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Here's my opinion: You know how much attention I would pay to this? None. Zero. Nada. And the last thing you should do is be reluctant to go right back to that bar. I would sit down as usual where you normally sit. If he approaches and wants to talk, that's fine. I would greet him with a smile and a nice hello. I would talk as if this non-incident never happened. If it is brought up, let him be the one who brings it up. Tell him you never meant any offense and he misunderstood what you meant - and then take it from there. For sure you don't need to walk on eggs to talk to him. I doubt he was actually offended at all. I've seen this same kind of manipulation tactic used by boys many times over the years. I've had some of them try it on me too. It's all a part of trying to get what's in your wallet moved into his. And on you it seems to be working. He's got you feeling guilty and wondering what you did wrong or what you could have said differently. In other words, now he's got the control. Don't let him have it. Don't let him put you on the defensive. Don't worry about whether you have offended him. Let him be the one who has to worry about whether he has offended you. If you are interested in him, fine. If not, I'd give him nothing more than a polite nod and move right to a boy who does interest you.

Being partnered in Thailand, my bf is aware I have some apps still on my phone which I use occasionally when I travel. Yes, I know I could temporarily delete them but it's just easier to keep them there. I therefore have some experience of chatting with Thai boys as most weeks there are a few who click on me. In my limited experience can I suggest that as others have suggested unless you know a guy at least a little, joking with Thai boys often backfires. What a westerner considers a joke, very often Thais do not. Years ago I used to go out on Sundays for dinner and a visit to a bar or two with a good friend I have known for decades. He loved to joke with the boys. Although I suggested several times that he stop doing it as virtually all the boys had no idea what he was talking about, he just kept on doing it. In a bar setting he could get away with it - just. I suspect on the apps there is always a danger it will be taken the wrong way. Then if someone clicks on me whom I do not know or do not want to know, I keep everything simple and merely end the conversation as politely as I consider appropriate. So I usually say "sorry I do not know you" and then enter into no more communication. Or in the OP's case above, perhaps a "sorry I was only there for the shows and was not looking for company" might have been more effective. My feeling is that expressions of "I like/love you" or "I love your photos" rarely mean anything other than sex with you might be fun - tip or no tip depending on how the chat continues. So best to end the chat quickly and make sure nothing follows.

also some may reson that they did not fly half world to exotic destination in order to socialize with people their own nationality or culture so they may appear unsocial while their 'seclusion' is just by design. in years of soi twilight one of our members, my compatriot , reported he will be in Bkk at the same time like me. When I suggested we can meet, he politely declined to a tune cited above which I fully understood and did not press the issue.

So many crazy boys on hornet that try to manipulate farang customers using this technique. In my experience it's something that the non-Thais tend to do more than the Thais. Just ignore him, especially when he starts threatening self harm as you don't love him etc etc. I had it twice in April

Everything said here is 100% spot on. I had a real world example of this recently. I always had the rule, don't shit where you eat. 2 months ago I broke that rule, and took a boy from a bar I visit almost daily. We had a short time and 1 long time in a week, and I was kind of done. I told him I wasn't looking for anything serious. But he made it clear he was. He turned on his stalker mode. The next week was a mix of begging on LINE, and overly affectionate when I was in the bar, to the point of annoyance. He knew what he was doing. I didn't play along, just waited for him to get bored. A week later, it has devolved to dirty looks from across the bar. That lasted a week. For the last week or so, he doesn't even make eye contact with me. I no longer exist to him. He's moved onto new targets. If you are a regular at M2M, and there is an issue, just pull Beer aside (the cashier with the cap) and mention something, tactfully. Having said that, as GayButton said, I don't think it will be needed. Just smile and carry on with your routine.

