Leaderboard

Thais wore masks on buses doing the Jomtien trip when I was in in Pattaya a few weeks ago. Occasionally, one or two passengers of the twelve didn't, invariably falang. I thought it showed disrespect to our hosts.

On the subject of covering the face----if your date turns out to be not so good looking then remember the two bags rule: Before having sex put one over his head, and a second bag over your own head in case his bag falls off.

Thais wear masks so, for me, it's a case of "when in Rome do as the Romans do". I do however draw the line when I am exercising in our semi rural area and when I'm alone driving the car. In that same area I do see the majority of motorcyclists fully masked up.... but not weating a helmet. TiT.

I stiil wear a mask here in Western Australia when on public transport or if going into crowded places like shopping centres and I will no doubt wear a mask in Thailand when I go if mandated or not, the risk for me will be restaurants, bars and massage places. My reasoning is simple, underlying health conditions, even a common cold can be bad news for me. If others choose to wear one or not is up to them.

Whether Thais wear helmets is beside the point. They are Thais living in Thailand. Doing what feels right is also basically selfish in my view. On the Skytrain the other day, everyone in the three cars I checked was masked, including farang and all tourists, apart from three Germans who had masks on but had moved them under their chins and were chatting and laughing loudly. If the looks from the Thais on the train could kill, those guys would not have got off the train.

I don't get anything in Wales, but that said I do get offers on Grinder off guys that are usually way off my radar 😬 I now have 2 holidays per year to Asia /'Jomtien in order to get what I fancy.......nice young twink Asian boys.......in fact I think that's all that does it for me now. I really don't want overweight, old or hairy lol, as I'd rather go without ☺️ I do have an Indonesian friend here in Wales that I play only badminton with ( sadly nothing else) and one day we did go together to a gay Sauna in Northwich, Cheshire, UK. That was my first experience of a gay Sauna so clearly I was nervous and didn't know anything. My friend certainly attracted a lot of attention though 😜 Since that time, I've frequented a few Saunas in BKK and Jomtien and I am pleased I stayed at Babylon when it was open. Brilliant time there and similarly at Sansuk, Jomtien where I've had a few great times. I return in a couple of weeks and hope Sansuknhas reopened in order to enjoy the experience once again post- covid. 😜

They were, but a lot of it is the exchange rate. Using @thaiophilus 's numbers, the chart shows the number of Chang beers you could buy for the cost of a Soho pint. Currently it is 1.75 but in the past it has been as high as 3.25. This doesn't account for any change in the local currency cost of beer, which may make the difference even larger.

One guy asked if I was "Gen" on Grindr. I heartily replied "yes". Now and then I set my profile to say "GENtleman" and occasionally send pics of cash to certain hotties. I also note this rarely works on any profiles listed as "bottoms"

Obviously quite a good job to have. Monitoring just this site enables someone in the USA to build up quite an eye-catching collection of naked bodies 🤣 🤣

Perhaps you should take Gaybuttons advice: One other little thing - with a face that looks like mine, I'm doing the world a favor by covering it up with the mask. A few others around here might be kind enough to consider doing the same . . .

For several reasons I still wear the mask. For me, I wear it because nearly all the Thais wear it and I live here. Even though the mask is no longer required in public, so many places still require it that it seems pointless to me to try avoiding it. Also, I have become so used to wearing the mask that now I feel uncomfortable and awkward if I'm not wearing it. It's not hurting anything, so I wear it. I take it off when driving my car or entering a restaurant. Other than that, most of the time it's on. One other little thing - with a face that looks like mine, I'm doing the world a favor by covering it up with the mask. A few others around here might be kind enough to consider doing the same . . . "I know I'm ugly. On Halloween when I open the door, the kids give me candy." - Rodney Dangerfield

Quite right, it’s Voluntary, except in certain circumstances where it’s mandatory. Another example is helmets. They are mandatory but many many Thais don’t bother. So should we also copy their example?! Do what seems right. If you feel the need wear one. I rarely do except when it’s mandatory.

As visitors to their country we should respect their wishes vis à vis masks. What we do in our own country is our own business. Farang disregarding local sentiment is not a good look for us Imho.

The fact that Brazilian men are hotter and better in bed had me change my vacation plans!

