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From The Nation Swiss expat’s long-stay visa at risk as Phuket locals angered by rude behavior A well-known lawyer said on Monday that the Swiss owner of a so-called elephant park in Phuket may not see his long-stay visa extended due to disputes with local people. Phuket residents have been pushing for the expulsion of Swiss national Urs “David” Fehr, 45, after he allegedly kicked a female doctor and accused her of trespassing on his property. The incident took place on the evening of February 24 on the steps of his property at Yamu Beach in Thalang district’s Tambon Pa Klok. Dr Thandao Chandam told reporters later that Fehr looked down upon her as a “local” who could not read an English sign saying the steps she and her friend were sitting on were part of his private property. After the incident, many residents joined a rally at the beach opposite Fehr’s villa on Sunday, calling on the expat to “get out”. Some carried signs saying in English: “Local people don’t want animal”. The protesters said they will move their rally to Phuket city hall in a few days. Many residents also posted Facebook comments saying that Fehr often quarrelled with locals when they tried to access the beach near his property. All beaches in Thailand are public property. Many also alleged that his so-called elephant park, which he used as an excuse to seek donations, did not really rescue elephants. Instead, they allege, Fehr’s Thai wife did deals with mahouts and rented their jumbos for the park. On Monday, well-known lawyer Decha Kittivittayanan said in a Facebook post that he had learned from well-informed police sources that Fehr was unlikely to see his long-stay visa extended. “He will have to return to his homeland,” Decha said.

From The Thaiger An unnamed Thai police officer revealed that his superiors attempted to suppress a story about the arrest of a British backpacker for selling Category 1 drugs on a notorious island in Thailand. Andrew Brett was arrested on Thursday, February 29, for allegedly selling ecstasy and LSD to other foreign tourists at the Ecco Bar on Koh Tao island in the southern province of Surat Thani. The Thai officer, who wished to remain anonymous, informed a reporter that the police had been monitoring the drug dealer for several months before they swooped to nab him. The Thai cop made known they wanted to conceal the crime because the drug dealing took place on the notorious Koh Tao island, widely known as Death Island. Following a tip-off from a concerned patron, police initiated an investigation into allegations that the British man was distributing drugs at the bar. After monitoring his activities for five months, officers finally apprehended him on his way to the establishment on February 29. Among his belongings, officers allegedly discovered 0.54 grammes of ecstasy in a plastic bag, along with 25 ecstasy pills and 75 LSD sheets, locally known as magic paper. According to police reports, Brett would leave his apartment daily at 8pm to sell drugs to customers at the Ecco Bar, a short distance from Sairee Beach where British backpackers Hannah Witheridge and David Miller were tragically killed in 2014. The police officer revealed that the case had been kept confidential for several months. Subsequently, they stated that orders had been given to “suppress the case”’to safeguard the island’s notorious mafia-like reputation. “The suspect admitted that all the narcotics found belonged to him. He said he sold ecstasy pills to tourists for 1,000 baht each, while the LSD paper was sold at 100 baht each.” Brett has been charged with possession of Category I narcotics for distribution and now faces a potential punishment of up to life imprisonment or even the death penalty, depending on the severity of the case. Koh Tao earned the nickname Death Island following the tragic murders of British backpackers Witheridge and Miller in 2014. Subsequent incidents of tourist deaths have raised concerns, with several cases remaining unexplained. Authors, documentary makers, and researchers have attributed these incidents to corrupt Thai police and a powerful group of local families controlling the island, accused of covering up the murders, reported The Daily Mail.

