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I wasn't sure whether I wanted to do a trip report initially. I posted my experiences in various bars the past week in individual existing topics but upon reflection, I have decided to combine them so here goes. My last trip was last December and now I am here for 2 weeks in holiday. Unfortunately, I am staying with family so I only had the first two nights available to bring guys back to hotel room. Sunday (Day 1) - Arrived at airport at night and only reached hotel at midnight. Thank goodness for Screwboys which is open till late. Guys were in basketball singlets and shorts. I would rather see them in their previously infamous white briefs with blue stripes. About 15 guys on stage with the rest seated with customers. Party atmosphere with some of the guys dancing to the loud music. Saw a smooth charming twink but I hesitated and he ended up being called over to two German customers who sat next to me. We had some small talk and toasted drinks but inside me, I was cursing myself for not being quicker. Show started at 12.45am. Lots of ladyboy performances. Only 2 big cock shows and these were not done by Screwboys guys but by freelancers. They came into the bar before their performances, paraded their cocks, earned their tips and quickly moved off. Show ended at 1.30am and lo and behold, German customers paid up and left. I had expected them to take the twink off. I asked him over to my seat and five minutes later, we were in my hotel room. From Laos. Hardworking fella. After our session, he went to his next job which is at a karaoke bar. He says he only gets back to his room at 7am. Maybe I will ask him to bring me to his karaoke bar one of these nights. Drinks at 350 baht and off fee 500 baht. I tipped mamasan 100 baht and paid Laos twink 2000 baht for short time session. Monday (Day 2) - Full house at Jupiter. Mostly Asian customers. Ladies were all seated in front aisle rows. The Jupiter dancers really loved performing for them. In terms of show items, same as last year. No difference. Why change a winning formula after all? I arrived at 10.15pm at door and told waiter that I would be ordering a bottle of whisky. He led me to a table next to sound system. Not a sofa table but at least a private space and a splendid view of the locker and gym area where the Jupiter guys hang out before they go on stage. I took a look at drinks menu and ordered one bottle of Johnnie Walker. Mamasan remembered me. "Poppy (the singer) no work tonight. He work Wednesday night." "You come alone? Where your friends?" Mamasan called over Cambodian handsome model whom I met last December nd whom I had also contacted in advance. He was in red briefs - tonight's attire for first model walk on stage for Jupiter guys. "I have to do model walk 1030. After that, I come to you." No problem, I have all night. 10.30pm - the first model walk started. Quite a number of Jupiter guys working today, easily at least 30. Most Mondays are quiet affairs. After the first model walk, the show started. Cambodian was with me, now fully dressed. We watched the show until 11.30pm after the second model walk where the Jupiter guys came out in white shorts only. One interesting thing happened. An Asian male and female couple in 30s had come in and they were seated at table next to me. I knew they were from China because they spoke to each other in Mandarin and they spoke to mamasan in English. They were looking for a guy for a threesome. Mamasan called over 8 Jupiter guys to the couple and the lady took some time to pick one tall fair skinned Jupiter guy. All this while, I was sniggering away. I looked at my guy and asked him if he had ever been in a 3some. Cambodian smiled shyly like a schoolboy and shook his head. He need not worry about me asking him for a 3some. I wanted him all to myself tonight. Still at least 2/3 of Johnnie Walker left. Shall go again another night this week and next week. Tuesday (Day 3) - I spent first half of evening at Hot Male beer bar downstairs. No lack of customers for the bars in Soi Gay Patpong. In fact many were casual tourists who went inside the bars for the shows. Hot Male beer bar downstairs remains best spot for people watching as they walk up and down the soi. And of course it's a great spot to perv at the shirtless Dreamboys guys on the balcony. Hot Male beer bar staff are as friendly and chatty as ever. Freshboys 10.30pm show was well attended - a group of farang tourists comprising one guy and three ladies, a gay Taiwan couple, a big spender with bottle service and two Freshboys guys (who have changed out of Freshboys white shorts) and a mamasan around him and an eclectic Asian group in their 40s/50s (5 men, 3 women). The lead guy was seated with the women and dispensing tips to performers on stage. The other men called down a Freshboys guy to sit with them. Later before second show, two farang ladies came in, with one of them using crutches as her leg was in a cast. She must have heard many good things about the show because she was willing to climb up the narrow stairs to the bar! As for Freshboys guys, mostly twinks and some twunks. Many familiar faces from last year. Mamasans and waiters also same, including one lanky handsome waiter with a number tag. Show was same as well. Mix of ladyboy lip synching, shower show and big cock show (4 of them). Drinks at 400 baht. Wednesday (Day 4) - I met some fellow forum members for dinner at G Bangkok. We had a great time chatting about our recent experiences. At the same time, we were ogling a hunky Banana Bar guy standing outside his bar with an umbrella (it was raining for a while). After dinner, we went to Jupiter. Longtime singer Poppy is back singing. He wasn't there on Monday and in fact, he doesn't sing every night at Jupiter nowadays. Only certain nights. I had reserved a sofa seat at the back for our entourage. Quiet night. Only 14 guys working tonight - fellow forum member actually meticulously counted them! In terms of customers, only half full compared to Monday night. Many ladies. There was in fact one group of ladies on 2nd floor looking down like fangirls and they remained there until the show ended. VIP table near the stairs was reserved for 2 very well dressed ladies. Midway during the show, they asked mamasan to arrange some guys to stand in a semicircle for them to choose. First time customers would only be able to choose them during the 3rd model walk when they finally wear number tags on their jeans. During the 1st and 2nd model walks, they were in briefs and shorts but no number tags so it was quite difficult to call them down to your seat unless you have mamasan next to you and you inform him. Cambodian handsome hunk whom I took back on Monday night was not working today. But I spotted a Laos guy who worked at Banana last December and whom I met. So surprised that he's working at Jupiter now. Happy that he haf cimbed the gogobar ladder. I wanted to get reacquainted with him. Unfortunately, another customer had arranged to off him in advance. I told mamasan that we would not be offing any guy tonight but I asked mamasan if it was possible to send over some guys to our table who could drink and he helpfully found some from those who had not been offed. We played card games where the loser had to drink half a shot of whisky. Some guys barely lasted a few shots while some guys could really drink and lasted all the way till we eventually ended at half past midnight. Thursday (Day 5) - Visited Dreamboys and out of 30 guys on stage, I would take half of them. Yes, many are old timers but they are keeping themselves in shape. Music was not that loud. I found music at Jupiter to be louder. 10.30pm show is more or less the same but opening coyote dancing is not done by professionals anymore. It's now in-house with 11 of the Dreamboys guys on stage dancing. Unfortunately, most can't dance. Kudos for effort. Rest of show was entertaining enough. Quick transition between performances. Just the right balance of drag queen diva lip synching and other performances including two big cock shows with sucking. There was a Magic Mike style dance where two hunks in police uniforms danced and e eventually stripped down. That was the highlight for me and it was comparable in standard to Jupiter and Moonlight. Macho guy in high heels dancing was there as well. Many customers and had to squeeze. Main difference is no ladies in crowd unlike Jupiter which had many lady customers. I have visited 3 out of 4 bars on Soi Patpong. Left Hotmale to visit on another night.