They don’t really understand sarcasm. They take most things literally. And why not? English is not easy for them. My boyfriend is amazed at how many different words mean the same thing. keep things simple and try not to joke around on the apps, unless you’re trying to aggravate them.

no shortage of hotels in all price range walking distance to to Patpong area . as for stack of 100's you may want to change money at XOne on Suriwong, one or two sois past soi Tawan walking FROM Patpong. They are very accommodating with request to give few thousands in 100's . As for tipping , don't overdue it because you may become easy target which may become costly and ever more important, annoying. And I don't think I'm particularly stingy, specially in Tawan. few things to consider : if boy sits with you uninvited don't feel under pressure to buy him a drink or even less to tip him unless you want to. Show that you are not interested ( simple hand gesture will suffice) and he will go away. If he starts massaging you and you don't want it for any reason / for example you have an eye on another guy, my most likely reason / , tell him ' no' . But if you let him to continue I'd tip him that 100. If you buy him a drink , either on your own or he will talk you too, then yes, he is supposed to sit with you and you are supposed to tip him 100-200, depending of time taken, more if you guys will be more adventurous, touchy , kissy etc. if you invite boy to sit with you , then yes you are supposed to buy him a drink and tip as described above. But he is supposed to sit with you , not circulate. If he will go here and there every 5 minutes forget about tipping him , even less 100 for every 5 minutes. I'd be actually pretty pissed off. Only case I let him leave is toilet or if he he called to the scene for his rotation or participates in the show. If you decide to off that guy tonight, don't tip him for sitting with you in the bar, he will get his off tip in the room on another hand be fair to boys and if you don't intend to off him today , I'd tell him that after say, 20 minutes and if he wants, release him and tip him of course. It's perfectly acceptable and at Tawan but also in other bars few times I had somebody else sitting with me and somebody else waiting in wings in the knowledge he will be offed that night , both informed about outcome in advance. for bringing drinks I tip waiter 20 per round i.e if he brings drinks for me and a boy at the same time it's 20. If I order drink just for myself it's 20 and if later on I invite guy to sit with me it's another 20. word of caution, seasoned guys sometimes may try to invite their bar friend for a drink at your expense, feel free to say no, specially if they did not even ask you if you agree. If you are soft hearted or don't want other guy to lose face , chalk up your loss but at first opportune moment let your guy know you did not like it. Happens very rarely but it does. mamasans are known to stretch their palms and feel free to ignore those unless they act as waiters too or if they were helpful i.e calling boy not scheduled today to come because you asked about him or helped with translation etc. On another hand if you are planning to frequent particular bar more often it may be good idea to slip that 100 to mamasan at one point just in case you may need him. Contrary to what you may hear from mamasans , if you know whom you want it's nothing wrong to show up in the bar and point at the door " I want guy # 81 ", pay off fee and go with him without bothering with drinks , shows, tips etc. Of course that would work only if you clear with boy in question he will go with you. hope it helped

my thought exactly. Actually I think I'd be offended too if , say , boy asked if I will off him, I confirmed and then he said "I was joking, can't go with you"

Just a wild guess, but I think he may have been offended when you asked to go with him for free and he agreed then you declined by saying it was a joke. I doubt he is actually upset, but nuances in English can be easily misinterpreted so 'just joking' could come across as laughing at him or something out of context like that? I have had some conversations do complete 180s with some Thai boys because my Australianism expressions don't translate.

Prepare yourself... wherever you choose to sit, its not possible to be inconspicuous in a room the size of a kitchen 🤣

visited BoysBoysBoys last night and there was a lot of hot guys there. If you’re into muscle you’ll find someone to make you happy for sure. One guy was wearing red short shorts and did a magic mike routine and his body was just beautiful, athletic, muscular, with a strong defined back covered in Thai tattoos. Really nice!

