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Final thoughts And just like that, my trip is over. This particular trip was special because not only for the fact it was my first international trip after a 2.5 year absence, but because it provided me an escape as I had been going through some shit in the weeks prior to my trip. Now being back home, I need to deal with reality again, and more than ever yearning to be back in Thailand. December/January could be an option for my next trip. My final 2 nights were spent in Dreamboys, and since I had been there a number of times I was becoming more familiar with the staff - I don't know the name of the mamasan, the smaller, older guy, but he was really nice and always knew my drink order. My 2nd final night I spent with a dreamboy, not my regular one, but another one that I had my eye one. He was decent though and softly spoken. He also took me back to the hotel on his motorbike, which by the way I am deathly afraid of, but it was only a short distance and I told him to go slow which he did. My final night was spent with my dreamboy regular for the 5th time. I've spoken about him before but he is excellent and my favourite. I even told him that - I said that even if I go with 100 boys, he will always be my favourite. Since I had an early morning flight, after he left, I spent some time packing and checking out at about 3:30am and going to the airport. The flight back home was pretty non-eventful but I was pretty wrecked as I hadn't slept that night and I have a lot of trouble sleeping on planes. Things I will miss: Prime massage - I lost count the amount of times I have been here, but it is always a good quality professional experience. I've tried the oil, Thai, and foot massages and they are all good. There is even a room with an actual massage table with a face hole which I hadn't seen before. So so so many stairs though lol. I know that Thai massages are not meant to be sensual, but when you and the masseur are contorted into all these shapes together, you cannot help but get a little aroused! Tip - if you go earlier in the day you are more likely to get seen straight away as a walk-in, I tried once at night but there was a 2 hour wait as I didn't have an appointment. The weather - going out every day in shorts and a shirt was delightful when it is the middle of winter in my country. Our winter's are pretty mild but I would still prefer the heat. 7/11 - I loved being able to get decently priced snacks and drinks 24/7, and seemingly seeing the same cute guy(s?) serving me no matter what time I am there (I frequented the 7/11 just in front of the Tarntawan). Tarntawan Hotel - it's showing its age, but it is a nice hotel and very conveniently located. I like the safety aspect how guys need to leave their ID at reception. Staff are always friendly. Bum guns - going back to just toilet paper seems gross now. Public transport - being able to get to a BTS/MRT station and having the train show up within a few minutes, and not having to rely on a train timetable is amazing. Food - so much variety and at so many price points. You want a cheap meal? Sure thing. You want something fancy and expensive? You can have that too. And of course the guys - some are better than others, but it is always nice to spend time with these young men. Anyway, thanks for reading, and whilst waiting patiently for my next trip, I look forward to reading many more trip reports now that international travel is becoming easier and easier.

Writing this on my way to BKK airport, still can't believe how amazing this trip was! Off-ed boys for 5 consecutive nights, one of them whom I first met 3 years ago... It was my 4th night, when I visited Dream Boys in Bangkok around 10:15pm. (First two nights were in Pattaya, I will come to that later.) Despite being a weekday, there were close to 30 boys on stage (topless in jeans), almost half of them had their cocks out during a "cock parade" show segment (surprise surprise!). As I scanned the stage, two off-able hunks immediately caught my eye: a tall Korean-looking boy, and a bearded man with the body of a Greek god. Just as I was pondering whom to off for the night...he appeared. Yes, the boy I first met at Screw Boys 3 years ago. The boy I added on LINE but had not kept in contact. The boy who blew my mind in bed, one of my best offs ever. Yet, he looked kinda different. Was it the hairstyle? Was it the new tattoo? Was it the buffness? We made brief eye contact...it seemed like he recognized me. Or didn't he? Before I could react, the lights dimmed, the boys scattered, and the show began. Just then, I received a LINE message from him: "How long you stay in BKK?" OK IT'S HIM. He remembers me (and also my name in his LINE contacts)...even though I put on quite some weight during the pandemic. That moment, I decided to tease him a little. I did not reply him, and continued watching the show. Until an hour later, all boys returned to the stage after the show. I acknowledged him with a cheeky grin, and signaled him to come sit with me. He hugged me real tight, and whispered in my ear: "I think you forget me." HOW COULD I? He pecked me on the lips, and gazed right into my eyes. At that moment, I knew I was definitely off-ing him. But still, it was such fun teasing him. We held hands with fingers interlocked, while watching the guys on stage. I told him playfully: "Number XX looks like Korean, so tall and cute." He pouted slightly and hesitated before asking: "You off him tonight?" HAHA ALRIGHT. enough with the teasing. I caressed his thigh: "You come hotel with me?" He smiled widely, almost with a sigh of relief. I paid for our drinks (450B x 2) and bar fine (400B), and off we went. [to be continued...]

