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Day 2.5: Heavenly Bodies I am unclear on the origins of why Bangkok boy bars are named the way they are. Maybe the thought process is to have your bar name be as descriptive as possible, so customers know what they are getting when they want to go to that bar. So all your boys and males are either Fresh (boys), Hot (Male), Dream (y) (Boys) or Lucky (Boys), or you may want to Screw (boys) them, or want to play with their Bananas (bar). Then there are the bars that are named after heavenly bodies or phenomenon – Moonlight, Jupiter and Tawan (Tawan ตะวัน = Sun). These bars, more or less, have their specialized brand of boy bar, probably what sets them a little bit apart from the ones mentioned previously. I’d say these three bars indeed have “heavenly bodies”, and as such, have boys with more mass i.e. more meat on their bones than those bars that have predominantly twinks in them (those Freshboys really are fresh, for example). This is a generalization of course, Dreamboy had a lot of more meatier boys than twinks the night I was there (at least my definition of what Thailand meaty is), but generally you will not find any traditional twinks in the Solar System bars. Don't ask me about New Twilight. I don't know how that boy bar fits into things. Interestingly, to me at least, Tawan’s naming is more consistent with how most Brazil boy saunas are named. Tawan’s street is situated in Soi Than Tawan, from which I am assuming Tawan was then named after. In Rio de Janeiro for example, Clube 117 and Pointe 202 addresses are in 117 Rua Candido Mendes and 202 Siquiera Campos respectively, which means they are named after their street addresses as well. Various other saunas in Brazil do this (the ones in Salvador and Recife come to mind, etc.), and even if the name of the current street of the famous Sao Paulo sauna Lagoa is different from its name, originally it was located in a street called Borges Lagoa before its move to 130 Pedro Taques. So we find ourselves in one of the Solar System bars – Jupiter. My description of it in 2016 is here: Still, I do remember at least two memorable offs from Jupiter in the past. Both were the typical Jupiter type: tall, muscular athletic, fair skin and handsome. Both I’ve had trepidation offing in the past due to my preconceived assumptions about the aloofness of the Jupiter boys, and hence, both exceeded my expectation when it came to the off, further fueling my desire to go back to the heavens more and more. My whole off with MuscleBoy here: And a snippet of my off with Korean Boy: --- We emerge from a sex-induced slumber at 9:30 PM, after a half day of running around Bangkok and seeing the sights. Tiago, as goal-oriented as he was when it comes to going after his dreams, surely knows what he likes doing during vacations: lots of rest and lots of sex. He admitted to as such while we were traversing Dubai. As a result, we have missed a tourist spot or two that was on my list of must-see things to see. Still, my method of running ragged of wanting to see as many things as possible and to sleep with as many boys as possible, combined with his more leisurely pace of stopping and smelling the roses, and establishing deeper connections and sacrificing certain opportunities as a result, worked for both of us and benefitted our experiences. Quality over quantity was essentially the result. Still, he knew that it was important for me to go see a Boy Bar every night we were in Bangkok, so when the alarm went off to wake us up that night, he darted out of the bed and did a few shadow boxing exercises to wake himself up and get the blood flowing. I fired up the water heater and made two cups of those delish 3-in-1 coffees, and pair of showers later we were on a Grab to Silom Soi 4. 71 baht. We arrive at Soi 4 around 10:15 PM, and the familiar sights of the street were still there. I noticed a new (to me) boy bar called Banana Bar, with their tout enticing us to come in and partake of their fruit stand. Perhaps on another night. We passed by the usual bars, notably the renamed Circus Bar, formerly Telephone Pub – I am not too familiar what precipitated this name change. There was a good-sized crowd seated in almost all the bars, with a good showering of farang tourists, perhaps a sign that the tourist numbers are rebounding at a good clip. But we had our goal today – Jupiter. We were greeted by the sharply dressed tout who didn’t bother with his spiel because it looked like we knew where we were going. Inside, the outer seats were taken, some full with rowdy Thai revelers, others with more reserved farangs and Asian gays. We were seated at the very front. Tiago plopped himself on the seat, ready for the show. Regular coke and rum coke (pretty decent). Onstage where 3 or 4 boys at a time, rotating through their roster, a trick I’ve seen in almost all the bars that had more boys than a stage can logically contain. I am reminded right away of Jupiter delights: the preppy, handsome, clean cut, masculine fair boy. Tiago noticed this, and commented that the offerings were pretty enticing, and handsome. Perhaps Tiago was also a Jupiter man. I was overjoyed when I say MuscleBoy and Korean Boy still working here, as if nothing has changed through the years. They both still looked gorgeous and fit. There were other stunners as well, well-documented in the Jupiter facebook. They feature each of their models fairly well on FB, and some even have studio-quality photoshoots that highlights their best features. What impressed me was the number of guys that were on offer. If you want an idea of many guys are available on a given night, watch this: ParadeJupiter.mp4 Also, this was were I was seated, where the red dot is: So I was up close and bulge level to these fine specimens, so I was having a blast. I would highly recommend seating up there for maximum viewing. Not sure why the other customers here preferred sitting further away from the action. They are missing out. The show soon starts and it’s the usual drag queen/boy number combination. The drag queens were pretty polished, moreso than what I’ve seen elsewhere in Thailand, or even Brazil. Also, there were numbers with drag queens and boys combined, and I remember this was a thing before from pre-pandemic: With all this happening, Tiago was seemingly entertained. My hunches about this bar were right, that this was a bar that is easy to show to first-timers, or your girl best friend, that had enough distractions and hot boys to entertain pretty much anybody. I know a lot of us here prefer a less refined, more hardcore experience with Thai boy bars, and I do miss that type of atmosphere, but there is a place for these kind of bars both in the boy bar landscape, and in every one of my travel itineraries. There was the question of offing tough. I was thoroughly smitten with one of the guys in that clip above. Everyone in the bar was looking at him. Maybe it was the grinding and the dancing he did. I was about to look for him but saw that he sat down with some clients and I missed my chance. Still, there were a lot to choose from. I could choose from any number of tall, fair, lean muscular boys. There was something about that guy with the full body tattoo (see video). He looks like he would know a thing or two about a good time. Plus, in perusing Jupiter’s FB posts, he is figured in a set of photos that seem to show another, more fun side of him: I ask Tiago what he thought about that guy. He said he was more interested in another handsome lad, as he tells me his number. I recognized the guy from Patpong. He must’ve belonged to another bar but is now working in Jupiter. He was the Jupiter type. He had really white skin, very smooth. Boyish handsomeness, abs and muscles. He fit the type that I liked, so I motioned to him to sit with us once the show was over. He was in jeans and shirtless. He sat in between Tiago and I. A waiter quickly comes to us to ask if the boy wanted a drink. He asked for a coke. He recognized me from the pre-pandemic days, and asked me the usual stock questions of name, where you from, how long Bangkok and all that good stuff. I of course had to translate for Tiago, who was rubbing his leg and looking at him closely. He was Vietnamese, and Tiago found that fairly interesting possibly because it was the first time he has ever met a Viet guy. After a few more pleasantries, VietBoy asks if we wanted to off him. I then asked what he was into. He said he is all top. I translated this to Tiago and then he promptly grabbed his dick to see. More questions. 5000 for short time because we were two people, so double the price he said. Then I asked if he kisses. He said no. He said he was straight. I then translate this all to Tiago. “E hetero?” he said, sort of disappointed. “Quanto custa,” he asks. I do some quick math and tell him “130 dolares ou 700 reais,” I answer. Tiago makes a face, ”E caro demais,” he replies, thinking the price was a little bit too steep. He then asks me that its up to me, but I already knew my answer. After a few more pleasantries, and as he finshes his drink, I gave him 500 baht and bid him farewell. It was just not meant to be. To Tiago, a sexual partner who doesn’t kiss, let alone doesn't do it passionately, is not worth it, and life is too short for that kind of BS. I tend to agree. He later said that for 130 dollars, he’d do way more than just top. While all of this was going on, Jupiter turned from a Boy Bar to a lounge, and it was actually enjoyable. Customers were having a blast with the live singing, boys were joining the fun, drinking with customers, and it all looked like fun: Jupiter2018 - Everyday After Midnight It’s Time To Party 🎉... By Jupiter2018 Everyday After Midnight It’s Time To Party 🎉 With All The Jupiter’s Model 🤩 #jupiter #silom4 #bangkok.mp4 There is someone in the video clip waving some money in front of the boys. I figure that the video is at least accurate in that sense, as it will take that much money to get the boys to act happy to be with you. I didn’t even try to look for another boy to off. I tried, it didn’t work out, and that was that. I didn’t even feel that I was missing out. I had good memories of this place, and will continue to make more in the future. Right now it was about me and Tiago. He might be the ultimate cock block as he is giving me more than probably any of the boys in this building ever could, in arguably better physical attributes, among other things. There is a time and a place to “settle” for a more chill sexual encounter and I am willing to adjust to the task at hand. Sometimes that it was I need, other times, like right now, it is Quality over Quantity. After another round of drinks, we leave the celestial confines of Jupiter. While it weird for me to not off a guy form this bar, truth is Jupiter will always hold a special place in my groin. There will be other nights in Jupiter, to look for this guy, for example: We then head over to Footland Patpong to have a late dinner. After that we decide to make that 25-minute walk back to the apartment, since it has cooled down a bit. Tiago asked again if it was safe to walk at 2 AM in the morning in Bangkok. I said yes it was. He commented that if this was central Rio we would be assaulted many times over. i laughed, because it was true. And even Tiago had a hard time avoiding comparing Brazil to Thailand, but this time, he was noticing something that Thailand had an advantage over Brazil. “That’s why we are here Tiago,” I tell him. “We are here to forget about our troubles in Brazil. We are in Thailand now.” We should make the most of our time here, as Thailand has a lot to offer. And we do just that, next post.

