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It is Monday morning and my scheduled activity has been postponed. Which gives me some time to describe Sunday. I woke early after an almost normal night’s sleep. Must have been the one hour massage with Sun and two more at Prime. I opened the Forum and responded to comments and questions and also to the private messages. It appears that Sun has provided favorable moments for a number of us! I also read TotallyOz’s summary of the clubs and decided he was setting a trail that I might follow. Awake, I had the breakfast at the hotel buffet. Many nice touches but the scrambled eggs are cold. This morning I dined it ting buy the windows that look out on the pool. Some very nice eye candy. But reality intervenes and I headed to the BTS and went to Mo Chit for the weekend market. It’’s only 9:30am and it is very HOT (in the heat sense). Picked up a few scarves and trinkets for folks back home. When the BTS stopped at Siam, I decided rather than an immediate transfer I’d walk around Siam Paragon. A few empty spaces, amazing display of automotive extravagance. Back on the way to the hotel, I stopped off at Coffee Grinder (see above) and had another smoothie. Several tables of folks, very gay. One gentleman and his extremely handsome and fit young companion, a table of friends of the managers and the usual cute staff. Some gay cutting up and cheerful banter. I was there for more than an hour and suspect I’ll be back. Rain started around 4 or 5 and I went out to change some $$. The hotel staff insisted I take an umbrella as it might rain again…it did. Since I was out and about without having had lunch I went to the James Beard Award winner restaurant known to many of us, and dined for a pittance. They have lowered the breakfast cost to 84 THB for early risers. After returning to the hotel and returning the umbrella, I set out to check out some clubs projecting to visit all the major ones by Wednesday (reminder this is Sunday May14th). But before I went out I was caught up with watching the election results come in and how they are reported. Not understanding the politics, let alone the language, I guessed at who might be from what party. Around 8pm, I decided it was time to get going. On my way to the Street of Boys, I passed a voting station where the ballots were being counted in the open for all to witness. Participatory democracy in action. On entering the street I was spotted by the Lao who has long been associated with Hot Male and known by sight to many of us. He introduced me to his co workers and I bought some drinks. One of the grabbers/hosts from Freshboys remembered me and joined us. The uniforms have been up scaled from black shirt and pants to colorful vests and ties. He told me that the show would start around 10 but that the boys were on stage. Since I really don’t care about the show, unless it is happening, I went up. The Mamasan called me by my name and ushered me to a center seat. House was about two thirds full. Large contingent of boys in white shorts and shirtless. Mamasan chatted about the changes covid made and that it was nice to see the old timers return (my term as I am old with a repeat history of visits). If you read above about my terminated negotiation with”Bird” you might remember that I am a sucker for the handsome. Well, or maybe WELL, one boy in the rotation met my visual high standard criteria. Mamasan always alert to a sale/pleasing a customer answered pertinent questions. Gay - yes. Does A & B - yes. I invited him to join me and he confirmed all the Mamasan told me. I asked his age as he looked VERY young. He said 23 and ID confirmed this. HIs name was head as Wile. Struck by his handsomeness I forgot even think about remembering his number. I asked for certain services, he smiled, and agreement reached. His short time was 2500 THB. A bit more than I am used to but I was momentarily in passionate love, We escaped to Quarter Silom, where he knew the layout of the hotel, how the various bits and pieces of the room worked. I played voyeur as he hadn’t lowered the shade covering the glass wall between the bathroom and the rest of the room. He is from Myanmar - and is incredibly well endowed. I mention this most of the Myanmar spa photos on the forum from Myanmar show the well endowed. Maybe they aren’t phot shopped. He certainly wasn’t. He proved that he did A+B+etc. It was a very good time that I’d be happy to repeat. In a moment of post activity bliss we were discussing stamps and he asked where I was from. I told him, he then said he has customers from the US, China, Japan, Singapore, Germany, Turkey, India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Dubai, and some others he couldn’t remember their countries. Yes, clearly he has reason to know my hotel and probably manny others. Class act. He departed (probably for another immediate off) and I opened my IPad to find a message from a distinguished Forum member who also was an admirer of Sun going back to when he was at Bangkok Massage. We chatted and I mentioned that I was hoping to hear from Sun about a 4 hand massage. Distinguished Forum Member (DFM) said he would Line Sun and vouch for me. Ten minutes later we were all tasking and options for a third party were narrowed and one selected, he confirmed and DFM detailed his experiences and approved the choice. All arranged. Thank you Forum for helping. It is barely 10pm so I head out to check out Jupiter. Never got that far, when I reached Banana the grabber grabbed me and gave me. Hug and kiss. We go way back from when he has the same same task for Hot Male on Twilight. Given the reception at Freshboys and here, I was pleased but realized I wan;t anonymous and the word (whatever that is) would be out among the boys. So I was ushered into the remodeled (from my last trip) Banana and turned over to a Papasan who remembered me from Hot Male on Twilight. Two of the boy from the rotation came over remembering me and I remembered them. Both Viets. I bought them drinks and chatted as much as possible (my Apple Watch was warning me that the decibel level is so high that I could go damage my hearing if exposed for too long. Banana did. Really nice rethink of its space. What was the upper level with its own show is now the prep area for the performers, The outdoor area was enclosed creating a large indoor space with room for stage with a staircase for the performers to enter from. Shower was in progress, handsome Canadian gymnast (who I would have offed but he was already claimed), lots of lip synching, some diva singing. House was packed with maybe 30 percent female audience. Sitting with my Viet friends there was lots of room for hand action. The Papasan in regular attendance recalling earlier visits he remembered me from. Lucy did not even acknowledge me but then she was busy as more women were arriving around the time the rotation started up again and dealing with a very intoxicated woman who passed out for all to see and the wait staff to move to the bar area. Boys in white shorts and shirtless for the rotation, several appealed to me. Banana has really upped its game. When I left the house was packed, boys were being offed, and more folks coming in. While enjoying the handsy hands on experience, decided to head out to Screwboys. I tipped the Viets, thanked the Papasan, and tipped the greeter/grabber promising to return. On to Screwboys. Once in it was funereal. Only two tables of customers and 8 boys many looking the worse for wear. If the devoted reader scrolls back to my mention of a couple at the coffee shop earlier in the day, it was touch on the fact that they were one of the other tables. The young companion recognized me, smiled, and offered a vodka shot. I declined and he wrapped a banknote around the shot glass and invited the performers to drink. This was more interesting than anything on stage. Another place where the Mamasan reminded me of former visits and promised to let Yoyo know I had stopped by. He isn’t working there, not sure if he is working anywhere. I bolted without finishing my drink. Went up stairs to Hot Male. No one here recognized me. NIce change. Given a center seawhile the rotation was. In progress prior to the start of mid-night show. The guys were in jeans and some were shirtless. Very masculine appearing group. One of the guys on my entering struck me as looking like Rafael Nadal. Tall and well formed. Another also appealed to me. I asked the waiter to give each a red note. He confused who was to get what to the amusement of the boys and the other waiters. When the rotation ended both came over and sat with me. Rafael (#1

