macaroni21

Alrighty, for Olddaddy, here's the revived post about the erstwhile Bondi Guest House: https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2022/08/15/beachside-hotel-if-beachside-is-really-important-to-you/ Strangely, what I remember most about that one stay in that hotel was the great fuck that I had with a boy I brought back from Boyztown. 🤣 Never mind the filth... so long as the sex is good.

I am flatterred (insert deep japanese bow). My life was not so dramatic. Yes there was a long hiatus when I couldn't travel much because I had to care for aging parents, oddly enough, similar to the very topic being discussed here. After that issue resolved itself, I found myself working flat out with little free time until I had had enough and quit. I will resurrect my report on Bondi hotel on Dongtan beach just for kicks. The hotel's long gone.

Guilty as charged. Macaroni is Shameless mack. I am not only alive and kicking but whenever opportunities arise, happily testing the bedsprings of hotel beds.

Three years ago in July 2019, it was 1,000 baht for the house. See: https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2019/08/06/senso-still-good-after-ten-years/ So price increased 10 percent. The lad I had on that occasion didn't have massage skills either.

I walked through the area. It had a buzz, that's for sure. But what struck me was that in all the re-design, they still kept to the notion that the more concrete the better - very common idea throughout Thailand - resulting a a worse heat island than Bangkok already is. With the humidity (no breeze either) It wasn't pleasant at all. They should have designed for trees and green spaces. The other thing that struck me was the amount of noise, not just in Siam Square, but on the other side of Siam Station as well, i.e. the Siam Paragon, Siam Center side. Partly, it's the result of the events they put up but I'm sure there's also the reflection from all the concrete.

Very interesting intel. I can empathise with the poor leaseholder's decision. It sounds like one of those situations where the losses are smaller just paying the rent on unused space, compared to trying to open the business and losing money paying the rent plus bleeding red ink from operations. But what it means is that there is hope... though it is debatable how long it will take for Xi Jinping to change course. It only proves what I have said before. Lucky Boys was way too big a space. The business does not have the agility to adjust to circumstances that a smaller business would have.

Like Neyger and Vinapu, I travel at the back of the plane for leisure. I used to fly business class quite a bit but those were the days when others (company) paid the fare. I can appreciate the difference in service, but for me it all seems quite unnecessary. I'd rather spend the money on other things that are more important to me. It all seems quite unnecessary to me because I am lucky in a way. I am below average in height and I am able to keep my body mass index (BMI) under 25. So, an economy seat is OK for me. A premium economy would be plenty. One of the few blessings in life from being small-built. Other aspects discussed here are also unimportant to me. - Business class lounges? I don't want to sit while waiting to sit in the plane for the next several hours. I prefer to walk/explore the terminal, get some exercise while I can. - Nice food? I want to stay away from temptation to maintain my BMI. There's also the risk of bloating when air pressure is reduced at altitude, making sleep harder. - Drinks? Never really acquired a taste for that. I am no connoisseur of fine wines. A flatbed would be nice, I agree, but then I am able to sleep in a seat. I don't even own noise-cancellation earphones like Neyger. I have considered buying one, but my normal (wellpadded) earphones muffle cabin noise to a significant degree, and so far, they're good enough to help me sleep. Neyger's inflatable thing - I really don't know what to call it - is intriguing, but here's my question: How much huffing and puffing will it need to get inflated? In any case, I'm not sure that I would want to carry one more thing when my simple inflatable pillow seems good enough.

I was there last month. I was never directed to the service elevator, though I had previously read reports about that and was conscious of the possibility. However, I should add that the latest that I went back to Raya Hotel was probably around 11:30pm, at which hour I still used the front entrance and guest elevators. Perhaps those reports referred to the wee hours of the morning? Then again, nowhere did I see any signs put up by the hotel to alert guests that a detour might be required at some time in the night. So maybe it's no longer the case? By the way, my review of Raya was uploaded yesterday on my blog. https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2022/08/02/the-sequestered-fridge/

Last month, every trip I made between Jomtien and Pattaya, I used songtaews, and paid 10 baht each time, iincluding the time I went all the way to Terminal 21. On no occasion did I have to wait more than 3 minutes for a songtaew to come by. Likewise each time when I boarded a songtaew at South Pattaya Road x Second Road for the trip back to Jomtien, on no occasion did I have to wait more than 3 minutes for the vehicle to fill up with passengers and get going. I can't imagine why I would ever need to spend 60 baht or 100 baht.

