zoomomancs

I see today that the former Lucky Boys property has a new 'Dreamboys' sign and at least 3 people are painting the entrance area. I tried to ask the workers when it it is opening but got no answer beyond smiles. Does anyone know anything?

Just arrived BKK from MAN via DOH with Qatar Airways. Both the 777 and the A380 seemed completely full, as they were for my June trip. As fewer airlines are doing Thailand (eg BA) the existing airlines can charge plenty.

In 2017 I had returned from Bangkok to UK by a week when I heard on Facebook that a Vietnamese man, aged 20, who I knew, had died after jumping into the Chao Phraya river after a tiff with a woman in a taxi at 05.30am after going to a birthday party. I don't think me meant to die, just to make a point to the woman, but I guess he was drunk. He worked in Red Dragon Bar on Patpong Soi 2. That day I flew to Ha Tinh to visit his family. I will never forget him. In a week I will be in Bangkok. I will be more generous to the lads as a tribute to his memory.

Increasingly these days I say I don't send money, I tell them I pay for services when I am there. I also regularly ask people I've loaned money to when they will repay it. Last trip I got 3,000 bt back. As I am soft I gave 6 men in a go go bar 500 bt each.

After going to Thailand from the UK some 4 times a year for 6 years I thought seriously about moving there. Maybe to Jomtien. The holiday lifestyle reduces the pain from a health condition so I was tempted. What stopped me was the reality of losing the NHS as I get older and knowing that what I can afford to do on holiday would not be possible all year round if I was there. As long as I can, I will go 4 times a year to the region, as I like Vietnam too.

It can be cheaper to book Tarntawan by becoming a member on the hotel's website. You can see the prices per night on a calendar after you log in. I will be there at the end of the month for a few nights before going to the Raya.

I will be in Bangkok 24th to 28th.

A quote from a bar lad in Ao Nang, said to his mate, after a young farang woman from Glasgow left in tears to go home at the end of the last night of her holiday: "If we have a good harvest of farang in the high season, we eat in the low season". We might consider ourselves as similar to rice or carrots, but often more profitable.

If we say no often enough the requests stop in my experience. I completely agree not to get trapped sending regular cash to an insincere man. I've done it, though no fortune. A friend of a friend gave about £100,000 to a man he'd never met in a different continent. But I don't regret being in contact with dozens of Asian men over the last 11 years. I want to meet many of them again so my way I know where they are. When one of them threw himself in the river in Bangkok and died I was on the next plane to Vietnam to see his family. Of course many of them will give us a sob story to try to get cash. And sometimes their reality is grim. We can keep in touch and be very careful, and say no, and do what we can to help when we are there.

Just to emphasise the importance of keeping the employers unaware. Once I arrived at a go go bar moments after the lad arrived for work. He put his head round the door and went with me, despite my questioning whether this was ok without my paying the off fee. He was new in town and said it was ok. He was sacked the next day because of this. He was reinstated the day after that when I returned to the bar and paid the off fee.

As someone said said above, stalls on Silom, open some days but I don't think every day. Do haggle, but not too hard.

Thank you for the info. I'm British.

Thank you for a great update. Re the age of consent in Vietnam, does anyone know why Google confusingly says it is 16 and 18? I have had a few fabulous meets in Vietnam and want to stay the right side of the law on my next trip.

Please delete the repeat. I can't see how to delete.

Worms or helminths are common in food but Albendazole, cheap in any Thai pharmacy, will get rid of many. I used to enjoy poppers for dancing but once the bottle leaked in my pocket and gave me a nasty burn.

Agree about Xone on Surawong. I used to walk to Superrich but Xone is nearer for me.

Some people want to keep working. It is their life. I retired at age 59, no regrets so far.

The bar behind the business class section on a Qatar Airways A380 in April. There is seating on the left and I enjoyed stretching out as the only customer there for a while. Then I could afford the last minute upgrade offers. Now the prices are through the roof.

4214 baht, assuming dinners are 500bt each.

But as the decreed 'gift' chart doesn't include long time at Jupiter can we infer that the amount for the latter is infinite?

Glad someone made the point about legality. If we make 'gifts' they are not 'fees', though I appreciate this is dancing on the head of a pin.

Most bar lads speak more English than I speak Thai but even limited Thai goes a long way, I think. Google translate for when it's really needed.

I asked one of the lads, who I had met on a previous trip, and he suggested some of his friends who I had met at the bar. I offered 3000 to divide amongst them as well as paying for everything. I paid 1200bt return for the shared speedboat which had another seven Asian customers (so 240bt each person) and takes about 15 minutes. The lads suggested getting the Songtheao to Tien beach, which is quieter and less touristy than the busy beach the boat arrived at. I thought that was a good move as I liked the quieter Tien beach. Lunch under beach umbrellas with very reasonable jetski price for any of our group who wanted that. When booking the speedboat, which is just walk on to the pier at Pattaya and talk to speedboat companies, one specifies a return time. So a pleasant afternoon out. I don't know about overnighting there.

Agree completely with giving the lads a good time. Last week I took 4 bar lads to Koh Larn, they showed me a better beach, had lunch, some went on a jet ski. That evening they invited me to drink with them on the beach. They can show us a good time in other ways than sex. I think bar lads like all the tips, unless they're bizarrely on the low side. And when it's raining a lot, like now in Bangkok, and there are few customers, we can be more generous.

IMO about 300 bt is the minimum, as he also gets a drink tip. More if it was especially fun or good service. I might tip 500 just for chatting and looking cute. I think 1000 is a bit on the top side but would make the lad happy.