Gaybutton

Which one . . . ?

I have a better idea. Don't go there . . .

I'm sure all the responses are accurate, but if it were me, I would be asking the boy of interest. Don't you think the boys know where to go? And I would go with his recommendation because it would be a room he is probably familiar with, likes, and feels comfortable there.

Welcome "home". Don't say you're not good with trip reports. Yes you are. In all the years I've lived here, it has never occurred to me ask for a sample of the massage. I wish I had thought of that. So your first report this trip has already helped me and probably many more than only me.

They are. Do a Google search for "pawn shop Bangkok". I just tried it and dozens come up.

There has been many news articles about scams on Facebook. If you want to buy one from an ad you see on Facebook, do not send money in advance and wait for delivery. I would order from Facebook only COD. The person selling on Facebook is probably perfectly honest, but there has been enough reports to convince me not to trust paying in advance or sending a deposit. If it were me, instead of trying to find secondhand notebooks and pads on Facebook or other online sales such as Craigslist, I would check pawn shops instead. You can see what you are getting and can try it out. At least you would be going home with notebook or pad in hand and you would know where you got it from if anything goes wrong. You might also check Lazada and Shopee. You won't find secondhand, but you might find some within your price range. Lazada and Shopee are reliable and honest. I have been buying from both for years and have never been disappointed.

When I go somewhere to eat, there is this crazy thing I do if I am dissatisfied. Next time I just go to eat somewhere else. I'm not a food snob by any means and I hope I'm not offending anyone, but if I were deciding where want to eat, on my list of places to go, eating at a Foodland would be way down at the bottom of my list.

I am delighted that it worked out that way. That's what it's all about. The money you spent was well worth it and probably will not break the bank . It will come back. But nights and memories like that cannot be replaced.

When these boys are caught over-staying, nothing much happens to them the same as happens to farang over-stayers. Most of the time, if anything happens at all, they are merely sent back to their home country. And it won't be long before they're right back, whether they entered legally or not.

No matter what reasons to take a boy off from a bar, whether sex is involved or not, you are still obligated to give him the same full tip amount that you would for taking him off for sex. Don't cheapskate him on his tip. The tip is the primary reason he agrees to go off with you. Don't forget that. The only exception, in my opinion, would be if he knows what to expect and why you are taking him and agrees to take a lesser tip or forfeit his tip entirely. Make certain it is clear to him, fully understood, and agreed before you take him off. Communicating with him should not be a problem these days. There are several good apps out there in which you can type in and/or speak English into the app and it will translate for him into Thai - and vice versa. He can speak into the app and what he says will translate into English. What comes out is not always perfectly accurate, but close enough. My personal favorite translator app is Voice Tra, but again, there are plenty of others. Give them a try.

But many western countries, including the USA, are allowed to enter Thailand under the visa exempt rules. No visa at all for that. There is no reciprocity that I am aware of. Meanwhile, the USA makes it next to impossible for Thais to get a visa to enter the USA.

Good question. It makes no sense. Meanwhile Thailand is offering all kinds of incentives trying to get Chinese tourists to come back, and so far it is failing miserably. The Chinese tourist numbers are way down. Farang expats living in Thailand have similar questions. Here we are, living here, spending virtually all of our money here, and yet every time we turn around they're coming up with things that make it more difficult for us. In Pattaya, now it's the requirement to have a TM-30 receipt in our passports in order to get service from immigration. That is not always so easy to obtain and in all these years has never been a requirement. Now suddenly it is. No explanation as to why. No advance notice. Nothing about who came up with this. But without that receipt Pattaya immigration will refuse expats any service, including extending our retirement visas. Changing the rules without notice is nothing new with immigration. They've done that several times before and sooner or later they'll do it again. Unless you are on 1 year or more visas, such as the retirement visa, as it stands now, no matter how you do it the maximum number of days you can stay in Thailand per year is 180.

