I would try it out. Decent foot massage, nothing to complain about. And I also tried the star massage (one of the many on soi 6) - I decided to try them as they have quite a strong social media presence. Opted for an oil massage, but the guy at the counter said I could have an aroma oil massage for a discount, and I didn't ask to choose the masseur as the one that was assigned to me was pretty hunky. The massage itself was fine, a 'special' was offered (handjob) which I accepted, and it was just okay. There is a fine art to a sensual massage and there have been few that have been able to achieve - the subtle touches, the "accidental" grazes etc - all of those things are really important to segue seamlessly into the afters. I want to really be gagging for it! I often walk down soi 6 and there are quite a few massage shops there which are probably worth exploring. Other things: I haven't been doing a lot of the things which I had planned as I seem to always be tired - whilst the time difference between here and my country is only an hour, I am usually in bed by 9pm and awake by 5am, but here when I'm going to bars at around 10pm, and not going to sleep until 2am or so, but my body still wants to wake up at around 5 or 6am, there are going to be problems! I also developed this cough which has mostly gone now, and earlier in the trip I found some red dots that appeared on my leg which I thought may have been monkey pox so I went to the hospital - turns out they were (I think) burst blood vessels and the doctor gave me some tablets and topical medicine (which I didn't end up taking, but the dots went away on their own). I've been doing a lot of walking though, went to some of the shopping malls (central world, Siam paragon etc), and have been eating a wide assortment of food - stuff from 7/11, local Thai food from grab, and sit down restaurants in shopping centres. I even tried out a vegan restaurant which was nice. There have also been numerous times where I am spoken to in Thai, which amuses me, so perhaps I had better learn a little of the language so I am able to answer back in Thai rather than just looking confused before they realise I'm not actually Thai. I have 2 more days here before I go back to my reality, and definitely will look forward to my next trip now that international travel is more accessible - hopefully the end of the year.

LOL that's funny. i wish I have that power. Then I'd have them reopen Soi Twilight next. WINNER! Also winner! Two posters who have met me in real life. You guys really know me well. Thank you for the very kind words @bkkmfj2648! I haven't read any of Rush's work but maybe i should. And yes the map, when I found it on that website, just had to be posted. Appreciate the complement @kjun12. Bangkok is a great subject matter to write about for sure. I am not sure if there are bottom out of the "stars" in the Moonlight roster, but I know some of the rest of the boys available there do bottom (have tried at least 3, including MonBoy). It was the same for me. Stepping into that Soi for the first time was pure sensory overload. the fact that it was a narrower street with the bars so close together and everyone was bumping into each other, that was a gift. I hope something like that can be reconstituted down the road. Silom Soi 4 has the makings of it, it just needs more bars to make it a worthy successor.

I was gonna, say, when did this happen @scott456 lol. Then you gave some context, so I dug up that snippet you posted, shown here: Yes, that is true, but I did not date him in the U.S. Gosh, I wish he did, that would've saved a lot money going back and forth to... Portugal. He was my first Brazilian bf, and he lived in Lisbon at that time. I met him in Lisbon, and "dated" him long-distance. So to bring it back to the topic of this thread: @floridarobyou know me very well, and for a few years now, so yes you would have seen the evolution from absolutely no Brazil whatsoever in brain to what I am now. My advice, if you're just starting out: 1. Apps: I've never really learned as much from apps like Duolingo or Rosetta Stone, but if you're just starting out, I guess the repetition of these apps would benefit you, just to increase your vocabulary. Its funny that I've tried to learn other languages using Rosetta Stone and Duolingo but never really got fluent, but I've never tried learning PT on the apps and got fluent because... 2. Private lessons worked well for me. I'd recommend https://streetsmartbrazil.com or private tutors from https://preply.com. It'll be on your own pace, and you can tailor the lessons to what you want to know (tourist phrases, basic greetings, verb conjugation etc). It was worth every penny for me. When I started, I did about 2 months of classes and then that's all it took to get over the hump and after that I learned and practiced further fine on my own. 3. Increasing vocabulary is key: Like @scott456 said, I've learned Spanish in school, and the vocabulary of Spanish words I remembered from that was fairly useful for portuguese. I'd learn a word a day, and verbs are key as always, from either apps in the phone if you search "portuguese word a day" or sites like https://www.transparent.com/word-of-the-day/today/portuguese.html. And don't just read the words, try to say them out loud/pronounce them, correctly. These sites (and Google Translate) can sound out the word for you so you can say it correctly. 4. Get used to how PT sounds: If you're American like me, you're used to how Mexicans speak and therefore how Spanish sounds like, from TV or from neighbors. But you are never really exposed to spoken Portuguese in America. So listening to PT is as important as speaking PT. You have to get used to how Brazilian PT is spoken and pronounced. Once you have increased your vocabulary, you can identify the words you know from listening to PT, and you get used to how it sounds. Another tip: try to start to watch Brazilian shows, first with english subtitles, so you know what is going on, and then with PT subtitles on, so you can read what they are saying, and know how words you recognize are pronounced. I recommend the Netflix show O Mecanismo. They seem to speak PT with the least amount of "girias" or slang, which could trip you up when you are starting, but eventually useful down the road. 5. Practice, practice, practice: You will never be fluent in any language if you don't practice with people who speak the language, and who are able to correct you and give you tips on your delivery. I'm sure once you are in Brazil you can do this, but while you are at home, that's what these private tutors are for. Let us know how you do. And maybe we can meet up one day in BR and you can dazzle us with your newfound PT skills.