My pre-Covid recollection is that Best Massage had twinky guys, while Arena definitely does not. Silom Plaza does have an escalator (which may or may not work) plus elevators toward the back so access to Arena should not be a problem. Totally agree with sydneyboy1 about the old Hero but that was then & this is now!

It's on the same Soi as Classroom Bar/Hotel and A Bomb. It's right before the entrance to Boyztown on that Soi. My experience was that I was taken upstairs by the first person who greeted me, though I didn't actually choose that person. Before I went upstairs, I saw a guy inside relaxing on the massage chairs downstairs and I wanted him instead. I was surprised no one asked me who I wanted and how long/what type of massage I wanted. Thankfully, I was able to go downstairs to choose the guy I liked. Actual massage experience and extras were enjoyable. More than anything, my masseur was talkative, but not too much, had good technique, and was just an overall charming and handsome guy.

Day 2: Same same, but different Just a quick note on threeways in Thailand, and my inevitable comparison to those I've had in Brazil. In general, I usually don’t plan on particularly having threeways. I’ve always preferred the classic one-on-one, as it takes away certain wildcards out of the equation. But threeways are fun when they do happen, even if they come out a bit awkward if one or two people in the threesome are left a little less satisfied. There is always the danger of becoming the third wheel, with either having two participants in the threesome who seem to be enjoying each other more than the third person, or if you’re the only one enjoying the action and the other two are just going through the motions to satisfy you. I’m guessing the latter more has to do with clients getting two boys who may or may not click with each other or with you, but since money is in the equation, one tends to overlook certain misgivings. You can probably guess where I'm going with this, that even with the few threesomes I’ve had, on average, I’ve had more satisfying threeways in Brazil than in Thailand. Maybe it’s cultural, that South Americans bring in the heat way more often than their Asian counterparts, but anecdotally anyway, that’s been my experience. Take that as you will. I’m never going to say that Brazilians are better than the Thai, in bed. That simply is not true. What’s true is that the boy (or boys) in your bed at the moment is going to be always better than anyone else who is not in your bed, and you should make the most of any situation. I actually first met Tiago in a threeway situation. Last year, at a start of a Rio trip, I was met at the airport by a working boy I’ve known for a few months, and he told me that he was bringing a friend with him who he said was interested in meeting me, who turned out to be Tiago. After dinner, and then a shower back at the apartment in Copacabana, this working boy proceeded to start kissing me and taking off my clothes to initiate sex. He then asks me to kiss Tiago. Tiago was tentative at that point, since he is not used to this kind of setup (plus he just met me), but warmed up to me eventually. The resulting threesome was pretty good, but it turned out that the working boy was just using me to get to Tiago, who he had the hots for and couldn’t just hook up with him because theirs' was not that kind of friendship. Tiago mentioned this to me a few months after the encounter, after I’ve had a falling out with said boy. It didn’t matter to me at the time. I had two hot Brazilians in my bed no later than an hour after I arrived from the airport. That’s a win, and I sure made the most of it. So the threeway with MonBoy and Tiago was still fun, despite MonBoy’s apparent awkwardness in the situation. As long as I've known him, MonBoy was always eager to please, and our history through the years has shown that. The one threesome I had with MonBoy and another Burmese boy turned out pretty good. I’ll make sure I get MonBoy all to myself the next time we meet. I am actually looking forward to that. --- MonBoy wakes me up at 6:30 AM to tell me that he is leaving to take the BTS. As he puts on his clothes, I fish out 4000 baht from my wallet. I figure since he was technically offed by two people, not just me, then he deserves that double pay. He takes the money and pockets it, not counting it. He gives me a peck on the cheek as he always does, exits the apartment, and disappears into the early morning. I get back to bed. Tiago rolls over to spoon. “Everything ok with him?” Tiago asks. “I think so,” I answer, a bit tentatively. We both fall back to sleep. We wake up around 12:30 PM. We intended today to be a lazy day, a chance to catch up on rest and help get over jet lag, which was a little bit less painful this time since it was only a 3-hour adjustment from where we were. I go to the kitchen to try to make some coffee and could not find the coffee maker. I did find these ubiquitous 3-in-1 coffee packs that I forgot was more of a thing in this part of the world. The apartment owner left a generous care package of 3-in-1 coffees, instant noodles and some granola bars, which is perfect for moments when you need something fast to consume. So today, our first daytime in Bangkok, since Tiago is going to stay for at least half a year in Thailand, I was keen on showing Tiago around Bangkok, having him get used to how Thailand works, and also get used to the sights, the people, and other relevant things. I am not an expert though, I am just a humble tourist, but at least Tiago will not be starting from scratch with his Thailand knowledge when he sets out on his own next week. He of course has his fellow Brazilians to lean on that are part of his Muay Thai gym as well. But they don't know what Numazu knows. 