Tintinx

Thanks for sharing the Spartacus maps! They bring up a lot of memories. Some numbers in the maps seem to be misplaced though.
In Bangkok, I regularly visited Rome Club (the gay discotheque of that time) and Harrie's Bar (late night place, in full swing when all other bars were closed). Both places were amazing! From the bars, I preferred Barbiery (right on Surawong Road, with very explicit shows every night) and Golden Cock. Both bars were on the second floor, if I remember correctly, to give some 'warning time' in case the BIB would pay a visit. 
In Pattaya, Nautilus (boys swimming behind glas in a large water tank) and Adam & Eve were the most spectacular bars. Both had a large number of massage rooms for body-to-body (soapy) massage. Among others I also visited Memory and Homex Inn (further in the north) and Cockpit and Gentlemen (in todays Boyz Town). Not mentioned in the map are some more bars at the south end of todays walking street (Men's club 69 and Garden Boys, if I remember correctly). A late night meeting place was Marine Bar on walking street, which still exists today.

The Babylon at its old location was populated with MANY young Thais! It felt like a beehive bursting. Compare that to today when the vast majority of customers are tourists - well, until, of course, covid stopped that too.
Another observation: At the time, the building that was home of Babylon, with its four floors, was the tallest building in this part of Bangkok. It was surrounded by the residences of various ambassadors, each in a large garden with trees. So the building stood out and was visible from afar, especially at night when it was decorated with thousands of lightbulbs, like a Christmas tree. Sitting on the rooftop terrace, listening to live music, having a drink and talking with beautiful people, you could observe the rays of light that emanated from the terrace and illuminated the trees of these gardens. Oh, those were the times.

Not digressing at all - as this was the very reason to spend the afternoon on the Dongtan Beach in those days! Sad to hear that you found no sign of life when you were visiting.

PS Londoner , there's no such word as falangS , try farang. (no plurals in Thai).
Woops sorry I become a pedant again. sorry.
OK let the purist let fly.

By rights, Thailand might do well to maintain a visitor quarantine in perpetuity, notwithstanding the coronavirus pandemic. It might help control influenza incidence and mortality to the extent that a proportion of cases are brought in by travellers. 
You could receive training and testing for swimming skills while waiting to be let loose. Kidding aside, Thailand values its health and life. They would prefer to draw the line at their 85 COVID deaths to date, with a case fatality of less than 1 in 300. 
In the meantime, here in Montreal today thousands of protestors marching against mitigation measures ... cringeworthy. The restrictions are actually really helping to control spread and overrun of hospital resources. 
Thailand’s causes of death past year ... 55 seconds animation.

FullSizeRender.mov

In my last trip a year ago I manage perfectly find the boys I wanted through Grindr even found a very handsome Vietnamese boy in BKK who traveled with me for 10 days to Pattaya,Ayuthaya and Kanchanaburi .I prefer open bars  in Jomtien Complex and Copa show bar and BBB  in Boyz Town over the traditional gogo bars where I always feel pressure to off boys by the staff, Hoverer on my last night went to Screw Boys just to see the fuck show and did enjoy the ambiance there the show was good and the boys were very attractive although I didn't intend to make an off I suddenly saw a very beautiful boy with amazing body I could not resist and offed him and he was great in bad one of the best I ever had . This adventure cost me  around 4k BHT it's not cheap but it was worth it I enjoyed a great evening at the bar and a great sex after that so it's nice we have many options to find boys through the apps and the bars .each option has its pros and cons.

Gay Bangkok is slowly coming back to life. And, by slowly, I mean really slowly. Jupiter Boy and I took a night out tonight and things were pretty quiet on both Papong and Silom 4. A few updates.
Narawat Massage on Silom 4 is open and guys are outside working. Banana Room is open with a few guys there. Telephone and Balcony are both open with some customers. Hugs is open. Private Bar is open.
Jupiter was open but few guys working.
Lucky Boys is not open and rumor has it that it may not open anytime soon and may even get sold.
Dream Boys was open with about 15 guys but not a lot of variety. Screwboys was closed. Fresh Boys was open and had 8 guys and 1 other customer. Some cute guys and drinks 350 baht. Hotmale was open and had 5 boys when we were there. Moonlight was closed.
Tawan was closed but the Sun Massage was open and several of the Tawan guys were out on the street. Mango Tree Restaurant was open but I think for a private party. Super A was closed. Nature Boys was open.
When I pulled up Hornet, there were about 90 guys under 25 without 3,000 feet. One of them caught our attention while we were looking and he was near the Starbucks so we met him and took him home.
The Grab Taxi there did not allow for us to be picked up as no drivers available. The same on the return. It was odd. The road were VERY quiet and few cars anywhere.
This was the first weekend with all the bars open and still a soft opening IMHO. But, it only takes one and thus, Hornet was a good provider tonight.

