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I'm in Taipei right now. I don't see anyone walking around in swimming trunks. But unless my gaydar is completely miscalibrated, this place is GAY GAY GAY. So many cute gay guys around town. Unless they're not gay but just have a gay-ish fashion sense. I forgot how much I sweat in this part of the world. Staying at the Grand Hyatt on points. Impeccable service. Really nice place. I like the vibe here very much. And I love the public transport system. There are a lot of cities that could take note. Including my hometown of Washington DC with our horrible Metro. I guess it just proves that if the city and country are committed to public transportation and the investment required, great things are possible. Haven't been to the gayborhood yet. But plan to drop by there around dinner time tomorrow.

Right and that cash has to be pristine US dollars. No markings on them of any kind. No creases. No rips, tears or holes. The funny thing is they require perfect notes from you and then hand you a pile of currency that has been soaked in motor oil and is completely beat up. (That's only a slight exaggeration). I think Euros might also be changeable now as well.

While things are changing fast, it will take some time for the infrastructure to catch up. Getting a visa is pretty easy. Fill out the form, pay the fee. I got my from the Embassy in Washington in 10 business days last year. I believe it is about the same now. You can also apparently get a visa on arrival again now but I don't know the details. I believe Thais have no problems as ASEAN citizens. Not sure if a visa is required but suspect it probably is. Best thing to do is arrange a trip via a travel agency based on Burma. Hotels are not the same standard as Thailand. And they were all charging outrageous rates for a while when things really started booming since the supply isn't enough for all of the visitors. But I believe I read that situation has improved recently. There are a couple of higher class hotels in Yangon. I stayed at the Parkroyal which was more or less a 3+ star hotel. They have highspeed internet in their business center for a reasonable fee. I could never get the wifi to work in my room there. Hotels elsewhere can be decent but are not luxurious. Internet connections were spotty for me. But that was a year ago. So I expect things are improving somewhat. The most important thing is to pack your patience. Domestic travel is not at the same standard as Thailand. Vehicles are old. Roads are in poor shape. Airports are very Third World. But having said all that, the people are fantastic. The young men are gorgeous. And they wear those longyi which really show off their butts. :-)

There are lots and lots of Chinese airlines these days. So flying in the country should be easy and with plenty of competition. You might be better off posting a question like this on a more general travel website like Tripadvisor.com's forums or even Flyertalk.com You'll find plenty of expert advice there. Obviously it's an enormous country with lots of places to see. But if all you want to do is see the Great Wall and HK and Macau that should be pretty straightforward.

The boy in the bowtie and glasses is too adorable. I like the kid with the big diamond stud earrings and red shoes too.

Maybe next year... This guy is based in HK but has a very interesting blog http://ilbonito.word.../30/taipei-gay/ He and his bf were in Taipei for several days around Pride so his blog has many entries about Taipei. He apparently used to live in BKK as well so there are many entries related to there.

So he just went naked! What a scandal! I think I am going to really enjoy my week in Taiwan.

Unfortunately the education system of Thailand (and the rest of SE Asia) needs a major top to bottom overhaul. For a long time I think the system was designed to give people only the most basic education in order to keep them "in their place". There's an interesting group in Laos called Big Brother Mouse that is doing some very interesting things there. They publish children's books and distribute them to schools so the kids will learn to enjoy reading. They also have had some "discovery days" events in Luang Prabang the last couple of years to introduce science experiments and puzzles to people. It has been a big hit. With a 9 year old I think the key is probably to make it fun so that he doesn't even realize he is learning. Maybe if you could find a book of simple science things you can do with household objects or something like that. You could introduce ideas and concepts to pique his curiosity and interest. But if the family is resistant to any formal school experience then there's probably not a whole lot you can do. Which is a shame. What does his father think? Does he only do what his mother says (like all Thai boys)? For his life, learning how to read and write in Thai should probably be the first priority.

So is the whole parade guys in swimsuits? Or is that just what gets photographed?

Apparently the flights will continue for a while. But will end by late next year when they have to turn the a/c back to Airbus. So there is still some time to take it.

I see that the HK GLBT Film Festival is happening at the end of Nov when I will be there. Hopefully I will get a chance to see a couple of things there. I used to help program our local gay film fest so it's always fun to see other festivals.

I was reading in Fridae's newsletter that HK seems to have a month long Gay Pride celebration with lots of events throughout that time. Which may be a good thing or it may just dilute things too much.