Let me summarize my recent trip. I had a long weekend trip to Lisbon and I was going to attend an event there with my friends so I did not have a lot of time to explore but I had a good grasp of the market. As usual in Europe, hunqz was the most reliable bet but I haven't hired from hunqz for some time. I know that some of the escorts can delete their reviews so I did not find those reviews very useful and that's why I moved away from hunqz. On the surface you find many guys on hunqz but after digging a little bit I realized that it didn't have many guys of my liking. It's not as extensive as Barcelona. But still some options. I also realized that guys in Lisbon are much slower than the guys in Barcelona where I usually get a very quick reply if I contact them through their ad or hunqz website. Most guys quote 100, some 80 (outcalls extra Uber), I got one 120, 150, 200!!! Weirdly the highest two offers were the ugliest 😂 120 was an Argentinian guy who claimed he lost his reviews so smelled a bit fishy and I didn't try. For me bigger sized guys are a problem so it restricted my search quite a bit. Many Brazilians with xx+ so I had to exclude them. I found an African guy who looked like Caribbean or North African. He was 180 + in height and had a very nice well-defined body, not too mascular, very balanced body huge thighs and legs so he was my type in terms of looks and body. He also had a very nice attitude when we messaged: very efficient communication easy to chat upfront about the rates and pictures. So I decided to hire immediately even though he didn't have any reviews. I went to his place and he looked like his at pictures, although a bit balding. I made sure that kissing was okay and everything, so when I arrived we made out and he started having trouble with erection, and of course, when guys have erection problems things get quite ugly. He started telling me that this was his first time and he decided to do it because his friends said he should do it to get extra money and he thought it was easy and the funniest part was that he said he was so confused at the moment when he made out with me and he is straight 😂 well at least he was honest and still had a nice attitude so I decided to end it and pay him 50e, although technically speaking I always say no pay if erection problem. How do you guys deal with erection problems with escorts? I am usually more of a bottom when I hire so erection is essential for me. Without it I don't see any point of hiring them. For the second one, I wanted to go for a reliable hire so someone with a lot of positive comments, so ended up with a Brazilian guy. He was a bit short but nice muscular body, very chill and relaxed. We started from a massage, which usually is mediocre in my past experience outside of Asia but he was quite good. Then we finished the deeds without any issues, nice kisser and average size, which is perfect for me. If you are interested in this guy, message me in private but he is not for the size queens. I also noticed there are some local sites like classificadosx and vivastreet when I googled. Some of them list their prices on their ad so I contacted a few but nothing came out fruitful. On these websites I saw some Portuguese guys so I was curious. Weirdly their rates were lower but all of them except one did not go through. And I didn't have time to meet with the one I managed to chat theough. It was on my day of departure and his place was far from the airport. One interesting incident is that some Brazilians advertise with the same number and same rate but different profiles. Maybe they are staying together but I didn't quite understand what they are up to. There were two hot guys and one tranny using the same location and numbers. Two guys advertise it as 50e for 1h but as soon as you contact them they will increase their rate to 100e, which is still fine but it didn't sit well with me. Something was sketchy so I googled the number and some hunqz profiles came up and they didn't have any reviews either. So I didn't bother to explore more but they were not the nicest people with communicate with. Be careful about these guys. They are very obvious on the platform. Overall, online hiring was a bit time consuming compared to sauna hires. I always had a very nice impression about Brazilians because they deliver and they are very passionate in sex and have nice looks but in Lisbon I realized that most of my positive impressions came from sauna hires. In Lisbon I ran into some difficult Brazilians when I tried to hire online but I realized that I had the same issue with the Brazilians in London as well. So I kinda paused and said wait, maybe I am so biased because of my sauna experience with them 😆 So this was my hiring but I will follow up with non hiring part.

I wish them luck even if not exactly interested in club format. More varied gay/ boy venues the better for the scene. I hope music volume will be bit toned down.

From Thai PBS World A large group of Thai LGBTQ+ people rallied in front of a hotel in Sukhumvit Soi 11 in Bangkok late Monday night, reportedly to confront a group of Filipino LGBTQ+ people following a violent incident early yesterday involving members of the two groups in front of a food shop near the Nana BTS station. A member of the Thai group alleged that about 20 Filipino LGBTQ+ members attacked four Thais and then posted a clip of the incident on social media, in a way they considered to be an insult to the Thais. Two Thais were injured in the incident. They said that the rally was intended defend the dignity of Thai LGBTQ+ people. Officers from Lumpini police station were dispatched to the scene, to prevent the confrontation from intensifying, and invited the two groups to the police station to settle their dispute, with the promise of justice for both sides. Pol Col Yingyos Suwanno, the police superintendent, reportedly said that he would check the papers of the Filipinos, to find out if they have work permits. He then urged the Thais to disperse, a request with which they complied.

While I am sure all of us can understand the frustration, I think this post is unnecessary. If all of your tip money was returned, then it seems quite likely that he will face severe repercussions at work. Also, it may be that if you're paying it all to the house, that they are keeping such a large portion of the guy's income that he feels he needs to play such games in the hopes of salvaging something. Hard to know, but whatever the case, "Jack" is likely to feel the full weight of the event.

Hmmm... The clues: 1. Soi Nana. 2. Five a.m. 3. Ability to mobilise 100 sisters within a day. Professional jealousy perhaps?

From Thai News Agency BANGKOK, March 5 (TNA) – Thai transgender women gathered in Bangkok downtown last night to reclaim dignity for their peers following an incident where four Thai transgender women were allegedly assaulted by a group of 20 Filipino transgender women. A thousand of Thai transgender women gathered outside a hotel in Soi Sukhumvit 11 where the Filipino transgender women involving in the brawl were staying. According to a victim’s friend, the incident occurred around 5 a.m. on Monday outside a restaurant near the BTS Nana Station. They encountered a group of Filipino transgender women with whom they had a previous conflict. A verbal exchange ensued before turning physical outside the restaurant. The Filipino group reportedly consisted of around 20 people, while only four Thai transgender women were present, resulting in injuries to the latter. The incident was later shared on social media by Filipino transgender women, causing Thai transgenders to feel humiliated. This created a significant uproar among Thai transgender community. In response, they gathered at a hotel where the Filipino transgender women involved in the case resided, hoping to resolve the issue and reclaim their dignity. Around 10 p.m., police deployed forces to maintain order at the gathering point in Soi Sukhumvit 11 to prevent further escalation and escorted three Filipino transgender women for questioning at the Lumpini Police Station. Shortly after, about 100 transgender women expressed solidarity with their peers, gathering outside the police station to monitor developments in the case. Thai transgender women, claiming to be victims, also provided statements to the police. Pol. Col. Yingyos Suwanno, chief of Lumpini Police Station emphasized fairness in their investigation for both parties. Once the culprits are identified, they will be summoned for further questioning. Authorities will also scrutinize the purpose of entry into Thailand for foreign nationals involved.

36 in January, 721 total since initial case. The concern would be not so much the volume of new cases but that the ongoing rate of incidence has yet to level off. For example, Canada’s population is a little over half that of Thailand but no new cases in January, 1 in December likely acquired abroad. In contrast, Thailand reports 65 cases over the same period.