Boy rescued from Tham Luang cave offered footie scholarship in England From The Thaiger One of 12 teenage boys saved in the heroic Tham Luang cave rescue mission in northern Thailand four years ago has been offered a scholarship to study at Brooke House College Football Academy in Leicester, England. Duangpetch “Dom” Promthep, who is now 17 years old, says his “dream has come true.” On June 23, 2018, 12 members of the ‘Wild Boars’ football team – aged 11 to 16 years old – got stuck in a flooded cave system in Mae Sai district, Chiang Rai province, northern Thailand with their 25 year old football coach Nopparat Kanthawong. At the time, 13 year old Dom was the Wild Boars’ team captain. Dom posted online to inform his friends of the good news… “Today, my dream has come true. I’m going to be a football student in England. I would like to thank Sport Education and the Zico Foundation for getting me this scholarship in England. Thank you to Brooke House College Football Academy to give scholarships to allow “upcountry” kids like me to develop themselves. Thank you also to Oronas Ltd. and Sports Hero Co. Ltd. for supporting me with this important, one of a lifetime opportunity. Thank you to the principal and all the teachers at Wachiralai School and all those who have supported me so far. I would like to thank Coach Zico especially.”

Language difficulties abound in our relationships with Thais. I can recall, even now, how hurt I was on a couple of occasions many years ago when my innocent and good-natured comments were completely misunderstood. I suspect that this is what happened with Min. A guy for whom English is a second- language will probably employ particular predictive phrases on his phone, sometimes choosing badly. And Shonen is correct about sarcasm. It's also true of teasing, which for us is is often an expression of affection. I once saw a falang teasing a waiter in a bar- a guy whom he'd offed frequently and rated very highly- by laughing at his new teeth-braces. It didn't end well.

I lost count years ago. How many years? I lost that count too

I wholeheartedly recommend having separate flights on the same ticket. On several business trips I have had delays for one reason or another when it became the airlines' responsibility to look after me. Twice, though, I have been on separate tickets and suffered as a result. The first was a BA ticket from Edinburgh to Munich via Heathrow to connect with a Lufthansa flight to Dresden. Both were cheap tickets purchased on the net. To protect myself against delays, I allowed 4 hours for the flight change at Munich. What I was not prepared for was delays at Heathrow. In Edinburgh the 1:00 pm 767 departure was boarded on time and the doors closed. Only then were passengers advised high winds at LHR had led to delays and our take-off slot had been moved back by an hour. What was maddening was just a couple of bays away there was an Easyjet non-stop flight to Munich which I should have taken instead of BA! The cabin crew were great in checking onward boarding passes to ensure we were rebooked on the next flights. But then of course my next flight from LHR was delayed because the aircraft was still waiting to take off from Paris back to London. End result I landed in Munich as my Dresden flight was taking off. I ended up losing my LH return flights for which 'd paid €90, having to rebook full fare flights at nearly €450 (for a journey of little over 200 miles) and €85 for an airport hotel. Thankfully, I had travel insurance which reimbursed most of my costs but only with a lot of paperwork from the 2 airlines. The second was probably unique. I was in Argentina visiting the stunning Iguazu Falls. I had the cheapest Buenos Aires/Iguazu ticket on the Argentine airline. On return I would be changing airports and connecting to a business class mileage ticket on LAN Chile from BA to Santiago. Before then I had to return to my excellent guest house in BA to collect my large suitcase. So I allowed for a 6 hours changeover. When I was waiting to board at Iguazu there was a LAN Chile flight departing to BA only 5 minutes earlier. Both were in the process of boarding when we were asked to leave the aircraft. Both sets of passengers were then stuck in the departure lounge with no announcements. Eventually someone told me a single engine private plane had crash landed on the single runway. Our flights would not be departing until it had been removed. I panicked. I called the nearest One World office in Miami to try and rebook the LAN flight to the last of the day. Unsurprisingly I was informed the next available flight was in 3 weeks time! I called the guest house owners who very generously agreed to check arrival times and bring my case to the domestic airport and arrange a taxi for me. We finally boarded 2 hours late. With delays on arrival, a bus gate with no buses and being unable to find the guesthouse guys, I was in a complete panic. I finally made my LAN flight with 2 minutes to spare. Had I only booked LAN from Iguazu, I would not have needed to go through all that angst!