Sorry, an internet interruption stopped my progress…so I went out to lunch back where I left off Rafael (#10) told me his name is Sam. He is from Cambodia (what other ASEAN natives do I need for a conference?). He is ruggedly gorgeous with a generous smile. I never connected with #15 but tipped him and thanked him for sitting with me. Sam agreed quickly to my offer to check out my hotel. We stopped at the new 7-11 and he picked up some food and water. Nice time getting to know one another in the room while he was eating. He laughs and smiles a lot. He, as with my first off of the evening, knew the hotel and how everything worked. He asked what I wanted to do, and I told him my evening so far and said I’d like him to take care of me. Which he did very well - after we were both exhausted there was no rush to leave. So ends Sunday.

Now, where did I leave off? Oh, right, I was in recovery from Sun’s ministrations. Today was still Saturday which was part of the election eve shut down of bars - the bars were ok to open but couldn’t sell alcohol. Anticipating this I had been in Romeo dialogue with a money boy about sharing the bar shutdown - thinking we could learn about stamp collecting. This conversation was going well until I enquirer as to his desired level of recompense. I decided to go solo. Yes, I have a weakness for the well formed who are handsome, Unlike, Vinapu who tells us he likes axe-murder types, I have a weakness for other types. “Bird” posted a series of photos to me that showed he was capable of being photographed. Our video call confirmed it. But his idea of recompense was at the level I put out for an evening with Babe (yes, that one) prior to his surgical procedures. So my night was now open and i did what any rational jet lagged massaged to bliss guy would do. I took a nap. I woke about three hours later and decided since I was staying next to Prime Massage what better to do for myself than two hours of foot and Thai massage. No wait, excellent idea, I complimented myself during the foot massage, then as my back was bent and my limbs pulled from their sockets, I knew it was the right choice. Leaving, I strolled to the areas where I’d normally go in the evening. Dark, dark, dark. From Surawong to Silom on what I term the street of boys, only the French Kiss restaurant, the marijuana shop, and the NY TImes Best of Bangkok restaurant were open. Only the dining spot had any customers. I wandered over to soi 6 which was dark. Only the massage shop on the left hand side was open with 6 boys looking at their phones. I had dinner at the German Restaurant and great conversation with the owner. There were two other customers inside with the air conditioning, and several outside in the heat. I saw numerous tourists, locals, voyeurs taking pictures of the darkened street. I returned to Quarter Silom alone to learn from @UberFacts that May is International Masturbation Month. So I celebrated.

Glad to hear you re not wasting any precious vacation time. All naysayers lamenting collapse of Bangkok scene should be forced to memorize your report above and recite every morning right after 84 baht breakfast at world famous (it was 65 pre-covid by the way) Instead of forcing waiter to tip boys on stage do it yourself, preferably using patented technique otherwise called Vinapu tuck. If your Sam is boy I think he is , he is a gem not only because physical qualities. For me he has distinction of being only boy I ever took for a tour genuinely interested in sightseeing. Thank you for report again and again but remember - boys first , forum second

From The Nation Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat has announced he is ready to be the country’s next prime minister as his party scored a shock victory in the May 14 general election. “Dear fellow citizens, today I, Pita Limjaroenrat, am 'clear' and ‘ready' to be the 30th Prime Minister of Thailand,” the Harvard-educated Pita, 42, announced on Twitter at 2am on Monday. “We share the same dreams and hopes, and we believe that the Thailand we love can be better. Change is possible if we start doing it from today... Our dreams and hopes are ‘simple and straightforward’. “And whether you agree or disagree with me, I will be your prime minister. Whether you voted for me or not, I will serve you.” The unofficial vote count as of 10am on Monday (99% completed) showed that Move Forward had won 112 out of 400 constituency MP seats and 14.1 million votes for party-list MPs, narrowly beating Pheu Thai which also had 112 constituency seats but only 10.8 million party-list votes. Bhumjaithai Party was in third place with 68 constituency MPs and Palang Pracharath was fourth with 39 constituency MPs. Third place in party-list contest was PM Prayut’s United Thai Nation Party with 4.67 million votes, followed by the Bhumjaithai Party with 1.12 million votes. Pita said Move Forward will hold an official press conference at noon today, adding that he would head to Democracy Monument in Bangkok to thank voters for their support at 5.30pm.

