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To be honest, I don't mind if a guy I'm attracted to has a bit of a belly. I've met guys who describe themselves on GR as "belly" but look damn good to me in person. It tells me they're comfortable with themselves and IMHO tend to be easy going and fun. Bottom line: they're still offable in my book.

The following article describes a chain of inexpensive hotels known as "Hop Inn." Being completely unfamiliar with them, I spot checked some Trip Advisor reviews and they seem to rate fairly well among guests. They appear to have numerous locations in the north and northeast regions and other locations around LOS in the price range of $16 US or less with current promotion. From The Nation Book soon and you can stay at any of the 25 Hop Inns across the country for Bt99 per night. The hotel chain is offering the low rate to celebrate the opening of the 25th outlet. Rooms can be booked from June 12 to 14 for stays anytime before October 31. Hop Inns boast consistently high quality and standards based on the brand’s “4 Points Promise” – cleanliness, convenience, comfort and safety. Designed for budget-conscious travellers, every room has a comfortable bed, air-conditioning, TV set, work desk and refrigerator. The hotels have secure parking, CCTV, key-card room access and a coffee corner. The 25 great locations include Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang, Udon Thai, Khon Kaen, Krabi and Had Yai. Learn more at www.HopInnHotel.com. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/travel/tourism_hotel/30317489

Trip reports and venue reports are the meat and potatoes (or fish and rice, if you will) of any forum. They get the biggest readership and it's why most of us look in so frequently. They contain information we may well use in making decisions about where to stay, places to go, sights to visit and guys to seek out or even avoid. Over time, we lost a handful of great resources. One was all about massage shops, another few narrated adventures with the Thai BF's that were fun to follow, and there was the wonderful "Dancing with the Devil" series that featured the author's adventures with Bangkok MB's. I'm sure I'm forgetting some. As Alexx aptly says, members who post these reports are doing all of us a big service. Not only do we gain the benefit of the experience of others, we get titillated--I do, anyway--at some of the more descriptive segments. The last thing we should do is discourage those who compose them. Responses like that can discourage others from posting their first reports--the last thing we want to happen, no? Steveboy, it's no witch hunt; it simply represents a statement of what the vast majority of members collectively values.

Never have, either, so I looked on their website for more info. It appears legit. They list many upcoming events, including an all-you-can-eat durian buffet sponsored by Tops Market and Central World. Think I'll pass.

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — Sweaty eight-packs and testosterone will sizzle on stage when an Aussie company of strip dancers comes to heat up Bangkok nights. After its 15-year run in Las Vegas, Australia’s Thunder From Down Under will bring its rippling manflesh to Southeast Asia for the first time this August in Bangkok. Dancers will show off their chiseled bodies and sexually-charged dance moves for seven engagements. Tickets go on sale June 27 at ticketmelon.com. General admission to the standing-room only venue costs 2,500 baht, with VIP seating available for 7,500 baht and group packages available. A 10 percent discount is offered through July 18. Guests must be 18 and up. Expect to glimpse some buns but – sorry – no full-frontal nudity. More information is available on at the troupe’s website and Facebook page. The show runs Aug. 30 through Sept. 5. Sept. 4 will be “girls only,” while while gay fans will have the men all to themselves the night of Sept. 5. Continues with video http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/entertainment/2017/06/07/magic-mick-feast-aussie-beefcake-bangkok/

Although I like the convenience, I'm a bit surprised cops allowed it. Storage lockers have been used as locations to plant explosive devices in other countries.

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — Wearing a glittering golden crown, a male dancer in a purple sarong sways gracefully in an ancient Khmer routine. A necklace hangs from his neck, and bangles adorn his wrists, arms and ankles like the ancient temple dancers whose movements he evokes. Especially stunning are the bare-chested men personifying female characters in a performance that signifies a leap forward for Cambodia’s once-invisible LGBT performing arts community. At a Friday performance of the Prumsodun Ok and Natyarasa dance company, it wasn’t the dancers’ sexual identities that made for a captivating performance, but their command of traditional Khmer dance, which communicates beauty through every curved back and synchronized movement. Apart from their expressiveness, the audience at Thonglor Art Space could clearly sense the dancers’ dedication, accompanied by the dignity of representing their sexuality, being accepted and supporting themselves by doing what they love. Artists and academics were all but exterminated in the Khmer Rouge genocide four decades ago. Efforts were made to revive traditional Khmer dance afterward, but it remains in a vulnerable state today. Ok said the ancient dance is seen as a mirror of heaven, reflecting society’s highest expressions of beauty, identity and order. If one looks at that reflection and doesn’t see LGBT people, it means that they don’t exist. That lack of representation, Ok said, contributes to them being stigmatized and misunderstood. “Giving these gay men a place in this artform is really stretching and re-choreographing the image of heaven and the order it represents,” said Ok, the troupe’s founder and artistic director. “What we’re giving to the tradition is new voices, new ideas, new approaches of where to grow and expand into the future and also allowing young gay men to be heard, seen and to be valued.” Before the troupe was formed, Ok received threats from those afraid and angry that he’d destroy or distort the traditional artform. He compared the situation to a story in which the Hindu Lord Shiva held poison in his neck to save the world. “I really learned how to transform poison into nectar,” he said. “Beyond them, there were young Khmer people who wrote to me saying that they love what I’m doing. Also, I learned to see the love all around me from teachers, friends, strangers who came talk to me.” Eventually, negative criticism faded as his works proved their quality and began transforming traditional dance into a contemporary context. Ok said LGBT rights are improving in Cambodia, but a lot of work remains, such as ending workplace discrimination, harmful media portrayals and family acceptance. Continues with video and pics http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/arts/2017/06/06/gay-cambodian-dance-co-upholds-tradition-as-it-breaks-barriers/

