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The idea of gay community is important to me. There have been a few very close gay friends in my life in Thailand but sadly, they are no longer with us. As they were much older than me, I was so happy to have them as part of my life and listen to their stories and history. I learned a great deal from conversations and correspondence. The one friend I had in Pattaya passed away a while back and I have had zero desire to visit there since. He was the reason I went to spend long weekends and without that, I find I had rather go to other places. I do think very important to have a wide variety of friends. Most of my friends in most cities are not gay. But, where I spent most of my adult life (New York City), the opposite is true. I still have those gays that are as close as family and I see them often and hang out with them often. Gone are the days of discos and nightclubs and sex clubs, now to the days of brunches without handovers, dinner and the theater, and just getting together to play games (I taught them Rook so they would have a bit of my childhood).

Post trip reflections. Highlights - S'sense is a big winner and a pleasant discovery for this trip. I always tend to go to a no hanky panky spa for a decent massage and then visit another place in search of the fun extras. I am delighted that from experience, both elements are present in S'sense. I always make it a point to avoid recommending a specific guy as experiences and individual connection can vary. However, I would recommend Knott just for his massage skills alone. - Hotmale is another surprise. I am pleased that I gave this place a second chance after a lack lustre experience from my first visit. - My meetups through apps have been consistently pleasant during this trip. While this mode takes heaps of time and effort to weed out time wasters and dodgy characters, it can be worth it. My meetups with non Thailand based MBs thru the app is a new Bangkok experience for me. - Tawan is always a highlight. The unpretentious ,relaxed and friendly atmosphere is something other boy bars are not able to duplicate. - Kman Spa. Another notable discovery this trip. Worth the effort getting there. Looking forward to explore the other establishments in the Saphan Kwai area next time. - LTs: maybe because of the lean season, securing LTs are not as difficult compared to previous experience pre pandemic. Most guys are also not in a hurry to go home the next morning. Maybe it's just my luck this time. Lowlights - Banana bar just didn't tick any of my boxes this time. I'm not sure if its unusual but they only had four performers rotating the whole time I was there. People will take a peek by the door and will instantly walk off. - Fresh boys is always a lowlight for me but I always end up visiting at least once every trip. The lack of subtlety on the part of waiters and Mamasans when asking for tips and drinks can be irritating. I mean asking for tips/drinks within the first minute of conversation? - AirBnB: given its legal status in Thailand, I always second guess and brace myself everytime I bring a boy back. The apartment I rented have posted notices and banners saying that the building is strictly for residential use and not for short rental like air bnb. The notices were written in a way that the renters can get into trouble if they don't report this to building management. But again, this is Thailand. While I didn't have any issues during my previous stay, I'll stick to the usual tried and tested Silom hotels next time. - Jupiter: as advised, I will try to ignore the ice cold standoffish behaviour of the guys next time. I might be in for a surprise. - Dreamboys is a mixed bag for me. While their new place is a definite improvement, both my visits didn't result to an off. Not crossing this off my list and will give it a try next time. Compared from my visit last year, things are really looking very positive. There seems to be no remnants of the pandemic and Silom / Surawong area is bustling with most establishments back to operating till late night / early morning. Overall, this 12 day experience have been pleasant with no major dramatics with any of my off. Fingers crossed it will be like this next time. Thank you for reading my reports and hopefully this will be of help to you guys for your next trip. I am looking forward reading your future reports too!

There have been posts over the years about misunderstandings with boys from the bars and other difficulties some have found in communicating with Thais. I have been coming to the country for four decades for work, play and finally living in Bangkok, but still find Thai logic all but impossible to comprehend. The latest incident concerns of all things air conditioning maintenance! For many years I had an annual contract with one company to come to the apartment three times a year to service three units. When they went out of business, I asked our excellent receptionist who speaks pretty good English if she could help find another company. I get on well with her, always give her a Songkran brown envelope and other little gifts from time to time. But after almost a year she could come up with none. A friend who lives in a much more luxurious condo then suggested I try their maintenance company. Although a lot more expensive, they came twice, seemed excellent, but then did not reply to calls. The receptionist tried half a dozen times before finally someone answered. The company had decided to base themselves out of Bangkok, allegedly! In some desperation, last week I did what I should have done almost 2 years ago! I spoke to my neighbours to find out who serviced their units. It is the company run by the husband of our receptionist, they told me! So during all this time when allegedly she and also I have been trying to find an aircon contractor, her husband ran such a company yet she did not tell me! After I approached her about this to see if they could come, I assumed it would be a few weeks later. They turned up the next day, spent much longer than the other companies and as far as i know did an excellent job. So why could she not have told me this before? I'll never understand!

