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Tiago has been living in Thailand for a number of weeks now, so everything still feels new. But he says that cost of living is lower, and food, transportation and entertainment is cheaper. Plus things that have to do with his work - gear, gym time etc, are cheaper. He can also get compensation with teaching Jiu Jitsu in Thailand teaching either tourists of locals that he says is more than what he can get in Brazil, probably because there are fewer of him in Thailand with his set of skills so he is more in demand. He is already looking at staying longer than his planned 6 months and looking at his visa options. So yeah he likes it in Thailand better but he is looking at it through the lens of someone working. My take is complicated (always). I have my own preferences that may be different than yours. Sex - @floridarobhas alluded to this. I've had sex with duds in Brazil so that exists, but I found that a Brazilian's average minimum effort is still much more passionate and more to my liking than what I get in Thai. I get that in Thailand too, but I am more assured that the sex will be more passionate and I am left satisfied, sex-wise. Depends on the situation of course. Cost to hire - It's just cheaper in Brazil. No escaping that fact. I'd say basic short time fee in Brazil is $30 vs $40 in Thailand, and you get more for your money. Grindr - I've had way more luck in Brazil, but my Generic Asian Face™ is more of a novelty there relative to Thailand. Gay saunas (not for pay) - Brazil saunas are hotter and wilder Food - Thailand is way superior to that of Brazil, in my book. Food is also way cheaper in Thailand. Tourist Infrastructure - Thailand is more developed hands down. There is a reason Bangkok has toppled Paris as the most visited city in the world in 2019. Just the ease in which you get basic stuff like SIM cards (airport in Bangkok with clear pricing and GB vs not as easy in Brazil), taxis and hotel staff with English speaking drivers, the Tourist police etc., is superior than what you will find in Brazil. I've said before that Brazil has a steeper learning curve, though if you have a patience to see it through, it's hard to let go. Thailand was just love at first sight for me. One night in Silom and I was hooked forever. Safety - Advantage: Thailand. No way out of this. But I must say that if you know what you're doing, its fairly easy to keep safe in Brazil as well, as I have after a million trips to there. But yes, advantage: Thailand Shopping - Slight advantage to Thailand. Lots of cheap finds in both places but I think Thailand has better variety (MBK and Chatuchak are gold standards). Massage - Huge advantage to Thailand. Not even a question. Beaches - Beaches in Thailand are prettier and better, but Brazil's are more fun and more lively so, depends on what you like. Rio's Copacabana and Ipanema are obvious strengths, with Bangkok not having a comparable analog, but Phuket and Samui are stunning places to visit once you get there. Festivals - toss up. Songkran is fun, Carnaval is fun. It's all fun. Nightlife - both have their advantages, boils down to what you prefer or are looking for. Language - For me, Portuguese is way easier for me to learn, i.e. I learned it vs I will probably never learn to speak Thai because English is widely spoken in Thailand. There is some utility to learning the language in any country as you get to know it in a much deeper level. Even if Thais more or less speak English, I suspect I missing something by not speaking Thai. My 2¢. I love both. Will continue visiting both. Will account for the shortcomings and enjoy the strengths of either place. It's good to have these two wonderful options to choose from!

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.

For Vinapu. Sign in door saying “We’re Shut” has been replaced with new sign saying “Opening August 8”

Another view of the former soi twilight site:

When Moonlight first opened, it was the talk of the town (well, our little town, anyway). It was new, bold and had quickly became a must stop for all. But for me it lust a bit of the luster over the years. Nevertheless, I certainly would prefer that it survives in the same way I hope newcomer New Twilight manages to sustain itself because the Bangkok scene very much needs variety. The problem Twilight has at the moment appears to be indecision: does it want to be another Jupiter or Moonlight or does it wish its own, unique identity which so far doesn't seem to be catching on all that well. Personally, I'd hope it adopts the Lucky Boys approach. It has the stage and lighting to put on the same type of floor show entertainment along with the ever-popular rotation of 30-40 guys representing a cross section of ASEAN. I really miss that place.

