biguyby

I thought Thailand was the best country in the world after my first holiday there in 1990 and I still keep going back.

I thought Thailand was the best country in the world after my first holiday there in 1990 and I still keep going back.

We agreed to set the alarm for the morning as I had a Spa appointment for a Thai massage and he had class. However, in the event he remained the same sweet immovable lump in the bed that he was last trip. Something was lost in translation. 11am was my deadline, not his, and I left him blissfully curled in the duvet. If sleeping was an Olympic event, he would guarantee gold for Thailand.

The Thai massage did wonders and reinvigorated I bounced back into the room just as he exited the shower, also reinvigorated and looking to play. Bangkok Guy has several little quirks that make me smile quietly, one of which is his behavior when he wants to get me into bed. He makes sure he is almost naked (in this case a hotel robe loosely tied) and becomes bashful and coquettish. It works. After some pleasant tantric exercise he goes to class and I give a list of restaurants to the concierge and then spend the afternoon alternating between the pool and working in the room.

It was too late to get reservations that evening for any of the restaurants on the list and the concierge suggests we try Baan Suriyasai, which we do. It is in an old white-painted colonial house in Silom and it is gorgeous.  There are not many customers and with a choice of tables we select one upstairs in its own little room with a view over the courtyard. I tell Bangkok Guy that he is in charge of selecting the food, which he does in deep conversation with the waitress. Although I have no idea what is being said, he and the waitress are getting along very well, which I have noticed is always the case when he is interacting with fellow Thais. The radius of his charm extends beyond me.

Bangkok Guy carefully photographs each dish and then we eat. The food is excellent and, possibly this was his intention, captures some of the variety in Thai cuisine. Crab in a green curry, pork belly (strips of layered meat and fat) accompanied by two types of soft boiled egg in a vegetable broth and a dish of a crunchy dried fish and fried basil leaf mixture. We vote the pork our favorite and he tells me one day he will cook it for me, he can make it and the crab curry. Comfortably full we take a taxi to The Living Room at the Sheraton Grande to listen to jazz.

There is a really good jazz quartet playing to a half full room and we settle in with drinks, a Malibu and pineapple for him (this is similar to the cocktail the mixologist at Vespers came up with for him last trip, so it looks like he has adopted it) and I start with an aqua vitae to settle my stomach. When he smells it his face is a picture of shock. How can I put something like that anywhere near me let alone inside me? Best not to drink it but if I have to (I explain it settles the stomach) then drink it quickly so he does not have to smell it! He really does not like alcohol. My subsequent martini is less shocking but still well outside the bounds of anything he finds interesting.

After a while floating along with the jazz he seems a little restless. I ask how he is liking it – “no sing song”. Turns out that while we both like jazz he particularly likes jazz vocals, which by coincidence was what we encountered everywhere last time.

In the taxi on the way back to the hotel he surprises me by curling up on the seat and resting his head in my lap. I am touched, but also think I may need to watch and manage his expectations. I do not want to lead him into unrealistic expectations.

The taxi driver meanwhile is completely fine with all this. Taxi drivers are universally completely fine with Bangkok Guy who chats away with them while holding my hand (in taxis my hand belongs in his, in his lap) or leaning on me. Head-on-lap does not cause a ripple in the Bangkok taxi driver universe.

no need to be defensive, you can spend money way you like and that's none of  our business ,
 
it's just use of word 'reasonable' which prompted me to comment . Imagine somebody  ( me ?) putting in print " I paid reasonable 4000 for his long time with me" . Crucifixion at the ready for spoiling market for others !   

As I begin this report I wonder if in the end it will be better positioned as part of the “Perfect Day and Night in Bangkok’ thread.

The trip roared away to an excellent start with a personal best time of 1 hour 20 minutes from touch-down to check-in. No taxiing delays, four people ahead of me at immigration, a slight delay for the bags but not bad and then no traffic on the road into town. All of which gave me plenty of time to wash away the dust of travel and decompress before meeting Bangkok Guy.

He and I have kept fitfully in touch since my last trip, with scintillating Line exchanges along the lines of “How are you?”, “I am fine” with a few stickers of rabbits cuddling bears thrown in from his side. Enough to let each other know we were still breathing.

I was looking forward to seeing him but also slightly hesitant. As it has been truly said, last trips favorite may not ring the bell on a subsequent occasion. So it was a moment of happiness when the same World-embracing slightly goofy smile, connected to the same warm eyes, sense of mischief and a hint of bashfulness announced itself in the lobby.

