Gay Thai Chat Rooms and Asian Travel Web Sites

[scott456]

3 minutes ago, Marc in Calif said:

Well, that definitely makes you an expert on all nightlife in Taipei!  🤣 🤣 🤣

Please do share your info and experiences there if you have any.

[PeterRS]

12 hours ago, macaroni21 said:

The internet has been a boon though it is true that sites and technologies change with head-spinning speed. But I certainly wouldn't want to go back to the Spartacus era.

Guide sites are very different animals from forum sites. I am not surprised that they struggle to stay relevant and up to date. It begins with user expectations - that what they see on a guide site should be authoritative, up-to-date, accurate and also comprehensive, covering all the available attractions of a place. It requires a lot of work to maintain a site to meet such standards. Look at the Guide section of this very site (gayguides.com). It has very little that's useful. The write-ups are undated, and for we know, the information about any bar or hotel may be 10 years old . . .

12 hours ago, macaroni21 said:

This, in turn, is the other evolution that I can discern. More and more members are Asian. It's hard to put a number to it, but perhaps one in three or one in four of the active participants may either be Asian or expats living and working in the region. My guess is that there is a growing number of Singaporeans and Malaysians here, partly because these nationals (particularly the former) are comfortable in the English language. I thought there might be more Hongkongers for the same reason, but I don't see evidence of it.

Two very pertinent posts with, as usual from @macaroni21, a lot of interesting points. 

I agree about Guide Sites. I have no idea how they can possibiy keep up to date unless they have a correspondents like @ChristianPFC in every country. The problem is that clearly there are some gay guys around the world who look at them and regard most of what they recommend as some sort of gospel. And with some of the sites relying on advertising, they will continue as long as the advertising revenue rolls in, no matter how many tourists finally discover that at least some of what they wrote was nonsense.  

I wrote earlier about one site which did have advertising from several major companies, including a hotel chain and airline. This site had clearly made up a two article trip to Bangkok and Chiang Mai allegedly by one of its staff. It was mostly b/s. I decided to write to the advertisers, first to congratulate them for helping gay travellers, but adding my comments on the made-up articles. I don't recall getting replies but I do know that website died quite soon thereafter.

As far as this site is concerned, I did assist in writing I believe three of the city guides and the emphasis was on tourism rather than specifically gay tourism. I certainly agree they should be dated. Having just checked, I note that when you click underneath the city descriptions on the sub-heads Gay Bars, Gay Clubs, Gay Massage etc, in most cities there are no listings at all. I sincerely suggest to the Moderator that these sub-heads just be deleted. Bangkok certainly has some bars listed, but why is Maggie Choo's the first when only Sunday is the Gay Night? And why is Telephone still listed as such and not Circus, the new name adopted about 2 years ago? Incidentally I see it is still listed as Telephone under travelgay.com!

Asian Members. I wish I could be as optimistic as I have been suggesting for several years that Asians, and preferably younger Asians, should be a natural target for rejuvenating membership on this site. but I really wonder where @macaroni21 gets his suggestions about numbers. As a regular reader and contributor, I definitely cannot see the same numbers, with the honourable exception of @spoon in Malaysia. I do think the problem with this site for Asians outside Thailand, in my view, is that the information on the gay scene is not sufficiently condensed. A young reader in Singapore, for example, has to wade through a lot of posts before finding information about specific massage spas - and Singaporeans are very into massage! For western readers, it's much easier and much quicker to find the relevant information.

As an example, the Singapore-based Blowing Wind site appears specifically for a much younger readership (a great many in their 20s and 30s) and it does have an extensive Travel section with information all posted by readers on Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Taipei and a host of other Asian cities. The last post on Bangkok was made less than an hour ago and is a very detailed description about Bantai Spa including their Line and Twitter IDs. Another made in the last 24 hours is a very detailed (again!) description of a hostel near the National Stadium and all the gay activity that goes on there. Finding travel information with a lot of detail  on that site is a breeze. Not so on any of the gay Thailand sites IMHO.

[Marc in Calif]

13 hours ago, scott456 said:

Please do share your info and experiences there if you have any.

You've been to Taipei twice. You've apparently experienced "nightlife" only in Ximen's tiny Red House district. You've commented on only four venues, and another of your comments is based on merely looking at a YouTube clip to assess the size of a venue. 🙈  And you apparently don't know about the (sometimes wild) dance parties held monthly at many of the clubs. Nor do you know about other lively districts in the city. Most hilarious and absurd is this: You claim that "90% of the gays in Taiwan are bottoms."  🤣🤡🤣

Since 1975, I've been to Taipei (and other Taiwanese cities) probably seven or eight times. I've never based myself (or my activities) exlusively in or near your little Gay Village. I've stayed at hotels in Songshan, Xinyi and other districts in the eastern part of the city. They're more lively/crowded than your little area. At night, I often go to music clubs, concerts, bars, theatres, and of course restaurants.

