Alexx

Yes don't get me wrong, I would still punish people who cause damage being under the influence or whose intoxication puts others at risk. As long as that risk isn't just abstract as in, "all cocaine users are a danger to society". Drinking is okay, as a general rule, but e.g. driving while drunk is not. I'd just extend that principle to other drugs that currently aren't legal at all.

I remember that one as well, reported from the Victory Monument skywalk in Bangkok that is usually very crowded. I think that was a few years ago, I don't know how common it is or was.

Good point, ChristianPFC, I'm sure those of us who have experienced positive effects from having a drink or five think differently for that reason alone. But while I wouldn't use most other drugs myself, no matter if they're legal or not, I don't believe in restraining other people who might have other preferences.

Now I'm curious, what's his GayRomeo profile name?

Well it's actually very simple, the truth lies somewhere in between. Neither is Thailand a "Land of Scams" nor are all Thai boys honest. As for CB, I could imagine that he's been privy to quite a few stunts some of his colleagues have pulled off, so he thought it's a good idea to warn numazu in case he encounters one of these scams. That Thais tend to look down on Khmers and that many Khmers here aren't too fond of the Thais also isn't really a secret.

I agree with NIrishGuy's balanced view. In my opinion, handing out a name card is cool, but writing a baht amount on it? That's pretty low.

In 12 years (two years visiting and 10 years living in Thailand), I have no scam and a single likely theft to report. There have been a few attempted scams, all of them harmless and easy enough to catch. The likely theft was 1000 baht gone missing from my wallet when I spent the night with two Thai guys in the room of one of them after we had partied together. While theft by one of them is by far the most likely scenario, I didn't have proof and didn't make a fuss. Attempted scams were mostly pleas for money for bogus reasons. They don't fly with me: If someone asks me for money for medical bills, I ask for the bills to pay them directly, if and when I feel inclined to help. Same with tuition, no university papers, not a single baht from me...

That makes it even more remarkable to end up with an atrocious average score.

Good point, in brand name stores you can often do that. If the boy himself has the receipt, it would be somewhat suspicious to ask for it. Well, at least I would find it suspicious.

I wish you a speedy recovery as well, hopefully your dreams will keep you upbeat in the meantime.

That one would be easy for me. I don't buy 7,000 baht jeans for myself and no amount of sweet talking could convince me to spend it on jeans for someone else.

Buying stuff for guys or treating them to a dinner or trip is even tricky when the guy in question isn't a moneyboy, just happens to be a lot poorer. When visa free travel to Japan was introduced for Thais, I offered a Thai friend to take him along on a trip. He replied that he doesn't want me to spend that amount of money on him because he thinks it's over the top (so far, so good!), but (here it comes!) suggested that if I really wanted to, I should give him the money instead, so that he can spend it on farm supplies for his mom. Ultimately it's the same story. I wanted him to accompany me, so in that sense it was rather a gift for myself than for him, or at least a little bit of both. He couldn't have enjoyed the trip, being under pressure to support his family. It's a lose-lose situation.

Spot on regarding sleazy offers by taxi drivers, etc. I remember one cute tuk tuk driver in Vientiane who offered "young girl" to me. He quickly shut up when I told him I'm into guys and he's welcome to follow me to my room right away. I got similar offers in Bangkok, but none of the guys was cute enough to make the same counter offer. Shame.

Ha! Good point, as I would have assumed that a moral compass is not something that is nurtured at Thai colleges, of all places...

Londoner, I've lived in Thailand for a decade and I must say that the claim that kissing isn't Thai is completely alien to me. I've had my fair share of boyfriends, one night stands and everything in between and I haven't noticed that Thais are any less enthusiastic about kissing than guys elsewhere. That your boyfriend's Thai friend also kissed him (and rather casually so, it seems) serves to reinforce that impression. Unless you mean kissing in public or PDA in general, that's where I think most Thais are indeed much more reluctant.

vinapu, maybe it's more the thought that an extra 500 baht tip would go a long way compared with enjoying one fancy meal than being seen with a farang. Also, most Thais who haven't been raised hi-so probably enjoy a hearty meal of Thai standard fare more than the fancy stuff.

Great idea, this thread, sounds exciting! My first question is, what was your most common bad experience with your clients? Or in other words, if you could change one thing that guys who hire moneyboys do wrong - either intentionally or by accident - what would it be?

The immense gratitude that Thais (and apparently other Asians as well) have for their parents to bring them to life is hard to grasp by Western standards. Even those who are mistreated by their parents later on in life and who realize that seem to believe that this act of giving birth alone is without equal, never to be matched by any good deeds they can offer in return. It's a very interesting concept, and so different from spoiling one's children wishing that they will have a better life so often seen in the West.

Big difference in tone indeed, the optimists vs. the doomsday preppers...

Insurance schemes always seem to be unfair in that regard. If you're a responsible driver, you pay for the accidents of those who aren't. If you practice safe sex, you pay for the HIV infections of notorious barebackers. That list is endless. Mechanisms to attempt to mitigate that exist (e.g. higher car insurance premiums for drivers who previously caused an accident, or higher health insurance premiums for smokers), so maybe there is a way to charge drug users as a group for the cost they cause. Oh, and there's tax. Smokers and drinkers are already taxed for their vices. If other drugs were legalized, I don't see why they shouldn't be taxed as well.

What made you feel uncomfortable there?

Exactly, alcohol in particular is extremely dangerous, but it's perfectly legal (in most countries) to buy it in large quantities. What would happen if the same stores were allowed to stock cocaine as well? In my opinion, not that much! It's not really the illegality that currently keeps most people away from hard drugs. They simply know better.

Personally, I would decriminalize using drugs AND ensure there's a legal supply chain. The latter would effectively drive criminal drug peddlers out of the market. The reasons I would do that are safety/consistency/quality and stamping out corruption along the now illegal supply chain.

Interesting point that cannot be dismissed outright, I think. What about the small time drug peddlers who overcrowd Thailand's prisons nowadays, indeed. It's safe to assume that most are too dumb and/or lazy to do any kind of regular work, so once no drug peddlers are needed anymore, what will they do instead?

Yup, really a good read ryanasia, some food for thought.