Leaderboard

With only a few more days left in Bangkok, I thought it might be interesting to a few to pen a few notes. Please forgive that they are unstructured. I hope to understand more from the distinguished posters here present for my next trip or perhaps my last few days here. For context, this is my fourth trip to Bangkok. My first two trips were for weekends and my second was for a week so I do not try to compete with the experience on this forum. I cannot commit to a daily report but I am visiting some other countries in South East Asia during my time away and I will try to do the same while travelling. Before flying from London Heathrow, I jumped at the chance to spend a few days with friends in Oxford as I would be in the UK anyway. I can highly recommend the ‘Oxford Tube’ as a means of transport, which actually a bus! It took me from central London, where I had stayed for two nights of tourism to the beautiful city of Oxford in an hour and a half. Returning from Oxford to Heathrow required a change at Hillingdon station and one more bus for the princely sum of less than 2GBP. Grindr in Oxford was full of handsome, university types and it was interesting to see many described themselves as ‘trans’, ‘non-binary’ or ‘queer’ despite presenting as a masculine. Grindr in London was very busy and it was pan-European in nature, despite Brexit! For those interested, I gathered that the going rate was about 150-200GBP though I did not partake. Eva Air direct to Suvarnabhumi on their business class product was efficient, friendly and comfortable. The food was good, the wine flowed and the flight landed right on time after a good night of sleep. Arrivals was very busy, there was a 10 minute wait at the fast track section but the bags were quick - so quick in fact that most people had not made it through security. I’ve been staying at Le Méridien, and it is good. I like the evening pizza menu and breakfast is very good. I’m not sure there has been much benefit to my suite upgrade, I have barely used the lounge and the men I have brought back to the room have on more than one occasion have been confused about why one person would need so much space (I think even regarding it as an unnecessary extravagance). No problem with guests, key cards required for the lift, friendly staff. Lots of gay folk, as I type from the ground floor I am looking at a middle aged guy European couple walking together wearing rainbow pins and holding hands. Last time I stayed at Raya but I would choose here next time and save a few THB in a standard room. The lounge is very nice and if I have time I will post a picture from the lounge, which I think may be a fair challenge for the ‘best view from a toilet’ posts previously seen on this forum. I am ambitious to become a flâneur (I cannot think of an English equivalent) in my later life and there is no better city than Bangkok to practice. I’ve enjoyed (most of the time) my solitude, thoughts, my wandering, my coffee, my aimlessness and people-watching. Today, for example, consider Soi 4. At around noon, a large gathering of very smartly-dressed business types in designer suits queued for street food. Interested, I wandered down the Soi to see about four carts in front of Banana Bar and other venues in the Soi. It seemed to the most popular place for these hi-so workers for miles. I wonder if these distinguished folk know the depravity that takes place just a few short hours after they have gathered their tasty morsels? I imagine they know all-too-well and care little - and this is why I love Bangkok! I enjoy these aimless considerations. I felt something was ‘off’ about Tawan compared to my previous visits (when this was my favourite bar). I have since read that the papasan in the beret, that I have before met, has recently passed away sadly and this is probably why. Much lenience is required, I suspect he was well-loved by staff. I have not stayed for a show but when visiting earlier in the evening the men working are less likely to sit alongside customers than in my previous visits. Some older Thai men take the place of papasan but do not occupy the attention of customers. The place is looking more dishevelled than before. That has, though, always been part of its charm. I have a fond (?) memory of walking up the stairs from the bar to a room for a massage (if I assure you that it was virtuous, you will not believe me). A large rat ran over my foot, leading to my loud screams and a look of horror at my exclamation from the masseur. Happy memories. I have not found a guy to take home yet from Tawan as their huddle of men now includes a number of twinks, which are not my type. I did have an interesting moment with a man who I think said his name was David. He was my type and I was leaving the bar, having concluded after one drink that enough was enough. He chased me down the road, threw his arms around me and told me he was horny. My intention, of course, was to take a man to the room to discuss neoclassicalism’s influence on 18th century Greek literature so this admission of horny-ness took me rather by surprise. I declined the offer, wrongly now I think about it, as I was in the mindset of marching to HotMale determinedly. I will try Tawan again and hope that this is a temporary situation caused by the loss of a formidable figure. HotMale beer bar is still a good spot with fairly priced drinks, smiling staff and good views. I was surprised to see cannabis being smoked at the tables (only by one group of customers on one day). There is a very handsome man who seems to stay behind the bar there, preparing drinks rather than waiting tables. I have been trying hard to have eye contact with him, succeeding often, but receiving a nonchalant response. Perhaps my portly (read: fat) build is off-putting or the stars just do not align. I will not give up yet. Advice welcome. HotMale’s gogo has been the surprise of my trip, in a good way. The men on stage are keen to smile and engage with eye contact, are engrossed in securing your attention and not on their phones. Though they are thin in number, there is something for everyone and especially for me (preferring 25-45, handsome, not thin, Dadbod or muscular-but-not-too-muscular types). Smoking being allowed will be an irritant for some, but the papasan is flexible about reseating (and it has never been busy enough for this to be a problem). The HotMale ensemble are mostly topless and wearing fetching, pillar-box red sweatpants. The show is awkward when it is quiet but ends well with an explicit fanfare that even would make my old Aunt Agatha blush (and she a woman with a remarkable, audacious character). I had one strange experience with a guy I offed from HotMale when motivated by the aforementioned explicit display. His girth, so to speak, was impressive from a distance. Back in the hotel, just as we made progress with a particularly challenging logarithmic identity, I became distracted. Something about this girth was not quite right. It wasn’t that there were beads or noticeable defects, but the thickness seemed somehow artificial and not in keeping with the rest of the member concerned. He was a good egg, and no harm was done. He showed me his Lao passport which revealed both that he was aged 29 but also that he was considerably more handsome now than when the picture was taken a number of years ago! FreshBoys has the same loud and irritating mamasan and her interest in me has been only for the purpose of generating tips. The men are young, I would say 20-25, predisposed to mobile-phone addiction at all times when not on the stage though smiles are frequent. I am unlikely to revisit but this place will be a gem for some. The new Sol Bar is interesting and I have no conclusions. From a distance (that is to say the HotMale beer bar) the men look handsome on the balcony, are mostly topless and I really like the shorts with numbers on rather than the usual badges. Inside, I had a different experience on my one visit. In some way, the lighting is not flattering and the building looks more downtrodden than when it was Dream Boys. Somehow, I have not yet been able to bring myself to have more than one drink but my reason is not rational and based on some ‘feeling’. I will try again. I have not yet made it to the Dream Boy show but will before I leave and update. I cannot be motivated to go to Jupiter or Moonlight but I must do so because the men are hot and I have seen good reports recently. My struggle is the passive, unsmiling approach I previously saw when visiting. Also, I feel the men are hoping a woman will ‘off’ them, there being so many and the men being straight, and I will therefore be a disappointment. Advice welcome. I would also like advice on the language barrier. I am almost ready to ask the mama/papasans which men speak English well. I think this relates to another problem. My ‘offs’ have been gratifying, but short with little room for conversation. Yesterday, I had to use Google Translate ask the guy if he wanted a drink from the minibar. My ‘offs’ last half an hour usually and I am craving more (they are probably enjoying the easy cash!). Though I don’t want LT, I cannot sleep unless alone. On my first visit a few years ago, I think I got lucky and saw the same man three or four times (now sadly ‘gone’ as per the report of the papasan) and we went for a few drinks before our deliberations on counterurbanisation in the room began. I enjoyed his company and sense of fun. This has not happened naturally for me yet. I would like company than extends beyond 30 minutes in the room talking through a phone. Advice welcome. Although I have adjusted to the jetlag, I do also have a dilemma about adjusting to how late everything happens. I am trying to dine around 2030, as things just don’t begin here until about 2230. I cannot do a 2am finish and a breakfast that finishes at 10am! I need more to be occupied with between 1700-2200 and cannot drink alcohol during this time as I will be drunk by midnight! I will post again and await thoughts and advice eagerly.