I definitely relate to the laundry thing. I like staying someplace where I can do my own wash in the apartment and not have to bother hauling it all over and picking it up. One time I did take my clothes to a laundry they used so much fabric softener my clothes smelled awful. I booked a place at Ashton-Chula for my next trip via Airbnb and I agree that it seems to be a good option - nice location, new building. There are also serviced apartments around the city. I stayed at the Fraser Suites in Sukhumvit 11 many years ago. Beautiful apartment but less-than-ideal location. For a while I always stayed at the Siri Sathorn in Sala Daeng Soi 1. There's another apartment place across the street that is cheaper. There are tons and tons of condos for rent around the city. You might want to look at a site like fazwaz.com that lists available units. It looks like there are some short term (1 month +) places available. Also, depending on your visa situation remember you might need to leave the country for a "visa run".

young drama guy! better ignore than keep msg bcoz it will only get worse.

Sorry "Thai doctors" but I go to Thailand for cocks. I visit beaches and temples in between the cocks. For me, there are lots of other countries which offer far more interesting places to go sightseeing.

I'd be happy to meet you, @fedssocrbecause i have always found your posts interesting. Nothing need come of it, just socializing with a fellow poster and Thai fan.

If it was true love the boy would never block and insist making contact with you to show you he is serious and have true feelings for you but one harmless jock from you he understood you aren't serious so he moved on to the next potential victims . He is money boy no more no less don't take this incident too seriously. The boy block you and moved on, you should do the same.

And I'm ever so grateful that was exactly what I found. 😊

From The Thaiger Thailand’s Central Group and Signa Holding have finalised their deal to acquire luxury retailer Selfridges Group from the Canadian Weston family. Selfridges is famous for its iconic luxury department store on London’s Oxford Street. The Central Group has been operating for 75 years and is owned by the billionaire Chirathivat family, who sits at No.5 on Forbes Thailand’s 50 Richest list. Signa is a property firm owned by Austrian investor Rene Benko. The two have become a joint venture.In December 2021, Central and Signa Group agreed to acquire Selfridges Group – a luxury department store chain with 18 stores in three countries – from the Weston family for 4 billion pounds (170,418,102,400 baht). The Westons – from Canada – bought the chain 20 years ago, in 2003, for 598 million pounds (25,469,119,000 baht). On Monday, Central and Signa Holding announced they had completed their acquisition of Selfridges, which was founded in 1908 by Harry Gordon Selfridge. Selfridges’ 18 stores come under three brands: Selfridges in England, Brown Thomas & Arnotts in Ireland, and De Bijenkorf in the Netherlands. The stores will be added to Central and Signa’s combined existing portfolio of 22 luxury department stores. Central and Cigna also have two more department stores opening soon in Dusseldorf and Vienna.

Thanks to you and everyone for all the many information on accommodation options. I’ve never booked with Airbnb but is there a way to know exactly the condo that’s in offer? It’s actually the Ashton chula that I would really like to try because I would be sort of testing it for a possible retirement visa extension. It’s in the most ideal area as it is close to the language school I’m looking at, and of course, the silom bars and restaurants. I’ve seen long term rental that specify it along with nearby condos like wish and ideo, which is a bit further off silom.

Tawan will do this as well. @jason1975and I did this plenty during the jockstrap jubilee.

Your right Max 😉 Many of the Filipino guys I had last month in the Philippines had as you say ,didn't seem to be cut professionally, probably done in the province by the head of the village 😂 I didnt dare to ask them ,I just wanted their young hard dick pumping my old daddy butt😉

The only way to find out if he is free and really likes you is to go to the bar and off/bar fine him from the bar, I would do it otherwise you will never know and regret it ! 👍👍 Life is short ,you have nothing to lose and more to gain especially if it's true love 💜

That makes sense to me. Maybe he was serious about "going with me for free" and then thought I just treated his intention "as a joke" and him "as toy boy". The guilt-trip techniques @Olddaddy and @colmx mentioned also seem plausible, but for those to work, I should have gone out with him (paid or not) at least once before the drama right? We hadn't even talked (in real life or on Hornet before), and as he said, I didn't even look at him when I was in the bar.

