daydreamer

Plenty of cute guys in that area. The massage places are open during the daytime too. The guys sit outside and so it's easy to choose.

Iconic Wat Si Chum in Northern Zone with 15m tall Buddha







 

Few more:

 

Mack - to answer your questions:
Yes, the bungalow was a duplex.  The room was square, and the bathroom was tucked around, added onto the back side, not visible in the photo from the front.  The front deck was thoughtfully offset to provide privacy so the residents from the other unit were not visible when they were sitting outside.  
As for food, we ate every meal at different Kai Bae restaurants.  There was plenty of variety, lots of seafood places, regular non-seafood Thai food, and a number of different options for western food.  There was even a Thai buffet place where you cook your own food at your table, it looked popular with locals and some tourists.  The only western meal we ate was pizza one night, so I can't really speak to the quality of the western food, although there was a highly rated Mexican restaurant very close to the bungalow compound, but we didn't eat there.  There are quite a few small restaurants down the side sois off the main road.  As I said in the report, meal prices were reasonable, not inflated like on some islands.  Most places are open air, typical of a beach resort.  
Here's a typical restaurant right on the main road in Kai Bae where we ate breakfast one morning.  Note the parrot sitting in the tree in this photo.

 
In addition, there was a place specializing in burgers, one serving Greek food, and the usual western fare of Italian, plus Indian restaurants that seem to be everywhere in Thailand nowadays.  There were no Indian tourists, and it looked like the Indian restaurants were starving for business.  There was even an Indian tailor shop offering to "make a nice suit for you, sir".  Seemed kind of out of place on a laid back tropical island.
The restaurants I just mentioned were all at Kai Bae within a short walk from the room.  Lots more food options at the other beaches not far away, but we were satisfied with what we found at Kai Bae.
The tap water was fine.  I brushed my teeth with it, and no strange odor or discoloration in the water.  I know what you mean, I remember staying at the Tropica Bungalows at Patong Beach in Phuket about 20 years ago.  The tap water contained tiny red worms I could see coming from the tap against the white sink.  And this was no budget room, Tropica Bungalows is right on the beach road, directly at the corner of Bangla Road in Patong Beach.
I suspect some water gets contaminated from being held in those large storage tanks many places use.  The water sits in the heat in those storage tanks, and who knows what grows in the tanks.
Yes, I remember when many places on Koh Samet used generators for electricity, before there was a stable power supply.  The place I stayed 20+ years ago on Koh Samet would turn off the generators during daylight hours, so no power all day.  I agree, the tap water was dodgy on Koh Samet back then, but things have improved a lot in the last couple decades.  Of course this was before the internet.  Could you imagine today not having wi-fi access 24/7, or power to a cell phone tower when the generators turn off all day?  It wouldn't bother me, but the way many people are glued to their screens all day, I think they wouldn't know what to do with themselves with no phone access.  There is a sign on the wall in the Balcony Pub in Silom Soi 4 next to the bar that reads "We have wi-fi, so you don't need to talk to each other".  Sad, but true.
Yes, the sea was clean.  No sign of pollution.  When we drove to the far side of the island where it's sparsely populated, I noticed a large sewage treatment facility, so they are trying to keep the sea clean.  This was many miles from the beaches on the west side of the island.  They're doing a lot better at keeping the water clean than Hong Kong is.  There are approximately 200 ships in port in Hong Kong daily at anchor and various moorages in the harbors.  Raw sewage is regularly pumped from the ships directly into the sea in Hong Kong rather than transferring it to sewage barges for proper treatment.
The photos of the beach were taken at Kai Bae Beach.  White Sands Beach is a few miles north, and is the nicest and largest beach on the island with the best sand, although the most crowded with people.  We went to White Sands one day to swim, but like I say, it's far more crowded.  At Kai Bae, there were plenty of places with chairs or loungers tucked back under the trees.  No masses of chairs and umbrellas like they have in Jomtien.
One more thing to note - public access to the beaches is becoming harder to find.  Like many places in the world, resorts buy up big swaths of ocean front land, denying the public access to the water.  This is widespread at White Sands Beach.  Take a look at the satellite view on Google, and you can see how resorts are blocking off entire beaches from the public.  Of course the beaches are public up to the high tide mark, but in some areas of Koh Chang, try getting to the water without trespassing.  In Kai Bae, there is open public access to the beach, with a road leading right to the water.  That's how the elephants access the beach every day to swim.
 
