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It's crazy how big Prime has grown. I think the New Year rush is well over now as I was able to walk in and get a massage this evening with no wait. I didn't realize that they'd added another building to their portfolio. I wonder how many people are employed by their massage factory. I think I was handed off to four different people on the short walk across the soi to the other building. It was like a relay race. Excellent 90 mins massage. My masseur had surprisingly rough hands, but used just the right amount of pressure throughout. En suite shower in the new building was a nice surprise. There's a good reason this place is the standard.

I think this applies to retirement anywhere. Even if you retire in the place you've lived your whole life you need to find things to do with your time that are fulfilling.

I've been here for about 10 days now. It's just too damn hot. I couldn't live here full time because of the weather and pollution. And I know there's no chance I would be able to learn Thai which I think I would want to do if I lived here. It was a bit nicer over in Ubon where I spent 5 days but during the say it was still quite hot. Just that it cooled off nicely at night.

Stopped by Natural Massage on Soi 6 this evening. Several cute boys sitting outside. Chose the 90 mins oil massage. Should have probably picked lotion instead. Overall the massage was a solid C or maybe C+. But was really let down by the use of an Exxon Valdez-worth of oil. I tried twice to say "too much oil" but it fell on deaf ears or there was a communication gap. So I was kind of pissed off through most of the massage which is the opposite of relaxing. It was so annoying that I even refused the offer of a happy ending. Also when he was doing a face/head massage at the end he put a hand under my chin/on my throat which was rather disconcerting. It felt out of bounds to me. I probably should have removed his hand. A lesson learned, I guess. 650 baht for 90 mins. Shower in the room was appreciated but I think not all of the rooms have a shower as I saw another customer wrapped in a towel on his way back to his room. Space was tight, but the massage table had a face cut out. I'd definitely choose a different boy next time though.

no, 737-900 is not the same as the Max 9

among other things.

Side is quite simply not into buttsex. So we find other things to enjoy

@macaroni21's blog has a helpful map for some of these places. Is there a reason why others are left out? https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2023/12/26/map-of-saphan-khwai-and-sutthisan-winitchai-area-december-2023/

They also have an Eastern European-appearing guy listed, but say he speaks Thai. Even their regular guy tip amounts seem to be a bit higher than the other shops.

The OneSpa collection is certainly intriguing me.

Looks like getting there is a bit of a hidden experience

I'll have to see if I can find the more recent version. Still spine tingling

Domestic fares are already pretty low. I think I paid less US$50 each way for my upcoming trip to Ubon Ratchatani

actually the mattress point is a good one. More than once I have complained about the concrete-hard beds of Asia. As a side sleeper I find them unsleepable

It really is a shame what's been done to that beautiful country. Such nice people, now forced to fight for their lives. It's all such a waste

For me location is the most important criterion. If the choice is a perfectly-located 3 star sort of place or a not as well located 5 star I know which I prefer. And most places I have stayed in Thailand are of a quite good standard even if they're not 4 or 5 star luxury.

you can rent many condos/apartments by the night. No need for long term rentals

I'm not sure you need 4 stars or better for comfort. There's a Hilton at Central Festival. That's not super far from Boys Town but a bit of a walk. You'd need to hop on the baht bus to Jomtien. I stayed at the Hotel Baraquda Heeton Pattaya by Compass Hospitality when it was the Dusit D2. I suspect it's a bit more worn down now unless Compass has invested some money. If you take a look at the map on Agoda or any other booking site you will see what's available. Seems like there are many small places that are comfortable. Lots of condos in addition to hotels.

those three could take my 20000

New column from author Philip Cornwell-Smith Bangkok’s graphic image had become a mess. Yes, the city’s character is messy, too, but that’s not an excuse when visitors need consistency and residents could feel newfound pride in their city’s badge. There was no constant font, colour or composition for the logo and wording. There wasn’t a manual specifying how to reproduce the city’s graphics, which is a norm that any firm provides for its brands. Every promotion, like ‘Amazing Bangkok,’ ‘City of Life’ or the current ’Unfolding Bangkok,’ added yet more fonts, slogans and clutter. Bangkok has been in desperate need for what designers call an ‘identity system.’ https://koktailmagazine.com/content-detail/BMA+Logo?fbclid=IwAR2oF4Umx2HTMRJM9X0hE3a95TUUJGVLIMOe9ZLnKJmJDawmA7BcXD65crs

some of the more generous "like minded" members of this forum might be around to show you the ropes. There's a lot of good advice in the forum about gogos and other venues. But it will take you some time to read through. Maybe Mack's blog would be helpful? But I think these sorts of venues are generally fairly similar everywhere. So if you have experience in other places you should find the scene in Thailand to be pretty straightforward

Apparently Kazakhstan is big market now which I think is a bit surprising.

I think most of the new high rises in Bangkok have fairly small apartments. Certainly the studios and 1 bedrooms are on the small side. The Airbnb I stayed in at Ashton Chula was a small studio. But they provide lots of nice public areas - big gyms, co-working spaces, party rooms, etc.

that whole area looks quite interesting. Apparently there are many new highrise apartments there that are not too expensive.

I think that's the point. The onset is earlier this year.