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@scott456 should try Jakarta, Manila, Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong for starters. All have either more or most of the same problems but without the gorgeous temples, the variety of street food, the river life (Hong Kong's harbour is nothing similar) and the beguiling Thai smiles.

I have left Bangkok and write from Vientiane. I am enjoying a down-time trip here, with not good opportunities for a forum post involving adventures, observations and dilemmas about Laos. I think I will post from Vietnam, my next stop with more time. Thank you for the replies. Forrestreid your post is brilliant. I think I am back in Bangkok in a fortnight and I will follow much of your itinerary, for sure! You correctly make reference to Paris but it is also important to recognise London (in the past, Camden, and now East London) and Dublin. The reason an English language word to flaneur is difficult is because it is all of the things you say leading to nuance. I especially appreciate your attention to detail in providing practical information which saves me much time. As I promised, I provide an unstructured update but with less time to edit and refine. On future trips I will try to commit to a diary as is the custom but I hope this is interesting even to just one person! I was quick to comment on Tawan unfairly. On my second visit the atmosphere was brighter. Twinks make up no more than 20% of the gathering of men working in the bar. I heard more about the loss of our beret-wearing friend. I was told he was 60 and died suddenly of a heart attack. An off from Tawan was not in the cards for me this time. To Sol. I was more comfortable on my second visit (a theme?). I was first quick to compare Sol with the old Dream Boys. I think this is because they have done little with the inside so the comparison is hard not to begin with. They have taken away all branding of Dream Boys, replacing it with usually nothing or with their own logo which is not easy to my eyes (a past failed career in marketing does not help me here). But the men they have are friendly and plentiful in number with variety, aged early 20s to early 30s towards the toned rather than thin. One older western guy was enjoying the company of four or five men during my visit (I think the youth would call this ‘living your best life’) with French-kissing, 1000 bhat tips dispensed every few minutes to the delight of the workforce. I met a man in his late 20s who accompanied me to my room for detailed contemplations on the success or otherwise of the Asian Development Bank vis a vis other international comparisons. Following Vinapu’s super advice on first trying ‘non-steamy’ small-chat, I learnt about his broken mobile phone leading to the need to start working in the bar as being a Grab delivery driver without a phone is impossible. A 600 bhat per day wage to a 200 bhat per day wage in the bar was the outcome (unless there is an off, which he claimed I was his first in two weeks of working). I suspected this would lead to a request for a mobile phone, but it did not. The story seemed true when, in a moment of forgetfulness, I asked for his LINE ID later and was told he did not have one because he did not have a phone! Dream Boys had change during my visit. As was reported on the forum by another, there was an incident involving the theft of several 1000s of bhat and a mobile phone from a hotel, by a worker from a customer. I learnt from a talkative (thank you Vinapu for your advice about asking for English language ability from mamasan) man who works there that the owner immediate let go of all staff that were not Thai, as the man could not be traced. This came from just one worker who erred on the side of gossip and perhaps exaggeration in tone. Some men are now in Banana Bar, according to this report. The Dream Boys ensemble are now fewer but the quality is high (to my eye). The vision of the owner is apparently for an all-Thai group from this time forth. Banana Bar show is lots of fun and laughs, marketed to those out with friends and groups as well as the tourist looking for company. Men appear not often on stage. I did not, on two visits, enjoy more than one quick beverage in Screw Boys. The atmosphere was difficult as the only customer or one of three, being so close to the stage with all eyes looking, I was self-conscious. Men are early 20s to early 30s. The mamasan who refused to not sit alongside me was funny with her sales-approach towards the huddle of men as they march which went something like ‘This boy, very big, does everything, no English. This boy, less big, only man but good English. This boy, very big, does everything, good English’. I was sad that an excursion to Arena was not available in the Le Meridian list of tours (feedback will be provided to Marriott) but I was able to visit anyway. Once I had found the place (ignore Google Maps which takes you down some side road to a car park with an angry looking guard, go the front of the building, walk past the restaurants and to the lift at the back, third floor) I was very happy at what was inside. Five men looked not quite ready for Tawan but like they had recently left the gym and were ‘normal looking’ and handsome were in attendance and I spent time with a man in his early 30s from Chang Mai. Again thank you for all replies. I hope to post something from other countries as I visit in the weeks upcoming.