Passed by Sol bar on Patpong 2 tonight. It’s apparently transitioning from a gogo to a bar with dj for dancing. Instead of boys sitting outside on terrace there were customers sipping drinks. It’s billing itself now as Club Sol.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/it-was-so-scary-trump-fans-at-missouri-caucus-literally-attacked-fellow-republicans/ar-BB1jeTwY?cvid=63240575e11547a086103977ae6a09c4&ocid=winp2fptaskbar&ei=7&sc=shoreline Trump should have been there. He loves a good fight.

I saw this today and it seems very comprehensive and current. I’m not going to search whether it’s been previously posted. If you go to the main menu you can link to Pattaya, Chiang Mai, or Phuket. https://gayandasia.com/en/bangkok

Haven't been active on this forum for a little while now, but thought I'd give everyone a heads up, esp. those of you who have plans to be in Chiang Mai and will be on the hunt for some R & R. If you find yourself at Circle, steer clear of the guy calling himself Jack. (Pic below.) It's the first time that something like this has happened to me in about a decade or so of hitting the bars. Was at Circle with a couple of friends last week, incld. a local, and ended up offing Jack. The bill came up to 250 BHT for his drink, 400 for the off fee, and 1500 for his tip. (Unusually, the tip was paid to the bar directly.) The group of us headed out for supper, and my Thai pal was curious about his background so had a long-ish exchange with him. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. At first he seemed perfectly nice, even bordering on friendly, but it was after we got back to my hotel room that matters went south quite quickly. I asked him if he would like a beer, and he insisted several times that he would go out to get some. I thought that was strange, so said I'd just get some from the hotel bar. He then changed his tune, insisting that he had to leave at 1 am; it was already ten to. I was taken aback, to put it mildly. I repeated several times that I had paid out the tip, but he kept mumbling something about the mummy not allowing him to stay. At least, that's what I thought was said ... I asked him to text/call mummy - it didn't make sense that he had to cut and run before business was finished - and finally, after about 15 mins of texting and a call, he finally said that mummy agreed to him staying overnight till 6 am for an extra 1000. I didn't have much choice at this point, so gave in. He asked for the grand up front. I handed it over like a fool, then headed down to the bar to get the beer. What happened next seems almost predictable in the telling of the tale, but, as mentioned, this is virgin territory for me. When I returned with the two cans of Chang, he'd disappeared. Without finishing what he'd been paid for, and with the extra thousand baht that he managed to swindle me out of. At first I assumed that he was just out for a puff, but when I went downstairs I discovered that the little shyster's motorbike was gone. It is deeply, deeply unpleasant to be taken for a ride by someone you've been nothing but nice to .. While the money wasn't a big deal, the principle of the matter certainly was. I returned the following night with Thai pal and had words with Circle's mummy. She summoned a sullen-looking Jack out, and according to what my friend summarized for me afterward, he told her that our business had been done by 1 am, and that I had given him the grand as a bonus. Friend promptly set the record straight. She made Jack hand the 1000 BHT over, who did so with some reluctance, then disappeared without so much as an apology or look of contrition. I informed mummy that, since business had not been conducted either, I would like the 1,500 BHT tip back as well. (The off fee I was willing to forgo, seeing that he did at least spend the time having supper with us.) To her credit, the refund was promptly transacted. I then told her exactly what I thought of the crooked, two-faced fraud she calls an employee, and that if he could do this to one customer, he could certainly do it to another, and she best let him go. She appeared, unlike the boy, sincerely apologetic, so that at least provided the satisfactory conclusion that had eluded me the previous night. TL; DR. Jack from Circle in Chiang Mai is a liar, and a cheat. Avoid.

there's retirement home on via Guido Rossa not far from Royal Hammam

2 warning signs : first paying to the bar in advance the tip to the boy ,Second paying in advance the extra fee to the boy for staying overnight. Strange practicing that calling for troubles.

Metro Centrale near Central Station, quite popular, mixed public, nothing special. Saturdays and Sundays a must for the milanesi is Royal Hammam at Lambrate, easy to reach with the metro, nice sauna with big pool, people with attitude and mostly part of a circle of friends, interesting however because is the only place where you can find escorts from Egypt or generally North Africa, usual rate is 50 euro, 99% top. I hope it was helpful

Actually, new case incidence very low first 3 weeks February, so appears under better control, fortunately. Unclear whether a factor in Tawan but it is closest to brothel model of entertainment and majority of cases are MSM.

To whom?

I do hope that Tawan reopens. Whilst it's not my most favourite of bars (as the guys there are a little too big for my taste), I did enjoy the few times that I did visit. Since it has been open for so long, it's a bit of an institution, no?

Thanks to PaulSF for passing this post from SoL Club along.

Normal tourists don't like any risks, brave ones may

all of them were executed on the spot or poisoned with Novichok? It can not be !

pass or pass out?

new BiB boss trying to assert himself ?

Here’s where the SCOTUS has taken us: • A "militia" is any citizen • Corporations are people • Governments can tell women what they can and can't do with their bodies. • You can swear an oath to the constitution, break that oath by starting an insurrection, and still run for president.

Nice speech by the politicians but odds are they won't do anything - they really do need to get some non corrupted people in there to empty the rotten nest...