Day 2: I awoke early, perhaps not accustomed to the new timezone I am in and the new bed that the hotel provided. I just lay in bed until around 10am and decided to go around Lumpini park to stretch my legs. The major structures in the park seem to be in renovation mode with most of them cordoned off the public. I passed by the public gym, but doesn't seem to have the usual cruisy vibes as years before. After a quick walk around the park, I decided to try my luck again on the silom complex facilities. This time though, I think I was too early for the action. I walked back to the new silom edge building, and found that they offer relatively affordable food court fare in their basement despite the relatively up scale eateries on the other floors. They also have a public shower facilities on the 2nd floor. I had a quick lunch at their basement level for less than 100 baht. I noticed I was running low in cash, so decided to head on to x-one in Suriwong. They have a mobile app, so it was easy to compare the rates of the different money exchange along the way. So far it seems to have the best rate. Along the way, I passed Tawan - they might have stopped their massage services as there was no touts outside at that time. I saw signs for Super A and later nature boy, these bars were reported to open early, but it was close when I passed them around lunch time. Saw the Queen's club has closed down - what a tragedy. Along the way, I passed by a huge local market selling cooked food for take out. I bet these would be more affordable and more authentic than those found in the restaurant malls. After changing my cash to Baht, I was just wondering around the area. I went to silom plaza, but didn't proceed to arena as the greeter was not my type. On a whim, I decided to hop on to the bus to reach the small outlet center in the jewelry bldg in silom for some shopping. Unfortunately, nothing caught my eye, and their "sale" price wasn't really a bargain anymore. As there were a lot of time to spare, I decided to head to Heaven Sauna. It was early afternoon, I paid the 200 Baht entrance fee, and was surprised by the number of people already in the place. There were lots of more mature daddy type or men with bigger builds in there. I saw one perfect bear specimen. I could've been sworn he was a porn actor in farangland, not for his lesser than average junk. The small jacuzzi at the rooftop was no more. Lots of actions happening in the dark room as well as the steam room and private cubicles. A lot to enjoy if you are into mature and bigger built guys. After it got dark, I decided to treat myself to a buffet in holiday inn. Food selection was ok, and the price was not that steep. After an hour of chomping down on the dinner buffet, I decided to go back to Tawan for the show. When I arrived, I was ushered by a handsome tout with a tribal tattoo that spans his forearms. First time seeing him, he was quite professional, not clingy as the guys inside. When I reached inside, I noticed a few of the same customers that were there yesterday. Tonight Mr K, was not present. Mr P though was a surprise appearance, he later told me that he only comes on weekends as he works at a gym. The cute Myanmar or is it Lao guy was also present that day. Even though he was not part of the big cock show, and as mentioned before, I was trapped behind a row of seated customers for the guys in the big cock show to reach me, he was resourceful and got an ample reward for it. The show was mostly the same, but this time the BDSM part has Mr C tied up on a chair on stage and another guy using a vibrator to explore his nether regions. it would've been more effective if you can actually see the vibrator move. The F show also featured a handsome bottom. Not fem at all, which makes it more interesting. I later found out that Tawan is the only bar that still have the F show, it's a shame though that it only last a few minutes. And the tips are not coming in from the audience unlike previous times. So tonight, for the chuck wow portion, there was just enough tip for 1 guy to shoot his load on stage, the other guy had to leave the stage empty handed. On exiting the bar, another tout was tailing me, asking me why I didn't off, and asked if I wanted to off him. I don't seem to recall knowing him, but he said that he worked inside before. He asked for tip to buy chicken from the vendor outside the expanded 7/11. he seems kind enough so I gave a 100 Baht and bid him good night.

For those unlike Unicorn who are interested in alternatives to bombings, look at: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/talking-with-insurgents-a-guide-for-the-perplexed/ (click download for the full article. The author points out that the costs of this approach are political and so difficult for someone like Netanyahu to stomach.) For those who would use the counter example of the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, I'd point to this short essay which describes the factors that drove that defeat: https://sangam.org/understanding-sri-lankas-defeat-tamil-tigers/ With the state backer Iran, those factors do not seem very achievable in Gaza. Bombings did not work for the US. They are not working for Israel. Americans loved our 'shock and awe", but at the end of the day, it didn't achieve our goals. I imagine the Israelis are much in the same mindset.