I have returned to Thailand with Eva from London , used my miles to upgrade from their premium economy to royal laurel business class well worth it in my opinion. Staying at Baan Souy again which I suggest is excellent, great rooms, decent location between boys town and jomtien, no problem returning with "company" almost expected, lovely pool and gym and fantastic hosts and team at the hotel, I cant recommend enough! On first evening met a boy from Toy boys I met before, the bar had maybe 30 boys in pants and good mix, I think a drink was about 280 THB but a good bar we had some food at nearby Fra Pattaya always excellent! On Sunday bars all closed for holiday I met my friend from Saturday again, had stacked up the fridge in my room from nearby 7/11 so we enjoyed the amazing pool a few beers at hotel, then walked to nearby market at Jomtien near entrance to jomtien park. If you like excellent Thai food an amazing selection, all good and very cheap, they were also "turning a blind eye" to drink restrictions! So Monday night went to explain little..... Dream boys - maybe 15 boys all in jeans but no shirt and a fair mix but other than one of the slimmer style x boys - again maybe 15 all in pants but more slim type so nothing that appealed to me! New bar site of old Cupid next to panorama maybe 12 boys with a bit of a mix, all in just pants. BOYZ Boyz..... Probably 40 plus but all pretty fully dressed ...... In the main Aimed to be catering for Chinese lady cliental all be it Very welcoming to me! I met a boy from the old Cupid, nice evening but early night as hopefully a friend from Bangkok is arriving Tuesday and joining me for a few days in Pattaya before we both return to Bangkok!

