forrestreid

Here is a sketch plan. I haven't been there myself, but this is where I have figured it out to be from descriptions and Google streetview I have highlighted TukCom and the Siwalai City Place, the nearest landmarks

I dont think Seldz is back yet...he posted on the 27th November that he was going in " a few weeks" Hopefully he will have a report for us in January perhaps...

I remember reading once the suggestion that the notion of white skin being associated with wealth and power (in Thailand and Cambodia at least) was to a considerable degree due to fact that such a large proportion of the elite, particularly the business elite, from the 18th century onwards were of largely Chinese descent. Therefore they tended to be paler than the average, and they also tended to intermarry with the local nobles, which meant that by the later 19th century, the elites in Thailand and Cambodia were on average, from purely genetic reasons, quite a bit paler than the peasantry, Of course, the whiteness of the Europeans in colonial times reinforced this, but it was the Thai-Chinese and Cambodian-Chinese that started off the association of whiteness and the "hi-so"

It is very new. The most recent Google Streetview photos for that area are from just last February, and it want even started then.

Thanks for the update on that Aussie. Is the building it is in newly built?

Thanks for all the comments guys. As the two establishments seem to be more or less the same I think I'll go for the on Ambience (a room one step up from the cheapest room) as it's a bit cheaper . Obviously, as I was considering BT options, I understood I would not get a very early night anywhere on the Soi, but if the karaoke in the Cafe Royal goes on until 3am it might be that is another point that in favour of the on Ambience. Also the prices for the Cafe Royal all include breakfast, where as you can get a slightly cheaper price breakfast-free option in the on Ambience, so I think I am happy enough with that as I am happy to have a bit more flexibility where I breakfast.

Just wanted to ask people's opinion on this question. I have been looking at the two places for a stay and they seem very similar, but as the Cafe Royale is a bit more expensive though so I was leaning towards the on Ambience, but then somebody told me that the rooms in the Ambience are not quite as as nice as the Cafe Royale. Also I believe the food is better in the Cafe Royale. Anybody able to offer an informed opinion on this? Or even an uninformed prejudicial one?

Double post. Double tread Please delete this duplicate tread.

Just seeking some advice about the best apps at the moment. I already have Gayromeo and Hornet. I was debating whether it's worth while downloading another one - I don't want them all but I think perhaps I will try a third. So, for those of you that have them, which is best out of Blued, Jackd or Grindr? I am thinking specifically for meeting Thai guys in Bangkok and Pattaya. Is there one of them which is particularly good for meeting money boys? Just about the apps in general, do people have a feeling that amongst those apps there are some currently on the up in terms of popularity, and maybe one which is on the slide? I get the impression that people think Gayromeo is past its peak, which is a pity as I quite like the layout of that app, ( well, more the layout of the classic version and on a PC). But I'll be interested to hear what people think.

I just want to add my voice to those are being praising Vinapu for his trip reports. For the last two weeks or so I have enjoyed reading the next instalment every evening. I must admit I like to see somebody who gets out and about on their holiday as well as visiting the bars. He has an enjoyable written style as well and the fact that he enjoyed his time with the boys really comes across. A several times I have planned to write trip reports after my journeys but have usually not got around to it after a few short pieces about a few bars etc. Reading the accounts off Vinapu inspires me to want to repay the debt by hopefully doing a better report after my next trip. Thanks very much Vinapu for two weeks of reading pleasure!

That sounds like a rather complicated scheme, clumpt, but I like it! I am sorry I will not be in Pattaya for the night. To get value out of the occasion, you should shell out to rent a decent place with a pool, maybe? Something like this perhaps: https://www.tripadvisor.ie/VacationRentals-g293919-Reviews-Pattaya_Chonburi_Province-Vacation_Rentals.html

