PeterRS

Sounds like Wells Fargo is like the Royal Bank of Scotland. My VISA debit card expired at the end of September. Earlier that month, I received the usual reminder notice as well as the usual reminder that the bank does not send cards overseas - by any method! No problem as I have always had it sent to my brother who then just mails it to me. Plus last year I did not need to use the card until late October. As requested, I wrote a day later requesting as I have always done that the card be sent to my brother's UK address. Since mail between Thailand and the UK could not be guaranteed at less than 90 days(!) due to covid, I had a few UK/European letters ready to go and so popped them all in a DHL envelope. It should therefore have reached the customer service people no later than the 15th. Nothing had arrived at my brother's by the 28th. I went on line to chat to one of the agents. What a total waste of time! Said they could not trace anything. Please would I write again! Turned out in a later on line chat they had in fact received the original letter on the 15th and despatched the card three days later with the PIN advice one day thereafter. Nothing had arrived. End result was it took an expensive phone call plus a lot of checking. I was told they had posted out a second card and the PIN - but even these had not arrived. Each time the card they advised had been sent was cancelled and another mailed. Where they went to, goodness only knows. A week later the PIN letter for the 3rd card arrived. It was another 10 days before my brother finally received that VISA card. Thankfully nothing had been debited from my account during all this nonsense. I suspect I had been lied to all along.

I'm with TMax. But there is no way I could afford it. It is a very expensive place to live. If your company is providing your accommodation, you have few financial worries. If you have to pay for your own accommodation, you have to be rich. I would not even mind the notorious Section A377 anti-gay law. I have known enough gay people who live in or have lived in Singapore and that has had virtually no effect on their lifestyles.

I don't know. But I believe a mass demonstration against a government is not a case of losing face. Thailand has had many such demonstrations, many involving students and some as in 1972/3 and 1992 ending in bloodshed. The same is true in China. Large anti-corruption and general anti-government demonstrations had been a not uncommon occurrence in Tiananmen Square prior to 1989. Would South Korea have got rid of dictators without years of mass student demonstrations? Japan regularly has militaristic right-wing demonstrations even today. All that is very different from one boy/man making a specific allegation against another older individual where all individuals involved and the case itself being publicly identified in the media.

Sorry I have not seen any of the BLmovies. If I interpret the above post correctly, the dinner scene takes place in the parents house. In that event, Thai law - perhaps oddly - says that is perfectly acceptable for sex with a 15 -18 year old boy or girl in the parent's house as it presumes the parents have given their permission! Make of that way you will! The vital importance given to 'face' in most Asian societies - certainly Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Thai - is rarely understood in the west. The following article is an interesting introduction. I shall quote merely a few points here. The writer starts with an introduction about 'face' and then discusses it in relation to Chinese communities. Given that a vast number of Thais intermarried with Chinese in the 19th century, it is absolutely applicable here - "One way to describe Face is that it is the prevention of embarrassment at all costs. But that is insufficient as Asian cultures emphasize a concern with loss of Face for the individual personally, and for others as well. For example, a son would never disagree with his father in public, a colleague would never criticize another in public, nor would a subordinate point out an error made by a superior. "There are many aspects of Face: one can lose Face, gain Face, and lose Face for others. One can also get the most unfortunate reputation of one who does not want Face, or worse, one who has no Face. ".... It is important to remember that many Chinese see themselves as seamlessly integrated with a wide range of other people, including their schoolmates, co-workers, and extended family, as well as their social, professional, and friendship networks. "Since Americans don't have this same strong sense of integration with an extensive community, the concept of Face is based on a kind of relationship between people that is literally foreign to us. "By explaining Face as shame, embarrassment, or loss of honor we are individualizing and personalizing the concept in a very American way, which prevents us from truly understanding it the Chinese way. An individual's loss of Face can unravel the complicated, carefully woven fabric of social relationships, what the Chinese call Guanxi, upon which every person's success in society depends." Because face has been so deeply ingrained in the vast majority of Asians and Thais for centuries, I believe it that reducing its importance will equally take at least a century. https://internationalman.com/articles/what-is-face-in-asian-culture-and-why-should-we-care/

