In BKK now... GoGo bars (and boys) price crazy??

[Guest shamahan]

Perhaps one thing to keep in mind is that if you are a visitor from Northern America or Europe, you are (on average) much wealthier than a visitor from mainland China. It will take decades for places like China and India to even remotely approach living standards of Western nations. And even most of the guys from places like Singapore or HK who are visiting Thailand are poorer than you are.

Thus, stop complaining and enjoy yourself , if you are on a short visit. It is perhaps a different story for expats who are living on fixed income. But then it depends on what are you looking for. If you want a new boy every day and without a hassle, then well, you better have enough funds for that. On the other hand, for an expat living in BKK or Pattaya, it is not difficult to arrange a group of regular partners and have satisfactory sex life without spending idiotic amounts of money in bars (which are tourist traps by definition).

[floridarob]

Maybe that's a myth or perception that American's or Europeans are wealthier. We've both gone through financial crisis recently and perhaps have a better than normal living style. I have seen mainland Chinese drop money like they are a rapper or rock star... and perhaps why many business look for the Chinese tourist? I'm not sure but being from USA and now living in Mexico, I just relate my spending justification to what seems to be standard in third work countries..... Cuba, Mexico, Central America, Peru and Brasil are much closer to us and the rates for working guys are within the same price range of each other with Thailand falling into the higher end of the spectrum, factoring in the off/massage fees.

 

And I'm not complaining per se, my posts are my opinions... I know people that throw money at boys like crazy, but hey, it is their money.... they could throw it into the street or off a balcony if they wanted to ...it is theirs.

 

Anyway, I'm going to Pattaya tomorrow with someone from this board for 2 days, he's never been and I haven't been in a long time.... I'll post my complaints...errr, observations later, lol

[a447a]

Many (most?) of the Asian guys I see in the gogo bars don't off boys but they sure spend up big on drinks. I've even seen some take wads of cash out of their Louis Vuitton man bags and throw it onto the stage. So I don't think they have less money than a western tourists. Maybe that is true of the tourists who wander around in massive tour groups. But then they normally don't visit gogo bars.

[Guest shamahan]

Maybe that's a myth or perception that American's or Europeans are wealthier.

 

It is not a myth. It is statistics. I saw more than my share of mainland Chinese from casinos in Macau and shopping malls in HK to

BBB in Pattaya. They are poor as church rats mostly (and will stay that way  for many years to come with their miserable salaries and corrupted communist regime ). Sure , it is flattering to them that they are treated in places like Thailand as somewhat superior creatures in comparison with local "low class".  And even if some of them being drunk and in the spur of the moment start behave irrationally and spend money they really cannot afford , it is just smoke and mirrors. Gawking shit is gawking shit: nothing more and nothing less.

[floridarob]

Maybe that's where the assumption that all Asians are mainland Chinese.... I may be guilty of that latino attribute that all Asians are Chinos, lol

 

Just looked up countries with the most millionaires per capita,  Hong Kong and Singapore lead the USA and Japan and Taiwan are right behind.... 

[vinapu]

... amounts of money in bars (which are tourist traps by definition).

I,  for one am gladly shackled in those  traps but agree with you that on short vacation we should smile more and count money less as it's nothing worse than coming home thousands miles away and regretting missed off or being undermassaged.

 

After all this is what lines of credits are for. 

[dellboy]

*************After all this is what lines of credits are for. *****************

 

 

brilliant words !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest]

After all this is what lines of credits are for. 

Call me old fashioned, but I like my holidays paid for by money already in the bank.

 

That has meant some pretty low cost holidays in my earlier years such as camping in Europe. 

[abidismaili]

I always spend more money than was my initial intention. There are so many beautiful boys. It is so hard to resist. Each time after the holiday is over,  I must admit to myself that I again have spend much more than was my intention.

[t0oL1]

Hell, after a night of drinking and walking back to the hotel I am happy to pay almost anything just to 

use the restroom, let alone one last bar and a drink as well.

[gerefan]

I always spend more money than was my initial intention. There are so many beautiful boys. It is so hard to resist. Each time after the holiday is over,  I must admit to myself that I again have spend much more than was my intention.

Have you not heard of Rule 1 when going on holiday?

Take twice as much money and half as many clothes!

[vinapu]

Call me old fashioned, but I like my holidays paid for by money already in the bank.

 

That has meant some pretty low cost holidays in my earlier years such as camping in Europe. 

And this is how it should be done.

 

I'm not advising to take vacation on credit , merely stating fact that often it's  better to let hair loose a bit on vacations instead of worrying about every penny wasted.

 

I still spend my  vacations on low budget hence all those  Om Yims and Malaysia hotels and gourmet dinnig at Foodland Patpong , indignity of flying cattle class etc but when comes to the boys I tend to overspend and i like it. When boy and I are parting ways we should be both smiling.