One of our likely candidates for POTUS has repeatedly called out Putin as the murderous thug he is and pledged all he can do to help Ukraine resist his aggression. The other likely candidate admires Putin and aspires to emulate his approach to governance and international relations. Something to consider in November.

if I was him I'd be trying to get out fast as obviously thing incensed a lot of people and likely rightly so

I am also escaping the water bazooka squirting madness of Pattaya - I leave for Vietnam on 12 April and return after the last squirts and water splashing should have been concluded on 22 April. Some years back, I participated in the Songkran madness but one of my eyes got an infection from some of the dirty water that is splashed around and it took 1 entire week for the infection to go away - so I want to avoid this year's festivities. Many of my friends are saying that I should wear googles but I also wear glasses and it is just so inconvenient to do that for 7 continuous days of water madness..... Already here the stores are selling these GIANT bazooka water pistols - OMG

Is this not, in the main, an urban "thing"? In rural areas, Songkran is more traditionally-celebrated. Farmer know the value of water in Isaan and so on and don't waste it.

It's a shame that so much needful water are wasted. The government could limit it to one day water festival and to avoid this stupid waste.

Now I'm in the middle of trying to make a decision to go to Bogota or Santo Domingo.....was in Bogota last year haven't been to SDQ in AGES. My good friend said if I go to Colombia, he'd try to go or I go alone to Santo Domingo....decisions, decisions. I get industry rates at Hilton branded hotels....in SDQ they're about 15 mins outside of the colonial zone in BOG- located all over.... This is for the end of April.. Edit: I couldn't decide, so I'm going to both places and threw in a night in Panama for good luck!

I've always wondered why Sunee Plaza didn't promote itself on social media to the gay Chinese and Japanese markets, which consist of millions of horny guys. If their promotion reached only a very small percentage of these markets, Sunee would be booming today. If only they knew what was available in the form of gay entertainment - especially of the sleazy, hands -on bars which only ever really thrived in Sunee, they'd be arriving in droves. They could enjoy experiences unheard of in their own countries. Friends in Japan had no idea such a place existed until I told them of my adventures and were genuinely shocked. Such sleaze exists in Japan, but only in private sex clubs which are too expensive for most.

Until you've tasted the rewards, ask Namazu, once he went to Brasil he was hooked and never looked at Asia the same, plus he's survived Brazil without incident...🧐

he was nasty dictator like them all but it needs to be admitted he brought great degree of stability and then development to otherwise horribly tormented country

IMHO not at all, but the only choice we have is either to enter+pay or not step foot in a bar at all. However, to be fair, 500 is not the price of the beer. It is a combo price for the following: 1. The beer. 2. The waiter's effort bringing it to you and watching you like a hawk for the rest of the evening in case you leave without settling the tab ("check bin"). 3. The gogo boys' pittance of a salary for being there on stage. 4. The extra allowances paid to those boys who participate in shows. 5. Your share of rent and utilities. 6. Your share of the brown envelope money that even permits the bar to operate the way it does. 7. Costs of other staff such as the DJ who does not know what tolerable volume level means. 8. Management profit. All the above add up to 250 baht, which would be more or less what the girl gogo bars charge. It is 500 baht because each customer who steps into a boy bar has to pay the share of the missing customer who, having seen the fast declining quality of the boys and their undress (less undressed than before), the boring shows, and the escalating prices, have since stopped to the bars or much less frequently than before. If not for paying the share of the missing customer, there won't be enough revenue to keep the bars going. Enjoy 😛

there's no sex trade in Thailand so no need for such programs, ask any government official.

I have been at the complex 3 days now and enjoying my stay at the Venue hotel. I met a very beautiful femboy on grinder last night and we spent the night together. Beautiful five foot nine 120 lbs with blonde hair. he is a student and he's been here only one week from Burrium. I bought many drinks for him at the hotel and I know they are happy with my generosity. My question is where is there a high quality three or four star Thai restaurant In the complex or close by in Jomtien. I will give updates tomorrow if anyone is interested. This late sixty american is in heaven right now... I never dreamed I could do what i'm doing! One other thing is that I was going through 2 or 3 short times my previous days. But now that I met this beautiful one from up North, I am kind of going into a romantic stage. I have to be careful. ...wow!

Day 26 It was nice but for a price I’d say it could be better specially that in the morning AP announced that he needs to go. That was reasonable 7 am and it saved me buying him breakfast but still I’m not fan of boys saying good bye first unless timeframe was agreed beforehand. After breakfast I went to Main post office on Charoen Krung , there’s always small collector market in the corner at front of it and I wanted to check their offerings. Did not leave them empty handed but with lighter pocket , that’s for sure. Returned by the bus I boarded randomly and which turned out passing by Wat Hualampong. For 14.30 to Jey Spa, I had an appointment with Mavin, our first. On the picture he looked more massive but service was as good as Maii’s or Noom, my favorites there so all good. From there to Madrid Tavern for my last pizza this trip. Then to my room for bit of quiet rest. For tonight I expect S , our 8th meeting this trip and he showed up at 20.30, straight from the bus from home. Since he was hungry we went to Foodland , he made sure to pick up one of their cheapest thing on the menu, he certainly is not one set for milking farang out of every penny and then somebody may wonder how come he lands so many offs, right? I also gave him 500 for off fee as he was supposed to work today and we returned to the room for out last night of embraces +++ this trip.

