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From CNN Bangkok (CNN) — After years of delays and much debate, it's finally happening. Bullet trains are coming to Thailand. With one project under construction, another approved and others being considered, many in the country are questioning whether high-speed rail (HSR) will be the right fit for the country. "This is going to be a big change for Thailand," says Thanet Sorat, an adviser to Thailand's Senate Committee on Transportation, vice president of shipping company, V-Serve, and president of the Thai Authorized Customs Brokers Association. He hopes to see sleek trains pinballing around the country at 155 mph (250 kph) within five years. Both projects currently in the works will employ Chinese HSR technology. Though Thailand declined Chinese loans, the projects are considered a part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a plan that aims to connect China to the rest of Asia through new transport infrastructure. Expected to open in 2021 to replace Bangkok's 103-year-old Hualamphong Station, a massive new rail hub in the city's Bang Sue district will serve passengers using both HSR and the country's existing railway network, which is being upgraded from single to dual track. Tied to this, on October 24, a conglomerate led by Thailand's CP Group signed a contract with the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) for the construction of a HSR line linking Bangkok's two airports, Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang, to three eastern provinces. It will operate in addition to the existing Airport Rail Link, an elevated train that connects Suvarnabhumi to Bangkok's metro system. The planned line, beginning from Don Mueang then passing through Bang Sue, will also stop at Makkasan in central Bangkok before proceeding to Chachoengsao, Chonburi, Sriracha and Pattaya, a major tourist destination located 75 miles (120 km) south of Bangkok on the Gulf of Thailand. Expected to begin service in 2024, the 137-mile line will terminate at U-Tapao Airport, outside of Pattaya in Rayong province. Continues with photos https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/thailand-bullet-trains/index.html High-speed rail: Mechanics check on a high-speed train in Xi'An, China. The country is currently assisting Thailand with its own high-speed rail (HSR) projects. One line is already under construction, while another has been approved.

Don’t sell yourself short on this. This, too, can be researched just as you demonstrated with massage parlors and boy bars. It would be a real service to the board.

Then it’s a slam dunk. No better nominee than 12is12.

Despite the BOT’s recent interest rate cut aimed at dampening the surging baht, exchange rates remained mired near the 30 bht to the USD. This is what it looked like at Super Rich (Silom Complex) at 11 a.m. A quick check of the banks in the complex showed some offering as low as 29.86. On Tuesday I got 30.32.

The Madrid gets mentioned in this account of the history of Patpong. From CNN Bangkok (CNN) — Prostitution, the CIA, the Vietnam War and Chinese immigration are all on display in a new museum dedicated to one of Bangkok's most famous red light nightlife zones, Patpong Road. Alongside "Triple X," "fetish" and kinky cabaret exhibits are tamer displays highlighting David Bowie's 1983 visit to Bangkok, as well as other bits of pop culture, including a nod to "The Deer Hunter" -- a 1978 war drama starring Robert De Niro that included scenes reportedly shot in former Patpong bar Mississippi Queen. But documenting Patpong's unofficial ties to the US Central Intelligence Agency's deadly activities in Laos during the US-Vietnam War in the 1960s until 1974 is the museum's most fascinating purpose. The 300-square-meter Patpong Museum, which opened in October, reveals why Americans fighting communists on battlefields flocked to Patpong for business, friendship and hedonistic trysts during the war. It also shows how Patpong evolved over time to attract hundreds of thousands of tourists and expats, before most of the action moved across town to bars elsewhere in Bangkok -- namely Soi Cowboy and the Nana Entertainment Plaza. The museum's founder and curator, Michael Messner, tells CNN Travel he founded the space to document and display the area's fascinating history up to the present day, and include the many details that no one knows have gone into creating such unusual facilities, businesses and venues. "I'd say today everybody knows Patpong," says Messner. "But nobody really knows what Patpong is about. People associate it with a very narrow segment today, and it would be 'Patpong ping-pong,' something like this. And we'll get to ping-pong, we'll show that too, but there is so much more." Patpong Road's origins date back to a Chinese immigrant, Luang Patpongpanich, who purchased the land when it was a banana plantation. The museum displays two heavy rice bags connected by a bamboo pole for visitors to lift, a way to experience the burden felt by laborers shouldering 35-kilogram loads. During World War II, Patpongpanich's son Udon reportedly studied in America, where he joined Washington's newly created Office of Strategic Services (OSS) which eventually morphed into the CIA. The OSS trained Udom to be a Seri Thai ("Free Thai") insurgent against Japan's occupation of Thailand, according to museum information, which is supported by a three-page story in Asia Magazine dated May 5, 1985 which includes an interview with Udom, and also in a 1996 obituary in London's Guardian newspaper. But the war ended before he returned home. After Udom arrived in Bangkok, he transformed his family's land into Patpong Road and lined it with shop houses, which he rented to his OSS and CIA friends, Messner says. "Mizu's Kitchen is the first food and beverage place in Patpong, run by a Japanese ex-soldier who was part of the occupational force but he liked it here so much that he wanted to stay," he reveals. "The Foreign Correspondents' Club's first office or first meeting place was actually at Mizu's Kitchen. It just closed its doors this year, about three months ago, and we rescued the signage outside," Messner adds, gesturing at its weather-beaten sign. Other Patpong tenants during those years, according to museum exhibits, included the US Information Service library and "a CIA safe house" above the Madrid Bar where, in later years, retired CIA officials reportedly drank and met buddies. Alongside these bits of info, the museum displays photos of late CIA officer Jack Shirley taken in the Madrid Bar, which is still open. Patpong Museum, Building 5, 2nd floor below Black Pagoda Bar, Patpong Soi 2. Open daily, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; (+66) 91 887 6829. Tickets are 350 baht ($11) for visitors and include headphones offering narration in English, Chinese, French, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish. The entrance fee includes one free beer or soft drink. Museum souvenirs are on sale. https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/patpong-museum-bangkok/index.html