 

I have just returned home from a one month vacation in Thailand.  I decided this time to plan a side trip to Koh Chang.  Here is a brief report of my recent adventure.  
After spending a week in Bangkok, I stayed in Pattaya for ten days, so I was ready to hit the road for a break.  In Pattaya I rented a car for the trip to Koh Chang.  I have rented vehicles many times in Thailand, because I like the freedom driving a car gives me.
I took a boy from a Pattaya bar with me, he was eager to travel with me.  It was a good break for him to get away from the bar for a few days, while still making a guaranteed long time tip each day.  I have always paid any boy traveling with me the going rate for long time tip daily, and of course I paid for all expenses.  I always let them know if they want free time away from me, they can have it, but I have found they usually want to stick with me every day.  When I ask them what they would like to do, the usual response is the ubiquitous "up to you".   Believe me, if you have planned something a boy thinks is boring, or not fun for them, they won't be shy to tell you.
Total travel time from Pattaya to Koh Chang was about 6 hours, including the ferry ride.  The first part of the trip was from Pattaya to Laem Gnop in Trat province, that's where the ferries depart for Koh Chang.  The drive was about 4.5 hours, very enjoyable,  going through Sattahip, Rayong, and Chantaburi.  As you can see in this photo, Koh Chang is very close to the Cambodian border.
 
 

Because Koh Chang is a very large island, I wanted to take the rental car on the ferry to use to get around and explore the island.  The ferries run frequently.  Tickets are 80 baht for each passenger, and 120 baht to take a car.  The ride takes about 40 minutes.  After driving aboard, all passengers go up to the second deck lounge for the transit to the island.  There are snacks and drinks available on the second deck from a small store and a coffee stand.

 

 

I had made a reservation for Seabreeze Bungalows in Kai Bae Beach for five nights.  I chose the deluxe bungalow, and it was 1,850 baht per night, including all taxes and fees.  Not a bad deal for a good room on an island in January during high season.  This price was locked in long before the current coronavirus was news.
Upon landing on Koh Chang, it took about 20 minutes to reach the bungalow, driving south along several beaches on the way.  The further south from the ferry pier, the more rustic the small villages along the beaches are.  White Sands Beach is the first beach coming from the ferry.  It is the largest beach, and the most developed on the island, something I wanted to avoid.
After leaving White Sands Beach, the road begins to narrow, and the atmosphere becomes much more tranquil, with less development, and fewer people.  I decided since Kai Bae Beach was located in between White Sands beach and Lonely Beach, it would be a good location to stay.  Lonely Beach is the most popular beach with backpackers, and is known for very loud parties every night at different bars that go till dawn.  Kai Bae turned out to be a good choice, a very relaxed area, but with a good assortment of small restaurants and bars.  There was a Filipino band that played every night at the open air bar and restaurant at the Seabreeze Bungalows where we stayed.
This is the bungalow where we stayed.

 

 

 
This is the main road running through Kai Bae Beach. 

If you travel without a car, there are songtaews, making it very easy to get around the island.  They charge a fixed rate based on how many beaches you pass.  The songtaews meet the ferries, and they strap any large bags on the roof for transport to your hotel.
 