Day 25 I like guys who are not rushing things and won’t go until I let them and he sensed it very well. We kind of overslept so breakfast was out of question , I gave him some money to buy himself something , I packed my few things and went to Jomtien bus station where I had 11.30 bus booked yesterday. When booking I had choice of 11.30 or 14.00. All buses in between were already filled up. With enough time to eat something I grabbed coffee and a sandwich in small place at the station. There was some rain mid way to Bangkok. In Silom first I went to Foodland for lunch greeted by few smiles of staff as I was away for almost week. Room at Bann Silom was ready , I got the same I had last week. Not long after I had guest. N , my occasional visitor not from the scene messaged me this morning that he is free in the afternoon and can come. That is way we operate- he lets me know when he is free (or short of cash or both) and I tell him yes or no. No fuss from either side. We had good , even quite romantic time till 7.30 , broken with KFC treats he ordered on his way. In the evening after he left I went for a stroll poking my head here and there , stopped at Hot Male for a drink, then went to Moonlight where I was surprised how few clients graced an audience. Brave models and floor boys still presented themselves to very few of us , only just before show crowd thickened a bit but not more than half of seats were filled. At times I had impression there were more waiters than spectators. Hope situation improves as all in that is my favorite bar at the moment. I was hoping Y will be there but he did not show up or was already taken so I settled for so called second best AP whom I had already before in hard covid times. Long time no problem as he remembered me well , even hotel where we met but quoted me way more than I was willing to pay so bit firm price reduction was demanded by me before we settled on terms, lol I think in passing that scarcity of customers may have something to do with tips expected. We went to Happy Beer Garden for a dinner and pleasant conversation before we went to hotel for our reunion

Day 24 There was bond and dynamics and as result it was only 11 am when we went for a breakfast to Beer Garden in mouths of Walking Street he suggested,. Nice place with the breeze and a view of the bay. I suggested he will come during day but answer was bit harsh “ I have a life, need to go to the beach and the gym”, when I mused that those are not revenue generating activities he said that he doesn’t like customers to control his life. And about the beach – he is unique among Thai boys because he has that sexy tan line outlining his briefs ! Whoa ho, but having fresh in memory excellent time we just had together I actually liked his honesty and straightforwardness and very fact that he knows how to keep balance between income generating and fun. In short , just like me who few month ago decided to stop working fully knowing how much I will be losing in terms of money. So no, I did not take any offence, even if he sprinkled it with musing that I’m boring, lol. No doubt guy has character and I like it. I did not say anything but knew already where I will be heading for my tonight’s catch. So we parted ways, he went to have his life and I went to have mine. ZJ , our former member visited me at Copa for a chat , then we went to Terminal 21 for a lunch . After that we parted ways promising to meet in the evening at Jomtien Complex. I went to Paradise Spa for massage with Wit who right away recognized me and said ‘ my Casanova is here “ . Nice to be home, he, he. Rest of day I spent lazybuming and on computer. In the evening I went to Jomtien , had a chat and a drink with one of boys in Your Place bar , then with ZJ and Gerefan at @Home bar before returning to Dreamboys exactly at 10pm. No my forum friend did not mix the numbers. #37 was there. What a hunk!!! Unfortunately he was already sitting in the audience , mamas an told me waiting for his customer to show up and soon after lucky guy, tall farang in mid 40 ties grabbed him off. Not that I was left empty handed. Arm happy to have his life during day seemed very happy to see me again. Boring , controlling who cares ? Smile was broad and when I motioned him to come it become VERY BROAD. Going with me ? Why not ? was the answer. We went to the same place for dinner, returned to his friend bar for a drink like last night and went home for another fun filled night. It was actually even more fun because we had some nice talk and he opened up a bit.

