spoon

Sorry, cant help myself from doing another installment of AI-generated trip report. This time i think it did a better job than day 1. Enjoy. Chapter 2: Happiness Is a Solution We live in a culture that is completely obsessed with unrealistic expectations. Lower your standards, they say. Don't give a fuck, they say. But let's be honest: when you’ve meticulously engineered a vacation around elite tier loyalty status and the transactional validation of young Thai men, you give an immense amount of fucks. Every single detail becomes a high-stakes metric for your personal happiness. Take my hotel situation. I woke up after my companion left and checked out at precisely 3:00 PM. Why? Because I am a top-tier member of this hotel chain, and by god, I will milk every single minute of that late checkout privilege to prove my existential worth. I packed my bags and migrated to the next bastion of luxury—closer to Silom, but far enough away that I wouldn't be associated with the unwashed masses in the actual Silom ghetto. Except for my final night at the Pullman G, I made a conscious, deeply neurotic choice to avoid Silom proper. I needed newness. I needed validation. I was trying out the Metropolis Suites Bangkok and the Conrad Bangkok, desperately hoping they would fill the void. Spoiler alert: they did. And more importantly, my nightly companions liked them too. Because it was low season, the universe decided to hand me a series of room upgrades. I practically vibrated with self-satisfaction. I had successfully negotiated a 2:00 PM checkout here, a 4:00 PM checkout there, and my rooms were magically ready before the standard 3:00 PM check-in time. I even managed lounge access for almost the entire itinerary. At the one hotel that dared deny me entry, I extracted a solitary drink voucher like a tax collector taking his due. I mapped my entire afternoon around the lounge schedules: Afternoon Tea from 2:00 to 4:00 PM, and Happy Hour from 5:00 to 7:00 PM. If I missed a single free finger sandwich or complimentary gin and tonic, the entire trip would be an objective failure. By the time I checked into my third hotel—the Hilton Grande Asoke, a comforting, predictable repeat—my delicate ego was thoroughly padded. But happiness isn't just about free hotel cheese; it's about the relentless pursuit of order. I marched over to X-One to exchange my cash. Why X-One? Because they offer the absolute best rate, and saving a fraction of a percent on currency exchange is the hill I am prepared to die on. There was virtually no queue. Another micro-victory. Next was Prime Massage for my mandatory, non-negotiable arrival ritual. I dropped 750 baht on a one-hour foot massage and a one-hour head and shoulder massage. I had to wait fifteen agonizing minutes for my masseur, a delay that threatened to derail my entire fragile psyche, but they escorted me inside immediately, so crisis averted. The ritual was complete. I was officially "relaxed," which is just a code word for being temporarily distracted from my own thoughts. I hurried back to the hotel to aggressively consume happy hour drinks, rested for a minute, and then ventured back into the night toward Silom's Midnight Bar. I bought a drink and sat there, waiting for showtime, radiating the anxiety of a man who needs to be entertained. My favorite waiter was on shift. To ensure he liked me, I bought him a drink. He asked if I knew how to play checkers. I said yes. We played a few games. It was a beautiful, calculated simulation of human connection. Then, I went to Hotmale for the 11:00 PM show. I walked in, and the place was a ghost town. Maybe one or two other customers. On a Saturday night! It was profoundly, deeply sad. There weren't even enough bodies in the room for them to stage the performance. I looked at the guys on stage, searching for a spark, but absolutely none of them appealed to me. I mean, sure, I could see a couple who might satisfy the specific, questionable tastes of my fellow online forum members, but for me? Nothing. I confirmed with the mamasan that the show was officially canceled, felt a heavy wave of disappointment, and immediately pivoted to my next target: Good Boy. Good Boy was the exact opposite. The universe had corrected itself. A show was in full swing, and the bar was packed to the gills. They ushered me down toward the stage, far from the entrance, right into the thick of the boy section. Almost instantly, familiar faces began greeting me with a wai. They asked for drinks. Mamasan Tee and another friendly mamasan materialized out of the neon haze, asking for my order and demanding to know who caught my eye. And then, I saw him. Amongst the crowd was a guy I hadn’t seen on my last trip. Word on the street was he had vanished back to his hometown. But here he was. He was the obvious choice—the only choice. I called him over, bought him a drink, and we began the delicate dance of catching up. He told me he’d been back at work for just two weeks after a seven-month hiatus from the scene. Then came the ultimate validation: he immediately expressed interest in an "off" and asked how long I was staying. Now, a lesser man would have jumped the gun. But I give too many fucks for that. I am a professional. I confirmed a few logistical variables with him first, ensuring everything was perfectly aligned before I summoned the mamasan to pay his bar fine. Let’s call him VB. While VB went to swap his stage gear for street clothes, I informed him we were waiting for a friend of mine who was landing in Bangkok shortly. VB knew him, so we took a tight, performative selfie and blasted it to my friend's phone. Around 12:30 AM, my friend arrived. We anchored ourselves in that bar until the final, late-night shows concluded. My friend, caught up in the momentum of the evening, bought a guy a drink and promptly offed him too. Success is contagious. We ended the night at the legendary Foodland, choking down late-night supper, before retreating to our respective hotels. VB was a repeat guy—proven quality, a certified blue-chip asset. The reunion was spectacular. He stayed all the way until breakfast, validating my existence for a few more hours, and the moment he left, I went right back to sleep. Because when you give this much of a fuck about optimizing your pleasure, you need your rest.