sure but again reminder of advice- make sure first boy chooses second one subject to our approval. Don't force one boy on another, that's how I ruined in BKK my 60th birthday. Next one was much better - two Tawan boys conspired and suggested they provide private special show for my birthday, smart way to extract 2 tips on one night

I took a ride to the heart of gay Bangkok and had a good time. Screwboys is open and had at least 30 boys. All of who I have not seen in other bars. One there I liked and wanted to go back and get but time got away from me. Hotmale had a nice array of more muscle type guys. Freshboys was filled with twinks and gay boys and several I knew and the waiter from Viet I really liked. Had less boys that Screwboys it seemed but still a full stage. Dreamboys was packed with sexy guys but crowded no seats down front and I didn't want to go to the top so I left. I liked the night market. First time in YEARS I went and it was open for business. It made it feel like life was coming back. Tawan not my scene but they have moved locations (across the street) so I went in and found my guy for the night. I had a good time with him. All in all, people who think the area is dead, don't have eyes. It is alive and well and boys are there looking for love (or just a quickie).

I had a non-Turkey Thanksgiving celebration with Reader in 2019. I departed the next morning intent on returning in April. And 1257 days after that meal I’ve retuned to a familiar but slightly different world. It’s not as different as when I did a return in 2012 after a more than a decade disappearance. I landed at Swampy at 4:58 AM. After walking a mile or so from the gate, I cleared immigration in about three minutes. I didn’t have to resort to the special one for diplomats, monks, and the aging. My suitcase was the actual last bag off the plane so that added an increasingly stressful moment to what had been n easy but long journey. As I needed to add a visit to Beijing to this trip, my routing from California to Bangkok took me east via Zurich and on to Thailand. So I was in an aisle seat on a 777-ER on United and then on Thai from Zurich. Total time in the air 21 hours with a two hour Swiss layover. So bag on trolley I walked out into the terminal, after noting the increased number of communications services that has moved into the arrivals area. They outnumber the money changers. And there were even more of them in the public areas. I checked with the limo service to see what one would cost and 1700 THB was quoted. I continued to the taxi rank. (VInapu, I couldn’t use the rail line as my suitcase is one of the big ones - needed for brining tea to China). Once in the taxi, the driver started negotiations. We settled on 600 THB which covered the tolls. Following reports, comments, and gossip on the Forum I booked Quarter Silom, paying for my room from the night before my arrival so I could check in when I arrived. The driver after making a U-turn in a pedestrian crossing on Silom entered Soi 6 even at this early in the day had two way traffic which blocked our progress. Then arrival at the hotel. Very austere and up to date looking. Check-in went smoothly, into room, moderate in size compared to The Raya. I resisted the need to sleep, took a shower, and headed down for buffet breakfast which was similar to every other one in the world. I checked email and some headlines…found too many of one and too much I didn’t want to know in the other. I decided to go for. Walking look around. I headed toward Surawong noting that this stretch of road looked remarkably cleaner than I remembered. Where are the massage parlors, Tawan is much smaller and advertising it’s Tawan BDSM location across the street. There is an upscale definitely gay friendly (note flag) coffee shop directly across from Tawan. (Coffee Grinder Silom). The 7-11 mentioned in another section of the forum has absorbed the amulet shop and the entrance to the Tarntawan Apartments. The pharmacy that was just before turning the corner is gone with contractors working. Suspect it wont be a massage venue. So many new building and/or business switches along Surawong. Still many massage parlors along the way some in what were restaurants, small businesses. Note: Checking exchange rates the shop in front of the Siam Heritage hotel was at 34.6 to the $ which was the best I’d seen.. Airport shops were at 32. At MBK it was in the 33 range. I tuned in to see if pay homage to Screwboys. Which, when I was arriving via Tokyo back in the pre-Covid days was usually the only place open when I arrived. Thought fondly of Yoyo my companion of many moments. Then to Hot Male road where the first sign of life was Vinapu’s breakfast location for sending his journeymen stamp collectors on their way. I noted that much of the space from the entry down the may is taken by Mary Jane - not sure (at this hour) what it does ( other than the Mary Jane connection) and then my eyes shook my brain awake and started to spot the number of marijuana businesses. There is one big change. Over on Silom, I saw huge construction projects and altered much of what I remembered. The Dusit Thani project which was beginning in 2019 is still underway and will further upscale the area. I guess that sums up what I was seeing an upscaling of familiar haunts. I got on the BTS and went to MBK to both check out the exchange rates (see above) and to browse. Prior to leaving home I was scrolling the forums for insights on massage spas etc. One that kept being mentioned was Kman Spa (K-Man?). So, I diverted my return to Silom to check out its location. Reader sent me a link with some location information. NOTE: the material from the spa says to get off at 2 at Saphan Kwai and enter the 2nd alley. This does not tell you that once you land of the street level turn immediately left and then walk into the alley that’s right there. I didn’t and had a long stroll until I asked google. My original intent was to just find the location so I wouldn’t waste time when I would come by after LINE-ing on who was available. However, i had spent so much time looking for K-Man, that it was now just after 12 noon and the shop was open. I went in and introduced my self to the manager. He told me who was still working there from the photo gallery that it on their blog spot, I said I’d like to set up a massage with one of my favorites from the gallery. If that worked out then maybe arrange a 4 hand massage, as the video on the web, was “intriguing” (ask “hot”). While all this is going on, boys/men are arriving. One of them from a room overlooking the lobby starts to smile (Vinapu rule V-64a) and play visual games. To cut to the chase, I decide to have a massage and not wait to hear from the “favorites”. The massager of the moment was Mr Sam who introduced himself to me as Sun. A twink from Laos. Massage room two floors up, shower down the hall. I showered and then he did, dropping his towel when he returned from the shower. Yes he could massage with some degree of excellence but neither of us waited long for what is euphemistically known as “afters”. Quite a bit of “aftering” requiring some tasty cleanup and then back to finishing the massage. What a great way to spend the lunch hour!. One thing to note: Mr Sam’s photos on the Spa’s site would not cause me to want to book him which would have been my loss. He knows his business (as we negotiated a tip for special “after” services). He began his trade at Bangkok Massage on Twilight but he doesn’t look old enough to have been there - but the highest authority (Reader) confirms. Sun and I exchanged Lines and as he is a 4 hand veteran asked him to suggest another therapist to join him in caring for me. And with that…I will conclude this installment of my report as it is already too long.

