Gay Bangkok

From Coconuts Bangkok ‘Khlong Toei slum must be erased,’ official says Construction of government housing for nearly 100,000 people facing eviction was ordered accelerated this week to “erase” Bangkok’s Khlong Toei community, where most residents remain in the dark as to when they will be forced out. After visiting the so-called slum community Wednesday, a deputy transportation minister ordered the Port Authority to move up by two years construction of four 25-story condo towers that are meant to house a portion of the roughly 15,000 families that will be evicted to make way for a new mega mall. “I’m setting a deadline that, by 2020, the term ‘Khlong To…

From Bangkok Post Kasikornbank (KBank), the country's largest mobile banking service provider, plans to roll out money transfer, payment and deposit services on the Line platform in the first quarter 2020, with digital lending scheduled for the second half of the year. KBank and Line Thailand formed a joint venture, Kasikorn-Line (K-Line), offering money transfers, payments and deposits via the super app, said Wirawat Panthawangkun, senior executive vice-president of KBank. After gathering sufficient data to analyse customer behaviour, the service will expand to digital loans, set to launch in the middle of next year. The bank aims to …

BBB Inn closing this weekend. Why, because farang owner losing money every month. Business totally dried up.

From Bloomberg Financial World-Beating Currency Is a Big, Big Headache for Thailand's Tourism Thailand’s tourism minister has blamed a surge in the baht for sapping tourist arrivals into Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy and says he’ll take up the matter with the central bank, highlighting rising concern over the currency’s gains. Arrivals have dropped because of the baht’s strength, Piphat Ratchakitprakarn, minister of tourism and sports, told reporters in Bangkok after he officially began his new role. Piphat said he’ll discuss with the Bank of Thailand and the finance minister what can be done to help support the industry. Thailand’s curr…

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — A decade ago, when Kindle was on the rise, Kaweewut Wuttiwibhu thought e-reading would spell the end of physical bookshops like his own. But Dasa Book Café still thrives as an established hub of Bangkok book lovers, especially those seeking English reading. “Thais, particularly the younger generations, are reading more English-language books,” co-owner Kaweewut, 45, said Tuesday. “It may be a trend for things analogue.” The charm of Dasa, meaning slave or servant in Sanskrit, is that you can resell the books that you buy. Customers are spoilt for choice by a selection of some 15,000 volumes. Kaweewut believes the de…

From the Bangkok Post A tale of two cities Old Customs House There is no room for nostalgia in modern Thailand. At least, that's what the prevailing attitude in the capital appears to have been in recent decades, as its rapid development has continued apace. Grand old buildings, temples, villages and other heritage structures have been knocked down to make way for roads, urban rail, high-rises, condominiums and glitzy shopping malls. This has spread far beyond the capital, with towns and cities up and down the country embracing the trappings of modernity. Dazzled by all these new projects, many have forgotten how to appreciate the beauty…

Japan-based chat app operator Line has announced it is set to launch an online grocery service in Thailand by the end of 2019. The service – Line Man Grocery – will allow customers to have food and other items delivered home. In addition, the company is launching Line Shopping, a platform that connects buyers and sellers via chat. The move comes as the company is aiming to expand its on-demand services in the country, taking on ride-hailing leaders Grab and Go-Jek. Line already has an app that delivers goods from convenience stores and other vendors, and this new offering will allow it to compete against supermarkets and other brick-and-mortar retailers. Lin…

From the Bangkok Post Dean & DeLuca, the debt-ridden Thai-owned chain of luxury food shops, has defaulted on government-mandated payments to former employees and stalled payments to current employees in the United States, according to accounts from employees and documents received by The New York Times. The parent company, Pace Development in Bangkok, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Continues at https://www.bangkokpost.com/business/1723915/dean-deluca-wont-pay-laid-off-us-staff