As many of us would know, Super Rich offered some of the best exchange rates when changing cash. A particularly convenient branch was located on level 3 of Silom Center. It's no more. The next one that I knew of was located at the front of Silom Plaza (what we generally know as the Arena Massage building). So I went there. It too was closed. Fortunately, a tiny currency exchange shop was nearby so I didn't have to go hunting some more. It offered very good rates too. It faces Narathiwat Raja Naga Indra Road, round the corner from Silom Plaza. Still on Narathiwat Road, I remember the old Om Yim hotel. I had good stays there, and loved the fact that it was literally 25 metres from the entrance to Chong Nonsi station. It's long gone, but the unit is still vacant. Closer to our time, Glitz Hotel (at the mouth of Soi Tarntaran) is also gone. As others have reported, Tawan has moved to smaller premises across the street. Meanwhile New Twilight has opened in the dark alley that is called Soi Anuman Ratchathon, directly opposite the infamous dive bar Nature Boy (which I think is now the replacement location for Golden Cock, based on new signage that I saw)... but the way it's going, I think we will be writing an obituary for New Twilight before long. That's for another post though.

Nor have the stalls along Silom and Surawong Roads returned. And quite a few shopfronts are shuttered too. There used to be 6 or 7 massage shops along Silom Road (all of them with a significant number of male staff) east of the Thaniya junction. There are now only 3. There used to be another 5 or 6 massage shops along Surawong Road in the stretch between Patpong Soi 1 and Soi Tarntawan. There are now 3 too. Those three however seemed to have differentiated themselves more starkly. Urban Thai is all-female staff while Green Massage is all male staff (in, confusingly, orange shirts). Only Olivia has mixed gender staff. But take a look at this picture. It's a different stretch of Surawong Road, opposite Raya Hotel, between the alleyway to Moonlight (left edge) and Happy Beer Garden (to the right). It used to be always busy, with every shopfront lit up. The gay part of Patpong Soi 2 looked bright by comparison. But it's only that 50 metres or so. Go a bit further from where the photo was taken and it's forlorn again. As others have reported, Lucky Boys does not look as if it's coming back. Nor Bangkok Massage. To the left of the picture, Screw Boys remains closed. Silom Soi 4 was a bright jewel. Nearly every table was taken; there was a buzz about it that felt good.