From CNN Travel Savior of many a cramped pair of legs, the jet stream is well known for lopping roughly an hour off long haul west-to-east flights. But it’s working especially hard for travelers in economy class right now, with the jet stream over the Atlantic so strong that flights heading from the US to Europe are reaching speeds equivalent to that of sound. Sound travels at about 761 mph or 1,100 feet per second in “sea level standard conditions,” according to NASA – a little over 661 knots. In the past 24 hours, passenger aircraft traveling east from the US across the Atlantic have reached up to 778 mph. That’s a little over 200 miles per hour faster than normal cruising speeds. But if you’re thinking these flight times are a match for the much-missed Concorde, whose sonic booms used to mark it breaking the sound barrier, it’s time to think again. There’s a difference between ground speed and speed in the air (indicated air speed, essentially the speed of the plane in relation to the air around it). These passenger flights, however speedy, didn’t break the sound barrier. But they did slash flight times. Emirates flight 222 from Dallas to Dubai arrived 57 minutes early on November 1, having reached a top speed of 675 knots, or 777 mph, off the coast of Newfoundland, according to flight tracking site Flightaware. American Airlines flight 106 from JFK to Heathrow arrived 54 minutes early on Wednesday morning, with a flight time of just six hours and seven minutes. It reached a top speed of 778 mph, or 676 knots, also just past Newfoundland. Meanwhile Delta flight 186 raced from Los Angeles to London with top speeds of 760mph, arriving half an hour early on November 1 at 1.08 p.m. Continues at https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/jet-stream-flights-speed-of-sound/index.html

Being your usual ray of sunshine on a thread, I see, scott456. I should have added to my suggested itinerary that one should do start it sundown or later, to escape the worst of the heat. But to be a "flaneur" means that you are, of necessity, in a big vibrant city, so noise and air pollution, and facing chaos and crowds,are pretty unavoidable. However, I dont think you will get another tropical or subtropical city anywhere in the world that combines Bangkok for the variety of street and bar life combined with the relative safety of your person. Singapore felt very pleasant and safe to stroll around in the evenings,but it was of less fascination. I haven't been to Jakarta or Manila (or indeed Rio or Bogota) but I suspect the feeling of safety there would be quite a bit lower.

What were you expecting him to do? Set-off his rape alarm? Are you really so pathetically desperate that you need to paw away at a boy who is giving you a massage in a legitimate massage place? If that is what you wanted, you should have gone to the places that offer those services one hundred feet away. Why go and sexually assault a boy who has chosen to work at a legitimate massage parlour and trained to do so? At a bare minimum, your behaviour would mark you out a sex pest in the West; more likely it would have led to a police report and you, rightly, being detained for sexual assault. It's a shame that people like you think that you have the licence to act like an animal when in Thailand simply because a boy may choose to avoid causing a scene in order not to jeapordise his job.

Daytime temperatures in Bangkok's 'winter season' very rarely fall below around 28. It will be a little cooler in the evenings and can drop down 4 or 5 degrees. Chiang Mai is certainly cooler, especially in the evenings when you will almost certainly need a sweater. As @reader's article points out, much depends on China. If it is below freezing in Beijing, the winter monsoon will ensure that some of those cold winds will extend down as far as Thailand leading to cooler weather. I was once having a short vacation in Hua Hin bewteen Christmas and New Year when it was pretty cool just lying by the pool. But the winter monsoon can blow in at any time. I recall one late November spell in Hong Kong, normally one of the loveliest months weather-wise, when daytime temperatures dropped to what felt like a bitterly cold 12 degrees. Check what is happening temperature-wise in Beijing in the winter period and you can be sure this will have some effect on Thailand a few days later.

