Lucky

Chinese New Year is on Monday, January 23d, and decorations are everywhere in Bangkok, which has a large Chinese population. I plan to go to Chinatown today. Last weekend it was quite festive and will no doubt be more so today. The local mall, hardly your basic strip mall, but an extravagant ode to luxury, is having a show this afternoon featuring Chinese dancers, acrobats, and Chinese opera performances. So, Happy New Year to all. Give your local Chinese friend a hug and tell him Gung Hay Fat Choy.

What? It is time for another Palm Springs Weekend? Geez, now I really do have to kick the diet up a notch. On the elevator today I kindly allowed an elderly Asian couple to board first. The man was apparently trying to say he liked my shirt. When I took notice, he pointed at my belly, stroking his own as if to indicate pregnant. So I Politely laughed, whereupon he took the liberty of raising two fingers, suggesting I was having twins. So much for Asian reticence! At any rate, all of me is happy to hear that Oliver has the 8th Annual Palm Springs Weekend underway. It must sound especially appealing to those shoveling snow today.

Thankfully the show at Happy Boys in Pattaya included that old-fashioned Thai erotic dance that I used to like so much. And the 3 guys performing it did it naked with erections. Thus very erotic. A poster writing about his Columbia trip mentions the difficulty of writing any lengthy report on the IPad. Even though I am much better with it than I was two weeks ago, I will save my final report for my return. It is Chinese New Year weekend. There are festivities about town, and I plan to attend some, hoping to capture some in video, a first for me on the IPad, so wish me well. I will write more from the comfort of my PC.

That settles it, then! We need a Ricky Gervais thread! Recently several members made well-intentioned statements about posting a bit more, but, instead, we get posts wondering where everyone is. For me, the subjects that engage me are not represented as much as I would like. One answer, of course, is to post them myself, but that's hardly engaging. Another answer is to study up on the topics that are represented, but then, if they interested me enough to study up, well, then I would be studied up. Ultimately the conclusion seems to be what others have chosen, and that is to post hwhen something interests me and otherwise find other areas to express my interests. Go with the flow, let the message center reach its natural level of interest, and then either be engaged or not. Not well-spoken? Hey, I just woke up.

The shopping centers in the Siam area of Bangkok are enormous and impressive. You will never again think of Thailand as a third world country once you have seen them, and another and another. They are lined up along Sukhumvit Road, and there is simply no way I can convey to you the enormity of all of that luxury. And the crowds. The economy here has to be booming. But with each boom in the economy, there come several more motorbikes. These are truly a scourge, unless, of course, you are riding one. These same friendly people whom you encounter become horrors when driving a motorbike. It becomes very hard just to cross a street. And, I would not want to ride one, nor drive one, as it takes more fortitude than I think I have. But, for now, I am out of Bangkok, mixing it up with the Russians in. Pattaya. A Swiiss woman -yes, I asked- tonight thought I was Rus, but I assured her that I was Amee, as she calls it.. I guess I need not worry if I look Rus. Those terrorists will pass me by. But tonight I shared a baht bus with the cutest Russian guy. I was hoping that the twists and turns of the road would bring us close together, but no such luck for Lucky. The people watching here is quite intriguing. Today a hunky man, who appeared to be Arab, strolled into the mall, showing off his gym toned body by wearing a tight tank top. Yet the woman he was with was covered head to toe in a burka. At least, I think she is a woman. Can't make assumptions, can we? But I spend a great deal of time people watching. Maybe that's why the bars are so fascinating.

Actually, the excellent tutorial was by firecat69, who is very knowledgeable on all things Thailand, and one of those upon whom I rely for advice. My Thai experience, while it began 25 years ago, may not be as up to date as his. But I will say that there is something for everyone and that you will find tops if you so desire, but more likely bottoms. If you want to be a butterfly, and go for one man to the next, well, then, yes, stay in the heart of things. But you can meet people anywhere. The Thais are friendly and often outgoing. In the past, bars have often had a convenience room, such as it is. But I haven't seen one in years. They were most often pretty ratty. Massage parlors, of course, are more often on site than off. But I think you will prefer the comfort of your own room, should you choose a place that allows guests. Most gay places do. And, don't forget, there are many excellent tourist attractions. They became that way because they are truly interesting or offer something for the tourist to experience, such as a crocodile farm, that he will not see at home. You can spend all day touring wats, or temples. And if massage appeals to you, then you could spend all day getting massaged without ever taking your clothes off. Thai massage gets more enjoyable the more you experience it. Foot masseurs are everywhere. And, if you are a butterfly, then by all means visit a butterfly farm.

