a447a

Just make sure you see the taxi first. I once ordered a taxi from one of those stands. The advertisement showed a beautiful new car, but the one that turned up was old and battered and none of the seat belts was working. I refused to get in and had to run around looking for another one.

The German owner of Dreamboys told me earlier this year that Soi Twilight would remain open for another year.

Just be careful at Golden Cock. If you let your hair (and your pants) down, the bill can soon add up.

I turned up on opening night and found the place deserted. I went inside for a look but didn't stay. They had three problems imho. Drinks were way too expensive, they didn't have enough guys and the bar was in a poor location. Their business plan seemed all wrong. It was a case of open a bar and the customers will turn up. But they didn't. Still, it's a shame every time a bar closes.

Vinapu, I really admire your attitude. If you really want something, fuck the cost, just go for it. At the end of the day, you can't take it with you. And you only live once. Spend, enjoy, spend, enjoy. I love it!

The only guys who will never go with another customer while I'm in town are my two regulars in Bangkok and Pattaya. For all the others who promise to wait for me and are not in the bar when I turn up, the "bird in the hand" principle applies. And as business is business, I don't have a problem with that.

Bucknaway, I also noticed the large number of Chinese customers at Classic House. Word has gotten around, in China, it seems. That's great, as it should ensure the longevity of Classic. These gay venues just need more customers; their nationality is irrelevant.

So, he's also an acrobat! That augurs well for fun in bed!

He's gorgeous! Mmmm...I suddenly feel a trip to Nepal coming on!

I have 2 regulars -one in Bangkok and the other in Pattaya. I've known both for around 6 years. I let them know when I'm going to Thailand and they are always waiting for me. I spend the entire holiday with Nom in Pattaya. When he was working at Eros he'd come and meet me at my hotel early in the afternoon. At night he would accompany me to the bar where I paid the off fee and then we'd go off together. Now he no longer works in a gogo bar so there is no need to pay an off fee every night. Instead, I give it to him. My guy in Bangkok waits for me every afternoon and will not accept an off from someone else. I meet him in the bar every day and we then go back to the hotel. I pay the off fee every day. After we've had our fun we usually go out to dinner. He then returns to the bar, where he works more as a manager than a gogo boy and I am free to off someone else. So the situation with the two guys is different. The key is getting to know them over multiple visits; then they will refuse other customers while you are in town.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't you recently call someone a "dumb Australian"? Yep, definitely "non judgemental."

Well said!

This morning I had a quick chat to the guy who had 30,000 band stolen. Of course, he hasn't got it back. He went to the police but says "it's a fucking mess." The money has probably gone forever. He is still devastated. A minor correction to my report : the big screen they have been testing out is in Le Cafe Royal, not Copa.

But only if you don't go bar-hopping.

