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Day 3: trip to Pattaya. I was wondering which bus station would be more convenient for me mo chit or ekkamai, but decided on the later as I was nearer from the number of BTS station. I learned my lesson before on taking the vans which does not stop by the north Pattaya bus terminal, so I only take the rai reung (???) bus. the seats were a little worn out with the seat pockets missing, but everything else was working. I was surprised to learn they have a toilet at the end of the bus. After reaching north Pattaya bus station I switch to the songthew pickup trucks. this part was funny, as people were going up for the ride and later going down after deciding they have better options. I was charged 50 Baht to my hotel at the start of Beach Road, but the 3 south asian guys were haggling with the driver to lower it to 30 Baht. Then there's a family of 3 that the driver was charging 250 Baht, which I assume because their destination was further away. Wish they was just a standard price for this to avoid all these hassles. After settling to my hotel, I went to terminal 21 for some grub. I was surprised by the affordable prices at pier 21. I didn't expect a high end mall to have affordable food court prices. Checked out their facilities but no action to report on. In the evening, I walked around boyztown, and only the 2 bars near BBB , and BBB themselves seems to have guys on stage. X-boys and A-bomb seems to do an on-demand thing - that's how bad the customer distribution is, at least during my stay in Pattaya. I walked to sunee at reached nice boys around 930pm. when I arrived there were already 4 customers with few of boys seated with the customers. the farang customer was quite generous with tips, which I think might have increased the boy's expectations for the tips. but no matter it was still cheaper than Bangkok. A quick fondle for 100 Baht, and if he sits and comes 500 Baht, plus a couple of drinks. Maybe it would normalise as before when there are fewer customers. After enjoying the guy's show, I took the motorcycle taxi (40 Baht) to boyztown to catch the 1030pm show. I miscalculated the time to reach boyztown, so I arrived a bit early. I decided to survey the other soi for the other gaybars, but it was almost the same when I visited a few hours before. I decided to enter the BBB, and as a lone non-farang customer was given the seat at the back. unfortunately, there was no muscle boy on stage that night. I tried to message muscle guys before, but his messaging app was set on quiet mode. there was one buff guy in the bboy group, but I doubt that he can be offed. the Kpop looking guys was popular with the group of ladies though, and was asked to sit with them. they stopped giving the complimentary pop corn, instead they have a guy selling snacks (nuts/chips) at around 100 Baht. They have a tad more cabaret acts than what I liked, some of them lip-syncing to slow songs - so it was a bore. I noticed that the performers with their cocks out, go around the audience after every performance - not just after the big cock show, but after every performance. so even when I was at the back, they didn't neglect me and my 100 Baht tips. it was also here when I noticed a performer approached me with a 20 Baht tip in his hat - did I tip too much? After the 1230am show BBB bar closed and they invited customers to move to Boystation which they market as a disco. I took the song teow back to my hotel for 100 Baht, with the driver originally asking for 150.

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!

The hubris of equating yourself with professional nonfiction writers and magazine staffs is hilarious but not unexpected. The most significant differerence is that they are experts in shaping and organizing long-form writing. They structure their essays into sections labeled with headings and subheadings. They know how to introduce a topic and then conclude it. Their sections build on one another. And they usually have fact checkers; adding links isn't sufficient. This makes it easy for readers to figure out where and what to read. It makes it easy to skip to another section and then come back to read previous portions of the text. You don't do any of these things. But I doubt that you'll change the way you present information. It's much too easy to just do stream of consciousness with no outline or even plan -- at least that's how it appears when long, unbroken blocks of text face a reader. Maybe someday you won't have to add a snarky comment and emoji like this: "I'm so glad nobody read this. Because I really enjoyed researching and writing it. 🙄"

Philosophy is abstract. Thai Buddhism is devotional; hence the common scenes up and down Thailand of folks praying to Buddha statues and other deities. Again the charm of it is the spiritual vibes in Thai temples, I admit I love the ambience of the chanting and incense and flower bouquets. I never said Buddhism was perfect, yes it can get politicized as you mentioned in Myanmar but noway as close as to how other religions are. Buddhism is way more peaceful and tolerant, relatively speaking.

I would never have imagined that it was possible to shout from one end of a 737 to the other. Chinese passengers demonstrated that it was.

