baobao

Agreed. Those who hide behind the fence and lob crap at others - making accusations that would be actionable in other circumstances - are pretty darned low, and yet some claim they're lovely people offline, and that may very well be true. A friend of mine was buddies with Neal and said that while he rarely took prisoners, he was a generous, nice guy. I only knew him online, and rather than speak ill of the dead I'd just say I disagreed with my friend. The guy known as "Rush" belonged in the same file folder, IMHO. Having met him in person a couple of times he was a decent person, but his anonymous online persona was just plain mean spirited, and he reveled in that, unfortunately. No idea why whatsoever. Again, not to speak ill of the dead, but... ryanasia will be back, if he isn't already. Hopefully he'll be his old (civil) tale-spinning self again.

Too bad you can't "double like" a post. I tried it on this post, but it doesn't work. I don't mind a little embellishment on an otherwise true story in the interest of entertainment - or minor omissions to protect anonymity - but that's plenty. If it's fiction (or cobbled together from another source) that's OK too... as long as the person labels it as such. Unfortunately there are folks who get way too much fun from trolling with fiction presented as reality... like beachlover was/is, and a few other prolific storytellers.

I do the same. Call it wishful thinking, but I tend to bring back a variety of notes - maybe a couple of thousand baht, total - so I don't need to stop with luggage at the airport the next trip. I have a slimline wallet I keep with my passport.

I agree with a lot of what numazu said. The idea of people sharing their opinions on posts is healthy, as long as it's done with a modicum of respect and isn't just flat out mean spirited. I stopped posting on boards that a good friend of mine describes as "spirited and lively"; he likes that, but I found it irritating, so I left. I enjoy reading trip reports for the information more than the personal details or - ahem - exaggerations passed along as truths. NOBODY has perfect, mind-blowing sex (or encounters) every time, but hey... a story IS a story. Repeated fishing for encouragement is somewhat tiring, though. Before I let my blog fall idle if I posted a blog post I could see if it was being read... I didn't feel a need to ask for strokes. Every so often I look in on it, and the 700+ stories there still get between 200-300 visitors a day, although folks have rarely left feedback, and I never asked for it. To paraphrase the movie line: "If you post it, they will read"

The terse summary was fine thank you! Perhaps Smiles will chime in here about Hua Hin, too. Now that the ferry seems to be running again between Pattaya and Hua Hin I may well visit my friends there again next trip. I'd highly recommend a visit to Maruekatayawan, the royal home on the beach nearby to anyone who goes to Hau Hin and has a bit of extra time. Loved the sunset photo, by the way!

That thought occurred to me, too... but as we've seen over and over there's often a generous portion of fiction and/or embellishment served as side dishes on anonymous persona forum buffets; a good two-thirds of it has to be read as entertainment... and if it doesn't degenerate into schoolyard bullying or insults from behind a fence, it IS entertaining... most all of it.

It can cause shrinkage of the testes because the body adjusts the level of testosterone production as needed, as you'll find in any number of studies. Once the steroids have been discontinued, the testes can return to their original size, but it's not guaranteed. The only thing that'll shrink your penis is cold, and that's just a momentary reaction!

I expect this thread will be moved to The Beer Bar, but I'll offer this: United is part of Star Alliance. Switch to EVA or another partner airline and use up your points through them. Because of personal past experiences, United's been on my shit list for many years... and I'm really difficult to piss off.

I've had dogs who've been important parts of my family, but I wouldn't bring one on board a plane in a passenger cabin. Comfortably and safely crated in another area is fine. The biggest problem I can see with it would most likely be from various indulgences by the owners themselves. "Pookie's never bitten anyone before", "She just wants to say hello" "he'll calm down if you just let him lick your face" "Tina! HUSH!" (repeated 100 times), etc. Frankly, the owners would often benefit from some obedience training... and not of the recreational variety. All too often they think their animal can do no wrong, but, as much as we can love them, they're animals. Some children can act like animals - as can adults - but that's also on the parent or guardian or individual.

Happy birthday in +/- two weeks, then. I would hope this isn't a period of mourning you're entering due to hitting the milestone of 56 years of age, because that would be a waste of time, in my less than humble opinion. LOTS of life ahead, and any number of rewarding opportunities, too. Enjoy your break - it'll be nice to see you back when you're ready.