Friday (Day 6) - Dinner at G Bangkok with fellow forum member followed by visit to Banana Bar. Surprise find at show - a Russian aerial dancer! (I Googled the term because I know I can't call him a pole dancer!) He did acrobatics using a long rope suspended from ceiling. And he had a fit body to ogle at! Very entertaining and it was another innovative way to bring in the tourist crowds. There was also one solo dance number where the professional dancer danced to K-Pop music, which is the latest in-thing. I could see the logic of including such performances to draw in tourist crowd. When a group of tourists (and they are mostly ladies) come into a bar, that's 4 to 5 drinks straightaway. The rest of the show consisted of ladyboy diva lip synching, some dancing and shower and big cock show. I saw a Laos guy I knew and asked him to sit with me during the show. Bought him a drink (300 baht) and also tipped him afterwards. If only I could take him back to hotel room, I would have done so! After leaving Banana, fellow forum member and I went to Foodland Patpong where we met his regular (and very handsome) guy. Reminded me of my ex-boyfriend who has gone back to Vietnam permanently. Overall an enjoyable night. Drinks at Banana are 380 baht.

I am one of those, having had my first gay experience at the age of forty-five. It was Thailand that saved me, first of all as an energetic butterfly for nine years, and then by affording me the opportunity to meet the only love of my life nearly twenty years ago. And while I regret those lost years, I wonder if I would have appreciated my later experiences so deeply- or even afforded them- as a young man. There are others like me. One of the aspects of Boyztown in the nineties I liked most was that , for the first time in my life, I found myself among brothers. One guy I met was in his seventies. HIs wife of forty plus years had just died and within weeks he was there with me, on the terrace of Panorama, watching the go go dancers sashay past on their way to work. Whenever I saw him during the rest of my stay he was hand-in-hand with one of them. Like me, he had found love- or at least fun- late in his life....but not too late.

Saturday (Day 7) - Hotmale is last bar in Soi Gay Patpong that I haven't visited so tonight was the night to visit. Surprisingly few customers for a Saturday night. Fewer than 20 customers. About 25 guys and many have good bodies. Not as handsome and well-groomed as the guys at Jupiter but I would rate the Hot Male guys higher than the guys at Dreamboys, Freshboys, Banana and Screwboys. 10.30pm show was performed entirely by their own guys. No ladyboy diva lip-synching. Just dancing with a lot of cocks on display. During the big cock show at finale, there were 9 guys with really long and big cocks available for tips. Drinks fee is 400 baht.