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There’s a new lady bar on Patpong 2. The Crown Royal steak house has been cut in half and Extreme bar now occupies the other half. King’s Corner lady show bar has a new entrance facing onto Patpong 2. Stickman reports that, contrary to reports, Hooters on Silom remains open.

The board awaits your adventure among the hoi polloi of the City of Angels with much anticipation, I’m sure. Perhaps you’ll call the chosen one “Mr. Imperfect.” On behalf of all the average out there, thank you so much. You do us a great honor.

Trust me on this, Drim. There’s not a soul who reads the boards who’s unaware that you like really big cocks to match really big beefy muscles. May the force be with you.

Our own Divine Madman’s site dedicated to gay massage in Bangkok https://m4m-massages.com/shop-specifics/

Excerpted from MSN Ten teenagers were among the 39 people found dead in a refrigerated trailer in Essex last month, police have confirmed. Essex Police on Friday released the names of the 31 men and eight women whose bodies were found in an industrial park in Grays on 23 October, after confirming on Thursday they were all Vietnamese. Pham Thi Tra My, 26-year-old woman from Ha Tinh Nguyen Dinh Lurong, 20-year-old man from Ha Tinh Nguyen Huy Phong, 35-year-old man from Ha Tinh Vo Nhan Du, 19-year-old man from Ha Tinh Tran Manh Hung, 37-year-old man from Ha Tinh Tran Khanh Tho, 18-year-old man from Ha Tinh Vo Van Linh, 25-year-old man from Ha Tinh Nguyen Van Nhan, 33-year-old man from Ha Tinh Bui Phan Thang, 37-year-old man from Ha Tinh Nguyen Huy Hung, 15-year-old boy from Ha Tinh Tran Thi Tho, 21-year-old woman from Nghe An Bui Thi Nhung, 19-year-old woman from Nghe An Vo Ngoc Nam, 28-year-old man from Nghe An Nguyen Dinh Tu, 26-year-old man from Nghe An Le Van Ha, 30-year-old man from Nghe An Tran Thi Ngoc, 19-year-old woman from Nghe An Nguyen Van Hung, 33-year-old man from Nghe An Hoang Van Tiep, 18-year-old man from Nghe An Cao Tien Dung, 37-year-old man from Nghe An Cao Huy Thanh, 33-year-old man from Nghe An Tran Thi Mai Nhung, 18-year-old woman from Nghe An Nguyen Minh Quang, 20-year-old man from Nghe An Le Trong Thanh, 44-year-old man from Dien Chau Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh, 28-year-old woman from Nghe An Hoang Van Hoi, 24-year-old man from Nghe An Nguyen Tho Tuan, 25-year-old man from Nghe An Dang Huu Tuyen, 22-year-old man from Nghe An Nguyen Trong Thai, 26-year-old man from Nghe An Nguyen Van Hiep, 24-year-old man from Nghe An Nguyen Thi Van, 35-year-old woman from Nghe An Tran Hai Loc, 35-year-old man from Nghe An Duong Minh Tuan, 27-year-old man from Quang Binh Nguyen Ngoc Ha, 32-year-old man from Quang Binh Nguyen Tien Dung, 33-year-old man from Quang, Binh Phan Thi Thanh, 41-year-old woman from Hai Phong Nguyen Ba Vu Hung, 34-year-old man from Thua Tien Hue Dinh Dinh Thai Quyen, 18-year-old man from Hai Phong Tran Ngoc Hieu, 17-year-old boy from Hai Duong Dinh Dinh Binh, 15-year-old boy from Hai Phong https://www.msn.com/en-sg/news/uknews/all-39-victims-of-essex-lorry-identified/ar-BBWu4vh?li=BBr8Cnr

