Gaybutton Posted December 8, 2006 Posted December 8, 2006 Not long ago, on the thread entitled "Bangkok Parks and Street Hustlers" (see http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.ph...kok%20park&st=0 ) GayThailand wrote about the scads of boys he saw at Saranrom Park, in Bangkok. Yesterday I was in Bangkok and I decided to see for myself. It's absolutely true. If you go to Saranrom Park at night you're going to find available boys virtually everywhere! Most of them are college students, or at least they say they are. Some work alone and some work in small groups. Every boy and group I spoke with were very friendly and I felt perfectly safe walking though the area. It's well lit and on a major thoroughfare, so you don't have to worry about being in an area of sleazy back alleys in the middle of the night. It's fun even if you're not going to take any of the boys back to your hotel with you. But it will be awfully difficult to resist the temptation. Many of these boys are very good looking. VERY good looking! All of the boys said they ask 500 baht plus cab fare for their services. All of them appeared to be at least 18 years old. Most seemed to be in their early 20's. Some speak English quite well and some speak only very little, but all of them seemed to be able to speak enough to get by. If you decide to take any boys back to your hotel with you, make sure they understand and agree with what you want to do. Not all of them are gay. Several are "gay-for-pay" and may not be willing to do what you might have in mind. Make sure first so there won't be any disappointment. So, where is this "untapped resource" and how do you get there? The easiest way is to take a taxi and have the driver drop you off. Then you can do your "exploring." The park is pronounced "sah-lahn-LOM" The Thai word for park is "soo-wan," so you'll ask to be taken to "soo-wan sah-lan-LOM." Pronounce it clearly to make sure the driver understands where you want to go. The taxi drivers are not all familiar with the park and may not know where it is. If they can't figure it out, just tell the driver to take you to Wat Po (the famous Thai massage school wat), but make sure the driver understands. When you say "Wat Po" they tend to think you are trying to say Patpong. It sounds similar and they would expect you to be familiar with Patpong. When you arrive at Wat Po, the park is directly across the street. You'll find boys on the Wat Po side of the street, but most seemed to be hanging out on the other side of the park, which runs along a canal. To make sure you can easily get there, I've attached a file that has maps, both in English and Thai, so that you can print it out and show the taxi driver. From the Pinnacle Hotel it's a 65 baht, ten to fifteen minute taxi ride, depending on traffic. If you're staying at Tarntawan Place, or somewhere in that area, the cab fare should be a little less. Take your hotel's business card with you to show the next taxi so he get you back to your hotel without any problems. On the larger scale map, look for the red 'pin' on the left side of the map. The later you go, the more boys there are. I got there around 10:00 PM and there were literally dozens of boys. Several told me that if you come around midnight, there are even more. If you are an "early bird," you'll start finding boys around 7:00 PM. It's a great alternative if you're tired of the Bangkok bar scene and dealing with the prices, mama-sans, the music volume, buying a drink you may not want in the first place, buying the drink for the boy, and all of that. Saranrom park is just the opposite . . . quiet and very friendly. I highly recommend giving it a try. If you do, please look for this thread and let us know if your experience was similar to GayThailand's and mine. Quote
PattayaMale Posted December 8, 2006 Posted December 8, 2006 It is great your Thai friend has a four year scholarship to Assumption University in Bangkok! Now you need no excuse to go to Bangkok! Just kidding...I know it is just investigative reporting....and a great report it is! Quote
Guest Geezer Posted December 8, 2006 Posted December 8, 2006 I posted about an unproductive trip to Saranrom Park some time ago, but it appears to have been an anomaly. I shall certainly try it again -- as soon as possible! Quote
TotallyOz Posted December 8, 2006 Posted December 8, 2006 I posted about an unproductive trip to Saranrom Park some time ago, but it appears to have been an anomaly. I shall certainly try it again -- as soon as possible! Geezer, I have been there on a few occassions now and found the same thing true each time. I had a great time and each time and there were many boys. Try it on a weekend as well. Quote
Gaybutton Posted December 8, 2006 Author Posted December 8, 2006 I posted about an unproductive trip to Saranrom Park some time ago, but it appears to have been an anomaly. I shall certainly try it again -- as soon as possible! There are several reasons that may have happened. First, are you certain you were even in the right place? As I said, many taxi drivers are not even familiar with that park and your driver may have simply taken you to the wrong park. Saranrom is not the only park in that area. That's what the driver of the taxi I was in tried to do until I saw a sign and pointed out that this is not the right place. Maybe you were there at the wrong time of night. Whatever it was, it certainly must have been an anomaly judging from the numbers of boys I saw. Also, this park is not frequented by "farang." I was the only one there. I saw no other "farang." I did see some cars drive by, slow down, talk with small groups of boys, and either just drive off or a boy would enter the car and go, but they were all Thai. I'm not surprised. First, at least in my case, I knew nothing about Saranrom Park until GayThailand wrote about it. Second, it's not near any of the areas that "farang" are likely to frequent at night. But I'll bet, after this thread makes the rounds, there will be a lot more "farang" appearing at Suan Saranrom. Quote