Day 1.5: Just like riding a bike So we slingshotted from the muggy streets of JBR Beach in Dubai at 3 AM, to the damp streets of Silom in Bangkok at 12 midnight, in under just 13 hours, we really didn’t have any time to stop and smell the roses. Until now. We wandered our way from Moonlight to Patpong, where the cluster of boy bars resided. Not many people were still out and about, and I wasn't sure if it was because it's already 12 midnight on a Sunday, or it just rained, or because of the lingering pandemic, or all of the above. I was expecting the usual throng of people milling about, and street vendors hawking food and souvenirs, and massage therapists enticing you with their brand of relaxation, and with all the smells and the heat that is in this part of the world, made a heady mixture in the air that can make you delirious and keep wanting more. Instead it was almost solemn, peaceful, sleepy. Not dead, or empty, just tranquil and serene. We walked, without urgency, only purpose, to Patpong. Tiago held my hand, as he has been accustomed to do in Brazil, and as he was forbidden to do in the Middle East. “This is fine, right?” he asks me, as he squeezes the hand he was holding. I assured him it was. We were in Bangkok after all. And not just any place, we were in Silom. This place is legendary. You just had to see it to believe it existed. No Bangkok guidebook or Tripadvisor review or Instagram post can capture its true essence. You only had to hear about it, to know it’s worth visiting. And once you do, there’s no way you want to leave. Well, ok, that was the Silom of old. The Silom of right now was kind of a sleepy place, at least at this hour. As we make our way into Patpong 2, Tiago notices a bar that advertised Muay Thai fights on its street sign. It was the Pink Panther. “Are there fights here?” he asked, interested in seeing something that is in his line of work. I’ve never been, but I answered that “I think there are, but this place is mostly a girlie joint.” Tiago then asks “And we are not doing any girl stuff this trip right?” I laugh. I know that these bisexual Brazilians will fuck anything in sight, but I tell him “Maybe, if you’re good,” just to tease him. You have to admit, that Patpong 2 is a poor substitute for Soi Twilight. Yes, thank goodness that a lot of the refugee bars from Soi Twilight found a home on Patpong 2, but the Soi is bookended by girlie bars, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site Foodland ™ was smack dab in the middle of all the action. Gone are the days that most of the gay bars were concentrated in a focused strip of a street, with touts manhandling you to compete for your attention as you make your way through the Soi. A bit of that still happens, but it's just not the same. Perhaps, it is just following a world trend that has done away with gay neighborhoods, and welcoming a more integrated world. We are the victims of our own success. We demanded for visibility and equality, and once we've achieved it, we became just like everyone else, sandwiched between girlie bars. Probably outdated, still interesting, from bangkokeyes.com The tout of Fresh Boys was the first to greet us, trying very hard for us to get to go enter the bar. “No thank you,” was my answer, even with the tout promising that the boys were fresher here than anywhere else on the Soi. I dragged Tiago away from the tout to get to the nexus of Dream Boy and Hot Male. And before their respective touts had a chance to plead their cases, a boyish voice suddenly shouts “Numazu, what the hell are you doing here?” And the voice used my real name too. Tiago asks, “How does he know your name?” I answer “The same reason everyone in Sao Paulo knows my name." Let's call him HM, the bar boy extraordinaire of Hot Male, who shouted out that sentence alerting boys in even as far as Jupiter (the bar? the planet? your call) that Numazu has arrived. He runs over to hug me. I introduce Tiago, who then hugs HM in return. “Your boyfriend?” HM asks, of course. “Yes,” and I fill him in the details of our trip. He then fills me in about the scene, what he has been doing, and regaled me with stories of mutual friends, and heartaches, that I have been witness to in the past. It was like catching up with an old friend. And he truly was an old friend. A sexy old friend. Tiago, meanwhile, was getting some attention from the tout of Hot Male, who was enticing him to go up to see some hot males to his bar. “I don’t know what he wants me to do,” he tells me, not understanding Thai accented English. “He was asking you if we wanted to go upstairs to another boy bar. He asked me if I wanted to. I said sure, why not, since we are here. I bid adieu to the town crier and headed up over to Hot Male. There was still a lot of people inside Hot Male even if it was after the show. About 4 groups of people, with a variety of boys sprinkled in there. As we get settled in our seats, and get our drink order (water and rum coke – weak af), I see that there were 5 guys onstage with their dicks hanging out on full display. I’d say that they were all nice looking, so it was pleasant sight to see. Tiago of course, asked about this display of dicks, so I give him a rundown of what I usually see in a boy bar. He then asks about HM, how I know him, where he was from, and asked me if HM's English was fluent. I said it was, and its fairly advanced compared to the average working boy, and it is better than even (Tiago's) English. He asked how this was possible, since he was having a hard time getting to that level of fluency. I told him that HM probably learned the most from all the farangs he has met through the years, just practicing with them, not afraid to make mistakes and open in being corrected, etc. Tiago said that he took classes in Brazil but still struggles. Hot Male didn’t have a lot of boys in the bar, but the ones they had were a pretty nice selection. I could see offing almost everyone in the bar at this moment, but we already had that pending off. One stand out for me was this guy. Amazing body and cute face. Could be fun: I get a text from MonBoy saying he was wrapping up and asked me where we could meet him. Told him we will wait for him on Patpong 2. And then one by one, people at Hot Male got up and left. We pay for our two drinks, and descend back to street level. After a few minutes of banter with HM, MonBoy shows up. HM does a double take, and then greets him, in Burmese, Thai? Of course HM knows him, and knows him being with me in the past. He bids all of us farewell as he helps close down his bar. I order a Grab Taxi, and soon the three of us are bunched in together in the back seat. I was in the middle. Tiago rests put his hand on my thigh as he looks out at the scenery. MonBoy held my hand and rested his head on my shoulder. We get home, and Tiago immediately takes off his shirt, as it was hot. MonBoy suddenly gets bashful. He sits on the couch, saying nothing, while Tiago and I get comfortable at home. I sense MonBoy’s sudden shyness and ask him if he wanted to shower. He said he just showered so he was fine. Tiago, eager for a shower, strips naked as the day he was born, and heads for the shower in the guest bedroom. MonBoy laughs, perhaps not used to such immodest manner from clients. “Why don’t we shower together?” I ask him. OK he said. He takes off his shirt, and takes the rest of his clothes in the free bathroom. I join him, stark naked. I have known every angle of every nook and every cranny of MonBoy’s body. I was eager to see how it feels after almost 3 years of not seeing him. There, in the shower, I see that he has not changed much. He still has that bronze skin that was smooth as silk. His torso was a leaner than before, still athletic, still fit as ever, but he was noticeably smaller. Except the ass, all its glory is still there. Two perfect mounds. The cock was the cock, he still has that famous bigger than average cock. And the face, maybe a little bit more worn, gaunter, but still beautiful as ever before. After some initial soap and rinse down, we make out. He still is the best kisser I’ve ever had in Thailand. He certainly knows how to do it, or at least how I wanted it. I stroke his dick, it gets to attention. After some more foreplay, I reach for the towel to dry us off. We emerge from the bathroom and find Tiago laying on the bed, stroking his dick on one hand, his phone on the other, watching a video. He puts the phone away when he sees us emerge. MonBoy gets shy again looking at me, and then at Tiago, and then at Tiago’s dick. I tell Tiago, in Portuguese, that MonBoy is a little bit shy. Tiago gets the hint and stands up, to make some space, dick swinging with his motion. What followed was a little bit awkward, but nonetheless fun to explore and try out. MonBoy eventually got settled in bed, but couldn’t get hard again like he was in the shower. Tiago asked if he was in the way, but MonBoy assured us he was fine with the two of us being there. The kissing was hot, everyone tried to suck each other, which was hot. Tiago was really into rimming MonBoy, which was fun to watch. Monboy probably embarrassed with his shy penis, offered to bottom for both of us. I asked MonBoy if he has taken anyone as big as Tiago before. MonBoy assured us he did. I’ve seen MonBoy take dick like a champion before. Tonight was not one of those nights. He tried tho, which was in itself a triumph. Tiago came jacking himself off while rimming MonBoy. I came while jacking myself off, Tiago sucking my nipples, and MonBoy making out with me. MonBoy stayed being shy. Which was fine. We all shower after, with again Tiago in the second bathroom and MonBoy and me in the master. MonBoy asks to stay for a little bit because he wants to take the BTS/MRT home and it doesn’t start up till morning. I offer a GrabTaxi and he says its just easier for him to use the train. Tiago settles in the bed and gets to deep slumber almost immediately. I plop myself in the middle while MonBoy settles in beside me. It was a long day, and it all hit me and put me to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Everything that happened tonight was very familiar. It was like those 2 and a half years never happened. And I got on the saddle really quick. It was just like riding a bike. Well, almost. I guess Tiago’s bike was too large for MonBoy to ride. It doesn’t matter. As long as you are along for the ride, that’s what counts. Next, the morning after…

Day 1: The Quarantine 15 It’s no secret that my preference is for guys with a little bit of muscle on them. That’s just a preference, it’s like if men were all on a grocery store shelf, it’s the first one I’d pick out of the rest. But that does not mean that sometimes I'll venture further into the aisle and pick something fat-free, or something with more fat content, or something saltier (I don’t know what that means). I go with what is fun at the moment, and that kind of open-mindedness was improved by the pandemic, another unintended consequence of the event that changed all our lives. So in picking the bar to go to tonight, being pressed for time, I decided on the low hanging fruit, the one that has worked for me in the past, filled with my usual preference for boys. I also had to balance that with what Tiago, my companion, would enjoy the most as well. Granted, that this is his first time going into a Thai boy bar, or any bar that had escorts (he has not been to the saunas in Brazil, he said), so he was eager to just experience it all. So I had to pick one with a decent show. So there was just one bar I could think of that fit all this – Moonlight Bangkok. My first impression of Moonlight, July 2018: They are adept in using social media to evangelize their brand of boy bar. Which I admit bode well for them in the lonely months during quarantine. It is always interesting how any establishment that depends highly on reputation and hype dealt with the pandemic. In March 2020, as the world closed itself to deal with the pandemic, I remember Moonlight going from hyping Songkran 2020 (to which I was looking forward to): to temperature checks in March 15, 2020 (they tried!): to closure in March 18, 2020, with an expectation to reopen in 2 weeks (just like me who thought this was just a 2 week thing): to continued closure: to some reason the Moonlight models working at HotMale bar: to a final reopening at the end of September 2020: And a great show soon after, with an amazing model, Mr Jack, and his “sexist” underwear. i wish he would come back, he is hot: Through it all, they’ve maintained their social media presence, keeping the light on in that sense, and always kept everyone informed about next steps. I think with all the uncertainty with what pandemic has brought in our lives, having this reliable source of info, good or bad, was a comfort. Kudos to the management of that establishment, I think this should be an example on how to do social media, and customers are not left with gossip and hearsay to sustain them during those dark days. Back to the present: Happy Beer Garden has never changed. For some reason one of the waiters recognized me and asked me how I was. I do not remember him at all. Anyway, after a few pleasantries, I told him we were in a hurry to make a 10:30 PM show at Moonlight so we had to get our food in a jiffy. Since Tiago is Brazilian, he does not like spicy food, so I had to scour for the mild offerings in the menu. I settled on a chicken dish with rice, which he still thought was spicy. I told him to get used to it, since he’ll be here for 6 months. I also got a Thai Icea Tea to calibrate my taste buds and remind it how awesome Thai food was and to get ready for its many delights. Luckily the waiter was true to his word and we were out there in 15 minutes, which gave us plenty of time to saunter over that unpronounceable alley way off of Surawong Rd to Moonlight. I guess Mr. Nut is now the face of Moonlight? Great choice. Things that felt familiar: the 400 baht entrance fee with welcome drink, no changes in seating and stage. AC was on full blast. We get guided by a mamasan to our seats, which was toward the back and at the center, which I thought was pretty good seating. Tiago sat down, and looked around, took it in, smiling the whole time. He looked across the room, and found 3 boys, some in underwear, some shirtless, some in tank tops, some in pants. The boys rotated, but it was always 3 at a time on stage. Tiago then had a million questions, possibly the same exact questions I had when it was my first time in this bar, and in a Bangkok boy bar. Yes, all the boys are available for sex. Yes, you can use the number to identify the boy you want to off. No, most of them are Thai, but some are from Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. A boy costs probably 2000 baht to 5000 baht, depending on the boy snd the length of the off. Yes, most of them are tops, but there are a lot of bottoms as well. And the most important answer – Maybe, I can get a boy, but only if you’re comfortable with it. Tiago looks at me and shrugs. He tells me he always defers to me for that. “Let’s see who is hot among these guys,” he said. We were asked our drinks. Tiago, who doesn’t drink, ordered a water. I ordered a “rum coke”, which was a test drink I would order in every bar in order to judge who served the stiffest drink. This is a test I’ve employed in other establishments, and there was oftentimes a correlation between how good or strong my cuba libre (rum and coke) was to how much fun I’d have that night, since cocktails are of differing quality in the world. Tiago asks how much the drink was, I tell him it was roughly 55 Brazilian reais. “That seems really expensive,” he says. I tell him that this is like an entry fee, and tell him the entry fee to the Sao Paulo’s Lagoa sauna is 65 reais, without any drinks. And I tell him that we get to see this one-hour show, so it all is pretty worth it. The drink was pretty weak. Not a good sign lol. Before the show started, I see a familiar face among the rotating boys. The boy who has defined all my Thailand visits. The boy who other offs has been measured against – MonBoy, the Myanmar boy from Mon State. My first impression of him, in June 2017: I tell Tiago the cliff notes of my past relationship with MonBoy. He takes a look at him and tell me to invite him to sit with us. I mention to him to come over. He bows, but was hesitant, and then gets off the stage and goes over a group of 4 Thais sitting just to the left of the stage and talked to them for a bit. MonBoy then goes over to us. “Where sitting?” Mon Boy asks. Tiago schooches over to make a space between us so MonBoy can be sandwiched in between. Good sign. He greets both of us, and then leans on me and asks “Your boyfriend?” pertaining to Tiago. Good question. When we were planning the Doha-Dubai-Bangkok trip, Tiago brought up the subject of what were supposed to be to each other while traveling. This question came up when we went on that trial run to Mexico, when he was showing immigration hotel accommodations for Cancun where we were staying, which had both our names on it. He told immigration that I was his boyfriend, and I was American, which was code for “Don’t worry about the Brazilian entering your country, he is with an American who will pay for everything.” He even showed the immigration people our pics together (chaste ones having dinner, walking along Paulista Street, at the gym). I told him sure, this will work for Thailand too, but not in Qatar, or the United Arab Emirates. Not true, it did work, indirectly, in Dubai, where we checked in together at the Hilton. When we handed over our passports, the handsome check-in guy asked us if we needed a King size bed instead of two doubles. I replied “King, of course” and the guy didn’t even bat an eye. I reflexively said “Yes, he is my boyfriend,” after introducing him as such for a better part of 2 weeks now. MonBoy then looks at Tiago and shook his hand. Tiago, all Brazilian, pulls him in for a hug. They laughed. This might actually work out. After some initial greetings, MonBoy tells me that he is actually committed to a short time encounter with the Thais he talked to before. But he says that he can meet up after that if I was still interested. I told him of course. He gives me a kiss in the cheek, and gets Tiago’s left hand and kisses his hand, and leaves. This works out, no payment of an off fee. I explain the situation to Tiago. The show starts, and quite frankly, nothing has changed in the numbers, the drag queens, and the quality of the show. It’s like I’ve never left and just saw this same show the week before. I knew certain songs were different, and some numbers were different, but it all just felt the same. What changed me for, however, was I was with Tiago. He kept asking first-timer questions that were interesting and funny. Like “Is that really a guy,” or “Do Asian boys kiss like Brazilians,” or “Do these shows also exist in Brazil?” I tell him, no. The shows in saunas in Brazil were kind of different. Some drag queens, yes, depending on the venue, but the males did not have elaborate numbers like here. In Brazil, it was just a man, a very muscular man, stripping sensually to nothing but his undies, and then showing his ass, and then his erection, after the number was over. “Which one do you prefer? This, or Brazil’s way?” he asks. I think about it for a minute. I tell him it depends. Sometimes I like this spectacle and disciplined dance numbers. Sometimes I’d just like to see a large cock. So, “Os dois – Both,” was my final answer. “Very American of you,” he tells me. That was not the first time he has called me as such during this trip. Just some asides, and this might sound a bit petty, but I did notice some models were a little less defined than before. Don't get me wrong, they still look fine. The pandemic was hard to us all, and I am in no prized shape either. Maybe its because I was with Tiago, and therefore I was measuring everything with his (fairly large) measuring stick, but judge for yourself. 2019 in the left, when I left them last, and 2022 how I’ve seen them now: Mr York Mr Tum Or maybe they just had a big dinner, who knows. I did like Mr Korn A LOT. He has this cocky humbleness to him, and once in a while he would smirk and I see possibilities. Maybe a future off: The show finishes. Some live entertainment was next, and as advertised, it was pretty fun, and the vocalist, May, was pretty good I think this was a good addition to the bar. If we weren't tired, we would have stayed longer: I get a message from MonBoy, telling me he is going to his client’s hotel. We leave Moonlight. I tell him we were going to Patpong, to see what’s up. Next post, another Boy Bar to go to (which one, can you guess), and a familiar face, next.