OKAY, now for Premier Nightclub - really the only reason I was going to TJ, aside from some a stop by to a medical spa to cling to fast-fading youth and half the cost in USA. Typically Premier will announce their "Men Only Blackout" night on twitter, which is as you can imagine a night only for men that gets much raunchier than their typical offering which is peppered with women wanting to grope and grab along with the gay. I had been to a typical Premier night before and was quite pleased but the blackout was something I wanted to see, I believe it is the last Friday of every month. Unfortunately, their twitter has been dormant the last few months so I still took a chance and came down the last Friday of the month and lo-and behold, Blackout! A much raunchier experience. The cover was 200 pesos, ~$10 dollars. The lights were held lower than usual and the gogos wearing much less. At Premier unlike the other clubs I mentioned the gogos are quite aggressive. One 'older' muscle queen demanded I buy him a drink within moments of me arriving. Demanded may be a bit harsh - because I did relent. He had a stunning muscular physique and allowed me to fondle his soft junk, which was still impressive. However there was no chemistry as this guy was seeking even bigger tips and when I made clear that was no going to happen he sulked around until finishing his drink and moving on to the next unsuspecting client. Lesson learned for me to be okay with saying, no thanks, when things are not totally clicking from the start. The drink was also pricier than I remember at $18, previously this was ~$6 but I suspect the increase was due to this gogo ordering two drinks. He was quite a mess, but I have to appreciate the game. Drinks for customers are $3 or 50 pesos. The usual fare of gogos paraded around, some twinks, some Abercrombie Fitch models, muscular dudes and tiny-tots were out. Premier typically has about 20 gogos flowing around on a large stage and among the crowd. Not as spectacular as you'd find in Puerto Vallarta but still very attractive just most on the shorter side as to be expected from the latino pool they are working with. Until about 11pm most were in various forms of g-strings, jocks, or briefs and then things became interesting. They oddly all started wearing little pink skirts, most see-through.... okay, maybe the color was red but it was all a bit odd but since the skirts made it easier to get a grope in for $20 pesos, or a dollar it was a welcome change. One twink in particular paraded around with a stunning amount of charisma. He looked familiar and he was. I had taken him for a "massage" aka full on a year earlier on my last visit except his hair color had changed. Boyish, toned, beaming smile and overtly sexual charisma oozes from him - obviously gay and obviously in the career of his dreams. He danced with me for a bit getting hard in my hand. Yes - that is the kind of charisma I like. Around 12:30 the pink skirts came off and the gogos returned after cycling through (~5 leave at a time presumably for a break or costume change every 20 minutes or so). and they came out with only a small napkin over their junk. Of course this napkin was easily and frequently dispensed of so in all intents and purposes they were completely naked. Really after 20 minutes the "napkins" just disappeared for most and they just walked around naked. Now my enchanting twink, one of the sluttier gogos if you will again eyed me up and gave me an aggressive lap dance sans napkin, once again getting hard, biting my nipples (I happened to be wearing a loose muscle shirt) and cooing in my ear. OKAY, enough playing around - I asked him for a massage ($60 to headmistress who sat behind a blacked out plexi box like some sort of deviant priest. We go next door to a sauna that for the most part looks like hell but is quite nice inside even though I never make it past the hotel quality "rooms" they have I think solely for the nightclub next door. We have a good ol time and even though he looks like a dreamy twink he is a great top and makes the process nice for me when I rarely bottom. I tip him $100. This is an odd part. Last time we met I made a note that all-in I paid $200 for the experience. So I am not sure why I paid less, I think perhaps he negotiated a higher rate in the initial encounter and this time the "tip" was not mentioned and negotiable. As much as I enjoyed the experience - $100 is much more inline with expectations than $140 so I am glad he didn't press me. I was ready to leave at 2AM now that I climaxed but I thought better and decided to return to the club. I nearly forgot the point of the "men's only blackout" was its sex show - so I am happy I decided to pop back in. At 2AM there was a muscular gogo in an S&M outfit working the pole and doing an erotic sort of artistic dance. It was pleasant since the gogo was so muscular but after sing throng of near nude or naked gogos this was a bit anti-climatic. That is when then a tall muscular stud walks on to the stage at the same time staff bring out a fck bench.... oh. So they go at it on stage, it was pretty dark but still light enough to see. Some patrons began to crowd around the stage but for the most part people continued to stay at their tables and watch. Very few tips were flying but some did come. The show was very good and at one point a "gringo" marched on stage and ate out the bottom who was previously doing the artistic dancing - twice! How much did he tip for that? Unclear. Nevertheless my twink stopped by a few more times so I could get a fondle but I was spent and left highly satisfied at 4AM. Needless to say, my final evening, after witnessing the cringe-worthy holiday costume and random people twerking and grinding for I assume a cash prize I fled to Premier for some real action. The cover was now $10, or 100 pesos as it was no longer the men only night and the lights were brighter and women again peppered the club. There were about half the crowd as the day before or fewer and everyone was more conservatively dressed again in an assortment of briefs, thongs and the like. I did not intend to buy a MB but like clockwork that enhancing twink, now wearing a Trojan Warrior costume complete with skimpy skirt and easy access came marching over and off we went for a massage. I left the room literally drained of all my cash since I again didn't really discuss tip or come prepared but this time mustered up $120 as a farewell and a big smile. Looking forward to my next "Mens Only Night" for sure in maybe Spring.

There is just so much to see south of Florence - stunning scenery and the fascinating towns of San Gimignano, Montalcino, Siena, Pienza, Montepulciano and, if time permits, also a couple of hours to take in the Basilica of San Francesco with its stunningly restored frescos of the master of the early Renaissance, Piero della Francesca. Yes, the Campanile collapsed in 1902 but I don't remember it clearly 😁

Day 5: Trip back to Bangkok was uneventful. I used a motorcycle taxi to go to the north Pattaya bus terminal for 60 Baht - more expensive than the baht bus I took when I arrived. This might trigger some folks because of their principle. but I find it, when vacationing, don't let these little matters ruin your stay and just use the Thai's mai pen rai attitude and go with the flow. I decided to skip Tawan tonight and go to other bars in patpong. And based on responses from this board i.e. @vinapu I went straight to hotmale around 930pm. On the way to hot male, I passed by that small soi going to moonlight, and there was the tout which I recognised as one of the guys in Tawan. He has matured a bit, but still very handsome. I had some small talk with him as it seemed to be a slow night before moving on to Hotmale. I was shocked by the stark contrast this bar (Hotmale) has with Tawan. They guys acted professionally - you can't see any of them on their phones. I later found out they deposit their phones in a tray similar to that of high school students in Korea before going on stage. So what you see on stage are guys fully focused on flirting with the audience. They also wear red sweat pants whereas Tawan guys mostly wear sexy bikinis with some wearing jockstraps with the occasional dare of going au naturel. They also don't go to the audience uninvited unlike Tawan, so getting to know them a bit better before you actually invite them for a drink is impossible. it was a weekday so there were less than 5 of us. it was a bit awkward for me looking their way as they flirt with me to invite them to sit with me. but I was there for 1 thing only - big cock show. The show started promptly at 1030pm. I was actually starting to think they wouldn't have any show as there were only 5 people in the audience. There were some amateurish acts that they accomplished. it was painful to watch the guy doing the soccer theme number as one can see he was truly doing his best, but he was no dancer and the choreography was forced. after all these song and dance number, I thought that that was it - no nudity, just a bunch of sexy show. but I was wrong, they're last number was indeed what I was waiting for. they have Indian costume for reasons that escapes me, but their big cocks are in full attention. they did go around the audience, so I asked the mamasan to quickly change the 1000 baht bill I have. he was quick to do it and the guys started to line up to me as there were only a couple in the audience that was interested on a quick see. after all has been inspected, they all went up to stage for a final bow. I decided to go back to the hotel, I passed by the 7/11 and found some of the Tawan guys sitting around the area as the Tawan has also closed for the night. Mr N recognised me and meekly asked if I wanted to treat them for some supper - that was what I understand from his broken English. I wasn't really sleepy despite the trip from Pattaya, so I said yes and he called a couple of his chums to go with us. During supper, he dropped a bomb that the long time manager (beret guy) has just died and that in 3 days it will be cremated in the temple. After supper we went our separate ways with a promise that I will be at Tawan tomorrow.

