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This is smart, especially with crime these days. I am currently in Brasil for Carnaval and I don’t even bother bringing my phone with me if I am going to walk in the street to attend a bloco street party. I do have a spare small android phone with me (Samsung S10e, 2019 release that had decent specs and still a decent camera) if my (fully insured) Iphone gets lots or stolen, but this is not just for Brazil but all my travels, as it is smart to have a spare as you don’t know what will happen and buying a phone overseas can gets expensive. Android does have less status than an Iphone in Brasil, so ultimately probably less likely to get stolen, but I think that won’t matter as thieves are desperate. Yes I was sad when Uber Eats left, but have found iFood to be a worthy alternative. I’ve been able to get my Chase Visa and Barclay US Mastercard credit cards to work with iFood, but not my Citicard or others. Very handy when it is 2 AM and your boy for the night suddenly gets the munchies post-coitus, and most restaurants are closed. There are a lot of currency exchanges, even on immediately after passing immigration, and then after you exit customs in Terminal 3 in Guarulhos. I try not to use them tho. High fees. I’ve used my fee-free ATM and the exchange rate is almost at par with market. I tend to use the “24 Horas” ATMs which are abundant in airports, metro stations in Rio and SP, and some upscale supermarkets. I’ve used Viator in Brazil and it was 100% safe and you get access to English speaking tour guides. Never used AirBNB Experiences anywhere but I am sure they tap into the same tourist companies. Protip: If you develop a good rapport with a boy in Brasil, why not let them be your guide? YMMV. From what I know you can ask the drug stores in the airports if they have SIM cards, but obviously the support and help with installs will be limited. Best bet is to do this at the big malls and go one of the big cellphone operators. I personally use a US SIM with unlimited international data coverage. There are esim options that you can download before you go to Brazil, but I have no experience with them. Yes this is the same in Brazil. I’m never in a towel and I always have some loose bills in the pocket of my shorts and can also pay guys that way. I am sure you will have a blast! Please let u know how you do and share your experiences here. I am sure everyone will appreciate a newbie’s perspective.

OMG @gayinpattaya! Please do introduce him to me when I am there next month. I have a soft spot for Burmese boys, as my previous trip reports can attest, and throughly enjoyed my time in Myanmar a couple of years ago. Send me a personal message! Coincidentally, my Brazilian friend Tiago, who is now working at a Muay Thai gym, told me that the owner of the gym is fond of ”adopting” strays to stay at the gym if he can see some potential in the person, whether he sees a good fighter, or a good worker to work around the gym. The newest “stray” at the gym is an 18 year old Burmese boy who has potential to be a good MMA fighter. Tiago of course has sent me photos of the boy (not sexy photos of course, just normal ones), and the boy is hot and super ripped and in tremendous fighting shape. So. Many. Abs. Not sure if there is a possibility for me there, but I do appreciate Tiago sharing these tidbits with me when he knows I’d be interested. Thanks for the great intel, @Min. I think I’ll bite the bullet and choose the Baywalk or Aya, and maybe book a night or two at a fancier hotel further away closer to the beach to get the resort atmosphere I may need, instead of the Avani, since it is not by the beach. Nice to know that those three properties seem to be more or less fine for our purposes.

@12is12 haha you're probably right. I probably should start a new thread about my inquiry. i thought I'd just ask it in this thread because it is about Pattaya and a newbie would want to know about it too. I just got lazy lol. Though yes, I don't like hijacking a thread not my own, with my own shit (like I am doing right now lol). Maybe I'm just too cautious that's why the "sorry". It's been 5 plus years since my last Pattaya escapade. I'll likely go back next month. I'll be open to buying a beer or two with any forum members who will be there too!

Hijacking this thread about Pattaya sorry, but I am in the planning stages of a Pattaya trip soon and looking for hotel options. As I try to quickly requalify for American Airlines Exec Platinum Status for 2023, I wanted to use Rocketmiles.com to book my hotel that will enable me to get the Loyalty Points I need to get me over the line to get over 200,000 points. (Background here for the curious: https://thepointsguy.com/news/rocketmiles-vs-booking-direct/) Using this website does limit my options, and if I was wanting to stay within sane walkable distance from Boyztown Pattaya, it looks like I have 3 main choices: $43/night - Baywalk Residence (1500 miles) $44/night - Aya Boutique Hotel (2000 miles) $83/night - Avani Pattaya Resort (2500 miles) Anyone have any insight on any of these three hotels? I have stayed at the Baywalk and Aya before, but this was 2015-2016 time, so things may have changed since then. I am curious about the Avani Resort, pricier and arguably the least miles for the buck, but I wouldn't mind a little bit of luxury if its worth it. Obviously the joiner situation needs to be liberal. Thanks!

So close and yet so far… I was writing this trip report in a lull in my travel schedule. And I almost made it to my final posts but not before I started traveling again. Let’s see when I can finish the posts. In the meantime, a view from my seat today. Can anyone guess where I am and where I’m going? @floridarob you already know the answer.

Having met @Latbear4blk a few year ago, and if his situation hasn’t changed, I’d say that his time is indeed limited to these two weeks. I’ve actually done week-long Thailand trip all the time back in the day. I’d leave Thursday night from California and get to Thailand early Saturday morning, when I then do an early (pre-arranged) early check in with the hotel (usually Crowne Plaza), and then sleep off the flight till 8 PM, then after a great shower, have dinner and then hit the bars at 9 PM, for the shows at 10:30 PM, and I’ll have a boy with me at midnight, and actually taking advantage of the still being in the USA time zone that I will have the energy to fuck all night. Indeed, jet lag is a bitch, but it doesn’t hit me till after lunch, so I’d usually book my tours and sightseeings at 8 AM or earlier if possible. This way, I can tire myself enough to actually sleep in the afternoon, and I will have skipped the heat that usually gets more intense later in the day. Lather, rinse, repeat, until I am adjusted to the time zone. That is usually Tuesday, Wednesday time, when I can then do full-day tours, and with boy bars usually less populated on weekdays, I can opt to skip or spend time with a long time boy. Then when the weekends hits again, I’ll try to get back to the American time zone by sleeping in the afternoon again and hitting nightlife till the wee hours of the morning. And at the night before my flight back to California, I usually don’t sleep, and just spend my few remaining baht to enjoy my threesome/foursome/my house-ful of boys till my morning flight back on Sunday beckons. The flight is usually 13+ Hours back, so I can make my adjustments then, and then I’ll arrive early to late afternoon Sunday in California, where the wear and tear of travel catches up to me, but I force myself to sleep no earlier than 8 PM so I can adjust quicker. @Latbear4blk either time window is great and I think you’ll be getting to Thailand with other gringos with similar times off, and that it’ll make your trip better. I doubt it, but if your Spring Break runs through April 13, I’d suggest going during Spring Break to spend Songkran in Bangkok, since Songkran is amazing and you will need to experience it at least once in your life. I know some here hate being doused with water in inoppurtune times, but knowing you, water is your thing and you will absolutely love it! I’d pick Bangkok as your first time city. There is enough to do culturally and boy bar wise to help you get introduced to how Thailand does Mongering. You will find that the overall cost to rent boys here will be a little bit higher than what you’re used to, but that will be offset by everything else being cheaper (food, accommodations, transpo etc). Either way, you won’t know you if you will like it until you try it. And I have a feeling that you will! P.S. And no, I am not a paid spokesperson for TaT lol.

I definitely prefer working boys who know what they need to do to make a sale, not shrinking violets that you have to pull teeth to get anything from them. Those Taiwan guys know what sells. They know when to flex their muscles, when they think you need a sample of their strong touch, and will go for the jugular if they deem you are open to it. I just wish there was more of them, and more variety. I will continue to be customer regardless. It’s just one of those things I have to do to when in Bangkok. Sigh, yes I did mix them up, and thanks for catching it and correcting in your reply post. I’m better with actual names so maybe I shouldn’t try to name them as Thing 1 and Thing 2. I could also use their real names, but I know some of yáll are the stralkery type so I won’t go that route. OMG you really really love it there. I must admit this bar is more of an afterthought this trip, having only stayed for the show and not offing anyone. Definitely a revisit when I have the time next trip. In the past, I have also had a favorite guy from DB, and boy was he dreamy for sure. I know, I was in SP in Lagoa when someone asked about you two, as in where were the “um casal”. Gosh Sam, your lesbian sister. You mentioned he was now living closer to you now. Still in touch?

@Olddaddy we applaud you for putting your fears out here on the board, and obviously it has struck a chord with a lot of people here, which should make you feel good about what you’re going through right now. Being envious of other people having more than you is natural and a common experience. Someone will always be richer, be more good looking, be younger, have more energy, than you will ever be. Your main concern, that you are older and slower that you used to be, is just a fact of life, and something that we do not have any control over. So you can be envious of others that still have their youth and energy, or you can use envy as a motivation for you to focus on the things that YOU can control, be it inviting a cute guy to have pizza with you, or discover a place in Bangkok you’ve never seen before, to mix things up. And have you thought of maybe that others are envious of you too? Having the resources, and the time, to spend 7 straight weeks in the Greatest CIty on Earth™ is no small feat. You have probably worked your darndest all your life to get to this point, and that is something to be proud of. I’m pretty sure most of us here on the board are envious of you for having the means and the courage to go on a vacation this long (I know I am). And don’t forget, this is YOUR vacation. You set your own rules. If you want to eat pizza alone every night after a night in the town, then that’s great! If it makes you happy. The pressures and expectations you have of your own energy levels and youth are all from you, and no one else has the right, nor the capability, of telling you how you should spend your vacation. Finally, I am glad you are letting yourself feel these “negative” feelings, and being honest about how it affects you, and even putting yourself out there, out here on the board, by reaching out to like minded people such as us. I feel that life is better if there is a balance. Too much of a good thing really is too much, and that includes sex. Be glad that you can fuck all those pretty things once in while, while allowing yourself the time to convalesce, and regains both your strength physically, and your desires mentally, for another round or three. I love this graphic: because it shows that balance is ultimately what you should strive for. You will have your ups, and your inevitable downs (like what you’re going through now), but no matter what happens, make sure that you enjoy yourself, because that’s the whole point right?