From CNN One country, two major airlines operating world-class long-haul fleets out of different major aviation hubs located close to one another. On paper, the United Arab Emirates’ ownership of two powerhouse global longhaul carriers with largely overlapping international air networks that converge so closely might seem an extravagance too far. Isn’t one enough? And so, the announcement by Emirates and Etihad of a new deal to work more closely will inevitably revive rumors of a potential merger between the two: something long discussed at a kind of academic level in aviation circles, particularly during tough economic times, but one potentially stymied by local politics – and the fact that their status symbol hub airports are an hour apart on the ground. Earlier this month, the two airlines, both still coming back from the disruption caused by the pandemic, agreed on a so-called “interline” partnership. The move raises questions about what that means for passengers, and whether a new regional super airline is finally on its way. Emirates and Etihad are both flag carriers of the UAE, the small Gulf country made up of seven emirates. Emirates, established in 1985, is based in Dubai and is one of the world’s largest airlines by most metrics. Etihad is newer, established in 2003 and based in Abu Dhabi. Dubai International Airport and Abu Dhabi International Airport are fewer than 150 kilometers (100 miles) apart and the drive between them takes around 75-90 minutes depending on traffic. By and large, the Emirati capital city Abu Dhabi is known for being smaller and quieter than its glitzy, livelier northeastern neighbor Dubai, but both certainly have their draws for travelers in addition to being regional economic centers. One of the big questions that pops up every time Emirates and Etihad are mentioned in the same announcement is whether it means a closer partnership – reciprocal agreements for frequent flyer benefits, codeshare flights and even a prospective merger. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/emirates-etihad-interline-partnership/index.html

You scan your card to enter or leave the platform, not on the train. The card enters a dialogue with the ticketing system, exchanging information at both ends of the trip. As a result of that exchange, the ticketing system calculates what to bill the card at the end of the trip. It's only half price for over-60s on MRT. Not on BTS unless you're a Thai citizen. Yes, you can buy multiple single ride tickets but as you say, you have to know your destination. Better to buy a stored-value (Rabbit or MRT) card at the kiosk and top it up occasionally. (although the Rabbit card doesn't work on MRT, MRT have their own stored-value card.) MRT issue a different card (marked "elder") if you're over 60. If I recall correctly you can tell the MRT ticket machines you're over 60 by pressing a button. If you use a credit card instead of a ticket, yes, you will be billed at full price.

and so are Cambodia's , not to mention rural Angola or slums of Hyderabad but what the point ? While I fully agree that 2500 short time is close to upper limit it doesn't mean that it was not worth paying nor that is prevailing rate. In market economy seller has right to try to get as much as he can. as for 300/400 you are right but it was when gallon of gas in USA was 29 cents and Rose Nyland sold her house in St Olaf , Minnesota to her friend Ingrid for 5800 $. 300 baht then was at fixed rate 12 $. How much was minimum wage in the state of New York then ? 1.75 ?

And we all are grateful you are still here…except you’re not here in Bangkok which would make many things better.

yes , I do. Term was actually coined by the late Firecat when he witnessed whom I offed from BBB and was relieved to learn I'm alive next morning

maybe two once in awhile 😉😉😉

I want an alternative to Biden, but I will absolutely vote for him if he's the democratic candidate. US elections have always been in my lifetime the lesser of two evils. Why would I expect it to suddenly change now?