Thanks for the night out again, Emiel. At our pre warmup dinner at Natans in Jomtien, our time together went too fast. We had SO much gossip to catch up on. Note to the other readers - it is really cool to meet up with members because you can get ALL of the juicy details and if the person with whom you are meeting with is willing - you can see the HOT HOT HOT photos of the guys that were encountered. I can ascertain that ALL of Emiel's conquests were definitely hotties, especially those 6 pack abs guys. The waitress at Natans was trying to be very descrete when I was observing the Phuket African HOT naked photo that I almost dropped Emiel's phone when I realized that her neck was stretched as far as possible to see that lovely cock that I was observing. As Emiel mentioned in his report, he saved me from over accomodating the papasan and mamasan requests to celebrate in drinks Emiel's success in offing the cute Boyz Town waiter. Truly, everyone was happy.

Part 24: Second chance on the cute waiter in Pattaya... After 5 nights in Bangkok it was time to move to Pattaya for the last few days of my stay in Thailand. On Tuesday night I fly back to The Netherlands. I booked a car with Mikepattaya. From my hotel in Silom to Jomtien Complex it was 1200 baht. Because I was curious I checked prices in the Bolt app just before the driver picked me up. I was shocked to see Bolt was so much more expensive than the taxi service of Mike Pattaya... Because most of the time Bolt is cheaper. See screenshot: I was meeting @bkkmfj2648 for dinner and to catch up about our adventures and gossip. We than went to Boyztown. As you can read in part 15 of my trip report I had some unfinished business in Boyz Boyz Boyz with a waiter I had the hots for but didn't off last time because I thought with asking 3000 baht they were ripping me off / overpricing. I got a lot of reactions from you guys about this. Understanding the higher rate because he is waiter and not barboy, and also tips about how to deal with this as maybe the fact that a papasan was involved the price was inflated by the papasan. We arrived in Boyztown around 10pm. Had a quick look already in Boyz Boyz Boyz but is was very quiet. Only 2 customers sitting inside already. So we decided to sit down on the terrace of Castro first. Plan was to do a bit of people watching. But there was not much to see... Also on the terraces and in the street only few people this Sunday night. It was 11:30pm when we went in at Boyz Boyz Boyz again. Surprisingly the bar was full of guests. While we didn't see much people entering from our spot on the terrace. The guests somehow seemed to be appeared from nowhere... I was happy to see the cute waiter was on duty. We got seated and drinks were ordered. Cute waiter was busy attending two seperate groups of customers. Drinking a lot of shots from them. When I went to the bathroom, he also came to pee. And that was when he recognized me. This was my chance. So I directly asked him if he wanted to come back to my hotel with me. He checked what I wanted. I asked whats he having in the menu... Kissing oke sucking oke. No fucking. So actually same info as he gave last time. Perfect. He told me he is very shy guy. And he actually only went home with customer one time before. Not only because he is shy, but also because he is afraid of what customers would want to do with him. I comforted him that I was oke with what he just said, so that I would not expect fucking. Back in the bar, he came sit with us. Time to talk business. Reminder: last time, via papasan, they asked 3000 baht for me to take him to my hotel. Now, speaking directly to cute waiter, he lowered his price to 2000 baht without me having even to negotiate. Oke. That's a deal! In the meantime another waiter/papasan plus a mamasan had started talking to @bkkmfj2648. Trying to convince him to also take a boy home. Already being a bit drunk, he felt for buying both the papasan and the mamasan a drink on his costs. Soon we decided to leave as it was going to costs too much money to continue this way.... Hahaha. Arrived in Agate hotel, cute waiter and I sit down on the balcony for some smalltalk and he wanted to smoke / vape. His English was good enough to have a nice conversation. He is from Bangkok (his mother, cat and dog still live there) but came to Pattaya because according to him more work here. His tactics in the bar: just being cute and go for the groups of customers and try to get as many drinks and shots from them as possible, so he can live form the drink incentives and tips he's earning. He is gay but not on Grindr or any other app bevause he is "afraid" of the gays in Pattaya. After work time he likes to hang out with friends at the beach in Jomtien. For even more drinking. Time to take a shower together. Now cute waiter wasn't so shy anymore. We soaped each others bodies. And started kissing. To the bed. More kissing. With tongue. He was pretty good. And also he sucked good, eager and deep. Again: nothing shy about this boy in bed... His shyness had completely disappeared. He even went naked on the balcony of my hotel room to smoke / vape. According to cute waiter it was because when he is with somebody he likes, he is not shy at all. Only when there are many people (and his friends) around, like in the bar. You know how they always say you should never meet your hero as chances are it wil only be disappointing? Well... I had doubts about going back to cute waiter after the failed try to off him last time. What if he's not interested anymore? Or he is disappointing in bed because I have high expectations because I think he is so cute? I'm glad I did go back for him and had the guts to try to off him again. As it turned out I could make a good deal with him and also the time spent with him was very nice, enjoyable and horny.

