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It seems that the YES vote is winning out over the NO votes (at least 80% of the locals were voting no). They should have put this up on one of the prediction markets like Kalshi or Polymarket - as the YES vote camp would have won a lot of money. I was away in Bangkok for 5 days and prior to me leaving for Bangkok they were completing the sand renourishment dredging works at the Dongtan police box. Yesterday, I took a walk along the Dongtan beach and I was surprised to see that they have now moved 300 meters north and are continuing the project into the Dongtan beach area. Currently they walled the area from the Dongtan police box all the way up to the Avalon Beach Resort and View Talay 5 condos and they are now currently bulldozing the new sand that has been dredged up from the bottom of the sea onto Dongtan beach. It seems that they have funding for this Phase 2 of the project through 13 July 2027 and they are able to complete 300 meter sections in about 6 to 8 weeks each. The distance from the Dongtan police box to where the beach ends at YinYom beach is 1.4 kilometers - so in theory they would need 5 more cycles of 300 meters each to complete the work - where each cycle takes about 7 weeks on average - they would need 8 to 9 more months to complete the work and they have funding for 10 more months - so, perhaps the project can truly be completed as planned and funded for. @spoon The beach concession where sexy Htoo worked is now closed (I believe that it was concession station #37) for 6 to 8 weeks due to the above mentioned beach renourishment dredging project. Perhaps he went back to Myanmar? He was around last week as I would see him often. So, for those coming to Jomtien over the next 8 to 9 months you may need to adjust where you go to enjoy the gay beach. Just remember that the official gay beaches are more further north in the area of concession stations from #25 through #10. Rainbow Beach #20 / #25 Here are some photos that I took yesterday so that you can see that the project has now officially entered into the Dongtan Beach area: Dongtan Beach pavilion where they do the daily aerobic dancing (a mini Lumphini) around 6pm Bulldozers working behind the construction wall Dongtan_Beach_sand_nourishment.mp4 Short clip of the sand dredging works taking place at Dongtan Beach I wish that they could urgently move this beach sand renourishment project over to in front of the Heritage Beachfront Resort / View Talay 3 area - as almost ALL of the protective beach sand has already eroded away with the current nasty monsoons that have invaded Pattaya - because now the sea waves are crashing onto the foundation that holds up the Dongtan Beach road. At the rate that they are moving, it might not be until another 4 to 5 more months before they arrive into this area - and perhaps by then the Dongtan Beach road will have already collapsed into the sea - which would create a big inconvenience in this area. Edge of Dongtan Beach road near View Talay 3 Edge of Dongtan Beach road looking at the Heritage Beach Resort

@pylonguy71 Londoner is right - during the typical monsoon season here in Pattaya - there are breaks in the rain throughout the day. The good news is that our current monsoon madness should subside by 28 September - which is good news for your first week of October arrival. https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Gi8Ebhuoy/ https://www.tiktok.com/@lovethailandia/photo/7688915365266492690?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7689431357701457426

I just returned to Pattaya (Jomtien) after 4 days over in Bangkok (Philippine Embassy stuff). https://www.facebook.com/reel/1747153619824536 guy dancing in front of the Legacy Big Tool bar in Pattaya on Walking Street Many people were complaining about the intermittent rain in Bangkok - but it was no where near as severe as the torrential downpours that Pattaya has been experiencing - including today. https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1E1HAkHgDn/ https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1Db7soyDuU/