The bars and massage places in Paradise Complex were open in April, it was pretty quiet back then but it might be busier now. I posted a short summary of what I found at the end of this thread.

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.

As we all know by now dope is now legal in Thailand. That is great for those who like to use it. The only problem is that the shops selling it have decided that they will make their first million on it by charging outrageously for it. I know that the one sold in the US is much cheaper than here in LOS. Perhaps as time goes on these guys selling it will have more and more competition and the prices will drop. But, for now those who use it will pay, pay and pay for it.

Walking on Rama 4 yesterday and came across an open door to a construction site. As near as I can figure, this was once the rear entrance to Soi Twilight that hosted its last show three years ago.

Introduction If this pandemic has ever taught me anything, is that to never take anything for granted ever again. My last trip to Thailand was in December 2019. That trip was the only Thailand trip I had that year, having prioritized Brazil and Colombia that year. I was already figuring out that Brazil catered more to my evolving taste for both boys, sex and entertainment, but I was still wanting to go to Thailand because of the food, the locations, and yes, of course the boys. Thailand's unwillingness to reopen as soon as others have (during the pandemic), however, has given me the opportunity to visit Brazil more, thus deepening my connection to that country, at the expense of the Land of Smiles. Throughout all that though, I've been trying to go back to Thailand since it always will hold a special place in my heart. I remember my last international trip before air travel was paused during the pandemic. No surprise, it was to Brazil. I remember entering Sao Paulo on March 17, 2020. The plane was half full, the streets of Sao Paulo where empty, and everyone was sheltering in place, even if Carnaval ended just 3 weeks before. On March 19, Brazil closed its land borders. After that, I finally decided to go back home on March 23, 2020, fearing that flights back to the USA would be cancelled eventually. And I was right. On March 27 they announced that Brazil would close all its borders, even air, on March 30. Thailand had a similar thought process, closing its land borders on March 18, and then all borders on March 26, 2020. I know that I am not the only one to think that this pandemic was only going to be 2-week thing when it started. And then a month rolled by, and then 3 months. Since I was just at home, my routine started to change. I exercised more. Ate better. I did more video calls, both for work, and for friends far away, similarly stuck at home, wondering when this will all end. I’ve gotten lots of desperate cries for money from boys (Brazil, Thailand, Colombia) without any incomes with all the saunas and clubs closed. Though it all, I thought I did pretty good for myself, and actually was able to focus on other important things that I wouldn’t normally would have without the urgency of the pandemic looming all over us. I was pained of course, as I had plans to go Thailand over Songkran in 2020: And then something miraculous happened: Brazil decided to open up again. July 30 was the date, so after only 4 months of staying put, I was able to travel again. And it was glorious. Less people in airports and airport parking which meant less time needing to be at the airport. Less people flying which means either instant upgrades to Business class, or having a row to myself in economy. Less stupid tourists clogging up the streets, and less people in the streets in general. And yeah, you had to wear a mask in the plane, but at that point, I’ve gotten used to it, and counted myself lucky to still be even traveling to care. And with Brazil’s infinite wisdom, most of the clubs in Rio and Sao Paulo opened up as well, which meant that I was sometimes the only gringo at the premises. I certainly made the most of it, judging from these trip reports: Through it all though, I’ve had Thailand in the back of my mind. When the hell will it ever open up? 2021 rolled around. Apart from my monthly, multi-week trips to Brazil, I’ve pretty much scoured most of Western Europe, the Middle East and Mexico. But Thailand has remained closed. (I’ve also have been keeping my eye on Japan, which is still in a weird reopening phase. I’ve been dying to return.) I see domino after domino of COVID restrictions fall down. Except Thailand. I shared this in August 2021: Then the Phuket sandbox happened in July 2021, and while appealing, still was too restrictive for me. And news about the bars still closed was disheartening. Then Thai Pass was introduced in November 2021, and that felt more appealing to me, though the RT-PCR requirement, and the quarantine hotel requirement was something that was a bit unnerving to me. It just introduced (perhaps unnecessary) wildcards to a supposedly wonderful trip. I’d rather just go straight to Brazil, (even with their evolving COVID requirements as well – from medical insurance requirements, to COVID test, to having scrapped everything as of April 2022), and their open bars. I finally bit the bullet and bought my ticket to Bangkok last April. I was heading to Dubai in June, and found it interesting to instead head over to Bangkok after that trip instead of high-tailing it back to California. Also, Thailand dropping the COVID test requirement for vaccinated travelers was the deciding factor for me as well. The COVID dominos were starting to fall in Thailand. The June 12 announcement that the USA was dropping its COVID testing requirement to enter the USA was another domino falling that was just icing on the cake. It seems that the stars are aligning in just the right times for me to make a comeback in Thailand. So next post will be my preparations for the trip, and the REAL reason I am going to Thailand. P.S. To new posters, yes, I am always this long-winded when it comes to my trip reports. An example:

