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Absolutely. If a guy walks slightly ahead or slightly behind me, he's trying to create distance between us and that doesn't bode well for what follows. But if he walks at my side and carries on a conversation--regardless of language discrepancy--I feel that he respects me and doesn't fear being seen with me. It also tells me something else about him: he doesn't lack self confidence and has a good self-image. Guys like that are almost always fun to spend time with.

NOTE --USD was trading at 32.81 on XE currency conversion site at time of this posting. From Bloomberg Thailand’s central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged near a record low, bucking a regional trend as more central banks tighten policy amid a global emerging-market rout. Five of the six monetary policy committee members present at the meeting voted to hold the one-day bond repurchase rate at 1.5 percent, where it’s been since 2015, according to a statement on the Bank of Thailand’s website on Wednesday. One MPC member voted for a 25 basis-point hike. All 22 economists surveyed by Bloomberg predicted the rate would stay on hold. The baht has slid 0.7 percent against the dollar this year, compared with a 6.6 percent slump in the Philippine peso and a 2.6 percent drop in the Indonesian rupiah. The Philippine central bank raised its benchmark rate for a second month on Wednesday. In Thailand, monetary policy stability is helping to support a pick-up in economic growth as exports climb and consumer spending strengthens. Growth reached a five-year high of 4.8 percent in the first quarter. Inflation climbed to 1.5 percent in May, staying inside the central bank’s target range of 1 percent to 4 percent for a second month. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-20/thailand-bucks-southeast-asia-trend-by-keeping-rates-on-hold

From Coconuts Bangkok The Prince Theater Heritage Stay wasn’t always a hostel. It wasn’t always a porno theater either, but we’ll get to that in a second. Before the age of Netflix and megaplexes, the 1,200-seat Chalermthai Theater — seen below screening 1962 hit The Longest Day — was Bangkok’s most modern cinema and a hot spot for the city’s socialites and middle-class alike. But a few kilometers down the road, a considerably-less-glamorous cinema was operating. The Prince Rama Theater’s single screen served the working-class residents of Bangrak — a neighborhood once known for its clutch of shady brothels. Street food vendor Yai, 61, who has lived in Bangrak her whole life, remembers it well. “I was only 10 years old. The ticket was THB3.5 but I never paid,” she said with a smile. “I just snuck in to watch Petchara. Do you know who she is?” she asked of 1960s Thai film icon Petchara Chaowarat. We do. While the upscale Chalermthai Theater was torn down in 1989, the Prince Rama stubbornly stayed afloat for more than another decade, shifting its programming to a mix of Chinese historical dramas, Hollywood offerings, and, yes, porn. It played enough of the latter to eventually earn its (translated) nickname, “the Prince Porno Theater.” Today, you can still watch porn on the premises, you’ll just have to stream it on the internet like the rest of us — ideally with the curtains to your room drawn tightly shut. Dubbed the Prince Theater Heritage Stay, the cinema-themed hostel opened a few months ago, a transformation that mirrors the Bangrak neighborhood’s decades-long evolution into a major business district. The brain trust behind the hostel are neither ignorant nor ashamed of the building’s colorful past. Far from it. The Montara Hospitality Group sees the building’s past — porno period and all — as central to the hostel’s charm, even keeping a large movie screen front and center in the lobby. “We don’t want to twist the truth — we want its authentic history to live on. Travelers can get a nice room anywhere, but the idea that they stay at a hostel that used to screen porn in the past could be a funny story to tell their friends,” explained Montara CEO Kittisak Pattamasaevi. The lobby, which features a reception desk designed to look like a box office, now plays compilations of black and white movie clips, but evidence of the theater’s once-lewd leanings is hinted at in the hostel’s decor, with old posters of European pornos and British sex films like Nine Ages of Nakedness (1969) hung over the toilets in the private rooms. That’s a little less exciting than the good old days, when the Prince Porno Theater made big bucks from its “midnight round,” when they switched from R-rated films to those bearing a full “X” rating, according to the theater’s former projectionist. “They had what they called a ‘midnight round’ which showed porn from midnight for an hour. The midnight round was held four times a month. The ticket costed a THB100, and it was always packed,” recalled Surapol Karew, 60, who landed a job at the Prince Rama Theater in the late 1970s then stuck around 20 years. Surapol says the moviegoers who caught the midnight screenings were largely gay men and trans women, and that romance often bloomed in dark corners of the theater, the operation of which was tolerated as they ensured that the cops were regularly paid. “Even people from the upcountry like Khon Kaen [and] Sukhothai [provinces] came all the way here to see the movies. They got here on a tuk-tuk. The line of the tuk-tuks that stopped at the entrance was so long, the cops asked them ‘What’s on tonight?’ And the tuk-tuk drivers simply said ‘Porn!” Sorapol said, chuckling at the memory. Thankfully, the seats and other bits of the theater live on in a fashion, reclaimed to become a physical part of the new hotel. Continues with pics and history https://coconuts.co/bangkok/features/inside-prince-porno-bangkoks-former-adult-cinema-turned-hostel/

