macaroni21

In January I got a quick look into BoyzBoyzBoyz through their front door left ajar. There were about 15 guys on stage, all in jeans and T-shirts. Not a bare chest to be seen. I was not going to spend money on that; turned around and went into Cupidol instead. It was about 10pm, and there were about 10 - 12 customers in BoyzBoyzBoyz, making it look way less than half full. Will be writing up that story soon. Mack.

Like Pong said, you need to define what's "good" in your view. If you're referring to professional standard of Swedish massage (with oil) then there's Rapee on Silom Road and Tarntawan Massage on Surawong Road. They generally come with hj though I quite often go there only for the massage and wave away the offer of extras. I have a very recent story on Rapee (https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2020/02/20/in-the-silom-row-a-stand-out-shop/) and an older tale from Tarntawan (https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2019/08/01/i-should-have-known-things-were-going-too-well/) Mack.

But they were trashed. Several navy boats sunk by the French. I don't always understand Thai logic but this could be another example of it.

Did you know there was a Battle of Koh Chang in 1941? I was just surfing around the Bangkok Post, in particular, the scathing opinion piece 'Govt won't win Oscar for army propaganda' by columnist Atiya Achakulwisut. Three paragraphs from the end there was a mention of the battle -- which I had not heard of before -- so I looked up wikipedia and it's quite an interesting story. Check it out. I don't suppose there are any ruins or sunk ships left to explore. Might hurt Thai pride too much to highlight the defeat. Mack.

I've made several visits to Prime over the years and as far as I can recall every visit ended with creamed dessert though I don't recall any instance of going beyond helping hands. Maybe I was just lucky, or maybe that was in the past. I haven't been there for over a year now; perhaps the newer crew aren't keen on providing such services. My interest in Prime has dimmed somewhat. Their popularity and the number of customers they get has made the whole atmosphere sort of like a conveyor belt.

Thank you. That's exactly what I was hoping for. Now I have to bookmark it, though, knowing myself, when sometime in the future I need it, I'm going to wonder, where the hell have i placed the bookmark! What I'm noticing is that the map is showing the actual, customary routes (or so I believe). It's by someone who is trying to help (and succeeding, kudos to him/her) rather than published by officialdom. The fact that the routes marked on the map are not numbered suggests that there may be such a thing as official routes which are ignored in practice. But then, TiT I suppose. Mack.

Here's hoping those who live in Pattaya or visit more frequently than I do can help: My main question is this: On a recent visit, I noticed that the baht buses or what the locals call songtiew now have numbers painted on them, which I assume represents the route they are plying. Does anyone know where (preferably on the internet) one can find information what what routes go where? A map perhaps? I also noticed that all the songtiews lined up at the South Pattaya schoolground facing Jomtien are No. 5s, except that it's also painted on them "Naklua-Jomtien". Simply by being parked there waiting for passengers, they clearly do not originate from Naklua. On one occasion, I was riding one of them in the reverse direction from Thappraya Road into Pattaya, and once we reached the South Pattaya junction, the driver told all passengers to get off (several big Russians were very unhappy) so once again it seems to indicate the mini-truck buses don't go to Naklua. So my secondary question is: even if there is information available about the supposed routes, would it all be codswallop? Mack.

I've just read that the Thai government has banned the export of face masks. And the above-mentioned story about the minister distributing face masks seems to put the official imprimatur on wearing one to protect against the Covid-19 virus. But I've noticed that both the Australian and Singapore health authorities are saying wearing a mask is only recommended when you are sick, in order to protect others. Otherwise, it gives a false sense of security. More important is frequent hand-washing and being careful what you touch. Australian advice: https://www.health.gov.au/health-topics/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov Singapore advice: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/covid-19-coronavirus-hygiene-clean-surfaces-handphones-moh-12430220 The World Health Organisation's advice is similar: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public Top of the list is "washing your hands frequently". There is no mention of face masks unless one is coughing or sneezing. Mack

I was in Phnom Penh recently. However, I haven't found the time to write up the trip reports. In the interim, and taking z909's point, I've given a reply to tamtam via a new thread in the Gay Cambodia forum. Perhaps further discussion, if merited, should be conducted there.

