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New Foodland opened yesterday in new building Silom Park on corner of Convent. Few 2 for 1 deals on opening day . Opened 7/24 and restaurant is serving the same dishes at the same price as world famous Foodland Patpong including 83 baht breakfast between 5.30 and 9. According to important looking employee I asked no plans to close old location so now we truly will have a choice. Few pictures

If Christian says it’s not expensive, then I believe it. Lol.

We'll have to wati to see if @vinapu gives it his 7-star rating!

Looks bigger but somehow it can't compare to Foodland Patpong's vibes. I always get a kick out of spotting guys with their customers through the window when I walk past. Hehe

1620? You youngsters today have no sense of history. I'm talking about the events of 1419! 🤣

Matt Baume on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MattBaume/videos All of his videos I've watched have been in-depth and fascinating.

As political tensions rise while senators deliberate the fate of Move Forward party leader Pita Limjaroenrat in his quest to become Thailand’s next prime minister, the Navy has admitted that tens of thousands of rounds of ammunition and grenades are missing from a Marine Corps armoury at the Sattahip naval base. From Thai PBS World: Investigators have checked CCTV footage and have discovered that one ordnance officer had opened the door of the armoury several times, using a spare key, and had stolen the ammunition. Admiral Pokkrong said that the suspect has been absent from work since July 6th, adding that a complaint was filed with Plutaluang police in the Sattahip district of Chon Buri on July 7th. The ammunition was first exposed as missing on the webpage of “CSI LA”, which came to fame when it exposed the expensive wrist watches seen on the wrist of Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan several years ago.

I still have to confirm my work schedule. I bet the Viet guys miss you! Speaking of Viet guys, on my last night in Bangkok last month, I was at Freshboys to pick up a guy and suddenly a Viet guy called out to me. He was working as waiter and used to be from old Soi Twilight!

Friday evening two of us went to check on Tawan. Bar is small so it's easy to fill and was decently packed. This time I decided right away on he off, asked guy to dress but we still stay for thr show. Several progressive numbers with botom in ***ck how being not only cute but also outright funny during circulation greting customers from his bit inconvenient position. Solicitation for tips during show never stopped, but it was still good natured. Quite a few girls in the audience. Right after show finished, bar emptied very fast. Since on Fri and Sat they throw another's show past midnight and managed to allure new clients. We both found somebody to accompany us to the rooms. One thing is for sure- Tawan no longer in just hunks paradise as there is healthy sprinkling of twinks here an there.

Promises and perils of crowdfunding hospital bills From Pattaya Mail By Barry Kenyon For the 67 injured Brits who have appealed for cash to pay hospital bills in Thailand since the beginning of 2023, charity giving is both the first stop and a last resort. The British government and insurance companies will instantly recommend the route to distraught families, but the relatives in question can’t find mega-cash anywhere else in any case. Commercial funding platforms such as the highly popular GoFundMe handle most of the campaigns. A review of the ads suggests that the average amount requested was around 25,000 GBP, with about 40 percent of the cash actually donated by the time the ad was cancelled or, more commonly, simply fell into disuse. In almost every surveyed case, the reason for crowdfunding was an untimely accident such as a road accident (often involving a motorbike) or a fall from the condominium apartment. The handful of exceptions related to being beaten up on the street or being knifed in a quarrel with Thai nationals. The general assumption seems to be that provided prior travel insurance is taken out, the insured person is guaranteed free medical treatment abroad. But travel insurers look much more carefully at expensive hospital operations than claims for lost luggage or leaving your camera on a bus. In less than 10 percent of the cases did relatives explain publicly why insurers had refused to fund, but insurance assessor Duncan Webb told Pattaya Mail that the main reasons were suspicion of alcohol or narcotics abuse (including marijuana recently declassified in Thailand), not having a valid international or Thai driving licence and not wearing a crash helmet or seat belt. That failure means the patient was not observing due care and attention. According to several surveys, only about half of British tourists abroad carry any form of medical insurance. The Thai authorities did have a limited policy of covid-related cover being required during the pandemic, but this was abolished in 2022. Now only a very few Thai visas carry the requirement and they are all for non-tourist categories such as work permit holders or some long term residence foreigners registered with the Board of Investment. Uninsured foreigners are expected to pay for all inpatient and outpatient care. Inability to do so can result in treatment plan cancellation. Our survey of the 67 publicized cases revealed that over half never revealed what actually happened to the injured Brit, or are still pending. In four cases, we know that death intervened. A few others said that family members had managed to negotiate a financial agreement with the hospital, whilst still others said recovery had been good enough to secure a ticket on a commercial flight. We did not find any examples of an air ambulance being hired, the typical Thai-UK cost being 75,000 GBP or more. Charity crowdfunding is obviously here to stay although it very rarely indeed achieves the anticipated cash sums. The available evidence suggests that the more successful cash campaigns tell a complete story, provide updates with frequent photos or short videos and share the experience on social media. Fundraising events in UK to supplement the crowdfunding cash are also desirable. The average age of the 67 Brits reviewed in this case study was only 36 years and most were injured at night. So it’s hard to escape the conclusion that booze and driving are obvious routes to ending up on a hospital stretcher.