From Thai PBS World Thailand will bid to host World Pride in 2028, to reflect the country’s acceptance of and open mindedness regarding LGBT+ issues. Government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke quoted Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin as saying that his government will fully support the bid and, if the country is selected, he would allocate budget for the hosting of the event. The event would also help boost the economy and tourism, Srettha said. The 2024 World Pride event will be held in Australia. In 2025 it will be in the US and the Netherlands in 2026. Srettha was speaking during a meeting in which participants discussed marriage equality and a proposal to allow transgender people to be covered by the country’s universal health coverage. Chai said a draft marriage equality law will be put on the Cabinet agenda next Tuesday, and Parliament is expected to consider it in early December. There should, however, be a roadmap for the process, which must include opinions from all sides, he said.

I've never figured out why bars continue to blast their music, to a level which make conversation with one's friends or betrothed nearly impossible. Painful to listen to, and dangerous to one's hearing. This music is supposed to ENTICE people into their bar? I would imagine that, on balance, it does just the opposite.

Although I gave up saunas years ago, I hear relatively good reports on Sauna Mania. Short walk from Silom.

But they are quickly replaced by thousands who cross over Mexico border daily. Despite horrible gun deaths, migrants from Central and South America find US much safer than remaining home. Despite what GOP claims, they empower the economy as they are absorbed into workforce.

you too young to complain about the stairs

Though I appreciate reading / considering the opinions of others written on the forum no matter if I agree / disagree, book-length postings are a turn-off and I (and probably most others) stop reading after the first paragraph. Less is more (effective). 💋

Bangkok Guy and I took an apartment together this year and it has worked very well, until now. It came about as he planned to move to a larger apartment close to transport and I am now in Bangkok much more frequently so that an apartment makes financial sense versus hotels. So we combined plans and looked for an apartment that suited us both - higher-end for me and location for him. Looking at options in his preferred area we selected an apartment in a new building with fantastic amenities (required by me not by him, but enjoyed by him all the same) that was over twice as much as he had planned to pay but still a good deal for me compared to a hotel. All has been well until about a month ago when I asked on a web call how the apartment was and got some awkward body language. All was not well in paradise. The new Chinese neighbor was too noisy. A friend of his who speaks Chinese asked the neighbor if he could be quieter and the basic response was no, for various reasons. He would really like to change apartments. At first I thought he meant within the building, away from the noisy neighbor. But it turns out he wants to go to another building altogether, with Thai and Falang people not Chinese "This building so many Chinese". He has not gone into detail on what is wrong with 'so many Chinese' apart from a general comment that they talk loudly. The lack of a detailed complaint does not surprise me as I have never known him to go into detail if he does not like something, simply indicating dislike with a general reason is enough. He seems to feel that getting too explicitly negative is bad form. I am surprised as he has friends of different nationalities and his last building had Chinese tenants, maybe just not 'so many'. Since we have not yet been there a year we will loose the deposit, and given how frugal Bangkok Guy is even with my money he must really want out if he is prepared to do that. I have agreed that he can hunt for another apartment and I will look at what he has found when I am next in Bangkok. Hence my question - does anyone have any insight into how Thais view the Chinese? Bangkok Guy is generally very friendly, likes people and gets on well with them. He is sensitive to how polite people are - he was very impressed with how polite the Japanese were when we were in Japan - so all I can come up with is that he finds the Chinese en masse too rude to be in the middle of.

Yes, I have found Grindr good, in Bangkok, it's just that there is a lot of talk about Line, especially in relation to massage parlours!

I was in Pattaya and BKK end of July & 1st week of August. I used Grindr. In both cities (plus a side trip to Siem Reap) within 5 minutes of signing on to the hotel's WiFi I had at least 15 messages from locals, MB and non-MB. The messages were persistent throughout my entire trip. I had no difficulty at all connecting with interested locals.

From Pattaya Mail PATTAYA, Thailand – In the early hours of October 23, a potentially tragic incident took a heartening turn when the Pattaya Sea Rescue and Community Safety Unit responded to a distress call from worried tourists. The call reported a person attempting suicide by walking into the sea at Pattaya Beach, near the Pattaya Police Station. Onlookers, mostly tourists, witnessed the distressing scene as a young woman, identified as 24-year-old Rattanaporn, entered the sea, emotionally distraught. Acting swiftly, a courageous local teenager, 17-year-old Parit Yunkrathok, jumped into the water and heroically brought her back to safety. Following the rescue, local sea rescue teams and volunteer medical teams arrived, finding Rattanaporn emotionally shaken but physically unharmed. Police officers and community volunteers joined forces to provide initial psychological support to the distressed woman, who revealed that her actions Further investigation unveiled that Parit, the young hero, had earlier noticed the distressed woman while hanging out with friends on the beach. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, he swiftly entered the water, successfully rescuing her. After bringing her back to shore, Parit promptly called for assistance from local authorities. Responding police officers helped calm Rattanaporn and suggested a heartfelt conversation with her boyfriend, who was invited to the scene to resolve their relationship issues. The incident concluded without harm or complications, thanks to Parit’s bravery and the quick response from local authorities in de-escalating the situation.

