ggobkk

Same policy regarding guests. Food and beverage 6am to 10pm. Only. So, at least at the moment 24/7 breakfast a thing of the past.

Hot Male bar on street level is Forum Sacred territory as it is the base for PaulSF when he is in Bangkok. I've joked with him that the bar should name a drink for him.

Big news item in middle of this post. OK....I arrived around midnight last night (October 5). As has been reported here the old website is out of service aka "dead". I book via Agoda and requested a car at airport as I knew I had 30 hours of airports and planes to survive before BKK. Couldn't get a confirmation about the car. I IM'd YA of siamroads who called the hotel to get the car confirmed. He was gracious enough not to mention he could have arranged a pick up for me. Car was not the usual minivan, driver used lots of side roads to avoid the tolls but drove skillfully. And made it a quick trip. At hotel, evening bellman gone. Two security staff. One familiar from previous trips. Late night desk staff of two both seen on previous visits. Seems that the customer data base disappeared with the changeover. The staff recognized me but there was no history file. Once in room, noticed it looked the same. Realized there was no welcoming drink. Read posting in elevator that food and beverage service stopped at 10pm. This morning went down for breakfast. Morning security guard remains the same as for past couple of years. 3 customers Having breakfast. Two new faces at desk. Discuss my next week one night stay. Told Agoda hadn't sent it to them yet. I showed a copy and they noted the room I preferred and offered to move me to it today. I agreed as it has the best internet being next to the router. I asked after Lukas and was told he is no longer associated with the hotel. REPEAT. Lukas no longer part of Tarntawan. No Manager's cocktail party anymore. Apparently, with no website bookings are way down. Some staff gone but not sure if it's related to the occupancy rate. One or two guests per floor means fewer housekeeps. Security guards double as bellmen. If I notice anything else I'll post again. I will note that everyone is trying very hard to be helpful. Vinapu - I think your night desk clerk is one of the surviving staff.

It's the end of the Chinese Martyr's/National Day festival and (though I don't think it has much to do with the Dream Boys capacity control - it's the start of the Jewish New Year.

You are not alone....

I have a booking for this coming Wednesday and Thursday. In the past on Thursday there has been a manager's drinks party for guests. If that is still in place and Lukas is there I'll ask about the changes and report back.

Golden Cock would love to entertain the afternoon visitor...

I once posted that you were pacing your stories to enhance the suspense. Now that I just finished crafting postings about my recent visit to Bangkok I have an increased appreciation for the time and skillful effort you put into your descriptions; setting both a tone and a mood that puts the reader into your shoes, bars, tuk tuks, and voyeuristically your beds. The quality of your writing is both smile inducing and compelling. Take your time in bringing the story along its path.

Welcome to the Board and good wishes for your trip. On my last visit, for the first time I met up with other members of the board and really enjoyed the stories and insights. Don't know when you are planning on your visit but Enjoy!

Space Hair boys amazing and as Vinapu often reminds us, some may prefer the white shorts, some (me) may prefer the red shorts. For the record (mine) red and white have the best smiles.

