pong2

Just arrived @ BCN airport a few hrs ago and making ready to go to this place (again). Yes, Spain still has its strict entry PLF forms, airlines also check that, but it was much easier this time as 2 month ago at Malaga. In fact my vacc EU-report is on print only but they did not even want to see it, whereas they certainly checked it all last time. NOTE again: as for now Thermas is still NOT open 24 hrs, but from around 14/15 afternoon till 22 or 23 hrs evening

Camb never had real Interconti flites. I guess the airport cannot even take them, though the difference is minimal. Very first country to have it would be France, then USA. You could go there via transit at most ASEAN cities, like SINgapore. One also has to accept that Thai govmt also has to take in account the general feelings of its own population-you cannot just switch from very heavy rules to nothing.

In my experience in TH prices for normal things do not rise a little bit every year-as they mostly do in other places, but every 4-5 years with a bigger leap. So a busfare does not go like 10->11->12 etc, but in 1 leap from 10 to 15. That makes it easier for giving chnage etc. My first trip to TH: the standard streetside meals where then all 20 bt, last time I was (now 2 yrs ago) mostly 40-45. BKK citybus was then 2 bt and now 8 (for the clapped out non-AC)

Have never been to BRasil/COlombia, so cannot compare. Did visit Thailand/Indonesia/Cambodia etc. many, many times and compare with there value is just so-so. The big advantage with most of West-Eur is that you do not have to prebook and choose advance just by some pictures but can make a choice on the spot.

Busiest+best day apparently is WEDnesday=dia del cliente, with discount entry then (just 2 or 3€ off). Several guys told me that independent of each other. Weekends sometimes may have more customers as guys, but again thats pre-covid. This sauna is in the district called Eixample and has dozens of HTLs in all budgets. Note that as for NOW Espana still wants you to fill out an online arrival form for covid-vaccine and this will be checked at airport. Some airlines even refuse boarding if you do not have that. Due to this there may also still be a closure from 9 or 10 pm-at least that was last oct.

HOST bars are very, very rare to non-existent on suburban BKK, but as you did not mention what place and I do not have line here in EUR, this is just guessing. Seeing these pix I assume its also one of the dozens of massage(+more) shops that will then indeed have massagerooms-all closed off. If not and its something different: ALL such places anywhere in TH will know of a nearby place (short-time HTL) that can accomodate you. There is no ´off´ but you simply pay the site the fixed price for a msg. and tip the guy. Most often there will be suggestions about MIN tip (which for a Thai means this is also a fixed price). For the money-police: yes, there are still a few places where this ´tip´ is below 1000.

Advertises also on thaimassageboy. Not really near BangSue (I guess some 2-2,5 kms away), more west toward that brand new parliament monstrosity of building and, sorry, also very near the Chuan Taharn=army compound. (from where they start any military coup d´etat). There should be some brand new MRT stop close by (forgot the name). Could be a very new compound building where before was a closed down and long time empty dept.store. Again: pix may not be actual. I recognise at least 1 and maybe 2 guys from another place and I returned from last visit to LOS now 2 yrs ago=the exact day when all these covid measures came in force. It quite often only means they have some contact with that guy (=fone nr) and will (try to) call him of someone asks for this guy. But by now most regular Thai customers fone/app/line and make a fixed appointmt. Casual visitors are very rare nowadays in such places

Having also visited LOS (Land of Smiles for unknowing) so many times and spread through the year: the very worst of times is the end of dry season: NOW till when first rains come. Too sticky hot and muggy, the rains then come as refreshing. Thats also why Thai schools have holidays (their ´summer´ hols) in this period. And thats why there is that awful Songkran=water splashing festival to cool down. In the long south strip of TH it is different for east/west side, due to monsoon winds. But when the rainy season ends=sept, oct, it may also be not that pleasant: it all gets so saturated that floods may occur and it also somehow seems to me that the usual hour late-afternoon of rains tends to get longer&longer. If you can lay your hand on some travel agency program or online: prices for all-in Hols are lowest when wheather is worst, and ditto for reverse! Same applies for airfares, at least from EUR

Also check the age-old advertising site thaimassageboy.com , it is not cheap, so I assume places that spit up the money for it will be open, but OTOH it may be longer time contracts for places that have closed. But most of them In BKK are listed above. Aims more at Thai so many are in godforlorn way out in the sticks suburbs, following it through the years I conclude that its always same address, but that name/owner may change. My very best friend for many years worked in one of these and generally I´ve always been very pleased with services there. But I speak enough of Thai for it. Also recently seen noted as still working̈: urbanmale, a little beyond soi Cowboy, just off Sukhumvit, near Asoke. Apparently also Prince and Senso, off Silom, but Prince esp. often gets bad reviews.