I just returned from two months in BKK and walked Silom, Surawong and Patpong nightly. The scenes presented above represent a moment in time and do not reflect my recollection of what it actually looked liked as a whole during that period. Below are some clarifications to put this discussion in context. MASSAGE SHOPS -- There were at least six massage shops on Surawong when I left July 12. And for the record, Urban Thai does have some male masseurs on staff. Long-running Adam Massage on Soi 4 is open as are at least five on Soi 6, including Prime. And soon Senso (on Soi Saladaeng) will be reopening. CURRENCY EXCHANGE -- As Min pointed out, Superrich is open weekdays. I went in there July 8 and it was so crowded I walked out and ended up at the jewelry shop on Surawong (right beside what was once the Family Mart at the corner of Soi Twlight. For rate comparisons, they were offering $35.65, K-Bank $34.89 and Superrich $35.90 for the USD. Superrich has other locations open weekends, including Central World that I used a few times. But for convenience purposes, I'd recommend the jewelry store because there was no waiting and the transaction was completed rapidly. Kudos to Vinapu for making me aware of this place. (Btw, the airport exchange rates are no longer competitive with what you can get in the city). OVERALL -- I'd echo what z909 says above, "Everything I need in Bangkok is open." Boy69, have you actually walked these streets lately? Many members, myself included, have and you're saying that we've created a false impression. Our impressions are of those actually on the ground. I was a 5-walk away from Surawong for eight weeks. I can tell you that Patpong 1 had only three bars open when I arrived and five when I left, not counting one on an alley that connects it with Patpong 2. There are another six lady bars open on Patpong 2 along with three boy bars: Hot Male, Freshboys and Dreamboys. Life may not be back to normal as our pre-covid memories but it improves by the week. It's low season right now. There's no magic switch that going to be turned on and suddenly places like Lucky Boys and Screwboys are going to spring to life. That's going to be determined by how many punters actually decide to return to Bangkok and start spending again. But ask any member who has returned whether or not they had a good time and I'd be amazed if even one responds in the negative. Or just read Dankfq's recent post in this forum.

Let's begin with the bad news. Hopefully, the later reports will be more cheery. After all, we're only two weeks from Thailand doing away with the Thailand Pass and the insurance requirements. We can't expect tourism businesses to spring back to life that quickly. Nonetheless, one wonders if some things that we were familiar with - so familiar we almost took them for granted - will ever come back. It's been reported by others that Patpong Soi 1 no longer hosts a night market. This is what the street now looks like. I've never been fond of obstruction caused by the stalls, but the dreary look of the street now is even worse. I've never really counted how many girl bars used to operate on that street, except a sense that the number of bars have been declining slowly over the years, but it looks as if only the King's Castle bars have reopened.