Day 23 Setting alarm clock was smart as I woke up at 9.55, 5 minutes before it sounded. Yes , first thing was to grab the phone, On Grindr response from Z timed about 1 hr after I went to bed so I was already asleep. I responded right away where I am and what time I will be leaving. On line message from Cambodian “ ??? “ send at 8.in the morning. So I asked why you did not show up? Only to get exactly the same “detailed” response . I left it as that, shower , packing up. I went for breakfast checking Grindr every few minutes but it was silent . At noon my taxi arrived and Z responded only when I was half way to the airport . Too late to meet unfortunately. Today I’m flying to Utapao, airport near Pattaya. Not cheapest option but fastest as it by passes Bangkok and saves time waiting for the next bus to Pattaya at Swampy. And flight is with Bangkok Airways , it means there will be a meal and it was, very tasty at that. It took 90 minutes by turboprop. As bonus seat beside me was empty, always adds a bit of comfort. Habit of flying in the back pays again. Here it is: At Utapao there were two options of getting to the city – taxi and van offering door to door delivery for 300 baht if I recall correctly. I don’t think taxi was much more expensive but I decided to take van so van it was. We got to outskirts very fast but in Pattaya itself it was nightmare- 6 pm traffic with streets choked. I got great idea when van was dropping some guys at hotel near VC hotel I alighted and walked 10 minutes to my Copa in Boyztown certainly beating vehicle which was due to drop two other people somewhere before heading my way. Evert trip I try to treat myself with some luxurious digs for 2-3 nights. This time it was King suite at Copa with bedroom and living areas completely separated by the full bathroom in the middle. I made myself at home , at about 8 pm. Bkkmfj from the forum showed up and we sat down on Copa’s terrace to exchange latest and bit dated news as it was out first meet in about 1 year. When we got hungry we decided to snack on banana pancake in soi 13/1 for half of Phuket price and then headed to Dreamboys as this was my number 1 direction this trip. One of our member was there month ago and highly recommended #37 from there. Since he is one with taste mirroring mine there was no ifs, just go to Dreamboys. There were few attractive boys on the stage but no #37. There was #36 , very handsome , tall , well built and one who was actually dancing on the stage. So I thought my friend just mixed up number and had in mind #36 . It was only one problem , he did not pay any attention to me, Bkkmfj even noticed he is not paying attention to anybody, just his view in the mirror on the wall. But there is cure for every malady so I used world renown and patented solution – vinapu tuck. Yes, red note well placed inside of his , needs to be said, well filled briefs generated smile, this generated motion to come and sit down beside , drink offer and off. You go with me? Yes, long time ? Why not? Sealed. It’s how I like it, I knew it will work well. In meantime , rest assured my friend Bkkmfj find way of occupying himself with suitable company but that is his business. We left at the same time but in different directions. Arm, my guy, suggested we visit bar of his friend for a drink and I gladly agreed , it turned out that bar in in old Vassa bar location. I sensed it was right thing to do as that had a lot to talk about to an extend that friend even apologized that she is taking by guys and mine time by yakking and yakking but I had fun listening and as I said , I sensed it was bit more that killing time. Arm said he is her best friend and I could feel some human bond between two. He was not shy to let me to hold his hand in plain view and it did not create any sensation among few other patrons who a gathered there in meantime. This is Pattaya after all. After hour or so we went to the room and fun started. He sensed immediately what I like and made sure I liked whom I had.

With just two full days and three nights spent there I wouldn't put much weight on what I say on the subject of Phuket. I'm glad I went there, not being much of a sun and sand person did not partake in beach activities at all but beaches seemed nice and water clear and wet enough. Definitely scenery on island is impressive as always where mountains are meeting the sea. Another reason I'm glad I went is I like to see new places. Definitely it' was very tourists infested, much more than Pattaya in my opinion. I don't mind that as I did not encounter any problems with fellow travellers but my forum friend who said ' at times you will forget you are in Thailand " was on something. Some Thais and farangs were complaining abut dominant Russian presence but as everywhere else I never had any problems with Russian tourists other than visible reluctance to talk to strangers, even talking to them in their language. But that I noticed in other places , including where I live. It seems that those tourist hordes are driving prices up. I mentioned 80 baht banana pancake on main street , I saw another one in side soi for 50 , still more than everywhere else. Prices of tours seem to be inflated but from why I overheard it's very easy to bargain it down, sometimes discount is just given. Island tour priced at 1400 I got for 900 before I even asked, on another hand cruise to Bond island ( still to be written about ) I got for list price of 1800 but family of 5 who was on the same tour got it for 1450 a head - volume discount perhaps ? Smart bus from the airport seems great idea as it takes us everywhere for 100 but taxi to airport was still costly at 700 and it's only 30 kms from Patong , roughly Silom -Swampy distance. As for the gay scene everything is close in few sois of Paradise Complex. My two massage experiences were less than thrilling ( too greedy , another too speedy ) but it's only statistic sample of two so perhaps I had bad luck. ZAG club was both nights packed, I had fun but again did not get lucky hooking up with somebody, not for lack of trying , mind you. It seems boys there are skilled in extracting drinks from customers but perhaps I was not attractive enough to get that 'wink, wink , where's your hotel? are you travelling alone? " paradise leading questions. I did not try that new club CRUISE and I'm spitting at myself in the mirror when shaving every morning for good reason. After I left I learned that they had grand opening celebrations at time when I was there and one of guests was Arthur Rangsit , one of my favorite Thai porn actors. Stupid people never had it easy I guess. Nicest thing about Phuket was that airfare out of Bangkok was extremely affordable, sadly it can't be said about flying from Phuket to Utapao (Pattaya ) but I guess volume is not there. Hotel and restaurant prices were I'd say in line, perhaps bit higher but again , my sample is too small. All in all I think for what I need I like Pattaya better but if opportunity comes I can easily envision visiting Phuket , specially Patong with it's gay scene , again. It probably would be nice to rent a car or boy with a car and have sightseeing done at my own pace as opposite to tour rhythm.