Then there’s always the possibility that she simply enjoys seeing farang befuddled.

Good job! Having friends is often life long exercise and require going through a lot of thick and thin. only then we reap our reward. Mu uncle who died in good faculties at 94 remarked that no matter what , at some point of life you find yourself lonely because most of people you knew all your life are gone or they already don't know who you are. He called it 'penalty for living too long"

Whatever its faults, this website does allow some human/gay connection. I would miss it if it ceased operating.

Truly sorry to hear about your friend. Unfortunately he was not the first who found himself in such dire straits. As a community, we have done little to address the fate on the aged members of our tribe. I read periodic comments about the number of lonely men, particularly in Pattaya but they also exist in Bangkok and beyond. We understandably glorify the attraction of youth; that’s what drew most of us here in the first place. But time and age inextricably take their toll and all too often social isolation sets in. Last week I was discussing the closure of the Coffee Grinder with the two men who opened the shop on Bangkok’s Soi. Tarntawan. It was, they said, their intent to open a place that could serve as a gathering place for the city’s gay community during the daytime hours. There are many options in the evening in the Silom area, they reasoned, but no opportunity otherwise. They wanted a welcoming environment where folks could spend time and interact with others. Sadly, due to conditions beyond their control, the shop had to close last month. I miss it already. I used it to meet with other members and it was a joy to be in those surroundings. We, as a community, need nurturing places.

Biden certainly echoed those sentiments during his visit to Israel last week: “As he wrapped up his 7 1/2-hour visit to Tel Aviv, Biden compared the Oct. 7 assault to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people and he recalled the rage Americans felt and the desire for justice by many in the United States. He also urged the Israelis to remember American missteps after 9/11, an era that left the U.S. military ensconced in a 20-year war in Afghanistan. “I caution this: While you feel that rage, don’t be consumed by it,” he said. “After 9/11, we were enraged in the United States. And while we sought justice and got justice, we also made mistakes.”

you mean Preparation H thing ?

Maybe he needed something in his ass, I know it helps me 😉

The only friends I have here in Pattaya are gay friends; I would be lost without them! And we are concerned about one another.

from Thai PBS. World Showing respect for adults and the elderly, collectively known in Thai as “pooyai” (ผู้ใหญ่), is a cultural norm in Thailand, which is widely perceived as a virtue. While abuse of power is, however, becoming increasingly common, from boasting about their seniority and abusing youngsters to expecting special privileges, Thai people have found themselves rethinking how respect should really be perceived. “Pooyai” also refers to people in positions of power and “influential figures” in their communities. Therefore, how has this “always-respect-the-pooyai” belief allowed certain people to mistreat whoever they want? How often are our values compromised because pooyais “are always right”? Most importantly, is it wrong to have no respect for pooyais who treat us badly? Or is it because Thais have been teaching “respect” the wrong way? What does “respect” mean to Thais? Universally, respect is respect, regardless of who you are and where you are from, but “respect” in Thai culture is somehow different. There are several words in the Thai language used to describe respect. The most common is “Kao-rob” (เคารพ) which means to respect someone, such as respecting the elderly or paying respects to the national anthem or a religion. Other words include “Nub-tue” (นับถือ) which means to have huge respect for someone, while “Nob-norm” (นอบน้อม) means to respect someone with a humble attitude, especially when you consider yourself inferior to the other person to whom you are speaking. The way these terms are described in the Thai language means you respect someone or something only because it is of “high regard”, such as the pooyais, which is going in an upward direction only. Therefore, Thais often find themselves reinforcing the belief of humble respect for whoever is “above” them, but it barely teaches people to respect each other, regardless of status. A lot of this is rooted in the social hierarchies in Thai culture, where your age, gender, wealth, social status or lineage will determine how you will be treated. This has led people to believe that the higher the ranking, the more authority and respect you will gain, or will expect from others. For this reason, some people feel entitled to boast about their superiority and talk condescendingly to others, believing that everyone has to be humble and respect them no matter what, because they are in a “higher” position. This is especially true regarding age, all Thais rank each other by comparing themselves to a family member, such as Pee (พี่, as in older brother or sister), Loong (ลุง, as in uncle), Pah (ป้า, as in aunt), Na (น้า, as in female cousin), Ah (อา, as in male cousin) and Nong (น้อง, as in younger brother or sister). Such honorifics are supposed to be used based on love and care for others, like a family. Some people, however, use them as a “shield of honour”, to demand respect from whoever they see as “young children”, especially those who seem to be ignorant about seniority. The frustration has even sparked a social media catchphrase “Krai-Nong-mueng-ka” (ใครน้องมึงคะ) literally “Who the hell is your Nong?”. This is used by people to express their irritation with seniors, including complete strangers, who try to patronise them. Continues at https://www.thaipbsworld.com/opinion-im-a-pooyai-the-dilemma-of-respect-in-thai-culture/