Friday! Last day in Bangkok! I’m returning to Beijing tomorrow, meet up with friends there, and back to the US Monday morning. Waking up sometime after 8am, which is late for me but way too early for T, I adjourn to the other room to read the iPad newspapers, make some tea, chill out with the air conditioning, clean myself up and shave, go out and hit the ATM. Back, T emerges naked looking tousled and rubbing his eyes. Hot. We talk and Google translate back and forth. Go down to the lobby dining area and have a breakfast, he has the cook put something together that has extra shrimp and rice. Me…and omelet…boring. I remind T that I’ll be gone this time tomorrow. He says he know that…this leads to a lot of conversation between us. We’ve known each other for a bit more than a year and a half. As one might read in the subtext to these reports, the initial excitement of our first time together is no longer there. Clearly we care about one another and there is some trust between us. Numazu mentions in his reports that he doesn’t worry about his valuables with companions he knows. This is the case here. T can access my iPad and phone without my help, I leave my wallet out. Etc. So we talk, it’s mostly about the choices he has to make. He’d prefer not to / doesn’t want to go back to being a go-go boy. Even if that was the only choice, where he worked, Hot Male, has a ban on non-Thai’s. He can go back to Vietnam as his former co-worker J will be doing tomorrow. But work there is seasonal and physical (my brain goes to: “being a go-go boy is physical”), and work at home is constricted to the village and the fields. We talk a bit about his only having finished 2nd year of what would be high school in the US. He tells me that he doesn’t know how to use a computer so doesn’t know how to use email. This sidetracks us as I talk about his phone is a computer and he knows how to use his phone (and mine). I learn about his parents and brother. T’s father is almost 40 years older than T and he has the Asian sensibility about family. I tell him I understand, that I was working and enjoying my work on the east coast of the US, when my parents had strokes within a few months of one another, and I picked-up and moved west. I note that it turned out ok for me and would for him (perpetual optimist that I am). The conversation winds down, with no specific decisions made. Other than I committed to paying for his travel from Vietnam to Bangkok and to give him enough to go back if that’s what he decided. He said he didn’t know but would stay in Bangkok until at least Monday to see if he could find work. Looking at the clock, I saw that my thought of yesterday to go to Prince for a massage was looking to be a non-starter. I asked T what he wanted to do and instead of getting the usual Up To You, he said he wanted to give me a bath, shave my hairy back (he’s never cared for that), and then give me a massage and take me to bed. This was way more direct that he has ever been and I let him take over. I wrote the summary in the paragraph above. No condensed version here and no expanded version here. Suffice it to say, two hours later I was in a good space. We both slept a bit before taking a shower to clean up. It was now early evening and we’d agreed to meet up with S at the Hot Male bar to wish J well and give him a top notch sendoff. I asked T to Line P and let him know that I’d off him to he could join the sendoff. We went out looking for a place to have a good/great meal before meeting up at Hot Male bar. We headed out without a dining destination in mind, went toward Mango Tree and saw Cola which is on the corner across from Mango Tree. It’s Chinese and elaborately designed and decorated with a general dining room on the ground floor and private party rooms on the 2nd. We looked at the picture menu and decided to give it a try. What wasn’t clear from the picture menu is that Cola is a hot pot restaurant where guests mainly cook the food at the tables. The center of the table has a heating element that warms the broth. We each ordered what appealed to use and heaping mounds of food kept appearing needing to be warmed and semi-boiled. We got carry out for about 60%of what we ordered, which T later told me got him through the weekend after I left. After dropping the carry out off in the room, we walked around, checked out the nigh market, and got to Hot Male bar just before 9. I gave T baht to go and off P from Fresh Boys. I had discussed this earlier and said, it would be less expensive if he did the ”offing” than if I went in to the club and bought a mamasan drink. He thought this new experience of being the “off-er” would be a charge. As he left to do his duty, S arrived and he and I talked about departures. He being the king of the hill in HM bar, our conversation was interrupted multiple times by his fan club. One can easily comprehend his popularity as his personality is warm and he is gregarious. T rejoined with P and another friend from Vietnam known to P and T. I bought drinks for them, P thanked me for the off, J arrived and conversation, laughter, and lots of toasts to departures took place. S had been kind enough to introduce me to other forum members who stopped by. He told me that after T and I left for Jupiter last night, that N had come by with a beautiful boy in tow and might be back tonight. Sure enough he was, N (and I promise this is the last letter of the alphabet that I will use this trip report) is a Hemingway-esque figure to me. His reports have helped my travel better and intrigue me and help me expand my horizons. His boy was/is gorgeous and very comfortable with introducing himself and being publicly affectionate with N. So much going on, a gaggle of Vietnam guys sharing go-go way stories and memories with J, S being the pater familias, N asking how I liked Jupiter’s show, true guys’ night out. Then N and friend left for show time, P gave me a big hug and kiss and said he had to go back to Fresh Boys for his show (S told me P gets paid more when he dances and appears in the show), I give P 1,000 baht as a going away thanks (sort of an “off without benefits” tip). T and I had discussed earlier before we got to HM bar that we wanted to make sure J and S had time together. So around 11 we headed out to the hotel. I had to be up by 4am to catch my plane so I packed, T made sure I was showered (I have never had so many showers in a 4-day span as I did this week). He cleaned up in the bathroom and “re-joined” me in bed. And, other than the per-dawn getting to the airport rushing around, and the good-byes, which I’m leaving out of the narrative, that was my 5 days in Bangkok. My next trip will be to Laos in early October. If anything there in interesting, I’ll report (maybe).

Certainly hope so...experience can be an advantage...

Still have "N" about ready to appear in the report....

I registered guest is one who has filled out a registrations card and been given his own key. Usually, at the Tarntawan, a boy who might accompany a guest hands over his passport to the security guard who maintains it until the boy departs and the guest has confirmed that everything is in order. In the case of my report, I set it up for T to register when we checked in, so he never had to surrender his passport when in the hotel and had a key so he could come and go without my having to be there.

Lukas sent me a similar response when I asked about booking for next month. He didn't indicate he was going and said he see me next month.

I do believe that your descriptive style of conveying in words what happened in the moment is very special. The photos enhance the telling. I have one more day from my trip to post - hopefully tomorrow. Really glad to know that you have several more days to describe. Thanks

Correction: It's Art Massage, not "Artistic". I wrote late last night and neglected careful copy editing...

Yes...I seem to have a serious block when it comes to remembering the "B", don't know where the "H" that I interject comes from.

