farangyai

Great post. This brings back fond memories of my visits to PP. I found the people very sweet and the food excellent. From your photos it looks like the riverfront has been significantly modernized also. I thought the boys were especially handsome but there was no club there when I visited. Thanks for the pics as well. It adds a lot to your post.

I would encourage free online activity rather than spending money on classes for the reasons Gaybutton refers to. The problem is that many of the schools start with grammar which bores the Thai guy. By the time the course got to the point of speaking, it was too late in the process. I would look into a free online routine which is fun for the student. Many of the Thai English teachers can't even speak English. Many Thai students have learned some English grammar but most Thai are afraid to try to speak it. So practicing conversation is the best things for most of them. It can be fun just practicing speaking with the boy. People learn best by doing as part of a fun activity. I took a look at the site that bucknaway posted and it is not set up for Thai YET so I don't see how the guy could use it unless he speaks French or Vietnamese or one of the other starter languages offered?????????? Nice concept in the answer but not workable yet, but it appears they are working on it. Meanwhile, if you do a search you will find a host of free sites to try. Look for ones which have audio clips or sound out words. Don't have the guy focus on grammar, he will not proceed very far.

Ok, now that I have recovered from laughing at Christians blog, I will try to offer a few common sense baht stretching tips. Laundry: I find out where a regular laundry is that has pricing by the load. I then always pack a laundry bag and take my own laundry to the shop, hand it over, get it back clean, fresh, and folded back in my bag. It costs a fraction of what most places will charge you by the piece. I have even on occasion told the hotel what I do and had them match the price. Tipping: I always tip a good mammasan. Over the years as I come to know some of them, they have repaid me in kind by fetching my desired off for me to avoid the minimum drink charge, although some will still try to add that to my bill. But if they do not truly help me, I don't normally tip them. I normally tip them about the cost of a drink, but in baht. I also tip the folks in the hotel or guesthouse once at the end of my stay. I put the tip in an envelope and tell them it is for everyone who has taken care of me during my stay and give it to the people at the front desk. The more workers who see me do it, the better. They then know I take care of them. Taxi: Wherever I am staying I try to find a good dependable taxi and get their number to use when possible on longer trips or have the hotel fetch one of their preferred taxi drivers. This avoids the drivers who wait nearby to prey on tourists. Smile: I almost always find that smiling and being pleasant to the Thai people always works in my favor. Especially when negotiating or asking something or some service. Many farangs demand or act impolitely to the Thai or look like a smile might break their face. You stand above the rest when you smile. But of course, you also have to let them know you will not be taken for a fool at the same time. Go Thai: I also frequently give my Thai friends the money to take care of things. This avoids the desire of some establishments to cheat the farang. I don't have to worry most times because they know better than to try to cheat another Thai. They are less likely to do it.

Thanks Christian. I loved your article on money saving tips in your link. I got a good laugh even if maybe I was not supposed to.

I got a very good massage at Indra several times from the same guy. I have also had massages at Sun but did not care for the space/rooms. All were for legit massage.

Thank you for sharing your info. Contrary to Orson experience, I had a guy who gave an excellent massage at Sun/Tawan. I did not want extras just an excellent massage. He always did so and I gave him a generous tip since I got a two hour strong massage. He worked hard at it the whole time. He first worked at Indira and then moved to Sun when they opened. He did not speak a word of English but we communicated.

I removed my comments on the guy asking for another 1000 baht as I did not want to interrupt your trip reports.

Thx for the informative report.

Wow, the place looks depressing. I hope they polish it up a bit.

It is heart breaking to see the last of my three favorite massage places having difficulty. (Albury, Adonis, and now Hero)

Thank you for sharing. I also enjoy keeping some degree of contact with boys I have spent extra time with. I always enjoy our meetings more when I have known them for a while and they know me. I find they remember everything we did, where we went, etc! I don't throw money at them but make sure I take good care of them when we meet. It seems to work out well for both.

I find smiling and being polite are excellent ways to get the guys to pay attention to you. Many customers do not smile.