Yes, I am oblivious about them. If you havent put it in your report, I wouldnt have known at all lol. Ignorance is bliss. To be fair, both of us were sitting next to our guy to bother about other people lol and who goes to foodland for a quiet evening/morning?

@floridarob would appreciate this revelation for sure. Lol. At least now I will use @vinapu's name from this point onwards. And @jason1975 as well when its time, much later.

Yes, ive use it before. Last I recall was hilton millenium on new year's eve. Unfortunately, I didnt get the best view hotels but still river facing. I will look for opportunity to use it once I collected enough nights to maintain my status for next year. There is a whole dedicated forum discussing the best way to redeem your points to get the best value in forums like flyertalk or loyaltylobby.

Its not so bad with grande asoke as it is close to bts, and I make use of the shuttle to bts in conrad. Going back to hotel, always took taxi anyway since there is two of us and almost no traffic. Cant deny that Raya hotel used to be my go to, and will like use it for longer trip during high season. But for me to keep my current status, need to do some nights within the chain lol.

Chapter 2: Happiness Is a Solution I went back to sleep once my guy left and checked out around 3pm ish, which is the benefit of being a member of this hotel chain. I moved to my next hotel, closer to Silom, but still not in the Silom ghetto. Except for my last night at Pullman G, none of my hotels are in Silom. The first two hotels in my trip are new hotels (Metropolis Suites Bangkok and Conrad Bangkok) I'm trying this trip, and so far I really like these two hotels, and so do my nightly companions. I was upgraded in all my hotels this time, perks of coming in the low season, I suppose, and there was no issue getting a late checkout until at least 2pm, and up to 4pm for my first and last hotel. This wasn't a big issue anyway, as my rooms were ready for check-in earlier than the standard 3pm check-in in both cases. I have lounge access for most of my trips except for my first hotel, but they did give me one drink voucher. The lounges usually have afternoon tea (2–4pm) and happy hour (5–7pm). My third hotel was a repeat, Hilton Grande Asoke. After settling down in the new hotel, I made my way to X-One to change some cash. I always bring my local currency and exchange it here for the best rate. There was practically no queue. I went to Prime Massage afterward for my customary massage. This time, I chose a 1-hour foot massage and a 1-hour head and shoulder massage for 750 baht. I had to wait 15 minutes for my masseur but was escorted inside the massage area immediately. Now my arrival ritual has been completed lol. I went back to my hotel for the happy hour and rested a bit before making my way back to Silom and Midnight Bar. I stopped by and bought a drink, waiting a bit before showtime in the bar. My fav waiter was there, so I bought him a drink as well. He asked if I knew how to play checkers, and I said yes, so we had a few games before I made my way to Hotmale to see their offering and the 11pm show. When I entered, the customers were sparse, maybe one or two others besides me. Suffice it to say, it was not enough for them to do the show. It was a