ChristianPFC

Not only endangered species, there is more to this. As far as I know, these animals are taken from the wild while they are still young, often after killing the parents. Those who survive face a live (short due to keeping not appropriate to the species) in an unnatural habitat, often drugged. I bet the monkey did not have a good time when you posed with him. I am now in a position where I don't go on purpose to any shows that involve animals in Thailand.

Reviews and listings have to be clearly marked, then it will be ok for me. I think a forum should not be a place for fiction.

I learned about this thread only by chance, via a pm regarding the retirment thread. I agree with the op, there is no value in posting reviews of places you haven't visited (beachlover style), or copying reviews from elsewhere in the internet. There is already too much copy and paste on the internet. If you don't have people who go to these places and review them, well then you can't write reviews.

It was a pleasure to meet Michael and his boyfriend. I have been to Mama Dolores four times, as far as I remember. The pizza is good, worth coming back. They are expanding their menu, they changed the menu twice since I first went there about two years ago. One think I didn't like: the music was a bit too loud. I felt the need to shout at Michael across the table. Not to be confused with Mama Dolores on Soi Sri Bam Pen (opposite Ibis Hotel, only a few months old) and the other pizzeria opposite the second 7/11 (on Sri Bam Pen, when you come from Malaysia Hotel).

The same for me. My first ride (Aug 2009, from Suvarnbhum to Sathorn for 600 Baht flat fare), the driver offered me girl, boy, massage, young girl, young boy. My very first impressions of Thailand: being overcharged and offered underage sex. I wouldn't feel trapped in a taxi, unless the driver locks the door. I vaguely remember one case at the airport. I got into the taxi without discussing the fare. On the drive, the driver started negotiations. I told him to use the meter. He didn't, he took me back to the point where I got into his taxi for free and waited for an easier victim.

I used to shave at irregular intervals, every 2 or 3 days. Once this period of time is passed, I would have to shear first, which is a lot more effort, so I will continue growing a beard up to 3 weeks (then it becomes uncomfortable and I will shear and shave). But I don't like shaving, it takes time and sometimes irritates my skin. Now I found out that I have as many Thai friends who think I look good with a beard as those who think I look better without a beard. I clearly prefer Thai boys without facial hair or body hair. If they shave their facial hair, that is ok; but facial hair is a good indicator for hair elsewhere (where I don't like it), so rather pass on everyone with facial hair, shaven or not.

I go by flat fare only in emergency situations. The last one was on Songkran with the druken boy in tow, if I had been alone I have taken the bus. If the driver quotes a price, it's bye bye. I think I went by taxi without meter only twice: my very first taxi ride in Bangkok (my lack of experience) and with the drunken boy on Songkran.

Spurious claim? Is there any doubt that all of both Americas has been robbed from the native population by European invaders?

Taxis refusing customers I has been a long time that I had a problem with taxis. But yesterday, it struck again. I was in Sukhumvit area with a friend. There was heavy rain at midnight. Around 1 am (today 12.09.2013),I Ieft her place (the rain had stopped, but still some areas ankle deep under water) and hailed down several taxis in Soi 11. They either refused to go to Lak Si or quoted a price that was about twice what I would pay by meter. One taxi driver even said “It’s so far!” WTF? If it was close, I would walk there! Other customers had similar problems. Now the interesting part. The taxi drivers have the window on the passenger side down and prospective passengers tell them their destination and wait for approval and a price quote. The customer becomes a supplicant who asks the taxi driver if he deigns going to his destination. After over five rejections, I change my strategy. I hail down a taxi and get in, and then tell the driver where I want to go. It works! My suggestion for similar situations: Don’t discuss destination through the window while standing outside. It’s irrelevant, the taxi has to take you wherever you want to go (within reason). And it shows the driver that you are in the weaker position. Just open the door and sit down and tell him where you want to go (best in Thai to show that you have local knowledge), because you are the customer, he is the servant. By telling your destination through the window and waiting for approval you accept your role as petitioner, by getting in and sitting down you show that you are the boss! Based on one event. What are your experiences/thoughts? I always sit down in the front seat, for a better view.

