Gaybutton

A messed up walkway. No Shade other than beach umbrellas that are in condition that make them look like leftovers from World War I. Trees that now resemble the aftermath of a hurricane. And no boys. Gee, I can't wait to go to the beach . . .

As good a guess as any. Whatever the reasons are, the fact is they're just not at the beach anymore and, unfortunately, I know of nothing to indicate a change in the future. I would love to be wrong about that.

Many do manage to survive somehow. Many others have given up and returned home or found other jobs, whether in Pattaya or elsewhere. Some continue on in Pattaya because to them the current hard times is still better than returning to the rice farm. Many boys who had been familiar figures have completely disappeared from the scene. Quite a few have even given up on Gay Romeo. Some who used to be on Gay Romeo every day have disappeared and their profiles have expired. It's not as gloomy as my post is probably making seem, though. Not at all. There are still hundreds and hundreds of readily available boys in Pattaya, but they just don't go "farang hunting" at the beach anymore. We've debated before about why. There are still a lot of farang on the beach, but the boys rarely go anymore. I wish I had the answers, but I have only guesses. Maybe the police ran them off, although I doubt that. The police can't even seem to control the lady-boy prostitutes on Pattaya Beach Road. Many are convinced sites such as Gay Romeo is where the boys do their "farang hunting" now instead of going to beach. I would have thought there would be at least some that do both, but they don't. Maybe some will give the beach another try once high season kicks in. We'll see. If the current trend continues, the days of going to the beach and having loads of boys readily available are over. It seems to have gone extinct. Unless something changes, now it's only history.

If I remember correctly, he has an older brother working at that concession. Maybe they're all one big happy family . . . It's sad, really. A grand total of one boy on the entire gay beach drawing much attention, and he's 16. A far cry from only a few years ago when there were so many available and willing boys at the beach it was hard to decide which one you wanted. If I were a concessionaire at the gay beach, during these hard times I would probably hire some boys just to be there to attract farang and maybe even do the same thing the bars do - charge a nominal off fee and pay the boy a commission when a farang buys a drink or something else for him from the concession. After all, if you want gay customers, you better think like a gay businessman . . .

Ok, now I know who you're talking about. The last time I was there, about a month ago, I spoke with him. I asked his age. He told me he's 18. I didn't believe him and pressured him to be honest about it. He finally admitted, unfortunately, he's only 16.

That is why I emphasized good hot dogs. As far as I'm concerned, Oscar Meyer is at best one step above most of the Thai hot dogs, but still lousy and not worth buying.

I do too, but there's one thing more I try to get - their phone numbers . . .

One thing I've learned, living in Thailand as long as I have - if you shop around you can find nearly everything you're looking for. If there's something you want that can't be found in one grocery store, you can often find it in another. There are also specialty shops. You might not find the name brand you want, but most of the time I can't tell any difference. Two American products I wish I could find, but never have, are corned beef hash and good hot dogs. If anyone knows where they can be found, anywhere in Thailand, I would be most grateful. Other than those, I can't think of any other grocery items I miss and can't find.

I've seen billboards advertising this. The winner gets a 25,000 baht prize.

If anyone truly believes that bars are going to be forced to stop selling liquor at midnight, and would comply even if they were, then I've got a bridge in Brooklyn for sale.

Certainly. Why not? I remember an incident in Pattaya, several years ago, when a weighted down body, with hands tied behind the back, was discovered in Pattaya Bay. The police ruled that a suicide. Maybe the police were right. Sounds like something the local Don Corleone and Luca Brazzi might have been responsible for. After all, if you mess with the Mafia, that's suicide . . .

I suppose that's possible, but that seems a little farfetched to me. I think it's much more likely the boy was trying to hide something. Whatever his reason may have been, for me it wouldn't matter. In my opinion it would be best to just get rid of this boy and stay rid of him.

