Popular Post ggobkk Posted September 17, 2016 Popular Post Posted September 17, 2016 After my Bangkok visit back in May, while knowing I’d return, I wasn’t sure when that would be. http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/10372-bangkok-visit-may-5-12/?do=findComment&comment=91403 As fate/luck/opportunity found synchronicity, I was able to adjust a planned trip to Beijing and inserted 5 days on Thailand between two weekends in the Chinese capital. I arrived in China on September 1st in midafternoon with almost no wait at immigration (!). The Regent Hotel is my Beijing base camp had sent a car to meet me at the airport. The car had limited wi-fi capability but even that made my phone an inbox for new, never met, friends from Blued and Jack’d to send me very overt greetings. Ignoring those that started with “Daddy” on something similar (Yes, I’m just over 70 but that’s not my scene), I considered some of the other but then just put the phone down, unpacked, decided not to get on the subway at rush hour for shopping which could wait until the next morning. I had a drink and a light supper in the hotel’s club. Back in the room, I let jet lag take over and went to bed, I slept or three hours waking up for a full day in California. Looking at my phone which was now brimming with more welcomes and some unsolicited second and third messages, I came across an offer of a massage from someone whose photo depicted a cute, trim, and smiling young man. He wrote that he was not a MB. Well, I’m wide awake, a massage might get the kinks out of my back from 13 hours of sitting on a plane. I decided that an offer to have a massage from a cute 20 something was an excellent idea. Since his Jack’d page clearly said he wasn’t a MB, I assumed it was likely he was but, even if not, I could use the massage. He arrived within 30 minutes and was almost as cute as his photo. The massage was good and he remained clothed while working on my back. Once I turned over, he asked if he could take off his shirt, then his pants, then…for 300 yuan he became a money boy. He had a trim athlete’s body and we had a great and mutually satisfying time. When we unstuck ourselves, we exchanged WeChat links. I didn’t ask him to stay as he works in an upscale spa where much of the “best” business is done late at night. I then attempted to get a few more hours sleep. The next three days were spent with friends, their family doings, some shopping, lots of dining around…not much of it relevant to this report. On Monday, the 5th, I left most of my luggage with the hotel concierge, and took my carry-on to the airport. There Thai Air told me the flight was delayed by an hour. A bit frustrating as I was planning to meet up with T, my faithful friend (see earlier report) who used to work at Hot Male but was purged for being Vietnamese. The purge happened after I left Bankgok in May. I’d arranged for T to come from Vietnam and to meet up with Ya of Siam Roads in Bangkok. They were to pick me up at the airport for a trip/tour to Pattaya. Ya was doing this as a favor as he already had a tour client for Pattaya. I sent Ya a text about the delay and was assured all would work out. No one told Thai Airways that things would work out…the departure time was listed and turned out to be the boarding time. The Airbus was full, mainly with Chinese taking package tours in Thailand. Many just sat in whatever seat they liked which caused a further delay as the crew had to be Thai-polite but still put them in the correct seats. As we finally started to taxi from the gate, one of my neighbors decided to stand on his seat to get some necessity from the overhead and the crew just let him. Eventually, the plane landed and parked at the furthest possible gate from immigration. I bolted along the walkways and first good sign of the day was #2 in iine. My Thailand report will begin in my next posting. I’m not attempting to mimic Numazu’s cliff hanger postings, but do see that it makes an easier read if the posts are not overly long. Moses, paulsf, Alexx and 5 others 8 Quote
vinapu Posted September 17, 2016 Posted September 17, 2016 now we are treated ! Two reports , numazu's and your , forum is getting better and better, thank you both Quote
Popular Post ggobkk Posted September 18, 2016 Author Popular Post Posted September 18, 2016 After clearing customs, I went to the meeting point and didn’t see T or Ya or anyone with a holding a signboard with my name on it. After the frustration of the late departure from Beijing, and finding that my phone wasn’t sending text messages, my coping skills were beginning to evaporate. But, while trying to log into the airport free Wi-Fi, Ya found me. He, T, and Ya’s client were waiting on the opposite side of the meeting point. Greetings, introductions, and a quick trip to the toilet, and into the very luxurious van Ya had booked for the four of us to go to Pattaya. How do I define “luxurious”? I guess by the high end sound system, the sculpted scallops in the ceiling, and man little extravagant touches. If a disco ball dropped from the ceiling, I would not have been surprised. T was glad to see me (and I, him). He had traveled overnight from Vietnam to meet up with Ya in Silom for the trip to airport. I felt somewhat