Stretch your baht, stretch your fun?

[bucknaway]

What are you baht stretching tricks? What advise can you share with fellow travelers?

 

My money saving tip? If you want to have fun in a gogo bar for a good amount of time, consider opening a bottle. In pattaya it may only cost 1200 baht and mixers may be free. If you want to share time with many guys than a bottle can be a money saver!

 

I don't know what the bottle price and policy is at boys boys boys.

[firecat69]

I'd rather give the boys I like on stage tips and they'll like it better.  Very seldom I find a reason to stay more then 30 minutes in any Bar.

[Guest]

I also visit gogo bars for the boys & not the drinking. 

 

The most common drink I purchase in a gogo bar is water, but sometimes it's a Singha as an alternative.

 

Drinking is more likely to be with some farang friends on a hotel balcony, plus preferably a couple of well behaved boys.  Then a bottle of Thai Rum or Whiskey would be opened. 

[bucknaway]

You guys don't understand.  I like going into Eros bar, buying a bottle and sharing it with the guys.  I still tip them the same as I would in other bars.  Often I tip more in there when the guys share in my bottle.  

 

It saves me from having to buy each guy a separate drink.

 

I think we tend to become jaded on the internet and the forums.  You read the post and found the glass to be half empty.  I was hoping you would read the post and find the glass to be half full.

 

Nothing will stop anyone from tipping the guys.  Tips are always up to you.  I find the guys more friendly when there is a bottle from which they can share a drink.  They tend to come over.  Chat and drink and maybe mess around for fun.  They get a tip and they will often go to another customer for a bit and will find their way back to you if give off the right vibe.

 

I buy the bottle, but I only have one drink from it.  The guys in the bar have a party from it.  More times than I can count, I have had guys crawling all over me as they play with each other.  Even one time there I was giving out the last of my tips and another guy snatched it from me and his friend tried to get it from him.  He tried to get away and stood up on the sofa to step over a guy sitting in my crowd.  The other guy on my other side stood up to stop him and they playfully wrestled.  One guy has his crotch pressed into my face and the other guy had his pressed into my shoulder.  Yeah, they were a little drunk!  haha.

 

But that is why I love doing it there.  I will often go to a money exchange booth and ask for 2000 baht in 20 baht notes to give to the guys throughout the night.

 

Besides....  I would much rather read about your fun and how you get value for your baht.  It's a waste to judge my exploits either good or bad.  Just share your exploits and maybe we all will learn a thing or two.  

[TotallyOz]

I have been in bars many times and wanted to chat with a few friends on stage and instead of getting them a beer which can be expensive, I open a bottle.  I find this a great way to save money on the price of drinks.  Like bucknaway, I still tip the boys.  I also allow them to give drinks to their friends if they want a drink.  As I don't drink myself, the bottle usually comes with mixers and I'll drink the coke.  Again, that saves over 100 baht depending on the bar you are in. 

 

I had a friend who always opened a bottle and gave shots to all the boys.  He enjoyed himself immensely and so did the boys. 

[kokopelli]

I have the opposite view of those "opening" a bottle.As a result all the boys, such  at Eros, cluster around them and their bottle and ignore the other customers.  In addition, it is questionable whether getting the staff drunk is ethical?  I remember the days when the smokers liked to pass out cigs to all the boys and turn the bars into gas chambers. Again, ethically irresponsible. 

[witty]

+1.

 

Unless it's at a private party, or behind the screens with your specially chosen guests.

[vinapu]

I,  for one believe that 1-2 week holidays are not a time to worry about stretching a baht. I have whole year for that. If I feel like spending money on something / let's be honest , in LOS is on somebody /  I do.

 

Certainly being low maintenance helps , fancy hotels , dining and shopping is not my thing.

 

Long  time off is my way of economizing while increasing fun as for a bit more money I have company much longer and hot man hour works much cheaper.

 

Being quite a heavy drinker myself although slowing down with age I prefer drinking in a private setting , not in a bar where I buy only obligatory one. I agree with koko above - when bottle is opened , other customers are ignored which may be bad or good thing depending on you. I like being ignored in  a bar.

 

 

So my advice for travellers - ease up a bit, find what you like and spend money on that because you are on vacations but don't feel pressure to do what others are doing, do what pleases you.

 

If stretching a baht pleases you , then economize but don't make it a chore. 

[firecat69]

I agree and so many things have changed over the last 15 years. If Buck gets enjoyment out of buying a bottle good for him but it never occurred to me as a way of saving money.