 
One day we rented kayaks, and paddled about 20 minutes to an uninhabited island offshore from Kai Bae beach.  When I first mentioned this, the boy I was with thought that sounded like fun.  It included getting up early to rent the kayaks and be on the water by 9 am.  I have heard many people say that it's impossible to drag a bar boy out of bed early, but if there's something they want to do, they'll make sure to be ready.
There are several waterfalls, and we had planned to hike up to one, but figured since it is dry season with little rain that there wouldn't be anything to see.  Each day we went to a different part of the island to explore using the rental car.  One day I bought us masks and snorkels.  The boy I was with said he liked snorkeling, as he had never done it before.  He told me afterwards it was good, but he didn't get to see any fish.
There are a few 7-Eleven stores on the island, and a small Big C, and a small Makro.  Another reason I chose the Seabreeze Bungalows is it was only a short walk to a 7-Eleven store, very convenient to buy snacks and drinks.  Most motorbikes buy their gasoline from stands selling it in used liquor bottles as you still see in some areas of rural Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia.
There are many small restaurants, and unlike Phuket, the prices for food were reasonable, about the same as on the mainland. 
The air quality on the island was great until late every night when a local resident decided it was a good idea to set large piles of leaves on fire, letting them smolder all night.
There was an elephant camp just steps from the bungalows, and every afternoon, the mahouts would take the juvenile elephants down to Kai Bae Beach to swim and allow tourists to swim with them and take photos.  The salt water didn't bother the elephants, as they were having fun spraying the tourists with water from their trunks.

 

 

 

 

 
Koh Chang was a good break after being in Bangkok and Pattaya.  Five days was a good getaway.   It's a place I had wanted to see for some time.  It's well worth the taking the time to travel there.
 

 
 

I have just returned home from a one month vacation in Thailand.  I decided this time to plan a side trip to Koh Chang.  Here is a brief report of my recent adventure.  
After spending a week in Bangkok, I stayed in Pattaya for ten days, so I was ready to hit the road for a break.  In Pattaya I rented a car for the trip to Koh Chang.  I have rented vehicles many times in Thailand, because I like the freedom driving a car gives me.
I took a boy from a Pattaya bar with me, he was eager to travel with me.  It was a good break for him to get away from the bar for a few days, while still making a guaranteed long time tip each day.  I have always paid any boy traveling with me the going rate for long time tip daily, and of course I paid for all expenses.  I always let them know if they want free time away from me, they can have it, but I have found they usually want to stick with me every day.  When I ask them what they would like to do, the usual response is the ubiquitous "up to you".   Believe me, if you have planned something a boy thinks is boring, or not fun for them, they won't be shy to tell you.
Total travel time from Pattaya to Koh Chang was about 6 hours, including the ferry ride.  The first part of the trip was from Pattaya to Laem Gnop in Trat province, that's where the ferries depart for Koh Chang.  The drive was about 4.5 hours, very enjoyable,  going through Sattahip, Rayong, and Chantaburi.  As you can see in this photo, Koh Chang is very close to the Cambodian border.
 
 

Because Koh Chang is a very large island, I wanted to take the rental car on the ferry to use to get around and explore the island.  The ferries run frequently.  Tickets are 80 baht for each passenger, and 120 baht to take a car.  The ride takes about 40 minutes.  After driving aboard, all passengers go up to the second deck lounge for the transit to the island.  There are snacks and drinks available on the second deck from a small store and a coffee stand.

 

 

I had made a reservation for Seabreeze Bungalows in Kai Bae Beach for five nights.  I chose the deluxe bungalow, and it was 1,850 baht per night, including all taxes and fees.  Not a bad deal for a good room on an island in January during high season.  This price was locked in long before the current coronavirus was news.
Upon landing on Koh Chang, it took about 20 minutes to reach the bungalow, driving south along several beaches on the way.  The further south from the ferry pier, the more rustic the small villages along the beaches are.  White Sands Beach is the first beach coming from the ferry.  It is the largest beach, and the most developed on the island, something I wanted to avoid.
After leaving White Sands Beach, the road begins to narrow, and the atmosphere becomes much more tranquil, with less development, and fewer people.  I decided since Kai Bae Beach was located in between White Sands beach and Lonely Beach, it would be a good location to stay.  Lonely Beach is the most popular beach with backpackers, and is known for very loud parties every night at different bars that go till dawn.  Kai Bae turned out to be a good choice, a very relaxed area, but with a good assortment of small restaurants and bars.  There was a Filipino band that played every night at the open air bar and restaurant at the Seabreeze Bungalows where we stayed.
This is the bungalow where we stayed.

 

 

 
This is the main road running through Kai Bae Beach. 

If you travel without a car, there are songtaews, making it very easy to get around the island.  They charge a fixed rate based on how many beaches you pass.  The songtaews meet the ferries, and they strap any large bags on the roof for transport to your hotel.
 

 
One day we rented kayaks, and paddled about 20 minutes to an uninhabited island offshore from Kai Bae beach.  When I first mentioned this, the boy I was with thought that sounded like fun.  It included getting up early to rent the kayaks and be on the water by 9 am.  I have heard many people say that it's impossible to drag a bar boy out of bed early, but if there's something they want to do, they'll make sure to be ready.
There are several waterfalls, and we had planned to hike up to one, but figured since it is dry season with little rain that there wouldn't be anything to see.  Each day we went to a different part of the island to explore using the rental car.  One day I bought us masks and snorkels.  The boy I was with said he liked snorkeling, as he had never done it before.  He told me afterwards it was good, but he didn't get to see any fish.
There are a few 7-Eleven stores on the island, and a small Big C, and a small Makro.  Another reason I chose the Seabreeze Bungalows is it was only a short walk to a 7-Eleven store, very convenient to buy snacks and drinks.  Most motorbikes buy their gasoline from stands selling it in used liquor bottles as you still see in some areas of rural Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia.
There are many small restaurants, and unlike Phuket, the prices for food were reasonable, about the same as on the mainland. 
The air quality on the island was great until late every night when a local resident decided it was a good idea to set large piles of leaves on fire, letting them smolder all night.
There was an elephant camp just steps from the bungalows, and every afternoon, the mahouts would take the juvenile elephants down to Kai Bae Beach to swim and allow tourists to swim with them and take photos.  The salt water didn't bother the elephants, as they were having fun spraying the tourists with water from their trunks.

 

 

 

 

 
Koh Chang was a good break after being in Bangkok and Pattaya.  Five days was a good getaway.   It's a place I had wanted to see for some time.  It's well worth the taking the time to travel there.
 

 
 

I have just returned home from a one month vacation in Thailand.  I decided this time to plan a side trip to Koh Chang.  Here is a brief report of my recent adventure.  
After spending a week in Bangkok, I stayed in Pattaya for ten days, so I was ready to hit the road for a break.  In Pattaya I rented a car for the trip to Koh Chang.  I have rented vehicles many times in Thailand, because I like the freedom driving a car gives me.
I took a boy from a Pattaya bar with me, he was eager to travel with me.  It was a good break for him to get away from the bar for a few days, while still making a guaranteed long time tip each day.  I have always paid any boy traveling with me the going rate for long time tip daily, and of course I paid for all expenses.  I always let them know if they want free time away from me, they can have it, but I have found they usually want to stick with me every day.  When I ask them what they would like to do, the usual response is the ubiquitous "up to you".   Believe me, if you have planned something a boy thinks is boring, or not fun for them, they won't be shy to tell you.
Total travel time from Pattaya to Koh Chang was about 6 hours, including the ferry ride.  The first part of the trip was from Pattaya to Laem Gnop in Trat province, that's where the ferries depart for Koh Chang.  The drive was about 4.5 hours, very enjoyable,  going through Sattahip, Rayong, and Chantaburi.  As you can see in this photo, Koh Chang is very close to the Cambodian border.
 
 

Because Koh Chang is a very large island, I wanted to take the rental car on the ferry to use to get around and explore the island.  The ferries run frequently.  Tickets are 80 baht for each passenger, and 120 baht to take a car.  The ride takes about 40 minutes.  After driving aboard, all passengers go up to the second deck lounge for the transit to the island.  There are snacks and drinks available on the second deck from a small store and a coffee stand.

 

 

I had made a reservation for Seabreeze Bungalows in Kai Bae Beach for five nights.  I chose the deluxe bungalow, and it was 1,850 baht per night, including all taxes and fees.  Not a bad deal for a good room on an island in January during high season.  This price was locked in long before the current coronavirus was news.
Upon landing on Koh Chang, it took about 20 minutes to reach the bungalow, driving south along several beaches on the way.  The further south from the ferry pier, the more rustic the small villages along the beaches are.  White Sands Beach is the first beach coming from the ferry.  It is the largest beach, and the most developed on the island, something I wanted to avoid.
After leaving White Sands Beach, the road begins to narrow, and the atmosphere becomes much more tranquil, with less development, and fewer people.  I decided since Kai Bae Beach was located in between White Sands beach and Lonely Beach, it would be a good location to stay.  Lonely Beach is the most popular beach with backpackers, and is known for very loud parties every night at different bars that go till dawn.  Kai Bae turned out to be a good choice, a very relaxed area, but with a good assortment of small restaurants and bars.  There was a Filipino band that played every night at the open air bar and restaurant at the Seabreeze Bungalows where we stayed.
This is the bungalow where we stayed.

 

 

 
This is the main road running through Kai Bae Beach. 

If you travel without a car, there are songtaews, making it very easy to get around the island.  They charge a fixed rate based on how many beaches you pass.  The songtaews meet the ferries, and they strap any large bags on the roof for transport to your hotel.
 

 
One day we rented kayaks, and paddled about 20 minutes to an uninhabited island offshore from Kai Bae beach.  When I first mentioned this, the boy I was with thought that sounded like fun.  It included getting up early to rent the kayaks and be on the water by 9 am.  I have heard many people say that it's impossible to drag a bar boy out of bed early, but if there's something they want to do, they'll make sure to be ready.
There are several waterfalls, and we had planned to hike up to one, but figured since it is dry season with little rain that there wouldn't be anything to see.  Each day we went to a different part of the island to explore using the rental car.  One day I bought us masks and snorkels.  The boy I was with said he liked snorkeling, as he had never done it before.  He told me afterwards it was good, but he didn't get to see any fish.
There are a few 7-Eleven stores on the island, and a small Big C, and a small Makro.  Another reason I chose the Seabreeze Bungalows is it was only a short walk to a 7-Eleven store, very convenient to buy snacks and drinks.  Most motorbikes buy their gasoline from stands selling it in used liquor bottles as you still see in some areas of rural Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia.
There are many small restaurants, and unlike Phuket, the prices for food were reasonable, about the same as on the mainland. 
The air quality on the island was great until late every night when a local resident decided it was a good idea to set large piles of leaves on fire, letting them smolder all night.
There was an elephant camp just steps from the bungalows, and every afternoon, the mahouts would take the juvenile elephants down to Kai Bae Beach to swim and allow tourists to swim with them and take photos.  The salt water didn't bother the elephants, as they were having fun spraying the tourists with water from their trunks.

 

 

 

 

 
Koh Chang was a good break after being in Bangkok and Pattaya.  Five days was a good getaway.   It's a place I had wanted to see for some time.  It's well worth the taking the time to travel there.
 

 
 

Peter, from your description, it sounds like the bar may have been named Solid Bar.  Was the mamasan the same one who always wore the oversized blazer by chance?

Peter, from your description, it sounds like the bar may have been named Solid Bar.  Was the mamasan the same one who always wore the oversized blazer by chance?

Yes, the website Utopia and the gay and lesbian Utopia complex off Sukhumvit were both operated by John Goss.   Utopia had a building with a bookshop, guesthouse, and a cafe on Sukhhumvit soi 23.  The building currently houses a Thai restaurant named Jutharos.  It is located a couple blocks from soi Cowboy.  The exact location can be seen on Google maps at  https://tinyurl.com/ybnb8jvn

I stayed in one of the Utopia guesthouse rooms in either 1995 or 1996.  I had offed a boy from the Hippodrome Bar in Saphan Kwai, and we stayed at the Utopia guesthouse room for a few days before we traveled together to Ko Samui.  

Incidentally, the boy that stayed with me at the Utopia guesthouse turned out to be a model featured in Midway magazine, one of the publications mentioned earlier in this thread.

