Return to Thailand

[ggobkk]

17 minutes ago, vinapu said:

do you mean soi 4 ? or there's German restaurant in soi 6 I don't know about

Soi 4…I stand corrected as my hotel is part of soi 6.

[ggobkk]

15 minutes ago, vinapu said:

yes , I do. Term was actually coined by the late Firecat  when he witnessed whom I offed from BBB and was relieved to learn I'm alive next morning 

And we all are grateful you are still here…except you’re  not here in Bangkok which would make many things better.

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, ggobkk said:

 you’re  not here in Bangkok which would make many things better.

I know and feel it but as I said somewhere else , life intervened

[ggobkk]

It is Monday morning and my scheduled activity has been postponed.  Which gives me some time to describe Sunday.  I woke early after an almost normal night’s sleep.  Must have been the one hour massage with Sun and two more at Prime.  I opened the Forum and responded to  comments and questions and also to the private messages.  It appears that Sun has provided favorable moments for a number of us!  I also read TotallyOz’s summary of the clubs and decided he was setting a trail that I might follow.

Awake, I had the breakfast at the hotel buffet.  Many nice touches but the scrambled eggs are cold.  This morning I dined it ting buy the windows that look out on the pool.  Some very nice eye candy.  But reality intervenes and I headed to the BTS and went to Mo Chit for the weekend market.  It’’s only 9:30am and it is very HOT (in the heat sense).  Picked up a few scarves and trinkets for folks back home.  When the BTS stopped at Siam, I decided rather than an immediate transfer I’d walk around Siam Paragon.  A few empty spaces, amazing display of automotive extravagance.  

Back on the way to the hotel, I stopped off at Coffee Grinder (see above) and had another smoothie.  Several tables of folks, very gay.  One gentleman and his extremely handsome and fit young companion, a table of friends of the managers and the usual cute staff.  Some gay cutting up and cheerful banter.  I was there for more than an hour and suspect I’ll be back.

Rain started around 4 or 5 and I went out to change some $$.  The hotel staff insisted I take an umbrella as it might rain again…it did.  Since I was out and about without having had lunch I went to the James Beard Award winner restaurant known to many of us, and dined for a pittance.  They have lowered the breakfast cost to 84 THB for early risers.

After returning to the hotel and returning the umbrella, I set out to check out some clubs projecting to visit all the major ones by Wednesday (reminder this is Sunday May14th).  But before I went out I was caught up with watching the election results come in and how they are reported.  Not understanding the politics, let alone the language, I guessed at who might be from what party.  Around 8pm, I decided it was time to get going.

On my way to the Street of Boys, I passed a voting station where the ballots were being counted in the open for all to witness.  Participatory democracy in action.

On entering the street I was spotted by the Lao who has long been associated with Hot Male and known by sight to many of us.  He introduced me to his co workers and I bought some drinks.  One of the grabbers/hosts from Freshboys remembered me and joined us. The uniforms have been up scaled from black shirt and pants to colorful vests and ties. He told me that the show would start around 10 but that the boys were on stage.  Since I really don’t care about the show, unless it is happening, I went up.  The Mamasan called me by my name and ushered me to a center seat.  House was about two thirds full.  Large contingent of boys in white shorts and shirtless.  Mamasan chatted about the changes covid made and that it was nice to see the old timers return (my term as I am old with a repeat history of visits).

If you read above about my terminated negotiation with”Bird” you might remember that I am a sucker for the handsome.  Well,  or maybe WELL, one boy in the rotation met my visual high standard criteria. Mamasan always alert to a sale/pleasing a customer answered pertinent questions.  Gay - yes.  Does A & B - yes.  I invited him to join me and he confirmed all the Mamasan told me.  I asked his age as he looked VERY young.  He said 23 and ID confirmed this.  HIs name was head as Wile.  Struck by his handsomeness I forgot even think about remembering his number.  I asked for certain services, he smiled, and agreement reached.  His short time was 2500 THB.  A bit more than I am used to but I was momentarily in passionate love,  We escaped to Quarter Silom, where he knew the layout of the hotel, how the various bits and pieces of the room worked.  I played voyeur as he hadn’t lowered the shade covering the glass wall between the bathroom and the rest of the room.