I have in the past railed against parts of the so-called democratic system as practised in the USA. Let me now redress the blaance a little by looking at the present disastrous situation that exists in the UK. For those who do not know much about the UK policial system, it is largely dependent on a series of constituencies, each of which eoects a Member of Parliament. Although there are more than two parties at Westminster, as in the USA there are two dominant ones - the Conservatives (often called the Tories) and Labour. Members of Parliament are elected on a first past the post system. So it can happen that the governing party has a minority of all votes cast. The outgoing Prime Minster Boris Johnson frequently boasted about he had created his party's large majority at the last election. If he were being truthful, he would admit that less than 30% of the electorate actually voted for that party. There was a very perceptive article in the Sunday edition of the Observer newspaper. Titled "The lesson from Johnson's tenure - British politics needs dragging into the 21st century", John Harris writes of the country's various crises - "One of our crises goes back centuries. The UK’s structures of government are based around an antiquated and centralised state, much of which was built during the distant days of empire, and that now barely functions. Swollen Whitehall departments cannot possibly do what ministers and civil servants claim. The Houses of Parliament are a shabby symbol of institutional decay. Thanks to the continued existence of the House of Lords, our legislators include a Russian-British newspaper proprietor, Ian Botham and 92 hereditary peers. And the way we elect the Commons is a creaking joke: the 'personal mandate' Johnson recently cited to try to keep himself in office amounted to the support of less than 30% of the electorate. "Worse still, there is a deep, symbiotic connection between the institutions of Westminster and Whitehall and the structures of privilege centred on a handful of private schools, and the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Together, they have churned out people trained in the arcane ways of the establishment and how to network their way into power, but who usually turn out to be dangerous bullshitters and chancers. Johnson, obviously, was all this incarnate: once he had got to the top of a system that grants prime ministers mind-boggling levels of power, he could trample over constitutional conventions, push through legislation nullifying basic civil rights, and champion the breaking of international law . . . "Drastically altering our systems of power – and, via radical thinking about private education and Oxbridge, breaking up ancient networks of privilege and influence – would open the way to changes that would start to pull us out of our endless malaise: a huge housing drive, a basic income, security both within and without work, the kind of moves towards a closer relationship with Europe that the stupidities of current politics rule out. It would also quash the chances of another entitled would-be Tory autocrat wheedling their way into power. This is surely the lesson of the past three torrid years – that if Johnson’s time in power demonstrates one thing beyond question, it is the fact that British politics has to finally leave the 20th century." Johnson had been widely reviled virtually before he became Prime Minister. Like Trump in the USA whom he often resembles, he has lied, cheated, been beset by scandal, broken his own government's covid isolation rules, not once but several times, and was felled by his major character flaws. He is the first Prime Minster in history to have been fined by the police whilst in office. Two of his party members had recently to resign in disgrace, one for sexual offences against a teenage boy and another for watching porn on his mobile phone in parliament. Johnson was also caught changing his story on the way he handled allegations of sexual misconduct by a senior member of his government. Long seen as a redeemer, his own party has now dropped him like a stone. It was unfortunate for the UK that his Labour party opponent in the last general election was regarded as weak and unelectable because of his strong left-wing and other less than savoury views. Inmore countries, democracy without strong democratic institutions seems in serious danger of becoming close to some form of autocracy. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jul/10/lesson-boris-johnson-british-politics-21st-century-democracy

8h30 should be a good time for Winner Boy (not too early, not too late).

No. I am the one who offed the guy up there.

Not even that-though it makes it a lot easier. (those refusing the vaccine can get in-with recent test results) and even that piece of paper to be filled in in airplane has gone

If a guy is unwilling, I move on. I don't see an alternative.

Straight guys who refuse to do anything in bed because "I am man" are not uncommon. Often, for example, they will only suck with a condom. Others will only let you jerk them off but will not touch you at all. That's why it's so important to clearly state what you expect before you off him. I've always thought that guys on the game who want to make big money quickly need to be able to bottom, even if they don't really like it. That way they double their chances of getting offed. It's a oi-brainer. Similarly, I learnt how to bottom so that now I have doubled the number of guys I can have fun with. Top or bottom, it no longer matters. If he's attractive, I'll take him! And when I go for a massage we'll top each other. Twice the fun!

We share something in common and we discovered it around the same age. Except my introduction was street trade / hustlers, not the bus station. By comparison, the stereotypical gay scene / clubs / bars (and their usual patrons) never really had much appeal for me. The hustler bars I discovered a few years later were the best combination for me in the States, but in the USA they have all disappeared. Discovering the joys of Brazilian saunas culture over a decade ago was a godsend for me.

I am surprised the site does not even mention Mexico. Why is this?

You zeroed in on the youngest contestants! 😉 My favorite might be Angel Olaya from Argentina....

You need to know him.....casually dating, he'll have a new "BF" every time you see him and they're hardly language instructors , lol

This is how I also view such a discussion - personal preferences. Though I have frequented the Rio Garoto de Programa saunas, I've also patronized saunas without - several times. I enjoy both because the experiences can be very different, one compared to the other.