We adjourned to a nearby Thai restaurant to catch up only to find the kitchen had just closed and, as we wondered where to try next, it began to rain with the threat of a downpour to come. So back to the hotel at a sprint and caught up in the lobby over green tea and curry.

As neither my Thai nor his English has improved, catching up involved exchanging iPhones and looking through each other’s photos to discuss the ones that caught our interest. He had been on a couple of holidays in Thailand with the same group of friends one of whom, quite an attractive guy, featured prominently. “Your boyfriend?” His ‘no, friend’ came a little too fast, so while I believe him, he is quite straightforward, I think the wish is there.

His major news is that he is back studying full time, no more dancing, which pleases me as he is moving his life along in a constructive way. I also discovered that he is studying to be a chef, which makes sense of all the careful photos he takes of the food at better restaurants. I have learned not to start eating until the photography session is over. I had marked it down to some millennial social media thing, but it is professional interest.

Michelin recently gave ratings to Bangkok restaurants and this gives me the idea of making reservations for us at a selection of the chosen few. It might give him a few ideas and Bangkok is probably the only place where I might, at a stretch, afford to dine at a restaurant with a Michelin rating. He had no idea of Michelin, but liked the idea of trying out good restaurants. We agree to go to mainly Thai, as that is his area, but to also try French as he is curious and has never tried it as ‘it too expensive’.

With the mission for the morning established – which is why I think this may turn into a guide to things to do in Bangkok – we head to bed and happily reintroduce ourselves.

Thailand ‘best country for people’, says travel survey  
Breaking News September 05, 2018 17:02
By The Nation
 
Thais have been voted the best people in the world in an online survey by Conde Nast Traveller magazine, a leading US source of travel features.  
Thailand won in the category of “Best Country for People” in the 2018 annual award.
The award honours “the best that the travel world has to offer”. Other categories include hotels, airlines, ski resorts, islands and architecture.
 
In addition, Thailand came third in the “Best Country” category after Italy and Greece .
  Two hotels – the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok and Six Senses on Kho Yao Noi – came fourth and fifth respectively in the category of “Best Hotel in Asia and the Indian Subcontinent”. 
 
Meanwhile Samui island was awarded the ninth spot in the “Best Islands in the World” category, falling after Greek islands, Maldives, Balearic islands, Hawaii, St Lucia, Bali, Sicily and Mauritius.
 
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30353802
 
NOTE -- The following link is to the magazine's 2018 annual readers' choice award in the category of "Best Country for People". Unfortunately, the article describes the many attractions of Thailand and not the people of Thailand.
 
https://www.cntraveller.com/location/thailand
 
This is link to all categories of awards:
https://www.cntraveller.com/gallery/readers-travel-awards-2018-winners-runners-up
 
 
 

This argument could go on forever and there is no right or wrong. A gratuity is usually given as reward for good service and is not compulsory.
 
I personally leave a modest tip wherever I receive
good service.
 
In most of the budget restaurants that I use the staff pool their tips to share at the end of their shift.
 
I tip in the bars when I pay my bin and I usually tip the boy sitting with me by stuffing a 100 baht note in his undies.
 
But at the end of the day it's up to the individual whether or not they tip.

Saturday
 
Up early, 5:30 am, jet lag…live with it.  Check the news…Trump…go to breakfast in hotel.  Back in room, message back and forth with Van, this is my first visit in many a year that he hasn’t been at least a part of it.  Pack.  Short walk in the ‘hood’ to the temple behind the Montien.
 
I’ve used Mike’s Taxi from Pattaya for my transport for several trips to the beach.  Mike’s drivers are always early and waiting patiently.  This time, I went to The Raya lobby 30 minutes before the agreed time only to find the driver already there. 
 
I sat in the front, rather than the back, as it’s easier to see the road and countryside (what there is of it) than from the back where the front seat headrests block the view.  Driver is English fluent and complains about how Thailand is being taken over by the Chinese.  He likes the “white” people as he refers to westerners (other than Russians). 
 
Trip takes a bit less than 2 hours and I’m at The Poseidon where registration formalities are waived, I’m taken to #31, which I’ve had before.  Two rooms, one with statues of gods and naked boys (the pedestal supports for a glass topped coffee table).  Reception brings a drink and some appetizers from Chef Bart (salmon on toast and some sausage on skewers). 
 
Went for a walk to and along Dongtan Beach.  I am impressed by the upgrades to the walkways, the installation of some fitness equipment, and improved accessibility.  It’s slightly overcast and there is a breeze. 
 