Day 21. Morning air and view was quite crisp. Being good friend I went to the lobby to say goodbyes to my friend whose car was already waiting then returned to my room to pack little I have since I won’t be returning there after the tour. My van arrived at 10.00 as promised but it took more than hour to collect all other participants from 6 or 7 hotels. That is one of reasons I’m not big fan of this type of tours but my time at Phuket was short so decided to do some shortcuts. Hiring car with driver would be more expensive but also more time efficient. As usual it was blend of tourist sights – Big Buddha, Wat Chalom and Phuket Old Town and commercial part – honey farm, cashews farm and jewelry shop plus two animal tormenting sites _ Tiger camp and elephant camp. Big Buddha is impressive site with beautiful view but was very crowded, Wat Chalom newish but very colorful and old town the same like Buddha Hill , colorful but crowded. I did not bother with neither tiger nor elephant concentration camps , I don’t like this type of entertainment even if I’m not animal lover I don’t support enslaving and drugging them for somebody’s entertainment. From commercial part I like some offerings at cashews farm- they sold cashews in several different flavors, I found truffle one particularly tasty but not exactly cheap. All in , I still enjoyed tour as it gave me some idea how Phuket looks like. Since I’m changing hotels I alighted in Patong’s center and walked to Paradise Complex where my hotel The Corner is located. Looked as newly built or renovated place intended to work as budget version of Royal Paradise Hotel , towels even bear that hotel signature. I can recommend place as location is perfect , on the , you guessed it, corner of soi where ZAG and new CRUISE gay clubs are located. Aquarious hotel and sauna and massage spas are all within 100 meters or less. Paradise Complex main soi, The Corner is where those green planters are Cruise club across the soi from my hotel, The Corner ZAH club Royal Paradise Hotel is truly landmark, picture taken from door of The Corner As budget place had some , how to say , simplifications? No elevator, no kettle and no safety box but otherwise everything was perfect, AC was working , bed was comfortable and definitely I would stay there again. After setting in I went to eat something, bought cruise to James Bond Island for tomorrow and stroll soi where M to M massage shops are located where I spotted nice looking muscular guy so enrolled him for massage. For some reason he was in rush to finish session , in about ½ he we were done , massage , afters and stamp collection . Second massage in Phuket and second not so special . Too bad as guy was good looking , muscular, exactly of type I like and if he took better care about business I was ready to invite him for private sessions of length of his choice. After dark I went to ZAG for few drinks and watch the show outside. Had fun as on eof their waiters was kind of cruising me and I was cruising him, you know , drink here, wandering hand there. After 11 all were invited to move inside where show continued on the stage broken from time to time with models parade. show at ZAG I tipped two of them red notes and as soon as they finished their part they came to my table to thank me , I offered them drinks so more discreet and not so discreet touches but at end of day or rather night nothing materialized . Thay had other adorates as well , waiter was pretending to be busy so at 2 am I went to hotel alone. Bit excited decided still to do some walking and went to Bangla Road, Patong’s main strip and I was shocked indeed to see how busy at that late time it was , imagine Siam BTS station at rush hour. It was probably 3 when I returned to the room to catch few hours of sleep.

Day 16 Sukhotai ruins K and I decided to start early to avoid much of heat , at least in some monuments although it needs to be said that weather was extremely co-operative during out time in Sukhotai and it did not feel lie Thailand at all. Balmy 24 – 25 , that’s all. On another hand place is quite vast and if one needs to avoid heat is to come back to hotel and take airconditioned nap. Fortunately not necessary for us. There are basically three zones of sites, Central , Northern and Western, each requiring separate 100 baht ticket as well as 10 baht bicycle ticket as well. They did not charge us for bicycles at western zone. We had our breakfasts at 7 am and then I rented bicycle in my hotel, K opted for rental place nearby and we moved to central zone with Wat Mahatat first, son after site was opened. It needs to be said that while not overwhelmed if was quite populated by tourists , both individual and on tours. Temples on all three zones are quite close to each other but still not adjacent so walking would be way too demanding and cycling is ideal, Hence abundance of bicycle rental places. Some sophisticated tourists may opt for electric cart , with or without guide. There is some shade but a lot of ruins are in the open , there are places o the way where one can buy some drinks but as for temple sites themselves only most popular Si Chum has proper facilities with stores and toilets. Good news is while spread out sites are still quite close to the city so if one feels tired , returning to hotel is fairly easy. Some temples in the western zone require a bit of climb, definitely worth it in any case we went up. All in, that is very pleasant , interesting and easy ‘to do’ site and easily few days can be spend there exploring what’s available. Some smallish temples are not even on the map I attached for day 15. I.e. next day we noticed that there are ruins of temple in close vicinity to our hotels not even shown on the said map . When I went there , another ruins appeared in the trees across the road, also not on the map I estimate we visited today about 20 and on our way to them passed by another 15 without stopping there . Around 16.00 ( remember we started at about 7.30 ) I felt dehydrated and suggested we call today’s part off to which K agreed so we pedaled back to the city where we stopped for a meal, mine of course was chicken with cashew nuts, bit spicy there and costing twice as much as in restaurant we were dining lest evening. Tourist zone , tourist prices. Eariler , while on the way we discussed about plan for tomorrow as we had either Kamphean Phet or Si Satchanalai. Not feasible to do both as they are in opposite directions and by the way Si Satchanalai is relatively close to the Sukhotai airport. We settled on Kampheang Phet and stopped at the travel office on our way to see what price may be. Offer was 1500 for car with driver, bit cheaper than hotel offered so we agreed right away and even broke rules and paid for it right away asking driver to be at the hotel at 9.00. Finally around 6 pm we landed back in hotels and after bit of rest went back to the city to check night market where I had 2 banana pancakes for 30 baht each. While waiting for first to be prepared some French tourists took an interest in trying , then somebody else and it looked I made lady very busy all of the sudden. I was victim of that success as was forced to wait for 2nd one to be prepared such was a line. While day was pleasant , night was even more , hell with mosquitos , geckos , cobras and lions, I decided to sleep with open patio door and as we can see , survived to tell the tale.

