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Thanks for the tip. Have been to Chatuchak many times but never to Talat Bobae but it's now on itinerary for next trip.

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — Sun, sand, sea and sex are what some might expect when traveling to the Land of Smiles. Behind the infamous prostitution industry are hidden the lives and dreams of workers, all of which a director reflected through documentary theater. It’s been five month since a New York based theater director Jesca Prudencio has been in Thailand after she earned Julie Taymor’s World Theater Fellowship to explore theater scenes abroad for a year. Prudencio chose Thailand as her first destination, not only because she’s a good friend of members of the outstanding physical theater B-Floor, but also because of her interest in the objectification of the body. “Everyone knows there are so many prostitutes in Thailand,” said Prudencio in an interview Wednesday evening. “I’m actually a westerner, unfortunately, that’s a judgment that people have on Bangkok.” Aiming to humanize the infamous stigma through theater, the director collaborated with B-Floor Theater to produce a performance called “Fan: stories from the brothels of Bangkok” for which she and her team did a three-week research on sex workers in several infamous venues such as Boy Town in Silom, Patpong, Nana, Soi Cowboy and Pattaya. “They have no shame in doing this, in being prostitutes,” she said in an interview with two Boy Town’s “money boys” – a term used to describe sex workers. “Because they can make money to pay their bills and they could also possibly find a husband to take them away.” Admission is free and attendance can be booked on line (link in article). A 200 baht donation is suggested by organizers. The performance starts at 4pm Sunday at B-Floor Theater at Pridi Banomyong Institute which is a 10 minute walk from BTS Thong Lo’s Exit No.2. Continues with photos: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/life/arts/2017/05/20/see-dreams-hidden-behind-bangkok-brothels-sunday-show/

Regardless of destination or trip duration, I never check a bag so that limits me to one wheel-on and one smaller item. That means I've got to limit my clothing to to stuff that is washable and relatively quick drying. Shirts are easy to find in this category, especially if you're traveling in hot places like LOS. I pack a few T's but the rest have collars. Pants are the most important item for me and beyond being lightweight and easy to wash, I want a multiple, secure pockets that allow me to carry ID, larger notes and anything else I really don't want to lose. Although I've never been pick-pocketed in Thailand, can't say the same for some Euro and South America destinations (Barcelona and Buenos Aires come to mind). The following meet my needs and have sufficient pockets to accommodate smaller items I may pick up so I don't have to carry bags. Like others have said, appearing GQ acceptable is not on my check list. I seek a balance between utility and comfort. https://www.clothingarts.com/products/pickpocket_proof_adventure_travel_pants?variant=1298674136

The "24-year-old exchange student" would, no doubt, have felt right at home with the brown shirts on Kristallnacht. His oft inappropriate use of the smiley face suggests other issues.

Oh, Gladladdie, what is this I read on a photo section thread that us older guys are being nudged out of contention due of your new obsession with a young Thai who apparently appeals to you on every level. You regale us with descriptions of his beauty as you scrutinize his image. You speculate about what he wears beneath his blue outerwear. You cite the pleasure he takes in smelling red roses. You dwell on his pierced ear and how he arranges his hair. You predict that he attends a techno college and hint that he may be quite young. You even remark on the color of his bulletin board. And now I learn that you are familiar with an act you identify as "stealthing" (which previous to your disclosure I understood was something that only the American air force could manage). I remain, however, committed to winning you over, my Singaporean dreamboat. I will not be dissuaded by your dalliances.