It has been well over ten years but I had great times, including great sex 😁 in both countries . Always felt safe and I would walk about BKK and Pattaya with never a fear for my safety, day or night. Except for the time I almost got run over by an elephant on a street in Pattaya lol. I never had any problems getting around and going places, doing what ever, even though I still can't speak a bit of the Thai language. It truly was the Land of Smiles for me. On every trip to Brazil, Sao Paulo and Rio, I always hired a young guide I was introduced to by a major poster here. The guide was from Sao Paulo and not an escort and no sex was involved with him. I paid him $100USD per day and he stayed with me throughout my trip and stayed with me in my hotel room. He was a great tour guide of tourist sites and the Saunas, Gay life, beaches and restaurants. We became good friends. Always had my back, many times when walking he would say "lets cross the street" or change directions if he was suspicious of someone following us, and always made sure no one put anything in my drinks. Stood guard at ATMs and Currency exchange and was very guarded. He of course spoke the language and English, was fantastic when dealing with the guys at the saunas. We did have an incident with the police. The taxi, he, a sauna guy, and myself were riding in was stopped by a police officer. The Cop asked Driver, my guide and the sauna guy to step out of the Taxi and show ID's but not me. The cop then talked to the driver for a bit. After the driver got back in and we pulled away my guide said I needed to give the driver an extra amount to money to cover the bribe he gave to the cop. Cop said someone didn't have a seat belt on or something or other. On one trip we saw a couple get robbed right outside the street café we were eating at. I don't think I would feel comfortable visiting Rio by myself. But I absolutely love Brazil. I also traveled to Colombia a few times, but to see a specific guy I met on F4F. It seemed safer than Rio but crime was still an issue. Back then they had Security cops in military fatigues at the ATM machines with AK 47s. Cars were checked, including mirror looks under the car, when entering the Mall car park. And Cops in military fatigues with AK 47 type weapons' walked patrolling the malls. 2 of them stood on each side of me once to have our pictures taken, they got a big laugh out of it. Once, My friend and his friends rapidly escorted me from a public restaurant/ park area when a fight broke out. But I would walk to a mall close to my hotel and McDonalds and never had a problem. Colombia is a beautiful country with many beautiful men. When I was visiting Brazil, Thailand, and Colombia they all 3 seemed to be bargains to me then, especially compared to Europe. I am sure inflation has hit them some since my last trips. Honestly I do not think I would feel safe Visiting Boystown or other parts of Chicago, Portland and some other US cities right now either.