Sorry to hear about your buddy but I do suggest with respect it's hardly fair to blame his death on Thailand. Anyone who lives here - or even just visits - surely knows that medical costs are up to each individual, not the state. Hence the requirement and necessity for some form of medical insurance. I have a reasonably simple policy - far less coverage than I used to have when I was travelling around the world for various employers. But enough. I go to a mix of private and public hospitals depending on the problem and the likely cost of treatment. Just last week I stupidly fell and with a wound that was clearly quite deep I went to nearby BNH. I was treated immediately and will have the sutures taken out on Thursday. Not exacly cheap but immediate attention and very kindly staff. Three years ago I made my first visit to the Chulalongkorn public hospital. The doctor I see there spends three days a week at that hospital and three at Bumrungrad. The consultation fee at Chula is 200 baht. At Bumrungrad around 1,600 baht! On my first visit, she recommended I have a complete abdominal CT scan. That was scheduled 3 weeks later. When she looked at the results, she spotted a small cyst on the pancreas. She felt it important to see if there was anything worrying underneath. Accordingly an MRI was scheduled for a further 3 weeks later. All clear but she recommended another scan 6 months later and then annual scans for 3 years after that. With pancreatic cancer so difficult to detect in its early stages, I have been delighted with the treatment. Even more so at the costs. Even without insurance, I believe all the scans would have cost less than one MRI at Bumrungrad. I just could not imagine living or traveling outside my home country without sufficient health insurance. But we all make our choices.

They did a nice job on the lighting and new wall paper. Hoping the new policy doesn’t last long. Went there a few nights ago and one of the workers coming out of 7/11 told me they don’t show anymore. Inside there were about 10 guys with no junk out. Unusual but it stayed that way for the 90 minutes I was there. The owner doesn’t want the guys going up to customers for tips. He wants you to buy a drink or he tells the boy to get back on stage. The boys don’t like this as it cuts into their tips. One guy I tip 100 baht for a minute was with me and ordered back on stage. There’s no way I’m buying him a drink. But I’ll tip him if he wants. The staff inside aren’t strict like the owner. Luckily the owner is usually outside. Obviously they want to sell more drinks and don’t want the customer who buys himself a drink and none for a boy. If you want to put your hands on one you might have to buy another drink.

We have all heard that the leaning of the Leaning Tower of Pisa was stabilised back in 2008 when the publlic was told it would remain 'static' for another 200 years. This year marks the 850th year of the laying of its foundation stone. But Italy has several other mediaeval towers, notably the 14 in San Gimignano south of Florence of which the tallest is 54 metres. Now there is another that has got the authorities worried about the rate of decline. Situated in the heart of Bologna in the Piazza di Porta Ravegnana are two tall towers, the 12th century 48 metre-high Garisenda Tower and its neighbour the 97 metre Asinelli Tower. As I saw on a visit 4 years ago they are magnificent. The tall one seems to be fine but the Piazza around them has just been closed for a few years as the smaller now requires attention. It slants at 4 degrees compared to Pisa's 3.9 degrees. The Tower was mentioned in Dante's Divine Comedy and Dickens' Pictures from Italy. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/29/bologna-seals-off-leaning-tower-fears-tilting-too-far

It's been splashed over all the newspapers. China is in a mess - certainly economically and almost certainly politically as well. Local governments are mired in debt. The two largest property developers are quickly drowning in monstrous debts, they cannot sell much of their inventory and have been unable to complete many that Chinese citizens have already paid for. This has led to at least one riot. Almost 12% of recent graduates cannot find jobs. With youth unemployment already at 20.4% in April this year, so many are out of work that the state has now ceased publishing statistics. President Xi's admonition that, as during Mao's Cultural Revolution, these young people should go and work in the countryside has met with derision. In an age of social media, China cannot clamp down on all dissent despite the huge numbers it employs to censor it. Just a year ago Xi was elected to an unprecendented third 5-year term in office. Before then he made sure he was surrounded by his own cronies. Many top government and other officials had been jailed for corruption beforehand, although corruption remains virtually endemic. Now, though, even those he placed in top leadership posts are disappearing. Recently, two of Xi's hand-picked five state councillors - five who enjoy a higher rank in the cabinet than ordinary ministers - have disappeared. Some weeks ago Foreign Minister Qin Gang was ousted after vanishing for more than a month. Three weeks ago Defense MInister Li Shangfu sudenly disappeared, despite having been promoted to his position only in March. Next, the removal of two top generals has shocked the People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, the elite unit set up by Xi to modernize the country's armed forces. The lack of transparency in these disappearances and forced resignations is not new in China. The high level of all four coming at one time is of particular concern, though, given that Xi himself has also chosen not to attend international gatherings where once he was lauded. Some analysts point to Xi's own power being diminished and his leadership abilities questioned within the Party. Is he now afraid of what might happen to his position if he were to leave China? All this at a time when China is playing a much tougher game overseas with its alliances with Russia and North Korea and its increased sabre-rattling over Taiwan. Rahm Emanuel, the US Ambassador to Japan, has compared what is going on internally to an Agatha Christie novel "And Then There Were None". How much he actually knows about what is happening in China is clearly open to question, but he himself has asked another question, "Who's going to win this unemployment race? 'China's youth or Xi's cabinet?'" Perhaps a question aimed more at a US audience, but it is one being increasingly discussed in other parts of the world. And all this still baffles those who recall that Xi's father, a participant in the Long March and a pal of Mao who made him Vice Premier, was a man lauded for his moderation. He was an early proponent of the easing of control over Xinjiang and Tibet, even having the Dalai Lama to stay at his home when he visited Beiiing. What has turned the younger Xi into a self-styled Mao? Is it because his father was purged, jailed and spent long periods in confinement during the Cultural Revolution? How iong can the younger Xi last? Will he make a bid for internal harmony by going to war with Taiwan as a means of taking attention away from the severe jobs and other crises he faces? My own view is that within China there are enough citizens who would baulk at Chinese fighting Chinese and the massive death toll that would result. But that's already the subject of another thread. Based on this article on the CNN website - https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/19/china/china-top-ranks-turbulence-questions-xi-intl-hnk/index.html