From CNN A Sharia court in Indonesia's conservative Aceh province sentenced two gay men to a public caning Wednesday. The men, ages 20 and 23, were arrested in March by vigilantes within their community in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province. They were subsequently found guilty of violating Aceh's strict Islamic laws and were sentenced to 85 lashes, according to Evendi, the head of Sharia law enforcement in Banda Aceh. Khairil Jamal, the lead judge, said that "the court has proven that the defendants without doubt are legally guilty of committing sodomy." Neighbors barged into an apartment with the men and filmed them naked with camera phones, according to rights groups. The videos were shared widely in local media. Gay sex is legal everywhere else in Muslim-majority Indonesia, a nation generally known to be moderate and tolerant. http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/17/asia/gay-men-caning-indonesia-aceh/index.html

From The Nation New cases of HIV in Thailand have fallen to less than 10,000 per year thanks to the increased use of condoms and advances in preventive medicine, the Disease Control Department's Bureau of AIDS, TB and STIs revealed on Thursday. Bureau director Dr Saman Futrakul told the National News Bureau of Thailand that the rate of new HIV cases per year has dropped from its peak of 150,000 to between 6,000 and 10,000. He said the Public Health Ministry plans to lower the rate further to less than 1,000 a year by 2030. Dr Pannee Pitisutham, head of the Vaccine Center of the Mahidol University's Faculty of Tropical Medicine, said the center's AIDS vaccine development program, which has entered its third phase, got a promising result – an increase in immune cells - in the latest test conducted on male HIV-positive volunteers. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30315614

Ryan, I wish you well too but please don't get any amorous ideas about your new "buddy." He's spoken for.

Why, glad one, are you falling for the sexy Australian? Don't you realized he's a butterfly who will only use you as his Singapore toyboy? I know, I know: you're obcessed with the member's massive member. You post about it just as you post his image. You can't stop thinking about him. You even want to possess his used undies. You're making me insanely jealous. Alas, I cannot compete with him in terms of length or girth but I assure you that I exceed standard Thai issue. ( OK, not the huge ones you may travel to Issan to pursue). And now I read that you are impressed by his wealth. But wealth cannot buy happiness.....Ok, forget that. But it is I who truly believes in you, gladness. I pay no heed to the naysayers who claim that you're actually a hydrologist. I know that you're a real Singaporean. It's so obvious. You're familiar with all the lingo; you know about the national service; you have Chinese uncles to tutor and spoil you; you write term papers. When the flashy Aussie leaves you used and depressed, I will always be there to comfort you with warm milk and cookies (or is that too western for your delicate palate?).

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — A police source said Tuesday a timer device commonly used in pipe bombs was found at the site of last night’s explosion that wounded two people in Bangkok’s historic quarter. The development undercut the shifting claims made by police brass that the incident, which took place at a particularly sensitive spot opposite a royal landmark where funerary rites for His Majesty the Late King Bhumibol are being prepare, was not a bomb attack. A source within police bomb squad, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the timer was missed in the first sweep of the crime scene and only spotted later “five or six meters away.” The part is similar to those found in previous small explosive devices and is used to delay its detonation by some minutes, the source said. Two people suffered slight injuries from the explosion, which was heard at about 8:40pm in front of the National Theatre opposite Sanam Luang. A bomb squad was soon called to inspect the site. Sanit later said no gunpowder was found. After offering several different version of events, police went silent on the incident today but said they would investigate it. It was a drastic shift in tone for Sanit, who last night visited the scene of the incident, which had been initially reported as a small explosion. Upon arriving, he insisted the explosion was not an explosion after all, but a “loud bang” caused by a plastic pipe breaking under pressure. http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2017/05/16/police-offer-shifting-explanations-monday-night-explosion/

Please keep this a fair fight.

I suspected that glad boy had a secret admirer when he let slip (no undergarment connotation) that a PM he had posted about me was actually interned for another. And now I see my worst fear realized: one of my trip report heroes is courting him with promises of erotic underwear. Oh, a447, how could you do this. You labored behind my back (no reference to much discussed photo controversy) to attract the young and impressionable glad, I know your plan. You parade yourself in a rainbow of colors until he is dazzled by your peacock-like charms and succumbs, But I will win his affections by appealing to intellectual bent. He may think of me as lazy but I will seduce him with colorful words of passion. Feint heart never won fair athlete. I'll be relentless in pursuit of my Chiang Mai studmuffin.

Please oh please, more about you....I'm almost there!!

Since the farmer's not around for a bit, I'll have to make do with your fantasies. And you have so many so please, by all means, post on about your life as the ravishing young Asian toiling away on his term paper while keeping the forum enthralled.