If you have a script by which you expect things to happen, be prepared for things to go off script. Sometimes for the better, sometimes not. But the adventure of wondering what might happen rather than knowing for sure can add to the fun.

The Tebow HATRED? Are we going to let that pass without comment? Michael Medved wants to say that those who think Tebow is a showboat are HATING him? That's discourse? Can we not point out hypocrisy without being accused of hatred? It's not like he lost a game because of this.

Say, did anyone here about that cruise ship sinking in Italy? Or didn't that merit a breaking news lead into the Golden Globes? The way I hear it, the ship is like totally destroyed and some people had to cancel their plans. Didn't it make the news in the states? It 's like, what I hear is that the captain was showboating and went off course. And the cruise was only 3 hours underway! Bummer. I'd ask for my money back. My point, of course, is that there are 5 or so threads on the Golden Globes, but the news doesn't merit any discussion anymore. Would more news equal more threads, or is it all in your definition of news? I mean, people died, the country's reputation takes a hit, the Communists are rioting because they are not getting capitalist material goods, children are forced into slave labor so we can get them, and none of it is interesting enough to discuss here? It's enough to make me go on vacation! BTW, I am not saying that the Golden Globes don't merit discussion. It's the lack of discussion on other subjects that makes me curious.

I see the Fries. I see the guy. But I don't see the site making millions

Granted that the Golden Globes are of some interest - I remember when they were created by Pia Zadora's husband as an excuse to give her an award- there is other news, and even those away from the daily papers are noticing. Steve Jobs was lionized after his death, but now apple is revealing ways in which it mistreated it's foreign workers. Yet their phones are so in demand, thousands lined up at the opening of the Beijing store, only to be turned away when it was announced that the store wouldn't open that day after all. Apparently they didn't have enough phones and were afraid of rioting, which they got anyway. The Chinese still love their apples. 4 Marines pissed on Taliban corpses, and not a word here? No indignation? No leering over the idea that 4 Marines had their dicks out in front of each other? No jokes about a pissing contest? On the other hand, the USS Abraham Lincoln is in Pattaya, with 6000 personnel on shore leave, and I didn't see a one in the gay bar district, not to mention having his dick out. Oh, where have I gone wrong? There were 4 potential Posts here, and I only used up one!

Goldwater, who was seen as such a conservative and out of the mainstream, would probably be considered a moderate today. I doubt that he would have the time of day for the Tea Party. And yes, I was old enough to follow that race.

What was a big story last night seems downgraded today, with not much to be fiound. Oh, well.

The NY Times is reporting Friday that the American embassy in Bangkok has, since the new year, been investigating threats of terrorism against Americans in Bangkok. One arrest has been made, but only on immigration violations, as there was not sufficient evidence of the terrorism involvement by the arrested person. "Foreigners" are allegedly involved in the terrorism threat, presumably as opposed to Thai involvement. Americans are particularly at risk in areas of high tourism. One American reached by MER News stated that he is lucky to have avoided planned attacks against United Airlines planes in 1993, but does not wish to push his luck. The American, who requested that his name be withheld, remains in Bangkok. CNN is also reporting the threat.

The Nation, the Bangkok newspaper that has been at my door these last few days, has two articles on gay subjects today in its entertainment section. One is about gay marriage, and is titled Brave Hearts in Trang, the other is about a gay movie being shown in Vietnam, an apparently historic event. My guess is that many here would be interested in both articles, but it is the one about Vietnam I found most interesting as their attitudes on gay subjects seem quite behind the times. One viewer of the film says that he cannot be openly gay as it would do "unimaginable damage" to his family. So, being still a learner on the Ipad, I can't make a link for you. But the website is nationmultimedia.com. The first article is titled "Brave Hearts in Trang" and the second is titled "Paradise Lost and found." I was unable to find the second article online, so maybe someone else could do so. The article was picked up from Agency France-Press, if that helps.

eeyore, I am glad the you liked the novel. We seem to have similar tastes, so let me know what recommendations you might have.

If Simon says it was not a move, well, then it mustn't have been a move. Please forgive me for being so familiar with you as I feel certain that we have met before.

Not very interesting pictures, in my opinion.