uncomfortable that (well Thai Airways, really) had delayed the excursion by almost two hours. This sense was heightened when I learned Ya’s client was only on a day trip to Pattaya and would be returning to Bangkok after dinner. I survived this momentary burst of guilt and let Ya’s explaining of what we were driving by and the history of things. Time to state…at age 72 and multiple trips to Thailand over the past 40+ years, I’d never before been to Pattaya. It was when I put together this 5-day break from Beijing, that I contacted Siam Roads and Ya about some options. He offered a range of them and not wanting to get into a “Up to You” dialogue, I said “Ya, I trust you”. Guess that’s my version of UTY. So, prior to Pattaya proper, we make a lunch stop at Silverlake. Which name was amusing to me and to Ya’s client who is from southern California. Silverlake, for those not from gay California is an area of Los Angeles nestled in a pocket of the L.A. hills that surround the Silverlake reservoir. An area that has long been a home to the gay community. We both had traveled from California for a break to find ourselves in Silverlake! Silverlake has a winery and a restaurant (which is where we ate). The winery has tours and (I was told) a tasting room. There are nearby housing sites with names referencing Italian towns (i.e. Como). So very un-Thai. The restaurant’s main dining area was a very large glass walled room with a bar and kitchen at one end and views from all other sides. One of the parking lot and two of the fields. The menu at Lakeside was international with the Thai dishes sidelined for foods familiar to travelers from other lands. So, in the spirit of the place, my first meal in Thailand this trip was spaghetti carbonara. Which was excellent and inexpensively priced for the quality. We all skipped on trying the local vintages. From there, Ya took us to Khao Chi Chan, the Buddha Mountain. Where lasers had etched a 130-meter-high by 70-meter-wide image of the Buddha that was later delineated with gold leaf. Ya told us it had been carved to honor the 50th anniversary of the King’s reign. It dominates the area with its striking presence. We walked around the grounds along with umbrella toting tour guides shepherding their Chinese and Japanese groups through the property. T, Ya, and I paused to offer prayers at the shrine. My prayers were for a good trip and for T and his sorting out life process. From being in the shadow of the Buddha, Ya took us to Viharn Siem. A park and palace donated by the Chinese government to highlight (this is my opinion) the cultural traditions of China and Thailand and their inter-relationship. On the first level of a three level palace is a museum of Chinese figures, pottery, fabric, and some terra cotta warriors. T and I posed for a picture in front of the warriors, this road warrior looking older than the terracotta guys. The second level opens to a courtyard with more granite sculptures of life in villages and an array of gods and warriors. Impressive. There rooms devoted to musical instruments, miniatures of the Thai Royal barges, and Thai culture. All in all, we spent about an hour enjoying the exhibits and the grounds and posing for pictures with the larger than life size granite gods. Back in the van, we headed for Pattaya. I have to admit, from reading the forum, I had a mental image of what I’d find in a Thai beach town. My mind was thinking 1970’s California beach town like Laguna where I spent part of each summer. Well, it is a bit like a California beach town but one definitely in the 21st century. The office, hotel, and condo towers and blocks were anything but rustic. Ya had sensed that I was thinking rustic so he booked us at BBH right on Jomtien Beach. Cash only. Two nights (plus one night for Ya) came to a little less than $100 USD. T and my room was on the 2nd floor (3rd in the US) large with a balcony overlooking the beach. Sound of waves was restful. Ya left us to take his client on a condensed tour of the town. T and I did some catching up and then went for a walk as I need to get some cash – I had skipped the ATM at the airport. Ya recommended a place but (fool I am) I just used the machine in front of the 7-11. Rate when the 200 baht fee was added worked out to about 33 baht to the dollar. Not a big deal but a lesson learned. I used the web to check to see how much was deducted from my account whenever I made a withdrawal. This was the worst rate. Convenience does not come cheap. As, I’d promised T that I’d take care of his expenses, I gave him some baht and asked if he needed anything while we were at 7-11. He picked out some shampoo and body wash. On the way back he bought some shrimp from a fisherman. Back in the room, I found to my pleasant surprise that the shampoo and body wash were for a two person shower with me being coddled. After a mutual towel rubdown, we adjourned to the king size bed and did some more catching up to the sound of waves hitting Jomtien Beach. Ya and his client met up with us in the early evening and we walked along the beach and then took a taxi to the Hilton for drinks and dinner at the roof top restaurant. On the way, Ya pointed out the entrance to Jomtien Plaza. The view from the Hilton rooftop bar