Bangkok Trip Report 2022: The wait is over. What was I waiting for?

[bkkmfj2648]

3 hours ago, numazu said:

Perhaps, it is just following a world trend that has done away with gay neighborhoods, and welcoming a more integrated world. We are the victims of our own success. We demanded for visibility and equality, and once we've achieved it, we became just like everyone else, sandwiched between girlie bars.

Wow Numazu,

In my opinion, you are Rush reincarnated with your writing capabilities.  Rush archives

I really like the way that you write and the fact that you included a map, which is a 5***** star act for me!!

So many posters here write their fabulous trip reports (greatly appreciated) but without a map for context - I often get lost and confused about the lay of the land.  A map helps me to get oriented and prepared for my to-be adventure.  Thanks.

Numazu, the snippet what you wrote above - is SO true.  Us gays we have fought so many years for equality and now that we have almost gained it - we are starting to lose our ghettos (hang out zones) - which for me are what made being gay so special.  The first time I walked into Soi Twilight many years ago was one of the MOST gay captivating events in my entire gay life (even more so than Amsterdam, San Francisco, Paris, and New York).  The intensity of it all was at first overwhelming but over time it became easier and easier to digest and enjoy - it was like heaven.  

I cannot wait to read your next segment.....

[kjun12]

You're a great story tellers

Thank you.

[emiel1981]

On 7/11/2022 at 8:36 AM, numazu said:

Things that felt familiar: the 400 baht entrance fee with welcome drink, no changes in seating and stage. AC was on full blast. We get guided by a mamasan to our seats, which was toward the back and at the center, which I thought was pretty good seating. Tiago sat down, and looked around, took it in, smiling the whole time. He looked across the room, and found 3 boys, some in underwear, some shirtless, some in tank tops, some in pants. The boys rotated, but it was always 3 at a time on stage. 

Mr York

Mr Tum

I did like Mr Korn A LOT. He has this cocky humbleness to him, and once in a while he would smirk and I see possibilities.  Maybe a future off:

The show finishes. Some live entertainment was next, and as advertised, it was pretty fun, and the vocalist, May, was pretty good  I think this was a good addition to the bar. 

Somehow I never visited Moonlight on my many previous Bkk trips... 

Reading your report (and some more posts of other contributers in the past) makes me think I should go there on my next trip in September. 

As I also prefer boys that are a bit on the muscle side (not too thin), so the boys in Moonlight would be a perfect match. 

I think what stopped me from going to Moonlight before, is that I thought almost no (muscled) bottoms to off there... As I am top only. You confined me to try it anyway... Try my luck.

Hoping to be able to off a nice muscled guy who bottoms and also kisses... Like your MonBoy. 

[numazu]

On 7/10/2022 at 4:00 PM, TotallyOz said:

First bar: Screwboys (they opened back up for @numazu)

LOL that's funny. i wish I have that power. Then I'd have them reopen Soi Twilight next.

On 7/10/2022 at 2:04 PM, vinapu said:

First bar was Moonlight ?

WINNER! 

On 7/11/2022 at 1:11 PM, ggobkk said:

My hunch is next stop is Hot Male...

Also winner! Two posters who have met me in real life. You guys really know me well.

19 hours ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

Wow Numazu,

In my opinion, you are Rush reincarnated with your writing capabilities.  Rush archives

I really like the way that you write and the fact that you included a map, which is a 5***** star act for me!!

Thank you for the very kind words @bkkmfj2648! I haven't read any of Rush's work but maybe i should. And yes the map, when I found it on that website, just had to be posted. 

19 hours ago, kjun12 said:

You're a great story tellers

Thank you.

Appreciate the complement @kjun12. Bangkok is a great subject matter to write about for sure.

17 hours ago, emiel1981 said:

Somehow I never visited Moonlight on my many previous Bkk trips... 

Reading your report (and some more posts of other contributers in the past) makes me think I should go there on my next trip in September. 

As I also prefer boys that are a bit on the muscle side (not too thin), so the boys in Moonlight would be a perfect match. 

I am not sure if there are bottom out of the "stars" in the Moonlight roster, but I know some of the rest of the boys available there do bottom (have tried at least 3, including MonBoy).

19 hours ago, bkkmfj2648 said:

The first time I walked into Soi Twilight many years ago was one of the MOST gay captivating events in my entire gay life (even more so than Amsterdam, San Francisco, Paris, and New York).  The intensity of it all was at first overwhelming but over time it became easier and easier to digest and enjoy - it was like heaven.  

It was the same for me. Stepping into that Soi for the first time was pure sensory overload. the fact that it was a narrower street with the bars so close together and everyone was bumping into each other, that was a gift. I hope something like that can be reconstituted down the road. Silom Soi 4 has the makings of it, it just needs more bars to make it a worthy successor.

[ggobkk]

  @numazuyou may have read all or parts of this masterwork at some point. Reference to "Rush"...refers to the author of Bangkok Bois (also titled "Dancing with the Devil in the City of Angels. 

For newbies it is incredibly helpful and also provides a visit to Twilight in its heyday.  Well, it was for me, at least.

[numazu]

Day 2: Same same, but different

Just a quick note on threeways in Thailand, and my inevitable comparison to those I've had in Brazil. In general, I usually don’t plan on particularly having threeways. I’ve always preferred the classic one-on-one, as it takes away certain wildcards out of the equation. But threeways are fun when they do happen, even if they come out a bit awkward if one or two people in the threesome are left a little less satisfied. There is always the danger of becoming the third wheel, with either having two participants in the threesome who seem to be enjoying each other more than the third person, or if you’re the only one enjoying the action and the other two are just going through the motions to satisfy you. I’m guessing the latter more has to do with clients getting two boys who may or may not click with each other or with you, but since money is in the equation, one tends to overlook certain misgivings.