Work up this around 7 this morning with moderate achievement checked off before my feet hit the ground. I’d managed to keep control of at least 30% of the bed! I moved into the other room and turned on the news. One thing I’ve noticed is that CNN International is so much better than CNN in the USA. International doesn’t seem to feature opinionated / biased political know-it-alls shouting talking points at one another. Flipped between CNN, BBC, and Bloomberg and decided I just read the papers on my iPad as it wasn’t needed as T’s Korean Action Cinema was closed until he woke. I also skimmed the web and looked at jack’d, Romeo, etc. I noticed that two of the guys I’d admired at the new branch of Artistic were prominently featured. 363 feet from my room. At some point, T woke up and decided to make us some tea. Nice. We talked about what to do – we knew the afternoon and evening were booked. P was cooking and bringing us dinner around 4 or 5, we were invited to Tarntawan’s cocktail party at 6:30, and then going to meet another Forum member or two sometime after 8:30. T mentioned that he was having trouble playing music from his portable speaker which I’d brought him in May. I looked at it and showed him there was one extra step to connect to Bluetooth. But the power cable was tweaked and not keeping a steady power supply. I travel with a cable for my portable power supply and we tried that and it worked. So after breakfast a trip to MHK? Agreed. Breakfast…then shower together…I’ve stopped counting on how many showers I take every day. Taxi to MHK…take a variety of escalators up to the audio electronics section. T is a VERY particular shopper. We stopped at several booths to buy the cable he wanted. No success…each one looked at failed his eyeball test of connectors. He had brought mine (the one that had worked in the room) and none made the cut. Remember, we’re talking about a 50 baht item here. Compromise – I’ll buy a cable that I can use for my power adapter and T can have mine. Decided that worst case, I use the cable to charge my power supply, and get a new one at home if the one I was buying failed. (It didn’t). I’d noticed that T’s phone had a cracked screen, so we tracked town a vendor that repaired screens, 100 baht and 10 minutes later, cracked screen replaced. What now…why not wander around MHK…I told T to get something he’d like. A belt became the object of his picky shopping style. I learned that level 6 of MHK had 8 belt shops. Then after THE belt is located, the bargaining begins. I stay far away at these times. I like to bargain, but knew better than to be part of T’s negotiations. He got his belt and the vendor made the alterations to fit his slim waist. From there…why not go bowling? Up to the top of MHK, rented some shoes, and laughed at one’s another’s laughable bowling skills. Played three games. Paid up the went to the 5th floors world of dining, with the international kiosks. T went for Cambodian with shrimp, I tried some Mexican. Passable…no stars. As we were leaving MHK, T asked me about “smelling” and the rice harvest season in Vietnam. Bafflement was my reaction. With lots of help from Google translate and some intuitive guessing, there was an “ A Ha” moment. T was asking about men’s cologne. Where, What? Following my noise, we went to the Toyu department store which had a fairly large selection of stations for perfumes, toilet waters, and in a corner men’s cologne. I then whiled away about an hour while T was led through the various smell options. To describe this process would demand a level of detail that is not within my ability to compose. In between smell samplings, T told me that he worked so hard during harvest time and always felt that he couldn’t get the smell of the rice off of him. Eventually, very eventually, one was selected, Tom Ford. Mr. Ford was beautifully packaged and went to the taxi with us back to Tarntawan. In the room, I mentioned that I’d go out for a massage asked T if he wanted one. He declined, turning on the iPad Korean Action Cinema and told me he woud wait for P who was coming with dinner. I thought of going to Prince, but having seen the two guys from Artistic on Planet Romeo, I decided to put Prince off until tomorrow, my last full day in Bangkok. Both of the guys were available, but one was on duty as the afternoon manager, so Ton was it. Boyish twink, killer smile. I asked for a two-hour scrub and oil massage combo. 800 Baht. Now it got interesting…the last time I was in the space, I had ice cream on the ground level. Ton led me up two flights of stairs, on the upper floor, there were partitioned rooms, with no ceiling, mattresses on the floor in each room. Smell of very fresh paint. Ton undressed me and took me to the shower down the hall, no place in the room to secure valuables. Shower area floor was slippery – no mat. Back in the room, decent scrub, lots of grip, some semi-intimate touching. Lots of irritating construction noise. Finish the scrub, back to the shower, Ton, now in his briefs without a shirt, get the grit off of me. Back to the room, Ton tells me his briefs are wet is it ok to take them off? I leave my answer to your imagination, but he was from Issan and reality matched the reputation. About thirty