hojacat

Thanks so much @Londoner. I think is that one. Just saw the cover on Amazon. I've been trying to find for years. It just pops up in my mind from time to time. Amazing that some people in here know the guy and might have even made use of his services at the time. I guess I want to read the book first before asking how he is doing now (if he is still alive).

No, I have heard of Hans Men Sauna but never been to as I have read its crowd consists mostly of bears. The sauna in Kaohsiung is actually called Hi-Man. Here is its website: http://www.hi-man.tw/. It's right by the main station and as you can see from its FB page, it has lots of event night: https://www.facebook.com/himan4tastyboy/ I was told the crowd is mostly young twinks and muscular guys, but that it doesn't get larger than 50-60 guys on their busiest nights and nothing like at Soi 13 in which can get in the hundreds. Well, you are going to be there 17 days. Maybe you just gave yourself a good reason for short get-out from Taipei😉

Even though not directly connected to the video, can any of you helm me find the title of a book regarding the life of a Bangkok or Pattaya money boy? It should be along the lines of : "Confessions/Diary/Life of a Thai/Pattaya/Bangkok money boy". I remember seeing it at a bookstore at Changi's airport while on a long layover during my first or second trip to Thailand, so around 2009-2010. It was written in first person and would tell his story from his childhood, to him discovering being gay to start working as a money boy. I've been googling about it many times and can't seem to find the title.

Thanks for your reply @PeterRS. Yeah, I've heard you have to do a self-test on day 1 and 2 and at the end of 7 if I'm not mistaken but it wasn't clear who do you have to report it to. Also I wonder if the hotels allow guests to you room hotel room during that first week as in theory it should be only "one person/room". Please, let us know how it goes for you. So have you been to the Hi-Man sauna and if so what's your opinion of it?

Price-wise this year, it's a difficult to distinguish between high and low season. Now, it's true that hotels during July-August this year were incredibly cheap, but the cost of flights was the highest that has been in years. For December-January prices are higher then during summer, but they are still closer to what they were during pre-COVID low season. Flights on the other hand are cheaper now that they were during the summer. 2023 might be even more unusual. If China starts relaxing their entry requirements, as some are saying, at the end of the first quarter of 2023, be prepared to pay some of the highest hotel rates during so-called "low-season", as Thailand will definitely will be one of the countries they will head after a three year hiatus.

Thanks for your quick reply @fedssocr. It's funny that I have already Indigo as the hotel to stay in Kaohsiung. I did it mostly because it was one of the few hotels where guests said that the internet was working fine, as I need to do some Zoom calls while traveling. I've had a lot if issues with internet in many hotels and Airbnbs in Taiwan. Glad to hear that you enjoyed the hotel. The reason I'm still undecided about going to Taiwan in January, beside the uncertain entry requirements is also the weather. I was there at the end of January 2020 and some days were really cold and rainy. One of my Taiwanese friends even gave me a scarf cause he thought I was too cold. I think usually the best months to go to Taiwan are October and November. Also they still have a mask requirement and that takes a lot from the fun of exploring the gay saunas. I experienced it this year in Bangkok and in Europe and the States last year. So, I'm thinking I might go to Vietnam from BKK.

So I posted this question in another post, but asking it again in here since this one is getting more visibility. Has any of you guys been back to Taiwan since it reopened on October 13? If so, how was that 7-days period of " self-initiated epidemic prevention"? Did you have to do and show the result of any COVID test? I'm thinking of going to Taiwan in January. If I go I also plan to visit, beside Taipei, also Kaohsiung, as for one reason or another Tainan is the southernmost I have been to in Taiwan. I read good things about Hi-Man sauna in Kaohsiung. Seems like the crowd is mostly young twinks or muscular guys, though the crowd doesn't get as big as at Soi 13 in? Have you guys, @PeterRSor @fedssocrbeen to that one? Any other recommendation about Kaohsiung?

I'll spend Xmas and NYE in Bangkok. Thinking of going to the White party, though I'm not much a party guy. Has any of you been there and recommend it? I might just buy the ticket for one night and if I decide not to go, just make one of my Thai friends happy and give it to him as a holiday gift.