He is from Myanmar - and is incredibly well endowed.  I mention this most of the Myanmar spa photos on the forum from Myanmar show the well endowed.  Maybe they aren’t phot shopped.  He certainly wasn’t.  He proved that he did A+B+etc.  It was a very good time that I’d be happy to repeat.

In a moment of post activity bliss we were discussing stamps and he asked where I was from. I told him, he then said he has customers from the US, China, Japan, Singapore, Germany, Turkey, India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Dubai, and some others he couldn’t remember their countries.  Yes, clearly he has reason to know my hotel and probably manny others.  Class act.

He departed (probably for another immediate off) and I opened my IPad to find a message from a distinguished Forum member who also was an admirer of Sun going back to when he was at Bangkok Massage. We chatted and I mentioned that I was hoping to hear from Sun about a 4 hand massage.  Distinguished Forum Member (DFM) said he would Line Sun and vouch for me.  Ten minutes later we were all tasking and options for a third party were narrowed and one selected, he confirmed and DFM detailed his experiences and approved the choice. All arranged.  Thank you Forum for helping.

It is barely 10pm so I head out to check out Jupiter.  Never got that far, when I reached Banana the grabber grabbed me and gave me. Hug and kiss.  We go way back from when he has the same same task for Hot Male on Twilight.  Given the reception at Freshboys and here, I was pleased but realized I wan;t anonymous and the word (whatever that is) would be out among the boys.

So I was ushered into the remodeled (from my last trip) Banana and turned over to a Papasan who remembered me from Hot Male on Twilight.  Two of the boy from the rotation came over remembering me and I remembered  them.  Both Viets.  I bought them drinks and chatted as much as possible (my Apple Watch was warning me that the decibel level is so high that I could go damage my hearing if exposed for too long.

Banana did. Really nice rethink of its space.  What was the upper level with its own show is now the prep area for the performers, The outdoor area was enclosed creating a large indoor space with room for stage with a staircase for the performers to enter from.  Shower was in progress, handsome Canadian gymnast (who I would have offed but he was already claimed), lots of lip synching, some diva singing. House was packed with maybe 30 percent female audience.  Sitting with my Viet friends there was lots of room for hand action.  The Papasan in regular attendance recalling earlier visits he remembered me from.  Lucy did not even acknowledge me but then she was busy as more women were arriving around the time the rotation started up again and dealing with a very intoxicated woman who passed out for all to see and the wait staff to move to the bar area.  Boys in white shorts and shirtless for the rotation, several appealed to me.  Banana has really upped its game.  When I left the house was packed, boys were being offed, and more folks coming in.

While enjoying the handsy hands on experience,  decided to head out to Screwboys.  I tipped the Viets, thanked the Papasan, and tipped the greeter/grabber promising to return.

On to Screwboys.  Once in it was funereal.  Only two tables of customers and 8 boys many looking the worse for wear.  If the devoted reader scrolls back to my mention of a couple at the coffee shop earlier in the day, it was touch on the fact that they were one of the other tables.  The young companion recognized me, smiled, and offered a vodka shot.  I declined and he wrapped a banknote around the shot glass and invited the performers to drink.  This was more interesting than anything on stage. Another place where the Mamasan reminded me of former visits and promised to let Yoyo know I had stopped by.  He isn’t working there, not sure if he is working anywhere.

 I bolted without finishing my drink.  Went up stairs to Hot Male.  No one here recognized me. NIce change.  Given a center seawhile the rotation was. In progress prior to the start of mid-night show.  The guys were in jeans and some were shirtless.  Very masculine appearing group.  One of the guys on my entering struck me as looking like Rafael Nadal. Tall and well formed.  Another also appealed to me.  I asked the waiter to give each a red note.  He confused who was to get what to the amusement of the boys and the other waiters.  When the rotation ended both came over and sat with me. Rafael (#1

[ggobkk]

Sorry, an internet interruption stopped my progress…so I went out to lunch

back where I left off

Rafael (#10) told me his name is Sam.  He is from Cambodia (what other ASEAN natives do I need for a conference?).  He is ruggedly gorgeous with a generous smile.  I never connected with #15 but tipped him and thanked him for sitting with me.  Sam agreed quickly to my offer to check out my hotel.  We stopped at the new 7-11 and he picked up some food and water.  Nice time getting to know one another in the room while he was eating.  He laughs and smiles a lot.  He, as with my first off of the evening, knew the hotel and how everything worked.  He asked what I wanted to do, and I told him my evening so far and said I’d like him to take care of me.  Which he did very well - after we were both exhausted there was no rush to leave.  So ends Sunday.  

