jimmie50

I have read your trip report and appreciate the suggestions. I do know the tour includes Golden Triangle. I really want to visit an elephant sanctuary around Chiang Mai, so that is one of the reasons I am thinking of hiring Woody thru Siam Roads.

Thanks for the update. I was curious as to what the difference was between Master and Pro. Looking forward to checking it out. I have noticed a lot of turnover. Several of the therapists I was interested in are no longer listed. Think it best if I not plan too far in advance for anyone in particular...otherwise I might be disappointed come October.

I depart Denver on October 14, but the actual tour doesn't begin until October 24. I plan on spending some time exploring Bangkok on my own before tour begins. The tour ends in Chiang Rai/Chiang Mai and we are in that area November 2-4. I wanted a couple of extra days in Chiang Mai to explore on my own with no set itinerary, and just extended my stay at The Empress. As it gets closer to the time for my trip, I will reach out to Woody via Siam Roads to see if I can arrange something when exploring on my own.

Thanks for all of the recommendations regarding transportation from Suvarnabhumi to Silom. It seems I have many different options. As I said in an earlier post, my Thai friends have always picked me up and brought me back to the airport so it has never been a concern before. I also never used the ride share apps Grab and Bolt. I will need to download those on my phone before my trip. Since I will be in Thailand a total of 26 days on this trip (which includes the tour), I plan on bringing two bags with me plus my carry on with computer, meds, etc. and definitely do not want to deal with all of that on the train, MRT and BTS. I will opt for taxi or car service directly to the hotel. Not important how fancy or how long it takes...I know very well how terrible traffic can get in Bangkok! Really appreciate all of the great advice.

I was with my Thai friends when I visited and we rented bicycles to explore the area. That was quite fun and we could go at a leisurely pace. That was quite a few years ago, though, so not sure I would be up for the bicycle now given my age. Think I would opt for the tuk-tuk now.

I agree. It is seems similar to Prestige as well. No mention as to T, B, male/gay, etc., and they certainly won't answer any questions via phone, text, LINE, etc. Personally, I got lucky at Prestige, and plan to check out both Klover and History during my upcoming trip. Happy to report back upon my return.

My apologies, guys. That might be my fault when I asked about the infamous Foodland as well as suggestions for places to eat in the Silom area on my upcoming trip. Didn't anticipate or expect the subject to veer off into left field and jump down some rabbit hole. 🫣

hmm...nobody familiar with ATMAN/Zen Prime? Also interested in knowing if anyone has actually visited TK and what that experience was like. I somehow managed to get on their daily LINE updates and they are quite graphic. Certainly leaves no doubt in anyone's mind what to expect. No idea where the shop is located. On another note, I do have a question about transportation from Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Ibis Styles Silom. From reading on here, it appears most people take the train from the airport. On my previous trips to Thailand, I have always had my Thai friends pick me up. This time I will be on my own and really don't want to deal with my luggage on the train. Can anyone recommend a good, safe car service? I'm ok with some sort of shared shuttle or private car. Tried searching on here for airport transportation but got something like 23,000+ results!!! That would be like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack go through all of those. lol. Also, do you usually get a Thai phone number (e-sim) when you are in Thailand? I never have before...always used WhatsApp for communicating with my Thai friends. Not sure if this is something I need to get since I will be traveling solo this time. THANKS, everyone!

Perhaps he would prefer after washing your hands that you wear gloves before touching him. Yet his list of what he is into says 'ask me' in regards to safe/bb?!? A lot of mixed messages here.

Is anyone familiar with a massage shop named ATMAN? I think it used to be called Zen Prime Massage. It isn't in the Silom area. I cannot locate a website for ATMAN, but somehow ended up on their daily LINE update. I must have subscribed to Zen Prime. Old Facebook page for Zen Prime hasn't been updated since February 2023...but I find that isn't so uncommon with many of the places in Thailand. Curious if anyone has been there before. https://www.facebook.com/zenprimemassage

Thanks for the detailed explanation. Sounds like something I would enjoy much more than going to the clubs or go-go bars. A little more calm and I enjoy people watching...even more fun to do so if you have some company while you are doing it. Checked out the location of the ones you specifically mentioned and they are an easy walking distance from my hotel.

You are right, the format looks very similar to Klover. I was planning on checking Klover out in October, but may need to add this place to my list as well. I noticed if you click on the 'History of' under some of the therapists it will take you to another site...similar to Instagram...with additional photos of that particular therapist in more informal settings. Doesn't provide any additional information, though, as to height, weight, age, etc.

Thanks for all of the recommendations of places to eat in the area. Not sure I will be able to visit them all. Finally did make a hotel reservation. Based upon input from everyone here, decided to avoid Airbnb this trip. Used various search engines and ultimately decided to book at Ibis Styles Silom. I believe it is a convenient location and moderately priced. I'll just use Grab or taxi when it comes time to transfer to Galleria 10 for the tour. Really don't want to mess with my luggage on BTS.

I keep reading about this infamous Foodland Patpong. What is the location? What are the hours? It sounds like a good place to eat, people watch, and is reasonably priced. I need to check it out. Any other places you would recommend to eat in the Silom area?