From Bangkok Post

1 mile is exaggeration but not by much , from furthest gate to immigration it may be as much as 700-900 m I guess. After sitting who knows how many hours in the plane you will be grateful for the walk , believe me. There are toilets on the way and conveyors if you not inclined to walk . Don't exchange money until you will hit railway station level in the basement unless you really must. Rates in air terminal are worse, not disastrously so but worse. no restriction in luggage but OP concern was likely hauling heavy luggage down and up the stairs on BTS (overhead rail ) and MRT (underground ) I agree with reader , you will be hitting rush hour so taxi is not necessarily fastest option and being stick in traffic is almost guaranteed. Getting from immigration to railway station is easy - there are escalators , just keep going down and down. Booth with good exchange rates are right at railway station to you left, at least 4 of them. You can but ticket for train (45 baht ) in the machine which gives change or in ticket counter. Rabbit card is valid on BTS only ( two thick green lines on your map) . Airport train ( thin red line) and MRT ( everything else ) has separate ticket system and so do two SRT train lines not on your map and so does BTS Golden Line , two stops only to Icon Siam mall 9 short appendix on your map along the river. Buying transit ticket is no problem but at times , specially on BTS there are substantial lines so Rabbit card is good idea, it costs 100 baht and you must load it initially with at least 100. After that you can add value on every BTS station. It is valid 7 years and I'm still using one I purchased before Covid. there's also day ticket valid on BTS only any questions , just ask

I can’t believe this is even a conversation. Tip service workers, you cheap ass muthafuckas. Especially in developing countries. Who cares if they ask or remind you about it? They work for so little. Take an extra roll of small bills to the saunas with you and use them for tips. If breaking a 50 reais ($10 USD) into smaller bits and disseminating it to those who provided you a non-sexual service is going to break you, then maybe you shouldn’t be traveling or even leaving your house at all.

What, no meter? "Official" airport taxis (the ones allowed to use the taxi rank) are supposed to charge what's on the meter plus tolls plus 50B, which should be considerably less than 600.