If gay friends or colleagues want to go "gay" for the evening, there are dozens of bars, clubs, saunas, and other venues -- including restaurants -- that cater to us. What??? They don't have boys to ogle and be "offed"? They're small? They don't blast music? They're in a basement? Then of course they're not your kind of "nightlife"... so they don't count! 🥰

Yes, these can be small places. So what? They're lively at night with gay people. That's what "nightlife" means to gay people who aren't totally obsessed with sex and loud music! 💡

And if you've never gone to Fairy Taipei bar/restaurant or Abrazo bar/bistro for a regular evening or a special theme event, you don't know what fun nightlife really is. Period. We don't even have such places in San Francisco.

Wait??? They're "small"? There are no hustlers? Nope! So they're clearly not for you and your very limited interests.  😎

I'm afraid that you're accustomed to being a sex tourist in Thailand, where your favorite nightlife seems to be going to go-go/strip clubs and loud dance clubs, all with the goal of "offing" a "boy." That's sad, and it limits your exposure to everything else that's available at night (real nightlife) in a city. 

No, gay guys in Taipei don't "just go home and sleep in the evenings" -- as you hilariously claimed. You just don't know where they're having fun at night while you're obsessively trolling for sex in one tiny area of the city. 😊 😊 😊

[scott456]

48 minutes ago, Marc in Calif said:

You've been to Taipei twice. You've apparently experienced "nightlife" only in Ximen's tiny Red House district. You've commented on only four venues, and another of your comments is based on merely looking at a YouTube clip to assess the size of a venue. 🙈  And you apparently don't know about the (sometimes wild) dance parties held monthly at many of the clubs. Nor do you know about other lively districts in the city. Most hilarious and absurd is this: You claim that "90% of the gays in Taiwan are bottoms."  🤣🤡🤣

Since 1975, I've been to Taipei (and other Taiwanese cities) probably seven or eight times. I've never based myself (or my activities) exlusively in or near your little Gay Village. I've stayed at hotels in Songshan, Xinyi and other districts in the eastern part of the city. They're more lively/crowded than your little area. At night, I often go to music clubs, concerts, bars, theatres, and of course restaurants.

If gay friends or colleagues want to go "gay" for the evening, there are dozens of bars, clubs, saunas, and other venues -- including restaurants -- that cater to us. What??? They don't have boys to ogle and be "offed"? They're small? They don't blast music? They're in a basement? Then of course they're not your kind of "nightlife"... so they don't count! 🥰

Yes, these can be small places. So what? They're lively at night with gay people. That's what "nightlife" means to gay people who aren't totally obsessed with sex and loud music! 💡

And if you've never gone to Fairy Taipei bar/restaurant or Abrazo bar/bistro for a regular evening or a special theme event, you don't know what fun nightlife really is. Period. We don't even have such places in San Francisco.

Wait??? They're "small"? There are no hustlers? Nope! So they're clearly not for you and your very limited interests.  😎

I'm afraid that you're accustomed to being a sex tourist in Thailand, where your favorite nightlife seems to be going to go-go/strip clubs and loud dance clubs, all with the goal of "offing" a "boy." That's sad, and it limits your exposure to everything else that's available at night (real nightlife) in a city. 

No, gay guys in Taipei don't "just go home and sleep in the evenings" -- as you hilariously claimed. You just don't know where they're having fun at night while you're obsessively trolling for sex in one tiny area of the city. 😊 😊 😊

Thanks for your long explanation and letting us know you have been to Taiwan 7-8 times in the past 48 years.  I will just make a few points here:  Many people on this forum are mainly interesed in sex tourism.  Sex tourism is not sad and I am proud to be a sex tourist and look for paid sex opportunities anywhere in the world. Also thank you for your confirmation that the aforementioned "clubs" in Taipei are tiny small with bad sound systems. These are just material facts.  I agree that it is a matter of subjective opinion wether these "clubs" are fun or not.  As I stated in my previous post,  I was merely contributing my opinions to this board. Finally, you should know, there are plenty of vibrant gay bars, clubs, restaurants, sex clubs in San Francisco, however, for older gays, these clubs and crowds as well as many gay clubs in the western world may not be as welcoming as the clubs in Asia.  How often do you go out in San Francisco now?

