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Anyone speak Thinglish with his boyfriend? P hates me speaking Thai. And it has to be admitted that I'm pretty bad at it when I try. In fact, I no longer dare to. However, over the years we have developed our own version of Thinglish. The embarrassing thing is I that when I arrive back home, I find myself still speaking it!

From The Nation The former commissioner-general of the Royal Thai Police, Pol General Somyot Poompanmoung, and former deputy attorney-general Nate Naksuk as well as six others will be indicted in the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases on August 29, the Office of the Attorney-General said. In a letter to the National Anti-Corruption Commission, the prosecutors have informed the NACC to bring the eight suspects before the court on August 29. The action against the eight stems from their controversial decision not to prosecute Vorayuth “Boss” Yoovidhya, who was allegedly involved in a fatal car accident that killed a police officer in 2012. The NACC report on February 27 had found grounds to charge them. The case relates to a decision not to prosecute Vorayuth for his alleged involvement in the death of Pol Sen Sgt-Major Wichian Klanprasert in 2012, where evidence regarding the vehicle's speed was allegedly tampered with. Continues at https://www.nationthailand.com/blogs/news/general/40040834

The article has been updated with a reaction from AoT. They say there are new priority lanes in passport control zones 1 & 3 for business and firs class passengers. Hope this is true.

People look for different things and consider them of higher or lesser importance, be it property ownership , climate, sound of spoken language and everything in between. I'm baffled why anyone would chose Pattaya over Bangkok and still thousands do heading to Pattaya right from Swampy day and night

One may be very surprised upon settling in the Phillippines that their tax rules re foreign income of residents mirror those of Thailand and Indeed most of countries of note in the world who usually have tax treaties between themselves and treat those issues quite uniformly with income taxed in another country either exempt in another one or tax credit given for tax already paid in that thay call " other contracting state " As advised many times here, instead of being heated about those issues , time is better spend studying tax treaty between counties of interest as variations do exist. From what I get Thai rules are nothing new, rather thay decided to implement what is in the books already. Look at it the same way as one would about mandatory helmets on motorbike. Imagine outcry if all of the sudden new PM ordered police to enforce it strictly and without exception even for short hop.

@unicorn I am about to start this journey - where to retire (even though I already retired to Thailand in September 2022). One of my primary decisions for choice of retirement country that I made in 2020 was based on favorable tax treatment - which Thailand scored as being very tax friendly. Then the Thai Revenue Department amended one of the existing regulations on the treatment of "assessable income", which came into force effective 01-Jan-2024. Consequently, I will start 2 exploratory trips to The Philippines and also to Vietnam to see if the grass is any greener there for a retiree - especially from a tax treatment point of view. Regarding The Philippines, I have zero experience and @unicorn if you could suggest to me any Philippine cities that are attractive and on the sea like Jomtien is - I would appreciate it. I will start my exploration in Cebu City (skipping the Manila metro area - for the same reasons that I could not live in Bangkok). Regarding Vietnam, I have been a couple of times and my heart is set on Da Nang - as I see it being very similar to Jomtien but in a environmentally cleaner way with excellent access to beautiful nature. However, the gay infrastructure in Da Nang is miniscule when compared to Jomtien - Pattaya - but it does have around 3 gay bars and perhaps a half a dozen gay massage shops. @unicorn when you say why someone would choose Thailand as a gay retirement destination - my main reasons were: the appeal of the gay infrastructure (bars and clubs) that exists here in Jomtien and Pattaya, access to the beaches. Now after living here for 2 years that appeal has diminished because of pollution and dirty sea water - although one can take the 1 hour journey (elapsed time from when you leave your condo until you put down your beach towel) over to Koh Larn where the beaches on the west side of the island are still beautiful, access to great local health care. Unfortunately, the excitement of the gay entertainment wears off and becomes banal. The local gay life is GREAT when you are here on vacation, but when you live here full time it gets kind of boring and mundane - especially during the low seasons when the local guys get desperate financially and react accordingly - which creates a negative environment - until the next high season arrives. So, I would still argue that retiring in Thailand still has its appeal - but alternate places should be considered.

