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This price cntrol is most likely just as effective as any Thai govmt regulation: the stocks disappears behind the counter. On a more happy and reassuring note: untill now (but lets see this evening) Ive not seen any of the guys we long for in such places with facemasks. Would look a bit silly-near naked in underwear and gogo dancing but with a mask on. Guess they already know what vinapu is his wisdom says: the more exposure to bad germs, the better the resistance. Perhaps we can offer a prize to the first one who spots such a guy. Staff policy at 7-the one shop about anyone is bound to visit sometime whilst here-is that they have to wear masks.

I estimate that roughly half of people you see on the street are wearing whatever type of masks-mostly though the pretty ineffective layered old-style. Staff srving you are more likely to have it-from the boss. Did not see a single one inside gay palces last weekend. apparently the risk from doorknobs, handrails or whatever touched by many people ls much greater. As economy goes-suddenly the masks are so wanted that the black market hoards them and resell at much higher prices, like I noted yesterday eve around 21.00 on the street in touristy area. Those mainland Chinese do hardly now come in (but in the aftermath of their NwYr it a quiet time anyway) but many also cannot go home, due to all cancelled flites.

Start with the basics; your THai guy must have a passpt (many dont, as the need for that did not arise yet) and can then visit ANy ASEAN memberstate for either 14/15 or mostly 30 days without any visa etc-that you may need (myanmar, laos, VN).ONly some provinces of Laos bordering TH can be done with Thai ID for a tiny sum and for a max of 3 or 5 days. From my own exp. if asking them in a neutral way (without any hint of taking them) to go where, they say SINgapore and Hongkong. SIN is ASEAN but is quite strict about who they admit in, esp. single Thai guys (or ladies), but in tow with a farang its mostly no problem. HKG may for farang be a bit unsure for now, but Thai are mostly completely ignorant about the issues. Macao is only gambling-now half empty due to the Chinese ban on corruption. Taiwan is indeed a very good replacement for both, but NOT ASEAN. MOst of the Thai guys you meet are from Isan, often simply already named lao=same langauge so they are able at guiding you around, but the script is different and unknown to them. Its quite some time ago since Ive been there last, VTE is the dull communist-reigned officialdom capital with the impression of a small Thai provincial town, LP is like ´Chiang Mai in the good old days´-they speak also like the Kam Muang (=people from the north) and are delightful easygoing. BUT recent reports tell its now overflwoing with French and Chinese. They make even the morning alms collecting rounds from the monks into a touristy circus. Laos is currently also the building site for the new hi-speed railway the Chinese built to connect their middle Kingdom with the sea in TH. Burma=Myanm suffers from generally inedible food, a real disgrace for any decent Thai. They also can neither read nor speak the lingo-except for the Shan/Karyen hilltribe guys, of whom there are quite a few-but mostly they will simply refuse to go there as they fear the ThatMadow. For them doublecheck exactly what type of ID/nationality they in fact have. For nature thrills Vnam is probably best in general-but expect extended long trip times to reach it. Not on any list seems to be Cambodia-there is some unspoken idea by most Thai that this is to be avoided, too poor and too derelict. Thats nonsense (Burma is likely more that) but Thai dont think-they parrot. Plus that the main tourist town is Siem reap, which means ´we sieged over the Thai!´ so thats humble pie too.

Yesterday at the entrance of a catholic school (thus no govmt. one); big signs that as from now plastic bags, and also plastic straws and those styrofoam foodcontainers that any Thai seems to use 5/week at least are forbidden entry. A bit like EUR schools who ban candies and oversweet things or fatty crisps=chips. So just a sec later a chinese looking lad with his mum in his special uniform walked out, clutching a plastic bag, with the usual drink plastic cup with a large straw in it......... With a few more things as normal (this week very good promosyens) at 7 they still offered me an extra bag, whilst the recorded announcement of banning bags was just playing. I refused, as I have my own and am very well used to bring your own @ home.

