Min

Day 2.5: Heavenly Bodies
I am unclear on the origins of why Bangkok boy bars are named the way they are. Maybe the thought process is to have your bar name be as descriptive as possible, so customers know what they are getting when they want to go to that bar. So all your boys and males are either Fresh (boys), Hot (Male), Dream (y) (Boys) or Lucky (Boys), or you may want to Screw (boys) them, or want to play with their Bananas (bar). 
Then there are the bars that are named after heavenly bodies or phenomenon – Moonlight, Jupiter and Tawan (Tawan ตะวัน = Sun). These bars, more or less, have their specialized brand of boy bar, probably what sets them a little bit apart from the ones mentioned previously. I’d say these three bars indeed have “heavenly bodies”, and as such, have boys with more mass i.e. more meat on their bones than those bars that have predominantly twinks in them (those Freshboys really are fresh, for example). This is a generalization of course, Dreamboy had a lot of more meatier boys than twinks the night I was there (at least my definition of what Thailand meaty is), but generally you will not find any traditional twinks in the Solar System bars.
Don't ask me about New Twilight. I don't know how that boy bar fits into things.
Interestingly, to me at least, Tawan’s naming is more consistent with how most Brazil boy saunas are named. Tawan’s street is situated in Soi Than Tawan, from which I am assuming Tawan was then named after. In Rio de Janeiro for example, Clube 117 and Pointe 202 addresses are in 117 Rua Candido Mendes and 202 Siquiera Campos respectively, which means they are named after their street addresses as well. Various other saunas in Brazil do this (the ones in Salvador and Recife come to mind, etc.), and even if the name of the current street of the famous Sao Paulo sauna Lagoa is different from its name, originally it was located in a street called Borges Lagoa before its move to 130 Pedro Taques.
So we find ourselves in one of the Solar System bars – Jupiter. My description of it in 2016 is here:
Still, I do remember at least two memorable offs from Jupiter in the past. Both were the typical Jupiter type: tall, muscular athletic, fair skin and handsome. Both I’ve had trepidation offing in the past due to my preconceived assumptions about the aloofness of the Jupiter boys, and hence, both exceeded my expectation when it came to the off, further fueling my desire to go back to the heavens more and more. 
My whole off with MuscleBoy here:
And a snippet of my off with Korean Boy:
---
We emerge from a sex-induced slumber at 9:30 PM, after a half day of running around Bangkok and seeing the sights. Tiago, as goal-oriented as he was when it comes to going after his dreams, surely knows what he likes doing during vacations: lots of rest and lots of sex. He admitted to as such while we were traversing Dubai. As a result, we have missed a tourist spot or two that was on my list of must-see things to see. Still, my method of running ragged of wanting to see as many things as possible and to sleep with as many boys as possible, combined with his more leisurely pace of stopping and smelling the roses, and establishing deeper connections and sacrificing certain opportunities as a result, worked for both of us and benefitted our experiences. Quality over quantity was essentially the result.
Still, he knew that it was important for me to go see a Boy Bar every night we were in Bangkok, so when the alarm went off to wake us up that night, he darted out of the bed and did a few shadow boxing exercises to wake himself up and get the blood flowing. I fired up the water heater and made two cups of those delish 3-in-1 coffees, and pair of showers later we were on a Grab to  Silom Soi 4. 71 baht.
We arrive at Soi 4 around 10:15 PM, and the familiar sights of the street were still there. I noticed a new (to me) boy bar called Banana Bar, with their tout enticing us to come in and partake of their fruit stand. Perhaps on another night. We passed by the usual bars, notably the renamed Circus Bar, formerly Telephone Pub – I am not too familiar what precipitated this name change. There was a good-sized crowd seated in almost all the bars, with a good showering of farang tourists, perhaps a sign that the tourist numbers are rebounding at a good clip. 
But we had our goal today – Jupiter. We were greeted by the sharply dressed tout who didn’t bother with his spiel because it looked like we knew where we were going.  Inside, the outer seats were taken, some full with rowdy Thai revelers, others with more reserved farangs and Asian gays. We were seated at the very front. Tiago plopped himself on the seat, ready for the show. Regular coke and rum coke (pretty decent). Onstage where 3 or 4 boys at a time, rotating through their roster, a trick I’ve seen in almost all the bars that had more boys than a stage can logically contain. I am reminded right away of Jupiter delights: the preppy, handsome, clean cut, masculine fair boy.
Tiago noticed this, and commented that the offerings were pretty enticing, and handsome. Perhaps Tiago was also a Jupiter man. I was overjoyed when I say MuscleBoy and Korean Boy still working here, as if nothing has changed through the years. They both still looked gorgeous and fit. There were other stunners as well, well-documented in the Jupiter facebook.  They feature each of their models fairly well on FB, and some even have studio-quality photoshoots that highlights their best features.
 

What impressed me was the number of guys that were on offer.  If you want an idea of many guys are available on a given night, watch this:

ParadeJupiter.mp4 Also, this was were I was seated, where the red dot is:
So I was up close and bulge level to these fine specimens, so I was having a blast. I would highly recommend seating up there for maximum viewing.  Not sure why the other customers here preferred sitting further away from the action. They are missing out.
The show soon starts and it’s the usual drag queen/boy number combination. The drag queens were pretty polished, moreso than what I’ve seen elsewhere in Thailand, or even Brazil.  Also, there were numbers with drag queens and boys combined, and I remember this was a thing before from pre-pandemic:

With all this happening, Tiago was seemingly entertained. My hunches about this bar were right, that this was a bar that is easy to show to first-timers, or your girl best friend, that had enough distractions and hot boys to entertain pretty much anybody. I know a lot of us here prefer a less refined, more hardcore experience with Thai boy bars, and I do miss that type of atmosphere, but there is a place for these kind of bars both in the boy bar landscape, and in every one of my travel itineraries.
There was the question of offing tough. I was thoroughly smitten with one of the guys in that clip above. Everyone in the bar was looking at him.  

Maybe it was the grinding and the dancing he did. I was about to look for him but saw that he sat down with some clients and I missed my chance.  Still, there were a lot to choose from. I could choose from any number of tall, fair, lean muscular boys. There was something about that guy with the full body tattoo (see video). He looks like he would know a thing or two about a good time. Plus, in perusing Jupiter’s FB posts, he is figured in a set of photos that seem to show another, more fun side of him:


I ask Tiago what he thought about that guy. He said he was more interested in another handsome lad, as he tells me his number. I recognized the guy from Patpong. He must’ve belonged to another bar but is now working in Jupiter. He was the Jupiter type. He had really white skin, very smooth. Boyish handsomeness, abs and muscles. He fit the type that I liked, so I motioned to him to sit with us once the show was over. He was in jeans and shirtless. He sat in between Tiago and I. A waiter quickly comes to us to ask if the boy wanted a drink. He asked for a coke.
He recognized me from the pre-pandemic days, and asked me the usual stock questions of name, where you from, how long Bangkok and all that good stuff. I of course had to translate for Tiago, who was rubbing his leg and looking at him closely. He was Vietnamese, and Tiago found that fairly interesting possibly because it was the first time he has ever met a Viet guy.
After a few more pleasantries, VietBoy asks if we wanted to off him.  I then asked what he was into. He said he is all top. I translated this to Tiago and then he promptly grabbed his dick to see. More questions. 5000 for short time because we were two people, so double the price he said. Then I asked if he kisses. He said no. He said he was straight.
I then translate this all to Tiago.  “E hetero?” he said, sort of disappointed.  “Quanto custa,” he asks. I do some quick math and tell him “130 dolares ou 700 reais,” I answer. Tiago makes a face, ”E caro demais,” he replies, thinking the price was a little bit too steep. He then asks me that its up to me, but I already knew my answer. After a few more pleasantries, and as he finshes his drink, I gave him 500 baht and bid him farewell.  It was just not meant to be.
To Tiago, a sexual partner who doesn’t kiss, let alone doesn't do it passionately, is not worth it, and life is too short for that kind of BS. I tend to agree.  He later said that for 130 dollars, he’d do way more than just top.
While all of this was going on, Jupiter turned from a Boy Bar to a lounge, and it was actually enjoyable. Customers were having a blast with the live singing, boys were joining the fun, drinking with customers, and it all looked like fun:

Jupiter2018 - Everyday After Midnight It’s Time To Party 🎉... By Jupiter2018 Everyday After Midnight It’s Time To Party 🎉 With All The Jupiter’s Model 🤩 #jupiter #silom4 #bangkok.mp4 There is someone in the video clip waving some money in front of the boys. I figure that the video is at least accurate in that sense, as it will take that much money to get the boys to act happy to be with you.
I didn’t even try to look for another boy to off. I tried, it didn’t work out, and that was that. I didn’t even feel that I was missing out. I had good memories of this place, and will continue to make more in the future. Right now it was about me and Tiago. He might be the ultimate cock block as he is giving me more than probably any of the boys in this building ever could, in arguably better physical attributes, among other things. There is a time and a place to “settle” for a more chill sexual encounter and I am willing to adjust to the task at hand. Sometimes that it was I need, other times, like right now, it is Quality over Quantity.
After another round of drinks, we leave the celestial confines of Jupiter. While it weird for me to not off a guy form this bar, truth is Jupiter will always hold a special place in my groin. There will be other nights in Jupiter, to look for this guy, for example:

We then head over to Footland Patpong to have a late dinner. After that we decide to make that 25-minute walk back to the apartment, since it has cooled down a bit. Tiago asked again if it was safe to walk at 2 AM in the morning in Bangkok. I said yes it was. He commented that if this was central Rio we would be assaulted many times over. i laughed, because it was true.  And even Tiago had a hard time avoiding comparing Brazil to Thailand, but this time, he was noticing something that Thailand had an advantage over Brazil.
“That’s why we are here Tiago,” I tell him. “We are here to forget about our troubles in Brazil. We are in Thailand now.” We should make the most of our time here, as Thailand has a lot to offer.
And we do just that, next post.

When Moonlight first opened, it was the talk of the town (well, our little town, anyway). It was new, bold and had quickly became  a must stop for all. But for me it lust a bit of the luster over the years. Nevertheless, I certainly would prefer that it survives in the same way I hope newcomer New Twilight manages to sustain itself because the Bangkok scene very much needs variety.
The problem Twilight has at the moment appears to be indecision: does it want to be another Jupiter or Moonlight or does it wish its own, unique identity which so far doesn't seem to be catching on all that well.
Personally, I'd hope it adopts the Lucky Boys approach. It has the stage and lighting to put on the same type of floor show entertainment along with the ever-popular rotation of 30-40 guys representing a cross section of ASEAN. I really miss that place.

I absolutely love your trip reports, especially all the small details you share.  
The reviews of the guys at Moonlight sound spot-on.  I think they need to do a hard-reset on their models -- almost like the old studio system where whey plucked talent from obscurity and groomed them to be stars.

I know. It's just that nowadays if I want someone who can bottom in a bar, mamasans automatically search for gay boys.
Usually, I don't waste my time on unwilling cases either. Unless the boy was so cute, to the point that I was willing to pay just to see him naked  I guess, my tip may not make sense to some people in the same way stories of other members here chasing after non-MB straight guys (which is IMHO even more hopeless) do to me. They probably get some thrills out of the process, regardless of the result, but I just don't get it.
We find boy A in bar X very cute and offable. Then we move to bar Y and see that boy B is also desirable. We go back and forth in our head, thinking boy A appears a bit better, so we return to bar X only to find that he's taken. Then we hurry back to bar Y... You probably know where I'm heading with this right

The bars and massage places in Paradise Complex were open in April, it was pretty quiet back then but it might be busier now. I posted a short summary of what I found at the end of this thread.
 

(part 10)
As mentioned in part 9, a Thai boy who's working in X-boy asked me to take him to another bar to watch a show (X-boy itself has no longer offered any shows post-Covid). Since I like the boy and wanted to do something nice for him on my last day in Pattaya, I told him to go to Jomtien complex that night at 9pm and we would go watching a show together. I'd buy him drinks, pay his bar fine of 500, and also a short time fee of 1500. 
Then around 8pm, he messaged me with a reschedule request, saying something about having "other business". Looks like the dramatic "I was born to never watch a show" (his words via some awkward Google translation) wasn't that important. His last-minute cancellation means I scrambled to find a replacement. 
Then the next night, when I was in Bangkok already, he messaged me again, whining that he had no customer at all that night, not even a boy drink so he's broke. Turns out, on previous night, a customer to the bar bought him a drink so he cancelled me in hope of getting another off then going with me the next day. Too bad the customer didn't off him eventually and I wasn't available the day after either - a typical case of he who tries to have it all ends up with nothing.
On my way back to Bangkok, the first thing I do was to contact Boy No 26 from Dream Boy (mentioned in part 8 ) for a repeat. Guess what, he was on his way to Pattaya. It was his birthday so his boyfriend took him to Pattaya to celebrate. Wait, his boyfriend???
Turns out the one I thought was his ex back in Chiang Mai is still with him.
"So your boyfriend doesn't mind that you are working in Dream Boy?"
"No, he's also working at the same bar."
"His number was 24 right?" I jumped to a conclusion, remembering very well he picked boy No 24 when I asked him to choose a boy from the rotation.
"No, No 99."
"Aha! Then why you picked No 24 last time?"
"Because my boyfriend didn't come to work that night."    
"So if I off both you and your boyfriend at the same time, would you mind?" I asked, again just testing how far they would go (he already showed me pictures of his boyfriend, not my type at all). His answer actually surprised me a little.
"I don't like three people, but it's okay if the third person is my boyfriend" Well, well, well, it looks like if that night I actually offed No 24, No 26 wouldn't go with it. Also that's how you sell your boyfriend as an add-on
Apart from Boy No 26 going where I just left, another unfortunate coincidence was that the Tiny Lao (mentioned in part 7) has gone home for about a month to be with his family and also renew his passport. The Hotmale downstairs didn't feel the same without him. I kinda miss his warm hug and gentle touch.
This time in Bangkok, I finally paid a visit to Moonlight, the only go-go bar I haven't tried so far on this month-long trip. There were about 10 floor guys, most of whom are neither here nor there (not twink but not hunk either). I just read Numazu's latest report and am very curious about his MonBoy (the same way I'm about Vinapu's K - the nice single dad in Tawan), but can't recall anyone that impressive the night I visited.
Then the pre-show model parade. At least three of them, Tum, Babe and Korn (and probably Smarch also) looked like they had their nose redone. 
Babe looked tired with under-eye circles clearly visible despite heavy makeup. His smiles were still very sweet though.
Tum and York appeared to be following in Nicky's footsteps with flabbier arms and fat rippling around the belly area. I guess they are pushing 40 and at that age, working out alone would not suffice anymore. You need to watch what you eat and drink, and also the quality of your sleep, to minimize fat deposit.
Korn was the only model who showed any form of 6 packs that night. Personally, I found the guys in Jupiter more "model-like" than those in Moonlight. Well-toned, flat stomach, lean but ripped body, nice height/size ratio.

And for perspective, below is Jupiter's poster boy, who is over 30 but still can keep that Ms. Universe-like waistline to go with his well-developed chest and arms. (in real life, his waist looks even smaller and arms more muscular)

There wasn't much going on in the tip department although the house was half-packed with mostly Asian customers.
Before, it often looked like someone got tipped every few minutes or so in that bar, which made me think they probably used fake tips to get the ball rolling, especially when it comes to 1000-Baht garlands.

