Davidsteel99

I wish I can agree with you but I don't. Years ago Pattaya have had 4 gay complexes Day Night coplex vanished,Sunee Plaza is bleeding( I doubt it can survive if the business will not improve soon),Boyz Town is very quiet only Jomtien complex is doing well at the moment.
Dongtan beach was almost exclusively gay oriented with many young Thai boys seeking for clients and male masseurs doing massage on the beach and keeping you company but not anymore.
Years ago quality and quantity of the boys was much bigger and their services were much cheaper. In the past Pattaya was gay heaven I could easily stay there weeks but sadly the gay scene shrinked badly and at my last trip last year after one week became bored this is why in my next trip planning to visit nearby places like Ko Samet , Kanchanaburi and Hua Hin. However Thailand is still my favourite destination in the world the low leaving costs,the gay friendly atmosphere and the kindness of the Thai people make it wonderful experience for me every time I come.

This is certainly not a ploy money boy will never tell you that unless he really likes you or planning to make serious relationship with you.
If I were you I wouldn't pay him every day he might be offended but I will give him the full amount for his service at the end of the trip for his time and tell him you are not paying for the sex with him but to help him for his future.

Thank you, Peter, for a fine contribution. The FCCT presentation, coupled with your analysis, do a great job of bringing the man to life. 
The last—and I believe most recent (2011)—book on Thompson that I’ve read was “The Ideal Man: the tragedy of Jim Thompson and the American way of war.” Here’s a review from The Asian Correspondent. 
https://asiancorrespondent.com/2011/11/review-of-the-ideal-man-the-tragedy-of-jim-thompson-and-the-american-way-of-war/
Although Thompson was many things to many people, I believe some members of this forum share one thing in particular with him: a love of Thailand and its people. I think readers may well find  it difficult to read about this man without identifying just a bit with him.

I am not sure if there are any recent books on his life with new information on what might have happened to him. Two years ago there was a showing in Bangkok of a new documentary "Who Killed Jim Thomson The Thai Silk King" with new details supplied in interviews with relatives of several men who were involved with both Thomson and his disappearance. The director and relatives were in attendance for a Q&A session after the showing of the film. Unfortunately I cannot locate it on the internet. But the long Q&A is interesting - 
 
Basically the documentary suggests that Thomson went reluctantly on his trip to Malaysia. The purpose was to meet the leader of the Malaysian communist insurgency, Chin Peng, who was going to arrange for him to be flown secretly to Phnom Penh. There he was to meet a former Prime Minister of Thailand who had fled to Beijing in the early 1950s and could not return. At the time of Thomson's disappearance, China and Cambodia had diplomatic relations and so travel between the two capitals was easy. The ex-Prime Minster had wanted to meet a member of the Thai government, but this person was reluctant to do so in case word of the meeting got out. So at the last minute he asked his good friend Jim Thomson to go in his place.
With his spy background Thomson knew about the Malaysian communists. He knew he had to be careful. He also knew that Moonlight Cottage where he stayed on his trip had at one time been the centre of the Malaysian communists. Thomson had to wait for several days at the Cottage before contact could be made. On a Sunday morning he had walked down the road from the Cottage to attend a Church further down the hill. That afternoon it is assumed he received word that the communists were ready to meet him. He quickly left the Cottage to walk down the hill where transport would be waiting for him. His departure was obviously hasty as he left behind several personal items. He then vanished.
The documentary claims that Chin Peng and his associates did not know Thomson before being advised he would be the intermediary. In doing their research, they discovered he had been a senior US intelligence agent. They became alarmed. The last thing they wanted was a spy providing information about their exact whereabouts and capabilities. The film decries previous theories that Thomson could have mistakenly walked into the forest, got lost and was killed by animals. Thomson knew the area well. It claims that Chin Peng had in fact laid a trap. When Thomson found the transport due to take him to the plane for Phnom Penh, he climbed in and the vehicle drove off. It is known that tracker dogs discovered that his trail on the road suddenly ended, suggesting that he entered a vehicle. It is then assumed that Chin Peng had him murdered  and his body buried far from Moonlight Cottage. Hence the search which was limited to the environs of the Cottage could find no evidence of a body or his clothing.
It is of course merely a theory, one of many. for example it was also well known that not everyone in Thailand liked Thomson. In particular some of the other silk manufacturers were very angry that a farang had come and had much greater success than they had achieved. He was also taking market share away from them. One or more of these businessmen would have had a good reason for wishing to get rid of him.
So this is just the latest theory. After watching the documentary it seemed to me to have more than a degree of authenticity. But it will likely always remain one of lifes great mysteries.

Point you may wish to ponder: you’re not in your “home” country.
I don’t think the kid was permanently damaged by seeing his father naked. Hope that you weren’t, either.

It seems that the opinion regarding tips in Gogo bars is coalescing around 20 baht to 100 for the drinks service. The latter figure would be appropriate if your stay was lengthy whereas 20,would be ok for a shorter period with just one drink. As for interaction with a boy my minimum would be 100 when I’ve not got too intimate (perhaps just kissing or caressing). This would go to maybe 200 if I have held his cock or indulged in lengthy tongue kissing. However usually my purpose in visiting a Gogo would be to off a boy usually LT sometimes short time. I would not give him a bar tip, the tip would come later related to his performance in bed.
I visit Pattaya as a gay sex tourist - skimping on tips is not what I’m about.

