firecat69

The only caveat to all this discussion of GoGo Bars is that for someone who has never visited Thailand, they will still have the same excitement that we did when we first visited. The ability to walk into a bar and find 40 boys onstage in underwear and be able to say I'd like #23 to come home with me is still an exciting attraction for many. It even remains a strong attraction for some multi-time visitors who enjoy the Bar scene. Just because I have become somewhat jaded to the bar scene , I would not want that to discourage the first time visitor . You will feel the same excitement we all did and the need to constantly return to Thailand and even possibly retire here. Maybe you will continue to enjoy the Bar scene or maybe you will use it with GayRomeo etc but the one thing I am sure of is that I have never known anyone who viisted Thailand that was not planning their next trip before their first trip ended.

The purpose of my post was nothing to do about the 500 baht because this is nothing to someone who spends thousands to travel here and then spend money. My question was how can there be anyone stupid enough in the government of Thailand to make statements that this fee will improve the quality of the visitor. Can he really be that stupid?

Many Lady Bars have signs No Russians. You can draw your own conclusions!

I do remember that and thank god they incorporated it . It was a pain in the ASS. Regards the Russians, It appears the ones who come to Pattaya are a low class bunch. I have been to Russia and met many nice people. But as always a few can stereotype a group. Many bars make them pay when drink is delivered because they leave without paying. They are known for being loud and obnoxious but again I am sure there are many nice families. Certainly they are a big boon to the economy. Russian signs and restaurants etc can be seen all over Pattaya.

With regards to twinks I agree. If you like the Stock type then still very good and depending on the day can still find some cute twinks at Campus and Taboo. If you just like to look and talk then Montreal is still 1/2 the price of the crooks on Soi Twilight. And certainly agree with Thailand.

Does this sound familiar? Sort of like when business is bad raise the prices. Glad to see other governments besides the USA have idiots making decisions. Who told him other countries charged for entry. I don't think so?? Maybe some Asian countries charge for Visa on Entry. Not Same Same! http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/375635/tourism-sector-opposed-to-b500-tourist-entry-fee

So glad to be back in Pattaya. I found Grindr and Jack'd very unresponsive in Bangkok as compared to Pattaya. And of course Gayromeo is much easier in Pattaya also. I still love Bangkok but it only took me until 30 minutes after my arrival to have this Tiger in my bedroom. Of course also glad to get away from 330 baht diet cokes. Ridiculous!!!

Bob, It is not they are big spenders. They don't know any better and prices are still ok vs. what they pay in their home country. They are like anyone else if they find a cheaper alternative which provides the same enjoyment they will move which is why there are more Asians in Bars of Pattaya then ever before and it will grow I am sure. Westerners are the cheapest by far of visitors to Pattaya , some because they are expats and some because they realize the prices on Soi Twilight are ridiculous and they will not pay. I have no idea where you get the idea that Westerners are the Big Spenders. Nothing could be further from the truth!!!! The only possible place you could be right is that Americans tend to be seen as big tippers in restaurants because of the tipping policy ingrained in the USA. Since Westerners make up about 5% of the spenders on Soi Twilight, that should be more then enough proof.

That may be but that is not the point. The point is there are far better GoGo Bars in the world then Bangkok and they don't need to charge the high prices that Soi Twilight charges. Soi Twilight Bars provide next to nothing but a 1 knee shuffle in underwear when 90% of their boys are available online without the high charges fro drinks. The proof is Pattaya provides all the same things at 1/2 the price . Soi Twilight gets away with these high prices because they have predominately Asian customers. When the Asians eventually discover that for a 1 hour longer ride from the airport to Pattaya that everything including the SEX becomes much less expensive then Soi Twilight will be forced to change their model or go out of business. This trip there are definitely more Asian customers in Pattaya and the word will spread. Of course I love Thailand which is why I make 4 trips a year there at least. But the actual GoGo Bars not the sex are nothing compared to Montreal and other parts of the World. Believe it or not there are many customers that enjoy going to Bars and only rarely are interested in the Sex component. Far more is offered for those customers in Montreal and other places for 1/2 the price. There is no way Soi Twilight can justify their prices except it is what the traffic will bear!

Most of what you say is true. But this particular sentence is not. I lived in Montreal for 6 years where the GoGo Bars put anything Thailand has to shame. Nude, Hard etc and still that way. Drinks are 1/2 the price of Soi Twilight. Now if you want to take the boy home that is a different story but the boys are independent contractors and the bar has nothing to do with it. And even there with boys in Dreamboys demanding 2000 baht or more the price for off at 600 baht the actual price for sex is getting much closer. But believe me the GoGo experience makes Thailand look like a Joke in comparison. Of course the weather sucks 8 months out of the year. Again I am just talking about GoGo Bar experience and what the Bar provides you while you are in the Bar. And there are other places in North America and the world where just the GoGo Bar experience puts Thailand to shame. Since I spend 4 months a year in Thailand, it is easy to see it is not for the GoGo Bar experience but for the boys in my bed. No where in the world can you have access to so many willing boys for these prices but the GoGo Bars are not providing it for many of us anymore. Grindr , Jack'd ,Gayromeo and no need to bother with the 1 knee shuffle.