On the way back to Jomtien Complex, I get some text messages from a friend and we arrange to meet for lunch tomorrow.  Some changes in the complex, to the right of Dick’s Café there is now a wine shop (!), and at the corner to Dick’s left is a European style pastry shop.  The store opened just the week before and one sign gives the name “Bread” but the business card uses a person’s name.  Definite plus to the neighborhood and a high standard of pastry and breads.
Oh, and it’s right next to Fah massage.
 
I passed Fah by chatting up the boys and headed to the Blind massage shop for 90 minutes of abuse.  Even with a tip, I only spent 400 baht.
 
Back to the hotel, unpacked and charged up my electronics.  Around 7pm went to the dining room and indulged in Chef Bart’s cooking.  It’s amazing how the quality of the food is matched by the almost portrait ready presentation.  Dining room about half full, same as most of the other European style restaurants in the complex. 
 
I now notice that the construction that was taking place when I was last here in March has coughed up a rather large and brightly lit Chinese restaurant.  Given the tourist mix, probably a good idea.  It looks large enough to handle more than one busload at a time.
 
Jomtien is just starting to come alive, there is at least one new club, maybe two, and lots of remodeled clubs.  From good experience, I head for where @Home and Your Place are located. I have good to great success at both places.  @Home is celebrating its 3rd anniversary tonight and has placed a dozen or so tables on the street in lieu of the usual chairs.
 
As fate would have it, I allow myself to be a Cambodian with a wrestler’s build and excellent English.   He’s only been in Pattaya for two weeks.  I would classify his as a quick learner.  I buy him a drink, we talk, and as we talk it starts to rain.  Both interesting and impressive to observe the boys from the bars move quickly pull chairs and cocktail tables to safety and continue on as if nothing happened.
 
My new friend (Pez) and I talk about things, how often am I in Pattaya, what[bD1] [bD2]  has he seen, etc.  I ask if he’s been to Boyztown, he tells me no, he tells me he understands that it’s a bunch of clubs where the boys are on stage shirtless.  He is interested as he has a friend (another Cambodian) who is at Toy Boys. 
 
I suggest that I off him and we go to Boyztown.  Agreement.  400 baht off fee.  I ask him what his fee would be if we were out for several hours.  Usual “Up to You”.  I said, I’d only go if he told me…1500 was stated and another agreement.
 
Rain is over for the night.  Incredibly quick ride to Boyztown.  Not much traffic and when we enter the street, there aren’t many people.  We check out the various bars and clubs.  Toy Boys said we were welcome to come in but the boys weren’t there yet (arrive at 9pm).  Walk the other streets, Dram Boys has only a few guys, more later.
 
We go to Cupidol, which I usually avoid from a bad experience with the mamasan.  We enter, and Pez recognizes two Cambodians.  I Invite them for a drink, Pez and I are the only customers.  Rain is starting up again and a few more customers drift in.  I am the only western farang.  Have a good time talking to the Cambodians, one – who is gay – gives me the inside on the other dancers who are Lao or Cambodian, with only one Thai.  Some nights, maybe later tonight, more Thais. About 20 boys tonight, universally twinks.
 
I go to the toilet where there is someone to provide buttock caressing while using the urinal.  Thoughtful service.
 
I give each of the Cambodians 100 baht and we are off to catch the Boyz, Boyz, Boyz parade.  Not tonight due to the rain.  We head to Toy Boys.  It’s a well-designed room.  About six guys on stage and more clocking in.  Talk with the mamasan (papasan here).  He checks out Pez and offers him a job in the lineup.  Pez in interested.  He looks for his friend but doesn’t see him.
 
I notice a very attractive, fitness model type standing in the back in his towel.  Even though I’m involved in the conversation with the papasan, I can’t keep my eyes from focusing on him.  But he doesn’t get on stage.  Finally, he does, as we are about to leave and I’m only waiting for change.  Without a towel and in his white briefs, he is even more impressive.  With an internal sigh of regret I tip him 100 baht and get a smile.  I mouth “tomorrow?”.  Another smile.
 
On the way to the baht bus, Pez asks if I want to off the boy.  I said not tonight, maybe tomorrow.  We head back to Jomtien, up to the room.  Pexz has a very impressive body and we shower together.  He tells me he didn’t drink any alcohol when we were out as it slows him down in bed.  Actions speak louder than words and he is an Energizer bunny. Only limit was he couldn’t do oral as he has a sore in his cheek.  The next forty minutes was among the most intense interpersonal activities this trip and probably the past couple of trips.
He is also a spooner when all things he has wiped off my chest.  We take another shower.  Talk some more, will I take him again,? maybe a three some?  I’m non-committal as this is my butterfly trip. But he has definite rerun potential.  We exchange Line contacts.
 