Gaybutton Posted December 8, 2006 Author Posted December 8, 2006 It is great your Thai friend has a four year scholarship to Assumption University in Bangkok! Now you need no excuse to go to Bangkok! Just kidding...I know it is just investigative reporting....and a great report it is! Unfortunately, Assumption University is located south of Bangkok, nowhere near that area. If you're coming in to Bangkok from Pattaya, when you're on the expressway, getting close to Bangkok but not quite there yet, you'll see a very tall structure off toward the east, standing alone. That's Assumption. Getting to the Pinnacle or Tarntwan Place would take about another half hour or so. Thanks for the compliment about my report. Now you need to get there and see for yourself. I hope your luck is more like GayThailand's and mine instead of a washout like Geezer ended up experiencing. Let us know. Quote
Smiles Posted December 8, 2006 Posted December 8, 2006 (edited) PDF'ing the area where Saranrom Park is located is way too complicated & tedious. Easier here: [attachmentid=139] By the way .... for the absolute best interactive map of Bangkok, click here: http://www.bangkokbob.net/city_map.htm Cheers ... Edited December 9, 2006 by stef Quote
Guest ear wig Posted December 9, 2006 Posted December 9, 2006 Sorry Gaybutton, I cant help it Imagining you wandering through a Park in the dead of night leering at some young boys when you have your boyfriend studying at home wondering if your bringing home the bacon. Or is it an open relationship. Quote
Gaybutton Posted December 9, 2006 Author Posted December 9, 2006 Sorry Gaybutton, I cant help it imagining . . . . I'm the one wearing a trench coat with nothing underneath, ready to flash. Besides, what makes you so sure he wasn't in Bangkok with me? Quote
Guest ear wig Posted December 9, 2006 Posted December 9, 2006 I know you, your the type who takes meat back to the butchers GB So you can buy more a lot fresher Quote
bkkguy Posted December 9, 2006 Posted December 9, 2006 last night (Friday) about 11:00 there were about 10 guys there and most of them made the Robinson corner guys look good! and yes I am sure it was the right place, so it obvously does have its off nights! bkkguy Quote
Gaybutton Posted December 9, 2006 Author Posted December 9, 2006 last night (Friday) about 11:00 there were about 10 guys there and most of them made the Robinson corner guys look good! and yes I am sure it was the right place, so it obvously does have its off nights! bkkguy Apparently so. I guess you're either going to hit it lucky or you're not, depending on how many boys decide to work that area on any given night. Another area I have never even tried is Lumphini Park. I know that for a long time that was the place to cruise at night, but eventually died down. Has anyone tried it lately? If yes, what's the story there? I've also heard, but have not tried, that Benchasiri Park, very close to the Phrom Phong BTS station, about Sukhumvit Soi 35, near the Regency Park Hotel, is a good cruise area. In Laos, in Vientiane, a good place to cruise was downtown along the riverfront at night. It's been six years since I was last in Vientiane, so perhaps someone with more recent experience can enlighten us as to the cruise situation there. As long as we're on this subject, does anyone know of other good areas to cruise in Bangkok, or elsewhere in Thailand? Quote
llz Posted January 13, 2007 Posted January 13, 2007 There is a very long thread about the Saranrom boys going on now on the TG messageboard, with one of the posters seeming to be a regular of the place (which in fact is not the park itself, but the road along it). What he says roughly confirms what GB wrote ; he gives many pieces of advice which could be of interest. At first he says that there are three very different periods in the evening : from 8 pm to 9.30 pm, the boys are mostly students and there are not a lot, but they are cute and it is the most secure time to go. There is some police presence after this time and then from 10.30 pm to 1 am, the regulars come in numbers (especially on Fridays and Sundays) including some rough ones ; there are a lot of car-driving cruisers too and you find all kinds of boys. After 1.30 am, fewer people and lower prices. Another advice is to choose boys who are alone rather than those who stay in a group. Third advice is avoiding gold and mobile phones - but this is a common precaution everytime you go with hustlers, especially in Thailand. In the fourth place, and most important : be fully aware that you are mostly dealing with boys who have few education, so don't be selfish and inconsiderate, and never go into an argument about the price (which should be 500/700 THB). Has anyone dropped by there since this thread began ? Quote
Gaybutton Posted January 14, 2007 Author Posted January 14, 2007 Has anyone dropped by there since this thread began ? I might drop by if I knew what the TG Messageboard was. What is the TG messageboard and what is the URL for it? Quote
Guest Geezer Posted January 14, 2007 Posted January 14, 2007 I was at Saranrom Park for the second time about a week ago. As on the first trip, I found it to be a waste of time. I was going to wait until a third visit before posting again, but since you asked Quote