Oh, that's an easy one. The sign consists of three M - MMM - which is short for "Men, Men, Men".
 
Explanation: Since the "Boyz" of Boyz Boyz Boyz (once popular night club in Pattaya) got older and older, the club had to be renamed accordingly to "Men, Men, Men".

So, a bit of an update. Jupiter Boy left, Pattaya Boy came, I missed Jupiter Boy and he missed me. He returned less than 10 days later and has been with me ever since. He is a lovely lad who I enjoy spending time with. His English has shown remarkable improvement. He has also made himself at home faster than any of my ex's. He came into the room yesterday with a sticker for his motorcycle to park in the condo area. He has been parking there for months but wanted it official. The front desk did not even ask me to sign for it (odd). But, it was OK with me. Now, they call him for anything I need to do or packages I need to pick up. I wonder if they think he is my boss just because I do whatever he says?

No doubt that building is sponsored by Mike.  It's a symbiotic relationship, as the Mike Hotel and shopping arcade near Boystown sit on leased land, and owned by Wat Chai.  The wat owns a chunk of land in south Pattaya, and leases it out to a number of businesses, generating substantial income for them. 
Since the wat was begun in the 1930's, long before Pattaya turned into a concrete jungle, my guess would be that the wat owns the land all the way from the wat compound to the beach.

Oh, that's an easy one. The sign consists of three M - MMM - which is short for "Men, Men, Men".
 
Explanation: Since the "Boyz" of Boyz Boyz Boyz (once popular night club in Pattaya) got older and older, the club had to be renamed accordingly to "Men, Men, Men".

I was a butterfly until I met P.....eighteen years ago (oh my God!)....and very rarely indeed re-offed any of my numerous companions. However, in the early days of our relationship with him, the Pattaya scene was often discussed. And more than  a few things I learnt surprised me.
One of them was that  being offed again by a falang was much prized because it raised hopes that an LTR is a possibility. Once a guy had spent a few days with the same falang, those hopes were encouraged. Ultimate success was a relationship that extended beyond the falang's holiday  and became a regular source of income. And I was staggered when, a few years after we met, P went through  the names of his friends at Dreamboys and related how many of them had achieved this ambition.  In fact, the two of us actually met three of them with their falangs in Pattaya by chance. All were in their thirties.
I wasn't in the least bit interested in an LTR until  I met P, preferring the thrill of the chase, the trawling of bars and the final decision as to who would be coming back to the hotel with me. However, from the bar-boy's perspective, while a well-paid encounter with a clean and gentle falang was more than welcome, the ambitious guy was likely to be thinking of the next step. And hoping.
 
 

For long term hook ups including travel, I have always paid the regular daily long time tip.  I make it clear to the boy the amount he'll receive per day when asking him if he wants to travel with me.  I don't negotiate the tip or the off fee.  Nearly always, the boy is eager to go.  Of course I pay all expenses, too.  Often the expenses include airfare and rental cars.  
I also tell the boy he can have free time, but usually they stay close to me every day.  It depends what you have planned.  If you've rented a car, the boy certainly won't want to miss out on driving around in air conditioned comfort, and exploring new areas. 
I used to have a few regular boys I would often see when my home was only a two hour flight from Bangkok.  After a few nights in Bangkok to survey the scene, I would usually take one boy for the BFE for the entire trip.  I have traveled to many areas of the country with different boys.  
The only times I have received a discount on off fees was years ago from Saphan Kwai bars, and a couple times in Chiang Mai.  The discount was always offered by the bar if offing the same boy for a week or more.  Nowadays I don't think a discount is common for multiple-day offs.  The bars are struggling to survive, so I think off fee discounts are more rare today.
As far as how I pay the tip, yes I pay every day unless the boy has asked to receive the money at the end of the trip.  One boy wanted to get his money every two days.  On my most recent trip one year ago, I paid the boy every day, and he took most of the money to an ATM several times during the trip to deposit it to his bank account.
Every baht has been money well spent, and it has made for some beautiful memories of my travels.  I like to try to see at least one part of the country during my vacations.  It's not always a new place, but I like to travel a bit.  One month in Pattaya and Bangkok is a bit too much for me without a side trip thrown in.
Milk78, you may be interested to read my trip report from February 2020 on this forum.  I traveled with a boy from Pattaya.  It's at  gayguides.com/forums/topic/12788-koh-chang
 