Saturday night, so it was kinda sad really. None of the guys on stage appealed to me either, though I could see one or two that might appeal to my fellow forum members. After confirming with the mamasan that there would be no show, I made my way to my next bar, Good Boy. When I entered Good Boy, they were right in the middle of a show. The bar was full, so I was ushered to a seat near the stage, further from the entrance, where mostly boys were sitting. Not long after, familiar faces started to greet me with a wai, asked me for drinks, and of course Mamasan Tee and another friendly mamasan came to me asking for my drink order and if there was anyone I liked. And amongst the familiar faces, there was a guy I didn't see on my last trip, as I had heard that he went back to his hometown. He was the obvious choice tonight, so I called him over for a drink and we chatted a bit to catch up. He told me he had just come back to work for 2 weeks, having been away from the scene for 7 months or so since last November. He immediately told me his interest for an off and asked how long I'll stay this trip. Not jumping the gun this time, I confirmed a few things with him before calling the mamasan for an off. Let's call him VB. Once he changed into his street clothes, I told him I was waiting for a friend who was coming to Bangkok and arriving soon. He knows this friend, so we sent him our selfie. Around 12:30am, my friend arrived, and we stayed in the bar until the late-night shows ended. My friend also bought a guy a drink, and it didn't take long for him to also off the guy. We went to the famous Foodland for supper and retired to our hotels for the night. Yet another repeat guy, proven quality, and the reunion was great! He stayed until breakfast, and I went back to sleep after he left.

With second chance, it can be very rewarding. Some of my best regulars were not so great on our first encounter but second and the rest was absolutely enjoyable.

The best of the bunch. Though id prefer them to be Vers Top lol

The subtle art of not giving a f*ck

Thanks. Its not really original but a parody of a title of a book lol

Thanks. Already back home and working unfortunately lol. Havent plan my next trip yet but I will have to use my leaves before year end lol

So far no one asked who he is. I wouldnt write him off myself either. Because up until he told me he had to leave earlier, the session was nice. Maybe his excuse might have been legit, albeit unlikely... Anyway, it will be a while before i take him again. Im not against giving someone a second chance.

Actually we are just below china on the number of tourist to thailand last year. But i guess that figure is inflated, because of cross border activities

You mean malaysia will be one day eligible to use e-gate right? Lol

I wish. Im a celibate.

Its google ai mode in the chrome browser. So i guess gemini? I am impressed that AI has come this far. To be fair to AI, I only do one simple prompt and did not bother to fix the details that were wrong. But yes, after using them for a while, you can basically detect AI language, certain words used are definitely a giveaway thats only AI will use, and some clear mistake were done as well like there is no indication that CN were aggressive, and yet, it was added by AI..

