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Be prepared for some headaches on your return through PEK. Of course all flights to the USA are a total PITA these days with all of the extra security theater hoops you have to jump through. My PEK-IAD flight last year was a mess. They required you to get another boarding pass at the gate even if you already had one (something I didn't find out until I got to the head of the boarding line). And then they search everyone another time on the jetway before you get on the plane. Lots of people had their water confiscated at that point leading to plenty of very unhappy people. Transfer security at PEK on that transit also required that everyone remove every single electronic device/item from their carry on bag. So the line took forever. And since I was traveling with a lot of photography equipment, laptop, etc I had to essentially empty my bag. It was even worse than TSA madness in the US. I will avoid PEK in the future as a result of that unpleasant experience. I never had a major issue going through NRT though.

For sure UA's rise in partner award mileage requirements is a big blow. It was fun while it lasted has been my general attitude. Not sure what I will do from now on either. Once the AA/US merger happens I will have a boatload of AA miles so I will be able to squeeze some Oneworld flights out...until AA devalues their chart too.

Not necessarily. Depending on your origin you could fly UA to PEK for example. Plenty of Star Alliance options though so you can avoid UA altogether (which I recommend) unless you've got status on UA for upgrades. Don't they also fly to PVG? You can fly EVA to Taipei and connect there to either EVA or THAI. UA will also start flying to TPE from SFO on April 1, so maybe that's the switch. You can go via Seoul with a variety of options. SIN as well. Or you can go via Europe.

It's messed up for me too

And here are the rest. Some better setting sun lighting...

OK. Here are a few pictures. I will work on the rest tomorrow.

The drumming seemed to have little rhyme or reason to it. Lots of variation. But the paddling didn't appear to have much to do with the drumming. Maybe to the trained ear it makes a difference.

I may add more later if I find some other good ones

more

So, I've been in Singapore for several days. Today I happened to notice that there was a big dragon boat regatta taking place on the river just a couple of blocks from my hotel. So once the ran more or less stopped I headed out and spent a couple of hours there. Tons of cute college boys. I really like it here for the most part. The men are generally very handsome. I think it's that whole melting pot things. Lots of really bad body odor though. There are lots of photogenic places to see. I will need to come back to see more. Less hot than BKK, but even more humid. Grindr and Jack'd are pretty popular here as well. The twist here though is that I have been directly solicited by a number of "masseurs". One of them a very hot 21 yo guy from Kazakhstan. But I didn't ask how much he wanted. I am here one more day though...

Not just Thai guys, all guys. I prefer no facial hair. But don't mind hair anywhere else. Those pathetic little "mustaches" Thai guys sport these days are just sad.

My three days here are at an end. Got a massage at Hero but otherwise it's been a quiet visit for me. Too damn hot. I did spend last evening doing some sightseeing which was fun. And I've spent some time shopping. Staying right at Ratchprasong makes shopping easy. I had planned to go over to Soi Twilight this evening but in the end just couldn't be bothered. Dealing with expensive drinks and the usual gogo bar BS just didn't have enough appeal. If I was staying in the neighborhood I probably would have gone out there though. Lots of guys online and on jack'd and grindr. But I guess I am just not in the mood.

Probably not until I get back to civilization. Typically when I am traveling there isn't much time to go through the pictures, do the edits, etc. I prefer to do that on my real computer at home. But I'm not sure I really have any better pictures than what aussie_ already posted.

Here's a link to the official photos posted by the organizers http://www.flickr.com/photos/twlgbtpride/sets/72157636961870896/

I tipped 1000 for a 2000 dollar massage. He seemed happy enough with that. I didn't see any tipping guidelines anywhere. A total of about US$100 for a 90 minute massage + seems pretty good to me.