My thoughts would involve wondering why, with the information given in the original post, one would want to retire in Thailand rather than in the Philippines or somewhere else entirely. In Thailand, it sounds as though one gets double-taxed, probably can't get real permanent residency status or citizenship, can't own property, and I'd have to learn an entirely new writing script, adapt to driving on the left, and so on. Probably things are no more expensive in the Philippines than in Thailand. My sense, especially from reading this forum, is that one can even express oneself more openly in the Philippines (I keep seeing references to "He who cannot be named," and to lèse-majesté laws when it comes to Thailand). I'm completely baffled as to why anyone would choose Thailand over the Philippines to retire, except perhaps someone coming from a country in which one drives on the left side who doesn't want to adapt to a different driving style. I'd be curious to hear any rationale as to why someone would pick Thailand over the Philippines or somewhere else less hostile to foreigners spending money there.

Quite right. Chinese are already slowly encroaching into Thailand, and will certainly not give up. If necessary, thick, and thicker, brown envelopes will be deployed. Thailand is a much bigger, and more developed, economy than Lao or Cambodia, and was not devastated by civil war, but that makes it an attractive target for China.itonicallybtge various laws that are seen to bexanti farang, are a useful buffer. However, they may not be enough.

maybe they're expecting to speed up the regular lines so the fast track isn't necessary?

I forgot to mention one other odd thing: the doorman cum manager took on the role of negotiating the tips for the guys (at least he did that to me). I told him I've been here many times even before he started working with the bar 😅. Has that happened to anyone else here? So far, I've only experienced this at The One, not at any of the other bars.

I was at The One last night, a few things I can share from my experience on a weekday night, low season: a. I went at about 10-10.15pm, I was the only customer there. Recognized a lot of familiar faces among the guys available. b. When I came in, only three guys went up stage to show off. Others just lounged around and occupied on their phones. I decided to leave for a while and came back around 11+, just as they were about to finish the big cock/cum show. Less than 5 other customers were there, with 2-3 guys sitting with them. c. Aside from the doorman cum manager trying to get me to off a guy/buy another drink/tip him, or the one other guy there I met during the time the bar was out of business for a while coming to say hi, the friendliness and hospitality that I've experienced at Tawan before seem to be missing as guys were mainly on their phones. d. I decided to off one of the guys who went on stage and was friendliest with me from our past interaction. 500 off fee, 3000 ST tip. Session was good with muscle worship, foreplay and some good fun. e. Physique-wise, the available guys consist of a few bodybuilders in relatively good form (especially off season), several muscle/toned hunks and 1-2 twinks I can spot lounging around.

Educated, intelligent OLD white men with common sense have Already progressed and moved forward, and are NOT about all the crazy retro MAGA shit. Perhaps those are mostly Dems, but little by little the logic of a forward moving country is starting to seep thru to righty's..... I'll go out on a limb and say the election WILL NOT be as close as pundits are predicting.....I imagine a 1000 ft Wave, and it happens to be BLUE., speckled with just enough RED....

Can't even do his make up...

They have a guy whose job it is to manage the cum of the boys? I wonder how much that pays... 😊

This may be open for interpretation. After investing many hours in this issue and attending many seminars about it, it seems that Thailand is moving: from a Territorial Tax System, to a Residence-Based Taxation System, with talks of possibly adding additional elements of a Global (Worldwide) Tax System. Territorial Tax System countries are very appealing to us (retirees) whose income is earned outside of said territory - as the local government tends to not care about our earnings outside of said territory. Interestingly, I asked the Microsoft Copilot (I am not sure which LLM AI engine it uses) to list which countries adhere to the Territorial Tax System and it still lists Thailand and in my opinion, this is incorrect, because as of 01-Jan-2024 due to the change announced by the Thai Revenue Department on 15 September 2023 (No. Paw. 161/2566) regarding assessable income brought into Thailand for "tax residents". So, as we can see this Territorial Tax System country list is shrinking as the world moves towards these more inclusive tax regimes.