Hey, since this is my first trip to Brazil I thought I'd give a report of what my experience has been like as a newcomer. Started off with a week in São Paulo. Was going to stay at a lovely Airbnb in Consolação but when I got there the owner didn't respond to me when I tried to check in. Ended up having to get Airbnb to refund me and getting a crappy little room at the Ibis Budget Frei Caneca (which was more expensive than the Airbnb), since I knew I wanted to be close to Lagoa. So I went to Lagoa several days. As a first-timer, I was impressed with the number and quality of the guys there. I also felt like it was relatively clean, compared to for example Sauna Thermas in Barcelona. I would post up in the bar reading a book and drinking a beer, enjoyed that they had the glass shower next to the bar. The men there were friendly but not too pushy, which I appreciated. I ended up having 3 programas total at Lagoa. I'm a bottom who prefers big guys with big dicks, and I prefer BB but I didn't bother asking as I assumed most of these guys would not be open to it. All three guys quoted 300 reais, and I didn't negotiate. (I guess that is the going rate in SP, but when I was in Rio they all charged 200.) Funnily enough, the guy I was most attracted to was the bar manager (hot as fuck). It was convenient staying nearby as I could just pop over for an hour or two to see what the crowd was like and have a beer before going out somewhere else. While in SP I also hit up a couple other places. I went to Bar Queen and Hot House, both of which had fun strip shows. I have now learned that in Brazil basically every strip show includes this very bizarre (to me) specific thing where the guys do their striptease, then leave the stage for a drag number or another stripper, and then they come back out with a hardon in underwear, and they walk around the room and have one customer take their underwear off, then they go to the next customer and hand them their underwear to put it back on. They go around the whole room doing that. I thought it was a funny thing the first time I saw it at Bar Queen, but literally every strip show I went to had that. I also found that the same strippers were showing up over and over. I saw the same ones at Bar Queen, Hot House, and Lagoa. Makes sense, if you're doing this as your main gig you're going to do multiple shows a night/week. Since I've seen so many of my favorite Brazilian pornstars show up at Hot House on their social media, I was hoping to get to see some of them. Unfortunately none of them made any appearances while I was there. I also had a session with Rico Marlon at his apartment. He was incredibly hot in person and just the sweetest guy. I saw him out on the street twice in Consolação afterwards and both times he stopped me to say hello. I also went to the SP Eagle twice, where I met and had some fun with an extremely attractive daddy, and to Chili Pepper Hotel, which is one of the nicest bathhouses I've ever been to. Unfortunately I think I had my timing wrong. I went on a thursday evening (bear night) and got there around 8. There weren't a ton of people there. Left around midnight, and I think that might have been when more people were starting to show up. I worked remotely several days, and then explored the city. I did some exploring downtown, and found the Galeria do Rock (a full shopping mall of all streetwear, hip hop, and rock music stores) interesting, but in general this (around Praça República and Sé) is where I felt the least safe while I was in SP. I probably will avoid next time I'm in town. The areas I really did enjoy were along Avenida Paulista, where there are (mostly free) museums on basically every block, and on the weekend they shut the avenue down to cars so it becomes a pedestrian and bikeway, and Pinheiros, which has so many different little shops and restaurants to stumble on. Also worth walking around Parque Ibirapuera, and across the bridge to the Contemporary Art Museum. I did go to Restaurant Spot because of the recommendations on this board, and it was indeed delicious. I mainly used public transit, because I love public transit, and found it safe and pretty easy to navigate. The metro is a bit weird in that if you're not a resident, you can't get a card, so you have to go to the ticket booth and buy individual tickets, which are basically little receipts with QR codes on them. Overall, outside of the República and Sé areas, I felt pretty safe the whole time I was there. It probably helps that I'm a larger guy, and not to be classist, but in general whenever there were a lot of middle-class people around going about their lives, that to me signified that they were choosing to be there and they felt safe. I flew from SP to Rio on Saturday. I took the light rail and metro to my hotel in Copacabana, and my first impression of the city was that it was bizarrely dead. Both on Saturday and Sunday when I was in the downtown area, it felt like I was in a postapocalyptic movie where there was just no one around, and I did feel a bit vulnerable. But once I got to Copacabana it was clear where everyone had gone. I stayed at the Mercure Boutique Rio Copacabana, which was both inexpensive and lovely. Located right on the beach. I didn't try to have guests over to either of my hotels, but I don't think it would have been a problem at either of them. Just walk right on by the front desk to the elevators and scan my card to go up. I went to 117 multiple nights. Usually took the metro there as it's very conveniently located a few minutes' walk from the Gloria station, and in an area that is bustling with locals and feels very safe. The first thing that struck me is that it did feel noticeably dingier than Lagoa. And the second thing that struck me is that several guys whom I'd seen at Lagoa all came up and said hi. I guess a lot of the guys go back and forth between the two. When I first got there (around 5 on a Saturday) I thought it was empty other than the guys hanging out in the front hallway. I had a drink at the inside bar, and then noticed the sign for the smoking bar. Went out there and there were like 25 garotos hanging out out there. I had no idea. 117 definitely had a higher proportion of my type of guys than Lagoa did. In total I had 4 programas there, 2 of which were with the same guy. A tall, bearded Black man with big muscles and tattoos. We had to wait a bit for a room, and he made out with me while we did. One of the best kissers I've ever met. Super great in bed — I did find his dick a little odd, it was big, hard and felt great, but it also felt a little lopsided, like a silicone injection gone wrong maybe? I did go on their big night (Tuesday) and it was indeed packed, but not noticeably more so than Saturday. The staff were very helpful and friendly — at one point my key fell off my strap and got lost, and they took care of it, helped me move my stuff to another locker. My biggest annoyance at 117 was how loud the music was during the drag shows and strip shows. My apple watch immediately notified me it was too loud, and I had to plug my ears, otherwise it was painful. As I sit here typing this the next day I have tinnitus. I also went to Point 202 for their big Monday night. Point is very conveniently located in Copacabana, but compared to Lagoa and 117 it is a shithole. It felt so much dirtier and I felt gross the whole time I was there. Even on their "busy" night it was really dead. There was, however, an incredibly hot, muscular latino guy with a baby face wearing a "massagista" shirt. I asked him for a massage, and for 150 reais I got a long, very legitimate feeling massage, with some sensual elements. He performed it in his underwear, and that combined with the massagista shirt made me think he was not a garoto, but after he finished and I took a look at him I was like "you are incredibly sexy," and his response was "oh do you want to have sex?" I was not expecting that and it threw me off and I said no thanks, but looking back on it he was by far the hottest guy from the whole trip and I should have said yes. I'd planned to go to a dance/sex party called Hole on my last night, but I developed a bit of a cough and decided to stay in. (I brought my own covid tests and have tested negative so far, plus I had covid 2 months ago so it's probably not that.) So I didn't really get a feel for the gay scene in Rio outside of 117 and 202, sadly. The rest of my Rio time included trips back downtown during the week, at which point it was waaaaaaaay busier, to work and go to the Museo do Amanhã, which is very interesting architecturally if not so interesting exhibit-wise. I also checked out the Metropolitan Cathedral, which is very interesting, as well as taking the Bonde de Santa Teresa, which is a nice ride, but not much to do up there. Cristo Redentor was exhausting and IMO not worth the trip. I bought "skip the line" tickets via Viator, and took the Corcovado train up. That was interesting, and then you get to the top and there are SO MANY PEOPLE. The views are great, I'll give it that. But getting back down was a shitshow. The line for the train (which you could not skip on the way back down) went halfway up the stairs to the statue. I'd estimate I waited about an hour to get on a train back down, and by the time I did I had to go back to the hotel and take a nap. I also checked out the Museum of Modern Art (not worth it in my opinion), and walked around Leblon in Ipanema, which is a much nicer area than Copacabana, with lots of shops and restaurants, and where I'd consider staying next time. I'm not much of a beach person, so I just took a lot of walks up and down the sidewalk next to the beaches, stopping for drinks and food at the many beachside bars and restaurants, and peoplewatching. I never actually touched the sand. I had thought about renting a car to go to Abricó Beach, which is a nude beach outside of Rio, but driving in a foreign country seemed unnecessarily stressful so I decided against it. In terms of food, my hotel had a great restaurant in it, Q Ceviche, and I went to O Grego twice because it's open late (12 AM) and was delicious. I did go to Fogo de Chão and the meat was my least favorite part. It just wasn't very flavorful. I much preferred the salad bar, which actually had a tray of pork belly with crackling, which was the best meat by far. Both of my hotels had The Coffee stands nearby, which is very convenient because ordering is done via an iPad which makes it much easier than speaking to a cashier. I found myself going to The Coffee over any other coffee place around the city because of this. One thing that did make an impression on me is how gay Brazil is. I've seen so many gay couples holding hands walking down the street, even outside of gay areas. The first two times I turned on the TV I saw a drag queen and a gay love scene. There are antidiscrimination notices all over, and on the metro there's an ad for a show called Tunnel of Love that has straight and gay couples making out. I didn't realize how openly gay friendly Brazil is, especially with all the terrible things I'd heard from Bolsonaro. And overall, everything here is just so inexpensive. A nice dinner rarely cost me more than $40. I'd spend 3-4 hours drinking at Lagoa or 117 for $30. I had 9 sessions with men, including a pornstar, for the same price as 2 would have been in the US. Ubers cost between $5 and $10, even with surge pricing. Overall, I've had a great trip and I'm excited to come back. Since it's only an hour ahead of east coast time, it's pretty easy for me to work remotely from here, so I think I may plan to come back for a month or so at some point. Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks for the comment. I tend to write my stream of words in one go and hit send. The James Beard Reference continues a tradition of honoring Foodland for its 24 service and great pricing. When after almost two decades of being away, I was pulled into the life of Bangkok by a blog post called “Dancing with the Devil in the City of Angels”. It can still be found on the blog Sawatdee Gay Thailand and still has relevant information. Also know that certain forum members have met up when travel coincides with life and certain references are like inside baseball. I plead guilty. If you have time, it can be enlightening to look up trip reports from Vinapu and Numazu (who frustratingly stops reports in mid dramatic moment) If there is confusion where clarity would help, DM me