Day 3: Temple, Tailor, Scorcher, Tie This trip, I’ve been more animated with exploring Bangkok more than previous trips, probably because I had the secondary task of showing Tiago the country. He is seeing the country as a newbie, as I was when I first visited in 2014. It is always nice to go through the newbie experience again with someone, seeing the country through their eyes. And Tiago’s natural inquisitiveness always had me on my toes, so it was a treat for me to see this place again in that sense, after having taken past trips for “granted”. We had plans to go to the gym today but opted to sleep in instead (how many times has this happened to me in my life), but we did have plans to do an organized private tour of some temples in Bangkok, as well as to see other sites. I’ve done various versions of this tour in the past (with various friends, boys etc), and have been to these places with boys to observe how they worship, but seeing these temples again and again never seems to get old for me. It was also important for me to show these temples to Tiago. So we wake up at 10 am, which isn’t super late, but too late to entertain a gym session. Some coffee, a shower, and getting dressed, and we head over to a nearby Coffee Club. I’ve always liked Coffee Club, and seeing one always reminded me of my stays in Pattaya, where there was one at the Royal Garden Plaza, usually a fairly short walkable distance from any AirBNB or hotel I would stay near Boyztown. And they are more than just coffee, for me they were a consistent source of a savory breakfast. I of course got my cholesterol on a plate with eggs, bacon and sausage: Tiago, with his sweet tooth, got some pancakes. We had to fuel up, as we had a big day ahead. We go back to the apartment to wait for the tourist guide. For ideas on where to get a private guide, I usually go to Viator.com, but I instead contacted a prior SiamRoads guide that I hired 7 years ago to see if he was still available. Turns out he is retired from tourism, but recommended a reputable Tour company. He forwarded my Whatsapp number to the company, and two nights ago got a WhatsApp message from the tour company, asking me what I was looking for in a tour. I told them just a quick temple tour, with a private vehicle with AC, and was quoted $110 which I thought was reasonable. At 11:50 AM I got a Whatsapp message saying that the van taking us was parked by the curb in front of the apartment. We meet our guide, who was waiting for us at the curb. He was pretty friendly, and when we get seated, I explain to him that Tiago was Brazilian and did not speak much English, but I will translate whatever he told me. This is a running theme with most of the Brazilians I’ve taken with me to my travels, when we find ourselves in an English-speaking situation, like tours. I’d never thought I’d end up being a translator for Brazilians, but it inadvertently allows me to practice the Portuguese even outside of Brazil, trying to explain a certain country’s history or a monuments meaning, for example, stuff that is beyond the usual casual conversation. The tour guide showed his cards when he commented how handsome Tiago was. I had a hoot translating this to Tiago. Tiago just rolled his eyes. We had three main stops today, all temples. All chock full of history. 1. Wat Traimit, with the glistening architecture and the Golden Buddha: Wat Arun with the Hindu elements: And Wat Pho, with the reclining Buddha: The guide gives a side note on Thai Massage History, and how it was based on the concept of invisible energy lines running though the body. There was even a mural of it in one of the temples. Arena Spa was not mentioned tho, and no invisible lines pointing to where a happy ending would be located: I always like it when we get a temple to ourselves, and we get to sit on the floor (thankfully with fans blowing air throughout the facility), and we get to have a few minutes of peace and meditation while admiring the Buddhist elements of the room. Tiago said it was a highlight of his tour, and he would like to visit Buddhist temples more often: Overall, the guide was really knowledgeable. And Tiago absorbed all the information the guide had for us. As we drove around Bangkok, the guide would point out the important landmarks. While I pretty much been to all the places he mentioned, it was good to be reminded of them, and to tell Tiago about my impression of those places. It was a good jog down memory lane. I mentioned to the guide that I had certain things I wanted to accomplish in Bangkok that I haven’t gotten to yet, that I may not have time for. The guide asked me what they were, I told him, and one of the items the guide said he could help with – finding a tailor, could be our next stop. My usual tailor, Excelsior Tailors, was closed when we went by it yesterday afternoon. They might have pandemic-reduced hours, and they had a sign with a phone number in the front of the store, but I decided not to bother. The guide offered to take us to his recommended tailor. He told us that he trusts this tailor, and he has recommended this to other guests of his, and has been highly recommended by them as well. He then said that most of the tailors found in Silom or shopping malls usually outsource their work to another, central tailor. He was taking us to a tailor who did their own work, and it is a work of quality. He then said that if we had any problems with the tailor, then he will fix it. We arrive at the tailor shop named "James Fashion" (not "James Tailor" – they missed a golden opportunity here) in the Dusit District of Bangkok. We were expected, as one of the tailors greeted us at the curb and asked us if we wanted water or beer. We opted for coffees. I told him what I wanted (2 sports coats and three shirts) as well as Tiago, who I promised to also get one sports coat. We were shown some fabrics and we got to feel the material, as we chose our picks. We got measured, prodded, and the whole thing took only 15 minutes. The tailor then said asked when were we leaving Bangkok. I told him 6 days from today, so we made an appointment for a second fitting 3 days from now, and have the clothes delivered 2 days after that. I paid (fairly reasonable prices) and as a thank you, we were given two ties each as a present, to be delivered with the clothes on final delivery. The traffic was horrendous (Bangkok is back!) so we get home at 6 PM. Sitcky and gross after a half a day of walking in sweltering heat and humidity, we shower together, which led to some hanky-panky (his idea) which led to us exhausted after cumming, and which led to another nap. I was smart enough to have the alarm set at 9 PM, to wake us up for the night ahead. A couple of cups of 3-in-1, and a Grab Taxi later, we find ourselves back on Silom Soi 4, to have dinner at G’s Bangkok. Before we settle at the restaurant, I take a quick peak at the bars further down the Soi. It was busier than yesterday, and there was a good-sized crowd of farangs in the mix of all the revelry. I see Jupiter at the end, with the tout waiting his chance to convince people to come in. The tout by Banana Bar has already done that to us, and failed, to get our attention. Judging to the size of the crowd, Soi 4 seems to have the makings of a Soi Twilight. If they can find a way to replace some of the restaurants with more boy bars, and build out to the end of the Soi, we can get there. Interesting to me though, that any online guide describing Silom Soi 4 never mention the boy bars in the Soi, only the “normal” bars. Why is that? See article below titled "Bangkok's Best Gay Street": Anyway, we get back to G’s to have a hearty dinner. Tiago opted to eat some Thai food, even with the blander Bavarian options in the menu, and the danger of the food being spicy. Thankfully, the food we chose were tolerable to his unaccustomed tongue. To finish it off, he asks for a volcano cake which we shared, to satisfy his sweet tooth: At 10:10 PM we were on our way to our selected Boy Bar. Which one was it, next…