I don't think there are hard rules for that. All is up to negotiations or one side accepting proposal of other.
I took twice Pattaya different boys to Bangkok and once Bangkok guy to Pattaya. Each case was different. Long term member may recall it from my reports
1. Pattaya boy I offed few times including 4 nights in row asked me to take him to BKK. I was hesitant but he was insisting and I liked him a lot so succumbed to his wish after day or two. We negotiated rules over breakfast and it was   quite a conference. He asked for  daily rate of 1000 and equivalent to what I paid him for long time if we spend night together. Smartly asked me to pay him at end of adventure because he wanted to save it entirely . I liked idea and this what happened.
He offered to sleep on the floor if I bring another boy but I remedied it by renting him cheap room in nearby hotel. I promised that at least 3 nights out of 5 we spend together.
We actually spent 4 including one with another boy I took from Super A ( it was not a good idea to dump boy I liked on him without consulting him first, lesson learned forever).
So I paid 4 long time rates plus 5000 for 5 days we were together plus of course all expenses like food and admission. He even asked for money for lady massage and I gave money to him but doubted he actually took that massage while I was entertained by guy at HERO.
As for off fee his bar was charging 500 but apparently he negotiated it to 400 and insisted that he will pay it himself. I had feeling he pocketed that money as he was freelancer  showing at work at will but that was non issue for me as I'd pay off fee  money anyways.
2. BKK boy I offed  twice LT on that trip already upon learning I'm going to Pattaya for 2 days was insisting I take him with me at cost of paying his off fee and expenses but no tip. He was pretty adamant about that part so I paid 1000 off fee for 2 days at the bar at normal rate of 500 /day. Upon return I gave him 7000 for his troubles but true to his word he did not want to take it and it took some convincing that it's compensation for lost earning potential.
As it  appeared later ,  his generosity had  second underlining and it did not take long before I was asked  for  a substantial 'loan' which I gracefully declined as well as his second try few month later.
3. As last accord of LT in the morning I asked Pattaya boy if he wants to go with me to BKK for 2 days , all expenses  paid plus LT tip for each day , gladly accepted.  Gave him off fee money to be paid later as his bar was closed in the morning. I told him that  during day  he is free of my shackles but nights are mine. He did not ask for anything other than not eating in the same place twice as he wanted to try different foods. I paid his tip on the morning of the last day.
As you see each time it were different arrangements and initiative came from either side.
In order to stay  in the thread's  subject I need to say none of the guys mentioned was slacking on his duties at any moment. I took care to give them time off during day  when I sensed they may need it and was not shy to claim time off for myself if   I wanted / needed it. 
First boy had the best body by far, second one had the best understanding what I like or not, third one had the most entertaining personality. Money well spent

Oh, that's an easy one. The sign consists of three M - MMM - which is short for "Men, Men, Men".
 
Explanation: Since the "Boyz" of Boyz Boyz Boyz (once popular night club in Pattaya) got older and older, the club had to be renamed accordingly to "Men, Men, Men".

Oh, that's an easy one. The sign consists of three M - MMM - which is short for "Men, Men, Men".
 
Explanation: Since the "Boyz" of Boyz Boyz Boyz (once popular night club in Pattaya) got older and older, the club had to be renamed accordingly to "Men, Men, Men".

