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After clearing customs, I went to the meeting point and didn’t see T or Ya or anyone with a holding a signboard with my name on it. After the frustration of the late departure from Beijing, and finding that my phone wasn’t sending text messages, my coping skills were beginning to evaporate. But, while trying to log into the airport free Wi-Fi, Ya found me. He, T, and Ya’s client were waiting on the opposite side of the meeting point. Greetings, introductions, and a quick trip to the toilet, and into the very luxurious van Ya had booked for the four of us to go to Pattaya. How do I define “luxurious”? I guess by the high end sound system, the sculpted scallops in the ceiling, and man little extravagant touches. If a disco ball dropped from the ceiling, I would not have been surprised. T was glad to see me (and I, him). He had traveled overnight from Vietnam to meet up with Ya in Silom for the trip to airport. I felt somewhat uncomfortable that (well Thai Airways, really) had delayed the excursion by almost two hours. This sense was heightened when I learned Ya’s client was only on a day trip to Pattaya and would be returning to Bangkok after dinner. I survived this momentary burst of guilt and let Ya’s explaining of what we were driving by and the history of things. Time to state…at age 72 and multiple trips to Thailand over the past 40+ years, I’d never before been to Pattaya. It was when I put together this 5-day break from Beijing, that I contacted Siam Roads and Ya about some options. He offered a range of them and not wanting to get into a “Up to You” dialogue, I said “Ya, I trust you”. Guess that’s my version of UTY. So, prior to Pattaya proper, we make a lunch stop at Silverlake. Which name was amusing to me and to Ya’s client who is from southern California. Silverlake, for those not from gay California is an area of Los Angeles nestled in a pocket of the L.A. hills that surround the Silverlake reservoir. An area that has long been a home to the gay community. We both had traveled from California for a break to find ourselves in Silverlake! Silverlake has a winery and a restaurant (which is where we ate). The winery has tours and (I was told) a tasting room. There are nearby housing sites with names referencing Italian towns (i.e. Como). So very un-Thai. The restaurant’s main dining area was a very large glass walled room with a bar and kitchen at one end and views from all other sides. One of the parking lot and two of the fields. The menu at Lakeside was international with the Thai dishes sidelined for foods familiar to travelers from other lands. So, in the spirit of the place, my first meal in Thailand this trip was spaghetti carbonara. Which was excellent and inexpensively priced for the quality. We all skipped on trying the local vintages. From there, Ya took us to Khao Chi Chan, the Buddha Mountain. Where lasers had etched a 130-meter-high by 70-meter-wide image of the Buddha that was later delineated with gold leaf. Ya told us it had been carved to honor the 50th anniversary of the King’s reign. It dominates the area with its striking presence. We walked around the grounds along with umbrella toting tour guides shepherding their Chinese and Japanese groups through the property. T, Ya, and I paused to offer prayers at the shrine. My prayers were for a good trip and for T and his sorting out life process. From being in the shadow of the Buddha, Ya took us to Viharn Siem. A park and palace donated by the Chinese government to highlight (this is my opinion) the cultural traditions of China and Thailand and their inter-relationship. On the first level of a three level palace is a museum of Chinese figures, pottery, fabric, and some terra cotta warriors. T and I posed for a picture in front of the warriors, this road warrior looking older than the terracotta guys. The second level opens to a courtyard with more granite sculptures of life in villages and an array of gods and warriors. Impressive. There rooms devoted to musical instruments, miniatures of the Thai Royal barges, and Thai culture. All in all, we spent about an hour enjoying the exhibits and the grounds and posing for pictures with the larger than life size granite gods. Back in the van, we headed for Pattaya. I have to admit, from reading the forum, I had a mental image of what I’d find in a Thai beach town. My mind was thinking 1970’s California beach town like Laguna where I spent part of each summer. Well, it is a bit like a California beach town but one definitely in the 21st century. The office, hotel, and condo towers and blocks were anything but rustic. Ya had sensed that I was thinking rustic so he booked us at BBH right on Jomtien Beach. Cash only. Two nights (plus one night for Ya) came to a little less than $100 USD. T and my room was on the 2nd floor (3rd in the US) large with a balcony overlooking the beach. Sound of waves was restful. Ya left us to take his client on a condensed tour of the town. T and I did some catching up and then went for a walk as I need to get some cash – I had skipped the ATM at the airport. Ya recommended a place but (fool I am) I just used the machine in front of the 7-11. Rate when the 200 baht fee was added worked out to about 33 baht to the dollar. Not a big deal but a lesson learned. I used the web to check to see how much was deducted from my account whenever I made a withdrawal. This was the worst rate. Convenience does not come cheap. As, I’d promised T that I’d take care of his expenses, I gave him some baht and asked if he needed anything while we were at 7-11. He picked out some shampoo and body wash. On the way back he bought some shrimp from a fisherman. Back in the room, I found to my pleasant surprise that the shampoo and body wash were for a two person shower with me being coddled. After a mutual towel rubdown, we adjourned to the king size bed and did some more catching up to the sound of waves hitting Jomtien Beach. Ya and his client met up with us in the early evening and we walked along the beach and then took a taxi to the Hilton for drinks and