Like if Day 1, models A and B get a garland, then Day 2, models C and D would get it, and so forth. Sometimes, model A gets 2 garlands on Day 1, or he gets another on Day 2. So my guess is that: the first one on Day 1 was staged by the bar. Any extra one on the same day or those on other days were actually from customers. 
What I saw this time seems to confirm my theory: very early in the parade one model got a garland (can't remember it was Nut or Smarch), presented by a Mamasan, who pointed vaguely at someone (could be anyone) in the audience. The same Mamasan then walked around the house, waving a bunch of garlands but there were no takers. So no one else got that 1000B tip, and throughout the show, only two or three models got tipped 100B with a nip of whisky.
Finally, to answer @AlexThompson's question about Bangkok pre- vs. post-Covid, I would say cheaper accommodation, fewer tourists, more discounts at brand name shops, much less traffic at least at night (very easy to cross Suwarong road in the evening these days), more willing boys on apps (I met a few university graduates who haven't been able to find a job and who said they never thought they would sell themselves on app before Covid) - which I like. On the other hand, fewer gay bars, fewer options for traveling to Pattaya, and fewer street food stalls - which I don't like.
One thing I certainly have problems with is the increasing number of straight MBs, who appear to use "being man" as an excuse for doing next to nothing in bed. I understand if they are unwilling about being f*ck, but no sucking and no kissing? in this kind of profession and for that kind of money? Some don't even perform the top role because they say they can't get hard for another man. Basically those would just lie there, being serviced and then getting paid handomely for "being a man"!
Before Covid, I had heard about and also met many willing straight boys from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, who could do everything. Vietnamese boys were notorious exceptions. Now, it doesn't seem the case anymore, at least in those Bangkok and Pattaya go-go and host bars I visited. It looks like those straight boys, regardless of nationality, just copied each other by asking for more while doing less.  
Speaking of which, most Viet boys working in gay bars in Bangkok are straight and came from rural areas in central Vietnam (read: conservative and narrow-minded). So even when they are "reduced to" selling sex to men to earn a living, they still want to keep the illusion of "being a man with dignity and all" (I'm talking about this from the perspective of a Vietnamese).
There is also peer pressure. Since they all got into this line of work through friends and acquaintances, they kinda know each other, forming a fairly close-knitted community with well-kept secrets (of course nobody in the village back home know what they are actually doing in Thailand). And in that small community, no one wants others to know that he can be anally f*cked by men.
I've seen this in Vietnam too, many times. Some boys let me top them for more money, but made me promise I don't tell their MB peers about that.
So if you really like a cute but unwilling boy, just try to get him into bed first. Then with patience, temptation of extra tip and the psychological power of situation, we and he himself would never know what he's capable of doing. Like that time a boy moved to French kiss me when he was about to cum, his first man-to-man kiss ever, as he later admitted, blushingly , and that he didn't think it could be so hot.
Outside go-go bars, there are now quite a few Viet boys who work freelance on the app in Bangkok. They are mostly gay, from the south (read: more open- and business-minded), taking good care of their appearance, willing to do many things in bed sometimes for less (they still earn more than what they normally make at home though). I frequently ran into some of those southern boys in Silom road (their favorite spot is the the bus stop located between Patpong 1 and Silom Soi 6), who openly solicited in the street with "massage offers".
Several Viet go-go boys when they learned that I'm from the north mentioned a boy from Hanoi who worked in Jupiter before Covid. That was the one who could do everything in bed, they told me. He went to gym, even got a facelift, and became very popular. After just a few years working in Bangkok, he already saved enough to buy a house back home. That's no small feat considering a small house in Hanoi could easily set you back more than a hundred thousand US dollars.
So "Why don't you guys try to be like him?" I asked those boys, who were good-looking but admitted they have been able to save little or not at all from their work. Try to be more accommodating and get more customers, make a decent sum and then get the hell out of this line of work, go home open your own business and settle down (the last parts remain a life-long dream for many rural guys in Vietnam).
But it looks like my advice always fell on deaf ears. Like that very cute Viet twink used to work in Lucky Boys I mentioned in a previous post. He got called from the stage by three different groups of customer, both Asians and farangs, in the span of a couple of hours I was there (and it wasn't even a busy night) but still no offs because later he told me, they all wanted him to bottom for them. He could have lost probably at least 300 potential customers per year (not to mention possible repeats) which translates into no less than 600K. Still, he couldn't care less about my math.
While I was typing this part in the airport, Boy No 26 messaged me saying he just arrived in Bangkok. Are we star-crossed lovers or something? I jokingly asked if he's willing to do it in the airport. He replied with "555", so I said goodbye, hoping we'll have a chance to meet next time. Also told him if I ever see his boyfriend in Dream Boy, I'll tell the boyfriend he picked No 24 the last time. And with that little warning, I left Bangkok.
(to be continued)  

Anyone planning to fly from Heathrow over the summer should be aware that in addition to the cancellation of flights by carriers, Heathrow has informed airlines that it will fly a maximum of 100,000 passengers per day until Spetember 11. It has also advised airlines to stop selling seats for the peak season. This is in addition to the thousands of flights already withdrawn from the schedules. In summer 2019 Heathrow was handling around 125,000 passngers daily.
One of those hardest hit will be Emirates even though it owns its own ground-handling and catering services. It flies 6 daily A380s from Heathrow to Dubai and is therefore able to get many more passengers out of the airport that those operating much smaller aircraft. That airline has slammed Heathrow for its inabiility to gear up as some of the airlilnes have done. Ridicuously it was given just 36 hours to comply wth capacity restrictions.
When I go back to the UK, thankfully I elect to use smaller airports far from London.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jul/14/heathrow-emirates-airmageddon-summer-flights-disruption

This all sounds familiar  You picked a boy who appeared to be your type and who was obviously into you, then you felt almost nothing in bed despite his efforts. It was nobody's fault, just a total lack of chemistry. The last time this happened to me was just a couple of weeks ago, with a Lao boy from Pikky bar, Pattaya. I still tipped him more though because he had tried so hard to pleasure me and I just couldn't feel it. 

I know. It's just that nowadays if I want someone who can bottom in a bar, mamasans automatically search for gay boys.
Usually, I don't waste my time on unwilling cases either. Unless the boy was so cute, to the point that I was willing to pay just to see him naked  I guess, my tip may not make sense to some people in the same way stories of other members here chasing after non-MB straight guys (which is IMHO even more hopeless) do to me. They probably get some thrills out of the process, regardless of the result, but I just don't get it.
We find boy A in bar X very cute and offable. Then we move to bar Y and see that boy B is also desirable. We go back and forth in our head, thinking boy A appears a bit better, so we return to bar X only to find that he's taken. Then we hurry back to bar Y... You probably know where I'm heading with this right

My pre-Covid recollection is that Best Massage had twinky guys, while Arena definitely does not.  Silom Plaza does have an escalator (which may or may not work) plus elevators toward the back so access to Arena should not be a problem.  Totally agree with sydneyboy1 about the old Hero but that was then & this is now!

A week ago I went to Superrich to change currency and took a walk through the mall where Arena (third level) is located. On the first level there's a shop called Best Massage which has been there for years. There were a few twinks sitting outside.

(part 10)
As mentioned in part 9, a Thai boy who's working in X-boy asked me to take him to another bar to watch a show (X-boy itself has no longer offered any shows post-Covid). Since I like the boy and wanted to do something nice for him on my last day in Pattaya, I told him to go to Jomtien complex that night at 9pm and we would go watching a show together. I'd buy him drinks, pay his bar fine of 500, and also a short time fee of 1500. 
Then around 8pm, he messaged me with a reschedule request, saying something about having "other business". Looks like the dramatic "I was born to never watch a show" (his words via some awkward Google translation) wasn't that important. His last-minute cancellation means I scrambled to find a replacement. 
Then the next night, when I was in Bangkok already, he messaged me again, whining that he had no customer at all that night, not even a boy drink so he's broke. Turns out, on previous night, a customer to the bar bought him a drink so he cancelled me in hope of getting another off then going with me the next day. Too bad the customer didn't off him eventually and I wasn't available the day after either - a typical case of he who tries to have it all ends up with nothing.
On my way back to Bangkok, the first thing I do was to contact Boy No 26 from Dream Boy (mentioned in part 8 ) for a repeat. Guess what, he was on his way to Pattaya. It was his birthday so his boyfriend took him to Pattaya to celebrate. Wait, his boyfriend???
Turns out the one I thought was his ex back in Chiang Mai is still with him.
"So your boyfriend doesn't mind that you are working in Dream Boy?"
"No, he's also working at the same bar."
"His number was 24 right?" I jumped to a conclusion, remembering very well he picked boy No 24 when I asked him to choose a boy from the rotation.
"No, No 99."
"Aha! Then why you picked No 24 last time?"
"Because my boyfriend didn't come to work that night."    
"So if I off both you and your boyfriend at the same time, would you mind?" I asked, again just testing how far they would go (he already showed me pictures of his boyfriend, not my type at all). His answer actually surprised me a little.
"I don't like three people, but it's okay if the third person is my boyfriend" Well, well, well, it looks like if that night I actually offed No 24, No 26 wouldn't go with it. Also that's how you sell your boyfriend as an add-on
Apart from Boy No 26 going where I just left, another unfortunate coincidence was that the Tiny Lao (mentioned in part 7) has gone home for about a month to be with his family and also renew his passport. The Hotmale downstairs didn't feel the same without him. I kinda miss his warm hug and gentle touch.
This time in Bangkok, I finally paid a visit to Moonlight, the only go-go bar I haven't tried so far on this month-long trip. There were about 10 floor guys, most of whom are neither here nor there (not twink but not hunk either). I just read Numazu's latest report and am very curious about his MonBoy (the same way I'm about Vinapu's K - the nice single dad in Tawan), but can't recall anyone that impressive the night I visited.
Then the pre-show model parade. At least three of them, Tum, Babe and Korn (and probably Smarch also) looked like they had their nose redone. 
Babe looked tired with under-eye circles clearly visible despite heavy makeup. His smiles were still very sweet though.
Tum and York appeared to be following in Nicky's footsteps with flabbier arms and fat rippling around the belly area. I guess they are pushing 40 and at that age, working out alone would not suffice anymore. You need to watch what you eat and drink, and also the quality of your sleep, to minimize fat deposit.
Korn was the only model who showed any form of 6 packs that night. Personally, I found the guys in Jupiter more "model-like" than those in Moonlight. Well-toned, flat stomach, lean but ripped body, nice height/size ratio.

