BL8gPt

This is rule 3.1 from the gay travellers handbook!

Day 6
After doing a bit of work, laundry (advantage of Airbnb) and room tidy up (disadvantage), I felt l like rewarding myself and immediately looked up massage options. I messaged VClub7 and JeySpa but an hour later, never heard back from both. I looked up online and realised that Jey Spa approximately a 12 minute walk from my place. I decided to just walk in to have a look with the plan of going somewhere else, maybe a no hanky panky spa if no sparks were found.
It was one of those pleasant day in Bangkok for a walk so I appreciated the chance to stretch away from my current sedentary routine of lying down in a massage bed, sitting cuddled with a bar guy or in a horizontal position on a bed parallel to my boyfriend for the hour.
Given the photo I found online, Jey Spa wasn't hard to find and I was able to shortlist a couple before reception welcomed me in. I was about to be shown a small tablet but I inquired and pointed to a guy standing a few metres away and asked if he's a masseur. Receptionist swiped through the tablet to show me his profile and minimum tip expected. While he's swiping, I saw quite a number of hunky potential  but I decided to stick with my choice - with the advent of image enhancing apps, nothing beats seeing them face to face.
After getting cleaned up, Put (????? as he introduced himself) started the message. It was reasonably good and I started to let myself relax. We exchanged the usual pleasantries and backwards and forwards with questions. I was once told that when asked, never admit that you are a newbie in Bangkok and must make yourself sound like a frequent visitor (less chance of them pulling a trick on you) and make it always sound that you are staying for many days (better chance of good service to entice repeat). Not sure if it works but fortunately I don't need to lie as both are true and I also have another trick on my sleeves: to not be an a**hole.
Around the 30 minute mark, I can see from my peripheral vision that Put is starting to lose pieces of his clothing. I ignored that for a while wanting to squeeze a bit more massage time from him. A few minutes later, he brought the big guns out and started doing body to body massage. I waved my white flag and let him take over. Overall, the experience was pleasant. It was a good amount of intensity that I enjoyed immensely. 
Looking back, I really appreciate having the subject of tip sorted prior to the session. It removes the guesswork and that awkward negotiation while you have most of your blood rushing down your hard on. I left the place satisfied and feeling really rewarded. I added a bit more tip and Put seems to be satisfied. He even stayed with me chatting while waiting for my taxi. What a gentleman!
Come night time, I decided to play it safe and went straight to friendly Tawan. I haven't fully warmed my seat when I felt a tap on my shoulder followed by a big hug. "Welcome again!" said Tun. He sat beside me and clung like a koala which I find cute. I immediately  scan the area to assess other guys and I decided to stick with Tun. We already have a good vibe between us since my last visit so I think it's the most logical choice. Did I mention that he's good looking too?
We stay cuddled and chatted while watching the show. He's a bit cheeky constantly grabbing my hand placing it down his crotch and look at me with a mischievous smile.
By almost midnight, I decided I had enough and we made our way outside. I asked him what he would like to eat and we ended up in 7-11. He and I bought several items and Tun asked if we can buy booze and drink it in my place. 
We continued our chatter over our 7-11 purchases. It wasn't long before the conversation progressed to the shower then bed. After cleaning up, he asked if he can turn the TV on which I gladly obliged. He tuned in to a Thai TV show and he animatedly explained to me what is going on.  I find his effort to translate and the cute thinking face he makes the most entertaining of all. A little while later, we were cuddled and I start hearing a gentle faint snoring from him. I panicked a bit as there's no plan for it to be a LT. But then I realised: there's a hunky tawan guy sleeping in my bed, what am I panicking about?

Day 5 here we go!
This is the part of the trip where the excitement is still there but I can no longer ignore the jetlag and the fatigue coming mainly from days 1 to 4. So after Ghanaian guy left, I felt the need to properly recharge in order for me to fully enjoy the remaining days - reminding myself that this trip is a marathon not a sprint.
Woke up at around 11am with a message from "lone wolf" (see Day 2 report) asking if I'm keen to get some crabs. I responded saying that as long as she's referring to the crustaceans, she can count me in. She then forwarded a link of this restaurant in Khet Taling Chan (Mae Khlong)  which is quite far to where I would go for food. But having read the glowing reviews saying how popular this restaurant is with locals, I was convinced. Imagine having good food while people watching!
We meet up at Iconsiam, loaded up on coffee and took a taxi for possibly an early dinner gig. Overall, the food was so worth the trip especially if you like seafood dishes. I particularly enjoyed the grilled crab with roe on shell and the giant river prawns. We order a couple more item and it became obvious that it was too much. I looked around and other items looks yummy too. Kinda the same feeling when you're sitting with a bar boy and enjoying yourself but  also eyeing and low key jealous of the customer and his guy at the other table!
We parted ways and I decided to give Arena another go. I was a bit self conscious how my breath will be like so I got myself a brush and toothpaste in 7-11 before taking the lift to Arena.
After a mind boggling selection process, I asked the uncle to tell my guy not to massage my feet and leg because I have an injury. He walked up to the guy, whispered something and my guy (who introduced himself later as kao) gave me a thumbs up. Hopefully this trick will avoid the masseur for spending so much time down there.
The session with Kao was quite an enjoyable one. Not as intense but exactly what I need given the heavy meal I had prior! I'm glad i went to 7-11 prior as Kao seems to enjoy kissing a lot.
I stepped out of Arena feeling a lot refreshed. I then decided to walk towards Starbucks in Montien Plaza while waiting for things to get busy in Surawong. 
After my coffee, I walked a bit further through patpong market and attempted to satisfy my curiosity by going to Banana Club. Not sure if it's just a bad night or completely a wrong decision in my part but I did not enjoy my time in there. There were only four guys on stage alternating between performances. I know it only takes one guy to make one's bar experience extra special but unfortunately, I can't see any of the four fulfilling that role. After about 40 minutes, I decided to leave and give Jupiter a visit.
Jupiter is totally another Kettle of fish but from experience, I'm already expecting that the possibility of an off will be very slim. I think it got something to do with how the guys project themselves onstage or most probably how they were told to do so. Maybe it's just me but the stage feels more like a catwalk with most guys giving that standoffish model vibe. I can see a couple of ex dreamboys guys in there and remember having good fun with them. But given the vibe they are now projecting, I decided not to call anyone down and just enjoy the show. Jupiter is a type of club I imagine myself bringing my female best mate in and we can have lots of good time - but not a place I can source my BF for the night (and next morning).
Don't get me wrong, maybe Jupiter's approach works for other clientele. And maybe I'm just not their key target market? 
With a not so successful attempt at bars, I decided to taxi back to my place and possibly look at the apps. Found this guy visiting from the Philippines who turned out to be an MB. He showed up half an hour later. I was pleased that he got good banter and can carry a decent conversation. I opened up a bottle of wine apologising to him that it's not the best but he drank more than half of it like a champ. We eventually found ourselves in the bedroom and after the deed had a quick shower and he stayed a couple more hours for a chat.
Today may be a mixed bag bar-wise. But overall, I felt happy and satisfied and can go to bed with a cheeky smile on my face. Got a week more left so I can still afford nights like these.

Exchanging cash in TH is still the most economic option (if you don't have a bank account in TH).
Withdrawing cash from ATM, adding Thai ATM fee, conversion rate of my local bank (3% less than bank interchange rate) plus fees of my local bank, means about 5% loss to bank interchange rate. Exchanging cash in TH gives you below 1% loss (was even better before Covid, I think?).

For future reference, BTS should take you less than half-hour, regardless of time of day, between Sala Daeng and Saphan Kwai.
Kudos for K-Man but can also recommend One Spa (about a 15-miute walk from station) on nearby Sutthisan Winitchai Road. Further down same road you'll find KK Massage which is associated with K-Man.
 
 

Day 4
With my pretend BF Nam leaving, I am once again single and excited to explore what this city can offer.
One thing I was so curious about is how people in this forum have talked extensively about the different massage shops in the Saphan Kwai neighbourhood. The reviews seems to be a  mixed bag but I am curious to try it myself. 
I exchanged Line message with Kman and 15M. They responded flooding my phone with photos of their lineup for the day. I can easily identify 3-4 guys from each of their offerings so I decided to risk it and go in there without reservation.
Given my general lack of sense of direction, I decided to take a grab taxi which, given that it's non peak hours, only cost 130 baht. I am running out of funds so I set the drop off to Saphan Kwai station. Halfway there, it started to rain  like crazy I started to worry ill get soaked. Luckily, the rain stopped a few minutes before we arrived. I immediately scanned the area and can't find any bank or ATM machine nearby. I tried my luck climbing up the station hoping there's a machine and there it was.
Before dispensing cash, this particular ATM machine quotes an exchange rate and asks you to confirm if you accept it. I usually press "no" and from experience, my online banking statement looks like I  saved around 25 to 30 USD from my 10k baht withdrawal. Not an expert so I can't explain why.
After placing cash in my wallet, I looked to the right and lo and behold, I saw KMan's signage! So I made my way down the station towards Kman.
I was expecting that the place will be on the rough side like Arena but I was wrong. Downstairs was decent, I was given a bottle of water and their iPad to browse through their menu. I chose a masseur named Dang and minutes later he went down to meet me, take my footwear and take me to the room.
Disappointingly, the room I was given don't have a private bathroom but luckily it's just opposite my room. Dang just smiled and used his hands to direct me to the shower.
He then took a shower and returned to our temporary love nest. He looked at me and started speaking in Thai which I responded with a confused look. We had a good laugh and he said he thought I am Thai. This kinda broke the ice.
Dang gave a more than decent massage although he lags behind Knott from S'sense who I think will be the standard for this trip. Saving grace is he's not the type that will spend so much time massaging your feet. He gave each body part generous attention.
When it's time for the more interesting part, he asked me to lie on my back and gave me a body to body massage which was actually pleasant. It progressed further from there. He's a bit shy and would constantly look at me sheepishly smiling. Kinda threw me off guard but I decided to ignore it. Tried planting as much kisses as I can and he welcomed it all. "You like to fuck please?" He asked. I chuckled in my head and nodded. How can I say no if he asked so politely!
We finished and of course he got more than the minimum tip under his profile. I kinda like this system of having minimum tips as it removes the guesswork and makes the transaction more straightforward. If unsatisfied, Just give the minimum tip and add a bit more if its the other way around.
Not quite sure if ill make an effort to come back to this area. It's really out of the way and not worth the travel if you're only visiting one shop. I made a mental note of possibly book a hotel in the area for a day  to sample everything Saphan Kwai can offer. Maybe two nights to include a Chatuchak shopping trip?
I should have taken the BTS back to my apartment but I wasn't thinking properly in a post coital phase. Got stuck in the grab taxi for 1.5 hours but I entertained myself by browsing through Grindr. 
Ghanian guy seemed to have seen me online and sent me a Line message. He asked if I want to meet up and I replied ill let him know after dinner what my plans are. He responded cheekily  inviting himself to dinner and then back to my place for drinks. He quoted same price as before but told me not to be shy to tip (he's learning from previous experience!). I looked outside and the impending rain looks a bit daunting so I decided to cancel bar plans tonight in favour of my gorgeous Ghanaian mate.

good your brought valid point - towels problem which may arise if we entertain more than one guest per day. In some hotels is easy to get extra one , some  may charge for the privilege ( I think Raya does) but definitely we need to take it into consideration. Few times I resorted even to going to the market and buying one or taking extra one from home. Got my lesson few trips ago when Grindr guy visiting in day time was bit offended when I presented him with towel which was obviously used previously (by me).
......
In Senso used to me guy nicked M, we had great chemistry and on top of his good looks and excellent massage skills I liked him for exactly the same reason, he reminded me , including voice, my childhood friend ( just friend )  

Day 3
Spent a good part of the early morning catching up with work and by around brunch time, I am having a dilemma which app to order my nourishment from: Grabfood or Grindr. Obviously I chose the latter. The novelty of being able to have such service delivered to your doorstep during a work break is so appealing to me.
Since it's a bit early, Grindr was relatively quiet yet the selection is decent. After 40 minutes, I am making my way down to fetch my mid morning snack - a hunky guy from Myanmar. I asked him if we could buy something to eat first before going up. He said yes but I guess it took a while for him to understand given the bewildered look on his face when I started walking towards the street.
He started to relax and became more chatty when we enter my apartment. We had the usual conversation exchanges (where you from?, first time in Bangkok?, how long you stay?) while finishing our snacks. 
He then stood up and asked if he can go shower. With Ghanaian guy using the extra towel last night, I went fiddling through the drawer looking for some fresh towels when I heard the magic words "come with me?" Of course, Who am I to decline? 
After another steamy session, he stayed for around half an hour more with us cuddled up and him showing me some memes and funny videos some of which I couldn't understand (but gave it a polite chuckle). After he left, I threw the towels in the washer and hang it out to dry for future BFs to use. Definitely a disadvantage of being in an air bnb.
Decided to do some retail therapy this time so off I went to platinum mall. Nothing has changed much since I went last year except more and more shops are doing live stream selling while looking after walk-in customers as well. Talk about multitasking! I went straight to the top floor where the food court is and was pleased to see that the lunch swell has finished. There's a couple of stalls that have Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction one of them a Hainanese Chicken stall that I always go to. One order is around 70 baht but serving size is quite small so I always order two and requests that they put it in one plate to make me look less of a glutton. I then paired it with Mango sticky rice and Thai iced tea (a.k.a my Platinum Meal). Old habits are hard to break. 
After buying a couple of stuff, I went back to the apartment to rest and prepare for the night. Got myself some decent cheese and a bottle of wine which turned out to be a letdown. Any tips where to find good wine here in Bangkok?
When the time was ripe, it was decided that freshboys will be the destination tonight. I was careful walking past Screwboys as the guy working there that I met a couple of days back is getting a tad too dramatic with his confessions of love and proposals to be together. When I stopped replying, the messages escalated to another level of drama. I am hoping that the translation app he uses causes this.
Stepping inside, the first person to greet me was Nam. He's working in there as a waiter and I did offed him last time I was there. His face brightened up gave me a hug and asked if I remember him.
Just for context, while Nam is good-looking, he's not the usual guy you would off especially if youre after a guy with good built (he's medium built with a baby paunch) and he's not as well endowed down there unlike the guys on stage. However, what sets him apart from others in my book is quite personal. He's a dead ringer/doppleganger of my first highschool crush who's also my best friend. The resemblance including the height, built, dimples, playful demeanor is just uncanny. The only and huge difference I know is that my highschool crush is next level conservative and ultra religious. So I guess Nam brings something extra to the table: the fantasy / nostalgia of a previously "forbidden fruit" now within my reach. For some reason, there's still that feeling of giddiness and warmth when Nam sits next to me and showers me with attention. 
So I stayed there for the whole night. If I have to be honest, this is my least favourite bar and would be in the bottom of my list if Nam is not in there. The only reason for this  is it seems that people working there are a tad more "in your face" when asking customers for tips and drinks. I am not being naive and acknowledges that bar workers from Mamasan, touts, waiters, bar guys are after tips and would squeeze out every opportunity to make it happen. Maybe it's just me but I prefer a bit more subtlety rather than for example one of the waiters asking me for tip the moment he puts down my first drink. Or the Mamasan asking "you buy me drink?" After asking my name and where I'm from.
But going back to the happy part. I was enjoying the show especially with my imaginary highschool sweetheart Nam, sitting by my side,  lots of cuddling, flirting and his hands wandering  around my body with his mischievous bedimpled smile convincing me that "we go home together tonight". 
And we did. 
At least in Bangkok, this nerdy, socially awkward and closeted highschool guy's dream came true.

I was in Pattaya end of July and 1st wk of August. I went online on Grindr and found many willing guys. Turns out all were from Jomtien bars, but they were willing to deal directly with potential customers when they were not working. So there were no off fees. I met several guys that way including two 3-somes. In fact, I didn't visit a single bar this trip. Been-there-done-that on previous trips, but this time there was no problem finding lots of guys solely using Grindr.

You have yet discovered Brazil....you could be a convert, like Namazu was, he spends more time there than in his own house now.

Very favorable exchange rate with good airbnb rates comparable to BKK. SP has a variety of good restaurants, even Viet and Thai

If you're in a city served by Copa airlines, they offer very good fares to S. America

I think it's precise for the same reason   lovers of twinks, ladyboys and indeed girls are choosing Thailand.
Enough supply available in well organized system and at economic prices in safe environment. Guaranteed hot weather, good and varied food ,  lot of cultural attractions, well developed tourist infrastructure is a bonus. People with low self-esteem and meagre resources ( like me )  can boost their ego by lodging in great hotels for fraction of price  they'd be paying somewhere else.
Where you will go?
North America and Europe - too pricey
Latin America, discussed many times, guys cheaper and better built but food and lodging more expensive , airfares not competitively priced and safety concerns
Middle East - gay paradise but you will get there only after they behead or stone you first
Africa - where you want to start ? Uganda, Mali or South Africa, in short , expensive , unsafe and homophobic.
Russia - cold , expensive and always danger you may bump on the street into Moses
China - all dots may connect but not necessarily penetrable for foreigners.
in short , Thailand is only place where you guaranteed that in 3 hours from landing you will be in embraces of some  guy of your taste and survive to tell the tale, still holdin on to most of your cash.

Day 2
My body clock decided to wake me up at 5am. Not ideal but I decided to make use of the time to go to 7-11 and fill the fridge with provisions for me and my future boy du jour. Received a notification that my two work meetings were cancelled which means I suddenly have the full day to myself without anything planned.
Realised that it will be the best timing to finally try Jay Fai's cooking.  Turned out to be a good decision as I came to know later that they closed down for like two weeks the day after.
There's already a short queue when I arrived. Had a pleasant chat with another travelling lone wolf while waiting for the place to open. Decided that we'll share and split the bill so we can order more. We were so committed to stay in the queue that we had coffee delivered via grabfood while waiting! Overall, the food was worth the wait. It is on the pricier side though - average one gogo bar entry per order and the crab omelette which was so heavenly - equivalent to one boy massage tip not included. 
With my stomach full, I can now craft today's game plan. I checked out S'sense and immediately shortlisted three. Given their availability, I booked a cutie named Knott for a two hour session in the afternoon.
S'sense turned out to be a contrast with my experience in Arena. While both enjoyable, S'sense gives out a more spa like vibe compared to Arena's more rough and Spartan atmosphere.

Prior to starting, Knott asked what extra I will avail. From the line message, there are minimum tips for extras you will require. I was surprised at first but looking back, I realised talking about it upfront made things flow smoothly. Of course I chose the body to body extra 900 minimum tip.
And Knott turned out to be a gem! His massage skills is top notch and you can judge by his long massage strokes that he knows his stuff.  The way he used his elbows, arms, palm and knuckles was so skillful I started to relax and actually enjoy the session. He was so attentive as well. He asked me if I was cold - however I was so lazy to request for the vent to be turned the other way so I just said I'm ok. When he touched my skin, he chuckled and said "No you lie, you cold!" and adjusted the air-conditioning.
The extras were so good as well. He's a well built guy so the extras was more than enjoyable. He's very generous with his body and initiated kissing amongst other things. When we both finished, there's still half an hour left so we got cleaned up and he continued the massage. I don't know why but I felt a bit shy when he kissed me on the forehead to signal the end of the massage. Needless to say he received more than the minimum tip from me!
I stepped out of S'sense feeling rejuvenated and my jetlag melted. Made my way back to the apartment planning what the night will look like.

don't worry about boring anybody. Sometimes vanilla may produce very valuable information, how to get from A to B, that particular restaurant is closed on Wednesdays or that one can't wear short at Grand Palace and so on.
You could ask him then if he will  shower with you and wait for his return. Been there , done that
What ? !!! Count your blessings
what time you went there? hope you returned some other day  as their selection is quite eye pleasing 
 
thank you for great report, makes me missing my Suriwong / Silom  walks even more

I have been a reader of this forum for many years and have benefited greatly from such rich information from active posters - My holidays to Europe, South America and Asia particularly Thailand have been fun and extra spicy because of info generously shared here. Now I feel compelled to share my recent Thailand experience to hopefully help out and keep the info following.
Please note that English is my second language and I would like to apologise in advance for any grammatical and other errors. Please be kind to me ❤️
I spent 12 glorious days in Bangkok but I will only be writing about days with spicy bits so as not to bore you people with my other vanilla shenanigans.
Day 1
Arrived at Suvarnabhumi mid morning and immigration lines are flowing smoothly. Quite pleased that they no longer require those arrival cards. I always feel paranoid losing that other half  you need to show upon departure. 
After sorting out Sim card and mobile, I marched straight to the designated airport pick up spot as per email sent by the klook app. Pick-up was efficient and after a couple of minutes, I am already in the middle of Bangkok traffic giddily planning what and where to go next.
Check-in with air bnb was straightforward. Maybe because its low season, they allowed early check-in. I'm a bit wary with air bnb's legal status in Thailand. However, I am working remotely and hotel wifi is highly unreliable from experience.
After checking-in, I decided to give the classics a try so off to Arena I go. My trifecta used to be Arena, Prince and Hero - still wishing Hero will be back!
While walking towards Silom Plaza, I can't help but notice how much  cannabis shops have setup and mushroomed everywhere! Not my scene but it was surprising how the number quickly grew since I visited last year.
As I enter Arena, things flow like clockwork, The Uncle will ask you to sit by the couch, show you that Dogeared rate sheet and will try to sell you the most expensive package. Why do I have to pay 300thb more just for a different type of oil? I would rather use that to tip my man of the day and get better outcome later. While this is happening, them masseurs will assemble in front trying to get your attention. I always tell myself to calm down and take my time but I always feel low-key flustered with the attention which forces me to hastily make my selection.
I chose this cute guy with a toned built. He introduced himself as Tom. He then asked me to shower and he stepped out of the room. I was quite disappointed that he didn't join. He returned with his massage stuff and took a shower before starting the massage.
The massage itself was uneventful. It's that usual routine where they seem to focus on your leg area. I was starting to get bored and started yawning (so tired from my 13hr flight) and I think Tom took it as a cue to start the more interesting phase. He compensated well on his lack of massage skills and was quite surprised when he initiated a kiss. His body to body massage is quite good together with other things that comes with it. He then asked if I can make him cum  which I gladly obliged. I must say it must be his first one for the day!
I left Arena quite satisfied and decided to walk through Surawong to plan what tonight will hold. Had a quick bite at Foodland and took a taxi back to my place for a quick nap.
Waking up refreshed, I made my way to Hotmale. I must've arrived too early and the selection that night looks not that promising. I made a mental note to give it another chance and visit it again later. I then went inside screwboys purely out of curiosity. The place was smaller and that night seemed to attract a lot of smokers. I'm not a delicate person but I really struggle with cigarette smoke. There's quite a number of potential offs but I am not in the mood tonight for reason I don't know. I made my way out and had a good yarn with one cute  waiter from Laos. We exchanged Line which led to a number of proposals later to meet and be his boyfriend!
Decided to call it a night and grab a coffee from Starbucks while waiting for my taxi. Starbucks is now open 24 hours compared to closing at around 8pm last year. Sign that things are indeed normalising?
Overall, first night feels like a success even if i am going home alone. My session in Arena I guess is enough to cap off my night.

Cannot find a review here of this new place...so...
SOL boy bar which is located in the premises previously occupied  by Dream Boys , The latter are further along the soi.  SOL  is a on the ground floor , less than a  minute from Fresh Boys near the mouth of Patpong, Suriwong entrance,
Seems new furniture and decoration with tiered comfortable seating in front of a well lit stage. The show was ok. Nothing special but some of those in attendance seemed to enjoy it.
The boys appeared to be mostly similar to those in Hot Male. 
Drinks @ 400 baht each, no idea the off fee.
If you are in the area, no harm to check it out!
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hi guys,
Semi-recently returned from a short trip to Bangkok and would like to share a few things from what was my 7th trip to Thailand now. Rather than write a day-to-day account of my trip, I will just include an assortment of things I got up to.
 
Arrival
Flew into Bangkok on Thailand's flagship airline (Thai Airways) and when I started hearing the familiar sounds of the Thai language, it put me in a good mood as I knew I would be arriving to my happy place soon. I was fed so much food during the flight, however when we arrived into Suvarnabhumi, we had to disembark into a bus to take us to the terminal. Wasn't expecting this from a full service carrier and also considering how big Suvarnabhumi is, but I digress. Immigration didn't take too long and I didn't have checked baggage so I headed straight down to the basement floor to take the airport rail link to Makasan, where I then changed to the MRT Petchaburi to Silom. I managed to successfully use my credit card to go through the gates at the MRT (although I tapped my card on the wrong area at first, until the attendant showed me where to tap, which was very clearly marked and I was very clearly blind.
 
Hotel
My hotel of choice for this trip was the Crowne Plaza, not particularly cheap (for me) at nearly 4000 baht per night, but I decided to treat myself. It was a very short walk from Silom MRT, the room itself was quite large, with a decent view and a toilet with an electronic bidet. As I booked direct through IHG, I even received a small toy elephant as a thank you. Breakfast was included, and even though I don't usually eat breakfast, I decided that I would on this trip. The breakfast buffet was quite good quality actually, with many options that catered to all tastes.
I felt as though the hotel was not particularly full during my stay as I didn't really see a lot of people around. The hotel was also very guest friendly, and there were absolutely no issues with taking guests back to your room. You do need to go up the elevator to the 23rd floor, to where to reception is and then change to another elevator to get to your room. They are also quite generous with towels - I tipped housekeeping each day, and left a note to ask for an extra towel, and they gave me 4 extra towels (in addition to the regular 2) as well as 6 bottles of water. I remember when I asked for extra towels at the Tarntawan, they were a little apprehensive to give me just one!

 
Bars
I only managed to go to one bar this trip - Dreamboys. I usually see my favourite boy at least once per trip, but I never tell him that I'm coming so then it's always a surprise. This time was no exception. And it was quite coincidental this time actually because he had just finished his set in the show, and as he was coming off the stage, I had just come in. So I gave him a quick wave and smile, he did a double take and then joined me in my preferred seating (up the back) a few moments later. We had a drink and went back to the hotel where we had some fun times. He knows what I like, I know what he likes so it's pretty comfortable.
The bar wasn't particularly busy the few times I went with probably the exception of a Saturday. My guy even helped me pick some other guys that I wanted to take back, by advising me who was good and who wasn't. I did off another 2 guys from here - one of which was quite attractive, very chatty (very good grasp of the English language), and very decent in bed, although when I paid him his (generous) tip, he was a bit cheeky and ask for and extra 200 baht taxi money, so I just gave him 100. He definitely knows the business and what he is doing, and I will most likely repeat.
The other was absolutely beautiful (face and body), didn't speak a lot of English and although he tried his best, just seemed like he didn't have much experience and was at times a bit awkward. Never mind, you win some, you lose some. He was nice though but probably would not repeat. On my final night, I offed my favourite boy one more time and he wanted to sleep over but I said no because I was flying out early the next morning. I'm not really a long-time sort of person, short-time being more preferable. Next time, I have some catching up to do as I want to revisit hotmale, screwboys, possibly moonlight, freshboys, and tawan, and I also want to visit banana as I haven't been there yet.

 
Massage
Apart going to Prime for my 1 hour foot/1 hour Thai or 1 hour Thai/1 hour oil (even went to a new building which I hadn't been to before), I visited Kman and Apollo. 
Kman first. This was the first time I ventured outside the Silom/Sathorn area for a massage. Getting there was pretty straight forward - caught the BTS to Saphan Kwai but somehow I went down the wrong exit onto the wrong side of the road and I only realised when I saw a sign for Gbeat massage (which I knew was on the other side of the road), that I back tracked and went up and back down the correct exit, and found the shop shortly after. I don't usually book anyone when I go for a massage, rather I see who is available at the time. The manager came over with his iPad and showed me who was available, and I chose this guy who was T&B, and then got to choose which oil I would like (not that it really made a difference). I also decided to use the VIP room which was only 100 baht more than the regular room and it has a shower. It was 700 for 90 minutes, with a minimum tip of 900.
After following my chosen guy up endless stairs (as is usual in places like these), got to the room and had a quick shower before the massage started. There is an art to a sensual/sexual massage and this guy definitely knows what he is doing. He was naked from the start, there was a lot of body contact, mutual touching, and I was on edge the whole time. I had chosen him as he was T&B as I didn't feel like bottoming that day, but when he asked to fuck me I couldn't resist so I said that I will fuck him first, then he can fuck me to which he happily agreed. It was actually a really nice experience and I would definitely repeat. I ended up tipping him 2000 as he deserved it, and did a hell of a lot more than some guys I've paid 2000+ for.
Apollo - this experience was a little less exciting. After making the trip all the way to Bearing BTS, the shop was really easy to find - you can see the sign as you are walking down the stairs. When I walked in, I was met with confusion as to why I was there, but then the manager (or similar) came over and asked me 'boy massage?' to which I answered yes, and all was understood. This place also does legit massages as there are foot massage chairs on the ground floor, as well as Thai massage beds on the next floor (separated by curtains). The oil massage rooms are up another floor. As I didn't book ahead, the manager told me there was only one guy available, but there were a few more that he could call and they can come in about 10 minutes.
He asked me if I was a top/bottom and usually I am pretty versatile but today I wanted to be a top, so I narrowed my selection and chose a quite attractive guy, the managed called him and he wanted 2000 baht tip to which I agreed. I was shown where the room was and then to the shower (which is in a little bit of a public area), and then waited for him in the room. Since the aircon was shared with the room next door, I could hear what the people in the next room were up to. Anyway, he arrived and we got started. A lot of the time was spent with dry pressing, where I was wondering if anything was going to happen. Eventually it did, but it wasn't super exciting, and there wasn't much of a build-up, and not especially worth the tip I paid. Would I repeat? With him, probably not, but they do have a line account where they send pictures every day so I guess it all depends who you choose. Plus it is quite far away! And as I mentioned before, you win some, you lose some. I know that every experience is not going to be magical, but it's good to try!
 
Other things
Food - some notable places that I ate included Sunrise Tacos (the carne asada fries are quite nice, as is the waiter with the face tattoos), Silom night market (pad krapow moo or gai for 80 baht, cooked right in front of you, and also mango sticky rice yummm), 7-11 (toasted sandwiches and banana cupcakes are great at any time of the day and night), and Coffee Grinder (the cafe coco was quite delicious as were all of the staff).
Grindr - only met with one guy from Grindr (not a money boy), he is from Koh Samui and just here for a holiday. I think he must be well off though as he said he had stayed at Crowne Plaza quite recently, and was now staying at the Pullman. He also had no less than 3 cell phones on him that day.
Malls - visited Icon Siam and Siam Paragon, and they are pretty much just same same.
Currency exchange - X-One on Surawong road is always my place of choice.
 
Conclusion
I had a good trip and tried to fit as much in as I could, but I became tired quite a lot. The timezone is not exactly that different to that of my home country, but my sleeping pattern is massively different and wreaks havoc on my body. Anyway, I digress. My next trip will likely be in January and I will spend most of time in Bangkok, but wanting to stay in a slightly different area - anyone stayed at Trinity Silom or Furama Xclusive? Do bar boys walk that far? I also want to spend some time in Pattaya (not Jomtien this time as I never seem to have a great time there), instead I'll explore BoyzTown and massages around there. Classrooms hotel will likely be my hotel of choice (as I remember our esteemed Vinapu recommending it), and just by perusing the website, it is super clear and has all the information that I need. I like clarity like this. I may also spend some time in Phuket because why not. Thanks for reading!

As of tonight .   There is a gogo opening across from Hot Male in old DreamBoys location.   Scheduled to open next week or possibly week after.    There was music coming from inside, but no activity thru the front door so you couldn’t see what was going on .  Told that they were having practice tonight.    Owner is Chinese and reportedly paid a lot of baht for the place. 
 
Stopped by Screwboys for a few minutes.  About 20 guys working and some head turners.  Working the crowd,  they wanted offs. Some got them just before show time.    Wearing white shorts and basketball jersey tops.    Good crowd.  Almost full.    Actually I think the crowds were pretty decent both in Soi 4 and Patpong 2
Other side of Patpong, I noticed the stalls were down to Surawong.   I left around midnight but noticed the fine dining of Foodland was quite busy.   

Mister International 2023 is scheduled to be held in Bangkok on 23 Sept
Before that, Thailand will select its representative tonight (3 Sept). Last night was preliminaries.
 

Your journey should've included going inside....
Don't you get tired of this?

Or at least ask next time, how's mom, your roommate have his key for room and motorcycle, is it parked in a safe place....we should make a checklist to cover everything, lol

i completely agree.  I have been to other more costly places such as Jey spa and VCK.  they are way more cleaner, tidier and well maintained than Arena. it is very likely that you are gonna see their boys more trendier too. but i never skipped visiting arena at least once on my trips so far.
this place is very unique. i am not sure what it is. my heart would be already pounding going up the escalator in that abandoned building. then once you open the door, all the guys would suddenly get up to form a line in front of you while you are welcome to sit down on their old and broken couch. most of the time, almost all of them would be half naked. their rough facial features, coupled with muscular bodies could be intimidating for first timers.  but now i really enjoy that moment. i felt like the moment you enter that place, you could feel and smell a wave of testosterone. is it because of their dark and old interior decorations or is it because of those low maintenance guys? i am not sure. 

just go, website or not they are very much in operation. Arena rarely , if ever disappoints. If you don't know  who is available , even better, creates additional buzz for exploration. And main advantage, is right there in Silom ghetto so even if disappointed it's just short walk back to civilization 

Day 12
After breakfast we parted ways. I had tourist program in mind- to complete survey of monorail from Hua Mak to Lad Prao. That section was not yet operational when I rode it in Jun. So off I went to Hua Mak. From There to LadPrao 101 station as I knew there was boy massage place in the soi. Still is , sign " KB BOY" is visible from far. It was opened but I did not venture in  , retuned to station to continue my journey.
 When I returned to hotel they just started cleaning room  it so I decide to go to Foodland to eat something  and then  had a stroll through the area and generally had lazy afternoon enlivened by message from Kao from day 7 that he has day off tomorrow and will be happy to meet from 3 pm on. Confirmed right away.  
 After dark I went to Tawan hoping for massage with original twink Mas. He was there and suggested we utilize for our session new shiny room at Coffee Grinder two door away. Great idea at 600 baht, plus 500 off fee for removal him from the bar so it worked 200 baht more than charge when we had massages upstairs  in the bar but I liked it, all three , room , boy and massage in any order.
Then  to the bar, MK was already there but my heart started bleeding right away. #4 I was hoping to off tonight was sitting with some Asian customer and they seemed to have good time. S was trying to repeat last night feast but I think I become dispirited by missing chance on number 4 and resolved that if he will be taken by that customer I will try to console myself in Moonlight , not Tawan.
Mid show it was exactly what happened, both all smiles marched out, I tipped S, paid for my drinks and went to Moonlight to find bar busy and full. Mamasan who knows I like A  stabbed me in the back with news that he was already taken few minutes ago. Than another one, who knows I like also Y came and pointed that Y is sitting with customer who seem to be ready to take him. Which exactly what happened by time they brought me my drink.  So all I can have was handshake with Y leaving with that successful competitor. What a night , grrrrr!
 Seeing my long face mamas an pointed out at few new guys and particularly one  looked very attractive with manly , rough looking  face , in short exactly what I like so I called him over for drink. Myanmarese, he become clingy on the spot, looked enthusiastic so we agreed on long time and compensation and after paying off fee went to Happy Beer garden for a supper, by the way my last supper this trip.  
 From there to the room where things happened quite fast, no harm done thought I , now it will be more time for quiet romantic fake boyfriend experience as I liked him a lot. But it wasn’t meant to be as soon after he looked at his phone and said his roommate lost a key so must go to open door for him and of course he will be back but can I give him half of his tip now because he needs to buy something. Even time frame was quoted like 20 minutes or so. 
 Old trick , too old for me but what could I do? So far he worked hard for his compensation so handed over money, accepted without hope promise he will be back soon. Next hour I spent on the phone and tablet and then went to bed . Of course he did not return. Oh well.
My grandmother used to say there’s no bad thing which is not creating something good. At least I had very good night sleep, considering my next night will be spend on the plan it was quite a bonus. It’s why I’m not upset, just bit disappointed but still happy with experience, hot but short, lol.
What was bit unnerving though was Line message next morning of "how are you doing ?" like nothing happened. No repeat as Christian PFC uses to say.
 

Day 11
In the morning SK was sleeping soundly so I decided not  wake him up and went to new Foodland for breakfast and meeting with MJ alone. I left his tip in plain view just in case, actually bit more because of his recent troubles in appreciation of fact that he did not ask for anything.
 We had a lot to talk about with MJ so when I returned well past 10  he was gone and tip collected with ‘thank you ‘message on the Line . Gone were also my new sandals owing to miscommunication. When he was e going to 7/11 last night I told SK he can use mine sandals  instead of  tying his sneakers and all that. What I meant one time usage he took as permission to use them in perpetuity. No harm done since I had another pair.
Today I feel a bit cold so went to buy Tylenol and stay in the room till afternoon. Tylenol did the job and at 4 pm I was ready for  trip to Arena with MJ as decided in the morning .
When going to bars or spas with somebody there’s always possibility that both of us will be fond of the same guy so we agreed on who will be first.  Greeted by veteran captain Art we surveyed realm , today very rich selection of mostly hunky hunks. Fortunately we had different picks. My choice was guy whose face was bit familiar but whom I was certain I never engaged.
 Only when he told me his name Nuk I got enlightened. One of most popular and praised guys there for many years. There was member who never took anybody else from arena then him.  Finally today was my turn to get acquainted . He aged a bit since last time I saw him  there but he did not lost his luster. Great body , great massage  skills and every thing else. Spoiled him with 2000 tip .
 Then MJ and me went to Foodland, a bit underused this trip because I had breakfast included in Quarter and for dinners somehow G’Bangkok had bit more allure.
  We always had plenty to talk about liking exactly the same types and in fact the same boys so spent some time there exchanging news.
 In the evening MK and me planned to go to Tawan so I went there knowing MK will be inside already. There was new boy # 4 , not exactly hunk but very attractive still. I had him sitting over drink and used occasion to get  bit intimate if only to have excuse to tip him.
 S wasted no time to sit beside on other side , that way securing  LT off tonight. Knowing what I know now If I have any regret this trip it was that I did not off #4 tonight instead .
  It was raining quite heavily when S and I left so even if it’s very close to hotel we took taxi which handily just appeared in front of bar.
Very energetic night, as I mentioned before S is not even close to being sand bag , at least not with me, that’s sure thing. He likes his inflated tips but to be fair works for them quite hard and never complains about inability to sleep because my manipulations.
But for tomorrow I made firm resolve , it’s #4. We will see how it will work.
 

blend of string of lucky coincidences clearly steered from above and Foodland Patpong mysterious vibes.
Dates back to Januray trip. I was breakfasting with one of my boys when he gestured to somebody behind my back. Since nobody was standing there it was clearly to somebody who was passing by and did what I always do there - check who is sitting inside. Seconds ago another motion to very handsome guy , even from distance, who entered restaurant. So of course being soft hearted and always generous  when he approached I asked him to sit with us and order whatever he wants on my tab. It made him wide eyed but my boy said something , most likely ' relax,  he will pay" .
We did not talk much but it turned out he lives in the same place my boy's brother does. Whether roommate or just neighbour I don't know to this day.
By my company clearly he could gather I like boys and more inquiring mind would say , boys in the morning.
This probably would finish whole story if not a fact that coincidentally I met him on the street later that day and again day or two later. Not that sensational as he works shifts in the area but on another hand Silom and Suriwong are busy streets. Again , we did not talk much ,  wai and hallo on first occasion and farang style handshake , initiated by him, I remember that very well , on the second. It was then when I realized I have some interest in him. 
In May Guardian Angel went to action  again,  we met in passing on one of days, it turned out we remember each other quite  well and even  we had some small talk  and then he said something to effect " hope to see you soon".
So when we bumped into each other this trip  for 4th time it was clear we are meant for each other and one of us  suggested we have meal together and to facilitate that we exchanged Line as his shifts seem to be irregular. Rest is , as they say , history. But also future as we will learn soon.
Surely I should act much sooner but knowing that he is not from the scene made me quite apprehensive even if fact he saw me first with the boy settled expectancies somehow. 

Day 10
 After Y left I slept well despite of cold bed. Last breakfast today at the hotel as I’m finally moving to Baan Silom. Nice lady who prepared my fried eggs every morning was nicely surprised with tip I left her.
In the room I packed then took tuk-tuk which took me to new digs for 100 baht. I left luggage there as they instructed me room will be ready in 1-2 hours ( it was still morning ) and went for a stroll. On corner of soi Tawan repaired my daypack for 70 baht then got a message from MA he is drinking cofeee at Silom 64 so marched there to join him for tea and latest news.
Then I took MRT  to Hualampong  just to check how it is now after most trains moved to Bang Sue or whatever elaborate name of new station is. Central platform  is kind of railway museum with exhibit of old stem engines but there are still some trains departing from there.
 There’s free shuttle bus connecting both stations but doesn’t seem to be too frequent, perhaps one per hour as for time I was surveying station , more than ½ hr it did not departed.
When I arrived in hotel room was already free so time for some laundry. Since I like to travel light I have habit that first thing to do in the room is do some washing.
In the afternoon we had thunderstorm, about time as it was so far quite dry for rainy season. At 7.30 dinner at G’Bangkok with MA , from there we went to Hot Male beer bar to have some drinks with boys there. I used that occasion to molest new boy One a bit more and of course force some tip on him for his troubles.
It was past 10 pm when I got Line message from SK that he just landed and is going straight to my hotel. He was escorting his ailing brother to Cambodia as doctors advised them his treatment will be cheaper there.  So waved good bye to gentlemen in the bar and went to hotel, not long after SK arrived. He was both sleepy and hungry and suggested that instead of restaurant he will go and buy something to eat for him at 7/11 across the street so I gave him 200 baht to do some shopping. Yes , upon return he gave me a change with receipt.
Food energized him quite a bit   so we had some exercises instead of talking politics in Mauritius.