Last night I had to drop into Family Mart, next to Toyboys and opposite a massage place to get condoms. Nom hesitated and then said it would be better if he waited outside. "Why? Is there a problem?" "If you buy condom everyone know we fucking ." Oh,....I'd never thought of that. And given the size of the condom they'd no doubt assume I was the fucker, not the fuckee! On a previous holiday with Nom the young guy at Family Mart checked the size of the condoms. "Oh, you so big!" "Not really, only medium." He made my night! As I came out I saw not only my old friend ex-Happy Place, Yut, but also a regular who I used to have massages with at the old Narcissus. Yut approached me with a big smile. He knew I was with Nom and there was no chance of a massage. "Oh, today I no have customer. Tomorrow must pay rent." Silence from me. "I hungry now. Can buy food for me?" That I can do, so I have him 100 baht. The other guy saw me give Yut the money so I went over and asked if he was hungry. You'd expect him to say yes and collect 100 baht, but instead, he told me he had just eaten. What a sweetie! So I have him the money anyway. "Maybe you get hungry later." I told him about the rumour going around that the Chinese had bought the Ambiance Hotel, Boyzboyzboyz and, possibly Copa. He already knew and was far from happy. "They don't like small boy like me with dark skin. Only farang like me." Copa's refurbishment is coming along nicely. The last two days they have been testing out a huge screen inside, showing YouTube videos. It looks fantastic. Just like you see in the clubs in China. During my last holiday a few months ago the Ambiance was renovating all the penthouses on the fifth floor. They are still at it. They are also renovating the third floor and, unfortunately, the room right next door to mine. At first everything was ok, with just a little bit of noise - just some drilling, starting at noon. But today it started at 11:30 and the vibration from the drill next door almost had me falling out of bed. I went downstairs and sat on the verandah and got talking to Swiss guy. He was sitting there with his suitcases. I thought he was leaving but no, he was checking out of the Ambiance and moving across to Copa. I'm always aware that you only get what you pay for, so when I saw that Agoda was offering a 5O% discount, it should have rang alarm bells. But being the last available room I quickly booked it without thinking. The Swiss guy was sitting with his Thai boyfriend - they've been together 13 years. He travels the world with his job and takes the guy everywhere. They stay in 5-star accommodation, all paid for by his company. Next week they are off to Malaysia and then Japan. After that he is taking his guy on a holiday to Vietnam - Halong Bay. He has also built mama and papa the obligatory Western-style house in the village. You'd think the guy would be somewhat grateful. But instead, he sits there every day, totally ignoring his partner and just looking miserable. As we went back to the room 2 farang were asking the receptionist to check the ID photo of a girl they had brought back to the room last night. Apparently, the girl stole around 30,000 baht from the room. I was shocked at the complete disinterest shown by the receptionist. He told the guys the hotel didn't have any information on the girl, despite the fact the night receptionist had taken a copy of her ID card. He couldn't be bothered looking for it. Tonight I asked Nom where he wanted to go for dinner. Please God! It's our last night together. Don't let him say Sizzler! "Sizzler ok?" There is no God. Really?? Out of all the restaurants we could choose from? Sizzler? Fucking Sizzler?? Now, I'm no gourmet, that's for sure, but I hate Sizzler with a passion! The food is plastic and the salads are full of sugar. Even the jacket potatoes are sweet. There is nothing I can eat there and enjoy. But he likes their steak. "I know you want to eat steak. Let's go to Benihana. It's a Japanese steak restaurant. I think there's one in Royal Garden." "Oh, I think expensive." Well, maybe it is if you compare it to Sizzler. But as a special treat, why not? "Mmmm..I think Sizzler ok. Not so expensive." "Ok," I said with a smile. "We can go to Sizzler." Damn! So, that was Pattaya. Not only was it one of the best holidays I've ever had here, I can't believe how much money I have left over. I only went to the bars on my first night and after that just hung around with Nom. Compared to what I regularly spend in Bangkok, Pattaya can be a bargain if you find the right guy.

It's difficult to know what happened to Beer. Of course, I met him in Eros through Nom. Apart from the one chuck-wow I tended to keep my hands to myself out of deference to Nom. But Beer soon became totally uninhibited in the bar and always seemed to have a farang's hand on his cock. But fedssocr's comment may week be right on the mark. I think he simply discovered a taste for alcohol, as he was drinking with customers every night. I also believe he fell in with the wrong crowd and it was they who introduced him to the party lifestyle. And now he had the money to pay for it. It's easy to criticise him for the poor decisions he has subsequently made, but at the end of the day he is a young, uneducated country boy and was simply not strong enough to resist the temptations. We were all once young and foolish. I have told Nom that I am willing to help Beer financially if it could bring him back on the straight and narrow. Nom thinks I would be just throwing my money away and that he'll only change when he becomes more mature. We just have to wait until, like Nom, he finally sees the light.