From the Bangkok Post The Transport Ministry is considering piloting a 15 baht flat-rate fare, which is estimated to require at least 700 million baht in subsidies per year, on three electric train routes, according to two service operators. The Tao Pun-Bang Yai section of the Purple Line and the Airport Rail Link are most likely to be picked for the pilot phase of the ministry's policy to cut the cost of travelling by electric train, said Mass Rapid Transit Authority of Thailand governor Pakapong Sirikantaramas. "These two routes are operated by the government and do not have legally binding agreements with any private parties," he said. The governmen…

If you like good food and a good selection of Western project, Villa Market is great. I love their delivery service. I use the service weekly and have for years. Never had an issue other than a few items being out and they call to ask about a replacement. https://www.honestbee.co.th/

I love Chiropractors and have used them my whole life. It is hard to find a good one in Thailand and Dr. Don was one of them. He passed away 2 years ago and I missed him. This week I went to his site to see another doctor had taken over and went to try. He was great. The place is easy to find, the adjustment was excellent and it was a quick in and out (30 min). The rate for me was 1600 baht and worth every penny! http://bioenergyasia.com

The location on Surawong near Sap rd. has closed. I was a frequent patron. Always found the food very tasty and the prices reasonsble, presented in a handsome dining room. Unfortunately it was situated in the commercially dead zone between soi Tarntawan and Sap rd.

With the proliferation of Art Massage shops I thought it should have it's own thread. Guess what, there is yet another brand new branch, now smack on Silom Road under BTS Saladaeng, directly opposite Silom Complex. Exact location is to the right of Soi 2/1 which is the one going to G.O.D. (or now renamed G.Bangkok), see this screenshot with my annotations from google streetview: The shop has the same design as all the others with the beige brick walls. They must now have 6 or 7 branches by now: 3 or 4 (or is it maybe 5 now lol?) directly on Surawong, one in Soi Tarntawan off Surawong (opposite Tawan), one in Suan Phlu between Soi 6 and 8, and now thi…

Saw the news this morning on Douglas Thompson's blog that Purple Dragon travel agency has been forced out of business. Very sad. I've taken many, many trips with them over the past dozen years or so, including my recent trip to Vietnam. It's a shame for the folks working in their office as well as their excellent guides and drivers everywhere around the region. I traveled with them to Thailand a few times (especially my first few visits when I didn't know how to get around on my own or when I was going to some out of the way places), Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Hong Kong... Most of the trips were great experiences and I definitely got to see a number of places I nev…

Came accross an article in gaythaicool about this club who on the record only hires straight men and according to the article, 80% only goes with women customer. All i see is 20% does takes guys and when hiring boys, money talks lol. Anyone have been to this place? The boys there are much better quality in general (in my own opinion). The article is in chinese but i use google translate. And a quick google of the club name brings their fb page. https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&nv=1&rurl=translate.google.com.my&sl=auto&sp=nmt4&tl=en&u=https://gaythaicool.com/2019/01/10/article-fin-nc/&xid=17259,15700002,15700023,…

Tony Leather which for many years could be found just to the right of Twilight was included in the shut down. New location is almost directly across from Hilton Tailor - the place ant will make suits and also does laundry.. tony has made shoes, belts, and two”leather jackets for me over the years. Custom made shoes for less than a pair of Eccos at home. definite recommendation.

From Bangkok Post (10 May) Private hospitals ordered to display medicine prices Starting next week, private hospitals must display the prices of medicines so that consumers can make better-informed decisions prior to purchase, the government said on Friday. As well, private hospitals must give patients the opportunity to buy medicines from pharmacies outside the hospital using prescriptions provided by their doctors. Acting Commerce Minister Chutima Bunyapraphasara made the comment after chairing a meeting of the Central Committee on Prices of Goods and Services, which approved the proposals on Friday. “Prices of medicines must be shown either on t…