I can’t see that. If it was going to happen it would have happened 10 years ago. Sunee Plaza is a fair walk off the beaten track. The area is very run down and full of narrow roads and access is difficult. High rise buildings are usually positioned on,or near main roads for ease of access and also need plenty of parking space. In addition, as we well know, there is no real entertainment (gay or straight) in the area for those living there to enjoy. So I don’t see anyone building a high rise or anyone buying the units, if one was ever built.

Thank you for excellent report Jason and even more for inviting me to be part of your fun night at Jupiter on Wednesday. I was one who counted boys , Lol. Guy sitting beside me was not a drinker so he asked me to gulp few of his half shots for him when he lost. Glad you liked Dreamboys, I was there few days before and for me it was very disappointing. I guess one of us had good or other bad luck as our taste in boys ids not that different. I returned home last night and my heart is bleeding that I missed that gymnast show at Banana which Lucy or not, is fast becoming my most liked bar. Boys may not be my type bodywise but they are as friendly ad Tawan ones but not even close as pushy for drinks and tips . Yes that hunky barker with umbrella we ogled on Wed is big part of that attraction, he, he. He was not reluctant when I did trademarked vinapu tuck on him two nights in row, even it it was outside bar. But I was fast (experience counts) and discreet. have fun and continue reporting.

Reading that article, I started out thinking that most of us probably have experienced changing desires and expectations as we have gone through life. That has certainly been my experience with quite a few more major changes than I ever thought might happen. But then I considered the experiences of my sister and brother. Both doctors, their lives have hardly changed at all as they have aged. I assume many professions are more or less the same. Perhaps one major change that I have seen in some others is a transition from being totally straight to becoming totally gay (insofar as "totally" can ever mean precisely that in a romantic/sexual context). I have friends in Australia, the UK, Austria, the US and various other countries who had been married for at least a couple of decades and have in almost all cases two children who then divorced their wives and quite quickly started living with another man. Most kept in agreeable contact with their children, although not all. The wife and kids of one friend who now lives in Chiang Mai with his partner totally refuse to have anything to do with him even though he continued to pay alimony and for his kids' university education. I also know people who wish they had made changes much earlier and taken a different path in their lives. For many, the social conventions in place 50 and more years ago often dictated a certain course, even though those concerned might have had a deep rooted desire to take a different path. Even if they managed to find their way on to that path later in their lives, I often wonder if they feel they missed out on much that could - perhaps - have given them a more satisfying and meaningful existence.

In my (limited) experience, the offerings in Cartagena were not to my liking or exorbitant prices were requested. Another option, if you want to stay in Cartagena, is to import the guys from Barranquilla. It's only a few hours by bus and the guys from Barranquilla love to visit Cartagena. One webcam model from B came by for a day & night for a tip of 250 kCOP + 50 kCOP (bus fare). It was worth every peso. I found several handsome guys on grindr in B who were more than willing to spend some time with me in Cartagena for free. After a few video calls, I selected a cute guy to spend the next few days with me. I used bluestacks to spoof my location (for the apps) and I prepaid both guys the bus fare (round trip). They both had nequi (a mobile payment solution). You just need to go to a bancolombia corresponsal where you can send cash to their mobile phone number. I would normally never pay upfront but in this case I can understand these guys wanting to make sure they can get back to their place if I would not show up. In the worst case, I lose 50 kCOP and that didn't happen.

One sits almost permanently in another Asian chat site (not a Thai one). He was married for at least 20 years, has a son and now grandchildren. Around his early 50s he discovered he was gay, found a South American boyfriend in a "sleazy" bar (his description) and realised he was the love of his life. Wife quickly divorced, boyfriend moved in and they lived happily ever after. But - don't our lives always have 'buts'? - he then had a business trip to South East Asia around 20 years ago. For each summer vacation thereafter, he left the love of his life and flew to Asia where he spent virtually his entire vacations in gay saunas around the region having endless sex with young Asian guys. Meanwhile his lover was ill and getting no better. Eventually he died, probably around 7 years ago. Thereafter he filled the chat troom with the agonies of having lost the love of his life. He gave up his annual Asian adventures to live what appears to be a life of virtual solitude. The insights members receive on this board from those who live around the world are often fascinating, both about their trips to Thailand and sexual adventures in other countries. This bore is 80 years old this year and has lived for the last 30 or more years in a large city in Texas! Now alone, he appears to regard that oter chat room as his one lifeline to some sort of normalcy, almost daily dispensing his wisdom to 20-something Asians about how to grow old gracefully! Hopefully he never discovers this board! 🙏

Probably. But all any of us has at this moment is the future. To dwell too much on the past provides little comfort or joy.

Is that where you learned that, I thought it came naturally to you......

