PeterRS

As readers will know, Taipei is one of my regular haunts with visits 3 or 4 times a year. The first was in 1986 when martial law was still in force and gay life was almost zero apart from the boys who would congregate in the New Park not far from the old Hilton Hotel. That park is now Peace Park and the hotel remains as the Caesar Park. The times are detailed in the book Crystal Boys set in 1971, later made into both a movie and later a moving TV series. I wonder if any city has changed as much as Taipei in its attitudes to gay men and women since then? I find it one of the most fascinating cities with an increasingly active gay life of its own in which foreigners are always welcome. Like @jimmie50 I have had many amazing experiences there.

That's exactly the same as I heard from a European who used to live in Thailand for more than a dozen years. He was a painter and he moved to Bali both to have freedom to paint and because he had been told that one European he vaguely knew lived there with regular parties at which many dozens of gay Bali boys would cavort naked around the pool. This was allegedly a weekly occurrence. Having packed up his house outside Chiang Mai he made the move. Within a year he was back. He'd had a great first few weeks and then it just became boring, boring, boring, he told me.

Ok, so we don't agree. In Rome I was responsible for being pickpocketed for the simpe reason that i was aware of the city's reputation and I did not do enough to keep my cash safe. That's pretty obvious. On the other hand, I was not responsible the first time a taxi driver in Istanbul instantly switched a 10 million note for a 5 million one. I knew i had given him a 10 million note but I was not aware of that scam and in any case I had absolutely no way of proving it. Similarly, anyone expecting the police and legislation to protect them from pickpocketing wherever they happen to be will be mightily disappointed. The problem with pickpockets is that they are almost every time far from the scene by the time a policeman gets anywhere close. You cartoons posted on Tuesday at 2:03pm are obvious and stupid. You may not regard them as cartoons but even though they may be found in Texas, they are visuals that are quite inappropriate for this particular subject matter.

We read a lot on this Board about the sexual preferences of readers. It's partly what makes it interesting. In the hope that this may make it even more interesting, I am going to try and start a Poll underneath this post. I have never ceated a Poll before and so may get my knickers in a twist. But I'll try. Two points to note. 1. Polls here can only have 4 subject lines, each with various choices. So if I am not finished I may try to add a second Poll. 2. Polls on some Boards have the screen names of those giving answers. I have chosen to make this anonymous, so your name will not appear. This may lead to some scam-type answers but I hope not. Well, I tried several times but each time I was informed the Poll was not completed correctly. Goodness knows what that means for I had added Subjects and Choices exactly as requested. I'l check the general regulations and see if there is anything about Polls there.

We read a lot on this Board about the sexual preferences of readers. It's partly what makes it interesting. In the hope that this may make it even more interesting, I am going to try and start a Poll underneath this post. I have never ceated a Poll before and so may get my knickers in a twist. But I'll try. Two points to note. 1. Polls here can only have 4 subject lines, each with various choices. So if I am not finished I may try to add a second Poll. 2. Polls on some Boards have the screen names of those giving answers. I have chosen to make this anonymous, so your name will not appear. This may lead to some scam-type answers but I hope not. Here goes!

The basic premise of that article is what we all knew! "So these are uncharted waters . . . Unfortunately, we’re still in a position where things are changing day by day. No one knows what will happen next."

Samming has become a huge business. We know that here in Asia there are some 250,000 people who have been trafficked from many countries to work in scam centres almost all of which are located in Myanmar near the border with Thailand. It seems that all arrive in Bangkok having been promised all manner of jobs before being whisked to the border and their new life of utter misery. The Thai authorities know this but seem to do little about it. A Report published by USIP in 2024 stated that Myanmar scam activities had netted US$64 billion by the end of 2023!

Ghastly event! But you can rest assured that Putin will never set foot in the EU. He knows that will be his death warrant - death in jail that is.

