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The faux leather would have put me off, too.

For those who patronized Babylon, it was de rigueur in the Garden of Earthly Delights, maze and steam rooms, as well as the public showers on frequent occasion. Bangkok had a handful of old theaters where it was also commonplace. One of them still existed precovid in Saphan Kwai. There was in the past an empty room on top floor at DJ Station that served that purpose.

As Warren Buffet would advise, be “fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.”

No better time to go if you want to be swamped by eager, wet guys. 😉

From Bangkok Post A new committee will be formed to direct measures aimed at attracting more foreign visitors with high purchasing power to Thailand, the government said on Friday, as part of efforts to spur the local economy. The committee's formation was proposed by the National Economic and Social Development Council and approved at a meeting of the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA), said government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana. The committee will coordinate the work of several state agencies to adjust their rules to make it more convenient for such tourists to visit the country, he said. The new committee will report directly to the Prime Minister's Office, Mr Thanakorn said.

Experienced travelers shouldn't have to be reminded that it's not wise to wear gold necklaces, watches or anything that advertises their wealth. That doesn't, however, seem to be the case as incidents are not becoming any less common. From Pattaya News Two Indian tourists claimed that their gold necklace was stolen, allegedly by two transgender individuals who approached and hugged them. This, in fact, was the 3rd time the hugging-and-stealing incidents happened in Pattaya recently. On May 6th, around 02.30 a.m. this morning, Puttharak Sonkhamhan, Deputy Inspector from the Pattaya Police Station, responded to a thievery report at second Pattaya road, Nong Prue sub-district, Bang Lamung, Chonburi. At the incident scene, Mr. Pravin Suresh Sutrave, a 43-year-old Indian businessman, was reportedly in shock and told the police that he was roaming around when two transgender individuals approached him and his friend, trying to seduce him and hugging him. Mr. Pravin said he refused and pushed the individuals off who then rode away on their motorcycle. However, he realized that his gold necklace worth 37,000 baht was stolen and immediately called the police. Initially, Pattaya police came to investigate the crime scene and requested security camera footage nearby to track down the suspects. They affirmed to catch the suspects as soon as possible to restore the Pattaya tourism image. TPN notes that the suspects in the two prior recent theft incidents, also described as two transgender individuals, have yet to be arrested. It is unclear if the same parties are responsible.

From Coconuts Bangkok The State Railway has begun shaking out new diesel-electric locomotives to replace its decrepit fleet. A test run was conducted yesterday for the trains, named after Japanese superhero Ultraman for their color scheme, between Bangkok’s Bang Sue station and Chachoengsao. A second test will commence next month from Choburi’s Sri Racha junction to Bangkok’s Lat Krabang district. “The State Railway of Thailand is confident that this new diesel-electric locomotive help increase the efficiency of service to the people,” SRT spokesperson Ekkarat Sri-Arayanphong said. Made by CRRC Qishuyan of China, 20 of the locomotives arrived this week, with 30 more due by early next year in a deal reportedly worth THB6.2 billion (US$181 million). The debt-saddled state enterprise operates very few freight operations, something it hopes to increase in the coming years. The majority of its locomotives were built in the ‘80s and ‘90s and were only capable of roughly 2,500 horsepower. The new locomotives have 3,263 horsepower and can tow 550 tonnes at up to 120kph. That speed drops to 70kph for fully loaded cargo trains. They will be used to replace aging stock for both freight and passenger uses for long-distance routes, including links between the capital and Chiang Mai, Nong Khai, and the Deep South.

The insurance industry continues to exert a firm grip on the powers that be who--in their wisdom--have decreed that the Thailand Pass will live on. From the Thai Enquirer Thailand Pass still required for all those entering Thailand The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) was expected to decide on the Ministry of Public Health’s proposal to lift the Thailand Pass for Thai citizens at its meeting led by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-ocha on Friday. However, no decision has been made on the issue, despite calls for its removal. “We still have to be cautious and continue to closely monitor the situation of Omicron and other new variants that could happen in the future,” Prayut said after the meeting. “We have to plan for them and adjust our measures accordingly and timely,” he said. Nearly 240,000 people have registered with Thailand Pass since entry regulations were relaxed at the beginning of May, the CCSA reported on Friday. “Tourists still have to register with the Thailand Pass system to make sure that they have been vaccinated and that they have bought the insurance,” said TAT governor, Yuthasak Supasorn.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told the Bagnkok Post that he "plans to propose ending the Thailand Pass system initially for returning Thais, and later also for foreigners."