As the economic woes of China's property giants Country Garden and Evergrande continue to get worse, Xi Jinping and his cronies will surely start to feel much more heat from apartment owners who paid up front and now have nothing, contractors who delivered materials and have never been paid and local authorities which had banked on both land sales and property sales' income seeing bankruptcy at their doors. Now another potentially more dangerous event has made his rule more complicated. On the surface, it's a simple affair - the death of former premier Li Keqiang of a sudden heart attack. Li was a reformer and much loved throughout the country during his 10-year premiership. Xi will no doubt be thinking back to 1989 and the death of another popular senior party figure and reformer, Hu Yaobang. Hu had risen to the post of General Secretary of the Party. In 1987 he was forced to resign by hard-liners for siding with student protests which had arisen countrywide. Yet with Deng Xiao-ping as his protector, he remained a member of the ruling Politburo. In Hu's place Deng placed another reformer, Zhao Ziyang. The student protests were quelled - for a time. Hu died on 15 April 1989, like Li Keqiang of a heart attack. He was 73. Li was even younger at 68. So why should this be a worry to President Xi? Allegedly with his last words Hu had asked that he be buried simply without fuss, in his hometown in Jiangxi Province. Following his death there was a small scale demonstration urging the government to reconsider his legacy. It was virtually nothing in the wider scheme of things in that country. Yet a week later on the day of Hu's official funeral in the Great Hall of the People, word had spread and around 100,000 students marched in Tiananmen Square outside. They came to petition the government and handed a letter addressed to the hard-line Prime Minister Li Peng. The letter had no effect. The protests in Beijing grew and then started in other parts of the country. What began as mourning for a popular leader soon morphed into grievances about student accommodations, serious inflation and increasing corruption The leadership was shaken and uncertain how to react. As the numbers in the Square continued to increase, on May 19 Zhao Ziyang himself came into the Square and using a megaphone begged the students to disperse. He knew what the Politburo was planning and he knew he was powerless to stop it. During part of that visit he was seen to be in tears. His address to the students was later smuggled out of China. His speech included the following excerpts - "Students, we came too late. We are sorry. You talk about us, criticize us, it is all necessary. The reason that I came here is not to ask for your forgiveness . . . You are still young, we are old, you must live healthy, and see the day when China accomplishes the Four Modernizations. Unlike you, we are already old, and do not matter . . . We were also young once, we protested, laid our bodies on the rail tracks; we never thought about what will happen in the future back then. Finally, I beg the students, once again, to think about the future calmly. There are many things that can be solved." Zhao bowed and then walked off. Most of the students applauded and many themselves were in tears. But they did not heed his warning. They were unaware that that very day Zhao had been stripped of all his posts. Within days, the Tiananmen massacre - or 'incident" as the Chinese leadership continues to call it - occurred. Zhao was put under house arrest and never appeared again in public before his death in 2005. Fearing another outburst of protests, Zhao's funeral was held among the tightest security. Now comes Li's death. Already socal media has been awash with tributes. There have been public displays of grief, particularly in Li's home Province of Anhui. But today's censors are far more savvy than in 1989. Instructions have been given to ensure that mention of Li makes no mention of his advocacy of political or economic reform. The media has been instructed to stick to the party line when eulogising Li. Public mourning has been discouraged. I guess there is not much else Xi can do, given that the ideas of reformer Li who was appointed at the same Party Conference as ultra conservative Xi were quickly replaced as Xi concentrated all power in his own hands. It is tempting to wonder what might have happened had Li become President rather than Xi. I suspect China would today be quite a different country. But we will never know. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/30/china-seeks-to-stifle-public-grief-for-former-premier-li-keqiang

agree, try to use crowded bus in summertime in some of our countries and soon you realize it's case. Same same when some odor can be sniffed on BTS, invariably is coming from one of ours.

Oh my God ! You meant that old guy in thick glasses just died ? He was fixture there for time immemorial and very nice guy at that. That is sad indeed. I like your attitude about comparing prices. You right some are paying too much attention to what in reality is very minor difference in price and even less when they consider transit prices in their own countries. Sure it may be principle but for me seem to be way too principled to look for baht bus across the street for 10 baht when one can be taken to hotel without hassle for 50-60. Comparison of Hot Male with Tawan is brilliant, each bar has own advantages you clearly pointed out . I'm sure boys were grateful if you tipped every one of them for their troubles, likely more boys then spectators on that night. 7/11 and corner of Suriwong and soi Tawan are known places where some Tawan boys are socializing after bar is closed and on more that one occasion I managed to snatch one of them for all night prayers in my room. But they also managed to humiliate me once when three of them summarily refused to go with me , one because he doesn't do long time and other two because they wanted too generous compensation which I politely declined and refused to consider following suggested reduced rate, yes on principle. that sign reader posted must be new as I don't recall it either and must say it's great idea as draws attention no doubt.

Westerners have not always been so clean. I remember my early years coming out and having sex with men who had what were then described as "cheesy willies", disgustingly smelly penis, who never seemed to draw back their foreskins to clean them properly!

Seems like a lot more people than when I went 8 yrs ago.....and more organized. Here are some pics from then.

Here are some of the pics I took of the event. will talk more about it when I have more free time.