At least one or two 7s here in BKK yesterday had large piles of masks-already forgotten whcih ones. Note that the old style cheapees (with a few folded layers) are hardly worth it if you take this seriously. You should have those with a kind of attached ´inhaler´ or whatever this is named in /en/-like sometimes painters wear in EUR. I dont and the air is still just nearly as bad as last week before all this new hypes. A few yrs ago during the height of whatever virus then all citybuses had bottles of hand-gel on the rails near the doorstogoout. Not seen that now (yet). In Thai the sign at the kwaayyaa (=sell medicine=pharmacy) says Hmot, kah (finish, polite).

re Arena: reports they push their premium/VIP are rife on some sites, but Ive never encountered this. They do also entertain Chinese girls and these get many hugs and kisses after they leave. Perhaps there is more as 1 ICE, as I remember one with no tattoos at all (and also not showing off his naked upper half-always a shirt). All prices end on 90 and they have an interesting way to keep that 10 bt coin....... Tip: Arena has indeed mostly slightly older and very well experienced guys, quite a few do not come daily, and formerly worked at the old Hero (Thai say it like Kee-Low) and have great technique. Ask for them. I once witnessed some very nervous chinese looking customer who asked and asked-manager shouted something and each time a few guys stepped away-like musical chairs. I could not understand what he was asking for. The very much older and more unsightly men are those with the so prized goods who went shopping at BigC.

A little bit off-subject, or maybe hardly. I was told in Arena massage-where they mostly show off in jeans only to present their 6packs, that those who do not do that-have sweater or whatever, do not do exercise and/or are too ashamed to show their upper body in public. So perhaps its even more tasteful after all that those chubby bellies do not present themselves too openly. Is it not true anymore that Chinese do prefer chubbies as a full stomach and ´have you eaten enough´ is their main preoccupation as it is a real sign of prosperousness. Christian on his last Pty visit made even more fuss-jeans are too much, they should be in underwear only! And guys in jeans, so he was told, are not gay.

One of these parrotted recycled stories-this yard is near closed or is already or will be this year. The MAIN repair yard is daft easy to see when you sit in any northbound train just beyond Bang Sue Junction stop=more or less beside the brand new still under constr. BKK main Train terminal-due to open late this/early next yr. Its in fact very likely that when this station opens the old eastern line on the ground is to close all the way where its under the ARL=thats Lard Krabang. Makkasan has been the subject of yearslong debate about what to turn into-the greenies want it to be a park, the thinkmoneyallthetimies (SRT has so giant big losses that any relief is welcome) in-of course-you guess it- another brandnew giant shoppingcentre For really old time fashioned railway repair yards go to Burma or Vietnam. Real trains/railway aficionadoś go to skyscrapercity and read the many reports of khun Wisaruth, a pensioned former SRT official.

Hm, just today and not at all in Chinatown I saw many prices for bowls of soupy noodles for 30 bt /big or even 25/normal and yesterday even for 13 (but that was chan lek=small bowl) on a night fair. On the Nonthburi market was many years a very big shop selling noodlesoup for 5, then 8 bt, I think its still there (probably 15 r 20 bt now)-boat noodles Ayuttaya style. Traffic was a breeze today-no jams, a trip that would normally even on sunday take 70-80 mins was now 40/45. These mentioned songhtaews (similar to Pattaya ´baht bus´ but red=the universal colour for BKK, but for newer gas engined thingies now white) start from under Sapan Taksin BTS along Charoen Krung rd. They serve this area as the roads are too small for big buses. Pay cash after getting off to driver -noone cheats though this would be very easy. Besides around 200+ normal big buslines BKK also has around 250 of such lines-many are just short shuttles up/down a sidesoi. Personally I think all this hype about types of local food is what it is-grossly overhyped. Can hardly taste any difference. Real chunky soup from vegetables and stock in the western sense is very hard to find. Also as a general rule of thumb Chinese never sell for the lowest price-somehow they always charge 5 or 10 bt more, in the past even the 1 bt cup of ice was 2 bt with them. But perhaps thats why they are better bisnismen. Dont grab me over cheapness-I am just quoting prices I saw.