The three bars I mentioned are more associated with twink type bodies and guy-next-door appearance. Most customers, however, usually can find something that accommodates their preference. If it’s just big cocks you’re after, you can find those at any bar but not on every guy. But I think you’ve already discovered that. Again, I wish you all the best in pursuit of your preference.

“For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing that they like." The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Edinburgh, 1930 That may be the case for those who primarily concentrate on Jupiter, Moonlight and Tawan. But take a look at who’s getting offed at Luckyboys, Freshboys and Screwboys and you’ll find that you’re in the minority. Bigger is bigger but not necessarily better. But I wish you all the big muscles and big cocks you desire. That’s what makes Bangkok so fascinating to so many: choices.

No offense taken. But if you broaden your search parameters I assure you that you’ll yet be successful.

From Bangkok Post Neilson Hays Library celebrates its 150th anniversary with Bangkok's first literature festival Celebrated local and international authors will be in Bangkok for a series of talks, panel discussions and poetry readings as part of the Neilson Hays Bangkok Literature Festival, held to mark the 150th anniversary of Neilson Hays Library on Nov 16 and 17. Bookworms, bibliophiles and anyone else who's interested are all invited to rub shoulders with their favourite fiction and non-fiction writers as the historic library on Surawong Road, in collaboration with the Office of Contemporary Art and Culture (OCAC), stages Bangkok's first literature festival. The two-day event will take place at the library and nearby British Club, with special evening events also being held at Chulalongkorn University and Chakrabongse Villas. Nalin Vanasin, president of Neilson Hays Library, says the purpose of the festival isn't just to mark the landmark anniversary, but also to celebrate the power of books and letters, which have been the library's heritage from its beginning. “The library has just gone through a major renovation. Instead of having a special book sale or holding a party like we normally do, we thought it would be a good time for Bangkok to have an international literature festival of its own," said Nalin. "We hope to create a stage for participating literary luminaries to exchange knowledge and share their experiences, as well as showcase Thai creative arts for an international audience." Over the two days of the festival, Neilsons Hays Library will be transformed into a book lover's dream. Over 30 of the world's finest writers, from eight countries, will be in attendance to help spread the joys of the written word. Under the theme "Bridging The World Through Letters", the festival aims to ignite imaginations, spark debate and share views on various topics from politics and social inequality to gender equality and LGBTI rights. Among the esteemed guests will be the Pulitzer Prize-winning US author Adam Johnson, best known for his novel The Orphan Master's Son, and Australian writer Melissa Lucashenko, winner of this year's Miles Franklin Award, the country's most prestigious literary prize. From Asia, there will be P. Sivakami, a prominent feminist Dalit writer from India; Chinese-American Qiu Xiaolong, author of the award-winning crime mystery Death Of A Red Heroine; Thailand's Veeraporn Nitiprapha, a 2018 SEA Write winner for The Blind Earthworm In The Labyrinth; and Japan's Kanako Nishi, whose novel Saraba! won the prestigious Naoki Prize. Alongside the programme of debates, interviews and workshops, the festival will feature entertainment activities for families and young readers, such as an arts and crafts market and workshops. Neilson Hays Bangkok Literature Festival will run from Nov 16-17 at Neilson Hays Library, The British Club Stage, Chulalongkorn University and Chakrabongse Villas, including an intimate dinner and conversation with Pitchaya Sudbanthad, author of Bangkok Wakes To Rain. Entry is free for most events, with tickets available for day passes (for guaranteed seating), film screenings and the closing event at the Chakrabongse Villas. For more information, including schedules and speaker topics, visit web.neilsonhayslibrary.com/literature-festival. I https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/1789809/book-your-place