Day 7.5: The Dreamers You know you’re getting old when you start reminiscing about the old days. And for me the old days were way back in… 2014. OK, I know that that’s not even 10 years ago, but that’s the year I first started going to Bangkok and started to darken the doors of its illustrious boy bars. Back then, Soi Twilight was in full swing (at least from what I saw), Tawan and Jupiter were both off-Soi choices I would visit, and Moonlight didn’t even exist yet. And back then, we didn’t need a New Twilight, as the old one was more than enough. Dream Boy on Soi Twilight was a standout for me. That neon sign alone was iconic. This was my impression of it way back in 2016: It seemed to be always full on weekends. The touts may have something to do with it, as they were ever present in the Soi, literally pulling indecisive people from the street to plop them onto DreamBoy’s seats. Inside, I’ve always thought old DreamBoy’s layout was the most ideal for optimal viewing of what was going onstage. Since the setup was “arena theater”-style, the audience almost did not have a bad viewing angle, and the shows were optimized for viewing of this kind of stage. But of course the greatest of structures is nothing if the main attraction is inferior. The fact that there was great variety in the boys here, often in skimpy white briefs, and with the seating the way it was, you can be up close and personal with balls in your face. I’ve spent so many nights searching for Mister Right Now in this bar. Oh the memories. --- As Tiago and I make our way to the gay area of Patpong 2, I only had to show my face to my usual mamasan at Dream Boy to be automatically led to the premises of the club. The club was almost full on a Saturday night, but miraculously there were nice seating close to where most the staff were sitting, with the mamasan shooing the staff currently sitting so we can claim the seat. Regular coke and rum and coke – it was fine, not too strong or weak. We got in just in time for a last glimpse of the boys on offer and before the coyotes terrorized the stage. There was a lot of boys, maybe 40, and a great variety as well, as in the old days. There were twinks, and hunks, and everything else in between. They were in jeans, which was less ideal, but beggars can’t be choosers. I see a few boys I’ve offed in the past, which is always a comfort knowing that they have toughed it out through the pandemic and able to continue with this life. There was a tall hunk (handsome, white skin, abs) who was model-like and was even better looking than any of the Moonlight or Jupiter boys. He got snapped up very quickly by a rotund Asian guy up front. The coyotes came, which was fine. “All girls,” Tiago said, as he thought the dancers were to feminine acting for his taste. I didn’t mind them, but no one was attractive to me. I’ve always thought the big column in the middle was an unfortunate fact in the club. It's probably load-bearing, so they can't do anything about it, but still, it's fairly awkward to have it obscuring the center of the stage. Though, it was ingenious for them to put a platform around the column so that it can be used for numbers. But boys and other numbers who end up behind the column would be unseen, and depending on where you were seated, you would miss some of the action if the column obscured your angled view. Far cry from the seating of the Twilight days, but this is what we have now. The drag queens were actually pretty good. Gone was the slapstick skits that were a trademark before, but now they just have the traditional lip-syncing goddesses that are staples of clubs all over. The numbers in general were pretty slick and choreographed, like it was before. I recognized the star of Dream Boy, still here after all this year, maybe looking a little older, but still hot as before, dancing his heart out like his life depended on it. I used to dream about how it was to off him, now, not so much. How my tastes have changed. Probably the highlight of the night, and possibly because Tiago was so entertained by it, was the fuck show. I recognize the bottom and I’ve seen him do this a thousand times before, but the top was new to me, and very handsome and had a good dick for topping. The fuck show was always more spectacle than erotic for me, and I am impressed by the dexterity needed to pull off some of the moves. It was all impeccably choreographed, fairly acrobatic, and Tiago is amazed that after all this impressive acrobatics, the cock doesn’t seem to leave the asshole at any point of the number. The pair then makes their rounds around the room, searching for tips. When the fucking pair gets to us, Tiago implores me to get out some baht as tip. 100 baht. When the boys are back onstage, it was time for me to choose if there was anyone to off tonight. There were a few possibilities, and one old off who, once he recognized me, tried to get my attention all night. I then feel Tiago’s head on my shoulder, as he yawned. I laughed. I asked him was he sleepy. He said he was just yawning. I asked him if anyone onstage was to his liking. He took a look, and then put his head on my shoulder again. “Up to you,” he says in Portuguese, which gave me a little chuckle. "Up to you," in Portuguese lands differently for me. “What do you want to do?” I ask him. He sits up at attention, and smiles his million watt smile. “I want ice cream!” he says. I laugh. That actually sounded better than the smorgasbord that was before us. Oh no, I have changed as well. I do not feel the same sense of urgency of offing, and fucking as I have before. Or maybe because I’ve cum three times today already, twice with Tiago, and once with the Tawan twosome, so maybe I deserve this ice cream. Overall, this club holds a lot of promise. The premises were nice, the numbers were entertaining, and the boys great looking. I'll put a pin on this club for now, and will take advantage of its delights at a future date. We then go to the famous 7 Eleven at CP Tower across Silom Soi 4, where a lot of gay cruising happens. Tonight was no different, as some young Bangkok-ians were checking Tiago out. But we were there for ice cream. And after two Magnum chocolate ice cream bars later, we walk back to the apartment. No Dream Boy for me tonight, as the one with me is very very real. My last day, next post…

Day 7.25: The T in Thailand is for Threesome I’d say I’m usually up for things I’ve never done before. Whatever it is, if it sounds good, I won’t hesitate, and will just say yes. If I overthink it, I’ll just psyche myself out. That’s how I felt about the threesome with two Tawan men. The Tawan men, with big bulging muscles and the bravado that goes with it, in my experience, does not translate to particularly mind-blowing sex. This is subjective of course, and you might be all-in to what the hypermasculine have to offer, but I have the most luck with guys with just a tinge of gay in them. On the average, Tawan guys are not these, with a few exceptions, of course. And this is the first time I'm going to have a threesome with Tawan men. It's hard enough to get any threesome happen in other boy bars, let alone Tawan. But it was a situation where both men approached me first, showed some interest in making me feel comfortable, and made the suggestion of the threesome to me instead of me to them. It hasn’t even crossed my mind to have this in Tawan. I usually get just one guy and feast on him for the night. And the quality of sex has been uneven. Some have wowed me and do full on kissing and foreplay, others just insist on a muscle worship session and won’t initiate or be passionate. Probably because this is the mystique of the bar, and probably because most of them are straight. The two that I hired were the classic Tawan type. Even their profile pics on Line are of them competing in bodybuilding contests – all tan and oily and muscly. Not necessarily Tiago’s type. He is bowing out of this off for now. As he has newly acquired fighting gear to try on and admire, that will keep him busy while I am busy. I’ve been getting Line messages from both earlier in the day and closer to 5 pm. They both asked the address, and confirming our 5PM rendezvous. Tawan guy #2: Tawan Guy #1 Fairly professional communication. And at close to 5 PM I got a call from one of them asking for directions, as they were already closeby and wanted to confirm the address. They were on time, a very good sign. I told them I’d meet them at the curb so they know where to go. As I step out of the main gate of the AirBNB I was staying in, I see two big motorcycles, with big muscular dudes on them, literally a house away from me. I wave to them, and they look relieved that they weren’t lost. They parked in front of the gate, and followed me in to the house. You always get a different vibe whenever you see a bar boy in full street clothes. They were both in shorts, and wearing matching big Nike tennis shoes. 1 was in a fitting t-shirt, with his muscles bulging through the sleeves, and 2 was in a sleeveless shirt with biceps and arm veins prominently displayed. They lumber through the door and take off their shoes, another good sign, and survey the living room where Tiago, shirtless and trying out his boxing gloves, was. “Two?” 2 asks, pointing to me and him. “No, just me,” I laugh. They didn’t expect a foursome for sure, so I eased their confusion. “Boyfriend!” Tiago then exclaims, in English, standing up, pointing to himself. We weren’t really boyfriends, but I don’t mind when Tiago does this, perhaps to show that we are together, in case there was funny business planned by the two. He pointed with a gloved hand to himself, perhaps to further drive the point that he can mess these two up if need be. Not that there was any need for that. Tiago is just very protective when it comes to what he feels needs his care. “You do Muay Thai?” 1 asks Tiago. Translation was needed. Both Tawan guys got a kick out of Tiago. 1 asks where the bedroom would be, so I lead both to the room, and both take turns showering. As I already have showered, I hang out with Tiago until I see 2 in a towel. 2 is actually pretty talkative, telling us about his travels throughout Asia, selling his muscles all over. He said he has a hard time picking up other languages, and he has at least English to lean on, though it is not spoken in all the cities he has gone to. 1 now emerges in his own towel, and we go into the bedroom and I bid goodbye to Tiago. I was invited by both to strip down, as both take off their towels to reveal their moneymakers. 2 had some oil, and told me we can start by some light massage. The shoulder massage I got from the two last night, was continued, now with both hands touching my whole body. It wasn’t a massge per se, but it was a way for the sex to start, and it was effective. 2 was directing the whole tableau, as he instructed 1 on what to do, who is now super hard, with a nice thick cock, so feed me his cock, while 1 continued with using his hands all over me, and his tongue to play with my nipples, as he did last night. I was laying on my back, and 1 feeds his cock to me, as he offers up his body to my wandering hands. There was a lot of nice things to touch, as he had a a great ass, giant thighs, and a nice penis. 1 took a break from the pleasuring to wash his hands. After a while he came back hard as well, as he joins 1 with my wandering hands and mouth. Now it was his turn. He was smaller than 1, but he had big muscles and almost no body fat. After a few turns on foreplay on my part, 2 then again goes back to me to jack me off, while 1 continues to press his body against me. It wasn’t long till I came, all thanks to 2. 2 gets a towel to wipe away any of my spillage. And then 2 goes on to take a shower, as 1 stay behind with a still hard cock. I cuddle beside him, grasping his cock, as I talk to him about the night ahead – he’s heading to Tawan after this as it was a Saturday and it’s going to be a good night to work. A few more cuddles and 2 was done and it was 1’s turn to shower. I excuse myself to shower in the other bathroom. 2 stays behind in bed. Tiago at this point was shadow boxing, all sweaty and worked out wearing his new gear. “Good fighting,” 2 said, as he emerges from the bedroom, with 1 behind him. I give them what is owed, 2000 baht each, and no pleas for more money, which I expected but it did not come. They put on their shoes and asked me to see them at Tawan tonight. I say maybe, I’ll think about it. They find their motorcycles and off they go to probably eat. I just realized that aside from my alone time with Tiago, I’ve only had Threesomes with bar boys here in Bangkok. This must be a first. Tiago asks me about the off. I tell him it was fine, but I didn’t expect it to be as bed-shattering as how I usually prefer it. He asks me why I even wanted it, since he knows how I like it, knowing me very well by now. I tell him that sometimes I want the feel of a man’s body next to me, without the urgency of passion. It can be passionate sometimes, but the appreciation of other men’s bodies was the primary goal. “I don’t get it,” he says, as he takes off his shorts. “I’m super sweaty and taking a shower.” Two bouncy cheeks trailed him. I ask, “Do you want company?” “Come,” he says. I guess he was going to show me how I really liked it. After cumming twice in a row, I just needed a nap, which made us almost late to have time to have dinner and then a boy bar. But if one is pressed for time, one would only have to go to Foodland Patpong to have a decent and quick dinner, for cheap. It never disappoints. We taxi it to Patpong, first to Foodland, and then walk to our next boy bar… which ones do we have left to go to?