and restaurant, called the Edge is spectacular – if the sun is still up or setting. We were just late for that but the lights of the city made for a good impression. The restaurant has a buffet most nights priced at 930 baht per person. Food ranges from delicate sushi to pigs knuckle, salads to chocolate fountains. Quality: good+. Nightmare Note: at pay-up time, Ya’s client and I offered to pay (more to be polite as we were obliged to), I reached for my credit card and couldn’t find it. I produced cash for my share (+ T + ½ Ya). My mind raced as to where the credit card could be. I had another but it charged a conversion fee and I knew I could tap the ATM for any further trip costs…BUT I’ve already had the card compromised and reissued this year. Mumble, mumble… Left the restaurant, said farewell in the mall to Ya’s client who was taking a taxi back to Bangkok. Ya then took T and I by food and baht bus to Walking Street – which reminded me of a mini-version of Times Square with its lights and crowds. Again vast packs of Chinese tourists taking pictures and being laughingly scandalized. Lots of noise and many smiling propositions. We then moved on to Boyztown. More comfortable surroundings for me. We grabbed a table and some drinks at Castro in time to watch the BoyzBoyzBoyz parade. Which allowed me to focus on two of the marchers. After the parade, I went for a walk to see what other activity was going on…it seemed very quiet even for the low point of the low season. Back in time for the show, guess everyone was in BoyzBoyzBoyz, as it was crowded and kept being packed tighter. First row center was occupied by a group of Thai women. Several mixed groups of men and women, many Chinese. A few of us occidentals. One of the boys I had noticed outside was positioned in front of me. No number but wearing the letter “K”. He was claimed within minutes but returned for the show where he was in several numbers including the bowling and big cock show where he, without needing to, encouraged me to have a grope. Good show as the boys were interested in making it fun. As we left, saw two groups of Chinese tourists walking through Boyztown. Most with eyes fixed ahead rather than looking to the right or left. Ya took us to Jomtien and showed us around as I planned to spend the next night there. We walked back and along the beach to the hotel. After searching without success through everything for my absent credit card I allowed T to give me a special massage. Then sleep. I woke early (4am) whether from remnant US jet lag or credit card anxiety. I sent an email to The Regent n Beijing to see if the card was there. Two hours later, the concierge let me know that the card was in the hotel’s safe and would be held for my return on the weekend. Stress Relief! There was a recent forum topic asking if Thai’s always took over the middle of the bed. Answer: YES. As I was awake and no room in the bed to go back to, I went for an hour’s walk around the beach and the neighborhood. Met up with Ya for breakfast at Sandbar. we worked on an outline of a trip to Chiang Mai and Laos in October. T joined up for breakfast. Before he left us to meet his next client who was coming from the Bangkok airport, Ya took us along the beach to explain how the umbrella and chair business worked and the pricing. About a half mile from the hotel, T and I settled in…not sure where the time went. I know I had a drink, a nap, another drink, my first pedicure, some snacks…T spent most of the time in the water. A note about T and me. I first met him (offed him) at Hot Male about a year and a half ago. I’d intended to be a butterfly but succumbed to his easy charm, excellent body, and other skills. On subsequent visits, he’s been my main man when in Bangkok. The physicality of the relationship is much less than it was, but it is there when it needs to be and T likes to surprise me with some variations on basic themes. He doesn’t object if I want to bring someone else back at night. We are now more friends with some benefits. We enjoy each other’s company. And it was important to spend some time this visit as he’s been at more than loose ends since the crackdown of foreign workers in Twilight clubs at the beginning of the summer and then Hot Male’s decision to only use Thais. He tells me he’s had a variety of jobs in Vietnam but no steady work. I explained this visit was a vacation for the two of us. The day just sort of escaped and we agreed to go up to Jomtien Plaza, have some food, stop at a bar and catch the show at Venue Decided while walking to postpone dinner (we’d had a late lunch at Sandbar). Instead we stopped at @Home which had been recommended by another Forum member. The boys are mainly Cambodian and quite welcoming. One odd behavior, I invited the first boy who greeted us to have a drink. The usual conversation, who, where from, where stay took place. I was noticing a cute boy who was with another occidental and quite cuddled into him. I offered the greeter a 2nd drink which he accepted. Then disappeared. Strange. I checked to see if I had developed a rash or body odor. Never saw him again. Now the cute boy I’d been watching was free as his farang had departed. I invited him to sit and have a drink. Also Cambodian, he quickly had me cuddled while keeping up a conversation with T – who gave me a running translation that it was mostly questions about our relationship and how long. T said he told the boy it was two years and that he had exaggerated about how skilled I was and then they both smiled. Who knows what was said? I told the boy I liked him but wouldn’t off him but maybe in the future. I gave him 300 baht when I left. Went to Venue…very few in the audience. After a while, we both agreed it was time to leave. As I didn’t see the full show, I’ll not review. Walk back to the hotel (thanks, Ya, it was in a good location). Shower together, T sings the Boyz, Boyz, Boyz ditty as if it’s on shuffle repeat. Then sleep. Tomorrow to Bangkok. DivineMadman, ChristianPFC, traveller123 and 5 others 8 Quote