In the 1970s a favored travel destination of mine was San Juan, Puerto Rico. Wonderful memories, great sex. Awesome. It was a time of civil unrest in Puerto Rico and I'd stay at the Fiesta Americana Hotel where, on the beach, national guard or other military-style police patrolled on horseback holding automatic rifles as we lay on the beach; it was a bit daunting. It didn't stop me from enjoying myself, though. Cautious at times, yes. During one of my trips to Rio when I was relaxing on the beach in Ipanema ... I heard a roar growing in intensity. Young men from a Favela where running in the area attacking many people with baseball-type bats/clubs and stealing day packs, etc. A young man renting the chairs and doing beer and food runs for the section grabbed me from behind as I sat in my chair and dragged me back towards Ave. Vieira Souto. Many people were hurt on the beach that day, but not me; thankfully. Another time, when standing at a bus stop on Av. Nossa Sra. de Copacabana with a much older then me friend and a Brazilian man we didn't know - 4 young men showed up and beat the shit out of the Brazilian ... leaving us alone. The bus arrived as this was happening and when the attack was underway. The bus driver told me and my friend to sit in the seats behind him ... as the guys who beat the Brazilian also got on the bus and moved to the rear. During another visit, I intended to visit Santa Teresa via the tram when I learned that tourists waiting for the tram were being beaten/robbed. I chose to visit someplace else. So, yes ... there are risks. In Rio, in Mexico City ... in Chicago. Crimes of opportunity. But I do a risk assessment when traveling, and try to prepare myself for what I may encounter. All of this having been said, in addition to frequenting saunas in Rio ... I'm an explorer. I've walked/explored many neighborhoods there, solo, without valuables (just enough to 'give it up' if robbed). I've trusted my 'street smarts' and 'gut feeling'. I've traveled on foot, on the subway, on city busses, the ferry to and around Niteroi. I've visited one of the Favelas. Yes, I've been lucky - but also cautious. When I lived in Mexico City, I was the victim of street crimes a half dozen times. One of my apartments was broken into and robbed, twice. Full disclosure: I was never victimized in BKK. 😀

It's been some years since I have been to Thailand thanks to the Covid lockdowns, but even before then I found myself guarding my wallet while visiting the bars in Bangkok. The prices of 400 per drink was a bit expensive in my opinion. When people here in the USA ask me about the nightlife in Thailand I don't hide the price for the mandatory drink. Sure, a limited number reduce the price for the 2nd drink but I can only remember once place doing that in Bangkok. I show them the webpages of guys and the bar shenanigans captured by hidden camera and posted on the porn sites. When I am asked about Brazil, I can't help but gush on how attractive the common citizen is there. Even the homeless guys look like they could be representatives for Calvin Klein. The gay bars have cheap drink prices but they charge an entrance fee. The saunas are wild and I have been to some in Sao Paulo and Rio that put what you see on porn sites to shame. Thailand has Walking Street. Rio has Lapa. If I had to choose a street to party on, it would be the Lapa area. Lapa is a Gay/Straight party zone with bars and saunas peppered all around. If you are shopping. Thailand has it all over Rio in my opinion. Sure Rio has markets similar to JJ Market, but Bangkok beats Rio in shopping period. Transportation? Thailand... Bangkok has the Sky Train and Rio has the Subway. Thailand has motorcycle taxi's, Tuktuks, Taxi's and Uber type apps. Brazil has Taxi's, Motor cycle taxis in limited areas and Uber type apps. I have to give the win to Brazil for Transport of tourist if only for the no-haggle cheap taxi rides you get using the apps like 99 and Uber. I hear Thailand has a new app that make hiring any type taxi a cheap and painless process but I have not been there to experience that yet. The guys. Depends on what you like. If you like masculine guys with big dicks and plump asses wearing flipflops, you will love Brazil. If you like lean guys, with slight size bodies, sculped legs and solid asses standing on flipflops, you will love Thailand. Cost of guys? Brazil wins.... (My opinion). Food? Thailand wins! I have never heard anyone say they go to Brazil for the food... Thailand wins. AirB&B Rentals... Thailand wins. I've stayed in places in Thailand for $30 a night that can't be beat! I am not complaining about the AirB&B's in Brazil but they can't hold a candle to Thailand accommodations. As I write this I am packing my bags to return to Brazil. Brazil is a non-stop hump fest of beautiful guy after handsome guy, but Thailand has that certain allure that can't be duplicated in a Latin country. And often when I leave Brazil, I am often spent and ready to relax every part of my body by going home. When I am leaving Thailand, I often don't want to go. It's hard to say goodbye to an easy breakfast morning under the umbrellas on the beach. The waves whispering its lazy arrival to the sands of the beach. The toned guys in speedos hoping for your attention. The cute touts offering trinkets while your eyes buy every curve and bulge of their flesh. It's hard to say goodbye to the freshly made street food, the smiles of guys you have not had a chance to get to, or one of the many bars you never visited but promised you would. The musical singsong of love promises even when they forget your name.. Thailand is hard to say goodbye to for me. Brazil... Lets just say on my last day in Brazil I often throw away my leftover condoms as if I never need to have sex again. Is gay nightlife too expensive in Thailand? Yes. But that is not a good reason to stay away.