1. What does it matter how old the boy was when that photo was taken? I did not state the photo was taken when he waa 11. It was a photo pictured on many media outlets. DId this affect the outcome of his being murdered in cold blood? Of course not, but maybe you do not agree. And with equal respect, I frankly do not believe that is a photo of a six-year old. He is clearly several years older. I think you may be confusing this with the murder of Aiden Leos aged 6 in a road rage incident in 2021. As news reports today have highlighted, the man was not in his house when the bell was rung. He was actually waiting in the shadows with the gun in his hand. He then followed the boys as they ran away BEFORE he fired any shots. He was clearly intent on shooting one or more. This makes his murder charge much more serious as I assume it now involves premeditation. He deserves the maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole. In a search of his home, in addition to the handgun, police found 20 other guns and tactical and smoke grenades. This man is a monster. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ding-dong-ditch-prank-shooting-houston-suspect-waiting-shadows/ 2. You are kind but please do not be sorry for me. I was on my 5th or 6th visit to the city, I knew about pickpocketing but still I placed some cash where it could be relatively easily taken when distracted by a thief's accomplice. I still believe had I been more sensible, it could not have happened as it did. I agree, though, for a casual tourist Rome is pickpocket's heaven, as are many big cities. But I still believe that virtually all who have their pockets picked are to a certain extent at fault for not taking greater care of their cash and valuables. And I still believe that even tightening up laws and giving the police more powers will help not one iota. The vdo clip from The Take I posted immediately above shows how simple it is for a talented pickpocket to steal your cash and have melded anonymously into nearby crowds long before you realise your cash is gone! We each have a responsibility for our own belongings. Finally, and again with all respect, I do not think a very serious subject like the murder of an 11-year old should be peppered with cartoons. Wrong thread! Wrong attitude!

Yes, but my question was pretty obviously intended for the others who did find evidence of considerable drug abuse.

It is surely perfectly ridiculous to equate a pickpocket with a rapist. Agreed - both are breaking the law, but this is not merely the breaking of one law because they is each covered by different laws! Please be sensible. I had my pocket picked for the simple reason that I did not take precautions to secure all my cash. Having been to Rome several times, I knew all about pickpockets. I could quite easily have prevented the theft. My own stupidity resulted in it. But then to suggest that you expect the police to deal with a pickpocket is, sorry to say, further stupidity. Of course, in an ordered world that might be the sensible thing to do. But picture the scenario. I am walking by the Spanish Steps. I just realise my wallet has been stolen but I have not the faintest idea who stole it. I try to find a policeman. No luck. If I have been sensible and put the local English police reporting office number on to my phone, I call. I give my details and location. I am asked to describe the pickpocket. I cannot. If - and only if - the police decide this is a case worth looking at, they might send someone to talk with me. How long does that take? 15 minutes? With luck maybe 10. And where is the pickpocket by then? Having hopped on a motorcycle, he is probably praying for his thieving soul in St. Peter's more than two miles away - while at the same time thanking the good Lord that there are idiots who happily put there cash where it can be stolen. Ever seen this scene before?

I think you will have realised from my following words that I erred, for which I apologise. I did mean to write "I do NOT agree with it". This is the photo of the murdered 11-year old. According to CNN, there is no law in Texas that permits a home owner to shoot and kill a boy who is running away from his property. The murderer Gonzalo Leon Jr. aged 42 has been formally charged with the teen's murder. In Texas the so-called "Castle Doctrine" or "Stand Your Ground" law permit a homeowner to shoot someone who unlawfully enters your building of if you as the home owner believe it is to prevent robbery, assault and certain other crimes. It does not cover a home owner leaving his home with a gun in hand and shooting and murdering an 11-year old boy in the act of running away from your building having caused no material harm. Prosecutors are adamant that the legislation does not cover the crime Leon Jr. committed as there was absolutely no threat whatever facing him. Any murder in Texas is classed merely as murder. First degree and second degree hold no sway. The maximum penalty for murder is 99 years. A murder charge can be reduced to a second degree felony if the prosecution and judge agree. That carries a maximum penalty of 20 years without parole. For the deliberate murder of a child, I believe 20 years is far too lenient.

To experience unique views; definitely. For bragging rights; No.

Understood, but that is surely not the basic reason for resorting to taking it? That's what I was hoping to find out.

