Korat?

[ichigo]

A boy who I met some years ago in Jomtien suggested I go visit him in Korat on my next trip. I told him that it is too far, but now I'm wondering maybe I can take an overnight trip to have a look around the area as I've never been there before. Has anyone been recently? Is there much up there tourism wise? It only takes about 4 hours to get there on the train from Bangkok.

[thaiophilus]

Can't help with information about Korat, but you could combine your visit with a couple of nights in Khao Yai.

[Boy69]

It's a good idea to visit places out of the touristic corny track and see the real Thailand.  

[Mavica]

I've not been to Korat.  What I know of it comes from my brother who was stationed there as a pilot during the Vietnam War, and from a gay friend of mine who was a military chaplain who had duty there.  I'm wondering, given the American soldiers that were stationed there and the sex many of them would have had with local women, if there's any physical appearances amongst local population suggesting some mixed blood from back in the day.

[ChristianPFC]

I have been to Korat several times. Some temples in town, more temples and mountains a bit away (would need car, difficult or impractical by public transport). With car and driver, I could spend weeks in Korat province. No gay nightlife that I know of. Few western tourists.

The train is a good idea, you can see construction sites of tunnels and elevated track for the high-speed train, very entertaining for me.

Khao Yai, unless you go to some specific temples or rocks or cliffs, was pretty boring for me. Just mountainous forest (I have no interest in the various wildlife that you can watch there).

[fedssocr]

I went to Korat many years ago. Used it as a base for day trips to Phnom Rung and Phimai. It's a big-ish regional center.

[WelshGuyUK]

A bit of a contradiction to say it's too far then say its only 4 hours?

 

My advice,....... seize the moment and don't over think it. Life's too short. 

[omega]

2 hours ago, WelshGuyUK said:

A bit of a contradiction to say it's too far then say its only 4 hours?

 

My advice,....... seize the moment and don't over think it. Life's too short. 

Yup.

Why not explore a little bit?

 

[vinapu]

9 hours ago, Mavica said:

  I'm wondering, given the American soldiers that were stationed there and the sex many of them would have had with local women, if there's any physical appearances amongst local population suggesting some mixed blood from back in the day.

yes and some of the boys from such mixed blood made their way to Bangkok bars and spas, both whiter and much darker than regular Thais

[reader]

12 hours ago, Mavica said:

I've not been to Korat.  What I know of it comes from my brother who was stationed there as a pilot during the Vietnam War, and from a gay friend of mine who was a military chaplain who had duty there.  I'm wondering, given the American soldiers that were stationed there and the sex many of them would have had with local women, if there's any physical appearances amongst local population suggesting some mixed blood from back in the day.

If you’d like to pursue this, read John Burdett’s Bangkok 8 and his over novels set in the big mango. 

[ichigo]

Thanks for all your replies! My next trip is January and I will spent just under one month there where I plan to visit some of the usual places - Bangkok, Pattaya, Koh Samui, Phuket.. but I am definitely going to consider Korat if I find myself at a loose end. 

[moistmango]

On 10/14/2023 at 10:29 AM, reader said:

If you’d like to pursue this, read John Burdett’s Bangkok 8 and his over novels set in the big mango. 

His books are insanely entertaining. 

[simcity]

I travel solo in Isaan (1989 - 1993 and 2021), going to Nongkhai, Buenkran, etcetera.. Isaan have change a lot, shopping centers have kills many mum & pop businesses. As I do not have any expectation or agenda, it was ok (have car).

Korat / Nakhon Ratchasima is definitely a huge city, overwhelming if you just want to browse it..  

As a tourist I will give a miss, as a pickup place I cannot comment: I was visiting a friend (Priest) and as a fine atheist I contributed (financially) to decorate his church for Christmas (Makro).

“Look around” hummm, my suggestion will be get a guy as a tour guide, get a car and spend two night there and see.

[Gaybutton]

On 10/13/2023 at 5:01 PM, ichigo said:

A boy who I met some years ago in Jomtien suggested I go visit him in Korat on my next trip.

If visiting him is what you're going to do, have him show you around.  If not, find a Korat boy on the apps and arrange the same thing with him.  The local boys always know the best places to go and you'll probably get to see and do things most farang, even those who go there as tourists, never see.

For sightseeing, it's been several years since I was last there, but i believe 2 or 3 days there is plenty.

[llz]

In Khorat you could pay a visit to the Nakkarat massage place which was formerly in Bangkok, Silom Rd. They have now both girls and boys as therapists.

Have a look at their Facebook page

There was a boys club in town but it closed many years ago. 

As a tourist, you could hire a driver for a day trip to Phanom Rung temple which is really impressive. Phimai is also a place to consider and much closer.

[llz]

While I am at it, there is another boy massage place in Khorat. They just moved to a place behind Tawan Daeng and it is called Boy Spa

Facebook BoySpa Khorat

 

[Gaybutton]

10 hours ago, llz said:

it is called Boy Spa

I hope it is worth a visit, but I'm wondering because on their Facebook page they have plenty of photos of the facility, but not even one photo of any boys, or any other humans for that matter.  If anyone goes, please let us know what is actually on offer there, along with the prices.

The Facebook page of the Nakkarat massage shows loads of photos of the staff, but it appears to me to be a "legitimate" massage shop - no other types of service available, but I have a feeling if you see a boy you like and make an arrangement for him to pay a little visit to your hotel during his non-working hours, he may have a pleasant surprise for you . . .

As for me, if I am in Korat and looking for a willing young gent, I'll be sticking to the apps and/or finding someone on my own.  Speaking only for myself, I doubt going to a spa in Korat will result in what I am most likely to be looking for.

[ichigo]

15 hours ago, llz said:

In Khorat you could pay a visit to the Nakkarat massage place which was formerly in Bangkok, Silom Rd. They have now both girls and boys as therapists.

Have a look at their Facebook page

There was a boys club in town but it closed many years ago. 

As a tourist, you could hire a driver for a day trip to Phanom Rung temple which is really impressive. Phimai is also a place to consider and much closer.

Ooo thank you!

[Travellerdave]

I did the Phanon Rung trip from Korat about 15 years ago in company with a friend and our Thai boyfriends, both of whom came from the area. It’s a rather impressive ancient ruined temple complex. We got to the site by taxi and after making a self-guided tour we found there was no hotel accommodation nearby, necessitating a return to Korat in the back of a local’s pickup truck. 

[ChristianPFC]

On 10/16/2023 at 9:47 AM, simcity said:

my suggestion will be get a guy as a tour guide, get a car and spend two night there and see.

I would be vary. In my experience, even though they are locals, they don't know the places I'm interested in. And now, after years of experience, I can organize a trip cheaper and faster than relying on local contacts.