And I have the opposite "baffle" from you - as to why anyone would want to retire and live out the last years of their lives in a crowded, dirty, congested, noisy, smelly, no access to the beach city like Bangkok. I am from New York, and when the company that I worked for in 1987 decided to open a new small 5 person office in Denver, Colorado - I begged and begged all of my supervisors and chiefs to be one of the 5 employees assigned to Denver. I was miserable in NYC with all of the above listed negative descriptors for Bangkok in NYC and Denver gave me access to a smaller mid-size city with amazing access to beautiful nature with stunning views of the Rocky Mountains from downtown Denver. I knew then, all the way back in 1987, that I could never live again in a big mega city like New York, Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta, etcetra. I just had to have a connection to nature and after living in Colorado for 12 years, I realized that I also needed access to the sea - so, hence my attraction to a coastal city like Jomtien - Pattaya for my retirement years. Every morning when I wake up - I see the beautiful Gulf of Thailand from my bed and it is truly amazing the vastness of the sea (gulf). --> however, just don't walk or swim in the coffee brown beach water - but just look beyond that for the illusion of peace and tranquility....

From The Thaiger The Palang Pracharath Party’s (PPP) embattled secretary-general is set to drop a political bombshell in a press conference this afternoon. The caretaker agriculture minister is widely expected to renounce his loyalty to the party leader, General Prawit Wongsuwan, in a dramatic turn of events that could shake the party to its core. Thamanat Prompow announced the press conference, scheduled for 2pm at the Agriculture Ministry, a location that has left many political observers speculating about his intentions. His choice of venue, rather than the PPP head office, fuelled speculation that this is not just another routine briefing but a deliberate move to signal his growing rift with Prawit. The tension between the two heavyweights has been escalating, especially after Prawit’s recent declaration that the PPP would remain a partner in the Pheu Thai-led coalition government. However, in a move that stunned many, Prawit excluded Thamanat from the list of PPP ministers in Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s new Cabinet. The exclusion came amid rumours that Paetongtarn’s father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, was pushing Thamanat to lead a revolt against Prawit. Thamanat, reportedly commanding fewer than 20 MPs, is now at a crossroads. If he turns against Prawit, he could approach the Pheu Thai Party for a quota of Cabinet seats, potentially at the expense of Prawit’s faction. However, if Prawit acts swiftly and orders the PPP executive board to expel Thamanat and his allies, they could find a new political home with the Kla Tham Party, reported The Nation.

Well, the Philippines is one country I've never visited. Someone considering moving there might consider contacting one of the organizations mentioned in this webpage: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_culture_in_the_Philippines I'm not recommending the Philippines out of personal experience (although I do have a number of straight acquaintances from there, and know that one of my fellow physicians was happy retiring there). It just seems from the OP, the Philippines are much more welcoming to foreign retirement than Thailand. I'd be especially turned off by the Thai policy of double-taxing the money I'd be spending there already.

Yes...."same same"!

Its not the lining up it's the fighting during the lining up. Often as I turn that left side corner into the immigration lines up ahead I have to start to run because I see people also walking towards the line thinking they are going to beat me So it's like a uphill area if you remember and once I turn that corner I have to try to sprint at my age with bag rolling behind me as I look around to see if anyone else is eyeing the back of the line Once I get there someone always tries to beat me I saw this at Sydney airport last year ,two very old guys physically fighting each other because one said he was first and this was before getting on the plane Both were taken away by the cops ( and their wives followed embarrassing) they both didn't get on the plane either

Sorry, but no study or academic treatise (!!) is going to tell you what's happening right now. If you have any awareness at all of what's going on in the country today, you'd know that Governor Tim Walz has won over more than just the state of Minnesota. I believe that he'll add more to the ticket than any of the other VP candidates would have added. He certainly performs better than they do in front of audiences. Even Mayor Pete, excellent as he is, can't fire up a crowd like Walz does with policy stuff as well as homegrown folksy stuff. In political-speak, this is gold. And no "academic treatise" is going to prove that with statistics.

