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From The Nation As the fifth anniversary of the successful rescue of the Wild Boars footballers and their coach from a flooded cave in Chiang Rai approaches, officials in the northern province are preparing a memorial event and planning to allow tourists to venture deeper into the cave. The young footballers and their coach were trapped inside the heavily flooded cave between June 23 and July 10, 2018. Their daring, improbable, and carefully planned rescue by a team of Thai and international divers received global attention. Many believed the rescue mission would fail. The memorial event will be held on July 10 to coincide with the successful rescue of the 12 youths and their coach. Alms will be offered to monks to make merit for former Thai SEAL diver Saman Kunan, who lost his life during the rescue operation. Alms will also be offered to make merit for Duangphet “Dom” Phromthep, one of the rescued footballers who died at the age of 17 while attending a football academy in England in February. Dom, the team captain, had received a scholarship to attend the football academy and said his goal was to return to Thailand to play for the national team. Other events will be held between July 10 and 15 to commemorate the rescue, pay homage to Sergeant Sam and Dom, and express gratitude to the volunteers who saved 13 lives. This will include a panel discussion and exhibition on changes to the cave. cave

After being introduced to the owners by ggobkk at a chance meeting in Patpong, I had an opportunity to visit Coffee Grinder Silom with a friend late this morning. I had a mango cooler and he went for iced chocolate which were both good matches for this seemingly endless heat wave. Although the shop has been open less than a few weeks, it was well-attended and running smoothly, able aided by ggobkk’s favorite barista and friendly waiter. Before leaving, we got a tour of the rental rooms above the shop. Nicely appointed with en-suite shower and comfy bed, they rent for about 2.000 bht per night. ST rentals would be considered on an availability basis. This is a second-floor lounge available to customers.

currently not, since it‘s exam season right now and I feel more comfortable with deactivating my account temporarily in case I don‘t feel like I can come up to what my potential clients might expect from me ^^

The Generals/senators will do what they are instructed do do from above!

Well....so much for that 😝

You need try any of the male shops on Sutthisan Winitchai Rd. Tell the manager what you’re looking for (hint: the tats are the clue).