 

Many years ago in Sunee at Kaos Bar I would do that but in many ways it was because there could be 50 boys in there and 45 of them would be not only my type but extremely attractive IMHO..  There was no reason to leave that Bar and thus a good way to interact with many boys before choosing your date for the night.

 

I just don't find that type of Bar available anymore.  Michael could certainly speak to this as he was a favorite customer in that Bar.

 

Now when I go in a Bar , I find that the % of boys I would take home is much lower.  Thus I have to go from Bar to Bar to find the boy of my dreams for that night. Thus no reason to open a bottle.

[Londoner]

I'm a little annoyed when I buy a drink in a bar and see that five or so the dancers (invariably the best-looking) have been taken out of circulation and are clustered around a punter "splashing the cash." A year plus ago, I was there a little late at  a Boyztown bar and there were only twelve or so guys left....of whom five or six were sitting with a falang playing with their phones. 

[bucknaway]

I am what I am, I like to have fun but if I waste money it will ruine my mood. Each of us is different and we enjoy life in different ways. All I hope to do in this thread is let others see what fun is available too them without having to break the bank.

 

I don't want to tell them what to do or how much to spend, i just want them to see there are many options on how they can enjoy their time out.

 

For the longest time I looked at the price for a bottle on a drink card and ignored it. It was a Thai guy that opened my eyes to the fun that a bottle could bring without having to shell out 200 baht per guy plus tip. And if there was still enough left in the bottle for another night, all I had to pay was a small fee for the mixers the following night.

 

Is there any way to get you guys to share info or are yall just going to what you like or don't like about my info on opening a bottle?

[a447a]

I get a little annoyed, too, if the guys all gather around the one farang and ignore the other customers. A bar where the guys are unavailable is a waste of time for me. But good luck to the farang who opens the bottle. I don't begrudge him a good time. It's just that they're aren't "many options on how (farang) can enjoy their time out " if the guys are all unavailable and/ or rolling drunk.

 

There's another problem with opening a bottle. The guys tend to get very, very drunk and some then get on their motorcycles and ride home.

 

I'm sure if I gave it some thought there would be lots of ways to save money. I just choose not to give it any thought. I'm on holiday!

[firecat69]

Look you are a new member here and those sort of things have been shared over and over again.  Members have talked about boat trips with boys, taking groups of boys to bowl or to the movies or to play pool.  

 

All those things get you rewards in how the boys look at you and none of them are used as a way to stretch my money.

 

For most here the whole purpose of the trip is to buy boys for Sex and rather then looking for ways to save money we are looking for ways to interact with boys in a different environment. 

 

Nothing wrong with you wanting to stretch your money but you come from a different focus.  Your focus is not paying for sex and thus you are in a minority on this Board.   I'm not criticizing that, just trying to make you understand many of us don't visit looking to stretch our money but to enjoy it by paying Sexy Boys for Sex .

[bucknaway]

I know, but no one is going back and looking at old posts with old information that may or may not be relevant to today's situation.

 

I've been on many boards where the posters don't even want others to talk about things that have been talked about in years past.

 

We love trip reports but we just want to argue about how much was tipped.

 

Yeah we are all have been around the block a time or two in thailand, it would just be nice to share what we learned for those who have yet to visit or are just now exploring.

 

Not all of us are looking to buy sex. I'm looking for a good time in thailand. Have I hired guys before? Yes. But I go into a gogo bar for the show, i dont expect to come out with a hired guy.

 

So it's my hope that this forum has room for people like me also. I'm sure many like me read these posts.

[TotallyOz]

I truly do not understand why people get upset if a guy has boys drinking with him.  If they are doing that, most of the time, the boys are working and making some money.  Most of these guys will tip and some money is better than none and if you are interested in one, wait an hour or two and take him.  If not, then were you really interested at all?

 

I use to love Kaos and would often off 10-30 of the boys for disco, bowling, movies, or just swimming.  I had fun and they got paid. They are there to make money. That is their job.  Don't get upset if they are trying to survive.

[bucknaway]

I dont mind it either. I may be jealous if they are having too much fun

[ChristianPFC]

If you have to invite many boys in a bar, then buying a bottle is cheaper than individual drinks, I have heard.

 

But that's not my style. I'm just looking for someone to take home. I admit I'm a bore and watch my money in bars, but I appreciate when others start sleaze or engage the boys like in opening an bottle.