Yes. (You are really far behind on this trend.)

When I go to Pattaya for a weekend, I do so mainly to go to the bars. I sit in front of a computer every day, during that weekend only minimum use of entertainment electronics. Many boys have poor management of space and time, in the bar you can get him here and now. That compensates for the additional cost (drinks, off fees).

I have used Line for about two months (since I got my new phone) and it is very convenient. Cheaper than SMS (you are charged by data volume, not per message), easier to read (messages are displayed like in an online chat). You will need a smartphone and a SIM for data (you probably already have if you use grindr). You just register (there should be an app installed already, it was on my phone) and can start. Highly recommended!

Patience, patience. I am busy and it might take a week or even two until I can write the story to the end.

Weekend in Chachoengsao 31.08.-01.09.2013 Spoiler: no sex, no drama, no drugs, no trannies, everything runs roughly according to my plans. Tourism (Wat Saman Rattanaram (Ganesha statue) (วัดสมานรัตนาราม), Wat Chin Pracha Samoson (Wat Leng Hok Yi) (วัดจีนประชาสโมสร วัดเล่งฮกยี่), Wat Sothon Wararam Woraviharn (Wat Hong) (วัดโสธรวรารามวรวิหาร), World Sand Sculpture exhibition), Nightlife, ChristianPFC tries so change according to advice given in “Almost there (getting laid locally)” There are some popular markets in Chachoengsao province, one was covered recently, but they are of little interest to me. Chachoengsao (ฉะเชิงเทรา also known as Paet Rio (Paed Riu, 8rio (paed=) แปดริ้ว, province east of Bangkok). I will abbreviate it as CCS. On my trip I saw less than 10 Farang in two days. I have an acquaintance from Camfrog in Chachoengsao, whom I wanted to meet on Sunday, his day off. We did not meet, but after four years of dating Thai boys I know that they have problems with space-time coordination and planed accordingly. This is the tipping point: now I can go to any province for weekend trips without needing to know anyone there (so far, I always needed a peg to go somewhere). Preparation for this trip was just a few hours reading on the internet and saving webpages downloaded there on my mobile phone, and taking pictures of the relevant pages in tourist guides with my mobile phone for reference (so I don’t have to carry the whole book). Everything else by asking locals. My reputation as a cheapskate whoremonger has not yet reached Chachoengsao, so I could make a fresh start there. (But a friend who comes from CCS messaged me just hours after I posted a picture on facebook.) Friday, 30.08.2013 Take van from Ekkamai bus station (no big buses, but there seem to be big buses from Mor Chit). Slow traffic along On Nut, and the van stops at the bus center at the airport! If I had known before, I could have gotten directly to the airport, faster and cheaper than via Ekkamai. My friend cannot have guests, so I need a hotel. I didn’t make any plans, just asked a tuk-tuk driver at the bus station if he knows a hotel in walking distance to the railway station. I ended in Yenjit Bungalow. I later found out that they are listed in agoda: http://www.agoda.com/asia/thailand/chachoengsao/yenjit_bungalow_and_resort.html The price on agoda is cheaper, but after taxes it’s the same as the walk-in rate (600 Baht per night). It’s located at the end of an alley, over 100 m from the main road, and the sign at the main road is only in Thai. Most Thais I talked with in CCS have heard of it. If you come by car, they have bungalows for drive-in as well: The owner (?) speaks good English and helped me to find public transport. Wifi is free, fast (tested with videos on youtube, no problem) and straightforward (password is on the