This is really in answer to a question by tamtam in a thread in the Gay Thailand forum, but it's better that I put the answer in Gay Cambodia so that it will be easier to find in future. I was there for four days last month, for a couple of work meetings and considerable free time. I've been to Phnom Penh perhaps ten years before and thus I didn't need to do the standard tourist attractions -- not that there are many. Two days, I think, would be enough. I would recommend the National Museum though. I was fortunate that I had a whole afternoon to myself on one of the days and spent three hours there to closing time. I checked out the bars Toolbox and Space Hair. I walked past Blue Chilli but the road in front had been dug up and was such a mess with trash everywhere, it was quite off-putting (no fault of the bar, I must stress). I also availed the services of young men at two massage places: Hatha Khmer and Dai Khmer. If I had more time, I might have tried a place called Paradise Massage , reportedly above POC bar, and if I didn't have to wake up early in the mornings for appointments and phone calls, I might have checked out the late night dance club Heart of Darkness (said to be increasingly gay) but I didn't. Both the bars I found boring. Basically, none of the waiters/hosts could speak any English. There's no conversation to be had unless you're with friends of your own, or able to strike up a conversation with other drinkers in the bar. They are small bars (Space Hair had 4 tables, Toolbox was full with eight customers). Toolbox at least had a show at 22:30h -- energetic dancing, nothing erotic. Space Hair had no show at all. Blue Chilli reputedly has a drag show -- not my cup of tea, so another reason not to prioritise that place. I can't say anything about POC bar since I did not visit. The cutest boys I found were a bunch of footballers monkeying around at Domino's Pizza! I had more entertainment and eye candy for the price of a pizza than both bars put together. I don't know why Sharky Bar and Restaurant is sometimes mentioned as a place to go. Research via tripadvisor reviews speak of too-loud music and cigarette smoke. The photos there show skimpily-dressed young women. At both places Hatha Khmer and Dai Khmer, oil massage was USD 10 for a 60-minute session. Expected tip USD 20. I found massage skills subpar. Even the afters were rather mechanical. In other words, there is no reason to go back to Phnom Penh (unless work calls again) for another ten years. I should be writing up fuller reports, but it's difficult to find the time. Will try over the next two weeks or so.

Oh gosh, I feel so guilty about the delay (apologies) but I finally got around to writing the report about Ganymede. It is here: https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2020/02/09/almost-written-off-then-he-sat-on-me/ Of course it's a full ten months since OP Jamg03s posed his opening question of this thread. He's probably visited the place long ago.

And the breakfast place looks lovely.

Below is a photo from 2018, taken at a bubbletea cafe in Galle Fort, Sri Lanka, trying to make the best of their situation (no wifi). But as you said, the new generation finds the absence of wifi intolerable, so there was no one but me in this shop for over an hour. Oh, as for the sign cut off at the left edge of the picture, it says "I keep losing weight, but it keeps finding me." I find it quite apposite, and made me feel guilty about having afternoon tea there. I had half a mind to tell the proprietor that making his clients feel guilty about his cakes and bubbletea, and exhorting them to talk (what's that?), is not exactly a secret to success in his business. Mack.

Wonderfully helpful report, daydreamer, though the beach looked a bit disappointing compared to Krabi or Ko Samui. Could you perhaps add a bit more information regarding these: 1. Was the bungalow all yours, or was it a duplex? It seemed large for a single unit, and it had two peak roofs. 2. Could you say something about food options on the island? 3. What about water from the tap -- how was it? (20 years ago on Ko Samed, everything was great except the water which came from a well and looked/smelled dodgy). 4. Presumably the sea was noticeably cleaner than at Jomtien? Mack.