This post is a bit of a self-indulgence, reflecting the fact that I am missing travel to Thailand.
It has no current information, which will be obvious from ".. I am missing travel to Thailand"
You have been warned. 
 
Somehow, when I book a trip it gets put on the calendar but cancelation of the trip does not remove it.
Recently my calendar has been greeting me each morning with announcements to check-in to flights I will not be taking and hotels that no longer expect my arrival.
It’s rubbing salt into the wound of not seeing Bangkok Guy for a very long time.
Although Covid has closed his market he remains cheerful as he shows me his current stock, dark blue sports shorts with a gold Thai-style design. As always, very smart. He has good taste.
I recently went through about eight years-worth of photos in my camera and iphone to find shots to put into frames to remind me of good times. An exercise in creating good cheer among the frustration.
I wanted one of Bangkok Guy and I found I had fewer shots of him than I expected. Then the penny dropped. At the end of each trip Bangkok Guy goes through all the photos I have taken and edits out the ones of him that he does not like. Occasionally if I plead to keep one he relents, but often not. Image management is a serious business.
After watching him I think what he is doing, apart from removing the obvious duds with shut eyes, is deleting those which do not comport to his self-image. Messy hair and untidy clothing are a no. The biggest no is if he thinks his skin looks dark. As long as his hair is in place, cloths tidy and skin fair, he passes over shots in which he looks kind of dorky. If it were me managing my image, those are the ones I would remove, although in his case I think the dorky ones are sweet.
After you know someone for a while you come to recognize certain characteristic expressions. The photos caught two of Bangkok Guys characteristic expressions very well, omitted one and caught one I should have known existed but somehow it hadn’t registered.
Some people suffer from resting bitch face. Not Bangkok Guy. The natural resting position of his face is a thoughtful, calm, into-the-distance expression, as though he is in quiet reflection. A photo from our Luang Prebang trip captured this perfectly. Attired in well-fitted cream and white linen and at ease in a wicker chair against a backdrop of jungle with a glimpse of the Mekong, his chin resting lightly on the tips of his long dancers' fingers, Bangkok Guy is a study in calm reflection. It’s almost a fashion catalogue shot.
Bangkok Guy does not have a poker face. Some part of whatever is passing thorough his mind, probably the major part, shows on his face. Given our mutual language issue, this is very useful and face-reading is a big part of communication. To his frustration this makes it difficult for him to spring surprises on me as his sense of humor veers strongly towards a sense of mischief and his mischievous intent always shines out brightly. One photo perfectly captures this look of impending devilment. It is the one looking at me now from a silver frame on my desk. I showed it to Bangkok Guy during a Line call and the strength of his smile almost crashed the network. Very Happy that he is with me.  
The missing expression is Irritated. Bangkok Guy never looks cross or angry in the way I look cross and angry. When I am irritated it is obvious. When I am truly angry my expression could strip paint off a wall.
With Bangkok Guy you need to know him to recognize the expression which conveys irritation. He looks constipated. My guess is that it comes out this way as he is experiencing an emotion which he feels the need to suppress. As soon as I see the constipated look I seek out its cause. It is important to prevent constipation lingering and turning into impacted bowel syndrome. It might be monkey pee and poop on the steps at Mt Popa or a family member on his iphone but if he is not on the phone and there are no monkeys nearby, it will be me. More specifically, it will be my farang-ness crossing some unseen-to-me line in his Thai-ness.
The important thing is to recognize the expression as, once I have done this, it is easy to surface and solve. A questioning elevation of an eyebrow or a simple “What think?” is all it takes to indicate I have seen there is an issue and to open the door for him to tell me what is on his mind. He is not going to come straight out with some piece of criticism, I need to open the door, then he is responding to my question, not criticizing. At least I think that is the logic?
My most frequent transgression is being tied to the hands of my watch. Bangkok Guy sees no point in rushing to be on time. Being more-or-less on time, yes ok. But rushing if you are running late, no. If you rush you are guaranteed to arrive sweating and bedraggled and that is a major no-no. Better to arrive late looking good. He is slowly breaking me in as I think he has a point, at least in Thailand.
We had tried to fit too much into the day and I was running about 10-15 minutes late to a fitting, so once out of the BTS station I set off at a brisk trot to cover the long block or so to the tailor. Bangkok Guy gave me a constipated look and continued to stroll as I moved away with ‘sorry, late’. When he caught me up in the air-conditioned shop constipation turned to mischief and he asked ever-so-innocently ‘you not see tailor?’  Well, no, I was sweating and had to go and towel off and dry down before the fitting. Better to arrive late looking good.
When traveling we are more in sync about being on time. Bangkok Guy approves of my habit of arriving ninety minutes to two hours in advance of a flight as he sees the point in ensuring there is no need to rush. He knows that planes unlike tailors will not wait.
The expression that had not registered with me before was Seductive. Deeply, seriously, a finger dipped in an ice-cold martini and traced slowly over warm skin seductive. On the Mekong cruise Bangkok Guy in loose black cotton pants and a black short sleeved linen shirt is sitting, leaning back against the railing, both arms spread languidly along the top of the rail, his head very slightly down, looking straight at me from under his brow.
Lauren Bacall has competition and from a very unexpected quarter.
However, when I think about it, it is only unexpected because Bacall’s writers wrote in long pauses freighted with meaning to enable the stare to linger and burn into the soul while Bangkok Guy and I crack each other up too much for the whole slow-burn seductive thing to last more than a few seconds. Maybe we need a second set of writers?