No. He was just one of the regular guys.

I haven't been to Apollo but I have their Line account and I receive their daily messages. Lo and behold, I recognise a Cambodian guy in today's message from Apollo. He used to be at Jupiter but he stopped. Now I know where he's working!

Glad to hear good report about this place. I believe it was Vinapu who supplied instructions for locating shop (I described locations of some Saphan Kwai shops) when he was on his way to ride new Yellow line monorail.

1. not in my experience 2. not in my experience 3. cock sizes exaggerated, no problem for me 4a. indeed, in my experience massage skill from poor to okay 4b. indeed, no issue at all for me 5. indeed, no problem because I speak Thai 6. not at all in my opinion. 400 for 1 hour oil massage and 800 minimum tip (I haven't taken anyone quoting a higher minimum tip) = 1200, an amount I can write off a research expenses. Chances for a good encounter are similar here and in gogo bars or expensive massage places, but there the expense is much higher.

That won,t happen any time soon as from this trip I,m not returning home , going somewhere else first.

Thank you for live reports @vinapu I know you prefer to write trip reports only after your trips.

I had planned to go to Bangkok in December for Christmas but after reading your latest reports, I am trying to find leave from work to go for a week in either September or October.

There isn't a difference. This is Thailand. 2000 baht today, or a motorbike and a house a year later.

That few were aware of his pursuit of higher education, more were perhaps aware that Adul (Adun) Samon was the one of the three stateless boys and their coach who were granted Thai citizenship a few months after their rescue. Adun became best known for answering rescuer Rick Stanton question about how many of there are you with a reply in English. He speaks four other languages, including Thai, Burmese, Mandarin, and Wa, a language spoken near the Myanmar and China border. Middlebury appears to be a fine choice. One of America's finest liberal arts colleges, the school is well known for its international focus. The following photo was taken at the age of 15, a year following his rescue.

And I told you you'd be back sooner than later, before the monsoon season.... you didn't let me down....

Oh my goodness! What a wonderful ending for one of the boys! I felt the tears coming back as I watched that vdo.

You have a mistake it's actually 81.72 %.

Unfortunately it, s there, bars are well under capacity and there, s whiff od desperation at closing time. We are doing what we can to lift Silom,s economy but help is needed so instead of yakking just jump on the plane and come here. Dont forget your wallet though

Dismembered by chainsaw, bagged and stored in a working freezer unit - I am waiting for the police to declare that it was 'suicide'? 😂

It originated in Prague 🙃.

Only in Russia as reader above indicates

And dissidents, have a strange habit of falling out if windows!

Discovered a new cheap way to escape a hot Bangkok afternoon when you’re too exhausted for more sex (some of you with insatiable appetite for cock can stop right here). Everyone knows Mitrtown at Samyan is great place to get fast food while watching a seeming endless parade of young men from the adjacent university circulate about. But what I didn’t realize until this trip that on top floor of mall is an art house cinema. A month ago I saw the originally formatted version of Casablanca and today caught Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. At 135 bht for the 4p.m. showing it’s a bargain. https://www.housesamyan.com/site

