vaughn

I just booked some SQ flights for next month from Aus, the price would have cost more for an economy fare than I paid for my business fare in April. I ended up playing around with flights and found that if I stay overnight in Singapore and split the itinerary to multi-trip I save $600+, but I lost one night of an already short trip.

I probably should have just said "another board member" in hindsight, it was a tongue-in-cheek joke, but a lively group and welcome sight for a quiet night in Sunee.

I find there are situations where I'm ok with it and when I'm not. In April I had all of the Winner Boys cast sitting with me at a table with drinks when @Vessey and his entourage arrived. Some of the boys excused themselves and went to join the other table, but came back occasionally to check-in. I was completely fine with that, sharing is caring. I've also been invited to join a table by another farang when he was in a similar position with a table full of boys and I was solo, I appreciated that so I wasn't sitting around waiting for him to leave. I actually became friends with him from that night. If I was one-on-one with a boy I plan to off, I'm ok with the boy going to say hello to a previous customer. If the customer 'did a John' and tried to sideline me from the boy/conversation, I would either leave or make my intentions known by calling the mamasan over and paying bin with the off fee then leave with the boy. There's no point getting upset or possessive over boys when you're surrounded by possibilities, mai pen lai.

I'm not aware of any good buffet style in the complex, but if you want a good hotel buffet breakfast the Hilton near CentralFestival would possibly be worth checking out. O Delices in Jomtien Complex was the best breakfast option I found on my April trip, but there's not much competition.

I don't like the breakfast at Agate, but the rooms and the pool are both very nice. As others have said, joiners are fine but they just want to hold on to the boy's ID and then call when he goes to collect it. I've tried Poseidon and the room was nice, but pretty expensive for what you get. I think I will try The Venue next, I still have dreams of trying to get one of the cabaret dancers up to my room haha.

The bars and massage places in Paradise Complex were open in April, it was pretty quiet back then but it might be busier now. I posted a short summary of what I found at the end of this thread.

I don't even reply to money requests. Some guys will try to 'love bomb' me with messages about how much they miss you and only ever want to see you, stop work at the bar, if only they could afford it. It's all a game, I chose not to play.

I will echo the sentiment, bravo Vinapu, thank you for taking the time to bring us another great report. The Thailand Ministry of Labour and our fellow board members applaud your dedication to economic stimulus in the post-covid recovery.

Looking forward to your tidbits about Thailand. I am very interested in your knowledge of the scene in Vietnam, I'm considering a small trip in the future to HCMC and possibly Hanoi so I'll let you finish your reporting and then ask a few questions.

Agreed. It could be a good opportunity for any photographer expats out there, even if it is for a small fee or free it could be a fun side project if you have a decent camera and some skills. I take my X-T30 and a lens or two with me when I travel, maybe I'll offer Paul a free shoot with my very-novice photography skills when I return (if he wants it).

There could be many reasons. It can be a sign of comfort to be able to just sit with someone you know very well already and don't need to make small talk just for the sake of it. They might be waiting for friends to arrive, or maybe he is happy to just not sit alone. I try not to judge others, everyone finds happiness in their own way

Another member reported that Banana Boy Bar is open again (soi 4), when I last visited that gogo before Covid they had more of the cute slim type. I'm not entirely up to date on the type of boys and situation in that gogo at the moment though. You should also try Fresh boys again earlier in the night and you might have better luck, sounds like you might have missed out on the full lineup. Hopefully Lucky Boys will open again soon.

I think I am more on par with the Thai boy sleep schedule in the mornings, often just trying to make it in time before the breakfast buffet closes at 10 am but if breakfast isn't included I won't be out of my room until at least 11 am. I have never been a morning person.

It's times like these I find that I just have to smile. yes, chicken.

I consider myself very spoilt with the options I have outside of Thailand. My city had a lot of international university students from Asia before covid, and although most returned home, I eagerly await the return of what was once very fertile hunting grounds 😄

Firstly, great report. It's a very heartwarming read, I also really enjoy your observations about your relationship and difference in perspective with Bangkok Guy. I found myself wanting to learn some basic Thai to help my communication as well, although I am only 3 months in I have found the option that is working best for me is an app called Ling. I had also tried Youtube and looked for other apps with Thai as an option, but Ling is so far the only one I have found that has helped me gain a few new words and phrases for my vocabulary. There is a Thai massage boy I see in my hometown back in falangland, I'm considering asking if he wants to earn a little extra and spend some time with me to practice when I have a bit more confidence in my tones and pronunciation.

Koh Larn is also a good day trip or overnight destination for Pattaya if you feel the desire for (clean) beaches, the ferry or speedboats take off from Bali Hai pier. I enjoyed a day trip with a boy over to Koh Larn on new years day in 2020 to escape the Pattaya crowds, I would certainly do it again. We took the speedboat option and were dropped at Nual Beach where we rented a motorbike, then spent the day eating at the beachfront restaurants and lounging around at various beaches.

They're both good in their own way, so I usually split my time between them. Bangkok has better attractions for tourist activities and some really great restaurants and shopping. Pattaya gives me more of a holiday feeling for me, it's a more relaxed vibe with a slower pace but can get boring if I stay too long. As a generalization, the twinkier boys in the gogos and non-p4p boys I meet are more attractive in Bangkok. The exception to this was my last trip in April because Pattaya had more venues open so more variety of boys, but I'm hoping that by the time I return later this year things will be a little more 'back to normal'.

When I was there it was still fairly quiet, but I noticed 3-4 other guests who seemed to be long-term stays. I had a room facing the street with that legal office opposite so I could just see up to the corner of Tuckom from the balcony which helped me keep an eye on when the massage boys were coming in for the day. It looked like the room had a fresh paint job, but it was my first stay so I can't say how recently. I had no complaints about my stay, I spend a lot of time at Winner Boys so I will be back to stay there again next time.

https://www.namstaxiladydrivers.com/services I've posted this a few times, but Nam's is my go to for Bangkok to Pattaya and back.

Yes, I stayed there in April

If I'm going somewhere solo I will take mototaxi, 75% of the time I remember to ask for a helmet. Mototaxi's are plentiful in all areas, but I try to pick the older riders because they are usually safer. If I'm taking a boy from one area to another I will usually get a bolt car, the prices are pretty comparable to mototaxi but it just takes a little longer while you wait for them to arrive.

Thanks for the update, was it banana boys bar (upstairs) on soi 4? I think i recall that bar was split in two with an upstairs and downstairs. I hadn't heard that it has opened again, but I enjoyed that bar in 2019 because it had quite a few twinkier guys back then.

When I want to stay near Sunee and the massage places behind Tuckom I stay at Mosaik serviced apartments. In Jomtien Complex I stayed at Agate and Posoiden, I think I liked Agate more just for the price. The restaurant at Posoiden was really good and the owner makes you feel very welcome looking after guests and chatting, so it is a very nice option if you want to spend a little more.

Great news, one of my favorite bars finally allowed to go back to the gogo setting. I can't wait to go back