Exactly, Brazilian Portuguese is only good for Beazil. That's why I am still deciding if I should just go to a language in Colombia and learn Spanish. Spanish covers a whole lot bigger geographic area than Brazilian Portuguese.

On my next trip I am planning to visit the far north Chiang Mai,Pai and Mae Hong Son never had been there due my laziness.I am planning more touristic things then boys. lol . By the way I had been in Sukothai five years ago, the old city is amazing much more impressive then ruins in Ayutthaya and the Thai's there are the most lovely people I ever met in Thailand.

Wow Numazu, In my opinion, you are Rush reincarnated with your writing capabilities. Rush archives I really like the way that you write and the fact that you included a map, which is a 5***** star act for me!! So many posters here write their fabulous trip reports (greatly appreciated) but without a map for context - I often get lost and confused about the lay of the land. A map helps me to get oriented and prepared for my to-be adventure. Thanks. Numazu, the snippet what you wrote above - is SO true. Us gays we have fought so many years for equality and now that we have almost gained it - we are starting to lose our ghettos (hang out zones) - which for me are what made being gay so special. The first time I walked into Soi Twilight many years ago was one of the MOST gay captivating events in my entire gay life (even more so than Amsterdam, San Francisco, Paris, and New York). The intensity of it all was at first overwhelming but over time it became easier and easier to digest and enjoy - it was like heaven. I cannot wait to read your next segment.....

Hello Emiel1981, Back in 2015 I took a hired gay guide couple who gave me a road trip through Chiang Mai, Chaing Rai, Sukhothai, and then the fabulous Kanchanaburi region. Here is a link to my 2015 trip report - in case it could be helpful to you. Cheers and enjoy, M. 2015 trip report

I'm a bit of a bore about the north but the journey from Chiang Rai to Mae Salang, a Chinese town inhabited by the descendants of the defeated Nationalist army is, for me, the most fascinating in Thailand. Better than Doi Inthanon. Some of the roads aren't for the faint-hearted- narrow and mountainous-but what views!

I don't think anyone wants to know more. Put it to bed!

The Koreans run the garment industry throughout South America. There's a great, very hip Korean restaurant in Bom Retiro called Komah.

I don't agree either, although I am not a big fan of Pattaya I do like reading the trip reports of the guys that go there. I can get my fill by reading about Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket etc from the one forum.

Sorry @kjun12 I just don't agree. There is a very good search engine. Anyone wanting information particularly about Pattaya can get most of it by merely typing in Pattaya. Besides, many posters are visitors who, on the basis on a number of posts in recent months, wish to visit more than one location. Having to fiddle between two or more threads is basically a waste of time. The other issue is: where does a split like this end? Should the Board spit Europe into specific desintations. In recent months there have been threads about Barcelona, Istanbul, Salzburg, Prague, Zurich, Vienna, Budapest, Bratislava, Spain, Portugal, Vienna, Brno, London, Lison and Rome. These have had more than 75k views. Should they all be separated, perhaps just into countries? Granted, the gaythailand forum is the most heavily read. On the other hand, the European Men & Destinations forum has many more 'reads' than the those for Gay Bangkok, Gay Pattaya and Gay Chiang Mai businesses put together. Since these cover a lot of information about bars and ther gay venues, is there a need for yet more forums?

This is a really expensive place to eat.

Some thoughts about Phuket. Tourism is starting to pick up again which is great, and even though it’s slightly busy, it’s not at pre-pandemic levels just yet. I’ve been here once before and I decided to visit again as I wanted a bit of a beach holiday. I stayed in party central patong (which is not really my scene, but I thought I would try) and don’t really recommend Seaview hotel for a number of reasons, one of which is I was put into a room with an adjoining door and I could hear everything very clearly from the room next door (including s3x, but fortunately, or unfortunately for them, it did not last too long). I did book the cheapest room type though and I didn’t really complain as I was only there 2 nights. Can’t fault the service though, it was actually very good. They also played the Thai national anthem at 8am each morning quite loudly and I’ve never experienced that in a hotel before. In terms of guys, I visited 4 massage in the past and I thought I would return as I had a good experience previously. The guy that massaged me in the past still worked there and remembered me (but not quite at first) but I chose him and fun times ensued. Later on after exchanging line details he even invited me to have drinks with him later, which I thought was nice, but declined in the end. Grindr has been a lot more active than in bkk and cnx and 2 guys I was chatting to also worked at 4 massage. I told them they can massage me next time I come to Phuket. Phuket is generally a little pricey but it’s a good time to travel now. Hotel prices are decent and it’s not yet overrun with tourists. Would I come back? Probably yes but I think next time I may try stay somewhere different, somewhere a little more relaxing. I stayed in Karon before so I’ll explore the different beaches. The smart bus at the moment is only 100 baht but I think it’s only a promotion for a while. I’m coming back to Bangkok for about a week before I go back home, lots of guys to see, and I think I might do some day trips to like Ayutthaya or the ancient city etc. Looking forward to it!

(part 9) During my 7-day stay in Boyztown this time, I had another massage session with Kiwi. It seems he had more customers recently (asked me to re-schedule twice because of schedule conflicts). The second time, he had to go to Bowin (more than 30 km from Pattaya) in the evening to meet a Chinese customer, who's working in some construction project there, and stayed overnight. The next morning, I checked if he's back yet. "Not yet, I'm still cleaning"? Cleaning? I thought he went there for massage services. Turned out Customer gave him 3000 for massage + staying overnight and 1000 for 2-way Grab fare. After massage, it took customer less than 2 minutes to cum. Kiwi felt bad for customer, spending all that money for those 2 minutes (he's must be a result-oriented person), so he offered to stay and clean customer's whole house before he left. Back in my room, this time he brought candles to make it, his words, "special and romantic". Wonder if anyone told him about my previous review (reported in part 1, in which I did say he brought everything but no candles). As usual, he talked a lot during our session and I just listened to his stories, some of which were nice and warm (like what his Chinese ex did for him), some bizarre but exciting (like that time a Japanese customer hired him and 6 other MBs in Bangkok, and paid very good money, 6K each, for an orgy; but he couldn't get hard probably due to peer pressure and became the only bottom everyone else took turns to top), and some, unfortunately, saddening. Contrary to popular belief, many farang customers were not civil, generous, or even hygienic. Some were outright rude. One asked him to do foot massage, then Thai massage then oil massage, which took 4 hours in total. Then on top of that, he was asked to f*ck the customer for another half an hour (it was so hard because he had no energy left but he soldiered on), and got paid 1500 for all these. Or when he bent down to rub some customers' genitals, he had to hold his breath because it looked like that part hadn't been washed in a long time. Or this farang (who looked old, all wrinkled and overweight in his pictures) contacted him on app for a possible meeting. When being told he has to pay, the old guy said this "Your parents must be proud when they find out that you are a money boy", then boasted about how he himself could have other Thais, who are students, younger and cuter, for free. "I don't believe him. And my parents do know about my work." Kiwi said. I guess, we all had some very hard days. Having moved to Zing in Jomtien Complex, I first stopped by the new B.N. bar just opened last month, 10 June to be exact. It's a few meters from The Venue, a bit off the main soi, so the location is not at all ideal (the only advantage is that it's a lot quieter here so easier to talk). Bought drinks for and talked to their new Cambodian boy (just here for a week) and also a cute skinny Thai I always saw sitting outside every time I walked by. It turns out the Thai not just a boy, he's actually the co-owner of this new bar! 27 years old, used to work in 2 go-go bars in the now-defunct Twilight soi in Bangkok, then Toy Boy in Boyztown, Pattaya right before Covid. And now, he opened a beer bar with his best friend, a Cambodian guy who looks around his age (B.N. is the initials of his name - Bass and that of the partner - Nut, if I got it right. I saw someone already interpreted the acronym as Big Nuts hehe). I forgot to take pictures last night so I just use an old picture from Internet. I'll come back later tonight to get a more current picture of the bar. Each partner put in half the investment (400K for fixed assets and an extra 50K for liquors and beverages). Even if the location is not prime, they still have to pay the same rent rate as everybody else in the main soi: 20K per month for their small shop, utilities adding another 3K, and, well, 2.5K to the local police (every bar in the soi pays more or less that amount, the owner told me) so they would turn a blind eye to things like non-Thai staff and late opening hours. For now, with that overhead, there's no way they can make a profit. They are trying to hold out and wait for the high season (or when the Chinese are allowed to come back), said the owner, who thought I'm Singaporean and who used to have a lot of Asian customers, mostly Chinese and Japanese, back in his go-go days. The two hours I sat there, they had only 3 customers. While the Thai partner was talking to me, the Cambodian one sat listening patiently to an elderly farang, who talked slowly but incessantly for a good two hours. "Is your partner's English that good?" The Thai shaked his head "same same me, but the customer can speak Thai". Apart from two partners slash host, they have 3 other hosts (2 Cambodians and 1 Lao). @gerefan, I read your comment so I asked them again about the basic salary. The new Cambodian host told me they received 100B from the bar but only for any night they don't have any customers (drinks or off) - so that means 3000 minimum per month (3 hosts there share an upstairs room in the Complex for about 4000). Some customers wanted to off the Thai owner himself, but he couldn't go because he's been playing multiple roles at the bar (owner slash host slash cashier slash bartender slash legal representative when the police come - the bar registered under his name and it looks like his Cambodian buddy is a silent partner) and no one so far would wait until the bar closes to take him. Another piece of intel: one of the bar's Cambodians, who the other day talked to Dough, the owner of Toolbox bar in Phnom Peng (mentioned in Part 7), pointed at some space near Agate's entrance and told me, Dough's new bar is gonna be there. On a separate note, a Thai boy from X-boys asked me to take him to watch a show in another bar because he said he never got to see any show in his life (sound like a sob story to me). Since I already moved to Jomtien, I told him to take a day off from his Boyztown bar and come to Jomtien complex, I'll take him to drink and watch a show in M2M and then we can go to my hotel. He said he can't take a day off as he has to report to work in the bar every day even if he's sick. In the case of no-show, he has to pay bar fine of 500 per day. I guess I can give him that money too, but just wonder about the situation. A Lao boy from Boyz Boyz Boyz told me something similar. If a customer can't go to the bar to pick him up, he could only go before or after working hours (8pm to 2am) if he wants to avoid the bar fine. On the other hand, I also see on many occasions boys in Fresh Boys and Dream Boy in Bangkok, and Winner Boy, Toy Boy and Pikky in Pattaya, didn't show up for work for all kinds of reason or while being at work, they just left to eat or went home early when there's no hope for more customers. The Thai boy (mentioned in part 2) told me he used to juggle two jobs with both Winner Boy in Sunee and Pikky in Boyztown. So usually weekdays, he worked in Winner Boy, and in weekends, when Boyztown was busier, he switched to Pikky. Last time, I had to wait for an hour for a boy in Fresh Boys and he didn't show up. Mamasan told me, probably because of the heavy rain that night, while a Viet waiter told me he thought the boy just had an outside customer. Last week, I went to Winner Boy bar twice and on both occasions had to leave because the owner who was sitting outside with one or two fully clothed boys told me they didn't have enough boys coming to work so they couldn't open the bar inside. So it looks to me, some bars are more strict about enforcing bar fines than others to make sure that boys can't take outside customers during their working hours without generating some kind of revenue for the bar. (to be continued)