You got me worried, shortage of tips may be result of Chinese being biggest part of an audience, taking over from more generous farangs. But surely , with lack of tips more progressive parts of the show may be thing of the past. that chicken dish tip seems to be in vogue there recently but to their credits last few times they asked for tip to buy that , few minutes later I actually saw them eating it so at least my money (and hopefully yours ) seems to be spent as intended. One of many nice things about Tawan is that they have good rotation and as you noticed , some guys are coming only on some days. As for massage there , perhaps you came too early as guy who was / is doing that has day time job somewhere in Huyai Kwang which is also sadly reason he is not interested in long time. Happy to hear you have good time there, waiting impatiently for next day's report

Since you can't even name one alternative (as I already knew couldn't), after falsely stating you knew several, perhaps you'd do better to keep quiet rather than extol your lack of integrity. And, of course, you know full-well that the Israelis don't bomb civilians. They bomb missile launching sites. Hamas has zero need to put them in areas heavily populated by civilians, of course. The civilian deaths are 100% Hamas' responsibility. Hamas kills Palestinian civilians for propaganda purposes. Bear in mind, that I very much support Palestinian civilians, and have donated thousands of dollars over the years to help them. It pains me to see Hamas slaughter them.

Congrats, that's great! And your last sentence is the key. Not just drinking friends, or traveling friends, or companions, or sex-friends, or gabbing friends, but friends you can count on. And ask yourself how you can be counted on by others, too.

A tiny piece of good news in amongst the horror is that Israeli support for Netanyahu is apparently collapsing pretty dramatically. Israelis may be united, but they also blame him (as they should).

I look forward to Putin being arrested as a war criminal and imprisoned for the rest of his miserable life. Thailand's support for him is an international disgrace.

From Pattaya News On October 20th, 2023, Mr. Sutin Klungsang, the Thai Minister of Defense, publicly revealed details following his visit to the Royal Thai Navy on various aspects of naval operations and government policies. The issue of submarines, specifically the procurement of engines from China, was a point of focus. Both the Ministry of Defense and the Thai government had been working to resolve such an issue, following the previous governments attempts In a recent development, the Thai Navy accepted a proposal to replace their planned submarine with Chinese frigates. The Navy had previously requested the Thai government to secure submarine engines from China, but negotiations with the Chinese government proved unsuccessful. Consequently, the Navy had put forth a proposal to acquire frigates instead of the originally planned submarines. The government believed that frigates had the capability to effectively address their defense needs, though inferior to submarines. During a diplomatic discussion with China, the Chinese side also faced difficulties regarding engine procurement, and both sides expressed mutual understanding of each other’s challenges.

I can name them, Unicorn, but it isn't my job to do your thinking for you. Getting shrill at me because you don't want to engage your own mind isn't helpful. If you really can't think of any alternatives for the Israelis than bombing civilians, then I suggest you do some reading on asymmetric warfare. Bombing civilians hasn't stopped Hamas. It didn't stop the Taliban. (The US is as guilty of this error as Israel is.) What it does do is make the aggressor feel good while creating a whole new generation of militants to perpetuate the cycle. It's a lot like the war on drugs. It has failed utterly and completely, but omigod we can't stop now! Maybe this year we'll achieve what we haven't achieved in more than 50 years we've been doing this. Israel's been bombing civilians in Gaza since 2006. It is now 2023 and the bombings continue. How is that working for them?

Your right but after all we are men, like all men - selfish, prone to brutality and rarely taking a shower other than on Friday

I remember Paya Lebar, it had a slight dip, ie up and down, in the runway. Also I remember the hairdressers stationed at immigration to cut the hair of anyone whose hair was deemed too long. Damned hippies!

I consider myself very privileged to have met some of the friendly members on this forum. During my recent weekend trip to Bangkok, I spent so much time chatting with a fellow forum member that I did not visit any gogo bar during the 3 nights! Even though there were 4 gogo bars and lots of fine looking guys around us! We chatted about our lives - the past, present and the inevitable future. The waiters were sensible enough to leave us alone when the topic of conversation became serious and solemn.