From Thai PBS World The Philippines will deport 40,000 Chinese workers in a crackdown on unlicensed online gaming businesses, an official said Tuesday, after reports of kidnapping, prostitution and murder in the gambling industry. So-called Philippine offshore gaming operators, or POGOs, have boomed since 2016 as former president Rodrigo Duterte pursued closer trade and investment ties with China. But the influx of tens of thousands of Chinese workers in the sector that targets customers in China, where gambling is illegal, has created friction. Many Filipinos complain POGOs have evaded taxes and driven up property rates while not providing job opportunities because not enough locals speak Chinese languages.

From Pattaya Mail Coming up is the second anniversary of the death of Bernard Trink. For four decades from 1966, his weekly Nite Owl columns appeared in Bangkok World and Bangkok Post. Love him or hate him, he was an institution. Here’s a column he might have written for this week in 2022. Old hands should be able to spot at least 20 Trinkisms. ֍ Down Pattaya way, the Royal Garden mall is putting on a drag cabaret to attract customers, on weekends and public holidays 2 pm. It’s neo-Pattaya, so aimed at families and kids. A sign of the times. ֍ Karaoke bars combine two of the nation’s greatest evils: people who shouldn’t drink with people who shouldn’t sing. ֍ There’s noisy talk of making the new liquor closing time in the gin mills a pre-dawn 4 a.m. That’s gonna upset those saloonkeepers who currently serve till cockcrow. No doubt the constabulary will review the issue via brown envelopes. ֍ A bearded and nude male customer in Bangkok’s Rawhide club joined the demimondaines in their naked shower performance on stage. Most of the imbibers (all male needless to say) immediately asked for their check-bins and promptly left. Nuff said. Continues at https://www.pattayamail.com/alltime/bernard-trinks-nite-owl-recalled-411760

No, they don't. They only put the mask on when they leave with a farang. It's a good disguise.

Let me be the first to admit I am a bottom, and I am into man's body, NOT boy's body. I am into deep manly voice, not high pitch boy's sound. I spent a few years traveling to Thailand feeling frustrated, The first time I landed in Brazil, it opened up a whole new world for me. I have met quite a few sex machines, who delivered 100% as promised, some can even cum multiple times in one session as long as the fee is negotiated accordingly. So I prefer Brazil now, but still go to Thailand to enjoy the scene. As far as crime rate in Brazil. It is known already, but the party and sex scene is also know. So you just need to be cautious while visiting Brazil for fun. I wouldn’t go hangout in Lapa myself, but if you have darker skin or are African decent that don't look out of place, then it should be easier for you to mingle.

in Dallas: http://www.clubsaunas.com/ I wouldn't expect to see a top in there, never mind a cowboy, lol

I will never forget my first visit to this extraordinary and stunning city. It was a three-day week-end in a goriously sunny October in 1978. Since then I have returned three times, twice with my bf of the day. Once with a Thai friend was in 1991 on a trip which we started in Grindelwald in Switzerland at the foot of the famous Jungfraujoch cable railway that takes you well above the snowline. We then drove over the Alps for a night by Lake Garda before three days in Venice where we enjoyed great weather, before driving over the amazing Dolomites to Salzburg, Munich then Zurich and home. The second was more recently in 2003 with my Taiwan bf when unfortunately we hit the period for high tides coupled with heavy rains. The day after our arrival St. Mark's Square was flooded and we had to crawl with other tourists along the raised platforms. Yet both young men showed the same sense of joy and wonder. St. Mark's Square in August 2001 St. Mark's Square in October 2003 A colonnade at the side of St. Mark's Square in December 2020 Venice has been slowly sinking for centuries. It's partly due to the piling of the buildings and the city's substructure. But it is only relatively recently that the city has seen regular virtually annual flooding. It was not supposed to be like this. As illustrated in an excellent article on today's BBC website, the lagoon barrier (name Mose - Experimental Electromechanical Module) was supposed to stop flooding from the sea. Conceived in 1991, as a result largely of Italy's labyrinthine politics, work was not even started until 2003 and was supposed to be completed by 2011. It is hoped - hoped - it will finally be ready by the end of next year. Sadly, with rising sea levels it may already be almost out of date. The gates will not be raised until there is a sea water rise of 110 cms. St. Mark's Square floods at a level of 90 cms. Each time Mose is put into operation it will cost the city over US$300,000! As bad if not worse than the flooding has been the effect of the wake of the motor boats which ply the Grand Canal and which has adversely affected 60% of the buildings. Part of the Grand Canal Three mildly positive issues are that since last year the port for the mega cruise ships which had frequently dwarfed St. Mark's Square was moved away from the city. Also from next year a daily charge of €5 will be levied on tourists. A limit will also be placed on the number of daily tourists which until recently outnumbered locals by 100:1 over the course of a year. Will Venice still be around in 100 years? It will be desperately sad for future generations if it sinks below the waves. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220927-italys-plan-to-save-venice-from-sinking Photos 4 and 5: copyright Getty Images from the BBC article