I am a creature of habit! The hotels in BT area have always met my needs. I never was bothered by any fishbowl effect. I don't care about a pool. I don't want to take a baht bus to go to the bars. I don't need to be close to the beach and prefer to take a baht bus ride when I do go. I also prefer being in a hotel which regularly sees guests with a guest with the added bit of security of having them check ids and check with me when someone leaves. I also have had some good chats with other guests and picked up some great suggestions. Finally, I like the convenience and prefer to walk a short distance from hotel to restaurant to bar to hotel. To me, any premium in rate is worth the convenience. But I totally understand others have different preferences. For me, BT area has always worked fine.

It cost me nothing to set up my bank account in Thailand and I have never been charged ATM fees as long as I used one of their ATM's which I have always found in all major cities. It also enables me to easily transfer money in case a friends buffalo dies which can happen near the end of the month (hehe).

" My credit union does not charge me for any currency exchange costs when I use its atm card..." I would check a bit closer to find out what net exchange rate your credit union uses and how that compares to current exchange rates of the banks in Thailand for the same time period. That answer may be much more important that what ATM you use. For example, their translation rate may be higher and therefore have a "hidden" fee. I have always wired money before my trip in USD to my account at Bangkok Bank in Thailand, have them translate it to Thai Baht, and then used their ATM's for withdraws.

thank you for posting the pics. I always enjoy the lean muscular guys which can sometimes be found at Tawan.

Thank you for taking the time to write a great report. It was very enjoyable reading with your comments and observations. I totally enjoyed it.

Yes, exactly. It was no welcome, greeting, or acknowledgement. I did not mean the lack of a pushy host, that was not it as I prefer no mamasan unless I need help. Perhaps it was because they prefer Thai customers and I was being tolerated but not encouraged. I have never had the same vibe in any Bangkok or Pattaya establishment. Even if the host is busy or away, the guys smile at you and give you a welcome vibe or try to get your attention. It extended beyond the lack of greeting. I felt the guys were somewhat distant, no direct eye contact, no personal connection. It was more like they were going through motions like meat in a meat case. No interraction, no smiles that I recall. Also as I recall, many of them came out in street clothes except one establishment. That did not help. It also may have something to do with more of the staff having less English speaking ability. Or perhaps many were Burmese. Many of the Thai outside Bangkok/Pattaya are fearful of being spoken to in English and some can pretend you are not there. I hope I have described the vibe a bit better.

Normally I travel to Thailand at least once per year in November through January time period (it varies) and stay about one month. I spend the other 11 months in my home country dreaming about it. But for personal and medical reasons I have been away for the past 3 years. Before that I came every year for the prior 10+ years. Since being away, it helps ease the pain by reading the trip reports of others. I have stayed as long as 2 months and quite honestly I do not know if I could stand it for longer than that. I love the guys, but i lose patience with the "Thai way". When I stay longer I move around and visit new different areas each year.. I have also used Thailand as home base to visit other countries nearby but for me they do not compare to Thailand. I prefer BKK for staying a longer time but I always try to go to Pattaya for at least a week. On a few trips I went to Pattaya for long weekends every week or so and that was fine. I have not yet planned my next return to Thailand.

Yeah, me too because he probably measured it.

When I visited Chiang Mai back a few years ago, my impression was similar to yours. I had a great time on the tourist things, great food, good weather, and many interesting things to do. But I find it difficult to explain the disconnect I experienced at the bars. It just was not the same experience as in BKK. It felt very different. Literally no one came to assist me and I did not find the vibe as outgoing as BKK or Pattaya. Perhaps some others can comment who live there as I suspect that once you adjust to the norm there, it becomes easier to find what you are looking for. But it is different and maybe that is good sometimes.

Thanks for an outstanding trip report. Good mix of info, places and things, and guys. This type of adventure has always been my favorite to have some Thai guests, Thai food, scenery, and just enjoy it all. Although I usually need a vacation after the vacation. Thanks again for taking the time to write it out. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks for the day by day play. It makes me feel like I am there doing the same things!

I maintain a Thai bank account that includes a Thai ATM card. I replenish the account by wire before I arrive and have the currency translated to Thai baht in Thailand. No ATM fees, convenient ATM withdrawls, and excellent rate by having Thai bank to the conversion into a Thai account.

Does the owner still stop by? I think he used to be a waiter at another nearby bar. I have not seen him the past several trips, only the girlfriend/wife.