Those are a good representation. I need to go through all of my photos yet. The parade was kind of chaotic and I think the route is probably too long. It is definitely a young crowd or I have simply lost my ability to tell anyone's age. The guy in the pink suit was marching with a group from Macau. Definitely lots of folks in town from around Asia. Lots of Singaporeans, Japanese, HK, and plenty of white people too. It was fun though. I stopped by Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall before the parade. It is a funky place. There's a changing of the guard so if you like little Asian soldiers all dressed up it is worth a visit. But for me the most interesting part is that all of the high school boys practice their b-boy dancing all around the place. It seems like an odd place for that. That's probably where you would see some 6 packs. Had a massage tonight at In Touch. Definitely recommended. Very sensual. My masseur, "Josh", is very hot. He's tiny at probably 5'4" or so but very strong. Smooth almost everywhere. Sweet guy. Maybe 22 or 23 but looks 18. The place is a bit hidden on a little side street by the City Hall MRT station. It's half traditional massage which is a lot like traditional Thai massage in that they really use a lot of pressure so it hurts a bit. Then the second half is "body to body" massage which is exactly what you think it is.

For those who here for the festivities, the parade route has been changed http://twpride.org/twp/?q=active/map Just one route now instead of 2 with the east route having been eliminated.

I think that's the right way to think of it. You're basically paying a cover charge for the entertainment not just for the drink. I haven't been up there in a little while, but IIRC the strip clubs in Montreal do not charge especially inflated drink prices. But the clubs there are allowed by law. So maybe that makes a difference. Of course if you make a plan to see one of the guys outside of the bar you'll pay a lot more than in Thailand. And even their "private" lap dances are somewhat pricey. So I suppose things even out a bit. But if you just want to go to the bar and have a couple of drinks while you watch the show I believe it's a good bit cheaper. Then again the show is very different as well. And I know some of the clubs up there don't pay the dancers much (if at all) so the guys make their money in tips. I believe Remington's in Toronto used to charge the guys who worked there a fee for the opportunity to dance in the club. So, completely different business model.

My new camera will be here Monday, just in time for my trip. :-)

Need a rest? We expect more from you! :-) That does look nice. I'm staying at the Grand Hyatt Erawan when I get to town. I get 1 free night in any category 1-4 Hyatt per year plus platinum status just for holding their co-branded credit card. So I'm using my free night there plus one night on points and one night I am paying for. So it works out to about $80/night. I am looking forward to it.

Those dancing boys look very hot indeed...despite the iphone video. :-) Thanks for sharing. I'm not a big fan of "cabaret" shows.

Here's the map of the parade route http://twpride.org/twp/?q=node/94 Looks like the main starting point (and ending point?) is the big square/park in front of City Hall near the Grand Hyatt and 101. The whole two route thing seems a little confusing to me. Any ideas on the best location to be? Parade starts at 14:00

I agree that pushing a camera in some one's face and photographing them is rude. I think in general it's possible in most places to take some one's photograph if you first develop a rapport without having to pay them...unless you plan to make money off of your pictures in which case you'd likely need a model release anyway. Of course with telephoto lenses you can do the paparazzi thing too. But I think it's fair enough to pay a little if necessary as long as it's agreed up front. I was traveling in Bhutan a couple of years ago. I was walking down the road alone and passed a yard with a couple of little kids. They saw my camera and asked me to take their picture so I did. I showed them the picture on the camera and they demanded a dollar. I deleted the photo on principle.

I guess it's not just sex I'm looking for. :-) And I only have a couple of days so it didn't make any sense for me to go down to Pattaya this time around. I'm sure I will find enough boys to keep me occupied.

Nice report. Glad you had a good time! And also glad that you enjoyed Le Meridien BKK. I also stayed at the ICON when I was in HKG last year. I really liked it. I had a big room with a nice harbour view. I liked the fact that it is attached to the technical university's hospitality program so everyone (almost) that works there is also a student. Some VERY hot boys working there when I visited. It is definitely not cheap though. And not my favorite city either. No one looked happy or smiled.