I clicked the link in the OP post. I tried to watch it, mainly to see how old it is, but I get a message saying "Video Unavailable. This video is private"

They are back online and posted the following: ________________________________________________ Dear Members, The forum has been down for approx 6 days due to a cyber attack on the datacenter in USA where we were hosting parts of the forum, which is now mitigated. We have since migrated to another datacenter. No content or user data has been lost or compromised. We apologize for this downtime inconvenience. We are unable to explain the tech details due to security policy, and we are unable to answer questions about it. KNOWN ISSUES: You may find the forum slow loading the first days, especially after you have posted. If you get a 504 error, just refresh the page and you will see your post! This will resolve later as we are using a cache software that updates later. Also we have temporarily limited the amount of outgoing forum notifications emails temporarily. QUESTIONS? We are aware of some issues, but feel free to send a PM to Support if needed. Welcome back to ASEAN NOW!

What I do is first find boys that interest me on the apps. If the chat goes well and I am still interested, I ask if he has LINE. Almost all of them do. Then I ask for his LINE ID and I give him mine. If it is a boy I've met personally, such as a bar boy or someone I simply met by chance, we trade LINE IDs right then and there. Something I've never figured out is I get many boys I've neither met nor ever heard of who add me to their own LINE, and the app says they added me by phone number. I have no idea how they got my phone number, but there it is. If it is someone who interests me, I go ahead and add him. I can always block him later if need be. If the person does not interest me, I don't add him and I don't chat with him. Be prepared to handle the pleas for money. I don't get many of those, but I do get them. I usually won't give them any money because one thing I've learned the hard way, living in Thailand, is if you give the boy money once, now the pleas for money never stop. Sometimes I'll come up with some excuse and sometimes I'll just say "Sorry - NO." The boy usually tries to argue about it, but that does him no good. Not with me, anyway. The two most common pleas I get are "I not have money for eat" and "I not have money for pay for room" In all the years I've lived here I have never seen a boy starve to death and I have never seen a boy lose his room. If I do give money, it is only to a boy I really like and have known long enough to know he is telling me the truth. Bottom line is be very careful about who is getting your LINE ID.

I certainly am very grateful to Moses for all the help he has provided me and he has never asked for anything in return. Regarding my board, when problems arise I first try to find and fix them myself. If I can't, which is most of the time, I ask Moses for help. He has always been there to help when needed. My knowledge of complex board or computer problems is quite limited, but Moses is a true guru. If it wasn't for Moses I probably wouldn't have a board anymore.

If anyone knows of an idyllic country where everything is perfect, just the way you like it, all the time and never disappointing, please share with the rest of us where it is.

Ok, now we're back to yes, alcohol can be served up to 4am. Make up your minds . . . __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thai Deputy Prime Minister Clarifies That Alcohol Sales Will Be Allowed During Extended Entertainment Hours in Four Pilot Provinces By Kittisak Phalaharn 7 November, 2023 On November 7th, 2023, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, the Deputy Prime Minister, clarified to Thai national media about the extension of opening service hours of entertainment districts to 4 AM in four pilot provinces. At present, the Ministry of Interior is in the process of reviewing and listening to various opinions and complaints from locals and owners of entertainment venues before presenting them to the cabinet, said Anutin. Anutin apologized for misleading information from the previous statement that the extended-hour services will not cover alcohol sales until 4 AM which is incorrect. He meant to mention service establishments that are similar to entertainment venues that could provide alcoholic beverages until midnight such as late-night restaurants, karaoke, and similar businesses. Qualified entertainment venues in approved, legal, entertainment zones would be allowed to serve alcoholic beverages until 4AM. Furthermore, entertainment services in hotels in four pilot provinces being Chonburi, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket, can provide full services until 4 AM. Anutin publicly stated that further details on the extended-hour services and related information would later be given by the Director General of the Department of Provincial Administration. However, the policy from the Thai Prime Minister will still be effective on December 15th, 2023. Meanwhile, the Pattaya Mayor has confirmed that currently legal entertainment zones will participate in the 4AM program effective from December 15th. However, proposals to extend the zones to Jomtien, Naklua, and Easy Pattaya will have to wait until next year. https://thepattayanews.com/2023/11/07/thai-deputy-prime-minister-clarifies-that-alcohol-sales-will-be-allowed-during-extended-entertainment-hours-in-four-pilot-provinces/

If the bars really will have to stop serving alcohol at 2am, then what is the point of remaining open until 4am? Between 2am and 4am what are they expecting the bars to sell? Coca Cola, cups of tea, and Shirley Temples? After 2am, what would attract customers? I rarely even drink, but I would have zero interest in going to a bar where they can't sell alcohol. Go for what? For some strange reason, no alcohol after 2am seems just a wee bit on the absurd side to me. We're talking about bars. Selling alcohol is what bars are in business to do. I don't know what those behind no alcohol after 2am are talking about. That idea alone is already on my "I Don't Get It" list. If the bars will be permitted to remain open until 4am, then let them sell alcohol until 4am. Otherwise it makes no sense and they might as well make the bars close at 2am, which without being able to sell alcohol, most would do anyway. Let's offer the fun and then spoil it before anything even happens. Way to go!