NOTE:  do others have the experience of finding that the Line names usually do not match the name given in the bar.  Someone wrote in a post that this is because the boys figure the customers can only handle short names.
 
He departs telling me he wasn’t going back to the club tonight but going to where e lives. Pez and I were together for 4  hours, so 1500 seemed fair and I add 200 more.
 
So ends Saturday
 
 
 
 
 

I learned that long time ago when doing family travels and ever since I don't have any problems of telling my travelling companion , whoever he is / relative , co-worker, friend, Thai boy / that travelling together doesn't mean eating together.
 
I understand boys may hate farang food and I'd make every effort to accommodate them  by finding them suitable place to eat but if there's nothing I fancy I wold leave them alone to  eat , leave them money to pay for it and find other place for myself.
 
If they find it rude , so be it but vacation time for me is too precious to spent it in the loo or even worse to fight an allergy / I'm allergic to certain sea foods and not taking any chances/.
 
On another hand if I'm with boy I make sure I ask him very often if he is hungry or thirsty and don't mind if we need to make food stop even when I'm not in need, I want him to be happy and hungry men whatever age are happy not.

lucky you you weren't canned like those two unfortunate lesbians in Malaysia mentioned in another post recently 

bored in Thailand ? that's insane

I am from the USA but 50 years ago my Husband and I did our Honey Moon in Europe and England.
At the B and B in London we pushed the two Single Beds to together for "convenience".
And the next morning the Cleaning Ladies were all a twitter...
;-)

We've read warnings by some of our own members about this area.  This documentary film from 2010 will should serve to discourage anyone from becoming involved.
 
http://www.shatterthelookingglass.com/underage-documentary-film/

and this priceless feeling when  placing one's hand on boys thigh , just an inch below  his underwear

Tips is market driven especially in bkk. For residents, u can always wait it up during low season where the boys are more flexible on the tips. Thats something visitors cant do hence they let their penis do the talking lol

I'm 15% British, but we left in 1633 for the Massachusets Bay Colony - wait, maybe my family started this - argh!!!

at least  BTS is built properly with vision of being  over the sea urban transport.
 
Both Thailand and Bangkok may pay heavy price in future  for concnetrating country development just on the capital city. 

I didn’t visit during my July trip, whereas in previous years I used always to go, sometimes several times in each week. It is of course an awkward place to get to, unless you are ok with riding rented motor bikes or motor bike taxis. When I stayed in BT I got there by taking a Jomtien bound baht bus and remembering where to get off and then walking down the Soi. Getting back at about 9.30 pm was a bit more difficult as I recall that having walked back to main road and found all the motor bike men had gone and Pattaya bound baht buses did not stop due to being full- nothing for it but to hike back to BT. Mind you there was a lot of action in the maze that night and I stayed late playing in the whirl pool.

Considering all the otherwise straight guys most have have been with, I begin to wonder if it really makes much of a difference in this land where--as I'm fond of saying--all things are possible.

Sick of hearing about Japan has no tipping. It is true and what everyone forgets is they pay their workers a living wage and thus no need for tipping and of course those wages are reflected in the price that visitors pay. Same as in many countries that add a service charge and if the service sucks you still pay. At least if the service sucks in the US , I can reflect it with my tip.
 
While I'm at it , I am not sure if it was approved from earlier this year but the Minimum Wage in Thailand was raised in 2 Provinces to 330 baht per day .
 
I would love to see any member including our most famous penny pincher survive on 330 baht per day. Most of the Gay Bars in BKK charge more then that for 1 drink and just about every Member of this Board who has visited Thailand has paid 330 baht or more for a soda, drink etc. in one of those Bars.

From South China Morning Post
 
Bangkok is sinking. How will Thailand’s capital cope when flooding disaster strikes again? 
With the weight of skyscrapers contributing to the city’s gradual descent into water, Bangkok has become a victim of its own frenetic development
 
As Bangkok prepares to host climate-change talks, the sprawling city of more than 10 million is itself under siege from the environment, with dire forecasts warning it could be partially submerged in just over a decade.
 
A preparatory meeting begins Tuesday in Thailand’s capital for the next UN climate conference, a crunch summit in Poland at the end of 2018 to set rules on reducing greenhouse emissions and providing aid to vulnerable countries.
 