I think it's a good sign that these bars on the Patpong side of Surawong are tweaking their signature offerings. They appear to be positioning themselves ideally for high season. They know that they have to steer a careful course to attract the China and SE Asia trade, the locals and the farang (probably in that order) and now is the time to navigate. Moonlight certainly is cornering the top-end "show" market while the others continue to adjust. Even flagship muscle bar Tawan has added a few twinks to the mix. Earlier this year, gloom and doom predictions were coming fast and furious. Now we're hearing promising accounts from members on the ground. Lift a glass, lads!

Fuel costs -- Aviation Week sees increased travel demand and rising fuel costs putting carriers with the right mix of equipment having the advantage. Carriers with deep pockets have already begun hedging on fuel prices but that benefit will likely fade in a year. Being able to put the more fuel-efficient equipment on long hauls provides the needed flexibility. This may spell future problems for airlines deploying large numbers of the jumbo Airbus 380, leaving those with more twin-engine wide bodies (777, 787, A330, A350) better positioned. The mid-east carriers may be the first to feel the pain. Qatar is also hampered by the on-going air space restrictions enacted by neighboring states, leaving it with a narrow access corridor across the Persian Gulf between Doha and Iran. World Cup impact -- Many tourists are choosing to stay at home for the duration of world cup fever. Excerpts from Bangkok Post Pongpanu Svetarundra, permanent secretary of the Tourism and Sports Ministry, said on Monday the low season, Ramadan and World Cup were among the negative factors weighing on growth. Of all visitors last month, a majority of 2 million hailed from East Asia, followed by Europe, South Asia, America, Oceania, Middle East and Africa, he said. “We believe the growth will start accelerating in August, bringing in 3 trillion baht in revenue as targeted,” he said. https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/tourism-and-transport/1487754/tourist-arrivals-slowed-to-2-8m-in-may Germs on planes -- Consumer Reports health newsletter reports that seat back tables and belt buckles harbor the greatest source of germs and are more effective in spreading bacteria than circulating air. It recommends using alcohol swipes to disinfect. Although it didn't mention remote controls, those are commonly cited as the most contaminated items in hotel rooms. Visions from the air -- CNN has posted photo array that will be of interest to aviation enthusiasts, including many "boneyard" pics. https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/airplanes-life-span/index.html

"I call you, when I need you my heart's on fire You come to me, come to me, wild and wild You come to me Give me everything I need....... .....You're simply the best Better than all the rest" -- The great Tina Turner

....or are you just glad to see me? From Coconuts Bangkok Police arrested three daredevils yesterday afternoon after they hit up a trio convenient stores outside Bangkok while stark naked — a stunt they said was an attempt to imitate foreigners they saw on TV. The three unidentified men, aged 25, 26, and 27, made a separate visit to three 7-Eleven stores in the Ratchapreuk area — while wearing nothing but motorcycle helmets — at about 2am on Tuesday. The men told police the idea came to them amidst a usual hangout at home that night, explaining that they remembered seeing Western protesters riding bikes and marching naked on TV, reported Spring News. In the end, they challenged each other to strip and hit the stores naked and no one had the common sense to back down, according to police. A CCTV clip making the rounds shows one of the men running into a store while a seemingly unfazed employee rings him up. Asleep or too embarrassed to address it? https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/three-thai-men-arrested-hitting-7-eleven-naked-say-tried-behave-like-foreigners-tv/

Nothing succeeds like excess. Way to go!

I, too, have a preference for length over girth....with a slight upward bend. But I'm never disappointed as long as the equipment presented is suitably engorged.