I respect @unicorn's argument, but frankly do agree with it. Having one's pocket picked is quite often the fault of the one wearing the pocket. That was the case when I was robbed in Rome, and I was perfectly well aware after the event it was my fault for not being more careful with my cash. Behaving in other countries according to the customs of those countries is also, with respect, not an argument. I have been in Doha and seen quite a few willing guys on the apps there. I have spent two weeks in Iran where my guide had a hooker in every city we visited. Pickpocketing, scams, and adjusting sexual behaviour to comply with other countries' laws have, at least to me, absolutely nothing to do with the ridiculously easy access to guns and the murder of innocent teens and pre-teens in the USA. There is absolutely no excuse for extinguishing a life in such a manner. Trying to be fair, I realise that the situation in the USA thanks to that ridiculous 2nd Amendment is now totally out of control. But when a majority of the electorate want sticter gun controls and a major reduction in the ease with which guns can be acquired and lawmakers on both sides adamantly refuse even to tighten legislation, the fact that there are now far more guns than people in the country is just nuts. Even after the Brady Bill to mandate waiting longer periods before purchase was enacted, the useless Supreme Court struck it down! And even the 10 years after the Federal Assault Weapons ban was enacted in 1994 to get assault weapons of war off the streets, has never been reintroduced after it died its death in 2004. Why are American politicians such pussies when those in other countries like the UK and Australia have taken major action to enact much tighter gun legislation and make ownership of guns much more difficult?

I have acually lived in East Asia for 46 years in several countries. Although I never took the trouble to learn the languages well enough for conversations, I know enough for the basics. Fortunately friends I have made tend to speak at worst reasonable English. Everywhere I have had more "local" friends than western friends. For me I just cannot see the point of living outside my own country in an expat bubble - although of course I fully respect the rights of those who do.

To me that makes not one iota of difference. Of course, as stated I am not American and I do not understand much of what happens politically and socially in America. But the ability of virtually anyone in the USA to grab a gun and murder unarmed teenage and pre-teen boys virtually on their doorsteps whether or not they were playing a stupid prank or not, is the mark of a hideously warped society, one where people care little about anyone but themselves and where the callous murder of young children seems only to increase each time lawmakers talk about the need to preserve the ridiculous 2nd Amendment. How many recall this was actually ratified on December 15 1791? That anyone can remotely consider a law passed 234 years ago remains relevant without any further amendment or revision in the year 2025 is close to madness in my limited view. It is as though the good and the bad people in America consider they still live in a country where they can slaughter the Native American Indian communities with impunity and the horse and buggy remains the only mode of transport. All sensible societies accept that laws need to be revised or repealed with the passage of time. If not, homosexuals in England would still be subject to the death penalty under the Buggery Act of 1553. But that Act was revised in 1861 and again in 1885 before finally being being struck off the statute books (with certain exceptions as for sex with with minors, for example) in 1967. So if two gay members of this forum lived in England and the USA in the year 1886, would they rather be subject to two years in jail like Oscar Wilde or murdered on a doorstep?

Do let us know after your return. Sri Lanka is rarely mentioned here and a report from a member will I am certain be most welcome.

This should perhaps be in the Politics forum but I am today so angry I want it posted where more can see it. If there is one American gun event I remember more than the vast thousands of others during my lifetime, it is not Sandy Hook or other hideous massacres. It is the tragic tale of a 16-year old Japanese exchange student, Yoshiro Hattori. At Halloween in 1992, Hattori was invited to a party for Japanese students. His homestay 'brother' drove him to the party. Hattori was dressed in a white tuxedo in deference to the character played by John Travolta in the movie Saturday Night Fever. Finding an address with Halloween decorations outside, Hattori and his friend went up and rang the doorbell. It was the wrong address. As there was no response, they were in the act of leaving when the house owner, a 30-year old supermarket butcher named Rodney Peairs, opened the door, a magnum 44 in his hand. He shouted "Freeze". Almost certainly unaware what the word "freeze" meant, Hattori turned back to say to Peairs that they were there for the party. Hattori also did not have his contact lenses on that night. He moved towards Peairs. From a distance of just five feet, Peairs shot and killed him. This is where the law in the US appears to me madness! Originally Peairs was not charged with any crime as the Baton Rouge Police Department claimed Peairs had a legal right to shoot a trespasser. Only affter protests from the State Governor and the Japanese Consul was Peairs charged with manslaughter. It gets worse. Even though a police detective admitted in court that Peairs had said to him, "Boy, I messed up; I made a mistake," after a mere three hours deliberation, the jury found Peairs "not guilty". At an ensuing civil trial, that verdict was overturned and Hattori's parents awarded US$650,000 in compensation. The Peairs insurance company paid $100,000. Over more than three decades the Peairs have never paid one cent of any of the remainder. Why do I think of that today? Last Saturday evening a group of young kids were playing a prank in Houston, Texas. I am sure as kids we all played pranks of various descriptions, sometimes annoying those who were the subject of the prank. But virtually always we put it to the back of our minds and just got on with daily life. Last Saturday, the prank was ringing doorbells and then running away quickly. It seems there were three boys, not yet teenagers. After one bell was rung, the kids ran like mad down the street. The houseowner quickly appeared at the door, gun in hand, saw the boys and randomly shot several times. The intent clearly was to kill. An 11-year old boy was shot in the back and died the following day. The houseowner eventually gave himself up to the police and there is a possibility he will be charged with murder. Several guns were discovered in his home. Irrespective of the charge, in what civilised country in the world are people permitted to own guns and shoot anyone who comes near their front doors without first ascertaining the reason and a reasonable belief that they might come to serious harm? A halloween misunderstanding where the murdered victim is just 16 and has no gun and where the jury has the gall to bring a verdict of "not guilty" and an 11-year old playing a prank are wholly unacceptable circumstances for taking lives - young innocent lives. These are out and out murders which would never occur in most countries. And it is now finally being cited, along with a loathing of Donald Trump and what he, his sanctions and his law & order forces are doing in grabbing innocent people from the streets, as one reason for tourism to the United States starting to fall quite drastically. The US Travel Association estimated that the drop in inbound international travel to the US in March was 14%. The US then had a $50 billion travel trade deficit. https://abcnews.go.com/US/11-year-houston-boy-shot-door-knocking-prank/story?id=125141773 https://www.ustravel.org › us-travel-snapshot-april-2025