key tag; I just tried with the strongest network and it worked). I call my friend, he cannot meet me on Friday or Saturday evening after work, only on Sunday. It’s too early to go to bed. I go to Suan Somdet Phra Sri Nagarindra Park (สวนสมเด็จพระศรีนครินทร์). Unlike most parks in Bangkok, it is open all time. There are groups of boys and girls out drinking and listening to music and driving around on their motorbikes. Boys who drive past on a motorbike smile at me or say hello. It’s ghetto style: screeching tyres, incomplete combustion (dark exhaust fumes), exhaust modified to make it louder, cars that are a driving discotheque. Quite different from Bangkok! Making contact is easy, you just have to walk past and there is a 50% chance someone will say hello, smile or even invite you for a drink. And if there is a cute boy who doesn’t notice me, I just ask for the way and see where this leads. On the trip I spoke to more than 50 Thais, several of them my type. After about 1 hour in the park, I proceed to the river shore. Again groups of boys and girls. I want to go home to sleep, by chance my way leads past the biggest nightclub, Dome. What I see outside is promising. I go in (23:55, purchase of one drink – in my case Beer Singha for 100 Baht – is compulsory). It is large, about thrice the size of DJ station or NAB. About half full, which allows easy roaming, as I like it. I spot a table with cute boys and while I still think how to find an excuse how to join the, one of them raises his glass to me. I join them and will stay there the rest of the night. The cutest boy is opposite. Again no need to look for a way to get next to him, it happens after some shifts. It is too loud to exchange more than a few sentences. I have my earplugs in. Later, they ask me if I could pay for another bucket of ice (80 Baht), which I do (and order a bowl of crisps for 50 Baht as well). I even okayed the purchase of another bottle of whisky (220 Baht?), but the order was never placed. How do I get the cute boy into my room? By the time (2:30 am) I have come up with an idea (ask him if he has a motorcycle and can drive me back), they are leaving. I stay till closing time (3am), some customers are so drunk, they have to be carried out. Plenty of broken glass and spoiled drinks on the floor. I go home alone. Nonetheless, an interesting new experience, and no lack of cute boys and social interaction. It seems there is no age restriction in the disco. About 5% of the customers are under 18 years old (my estimation, I asked just one and he is 17). Unfortunately, smoking is allowed. Clothes smell of smoke when you come back home, and I got a burn on my finger from someone else’s cigarette. No burn holes in my clothes so far. Aircon is insufficient, I think it was well above 25 C inside. Summary: there are many cute boys in the park, along the river and in the disco. Getting into contact is easy. Now I just need a way to take them to my room, be it for free or for pay. One constraint is that they come by motorbike, with two or three on each motorbike. How can I separate the cute one to go to my place on motorbike? Do these boys lend their motorbike to friends? Saturday 31.08.2013 The Ganesha temple (the world’s largest Ganesha in happy reclining posture) is out of town, about 10 km to the east on an island in the Bang Pakong river. I walk to the bus station (with stop at the railway station, due to rain). There are a song thaew from the bus station, it takes 30 minutes and costs 30 Baht. (I had to ask where the song thaew leave, there are no signs.) I would estimate the size similar to that in Nakhon Nayok, but Nakhon Nayok has two statues. In CCS it’s a whole complex: Ganesha, Guan Im, another statue under construction, market, restaurants, it