Sorry to come back to this point but it seems @vinapuis not so well aware of Thai customs and law. In Thailand, the age of consent is 15. However, a rather unique aspect of Thai law is that if a teen (15 - 18 yo) has sex outside the home, parental consent is required. As I have said before and as @Boy69has clarified in his last post above, the issues of face and destruction of a potential career are powerful considerarions. As if that is not bad enough, there is the publicity issue for the family. Anyone accusing another of forced sex or sexual harassment whilst between the ages of 15 and 18 will have to drag his parents into Court. That will expose them to publicity they will certainly not want. Their positions in their communities will be subject to ridicule, if only because it will be assumed/gossiped they had failed as good parents to control their child. That would doubly result a case of loss of face. I have to say again, it will not happen in Thailand. Do you know of any case where such an case has come to Court and been successfully resolved in favour of the boy (or girl)? I have wondered whether instead of taking a case to court a molested boy might seek a substantial amount of cash in lieu of legal action. I cannot see that working either, athough some paltry amount might be given just to get rid of the boy. The reason it won't work is it becomes a he said/he said case. In Thailand the senior high-so married with kids "pillar of the community" will always win.

Last summer when Thailand was virtually free of cases - ah! those were the days! - I went to the Post Office with a card for my sister's birthday. The clerk looked at the address, checked a notice and then informed me the minimum time for delivery would be 9 weeks! 9 weeks to the UK? I went straight to DHL and paid through the nose to send it. Since then things got better but I expect now that Thailand is in the middle of a covid surge, mail may again be taking much longer.

Singapore has always been a virtual dictatorship - a hugely successful one (unless you are gay and want greater LGBT rights like many other countries). It depends on its economy being successful and its taxes being low. Other things like high-end apartments, all types of car and driving around may be expensive. But no way is the government going to start seizing money from mega-rich overseas tycoons. The only reason would be proven cases of money laundering, in my view. Singapore is probably the safest place for parking cash and assets, certainly in Asia.

Another "great" Thai idea that is given wide publicity - except that it is just pie in the sky. It hasn't even been presented to the Heath Ministry yet, let alone the cabinet. When will these idiot officials learn?!!

Her $2.5 million fee may have paid for quite a bit of nipping and tucking!!

And I for one do not give a f--k! Since the end of last year the government has been a disaster in terms of its anti-covid programme. If the Princess's Academy can do what the government seemingly cannot - or, more likely, will not - do to relieve people's suffering, do we really believe anyone in the country is going to shed tears over a non-functioning democracy? They will worry about that once the country is safe again and people are no longer in fear of dying or being out of a job for more months on end.

The question surely is: what adaptation and who pays for it? Babylon was a pet project of a very rich man. It was hugely successful for a long time and known worldwide. How does one adapt the Babylon model unless there is another rich Thai with oodles of cash to pay for a sauna experience in a reasonably accessible part of the city - even though it never pays its way? As mentioned, I thought the Moroccan-themed Chakran came close even though it was a much smaller land area. It was certainly the most enjoyable and relaxing sauna compared to the others. I understand the rooftop area was renovated a few years ago with a sort of Japanese theme including a jacuzzi, an onsen and an area with mattresses to relax naked at sunset. I do not know who owns it. No doubt the same man who ran the V Club massage spa on Soi Aree, since V Club was incorporated into the Chakran land some years ago. Before than V Club was a great place to visit as it often had some models and TV starlets available as masseurs. Chakran has been mostly Thai-for-Thai/Asian for quite a few years. I wonder if more farang were to visit regularly they would all be made welcome. Entrance prices depend on age with those over 50 paying about 360 baht, three times the price for 20-24 yos. Still far from unreasonable when you consider that the centrally located and smaller Sauna Mania off Soi Convent seems now to charge 2,000 baht (US$64) for over 50 yo patrons.

Just thinking more about Babylon's closure. Is this the end of the gay sauna complex as a concept? Will the future see only sex catered for with the usual sauna, steam room, dark room, jacuzzi and private rooms? Perhaps with a bar? After all, I can think of few saunas anywhere that included a very large pool, large gym and several bar/restaurant areas. I only experienced one large one in New York around 1982 before the AIDS crisis was being openly talked about, but I can recall little about it. In Europe around the same time I remember being staggered at the size of Le Continental Opera near the Palais Garnier Opera House. It had a huge pool in the basement. Perhaps I am biased but there was a large number of Vietnamese boys and I spent two great evenings there. I believe it died some years ago.