A number of years ago I had to sit through this guys drivel one night at Cocka2 Bar. He was also very offensive to other customers and staff. Jomtien Complex now only has to deal with his perpetually drunk boyfriend.

From Pattaya News The government is promoting the use of registered ride-hailing services in an effort to enhance commuter safety and maintain reasonable fares. Deputy Government Spokesperson Traisulee Traisaranakul announced this week that the Transport Ministry is now encouraging individuals to register their personal vehicles for ride-hailing services, adding that additional assistance on the process will be provided by the Department of Land Transport (DLT). Traisulee emphasized the importance of using ride-hailing applications that have obtained registration from the DLT, noting that this ensures passengers’ safety throughout their journey while also guaranteeing reasonable service charges. Currently, there are seven ride-hailing apps that have received the DLT’s approval, including Hello Phuket Service, Bonku, Asia Cab, Robinhood, Grab, Air Asia SuperApp, and Bolt. To identify legally-operating ride-hailing vehicles, passengers are advised to look for taxis with yellow license plates or purple stickers on private cars. These indicators signify that the drivers possess valid driving licenses, have undergone criminal background checks, and have registered their vehicles for providing rides. Meanwhile, motorcycles involved in ride-hailing services are required to display a yellow license plate, and the riders wear the jacket of the respective ride-hailing company.

Yes, but if your ass is in the air you won’t know if he’s using porn, pills or a zucchini. Job will get done. It’s my opinion that guys with erection problems tend to seek other lines of work.

No personal experience, but I believe that it is quite a hub for male escorts, despite homosexuality being completely illegal. I see that there are at least 100 guys in Dubai on Hunqz, for example. I would be very discreet, if i was you.

No it doesn't. Thirty minutes or so. That's enough time for a shower!

I am sure @macaroni21 will have lots more fascinating anecdotes. As for those interested in the history of gay Bangkok going much further back, I note there is a series of articles in the sawatdee network forum. I'll wade through a few but in the meantime here is one from Brad the Impala dated April 13 2011 about his first Bangkok experiences in 1973. I am sure neither he nor the sawatdee owner/moderator will mind my copying that article here - "I believe that the oldest gay bar in Thailand was the Sea Hag in Silom Road. It opened and probably closed it's doors before I visited first in 1972, when I spent only a few days in Bangkok, before spending a couple of months in Pattaya, just enjoying the beach and exploring the area where there were no gay specific venues. The following year I investigated Bangkok a little further and discovered Silom Soi 4, which had the Lonely Boy, the bar next to it, Tomboy, owned by a working policeman, and the Apollo, which was wrongly thought of as only a Thai for Thai venue." https://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/showthread.php?12445-Does-anyone-know-Gay-History I have written here before about the small Apollo bar located above where Sphinx restaurant and bar used to be at the end of the right side of Soi 4. It was definitely not a Thai-for-Thai bar although may have looked so because a quick glance inside would have shown there were hardly ever any farang. I had found the Apollo bar by accident in the Spring of 1980 and absolutely loved it. I was a regular on several visits every year, all before I discovered the first bar in Soi Pratuchai, Twilight, around 1983. I believe Twilight had opened quite a few years beforehand in a different location. It certainly seems to have been the first go-go bar in what became known as Soi Twilight. After that, from around 1986 for me it was almost always Barbiery across the road. I'm not sure when Apollo died but I think it was before then. Barbiery was such a fun place to visit and must have had around 100 boys working over the weekends. All the boys seemed to be having a ball, the shows were innovative and the mamasans never pushy. Mind you, you could tell from the attendance board in Twlight that it, too, had a large number of boys. And of course in those days I think every barboy was Thai, not a few from the same villages.

I only remember Roxy because for a time it employed a group of genuine dancers - as oppposed to go-go dancers. This group of 8 or so students had been formed in early 2001 specifically to provide alternative entertainment in the X-treme bar on the first floor of a building in Soi Twilight. Many found it a bit strange that the bar was run by a retired expat who had been employed by the Church of England in some capacity. All I recall is that he had a full head of white hair and his Thai boyfriend who was sometimes studying in the bar was aggressively handsome! The bar also had a dozen or so go-go boys who never seemed very enthusiastic about the dancing part of the job. The boys in the real dance troupe on the other hand were great - mostly very good looking, excellent dancers, generally well-choreographed numbers with a bit of sexiness thrown in, and they happily flirted with customers between their two sets. If there was any problem with their 'act' it was long pauses between numbers. X-treme died about a couple of years later when the German who owned 2 or 3 go-go bars on the opposite side of the soi took the dancers on for his bars. They obviously did little to improve his patronage and so he let them go. Roxy on Soi 4 took them on but there again I think they did not last long. I still have a DVD produced by the bar, although the visual quality is not good.