Well, I did finally make it to the "real" Chinatown, whereupon I realized that I had indeed been there before, and when I finished shopping, it was rush hour, and no taxis were available. So I gave in and took a tuk tuk, something I have not done in years. They were much more fun when I was younger. Sure enough, after a fairly long ride, I got off the contraption- and could barely walk. My butt was so sore. It took some time to loosen up. As for those details you long for, the most interesting one was the show at Tawan. It started out very G-rated, with apparent drag singers badly lip-synching a variety of songs. Then there was an odd number where two women in rain coats and masks fellated two of the muscle men, who were conveniently packaged in condoms. This was followed by a sculptor, who was so happy with how his Adonis had turned out, that he couln't resist fellating his creation, which He followed up by taking a nap. And, if you are snoozing about now, the next act might have awakened you. Again, with raincoats and condoms, a naked muscle man was whipped-hard!- and then fellated by his tormentors. Other acts were perpetrated, including the strategic placement of ice and an unknown liquid. Interesting was how the sadists kept getting turned on by what they were doing, and the "victim" then again became the "object." The show ended with a masturbation contest, wherein the audience built up a kitty, and the first three to completion picked up the money collected at that point. My favorite guy did not, um, finish. Regrettably, last night I had an unpleasant experience wherein a rather bad masseur insisted on a tip far from his skill level, and double what I would give to a good masseur. I felt dismayed at this cloud on my trip, and such dismay carries over to this morning. It's one of those moments when traveling alone doesn't seem to be such a good idea. No proof-reading today, I had to get this up for lurkerspeaks, and now have to hurry or I will miss breakfast!

Thanks for that last response, Simon. It was a good move. If you are interested in this site, why not start some good conversations?

Bangkok is a city that drives many people crazy. They hate the place, and vow never to return. There is the heat, the traffic, the humidity, the traffic, the crowds, the traffic, the constant feeling that someone wants your money, the fact that someone usually is hounding for your money- where you go, you want girl, you want boy? Special price, just for you! Taxi? Tuk Tuk? Where you go? Where You come from? I mentioned how the sidewalks have given way to commerce., I find myself constantly walking in traffic to avoid the sidewalk. And I love to walk. I took a walk on Tuesday that took me up Sathorn Road, where I have never spent much time. I was amazed at the variety of high rises, some quite fascinating, looking like they were misplaced on a Monopoly board. I almost always get lost. Walking up Sathorn, I saw a lovely park that I didn't know was there. But, yes I did. But, how did it get here? Somehow Sathorn led me to Lumpini Park, a beautiful oasis in the midst of Bangkok's stew. I have spent hours in that park, watching the muscle boys work out, walking it from one end to the next. My walk finally took me riverside, where I took the taxi boat to Chinatown. What a mess that place is. I thought the Chinatown in Ho Chi Minh City was a mess. This place was also impossible to walk, but not much to see anyway. But, I walked back there today. A kindly older man stopped me, to practice his English he was polite enough to say, but really to stop the sweating white guy from wasting his time going to Chinatown in the day time. It doesn't become interesting until after 3, he said, when the night market starts setting up. I didn't believe him, so wasted more time, only to discover that he was right, and I was right yesterday when I realized that there wasn't much there. Then I walked a few more miles, trying to find the "new" Chinatown that he had told me was near the National Stadium. I found it, or what I think was it, after much walking. Thankfully the weather has been the mildest of any visit I remember to Bangkok, and I have had 14 now. 14 visits, I hear you say. You must love Bangkok. The answer is that I do, I love it and I hate it.. Riding the river boat taxi yesterday I remembered how much I loved riding that river, and going off to the klongs that remain from Bangkok's days as the Venice of the Orient. I remember younger men coming up to me, asking if they could practice their English, and that's really all they wanted to do. They don't ask anymore, so it was nice that the old man did, even if he was just being polite. And politeness, well, that's long gone. It used to be that the farang, the tourist, was given great deference and respect. Nowadays it's take a number, buddy. That special price, just for me, has suddenly gone up. The Bangkok I saw 25 years ago is not the Bangkok I see today, but it is still full of wonders. One of those wonders, of course, is the easy relationship Thai Buddhism has with sex, the attitude that makes it possible for Bangkok's famous night life to exist. I have a story or two there, but I know that your eyes are tired if you have read this far. So, I will tell you tomorrow what I did when fellow poster kjun had to cancel our meet up. Of course, it would happen right after I told you how tired I was of the sex shows. That is, until the front row seat I had suddenly started to sizzle. But, that can wait,. Right?

Yes, somehow I don't think that this is the place where SImon would come to tell a good-natured joke. He doesn't seem to like us all that much.

Glad that you are here, eeyore. And I can identify trying to post with an Ipad. It is possible, just harder. But, I am sure glad that I have mine with me.I am using it a lot. Currently I am on the hotel's Apple, but the space key needs a really strong hit, so I find myself going back and spacing things i thought had spaced.

Thanks, TY. Today's report will go up later as I am still mulling on what details to include and which to leave out. I did go to the sex show at TAWAN and, wow, there was some hot stuff right in front of my eyes!

Thanks, Axiom. I am having a pretty good time now that I am not so sleepy!