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Sadly, many of the Thai guys I've known over the past 22 years in the Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Pattaya gay scenes have passed away and the above clip brought a tear to my eye. These guys grew up poor and without proper nutrition which in turn affected their physical and mental development and their bodies' ability to cope with the diseases and the heavy party lifestyle which they eventually encountered. One was given rice water as a baby as his family couldn't afford formula. They didn't go to the doctor when they were sick either due to lack of resources, fear or ignorance, and by the time a medical condition was discovered, it was often too late. It breaks my heart as quite a few of them were of my generation. 😔

So what's your excuse even though you live in Sydney? 😏

I was there only a month ago but made a whirlwind trip for the Pride event as the lovely boys from Sunee Intimate, M2M and Red Room bars had made me promise that I would come. It's funny; I'm not normally drawn to skinny fem guys but I found the Sunee guys sexy maybe because I find work sexy and these guys had worked very hard indeed. In fact all of them had from what I saw last weekend in Supertown - a refreshing change from the all-too-familiar "I want something for nothing" attitude that has become too prevalent at the so-called gay venues in Thailand. The guys were twerking, twisting, thrusting, bending and flapping so vigorously that I was worried some of their limbs would snap. 😅 I agree that the event should have attracted a bigger crowd and it's a pity because I feel Jomtien Complex is underused even though its location, generous space and layout are excellent. It's a far cry from the shanty shacks of the dubious Sunee Plaza and it's got a lot more breathing space than Pattayaland Soi 3. Sadly, July has traditionally been low season in Thailand and understandably not many international tourists would fly in for just one day of festivities. As for the gaynizens from Bangkok and Pattaya, well as a seasoned Thai friend who's been on the scene for a long time put it: "They're jaded and have become too cynical, critical, fussy and difficult to please and expect Dom Perignon for the price of Mont Clair! They're always complaining about how things have changed from 30 years ago but forget that there is now a new generation of guys working with different styles, tastes and cultural influences. Nothing is the same in entertainment compared to 30 years ago and the farang themselves are three decades older but they forget that!" Aint that the truth, I thought. 😅 Lastly, I would like to add a hearty congratulations and give a big squeeze to the lovely Apex of Red Room Bar for winning the popular vote and sexy underwear contest. And many thanks to the adorable JR and his team at Sunee, the large and very talented M2M crew, Red Room Bar for their hospitality and everyone responsible for organising and running the Pride event which I thought was a great success and totally worth my whirlwind trip. See you guys again in December! 🫶

Yes, it was but it doesn't mean that the fun you had wasn't real. Think of it as going to a magic show; you know the magician is performing tricks but you had fun watching, guessing, wondering and participating...and before you know it, abra cadabra your money is gone too. 🤣 However, when you start to believe what the magician is doing is real, that's when the illusion becomes a delusion. 😉

No toys to play with?

The cremation ceremony of HM Queen Sirikit, the late Queen Mother is tentatively slated for the end of October. I don't think the date has been announced yet. The evening before the funeral and the day itself may be no-alcohol days but we'll only know for sure closer to the event. Expect major roads to be closed for rehearsals and the actual cortege on those two days. Security will be tight.

😂🤣😅 Have you been to Thai temples lately and seen how the locals dress and behave? The monks? 🤦 I think you need a new guidebook written by a "knowledgeable" farang.

It was mostly fem boys sashaying stylishly down the rainbow runway in Aussiebum underwear from what I saw, one of whom wore Cinderella glass slippers. Glad to see loud and proud gay guys participating in a Pride event instead of hired straight guns.

😮 Please remember that you're not in Kansas or Denver anymore and forgive them for trying to do their job. I hope you acknowledged their "annoying" presence in some other way for eg stopping to chat with them once in a while or even buying them biscuits and canned coffee from the 7E to show your appreciation (if it's not forbidden by management). These guys make a pittance but they shoulder a heavy responsibility. They get all the blame if something goes wrong and also have to manage some very difficult and entitled residents. That constant wai-ing (and in some cases saluting) that you find annoying is not only a gesture of politeness but an exercise to keep them alert and vigilant in what is a very boring and mundane job. That is why you also see many security guards smoke - because they're bored and it keeps them awake.

