Gaybutton

Me too. To paraphrase, "A gay beach without boys is like a day without sunshine." Of course, around here many of the boys don't like the sunshine anyhow.

I disagree with the common assumption that the only reason why most boys used to go to the beach was to hunt for farang. Many really did seem to enjoy going and not so many of them were all that worried about getting a tan either. Most of the boys used to show up in the late afternoon, after the major tanning hours. There were also many beach 'regulars' who were there nearly every day. In the afternoon if the tide was low enough several used to set up a net by the water and play volleyball. Many attribute the disappearance of the boys to Gay Romeo. I don't buy that so easily. Obviously the advent of Gay Romeo was a significant factor, but not sufficient to convince me that's what accounts for the disappearance of virtually all of them. I believe there was something else too - maybe several "something elses." But what? I wish I knew. I can't imagine the concessionaires would have run them off. I don't think the police ran them off either. If they did, we would have heard about it.

Your post brought to mind a "chicken or the egg" question regarding the history of the gay area of Dongtan Beach. Did the boys go there because gay farang went there or did gay farang go there because that's where the boys went? I don't know. I also don't know how that area of Dongtan Beach became a gay beach area in the first place. I never really gave it much thought before. If anyone knows how it all came to be, I hope you'll post. I wish I could agree with you about farang going to the beach re-attracting the boys, but I don't see that as the solution. Plenty of farang always went to the beach and still do. That never stopped, but nevertheless the boys disappeared.

I think I just may be somewhat familiar with Gay Romeo. I happen to enjoy the hassle of getting to Jomtien, buying drinks, and flirting - when at least there is someone to flirt with and buy drinks for.

Many, definitely including me, complain about the lack of boys at Dongtan beach anymore. They've disappeared. As a result, I no longer enjoy the beach. The myriad of other problems at the beach are not exactly enjoyable either, but I certainly remember taking all the eye candy - and their availability - for granted. Whatever the reasons why the boys are gone, they're gone. Because of that I rarely go to the beach anymore. I don't think I'm alone in that. I am guessing the beach concessionaires are suffering due to a lack of customers, just like so many other places in Pattaya. After all, the boys were customers too - whether they paid their own way or farang were buying food and drinks for them and renting chairs for them. Without the boys, that's another source of income the concessionaires have lost. For me, the boys were the main attraction of the gay beach area and the reason I used to go nearly every day. Maybe the beach concessionaires at the traditionally gay areas ought to think about starting to do things to make the boys want to come back. Maybe the gay beach area scene does not necessarily have to be "Gone With the Wind." If the concessionaires start doing things to re-attract boys to the beach I'd certainly start going to the beach again. I'll bet their farang customer numbers would dramatically increase, at least in the gay beach area. I really have no idea what the concessionaires can do to bring back the boys, but if they will try some ideas of their own, and whatever they do actually works, maybe that could save the day.

Oh my gosh! He borrowed them from me . . .

The last time I was in that part of the world was in 1987 and I was there by myself, so obviously I can't help you. But I'm curious. Why Egypt? Isn't it a little dangerous to be in Egypt these days, not to mention the added danger of being gay there? Before going to Egypt, I suggest you read the following - along with several more articles on the same web site: _______________________ Harshest Sentences Ever for Gay Sex in Egypt April 7, 2014 An Egyptian court has sentenced four men convicted of the “crime” of gay sex to a total of twenty eight years in prison, three of them receiving an eight year term and one a three year term. To my knowledge eight years is the longest ever stretch of prison time handed down for consensual sexual acts in Egypt’s modern history and surpasses any of the sentences handed down in the notorious Queen Boat case of 2001 which brought Egypt international condemnation from across the globe including strong criticism from the then French president Jacques Chirac as well as from singer and songwriter Elton John. The accused, like the female protesters dragged off to the Egyptian Museum by the military police in March 2011 and like the Queen boat detainees arrested under the Mubarak regime in May 2001, were forced to undergo humiliating medical tests. In this case to “prove” (using long discredited medical techniques) that they were “habitual gays”. The news in depressing. In the last ten years much of the world has progressed to legally accepting gay lifestyles as having a complete equality to a heterosexual one. But Egypt, despite recently toppling the Islamist Morsi regime, seems to have taken the opposite direction. And the headline punishment says nothing about the real consequences for these men. Let’s not forget that they will be lucky to survive their sentences. If the treatment of gay men previously arrested is anything to go by then they will receive the most degrading and brutal abuse conceivable at the hands of prison guards and other prisoners. Can you imagine how they will manage inside? Their cell mates will be drug dealers, hardened criminals, religious zealots (either Muslim or Christian) with whom they will also have to share the crowded sweltering prison vans. When the guards say “Here are prisoners who are the cause of all Egypt’s problems – khawalaat, perverts, mitnakeen” will the prison authorities care in the slightest what happens to them? We cannot allow their lives to be abused and lost so cheaply. Egypt should remember that many of the tourists who visit Egypt – and on whom one in seven of the country’s jobs depends – are either lesbian, gay or have close friends who are or they will be at least sympathetic to the idea of treating the lgbt community with respect and dignity. Many will surely think twice about continuing to holiday in a country which imposes such draconian and inhumane punishments for what men chose to do in the privacy of their own homes. GayEgypt.com recently reluctantly decided to deactivate its’ message forums in light of the recent spate of arrests in Marg and Nasr City and the consequent risk to online posters from Egypt’s infamous internet police. This is not a promising start to Egypt’s new regime. These sentences are symptomatic of a weak and cowardly government and judiciary that lacks any sense of moral direction or principle. Instead the new “secular” government is nothing more than a front to facilitate Sisi’s procession to the presidency. The thinking behind these prosecutions being presumably that Sisi needs to prove that in the new Egypt people need not be afraid of having “Western freedoms” forced on them. http://www.gayegypt.com/