musgrave Posted September 18, 2016 Posted September 18, 2016 a good read ggobkk - enjoyed it - almost felt your panic when you realised the credit card was missing - liked your words about the current comfortable relationship between yourself and T- I agree you have to take notice of Ya's recommendations - they are to my experience"spot on" - still go back to the money exchange in Bangkok he recommended to me 3 years ago. Moses 1 Quote
vinapu Posted September 18, 2016 Posted September 18, 2016 Silverlake has a winery and a restaurant (which is where we ate). The winery has tours and (I was told) a tasting room. . We all skipped on trying the local vintages. Perhaps you were right. Somebody in the know told me that vintages there compare very favorably in taste to turpentine which is a compliment but not excessive one. Still somebody should be applauded for trying to produce local wines in LOS. I'm glad you found your card and that you kept your cool throughout the ordeal. I reported here earlier scene I witnessed in Raya last Dec when farang loudly accused them about theft from the safe and few days had guts to admit on one of forums that he located money somewhere. I for one, very , very rarely use credit card outside the western world. Not that I ever had problems but I know few people including my own sister who had some unauthorized charges a while after the trips. I'm curious how you will be comparing Pattaya to Bangkok. Waiting for a next installment Quote
Brummbaer Posted September 18, 2016 Posted September 18, 2016 I was there in may but didn't taste the wines as I was driving. They did have a coffee shop with to-die-for blueberry cheese cake Quote
numazu Posted September 19, 2016 Posted September 19, 2016 So, prior to Pattaya proper, we make a lunch stop at Silverlake. Which name was amusing to me and to Ya’s client who is from southern California. Silverlake, for those not from gay California is an area of Los Angeles nestled in a pocket of the L.A. hills that surround the Silverlake reservoir. An area that has long been a home to the gay community. We both had traveled from California for a break to find ourselves in Silverlake! I do love going to Silverlake, CA and going to the Eagle and Akbar . I almost prefer them to West Hollywood bars. Less pretententious. Or maybe I've just grown older. Glad you had fun in Pattaya. Looking forward for more. Glad our paths crossed almost two weeks ago! Quote
Popular Post ggobkk Posted September 19, 2016 Author Popular Post Posted September 19, 2016 I failed to mention after leaving Venture we stopped at Dick’s Jomtien. Food is pretty much the same as on Twilight. What was noticeable is that the two of us were the only customers, we hadn’t seen any walking by earlier, none joined us while we were there. Perhaps, this lack of activity, low even for low season, contributes to the rumors about the possible closing of some/part/all of the Tarntawan empire. Where did I leave off…? Day 3 I woke early and gently un-cuddled from Tien and escaped his land grab of the bed. Took a shower, shaved, checked my email, and went out for a walk, not seeing any reason to disturb T. We weren’t meeting the driver for the trip to Bangkok until noon. After investigating the neighborhood and thinking about what condo complex I might Airbnb next time, I went to Sandbar for breakfast. T joined me, said he woke and went looking for me. He didn’t want anything at Sandbar and had gone to the 7-11 for a mix of snacks and was on his way back when he saw me. While we were talking, Ya came in for breakfast. Sandbar is directly next to BBH and had great Wi Fi, wile BBH's internet is spotty. So most of the guests head there in the morning. Ya confirmed that he had arranged for the car and asked if we’d like to take an hour tour before we left. He was going to show his client from Mexico the views of Pattaya from the hilltop. We agreed on a time to meet. Back in the room, T asked why we were taking a car back to Bangkok. At the 7-11 he’d learned about the bus to central Bangkok that would only cost 1/5 of what the car would. I told him I appreciated his thinking about the budget, but that I was looking for convenience (and air conditioning). This started a dialogue about money, his lack of it, the difficulty he’s been having in finding a job, that he didn’t want to be a go-go boy again, that he dreamed of buying a house for his parents. His story could be viewed as an attempt to get financing from me, or