To be honest - my preference is to remain here in Jomtien - which is very easy as I would not need to do anything = status quo (lazy way out). But, after 4 years of living here - there is this constant gnawing feeling that won't leave me in peace. Each time there is a negative event that happens in my life here it returns in full force - hence this becomes the fuel that makes me want to see if the grass would be any greener in the other pond(s). Also, in my previous professional career, I was taught to continuously be on the lookout on ways to mitigate future negative outcomes and this learned behavior permeates into my current retiree life. So, I need to make this adventure in order to be able to give peace of mind to myself. Perhaps, at the end of this journey, I will discover that the "grass is as green as it gets" by just remaining in Jomtien and to accept and manage the negative things that I do not like about living here. I intend to split my time between Pattaya (Jomtien) and in various locations in the Philippines - because I have still not yet found a location that meets my desired retirement location attributes, such as: Beach front living - but western facing for the amazing sunsets. Unfortunately, many places that I visited in the Philippines - the accommodation on the beach was east facing - so no amazing sunsets. A high floor with a big balcony - this I found to be very challenging - as it seems that the Philippine people are not balcony loving people like here in Thailand. If you do find a balcony, it is very small and somewhat dangerous due to it being too small. Decent access to some gay life - obviously nothing in the Philippines can match what Pattaya has on offer - especially in the Jomtien Complex Supertown. But I would be ok with just being able to hang out with the local gay community - which I have found that they tend to be informal meetups and of course there are always the apps. For example, 1 Cebuano guy created a new Telegram group last year, called anonymous cebu and already it has more than 5,000 members and they organize social events, hiking trips, game events, sightseeing, hookups, approved safe masseur list, dating advice, and many more categories. So, this is proof that the Filipino gay community is starved for something other than the apps to meet people - and I find this very encouraging. Yes, to mitigate the potential taxation issue on your Assessable Income on money that you bring into Thailand - you should stay outside of Thailand for 183 days in a calendar tax year. Technically it is only 180 days - but I was advised to use 183 days instead.

How timely your post was today as I was walking from my hotel to the Sukhumvit BTS station = Phrom Phong there was a Don Quixote - but it was selling Nuru Massage instead of Japanese merchandise 😜

Hello @Olddaddy , I am already following your advice that you gave me in one of your other posts: My year 2026 allowed me to finally end my tumultuous relationship with ThaiBF#2. Hallelujah! As I write this reply today from my hotel in Bangkok Sukhumvit 26, I will this afternoon go to the nearby Philippine Embassy to pick up a key document that is required for my Philippine SRRV retirement visa request. So, my planning for year 2027 includes to acquire my Permanent Residence (PR) in the Philippines. Here in Thailand it is nearly impossible to acquire PR status - especially for retirees. See below article. The good news about the Philippine PR is that there is no residency requirement, so I will continue to keep my Jomtien residence while I go and explore the Philippines more in year 2027. Bangkok LadA hundred per nationality: Thailand's permanent residence...Thailand caps permanent residence at 100 people per nationality per year. For most nationalities the quota has never been the problem — almost nobody applies.

When I hired Woody and his partner Non - they took me from Chiang Mai to stay at the River Kwai River Resort in Kanchanaburi, which I reported on in my 2015 trip report shown below: https://www.gayguides.com/topic/9986-july-2015-trip-report-chiang-mai-sukhothai-kanchanaburi-and-pattaya/#findComment-83552 Staying on those floating raft types of rooms was the highlight of my trip. I loved that place and the great time that we had there. I see that it is still operational 11 years later. I included the site hyperlink above. Enjoy.

One of my "seasonal" farang friends is back in Jomtien from Europe so I used that opportunity for us to go and eat at Guido's new Pratamnak branch restaurant last night. Guido has also dedicated a NEW facebook page for his Pattaya operations in Pratamnak at: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61594474049812 The restaurant is beautiful, especially the outside area which includes a waterfall, mini decorative pool, tropical landscaping and wonderful lighting. It was lightly raining and we still preferred to sit outside as it more magical outside than the indoor airconditioned area. The menu seems to be the same as the Bangkok Silom soi 4 branch. The food was delicious as is always the case at G's. As the portions are quite large there was no room for dessert. Unfortunately, Guido was not there last night as he was still in Bangkok. After our big meal we should have made the 20 minute walk along Dongtan beach back to Supertown in the Jomtien Complex (as the rain had already stopped) but we were bad boys, as we were too eager to see what kind of trouble we could get into at one of the pillow bars, as they have added some new guys to the crew....👹🍆💦😜

Thank you for saying this. In the case of aaroninatl, it is super pertinent for him to use this approach (in my opinion) because the stated primary goal of this trip to Thailand is to help him to understand where in Thailand he would like to retire to and be the most happiest. In my opinion, meeting a guy on Grindr and getting an orgasm from him is not a good way to determine a life changing decision = where do I want to retire to.....