1. Money Looks like I visited at the right time, as the dollar is pretty strong at the moment, compared to the Thai Baht (and pulled even with the Euro!). The rate has hovered around less than 0.03 baht to the dollar. Using my Charles Schwab ATM, which refunds the ATM fees at the end of the month whenever it is charged, I’ve consistently got a ~0.0283 baht to the dollar baht during this one week stay in Thailand. That meant when withdrawing 20,000 Baht + 250 baht ATM fee, my bank takes out $573. Which is an improvement to my standard brain shorthand conversion rate of 3000 baht for every $100. Brain Shorthand Conversion Rate: What I use when I’m calculating baht prices in my head, whenever I am out shopping or mongering. My brain math will always think that the standard Short Time rate of 2000 baht is 66 dollars. When in reality, $66 is actually 2332 baht. That’s 332 baht extra, almost enough to cover the entry fee/welcome drink at boy bars. That has been my point of reference even since I've been going to Thailand. I’ll be in trouble if the conversion rate ever creeps over 0.033. I think ever since I’ve been going to Thailand since 2014, the only other time that the dollar was stronger against the baht than it is now was in Christmas season of 2015. So life is pretty good right now, except if you were in Thailand Jan 30, 1998, where a 2000 baht short time fee was only $38. Granted, the short time fee back then was even less than 2000, so those of you who were there during that time, hope you made the most your time! Does anybody remember how much the ST fee was in 1998? Tiago has been saving his money to be able to devote to his Muay Thai training for 6 months in Thailand, as well as his accommodations, which was a room (no AC, just a fan) in the same building as the gym. While he has not saved up to cover all of expenses – like meals and transportation, he saved enough for some of his gym time and everything else related to his profession. The rest he hopes to earn through his fights. I told him he could try his hand (and penis) on escorting, but he said he hopes it doesn’t come to that, and his fellow Brazilians have been able to make it work without having to resort to that. So he took all of his savings with him from Brazil to Thailand. And instead of using a money changer in Sao Paulo to convert the Brazilian Reals to US Dollars, so he can then use those dollars to change to Baht with a money changer in Bangkok, which as you can see is double the fees, he will just gave me all the Reais that he had, and I will just take the money from the ATM to give him the equivalent Thai baht. Never fear, I’m always in Brazil, so those Reais he gave me will be put to good use. Unfortunately for Tiago, the Reais to Baht rate has not had the same trajectory as the dollar, and lost some value since 2017. Nevertheless, he is still saving money exchanging banknotes with me, than if through those money changers: 2. Transportation It was important for me to get an AirBNB with a washer and dryer, two bathrooms, two bedrooms, and some basic kitchen stuff, for this trip. Like I said earlier, after 2 weeks and half living in hotels with Tiago, it was nice to have the extra space, and the homelier facilities, to be able to stretch out more. And the extra privacy is nice, not because of modesty, as Tiago and I pretty much have no boundaries at this point, but because maybe I’d need some alone time with a boy and did not want Tiago to feel out of place or left out in the apartment, and he’d have another room in the house to occupy. Also, having a separate bedroom to house for our suitcases and valuables, devotes the other bedroom just for sleeping and sex, which is great both in a compartmentalization aspect and logistical aspect with hiring boys and having personal valuables isolated in a separate room. But having this perfect oasis meant picking an AirBNB a little bit further away from Patpong. The apartment I chose was still in the Silom area, but was a 25 minute walk to Patpong. However, GrabTaxi is easy enough to get, and is just a 65 baht ride away ($1.83), but today I decide to take the BTS with Tiago to show him where it was, how to buy fare, how much money it costs, how to use Google Maps to know what station to look for to get to your destination, etc. We use the BTS that was closest to the AirBNB to get to Siam Paragon, the glitzy shopping center to eat some lunch and window shop. Stock photo: Granted, Tiago is going to stay at a city that is not Bangkok (I choose to keep this unmentioned for reasons mentioned earlier), and will not have a BTS/MRT system to lean on, but nevertheless its good to know what is out there (I also talked to him about Tuktuks, Baht Buses, and regular buses). In reality though, Tiago is going to rent a motorbike during his 6-month stay for 1500 baht a month, which is roughly $45. Seems pretty cheap to me, but Tiago says that that’s what his Brazilian colleagues have been doing. 3. Food One of the main draws, if not the number one draw, of Thailand for me is the delicious food. I would like to think that I am pretty adventurous when it comes to my food choices, and for some reason Thailand that has that variety and balance that I look for when it comes to cuisine. So for lunch, we go to Taling Pling at Siam Paragon, which seems to be a staple for me everytime I find myself in Thailand. I of course order the Tom Yum soup with shrimp. I can’t get enough of that. Ordering for Tiago was a different matter. Like I said, the Brazilians aren’t particularly fond of spicy food, so his options are limited. The options in Thailand are still plentiful though, so the shrimp fried rice, soft shell crab, and Thai omelette that I picked for him was a winner. He ate all of that and wanted more. Tiago has mentioned his gym will serve regular Brazilian food everyday for 50 baht a meal, or $1.4 dollars. Pretty cheap again, but they are a group there so they can save up. After window shopping, and finding some items at Uniqlo, we head over to Siam Square to eat dessert at After You Dessert Café. BurBoy (remember him?) introduced me to this decadent café, and no Bangkok trip of mine can be complete without trying one of their Kakigoris (shaved ice dessert): It was sweet, not spicy, so Tiago devoured it all. Closing footnote: I find most of Bangkok unchanged this side of the pandemic. Everything felt the same, the same things were still at the same places. My usual haunts before the pandemic were still there. The traffic was still atrocious. The BTS still filled up during peak hours. The only thing that stood out was the mask wearing, which was understandable. It's kind of hard to wear a mask when you’re sweating in the heat and humidity, but it sure beats the alternative. With the removal of the Thai Pass requirement to enter Thailand, I’d say that Thailand is truly back, and I am very happy about that. There is some sadness though. Apart from the loss of lives due to the disease of course, it is sad to see some businesses have remained closed, sometimes it looks like for good, and that is more than likely is due to the pandemic rendering certain business unable to sustain themselves through the hard times. Screw Boy? Lucky Boys? All still closed. Don’t they know I'm back? And probably the saddest of all, Oasis Restaurant, with @vinapu's Award Winning Chicken and Cashew Nuts ™, is still closed, and looks like in disrepair: Next, a boy bar for a Monday Night. This next one should be obvious given my taste.

