The Beer Bar

As promised in Part 7, this post resurrects some postings from the past with photos of various travels. Since the photos are in the posts, there seems little point adding them again. So if you are interested, please just click on the links. I hope some will be of interest. Tokyo as a Potential Stopover: Blog This was a long 5-part photo blog covering mostly Tokyo and also partly Kyoto and Nara and lots of sakura blossoms. https://www.gayguides.com/topic/7804-tokyo-as-a-potential-stopover-blog/#comment-56340 Photo blog of Nikko outside Tokyo For some reason photos in this link are unfortunately much smaller, but clicking on them increases their size. …

From Khaosod English BANGKOK — Police have arrested an 18-year-old modeling agent in connection with the death of Airada Potaram, 22, who died while providing escort services to a Chinese client named Wu Douying. Before her death, Airada had sent messages to her modeling agent asking if she could decline using drugs, but was told she should take “a little” as the client requested. On February 17, authorities arrested and questioned the modeling agent who communicated with Airada before her death. The suspect, identified as Panita “Alin,” allegedly acted as an intermediary arranging services between Chinese clients and escorts. She has been charged with fac…

From Pattaya News At least 40 people have been injured after a passenger bus overturned in the Pattaya area on Tuesday (February 18th) afternoon. Emergency responders were notified of the accident at 2:06 P.M. on the No. 36 Road (Pattaya-Rayong Bypass Road). They and the Pattaya News team arrived at the scene to find the overturned passenger bus going from Bangkok to Pattaya lying sideways on the road. The unidentified bus driver told the Pattaya News that they were heading to the Pattaya Bus Terminal from Bangkok. There was heavy rain when a sedan driver allegedly immediately crossed in front of the bus near a U-turn. The bus driver tried to av…

Soi Thaniya tonight with entertainment and many vendors

I want to thank Macaroni21, a-447 and those who agreed with them for their kind suggestion that I return to posting. I had decided about 16 months ago to cease posting (other than one recent post about Myanmar about which I am writing a book). For those who remember some of my posts, you will know that I had a tendency to write at length. This explanation/exploration will be similarly long - very long, and therefore in several parts. So if you are no fan of length, please stop here. I must add that I have written part of what follows in several earlier posts. To those who have read them before, my apologies in advance. I have just returned from a long weekend in one …

According to the Thai Meteorological Dept., summer will be two weeks late in arriving this year. “The hottest days, with peak temperatures of 35-36°C, are expected from late March to mid-April. This is close to the seasonal average but lower than last year’s peak of 37.5°C., they predict. But at the moment in Bangkok, it’s 35.9 degrees.

From Bangkok Post The Transport Ministry reported a 12.28% increase in profits for the Red and Purple lines after the 20-baht fare cap was introduced over a year ago. The fare cap was rolled out in October 2023 on the Red and Purple lines to get more commuters to switch to public transport. "Both lines reported a combined income of 49.91 million baht at the end of last year, an increase of 12.28% from the 44.45 million baht reported in the same period the previous year," said Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit. The Red Line, run by the State Railway of Thailand, consists of two routes. The northern route connects Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Term…

From Khaosod English OPINION Xenophobia, particularly anti-Burmese sentiment, is spreading in the past few months, particularly on social media in Thailand. Concerned Thai citizens should pause and think as to how we can be part of the solution in mitigating, if not neutralising, such negative bias. If not handled properly and in a timely fashion, the situation could become more toxic and affect not just the relations between the people of the two neighbouring nations but Thai society as well. When I interviewed Ms Onravee Taengmeesang, a Thai activist who has been working for over a decade to promote warmer ties between people of the two nations, on my w…

From Bangkok Post State-run Transport Co will launch a first-class bus service from Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi airports to Hua Hin and Pattaya on March 8. Managing-director Atthawit Rakchamroon said on Tuesday there would be four round trips daily between Don Mueang airport and Pattaya. Each trip was 162 kilometres and would take two-and-a-half hours. The fare would be 155 baht. There would be two round trips daily between Don Mueang airport and Hua Hin district in Prachuap Khiri Khan, a distance of 216km per trip. The fare would be 200 baht each way and would take three-and-a-half hours. There would be four round trips between Suvarnabhumi airport a…