Tip/hint for others who may think of going VTE/Laos: any ASEAN does not need visa. Farang do, but that simply means paying 30/40US$ on entry-depends on your nationality. THai can even sneak in for a day or 2 with their ID only but are then restricted to the province of VTE, not whole country. To cut the cost of going there-I will not recommend overnight train to NonghKhai+shuttle trainlet acros brdige-thats for diehard railfans. Nor the many overnight or also daytime long-dist. buses. FLY to Udorn at domestic rate-also flights from that Pattaya airprt and take direct van/shuttlebus from airpt to Borderbridge and onward. Takes a ittle longer but can save nearly half the price. Its in fact only very recently that Laos allowed budgetflites in-they want to protect their own feeble state-airline. And once again we see that here in TH nothing ever is the same-same for anyone anywhere-exceptions, in this case very nice ones (had those too last week) en sometimes not so nice are always to be expected. You make this story quite with some cliffhangers-so that people get very curious about what to happen next.

The one advantage that CM always did have were its much lower prices-both for the drinks, the offs, the fees and the tips. (think of half the BKK-high end that you were exposed to till now). Also for most other things for the tourist-HTL, food etc-except the nasty transpo (but use grab now as way out). Nearly all working guys are indeed from whatever hilltribe, many Shan/Karyen (often slightly illegal from Burma-wandering tribes without much respect for passpt and all that idiot burocrazy stuff- thats how this world should be!) but alas, many seem to lack even the basic skills one may expect after Thai journeys. Even though CM can deliver delightful and very skilled guys-find these elsewhere, as they always seem to fear the gossip from next door if they would stay in CM city. There is also a detailed and always uptodate site for gay things CMai and a poster who always delivered fresh news and pointed it out (bonton or so?).do a google for that.

its definitely the worst of the options-the road is much faster, as its the triangle-shape: on the iron roads you travel via the longer 2 sectors. THE world wide site for any Qs re trains is seat61.com, but do realise its anti-bus. To the Q'depends on the train and the comfort wished for. In fact 3d cl canNOT even be reserved in most trains. There is 1 morning train which is more like a bus on rails and has only AC 2nd cl. Must be reserved-that comes together automatic with the ticket. May sell out on busy days. Also for the views its worthless: windows are opaque and as soon as there is a ray of sun any decent Thai closes the curtains etc. There may-or may not now-still be some food offered-think of a 20 bt box of rice with a few chickenpieces. From around 14.00 the overnight trains to the far south start running, these vary in what they offer and their prices. 1st cl. is totally unnecessary for that sector-its an enclosed 2 berth compartment with AC, meant for sleeping overnight. Remaining empty space for NOT overnight (thus to HH ) will only be sold on the day itself and is due to all the supllmts. very expensive for the distance and only available on a few crack premium trains. Its now fairly easy to book yourself on the site of the SRT=State Railways-again see seat61 for the details. Expect late arrivals of 30 mns to hours-its mostly still single track so trains must wait for all the delays coming from south up. BIG bus is now much fewer as before and leaves from the faraway Sai Thai NEW Terminal along the western ring rd. This is VIP or 1st cl. and should be 1st choice-except for the nasty dep.point and few trips left. 2nd cl is now all VAN=minibus, often with terrific speeding and idiot drivers, TiTs after all and go very often -ev 20/30 mins all together from various terminals. Sites like busbud or rome2rio are notorious bad informed about things bus here in TH-often relying on data from 5-10 yrs ago. Most people/tourists in fact use the direct bus from Swampy airport. There are also a few direct buses from Mochit terminal, these come from further north. @909-good luck tomorrow, its stillChin.NwYr so many a transpo is mobbed out.