It is pretty common for about all guys and certainly when they are in need of money, to simply have 2 jobs or to just try out another place at advice of a friend or to share up places for chance of more customers to hang on-or even just to tell you can avoid that high OFF by visiting them next day at ... for direct actions! Just leave you pre-assumed idea of fixed jobs and lifelong employments. It is in TH very common for both shops and bars to require the guys who work there to have at least enough ´offs/jobs´ to cover the wages they (may) get.

Hope you are aware of this phenomenon, named Songkran? That water splashing festival around 14/4-even though the govmt seems to have it forbidden once more? Avoid! see the blog of christian for an overview of changes in BKK (general) he left Thailand-used to live in BKK long time untill covid struck- and came back last dec. christianpfc.blogspot.com.

In fact, as to what I´ve seen, you HAVE to. As the HTL also needs to provide all details, whithin 30 hrs, to that ThaPass registration. Also as from what I understand cost for these tests (and obligatory taxi from airport-sometimes via hospital for test, then HTL) is always additional to room price.

Yes, its the other side of Silom-the old and venerable Suriwong. Has standard and upgrade rooms-they always wanted you to steer into the plush ones or at least sell you some expensive mixer drinks. No idea about open or not, but it has been a real Thai institution for well over 40 yrs now, in fact cannot even imagine it being closed. Vaguely I remember another one along a side alley off Ram IV-just beyond far side of old soi Pratuchai (boysgate), has more chance of not being there anymore. I never have found those short timers to be particularly nice (in the sense of what styish HTLs offer nowadays). Those in TH tipically have parking spots in front with heavy curtains, which will be drawn asap as customers have entered. But this also seems to be a dying fenomenon-in good old Sapan Kwai at least 4 or 5 have been closed and demolished. Tipically boys offed from bars/gogo will always know a few in the direct area. Another and much cheaper and hence more basic one was (still is?) NIAGARA just off after the 2nd corner off the street beside the ARENA block and that Super(money) exchange. Again-its all from nearly 2 yr ago, no idea about now. The basic fee is valid for 2 or 3 hrs-pay more for longer sessions.

Best would be to ask christianpfc (from blogspot, active on the other forum too) as he has come back to BKK, lives pretty close by, walks a lot so can easily set his steps along it to ask. Or of coruse any of the other members who live in BKK, but I am not sure who those are

DID you yourself in fact ´edit´ the mal to male? all in line with this forum? This warning is also spread on the usual set of general Thai fora (aimed at mostly farang married to Thai ladies) and there indeed seem to be quite a few.

Seems also just to depend on who does the test and what time you arrive. Obviously much more chance of getting the result, well not in 3-4 hrs, but say before evening falls, so all good for the first nite out in town! IF you can arrange arrival early morning or be in HTL by noon at the latest. I´ve read several of such reports in the old scheme from non-gay visitors in general forums. In some cases after airport arrival they were first taxied to testing place and afters to arranged HTL. Sorry- do not remember any names for that now

Best wishes and good luck for you-after all the New Year is today!! (year of the tiger, my own sign) and keep the good works on.

use google.flights for a general overview also of prices. In fact not that many airlines are prone to cancel, in fact in the past in the busy season OVERbooking was more something to fear of! You get bumped, will be booked on another airline and maybe even get a few €€€€€ as compensation. Cancellation is mostly in the superlow season, for Th in general that is from april till summer hols start. The hot+nasty wheather over there, just before the refreshing rains come. Agree with above, I prefer Swiss, they codeshare with Thai from ZURi, as the halfway break in the mid-east=on none of the 2 flites you get enough time to sleep. From Züri its about 10 hrs flighttime. They are since it is Swiss (and not Swissair! anymore) part of the big LH=Lufthansa/STAR-alliance/miles and more group, you can usually combine flites on all of these. Have not flown them since march ´20 (I got back on them exactly on 15/3=the day that everything closed down in EUR), but the BKK-flites mostly have also Thai crew, so you can get in the mood already!