While I do agree that the farangs could have accepted the masks even when they didn't think they needed it, there are two other angles: 1. How many of them knew that this was a VVIP minister, whose face needed to be saved? 2. Consider too the common situation where as we walk down any street, all sorts of product promoters try to give out free gifts/samples; we've all developed a reflex habit of saying 'no'. Mack.

I've just been looking at a global map of detected cases and the entire African continent is supposedly free of this coronavirus. I find it hard to believe, given the number of Chinese in so many African countries now. Mack.

This is so tragic. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51403795 It is also rather unnerving. He was 34 years old and no report suggested that he had any underlying disease.

I think many of us here would also read other forums from time to time, but just in case anyone missed it, I am going to re-post a Thai Matichon story that was translated into English (by ???). Credits: I first saw the post by Trongpai on Gaybutton, who linked to Rooster59's post on ThaiVisa. https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1140766-immigration-raids-luxury-‘gay-spa’-in-bangkok-11-foreigners-arrested-some-earning-50k-per-day/ Some new information to note: There were a total of 35 masseurs at the time of the raid -- a pretty large selection. One third were foreigners. All the 11 foreigners "were charged with working without work permits", meaning none were overstayers. And the last sentence gives us an idea of how much VCK charges.

Does working illegally on a valid visit stamp also incur an entry ban of x years, beside a fine? If so, it would still be a heavy price to pay considering that these guy need to earn a living.

Thanks, Jasper for the videos and the translation. I think some perspective is in order. It does look like a pure immigration raid, not any kind of clampdown against gay activities, even if the media reporting (not always within the police's control) goes tabloidy and speaks breathlessly about 50,000 baht a day for the top performer. That said this tidbit must have come from the police who might have been spinning a more "shocked!" story at their news conference. The thing worth noting from about 1 minute 45 seconds of Jasper's second video is that all the guys being led to the police van were in similar black shorts, orange T-shirts, facemasks and black baseball caps. This indicates that the police brought these items so that the arrestees could conceal their identities (save those with exposed tattoos as hank75 pointed out). The media were either directed to, or themselves decided to blur and pixelate the other scenes, particularly those showing other masseurs not arrested. We should at least note this degree of consideration. If they had really wanted to make a homophobic case out of the incident, they needn't have taken all this trouble, and exposed everyone concerned, including Thai masseurs and their customers. So, at a policy level, it suggests that this was a pure immigration operation with no intention of any anti-gay campaign, but at the operational level, the police in charge perhaps couldn't resist injecting their own moralising. For more perspective, what we need to know is whether similar immigration raids are conducted at girlie joints. Perhaps those following other forums like Thaivisa might tell us? If immigration raids are only targetted at gay establishments, that tells us a different story. Some more factoids: Of the 11 foreigners arrested, there was 1 Cambodian, 2 Vietnamese, 4 Lao and 4 Burmese.

I haven't visited VCK in a decade, though from what I have read and heard it hasn't changed much in that time. I visited Ganymede earlier in December and so this comparison is between my recollection of VCK and a pretty recent experience at Ganymede. (report coming....) Other than the fact that they are up along the same stretch of the BTS line, they are quite different places. VCK, per my recollection has a large number of toyboys-for-rent, generally of the better-looking type (by Thai tastes) who cannot really do massage. The rooms have ensuite showers. My recollection is of a production line; hardly any greetings, smiles or little courtesies that can make a huge difference to the experience. Ganymede has more boy-next-door types, but probably fewer on offer than VCK. The one I had (thus sample of one!) did a reasonable massage. As Divine Madman says, each floor (about 4 rooms per floor) has a common bathroom at the end of the hallway. I used a room on the 2nd floor (i.e. one floor up from the reception) and there was no bathtub to be seen, pace earlier reports. It was a fairly commodious shower stall. I didn't see the floor above. Ganymede is less pricey than VCK.