Also loved The Persian Boy. Read it probably 40 years ago and so will return to it. Having been to Iran and especially the stunning ruins at Persepolis, I am surprised that Alexander was such a Persia-phile. After all, he was the one who stole all its wealth and then burned it to the ground. That he accepted Bagoas as a gift is also unusual since the Greeks as a whole did not accept eunochs other than as occasional servants. Interesting too that before Alexander Bagoas had been the lover of Persia's Darius III. He has been described as "a eunuch of exceptional appearance and in the very flower of boyhood." That is generally interpreted to mean he was around 15 when presented to Alexander. Clearly an experienced boy!! Renault had many gay fans due to her novels. Yet she disliked the gay rights movement and later in life spoke openly against it.

Hell may break loose? Sorry, that will not happen in Thailand. Views on sex here are very different from the USA, and the mai pen rai attitude will definitely prevail in such a situation. The only way there might be any form of public scandal would be if a mid-teen was held against his will and repeatedly raped over several days. But making any such allegation against a man seen as a pillar of Thai hi-so society whose family has a long record of public service would only end up with the boy being regarded as a liar who was trying to get money out of the producer. I believe that's a nice summation of the situation. We may not like the situation - but who are we to throw stones at glass houses? After all, most of us happily have had/still do have sex with Thai guys in return for cash. There are no saints. But lots of cute actors who are thrilled they finally made it on to the screen.

No, not at all (I think you mean Harvey Weinstein). In all countries with a movie/TV industry, if you are a young aspiring actor/actress and a producer considers you for a leading role, it is far from infrequent that you will be prepared to sleep with the producer or at least have sex with him - perhaps regularly - to 'seal the deal', as it were. How do you think Marilyn Monroe got into movies? As she herself admitted, she slept around with producers and agents. She only stopped when she became a star. Some of the Thai boys may already have been gay or bisexual. Others would be like straight guys in gogo bars who have sex for cash. Sex to cement a lead role with the possibility of becoming a popular longer term star must seem hugely appealing to more than a few aspiring Thai teen actors. I suppose there is a temptation to compare the power of Thai producers over teen aspiring actors with Weinstein. But I see no parallel. Weinstein sexually abused and raped over 80 women against their will. In Thailand I am pretty certain there is consent amongst all parties.

I was nearly in tears watching that vdo. These guys are absolute saints. I am sure there are others in other parts of the city. All need our help. Let's get out our wallets or credit cards or whatever way is easy to make contributions. They need and deserve our help - as do all those thousands of Thais they themselves are helping. God bless them!

Before you buy, please be aware that the section on nightlife is relatively short. It is very much a book for those who have been to Bangkok and known a bit about it - not a guide book for first-timers or those who have only been for a few sort visits. It deals a lot with various elements of Thai culture. So it is not for everyone, although I found it both interesting and enlightening.

I expect we must have met (!) - or at least passed in the night - as my visits were as regular. And I agree that one of the reasons I eventually abandoned the new larger premises was the change in clientele. Not that an hour or more with a gorgeous guy from places like Singapore and Hong Kong cannot be as much fun as with a Thai guy. Indeed, one of my fondest memories is with a young guy from Kuala Lumpur. As I have written before I regret I am one who does not share Vinapu's optimism about the future. It's partly about real estate. The central location of too many gay venues of the past have been one cause of their demise. Location for the foreign tourists who were the mainstay of many venues once most of the local Thais had moved away, is vital. Example. When the very popular Albury Massage Spa moved from its Sukhumvit 13 location to its less convenient new one down from Emporium close to Rama 4, it lasted little more than a year before it finally died. The price of central area real estate has become too high. If we think of Babylon, the land value of that entire plot (which is more than just the sauna and the Barracks) must be humungous. Just across the road are the 40 storey Sukhumvit Residences. When they were put on the market ten or so years ago, the apartments were the most expensive in the city. As long as the owner of Babylon was happy to create and look after his Eden for gay men, its future was not in doubt. He had tons of money and it did not matter that Babylon never made profits. If he has now lost his interest, nothing is likely to prevent the land being sold. Developers will be salivating at such a large centrally located plot becoming available. The other issue is one that has occasionally been aired: the dislike of the elite and those in power for Bangkok being known as the gay capital of Asia. One who agrees if the excellent author Alex Kerr who has spent most of his life in Asia, the last 25 or so years in Bangkok. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of and acquaintanceship with several Thai movers and shakers. In a short section dealing with nightlife in his book Bangkok Found, he compares Bangkok today with the dying days of the Weimar Republic in Germany. For a short period, Berlin was the Eden for gay men, as the novelist Christopher Isherwood who lived there has described. Then the Nazis came to power and gay Berlin quickly died. He believes the same fate is in store for Bangkok.