(part 7) We stayed and danced a bit in Heart of Darkness until 12.30 am (they even played some Vietnamese pop music mixed with Khmer and Chinese songs). Then we tuk-tuked back to A&P. I gave Guide his money plus 10% tip and he was on his way. Dancer looked surprised. He thought Guide was gonna stay with us. What did he expect of three of us doing together anyway? Guide provides guidance on how the f*cking should go for the two remaining lads? It looked like some messages were lost in translation again. Since Dancer looked a bit uncomfortable, I asked if he wanted to leave. No, he can stay. So my Phnom Peng's short trip ended on a good note. I'm so glad I reached out to Dancer. We had a good time (I gave him the same amount I gave the waiter boy 50$ for ST), his body is that of a dancer: very firm, virtually no excess fat, with the kind of lean muscles you normally don't get through gym training (he told me he doesn't go to gym, just dance training and performance). His ties to Vietnam are fairly strong too. He had stayed in a relationship with a Vietnamese guy who went to Cambodia to work for almost 4 years then the latter broke up with him and came back to Vietnam to get married. Sad but pretty common (sometimes even expected) endings for gay couples in Vietnam. Dancer said he noticed me when we were in POC that night. He asked Guide where I am from and Guide, obviously lying through his teeth, told Dancer he doesn't know (can't figure out why he lied anyway). So "I feel so good when I found out you are from Vietnam too," Dancer later told me. There was something else. Guide told me Dancer worked in Toolbox way longer than he did so the former must be so used to taking customers, but Dancer told me no way, he was there to dance only because he was in an exclusive relationship with his Viet boyfriend at the time. I asked Guide if he actually saw Dancer going with customers back in Toolbox, he said no, "But I know everything. I used to work in the bar so I know about the situation." Well, the usual "he said, he said" case so I don't know who to believe, not that it matters anyway. Dancer gave me a piece of intel: he is going to move to Thailand to work as a dancer in a new gay bar his former boss, Toolbox's owner, plans to open in Boyztown, Pattaya and it may happen as soon as this coming July. So guys, brace yourself The only note of regret is that I didn't have a chance to check out outdoor cruising venues (if any) as ChristianPFC reported some interesting encounter he had in Wat Botum park. Guide told me he's not aware of any such places in Phnom Peng, but now I've learned enough to NOT trust Guide's sources. Speaking of outdoor cruising venues, there are quite a few place in both HCM City and Hanoi frequented by local gays and MBs as well, especially around certain public parks and suspended construction sites. 20 years ago, it was the only way for us to find MBs (now it's still there but on a more limited scale because of the apps). There are currently 2 parks in Hanoi: Thong Nhat park and Hoa Binh park, the former located near the city center and much more accessible to foreigners. But I don't think first-time visitors (local or foreigner) should venture out there on your own without a local friend to "chaperone". FYI: the on-going rate in these parks could be as low as 2 USD for an on-site bj, 5 USD for ST and 10 USD for LT (for comparisons, I already gave the apps rate in part 5). Boys are mostly straight, in their teens and early twenties, fresh from rural provinces, trying to make it in a big city. Actually, since a picture's worth a thousand words, here are some taken in Thong Nhat park just a couple of weeks ago. All four boys in the pictures are MBs. There are so many funny anecdotal stories about MBs and their customers in these parks. An MB boy told me this: a middle-aged customer picked him up from Thong Nhat park and they went to a short-time hotel nearby by customer's motorbike. Boy was the driver, and Customer snuggled right behind him, hugging him tight, touching his genitals while they were on the way. Customer came before they even reached the hotel. So Boy just collected his fee and was on his way while Customer used the hotel to wash himself. In another case, a pimp brought a new MB from the park to meet a customer located quite far away, also by motorbike (pimp would collect both his commission and transport fee in such a case). They got stopped by the traffic police for routine check. Boy, just arriving in the city a few days ago, got so scared at the sight of police, so he answered their simple question "Where do you guys go?" with this "I'm a first-time whore. This mister is taking me to go sucking some guy's dick" I think I could write a whole book on those anecdotes For Bangkok's Silom, I have two favorite "cruising" spots: The 7 Eleven in Wall Street Tower right before bar opening time and The Foodland restaurant in Patpong soi 2 right after bar closing time. For the former, you could get to meet boy bars having meals before work or smoking a cigarette and probably save them and yourself a trip to the bar (two boys in the picture below were from Fresh Boys, one was in their big cock show). For the latter, you could see some familiar faces with their catch of the night. Anyway, back to Bangkok from Phnom Peng, the first thing I did was to go to Hotmale downstairs in early evening. Ordered a drink. Few minutes later, two staffers approached and asked me to settle a bet for them (their usual ice-breaking tactic I guess). They tried to guess where I'm from. The taller one thought I'm Singaporean and the shorter one - Vietnamese. So Shortee won and I asked him how he knows I'm Vietnamese. He said something about skin complexion and facial features similar to one of the Viet boys in Fresh Boys. I bought them drinks and we talked. Shortee is from Laos, while the other - Cambodia. There are four regular boys working downstairs, but two were off today. So I took the chance to ask about the tiny Lao Vinapu mentioned so many times in his recent reports. "Must be me" Shortee said, "I'm the only Lao working here and I've been here for a long time". I did a double take. He's not that tiny and not that clingy either. He then asked "Who's your friend who's talking about me?" Well, I never meet Vinapu, so I grasped at "Mr KFC look" straws. It immediately struck some bells. "Oh that one" He whipped out his phone, scanning through it, then showed me a picture of him and a gentleman being very clingy to each other. First time I saw Vinapu's picture, ever. Being a longtime fan of the Big Bang Theory series, my first thought was: Nobel prize winner in Physics, not Mr. KFC (though I can see where that KFC label comes from). Either way, he is obviously someone when you meet, it would be hard for you to forget. Then I asked if they remember @jason1975 too, the guy from Singapore. Of course, "he was here two weeks ago, he's very nice". Then I took the chance to remind Shortee that they were not very nice to him when all turned down his offer for karaoke. Shortee looked apologetic "We were busy..." I also asked if they remember paulsf, "guy from America, quite close to Viet boys in Fresh Boys, he always sat here". Shortee checked his phone again and produced a picture of another gentleman, who looks handsome but kinda stern. I met Paul so I'm sure it wasn't him. "But this guy comes here a lot too," Shortee said. Well, if I have to match that picture with someone well-known in this forum who also frequents Hotmale downstairs, I would say @reader. His writing style (concise and to the point, careful choice of words, often politically correct) give me the impression of a college professor who tend to plan ahead, is serious and committed to what (or whom) he's doing (Vinapu sounds like someone who could be in academia too, but could also equally and easily get sidetracked for, his words not mine, "a bit of whoring") (Sorry, I'm not sure if it's appropriate to openly talk about my impressions of you guys like this in my thread. If you are offended, let me know.) Now, we get to know each other a bit better, I finally got Vinapu's comment about Shortee being clingy. Since that first meeting, anytime I walked by Hotmale and if Shortees saw me, he would rush out, clutch my hand and asked where I'm going. He quickly took to holding me and gently planting a peck on my neck many times while we were talking. @vinapu had he ever left you a hickey? After Hotmale, I decided to go back to M-star Massage in Silom Soi 6 because earlier when walking by I spotted a very cute and boyish masseur on duty. Since Jason1975 reported that the shop used a rotation system and did not allow customers to choose masseur, I'll see if I could strong-will them into letting me pick whoever I want. If I can't, they won't have my business for sure. (to be continued)