Exercise in bed? 😉

I don't entirely agree 🙃. It has probably mutated (I tuned out after a hundred or so pages) but the earlier part of the thread did indeed contain a good deal of pro-Putin DARVO, though it is diluted by all the usual suspects trying to score points off one another.

I am one of the longest surviving members of Sawatdee that has refrained from posting recently due to the vicious bile posted by the owner.

The two structures in upper left of photo appear to be situated where "Balls Sports Bar" (i think it had a few different names over tome) was located. If I recall, the Swiss (Lucas) who managed Tanrtawan Hotel and also ran Dick's Cafe and Balls.

I have only one thing to say about it : don't buy, don't cry.

Peter, I must disagree with you. Read some of the past post on Sawatdee and I think you will find Moses posting some Putinesque supportive material.

I also agree there seems quite a difference between the two sites. Sawatdee is definitely more Pattaya-centric. With respect I think that is just not true. So what if the owner of that board lives in Moscow? He took over the Board when it seemed it would bound to close. The owner, Moses, has been particularly helpful to both this Board and gaybuttonthai when each has had technical issues. Although i don't often read either much, I do look at them occasionally and I doubt it gaybuttonthai would exist without Moses' considerable help. As for sawatdee having a Putin bias, I doubt if any of the members of that site would agree. And I wonder where you got the idea that some posters stopped contributing for that particular reason? Again, I find that extremely difficult to believe - where is the proof? From what i see, Moses makes almost no contributions, so how can the Board have a Putin bias?

The bars, or at least some of them, should be open. Few days ago I was chatting with one of the dancers of zag club that is working there now. Also I did see massage places in paradise promoting themselves online, so they should also be (partly?) opened again.

Generic Asian face 😉

I absolutely love your trip reports, especially all the small details you share. The reviews of the guys at Moonlight sound spot-on. I think they need to do a hard-reset on their models -- almost like the old studio system where whey plucked talent from obscurity and groomed them to be stars.

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..

Quick question about Phuket. We’re any of the bars open in Soi Paraduse?

It's a way of keeping track of what you've read/want to. When you read all the posts that interest you in a forum but there's others left, you can mark the forum as read so when you come back only the new stuff shows as unread.

I know. It's just that nowadays if I want someone who can bottom in a bar, mamasans automatically search for gay boys. Usually, I don't waste my time on unwilling cases either. Unless the boy was so cute, to the point that I was willing to pay just to see him naked I guess, my tip may not make sense to some people in the same way stories of other members here chasing after non-MB straight guys (which is IMHO even more hopeless) do to me. They probably get some thrills out of the process, regardless of the result, but I just don't get it. We find boy A in bar X very cute and offable. Then we move to bar Y and see that boy B is also desirable. We go back and forth in our head, thinking boy A appears a bit better, so we return to bar X only to find that he's taken. Then we hurry back to bar Y... You probably know where I'm heading with this right

Z, I did mean Moonlight. I'm old and get confused. Sex? It was OK. Not great and not horrible. Just average. But, when you have something in your mind and have an itch, you want to scratch it.

Cuban Luis Daniel Gálvez is nice, too.