And for perspective, below is Jupiter's poster boy, who is over 30 but still can keep that Ms. Universe-like waistline to go with his well-developed chest and arms. (in real life, his waist looks even smaller and arms more muscular)

There wasn't much going on in the tip department although the house was half-packed with mostly Asian customers.
Before, it often looked like someone got tipped every few minutes or so in that bar, which made me think they probably used fake tips to get the ball rolling, especially when it comes to 1000-Baht garlands.

Like if Day 1, models A and B get a garland, then Day 2, models C and D would get it, and so forth. Sometimes, model A gets 2 garlands on Day 1, or he gets another on Day 2. So my guess is that: the first one on Day 1 was staged by the bar. Any extra one on the same day or those on other days were actually from customers. 
What I saw this time seems to confirm my theory: very early in the parade one model got a garland (can't remember it was Nut or Smarch), presented by a Mamasan, who pointed vaguely at someone (could be anyone) in the audience. The same Mamasan then walked around the house, waving a bunch of garlands but there were no takers. So no one else got that 1000B tip, and throughout the show, only two or three models got tipped 100B with a nip of whisky.
Finally, to answer @AlexThompson's question about Bangkok pre- vs. post-Covid, I would say cheaper accommodation, fewer tourists, more discounts at brand name shops, much less traffic at least at night (very easy to cross Suwarong road in the evening these days), more willing boys on apps (I met a few university graduates who haven't been able to find a job and who said they never thought they would sell themselves on app before Covid) - which I like. On the other hand, fewer gay bars, fewer options for traveling to Pattaya, and fewer street food stalls - which I don't like.
One thing I certainly have problems with is the increasing number of straight MBs, who appear to use "being man" as an excuse for doing next to nothing in bed. I understand if they are unwilling about being f*ck, but no sucking and no kissing? in this kind of profession and for that kind of money? Some don't even perform the top role because they say they can't get hard for another man. Basically those would just lie there, being serviced and then getting paid handomely for "being a man"!
Before Covid, I had heard about and also met many willing straight boys from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, who could do everything. Vietnamese boys were notorious exceptions. Now, it doesn't seem the case anymore, at least in those Bangkok and Pattaya go-go and host bars I visited. It looks like those straight boys, regardless of nationality, just copied each other by asking for more while doing less.  
Speaking of which, most Viet boys working in gay bars in Bangkok are straight and came from rural areas in central Vietnam (read: conservative and narrow-minded). So even when they are "reduced to" selling sex to men to earn a living, they still want to keep the illusion of "being a man with dignity and all" (I'm talking about this from the perspective of a Vietnamese).
There is also peer pressure. Since they all got into this line of work through friends and acquaintances, they kinda know each other, forming a fairly close-knitted community with well-kept secrets (of course nobody in the village back home know what they are actually doing in Thailand). And in that small community, no one wants others to know that he can be anally f*cked by men.
I've seen this in Vietnam too, many times. Some boys let me top them for more money, but made me promise I don't tell their MB peers about that.
So if you really like a cute but unwilling boy, just try to get him into bed first. Then with patience, temptation of extra tip and the psychological power of situation, we and he himself would never know what he's capable of doing. Like that time a boy moved to French kiss me when he was about to cum, his first man-to-man kiss ever, as he later admitted, blushingly , and that he didn't think it could be so hot.
Outside go-go bars, there are now quite a few Viet boys who work freelance on the app in Bangkok. They are mostly gay, from the south (read: more open- and business-minded), taking good care of their appearance, willing to do many things in bed sometimes for less (they still earn more than what they normally make at home though). I frequently ran into some of those southern boys in Silom road (their favorite spot is the the bus stop located between Patpong 1 and Silom Soi 6), who openly solicited in the street with "massage offers".
Several Viet go-go boys when they learned that I'm from the north mentioned a boy from Hanoi who worked in Jupiter before Covid. That was the one who could do everything in bed, they told me. He went to gym, even got a facelift, and became very popular. After just a few years working in Bangkok, he already saved enough to buy a house back home. That's no small feat considering a small house in Hanoi could easily set you back more than a hundred thousand US dollars.
So "Why don't you guys try to be like him?" I asked those boys, who were good-looking but admitted they have been able to save little or not at all from their work. Try to be more accommodating and get more customers, make a decent sum and then get the hell out of this line of work, go home open your own business and settle down (the last parts remain a life-long dream for many rural guys in Vietnam).
But it looks like my advice always fell on deaf ears. Like that very cute Viet twink used to work in Lucky Boys I mentioned in a previous post. He got called from the stage by three different groups of customer, both Asians and farangs, in the span of a couple of hours I was there (and it wasn't even a busy night) but still no offs because later he told me, they all wanted him to bottom for them. He could have lost probably at least 300 potential customers per year (not to mention possible repeats) which translates into no less than 600K. Still, he couldn't care less about my math.
While I was typing this part in the airport, Boy No 26 messaged me saying he just arrived in Bangkok. Are we star-crossed lovers or something? I jokingly asked if he's willing to do it in the airport. He replied with "555", so I said goodbye, hoping we'll have a chance to meet next time. Also told him if I ever see his boyfriend in Dream Boy, I'll tell the boyfriend he picked No 24 the last time. And with that little warning, I left Bangkok.
(to be continued)  

This all sounds familiar  You picked a boy who appeared to be your type and who was obviously into you, then you felt almost nothing in bed despite his efforts. It was nobody's fault, just a total lack of chemistry. The last time this happened to me was just a couple of weeks ago, with a Lao boy from Pikky bar, Pattaya. I still tipped him more though because he had tried so hard to pleasure me and I just couldn't feel it. 

@MinDefinitely not in Arena. At Sabaidee, there were 6 guys and none of them met that description. However, if you book through Line, I think they have some guys they can call in. 

From a couple of weeks ago, I think the maximum amount of guys I ever saw there in early and mid afternoon was 7. 
I ended up liking the technique of one guy and chose him 3/4 times that I went. On the other occasion, I chose a guy who had a handsome face and wonderful technique, but he was only willing to do the bare minimum for extras, so I wouldn't choose him again.
Best is to not be too shy (which I am) and ask Art, the manager, about what each guy is willing to do etc so that you get the level of service you want. I wouldn't have had my "bad" experience if I had asked Art (but it wasn't a total waste as the guy's technique was great. He should just be working in a more 'legitimate' massage place.) 
The place as a whole is showing its age. Good thing is that the rooms have showers inside. It's all bare bones, but I actually like that. 
One other thing to mention is that if you're looking for bigger muscular guys, this isn't really what Arena is anymore. 
Let me know if you have more specific questions. 
 

I know. It's just that nowadays if I want someone who can bottom in a bar, mamasans automatically search for gay boys.
Usually, I don't waste my time on unwilling cases either. Unless the boy was so cute, to the point that I was willing to pay just to see him naked  I guess, my tip may not make sense to some people in the same way stories of other members here chasing after non-MB straight guys (which is IMHO even more hopeless) do to me. They probably get some thrills out of the process, regardless of the result, but I just don't get it.
We find boy A in bar X very cute and offable. Then we move to bar Y and see that boy B is also desirable. We go back and forth in our head, thinking boy A appears a bit better, so we return to bar X only to find that he's taken. Then we hurry back to bar Y... You probably know where I'm heading with this right

Wow sounds exactly like my experience right down to me tipping him more because he tried so hard!

This all sounds familiar  You picked a boy who appeared to be your type and who was obviously into you, then you felt almost nothing in bed despite his efforts. It was nobody's fault, just a total lack of chemistry. The last time this happened to me was just a couple of weeks ago, with a Lao boy from Pikky bar, Pattaya. I still tipped him more though because he had tried so hard to pleasure me and I just couldn't feel it. 

Straight guys who refuse to do anything in bed because "I am man" are not uncommon.
Often, for example, they will only suck with a condom. Others will only let you jerk them off but will not touch you at all. That's why it's so important to clearly state what you expect before you off him.
I've always thought that guys on the game who want to make big money quickly need to be able to bottom, even if they don't really like it. That way they double their chances of getting offed. It's a oi-brainer.
Similarly,  I learnt how to bottom so that now I have doubled the number of guys I can have fun with. Top or bottom, it no longer matters. If he's attractive, I'll take him!
And when I go for a massage we'll top each other. Twice the fun!

I agree with you here. I'm the kind of person that is adaptable and flexible to the situation presented to me, however when they don't even touch you it gets old pretty quick. I respect their boundaries though and would never force anything they are not comfortable with, so for me I think I probably need to be a little more pickier in my selection so that all parties are satisfied.
Yes! Being versatile definitely opens more options.

(part 10)
As mentioned in part 9, a Thai boy who's working in X-boy asked me to take him to another bar to watch a show (X-boy itself has no longer offered any shows post-Covid). Since I like the boy and wanted to do something nice for him on my last day in Pattaya, I told him to go to Jomtien complex that night at 9pm and we would go watching a show together. I'd buy him drinks, pay his bar fine of 500, and also a short time fee of 1500. 
Then around 8pm, he messaged me with a reschedule request, saying something about having "other business". Looks like the dramatic "I was born to never watch a show" (his words via some awkward Google translation) wasn't that important. His last-minute cancellation means I scrambled to find a replacement. 
Then the next night, when I was in Bangkok already, he messaged me again, whining that he had no customer at all that night, not even a boy drink so he's broke. Turns out, on previous night, a customer to the bar bought him a drink so he cancelled me in hope of getting another off then going with me the next day. Too bad the customer didn't off him eventually and I wasn't available the day after either - a typical case of he who tries to have it all ends up with nothing.
On my way back to Bangkok, the first thing I do was to contact Boy No 26 from Dream Boy (mentioned in part 8 ) for a repeat. Guess what, he was on his way to Pattaya. It was his birthday so his boyfriend took him to Pattaya to celebrate. Wait, his boyfriend???
Turns out the one I thought was his ex back in Chiang Mai is still with him.
"So your boyfriend doesn't mind that you are working in Dream Boy?"
"No, he's also working at the same bar."
"His number was 24 right?" I jumped to a conclusion, remembering very well he picked boy No 24 when I asked him to choose a boy from the rotation.
"No, No 99."
"Aha! Then why you picked No 24 last time?"
"Because my boyfriend didn't come to work that night."    
"So if I off both you and your boyfriend at the same time, would you mind?" I asked, again just testing how far they would go (he already showed me pictures of his boyfriend, not my type at all). His answer actually surprised me a little.
"I don't like three people, but it's okay if the third person is my boyfriend" Well, well, well, it looks like if that night I actually offed No 24, No 26 wouldn't go with it. Also that's how you sell your boyfriend as an add-on
Apart from Boy No 26 going where I just left, another unfortunate coincidence was that the Tiny Lao (mentioned in part 7) has gone home for about a month to be with his family and also renew his passport. The Hotmale downstairs didn't feel the same without him. I kinda miss his warm hug and gentle touch.
This time in Bangkok, I finally paid a visit to Moonlight, the only go-go bar I haven't tried so far on this month-long trip. There were about 10 floor guys, most of whom are neither here nor there (not twink but not hunk either). I just read Numazu's latest report and am very curious about his MonBoy (the same way I'm about Vinapu's K - the nice single dad in Tawan), but can't recall anyone that impressive the night I visited.
Then the pre-show model parade. At least three of them, Tum, Babe and Korn (and probably Smarch also) looked like they had their nose redone. 
Babe looked tired with under-eye circles clearly visible despite heavy makeup. His smiles were still very sweet though.
Tum and York appeared to be following in Nicky's footsteps with flabbier arms and fat rippling around the belly area. I guess they are pushing 40 and at that age, working out alone would not suffice anymore. You need to watch what you eat and drink, and also the quality of your sleep, to minimize fat deposit.
Korn was the only model who showed any form of 6 packs that night. Personally, I found the guys in Jupiter more "model-like" than those in Moonlight. Well-toned, flat stomach, lean but ripped body, nice height/size ratio.

And for perspective, below is Jupiter's poster boy, who is over 30 but still can keep that Ms. Universe-like waistline to go with his well-developed chest and arms. (in real life, his waist looks even smaller and arms more muscular)

There wasn't much going on in the tip department although the house was half-packed with mostly Asian customers.
Before, it often looked like someone got tipped every few minutes or so in that bar, which made me think they probably used fake tips to get the ball rolling, especially when it comes to 1000-Baht garlands.