This Moonlight is where the OLD JUpiter used to be-beside what used to be calles the Suriwong hotel, now Bavana. They split and there is a jupiter 2000 with also gogo etc. in soi 4, I think even where some 30/40 yrs ago this phenomenon all started as Apollo. Warning: ML is also much on the bucketlist of young single chinese GIRLs and they compete in hiring the model guys and will also come for the show etc. The same applies since a few years for the once even so famous BoyBoyBoy in Pattaya-many though claim/say its the final straw for this club to survive. As a general rule of thumb here in Thailand you can expect lesser real service from modelguys-simply just standing there to be admired and not getting their hands dirty or even wet is the norm, as many claim. As of course with any such rule-numerous exceptions too-you just wont know before what and how and noone will tell.

Its all depending on where and what and who. There is no fixed rate and also of course no announcement about price hikes (as there will be for buses and trains or even the milk or rice here). But its true average Thai fees for such service are way higher-around double-of those quoted ditto in Cambodia/Burma and even often (if available at all) for Malaysia and near 3 times as much as Indonesia. They are lower as in Japan/Korea etc-as all prices are. There Is however a general Thai market-more domestic as from visitors for what they perceive as prized guys to show off-models and the like and if farang even much better. Samesame as for expensive cars, jewels, rolex watches etc-thus also a giant copycat market for the less affluent but still willing to show off. However, many farang looking guys on pictures etc are mostly ´look kreung´=half childs, with a western father and Thai mother. Its just how the genes get distributed on chance. The quoted 1500 is most likey confusing THB and USD. Or its a USAer who often seems to think any money anywhere is named $$.

BBB is closed since a few monthes and the whole area (back side-or rather main road side of former soi Hotmale) is for the wrecking ball. The Q as such is a bit superfluous, about any HTL in that area will expect you to bring in guests-of whatever sex, their policies on how they accomodate them may be a bit mixed or different. That is; YOU must rent a 2 personroom and pay for that. But then single rooms for 1 person are very rare there anyway. Sites like booking or agoda (the former asean branch, now in fact also run by bkg, but sneekily without taxes added in most prices) will show all the stuff on their maps easily. The total distance you talk about is 5-6 mins walk (IF there are no obstacles-there will be). New HTLs in that area; theFAX, Yellow INn (converted from shophouse above Indian restrt, redPlanet =former AirAsia), D-Varee (hidden away in the soi where the sauna used to be), Urban Age ( the soi with the 3 sleaze bars) and also several in the sidesois of silom rd. Also plenty of recommended AirB&B there-though there is a crackdown on those-current situation a bit unclear. At least 3 and quite big chain HTLs under construction, notably a Ibis-Styles. IMHO -unless your night last till dawn and you sleep all day-the daytime attractions of that area are nil to negative=its also downtown office special and traffic jams are giant all day. But both BTS=skytrain and MRT=metro are close by.

Taken all in all BERLIN is likely the best contest: HTL rooms can be nearly as cheap, plenty of gay pleasures srpead out but for a large part close by one another and walkable, and even decent cf cost about the same as here in BKK (though they lack the cheapo instant 3in1 from the 7) AND-thanks the VNese, also 1000s of padthai shops, though they call it a little different. Yes, the bus cost more, but tickets are valid for 2 hrs and for as many trips also on train/metro as you can do in that time. And anyway-those of you taking BKK citybuses (BMTA) must be less as 50 I estimate. I only know der christian. Then comes Barcelona. A short time in the sauna there cost hardly more as the nowadays quoted short time price for BKK-but then quality in TH here reamins much better.

THIS guy gas many names and must be very long in the trade as his pict. is since many yrs on some of the free ´gay maps´ (some postied listing also yrs out of date, but TITs) GB guide. Always advertises for ML. Assume from the pix its a look kreung (half child). Hope I did not distrub you too muth, nah/la? Sorry, where I now sit I cannot make the copy of that last pic Ie beside me, its for the upcoming Ch.Nw Yr this week. And for your report in the making, esp. looking to read abou Laos experience.