As temperatures rise, abnormal weather patterns – like more powerful cyclones, erratic rainfall, and intense droughts and floods – are predicted to worsen over time, adding pressure on governments tasked with bringing the 2015 Paris climate treaty to life.
 
Bangkok, built on once-marshy land about 1.5 metres (five feet) above sea level, is projected to be one of the world’s hardest hit urban areas, alongside fellow Southeast Asian behemoths Jakarta and Manila.
 
“Nearly 40 per cent” of Bangkok will be inundated by as early as 2030 due to extreme rainfall and changes in weather patterns, according to a World Bank report.
 
Currently, the capital “is sinking one to two centimetres a year and there is a risk of massive flooding in the near future,” said Tara Buakamsri of Greenpeace.
 
Seas in the nearby Gulf of Thailand are rising by four millimetres a year, above the global average.
The city “is already largely under sea level”, said Buakamsri.
 
In 2011, when the monsoon season brought the worst floods in decades, a fifth of the city was under water. The business district was spared thanks to hastily constructed dykes.
 
But the rest of Thailand was not so fortunate and the death toll passed 500 by the end of the season.
 
Experts say unchecked urbanisation and eroding shorelines will leave Bangkok and its residents in a critical situation.
 
With the weight of skyscrapers contributing to the city’s gradual descent into water, Bangkok has become a victim of its own frenetic development.
 
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/2162409/bangkok-sinking-how-will-thailands-capital-cope-when

Great story. I once had a rich client who always stayed in top hotels. He told me his policy always was to tip the head concierge and the room boy as soon as he arrived, not at the end of his stay. He said he never once had anything other than great service!
 
Tipping is the one reason why I dislike the USA. Paborn mentions tipping started in England. I frankly do not care where it started because it clearly crossed the Atlantic at some point and it is in the USA where it has gotten so totally out of hand. 20% to 25% to a restaurant waiter? To me that is a kind of madness. Sure I realise the tips are so high because the restaurant owners are such mean bastards they will not pay their staff a living wage. My answer to that is how come they will not pay wait staff but they seem perfectly happy to pay all the kitchen staff better wages?
 
Same in hotels. Why am I expected to tip the room cleaners? With rare exceptions I leave my room very tidy. I hardly ever see these ladies and they probably spend no more than 5 minutes in my room. 
 
But if tipping originated in England, who brought the tipping syndrome to most other parts of the world? Unquestionably Americans! Because they are used to it at home, they exported the habit and now it is expected almost everywhere. Want to see a world without tipping? As z909 says in an earlier post, take a trip to Japan. There they not only do not tip, they are offended if you offer one.
 
Here in Thailand there has grown this expectation in the major cities that tipping is expected. Perhaps the Vietnam War and all those GIs flooding into the country on their R&R and happy to splash the cash are to blame. 
 
As for me, in the bars in Thailand I tip roughly what I believe to be the going rate, although I never really check what that is. If I have a great time, the tip reflects that. If it is not so great, the tip is less but still good. After all the boys have to make a living and it is not their fault if I pick a dud. That is as much my fault as it is his. Some will consider this the fault of the mamasan for not telling this guy was a dud. Huh? The mamasans duty is to the bar owner first. He may seem all smarmy and helpful to me as the customer. But he knows he is unlikely to see 95% or more of the customers again. So do I expect him to be an honest broker?  Nope.
 
We also have to face facts. Tipping a gogo boy is not a tip. It is a fee for prostitution wrapped up in the fiction of a tip. So bar boys are a bit like waiters in the USA. They cannot live on what the bar pays them so the customer has to pay. It is sometimes a rather curious conundrum. Why are some posters reasonably happy to splash out a 20% tip in a Dallas restaurant but resent giving a decent tip to a bar boy? 4 people dining in a decent restaurant with a bottle of decent wine in the US is likely to result in a tip of $60-70. Funny. Isnt that about the going rate for an off?
 
As for what others tip, I really could care less. 

Agreed. I can go about 5pm and if it had some momentum that night it's slowing down by 8pm. Hell 8pm is still early. Plenty of time to hit other venues after whether it was a productive night at Sansuk or not.

Being a transport fanatic my perfect day in Bangkok is buying a Day Ticket for the Skytrain/BTS and just jumping on and of at various places and eating at different budget restaurants.

Nice boys, it seems. But gee, it's too bad they couldn't find any gay boys to play gay roles. I guess the gay actors are all busy playing straight roles. :-)