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

For me their is a great difference between Sawatdee and Gayguides so best to read both forums.

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.

From Bangkok Post A commercial district in the heart of the city, Siam Square is known as a trendy spot for people across generations. An entire shopping district where youngsters find the latest fashion, it's also an ideal meeting spot where plenty of restaurants and malls are located. It is also a limitless learning resource with many educational hubs and institutions. In the midst of rapidly changing trends, lifestyles, society and economy, the old commercial district has recently been rebranded as Siam Square Walking Street. Located on Siam Square Soi 7, Siam Square Walking Street recently opened after the Property Management of Chulalongkorn University (PMCU) continues its mixed-use projects. The area has been renovated over the past couple of years in order to develop urban communities with facilities that ensure a better quality of life. “Although the main street area has remained the same concept as a mixed-use area, we have changed and developed it to be more beneficial for people who shop on foot, whether it's the part of the main street where we now prevent cars from passing or the burying of power and electrical cables underground to create beautiful scenery and ensure safety. There is also a wide walkway and it is easier to stroll around the area," said Assoc Prof Dr Wisanu Subsompon, vice-president for Property and Physical Management, Chulalongkorn University, during a recent group interview about the development of Chula Smart City. The charm of Siam Square is unique in terms of diversity, and in terms of brands, there are shops that meet the needs of all customers, proving that Siam Square is a space for everyone. There's also an event space that has a variety to support all target groups as well as a large new area to accommodate growing demand," he explained. “Another latest project by the PMCU is Siamscape, a mixed-use building in Siam Square. With the concept of "Lifelong Learning", Siamscape has an outstanding design and unique architecture through the Façade Gate, the entrance that represents a door that will lead to a world of endless learning. There are highlights on the 9th floor with L.A.M.P (Learning & Meeting Place) and the "Urban Park" concept, as well as an outdoor area on the 10th floor, SkyScape, which offers panoramic views, the first in the area.

Ten minutes could be considered LT for public encounters 😀

Kuddos to you. I am almost 60 and still struggling with my shyness.

