ChrisUK

I have watched the film Hormones from 3 years ago, but didn't know of the existance of this series which seems to be a spin off from the film. Thanks to this post and having watched the first episode (set in a Bangkok High School) via Youtube, it would seem that this series is as enjoyable as the film was, with humour to help the serious topics raised. The episodes, including an introductory one can be seen with English subtitles (not perfect, but can be understood) via Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEcFxR2BsjDYG69r9di4tOw/videos?sort=da&view=0&flow=list&live_view=500

About five years ago, after hearing of many expats who had a SIM card from AIS/12Call that remained active for a full year, I enquired in Tukcom on Pattaya Tai for a similar card. I was presented with one that remains with me to this day. It was a Freedom card and sold in a pink box, although the card itself was green. I soon discovered that even topping up the card with just 50bt pushed the expiry date forward to one year from the date of topping up. About a year ago, a friend wanted the same so, while in Bangkok, we went around the MBK Center and looked for the pink coloured box while browsing all the phone stalls. We were successful and even had the one year ability confirmed by the stall holder. To confirm this, we got the assistant to install the card in my friend's phone and it soon indicated by text message that the validity was for one year from that date. I have checked out the AIS/12Call website and it gives no indication of the one year card, but I seem to remember not seeing it listed a few years ago either. I would suggest people browse the phone stalls while shopping and you might strike lucky. I spend up to six months in Thailand and six months in the UK, so I just ensure I have topped it up with just 100bt before I leave and it shows it will still be active for another year. The only other cautionary thing i do is switch it on about once a month and let it send me the adverts. Also, about once every three months I send a text message to a friend in Thailand to prove it's still working and that I am actively using it. The company obviously knows I'm in the UK when it send me their adverts as tell me how to activate the roaming feature, but I've never botherd with it, as most of my communications are by text. One of the side benefits of having a Thai bank account is the ability to top up your phone, not just at the ATM, but also over the internet while at home, which is what I did last trip to ensure I had enough credit to use the phone at the airport.

Many of the guys will dop them literally, if they think you are the slightest bit interested. The wrestling slips seem to be part of the range of costumes that rotates over several nights. Some of the new range are very seductive and even beat those of Krazy Dragon in my opinion. Most of the guys will give full access for a modest tip, which can lead to more if you have them sit with you for a drink. Tomorrow's (28th) Tarzan themed party will have them in loin cloths.

I'm so grateful to Kwok for starting this topic and to Rog and Koko for providing the informative links. It does all sound very interesting and has me on tenterhooks anticipating my next trip to Bangkok. Last year I was on my own, having finished acting as guide for a friend who was in Bangkok on a stopover, so was looking for something to enjoy as it was early evening. i wandered down Soi Twilight and thought that as I hadn't had a massage from the parlours in that street, I ought to give one a try. I stopped at one and read the flyer listing the different types and prices, but thought I wanted something special to try, so I asked if they did body to body massage, which I'd heard about, but never experienced. The reply was that only the manager knew how to do this and then was told the price for massage and tip for 60 minutes, which seemed a bit steep. Either business was slow, or he took pity on me as he suggested a price which was more to my liking. So off I was lead to a nice room with en suite and was showered for 10 minutes after disrobing, the masseur disrobing as well. After lying down I received what I expected, a body to body massage with oil for about 20 minutes, which made me feel I had made the right decision to experience a new type of massage. Then the masseur spent the next 20 minutes doing things to me I never expected, but I didn't complain as he asked at every stage if I was ok. I truly was ok and said so, leading to him pursuing more adventurously sensitive moves to the nether regions of my body. To say I was on cloud nine is no exaggeration. I had never experienced the like before. He was being truly intimate and I knew he was just a masseur I had never met before, but I didn't mind as I was confident he knew what he was doing and their was no pain, just wonderful feelings waving through my body and mind. Having read through this thread, I now realise I must have been receiving a combination of body to body and tantric massages, most probably the Fusion type as detailed in Rogie's link. http://www.tantricma...ssage-choices/ The happy ending was almost irrelevent, but most welcome, except that I knew that was the end, apart from being showered again. So grateful was I after this wondeful new experience that I decided to give him the original asking price of 1,500Bt, rather than the negotiated one. It was worth every Baht.