Hi, I've been working/visiting for many years. On my last visit I found that because of age I was asked for a high entrance fee. What sauna's are welcoming to older clientele Thanks

Was the better of the bars for me too on my last trip.

sorry, no, but there are a few on the plaza area....

I was in both Dubai and Doha recently with a few Thai lads and we had fun. The apps were popping and it was easy to find someone to hook up with. I had no issues in Dubai with Romeo and found some hot guys there.

Never been to Dubai but did spend several days in Doha 4 years ago. I believe Doha is even more strict than Dubai. Even so there were quite a number of hits from the apps - including some Filipinos. But I was not prepared to take the risk.

Well this is an equal opportunity site. You and I both managed to discover it.

Let me see if I’ve got this straight: you’re calling someone else a drunkard.

Was picturing more a Squash with him....

Since the initiator of this thread is obviously from JC 'management', he might be the address for raising the topic of over-loud bars driving customers away; an issue much discussed recently.....

Olddaddy, I have no experience in such a venture, but since u want to pick the boys urself (rather than one of them picking the rest) - not sure working thru a mamasan is optimal. U can go to one the clubs, invite each candidate to a drink and ask him if he's willing, take line numbers, and repeat procedure until u reach 11 (not necessarily in the same bar). BTW, why specifically 11 ? Why not 10 (commandments) or 12 (apostles)??

If you long for handsome blue eyed Russian, don’t miss the Banana Bar show on Soi and 4 in Bkk. The former gymnast stole show with his aerial acrobatics while suspended from straps above the stage. Great entertainment.

It could make a visit to that young Egyptian doctor of yours quite interesting 🫠

I think we've seen the research and interpretations, and know. I don't think so. IF there's a recession more likely than not it'll be a soft one ... and Biden won't be blamed for it. Trump isn't going to get moderate Republicans or many Independents. It'll be a replay of 2020, as long as Biden stays healthy and can campaign effectively. The negative for Democrats is Biden's age, and VP Harris being seen as a weak link .. not someone other than the hard-core will want to see as a successor President if something happens to Biden after a re-election. If Trump is not the nominee, though, Biden's road back into the WH will be challenging.

Continuing the theme of gay bars and venues in Bangkok of old, although not on topic I think the Moderator will not mind this being posted here. The name Professor Peter Jackson will be known to some as a result of the books he has written about Queer Asia. He is Emeritus Professor of Thai History and Cultural Studies at the Australian National University's College of Asia and the Pacific's School of Culture, History and Language (I wonder how he gets all that on to a business card 😵)! He is also a member of the Hong Kong-based editorial collective of the HK University Press' Queer Asia series of monographs. The histories of Buddhism, gender, sexuality and globalisation in Thailand have been his primary research. His recent books include Queer Bangkok and The Language of Sex and Sexuality in Thailand. He has frequently made the point that rather than being "traditional", the country's queer communities only came into being in the latter decades of the 20th century. One of the posts on the sawatdee nation thread on the Gay History of Thailand has a link to a long academic paper he wrote for the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Studies in 1999. This is titled An American Death in Thailand and subtitled The Murder of Daniel Berrigan and the Hybrid Origins of Gay Identity in 1960s Thailand. The post was made by RonantheBarbarian on August 17 2011. As he introduces the paper, he writes - "One of the best known gay westerners in Bangkok in the post-World War II years was Darrell Berrigan. He was one of the founders of the 'Bangkok World' newspaper in 1945, which was up until the 1980s the main competitor of the Bangkok Post. He was quite closeted seemingly, it is only known that he was gay because he was rather sensationally murdered in 1965, by a male sexual partner, and this became something of a celebrity scandal in the press. "The article can be hard reading, because as with all academic articles Jackson has to spend the firsts few pages spouting theoretical jargon. I would suggest you read from the paragraph entitled 'Expatriate Homosexual men in Postwar Bangkok' From that point on it is fascinating. In the article, as well as giving a lot of information about Berrigan's life and times (he was involved with the CIA, American espionage, etc.), Jackson also talks about Jim Thompson. Thompson was almost certainly also gay, although some who have written about him, such as William Warren, have made an attempt to make him out as straight. However Jackson does not accept that argument at all and according to him, we can take it one of the most celebrated farangs of mid-twentieth century Bangkok was gay." I entirely agree that the first pages should be skipped (unfortunately there are no page numbers but each section is headed in large type and so it is not difficult to find Expatriate Homosexual Men in Post-War Bangkok.) The name Daniel Berrigan may not be known to many now but he became something of a cause celebre as a result of his murder. The history surrounding that event is fascinating. At a time when the new government-to-be (hopefully!) is talking about gay marriage, in the mid-1960s the Thai language media was almost vicious in its declared loathing of homosexuality. The Thai Rath newwspaper referred to Berrigan's "sexual degeneracy"; Siam Nikorn described Berrigan as "having the illness of sexual degeneracy". Indeed the word "gay" had never been used in Thailand until around that time. Kathoeys were accepted. A man with a desire to have sex with another man was not! Berrigan himself had adopted two young men who lived with him. But they were referred to as his sons. Even so, one Thai newspaper claimed it was common knowledge that Berrigan had forcibly assaulted him sexually not once but twice. Jim Thomson features in Berrogan's story. It was always assumed that, like his friend Berrigan, Thomson was gay, although his official biographer threw in suggestions of romantic affais with women. On his last visit to Bangkok in 1959, Somerset Maugham was invited to dinner at Jim Thomson's house. Berrigan was also a guest. The author William Warren, who was to write one of the first books on Jim Thomson's later mysterious disappearance The Unsolved Mystery, described ". . . Thompson, and we might add their mutual acquaintance Berrigan, as resembling characters from a Maugham tale, 'lone—but never lonely—men who find contentment in exotic places': often homosexual men attempting to escape homophobic attitudes and laws back home or on a romantic quest for foreign partners." When Berigan's murderer was arrested, Thai Rath had a banner headline stating the murderer "Confesses He Shot Berrigan While 'Making Love.'" All the while the English language media were far more reserved in their reporting. Other interesting issues Jackson raises is describing how in the early 1950s the police and the army formed two opposing politicoeconomic cliques. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/12116