And it is what you wrote above that is killing off the gay bar scene. With the current trajectory of apps over real life encounters - soon we will all become "prisoners" of the apps - with no access to alternate venues to entertain ourselves. I hope that I die before that type of gay world takes over. The gay hinterland economic centers of Thailand; Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Phuket (Patong), Hua Hin, Hat Yai, and Pattaya, etc. are now much smaller than they were years ago - as there are now less venues on offer. Yet, we have potential new retirees who come to visit Thailand and visit these gay hinterland economic centers and leave with a sense of disappointment - as they are no match to the allure of the big city Bangkok with its very vibrant gay economic areas. Consequently, I would argue that most potential new retirees settle in Bangkok, instead of the many other nice places that exist in Thailand due to a lack of vibrant gay life out in the Thai hinterland.

Me too. I was very disappointed in aaroninatl's reports from Koh Samui and now from Chiang Mai. Years ago I had some fantastic and exciting gay adventures in Koh Samui and Chiang Mai. But my approach was different than aaroninatl's, in that I did not give preference to the apps, as I much prefer to meet the guys live = "face to face" as I find that (too often forgotten) human approach much more productive to break into a new place. In Koh Samui I hung out in the bars, spoke to the bar staff and bar owners. I also met guys over at the Chaweng tiny gay beach. Also, I chatted up the massage shop owners and masseurs to the point that I employed some of them to be my wingmen and/or tour guides and through this mechanism I was able to break into the gay world of Koh Samui. I also employed this same strategy for Seoul - which is not an easy nut to crack --> meaning to break into the local gay Korean scene. The strategy that worked for me in Seoul, Da Nang, and Cebu was to make friends with the local masseurs and ask them to include me in the local gay scene. This is how I found the now famous Woody of Chang Mai - back when Woody was nobody - just a fresh refugee escaping the nasty situation over in the Shan state when Woody was discretely working as a masseur in the Classic House massage shop that now after many years of his success, friendliness, and determination eventually bought the massage shop thanks to the success of his tour guide wingman business with his Thai partner Non. So, when I read these disappointing trip reports it breaks my heart because there is too much dependence on using the gay apps to substitute for real face-to-face human connection.

Welcome to Chiang Mai. I can vouch for the "Butter is Better" restaurant mentioned by mauRICE earlier in this thread. I reported on it in my 2015 Chiang Mai thread at: https://www.gayguides.com/topic/9986-july-2015-trip-report-chiang-mai-sukhothai-kanchanaburi-and-pattaya/ Please check out Woody - highly recommended in our forum by myself and many other forum members who have met up with him. I believe that Woody is the owner of the famous massage shop in Chiang Mai = http://classichousemassage.com/ Woody can also act as a tour guide and/or wingman for going out to the various places in Chiang Mai. I have utilized Woody's services a couple of times over the years and he is very reliable. I am a member of some of the Thai sponsored massage forums; @massageinside3, @massageinside6 and @ShunJou over on Twitter (X) Recently, @ShunJou has posted information about a really cool club in Chiang Mai = Booppachart or Hug Phuchat - depending on the translation used. X (formerly Twitter)ชุนโจ (@ShunJou) on XAge-restricted adult content. This content might not be appropriate for people under 18 years old. To view this media, you’ll need to log in to X. Learn moreHere is their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Booppachart/?_rdr And they also have some "blond" guys...... https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FGM5zy6Dv/ Enjoy.

A member from the We Love Jomtien Facebook group posted an update today regarding the Jomtien Beach sand replenishment project. It definitely has reached the police box where Dongtan beach begins. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19SibobSym/ There are many discussions going on locally as to whether they will continue northbound - into the gay beach area. Many people are saying no and a few people say yes that they will continue. I am in the YES camp - for what I show below: With us definitely in the monsoon rainy season - there has recently been some intense rain storms where noticeable beach erosion has already taken place in the Dongtan beach area: In the above photo, you can see that the storm waves have already started to destroy the foundation of the Dongtan Beach road. This is directly in front of The Heritage Beach Resort - which is just after the gay volleyball courts. In the below photo - which is at the edge of the Dongtan beach pavillion where the daily aerobic classes take place - you can see that the sea is already washing away part of the foundation of the Dongtan beach sidewalk. They keep filling it in with sand - but as you can see in the upper right corner - the sand already has a steep downward slope from the erosion. I was chatting with a forum member today and he was asking if the rain is intense in these days. I will let this sexy guy Misha be your testimony (see his recent Instagram post below) - as he can be found frequently working out at the outdoor Bamboo Gym - which is directly adjacent to the gay volleyball area - of what a recent rain storm was like here in Jomtien: https://www.instagram.com/misha221995/reel/DdHOXgCpCeS/

Shall we start a Gayguides forum GoFundMe for you?

Yes. It was a surreal event. I was with my exThaiBF#2 and a group of his Thai friends and we were in the Jomtien Complex, aka Supertown at The Best Bar anniversary party when around midnight, all of a sudden, the bright lights went on and the DJ stopped the music and the performers rushed off of the stage, as a large group of police came in to make a pee/document check. At my table, we were 7 people, including myself. The six Thai guys were asked to relocate to the back of the bar with the performers, bar staff, and other Thai customers. I got agitated and I asked one of the police guys why are you taking my friends away. He barked back and told me to stay calm - which I did. Within 5 minutes, my exThaiBF#2 and his 5 Thai friends were back at our table. I asked them what happened and they were asked if they did any drugs and were asked to make a pee test - but then abruptly the pee test was canceled. The entire ordeal took about 30 minutes but the damage was done - because before the police raid The Best Bar was FULL - there was a large table of Chinese customers sitting in front of us truly enjoying themselves and it is very rare to see that in the complex. After the police left The Best Bar, the bar was now empty and the previous success of Khun_Best's anniversary party was evaporated into the ether thanks to the police raid. Did I have my original passport or DL on me? NO Did I have any documentation on my person? Yes, I always get new facsimiles of my documents laminated and it is these credit card sized documents that stay in my pocket (passport ID on 1 side, visa expiration stamp on the other side), health insurance card, and Thai driving license. All originals are back in my condo room in the safety lock box.

Perhaps its time for someone from this forum to off one of them. But, it will require some deep pockets - so count me out.

AseanNow has published a story today about the Legacy Big Tool venue on Pattaya's Walking Street. Very interesting article: https://aseannow.com/thailand-news/russian-men-flee-war-to-work-pattayas-strip-bars-r3733/?utm_source=aseannow_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=2026-09-12&utm_campaign=Russian+men+flee+war+work+in+Pattaya+strip+bars

ἐν πιθήκοις ὄντα δεῖ εἶναι πίθηκον I had to look that one up

and when you live here you are constantly reminded of these self-censorship "guidelines". especially if you get too curious as to why a PFC event took place..... so, overtime, you also adopt the "artificial" smiles as part of your new persona.... when in Rome - do as the Romans do - comes to mind....

Wishing you a safe and stress free journey, so that when you re-embrace Cam again he can feel your love and excitement for this new chapter in your life. 😘 All the best 🤩

I am confused. Your AirBnB in Bangkok was in the BKK gay ghetto = Silom. All of the guy attention that you got in BKK came within radius of your Grindr free (or subscription) plan - as displayed to you on your Grindr screen. All of those blessings were because you were in Silom and not in Lak Si or some other far away part of the BKK metropolis. Consequently, by being in Lamai many of the potential guys that might interest you probably won't appear on your Grindr display because you are too far from where their profiles are located??

PLU = People Like Us - as in part of the LGBTQ+ community I asked Grok what is there for PLUs in Lamai Beach. It basically says that Lamai is the honeymoon place of Koh Samui - but your 2 Grindr candidates are back in BKK. Here is what Grok replied:

Outch - this tidbit of information tells me that your AirBnB choice is far from the fun Chaweng Beach area where the Pride Bar is and also many PLUs. Any reason as to why you chose an AirBnB so far away? In Bangkok you chose an AirBnB right smack in the middle of the gay zone (Silom). If I were in your shoes - I would rent a motorbike so that you can get the most from your stay in Koh Samui. I have been several times - but you will need a way to move yourself around to see everything either by hiring a tour guide or renting a motorbike to see everything.

When you say Pattaya - does that also include Jomtien? if yes, there are many m2m massage shops in the Jomtien Complex, aka Supertown that are physically within the complex and also out on the exterior road (Thappraya) that circumvents the complex on the outer perimeter. Sudjai is the newest addition to the complex: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61591910247066 Regarding the areas near Tukcom and Boyztown I am not aware of any new m2m shops. Supertown MAP Those entities displayed in green on the above map are the massage shops.

And the Winner is: HEALS won the Best Documentary Feature at the 2026 Pattaya International Film Festival (PTYIFF). As I could not attend the awards ceremony that was held at the Colosseum on 28 August 2026 - the results have finally been released in social media at: https://www.facebook.com/reel/2067369040651191 I am very pleased with this outcome.