If I recall correctly, even after his column was axed he still wrote book reviews for the Bangkok Post. The only problem with his regular columns was they were focused almost entirely on the girly bars. Only occcasionally there would be a nugget or two about the gay scene. But it was always fun reading those columns.

Surely it is corruption - and only corruption - that keeps these bars open? If drink prices were reduced to 200 baht and the content of the brown envelopes distributed at the end of every week/month significantly reduced, I'm prepared to bet that harrassment would follow, if not a closure order. I have occasionally looked at the chaturbate and similar sites. I have to agree that while I am all but exclusively interested in Asian guys, some of those Columbians with their smooth skin, winning smiles and great bodies could certainly tempt me.

I love the Mary Sampere gif!!

Renting and driving a car outside of central Bangkok is a doddle. Just back from a 3 day road tour of Chiang Rai province. I had wanted to visit Thom Luang "cave rescue" cave, but unfortunately it was still closed (opens October 1). So we carried on a bit and headed North up the mountains and a road running along the Myanmar boarder. Through 3 army checkpoints, stopping for a coffee looking down through the clouds down to the flat plain. Then wound our way back down. Renting a car gives great freedom to do what you want to do. Rental prices are very reasonable.

Thanks bucknaway for coming back (I seem to have not noted you for quite a while) and with a thorough and to the point comparison. Never been myself to BRasil and guess it will also not happen anymore (have been to the lower south of it-Paraguay-Uruguay-Argentina-Chile - all less dangerous in general), but as a normal touristy venture and meetings to Brasil guys were in that famous rent-a-guy sauna in Barcelona-it was OK there. The odd Columbian was better-but thats just a N=1 sample so says nothing. BUT there is a way to meet and have pleasure from plenty of Thai guys and avoid all those overpriced drinks-which also means you do not even have to venture in the Silom ghetto. Just go to the Thai places. Some sauna´s in suburban BKK also have the odd very wild nite every now&then. Now there has not yet been 1 who explained or tried to calculate how much of that 400 bt (about 11€ or $) goes in the pockets of the guys in brown (BiB´s).

From what I saw in Chaturbate the Colombian boys among the most beautiful boys on earth the variety is amazing from blacks to white blondes from boyish slim to hunks a boy for every taste,I am so excited for my upcoming trip in November.

Personally I wear mask in Thailand in airplane, skytrain, metro. But not anymore in other places. Not in street, not in restaurants or bars and not even in shopping malls. It is correct all Thai still where their masks EVERYWHERE. But I can't be bothered anymore. Full vaxed, new less harmful variants... There must be a point to live our lives again as much "normal" as possible.

After starting holidaying in Thailand I realised that it was A whole different ball-game but I never complained about the greater expense after Spain. I’ve always found the boys worth every penny or baht and intend god-willing to be still returning into old age.

Prior to discovering Thailand in 2002 I spent quite a few holidays in gay favoured resorts in Spain and Greece, principally Playa del Ingles on the island of Gran Canaria. Then needless to say I was a lot younger and much better looking. I used to hit the gym hard for weeks before the trip. There was very little gay for pay involved and most time was spent on the gay beach and enjoying the nightlife. Plenty of sex yes but not essentially involving money. The nightlife was not priced much different to that in str bars and clubs but I always got though a fair bit of money.

Yeah Aussie slang, I guess if I wanted to use real slang I would if said "catch up with all the old Cxxnts for a yarn 😂

Same here and many family and friends think I am a dinosaur because I am not on facebook. I am from an age when Privacy was an important possession to be protected.