minutes into what was a decently done oil massage (and when the construction workers had moved to another floor), Ton whispers to me wondering if I’d like some extras. We agree on 600 baht. The temp picked up and covered a range of options, ending with my coming, followed by an explosion from Ton that reached my chest and face. He came a second time in my mouth which, while appreciated, was spat out. Another shower, dress, and depart. The one on one was good, the set up with the rooms left much to be desired. I suspect I’d have skipped the extras if other rooms on the floor had been occupied. Back to the Korean Action Cinema where T asked if the massage was good. I said yes and left it at that. He promised a better one tomorrow. He told me P was on his way with dinner and now that I was back he was going to get some beer from the market. He left and came back, with some beers and some Johnny Walker Red – the small bottle. P came with beef, pork, rice, utensils, and laid out his spread. He and T divided the Johnny into two tea cups. And we dug into the food (I was being an American with a Coca Cola). Food was good but so spicy I The beers disappeared and T asked if he could have some baht to buy more Johnny W. I gave him what he needed, he went out, and was back very quickly and gave me the change. The bottle was then again divided into two teacups and drunk to toasts to Vietnam, old times, and good friends (me). After a while, the food was gone, the packaging put in the trash, and P feel asleep on the sofa. I mentioned to T that it was time for the cocktail party downstairs, wise man that he is, he suggested he might give it a pass but to make sure I came back to say goodbye to P who had to work at Fresh Boys. I suspect it was to make sure they were awake… Off I went to the manager’s cocktail party where the initial standoffishness disappears as each glass of wine or whiskey is consumed. Met a couple (male/female) from the US who hadn’t been back to the US since Clinton (Bill) was president. A fellow from the UK and I talked a lot about politics after Brexit and in the US. He’s been coming for many years, said he remembered Lukas with hair. Around 7:30 I went back up the Happy Room (555) where P was still asleep on the sofa and T was back with his film. Together, we got P up and sent him off to work. He wouldn’t take any money for the dinner. The next day, I learned that he had assumed I’d off him from work that night which didn’t happen. T and I walked through Patpong Market and went to Jupiter to see what time the show would be…then back to Twilight. We took seats at the Hot Male bar and a few minutes later, Forum member S arrived. He and I, and another member, had corresponded about meeting about as we’d all be in Bangkok at the same time. S is like a conquering hero at the HM bar. Workers, friends, go go boys, wave, hug, and go out of their way to say hello. T, it turns out, is an old friend. S had a special friend J who joined us after he finished his work at a restaurant (I think that’s what he told me). J, who I offed earlier this year, is seductively charming and clearly devoted to S. J and T are also friends. S and I start to catch up on his travel adventures getting to Bangkok and my few days in Thailand. T says he is going up to Hot Male upstairs to see if the ban on Vietnamese was still on. When he came back, he said the ban was still on, S heard the conversation and told us that the owner had decided to stay with Thai boys only. T told me that the HM mamasan would like me to go up and say hello. Which I did and was greeted in a condensed version of how S had been greeted downstairs. He also affirmed that it was Thais go go boys now. The ones I observed were thin and each seem to be heavily tattooed. Not really my taste, but I promised to be back on my next visit. Back downstairs, I was introduced to some more friends of S, T and J were talking away and catching up on what had happened in the past three months. The other forum member hadn’t arrived by 10:30 when T and I left for Jupiter. The Jupiter show is always mentioned as having lots of good looking boys and is more entertaining than Dreamboys. We were seated on stools in the center in the elevated row that gave us a clear view of the stage. We ordered drinks (400 baht each) and watched the last minutes of the pre-show rotation. T knew one of the dancers who spotted him and come over. They had worked together at Hot Male and caught up with each other’s lives. I took to #26 just as the show started. He saw that I was interested, but by now customers were packed in all around me. The show was just ok. The music between acts seemed to grow longer between each set. The singers were impressive but the staging very static. Might be due to the size of the stage, but the boys seemed to be counting out loud as to where they should put their feet and arms. As the show ended, I thought I might have a chance to talk up #26 but he wasn’t there for the bows and was probably offed. Poor me…there is always next time. The customers seemed to be 50% female. It was now after midnight, we departed, walked around Silom and Surawong, back to the hotel. I passed on a shower and went to bed, where T joined me after his shower.