You can probably guess where I'm going with this, that even with the few threesomes I’ve had, on average, I’ve had more satisfying threeways in Brazil than in Thailand.  Maybe it’s cultural, that South Americans bring in the heat way more often than their Asian counterparts, but anecdotally anyway, that’s been my experience. Take that as you will. I’m never going to say that Brazilians are better than the Thai, in bed. That simply is not true. What’s true is that the boy (or boys) in your bed at the moment is going to be always better than anyone else who is not in your bed, and you should make the most of any situation.

I actually first met Tiago in a threeway situation. Last year, at a start of a Rio trip, I was met at the airport by a working boy I’ve known for a few months, and he told me that he was bringing a friend with him who he said was interested in meeting me, who turned out to be Tiago. After dinner, and then a shower back at the apartment in Copacabana, this working boy proceeded to start kissing me and taking off my clothes to initiate sex. He then asks me to kiss Tiago. Tiago was tentative at that point, since he is not used to this kind of setup (plus he just met me), but warmed up to me eventually. The resulting threesome was pretty good, but it turned out that the working boy was just using me to get to Tiago, who he had the hots for and couldn’t just hook up with him because theirs' was not that kind of friendship. Tiago mentioned this to me a few months after the encounter, after I’ve had a falling out with said boy. It didn’t matter to me at the time. I had two hot Brazilians in my bed no later than an hour after I arrived from the airport. That’s a win, and I sure made the most of it.

So the threeway with MonBoy and Tiago was still fun, despite MonBoy’s apparent awkwardness in the situation. As long as I've known him, MonBoy was always eager to please, and our history through the years has shown that. The one threesome I had with MonBoy and another Burmese boy turned out pretty good. I’ll make sure I get MonBoy all to myself the next time we meet.  I am actually looking forward to that.

---

MonBoy wakes me up at 6:30 AM to tell me that he is leaving to take the BTS. As he puts on his clothes, I fish out 4000 baht from my wallet. I figure since he was technically offed by two people, not just me, then he deserves that double pay. He takes the money and pockets it, not counting it. He gives me a peck on the cheek as he always does, exits the apartment, and disappears into the early morning. I get back to bed. Tiago rolls over to spoon. “Everything ok with him?” Tiago asks. “I think so,” I answer, a bit tentatively. We both fall back to sleep.

We wake up around 12:30 PM. We intended today to be a lazy day, a chance to catch up on rest and help get over jet lag, which was a little bit less painful this time since it was only a 3-hour adjustment from where we were. I go to the kitchen to try to make some coffee and could not find the coffee maker. I did find these ubiquitous 3-in-1 coffee packs that I forgot was more of a thing in this part of the world. The apartment owner left a generous care package of 3-in-1 coffees, instant noodles and some granola bars, which is perfect for moments when you need something fast to consume.

So today, our first daytime in Bangkok, since Tiago is going to stay for at least half a year in Thailand, I was keen on showing Tiago around Bangkok, having him get used to how Thailand works, and also get used to the sights, the people, and other relevant things. I am not an expert though, I am just a humble tourist, but at least Tiago will not be starting from scratch with his Thailand knowledge when he sets out on his own next week. He of course has his fellow Brazilians to lean on that are part of his Muay Thai gym as well.  But they don't know what Numazu knows.

1. Money

Looks like I visited at the right time, as the dollar is pretty strong at the moment, compared to the Thai Baht (and pulled even with the Euro!).  The rate has hovered around less than 0.03 baht to the dollar. Using my Charles Schwab ATM, which refunds the ATM fees at the end of the month whenever it is charged, I’ve consistently got a ~0.0283 baht to the dollar baht during this one week stay in Thailand.  That meant when withdrawing 20,000 Baht + 250 baht ATM fee, my bank takes out $573.  Which is an improvement to my standard brain shorthand conversion rate of 3000 baht for every $100.

Brain Shorthand Conversion Rate: What I use when I’m calculating baht prices in my head, whenever I am out shopping or mongering. My brain math will always think that the standard Short Time rate of 2000 baht is 66 dollars. When in reality, $66 is actually 2332 baht. That’s 332 baht extra, almost enough to cover the entry fee/welcome drink at boy bars.  That has been my point of reference even since I've been going to Thailand. I’ll be in trouble if the conversion rate ever creeps over 0.033.

I think ever since I’ve been going to Thailand since 2014, the only other time that the dollar was stronger against the baht than it is now was in Christmas season of 2015. So life is pretty good right now, except if you were in Thailand Jan 30, 1998, where a 2000 baht short time fee was only $38. Granted, the short time fee back then was even less than 2000, so those of you who were there during that time, hope you made the most your time!  

Does anybody remember how much the ST fee was in 1998?

Tiago has been saving his money to be able to devote to his Muay Thai training for 6 months in Thailand, as well as his accommodations, which was a room (no AC, just a fan) in the same building as the gym. While he has not saved up to cover all of expenses – like meals and transportation, he saved enough for some of his gym time and everything else related to his profession. The rest he hopes to earn through his fights. I told him he could try his hand (and penis) on escorting, but he said he hopes it doesn’t come to that, and his fellow Brazilians have been able to make it work without having to resort to that. So he took all of his savings with him from Brazil to Thailand. And instead of using a money changer in Sao Paulo to convert the Brazilian Reals to US Dollars, so he can then use those dollars to change to Baht with a money changer in Bangkok, which as you can see is double the fees, he will just gave me all the Reais that he had, and I will just take the money from the ATM to give him the equivalent Thai baht.