A messed up walkway. No Shade other than beach umbrellas that are in condition that make them look like leftovers from World War I. Trees that now resemble the aftermath of a hurricane. And no boys. Gee, I can't wait to go to the beach . . .

As good a guess as any. Whatever the reasons are, the fact is they're just not at the beach anymore and, unfortunately, I know of nothing to indicate a change in the future. I would love to be wrong about that.

Many do manage to survive somehow. Many others have given up and returned home or found other jobs, whether in Pattaya or elsewhere. Some continue on in Pattaya because to them the current hard times is still better than returning to the rice farm. Many boys who had been familiar figures have completely disappeared from the scene. Quite a few have even given up on Gay Romeo. Some who used to be on Gay Romeo every day have disappeared and their profiles have expired. It's not as gloomy as my post is probably making seem, though. Not at all. There are still hundreds and hundreds of readily available boys in Pattaya, but they just don't go "farang hunting" at the beach anymore. We've debated before about why. There are still a lot of farang on the beach, but the boys rarely go anymore. I wish I had the answers, but I have only guesses. Maybe the police ran them off, although I doubt that. The police can't even seem to control the lady-boy prostitutes on Pattaya Beach Road. Many are convinced sites such as Gay Romeo is where the boys do their "farang hunting" now instead of going to beach. I would have thought there would be at least some that do both, but they don't. Maybe some will give the beach another try once high season kicks in. We'll see. If the current trend continues, the days of going to the beach and having loads of boys readily available are over. It seems to have gone extinct. Unless something changes, now it's only history.

If I remember correctly, he has an older brother working at that concession. Maybe they're all one big happy family . . . It's sad, really. A grand total of one boy on the entire gay beach drawing much attention, and he's 16. A far cry from only a few years ago when there were so many available and willing boys at the beach it was hard to decide which one you wanted. If I were a concessionaire at the gay beach, during these hard times I would probably hire some boys just to be there to attract farang and maybe even do the same thing the bars do - charge a nominal off fee and pay the boy a commission when a farang buys a drink or something else for him from the concession. After all, if you want gay customers, you better think like a gay businessman . . .

Ok, now I know who you're talking about. The last time I was there, about a month ago, I spoke with him. I asked his age. He told me he's 18. I didn't believe him and pressured him to be honest about it. He finally admitted, unfortunately, he's only 16.

That is why I emphasized good hot dogs. As far as I'm concerned, Oscar Meyer is at best one step above most of the Thai hot dogs, but still lousy and not worth buying.

I do too, but there's one thing more I try to get - their phone numbers . . .

One thing I've learned, living in Thailand as long as I have - if you shop around you can find nearly everything you're looking for. If there's something you want that can't be found in one grocery store, you can often find it in another. There are also specialty shops. You might not find the name brand you want, but most of the time I can't tell any difference. Two American products I wish I could find, but never have, are corned beef hash and good hot dogs. If anyone knows where they can be found, anywhere in Thailand, I would be most grateful. Other than those, I can't think of any other grocery items I miss and can't find.

I've seen billboards advertising this. The winner gets a 25,000 baht prize.

If anyone truly believes that bars are going to be forced to stop selling liquor at midnight, and would comply even if they were, then I've got a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.

Certainly. Why not? I remember an incident in Pattaya, several years ago, when a weighted down body, with hands tied behind the back, was discovered in Pattaya Bay. The police ruled that a suicide. Maybe the police were right. Sounds like something the local Don Corleone and Luca Brazzi might have been responsible for. After all, if you mess with the Mafia, that's suicide . . .

I suppose that's possible, but that seems a little farfetched to me. I think it's much more likely the boy was trying to hide something. Whatever his reason may have been, for me it wouldn't matter. In my opinion it would be best to just get rid of this boy and stay rid of him.