dinner at the roof top restaurant. On the way, Ya pointed out the entrance to Jomtien Plaza. The view from the Hilton rooftop bar and restaurant, called the Edge is spectacular – if the sun is still up or setting. We were just late for that but the lights of the city made for a good impression. The restaurant has a buffet most nights priced at 930 baht per person. Food ranges from delicate sushi to pigs knuckle, salads to chocolate fountains. Quality: good+. Nightmare Note: at pay-up time, Ya’s client and I offered to pay (more to be polite as we were obliged to), I reached for my credit card and couldn’t find it. I produced cash for my share (+ T + ½ Ya). My mind raced as to where the credit card could be. I had another but it charged a conversion fee and I knew I could tap the ATM for any further trip costs…BUT I’ve already had the card compromised and reissued this year. Mumble, mumble… Left the restaurant, said farewell in the mall to Ya’s client who was taking a taxi back to Bangkok. Ya then took T and I by food and baht bus to Walking Street – which reminded me of a mini-version of Times Square with its lights and crowds. Again vast packs of Chinese tourists taking pictures and being laughingly scandalized. Lots of noise and many smiling propositions. We then moved on to Boyztown. More comfortable surroundings for me. We grabbed a table and some drinks at Castro in time to watch the BoyzBoyzBoyz parade. Which allowed me to focus on two of the marchers. After the parade, I went for a walk to see what other activity was going on…it seemed very quiet even for the low point of the low season. Back in time for the show, guess everyone was in BoyzBoyzBoyz, as it was crowded and kept being packed tighter. First row center was occupied by a group of Thai women. Several mixed groups of men and women, many Chinese. A few of us occidentals. One of the boys I had noticed outside was positioned in front of me. No number but wearing the letter “K”. He was claimed within minutes but returned for the show where he was in several numbers including the bowling and big cock show where he, without needing to, encouraged me to have a grope. Good show as the boys were interested in making it fun. As we left, saw two groups of Chinese tourists walking through Boyztown. Most with eyes fixed ahead rather than looking to the right or left. Ya took us to Jomtien and showed us around as I planned to spend the next night there. We walked back and along the beach to the hotel. After searching without success through everything for my absent credit card I allowed T to give me a special massage. Then sleep. I woke early (4am) whether from remnant US jet lag or credit card anxiety. I sent an email to The Regent n Beijing to see if the card was there. Two hours later, the concierge let me know that the card was in the hotel’s safe and would be held for my return on the weekend. Stress Relief! There was a recent forum topic asking if Thai’s always took over the middle of the bed. Answer: YES. As I was awake and no room in the bed to go back to, I went for an hour’s walk around the beach and the neighborhood. Met up with Ya for breakfast at Sandbar. we worked on an outline of a trip to Chiang Mai and Laos in October. T joined up for breakfast. Before he left us to meet his next client who was coming from the Bangkok airport, Ya took us along the beach to explain how the umbrella and chair business worked and the pricing. About a half mile from the hotel, T and I settled in…not sure where the time went. I know I had a drink, a nap, another drink, my first pedicure, some snacks…T spent most of the time in the water. A note about T and me. I first met him (offed him) at Hot Male about a year and a half ago. I’d intended to be a butterfly but succumbed to his easy charm, excellent body, and other skills. On subsequent visits, he’s been my main man when in Bangkok. The physicality of the relationship is much less than it was, but it is there when it needs to be and T likes to surprise me with some variations on basic themes. He doesn’t object if I want to bring someone else back at night. We are now more friends with some benefits. We enjoy each other’s company. And it was important to spend some time this visit as he’s been at more than loose ends since the crackdown of foreign workers in Twilight clubs at the beginning of the summer and then Hot Male’s decision to only use Thais. He tells me he’s had a variety of jobs in Vietnam but no steady work. I explained this visit was a vacation for the two of us. The day just sort of escaped and we agreed to go up to Jomtien Plaza, have some food, stop at a bar and catch the show at Venue Decided while walking to postpone dinner (we’d had a late lunch at Sandbar). Instead we stopped at @Home which had been recommended by another Forum member. The boys are mainly Cambodian and quite welcoming. One odd behavior, I invited the first boy who greeted us to have a drink. The usual conversation, who, where from, where stay took place. I was noticing a cute boy who was with another occidental and quite cuddled into him. I offered the greeter a 2nd drink which he accepted. Then disappeared. Strange. I checked to see if I had developed a rash or body odor. Never saw him again. Now the cute boy I’d been watching was free as his farang had departed. I invited him to sit and have a drink. Also Cambodian, he quickly had me cuddled while keeping up a conversation with T – who gave me a running translation that it was mostly questions about our relationship and how long. T said he told the boy it was two years and that he had exaggerated about how skilled I was and then they both smiled. Who knows what was said? I told the boy I liked him but wouldn’t off him but maybe in the future. I gave him 300 baht when I left. Went to Venue…very few in the audience. After a while, we both agreed it was time to leave. As I didn’t see the full show, I’ll not review. Walk back to the hotel (thanks, Ya, it was in a good location). Shower together, T sings the Boyz, Boyz, Boyz ditty as if it’s on shuffle repeat. Then sleep. Tomorrow to Bangkok.

On travel insurance - over the years, it's been hit or miss if I'd get / remember to get insurance. Last September, I slipped on wet pavement in Beijing, fell backwards and put a sizable gash to the back of my head (I was rescued by a hunky South Korean security guard who was there to protect Mrs. Park who was in town - but that's another story... Condensed version - the fall, the verbal testing to see if I had a concussion, the short medical checkup, etc. etc. made me think that I truly wasn't invulnerable and that if I continued to travel (which I have and plan to do) then I needed to make travel insurance a regular thing. The next few trips I'd but from Allianz using the link on my airlines's booking page. In July of this year, I read an article on the NY Times website about travel insurance and the demand because of terrorism. While terrorism wasn't at the top of my list, the article had links to sites that compared insurance plans, reliability, pricing, etc. The article is still available on the Times' website - but it wouldn't give me a helpful link to post here. I had spoken with Allianz about a 12 month plan, but was told NO due to my age 71 (at the time). Using Squaremouth (one of the links in the article), I specified a request for an annual policy,with lots of medical coverage, evacuation coverage, etc. Also included was trip interruption, cancellation, and luggage loss. Annual cost $193. Here are the coverages Multi-Trip Plan Universal from APRIL Travel Protection - Policy Coverage Limits This information is in the full policy certificate. Trip Cancellation No coverage Trip Interruption $5,000 per person Hurricane & Weather Common carrier delay for any length of time, Mandatory evacuation conditionally covered, Must be purchased before storm is named Terrorism Covered for foreign and domestic Financial Default Covered after 14 day wait Cancel For Work Reasons No coverage Cancel For Any Reason No coverage, This benefit is separate from Trip Cancellation Emergency Medical $50,000 per person, Primary coverage Pre-Existing Condition No coverage, Pre-existing look-back period 90 days Medical Deductible No Medical Deductible Medical Evacuation & Repatriation $100,000 per person Non-Medical Evacuation $50,000 per person Travel Delay $750 per person, $100 daily limit, Covered after 6 hour delay Baggage Delay $300 per person, $100 daily limit, Covered after 12 hour delay Baggage & Personal Items Loss $1,000 per person, $100 per item, $250 specific items limit Missed Connection $150 per person, Covered after 6 hour delay 24 Hour AD&D $25,000 per person Sports Equipment & Fees Not selected Rental Car Damage Not selected Money Back Guarantee Free look up to 14 days after purchase 24 Hour Assistance Service 24 hour assistance provided Identity Theft Covered Maximum Trip Length 90 days per trip Maximum Number of Trips No limit Additional Benefits Concierge Services Coverage

And I thought I was anal about planning and having all the boxes checked...hat's off to you.

After my Bangkok visit back in May, while knowing I’d return, I wasn’t sure when that would be. http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/10372-bangkok-visit-may-5-12/?do=findComment&comment=91403 As fate/luck/opportunity found synchronicity, I was able to adjust a planned trip to Beijing and inserted 5 days on Thailand between two weekends in the Chinese capital. I arrived in China on September 1st in midafternoon with almost no wait at immigration (!). The Regent Hotel is my Beijing base camp had sent a car to meet me at the airport. The car had limited wi-fi capability but even that made my phone an inbox for new, never met, friends from Blued and Jack’d to send me very overt greetings. Ignoring those that started with “Daddy” on something similar (Yes, I’m just over 70 but that’s not my scene), I considered some of the other but then just put the phone down, unpacked, decided not to get on the subway at rush hour for shopping which could wait until the next morning. I had a drink and a light supper in the hotel’s club. Back in the room, I let jet lag take over and went to bed, I slept or three hours waking up for a full day in California. Looking at my phone which was now brimming with more welcomes and some unsolicited second and third messages, I came across an offer of a massage from someone whose photo depicted a cute, trim, and smiling young man. He wrote that he was not a MB. Well, I’m wide awake, a massage might get the kinks out of my back from 13 hours of sitting on a plane. I decided that an offer to have a massage from a cute 20 something was an excellent idea. Since his Jack’d page clearly said he wasn’t a MB, I assumed it was likely he was but, even if not, I could use the massage. He arrived within 30 minutes and was almost as cute as his photo. The massage was good and he remained clothed while working on my back. Once I turned over, he asked if he could take off his shirt, then his pants, then…for 300 yuan he became a money boy. He had a trim athlete’s body and we had a great and mutually satisfying time. When we unstuck ourselves, we exchanged WeChat links. I didn’t ask him to stay as he works in an upscale spa where much of the “best” business is done late at night. I then attempted to get a few more hours sleep. The next three days were spent with friends, their family doings, some shopping, lots of dining around…not much of it relevant to this report. On Monday, the 5th, I left most of my luggage with the hotel concierge, and took my carry-on to the airport. There Thai Air told me the flight was delayed by an hour. A bit frustrating as I was planning to meet up with T, my faithful friend (see earlier report) who used to work at Hot Male but was purged for being Vietnamese. The purge happened after I left Bankgok in May. I’d arranged for T to come from Vietnam and to meet up with Ya of Siam Roads in Bangkok. They were to pick me up at the airport for a trip/tour to Pattaya. Ya was doing this as a favor as he already had a tour client for Pattaya. I sent Ya a text about the delay and was assured all would work out. No one told Thai Airways that things would work out…the departure time was listed and turned out to be the boarding time. The Airbus was full, mainly with Chinese taking package tours in Thailand. Many just sat in whatever seat they liked which caused a further delay as the crew had to be Thai-polite but still put them in the correct seats. As we finally started to taxi from the gate, one of my neighbors decided to stand on his seat to get some necessity from the overhead and the crew just let him. Eventually, the plane landed and parked at the furthest possible gate from immigration. I bolted along the walkways and first good sign of the day was #2 in iine. My Thailand report will begin in my next posting. I’m not attempting to mimic Numazu’s cliff hanger postings, but do see that it makes an easier read if the posts are not overly long.