From The Thaiger The Thai government has signed a loan contract to borrow 50 billion yen or about 13 billion baht (US$385 million) from Japan International Cooperation Agency or JICA to cope with costs of handling the Covid pandemic in Thailand. Thai PM and Defence Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha urged Thais not to criticise the government borrowing money again because the amount was included in the existing quota planned with the Japanese government a long time ago. On May 1 to 2, Thai PM Prayut welcomed the Japanese PM Fumio Kishida to discuss cooperation on different topics like infrastructure, investment, startups and SMEs, humanitarian assistance to Ukraine and neighbours, and security cooperation against China’s growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region. Aside from the topics on the table, Thai netizens focused on the new loan amount that the Thai government agreed with Japan. On May 3, the Thai Finance Minister, Akom Termpittayapaisit, explained to Thai media that he signed the agreement on Covid-19 Crisis Response Emergency Support Loan with a representative from JICA Morota Takahiro. The loan amount was 50 trillion yen or about 13 trillion baht. The authority said the loan was offered with low interest at 0.01% and a 4 year grace period. ======================= Bangkok to impose tobacco tax for the first time Bangkok is planning to introduce a tobacco tax of up to 10 satang per cigarette, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (there are 100 satang in a Thai baht). The BMA announced this week that this will be the first time Bangkok will impose a tax on tobacco, which will push the price of cigarettes up by 1.86 baht per pack. The tax, known as “Tobacco Tax for Local Maintenance” is intended to help limit consumption of tobacco, according to permanent secretary of the BMA Suthathip Son-iam. The tax money will be used “for maintenance of Bangkok city”.

That's fine as long as you don't take the guy with blue and white stripes.

From Bangkok Post Asia falls in love with Thai Boys Love Buoyed by the openness of the LGBT community, Thailand's "Boys Love" (BL) movies and series have been well received in the local market and are considered promising export products that can draw lucrative revenue streams and foster business opportunities in other areas, including tourism. BL dramas are known in Thailand as Y Series, derived from the Japanese term "yaoi", which refers to a genre of fictional media that features homoerotic relationships between male characters. The government last year said that Thailand's Y content market was worth more than 1 billion baht, with the key export markets including China, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Latin America. One of the most popular Thai Y Series in overseas markets is "2gether", which was produced by Thai television production studio GMMTV and launched in 2020. According to Japanese publication Nikkei, the "2gether" show began on Japan's Rakuten TV streaming platform in July 2020, and eventually became No.1 on the platform's annual movie and drama rankings. A Japanese tour operator, H.I.S. Tours, has organised a virtual tour to locations where some scenes in 2gether were shot, according to the Japanese news agency Kyodo News. The Feb 11 online tour drew more than 250 people, with nearly 99% of them women. The TAT continues to spur the popularity of Thai BL in Japan by partnering with local TV channels to introduce new tourism sites, and creating joint promotions with tour operators for virtual tours to film locations. The agency has promoted tourism directly through the Aloha application, China's social networking app for the gay community, by inviting Chinese gay couples and key opinion formers to test luxury tourism products in Thailand, such as yachting. Mrs Kanokkittika said the LGBT segment could be categorised as luxury travellers as they are high-income earners, live in key cities, and want to spend more for travel experiences.

New

There's only one way to satisfy your curiosity. It's just a matter of going.

New Twilight Man Bar promotional photo https://www.facebook.com/New-Twilight-Man-Club-108571958451941/

Given your age, and desire to meet young locals, you might try the 39 Underground Sauna (BTS Saphan Kwai). Many massage shops are also in the general vicinity.

The Pattaya Mail today reports that the on-again, off-again, on-again Thailand Tourism Fee (TTF) is yet again off-again. "Thailand’s prime minister has pushed into the unknown a date for the introduction of a new 300 baht (US$9) tax on most foreign visitors. Prayut Chan-o-cha told a press briefing that the scheme needed more discussion, even though a start date of August or September had been indicated by the tourist ministry. The premier stressed that the surge in international arrivals meant that national income would steadily increase throughout the year without the surcharge."

