pong2

Note: this from Chris is when he entered-should be clear-with all anti-covid measures. THese are now all scrapped, AFAIK. Can confirm from own exp. that simply old-style in the airpt is a breeze and fast done. Just 1 remark: take the exact money in US$ with you. IF you do not have access to that and passing by here in BKK-these usual praised money-exc can also handle that quickly.

IF there is a stumbleblock then it will be yet another new outbreak of this dreadful virus-and noone will be able to predict. For the rest: be assured: what always strikes many is the really GIANT oversupply of about every commodity what the tourist may perhaps want and which what some money can be made. Available boys for some pleasure always outnumber the potential takers multifold. Wheather wise this is not really a good time- the later end of the Thai very hot and also very HUMID ´summer-a refresher then when finally the rainy season starts some weeks later. That is why the schools have their holidays here then.......For airlines and travelagencies this is the lower valley of the low season. Which mostly-I hope for you too-will also give the lowest airfares.

We will see what today brings. Around Sanam Luang was about the whole fleet of Thai POlice minivans assembled and many buslines were rerouted as some streets there also closed off. And new construction is indeed rife anywhere. Destruction of old buildings even more-new target seems to be all the old-closed since long deptmt. stores. Tesco, the large UK-supermarket chain, has also moved out, shops remain as just Lotus. That old Sirikit centre (had to be there 2/yr for the various travel markets/fairs they held) was about the most claustrofobic and cramped I have ever been into. Built to even for TH lilliput standards.

Go OUT of Manila-dreadful city. Compared with BKK-or even HCMC, a big dump. For what purpose is this visit mostly aimed for? Do you have other ASEAN experience enough? This will help a lot.

About any cruiseliner has a near full pinoy crew-certainly in all that have customer contact. Plus that indeed many tankers/ships also have a mostly pinoy crew. This is by now a rather old item-with the nr of hotels still closed-or even standing derelict what I now see around in this area, I doubt if Thailand would need to turn to PH for it-and if foreign workers are needed, I would give the Burmese, followed by the Khmer, first choice. BTW-I think there are a few more countries that have large crowds of overseas workers-and also special lanes at (air)ports to accomodate them-forgotten where. IF it goes about sheer nrs-the very large countries like INdia and China most likely have more people working overseas (INdians mostly in the Gulf petrol states) as they have well over 10 times as many people as PH.

That one had to pay indeed when leaving @ airport. Long gone-you pay it now with the airticket. Many cases were this was an unpleasant surprise for some who did not realise it-or had never encountered such a thing-and were penniless then Indo has longest sticked to cash payment at airport. Of course these Sin levies are simply also worked into the airfare to pay. Some airlines may list it separately-and some are even that nasty to add it after you have chosen your fare-which as such is forbidden in my country.

Terima kasi banyak! Now that it seems that also for Indo entry rules/covid have fallen-but there is still the 5k entry-visa to pay for. Again for me last visit also quite some yrs ago-thought of it by then as farewell tour, as I like Indo very much-have been on some 6 islands, incl. Bali and speak the lingo-though probably this has to get some retraining. Now considering a new visit when the rainy season there has finished=summer in EUR. And if airfares are not so extreme high anymore. As for Bali-my impression was still that really aimed at the gay market places were really only in that area of Seminyak/Kuta. Do not expect to find guys from Bali itself there )they tend to have a different fysique, quite attractive to me), but for Indo´s it is also a kind of heaven/discreet place to go to out of sight of the always pressing pha-mi-ly and let the beast hang out. That man yrs ago-and of course myself also being that many yrs younger then as now- was before the smartfone hit and most was done hby old style crusing-without much effort from you-they would find you instead of the other way. Malang- Yogya - Solo etc. Or after dusk beachside of Kuta too- I guess that has all gone with the fones and apps. Indo has rampant inflation and this is also reflected in ever falling exchange rates-translated into a stable currency like US$ or AU$ prices are fairly stable though.

Myself arrived MON-2 days ago by now, and as a tiger-senior was now able to use the priority lane anyway-with an utmost polite and efficient immi-veteran. I did see a fair Q at the normal gates and loads of signs for this APAC meeting to come up. And yes-then the wait for the luggage also took some 20 mins-it was an AB380 from EK-so the biggest plane there is. All over the airport and also in the luggage hall are dozens of stalls offering various SIMs. Took RailLInk into town and was in it just <60 mins after deplaning.