Has anyone done the Balloon Adventure thing? I did a hot air balloon ride for the first time in Myanmar last year over Bagan. It was pretty spectacular. It's not cheap though, that's for sure. I don't imagine the Chiang Mai balloon ride could rival Bagan but it still might be fun.

The initial hit may not be so bad. Depending on day of travel and so forth. For example, I see SEA-BKK one way in business class for $2100 on Asiana in January for example. Same price from LAX in March for example as well on Asiana. They're supposed to have a really nice product as well. Or if you have miles on UA or AA you can book a one way award with them or an alliance partner.

I kind of agree with that. BKK bars I don't spend too much time in. Maybe long enough to watch the show. In Pattaya I can spend a few hours if the boys are cute and fun.

That is interesting. I would expect April to be a bit more due to Songkran traffic. I have been just using ff miles the last few years. And I have enough banked for a couple more years since I only go once a year.

I really seriously considered visiting for Pride, but ultimately decided to visit at the end of Nov instead. Look forward to the report.

I heard that there used to be some other massage place there a couple of years ago. So maybe this one took over the space? I often stay at Siri Sathorn. This place much be practically next door. All those pictures of the boys with their hands bound like old time muay thai boxers seems a bit strange.

The Siri Sathorn has token operated laundry as well. Also Bt100 per token need 1 for the wash and 1 for the dry. At least you don't have to provide your own detergent or anything. I have a lot of cotton socks and things like that though which never seem to dry so I have to hang them up to finish drying. The Fraser Suites Sukhumvit 11 has a washer/dryer unit in each apartment which is even more convenient.

Google is your friend. Yes, Thai nationals need a visa. It appears that it must be arranged in advance. This place looks like a visa agent in Bangkok for Indian visas http://www.ivac-th.com/index.html Note that there is an online application option Tourist visa is good for 2 entries in 6 months validity period. Fees look reasonable to me

I have stayed at the former Fraser Pattaya (when it was Fraser and now as Aya Boutique) a couple of times. I didn't find it to be "ghastly". There is a bit of an odd smell in the place, that I will admit. I never found a problem with sound through the walls or anything. The biggest problem on my last stay was the Middle Easterners leaving their doors open. I just got my own breakfast. But that is all way off topic. :-)

I stayed at this aLoft last year shortly after it opened. Construction was actually still going on at the time. I think I may have been the first guest to stay in the room I had. It's quite nice. Very "design-y". Regular rooms are not large by any means, probably a bit smaller than the Le Meridien for example. Some rooms will have zero view as they will look directly at the other new hotel directly next door. I booked the "urban" room which was a little more expensive but had a view out over the city. I have never stayed at a hotel in Thailand that seemed anything other than "gay friendly" to me. Thai hospitality is Thai hospitality. If what you are really asking is, how prostitute friendly it is, that I cannot answer. I think they aim to be a hip, stylish, fun brand. This property is all over social media. Bed supperclub is right across the street and they have some sort of partnership. Hero is down at the end of the soi. I suppose about a 5-10 minutes walk. The hotel is about mid-soi from Sukhumvit. There is another massage place nearby on the same street, more or less right across the street from the Frasier Suites. Personally I think I would select the Frasier all other things being equal. Lots more space, decent breakfast, washer/dryer which is nice for longer stays.

Bummed to hear about all these scams. I never had a problem. But it's been a little while since I have taken a taxi. The rates have been dirt cheap for a long time though and probably deserve to be raised a bit.

I definitely agree with going out and seeing things while you can. By the time I am ready to retire who knows how mobile I will be. My arthritic knee is already a bit of a problem at 44! My job is one that has a lot of autonomy which allows me 5 weeks of vacation time each year (plus government holidays which equal another couple of weeks). The last several years I have spent at least 3 weeks in SE Asia...last year it was 5 weeks. But I figure since I am going halfway around the world I need to make it worthwhile. Those first and business class award seats sure help out though too. My friends get jealous too.

I think it depends on where you go. If you judge by Bangkok it is likely a very skewed view since there are so many middle class and upper class Thais there. I would bet you don't see a lot of fat kids in the poorer areas on the country. But combine high fat, high sugar fast food products with sedentary lifestyle spent playing video games, etc and you get fat kids. And I think the notion mentioned about that Thais equate being overweight with being wealthy is likely a part of people not worrying about it. I would argue against the notion of chubby Buddhas meaning anything though. That is a Chinese thing. Thai and SE Asian Buddhas are almost always very svelte.