Stayed in both many many times, and have taken boys with me back to my hotel room many many times with no issue. Both hotels will need a key card to use the elevators so you'll have to meet incoming visitors at ground level, but again no issues whatsoever in meeting boys and taking them up to your room. Maximum number i've taken I think is 3 boys at one time.

Day 7: In the heat of shopping I can’t believe it. After two and a half years of waiting, and finally being able to travel to Thailand, here I am, down to my last two full days in the Land of Smiles. It might not be a traditional visit, as I have Tiago by my side, but it was nice to see the old haunts. We still had some things we needed to do, and one of them had to do with shopping – mine looking for bargains and Thai-specific items that I’ve missed for 2 and half years, and Tiago some fighting gear he will need for the months ahead. Thailand is many things, but finding cheaper goods in the nooks and crannies of Thailand is certainly one thing that I’ve missed. On the subject of shopping, Tiago was sent a list of shops that the part-owner of the his gym recommended: I looked at the list and saw that some of these were in Chatuchak Market, the legendary outdoor market in Bangkok. Which was good, because it will give us a chance to visit the market after all these years, plus it will also satiate my shopping urges. I look at the map and yes, here they are: After a hearty breakfast at Coffee Club, we take the BTS using the Silom Line and then the Sukhumvit Line to the Mo Chit station. Leaving the station to walk to the market itself, we get a generous helping of Bangkok’s unfortunate heat and humidity. Perhaps this would be good to do earlier in the morning, when it is less like the surface of the sun, but we are both creatures of pleasure, and getting out of bed was a struggle. Regardless, we are here, basking in the infamous Bangkok heat, about to partake in an outdoor activity. Chatuchak Market is always a nice alternative to the traditional malls in Bangkok. I’m sure there is some logic to how everything was organized here, but the beauty for me about Chatuchak is how seemingly random everything is laid out, and how I find the stuff I want is always purely by chance. I have a mental note of roughly what I want to get, but basically I am content with wandering aimlessly in the market, buying stuff if I see it, and if the price is right. I am not beyond haggling, and actually look forward to it. I always leave with a healthy number of plastic bags with little things that I’ve found along the way. The experience is not without challenges though. The heat is part of the experience, but it is doubly challenging with a mask on at all times. I’m thinking part of it is ultimately performative, part of it is probably mitigating the spread of the virus, but I am at least more than willing to take part in it, if it makes the locals feel safer about me being around them. They are all mostly masked as well, so if its good enough for them, it’s good enough for me. When in Rome and all that. Unfortunately, the two stores selling Muay Thai gear were both closed when we got there, with the storefronts shut and a peak inside the stores revealed scant inventory. A casualty of the pandemic perhaps? I’d imagine 2 years of little to no tourist foot traffic in the market takes a toll eventually. I do notice other empty stalls as well. I feel bad for the locals who could not make it work and hold on until things got better, so I feel even better being here and doing my part to help the economy by spending my modest coin here. We still had one Muay Thai store left in the list that we could try, and it was sort of close to the MRT Line. Luckily Chatuchak also had an MRT Station next to it, Chatuchak Park. We head over to the station, and we were surprised that there was a full blown shopping mall at the station, and we continued our shopping there, albeit in more comfortable confines (they had air conditioning, for example). One of the finds of the trip was actually at a Starbucks in the mall, and this old-school Thailand mug, which design I prefer from the more modern mugs: After a good lunch at the mall, we make our way to the MRT, and a few stations later we get to the store called Super Export Shop. We were relieved to see that it was open, since we came out all this way. They actually had a great selection of boxing gloves, leg pads and Muay Thai shorts. Tiago was as happy as a clam, trying things on, asking me what I thought, and asked me to translate for the workers there when needed: It was quite interesting to see and experience. And also interesting to meet some other Brazilians who were shopping there as well. One Brazilian in particular was actually shopping in bulk, for a big shipment to the US, as he is based there, teaching MMA. Tiago and he had a fairly productive conversation about the sport and his goals, and they also exchanged contacts. Pretty soon he has chosen a couple of gloves, some Muay Thai shorts, some shin guards and athletic tape. He also insisted that I buy a pair of shorts he thought would look great on me, so I got those as well. I intended to pay for all this, and just wanted Tiago to keep his money for more important things. It was actually pretty reasonable, all of that was about $150. Small price to pay for my beloved to be ready for his future battles. It was 3:30 PM, so it was time to go. Before we head home, I notice there was a 7-11 walking distance to the shop. I wanted to buy some condoms, as I was preparing for the short time visit of the two Tawan hunks: Time to get happy. So next, a Short Time with Tawan…

I never do, and this saga is totally my fault. Tiago and I were consolidating all our things into my one luggage because he left his at the Muay Thai gym, so I inadvertently put my power bank in with the rest. Normally I'd have it in my carry-on, which is the whole point of it, to be accessible to me whenever I travel. Yes, they would have allowed it on the carry-on. That's what the Bangkok Airways agent confirmed as well. And I only (usually) have it in my carry-on for easy access. Never had a problem with that in the past. I think it is allowed so at least you can "watch" over it if there is a problem. You know its one of those things that you forget happened because it happens to me so many times, and I take it for granted. I get on a plane at least once a week, so all this becomes so routine. I don't remember if the agent checking us in asked me that. I knew I was also distracted a little bit during that time because there were some super hot surfer dudes in the next counter trying to check-in their surfboard. This is the Bangkok Airways policy for carry-ons and power banks, so yes I could have 10 of my 20,000 mAh in my carry-on if I wanted. Nope, it was totally my fault. The Power Bank should have been in my carry-on, and they could not have it fly back in the next flight unless some flight attendant or pilot had it in their carry-on, and that's not their job. The agent did say that we can retrieve it in the original airport by just showing the receipt we were given. And that's exactly what Tiago did, and even with his limited english, was able to retrieve my power bank. Screenshot of a video he sent after he landed: OMG YES you reminded of that. I guess Tiago fits the stereotype.