They've dug up some 500 metres of Thappraya Road, starting from the South Pattaya Road junction towards Jomtien. It's normally a narrow two-lane road, but now there remains only one lane open to traffic. The authorities didn't see fit to turn that lane (temporarily) into a one-way street, diverting traffic away to other streets. Songtaews (what Gaybutton calls baht buses) crawl their way through this bottleneck, adding a further 20 minutes to what should normally be a 20 minute ride. I found it frustrating.

Yes! You reminded me! It was not the ambience I wanted, and to think they even made me pay for it. They should have been paying me.

You're not wrong. It was closed permanently. Then a Japanese buyer came along. I hope that poor sod is not a total fool, has deep pockets, has a proper business plan, and has the energy and willpower to make the plan happen. As someone who has an interest in business behaviour, I think it will make an interesting case study one way or another in the months/years to come.

Typo. 40-50 % female...

Physique-wise, you should be able to get someone like that from BoyzBoyzBoyz. However, nearly everyone has huge tattoos, so you need to adjust your criteria. BoyzBoyzBoyz audience is now maybe 40-50 female, so it can be hard to get a boy's attention. Alternatively, similar boys *may* be found at A-bomb on the Soi next to Boyztown. But fewer boys available there. As for massage, Paradise (same Soi as A-bomb, I think) may be your best bet but I didn't look closely, so not too sure. There's also Scandic massage in the Boyztown Soi, but the few times I have tried years ago, the service was hopeless and a waste of money. For your preferences, forget Jomtien. Stay in/ near Boyztown. Forget Sunnee. It's on life support. Even then, barely.

Once again, I find myself in admiration of the way Numazu expresses his thoughts, when he wrote in his 12 July 2022 post (in page 1 of thread: Bangkok Trip Report 2022: The wait is over. What was I waiting for?): He gave me an idea then, but it's taken me a while to get it done. In addition to creating a new map of the area showing gogo bars and massage parlours that are open post-Covid, I have also retrieved some old posts that illustrate what Numazu was saying about the contrast between what there is in Patpong 2 and what there was in Soi Twilight. As with most of the my reports, I record the prices too, and some might find it interesting to see what prices were 13 or 14 years ago when Soi Twilight was in its heyday. www.shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog The specific post with the new map: https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2022/08/01/memory-lane-and-a-new-silom-surawong-map-july-2022/

I have put up a new map at https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2022/08/01/memory-lane-and-a-new-silom-surawong-map-july-2022/ You will need to scroll down to the bottom of the post to see it. Hope it's useful to you.

Thanks @fedssocr Haha, I had tried searching for various word combinations except "Man".

@jason1975 I can't seem to find a Facebook page for New Twilight. Do you have the link?

My first thought in response to the opening post was this: To fly halfway around the globe, enduring an 18 - 20 hour flight and a 12-hour time zone difference, for only one week's vacation does not sound like a good cost-benefit equation. I don't know about you, but I have friends who need 3 - 4 days to adjust to the time zone change. Effectively, you're going to be 2 - 4 days short on account of flight time and sleep adjustment time. And then to fly all the way back.... If you can stretch your available time window, it can make a big difference. Other thoughts: 1. I agree with others that (for now) Bangkok is a good introduction to East Asia. In normal (non-Covid) times, I might have suggested Hong Kong or Taipei or even Shanghai, and certainly Bali would be on my shortlist too, but these are not normal times. 2. Culture there certainly is, and there will be customs that, closer to the time, you need to ask about on this forum e.g. long trousers, slip-on shoes, touching, etc. 3. Bangkok is a huge sprawling city with an estimated 10 - 11 million people. Traffic can be bad. Its metro system ('subway" to Americans) is not well developed and some destinations require a long walk (say, 1.5 km in heat) from the nearest station. 4. Because it is a huge sprawling city, you will need to select your hotel location with care. I recommend that you stay in the Silom-Surawong area, where the gay nightlife is. This avoid having to travel a long distance back to your hotel late at night. 5. But there are next to no "traditional" cultural sites in the Silom-Surawong area, so daytime travelling to the main sites cannot be avoided. 6. Forget about nature. Bangkok is one of the most built-up cities. I read somewhere that it has among the lowest ratio of green spaces to paved spaces. If, however, you have an interest in sewer rats, then Bangkok is the place for you. 7. Assuming you do not speak any Asian language, Bangkok will also be an easy introduction to Asia. There are cities that speak more English (e.g. Singapore where English is almost universal) but in the touristy areas, you can get by without having to learn even one word of Thai. 8. Part of culture is the food. You need to know what your tolerance for spiciness is, so that you don't make a huge mistake in ordering. Perhaps you can visit some Thai, Korean or Chinese Sichuan restaurants in your home city and figure out how much you can take. Allow of course, for the fact that in the US these ethnic cuisines would often have adjusted their levels of spiciness to Americans' palate. So what counts as "very spicy" in the US is "medium-low spicy" in Thailand. 9. For me, one of the problematic unknowns when visiting a place I have never been to before is to know the tipping culture (if any). It's quite amusing to me but I have met Americans who are shocked to learn that there are countries where tipping is almost unknown. (Not in the least suggesting that you're one of them, in fact, being on this board, you're probably better travelled than your average compatriot.) But my point is, no two countries have the same tipping culture, and if you wish, a discussion on this board about Thai expectations before you leave home may be useful.