Never fear, I’m always in Brazil, so those Reais he gave me will be put to good use. Unfortunately for Tiago, the Reais to Baht rate has not had the same trajectory as the dollar, and lost some value since 2017. Nevertheless, he is still saving money exchanging banknotes with me, than if through those money changers:

2. Transportation

It was important for me to get an AirBNB with a washer and dryer, two bathrooms, two bedrooms, and some basic kitchen stuff, for this trip.  Like I said earlier, after 2 weeks and half living in hotels with Tiago, it was nice to have the extra space, and the homelier facilities, to be able to stretch out more. And the extra privacy is nice, not because of modesty, as Tiago and I pretty much have no boundaries at this point, but because maybe I’d need some alone time with a boy and did not want Tiago to feel out of place or left out in the apartment, and he’d have another room in the house to occupy. Also, having a separate bedroom to house for our suitcases and valuables, devotes the other bedroom just for sleeping and sex, which is great both in a compartmentalization aspect and logistical aspect with hiring boys and having personal valuables isolated in a separate room.

But having this perfect oasis meant picking an AirBNB a little bit further away from Patpong. The apartment I chose was still in the Silom area, but was a 25 minute walk to Patpong. However, GrabTaxi is easy enough to get, and is just a 65 baht ride away ($1.83), but today I decide to take the BTS with Tiago to show him where it was, how to buy fare, how much money it costs, how to use Google Maps to know what station to look for to get to your destination, etc. We use the BTS that was closest to the AirBNB to get to Siam Paragon, the glitzy shopping center to eat some lunch and window shop. 

Stock photo:

Granted, Tiago is going to stay at a city that is not Bangkok (I choose to keep this unmentioned for reasons mentioned earlier), and will not have a BTS/MRT system to lean on, but nevertheless its good to know what is out there (I also talked to him about Tuktuks, Baht Buses, and regular buses).  In reality though, Tiago is going to rent a motorbike during his 6-month stay for 1500 baht a month, which is roughly $45. Seems pretty cheap to me, but Tiago says that that’s what his Brazilian colleagues have been doing. 

3. Food

One of the main draws, if not the number one draw, of Thailand for me is the delicious food. I would like to think that I am pretty adventurous when it comes to my food choices, and for some reason Thailand that has that variety and balance that I look for when it comes to cuisine.  So for lunch, we go to Taling Pling at Siam Paragon, which seems to be a staple for me everytime I find myself in Thailand. I of course order the Tom Yum soup with shrimp. I can’t get enough of that.

Ordering for Tiago was a different matter. Like I said, the Brazilians aren’t particularly fond of spicy food, so his options are limited. The options in Thailand are still plentiful though, so the shrimp fried rice, soft shell crab, and Thai omelette that I picked for him was a winner. He ate all of that and wanted more. 

Tiago has mentioned his gym will serve regular Brazilian food everyday for 50 baht a meal, or $1.4 dollars. Pretty cheap again, but they are a group there so they can save up.

After window shopping, and finding some items at Uniqlo, we head over to Siam Square to eat dessert at After You Dessert Café. BurBoy (remember him?) introduced me to this decadent café, and no Bangkok trip of mine can be complete without trying one of their Kakigoris (shaved ice dessert):

It was sweet, not spicy, so Tiago devoured it all.

Closing footnote: I find most of Bangkok unchanged this side of the pandemic. Everything felt the same, the same things were still at the same places. My usual haunts before the pandemic were still there. The traffic was still atrocious. The BTS still filled up during peak hours. The only thing that stood out was the mask wearing, which was understandable. It's kind of hard to wear a mask when you’re sweating in the heat and humidity, but it sure beats the alternative. With the removal of the Thai Pass requirement to enter Thailand, I’d say that Thailand is truly back, and I am very happy about that.

There is some sadness though. Apart from the loss of lives due to the disease of course, it is sad to see some businesses have remained closed, sometimes it looks like for good, and that is more than likely is due to the pandemic rendering certain business unable to sustain themselves through the hard times. Screw Boy? Lucky Boys?  All still closed. Don’t they know I'm back?

And probably the saddest of all, Oasis Restaurant, with @vinapu's Award Winning Chicken and Cashew Nuts ™, is still closed, and looks like in disrepair:

Next, a boy bar for a Monday Night. This next one should be obvious given my taste.

[reader]

I'm back home now went to the Happy Beer Garden five times (with three different guys) during my stay. Really like the place and the staff remembers what I ordered on previous visits, and that I like small noodles and not big. 🙂 I prefer to sit facing inward so I'm not constantly reminded of the demise of Twilight across the road.

On one visit. I guy seated with a farang at nearby table waved at me but I couldn't place him. On the way out, he stopped by my table and (up close) recalled that he had worked at massage shop that I had used numerous times 4-5 years ago. Time has been very good to him. I'm always impressed how these young men never seem to forget a face, and I was kind of touched that he went out of his way to talk with me even though it was brief.

Many thanks for your very entertaining reports. Just like the old days!

[Lucky]

My first trip to Thailand was in 1987. The baht was 22 to the dollar. A short time adventure was 400 baht.

Even in 1998 the cost of a short time did not exceed $30. At least as I remember it.

[scott456]

9 hours ago, Lucky said:

My first trip to Thailand was in 1987. The baht was 22 to the dollar. A short time adventure was 400 baht.

Even in 1998 the cost of a short time did not exceed $30. At least as I remember it.

And now it's >1500 baht. I.e. >500 massage + 1000 minimum tips 

[tassojunior]

fwiw- I was helping a friend book award tickets through Bangkok today and discover a cheap weird way there. Virgin awards on KLM from NYC through Amsterdam to Bangkok or Manila are only 33K miles. Chase and AmEx have 30% transfer bonuses a lot to Virgin so that's 22K Chase points. With a day stop in Amsterdam. (of course it's economy class so....). But still, awfully cheap way to get to Bangkok from Sept through June. 