I remember the Utopia cafe served a very tasty khao soi, the Lanna Thai noodle curry soup that is somewhat difficult to find outside of northern Thailand.

John Goss also took the hundreds of excellent photos for the book "Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture" by Philip Cornwel-Smith.  The book is available on Amazon.  It is worth a look if you are interested in Thai culture and everyday Thai life.
 

Yes, the website Utopia and the gay and lesbian Utopia complex off Sukhumvit were both operated by John Goss.   Utopia had a building with a bookshop, guesthouse, and a cafe on Sukhhumvit soi 23.  The building currently houses a Thai restaurant named Jutharos.  It is located a couple blocks from soi Cowboy.  The exact location can be seen on Google maps at  https://tinyurl.com/ybnb8jvn

I stayed in one of the Utopia guesthouse rooms in either 1995 or 1996.  I had offed a boy from the Hippodrome Bar in Saphan Kwai, and we stayed at the Utopia guesthouse room for a few days before we traveled together to Ko Samui.  

Incidentally, the boy that stayed with me at the Utopia guesthouse turned out to be a model featured in Midway magazine, one of the publications mentioned earlier in this thread.

I remember the Utopia cafe served a very tasty khao soi, the Lanna Thai noodle curry soup that is somewhat difficult to find outside of northern Thailand.

John Goss also took the hundreds of excellent photos for the book "Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture" by Philip Cornwel-Smith.  The book is available on Amazon.  It is worth a look if you are interested in Thai culture and everyday Thai life.
 

Yes, the website Utopia and the gay and lesbian Utopia complex off Sukhumvit were both operated by John Goss.   Utopia had a building with a bookshop, guesthouse, and a cafe on Sukhhumvit soi 23.  The building currently houses a Thai restaurant named Jutharos.  It is located a couple blocks from soi Cowboy.  The exact location can be seen on Google maps at  https://tinyurl.com/ybnb8jvn

I stayed in one of the Utopia guesthouse rooms in either 1995 or 1996.  I had offed a boy from the Hippodrome Bar in Saphan Kwai, and we stayed at the Utopia guesthouse room for a few days before we traveled together to Ko Samui.  

Incidentally, the boy that stayed with me at the Utopia guesthouse turned out to be a model featured in Midway magazine, one of the publications mentioned earlier in this thread.

I remember the Utopia cafe served a very tasty khao soi, the Lanna Thai noodle curry soup that is somewhat difficult to find outside of northern Thailand.

John Goss also took the hundreds of excellent photos for the book "Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture" by Philip Cornwel-Smith.  The book is available on Amazon.  It is worth a look if you are interested in Thai culture and everyday Thai life.
 

Yes, the website Utopia and the gay and lesbian Utopia complex off Sukhumvit were both operated by John Goss.   Utopia had a building with a bookshop, guesthouse, and a cafe on Sukhhumvit soi 23.  The building currently houses a Thai restaurant named Jutharos.  It is located a couple blocks from soi Cowboy.  The exact location can be seen on Google maps at  https://tinyurl.com/ybnb8jvn

I stayed in one of the Utopia guesthouse rooms in either 1995 or 1996.  I had offed a boy from the Hippodrome Bar in Saphan Kwai, and we stayed at the Utopia guesthouse room for a few days before we traveled together to Ko Samui.  

Incidentally, the boy that stayed with me at the Utopia guesthouse turned out to be a model featured in Midway magazine, one of the publications mentioned earlier in this thread.

I remember the Utopia cafe served a very tasty khao soi, the Lanna Thai noodle curry soup that is somewhat difficult to find outside of northern Thailand.

John Goss also took the hundreds of excellent photos for the book "Very Thai: Everyday Popular Culture" by Philip Cornwel-Smith.  The book is available on Amazon.  It is worth a look if you are interested in Thai culture and everyday Thai life.
 

It is undoubtedly true that the Gold Old Days were very much for us- that is European/American/Australian  gay men. Usually in our fifties and beyond. The entertainment we enjoyed was geared to our tastes. 
However, this couldn't go on; slowly and inexorably we were dying out and younger gay compatriots weren't interested in our scene.  I regret the passing of that time  but without the new arrivals, there'd be no Pattaya , and probably not even the remnants of a gay scene which we survivors can still enjoy. 
Go to Terminus 21 and observe the sky-line. Where are you? not in the Old Pattaya with its girlie bars and ramshackle shops but in a  modern Asian city with high rise hotels and condos. They are there for the tourists who have replaced us.
Best to enjoy what's left of the old gay scene while it's still there. As I shall do  in my quest to grow old as disgracefully as possible.

Yes, I remember the Apache Bar from the 90's, and the loincloth costumes the boys wore in the bar.
I remember reading an article in Midway magazine that predicted that the planned skytrain, which was due to open in 1999, would hopefully bring more farang customers to the numerous Saphan Kwai bars.  I don't think the skytrain ever made the area popular with farangs.
Some of the Saphan Kwai bars I remember offing boys from were:
Be High
Street Boy
Hippodrome
Charmming (spelled with two M's)
The Eagle
Apache
Midnight Cowboy
These bars were all within walking distance of each other, in the side sois along Pradipat Road.

NOTE -- This insightful report uses graphics, photos and video to describe how the country's staple crop is under treat from a changing climate and others factors.
From Channel News Asia

In recent years, drought has weakened Thailand's agricultural belt, compromising the nation's most important crop - rice.
In a country that ranks ninth on the Global Climate Risk Index, the rice industry is a critically important one that is highly vulnerable to climate change.
Rice plantations can be severely damaged by the frequent occurrence of extreme weather, both wet and dry.
This has been happening increasingly in Thailand.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/interactives/rice-and-climate-crisis-thailand-special-report-2636776

Compare the death rate between Covid related deaths in Thailand and the UK. My respect remains with the Thai people who still routinely wear face masks, actually covering their faces, compared with the arrogant stupid farang walking around Pattaya with no mask or placing it under their noses.

From The Thaiger

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            photo via Wingtips Facebook
A thunderstorm hit Bangkok yesterday, causing the Service Hall at Don Mueang International airport to collapse. The hall was built just one year ago but hasn’t yet been used due to low levels of international travel throughout the pandemic. No injuries or deaths were reported. Luckily there was no one in there at the time.
The walls of the Service Hall reportedly collapsed last night during a thunderstorm. The airport had built the hall to be used as a meeting place for group tours at Don Mueang Airport Terminal 1, the home of most budget international and some budget domestic flights.
The management of Don Mueang Airport has ordered a team of engineers to inspect the damage and report the causes of the collapse in detail. Thailand’s Minister of Transport has ordered Airports of Thailand – or AOT – to also urgently investigate the cause of the incident.
The Executive Director of AOT Nitinai Sirisatthakarn is currently awaiting a detailed report from the airport. The preliminary report stated there was a storm and heavy rainfall which overwhelmed some of the structure.
 
 

I have not been to Phuket for its gay offerings for many years. In fact, I now do not visit Phuket because apart from the beaches and some restaurants there is not much reason to go when the world and his wife seem to descend on the island. One of my favourite Thai restaurants, though, is Baan Rim Pa. This is on a small cliff before Kalim Bay just north of Patong and virtually opposite the Novotel. The view is superb and we have always had excellent food and cocktails.
https://www.baanrimpa.com/thai-restaurant-kalim/
If it is just a beach you are seeking and already have a Thai friend with you, I thoroughly recommend Khao Lak around 100 kms north of Phuket. There are lots of hotels here but they are very spread out and you will find you have the lovely beach almost to yourself. I stayed at the Marriott Resort some years ago and loved it, especially the ground floor rooms which have access to a small waterway that wends around the property and ends up in the main pool. Perfect for a pre-breakfast swim! Several local restaurants just off the beach. 