What else do you keep in reserve, you sexy animal? You'll soon be everyone's wet dream.

Have you no mercy, So glad. Now I learn my hot Asian stud is both an athlete and former soldier! I think I'm getting a hard on.

Life may go on without trip reports but it certainly won't be as much fun. Have absolutely no idea what you're referring to when you talk about a PM. I've never sent you a PM or received one from you. Personally, I think it's wonderful that a 24-year-old exchange student (in Chiang Mai) from Singapore finds enough time to post so actively, and manages to travel about the country. For someone who says he hasn't been in the LOS very long, you've enjoyed an incredibly wide variety of experiences. Although I'd think you might be more comfortable hanging out with much younger guys, with whom a young Singaporean like yourself would be quite in demand, you nevertheless choose to grace this forum. It's a privilege and sheer sensation to be called intellectually lazy by such a hot boy.

You're right about the in and out nature of forums like this and there are multiple reasons why people come and go. Forums exist for the exchange of ideas and information. Violations of conduct (as we witnessed recently) were well handled by the moderator. His actions help ensure the viability of the forum.

Results of a totally unscientific effort aimed at determining how behavior of posters is affecting activity of normally active posters. Method: I went back about 20 pages of posts on this forum that took me to a period of about one year ago. I looked for high-activity posters who appeared to have significantly cut back--or outright stopped--their posting here. What I found: there are 2-3 who decided for one reason or another to go relatively silent. If their user names aren't apparent, you may not be paying close attention. One of those cats should be obvious to all. Members stop posting for a variety of reasons: general loss of interest in Thailand in general or the board in particular; health-related issues; trolls; etc. As long as others arrive on scene to take up the slack, overall activity may not be affected. The biggest downside of seeing regulars drop out is that we all lose the benefit of their contribution.

Excerpts from South China Morning Post article With its uncompromising image, the People’s Liberation Army of China may seem an unlikely employer of choice for the country’s gay community. But it could be argued that the Chinese army is a less uncomfortable environment for gay people than Chinese society at large. That might sound surprising, since the country as a whole is not noted for its tolerance towards the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community. Chinese police detain gay people who gather in public places and the government shuts down unsanctioned gay-focused publications or television shows. In the past, Chinese society has found homosexuality generally incompatible with the values of mainstream culture and in the 20th and 21st centuries the country lagged the West in moving towards equal legal status for its homosexual citizens. But there are some reasons to believe attitudes are changing, albeit slowly, not least among them China’s decision in March to release an uncensored version of Disney’s Beauty and the beast, when in much of the rest of Asia conservative groups were fretting about a gay scene in the film. It’s also worth noting that China’s treatment of homosexuality differs from the West in that it is a passive intolerance, rather than an active one. Barring some notable exceptions, China has tended not to encourage violence against homosexuals nor to force them to “mend their ways”. Neither has it tended to imprison people purely for being gay, even though homosexuality was illegal until 1997. This is very different to attitudes in the US and Britain, where until recently gay people were actively oppressed. However, Chinese cultural mores and behavioural norms tend to be more uniform than in Western societies, and while this is beneficial for unity, it can result in a difficulty for anyone finding themselves in a minority of any kind. One junior ranking soldier commented: “The internet has saved us.” He described how an aim of any gay recruit was to find a “big soldier brother” to look after him during his period of service. Since protector relationships are common among heterosexual soldiers, no suspicion is aroused when a sergeant has a particular favourite among the rank and file, or an officer of field rank takes a junior lieutenant under his wing. China may be a long way from granting the LGBT community the same rights as heterosexual citizens, but a look at how gay people are treated in the PLA suggests that there is a certain type of tolerance that, at least until recently, was uncommon in Western armies. Continues http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/society/article/2094429/army-life-more-gay-friendly-china-west