 

[Guest]

10 hours ago, scott456 said:

And now it's >1500 baht. I.e. >500 massage + 1000 minimum tips 

Unless prices have gone up in the last 5 months,  it's mostly 300 baht for an oil massage in Pattaya.     

The 1000 minimum tips are only applicable in places where significant extra service is expected. 

Elsewhere, the tip ought to depend on the level of extra service provided.  In Pattaya, if you're tipping 1000, then you should have received more than just an average massage and quick HJ.   

 

 

 

[jason1975]

On 7/12/2022 at 12:34 PM, numazu said:

I see that there were 5 guys onstage with their dicks hanging out on full display. I’d say that they were all nice looking, so it was pleasant sight to see. Tiago of course, asked about this display of dicks, so I give him a rundown of what I usually see in a boy bar. 

Wow! I didn't know Hotmale bar does that!

[ichigo]

45 minutes ago, jason1975 said:

Wow! I didn't know Hotmale bar does that!

They certainly do and are such delightful dicks if I do say so..

[floridarob]

12 hours ago, tassojunior said:

But still, awfully cheap way to get to Bangkok from Sept through June.

The taxes seem high....no, esp for a 1-way?

[tassojunior]

21 minutes ago, floridarob said:

The taxes seem high....no, esp for a 1-way?

yes indeed. I'd calculate the taxes are equivalent to another 22K miles. the equal of 44K miles + $5.60 tax. 

[numazu]

Day 2.5: Heavenly Bodies

I am unclear on the origins of why Bangkok boy bars are named the way they are. Maybe the thought process is to have your bar name be as descriptive as possible, so customers know what they are getting when they want to go to that bar. So all your boys and males are either Fresh (boys), Hot (Male), Dream (y) (Boys) or Lucky (Boys), or you may want to Screw (boys) them, or want to play with their Bananas (bar). 

Then there are the bars that are named after heavenly bodies or phenomenon – Moonlight, Jupiter and Tawan (Tawan ตะวัน = Sun). These bars, more or less, have their specialized brand of boy bar, probably what sets them a little bit apart from the ones mentioned previously. I’d say these three bars indeed have “heavenly bodies”, and as such, have boys with more mass i.e. more meat on their bones than those bars that have predominantly twinks in them (those Freshboys really are fresh, for example). This is a generalization of course, Dreamboy had a lot of more meatier boys than twinks the night I was there (at least my definition of what Thailand meaty is), but generally you will not find any traditional twinks in the Solar System bars.

Don't ask me about New Twilight. I don't know how that boy bar fits into things.

Interestingly, to me at least, Tawan’s naming is more consistent with how most Brazil boy saunas are named. Tawan’s street is situated in Soi Than Tawan, from which I am assuming Tawan was then named after. In Rio de Janeiro for example, Clube 117 and Pointe 202 addresses are in 117 Rua Candido Mendes and 202 Siquiera Campos respectively, which means they are named after their street addresses as well. Various other saunas in Brazil do this (the ones in Salvador and Recife come to mind, etc.), and even if the name of the current street of the famous Sao Paulo sauna Lagoa is different from its name, originally it was located in a street called Borges Lagoa before its move to 130 Pedro Taques.

So we find ourselves in one of the Solar System bars – Jupiter. My description of it in 2016 is here:

On 7/6/2016 at 8:20 AM, numazu said:

We decide on going to Jupiter, since the boys there are both very handsome (to distract me) and somewhat cold (so I avoid falling in love with them). I compare getting a boy in Jupiter to going to see a classic painting in a famous museum: you’ve heard about it, pay the fee to see it, it’s nice to look at, but if you get it in your bed, it just lays there.

Still, I do remember at least two memorable offs from Jupiter in the past. Both were the typical Jupiter type: tall, muscular athletic, fair skin and handsome. Both I’ve had trepidation offing in the past due to my preconceived assumptions about the aloofness of the Jupiter boys, and hence, both exceeded my expectation when it came to the off, further fueling my desire to go back to the heavens more and more. 

My whole off with MuscleBoy here:

And a snippet of my off with Korean Boy:

On 6/10/2017 at 10:20 AM, numazu said:

As I lean in for a closer reach, his face gets close to mine. He kisses my lips. I didn’t kiss back at first. I was surprised. He pulls back. I lean forward to find his lips again. We kiss, properly this time. That was nice. I guess the “straight” boy kisses. This was going to be good. I talk to him some more, as he gets more comfortable with me. He tells me about his t-shirt shop in Ladprao. His hours, the kinds of shirts he sells, the kind of customers he deals with, and the money he gets. He says it is not cheap to buy inventory to sell, so he uses Jupiter as a source for seed money. He hopes that one day his profits can turn into something more.

---

We emerge from a sex-induced slumber at 9:30 PM, after a half day of running around Bangkok and seeing the sights. Tiago, as goal-oriented as he was when it comes to going after his dreams, surely knows what he likes doing during vacations: lots of rest and lots of sex. He admitted to as such while we were traversing Dubai. As a result, we have missed a tourist spot or two that was on my list of must-see things to see. Still, my method of running ragged of wanting to see as many things as possible and to sleep with as many boys as possible, combined with his more leisurely pace of stopping and smelling the roses, and establishing deeper connections and sacrificing certain opportunities as a result, worked for both of us and benefitted our experiences. Quality over quantity was essentially the result.

Still, he knew that it was important for me to go see a Boy Bar every night we were in Bangkok, so when the alarm went off to wake us up that night, he darted out of the bed and did a few shadow boxing exercises to wake himself up and get the blood flowing. I fired up the water heater and made two cups of those delish 3-in-1 coffees, and pair of showers later we were on a Grab to  Silom Soi 4. 71 baht.