Today's edition of the Thaiger carried an article reportedly about a new provision of the Thai Pass program. I recall, however, that this policy previously existed on one form or another for some time now.
From The Thaiger
New info posted on the Thailand Pass website. The change, which starts tomorrow according to the announcement, will now allow applicants to arrive on a different day to the date originally approved in their Thailand Pass application, as long as it’s no more than 7 days either side of the original date.
If you are travelling to Thailand at the moment, everyone, including Thais, need to register for a Thailand Pass, whether they are arriving under the Test & Go, Sandbox or Alternative Quarantine programs. Here’s the announcement…
“Applicants can use their approved Thailand Pass QR Code to enter Thailand on different date of arrival if the new date of arrival is within 7 days before or after the original date of arrival as indicated on the QR Code.
This starts from Monday, April 18 (tomorrow). CAAT (Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand) and the airlines have already been informed.
You do need to rebook hotels and hotel van transfer plus change the dates on your insurance. But you don’t need to upload to the TP website. Just show at check-in and on arrival to health authorities.”

Virtually 100% of the time if a guy has a selfie in an elevator flexing his muscles in an elevator mirror he's in the trade. Escorts spend much more time than most other people in hotel elevators and on the way up they're cleaned, groomed, and dressed nice. They see themselves in mirrored elevators as top-form. Few other people take pics in elevator mirrors while there's few escort ads that don't have an elevator selfie. Anyway it works 90% for me. 
Usually a simple "escort?" will not be an immense insult. Usually. I would not ask in person though. 

Next time I'm in Yangon think I'll just take a cab because only places I'll be going are the spas that Vessey posts about. 🙂

I and not  only me on this forum don't mind spending money on straights as long as they do their part and often they do with gusto, 

Generally I would agree with the sentiments so far expressed. Joiners can be easier at less expensive hotels. I did have one very embarrassing experience at what was then the 5-star Regent Hotel on Rajadamri (so we are going back quite a few years - it later became the Four Seasons and is now the Anantara). I took a boy back from one of the bars at around 10:00 pm. I knew there were security staff on duty at the lift lobby and managed to get into a lift without being seen. I had forgotten about cctv cameras, though. Within a minute of getting to my room there was a knock on the door. It was security. I did not answer. After various similar episodes, the phone rang. And then rang again. I refused to answer. The end result was a less than satisfactory tryst. I also agree with @reader that the Montien definitely had a no joiner policy.
I have written before about a conversation I had with the Assistant GM of the Mandarin Oriental hotel - again quite some time ago. We were having drinks in the lobby when a young man entered with what was obviously a bar girl. Before they even got to the lifts, a security officer approached them. End result? The girl had to leave. No argument about it. I asked my colleague what the hotel's policy was. No joiners after a certain time as it was against the law for hotels to accommodate non-guests who were not registered. But if the guest brought a girl or a boy who was dressed in line with the hotel policies - i.e. pleasantly casual but no tank tops, no  flip flops etc. - then they would be given the benefit of the doubt and allowed upstairs.
I have heard that there is no problem with joiners at Le Meridien on Suriwong. When I spent my one test&go night there last week, I saw no security in the lobby at all and the lift area can not be seen from the front desk. At two mid-price hotels in that area there used to be desks by the lift lobby to get extra payments for guests taking joiners to their rooms. Not sure what the situation is now. Checking hotel policies in advance as suggested by @z909 is a good idea, although given the government's overnight rule, I still think it is best to book a double room and then have your boy du jour register.
Chiang Mai
There is certainly a lot to see in and around Chiang Mai. From @musgrave's post, though, it seems Chiang Mai's gay scene continues in the death throes that started more than 5 years ago. We found the bars now situated across from Le Meridien boring. The money boys are more interested in the locals who frequent them or in their cell phones than new customers. There are certainly other gay massage spas in addition to Classic. The two gay saunas seem to be doing quite good business. Club One-Seven is located near the southern outskirts on the river across from the huge Holiday Inn Hotel. The older House of Male in the north west of the city always  seems to have some students from the nearby University, but with the Songkran holiday about to start I suspect there may not be many until term time starts again. This site is worth checking - 
https://www.gay-in-chiangmai.com

The good news is that Airports of Thailand officials said they have since increased the number of counters and arranged them alphabetically to make it easier for passengers to spot their hotel’s logo.