I went to one of their Sunday parties on my last trip where they do a foam party on their top floor, they had a couple of guys that work at Dreamboys there to have fun with. One of them picked me to be his bottom to be part of the show, I'm not shy 😉 He had a pretty thick dick, I think he expected me to scream or something because of his size....but you know I've been to Brasil a bit, and know how to handle these guys, lol Was a pretty fun time, I was with a top that had many more chances due to the number of bottoms there are out there.....

I would be vary. In my experience, even though they are locals, they don't know the places I'm interested in. And now, after years of experience, I can organize a trip cheaper and faster than relying on local contacts.

I think my hearing is going. I’ve decided this trip to avoid the drag shows at all cost. I went to bingo at @Home bar Wednesday night and I understood the Cambodian man announcing the numbers, helps that I know Thai, but the falang directing the event I couldn’t understand. Think I might have won something but I just got up and left, heading over to 69 bar for some pool. Their pool tournament starts November 11, Saturday if anyone is interested.

I don’t think so but board members certainly do.

Predominantly twinks/borderline twunks?

Interestingly, and alarmingly, opioid related deaths per annum are even higher!

Sorry for Freudian slip, 'starting point '. Actually, predictive text!

Absolutely. That'; what happened in Boyztown. If you are chatting with a guy in the hope of an assignation, it's hard enough overcoming the language barrier without all four ears being assailed by loud music.

They want to get the sex part done and out of the way, the time remaining will be just waiting for payment. They don't have to pretend to like you as long as they know the money is guaranteed. Sometimes truth hurts.

From Pattaya News Thai investors are set to launch five new airlines, pouring in a minimum of 3.85 billion baht. These carriers are poised to commence operations in 2024, aiming to tap into Thailand’s burgeoning aviation market, projected to be worth 320 billion baht next year. According to the Nation Thailand report, Really Cool Airlines, P80 Air, Pattaya Airways, Siam Seaplane, and Landarch Airlines have all received an Air Operating Licence from the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT). To commence commercial flights, however, they still have to wait for the CAAT’s approval of their Air Operator Certificates (AOC). One of the the above five Thai-owned carriers, Really Cool Airlines, expects to receive the AOC in January 2024, which will allow them to start operating the flights as early as in the second quarter. Patee Sarasin, CEO of Really Cool Airlines, emphasized that during the first two years, Really Cool Airlines will focus on Asian routes, particularly to Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Shanghai, operating four Airbus A330-300 aircraft. With an initial crew of 130, they will initially offer chartered flights from March to May before transitioning to regular flights and expanding to European markets. “We would not compete with Thai Airways International on their regular routes but would focus on flights to secondary cities, which would also help further promote Thailand’s tourism industry,” Mr. Patee said. On another note, P80 Air, a subsidiary of Thoresen Thai Agencies Pcl, projects getting its AOC in 8-9 months and commencing commercial operations in the last quarter of the next year. In its initial two years, P80 Air will focus on secondary Chinese cities, operating four Boeing B737-800 NG aircraft. Pattaya Airways is also eyeing a launch in the final quarter of 2024, aiming to operate on both domestic routes within Thailand and across ASEAN destinations. The airline will start with cargo delivery using an ATR72 aircraft for the first three years and later add more planes to meet rising demand from e-commerce companies. Meanwhile, Siam Seaplane is considering adding amphibian planes (Cessna Caravan 208 model) to its fleet to cater to high-end customers visiting seaside resorts and ports in Thailand. Their debut route will connect to Ko Lipe in Satun province, significantly shortening travel time to the island. Lastly, Landarch Airlines intends to operate short chartered flights between major cities in southern provinces, beginning in April 2024, with its hub in Hat Yai, Songkhla province. They plan to acquire five Cessna C208 B, 12-seater aircraft in the first five years and expand the fleet to 15 planes, serving destinations in other provinces.

For more matured and bigger built guys, heaven sauna is it.

Although body builders do not attract me, guys with muscular development in proportion to their body type certainly do. You can find them in many bars and massage shops. Some for everyone here in Bkk.

mostly twinks

but that is more exception than rule IMHO.