We arrive at Soi 4 around 10:15 PM, and the familiar sights of the street were still there. I noticed a new (to me) boy bar called Banana Bar, with their tout enticing us to come in and partake of their fruit stand. Perhaps on another night. We passed by the usual bars, notably the renamed Circus Bar, formerly Telephone Pub – I am not too familiar what precipitated this name change. There was a good-sized crowd seated in almost all the bars, with a good showering of farang tourists, perhaps a sign that the tourist numbers are rebounding at a good clip. 

But we had our goal today – Jupiter. We were greeted by the sharply dressed tout who didn’t bother with his spiel because it looked like we knew where we were going.  Inside, the outer seats were taken, some full with rowdy Thai revelers, others with more reserved farangs and Asian gays. We were seated at the very front. Tiago plopped himself on the seat, ready for the show. Regular coke and rum coke (pretty decent). Onstage where 3 or 4 boys at a time, rotating through their roster, a trick I’ve seen in almost all the bars that had more boys than a stage can logically contain. I am reminded right away of Jupiter delights: the preppy, handsome, clean cut, masculine fair boy.

Tiago noticed this, and commented that the offerings were pretty enticing, and handsome. Perhaps Tiago was also a Jupiter man. I was overjoyed when I say MuscleBoy and Korean Boy still working here, as if nothing has changed through the years. They both still looked gorgeous and fit. There were other stunners as well, well-documented in the Jupiter facebook.  They feature each of their models fairly well on FB, and some even have studio-quality photoshoots that highlights their best features.

 

What impressed me was the number of guys that were on offer.  If you want an idea of many guys are available on a given night, watch this:

Also, this was were I was seated, where the red dot is:

So I was up close and bulge level to these fine specimens, so I was having a blast. I would highly recommend seating up there for maximum viewing.  Not sure why the other customers here preferred sitting further away from the action. They are missing out.

The show soon starts and it’s the usual drag queen/boy number combination. The drag queens were pretty polished, moreso than what I’ve seen elsewhere in Thailand, or even Brazil.  Also, there were numbers with drag queens and boys combined, and I remember this was a thing before from pre-pandemic:

With all this happening, Tiago was seemingly entertained. My hunches about this bar were right, that this was a bar that is easy to show to first-timers, or your girl best friend, that had enough distractions and hot boys to entertain pretty much anybody. I know a lot of us here prefer a less refined, more hardcore experience with Thai boy bars, and I do miss that type of atmosphere, but there is a place for these kind of bars both in the boy bar landscape, and in every one of my travel itineraries.

There was the question of offing tough. I was thoroughly smitten with one of the guys in that clip above. Everyone in the bar was looking at him.  

Maybe it was the grinding and the dancing he did. I was about to look for him but saw that he sat down with some clients and I missed my chance.  Still, there were a lot to choose from. I could choose from any number of tall, fair, lean muscular boys. There was something about that guy with the full body tattoo (see video). He looks like he would know a thing or two about a good time. Plus, in perusing Jupiter’s FB posts, he is figured in a set of photos that seem to show another, more fun side of him:

I ask Tiago what he thought about that guy. He said he was more interested in another handsome lad, as he tells me his number. I recognized the guy from Patpong. He must’ve belonged to another bar but is now working in Jupiter. He was the Jupiter type. He had really white skin, very smooth. Boyish handsomeness, abs and muscles. He fit the type that I liked, so I motioned to him to sit with us once the show was over. He was in jeans and shirtless. He sat in between Tiago and I. A waiter quickly comes to us to ask if the boy wanted a drink. He asked for a coke.

He recognized me from the pre-pandemic days, and asked me the usual stock questions of name, where you from, how long Bangkok and all that good stuff. I of course had to translate for Tiago, who was rubbing his leg and looking at him closely. He was Vietnamese, and Tiago found that fairly interesting possibly because it was the first time he has ever met a Viet guy.

After a few more pleasantries, VietBoy asks if we wanted to off him.  I then asked what he was into. He said he is all top. I translated this to Tiago and then he promptly grabbed his dick to see. More questions. 5000 for short time because we were two people, so double the price he said. Then I asked if he kisses. He said no. He said he was straight.

I then translate this all to Tiago.  “E hetero?” he said, sort of disappointed.  “Quanto custa,” he asks. I do some quick math and tell him “130 dolares ou 700 reais,” I answer. Tiago makes a face, ”E caro demais,” he replies, thinking the price was a little bit too steep. He then asks me that its up to me, but I already knew my answer. After a few more pleasantries, and as he finshes his drink, I gave him 500 baht and bid him farewell.  It was just not meant to be.

To Tiago, a sexual partner who doesn’t kiss, let alone doesn't do it passionately, is not worth it, and life is too short for that kind of BS. I tend to agree.  He later said that for 130 dollars, he’d do way more than just top.

While all of this was going on, Jupiter turned from a Boy Bar to a lounge, and it was actually enjoyable. Customers were having a blast with the live singing, boys were joining the fun, drinking with customers, and it all looked like fun:

There is someone in the video clip waving some money in front of the boys. I figure that the video is at least accurate in that sense, as it will take that much money to get the boys to act happy to be with you.

I didn’t even try to look for another boy to off. I tried, it didn’t work out, and that was that. I didn’t even feel that I was missing out. I had good memories of this place, and will continue to make more in the future. Right now it was about me and Tiago. He might be the ultimate cock block as he is giving me more than probably any of the boys in this building ever could, in arguably better physical attributes, among other things. There is a time and a place to “settle” for a more chill sexual encounter and I am willing to adjust to the task at hand. Sometimes that it was I need, other times, like right now, it is Quality over Quantity.