One learns from you, Master, on how to organize one's time...when time is limited.

If you've gotten older, I'm into my decrepitude! When I lived in Newport and Huntington Beach(es), I used to drive to Silverlake to escape from the OC. Good memories. I enjoying your posts and am adapting to you seamless ability to break up a thorough report into segments.

I failed to mention after leaving Venture we stopped at Dick’s Jomtien. Food is pretty much the same as on Twilight. What was noticeable is that the two of us were the only customers, we hadn’t seen any walking by earlier, none joined us while we were there. Perhaps, this lack of activity, low even for low season, contributes to the rumors about the possible closing of some/part/all of the Tarntawan empire. Where did I leave off…? Day 3 I woke early and gently un-cuddled from Tien and escaped his land grab of the bed. Took a shower, shaved, checked my email, and went out for a walk, not seeing any reason to disturb T. We weren’t meeting the driver for the trip to Bangkok until noon. After investigating the neighborhood and thinking about what condo complex I might Airbnb next time, I went to Sandbar for breakfast. T joined me, said he woke and went looking for me. He didn’t want anything at Sandbar and had gone to the 7-11 for a mix of snacks and was on his way back when he saw me. While we were talking, Ya came in for breakfast. Sandbar is directly next to BBH and had great Wi Fi, wile BBH's internet is spotty. So most of the guests head there in the morning. Ya confirmed that he had arranged for the car and asked if we’d like to take an hour tour before we left. He was going to show his client from Mexico the views of Pattaya from the hilltop. We agreed on a time to meet. Back in the room, T asked why we were taking a car back to Bangkok. At the 7-11 he’d learned about the bus to central Bangkok that would only cost 1/5 of what the car would. I told him I appreciated his thinking about the budget, but that I was looking for convenience (and air conditioning). This started a dialogue about money, his lack of it, the difficulty he’s been having in finding a job, that he didn’t want to be a go-go boy again, that he dreamed of buying a house for his parents. His story could be viewed as an attempt to get financing from me, or it could be interpreted as his venting his frustrations that kept him from his hopes. I took it more as the latter, as we’ve had a talk about money before and I’ve been clear that I wouldn’t be able to help as I lived too many miles away and he has accepted that. I didn’t need to repeat that this morning, which is why I believe he was venting. After this we packed, sat on the balcony to look at the water, and then he fell asleep with his head on my lap. At which point, Ya dropped by to let me know that Mac, one of his colleagues at Siam Roads was at the hotel. Mac had been my guide back in May and is an enthusiastic delightful individual. Ya said he’d let him know where our room was and a few minutes later Mac burst in and started talking about what he’d been doing, wanting to know about me, asked T how things were in Vietnam. It was a fun and very verbal visit as Mac was taking his tour guide test and that week and filled us in on the many steps involved. The exam was supposed to be the previous Sunday but only two or three testers had shown. So (very Thai, this) the exam was postponed. Then it was time to take our mini-tour. Ya’s Mexican client was quite handsome and welcomed us barging into the first part of his morning tour. The night before Ya had repeated the bar/restaurant/Walking Street/Boystown tour we’d had. They also took in the show at Castro and indicated it was well worth seeing. I mentioned my thinking about Airbnb next time, and being Ya, he knew of several places he'd recommend. We commandeered a taxi and went off to Wah Pra Yai, the temple of the Golden Buddha climbing the steps and being blessed and wrist wrapped by a monk. Then from there to Viharn Sean with its statue of the lord high royal admiral who founded the modern Thai navy. The view from the heights is incredible, providing a full view of the coast. We returned through mid-morning traffic to the beach. I split the cost of the taxi with Ya’s client. T and I returned to the hotel, met out driver, and had an uneventful drive to Bangkok and the Tarntawan. This trip I had arranged for T to register on his own and not need to surrender his passport while in the hotel. Later from one of his friends, I learned that he talked about this and how respectful it was. Points for the afterlife. Lukas had arranged for room 555, the “happy” room (based on the sound of the room number in Thai). I’ve had this room a couple of times in the past and like it for its access to the stairs elevator, and the Wi Fi router. T is familiar with the room and after giving me one of his shower rub downs, settled in to watch a Korean movie on my iPad. Before starting the video, we talked about the night ahead, I suggested that I go to Fresh Boys and off P, who is a sexy friend of T’s and shared a bed with the two of us on a previous trip. We’d have dinner first, come back, and I’d go on my own to get P as I didn’t see the need for having to buy an extra drink as part of the off protocols. All agreed. Movie starts and I take off for a walking tour. I must admit I was in a mood to stray. Exiting the mini-street that leads to Tarntawan Place Hotel, I noticed that what had been a sandwich/ice cream parlor was now a new branch of Artistic Massage. Several cute young guys, who I later found on Planet Romeo. So now in a row, there is what I refer to as Green Massage, Orange Massage, Artistic, and across the driveway is Urban Massage. Turn the corner, which I did, and several more massage opportunities without even considering Prime at the end of the lane. I decided to check out Golden Cock, it’s been a long time, but there was a cute, tousle headed boy at the door inviting me in…what the hell, why not? As is often reported on the forum, Golden Cock never seems to close and if it does is open in the afternoon. I was the only “guest” which brought the attention of four boys to my to provide a multi-handed chest and crotch rub with my hands encouraged to roam. Beers were 100 baht, so I bought a round. The touchy feeling up grew in intensity, I was most drawn to the boy who’d greeted me outside. The bartender had stepped outside. His role is to make noise of some sort if another guest wanted to come in while lots of bodily parts were being exposed (or maybe to encourage joiners!). I said it was impossible to go back to my hotel (it wasn’t but I didn’t want to). It was suggested I use the room upstairs for some heavy interaction. Pricing: room 600, boy 1,000. After some more four- way action, N (as I’ll call him) led me up a winding stairway past a laundry room, into a top floor room with a mattress raised off the floor. We undressed each other and N took me into the shower. We adjourned to the bed where he began with an intense samoke session. Oral sex is not T’s strongest point, so this was a real expert’s treat. N took it from there and after some insertions, I came first and N blasted all over my chest. We cuddled for several minutes, returned to the shower, dressed and headed down the staircase which was lighted by a mobile phone flashlight. I had paid N upstairs adding 200 baht. I paid for the drinks and the room, noted no one other than employees in the club and returned to my walk. I went back to the hotel where T was finishing his movie, he looked up, checked me out, smiled, asked if I was o.k., smiled again and made me take another shower. About dinner, we went through the usual “Up to You” routine. I said, this time it was Up to Him. This was not a good idea…turns out that while he’s been serving his time in Vietnam he missed the KFC on Silom. On the way, I pointed out some great looking street food…but KFC it was! No comment. T got his KFC and ate, and ate, and smiled at me. After we (he) finished, he headed back to Tarntawan to use his registered guest status and I went to Fresh Boys. P had sent me a Like text the week before and said he hoped to see me. When I entered the club, P immediately came to my table, followed by a captain/mamsan who was also Vietnamese. I bought P, myself, and the mamasan a drink. Boys on stage looked fresh, twinks with some muscle. We left soon after the usual courtesies were attended to, paid the off fee – not sure what it was exactly as there were three drinks and an off, and I got change from 2000 baht. P asked where T was, I told him, and much to my relief we picked up some street food and some beers. Back at the hotel, T and P clearly were happy to see each other (they had worked together at Hot Male) and spent time catching up, drinking beer, and (to my amusement) T devoured the street food we’d brought. At some point, P and I were in the shower (I lost count how many showers I’d had already) and moved to the bedroom. I was interested to see if I’d have any response as it had only been a few hours since I’d left the Golden Cock. P is skilled with his foreplay and found it easy to get me and himself to release. T then joined us (they must have a signaling system) and I found myself in the middle of a Vietnamese sandwich. P left after a couple of hours and another joint shower, he said he'd cook dinner for us and bring it by the next day. I put lots of lotion on my now puckered skin. T was waiting in the bed and we cuddled to sleep.