(part 6) My last day in Phnom Peng, I had my second tour of gay life night with Guide. When I finished my online work around 4pm, I felt quite bored so I lined Guide to see if his dancer friend (mentioned in part 4) was available. Guide replied his friend also has daytime job (as a chef) and then a dance gig at some bar in early evening so can't meet before 9pm. A&P, where I was staying, doesn't have a gym (excepts a few hand weights lying around) so I couldn't work out for the last two days. Since I saw Love Spa has a full gym the last time I checked it out, I decided to set off early at 6pm to make use of their facility and lined Guide to meet me there at 7pm, the starting time of our tour. When I reached the spa, just 10 min walk from A&P, I saw so many motorbikes parked in- and outside. It looked like busy time. Indeed, there must be 100 or more people inside on a Sunday evening (doubled that of A&P on Saturday last night, which peaked at 9 pm with more than 50 customers). The biggest problem with Love Spa was that it was too dark inside, even in the shower and toilet areas. It was very easy for you to trip in those slippery areas too. After several near fall incidents and couldn't see anything, I gave up and just worked out in the gym, waiting for Guide. Guide was 15min late and we then moved to explore Hatha Khmer Sauna. I thought it would be next to Hatha Khmer Massage (which we visited 2 days ago) so we went back to Street 368. Still needed some time to find the place the second time around. This time I remembered to take a picture and you guys can see why. Below is the entrance with no signs. and here is the price list Turned out the sauna is on a different street, in fact, it is on the same street as Love Spa, just a couple of houses down. So we walked back to Street 350 and spotted the sauna quite easily this time (though still no clear signage, maybe they don't wanna attract attention). This sauna is bigger, but has fewer customers than Love Spa next door. We reached the place around 7h40pm and there were (based on the number of parked motorbikes) about 30 to 40 customers inside. Doorman told us they open at 2.00 pm and close at 9 pm so we had a little more than 1 hour to explore it. Entry is 3$ for locals and 4$ for foreigners. Guide at first didn't want to go in because he said he didn't like such places, but I talked him into it "Come on, try it so you would have hands-on (also dicks-on) experiences to share with your future customers". So we went in, went upstairs to the reception counter. Guide told me to keep my mask on and my mouth shut so we paid only 3$ each for entry It worked. I like this sauna better than Love Spa. It was still dark inside, but at least I could see something. And their dark maze on the upper floor was interesting. We separated at the entrance of the maze and the whole time I was there, my biggest scare was we ran into each other inside, didn't know it and then did the unthinkable to each other. That would be very unprofessional. Since the poor Guide has glaucoma in early stage he can't see very clearly in broad daylight, let alone in such dark places. So it was totally up to me to make sure we stayed professional and anyone I touched wasn't Guide. A few minutes inside, somebody touched me, I touched him back, first to make sure he wasn't Guide. Slim fit, well-developed chest (Guide skinny and no chest to write home about), flat stomach, smooth, not hairy, warm body, so I liked it. He also did the routine check to make sure I'm his type (we basically operated on the seeing-by-touching principle), then he gently guided me to a corner and we got down to business. It was pretty intense at first, but I got bored after a while since I can't see his face. He was wearing a mask even in such a dark place, only pulled it down a bit when he needed to use his mouth. Whenever I touched his face, trying to read his facial features with my hand, he brushed it away. So I got up and left. Later I re-united with Guide at the maze entrance, who seemed to barely able to contain his excitement (like a kindergartener in his first Disney Land trip). Obviously, he also met someone inside and couldn't wait to tell me about his adventure Guide seemed totally forgot that he was on the clock, but I liked it. I wanted him to enjoy this tour as much as I did. Out of three saunas I experienced on this trip, A&P was best in terms of facilities and cleanliness (I saw cockroaches in both other saunas) and probably also the look department (a lot of young gym type going there). Love Spa was cheapest (entry 2.5$, A&P: 4$, Hatha Khmer: 3$) and also most crowded. Less attractive people might have more opportunities in Love Spa because of its total darkness. On the other hand, the main problem with A&P is that it has no dark rooms and virtually no chance for orgies (too seedy vs. too clinical, I would say). I like Hatha Khmer the most and would come back because it's a balance between the two in terms of everything. 9pm sauna closed. Still early to visit bars, I decided to try one more Massage place, Om Massage in Rue Pasteur No. 51, close to the intersection with Street 154. We called grab tuk-tuk, but Guide entered the wrong address so we ended up in the middle of a cluster of girl massage shops who waived at us like there's no tomorrow. I checked Google Map again and saw the right place was only 20 min walk away and I haven't yet reached my daily quota of 15K steps, so I asked Guide if it was ok to walk. No problem. So we walked to the intersection of Rue Pasteur with St 154, and as it is now often the case, couldn't find the place. Asked local people, they gave some directions, we walked back and forth, and still couldn't see anything look like a massage shop. I then told Guide to check online to see if there is any number to call. He found it, called the owner, who said his shop is upstairs and opened from 10am to 9pm. That means it's closed now. Still, I insisted we find the exact location for future reference. We walked back and forth some more, finally found a girl sitting downstairs who pointed us to the right floor. Here is the picture Again, no signage, but you can see some white towels hung out to dry near the closed door right? That's where it is, probably impossible for fist-time visitors who are not local to find (but I bet @ChristianPFC could). Mission accomplished, I asked Guide to suggest a good seafood restaurant nearby. He took me to a place he visited.... 8 years ago, and of course, it was no longer there. The store changed owner and they now sell something else. I must say Guide is cute, sweet, and fun to be with, but when it come to guiding, he still had a long way to go. It worked for me though because I prefer a local friend, whom I can talk to, tease and make joke with, to a professional guide who's only there to do his job. Just wished his sources were more updated so we didn't waste time walking around. We then found another seafood store to have dinner, food just so so. 10h45 pm. We still have two more gay bars to try - Space bar (Phnom Peng equivalent of Silom Tawan) in Street 136 and the famous Heart of Darkness (the equivalent of DJ Station), both within walking distance. We visited Space first, a gay bar smaller than both POC and Blue Chili (reported in part 4) with mostly muscular hosts. Here are some pictures There were 6 boys working that night, most of whom looked straight. My soft drink 3$, Guide cocktail drink 6$. Boy drink 3.5$, but no bar fine (this will be explained later). How much the boy wants for ST and LT? Guide asked one random boy in the bar and his answer was evasive: everyone has their own rate and he wouldn't reveal his own rate (probably he can tell I am not a prospective customer). While in Space bar, I asked Guide to check with his dancer friend. He had finished all his day and night jobs, and ready to meet. So I told him to go straight to Heart of Darkness - the final destination of our tour. When we were about to leave, the boy in red singlet in the last picture came over to say hi. From the way he sashayed and talked, I could tell he's gay. I was right. Not only was he much more friendly than other guys, his English was also much better and he was willing to answer questions. So basically, they are not allowed to go with customers while at work, they are only there to wait on table, drink with customers and earn tips. What they do with customers when they finish work is their own business. That's why there is no bar fine and no guidelines for ST/LT. Look like the owner (who's sitting right there, in black singlet, on the left, upper corner of the last picture, you could see his profile only) wants to make sure his bar is above board with no overt prostitution). While Red Singlet was talking to me, he saw a hickey in my neck, touched it, teased me about it and asked who? I wasn't even sure whose it is, but most probably from Boy from Blued Guide's friend messaged he's on the way, so I paid the bill, tipped Red Singlet, and we left for Heart of Darkness. It was Sunday so the place was not busy at all. There were only 5 groups of customers around midnight including us (they open till 3 am). There was a group of local teenagers who sat next to our table, some of whom looked so young they were probably still in secondary school. I felt like marching over and asked: Kids, don't you have school tomorrow? The dancer friend finally arrived. He turned out to be Mixed Vietnamese (dad Cambodian and mom Vietnamese) and speaks a little Vietnamese. (to be continued)