Can't you follow instructions 🙄

The Chinese peoples have a particular reverence for their ancestors. All around the country there are graveyards or merely simple gravestones, usually slightly circular with a concrete pllnth where descendents can place their offerings of flowers, fruit and the departed's favourite dishes. Hong Kong has several, the large ones in the built up city areas, the individual ones dotted around what used to be called the New Territories. But as one of the most densely populated parts of the planet, land for graveyards ran out years ago. As a result, many families kept the ashes of their ancestors in urns given a special place in their homes. But as the size of family homes has become smaller and smaller, other solutions have had to be found. One of the city's zillionaires who made her money in jewellry and property, Margaret Zee, is the latest to jump on this money-making bandwagon. She has constructed a 12-storey building specially designed by a German architect to store the remains of loved ones in the best possible way. Shan Sum offers a resting place for up to 10 years at a starting price of $53,000 - US$ that is! Not that all you get is a hole in the wall measuring around 1 sguare meter! The building can accommodate urns for 23,000 of the departed. This facility is both air conditioned and humidity controlled, it has a roof garden and greenery lining its stairwells and other areas. What happens after 10 years is up in the air as such facilities are subject to government regulations and the maximum at present is 10 years. Perhaps renewal will involve some sort of discount. As Ms. Zee claims, the space is as much for the peace and enjoyment for living relatives as for the dead. Not that Shan Sum is the largest or most expensive repose for the dead. A spot in a temple-like complex close to the Chinese border presently sells for US$66,000. But that is not all. Annual Management fees per urn space are a whopping US$25,000! If you do not belong to the class of the rich and famous, the government is trying to increase the construction of a similar number of facilities for the dead. A 20 years lease on these far simpler plots costs US$300 but competition is fierce with long waiting lists. Hong Kong land values have always been monstrously high and continue to skyrocket. I can remember back in 1996 the car park spaces in the three underground levels of my 34-storey apartment building (which I rented) were put on sale for US$96,000 each - with a management fee on top! https://edition.cnn.com/2023/07/07/asia/hong-kong-columbarium-real-estate-price-intl-hnk-dst/index.html

From The Nation Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT) is looking to the future with an ambitious plan to expand Don Mueang airport over the next six years. According to AOT’s CEO Kirati Kitmanawat, the AOT’s capital investment plan to develop Don Mueang International Airport phase 3 with an estimated investment of 36.83 billion baht has been approved by the Cabinet. The project is currently in the design phase and is expected to be completed and open for bidding in 2024. Construction will begin in 2025, and the new facilities will gradually be operational in 2029. The objective of the development of Don Mueang Airport phase 3 is to expand its capacity to accommodate passenger traffic, improve service quality for both air and ground transportation systems, enhance efficiency, and reduce congestion within the airport. The current capacity of the airport is 30 million passengers per year. The addition of a third passenger terminal will provide 160,000 square metres of usable space for international passengers, increasing the airport's capacity to accommodate an additional 50 million passengers per year. Improvements will also be made to the traffic system for passenger convenience, among them the construction of connections from the Don Mueang Tollway to the passenger terminal. The new Terminal 3 will serve international passengers and international flight routes exclusively. The current passenger terminals 1 and 2 will be renovated to accommodate domestic passengers, with a total usable space of up to 240,000 sqm, making Don Mueang Airport a fully equipped domestic aviation centre. The first will see the construction of Passenger Terminal 3 to the south of the airport, along with Aircraft Stand 6, and the renovation of the 7-story car park building to serve passenger drop-off and pick-up. Another will focus on developing the northern side of the airport including aircraft parking bays, expansion of the northern concourse as well as the construction of airline offices and a VVIP support building. Other segments include the construction of operational zones, the renovation of the existing passenger terminal buildings, construction of public utility systems. and monitoring, inspecting, and ensuring the quality of the environment during the renovation and restoration phase of the project. Funding will come from AOT's revenue, which is sufficient for the investment. In addition to the development of airport infrastructure, AOT is also accelerating the implementation of innovative services for passengers including Common Use Self Service (CUSS) kiosks that allow passengers to self-check-in, and the Common Use Bag Drop (CUBD) machines enabling passengers to tag their luggage, as well as an Automatic Return Tray System (ARTS) for baggage trays, all of which will help alleviate congestion and queueing issues at the passenger card inspection counters and outbound passenger screening areas. Efforts will also be made to integrate various service data of the airport onto the SAWASDEE by AOT application, allowing users to access information at any time.