Over the years I have stayed many times in Egypt. My most recent stay was for one month traveling between Cairo, Luxor, and Aswan. CAIRO: It used to be the case that the Khan el-Khalili market provided young men for sex, but that is largely no longer the case. The same could be said for the nearby Egyptian museum where I had a number of trysts over the years. Today, things are much less exciting and far more dangerous. The secy male vendors at the market will certainly gay bait you to buy some of their items, and even hold hands with you saying they are hard, but they never seem to want to leave or arrange a time for sex. I did find one vendor down a side alley that never gets visitors that was willing. I entered his shop, he stood really close as I looked at his items, and then he smiled and rubbed two of my fingers. When I smiled back and squeezed his hand, he said he was hard, liked me, and wondered if I liked “Egyptian Sausage”? I said yes but expected him to not be willing to try anything. He then said times were tough and he could use a little money. We negotiated and he then proceeded to close the doors of his shop. We then did the deed there in his closed shop. Thereafter, I have always visited the shops in the side alleys of the Egyptian cities where I have been quite lucky many times. I stayed this time at the Nile Hilton Hotel which, as you will see on the internet, always has a few guys in the lobby, the bar, and the health club for you to sample. Most were just a bit too professional for my taste, and I was always a bit wary that I might get set-up. As you will read, Grindr and Bathhouse raids are the norm right now in Cairo, so gays must be extremely vigilant. I had a number of hotel encounters and the one market encounter. LUXOR: Luxor is filled with sexy guys, scary guys, and scamming guys. The scamming guys are the young ones that are along the pedestrian sidewalk on the east side. They will start talking with you, ask you to come see their boat, and then once you are there the real boat owner appears trying to get you to contract a journey. One guy even got me to the boat, started to push off, and out popped the owner as the boat was about to pull away. Luckily, I jumped back on the ramp before it went off. So, the boat guys are mostly scammers although the exceptions can be found like in Aswan (see below). The sexy AND scary guys were the horse carriage drivers. If you walk along the Nile walkway, just make eye contact with the carriages until you see a sexy driver you want to try. I usually negotiate a price for a tour and specifically say I do NOT want a stop for water, tea, a rug, or a restaurant. In every case the young driver will ask if I am married. When I say no they then ask if I am gay. I smile and shake my head yes. They will then ask if I like “Egyptian Sausage” or “Egyptian Banana” to which I smile and say yes. It is then that you negotiate with them for a quiet place somewhere to do the deed. The only time it is scary is when they return you to a location. No matter what price you agreed upon, then will go ballistic and demand more money. Hold your ground and hand them the money. They will throw their hands back and say they will not accept it. I then throw the money on the ground and walk away. The next day they will be so kind and want to do the same thing again to make money. The next group of sexy guys is the market guys late at night. I take a walk every evening and go down the side alleys to find shops that are not normally frequented. I have been very lucky in Luxor to find young guys willing to close the doors of their shop or take me to a side storage area to do the deed. Lastly, I have had good luck at my hotel. If you stay at a big hotel, be sure to frequent the pool area in the late evening when they are cleaning it. Likewise, when you see the male attendants cleaning your floor, stay around the room and make eye contact when they start to clean. They will always strike up a conversation and ask if you are married. After you say no, then their next response will determine if they are available for a little cash. ASWAN: I have met tons of gay German tourists to this city over the years. One has been retired there and has shown me the ropes. The young guys here are available in the following: horse carriage drivers, young boat owner, market vendors, banana island, and camel drivers. The horse carriage drivers in Aswan operate the same as in Luxor (see above). As for the boat owners… one of the best ways to take advantage of these is to go to McDonalds and eat your meal at the tables facing the Nile. From there the boat owners will approach you asking if you would like a ride in their boat. I always offer to walk down and see their boat. Once there, they ask if I am married. When I say no, I then also ask what is down in the cargo area of the boat. They then will always want me to venture down with them. Once down a few steps, the guy will show his dick and ask the question of the sausage and banana. You can then do the deed right there in privacy after agreeing upon the price. I once did pay a boat owner for a felucca trip during which he offered his banana to me whilst he guided the boat up the Nile. At night, it is also possible to see many young boat owners taking people out on the Nile to see the night stars. I did this several times and once you are out on the Nile away from people in the darkness, he will ask if you are married. Once you say no, he will usually show what he has to offer and you can do the deed there in darkness on the Nile. Some of these same boat owners will say they will take you to “Banana Island” which you can google and will find is a real island on the west side of the Nile. Historically, it is nothing special except once you get there and are between the bananas, the young guy will pull out his offering and ask if you want a banana. It is a quick blow job given the limited time and space available. Similarly, the camel drivers on the west side are usually taking people to the old Coptic monastery. Take a cheap boat ride across the Nile from the east to that west area. Pause and take a look at the camel drivers. Once you find a guy you like, go up and ask a price to take you to the monastery. Once you are on your way, the guy will get on the camel with you behind him on the same seat. Your hands are around his waist and your crotch in his rear. Over the course of the trip, he will ask if you are married. Once you arrive at the monastery, the tour is self-service or the ticket man will show you around for a few wads of cash. Once you start your return journey to the original point, the camel driver will stop at a point where you can take some photos. It is here that he will show you what he has to offer and you can make an agreement to do the deed right there amongst the boulders of the desert overlooking the Nile. Surreal. I have visited that monastery too much, but I can’t just visit Aswan without sampling sexy young camel drivers. PAY: Most want 100-200 Egyptian pounds ($7-$12 USD) for you to give them a blow job. When the location provides for more, they will ask 200-400 ($12-$25) for the deed. You can actually bargain them lower, but it is already really inexpensive. This will be in addition to any other prices for the carriage ride, camel ride, or boat ride. Those prices usually range from 100-400 pounds as well. SEX: Every guy I met was active, would fuck, and would let you suck him. Only one in all my years has agreed to kiss. LANGUAGE: Arabic and some English. GRINDR: If you do you are crazy.