Just speaking for myself, I don't think I was ever saying in my current trip report that things are back to "normal" whatever that means anymore. I remember saying that "Bangkok is back" and indeed it is. It might not be the cheek to jowl crowd that you can only see anyway during peak season, not on a rainy July, but it is indeed back. And I had a blast! And "gloomy post covid area (sic)" can be applied to any number of locations in the world, if that's how you view it, since none are "back to normal". Like others have said, everything you need in Bangkok is open. You can get your rocks off, you can eat the amazing food, BTS/taxis/tuk tuks are plentiful, and boy bars are open. If you'd rather stay home holding on to money while waiting for the world to get back to "normal", you might be waiting a long time.

@macaroni21 finally you are describing us the truth about the current situation in Silom-Suriwong area because almost all the latest reports by other members you could get the false impression that things get back to normal which isn't the truth, I know some can enjoy hunting boys in Bangkok and tell the whole world how wonderful their latest trip was and ignore the lifeless streets , shuttered business, absent of street stalls and markets but I couldn't do it , I will not be able to enjoy my self on this gloomy post covid area. I hope the situation will improve very soon so I can visit again my beloved Thailand as it was before.

Don't forget, I banned all Republicans on this board. jk But, I do try to ignore them.

Oh dear, I fear my opening post might have been made into something it was not intended to be. In any case, as with many things in life, the flux of life (and economics) is seldom amenable to being reduced to a simple dichotomy: good and bad. I didn't mean to give the impression that it's all doom and gloom. In fact, if you read my opening paragraph, you'll see me saying let's get the bad news out of the way. Also, I stressed that we're only 2 weeks out of the Thailand Pass. Am I enjoying myself? Yes, yes and yes. Choices may be more limited than before due to the closures, which may well be compensated for by new openings in due course, but for a short holiday, how many choices do I need? I have only so many days. But I hope in my opening post to have described a baseline post-covid. Perhaps a year later in July 2023, someone will describe the scene then and we (fingers crossed) will have a measure of the improvement and be glad we are here to witness the recovery. And be thankful Thailand offers what we don't get in our home cities.

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”

