jimmie50

When I lived in California, I had many more choices for US carriers. I have probably tried them all at some point in time. Denver is more limited. The primary carriers are United and Southwest. If I choose to fly any other US carrier, I am forced to fly from Denver to one of their hubs and then transfer to my ultimate destination. Not nearly as convenient. United has been ok, and also Delta. When I was teaching, the school district used Southwest or United. Southwest was much better domestically when dealing with a group of students. Very accommodating. Had to use United, though, when traveling international with a group. That was sometimes a bit challenging. To be honest, I have many horror stories over the years of traveling with American and have reached a point where I will no longer even consider that airline. If that is my only option, I drive or simply don't go there.

The Sukhumvit branch was previously known as The Cloud. Some of you may have been there before. While they advertise it is 'near' the Onnut BTS, their idea of near and mine are very different. It is not a quick and easy walk. Really requires taking a moto taxi from BTS station to the shop. Because of that, if I wanted to visit this location again I would just opt to take a Grab, Bolt or taxi directly from my lodging to the massage shop and forget about BTS altogether. Just my personal opinion... Facilities are decent, but no elevator and as is the case with most of these massage shops, rooms are on the upper floors with lots of steps to climb. This may be a deterrent to some people. No ensuite facilities, either. Some of the Prestige therapists are available at either shop. Some only work at Sathorn, while some only work at Sukhumvit. You will need to clarify with administration when making a reservation who you are requesting and which location they work from. The reason I ultimately decided to go to the Sukhumvit location is my interest in one particular therapist who only works at this location. For that reason, and only that reason...he was good enough that I would return!

Greetings from the Land of Smiles! I am now in Bangkok after spending five days in San Francisco visiting old friends and colleagues. I do not plan to report as detailed as I did back in October/November, but will share some tidbits along the way. Since I will be here for seven weeks, a detailed ‘blow by blow’ (pardon the pun) feels like it will be boring and tiresome to read. Although it was cold and wet in SF, I did enjoy getting to spend time with my friends, eating at some of my favorite restaurants, and even managed to take in a play. I was shocked by the overall condition of San Francisco these days. So many businesses have closed. Entire blocks filled with empty store fronts. Even the entire Westfield mall in downtown was completely shuttered. Market Street was more like a ghost town than a bustling hub of excitement and energy. To be honest, it was quite depressing to see. Flight on Singapore Airlines was great, although we did experience a fair amount of turbulence the first couple of hours due to that severe weather system hitting California. The cabin was very comfortable and service exceptional. I believe I said this on my previous trip as well, but the customer service of Asian carriers is superior to anything you find on US carriers…even in first class. The long 17+ hour flight went far quicker than I thought, and we actually arrived in Singapore about 30 minutes early. My connecting gate for Bangkok was in the same terminal and an easy 7 or 8 minute walk. Could have easily made the short connection, but after being confined for 17 hours it was good to move around and explore the airport. So much to see and experience. Flight to Bangkok was a short 90 minutes, although what seems to be more the norm at Suvarnabhumi these days, air traffic control had us circling for a good 15 minutes before the actual landing. Immigration was packed and seemed to be short on staff. I opted for the seniors priority lane which only took around 20 minutes. No problems, and got my stamp for 60 days. Had to wait less than ten minutes for my luggage to appear, then off to the limo service, S & P, recommended by a forum member. I used them in October and it was a great experience, so opted to use them again. Aside from the usual Bangkok traffic, I arrived at the condo and was ready to get settled in. For the short stay in SF I was living out of my luggage, which I hate. In the condo I was actually able to unpack, put things away, and get myself organized. Since my flight arrived at 11am, I was determined to stay awake all day so I would sleep well that first night and my body clock would adjust quicker. I discovered that trick back in October and it worked well. You all might remember that I made quite the connection with a therapist from Paradise in October. We have stayed in touch since then on a somewhat regular basis. He will usually text once a week. Most of the time he has initiated the ongoing conversation. Not once has he asked for anything. So, it will come as no surprise to any of you that my first visit on Friday was to Paradise. He knew my itinerary and was expecting me. I didn’t really go to the shop for a massage. The plan was to meet him there, then we went to dinner, followed by a visit to the condo for some male bonding and reconnecting time. lol. Was a glorious evening for sure. Just as good as I remembered…if not better. He wanted to meet again on Saturday, but my friends who have the condo I am using made plans for us to do some fun stuff around Bangkok for the day. I didn’t get back to the condo until late and was too tired to venture back out for any entertainment. I will meet up with him sometime later today or this evening. May see what other mischief I can cook up this afternoon before meeting him. Thinking about checking out the new Prestige Sukhumvit location.

First thing I thought of when I saw the pink ribbons was the old 1986 film 'Pretty in Pink'. Certainly is pretty, and I would also be happy to help untie those ribbons!

Beginning the first leg of my journey in approximately 3 hours. Flying from Denver to San Francisco where I will spend several days visiting friends and former colleagues. Haven't really been back to California since I retired and moved to Denver, so looking forward to reconnecting with folks in person. Much better than texting, FaceTime or Zoom. Hope to visit some of my favorite restaurants as well. Leave Wednesday evening for the second leg to Bangkok, to arrive mid-day on Friday, 2/20. Looking forward to new adventures.

lol. Thank you, @vinapu, for your sage advice. 🤣 I do know to check the stamp date. I was just trying to prepare myself in advance in case I needed to go apply for an extension...hence my question regarding the start date. lol.

When is this supposed to take effect? I didn't see any specific start date mentioned in the article. I arrive 2/20 and am planning to stay 7 weeks. Will my arrival next Friday still be under the 60-day rule, or the new 30-day rule?