Not to mention that Isan guys seem to be better endowed than most, must be something in the water up there

Excellent point. While we're on the subject, I'd recommend staying away from magazines, too. Too many essays. And, at all costs, never buy a book. If you do, you are in deep trouble. 😉 I actually do take this as a compliment. The rise of Twitter and the rise of Trump coincided. I don't think that was an accident. The nicer way to say it is that social media is filled with misinformation, many lies, little fact checking, and a bounty of simplistic ideas that never hold up. Example: Trump won in 2020, and the Deep State is covering it up. Nice bumper sticker that 1 in 3 Americans actually believe. Which is why America is in deep trouble. The nastier way to say it is that social media is all about hate, venom, and vitriol. Thought? Nope. That's an afterthought on most social media. Why would anyone read a book when they can simply know Trump won in 2020, for Christ's sake? But, back to the deep trouble you are in, my love. And since you won't read this, I won't worry about your feelings. You lost me, and most of America, right out of the gate. And since you perhaps don't care about reading polls and essays, I can take my time to go through the reality you don't want to admit. Let alone debate. I was wrong when I said 88 % of Americans supported a military invasion of Afghanistan right after 9/11. Another poll said 92 %. Tell me something else really important that 92 % of Americans have ever agreed on? Including who won the 2020 election? The question "what else?" was not asked. But my guess is most of the other 8 %, and much of the rest of the world, supported legal mechanisms to seek justice, rather than military ones. Perhaps you supported them as well, since you do state "target the terrorist leaders." In truth, "suck it up" because the US bombs and murders people was not an option offered in any poll. I'm guessing maybe 1 % of Americans would have chosen "suck it up and lose." Bad news is you are at an extreme margin of the debate. Good news is you don't seem to care. The main value in debating the US 9/11 now is that Israel wants to insist it just had its own 9/11, and the world should be on its side. Meanwhile, Biden wants Israel to avoid the mistakes the US made after 9/11. So it is quite relevant. The same polls show that I am in the mainstream of Americans. Most Americans, including me, view the invasion as a failure. Most Americans thought at the outset it would be a hard fight, that would take a long time. They were right. 2 in 3 Democrats, and a majority of Republicans, now say "the war was not worth fighting." Now I may slippery, like Oily Obama and Both Ways Biden have been for decades on this issue. But I am in that 2 in 3 Democrats. I don't think the war was worth fighting, as it was actually fought. That said, I stand by what I said earlier. I think invading Afghanistan to seek justice and prevent more terrorism was the right thing to do. With 20/20 hindsight, we should have gotten out quicker, based on more limited and defined objectives. I haven't seen any poll or focus group that really explores "what the fuck else were we supposed to do?" I appreciate the fact that instead of misquoting me or attacking me, @Latbear4blk, you actually stated what else you think we should have done. You think we should have "sucked it up" and been "good losers". It's a fine opinion, which put you at a very marginal extreme. There is a 0.00000000000000000000001 % chance that Israel will now "suck it up" and be a "good loser." So this is a bit like the food fight between Cornel West and the Green Party. Interesting. But mostly it generates fodder for long articles (ugh! I hate essays!) about how The Left will never have power. Because they sound like academics who would rather have purist debates among themselves. My bumper sticker for the lesson to draw from Afghanistan is very simple and very Gay. I know it is shitty to want to expand on a vague bumper sticker and explain why I think "there's no place like home" is actually good policy. But now I will be a real shit. I think the lesson is we fucked up by thinking we could make Afghanistan a home to US-style democracy. And what many liberals like me view as basic decency. Like don't be sexist pigs to women and girls. What we learned is that many or even most Afghans liked their home the way it was. The longer we stayed, the more they wanted us to get the fuck out. This especially happened under Oily Obama, who was POTUS when most US and allied soldiers (and innocent Afghans) got killed in a hellish cornucopia of terror attacks, US counterterrorism operations, and warlord revenge bloodbaths. Since we owned the warlords, arguably the US also owned what they did to their own people. It's an important point. Because if they did it before we came, or after we left, we didn't own it. You being a well read guy, I am sure you would have connected the dots by now. If you actually read shit. The obvious lesson is we should give the Palestinians a home. Period. That is what they most want. That is how to defuse the violence and terror over the long run. The lesson of Afghanistan, and Israel, is don't feed the terrorists. Because that is what they want. That is why bin Laden killed thousands of Americans on 9/11, and Hamas went out of their way to behead Jewish babies. But here's the tricky part. While we can't feed them, we do have to kill them. More on that later. For this (ugh!) paragraph, I think the single most important long-run priority is figuring out how to get Palestinians the home they want. Not figuring out what to do in Gaza. Or how to kill Hamas terrorists. Israel has it exactly wrong, unfortunately. They think bombing the shit out of Gaza and Hamas is the priority. And figuring out a political solution is an afterthought. Or, for Bibi, a Palestinian home is just a bad idea not worth thinking about at all. The other important lesson is that once the Palestinians have a home, they can behead as many Arab babies and kill as many of each other as they want. And the US and Israel won't own it. Realistically, I'm not too worried about Palestinians wanting to behead their own babies. More realistically, though, a Palestinian government can also be as corrupt as they want. Just like Kharzai and the various other Afghan leaders backed by the US were. The US can instead spend money backing Ukrainians. Who seem to want their own home, too. And even a democracy. We can try to force Ukrainians not to be corrupt. Because it pisses US and European taxpayers off, who are sending them a fortune. Did I mention polls show Ukrainians overwhelming love Americans, because we want to help them have a home that is democratic and mostly free of corruption? But if Abbas And Friends want to behead Palestinian babies, be assholes, treat women and girls like shit, or just involve themselves in garden variety political corruption, who