[vinapu]

Glad to hear  you re not wasting any precious vacation time.

All naysayers lamenting collapse of Bangkok scene should be forced to memorize your report above and recite every morning right after 84 baht breakfast at world famous

(it was 65 pre-covid by the way)

Instead of forcing waiter to  tip boys on stage do it yourself, preferably using patented technique otherwise called Vinapu tuck.

If your Sam is boy I think he is , he is a gem not only because physical qualities.  For me he has distinction of being only boy I ever took for a tour genuinely interested in sightseeing.

 

Thank you for report again and again but remember - boys first , forum second

[fedssocr]

16 hours ago, Riobard said:

I’ll depart from Canada with some USD and THB so that I have a few purchase mode options the first day and for backup/reserve throughout. I don’t get too bent out of shape about exchange rates for a single trip wherein I am supporting my cash-only financial needs for merely a few weeks. In the last 9 years with much international travel I haven’t used one single cash currency exchange outlet abroad but, if pressed, I would be more inclined to just suck up the rate than research an alternative. 

However, where credit card payment is not feasible, I do prefer to regularly obtain local cash stashes through bank ATMs using Mastercard or Visa patched through to my chequing accounts, for ‘entertainment’ purposes. I pay exchange but no interest. The most important aspect is reliability of ATM utilization. I imagine for Bangkok this is a good bet, right?

Europe is fine. Brazil is very touch-and-go; you often touch commands and go empty-handed. My all-time failure record is 13 ATMs spread across 4 separate bank locations and 3 bank institutions, for one single cash withdrawal goal to cover a night out. There are a few failsafe options, if in the neighbourhood they exist, to ensure a bundle for extended coverage. 

Not to hijack this delightful thread, but...

Yes, ATMs quite plentiful all over the country. My TD Bank (US) account refunds all ATM fees so no worries there if you have such an account, but if you have to pay the fees getting the max amount in a transaction is a good idea.

Depending on how much you feel like dragging luggage on the train at rush hour there is another option besides taxi. I almost always book a car service transfer. It's a bit more expensive than a taxi but the vehicles are nicer. I use SP Limousine (https://www.splimousine.com/) which gives me a repeat customer discount. My last visit the car was a brand new Camry. The driver was a little crazy given the rush hour traffic, but even though traffic was heavy and it took a while to get to Silom it was a very comfortable place to be and my luggage was riding in the trunk without me having to lug it.

Rabbit card does work for all of the BTS lines including the gold line. For the MRT you can use Visa or MC credit cards if they are contactless enabled which saves a lot of time since you don't have to wait in line to buy a token from the machines or the window.

[Lucky]

2500 baht for a short time? I feel really old. On my first trip to Thailand the rate was 300 baht, maybe 400 for a gem.

Brazil rates are much lower.

[Riobard]

Dialogue with fellow as in Romeo the Planet or it’s romantically the East and your Juliet the Sun? I think the app perchance? 

[Riobard]

21 hours ago, vinapu said:

place deserves mentioning it's full name : Unesco Heritage, 7.5 Michelin star awarded Foodland Patpong

........

another post supporting my firmly held  theory - go and see for yourself, pics and recommendations will not replace eye-to eye contact and will not provide that smile

 

Please briefly (or unbriefly) remind us of the name and location of this firmly held breakfast sausage location. I’m extracting that it’s the Foodland also mentioned elsewhere.

More seriously, I cannot always figure out the actual name of dining and club venues described here in this thread. Sometimes the location is alluded to with references that a very BKK-experienced punter can identify but a newbie is left unsuccessfully trying to put it together with whatever clues provided. Posts are useful if audience targeted includes both insiders and outsiders. The fact that there is so much change in the scene over time and due to the pandemic adds to the confusion.

Example, James Beard listed restaurant. Or a club where people from other specifically named clubs happen to be present, but what is the name of the actual place this scene is going down.

It would take too long for me to go back and pull out snipped passages, so that’s OK. Just please going forward always identify a place when discussed. The artistic licence is fine, and fun. But please just take an additional few seconds to render the rapidly changing chessboard of any given day’s outing. 