That has happened to many farang. I'm glad you're aware of it. I hope you won't make the same mistake twice. Sometimes these holiday romances really do work out, but the vast majority do not, especially when it involves a bar boy. The safest thing to do is to enjoy the time you spend with a boy while here on a holiday, maybe even have a tearful farewell when you depart for home, and leave it at that. The trouble is many think with their hearts instead of their brains - and the result is all too often disaster. When a farang falls in love with a Thai boy, returns home, and pines away, constantly thinking about the boy until he can return to Thailand to be with the love of his life, do you truly believe the boy is doing the same thing? Whenever I hear a farang say, "Oh no, not this boy. He's different," that's when I know the farang is usually in real trouble. I'll never forget one boy I knew who used to carry 5 different mobile phones with him. One for each different farang who had fallen in love with him and, of course, were all sending money. Meanwhile, the boy made them think he was in love with them too when the reality was, other than the money, he didn't give a damn about any of them. How do I know? He told me. All he was interested in was getting the money out of them. And you know what? He got it. Then why would the boy have insisted that 1moRussian not even see him off at the bus?

Unlike vinapu, not only do I look at this particular glass as half empty, I look at it as completely empty and probably never really had anything in it in the first place. I believe you have probably been strung along and tricked all this time, most likely for the sole purpose of relieving you of a lot of cash. It certainly wouldn't be the first time this sort of thing has happened to unsuspecting farang. If this boy didn't even want you to see him board the bus, let alone go with him to Khorat as he had told you before he wanted you to do, the words "something to hide" come to mind. When I see a red light, I end it right then and there. In this case, I see a huge, glaring red light. Obviously I don't know your circumstances, but based on what you have posted I know what I would do if it were me. I'd drop this boy like a hot potato and move on. If he tries to call, I would not answer the telephone no matter how many times he tries. If he sends text messages or Email, I would delete them without even reading them. If you're still here when he returns, I would refuse to see him. There are plenty more available boys in Pattaya. I hope you won't let him ruin your holiday. If he manages to catch up with you anyhow, I would regard any excuse he gives as pure, unadulterated bullshit. My response to any excuse he tries would be as Franklin Roosevelt once said: "Tell that to the Marines." I might be far more cynical and unforgiving than many, but I've lived here a long time and I've seen too much to even consider handling it any other way.

I think you won't have any problems at all and going to Khorat with the boy might very well turn out to be the highlight and most memorable part of your trip to Thailand. "I want you to go with me to my home too" seems to me to be a good indicator that he does want you to go with him, whether he said it a second time or not. If he didn't want you to go, he would have had no reason to have said that in the first place. If the boy has any reason why he doesn't want you to go with him, believe me he'll come up with some excuse as to why you shouldn't go. If things really do go wrong for you in Khorat, well - there's always Gay Romeo and the canal . . .

Sometimes it does, but if a boy wants to take you to his hometown to meet his family, relatives, neighbors, and friends, chances are very good he wouldn't want to do that if such negativity is part of life where he comes from.

You'll find a good listing of budget hotels, some as low as 450 baht per night, at: http://www.hotelscombined.com/Place/Nakhon_Ratchasima_1.htm I've been to Khorat a few times. There is enough to do to keep you busy for a couple days - city sights, a very good zoo, the city canal at night (plenty of boys to pick up there). Whenever I've traveled to a young companion's home town, I've learned to let the boy and/or his family be the tour guides. They know all the places to go, including many interesting places that most of us have probably never heard of. I wouldn't worry about meeting his family and friends. You'll most likely be welcomed with open arms. Ask the boy if, once you get there, he has access to a car or truck you can use to go to all these places. If he does, then you're all set. If not, you might want to consider renting a car or hiring a taxi for the day. You'll be able to see and do much more if you have transportation. You might even decide to spend more than 2-3 days there. Also, if possible I highly recommend a stop at the PB Valley Winery in the Khao Yai area on your way back. It's best if you can get there by car. It's way out in the middle of nowhere, but in a very picturesque area. If you won't have access to a car, contact them and ask how you can get there. It's really worth it if you can get there and I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Their tour is very impressive and there is, of course, a wine tasting at the end of the tour. Some of their wines are truly excellent - not at all like the typical crappy Thai wines. Don't miss their restaurant. That too is excellent. See: http://www.khaoyaiwinery.com GPS coordinates are: N 14°, 34', 86', E 101°, 14', 05" By the way, PB Valley also has a bistro in Bangkok. See: http://themanfrommoselriver.com/2012/12/06/pb-valley-wine-tasting-at-the-great-hornbill-bistro-bangkok-thailand/ and http://www.facebook.com/TheGreatHornbill.Bistro Some of their wines are sold at Villa Market in Pattaya. My favorite is their Shiraz.

