Alexx

One question remains. Why can't I have my own country and write such a splendid constitution for myself?

As for the Muslim prayer room, just make sure that the nap you take is long enough, to give your beard time to grow before emerging from the room. And keep all sexual activity there below the dreaded "sodomy" threshold.

In my case, it would have been very hard to keep my visits secret, in 2005 alone I visited Thailand a whopping 7 times. Once I reached that point, I knew I'd better move, and that's what I did in 2006. Again, everyone knew where I moved. I had a good excuse for all these visits and the move (business), but of course a few people have questioned my motives, and rightly so.

@ChristianPFC, that makes sense, got it. As for the "going rate" and such, I agree with those who say that for many tourists and business travelers it just isn't a lot of money. So paying more when they feel happy with the boy's attitude and "performance" should come quite naturally to them. I don't usually off boys from bars, but when I hang out with a Thai friend whose job is somewhat less well paid than mine, quite often I spend about the same amount (1,500 to 2,000 baht) for just that, hanging out, no sex. Call me crazy, but it's usually a fun day.

I don't think so, quite the opposite. In Thai terms, their story was in fact a face-saving measure for your benefit. Saying that the boy is generally unavailable doesn't put the blame on you. Had they said what you've just written straight to your face, that he figured you're a cheapskate and therefor isn't interested in you, that would have been one big fat loss of face.

I don't think it's a stupid question. Let's not pretend nobody is doing it, these HIV rates we're seeing don't fall from the sky after all. Also, at least from my experience, the number of "boys" who would let you have your way, either way, boggles the mind. So I'll bite: I wouldn't have bareback sex with "my boys" here in Bangkok, as long as having "boys" means that I'm having sex with many different guys I barely know. That would be incredibly risky, especially here and now, and while I won't pretend that I never did anything foolish, that's a long time ago and luckily I got away with it.

Same here, I use several of these services myself, and much in the same way like you do. It's important to be conscious about what to store there, and to know the privacy implications, that's all I meant to say.

Then there's of course the privacy issue that might be just as important as the size of the cloud storage account. Compared to trusting Dropbox or trusting Microsoft, sending my files to my favorite ladyboy gossip queen would probably be safer.

I think from a cultural point of view, there are two aspects. Firstly, like pong wrote, giving someone more than (what they think is) their due means that they might feel indebted to you. I write "might", because it certainly wears off in those people who often receive - or in some cases even demand - gifts. Secondly, a good deed is considered beneficial for the benefactor's karma, so their reward comes automatically and is granted by the universe itself. Compared to that gift of good karma, any form of gratitude shown by the beneficiary would pale anyway, which might explain why it's not seen as all that important. I've often noticed Thais dealing with Thais not showing gratitude when receiving a gift. When they are dealing with foreigners AND know what foreigners expect, it's often different.

Scooby's post is from 2010, when the blog was still accessible.

It's been "protected" (inaccessible) since a long time. Nobody really seems to know what has happened...

Great reports as always, firecat69, I've enjoyed reading them a lot! I hope you'll have a nice couple of days in Bangkok before heading back home.

I try my best to avoid driving in Thailand, and Bangkok in particular. I do have a car, but I don't use it very often and let someone else drive it more often than not. I've always enjoyed driving elsewhere, but I have to admit that I got used to not having to drive here.

Interesting indeed! The two passports I hold score 172 points each, now I'm wondering about their combined score. Not much higher, certainly, as there's a lot of overlap.

NIrishGuy, I'd say you did a great job, truly heroic.

I'd guess that it's mostly the families and newbies who are staying away now. People who've visiting Thailand since a long time are no strangers to all kinds of turmoil unfolding here, so they're probably much less likely to change their plans - unless it had a negative impact on them personally in the past, for example when the airports were occupied.

Wow, firecat69, that last one whose photo you've posted is really exactly my type. If you want to improve his economy further, feel free to send me his phone number.

Network installations at hotels and offices tend to be somewhat complex, so unlike others, I do understand that it's not always possible to come up with a satisfactory solution for each and every problem within 24 hours. That said, it obviously shouldn't take nearly as long as endured by Michael either. Maybe a couple of days. I've had bad luck with internet connections in Thailand every now and then, too. More often than not, I could help myself with mobile internet whenever that has happened, but that's just a workaround and not really a good solution, because whatever they advertise as 3G or even 4G in Thailand is pretty questionable, too. All things considered, internet access in Thailand sucks when compared with (many) other countries, no matter which provider or channel is being used.

I'd say just keep reporting!

Comparing Farose to Hero doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, so maybe a better question would be if Babylon or Farose will suit you better, as far as gay saunas are concerned. If you don't speak Thai and aren't comfortable to interact with scores of Thai guys who haven't necessarily had a lot of interaction with foreigners before, if any, you'd be far better off at Babylon. In a nutshell, the Farose saunas and many others like them are mostly for locals, and Babylon is the one sauna most popular with visitors. As a first timer, I'd definitely go to Babylon instead of Farose. Late afternoon / early evening is the best time for Babylon on weekdays. How crowded it gets might change quite a bit from one day to the next, so while it's usually busier during weekends, you'll just have to give it a shot.

I'm also very impressed with the current flock of Pattaya boys on GayRomeo and Jack'd, I can only agree. I tend to keep an eye on them, just in case, and my plan was to head there last weekend. But then the curfew in Bangkok was lifted, so I staid put. I got quite a number of complaints for my no-show, and it really ain't cool, so I'll go next weekend. Finally.

I can only agree. Mind you that most Bangkokians who use the buses wouldn't do so if they had other options; it does get old pretty quickly. And for a newcomer who cannot read and speak Thai in particular, there's also the problem that certain bus routes have several "mutations" sharing the same number. Depending on the color of the sign or on an extra sign they might hang from the window or a midway announcement by the conductor, this could mean that they take the highway and omit certain stops, or turn around before the usual end of the line. Oh, and sometimes these buses break down, too. That's when it looks like someone has parked them in the worst possible places, to aggravate traffic jams on busy roads.

Haha, yes it's soccer, and I'm quite pleased that I'll be able to see all the matches at home, too... With that curfew, it looks increasingly unlikely that I'll be able to watch them at a pub or sports bar (I'd prefer that for atmosphere, at least for the more significant matches).

Telling someone that you'll piss on his grave once he's dead is incredibly poor form, shame on you. I'm sure that you don't understand that concept, for I've been following your mudslinging matches since a long time, but let's hope people will be kinder to you once your time has come.

Waiting until September specifically doesn't make much sense, because if one thing is quite certain, it's that no election will be held in September (at least not this year). Nobody knows what will happen by then though, so I'd either book early and make sure that everything I book is refundable, or wait and see.