I walk Lumpinee a few evenings a week and Benchakitti at least once a trip. These provide my most relaxing moments so I’m heartened to read about these efforts. From The Nation The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is working with the Big Trees Foundation and private companies to breathe new life into decaying rain trees inside Benchakitti Park, as city officials strive to add more green space to the capital and protect the small pieces that survived decades of rapid expansion. Most of the city’s green areas were transformed into construction sites as economic growth transformed Bangkok into a metropolis. But as the city expanded, buildings supplanted trees and most of those left are ageing and in decay, officials say. The BMA’s Environment Office, Big Trees Foundation, Thai Beverage Plc, and the organisers of Sustainability Expo 2023 are working together to save the last large rain trees in Benchakitti Park, which is located next to Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre. A recent survey by Big Trees and the Thai Arboriculture Association found that 15 rain trees in the park have decaying roots, mould, and are infested with worms. The soil around their roots is also too tightly compressed. The rehabilitation effort started with trees in “critical condition”. They are all located in the park’s skywalk zone. They were pruned about one month ago and have since started sprouting new leaves. Other measures taken include adjusting the height of soil around the trees, eradicating insects and germs, loosening the soil around the roots, removing extra soil from the root area, watering with a hormone solution to revive the roots, and making a ventilation pipe for the roots. Air spading uses high-pressure jet spraying to reduce compacted soil beneath the rain trees to allow better ventilation. This method of soil loosening can prevent damage to the roots. Mulch is then applied to the soil around the trunks to loosen the soil and reduce evaporation. This protective covering of rotting vegetable matter also doubles as fertiliser. In the second phase, four more rain trees will be saved. The project’s progress can be followed on the Facebook page of the Sustainability Expo or its website www.sustainabilityexpo.com. The Sustainability Expo 2023 will be held between September 29 and October 8 this year at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre.

Most travel policies I’ve seen don’t cover pre-existing conditions but do cover unforeseen events such as accidents and this certainly sounds like one. Many policies are not primary coverage and won’t pay if you have primary coverage with another carrier. I took out a required policy when I made my first post-Covid trip. I had to use emergency room after a fall that resulted in scalp and face lacerations. When I presented proof of coverage from the Thai issued policy I was informed (at Bangkok Christian Hospital) that coverage only applied to care sought in public health hospital. Upon return home I learned that my US private policy did cover unforeseen events anywhere and was reimbursed less $50 deductible.

From CNN 91-year-old male model with the face of a classic cinema star Celine van Heel began photographing her grandfather while staying with him during Covid-19 lockdowns. Now he has tens of thousands of followers online. One of The Spanish King’s most striking images to date appeared around Europe last year, as part of a campaign for moto outerwear brand Schott NYC. Photographed by van Heel in a retro bowling alley, Garcia-Carro drapes a red varsity jacket around his shoulders, thumbs behind his belt buckle and waistband of his slouchy khakis as highlighted strands of hair fall across his face. “It’s all about attitude,” Schott wrote in captions accompanying social media posts promoting the image. “His look, the way he looks at the camera — it’s simple, but it really defines him,” van Heel said of the image. In other shots from the campaign, García-Caro poses with younger models, standing out with his formidable presence. But behind the scenes, her grandfather was playful, bowling for real when they weren’t photographing. “It was so much fun. He always surprises me,” she said. Van Heel says she’s always been close with her grandfather, but their relationship grew during Covid-19 lockdowns in spring 2020, when she stayed with him and her grandmother in Spain for an extended period so they wouldn’t be alone. At the time, she was an executive assistant at the French fashion magazine L’Officiel and had never tried her hand at photography (It is now her full-time career). But shut in their home, she began styling and shooting García-Carro, curating an Instagram account for him that soon began attracting followers. “He’s always been super stylish,” she commented. “When he was young, he was already wearing these long fur coats like Macklemore… and aviator sunglasses.” García-Carro has lived many lives: a rancher in Argentina, restaurant owner in Uruguay and real estate agent in Spain among them. As a model, his first editorial — with Van Heel’s images — landed in L’Officiel China’s print edition in 2020. Soon, opportunities with other publications and brands followed suit, including Zara, with which he collaborated on a capsule collection that included a silk robe, pajamas, jeans and sunglasses. The Spanish King may appear much younger than 91 — van Heel jokes that “he’s made a pact with the devil,” especially since he still smokes and tans regularly — but he credits his late-in-life career with giving him “a new life, and so much energy.” “I look even younger than before! What I find most rewarding about modeling is to meet young people, to learn new things, to be active,” he said. “I don’t want to be sitting in my living room watching life go by.” Van Heel believes her grandfather is the perfect example of why no one should feel the need to act their age. “When you’re 70 or 80 years old, it doesn’t mean your life is over and you have to act like a sweet older grandma and do nothing else,” she said. “You can do anything at any age.”