They don't care about about European and USA etc. People from Singapore, Japan, Honk Kong think the prices are cheap and happy to pay. Cannot blame owners. Pattaya is the reverse . Few Asian customers although it is increasing and many expats and they will not pay those high prices. Basically Pattaya is 1/2 the price of Soi Twilight to drink and off boy and fee to boy is at least 1/3 less. Way more bang for your buck in Pattaya. But I still love visiting Bangkok for a multitude of reasons.

No the Thai way is if business is bad they raise the prices never lower them!! So many instances of that I can't count them.

So it did not rain last night and I headed out to Soi Twilight and met Michael and Devint6669 at Maxi's for a drink. It was early at 830pm and things were a little slow. After awhile Christian stopped by to say hello and chat for a few minutes.. At 915 we took a walk down the Soi and checked out Zeus which is at least the 3rd incarnation of the former Future Boys. They all have failed and probably so will this one. Lot of fanfare outside about Grand Opening and contests but upon looking in 6 boys on stage. Certainly not worth the 300 baht drinks. We meandered back the other way and entered X Boys. This used to be my favorite bar when Soi Twilight was a regular destination for me. I have not been there for a few months and am interested to see what they have on offer. The 3 of us sit down on the side of the stage and shortly thereafter Christian joins us. They have a number of attractive boys and the level of the music is bearable. We ask each other who is our favorite boy on stage. Beyond belief, we all pick the same boy, #24 4 Guys who rarely agree on types and we all pick the same boy. But none of us did anything about it. Maybe another night. When the Show started we left and that was it for the night. To be honest at 300 baht a drink bar - hopping is not interesting to any of us. Thank god for the Singaporeans, Chinese, Japanese etc. Because if these bars needed to survive on Westerners , they would starve. Two photos of the street below. In one you can see all the massage bos standing around!

We tend to forget that there are many wealthy Thais and an upper middle class that need this kind of care. Also a large % of their customers are from the Middle East where good heath care is non existent . The boys we meet could never go to this Hospital but I am told there are some good Hospitals for the poor but some bad ones also. Same Same many countries.

I know Michael has done a good report on Bumungrad Hospital but I will chime in with my experience today. I wanted to see a Cardiologist I saw 4 years ago and bounce what my Dr in Atlanta is doing for my high blood pressure off of him I also have a healthy distrust of Dr's in the USA and especially restrictions put on them by Insurance Companies. I went there to discuss the medicines I am on and also to talk about a stress test with Echocardiograms before and after. At any rate we decided to do the stress test if for no other reason to calm concerns of any possible blockages. Passed with flying colors and the Cardiologist personally did the stress test. Good luck having that happen in the USA. Total cost for Dr Test and some medicine for a month about $350. My copay would probably be more then that in the USA. Keep in mind , I only made an appointment to see the Cardiologist but they were able to do the stress test at same time. In USA it would have required 2 separate appointments and days in between. This is one of the finest Hospitals in the world and they have spared no expense. Each Floor has a speciality and their own cashier and pharmacy for that floor only. In the photos below you will see the entrance as you arrive by taxi and then the sign in desk on your specialty floor , a shot of the Atrium in this Wing , the cashiers desk and some photos out the window in waiting area. If you get sick in Thailand , have no fear of the care you will get at this hospital and if you need procedures done in your home country that insurance will not pay for or the wait is too long, you will be surprised with how reasonable health care cost are in the Land of Smiles. Sunny today and hopefully no rain tonight and I will be off to Soi Twilight and report on some boys I hope. Sorry there has not been a lot of boy stuff the last few days but hope you still find the posts interesting?

I am not a fan of StarBucks but sure wish I bought their stock. Anyways you have to protect your brand and if you don't more will try to copy your success. I understand what they need to do and can't blame them for it.

Great mystery for me is as heavy as I am, my cholesterol and sugar are perfect. Still no excuse and have to get to work on it. So much harder when you get older to lose weight. Think I heard something about it being another mediocre addition in the same building but I will look for Zeus tonight if the rains stay away.

I have not been to that Salon. So last night I finally got to try a Burger at Firehouse. Met Michael and BF#1 and Devint6669. Traffic was horrible around 6pm but SkyTrain got me to Nana and walk down the stairs and you are on Soi 11. Ten minute walk or less and you are at Firehouse.. Place was smaller then I thought it would be but quite nice inside. An added attraction is that now you are only 3 minute walk from Hero Massage.. I ordered a Baconater with Cheddar and I have to say it is the best burger I have had in Thailand. French Fries and Onion Rings were great as well. Lot of chatting and laughing and then look outside and it is pouring buckets of water. It was such a nice sunny day , I was not prepared or expecting this nor were any of us. Nothing to do but stay awhile and hope the storm passes. We decided to try some desserts which none of us need but need to kill time. I ordered a Cherry Crumble CheeseCake and was rewarded with one of the best CheeseCakes I have ever had. In Thailand I usually find the cheesecakes to be to heavy but this rendition was very light and so delicious. So a very high rating for Firehouse and an even higher rating for the Company. Rain stopped and went back to Hotel not wanting to take a chance on getting caught again. Maybe Soi Twilight tomorrow if it does not rain?