Please don’t get me wrong. There’s nevertheless a plethora of useful content here. Who’d have thunk a currency note could stand in for a napkin wicking off the sweat of a cold drink? 😏

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, Lucky said:

2500 baht for a short time? I feel really old. On my first trip to Thailand the rate was 300 baht, maybe 400 for a gem.

Brazil rates are much lower.

and so are Cambodia's , not to mention rural Angola or slums of Hyderabad but what the point ?

While I fully agree that 2500 short time is close to upper limit it doesn't mean that it was not worth paying nor that is prevailing rate. In market economy seller has right to try to get as  much as he can.

as for 300/400 you are right but it was when gallon of gas in USA was 29 cents and Rose Nyland sold her house in St Olaf , Minnesota to her friend Ingrid for 5800 $.

300 baht then was at fixed rate 12 $. How much was minimum wage in the state of New York then ? 1.75 ?

[Riobard]

1 hour ago, fedssocr said:

Not to hijack this delightful thread, but...

Yes, ATMs quite plentiful all over the country. My TD Bank (US) account refunds all ATM fees so no worries there if you have such an account, but if you have to pay the fees getting the max amount in a transaction is a good idea.

Depending on how much you feel like dragging luggage on the train at rush hour there is another option besides taxi. I almost always book a car service transfer. It's a bit more expensive than a taxi but the vehicles are nicer. I use SP Limousine (https://www.splimousine.com/) which gives me a repeat customer discount. My last visit the car was a brand new Camry. The driver was a little crazy given the rush hour traffic, but even though traffic was heavy and it took a while to get to Silom it was a very comfortable place to be and my luggage was riding in the trunk without me having to lug it.

Rabbit card does work for all of the BTS lines including the gold line. For the MRT you can use Visa or MC credit cards if they are contactless enabled which saves a lot of time since you don't have to wait in line to buy a token from the machines or the window.

I’ll take transit. It’s not a matter of cost. 

I’m a Luddite. By contactless do you mean I would scan my credit card at the turnstile in the same way as scanning the cashier doo-dad at Tim Horton’s? I am skeptical because the turnstile scanner defies typing in the appropriate charge. Or do you mean first patching those options to my phone screen and using my phone up against the turnstile scanner (which I have yet to set up on my phone). Frankly, I don’t like trying to manage my phone out when my hands are full. 

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, Riobard said:

Please briefly (or unbriefly) remind us of the name and location of this firmly held breakfast sausage location. I’m extracting that it’s the Foodland 

 

you extracted wisely

1 hour ago, Riobard said:

Posts are useful if audience targeted includes both insiders and outsiders.

 

right, for example what passage below is supposed to mean ?

1 hour ago, Riobard said:

Dialogue with fellow as in Romeo the Planet or it’s romantically the East and your Juliet the Sun? I think the app perchance? 

 

[vinapu]

5 minutes ago, Riobard said:

I’ll take transit. It’s not a matter of cost. 

I’m a Luddite. By contactless do you mean I would scan my credit card at the turnstile in the same way as scanning the cashier doo-dad at Tim Horton’s? I am skeptical because the turnstile scanner defies typing in the appropriate charge. Or do you mean first patching those options to my phone screen and using my phone up against the turnstile scanner (which I have yet to set up on my phone). Frankly, I don’t like trying to manage my phone out when my hands are full. 

wise choice , faster , cheaper and you will immediately get a feeling of where you are, chances are you will be nicely surprised.

On MRT you tap your card  on entry to let you in and then again on exit so proper  charge will be deducted ( transit fees in Bangkok are distance based , not flat )

I'd not worry, specially with hands full , just buy a jetton (MRT ) or ticket (plastic card) on BTS, after 3-4 trips you will master system 

[Riobard]

57 minutes ago, vinapu said:

you extracted wisely

right, for example what passage below is supposed to mean ?

 

Hahahaha exactly. What did OP’s Romeo dialogue mean? He’s on his Silom balcony pining for a hot guy down below the trellis, or he’s using the Planet App, and it’s over the airwaves not Elizabethan Verona? and is it Romeo or its Hunqz counterpart? It is the east and Juliet is the Sun? Mamasan sun? And is sun Tawan? It all takes place at the sun and is hot? And are the star-crossed lovers in regular garb, drag, or is it the Tawan leather whips and chains venue? 