For paper maps, the best I've found is Map Magic, by Thinknet ( http://www.mapmagic.co.th/en/online-store/ ). The box set includes the paper maps and CDs for the computer. The paper maps are made from a high quality material that is not prone to tearing. Several bookstores carry it. If you're going to do much driving in unfamiliar territory, a GPS can be essential. The Garmin line of GPS products are very good and their maps are up to date. If you have a GPS capable smart phone, the Sygic app is excellent. I like it much better than the Garmin GPS. Both Garmin and Sygic have up to date maps, with voice, and have gotten me exactly where I want to go even in the most remote areas. If I were driving a motorbike, I would opt for the Sygic app on a GPS capable smart phone. That way, you can keep the phone in your pocket, plug in the earphone, and let the voice tell you when and where to turn.

It depends on where you want to go. If you want to go to any of the cities where the curfew has already been lifted, you could go right now without any problems. The way things are starting to play out, the curfew is likely to be lifted entirely long before November. Whether you decide to go and where you decide to go, one piece of advice: Don't wait around very long to make your flight and hotel bookings. I don't know about other cities, but if this year goes as it always has, In Pattaya the longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to get a room in the area you prefer to stay. If you wait too long, you'll be lucky if you can get a room at all.

Thank you, but that is not quite correct. The info was not sent to me by the owner. It was sent by a friend who merely happened to be present in Eros when the raid occurred.

My answer is a simple no - if there is a service charge, then as far as I'm concerned that's the tip.

No.

In Michael's first post he wrote that he was questioned by Homeland Security. Suppose one of the answers was, "I'm gay. I'm going to Thailand to have sex with young men." Would someone please explain to me what that would have to do with Homeland Security? What would the answers to any of those questions have to do with Homeland Security? This is the first time I've ever heard of anyone being subjected to that kind of questioning outbound rather than inbound. Would someone also please explain to me how being a single man, traveling to and from Thailand, however frequently, possibly to engage in gay sex, in any way endangers the USA? In the questions Michael listed, what are they trying to find out? I know of no terrorist activity or incidents that ever had anything to do with single males frequently traveling to Thailand. The problem is, as earlier posted, if you start arguing with them and/or refuse to answer their questions, you might very well end up on a no-fly list. Oh well, there's always cruise ships. Do they have a no-sail list? I agree with firecat69's statement that the Supreme Court is a joke. The trouble is, I'm not laughing.

In the video it is mentioned that Mr. Seymour had written an article entitled "I Saw Lincoln Shot." I was interested in finding and reading that article. I did manage to find it. If you're interested, you can read it at: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1368&dat=19540207&id=wHUxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SBAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5624,3979599

Actually, there are a few things wrong with the above list. The most glaring is "A week before Kennedy was shot, he was with Marilyn Monroe." That's a little strange considering Kennedy was killed on November 22, 1963. Marilyn Monroe died on August 5, 1962. There is no record of Abraham Lincoln ever having had a secretary named Kennedy. The number of letters in the names seems particularly trivial to me. John Wilkes Booth was not shot in a warehouse. He was shot in a barn. However, one thing the list does not mention - both Lincoln and Kennedy were sitting right next to their wives when they were shot. I'm surprised that's not included on the list. Supposedly, Lincoln had a nightmare about his own death shortly before the assassination. It is said he talked about it. It is known that Kennedy talked about the possibility of being the victim of an assassination only hours before it happened. Despite the factual errors, I still find the rest of the list, the accurate part, interesting.