gives a shit? Let them run their home as they wish. That is the lesson of Afghanistan and the West Bank. Now, I've written many stupid paragraphs no one has read. But a well read person might still have this nagging thought. "But what the fuck do we actually do when they kill thousands of our people? Is terror okay? Should we just be good losers? And then won't they just do it again?" Sadly, a real debate about motivation and responding to terror would involve putting aside the idea that this can all be blamed on Bush and Cheney. Not that I don't love blaming Bush and Cheney myself. Especially for lying to the world about WMD and invading Iraq. And we'd also have to set aside the quaint notion that 88 % of Americans are seemingly naive, stupid, and hellbent on revenge. And that they (or "we") should have known better. We would have to go into detail about Oily Obama and Both Ways Biden. Both supported the invasion. Which apparently makes them part of a horrible country brimming with naive and stupid people who are hellbent on revenge. Yet, for some strange reason, most of the rest of the world likes them. At least more than Trump. Obama even started the Afghanistan surge. Which is when most US and allied soldiers and innocent Afghans died. VP Biden advised Obama against it, and lost the debate. Biden wanted to gradually withdraw and focus on counterterrorism. Which seems like what most naive and stupid Americans currently want. But people still dislike POTUS Biden for being a "good loser", because of the way he carried out Trump's withdrawal deal with the Taliban. Which suggests that there is no way to actually be a "good loser." Because it just makes you very unpopular. Which is of course why I don't read essays, books, or polls. It's just way too fucking complicated! Obama did actually define some objectives that hold very clear lessons for Israel today. (Spoiler alert: "revenge" was never a stated objective of Bush, Obama, or Biden.) Obama ran for President based on the bumper sticker, "This is a war we have to win." Americans being naive and stupid, they elected this guy in a landslide in 2008. And lest we naively think his agenda was "revenge," he did clearly lay out objectives for the surge: Take out the words "al Qaeda" and "Taliban" and replace them with "Hamas" or "Palestinian," and the lessons for Israel are right there in black and white. Of course, who in their right mind would read an essay, and think about such things? Israel wants to deny Hamas a safe haven. But they can't, and won't. What they do to try to eradicate Hamas will almost certainly add to the momentum of Palestinians who think Israel sucks. This is what Hamas wants. Just like Obama's surge added momentum to the Taliban and opponents of the corrupt government the US backed. And added momentum to the idea that we should kill US and allied soldiers who are occupying our home. There's another idea that was never even tried, that is worth a mention: permanent occupation. McCain argued we should just occupy these places like Afghanistan or Iraq for 100 years. Or however long it takes. I feel like a shit for comparing McCain to Netanyahu. I admired McCain, mostly. And I mostly despise Bibi. But the US happily didn't even want to try to occupy Afghanistan or Iraq for 100 years. So maybe Americans have actually figured out something all the Israelis who back Bibi need to eventually learn. Both Ways Biden has been all over the map, both on Afghanistan and Iraq. That said, I think he has been consistently less wrong than Bush 43, Cheney, and also Oily Obama on this issue. I think if you had put Bush 41, Colin Powell, and Both Ways Biden in a room, they would probably have quickly agreed that the Powell Doctrine makes a lot of sense. And tended to work well, like in the first Gulf War under Bush 41. "We" (the US and many global allies) had defined objectives that were winnable. Like, "don't eat other countries." And we won. Arguably, we could have done the same in Afghanistan. Or at least tried. Here is a long and well written (ugh!) defense of Biden's doctrine of counterterrorism. The evidence suggests that counterterrorism is a pretty good strategy. It's been over 20 years since 9/11. And we haven't had another 9/11, or anything even close. (School shootings don't count.) The Taliban doesn't seem to be itching to blow up more US cities, kill more Americans, or go through 20 more years of running from US soldiers and targeted assassinations. Which mostly left the assholes dead or in prison. Or feeding fish at the bottom of an ocean. You don't want to debate complicated ideas, rather than anti-Cheney slogans. Which is fine. But the question a statement like this begs is: "What the fuck should we do, then?" I agree with Fareed that since terrorists kill lots of innocent people in horrific ways because they want us to react, the first thing we should do is think hard about how to react. But anyone who thinks most Americans or Israelis like to be "good losers" to terrorists is being both extreme, and naive. The evidence suggests that for the US, and our military, counterterrorism has worked pretty well. Outside of the tortured history of Afghanistan and Iraq, US soldiers tend to kill assholes, rather than be killed by them. It has stopped anything like our 9/11 or Israel's 9/11. Palestinian Americans are not plotting on how to behead Christian babies. There is no evidence the Taliban, which is back in the saddle, has either the capacity or will to blow up US cities or kill lots of Americans. They would rather have their own home, so they can fuck it up just the way they want. If we are going for a political center, rather than an extreme, I think Biden was right. Obama won in a landslide in 2008. That would have been the best moment I can think of to flip flop, which they both have done a lot anyway, and get the fuck out. There is no political way Bush 43 could withdraw from Afghanstan after being the POTUS that got us in. Had Obama listened to Biden, it would have prevented most of the deaths of US soldiers, allies, and innocent Afghans. Obama would have taken a big political hit, like Biden did in 2021, for being the "good loser" who let the Taliban back in on his watch. But I personally think the policy of counterterrorism has been pretty effective to date, both in the US and Israel. For a well read guy, the implications for Israel seem pretty clear. Let Palestinians have the home they want. Most of them won't kill Jews. If they end up being corrupt, or inept, and fuck up their home, let them. But it means Israel, like the US, is going to have to be very good at counterterrorism. Which, happily, Israel tends to be very good at. Until Netanyahu fucked it up with his stupid and counterproductive "Hamas building" strategy. There. No more nation building. Except for the Palestinians. Problem solved. Next? I'm so glad nobody read this. Because I really enjoyed researching and writing it. 🙄