Another memory thanks to the friends at sawatdee network. This time a post by dab69 made on August 16 2011. "In its early days Soi 4's nocturnal entertainment was fairly low-key. Except for one bar which was perhaps the most famous and popular of the early gay venues. The Rise of the Rome Club The Rome Club had a number of unsuccessful incarnations before its long run as Bangkok's erstwhile foremost gay/mixed venue; initially occupying a single shop-house it was so popular that it soon quadrupled in size. The club presented a successful mix of extravagantly staged dance shows with a Saturday Night Fever-style disco. The owners presided over the events and the place did not warm up until the DJ strode across the floor, entered his box and played music that many recall as being the best disco selection in Bangkok. From 11 PM to closing the place was buzzing with bodies gyrating to the sounds of Abba, U2, Culture Club, Michael Jackson, Gloria Gaynor, Duran Duran and other pop greats. For the times it was an unbeatable formula. Decline and Fall of the Rome Club The Rome was a kind of Asian Studio 54, attracting a diverse and eclectic global clientele with many of what has been described as Bangkok's "Beautiful People" mixing and mingling with the more ordinary mortals. For many years the Rome Club dominated the Bangkok gay scene by providing what their public wanted and operating an inclusive door policy: if you were gay or gay friendly, bisexual or some other orientation and above all good looking and trendy you were welcomed to enjoy the bar. But in a strange, sudden and inexplicable reversal of strategy the club's owners decided that their gay clientele were no longer welcome heralding the beginning of the end for this particular empire." https://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/showthread.php?12445-Does-anyone-know-Gay-History/page2 The end was quick. As soon as gays began leaving in droves, the Club desperately tried to survive. But when a good 70%-75% of your clientele has disappeared, survival became impossible. Perhaps after such a success for at least 15 years the owners just had a death wish.

Some years ago I saw a tv programme about the possibility of a mega-tsunami hitting the US East Coast. Apparently one of the islands in the Canary Islands chain has a major fault line and the western edge of the main active volcano Cumbre Vieja could collapse into the sea. Much of the Canary Islands coastline is made up of massve steep cliffs. Were a collapse to happen, 1.5 trillion metric tons of earth would crash into the ocean. There is a paper about it in the Penn State/University of New Orleans site - "models suggest that if it were to collapse it would generate a tsunami 1000 m high that would be 50 m when it arrived in Europe and along the eastern coast of the US. Because this scenario would be devastating to cities including New York, Boston, and Miami as well as coastal real estate in New Jersey, North and South Carolina, and Florida, it has been rigorously investigated by scientists." The tv programme estimated the height of a tsunami reaching the US East Coast as nearer 100 m. Whichever it might be, the site does point out that not all scientists are in agreement, but it is one of any number of natural disasters that might just happen. https://www.e-education.psu.edu/earth107/node/1609