Classic selection bias. Members tend to post when they've had an encounter ( I won't say it's bragging, because quite often the post is about a dud). Nothing to write about if there wasn't an encounter.

I agree with fedssocr - 7 weeks is a long time. Even when I travel for non-sex reasons, I find myself getting bored by the time I hit the 5th week. One temple or cathedral blends into another; one "fabulous" scenic spot starts to look just like the other "fabulous" scenic spot. Instead of town squares looking interesting, new and exciting, I start to notice dirt, squalor, beggars and scammers. With Thailand, since I have been here so many times, I know I will start getting bored by the 3rd week. I won't even last to the 4th or 5th week. So I keep my Thai trips to no more than 2 or 3 weeks. Our bodies are all different, even in younger years. Once out of my teens, I have not been interested in 3 times a day. Nowadays, despite all the attractions of Thai venues, I keep to a certain discipline to avoid burn-out. Every third or fourth day is sex-free. The body needs to recharge. I second gaybutton's advice: Try a legitimate Thai massage. Try a genuine foot massage. Go sightseeing. Go shopping. Try an out of the way, unfamiliar restaurant. I will add one more: Every third or fourth day, get a good night's sleep.

https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2353912/capital-on-alert-for-monkeypox However, the Phuket Express reports that the patient was not a recent tourist but had been in Thailand since last year and overstayed his visa. https://thephuketexpress.com/2022/07/22/update-nigerian-man-confirmed-as-thailands-first-case-of-monkey-pox-being-traced-by-police-after-vanishing-act-was-on-overstay/#l61p26bpz01idete6ec

I am having a blast in Thailand, and if you've read others' reports, I think you will see that everyone who has made his way here in the last few months had a blast. I think your concerns about insufficient attractions in August can be put aside going by the experiences of those of us who have visited. I find myself faced with more places to visit and revisit than I have energy or time. Or libido either! There are some members here who can do 3 tricks a day. This is beyond me. But the message to take home is that there are enough options here for those voracious enough to do three tricks a day. Haha. Much depends on how much weight you give to the weather situation. Yes, there will be a difference, but unless a key objective is to get a tan ( e.g beach time in Pattaya), then I really don't think weather is any real impediment. I note you didn't mention Pattaya in your post, so maybe beach time is not in your plan anyway. I also understand the complications of arranging travel around available leave periods. I have a similar-ish problem. And my instinct is to grab whatever time I have within my work schedule and not wait in the hope of another slot months later. Slots and opportunities can vanish unexpectedly. By the way, what's a PTO employee? You asked what is our confidence level regarding Screw Boys reopening. It's really hard to say, but with each passing week, it gets more and more unlikely. Reopening can be a costly exercise. Many interiors have fallen into ruin in the last 2 years, and I noticed that several bars have had a complete refit recently. So, it doesn't come cheap for the owners. And if they did their market research, they might conclude that traffic to other bars remain poor and probably unprofitable. Good for us as consumers (more choice) but not so good for those having to put money in.

On second thoughts, this is not a good example of a tip either. It is kinda mandatory, after all, so it's more of a fee for time spent. A better example might be the 100 baht we give to a selected mamasan after he/ she gave us a good recommendation or extra information about a desired boy or helped translate...

Just in case my comments above are misinterpreted, when I say an extra 200-300 baht would be appropriate as the discretionary tip component for really good service, that is exactly what I mean. This tip component is not normalized. That is to say, in more than 50% of engagements, I do not add this tip. They get exactly what was agreed or what is the going rate. Only about one in three boys/masseurs get extra. That way the extra really represents an above average performance. Boys, in my experience, have been happy with my compensation either way. When they get extra, they show their delight.