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I spent a week in Laos back in December. Hornet, etc have some guys but not a huge amount. the Nomadicboys blog has some LP info http://nomadicboys.com/discover-gay-laos-luang-prabang/ It's a very interesting country. I was only in LP for a few days and then spent the rest of my time in the south which is beautiful.

Depending where you're from though, how easy is it to retire in Spain? visa requirements and so forth... Malaysia has been trying hard to attract more Western retirees for quite some time. I believe it's quite easy to retire there. http://www.mm2h.com/why-retire-in-malaysia.php Panama had a lot of buzz for a while as a good place to retire along with much of the rest of Central America.

Apparently the real tongue lashing was from a very high ranking Thai lady who is president of the Asian bridge association. First hand account http://bridgewinners.com/article/view/confessions-of-a-bridge-criminal/

just look both ways or find a little old lady to shadow...that's what I did in Vietnam and it worked like a charm.

yes, I think it's in the $300-350 range now. It's very safe. The captain of my balloon was a British guy who split his time between Bagan and Cappadoccia. And they adhere to international regulations. There's a safety briefing before you launch and they're very strict about the position you need to be in on landing. The views and photos were stupendous.

Very nice. I think it's somewhat difficult to compare Angkor Wat and Bagan. Certainly both are amazing places. I did the balloon flight in Bagan and thought it worthwhile, but it is very expensive. I see there are now several ballooning outfits there rather than just one when I visited. But rather than pushing prices down they all seem to be charging the same high price.

I would never even consider taking the train. It doesn't sound fun or interesting to me. As noted there are lots of airlines flying between BKK and CNX including THAI Airways. I've never flown AirAsia, but I have read you need to be aware of the various fees they charge. According to Google flights there are 51 flights per day between the two cities (both BKK and DMK).

I think Cathay's problem is that there's so much traffic in and out of HKG that air traffic delays are common. By the end of the day everything is delayed "due to late arrival of the aircraft".

wow. that second one is really gorgeous

thanks

I just spent a few nights at the Crowne Plaza Lumpini. The location is quite good for both the gay areas and public transport with the BTS and MRT just a couple of minutes' walk away so getting around town is easy. But it will cost you more than $65/night. I enjoyed it very much though.

Actually I recently read a trip report on FlyerTalk that says SL is like a much calmer, more organized version of India. Looks like lots of beautiful sights. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/1725857-six-days-sri-lanka.html

Assume you'll be transiting in China. Just make sure there is plenty of time between flights as transfers in China can be a pain. Read a real horror story the other day of some one who missed their connection in PEK due to late arrival and a short connect time that led to thousands of dollars in added costs and aggravation. My own experience at PEK has been much less than ideal. Presumably China Eastern routes via their Shanghai hub.

I don't imagine this forum gets much traffic...but, here goes. I am in the very beginning stages of planning a trip to Sri Lanka. Anyone been? recommendations for guides or travel companies. Utopia has a few listed that look like they might be worth contacting.

Never said that I didn't think there was a class of wealthy Thais buying these things. Not sure there are really THAT many who are buying R-Rs or Aston's at the mall though. Although I just did a bit of research and see that a Honda City, for example, only costs around US$16K which is comparable or less than in the USA. Of course the median income here is a lot lower even with that middle class. A 3-series BMW is $75K which is a bit less than 2x in the USA. A MINI Cooper is US$60K! My point was that these luxury cars and European imports are wildly expensive.

The thing I love about Paragon is how ridiculous it is. A Rolls-Royce dealer, Aston Martin dealer, etc right in the mall! I don't know how any Thai can afford a car given the prices and I presume taxes. Unless they only apply to imports or luxury cars...but a BMW is at least 2x or 3x more than it would be in the USA, for example. And while there is a lot of eye candy everywhere you go, this latest trend all across SE Asia for young men to sport these pubescent boy "mustaches" really need to end. I just don't understand the appeal, because it certainly doesn't appeal to me.

they have some photos on their FB page https://www.facebook.com/xboyspattaya/photos/a.955819951131234.1073741839.729330300446868/955820667797829/?type=3&theater

I think Hornet (Whorenet?) is the busiest of them all.

"sexy show" could mean just about anything. I wouldn't get my hopes up too high. I arrived in Pattaya last night but was too exhausted to go out. So if I really did miss something special I will be disappointed. :-)

so, a couple of corrections. The guy I had as my masseur on Saturday was Ton, not Son. And apparently the boy I saw was not Ko, but this cute guy named Nung (or maybe Neung). Apparently he's only been there for a few days but I am pretty sure he is the guy I saw in the locker area. His massage technique is surprisingly good, but again very powerful. I don't know why the Thais love extremes so much....the spiciest food possible and massage so hard it hurts. He's very sweet, I had a nice time with him...only minus is that he smokes cigarettes. Doesn't really speak English, but not a big deal to me.

I went there today for the first time. Hope the new place is cleaner. They will move into the new location on 12 December. He says it will be boy massge, regular Thai massage and foot massage. So if you just want a massage and not the other stuff they will have you covered. I assume it will be different masseurs doing the different types. My masseur was OK. Cute little guy called Son. His massage technique was a bit unusual and his hands were surprisingly powerful...too powerful in some cases. Did 90 mins for 800 plus tip (1000 minimum). 60 minutes is 650 so it seemed like worth doing the extra time. As I was getting undressed in the locker area another boy was just finishing up with his client and he was stunning. I was kicking myself for not going earlier. According to the guy running the place his name is Ko and he's from CM. I will return Monday hoping to see him. Young, taller, fit, handsome face....

The thing holding tourism back at the moment is lack of hotels and travel infrastructure. Thus you have high hotel prices as Bob mentioned for not so great accommodations. It will take time to build that out. But I agree there is plenty of money just waiting for the right time to flood in. Now that NLD swept the elections, the real work will start. Expectations will be very high for instant positive changes. It will be interesting to see if they can pull it off.

I was there in 2011, right before Hillary Clinton's visit. The transportation infrastructure really needs a lot of investment. Now that foreign investment is flooding in my guess is that will happen before too long. Flying domestically is like a trip back to the 70s. But things are changing fairly quickly from what I've read. Great people (for the most part) and some very interesting sights. Bagan is stupendous. And Shwedagon is magical. I spent several days in the northwest at Mrauk U and Sittwe. I think all of the problems there are a real shame. The religious/ethnic violence erupted about 6 months after I was there.

it's really not so unusual. Lots of Thais have no filter. Or tact. They just say what's on their mind, no offense intended. I suspect the farang knew he was "not so beautiful"

I am headed to the area next week. I'm returning to Luang Prabang (first visit was 7 or 8 years ago), then flying down to the south and taking a cruise down the Mekong, a couple of days around Bolaven Plateau, fly to Siem Reap (another return visit) for several days including a visit to Koh Ker, Beng Mealea and Preah Vihear (overnighting there), driving down from SR to Phhom Penh with stops along the way at various sights before flying back to Thailand....Christmas in Pattaya for a few days, then Bangkok for a few days. My guess is that things will be quiet in Laos, but I will have a little more time free in SR so we'll see how that goes. Seems to be several guys there active on Gay Romeo.