Gaybutton

With the kind of sex life I've got, they owe me $75 . . .

You don't have to go very far from Pattaya to find crystal clear waters. Try some of the beaches toward Sattahip, to the south.

Yes, in Sunee Plaza the old K-Boys bar is now Good Boys. The old Kaos bar is now Villa Rouge. The old Nok Nok bar is now Ligon bar.

I believe beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don't see Pattaya or Bangkok as being particularly beautiful, but I also don't see them as the modern day equivalent of Soddom and Gomorrah. In my eyes, what some people see as ugly are what I see as beautiful and vice-versa. A perfect example is Chiang Mai. A great many people absolutely love Chiang Mai. For me, Chiang Mai holds no attraction or interest at all. Different strokes for different folks.

To me, the saddest aspect is, given the number of popular votes McCain got, a hell of a lot of people in the USA were ready to accept the first black president or the first female vice-president. That's definitely progress, but they're still not ready to accept, at least not fully, gay people. I hate to break the news, USA, but gay people do exist. Quite a number exist and our lives have meaning just as everyone else's. Sorry if so many dislike it, but we want our rights too, just like anyone else. I would have thought the gay community would at least have had support from the right-to-lifers. After all, you're not going to find too many gay couples heading for the local abortion clinic. MonkeySee says, "If you are a confirmed butterfly in Thailand, then I guess gay marriage in California or anywhere else, is no big deal." I disagree in that, while it may not affect us directly, the indirect ramifications, I think, are significant. Black people do not want to be judged by the color of their skin. By the same thinking I, as a gay person, do not want to be judged by the sex with whom I prefer to share my bed. If you still find yourself having to sometimes hide the fact that you're gay, then something is still really wrong. For instance, when customs officials check your electronics for evidence of gay porn, you can end up really hassled if they find any. I never hear about hassles involving them discovering straight porn. Maybe it happens, but I never hear anything about it. You also get hassled if they think you travel to Thailand, at least in part, as a gay sex tourist, even if there is no suspicion that under-age sex was involved. Would someone please explain to me what's wrong with traveling to a location where sex, legal sex, is readily available if that's what you wish to do? As long as no laws are being broken, why should your sexual liaisons be anyone's business other than your own? Things change with the times. People keep saying that marriage should be only between a man and a woman. In case nobody noticed, marriage today is not the same as it was many years ago. It's not even the same as it was just a few years ago. Way back when, a married woman was close to being a slave for her husband. The marriage vows used to include, for the woman, a promise to love, honor, and obey. Divorce used to be virtually unthinkable. In other words, the institution of marriage, in and of itself, has not changed, but the paradigm of how it works in practicality has definitely changed. Life for gay people is certainly better than it used to be, but there is still a long way to go. I hope we are able to see full gay rights within our lifetimes. There is a very good movie appropriate to the issue of gay rights, "A Very British Sex Scandal." It's a true story about what life was like for gays in the UK during the late 1940's and 1950's. Much of the same was true in the USA. If you've never seen that movie, I highly recommend it.

My problem is coming out of the water. People keep pouring water over me and try to guide me back out to sea. If I'm sitting next to somebody, often people come over, point at me, and ask him, "What did you use for bait?" Now, it's no pleasure publicly admitting that I'm much, much too fat, but it sure is a shame that I can never dress in drag. If I wear high heels I take two steps and strike oil.