With the Thai tourism industry decimated as a result of covid, with millions of experienced employees laid off and expected tourism arrivals in 2023 not expected to reach even half those of 2019, what has happened to all the Thais who used to work in the hospitality industry? These men and women need jobs and should have the opportunity of being rehired. So why the need for overseas workers? Is this a ploy merely to get cheap labour, I am tempted to think?

not if one liked Hero or later MyHero boys in the same soi

precisely what I did in December

OMG @gayinpattaya! Please do introduce him to me when I am there next month. I have a soft spot for Burmese boys, as my previous trip reports can attest, and throughly enjoyed my time in Myanmar a couple of years ago. Send me a personal message! Coincidentally, my Brazilian friend Tiago, who is now working at a Muay Thai gym, told me that the owner of the gym is fond of ”adopting” strays to stay at the gym if he can see some potential in the person, whether he sees a good fighter, or a good worker to work around the gym. The newest “stray” at the gym is an 18 year old Burmese boy who has potential to be a good MMA fighter. Tiago of course has sent me photos of the boy (not sexy photos of course, just normal ones), and the boy is hot and super ripped and in tremendous fighting shape. So. Many. Abs. Not sure if there is a possibility for me there, but I do appreciate Tiago sharing these tidbits with me when he knows I’d be interested. Thanks for the great intel, @Min. I think I’ll bite the bullet and choose the Baywalk or Aya, and maybe book a night or two at a fancier hotel further away closer to the beach to get the resort atmosphere I may need, instead of the Avani, since it is not by the beach. Nice to know that those three properties seem to be more or less fine for our purposes.

Some of us just don't like people. I wonder if there is an element of people who lived their lives in the closet keeping themselves closed off? Or maybe since the gay scene is smaller there's a competition for fewer available guys element? I will admit that I don't ever mingle much. I am always a bit suspicious of others' motives.

Hmm. You made me rethink the luggage situation. I am just thinking of needing a lot more clothes. But I can make do precisely by washing what I’ll bring. It’ll definitely be just tshirts anyway and lightweight pants. I’m a fan of columbia type pants. it’s just the winter clothes that I’ll be wearing coming in that’s inconvenient but I can carry it in my hands.

Stayed at Evergreen Laurel many years ago. I remember it as a comfortable, well-appointed place and, as you said, certainly walking distance from Silom via Soi Convent. Had no problem with visitors. Also easy walking distance to Soi Suan Plu where you'll find some good restaurants and several male massage shops. (Btw, think I paid about double the 1200 rate way back then)

Maybe he misunderstood or misinterpreted "just joking" comment. But look on the bright side: you're loved by someone you obviously made a wonderful initial impression on. That can't be a bad thing. 🙂

Pattaya is more for the typical german, slightly overweight accountant who makes travel notes

I'm kind of shy......😇

Wow reader, you are right - the Twitter page to KK massage is hot, hot, hot. The initial photo is of one of their clients being subjected to a 6 hands massage. oh my!! KK massage man Spa

Yes, that view may not be welcomed by all but it is accurate. Bearing in mind that most of us are....well, getting on, I wonder how many gay falangs want to be in bars at 0400? 0r 0300? 0r even 0200? When I was butterflying, it is true that sometimes I'd be in a bar with an expat mate until 0200. But those were nights when I hadn't caught any fish and I was compensating. Most of us- and I wait to be corrected- are "otherwise engaged" at that time. In my case, sleeping-obviously- but others I assume are nestled in the arms of a beautiful companion. A better place to be than in a noisy bar with a sound system that forbids talking to anybody.

and the girlfriend is having her period.