Day 0: Brazil on my mind, even in Thailand Needless to say that I have changed some personal information of certain individuals mentioned, due to some weird stalkers in this site. So Brazil had me for itself for a better part of a year and a half during the pandemic. And when you get to know a place for that long on a regular basis, you tend to get to settle on what works for you best, after the initial novelty wears off. After running wild through the famous saunas of Brazil, I’ve actually grown tired of it all, believe it or not. Don’t get me wrong, sex with a variety of beautiful guys will always be on the table for me, but during this time, working remotely in Brazil had me looking for something more substantial, after getting tired of the run-of-the-mill sauna-show-cabine-programa routine. Because of the dire economic circumstances the pandemic has left some of the less fortunate of us, you can find that even more boys are available than usual. Most of them are after money, of course, but I have found that a few of them needed something else. I’ve certainly have met a few very interesting guys, who would not sell themselves in a Brazilian sauna, nor expose themselves in escort websites, but would like to earn a few dollars from you. I found these guys mostly from referrals from other boys, and they appreciate the discretion you give them, not being found out by familiars in saunas or websites, and they will pretty much do anything for you. And then there are those, when I tell them I am going to Europe or Dubai for some work or vacation for a few weeks, ask for just a one-way ticket to the place in question, and they will be more than willing (thrilled in fact) to accompany you during your stay, free of charge (you pay for incidentals of course), and when its time for me to go, they opt to stay in Barcelona or Paris or Dubai or London, where they try to earn the money they were after in the first place (by usually escorting). I am probably responsible for a (not) significant amount of Brazilians ending up in Europe or the Middle East, using this method. And then there’s this Brazilian guy who wanted to Thailand. Let’s call him Tiago. He is 28, European facial features, always bronzed skin, and let’s just say he is from the south of the country. Beautiful, of course, with a MMA fighter's body. Oddly enough, I met him at a Smart Fit Gym in Sao Paulo. He was a personal trainer there, and a working boy introduced me to him in one my visits to his gym. He didn’t work at the sauna in Sao Paulo, nor did he sell himself in the websites. He did, however, belong to a Jiu Jitsu team in Sao Paulo, and did personal training on the side to pay the bills. He has done some MMA fights (20+), but wanted to train in Muay Thai, in Thailand, to expand his resume. He intended to stay for 6 months in Thailand, and has saved up enough for the gym fees and accommodation in his chosen Muay Thai school. What he didn’t have was the airfare to get to Thailand. There has always been a Thailand-Brazil connection I wasn’t aware about till this trip. So during the next few months we talked about it that possibility, in between some dates and gym training with him, of course. Throughout all that he didn’t ask me for any tips during my time with him in Brazil, I guess to sell me the idea that he is trustworthy and worthy of the cost of an air ticket. So when I told him in April that I was thinking about going to Thailand, after a trip to the Middle East, he said that was perfect timing, because that would get him back to Brazil in December, in time for Christmas and the Holidays. He even made himself available for the two weeks before to accompany me with some business in Doha and Dubai, before heading over to Thailand. I told him I’d go the extra mile and take him personally to his Muay Thai gym, which was not in Bangkok, but was a plane ride away. He was excited, and so was I. I was as curious to get to know more about this side of his life, as he was about going. I took him for a test run to a nearby country just to see if we were gonna be good travel buddies. He passed with flying colors. So in the next few weeks we try to get our requirements ready for Thailand. As we were entering Bangkok in mid-June, we didn’t have to do a COVID test to get to enter Thailand, but we still needed to complete the Thai Pass, which was easy enough since we were both vaxxed and boostered and he was able to get official documents and QR codes from the Brazilian health authority after some expected red tape. We still needed COVID tests to get into Qatar, and to complete their version of Thai Pass (Ehteraz), but that was easy to do as well, with my help. I guess after going through all this for almost two years, a few more QR codes was just easy-peasy for me to complete. Two weeks in the Middle East with Tiago was a blast. He was game for a lot of my shenanigans, kept fit in the hotel gyms while I was working, and on my free times, he devoured all the tours and walking that was needed to explore the rich wonders of the area. He was even open to certain sexual exploration if he thought it would be fun to join in, and left me alone if he knew I wanted some alone time. Through it all those two weeks just flew by, and pretty soon it was time to go to Thailand. We were in Dubai to catch our Qatar Airways flight to Bangkok via Doha. I decided to cash-in some Avios points from my British Airways account and buy us Business Class tickets, which was a just a surprisingly cheap 40k each from Dubai to Bangkok. Since our flight was at 5:30 AM, we decided to not sleep the night before and just enjoy Dubai nightlife. After an interesting encounter with some gay Emiratis hanging out at a Starbucks in the JBR district in Dubai, we were on our way to the airport at 3 AM. At the check-in counter, the nice Qatar Airways lady didn’t even check our Thai passes or COVID vaccination cards or any of his documentation. She