I recently came across this forum and have been reading the many posts on gay adventures in beautiful Egypt. I wanted to pay my contribution by adding stories of my experiences as a 30-year old European expat living in Cairo between 2015 and 2020. My apologies for the context I would like to provide. The main reason for leaving Europe in 2015 was the lack of adventure and excitement I felt in my early thirties. I was living in rainy Western Europe, had random unexcited hook ups via Tindr or Grindr once in a while, but generally felt like living a boring routine. Therefore, I applied for a teaching position at a Cairo international school, was offered the job and left for the unknown. The moment I arrived at Cairo Airport, I knew I was about to love this country: chaos, shouting everywhere, a lack of structure, adventure, the heat, ... Soon I was about to discover something else: the ridiculously handsome men available... everywhere. The school arranged us a flat in a lush suburb south of the city center, Maadi. Having your own space, it turned out quickly, had amazing advantages in terms of excitement. Each apartment building in Maadi is guarded by a bowab, a local doorkeeper, often from the southern Egyptian regions. Separated from their families in the warm south and often very young of age, their main task is to maintain the building and secure your safety. The first week of arrival, our building's bowab asked me to help him move a table in one of the other flats. it was 'too heavy to lift by one person only'. How naive could I be? Soon he wanted to show me the flat's bathroom 'as it was more modern than mine'. Before I realised, we were showering together. The sex was quick, rough and meaningless. Finished by a 'Welcome to Egypt', I could not have imagined this to be start of a new journey. I subscribed at a local gym. After work, not wanting to hang out with my colleagues all the time, I would hit the place and finish off in the sauna. Within days, I became part of the (gym) community. Egyptians are very eager to meet foreigners in general and the sociological characteristics of that Maadi sauna were of an interest to me. After working out, men would typically hang out in the sauna or in the steam bath. All pre-arranged married, they did not seem to have the appetite to go home early. Neither did they particularly seem to like / love their wives. They all raved about their kids, yet - Egyptians don't shy the topic - the marital sex life was far from satisfying for many of them. Most men I met in the gym (and later), it seemed to me, were eager to enjoy and explore life. The word 'gay' was never mentioned, nor assumed. It was all about enjoying, relaxing, massaging, smoking shisha, going home and watching porn / masturbating together, having a beer, smoking hasjish and finishing off with quick, good sex. Five of us would become friends with benefits: through them - on parties in Maadi or the city center - I would meet other men. In exchange, I invited expat colleagues. I could never have imagined this being the Middle East. Men looked beyond gorgeous with their muscled bulky bodies, deep voices, dark-brown soft skin, cheeky smiles and endless capacity to explore. They all seemed so relaxed. They live life to the fullest, especially as the Revolution had proven that things could turn to worse very quickly. That atmosphere felt so sexy and harmless. I never felt the need to turn on Grindr on Tindr, you just would meet endless boys and men in the supermarket, in coffee bars, on the metro, in taxi's (Uber got introduced when I was living in Cairo - a hot spot as well) and in bars and clubs in the city center. In terms of Cairo, I remember the railway station (Ramses Station) and the huge square in front of it to be a popular hook up spot, as well as the bridge crossing the Nile at Tahrir Square (Qasr El Nil Bridge). However, as mentioned, there never seemed to be the need to look for something. It would come to you! In Aswan, for instance, I was approached by the taxi driver who drove me from the airport to the hotel late at night. Nubian penises and fatter are bigger than in Cairo. Moreover, the city's feluccas and corniche are ridiculously cruisy, both at day and night. I occasionally picked a handsome (and incredibly fit) felucca sailor and we had sex in his boat around Elephant Island in the River Nile. On a Luxor trip, I would visit the temples and Valley of the Kings in the very early morning and relax at the hotel's pool / room in the early afternoon. As mentioned on this blog earlier, staff is eager to meet you. Egyptians are allowed to enter the big hotels without any issue. There is too much passage to control. At the Luxor Steigenberger I invited a fruit vendor I met at the temples earlier that day. His triceps were the biggest I had ever felt in my life. Although the sex was rubbish, just seeing him undress and observe his body was a pleasure enough. Alexandria is a driving sea city in which all life surrounds the most amazing sea side boulevard I have ever came across. Hotels turn into rooftop night clubs at night. People enter and leave the buildings at a paste unable to control. When looking for more adventure, try one of the many desert tours (with overnight camping - pleasure guaranteed with the staff), a Siwa oasis visit, crossing the Suez Canal from Port Said to Port Fouad, relaxing in one of Dahab's open-minded hammock guest houses or staying over at one of the 'liberal / freedom camps' between Sharm-El Sheikh and Taba. Having an Egyptian boyfriend - I got even introduced to his (well-educated) parents - is a different story. They are hard work. In the flux they are at, it almost seems impossible for them to meaningfully connect to one person. Monogamy is unheard of in Egypt's gay community. They key words remain pleasure, devotion, emotion, passion, unlimited sexual drive and endless adventures. Enjoy this marvelous spot on Earth, both culturally and spiritually! Cheers B.

The Japanese discounter Don Don Donki has opened a large outlet on Silom Road at the mouth of Soi Thaniya. Two floors are crammed with almost anything you might need and it’s open 24/7. I took a quick walk through and was amazed at the variety. Food, beer, liquor, a ramen bar, housewares, socks, a noodle bar. It can all be found in the jammed narrow aisles occupying two floors.

But an old queen taking photos on the neighborhood basketball court....no problem 😆

I get it. I just looked at my apartment cost in the area I booked a while ago for a trip later in the year and for the first time I converted it: 1400 baht.

Riobard: Since they would already have you jacked up on caffeine it seems implicit that short-time room let would not be for napping, and the establishment would turn a blind eye to any percolating shenanigans within reason in the quarters? Vinapu: impossible to jack me up on caffeine . I drink coffee but don't like aftertaste so rarely do it outside of my digs because urge of brushing teeth immediately. In the area I don't need short time rooms because I stay in tested visitor friendly hotels. But staying right beside Tawan , my most favorite bar I hope to visit at some point between now and Christmas has advantages for me. just not for 2000, yet.

It’s always only rectal exam season on this message board. (Sorry, it was just there … I’ll let myself out.)