So @PeterRS did you end up going to the pride parade? Did you have to go through any restrictions? As you mention in your post, Taiwan reopened its borders on October 13, but it still requires a 7-day period of what the officials call a " self-initiated epidemic prevention", which includes doing several at-home COVID tests and maintaining a “one person per room” stay during that same period. So, how easy is to navigate through the prevention requirements? Is it possible to have any guests in your room during that initial first week?

Oh yeah, the old Rainbow sauna in Taipei. Brings back good memories. I went there a few times during my first visit to Taiwan in 2011. The facilities were kinda basic and a bit old, but there were lots of young twinks among the crowd. I was in my early 20s so didn't have any problems getting in or finding action once there. I remember people were actually very friendly as I was a bit shy. I was pretty much still a newbie when it came to gay saunas at that time. I had just been to two of them the year before in Seoul. You're absolutely right that the location of Soi 13 in is not that of Rainbow. I was told that the building of Soi 13 in used to be a karaoke bar before, and that explains the layout of the cabins and the cruising area in the lower floor. Also remember that Aniki sauna was all the rage 10 years ago, as the facilities were all brand new and the crowd tended to be younger and more muscular, albeit it was much pricier than Rainbow. I went a few times and it was truly a lot of fun. I think the last time was in 2016. Taiwanese friends told me that in the last few years it had become just a shell of its past self. The facilities were deteriorating fast, the crowd became much smaller but it still continued to have a higher entrance fee that Soi 13in. Read that it closed at the end of 2020. I guess, it means that the crowds at Soi 13 in will be even bigger now. I agree with @PeterRS about the friendliness of Taiwanese guy. Way more than Singaporeans or Hong-kongese imo. Good advice about Commander D (or just CD as local boys call it). I would also recommend another bar called the Hunt, especially on their towel night. You pretty much are given a towel when you get in and that's how you go around the bar. They have a dark room, which gets really steamy:). I was surprised to see it referenced in a gay Taiwanese movie called "The Story the Stone" (a modern gay retelling of one of the greatest classics of Chinese literature). For apps, beside Grindr and Blued, I would also suggest Hornet. It's quite popular in Taiwan and in a few other Asian countries.

When I was in Bangkok this August I stayed at a small, kinda newish boutique hotel in Silom called Artino. It was pretty decent. I recommend getting the Premium room. It's main advantage is that no key is needed to access the elevator, so you can tell the guy to come straight to your room, if you desire so (pretty convenient if you are trying to set up a 3+ type of gathering😁) Also it has a small garage that guests can use. Even though, unlike in other places like Vietnam, most of the guys you will meet will get to your place by public transportation or Grab, some of them actually want to use their motorcycle and parking in Silom can be a hassle. So having a free spot available is definitely appreciated. One of the guys I met actually even asked me later if he could park his car as he was spending the night at his regular fwb in Silom. I agreed. He was kind enough to come the next day and have some late-morning fun with me. Going back again for Xmas and this time staying at the new Ibis hotel in Silom. The reviews look pretty good. If you want something cheap, you can stay at Dvaree Express in Silom. Quite basic, but it's pretty much next door to G.O.D, so it's easy to pick up a guy late at night. You don't even have to go inside the club. I remember one time, just went out to buy some water when the club had just closed, struck a quick conversation with a cute twink and in two minutes he was in my bed. If you want something more upscale Pullman in Silom is quite popular with the gay crowd.

If you are going to be on a weekend and are into saunas, don't miss going to Soi 13 in. It's in my opinion the best gay sauna in Asia. 3-stories with great facilities and the crowd is mostly slim and muscular young twinks and jocks. Plus, every night is naked night so there is so much eye candy going around. The peak is usually between 6:30-9:00 PM, as local guys get a discount if they enter before 7:30PM. I really enjoyed going there for Taipei pride the last two years before Covid. I would stay from 6:30-11:00PM. I think around 400-500 guys would pass on each night during those hours and not just Taiwanese but from all over East and Southeast Asia. It was pretty much non-stop fun. Really looking forward to do it again in 2023.