True but is this any good ? Killing your own people? Bombing was cruel but it helped to finish the war which not USA started. If I was Russian I'd be complaining that Truman was too fast, had he wait bit longer Russia possibly would take over nor only Kuril Islands but also whole Hokkaido and would have Winter Olympics in 1972 instead of waiting for Sochi.

now we know why Stalin never replaced Kalinin as President of Supreme Soviet. Majority did not wish. You are correct though about majority voting for Putin. Did they had a choice kind of Americans do ?

don't argue with somebody who thinks leap year is when February has 32 days

Who is your dealer? Your 'officials" are stupid or manipulators. Number 700000 is officially exists in Russian report, but there is clear declared what this is number of kids who ran to Russia with parents, totally Russia accepted 4.8 millions of Ukrainian refuges and 700000 of them were kids.

I guess if you defenestrate or feed polonium to opponents you avoid having to imprison them. Really??

And you don’t in any other East Asian metropolis?

Thanks for the kind words Flaneur, I think Bangkok is one of the best cities in the World for just wandering around.

Not that it matters, but that's incorrect. There's a big difference between true air speed and indicated air speed. True air speed (TAS) is the actual speed relative to the surrounding air. Indicated air speed IAS is (by definition 🙂) the speed indicated by the air speed indicator (ASI), which derives a speed from the pressure at the pitot tube, assuming sea-level air density. At altitude the density is lower and so the IAS reads (a lot) lower than TAS. Sorry, CNN.

Oh, fuck off with your ridiculous interpretations. Show me anywhere where I've called Truman a hero. Putin was a lunatic dictator long before he threatened the use of nukes. His threat of nukes just makes him an extremely dangerous lunatic dictator.

The only places that will stay open later are the cannabis cafes and clubs. Extended hours do not include alcohol sales. No bar or club will stay open to serve tea and coffee. See below:- Anutin Charnvirakul, the Thai Minister of the Interior and Deputy Prime Minister, has stated that the upcoming hours extension for entertainment venues until 4AM will not cover alcohol sales, leading to widespread criticism from business owners and tourism associations. He says that patrons can stay inside but alcohol sales will be prohibited after the legal time of 12-2 AM depending on area. Source:- https://thepattayanews.com/2023/11/05/thai-deputy-prime-minister-warns-entertainment-venues-that-extended-hours-do-not-cover-alcohol-sales/?fbclid=IwAR3W-0XFvZpjEfQteStRbmJ_djhrzU1XspyZmUm6PZD2HCz_NJMkGRGn9BY

Where are you getting that from? I have seen nothing to indicate Pattaya won't be included. I agree with the others that can stay open until 4am does not mean will stay open until 4am. If there are enough customers,m then they'll stay open. I doubt the gay bar scene will have enough customers. It's the bars that cater to young Thais that I expect will stay open. Not necessarily every day. My guess is the ones that stay open until 4am are more likely to do so on weekends and holidays. So be especially cautious about where you will be staying and try not to stay anywhere near bars that likely will remain open until 4am, unless loud bar music lullabys you to sleep . . . If the bars that do stay open until 4am are still going strong at that hour, I think just as many as do so now will violate the law and stay open beyond legal hours. I'm sure for the first few weeks they'll be heavily scrutinized. Then, just like nearly everything else, that will fizzle out and they'll stay open. I wonder how that works technically. Are there any regulations controlling what time bars can open? I have no idea. If there are none, then theoretically the bars can close at 4am and reopen at 4:01. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

Great for those flying from west to east. A bit of a pain for those in cramped economy flying from east to west since flight times will be very considerably longer. Bugger! Interesting part of the article is at the end. In 2020 a British Airways 747 gained the record with a JFK/LHR time of just under 5 hours! In the time between reaching cruising altitude and starting its descent, there would have hardly been time to enjoy a couple of drinks!

There's a tautology for you. Obviously, if the movement failed, it didn't result in a country, so it cannot be named. One cannot name the Basque Republic, Tamil Republic, nor the Catalan Republic because those peoples' fights for independence failed. Your question was the equivalent to asking "Name me someone who failed but succeeded." Just silliness, really. Of course, there are quite a few countries which de facto govern themselves, but are not recognized either universally (i.e. Kosovo), or even barely at all (i.e. Transnistria).