Muscled bottoms who kiss are indeed a harder thing to find in Thailand for some reason. Not in other places of the world. MonBoy is by no means a muscled-bound, but meatier than the average boy in Thailand. I'd recommend DreamBoy and Hot Boys. I've offed two who may fit your three criteria (muscle, kisses, bottom), and have had tremendous luck in those bars in the past. Happy Beer Garden has been a staple of mine, unfortunately these days I will only remember that it is there if I was walking from Moonlight to Patpong. Otherwise, with Soi Twilight gone, the area is less busy. Just like the good old days... how I wish. I'm glad I could enlighten you on the dick situation at Hotmale. Oddly enough, I found more impressive dicks at the bar a meters down the same floor as Hot Male ;). Yikes, those are indeed high fuel surcharges. Virgin is known for having these high fuel surcharges. Another reason to not fly them. 400 baht short time? Wow that is cheap. I think when I started it never went under 1000. Ummm, yes? I thought that was implied. And as for being generous - I thought that was the point of this website. LOL I was also gonna say, isn't sex considered exercise? I'm not disputing your point @z909. But I must say that there are a million walking spaces in Brazil that are safe. The 30-minute walk from Post 1 at Leme/Copacabana to Post 10 in Ipanema is a great example. Hiking up to Christ the Redeemer is another. Parque ibirapuera in Sao Paulo (great eye candy), and Avenida Paulista on Sundays when they close the whole major street for exercise, are the Sao Paulo standouts. Recife - late night/early morning strolls at Boa Viagem, with the bonus of jumping into the warm ocean, Fortaleza - the crazy Praia de Iracema park walk with LOTS of eye candy, walking at various times day or night at the Pelourinho in the old part of Salvador... I could go on and on. And pretty safe to do so. And Brazil has milder weather (still hot, but better relative to Thailand) so actually the walking is more pleasant. I'd argue that I walk outside in Brazil more than I do in Thailand, just because of the outside temperature, plus Brazilian boys walk more it seems than bar boys (who seem to need a taxi to go everywhere LOL).

including all forms of back door...

Agree! I just came back home yesterday and I had a blast - it is not yet at pre-covid levels, but there is still plenty to do. I went to dreamboys a few times and some of the nights, particularly weekends the place was packed. Grindr is active, many massage shops open (particularly on soi 6), and lots to eat. I would recommend that this would be a great time to go! They need us! Proud to have somewhat contributed to the economy!

I agree that if you cant enjoy bangkok and pattaya boys without its old glory, stay away. Why spend money for a vacation you will not enjoy. On the other hand, for a place to return to its old glory, tourists needs to start going there, or itll never get its full recovery. So for those early adopters who went there and enjoy themselves, i would like to thank you for your contributions, not just the lovely trip reports, but to thailand's economy recovery. Just my crappy 2 cents.

I can only speak for Pattaya today, though I suspect that BKK is much the same.. It's a mistake to expect more than a semblance of the old glories of the past. Too early for anything other than the green shoots of a recovery. But don't be discouraged; there's plenty here to keep you happy. And that means a lot more than other places can offer. Anyway, we're overjoyed to be here.

One can always count on @paulsf to put out a carrot to draw @vinapuback...

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.

From Channel News Asia SEOUL: Thousands of South Koreans took part in an LGBT festival in downtown Seoul on Saturday (Jul 16), as Christian and conservative groups held a rally in protest across the road. Dubbed Seoul Queer Culture Festival, about 13,000 people were estimated to have participated as of about 3pm local time, Yonhap reported. Participants, some wearing rainbow masks and toting rainbow flags, looked around some 72 booths opened by human rights groups, university LGBT clubs, embassies, religious and progressive organisations, taking part in face painting or social media events. "I'm glad we can have an offline festival after a long time. LGBT people are not hateful people who appear one day out of the year but people who live their daily lives just the same," said Hurricane Kimchi, a drag queen who attended the festival. "The Queer Festival has gotten bigger, and many LGBT people show up without hiding, because the perception in our society is getting better." The US ambassador to South Korea, Philip Goldberg, attended the festival to show his support. "To express the strong commitment of the United States to ending discrimination wherever it occurs and ensuring that everyone is treated with respect and humanity, we simply cannot leave any of you behind," Goldberg told the crowd. "We're going to fight with you for equality and human rights." Across the road from the festival, taking place in Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall, the protest rally had at least 15,000 participants, according to the Yonhap news agency. "We are protesting and holding a national convention for the healthy sexual ethics of our children, and we are rallying together to call for the proper operation of Seoul Plaza, which is run with citizens' taxes," said Lee Yong-hee, a university professor and participant in the protest rally. Police were at the site to guard against possible clashes.