How dreadful! I wonder how long they had been together - quite a long time I expect. Losing a boy friend at that age must leave one with a horrible feeling of emptiness and no doubt fear for the future. I know from many of your earlier posts that you are one of the most caring of people. I doubt you could have done more. While I agree with @reader that gay expats in Thailand tend not to be - as a general rule - very caring about fellow gay expats, I also agree with @Marc K and suspect quite a few do not consider their fellow gay men as a community any more. Time has moved on. Perhaps I was lucky in that when i did move here, I already knew a couple of expats and several Thais. Now with a long-time Thai partner, I have a small group of gay friends, western and Thai. and he has a larger group of Thai friends. Fortunately he likes my friends and I really enjoy being with his friends. None of them know much about the gay scene except one who is still desperate to find a German boyfriend! We do not go out to gay bars as we prefer an ambience that is not completely gay. In fact, my partner had never been to a gay bar until the friend desperate to meet a German took him to Soi 4 where they had a few drinks at Balcony. My partner said he would never go back. The reason? A few farang (probably tourists) came up to the two of them to ask them to go back for the night with them at the same time asking what fee to pay. When both politely would say 'no', the farang all basically told them to fuck off! I have met some other posters here and have arranged to meet another when he is next here. But we are all different and mixing with my existing friends gives me much enjoyment. For others I know it is different, and especially for those whose lives seem to revolve around a Thai or Asian boyfriend.

Amsterdam is actually a very small city. You can easily walk from one side of the city center to the other. Bangkok is far, far bigger, with many more districts. It's 'red light' district isn't really near the primary tourist traps and they're a lot less inclined to tell others how their lives should be lived.

This is my first trip after I called it quits in the corporate world. I would've made this the trip earlier but didn't want to burn bridges with my ex-employer. Anyway, let's just jump to Day 1. Day 1: Arrived at the airport around noon. There seems to be a VIP in swampy during my arrival as there was a portion that was cordoned off to the public, and a few camera men on standby. Surprised with the paperless immigration process, this is an improvement - at least in the ecological sense. Took the skytrain to the silom area - where my hotel was located and decided to do some fruit shopping in the basement supermarket of silom complex. They no longer give plastic bags for free, instead they sell it for 1 Baht. I also found an affordable prepaid sim available on AIS shop - 50 baht for the sim, 200 baht for the month long 30GB internet and unlimited wifi for a month. The store clerk mentioned that I can keep the sim active by topping up 20 Baht per month. This seems to be a better deal for me than having to buy the tourist sim every time I come to Thailand. While in the shopping mall, nature called. I was surprised to see quite active cruising happening. Both local and farangs were obviously cruising. Saw a few above average cocks that are surely stage worthy in the nearby bars. At first I thought this would be a good alternative than hitting the bars, but the often interruptions by the cleaners was a downer. I wonder which other places have cruisy facilities in Bangkok? After checking in to my hotel, resting and freshening up, it's time to hit the night life. I tried small Joe salad place just below the BTS station. It seems to be good value for 300 Baht, I had a medium salad and entree. After dinner, I went straight for Tawan. I was surprised to see different handsome touts now welcoming the customers. The owner/cashier is stationed at the entrance to collect the 500 Baht fee. The place was the same as I last visited but with the added 2nd floor of the stage. When show time started, the crowd had ballooned and the crew added plastic stools in front to original setup. The customers' drinks were capriciously placed behind them on the existing small round tables. And as expected, they experienced at least one spillage every night that I was there. I saw some old faces and some new ones. One of my fave muscle guy was on this bulking phase, so not the type that I would off . So after a short hi/hello, he got the point and left me with the other guys sticking by. K who I had the hots for was on form, and he seems to have grown body hairs which is a plus. But I am wary to off him, as I think I would easily fall for him. Some new muscle guys were present, some a few non muscle guy - bordering on the rough looking ones also now part of the rosters. At around 1045pm the show thankfully started without the long welcome to Tawan prologue in 3 different languages. Unfortunately though, it was opened by a traditional Thai dance, and followed by a couple of cabaret acts. I think it was already 11pm when Ten's candle act started, which was followed by the usual muscle show, bdsm, and big cock show then another set of cabaret acts and then culminated with the fuck show and the aborted chuck wow show since there were very few tips despite the large crowd.