Happy 4th of July! Please be pet friendly - heavy on the sausage, easy on the fireworks! 😉

According to gayinpattaya, it's already dead 🙄

Happy birthday USA, long life USD !

shortly we will hear that walking dressed on the beach is protest against global warming.

Since Aniki died 2 years ago, most of the discussion on saunas in Taipei has revolved around the relatively new Soi 13in. It certainly remains THE sauna for meeting mostly young Taiwanese and other Asians, especially at the week-ends when it always seems packed with way over 100 cute guys. But another sauna is undergoing something of a rebirth! For at least 2 decades, Hans Mens Sauna near the Red House gay complex of bars and cafes has continued to attract mostly older Taiwanese with occasional university students after classes and on a Saturday. The last time I went pre-covid it was pretty run down and sleazy, its one main attractive feature being a hot pool where you could sit and watch guys taking their showers, those having emerged from the very dark steam room often sporting sizeable erections. Four months ago it moved two blocks further up XiNing South Road into totally new premises. It now occupies the entire 8th floor of Wan Nian Building. It has obviously been designed from scratch and is spotlessly clean. It obviously hopes for a large number of patrons as I counted more than 300 lockers. I went twice, the more active being late on Saturday afternoon. Since it is so spread out, I could not accurately estimate the number of patrons but I reckon at least 70. Most seemed to make a beeline for the two steam rooms, at least to start their visits, and these were pretty active. The facilities also include a sauna, TV room with reclining loungers for relaxing and watching one of the regular TV movies, a corner with a long couch showing porn, a karaoke lounge, a decent number of private rooms (but not nearly enough if it ever gets packed) and about 4 totally dark spaces with mattresses. It also has an open-air balcony which I did not venture on to. I rarely if ever have met anyone I knew at a Taipei sauna. This time I was attracted to a young guy who came in and seemed to smile at me. After he had changed into his towel, he came up to me and said, "Obviously, you do not remember me!" I hate it when someone says that, but fortunately he went on, "It was at the hot spring about 4 years ago when I was 18. I only spoke a little English then but we chatted a little." Then the icing on the cake, "Really nice to see you here!" Needless to say, after he had showered and we had met up in a steam room, we chatted a bit and then proceeded to a dark room where we had a really great time. Afterwards we exchanged Line IDs and will keep in touch. The one thing the new Hans lacks is ambience, but then few attending will be looking for that. The walls are mostly industrial concrete and the floors linoleum. But overall I thought the clientele had moved down an age bracket or two. Clearly some guys were in their 20s but I reckoned most were between late 20s and mid-50s - except for me, that is!! To get to the sauna, probably the best way is to go through the Red House from near the subway exit to Sol Bar at the very end on XiNing South Rd. Exiting Sol, turn right, cross over the traffic intersection and walk up about 80 meters to the next intersection which is from the pedestrian area. Across the street you will see a large building in green. This is the Wan Nian Building. Find the entrance on XiNing South Road and walk through the small stores (a bit like Terminal 21 in Bangkok although these are mostly watch shops). There is no sign in English for the 8th floor, only one with two Chinese characters on a blue background. The lifts will be on your left. Entrance is now NT$400 (US$13), NT$50 more than at the old premises. I noticed there is a hotel on the 6th floor. No idea what it is like but I imagine pretty inexpensive. On a more general note, as far as the apps are concerned, I gave up on Blued a couple of years ago and was a bit surprised that some of my Taiwan friends had also ditched the app. Grindr was arguably the most active for young guys seeking older westerners, but Hornet and Jack'd were not far behind. I did venture out one evening to the gayish Hot Spring, Huang Tzu. Not as many guys as normally the case, but then it was very hot in Taipei last week and a hot spring is better suited to cooler if not colder weather. Still, there must have been 60 - 70 guys there with some as usual being agressively handsome.