[Marc in Calif]

40 minutes ago, scott456 said:

Many people on this forum are "mainly" interesed in sex tourism.
Yet you and others never mentioned "sex tourism" in your specific discussion of gay nightlife in Taiwan. There's a lot more to "nightlife" than sex tourism. But👏 for acknowledging that you weren't aware of this point.

Also thank you for your confirmation that the aforementioned "clubs" in Taipei are tiny small with bad sound systems.
I said no such thing about "tiny" or sound systems. Anyway... size and amount of patrons has literally nothing to do with fun and entertainment -- unless you need a crowd so huge that the only way you can meet someone is if you bump into them by accident. And then you wouldn't be able to talk to the guy because of the blaringly loud music. 😀

Finally, you should know, there are plenty of vibrant gay bars, clubs, restaurants, sex clubs in San Francisco.
And I've been to them all in the 34 years I've been in the Bay Area. As I said, there are NONE in San Francisco that compare with Fairy Taipei and Abrazo for the quality and variety of food and entertainment. You surely don't know those two places, and you obviously don't know what's currently available in San Francisco. The number of closed gay restaurants, bars, piano bars, dance clubs, saunas, and other gay venues has been astonishing. But if you honestly think that Eros and the Power Exchange are "vibrant" sex clubs, you might want to consult your dictionary! 🤣🤡🤣

 

[macaroni21]

20 hours ago, PeterRS said:

but I really wonder where @macaroni21 gets his suggestions about numbers. As a regular reader and contributor, I definitely cannot see the same numbers, with the honourable exception of @spoon in Malaysia.

I think I can see where the "problem" is. You're approaching this question through trying to know the nationalities of individual members. I wasn't doing it that way, since that is simply not possible.

Instead, I was observing that in recent years, a significant number of trip reports refer to short trips of a week or even less. My guess was that maybe a quarter or a third of trip reports seem to be of such length. Usually this means the person is coming from just a few hours' flying time away, i.e. from the region. It's similar to the way Europeans from Hamburg or Stockholm hop over to Barcelona, Benidorm (!), the Greek Islands or Rome for short trips. 

No doubt there are exceptions. Vinapu, for example, has reported on one-week trips even though he's more than 12 hours away. Or there are others from outside the region who, though spending only a week in Thailand, also go on to spend another week in, say, Manila or Hanoi (I've done that too). But in the main, I think my observation about how lengths of visits indicate origins is on to something.

As I write this, I am acutely conscious that I am speaking of Asians on this board as "them" - as a subject of discussion, and this can be alienating. This is the complete opposite of my intentions. My apologies if I come across that way. Let me reiterate our welcome; you're part of "us". Your contributions are valued.

[PeterRS]

1 hour ago, macaroni21 said:

I think I can see where the "problem" is. You're approaching this question through trying to know the nationalities of individual members. I wasn't doing it that way, since that is simply not possible.

Instead, I was observing that in recent years, a significant number of trip reports refer to short trips of a week or even less. My guess was that maybe a quarter or a third of trip reports seem to be of such length. Usually this means the person is coming from just a few hours' flying time away, i.e. from the region. It's similar to the way Europeans from Hamburg or Stockholm hop over to Barcelona, Benidorm (!), the Greek Islands or Rome for short trips.

Thank you for the clarification. But with the greatest respect, I suggest you may well be wrong in suggesting that those making reports of short trips of a week or less might be coming from Asian members. In my view almost all are being made by westerners who live in nearby Asian countries or are on trips around more than one country. It's true there is no way we can be certain unless the owner/moderator can provide specific details.

You do not sound patronising to Asians in the slightest, and I hope this comment comes across in the same way. Having lived in Asia for four decades and visited most countries a great many times, I have got used to manners of speech, typically local ways of saying things (as in virtually all Singaporeans saying "I saw 50 over people" whereas westerners say "I saw over 50 people") and so on. Typically also, sentence structure is understandably more limited and generally shorter. It may just be me, but I have not noticed much linguistic difference between reports made by long term and short term visitors. Obviously some Asians will not fit my mould, the more so those educated in the west. I remember meeting two tall, extremely handsome, slim young guys in a sauna in Hong Kong. Both spoke almost fluent English but were Chinese and lived in Shanghai. They were in Hong Kong for a week-end of shopping, partying and sex!

When I lived in Hong Kong and Japan, I certainly made short week-end or sometimes one week visits to Bangkok - many of them, often side-trips as part of longer regional business trips. I do sincerely think the shorter trip reports in this forum are almost all western/expat generated. I hope I am wrong and, if so, will be glad to be corrected.