Day 7 , Bangkok part A wanted to go home at 7. Normally I’d be bit upset considering his compensation but today it worked for me as I’m on the move. We went for breakfast to new Foodland in Park Silom, not as crowded as on another day but still very well patronized for that early hour. Total bill 500 , out of it 83 was my discounted American breakfast. Those muscly semi gods are not company for penny pinching seniors. Then we parted our ways , I returned to hotel and packed since today I’m starting Cambodian part of my trip. Most of goodies I simply tucked in suitcase and left in the hotel where I’m returning in about 11 days. What I thought I need for Cambodia I packed into travel bag and took with me. Travelling lightly at cost of making daily laundry is how I like to move around.. My flight to Phnom Penh was from Swampy so BTS to Phaya Thai and ARL to Swampy from there. Lines to immigration and security attested than tourism rebounded big time. Flight with Lanmei Airlines was short and uneventful and 1 hour later I landed in Phnom Penh. This trip report will be continued in Cambodia section for benefit of those readers who are interested more in that country than Thailand. Then we return here to continue Thai part , particularly trip to Sukhotai and Kamphaeng Phet. this report is continued in Cambodia section at this link : https://www.gayguides.com/forums/topic/41671-phnom-penh-angkor-koh-ker-and-sambor-prey-kuk-trip-to-cambodia-in-jan-2024/

slavery was abolished more than 150 years ago. On serious note decision to retire will come naturally based on my experience . I was not planning although I'm well past retirement age, then it dawned on me that time is running out like somebody commented on another forum - longer you save for the future , shorter that future becomes.

Day 6 Solitary breakfast at Foodland Patpong generated comment from one of servers ‘ alone today? “ . I was about to answer ‘ none of you f….ng business “ but fortunately Guardian Angel restrained me and I said nothing. Certainly we are much less anonymous on the scene than we wish for and then we think we are. Not sure it’s good or bad but it’s good to be aware about the fact. After breakfast I joined my friend for some sightseeing of Sukhumvit area. We visited new mall Em Something at soi 22. I was not impressed but my friend was. I don’t fly that far to wander through the malls , no matter how shiny. But at least I kept him from s Silom area and possible chance meeting of boy loudly asking “ Can I sleep with you tonight?”. Mindful that I expect guest in the afternoon I was thinking how to part our ways but fate was on my side, friend ate something unfriendly for breakfast and decided to retire to his room to cure both diarrhea and jet lag and I went to hotel on my way stopped at KFC of all places because N , my guest loves their stuff so I bought big bucket and as soon as I got it message on Line arrived with N asking to buy some KFC stuff for him as he is on his way. Perfect timing. N works nights so arrangements we have is whenever he feels like seeing me during day ( translation : can use some money ) he tells me day ahead he can come and if I’m free I tell him yes, see you tomorrow . If I have another plans I tell him no, next time . No fuss, clean and clear arrangement. He is great guy who reads me very well and has only one fault – doesn’t kiss. He is not only one who don’t although his lips are particularly kissable and is shame they are so wasted So we had few hours of fun and all started shockingly, yes as soon as we closed door and embraced he planted sophisticated and long lasting kiss on me. I almost fainted or may be I did , just don’t remember ? After I got my breath again he told me ‘this is my new year gift to you “ . How not to like such considerate guy ? So we had quite a nice and long, no rush session this afternoon . No we did not spent all that time eating from that bucket but certainly we tasted a bit. Rest I suggested he can take and treat his friends at work which it turned out was exactly he wanted to ask me. No doubt we understand each other very well. Since his English is good we can always break sinful activities with some sophisticated conversation. At 19.00 he declared it’s time to say good bye as he doesn’t want to be late at work . asked about my trip plans and promised to see me again before I go home “ but no kiss , I kiss you again next trip “ . I’m clinging to that promise expectantly as it was truly nice surprise. I have somebody else coming tonight so just to make sure I went to Thainya to exchange some money. Normally I do it at XOne but today was Sunday and they are closed . Jewelry shop at end of Thainya on the left coming from Sala Daeng is open daily till late and they have pretty good rates so if readers are in need of money exchange late or on Sunday that is the place to go.. I noticed that on Sundays those booths in the area which are opened have rates quite uncompetitive – market economy in situation when most are closed. When I returned to hotel I met K , my Taiwan friend who arrived yesterday and is staying in the same hotel . We exchanged news and upon learning I’m going to Sukhotai after returning from Cambodia he expressed intention of going there as well so I furnished him with info about flight I’m taking and hotel I’m staying there. At 22.00 I was supposed to meet A, muscle semi god who seems to have left scene recently. I did not see him in his bar , when asked mamasan there answer was very vague ‘ we don’t know if he returns and when ’. Nevertheless Line contact worked and he was free tonight. He changed his hairstyle and was actually him who first spotted me approaching although there’s no chance in hell I would miss such hunk sitting / standing / walking anywhere. We went to restaurant to eat something, bill was quite high but blame is on me as I was one to pick up that place. I tried to find out what is his reason for such departure from the scene but my joking question ‘ do you have boyfriend or girlfriend now ? ‘ was met with but reluctant answer “ I know many people ‘ so I left my curiosity unsatisfied. He looked good and happy so I guess he has it good and I’m happy for him. Boyfriend , girlfriend or monk , in the room he was great as always and seemed as happy as I was so another 6th overnight meeting this trip was chalked off as ‘outstanding ‘. For tip he asked it should be I thought but at least he delivered big and in style.