maump

Oy, sorry to hear that this happened to you. It is a good reminder to observe all of the recommended safety tips (which I mostly ignored)
- don't carry a lot of cash, and keep a stash that you're willing to give up while keeping more hidden (like in your sock)
- carry a cheap phone that you are willing to part with
- don't stand out if at all possible (dress, actions, speaking English loudly, etc.)
- don't fight with muggers - they will kill you
I did not spend a lot of time walking around, mostly took Ubers or taxis and didn't go out at night. When I did go out, it was close to where I was staying, and the few times I went to meet guys at their places or motels, I only had enough cash on me to cover the costs.
Thanks for sharing your experience - it's a cautionary tale. I'm glad you're ok.
 

Hmm, I was warned by the locals that the coffee in Colombia was shit.  they said all the good stuff goes to export. I brought a pound and drip cup with me.   Most little places had bad coffee.  I did like Juan Valdez once I found it.  I guess I need to keep looking.
I did not think most steak (tough) or pizza (cracker crust) was good....  but I did find some good stuff before I left (in bogota).  Mostly I thought the food was a weak point.
The nearly complete lack of english was a difficulty despite google.  I started to learn a little before I came but...  Colombia would do well to work on that (particularly in airports and metro) to help build the tourist scene. 
I had only one bad rental who said he didn't want money ahead of time but then wanted 200usd.  He followed me around the city for 2 hours.  I finally got rid of him.
I did get mugged at knife point at 4pm on a busy street in Bogota.  there were plenty of people around (who yelled but did nothing).  I fought the muggers, got knocked down and my cell phone flew out of my pocket, they got it and ran laughing.  One of the attackers got kicked really good in the stomach as I was on my back.  The police were uninterested and did not record or report it (despite help from my 2 local men).  Clairo made if very hard to cancel the SIM and deactivate the IMEI numbers.
My one local (in Medellin) got his phone taken in a snatch and grab.  5 guys.  they did not run, but said get 200peso you can have it back.  We went to police, they watched while we paid and got phone back.  then approached them and got 100p from the perps.
So some work needs to be done.  Will I go again. yes. but Thailand (repeat) and Philippines(first time) will be first.

Great list of tips 12is12, thanks for putting them all together.
If I may, I'd like to add some restaurant/eating suggestions. Since I stayed in Poblado, these are mostly in Poblado.
El Social - was a great place to try typical Colombian food. There were two locations that I saw, one is on the corner of Carrera 36 and Calle 10B. They have a chalkboard with daily lunch specials. With an appetizer (an arepa with hogao, soup, plate with meat, potatoes, rice, salad, plus the daily juice) it ran less than $5 (a few grilled items were a little more expensive - with juice not included). This is where I sampled typical Colombian food - ajiaco, sudado de pollo, sudado de posta, etc. It was all good. The steak was really good. My favorite thing was a grilled chicken breast (pechuga) with fries and a salad. It's busy from 12-1, but after 1 the lunch crowd clears out. All outside seating, great place for people watching. In the evening, it converts to a drinking hangout. I highly recommend it.
Il Castello - great Italian food - homemade pasta, pizza, bread made in-house.  A little pricey, but not bad. On Calle 10A and Carrera 40.
Aguasfrescas - high end Mexican food. It was a reminder for me that Mexican food is actually high cuisine. No burritos and chimichangas. This was my most expensive meal in Medellin. Really good cochinita pibil tacos (Yucatec Mayan food), I splurged for a white sangria (which was why my meal was so expensive) - really beautiful space, delicious food,
You can also order a lot of food from Rappi to be delivered - one of my favorites was from Pane y Pomodoro - delicious Neopolitan style pizza.
I also enjoyed the food courts in the malls. Definitely visit El Tesoro, which is a beautiful mall up in the hills with amazing views of Medellin. I had a great tomahawk steak there that was perfectly cooked. Yes, steak at a food court! Also, Santa Fe Mall is very nice and has a very extensive food court.
For coffee, I recommend Pergamino. There's a nice spot on Calle 10B a few steps down the hill from El Social. Delicious coffee, breakfasts and desserts. Seating on an outside deck if you can get there before the digital nomads occupy the place. Great spot for people watching. My favorite breakfast (I'm not a breakfast person) was pinches huevos. I'm now hooked on Pergamino coffee and just ordered two pounds to be delivered. No surprise that Colombia has good coffee, but this was the best.
Not in Poblado, but in Envigado, a small city/town next to Poblado that is not actually Medellin - La Gloria de Gloria - a Colombian friend took me there for bandeja paisa - it was huge and we split it. Even though we went for lunch, we were served aguardiente (fire water) during our meal - three shots. It was a lot of fun, and Envigado is a nice place to check out.
Colombian food is pretty basic - meat and potatoes - vegetables were scarce. But the quality of the food was good. I could tell it was local and fresh, and best of all, it's cheap!

I took the liberty of putting together these tips, offered seperately by three forum members. Under this new title , newbies might find them better. Apologies if I trespassed.
 
Latbear4blk:
·         Pack light. I made the mistake to plan for a week wearing two layers (underwear t-shirt and shirt), but it is just too hot for that. No top underwear is needed. Short pants are fine. I had read that the locals are not fond of casual, comfy clothing, but it is not true. Like Buenos Aires, this is probably changing. Casual wear is appropriate everywhere I went to. Temperature is very pleasant between 5pm and 11 am. Between 11 am and 5 pm, it was unpleasant to me. 
·         About rain, it was forecasted every single day I was here. However, it did not rain every day and when it rained it was just for as few minutes. Raining was not an obstacle for my plans, bur rather a very much welcomed refreshing event.
·         Look for open, shady spaces. Even in the hottest hours (the issue is not really temperature but humidity) there is almost always a very nice and refreshing breeze. 
·         Be aware that if you are a foreigner, you are a target. Not necessarily of a crime, but many people will try to take advantage from you. If you are wealthy and your bank account is generous, you should not worry. Even the over prices are pretty affordable. I am probably the poorest contributor in these forums, and I found everything cheap. The most noticeable over price I suffered were the apanados. I paid 10K for each, when they cost 3.5 to 4K. Yet, when I saw what I got for 60K (16 bucks), I could not refrain a smile of happiness. The guy scamming mr noticed it and laugh with me. Max Avila told me that his current boyfriend lived in Medellin for two years without realizing he was paying twice the local prices. When they started dating, he learned about it.
·         There are huge differences on pricing in different areas. El Poblado’s prices were considerable high than Laureles’. Even inside Laureles, you can notice the difference between the most gentrified areas around both Parque Laureles, and the least gentrified area around Avda San Juan (Calle 44) and La Setenta (Carrera 70). 
·         Bisexual friends, women are available for 60K, and straight prostitution is much more extended.
·         There seem to be two “classic” gay concentrations. You have fancy bars and one discoteca at El Poblado, and you have a few bars and sex clubs in Centro (I have not yet explore the latter). Then you have a more contemporaneous and mixed gay places in Laureles, with a flagship in the dance club Industry. I have not been there, and will probably not be, considering my ears are still bussing after Club Oraculo.
·         They will probably ask you, but make sure you provide the name of your building when you schedule a delivery or a guy. Something is wrong with the city’s nomenclatura, the boys tell me, and you may be sending someone to the wrong place.
·         None of the guys I hang out with knew how to speak in English. There are guys who know, but I am sure it is a commodity that comes with a price.
·         Older, hairy, overweighted men, the typical bear type, is a popular fetiche amongst young and hot men. I got a lot of sex for free, I mean very good sex with mostly very hot guys, but all above average guys, all younger than 25, without paying a dime. Even the boys that hang out with me for long hours and even stayed overnight, only expected me to pay all the bills while together. Indeed, it is transactional. However, my one grindr hook up, a fuck and leave, was zero transactional. The boy was a hot webcam boy, and he liked me. He kept contacting me at 2 am, when I was sleeping or out.
·         Try to bond or deal with at least one guy you trust, and stick with him. He will play the role of the “espantamoros” i Morocco, and help you with good tips and recommendations, keeping you safe and from over paying. My boys did an amazing job at protecting and taking care of me. The Costeño has already checked me three times today, and there is nothing he can get from it. 
·         If you happen to be with two boys, and they are not clicking, ask them for their favorite songs. Immediately, they will start singing together, and bonding, and the ice will be broken.
·         Respectfully, I think the reports about insecurity are overblown. Like in any big city, you should not walk alone at night. Comuna 13 is 100% safe. Centro insecurity at night is true. The killings targeting lonely gay guys are just a temporary issue, and the whole community is working hard to get the killers. Paisas are learning that tourism is a source of endless money, and are really focus on making their city more welcoming and safe for foreigners.
·         If you are looking for an airbnb, anything in El Poblado, Laureles, Provenza, and the South is safe. Make sure you rent above the 5th floor, as you will have more breeze. Try to rent above 10th and with a balcony or terrace. You will have a better view (the valley is beautiful specially at night), and you will be sure there is a working elevator. I have seen 6th floors buildings without an elevator. 
·         Street food is delicious and very cheap. Just avoid beef, usually the cuts are very poor quality, hard to chew and even cut. Chicken, beef in small pieces, and (I guess, because I do not eat it) fish are good. 
·         Uber sucks. Download an alternative application. I will download again Didi for the next trip, I am told it works better. 
 
joizy:
1.  It may have been said elsewhere, but I'd like to emphasize that you should speak some Spanish. I found very few people who spoke English. Definitely learn the basics and keep trying to communicate in Spanish - translator apps work well and people will appreciate the effort on your part.
2. If your cellphone plan doesn't allow an option for international use - look at Airalo e-sim card. It's an electronic sim. You can download the app before you leave, purchase your sim and have it ready to go when you land. I found out about this when the sim I had installed on an old phone stopped working. Wish I'd known before I left home.
3.  Look for a card that allows cash withdrawals without fees. I have a Charles Schwab investor "checking" account. I transfer money into this account and use it for travel. Best exchange rates and ATM fees are reimbursed.
4. Use Rappi - it's a delivery service that will deliver anything - food, medicine, whatever you want.
5.  Approach Grindr with caution. Too many guys that seemed too good to be true. Ask for verification photos if you're not convinced. Some words that indicate a financial exchange - liga, disponible, solvente.
6.  Use Uber instead of taxis if you can. They are unauthorized, so you sit in the front seat - just a "friend giving you a ride". You can plug in your destination and you know the fare. Their goal is to get you to your destination in the most efficient way, whereas taxis might take the scenic route if they figure out you're not from there. With all cars, close the doors gently. They are surprisingly light. If you use the same force you use at home, it will slam. Taxi drivers are especially unhappy when this happens.
7. Be careful at ATMs - I used the ATM inside of a supermarket. Don't flash your cash.
8. Beware of people slipping you drugs. I didn't read about this happening to gay men (though there were a few gay murders that I think are still unsolved), but I read on numerous forums about straight guys being drugged by women and ending up in the ER - of course with their valuables gone. While I had ZERO problems there, the hotness and availability of the men might lower your normal sense of caution.
9. Look for a local to show you around and help with your Spanish. I paid a guy to be my tour guide. He threw in some extras. I had the best experiences with him. Met him on Grindr.
10. Have fun. Medellin is a beautiful city and the people are lovely. Keep your wits about you, show some cultural sensitivity, and you'll have a great time.
  
Macdaddi:
 #6 - Absolutely the #1 taxi issue with foreigners is slamming the car door.  I like to remind new visitors to Medellin of the rules: its ColOmbia, not ColUmbia;  always acknowledge others with food by saying "Buen provecho"'; learn to use "Buenos días", "buenas tardes", y "buenas noches" at the appropriate time of day; never slam the car door when exiting; and you certainly do NOT talk about Bruno.

Hmm, I was warned by the locals that the coffee in Colombia was shit.  they said all the good stuff goes to export. I brought a pound and drip cup with me.   Most little places had bad coffee.  I did like Juan Valdez once I found it.  I guess I need to keep looking.
I did not think most steak (tough) or pizza (cracker crust) was good....  but I did find some good stuff before I left (in bogota).  Mostly I thought the food was a weak point.
The nearly complete lack of english was a difficulty despite google.  I started to learn a little before I came but...  Colombia would do well to work on that (particularly in airports and metro) to help build the tourist scene. 
I had only one bad rental who said he didn't want money ahead of time but then wanted 200usd.  He followed me around the city for 2 hours.  I finally got rid of him.
I did get mugged at knife point at 4pm on a busy street in Bogota.  there were plenty of people around (who yelled but did nothing).  I fought the muggers, got knocked down and my cell phone flew out of my pocket, they got it and ran laughing.  One of the attackers got kicked really good in the stomach as I was on my back.  The police were uninterested and did not record or report it (despite help from my 2 local men).  Clairo made if very hard to cancel the SIM and deactivate the IMEI numbers.
My one local (in Medellin) got his phone taken in a snatch and grab.  5 guys.  they did not run, but said get 200peso you can have it back.  We went to police, they watched while we paid and got phone back.  then approached them and got 100p from the perps.
So some work needs to be done.  Will I go again. yes. but Thailand (repeat) and Philippines(first time) will be first.

Assuming your sincerity, there is a perfectly reasonable way to deal with unfriendly or unwelcoming members here: contact the board's owner, Oz. From my experience, Oz is a reasonable listener who will have just the right suggestion on how to deal with certain posters. He has always helped me.
This board has changed over time, and it doesn't seem to be the place I originally joined. I miss sharing favorite porn videos. But it still has something to offer. When I see the word "troll," I think of some seriously awful, cancerous people, who were so miserably unhappy. They came here to dominate and make everyone else miserable, too. There seems to be nothing worse than a miserable, aging gay guy, unless, perhaps, you're a miserable lesbian who hates gay guys. 
I no longer visit here often, but it's been a long time since I've seen what I would call a TROLL. If you want a taste of the shit-stained behavior I've endured, I'm sure you can find some nasty turds clogging The Sandbox.
Truthfully, the best way to deal with a troll is to ignore him. Trolls HATE to be ignored. I realize this is a difficult ask. This is supposed to be a "community," and ignoring a troll is like ignoring an asshole roommate: very hard to do when he's sharing your bed. But, unless the troll is hell-bent on forcing you off the board, in which case I would contact Oz, it's best to develop a thicker skin or learn how to engage with smarter troll tactics. Some queens do find these cheap, bitchy battles entertaining. 
Good luck!
 

Joizy
I started out just being a lurker, reading.  Here, on  https://gaybuttonthai.com/index.php, and https://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/forum.php. all three boards have similar traits of some cynical old members who are rough on each other and treat newbies almost as bad.
I have a thick skin so...  I don't really care, but it make the boards less usable particularly for new members.  On the other side, without them sniping at each other, 75% of the content would be gone and the boards would probably die.
I have commented it on it only to be told to man up.
I appreciated your posts.  don't stop.

I have not stayed in an AirBnB in BKK as I have found the hotels to be as good value for a week/ 2 week stay. I do like having the option of a kitchen and washing machine, but it is so cheap to eat out, that as long as the hotel room has a fridge i can use to keep beer cold then I find i don't use the kitchen anyway. 
I have stayed in AirBnBs in Chiang Mai which are fantastic value and much larger spaces than in BKK. These places often have "security" at the gate but they have never even raised their head when I walk in - let alone if I walk in with a boy! 
I did stay in one place in Chiang Mai that had a notice up in the lobby about not allowing short term rentals via AirBnb. This was clearly not monitored at all as there were large numbers of guests in the lobby with suitcases coming and going all the time. I didn't know about the no AirBnB when I booked it and there were no reviews to suggest that there was an issue with short term lets. So, it seems that some places do have "restrictions" in place but probably not monitored in any way. I would certainly back up the advice here to thoroughly check the reviews that have been posted. 
 
In my research - utilities tend to be included for short rental periods (up to two weeks) but for extended times utilities are often charged extra but not always. Pattaya, which i have been looking at quite a bit recently seems particularly keen on this - month long stays utilities are charged on top, electricity especially.
On the whole though, I find hotels so cheap in Thailand that the potential saving on AirBnb is much less attractive. And there are a selection of hotel options that are really like serviced apartments and have the extra services included. 

I visited Jomtien yesterday and spent a few hours at  Dongtan beach in the area I knew in the past as the Gay Beach. It was a “memory lane” visit and I had thoughts in the morning about asking my overnight boyfriend to accompany me there, but he seemed lukewarm about the idea so I was there on my own. At about 2 pm the concessions were about on average 20% full with several having virtually no customers. I occupied a rather confortable sun lounger for which the price was 100 baht which included a towel. Several customers had their Asian boyfriends with them but mainly it was single guys like me. Sat in an adjoining concession was a hetro couple, but then the “invasion” of “our beach” had started years ago. I’m one for reminiscing these days and my mind went back to the early 2000’s when I used to to wear very brief speedos and splash about in the water with my “boyfriend du jour”. Such activity unfortunately is now just in my memory bank and those speedos do not fit with my current body shape. However the afternoon was pleasant enough sat there with a book looking out to sea and being served with a cold drink. 
On leaving at about 4.30 I decided to get some exercise by walking back to Pattaya continuing along the beach path until leaving that to walk up an ascending road until I reached Thrapaya Road for the remainder of the walk finishing rather tired and bedraggled. When asked by the boyfriend what I had done that day he was totally unimpressed by my walking exploits. Exercise does not seem to be something in the boys participate in, but their bodies are deliciously slim and lean (certainly the ones which attract me), particularly if they have recently arrived from the Isaan rice fields.

This evening there was more of a party atmosphere in the Boyztown Soi with some rather tasty complementary  food on offer outside the Ambiance. They have also re-installed the tables outside, but without service. I eat my free food there watching the gathering crowd in which everyone seemed to know everyone else. The ladyboys in Copa were in full voice with frequent piercing screech’s during the show, which seemed to be well attended. There did not seem to be many entering the Boyz Boyz show, with no Chinese ladies going in. Toy boys at the other end of the soi seemed completely lacking in customers.
i did intended to visit Jomtien this evening but I have contracted a cold and have been avoiding alcohol and trying to get plenty of sleep. In fact I dosed off on the beach this afternoon after drinking  a coconut (50 baht for a large one), where I went to read a Michael Connelly book. This morning I actually made contact with a boy from Grindr for a rather bland short time. I had virtually given up trying to understand that medium. I think there must be something wrong with my installation. I messaged a boy who replied, but when I asked him where he was , he stated “Koh Samui”.  I had entered Pattaya  in my parameters.
ive had a wander down Walking Street where things are really humming. All the gogos seemed to have reopened with a lot of visitors in evidence from India and the Middle East. That might be the future for Pattaya with the West sliding into recession. 

Yesterday was a good one - my first full day in Pattaya. Firstly I got my iphone operational. I was under the impression that it was locked to o2, my U.K. service, and that unlocking would be difficult and that a solution would be to buy an old phone just to make calls back home and to potential boys. With that in mind I walked to Tuk Com when it opened at 11.00. Browsing around looking at the displays of old phones (around 1000 baht) I responded to a lady stall-holders’ “can I help you “ with “I hope so - I think this phone is locked”. She did something and replied with an emphatic “not locked” and described various SIM card options. However this needed my passport which I had left in the Ambiance room safe. Keen to get my problem sorted out with an obvious expert I went to and fro to fetch it by motor bike. Within 15 minutes my phone was equipped with  a Thai SIM card plus 500 baht of data and a charger. 
My next task was to fill my wallet with cash using my bank debit card from an atm inside a bank (some years ago in Thailand the cash failed to emerge from a street atm and it was a lot of hassle to receive reimbursement)
Thus armed my thoughts turned to boys and back at the hotel I logged on to Romeo having failed to understand how Grindr worked (i think it’s not properly installed on my iPad) I contacted a promising boy and within an hour he was with me in the room. It was a happy experience, principally because despite my worries,  I was able to perform (non chemical aided) and he gave a 100% service, for which he was well rewarded. He said I had offed him 2 years ago, but I could not remember.
My evening campaign was largely focussed on Winner Boy Bar, where at 10 pm the boys were still dancing in briefs inside. Selecting a  cute one I tried to describe what my expectations were but his English was negligible and a rather unsatisfactory experience resulted. The preliminaries were fine but when it came to pénétration things came to a grinding halt with him stating - “I sorry -‘cannot’ . Oh well I thought you can’t win them all so he got minimum tip and I changed mode and read a book for an hour or so before sleep.
 

Yes I’ve finally arrived after putting off the decision for quite a while. But following the introduction of the simple Thai Pass procedure I had no excuse to overcome my apprehension that it would turn out to be a mistake.
i booked the £650 airfare through Expedia on Qatar Airline departing Manchester and changing flights almost half way at Doha. I thought about paying for business class but my economy upbringing caused me to save £800 with the penalty of 13 hours of mild discomfort. Arriving at Subanaphumi at 8.20 pm I found emigration an extremely  smooth and efficient process putting the recent chaos at U.K. airports to shame.  My Thai Pass was subject to a preliminary check during the long walk from the gate, but there were no queues at all at the desks. On approaching I hesitated when I saw that evidence of a hotel reservation was one of the requirements. I had a reservation at the Ambiance via booking.com but I had not brought a print out or saved the evidence on my phone or iPad. But the Pass, the Visa waver, and my passport got me through. Approaching the carrousel I was surprised to find my bag already circling and 5 minutes later I was on my way via the motorway. It could not have been much more that 2 hours from stepping off the plane to stepping into the Ambiance Hotel, where I had booked 3 nights.
i was not intending to go out but after unpacking and establishing that I had omitted several items  like my iPhone/ iPad charger and after taking a shower I ventured into a very quiet Boystown, which nevertheless looked exactly the same as during my last visit. Taking a motor bike taxi I arrived at Sunee to see that the only sign of significant life was Winner Boys, where outside there was two tables with boys entertaining I think 3 customers, who had recently abandoned the interior Gogo. Two boys joined me wearing rather sexy speedos to chat about the current state of the gay economy, which I helped by buying  two boy drinks and giving both a tip. I had to steel myself to hold to my plan of not offing, rather to have a good sleep and wind down after the journey (I’m really too old for this long distance travel and sex tourism). So ended my first day by writing this report.

(part 7)
We stayed and danced a bit in Heart of Darkness until 12.30 am (they even played some Vietnamese pop music mixed with Khmer and Chinese songs). Then we tuk-tuked back to A&P.
I gave Guide his money plus 10% tip and he was on his way. Dancer looked surprised. He thought Guide was gonna stay with us. What  did he expect of three of us doing together anyway? Guide provides guidance on how the f*cking should go for the two remaining lads? It looked like some messages were lost in translation again.
Since Dancer looked a bit uncomfortable, I asked if he wanted to leave. No, he can stay.  
So my Phnom Peng's short trip ended on a good note. I'm so glad I reached out to Dancer. We had a good time (I gave him the same amount I gave the waiter boy 50$ for ST), his body is that of a dancer: very firm, virtually no excess fat, with the kind of lean muscles you normally don't get through gym training (he told me he doesn't go to gym, just dance training and performance). His ties to Vietnam are fairly strong too. He had stayed in a relationship with a Vietnamese guy who went to Cambodia to work for almost 4 years then the latter broke up with him and came back to Vietnam to get married. Sad but pretty common (sometimes even expected) endings for gay couples in Vietnam.
Dancer said he noticed me when we were in POC that night. He asked Guide where I am from and Guide, obviously lying through his teeth, told Dancer he doesn't know (can't figure out why he lied anyway). So "I feel so good when I found out you are from Vietnam too," Dancer later told me.
There was something else. Guide told me Dancer worked in Toolbox way longer than he did so the former must be so used to taking customers, but Dancer told me no way, he was there to dance only because he was in an exclusive relationship with his Viet boyfriend at the time. I asked Guide if he actually saw Dancer going with customers back in Toolbox, he said no, "But I know everything. I used to work in the bar so I know about the situation." Well, the usual "he said, he said" case so I don't know who to believe, not that it matters anyway.
Dancer gave me a piece of intel: he is going to move to Thailand to work as a dancer in a new gay bar his former boss, Toolbox's owner, plans to open in Boyztown, Pattaya and it may happen as soon as this coming July. So guys, brace yourself  
The only note of regret is that I didn't have a chance to check out outdoor cruising venues (if any) as ChristianPFC reported some interesting encounter he had in Wat Botum park. Guide told me he's not aware of any such places in Phnom Peng, but now I've learned enough to NOT trust Guide's sources.
Speaking of outdoor cruising venues, there are quite a few place in both HCM City and Hanoi frequented by local gays and MBs as well, especially around certain public parks and suspended construction sites. 20 years ago, it was the only way for us to find MBs (now it's still there but on a more limited scale because of the apps).
There are currently 2 parks in Hanoi: Thong Nhat park and Hoa Binh park, the former located near the city center and much more accessible to foreigners. But I don't think first-time visitors (local or foreigner) should venture out there on your own without a local friend to "chaperone".
FYI: the on-going rate in these parks could be as low as 2 USD for an on-site bj, 5 USD for ST and 10 USD for LT (for comparisons, I already gave the apps rate in part 5). Boys are mostly straight, in their teens and early twenties, fresh from rural provinces, trying to make it in a big city.
Actually, since a picture's worth a thousand words, here are some taken in Thong Nhat park just a couple of weeks ago. All four boys in the pictures are MBs.


There are so many funny anecdotal stories about MBs and their customers in these parks.
An MB boy told me this: a middle-aged customer picked him up from Thong Nhat park and they went to a short-time hotel nearby by customer's motorbike. Boy was the driver, and Customer snuggled right behind him, hugging him tight, touching his genitals while they were on the way. Customer came before they even reached the hotel. So Boy just collected his fee and was on his way while Customer used the hotel to wash himself.
In another case, a pimp brought a new MB from the park to meet a customer located quite far away, also by motorbike (pimp would collect both his commission and transport fee in such a case). They got stopped by the traffic police for routine check. Boy, just arriving in the city a few days ago, got so scared at the sight of police, so he answered their simple question "Where do you guys go?" with this "I'm a first-time whore. This mister is taking me to go sucking some guy's dick"
I think I could write a whole book on those anecdotes
For Bangkok's Silom, I have two favorite "cruising" spots: The 7 Eleven in Wall Street Tower right before bar opening time and The Foodland restaurant in Patpong soi 2 right after bar closing time. For the former, you could get to meet boy bars having meals before work or smoking a cigarette and probably save them and yourself a trip to the bar (two boys in the picture below were from Fresh Boys, one was in their big cock show). For the latter, you could see some familiar faces with their catch of the night.

Anyway, back to Bangkok from Phnom Peng, the first thing I did was to go to Hotmale downstairs in early evening. Ordered a drink. Few minutes later, two staffers approached and asked me to settle a bet for them (their usual ice-breaking tactic I guess).
They tried to guess where I'm from. The taller one thought I'm Singaporean and the shorter one - Vietnamese. So Shortee won and I asked him how he knows I'm Vietnamese. He said something about skin complexion and facial features similar to one of the Viet boys in Fresh Boys. 
I bought them drinks and we talked. Shortee is from Laos, while the other - Cambodia. There are four regular boys working downstairs, but two were off today. So I took the chance to ask about the tiny Lao Vinapu mentioned so many times in his  recent reports. "Must be me" Shortee said, "I'm the only Lao working here and I've been here for a long time". I did a double take. He's not that tiny and not that clingy either.
He then asked "Who's your friend who's talking about me?" Well, I never meet Vinapu, so I grasped at "Mr KFC look" straws. It immediately struck some bells. "Oh that one" He whipped out his phone, scanning through it, then showed me a picture of him and a gentleman being very clingy to each other.
First time I saw Vinapu's picture, ever. Being a longtime fan of the Big Bang Theory series, my first thought was: Nobel prize winner in Physics, not Mr. KFC (though I can see where that KFC label comes from). Either way, he is obviously someone when you meet, it would be hard for you to forget.
Then I asked if they remember @jason1975 too, the guy from Singapore. Of course, "he was here two weeks ago, he's very nice". Then I took the chance to remind Shortee that they were not very nice to him when all turned down his offer for karaoke. Shortee looked apologetic "We were busy..."
I also asked if they remember paulsf, "guy from America, quite close to Viet boys in Fresh Boys, he always sat here".
Shortee checked his phone again and produced a picture of another gentleman, who looks handsome but kinda stern. I met Paul so I'm sure it wasn't him. "But this guy comes here a lot too," Shortee said.
Well, if I have to match that picture with someone well-known in this forum who also frequents Hotmale downstairs, I would say @reader. His writing style (concise and to the point, careful choice of words, often politically correct) give me the impression of a college professor who tend to plan ahead, is serious and committed to what (or whom) he's doing (Vinapu sounds like someone who could be in academia too, but could also equally and easily get sidetracked for, his words not mine, "a bit of whoring")

(Sorry, I'm not sure if it's appropriate to openly talk about my impressions of you guys like this in my thread. If you are offended, let me know.)
Now, we get to know each other a bit better, I finally got Vinapu's comment about Shortee being clingy. Since that first meeting, anytime I walked by Hotmale and if Shortees saw me, he would rush out, clutch my hand and asked where I'm going. He quickly took to holding me and gently planting a peck on my neck many times while we were talking. @vinapu had he ever left you a hickey?
After Hotmale, I decided to go back to M-star Massage in Silom Soi 6 because earlier when walking by I spotted a very cute and boyish masseur on duty. Since Jason1975 reported that the shop used a rotation system and did not allow customers to choose masseur, I'll see if I could strong-will them into letting me pick whoever I want. If I can't, they won't have my business for sure.
(to be continued)   

(part 6)
My last day in Phnom Peng, I had my second tour of gay life night with Guide. When I finished my online work around 4pm, I felt quite bored so I lined Guide to see if his dancer friend (mentioned in part 4) was available. Guide replied his friend also has daytime job (as a chef) and then a dance gig at some bar in early evening so can't meet before 9pm.
A&P, where I was staying, doesn't have a gym (excepts a few hand weights lying around) so I couldn't work out for the last two days. Since I saw Love Spa has a full gym the last time I checked it out, I decided to set off early at 6pm to make use of their facility and lined Guide to meet me there at 7pm, the starting time of our tour.
When I reached the spa, just 10 min walk from A&P, I saw so many motorbikes parked in- and outside. It looked like busy time. Indeed, there must be 100 or more people inside on a Sunday evening (doubled that of A&P on Saturday last night, which peaked at 9 pm with more than 50 customers).
The biggest problem with Love Spa was that it was too dark inside, even in the shower and toilet areas. It was very easy for you to trip in those slippery areas too. After several near fall incidents and couldn't see anything, I gave up and just worked out in the gym, waiting for Guide.
Guide was 15min late and we then moved to explore Hatha Khmer Sauna. I thought it would be next to Hatha Khmer Massage (which we visited 2 days ago) so we went back to Street 368. Still needed some time to find the place the second time around. This time I remembered to take a picture and you guys can see why. Below is the entrance with no signs.
and here is the price list

Turned out the sauna is on a different street, in fact, it is on the same street as Love Spa, just a couple of houses down. So we walked back to Street 350 and spotted the sauna quite easily this time (though still no clear signage, maybe they don't wanna attract attention).


This sauna is bigger, but has fewer customers than Love Spa next door. We reached the place around 7h40pm and there were (based on the number of parked motorbikes) about 30 to 40 customers inside. Doorman told us they open at 2.00 pm and close at 9 pm so we had a little more than 1 hour to explore it. Entry is 3$ for locals and 4$ for foreigners. Guide at first didn't want to go in because he said he didn't like such places, but I talked him into it "Come on, try it so you would have hands-on (also dicks-on) experiences to share with your future customers".
So we went in, went upstairs to the reception counter. Guide told me to keep my mask on and my mouth shut so we paid only 3$ each for entry  It worked. I like this sauna better than Love Spa. It was still dark inside, but at least I could see something. And their dark maze on the upper floor was interesting.
We separated at the entrance of the maze and the whole time I was there, my biggest scare was we ran into each other inside, didn't know it and then did the unthinkable to each other. That would be very unprofessional.
Since the poor Guide has glaucoma in early stage he can't see very clearly in broad daylight, let alone in such dark places. So it was totally up to me to make sure we stayed professional and anyone I touched wasn't Guide.
A few minutes inside, somebody touched me, I touched him back, first to make sure he wasn't Guide. Slim fit, well-developed chest (Guide skinny and no chest to write home about), flat stomach, smooth, not hairy, warm body, so I liked it. He also did the routine check to make sure I'm his type (we basically operated on the seeing-by-touching principle), then he gently guided me to a corner and we got down to business.
It was pretty intense at first, but I got bored after a while since I can't see his face. He was wearing a mask even in such a dark place, only pulled it down a bit when he needed to use his mouth. Whenever I touched his face, trying to read his facial features with my hand, he brushed it away. So I got up and left.
Later I re-united with Guide at the maze entrance, who seemed to barely able to contain his excitement (like a kindergartener in his first Disney Land trip). Obviously, he also met someone inside and couldn't wait to tell me about his adventure  Guide seemed totally forgot that he was on the clock, but I liked it. I wanted him to enjoy this tour as much as I did.
Out of three saunas I experienced on this trip, A&P was best in terms of facilities and cleanliness (I saw cockroaches in both other saunas) and probably also the look department (a lot of young gym type going there). Love Spa was cheapest (entry 2.5$, A&P: 4$,  Hatha Khmer: 3$) and also most crowded. Less attractive people might have more opportunities in Love Spa because of its total darkness. On the other hand, the main problem with A&P is that it has no dark rooms and virtually no chance for orgies (too seedy vs. too clinical, I would say). I like Hatha Khmer the most and would come back because it's a balance between the two in terms of everything. 
9pm sauna closed. Still early to visit bars, I decided to try one more Massage place, Om Massage in Rue Pasteur No. 51, close to the intersection with Street 154. We called grab tuk-tuk, but Guide entered the wrong address so we ended up in the middle of a cluster of girl massage shops who waived at us like there's no tomorrow.
I checked Google Map again and saw the right place was only 20 min walk away and I haven't yet reached my daily quota of 15K steps, so I asked Guide if it was ok to walk. No problem.
So we walked to the intersection of Rue Pasteur with St 154, and as it is now often the case, couldn't find the place. Asked local people, they gave some directions, we walked back and forth, and still couldn't see anything look like a massage shop.
I then told Guide to check online to see if there is any number to call. He found it, called the owner, who said his shop is upstairs and opened from 10am to 9pm. That means it's closed now. Still, I insisted we find the exact location for future reference.
We walked back and forth some more, finally found a girl sitting downstairs who pointed us to the right floor. Here is the picture

Again, no signage, but you can see some white towels hung out to dry near the closed door right? That's where it is, probably impossible for fist-time visitors who are not local to find (but I bet @ChristianPFC could). 

Mission accomplished, I asked Guide to suggest a good seafood restaurant nearby. He took me to a place he visited.... 8 years ago, and of course, it was no longer there. The store changed owner and they now sell something else. 
I must say Guide is cute, sweet, and fun to be with, but when it come to guiding, he still had a long way to go. It worked for me though because I prefer a local friend, whom I can talk to, tease and make joke with, to a professional guide who's only there to do his job. Just wished his sources were more updated so we didn't waste time walking around.
We then found another seafood store to have dinner, food just so so. 10h45 pm. We still have two more gay bars to try - Space bar (Phnom Peng equivalent of Silom Tawan) in Street 136 and the famous Heart of Darkness (the equivalent of DJ Station), both within walking distance.
We visited Space first, a gay bar smaller than both POC and Blue Chili (reported in part 4) with mostly muscular hosts. Here are some pictures





There were 6 boys working that night, most of whom looked straight. My soft drink 3$, Guide cocktail drink 6$. Boy drink 3.5$, but no bar fine (this will be explained later). How much the boy wants for ST and LT? Guide asked one random boy in the bar and his answer was evasive: everyone has their own rate and he wouldn't reveal his own rate (probably he can tell I am not a prospective customer).
While in Space bar, I asked Guide to check with his dancer friend. He had finished all his day and night jobs, and ready to meet. So I told him to go straight to Heart of Darkness - the final destination of our tour.
When we were about to leave, the boy in red singlet in the last picture came over to say hi. From the way he sashayed and talked, I could tell he's gay. I was right. Not only was he much more friendly than other guys, his English was also much better and he was willing to answer questions.
So basically, they are not allowed to go with customers while at work, they are only there to wait on table, drink with customers and earn tips. What they do with customers when they finish work is their own business. That's why there is no bar fine and no guidelines for ST/LT. Look like the owner (who's sitting right there, in black singlet, on the left, upper corner of the last picture, you could see his profile only) wants to make sure his bar is above board with no overt prostitution).
While Red Singlet was talking to me, he saw a hickey in my neck, touched it, teased me about it and asked who? I wasn't even sure whose it is, but most probably from Boy from Blued
Guide's friend messaged he's on the way, so I paid the bill, tipped Red Singlet, and we left for Heart of Darkness.


It was Sunday so the place was not busy at all. There were only 5 groups of customers around midnight including us (they open till 3 am). There was a group of local teenagers who sat next to our table, some of whom looked so young they were probably still in secondary school. I felt like marching over and asked: Kids, don't you have school tomorrow?
The dancer friend finally arrived. He turned out to be Mixed Vietnamese (dad Cambodian and mom Vietnamese) and speaks a little Vietnamese.
(to be continued)

(part 5)
After 2 days, I move to A&P (Arthur & Paul) - the gay-only hotel in Phnom Peng (I have always wanted to experience such a place).

It's pricy, double the price I paid for my centrally located 4 star hotel, and also a bit far from the city center. However, moving to this hotel put me in walking distance of 15 minutes or less to a number of well-known gay sauna & massages, including Dai Khmer (st 420), Ganesh House Massage (also on st 420), Hatha Khmer Massage and Love Spa (reported in part 4), to name a few, not to mention the most famous A&P, the in-house sauna of the hotel to which its guests have free access (Guide actually wanted to take me to A&P during my first tour but I told him I'm gonna stay there anyway).

My tip: visitors to Phnom Peng should try to stay in two different locations (one near the Royal Palace, and the other near A&P). A&P itself is expensive, but I saw quite a number of decent hotels, probably cheaper, nearby when I walked around the neighborhood. That means you can stay in a cheaper place and then buy an all-day multi-entry pass to A&P for a few more bucks to use their very good facilities, including dry & wet saunas, swimming pool, big jacuzzi, and also cute and smiling staff in their underwear (it's clothing optional, mind you).

It's like when you visit Ho Chi Minh city, you should stay first in District 1 (the actual city center, especially Bui Vien area which we call phố tây - street for foreigners) and later move to District 10, Sub-district 12 (the de factor gay service center with a lot of gay massage parlors and saunas).
Back to Phnom Peng, I walked to Ganesh House Massage last night because it's very near just to have some ideas. It has the same setup as Hatha Khmer Massage: curtains, boys in underwear (white this time) but fewer boys (8 on display at 10h30pm, open till midnight). As with the case of Heco, the receptionist's English is extremely poor and Guide wasn't with me, so after a few questions trying to find more info but to no avail, I gave up and walked back. Took some pictures though.


I contacted Dai Khmer (on the same street as Ganesh) on Grindr and they send me pictures of the available 5 masseurs.

I like the one in red shirt. A taste check: @vinapu and @jason1975 which ones do you like? Jason, I think you could really use a week-end trip from Singapore to sample gay life and boys in Phnom Peng.
About finding boys on app, I only had one hook-up in the first two days so don't have much to say about it. However, it looks to me that while both Blued and Grindr have a lot of local boys, Grindr appears to have a higher rate of MBs. In Thailand, I found that Hornet works better for Pattaya, Grindr for Bangkok and Blued is pretty decent for both. Vietnam is similar to Cambodia (Blued and Grindr), but you may want to install one more app - Zalo (as popular as Line in Thailand). Usually, app boys are gonna give you their Zalo contact.
Another tip: if you are in Vietnam and try to find boys on app, beware of so-called online pimps, who also advertise their service on Blued, Grindr and Zalo. 
Many of those online pimps just scout the apps, looking for any boys who advertise themselves as MB (in Vietnam, we usually use the term call boy or cb instead), then create their own list of "models". As a result, the same boy may appear in multiple lists advertised by different pimps. In many cases, the pimps know next to nothing about their boys and can't answer your questions about the boy's sexual orientation, whether he looks like his pictures, what he would or would not do in bed, etc. 
Worse still, they also jack up the price quite a bit (for example, if you deal directly with the boy, he may ask for somewhere between 500K and 1 mil VND short time, about 700-1500B or 22-45 USD. Through a pimp, that would become 1-1.5 mil VND (and if they know that you are foreigners, they may quote the price in USD for even more money, so feel free to haggle). The more a pimp can charge you, the more commission he gets (30% of what the boy gets from you). Different pimps may quote you different prices for the same boy.
I don't mind paying the pimps their cut if they actually do a their job of giving us some helpful intel about boys. But they more often than not don't. So I follow some pimps on Zalo to see pictures of the boys and then just do the opposite: scout the apps for familiar faces You also need to know where to put your location while searching. In Hanoi, for example, search the old quarter or Hoan Kiem lake. Ho Chi Minh city (see relevant locations a few lines above). 
One MB, who's currently working in Bi sauna in District 10 in Ho Chi Minh City, told me this intriguing story. He got a customer (a Vietnamese overseas) through a pimp and travelled all the way to meet the customer in his centrally-located hotel. The agreed price is 1.2 mil (which means the pimp's cut is 400K). However, the customer, for whatever reasons, changed his mind and didn't want sex. He offered the boy 500K for "meeting and chatting".
FYI: I can confirm that the boy in question does look like his pictures, very cute in person as well, and can also do massage quite professionally. I used his service and was happy.
Boy told me he had to give the pimp his cut of 400K no matter what (he also complained that pimps don't care if the deal didn't go through, they don't care if boys get in trouble with rogue customers, would not protect the boys because they themselves also know nothing about customers), and the remaining 100K wasn't even enough to cover his two-way taxi fare. So he insisted the customer pay the agreed amount because a deal is a deal. When the customer refused, you know what the boy did?
Right there in the middle of the hotel lobby, he (kinda small-built) jumped on the guy (tall and big) and screamed in Vietnamese. I need a moment think how I should translate this into English...
"Everyone, this jerk's trying to stiff a whore! This jerk's trying to stiff a whore!" (that's how we make a scene in Vietnam).
You probably know the ending right? The customer paid up and the boy left, but damages already done.

(to be continued)

(Part 4)

To have a change of scene, I'm making a quick trip to Phnom Peng. Stayed in a centrally located hotel, close to a number of gay bars including the famous POC, Blue Chili and Heart of Darkness. My first time here so I booked a guide from Siam Roads for two night tours to gay places (tour time: 7pm to 12am, 49$ each tour).
The night I landed, I checked Christian's list of gay massages in Cambodia (https://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2021/02/gay-massage-in-cambodia-2021.html) and found that Heco, a place highly recommended by a reader of his blog, is just 10 min walk from my hotel, so decided to pay it a visit.
 
It's located right behind the Royal Palace. Staff speak very limited English. Just a simple question like "Can I see pictures of the boys?" took several attempts and still can't get across so I had to resort to Google translation (there was a farang, who looks like the owner, so I sought his help but turned out he doesn't speak English either). Finally staff showed me pictures of four guys on his phone and only one caught my eyes. "Sorry, he's out" (pointing outside) "Can you call him back?" Blank stare.

After several more attempts and with help of the other boys on duty (all three of them), I finally got that it was the guy's day off and if I want him, I can come back tomorrow. Price-wise, massage here is pricy (20$ for 60min while only 10$ in other places). According to some report, masseurs expect 20$ tip for a happy ending and 30$ (if anal sex involved).
I checked the list again and found the next nearest one is Hatha Khmer Massage in street 368 so decided to walk there. I usually prefer walking as it helps get my bearings of a new place and also complete my goal of at least 15K steps per day. When I reached the location shown on Google map half an hour later, I couldn't find the place, so I gave up and walked back to the hotel 
Fired Blued and talked to a cute boy. He asked for money, $40 for ST. I didn't really know if it was fair, but remember the tip guidelines above so counter with $30 for an hour. He okayed it. Since the boy can't meet before 5 pm and the next day I have a tour to go to at 7 pm, we scheduled it the day after.
The next evening, I started my first night tour at 7 pm. Guide first took me to the only night market in Phnom Peng. We walked and talked about the local life on the way. There's nothing much to see in the market, so I tried some street food (for future references: don't. Every stall sells the same kind of food, which doesn't taste good and is also pricy. Guide told me he was shocked when he saw the bill. Then why didn't he tell me in the first place?)
Then we booked a tuk-tuk via grab (to avoid being overcharged) back to the very place I couldn't find last night: Hatha Khmer Sauna and Massage. Guide couldn't find it either (first time for him too) so he asked for directions from a local boy. We found the place (no signage and very dark). The sauna part was already closed. Guide was like: what??? (he told me sauna would open until midnight and it wasn't even 9pm at that point). We walked over to the massage part (opened until 11pm, so it was still open when I walked there yesterday, I just didn't know how to find it) and this is an interesting part.
We were led into a dark room with a curtain. Then they opened the curtain and the scene was impressive. There were about 20 guys standing in three rows behind a glass wall, all wearing only black boxers under flattering light. Mamasan asked me to choose. Despite a large number of guys, I couldn't find anyone I like. Many are quite big with a lot of tattoos. Some do look like they just murdered some customer somewhere and then came back here to murder some more. I know a certain member in this forum would be in heaven if he were in my shoes, so I discreetly tag him @vinapu.
Guide checked his sources and found another sauna-massage place nearby. So we walked to Love Spa just a few blocks away in Street 350 only to see that customers are leaving and the place is about to close too.

Turned out they don't have a fixed closing time. They open at noon and would close when there are only a few customers left. Entry: 10K riels (2.5$). I asked staff what should be busy time and they said it depends. Sometimes, customers come and see that there are not so many people around so they leave. In other words,  it's busy when it's busy. Regarding masseurs, they only had two on duty and one look at them dashed all my hope for a massage with happy ending.
We took grab tuk-tuk back to the center (it's really cheap, less than 1.5 USD each way) and stopped by HECO first. Again checked with the staff, this time the communication went smoothly as I have Guide as translator. They had 5 boys on duty today, 2 busy with customers, 3 available. Again the pictures on the phone, and again I pointed at the same guy yesterday, and again he was not in the house and I could come back the next day. I told Guide they told me exactly the same thing yesterday, and he passed the message. Turned out: to make sure he's here when I come, I need to make a booking. But I prefer to book only when I see the boy in person, so we left for Blue Chilli, about 3 min walk away.
   
They have drag shows every Thu, Fri and Sat (closed on Sunday) at 11pm and the Cambodian mamasan (or manager/owner, I'm not sure) said their Queen troupe is the best in Cambodia. The bar was empty at that point but guy said if we come back around 10h30 pm, we would have to stand because it would be packed.
Still early (9h30pm), I decided to move to POC nearby to check them out. Earlier, they did tap me on Grindr and their profile shows this info

Boy shows means boys dancing in revealing clothes and currently they have only 3 coyote boys but staff told me they were not here tonight.
So we went in. Tiny and empty, same as Blue Chilli. 

My cocktail drink cost 4.25 USD. Guide told me all the staff here are gay and can go with customers. You buy them drink (4.5 USD, boy gets 1 USD) and talk and negotiate the price. If you want to off them, bar fine is 10 USD. Just like in Thailand. There were 4 waiters milling around, 3 in uniforms and 1 in plain white t-shirt, who looks youngest and also cutest to me.

 
I asked Guide how much boys expect for ST and LT. He said it depends on the boy, but ST should be 40-50$ while LT should be 60-100$, then added "For me, I would charge 100$". I don't know how to interpret that last comment so I just let it pass.
So I waived the boy in plain white shirt over and offered him a drink. He speaks limited English but I had Guide with me, so no problem. 22 years old, 1m80 and 69 kg (a bit big and heavy for my taste but cute face, sweet smile and very nice eyes), from a nearby province. He still lives with his parents and travels to work by his motorbike (45min each way). He just started working here for about a month (having another day job with Amazon), with a salary of 170$ plus tips. That also explains why he dressed differently from other waiters: he's still on probation.
So I asked the important question: does he go with customers and he said No, he just wants to earn tips by talking to them. He got several offers since working here but always turned them down. I looked questioningly at Guide, who earlier said all the staff here are offable.
So I sought the boy's social contact, thinking maybe it's better and more discreet if I do the negotiation via messaging. Turned out he's indeed a newbie, no Blued, Hornet or Grindr accounts, doesn't even have Line. FB and Instagram only. 

I then tried another tactic, asking Guide to ask him why he didn't want to go with customers especially when he chooses to work in such a place. He said he doesn't want to go with local customers. I was like "I'm not Cambodian. You want to go with me?" I looked at the boy, who was embarrassed and averted his eyes and in turn looked at Guide. Guide was like "Come on!" Finally he slowly nodded, then said something in Khmer to Guide. Guide told me he said yes not just because of money but also because he likes me, so it's fifty-fifty.
Then we moved to the part of price negotiation. He wanted me to make my offer first because he said he never had to deal with things like this before. Thinking about the last night deal, I said 40$ then Guide translated back (but I suspected he said something along that "everyone asks for 50, you should ask him for 50 too" line). So indeed the boy said he would go for 50$. Deal!
To make sure that nothing wasn't lost in translation, I asked again if I really am his first customer. Confirmed, adding: he wasn't even sure what he's expected to do when with a customer. At that point, I had to ask if he slept with men before. Yes, got a boyfriend but already broke up, he was a bottom in that relationship. 

The "first customer" thing reminds me of one Thai boy who worked as a waiter in the old Jupiter (when it was still at the place where Moonlight now is). I offed him from the bar and had great time. He was a newbie, just started working at Jupiter and it looked like I was his first customer, fresh and nice, did whatever I told him to do and was undemanding. Then the second time when I told him to go straight to my hotel, I could tell his behavior changed. Asked for more money, asked for taxi fares, brought me a card with some English writing (most words misspelt, including my name) :), kept asking when I would see him again. Obviously, someone told him to do all kinds of stuff to win me over and more importantly get more money. He tried, but very awkwardly  
Back to the current situation. A group of young locals entered the bar just before show time and they all know Guide. So Guide picked the youngest and most small-built among them and literally pimped him to me as another option. I smiled and asked how much his friend wanted for ST. The expected answer: 50$.
Then the POC show started a little late than 11pm, around the same time as the one in Blue Chilli. Since my waiter boy could only leave at the end of the show, we stayed to watch it. It was kinda meh.

There was only one drag queen standing out to me, whom I tipped 2$ (as I saw someone tipped the performer before her 5000 riels or 1.25$).

There was one boy dancer, who Guide said used to work with him in Toolbox before the bar closed down for good (he said Owner is back to Thailand now) and Guide appeared to pimp this one to me too. Boy is cute and I may consider if I didn't have the waiter boy first (but his dancing was all over the place, I wouldn't hire him to dance in bed).

(to be continued)

Watched a show in M2M. Again, enjoyed it very much. I also wanna see again the dancer, who blowed me away (figuratively) in the previous trip. He's still great, moving like a gayish ballet dancer with a lot of energy and oozing charm.



Guy is obviously not the kind of twinks I'm usually into (a bit mature and a bit big). In other words, his look is not really a turn-on for me. But somehow, I can't take my eyes off him when he performs. I even picture this crazy scene: off him and watch him dance in bed for an hour
But when he drags, the whole package looks really disturbing

Before show, I messaged a boy asking him to come and join me in M2M, and we can go to my hotel later. He replied "I don't want to go in there". I then asked if he can go to my hotel the next day, he said "Could you change hotel. I don't like Jomtien Complex" and only agreed to meet when I explained my hotel is close to but NOT in Jomtien Complex. 
This is the second time I saw this Jomtien-phobia thing. Right before Covid, a boy I had before (one of my memorable offs) turned down my offer for a repeat because that time I stayed in Zing. He made it very clear: If Jomtien Complex, I not go.
Those two boys have something in common: pretty young, gay, have a regular job and only do this to earn extra money. I can't figure out why they hate Jomtien Complex (I asked but they wouldn't say). Any thoughts?
So the next day, after an afternoon session with the boy who hates Jomtien, my boy quota for the day was met. Evening, I went to Winner Boy bar just to watch boys having fun in underwear. There were 9 boys working that night (one already got offed before I arrived) and 4 or 5 groups of customers, most of whom sat outside, only one inside with two boys. I bought drink for the first boy who approached me and we got talking. Little did I know, I got to hear his life story for the whole next hour
He's from Bangkok, 25 years old, gay, vers top, started his MB career at Kawaii go-go bar in Boyztown when he was 17 (that means he was underaged and had to, his words, "run" whenever the police knocked on the door). His met his farang (French) boyfriend, now ex-bf, when he was 19 and the other 58, and stayed in that relationship for 4 years (show me his arm tattoo with his ex's name). It sounds like it was serious as he brought the guy home to meet the family (show me pictures of the boyfriend taken with him and his mum) and they even discussed the possibility of same-sex marriage. He didn't know why they broke up but the ex now has a new boyfriend back in France (show me pictures of a cute Caucasian teen whom I would totally off with the permission of the said boyfriend). 
Note to self: try to find cute boys who used to have farang boyfriends because they speak good English.
During the course of their relationship, boyfriend rented him a room, told him to quit his go-go job and also not to let other boys stay with him. But he kept working without the other knowing because, he said, some months boyfriend only sent 10K and the room alone already cost 8K (it was a nice room), he didn't have enough money left for food and other stuff so he had to work. 
Boyfriend visited him three times each year, stayed roughly a month each. Whenever he visited, they had sex every day, sometimes 2 or 3 times a day, it was too much for him, especially because he had to bottom while prefer being a top. It looks like the boyfriend was also a bad influence on him in the way that the former drank and smoked heavily. He said he was drunk all the time whenever the French guy visited and also became a chain-smoker himself. Now he can cut down on drinking, but couldn't give up smoking despite trying.
Then he cheated and got a Thai boyfriend, who stayed with him in the same room the French rented for him. Once they video-called and the farang got glimpse of the other boyfriend, he got jealous. Next time they video-called, he made the poor lad go around the house with his phone camera, even into the toilet, to prove that there was no one else in the house
Then he cheated some more and got another farang supporter, who also sent him money every month until he died of Covid.
I asked the boy if he prefers Asians and he said "sure, any time". Without taking into consideration financial support, he would go for Asian boyfriends only. 
Anyway, back to his stories. Difficult times came with Covid. He went home to his mom for one year, then couldn't get along with her new boyfriend-cum-business-partner so he left and went back to Pattaya. Stayed in Winner Boy bar with 4 other boys for almost a year. Although his boss tried to support them as much as he could (providing accommodation, food ingredients and cookware so they can cook for themselves) and occasional customers who came to off them secretly from the closed bar, there were days he had nothing to eat or even had to pawn his cell phone to buy food. He gave a lot of credit to his boss, saying "we survived because we have a good boss".
Now he moved out and can afford to have his own room but it's still difficult. He only had one customer in the last two weeks. The current room rent + utility bills cost 2.5K, he needs around 200 for food per day and another 100 for cigarette, so roughly 12K per month to live on.
Back in Kawaii days, he said, he earned a lot of easy moneys, many days with two offs and customers were often more generous than the 1500ST/2500LT standard rate (now, he's willing to go ST for just 1000). He said he spent all that money on visiting karaoke host bars often having as many as 4 or 5 boys sit with him in one session (he's gay after all). 
So it's that funny cycle: he spent money from people who liked him on boys he liked, he used the support from his farang boyfriend to support his Thai boyfriend. His farang boyfriend f*cked him who in turns f*cked his Thai boyfriend (the so-called boy-on-boy-on-boy arrangement). 
I noticed that he talked about cheating quite nonchalantly like it was just the way of life, a fair exchange, not something morally wrong or shameful. This is the first time I digged into a Thai MB's complicated relationships with multiple partners-cum-supporters, so I don't know if this also speaks for others.
He concluded his story, saying with regret: I used to have a lot of money, but I didn't save. Now I learned how to save but I don't have much anymore.
It was 10.30 pm when I left. The bar was empty of customers except for one blond-haired farang sitting in a corner with a new boy who just showed up for work today (24 years old, nice ass, very sexy and revealing undies). They did something quietly for more than an hour, ordering several rounds of drinks and the boy later took a large tower to cover certain parts of his body (under-the-table activities under way I presume). Most boys also left (probably no hope for more customers to come). The only waiter (a chubby Thai with highlighted hairs in his mid-30s) nodded off in another corner. Boy told me he's the owner's boyfriend (who's 61, sitting outside with the only remaining boy) and they have been together for 13 years.
My soft drink was 90, boy drink was 150. I gave the boy 500 for his time. I would see him again for other activities. The boy has good genes. Despite everything he had been through, smoking, drinking, Covid and all, still look quite boyish with a lean, supple body. To a Westerner, he may look like he's still in high school who took to wearing underwear as his uniform.

2. So around 8.30 pm, I reached Boyztown and first looked into Toy Boys. They only had three boys in total, all in boxers, two were talking to each other, and one standing at the door greeting customers. Since there were no customers yet and the mamasan in question was no where to be seen, I couldn't come in to ignore him so I left and decided to visit one of the soil's beer bars. 
The three beer bars currently in operation in Boyztown are Pikky, Serene and Panorama, situated right next to each other and in that order (from Pattayasaisong Road entrance). Both Panorama and Serene had virtually no customers at the time, while Pikky, the smallest one - just a quarter the size of Panorama, already had quite a few. It was not hard to see why: they had around 10 twinky boys, many of whom I found cute while the other bars had only one or two staffers on duty.
So I sat at the Pikky bar, their front table, to watch the soi traffic, which was typically light on a Monday night. Ordered my drink and invited two boys over, one Thai and one Lao, both of whom I already knew from the apps. 
Thai boy used to work in Winner Boy bar (the one I mentioned in the Winner Boy bar thread a few weeks ago: he came to work and stripped down to his undies just to pull up again to go with a customer). He's really skinny and small built, gay and bottom-only. So just to tease him, I asked if customers ever asked him to top. There was one before Covid, a Chinese woman, who was into small-boy looking types. He told me, he didn't want to go because he knew he wouldn't be able to perform, but mamasan kept pressuring him, saying the customer would pay as much as 10K. So he went and of course, couldn't get it up (he also admitted he has a rather small "tool"), and hence, had to use his fingers (showing me his fingers while telling this - they don't look like they are great tools either). Probably because of that, he got "only" 5000 instead of the promised 10K.
At that point, Boyz Boyz Boyz started their boy parade, which was put on pause for the last two years. Thai boy said they just restarted yesterday and it was not just BBB business. It's more like Pride parade and all the bars in the soi pooled their talents (the banner-carrier drag queen is actually Castro's staff and there were more than 30 boy participants), but the boys in Pikky stayed out of it because they were shy.

Then there was a smart-dressing elderly farang in wheelchair, who wheeled himself in. Now it's Lao boy's turn, who got an off from that customer, volunteered to share his experience. He said the guy was paralyzed from waist down and didn't take off his pants. The boy just worked second base up, nipple playing, kissing and all. Having heard something I probably shouldn't have, I look at that farang with admiration, thinking: when I reach his age and if I ever were in a similarly unfortunate situation, would I still have it in me to keep going and enjoy life like that? To the gentleman himself and others, it was probably a patronizing thought, but it was inspiring to me. 
Lost in my thoughts for a while, until Lao boy brought me back to reality, asking "Are you okay?"
Although Thai boy's look appeals more to me, I kinda connected better with Lao boy (also gay and bottom vers), who is more observant and also speaks better English. While I was there, another farang customer left with three  boys in tow. I watched them walking away and Lao boy, as if he could read my thoughts, said: It's not like that. He took care of them during Covid times. He said with feeling.
To lighten the mood, I asked would they be okay if I off them both at the same time. Both nodded. Then I added: but you have to do each other, I'm just there to watch. Lao boy was like "What???" then said "I can't but he (Thai boy) can f*ck me". They discussed this in Thai then Thai boy burst out laughing "No way!!!"
Speaking of threesome, in my experience, straight guys often have little problem with this arrangement as to them, it's just work (like you are asked to do a gay porn together). Straight boys I know back in Vietnam certain don't. Some even offer "a discount" if you take their "brother" as well. On the other hand, gay boys who are "sisters" with each other might mind. My previous offers for threesome was turned down twice in Pattaya (one in Toy Boy and another in Power Boy). In each case, both boys wanted to go with me but separately. You can off him today, off me tomorrow. They wouldn't do it if their "sister" is around. It's too weird, they said.
Enough joke. I didn't intend to off anyone anyway after my session with Kiwi earlier. Gave each boy 200 and mamasan 100 as tips. My Pikky soft drink was 80B, boy drink was 200 each (they get to keep 100), off fee is 300 (boys get to keep 100), so an off means boy can earn at least 1700 from drink, off fee and his ST fee. I thinks it's fair. For comparisons, Lao boy told me Toy Boys charges 500 off fee (boys also get to keep 100). Before Covid, a Viet boy I offed from Luck Boys in Bangkok told me he earned some from boy drink but nothing from the off fee (or bar fine).
On my way out, I walked past Toy Boys again. They now had 5 boys (one got offed and went with his customer to Pikky) but still no sight of the mamasan I'm so eager to run into again. Maybe another time. I took the bus baht back to Jomtien Complex.
(to be continued)

As mentioned in my first post here, I'm a long-time follower of this forum (going back around 15 years, on and off) but rarely posted anything because from the great fountain of information you guys shared, I don't think I have anything new to add. Once I started sharing (just three weeks ago), I found that I do and should have done it many years ago Although Jason1975 says I should write trip reports, I'm not really up to a full report so I just share tidbits of my Thailand trips and occasionally take a chance to give you some info about Vietnam's scene too since I'm mainly based in Vietnam.
I gonna start this tidbit thread with stories about a cheating mamasan in Toy Boys.
This week, I came directly to Pattaya from the Bangkok airport (using Nam taxi, 1000B, they gave me detailed instructions of how to find the driver: Arrival Hall, walk outside and find Entrance No 3, then look for a car plated XXYY). Staying in AIYAREE PLACE just across street from Jomtien Complex (spacious room with a double and also a single bed, which I can use for massage, a separated space with room apparatus, arm chairs and table, perfect for working remotely, swimming pool and small gym, included breakfast buffet and also 400B hotel credit for lunch/dinner in the in-house restaurant with a pretty good selection of Western and Thai food, all of these for just 1100B/night, also no problem with guests to the room)
Chatted with a boy on Blued for a massage deal. If I'm gonna meet a guy on app, I prefer if he can do massage and if I can just book for massage only first (in case the guy shows up and looks totally different from his picture). This guy seems professional with his itemized price list (shown in the picture). Some members may know him too (the one who keeps promoting his own laundry service all the time and I find it quite cute.

He showed up, and just one look at him (small-built, slim fit, smooth skin, boyish look), I know I'm gonna follow up with some after-massage services. He's indeed professional, bringing everything (water-proof tarp, towel, a selection of massage oils, relaxing music, he just forgot candles hehe). He also speaks decent English (used to have some foreign boyfriends from China and Japan), so we chatted a lot during the session.
It turns out he used to work in Toy Boys in Boyztown about 4 years ago. My first visit of the bar many years ago left quite a bad taste in my mouth. 
I was greeted by this mamasan, who is Chinese-Vietnamese and can speak Mandarin, Vietnamese, Thai and English. It felt so good to talk to someone in my mother tongue in a foreign bar, so I sought advice from him about everything.
It was my last night in Pattaya and I liked 2 boys so decided (a first for me) to off both of them. Mamasan presented me with a handwritten bill including my drink, boy drinks, bar fines, boy's tips (1500 each) and also a charge for bar's short-time room (400 per boy). He told me he collected the boy's tips in advance just for safety and that even though I don't use the short time room at the bar, they still charge for it as a rule. I guess I was really naive at the time and probably trusted the bastard too much because he's Vietnamese too. To think that I even gave him a decent tip for all of his "troubles"!
Only when I was back to my hotel and talked more with the boys who spoke rather limited English, I found out that the short-time charges were totally bullshit. If I didn't leave town the next day, I would come back to the bar and raise the issue with the management. The next time I set foot in the bar (6 months later), I simply ignored that mamasan who recognized me instantly, refusing to speak to him even for seating or bill paying (kinda passive-agressively you must think). I became friend with another mamasan from Cambodia and had no problems since then.
So back to my massage, I asked Kiwi (the boy's nickname) why he quit, and he said he didn't like the working enviroment there and especially the mamasan, who cheated him out of his money so many times. Of course, it was the same guy. Turns out he cheated the customers and he cheated the boys too. 
Kiwi told me that many times that mamasan dealt with a customer (especially someone new to town) 2000 for ST and collected the money in advance but told the boy that the customer paid 1500 so the boy got back 1400 (minus his cut of 100). Kiwi said he never thought about asking the customers how much money they actually gave the mamasan. He only found out about this almost one year later, when a customer showed him a picture of the same handwritten bill I got, and funny enough, including the same bogus short-time room charge I had.
Kiwi also said even though he gave the mamasan his standard 100 cut every time, that one still tried to steer customers away from him (because some other boys would give mamasan 200 or even 300 cut), like telling the customer who wants a bottom that Kiwi only tops (FYI he can do both but prefer bottom position), or even saying that you need to be careful because he's kinda bad boy etc. 
Kiwi, too, only found out about this through customer feedback, and his story brought back another bad memory. 
That night, when I pointed to one of the two boys I later offed, who was standing quietly like a church mouse in a corner, Mamasan did say that boy only goes with lady customers. But because he was totally my type, I waived him in and later found out he's gay and can bottom (another red flag I should've paid attention to but I was too excited to have my first threesome ever at that point). Back at the hotel, I asked him why Mamasan said he only goes with ladies, he said he didn't know and he never went with women customers before.
Back again to my massage. Job done, I'm happy with the massage, after services and also the enlightening conversation we had, and gave him 2000 even though he only asked for 1500 tops.
Also because of this, I decided to go to Boyztown that evening and visit Toy Boys again (I walked past them a couple of weeks ago and saw they just re-opened with that cheating mamasan standing at the door), just so I have a chance to blow him off again hehe.
(to be continued)

(part 8 )
Back in Hanoi, I encountered a similar problem with a newly opened gay massage parlor a few years ago. The owner also applied a rotation system to make sure his masseurs all have customers, so he told me I was not allowed to pick. When I turned around to leave, he immediately gave in "ok, you can choose."
So I marched into the M star shop around 8h30 pm (not sure if it's peak time though), trying to look aggressive (and failing completely). I prefaced my request with "My friend said that you guys don't allow customers to choose masseur, but..."
The masseur standing at the door cut in before I finished my sentence "You can, you can". Just like that. I had expected a fight!
So @flashbarryallen just be assertive if you need to.
Guy at the door also told me the minimum tip for normal no-sex massage is 100. Any extra services, I should discuss with the guy once we are in the room.
So I picked my boyish masseur, who's 27, paid 500B for 1-hour aroma oil massage and proceeded to the fourth floor for my session. Once inside the room, I started price discussion right away, as I usually do, to make sure no problems or misunderstanding at the end.
Unfortunately, the kid's English was extremely limited so after a while, mostly with help of Google translation, I figured that minimum tip for no-sex massage is 200 (not consistent with what Guy at the door told me). If I want him to take off his clothes while providing the service so I can touch, that would be 1000. If I want to suck his dick, that would be 1500. He's man, so he wouldn't do anything else.
1500? I repeated and just looked at him. He quickly lowered his asking price 1300 ok? I do saloh saloh massage ok?
What the hell does "saloh saloh" mean?
I asked him in a more polite language. He tried to explain in vain, then kept saying sorry for his limited English.
Looking the kid's very agitated face (he was obviously uncomfortable with haggling), I kinda felt bad so I didn't bother with further negotiation. If it means that much to him.
The massage turned out to be much better than I expected. Kid had good techniques, his touch was quite sensual and one hour flied by quickly. The only thing that irked me a bit is that he kept saying "saloh saloh" during the whole session and I still couldn't figure out what he meant.
Anyway, satisfied, I gave Kid 1500 and he bent over so low (almost to a kneeling position) to thank me, like I were Royalty or something. If only he bent over like that during the session I might have doubled my tip. 
When I walked down the stairs to the ground floor, he led the way and again kept saying "saloh saloh" and I finally got it. He meant "slow, slow," (take your time).
The next day, I started my evening in Banana Room outside. Bought a drink for one host who spoke decent English (again, he used to have an American boyfriend for about a year so no surprises here) and got some intel.
Banana Room actually has three bars. Downstairs, the outside bar serves as a beer bar (my soft drink 80B, in line with other bars in the soi), the inside bar - as a go-go (when I moved inside I had to buy a new drink at 350B). The bars downstairs close at midnight, at which they start the upstairs one that stays open until 4 am. Host showed me videos of the upstairs bar. It was pretty roomy and packed with customers, DJ station-level packed. Looks like this is the cash cow for Banana Room (owner is straight Thai with a wife) as I didn't much activities in both bars downstairs during my last two visits.
So outside downstairs, they currently have 4 hosts (3 from Laos and 1 from Myanmar, 3 gays and 1 straight). Unfortunately the cutest one, a Laotian, that I would off is straight. He had a girlfriend and wasn't allowed (by his girlfriend?) to go with customers, Host told me.
But in my previous visit, I saw that boy in underwear standing on the stage inside as a go-go boy. Sometimes, when there were too few boys inside, boss would ask him to double as a go-go so the stage would look less empty. Host explained. So does he go with customers when he's inside? Nobody knows. Or, probably, everyone knows but his girlfriend doesn't.
Inside downstairs, they have around 10 go-go staff. Host admitted that they didn't have the strongest cast in the soi and some boys never had any customers since they worked there. Then why they kept coming back? Because boss paid each 200 per night just for showing up.
Host said he himself gets paid 8000 per month and for that salary, he starts his work at 3 pm, serving in the outside downstairs bar until mid night, then moving upstairs to continue working as bartender until 4am. That means 14 hours a day for 8000 a month. It doesn't seem fair even though he can stay for free in the bar.
He said he went to bed at 6am and when he wakes up, it's time to start his work again. That grueling schedule also means he can go with customers on his off days only. He also earned tips from the bartender gig, but usually just around 100-120B per night. That was enough to cover his food expenses.
This trip, I finally come to terms with the fact that it's much harder for me to find cute twinks who can bottom in Bangkok bars than in Pattaya. I think some members in this board also draw the same conclusions (app is a different story though).
Most boys of my type in Bangkok go-gos turned out straight. Out of two dozen boys currently in Fresh Boys, only 5, according to a mamasan, who rattled off their numbers and I duly took note (No 1, 8, 14, 24 and 29) are gay and can do anything. But I like number 26 and 28, both of whom aren't willing to do much. Not even kissing or sucking, which wouldn't do for a top like me.
My last day in Bangkok before returning to Pattaya, where I usually stay for much longer, I decided to revisit Dream Boy. Mamasan, who helped me with offing a boy last time (no 75, very cute, but straight and dud in bed) and got tipped accordingly, was very happy to see me. "We have some new boys you can have a look". Another mamasan, who had seen me on and off the soil for the whole last month, said "You never go home?" Actually I did but I came back.
So I sat down, and Mamasan pointed out the new ones (they currently have between 30 and 40 boys, the most of any Bangkok go-gos, I guess). No 26 immediately caught my eyes. I also like No 45. I asked mamasan what No 26 is willing to do. He wasn't sure so he scampered off to ask, then came back with a big smile: he's gay and can do anything.
I asked for Boy to sit with me. 22, fresh from Chiang Mai, just been here for a week. 3 customers so far, not bad for one week (then he added: including you - good, he already counted me as a customer). He also advertised on Hornet but no catch yet. I asked to see his Hornet's pictures and I think I can see why: the camera must hate the kid. In fact, I saw his pictures a couple of times before but didn't think much of it. Even his body looks worse in those. In person, he got my attention right off the bat with that toned body, boyish face and that little shy smile.
I told him: you should change your pictures. Take a picture with smiles. You have a nice smile, show it so customers would find you more attractive (gosh I sound like a pimp). 
I later checked his Hornet again, kid did change his pictures but still no smiling ones.
Since he's gay and versatile (he told me he and his ex-bf back in Chiang Mai took turns to top each other), I asked him which boys currently on stage he would pick. If he also picks No 45, I don't know what I would do (maybe the obvious - as my professor in orgy-ology @vinapu would say). But he picked no 24. Damned, so no threesome this time (my other professor in modesty @reader would feel so relieved).
So like the Phnom Peng trip (reported in parts 5 to 7), my Bangkok trip also ended in a decent note. It looks like I finally had some luck with offing boys from bar. I would rank it my third best on this trip. The other two were from the apps.
My second best is an 19 years old boy from Isan, in Bangkok to study (he told me). He used to work part-time in a restaurant, lost his job due to Covid, never worked in a boy bar before. We chatted on Grindr, he seems nice and very accommodating, answering all the questions without attitude. Asked for 2000 then agreed with 1500. So I told him to come to my hotel. I didn't know that at that point jason1975 was doing more or less the same thing, in the same hotel (just different floor). I got lazy so I copied his narration
Anyway, I could tell that the boy was really into me. He was all over me the moment I closed the door. He kept giggling and holding my face with both hands, saying "you are nice". After sex, we cuddled a little and a couple of times I tried to get up (it was time for me to hit the gym), he held me back for a few more minutes. When I gave him the money (the agreed amount + 200B for travel), he said in his broken English: "I like you but not as customer" hehe, so we are like brothers with benefits now? 
My best is a boy, also from Chiang Mai, who stopped in Bangkok just for one night on his way home. He stayed in Quarter in Soil 6 a few hundreds meters from my own hotel, so we kinda "ran into" each other on Hornet. He only asked for 1000 so there was no haggling. Since he's so close, I asked to meet him in person and he, not just met, but took me directly to his room. I didn't expect this, nor did I expect the sex would be so... inspiring in a so tiny room It all happened less than 30 min from the point we started chatting.
I asked him when he would leave Bangkok, thinking for an immediate repeat the next day (I rarely do this) but he said he will fly out early the next morning. Since he said the Quarter room cost him 1500, I gave him all the pocket money I had on me at that point (1800B). I walked from my hotel to his in my shorts, sleeveless T-shirt, slippers, bringing no wallet, condoms or lubes, thinking I would just see if he really looks like his picture
(to be continued)

I did Airbnb  in Pattaya in 2016, Dubai 2020 and 2 in Colombia recently.  I have been looking at them as a home base for a longer trip to Thailand (a place to leave most of my stuff if I do shorter trips to other locations over my 2 month stay).
If you want cleaning, laundry, ask the host.  most have a cleaner who will (for a fee) come in.  In Pattaya (Talay 2A), I had them in once a week for 200b (that was 2016).  the cleaner swapped sheets and towel and did dishes, mopped etc, about 1 hr in the apartment.  Also, there was an inexpensive laundry service in the building (but I had my long-term take it where he knew for cheap).  The Condo 24 hr "guard" would do the ID thing if you brought your guest over to his desk.  For longer stays, I have seen the airbnb listing to say fee plus water and electric and mention unit cost.  
In Dubai they had full hotel like service every other day (it seemed to me more like a hotel or serviced apart).
In Colombia, one did it for a small fee, the other wanted too much, so I paid a money boy extra to clean.
Regards legality... my next door neighbor is doing it illegally. If no one complains to the local authorities, the owners have no problem.  Don't know about guarded condos but it would seem to me if the people cause no problem it is not in the best interest to make problems for their owner/members.

I did Airbnb  in Pattaya in 2016, Dubai 2020 and 2 in Colombia recently.  I have been looking at them as a home base for a longer trip to Thailand (a place to leave most of my stuff if I do shorter trips to other locations over my 2 month stay).
If you want cleaning, laundry, ask the host.  most have a cleaner who will (for a fee) come in.  In Pattaya (Talay 2A), I had them in once a week for 200b (that was 2016).  the cleaner swapped sheets and towel and did dishes, mopped etc, about 1 hr in the apartment.  Also, there was an inexpensive laundry service in the building (but I had my long-term take it where he knew for cheap).  The Condo 24 hr "guard" would do the ID thing if you brought your guest over to his desk.  For longer stays, I have seen the airbnb listing to say fee plus water and electric and mention unit cost.  
In Dubai they had full hotel like service every other day (it seemed to me more like a hotel or serviced apart).
In Colombia, one did it for a small fee, the other wanted too much, so I paid a money boy extra to clean.
Regards legality... my next door neighbor is doing it illegally. If no one complains to the local authorities, the owners have no problem.  Don't know about guarded condos but it would seem to me if the people cause no problem it is not in the best interest to make problems for their owner/members.

I did Airbnb  in Pattaya in 2016, Dubai 2020 and 2 in Colombia recently.  I have been looking at them as a home base for a longer trip to Thailand (a place to leave most of my stuff if I do shorter trips to other locations over my 2 month stay).
If you want cleaning, laundry, ask the host.  most have a cleaner who will (for a fee) come in.  In Pattaya (Talay 2A), I had them in once a week for 200b (that was 2016).  the cleaner swapped sheets and towel and did dishes, mopped etc, about 1 hr in the apartment.  Also, there was an inexpensive laundry service in the building (but I had my long-term take it where he knew for cheap).  The Condo 24 hr "guard" would do the ID thing if you brought your guest over to his desk.  For longer stays, I have seen the airbnb listing to say fee plus water and electric and mention unit cost.  
In Dubai they had full hotel like service every other day (it seemed to me more like a hotel or serviced apart).
In Colombia, one did it for a small fee, the other wanted too much, so I paid a money boy extra to clean.
Regards legality... my next door neighbor is doing it illegally. If no one complains to the local authorities, the owners have no problem.  Don't know about guarded condos but it would seem to me if the people cause no problem it is not in the best interest to make problems for their owner/members.

I don't know u Canadian, and it's a bit presumtuous on my part, but I humbly submit the following thought.
In 'real' life, in front of all kinds of acquaintences, I too wld feel the need to rspnd.
Here, in the digital anonymous life, there's no need to.
Furthermore, even in real life there's no need to rspnd to an insult if the insultor is unworthy. If an F student tells me I m an idiot, he doesnt rate an answer.
This Slvk likes to pick on guys here with similar-identical accusations; its not only u. He once told someone he wasn't in Colombia, when that guy was sending me pics of himself from there. Just ignore these harassments by a self-appointed troll police.