After clearing customs, I went to the meeting point and didn’t see T or Ya or anyone with a holding a signboard with my name on it. After the frustration of the late departure from Beijing, and finding that my phone wasn’t sending text messages, my coping skills were beginning to evaporate. But, while trying to log into the airport free Wi-Fi, Ya found me. He, T, and Ya’s client were waiting on the opposite side of the meeting point. Greetings, introductions, and a quick trip to the toilet, and into the very luxurious van Ya had booked for the four of us to go to Pattaya. How do I define “luxurious”? I guess by the high end sound system, the sculpted scallops in the ceiling, and man little extravagant touches. If a disco ball dropped from the ceiling, I would not have been surprised. T was glad to see me (and I, him). He had traveled overnight from Vietnam to meet up with Ya in Silom for the trip to airport. I felt somewhat uncomfortable that (well Thai Airways, really) had delayed the excursion by almost two hours. This sense was heightened when I learned Ya’s client was only on a day trip to Pattaya and would be returning to Bangkok after dinner. I survived this momentary burst of guilt and let Ya’s explaining of what we were driving by and the history of things. Time to state…at age 72 and multiple trips to Thailand over the past 40+ years, I’d never before been to Pattaya. It was when I put together this 5-day break from Beijing, that I contacted Siam Roads and Ya about some options. He offered a range of them and not wanting to get into a “Up to You” dialogue, I said “Ya, I trust you”. Guess that’s my version of UTY. So, prior to Pattaya proper, we make a lunch stop at Silverlake. Which name was amusing to me and to Ya’s client who is from southern California. Silverlake, for those not from gay California is an area of Los Angeles nestled in a pocket of the L.A. hills that surround the Silverlake reservoir. An area that has long been a home to the gay community. We both had traveled from California for a break to find ourselves in Silverlake! Silverlake has a winery and a restaurant (which is where we ate). The winery has tours and (I was told) a tasting room. There are nearby housing sites with names referencing Italian towns (i.e. Como). So very un-Thai. The restaurant’s main dining area was a very large glass walled room with a bar and kitchen at one end and views from all other sides. One of the parking lot and two of the fields. The menu at Lakeside was international with the Thai dishes sidelined for foods familiar to travelers from other lands. So, in the spirit of the place, my first meal in Thailand this trip was spaghetti carbonara. Which was excellent and inexpensively priced for the quality. We all skipped on trying the local vintages. From there, Ya took us to Khao Chi Chan, the Buddha Mountain. Where lasers had etched a 130-meter-high by 70-meter-wide image of the Buddha that was later delineated with gold leaf. Ya told us it had been carved to honor the 50th anniversary of the King’s reign. It dominates the area with its striking presence. We walked around the grounds along with umbrella toting tour guides shepherding their Chinese and Japanese groups through the property. T, Ya, and I paused to offer prayers at the shrine. My prayers were for a good trip and for T and his sorting out life process. From being in the shadow of the Buddha, Ya took us to Viharn Siem. A park and palace donated by the Chinese government to highlight (this is my opinion) the cultural traditions of China and Thailand and their inter-relationship. On the first level of a three level palace is a museum of Chinese figures, pottery, fabric, and some terra cotta warriors. T and I posed for a picture in front of the warriors, this road warrior looking older than the terracotta guys. The second level opens to a courtyard with more granite sculptures of life in villages and an array of gods and warriors. Impressive. There rooms devoted to musical instruments, miniatures of the Thai Royal barges, and Thai culture. All in all, we spent about an hour enjoying the exhibits and the grounds and posing for pictures with the larger than life size granite gods. Back in the van, we headed for Pattaya. I have to admit, from reading the forum, I had a mental image of what I’d find in a Thai beach town. My mind was thinking 1970’s California beach town like Laguna where I spent part of each summer. Well, it is a bit like a California beach town but one definitely in the 21st century. The office, hotel, and condo towers and blocks were anything but rustic. Ya had sensed that I was thinking rustic so he booked us at BBH right on Jomtien Beach. Cash only. Two nights (plus one night for Ya) came to a little less than $100 USD. T and my room was on the 2nd floor (3rd in the US) large with a balcony overlooking the beach. Sound of waves was restful. Ya left us to take his client on a condensed tour of the town. T and I did some catching up and then went for a walk as I need to get some cash – I had skipped the ATM at the airport. Ya recommended a place but (fool I am) I just used the machine in front of the 7-11. Rate when the 200 baht fee was added worked out to about 33 baht to the dollar. Not a big deal but a lesson learned. I used the web to check to see how much was deducted from my account whenever I made a withdrawal. This was the worst rate. Convenience does not come cheap. As, I’d promised T that I’d take care of his expenses, I gave him some baht and asked if he needed anything while we were at 7-11. He picked out some shampoo and body wash. On the way back he bought some shrimp from a fisherman. Back in the room, I found to my pleasant surprise that the shampoo and body wash were for a two person shower with me being coddled. After a mutual towel rubdown, we adjourned to the king size bed and did some more catching up to the sound of waves hitting Jomtien Beach. Ya and his client met up with us in the early evening and we walked along the beach and then took a taxi to the Hilton for drinks and dinner at the roof top