was flirty and had some tips for Thailand, since she’s been there once. We played along, and got our tickets eventually, if we were cutting it close to boarding time. She ended with bidding us good luck, and she was sure we will have a great time, since we were men. Not sure what that meant but we ended that convo. We were actually the last ones to check in. And the last ones to board. Still, Qatar Airways is famous for its top notch in-flight service, so we were pampered all throughout. I am always amazed by their first class service on one-hour flights. They are still able to get us 3 drinks and some yummy breakfast even with the very short (40-minute) flight from Dubai to Doha: Doha airport on a Sunday was a madhouse. The place was packed. And there were almost no places to sit at the Biz class lounge but we managed. This was indeed a sign the time of COVID restricted travel was over. There was still mask wearing in the airport but that was the only apparent thing I can see that was COVID-related. Since we were super tired from not sleeping the night before, we slept the whole 6 hour and half plane ride from Doha to Bangkok. We got woken up by the flight attendant to say that we had to unrecline our seats for the initial plane descent. Still, five stars to Qatar Airways, we were still served a full dinner while we were descending, since we missed all the in-flight service. As we landed, I got a bit of goosebumps and got excited. I was too tired to actually think about it before, but it just dawned on me now that I was going to be in Thailand after 2 and half years of being away. I started going to Thailand in 2014, and after a few years, the novelty has worn off. But after being away for that long I think the distance was all I needed to recharge my longing for Thailand once again. Tiago, of course, was beside himself. He was super excited to start his life in his new home. Once we were our of the plance we raced to immigration. All this was still super familiar to me, the walk to the immigration desks. We eventually got to the intermediary desks, the Thai Pass station: It was painless, they just needed to see the QR code, passports and COVID vaccine card. They attached stickers to our shirts saying we passed Thai pass and we were on our way to immigration. Since Tiago’s English was not that good, I knew I had to help him with this process (as I did in Doha and Dubai). At the immigration desk, I got my usual 30-day stamp. When it was Tiago’s turn, the immigration officer confirmed if the dates in the immigration card were correct. I said yes, so Tiago got his 90-day stamp. No other documentation was asked. Not the letters of invitation Tiago has from his Muay Thai gym, not our COVID vaccinations, not his yellow fever vaccine he got because that was requirement by the Thai government. Figures. And I always wondered, why people from the USA or UK or some other rich country can only get 30 day tourist stays in Thailand at a time, while Brazilians and Colombians, among others, can get 90 days? After getting our luggage, I immediately get 20,000 baht from the ATM. Then, as a favor, I immediately got Tiago a Thai SIM card from dtac for 90 days, which cost 1100 baht. I didn’t need one since I got Google Fi cell service. I then swiftly guide us to the ground floor to the taxi line, got a taxi ticket from the thingie, found our taxi number and taxi stand, flashed our AirBNB’s address and directions, in Thai, to our driver, and we were on our way, for a 40 minute ride to Silom. Along the way, Tiago commented on how efficient I was with getting things done at the airport. I told him that Thailand was a very familiar place to me, and I still knew how things were done even after years away. Since Tiago was Brazilian and naturally warm, he immediately tried to talk to the driver, who obliged with Tiago’s broken English and answered with some broken English of his own. Noone understood anyone though, since the accents were unfamiliar to each other, even if both were speaking English. Except to me of course, I was used to hearing both accents, so I was there to pretty much smoothen out the conversation. It was pretty entertaining, and pretty soon we arrived at the AirBNB. I chose to stay at an AirBNB for our Bangkok stay, after staying in hotels for two weeks in Doha and Dubai. An AirBNB will afford us many creature comforts that hotels won’t have, like a washer and dryer in the unit (two weeks in the middle east meant we needed clean clothes), two bedrooms for cheap (more on this later), and some basic kitchen stuff if we needed to make something. Also, it’ll give Tiago a glimpse of Thai domestic life that he will be living in pretty soon, something that is not apparent in the insular confines of, say, the Crowne Plaza Lumpini Park, even if I love that hotel sooooo much. It was 9:20 PM by the time we got to the apartment. I knew I wanted to at least check out a boy bar or two, even if we were both tired, so we had to hurry. And Tiago was hungry. So to save time, we showered together (hot water in the unit worked!), and prepared for the night ahead. Since it was raining, I decided to get us a Grab Taxi (which I downloaded on my phone on the way to the apartment), and set up our destination to the first restaurant I thought of that served food really quickly: Happy Beer Garden. As we get off the taxi and before we go in to eat, I look across the street: The end of Soi Twilight, and the beginning of something else. I remember that I when I used to eat at Happy Beer Garden, when it was around 8 or 9 PM, and I’d hear boys shouting at me from across the street, sitting in bars that don’t exist anymore, enticing us to join in the fun once I was done with dinner. Those were amazing times. I wonder if those time will ever come back. Probably not, as Soi Twilight was not coming back. Time to make me new memories. Next post, guess which bar we went to first?