Owners may have used this as opportunity to slash expenses across board. Running a venue that size comes with big fixed costs (rent, utilities, upkeep), leaving variables like staffing easy targets. When Lucky Boy occupied same venue, it had 40-50 in rotation plus good show. But It never reopened after Covid.

Guilty as charged. But at least I don't inhale. Or swallow. 😉 That said, he is the only US President in my lifetime who almost brokered a true peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians. So smoking does have its virtues.

is he still dead?

John Mearsheimer, the Great Powers academic I quote a lot, said that at the time. There was certainly a logic to thinking that all the nukes in all the former Soviet republics should be put someplace safer. Mearsheimer says at the time that was being done, he was a voice in the wilderness. He argued that in the long run those nukes might help Ukraine keep its independence. You are making an excellent point.

be fair. You forgot Saudi Arabia and North Korea for a balance . and thanks for good laugh

Placing weapons is not a threat , it calms the waters and hot heads. Do you really think Russia would invade Ukraine if she had post-Soviet nuclear stockpiles ? I guarantee you that this lesson won't be lost on anybody. When Scotland regains her independence from Britain in 2117 and USA will split into 17 different states in 2145 no newly created country will resign from keeping whatever hardware will be on their territory. Why ? because not of 3 post Russian states created in 2057 did neither.

It's not the humor, just realization that we are discussing problem which for now doesn't have satisfying solution chiefly because neither side is interested in getting one. Both want all or nothing. Until two states will be created and West Bank cleared from settlers discussing it is just intellectual exercise. If say, Jordan would attack Israel in manner Hamas did, world would be more willing to accept any response to it from Israel saying they asked for it. What we have now is not war between states, it's attempt to quash prison or concentration camp riot.

Legality is problem for losing side. Winner will almost certainly get away with illegal acts

so what? most countries independent now were never independent until they become one including that small state USA squeezed between Canada and Mexico. Only handful of countries disappeared from map only to return years later - Lithuania, Poland , Czechia, Ethiopia, Egypt just to name a few It could be argued that yes, relinquishing Gaza was Israel's mistake but there was never talk about incorporation which could be making Gazan as citizens. Such solution would create own problem i.e dissolving Jewish status if country

Just in case you missed it, @Moses. "I need ammunition, not a ride." What Israel and Ukraine do have in common is they were viciously attacked. And in both cases you can say that the people doing the attacking - Hamas and Murderous Vlad - are war criminals committing acts of genocide. The difference is that Ukraine provoked Russia by wanting their own state, democracy, and to be part of the West. Israel did not provoke Hamas by wanting democracy and a state for Palestinians. Biden's worst warmonger moment, to me, was his slippery advocacy of invading Iraq - which he later claims he didn't support. On Ukraine, he is defending a country that wants US help, almost unanimously. They want Murderous Vlad out, almost unanimously. The situation in Israel is anything but unanimous. I'm glad that Rep. Tlaib is pushing back on the attack on her by telling Biden that he is on the wrong side of where most Americans are actually at on a ceasefire. It's a political mess for Biden, either way. His approval ratings, which were bad, are now worse. But in this case it is a mess Hamas and Bibi created, not Biden or the US. Biden has been outspoken for a long time that Bibi is wrong, and his approach would not work. Now we see the fruits of the Netanyahu Doctrine. I almost feel sorry for Biden in this case, since on Israel he has been one of the sane people backing Israel but also pushing for compromise and a more humane approach.

certainly count me in. Thank you for great report. Glad to learn you gave Tawan and Sol another chance. Screwboys mamasan may seem to be quite persistent but as mamasan goes she is most informative and up to a point. Happy to hear about successful venturing into Arena, that may be bit in need to upkeep but in exchange they never disappoint. About Dreamboys that summarily execution seems rash indeed and it's not only non-Thais who were let go. I got information about it from Thais who worked there and shared that sad fate. I agree with reader that maintaining non-Thai policy may result with staffing problem in future. Good to hear that crew on the stage was good looking as it was not my experience when I visited last in May. I'm not ageist being ancient myself but there were way too many veterans of soi Twilight including one whom I even then and there in the soi considered too mature to put it charitably. On another hand quite possibly they had their takers. I at times find myself happy in company of guy some members run away screaming from for reason of look, age or weight , just to name a few. Sol guy who claimed not to be offed for 2 weeks could be telling you a truth. Sometimes even most attractive guys are going days without an off. Once I tipped guy just for a look and boy sitting with me told me ' good you tipped him , he did not have off for 3 months !" . No reason to doubt. Waiting for a next installment. Speaking about Vientiane, did they finish that fountain renovation ? if you have time visit Buddha park, easy to get by bus from Central Bus station , great name to half ruined but still very efficient transportation hub. That Luang golden stupa is not a tourist trap and it should not to be missed if only because is symbol of Laos. If you are planning Luang Prabang, take a train.