Very little discussion on phillipines here. some of need to go. I'm seeing more interesting saunas pop up. this one below has Onsen pools, group showers wet maze steam room sauna.... and now "Small Towel only". Someone needs to go and evaluate. do they even have mazes anywhere in thailand anymore? they do in colombia. https://x.com/massage_alpha

Good points again. In Cambodia, my guide told me that the local economy gains nothing from all the Chinese tourists, who fly on Chinese Airlines, travel on Chinese buses, and stay and eat in Chinese hotels. See discussion in other thread.

If we are to pursue this topic, it would be amusing to note other Thai words or derivatives which falang visitors discover early on in their associations with Thailand. Here's a few; Mamasan, khatoey, aroi-na, baht-bus, check-bin, bir-sing, mau. And sawatdee-khrap, of course.

After a leisurely breakfast, I found myself in the mood for some shopping. Two tempting options quickly came to mind: 1. Chatuchak Weekend Market with a side trip to a Saphan Kwai massage shop. 2. Platinum Mall with a pitstop at Arena Massage on the way back. Just the memory of navigating Chatuchak's maze-like alleys in sweltering heat was enough to steer me towards the air-conditioned comfort of Platinum Mall. The massage guys at Saphan Kwai could wait. As I stepped out of the hotel, the cute doorman greeted me with his big smile. I pointed to the shuttle and asked when it was leaving. "Now, I can take you," he replied. I giggled internally and reminded myself to behave—this hotel is quickly becoming a favorite, and I don’t want to risk getting banned! I may have mentioned this before—while hardcore bargain hunters might argue that Pratunam Market across the road is the real deal, I prefer to pay a bit more for the convenience of air-conditioning and the peace of mind that I won’t be run over by vehicles, food carts, or the bustling crowds. One perk of Pratunam Market, though, is the people-watching—especially the shirtless local guys marching back and forth, carrying goods three times their size. After a quick shopping spree, I took a taxi to Silom Plaza. The traffic was surprisingly cooperative, but that meant I arrived at Arena Massage way too early, with slim pickings in the masseur department. I asked the Papasan for advice, and he suggested coming back around 4 PM. So, I strolled around Maha Nakhon in search of a quick afternoon bite. When I returned, the selection had dramatically improved, leaving me torn between three appealing options! The Papasan did his best to upsell me to a deluxe room, highlighting perks like free coffee and snacks for just 300 baht more. I declined, preferring to give that extra baht to the masseur as a reward for good service. Besides, the irony of a "deluxe" room in a building that wouldn't pass a building code inspection back home wasn’t lost on me. After making my choice, the masseur, Pon, graciously offered to carry my shopping bags and escorted me upstairs. Pon introduced himself, directed me to the shower, and said he'd return in a few minutes. I hinted that I’d rather wait for him, and he got the message—we ended up showering together both before and after the massage. I can't help but chuckle every time I see those ketchup bottle dispensers being used for body wash and shampoo. It's funny yet clever. Oh, and the room I was in had a Hello Kitty wall clock—not exactly what you want to be staring while getting serviced. As for the massage itself, it wasn't anything to write home about, but the cheeky extras were quite remarkable. Before leaving, I scanned the reception area one last time and confirmed—the roster had indeed improved significantly! I stepped out of Arena quite satisfied, happily walking back to the hotel while planning my next visit to Good Boys tonight, with hopes of meeting #7 or #42.

"MY Dad's the GREATEST".... "MY Dad's the WORST, a Liar, a Cheat, a Fraud, an Insurrectionist, a Felon, and those are his good qualities "......

Agree with conclusion about colonization. However, China has never given up on it's intent to make Thailand a client state by any means possible, much in the same way it has Cambodia and Myanmar. Its methods are diverse but the goal doesn't waiver. As you say, Thailand is well aware of the efforts. I, too, do not believe it's xenophobia but a necessary paranoia.