Someone on the ground can better update you on the bars that are open in Boyztown, but I think most are, certainly Toy Boys, Pikky Bar and BBB are open as I have friends working in them. Takes about 10 minutes or a little over to walk from BT to Sunee. You need to walk along Second Road, over the traffic lights and keep going until you reach the VC Hotel on the left hand side. The little soi alongside the hotel is Soi VC and if you walk up there a few hundred meters you will eventually find yourself outside Nice Boys on your right hand side. It does get a bit dark up there and first time you might wonder if you have missed it, but keep walking and you will get there. Just past Nice Boys is a right hand turn, also pretty dark, that takes you into Sunee Plaza itself. THere is a short cut from Second Road, but you kinda need to have someone that knows the way walk with you first. Probably, if it is your first time, get a taxi-bike to take you (the one-way systems mean that they have to go via Beach Road so don't be alarmed at their initial direction they take you). Also don't be put off if Nice Boys also seems a little dark. The boss, Beer, usually sits outside in a small light and will greet you and open the door into 'fantasy land' for you. Enjoy!

yes , specially BL series !

Don't forget to keep your luggage check receipt. And make sure you have the travel insurance to cover your flight cancellation, delay, luggage delay or lost. Travel insurance is especially important these day with the recent airlines performance.

yes , it should be. You will be happy at Tawan, boys and mamasans are friendly but at the same time not really forcing themselves upon you if you are not interested. They understand words ' no, thank you " or even more polite ' not yet" If you are interested they can be adventurous in the bar like scene described and will let you to be quite adventurous too. Keep in mind bar is in smallish side so all antics can be seen by audience. Good news is they have massage rooms upstairs which can be used as short time room if need arises due to excessive heat. to get familiar with the place in order to ease your trepidations you can have massage there during day by one of their guys on duty, closer to bar opening hours it may be even more than one available. if you have time, money and ability I encourage you to try to visit every bar at least once to get better grasp of the scene. I too like big and older guys but truth is almost everywhere I find somebody I 'm interested in.