While certainly not a novice to this hobby, I have never been much of a bar person. As a result, I have never been to a 'host bar'. What exactly is a host bar and how does that work? Someone mentioned the host bars on Soi 6 in Chiang Mai. I suppose there are host bars in Bangkok as well.

Actor John Leguizamo provided Dean Cain with a healthy dose of Kryptonite. Leguizamo is a Tony and Emmy winning actor and comedian. He posted the following response to Cain on Instagram Friday: “What kind of loser volunteers to be an ICE officer? What a moron. Dean Cain, your pronouns are Has/Been.”

Thank you for sharing this information, @PeterRS. I had no idea that Booking.com was a parent company that included many of the sites I have used previously when making reservations. I always try to use due-diligence when making reservations and do research before actually making a reservation, but it now appears that many of the sites I have used for comparison are under the Booking.com parent umbrella. Plan to make a hotel reservation in Silom area of Bangkok this weekend for my upcoming trip in October, and not sure what site to use now in order to get the best possible deal. Glad to hear that they are finally being held accountable for some of the questionable business practices.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Based upon your recommendations, I will plan to stay in the Silom area for the first part of my trip, and then transfer over to the Galleria 10 when the tour begins. Will spend some time this weekend deciding on which hotel and making the reservation. I am somewhat familiar with BTS, but have never tried using MRT, Grab, or taxi. On all of my previous trips my Thai friends provided transportation to all of the various places of interest with their personal car. I only needed to get a pass for BTS. Is MRT similar to BTS...only underground? Are you able to use one pass for both systems? In addition to Grab, I believe there is something called Bolt?!? Is one service better or more reliable than the other? Kind of curious to try a motorbike taxi...lol.

I have checked out their website and discovered they also have LINE account. It isn't that far of a walk from my hotel, so I definitely plan to check them out. ShamelessMack2 also mentioned a place called AQUA CNX which would only be about a 10 minute walk from my hotel. They have a website, twitter and LINE accounts, so I plan to check them out as well.

Unfortunately, The Empress is the hotel included in the tour I have signed up for, and since I am staying two extra days I just extended my stay at the same hotel and it is already paid. Nothing I can do to change that now, but I will keep that in mind for any future trips to Chiang Mai.

I really don't think many of the things mentioned in the video are exclusive to Thailand. The bottom line is regardless of what country you may decide to move to during your retirement years, you have to do your homework in advance. Retirement in general requires careful planning, and when you add in the unknown of retiring in a foreign country you need to consider all of the positives and negatives. Even if you are planning to retire in your home country, you have to do your homework and prepare for many unknowns.

Thanks for the recommendations. In Chiang Mai I will be staying at the Empress Hotel. It doesn't appear to be too far from Classic House, so I will definitely check it out. When you book a hotel in Silom, do you do so directly with the hotel or use something like hotels.com, booking.com, or some other travel site? I have used Expedia on some of my other travels, but not in Thailand. I have seen mentioned in the forum a site called Agoda. Is that good...and safe to book online? I am somewhat familiar with Siam Roads. Last year I had booked with them for Mac in Bangkok. Spoke about that already in another topic on the forum. He was a 'no show' and Siam Roads did refund my money. I may give them another try and see if Woody is available during my stay. When using Airbnb in the past, my Thai friends have actually made the arrangements, so I 'assumed' they knew the risks involved and what the rules are. Perhaps I assumed too much, but I will look for a hotel this trip instead, since I am going solo.

That would certainly make things easier for me. lol. What are the names of these places so I can be sure to visit on my upcoming trip.

I agree with the others. It was interesting to visit, but a day trip was just enough for me.

I will be visiting Thailand in October for three weeks. For the first nine days, I will be in Bangkok solo. After that time I am part of a small group tour that originates in Bangkok heading north and ending in Chiang Mai. I have taken a number of small group tours over the years and really enjoy them. However, I am looking forward to being able to explore Bangkok on my own this trip. While I have been to Thailand several times, it has always been to visit friends. They are not gay and not familiar with the gay scene at all. So, I have several questions for the group as I am seeking some advice or recommendations. On previous trips, I have always stayed with friends in a condo or Airbnb, neither of which has been in the Silom area. Our last trip we stayed in an Airbnb rental in the Empire Building (Sathon area), so not too far from Silom. It was just down the street from Chong Nonsi BTS so easy to get around. During the tour portion of my trip, hotel arrangements have been made everywhere by the tour company. Lodging in Bangkok for the tour will be at Galleria 10 Hotel near Asok/Nana BTS. My dilemma is this...for the first part of my trip should I plan to stay somewhere around Silom or a place closer to the Galleria 10 for convenience when it is time to transfer? Also, would you recommend looking for an Airbnb or a hotel? If a hotel in Silom, which one would you recommend? I would prefer one that offers breakfast (more western, please), good internet, and no issues bringing someone to the room as a guest. Since the tour ends in Chiang Mai on November 4, I plan to stay a couple of extra days there to explore on my own. Does anyone have any places for massage they would recommend that provide more of a full service experience? I've been reading a fair amount on here about the lack of many gay venues. Any suggestions would be appreciated...or if you know of a local gay guide I could entertain for a couple of days. Finally, I need to book a one way ticket from Chiang Mai to international in Bangkok for the return trip to US. Any recommendations on airlines? Thanks to all! Appreciate any advice.