reader

I've learned that an old guy with a beer has a hell of a lot more fun in BKK than an old guy worried about his abs--that no one's interested in seeing anyway.
 
But the date's still on, right?
 
 

I've learned that an old guy with a beer has a hell of a lot more fun in BKK than an old guy worried about his abs--that no one's interested in seeing anyway.
 
But the date's still on, right?
 
 

I've learned that an old guy with a beer has a hell of a lot more fun in BKK than an old guy worried about his abs--that no one's interested in seeing anyway.
 
But the date's still on, right?
 
 

hopefully you did not overlook fact that 10 posts of this page are yours

Highly recommend Banana Club on Sukhumvit Soi 23.  Kelvin is the mamasan and he is most helpful.  He gave me a wonderful suggestion, Ton.  After putting my things in a locker, we showered together and proceeded to a very nice smallish room.  The massage was great as were the extras.  Again we showered together. It was a memorable experience.  Will definitely return on my next visit.
 
Also paid a visit to nearby Nine Spa to have a session with Guy (whom I discovered on Instagram! "guy_mars") on a quite side lane off Soi Sawatdi.  He is exactly my type of look.  The hour long session was only 30 minutes but shortness was well compensated in intensity.  He wasn't much into the massage but the extras were again quite memorable.  
 
Stayed in Tai-Pan Hotel only a block away from Banana Club.  They had a non-smoking floor and a nice outdoor pool, sauna and weight room with a very friendly trainer.   

I think it is a bad idea to mix both services, and it’s hard to find a guide who will provide both services well. I don’t think you’ll find good guides who also advertise openly that they also will sleep with you for a fee.
 
But if you really want to have both, in my experience, either:
 
1. Get a bar boy who you have a rapport with, who speaks passable English at least, and who is itching or willing to travel around Thailand (if he is Thai) or wanting to go back to their home country (if they are Khmer, Viet, Lao or Burmese) and show you around. You will find that they can tailor the tour to your liking, since they already know you in the biblical sense. Yes, it’s probably not the best tour you will get, since chances are they will not be certified tour guides and won’t know the full history, but you’ll find that you will get a different, more personal perspective, with the tour, which in itself is worth doing, I believe. Plus holding hands and subtle shows of affection during the tour is a plus, as well as having a guaranteed lay at night. My experience: I have had success with this in Chaing Mai, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Myanmar.
 
2. Get a tour guide who happens to be gay, maybe from Siam Roads, or try your luck with general tour companies. The good thing about getting a gay guide is, if you have sexual needs, they know where to find you some nookie at the end of the day, or even to bring with you in the tour, which is something that could be more awkward if it was with straight tour guides, especially outside Thailand. And, since they are gay and if you are cute enough to them, they may even sleep with you for free. My experience: I may or may not have luck with gay guides in the past.
 
YMMV, and I am eager to learn if there are sex/tour combo guides out there. I feel that there is an untapped market for these sorts of things.

Long report from my trip to Bali at the beginning of December 2016.
 
After two and half nights of fun in Bangkok (the half is that I landed at 1h am and just got the time to see the dismantling of Patpong night market before going to bed!) Thai Airways brought me to Bali. (Good service by the way!)
 
Ryanasia had given nice recommendations (Thank you Ryanasia!) but I had to go with Expedia and decided on the “gay-rated villas” recommendation on Travel Gay Asia, Blue Karma Resort. (http://bluekarmaresort.com/our-hotels/seminyak/ )  A 600 sq ft villa with one bedroom and a private pool very well appointed at 120 USD per night. Be careful when checking prices because there is a 23.5% tax added so above rate is really 145 USD per night. It adds up fast if you decide to take a more expensive room. For 20 USD each way I booked the airport transportation directly with the hotel. They were waiting at the exit of the arrivals and the drive to the hotel was comfortable in a mini-van even if it took 40 minutes due to traffic. Traffic is quite bad in Bali (but worst in Jakarta!)
 
The rate includes Wi-Fi and breakfast. They leave some cards on your bed so you can choose one of the 5 breakfasts they prepare; Indonesian, Australian, Japanese, continental and forget the last one (!)
But even if you do not choose any they will make you eggs and they have buffet of fruits, yogurt and toast.

 
 
The good thing about the hotel is it is well located at crossroads of 2 main streets so lots of boutiques and restaurants close by as well as only 1000 feet from all 4 gay bars. A 5 minutes’ walk. They also have a golf cart that will bring you to the beach by the Anantara Hotel.
 
Once installed, we walked to the beach and decided to continue trying to find the gay beach. Best way to find it is to find the Seaside restaurant. It’s right across. If you go by taxi, they will drop you at the end of Jl Arjuna (Double Six street) as they cannot circulate on the beach road. From there it is a 270 m (1000 feet) walk. No more gay flag but parasols with Bali Joe bar publicity gives it away. Waiters are really fun, smiling at attentive even if not talking a lot of English. Beers are cheap at 2 USD and they can offer some food too. Not a lot of people as rainy season was starting. All 5 days were cloudy with not much blue sky. But it was 31 degrees C (88 F) so who complains considering I had left at minus 5 C (23 F)! Beach fills up close to sunset. People are just coming with friends and taking a beer and look at the sun coming down. Mainly straight as there are many other bars on the beach.
 

 
During the rainy season there is a natural phenomenon that makes sea currents bring all stuff from other islands. So a lot of wood (and I mean big branches and even trunks of tree are being swept on the beach. Naturally and sadly it also means it brings all the plastic people are throwing away. Bottles, bags even shoes are found on the beach. People working on the beach shops are cleaning but it is a difficult battle. True that the water itself is clear as Ryanasia mentioned but still a bit a downer to have plastic around your legs sometimes. I did not go to other islands and/or beaches so I cannot comment but must say that even the main beaches are clearer than Pattaya.
 

 
 
After a rest at the hotel, it was time for dinner. I think there are more Italian restaurants than Indonesian ones in Bali! Really the cuisines are really mixed due the variety of tourists I assume. It’s an international destination after all. During our stay we ate; Italian, Indonesian, French, Indian and Balinese. Food price is cheap but your bill is always twice the food price because of the alcohol! Dinner for 2 were always between 80 to 100 USD inclusive of the drinks. Less the last night. At Chandi restaurant, we had some appetizers, a Balinese satay hot plate for 2 (10 brochettes/each) for about 40 USD and dessert (about 65 USD for the food) which is really reasonable, but ended with a bill of 155 USD due to drinks and bottle of wine!! In any case, we ate quite well during all our time there. An 11% sales tax is added as well as service of about 5 to 7% is included most of the time. They do not expect more tips.
 
The other gay beach is by the W hotel. Was going there by taxi at the end of Jalang Batu Belig street and then turn left on the beach road Jl Petitenget a bit rocky road but the taxi still brings you to the beach restaurant/bar called Cantina just before the hotel. Much quieter area. Not too many people but guys bring their boy of the day to eat and swim a little. Long chairs are rented at about 4 USD for the day (same price as the other beach). They also have a good menu and many people go to eat. The staff is friendly and will even call you a taxi. Taxi is about 3 USD per ride. Drivers will round up and not give you little change back. When called they have a minimum fee of about 2.30 USD.
 

 
 
 
Funny thing about this place is that the Wi-Fi will let me enter and see all of Grindr and Hornet which I was not able to do at the hotel or the other beach. At the hotel I could log on but did not see any thumbnail pictures or profiles but since I was logged-in I was receiving messages but I was not aware. Nice fellow told me that I needed to download a free VPN so we can go around the blocked sites. I kept to GR which I was able to connect at all places. Too bad I had to respond to the messages after having left!
 
Regarding those apps, the Indonesian are fast on their keyboards!! Wow did I get messages in no time! Difficult to answer all! Many cuties and many not money boys (or so they say) but you also get offers of massage and other MBs. Can certainly fill your days easily there!! And, unlike Ryanasia, I can say there are many twinks in Bali and Jakarta considering the quantity of messages received. Different facial features than Thais so it is a question of personal taste but still some quite nice!
 
Which brings to the gay bars. Or I should say bar (singular) as I got to go only at Mixwell. Entered there are quarter to 11 and we got seated right away by nice smiling staff at one of the tables close to the street. Not too busy at that time. Price for beer is good at about 2 USD. Was quite good considering we had a good view of both stages the drag queens use to their shows. More little performances of one or 2 songs and they go away and come back 20 minutes later. So not one full show but spread during all evening. Quite good and even with dancers. At one point there is a 3 go go boys dancing on the bar. Very nice specimen of men but too short a show!
 
By quarter after 11 the place was packed and I was glad to have the table we had because it was not walkable. Just going to the bathroom was an adventure but a fun one considering you HAD to rub against everyone going there. So I had to excuse myself quite a few times due to “being pushed” on people!! ☺
Very good bar. Waiter were always close by to get us new drinks. Party on a Saturday night was entertaining. Lots of cruising too. Was so fun we did not even move to go see the other 3 bars that are all beside each others.
 
I was also glad the hotel was closed by because the rain started and after too many “let’s take another drink until the rain stops”, we decided we really had enough and decided to make a run for it. No matter it was only the equivalent of 3 blocks, we were drenched even to the shoes and socks!
 