Same here. Doesn't sound all that interesting to me, but want to show my support so will plan to visit when there in late February and March.

Like @caeron, I am very skeptical about the accuracy of those websites that offer personal information on famous people (relationship status, children, income, net worth, etc.). For every individual you 'google', you get a host of sites and they all contain different information. Depending upon how you phrase the question, even AI will provide a different answer each time asked. I think it is one of those things that you take with a grain of salt, so to speak. Also, he was very young when doing Dawson's Creek and not very knowledgeable or business minded. He was not receiving residuals in huge amounts like many believe. Like many parents in their 30's and 40's with young families, not much thought is given to life insurance. If the family did not already have life insurance, I doubt he would have been able to purchase it once the cancer was discovered. My father passed away from lung cancer...mesothelioma to be exact...so I know first-hand the high cost of medical care associated with treatment of any type of cancer. Regardless of health insurance, there are many expenses not covered for which the family becomes responsible. For those U.S. forum members, we all know how astronomical the cost of medical care is in general, even with insurance, and it only continues to get worse. I don't know how that compares to other countries, but I know that one major illness such as cancer in the U.S. can be financially catastrophic to a family. Couple this with the fact he has six children, all under the age of 16, and costs involved in raising a large family as a single mother now...so I definitely think their situation is dire and a GoFundMe acceptable as well.

Thanks for sharing this. I found it fascinating to read. I vaguely remember Sal Mineo but was not familiar with his story.

I believe he is from China. I think he is somewhat of a 'special event' as I have seen him advertised previously for short periods of time. The last time I saw them advertise his services he was in Bangkok for approximately one month. Some of the advertising via daily Line feed even indicated he was Chinese, but that wasn't always indicated. Of course, it doesn't really matter where he is from, as many of the therapists in all of the various shops are usually from someplace other than Bangkok or Thailand.

I will be in Bangkok during those dates and am definitely interested in meeting up with some forum members.

@durian, Sorry that your fell ill during the first part of your trip, and also that your accommodations at Quarter Saladaeng were not what you expected. It does sound like you were able to enjoy some parts of Bangkok. Hopefully, as time and distance passes by the experience will be remembered fondly. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I was surprised to learn about the cruising at Silom Complex. Been in that mall a number of times on my recent trip in October as they had a couple of restaurants I really liked. I was totally oblivious to this, and had not seen any mention of it on the forum until now. I will be there in a couple of weeks and need to keep my eye out for it. lol. Enjoy your time in Pattaya.

I've never been on a cruise, so have no idea what standard protocol is prior to boarding the ship in regards to security. I would assume it would be the same for all cruise lines to all destinations regardless of where you are departing from (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, New Orleans, Galveston, Los Angeles, etc.). According to various news reports, Miami-Dade Sheriff's Department Drug Enforcement Unit was called in advance to assist CBP with this particular cruise. Does anyone else think this was targeted due to the fact it was advertised as the world's biggest gay festival at sea? Highly suspicious to me.

Not aware of Mandel. Where is it located? Might be worth checking out for the experience even if only an S place.

Same here. Not interested in it, and don't want to be around others who do it.

Mainstream NBC news in Miami provided their names, hometown, and charges they are facing. Fairly basic info, I think, and not all the other information provided by Advocate and WeHo Times. I would definitely consider the more detailed information as click-bait. Reminds me of the National Enquirer my mother would always purchase when going through the checkout line at the supermarket. lol. While the NBC article might be more subdued, the title of the article could certainly be considered click-bait from my perspective: world's biggest gay festival at sea! Give me a break. https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/symphony-of-the-seas-royal-caribbean-cruise-drugs-arrests/3760866/

I wonder if he had waited for a period of time if it could actually be reversed, or if he was just lucky enough to undo it the very next day. Had no idea such a thing existed...guess I have lived a very sheltered life. lol. Not something I would ever consider, and sounds very sketchy from the info @PeterRS shared from Mayo Clinic.

I have not actually met anyone when in Thailand who has had this done, but I recall reading about it on this forum before. Not sure how I would react if I were to take someone home with me and discover that. Personally, not something I would ever consider doing. Think it would be unsightly, uncomfortable, and extremely unsafe.

Also, curious to know if the therapist actually joins you in the tub. lol. Even more fun.

Here is a video from today's Line update for a shop called STARS.BKK. I think this used to be G-Beats, but not 100% certain of that. Anyway, as you can see in the video, the therapist is inviting us into a room with a nice, large tub that is filled with bubble bath. This is where I got the idea from...something I would enjoy...but it isn't specifically mentioned in list of services. STARS.BKK video.mp4

Did anyone else see the article in the Toronto Sun about a billionaire who died in France while getting penis enlargement surgery? https://torontosun.com/news/world/doctors-banned-billionaire-dies-during-penis-enlargement-surgery I didn't know such a thing was possible. I cannot begin to imagine how painful getting injections in your penis would be. And beyond the injections, what else would the surgery entail?

I'm sorry...according to the walesonline article, he said he tripped and fell on it?!? Does anyone really believe that??? LOL.

S - Soft (Hand Job mostly) and SS - Super Soft (B2B) places have stricter rules. There is a limit to what the therapists can offer in S and SS shops, and going beyond that will incur the wrath of management. This does not mean that more is never offered at such places, but that is something to discuss in private with the therapist once the doors are closed.

Hmm...the video of Mr. Joey has definitely peaked my interest, although I think I am still partial to Mr. Boss. As I recall from my visit to Moonlight in October and comments from esteemed forum members, models are offable with a fee of 1000 Baht to the bar plus whatever the model wants. This was specifically in reference to Mr. Boss, but I would assume the same is true for all of the models. Am tempted to find out when I return in mid-February.