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — Business owners say they are unable to find Thai employees to staff service jobs and are urging the government to relax its restrictions on foreign employees. The Group of Entrepreneurs with Foreign Workers said they would take an online petition to the labor ministry this month ask that Laotian, Burmese and Cambodian workers be allowed to work legally in two of the 39 occupations forbidden to foreigners. “The problem is we can’t find any Thais who want to do these jobs,” the group’s Piphooake Sakullim said. “It’s not like we’re leaving behind Thais. But when you put up a sign asking for an extra worker for six months, and no one applies, how is your business supposed to go on?” “I always give Thais the chance for a job first, but they’re really hard to find. They leave after a little bit. Therefore, I want to give hardworking aliens a chance for an occupation,” reads one of several dozens signs shown. http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/business/2018/06/13/let-us-hire-foreigners-short-staffed-shop-owners-demand/ Link to list of occupations that foreigners are not permitted to perform: http://www.mol.go.th/en/content/page/6347

NOTE -- The link contains a brief video of the giant new airport under construction in Beijing that features seven runways. Excerpts from South China Morning Post Issue has long dogged Cathay Pacific amid intense price war in Asia, as low-cost carriers chip away at market share and Middle Eastern and Chinese airlines lure travellers with cheaper long-haul tickets Will Cathay Pacific Airways launch a budget airline or won’t they? Hong Kong’s flagship airline once again faced this question at the aviation industry’s annual summit in Sydney last week. Its CEO Rupert Hogg was cautious: “We are not blinkered in looking at all of these [low-cost] models and how they are developing. We can learn the lessons from them if there are lessons to be learned. “We’ll make that decision if and when we get to a point where we can execute against it and we think it’s the right one.” This issue has long dogged Cathay amid an intense price war among airlines in Asia, as low-cost carriers chip away at their market share and Middle Eastern and Chinese airlines lure travellers with cheaper long-haul tickets. Cathay Pacific says it would not think about adding a new budget carrier until at least 2024 by the time the third runway is ready at Hong Kong International Airport. Until such a time, the airport is all but full to add more new flights. In 2017, the airport handled 73 million travellers. Some full-service airlines have launched budget carriers to woo new travellers and cater to price-conscious ones, while preserving their premium brand. But earlier this year, Cathay chairman John Slosar referred to advice he received from a former United Airlines’ CEO and said he was convinced the airline should look at how to compete better rather than “go down the path of setting up all these different airlines”. On the sidelines of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) conference in Australia, Hogg said Cathay had been closely watching the response to budget airlines globally and “whether they gain market share, whether they are making money”. With Cathay now carrying as many as 438 people per flight on routes also served by budget carriers, Hogg was asked whether this meant it would always prefer larger planes to maximise its take-off and landing slot at busy airports. Budget carriers typically use planes that can carry up to 186 passengers. Cathay is also keenly aware of the need to woo a new generation of passengers. IATA expects 7.8 billion people to travel in 2036, double today’s number. More than half of that growth will come from the Asia-Pacific region, with 2.1 billion new passengers taking to the skies, increasing the market size to 3.5 billion travellers. Asia’s two biggest low-cost airlines, Air Asia and Jetstar earned HK$3.1 billion and HK$2.48 billion in the most recent financial years respectively. Air Asia also flew 39 million passengers in 2017, some 5 million more than Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon combined. “There is always going to be the challenge anywhere where infrastructure opens up where you have new capacity available at one end but you have got to have capacity available at the other end in terms of the route,” Hogg said. To illustrate his point, he highlighted Beijing’s mega Daxing International airport set to open next year. When airlines move there, it does not mean they can add on extra flights to popular international destinations, as it depends on capacity at the end point. On the upside though, Hogg said Asia was ahead of others in building airport infrastructure. “The key is to keep building in front of the curve. And Asia has a better track record than other parts of the world,” Hogg said. Continues with videos http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/2150113/cheap-flights-hong-kong-cathay-pacific-again-faces P.S. The current edition of Aviation Week reports that LCC Norwegian is hemorrhaging cash and is now a prime takeover target.

Above made me reconsider what initially draws me to a guy. Sure, the face is usually the first thing I notice but after reading what author of soccer book said about male sensuality (see Beer Bar post "A Good Read"), realize there's something else a bit more difficult to define. But I know it when I see it and I know that I'm not going to see it on line no matter how popular the app may be. It's about how he carries himself, how he moves, what his expression says to me. And frequently, he isn't the most beautiful guy on offer.

In anticipation of the World Cup, currently reading The Language of the Game: How to Understand Soccer (Laurent Dubois). Can't disagree with author's introductory remarks: “Soccer is sensual. It is about the pleasure of watching athletes’ bodies, their faces, their motion, admiring and commenting on their hairstyles and tattoos. When we talk and write about soccer, we evoke—more often unconsciously than consciously—its sensuality. Its role as a source of pleasure……Soccer may be the most tantric of sports. Some of the greatest and most riveting of games end 0-0. Perhaps what is truly sensual about soccer is that it is about interplay, relationships, motion between people, all tied up with our deepest and most mysterious emotions.”