Yesterday afternoon we were laying in bed and the conversation turned to dinner, as it always did after we've had our fun. We both like prawns so he A I'll call him Nom - suggested we go to a seafood barbecue buffet restaurant called "Ninja." It was sensational. I ended up having one of the best meals ever in Thailand. The selection of seafood is huge - meat, vegetables, salad, fruit are also included in the 400 baht price. But we went straight for the prawns. Whenever I take a guy out for dinner I am always surprised by the amount they can eat. We loaded up our plates just with prawns - all a very decent size - and cooked them ourselves on the barbeque. I took about 10, he took around twice as many. We shared them. After we'd finished those, it was back for more. Again, I took 10 but he took 24! OMG! When we had eaten our fill there were still 4 of his left on the plate but we somehow get through them. So all in all I'm guessing we ate close to 60 prawns between us. I've never eaten so many in one sitting and by the time I'd finished I knew prawns will now be off the menu for quite a while. And I'll have to get my cholesterol down. At 400 baht, it was the bargain of the century. And Nom was in heaven, as prawns are a bit too expensive for him. We'll be going back again before I leave, but this time we'll mix it up a bit. They had whole fish on offer but we were too full to try them. Forget the rip-off seafood places on Walking Street. There's no comparison. Over dinner we were talking about his brother, Beer. If two people were ever cut from a different cloth it is these guys. Beer is his younger brother. He couldn't find work back home so Nom suggested he try his luck with him in Pattaya. He joined him in Eros. When I first met Beer he reminded me so much of Nom, who had raised him single-handedly when he himself was still only a child; he was quiet, reserved, very polite and a little shy. He didn't speak a single word of English. One night the three of us were sitting in Eros when Beer asked me to chuck-wow him. What? Here, in front of your brother? I was a bit hesitant, as I felt it may be disrespecting Nom. "Can do. No problem. He want chuck-wow from you. Sure!" So Nom sat and watched as I chuck-wowed his own younger brother. It was all a bit surreal and I felt quite uncomfortable, so I left him do it himself and lent him a helping hand every now and then. But I needn't have worried. After Beer came, both brothers sat there joking about the amount of cum he'd produced and his unusual chuck-wow style. When I was growing up in Japan it was common amongst my friends to jack-off in front of they brothers, as they shared a room. It was more convenient to sacrifice privacy for the sake of convenience - no need to get up and go to the toilet to do it. I don't have a brother but one thing is for certain - if I shared a room I'd be doing it in the toilet, not in his presence. In a traditional Japanese house you can hear absolutely everything that goes on. If your friend is having a wank, you know. And he knows you know. If any fucking takes place the whole house shakes. Couples have to wait until their children to go sleep and then do it was quietly as they can. This explains the huge number of love hotels in Japan. They are mostly used by couples who want privacy and can let their hair down. Fucking in Japan is a very noisy activity! I knew they once shared a room near when they started working together at Eros and later when they moved to a bar in Jomtien Complex, so I was interested in how they got on. "What did you do? Did you chuck-wow in front of each other? "No, never! He my brother. Can not!" But....but...what about that time in the bar?" "Not same. Bar is work." The line had been drawn. It also explains an incident that happened in a restaurant a couple of years ago. I went over to pay the bill and he walked outside. When I came out I could see he was visibly upset and very angry. "What's wrong?" I asked, thinking maybe I was at fault. He was unable to hide his feelings behind his smile. Something had happened, but he didn't want to tell me. Finally he explained that as he was leaving, a farang who had been sitting next to us had rushed up and grabbed his butt. "He touch me here! I not baby! Here not bar!" In Australia the guy would have been charged with sexual assault. To make matters worse, it happened in public, front of other customers. He felt humiliated. Sorry, I digress. Back to Beer. At first everything was going well between the brothers but then Beer suddenly started making money and soon discovered alcohol, girls and nightclubs. They, not work, became his sole focus. Him spoke to him about the importance of a sound work ethic and the necessity to distaste work from play. He knew, as he was speaking from experience. But Be refused to listen. Nom said he skips work whenever he's got a bit of money from the customers and sirens the whole night partying, often arriving home at noon. He also sometimes starts drinking in the early afternoon and turns up for work drunk. Non had also told him time and time again that when a customer calls you over to sit with him, you can't pull out your phone and play games. Sitting with a customer is work. To his credit, Beer took one piece of advice from Nom - start learning English. He exclaimed to him that customers are paying money and don't want to sit in silence with their chosen companion. When I last saw Beer I was amazed at his progress - we could actually carry on a simple conversation. An American customer was smitten by Beer - he's really very cute - and offed him every night. He asked Beer if he had a motorbike and when he said no, he took him out the next day and bought him a brand new 80,000 baht Honda. But when the farang came back a few months later, Beer decided he'd rather party with his friends and refused to meet him! Nom was appalled and that incident has affected their relationship. Although he still soaks fondly of him, he tells me he is ashamed of his brother. When Beer runs out of money he knows better than to ask Nom for a hand -out. "I give him nothing. He cannot pay room? Ok, he sleep with his friend. His problem, not mine." But I know that when Beer is down to his last satang, Nom buys him food. But that's all. "I tell him, you want money, you come to bar and work. But he don't listen. He crazy!" Nom told me that Beer rides his motorbike when he's so drunk he can hardly stand up. He tries to avoid the police by going down the back streets, but last year he was caught and spent some time in prison. He was on the phone every day begging his brother to bail him out. "So, what did you do? I asked, fearing I already knew the answer. A long silence ensured. "I pay. Now I feel shame." Tears welled up in his eyes. He obviously loves his brother deeply but now he is sick with worry. He goes to bed every night wondering if Beer managed to get home safely. "I very sad for him. Why he don't listen? Why he do this to me?" Why, indeed. We can never know what's going on behind that beautiful Thai smile.