(part 5) After 2 days, I move to A&P (Arthur & Paul) - the gay-only hotel in Phnom Peng (I have always wanted to experience such a place). It's pricy, double the price I paid for my centrally located 4 star hotel, and also a bit far from the city center. However, moving to this hotel put me in walking distance of 15 minutes or less to a number of well-known gay sauna & massages, including Dai Khmer (st 420), Ganesh House Massage (also on st 420), Hatha Khmer Massage and Love Spa (reported in part 4), to name a few, not to mention the most famous A&P, the in-house sauna of the hotel to which its guests have free access (Guide actually wanted to take me to A&P during my first tour but I told him I'm gonna stay there anyway). My tip: visitors to Phnom Peng should try to stay in two different locations (one near the Royal Palace, and the other near A&P). A&P itself is expensive, but I saw quite a number of decent hotels, probably cheaper, nearby when I walked around the neighborhood. That means you can stay in a cheaper place and then buy an all-day multi-entry pass to A&P for a few more bucks to use their very good facilities, including dry & wet saunas, swimming pool, big jacuzzi, and also cute and smiling staff in their underwear (it's clothing optional, mind you). It's like when you visit Ho Chi Minh city, you should stay first in District 1 (the actual city center, especially Bui Vien area which we call phố tây - street for foreigners) and later move to District 10, Sub-district 12 (the de factor gay service center with a lot of gay massage parlors and saunas). Back to Phnom Peng, I walked to Ganesh House Massage last night because it's very near just to have some ideas. It has the same setup as Hatha Khmer Massage: curtains, boys in underwear (white this time) but fewer boys (8 on display at 10h30pm, open till midnight). As with the case of Heco, the receptionist's English is extremely poor and Guide wasn't with me, so after a few questions trying to find more info but to no avail, I gave up and walked back. Took some pictures though. I contacted Dai Khmer (on the same street as Ganesh) on Grindr and they send me pictures of the available 5 masseurs. I like the one in red shirt. A taste check: @vinapu and @jason1975 which ones do you like? Jason, I think you could really use a week-end trip from Singapore to sample gay life and boys in Phnom Peng. About finding boys on app, I only had one hook-up in the first two days so don't have much to say about it. However, it looks to me that while both Blued and Grindr have a lot of local boys, Grindr appears to have a higher rate of MBs. In Thailand, I found that Hornet works better for Pattaya, Grindr for Bangkok and Blued is pretty decent for both. Vietnam is similar to Cambodia (Blued and Grindr), but you may want to install one more app - Zalo (as popular as Line in Thailand). Usually, app boys are gonna give you their Zalo contact. Another tip: if you are in Vietnam and try to find boys on app, beware of so-called online pimps, who also advertise their service on Blued, Grindr and Zalo. Many of those online pimps just scout the apps, looking for any boys who advertise themselves as MB (in Vietnam, we usually use the term call boy or cb instead), then create their own list of "models". As a result, the same boy may appear in multiple lists advertised by different pimps. In many cases, the pimps know next to nothing about their boys and can't answer your questions about the boy's sexual orientation, whether he looks like his pictures, what he would or would not do in bed, etc. Worse still, they also jack up the price quite a bit (for example, if you deal directly with the boy, he may ask for somewhere between 500K and 1 mil VND short time, about 700-1500B or 22-45 USD. Through a pimp, that would become 1-1.5 mil VND (and if they know that you are foreigners, they may quote the price in USD for even more money, so feel free to haggle). The more a pimp can charge you, the more commission he gets (30% of what the boy gets from you). Different pimps may quote you different prices for the same boy. I don't mind paying the pimps their cut if they actually do a their job of giving us some helpful intel about boys. But they more often than not don't. So I follow some pimps on Zalo to see pictures of the boys and then just do the opposite: scout the apps for familiar faces You also need to know where to put your location while searching. In Hanoi, for example, search the old quarter or Hoan Kiem lake. Ho Chi Minh city (see relevant locations a few lines above). One MB, who's currently working in Bi sauna in District 10 in Ho Chi Minh City, told me this intriguing story. He got a customer (a Vietnamese overseas) through a pimp and travelled all the way to meet the customer in his centrally-located hotel. The agreed price is 1.2 mil (which means the pimp's cut is 400K). However, the customer, for whatever reasons, changed his mind and didn't want sex. He offered the boy 500K for "meeting and chatting". FYI: I can confirm that the boy in question does look like his pictures, very cute in person as well, and can also do massage quite professionally. I used his service and was happy. Boy told me he had to give the pimp his cut of 400K no matter what (he also complained that pimps don't care if the deal didn't go through, they don't care if boys get in trouble with rogue customers, would not protect the boys because they themselves also know nothing about customers), and the remaining 100K wasn't even enough to cover his two-way taxi fare. So he insisted the customer pay the agreed amount because a deal is a deal. When the customer refused, you know what the boy did? Right there in the middle of the hotel lobby, he (kinda small-built) jumped on the guy (tall and big) and screamed in Vietnamese. I need a moment think how I should translate this into English... "Everyone, this jerk's trying to stiff a whore! This jerk's trying to stiff a whore!" (that's how we make a scene in Vietnam). You probably know the ending right? The customer paid up and the boy left, but damages already done. (to be continued)

(Part 4) To have a change of scene, I'm making a quick trip to Phnom Peng. Stayed in a centrally located hotel, close to a number of gay bars including the famous POC, Blue Chili and Heart of Darkness. My first time here so I booked a guide from Siam Roads for two night tours to gay places (tour time: 7pm to 12am, 49$ each tour). The night I landed, I checked Christian's list of gay massages in Cambodia (https://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2021/02/gay-massage-in-cambodia-2021.html) and found that Heco, a place highly recommended by a reader of his blog, is just 10 min walk from my hotel, so decided to pay it a visit. It's located right behind the Royal Palace. Staff speak very limited English. Just a simple question like "Can I see pictures of the boys?" took several attempts and still can't get across so I had to resort to Google translation (there was a farang, who looks like the owner, so I sought his help but turned out he doesn't speak English either). Finally staff showed me pictures of four guys on his phone and only one caught my eyes. "Sorry, he's out" (pointing outside) "Can you call him back?" Blank stare. After several more attempts and with help of the other boys on duty (all three of them), I finally got that it was the guy's day off and if I want him, I can come back tomorrow. Price-wise, massage here is pricy (20$ for 60min while only 10$ in other places). According to some report, masseurs expect 20$ tip for a happy ending and 30$ (if anal sex involved). I checked the list again and found the next nearest one is Hatha Khmer Massage in street 368 so decided to walk there. I usually prefer walking as it helps get my bearings of a new place and also complete my goal of at least 15K steps per day. When I reached the location shown on Google map half an hour later, I couldn't find the place, so I gave up and walked back to the hotel Fired Blued and talked to a cute boy. He asked for money, $40 for ST. I didn't really know if it was fair, but remember the tip guidelines above so counter with $30 for an hour. He okayed it. Since the boy can't meet before 5 pm and the next day I have a tour to go to at 7 pm, we scheduled it the day after. The next evening, I started my first night tour at 7 pm. Guide first took me to the only night market in Phnom Peng. We walked and talked about the local life on the way. There's nothing much to see in the market, so I tried some street food (for future references: don't. Every stall sells the same kind of food, which doesn't taste good and is also pricy. Guide told me he was shocked when he saw the bill. Then why didn't he tell me in the first place?) Then we booked a tuk-tuk via grab (to avoid being overcharged) back to the very place I couldn't find last night: Hatha Khmer Sauna and Massage. Guide couldn't find it either (first time for him too) so he asked for directions from a local boy. We found the place (no signage and very dark). The sauna part was already closed. Guide was like: what??? (he told me sauna would open until midnight and it wasn't even 9pm at that point). We walked over to the massage part (opened until 11pm, so it was still open when I walked there yesterday, I just didn't know how to find it) and this is an interesting part. We were led into a dark room with a curtain. Then they opened the curtain and the scene was impressive. There were about 20 guys standing in three rows behind a glass wall, all wearing only black boxers under flattering light. Mamasan asked me to choose. Despite a large number of guys, I couldn't find anyone I like. Many are quite big with a lot of tattoos. Some do look like they just murdered some customer somewhere and then came back here to murder some more. I know a certain member in this forum would be in heaven if he were in my shoes, so I discreetly tag him @vinapu. Guide checked his sources and found another sauna-massage place nearby. So we walked to Love Spa just a few blocks away in Street 350 only to see that customers are leaving and the place is about to close too. Turned out they don't have a fixed closing time. They open at noon and would close when there are only a few customers left. Entry: 10K riels (2.5$). I asked staff what should be busy time and they said it depends. Sometimes, customers come and see that there are not so many people around so they leave. In other words, it's busy when it's busy. Regarding masseurs, they only had two on duty and one look at them dashed all my hope for a massage with happy ending. We took grab tuk-tuk back to the center (it's really cheap, less than 1.5 USD each way) and stopped by HECO first. Again checked with the staff, this time the communication went smoothly as I have Guide as translator. They had 5 boys on duty today, 2 busy with customers, 3 available. Again the pictures on the phone, and again I pointed at the same guy yesterday, and again he was not in the house and I could come back the next day. I told Guide they told me exactly the same thing yesterday, and he passed the message. Turned out: to make sure he's here when I come, I need to make a booking. But I prefer to book only when I see the boy in person, so we left for Blue Chilli, about 3 min walk away. They have drag shows every Thu, Fri and Sat (closed on Sunday) at 11pm and the Cambodian mamasan (or manager/owner, I'm not sure) said their Queen troupe is the best in Cambodia. The bar was empty at that point but guy said if we come back around 10h30 pm, we would have to stand because it would be packed. Still early (9h30pm), I decided to move to POC nearby to check them out. Earlier, they did tap me on Grindr and their profile shows this info Boy shows means boys dancing in revealing clothes and currently they have only 3 coyote boys but staff told me they were not here tonight. So we went in. Tiny and empty, same as Blue Chilli. My cocktail drink cost 4.25 USD. Guide told me all the staff here are gay and can go with customers. You buy them drink (4.5 USD, boy gets 1 USD) and talk and negotiate the price. If you want to off them, bar fine is 10 USD. Just like in Thailand. There were 4 waiters milling around, 3 in uniforms and 1 in plain white t-shirt, who looks youngest and also cutest to me. I asked Guide how much boys expect for ST and LT. He said it depends on the boy, but ST should be 40-50$ while LT should be 60-100$, then added "For me, I would charge 100$". I don't know how to interpret that last comment so I just let it pass. So I waived the boy in plain white shirt over and offered him a drink. He speaks limited English but I had Guide with me, so no problem. 22 years old, 1m80 and 69 kg (a bit big and heavy for my taste but cute face, sweet smile and very nice eyes), from a nearby province. He still lives with his parents and travels to work by his motorbike (45min each way). He just started working here for about a month (having another day job with Amazon), with a salary of 170$ plus tips. That also explains why he dressed differently from other waiters: he's still on probation. So I asked the important question: does he go with customers and he said No, he just wants to earn tips by talking to them. He got several offers since working here but always turned them down. I looked questioningly at Guide, who earlier said all the staff here are offable. So I sought the boy's social contact, thinking maybe it's better and more discreet if I do the negotiation via messaging. Turned out he's indeed a newbie, no Blued, Hornet or Grindr accounts, doesn't even have Line. FB and Instagram only. I then tried another tactic, asking Guide to ask him why he didn't want to go with customers especially when he chooses to work in such a place. He said he doesn't want to go with local customers. I was like "I'm not Cambodian. You want to go with me?" I looked at the boy, who was embarrassed and averted his eyes and in turn looked at Guide. Guide was like "Come on!" Finally he slowly nodded, then said something in Khmer to Guide. Guide told me he said yes not just because of money but also because he likes me, so it's fifty-fifty. Then we moved to the part of price negotiation. He wanted me to make my offer first because he said he never had to deal with things like this before. Thinking about the last night deal, I said 40$ then Guide translated back (but I suspected he said something along that "everyone asks for 50, you should ask him for 50 too" line). So indeed the boy said he would go for 50$. Deal! To make sure that nothing wasn't lost in translation, I asked again if I really am his first customer. Confirmed, adding: he wasn't even sure what he's expected to do when with a customer. At that point, I had to ask if he slept with men before. Yes, got a boyfriend but already broke up, he was a bottom in that relationship. The "first customer" thing reminds me of one Thai boy who worked as a waiter in the old Jupiter (when it was still at the place where Moonlight now is). I offed him from the bar and had great time. He was a newbie, just started working at Jupiter and it looked like I was his first customer, fresh and nice, did whatever I told him to do and was undemanding. Then the second time when I told him to go straight to my hotel, I could tell his behavior changed. Asked for more money, asked for taxi fares, brought me a card with some English writing (most words misspelt, including my name) :), kept asking when I would see him again. Obviously, someone told him to do all kinds of stuff to win me over and more importantly get more money. He tried, but very awkwardly Back to the current situation. A group of young locals entered the bar just before show time and they all know Guide. So Guide picked the youngest and most small-built among them and literally pimped him to me as another option. I smiled and asked how much his friend wanted for ST. The expected answer: 50$. Then the POC show started a little late than 11pm, around the same time as the one in Blue Chilli. Since my waiter boy could only leave at the end of the show, we stayed to watch it. It was kinda meh. There was only one drag queen standing out to me, whom I tipped 2$ (as I saw someone tipped the performer before her 5000 riels or 1.25$). There was one boy dancer, who Guide said used to work with him in Toolbox before the bar closed down for good (he said Owner is back to Thailand now) and Guide appeared to pimp this one to me too. Boy is cute and I may consider if I didn't have the waiter boy first (but his dancing was all over the place, I wouldn't hire him to dance in bed). (to be continued)