As you said in another thread recently " don,t buy , don,t cry"

Another sci-fi (parallel universe) Thai BL series “Vice Versa” seems promising; featuring some very (and a couple not so) familiar faces from Bad Buddy, Enchante, etc. This GMM 25 series airs on Saturdays and is available on their official YouTube page. Episode 1 of 12 aired yesterday.

So we are Winding down another 4 days here in the Dominican Republic and I have to tell you I am mentally drained and tired. We've been here since Thursday and HIT THE GROUND RUNNING with the beautiful men in this country. I don't post any videos to my OF Or JFF over the weekend but a member from that group asked me to post some video shorts to keep them apprised of how the filming was going I should have known that once I posted the video of KING DONG fully erect and feeding his MOSTER MEAT TO A HUNGRY BOTTOM through some home security bars that they would beg for me to post that video IMMEDIATELY! I obliged and gave them a little bit and told them that I would go home, edit the video then post Monday morning. The models are beautiful and young (I'm their 20's) and love to perform. I'm not going to lie. The scene with KING DONG feeding his thick DICK to the hungry bottom made me want to put down my camera, knock the bottom over and start sucking him myself. About an hour before KING DONG, came over he told me HE HAD a lot of milk for ME and HIS dick is going to be THE BIGGEST I'VE EVER SEEN IT. He was so confident. He even said, "if my dick goes soft then you won't have to pay me." I knew he must have taken something because his dick was LONG HARD AND THICK. My husband even said he couldn't belive how BIG AND HARD HIS DICK WAS. Of course the hungry bottom wanted to stay on his knees for hours to suck and worship his MASSIVE DOMINICAN DICK. we moved over to the hottub to change the scene and before we could get the camera ready the bottom looked over and saw how stiff KING DONG was and began to suck him again. I guess he knew what he wanted and he wanted it NOW. He was enamored with KING DONG and when KING DONG released, the bottom made sure to swallow his seed. My husband and I looked at each other in shock while he sucked him dry. It's been so HARD KEEPING UP WITH MY FAST growing twitter accounts. OMG! It's an all day REWARDING experience because I get to play with these beautiful men. also and they put on quite the performance when the camera was on. My Twitter page has attracted the eye of some producers in California and Atlanta. Also a lot of porn stars who want to collaborate. Im not bragging. I'm shocked and very thankful to say the least. People are actually offering to pay to advertise on my Twitter page most popular page @BlakSuperMan2 I still can't believe the exposure and interest the pages are receiving. Continue to wish me luck and I will continue to post 10 second clips on my Twitter pages @BlakSuperMan2 and @HungDRHombres. I can't post the 20-25 minutes of filming to those pages so I have to post those sex videos to my OF Or JFF accounts. I hope you all are safe and well. InShot_20220717_090535944.mp4

If you're a US citizen arriving at JFK's Terminal 4 (the large international terminal), be advised that the passport scanning kiosks have been removed. Installed in 2013, the machines allowed you to scan your passport, answer some questions, and then hand a receipt printed by the machine to a CBP officer before proceeding on to baggage claim. When I asked a CPB guard what had happened to the kiosks, he said the agency is in the process of acquiring new technology. In the meantime, be papered to queue up for an individual check by a CPB officer at one of the old booths. Global Entry holders will be glad to know that a dozen or so machines remain for their use. I don't know if this affects other JFK terminals or other US international airports.

If I was a bar owner, I'd want to know why a prospective customers walked out without making a purchase. Maybe it's something I can't do anything about (i.e, too crowded). But it's more likely it's something I can. I've posted in the past about the idea of bars experimenting with promotions from mid-week beer specials, half-price off fees, 2-for-1 drink nights. The idea would be to get more people in the door than the other bars. In short, becoming competitive. But I don't think that's ever going to catch on in Bangkok. The attitude seems to be customers come or they don't. Mai pen rai.