A fairly good assessment of Kentucky Governor race. It is definitely Beshear's to lose. Even though McConnell is believed to be behind a PAC that supported Cameron, to the tune of a couple Mil, he kept a low profile in the race, mainly due to Trump. Also McConnell, as referenced by Ky political commentator Al Cross, did not want Cameron to run for Governor but for the Senate as his possible successor. It is expected that McConnell will retire at the end of his term. His polio as a youth is now causing him mobility and other issues as an aged adult. Factors in the race are Trump and Blue Dog Democrats that now are registered Republicans in KY. Trump is still immensely popular in ALL areas outside Louisville, Frankfort and Lexington. A visit by him to Eastern Ky mountains regions or Western Ky may help Cameron. Also, Kentucky for decades was a Democrat state and many of those Democrats, now registered as Republicans, still want to vote for a Democrat if they are not too liberal. Beshear knows this and so far is successfully walking that tight rope by staying away from such things as an assault weapons ban and playing up a big increase in the State Police salaries, showing support for law enforcement. Also Beshear has a HUGE war chest that there is no way Cameron can catchup to. There aren't many Political Races nationally in November and so Ky will be in the spotlight a bit this year. The Democratic Governors organization has already paid for a 6 figure ad buy that is already running on TV stations in the state.

Without mentioning any names, there was a prolific poster here who, although he never mentioned it on the boards, was recently (as in the past several years) mugged, robbed or physically assaulted on the streets of São Paulo on three trips in a row. He did not mention it publicly but he told friends. I am not sure why, but I suspect he didn’t discuss it here or any of the other popular gay travel boards because São Paulo is his favorite city in Brazil. But to suggest that crime is somehow greater in Rio than in São Paulo is not exactly absurd. It is, not just perceptually, but even statistically. The homicide rate in Rio is nearly 3 times that of São Paulo. São Paulo being the economic center of South America is just a wealthier city than Rio, with a more robust police force, which helps reduce at least the perception of crime if not the reality of it.

What is comparatively lacking on this board, through nobody’s fault, is an extensive and robust sub-forum geared to providers. That can be accessed via a website named ‘company of men [dot] org’. No harm in being aware of options and determining the best fit, or straddling both.

It was neither necessary nor rude, so half right. No shortage of throwaway comments entered by many of our peers. I don’t apologize for others’ lack of sense of humour. You unwittingly set up a follow-up based on a Mercutio line, a feline line, like low hanging fruit. No fault there but my riffing on it wasn’t obnoxious simply because you’re grousing about it. If it didn’t land, then fine, it wasn’t the cat’s meow and all fours could be a myth. Tough audience; one moves on. That said, I’m glad you have survived your many visits and have your own autonomous way of processing the one mishap you endured by letting the accounting of it all hang out, in fact, several times if I’m not mistaken. No harm no foul there. It’s a reasonable tripadvisor input and the reader can take or leave the vicissitudes of travel, the heeding you may think is obligatory to share. I do wonder, though, how it serves the readership in terms of the assortative aspect you implied, how to make sense of a comparator tale of two cities. Nobody at all is spared an eventual fate worse than a cringeworthy robbery. In truth, The Bard was all over that, inn’t? So hang in there, de-center, not everything is about you. Gallows humour is not a rarity or verboten on this board. Nor is the pressing need to control the narrative regarding another member’s MO, which by the way I would be inclined, in fact, to decipher as myopically rude.

I have arranged the safety net a few ways, until my repeat visits eventually resulted in establishing solid connections with hosts of a given destination. I occasionally double booked a second inexpensive Airbnb unit so as to avoid getting stranded, albeit unlikely, but that backup only 3 days to enable reorganizing. It happened once due to a host failing to show, as in to err is human, extremely embarrassed and apologetic. The charge was naturally reversed. You need to pay attention to exorbitant cleaning fees for short stays, as some hosts wish to dissuade guests from making brief bookings that may block longer stays. At that juncture when you are actually there some prospective hosts hungry for business will even show you the place in person before commitment, in the event the backup place is merely a sheltered base that spared you homelessness on arrival. In my case the mishap was serendipitous because the 3rd place, the one subsequent to the back-up, turned out to be a gem and I have lodged there for months at a time ever since. I have found these infrequent hassles to be more inconvenient than costly but some people regard any unexpected expense as a stick-up at knifepoint. On balance, particularly for longer stays, Airbnb options have been both cost-saving and better fitting in terms of daily living. Alternatively, a hotel room prebooked for one night but retained, not cancelled, in the event that the Airbnb is not formally cancelled but check-in turns out to be a nonstarter. Again, this is more apt for first-timers content with trading off some cash for piece of mind related to a secure arrival. Hotels don’t fuss about single-night bookings and the wifi quality may facilitate the task of rebooking an Airbnb in the same city. If you have satisfactory host communication right before the threshold of hotel backup cancellation, the prospect of your Airbnb booking fruition is good. Crickets would be the red flag. I realize it may sound exhausting without even yet touching on sex tourism privileges where you shit shave shower. LOL