Yes, that's the order in which we normally describe somebody we like. 😏

But why was he so against circumcision? Was he afraid it wouldn't be as stimulating?

This happens a lot in my family and family gatherings are a caucophany of polyglots. Malay, English, Arabic, Mandarin, Thai - and even Korean and Japanese among my nephews and nieces - it amuses (and confuses) my partner who speaks Thai and English. I read recently that LOTE has declined dramatically among Australian students and there are only 400+ students studying Indonesian in the entire country? And Indonesia is just next door and one of Australia's most strategic partners. Shameful. I feel that languages shape our world view and the biggest know-it-alls I've met were frightfully monolingual and monocultural and the most painful to listen to.

Both HRH Princess Sirindhorn, the king's sister, and HRH Princess Sirivannavari, the king's daughter, have fluent French. So did the king's paternal late aunt, HRH Princess Galyani, who, if I remember correctly, taught French at Chula. Princess Sirivannavari lived and studied fashion design in France and is a prominent fashion designer in Thailand. She was presented with the Legion of Honour in May by Emmanuel Macron.

You mean like the guys in the old Boyz Boyz Boyz? 😆

Sure, the authorities responsible for enforcing the safety regulations should be held responsible too but the buck stops with the owner. What is neglect? He knew what safety measures needed to be implemented but he wilfully chose to ignore them; in fact he actively employed dangerous measures on his premises and now he's killed 32 people as a result. Cold blooded murder? Look at some of the videos of the trapped victims screaming for help before they suffocated and burnt to death. Tell the families who had to identify the dead bodies of their loved ones - some of which were charred beyond recognition - that it was just neglect. Tell the kids whose parents are never coming back because the owner "neglected" to ensure proper, working exits from the burning building and had in fact at least one emergency exit locked on purpose. What message are we sending to the kids? Forgetting to feed the cat is neglect; wilfully and intentionally locking emergency exits, allowing faulty electrical equipment to be used and using highly flammable material as decoration which resulted in the deaths of 32 people is not.

If you're coming in August, I'm sure Olddaddy would be happy to show you around. He's such a people person and loves to take newbies under his wing. 😉

The death toll is now 32 and counting. Apparently the owner of the venue is among the injured and is in hospital. He knowingly and wilfully neglected safety regulations and has the blood of 32 people on his hands and made orphans out of children. How is he different from the Aussie guy who killed the teenage Isaan girl in Pattaya? Shouldn't he face the firing squad too?

Were his parents older than you? I initiate wais when it's appropriate and receive wais when I'm quick enough to catch them. My Thai teachers at Chula taught me it's the polite thing to do and I've been told that I do it very nicely. Many farang seem to think that a correct wai is only dependent on the height of the wai corresponding to the status of the person receiving it. Actually, the lowering of the gaze, the angle the head is bent, the clasping of the hands and fingers, the curling of the thumbs backwards, and how close the hands are placed to one's body are also very important. I've heard many older Thais lament how the younger generation didn't how to wai properly anymore. The การกราบไหว้ or prostration by the young farang above is, strictly speaking, inappropriate as you don't wai restaurant owners or staff and the act of prostration is generally reserved for members of royalty, parents and certain monks. It may also be proffered to beg forgiveness from someone who's been done an egregious wrong. That said, judging from the comments I've seen from Thais on social media, no harm was done by the two farang guys as they're young, goodlooking and were probably content creators mucking around. Comments were basically teasing them saying the food must've been really delicious and they're sure to be back. As a side note, I believe the act of prostration was abolished in Thailand during the Fifth Reign following the abolition of slavery but was brought back in the Seventh Reign (or perhaps ninth?) at the behest of a manoevring prime minister.

Here are a few publicity posters for your keepsakes drawer.

Not necessarily Irish but boorish, straight white guys mostly. Soi Buakhaw is similar. I don't know why people keep carping about the Indians in Pattaya when these guys are no better. Vessey is bi I believe and my comments don't apply to him.

