Brief Trip Report - The Songkran that wasn't meant to be

[vaughn]

This trip report might just boil down to a few posts, the reasons for not as much to report will become evident soon enough.

Leading up to this trip let me indulge you in some context with a brief a life update: I had just recently ended things with a guy I was dating for the past few months back in farangland, it was messy and I always find it incredibly difficult to tell someone I don't want to continue with them, but it had to be done. To add to things on the home front, my work have unfortunately realised I'm more capable than I like to let on, so there has been stress coming from that direction as well.

Do you know what I need, a nice little getaway to 'surround myself in the culture' of Thailand, again. I've almost given up on trying to explain away these trips at work now, they surely know whats happening.

-begin

A jump, skip and hop via Changi and I am shoes on the ground in BKK Swampy, Exit 4 to my Nams taxi sedan and then we're pushing down the highway by 11am to Jomtien, 1200 baht to the driver, early check-in allowed by Agate, everything is coming along nicely.

It's been about 9 months since I've been back in Thailand, even longer since I was last in Jomtien complex (end of 2023). There have been some changes, some bars have new names around the horse shoe, the soi with Sophia's has had some minor cosmetic enhancements and a barber shop, Soda still exists so that's my first stop at about 1pm or so when the boys show up.

My last encounter at Soda when I gave my line to the guy things escalated a little too quickly for my taste, so I hadn't been back to Soda since incase I find myself under attack.

Did I learn from this mistake, no, but thankfully after I reluctantly gave my Line to the new guy this time he didn't give me the same treatment and the guy from before doesn't appear to be there anymore. This Soda guy was very sweet, not much English but we don't need the formalities of spoken language to engage in our interpretive dance. With a warm release from both he and I leaking down onto the massage table we're done and a nice tip exchanges hands.

I head back to my room to freshen up and then as the sun goes down I venture back out to Sophia's for one of my favourite meals in the area, this may be controversial but I rate her chicken cashew above the Patpong institution we all know and love. Enough blasphemy for the first post, i'll be back to continue later.. the beginning of Songkran (D-DAY)

[bkkmfj2648]

9 minutes ago, vaughn said:

I venture back out to Sophia's for one of my favourite meals in the area, this may be controversial but I rate her chicken cashew above the Patpong institution we all know and love.

wow, good to know because I have never eaten at Sophia's.  I did not even know it existed or where it is located within the complex.

I will give it a try when I am back in Thailand.

[tm_nyc]

X2 on Sophia's!

[unixmad]

25 minutes ago, tm_nyc said:

X2 on Sophia's!

I actually walked by Sophia's a few weeks ago and was thinking about trying it. Sounds like Ill need to add it to my itinerary for my next trip

[vinapu]

10 hours ago, vaughn said:

I've almost given up on trying to explain away these trips at work now, they surely know whats happening.

................

My last encounter at Soda when I gave my line to the guy things escalated a little too quickly for my taste, so I hadn't been back to Soda since incase I find myself under attack.

you don't need to tell them where you going to avoid those stares , gossip and jealousy. In my workimng days I always told folks I'm going to  a country where my sister lives.

I they were curious how come I came  with tan in the middle of the  winter I had answer ready " I went skiing for few days with my brother in law"

................

I know the pain of giving Line to overactive guy and now when going for massage I conveniently "forget" my phone . Not that easy when hosting guy in my room

10 hours ago, vaughn said:

I venture back out to Sophia's....... I rate her chicken cashew above the Patpong institution we all know and love. 

you not first one who says that 

[ichigo]

Sophia's is great! This is crispy pork with kale. As it is open air, smoking is also allowed (if you are that way inclined). And even better, it is situated in front of Burirom Massage so you can 'study' the guys working there.

[vaughn]

-cont

I did a bit of an evening stroll around the complex and down to Dongtan beach and back, the blue water barrels starting to form along the roads, the water gun sellers displaying their wares.. it's coming.

I made my way back to agate and I put my head on the pillow, then suddenly the sounds I fear most.. screaming child and loud Russian family in the adjacent room.

This is the second stay in a row with the same issue here, I don't blame the hotel (or anyone really), but I'm not going to bring a bunch of twinks through my room and pound away when there are literal children on the other side of the wall. If they can hear me as clearly as I can hear their every move then it's just not something I'm comfortable with. I don't think I'll stay at Agate again, next time I'll go back to Poseidon, The Venue or East Suites.