From the BBC Once a poor fishing town, Torremolinos became an unlikely LGBTQ+ haven in the midst of a fascist regime. The walkway outside Mariquita Copas, a hole-in-the-wall bar in Torremolinos' main "gaybourhood", La Nogalera, glowed blue. The makeshift drinking terrace I was sitting at was surrounded by palm-filled squares in the heart of southern Spain's Costa del Sol, a few blocks up from the Mediterranean. As I sipped a beer on my first night in town, I surveyed the scene: pedestrians holding shopping bags had stopped to chat; a man and woman sat entwined on a bench; and gay locals clinked cocktail glasses. In the midst of it all was a bearded drag artist, outlandishly tall in knee-length platform boots, leather cap and skin-tight camouflage bodysuit. This, I soon realised, was just another night in Torremolinos. Of course, it wasn't always this way. Until now, I'd been blissfully ignorant of Torremolinos' important role in Spain's LGBTQ+ history. But, as I was about to learn, not only did the country's first gay-friendly bar open here back in 1962, it was also where Spain's gay rights movement began – rather violently. Why Torremolinos? Let's start, as we Brits like to, with the weather. Originally a poor fishing village, Torremolinos' sub-tropical climate – among the warmest in Spain – was key in its metamorphosis into a resort during the 1950s. With Francisco Franco's fascist government keen to encourage hotel construction to kickstart Spain's war-decimated economy, by 1959 the town boasted the country's first five-star hotel (Hotel Pez Espada). Celebrities followed, from Brigitte Bardot, Greta Garbo and Pablo Picasso to Grace Jones, Frank Sinatra and John Lennon – a golden era commemorated in the town's Ruta del Murales street-art trail, which was unveiled in 2022. Aided by the rise of charter flights in the late 1950s, the increasingly cosmopolitan and liberal town began attracting artists, musicians, writers and queer visitors, too. Despite the fact that homosexuality was still considered a crime under Franco's regime, in 1962, a British gay couple opened Tony's Bar on the narrow L-shaped alleyway Pasaje Begoña. "Although Tony's cannot be defined as a 'gay bar' as we understand it today, it was a place where the owners were gay and allowed the clientele freedom," said Jorge M Pérez, the president of Pasaje Begoña Association, which was founded in 2018 with the aim of "recovering the memory of this emblematic place and rescuing this forgotten chapter in the history of Spain". Tony's was an instant smash and over the next few years, it inspired a slew of other establishments catering to the gay community. What was once a sleepy fishing community soon transformed into a queer hub known for its inclusivity and hedonism. There was, for example, the often-raided La Sirena (nicknamed "The Sissy Bar"); Bar Tabarín, the first to host nude shows; Pourquoi Pas, the town's first lesbian club (still operating as an LGBTQ+ bar); and jazz venue The Blue Note, owned by the Dutch lesbian singer Pia Beck. Continues at https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20230605-torremolinos-where-spains-gay-rights-movement-began

You're an idiot.

Nice, I have a new one to add to this list: Ants: a colony or an army. Chickens: a brood or peep; Chicks: a clutch or chattering. Dolphins: a pod. Foxes: a skulk or leash. Hippopotami: a bloat or thunder. Manatees: an aggregation. Parrots: a pandemonium or company. Rhinoceroses: a crash. Yeah, Thailand has it so "together" 🙄

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) hosted the ‘Amazing Thailand Festival 2023’ in New York City over the weekend of 3-4 June at the iconic The Oculus Plaza World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, to raise awareness in the North American market of the Thai soft-power elements and a multitude of meaningful travel experiences in Thailand. Throughout two days, the festival featured a plethora of performances including traditional folk dances, Thai drag shows, puppetry, Muay Thai demonstrations, and fashion shows of Thai fabric which features Miss Universe Thailand 2022 and Miss Thailand 2023 – all while offering food and drink inspired by Thailand’s iconic street food markets. To add to the fun atmosphere, there were workshops of Khon mask painting, gold imprinting and traditional umbrella painting which showcase the tradition Thai arts.

He has his moments 😉

Jedi class stalker 😉

This seems to be the current concern with Jomtien Complex. I don't for a second think anyone wants it to fail, but change is needed. Currently there are roughly 10 bars for sale. Maybe new ownerships will bring new ideas and better co-operation.

It was certainly quiet in March/April. I'd usually take a walk around the area at 2200 and it was exactly as others have said. However, on a more positive note, the Dick's Café Soi was lively, as was its corner with the Agate soi. The new-and cheap- restaurants/stands have improved the area noticeably. There are too many beer bars offering more or less the same product. Some were invariably empty of customers when at 2200. The customer base is exactly the same as it was when I arrived in Boyztown in 1995; predominantly elderly. And responding to Olddaddy's question, definitely not Asian. I'd add another issue pertinent to the JC; those who stay in Pattaya have an uncomfortable journey to reach it. We do the opposite journey, preferring to eat in Pattaya itself and we have found the bus trip infuriating since before Covd, owing to roadworks. Using taxis doesn't help. Not that Boyztown seems to have benefitted. I've just received an email from an old friend who works there telling me that it also is deserted. By the way, the Agate clientele has changed since it re-opened. Sometimes we're the only gay couple at breakfast, the other guests being in family groups. Many of them Russian.