I normally take them for fun and adventure. I do get a bit upset when they demand sex before the night is out. I am just looking for companions and wish they were not so damn aggressive.

I think we need to be told if the macaque was male or female?

Yes, I take your point. 18 is a more usual seating point!

I agrée with Vinapu regarding the merits of the hourly airport bus. However at busy times, as at high season, a snag can be waiting some time at the airport for a bus to have free space. Often passengers get off at one of the Sukhumvit Road stops and fall prey to the rip off merchants offering high priced transport to their accommodation. My advice when asked for is to stay on the bus until the terminus at Jomtien and use a baht bus from there to Pattaya. Many times I’ve pulled my wheelie bag over the last few hundred yards of rough ground from the Jomtien bus terminus to my hotel in the Complex to thankfully complete the 24 hour journey from the UK. I much prefer the bus over taxis - Thai driving scares me.

Th US has had 30K+ gun deaths in the US per year for decades. Decades. Recently, we're pushing 50K. This nation is insane, and most of us don't even know it. Pretty sure the rest of the world knows crazy when it sees it though...

Certainly not. macabre dance will continue until the same will happen on NRA convention or some gun show. Then there's small chance sobering thoughts will start appear but I don't expect it before 2057

I can't believe that such modest and basically nobody guy like vinapu would be claiming to be expert on anything. Not that he doesn't know thing or seven on this or that. On the merit of original post , I like muscled guys , true although big bodybuilders are not excactly my thing. From my experience still Tawan is the best place to hunt for them and Alex, original poster ( OP ), should be able to find one or four of type he likes. Other place I's try is Arena , there are several hunks there although not necessarily that big as some at Tawan and main advantage is they are on duty , no need to make advance apointmnet to see who is available. Some massage places like , Jey Spa , Sabaidee or Apollo may have some and they will be happy to send their pics if one contacts them although I'd just go there to see if I can get lucky on the spot. Yes , there are several on Grindr, I don't use other apps so can't tell but as with all hookups via apps there's danger that person on the pics is not quite one at the door. But can be fun trying.

