vaughn

This will just be a short update report, I spent a long visit to Thailand a few months ago and this trip was just a side visit because I was 'in the area'. Taking every opportunity that arises I spent a week between Bangkok and Pattaya, too short to get to all of the bars I wanted, but long enough to get a feel for the recovery. My prior trip was still enjoyable, but dealing with the Thailand pass hoops and the shifting sands of closing time restrictions, outdoor 'restaurant' seating only, and other covid measures did put a cloud over things. I'm happy to say a lot of these hurdles are now gone, and the life in the bars is returning. Firstly, getting there: No more Thailand Pass paperwork 👍 Vaccine paperwork not checked on arrival, just at check-in 👍 Immagration was a 15 minute affair, just as before 2020 👍 Flight prices are crazy and my flights were full 👎 The exchange booths in the basement adjacent to the aiport station were open, 2 with identical rates, then the one bank (i cant recall which) booth with worse rates. Up a few levels and out to a Taxi, it felt so good to be in and out of the airport in 30 mins, in a taxi zipping down the motorway to Silom. Bangkok The first thing I always do is walk the Surawong, Tawan, Silom Rd, Thaniya block. It was around 8pm for reference. Surawong: Olivia massage was open with 8-10 guys (1-2 twinks), Green Massage was about the same. Tawan side: I think I counted 3 massage shops with guys outside, more muscle guys. Silom to the right of soi Tawan: A new shop Nineteen massage, I only saw 2-3 guys out front, none I fancied so I didn't poke my head in. Silom past patpong/soi4/soi2: The touts are back, a few massage offers from the guys outside Soi 4 for Adam Massage. The soi 4 bars were open and a bit of foot traffic, which was a good sign. On the path back from Thaniya I believe Amolir was open again, but I missed it in my notes on whether it is still mixed-sex or only ladies. The massage places are coming back to life, much more choice than earlier this year. I returned to Patpong later, and was flanked by touts as I stroll up the stairs to Fresh Boys... busy busy busy. They were down to 2-3 open benches left, there was about 25 guys on stage and waiting in rotation. Most of the guys I would describe as twunks, 3-4 twinks, shirtless in white booty shorts and a couple of cute waiters. The shows are never my highlight, but they at least have big cock pole kicking back I guess. My off was a bit of a dud, seemed to be new to the scene, but it's still good to be back. On the following afternoon I decided to investigate Olivia Massage, just as I picked my massuese another guy walked out that would have absolutely been my first choice. Oh well, I'm not going to let the guy down and switch half way in the door with him. Now I don't think i've been to Olivia before, I was under the impression it was generally considered a 'extras' kind of place. The guy I picked stayed fully clothed and made no advance to asking for extras, I made some not so subtle hints but he didn't take the bait. He was very new, very limited massage skills and no english. I made my way to Banana room after dinner at G's, Banana had i think 8-12 guys, still more twunks but a few options for me. I didn't end up taking anyone, just some drinks and enjoying the views. My final Bangkok day I did the rounds of the massage shops, but it was a bit early in the afternoon ~12pm. The guy from Olivia said hi, but the guy I really wanted to return for wasn't in. Green massage was empty this early so I did a walk past nineteen and it's too early for them too. Decided to pass and make my way back to the hotel. I had a coffee at the cafe beside The Quarter opposite mango tree (can't find on google maps). I picked beans from Chang Mai, absolutely delicious. Coffee lovers should give it a try and see if they're consistent, I only tried it once. Back at the hotel I fired up Grindr and set up a meeting with a university guy. He came over later and it was the best sex I've had in a very very long time, I was in heaven for a good 2-3 hours. We exchanged Line and I was considering canceling Pattaya to get the rest of the week with him, but I decided to hold strong and stick with the plan. I'll be back for him again another trip hopefully. That was my Bangkok stay, very brief, but some very good signs for the recovery. I'll post Pattaya in the next day or so.

I like a bit of anonymity, my real name isn't Vaughn (shock horror) and I try to keep a bit of distance from my real life to my confessions online haha. That said, If someone invites me to their table or strikes up a conversation in a bar/gogo I never turn it down, I've met some good friends that way. I've crossed paths with a couple of other board members but never introduced myself, I'm far too introverted to do that haha.

The guys that I have met in Pattaya have been more of an 'anything goes' attitude than those in Bangkok, but I wouldn't describe it as trashy. As Vinapu mentioned, boys in Pattaya are as nice as those in Bangkok. Prices are more reasonable in most bars for drinks, hotels are usually cheaper, and tips expectations are lower. Winner is always worth a visit in my opinion, I'm guessing you like guys on the twinkier side? I just returned from a short trip, I'll have a very brief report up in a day or two that might answer some questions.

It has been good for me. They do a blood test to check for liver function the first time, then every 6-12 months after that. AU$30 for 30 tablets available at any chemist in Aus with a prescription. The on-demand method is an option for times when you're less sexually active, 2 tablets at least 2 hours before sex then continue with 1 tablet a day for at least the next 2 days. When I travel or at times when I am very sexually active I just take one tablet daily, starting a week before and ending a week after. The only side effect I've ever had is an upset stomach on the 2nd or 3rd day of taking it for the first time, other than that no problems.

haha, Patpong 2 just doesn't fill those daytime hours. Unfortunately it was raining on and off so i left Siam square, but I found some inside activities on Grindr

Thanks, I know where I will go explore today. Hopefully the rain holds out.

I wouldn't worry too much, they've heard it all before. Every public sexual health clinic in Aus that I've been to are very LGBT friendly, the nurses and doctors make it very easy. Best of all, free.

yeah the throat and the fecal are both swabs (separate swabs haha). I think the throat swab is looking for gonorrhea and chlamydia, I assume that any bacterial infections like strep would show up. I would ask for a full screening for STIs, the doctor may look at your throat and know what it is, but best to get it all done before and after any trip. I find sexual health clinics are the best place to go in Aus, they're more knowledgeable and accepting than some GPs.

I have been on PrEP for years, I joined the medical trials when it was first introduced. My risk taking with sex has reduced significantly since those days, but I would say I still only use condoms 25-50% of the time, usually when the other guys aren't on PrEP or if they prefer condoms. I get tested for full screens (blood, urine, fecal, throat) every 3 months at a sexual health clinic, and I have my HEP vaccine efficacy tested every few years to see when I need the booster. I'm top only, so I always ask whoever I'm with if they want me to use a condom, but ultimately i prefer sex without if they want that. PrEP only solves part of the problem with other STIs out there, but regular testing and vaccinations against whatever I can prevent it's within my risk tolerance. I'm concerned about it, it sounds like skin to skin contact is the transmission vector.. and well, i'm in Thailand right now where i'm engaging in skin to skin contact. If it gets out here it could be devastating, luckily we're a few steps ahead with this one, so hopefully it will be brought under control in farangland before it finds it's way here in the numbers we see in EU and NA.

I average 1 guy a day, sometime 2 if I get an early afternoon massage and then meet a boy at a bar at night. Some days I'll take a day off and just relax when I feel a little too tired. I'm in my 30s, fairly fit, and drink most nights on holiday but very rarely when at home. Taking a day off to go try some restaurants, going for a quiet walk on the beach, and reading a book by the pool is never a bad day spent in my opinion. The way I look at it is, are enjoying your holiday and are you satisfied? if you answer yes, then that's all that matters. It's not a competition, just relax and go at your own pace.

My main considerations when I'm planning my monger trips are: Airfare costs and flight durations Infrastructure at the destination and safety Availability of the type of boys I like Being from Australia it almost always leads me to Asia, flights are under 10 hours and (in normal times) inexpensive. Infrastructure in most major cities is ok, it is very safe and my love of twinks is easily fulfilled. I used to travel to China a lot, it ticked all of my boxes, and although not widely understood the gay venues and apps were a goldmine of free and cheap offerings. Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan while more expensive also kept me very busy and satisfied. In the past 5 years, geopolitics and other issues lowered my safety rating in China and Hong Kong so I went looking elsewhere, which fortunately led me to discover Thailand. Based on all of the countries I have visited Thailand is number 1 in the ease of contact and availability of boys, the costs are rising but are still very reasonable. Philippines and Cambodia are cheaper but infrastructure and safety are lower on the scale in my view. I'm interested to try Vietnam, but my hesitation there is that I'm unfamiliar with the local laws, safety, and offerings. Eastern Europe interests me more than Latin America, but I think at some point I will start to explore them. @numazuI love the Monger Index, brilliant 😅

I just booked some SQ flights for next month from Aus, the price would have cost more for an economy fare than I paid for my business fare in April. I ended up playing around with flights and found that if I stay overnight in Singapore and split the itinerary to multi-trip I save $600+, but I lost one night of an already short trip.

I probably should have just said "another board member" in hindsight, it was a tongue-in-cheek joke, but a lively group and welcome sight for a quiet night in Sunee.

I find there are situations where I'm ok with it and when I'm not. In April I had all of the Winner Boys cast sitting with me at a table with drinks when @Vessey and his entourage arrived. Some of the boys excused themselves and went to join the other table, but came back occasionally to check-in. I was completely fine with that, sharing is caring. I've also been invited to join a table by another farang when he was in a similar position with a table full of boys and I was solo, I appreciated that so I wasn't sitting around waiting for him to leave. I actually became friends with him from that night. If I was one-on-one with a boy I plan to off, I'm ok with the boy going to say hello to a previous customer. If the customer 'did a John' and tried to sideline me from the boy/conversation, I would either leave or make my intentions known by calling the mamasan over and paying bin with the off fee then leave with the boy. There's no point getting upset or possessive over boys when you're surrounded by possibilities, mai pen lai.

I'm not aware of any good buffet style in the complex, but if you want a good hotel buffet breakfast the Hilton near CentralFestival would possibly be worth checking out. O Delices in Jomtien Complex was the best breakfast option I found on my April trip, but there's not much competition.

I don't like the breakfast at Agate, but the rooms and the pool are both very nice. As others have said, joiners are fine but they just want to hold on to the boy's ID and then call when he goes to collect it. I've tried Poseidon and the room was nice, but pretty expensive for what you get. I think I will try The Venue next, I still have dreams of trying to get one of the cabaret dancers up to my room haha.

The bars and massage places in Paradise Complex were open in April, it was pretty quiet back then but it might be busier now. I posted a short summary of what I found at the end of this thread.

I don't even reply to money requests. Some guys will try to 'love bomb' me with messages about how much they miss you and only ever want to see you, stop work at the bar, if only they could afford it. It's all a game, I chose not to play.

I will echo the sentiment, bravo Vinapu, thank you for taking the time to bring us another great report. The Thailand Ministry of Labour and our fellow board members applaud your dedication to economic stimulus in the post-covid recovery.

Looking forward to your tidbits about Thailand. I am very interested in your knowledge of the scene in Vietnam, I'm considering a small trip in the future to HCMC and possibly Hanoi so I'll let you finish your reporting and then ask a few questions.

Agreed. It could be a good opportunity for any photographer expats out there, even if it is for a small fee or free it could be a fun side project if you have a decent camera and some skills. I take my X-T30 and a lens or two with me when I travel, maybe I'll offer Paul a free shoot with my very-novice photography skills when I return (if he wants it).

There could be many reasons. It can be a sign of comfort to be able to just sit with someone you know very well already and don't need to make small talk just for the sake of it. They might be waiting for friends to arrive, or maybe he is happy to just not sit alone. I try not to judge others, everyone finds happiness in their own way

Another member reported that Banana Boy Bar is open again (soi 4), when I last visited that gogo before Covid they had more of the cute slim type. I'm not entirely up to date on the type of boys and situation in that gogo at the moment though. You should also try Fresh boys again earlier in the night and you might have better luck, sounds like you might have missed out on the full lineup. Hopefully Lucky Boys will open again soon.

I think I am more on par with the Thai boy sleep schedule in the mornings, often just trying to make it in time before the breakfast buffet closes at 10 am but if breakfast isn't included I won't be out of my room until at least 11 am. I have never been a morning person.

It's times like these I find that I just have to smile. yes, chicken.