 

On personal level unfortunately I  finance most of my  vacations by credit knowing how stupid it is. But my income stream is very unevenly distributed throughout the year so I take vacations during low income period when is easy to get time off work and pay them off when money is flowing faster.

 Wasteful  a bit but it works for me.

[Guest]

Well, I agree with quite a few of the principles in that post Vinapu.

 

Holidays are certainly a time to let your hair down and tipping your latest acquaintance fairly is one area where the money must be found.  There is also no need to splash out on over extravagant accommodation. 

 

However, for the budget, I choose to continually optimise my expenditure for the other 10.5 months to make sure the finances are in a good position first.    There are several good blogs on this type of thing, although it's long since become second nature to me.

[firecat69]

Everybody has their own opinions of being comfortable. Frankly even when I was in my 20's I never could understand going on vacation and staying in lodging that was not somewhat comparable to my home, That means quality of bedding, bathroom a/c or heat ,cleanliness etc.

 

I do agree that in Thailand's case the most important thing is to have the money you need to enjoy the Boys. However that does not mean you cannot stay in nice places, eat in nice restaurants etc if you can afford it.

 

Luckily I built up millions of points at Hilton , Marriott etc over my working career and I now can either stay for free or reasonable rates by using both cash and points. Same thing with Air.  I have not paid for a Business Class ticket in 2 years and won't have to for another 2 years 

 

In Pattaya I rent beautiful studios by the month for less then some of budget hotels mentioned here.

 

So everyone has different needs and different finances and in the end the choices are personal and not the business of anyone else.

[Guest]

Everybody has their own opinions of being comfortable. Frankly even when I was in my 20's I never could understand going on vacation and staying in lodging that was not somewhat comparable to my home, That means quality of bedding, bathroom a/c or heat ,cleanliness etc.

 

I do agree that in Thailand's case the most important thing is to have the money you need to enjoy the Boys. However that does not mean you cannot stay in nice places, eat in nice restaurants etc if you can afford it.

Thankfully people's expectations of comfort can adapt according to their personal finances. 

Maybe for someone with £50 million stashed away, nothing less than first class would do.

 

If I go camping in the for a weekend, sample some nice beers and return to a tent that has a nice soft mattress, warm sleeping bag and pillow, that's comfortable.

Delete any one of those features and it's not comfortable.

As for overseas, well as personal finances improve, I slowly spent more on accommodation, now mostly in the 1000~1500 range.

However, I take a long term view & would not spend every penny now, only to find I have to work until I'm 70 or alternatively stop all holidays after retiring.  

The idea is to have comfortable holidays, with some budget control so that for every single working year, I still have made useful steps towards early financial independence.  

For those who are smart or lucky enough to earn 2 or 3x the income, I suppose that can be combined with a more expensive lifestyle.  Or some just spend it all anyway.

Those on 1/2 or 1/3rd of the income probably cannot afford any of it. Such is life.

[firecat69]

I'm trying to see where exactly we disagree. I spend far less then you on lodging in Thailand even in Pattaya where I rent an apartment far superior to the places you can stay for 1000-1500.  I currently spend Zero for airfares.

 

I am retired and I am careful with my money but luckily I spend less then you do for lodging and stay in much nicer places . So when I post photos of the Hilton or Marriott in BKK , I am paying between 1500 baht -Down to Zero..

 

I stay in Waterfont Luxuriy Studios in Pattaya for between 1000- 1500 baht depending on season.  Yes my visits are usually a month and that is an advantage. At the prices I'm paying I rent for a month and skip the last 5 days and go to BKK.

 

Yes I have an advantage of accumulating lots of points and miles over my working career and I use them judiciously.

 

Would I pay $200 a night for a Hotel in Thailand. Absolutely not!..  Will I pay $5000 for Business Class tickets when my miles are gone.  Doubtful unless my stocks do better and even then I will look for easily obtainable bargains on airfares which are easy for me to find since I can travel anytime I choose.

 

My trips have already been reduced from 4 a year to 2 per year and next year only once because there are still many places in the world I want to return or see for the first time.

 

So as I said before everyone has different finances and needs and it is up to them how they spend their money.

[firecat69]

Bottom line.  No matter how carful you are the average visitor from the USA will spend a lot more on Airfare, Rooms, Meals, Transportation , Booze etc then they ever will on boys .  Depending on their Libido a lot more.

 

The Boys are the smallest cost for North American Visitors and even European Visitors.  Only visitors from places like Singapore where their airfare is minimal spend as much on boys as all the other costs.

 

Bottom Line appreciate how cheap it is to have Sex with Sexy Thai Boys and treat them fairly and a little extra compensation of the ones who treat you special!

[Guest]

Boys are not necessarily the smallest cost from Europe.   It depends on how your trip is specified.

 

Direct air fare & rail fare to airport = £800;   Averaged over 28 days, that's about 1500 baht per day.

My most expensive hotel is around 1500 baht.    The average daily cost would be nearer 1200 baht.