Oh, that's an easy one. The sign consists of three M - MMM - which is short for "Men, Men, Men".
 
Explanation: Since the "Boyz" of Boyz Boyz Boyz (once popular night club in Pattaya) got older and older, the club had to be renamed accordingly to "Men, Men, Men".

Oh, that's an easy one. The sign consists of three M - MMM - which is short for "Men, Men, Men".
 
Explanation: Since the "Boyz" of Boyz Boyz Boyz (once popular night club in Pattaya) got older and older, the club had to be renamed accordingly to "Men, Men, Men".

Oh, that's an easy one. The sign consists of three M - MMM - which is short for "Men, Men, Men".
 
Explanation: Since the "Boyz" of Boyz Boyz Boyz (once popular night club in Pattaya) got older and older, the club had to be renamed accordingly to "Men, Men, Men".

Helios Massage (the former Blue House Massage) is (or was?) the only gay massage shop in Pattaya (that I know of) where every room comes with a shower, and an aircon, and a lockable door. The boys were lined up in the reception room and all questions about their individual skills were answered. This luxury makes up for the little inconvenience of having to go in to see the guys, in my opinion. 

This was probably Helios Massage (the former Blue House Massage, on Soi Day Night 2). Until recently they had a website, but it seems to be inactive by now:
www.bluehousepattaya.com

I have my regulars, I love my regulars, and, particularly now, I look forward so much to seeing them again.
That said, the best performances come from those of them who I do see again and again, but not on a predictable basis. They know I like them, they know I will treat them well but they also know I am essentially a 'butterfly' and that they have to compete for my time (and money!). That keeps them keen and anxious to please.
Sexually I do less well with my either my long, long-times (effectively holiday live-ins) and almost predictable daily short-times, they can easily get lazy and blaze and stop trying so hard, but I am, at least partially, compensated by their companionship which I often crave as much as the sex itself.

Sure, I remember at least two of them... Adam & Eve and Nautilus. Both in the higher price range and both in North Pattaya (Soi 1 and 2). Each massage room consisted of two parts: A wet area with bathtub, inflatable mattress and shower (in that sequence). After the massage and shower you moved to the dry area, there was a large bed with linen. Well, that's how it was, but that was years ago.

well as I'm sure you are well aware, absence of evidence in and of itself doesn't mean anything. If nobody looked for evidence (by running a study), there will be no evidence. And indeed there is anecdotal evidence that drinking and partying DO have the potential to spread the virus. One potential super spreader even currently makes headlines, where a birthday party by a semi-celebrity (DJ Matoom) led to at least 28 infections (more being investigated). So that's evidence that partying is risky. Of course bars are not all the same, and in a gogo bar there will be close to zero interaction between patrons, whereas in a place like Soi 2 or Fake Club there will be plenty. Where do you draw the line and distinction as a government? You can't, really, so you do a blanket closure. While I, too, find it an inconvenience, I can relate to the rationale.