Much blame heaped onto the baht for the poor tourism numbers. Reader has posted (https://www.gayguides.com/forums/topic/12701-not-enough-tourists-for-koh-samui/?tab=comments#comment-140091) a Bangkok Post story about Koh Samui's occupancy rate of 30% in fourth quarter 2019. Making the situation worse, another 1,000 rooms are to be added to Koh Samui in 2020, the story says. Now we have a story about effects on Phuket (https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1815729/soaring-baht-deals-blow-to-phuket-tourism) saying that "Despite a 4% rise in visitor numbers this year, revenue from tourism is falling," A further paragraph says this, conflating two distinct trends: "He blamed the stronger baht for putting a brake on tourism spending, adding that digital disruption had funnelled tourist services and income towards online platforms controlled by outsiders." An earlier story (https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1813294/tourism-ministry-to-seek-cabinet-nod-for-new-stimulus-deal) from December 11 says the Tourism Ministry is seeking cabinet approval for a "new tourism stimulus package including multiple-entry visas for Chinese tourists, reduced landing fees for airlines and increased airport slot times." The latter idea doesn't make a lot of sense. Swampy and Don Muang are already bursting at the seams -- how are they going to increase the number of slots? The tourist arrival numbers don't seem that bad to me. "This year, Mr Phiphat expects the number of tourist arrivals to reach 40.2 million, outpacing the goal of 39.8 million, but tourism revenue may fall short of the target of 2.04 trillion baht because of the global economic slowdown and solid baht." The article has some interesting numbers re Chinese tourists which, I recall, has been discussed recently with much heat. Out of 32.5 million tourist arrivals for the first ten months of 2019, Chinese tourists made up about 29%, or 9.34 million. "Chinese arrivals in the first 10 months stood at 9.34 million, up 3.6% year-on-year, generating 467 billion baht in tourism income, up 5.5%. The number of Chinese tourists this year should reach the target of 11 million, generating 730 billion baht, Mr Chattan said. The agency is confident that Thailand will receive 12 million Chinese arrivals next year, regardless of baht appreciation, which affects tourist spending." And, in contrast to the stereotype of cheap charlies being bussed around, "Mr Chattan said independent tourists contribute some 60% of Chinese visitors, while the balance are those travelling in groups." Look around Lucky Boys, Dream Boys, Jupiter or Moonlight, and you'll see plenty of these independent tourists. Without them, the bars might have closed down long ago.

I too have not had anything stolen from a Thai hotel room in my countless trips, though of course, I take basic precautions. The nearest I've come to such mishaps would be when the toyboys helped themselves to the minibar without asking. I consider hotel prices for minibar items daylight robbery. I've had one theft though. It was in a Manila hotel room. When the boy left, I realised my watch was missing. A watch is not something I'd think of putting into a safe on coming back into my room. I just take it off and lay it on a table, but nowadays I hardly wear a watch anymore. I guess the present-day equivalent would be a cellphone. I think most of us just leave them around. We'd appear too paranoid by half if we made the effort to stick them into a safe.

I wouldn't use those too after a friend told me of an experience in an African city. The hotel he was in had safes in an alcove near the reception. He dutifully put his passport, cash and some other valuables in there, as did, I suppose, other guests. One night a gang of robbers came, held up the reception guy(s) and emptied out all the safes. They took their time to open each and every locked box. (It didn't help that the police, as expected, were slow to respond). Having so many valuables in a single alcove made it an extra-tempting target; certainly much easier than going room to room. It needn't be said that all the guests were in uproar in the morning.

Now, this is useful. The Amazon site doesn't state the dimensions, but looking at your photos, I reckon it's about 10 or 12 inches, by 6 inches by 2 inches? What do you reckon the weight to be? If a hotel thief, frustrated that he or she can't steal, decides to sabotage the box, how easy would that be? Can he/she simply take away the battery, and if that's done, does it scramble the stored combination? Is there a manual key provided to open the safe? One interesting point: The Amazon site lists as one of the box's features thus: it "Fits up to full-sized 1911 handguns". Only in America! is this important!