Marc308

Hi Panther bro, I know of no specific "special" going on at Bumrungrad or elsewhere at the moment. You usually see the discounts in August, during the lowest point of the low season. That's when the best discounts usually appear. Yes, Bumrungrad is a medical marvel, boasting very high US- and European accreditation and its services overall are excellent, surpassing those of many hospitals in far more advanced countries. The price differential however continues to narrow and I suppose in not too many years they may approach those in Singapore or Dubai. I did want to comment a bit on the efficacy of wellness packages, aka multi-phasic screening: Some years ago, Kaiser-Permanente, the big US-based HMO, did a large-scale study doing screenings each year on nearly half its members, and not doing them on the rest. The results were discouraging: (Symptom-less) cancers were not discovered earlier, cardiovascular events were not predicted earlier, mortality rates were unchanged, etc. The reason? There were way too many false-positive test results: Mysterious spots on the liver or lungs turned out to be birthmarks after being biopsied or, worse operated upon, for example. The key word here though is symptom-less. By all means if you experience even minor symptoms such as tightness in the chest, a drop of blood in the urine or stool, etc. by all means get checked out. But beware of false-negatives. Hope this helps. Marc

Gosh guys 500B is indeed quite a bit of money. I can't get my head (?) around 5,000B for ST. It's unimaginable to me, sorry. 500B is already more than the minimum daily rate that a large percentage of Thai workers earn for a full day of labor. (As of January 1, 2025, the minimum daily wage in Thailand varies by province, ranging from 337 to 400 Thai Baht.) The mamasan at Midnight Cowboy (Saphan Kwai) who I asked for her recommendation once told that "200B was quite a generous tip". Yes it was some years ago of course, but gosh how things change!

Hi Vinapu, Squirrel House is listed at US $39 today. Doesn't look too bad. But yes BBB Inn was definitely cheaper.

I similarly had a British buddy (Peter P) whose end-of-life health bills outraced his British pension and savings quite rapidly. He was quite fine when he came to LOS years ago with a high GPB exchange rate and a reasonable British pension but both of those eroded rapidly. In Peter's case the hospital was actively trying to kick him out as he was dying. Self-insuring is the best (and perhaps only viable option) if you are 70+ 75+ 80+ but always remember that end-of-life care is getting more and more expensive in all countries, including Thailand.

I couldn't agree more. It's a far different scene from LOS with its own pro's and con's. But if you like big horny hairy beasts, you can't beat Delhi. And yes most are free esp guys who had been pressured into marriage and appreciate an outlet. You'll get many offers.

Dear Vinapu, Even though I haven't met you, I do sense your emotional conflict. As you age, life's curveballs come faster and more furiously alas. I'm glad your trip is relieving the pain but frankly it will take more than a therapeutic romp at Arena to clear the air, alas. Life is complicated.

That's a really sad story. Eighteen months of bliss is hard to sever. How would a "banking problem" impact your relationship?

Thanks guys, your descriptions are amazing... amazingly bad! Once upon a time (15? 20? years ago), Patong had a thriving and lively gay scene in Paradise Complex (and elsewhere). It sounds like the same plight which has visited Sunee Plaza has hit Patong now. The massage places then were also more conservative than those in Pattaya, but there certainly were "No Sex" signs on the doors, that's for sure! And Phuket in general was always more expensive (think hotels, food, transportation) than either Pattaya or Bangkok.

I sincerely hope you are not serious, Zombie! I have a nephew who is trans, and he is suffering severe anxiety.

I sure do miss Babylon! Whatta loss when it closed.

Yes eSIMs are far more useful than those TRUE or AIS SIMs sold at the airport. I mostly use Airalo (in 8 different countries thus far) with good results. Holafly is also good. No need to pay those outrageous roaming charges that most western cellular carriers charge. Luckily Airalo's eSIMs for Thailand (from DTAC) also give you a local phone number which is handy for Bolt, food delivery and Lazada purchases. Most eSIMs in other countries only give you a data allowance but no voice allowance.

Keep in mind that lasers can be dangerous -- if pointed haphazardly at someone's eyes you can literally blind them (burn their retina). Giving the laser to an inebriated customer might not be a good idea, alas.

In other words we are too damn old and won't be around all that much longer. Do you prefer that?

Oh gosh I rarely disagree with Vinapu and Omega, but hey guys, technology can be our friend! For one, the dating apps freed us from the boring bars and pushy mamasans, oh wow that was a great technological advance. The Line menu of available masseurs was a massive improvement over the old way of "hoping for the best" when going to a massage shop. Whether MFJ's idea of attaching QR codes instead of numbers would work is an open question, but at least you could learn something about the boy by getting some immediate feedback ("name", age, T/B, language proficiencies, size? ...) Technology has made Lazada possible, Bolt possible, ghost kitchen meal delivery possible... Someone clever will surely come up with a better way to breathe new life into the dying go-go bars. If not, the next generation (or current generation!) will put a nail in their coffin for sure. We, the retired and near-retired expats residents/visitors, do not have the financial profile nor the actuarial longevity that the industry needs to thrive.

Let me go back to my OP. When Jim and Gordon came to town, there was almost no precedent elsewhere in the gay world for the kind of interesting (and profitable!) businesses they built -- a pleasant, clean hotel; a nice friendly restaurant with a variety of cuisines; a bar (BBB) which packed them in every night to overflowing while still offering drinks at a reasonable price (99 baht). All this was innovative and revolutionary. Their foresight and creativity made a whole industry in Boystown, with spillovers in Sunee, Day & Night, and even North Pattaya. Their concepts were entirely appropriate for the 1980s/1990s. We must move on OR face extinction. Especially in low-season, going to a bar nowadays is an expensive, forlorn and lonely experience with dispirited boys using their smartphones, expats chatting with each other oblivious to most other goings-on, loud music which is usually ear-splitting. I'd say the biggest innovation since, and perhaps the one which has the longest staying power, is the appointed massage. Maybe this model will grow more (will Soda Massage adopt it?) And yes I found the 3 hour trip to Jey Spa to be well worth the time spent, just to get out of Pattaya for awhile: Super clean, nice guys, more or less reasonable prices. Why don't we have a decent one in Pattaya?? That would be a start.