Day 6.75: If you Think of Happiness, Think of Tawan The title is the tagline that has permeated my brain ever since I first heard it in 2014. It is also the prominent tagline in one of the last fliers I’ve seen from a Bangkok boy bar back in 2019: Having physical fliers nowadays seems pretty quaint in today’s all digital world. Kind of like those business cards that I’ve had printed whenever I go to work conferences or work travel. Nowadays it’s just “add me on LinkedIn,” and coupled with the phone app, I must admit, is a way more efficient way to send your contacts to another professional. The analog to boy bars and fliers is the social media presence. Moonlight is the king of this, doing regular Facebook lives to give us an almost daily reminder of its existence. Fliers are nice to hold in your hand but to also ultimately throw away with the rest of your airline boarding passes (another example of something going digital) after your trip. Social media notifications however, are eternally pushy, to the point that one gets numb to their existence. I can say that Tawan as a Boy Bar falls into this “pretty quaint” category in the grand scheme of boy bars in Bangkok. Yes, it has tried to modernize a bit, as evidenced with its growing social media presence, since everyone is doing it. And they were giving out Tawan-branded alcohol gel to sanitize your hands. But generally Tawan has stayed true to what it has always been. Still the same muscular guys who some have probably been there 10+ years (and calling it a BOY bar is a misnomer). Still the same tired gogo numbers. Still the same chuck wow act that admittedly has the wow factor for newcomers, but as a veteran myself, find the tips pushing a little grating. Indeed, Tawan was showing its age even when I first started visiting 8 years ago. Going to it nowadays is like getting into a time machine, harkening back to a Bangkok that was grittier, dirtier, and maybe more fun(?), instead of the Disney-fied tourist paradise it is now. But even if you are not attracted to Tawan’s brand of boys - the rugged older muscular daddy types with the occasional pumped up younger pups - you have to admire its stubbornness to keep true to its identity, despite the success of the more recent crop of flashier, more popular, and better-attended bars that cater to the lowest common denominator: to try to appeal to everyone by sacrificing individuality. It’s like what gentrification has done to the character of our urban spaces, or former gayborhoods paving the way to kids in strollers instead of gays in tutus, Tawan still clings to its identity – even if it is to a smaller audience. Count me in as a fan, even after all this years. --- It is now 11:20 PM, and I head back to Tawan to hang out there while Tiago delivers my luggage back to the house. I figure he’ll at least be gone 30 minutes, accounting for the round trip back to here, so it’ll give me time to get to know the men of Tawan. Upon entering, the last of the numbers was ending, and at this point, the boys were milling around the room, and the stage, trying to get a sale. I head over to my old seat, and order a new drink. Rum coke as usual – and boy was it really strong. They know how to dose their drinks! I survey the landscape and I see probably about 10 boys still around, with about 5 I can see having fun with. At this point I wasn’t necessarily looking for a bottom, just someone who I can do a “muscle worship” session, like with some nice foreplay, and maybe someone to top me. I’m not sure Tiago will be up for anyone here, because I know what he likes, and he is not a mega slut like I am (even accounting for his Brazilian-ness). There are a million other bottoms out there in the boy bar landscape. I’m here for the muscle. Pretty soon, one of the muscular hunks sits beside me (let’s call him 1). I am guessing he is early 30s. Very very muscular, as in like one of the guys in the photo above. He had a nice face, classic asian features. He extends a hand to shake mine. He asks for my name, and then asks where I am from (I get “but you are Asian” reaction, maybe it’s just easier to say I am from some generic Asian place), and the other stock questions. He didn’t ask for a drink or anything, but he did take my hand to guide it to his groin. He was direct, which bodes well for me. I take liberty to squeeze the muscles, and he gives me a light massage on my neck and shoulders. Another equally muscular man heads over to me (let’s call him 2), and then sits on my other free side, opposite the guy who is massaging me. He is handsome, muscular cut, probably 4% body fat, and very strong thighs and nice abs. He tells me he has seen me before (no doubt), and asks me if I was well and all that. The massaging guy interjects something in Thai to the guy, and it seems there was a little argument going. They settle down and now the other guy is massaging me. I’m getting the treatment from both guys. They are angling for tips, which is fine, that’s why I’m here. Now 2 becomes even more direct. He puts his hand in my shorts, and expertly massages my groin until I am at attention. Again, very direct and showing really good signs here. I am glad I am semi-secluded by the stage from other customers, otherwise I’d be a little bit modest. 2 then puts his hand in my shorts and massges my cock. Wow, is this normal here? 2 then lifts up my shirt to suck on one of my nipples. Darn, this is really direct and, sudden. LOL. Not that I am not enjoying. I am also glad that I’ve had two of the strong rum cokes to make me a little bit less inhibited. So before things got out of hand, I ask 2 how much for short time. He stops the sucking of the nipples and the hand job to think about it, and quotes 3000, but with a sour face. That was odd. And I am not beyond paying 3000 if the sex was good, but at the time, found the price a little bit steep. 1 was just staring into space, probably incensed that he was customer-blocked by 2. The captain goes to me and asks me if I wanted to off both guys. I hesitated, not sure about all this. The captain then says that they have a room upstairs if I wanted to do the deed here. That was interesting, though I don’t think the two I have are into that idea. I get a text from Tiago, saying he is ready to come back. Oh that’s right Tiago is with me still lol. I get a Grabtaxi for him and send him a screenshot of the Grabtaxi detail so he knows which taxi to take. I seriously haven’t thought about the logistics of me doing a short time session without Tiago, but now I will need to think about with these two musclemen beside me. Though I was eager to open my luggage at home and check if my stuff was still in there, since Bangkok Airways opened it. When the captain leaves, 2 asks me when I will leave Thailand. I tell him three days from now. I then ask him if he does home visits. 2 says yes, and asks me when and where I wanted it to do it with him. I think about it and say before dinner tomorrow, around 5 pm. That’ll give Tiago and I time to do our errands in the day, and then sex with 2, and then dinner. 2 then wakes 1 up from his reverie, and then utters a few sentences in Thai, and 1 seems to agree with 1. 2 then talks in English to me, saying that 1 can also come, and it will be 2000 each. A threesome with Tawan hunks? That was new. I immediately say yes, and upon exchanging Line, I set a date for them. After more strokes from 2 (I am close to cumming) and some massages from 1, I get a text from Tiago. He said he just got dropped off Soi Than Tawan and is heading back to Tawan. Since I had a date with the two Tawan guys tomorrow, no need to have them suffer further. I take out 500 baht for each guy, and they seem pleased with the tips, and confirmed the time with me again tomorrow. Pretty soon I see Tiago emerge from the door of Tawan. 1 and 2 say their goodbyes. I'm still seated, because I still had a hard on, and waited for it to die down, though the sight of Tiago heading back to sit with me certainly didn’t help. I told Tiago what transpired, and broke the news of the 5 pm rendezvous with the Tawan guys tomorrow. He seemed unfazed by this. He told me he opened the luggage and all seemed to be in order. I was relieved. When I have calmed down, we decide to head over to Patpong again to check out what’s up there. Upon arriving at Hot Male, the tout there welcomes us again, and we talk for a bit about the crowd he’s seen so far. He says it has been picking up, but they have a ways to go from pre-COVID days. He then asks us if we wanted to go in the club. I told him maybe not. He insisted, saying that since there is not a show anymore at 12 midnight, he is going to charge us only 250 baht each, and we can check out the boys. That was a good deal. So that’s what we do, another late night Hot Male visit. There was still about 5 sets of customers in the vicinity, with boys sitting with them. There was about 5 boys onstage, and they were pretty nice looking. Tiago puts his head on my shoulder, probably signaling he is ready for some cuddles. No boy was really screaming at me to be offed, though there was one delicious one that I entertained the idea of offing for a minute but ultimately I didn't invite him to sit with us. One by one, the customers leave. And before we knew it, it was 1 AM, and it was time to leave. We see the boys putting on clothes, and the staff slowly clean up the bar. We pay 250 each as promised. As we leave Hot Male, I take a few snaps of the surrounding bars. Some closed, some abandoned. I was still looking for some kind of entertainment at this hour, but were was Screw Boy when you need it? I ask Tiago if he wanted to go to a club, maybe to see if G.O.D. is open, I wasn’t sure. Tiago said no. He just wanted a Netflix and chill after all the luggage saga today. So that’s what we do. For there was two muscular men to contend with tomorrow, next post…

I find that having the time to know these other cultural aspects of the country you are spending copious times in, very important to understanding more about the people you are spending time with. I could just spend the whole time chasing after boys in boy bars, online, or out and about, but once in a while chasing down these other experiences are a better use of my time, quite frankly. Getting boys in Boy Bars is fairly easy and straightforward, it's like shooting fish in a barrel. Discovering other facets of the country can be sometimes challenging and you have to go out of your comfort zone most of the time, but super worth it in the end, and oftentimes these are the moments I remember the most, and not the 25 cm cock I just sucked. Muay Thai is deeply ingrained in Thai culture, much like futebol (football or soccer) is with Brazilian culture. I've never really had an interest in either sport at the start, but I always admired both the grace and physicality that participants of both sports have. It's beyond the amazing bodies that these athletes possess, although I will admit that that is a wonderful by-product. It is how, somehow, the whole culture is wrapped around the sport activity, and getting to witness a game or a fight with locals is always an eye-opening experience. You can enjoy Brazil without having ever seen a futebol match, and it'll be a good experience! But if you have a chance seeing Flamengo in a home game at the legendary Maracana, or even watching an international game versus Argentina at a bar in Copacabana (or even at Club 117 - boys weren't working as were just transfixed watching the game), it is a fascinating experience. It's like learning the Tango in Argentina, or going to an Onsen in Japan. It is something that is deeply cultural that you just have to participate in, if you have the time. Combat sports are pretty brutal, there's no getting out of that fact. Tiago gets banged up after every fight, win or lose, and I get to witness first hand his bruises and blood and aches and pains. If you're not a fan of that brutality, this sport is not for you, especially if you're up close and personal with any participant. Still, the main attraction for us are the amazing musculature these guys ultimately develop when they train for the sport. I am not at all squeamish about that! I have found that certain Mr Straight Guys are FASCINATED with getting someone to stick it up their rear.