I want to put in a word for the minority here. Like others posters, it’s always an unexpected pleasure to come across particularly well-endowed lads in any venue or circumstance. But it’s never been a deal breaker for me. Regardless of dimensions, it is the guy the equipment is attached to is always top in my mind. A bright personality, easy smile and ability to communicate (even in a language I don’t speak) will win the day—or at least the off. I can always find large specimens at home. What I cannot find at home is what brings me halfway around the world. As soon as I clear the gate on arrival, I’m immediately reassured. By the time I’m on the air link train, I once again feel in my true element. So I raise a glass to you average (or as one poster use to say “standard Thai issue”) guys. May you always be there in abundance.

From the BBC The men who Leonardo da Vinci loved We know a great deal about Leonardo da Vinci’s interests in botany and human anatomy; about his explorations of flight, of war machines and the flow of water; of his skills as a painter, and even his reputation for leaving projects unfinished. But what do we know of the man, of his passions, of Leonardo in love? Da Vinci left nothing that could be read directly as a diary or journal: his interest was in the outer, rather than the inner, world. Nevertheless, writers, from the 16th-Century biographer Giorgio Vasari to Sigmund Freud, have scoured the thousands of pages of written notes left by Da Vinci for clues. Five hundred years after his death – with exhibitions around Europe celebrating his art, engineering, science and ideas – a new opera celebrates a more private side of the Renaissance master. The work of composer Alex Mills and librettist Brian Mullin, Leonardo focuses on the relationship between the great artist and two of his assistants. Gian Giacomo Caprotti – known by Da Vinci as Salaí aka ‘Little Devil’ – was a boy from a poor background who entered the workshop aged 10 in 1490, when the master was in his late 30s. He immediately made an impression as a troublemaker: Mullin found frequent references to Salaí stealing from him and his guests, or eating more than his master thought respectable. “He [was] a young working-class boy, and evidently very hard to handle, but he ended up staying with Leonardo for 25 years,” says Mullin. Francesco Melzi came into Leonardo’s life in around 1505. This young man, by contrast, was from a noble Milanese family, and developed a role in the workshop akin to private secretary. He and Leonardo soon developed a closer intimacy that Mills and Mullin liken to father and son. Melzi was, as Mullin notes, “completely different from Salaí in his social standing and his demeanour.” No cheeky nicknames for the aristocratic Melzi: he was addressed by Leonardo as ‘Master Francesco’. While Mills’s music for Leonardo is of course contemporary, it has been scored for a viol consort - that is, an ensemble of players of the viol, a stringed instrument evocative of the early 16th Century. Mullin’s libretto is drawn almost entirely from historical sources, most important of which were Da Vinci’s own notebooks, which the left-handed artist wrote in mirror script. The opera charts the “shifting triangle that Leonardo had with these two young men,” says Mullin. “Leonardo moves from one relationship to the other, and Salaí gets a bit pushed out.” Late in life Leonardo moved to France, with both male companions in attendance, but Salaí returned to Milan, and was not there at the master’s bedside when he died in 1519. “Leonardo leaves him very little: he’s left only half a vineyard, which is odd,” says Mullin. Melzi, by contrast, inherited Leonardo’s notebooks and many of his paintings. “It seems there was a private drama that had been playing out from one figure to another.” http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20191107-the-men-who-leonardo-da-vinci-loved

From Bangkok Post Rivers, lakes and canals around the country will be illuminated by candlelight as Thais release a series of lotus-inspired floats in order to ask forgiveness from the Water Goddess for their infringements during the much-loved Loy Krathong Festival. If you wish to join in with the celebrations, here are several venues offering a wide choice of cultural performances, traditional rituals, fireworks and creative workshops from tomorrow until Monday. Bangkok From Nov 9 to 11, the Tourism Authority of Thailand will turn Santi Chaiprakan Park into an entertainment hub for its "Delightful Colour Of The River, Loy Krathong Festival". Visitors can walk through a colourful water tunnel, then take a front-row seat to watch a traditional fireworks show. There will be a pavilion full of fun cultural activities for all the family, including creative workshops on how to make a krathong with natural materials, cooking traditional Thai delicacies, arranging floral garlands, carving fruit and banana stalks and making khon masks. About Santi Chaiprakan Park https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santichaiprakarn_Park Elsewhere about Thailand https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/1789954/loy-krathong-around-thailand#cxrecs_s