After another round of drinks, we leave the celestial confines of Jupiter. While it weird for me to not off a guy form this bar, truth is Jupiter will always hold a special place in my groin. There will be other nights in Jupiter, to look for this guy, for example:

We then head over to Footland Patpong to have a late dinner. After that we decide to make that 25-minute walk back to the apartment, since it has cooled down a bit. Tiago asked again if it was safe to walk at 2 AM in the morning in Bangkok. I said yes it was. He commented that if this was central Rio we would be assaulted many times over. i laughed, because it was true.  And even Tiago had a hard time avoiding comparing Brazil to Thailand, but this time, he was noticing something that Thailand had an advantage over Brazil.

“That’s why we are here Tiago,” I tell him. “We are here to forget about our troubles in Brazil. We are in Thailand now.” We should make the most of our time here, as Thailand has a lot to offer.

And we do just that, next post.

[floridarob]

1 hour ago, numazu said:

He recognized me from the pre-pandemic days

Generic Asian face 😉

[scott456]

I would like to hear more on Tiago's comparison between Thailand and Brazil.  What does he (or you) think Brazil is better than Thailand.

[floridarob]

9 minutes ago, scott456 said:

I would like to hear more on Tiago's comparison between Thailand and Brazil.  What does he (or you) think Brazil is better than Thailand.

I know you didn't ask me, but I'm willing to bet he has a similar response 😉

I love both places....but Brazil, sex is more passionate and it doesn't feel as transactional. No matter how bad they have it, living conditions, family problems, etc.... you'll normally not hear about it, pity trip conversations.....and no "up to you"

Sex is def less expensive in Brazil and most of guys are super fun to be around......

Food , massage and hotels are generally better and cheaper in Thailand, and is safer........Brazil didn't shut down during Covid.

I was pretty good friends with Hugh Miller, he was the manager of the Ambiance hotel when JIm and Gordon owned it. The stories about the stories he told about the tricks the boys do to get customers to buy them things and "gift" them more money....actually, was kind of sad to hear. Knowing how foolish men can be....it's 10 times worse in the straight world 😲

[numazu]

16 hours ago, scott456 said:

I would like to hear more on Tiago's comparison between Thailand and Brazil.  What does he (or you) think Brazil is better than Thailand.

Tiago has been living in Thailand for a number of weeks now, so everything still feels new. But he says that cost of living is lower, and food, transportation and entertainment is cheaper. Plus things that have to do with his work - gear, gym time etc, are cheaper. He can also get compensation with teaching Jiu Jitsu in Thailand teaching either tourists of locals that he says is more than what he can get in Brazil, probably because there are fewer of him in Thailand with his set of skills so he is more in demand. He is already looking at staying longer than his planned 6 months and looking at his visa options. So yeah he likes it in Thailand better but he is looking at it through the lens of someone working.

My take is complicated (always). I have my own preferences that may be different than yours.

Sex - @floridarobhas alluded to this. I've had sex with duds in Brazil so that exists, but I found that a Brazilian's average minimum effort is still much more passionate and more to my liking than what I get in Thai. I get that in Thailand too, but I am more assured that the sex will be more passionate and I am left satisfied, sex-wise. Depends on the situation of course.

Cost to hire - It's just cheaper in Brazil. No escaping that fact. I'd say basic short time fee in Brazil is $30 vs $40 in Thailand, and you get more for your money.

Grindr - I've had way more luck in Brazil, but my Generic Asian Face™ is more of a novelty there relative to Thailand.

Gay saunas (not for pay) - Brazil saunas are hotter and wilder

Food - Thailand is way superior to that of Brazil, in my book. Food is also way cheaper in Thailand.

Tourist Infrastructure - Thailand is more developed hands down. There is a reason Bangkok has toppled Paris as the most visited city in the world in 2019. Just the ease in which you get basic stuff like SIM cards (airport in Bangkok with clear pricing and GB vs not as easy in Brazil), taxis and hotel staff with English speaking drivers, the Tourist police etc., is superior than what you will find in Brazil. I've said before that Brazil has a steeper learning curve, though if you have a patience to see it through, it's hard to let go. Thailand was just love at first sight for me. One night in Silom and I was hooked forever.

Safety - Advantage: Thailand. No way out of this. But I must say that if you know what you're doing, its fairly easy to keep safe in Brazil as well, as I have after a million trips to there. But yes, advantage: Thailand

Shopping - Slight advantage to Thailand. Lots of cheap finds in both places but I think Thailand has better variety (MBK and Chatuchak are gold standards).

Massage - Huge advantage to Thailand. Not even a question.

Beaches - Beaches in Thailand are prettier and better, but Brazil's are more fun and more lively so, depends on what you like. Rio's Copacabana and Ipanema are obvious strengths, with Bangkok not having a comparable analog, but Phuket and Samui are stunning places to visit once you get there.

Festivals - toss up. Songkran is fun, Carnaval is fun. It's all fun.

Nightlife - both have their advantages, boils down to what you prefer or are looking for. 

Language - For me, Portuguese is way easier for me to learn, i.e. I learned it vs I will probably never learn to speak Thai because English is widely spoken in Thailand. There is some utility to learning the language in any country as you get to know it in a much deeper level.  Even if Thais more or less speak English, I suspect I missing something by not speaking Thai.

My 2¢. I love both. Will continue visiting both. Will account for the shortcomings and enjoy the strengths of either place. It's good to have these two wonderful options to choose from!

[Guest]

3 hours ago, numazu said:

Safety - Advantage: Thailand. No way out of this. But I must say that if you know what you're doing, its fairly easy to keep safe in Brazil as well, as I have after a million trips to there. But yes, advantage: Thailand

Rather than "knowing what I'm doing", I start from "doing what I want" and then consider if the country is suitable.    

I like to be able to walk anywhere I like, at any time of day or night.     Thailand is pretty safe for that.   From what I hear, Brazil is not.    If I have to go everywhere by taxi, I really wouldn't like a holiday there.   But I'm happy to hear any counter argument that doesn't involve a holiday deprived of exercise.