Like if Day 1, models A and B get a garland, then Day 2, models C and D would get it, and so forth. Sometimes, model A gets 2 garlands on Day 1, or he gets another on Day 2. So my guess is that: the first one on Day 1 was staged by the bar. Any extra one on the same day or those on other days were actually from customers. 
What I saw this time seems to confirm my theory: very early in the parade one model got a garland (can't remember it was Nut or Smarch), presented by a Mamasan, who pointed vaguely at someone (could be anyone) in the audience. The same Mamasan then walked around the house, waving a bunch of garlands but there were no takers. So no one else got that 1000B tip, and throughout the show, only two or three models got tipped 100B with a nip of whisky.
Finally, to answer @AlexThompson's question about Bangkok pre- vs. post-Covid, I would say cheaper accommodation, fewer tourists, more discounts at brand name shops, much less traffic at least at night (very easy to cross Suwarong road in the evening these days), more willing boys on apps (I met a few university graduates who haven't been able to find a job and who said they never thought they would sell themselves on app before Covid) - which I like. On the other hand, fewer gay bars, fewer options for traveling to Pattaya, and fewer street food stalls - which I don't like.
One thing I certainly have problems with is the increasing number of straight MBs, who appear to use "being man" as an excuse for doing next to nothing in bed. I understand if they are unwilling about being f*ck, but no sucking and no kissing? in this kind of profession and for that kind of money? Some don't even perform the top role because they say they can't get hard for another man. Basically those would just lie there, being serviced and then getting paid handomely for "being a man"!
Before Covid, I had heard about and also met many willing straight boys from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, who could do everything. Vietnamese boys were notorious exceptions. Now, it doesn't seem the case anymore, at least in those Bangkok and Pattaya go-go and host bars I visited. It looks like those straight boys, regardless of nationality, just copied each other by asking for more while doing less.  
Speaking of which, most Viet boys working in gay bars in Bangkok are straight and came from rural areas in central Vietnam (read: conservative and narrow-minded). So even when they are "reduced to" selling sex to men to earn a living, they still want to keep the illusion of "being a man with dignity and all" (I'm talking about this from the perspective of a Vietnamese).
There is also peer pressure. Since they all got into this line of work through friends and acquaintances, they kinda know each other, forming a fairly close-knitted community with well-kept secrets (of course nobody in the village back home know what they are actually doing in Thailand). And in that small community, no one wants others to know that he can be anally f*cked by men.
I've seen this in Vietnam too, many times. Some boys let me top them for more money, but made me promise I don't tell their MB peers about that.
So if you really like a cute but unwilling boy, just try to get him into bed first. Then with patience, temptation of extra tip and the psychological power of situation, we and he himself would never know what he's capable of doing. Like that time a boy moved to French kiss me when he was about to cum, his first man-to-man kiss ever, as he later admitted, blushingly , and that he didn't think it could be so hot.
Outside go-go bars, there are now quite a few Viet boys who work freelance on the app in Bangkok. They are mostly gay, from the south (read: more open- and business-minded), taking good care of their appearance, willing to do many things in bed sometimes for less (they still earn more than what they normally make at home though). I frequently ran into some of those southern boys in Silom road (their favorite spot is the the bus stop located between Patpong 1 and Silom Soi 6), who openly solicited in the street with "massage offers".
Several Viet go-go boys when they learned that I'm from the north mentioned a boy from Hanoi who worked in Jupiter before Covid. That was the one who could do everything in bed, they told me. He went to gym, even got a facelift, and became very popular. After just a few years working in Bangkok, he already saved enough to buy a house back home. That's no small feat considering a small house in Hanoi could easily set you back more than a hundred thousand US dollars.
So "Why don't you guys try to be like him?" I asked those boys, who were good-looking but admitted they have been able to save little or not at all from their work. Try to be more accommodating and get more customers, make a decent sum and then get the hell out of this line of work, go home open your own business and settle down (the last parts remain a life-long dream for many rural guys in Vietnam).
But it looks like my advice always fell on deaf ears. Like that very cute Viet twink used to work in Lucky Boys I mentioned in a previous post. He got called from the stage by three different groups of customer, both Asians and farangs, in the span of a couple of hours I was there (and it wasn't even a busy night) but still no offs because later he told me, they all wanted him to bottom for them. He could have lost probably at least 300 potential customers per year (not to mention possible repeats) which translates into no less than 600K. Still, he couldn't care less about my math.
While I was typing this part in the airport, Boy No 26 messaged me saying he just arrived in Bangkok. Are we star-crossed lovers or something? I jokingly asked if he's willing to do it in the airport. He replied with "555", so I said goodbye, hoping we'll have a chance to meet next time. Also told him if I ever see his boyfriend in Dream Boy, I'll tell the boyfriend he picked No 24 the last time. And with that little warning, I left Bangkok.
(to be continued)  

(part 10)
As mentioned in part 9, a Thai boy who's working in X-boy asked me to take him to another bar to watch a show (X-boy itself has no longer offered any shows post-Covid). Since I like the boy and wanted to do something nice for him on my last day in Pattaya, I told him to go to Jomtien complex that night at 9pm and we would go watching a show together. I'd buy him drinks, pay his bar fine of 500, and also a short time fee of 1500. 
Then around 8pm, he messaged me with a reschedule request, saying something about having "other business". Looks like the dramatic "I was born to never watch a show" (his words via some awkward Google translation) wasn't that important. His last-minute cancellation means I scrambled to find a replacement. 
Then the next night, when I was in Bangkok already, he messaged me again, whining that he had no customer at all that night, not even a boy drink so he's broke. Turns out, on previous night, a customer to the bar bought him a drink so he cancelled me in hope of getting another off then going with me the next day. Too bad the customer didn't off him eventually and I wasn't available the day after either - a typical case of he who tries to have it all ends up with nothing.
On my way back to Bangkok, the first thing I do was to contact Boy No 26 from Dream Boy (mentioned in part 8 ) for a repeat. Guess what, he was on his way to Pattaya. It was his birthday so his boyfriend took him to Pattaya to celebrate. Wait, his boyfriend???
Turns out the one I thought was his ex back in Chiang Mai is still with him.
"So your boyfriend doesn't mind that you are working in Dream Boy?"
"No, he's also working at the same bar."
"His number was 24 right?" I jumped to a conclusion, remembering very well he picked boy No 24 when I asked him to choose a boy from the rotation.
"No, No 99."
"Aha! Then why you picked No 24 last time?"
"Because my boyfriend didn't come to work that night."    
"So if I off both you and your boyfriend at the same time, would you mind?" I asked, again just testing how far they would go (he already showed me pictures of his boyfriend, not my type at all). His answer actually surprised me a little.
"I don't like three people, but it's okay if the third person is my boyfriend" Well, well, well, it looks like if that night I actually offed No 24, No 26 wouldn't go with it. Also that's how you sell your boyfriend as an add-on
Apart from Boy No 26 going where I just left, another unfortunate coincidence was that the Tiny Lao (mentioned in part 7) has gone home for about a month to be with his family and also renew his passport. The Hotmale downstairs didn't feel the same without him. I kinda miss his warm hug and gentle touch.
This time in Bangkok, I finally paid a visit to Moonlight, the only go-go bar I haven't tried so far on this month-long trip. There were about 10 floor guys, most of whom are neither here nor there (not twink but not hunk either). I just read Numazu's latest report and am very curious about his MonBoy (the same way I'm about Vinapu's K - the nice single dad in Tawan), but can't recall anyone that impressive the night I visited.
Then the pre-show model parade. At least three of them, Tum, Babe and Korn (and probably Smarch also) looked like they had their nose redone. 
Babe looked tired with under-eye circles clearly visible despite heavy makeup. His smiles were still very sweet though.
Tum and York appeared to be following in Nicky's footsteps with flabbier arms and fat rippling around the belly area. I guess they are pushing 40 and at that age, working out alone would not suffice anymore. You need to watch what you eat and drink, and also the quality of your sleep, to minimize fat deposit.
Korn was the only model who showed any form of 6 packs that night. Personally, I found the guys in Jupiter more "model-like" than those in Moonlight. Well-toned, flat stomach, lean but ripped body, nice height/size ratio.

And for perspective, below is Jupiter's poster boy, who is over 30 but still can keep that Ms. Universe-like waistline to go with his well-developed chest and arms. (in real life, his waist looks even smaller and arms more muscular)

There wasn't much going on in the tip department although the house was half-packed with mostly Asian customers.
Before, it often looked like someone got tipped every few minutes or so in that bar, which made me think they probably used fake tips to get the ball rolling, especially when it comes to 1000-Baht garlands.