was much busier than in Nakhon Nayok. Boat rides around the island are available for 300 Baht per boat (6 people). Website (in Thai): http://www.watsaman.org/ A large market and many restaurants are in the temple complex. Betel nut sold at the market: The largest Rahu statue in Thailand: Guan Im statue: The major difference from the Ganesha in Nakhon Nayok (I confused the two on pictures, before I learnt that there are two of them) is the 32 postitions around the base: You can walk inside the base, there is a shop. Same for the Guan Im statue. Ganesha with 108 hands (I didn’t count, the sign says so)(พระพิฆเนศ ปางปาฏิหารย์ ๑๐๘กร): I did not remember where exactly I got off the song thaew, and can’t see any signs of public transport back to Chachoengsao. So I ask a police officer about transport back. He calls a colleague who takes me back for free on his motorbnike. Not exactly back to CCS, but to the Chinese temple with a tall tower (I noticed the tower on the way to the Ganesha temple and took a picture to ask for details). Wat Chin Pracha Samoson (Wat Leng Hok Yi) (วัดจีนประชาสโมสร วัดเล่งฮกยี่) The tower is still under construction: The temple is about 200 m south of the tower. About 200 m north of the tower is the Tewasatharn Riew Yiang Tai, maintained by the Sawang Satthatammasatharn Foundation (เทวสถานวิหาร ริ้วเยี้ยงไท้ มูลนิธิสว่างศรัทธาธรรมสถาน): I call my Camfrog acquaintance (after waiting an hour for a reply to my sms) to make a date for Sunday. He said he will be in Bkk on Sunday and we can meet at Victory monument. I will show the messages (in Thai) we exchanged on facebook and elsewhere to Thai friends and ask them if it’s not crystal clear that I was coming to CCS to meet him there. I learnt the hard way that there can be misunderstandings and changes and in a Thai boy’s plan at any moment, and plan accordingly, so I can just shrug this off. Evil forces in the universe. At night, a stroll through the park and along the river. Some boys remember me from Friday. Now there are only 73 provinces left where I can go for a fresh start (hook up with boys). A group of boys stand around a car, one of them is cute. I join them for a chat. They ask me if I like girls, I reveal that I like boys, everyone takes a step back, like “don’t touch me”, and there is a gap in the conversation, until one of them continues: “do you like him?”. From this and from previous similar encounters, I conclude that revealing my sexual orientation is a roadblock to getting laid (I will elaborate on this in another post). I ask the cute boy for his name and use this occasion to shake his hand and tickle his palm with my finger (meaning: I want sex with you). Is this a good idea and generally understood? Our ways cross later in Dome, but nothing ensues. I enter Dome at 23:35 it is full, difficult to get around. There is a table with three cute twinks, I join their table, but they don’t show interest in me. Is this common practice, as a single customer, to simply join a table that has space left to put your glass or bottle on it? Staff sometimes splits tables, i.e. move all bottles from two tables onto one to allow a new group of customers to use the now empty table. I wish I had a way to spend more time in the bathroom. Good light and you can get a glimpse of skin and underwear. A fight breaks out elsewhere. Lights go on in that part and staff has problems to get through to separate the parties and throw them out. On passing my table, someone tries to grab my empty bottle (probably for use as a weapon), I am quick and hold it, but I get an angry look. No further incidents, go home alone. To be continued. (full album of pictures here: http://s1084.photobucket.com/user/christianpfc/library/Chachoengsao%20Aug%202013)