@unicorn this is an excellent question. I am coming up on my 2 year anniversary as a retired expat living in Thailand (Jomtien). My feeling from living here 2 years is that I don't believe that this hostility comes from xenophobia, but more from the fact that Thailand was never colonized and went out of its way to avoid being colonized during its long history. Consequently, I believe that there is a fear to give us foreigners any rights in Thailand to avoid the fear of feeling to be colonized by us foreigners. You see this in the draconian way that foreigners are not allowed to own land in Thailand - Thailand will resist at all cost the idea that foreigners could take over Thailand. However, Thailand likes to make us feel good in Thailand and loves to take our money via tourism and to accept us as retired expats - as this is one of the many ways that Thailand acquires foreign currency and helps the GDP. In my opinion, it is like a "safe" way for Thailand to get what Thailand wants from us without having to give up anything physical in return. Thoughts ? 🤔

Oddly, I just started reading that very book today, although I was well aware of Ching-chong which I learned on my first visit to Thailand some 20 years ago.

Tim Walz publicly proclaimed his love for his children at the DNC; something the trump children have longed to hear from their father for their entire lives.

Yeah, it seems like you were calling him an assh*le...... Take it from me, I get called that a lot.....it's usually just my sarcasm or dry humor though.

In the Philippines you can live there on a tourist visa for 36 months, you just have to keep extending it but must leave once just before 36 months is up then return and start all over again (even leave for just one day). Although now they are getting a bit stricter and interviews are now part of the long term extension process (mainly thanks to the people abusing the tourist visa extension process, re my post above), still not that hard but just a bit more complex.

HI Jeremy, I am planning a similar trip this October. Did you decide where you will stay in Baguio and Manila?

That seems an "appropriate " move for that NUT JOB

Bankruptcy, rap sheet, rapist, bone spurs, coward, Project 2025; and it's only the second night of DNC! I hope he has an ample supply of ketchup

“I wonder if they knew where she comes from, where she came from, what her ideology is,” Trump I have wondered how Melania came here, and what her ideology is given her father was a Communist.

Never a dull moment!

I think so - the last time that I returned from Koh Larn in the early evening it looked to be still operational. Their Instagram page seems to be up-to-date https://www.instagram.com/club_pattaya_legacy/

Having watched a number of Japanese female porn stars in action on film, it could prove a very noisy event! 🤣

Final day - After breakfast, we returned the bike and walk back to our hotel to check out. We took bolt to the airport and arrived at DMK around 3.30 pm. Take a taxi to Hilton Sukhumvit for our last night of the trip. For the price i paid, its definitely a splurge but u get what u paid for. Nice location, close to bts phrom pong, great service, wonderful selection at their breakfast buffet. While location is further away from action, it is close to jey spa, and taxi ride to and from silom is still cheap. Since my guy has never been to bangkok before, I treat him a visit to Mahanakhon. Bought the ticket online while waiting for our flight at the airport, and given a time slot 5pm for the sunset. We stay there until its a bit dark before making our way to icon siam for dinner at their street food place ground floor. Afterward, we went back to our hotel to put our stuff and clean up before heading out for bar visit. While at our hotel, my jupiter guy message me asking about my phuket trip. I told him it was great and im already in bkk. He asked if we can meet tonight. I told him a friend is sleeping with me tonight but Ill go to his bar tonight as it is my last night tonight. Anyway his message makes me think of a possibility of 3some. Its not what i prefer so it is more of me trying to see if my guy is open to it, without ever trying to make it happen. I first asked my guy if he had done 3some before. And he said yes, with some of his fellow MB, servicing one client. I asked further if he will be ok if we take a guy for 3some tonight, and he said he is open but i notice some uneasiness in his voice. I try to find out and he finally said he will only service me and wont do anything with the other guy. I think he is the shy type and prefer 1 on 1 session but willing to do 3some only if the client wants, but he wont do anything else with the other guy. Anyway, im my mind, Im not going to pursue this anyway, just thought its the perfect time to pre-emp him on this possibility especially if my jupiter guy has no off tonight. At least i know his boundary out of this conversation. We went to the bar and arrived slightly closer to 11pm, and the show was already on going. We were seated at the bar stool seats with good view of the stage. And there i saw my jupiter guy, already sitting with customer in the front seat to the left of the stage. I told my guy who is my jupiter guy and he agreed that he is good looking. We stay until the show ended, and i saw the customer is offing my jupiter guy. I feel a bit of relief, no need to worry about 3some anymore hehe. I managed to says hi to my Jupiter guy discreetly just before he went out and slip him a tip. We then return to our hotel for one last night before heading back home. On our last day, managed to get late check out 1pm FOC, and we then head to Prime for our last leg, neck and shoulder massage before heading to airport for our departure.