As Chulalongkorn Day is a Memorial Day and not a Buddhist holiday, bars and other entertainment places are likely to be open.

Maybe the reason is very simple she didn't want to be involved because she was worried that you won't be satisfied with her husband service and preferred not to be in embarrassing situation when you are seeing her every day with grumpy look on your face while passing by the reception ...

It looks like the bananas are back

Now there's a preposterous "alternative." Lots wrong with it. First of all, planning and arranging for a ground invasion takes a lot of time. It's absurd to imagine that Israel would just let Hamas continue to simply spew missiles towards their territory day after day, while planning a dangerous invasion (oh, and of course ignoring that if the missile sites are left intact, Hamas could easily target the potentially invading forces). Secondly, such an invasion would be extremely dangerous as Hamas is entrenched in cities they know well, and they have tons of tunnels, booby-traps, and so on. Thirdly, and most obviously, who in his right mind would imagine that a ground invasion in and of itself wouldn't result in ample civilian deaths? And, even if Hamas were to somehow wait around and just leave those missiles lying there, the missiles are still in highly populated areas. Missiles are, to put it mildly, explosive. Or do you imagine that Hamas is going to simply hand over the missiles to the ground troops, saying "Here you go!"?????

I watched a couple of very good documentaries on YouTube in the last couple of days about the origins of the issues. Quite interesting history. It's difficult to see that there's any resolution on the horizon

Argentina's economy minister Sergio Massa has defied expectations by winning more than 36% of the vote in Sunday's presidential election, putting him on course for a run-off contest with far-right candidate Javier Milei. Mr Massa's lead was a surprise as many had believed voters would punish him for presiding over a financial crisis. Inflation in Argentina is nearing 140%. With almost all ballots counted, no candidate had received the necessary 45% of votes needed to win outright.

They don't call it "the inscrutable orient" for nothing, Peter. You will never know what calculation she made in not answering you. As an amateur (very amateur!) psychologist, the best I have ever been able to comprehend the thought patterns is to come to the revelation (?) that Thais compartmentalize their lives (read, thoughts) in very different ways than we do. What they are confronted with doesn't matter as long as they are not forced to confront it head on. I guess my hypothesis doesn't really help unravel your mystery, but there it is nonetheless. Maybe others, perhaps biracial and bi-cultural folks, can understand things better?

Whatever helps, to each his own

Great advice by the friend , Israelis knowing well what situation is may follow on that but will Netanyahu and settlers listen ?

Inevitable? What is bound to be a massacre that includes tens of thousands - maybe even hundreds of thousands - of non-combatant civilians, including women and children is "understandable"? It's a war crime. I realise that feelings can be and are in many cases quite strong on this subject. Mine certainly are as readers will be aware. I want to put it in more personal terms. In March last year back in the UK, I met some recent friends of my sister, a Palestinian doctor working in the UK and his Taiwanese wife. They had an adorable little baby. He is safe as he has residency in the UK where the National Health service desperately needs his skills. All the others in his family live in Gaza City - his parents, his two brothers and their families and his sister and her family. With Israel's warning about an imminent invasion, they all moved to the south of the Gaza Strip. There they found a vast number of people, no food, no water, no proper sanitation, no tents. They described it as hell. So they chose the hell they knew and returned to their homes. At least there they have their own generator and there is a well for water nearby. They desperately want to live, but they realise there is a good chance some or all will die. They have already said their goodbyes. These good people have nothing to do with Hamas and condemn what happened in israel in the most vehement terms. But Israel is likely to bomb them out of existence. We all feel desperately for the families and loved ones of those innocents who were murdered in Israel. WIll the world feel so desperately for those already being killed in Gaza and those innocents about to die?

Oh, you've forgotten what it's like to be young 😉😝

Well, one option to consider is a actually take the bull by the horns and launch a ground invasion, after making strenuous efforts to get the civilians to leave northern Gaza. That appears to be under consideration, although is uncertain as to whether Israel carry it out. Hamas are so dug in nowadays that the Israeli military casualties would doubtless be horrific. In my opinion it was pretty inevitable that the Gaza situation was always going end up like this, once Israel allowed Hamas to get established there. I remember when the Israelis evacuated Gaza in 2004. That was not part of a long-term peace plan, it was just a way for the Israelis to make it less painful them to control Gaza and the West Bank. When Hamas eventually took complete control,in the civil war with Fatah in 2007, I was surprised that Israel did not then promptly invade. In retrospect, Israel should have invaded them, before Hamas had a chance to get to build kilometres tunnels which they will presumably used to make it very costly for Israel to invade now. My opinion is that Israel had decided on an "acceptable level violence" policy in regards to Gaza. They decided it was better to have the occasional exchange of rockets with them, then to invade and try and root out Hamas. That has come back to bit them now, in a horrific way In fairness, a ground war will probably end up being bloody for Gazan civilians too, but at least the IDF will clear out Hamas. What to do from there is a good question.