Ok, now after the amazing night and long sleep I finally dragged myself from the comfort of the bed and down to meet my ride to Pattaya. As usual, I booked Nam's taxi the day before and my driver was waiting for me just before our scheduled time. 1200 baht and a 2-hour drive from my Bangkok hotel to East Suites. Pattaya I had already arranged my first rendezvous from Bangkok on Grindr, so when I arrived I had a quick shower and was deep in warm embrace within my first hour of being in Pattaya, off to a very good start! After a while of relaxing as night was falling, I decided to go for a walk around Jomtien Complex. Wow! it is very busy compared to April, I wouldn't say as busy as Songkran customer-wise, but definitely more guys/staff. It looks a lot less dreary with all of the lights on, and some new bars have popped up around the sois. I decided to step into a Bu Bu bar, I didn't remember being there next to Dick's Cafe in April, but they had menus out the front and some nice welcoming staff. So I'll stop in for food and a drink, it turned out the menus were from the small restaurants across the soi. I went for the Thai menu made by Sofia's Thai, oh boy it was delicious! This Chicken Cashew was hands down the best I've had. I went back another night and tried some more dishes, it was consistently great food. I found Bu Bu was a good place to sit and order from, giving a good view of the edge of Soda Massage and the comings and goings of the guys headed to work in the bars. As for the massage shops in the complex. There's the small shop (I can't recall the name) on the Thappraya side of Dick's Cafe, only 2-4 staff, but they looked more muscular and suspect better at actual massage. Soda Massage has a bright new sign above it, hard to count numbers but I think around 15+ staff, a mix of twinks and twunks. Then the massage around the corner toward Agate (again, can't remember the name), around 10-15 guys mixed twinks, twunks, hunks. Some very hot guys here as well. The Jomtien Complex bars between them had a LOOOOT of guys, I won't try to give estimates but I'd say something for everyone can be found there. Closing time is around 1-2am, then just as during April the party moves down to the beach where groups will sit around with drinks and food until the early hours. Well, I'm back in Pattaya and I know there's a little gogo bar over in Sunee screaming my name, so at around 9pm I head over to Winner. 60baht and 5 minutes by motosai I'm headed down the darkened Sunee plaza with the shining lights and usual squeals of the boys from Winner filling the air. My happy place. Now I won't sugar coat it too much, Winner has been struggling through covid. I often sat and talked with the owner at length in April and this trip about life and the bar, he's an absolute gem in my eyes, he cares for the staff and they care for him. However, there's a problem.. he is in a bit of a catch-22 situation, trying to keep enough staff to meet the customer demand without bleeding salary money in the quiet months after such a long time of having to keep the doors open with savings. Current guys in the bar is around 6-8, and they are all fantastic friendly cute guys (in white little speedos), but if it's a busy night and guys are being off'd it can be slim pickings. Get there early at 8-9 pm if you want to have the best shot at seeing all of them there. They don't tend to stand around on the podiums too long, they will mingle with the customers and run around the soi half naked to the food carts, so if you pop your head in and see an empty stage don't fret. I spent most nights at Winner this trip, drinking and joking around with the guys, they're just good fun. The drink prices are cheap and no one is ever pushy, so I was content. I did have 3-4 of the guys in my sights, but I only ended up with 2 and repeating the second for a couple of nights. I didn't make it to Boyztown at night, but when I did pass through on one early afternoon it looked a lot better. Ambiance is open again by the look of it, and all of the bars were setting up chairs out the front. Next trip I will dive back into BT and see what I can find in Toy Boys and the rest of this area. Time just wasn't on my side this trip. I had daily massages at Soda Massage and the occasional Grindr meetup, performance was good on all accounts, not a single dud this time in Pattaya. I'm reluctant to discuss this much, but I'll mention it. With the new laws regarding the decriminalization of the green flower, I decided to have a look at the offerings. I found the best shop was a dispensary one soi over from Sunee toward Tuckom called World Wide Weed (WWW), big selection and a friendly owner. I read some bad reviews about the shop(s) on walking street, maybe be cautious with them. If you do partake there are some rules to remember, they can't sell prerolled but they have papers and anything else you need. You cannot smoke in public or in bars, it is a 25k baht fine if you smoke it on the beach, but your hotel balcony is ok or the dispensary has a dedicated space to sample your purchase. 750baht/g for most of the selection, allegedly the quality is very good. I'm slowly trying every hotel in the Jomtien Complex, this time it was East Suites turn. The master room was very spacious, the price was really good, but no elevator, there was some noise pollution from the bars until 1 or 2 am, and I had to chase around a cockroach one night. Agate is still winning in my current standings, but Zing Resort is possibly next on my list to try. TT money exchange down Thappraya towards the beach still has the best exchange rates in the area, comparable to the airport basement. I think that's about all, I took Nam's taxi back to Swampy and check-in was fine but my flights were packed full again. A successful week that felt a lot longer., thanks for reading.

Reminds me of a blonde joke..... A blonde gets on an airplane and sits down in the first class section of the plane. The stewardess rushes over to her and tells her she must move to coach because she doesn't have a first class ticket. The blonde replies, "I'm blonde, I'm smart, I have a good job, and I'm staying in first class until we reach Jamaica." The disgusted stewardess gets the head stewardess who asks the blonde to leave. The blonde yet again repeats "I'm blonde, I'm smart, I have a good job and I'm staying in first class until we reach Jamaica." The head stewardesses doesn't even know what to do at this point because they still have to get the rest of the passengers seated to take off; the blode is causing a problem with boarding now, so the stewardess gets the copilot. The copilot goes up to the blonde and whispers in her ear. She immediately gets up and goes to her seat in the coach section. The head stewardess asks the copilot in amazement what he said to get her to move to her correct seat. The copilot replies, "I told her the front half of the airplane wasn't going to Jamaica." source: http://www.jokes4us.com/blondejokes/firstclassblondejoke.html

I wonder how long flight in economy would be?

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: