vaughn

The outcome will be better for him if he just burn his money in a barrel it will save him legal prosecutions and jail  .LOL.

If you have no experience in running a business in hospitality and have no knowledge of local practices and law, well... just buy a barrel and burn your baht because it will be less stress with the same outcome.
Your post history indicates you're pretty new to Thailand and don't have much understanding of the economics of the bar scene, is that right?
it's fun to dream but it sounds like you're wasting your time. You might want to spend some time in the country and at existing venues to learn how things work before even starting to work on a business plan.

If you have no experience in running a business in hospitality and have no knowledge of local practices and law, well... just buy a barrel and burn your baht because it will be less stress with the same outcome.
Your post history indicates you're pretty new to Thailand and don't have much understanding of the economics of the bar scene, is that right?
it's fun to dream but it sounds like you're wasting your time. You might want to spend some time in the country and at existing venues to learn how things work before even starting to work on a business plan.

I think this is brilliant! Go for it.

for breakfast I like that O'Delices , French bakery on the corner , across from Soda massage,

More than a decade ago there was a post here about a famous suicide/murder in Hong Kong that reverberated through the gay community and how the general community reacted to it. Given the interest that has been expressed in a thread recently in learning more about the gay history of Bangkok, I thought some might find an expanded version of the events in January 1980 in Hong Kong of interest.
This long article was written by a prominent gay expat journalist and author based in Hong Kong for several decades. Before he sadly died, he asked me to assist him with some research for the following article which he hoped would be published in one of the international gay magazines. It was written in mid-2019 to commemorate the events of mid-January 2020. Sadly no magazine was interested. So the article was expanded to its present form. It illustrates a number of issues - police corruption in Hong Kong (almost worse than here in Thailand), major official attempts to root out homosexuality, the confusion between pedophilia and homosexuality . . . and how it was that the 19th century British colonial law making sodomy between men illegal came finally to be repealed in 1991.
Unfortunately, this is not posted on any website so I have to post the full article. Given its length, I will split the article into several posts.
Was It Suicide? Was It Murder? 
Whatever The Facts, It Changed Hong Kong’s mid-1800s Anti-Gay Law Forever
Introduction
A young Special Unit detective is found, fatally shot five times in his abdomen, the night before he is to appear in court on a charge of abusing a teenage boy.
His hometown girlfriend was planning to join him in his distant posting for their announcement of engagement to marry. Neither she nor his family could accept the suicide report or homosexual slanders about him.
His drinking and partying friends in the police force also refused to believe that he was a closet homosexual or paedophile. 
The suspicious death of an overly curious detective prompted a seemingly endless stream of scandalous reports, manipulated official inquiries, and revelations reaching the top heights of the Government and its police force.
But might the detective also have been a closet gay? Was he also a secret spy for the federal police authorities? Was the local government covering up hidden affairs in its own ranks? Was the community suddenly made aware of a host of expatriates in senior positions who had to hide their emotional attachments to younger Chinese men?
Those five bullets in an abdomen ricocheted through a community rife with corruption, prostitution, racism, political uncertainty and exploitation. 
Nothing was what it appeared to be ... or what people wanted to believe.
 
The Death 
On the morning of January 15 1980, five gunshots rang out. In bustling, over-populated Kowloon preparing for the day ahead, no one seemed to hear those shots above the noise of the rush hour traffic below. In the source of the shots, a government flat, a young expatriate police inspector lay dead in his bedroom. It was a scene reminiscent of an Agatha Christie or John Le Carre novel. Five bullets had pierced his body – but not his heart or head. A police revolver lay by his side. Allegedly the door and windows to the room were all securely locked from the inside. 
Had anyone taken a snapshot of that body, the conclusion would almost certainly have been one of murder. As the events leading up to this death ever so gradually became public knowledge, they were to resound for years and lead to the uncovering of a secret world where the gleaming, glistening facade of prosperous Hong Kong would be shown to be no more than surface deep. As layer upon layer of the undergrowth was exposed, an incredulous public was shocked. No one on that January morning realised it at the time, but these events would ultimately lead to a change in a law that had been on the statute books for more than 100 years. Gay men would finally be able to lead much more open lives.
Background
Under British rule following the two Opium Wars in 1841 and 1860, Hong Kong in 1980 with its 236 islands and the Kowloon Peninsula is situated on the southern mainland of a China that is just starting to recover from the murderous decade of the Cultural Revolution. That decade from 1965 had all but destroyed the very fabric of Chinese society, its education and legal systems and, above all, the family unit. 
Hong Kong’s economy had for some decades been built by and expanded through immigrant labour from China. Its population had grown from 600,000 after World War II to over four million by 1966. After the Cultural Revolution, the stream of migrants increased. By 1980 the number of small shantytowns visible on many Hong Kong hillsides had increased. To accommodate the inflow, the Hong Kong government commenced what at the time was the largest urban development programme in the world, creating vast new housing estates and four New Towns that would each eventually accommodate over 500,000 people. With a land area of just over 400 square miles, Hong Kong was the most densely populated part of the planet.
By the 1970s, Hong Kong’s economy was in transition from a “sweat shop” producing cheap goods for export to an international centre of trade and finance. Hong Kong’s freewheeling capitalist economy was attracting much international praise and investment. Local Chinese entrepreneurs who had hitherto headed small to medium scale companies began to take over long-established international British colonial conglomerates (known locally as “hongs”).
Criminal Activity in Hong Kong
Underneath its glittering surface, though, there was much the world did not see and which the all-powerful British colonial administration did not want it to see. The Hong Kong Governor, always British and usually a senior civil servant who had spent time in Beijing, was appointed by the United Kingdom. He wielded far more authority than the British Prime Minister. Hong Kong’s legal system was based on British Common Law.
 Maintaining order in the British colony (the British preferred to call it “Territory” whereas the Chinese claimed it was “Chinese Territory temporarily under the control of the British”) was the Royal Hong Kong Police (RHKP), a large body of Chinese whose senior officers were almost exclusively from Britain and its former colonial outposts. Rampant and endemic corruption and triad-organized crime activity were rife at all levels of society. With the Cultural Revolution had come a period of considerable instability in Hong Kong, including riots. Maintaining civil order became a key objective of the RHKP.
The crime rate in Hong Kong had been rising rapidly. Official statistics show the violent crime rate had risen from 48 per 100,000 of the population in 1963 to 477 in 1976 [1]. It was also known that the percentage of violent crimes reported to the police was almost certainly a small fraction of actual numbers.
Another well-known fact was that corruption within the RHKP itself was rife and had reached epidemic proportions. Bribes were expected equally from businesses and individuals. Worse, many of the senior police were in the pay of the triad bosses whom they were supposed to be suppressing.
 In 1974 the then Governor Sir Murray MacLehose (the longest-serving Hong Kong Governor from 1971 to 1982 and much admired by all in Hong Kong for his achievements) decided the time had come to get rid of corruption. The previous year Peter Godber, a Police Chief Superintendent, had been discovered to have assets of HK$4.3 million (at that time approx. US$860,000) in bank accounts in six countries. It was suspected his wealth had been accumulated through corruption. Given a week by the Attorney General to explain the source of this wealth, Godber managed to slip out of Hong Kong and fled to England. The result was a public outcry in Hong Kong with students spearheading a mass rally condemning the government for its failure to tackle corruption. (Godber was extradited from England in 1975. He was convicted of corruption and sentenced to four years in jail.)
Following Godber’s escape, MacLehose established the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) with its own police force and separate Judiciary and answerable only to the Governor [2]. In essence, anyone accused of corrupt activity was thereafter basically guilty until proven innocent. Immediately a number of high-ranking officials fled Hong Kong.
The ICAC itself was not a total panacea in solving Hong Kong’s problems. One police officer at that time, Stephen Griffiths, claims in an article that many policemen suggested the initials stood for “I Can Accept Cheques” [3].

Friday (Day 6) - Dinner at G Bangkok with fellow forum member followed by visit to Banana Bar. Surprise find at show - a Russian aerial dancer! (I Googled the term because I know I can't call him a pole dancer!) He did acrobatics using a long rope suspended from ceiling. And he had a fit body to ogle at! Very entertaining and it was another innovative way to bring in the tourist crowds. There was also one solo dance number where the professional dancer danced to K-Pop music, which is the latest in-thing. 
I could see the logic of including such performances to draw in tourist crowd. When a group of tourists (and they are mostly ladies) come into a bar, that's 4 to 5 drinks straightaway.
The rest of the show consisted of ladyboy diva lip synching, some dancing and shower and big cock show. I saw a Laos guy I knew and asked him to sit with me during the show. Bought him a drink (300 baht) and also tipped him afterwards. If only I could take him back to hotel room, I would have done so!
After leaving Banana, fellow forum member and I went to Foodland Patpong where we met his regular (and very handsome) guy. Reminded me of my ex-boyfriend who has gone back to Vietnam permanently.
Overall an enjoyable night. Drinks at Banana are 380 baht.

I wasn't sure whether I wanted to do a trip report initially. I posted my experiences in various bars the past week in individual existing topics but upon reflection, I have decided to combine them so here goes.
My last trip was last December and now I am here for 2 weeks in holiday. Unfortunately, I am staying with family so I only had the first two nights available to bring guys back to hotel room.
Sunday (Day 1) - Arrived at airport at night and only reached hotel at midnight. Thank goodness for Screwboys which is open till late. Guys were in basketball singlets and shorts. I would rather see them in their previously infamous white briefs with blue stripes.
About 15 guys on stage with the rest seated with customers. Party atmosphere with some of the guys dancing to the loud music. Saw a smooth charming twink but I hesitated and he ended up being called over to two German customers who sat next to me. We had some small talk and toasted drinks but inside me, I was cursing myself for not being quicker.
Show started at 12.45am. Lots of ladyboy performances. Only 2 big cock shows and these were not done by Screwboys guys but by freelancers. They came into the bar before their performances, paraded their cocks, earned their tips and quickly moved off.
Show ended at 1.30am and lo and behold, German customers paid up and left. I had expected them to take the twink off. I asked him over to my seat and five minutes later, we were in my hotel room. From Laos. Hardworking fella. After our session, he went to his next job which is at a karaoke bar. He says he only gets back to his room at 7am. Maybe I will ask him to bring me to his karaoke bar one of these nights.
Drinks at 350 baht and off fee 500 baht. I tipped mamasan 100 baht and paid Laos twink 2000 baht for short time session.
Monday (Day 2) - Full house at Jupiter. Mostly Asian customers. Ladies were all seated in front aisle rows. The Jupiter dancers really loved performing for them. In terms of show items, same as last year. No difference. Why change a winning formula after all?
I arrived at 10.15pm at door and told waiter that I would be ordering a bottle of whisky. He led me to a table next to sound system. Not a sofa table but at least a private space and a splendid view of the locker and gym area where the Jupiter guys hang out before they go on stage.
I took a look at drinks menu and ordered one bottle of Johnnie Walker. Mamasan remembered me. "Poppy (the singer) no work tonight. He work Wednesday night." "You come alone? Where your friends?"
Mamasan called over Cambodian handsome model whom I met last December nd whom I had also contacted in advance. He was in red briefs - tonight's attire for first model walk on stage for Jupiter guys. "I have to do model walk 1030. After that, I come to you." No problem, I have all night.
10.30pm - the first model walk started. Quite a number of Jupiter guys working today, easily at least 30. Most Mondays are quiet affairs.
After the first model walk, the show started. Cambodian was with me, now fully dressed. We watched the show until 11.30pm after the second model walk where the Jupiter guys came out in white shorts only. One interesting thing happened. An Asian male and female couple in 30s had come in and they were seated at table next to me. I knew they were from China because they spoke to each other in Mandarin and they spoke to mamasan in English. They were looking for a guy for a threesome. Mamasan called over 8 Jupiter guys to the couple and the lady took some time to pick one tall fair skinned Jupiter guy. All this while, I was sniggering away. I looked at my guy and asked him if he had ever been in a 3some. Cambodian smiled shyly like a schoolboy and shook his head. He need not worry about me asking him for a 3some. I wanted him all to myself tonight.
Still at least 2/3 of Johnnie Walker left. Shall go again another night this week and next week.
Tuesday (Day 3) - I spent first half of evening at Hot Male beer bar downstairs. No lack of customers for the bars in Soi Gay Patpong. In fact many were casual tourists who went inside the bars for the shows.
Hot Male beer bar downstairs remains best spot for people watching as they walk up and down the soi. And of course it's a great spot to perv at the shirtless Dreamboys guys on the balcony. Hot Male beer bar staff are as friendly and chatty as ever.
Freshboys 10.30pm show was well attended - a group of farang tourists comprising one guy and three ladies, a gay Taiwan couple, a big spender with bottle service and two Freshboys guys (who have changed out of Freshboys white shorts) and a mamasan around him and an eclectic Asian group in their 40s/50s (5 men, 3 women). The lead guy was seated with the women and dispensing tips to performers on stage. The other men called down a Freshboys guy to sit with them. Later before second show, two farang ladies came in, with one of them using crutches as her leg was in a cast. She must have heard many good things about the show because she was willing to climb up the narrow stairs to the bar!
As for Freshboys guys, mostly twinks and some twunks. Many familiar faces from last year. Mamasans and waiters also same, including one lanky handsome waiter with a number tag. Show was same as well. Mix of ladyboy lip synching, shower show and big cock show (4 of them). Drinks at 400 baht.
Wednesday (Day 4) - I met some fellow forum members for dinner at G Bangkok. We had a great time chatting about our recent experiences. At the same time, we were ogling a hunky Banana Bar guy standing outside his bar with an umbrella (it was raining for a while).
After dinner, we went to Jupiter. Longtime singer Poppy is back singing. He wasn't there on Monday and in fact, he doesn't sing every night at Jupiter nowadays. Only certain nights.
I had reserved a sofa seat at the back for our entourage. Quiet night. Only 14 guys working tonight - fellow forum member actually meticulously counted them!
In terms of customers, only half full compared to Monday night. Many ladies. There was in fact one group of ladies on 2nd floor looking down like fangirls and they remained there until the show ended. VIP table near the stairs was reserved for 2 very well dressed ladies. Midway during the show, they asked mamasan to arrange some guys to stand in a semicircle for them to choose.
First time customers would only be able to choose them during the 3rd model walk when they finally wear number tags on their jeans. During the 1st and 2nd model walks, they were in briefs and shorts but no number tags so it was quite difficult to call them down to your seat unless you have mamasan next to you and you inform him.
Cambodian handsome hunk whom I took back on Monday night was not working today. But I spotted a Laos guy who worked at Banana last December and whom I met. So surprised that he's working at Jupiter now. Happy that he haf cimbed the gogobar ladder. I wanted to get reacquainted with him. Unfortunately, another customer had arranged to off him in advance.
I told mamasan that we would not be offing any guy tonight but I asked mamasan if it was possible to send over some guys to our table who could drink and he helpfully found some from those who had not been offed. We played card games where the loser had to drink half a shot of whisky. Some guys barely lasted a few shots while some guys could really drink and lasted all the way till we eventually ended at half past midnight.
Thursday (Day 5) - Visited Dreamboys and out of 30 guys on stage, I would take half of them. Yes, many are old timers but they are keeping themselves in shape. Music was not that loud. I found music at Jupiter to be louder. 10.30pm show is more or less the same but opening coyote dancing is not done by professionals anymore. It's now in-house with 11 of the Dreamboys guys on stage dancing. Unfortunately, most can't dance. Kudos for effort. Rest of show was entertaining enough. Quick transition between performances. Just the right balance of drag queen diva lip synching and other performances including two big cock shows with sucking. There was a Magic Mike style dance where two hunks in police uniforms danced and e eventually stripped down. That was the highlight for me and it was comparable in standard to Jupiter and Moonlight. Macho guy in high heels dancing was there as well. Many customers and had to squeeze. Main difference is no ladies in crowd unlike Jupiter which had many lady customers. I have visited 3 out of 4 bars on Soi Patpong. Left Hotmale to visit on another night.

Since Aniki died 2 years ago, most of the discussion on saunas in Taipei has revolved around the relatively new Soi 13in. It certainly remains THE sauna for meeting mostly young Taiwanese and other Asians, especially at the week-ends when it always seems packed with way over 100 cute guys.
But another sauna is undergoing something of a rebirth! For at least 2 decades, Hans Mens Sauna near the Red House gay complex of bars and cafes has continued to attract mostly older Taiwanese with occasional university students after classes and on a Saturday. The last time I went pre-covid it was pretty run down and sleazy, its one main attractive feature being a hot pool where you could sit and watch guys taking their showers, those having emerged from the very dark steam room often sporting sizeable erections.
Four months ago it moved two blocks further up XiNing South Road into totally new premises. It now occupies the entire 8th floor of Wan Nian Building. It has obviously been designed from scratch and is spotlessly clean. It obviously hopes for a large number of patrons as I counted more than 300 lockers. I went twice, the more active being late on Saturday afternoon. Since it is so spread out, I could not accurately estimate the number of patrons but I reckon at least 70. Most seemed to make a beeline for the two steam rooms, at least to start their visits, and these were pretty active. The facilities also include a sauna, TV room with reclining loungers for relaxing and watching one of the regular TV movies, a corner with a long couch showing porn, a karaoke lounge, a decent number of private rooms (but not nearly enough if it ever gets packed) and about 4 totally dark spaces with mattresses. It also has an open-air balcony which I did not venture on to.
I rarely if ever have met anyone I knew at a Taipei sauna. This time I was attracted to a young guy who came in and seemed to smile at me. After he had changed into his towel, he came up to me and said, "Obviously, you do not remember me!" I hate it when someone says that, but fortunately he went on, "It was at the hot spring about 4 years ago when I was 18. I only spoke a little English then but we chatted a little." Then the icing on the cake, "Really nice to see you here!"
Needless to say, after he had showered and we had met up in a steam room, we chatted a bit and then proceeded to a dark room where we had a really great time. Afterwards we exchanged Line IDs and will keep in touch.
The one thing the new Hans lacks is ambience, but then few attending will be looking for that. The walls are mostly industrial concrete and the floors linoleum. But overall I thought the clientele had moved down an age bracket or two. Clearly some guys were in their 20s but I reckoned most were between late 20s and mid-50s - except for me, that is!!
To get to the sauna, probably the best way is to go through the Red House from near the subway exit to Sol Bar at the very end on XiNing South Rd.

Exiting Sol, turn right, cross over the traffic intersection and walk up about 80 meters to the next intersection which is from the pedestrian area. Across the street you will see a large building in green. This is the Wan Nian Building.

Find the entrance on XiNing South Road and walk through the small stores (a bit like Terminal 21 in Bangkok although these are mostly watch shops). There is no sign in English for the 8th floor, only one with two Chinese characters on a blue background.

The lifts will be on your left. Entrance is now NT$400 (US$13), NT$50 more than at the old premises. I noticed there is a hotel on the 6th floor. No idea what it is like but I imagine pretty inexpensive.
On a more general note, as far as the apps are concerned, I gave up on Blued a couple of years ago and was a bit surprised that some of my Taiwan friends had also ditched the app. Grindr was arguably the most active for young guys seeking older westerners, but Hornet and Jack'd were not far behind.
I did venture out one evening to the gayish Hot Spring, Huang Tzu. Not as many guys as normally the case, but then it was very hot in Taipei last week and a hot spring is better suited to cooler if not colder weather. Still, there must have been 60 - 70 guys there with some as usual being agressively handsome.

Thanks to my partner's checking on some of the South American sites, I am staggered at how amazingly handsome many of the Columbian boys are. On my two South American trips (from Asia) I kick myself for not having included Columbia on the itineraries!
As for Asia, I hope more readers will start to think about Taiwan and especially Taipei instead of always it being Thailand or The Philippines. I realise there will be concerns about not knowing the city and its gay places, not being able to speak Mandarin or read signs etc. Yet just on the apps alone there are many very cute Taiwanese young guys looking for the company of a westerner - often an older one.Most will speak reasonable English. On my trip last week, I had one young 20s guy all but desperate to travel up from Taichung (170 kms away) to spend a day with me!  Taipei now has a plethora of gay venues from busy gay saunas and hot springs to gay bars and cafes, fetish clubs, gay dorm-type hotels with single and double rooms but where most guys walk around naked - and so on.
Other cities are not so well endowed (sic) with gay venues but some are well worth a visit for a day or two. There it's the apps that will be humming and calling you! Plus travel is now so easy with the inexpensive high speed train linking Taipei in the north and Kaohsiung in the south in less than two and a half hours. For first time visitors it's probably best to consider a gay guide to take you around for the first couple of days. Or if you're adventurous, just look at some of the gay websites and get a map. Or even look at posts made here.
I have no idea about flight costs from Europe and the USA. All I know is that Bangkok/Taipei flights on China Airlines are still what they were pre-covid and will continue as far as November year - less than 10,000 baht return including one 20kg bag and a large meal on board. And the service is excellent.

Comings
The night market has now fully explanded from Surawong to Silom with the final third nearest Silom given over to mostly food stalls and outdoor restaurant seating. And the routine of erecting and disassembling occurs daily.
Goings
The Paddy Field, a long time sports bar adjacent to Foodland, has closed its doors. It had a strong following among UK and Aussie football and rugby fans but most have migrated to the larger Shenanigans on Surawong. I liked it because it offered a great perch to observe the entrance to Dream Boy whose performers could be found lounging outside during breaks.
Also gone is the BarBar on Patpong 2 whose barker was famous for slapping a stick and proclaiming “S and M.” And it seems the adjacent lady bar may have also closed. Would not be surprised if there are already plans in works for the space.
Also making an exit—if forecasters are to believed—will be the excessive heat with decreasing temperatures and welcome rain predicted to kick off monsoon season.

Grindr, Jackd and hornet are more or less the same, but some guys prefer using one over the others.. they would be the top 3
Blued is busy in East Asia, if you want to meet a tourist from China, HK, Taiwan, etc you can probably find them on Blued. I haven't used it in Thailand in a long time, so others will probably have recent experiences.
Instagram, twitter + Onlyfans takes a bit of effort. on instagram if you take the time to start a conversation you can meet guys. twitter is basically the search engine for onlyfans, OF guys have inboxes full of messages from horny guys so you're only really likely to get your wallet drained.

The guy from Freshboys I had seen years back. He said, "you can fuck me all night."  I said, I'm old now. He said, "I can fuck you all night."  To me, that showed drive and determination and he got a nice tip. But, I did plan to go back for him until I met the love of my life in Tawan.

Grindr, Jackd and hornet are more or less the same, but some guys prefer using one over the others.. they would be the top 3
Blued is busy in East Asia, if you want to meet a tourist from China, HK, Taiwan, etc you can probably find them on Blued. I haven't used it in Thailand in a long time, so others will probably have recent experiences.
Instagram, twitter + Onlyfans takes a bit of effort. on instagram if you take the time to start a conversation you can meet guys. twitter is basically the search engine for onlyfans, OF guys have inboxes full of messages from horny guys so you're only really likely to get your wallet drained.

I have just come back from my Taiwan trip, it was amazing. I don't really have the time to write a big trip report but here's some info for newbies (like myself).
Grindr was quite easy to find guys on, but I didn't see any profiles offering massage or MB. I had the most luck picking up guys on the same night rather than trying to schedule ahead, 6-9pm there's lots of guys active every night.
I didn't end up needing to try Blued or any other apps.
Taipei Ximending area was full of attractive guys, it's a good area to stay.
Soi13 sauna was very busy and worth going to on a Saturday night, easily 100 guys most aged 20-35, a lot are fairly shy but the dark rooms can be very intense. It was busy 6:30 until about 9:30 then it started to get quieter, i left so i'm not sure if it picks up again after guys have been out clubbing. Foreigners pay NTD800 entry.
https://goo.gl/maps/pVhZfGqMkhNM11cz9
The day I planned to go to Emporor hotspring the plans didn't work out, so I still need to go back to experience that. http://www.emperorspa.com.tw/about.html
https://goo.gl/maps/VYM47sdBspm1e6xXA
I went to Mars sauna in Taichung, Mars was harder to find, mostly because i went in the wrong entrance and tried to use the service elevator instead of the staircase entrance in the next door building. there are stickers on both doors saying mars, but if you find yourself looking at elevators with no staircase to the right, go next door. NTD350 entry, the front desk will need to help you with the ticket machine if you don't read mandarin.
https://goo.gl/maps/sYVDEcouGoGBHF5Q6
Mars had good facilities, hot and cold plunge pools, steam room (wasn't working when i was there), cabins, a dark room, cinema playing chinese movies, chill out area.
I didn't pick the best nights to go Friday (before an event on Saturday) and on the Sunday. On Friday there were 35-40 guys, most in mid20s-30s. The guys at mars were less shy than the guys at Soi13 for me, I met a great guy and ended up going for drinks and back to my hotel with him.
Sunday was rough, maybe 10 guys most >35.
I was in Kaohsiung as well, but i didn't try the sauna there. I found Kaohsiung the most difficult to find guys, I had one catfish dud from Grindr and met one cute guy that said he works at a KTV in Taipei but translate wasn't doing the best with my questions so we didn't communicate much and just had fun. Kaohsiung is worth visiting but I didn't stay long.
Overall the language barrier is manageable, in Taipei it's easier than Taichung and Kaohsiung but that's to be expected.
The saunas don't need any language because people don't really talk except in the cabins or chill out areas, glances and hand touches were the signs of interest. Mars sell colored wrist bands to show your position which i liked, in Soi13 i just put keys on left wrist to show i'm top (idk if that's universal everywhere).
Next time I plan to try the hotsprings and I want to figure out the KTVs because it seems like there are gay KTVs around but it might need more than google translate to find what i'm looking for there.
People are friendly, food is great, the country is beautiful. I'll be back for sure. My next trip will be Bangkok or HK, so i doubt i'll be back for Taipei Pride but maybe next year.
 
 

I have just come back from my Taiwan trip, it was amazing. I don't really have the time to write a big trip report but here's some info for newbies (like myself).
Grindr was quite easy to find guys on, but I didn't see any profiles offering massage or MB. I had the most luck picking up guys on the same night rather than trying to schedule ahead, 6-9pm there's lots of guys active every night.
I didn't end up needing to try Blued or any other apps.
Taipei Ximending area was full of attractive guys, it's a good area to stay.
Soi13 sauna was very busy and worth going to on a Saturday night, easily 100 guys most aged 20-35, a lot are fairly shy but the dark rooms can be very intense. It was busy 6:30 until about 9:30 then it started to get quieter, i left so i'm not sure if it picks up again after guys have been out clubbing. Foreigners pay NTD800 entry.
https://goo.gl/maps/pVhZfGqMkhNM11cz9
The day I planned to go to Emporor hotspring the plans didn't work out, so I still need to go back to experience that. http://www.emperorspa.com.tw/about.html
https://goo.gl/maps/VYM47sdBspm1e6xXA
I went to Mars sauna in Taichung, Mars was harder to find, mostly because i went in the wrong entrance and tried to use the service elevator instead of the staircase entrance in the next door building. there are stickers on both doors saying mars, but if you find yourself looking at elevators with no staircase to the right, go next door. NTD350 entry, the front desk will need to help you with the ticket machine if you don't read mandarin.
https://goo.gl/maps/sYVDEcouGoGBHF5Q6
Mars had good facilities, hot and cold plunge pools, steam room (wasn't working when i was there), cabins, a dark room, cinema playing chinese movies, chill out area.
I didn't pick the best nights to go Friday (before an event on Saturday) and on the Sunday. On Friday there were 35-40 guys, most in mid20s-30s. The guys at mars were less shy than the guys at Soi13 for me, I met a great guy and ended up going for drinks and back to my hotel with him.
Sunday was rough, maybe 10 guys most >35.
I was in Kaohsiung as well, but i didn't try the sauna there. I found Kaohsiung the most difficult to find guys, I had one catfish dud from Grindr and met one cute guy that said he works at a KTV in Taipei but translate wasn't doing the best with my questions so we didn't communicate much and just had fun. Kaohsiung is worth visiting but I didn't stay long.
Overall the language barrier is manageable, in Taipei it's easier than Taichung and Kaohsiung but that's to be expected.
The saunas don't need any language because people don't really talk except in the cabins or chill out areas, glances and hand touches were the signs of interest. Mars sell colored wrist bands to show your position which i liked, in Soi13 i just put keys on left wrist to show i'm top (idk if that's universal everywhere).
Next time I plan to try the hotsprings and I want to figure out the KTVs because it seems like there are gay KTVs around but it might need more than google translate to find what i'm looking for there.
People are friendly, food is great, the country is beautiful. I'll be back for sure. My next trip will be Bangkok or HK, so i doubt i'll be back for Taipei Pride but maybe next year.
 
 

Thank u Vaughn, for a VERY user friendly report!

