Gaybutton

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.

It depends on where you want to go. If you want to go to any of the cities where the curfew has already been lifted, you could go right now without any problems. The way things are starting to play out, the curfew is likely to be lifted entirely long before November. Whether you decide to go and where you decide to go, one piece of advice: Don't wait around very long to make your flight and hotel bookings. I don't know about other cities, but if this year goes as it always has, In Pattaya the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to get a room in the area you prefer to stay. If you wait too long, you'll be lucky if you can get a room at all.

Thank you, but that is not quite correct. The info was not sent to me by the owner. It was sent by a friend who merely happened to be present in Eros when the raid occurred.

My answer is a simple no - if there is a service charge, then as far as I'm concerned that's the tip.

No.

In Michael's first post he wrote that he was questioned by Homeland Security. Suppose one of the answers was, "I'm gay. I'm going to Thailand to have sex with young men." Would someone please explain to me what that would have to do with Homeland Security? What would the answers to any of those questions have to do with Homeland Security? This is the first time I've ever heard of anyone being subjected to that kind of questioning outbound rather than inbound. Would someone also please explain to me how being a single man, traveling to and from Thailand, however frequently, possibly to engage in gay sex, in any way endangers the USA? In the questions Michael listed, what are they trying to find out? I know of no terrorist activity or incidents that ever had anything to do with single males frequently traveling to Thailand. The problem is, as earlier posted, if you start arguing with them and/or refuse to answer their questions, you might very well end up on a no-fly list. Oh well, there's always cruise ships. Do they have a no-sail list? I agree with firecat69's statement that the Supreme Court is a joke. The trouble is, I'm not laughing.

In the video it is mentioned that Mr. Seymour had written an article entitled "I Saw Lincoln Shot." I was interested in finding and reading that article. I did manage to find it. If you're interested, you can read it at: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1368&dat=19540207&id=wHUxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SBAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5624,3979599

Actually, there are a few things wrong with the above list. The most glaring is "A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe." That's a little strange considering Kennedy was killed on November 22, 1963. Marilyn Monroe died on August 5, 1962. There is no record of Abraham Lincoln ever having had a secretary named Kennedy. The number of letters in the names seems particularly trivial to me. John Wilkes Booth was not shot in a warehouse. He was shot in a barn. However, one thing the list does not mention - both Lincoln and Kennedy were sitting right next to their wives when they were shot. I'm surprised that's not included on the list. Supposedly, Lincoln had a nightmare about his own death shortly before the assassination. It is said he talked about it. It is known that Kennedy talked about the possibility of being the victim of an assassination only hours before it happened. Despite the factual errors, I still find the rest of the list, the accurate part, interesting.

Or both . . . I've always wondered about this list: ____________________________ Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846. John F Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946. Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860. John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960. The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters. Both were particularly concerned with civil rights. Both wives lost children while living in the White House. Both Presidents were shot on a Friday. Both Presidents were shot in the head. Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy. Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln. Both were assassinated by Southerners. Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson. Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808. Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908. John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839. Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939. Both assassins were known by their three names. Both names are composed of fifteen letters. Lincoln was shot at the theater named 'Ford.' Kennedy was shot in a car, a Ford, called 'Lincoln.' Booth ran from the theater and was caught in a warehouse. Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theater. Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials. A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland. A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe.

Abraham Lincoln was assassinated the night of April 14. He died around 9 hours later, the morning of April 15. As for the link between the two events, I thought Lincoln did approve a tax of some kind. Whether it was an income tax or something else, I really don't know unless I look it up - which I won't.

The drive between Bang Saen and Pattaya usually takes me about 45 minutes. I've been to the seafood restaurant 2lz2p mentioned several times. It's very good, very picturesque right over the water, and prices are quite reasonable. If you've ever been to the seafood restaurant in Bang Sare, it's very similar - so similar that it might be owned by the same people. Of course, there are many other restaurants to choose from, but if I'm going to eat while in Bang Saen, that's the one I head for. Look for the blue rooftops. You can't miss it. The beach and waters are clean and there is usually plenty of parking. There are also plenty of concessionaires, just like Dongtan Beach in Jomtien. People are much more conservative about their beach attire than they are in Pattaya. If there is a gay area, I've never found it. Also, there is a small mountain (can't think of the name, but it's the only one) at the north end. At the top there is a colony of wild monkeys. Before you're even out of your car the vendors are there to sell you baskets of fruit and vegetables to feed to the monkeys. I used to buy those, but I found something the monkeys appreciate even more - bottled water. Now, whenever I go there I always take a few six-packs of bottled water. Open the bottles for the monkeys. They haven't figured out how to open the bottles, but they get very thirsty up there and they obviously are grateful for the water. The vendors don't sell water, so you'll have to bring it yourself. Most of the monkeys just lay the bottles on the ground and lap up the water as it pours out, but every once in awhile there's a monkey that figured out how to pick up the bottle and drink from it. If the monkeys drop the empty bottle instead of making off with it, I pick it up, put it in the car, and throw it out later rather than leaving plastic bottles all over the place. Also, if you arrive by car, leave everything of value in the car, including the car keys (make sure you don't lock the door with your keys inside the car). Don't keep anything in your pockets that you don't want to lose. You think Pattaya has a pickpocket problem? Wait 'til you meet the monkeys. Some of them put the Pattaya pickpockets to shame.

I read some of the comments people wrote after the article on the link you posted. I liked this one: "I guess we should lower our Rainbow Flags to half mast."

I understand perfectly and I'm sorry for what you're going through. The last thing you need to worry about is a misunderstanding with me. Don't give it another thought. The last time I saw jinks was at a Take Care dinner in Pattaya. We sat together and had a lot of fun. Each of us won a door prize too. He liked the prize I won and I liked the prize he won, so we traded. Since then we communicated often via PMs on the boards. He never said anything to me to indicate just how ill he was. He wanted to return to Pattaya later this year. I wish he could have. I am truly deeply upset about his death and I will greatly miss him. I already do.

That "dick" is probably me. But that's not what I said at all and I made no such accusation. What I said was, "I hope it will turn out to be someone's idea of a sick hoax, but the post does seem believable to me." You can read my entire post at: http://www.gaybuttonthai.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6335 jinks and I were good friends. I really hoped it wasn't true. Having absolutely no idea who you are and given that your post appeared as a first post here, I truly hoped it was a hoax and that jinks was ok. Unfortunately, on these boards there are people who wouldn't be above doing something like that. I know now that it wasn't a hoax and I'm very upset about his death. His death has been confirmed by Surfcrest, the owner of the Sawatdee board on which jinks was a moderator. I knew he was ill, but I did not know how seriously ill he actually was.

Me? Ban anyone? Ever? For any reason? Surely you jest . . .

WHAT?!?!?!? I hope you're joking. Just in case you actually believe that, read this: http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/106225/50-year-thai-man-injured-east-pattaya-road-rage-attack/ That's just one example, in one city, out of hundreds and hundreds that take place just as often in Thailand as anywhere else.

What?!?!? You misspelled something? You didn't punctuate correctly? Your grammar was imperfect? Forgot a capital letter? Just for that, as an officer of the Spelling and Grammar Police, I now place you under assert!