The rate I mentioned was for a much in demand diamond among gems. Other short time pricing in Bangkok seems to hover around 2000 THB. I’m told that Tawan is asking 4000. I will do my best to check that out. A decade ago I recall that 1200 was common.

Yes, You (we) are..... Let's see for how long, BRL is creeping stronger.... I fell on the floor 😆😆😆

MRT, not BTS for the credit card. I'd have to check my credit card statement but I think MRT may aggregate a whole day's worth of charges at the end of the day and just charge that amount rather than trip by trip. And it needs to be a card that is contactless enabled which is denoted by a small symbol that looks like a triangle of four curved lines (like a wifi symbol). For BTS you will need a Rabbit card, BTS pass or single journey ticket.

The internal computer system of the BTS can work out how much the fare is, and (because it recognises that the same Mastercard was scanned twice, and what stations they were scanned at) it then charges your card the correct amount. I THINK the way it works in London is that when you scan on at say, Holborn, it puts a "hold" on your credit card for the maximum daily amount on the underground system (say, £20) and then if you get off at a station where the due fare is only, say, £4.50, it then releases the hold and charges you the correct fare. So if you forget to swipe out on leaving the train station,you might get charged the maximum fare. I would guess there is a similar system in BKK,

I wish him every success, but does he really believe that the Generals will simply roll-over and allow him to take charge?

and 2008

wise choice , faster , cheaper and you will immediately get a feeling of where you are, chances are you will be nicely surprised. On MRT you tap your card on entry to let you in and then again on exit so proper charge will be deducted ( transit fees in Bangkok are distance based , not flat ) I'd not worry, specially with hands full , just buy a jetton (MRT ) or ticket (plastic card) on BTS, after 3-4 trips you will master system

you extracted wisely right, for example what passage below is supposed to mean ?

Not to hijack this delightful thread, but... Yes, ATMs quite plentiful all over the country. My TD Bank (US) account refunds all ATM fees so no worries there if you have such an account, but if you have to pay the fees getting the max amount in a transaction is a good idea. Depending on how much you feel like dragging luggage on the train at rush hour there is another option besides taxi. I almost always book a car service transfer. It's a bit more expensive than a taxi but the vehicles are nicer. I use SP Limousine (https://www.splimousine.com/) which gives me a repeat customer discount. My last visit the car was a brand new Camry. The driver was a little crazy given the rush hour traffic, but even though traffic was heavy and it took a while to get to Silom it was a very comfortable place to be and my luggage was riding in the trunk without me having to lug it. Rabbit card does work for all of the BTS lines including the gold line. For the MRT you can use Visa or MC credit cards if they are contactless enabled which saves a lot of time since you don't have to wait in line to buy a token from the machines or the window.

they did already in 1960

The likely new Prime Minister is cute.

Soi 4…I stand corrected as my hotel is part of soi 6.

OP comes from Canada, after 20 odd hours sitting on the planes, standing on the train all of the sudden becomes one of little life pleasures you can bring CAD, no need to lose twice on exchange CAD to USD and USD to THB. ...... no problem with ATM although keep in mind every time you withdraw money there's fee of 220 baht on top of what your bank may charge you at other end. Bangkok Bank ATM have 25000 bht withdrawal limit, Kasikorn's only 20000 I meantime I believe ggobkk woke up and is readying to prepare materials for next report , LOL

likely later, May or Jun is my usual time when I went to Thailand so yes , I should be there. In fact I landed in Swampy exactly one year ago to a day. This year though life intervened or I should say multi-intervened and I can't plan for more than 2-3 weeks ahead. But as they say, hope dies last

As @vinapu has pointed out, there are people movers along most of the routes from planes to Immigration. The actual amount of essential walking can not be more than about 100-150 meters. The morning rush hour traffic on the expressway into Bangkok is horrendous. The train is really the only option at that time and will be about one tenth or less of a taxi. There will be queues at the BKK station but trains depart quite frequently. I'd just join a queue until I could grab a seat - although the journey length is short.

Now we wait for the 250 army appointed Senators to determine if they will endorse the changes that the Thai people have clearly shown they desire. With Move Forward and Pheu Thai seemingly gaining their majorities from a largely youth vote (and young people persuading their family members to vote for them), will the ultra conservative nature of Thai politics finally change? Or will the Senators and the equally conservative Electoral Commission find a way to water down the election results or even nullify the vote? These look to be exciting times.

MOVE FORWARD!

You'll definitely be hitting the airport train at rush hour but taxi would be worse option at that hour IMO. Luggage no problem but at crowded times it gets really tight. But you have the advantage of getting on train at beginning of line so should get seat OK. Easiest to pay with Thai coins or 100 baht bills for airport train and BTS / MRT. Get train on lowest level of terminal.