yes indeed. I'd calculate the taxes are equivalent to another 22K miles. the equal of 44K miles + $5.60 tax.

Have not gotten a Report about your trip to Angeles City. Did you go there?? Share some details... INGAT

If I had over a million USD to invest in one country I would want something bigger than just 1 rai (~0.4 acres)

They certainly do and are such delightful dicks if I do say so..

From The Nation The town of Luang Prabang, which is renowned for Unesco’s listing of its old quarter as a world heritage site, has seen 90 per cent of room reservations made by Thai visitors since Laos lifted all entry restrictions in May. resident of the Luang Prabang Hotel and Guesthouse Association,Toun Sisouphanthavong, said hotels and guesthouses have been almost fully booked due to the large number of Thai visitors coming to Luang Prabang since the government lifted travel restrictions after the Covid-19 outbreak subsided. However, fewer people are arriving from Europe, the Republic of Korea, China and other countries because travel is still difficult and people are dealing with an economic downturn. This week, the city is hosting a boat festival to celebrate the start of Buddhist Lent, in a bid to attract both Lao and foreign visitors. Since the Laos-China Railway became operational, more people from Thailand and other countries have come to Laos to experience a new mode of travel through the country. There are also more flights coming into Laos, easing air travel and bringing in more tourists. However, Toun urged Laos-China Railway authorities to set up an online booking system, as this would make it much easier for people to plan their travels in Laos. Continues at https://www.nationthailand.com/international/40017721

No, I am not. I am also not the only one that remembers you from bygone years. You were banned in 2014 from here and from other sites. I advocated for your return with the condition that you be watched and that if other screen names that appeared to cause issues, the ban would be reinstated. From before, at least 3 or 4 other names from you at one time. Again, I would love to know why someone does this. I don't get it. Truly. If you have a name Kjun, why not keep all posts with that name? Is there really any other need for another?