No. Chonburi is the name of the entire province and there is the city of Chonburi too. Pattaya is a city within the province of Chonburi. It is comparable to saying New York is the state and New York City is a city within the New York state.

That statement gets a "Huh? What?" from me. Since when is it only underage university students who try to get into the bars? Underage kids are caught in Pattaya nearly all the time when Thai bars get raided - and probably zero of them are university students. If they are serious about keeping underage kids out of bars, then they're going to have to do much more than merely assume it's university students they need to be concerned about. And especially on weekends and holidays, a lot of university students do go to Pattaya. So, Mr. Damrongkiat, to put it mildly - I take exception to your statement . . .

We can't be sure yet whether alcohol sales will be prohibited after 2am in Bangkok or Pattaya. That news says "depending on area". In Pattaya it's anybody's guess what the local powers-that-be will do if Pattaya is in the area allowed to sell alcohol up to 4am. It does indeed seem absurd to allow bars to remain open until 4am, but can't sell alcohol after 2am. I guess those who want to stay until 4am would have to buy a bottle just before 2am cut-off time, which means they are likely to drink much more than they would if the bars could sell alcohol up to 4am . . . Just another example of Thailand coming up with what may be a very good idea, but then imposing moronic rules to ruin it - if that's really what they're going to do. Here's the latest: Currently Legal Nightlife Zones in Pattaya to Test 4 AM Bar Closings from December 15th By Tanakorn Panyadee 6 November, 2023 Legal entertainment zones in Pattaya will get to pioneer 4 AM bar closings after it is implemented on December 15th by the Thai government, revealed Pattaya Mayor Poramase Ngampiches. Mr. Poramase announced on Saturday, November 4th, that entertainment venues within the currently designated legal nightlife zones in Pattaya will be able to test the extended operating hours for nightlife until 4 AM immediately after it becomes official. However, those outside the zones must await decisions made in future meetings involving all relevant agencies, he added. Chonburi, the home of Pattaya, is one of the four provinces, including Phuket, Chiang Mai, and Bangkok, that get to pioneer the extended closing time for nighttime businesses, as announced by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin last week. Currently, the legal zones in Pattaya cover the east side of Third Road, Walking Street, and LK Metro area. However, many entertainment venues have sprung up in Jomtien, Naklua, and the so-called “dark side” as well, despite technically being illegal due to outdated zoning restrictions over 20-years-old. This has spurred proactive efforts from business operators and officials to expand these zoning boundaries. Pattaya City Council member Damrongkiat Pinitkan last year proposed a revision during a council meeting, highlighting the outdated nature of the current zones, which were established two decades ago and no longer align with the city’s evolving landscape. In response, Mayor Poramase had directed relevant parties to formally petition the Ministry of Interior, while acknowledging the sensitivity of the issue. For now, those outside the entertainment zones will continue to have to close at the currently legal time, which is from midnight to 2 AM depending on area. The Pattaya News notes that an interesting wrench was thrown into these plans when Deputy Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said over the weekend that although entertainment venues would be allowed to close later, they would not be allowed to sell alcohol later. Whether this is enforced or if business owners will force a change by complaining to the government is yet to be seen. https://thepattayanews.com/2023/11/06/currently-legal-nightlife-zones-in-pattaya-to-test-4-am-bar-closings-from-december-15th/ ___________________________ Nighttime venues upbeat by Mongkol Bangprapa, Penchan Charoensuthipan, Panumet Tanraksa and Achadthaya Chuenniran November 5, 2023 Businesses have welcomed the government's decision to extend opening hours for nightspots to 4am in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri and Phuket from Dec 15. They also want the government to assign clear zoning for entertainment venues and measures to ensure tourism safety. On Friday, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and Interior Minister Anutin Charvirakul discussed extending nightlife opening hours for a trial period with the Tourism and Sports Ministry, Royal Thai Police and the four provincial governors. The measure will first be implemented in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chon Buri and Phuket to boost tourism and is expected to take effect from Dec 15. Mr Srettha said state agencies will consider how many months is suitable for the trial. The extension will be temporary for the moment, and discussions about a change of zoning will be held in the future. He said the government intends to spur the economy and tourism domestically. The plan will also help generate more income for businesses in the tourism sector, including restaurants and entertainment venues. He pointed out that some foreigners do not have similar dining habits as Thais. Some dine around 9pm-10pm. If opening hours are limited to midnight or 2am, customers might have to dine earlier, and that decreases the amount of food they order. Mr Srettha also said extending opening hours to 4am is workable, after having spoken with security agencies. He added the Interior Ministry will look into zoning and licences and police will try to ensure people's safety and increase illicit drug suppression. Mr Anutin said the Interior Ministry will propose a law allowing provincial governors to announce the zoning and operating hours of night entertainment venues. Move welcomed Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt said new zoning for nightlife venues in Bangkok cannot be assigned before Dec 15. However, the extension of opening hours can be applied to more than 200 entertainment venues in the premises of hotels as well as existing zones -- RCA on Phetchaburi Road, Silom Road and Ratchadaphisek Road. He added that CCTV cameras will also be used to ensure the safety of tourists while police will be asked to check tourists for drugs and conduct breathalyser tests. Thanit Chumsaeng, president of the Chiang Mai Restaurant and Entertainment Venue Association, agreed with the government's