It's funny how the politically correct love to shout "islamaphobia" at every turn. I am not an islamaphobe, as demonstrated by my comment above: "Although homosexuality is tolerated by many moderate Muslims, it is strictly forbidden in the Koran. In that community you would be safe, I think. You may get disapproving looks, but noone is likely to physically attack you if they think you are gay." And i hardly think the governments who state that the area is a no-go zone for travellers could be considered "islamaphobic." The best way to find out is really like is to do what Terry said - go see for yourself. I simply prefer to heed the government's travel advice.

Last holiday I offered to buy my friend some new shoes to go with the outfit I had bought for him. He declined, telling me I had already spent too much money on him. I promised I would buy them for him on my next visit. Two days ago we went looking in Central Festival after dinner. Like me, he's very fussy - he knows exactly what he wants - and we spent a lot of time going from shop to shop. At the end of it all, he found three pairs he liked but none was exactly what he wanted. I told him to keep them in mind and that the next day we could go to Royal Garden, as there is one very nice shoe store there. So yesterday afternoon after coffee, off we went. Unfortunately, that store has now closed, but he saw one pair in another shop which he liked. It was a Thai brand I'd never heard of. "Ok. Now we have 4 pairs you can choose from. But there's no need to rush; we can look a bit more." The only place we hadn't visited was the shoe section in the department store. He soon found a pair which I knew he really wanted. His eyes lit up. They were perfect. "Ok. Let's buy these," I said. He looked at the price and hesitated. "Mmm...I think shoes in Royal Garden ok." "Which ones do you really want?" After some hesitation he said "I like these ones." So I bought them. Some Thai guys have a reputation for being money-grabbing, greedy buggers whose main aim is to extract as much as possible from the "rich" farang. This guy is living proof that such a reputation is definitely not always true. What makes his attitude more remarkable is the fact that he was brought up in abject poverty in a dysfunctional family. You'd think that could be a recipe for greed later in life. His parents eked out a living growing rice. They lived in a hut with a thatched roof that leaked when it rained. His father was a soldier and was severely injured in a bomb blast. He spent months in hospital and unfortunately, became addicted to the medicine he was being prescribed. After recovering, he no longer had access to the medicine so turned to methamphetamines. The result was catastrophic for the family as he became very violent and was unable to work. So the mother became the only breadwinner for her family of four children. The father died when my friend was nine years old. He did not have a childhood; while his friends were out enjoying themselves he had to stay home and look after his siblings. There was no money for school - he only completed the first 3 years before having to go out an earn some money. He was only nine when his father passed away. He found a job collecting tree bark up in the mountains. They worked him hard and paid him a pittance. So when he turned fifteen he left that job and started work at a cement factory. He had to carry 50 kg bags on his back. He's only a small guy and so found the work very demanding. His next job was washing cars for 11 hours a day, again for very little money. He was exhausted. His friend introduced him to a restaurant owner, who offered him a job washing dishes. He had to work thirteen hour shifts, often getting home in the early hours of the morning. He would then have to take care of his siblings. When a friend told him about the money he was making in a gay gogo bar in Pattaya he decided he would give it a try. He started at Happy Boys but was horrified when he saw the little "skirt" he was required to wear. And when a customer grabbed his cock he quickly knew this was not the job for him and decided to go back home. But his friend persuaded him to persevere - if you want to make really good money you have to try. So he stayed and eventually got used to it. Now he works in a resort hotel and only comes to Pattaya when I'm in town. He'll go back after I leave. When we got back to the hotel he looked up the Thai word for "generous." I explained to him that I didn't think I was being generous at all. If he weren't here I'd spend more than the cost of the shoes every single night in Pattaya, visiting bar after bar, tipping boy after boy, drinking Coke after Coke. Spending my holiday with him actually saves me money. Lots of money. All I am doing is spending some of that money on him instead. I think he understood where I was coming from. But I'll happily accept the brownie points! He has learnt well from the nightmare that he experienced growing up. He has become strong, independent and determined. He knows that there are no free meals in life - you have to work to get ahead. You cant just sit back and expect hand-outs. Apart from a short period when he was swimming in the money he earned working at Kaos and blew it all partying with his friends and picking up the tab every night, he now saves every baht, much of which he sends home to mama each month. He hasn't gone out partying in all the years I've known him. Not being a drinker no doubt helps. He's been able to build mama a small house and buy himself a car. I once joked that I thought I was in love with him. But it's not love I feel - it's total admiration and respect. To my mind he's one in a million.