[vinapu]

5 hours ago, scott456 said:

.  Sex tourism is not sad 

+1

 

[vinapu]

2 hours ago, macaroni21 said:

Vinapu, for example, has reported on one-week trips even though he's more than 12 hours away.

confirmed, I wish it was only 12 hours, sigh.

 I took two 1 week trip , both in October , in 2018 and 2019. First was just trial run to see if I like such short time there in embraces of such long flight at both ends. I liked .

Next trip was bit opportunistic, somebody asked to accompany him on business trip but was equally enjoyable.

In such short trip it's not long flight which is problem , it's jet lag

[Marc in Calif]

32 minutes ago, vinapu said:

+1 "Sex tourism is not sad."

It is when it routinely consumes more than half the waking hours that a "tourist" spends in a city or country. 

[vinapu]

7 minutes ago, Marc in Calif said:

It is when it routinely consumes more than half the waking hours that a "tourist" spends in a city or country. 

sometimes it may depending of definition. If I go sightseeing , shopping or dining with guy I had overnight or plan to, I still consider this as sexcapade. 

 

[reader]

This is simply an observation resulting from a few pleasant hours spent with two fellow board members—and some hot waiters and boys from Sol—last night from a table at HM.

Observed many visiting young and attractive Asian men alone or in small groups walking along Patpong 2. They were clearly enjoying the experience. 

Last Saturday while in the lobby of a favorite Saphan Kwai massage shop, two young Asians (not any older than the boys they were about to engage) entered and began scanning the tablet for candidates. 

I see them on the BTS all the time. Young Asian men doing some of the same stuff us older farangs are doing. They’re going to bars, getting massages and exploring the city. None of this is theoretically based; it’s simply anecdotal observations.

[Keithambrose]

6 hours ago, vinapu said:

+1

 

+2

[scott456]

21 hours ago, Marc in Calif said:

Many people on this forum are "mainly" interesed in sex tourism.
Yet you and others never mentioned "sex tourism" in your specific discussion of gay nightlife in Taiwan. There's a lot more to "nightlife" than sex tourism. But👏 for acknowledging that you weren't aware of this point.

I did not discuss sex tourism, but you brought it up in your reply.  So I responded to your reply.  You did say "it's sad".

Also thank you for your confirmation that the aforementioned "clubs" in Taipei are tiny small with bad sound systems.
I said no such thing about "tiny" or sound systems. Anyway... size and amount of patrons has literally nothing to do with fun and entertainment -- unless you need a crowd so huge that the only way you can meet someone is if you bump into them by accident. And then you wouldn't be able to talk to the guy because of the blaringly loud music. 😀

Yes, you confirm those aforementioned clubs are small and you said "so what?"

Finally, you should know, there are plenty of vibrant gay bars, clubs, restaurants, sex clubs in San Francisco.
And I've been to them all in the 34 years I've been in the Bay Area. As I said, there are NONE in San Francisco that compare with Fairy Taipei and Abrazo for the quality and variety of food and entertainment. You surely don't know those two places, and you obviously don't know what's currently available in San Francisco. The number of closed gay restaurants, bars, piano bars, dance clubs, saunas, and other gay venues has been astonishing. But if you honestly think that Eros and the Power Exchange are "vibrant" sex clubs, you might want to consult your dictionary! 🤣🤡🤣

I think this falls into the "subjective opinion" category.  I agree that San Francisco has gone downhill in terms of entertainment qualities (and quality of living in general).  But there are still restaurants with drag shows and bars with strippers in San Francisco.  But I will also agree that it is totally subjective opinion wether you or I think something is vibrant or not, so I won't argue with you on this.

 

[Marc in Calif]

2 hours ago, scott456 said:

blah blah blah... 

As you know, I never used the word "tiny" to describe those places. That was solely your word, not mine. I said "small." Then you claimed I wrote "tiny small." Totally false. 😘

You're also completely wrong about the "sex tourism" comment. You know that the original discussion about "nightlife" in Taiwan was not exclusively about venues for making sexual contacts, such as "offing" one of your "boys" (i.e., sex tourism). But you kept going on about the number and size and music in those kinds of clubs -- and your perceived lack of those venues in Taiwan. That's the only reason I mentioned the term. Your sophistry is now running at full speed! 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

My assessment of current gay nightlife in San Francisco was definitely not a "subjective opinion." It was based solely on quantity and not "quality." Or are you saying that there hasn't been a severe reduction in the number of gay venues in San Franciso since your (apparently) distant memories of the city's offerings? 🌉

[scott456]

On 11/15/2023 at 2:35 PM, Marc in Calif said:

As you know, I never used the word "tiny" to describe those places. That was solely your word, not mine. I said "small." Then you claimed I wrote "tiny small." Totally false. 😘

You're also completely wrong about the "sex tourism" comment. You know that the original discussion about "nightlife" in Taiwan was not exclusively about venues for making sexual contacts, such as "offing" one of your "boys" (i.e., sex tourism). But you kept going on about the number and size and music in those kinds of clubs -- and your perceived lack of those venues in Taiwan. That's the only reason I mentioned the term. Your sophistry is now running at full speed! 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏃‍♂️

My assessment of current gay nightlife in San Francisco was definitely not a "subjective opinion." It was based solely on quantity and not "quality." Or are you saying that there hasn't been a severe reduction in the number of gay venues in San Franciso since your (apparently) distant memories of the city's offerings? 🌉

Dear blah blah blah,  thanks for confirming it is small.  I can gladly remove the word "tiny" if it makes you happy, so now you have it.  It is small, samall, small. 

Again I did not mention sex tourism, but you brought it up and say "it's sad", you can now spin any way you want.  But your intent is quite clear.  

Not sure why you keep going about San Francisco.  At first I was under the impression that you are(or were) a local in San Francisco, but you later said you visited San Francisco, so you were not a local there.  Why keep beating around and comparing Taipei with San Francisco?  Why not comparing Taipei with Bangkok or another city? 

[Marc in Calif]

13 minutes ago, scott456 said:

Not sure why you keep going about San Francisco.  At first I was under the impression that you are(or were) a local in San Francisco, but you later said you visited San Francisco, so you were not a local there.  

I've lived in San Francisco since the earthquake in October 1989. And I've never left. Before that, I visited regularly starting in 1982. 

Does that help?

[scott456]

11 minutes ago, Marc in Calif said:

I've lived in San Francisco since the earthquake in October 1989. And I've never left. Before that, I visited regularly starting in 1982. 

Does that help?

Thanks for clarifying.  So you are comparing Taipei with your home(or old home) San Francisco. San Francisco has not been a gay destination for a long time(not sure if it ever was).  But, you do you.

[Marc in Calif]

22 minutes ago, scott456 said:

Thanks for clarifying.  So you are comparing Taipei with your home(or old home) San Francisco. You do you.

My boy, it was YOU who first brought up San Francisco in comparison with Taipei on Tuesday of this week:

Finally, you should know, there are plenty of vibrant gay bars, clubs, restaurants, sex clubs in San Francisco...

I never mentioned San Francisco until you brought up it's "vibrant" gay nightlife, including "vibrant" sex clubs that don't exist today. So I corrected you there because YOU brought it up. You were just doing you, as usual! 😘

 

[Ryanqqq]

Have any of you know what happened to Thai visa forum that became aseannow ? It seems no longer accessible. 
it has some good info on those wanting to move to Thailand permanently. It’s also full of trolls but do have a couple of helpful and reliable posters.

[ichigo]

1 hour ago, Ryanqqq said:

Have any of you know what happened to Thai visa forum that became aseannow ? It seems no longer accessible. 
it has some good info on those wanting to move to Thailand permanently. It’s also full of trolls but do have a couple of helpful and reliable posters.

I think I read on Facebook that they are doing an upgrade at the moment, but should be back online at some point.

[PeterRS]

On 11/15/2023 at 11:47 AM, reader said:

Last Saturday while in the lobby of a favorite Saphan Kwai massage shop, two young Asians (not any older than the boys they were about to engage) entered and began scanning the tablet for candidates. 

I see them on the BTS all the time. Young Asian men doing some of the same stuff us older farangs are doing. They’re going to bars, getting massages and exploring the city. None of this is theoretically based; it’s simply anecdotal observations.

I believe your anecdotes are correct. The question is, though; do any of these young Asians contribute to this Board as members? @macaroni21 clearly beliees they do and i sincerely hope he is correct. Unfortunately I regret that through my observations it is not so and that the younger Asian readership of this Board hardly exists. I WISH I could be wrong, and I would love it if the Moderator would confirm from his membership list that I am indeed wrong. But I fear i am not.

[vinapu]

32 minutes ago, PeterRS said:

. But I fear i am not.

only thing to fear is fear itself

[PeterRS]

3 hours ago, vinapu said:

only thing to fear is fear itself

Yes, Mr. President! (Although the meaning of "fear" in my post is not quite the same as the use of "fear" in your post 🙏) 

[macaroni21]

@PeterRS Misunderstanding alert!   I don't imagine the Asian participants in this forum to be young. In my mind, I picture them as folks mostly over 40, with sufficient disposable income and an interest in places that trade in sex, like most others here.