This reminds me of a post I did describing a way to compare different countries' cost to hire a boy relative to where I live, which is California. The information presented is old, since pricing is dynamic, for boys, airfare, cost of living etc, and the world has changed dramatically since 2018, but maybe I should update this for 2022 prices: It is a metric I came up with called the Monger Index, or a way to compare the cost of hiring in different countries versus the boys you get back home. It’s a metric me and a buddy of mine came up with while super drunk at the Crowne Plaza Bangkok at 3 AM in the morning years ago. He asked me why I get all these prostitutes overseas. With the airfare and hotel rooms, that cost adds up. Wouldn’t it be just cheaper to hire prostitutes back home? I told him he was crazy because (a) the prostitutes are expensive back home and (b) sex is more fun when on vacation anyway. But I disputed his thesis that it is cheaper to hire prostitutes back home. So I came up with an index that measures how much cheaper it is to get hot guys overseas than in the USA, accounting got airfare and lodging costs. This is the Monger index. I apologize for the math. I am Asian after all. Some assumptions: (1) Time Range: The index would not work in measuring one-offs. Of course ONE prostitute would be cheaper in the USA than ONE prostitute in Bangkok. A $250 an hour prostitute you hire for one hour to take home to your USA house is cheaper than a $50 gogo boy you get in a nice gogo bar if you add the $600 roundtrip airfare one needs to get to the sauna, plus the hotel cost. It will only work if you hire by bulk, and have a longer time range. My assumption for this index example is one week, or 7 days. For example, if you get one guy every day in a week in the USA, that adds up to 7*$250 = $1750. Now we are talking bigger dollars. Have sex in bulk when overseas helps you recoup your cost. (2) Airfare: The index should include the airfare. For my purposes here, I use airfare coming from California, because that's where I live. So for example, a typical off-season RT air ticket to Sao Paulo, Brazil is $1000. For Bangkok, it’s $550. This is a fixed cost in the index. (3) Hotel: Of course you have to assume you are getting a hotel in the city you are mongering in. I assume my hotels will be typical AirBNB’s, with basic amenities in a decent and nearby neighborhood. Translation: not a dump but not fancy, and Uberable or walkable to the sauna and tourist-friendly services. For Sao Paulo I assume of the cost, the AirBNB me and the BF got in Bela Vista last December. It was a decent $50 a night. For 7 nights that adds up to $350. For Bangkok, a typical decent Silom Soi 3 AirBNB costs $45 a night. (4) Overnights: I put in the calculation the cost it takes for hiring a guy overnight. For California, a typical overnight with a hot but not “superstar porn star” hot is $1000. For Sao Paulo, Jonas’ example was 200 reals, but I count his initial 200 reals in the sauna as part of the overnight, so 200+200 = 400 reals, or $104. For Bangkok, its a bit tricky, but I assumed a high-end 3000 baht overnight, or $91. I pay that because of all the sexual acrobatics I require all my boys. It is only fair. So here are the gross calcs. For 7 days, if I hired a boy for one hour and another boy for overnight every day: California Prostitute: Price for one hour times 7 + Price for an overnight times 7 = $250*7 + $1000*7 = $8750 Bangkok GoGo Boy: Airfare + 7 nights in AirBNB + Price for a garoto in the sauna times 7 + Price for a garoto overnight times 7 = $550 + $315 + $52*7 + $91*7 = $1866 Sao Paulo Garoto (Jonas): Airfare + 7 nights in AirBNB + Price for a garoto in the sauna times 7 + Price for a garoto overnight times 7 = $1000 + $350 + $52*7 + $104*7 = $2442 The index is calculated as the ratio of the 7-day cost of USA boys, divided by the total cost in that country. 7-day Monger Index for Sao Paulo = $8750/$2442 = 3.58 7-day Monger Index for Bangkok = $8750/$1866 = 4.70 Issues: (1) I do not count the Uber cost to get to the sauna or gogo bar, or the entrance fee for the sauna, or the cabina price, or the off fee, or the drink costs in a bar. (2) I do not account for food costs. Of course you have to eat whether in the USA or Brazil or Thailand. This may be a future improvement to be added. (3) The airfare is just from California, maybe it’s more or less where you are. Maybe my assumption of $550 for Bangkok is too much or too little. This is just what I see anecdotally. So, with that, here are my Monger Indices for some 6 cities I’ve been to, ranked by the best to worst: 1. Pattaya, Thailand: 5.54 2. Bangkok, Thailand: 4.70 3. Mexico City, Mexico: 4.53 4. Bogota, Colombia: 3.77 5. Sao Paulo, Brazil: 3.58 6. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: 3.44 These are solely based on my experience. Your Monger Index may be different. Some observations: (1) Thailand remains the most bang for your buck, because of the presence of cheap decent places to stay in and low cost to fly there from California. (2) Mexico is helped by the fact that it’s so close to California, therefore the airfare is cheap. (3) Brazil on the other hand, is dinged by how expensive the airfares are from California. (4) If I factor in food, Thailand may even get a higher index, and Brazil may get a lower index. (5) Grindr prices were only used in Bogota and Mexico, because I do not have experiences getting anyone there outside of Grindr. So your mileage may vary. (6) Quality of boys is impossible to measure. And it is subjective, so it can’t be put in the index. The index is solely a quantitative metric. For example, twinks may be better in Thailand. Adonises may be better in Brazil. Again, quality is subjective, and can’t be measured meaningfully. Of course, in the end, your mileage may vary, and these indices are only meaningful to me. If you don’t like having sex with Asians, your Monger Index for Thailand is -1000000, for example. link:

Day 6.5: There is such a thing as too much technology, or A Numazu’s Guide on How to Not Experience Tawan There are a few things I carry with me on travel that I can’t live without. Apple Airtags (GPS trackers) are essential, and I have one on every piece of luggage, backpack, wallet, passport folio, and even in my car when I park it at the airport parking lot, so I can use my iphone to track all my belongings on any given time. Saved my bacon a few times when I left my wallet at home for example, and my iphone pings me saying it is not with me, or whenever the airline loses my luggage, at least I know where it was left, and can track its journey back to me. Having a power bank is also essential, for times when my cellphone dies and I need a quick jump, or if there are not enough outlets in a hotel room, and with my ever growing number of technology pieces that travel with me – cellphone, tablet, work laptop, wireless headphones, smart watch etc etc etc, having my power mobile is also essential. But sometimes having technology could screw you over. At Suvarnabhumi Airport, as we disembark from our plane and head over to domestic baggage claim, Tiago and I were just chattering away, trying to figure out the remaining things we wanted to in the 3 days remaining I had left in Thailand. We get to baggage claim 2 and see a Bangkok Airways agent waiting in front of it, with a piece of paper with two last names on it. My stomach turned. One of the last names was mine. “I’m Numazu,” I tell the agent. The agent apologizes, and proceeds to say that my luggage was randomly inspected back at our original destination, and they found my power bank inside. The agent then said that they could not put the bag in the plane without taking out the power bank, and needed my permission to take it out of the bag, so the rest of the bag can fly to BKK, so they just waited till the plane landed to tell me. I asked him if it was at all possible to have informed me while I was waiting to board the plane. I remember waiting 45 minutes to embark, so it would have been more efficient if they could’ve informed me then. The agent said he didn’t know if they did a notification of not. We were lead to the Bangkok Airways baggage office which was just next to baggage claim. While the agent left us to get some forms, I looked at my phone to use the GPS to track my bag. Yup, sure enough, it was still there at the previous airport. I was at least relieved that I knew where it was and I could track it. There is no worse feeling than having lost luggage. The agent went back with a form. I began writing my information on the form. “For telephone number, I have a US number, do you need a Thai number?” I ask. The agent confirms, so I look at the phone for contacts and put down Tiago’s Thai number. Thank goodness for having that. I put in the address of our AirBNB. As I give the form back to the Agent, the agent asks what I wanted to do about the power bank and my bag. Since I need my clothes and stuff I ask him if the bag can get on the next flight to BKK. He informs me that I can get the bag today, because there is another flight arriving in 2 and a half hours from our origin, so it can make the journey to BKK then, but they need to take out the power bank. I tell him to leave the damn power bank there and put the bag on the next plane. The agent then asks me if I will wait for the bag at the airport or have it delivered to the house. I turn to Tiago and asks him what to do. Tiago says since I can track the bag that just having the bag delivered will enable us to at least spend the time at the house instead of the airport, since it was going to be a 3 hour wait. I tell the agent that delivery is our option. The agent informs me that the delivery fee was 500 baht. Since it was my fault, I gladly pay the fee. The agent takes the money, gives me a receipt and a copy of the paperwork, and tells us that the bag will most likely be delivered at midnight. I thought this will work great, as we can have dinner, see a boy show at 10:30 PM, and then go home after that to receive the bag. So we make our way to the taxi stand. At the ride home Tiago takes my hand, as he perceives that I am worried about the bag. Every once in a while I check my phone to see if my bag is still where it was, or if it is magically finding its way to the house. It was still where it was. Tiago started yawning and says he is hungry. Tiago suggests we get something delivered at home instead of going out to dinner, and if we can get it now while in the taxi, so we don't need to wait for it at home that long. So I look for some options on Grab and settle for McDonalds, which was a treat that Tiago and I partake of once in a while. Tiago is looking at my phone as I scroll through the burger options. He finds it interesting that there is fried chicken offered at McDonalds here, so he asks for some of that and a Cheeseburger without pickles. Our order is 541 baht ($15): We get home, and 10 minutes later I get a call from the delivery guy saying he is at the house gate with the order. That was fast. And all the items in our order arrived in good condition, which is great. Tiago and I chow down (we have been pretty hungry). I was still worried about my luggage and I keep checking my phone to see where it is (it hasn’t moved), and Tiago always assures me that it will arrive today. It was only 7:30 PM so Tiago recommended that we take a nap so I can relax a bit and forget about the bag. Tiago always knows how to calm me. With AC in full blast we take that needed nap. At 9:30 the alarm goes off and I immediately look at my phone. Success! The bag is now in Suvarnabhumi! The smile on my face told Tiago the news. He takes my phone to see for himself. He then makes us both coffees and then we shower to get to our bar for the night, Tawan. Old map, still interesting: We take a Grab taxi and it had Tawan as one of the locations. Familiar tout at the door. I was curious to see Tawan in its new digs. I’ve heard that it was a smaller space than previous location. Upon entering I see a single row of seats to the right, and the stage to the left. It was indeed small. We were lead to the set of chairs towards the back, close to the bathrooms. There were some muscular boys sitting on our chairs but were quickly shooed away by one of the staff. I am quickly reminded what made me like this bar in the first place. Muscular guys in skimpy underwear running around the place. Some of them were flexing onstage, some were milling about, some were sitting with customers, and others just in the back with us, sitting down. There was probably about 15 boys in total. Not a lot but I figure enough for me, from the looks of it This bar was probably the singular bar that made me want to visit out Thailand. I was always curious about all the Bangkok boy bars, but Rush’s Bangkokbois blog (@ggobkk now I remember extensively reading it, once I googled it) has heavily featured Tawan, and it had captured my imagination ever since. And the bar has delivered on its promise of muscular boys to have sex with. So I kept going to Tawan. Even when the sauna Clube 117 in Rio de Janeiro came into my life, and thus replacing Tawan as my main source of good looking muscular guys, and the sex was superior to anything that Tawan could give me (i.e. having bottoms for starters), Tawan would still be an occasional haunt of mine. Even after Moonlight and Jupiter have eclipsed The Sun in my muscular Asian dreams. The show started, but I don’t remember any of it. I wasn’t paying too much attention to the action onstage as I was always looking at my phone to see where my luggage was. I can get pretty obsessive about things. Tiago, on the other hand, was reacting pretty openly on what was happening onstage. Gasping at the S&M parts, fascinated at the too perfect and pretty drag queen, and when the chuck wow session began, who could not believe his eyes. “Why are they jacking off?” he asks me. I tell him to notice the people with a collection cans asking for tips. “They are asking for tips, and if there is enough money collected, they will cum.” Tiago could not believe. “Fucking Thailand, man!” he exclaims. "Well the, put some money in!" Tiago excitedly tells me. I fish out 100 baht to add to the pot, to help hasten someone to cum, and to gross out Tiago more. After a few minutes, someone does cums, and Tiago watches jizz fly out from one muscular guy’s penis and land on one of the tables that was occupied by customers. I hope it missed the drinks. Or maybe the customers were into that. The stage is now so close to the seats that this was possible, as opposed to before that the tables were far enough that cum will just fall to the floor. #Tawan problems. Tiago was enjoying every minute of it. I check my phone and gasp. The luggage was mobile! And approaching Silom! And it was only 11 PM! I map out the location and see that it was 10 minutes away! I begin to panic. Should we leave and go back to the house to pick it up? I didn’t want to cut our time at Tawan. A few minutes later Tiago’s phone rings. Maybe it was the delivery driver that had our bag. Tiago hands me his phone and I go to the bathroom to answer it. It was indeed the driver. He tells me he is almost at the AirBNB. I tell him that we were not there, but if he could drive to Soi Than Tawan, we can meet him here. He agrees and hangs up. 5 minutes later he calls again, and upon answering tells me he is at the curb of the Soi. I tell Tiago that the bag has arrived. I quickly pay for our drinks and we leave Tawan. I wanted to spend more time there but this is more urgent. Sure enough the driver was there. He was in a van, no doubt delivering left or lost luggage all over Bangkok. He confirms that I was who I was, and then opens his van and produces my precious bag. I breathed a sigh of relief. Tiago then tells me to go back in Tawan to finish up the show. He will take the bag to the house and then come back to Tawan. He knows that I wanted to spend more time in the bar. He knows me very well by now. I fish out 200 baht out of my pocket, since Tiago did not have any Thai money yet, so he can get a taxi to the house. There are several taxis in the area, so we flag one down and I showed the driver the Thai directions of the AirBNB that was left by the owner. Tiago was on his way. So next post, I'm not gonna let technology ruin my time, is the rest of my time in Tawan, ALONE…

Oh gosh Screwboy!!! The legendary bar! I remember this bar closed late if my memory is not failing me. I've had so many great memories from that bar, and can still distinctly remember the bar's layout. I also remember having a preferred table to sit in that was far enough away from the stage to not be harassed by mamasans and boys, but close enough to have a good viewpoint of the merchandise, as well as ample seating for a boy when I am ready to get to know one up close. I also remember the sort of sketchy front door with a tour always up front. Looked at Google and found this. So much memories flooding back: And looking at an old flyer, I remember a lot more about this place. Yes there was karaoke in the bar as well, and I remember the bathroom for Screw Boy was in the karaoke area, if I am remembering it correctly. I haven't thought about this bar in a while: And to me its greatest strength was that it had a closing time that was later than a majority of the boy bars. I wonder how it was able to get away with that back in the day (as in the last decade). It was very useful if you ended up alone because you couldn't find someone to off earlier, or even more useful if you needed a second off for the night, after your short time session is over early. I don't know why there isn't a late night bar that can do this like Screwboy did before. I have a similar beef with Brazil saunas, with closing times at 11 pm or 12 mn. Which is why Termas in Barcelona is such a treasure. Some other pics I've seen: From 3rd Anniversary celebration. Not the usual boys on offer, but it has a nice shot of the stage, that also brings back memories: And I forgot all about this weird drag queen, but this number was a staple, so can't resist posting it here: So yes, I share all of your wishes to have Screwboys reopen, even mores than Lucky Boys (tho can't hurt having both reopen). Does anyone have the scoop on that? I am completely unaware of what the story has been on that, and the current word on the ground.