I'll preface this by saying that @PeterRS makes a good point: we can't expect the globe's entire population to adhere to first world standards of bodily hygiene, as much as we'd like it to. Never used to be an issue, till the boom in mass tourism fed into inevitable cultural comparisons; now we're down to whose bumhole has fewer polyps stuck up there. That noted, I live in a part of the world that's particularly susceptible to immigration and tourism from the Mainland, not unlike Thailand, and we don't appreciate them any more than the Thais, to be perfectly frank. I get @Department_Of_Agriculture's annoyance. Yes, we should be understanding of cultural nuance and differing levels of social finesse, but there are bottomlines, pun not intended. I remember a Cathay Pacific flight about ten years back: I saw that the door to a particular bathroom stall was closed but not locked, and proceeded to push it in, only to be greeted by the split-second sight of a Chinese gentleman seated on the can, before he promptly slammed the door shut in my face. I waited outside till he was done, and after he exited while giving me the stinkeye - he was in his 50s, clearly a Mainlander, and equally clearly not an urbanite - I went in, only to discover immediately that he had not availed himself of the bowl's flush function. He had been sitting, so the sight that greeted me may well be imagined. Like the easily repulsed first-worlder that I am, I went and got the nearest and unluckiest stewardess, and to this day recall very vividly the intake of breath and momentary pause, as she was confronted by the reality in that stall ... And, in case you're wondering, I felt not the slightest twinge of guilt in so doing. CatPac crew aren't exactly models of courtesy and graciousness, in my personal experience - one of several reasons I prefer not to fly with them. So, yes, I do try not to be an entitled jackass, but I'm also well aware that there are limits. At some point, the Swamp Thing takes over.

You are conflating things. My comment had to do with the personal cleanliness of the Thais, not the state of public lavatories. Most Thais bathe twice a day, at least, and they wash themselves after taking a crap. Thais are fastidiously clean. The state of some of the public lavatories is actually a result of that. In lower-end place where you have a hose to wash with, water is going to keep dribbling even after you have switched the tap off. Even in places where you have a hand held douche, they tend to get worn out from heavy usage and there may be water on the floor from dripping or leakage. That has nothing to do with the personal hygiene of the Thais. Wet floors may be unpleasant, but if it’s a trade-off between a wet floor and a clean arse, the latter is preferable. In some higher-end venues they have got around this problem by installing those little jets for washing directly into the WC, so there is no dripping or leakage. As noted by Ichigo above, the Crowne Plaza is one such venue. You see the same with most native people in Southeast Asia. You will also see that when travelling through Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia etc. Loos are wet precisely because the people are clean - because there are washing facilities. Of course, as noted earlier, that does not always apply to the Chinese residents of the region. Even after several generations of being in a region where washing is expected, many still don’t wash. In Farangland, lavatories may be clean and dry, but that is because of a lack of washing facilities. The trade-off in many places is dry floors for dirty arses. Thankfully, that isn’t true of all countries though. Bidets are legally mandated in Italy, for example. It is in the heretical, Protestant countries that things are at their worst. By contrast, I can assure you that the pope has a clean bottom. Of course, in China it is the worst of both worlds. They walk around with dirty, unwashed arses yet they have dirty loos as well. To tie this tangent back to the OP’s original question, I will share this little anecdote. When in Chiang Mai last December, I went to the Michelin-recommended Paak Dang restaurant. It is owned by a Singaporean Chinese couple. Chiang Mai was fairly quiet and the restaurant almost empty. The only other table was a party of mainland Chinese - seven or eight of them – being very loud. It was slightly irritating but we were all there for a good time and it would have been churlish to hold it against them for enjoying themselves the way that they do. Anyhow, they eventually finished their meal and left, giving us some peace and quiet. Perhaps half an hour later, as we also prepared to leave, I went to use the loo. It was an absolute disaster zone. I won’t go into details but, inter alia, there were shoe prints on the toilet seat and tonnes of wet tissue on the floor and the douche lying on the floor in a puddle. The flush must also have been an alien contraption to them. These were people who could afford to travel abroad and dine in a Michelin Guide restaurant. I went to the lady owner and said that she might want to take a look at the loo. She asked “why?”. I said “well, you had a party of mainland Chinese here earlier…”. As soon as I got to “mainland Chin”, she audibly groaned. Her reaction was not a bad as that of the two Thai boys she brought along to clean-up the mess, though. Ask those Thai boys what they really think of the Chinese.

When I was passing by last week I noticed a sign at entrance to Soi leading to Moonlight. Don’t remember it from earlier trips.

Well there are those with longer memories than me with this bar, but it is one that I visit regularly when I am in town, and as recently as last month. As I understood it, the convention always was that you would enter the bar, be shown a seat and a drink order taken for you. Boys would be on stage, some standing looking at you, others seated. In the past they would be wearing loose fitting pants and flashing their cocks to entice you. More recently jeans, but there would still be some with their cocks out. You picked a boy to join you and a drinks order would be taken for him, chances are he would then get his cock out for your inspection and in the hope of persuading you to agree to a 300 baht chuck-wow. Now they have also been entirely happy letting me call boys off stage for a fondle of their goods in exchange for 100 baht tip. In fact the papasan will willingly go and change a 1k baht note for me into 100s for precisely that reason. (some guys offer less than 100 baht - but I have always thought that fair exchange). But normally I come into the bar with at least one other guy, so I am buying 3-4 drinks anyhow and they don't seem to mind about tips as my bin is usually between 1-2k (plus tips on top of that). The boys will obviously welcome the tips, but the bar needs to sell drinks to make any money; and frankly you can't have one without the other! And at the moment guys there is nowhere else in Pattaya where you can have the sort of hands-on fun you can have in Nice Boys; so dip your hands a bit deeper into your pockets and then everyone is happy!

The longest wait I’ve experienced was appointment with a dermatologist (about five months) because it deemed routine visit. Proved to be very productive appointment. She diagnosed and removed (by freezing with nitrogen) four pre-cancerous growths from scalp and arms. I know schedule complete body exam annually.