I don't remember what kind of haircut my friend got. I used to shave (dry or wet, depending on situation) at home, but now found out that growing a beard is no problem, several friends said they like it! (Facial hair is a big no-no for me, I would never have sex with someone with facial hair, but my target group thinks differently!). Re TOQ: the same op can develop, and usually does, in completely different ways on different boards. I found out (to my surprise) that some members only read and post on one board. I spend some time to write my reports, so I don't want anyone to miss it just because he doesn't read another board. ("attention whore"? NIrish has a point!)

Thanks for your post. I went there last week, and the pizza was to my taste, worth going back. (When I have time, I will write a full report.)

Expenses June 2013 Some people might wonder why I am sharing this. I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing this for me to know where my money goes. Then I just add some explanations so this might be of use to others (occasionally, people ask how much money you need to live in Thailand), and previous reports about my expenses have shown that this is fantastic material to bitch about. There seems to be a misunderstanding of my relationship to money, which is aggravated by taking everything I write serious or not getting my jokes. I don’t throw money around like others do, but I happily pay a fair price for goods or services (the contentious point is what I and others think is a fair price). My reluctance to tip is because I think tipping is wrong. Taking bus instead of taxi is a lifestyle choice, I can afford taxi, but I don’t want to. Often there is no other characteristics than price to decide, e.g. my new laptop: I wanted a 15.6” with Windows 7, all other specifications are of low significance (HDD, memory, processor, graphic car, manufacturer) as it doesn’t make much difference to me. So it’s the price that decides which one I buy. New structure: grouped together by categories (instead of listing single expenses in chronological order). In order of decreasing amount, with comments, in bracket the single expenses. Pattaya weekend 6685 (all included) Rent for room 3000 (If tips for boys were separate, they would be about 3000 Baht, i.e. I pay as much for prostitutes as for my room!) Chantaburi weekend 2694 (all included) Foodland and 7/11 (mainly food shopping) 1978.50 (5+20+27+396.25+42+657.50+13+16+801.75) Taxi 1939 (140+160+235+41+150+153+140+125+150+150+125+60+160+150) Splurge out on food (farang food or expensive thai restaurant) 972.75 (360 248 160 204.75) Lunch 972 (60 30 30 35 80 30 30 90 35 30 30 30 30 70 40 35 35 30 30 85 75 32) Electricity 949.25 Fruit 783 (20 20 20 20 35 20 20 50 20 20 20 20 60 20 50 8 20 15 20 40 100 25 25 20 95) (fruits I bought: banana, mango, mangosteen, sala, durian, watermelon, lychee, noina, pomelo) Hotel room (full night, but use only short time with friend) 650 Sweets (cookies, cake, ice-cream, fried insects, durian chips) 640 (30 28 25 25 50 40 52 120 36 80 70 30 34 20) Internet in my room 631.25 Drinks in bars 599 (199 300) Clothes 499 (Sandals 199 T-shirt 170 Underwear 100 Clothes repair 30) Sauna 320 (160 160) Friends 180 (40 100 20 20) (tips for friends when they asked me for money) Cinema 180 Disco (DJ station) 150 Bus 142.50 (6.50 16 13 14 8 8 12 12 12 12 12 17) Haircut 140 (for me and a friend) Dinner 110 (40 35 35) Food (street stall, eat while walking or standing) 100 (20 20 20 10 10 10 10) Mobile phone 100 Motorcycle 80 (40+40) Water 61 (running water in my room for toilet, showering) Laundry 60 (20 20 20) BTS 42 Tips 40 (20 20) (tips in bars or restaurants) Van 25 Feed fish 10 (buy fish food for a friend in a wat) Total 21851.25 Baht (I was sick one weekend, if I had not been sick the expenses would be about 1000 Baht more.) The crucial point is working Mon-Fri 9-5. That keeps me occupied during day and provides an income. Without working, I would spend about 40k per month because I would have time to fill. My limiting factor is not money, but time. I don't have time to spend more money because I work. I could open an additional point in the list, occasional purchase of drinks at 7/11 or at street stalls, this is included in 7/11. One day I found a 100 Baht not, not included. In some cases the numbers include paying for my Thai friends, that amounts to about 5% of the total. Food is split in “splurge” (farang food or expensive Thai restaurants), “lunch” and “dinner” (midday and evening, in my area, in a place that provides seating and service and cutlery and crookery), and “food” (usually street stall, place without seating, I eat while walking or standing or take back home). “Foodland+7/11” is mainly food shopping for eating at home. The difference between “lunch” and “dinner” is that I eat lunch every day in the canteen at work or in the foodcourt of a shopping center, whereas dinner is usually fruit and sweets and foodshopping from foodland+7/11 at home. All food combined is 5556.25 Baht. Transportation is split into taxi, bus, motorcycle, van, BTS (no use of MRT in June). Electricity, internet, water are for the previous month, rent is for the following month, but the numbers don’t vary much from month to month. In England and France, my expenses were about 60% rent, 35% food, 5% others. Now they are 15% rent, 30% food, 55% others (mainly entertainment).

Pizzeria Koh Lanta This Pizzeria is in a small dead-end Soi between Khao San and Rambuttri, opposite Wat Chanasongkram. I learned about it here: http://www.nikswieweg.com/ (website in German language with a few recommendations for food in Khao San area). Pizza Caprizziosa 240 Baht, Fanta 25 Baht, I left 15 Baht tip (the staff came running after me to give my change back, quite a different experience from Bucky on SGT). Their menu says 7% VAT will be added, but there was no VAT on my bill, I paid the price from the menu. Delicious, will go back some day.