The MAJOR risque seems to be-as I read more mainstream general visit-Thai fora (mostly farang male and Thai lady) that quite a few people were caught and even taken under Thai Royal Police custody out of their place/HTL as it was found-days after arrival!-that in the plane they arrived in was found someone tested positive and sitting too close by. With this omicron so much more infective the chances of encountering that must be much greater! As for Thai immigration not being able to just scrap this overtime-fine: do you now still have to learn that NOONE ever in a minor position anywhere in LoS will be allowed to scrap any fee/fine/amount to pay-this will open all doors to gross loss of income and embezzlement by such people claiming they scrapped it but put in their own pocket. Only the BoysinBrown manage their own shop for that. Thats quite logical Thai logic!

And another thank you from JUpiter (street), in the planets suburb here. Thats just coincidence. Just caught up with the 2nd part and its again indeed a very good read. And another minor side note: In peak hrs the Chao Praya boat also has regular runs south along ChPraya-as far as that hi-rise Thai FarmersBank (Kasikorn now) main office. Now dubbing and thinking about the announced new Pass-newPass+Go (only if one was not sitting beside a person found to be infective in the plane-I´ve read too many such scary stories now in other Thai forums) system. As for now just a short trip to Espana_Barcelona and maybe a little on.

Oh, I am just catching up, great read, so nice of you to keep us so well informed! And the remembrances by those pictures too.......... Just to add a tiny off-the-side remark: train to Kan-the fare for Thai is 0 bt (yes, you read that), as its a normal all-stops train. The normal SRT fare should be/3d cl, the only class there is=hard wooden seats, 28 bt (a little over 40 to the end at ´waterfall´, as its just over 100 KM. Not raised since this century. BUT due to popularity with farang-and all guidebooks, it was raised to 100 bt-any distance, for whiteys. Malays usually can get the normal Thai fare. The 0 bt is now restricted to poor Thai with their blue card-as are all other allstops trains, but other Thai wont take that train for convenience-buses go ev 10/15 mins. 3 bt was never AFAIK a normal fare. ChMai was for me also on very first trip-again way before 2000-at that time there was a fledging citybussystem, price 2 bt. Last time I was there there was a new govmt sponsored citybus-2 lines I think, with shiny new chinese AC minibuses, for 20/30 bt, as a great innovation running to airprot. I guess it has been suspended since. Your remarks about still good business there will probably indicate it has enough local clients to survive on. JEY was for me also a big favorite and its sad to read they moved to lesser premises and have much fewer guys as before. But good for the note, so come prepared whenever I get the chance to back to BKK without a lot of fuss. JEY is (was?) also the guy who ran it-he has worked there a really very long time ago and he discarded the VNese after too many complaints and gives new guys a thorough training in skills. Had 2 guys with same name there a few yrs apart-turned out it was younger brother introduced to there when phee-chai (=older brother) stopped working and got married. Nong chai (=younger brother) was heavily tattooed. Once had a southern Thai muslim guy who was utterly surprised and suddenly liked me 3x times more as we discovered we could communicate in bahasa=near equal to their local dialect. His thai was less as perfect.

Hi, its nearly or already sawasdee phimai (=happy new yr!) there for you? Thai sign says simply ´paa yen´=cold towel. hence they have to be stored in refrigerated box. From your description I understand its a little more as the usual paper things you get handed out in every AC bus or local airplane? These sell in big packs also in about any store, but unrefrigerated-that you have to do by yourself. Is it still so hot in THailnd now?

Yet again a copy of a copy of a copy of some old article-in print or on the www. That 20k GBP money is simply needed to qualify Thai immi for the 800k min requirement-if youre forced to spend (Part of it) then you loose out on next new application/extension for visa. Though many a Thai agent can find a way around that for you

So I assume it simply replaces the old Chao Praya ´Express´ boats that served this route since at least some 25-30 yrs with now very old ageing boats. The ´normal´ service of this has many more stops and takes nearly 90 mins fro whole trip. Fare has of course also gone up, but remains quite low. New ´attraction´ must be the new giant Thai Parliament buildings about halfway-near the Kiak Kai intersection. z909: this one runs on the big river, what you mention were the tiny boats along the canal-mostly also serving various ministries. But as HLPong is-or will be- closed soon, it makes even less sense now-if it even still exist