If I say to my sister, “maybe you’d like some Romeo dialogue on your Alaskan cruise?” she second-guesses that as a Bard reference to scoring a lay, or as being on pointe set to Prokofiev. 

 

[Riobard]

28 minutes ago, vinapu said:

wise choice , faster , cheaper and you will immediately get a feeling of where you are, chances are you will be nicely surprised.

On MRT you tap your card  on entry to let you in and then again on exit so proper  charge will be deducted ( transit fees in Bangkok are distance based , not flat )

I'd not worry, specially with hands full , just buy a jetton (MRT ) or ticket (plastic card) on BTS, after 3-4 trips you will master system 

What card ???!!! Are you referring to my credit card or a purchased fare card? 

I’m over 60. Isn’t it half price if you line up at the customer wicket? Can I not just buy a batch of single ride tickets in one fell swoop? Wouldn’t it be impossible to get half price from a machine that is clueless about your age? Wouldn’t, say, a handful of 20 tickets from the wicket be valid going forward over 2 weeks. One queue aggravation up front but obviated subsequently? Too simple? How does half price function given that distance dictates a single ride cost and scanning  is both entry and exit? Does this mean you can only buy one wicket ticket at a time because you tell the cashier your exit station? Just curious. 

The age cost savings is not important. Sounds like the easiest method is a loaded fare card whose brain will figure out the correct ride option each time. 

I just confirmed I have hosts meeting me in town so I likely just need to figure out getting to their BTS station from the airport and they can assist me on the spot figuring out the next steps for ongoing transit use. 

[vinapu]

18 minutes ago, Riobard said:

What card ???!!! Are you referring to my credit card or a purchased fare card? 

 

card you mentioned in the post I was responding to i.e. your credit card

[Riobard]

45 minutes ago, vinapu said:

card you mentioned in the post I was responding to i.e. your credit card

Sorry, I’m not trying to be difficult.

What you are suggesting seems impossible. I get on at one BTS by scanning my Mastercard. I get off at a distance that is mapped to a variable charge according to the number of stations travelled. I scan my Mastercard in the train so the door opens to allow me out. My credit card’s brain calculates and pays the charge? How does my credit card’s internal coding do that?! I would think that only a transit fare card can do that math. A credit card only functions by paying for a commodity whose value is established at checkout. 

Anyway, not to worry. It will all work out as you say. I’ll eventually climb up closer to the insider mastery dimension of consciousness. 

[Riobard]

2 hours ago, vinapu said:

and so are Cambodia's , not to mention rural Angola or slums of Hyderabad but what the point ?

While I fully agree that 2500 short time is close to upper limit it doesn't mean that it was not worth paying nor that is prevailing rate. In market economy seller has right to try to get as  much as he can.

as for 300/400 you are right but it was when gallon of gas in USA was 29 cents and Rose Nyland sold her house in St Olaf , Minnesota to her friend Ingrid for 5800 $.

300 baht then was at fixed rate 12 $. How much was minimum wage in the state of New York then ? 1.75 ?

Plus the internet opened up a flood of info on global reference comparators, sex tourism, etc, schooling trade providers that their punters of lore were skinflint liars suppressing the true objective value of a trick. 😏

Considering Ingrid died on the birthing straw, pushing out Rose at the height of the Great Depression, this may call for an IRS review, however one may blanche at the thought.

[thaiophilus]

4 hours ago, Riobard said:

I get on at one BTS by scanning my Mastercard. I get off at a distance that is mapped to a variable charge according to the number of stations travelled. I scan my Mastercard in the train so the door opens to allow me out. My credit card’s brain calculates and pays the charge? How does my credit card’s internal coding do that?! I would think that only a transit fare card can do that math. A credit card only functions by paying for a commodity whose value is established at checkout.

You scan your card to enter or leave the platform, not on the train.

The card enters a dialogue with the ticketing system, exchanging information at both ends of the trip. As a result of that exchange, the ticketing system calculates what to bill the card at the end of the trip.

5 hours ago, Riobard said:

I’m over 60. Isn’t it half price if you line up at the customer wicket? Can I not just buy a batch of single ride tickets in one fell swoop? Wouldn’t it be impossible to get half price from a machine that is clueless about your age? Wouldn’t, say, a handful of 20 tickets from the wicket be valid going forward over 2 weeks. One queue aggravation up front but obviated subsequently? Too simple? How does half price function given that distance dictates a single ride cost and scanning  is both entry and exit? Does this mean you can only buy one wicket ticket at a time because you tell the cashier your exit station? Just curious. 