From Coconuts Bangkok An Englishman died after he jumped seven stories from the restaurant at the Westin Grande Sukhumvit Bangkok hotel last night. Andrew Frank C. Browning, 67, was found dead outside the hotel. In his possession, officers found a suicide letter addressed to his daughter, which had been kept as evidence. Witnesses said that Browning had ordered a drink at the restaurant before he walked over to the balcony. Before they knew it, he had jumped, according to manager. Police suspect that Browning had decided to end his life due to severe health concerns. The forensics department at Chulalongkorn Hospital will examine him to determine the cause of death and will coordinate with the British Embassy to send his body back to the United Kingdom. https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/brit-jumps-death-westin-grande-sukhumvit-bangkok/

You're forgiven, Stevie. Don't give it another thought.

Agree that it's reasonable to require it. However, the only way I can conceive that it could be accomplished without creating significant inconvenience and delays on arrival is to require airlines to collect it at time of ticket purchase as they do airport use fees imposed by individual countries.

Indeed they are. Stevie labors under the belief that they are more interested in his abs. Abs can't buy you love, Stevie, but 1500-2000 can come damn close ST.

Had to laugh when I read this quote: "The requirement should not be seen as a "hurdle to visitors...". Imagine for a moment the hordes of tourists disgorging from a 380 and scrambling to the vending machines to buy insurance before racing to the immigration queues. No, no trouble at all. From Bangkok Post All foreign tourists will soon be required to have travel insurance before entering Thailand under a proposal put forward by a committee of the Tourism and Sports Ministry, according to an informed source. The plan has been proposed by a committee working on the development of Thailand as a wellness tourism hub, and will be forwarded for consideration by the national tourism policy commission. The requirement should not be seen as a "hurdle" to visitors to Thailand, the source said on Monday. Under the proposal, the Office of the Insurance Commission would draft details on insurance policies and insurance distribution channels, including the installation of automatic vending machines at international airports and border checkpoints. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1262919/insurance-to-be-compulsory-for-travellers-to-thailand

From Bangkok Post The combined capacity of airports under Airports of Thailand Plc's (AoT) supervision has fallen well short of actual utilisation, resulting in congestion, according to AoT data. All but one AoT airport is being run well beyond the designed capacity for passenger handling. Chiang Rai airport is the only exception, even though passenger traffic through the facility has been on the rise, fuelled by holiday travel. Airport with the most critical shortfalls in passenger handling capacities were, from highest to lowest, Suvarnabhumi, Phuket and Don Mueang. Congestion will only worsen over the years to come as AoT continues to squeeze increasing numbers of passengers and flights into the crowded facilities, while not moving fast enough to add new airport capacities. Indeed, Suvarnabhumi has lost a decade in starting a much-needed expansion. The expansion of the airport, which includes the construction of a third runway and a second passenger terminal, together expects to cost over 110 billion baht, will not be entirely completed for next four years. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/transport/1262683/congestion-suffocating-aot-airports

Stickman's blog, that attracts more than a few readers from this side of the tracks, leads off this week with an Q&A interview with a Bangkok clinical hypnotherapist who specializes in problems of the male organ. https://www.stickmanbangkok.com/weekly-column/2017/06/when-you-cant-get-it-up/

From The Mirror (UK) A naked British tourist plunged from a hotel balcony following a boozy session with a 'ladyboy' hooker. The middle-aged man in his 40s was pictured covered in blood after he mysteriously fell from the balcony at around 5am this morning. He had spent the night with transsexual prostitute Sittipong Maneekat, 35, who said they had a "good time" after taking food and alcohol back to the third floor room in Pattaya, Thailand. But at 5am this morning the man fell after he went for a cigarette outside. Onlookers covered him with a small towel and gave him a pair of shorts as rescue workers bandaged his head. "The prostitute said she had been with him and he was foreign and British. She said they were not fighting and had a good time before. Continues with video and pics http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/naked-brit-plunges-hotel-balcony-10551232

I suspect that your plane may have simply got caught up in an air stream of consciousness that periodically befuddles your writings. But here's where we agree and disagree: DISAGREE -- I don't think I'd be concerned if a cook touched his scalp (cooking isn't really surgery is it now). AGREE -- If you observe your cook sticking his finger in his ass, your ass or the ass of others it may be cause for concern. NOTE -- If your sexual partner also happens to be a cook, you'll have to make up your own rules in this matter as you go along.