From Thai Enquirer hai officials alerted the public on Tuesday to be cautious of counterfeit 1,000-baht banknotes after several complaints from vendors in a market in Nonthaburi. Officials said that they are rushing the investigation to identify the perpetrators. As Thailand’s inflation soared to a record high in 13 years largely due to a hike in energy and food prices, counterfeit money appears to be on the rise. Over the past weekend, local media reported a case of 30 fake 1,000-baht banknotes in a day discovered in the north of Bangkok. Yingyot Thepjamnong, the Royal Thai Police spokesman, said police across the country are prepared to take action against the counterfeiters. According to the Bank of Thailand, Thai banknotes are produced with particularly anti-counterfeit features, such as distinctive paper, raised prints, and watermarks. Yingyot advised the public to notice the banknote’s security thread, the embedded color-shifting thread, when held up against the light to prove the authenticity of a particular note. “When flipped, the metallic color will change from gold to green,” he said, adding that the thread on the bills may be damaged from use, but this still furthers authenticity as older bills are generally damaged.

From Pattaya Mail The first major event to come to Pattaya this year was the “Summer City Pop Bikini Fashion Show” held Central Festival Pattaya on Beach Road.

They've already found a way, I'm sure. They much more adept at improvisation than we are.

It's a tactile experience that separates illusion from reality. It's all a matter of how you wish to spend a 100 baht.

From Viet Nam News HÀ NỘI — April international arrivals in Việt Nam soared to 2.4 times that of March and 5.2 per cent higher than the same period last year thanks to the country’s tourism reopening, according to the General Statistics Office of Việt Nam (GSO). In the first four months of the year, the number of foreigners arriving in Việt Nam neared 192,400, an annual rise of 184.7 per cent. Of the total, 88.6 per cent came by air, increasing close to four times from 2021, while arrivals by road and sea were down by 10.5 and 58.7 per cent, respectively. Tourism revenue from lodging-food and transport services grew by 5.2 per cent and 10.5 per cent on-year, respectively. In May, Việt Nam will host the 31st Southeast Asian Games with the participation of all the 11 regional countries that are sending large delegations of athletes, officials and reporters.

This will hopefully see the flow of SE Asians from other ASEAN countries increase. From Pattaya Mail Thailand standardizes entry rules by air and land By Barry Kenyon rom May 1 Thailand has opened a total of 31 land checkpoints at its borders with neighboring countries. This means that entry rules for walk-in tourists and visitors are now in line with arrivals by air. Some immigration checkpoints at the Laos and Malaysian borders have been operating for several weeks, but they have now been joined by those in Chanthaburi and Sa Kaeo provinces which include the immigration checkpoints at Aranyaprathet/Poipet and Pong Nam Ron near the Cambodian border. Fully vaccinated visitors can now enter Thailand by air or land without any pre or post entry compulsory health test. However, they must register in advance on the Thailand Pass portal to receive their all-important QR code by submitting their vaccination record and proof of Covid insurance worth a minimum of US$10,000 for 30 days. Unvaccinated persons must present additional proof of a very recent RT-PCR test or undergo quarantine for at least 5 days. Those arriving in Thailand by sea require a certificate of entry issued by the port authorities on arrival. Thai land borders have been closed to tourists for two years, although goods traffic and guest workers from neighboring countries have been allowed through on a discretionary basis. The reopening of land borders means that foreign tourists and expats will be able to visit neighboring countries without purchasing an air ticket. This could make easier obtaining visas abroad or making use of re-entry permits, although it will take several weeks before the immigration entry implications are transparent.

From Bangkok Post Labour unions and the government remain locked in negotiations over the new minimum wage as workers parade on Labour Day to press their demand for a higher flat rate across the country. Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin on Sunday reiterated the government's rejection of a call for all workers nationwide to receive a minimum daily wage of 492 baht. "The minimum wage will no doubt be increased. But the new rate has to support employers' businesses as well as keep employees happy," he said after a forum at the Labour Ministry chaired by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha. Current minimum wages vary depending on the provinces where labourers work. The highest is 336 baht per day in Chon Buri and Phuket provinces, while the lowest is 313 per day in the three southernmost provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala. The issue will be settled in a tripartite meeting consisting of representatives from the goverment, employers and workers. They are expected to reach a decision in August or September. On Sunday, workers paraded from Democracy Monument to Government House to urge the government to meet their wage demand and improve working conditions.