Excerpts from Khaosod English Glory Days of Absolute Monarchy Revived at National Gallery King Rama V meets Prince Otto von Bismarck in Hamburg, 1897. It was the height – and twilight – of absolute monarchy, a period that lasted from the late 19th century until a democratic revolt in 1932. Its pomp and pageantry has been brought back to life once again in a photo exhibition running through July at the National Gallery. Their story is told through 150 reprints of glass plate negatives taken by palace and foreign artists. The originals are stored at the National Archive, along with 35,000 other photographs preserved from that bygone era. The collection was designated as an invaluable “world memory” by the UNESCO back in October, an occasion this photo exhibition celebrates. The exhibition, co-organized by the National Archive and the Ministry of Culture, is separated into eight sections: a history of photography in Siam; national symbols and landmarks; major royal ceremonies; traditional arts and culture; the modernization of Siam; new roads and architecture; portraits of prominent figures, and relations between Siam and the world. Phra Ong Chao Thongtaem Thaval Yavongse holds an unidentified boy next to a Western sculpture. But behind these displays of grandeur, away from the cameras, a crisis was brewing. The economy was failing. Dissent against the opulence and incompetence of the royal government was spreading, at first quietly, then loudly through newspapers, eventually becoming a cry for reform and democracy. Their voices went unheard. By 1932, Europe was far from the same continent King Rama V visited in the exhibition’s pictures. Monarchies no longer held the same prominence they did; some dynasties disappeared altogether. His country, too, became a different nation. A revolt forced his son, Rama VII, to give up his power and abide by a constitution, ending absolute monarchy. “Celebrating the National Glass Plate Negatives” exhibition runs at the National Gallery through July 28. It opens 8am to 7pm from Wednesday to Sunday. http://www.khaosodenglish.com/featured/2018/06/11/glory-days-of-absolute-monarchy-revived-at-national-gallery-photos/

Prices are on high side but they may being testing what market will bear. Just heartened to hear that another contender has entered the market on Patpong 2. I'd like to believe that the Surawong end of the soi will become the successor to Twilight. The location IMO has much going for it, especially ease of access and 24/7 foot traffic. Soi 4 is a 5-minute walk and there are plenty of massage shops in neighborhood. Not ready to give up on brick-and-mortar yet.

I've toyed with the idea myself a few times but have decided against it in favor of more frequent visits. The primary reasons concern future health care considerations and the fact that I really enjoy where I am now living. But I don't want to be away from Thailand for more than 3-4 months at a stretch and that seems to be working for me. Everybody's situation is different and contributors have presented the pros and cons well. While scanning the Thai news this morning, came across an article in the Post that indirectly relates to the discussion. It described the plight of Bangkok's aging population and how the administration hopes to cope with it. I guess where I'm going with this is the need to think about growing older in Thailand without some of the safety nets we grew accustomed to at home. The consequences of an aging population has come up before. The number of new births in Bangkok has been steadily declining, dropping from 800,000 in 2012 to 704,000 in 2016. You don't have to be a statistician to understand the implications going forward. If not for the influx of the young from neighboring, less industrialized countries, the picture would be quite bleak indeed (a situation the US and other western nations share). Despite the obstacles, many expats have successfully made the leap. But it's definitely more of a challenge now than 10-15 years ago. From today's Bangkok Post: Seeing grey: Bracing for an elderly population explosion https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/special-reports/1481761/seeing-grey-bracing-for-an-elderly-population-explosion

From NHK Newsline Japan's main international hub, Narita Airport, will start using facial recognition technology at immigration gates to shorten screening time and improve security. The Immigration Bureau demonstrated the technology to the media on Friday ahead of its debut next Monday. The gates compare a traveler's passport photo with an image taken on the spot. When the 2 images match, the gates open automatically. Until now, one official has been assigned per gate. The bureau says a single official will now be able to handle 6 gates. The bureau initially plans to use the gates for Japanese nationals returning home and to assign more staff to screen the growing number of overseas visitors. Facial recognition gates are to be introduced at 4 other airports across Japan later this year. A record 28.7 million foreign tourists visited Japan last year. The figure is up nearly 20 percent from a year ago. Immigration authorities hope that the gates will help reduce the waiting time for visitors. https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20180608_31/

+1. Bourdain's life story, sadly ended, will continue to resonate well beyond the food industry. His affection for unadorned dining and the ordinary man endeared him to viewers. I think we saw some of ourselves in him, or at least in his choices. We eat the street food of Asia and spend our time with ordinary--well, often extraordinary--guys of humble backgrounds. And we are wholly comfortable and at ease as Anthony seems to be as he sits across the table from Obama. That's how I want to remember him.