Beautifully put @floridarob I wonder if I can get that embroidered on pillowcases…

A little anecdote about the perfectly lovely Luang Prabang. I was there in 2003 and stayed in a newly opened small guest house on the banks of the Mekong run by a Lao who had spent many years sudying and working in Australia. I adored the short trip. One afternoon, I returned to the guest house to be told by the owner that I had just missed Mick Jagger sitting having a coffee with his daughter by the river. The Rolling Stones had had a concert in Mumbai cancelled and so Jagger had flown to Bangkok where he chartered a Bangkok Airways plane to visit Luang Prabang. The owner had actually met Jagger in Australia. He had often worked as a security guard at large-scale pop concerts. While on duty at a Stones Sydney concert, at one point Jagger went up to him, asked about his nationality and if he could get some marijuana. No problem said the Lao. I have a friend in the Embassy and he will get some sent down in the diplomatic bag overnight. Jagger recalled the unusual event and spent about 20 minutes withe the guest house owner. And I missed it!!!

I always wonder why so many people - even hotels - use the term "high tea" when it should be "afternoon tea". High tea is a totally separate meal that always includes one cooked dish and is generally taken around 6:00 pm. That said, i agree afternoon tea in the Mandarin-Oriental's Author's Lounge is a wonderully extravagant experience. But check beforehand if it will actually be served in the Lounge as that is frequently booked up for weddings. The last time I was there, afternoon tea was being served in the lobby. But the thread is about Sunday brunch. I have no hesitation of nominating the Sukhothai on Sathorn. It offers so much and an amazing variety you really should starve for days beforehand. But like all hotel Sunday brunches, it is really expensive. I also dislike the live jazz offered in many hotel Sunday bruch offerings. On the few occasions I go for Sunday brunch, I hate live music. I go with friends and want to chat without having to shout!

fwiw- I was helping a friend book award tickets through Bangkok today and discover a cheap weird way there. Virgin awards on KLM from NYC through Amsterdam to Bangkok or Manila are only 33K miles. Chase and AmEx have 30% transfer bonuses a lot to Virgin so that's 22K Chase points. With a day stop in Amsterdam. (of course it's economy class so....). But still, awfully cheap way to get to Bangkok from Sept through June.

Anyone planning to fly from Heathrow over the summer should be aware that in addition to the cancellation of flights by carriers, Heathrow has informed airlines that it will fly a maximum of 100,000 passengers per day until Spetember 11. It has also advised airlines to stop selling seats for the peak season. This is in addition to the thousands of flights already withdrawn from the schedules. In summer 2019 Heathrow was handling around 125,000 passngers daily. One of those hardest hit will be Emirates even though it owns its own ground-handling and catering services. It flies 6 daily A380s from Heathrow to Dubai and is therefore able to get many more passengers out of the airport that those operating much smaller aircraft. That airline has slammed Heathrow for its inabiility to gear up as some of the airlilnes have done. Ridicuously it was given just 36 hours to comply wth capacity restrictions. When I go back to the UK, thankfully I elect to use smaller airports far from London. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jul/14/heathrow-emirates-airmageddon-summer-flights-disruption

I went with a local and that was the rate they paid at bodytech also. The rates are published in website it’s a national chain. Other gyms like smartfit are less.

Thanks young11 for this terrific report!

The escalators were working on the day I visited last week. However, the rubber hand rails of one had been badly damaged by fire but the stairs moved along ok. Hero had moved into all new--and quite lux--quarters about 3-4 years ago. Have no idea what became of it, but the one message I had there was terrific on all counts.

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

Not so sure the American "Strong President" system is better where we elect a dictator every 4 years between two similar candidates presented to us by the establishment regime.