restaurant. On the way, Ya pointed out the entrance to Jomtien Plaza. The view from the Hilton rooftop bar and restaurant, called the Edge is spectacular – if the sun is still up or setting. We were just late for that but the lights of the city made for a good impression. The restaurant has a buffet most nights priced at 930 baht per person. Food ranges from delicate sushi to pigs knuckle, salads to chocolate fountains. Quality: good+. Nightmare Note: at pay-up time, Ya’s client and I offered to pay (more to be polite as we were obliged to), I reached for my credit card and couldn’t find it. I produced cash for my share (+ T + ½ Ya). My mind raced as to where the credit card could be. I had another but it charged a conversion fee and I knew I could tap the ATM for any further trip costs…BUT I’ve already had the card compromised and reissued this year. Mumble, mumble… Left the restaurant, said farewell in the mall to Ya’s client who was taking a taxi back to Bangkok. Ya then took T and I by food and baht bus to Walking Street – which reminded me of a mini-version of Times Square with its lights and crowds. Again vast packs of Chinese tourists taking pictures and being laughingly scandalized. Lots of noise and many smiling propositions. We then moved on to Boyztown. More comfortable surroundings for me. We grabbed a table and some drinks at Castro in time to watch the BoyzBoyzBoyz parade. Which allowed me to focus on two of the marchers. After the parade, I went for a walk to see what other activity was going on…it seemed very quiet even for the low point of the low season. Back in time for the show, guess everyone was in BoyzBoyzBoyz, as it was crowded and kept being packed tighter. First row center was occupied by a group of Thai women. Several mixed groups of men and women, many Chinese. A few of us occidentals. One of the boys I had noticed outside was positioned in front of me. No number but wearing the letter “K”. He was claimed within minutes but returned for the show where he was in several numbers including the bowling and big cock show where he, without needing to, encouraged me to have a grope. Good show as the boys were interested in making it fun. As we left, saw two groups of Chinese tourists walking through Boyztown. Most with eyes fixed ahead rather than looking to the right or left. Ya took us to Jomtien and showed us around as I planned to spend the next night there. We walked back and along the beach to the hotel. After searching without success through everything for my absent credit card I allowed T to give me a special massage. Then sleep. I woke early (4am) whether from remnant US jet lag or credit card anxiety. I sent an email to The Regent n Beijing to see if the card was there. Two hours later, the concierge let me know that the card was in the hotel’s safe and would be held for my return on the weekend. Stress Relief! There was a recent forum topic asking if Thai’s always took over the middle of the bed. Answer: YES. As I was awake and no room in the bed to go back to, I went for an hour’s walk around the beach and the neighborhood. Met up with Ya for breakfast at Sandbar. we worked on an outline of a trip to Chiang Mai and Laos in October. T joined up for breakfast. Before he left us to meet his next client who was coming from the Bangkok airport, Ya took us along the beach to explain how the umbrella and chair business worked and the pricing. About a half mile from the hotel, T and I settled in…not sure where the time went. I know I had a drink, a nap, another drink, my first pedicure, some snacks…T spent most of the time in the water. A note about T and me. I first met him (offed him) at Hot Male about a year and a half ago. I’d intended to be a butterfly but succumbed to his easy charm, excellent body, and other skills. On subsequent visits, he’s been my main man when in Bangkok. The physicality of the relationship is much less than it was, but it is there when it needs to be and T likes to surprise me with some variations on basic themes. He doesn’t object if I want to bring someone else back at night. We are now more friends with some benefits. We enjoy each other’s company. And it was important to spend some time this visit as he’s been at more than loose ends since the crackdown of foreign workers in Twilight clubs at the beginning of the summer and then Hot Male’s decision to only use Thais. He tells me he’s had a variety of jobs in Vietnam but no steady work. I explained this visit was a vacation for the two of us. The day just sort of escaped and we agreed to go up to Jomtien Plaza, have some food, stop at a bar and catch the show at Venue Decided while walking to postpone dinner (we’d had a late lunch at Sandbar). Instead we stopped at @Home which had been recommended by another Forum member. The boys are mainly Cambodian and quite welcoming. One odd behavior, I invited the first boy who greeted us to have a drink. The usual conversation, who, where from, where stay took place. I was noticing a cute boy who was with another occidental and quite cuddled into him. I offered the greeter a 2nd drink which he accepted. Then disappeared. Strange. I checked to see if I had developed a rash or body odor. Never saw him again. Now the cute boy I’d been watching was free as his farang had departed. I invited him to sit and have a drink. Also Cambodian, he quickly had me cuddled while keeping up a conversation with T – who gave me a running translation that it was mostly questions about our relationship and how long. T said he told the boy it was two years and that he had exaggerated about how skilled I was and then they both smiled. Who knows what was said? I told the boy I liked him but wouldn’t off him but maybe in the future. I gave him 300 baht when I left. Went to Venue…very few in the audience. After a while, we both agreed it was time to leave. As I didn’t see the full show, I’ll not review. Walk back to the hotel (thanks, Ya, it was in a good location). Shower together, T sings the Boyz, Boyz, Boyz ditty as if it’s on shuffle repeat. Then sleep. Tomorrow to Bangkok.