From BBC Emirates Airline has unveiled a new First Class Suite on board its latest aircraft that features virtual windows. Instead of being able to see directly outside, passengers view images projected in from outside the aircraft using fibre-optic cameras. The airline says it paves the way for removing all windows from future planes, making them lighter and faster. Airline president Sir Tim Clark said: "The quality of the imagery is so good, it's better than with the natural eye." The virtual windows can be seen in the first class cabin of Emirates' newest Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Sir Tim told the BBC that the ultimate aim was to have planes with no windows at all. "Imagine now a fuselage as you're boarding with no windows, but when you get inside, there are windows," he said. "Now you have one fuselage which has no structural weaknesses because of windows. "The aircraft are lighter, the aircraft could fly faster, they'll burn far less fuel and fly higher." Safety concerns It may not be easy to get the technology signed off by regulators, aviation safety expert Professor Graham Braithwaite of Cranfield University told the BBC. "Being able to see outside the aircraft in an emergency is important, especially if an emergency evacuation has to take place," he said. "Flight attendants would need to check outside the aircraft in an emergency, for example for fire, before opening a door and commencing an evacuation - and anything that needed power to do this may not be easy to get certified by an aviation safety regulator," he added. Continues with video https://www.bbc.com/news/business-44383220

Had similar experience last year. After saying Rama 4 to Surawong without success. Then tried Thaniya, and he replied "boom-boom" with a laugh, and that's where he dropped me. Gave him the 500 I had agreed to, grabbed by bags from back seat, and realized I was "home" again as I glanced up the soi and saw hundreds of ladies assembled as if for reveille.

From Bangkok Post Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) is set to inject 2.5 billion baht to replace all 700,000 square metres of asphalt with concrete on all the runways at Suvarnabhumi airport to permanently solve the threat of "soft spots" that have been reported there. he announcement comes after the International Federation of Air Line Pilots' Associations (IFALPA), which represents over 100,000 pilots and flight engineers in almost 100 countries, issued an alert last month specifying the risks of operating at Thailand's largest international airport. The main risk was the discovery of several "soft spots" on taxiways, taxi lanes and aircraft stands at Suvarnabhumi. Flight crews and ground service providers have reportedly encountered these structurally unsound spots since 2008. It was constructed over a large swamp known as Nong Ngu Hao, or "cobra swamp", since it was reportedly a habitat for snakes before it was built. This has resulted in a high water table below the airport. The airport's 62.5-billion-baht revamp project will involve the construction of a smaller concourse, an aircraft parking lot and an underground tunnel linking the main passenger terminal to the concourse using an automated people mover electric train network. Mr Nitinai said that construction is set to be completed by November 2019. The new concourse, however, should be open by the middle of 2020, as system testing will take around six months to carry out, he added. https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1479417/airport-soft-spots-to-get-concrete-fix

NOTE -- To view selection of photos from collection, open link below and then click on link to museum. You'll see a series of rectangular links in Thai script. Click on these and you can view images that have English description. From Khaosod English An image of Khun Sanphakit Vijarna, winner of the 1920 Siam Motorcycle Racing 1920, riding a Harley Davidson motorcycle, Twin Cylinder 1920 Model. Photo: The National Gallery / Courtesy BANGKOK — Get a rare chance to see 19th century Siam through a series of images made by wet-plate collodion photography. A total of 150 photos taken between 1855 through 1935 in Thailand are showcased at Celebrating the National Glass Plate Negative Recognized as UNESCO Memory of the World. They were selected from over 30,000 glass plate negatives preserved at the National Archives of Thailand. Parts of the photographs were recognized by UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register in 2017. The exhibition is divided into eight themes and cover photos of royal ceremonies, arts and culture, historical sites, the kingdom’s modernizations and portraits of important figures during the reigns of King Rama IV and King Rama V. Admission is free. The exhibition runs through July 28 at the National Gallery. The museum – housed in a building that was once the Royal Mint – is located on Chao Fa Road near Sanam Luang. It opens 9am until 7pm from Wednesday through Sunday. http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/arts/2018/06/04/scenes-of-19th-century-siam-revived-at-national-gallery/

LOL. You reminded me of just how many football matches I've watched during LT offs last two trips. FIFA should promote LT as a way of attracting news fans to the sport.

If I'd eliminated guys over 25 from my massage options over the years, I would have missed out on some memorable experiences.