Having been in Bangkok for one week, I have visited all bars except Tawan. I am terrified of Tawan because I am small sized and afraid of being crushed by huge Tawan guys! I agree that ranking the bars is difficult because everyone has personal preference so maybe it helps to state one's preference first. For me, I like twinks and twunks. If hunks, not too big please. I like handsome faces as well. Tattoos are OK but not too many please. And lastly, I don't have budget for models who ask for 5000 baht short time. Hence, my list of bars to off a guy in Bangkok: 1) Screwboys 2) Hot Male / Banana / Freshboys 3) Jupiter / Moonlight / Dreamboys But when it comes to watching a show and just having a good time, this is my list: 1) Jupiter / Moonlight / Banana 2) Dreamboys / Hot Male / Freshboys 3) Screwboys

I have just come back from my Taiwan trip, it was amazing. I don't really have the time to write a big trip report but here's some info for newbies (like myself). Grindr was quite easy to find guys on, but I didn't see any profiles offering massage or MB. I had the most luck picking up guys on the same night rather than trying to schedule ahead, 6-9pm there's lots of guys active every night. I didn't end up needing to try Blued or any other apps. Taipei Ximending area was full of attractive guys, it's a good area to stay. Soi13 sauna was very busy and worth going to on a Saturday night, easily 100 guys most aged 20-35, a lot are fairly shy but the dark rooms can be very intense. It was busy 6:30 until about 9:30 then it started to get quieter, i left so i'm not sure if it picks up again after guys have been out clubbing. Foreigners pay NTD800 entry. https://goo.gl/maps/pVhZfGqMkhNM11cz9 The day I planned to go to Emporor hotspring the plans didn't work out, so I still need to go back to experience that. http://www.emperorspa.com.tw/about.html https://goo.gl/maps/VYM47sdBspm1e6xXA I went to Mars sauna in Taichung, Mars was harder to find, mostly because i went in the wrong entrance and tried to use the service elevator instead of the staircase entrance in the next door building. there are stickers on both doors saying mars, but if you find yourself looking at elevators with no staircase to the right, go next door. NTD350 entry, the front desk will need to help you with the ticket machine if you don't read mandarin. https://goo.gl/maps/sYVDEcouGoGBHF5Q6 Mars had good facilities, hot and cold plunge pools, steam room (wasn't working when i was there), cabins, a dark room, cinema playing chinese movies, chill out area. I didn't pick the best nights to go Friday (before an event on Saturday) and on the Sunday. On Friday there were 35-40 guys, most in mid20s-30s. The guys at mars were less shy than the guys at Soi13 for me, I met a great guy and ended up going for drinks and back to my hotel with him. Sunday was rough, maybe 10 guys most >35. I was in Kaohsiung as well, but i didn't try the sauna there. I found Kaohsiung the most difficult to find guys, I had one catfish dud from Grindr and met one cute guy that said he works at a KTV in Taipei but translate wasn't doing the best with my questions so we didn't communicate much and just had fun. Kaohsiung is worth visiting but I didn't stay long. Overall the language barrier is manageable, in Taipei it's easier than Taichung and Kaohsiung but that's to be expected. The saunas don't need any language because people don't really talk except in the cabins or chill out areas, glances and hand touches were the signs of interest. Mars sell colored wrist bands to show your position which i liked, in Soi13 i just put keys on left wrist to show i'm top (idk if that's universal everywhere). Next time I plan to try the hotsprings and I want to figure out the KTVs because it seems like there are gay KTVs around but it might need more than google translate to find what i'm looking for there. People are friendly, food is great, the country is beautiful. I'll be back for sure. My next trip will be Bangkok or HK, so i doubt i'll be back for Taipei Pride but maybe next year.

Hospitality employees are high in the gay ratio....lots of people working from Thailand (before Covid), Indonesia, Mexico, Philippines....being the easiest and most willing to hook up with, the Eastern Europeans were too straight to do such a thing, from my experience. I'd cruised enough that I was known and knew a lot of the crew members....most were for free, a couple needed financial incentive to do something as a pretext that they weren't gay. 30 yrs ago it wasn't a huge deal if a crewmember was caught in the pax cabin, but as they merged and got bigger ships and a lot of females were raped or thought they were raped, it became prohibited. If caught , the crewmember would be sent home at the next port of call. But with the right planning and raging hormones, some crew were easily convinced to come....they knew that I knew the routine and when they found out where my cabin was, out of sight....they would come. I had a Thai guy that eventually "jumped ship" (an expression used when they don't go back to their country and stay in the US) and came to live with me in the US. But prior to that I had been on a 10 day and then later a 32 day cruise where he slept in my room every night..... His boss was sleeping with one of the female waitresses, which is not allowed either, so we had an agreement....I don't bust your balls, you don't bust mine......worked out well.

I've been on 102 cruises, not 1 gay cruise. Most of the world except for circumventing Africa......always strategically selected the state room location on board so I could have crew visitors without them being seen 😉

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.