Excerpts from Bangkok Post It is proving hard to shift Pattaya's image to a quality destination despite the government's crackdown on certain complaints and illegal businesses in the popular resort town, say hotel and tourism leaders. The Thai Hotel Association (THA) and hotel operators have expressed concerns about the long-term image of Pattaya -- the most popular tourist destination on the Eastern Seaboard -- acknowledging the military government has attempted to crack down on negative images such as beach umbrellas, mundane activities and tourism scams. Supawan Tanomkieatipume, president of the THA, said rebuilding Pattaya's image from a "sin city" to a destination for everyone could take up to five years and requires determined law enforcement. "Actually, Pattaya has long been a draw for many types of tourists, ranging from sex to family trips to business meetings, so it is really difficult to wipe out the inappropriate activities in a short period of time," Ms Supawan said. The THA reported that Pattaya is the second-most popular tourist destination after Bangkok, beating Phuket in terms of arrivals. It is third for tourist income after Bangkok and Phuket because of lower average spending. More than 2,100 buildings provide accommodation in the Pattaya market, representing 139,000 rooms. Of the figure, only 270 operators with a total of 40,000 rooms have registered as hotels. The peak year for Pattaya's tourist arrivals was 2013 with 12 million foreigners. Arrivals dropped below 10 million last year, but is expected to rebound this year thanks to tourists from Russia, India, Europe and South Korea. The Chinese have been the largest source market for a few years. http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1249634/industry-new-image-for-pattaya-a-big-ask

From Channel News Asia BANGKOK: Large crowds and long queues are common in almost every Thai public hospital. Rural hospitals in particular are suffering from a severe shortage of doctors and most are short on funds. According to the Thai Medical Council, there are just over 50,000 doctors in the country - with almost half of them clustered in Bangkok. The unequal distribution of medical practitioners means hospitals in rural areas are overcrowded with only a handful of doctors. Some observers say the shortage of doctors comes from a more systematic failing of the Thai healthcare system. “Speaking from my personal experience - the reason why the public healthcare system in Thailand is failing is the attitude of most administrators and management,” said Dr Witawat Siripracha, a former doctor and director of Lanta Hospital in southern Krabi province. According to the standard ratio of one doctor per population, one doctor should be responsible for about 1,500 people. The lack of doctors in many rural areas has driven the number to as high as 7,000. “Back then, I was one of the six interns and had to work double shifts for 26 days straight,” said Dr Witawat. “The older doctors rarely showed up because they had their private clinic to run, so the young doctors had to run the show.” http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/thailand-s-failing-public-healthcare-needs-a-lifeline-8832408

No argument there. Arena is one of the best values in BKK. My Hero is priced just above Prince and has the same owner. It also IMHO has the best facilities in the city. Prince seems to be doing a strong business based on reputation. But judging from recent reviews on Travel Gay Asia, dissatisfied customers are numerous. With the exception of Arena and Banana Club, where I've always found satisfaction, the rest remain hit or miss. So much depends on timing, availability and the hairs on the back of your head...sort to speak.

As near as I can recall from my December visit, rates appear down across the board by at least 20%. Looking at the pics of masseurs on website, the guy I chose was either the second from right in either the top row or bottom row (they look somewhat alike to me). He was 35, said he use to work at Arena and provided excellent service. Don't see any evidence that the restaurant is open, but there are numerous photos at FB page, two of which show the restaurant and bar. https://www.facebook.com/myherobangkok/

From Daily Mail (UK) Police in Thailand are trying to establish if a retired British teacher committed suicide because he was receiving lower pension payments. Trevor Roberts was found dead in the Nan River in Phitsanulok, 300 miles north of Bangkok on Thursday. Police were told by the 74-year-old's Thai wife that he had been complaining about his British pension, leading officers to consider whether this could be the reason for his death. His sister-in-law, Phuangthong Nuanjan, has told police that Mr Roberts and his wife had been arguing lately because he was receiving less pension money than before due to changes in the way it was paid. Although there have been no changes to British pensions, UK citizens living abroad have been hit by a fall in the value of the pound, causing many to suffer such heavy losses that they have even been considering returning home. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4500158/Retired-teacher-kills-Thailand-Pound-fall.html