They've got more female than male therapists. It's a smart outfit with branches in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Pattaya. Clean, comfortable massage rooms with proper massage tables and ensuite showers and toilets. I think you'll like it. My favourite was the one in Thonglor as it was in a lovely neighbourhood and the clientele reflected it. It was also very close to where I lived and I would walk to my appointments. The massages were very good so much so that I bought a booklet of ten massages when I worked in Bangkok (or was it for ten hours - can't remember now) which can be used at any branch - they just tore off the coupons from the booklet after each massage. No hanky panky but the massages were sensuous. There was one masseur whom I felt was trying to lead me into more sexual territory but I wasn't attracted to him. Moreover, I was already with my partner at that time and to quote the late Paul Newman, "Why have hamburgers outside when I can have steak at home?" My funniest massage experience in Thailand was also at Healthland. My masseur was having the runs and kept excusing himself! He was also the chattiest masseur I had ever met - you could say he was leaking at both ends! Had we been at a coffeeshop or a pub, I would have enjoyed his company but I was dead tired that afternoon and only wanted to sleep. Interestingly, he was attractive - tall, fair, athletic, with his tight polo t-shirt and slacks clinging nicely to his body and butt - from one of the Isaan provinces closer to Bangkok. But the idea of doing anything with anyone having the runs would be too gross, even for Olddaddy. Or maybe not. 🤷 Appointments are strongly advised and you can request for a masseur or a masseuse - by name if you've already got someone in mind. Prices were reasonable, about 1,000 Baht for an hour of aromatherapy but they've probably gone up now.

From The Thaiger official Facebook page. Grief in Lat Phrao fire as couple who died leave behind two young children, husband remembered as a kind-hearted free-ride driver The human cost of the Lat Phrao beer hall fire has grown even more heartbreaking, with the confirmation that a young married couple died in the blaze, leaving behind two small children, aged 4 and 5, now in the care of their grandmother. On 13 July, at the Police General Hospital's Institute of Forensic Medicine, a woman named Nid came to formally identify the bodies of her daughter, known as Ice, and her son-in-law, known as Lee. Through her tears, she said she was now raising her two young grandchildren and did not know how the family would go on, having lost both the daughter and son-in-law who were its main breadwinners. She described her son-in-law as a hardworking man. Besides his government job, he drove for the Bolt ride-hailing app to earn extra income, and often gave free rides to patients, people with disabilities, schoolchildren, pregnant women and the elderly, simply to help others. Her daughter had recently qualified as a teacher and was working as a computer teacher at a commerce school. It later emerged that the husband ran a TikTok account called "Bolt Saai Praang," where he shared content about his ride-hailing work. With more than 146,000 followers and over 3.2 million likes, his profile noted that he offered free rides to organ donors, people with disabilities, pregnant women and students. After news of the couple's deaths spread, many of his followers flooded his page with tributes, remembering him as a selfless man who had quietly done good for his community. Our deepest condolences go out to the family, and to the two little ones who have lost their parents. 🖤

Oh dear. Twenty-eight people have now died from this terrible tragedy with many more badly injured and I wonder if this is the right place for advertising Supertown Jomtien Pride activities when there's plenty of room for that elsewhere in this forum. I started this sombre thread to share information about the fire, for us to reflect on the fire safety measures of the various venues that we patronise and perhaps even remember the more than 120 lives who have perished in the three major pub fires in Thailand in the last 17 years. They are somebody's child, father or mother, brother or sister, not bowling pins.

Wednesday, July 29th is Asarnha Bucha, the beginning of the Buddhist Lent and a major Buddhist and public holiday. Wednesday, August 12th is the late Queen Mother's birthday and Mother's Day in Thailand. It's a public holiday but other than banks and government offices being closed, it's pretty much business as usual.

The pharmacy is called Siam (สยาม) Pharmacy and the guy who runs it is called Tim and apparently well known to locals. He's a licensed pharmacist and his family has had the pharmacy for forty years. As to whether the Thai name Tim belongs to a guy or a girl, it depends on how it's spelled and pronounced. In this case it's more likely a western nickname taken on for convenience. Just don't call him Tiny Tim! I would strongly advise you to follow the proper protocols and see a doctor first and get the necessary tests done. You can then take on the entire Pakistan cricket team whom I hear is in town! Cut and halal - go for it gurl!