 

Long time tips would be in the range 1500~1700

Short time 1000~1300

Plus any off fees, drinks etc.

 

So when indulging, boys are the highest daily cost. 

Going off for some side trips to places that just don't have the nightlife could bring the budget down.

[firecat69]

To that flight and Hotel you have to add Booze (Big Expense for some). If you are in BKK and go bar hopping on Soi Twilight , at least another 1500 per day and maybe much more . Even in Pattaya, bar hopping easily adds up to over a thousand baht per day . Five Bars in Pattaya, drinking water is 1000 baht  or more and thats not buying boys drinks , tipping etc. which can quickly raise it to 2000 per night.

 

I'm not a Big Bar goer anymore but if I went to Soi Twilight I can't imagine spending less then 2000 baht for drinks , boy drinks , tips etc.  So that alone equals what the boy might get for the night.  

 

 

Then you have to add meals, Taxis, Skytrain , baht buses or motorbikes etc so I'm pretty sure the boys still add up to less and in many cases much less then all the other expenses combined..

 

Now if you average 2 or more boys per day then boys expenses get closer to all the other expenses. 

 

So when I am there for a month I may start off like a house afire for the first week but then quickly slow down and over a month I have never averaged 2 boys per days. I do mostly short times and the last 5 days are in BKK where I never even average 1 boy per day but that is at the end of the trip.  So on average my 30 day trips usually have 45-50 meetings with boys . 

 

That adds up to less then my other expenses even when my Hotels are free in BKK and my airfare was free. When I was paying for economy a few years ago from the East Coast of the USA , the amount spent on boys was a small % of all my other costs.

 

 

Now if you are a massage expert like Vinapu then it is likely that your expenses for boys will be much higher then mine.  

[vinapu]

 

Now if you are a massage expert like Vinapu then it is likely that your expenses for boys will be much higher then mine.  

Unfortunately for my pocket but fortunately for my joy of life you are right. For me cost of boys is biggest single item, almost always higher than airfare even on short trips. Highest airfare I ever paid was approx. 36000 baht  / equivalent of 12-18 long time offs or 20-25 massages / 

 

I don't spend that much on hotels and would spend little on food if not my habit of dining nightly with  my long time offs but trying not to spoil them in this respect either. To boys credit I must say it's extremely rare they suggest more expensive restaurants probably feeling a bit out of place there.

 

Sightseeing is big line item for  due to Thai habit of charging foreigner prices,   on another hand I spent very little on shopping and if I do it's on utilitarian things I need and will use so I don't classify that as part of trip costs.

[Guest FossilGay]

Unfortunately for my pocket but fortunately for my joy of life you are right.

 

I love your attitude and your way with words makes me LOL.

You make me feel like LMTU is still alive and walking among us!

[vinapu]

I love your attitude and your way with words makes me LOL.

You make me feel like LMTU is still alive and walking among us!

thank you , but now I need some enlightment since I'm not sure I should be thrilled or offended.

 

I vaguely remember poster LMTU on some gay boards from my reading only days  but nothing particular about him. I gather you have rather fond memories of Him, God let him rest in peace. Am I right?

 

You spot on on  walking part though, I walk plenty even if it doesn't make sense like Suriwong to Hero mid day. 

[Guest FossilGay]

thank you , but now I need some enlightment since I'm not sure I should be thrilled or offended.

 

I vaguely remember poster LMTU on some gay boards from my reading only days  but nothing particular about him. I gather you have rather fond memories of Him, God let him rest in peace. Am I right?

 

 

 

Let's just say he was a character and some people had very strong views about him.  I thought he was funny and very creative in his use of the English language.  May he rest in peace.

[Jasper]

I know most members here do not care much about Bangkok bar scene. But what happened to Jupiter?

The last week of October, I did bar hopping of Jupiter →Dreamboys→Hot male. OK it's a low season but at Jupiter there were only 20 boys on stage doing "boysboysboys" routine.

I was truly flabbergasted. Shows were mostly performed by ladyboys. I could not find any muscular guys that I usually see many at Jupiter. Dreamboys were not much better either.

Very few boys and only around 30 customers mainly 20's 30's yo Asians.

[vinapu]

I know most members here do not care much about Bangkok bar scene. But what happened to Jupiter?

The last week of October, I did bar hopping of Jupiter →Dreamboys→Hot male. OK it's a low season but at Jupiter there were only 20 boys on stage doing "boysboysboys" routine.

I was truly flabbergasted. Shows were mostly performed by ladyboys. I could not find any muscular guys that I usually see many at Jupiter. Dreamboys were not much better either.

Very few boys and only around 30 customers mainly 20's 30's yo Asians.

What?

 

I think possibly vocal minority doesn't care about Bangkok bar scene hence your impression  but rest assured plenty members here do care.

 

That's surprise , I was in Jupiter in June and lots of  hunks were on display. As for Dreamboys I may see your point , first time ever I liked line up in other bar in soi  better / XSize/