I bet if those kids were White, you would find alternatives.

Sometime there is just nothing can be done to help in certain situation, especially if a senior has poor health, and no family members are willing to take up responsibility.

I recall Jim Lumsden at Ambiance/BBB telling me fifteen years ago that the future for gays bars was bleak. He blamed it on the arrival of dating apps. It wasn't long before he established his new hotel..

What we need is some innovation, some imagination, some originality = some personalization which would attract attention. And another novel concept, how about sharing boys? You know when I go to Tukcom and one booth doesn't have what I need, they go to another booth to get it. Now some of you might like barhopping (I don't), but it is becoming prohibitively expensive to visit all 20(?) JC bars. And you still might not end up with what you want. Just saying... any bar owners out there listening?

No, he's not right. This conflict didn't start with the latest Hamas attack. Anyway, it's interesting to see how this is evolving. It doesn't make sense to me that Hamas would massacre so many innocent Israeli civilians. They outsmarted Israel's defense and could have claimed an astonishing victory if they had destroyed Israeli military installations and killed or captured their soldiers. Instead, they murdered and kidnapped innocent people. They aren't dumb. This might be a provocation to lure Israeli deployment into Gaza and surprise the Israelis again with unexpected tactics and weapons. I doubt Israel isn't entering the territory to avoid innocent Palestinian deaths. History shows that Palestinian lives are undervalued to them. They are probably gathering intelligence because they have the same suspicions I do: Hamas is planning something else.

Characterizing Israel as the attacked is overly simplistic to me. The Israeli military has been killing civilians in fairly large numbers for years. I suspect their families and communities are not at all comforted to hear the Israelis say they were trying to kill terrorists. I think a state of war has existed for quite some time with a fair amount of killing on both sides, though the Israelis win the body count battle. I don't think the chance for peace is much helped when people around the world pick sides in this conflict and thereby effectively egg the parties on to continue it. The conflict is unwinnable by either side. Israel can't kill an idea, and Hamas and those like it aren't going to make the state of Israel go away. But, they're both going to keep trying because at the moment they're both more invested in the problem than a solution.

I'm not saying it shouldn't be but that my be reason why Palestinian problem is never even close to solving and results in US hating in big parts of Muslim world.

>> The US has done virtually nothing. << I don't consider sabotage, assassination and who knows what else we don't hear about, "nothing." If you don't know about these events, then you haven't been following the news on Iran for the last decade or so. Shooting missiles at Iran and dropping bombs on them are hardly the only responses the US has. The fact that you haven't heard about all the US actions doesn't mean they haven't happened. The Hamas attack may well give Israel the cover it needs to actually escalate attacks on Iran that to date have been mostly in the shadows. The US shies away from "regime change", but I doubt Israel has those same qualms. Yes, it can get a lot uglier for Iran. It can also get a lot uglier for Israel, Hamas and a host of others. As long as a lot of people are more invested in the conflict than in its resolution, the killings will continue on both sides.

50 years ago today one of the world's great iconic buildings opened. Its design and consturction had undergone huge problems, not least the firing of its designer Jørn Utzon, the near impossibility of constructing its 'sails', completion was 10 years late, the budget overran 14 times, and politicians interfering by insisting on a highly controversial rearrangement of its interior venues. Yet the Sydney Opera House has become Australia's most visited tourist attraction and is admired the world over. While the world has marvelled, I doubt if Utzon ever imagined that his baby would become a projection screen. Each Australian summer there is a Fesitval in Sydney when images are projected on to the structure. Many are stunning and I attach a selection. The most moving surely was a special projection to mark Anniversary Day of the end of WWI with a simple series of poppies.