it could be interpreted as his venting his frustrations that kept him from his hopes. I took it more as the latter, as we’ve had a talk about money before and I’ve been clear that I wouldn’t be able to help as I lived too many miles away and he has accepted that. I didn’t need to repeat that this morning, which is why I believe he was venting. After this we packed, sat on the balcony to look at the water, and then he fell asleep with his head on my lap. At which point, Ya dropped by to let me know that Mac, one of his colleagues at Siam Roads was at the hotel. Mac had been my guide back in May and is an enthusiastic delightful individual. Ya said he’d let him know where our room was and a few minutes later Mac burst in and started talking about what he’d been doing, wanting to know about me, asked T how things were in Vietnam. It was a fun and very verbal visit as Mac was taking his tour guide test and that week and filled us in on the many steps involved. The exam was supposed to be the previous Sunday but only two or three testers had shown. So (very Thai, this) the exam was postponed. Then it was time to take our mini-tour. Ya’s Mexican client was quite handsome and welcomed us barging into the first part of his morning tour. The night before Ya had repeated the bar/restaurant/Walking Street/Boystown tour we’d had. They also took in the show at Castro and indicated it was well worth seeing. I mentioned my thinking about Airbnb next time, and being Ya, he knew of several places he'd recommend. We commandeered a taxi and went off to Wah Pra Yai, the temple of the Golden Buddha climbing the steps and being blessed and wrist wrapped by a monk. Then from there to Viharn Sean with its statue of the lord high royal admiral who founded the modern Thai navy. The view from the heights is incredible, providing a full view of the coast. We returned through mid-morning traffic to the beach. I split the cost of the taxi with Ya’s client. T and I returned to the hotel, met out driver, and had an uneventful drive to Bangkok and the Tarntawan. This trip I had arranged for T to register on his own and not need to surrender his passport while in the hotel. Later from one of his friends, I learned that he talked about this and how respectful it was. Points for the afterlife. Lukas had arranged for room 555, the “happy” room (based on the sound of the room number in Thai). I’ve had this room a couple of times in the past and like it for its access to the stairs elevator, and the Wi Fi router. T is familiar with the room and after giving me one of his shower rub downs, settled in to watch a Korean movie on my iPad. Before starting the video, we talked about the night ahead, I suggested that I go to Fresh Boys and off P, who is a sexy friend of T’s and shared a bed with the two of us on a previous trip. We’d have dinner first, come back, and I’d go on my own to get P as I didn’t see the need for having to buy an extra drink as part of the off protocols. All agreed. Movie starts and I take off for a walking tour. I must admit I was in a mood to stray. Exiting the mini-street that leads to Tarntawan Place Hotel, I noticed that what had been a sandwich/ice cream parlor was now a new branch of Artistic Massage. Several cute young guys, who I later found on Planet Romeo. So now in a row, there is what I refer to as Green Massage, Orange Massage, Artistic, and across the driveway is Urban Massage. Turn the corner, which I did, and several more massage opportunities without even considering Prime at the end of the lane. I decided to check out Golden Cock, it’s been a long time, but there was a cute, tousle headed boy at the door inviting me in…what the hell, why not? As is often reported on the forum, Golden Cock never seems to close and if it does is open in the afternoon. I was the only “guest” which brought the attention of four boys to my to provide a multi-handed chest and crotch rub with my hands encouraged to roam. Beers were 100 baht, so I bought a round. The touchy feeling up grew in intensity, I was most drawn to the boy who’d greeted me outside. The bartender had stepped outside. His role is to make noise of some sort if another guest wanted to come in while lots of bodily parts were being exposed (or maybe to encourage joiners!). I said it was impossible to go back to my hotel (it wasn’t but I didn’t want to). It was suggested I use the room upstairs for some heavy interaction. Pricing: room 600, boy 1,000. After some more four- way action, N (as I’ll call him) led me up a winding stairway past a laundry room, into a top floor room with a mattress raised off the floor. We undressed each other and N took me into the shower. We adjourned to the bed where he began with an intense samoke session. Oral sex is not T’s strongest point, so this was a real expert’s treat. N took it from there and after some insertions, I came first and N blasted all over my chest. We cuddled for several minutes, returned to the shower, dressed and headed down the staircase which was lighted by a mobile phone flashlight. I had paid N upstairs adding 200 baht. I paid for the drinks and the room, noted no one other than employees in the club and returned to my walk. I went back to the hotel where T was finishing his movie, he looked