forrestreid

I would second Vinapu. Try not to worry about it.

Thanks for a great trip report Vinapu

Vinapu, are you sure you didn't mean "Waternest Spa" in Soi 39, rather than the "Waterworks spa"? According to Google, there is no such place as the "Waterworks spa" in that Soi, but there is a place called "Waternest" with several cute masseurs!

According to reports I have read, Blue House massage (in the Soi Day/Night area of Pattaya, behind TukCom) offer something called "foam massage" which i presume is the same as a soapie?

Bob, your point about the 51% victory is a valid one - I think it would be destabilising, and a far from ideal situation, but my point is denying the victors in a democratic referendum their choice would be even more destabilising. Perhaps if they had some rule that a major constitutional change would have to be approved by a majority in two referendums at least three years apart? I know that sounds a bit ridiculous, but the negotiations for Scottish independence are going to take years anyway – Alex Salmond has set a date of March 2016 for independence, but it probably won’t happen on schedule. Also, it is worth pointing out that the English and rUK people have had a say in the referendum (by proxy at least). David Cameron as AGREED to the referendum, on behalf of the British parliament and government. They couldn’t have held it without his agreement as PM of the UK. Also, the SNP won a majority of the seats in a Scottish general election in 2011, with an explicit manifesto promise of seeking independence. So that is two constitutional hurdles the independence vote crossed before the referendum date was set.

Let me reverse the question for you Bob. Do you think it is wise to deny people a change the have voted on and supported by a majority vote? Why should the current constitutional arrangements get precedence just because it is the status quo?

HI Aussiebi14. Have sent you a PM

Funny story...it seems that the Celtic fringes of Europe unified in being sort of the polar opposite of Bangkok when it comes to gay ladyboy-style "glamour."

Sending out for fish and chips ...thats posh. I don't what to take the thread too off course, but that reminds me of when The George, the main gay pub in Dublin, had some similar type of license 20 years ago (they only used to have to do it week-days I think). What they did was they just cooked up a great big vat of spaghetti at about 11.30, and threw some bolognese sauce out of a packet on it (the end result was like something out of a Heinz spaghetti tin) Then a few of the staff went around dishing out the plates willy-nilly on tables, sometimes to the puzzlement of the less frequent patrons.Usually a table with say, four people would be given two plates and two forks, which lead to loads of "You might as well eat it"..."No YOU eat it, i would myself only I just ate, but it is a pity to waste it"... type of conversations. Most people were pretty indifferent to it, but what i always noticed that there were a gaggle of Trannies that used to frequent a table in an upstairs corner of a Thurday night, and they seemed to love it. There was one older one (who used to to come in a twinset and peals - looked like a cross of David Walliams in his "I'm a Ladeee" get-up, and Mrs. Thatcher), who would go over to the waiters (well, barmen really) and imperiously insist that their table get a plateful for every person sitting there. Which they got - obviously trying to the regulars happy. A friend of mine used to claim that they were so enthusiastic about it because somebody had told them that the barmen used to wank into the bolognese sauce before it was served up. Which wasnt exactly what you wanted to think about as you watched Mrs Doubtfire at the next table trying to suck in a long strand of spaghetti....

Series 2 of this has started on British Sky tv. The programme on Thursday evening was all about David, the Bangkok ladyboy lover. I must say I find David a completely unsympathetic character, although nothing he does is exactly "wrong" as such. It is just the supercilious way he does it. It will probably up on Youtube soon enough

Street view is now available in Google maps for Pattaya. Very clear pictures - it includes all of Boyztown, blinking in the morning sun. Seems a bit strange to see it in daylight!

I got an email recently to inform me that Albury Massage is moving to a new address. From the first of June it will be in Sukhumvit Soi 26. The BTS stop will now be Phrom Phrong, however looking at the map, it will be closer to the Rama IV end of Soi 26 than the Sukhumvit end, so it might be as handy to approach from that direction. Full address is: 66/2 Sukhumvit Soi 26.

Hmm...photo A and H are definitely North America...the buildings have that "look". Photo C looks like Everest. Photo G looks like South America (it reminds me of pics I have seen of the Patagonian Andes)

Moses, do you know if the spa intends to put up pictures of the massuers? Because that is the main thing that would influence me in deciding whether to go or not. Also, would they consider a listing at thaimassageboy.com? Seems to be popular.

If you want genuine reviews, look at Booking.com After you stay at a hotel you booked with them, you get an email prompting you to put in a review. In fact I think this is the only way you can review on Booking.com. So I think their reviews are quite honest. They all seem to be people who actually stayed there. Also, they prompt you to post something good and bad about your stay, so this means that most of the reviews contain a bit of both. Sometimes the one bad thing somebody says about a hotel they generally praise can be informative. The fact that they also have a lot of reviews is good too,- for example they have over 200 reviews at present for the Tawana Bangkok hotel on Silom. So all the nutty reviews get drowned out by the sane majority. It also tells you what type of traveller they were. - "young couple" or " family" or "solo traveller" etc. That can help you read between the lines. The nationality of reviewers can also help you guage their review. I often stay in London, and I have learned that one can safely ignore criticism by Americans that the room is too small or the bathroom is too small as too Americans, the rooms of EVERY budget hotel in london seems to small.

Are there any websites that discuss the rentboy scene (best sauna's, prices etc.) in Barcelona?

You are doing you usual boostering job, LMTU, but I would not be so sanguine. I concede that previous military regimes seem to have been little concerned with censoring the nightlife. However,times have changed since then and given the religious affiliation of the new Thai leader, I imagine he would hardly have much objection to the social order campaign in general In fact, seeing as the campaign was fairly popular with many Thais, perhaps after a couple of months, if he feels the need to get some easy popularity, it might suit him to have a new "crackdown"?

From what I can read in this thread, an "alpha male" is just another term for a "straight-acting top", with perhaps an added extra of a moody personality? Speaking as one who is quite fond of the straight acting guys, (and of the tops too, not always the same thing! LOL), I have to say that "alpha males" do not seem too attractive to me. Or am I missing some more subtle distinction here?