vaughn

great report, thanks for sharing. Good boy is definitely on my visit list after recent reports, usually I autopilot straight up to freshboys.

If you find some good flights why not, 7 days is better than none. If you can get a directs flight after work overnight, and arrive back the day before work I would do it.

I was in Japan this year and have been curious about the Japanese services, do you know if the Osaka rooms they provide in the same area? If I wanted to stay nearby for convenience, would it be better to stay near Shinsaibashi, Shin-osaka or Umeda? understanding the metro is convenient and easy, just wondering where the hotspot might be for gay services, if there is one. I'm hoping to return after my next Thailand trip, this time solo so I can try things out for myself.

I'm trying to work out if those stands are magnifying glasses, lights or both. Dire situation... poor lads.

ST = Short Time - the guy goes back to your room and you do the deed then he leaves. LT = Long time - usually overnight and sometimes the morning LLT = Long long time - multi-day/night arrangements, i would say do this only when you know him and you have good chemistry. When in the bar and you have picked the guy you like and you're having your drink with him, ask if him 'you want to go short/long time with me', then he will usually respond with yes and price paid to him directly in the room after the time. The bar also charges a fee 'off fee' to take him from the bar and it will be added to your bill in the bar. I'm not in BKK atm, I can only travel to and from when work permits unfortunately.

I get the feeling about being hesitant with the pressure, I'm also not a big drinker most of the time and I'm fairly introverted so I dislike having someone hovering trying to get me to make decisions. The first time I went a few years ago I was alone and very nervous, but after that first time it's easy. Sometimes I think we give the impression it's going to be relentless and confrontational, but it really isn't 99% of the time. It's just them trying to keep you there buying (any) drinks and hopefully getting you to take someone off. The mamasans don't care what you drink as long as you're not sitting on empty forever, most of the time I'm just drinking soda and lime (Schweppes Manao Soda). If the mamasan is asking you to pick a guy from stage and you either don't want to or haven't made a decision, just say "I will watch and chose later". Most of the time they get the hint and leave you alone for a bit while you decide to pick someone or pay your bill. The MBs are usually the least pressure in the bars i've found, it's after the ST or LT they'll send messages and try to get you back. You can avoid it by just not giving them your Line or Social Media. I still get a bit uncomfortable if the gogo is empty and I have a stage full of hopeful eyes looking at me, so maybe do a lap of the bars and look for one that isn't empty for the first time. If you go just before the show or during the show times it's more likely to have a crowd to sit and observe for a while. I'm under 50 and not there atm to intro, but i wish you well.

I second that, I went back 3 nights in a row for it last trip. @vinapu yeah it's directly across from Dicks, small outdoor kitchen/bar.

Interesting to see Khon Kaen being put forward as an option, i've never been there but have met a couple of very attractive guys from there. Has anyone here spent much time in Khon Kaen? any info on the gay scene there?

depends who you ask haha, i'm still in my 30s but doing my part to continue the legacy of gay pattaya

Can you share the youtube video? I can't answer any questions though, it was all before i was born

For a very long time Australia has made it very hard for them to get visas to visit Aus, apparently there are changes in the works for relaxing the student and working holiday visas for them, but it would be hypocritical to expect them to give us visa-free when they had very little opportunities to step foot in our country regardless of what they allow for others.

not looking to be contentious, but more curious. What was the racism your friend experienced in Thailand? I was under the impression Thais were pretty friendly to foreigners regardless of skin tone. I've witnessed some of the bar girls call out to a black guy calling him chocolate man, but i got the impression it was more endearing rather than as an insult. I can understand Japan, foreigners get rejected from venues and services or just ignored entirely, because we don't speak Japanese.

My most liveable city/country list comes from Grindr's annual unwrapped recap. That said, i'm moving to Melbourne soon, so i'm ok with either list i guess. Denmark being so high on both (and after seeing those danish twinks) might mean i need to re-evaluate sometime in the future.

nice report, sounds like a great getaway! I'm a diver and have Koh Tao on my list of places to visit, but i'm too reluctant to go alone because of the frequent deaths reported there. I just need to find a LLT MB that has his diving cert haha.

I'd be interested to read a trip report if you get the time and want to

My first thought was that maybe he had opened and then re-armed it while they were in the room, perhaps to get their fee or put a watch or wallet in, and one of them was able to see him enter the code. I can't imagine them sitting there punching in codes over and over to brute force it while he's in the room, most newer hotel safes make sound on the button press, it would be a risky game to try if that was the case.

Moving was a discussion we were having, glad it didn't work out early and not after one of us moving to another country. Travel buddies is a risky business, i can imagine it would be worrying for MBs that go away with guys when they could end up stranded if things go south.