up, checked me out, smiled, asked if I was o.k., smiled again and made me take another shower. About dinner, we went through the usual “Up to You” routine. I said, this time it was Up to Him. This was not a good idea…turns out that while he’s been serving his time in Vietnam he missed the KFC on Silom. On the way, I pointed out some great looking street food…but KFC it was! No comment. T got his KFC and ate, and ate, and smiled at me. After we (he) finished, he headed back to Tarntawan to use his registered guest status and I went to Fresh Boys. P had sent me a Like text the week before and said he hoped to see me. When I entered the club, P immediately came to my table, followed by a captain/mamsan who was also Vietnamese. I bought P, myself, and the mamasan a drink. Boys on stage looked fresh, twinks with some muscle. We left soon after the usual courtesies were attended to, paid the off fee – not sure what it was exactly as there were three drinks and an off, and I got change from 2000 baht. P asked where T was, I told him, and much to my relief we picked up some street food and some beers. Back at the hotel, T and P clearly were happy to see each other (they had worked together at Hot Male) and spent time catching up, drinking beer, and (to my amusement) T devoured the street food we’d brought. At some point, P and I were in the shower (I lost count how many showers I’d had already) and moved to the bedroom. I was interested to see if I’d have any response as it had only been a few hours since I’d left the Golden Cock. P is skilled with his foreplay and found it easy to get me and himself to release. T then joined us (they must have a signaling system) and I found myself in the middle of a Vietnamese sandwich. P left after a couple of hours and another joint shower, he said he'd cook dinner for us and bring it by the next day. I put lots of lotion on my now puckered skin. T was waiting in the bed and we cuddled to sleep. paulsf, splinter1949, Brummbaer and 4 others 7 Quote
vinapu Posted September 19, 2016 Posted September 19, 2016 Very nice and productive day, certainly you don't waste time on vacation which I applaud Quote
ggobkk Posted September 19, 2016 Author Posted September 19, 2016 I do love going to Silverlake, CA and going to the Eagle and Akbar . I almost prefer them to West Hollywood bars. Less pretententious. Or maybe I've just grown older. If you've gotten older, I'm into my decrepitude! When I lived in Newport and Huntington Beach(es), I used to drive to Silverlake to escape from the OC. Good memories. I enjoying your posts and am adapting to you seamless ability to break up a thorough report into segments. Quote
ggobkk Posted September 19, 2016 Author Posted September 19, 2016 Very nice and productive day, certainly you don't waste time on vacation which I applaud One learns from you, Master, on how to organize one's time...when time is limited. vinapu 1 Quote
Jasper Posted September 19, 2016 Posted September 19, 2016 It was nice of you to register T as a guest. Quote
Popular Post ggobkk Posted September 20, 2016 Author Popular Post Posted September 20, 2016 Work up this around 7 this morning with moderate achievement checked off before my feet hit the ground. I’d managed to keep control of at least 30% of the bed! I moved into the other room and turned on the news. One thing I’ve noticed is that CNN International is so much better than CNN in the USA. International doesn’t seem to feature opinionated / biased political know-it-alls shouting talking points at one another. Flipped between CNN, BBC, and Bloomberg and decided I just read the papers on my iPad as it wasn’t needed as T’s Korean Action Cinema was closed until he woke. I also skimmed the web and looked at jack’d, Romeo, etc. I noticed that two of the guys I’d admired at the new branch of Artistic were prominently featured. 363 feet from my room. At some point, T woke up and decided to make us some tea. Nice. We talked about what to do – we knew the afternoon and evening were booked. P was cooking and bringing us dinner around 4 or 5, we were invited to Tarntawan’s cocktail party at 6:30, and then going to meet another Forum member or two sometime after 8:30. T mentioned that he was having trouble playing music from his portable speaker which I’d brought him in May. I looked at it and showed him there was one extra step to connect to Bluetooth. But the power cable was tweaked and not keeping a steady power supply. I travel with a cable for my portable power supply and we tried that and it worked. So after breakfast a trip to MHK? Agreed. Breakfast…then shower together…I’ve stopped counting on how many showers I take every day. Taxi to MHK…take a variety of escalators up to the audio electronics section. T is a VERY particular shopper. We stopped at several booths to buy the cable he wanted. No success…each one looked at failed his eyeball test of connectors. He had brought mine (the one that had worked in the room) and none made the cut. Remember, we’re talking about a 50 baht item here. Compromise – I’ll buy a cable that I can use for my power adapter and T can have mine. Decided that worst case, I use the cable to charge my power supply, and get a new one at home if the one I was buying failed. (It