On travel insurance - over the years, it's been hit or miss if I'd get / remember to get insurance. Last September, I slipped on wet pavement in Beijing, fell backwards and put a sizable gash to the back of my head (I was rescued by a hunky South Korean security guard who was there to protect Mrs. Park who was in town - but that's another story... Condensed version - the fall, the verbal testing to see if I had a concussion, the short medical checkup, etc. etc. made me think that I truly wasn't invulnerable and that if I continued to travel (which I have and plan to do) then I needed to make travel insurance a regular thing. The next few trips I'd but from Allianz using the link on my airlines's booking page. In July of this year, I read an article on the NY Times website about travel insurance and the demand because of terrorism. While terrorism wasn't at the top of my list, the article had links to sites that compared insurance plans, reliability, pricing, etc. The article is still available on the Times' website - but it wouldn't give me a helpful link to post here. I had spoken with Allianz about a 12 month plan, but was told NO due to my age 71 (at the time). Using Squaremouth (one of the links in the article), I specified a request for an annual policy,with lots of medical coverage, evacuation coverage, etc. Also included was trip interruption, cancellation, and luggage loss. Annual cost $193. Here are the coverages Multi-Trip Plan Universal from APRIL Travel Protection - Policy Coverage Limits This information is in the full policy certificate. Trip Cancellation No coverage Trip Interruption $5,000 per person Hurricane & Weather Common carrier delay for any length of time, Mandatory evacuation conditionally covered, Must be purchased before storm is named Terrorism Covered for foreign and domestic Financial Default Covered after 14 day wait Cancel For Work Reasons No coverage Cancel For Any Reason No coverage, This benefit is separate from Trip Cancellation Emergency Medical $50,000 per person, Primary coverage Pre-Existing Condition No coverage, Pre-existing look-back period 90 days Medical Deductible No Medical Deductible Medical Evacuation & Repatriation $100,000 per person Non-Medical Evacuation $50,000 per person Travel Delay $750 per person, $100 daily limit, Covered after 6 hour delay Baggage Delay $300 per person, $100 daily limit, Covered after 12 hour delay Baggage & Personal Items Loss $1,000 per person, $100 per item, $250 specific items limit Missed Connection $150 per person, Covered after 6 hour delay 24 Hour AD&D $25,000 per person Sports Equipment & Fees Not selected Rental Car Damage Not selected Money Back Guarantee Free look up to 14 days after purchase 24 Hour Assistance Service 24 hour assistance provided Identity Theft Covered Maximum Trip Length 90 days per trip Maximum Number of Trips No limit Additional Benefits Concierge Services Coverage

And I thought I was anal about planning and having all the boxes checked...hat's off to you.