I just returned from a trip to Egypt. It was on my way to my destination, so I decided to add a stopover in Egypt for a week to explore. 1. Markets: It was very hard to arrange anything. Each shop is next to each other and publicly visible so I am not sure how one can just close the shop and do the deeds...Maybe @Santiagodc can enlighten us? 2. Aswan: It is dead if you are looking for a hot young guy. The boat drivers are all old and there are some young (youngish) horse drivers but very limited. Most of them are skinny guys, not very clean and no place to do, so it was somewhat disappointing for me. I was told that the most young guys moved to north (i think they mean Luxor). This is probably because Aswan doesn't attract as many tourists as luxor. There was one guy who was my type. He looked more like a mix of sudanese and egyptian, nice body: slim but toned with curvy black arse. The funny part is that after arriving at Aswan late at night, I decided just to walk on cornich to see the scene, not to do anything because it was late and I was tired after a long trip. But this guy (mixed looking guy) asked me if I wanted a ride while passing by me and I said no because I really didn't wanna deal with price negotiation at that time. He stopped his horse carriage a bit ahead of my direction and started walking toward me and I noticed he was touching his pen!s casually, as if most guys just do it but quite noticeable for me. He asked for me a ride for free and I said no and then i stopped me on cornice and asked me to touch his stuff down there. I was just shocked because it was on cornice so I said no with a smile and looked around. He then took me to his carriage and he sat on the carriage and showed his stuff on street. it was somewhat hidden but quite visible for anyone who would pay attention. he said I can suck him there and I said no but he asked me to sit inside the carriage and he sat in front of me. I asked for his price and he said 200, which is like 5usd so i sat there and he pulled cover over me and gave me his stuff, in the middle of the cornish road. I sucked and he came within a minute. I liked it as an experience because I did it in front of everything on cornish, otherwise it was not worth. He got my number and asked me to come back next day for full sex and I got it. Then he took me to his friend, who was not my type and recommended him. I just refused and went to my hotel. Next day, he said he has a place and if he fucks me he has to pay for the place, that was 400 and plus 200 for the sex, total of 600. I said yes and he took me with his carriage. Guess what, he stopped at a mosque with a big ground around it and jumped over the fence and asked me to do the same and I followed him to the mosque area. In the ground around the mosque, there was a small empty house, which looked like a guard post under construction and he asked me to do the deed inside there. Trash were everything and it was dark and visible from outside but it was dark and no one was around. He fucked me but it was quick. Again I did it for the experience but not the sex was not good. So I didn't meet him again, though he called me almost million times...Next day, it was so hot, so I changed my plan to explore the city and opened up grindr. Very few guys there and I can easily see guys in Luxor...One of them contacted me and sent me his face pictures etc. I was kinda shocked and thought he sent a fake picture but he was good looking, slim toned guy. I asked him if I can invite him to my hotel, he said in egypt it is not possible but he invited me to his place. Well, it was a day, so i took a cab to his place and he was real....I kinda thought there is a possibility of robbing me but it was a day time in a residential area, so I thought I could seek for help easily. He took me upstairs and we did it in an apartment under construction...I don't know how it works but in the same building, some apartments are completed and people live and some are still under construction without windows...And we did it there and he put some blankets on the floor. It was not that bad as a bed but no toilet facility and people could see us because there was no window...But hey, free sex with a decently hot guy, it was totally worth the risk. I think this sex itself made my trip to aswan worthwhile. The rest was boring: boat drivers are grandpa level old, camel riders are extremely ugly and old or a little child. Some hot guys in the market but they didn't have a shop and didn't have an eye contact with me... 3. Luxor. The market had the same issue as 1 and the sellers are more aggressive there. Luxor has a lot more young guys there but the boat drivers were generally older (daddy level oldness, not grandpa). I think this is because I actually saw a lot more tourists in luxor than aswan. One decently looking guy asked me to take his horse ride for 50 EGP for an hour, I said why not. He kept driving me around without any hint of doing the deed, so I was kinda surprised...But after 20min ride, he stopped at a barber shop and another guy jumped into the carriage. Apparently they share the carriage and this hot was just all over me. As soon as he hopped in, he shake hand and kept caressing my hand without releasing...He was too skinny for my taste but he had a charming smile and decent face, so I kept talking to him and I wanted to know how things work in Luxor. He took me to a house (yes a proper house, proper bed, and proper toilet) and we did it there for 400. The most surprising part was that he didn't care about the people in the house. Many people saw us entering and walking around the house and we used one big room with toilet, so I am guessing everyone else there knew what was going on haha. Surprisingly he lasted quite a bit, so I am guessing he is used to it. Anyway, that was fun and he offered me many things and I said i will think about it. Next day, I explored the cornish and market and boat. More or less the same issue. Luxor horse riders are young but mostly skinny guys, so not my type. Boat drivers are older than my preferred type, market guys are hard to close the deal, so I decided to enjoy the touristy stuff. 4. Cairo. I had a very low expectation for Cairo because of this forum information. a. hotel staff: none of them were my type, either old or too skinny. So I decided to go to the gym. I stayed in two hotels in Cairo, both 5* with a proper gym. First hotel had a gym instructor who is kinda hot but he didnt speak english at all. I was the only person there and I wanted to make some conversation via google translate but he didn't give me any hint so I decided not waste my time. Another was Ritz (former Hilton) because I really wanted to see the infamous sauna there. The gym instructor was older than my type, so I went to the sauna. There was a staff there, who seemed to have given me some hint but he was not really my type, so I just enjoyed the sauna. There was a few locals who use the gym but this is the rich and ugly part of the society so i left quickly. The room cleaner was def into this sort of stuff but he was skinny and there were two of them: one old and one young. I wasn't bothered to mess up with them because the young one was too skinny. b. UBER. this is new and I knew some uber drivers do this sorta stuff from my experience in other countries. But i realized that Uber taxi drivers were older or not so fit, so not my type. Then I thought Uber bike!!! I ordered an uber bike for 5 minute ride from my hotel because my purpose was not taking it but to see the driver. guess what, as soon as I confirmed, the driver messaged me and said "you want a bike or an arab?" this was a google translation built in the uber app...I acted like I don't know what it meant and he just said forget about it and started moving toward me. I acted this way because I wanted to see the guy. Uber shows a face picture but not always the same person and you can't see the body. The guy came and he had a nice face but very skinny body so I didn't give any hints. But I think there are a lot opportunities there to explore haha c. Hammam/massage. I love hammams and massage even without sex so I checked some in cairo. I had two hammams and two massage places. One hammam was just bad: they didn't know what they were doing, they only try to sell drinks and very unfriendly reception etc. I didn't get any hints from hammam attendants and I am happy that they didnt because they were ugly and unfit. Another hammam was very diffent: friendly staff thoroughout and didn't bother me so mcuh with drink sales...The interesting part is that the hammam attendant was going a little deeper than usual into my groin area. And his pen!s slight touched me twice...Well he was not fit or toned so I didn't react. I think one could explore it with some caution. Two massage places were the same like the two hammam places: one good and one bad. The bad one was not that bad, the massage therapist was good but just didn't show any hints and didn't go deeper inside my groin or anywhere near for that matter. The good one was such a surprise. He had an excellent massage skill (hard pressure) so I was already happy when he started from my feet. Then as he goes up, he gets deeper inside my legs without any hesitation. I have never had such confident aggressiveness (in a good way!) in a massage. As he was going through my thighs, he touched my balls a couple of times and we went up into my ass and gave me a proper ass massage haha. Then he fingered me without even asking, just as if it was a part of the massage and he kept doing the massage and sometimes the finger gets into my ass...Oh my, this is a pleasant surprise. He went to my back and shoulders but I could fee his penis on my head. When he asked me to turn around, i was just super hard and he would go around and casually touch my hard penis...And I stopped being shy and started touching him and he didn't stop me but he was not hard. He was nto really my type but the experience was so good. Then his phone alarm went off and he stopped immediately and said the time is up. He asked me dress up and leave, even without asking for a tip....Anyway the change room was in a different room, so I left to the change room. I got my bag from the locker and gave him a tip discreetly. That was probably the highlight of Cairo. d. Grindr/tinder: I noticed apps are very active. Grindr probably has more fake profiles but some people had this instagram linked so I think there are some real guys out there. I was just too buy to interact with them and because I cannot bring them to my hotel, I didn't pay much attention to them. If anyone knows a way to solve this accommodation issue, do let me know, I think I will visit Egypt again