decision, saying the government should also assign clear zoning for entertainment venues so nightlife businesses do not disturb nearby communities. He said the Interior Ministry is expected to issue an announcement which will authorise provincial governors in major tourism cities to enforce the extension of opening hours and oversee entertainment venues. Mr Thanit said Chiang Mai's urban landscape keeps changing and its current zoning for entertainment venues may have to be revised accordingly. He said the extension of the opening hours should apply to downtown areas, such as in the Chiang Mai Night Bazaar on Chang Klan Road, which is already a popular destination for both locals and tourists. While longer hours will benefit numerous nightlife venues in such areas, operators will also have to shoulder higher electricity bills, and wages for workers and other costs, which will increase by 10-20%, he said. It is up to each operator to weigh these pros and cons before deciding whether to open until 4am, as some nightlife venues are more popular than others, Mr Thanit said. As for entertainment venues located outside zoning in Chiang Mai, they should be allowed to open until 2am. They include those along the Nimmanhaemin Road, Asadathorn Road, and Santitham Road. Their customers are mostly locals and students, he said, adding that nightlife venues should be located far away from schools, universities, and temples. He went on to say that the government should also waive excise tax for entertainment venues that open after midnight as they already have to pay liquor tax and cigarette tax. This measure will help operators who support the government's campaign to promote tourism, he said. According to Chiang Mai's local authorities, more than 10,000 entertainment venues have licences to operate and 70-80% of them are located in downtown areas, with more than 80,000 workers employed that would generate about 20 billion baht. Tourists' Safety Thaneth Tantipiriyakij, president of the Phuket Tourist Association, said business operators in Phuket previously proposed an extension of the operating hours of entertainment venues until 4am when the prime minister visited the island province in August. He said allowing these venues to open until 4am will increase tourism revenue by about 30%. Mr Thaneth said business operators in Phuket suggested that clear zoning be designated for entertainment venues to avoid disturbing the nearby communities and safety regulations be put in place to prevent any unwanted incidents during the later hours. Authorities must estimate how much security personnel is needed to ensure safety for tourists and they should also consider increasing CCTV cameras along the street, or setting more security checkpoints to detect drink-driving motorists. Problems such as quarrels, drug abuse, and drunk driving should be regulated through stricter law enforcement to assure minimal consequences from the extended hours, he said. He said the extension should be trialled on Bangla Road in Kathu district where several nightlife venues operate. Damrongkiat Pinitkarn, secretary to the Entertainment & Tourism Association of Pattaya City, said Pattaya is a popular tourist destination and is ready for the extension of operating hours. ''Operators here promotes nightlife tourism activities. Tourists dine at around 6pm and chill out at the Walking Street in Pattaya before entering night entertainment venues at around 11pm. ''The current closing hour at 2am is too early as operators do their business for only a few hours and the fun for tourists also ends too soon,'' he said. He also agreed with stricter law enforcement to curb problems such as drink-driving and prevent underage youngsters from entering nightlife venues. ''Pattaya has another advantage as there are no universities nearby so there is no problem involving underage students patronising pubs,'' Mr Damrongkiat said. With opening hours extended until 4am, each entertainment venue in Pattaya is expected to see their income increase by 60,000-70,000 baht per night, he said. Registration of more pubs Sanga Ruengwattanakul, president of the Khao San Road Businesses Association, also supports the extension, saying the government should also allow more entertainment venues to apply for registration legally. ''Over the past 10 years, no new entertainment venues have been registered legally. Several operators have to offer money under-the table [to authorities] so they can operate their businesses,'' Mr Sanga said. ''For those legally licenced to operate, authorities can easily inspect them to ensure they comply with safety standards, while unlicensed venues are not subject to inspection, which can pose safety risks to patrons,'' he said. Mr Sanga said licensed entertainment venues must meet certain criteria, including having fire exits or emergency exits, and first aid kits. "Several shophouses have been modified into entertainment venues without proper safety measures in cases of emergency,'' he said. ''The government must lay down clear regulations to prevent those who fail to meet requirements for operating nightlife venues until 4am,'' he said. However, Ratchaporn Poonsawat, president of the Koh Samui Tourism Association, complained that Koh Samui of Surat Thani is not among the provinces where the extension of opening hours for entertainment venues is taking effect. He said business operators here already discussed an extension of opening hours with the previous government. He said Koh Samui does not cover a large area so it is easy to designate zoning for entertainment venues, while police are also ready to ensure the safety of tourists. He added he wondered why Koh Samui hadn't been considered for the extension. Opposing the move Chuwit Jantaros, coordinator of the Anti-Alcohol Network, refuted claims by business operators that the extension is in response to foreign tourists' demands. A study shows that before Covid, up to 80% of foreign tourists visited Thailand to visit natural and cultural attractions and see local ways of life. ''The claims are unfounded. I don't believe the extension will spur the economy,'' Mr Chuwit said, adding that drinking alcohol is what is to blame for more accidents and crime. Thatchawut Jadbandit, a researcher at the Academic Centre For Road Safety, said the benefit of the extension may be not worth the risk. Citing some data from the Department of Disease Control from January until August, he said the number of deaths and injuries as a result of drink-driving stood at 50,164. https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/special-reports/2678276/nighttime-venues-upbeat