I've never booked in advance, sometimes if i know i'm going back to see someone and i've got their Line already i'll let them know i'm coming at X time, but I don't attempt to reserve through the shop directly. Some shops do have Line accounts where you can reserve, other members might have some links. Massage shops will have the guys sitting out the front on plastic seats waiting for you to walk by, just walk up and if you like someone ask for massage with him. I'll sometimes stand there looking at the menu pretending i'm not just going to get an oil massage while i look at the available staff. Just make your selection clear, i had an unfortunate experience where I ended up with someone i really didn't want because I wasn't explicit in who i wanted. I was too shy to reject him when he got to the room so it was a looooong 60 mins. Afternoon or evening is when most staff are there, some might hang around earlier in the day eating lunch or whatever but selection is usually lower.

6 months, we lived in separate countries but travelled back and forth frequently. We had known each other for a couple of years and travelled together a lot before we got more serious in Dec/Jan. I don't want to go into too much detail, but we didn't work out and i walked away. back to my old ways

I've had my fair share of both duds and passionate encounters, but it's always a gamble. Some guys will almost throw themselves at you in the bar then turn to a pillow princess in the room and seem almost disinterested, while some are shy and coy in the bar then turn out to seem like they haven't seen a dick in years and want every moment they can get with you. My biggest initial tell is the smile and eye contact, it's much like in a sauna where you're judging in a split second by whether they look away or give you 'the look'. For overnight LT or days of LLT all about personality and motivation, if they're only there for some extra baht you'll probably have a bored and unenthusiastic guy. If you have good chemistry with a desire to enjoy their time it will feel like you're in a relationship and known each other for years. Never take a guy away to the islands if you haven't spent time outside of the bars with them already, it's too risky imo. Language barrier is definitely a factor for me, I've never spent more than a night with a guy i can't have a conversation with in english. I don't find age to be a determining factor, maybe for long term relationships it is, i'm just out of a (non-MB) relationship with 13 year age gap and we were great together. eventually it failed because we wanted different short term goals i guess. Hobbies can be a big one on trips, if you like to do outdoor activities and he doesn't, it can be like trying to drag a buffalo that complains on every step around town.

Vinapu has you well informed with his advice and you're in the right area with the hotel. We share the twink preference so i'll just give my opinion on where i put my order Gogos Freshboys - always a selection worth checking Dreamboys - very close second, some would put first Banana - hit or miss for me but usually someone there worth going for I haven't been to Good Boy and some of the others, but do provide a report if you go Massage I start my stroll from Patpong along Surawong Rd and then down Than Tawan, always works ok. The couple of shops on Surawong usually seem to have more twinks, but i haven't been back since December. Clubs DJ Station usually has some freelancers or free to play guys, especially fri and sat Bars down Soi 4 (same soi as banana), sometimes you'll find freelancers or free to play Grindr and the apps are usually just as busy as Vietnam. Tips vary from boy to boy and venue to venue, I usually just ask and then give them a bit more on top if i want to see them again.

On several occasions and particularly at the meridien, I've been at breakfast and seen another farang with a guest that has caught my attention and got my blood flowing. The temptation to visit the same breakfast section the guy was at to try to discretely ask for a Line contact has been there, but I agree with Vinapu, it's poor form. I wouldn't like it done to me, so I wouldn't do it to another. If you see him leaving the hotel alone I'd consider it fair game, but while it's someone else's turn, best to let them enjoy their time and leave it alone. You never know if they have a LLT/bf arrangement or if the farang might have an emotional attachment that could cause him to become upset by it.

I've never experienced joiners fee at any hotel, if it's a LLT guest i'll usually reserve for 2 people, otherwise it's always just for 1. I have heard the 5* Avani in Pattaya does have a joiners fee, but i cancelled my booking when i read that, so i never confirmed it. If you bring a second person to the breakfast and your reservation is for 1 person then you will usually have that added to your bill, they just let you know it's xBaht then mark it down. You don't get the ID checks/hold, which i know some people prefer for their safety. I'm sure if the concierge knew of a troublemaker or had age concerns it would be addressed though.

I'm someone that spends most of my travel in 5*, my exception is usually Pattaya where i prefer gay oriented hotels. I did go to Hilton a few times because of the suite that has a balcony spa, no issue other than location isn't near my usual bars. My usual in BKK is Le Meridien, but have stayed in others around suhkumvit, usually surrounded by the straight punters doing the same thing. The only time i experienced any problem was in HCMC Vietnam, because of the rules around allowing visitors past 11pm or whatever time it was. I am into twinks so these gay guys look 18-25 and often wearing revealing clothing when we arrive, but I have never had any hotel staff do more than raise an eyebrow, you can expect discretion. Other guests are the ones that give side eye or look in disgust, I just give them a very obvious smile if i notice stares, they usually get uncomfortable and look away. I do sometimes need to check with the guy if he's ok going to the breakfast buffet, some of the more shy types don't like the attention.

Could probably be attributed to privacy and legal issues. Bars operate in a discrete tea money to authorities way, it's easier to pass off massage to online customers as a legitimate legal service but if bars start posting too much online it could potentially bring unwanted attention. There are a lot of guys in bars that don't want their photos online associated with this line of work as well, I know a few that don't use the apps in case friends or someone from their hometown sees them and the rumours/gossip makes its way back to family and hometown.