If you like the beach, Puerto Vallarta is always a good option. I've been to Guadalajara once and it has a pretty big gay scene. I was much younger when I was there, but met quite a few guys. I am trying to get administration to create a Mexico forum so we can share more information. Those are the only two places I've really had any luck in Mexico though.

Watched a show in M2M. Again, enjoyed it very much. I also wanna see again the dancer, who blowed me away (figuratively) in the previous trip. He's still great, moving like a gayish ballet dancer with a lot of energy and oozing charm. Guy is obviously not the kind of twinks I'm usually into (a bit mature and a bit big). In other words, his look is not really a turn-on for me. But somehow, I can't take my eyes off him when he performs. I even picture this crazy scene: off him and watch him dance in bed for an hour But when he drags, the whole package looks really disturbing Before show, I messaged a boy asking him to come and join me in M2M, and we can go to my hotel later. He replied "I don't want to go in there". I then asked if he can go to my hotel the next day, he said "Could you change hotel. I don't like Jomtien Complex" and only agreed to meet when I explained my hotel is close to but NOT in Jomtien Complex. This is the second time I saw this Jomtien-phobia thing. Right before Covid, a boy I had before (one of my memorable offs) turned down my offer for a repeat because that time I stayed in Zing. He made it very clear: If Jomtien Complex, I not go. Those two boys have something in common: pretty young, gay, have a regular job and only do this to earn extra money. I can't figure out why they hate Jomtien Complex (I asked but they wouldn't say). Any thoughts? So the next day, after an afternoon session with the boy who hates Jomtien, my boy quota for the day was met. Evening, I went to Winner Boy bar just to watch boys having fun in underwear. There were 9 boys working that night (one already got offed before I arrived) and 4 or 5 groups of customers, most of whom sat outside, only one inside with two boys. I bought drink for the first boy who approached me and we got talking. Little did I know, I got to hear his life story for the whole next hour He's from Bangkok, 25 years old, gay, vers top, started his MB career at Kawaii go-go bar in Boyztown when he was 17 (that means he was underaged and had to, his words, "run" whenever the police knocked on the door). His met his farang (French) boyfriend, now ex-bf, when he was 19 and the other 58, and stayed in that relationship for 4 years (show me his arm tattoo with his ex's name). It sounds like it was serious as he brought the guy home to meet the family (show me pictures of the boyfriend taken with him and his mum) and they even discussed the possibility of same-sex marriage. He didn't know why they broke up but the ex now has a new boyfriend back in France (show me pictures of a cute Caucasian teen whom I would totally off with the permission of the said boyfriend). Note to self: try to find cute boys who used to have farang boyfriends because they speak good English. During the course of their relationship, boyfriend rented him a room, told him to quit his go-go job and also not to let other boys stay with him. But he kept working without the other knowing because, he said, some months boyfriend only sent 10K and the room alone already cost 8K (it was a nice room), he didn't have enough money left for food and other stuff so he had to work. Boyfriend visited him three times each year, stayed roughly a month each. Whenever he visited, they had sex every day, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, it was too much for him, especially because he had to bottom while prefer being a top. It looks like the boyfriend was also a bad influence on him in the way that the former drank and smoked heavily. He said he was drunk all the time whenever the French guy visited and also became a chain-smoker himself. Now he can cut down on drinking, but couldn't give up smoking despite trying. Then he cheated and got a Thai boyfriend, who stayed with him in the same room the French rented for him. Once they video-called and the farang got glimpse of the other boyfriend, he got jealous. Next time they video-called, he made the poor lad go around the house with his phone camera, even into the toilet, to prove that there was no one else in the house Then he cheated some more and got another farang supporter, who also sent him money every month until he died of Covid. I asked the boy if he prefers Asians and he said "sure, any time". Without taking into consideration financial support, he would go for Asian boyfriends only. Anyway, back to his stories. Difficult times came with Covid. He went home to his mom for one year, then couldn't get along with her new boyfriend-cum-business-partner so he left and went back to Pattaya. Stayed in Winner Boy bar with 4 other boys for almost a year. Although his boss tried to support them as much as he could (providing accommodation, food ingredients and cookware so they can cook for themselves) and occasional customers who came to off them secretly from the closed bar, there were days he had nothing to eat or even had to pawn his cell phone to buy food. He gave a lot of credit to his boss, saying "we survived because we have a good boss". Now he moved out and can afford to have his own room but it's still difficult. He only had one customer in the last two weeks. The current room rent + utility bills cost 2.5K, he needs around 200 for food per day and another 100 for cigarette, so roughly 12K per month to live on. Back in Kawaii days, he said, he earned a lot of easy moneys, many days with two offs and customers were often more generous than the 1500ST/2500LT standard rate (now, he's willing to go ST for just 1000). He said he spent all that money on visiting karaoke host bars often having as many as 4 or 5 boys sit with him in one session (he's gay after all). So it's that funny cycle: he spent money from people who liked him on boys he liked, he used the support from his farang boyfriend to support his Thai boyfriend. His farang boyfriend f*cked him who in turns f*cked his Thai boyfriend (the so-called boy-on-boy-on-boy arrangement). I noticed that he talked about cheating quite nonchalantly like it was just the way of life, a fair exchange, not something morally wrong or shameful. This is the first time I digged into a Thai MB's complicated relationships with multiple partners-cum-supporters, so I don't know if this also speaks for others. He concluded his story, saying with regret: I used to have a lot of money, but I didn't save. Now I learned how to save but I don't have much anymore. It was 10.30 pm when I left. The bar was empty of customers except for one blond-haired farang sitting in a corner with a new boy who just showed up for work today (24 years old, nice ass, very sexy and revealing undies). They did something quietly for more than an hour, ordering several rounds of drinks and the boy later took a large tower to cover certain parts of his body (under-the-table activities under way I presume). Most boys also left (probably no hope for more customers to come). The only waiter (a chubby Thai with highlighted hairs in his mid-30s) nodded off in another corner. Boy told me he's the owner's boyfriend (who's 61, sitting outside with the only remaining boy) and they have been together for 13 years. My soft drink was 90, boy drink was 150. I gave the boy 500 for his time. I would see him again for other activities. The boy has good genes. Despite everything he had been through, smoking, drinking, Covid and all, still look quite boyish with a lean, supple body. To a Westerner, he may look like he's still in high school who took to wearing underwear as his uniform.