didn’t). I’d noticed that T’s phone had a cracked screen, so we tracked town a vendor that repaired screens, 100 baht and 10 minutes later, cracked screen replaced. What now…why not wander around MHK…I told T to get something he’d like. A belt became the object of his picky shopping style. I learned that level 6 of MHK had 8 belt shops. Then after THE belt is located, the bargaining begins. I stay far away at these times. I like to bargain, but knew better than to be part of T’s negotiations. He got his belt and the vendor made the alterations to fit his slim waist. From there…why not go bowling? Up to the top of MHK, rented some shoes, and laughed at one’s another’s laughable bowling skills. Played three games. Paid up the went to the 5th floors world of dining, with the international kiosks. T went for Cambodian with shrimp, I tried some Mexican. Passable…no stars. As we were leaving MHK, T asked me about “smelling” and the rice harvest season in Vietnam. Bafflement was my reaction. With lots of help from Google translate and some intuitive guessing, there was an “ A Ha” moment. T was asking about men’s cologne. Where, What? Following my noise, we went to the Toyu department store which had a fairly large selection of stations for perfumes, toilet waters, and in a corner men’s cologne. I then whiled away about an hour while T was led through the various smell options. To describe this process would demand a level of detail that is not within my ability to compose. In between smell samplings, T told me that he worked so hard during harvest time and always felt that he couldn’t get the smell of the rice off of him. Eventually, very eventually, one was selected, Tom Ford. Mr. Ford was beautifully packaged and went to the taxi with us back to Tarntawan. In the room, I mentioned that I’d go out for a massage asked T if he wanted one. He declined, turning on the iPad Korean Action Cinema and told me he woud wait for P who was coming with dinner. I thought of going to Prince, but having seen the two guys from Artistic on Planet Romeo, I decided to put Prince off until tomorrow, my last full day in Bangkok. Both of the guys were available, but one was on duty as the afternoon manager, so Ton was it. Boyish twink, killer smile. I asked for a two-hour scrub and oil massage combo. 800 Baht. Now it got interesting…the last time I was in the space, I had ice cream on the ground level. Ton led me up two flights of stairs, on the upper floor, there were partitioned rooms, with no ceiling, mattresses on the floor in each room. Smell of very fresh paint. Ton undressed me and took me to the shower down the hall, no place in the room to secure valuables. Shower area floor was slippery – no mat. Back in the room, decent scrub, lots of grip, some semi-intimate touching. Lots of irritating construction noise. Finish the scrub, back to the shower, Ton, now in his briefs without a shirt, get the grit off of me. Back to the room, Ton tells me his briefs are wet is it ok to take them off? I leave my answer to your imagination, but he was from Issan and reality matched the reputation. About thirty minutes into what was a decently done oil massage (and when the construction workers had moved to another floor), Ton whispers to me wondering if I’d like some extras. We agree on 600 baht. The temp picked up and covered a range of options, ending with my coming, followed by an explosion from Ton that reached my chest and face. He came a second time in my mouth which, while appreciated, was spat out. Another shower, dress, and depart. The one on one was good, the set up with the rooms left much to be desired. I suspect I’d have skipped the extras if other rooms on the floor had been occupied. Back to the Korean Action Cinema where T asked if the massage was good. I said yes and left it at that. He promised a better one tomorrow. He told me P was on his way with dinner and now that I was back he was going to get some beer from the market. He left and came back, with some beers and some Johnny Walker Red – the small bottle. P came with beef, pork, rice, utensils, and laid out his spread. He and T divided the Johnny into two tea cups. And we dug into the food (I was being an American with a Coca Cola). Food was good but so spicy I The beers disappeared and T asked if he could have some baht to buy more Johnny W. I gave him what he needed, he went out, and was back very quickly and gave me the change. The bottle was then again divided into two teacups and drunk to toasts to Vietnam, old times, and good friends (me). After a while, the food was gone, the packaging put in the trash, and P feel asleep on the sofa. I mentioned to T that it was time for the cocktail party downstairs, wise man that he is, he suggested he might give it a pass but to make sure I came back to say goodbye to P who had to work at Fresh Boys. I suspect it was to make sure they were awake… Off I went to the manager’s cocktail party where the initial standoffishness disappears as each glass of wine or whiskey is consumed. Met a couple (male/female) from the US who hadn’t been back to the US since Clinton (Bill) was president. A fellow from the UK and I talked a lot about politics after Brexit and in the US. He’s been coming for many years, said he remembered