One of the reasons why Lucky Boys boasted a large daily rotation of boys was probably every boy showing up for work before a certain time cutoff received a daily allowance from the bar (7h30 pm and 300 if memory serves). Most Viet boys working there, from what I heard, did not bother (like that money was just a pittance to them).

He'll move his November flight to August.

oops. then maybe it was drinks (400B x 2) + off fee (500B) = 1300B... i must be getting old...thanks for pointing out @Min and @spoon!

I thought drinks 400 and off fee 500? Did dreamboy increase their drink/entrance fee?

Add: and weekdays only.

Thanks Ichigo, interesting and enjoyable reports. Glad you enjoyed your trip!

The Super Rich next to Silom Plaza is still open but with shorter working hours (9am to 6pm). I just exchanged money there a couple of times, barely a week ago.

I must admit I read only recent pages of the thread and then got caught up in the Taiwan/Ukraine discussion. I have no desire to read the rest of such a long thread and accept other readers comments. All I will add is that a previous owner also incurred the wrath of quite a few members. If you own a chat room Board, I guess you have the right to put forward your own views whenever you want. I only know that Moses lives in Moscow. It's his Board. He bought it. In my view he has the right to promote whatever views he holds just as others have every right to abandon it if they are unhappy with those views. Surely they can turn to the other two Boards or even start up their own if they wish.

Glad you enjoyed your holiday back in Thailand. Thanks for trip report! Maybe we can meet in December if you happen to be in Bangkok during Christmas week.

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.

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.

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 know you didn't ask me, but I'm willing to bet he has a similar response 😉 I love both places....but Brazil, sex is more passionate and it doesn't feel as transactional. No matter how bad they have it, living conditions, family problems, etc.... you'll normally not hear about it, pity trip conversations.....and no "up to you" Sex is def less expensive in Brazil and most of guys are super fun to be around...... Food , massage and hotels are generally better and cheaper in Thailand, and is safer........Brazil didn't shut down during Covid. I was pretty good friends with Hugh Miller, he was the manager of the Ambiance hotel when JIm and Gordon owned it. The stories about the stories he told about the tricks the boys do to get customers to buy them things and "gift" them more money....actually, was kind of sad to hear. Knowing how foolish men can be....it's 10 times worse in the straight world 😲

You're a great story tellers Thank you.

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

Salvador was the one time in Brazil where I got mugged (about 10 years ago). The historic center is like an island surrounded by very sketchy neighborhoods. This was the one city I should have heeded all the warnings about, but I was cocky from my good experiences in SP and Rio. It looked like such a short walk from my hotel in the colonial center to the sauna ...

Numazu, Excellent trip report and writing skills and narration. Bravo!! and the way you ended this episode - like a cock tease - very tantalizing. I cannot wait for the next segment. Thanks, M. p.s., your writing style is very similar to Rush from Dancing with the Devil in the City of Angels unfortunately, he is no longer with us....

Sometimes well placed inheritance wipes tears quite fast

I love Colombia during the holidays. The season begins with the Noche de las velitas on December 7 (a Wednesday this year) which may be my FAVOURITE Colombian tradition. Each city is lit by thousands of candles set out by individuals and families around their neighbourhood to "guide" and celebrate the Virgin Mary. Cartagena is particularly beautiful this evening, where families traditionally set out candles in the street, in courtyards and doorways, and in windows, and receive visitors while they are lit. Once the flames go out, people head to the street to meet up and enjoy the evening. Lots of impromptu gatherings and dancing in the streets. Each weekend following this holiday is treated as a holiday weekend, with gatherings, parties and events. So much to do and the cities are alive with so many out enjoying the season. There are lots of Christmas lights and decorations everywhere without the hectic commercialism of the North America. But I love being in any Latin country for the holidays for this reason. But yes, la capital is particularly beautiful (and festive) during this time, with much to see and do. The light displays on Monserrate are a delight and the excited children running from display to display...it is the very best of latin culture.

I like Archer's response. I have not been lately, but the city is beautiful and the guys are sexy.