If I were in Thailand, I would be heading for the Countdown Concert at Bali Hi Pier on New Years Eve. It's a great event with 1000's of people, both young and young at heart celebrating the New Year. However, the next best thing is to at least experience the mood of the event over the internet as it's being shown on Channel 3 and streamed to the world for everyone to enjoy. The Pattaya Mail has the details here: http://www.pattayamail.com/localnews/pattaya-countdown-slams-booms-into-finale-saturday-9030?ref=pmci The concert is being shown from 10.00(or 10.30?)pm to 1.30am (Thai time), so if you're in Europe, we can watch Pattaya bringing in the New Year around teatime first before enjoying our own celebrations about 7 hours later. America will watch somewhat earlier and celebrate later. I'm not sure about Australia, so leave my Aussie friends to work it out themselves. You can watch Channel 3 on the internet here: http://www.tvthaionline.net/tvthai.php?view=tv/ch3.html ("link 2" works on my computer in the UK) or here: http://www.thaitvnow.com/thaitv-3.htm or just Google "Thai TV 3" for other options.

For those of us in farangland preparing to welcome the New Year in the West and want to see how our friends in Thailand are celebrating it in advance of us, we can see it online courtesy of TruelifeTV. It is showing from 10.30pm to 12.30am Thai time and can be seen on MCOT Ch9 at: http://tv2.truelife.com/tvonline/player/mcot MCOT Ch 9 usually shows it repeated during New Years Day in the afternoon, Thai time, for reliving the previous night's celebrations and fireworks. Happy New Year to everybody. ChrisUK

I went to Tukcom in Pattaya a few years ago and bought a 1-2-call PAYG SIM card, asking for one that was good for one year. They sold me a Freedom roaming SIM for 350Bt and inserted it in my phone. I then bought 100Bt top-up and asked them to enter it as well, which they did, then showed me the text message that came through showing the validity to be one year from that date. With that SIM, I can leave Thailand for up to one year, with just a small amount in credit, eg 100Bt top-up just before I leave and it would keep the phone active for a year from that point. A really useful feature is that when abroad, it still works and you can check that your balance is still valid and your phone is still active by calling the balance check number. I don't know what the card is called, other than it is a "Freedom" card. It is sold in a pink box and it cost about 50Bt more than a standard SIM card. A friend bought a similar one in MBK in Bangkok a couple of months ago, so they are still available.

Problem solved, thanks GT.

If my experience is anything to go by, I now have to log in to the site just to see the posts. If others have to do the same, I think most will not bother.

I couldn't agree more, Pattayamale. It was meeting several expats and long stay residents in Pattaya a few years ago when I was experimenting with the idea of retiring to Thailand that confirmed my desire to move there for at least half of every year. Many of them are genuinely welcoming to new visitors like I was at the time. They will also often act with compassion to help others should the need arise. It galls me to read on some forums the belittling of individuals in the community simply because they don't match the lofty ideals of those critical posters. If only they knew the considerate nature of many of those they criticse, they might think twice about their negative comments. I was once questioned about calling those who comprise the regular scene a "community", but the longer I associate with them the more I'm confirmed that it is a genuine caring community.

I was also informed by a waiter there tonight (Friday) that the bars would be open on Monday, 1st March.

I was informed yesterday by an experienced mamasan at a gogo bar that the bars will be closed on Sunday, 28th February for this Buddhist holiday.

I was not able to get a cash advance using my UK debit card to top up my new account at the branch of Kasikorn Bank on Pattaya Tai. I was simply told to use the ATM outside. I ended up doing a SWIFT transfer from my UK bank for a 20 pound fee. I can also confirm that the AEON machine in South Pattaya did the same thing to a friend as the OP describes.

Thanks to an expat friend who reads Thai, he informed me of the impending new channel lineup which was written solely in Thai in the programme guide. He informed me that the information on the changeover and what to do was in the news section of the TrueVisions English version of their website. The new lineup is shown here: http://www.truevisionstv.com/photo/download/newlineup_l.jpg Chris.

I have just posted a review with some pictures on Sawatdee Forum at the following link: http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum...aza-t17197.html The weather and beach were too inviting yesterday (Sun 15th) to spend the afternoon cooped up in my loom composing it. Chris.

I went to the opening of Cocktails last night where there was a good party atmosphere and free buffet. My soft drink cost 100Bt. It has potential with good dance music, plenty of gogo guys and more space than Euroboys, where they transferred from. The main reason why I liked Euros was the energetic dancing in front of you. That was mostly missing last night, maybe due to the original guys being swamped by the new extras, - about 30 guys. If they don't get back to the energy dancing, it'll just be yet another knee-shuffling gogo bar and doomed to boring their customers. I'll visit it again in a week's time to see how it settles. There was a bit of a show by a magician imported from the street for about 20 mins, - interesting to see him pulling things out of the skimpy briefs the guys wear. I see it as bar with great potential that will be realised only if the management and mamasan keep tight control of the organisation. I wish it well.