From Fodor's website (25 Apr.) Thailand’s legendary food will surprise and delight with its variety and freshness. Phenomenal food is easy to find in Southeast Asia, but there’s a reason Thailand is known across the world for its cuisine. From the jungles of the north to the metropolitan bustle of Bangkok on the coast, and on the sun-soaked islands and beaches of the south, the freshness and diversity of Thai dishes will keep you perpetually hungry. Whether you’re an inveterate chowhound or a casual diner, these are some of the best dishes worth seeking out while in Thailand. Continues with the list and photos https://www.fodors.com/wo…

AEC is a nice little massage shop that has just opened up on Suan Phlu. If you are walking from Sathorn it's in an a small alley on the right side opposite and just past the intersection with Soi 6. The google map location is accurate. Map Website Line ID 6395rich I took the guy they offered but there are about 4-6 guys who work there. All are probably mid-20s. All pretty good looking above-average, different types. I am sure you can pick from the guys available or by picture if you book ahead. I was happy to take the guy offered. I counted about 3-4 fairly good sized massage rooms. shared bathroom/shower at the end of the hall. massage room walls …

From The Nation (2 Apr.) HOTEL AND property development firm Dusit Thani Plc and retail and property developer Central Pattana Plc are collaborating to develop a mixed-use project, Dusit Central Park, at a cost of Bt36.7 billion. The project will cover 440,000 square metres on the intersection of Silom and Rama IV Road in what was once the location of Dusit Thani Hotel. The project is expected to be complete in 2024. The project brings together luxury residences, a state-of-the-art office tower, a high-end shopping complex with a large rooftop park and a distinctive reimagining of Dusit Thani Bangkok hotel, Dusit’s iconic flagship property, which …

FYI - Best way to recover from the Banana Bar goodbye party might be a special event brunch at Spasso (the restaurant/club downstairs at the Grans Hyatt Erawan). With a drag show hosted by Pangina Heels, star of Stranger Bar, Maggie Choo's, Drag Race Thailand, etc., etc. (Drag-haters of course feel no obligation to go.). DrinkGurl

Bangkok is regarded as one of the most LGBT+ friendly and advanced cities in Asia and as a result the curator James Tong is collaborating with River City Bangkok to host BEYOND SKIN ahead of its world tour debuting in New York City in June to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the gay civil rights movement, Stonewall. Norm Yip, an internationally acclaimed photographer, has long been an avid pioneer in the development of fine art Asian male photography. He established ‘The Asian Male Project’ which, through his lens, presents artistic images and thought-provoking messages. Ten percent of the purchase price from each photograph sold during the exhibition will be d…

From The Nation (5 Mar.) Krungsri first bank in Thailand to use facial recognition tech to open accounts Krungsri (Bank of Ayudhya) has introduced facial recognition through electronic Know Your Customer (e-KYC) technology for verifying the identities of people as they open a deposit account. Under the Bank of Thailand’s regulatory sandbox, the technology enables an upgrade of the bank’s verification process and accuracy toward international standards. Now available for customers at Krungsri branches, the facial recognition for e-KYC will also be deployed when customers open their passbook via mobile application by the end of the second quarter. …

I just came across a report that suggests the National Economic and Social Development Board has told AOT to drop the current plans for Terminal 2 and go back to the original master plan. If true, then certainly not much relief for Swampy for many more years to come. [The original master plan calls for a large expansion terminal on the other side of the runways - sort of a mirror image of the current one.] The third runway and a currently planned expansion of the eastern end of the current terminal are still in the works. Oh well.

From Khaosod English (13 Feb.) BANGKOK — CentralWorld. Central Chidlom. Gaysorn Village. In case it lacked shopping opportunities, Ratchadamri Road is adding another mall tomorrow. After several months of delay, The Market Bangkok has set its official opening for Thursday, which just happens to be Valentine’s Day. Owned by The Platinum Group, the six-story, mixed-use project sits on 21 rai and cost 9 billion baht to build. It includes two Marriott-owned hotels – Fairfield and Moxy Hotel Bangkok Ratchaprasong. The Market Bangkok shopping mall features more than 1,200 shops selling food, drinks, clothing and more. It sells itself as “Bangkok New Dr…