To follow up on ggobkk post here is the email.
 
Warmest greetings from TCC Hotel Group  !!
               We would like to thank you for the excellent relationship we have enjoyed with you over the years. Throughout its tenure, The Tarntawan Hotel Surawong Bangkok has consistently welcomed guests with memorable experiences. We would like to take this opportunity to announce that we will embark on a new chapter in its remarkable story.
The Tarntawan Surawong Bangkok will be temporarily closed between 1 June – 15 July 2019 for an extensive project to revitalize this property. In the meantime, we are pleased to welcome all pre-booked guests and new reservations staying from 16 July 2019.
Please note that the name will be remain or not change to be imm Hotel as my informed earlier. We would like to apologize for any confusion by reverting back to “The Tarntawan Surawong Bangkok”.
We are very grateful for the many years of support you have given us and thank you for your kind understanding and cooperation.
For all enquiries, please contact me at below shown number.
 
Yours sincerely,
Thanadon Tibkham
Hotel Manager
The Tarntawan Surawong Bangkok
119/5-10 Surawong Rd., Suriyawong, Bangrak, Bangkok, 10500, Thailand.
M: +66 (0) 89 204 9461 | T: +66 (0) 2238 2620 | E: hm@tarntawansurawong.com | W:www.tarntawansurawong.com
  

To follow up on ggobkk post here is the email.
 
Warmest greetings from TCC Hotel Group  !!
               We would like to thank you for the excellent relationship we have enjoyed with you over the years. Throughout its tenure, The Tarntawan Hotel Surawong Bangkok has consistently welcomed guests with memorable experiences. We would like to take this opportunity to announce that we will embark on a new chapter in its remarkable story.
The Tarntawan Surawong Bangkok will be temporarily closed between 1 June – 15 July 2019 for an extensive project to revitalize this property. In the meantime, we are pleased to welcome all pre-booked guests and new reservations staying from 16 July 2019.
Please note that the name will be remain or not change to be imm Hotel as my informed earlier. We would like to apologize for any confusion by reverting back to “The Tarntawan Surawong Bangkok”.
We are very grateful for the many years of support you have given us and thank you for your kind understanding and cooperation.
For all enquiries, please contact me at below shown number.
 
Yours sincerely,
Thanadon Tibkham
Hotel Manager
The Tarntawan Surawong Bangkok
119/5-10 Surawong Rd., Suriyawong, Bangrak, Bangkok, 10500, Thailand.
M: +66 (0) 89 204 9461 | T: +66 (0) 2238 2620 | E: hm@tarntawansurawong.com | W:www.tarntawansurawong.com
  

To follow up on ggobkk post here is the email.
 
Warmest greetings from TCC Hotel Group  !!
               We would like to thank you for the excellent relationship we have enjoyed with you over the years. Throughout its tenure, The Tarntawan Hotel Surawong Bangkok has consistently welcomed guests with memorable experiences. We would like to take this opportunity to announce that we will embark on a new chapter in its remarkable story.
The Tarntawan Surawong Bangkok will be temporarily closed between 1 June – 15 July 2019 for an extensive project to revitalize this property. In the meantime, we are pleased to welcome all pre-booked guests and new reservations staying from 16 July 2019.
Please note that the name will be remain or not change to be imm Hotel as my informed earlier. We would like to apologize for any confusion by reverting back to “The Tarntawan Surawong Bangkok”.
We are very grateful for the many years of support you have given us and thank you for your kind understanding and cooperation.
For all enquiries, please contact me at below shown number.
 
Yours sincerely,
Thanadon Tibkham
Hotel Manager
The Tarntawan Surawong Bangkok
119/5-10 Surawong Rd., Suriyawong, Bangrak, Bangkok, 10500, Thailand.
M: +66 (0) 89 204 9461 | T: +66 (0) 2238 2620 | E: hm@tarntawansurawong.com | W:www.tarntawansurawong.com
  

Although I was a prophet of gloom once the demise of Soi Twilight was announced, I am delighted the bars have found alternative accommodations and are still relatively close together. What I miss is the proliferation of beer bars staffed often by very cute guys where one could just sit having a drink at a reasonable price with pleasant company watching the gay world go by. The gogo bars are there but not the atmosphere. Not yet!

Now the original thread has moved to the Timeless section I do not seem to be able to add another comment.
Hopefully someone more tech savvy than me can connect this to the original thread. 
 
While I do not think there is any way to guarantee a good experience, there are a few things that can be done to improve the chances of one, many of which are expanding on the points listed by DivineMadman.

The description below indicates something fairly obvious.

A majority of the factors determining whether or not we have a good experience are up to us, not up to the guy. Unless we recognize this, criticizing the guys is pointless and cheap.

The success of the evening depends on two phases.

(i)                Selecting the guy in the club.

(ii)              The relationship established with the guy after selecting him.

I have structured a lot of deals in my time. When they go bad it is almost never about aspects of the technical structuring. Bad deals usually reflect poor understanding of the human element.

This goes quadruple for an interpersonal transaction like an off.

Yes you are paying, but this does not make you god, dictator, puppet master or even desirable for the duration.

The payment only gets the guy into the bedroom.

How well he does what you would like him to do depends on how you treat him and how you make him feel. This is not finance. This is recognition, esteem and a human connection.

(A)    In the Club

Selecting a guy in the club is the more ‘technical’ part of the evening.

More information is better than less information, so I enlist the help of the mamasans. I have a much higher success rate when I use the mamasans for information than when I wing it. Their input helps to narrow the field to guys who are most likely to be compatible.

I addition to checking which guys are gay and who does what, I also ask who has already had an off that evening as while the guys have the energy of youth they are not supermen.

In terms of the guy’s behavior on stage, on a scale of no-eye-contact-immersed-in-cell-phone to wagging-erect-dick-in-face, I have had the best connection with guys who make eye contact and smile but who are not overt about it. They are watching you, so when you look at them and make eye contact they smile back, but they are not blatantly trying to get your attention. Maybe they are a bit shy or they are simply not extraverts. I find this a better indicator of real interest than a guy who too-actively markets himself.

I agree with Paborn that the price of a drink to get to know a guy better is money well spent. Facetime with a guy gives you a lot of clues as to how compatible you might be.

More so if you are not drunk. If my mission for the evening is to off a guy I do not drink alcohol, or drink very little, until I have chosen a guy. A major life lesson has been that alcohol impairs judgement. My only bad experiences picking up guys generally, not just Thailand, have been when I had a few too many drinks in me.

(B)    After Leaving the Club

Now you have chosen a guy and sealed a deal, it is totally up to you how things work out.

You now have to get the guy into a zone in which he is happy to be with you.

This is personal chemistry not money.

At its most basic this is showing an interest in him, showing him respect, consideration and making him comfortable.

Ask him if he is hungry and, if he is, offer to buy him something. I make it clear I am not hungry, this is for him. Then he is likely to pick some street food he likes and he is comfortable. If I suggest I am also hungry a guy is likely to think we have to go somewhere I like, which may not be so much to his taste. This is about helping him to be comfortable, not feeding me.

Find something to admire in his street outfit and complement him.

Back in the hotel ask him if he would like a drink.

Be the first to suggest a shower. Thai guys are into clean.

Have a spare tooth brush for him to use and suggest it is ok if he wants to experiment with any of your products.

Take his lead on whether or not he wants to shower together. Some guys, particularly bottoms, may want privacy to prep themselves.

The infallible indicator of a successful evening to come is if the guy returns from the bathroom erect.

In bed spend time on foreplay and check again what he does and does not do. If he is comfortable with you his repertoire may have expanded since the club.

You get the picture.

Your experience is really “up to you”.

 
 

probably we go through most of those steps just without realizing it

1.  Don't over-think.  
2.  Be open.
3.  Be kind.
4.  Have fun.
 

While it's important to be respectful to host country culture, it doesn't apply to what is happening in the industry,where rules are simple and universal. Whoever helped you may be tipped  if you so inclined and whoever did not lift a finger, no matter what rank and seniority is should be left with empty hands.
I rarely have problems with mamasans for simple reason, while I treat them politely I liberally use word 'no' when they offer help I don't need or  request tip they don't earned. Complain that tip is too small is met  with  'that' enough' from me.
I believe a lot of our problems with mamasans comes from us trying to be too polite and too respectful , much more than necessary. 
After all we are not buying all that stuff hawkers on Patpong market are trying to push on us.
Uninvited mamas an trying to make small talk will get a lot of polite nonsense from me as response, enough to get a hint I'm not interested in. "What boy   do  you  like ' , "I like girls, 'what country you are from ?' " Tuvalu, Burkina Faso, Suriname'  or some other country far from first pages.
So first advice , while acknowledging them try to mind our own , not their business.
Second is to have enough of change so no need to wait for staff to bring it, BTS change counters are very handy for that.
Third is not to pay any attention to supposed cultural norm that tipping in coins is offensive, if they don't like, and some don't, take coins back and leave them empty handed, been there , done that and it works next time.
As for boys circulating with erect cocks , it's nothing wrong with them expecting tip, we would do the same  in that situation, no ?
Again wave away and polite 'thank you' should work but if one touches that cock , pats boy on the bum or whatever should part with some money. I usually tip only one chosen from the pack, better use of 100 baht  than enlisting  help of mamas to bring boy over as chances are after the show boy will smile our way broadly.
Almost forgotten fourth advice it to place tip discretely  in the palm or pocket of person , preferably when nobody is around
20 baht tip for  bringing a drink is enough  , even if it's senior mamasan, grandson of Field Marshall or whoever.
As for OP question, I'd give 20 baht to waiter and pocket 230 as explained above why, tip another mamasan exactly way you did.
While I don't like extortionate types I strongly believe in monetary rewards to people who helped us and made our experience better 
 By the way I have a habit of settling my bills in bar right away, i.e. When drink is delivered I pay the tab and tip the waiter, this signalizes that I'm ok for a while and it's always read correctly.
 
 

I agree with Vinapu. I'm a tipper but a Mamasan who is intrusive gets nothing. Actually, I have had few problems with them as I have a firm policy of ignoring anyone I don't invite over. 

But why not just show the boys ID card or passport? It is also for your own protection. Boy can't get card back until you confirm all is OK.

Anddy spots a Cambodian boy he has offed before and invites him to sit. Big broad cute smile! I call the waiter to prepare a drink for Cambodian boy. Right decision to order the bottle. Altogether there were 5 glasses of Jack Daniel drinks constantly refilled throughout the show. By the time the show ended, there was only a little bit left in the bottle. Did we really drink that much? Hmm.
One more piece of nugget to share. The cubicles at the Lucky Boys toilets are separated by partitions but the partitions are made of plastic and see through! I had a free peek at a gogo bar peeing. I go back to our seats and insisted that Anddy visit the toilet. He comes back and says that a gogoboy was peeing openly next to him and letting him see. What an ingenious choice of design by Lucky Boys owner! Bless you for giving us an avenue to indulge our voyeuristic and cruising fantasies!
I had always wondered whether Lucky Boys was an equal merger between X-Boys and Classic Boys. Most of the show numbers were from Classic Boys. Ditto for the mamasans. More mamasans from Classic Boys compared to X-Boys. The final confirmation came in the receipt I got back after using my credit card to pay for my bottle of Jack Daniels. Printed on the receipt - “New Classic Boys Club”
Anddy decided not to off his boy today but gave him a tip. I paid for P’s off and tipped Boy and L. I also tipped a ladyboy who exposed her breasts during her song. Damn, I have never seen breasts so symmetrical. My final tip went to a chubby but cute gogo boy who danced very well. I said goodbye to Anddy as we parted outside. It was a real pleasure being with Anddy and checking out all the boys together.
In the hotel room, P and I had sex first then spent the next hour listening to Thai music while drinking whisky and smoking cigarettes that I brought from Singapore. At about 2 plus, P left. I could feel the effects of the whisky starting to kick in. I slept and only woke up at 11am the next day.
 

Other than Golden Cock which opens at 14:00 (2pm) are there other host bars open early?

Responding to PeterRS above:
Interesting that you raised the issue of gender balance. This was one aspect that particularly struck me after a long hiatus from the scene, and indeed I have quite a bit to say about that (how did you guess?)
I think this will be the real death knell for the bars. And I hope some bars begin to experiment with a “Men Only” door policy.
Here are the social realities:
Straight women outnumber gay men at least 10 to 1. Ditto straight men. Once straight women start getting comfortable in these bars, more and more will follow and gay men will be flooded out. Straight men, chasing women, will start to follow the straight women into the bars.That 10:1 demographic imbalance is such that we cannot pretend that a place can ever remain a gay safe space once the women start coming in numbers.
We shouldn’t forget that even today, many gay men are still guarded about their sexual identities. I think it was here on Gay Thailand forum when, in another thread, an issue was made about a bar being careless with its videos, exposing faces of customers. This only shows how delicate the matter is.
I had a friend who once noticed a (male) work colleague coming into the bar. He was almost freaked out when their eyes met (from nearly across the room). But at least he could say to himself, "well it’s a case of mutual assured destruction if he outs me. If he is in the bar, he’s gay too. To tell anyone that he saw me in this bar is to admit that he too was in the bar." So in that sense, it was still a safe space.
But imagine if my friend noticed a straight female work colleague coming into the same bar (perhaps with a gaggle of other women). Immediately, he would be at a serious disadvantage. She could claim the moral superiority of being heterosexual and interested in the male form (socially fairly acceptable), but he would be exposed as gay (in many countries, still socially unacceptable). The threat of mutual assured destruction is no longer there; it is asymmetrical: a risk to the gay man, not a risk to the straight women.
I think in the long run, the bars will need to implement either a men-only policy or have differential pricing where women have to pay twice or thrice what men pay.
From some idealistic quarters I can hear people cry “discrimination”. Well, how about calling it “affirmative action” to protect a vulnerable group from being swamped out, and keeping a space safe for them?
In any case, why is no one screaming hell and damnation for the discrimination that occurs in so many bars and dance clubs every week where, on “Ladies Nights”, women get in free or real cheap?
Read this story from ThaiVisa https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/645338-sometimes-you-go-to-a-women-only-lounge-and-its-just-kind-of-depressing/  Ignore the details of the story. The point is that it describes a bar with a policy to exclude male patrons. If it’s OK to forbid entry to men, it should be OK to forbid entry to women.
I come back to an earlier sentence: We shouldn’t forget that even today, many gay men are very guarded about their sexual identities.
There is no doubt that there has been an Asianisation of these bars. We’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg. Consider three factors:
The populations of China, India and Indonesia are huge; They will grow steadily wealthier; Their societies remain socially conservative. If we are seeing 200* gay men arriving each day from other Asian countries, some time down the road, we may see 2,000 a day. There is a future for these bars (and massage parlours); the potential market is there. But because their societies are socially conservative, it is important to keep the bars a safe space for them, otherwise why should they come?
*A wild guess, not that I have any data.

As the saying goes, "All work and no play makes Jack/Mack a dull boy". 
In Bangkok recently for work, I made sure my evenings were free. Then tacked on a few more days in Pattaya. The first of four trip reports is up at http://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog with one new report a day. Beware  -- these are long reads.
Sunday evening upload: Bangkok bars
Monday evening upload: Bangkok massage
Tuesday evening: Pattaya bars
Wednesday evening: Pattaya massage.

Some background info – 35 year old mixed Caucasian/Asian, last trip to Thailand (Bangkok) was in 2016, was invited to a wedding in Phuket so I thought I would visit a few other places at the same time.
 
Pre-Thailand
My first stop was Cambodia (Siem Reap) for 3 days. My first time here. After flying for most of the day, I finally arrived, found the tuk tuk driver which the hotel provided and was on my way to the hotel (trying to avoid water being thrown on me as it was the last day of Khmer new year). Hotel was fine and room was comfortable (had a nice view of a wall), close to pub street but not too close. Found some dinner (and 50c beer) and called it a night. The next day I spent lazing around the pool in the glorious hot weather, talked to a guy on grindr who said he did massage (let’s call him Charles [not his real name]), so he came to my hotel and I received an okay massage (and pretty decent extras). He was pretty chatty, and his English was quite good so we spent some time having a chat. Apparently my hotel had a rooftop bar, so I went and had a look and no one was there. Ended up going to a night market and I bought a shirt, and ate some street food, whilst sitting on the smallest chair and table imaginable. The next day I went to Angkor Wat with a guide from Siam Roads, and was impressed by the magnitude of it and how it is still standing after 900 years. Also visited Ta Prohm. Later when I got back to the hotel, went back to the rooftop bar and still no one there. Ended up going to pub street and had dinner at the red piano, and got a decent foot massage nearby by a cute Khmer guy. Whilst having a cigarette outside the front of my hotel later that evening, a rat scurried over my foot. My final day in Siem Reap consisted of going to Phnom Kulen waterfall (with guide) which was amazing and visiting Blue Hatha later on. Massage was pretty perfunctory which I expected, and extras nothing more than a handjob, but the guy was cute nonetheless. 
 
Thailand (Pattaya and Phuket)
Since I went to BKK in 2016, I decided to give Pattaya a go this time round. The flight to BKK from Siem Reap was quick and non-eventful, ended up arriving ahead of schedule and caught the 2pm Bell Travel Service bus (in hindsight, could have caught the 12pm bus but didn’t feel like testing my luck in case the plane was late) for 280 baht, took about an hour and a half, then transferred to a mini bus which took nearly an hour as it dropped off all of the other passengers first (of course I was the second last to be dropped off). I stayed at the Avani and wow it was quite a step up compared to my hotel in Siem Reap. Big room, huge bed and a balcony with a nice view of the gardens. I ended up booking a massage with a guy I found online (his ad specified it was a legit massage only, and I was fine with that), and the massage was quite good, but still ended up somehow having a happy ending! I asked him if he wanted extra tip to which he replied ‘up to you’ so I gave him a little extra. It ended up being a pretty good deal for a 2-hour massage. I was too lazy to do anything else that night, so I ordered room service and went to sleep.
 
The next day I went across the road to Pattaya beach, walked all the way to the northern end of it and all the way back, and then hired a beach chair to sit on for a while. The weather was so hot and humid, but I actually didn’t mind it. Later on, I was talking to a guy from hornet, a Thai guy from BKK who was here on holiday. He seemed quite nice and we got along but his profile didn’t have his face pic, and when he did send it, it turned out that he wasn’t quite my type, but I ended up meeting him anyway. We met at Pattaya beach and just sat around for a while talking, and using google translate to help. Ended up going back to his hotel (which had an infinity pool and an amazing view of Pattaya at night) and handjobs were exchanged. Sweet guy though, we are still in contact. I walked through BoyzTown on my way back to my hotel and it didn’t seem like a lot was going on so I didn’t go to any bars.
 
The next day the strangest thing happened. So I was on grindr and ‘Charles’ from Cambodia messaged me and I noticed he was a few km’s away. He did mention a few days ago that he might go to Thailand to work, and that in itself isn’t out of the ordinary. But for him to be close by on grindr while I happened to be in Pattaya, pretty co-incidental. So he ended up messaging me because I thought he wanted to meet up, and somehow during the conversation he was saying that we have never met, even though I have all the chat history! And then he started sending me pictures of other guys. I ended up ignoring him because the situation was a little odd. Later I ended up walking to Pattaya viewpoint (and oh boy was I sweating out of every orifice imaginable), couldn’t find it because I was on the wrong side of the road, eventually found it and the view was amazing! Had a rest after taking some photos, and then decided to go to Dongtan Beach in Jomtien. Ended up walking there as well. Found the rainbow flags, was chatted up by a Cambodian guy, and just hung out on a beach chair for a few hours, using my new favourite phrase ‘mai ow’ to the people that wouldn’t take no for an answer when selling things. My plan was to take a baht bus back to my hotel, but stupid me ended up walking back for some reason. But I made it back, and was totally exhausted. Also walked the whole way in thongs (flip-flops for the americanos), which probably weren’t the best walking shoes. Didn’t meet up with any guys that day, and was too tired to go out so I ordered room service again, and it was a pizza, which turned out to be huge so I said to myself ‘I’ll just eat half of it now, and have the rest tomorrow’ but then I ended up eating the whole thing.
 
My last day consisted of going to Koh Larn. Got on the ferry which didn’t take too long, walked to Ta Yai beach and had lunch at an overpriced restaurant. It was a nice little beach, not too crowded. I got bored so I walked back to the ferry and caught it back to Pattaya and went back to my hotel for a little while. After that I ended up walking to Royal House (was going to go to Helios but changed my mind at the last second, and I’m glad I did). You know when you go to these places and are presented with a selection of guys and sometimes it takes a while to choose? Well here, I knew exactly the guy I wanted as soon as I saw him. 25 year old guy from Isan, a little shorter than me, with a smaller frame, but toned. He was lovely. Let’s call him ‘James’. I think we had a bit of a connection, okay massage, really good afters. We both got to test our ‘versatility’. We are still in contact today, and he doesn’t work at Royal House anymore, instead now he works in a factory. Was going to go to BoyzTown on my way back, but I was pretty satisfied to be honest, so since this was my last day in Pattaya, I’ll just have to visit again. And hopefully for longer next time.
 
The next day I organised a car to take me to U-Tapao airport (which in hindsight I should have just taken the bus back to BKK – would have been way cheaper), and I flew to Phuket. Never been here before either. Caught the smart bus to my hotel in Karon Beach (the bus stop was not near my hotel so I ended up walking for about 10 minutes with my suitcase which was lots of fun). Checked in with no dramas, and although the room was pretty average, the view was pretty amazing. Not too much to talk about here as the next day I had a (female) friend from my home city come to stay with me as we were going to the wedding together. What can I say about Phuket? So many tourists, can be quite busy (although we didn’t stay in Patong), and most things were expensive. Anyway, explored a little bit, hung out, ate a bit too much, relaxed a lot, and went to the wedding which was beautiful. On my last day there I ventured out by myself and went to Patong. Ended up going to 4 massage (on the way was accosted by guys from Linley massage, who looked pretty decent so that’s a place I can explore if I come back), decided to splurge and got a 4-handed massage. Most guys there weren’t really my type but I chose 2 that were suitable. One of the 2 that I chose was really quite playful which I hadn’t experienced before at massage places, so it was nice. Anyway the 4-handed massage was okay, nothing too special, and then decent afters with both guys, one after the other. That was new for me, but I loved it. Walked around Jungceylon after that, but it was like any other mall you would find anywhere really.
 
Post-Thailand
The rest of the trip was pretty non-eventful, caught a plane to the Philippines and didn’t meet up with any guys while I was there as I was staying with family, but I did chat to a guy on grindr who I’m still talking to today, so maybe when I visit again I can meet up with him.
 
I had a really great trip, and it was a long time in the making as I had booked everything about 6 months before I left. I had a great time ‘butterflying’ around, as I never seem to have much sex with guys in my own city. It’s just so much easier overseas for some reason, and I get so much more attention. And I managed to not get food poisoning like last time! Anyway, I’m planning another trip in October, this time to BKK. I’d like to see ‘James’ again (don’t worry, I’m not in love with him, he is just a decent guy who I’d like to spend some more time with), and he said he would stay with me whilst in BKK. I might also spend some time in Singapore or Malaysia, I don’t know just yet, still brainstorming. Thanks for reading!

It’s Wednesday and almost lunch time.  Ya, known to many on the Forum, as one of the early and incredibly helpful and popular Siam Roads guides, has retired from guiding and is managing properties for farangs and expats in Pattaya.  We’ve agreed to meet up for lunch today. That gives me a chance to catch up on my reporting before he arrives.
Before I begin, let me recommend Nathan_B’s post about Pattaya.  He captures the mood much better than I ever could and since we share most of the same opinions about the venues, it does away with the need to describe the clubs and staff. Sunnee is almost hopeless, but not completely as there is the chance that.someone from the past will reappear.  
It’s important to underline and shout out that it is slow season...even in Jomtien which has its new Jomtien Walking Street signage, a majority of the tables and chairs are empty.
My days have been somewhat routine.  Go the beach in the morning, red and blue umbrella section just past the old restroom/new storage facility.  Once there I settle in and then have a massage on the sand.  The section hosts shade my pale body with umbrellas. Last year, on both visits to Pattaya, Noo was my masseur of choice.  On Sunday, I couldn’t find him and didn’t see him walk by, so I went with Thim.  OK massage, so I repeated with him on Monday.  Of course, Noo now appears.  I tell him what happens, book him for Wednesday back at the hotel as the beach umbrella sections are closed on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Thim is a no - show for our agreed time, so I Line Noo, he arrives, massage begins and Thim shows up.  At this point I remember how good Noo is with massage and say “sorry” to Thim.  Noo, by the way, could easily work at Tawan given his physique.
After, my morning massage, I relax, have some fruit drink - usually watermelon, and watch the passimg scene...most of the folks sheltering within the blue and red zone recognize one another after a couple of days, folks have the same chairs, some have new boyfriends some return with their regular companion.  There is a Russian family that comes down to the beach every morning, five of them,leaving their bags at the foot of a palm tree and go in the water for a half hour and them pick up there stuff and head back to wherever.  
I then head back to the hotel, shower, maybe take a nap.  Catch up on internet - it’s all sort of boring, and - for. Me - that’s a good thing.  I go for a walk around 3, stop at some of the Jomtien Complex bars as they are setting up and the boys are arriving to work.  I learn but am not surprised how hard it is to find customers in the slow season who will take the guys off or even tip them when they sit with them and go through the routine “where you from/stay/for how long?
While Fah massage has closed, two newer massage places have opened, one next to Fah, the other a few paces on the left - next to the show that sells condos and swimwear, - as one leaves the Venue.  I didn’t try either.  Tuesday, I had a great massage from one of the bar boys at CJ...he contacted me on Romeo, I recognized from the photo that he was working nearby, so went over and chatted, told him I didn’t want to off him, he suggested massage, I agreed and we arranged it Tuesday, which was yesterday.  So Tuesday was a beach massage and in the room massage double.
For meals, I’ve has some street food, been to Super Issan, had breakfast pastries from  Delice (next to Fah’s old location), Poseidon, and Yupin. The last two provide food in the grand old style, generously portioned and heavily sauced.  I’m not sure if that is a recommendation in this day of healthy eating, but it was good tasting.  Patrick, the gray eminence of Yupins is a charmer.  Tonight, is the monthly 6 course wine matching dinner at Poseidon andI’ve booked a space.
That boring part of this report  is now out of the way, so to discuss my evening activities, I spent a good portion of Monday night in Boyztown.  I visited Dreamboys, X Boys, Cupidol, looked in at BBB, and, again note that Nathan_B has a report that I can only echo.  I do note that Cupidol’s mamasan continues to drive me crazy.  Observation, customer mix is more farang than Asian.  Definite change from Bangkok.
Monday, after my wandering, I ended up at Toy. Boys.  I was looking for the glasses wearing Cambodian boy, I saw the night before while waiting for Sophy.  Manager said the boy was off on a short time, if I cared to wait.  I responded, with a maybe tomorrow comment.  Sophy had been onstage but the opposite side from where I was seated, when the rotation brought him into view, I called him over.  Rather than go to Jomtien, we adjourned to Toy Boys private room and enjoyed ourselves/each other.  Until that night, I didn’t know there was a private room available.  Live and Learn!
Tuesday night, I went in earlier to Boyztown as suggested by the Toy Boy manager. I was so early (8:40pm) the boys weren’t even on stage.  Manager quickly remedied that.  Other customers followed me in.  The object of my interest arrived about ten minutes later.  Manager tells me he is a “newbie” ;from Cambodia.  As soon as he’s clocked in, Manager brings him over.  He is short and thin, and feline in his moves.  Just sitting down, he works his body into mine and puts his head on my shoulder.  We agree on the off and head to Jomtien.  His name is David, some English.  Hold hands on the way to baht bus, and entwines with me on the ride.  He’’s 23  but looks younger - I did a passport check.
David tells me this is his third day working at Toy Boys, he came from Cambodia five weeks ago and worked in a Jomtien restaurant the first month, some of his friends had “lot of money” and he decided to work  where they did.  
Once in the room he undresses me as if it was part of a staged event, button by button with a kiss each step.  The top of his head comes up to my chin. He tells me I am large, probably because he’s now taken off his glasses.  When he is naked, I tell him he is large and HE IS.  Up to this point on this trip I though Shy from Moonlight was tops in this area...David wins.  
Another thing, for someone in the work for 3 days, he must have had a great trainer as he has no inhibitions nor any limits that we could find.  Since he is a fraction of my age, he had a level of energy that is amassing.  Once we have reached a point of exhaustion, he asks if he might stay the night.  I agree.  And, after a rest, we go back to our activities.  This will happen one more time in the morning before he leaves at 6:30.  He was with me for more than 8 hours.  
Three hours after David departed, Noo was in the room for my morning massage....
OK... I’ve caught up.  Only two days left...

I hesitate to call this a trip report as it's much less detailed than many, but here are my observations from a trip to Pattaya earlier in May. Typically I only frequent gogo bars - massage is not generally my thing (I'll make an exception for a stunner), and host bars are usually a last resort.
I spent a week in Hua Hin, one of my favourite places to unwind, before hitting Pattaya for 10 days. The transfer was hellish, for some reason known only to herself the driver decided a route via central Bangkok was best. The motorways were gridlocked on a Friday afternoon, so instead of the usual 5 hours the journey took 7.5 hours. It will be the ferry next time for sure.
In Pattaya, Boyztown was subdued with very few customers in the outside bars. Panoroma in particular was very quiet, Castro and Serene seemed to be busier. 
A-Bomb, one of my regular bars, was closed for a long overdue refurbishment. I was disappointed as I'd been hoping to find a lad from my last visit. I found the A-Bomb barman working as a waiter in Dreamboys, along with several of the A-bomb lads. The waiter explained a couple of other A-bomb boys were working at Cupidol, including the lad I was looking for. He headed over to Cupidol, and brought my lad over to Dreamsboys for me. Now there's good service!
I caught the Dreamboys first show, which is pretty much a copy of X-Boys and BBB minus the Bboys dancers. They started with a candle show, which I thought was extinct in Thailand. The candle boy was not really my type, pleasant looking but not a stunner, but as I watched he grew on me - the waiter helpfully explained he was "number 1 big cock" in the bar. However, it was his big chunky ass that capitvated me, especially when I saw him naked later during the big cock show. The waiter was talking about a 700 Baht off fee for the show boys, plus tips of "2000 Baht up", so I didn't off him. 
Later in the trip I saw the Dreamboys 2nd show, they seemed to have many more boys in the big cock show who I hadn't seen previously in the bar. It was fun. I spotted an exceptionally handsome older guy who I'd offed years ago - frustratingly I couldn't remember from where. It must have been BBB, or Dreamsboys in Bangkok, I think. I had a quick grope for 100 Baht. It was pity this was my last night and I already had a boy from Dreamboys sat with me.
X-Boys had a good selection of boys. I always find the staff here a bit odd, other than asking if you want to off anyone  they don't seem to want to engage or help you choose a boy as they do in other bars. Maybe their English is not up to a conversation.  I did off a good looking lad, I wasn't sure he was gay when I saw him on stage but he soon convinced me he was. He'd already had a few drinks, and was in fact slightly drunk. This didn't really affect his performance.
in Cupidol, other than my former A-Bomb guy who I offed a couple of times, I didn't find any boys my type - but then I rarely do. 
I ventured into BBB several times.  I'm not a fan of the way the boys are generally fully dressed. The muscular ones who do take their tops off invariably have an unimaginative tattoo in the style of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, across one pec and a half-sleeve down the arm. Twice I offed one of my regulars, a cute gay lad from Chiang Mai with an unexpectedly large cock. One evening when he wasn't there, one of the muscular guys caught my attention. He's cute but distinctive looking with a great body. He was from Cambodia, which surprised me given his build. When he worked out what I liked (which is not difficult, I'm easily pleased), he was quite the dirty devil in bed. Unfortunately his cock, while looking good when soft, never got even slightly hard and was so pumped full of fillers and silicone it was quite off putting. After my usual short time I gave him 1500 Baht. He looked at it pretty disdainfully and asked for another 500 Baht. He hadn't mentioned it earlier in the bar, but I reckoned he probably thinks of himself as one of the stars in the bar and deserving of a minimum 2000 Baht. I gave him the extra 500 without any argument as I don't want any bad feeling. I made a mental note to check prices with "star" boys in future. I don't normally discuss tips in the bar, and rarely have a problem like this - it's happened 3 times in 20 years. With the 1200 Baht charge to the bar (2 drinks at 350 plus 500 off fee), it made for quite an expensive evening. He won't be joining my list of regulars.
Toy Boys is the best run bar in Boyztown. My regular waiter knows what I like and works hard to find a suitable boy for me. I offed two boys from here - one was a sightly older guy with a great body I'd offed previously. He's straight but does everything. The other was a newly arrived young lad, straight but cute as a button. He was pretty useless in bed however, lying there like a sack of potatoes. 
I ventured over to Sunee once when inspiration in Boyztown was lacking. Sunee is a shadow of it's former self of course, with many bars closed and those that were open had very few if any customers. I went directly to Winner, in the hope of finding a boy from my last trip in February. He was new then, and unlike the typical Winner boy he's compact and muscular. I was slightly surprised to see him still working in the bar, he didn't really seem cut out for it. He remembered me and was pleased to see me. He'd grown in confidence and his English had improved, so he was a chatty companion. He was below average in bed, but I knew that anyway, and I find him attractive enough not to mind.
Overall my tally in the gogo bars was 4 new boys and 6 repeats from previous trips. Next time I'll be on the lookout for more new boys - I'll aim for a 50:50 ratio.

Make sure your connection to Bangkok is still there. I had a very strange go round with United in that my connection they provided from HKG to BKK kept disappearing from my reservation. Happen several times and they were less than helpful at the Premier Desk. They seem to think I should talk to the airline they booked me on about the problem. I told them it was their responsibility to solve this issue as I paid United for transportation to Bangkok. I finally rerouted via Tokyo and will terminate my future dealing with United. Found out later from another United agent they have some weird computer problem that does not secure your connecting flights on other carriers if they rebook after initial booking. A supervisor has to do something special in the system. The whole thing is bizarre and I can no longer trust United which ends 30 years of travel history with them. 

(I post again these videos that I quoted in the thread "Some model photoshots", under pressure from readers concerned about sexual fixations)
 
I found a set of videos about amazing young ballet students who became potential stars after just two years of studying.  What an example of dedication and what this can achieve! 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OALDd-SodeY