Apart from the routine of breakfast, beach, siesta, shower, dinner and bed, we took a private tour from the hotel (54 USD). Only the 2 of us with a driver/ guide which accommodated us with things we wanted to see. But there again the traffic is the limitation to things you can visit because it takes a lot of time out of the day. Just for the first village to see the handcraft of batik, it took one hour for a distance that should take less than half that time. Then to the wood carving while skipping the silver crafts considering I had my share of silver from the last trip to Mexico.
 
From there to the Indian temple (Pura Tirta Empul) and then Mount Batur volcano and its 2 calderas. We skipped the Ubud Palace at our driver’s suggestion as we wanted to go to Pura Tanah Lot temple which is normally on a separate tour as it is on the west coast and all the previous is on the east side. And we needed the time because it was more than 2 hours to get there. We did stop at the Tagalalang Rice Terrace on our way so we certainly saw all we wanted to see. A long day from 8h30 to past 7pm but quite interesting.
 
 

 
 
So very nice time in Bali even if I would probably choose another time than December considering the weather. Definitely it could be even more entertaining if going alone!
 
From there we flew on Air Asia to Jakarta. Quick flight, good service. Lots of traffic in Jakarta and pollution too. Not much to see but we did have a little tour to main National Monument, National museum, the largest mosque in Southeast Asia (Istiqlal Mosque) right in front is the Jakarta Roman Catholic Cathedral, the port Sunda Kelapa with their old schooners and the Jakarta History Museum in the Kota Tua (Jakarta Old Town). Lots of shopping can be done as many large malls are in the Central Jakarta along with hotels.
Last day was quiet in preparation of the 30 hours return via Bangkok and Beijing. Also that food was getting on my stomach but that’s another story (which won’t be told!). Final comment is; leave plenty of time before your flight. Google map was saying 45 minutes to the airport when we left the hotel but it quickly changed and we did one hour 40 minutes.
 
So, as Ryanasia asked, would I come here again? No need for Jakarta. It was more of a “we are closed by” and we should see something else of Indonesia kind of thing. But I will place it in “Check the box, been there, done that” category. For Bali, I am not sure. Maybe if in the area at a less wet time, I could drop by again but considering the quantity of people even in December and cloudy skies and cannot imagine how crowded this place must be at high season. So maybe also see other islands instead. Guys wise, I think one can find some company every day. Just a matter of preferences of each one but surely you can find someone to your taste!
 
 
 
 
 

I understand FIRST TIME  means first time exposure to a commercial sex scene in Thailand.
 
Choice of boys in Arena is wider than in those two  but soi Twilight massages have an advantage for shy types as they can enjoy drink or meal at Disck's or Maxi's and at the same time survey offer available and even perhaps make an eye contact with    boys beside  ( Bonny ) or across ( Maxi's ).
 
To answer your question - if he will go alone soi Twilight may offer an advantage , if he will go with you for whatever support Arena would do.
 
Honestly we can mourn passing of Playboys on Silom as they were even better choice for newbies - boys were sitting at front on busy  street level and one could pass many  times by them just pretending he is shopper or visits barber or internet cafe next door upstairs.  

He thinks nothing of misrepresenting himself to fellow members but he takes offense at misspelled words? His sense of values is worshipful.
 
You're saying that members here should read this forum with an automatic acceptance that others are misrepresenting who they are, then why should we believe anything they say? It would be a colossal waste of time. The forum, IMHO, works as well as it does because we have some confidence in the authenticity of the information shared here.
 
If that's how he gets his jollies, then it's the board that loses . He should take that to GR or hornet where that's accepted behavior.
 
The only thing we might agree on is that I don't care who he is either; I do care who he isn't.

Thanks for helping us get a better handle on just what those other issues might be.
 
As usual, your own words--and symbols--speak for themselves.

No, we might as well call you sugargrandpa as you called yourself on SN.
 
You could no more stack cane as you could stalk Cain.
 
You're way out of your league, Gramps.

Agreed - and agreed. But as reader points out, surely there is in fact a difference if someone deliberately posts as a totally different character and then attempts to make other posters believe he is who he definitely is not? The posts then become mere figments of an overripe imagination which others may very well believe. Of course everyone here is basically anonymous. But when readers see information about Asia allegedly from an Asian perspective, they have a right to believe that what is written does come from personal experience. 
My guess is no posters here have ever stated their exact age, occupation, nationality and ethnicity in any posts, let alone their first ones. Absolutely nothing wrong with that ... unless everything is fake. If that happens to be the case ... and we don't know fr sure ... doesnt it take this forum back into Beachlover territory? This poster was initially warmly welcomed for being young and of Asian descent. Yet it soon became obvious he was a total fake when he started throwing out all manner of insults and issuing a host of reports on imaginary trips. He had surfaced on several Boards. He ended up being banned on all!