PART THREE: OMNIA SQUARE (red outline area on map below): This place is brimming with Middle Eastern young men for sex. This is a place you either love or hate (as our other reviews here have shown)!!!! The whole square is very seedy, but the area for sex is the northwestern part of Omonia. This is the part in front of and surrounding the Hondos department store. The Syrian, Iranian, and Iraqis are usually sitting/standing at the top of the tube escalator that empties in front of the juice bar Gregores (red circle). The escalator that empties in front of Hondos (and the elevator area) usually has the Greeks and eastern Europeans (red circle). As you face Hondos, the side pedestrian street on the left side is filled with Afgans and Pakistanis. The same can be found on the right side of Hondos on the side walk. It is also the case that if you cross the street to your east you will find several outdoor cafes. One of them, whose name escapes me, you will find has old gay men sitting with their young male companions. I usually frequent the outdoor café/restaurant right in front of Hondos where I can sit and watch the boys on offer (dotted red on map). When I arrive at Omonia I usually take a complete walk around the Hondos center and then spend a few minutes seeing what is available by standing at the top of one of the two escalators. Now there is a nearby police station, so do not be so stupid as to do business in public. As to where you can go for sex, that is rather easy. All the boys will know that there are three possible sex hotels from which to choose. One is one block to the west (the one I prefer), there is one next to the Kosmopolit cinema, and then one more one block east of that. So, for those not familiar… once you negotiate what you want with the boy and how much to pay, you then proceed to the hotel. Just tells the boys to show you the hotel. You will probably pass a number of female prostitutes along the way who also use these hotels. Once you get to the hotel, you approach the clerk and hand over 5-10 euros depending on which hotel you go to. No id is required. I do this with one swift motion as I hand the 5 euro with my right hand whilst my feet continue to move to the elevator with the boy. It is usually the second floor if you choose the hotel west of Omonia, but that changes over time. The boy will know the floor. Once you get off the elevator, you will be in a hallway with about 10 rooms. There will probably be one or two couples (gay and straight with prostitutes) waiting ahead of you for a room. Once a room is clean, the maid will motion for you and you enter the room. It has a bed with one fitted sheet on top, tv with porn, a bathroom, two towels, and usually a condom. You have between 30-40 minutes until the maid will bang on your door. Most of the Syrians were especially phenomenal kissers and fuckers. Often they would also ask if I would fuck them as well. Interestingly to me, the Afgans always liked to get fucked and kiss. My usual deal was 25 euro for the boy and 5 euro for the room. I have found it safe 99.9% of the time and only had one problem. I once got a boy back to the room and he stripped. I then looked and noticed he had a small discharge from his penis even before it got hard. It was clear he had gonorrhea or chlamydia , so I used google translate to tell him how to get some medical care. A friend of mine DID have one problem when a guy could not get hard to fuck him, so he paid the guy only 10. The guy went ballistic and would not allow my friend to leave until he paid more. My friend then started yelling for the maid who started banging on the door. The boy had to relent and my friend left. I never had problems and had some amazing repeat business with these boys. Most of these boys ALSO show up a few hours later at Victoria Park where they are also available for more sex. TYPICAL DAY: I would begin the morning with work. Around 11:30 am I would take a nice walk to Omonia Square to see if there was a young male appetizer I might enjoy. I would walk completely around Hondos Center and then stand for a while at the top of the two escalators. I would always find someone. After going to the nearby hotel for sex, I would return and settle down at one of the cafes for lunch…usually the one right in front of the Hondos Center. During my time I would regularly make eye contact with another young man and invite him over for lunch. After lunch he and I would go to the sex hotel for some fun. I would then walk back to my place to freshen up and take an afternoon nap. Afterwards, I would walk over to Pedion Park for an afternoon to sample one of the guys there. Then, I would walk back to Omonia for some theatre action where I would always find one or two guys to my liking. After some sex, I would leave and have a coffee and enjoy one of those amazing Greek rice curd desserts they have. I would then return to the theater for one more round. After this I would walk up to Omonia Square and see what was on offer. I would always take at least one guy to the sex hotel for some fun, sometimes two. Afterwards, I would make my way to Victoria Park. They have some nice caffes with outdoor seating right off the top of the tube escalator that are perfect for eating dinner and watching boys. If I did not catch the eye of anyone special, then I would check Grindr or PlanetRomeo to see what was on offer. As was almost always the case, I would find someone in Victoria Park to take back to my place for a late-night snack. I would generally repeat this pattern, but add the two bars especially on Friday/Saturday nights when new guys would appear. For those not yet familiar with these areas, then simply use the street view of google maps and you can see pretty much everything that I noted above. Good luck and be sure to report back on your visits!