Here's a little bit of clarification about the "cure" for jellyfish stings. I thought I had made it clear that the papaya trick works on minor stings. It's not going to work on a major sting, such as the box jellyfish. I received a message from Topjohn5, who works in the medical field, with the following information, and his information is obviously far more reliable than mine: _____ First, I am not a doctor but I am a paramedic (EMT) and I have a lot of first hand experience in trauma situations including deadly stings and venom injections. I remembered reading about vinegar and the common home cures on these stings in one of my text books many years ago. So, I went and did a quick check online since my text books are in boxes somewhere, lol. I will be happy to provide you good medical text sources if you need it but a real quick read on the subject is on Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cubozoa Wikipedia does not always get it perfect sometimes but in this case they do a good job. The bottom line is that the compound in vinegar which is acetic acid is the ONLY reliable cure for this deadly sting and not papain. Of, the 19 box jellyfish species really only two can kill you and then they need to inject enough venom in you as well to do kill you. But, unfortunately, there are many deaths from these 2 creatures and acetic acid is the only thing that blocks the stingers (called nematocysts) from firing. It doesn't help the pain at all except by not allowing more injections of venom but it can save a life by blocking the firing of the stinger. Papaya is one of the many urban legands that are a cure for this sting. You are right about the meat tenderizer (papain) in papaya and it does help relieve stings of all minor types which would include your basic jellyfish. But papain does nothing for this venom which is one of the most deadly animal venoms in the world. Now, to be fair where there could be confusion with papaya as a cure (beside the meat tenderizer one above) could be simply from the fact that acetic acid is found naturally in small amounts when many foods especially fruits breakdown. So, it is possible that someone a long time ago got stung (but not a deadly sting) and then a rotten papaya was applied to the wound site (if there had been a rotten apple it would have worked the same way though). Since trace amounts of acetic acid were present in that papaya and, if the sting was minor, the papaya could have disabled the weak venom (very very weak venom and not this animal) and some minor relief could have occurred with the patient. But, there is NO, possible way that there is enough acetic acid in a rotten papaya (or any fruit) that would help a dying human stung by one of these creatures! _______________ So, there you have it. I guess if you take along some papaya and some vinegar, but are lucky enough not to be stung, you can at least make a salad . . .

No, it's much warmer than that in Pattaya, but not uncomfortably hot.

Unfortunately, yes.

A similar proposition to allow gay marriage was also on the Florida ballot. It too was rejected. The fact that the USA still stigmatizes gay rights robbed us of some of the joy of the Obama victory. It could have been worse. If McCain had won, gay marriage would still have been rejected.

In that case I recommend Sunee Plaza.

In Pattaya, at least, I have never heard of any sting ray attacks. Every so often stinging jellyfish appear, but they are a different species. Their presence is usually short lived and the stings are minor unless you are allergic. By the way, if you ever do get stung by a jellyfish, try to get a papaya. Papayas are readily available in Thailand year round. What you want to do is scoop out the pulp and place the exposed rind on the sting. Papayas are rich in papain, an enzyme that breaks down protein. If you are familiar with Adolph's Meat Tenderizer, look at the label. You'll see that the key ingredient is papain, and that's why it works. Jellyfish stings are protein stings, so the papain in papayas works quickly to provide relief. The Thai word for papaya is pronounced "mah-lah-GAW." There's also a way to avoid sting rays wherever you are. Sting rays settle on the bottom and wait for their prey. Most people who get stung stepped right on top of a sting ray and bingo! Right in the calf! So, it's quite simple. Don't walk forward in the water. If you do, you have to lift your foot to take a step and if there are sting rays around, you could step on one. Instead, walk backwards in the water. That way you can easily drag your feet, rather than lift them. Sting rays will feel the vibration long before you're close enough to be stung and they'll swim away.

The following appears in THE NATION: _____ Cold Weather to Last until Middle February: Forecast Chief The forecast chief of the Meteorological Department said Wednesday that cold weather would last until the middle of February. Somchai Baimunag, director of the department's Weather Forecast Office, said cold weather would begin on November 8 and would last until the middle of February. He said the temperature would be about one or two degrees lower than last year. He said the temperature in Bangkok in December and January would be drop to about 17 to 18 Celsius degree. ___________________ For Pattaya, that's good news. The temperatures here have been much more pleasant and mild lately and apparently will continue to be so for the next several months.

I suggest going to the Sawatdee Forum ( http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com ) and doing a search for Hua Hin. A large number of posts will come up which ought to provide all the information you seek. On that forum I also suggest contacting Smiles. He lives in Hua Hun and will probably be happy to help you.

That's much better!

I think it's because someone saw me roaming around at night when I thought nobody was looking . . . . . .

I don't know, but I'd sure like it better if we're talking about (and seeing photos of) eye candy rather than politics.

Look at the bright side. At least you were warned. In my area they simply cut it, with no advance warning of any kind, without anyone having any idea why it was cut, and without having any idea how long the electricity will be off. It doesn't happen often and they also seem to have solved the problem of power outages during rain storms, but it is certainly an unpleasant surprise when it does happen.