Like if Day 1, models A and B get a garland, then Day 2, models C and D would get it, and so forth. Sometimes, model A gets 2 garlands on Day 1, or he gets another on Day 2. So my guess is that: the first one on Day 1 was staged by the bar. Any extra one on the same day or those on other days were actually from customers. 
What I saw this time seems to confirm my theory: very early in the parade one model got a garland (can't remember it was Nut or Smarch), presented by a Mamasan, who pointed vaguely at someone (could be anyone) in the audience. The same Mamasan then walked around the house, waving a bunch of garlands but there were no takers. So no one else got that 1000B tip, and throughout the show, only two or three models got tipped 100B with a nip of whisky.
Finally, to answer @AlexThompson's question about Bangkok pre- vs. post-Covid, I would say cheaper accommodation, fewer tourists, more discounts at brand name shops, much less traffic at least at night (very easy to cross Suwarong road in the evening these days), more willing boys on apps (I met a few university graduates who haven't been able to find a job and who said they never thought they would sell themselves on app before Covid) - which I like. On the other hand, fewer gay bars, fewer options for traveling to Pattaya, and fewer street food stalls - which I don't like.
One thing I certainly have problems with is the increasing number of straight MBs, who appear to use "being man" as an excuse for doing next to nothing in bed. I understand if they are unwilling about being f*ck, but no sucking and no kissing? in this kind of profession and for that kind of money? Some don't even perform the top role because they say they can't get hard for another man. Basically those would just lie there, being serviced and then getting paid handomely for "being a man"!
Before Covid, I had heard about and also met many willing straight boys from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, who could do everything. Vietnamese boys were notorious exceptions. Now, it doesn't seem the case anymore, at least in those Bangkok and Pattaya go-go and host bars I visited. It looks like those straight boys, regardless of nationality, just copied each other by asking for more while doing less.  
Speaking of which, most Viet boys working in gay bars in Bangkok are straight and came from rural areas in central Vietnam (read: conservative and narrow-minded). So even when they are "reduced to" selling sex to men to earn a living, they still want to keep the illusion of "being a man with dignity and all" (I'm talking about this from the perspective of a Vietnamese).
There is also peer pressure. Since they all got into this line of work through friends and acquaintances, they kinda know each other, forming a fairly close-knitted community with well-kept secrets (of course nobody in the village back home know what they are actually doing in Thailand). And in that small community, no one wants others to know that he can be anally f*cked by men.
I've seen this in Vietnam too, many times. Some boys let me top them for more money, but made me promise I don't tell their MB peers about that.
So if you really like a cute but unwilling boy, just try to get him into bed first. Then with patience, temptation of extra tip and the psychological power of situation, we and he himself would never know what he's capable of doing. Like that time a boy moved to French kiss me when he was about to cum, his first man-to-man kiss ever, as he later admitted, blushingly , and that he didn't think it could be so hot.
Outside go-go bars, there are now quite a few Viet boys who work freelance on the app in Bangkok. They are mostly gay, from the south (read: more open- and business-minded), taking good care of their appearance, willing to do many things in bed sometimes for less (they still earn more than what they normally make at home though). I frequently ran into some of those southern boys in Silom road (their favorite spot is the the bus stop located between Patpong 1 and Silom Soi 6), who openly solicited in the street with "massage offers".
Several Viet go-go boys when they learned that I'm from the north mentioned a boy from Hanoi who worked in Jupiter before Covid. That was the one who could do everything in bed, they told me. He went to gym, even got a facelift, and became very popular. After just a few years working in Bangkok, he already saved enough to buy a house back home. That's no small feat considering a small house in Hanoi could easily set you back more than a hundred thousand US dollars.
So "Why don't you guys try to be like him?" I asked those boys, who were good-looking but admitted they have been able to save little or not at all from their work. Try to be more accommodating and get more customers, make a decent sum and then get the hell out of this line of work, go home open your own business and settle down (the last parts remain a life-long dream for many rural guys in Vietnam).
But it looks like my advice always fell on deaf ears. Like that very cute Viet twink used to work in Lucky Boys I mentioned in a previous post. He got called from the stage by three different groups of customer, both Asians and farangs, in the span of a couple of hours I was there (and it wasn't even a busy night) but still no offs because later he told me, they all wanted him to bottom for them. He could have lost probably at least 300 potential customers per year (not to mention possible repeats) which translates into no less than 600K. Still, he couldn't care less about my math.
While I was typing this part in the airport, Boy No 26 messaged me saying he just arrived in Bangkok. Are we star-crossed lovers or something? I jokingly asked if he's willing to do it in the airport. He replied with "555", so I said goodbye, hoping we'll have a chance to meet next time. Also told him if I ever see his boyfriend in Dream Boy, I'll tell the boyfriend he picked No 24 the last time. And with that little warning, I left Bangkok.
(to be continued)  

8h30 should be a good time for Winner Boy (not too early, not too late).

Since the bars are closed tonight (I did not factor the public holiday into my planning!), I thought I would have a night off and give a little bit of an update. I'm coming towards the end of my Thailand trip and it has been really great to be back here after a 2.5 year absence. My last update was made in the Phuket airport waiting for the flight back to Bangkok which was pretty non-eventful and upon arrival, I caught the arl/bts to Sala Daeng and walked with my suitcase back to Tarntawan whilst it was lightly raining. The room type I chose for this leg of the trip was the 'executive' and even though it is smaller than the corner suite I stayed in previously, I think I like this one better as it has a full length floor to ceiling window and a view which gives it a brighter feel (the corner suite felt a little dark and there was not much of a view).
Dreamboys: Unexpectedly, and despite my plans for butterflying around, I have a regular boy here now - I'll call him DB (for lack of a better nickname) for short. As mentioned previously, he was my best off of my last trip to Thailand (2019) and we ended up reconnecting when I arrived here a couple of weeks ago. I didn't tell him I was coming, I just showed up and surprise! Anyway, I have offed him 4 times so far and every time it has been a really hot experience. There is definitely some sexual chemistry there, he kisses really well, is passionate, is always smiling and cheeky, has a beautiful body and an attractive face. And little things like he is not afraid to kiss me straight after he has just cum in my mouth. We are quite similar in age so it feels like he could just be a friend. I could easily fall for him, but I'm not the type to get attached so easily. It's just really nice when you are familiar with someone. It's these kinds of connections that I'm looking to make, and bear in mind that I haven't been doing these Thailand trips for that long so I still have plenty more time and plenty more trips to look forward to. I do like the boys at dreamboys - there is a wide variety and probably someone for everyone, but oh my lord, it is so loud!!!
Freshboys: I decided to give this place another go after my last encounter with a straight boy, and inspired by @Min I asked the mamasan for a list of who is gay and got her to write it down for me. Being gay is not always an indication that they will perform better, but I'm sure that they will likely do more than the straight boys who do nothing. Anyway, some good choices from the list but I decided to go with the boy who had been previously trying really hard to get my attention the last time I went. Effort deserved reward right? Well.. this encounter was different. I wouldn't say that he was the dud, more like I was lol. Anyway, when he sat with me he was very clingy straight from the get go, and he was trying really hard in the bedroom, but I just wasn't really into it. He wasn't unattractive, and he has a really nice body but for some reason I just could not get into it. Kudos for him though as he was able to fuck longer that some of the other guys that I've had. I'll chalk it up to experience. 
Massage: I went to Prime again (gosh I love that place) and opted for a 1 hour Thai/1 hour oil and my goodness the oil massage was getting pretty sensual towards the end and I wondered if this was going to be one of the rare times where a handjob would be given, but alas it was not, but I didn't really mind as the massage quality was quite good. I also had a foot massage at Green (just right in front of Tarntawan). Since I walk past all the time, and the boys out the front see me walk past with a different guy, I thought I would try it out. Decent foot massage, nothing to complain about. And I also tried the star massage (one of the many on soi 6) - I decided to try them as they have quite a strong social media presence. Opted for an oil massage, but the guy at the counter said I could have an aroma oil massage for a discount, and I didn't ask to choose the masseur as the one that was assigned to me was pretty hunky. The massage itself was fine, a 'special' was offered (handjob) which I accepted, and it was just okay. There is a fine art to a sensual massage and there have been few that have been able to achieve - the subtle touches, the "accidental" grazes etc - all of those things are really important to segue seamlessly into the afters. I want to really be gagging for it! I often walk down soi 6 and there are quite a few massage shops there which are probably worth exploring.
Other things: I haven't been doing a lot of the things which I had planned as I seem to always be tired - whilst the time difference between here and my country is only an hour, I am usually in bed by 9pm and awake by 5am, but here when I'm going to bars at around 10pm, and not going to sleep until 2am or so, but my body still wants to wake up at around 5 or 6am, there are going to be problems! I also developed this cough which has mostly gone now, and earlier in the trip I found some red dots that appeared on my leg which I thought may have been monkey pox so I went to the hospital - turns out they were (I think) burst blood vessels and the doctor gave me some tablets and topical medicine (which I didn't end up taking, but the dots went away on their own). I've been doing a lot of walking though, went to some of the shopping malls (central world, Siam paragon etc), and have been eating a wide assortment of food - stuff from 7/11, local Thai food from grab, and sit down restaurants in shopping centres. I even tried out a vegan restaurant which was nice. There have also been numerous times where I am spoken to in Thai, which amuses me, so perhaps I had better learn a little of the language so I am able to answer back in Thai rather than just looking confused before they realise I'm not actually Thai.
I have 2 more days here before I go back to my reality, and definitely will look forward to my next trip now that international travel is more accessible - hopefully the end of the year. 