I'm back home now went to the Happy Beer Garden five times (with three different guys) during my stay. Really like the place and the staff remembers what I ordered on previous visits, and that I like small noodles and not big. 🙂 I prefer to sit facing inward so I'm not constantly reminded of the demise of Twilight across the road. On one visit. I guy seated with a farang at nearby table waved at me but I couldn't place him. On the way out, he stopped by my table and (up close) recalled that he had worked at massage shop that I had used numerous times 4-5 years ago. Time has been very good to him. I'm always impressed how these young men never seem to forget a face, and I was kind of touched that he went out of his way to talk with me even though it was brief. Many thanks for your very entertaining reports. Just like the old days!

A week ago I went to Superrich to change currency and took a walk through the mall where Arena (third level) is located. On the first level there's a shop called Best Massage which has been there for years. There were a few twinks sitting outside.

@sydneyboy1I think my most sensual and fun experience was at Sabaidee Spa. As far as the building, there had recently been a fire in the area that did have some impact on Sabaidee, but they tried their best to explain and were very apologetic. It wasn't too bad, but because of the room they put me in, I had to shower in a different room. When I first got there, they offered me a seat and a manager had all the guys line up and gave a brief spiel about each. That was perfect for a shy guy like me who is sometimes afraid to ask those questions. The masseur I chose was fun. First of all, he is one of those guys who is a bit older, but when you see his face in good lighting, you can see he's still a very manly handsome. He was talkative and flirtatious, but in the way where you can tell he's done it hundreds of times. If you prefer a quiet massage, I wouldn't suggest him. He was fair game for anything when it came to extras and everything was done with a smile and a laugh. The only downside is that despite giving a generous tip at the end, he did make one comment to try and extract more, but when I defected, he handled it like a pro. The only other experience I had was in Pattaya at Paradise Spa. I'm torn between my experience at Sabaidee vs Paradise as to which was the best. I went to Arena often because I liked the guy I chose and his HE was creative and fun without the stress of actual penetration.

From a couple of weeks ago, I think the maximum amount of guys I ever saw there in early and mid afternoon was 7. I ended up liking the technique of one guy and chose him 3/4 times that I went. On the other occasion, I chose a guy who had a handsome face and wonderful technique, but he was only willing to do the bare minimum for extras, so I wouldn't choose him again. Best is to not be too shy (which I am) and ask Art, the manager, about what each guy is willing to do etc so that you get the level of service you want. I wouldn't have had my "bad" experience if I had asked Art (but it wasn't a total waste as the guy's technique was great. He should just be working in a more 'legitimate' massage place.) The place as a whole is showing its age. Good thing is that the rooms have showers inside. It's all bare bones, but I actually like that. One other thing to mention is that if you're looking for bigger muscular guys, this isn't really what Arena is anymore. Let me know if you have more specific questions.

I've traveled in Mexico for 40+ years, and lived in Mexico City for 6 years. So, I have a perspective/opinion. Mexico City is a high-altitude city, 7,400 ft. above sea level. Shirts-off would be appropriate in Acapulco or Puerto Vallarta or Cancun, but not Mexico City (due to climate). Yes, Mexico is a conservative country. Gay may be accepted, but not welcomed. Guys in Mexico City dress similarly to guys in the USA: whatever fits the moment. T-shirts, dress shirts, button-down, etc. Gym-going and outdoor physical activity is commonplace in the Mexico City gay and straight community. Comparing cultures amongst countries is problematic. Lifestyle in Rio is not easily comparable with other countries. But, Mexican guys love to party. Overall, I prefer the stereotypical Brazilian garotos to Mexican hustlers. Hands-down. g

I checked-in at Heathrow for EVA's BKK flight on Tuesday. I was asked for my Covid certificate. I was surprised but, ever the pessimist, prepared. At BKK, immigration procedures were back to what they were pre-Covid.

(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)

WOW! Do I miss the good ole days of Hero. I loved that place.🥲

Triangle is totally walkable. I second mac’s laureles lofts recommendation

Although the Observer is primarily a champion of the left, so I find their views unsurprising. The current system has two advantages: First it usually provides a clear 'winning party' that is able to form a reasonably stable government for its term of office (although dependant on the size of its parliamentary majority). Secondly each constituency elects its own member of parliament who is accountable to those people living in that constituency - some MPs are better at that than others. But generally they make themselves available to their electorate to advise on their problems. Labour and the other smaller parties are keen to change the system, largely, I suspect, because, historically, they 'win' far less often than they believe they deserve to. No system is perfect, but when I look across the pond at the political system there, I am glad that I live this side of it.