omega

I seriously think that next time I go to BKK, I will travel much lighter. I took way too much clothes, most of which went unworn.

Beyond what seems to be the normal negotiation for turning on the meter, I had no issues. They asked me to put my hotel into their satnav, and away they went. I wasn't staying in a well known hotel though, so they probably needed the sat nav to guide them.

Indeed, they are. When I was last in BKK in 2020, the flat fee they would offer was 500baht. Every time I've been to BKK and got the airport taxi, I've had to refuse the offered flat fare, and they just switch on the meter and go. This guy was more resistant to that.

Baggage fee might have been the airport surcharge tbh. Big confusing sign hanging on the back of the chair, he pointed to it after I refused the flat fare.

The next day I woke up when the morning was already done, and decided to go shopping to pick up a few bits I'd not brought with me. After a power nap back at the hotel, I wandered out to find something to eat, then made my way to Soi Patpong 2. Sol bar was the first that I came accross and in I wandered. My first time solo in a gogo bar like this. I picked a seat right at the back, by the door. A nervous newbie, I wanted to be able to make a quick escape from the Mamasan I ordered my first drink, and managed to convince the Mamasan that I didn't need a boy to sit with me right away. The boys on stage were a good mix of twinky types and more muscly men. One stood out for me, and clearly my eye had been on him quite noticably, as when the boys evacuated the stage, he came over and after a brief chat I felt oblioged to invite him to sit and have a drink. He said his name was Nam, and he was from Vietnam. He was super cute, and very engaging, asking me lots of questions, tho relying on translater app quite a bit. Since I was here on an exploratory trip, I hadn't come with the intention to off; tho I did bring 100 notes thinking that I would at least have a boy sit with me. After my second drink, my feet were getting itchy. I could get a similar experience of chatting via phone messages in a bar that charged less for the same beer. I'm sorry to say, but solo in a GoGo bar, just doesn't seem to be a hit with me. But It might have been my nervousness and anxiety, so (spoiler) it wasn't my only forway into a GoGo bar this trip. Nam and I would continue to chat via Line, but would not meet again while I was in BKK this time. After leaving Sol, I looked around at the other Go Go bars with the assortment of boys hanging around outside smoking, and decided that I wasn't in the mood for another GoGo bar, and took myself off to DJ station for another night. I like DJ station, and pretty much every night I was in BKK I ended up here. Once more, I left alone, but not without scoring a cheeky kiss and dance or two. The following day, I met up with my ex, who I had not seen for 3 years. We had a late lunch, and wandered around the new EMSphere shopping mall. We agreed to meet again later for more drinks in DJ station. Again I left DJ station and went back to my hotel alone. The following day, I was due to go to Chiang Mai in the evening, so after checking out, and leaving my bags in storage, I went for a massage at Prime. One of the best massages I've ever had, and at decent price, definely would recommend. I arrived at Chaing Mai quite late that evening. I wandered to the nearest 7/11, got some drinks and snacks, and had an "early" night.

Hi All, I thought I'd share with you briefly some of my experiences over the last couple of weeks in the LoS. As a spoiler to avoid disapointing, I'll say it was not a sex-filled escapade, though some spicy action did happen (which of course, I shall describe) I arrived in BKK feeling pretty fresh faced, all things considered. Taxi prices from airport seem to have gone up... 600baht said the Taxi Driver! After some firm negotiation, that mostly involved me saying no to his flat fee, and saying I would get another taxi, he agreed to use the meter. I pay express tolls and baggage fee. Not a problem. (For those interested: To my hotel in Silom, Meter was at ~300 baht, tolls were 100 baht, + baggage was 50 baht I think. I left him with 500 baht.) I checked in to the hotel, unpacked, had a nap before heading out fairly early for the evening to find something to eat. I checked out Soi 4, which seemed super busy and a little overwhelming. So I took a wander through Patpong, and soon found myself at the Foodland there. Much quieter for me to settle down in to my holiday. I wandered back to Soi 4, and sat outside Stranger bar for a couple of drinks, checking out Grindr, and acclimatising to the hustle and bustle. I wandered up the Soi, and found myself wandering into Bipolar, above the bar on the corner. It was busy and the drag show was passable, the "hostess" being australian, so very easy for me to understand. Following a few drinks in Bipolar, I wandered along to see what was happening in DJ station. Much has changed, and I was a little surprised and happy to see its new layout. It's much easier to wander around the club now, and sample everything each room has to offer. I stayed here for a few drinks, dances for a bit and caught a few smiles. For someone who's been living a very quiet life, it was quite the night to wake me up!