A very worthwhile charity worthy of our contributions.

Although BL stories may be aimed primarily at the female market, it is perhaps no surprise that there is a gay element - between some of the producers and at least a few of the actors. I suppose this is a sort of tease since I cannot name names, but there is one major entertainment production company with a very senior executive who owns a house close to the company's central office where he accommodates some of the boys. Although married with children, he is known to spend a lot of time at the house. I know who he is and have met him on more than one occasion. He is cultured, attractive, studed at Harvard, is featured quite often in various hi-so and entertainment magazines and must now be around his mid 40s. I do not believe he is one to be involved in any form of coercion whatever. It's just the sort of producer/actor relationship that happens all over the world. Mind you, I wouldn't mind an evening drink or two (or three) at the house!

I cannot find the research article I mentioned. But there are two recent news items in newspapers and magazines that point out the fact that many BL stories are written by women and are primarily aimed at the young girl/teenage girl market. "Boys’ Love, also known as Yaoi, is a fictional genre originating from Japan and focusing on homoerotic relationships between male characters but its target audience is women." https://dizi-mania.com/the-other-far-east-the-thai-boys-love-series-sweeping-across-asia/ An article in Bangkok Time Out dated June 11 last year makes the following points regarding many being authored by women as well as being purchased by girls and women.. "Traditionally, yaoi is created, consumed and favored by women." "PhD researcher Ronnayuth Euatrirat, who’s studying the Thai Boys Love phenomenon, explains that this may be due to the fact that many Boys Love novels are penned by female authors. 'We find Boys Love characters reflect the desires of a young woman. An engineering student, for example, is a typical desirable personification of a dependable man. These characters also have a manly appearance and come from well-to-do backgrounds. These standards respond to women’s needs.'” https://www.timeout.com/bangkok/lgbtq/thai-boys-love-culture

As I think you pointed out, that study is purely related to manga. It also does not touch on readers/audiences in Thailand as far as I can see on a quick flip through. It does refer specifically at certain points to the USA, South Korea, Taiwan, China and Indonesia in Asia and a few European countries. I will try (hopefully) to find the Thai study which illustrated that these movies and TV series are primarily aimed at the teen and young female market much more than the boy/young man market.

I have visited several parts of Vietnam, mostly in the last three years. Among the young people I have met, I find a much greater openness to discussing gay and LGBT issues than in some other countries in the region. Several had friends whom they openly told me were gay even though two I met did not even know that i am gay. I found this very refreshing.

That commentary omits one important point. Bangkok's main airports BKK and DMK have in fact been closed before. During the massive red shirt/yellow shirt demonstrations in 2008, the pro PAD yellow shirts blockaded and shut down both airports for over a week. That certainly gave many in the country and many tourists an inkling of what it would be like if the country was totally closed off. Outside observers will have difficulty disagreeing with the summary I re-quote above. The article's comment on the country being "hellbent on idealogical zealotry" is also hard to argue. A lot of the military and the elite in the country must still harbour not merely concern but close to anger that there was the change from absolute monarchy to supposed democracy around 90 years ago. That is obvious given the short life of most governments and the constant round of successful military coups. But it does not get to the heart of the problem, one that has recently been aired in another thread. The endemic corruption so deeply embedded in all aspects of Thai society from the mega-rich to the poorest of the poor ensures that there can never be anything like the sort of changes the article's writer proposes. Thailand is stuck in a time warp. Physically and economically the country has changed dramatically over the last 40 years. Socially visually nothing has changed. The vast majority of the people in the country would still accept Thaksin back as Prime Minister despite the fact that he only got the job as a result of major corruption on his part and his bribing one or more members of the Constitutional Court to turn a blind eye to his attempts to hide massive assets which was totally against the law. Indeed he would never have become PM without the handing out of huge amounts of cash to tens of millions in the countryside, all overseen by village leaders. Not that some of his reforms were not beneficial. They were. But Thaksin was head of a kleptocracy, a leader in the Trump mould who permitted no criticism. Journalists and even editors were fired during his tenure. He actually changed almost nothing. He only further developed the culture of idealogical zealotry. And as a result Thailand remains an even more dysfunctional democracy, even more wedded to and mired in the outdated beliefs of the past. Until someone comes to grips with the rot of corruption and acts fast to change perceptions, the country can not change.

How can I become a priest overnight???