You all have to remember it's not cheap either to go on vacation. You have Airfares, travel insurance and that's before you set off plus transport to your airport if you don't have a railway station at the airport. Then transport to and from BKK to Pattaya Then you pay for your hotel average , then drinks ,boys,bars etc So average spend a day 3,oooo to 5,000 baht a day add the airfare ,add the hotel, transport,travel insurance over 1 month stay ,it all adds up financially. Then there is many of the old timers are getting too old to travel . I did see last trip a lot of young professional type Asians at the bars seem to be from Singapore etc

I spent the past weekend in Jomtien. I arrived round midnight Thursday after a long travel day from China. Not having been in Pattaya since November 2019 I was pleasantly surprised by the number of bars are the number of people. I offed a boy, had a pleasant time, went to sleep. Thinking about it the next day, I didn’t recall a noticeable number of customers as opposed to the number of boys - but thought it was almost 2pm closing time when I was out and about. I was staying at the Poseidon where there were very few guests (early morning there were few empty key slots in the key rack. Went to the beach stand #28 where there were four occupied chairs. Friday evening I had dinner with a long time friend at Poseidon’s Wine Cellar which has been remodeled during Covid. Restaurant full both indoor space and the patio. Upscale money boys with many of the guests (unprovable observation but based on haircuts and watches/clothes worn). So when I ventured out after dinner where it was bustlingly crowded it was a jolt to see lots of boys on phones and only clusters of customers. Saturday was a repeat of Friday. At dinner my friend reported that Songkran had been very very busy. He’s one of the organizers for Jomtien Pride and would agree that much is hoped for that weekend. He noted that it was exceptionally hot this year and international tourists were down as well as Thai weekenders. For years he was in the travel business and still keeps up. He said the lack of Chinese tourists was significant. I can attest having come via China that direct flights from Beijing are at most two a day. I didn’t go into Boys Town so can’t comment of that part of town.

Indeed. I arrived yesterday and walked around bit and i can attest that it is dead. my grindr is abuzz with freelancers looking for ST. Outside the complex, i do notice a lot of russians. At the beach now and i am the only one on the front row. Never have i seen this before.

For many Taiwanese, age appears not a major factor. I am close to what would have been called old age some years ago and it is clear that some Taiwanese have no interest in younger guys. Unfortunately attractiveness is in the eye of the beholder and so I can't speak about that. But in a dark room or a sauna that is hardly likely to be a disincentive.

One of my best massage with sex was at Royal Spa, 2 hrs. I was going to be there only for less than a day on a cruise ship stopping in Keelung from LAX-OSAKA and prebooked by photo, something I've never done before and since. He was better than expected and he initiated the sex after giving an amazing massage with nice conversation. http://www.theroyalspa.com.tw/en/team

I'm a regular visitor to Taipei, usually 4 times a year pre-covid. Back next week for 16 days. For sauna, @hojacat is 100% correct. The only one worth visiting is Soi13in. Unlike @fedssocr, I find travelgayasia frequently disappointing and often inaccurate. For Soi13in it states it used to be called Rainbow. That's just not true. There was never a sauna in that location before. Rainbow was certainly a large sauna but the Taiwan guys who went there had an 'attitude' and foreigners were not always welcomed by other patrons. It was in a very different part of the city much closer to The Red House and closed several years ago. I believe the owners then opened Soi13in but the two are like chalk and cheese. Many twinks and many bottoms there. Take your own condoms and lube. There are other smaller saunas but frankly you could spend hours looking for them. For one night, just go to Soi13in. The easiest way to get there is the subway to Shuanglian on the Red Line (direction Tamshui), turn north-east out of the station and walk to the main road. Take the underpass, keep walking straight ahead and you will soon see it on your left as when you come to a left fork in the road. Never had a massage but I read on other forums that happy endings are not always possible and often are restricted to HJs. Best to check espeically if you want full service. The Red House is rather like gay central but forget about there being clubs there. It is almost entirely cafes, bars and restaurants. Great for eye candy especially on Friday and Saturday evenings. Easy to get to by subway - exit 1 at Ximen station. There are no gogos similar to those you will find in Thailand. There is one leather bar not far from The Red House called Commander D. Basically a leather fetish bar it is not to be confused with Commander Bar which is on the upper level at The Red House. Commander is basically just a bar. Commander D is located in a small basement in a residential area. Leather is not essential. It has special theme evenings which will often see a degree of nudity from the patrons. It also has a small stage and a dark room. But that is totally dark and so make sure you have no valuables on you if you enter. Getting around is easy IF you know where you are going. The subway is extensive and cheap. Taiwan gay guys are some of the loveliest and friendliest in Asia. But please be polite. Remember too that many gay guys go out with friends rather than solo and so in the bars it is sometimes less easy to find guys looking to meet up with a westerner. That's where the apps come are more useful. Change your photo and profile to taipei a few days before you arrive. Also remember that Blued is very popular in Taiwan. Money boys are not usual on the apps. Mostly it is younger Taiwan guys looking to spend time with westerners. MBs will usually tell you very soon after you start chatting. If you offer money to a non MB, it's possible this will might be regarded as an insult.