Thanks GayThailand, for mentioning my report placed on another forum and providing the link to it, together with your compliments. I did think long and hard about whether to spend the many hours it takes to compile the report as I know I had said most of what would be valuable to others in a similar situation in my previous reports. It is not really possible to keep a report on six months of an enjoyable visit to Thailand without it being fairly long, which also made me hesitate. However, two things convinced me to carry on; the first is a bit selfish in that I enjoy writing up my trips as a personal diary for myself to refer to and reflect upon in the future; the second is that I soon realised from the first report, part of which was inserted in the Pattayagay weekly report by PG back in late 2004, that my experiences would be of help to others. It is mainly to those who have followed my progress, experimenting with a variety of situations to find out what suits me best, that I present my report. I'm neither a journalist nor a photographer, but am pleased when some of the many photos I take are able to convey the atmosphere of a scene to help my description of an event or visit, so I insert them to help the readers. I do apologise to those on dial-up connections (as I was until a month ago) as this report was a mammoth 2Mgb which I would have complained about myself. You are right Laurence, in your KISS reference that the average post should be kept reasonably simple, but this one, more than the others is probably the final stage of my experiment and demonstrates how I have settled on a compromise and how I now fill the six months. Like you, I love to read the juicy bits of other people's posts, but I'm a bit of a private person, so leave that to others. Having said that, I do refer in earlier reports to how much I spent on entertainment and where, including "guests in my loom" and how often, etc., but as it mostly stays the same with me, repetition would become boring. Chok dee, Chris

Wowpow was always a person I respected from two perspectives; one, that he had a great deal of wisdom gained through his own experience and two, that he was British, similar to myself, so his information was particularly relevant to me. I saw him in various locations during my trips to Thailand, but only communicated with him through the various message boards. In recent years, I have been experimenting with the process of a possible move to Thailand by taking ever increasing lengths of time there. Inevitably, these greater time spans have needed more organising than the usual 3-4 week holidays, so whenever I needed advice I would post a query on the board and usually received very helpful responses from many fellow posters, but nearly always a deatailed reply from Wowpow. Recommended insurance firms and what to do with my house back home during a lengthy stay in Thailand were typical questions ably answered by him. As I come towards the end of a six month stay here in Thailand, I hold a feeling of gratitude to him and others who have helped me through their knowledge and guidance. It is that selfless sharing of information that encouraged me to spend the amount of time I have in writing my 'Living in Thailand' experiment (placed in the Resource Forum of the Sawatdee site) after each trip to further assist others who may be thinking of doing similar trips. Wowpow, along with others I have met in this transition period, was a person who helped me feel part of a community here, supporting and befriending whenever necessary. Without these friends I would not be sitting here in a beautiful apartment, which I now regard as my 'home-from-home' overlooking Pattaya Bay(and his funeral service in the temple beneath my balcony) and contemplating my next 6 month trip.

That was true until about 9pm, when two policemen walked down the street telling all the bars that were open to close. So much for an alcohol ban, it's turned out to be a fun ban. unless you've pre-ordered your takeaway, this is definitely the time to cuddle up next to your Christmas tree and read that book gathering dust on the table, or check out that video you spent 100Bt on at the beach.

Thanks for posting that, Gaybutton. As a Brit having returned to the UK for the festive season, where the temperatures are starting to hit 0*C, I remember the fun I had with friends at the same barbeque held on Christmas day last year. To have such a meal on the beach in the warmth and hospitality present was such a great uplift to me that I had to text my friends back home during the barbeque to wish them a Merry Christmas. I hope to be doing the same this year in reverse, assuming I can get my Thai mobile phone to start working again! It is a truly generous gesture by Rit and Panorama for their regular customers and I hope it gets the praise it deserves. Looking forward to returning to Mr Rit's section in the New Year. Chris.

I just wish to notify the members and readers of the Gay Thailand Forum that I have recently posted an update on my latest two month trip to Thailand as part of an ongoing experiment to decide whether I would like to live there. I have included a link in the report to a thread I started in this forum so as a courtesy I mention the fact here. The report can be found at the following link: http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum...54bd1c36bdc4848 The thread which caused much debate appears here: http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.ph...wtopic=929&st=0 Wishing you all a happy and safe festive season, Chris.