From Yahoo Finance Some U.S. Embassy websites have posted notices warning beneficiaries their payments may have been suspended. The alert targeted those whose official address on record is outside the U.S. Here’s exactly who is affected, and if that’s you, what you can do about it. Over 700,000 of those who receive Social Security benefits live abroad. A number of them may be surprised to find they haven’t received a payment in February, prompting embassy websites to put up notices explaining why. It’s to do with confirming one’s eligibility to receive payments. Every one or two years, depending on where they live and the exact form that needs to be f…

Members who are disrespectful are banned from posting on the site. Happened twice today. More to come. This is a gentleman's forum.

From Bangkok Post Police have arrested 10 suspected members of a Thai-Chinese investment scam gang raking in billions of baht during raids in Bangkok and several provinces. The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) said on Tuesday that six Thais - four women and two men - and four Chinese men were arrested during operations in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Prachin Buri, Sa Kaeo, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkhram that began last week and continued into Monday. The arrested suspects were identified only as Atchara, 27, Porntip, 44, Nopawit, 31, Chonlathee, 21, Pantharee, 26, Supawadee, 39, Gao, 35, Xiong, 30, Mao, 46 and Zhou, 44. …

I am not mentioning Hong Kong here, even though I lived and/or worked there for all of 38 years. The gay scene has changed so much in recent years and the places I used to visit are virtually all gone now. It suddenly became a very cruisy city after 1991 when the old British Victorian law against homosexuality was finally changed. All manner of bars, clubs and saunas sprang up. The beach at Middle Bay close to Repulse Bay on the south of the Island became very cruisy at the week-ends with action in the changing rooms. The centrally located Propaganda nightclub was hugely popular, later to be renamed Works. I once met another Taiwanese there maybe around 20 years ago. We b…

Sometimes I think I made a mistake by choosing Bangkok as a place to work remotely and eventually retire. For I have been intrigued by Taipei since my first visit in 1986. It was then under martial law and gays were more or less confined to wandering in a park behind what was then the Hilton Hotel. Some readers may have read the novel also made into a TV series, Crystal Boys, a depressing tale about those who all but lived in the Park in the 1970s. Yet within not much more than half a dozen years after martial law was abadoned in 1987, much had changed. At least two bars opened and a couple of saunas. One of the bars - only recently closed - was called Funky. On a visit w…

Including my early years living in Bangkok, my posts here have tended to concentrate on other Asian countries. I have written about Singapore bars and saunas. My favourite of the latter was always Rairua, billed as the first luxury sauna in the city. It was the first to introduce all nude nights. Slightly more expensive than other saunas, it was also located out of the city centre. That usually meant the clientele were better looking for some reason. Of several bars, Vincents Lounge was the oldest in Lucky Plaza decades ago. I see it is still going but have not been since the Lucky Plaza days. Backstage Bar in Chinatown is always fun. Even if the other customers were in g…

A fairly recent discussion about key money ensued after it became known that Circus bar on Silom Soi 4 was on the market. The following excerpt describes how it’s understood in Korea. From CNBC Two factors that contribute to the high amount of debt among households in South Korea is a heavy usage of credit cards, and the unique system of housing in South Korea. Prospective homeowners can of course, buy their own homes outright, but for those who cannot, they need to rent. But unlike most rental systems around the world, South Korean renters pay a deposit known as “jeonse” or “key money,” instead of a monthly rent, according to Samuel Rhee, co-founder…

From Pattaya News Pattaya– The Daily Mail website recently reported that a British tourist complained of being allegedly assaulted by Thai police, being detained for 36 hours, and then being forced to pay 15,000 baht for his release after according to him accidentally walking into a traffic barrier. Pattaya police, however, insist they followed legal procedures and did nothing incorrectly. Mr. Andrew Hopkins, a British tourist, told foreign media such as The Daily Mail that he accidentally walked into a traffic barrier while leaving his apartment. A security guard then shouted at him in Thai, which he did not understand, and he tried to apologize. Shortly a…