The Australian government has issued this warning : "Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat and Songkhla, do not travel We advise against all travel here due to the very high risk. If you do travel, you should typically seek professional security advice. Be aware that regular travel insurance policies will be void and that the Australian Government is unlikely to be able to provide consular assistance." I would guess that other governments have offered similar advice. The area is dangerous. Although homosexuality is tolerated by many moderate Muslims, it is strictly forbidden in the Koran. In that community you would be safe, I think. You may get disapproving looks, but noone is likely to physically attack you if they think you are gay. But in a society where there are some who interpret the Koran more strictly and are willing to kill anyone who dares insult their religion or, for example, draws pictures of the Prophet, things can turn nasty very quickly. It's bad enough that I'm considered an infidel by some. As a gay man I certainly would not feel safe. BTW, I never said that Thailand was a "fundamentalist Muslim country."

Witty, you need to calm down. I was under the impression from media reports that there was a Muslim insurgency in the south of Thailand and that isome fundamentalists haven killed school children, teachers and Buddhists. If they are not fundamental Muslims, what are they? Moderates? I have never been there so can only rely on what I read in the press, including the Bangkok Post. I'm not scaremongering. But there is no way I'd walk down the street with my guy-du-jour in a society with people openly hostile to gays. It only takes one.

"I know your definetely not the brightest Australian " If you wish to hurl insults, then I will continue. I may indeed be as you describe; I'll leave that up to others to judge. But firstly, I can spell. Secondly, I can comprehend. I actually posted that you have a point here regarding "boy." So I am agreeing with you. Thirdly, I can do maths. I am not referring to your original post ; I'm specifically referring to the one in which you used 'boy." At least seven other members seem to agree with my observation that your post above was no "mistake." You are playing games with us. That's my point. If you don't want me to comment further, stop the personal insults, ok?

Getting caught being involved in gay sex in the Muslim south of Thailand - or in any fundamentalist Muslim area for that matter - would most likely be a death sentence. Best avoid.

Ok, we can leave it at that. But before I go........ Your posts regarding the word "boy" suggest you have strong feelings against its use and that you've held that belief for quite a long time - certainly longer than the 12 hours or so between you expressing your distaste for "boy" and your post above. It is inconceivable that you simply forgot - unless you suffer from short term memory loss. And you used the word in the exact context you so disapprove of - the sexual context. Had you said you had simply met him somewhere, there would not necessarily be a sexual undertone. However, you used the word "off." That says it all. Your use of a term, of which 12 hours ago you said you so strongly disapproved, suggests your motives are dishonest, rather than it being a case of hypocrisy.

"...with a boy I offed for a week...." suggests there was indeed a "sexual exploit" involving him. You used "boy" three times in your post. Given your post regarding your very strong feelings regarding the use of that word, it's difficult to believe you weren't aware of what you were typing. Are you having a lend of us?