Or actually maybe not. Latest I saw was that Move Forward is doing better than expected and PT is doing worse than expected

place deserves mentioning it's full name : Unesco Heritage, 7.5 Michelin star awarded Foodland Patpong ........ another post supporting my firmly held theory - go and see for yourself, pics and recommendations will not replace eye-to eye contact and will not provide that smile

welcome home! reading this got me salivating for Bangkok and many guys and places inside it. haggling over price by Swampy taxi driver sounds like novelty item, not that I have much of experience taking taxis there, as noted I like the train. very refreshing to read how somebody sees Silom ghetto after such long absence, as you do next round you will notice even more changes. Leaving hotel turn left on Suriwong and after 2 or 3 short blocks you will see XOne in the corner , in last few trips consistently having the best exchange rates. Intrigued to know what that Tawan BDSM is, other venue under their umbrella? or it's just ad location across the bar? Tempted to jump on the plane to check myself . nor surprised you carry tea to China, Sri Lankan is better Have fun and don't forget about us !!! p.s. you not only one missing Yoyo

In the exact moment I say them, I think I believe them.

The guy from Freshboys I had seen years back. He said, "you can fuck me all night." I said, I'm old now. He said, "I can fuck you all night." To me, that showed drive and determination and he got a nice tip. But, I did plan to go back for him until I met the love of my life in Tawan.

happy arrival in Bangkok and don't worry about anything, after all you are not flying there to get drunk, do you ?

some people have all luck in life

Yes. Will be going in June.

Small talk while fondling dicks is a treat! I wish it was also ok to suck them in the public areas...

PART TWO: BARS: Test Me and Sammi’s both have middle eastern hustlers for sex. You can find their addresses online. Most of the guys that come to the gay bars for paid sex also come to Victoria Park. As a result, what might cost you 75-150 euro as take away from a bar will be 30-50 euro at the park. It is worth a visit, though, just to support these businesses that cater to us gays. THEATRES/BOOK STORES: There are three theatres and four books stores that I visited where you can find their addresses yourself online. They rarely have guys available for paid sex, but mostly for free sex with other gays. When they did have hustlers, but their number usually ranged from none to 2 or 3. The Athinaikon is the one most often listed, but I usually considered it a waste of my time because men rarely went there to find the paid sex. This is because everyone in Athens knows where to go for the paid sex in a theatre: Kosmopolit Cinema (Marikas Kotopouli). The theatre is located right next to and north of the Hotel Cosmopolit, which is itself just one block north of Omonia Square. It is the red X on the map. When you walk in, be sure to keep your ticket as you can re-enter one more time. I regularly had sex, went for a coffee, and then returned for some more sex. You will see guys in the park area in front of the hotel and theatre who are very eager for your take-away business as well. The guys will come and go into the theatre every few minutes. Once you get into the theatre, you will be hounded by guys in the back standing area even before you can have a seat. Find a seat and let your eyes get adjusted to the darkness. When you are ready, then its time to venture into the balcony or basement for the adventure. I would start with the balcony which can be accessed by the stairs to the left or right as you came into the entrance. That upper balcony area is where the young men will show their dicks and offer themselves. They will sit along the long side balcony aisles, as well as the main balcony. This is where you can negotiate to give them a blow job. However, the funky sex occurs in the basement. You should know… next to the theatres in the Philippines, I found this theatre to be one of the dirtiest and seediest places I have ever had sex. It is not, as they say, for the faint of heart! Thus, I loved it just because of the adventure! The basement area is accessed by steps on your right as you entered the main theatre section. It is a narrow set of steps that takes you down to this small open area where all the guys are smoking (and I mean LOTS of smoking!). They will check you out as you come down the steps and will quickly want to offer their services. Just walk around there to get your feel for the place. It has four bathroom stalls for blow job areas, a back area where it shows gay sex on a very small tv and has but six seats, a dark area off of that, and then two rooms where you can have more active sex. I usually sit myself down in one of those seats and start watching the movie and boys who are all now standing around trying to get my attention. If I like a guy, I then usually motion him to go with me into one of the two rooms where we can talk. The rooms have locks on them. I then negotiate for sex and compensation. I have seen/heard threesomes, twosomes, spanking, heavy pounding of anal sex, kissing, etc. come from those two rooms as I watch the gay porn. The only problem I have found is that guys will usually fake cumming (unless you say you only give a blow job) and say they will kiss with tongue and suddenly they will NOT once you start the sex. Those two rooms are the only real place there to have sex beyond a blow job. I should mention the rooms are nasty and rarely get cleaned. I would say there are three groups of guys at this place: Class A guys that are straight, immaculate, showered, would never take drugs, never smoke, and sexy as fuck. They come only to get one client for money so they can go out with their girlfriend later. They will let you suck them and they will fuck you. Class B guys are the ones who come for one or two clients and like to eat afterwards at a café. They are looking for long-term sugar daddies and usually operate in a pair with their friend. They will let you suck them, they will fuck you, and many kiss very well. Class Z guys are the drug addicts and you will see them also outside the theatre where they will typically turn 5-10 clients in a day for sex. They will do anything and everything if the price is right. Interestingly, most of the guys IN the theatre are from Bosnia, Romania, Albania, Macedonia, and Bulgaria. Prices here ranged from 25-50 euros depending on the deed negotiated, but they did have to pay for their ticket so I always footed another 5-10 euros to cover that. I met several of the class A guys that I later brought back to my place for extended sessions. PART THREE follows…