Once something has closed for more than a moment will a reopening capture the magic of the former self?

Patience, one and all, a suspense master is at work...

As I've said before in this forum and mentioned to you in person last week when our paths crossed, your reports are among the most read features found here. I believe because you have a sharp eye and a descriptive writing style. And, most importantly (to me) is your empathy and insight into the native boys.

Yes, welcome...additional updates will be welcome

Chinese app Blued works great in China and outside of China will quickly link to visiting Chinese. Seems that the Thai money boys also populate Blued.

This needs to be hardwired into all of us...

Ryan is a jerk. Michael Phelps was a jerk, figured things out, and is now on top of his world. Ryan will probably not meet justice in Brazil but his endorsement future will suck air.

I've been pleased by the siamroad guides. Especially adaptive when the weather changes and shuts down my plans. I'll be interested in your reports on Sareth as I'm thinking of a similar trip to Ankor early 2017.

Here's the link to ChristianPFC listing http://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2015/02/gay-forums-blogs-guides-and-encounters.html

I link to three sites, this one, gaybutton and sawatdee network. This one seems to be the most helpful when information is needed. Members seem to want to help. Gaybutton (to me) has a lot of information on Pattaya and has had some interesting extend travel pieces. It has a good search function. I seem to recall that it almost closed down and then came back strong after a regroup. There are times when it does not seem to have much activity. (My impression) Sawatdee has also been revamped. I believe Moses, who is on this board had a big hand in keeping it going. It was the home of the bangkokbois blog which introduced scores and scores of farangs to the boys of Bangkok. and drew lots of numbers to the site. When the author died the site needed the revamping it received. It has some strengths and sometimes can be kidnapped by ongoing back and forth point scoring. If I remember ChristianPFC posted a list of sites from over the years...I believe it can be found on his homepage.

At least, get in some pool time and then give him the bus ticket. Think its good that you are helping out.

Decided that I didn't want to be constrained by the schedule and agenda of the television network here in the USA (NBC), so I watched almost everything on an iPad app. It also had the advantage of not having to listen to the expert commentators tell me how much they knew. Very enjoyable so far. Agree with Ryanasia regarding the pool chemicals. I suspect some one told some one else to make sure the appropriate ones were added and never checked - so extra chemicals added, none added, or wrong ones.

Numazu - Paulsf's information agrees with what I know. Just two places at the moment. One can assume/hope/wish/be deluded enough to think that unlike Zika this is a trend that will spread.

Cracks in the crackdown...I received a Line message from a Vietnamese who had been let go by Hotmale when the crackdown on non-Thais began. He wanted to let me know that he was now at Fresh Boys. I checked with another member of the Forum who is an expert on such things and he had also heard that at least two clubs were bringing back the Vietnamese. Passing this along and wondering if things were on "hold" until after the election. No, it couldn't be that...

I suspect we will learn much from the replies to your queries and the reports (please) of your adventures. Hope our paths cross as I'll be in Bangkok in three weeks. Fun journey!

Preparing for a short trip to Pattaya and Bangkok the first week in September, I checked out the usual apps (Jack'd, Hornet, Romeo, and Blued. Most of them temporarily showed me as being in one or the other of the towns. I quickly had multiple messages of interest. Maybe it's a visitors' bureau gambit (lol).

Some time back, I volunteered at the local health department's HIV test clinic. I would provide counseling and also give the results of the tests. My experience agrees with Vinapu Every now and then partners came in who were "monogamous" and every now and then one of the other tested positive while the other didn't. As confidentiality was required, we insisted partners receive their results together.

Quote about "old soldiers never die, they fade away" was from General Douglas MacArthur the great prima donna of generals who was fired by Truman. That noted, it is a very appropriate quote.

Good coverage on BBC and France 24. Very little on US news so far. BBC reports two arrested, but that could be police public relations (round up all the usual suspects).

You fit in and are more than welcome...

In the San Francisco Bay area, restaurants are raising salaries and moving to a no tip policy. Prices are going up as a result. This practice is not yet widespread but as the wage rate moves toward a legislated $15 USD/hr, tipping practices will change.