I got tired of being a good boy . 36 hours is enough. Hit Gayromeo and who should be there but an 18 year old I met last trip in Pattaya. He has moved to Bangkok to attend the University and naturally he needs money for books.. HeHe He lives by Victory Monument so he arrived at my Hotel in about and hour with some help from one of the door men at the Hotel. I gave the doorman the phone and he told him how to find the Hotel from the Skytrain station. I love Bangkok!!

So today I decided to go to one of my favorite places in Bangkok, Cutey and Beauty. They are a hair salon which does pedicures and manicures, facials, foot massages etc. They cater to a large Gay Client base and have a pretty stable work force that has been there many years. Today they had a new boy , Tom, very cute and I needed a pedicure badly. Unlike many places you can get a pedicure Cutey and Beauty has the right kind high quality clippers etc for gnarly nails like mine and they take their time and do a good job. The boys are nice to look at , the music low and you will be offered tea, coffee or water. I was there at opening of 10 am so only 2 boys were there and I got a photo of them attached. Easy to find it is on Thanyia in Thanyia Plaza on the 3rf floor. This is in between Silom and Surawong but closer to Silom. If you take Skytrain to Saladaeng, you will be 2 minutes away. PS: Boy on left is much cuter then photo. In the past it has been impossible to contact any of the boys outside of work because owner frowned on it. Not sure if it is the same owner now , but if so ,he has not been there the last 3 visits so I might have to take swing at Tom.. heheheh

Because of Christians post on Best Pizza , I decided to go find Scoozi in Siam Paragon Mall. I have been in this mall at least 100 times and I had to search for Scoozi but to my amazement there were 20 other restaurants there in the same corridor. Everything from Sushi, Seafood, Japanese etc etc etc. I ordered the same pizza Christian ordered. It came fairly fast which is why I could not understand that it was close to cold. Sent it back, came back ok. Pizza is fair at best about what I thought of it 6 years ago when I had it at their original location on Surawong, 2 blocks from Gay area.. They do have a wood oven and you can watch them make the pizza. I could not find an entrance to the restaurant until they pointed to the open sitting area across the way. I will give them another chance because some of the things on the menu look good, but never again pizza. I took photos of some other restaurants also and a high price antique store. A really great area that somehow I never found. While i was eating I was on my phone with jack'd and sent 4 message out. No replies. I probably choose rich boys who have no interest in hook ups at least with an old guy. Oh well, I am tired anyways. heheheh

Thanks Christian. Didn't know they were on 3rd floor. Wonder what kond of oven they have. Price is fair. Will give them a try..

Little chance to explore the Hotel. It is a really spectacular Hotel. Marble and glass everywhere and wood in the right spots. The lobby and restaurants are just very high end finishes and the place they serve breakfast is really beautiful The Executive Lounge is on the 21st floor and offer snacks all day and free beer and booze for 4 hours at night 630-1030 and from 6-8 pm some more serious snacks. Very comfortable seating and windows everywhere.. If the sun ever comes out I will check out the pool etc. It has rained most of the days but right now there is a break in the sky so I am going outside and explore the neighborhood.

Off to Bangkok for 4 nights. Decided to try a new Limo Service, www.thelimopattaya.com. Picked me up on time in a beautiful new Honda sedan and took me to the Renaissance Hotel in Bangkok. 1200 baht including tolls . Lot of rain so took 2 hours and 15 minutes about 15-20 minutes longer then usual. There are cheaper ways such as the bus but I consider this one of the true bargains in the world. A nice latemodel car and competent driver for a 100 mile drive for $40 Us This is my first time at the Renaissance. Photos below of the room. Not gigantic but well layed out and as you can see a big deep tub that you can view from the bedroom or you can lower the curtains.( electric switch) Nice big separate shower with a bench. Great work desk area with lots of electrical outlets and everything you might ever need is somewhere in the room. Even a stapler. I am on the 22nd Executive floor level so you can see quite a good view. Had 2 free nights earned by spending 4 stays at Marriotts this year so $130 for the last 2 nights so averages out to $65 a night which is a real bargain. It pays to get CC's that give you status and then play for their specials. I will earn a couple more free nights by the end of the year so January I may do the same thing. I will try too take photos in the neighborhood etc and the malls and post. But boys might have to wait until I return to Pattaya unless someone entices me in a bar or on Jack'd. I really could use a rest. HeHe

So I took a short movie at Copa and some photos. Unable to attach the movie here so I sent it to Scooby and he sent it back put together on their Youtube account. Too technical for me. I know the basics only!! Taken with an old iphone so not high quality but gives you an idea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFKkzzObwrc&feature=youtu.be