Do you mean that literally (as for to do this deed) or as the US way to just swear off someone? The latter: you had better not say that in Thai, unless you really want heaps of trouble. Thai have more refined ways of expressing such a state of mood. But those with some exposure to western culture (about 99% of the guys you are likely to meet here) will understand it in USA/en/. For the 1st: any guy you meet will understand this or even himself tell before to you he will -or will not -allow that. Plus that if one selects a guy anywhere for some pleasure making, this will be clear from the start what to expect. On the subject of adding the polite krap/kah after sentence: once, various yrs ago, there were some trials to get gays (a real ´gay´ in Thai is a hoomoo, gay usually only means the guy will do bottoming) use Kuh (or keh, in some other writings). As a kind of in between. This may have caused this misunderstanding. i do not think it has been followed up and died a soft death. BTW-Lao use other terms for krap/kah.

Just a short extra: M15 was mentioned and to my surprise-just passing by-it was not along Intramara-but just off Pradipat-near the BTS Sapan kwai-there is a soi as a kind of square U-west side, just north of praysanee=post office+ filatelic Thai museum (for those who still know that some people may do collecting stamps from letters)- turn left and see G-beat (left hand side, near end of soi), then turn right-there are 2 posh looking hoStels there-for those who like to stay cheap and midst the action-then turn right again and on left hand side (north side going To Phahon rd) is M15-shop windows all closed off. G beat looks quite plush and has open windows-/it is indeed where once long ago the Bridge used to be, which moved there when it was expelled from a hotel compound along Pradiphat as thenine-where now yet another high-rise condo monstrosity stands. Cross rd by BTS-overpass there-on other side in a side soi is K-man. K-manB (or KB) seems rather now to be their main drag and is off Lard Prao-soi 101/corner of subsoi 8. Buses 8 and 44 run along Spn Kwai and the whole of Lard prao till Happyland. Along main rd are Amor and U-Sabay, side by side, but I think these do not offer ´extra´ as given..

a simple google search-answers all. T=tourist-the one you want. Can also get at airport without bother before-just pay fixed amount (Only cash $$ I believe-but this may have changed). E=work-this also lets them allow you to do work in whatever way-and I assume this is not needed for you. In fact here THailand does not offer that at all very easy. As always: VISA depend on YOUR undisclosed nationality-this is for the common western people-but it may be different if you are from somewhere else.

NO-if you are really looking for very best rates for cash money in large values of the usual western countries (think EU€, UD$, GBP etc) then IN town=BKK offers the best, and only mo-fr. Arrived-after nearly 1000 days ago-here in BKK yesterday, had still some THB left from last and changed some-in airport (Swampy to be exact) ALL Thai banks have dozens of outlets and ALL offer the very same very low rates. BUT the area on the raillink into town is not airport-lowest level-owned and has at the very end-beyond many msg/sim/STREETfood places at high prices a few money exchanges-and also again one of Thai Farmers Bank=Kasikorn. ALL here offer the same better rates. BUT then I took raillink into town-last stop Phayathai to get taxi onward (I never stay around Silom) and then I saw there was also a SuperRich-orange xchange there-and it even had slightly better rate as at airport (15 stang/eur in fact). Have not been there yet and rates change by the day or even more often-so I still think the original HQ os the 3 different SuperRiches in BKK-to left side of Big C opposite WorldTrade. If it is really worth it to lay out the expense of getting there just for that is all up to you-and also how much you want to change. Think of roughly 0,5 bt/unit you can get more. (Or"50 bt for notes of 100 of these=the current price of a plate of rice at foodcarts. NO banks or any xch has fees, so that will not distract you. Pty should-or used to have-also many cash exch places-those staying there will inform you-or try the nice private forum of thaigaybutton - a friendly and always helpful long-time Patters resident.

Strange-get the impression now (but thats based on only 1 day of some shopping compared to 1000 days go) that inflation here in TH is not at all that high compared to EUR. Has this KIP funny money (where you only count in 1000s) also devalued that much? Or they simply use Thai bht anyway for ease?

Great report, kowp jay-lay-lay. Sabay dee duay. It seems you have the choke-dee enough already Train look 99,99% similar to those Chinese things they have in the 1000fold there-and China also organises its new hi-speed trains the way any airline does-incl. now also an hardly understandable way to get tix-if one does not have all those Chinese apps and payments on ones fone with Chinese nbr (and that was all pre-covid, so must now be even much more stringent). But FRance is also quite good at placing stops for its prestigious hi-speed TGV miles out of centre-town (MOntpellier, Amiens)_they call that ´sugarbeet stops. so these Laos may contemplate ´sugarcane´ stops (satanee OY) (BTW_my very first trip to Laos-around 2000, was also on the wackety-rickety bus from VTE to Vang Vieng-that bekpek paradise. For those really interested in these iron dragons on rails: update-info, by mr Wisaruth, now in pension former high level employer of SRT=Thai railways: on skyscrapercity.com, forum on railways (there is also one for urban transit-for BKK´s skytrain ambitions). Also very recent info about imminent transfer out of HuaLamPong to new Apisith New Central @Bang Sue. general touristy info on train travel around the world: seat61.com