I tend to suffer from this lot. Mainly, I think, because I'm poor at sleeping on flights. I fly from Europe to Thailand and usually get flights that leave Europe late in evening arrive that Thailand in the late afternoon. When I arrive I feel really wrecked because my body thinks it's early in the morning European time after having very little sleep the night before. What I find is best for a quick adjustment, although it's not that easy, is to try and avoid having much if any naps during the daytime Thailand time. It is hard for you to do this as your natural rhythm, if you have come from Europe, make you think it's bedtime around 5 or 6 PM Thailand. But if you don't avoid daytime napping, my own personal case,I would find it very difficult to sleep at Thai night time, and it would end up being a week by the time I adjust. Your strategy should also be based on the amount of time you will be staying. If you are only staying five days or less I think It is hardly worthwhile make a huge effort to get in synch with Thai time. In that case I would probably have middays naps to make sure I have enough energy to enjoy my time in the country, as the strategy I describe above, while it does get rid of jetlag quickly, does mean you have two were three days at start when you are like a zombie half the day. For some reason you often find articles about jetlag in the newspapers suggesting you take naps to help you deal with it, but I think most people who know what they are talking about tend to agree with my suggestion. This is all with the caveat that there is a subset of people who can nap without it really affecting their night-time sleeping - they just get a burst of energy from it - and if you are part of that subset nap away, but for most people I think my advice holds.

A problem with any discussion board is that you will always have contentious topics. Sometimes it seems that the more particular and limited the list of interests the board covers, the more bitter the disputes - the integrity of small differences. There just has to be an acceptance amongst posters that there will be differences and an ability to accept them with good grace. For a board such as this, relating to topics of interest mainly to gay tourists in Thailand, to be useful and attractive to posters, it should have vigorous and informed discussions. That is why I think was a suggestion that was made in the recently locked thread that people refrain from discussing what type is staff was in bars, such as whether the guys were fem or masculine or muscular, and so on, is misguided. This opinion is mistaken in my view because the bars with offable boys in Thailand often do specialise in a "type" of guy and what type of guy is available in what bar is an absolutely legitimate topic for discussion in a board such as this, in fact it could almost be described as a principle raisin d'etre of the board. It can be a contentious topic I will admit, but it can be discussed politely if posters have a bit of cop on. As a previous poster said, the best way to deal with rude and obnoxious posters is to tackle them head on, with a suspension or banning, rather than attempting the Sisyphean task of trying to curtail a natural discussion point on the board.

By the way, did you say that a mamasan is just back working in Pattaya after having spent a few years in a Buddhist monastery? That must be quite a transition to say the least!

Any particular reason why the Khmer and Lao guys prefer covering up? Les developed physiques or are they just shy?

There is a difference - I think the guy is question was quite goodlooking, but I hate the tattoo. You are being a bit over-sensitive to get upset I think, considering as it is a photo of someone else. If I showed someone a picture of an outfit I wore to to a party, and they commented that it was hideous, I might take offense, even if I acknowledged it was their honest opinion, as you just cannot say that to somebodies face. But if they commented unfavourably on the outfit of a friend of mine in a photo, I wouldn't mind, as long as the friend was not in earshot, as it is generally accepted in society that critical comments about third parties are allowed in polite discourse.

I remember once a few years ago when I arrived in Don Muang (coming from Bali), I decided to use the shuttle to Swampy to get a taxi from there to Pattaya (to save a few quid). I thought it was free to anybody traveling from one airport to the other, but only when I was about to board I realised that you were supposed to show your ticket. In a rather forlorn hope (seeing as I was not going to Swampy for a flight) I proffered the printout of my Bali to DMK flight, which I had not got round to dumping. Happily they took a glance at it and waved me on. Happy Days! So you could try a similar ploy, if you have a printout of a ticket arriving in Swampy, but dont blame me if they have tightened things up since that and you get thrown out on your arse...

Is there any massage place in Pattaya that is good for B2B, does anybody know?

Quite the player, is Stickman. Imagine the majority shareholder blinked fairly quickly when he thought about what result would be if Stickman decided to retire. If I was the majority owner, I would be trying to move to a situation where a revolving list of people did the column each week, instead of one man. We shall see.