Selamat malam dari disini. Having arrived back here a few days ago I cannot confirm around 1/1 is busiest-at the mo its even more crazy and esp. with all types of Chinese, Taiwan/Honky, and esp. the mainlanders. And of course plenty from south of the border too, the faithful and always welcome malays. You must also suffer from the bad rate for the THB-I well remember it was always 10 baht for the ringgit, but its now under 8. There are at least 2 new HTLs under construction in the Silom area, one will be an Ibis styles. So maybe next yr more chances. How long will it take before those prized ML-shorties are starting to appear as copynearreal on the Silom stands..........

Just a small note for those who are interested in such things: the town of Siem Reap (=THailand overwon after siege) had a pride week last may 19 and plans to have another one-around early may. Just read this as a note when searching for some other info on a site named movetocambodia.com, then search in the blogs. Either sponsored by gay establishments-wich means they must do pretty well or more likely-some NGO preaching and financing this.

EU has also banned that years ago, but shops may sell sturdier bags. As always those least inclined to do that are the Brits-probably happy to reestablish all that when finally out. Some African countries even ban all plastics and search for it when you arrive at airports-Ruanda and/or Burundi, also ZA. From what Ive noted the 3 days Iam here again: 7s, tesco and BigC will not do bags anymore. 7 still does if you buy heated mealboxes and all their straws and cutlery is plastic and in plastic covers too. The streetvendors still happily put anything in a bag, perhaps they have large stacks anyway.

Note that THIS part of the BTS system is privately owned. Taksin (a former King, has nothing at all to do with a former fugitive PM-quite different spelled in Thai) was the end of the Silom line for many years after system started. It all seemed impossible in the past as apparently the whole bridge-incl. the many carlanes would have to be rebuilt-so they left it-except for the plan to abolish the whole stop. Lets see and wait-even 3 mins frequency is just hopeful wishing on that line.

About any of the many Thai related fora/sites will have a subsection on Thai ladies (and/or even ladyboys/katoeys). Nearly all suffer from a tremendous barrage of farang who seem to have nothing else to do as following fora and badmouthing any things Thai asap. The best known and largest is thaivisa, set up by the now defunct as printed newsppr the NATION. some names that spring to my mind: teakdoor, thailandredcarpet, coconuts or so. More amusing were the blogs of the now ceased to do that based in Bangkok NZ guy (Post it asa I remember). As an aside: about any of the larger/more affluent west-eur countries will have some form of forum in their own language about how to deal with/treat your newly married Thai wife and her tipical requirements. Some even stretch out to BFs. These can sometimes be very amusing. No, I dont follow all of that for you who may wonder-in the past the job I had also required to have a look at those every now and then about current topics and trends etc. for travel. Thats grossly overtaken now by (anti)social media.

Agree with vinapu: If boys are that long in this trade they must have qualities and their looks are just a minor aspect fort hat. IMHExp. the older guys-say from 25 are so long in the trade and have so much experience they can give tremendous pleasure feelings-as indeed I had the pleasure to find out that evenng. And if they massage you most of the time you dont even see them as you lie on your front. Arrived myself around same time the day before and was in the bus also whithin 30 mins after arrival (was directed to premium lane even though I do not yet qualify for that-and anyway you then have to wait longer for luggage to appear). Bad air here though and a really awful mass of asean and mainland China people. Thanks for reporting that soon and hope you enjoy as much as you did already the coming day with the festive Chinese Nw Yr coming up! Dont forget to stuff the red angpao enevelopes!

Being just back here in BKK for the ...xth time I do agree with all that. With just one tiny additonal not for those in the know and how to act: Near Kuta Beach/Bali. About the one and only remaining steadfastly gay area in Indonesia (which does not mean you cannot find anything else elsewhere in that huge country)

? For what? But I of course do hope you will have a good time, but here in Bangkok it seems more and more places are simply to tired of the many complaints and fed up with ´hiring´ or rather letting them work on their grounds for the Viet. So there must be a reason for this, as it does not apply to working guys from Khmer/Cambodia or Burma/Myanmar.