From The Nation The Taiwanese Interior Ministry has listed Thailand among five Southeast Asian countries as high-risk destinations due to its role in hosting fraud rings. According to a Taiwan News report on Friday, travellers to Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos will now see a warning on their plane tickets, as well as be advised to download a travel safety application. “Over the past few years, there have been several incidents involving Taiwanese being lured to Cambodia or Myanmar to work for scam gangs, ” the ministry said. It added that Myanmar had freed 260 foreigners from a scam centre last week, including …

From Bangkok Post Mae Hong Son: Amid the mountains of northern Thailand is a hub for backpackers to lie in hammocks, swim in waterfalls, walk along the Bamboo Bridge and bask in the sun, as travellers slowly sink into what's known as the "Pai hole" in Pai district. However, there could be trouble in paradise with an overpopulation of tourists creating tension for locals. Once a quiet market village, surrounded by rice fields, hot springs and rivers, Pai is now a thriving hotspot for Thailand's tourists. Famous for its bohemian atmosphere, cheap lifestyle and lively party scene, Pai is a touring backpacker's dream. Falling into the Pai Hole…

A friend visiting his family became involved in a unique rescue effort in his village in The Ha Tinh province of Vietnam. A water buffalo last Friday fell into a shallow well. Its owner sent out urgent calls to the community for help and within minutes would-be rescuers of all ages began converging on the location. They first attempted to manhandle the animal out but were unable to obtain the needed leverage. A local contractor soon joined the effort with his front end loader. My friend’s uncle volunteered to attach heavy duty lifting straps to the animal now trapped on its back in the well. The crane operator then managed to remove the buffalo i…

From Bangkok Post A Thammasat University scholar is urging the government to focus on attracting older tourists who tend to stay longer in the country and have higher spending power. The government has declared 2025 as the year of "Amazing Thailand Grand Tourism & Sports", aiming to attract 40 million international tourists and generate at least 3 trillion baht in revenue this year. Assoc Prof Saifon Suindramedhi, dean of Thammasat University's College of Interdisciplinary Studies, said the initiative's goal of receiving 40 million visitors and making 3–3.5 trillion baht in revenue is achievable. She said Thailand welcomed about 35.5 million touri…

From Pattaya News Thailand’s financial landscape is undergoing big changes as the Bank of Thailand (BoT) introduces new regulations to enhance the security and efficiency of mobile banking. Let’s talk about how these affect non Thai nationals with support from our legal partners at Anglo Siam Legal. These updates, driven by multiple factors including concerns on call center scams that have dominated headlines, aim to protect users. For tourists, foreigners, and expats, these changes can have both positives and negatives. Recent and Upcoming Changes in Mobile Banking Regulations One Account, One Device Rule: As of recent announcements, mobile …

I just saw the movie Companion with my husband, a truly marvelous movie with a gay subplot, and the male lead was played by Jack Quaid, who I thought all along was Joshua Jackson. But I don't suppose Joshua Jackson could have aged quite so well. It's really incredible to me how similar those two are in appearance. Joshua Jackson: Jack Quaid:

From The Thaiger A wave of in-flight thefts targeting unsuspecting passengers sparked urgent action from Thai police after reports revealed that criminals stole valuables worth 19 million baht on flights to Hong Kong last year. Tourism and Sports Minister Sorawong Thienthong has now called on airlines to step up cabin inspections and warn passengers to safeguard their belongings. Several airlines have already tightened security measures in response to growing concerns. Hong Kong recorded 169 cases of in-flight theft in the first 10 months of 2024, with around 70% occurring on regional flights from Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, and India. Passenge…

Didn't this site use to have the feature of putting up a multiple choice poll? What's happened to the feature?