[alvnv]

Exercise in bed? 😉

[numazu]

Day 3: Temple, Tailor, Scorcher, Tie

This trip, I’ve been more animated with exploring Bangkok more than previous trips, probably because I had the secondary task of showing Tiago the country. He is seeing the country as a newbie, as I was when I first visited in 2014. It is always nice to go through the newbie experience again with someone, seeing the country through their eyes. And Tiago’s natural inquisitiveness always had me on my toes, so it was a treat for me to see this place again in that sense, after having taken past trips for “granted”.

We had plans to go to the gym today but opted to sleep in instead (how many times has this happened to me in my life), but we did have plans to do an organized private tour of some temples in Bangkok, as well as to see other sites. I’ve done various versions of this tour in the past (with various friends, boys etc), and have been to these places with boys to observe how they worship, but seeing these temples again and again never seems to get old for me. It was also important for me to show these temples to Tiago.

So we wake up at 10 am, which isn’t super late, but too late to entertain a gym session. Some coffee, a shower, and getting dressed, and we head over to a nearby Coffee Club. 

I’ve always liked Coffee Club, and seeing one always reminded me of my stays in Pattaya, where there was one at the Royal Garden Plaza, usually a fairly short walkable distance from any AirBNB or hotel I would stay near Boyztown. And they are more than just coffee, for me they were a consistent source of a savory breakfast. I of course got my cholesterol on a plate with eggs, bacon and sausage:

Tiago, with his sweet tooth, got some pancakes.

We had to fuel up, as we had a big day ahead.

We go back to the apartment to wait for the tourist guide. For ideas on where to get a private guide, I usually go to Viator.com, but I instead contacted a prior SiamRoads guide that I hired 7 years ago to see if he was still available. Turns out he is retired from tourism, but recommended a reputable Tour company. He forwarded my Whatsapp number to the company, and two nights ago got a WhatsApp message from the tour company, asking me what I was looking for in a tour. I told them just a quick temple tour, with a private vehicle with AC, and was quoted $110 which I thought was reasonable.

At 11:50 AM I got a Whatsapp message saying that the van taking us was parked by the curb in front of the apartment. We meet our guide, who was waiting for us at the curb. He was pretty friendly, and when we get seated, I explain to him that Tiago was Brazilian and did not speak much English, but I will translate whatever he told me. This is a running theme with most of the Brazilians I’ve taken with me to my travels, when we find ourselves in an English-speaking situation, like tours. I’d never thought I’d end up being a translator for Brazilians, but it inadvertently allows me to practice the Portuguese even outside of Brazil, trying to explain a certain country’s history or a monuments meaning, for example, stuff that is beyond the usual casual conversation.

The tour guide showed his cards when he commented how handsome Tiago was. I had a hoot translating this to Tiago. Tiago just rolled his eyes.

We had three main stops today, all temples. All chock full of history. 

1. Wat Traimit, with the glistening architecture and the Golden Buddha:

Wat Arun with the Hindu elements:

And Wat Pho, with the reclining Buddha:

The guide gives a side note on Thai Massage History, and how it was based on the concept of invisible energy lines running though the body. There was even a mural of it in one of the temples. Arena Spa was not mentioned tho, and no invisible lines pointing to where a happy ending would be located:

I always like it when we get a temple to ourselves, and we get to sit on the floor (thankfully with fans blowing air throughout the facility), and we get to have a few minutes of peace and meditation while admiring the Buddhist elements of the room. Tiago said it was a highlight of his tour, and he would like to visit Buddhist temples more often:

Overall, the guide was really knowledgeable. And Tiago absorbed all the information the guide had for us. As we drove around Bangkok, the guide would point out the important landmarks. While I pretty much been to all the places he mentioned, it was good to be reminded of them, and to tell Tiago about my impression of those places. It was a good jog down memory lane.

I mentioned to the guide that I had certain things I wanted to accomplish in Bangkok that I haven’t gotten to yet, that I may not have time for. The guide asked me what they were, I told him, and one of the items the guide said he could help with – finding a tailor, could be our next stop. My usual tailor, Excelsior Tailors, was closed when we went by it yesterday afternoon. They might have pandemic-reduced hours, and they had a sign with a phone number in the front of the store, but I decided not to bother. 

The guide offered to take us to his recommended tailor. He told us that he trusts this tailor, and he has recommended this to other guests of his, and has been highly recommended by them as well.  He then said that most of the tailors found in Silom or shopping malls usually outsource their work to another, central tailor. He was taking us to a tailor who did their own work, and it is a work of quality. He then said that if we had any problems with the tailor, then he will fix it.

We arrive at the tailor shop named "James Fashion" (not "James Tailor" – they missed a golden opportunity here) in the Dusit District of Bangkok. We were expected, as one of the tailors greeted us at the curb and asked us if we wanted water or beer. We opted for coffees. I told him what I wanted (2 sports coats and three shirts) as well as Tiago, who I promised to also get one sports coat. We were shown some fabrics and we got to feel the material, as we chose our picks.  We got measured, prodded, and the whole thing took only 15 minutes. The tailor then said asked when were we leaving Bangkok. I told him 6 days from today, so we made an appointment for a second fitting 3 days from now, and have the clothes delivered 2 days after that. I paid (fairly reasonable prices) and as a thank you, we were given two ties each as a present, to be delivered with the clothes on final delivery.

The traffic was horrendous (Bangkok is back!) so we get home at 6 PM. Sitcky and gross after a half a day of walking in sweltering heat and humidity, we shower together, which led to some hanky-panky (his idea) which led to us exhausted after cumming, and which led to another nap. I was smart enough to have the alarm set at 9 PM, to wake us up for the night ahead. A couple of cups of 3-in-1, and a Grab Taxi later, we find ourselves back on Silom Soi 4, to have dinner at G’s Bangkok.