(part 10)
As mentioned in part 9, a Thai boy who's working in X-boy asked me to take him to another bar to watch a show (X-boy itself has no longer offered any shows post-Covid). Since I like the boy and wanted to do something nice for him on my last day in Pattaya, I told him to go to Jomtien complex that night at 9pm and we would go watching a show together. I'd buy him drinks, pay his bar fine of 500, and also a short time fee of 1500. 
Then around 8pm, he messaged me with a reschedule request, saying something about having "other business". Looks like the dramatic "I was born to never watch a show" (his words via some awkward Google translation) wasn't that important. His last-minute cancellation means I scrambled to find a replacement. 
Then the next night, when I was in Bangkok already, he messaged me again, whining that he had no customer at all that night, not even a boy drink so he's broke. Turns out, on previous night, a customer to the bar bought him a drink so he cancelled me in hope of getting another off then going with me the next day. Too bad the customer didn't off him eventually and I wasn't available the day after either - a typical case of he who tries to have it all ends up with nothing.
On my way back to Bangkok, the first thing I do was to contact Boy No 26 from Dream Boy (mentioned in part 8 ) for a repeat. Guess what, he was on his way to Pattaya. It was his birthday so his boyfriend took him to Pattaya to celebrate. Wait, his boyfriend???
Turns out the one I thought was his ex back in Chiang Mai is still with him.
"So your boyfriend doesn't mind that you are working in Dream Boy?"
"No, he's also working at the same bar."
"His number was 24 right?" I jumped to a conclusion, remembering very well he picked boy No 24 when I asked him to choose a boy from the rotation.
"No, No 99."
"Aha! Then why you picked No 24 last time?"
"Because my boyfriend didn't come to work that night."    
"So if I off both you and your boyfriend at the same time, would you mind?" I asked, again just testing how far they would go (he already showed me pictures of his boyfriend, not my type at all). His answer actually surprised me a little.
"I don't like three people, but it's okay if the third person is my boyfriend" Well, well, well, it looks like if that night I actually offed No 24, No 26 wouldn't go with it. Also that's how you sell your boyfriend as an add-on
Apart from Boy No 26 going where I just left, another unfortunate coincidence was that the Tiny Lao (mentioned in part 7) has gone home for about a month to be with his family and also renew his passport. The Hotmale downstairs didn't feel the same without him. I kinda miss his warm hug and gentle touch.
This time in Bangkok, I finally paid a visit to Moonlight, the only go-go bar I haven't tried so far on this month-long trip. There were about 10 floor guys, most of whom are neither here nor there (not twink but not hunk either). I just read Numazu's latest report and am very curious about his MonBoy (the same way I'm about Vinapu's K - the nice single dad in Tawan), but can't recall anyone that impressive the night I visited.
Then the pre-show model parade. At least three of them, Tum, Babe and Korn (and probably Smarch also) looked like they had their nose redone. 
Babe looked tired with under-eye circles clearly visible despite heavy makeup. His smiles were still very sweet though.
Tum and York appeared to be following in Nicky's footsteps with flabbier arms and fat rippling around the belly area. I guess they are pushing 40 and at that age, working out alone would not suffice anymore. You need to watch what you eat and drink, and also the quality of your sleep, to minimize fat deposit.
Korn was the only model who showed any form of 6 packs that night. Personally, I found the guys in Jupiter more "model-like" than those in Moonlight. Well-toned, flat stomach, lean but ripped body, nice height/size ratio.

And for perspective, below is Jupiter's poster boy, who is over 30 but still can keep that Ms. Universe-like waistline to go with his well-developed chest and arms. (in real life, his waist looks even smaller and arms more muscular)

There wasn't much going on in the tip department although the house was half-packed with mostly Asian customers.
Before, it often looked like someone got tipped every few minutes or so in that bar, which made me think they probably used fake tips to get the ball rolling, especially when it comes to 1000-Baht garlands.

Like if Day 1, models A and B get a garland, then Day 2, models C and D would get it, and so forth. Sometimes, model A gets 2 garlands on Day 1, or he gets another on Day 2. So my guess is that: the first one on Day 1 was staged by the bar. Any extra one on the same day or those on other days were actually from customers. 
What I saw this time seems to confirm my theory: very early in the parade one model got a garland (can't remember it was Nut or Smarch), presented by a Mamasan, who pointed vaguely at someone (could be anyone) in the audience. The same Mamasan then walked around the house, waving a bunch of garlands but there were no takers. So no one else got that 1000B tip, and throughout the show, only two or three models got tipped 100B with a nip of whisky.
Finally, to answer @AlexThompson's question about Bangkok pre- vs. post-Covid, I would say cheaper accommodation, fewer tourists, more discounts at brand name shops, much less traffic at least at night (very easy to cross Suwarong road in the evening these days), more willing boys on apps (I met a few university graduates who haven't been able to find a job and who said they never thought they would sell themselves on app before Covid) - which I like. On the other hand, fewer gay bars, fewer options for traveling to Pattaya, and fewer street food stalls - which I don't like.
One thing I certainly have problems with is the increasing number of straight MBs, who appear to use "being man" as an excuse for doing next to nothing in bed. I understand if they are unwilling about being f*ck, but no sucking and no kissing? in this kind of profession and for that kind of money? Some don't even perform the top role because they say they can't get hard for another man. Basically those would just lie there, being serviced and then getting paid handomely for "being a man"!
Before Covid, I had heard about and also met many willing straight boys from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, who could do everything. Vietnamese boys were notorious exceptions. Now, it doesn't seem the case anymore, at least in those Bangkok and Pattaya go-go and host bars I visited. It looks like those straight boys, regardless of nationality, just copied each other by asking for more while doing less.  
Speaking of which, most Viet boys working in gay bars in Bangkok are straight and came from rural areas in central Vietnam (read: conservative and narrow-minded). So even when they are "reduced to" selling sex to men to earn a living, they still want to keep the illusion of "being a man with dignity and all" (I'm talking about this from the perspective of a Vietnamese).
There is also peer pressure. Since they all got into this line of work through friends and acquaintances, they kinda know each other, forming a fairly close-knitted community with well-kept secrets (of course nobody in the village back home know what they are actually doing in Thailand). And in that small community, no one wants others to know that he can be anally f*cked by men.
I've seen this in Vietnam too, many times. Some boys let me top them for more money, but made me promise I don't tell their MB peers about that.
So if you really like a cute but unwilling boy, just try to get him into bed first. Then with patience, temptation of extra tip and the psychological power of situation, we and he himself would never know what he's capable of doing. Like that time a boy moved to French kiss me when he was about to cum, his first man-to-man kiss ever, as he later admitted, blushingly , and that he didn't think it could be so hot.
Outside go-go bars, there are now quite a few Viet boys who work freelance on the app in Bangkok. They are mostly gay, from the south (read: more open- and business-minded), taking good care of their appearance, willing to do many things in bed sometimes for less (they still earn more than what they normally make at home though). I frequently ran into some of those southern boys in Silom road (their favorite spot is the the bus stop located between Patpong 1 and Silom Soi 6), who openly solicited in the street with "massage offers".
Several Viet go-go boys when they learned that I'm from the north mentioned a boy from Hanoi who worked in Jupiter before Covid. That was the one who could do everything in bed, they told me. He went to gym, even got a facelift, and became very popular. After just a few years working in Bangkok, he already saved enough to buy a house back home. That's no small feat considering a small house in Hanoi could easily set you back more than a hundred thousand US dollars.
So "Why don't you guys try to be like him?" I asked those boys, who were good-looking but admitted they have been able to save little or not at all from their work. Try to be more accommodating and get more customers, make a decent sum and then get the hell out of this line of work, go home open your own business and settle down (the last parts remain a life-long dream for many rural guys in Vietnam).
But it looks like my advice always fell on deaf ears. Like that very cute Viet twink used to work in Lucky Boys I mentioned in a previous post. He got called from the stage by three different groups of customer, both Asians and farangs, in the span of a couple of hours I was there (and it wasn't even a busy night) but still no offs because later he told me, they all wanted him to bottom for them. He could have lost probably at least 300 potential customers per year (not to mention possible repeats) which translates into no less than 600K. Still, he couldn't care less about my math.
While I was typing this part in the airport, Boy No 26 messaged me saying he just arrived in Bangkok. Are we star-crossed lovers or something? I jokingly asked if he's willing to do it in the airport. He replied with "555", so I said goodbye, hoping we'll have a chance to meet next time. Also told him if I ever see his boyfriend in Dream Boy, I'll tell the boyfriend he picked No 24 the last time. And with that little warning, I left Bangkok.
(to be continued)