Gs Guy Hostel in Taipei sadly closed quite recently. It had single rooms in addition to various types of dorm rooms, open showers and a sort of suggestion that walking around naked was encouraged. Annoyingly agoda still adertises it on its list of hotels. When you try to make a booking it quotes "Just Missed It", which is probably true but actually misleading. But there are other hostels which are either gay or have gay floors. Just be careful when using websites. Nomadic Boys allegedly lists the ten most popular gay hotels. All, apart from Gs Guy which is closed, are regular hotels that have absolutely nothing to do with gay men! It's a total rip off. One popular gay hostel seems to be Miniinn close to the main station. Three of the floors are allegedly dedicated for gay guests. It has become so popular, one website states it will only take reservations two months in advance which I think is probably nonsense. But at around NT$770 (US$25) per night, it's a steal for younger travellers. Beds in male dormitory room Superior quadruple room

As I have written before, Pattaya is not my scene and I could not consider retiring there. But I could not agree more with @floridarob's advice. As I know thanks largely to the companies I have worked for, there are so many fabulous places to visit in this amazing world of ours. I may not have visited as many as @floridarob's 80 but certainly way over 50. Why deny yourself the opportunity of checking at least some of them? You don't always have to throw sex into the mix at the outset, athough I fully understand that for most readers that is a given. But you seem only to stick to South East Asia. Granted air fares to South America would be a lot more expensive but are you not on some airline mileage scheme? I seem to recall you travel business class much of the time and that should build miles. I expect you also have a credit card. If that is not linked to a points transfer to airline mileage, then you should change it. Over 3 or 4 years you could build enough miles to venture further afield. India may not be a preferred destination for you - although for sightseeing parts can be exceptionally hard to beat - but what about Sri Lanka? That has always had a major gay reputation. Beaches with tanned brown bodies, excellent relatively inexpensive hotels, great sightseeing in the interior of the country where there may be more sex-starved young men! It is surely not much more expensive to fly there than to Bangkok.

I go sometimes to the supermarket in the basement of Paragon. I never try to take a taxi from the rank. Instead, from the first floor I cross the road and descend to the other side. I walk 50-100 meters towards Discovery Centre and then stand at the side of the road. Contrary to what happens much more often on the opposite side from Central Chidlom when empty taxis sail by, I can frequently get a taxi here. Latest was yesterday around 2:30pm. The Kinokuniya book store in Paragon is excellent. I assume you know there is another branch on the 3rd floor of Unit B in Em Quartier which is right at Prom Phong Skytrain station. But do not try to get a taxi outside. That part of Silom is permanently clogged with horrendous traffic

But there are lots of entries and more videos about the onsen. Just google it.

I fear the same. The man is a snake. He's always been coiled and ready to pounce. This time he'll probably succeed, alas. He lives in the same expensive condo block where a friend of mine lives. When he was Minister of Health he was seen walking around the garage of his condo without a mask even though one of his entourage had caught the covid bug.

The only point I'd add is once again fairly general elsewhere. If you happen to let you hand stray a little and touch the leg of a cute Asian you have an eye on, should he brush it off it means he is not interested. So just pass on to the next guy.