Saranrom 28.08.2013 Haven’t been to Saranrom for a while. Even if I don’t find a boy, the market east of Sanam Luang is very interesting. No rain at night, end of the month, so I expected many boys. There were only about 30, and I didn’t see many customers. Slow business this night (contrary to other nights). I spent about 22:30 to 00:30 around Saranrom (interrupted by taking a boy to the short time hotel). I saw him there before. I had to ask if he wants to go with me (most boys ask me if they can go with me). That might be a bad sign, but whom else is he waiting for there? A 20 year old beautiful Thai girl? I ask “How much?” – “500 Baht”. People might disagree that this is a fair price, but if you disagree that this is the going rate, then I invite you to join me and prove me wrong. We walked to the hotel, about 10 minutes, he was not very talkative. So far, I only thought that if a boy doesn’t want to walk (he asked if we can go by taxi), this shines a bad light on him; but now it occurred to me that the opposite might be true as well. After showering, I didn’t switch off the TV (he was watching, waiting while I was showering), a big mistake! He was watching TV during all our interaction, I asked to switch it off, he replied something that I interpreted as “I just want to watch this to the end”. Catch-22: if I switch off the TV, he will not be happy, if I leave it on, it will attract all his attention. I left it on. Sex was so-so, will look for another boy next time. I think they have pegged me down as easy to please and softy/wimp (can’t even tell a prostitute to switch off the TV during sex!). After that, I had another round and saw two more cute boys. Got their phone numbers, previous visits have shown that cute boys I see might not be back on my next trip (or any other following trips). The boy whom I had twice (despite him being a dud in bed) was there as well, I told him that I don’t like him playing with a knife in my presence (to put it mildly, last time he pointed the knife at me in jest and asked for money). I hope he made the connection between me giving him 20 Baht he had asked for and not playing with his knife (on our two last encounters I didn’t give him money because he was playing with his knife). I should have told him as well that I like his T-shirt.

The pizza (Mama Dolores Rama 4) was at least freshly heated in the oven (I didn't watch if they prepared it for me). One (of my many peculiarities) is that I don't like to have dirty hands. That simply means I want to wash after touch anything, don't even have to use soap and the towel can be soggy from the last 100 users before me (see thread on gaybuttonthai about Boric Acid - eye infection - soggy towels), it doesn't matter, running water is the important thing to make me feel clean. That street restaurant didn't have a bathroom, so I could not wash my hands before eating (and they felt dirty) and after eating (after licking my fingers to clean them). Sometimes I eat pizza with my fingers, but I prefer fork and knife.

(my emphasis) Now that you mention it, and to proof firecat69 wrong*, before I went to the Gurudwara (Sikh temple) in Bangkok, I read on the internet and found out that you have to cover your head. So I brought a hat with me, but they had triangular cloths for visitors to wear. In one place you have to take off your head, in another place you have to cover it. One religion does not allow consumption of beef, but of poultry; another religion allows consumption of beef, but not of poultry. The Vinmanmek Palace is even worse. There are security checks like on an airport, and you have to leave everything in a locker, if I remember correctly the fee is not refundable. * Most temples do not require you to wear long trousers. I think I had the Grand Palace in mind when I went out, so I could have worn long trousers, but simply didn't think of it. Now we have dragged the defensive position I am in on other boards (Almost there (getting laid locally)) to this board as well.

Did he say anywhere that he is going to retire from the forum? Did someone call or email to ask him? Maybe his is just on holiday (optimistic thought) or sick in hospital (pessimistic thought).

Regarding the tipping (cut from a post I wrote on another board):

They have dressing rules, with shorts you cannot enter. Unfortunately, I did not think of these rules when I left my room (otherwise I would have dressed in long trousers). They provide long trousers that you can over your shorts, however you have to queue and pay a deposit, then queue to get trousers, then queue for the dressing room, and on leaving the same backwards (you get your deposit back). Very annoying and a big waste of time!

The lady bar is "Pink Panther". I wrote about Screw Boys shortly after it reopened in May (?). Nothing to write home about. The only thing that sets it apart is the long opening time (3 or 4 am).