Judging by what I’ve observed—and practiced—at Luckyboys and others places, the incremental red notes the guys collect in tips are becoming an ever increasing share of their overall income. They realize that they can easily cover their daily living expenses (food, transportation and time with friends after work) by sitting with a handful of customers and sharing small talk and some physical contact for short periods. It’s a win-win for all concerned. The customer gets a nice experience (and the opportunity to interview different guys), the bar gets the drink income and the boy gets tips—and a possible off on a return visit. No, it doesn’t provide same same financial punch that a ST offers but it does cover some costs. Waiters long ago figured this out and acquire a more consistent income along with the possibility of the occasional off. And for me at least it’s a lot more entertaining than scanning through the on-line offerings.

Most Bangkok hotels do not. Offs generally are aware of those that do (I.e., Tarntawan). The minority that do will have a conspicuous notice in lobby or your room. Don’t complicate your vacation with trying to create lists in advance. I’d just assume that they don’t.

From Bloomberg News Southeast Asian Neighbors Detain Exiles Cambodia has sent troops to its border and called on neighboring countries to arrest exiled dissidents after accusing them of plotting a coup, just as the European Union prepares to decide on maintaining trade privileges that are keeping the Southeast Asian nation’s biggest industry afloat. Malaysian authorities on Thursday detained Mu Sochua, vice president of the banned opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party, at Kuala Lumpur airport following a request from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s administration. The Cambodian leader, in power since 1985, has promised to “use weapons of all kinds” to stop a group led by top opposition figure Sam Rainsy from returning to Cambodia on Saturday, the country’s independence day. Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha ordered customs to deny Sam Rainsy’s entry due to the “rules” of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. On Thursday, he posted a picture of himself packing his bags as he prepared to board a plane from Paris to Bangkok. Both he and Mu Sochua have been in exile for four years. Cambodia has dispatched the military to “maintain peace and stability,” government spokesman Phay Siphan said, adding that the arrests would be “positive” if true. “The Cambodian government has informed all Asean nations that those people are organized crime,” he said. “They are leading a coup d’etat, so the Cambodian government informed all Asean members. And they all decided together to keep peace stability, so those people have become persona non-grata.” The detention comes shortly before Europe is expected to issue a decision on whether or not to pull Cambodia’s preferential tariff status due to its deteriorating rights situation, a move that could devastate its economy. The EU is Cambodia’s largest trading partner, accounting for 45% of all exports in 2018. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-07/southeast-asia-helps-hun-sen-round-up-dissidents-pressuring-eu

Don’t see many farangs reading it, either. Like the boys, their minds may be occupied with other interests.

From Bloomberg Financial The Bank of Thailand cut its benchmark interest rate for the second time in three months and said it will ease rules on outflows to curb a surging currency. Five of the seven Monetary Policy Committee members voted to cut the key rate by a quarter-percentage point to 1.25%, the central bank said in a statement. That matches a record low and was in line with the forecasts of 16 of the 26 economists in a Bloomberg survey. Officials told reporters in Bangkok that the central bank is worried about the strength of the baht, which may continue to weigh on the economy. The bank will ease rules on outflows and consider further steps to rein in the currency, they said. The baht extended losses, falling as much as 0.7% to 30.399 per dollar, and was at 30.327 as of 3 p.m. in Bangkok. Thai authorities are stepping up monetary and fiscal support to spur an economy that’s on course for its weakest growth in five years in 2019. The baht has gained more than 8% against the dollar in the past year, the best performer in emerging markets, curbing exports and tourism in the trade-reliant nation. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-11-06/thailand-cuts-interest-rate-to-record-low-to-rein-in-currency

So you don’t think killing everyone in the lorry qualifies as sufficiently unwelcoming?

This may come as a complete shock to you, 909, but most of the Vietnamese working in Thailand are employed in work other than gogo bars. And of course your basing this on your personal experience of having visited the impoverished provinces where the 39 deceased Vietnamese came from.