It still likely is-thats just the exact /en/ translation of the Thai. Though the Thai also specifies the type of greenies. In /en/ translated as ´morning glory´ which the younger among us may also want to endulge in mornings. Sadly these stiff when fresh greenies start to soften when cooked in the hot oil........ Amazing to see that such places still do exist-and apparently even in very same place- since < 2000. Cannot be said for any of the gay places (well, hmm, BBB?) Across the road there used to be a BOAT restrt-normal budget inside Thai-with its staff all hurrying up at 21.00-closing time to get on their fancy dress and take up the days #2 job in the bars opposite in B´s t´n.

Or this old-fashioned book-likely still for sale/in stock at (some) ASIAboox outlets: (as I was unsure after nearly 1000 days what knowledge of this beautiful THai language is still with me, I took it as a kind of reminder/help_ whilst waiting for the plane to BKK I was delighted I could understand much of the very clear and neat Thai that some around me spoke. THai to you, by Andreas Schottenlober, ed. D.K. Today Ltd , 2562, (that is Duang Kamol, a long standing general Thai editor and bookseller), just 99 bt. BUT for us much, much more interesting-so much that it was even forbidden in TH (I bought mine in either SIN or MY):Outrageous Thai, slang, curses, epithets. By T.F. ROden. Tuttle Publications (these also do many of those coffeetable book travelguides for ASEAN), Tokyo/Singapore. Periplus edtions, 2008-so likely out of stock. Wonder if that would be found somewhere on this www- I think even der Christian could still learn out of it.

So just returned back to BKK -since some nearly 1000 days missing- and a quick round here where I stay-quite far from Silom-it seems many of the higher bracket/chain hotels have closed (even an Ibis) and some seem even have gone the path of so many Thai real estate- just let it rot away-other seem to be maintained for future better times. The tipical mom+pop/family places seem to have stayed open- the family lives there anyway. Also notable that an awful lot of 7s have closed. HIghest nr here is now in the 17xxx range, but I guess some 5-7.000 must by now have closed. The grateful granny who still runs a ´streetfood'place where I used to eat every 2nd day or so even recognised me -she had not even raised prices (or perhaps the trouble to have print new menu´s was too big) and on top of thus very cheap prices she gave me a 5 bt discount-cannot really understand why. I sometimes take some special food items for them-and the place I stay- but as I had no idea who would still be there or not, this time not. Flew EK=emirates, thus change Dubai, both AB380=the large doubledeck, both 100% full and not the best flite I ever had (noisy screaming kids). But sat in the Raillink within 60 mins after deplaning-fast-track/senior immi, then longer wait for luggage-but pretty soon after the bisn/priority container was emptied. Also strange: in the bottom with Raillink of Swampy the Thai Farmers bank=Kasikorn had the very best rate-the exchanges are furthest away from entry, behind loads of fone/SIM and CF-shops and msg-shops. That was becse they gave the highest rate for all notes-the others a little less for smaller notes (which I had). BUT on exit at RailLINk at Phayathai I noted there is also a SuperRich there-and gave 15 satang more as in airport. And no- I will not report any ´adventure´ in this trip till its well finished.

Either you wait for immi or you wait for your bags to come on the belt. There is a kind of (free) reserved special lane for pregnant ladies, monks, handicapped etc. and, yes, senior people over 70. As you all know old age will draw respect in TH............But that is all for entry to LOS. I was once pointed to go there even when I was not 70 (yet then). But then it was full of loads+more loads of mainland Chinese.