Where are you getting that from? I have seen nothing to indicate Pattaya won't be included. I agree with the others that can stay open until 4am does not mean will stay open until 4am. If there are enough customers,m then they'll stay open. I doubt the gay bar scene will have enough customers. It's the bars that cater to young Thais that I expect will stay open. Not necessarily every day. My guess is the ones that stay open until 4am are more likely to do so on weekends and holidays. So be especially cautious about where you will be staying and try not to stay anywhere near bars that likely will remain open until 4am, unless loud bar music lullabys you to sleep . . . If the bars that do stay open until 4am are still going strong at that hour, I think just as many as do so now will violate the law and stay open beyond legal hours. I'm sure for the first few weeks they'll be heavily scrutinized. Then, just like nearly everything else, that will fizzle out and they'll stay open. I wonder how that works technically. Are there any regulations controlling what time bars can open? I have no idea. If there are none, then theoretically the bars can close at 4am and reopen at 4:01. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

I hope it is worth a visit, but I'm wondering because on their Facebook page they have plenty of photos of the facility, but not even one photo of any boys, or any other humans for that matter. If anyone goes, please let us know what is actually on offer there, along with the prices. The Facebook page of the Nakkarat massage shows loads of photos of the staff, but it appears to me to be a "legitimate" massage shop - no other types of service available, but I have a feeling if you see a boy you like and make an arrangement for him to pay a little visit to your hotel during his non-working hours, he may have a pleasant surprise for you . . . As for me, if I am in Korat and looking for a willing young gent, I'll be sticking to the apps and/or finding someone on my own. Speaking only for myself, I doubt going to a spa in Korat will result in what I am most likely to be looking for.