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

[moistmango]

On 8/1/2022 at 8:51 AM, macaroni21 said:

I have put up a new map at https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2022/08/01/memory-lane-and-a-new-silom-surawong-map-july-2022/  You will need to scroll down to the bottom of the post to see it. Hope it's useful to you.

Didn't look closely at the link, clicked on it and then realized - Shameless Mack!! Love your site. 

... Lucky Boys is closed? Not a great sign. It was one of the larger joints, and noticeably flourishing, in the post-Twilight era. 

[reader]

1 hour ago, moistmango said:

... Lucky Boys is closed? Not a great sign. It was one of the larger joints, and noticeably flourishing, in the post-Twilight era. 

The party that reportedly holds the lease on the Lucky Boys location (that includes Bangkok Massage on the lower level) isn't prepared to reopen until the numbers of potential customers (mainly from China) rival the pre-covid era. Being the largest boy bar in the area, it requires a large (40+) number of young men to fill ts stage in addition to a hefty supporting staff.

The same lease holder reportedly also operates lady bars in the Patpong rectangle.

[macaroni21]

1 hour ago, reader said:

The party that reportedly holds the lease on the Lucky Boys location (that includes Bangkok Massage on the lower level) isn't prepared to reopen until the numbers of potential customers (mainly from China) rival the pre-covid era. Being the largest boy bar in the area, it requires a large (40+) number of young men to fill ts stage in addition to a hefty supporting staff.

The same lease holder reportedly also operates lady bars in the Patpong rectangle.

Very interesting intel. I can empathise with the poor leaseholder's decision. It sounds like one of those situations where the losses are smaller just paying the rent on unused space, compared to trying to open the business and losing money paying the rent plus bleeding red ink from operations.

But what it means is that there is hope... though it is debatable how long it will take for Xi Jinping to change course.

It only proves what I have said before. Lucky Boys was way too big a space. The business does not have the agility to adjust to circumstances that a smaller business would have.

[ggobkk]

I am in general agreement with @macaroni21 on Lucky Boys except for the description of the leaseholder as "poor".  He/she is the leaseholder for Lucky Boys and Bangkok Massage.  So is the power behind Screwboys future.  Hopefully both will find ways to love and breathe again.  I anticipate the powers behind the powers will find a way to thrive.

[gerefan]

Anyone know what time the money exchange at the railway station under Savanabhumi Airport closes? 

[reader]

According to K-Bank website, the booth near City Line Train open 0700 to 2300. There's another location in arrivals area reportedly open 24/7.

The booth near train once offered good exchange rate but when I checked it on way out a month ago, the rate was very non-competitive with rates in the city.

 

 

[pong2]

On 8/1/2022 at 2:51 AM, macaroni21 said:

I have put up a new map at https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2022/08/01/memory-lane-and-a-new-silom-surawong-map-july-2022/  You will need to scroll down to the bottom of the post to see it. Hope it's useful to you.

Oh dear-and only now I see this-you should have posted it separately announcing as re-start. But again many thanks for your truely enjoyable reports. K-man reminded me of a by now very old K-Male-way further up -somewhere at the back side of old Don Muang airport-for me this one remains the nr 1***** of all BKKś massage shops. Though at that time it was before the apps: you went there and saw the guys (in the start they had a kind of dry ´aquarium´ -but that was soon done away with) and choose. After 1 session the guy advised me I should come same time next week and ask for X- (have you ever heard such a thing?)- and he was 111% right-X became my favorite still of all Thai guys-we kept contact till he left UNI and is now running (or was) as setting up coffee and later juice/vegan shops.

Judging from your map&description I got the feeling that this K-man was a re-incarnation of a shop that moved to there from Pradipat road-had to move as it was in a hotel-compound which went down and raized to the ground. For a long while they mostly had kind of hilltribe guys from a mixed Thai-Burmese origin. I bet your masseur had never encountered a white client before-hence his hesitations.

 

On another subject: the story by numazu went about things for boxers: well, in TH -but any bozer guy would know that- these are clustered around the boxing stadiums-there used to be dozens of them in between Siam square and MBK. But the stadium has moved also to way out suburbia

[vinapu]

4 hours ago, reader said:

 

The booth near train once offered good exchange rate but when I checked it on way out a month ago, the rate was very non-competitive with rates in the city.

 

 

My observations from May trip are the same, it looks that , at least for currencies outside of great duo USD / EUR, booth by the railway station at Swampy weren't that competitive. Now I,m fan and big user of XONE on Suriwong close to Amara hotel.

[zoomomancs]

Agree about Xone on Surawong. I used to walk to Superrich but Xone is nearer for me.