I've also enjoyed Numazu's thorough trip reports. I suspect he'll post again, and I'd most likely read most of them again. I've had pointed criticisms directed at me over the years, too - 99% of them from anonymous online personas (the woods are full of them) - but I had to learn to [1] consider the source(s) [2] admit when I'd stepped over a line, and [3] not sweat the small stuff and let it spoil my fun via sharing the stories. I'd also suggest it's healthy to learn and grow from valid criticism. Pardon my venturing an opinion, but looking over the last eight paragraphs of his last post on this thread it seemed like an example of the "praise me or I'll stop sharing" posts we've all seen over the years. I was taught as a child that I don't have to react to such things, so I simply offer thanks when thanks are due. If one is actually crafting a report/post, yes they DO take time; only a jerk wouldn't appreciate that. I just give more credit to those who do them because they enjoy sharing them, that's all. If you enjoy posting the reports, Numazu - keep at it. Specific violations are the responsibility of the mods. Just my two satang's worth.

I'm kind of sorry to see it go, too. I've only stayed there once back in 2012, and that splurge was primarily to see what all the fuss was about. Beachlover will be in cyber-mourning back in Nebraska - or wherever it was he actually trolled from.

This is a reasonably fair representation of the guys there: ARENA

I'm not sure who told you that, but I've heard from at least three guys interviewed that they pay Bt100 to be in a show. It may well pay for Tea Money, but Bt500 just seems high.

My guess is that your money will spend just as easily as anybody else's Welcome to the forum.

Sometimes there are other chores to be done before the club opens, too... Double Duty On Soi Twilight (3)

Hey everyone, first post here... Welcome Me and my partner are planning our first trip to Thailand for mid May-mid June It's liable to be warm (34-35C) and it's likely to be raining, but just be prepared. Will there still be bars with boys to see? Yes. They're there year 'round (I was going to say they go into storage in August, but that seemed catty!) Also, any tips on what to do and see are much appreciated. A quick and basic search here or any Thai tourism site will give you more than a month's worth. Once you have a rough idea of the type of things you're interested in (historical, cultural, shopping, gay venues, nearby weekend jaunts, etc) ask here again and I'm pretty sure you'll get suggestions. Click on "tourist stuff" on my blog for 100 or so posts, or check out ChristianPFCs blog for a variety of places and things. Come with an open mind and a suitcase full of patience, and you'll have a wonderful time.

I'm guessing you mean having your ear canal flushed free of build-up? There are home kits you can get from the pharmacy, but if not someone will probably suggest a clinic. You could always call one of the hospitals in Pattaya and ask if they have an ENT (ear, nose & throat) specialist who can do it. Doubt it'd cost much. I've seen the "dry" procedure done often enough in barbershops while I've been in there getting a haircut... that entails someone shining a light into your ear while you're leaned back in the chair, and (hopefully) carefully - using a thin pair of picks and tweezers - pull any deposits out. I've never had the nerve to try it, myself.

To be honest, I'd never even noticed that footer... I doubt many others have, either. I wouldn't say it was cause to label it "poorly maintained", but you're certainly entitled to an opinion.

Depending on the length of time I'm in Thailand and where I end up going, I take between 2,000 and 5,000 images per trip. Going to a new country always ups those numbers. Digital is almost free compared to 35mm print film, so why not? If I manage to get one good image out of 50, I'm happy, and I whittle them down once I'm home. I tend to take more pictures of every day things when I travel - but nobody back home wants to see my pictures taken on a morning walk of mailboxes, street signs, wiring nightmares, doorways, etc. Go figure! I've been working more with available light images the last couple of years, but that's just because it interests me.

My book of personal stories gathered in Thailand over the years may - or may not - ever get finished, but I think the story kokopelli's referring to is this one. I haven't yet spoken to anyone who's been strictly sold into the trade... just those who for financial or other personal reasons are figuratively indentured. If you check the blog and click on the "Gogo Boys" tag item you'll find a variety of guy's experiences, though.

The "Everything Else" section does have a lot of election threads, although as of right now the top six (and most active) threads were started by members other than Gaybutton... but thanks for keeping an eye on it for us.

Oh, there you go again, vinapu... dragging logic into things again!

I'd second that. To avoid the risk of bringing apophasis into this I'd suggest you just let it go and continuing to post away. Almost nothing about people's stories on a forum can be verified, and readers have to take them at face value for the entertainment they provide. Period. Hell, there are entire sites built on information gathered from the internet and passed along as personal knowledge - as the person who used the handle Beachlover rather effectively did, and perhaps still does.

Personally, I'd be OK with it if they were only one ONE side of the sidewalk, but trying to move with foot traffic in both directions along a meter-wide walkway space - especially if someone stops to look at anything - is just too frustrating.