Just for the fun of it, i tried to use AI to "improve" my trip report. Enjoy day 1 as written by AI. Chapter 1: The High Cost of Trying Seven months. Seven long, agonizing months of standard adult compliance before I finally broke. When my travel buddy gave me a vague window of "sometime in July or early August," and my corporate overlords finally locked in my schedule mid-June, I stopped thinking and started booking. End of July. Annual leave requested, flights secured, hotels locked down. I even broadcasted the news to a few chosen travel buddies and forum veterans like a man who had just successfully escaped a minimum-security prison. This was it. My maiden voyage of the year. Then came Friday evening. Landing in Bangkok on a Friday night is a special brand of self-inflicted torture. Despite a minor fifteen-minute delay in the air, the real trial began at Suvarnabhumi’s immigration. I spent an hour and a half trapped in a human livestock queue. Even my handheld electric fan was completely useless against the sheer volume of body heat. The airport infrastructure wasn’t broken; the sheer mass of humanity packed into that confined space simply overwhelmed the air conditioning. My body was expelling excess moisture from places I didn't know could sweat. Touchdown was at 7:00 PM. I didn't break quarantine until 9:30 PM. By the time I dropped my bags, scrubbed the airport grime off my skin, and made it to Silom, it was 11:00 PM. My first stop of the night was Dreamboy. I walked in mid-show. Shortly after, the house lights shifted and the lineup migrated to the stage for the nightly selection ritual. The room was packed with both talent and tourists. I ended up as the lone spectator in the back row, tucked safely behind the pillars. Almost immediately, one guy cut through the noise—definitely "off-able" material, exactly my type. Let’s call him CN. I flagged down the mamasan, gave him the number, and bought CN a drink. Up close, CN checked out. He showed genuine interest, spoke decent English, and when I asked if he wanted to leave with me, he didn't hesitate. "Long time?" Yes. "Until breakfast?" Yes. He named his price, I agreed, and I paid the mamasan his release fee. Instead of leaving immediately, I decided to stay for the next set. As I scanned the stage again, a familiar face appeared: VN. He was a guy I’d taken out on a previous trip—my type, just with a slighter, more compact frame. Look, it was my first night back after a massive hiatus, and I was in an aggressively good mood. What the hell, right? I called the mamasan over again and ordered VN a drink too. Moments later, I was sitting between two complete hunks. Just hours earlier, I had been staring at a computer screen finishing up paperwork. Now, I was living the exact reason why I call Thailand my second home. We stayed until the curtains closed. VN spent a few minutes trying to place where he knew me from before the memory clicked. "You left your phone in the taxi," he laughed. Yup. That was him—the co-pilot to my absolute panic attack when I dropped my phone in a Bolt ride during my last trip. I asked him if he wanted to come out tonight, but frankly explained that I’d already cleared the fee for CN. "Next time," I promised. We shared a few laughs, enjoyed the company, and then it was time to move. I asked CN if he needed to grab any food or supplies at 7-Eleven, loaded up, and hailed a cab back to the hotel. The vibe was perfect right up until we crossed the threshold of my room. Suddenly, CN’s timeline shifted. He needed to leave early. I won’t bore you with the predictable laundry list of excuses he started spinning, but I wasn't born yesterday. I stood my ground. I told him his tip would be heavily reduced, but since he suggested he would return later, I would pay him the remaining balance when he actually came back. Suddenly, the script flipped. He aggressively demanded the full amount right then and there. I repeated my terms calmly: stand-and-deliver, or cash on return. Realizing his bluff had failed, he finally admitted the truth—he wasn't coming back, which was exactly why he wanted the cash upfront. It was a classic, low-effort hustle. He took his reduced cut and walked out the door. It was 2:15 AM. I sat there for a few minutes, let the annoyance drain away, and recalibrated. No point letting a bad actor ruin night one. I pulled out my phone and texted MW, my absolute reliable regular from Jupiter. You awake? Yes. I’m in Bangkok. Yes, he replied instantly. Shall we meet? I asked if he was down for an overnight. He agreed, explaining he was just finishing up drinks with some friends and could be at my place by 3:00 AM. You don’t need the explicit details of how the rest of the night went; I’ve completely lost count of how many times MW and I have met up over the years. He stayed well past breakfast the next morning. And that was night one: a failed experiment with a new guy, completely salvaged by the undeniable value of a trusted regular.

Glad that both of you made it to LoS at the same time Im here. Im basically only alone on my first night! Well, not really alone, but you know what i mean hehe

Sorry same morning lol.