Or the sky could fall. There's always that.

You certainly have the potential for starting a side career as a gay novelist. I know that the stuff you're sharing with us is real and not fiction. However, your ability to narrate the experiences of a gay man's travels in east Asia and elsewhere persuades me that you have the potential to become a serial novelist. There's a not-so-short list of straight men who do it (mostly now with e-books) and then there's John Burdett who has managed to mix sexual orientation into his best-selling adventures of an Amerasian Bangkok detective. On another note, I was wondering if your posts here could be the source of the concerns that your BF expressed on your birthday. Surely he reads them and your mutual friends would have no trouble locating them, either.

From Pattayaone Pattaya boomtown – Russian and Chinese “quality tourists” flooding back as resort becomes hub of Sport Tourism, claims TAT An upbeat Thai Rath reported from Koh Larn yesterday quoting a Pattaya Tourism Authority representative that “quality tourists” were visiting in droves. Suladda Sarutilawan of Pattaya TAT said that the government’s crackdown on “zero dollar” tours was seeing a marked rise in “quality tourists” from China. She said they were spending lots and boosting the local economy at a time when visitors are usually harder to find. Suladda said that Russian visitors were now coming like they used to years ago. She further credited the re-branding of Pattaya as a hub for Sports Tourism saying events like the triathlon last weekend and the marathon set to take place in July are attracting thousands who might not normally come to the resort. She said that 10,000 are expected in town for the marathon on July 16th and 300-400 of those would be those quality Chinese she spoke of. Source: Thai Visa http://pattayaone.news/en/pattaya-boomtown-quality-tourists/

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — A historic library for bookworms and art lovers is struggling with its infrastructural decline and asking the public to help save the 148-year-old building to remain for another decade. Operated as a non-profit library since 1922, Neilson Hays Library is located in a serene side of Surawong Road for the public to enjoy a wide range of English-language books along with art and cultural activities. Designed by Italian architect Mario Tamagno, the architectural gem’s structure has endured Bangkok’s humidity and rains for decades, which has led it to display visible damages. The restoration will be conducted by Thai architects who specialize in historic preservation and will focus on fixing the library’s floors, interior walls, roof tiles, air conditioning, climate control and drainage system. The Neilson Hays Library Conservation Project will require a total of 10 million baht. While 9.5 million of the funds have been provided by its partners, the restoration project still needs 500,000 baht. Continues with video http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/arts/2017/06/01/crowdfund-quest-restore-95-year-old-library/ The library has a reasonably-priced restaurant on the grounds that serves lunch.

Documentary about world's only LGBT political party in the Philippines that recently aired on America's PBS network. http://www.pbs.org/video/3000213363/

From Bangkok Post Another pipe bomb was found Tuesday afternoon near Ratchadaphisek Road and the Thailand Cultural Centre MRT Station, sparking public concerns that another bomb attack could be imminent, despite security assurances by the authorities. National police chief Chakthip Chaijinda said no connection has been found between the discovered bomb and the hospital blast at this stage of the investigation, but initial findings show the bomb, which was assembled in an 20-centimetre long metal pipe, resembled the device used in the Ratchaprasong area several years ago. The device was said to be a steel pipe about 20cm long with a fuse. The pipe was in a green plastic basket inside a black plastic bag. The fuse was attached to a mosquito coil that had been ignited before being dampened and made ineffective by the rain. http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/1259310/pipe-bomb-found-near-mrt-station

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — Getting from MRT Bang Sue to the Purple Line will no longer involve transferring by shuttle come August. That’s when transportation officials said commuters can expect a rail link connecting the northern end of the Blue Line to MRT Tao Poon for onward travel into Nonthaburi province along the Purple Line. Construction of the so-called “missing link” between the two subway lines has been finished for some time. Transport Ministry spokesman Chirut Visarnchit on Monday said testing of the rail link will begin in June, and it should be operational by August. The absence of a link between the two has been blamed for the Purple Line’s low ridership since it opened in August. http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/transpo/2017/05/30/ride-rails-uninterrupted-mrt-missing-link-opens/

It's not the 100 meter flight out that gets you; it's the sudden stop.

It seems that they've arrived on a sustainable business plan. It may not be the plan some would prefer but we don't have to worry about paying the rent and other expenses. To start a bar in a high-rent, high-visibility location like Soi 4, you need to promote to the those with both the baht and the interest. To omit half the potential audience would be unwise. The Chinese figure huge in that equation as the German who runs Dreamboys on Twilight has learned.