Glad to hear you enjoyed your time in Taiwan @vaughnAs most of the people in these post said, it's truly an amazing place to visit.
Most of the local people go to Soi13 between 6:30-7:30PM as that can get it for only 300NTD and yes Saturday is the busiest night. They apply the same discount from 12:00-1:00 AM, so probably the crowd might bet bigger late at night.
Not sure if you have to pay again if you want to enter again later, my local friend said you can go out and get in.I never made it past 11:00PM in there. I get completely drained.
I didn't go to the sauna in Taichung but kinda had the same experience as you in the Kaohsiung one. Went on Friday and there were only 15-20 people, mostly old but then on Saturday there were around 40-50 people with many young twinks. ended up messing with three different guys. 
I'll be in HK in two weeks so will create a post in the coming days about the different saunas in there that I know from my previous visit in there and from doing research online. HK has one of the highest numbers of gay saunas for a city not just in Asia, but probably in the whole word so picking which one to go to can be tricky.
I would still encourage you to consider visiting Taipei again during pride. If you thought Soi13 was busy on a normal weekend you would be in awe during that period. There are at least #X more people. It's really incredible. Plus you can treat yourself to so much eye candy just by strolling the streets of Ximen and other areas of Taipei.
 

Sorry, Reader, your Thai is a bit outdated. It says
recruitment -
nude male receptionists
Big cock show
Hung doormen
Tattooed dancers needed
Candidate qualifications
20+ years old, no experience required
Apple Khun TotallyOz nightly 7-10
 
 

The guys that I have met in Pattaya have been more of an 'anything goes' attitude than those in Bangkok, but I wouldn't describe it as trashy. As Vinapu mentioned, boys in Pattaya are as nice as those in Bangkok.
Prices are more reasonable in most bars for drinks, hotels are usually cheaper, and tips expectations are lower.
Winner is always worth a visit in my opinion, I'm guessing you like guys on the twinkier side? I just returned from a short trip, I'll have a very brief report up in a day or two that might answer some questions.

I average 1 guy a day, sometime 2 if I get an early afternoon massage and then meet a boy at a bar at night. Some days I'll take a day off and just relax when I feel a little too tired. I'm in my 30s, fairly fit, and drink most nights on holiday but very rarely when at home.
Taking a day off to go try some restaurants, going for a quiet walk on the beach, and reading a book by the pool is never a bad day spent in my opinion.
The way I look at it is, are enjoying your holiday and are you satisfied? if you answer yes, then that's all that matters. It's not a competition, just relax and go at your own pace.

https://www.namstaxiladydrivers.com/services
My preferred option, email a day or two ahead of time with pickup and dropoff. You could probably call or line and ask for anyone available at the time, but i've always pre-booked my trips.
The driver has always been on time, in a decent car and they don't drive like maniacs.

I am looking forward to seeing what they condos they have there. I like the location and might consider.

I went to Koh Lipe recently and loved it, but you and @Londonerare right, it's a journey to get there. BKK > HatYai (1 hour flight), HatYai to Pak Bara Pier 1.5 hours (road), then Pak Bara pier to Pattaya Beach Pier (1.5 hours speedboat). Timing the flights was my biggest mistake, I almost missed check-in on the way back because I didn't consider needing to be there 45 mins before my flight departs. I bought a package for me and my travel companion that had pickup from HatYai in a minivan and included the speedboat ticket, that saved having to get a driver at the airport.
Beautiful island, lots of great food, inexpensive day trips to quiet(er) beaches and islands, amazing crystal clear water all the way from sunset beach to sunrise beach.
If I wanted a hassle free island resort I would probably go to Samui for luxury or Koh Lanta for a more relaxed location

I went to Koh Lipe recently and loved it, but you and @Londonerare right, it's a journey to get there. BKK > HatYai (1 hour flight), HatYai to Pak Bara Pier 1.5 hours (road), then Pak Bara pier to Pattaya Beach Pier (1.5 hours speedboat). Timing the flights was my biggest mistake, I almost missed check-in on the way back because I didn't consider needing to be there 45 mins before my flight departs. I bought a package for me and my travel companion that had pickup from HatYai in a minivan and included the speedboat ticket, that saved having to get a driver at the airport.
Beautiful island, lots of great food, inexpensive day trips to quiet(er) beaches and islands, amazing crystal clear water all the way from sunset beach to sunrise beach.
If I wanted a hassle free island resort I would probably go to Samui for luxury or Koh Lanta for a more relaxed location