One thing that struck me about the report this week was the bit about how he claims there was basically no non-compete clause on the sale deal. So, after selling the site for a lump of cash, he can, any time he is unhappy wit the pay or whatever, just leave and set up his own site the very next week? Seems like a bit of a poison pill for the site, as it is so bound up with his personality, if the majority owner gets in a new guy to do the "New Stickman" column on the existing website, would people read that, or desert it for a new website run by the actual Stickman? I feel the new majority owner was perhaps badly advised when purchasing... That is of course if you can believe any of it!

It would be a pity to see Stickman go. Although he refused to cover the gay scene at all (unlike, say, the Bangkok Eyes "Midnight Hour" Site) he provided probably the most reliable commentary on the straight nightlife scene in Thailand. Obviously he had massive biases towards his own advertisers, it but I often found it worth reading - especially the "news snippets" links at the bottom of his weekly postings. Like above posts, I suspect it may be an elaborate ruse to maintain his current level of compensation though! But it is obvious that he is increasingly unhappy with the majority shareholder on the site. Two weeks ago he posted a column based on an interview with the English investigative reporter Andrew Drummond. This was later pulled at the behest of the majority shareholder. The following week, Stickamn reported it thusly: "....One person was not happy about the article and used their not inconsiderable influence with the majority owner of this site to get the article removed. That column would now be last week’s news and would be all but forgotten about, but now the whole kerfuffle of removing it shines a bright spotlight on who wanted it removed and why..." I remember thinking at the time that it was surprising that Stickman had no compunction about stating that it was some person "who had influence" with the majority shareholder who got it pulled, rather than saying it had been pulled due to "legal advice" or similar. And then, in this weeks column, what is the first email from a reader that Stickman features ? An email (I would guess originating from maybe somewhere in New Zealand area?) which criticised the censorship, and adds "It is clear from your comments about it that you regard the person responsible as an idiot who has little understanding of how the on-line world operates". Stickman clearly has little respect for the majority shareholder for whom he now works. But he is fairly indispensable for the site, (I would imagine that without the weekly column, the readership of the site would fall off a cliff), it is probably rather silly of the majority shareholder to be threatening to cut his pay. We shall see what happens..

I would understand from that statement that there was no compulsory cover charge for a guy to sit with you, but that does not mean that wont be bothering you to buy " dink for boy" every two minutes. It depend how much of a brass neck to brush them off you have, I guess

Oh, Christian, you are such a fact-obsessed person, you would put Gradgrind to shame! I am sure there is no shortage of small factual errors in the Osborne book, I wouldn't dispute it, but what he was trying to get at was the SOUL of Bangkok. It has to be read and appreciated with that in mind. [flicks hair and sighs theatrically] But it takes all types to make the World, I suppose (I can be the most nerdy guy going sometimes myself, particularly when it comes to transport networks), so here is a web page that is more likely to gladden your heart: http://www.nomadicnotes.com/southeast-asia-rail-map/ It is a map created of all the railways that are proposed currently in South-East Asia, and what the network will look like after they are built (in the unlikely event they ARE all built). Cool to look at at think about the day when you get get a train all the way from Yangon to Saigon, via Bangkok... The rest of the website, about travel generally and Vietnamese travel in particular, is well worth a browse too.

You could make a good argument that united Ireland would have been a lot MORE likely to have occurred by now if the Good Friday agreement had been rejected by Ulster Unionists, rather than accepted by them (on the basis that there would have been no temporary cessation in the constitutional crisis there, which would have pushed out the Westminster government quicker). Either way, I very much doubt that a united Ireland will happen before "Scoxit". I am curious as to what makes you think that the vote against independence will be larger than last time? I know financially, things are a bit worse with the dip of oil prices, etc, but I think psychologically the Brexit debacle will help the independence cause. Last time, the EU issue was a plus for the Union - with concerns of Scotland having to apply again for membership of the EU, and the argument that the only way to stay in the EU was via the Union etc. Now that whole argument is neutralised – in fact people will be heading into the unknown either way, which will cut down on the anxiety generated by the whole "leap in the dark " factor.

Hello Bryan, Welcome to the board. I didn't realise you would be reading the comments yourself when I wrote them, you picked a nice time to join the board! Glad you took my comments in the fair-minded (albeit blunt) way they were intended.