Alexx

I agree in general, but has that ever worked for anyone in Thailand in particular?

Within the context of anti-gay legislation in certain countries (which I obviously oppose altogether), I think the punishment in this particular case isn't excessively severe, but rather quite the opposite. Having the wrong kind of images on your phone can get you in hot water elsewhere, too. In Morocco, it might be quite legal to marry a 14 y.o. girl. It doesn't take a lot of fantasy to dream up the following plot: The girl's husband travels to the U.S. and has photos of her on his phone that are deemed child pornography there. Since there's no such thing as universal law, that people are subjected to local laws wherever they travel will always lead to stories like the one in the OP.

Maybe it's the boys who don't like the flirting and getting a tan in the sun.

Call me crazy, but I'd have loved to witness this "show". I'd appreciate almost anything out of the norm happening.

Also, as I just re-experienced again yesterday, walking around some of the more popular Sois (like Saladaeng and Convent) in the Silom area just at office closing time works well. On Silom Road, people are then often in a hurry and you might find it difficult to catch their eye, but in these Sois it's quite different.

I agree with firecat69, the major malls like Siam Paragon or Central World aren't bad places to cruise if the OP has got some cruising skills. Depending on the OP's target group, the best time to start would be late afternoon (college students) or early evening (office workers). Taking a smartphone equipped with apps like Grindr, Jack'd and Hornet along can help if it's too difficult to spot likely candidates in the crowd. If that doesn't work out that well, visiting a popular gay sauna or a gay night club might be a good idea. Good luck!

Great insights, Surfcrest! You've certainly piqued my interest, I'll explore Cuba's gay scene when I've got an opportunity to travel there. A friend of mine speaks Spanish pretty well and I'd guess I can get him to come along.

I find the title of that article misleading, first and foremost he was attacked by fellow foreign visitors to that nightclub. Nothing to do with "Thailand's brutal underbelly". I don't dispute that there is such an underbelly, but except for the mysterious "Soi Owner" who entered the picture later, I don't see much of it in this particular story. Also, regarding the "ambulance", these guys really shouldn't be confused with professional paramedics in the West - that they quite literally ran away when they saw that their patient is in a frenzy doesn't surprise me. They probably just didn't know how to handle such a situation; what they really excel in is picking up dead bodies and delivering them to the morgue.

Great, if it helps them get a better grip on reality, all the better. As long as they don't fall straight from the "It's paradise" trap into the "They hate us all" trap, which seems to happen mostly to hyperactive Thaivisa members.

I don't know why that's often so much overrated. Seriously, who cares all that much about gossip and/or banter? The more I understand what people are saying about me, the more I just make fun of it and it usually works out very well. Recent example, my local motorcycle taxi drivers. Mocy 1 (in English, to me): You look very handsome today! Mocy 1 (in Thai, to his colleagues): He's looking fatter. Mocy 2 (reply in Thai to Mocy 1): Indeed. Me (in Thai, pointing at the visibly fat Mocy 3): I'm his older brother. Everyone's laughing, noone's offended. Take it easy out there. I don't usually walk around with prostitutes (not that there's anything wrong with that!), but I once walked around in Udon City with a Thai friend and a drunk female mistook him for a prostitute (and me for his customer). I think we handled her pretty well.

The club is named "App" and it's located in Ratchada Soi 8. Quite a new gay club frequented mostly by locals. https://th-th.facebook.com/AppPubRatchada

Long jeans or chinos. I go there 3-4 times a year, so I think I don't need another exempt from my 'no shorts' rule for these few visits. More seriously, when I go there I'm usually on my way from or to elsewhere, so while I wouldn't feel out of place wearing shorts on Soi Twilight in particular, the same cannot be said about other places.

Where I usually go in Bangkok, not many Thais including the ones I typically meet would wear any kind of shorts. I simply follow their lead, I only wear shorts when I'm on my way to a gay sauna or to Pattaya.

I'm glad that South-East Asian nations aren't nanny states. That has its advantages and disadvantages, an almost complete and utter lack of noise control obviously belongs to the latter unless you're the one wanting to make noise. For me, such complaints are pretty amusing.

There's no solace in knowing that today's decisions will look equally indefensible 40 years from now.

Seems like you're well prepared, firecat69, have a safe trip - and fun once you're here.

I'm not a sex tourist, hopefully that means that I'm entitled to my "fashion police" kind of remarks. Seriously though, I don't really care how people dress while on holiday, and this guy wouldn't be attractive to me even if I could personally choose what he's wearing. LOL. However, what sticks out for me is that apparently he thinks it's okay to visit a police station to file a report dressed like that. I cannot really wrap my head around that kind of thinking.

Like vinapu, I'd also be interested in hearing about the other countries.

You, Sir, officially don't have a foot fetish, then.

Unseriously, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acrotomophilia

The interesting question is if he's got a wife back home in Blighty who has been reading the same news reports. He might well regret filing that report with the police. But yes, his shorts are truly hideous. And so is the wife beater (I mean the tank top shirt, not making any assumptions here).

I agree with vinapu, and I remember similar discussions about Myanmar just a few years ago, when it was still a pariah state. Those who went despite the overcautious naysayers' warnings usually had great trips, and the latter flock to Myanmar nowadays and complain how overcrowded and overpriced the place is. There's never a perfect time, it seems.

I'd say that approach is hard to beat!

For what it's worth, I only know one person who ever got something stolen from a hotel safe. That was a gay farang who took a Thai guy to his room in Phuket. It's a bit unclear if the farang forgot to lock the safe or if the Thai was "somehow" able to open it without a trace. About 20,000 baht gone, he left the passport and ATM card behind.

I haven't made such as list yet, but it does sound like an intriguing idea. So far, I've been quite the creature of comfort when it comes to traveling: After falling in love with a place, I've often re-visited it several times before turning my attention to new places. That has its advantages (getting to know a place and sometimes also its people better) and its drawbacks (not getting to see nearly as many places as I could).