Thanks @Vessey. I'm afraid that its not going to be quite the same experience for me like my old Trip Reports. Probably a combination of the post-pandemic era surroundings, my changing tastes, or my changing circumstances. Still, I think it is still worth it to put on here. Well, we'll see LOL. Thank you. The irony is that I've been traveling way more than before (it that was possible) so I have way more to share, but I have less time to write about them! I did, however, think that this trip report was something worthy of some time, even if some of my other experiences are also worth something as well. The Middle East, for example, was very eye opening. LOL. Was I a bad freind? PM me @ggobkk, about your plans for September!

I know, they contacted me already asking when next installment of stimulus will be😁

Asiatique, the riverfront mall on the Chao Phraya, Is open. Took the free ferry from Saphan Thaksin pier Monday night and arrived in about 12 minutes. The giant Ferris wheel is operating and several of the larger restaurants closest to river were open. Many visitors appeared to be ASEAN tourists. Estimate that only about 10-15% of small shops are open but enjoyed a few hours wandering about and taking in the views from ferry trip.

I agree totally with @thaiophilus. That is a particularly long thread and basically compares parts of Ukraine with Taiwan. I don't see any proselytsing for Putin, merely what it is like to live in Russia and the various benefits citizens get from the state compared to Taiwan. Interestingly, though, Moses' main discussion seems to be with Dragonman, a poster who in one thread gets his history entirely wrong. He writes - "Taiwan (officially the Republic of China according to my passport) is not under the same pressure from the Mainland as Donetsk is under pressure from Ukraine. Like Donetsk, however, parts of the ROC were under bombing from the Mainland for years - look up the attacks on Quemoy and Matsu known as the First and Second Taiwan Strait Crises (the second was in 1958). Despite the claims of the PRC, it has never ruled Taiwan and the so-called "One China Consensus" is a lie. Until 1971 the Republic of China was a member of the UN and held a Security Council seat." He is certainly correct that after Mao took over China Taiwan was frequently attacked by the People's Republic. But his suggestion that China has never ruled Taiwan is nonsense. Naturally he will argue that he does not mention China - only the PRC and the Republic of China. But if he bothered to look into history, it is clear that at the 1943 Cairo Declaration with Roosevelt and Churchill in attendance and ratified under the 1945 Potsdam Agreement, it was agreed that all Japanese colonies would be returned to their original rulers. Imperial China had ruled Taiwan for almost 250 years prior to the Japanese invasion. It was therefore to a China ruled after the war by the murdering, thieving Chiang Kai-shek who had managed to take over the Kuomintang on the mainland after the death of Sun Yat-sen that Taiwan was returned. After Mao had won the civil war in China, Chiang and 2 million of his followers fled to Taiwan and took the "name" Republic of China with them. But Chiang never intended to remain in Taiwan. His followers committed many atrocities against the native Taiwanese. Probably he did not care because his attention, with the help of his fluent English-speaking Christian wife, Sung Mei-ling, who was particularly popular in Washington, was to reconquer mainland China. When Mao had won th civil war, those in the corridors of power in Washington were horrified. For years the question continued to be posed - "Who lost China?" Even so, Washington continued to recognise Chiang as the legitimate ruler of China, almost exclusively because they wanted a buffer in the South China Sea against a hated communist China - hence his party getting the seat at the UN. Washington also tried to overturn the Cairo and Potsdam agreements at a special Conference held in San Francisco around 1952. Neither Mao nor Chiang were invited. Some countries, notably Britain, were totally against what the US was planning to try to achieve. Britain had no intention of recognising a Taiwan under any sovereignty other than the rulers in Beijing. Chiang retained his vain hopes of returning to take over Beijing until Nixon decided that the US and China would mend fences and become friends in 1971. Chiang died in 1975. The one complicating factor in international law is that at the 1952 Conference when the Japanese officially handed over their colonial territories, they agreed to hand the Taiwan back to China but someone ensured that the document includes the term in use when they colonised it - the Republic of China rather than just China. Yet, when countries change their names, do the sovereign powers automatically change? Of course not! Much as I loathe to repeat it, Taiwan is irrevocably, officially and almost certainly in international law, a part of mainland China.