llz Posted January 14, 2007 Posted January 14, 2007 I might drop by if I knew what the TG Messageboard was. What is the TG messageboard and what is the URL for it? Sorry, I should have written TM Messageboard ... Saranrom thread on TM Message Board Quote
Gaybutton Posted January 14, 2007 Author Posted January 14, 2007 Sorry, I should have written TM Messageboard ... Saranrom thread on TM Message Board I would like to ask that you post a specific URL for that thread. I had a look at that board and nearly everything is written in Thai. Also, there seems to be several forums. Rather than us having to wade through all that to find the thread you are referring to, a specific link would be of great help Quote
llz Posted January 14, 2007 Posted January 14, 2007 I would like to ask that you post a specific URL for that thread. I had a look at that board and nearly everything is written in Thai. Also, there seems to be several forums. Rather than us having to wade through all that to find the thread you are referring to, a specific link would be of great help First of all I would like to thank you for having brought out this place to our attention. The provided link sends you directly to the thread which stretches over 5 pages beginning November 3rd. Quote
Gaybutton Posted January 14, 2007 Author Posted January 14, 2007 First of all I would like to thank you for having brought out this place to our attention. The provided link sends you directly to the thread which stretches over 5 pages beginning November 3rd. I wish it was, but that's not what happens when I click the link. The link is sending me to a registration and log-in page along with a display of a number of links to related web sites. Quote
Guest pete1969 Posted January 14, 2007 Posted January 14, 2007 As I reported before, the BF and I picked up a number of guys from here over several nights. The fee was always 500 baht. This park is very close to the royal palace, and I never saw any farang cruising the streets on foot. The hustler strip is actually four streets that form a rectangle, and there are boys on every street. One just drives around in a circle until deciding which boy to approach. Interestingly, there are also boys on the three streets that run beside and behind the palace. The BF told me these were mostly military guys. This strip is a bit less populated. The rectangle strip across from the palace (next to military armory) is the more populated, especially as the night goes on. The hustlers all know of a short time hotel about five minute drive from the cruising area (a decent ST hotel IMO). Also, be aware that most of the customers cruising are Thai. We ran into a couple boys who did not want to go with a farang, but this is not the norm for most of the guys. Very nice looking guys here. A couple of the ones we picked up were Uni students, another was military, and another was a former bar boy who enjoyed working for himself at his own hours. Again, if you go too early, or if you go on the back side of the palace, you want find as much or as much variety. This is now my favorite part of BKK and much preferable to the bars. Even with taxi fare, and a short time room, one will still pay under 1,000 bt for a good time with a good-looking guy. A couple of guys even asked if we wanted thier mobile numbers, so we could hook up again, so it seems easy to find regulars here as well. Pete Quote
Guest Geezer Posted January 14, 2007 Posted January 14, 2007 The provided link sends you directly to the thread which stretches over 5 pages beginning November 3rd. Doesn't send me there. Quote
llz Posted January 14, 2007 Posted January 14, 2007 Doesn't send me there. Sorry, it seems you have now to be registered to be able to read the posts on this board. For your information, and if you register, the thread is in the "Nightclub" section, and is called (in thai) "dek saranrom" If you read thai I think it is worth registering even if some posts are written in an almost incomprehensible language (not the case of the Saranrom thread) Quote
Gaybutton Posted January 14, 2007 Author Posted January 14, 2007 the thread is in the "Nightclub" section, and is called (in thai) "dek saranrom" Well, llz, if you can read and understand Thai, that's wonderful. Probably one or two others who post here can do the same. Very few others can. I don't know why you are referring us to a thread that hardly anyone can read or understand. I fail to see how that's helpful. If there is anything on that thread that would be useful information, and if you can read and understand it, then it would be much more helpful if you simply tell us what we're missing instead of sending us to a thread that almost none here can possibly understand. Quote
llz Posted January 14, 2007 Posted January 14, 2007 I don't know why you are referring us to a thread that hardly anyone can read or understand. I fail to see how that's helpful. If there is anything on that thread that would be useful information, and if you can read and understand it, then it would be much more helpful if you simply tell us what we're missing instead of sending us to a thread that almost none here can possibly understand. I gave the link only because you asked me to do so ! The fact that it is a thai webboard is exactly the reason why I did not gave the link in my first post (which was an unpretentious and very short excerpt of what I had read on the TM board). As for giving a complete translation, sorry I have neither the time nor the ability to do so. I would prefer to give interesting first-hand reports like yours or Pete's one above but I am now far from Thailand and probably for a longer time than I would like. Quote