I was late for the midnight show, arriving at 11.45pm and the place was packed. There really should be some consideration by management for customers , - when the bar eaches a comfortable capacity, they should have a "waiting queue" line outside rather than try to squash everybody into non-existent spaces. Having said that, I was impressed by the new premises, but not the show, which was a diluted version of what I had seen in the old premises. The larger venue obviously has better ventilation, but with so many present, it was still somewhat smokey. Large pillars obstruct a lot of the views from ceratin seating areas , so come early for much better seats in future. The real downside was the vast number of females and straights. Maybe that's because the venue was a girlie bar the day before, but it doesn't help me feel it's my type of place. Mai phen rai, I'll go again after it all settles down, after all, they gave me a VIP card entitling me to a 20% discount on drinks for a year. It has great potential if managed well for the gay community.

"All is fair in love and war"? I don't know where that famous saying comes from, but I was expecting someone to quote it, even though it doesn't seem appropriate to the issues raised. Maybe it's an excuse for what I see as inappropriate behaviour. I've never understood the statement and console myself with the fact that trials for war crimes are being pursued at this very moment. I could quote another irrelevency: "What goes around comes around"! But let's not divert the original issues.

Thanks for the comments. It's been most interesting so far, but I can't say I have altered my initial thoughts, just been more educated along the way about others. Most replies give me faith that even in the passionate atmosphere of a go-go bar (NOT brothel, please), it would seem most people are acting with a degree of civility. Gaybutton, your remarks are a welcome reply to others and to clarify, I declined to pay the off fee bill as I was not offing him that night. It's obvious that some regard the guys as pieces of meat to be used as you wish and to hell with anyone who gets in your way! You make assumptions that do not apply to me; the go-go guys know me enough to realise that I'm more generous than has been suggested for sitting with me. Yes, I've also seen guys bored out of their minds while sitting with customers, but if one seems that way with me, I let them go fairly soon. Happily, most guys seem content to be in my company and I with theirs. I pay them fairly for their time. I do the right thing with the bar by buying drinks as soon as I or a go-go guy joins me and I pay the off fee if taking the guy away, rather than arranging to see him after the bar closes. What more could the bar or guy want? I realise that many bars regard their guys as re-cyclable commodities to achieve as much income from them as possible, but these guys are human beings with feelings. The guy who sat with me obviously wanted to stay with me, even though I explained I couldn'd off him that night, but rather the next night, but was being torn by the mamasan between two customers. No scene was made by anyone, in fact I doubt if anyone other than a friend sitting next to me knew anything was untoward. As a short postscript, I did off the guy the following night, the only downside being that I was completely ignored by both the manager and the mamasan. All the guys were their usual happy, playful selves. Mai phen rai.

I was recently in a go-go bar and after a while, selected a guy to sit with me for company. Some time after buying a drink for both of us and a pack of cigarettes for the guy, I was approached by an apologetic waiter who indicated that another customer, who arrived after me, wanted to "off" the guy. Reluctantly, I said OK, but that the other customer would have to pay the bill for the guy's drink. The waiter, guy and drink bill left me, only to return moments later. presumably because the other customer refused to pay for the drink. A few minutes later, with the Mamasan having spoken to the go-go guy, an "off" bill was presented to me, which I refused as I had pre-booked a massage elsewhere for later in the evenig and could not off anyone, but wanted company in the bar for which I would tip appropriately. I then told the waiter to inform the other customer to wait about 10 minutes, after which I would be leaving and he could have the guy then. The situation remained in stalemate, with the go-between waiter apologetic and the go-go guy confused and clearly unhappy at being dragged from one end of the bar to the other between two customers. I was so unhappy about the dejected look on the guy's face that I explained I was sorry about the problem the other customer had created. He looked at me, hugged my arm and said "I happy if you happy". My immediate response was to say I would definitely return to off him the next day. He smiled and kept hugging me and didn't leave me, even though I had tipped him, until I had paid my bills and left the bar. Other things happened between the guy and the bar that made me feel very uncomfortable and sorry for the guy, but I don't know the specifics, so won't comment. I have no serious arguments with the bar, which remains a favourite, having had excellent, welcoming service from the owner, manager, mamasan, waiters and go-go guys previously. The sour taste left in the mouth concerns the arrogant, greedy, impatient behaviour of the other customer. Maybe he was on a short term stopover where every minute counts, but that doesn't excuse his attitude. there are plenty of other guys available to be offed in that bar.Having said that, I bear no grudge and would happily shake the hand, rather than the neck of this customer, to settle any misunderstanding, as I have done on a previous occasion. I won't name the bar as I'm certain this behaviour is being repeated throughout Thailand. All I ask and expect is patience and understanding if another customer has someone you desire. - Just wait your turn! I would never dream of doing to someone else what happened to me. If I see someone I fancy with another customer, I will wait for however long it takes, for him to finish with the guy, or off him. We are all here to enjoy the company of Thai people, - why must some people behave like animals, snatching everything they can get away with, regardless of the consequences?