If your basing a trip to Thailand on the price of a drink, now is the time to go…. The US Dollar exchange rate is so good, everything will be much cheaper for you and you’ll feel like your drinking for free.

A thoughtful analysis. I have been to both Thailand and Brazil. One thing. Thailand is infinitely safer. Brazil has a crime problem.

I think I have problably told my story too many times before - so apologies in advance to those who know it. I gave up my job and rented apartment in the UK in my 20s. I had always been adventurous, loved travelling and visited several Europen countries. Then I went to the USA and decided I wanted to work in New York, a city which amazed and captivated me. I returned for a vacation two months later trying to find work. But there seemed none available. Almost immediately on my return a friend asked if I would like to work in Hong Kong. My initial reaction was 'No'. I wanted to go west not east. I knew virtually nothing about Asia apart from a little about the war in Vietnam and the Cultural Revolution in China. But it would be a part of the world I could explore. Even if I disliked the job, it would give me a chance to see quite a bit of Asia that I might never again have a chance of seeing. This was after all a time before mass travel to Asia apart from occasional stopovers on the kangaroo route to Australia. So I did the interview and was offered the job. I dithered for 24 hours as it was a really major move into the unknown. Then I signed the contract. 6 weeks later I was in one of the most stunning and fascinating cities in the world (at that time). Once settled into the job and my lovely apartment (being on expatriate terms thankfully I had an accommodation allowance), I was hooked. I stayed there for far longer than the initial 2 years of my contract - 20 in fact. I explored most of Asia including Bhutan in the year when it had total tourist numbers of just 17,300 (in 2019 it was 319,000). I had also spent 2 years working in Tokyo, a city I found as fascinating as Hong Kong and where I would love to have lived - had there been a job and enough salary to afford it! On all my travels I indulged in a gay lifestyle I could never have dreamed of when I had started working in the UK. In the mid-1990s I had to decide: do I remain in Asia for the rest of my life or should I consider returning to the west? It did not take me long to decide Asia was my home. With a view to eventual retirement, I purchased a small condo in a very quiet residential part of Bangkok. I had visited Bangkok so many dozens of times and enjoyed so much of what it offered, particularly gay life, even though I was aware that later in life I hoped to be settled down with a partner rather than being a typical expat butterfly. So it has worked out. Only once have I considered returning to the UK. I had had an excellent medical insurance policy for decades. By the time I reached 55 I was shocked at the premium increase. Looking at the estimates of forward premiums I realised I had to change to one that would be more suited to Thailand than worldwide.Before the next major premium hike at age 60, I consulted a poster on another Board who the Board owner had consistently recommended as being the best for medical insurance advice. After exchanges of emails and meeting him twice, I went with one of his recommendations. For a few years all went well. Then in the space of just two renewals, I was faced with 103% premium increase. I was furious with this "expert" but also at myself. Had I checked on the insurance company, I would have noticed a lot of correspondence on the internet about its hooking in older people with lower premiums which then get jacked up massively after 65 by which time finding any insurance can be extremely problematic. So I returned to the UK one November/December to spend several weeks staying with many old friends and trying to find somewhere relatively inexpensive where I would be happy living even at the worst weather time. At least I would have the benefit of the National Health Service. I found some beautiful parts in the north west of Scotland and in south east England. But I knew my heart and my mind were by then rooted in Asia. So I felt I had to find a way of making Bangkok work for the future. Thankfully I did. Now, apart from Taipei and Tokyo where I have a network of friends, I could never consider living anywhere else.

I deserve private jets, but sadly I can only afford business class. 🤣

Agate's prices at the moment are good value. I paid 1000 pn last month; and I'm paying 1,200 for my next trip (for which I cannot wait!) in November. No breakfast though; we ate at Zing. Charming staff there too! Agate's public areas are 4* plus, if that's important to you. They are to us. P and I would gaze at and appreciate all the exhibits in the glass cases in the corridors. Other Agate guests will know what I mean! And its two pools are a blessing if sprogs appear.... P and I always had the sea-water one to ourselves. As I always say, don't use Agoda or Booking; book direct with the hotel. Much cheaper.