You are now beginning to spout unmitigated gibberish. So Singaporean! LOL

Too bad you can't "double like" a post. I tried it on this post, but it doesn't work.  I don't mind a little embellishment on an otherwise true story in the interest of entertainment - or minor omissions to protect anonymity - but that's plenty. If it's fiction (or cobbled together from another source) that's OK too... as long as the person labels it as such. Unfortunately there are folks who get way too much fun from trolling with fiction presented as reality... like beachlover was/is, and a few other prolific storytellers. 

No, we might as well call you sugargrandpa as you called yourself on SN.
 
You could no more stack cane as you could stalk Cain.
 
You're way out of your league, Gramps.

You have a point there.  But if we're going to submit fiction, it should be labeled as such to eliminate confusion. So why not have a new forum for "Member Fiction." It would give members an opportunity to try their hand at creative writing and could prove quite popular.  And no other board offers a similar outlet.
 
As all of us oldies should be!

He disrespects the forum by introducing himself as a 24-year-old exchange student from Singapore when he's actually a farang about three times that age living in Bangkok. 
 
We expect occasional misrepresentation on dating apps but this ain't no dating app.
 
He certainly attempts to outsmart us all by trying to make us believe he's a young Asian student when he's just another guy like most of us, except he concocted this charade to make himself more desirable.
 
He ridiculed the two gay Indonesians sentenced to caining and then doubled down on it. That seem smart to you?

As a good Singaporean you will surely have been taught all about Asian values as propounded by your PM Lee Kwan Yew and his pal Mahatir Mohammed. As stated in Wikipedia -  
Values illustrated in your posts.

Sorry but I am less forgiving than some of you. I use this board to share experiences, to learn from the experiences of others and to be inspired by those experiences as I plan my next trip. Boy pictures are kinda inspiring as well of course LOL
 
For that to work I need to believe that experiences reported here on all threads are based on reality - ok there may be occasional elements of exaggeration, and what is revealed may not be quite the whole truth. 
 
Otherwise it becomes no more that the sex stories that used to be standard inclusions in most gents. magazines - perhaps even penned by someone still living in their mothers basement whose only 'experience' of Pattaya is taken from other internet posts and fed into their own imaginations.
 
IMHO forum fakers are nothing more than trolls and should be regarded as such.

Precious gladdy, I'm beginning to think you must be an English teacher for youngsters in the LOS. 
 
And not the sexy Asian you lured us with.
 
Think I'm going flaccid.

He thinks nothing of misrepresenting himself to fellow members but he takes offense at misspelled words? His sense of values is worshipful.
 
You're saying that members here should read this forum with an automatic acceptance that others are misrepresenting who they are, then why should we believe anything they say? It would be a colossal waste of time. The forum, IMHO, works as well as it does because we have some confidence in the authenticity of the information shared here.
 
If that's how he gets his jollies, then it's the board that loses . He should take that to GR or hornet where that's accepted behavior.
 
The only thing we might agree on is that I don't care who he is either; I do care who he isn't.

He thinks nothing of misrepresenting himself to fellow members but he takes offense at misspelled words? His sense of values is worshipful.
 
You're saying that members here should read this forum with an automatic acceptance that others are misrepresenting who they are, then why should we believe anything they say? It would be a colossal waste of time. The forum, IMHO, works as well as it does because we have some confidence in the authenticity of the information shared here.
 
If that's how he gets his jollies, then it's the board that loses . He should take that to GR or hornet where that's accepted behavior.
 
The only thing we might agree on is that I don't care who he is either; I do care who he isn't.

He disrespects the forum by introducing himself as a 24-year-old exchange student from Singapore when he's actually a farang about three times that age living in Bangkok. 
 
We expect occasional misrepresentation on dating apps but this ain't no dating app.
 
He certainly attempts to outsmart us all by trying to make us believe he's a young Asian student when he's just another guy like most of us, except he concocted this charade to make himself more desirable.
 
He ridiculed the two gay Indonesians sentenced to caining and then doubled down on it. That seem smart to you?

Crowne Plaza Lumpini top floor lounge.

From Bangkok Post
 
By Wichan Charoenkiatpakul
 
Every day, thousands of people from all walks of life pass through Hua Lamphong railway station in Bangkok. The station has been serving travellers in Thailand for more than. 100 years. Some are full of hope of finding a new life in the big city on arrival. Some are bidding farewell to their families and friends. Some are lost in the flow of people. Hua Lamphong has witnessed lots of emotions.
 
The station was considered modern when it opened in 1916 after six years of construction, but in the next few years Hua Lamphong will become a memory. The State Railway of Thailand plans to relocate Bangkok’s central station to Bang Sue in 2019. Hua Lamphong will then be turned into a museum.
 
Continues with pics
http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/easy/1245383/hua-lamphong-enters-its-last-2-years