Not all of them. It is not so easy for a Brazilian to open an OF account. Indeed, reach out to those who have one, but you will miss many pearls. I stay in the saunas. I am not into the kind of guys many friends here are missing, and the test driving does not have competition in my book.

There are more than you think.

From Thai PBS World Two more parties join Move Forward-led coalition Two more parties have agreed to join the coalition, led by the Move Forward party, bringing the number of partners to ten, with a combined 316 votes in the House of Representatives. Phicharn Chaowapatanawong, deputy leader of the Move Forward party, said today (Friday) that the Chart Pattana Kla party has agreed to join the coalition. The party won one constituency MP seat and one party-list seat. Earlier today, the Mai (New) party, which has one party-list MP, also agreed to join the coalition. Phicharn said that they will send the draft memorandum of understanding (MoU), to be signed by all coalition partners, to the two newcomers for review and to propose amendments, if they have any. A formal press conference and the signing of the MOU among the ten coalition partners is scheduled for Monday, May 22nd, which is the ninth anniversary of the coup that toppled the government of then Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. The other eight parties are Move Forward, Pheu Thai, Prachachart, Thai Sang Thai, Thai Liberal, Fair, Palang Sangkhom Mai and Pheu Thai Ruam Palang.

I know this is a thread about third parties. And part of your point is the Democrats need to moderate to win. Especially in states like Kentucky. So I thought the results of the primaries in Kentucky and elsewhere were encouraging, as Politico reports it: The Republican Party is an interesting mess. David Cameron, a McConnell protege, is exactly the kind of face I hope the Republican Party keeps building: normal, multi-racial conservative capitalism. I'm glad he put Crazy Rich Croft to bed. Just like the "normal" Republican Secretary of State put another Trumpy sounding election denier to bed. That said, Cameron apparently thinks he has to run on a culture war agenda about trannies and churches. And somehow Trump endorsed the right person in this race. While DeSantis somehow managed to reinforce the idea that he is the very conservative guy, kind of mean, kind of a bully, who backs losers. When it seems like he would want to be the competent Guv, like Beshear, who handles disasters well and wins. Mostly, I like where my Democratic Party is. Beshear knows his limits in Kentucky. I think Biden knows his limits in a political environment where Kentucky doesn't matter to his re-election chances in 2024. But Pennsylvania does. Speaking of which, Democrats kept the Pennsylvania House and elected a pragmatist as the likely first female Mayor in Philly. I was surprised the "Black progressive" won in Chicago. But he was running against a White kind of conservative. I think Philly is a good example of the tug of war Democrats are having between "progressive" and "pragmatic" voices. I'm biased. But it seems clear there is room for both. And we need both to win. In the case of Philly, the "Black pragmatist" who wants more cops on the street won. If the goal is to win and govern, I'd rather be Beshear than Cameron. And I'd rather be Biden than Trump or DeSantis. To make this book length, I of course have to add one more point. So I'll repeat that I'm not sure about third parties. I watched an interview of Allan Lichtman a few weeks ago on some radio show. He pointed out, no surprise, that nominating Biden is the best chance Democrats have to win in 2024. Because he is the incumbent. And he will prevent a bloody intra-party fight, like the Republicans will likely have. Lichtman did not mention it. But a strong third party candidate would be a third potential nail in Biden's coffin. So Lichtman's model, which he used to predict every POTUS race since 1984 correctly in advance, says that you need 6 nails out of 13 for Biden's coffin to be nailed shut in 2024. Him being the incumbent, with no party war, and no strong third party candidate, would eliminate three of those nails. Lichtman said it's too early to predict 2024. But the four things he is watching are the long term economy, whether there is a recession, and whether there is a military success and/or a military failure. In other words, important stuff. Not polls or bullshit. Not "age." He did predict, I'd bet correctly, that "age" will turn out to be a lot of useless noise. Just like it was for Reagan in 1984.