That's a question almost impossible to answer. Everybody has his own ideas of what constitutes the "top places." Nobody can read your mind to know what types of boys you like or which bars would be best for you even if we knew. My advice, since you're closest to Pattayaland if you're staying at the Marriott, is to check out some of those bars. You're sure to find a boy you like in one of them. The bars do allow you to step in, quickly have a look at the boys, and then leave if you don't spot boys you like. That will save you time if you're in a hurry.

Yours is not the first such story I've heard regarding hotels in Thailand. Some hotels, for example, take care of the "bird in the hand" first. In other words, if you booked a room for two nights, and then decide to stay a third night or more, many hotels allow that even if someone else has a reservation and the hotel is out of rooms. The person with a reservation shows up only to be told there is no room for him. Imagine the joy of that little circumstance if it happens to be a person who just arrived after a long, grueling international flight. Sometimes the hotel will help find another place to stay and sometimes they just give you the sheepish smile, say 'sorry,' and you're on your own. Often I hear stories about someone trying to book a room via Email to the hotel, and they can't get a response from the hotel. A popular Bangkok hotel is the Pinnacle Hotel. Most prefer to book through Jimmy. Jimmy is Thai, but runs a travel service from a room on the 13th floor of the hotel. You get a major discount booking through Jimmy, but you'll see the Second Coming of Christ before Jimmy will answer Email, or even read it. If you're going to book through Jimmy, you'll have to call. It's the only way. His number is 081-859-6585. If you're calling from within Thailand, most of the time he'll ask to call you back. Usually it takes a few hours before he does, but he really will call back, so at least you don't have that problem. However, his office hours are 10:00am to 3:00pm. If you don't call within those hours he won't answer his phone. Jimmy is a great guy, speaks fluent English, and is extremely helpful, especially if it's your first time in Bangkok, but he's also somewhat of a character. If you're really lucky, when you go to his office to pay him you might get out of there within a half hour. (you pay Jimmy directly if you book through him. You check in at the front desk and tell them you booked through Jimmy, but you don't pay at the front desk. You pay in Jimmy's office.) What I learned to do is to place what I owe him into an envelope (there are envelopes in your room), write my name and room number on the envelope, and push it under his door during his non-office hours. That works just fine and is perfectly acceptable to him. Somebody told me a story, but I can't remember the name of the place, about staying at a small hotel in Bangkok. The price included breakfast. Unfortunately, what they didn't tell him is the breakfast is not served at the hotel. To get the breakfast, they give you a voucher and send you to another hotel, about half a mile away! Welcome to Thailand . . . When I was in high school they had driver's education then. I always remembered what my instructor repeated so often: "Always expect the unexpected." That saved my life more than once while driving. That same phrase also seems to apply with virtually anything in Thailand. You would be well served to remember it. That way, you won't be so shocked when something totally bizarre happens. When it comes to bizarre experiences in Thailand, I'll bet just about everyone reading this message has at least one story, more likely several stories.

If you are in the USA, you know what the best thing is about the election? No matter who wins, that's the end of all the political ads.

Getting back to the subject of this thread, the rains are not yet over. We had two or three very nice days, but the rain is back. It's only 8 more days until the Loy Khratong holiday. I hope the rains don't ruin it. Usually this time of year the weather is beautiful, but days without rain here are few and far between lately. Only a few years ago this part of Thailand was going through a severe drought. Given a choice, I'll take the rain. Having rain each day gets unpleasant after a while, but going through that drought was really terrible, not to mention expensive if you happened to be one of the locals who was forced to buy water from the delivery trucks every few days. Fortunately, most of the rains have not been heavy enough to cause serious or prolonged flooding problems.

Ohhhhhhh, ok. Now I understand your confusion. Usually, we refer to message boards and forums. One message board may have several forums. Gaythailand.com is a message board. "Gay Asia" and "The Beer Bar" are each a forum on the message board. Sometimes I get criticized for writing long-winded explanatory posts (among plenty of other things I get criticized for). This illustrates the reason I do that. I try to anticipate everything readers might confuse and deal with it in my post. Most of the time that seems to work, but there are plenty of times when it doesn't.

Do the laws, stupid or not, really matter, at least regarding traffic laws? It's much more common to see traffic laws totally ignored than it is to see them obeyed.

Since you ask it, this sort of post belongs on our "Beer Bar" forum since it has nothing to do with Thailand, but you're relatively new here and you did ask, so I think we can let it stand this time.