I know what you mean but I found thinking I may be chasing 17 y.o. uncharitable at best

I think that is true of Biden. I'm not sure I would say that about the US, in general. There are lots of warmongers in both political parties. And lots of people say this is black and white. Hamas is Hitler, and they need to be exterminated. Period. Read some of the posts above. I used the pronoun "we" to generally refer to the 88 % of Americans who supported an invasion of Afghanistan after 9/11, at least in one poll. I don't think there is as clear a "we" - meaning a vast majority of Americans - on Israel and Gaza now. A much better example would be the Iraq invasion, which I deeply opposed and which was bitterly divisive in the US from the start. Not to mention the world. I've maintained that the US no longer has a pro-Israel majority. Meaning a majority of Americans who will back Israel, "whatever it takes." I think many, and perhaps a majority, of Americans see deep moral ambiguity. And they lean toward peace, not war. That is particularly true of younger Democrats. All that said, everything I see, read, and hear leads me to believe that most Palestinian Americans feel Biden has stabbed them in the back. He is sending weapons to Israel, and dismissing their concerns. That is part of what makes this both poilitically and morally fraught. ‘The man broke my heart’: Biden’s Arab-American boosters begin to leave his side These Arab-Americans were among Biden’s biggest fans. Now they’re warning they — and others — could abandon him in 2024. If Trump beats Biden by 100,000 or so votes cast in a few swing states in 2024, like he beat Clinton in 2016, it could be blamed on about 1,000 different things he did. But this would be one at the top of the list. If it is another thing that makes young voters especially feel like Biden's moral compass is off. With Trump, at least we don't have to worry about it. He has no moral compass. ☹️ If Trump beats

Everything I see, read and hear leads me to believe the US is cautioning Israel not to make the same mistakes it, the US, made responding to 9/11.

agree if true. Russia deserves better than another crooked and blood-soaked tsar

of course I'd yell, walking is tiring and technology mysterious

Some years ago i was thinking that I might consider leaving Bangkok to live in Taipei. Naturally I like Taiwanese. Like Bangkok Guy I also like peace and quiet. What put me off was basically one thing - noise! I could only have afforded an apartment on the outskirts of Taipei and I was concerned at how thick or thin the walls night be. Given that it is prone to earthquakes and typhoons, I assumed pretty thick. But what if neighbours to the right, left and above enjoyed playing mahjong regularly? Since throwing the tiles down on the table is part of the fun, I reckoned it would be all but impossible to keep that noise out of what I planned as a peaceful abode. So I finally ditched the idea.

Interesting that while it was underage boys and pedophilia the catholic church covered it up. Now it's just gay sex, they find it disturbing and sack people.

there's something in it. Actually a lot that comment brought me memories of long distance travel by buses in China in mid-80-ties. Cost of ticket included overnighting in some cavernous halls on the road , there was some bedding on the floor but basically whole busload of people was sleeping, at least some nights, in one big space. If was obvious that other passengers thought nothing about screaming to their friends across the hall in deep middle of the night and when we tried to gesture to keep quiet , plainly they did not understand what fuss is all about. The same in sleeping coaches on the train. Then we took it as part and parcel of exotic travel (it was shortly after big chunks of China was opened to independent foreign travel ) but it was immensely annoying so no wonder Bangkok Guy is ballistic. Tell him he has full support from old vinapu. To be fair I must add that during quite a few long flights I took with various Chinese airlines there were no middle of the night noise problems.

always give 2nd chance. One visit proves nothin other than either good or bad luck. The same goes with offs or massages. At Jupiter you call boy to seat with you and you may be surprised smile of of the sudden appears. I always try to visit every bar at least once , even if just for a drink. One never knows. Boys are moving from bar to bar too and your last trip highlight may be now in bar you not so much fond off. Thank you for great report and leads

Hamas are not my buddies. But I know thing or 7 how so called ' collective responsibility was handled by Nazis in their occupied territories and I'm more than sure IDF is not planning to repeat such tactics.