No need to feel guilty. Work is what allows me to fund the trip lol Im just a lowly nobody so i cant use the priority lane lol

Always the reliable one. And only in thailand i can contact someone at 2.30am and be in my room at 3.30am lol

Did you ever find out if he is available for off?

Did the airline made you pay for that 100 gram? Airasia might as the limit is strictly 7kg lol

Chapter 1: Do try It has been almost 7 months—seven long months—before I finally started making plans for my next trip. I checked with my travel buddy, who told me he should be able to travel in early July or late July/early August. I myself still needed to wait for my work schedule to be fixed, which got done towards mid-June; thus, I started to look at tickets for both windows and finally decided on an end-of-July trip. I applied for annual leave, booked my flight, booked my hotels, and told a few possible travel buddies and forum members (and ex-forum members) about my maiden trip this year. Arriving in Bangkok on a Friday evening was a big mistake. While there was only a minor delay taking off (15 minutes or so), I spent 1.5 hours queuing at immigration in Swampy, and yes, I was swamped. Even my handheld electric fan couldn't save my body from expelling excess moisture, front and back. I don't think the airport itself was particularly warm or hot, but the amount of fellow travellers queuing must have been what was responsible for heating up the small space. I arrived around 7:00 PM, escaped the airport around 9:30 PM, and finally made my way to Silom around 11:00 PM after a brief freshening up at my hotel. Tonight's first visit was Dreamboy. I entered mid-show, and not long after, the show ended and the guys started coming to the stage for me to choose. There were definitely more guys than customers, and I was the only customer in the back row behind the pillars. Immediately, I saw a guy who was offable material—my type; let's call him CN. I called the mamasan, telling him the number to call the guy over for a drink. The guy showed a lot of interest, could speak some English, and when asked if he wanted to go with me, he said yes. I asked again, "Long time?" Yes. "Until breakfast?" Yes. "How much?" He said a number, and I said yes. I called the mamasan and paid his off fee. I stayed longer for the next show. While eyeing the stage again, I saw a guy who I used to take out before, VN. He is my type as well, but with a smaller frame. What the hell—it was my first night after a long hiatus, and I was in the mood tonight, so I called the mamasan and told him to call the guy over for a drink as well. Not long after, he sat on my empty side and ordered his drink. Just hours ago, I was sitting in the office finishing up work, and now, I was sitting in between two hunks. Yes, I am officially in Thailand—my second home, lol. Since I was in the company of two hunks, I stayed longer until the show ended. VN tried to recall who I am, then told me, "You left phone in taxi." Yup, he is the guy I was with when I left my phone in the Bolt taxi I took. I asked him if he was interested to go with me, and he said yes. I told VN I had already offed CN, and would off him next time. We stayed for a while to enjoy each other's company before I left the bar for the hotel. I asked CN if he wanted to eat or buy anything at 7-Eleven; he bought some items, and off we went in our taxi. All was good until he told me he needed to go early. I won't bother telling the rest of the story—all the excuses, etc.—but I did stand my ground. His tip was reduced because he told me he would come back, so I told him I'll pay the rest when he returns. All of a sudden, he wanted more money. I repeated that I would give him more when he returns and stood my ground, until he finally said he might not return, which was why he needed more... Mind you, it was him who suggested he would return. Anyway, he left and it was only 2:15 AM. After I calmed down a bit, I texted my regular guy in Jupiter, MW. I asked if he was still awake; he said yes. I asked if he was in Bangkok and told him that I was in Bangkok too; he said yes. Then he asked me, "Shall we meet?" I asked if he wanted an overnight with me tonight, and he said okay. I sent him my location; he said he was drinking with a friend and would come to me around 3:00 AM. No need to tell you guys how this ends up, as I have already lost count of how many times we have met before. He stayed until breakfast the next morning, and that concluded my first-night adventure—trying a new guy on the first night who turned out to be a dud, but salvaged by a regular.

I think its supposed to be sukhumvit line, but yes towards kheha