 

If you really want to save money, avoid the bars altogether and find people who will hang out with you without the need to buy them drinks and to tip them. But that requires a lot of time and speaking Thai, so for the tourists the bars are the best way to go. Pattaya, not Bangkok!

 

For money saving tips, see my recent article:

http://christianpfc.blogspot.de/2016/09/money-saving-tips-collected.html

[Vessey]

Not being a whisky drinker I have yet to be tempted by the buy a bottle approach, although I am well up for any hints on saving money.

 

I managed to go way over budget this trip, although I had a great time.

 

One of my regulars I would see after he finished work in his agogo, if I went in to pay bar there was usually a few drinks involved and when they are 250 baht each, I walked out of there with my boy but minus about 2k baht to start with. I spent enough in that particular bar as it is over the last three weeks so I feel no guilt about it. I also indicated to the boy that I could pay him a little extra as a consequence.

 

But I tend to agree to drinks too quickly and too easily anyway.

 

Best value for money this trip was a day trip to Koh Larn via the ferry and taking a friend. Ferry charges 120 baht for both of us both ways, 200 baht to rent a motor bike, 200 baht for sun loungers and about 400 baht, just under, for food. So basically fractionally under 1k baht. We both loved it.

[farangyai]

Thanks Christian.  I loved your article on money saving tips in your link.  I got a good laugh even if maybe I was not supposed to.

[firecat69]

I'm still laughing!!

[TotallyOz]

I'm still laughing!!

 

Me too!

 

Great article Christian. 

[Guest cdnmatt]

Not so much for tourists, but few words to the wise for those living here, or planning to move here.  People love to get excited about how cheap it is to eat here, but be wary of that.

 

Street / Stall Food -- They use the cheapest cooking oil available, and many times re-use it far more than what anyone would consider healthy.  Many times to clean their woks they just scrape them with a metal spatula, ensuring you get a little extra iron in your diet.  Plus obviously, sometimes the produce is questionable at best.

 

Market Groceries -- Loads of veggies and fresh meat & fish available, more than enough to cook decent meals at home.  Nowadays, I'll use my local market seldomly when I need something (ie. ran out of broccoli), but won't be using them regularly.  Simply because the big box stores (ie. Tesco, Tops, Makro, Villa Markets, etc.) are forced to adhere to government health regulations, so only sell produce sprayed with certain chemicals.  The small market vendors on the oher hand could care less about government regulations, and use the cheapest most horrid sprays to keep their produce saleable.

 

For the most part, not a worry if you're just a tourist for a few weeks, because your body can easily handle it.  If you're living here permanently though, may want to think about saving those extra few baht on groceries, and buy from the big box stories or eat at proper restaurants instead.

 

I'm just coming off a 8 - 10 week bout of illness, and one of the things I can attribute it too is because for a few months there I was being lazy and buying majority of my groceries at my local market.    I even remember Leo's first night here, we went down to the market, and he said his mother said he can't eat market vegetables.  Then I remembered, his mom owns a vegetable farm and sells at the markets, so knows exactly what they're sprayed with.

[vinapu]

Is there any way to get you guys to share info or are yall just going to what you like or don't like about my info on opening a bottle?

some farang in the know  as a cheap fun suggested me taking few boys by ferry to KohLarn , you feed and water them , they have fun and no need  for off fees and tips as they would be sleeping in their rooms anyways  and will return tho their bars for the night anyways.  

 

Of course I sloppily modified whole idea by taking just one and by expensive speed boat so cheap fun turned to expensive one but still worth it, at least no tip for  a boy /he got tipped for nighttime activities though.

 /I just noticed Vessey  commented on idea  already above but I posted as  I read so sorry for duplicating /

[vinapu]

I get a little annoyed, too, if the guys all gather around the one farang and ignore the other customers. 

I like being ignored in the bar but hate to see boy I'm eyeing sitting with several others around the bottle and missing this great opportunity of being offed by me and earning  well deserved and generous tip.

 

There's another problem with opening a bottle. The guys tend to get very, very drunk and some then get on their motorcycles and ride home.

 

Very wise words indeed

[vinapu]

So it's my hope that this forum has room for people like me also. I'm sure many like me read these posts.

relax, as long as you like Thai men and Thai vacations there's room for you and you-likes.

 

Paying for sex is not a requirement to belong here , it's just just a common denominator for us cheapskates who know that free sex is the most expensive one.

 

and by the way it's very easy to check and see that all  those old  and expired posts are still read by both members and guests alike.