Anyway, the next day after a run along the beach i perched at O'Delicies, this is my favourite coffee spot in the complex, the food is decent and coffee is ok. I like that they enclosed the balcony section of the cafe, it's much nicer to watch the Soda boys arrive in the comfort of aircon.

After eating and a short rest I went back to Soda, I had round 2 with the same guy, the second time is always the best in my opinion, no wondering from either of us what we want and things move in a nice motion. 

By the time I was making my way out to get one of the plastic protective pouches for my phone it had already begun, buckets of water coming my way when I got out to Thrappraya Rd. Holding my phone and trying my best to dodge the bar girls I got the pouch and headed back to the safety of the complex. I've got to say the guys in the massage shops and generally the patrons in our little gay enclave were more respectful in taking 'not right now' 'no' 'please no powder'.

Well I was soaked, shoes and all, I wasn't prepared for what time it starts, i headed headed back to Sophia's at sundown for dinner, this time for the pork, before making my way to Winner Boys in Sunee.

It's been tough times in Sunee for a long time now, but chatting with the owner at Winner it sounds particularly hard at the moment. Building owner has decided to raise rents, high season wasn't quite as high. I did my part and rang the bell all night to give back to the bar that has given me some of my best nights in Pattaya, there's not many places left that have actual guys on stage in underwear with hands on activities possible. I hope things turn back around.

Back to Agate drunk and clinging to the back of motosai for dear life, greeted once again with sounds of the Russian family next door.

[khaolakguy]

4 minutes ago, vaughn said:

then suddenly the sounds I fear most.. screaming child and loud Russian family in the adjacent room.

Haha! +1

[floridarob]

5 hours ago, vaughn said:

It's been tough times in Sunee for a long time now, but chatting with the owner at Winner it sounds particularly hard at the moment.

I stuck my head in there last time and there were only 3 guys,  I intended to go back to see one of the guys but never did and I regretted not doing so, mostly to spend some money there to help the owner and of course to see the guy I was interested in, but time goes too fast when visiting 🥺

[vaughn]

This is where my trip went downhill, I woke up incredibly sick. At first i thought it was a hangover, I rarely drink so when I have a big night like I did at Winner then it does hit me hard, but it progressively got worse throughout the day.

I ventured out briefly to restock water and get some food for my stomach, only to be met with water buckets thrown at me and soaking me with freezing cold water. Again, I've got to say this only happened outside of the complex, inside the guys actually asked me first and i said no in english then attempted some thai "mai ao, mai ao, pwy", the bar girls were the ones that splashed first and asked questions later. 

It did frustrate me a little, I'm all for enjoying the sport of it but after that I just had to retreat back to my room and rely on Grab deliveries. The Russian family were now on the receiving end of a chesty coughing sound through the walls every 30 seconds all day and night.

I suspect i caught something on my flight and by the time the incubation period hit i was soaked with water for half a day and then drinking, so my immune system just gave up. This lasted the rest of the duration of my time in Pattaya, only on the day I was taking the bus up to Bangkok did i feel well enough to be outside again.

--skip forward a few days--

Roong Reuang bus from Jomtien to BKK, can't beat the value of 150 baht. Then Grab from the airport to Le Meridien, finally starting to feel better and back in the comfortable surrounds of one of my favourite hotels with Songkran all over in Bangkok, while Pattaya seemed to just be ramping up.

I stopped in at a pharmacy to get something to clear up the minor remaining cough and congestion, but I didn't feel sick anymore so off to explore.

I did the Surawong, soi 6, silom rd then back through thaniya rd massage loop. plenty of guys on offer, but I wasn't quite up for extras yet so I got a vanilla massage at Urban Thai.

I did notice the new 9-teen on the Surawong end of Soi6 but every time I walked past there were just one or two guys sitting on the tables opposite, I wasn't sure if there were more indoors? Along that route there must have been 100+ guys to pick from, it really was tempting with a few, but not yet, just scouting.

[khaolakguy]

Hope your trip goes better going forward........

Very good sound proofing in those Meridien rooms.

[Keithambrose]

2 hours ago, khaolakguy said:

Hope your trip goes better going forward........

Very good sound proofing in those Meridien rooms.

However, the suites have a connec door which allows some noise to penetrate, especially,  if there are screeching Chinese females next door. I had to speak to reception! By contrast our moaning was much quieter!