Before we settle at the restaurant, I take a quick peak at the bars further down the Soi. It was busier than yesterday, and there was a good-sized crowd of farangs in the mix of all the revelry. I see Jupiter at the end, with the tout waiting his chance to convince people to come in. The tout by Banana Bar has already done that to us, and failed, to get our attention. Judging to the size of the crowd, Soi 4 seems to have the makings of a Soi Twilight. If they can find a way to replace some of the restaurants with more boy bars, and build out to the end of the Soi, we can get there.

Interesting to me though, that any online guide describing Silom Soi 4 never mention the boy bars in the Soi, only the “normal” bars. Why is that?  See article below titled "Bangkok's Best Gay Street":

 

Anyway, we get back to G’s to have a hearty dinner. Tiago opted to eat some Thai food, even with the blander Bavarian options in the menu, and the danger of the food being spicy. Thankfully, the food we chose were tolerable to his unaccustomed tongue. To finish it off, he asks for a volcano cake which we shared, to satisfy his sweet tooth:

At 10:10 PM we were on our way to our selected Boy Bar.  Which one was it, next…

[scott456]

Nice colorful pictures and reports.  Did you have to pay for all Tiago's food, temple tour, and boy bar tour? (In addition to business class airfare/miles ticket, and accommodations while staying with you, and a previous trip to Mexico) That's very generous of you.

[numazu]

On 7/12/2022 at 2:41 AM, emiel1981 said:

Somehow I never visited Moonlight on my many previous Bkk trips... 

Reading your report (and some more posts of other contributers in the past) makes me think I should go there on my next trip in September. 

As I also prefer boys that are a bit on the muscle side (not too thin), so the boys in Moonlight would be a perfect match. 

Hoping to be able to off a nice muscled guy who bottoms and also kisses... Like your MonBoy. 

Muscled bottoms who kiss are indeed a harder thing to find in Thailand for some reason. Not in other places of the world. MonBoy is by no means a muscled-bound, but meatier than the average boy in Thailand. I'd recommend DreamBoy and Hot Boys. I've offed two who may fit your three criteria (muscle, kisses, bottom), and have had tremendous luck in those bars in the past.

On 7/14/2022 at 3:10 AM, reader said:

I'm back home now went to the Happy Beer Garden five times (with three different guys) during my stay. Really like the place and the staff remembers what I ordered on previous visits, and that I like small noodles and not big. 🙂 I prefer to sit facing inward so I'm not constantly reminded of the demise of Twilight across the road.

...

Many thanks for your very entertaining reports. Just like the old days!

Happy Beer Garden has been a staple of mine, unfortunately these days I will only remember that it is there if I was walking from Moonlight to Patpong. Otherwise, with Soi Twilight gone, the area is less busy.

Just like the good old days... how I wish.

On 7/15/2022 at 5:31 AM, jason1975 said:

Wow! I didn't know Hotmale bar does that!

On 7/15/2022 at 6:17 AM, ichigo said:

They certainly do and are such delightful dicks if I do say so..

I'm glad I could enlighten you on the dick situation at Hotmale. Oddly enough, I found more impressive dicks at the bar a meters down the same floor as Hot Male ;).

On 7/15/2022 at 9:52 AM, tassojunior said:

yes indeed. I'd calculate the taxes are equivalent to another 22K miles. the equal of 44K miles + $5.60 tax. 

Yikes, those are indeed high fuel surcharges. Virgin is known for having these high fuel surcharges. Another reason to not fly them.

On 7/14/2022 at 4:33 AM, Lucky said:

My first trip to Thailand was in 1987. The baht was 22 to the dollar. A short time adventure was 400 baht.

Even in 1998 the cost of a short time did not exceed $30. At least as I remember it.

400 baht short time? Wow that is cheap. I think when I started it never went under 1000.

9 hours ago, scott456 said:

Nice colorful pictures and reports.  Did you have to pay for all Tiago's food, temple tour, and boy bar tour? (In addition to business class airfare/miles ticket, and accommodations while staying with you, and a previous trip to Mexico) That's very generous of you.

Ummm, yes? I thought that was implied. And as for being generous - I thought that was the point of this website.

19 hours ago, z909 said:

Rather than "knowing what I'm doing", I start from "doing what I want" and then consider if the country is suitable.    

I like to be able to walk anywhere I like, at any time of day or night.     Thailand is pretty safe for that.   From what I hear, Brazil is not.    If I have to go everywhere by taxi, I really wouldn't like a holiday there.   But I'm happy to hear any counter argument that doesn't involve a holiday deprived of exercise.

19 hours ago, alvnv said:

Exercise in bed? 😉

LOL I was also gonna say, isn't sex considered exercise?

I'm not disputing your point @z909. But I must say that there are a million walking spaces in Brazil that are safe. The 30-minute walk from Post 1 at Leme/Copacabana to Post 10 in Ipanema is a great example. Hiking up to Christ the Redeemer is another. Parque ibirapuera in Sao Paulo (great eye candy), and Avenida Paulista on Sundays when they close the whole major street for exercise, are the Sao Paulo standouts. Recife - late night/early morning strolls at Boa Viagem, with the bonus of jumping into the warm ocean, Fortaleza -  the crazy Praia de Iracema park walk with LOTS of eye candy, walking at various times day or night at the Pelourinho in the old part of Salvador... I could go on and on. And pretty safe to do so. And Brazil has milder weather (still hot, but better relative to Thailand) so actually the walking is more pleasant. I'd argue that I walk outside in Brazil more than I do in Thailand, just because of the outside temperature, plus Brazilian boys walk more it seems than bar boys (who seem to need a taxi to go everywhere LOL).