Gaybutton

Consider it added. Yes, bargaining is fully expected here. That does not include stores such as grocery stores, shopping malls, convenience stores, etc. However it is expected at mom and pop shops and, depending on what they're selling, from the beach vendors too. For example, at the beach I bought a watch from a vendor. He started by asking 1800 baht for it. I ended up paying 250 baht, and he still made a profit. Unless an obviously outrageous price is being asked, I usually start the haggling at 30% to 35% lower than the initial asking price.

I can't make sense of it. I'm in Pattaya and I never have any problem accessing any of these sites unless the site itself has gone down. How come I can access these sites, but others are having so much trouble?

Congratulations! That's quite a sum, just under US $5000! I'm sorry that I was unable to attend.

Now that's flightening . . .

I can't imagine why the browser would have anything to do with it, but I use Firefox and I have had none of the problems being described on this thread, including just now. This very moment I tried it and it loaded right up flawlessly. The only thing that makes any sense to me is somehow your location and the routing to get to Sawatdee has something to do with it or perhaps your ISP blocked the site for some reason. Welcome to the latest entry on my "I Don't Get It" list . . .

I second the motion. If the New York Times writers want to go to these places, fine with me, but as Louis B. Meyer once said, "Include me out."

I can't imagine that it is being blocked in Bangkok, but not in Pattaya. Try it with a proxy server. If nothing else works, that ought to do it. For me, it works just fine and I'm not having any of the problems Smiles described. Everything loads up for me. If you have not already done so, perhaps you ought to send an Email to ElephantSpike and let him know, specifically, what kinds of problems you are encountering.

Number One Boys is located on the site of the old J.J. Pub, not to be confused with the J.J. Karaoke. To get there, If you're coming from Boyztown-Second Road, turn right on the soi between Tuk Com and the K-Bank. Go to the second left turn. That's where it is.

It's nice to see that Koh Kood, in Thailand, got a mention. Apparently it's wonderful if you happen to have money to burn. I read the article the Times provided and clicked on their link for Koh Kood. I stopped reading when I got to the part about how prices start at US$1788 per night for two people. That's dollars, not baht. I think I'm going to have to somehow muddle through life without going to Koh Kood, or at least the resort referred to in the article. Of course, there's always the chance of being the next big winner on the lottery . . .

It must be some sort of problem on your end. I just tried it again and it worked from here, in Pattaya.

I just tried it. It worked for me.

Hmmmm, I don't know whether to use my own pics or to fake it with some from my collection of nude pics of Ernest Borgnine . . .

Did you read about our

I doubt it, but you can always offer to send your picture by Email. Also, on Gay Romeo, there is an option to upload your photos without having them appear at all unless you approve them to appear in specific messages.

The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Portugal MPs Approve Gay Marriage Portugal's parliament Friday approved plans to legalise gay marriage, less than three decades after revoking the country's ban on homosexuality, but rejected proposals to allow same sex couples to adopt. The bill passed with limited public controversy in what has traditionally been one of Europe's most socially conservative countries. After less than three hours' debate, Friday's parliamentary vote went mainly along party lines, with the left-wing majority backing the measure proposed by Prime Minister Jose Socrates and the right-wing opposition voting against. It will now be reviewed in committee before coming back for a final vote in parliament, and could gain final approval before a visit by Pope Benedict XVI, due in Portugal in May. Socrates said the aim of the legislation was to remedy decades of injustice towards gays, recalling that as recently as 1982 homosexuality was a crime in Portugal. "I am of a generation _ as we all are _ which is not proud of the way it treated homosexuals,'' the prime minister said before lawmakers in parliament. "This is a step that will seem completely natural in the near future, in the same way that gender equality, abortion rights and unmarried couples living together are normal now. "Gay marriage has been approved by numerous countries and will be approved by many more. I have no doubt about that.'' In contrast to Spain, where the run-up to the legalisation of gay marriage in 2005 brought hundreds of thousands of demonstrators onto the streets, the bill in Portugal provoked only muted opposition even from the political right. Ratifying the bill would mean Portugal joined the list of European countries allowing gay marriage, which currently includes Belgium, Sweden, Spain, the Netherlands and Norway. A number of other European countries, including Britain, France and Germany, permit same sex civil partnerships. Some of the fiercest debate on the bill came over proposals from the Left Bloc and Green parties to extend adoption rights to same sex couples. They said that by not allowing gay and lesbian couples to adopt, the government was effectively making them second class citizens. Defending the government's decision to exclude adoption rights from the gay marriage bill, Socrates said the issues at stake were different. "Adoption is a different matter from marriage, because adoption does not only involve free, consenting adults. Adoption is not a couple's right, it is the child's right,'' he said. Socrates also rejected a demand backed by the right for a referendum on gay marriage following a petition which collected more than 90,000 signatures. Gay rights campaigners outside parliament greeted the result of Friday's vote with cries of joy and celebrated with champagne and wedding cake. While normally vocal on the role of marriage and the family in society, the Catholic Church refused to mobilise on the issue, which Lisbon's Cardinal Patriarch Jose Policarpo said was "parliament's responsibility''. A recent poll showed voters were fairly split on the issue of on gay marriage, with 49.5 percent against and 45.5 percent in favour. However the same survey by the Eurosondagem institute showed a clear majority (68.4 percent) of Portuguese opposed to adoptions by same-sex couples.

It's a Nana Plaza lady-boy bar in Bangkok.

Why should you? If you love drag shows, then Pattaya is perfect for you and you have plenty to enjoy here. Different strokes for different folks.

Unless they fixed it within the past 15 minutes, since your post, the hacking doesn't appear on this end. I just had a look and the site appears to be perfectly normal.

In Pattaya both The Ambiance and Le Cafe Royale are quite popular. If you stayed before at The Ambiance you might be pleased to know that now they have an elevator. In Bangkok, the Tarntawan Place is popular if you wish to be in the Silom-Suriwong gay area.

As an aside, you know what I don't see much of in Thailand? Emo boys. Am I missing something? Maybe it hasn't really caught on here because they can't understand just exactly what it is supposed to be. Neither can I.

For where?

As an aside, I'm curious as to why you recommend traveling overland to get there. I haven't made the trip myself, but I have heard that the roads are horrible.

You can find hookups on Gay Romeo at just about any time. You don't have to wait for 1:00~2:00 am. I mentioned that hour because that's when there are more bar boys online at one time than most other hours of the day. But bar boys are certainly not the only boys worth meeting and it's not as if that's the only hour that's worth being online.

I'm glad there's one, at least, who actually sings. Yes, the venues are full. I think the majority like these acts. It's the majority of those posting about them, including me, who dislike them. Obviously many people do like these acts. And yet even on this thread so far there have been no posts from anyone who says they do like these acts. I have nothing against these acts. It's certainly fine with me if most people enjoy them. But as for me, forget it. I don't like them and I'm not going. I'm sure the venues that present these acts will find a way to somehow survive the loss . . .

Next time I'm in Bangkok I plan to find out. One restaurant in Pattaya I have yet to try is the A La Turca. It's a Turkish restaurant. I don't know anything about Turkish food, but I understand it's very similar to Greek food. The Pattaya Mail published a review several years ago: http://www.pattayamail.com/588/dining.shtml