Hey! Just came back from a work trip but here's Days 11-12. Post trip reflections to follow. 😁 Days 11-12 I woke up with Tee still sound asleep. I tried to carefully wiggle out and move his legs off me but he instinctively pulled me back that I could feel his gentle snoring and his robust morning wood. "Not yet", I told myself. I may be a horn dog but at the moment, my body is craving for caffeine more than anything else. He's already awake when I stepped out of the shower. When I asked what he wants to eat for breakfast, he smiled and pointed at my phone which is good as I'm feeling lazy being out anyway. He ordered rice porridge while I opted for croissants, cold cuts and mangoes delivered. The croissant was surprisingly semi-fresh and Tee seemed to enjoy devouring two ham and cheese croissants I made. We chatted a bit more with him telling his story on how he survived the pandemic including how he got back into shape. He also talked about his experiences being in the trade and some weird experiences and requests he receives from customers. This made me cringe thinking what story he will be telling his mates about me. After a while, Tee stood up and motioned he's going to the shower. He removed the towel from his waist and draped it over his shoulder. "Come with me?" he asked. He's already hard down there. While I already showered and know this might be a ploy to extract more tip, this is one of those tricks I really don't mind falling into! By mid afternoon, I decided to book Knott at S'sense. I was tempted to check if the Prince spa (also in Suan Plu) is open but given I'm at the tail end of my trip, I decided to play it safe. Knott instantly recognised me and was smiling as he lead me up that endless flight of stairs. I'm happy to report that the experience with him was consistent, if not, better than the last time. I chose to spend my last night in Tawan. The Uncle hastily led me in and have me seated inside (no more disclaimer from him about BDSM boy show!). I saw Tun busy chatting with a couple of customers. After a few minutes, I was approached by one bar boy, shook my hands and asked if he can sit with me. BDSM show is not really my thing but I tried to enjoy and amuse myself with random stuff while watching. The clincher for me that night was one performance where they apparently intend to put a nipple clamp on one performer. However, rather than an actual nipple clamp, they improvised and used a large clothespin instead. The fact that both clampds are coloured pastel purple made me chuckle a bit. While I'm enjoying the show, I'm struggling to feel any sort of spark with the guy seated next to me. I think it's because he jumped the gun and switched straight to and used the transactional tone quite quickly. I mean don't get me wrong. I'm not naive of what patrons and people who work in this kind of place are aiming for. But I guess, investing more time to create rapport really goes a long way. I politely declined, gave him his tip and he was back in rotation. A few minutes later, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. It was Tun. "Hello my wife!" He whispered. I replied sarcastically pointing to the two guests he was chatting with and corrected him that those two are his wives. "No, they go home now" he said. We both had a laugh. Once seated, Tun seems to be working fast to secure the deal. He's extra touchy feely, sneakily kissing my neck, his hands wandering everywhere under my shirt. He even grabbed my hand and directed it down his crotch area. I was a bit flustered with the last one as I'm not used to this kind of public display - even when in a boy bar in Thailand! Moments later, Tun casually mentioned he's getting sleepy and suggest we "go home sleep together". I nodded, finished our drinks and made our way out. Just like last time, we did a quick pitstop at 7-11 before heading back to my apartment. Tun quickly made himself at home which is one of the beauty of a repeat transaction. The expectations and dynamics are somehow established and there are less unknowns compared to bringing in a new guy. While there's the risk of monotony and overfamiliarity down the line, I chose to ignore that for now given that this is my last night and it will be months before I return to Tawan. I will worry about it by then. Overall, my second time with Tun still exceeded my expectations. Given that I already had a session with Tee (morning) and Knott (afternoon), I was quite surprised and kinda proud of myself for capping off the day with another one. I think how Tun engages both in and out of the bedroom makes the difference. I may be generalising but from experience, I usually have better experience with MBs/bar boys/masseurs who are a bit older. Could be maturity? Less appetite for dramatics? Old enough to know the value of money so they tend to equate level of service? or considered old and less marketable by trade standards hence compensating through better service? Honestly, I don't know. Good thing though is that Asian guys who are in their 30s are still eye candies. We woke up a lot late than usual. Quite disappointed that with this late start, I wont be able to do my planned last massage session before flying out. It didn't help that Tun lingered even after I gave him his tip. Seriously, how do you tell a hunky, freshly showered, half naked Tawan guy to leave? I then had a light bulb moment that includes him dropping the towel wrapped around his waist and us marching back to the room. My last hurrah for this trip. With the above disappointment taken cared of, we had a relaxed lunch outside the apartment. When we finished, I handed him an extra tip which is the amount I set aside to tip my supposed to be masseur for today - then off we went our separate ways. This left me with a couple more hours before my pre booked airport pickup arrive. Plenty of time to pack up, get myself sorted and reflect a bit before saying a temporary goodbye to this gorgeous city.

Excited by Aussie's post about the two poles erected in BN Bar, I have been sitting opposite like a dog waiting for a bone, but so far no bone. Hopefully, the boys will spring into action sooner or later, until then the poles will continue to act as ceiling supports. The Complex continues to be awash with rumours of "The Return to Sunnee Plaza" with several bar owners being name-checked as potential movers. All will become clear by the time high season returns, I am assured. The Complex itself is awash with boys, as noted by previous posters, and that's no bad thing. What is perhaps noteworthy is that the influx of boys is concentrated among the bars with young Thai owners, such as BN, 69 and Sunnee/Dodo Bars. The hobby bars owned by retirees are clearly lagging behind as they continue to try to pass off middle-aged bar staff as "boys". As a regular low season visitor, this year does not appear to be exceptionally quiet, despite some reports to the contrary, but perhaps the customers are more spread out among the many available bars. Word of the day: The standard collective nouns for a group of boys are: a blush of boys a leer of boys a passel of boys and a rascal of boys.