And that's fair, but you're presenting this to everyone else like they can just go on a cruise and pick up the first cute waiter or cabin steward that catches their eye.

Yeah there is usually strict rules around fraternising with guests. It's usually something that will see the crew dismissed, especially the lower paid, easily replaceable crew. Somewhat irresponsible and unfair to seduce them into potentially losing their job, especially when there is zero blow back to you. I personally wouldn't want to retire on a cruise ship fwiw. I'm just relaying experience from a friend who worked in a senior position on cruise ships for many years

For those who've retired and just want to live a comfortable life, meeting new people but never needing to stay friends with them, cruising has a lot of attraction. It's cheaper than a retirement home, all meals made for you, entertainment every night, the staff take much better care of you, and there is a 24/hr doctor service on board should your health take a turn for the worse. Though of course, things that require a specialist would need to be looked at shoreside.

I figured it was obvious I was talking about Bangkok and similar SE asian countries.

I'd suggest religion is a significant factor. The idea of Kharma, and reincarnation leads people to accept their place in this life, and if they live it well, the next life will be better.

Christianity has been homophobic since before 1946. So no.

Thai logic, I think: Boy drinks are not just about buying drinks for your companion(s). It's a fee for their time paid to the bar. If you buy a bottle, and give boys drinks from that, the boys get a drink but the bar does not get their fee for every drink the boys have. I assume charging for the bottle at boy drink prices isn't logical?

I shall make sure to stop by for an evening during my stay in Chiang Mai next month

For the price, it's a good deal. Just don't expect it to be doing anything much beyond basic web surfing type tasks.

Absolute nonsense. Mother drawing as much attention to the issue as possible, instead of trying to hide the incident suggests that a sense of injustice is motivating her. The school refusing to co-operate indicates that there is a problem that they do not want to, or are not capable of dealing with. There is apparently a video of this incident circulating amongst the students of the school.

An artist that I along, with a lot of people, have fallen in love with is Ren. He recently hit Number 1 on the UK Album charts with his Sick Boi EP. He's a bit of a genre-bender, and an indepedent artist. Most people first encounter him from his live performance, 1 shot, viral music video: 'Hi Ren'... But knowing you guys, you might at least appreciate the visuals of or indeed the hauntingly wonderful Crutch, which he made when he was suffering with the effects of undiagnosed Lyme Disease, and was convinced that he was going to die before he turned 30. And is defintely a watch all the way through. His catalogue is extensive. I hope you guys enjoy as much as I do, and dive down the Ren rabbit hole. There is so much more than what I've linked to here

I often find myself being far pickier than I should be when perusing grindr. Unflattering photos do not help guys either.

My understanding is that Grindr is popular in BKK, at least it was last time I used it there. As is Hornet, Blued, Jack'd and probably some others.

I'd suggest just doing whatever the police tell you to do. And if they don't talk to you, sit back and watch the show

Worth remembering that the bar itself is being asked to pay for eyes to suddenly go blind whenever they inspect what the bar does.

A good body is expected. But it is always the face that seals the deal for me.

*Paid for by Thailand Tourist Board Heh, if it works, it works

Desperately sad, but not inexplicable. I imagine he might have felt a lot of pressure, given the circumstances of his being there, so far away from home. He may have felt extremely homesick, but felt completely trapped by the feeling of letting people down if he went home. Questions need to be asked of the acadamy he was at, and why they were not more attentive to this young adult in their care.

It's mostly an idiotic battle. One bar puts their music too loud, which makes it heard from the next bar. So that bar turns the volume of their music up to counter it. This goes on until they've scared away all their customers and close down. Something similar happened in Gran Canaria years ago. A popular bar opened next to an established drag show bar. Over the next couple of years, they battled each other, trying to drown out the music of the other. Eventually it seems they came to an agreement; and when the drag show was on, the other bar would turn down their music. In return, the drag bar wouldn't play music the rest of the time. Result for customers of both bars.