Absolutely absurd. Since Putin controls all of the press, obviously Russians are only going to hear great things about him. If Trump were also able to be the dictator he wished he could be, we'd only think great things about him as well. Even though Trump only controls Fox News, those who listen to Fox believe Trump's a victim rather than the fraud, liar, thief, and cheat that he is. At least he's not a murderer, as far as I know. Of course, you may say that most Russians are already aware that Putin's a mass murderer, liar, cheat, and thief, and I suppose that Russian admiration for murderers does say something about the Russian people. That being said, as you well know, any credible opponent of Putin's will find himself either dead or incarcerated. Only a fool would say that Putin's support is legitimate.

I still can't believe they didn't break the record of 2019. Both me and my Taiwanese friends agreed that they have never seen so many tourists going to the pride: https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/10/29/taiwan-pride-march-east-asia/

Interesting topic. In one respect, today's mbs are fortunate. Back in the day, before the advent of the dating sites and Social Media, there was little chance of earning much between the closing and the reopening of the go go bars. Yes, there was the beach and I recall Royal Garden being a popular meeting place in its early days, but limited opportunities were available. But now, punters and mbs can meet 24/7. And who would have thought that some can hold down two jobs simultaneously? Sitting outside a JC bar, eyeing passing trade and at the same time scrolling through hornet!

Yes, and a big ring thing in his ear,like Ooga booga looking.

Generally speaking we can only second guess boys earnings. They are only ones who know the truth about tips , commissions and money extracted from farangs to replenish dead buffalos or fund surgery for grandma who died 23 years ago. Even most popular guys have dry periods without offs or tips.

I suppose tipping the boys exclusively doesn't pay the bar's bills

I went to World Pride in Madrid 6 years ago. It was fun, one of the parties was the big orgy party. I am not sure if Thailand allows that. In my opinion, asians are mostly too shy to have public sex(sauna mania is not public sex because people only have sex in small private rooms there, not in public). I am a party goer, but not really interested in parade, or any group events on gay politics. I walked with the parade in Madrid for 15 minutes and thought that was enough for me.

They have these toilets at Crowne Plaza! With English instructions

Japanese have had by far the best sit down toilets for many years. The only problem is that you either have to learn Japanese to work them or a degree in some sort of technology!

I am sorry that you are not willing to pay a 300 baht drink + tip to have a grope of the boy. Maybe that's just too expensive for you. People go to Thailand for the cheap fun after all.

The NHS was the envy of the world- remember the 2012 Olympics tribute?- but it has been seriously under-funded by successive governments starting with that of Lord Blair of Abu Ghraib and continuing with the current bunch of gangsters. Nevertheless, compared to the situation in the US for example, it remains a marvel of compassion and , as I grow old and decrepit, I thank God for it. It's one of the reasons why I'm not in Thailand. My American buddy died in a public ward in Pattaya after his insurance ran out, by the way. He couldn't even afford effective medication.

Moses, relax . We know all that already. Medvedev wasn't warming seat for Putin when he was president , he was elected by loving Russian population who somehow 4 years later lost that love and decided they love Putin even better.

they could have been . Problem is that in dictatorships or countries where one can be jailed for "offending head of state " , ahem there's no way of verifying that love. It could be real , it could be fabricated. Recall October 1989, whole East Berlin is celebrating 40th anniversary of DDR waving and smiling at Honecker. Three weeks later wall was opened and Erich send packing to Chile, no doubt few tears were shed.

Peter, relax. One doesn't need Wikipedia to know what day is coming after Sunday

1. nothing to be proud of if majority support is true 2.without reliable way of verifying how we can say that he is supported my majority ? I suspect that much more people in Russia support Putin than believes election of there are fair. Chances are most prisoners in Auschwitz when asked what they think about Dr. Mengele would answer it's best doctor they ever had. 3.In most countries whoever is in charge is leader of minority when we count those who did not vote and those who voted against. World strives to be North Korea but it's long march I venture to say before most societies reach such enviable lever of adoration of their leaders.

That's because Putin and his party control every aspect of the elections: Electoral competition is limited, as strong candidates, including some from Russia's main opposition Communist Party, are blocked from running by authorities. In the run-up to elections, there's an atmosphere of intimidation of critical independent voices. There is no international independent observation, but independent local observers report a lot of election irregularities. Opposition candidates are detained, having their cars vandalised, and, in one case, military draft papers are being served to election observers. Elections in Moscow are easily rigged due to the capital's system of electronic voting, which are said to be impossible to audit. Similar systems have been rolled out in many other Russian regions. Moscow authorities rely on electronic voting (DEG) systems, which can provide whatever official result they want. "The Kremlin hails election results, saying United Russia, which President Vladimir Putin helped found, has confirmed its role as the leading party. It said the election had been competitive, open and honest." 😎 🙃 😎 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/20/pro-putin-party-wins-russia-poll-slammed-as-a-sham-by-opposition https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russian-regional-vote-delivers-strong-result-putin-amid-claims-rigging-2023-09-10/ https://meduza.io/en/feature/2023/09/12/russia-s-2023-regional-voting

From CNN The US says Russia is executing its own soldiers and has threatened entire units with execution for failing to obey orders. National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby told reporters: “We have information that the Russian military has been actually executing soldiers who refuse to follow orders, we also have information that Russian commanders are threatening to execute entire units if they seek to retreat from Ukrainian artillery fire.” Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby told reporters: “We have information that the Russian military has been actually executing soldiers who refuse to follow orders, we also have information that Russian commanders are threatening to execute entire units if they seek to retreat from Ukrainian artillery fire.” Russia’s mobilized forces in the region “remain under-trained, under-equipped and unprepared for combat,” Kirby said, and have been largely used in what he called “human wave tactics” as it attempts to forge ahead with a renewed offensive. While Russia continues to have some offensive capability and may achieve some tactical gains on the battlefield, it continues to show no regard for the lives of soldiers,” Kirby told reporters.