It's only half price for over-60s on MRT. Not on BTS unless you're a Thai citizen.

Yes, you can buy multiple single ride tickets but as you say, you have to know your destination. Better to buy a stored-value (Rabbit or MRT) card at the kiosk and top it up occasionally. (although the Rabbit card doesn't work on MRT, MRT have their own stored-value card.)

MRT issue a different card (marked "elder") if you're over 60.

If I recall correctly you can tell the MRT ticket machines you're over 60 by pressing a button.

If you use a credit card instead of a ticket, yes, you will be billed at full price.

 

[Riobard]

Imma cruise right thru without breaking composure or a sweat and ain’t nobody gonna know. 
https://giphy.com/clips/topgun-top-gun-maverick-2021-zdoEnwt1jTlsyYrM3g

[forrestreid]

6 hours ago, Riobard said:

 

What you are suggesting seems impossible. I get on at one BTS by scanning my Mastercard. I get off at a distance that is mapped to a variable charge according to the number of stations travelled. I scan my Mastercard in the train so the door opens to allow me out. My credit card’s brain calculates and pays the charge? How does my credit card’s internal coding do that?! I would think that only a transit fare card can do that math. A credit card only functions by paying for a commodity whose value is established at checkout. 

The internal computer system of the BTS can work out how much the fare is, and (because it recognises that the same Mastercard was scanned twice, and what stations they were scanned at) it then charges your card the correct amount.

I THINK the way it works in London is that when you scan on at say, Holborn, it puts a "hold" on your credit card for the maximum daily amount on the underground system (say, £20) and then if you get off at a station where the due fare is only, say, £4.50, it then releases the hold and charges you the correct fare. So if you forget to swipe out on leaving the train station,you might get charged the maximum fare. 

I would guess there is a similar system in BKK, 

[Riobard]

24 minutes ago, forrestreid said:

The internal computer system of the BTS can work out how much the fare is, and (because it recognises that the same Mastercard was scanned twice, and what stations they were scanned at) it then charges your card the correct amount.

I THINK the way it works in London is that when you scan on at say, Holborn, it puts a "hold" on your credi card for the maximun daily amount on the underground system (say, £20) and then if you get off at a station where the due fare is only, say, £4.50, it then releases the hold and charges you the correct fare. So if you forget to swipe out on leaving the train station,you might get charged the maximum fare. 

I would guess there is a similar system in BKK, 

My last London was Oyster card some years ago. These new systems seem almost dystopian. I’m going to figure out my MRT and BTS needs and have my lodging hosts walk me thru card purchases at the BTS station where they will meet me, a few steps from the lodgings. 

To sum up the first trip though: a single ticket for airport train, right? Then switch to BTS system, within which I need to make a transfer, with new ticket booth payment at Phaya Thai and will need to go from one BTS line to another BTS line at Siam. (I only first need the red line rail link trip downtown-bound)

At the point of ticket purchase at Phaya Thai communicate the final BTS destination, right? At the within-BTS transfer point at Siam it’s just like any major city Metro line transfer, right? No second BTS purchase, correct? 

[Riobard]

Error

[fedssocr]

1 hour ago, forrestreid said:

The internal computer system of the BTS can work out how much the fare is, and (because it recognises that the same Mastercard was scanned twice, and what stations they were scanned at) it then charges your card the correct amount.

I THINK the way it works in London is that when you scan on at say, Holborn, it puts a "hold" on your credit card for the maximum daily amount on the underground system (say, £20) and then if you get off at a station where the due fare is only, say, £4.50, it then releases the hold and charges you the correct fare. So if you forget to swipe out on leaving the train station,you might get charged the maximum fare. 

I would guess there is a similar system in BKK, 

MRT, not BTS for the credit card. I'd have to check my credit card statement but I think MRT may aggregate a whole day's worth of charges at the end of the day and just charge that amount rather than trip by trip. And it needs to be a card that is contactless enabled which is denoted by a small symbol that looks like a triangle of four curved lines (like a wifi symbol).

For BTS you will need a Rabbit card, BTS pass or single journey ticket.