That has happened to many farang. I'm glad you're aware of it. I hope you won't make the same mistake twice. Sometimes these holiday romances really do work out, but the vast majority do not, especially when it involves a bar boy. The safest thing to do is to enjoy the time you spend with a boy while here on a holiday, maybe even have a tearful farewell when you depart for home, and leave it at that. The trouble is many think with their hearts instead of their brains - and the result is all too often disaster. When a farang falls in love with a Thai boy, returns home, and pines away, constantly thinking about the boy until he can return to Thailand to be with the love of his life, do you truly believe the boy is doing the same thing? Whenever I hear a farang say, "Oh no, not this boy. He's different," that's when I know the farang is usually in real trouble. I'll never forget one boy I knew who used to carry 5 different mobile phones with him. One for each different farang who had fallen in love with him and, of course, were all sending money. Meanwhile, the boy made them think he was in love with them too when the reality was, other than the money, he didn't give a damn about any of them. How do I know? He told me. All he was interested in was getting the money out of them. And you know what? He got it. Then why would the boy have insisted that 1moRussian not even see him off at the bus?

Unlike vinapu, not only do I look at this particular glass as half empty, I look at it as completely empty and probably never really had anything in it in the first place. I believe you have probably been strung along and tricked all this time, most likely for the sole purpose of relieving you of a lot of cash. It certainly wouldn't be the first time this sort of thing has happened to unsuspecting farang. If this boy didn't even want you to see him board the bus, let alone go with him to Khorat as he had told you before he wanted you to do, the words "something to hide" come to mind. When I see a red light, I end it right then and there. In this case, I see a huge, glaring red light. Obviously I don't know your circumstances, but based on what you have posted I know what I would do if it were me. I'd drop this boy like a hot potato and move on. If he tries to call, I would not answer the telephone no matter how many times he tries. If he sends text messages or Email, I would delete them without even reading them. If you're still here when he returns, I would refuse to see him. There are plenty more available boys in Pattaya. I hope you won't let him ruin your holiday. If he manages to catch up with you anyhow, I would regard any excuse he gives as pure, unadulterated bullshit. My response to any excuse he tries would be as Franklin Roosevelt once said: "Tell that to the Marines." I might be far more cynical and unforgiving than many, but I've lived here a long time and I've seen too much to even consider handling it any other way.

I think you won't have any problems at all and going to Khorat with the boy might very well turn out to be the highlight and most memorable part of your trip to Thailand. "I want you to go with me to my home too" seems to me to be a good indicator that he does want you to go with him, whether he said it a second time or not. If he didn't want you to go, he would have had no reason to have said that in the first place. If the boy has any reason why he doesn't want you to go with him, believe me he'll come up with some excuse as to why you shouldn't go. If things really do go wrong for you in Khorat, well - there's always Gay Romeo and the canal . . .

Sometimes it does, but if a boy wants to take you to his hometown to meet his family, relatives, neighbors, and friends, chances are very good he wouldn't want to do that if such negativity is part of life where he comes from.

You'll find a good listing of budget hotels, some as low as 450 baht per night, at: http://www.hotelscombined.com/Place/Nakhon_Ratchasima_1.htm I've been to Khorat a few times. There is enough to do to keep you busy for a couple days - city sights, a very good zoo, the city canal at night (plenty of boys to pick up there). Whenever I've traveled to a young companion's home town, I've learned to let the boy and/or his family be the tour guides. They know all the places to go, including many interesting places that most of us have probably never heard of. I wouldn't worry about meeting his family and friends. You'll most likely be welcomed with open arms. Ask the boy if, once you get there, he has access to a car or truck you can use to go to all these places. If he does, then you're all set. If not, you might want to consider renting a car or hiring a taxi for the day. You'll be able to see and do much more if you have transportation. You might even decide to spend more than 2-3 days there. Also, if possible I highly recommend a stop at the PB Valley Winery in the Khao Yai area on your way back. It's best if you can get there by car. It's way out in the middle of nowhere, but in a very picturesque area. If you won't have access to a car, contact them and ask how you can get there. It's really worth it if you can get there and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Their tour is very impressive and there is, of course, a wine tasting at the end of the tour. Some of their wines are truly excellent - not at all like the typical crappy Thai wines. Don't miss their restaurant. That too is excellent. See: http://www.khaoyaiwinery.com GPS coordinates are: N 14°, 34', 86', E 101°, 14', 05" By the way, PB Valley also has a bistro in Bangkok. See: http://themanfrommoselriver.com/2012/12/06/pb-valley-wine-tasting-at-the-great-hornbill-bistro-bangkok-thailand/ and http://www.facebook.com/TheGreatHornbill.Bistro Some of their wines are sold at Villa Market in Pattaya. My favorite is their Shiraz.

For paper maps, the best I've found is Map Magic, by Thinknet ( http://www.mapmagic.co.th/en/online-store/ ). The box set includes the paper maps and CDs for the computer. The paper maps are made from a high quality material that is not prone to tearing. Several bookstores carry it. If you're going to do much driving in unfamiliar territory, a GPS can be essential. The Garmin line of GPS products are very good and their maps are up to date. If you have a GPS capable smart phone, the Sygic app is excellent. I like it much better than the Garmin GPS. Both Garmin and Sygic have up to date maps, with voice, and have gotten me exactly where I want to go even in the most remote areas. If I were driving a motorbike, I would opt for the Sygic app on a GPS capable smart phone. That way, you can keep the phone in your pocket, plug in the earphone, and let the voice tell you when and where to turn.