Certainly Australia did the same after the 1996 massacre in Hobart that killed 35 people. Apart from tightening gun laws it instituted a buyback and amnesty with almost 600,000 guns being handed in to authorities. Since then there have been two more amnesties. In 2017 a 3-month amnesty had 57,000 weopons being handed in. In January this year, after what was the first year of a permanent firearms amnesty 17,000 weaopons were handed in. https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jan/21/over-17000-weapons-surrendered-in-first-year-of-australian-firearms-amnesty

Why surprised? That was 1871. Now it is 2023. Britain has passed legislation making registration of firearms some of the strictest in the world. It was a massacre in Dunblane in 1996 that killed 16 primary school children and one teacher that led to even stricter gun control legislation in the UK. Sydney's website GunPolicy.org estimates there are 5.03 guns in the UK per 100 people. The US has 120.5 guns per 100 people. According to ABC News, the USA has had 565 mass shootings with loss of lives in 2023 alone. Britain has had none!

The usual GOP retort to the humongous number of mass killings in the USA following the 'thoughts and prayers' platitudes is "mental health." Well in this case the killer's mental problems were known in advance, yet nothing was done! And with the mental health of the perpetrators of most of these mass murders is never really known - or is known to people like immediate family who will not report it - the gun lobby continues to rub its hands in glee and loves its increasing profits.

still they have chance to have their say

As long as the heels they are wearing are not too high, it should be no problem

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...

If you want to douche, I would bring your own nuzzle.

I thought this interview was spot on. When I first read this State Dept. bureaucrat resigned, I thought of it as political grandstanding. Which it is. But it is interesting to hear why he did what he did in his own words. Of course, we are talking about the State Dept., not the Defense Dept. So a bias toward diplomacy is probably baked into the cake. But this is a guy who has a pragmatic perspective on what it means to send US arms to countries who are far from perfect for decades - like Israel and Egypt. ‘There Are Options for Israel That Do Not Involve Killing Thousands of Civilians’ He also addresses what @Latbear4blk is saying. Not his words, but how we are essentially feeding the beast. It's an excellent point. There's no reason to think that arming a country to the teeth somehow incents them to rush toward peace. Paul raises another excellent point. Which is that people in the State Dept., among others, have a pretty good idea of who the better players and worse players are. The US knows which Israeli military units have a track record of civilian casualties, and could make decisions to arm on that basis. That said, in this instance I don't agree with Paul, for all the reasons he cities about politics. Again, spot on. Everything he is saying is pretty obvious to anyone being a realist. If Republicans ran the show right now, there would be choruses of "whatever it takes." Even though Paul is right that this is the policy that probably guarantees more Jewish babies will be beheaded and burned alive. At least we showed those fuckers! Speaking as a Democrat, there is no reason Democrats need to have a huge internal fight about Israel right now. Any more than they need to have a huge internal fight about who the 2024 nominee should be. Biden is proving in real time he is perfectly capable of handling a crisis. I thank God Trump is not in charge. Even moreso, I thank God George W . Bush is not in charge. Bush 43 is the one who has a Netanyahu-like track record of sending in the cavalry with guns blazing. But no long term plan for peace. Mostly, the reason I disagree with Paul is this is not America's decision to make. It is Israel's, which is a democracy. And for now they've chosen the terrorist trainer, Netanyahu. Who maybe now polls say they want to get rid of. Because maybe they are getting the idea that the more Netanyahu they have, the more terror they have. But this is the debate Israelis and Palestinians need to have. Meanwhile, I'm fine with Biden doing the same kneejerk thing we have done for decades that hasn't worked. Paul himself said, correctly, his views are being expressed "too soon." Whatever real opportunities for peace there are come after Netanyahu is gone. And probably after the world recoils, yet again, from what Netanyahu is about to do.

I think my bad English blurred the sarcasm in my remark. I was implying that the Israeli government has intentionally murdered piles of innocent civilians. This is not some abuse from a crazy soldier with PTSD. For decades they have been bombing areas densely populated, knowing that innocent women, seniors, and children would died. They have been bulldozing houses and occupying land. This is not an isolated act but decades of terrorist aggression and territorial expansion. The key difference you are highlighting is just nuance. Hamas and the Israel government are two souless monsters terrorizing the Palestinian people.

I generally stay at 3-star hotels like the Dandy Da'An which looks on to a large park and is just 30 meters from a subway station. Note, though, that like some hotels it has a few rooms with no windows! Pay more for a view of the park. Or The Ambience, although it requires a longish walk to the two nearest subway stations. There I like their Elite rooms which are at the back. Don't expect much from their breakfasts, though - certainly they are very basic compared to Le Meridien in Bangkok! On my visit at the end of this week, I got a great low rate at the Landis Hotel which is 5 star. It started life as The Ritz and was the only 5 star hotel until around 1990. I like it as it has an art deco theme. Great breakfast, but pricey! Normally I would not be able to stay there due to room prices. As I am in the Marriott Bonvoy points scheme, I have stayed at the mid-price Courtyard Downtown hotel which I much enjoyed. Excellent rooms and a fantastic buffet breakfast. It also requires a bit of a walk to the subway. Not far away is the large 5-star Grand Formosa Regent. Big rooms and excellent service. I don't think you have to stay in the Ximending area. Although the subway stops before midnight taxis are plentiful and relatively cheap. Only if it is raining hard or during a typhoon will they be difficult to get. On the other hand I am told Uber has a good service in the city. Besides, i can't recall any 5-star hotels in that area. One subway stop away is the main rail station. Here there is the Caesar Park hotel which used to be the Hilton. It's an older 4-star hotel which personally I do not like. Not far away is another older hotel, the Sheraton Grande. Never stayed there and I believe it is quite a walk to a subway station.

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