K-man also has a saakhaa=other place (sometimes labelled as KB-man) on Lard Prao soi 101 (which had a gay msg shop some yrs ago with that name), at corner of sub-soi (yaek) 8=not very far in that soi. Across from soi 101 in a triangle-like compound is White House (should be nr 2, as #1 used to be along Happyland), advertises on thaimassageboy and is by now quite long standing. Hi-club: def. have very good memories for that shop with that name-a very down-to-earth msg shop in NOnthburi, as follow up of 88 nearby, in what may be loosely seen as the ´red lights´ quarter of Nonthburi-there is still a place named I-spa (also on TMB) and there used to be SEED as spring off when hi-club some time became very populair. About where the old Carrefour-now BigC and Central/other dept. store are located-near a stop on the purple MRT skytrainline. So it makes me wonder if it is the same owner from there, for me that means ´just what I like´. K-Man reminds me to K-male, under the runways of DonMuang, loosely associated with that Hi-club, where my very best long standing Thai friend was found. In Intramara there should also be Ogasms? or is that now closed/renamed? Should be very near to KK. On the Chinese (Taiwan I guess) site gaycoolthai.com -set translate to /en/- then click on boy Thai or boy massage and you will find reviews of visits to many of these places-it also mentions a place U-sabai on the soi to 39+cinema. It says here are some 10 msg shops along that street, but last post is from late ´21-nearly 1 yr ago now. Alltogether this seems that the old Sapan kway gay area-in those subsois just off the main crossing with Phahon/Aree gets replaced with these new places.

As you know myself not very well acquainted with Pty_but it seems the one&only shop that gets mostly good reviews-or is named as ´the best´ is SODA. In fact after many, many yrs now contemplating to also visit Pty -again- for a few days in the upcoming trip (43 days, thanks to longer no-visa stay) but the many not very good reviews and feedback and also the rash of places opened up in easy to reach Sapan kwai in BKK makes me doubt if it will be worth that trip. Have seen enough of beach and sea this yr in ESpana and on Sicily. Not to mention my home is some 5-6 KMs away from seaside itself-not that sunny.

Many can be seen/found on the usual free poh-channels. Like xvideos or xhamster. Yes, I write becse I do indeed have a very firm fave for TH-and after some doubts it was disclosed he is Thai (from Chinese descent of course): Kuay super. Not the most handsome man, and with 3 cockrings and a real firm top. UNtill no some 10/12 about hourlong stories, with about 2 regular partners. All done in beautiful houses-some in antique restored Phuket housing. The non-tattoo younger friend he got later is very, very appealing. As you may know I am just an awful amateur in giving links etc and all that. MOst are on xhamster, they seem to also get exposed on other as onlyfans lines. Search for ´Phuket massage´ and I guess you will probably hit one-then its easy to find the others. Some, but it seems less, are on xvideos and boyfriendtv. And probably also on other channels I never watch

So I´ll have my special Xmas dinner (if it will be special at all), mandatory served (but not to eat as such) in the airplane, perhaps even twice, as flying back was considerably cheaper those days as on exactly from day 45 after entry. Having enjoyed this Xmas in Thailand quite a few times: its jingle bells and Rudolph everywhere, but as such 25/12 is for many Thai a normal working day, shops open etc.

On another part of this forum (Beer Bar) is a recent new port of ´reader´ on what roads will be closed off those days. Yes, its pretty close to CandleT/Sabaidee and Soi NgamDuplee, ith S-Sense and a side soi now closed Babylon, where der Christian also has his room. The closed off-area is more North_West of it-along Ratchdamri north of the park, where many Embassies are located. THis is BKK so expect giant traffic jams in the areas just outside as they now have to swallow double-triple traffic volumes. AND leave your drone away!

Yes, good find: THIS is indeed the new name for this terminal, not so new anymore, but for use of trains yes. Reason: only trains with toilets that do not drop the droppings on the tracks are allowed to enter this high-level all-concrete thing. That rolling open-air museum that the SRT is in fact, had too few of these. BUT rescue is near: it is now planned for dec. to switch the best trains (labelled as SP=Special Express, with extra high surcharge and no 3d class) to it-new loco are also coming in. These trains seen on the ´socials´ are in fact training runs for the drivers (how to get up the slopes without failing or running backward........ Again Japan was willing to sell for a few yen some old stock of Nihon/Yipun. The track gauge is a few cm different-but thats easy to resolve. The less graded trains locals/rapid etc will as for now continue to start/finish at old HuaLamPong, but will shortly be restricted to Bang Sue-flat level (next to the new terminal, the old junction). This includes the 1/day (mo-fr only) early morning train to Patters. (this from a very well informed Thai person/former senior SRT official who keeps track of all developments, in Laos too, on trains/rails in another world-wide forum).

Just hope to pick up old routine as pre 2020: in the there cool season (which also happens to be the cold wintertime here in EUR): go twice, for some 6-8 weeks (perhaps with some intermittent short visit to nearby other ASEAN- so to avoid need to get visa), still struggling now to find acceptable airfare for jan. and then end of year again-then hope to be able to again witness Loy Kratong. And hopefully without even the slightest hints of that covid or masks or the like. This year/early spring went to ESpana for a few weeks but for me THailand does remain the best choice. Just stay in BKK and amuse myself-mostly out of the Silom ghetto.