Day 4-6: Fighting for a new life Today is a new day, and for Tiago, today is the start of a new life. His main reason to be in Thailand is to stay for at least 6 months to get training in Muay Thai, as he had in Jiu Jitsu in Brazil, and economic realities meant that doing this in Thailand is way cheaper than in Brazil. It will also enabled him to get into the Asian fighting circuit that have boasted any number of Brazilians looking for easy money doing what they love to do. Having gotten to know him for a better part of a year, first in Brazil, then having him tag along in my travels, I am confident that he has the drive, and the skills necessary, to be a success. Probably not to the top of his sport, but enough to gain the necessary experience to further a career in this realm, to either teach the sport in western countries, or mount a school and/or gym himself in his home country, among other possibilities. He is certainly making the most of whatever physical gifts he has, and taking advantage of his youth and energy, to get to the next level. I’ve often wondered how boys get into prostitution. It takes a certain intestinal fortitude to withstand the day to day demands to survive the mental and physical toll that is inherent in the profession. One Brazilian boy I’ve known describes it as a constant series of humiliations, being objectified, poked and prodded, facing constant rejection, doing constant negotiating, a lot of chasing, all for the money he will need to pay his bills. He still sticks to it, because it is lucrative, and since he has not gone to school, and doesn’t have any traditionally marketable skills, this is his greatest chance to get the most money that he needs. He knows that he won’t be young forever, so why not strike while the iron is hot? Having a fat 9-inch penis doesn’t hurt either. Tiago has told me that the rigors of sauna and bar boy life aren’t for him. He is not above selling his body for money, he says, and admits he has entertained the random offers he has gotten when he is, for example, on a Brazilian beach or at a club. But he has a more stable family life and has gotten some support from his parents whenever he needed to get bailed out from a missed rent check or to refill his kitchen pantry. And he prefers using his body for fighting, a love of his that he has cultivated since he was a teen. After getting good at Jiu Jitsu back home, he has set his sights on Thailand where he wants to spread his wings. --- We wake up at 6 AM, to catch a 9:00 AM flight to another Thai city, where Tiago’s MMA gym is. We plan on spending 3 days there, to work out his living arrangements and secure his place in the classes that he wants to take, as well as to make sure that he has face-to-face interactions with the staff of the gym to make a determination that this was really where he wants to end up. Before this, all his conversations with the gym people have been virtual, with many video conference calls to the Brazilian part-owner and some of the Brazilian fighters on staff. Nothing beats in-the-flesh interactions, and he has asked me to form my own opinions of what I will see, to help him decide if this is indeed a good decision for him to take. I get us a Grab Taxi to the airport, which amounted to 427 baht, since I always ask the driver to take highways, and the driver was able to add the 75 baht tolls to the fare: The plane ride over was fairly quick and efficient. We then took a taxi to our hotel. I splurged a little bit on a resort hotel to at least get some pampering in, while taking advantage of the resort’s many pools, great restaurants, and other cool amenities. After a quick lunch, we quickly head over to the MMA Gym, to get it out of the way. Tiago wanted to spend the whole day tomorrow to just veg out in the resort with me, before we head back to Bangkok on the third day. Any doubts Tiago had over the gym quickly melted away when we stepped out of our taxi into the gym complex. Most of the workout facilities were outdoors, and with Thailand’s sweltering heat that might not be ideal, but we see a fair number of people working out sparring with each other and with punching bags which were a-plenty. There were two practice boxing rings that I saw, and a courtyard that had people milling about. Tiago’s eyes lit up. He was impressed. We were met with a Thai employee. He spoke to us in English, and as before I explained to him that Tiago didn’t speak English well. We were lead to where the living quarters would be, and we found some Brazilians who were living at the gym. Most of them then joined us and the Thai guy to take a tour of the place. There was a stage area, where the public fights happen, we were shown some of the living quarters – kitchen, bathrooms, and the room where Tiago would be staying at. It was a modest room, a bed, a fan, some shelving, closet space. We were told there was wifi all thoughout. Tiago told me this was more than enough for him. The room afforded him privacy, and a comfortable place to rest, which is all he needs. We then met up with the Brazilian part owner. He rolled up on his motorcycle, wearing Muay Thai shorts and nothing else but his flip flops. A fighter himself, he was 35, and still very much in fighting shape not to mention fairly handsome. A typical rugged Brazilian. After some introductions, he then takes us to his office to talk business. Tiago wanted me there with him to help with the decisions. The owner was impressed that I can speak Portuguese, and made the remark that when he first got to Thailand, he spoke no English, but learned through living here many years. Tiago then commented that he hopes that will be the case for him too. I mention my journey to Portuguese, and told them all the classes in the world were no match for actual immersion and speaking it with native people. The owner spelled out how things worked in the gym, the daily routine, how much the classes were, the accommodations, the food. The owner will be able to give Tiago a discount if he helped out with setting up the gym first thing in the morning, and cleaning up at night, since he was short-staffed. He then tells Tiago on how he can earn money with helping to teach MMA to western farangs who come to the gym to learn as well. He says that with Thailand reopening, he has seen student numbers tick up again, and is expecting to be really busy going into the high season. Also, there will be some opportunities to fight locally, in Bangkok, and overseas in Cambodia, South Korea, and other nearby countries is also a possibility, to earn some extra pocket money. This all sounded good to Tiago, and to me as well. After this we were shown some gyms with weights and cardio machines that Tiago can join to maintain muscle, and to a local fighting gear store where he can get his boxing gloves, tape and others things. The owner commented that it was more expensive to buy it here than in Bangkok, and recommends that if we were heading back to the capital that Tiago do his shopping there. We then sit down for some coffee (at the air conditioned gym thankfully) and just shared stories about Brazil and Thailand. The owner is very charming, and seems to be a really awesome guy, and he shared his take on how it was to live in Thailand as a Brazilian. As Tiago and I went back to the hotel after all this, we had a long conversation about all the information that was presented to us. Both of us had a good feeling about it. Tiago’s brain was already swimming with all the things he intended to get accomplished here. Once we step of the taxi at the hotel, Tiago holds my hand as we walk back to our room, and once we were in the room he hugs me, telling me that he is grateful for this opportunity, and it wouldn’t have happened if I didn’t buy his plane tickets. I told him that it was his vision that got him here. I only greased the wheels. Plane tickets for Tiago: $453 one-way from Sao Paulo to Doha, 10k + 40k Avios points from Doha to Dubai to Bangkok. Gratitude that Tiago has shown me: Priceless We actually went back to the MMA gym later that day, because there was a public fight scheduled that featured 5 fights. I got to talk to the other Brazilians as well. Thank goodness for hot Thailand weather. All the fighters were shirtless, and I’ve lost count of the abs that I’ve seen total. The fights were well attended, with some farangs sprinkled in a mostly Thai audience. They sold some food and liquor during the fights, which I bet is a money maker for the owners. As promised by Tiago, we spent the next day just vegging out. The pool, strolls around the resort complex, pool, sex in the hotel room balcony, pool, hit the buffet and the pool bar, and then a nice dinner in one of the resort restaurants. Even if there was a whole city outside this resort, I picked it to take advantage of the amenities, and also to take a break from all the running around we’ve been doing this past 3 weeks. The next day, recharged because of the relaxing day before, and renewed because of the knowledge that Tiago will be in good hands once I leave him to his own devices next week, we were in good spirits. Tiago left his big luggage behind at the gym since he was coming back, and left with just the necessities for the rest of my stay with him in Bangkok. We consolidated all of our things into my big luggage including some in my carry-on, and then checked my big luggage at the airport for our flight to Bangkok. That was a mistake, as I left something in the checked bag that almost ruined my night. That’s next post.

With looking for bottoms, I just used to just go it alone and make my determination with the boy itself. That often lead to me picking a boy that I think would be a bottom, but after him sitting with me and some talking, he will often that not will say he is a top. I've since learned to depend on the mamasan, I usually have one trusted one in almost every bar, and usually the mamasan will list the boys that are bottoms by their numbers onstage. I invite the one that I think would be the most attractive, and then I make sure he is a bottom by asking him directly. I'm sure he has me as Generic Asian Face. The were shirtless, but with pants, when I was there. LOL. They can return the favor and open Lucky Boys back up!

Day 3.75: Trip down memory lane For us return travelers to Thailand, there must be a beacon that gets released up in the air the minute we land at Suvarnabhumi Airport alerting the bars and the boys that we are back. How else would they know that we are back? I may be exaggerating, but it only took one night in two Bangkok bars, and a visit to the HotMale town crier, to get at least 5 messages on Line from past boys I’ve known, asking the eternal questions “You in Bangkok?” After two and a half years, they still hold on to our Line numbers, even after the conversations with them have stopped. Anyway, I received an interesting Line message on the first night of the trip from a past boy: I looked at the last time he messaged me, and it was on November 25, 2019(!), which was the last time I was in Bangkok. I look at his profile picture, and yes, he was one of the last offs I had on that trip. And on this current trip, I remember seeing him at Hotmale the first night, hanging out with a customer. I guess he recognized me as well, because this text message was sent a couple of hours after that encounter. Then I got to thinking, how did he know that it was me on Line? I didn’t have a profile pic, and I never send photos of myself to the boys, so the only way he would have remembered is that he just had a good memory. After two and a half years, remembering my Line from the other faceless farang contacts he has, and recognizing me after a passing encounter in a dark bar. That is truly impressive. I do remember my off with him fondly. I offed him an another boy from Lucky Boys for a threesome: And this little snippet about him: That then got me to thinking, why hasn’t Lucky Boys reopened? I googled and get this listing. Permanently closed? Looking at my last trip report, it seems that I identified Lucky Boys as the best Bangkok boy bar I went to on that trip, as I found the boy offerings, the boy show, and the ambiance to be the best and most balanced. After this New Twilight fiasco, I just don’t know why certain bars are still closed. This is what I said about it in 2019: So in this night of no off, since New Twilight did not deliver the goods for both Tiago and I, I am once again drawing from the past and relying on the company of a past off. Just like MonBoy, I was eager to connect again with Cambodia, and my threesome with him and another Lucky Boys off I called Myanmar which occurred last trip, was a good indicator that Cambodia would be open to a threesome also this time. I ask Tiago if he was up for another threesome with a fun bottom. He doesn’t always say yes when I ask this, sometimes it depends on whether he is tired or would rather watch tv or talk to friends on his phone. But tonight he asked, “Is it a boy from that awful bar?” I laughed. “No, its someone I knew in 2019.” I showed him pics that Cambodia had on his Line Feed. Tiago looks approvingly, and says “Yes let’s get him tonight.” I sent Cambodia a Line message, as we made our way to Patpong to hang out at Hot Male bar. As we sit down, I check my messages and see a response “Where are you.” I tell him where. “I go to you now.” I tell Tiago the news. I see one host boy trying to talk to Tiago and Tiago trying his best to talk back. He still needs help with the English. I wonder he will make it on his own after this week, but I realize there are even more Brazilians in his gym who supposedly can help him in this regard. After 15 minutes of drinking and talking to HM, Hotmale Bar Boy extraordinaire, a familiar figure comes up to us at the bar. It was Cambodia, grinning from ear to ear. He shakes my outstretched hand, and then looks to Tiago and shakes his hand as well. He looked genuinely happy to see me. I tell him to sit with us and asked him if he wanted something to drink (he didn’t). I look at Cambodia more closely. He has not aged at all. He told me he was 22 in late 2019, so he must be 24-25 now, but still looks like a teenager. He asks me about details of my trip, and who Tiago was, and I asked him about the pandemic. He told me he got back last May, after spending almost 2 years back in Cambodia. I asked him what he did during that time, and he said “take care of family,” which was pretty nice to hear. He said after the bars closed, and then customers dwindled, he decided to leave and stay home for a while, but came back once he thought he could make a living doing this again. “You want to come to our apartment?” I ask Cambodia. “Can,” he said. Just that. Can. I ask Tiago what he thought of the idea. He gave a longer answer, more than “Can” (more like beercan), but basically he also "Can". So with this “Can” do attitude, I hailed a Grab Taxi to meet us up at the Surawong side of Patpong, and pretty soon we were on our way. Same same order – Tiago to the left, boy to the right, and me, at the center of this triad, responsible for all of us getting together tonight. At the apartment, the first thing that Cambodia notices was the pile of 3-in-1 coffees left by the apartment owner. “Please?” Cambodia asks, taking one of the packets. “You?” I then ask Tiago. He nods. I guess everyone wants coffee, so I fill up the water heater with enough water, and pretty soon all 3 of us are drinking 3-in-1 coffee. Tiago is again being shirtless again, and is down to his shorts at this point. Cambodia, still as reserved as he was back when I first met him under 3 years ago, was still in his t-shirt and jeans. “You are not feeling hot?” I ask Cambodia. Cambodia smiled, knowing exactly what I meant. “Can I shower?” he asks me. I say yes, pointing to the master bedroom with the bathroom en suite. So he takes off his shirt, folds it neatly and sets it on the couch. He takes off his pants and then folds them as well. Then he turns around and takes off his underwear, and cheekily makes his way to the bathroom. I see Tiago laser focused on those perky buttocks. This was going to be interesting. Tiago chugs his coffee and then excuses himself to do a shower himself. I join Tiago in the second bathroom to have a shower as well. When we emerge back out to the living room, we see Cambodia sitting back down, wrapped in a towel, sipping the rest of his coffee. Tiago goes up to Cambodia, takes his hand, and leads him to the bedroom. Cambodia actually fit really well with Tiago. Cambodia seems to love the deep kissing, so Tiago and him had a time doing that a lot during our time together. And Tiago loves how smooth Asians are (probably why he’s with me) and could rim a smooth ass all night, as he did with Cambodia. Cambodia seemed to be game with everything, and when it came to bottoming for Tiago, seemed to relish the sensation way more than MonBoy did. I could tell that Tiago was enjoying himself, and that in itself was a huge turn on for me. There was a point where he had Cambodia on all fours, and he slid Cambodia towards me so Cambodia could suck my dick. Tiago then started fucking Cambodia slowly at first, and then with some force. Cambodia seem to be game for it, and continued to suck me while thrusts came. The whole time this was happening, Tiago was looking at me, and when Tiago caught my eye, he mouthed the words “Te amo,” to me, communicating that he hasn’t forgotten me in this tryst. “Te amo mais,” I mouthed back. That was actually pretty sweet. When we were done, and showered, Cambodia let me know that he can’t do long time tonight, as he has plans early tomorrow. I didn’t plan on having him on longer so that worked out. Before he left, Cambodia told me that “Next time, you fuck me,” which was a nice gesture. Probably needed to say because although Tiago could do it much better than I do, Cambodia knew I was the one making decisions. 4000 baht and a Grab Taxi later, he was on his way. So Cambodia is 2 for 2 with me, and both were threesomes as well. Some boys just play well with others. Next post, we had to wake up early tomorrow…

Day 3.5: Growing Pains The bar tonight was New Twilight. I was actually excited to go here. It’s not everyday a Bangkok Boy Bar is newly added to the dwindling slate of bars in the landscape. In these uncertain COVID times, it’s fairly bold to open up a new entertainment venue. When this report actually happened, I haven’t been keeping up with what others have been saying about it, just that it has opened, it where it was, near the Mango Tree restaurant. It would have made sense to eat at Mango Tree instead of G’s because of proximity, but something to look forward to in the coming days. As we make our way through Soi 6 to make our way to Soi Than Tawan, I opted to take a peak first at one my faves, Tawan Bar, just to see it from the outside, to check out the new location across the street. Actually Mango Tree, Tawan and New Twilight are within 2 minutes of each other. Kudos for Google Maps to have all three locations be searchable on their website: We arrive at Tawan and see this colorful rainbow flag: But Tawan was not our destination, but New Twilight. We get there soon enough. Good job on the outside signage: Entering the facilities, I was impressed by how spacious and well thought out the whole setup was. The stage had a center area and a runway, something that is working well for Jupiter, and not the static one center stage concept that Moonlight and Dreamboy has. Jupiter uses that runway to its full effect by showcasing the boys and its cool that New Twilight sought to do the same. As we got seated, I notice that seating is plentiful, though a little bit far from the stage. I like my bulges hanging over my head, and not need those mini binoculars one uses at the opera to see them. There were about 4 parties in the bar, which is fine I guess for a Tuesday night. We were asked drinks (again coke and rum cike – which was pretty weak). There was New Twilight branding everywhere, including the tissue dispensers: There was a huge stage backdrop screen that covered the entire backdrop of the stage, which was pretty impressive as well. As seen in this promotional video posted recently: TWBar.mp4 The boys on offer: there were about 6 boys on stage when we first got there. All were in jeans and tennis shoes. I took notes in my phone to remember the details of this bar, and I see in all caps: WHY THE PANTS?????? Some were cute but no one really interested me. No obvious stars. Noone on stage was catching my eye, tho a good number of them where trying their luck catching Tiago’s and my eye. The waiters were nice though. I think the waiters were much better looking than the boys onstage. There were two that I liked, one twinky one and one sort of hunky one. The stage numbers: kind of amateurish. The dancers were average at best, both in looks and in choreography. How new was this bar? Maybe they need more practice? There were some drag numbers which were fine. There was a teacher and student number that was just ok and clumsy. There were some sensual numbers, some actual smoking onstage which was funny. Tiago was yawning. He saw me catching him yawning and apologized. “The number are actually quite ok, but the other bars are better,” he said. “The boys in other bars are better too.” Since we were in Hot Male, Jupiter and Moonlight the nights prior, I’d say that is true. I was sort of keen to off someone here tonight, but no one was trully holding my attention. I asked Tiago what he thought and he commented on how nice the screen was and how high tech it was. I told him I was asking about the boys. He said they were a little bit “girly” for his taste. I laughed. Should we get you a real man? Because Tawan is next door. He laughed and said that he has nothing against more femmy guys but he wouldn’t necessarily want to pay for sex for one, even if I was paying. We decide to order another round of drinks, just to settle in and get into the mood of things. The two waiters I liked were unfortunately sitting with other customers. So, we tried, but unfortunately it was not meant to be. We pay for our drinks and head out into the night. --- I am just going to chock it up to growing pains. The bar is new. They are trying to find their identity. They are starting from scratch, developing numbers, building a boy base, and starting on a challenging time post-pandemic. Fortunately, time is on their side. It is late June (the time this report occurred), and high season starts in December. That’s 6 months worth of tweaking and perfecting before they find their voice. The good news: the bones are there - the venue is nice, the staging and seating are one of the best I’ve seen in Thailand. And the place is not that hard to find, and is close to Tawan, a bar with firm voice of its own. One glimmer of hope was this July 13 post on their Facebook: They have b-boys, and they look great. This takes me back from the b-boys in the Pattaya boy bars. And their message: So yeah, if you're in Bangkok, or planning to go in the near future, please go! It'll give them the necessary support to grow, and it'll give you a chance to report back on this board your opinion on the bar and tell us if they are changing for the better. But there was no off today sadly. But I did have on trick up my sleeve, next.

Muscled bottoms who kiss are indeed a harder thing to find in Thailand for some reason. Not in other places of the world. MonBoy is by no means a muscled-bound, but meatier than the average boy in Thailand. I'd recommend DreamBoy and Hot Boys. I've offed two who may fit your three criteria (muscle, kisses, bottom), and have had tremendous luck in those bars in the past. Happy Beer Garden has been a staple of mine, unfortunately these days I will only remember that it is there if I was walking from Moonlight to Patpong. Otherwise, with Soi Twilight gone, the area is less busy. Just like the good old days... how I wish. I'm glad I could enlighten you on the dick situation at Hotmale. Oddly enough, I found more impressive dicks at the bar a meters down the same floor as Hot Male ;). Yikes, those are indeed high fuel surcharges. Virgin is known for having these high fuel surcharges. Another reason to not fly them. 400 baht short time? Wow that is cheap. I think when I started it never went under 1000. Ummm, yes? I thought that was implied. And as for being generous - I thought that was the point of this website. LOL I was also gonna say, isn't sex considered exercise? I'm not disputing your point @z909. But I must say that there are a million walking spaces in Brazil that are safe. The 30-minute walk from Post 1 at Leme/Copacabana to Post 10 in Ipanema is a great example. Hiking up to Christ the Redeemer is another. Parque ibirapuera in Sao Paulo (great eye candy), and Avenida Paulista on Sundays when they close the whole major street for exercise, are the Sao Paulo standouts. Recife - late night/early morning strolls at Boa Viagem, with the bonus of jumping into the warm ocean, Fortaleza - the crazy Praia de Iracema park walk with LOTS of eye candy, walking at various times day or night at the Pelourinho in the old part of Salvador... I could go on and on. And pretty safe to do so. And Brazil has milder weather (still hot, but better relative to Thailand) so actually the walking is more pleasant. I'd argue that I walk outside in Brazil more than I do in Thailand, just because of the outside temperature, plus Brazilian boys walk more it seems than bar boys (who seem to need a taxi to go everywhere LOL).

Just speaking for myself, I don't think I was ever saying in my current trip report that things are back to "normal" whatever that means anymore. I remember saying that "Bangkok is back" and indeed it is. It might not be the cheek to jowl crowd that you can only see anyway during peak season, not on a rainy July, but it is indeed back. And I had a blast! And "gloomy post covid area (sic)" can be applied to any number of locations in the world, if that's how you view it, since none are "back to normal". Like others have said, everything you need in Bangkok is open. You can get your rocks off, you can eat the amazing food, BTS/taxis/tuk tuks are plentiful, and boy bars are open. If you'd rather stay home holding on to money while waiting for the world to get back to "normal", you might be waiting a long time.