Lukas with hair. Around 7:30 I went back up the Happy Room (555) where P was still asleep on the sofa and T was back with his film. Together, we got P up and sent him off to work. He wouldn’t take any money for the dinner. The next day, I learned that he had assumed I’d off him from work that night which didn’t happen. T and I walked through Patpong Market and went to Jupiter to see what time the show would be…then back to Twilight. We took seats at the Hot Male bar and a few minutes later, Forum member S arrived. He and I, and another member, had corresponded about meeting about as we’d all be in Bangkok at the same time. S is like a conquering hero at the HM bar. Workers, friends, go go boys, wave, hug, and go out of their way to say hello. T, it turns out, is an old friend. S had a special friend J who joined us after he finished his work at a restaurant (I think that’s what he told me). J, who I offed earlier this year, is seductively charming and clearly devoted to S. J and T are also friends. S and I start to catch up on his travel adventures getting to Bangkok and my few days in Thailand. T says he is going up to Hot Male upstairs to see if the ban on Vietnamese was still on. When he came back, he said the ban was still on, S heard the conversation and told us that the owner had decided to stay with Thai boys only. T told me that the HM mamasan would like me to go up and say hello. Which I did and was greeted in a condensed version of how S had been greeted downstairs. He also affirmed that it was Thais go go boys now. The ones I observed were thin and each seem to be heavily tattooed. Not really my taste, but I promised to be back on my next visit. Back downstairs, I was introduced to some more friends of S, T and J were talking away and catching up on what had happened in the past three months. The other forum member hadn’t arrived by 10:30 when T and I left for Jupiter. The Jupiter show is always mentioned as having lots of good looking boys and is more entertaining than Dreamboys. We were seated on stools in the center in the elevated row that gave us a clear view of the stage. We ordered drinks (400 baht each) and watched the last minutes of the pre-show rotation. T knew one of the dancers who spotted him and come over. They had worked together at Hot Male and caught up with each other’s lives. I took to #26 just as the show started. He saw that I was interested, but by now customers were packed in all around me. The show was just ok. The music between acts seemed to grow longer between each set. The singers were impressive but the staging very static. Might be due to the size of the stage, but the boys seemed to be counting out loud as to where they should put their feet and arms. As the show ended, I thought I might have a chance to talk up #26 but he wasn’t there for the bows and was probably offed. Poor me…there is always next time. The customers seemed to be 50% female. It was now after midnight, we departed, walked around Silom and Surawong, back to the hotel. I passed on a shower and went to bed, where T joined me after his shower. vinapu, Moses, Alexx and 3 others 6 Quote
ChristianPFC Posted September 20, 2016 Posted September 20, 2016 MHK? Do you mean MBK Maboonkrong shopping center? ggobkk 1 Quote
Moses Posted September 20, 2016 Posted September 20, 2016 Great reports Thank you. You still have option to try and review two more guides from SiamRoads.com - Esso and Ohh (joking) Quote
firecat69 Posted September 20, 2016 Posted September 20, 2016 MHK? Do you mean MBK Maboonkrong shopping center? Of course he does as anyone familiar with the layout of the Mall would instantly know but then again a first time visitor to BKK might not know. Quote
ggobkk Posted September 20, 2016 Author Posted September 20, 2016 MHK? Do you mean MBK Maboonkrong shopping center? Yes...I seem to have a serious block when it comes to remembering the "B", don't know where the "H" that I interject comes from. Quote
ggobkk Posted September 20, 2016 Author Posted September 20, 2016 Correction: It's Art Massage, not "Artistic". I wrote late last night and neglected careful copy editing... ChristianPFC 1 Quote
paulsf Posted September 21, 2016 Posted September 21, 2016 Thanks for the fun report. I'm glad I know my a b c's ggobkk and DivineMadman 2 Quote
Guest whall Posted September 21, 2016 Posted September 21, 2016 What does it mean to have a registered guest at Tarntawan? Quote
ggobkk Posted September 21, 2016 Author Posted September 21, 2016 What does it mean to have a registered guest at Tarntawan? I registered guest is one who has filled out a registrations card and been given his own key. Usually, at the Tarntawan, a boy who might accompany a guest hands over his passport to the security guard who maintains it until the boy departs and the guest has confirmed that everything is in order. In the case of my report, I set it up for T to register when we checked in, so he never had to surrender his passport when in the hotel and had a key so he could come and go without my having to be there. Quote
ggobkk Posted September 21, 2016 Author Posted September 21, 2016 Thanks for the fun report. I'm glad I know my a b c's Still have "N" about ready to appear in the report.... numazu and paulsf 2 Quote