problem is not mastering technology as at end of day in most cases it's either easy or irrelevant ( there still bank branches when we can take cash if we can't master ATM) Problem is what happens with all that information which is gathered about us in the process. Privacy invasion is one concern, crooks putting their hand on it is even bigger one. And worst part , for sheer convenience we happily co-operate until one day unpaid speeding ticket in Asuncion, Paraguay will prevent us from crossing border to Philippines, who wants to admit such miscreants into it's illustrious shores.

ok, I give up, he doesn't look like that massive though. Another point to perennial discussion about apps vs meeting in person I guess

The comments from some here are indeed scary, as the thread's title indicate. They are either very deep down the rabbit hole or I want some of what they're smoking!

Your right, in the same manner the US should also provide Ukraine with nuclear weapons since the 1994 agreement where they gave them up has been broken.

Not "homosexuals"; that word couldn't stand on its own. It was always "practising homosexuals", "predatory homosexuals", "avowed homosexuals" or some such Homeric epithet 🙄. And they never had friends, only "rings" .

Personally, I prefer 5PM until 10PM closing. Much easier for me.

Generally speaking, the dress code for Patpong boys is, as little as possible - undies, shorts etc. The flickering hope is that one day an enterprising bar owner institutes themed nights, with an evening dedicated to the speedo. 🏊‍♂️

I really can't stand all this technology stuff, I much prefer to deal with a human being.

Iuppiter iratus ergo nefas You are the victim of the Western propaganda, "history is written by the winners".

I thought you are English, no ?

You don't seem to understand the word genocide. You will have to refresh my memory. When were war crime charges laid against these people?

You mean citizens of the US have committed the most mass killings of civilian, not the US which would suggest it's government did the killings. I wonder how many years of mass killings would need to occur to match the number of people killed during Stalin's purges?

that's explains your stance and no wonder

You can and do say what you like. It doesn't make it true. There are far too many polonium poisonings, novichok poisonings, defenestrations, accidental hangings, jailing of political opponents on trumped up charges to say there are "no tricks".

Indeed, Belarus is outside of the borders of Russia and closer to Russia's adversaries - that was the point you were trying to make (unsuccessfully) about the dreaded USA empire, right? Nicaragua is a successful democracy only by Putin's definition. Same game plan: you get rid of all the opposition leaders and get "elected" time after time basically by default. Your definition of "empire" also needs a bit of work.

It's a reference to the proverbial idiom "Pot calling the kettle black" which describes a situation in which someone comments on or accuses someone of a fault which the accuser shares. In this case you saying the world needs protecting from murders, rapists and maniacs from the US when the same is true of Russia.

sure , few more years and upon return we will be greeted by border officer in our country with question ' did you get lucky at Dreamboys on Oct 14th ?

violent death is always attributed to killer. It was not 9/11 victims fault that they went to work or see the vista from the top on that fateful day

Seems they're a bit crazy about the gambling there. Some years back they raided the bridge club, sure that with all those cards gambling must be going on...

no need to be apprehensive , Tawan in my opinion is friendliest bar, guys may even approach you and if you invite them for a drink, go as far as let you discreetly explore their goods , Being nervous on the first visit is normal and I venture to say most of us were. In worst / shyest case scenario on the first night you just go there, have a drink and see the realm, next night you will feel more domesticated and no doubt braver. Too bad I'm not there , I'd be happy to be your companion on your first evening in Tawan