Thought I'd share my experience at Lagoa here instead of starting a new thread. I was there past 2 nights, just to check the place out. They had a karaoke session last night, and a drag show the night before with hunky strippers before and after that. The bar area was crowded on both nights I was there (Sat and Sun nights) Personally, I'd say most (if not all) the GPs there are hot! GPs ranging from bodybuilders to muscle hunks to toned, next door type. Clients seem to be mostly middle aged/older gentlemen, with a few exceptions. I only had a session with one of the GPs there: tall, muscular (Russian looking?) guy. Quoted 200 with gozar, which is pretty low based on what I understand from the posts here. The session was alright, he was straight, so some stuff were off limits (which I don't mind) but he gave me a rub down, kissing, some foreplay and let me play with his body. We both came, and showered together. I don't speak Portugese, and he doesn't speak English but we somehow made decent attempt at a conversation before and after the session. All in all, the place is amazing, with lots of options, especially for those who are particularly into hunks and toned guys.

Don't you listen to your news campaign people, Donnie! MORE shark talk. MORE Hanibal Lecter references. MORE questioning whether or not Harris is black. MORE of that jerking off two dudes dance you do. Because we all know that's EXACTLY what he's going to do. There will be no "pivot". He will continue to listen to the voices in his syphilitic mind until he loses and eventually croaks.

that's harsh and insensitive. Those 'idiots ' are aplenty, they mop your floors , sort your garbage, flip your burgers and mow lawn in your park. Not everybody has parents pushing them through school, quite opposite, pushing them out as soon as they finish basic schooling. Often , instead of taking courses they spent time tending to disabled family members and litany may go on and on. Even if lazy, chances are, they are happier with their lives than people retiring with 5 times as much and constantly losing their sleep because movement of currency or stock prices. With such attitudes , no wonder that they vote for snake oil peddles like Trump and stick to them. Comments like that enforce my long held believe that communism will return and I'm glad I'm too old to see it's resurrection as it won't be pretty.

This year I have visited Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Taiwan, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia. All my info is recent as of 6 months. If you see someone you find hot on Grindr in Vietnam, offer them money and see what happens. 😉

I can't really speak to massage spas and bars because I was inundated by messages on Grindr as soon as I arrived, but I can speak a little to guest-friendliness... I stayed at the Holiday Inn and Suites at Makati (June 2024) after a recommendation from this website and although there was security doing checks at every entry point, I was never questioned when I met a guy off site and then took him in with me and escorted him out again. Unfortunately each new guy I brought back to my room ever expanded the grins on the faces of the security people, especially the female ones for some reason, and although it was a bit embarrassing the thought of sucking this hot guy's cock or getting fucked by him very soon was enough to get through that... I would meet my hook up very close by, such as at the entrance to Glorietta Mall next door and say to security that he was my friend as we were having our bags "searched" (opened and then they poke around with a stick for 2 seconds.) On the few occasions I didn't meet my hook up outside and bring him in personally (I was initially waiting for them at the elevators), security would either keep his ID until he went back out or if somehow he got in without handing his ID, they would actually detain him on the way out until he provided my name and room number so they could check I was OK. One guy never checked the room number on the way out and Grindr was delaying messages as usual so he was detained by security for ten minutes before he could get through to me, and then security rang my room to check all was OK. I took a walk by and drive by of several other hotels in the surrounding areas and they looked to have even tighter security with airport style metal detectors at the door, and I was told that some hotels do not allow visitors to guest rooms at all... Hotel security was the stand out difference for me in Manila, especially compared to Bangkok (Ibis Styles Silom) where I would just meet a hook up at the bottom of the elevators and then he would see himself out with no issues at all (Dec 2023). But then I found Filipino guys so much less transactional than Thai guys - not one of my hook ups asked for money even for a ride to get there. They really really get in to having their cock sucked, which I know sounds strange, because don't all guys? Yeh, but it seems on another level with Filipino guys and I am happy to help them out! ...

What r their sock sizes?