mauRICE

I think you may have misunderstood my post. I'm not saying that the location of the original bar had changed but the original owner and his business had moved nearby. I was last there in October 2024 just after the big floods. I think somebody else may have taken over the old premises after Covid (I believe the bar has changed hands several times - there was a Scot involved at one point and a Thai who was quite ill) and retained the old name of the bar and they had to close again during the devastating floods of October 2024 The post flood clean up took up to a month in some areas and the bar wasn't yet open when I was there. The original owner (Deet?) had moved and started a new bar in a small alley about 20 metres to the left of the bar in your pictures. As one faces the bar in your googled pictures and looks to the left, there's the pay toilet that you used, then the wide staircase leading to the first floor and then the new bar owned by the former owner of Chiang Mai 19 in a small alley on the extreme left on the ground floor, also in the same building. A very long time ago there was a pizza shop in that CM 19 spot run by a former manager of Adam's Apple. He had been a tuk-tuk driver for a while after leaving Adam's before opening the pizza shop. He then moved and opened a proper pizza and Thai restaurant on Loi Kroh Road nearby which I frequented a few times. The restaurant's closed sadly. Try googling it. Thailand may have re-opened its doors for tourism following Covid in October 2022 but only the businesses that had the resources to do so did and often not immediately. Some had closed permanently as did many SMEs in Chiang Mai following the big flood in October 2024.

I first visited in 2001. I had just graduated that summer and was having a nice long holiday before going back to start my pupillage in the fall. Soi Wat Umong was just a sleepy soi back then as was much of the Suthep area. Nimmanhemin had one or two cafes and the famous Amari Hotel; my favourite was this little cafe that specialised in banana pancakes which was staffed by ex Suan Prung patients to help them reintegrate into society. The owner was a lovely lady who was an ex-patient herself and a native of the area. The legendary Joe Cummings, who wrote the brilliant earlier editions of the Lonely Planet Thailand guides (it's crap now IMHO), lived in Soi Wat Umong. Back then I only had my wits, Lonely Planet, the Thai friends I made along the way and fledgling Thai skills to guide me. Of course the fact that had I grown up so close to then very porous Thai border gave me an advantage but mostly I discovered things through trial, error and experience which has put me in good stead because I learned Thai ways from the inside out. The recently maligned Adam's Apple was already open in 2001, as was My Way and Coffee Boy which was on the east side of town on Tung Hotel Road, near the Chiang Mai Arcade bus terminal. Coffee Boy was a one-of-a-kind; it was in an old teak house on stilts and customers sat on the floor in front of a small stage where the boys performed. It had a guest house on premise. I remember one kindly farang kept wanting to buy me drinks thinking I was one of the boys until the mamasan had to step in. 😅 Coffee Boy remains in my memory as probably the most gentle and polite commercial bars that I've ever been to. Back then it was still safe to ride around town on my bicycle which I gave to a close Thai friend on the day I left. I remember crying on that day but glad to say that we're still best friends 25 years later.

Well as long as they don't have to use carbon dating as a method of verification you're alright. 😉

The version of Chiang Mai 19 as shown in your pic closed in 2021 at the peak of Covid. A new bar with the same owner (can't remember his name - starts with a D) opened in 2023 in a tiny alley about 20 metres north on the same floor and on the same side of the building. It's a narrow, small-ish, darkened bar that's quite easy to miss. Both the old and current versions the of the bar are popular with bar-girls who flock there after midnight - sometimes with their customers - when their bars in nearby Loi Kroh close. Also workers from the surrounding hotels would drop by after their shift. Smoking is allowed in the bar, including weed, and it can get quite rowdy and opens until very late. Not my kind of place. I wouldn't say the old Chiang Mai 19 was that much different from the Soi 6 bars. It had two or three permanent staff, with random street urchins dropping in and out. Some of the old farang you see in the Soi 6 bars would come by - it depends on who they're on talking terms with at that time! There used to be a host bar in the basement right below Chiang Mai 19 and the hosts would sometimes sit and have a drink there before they started work. I remember one particularly tall and handsome one that drove a Beamer (granted it was a used Beamer) and was rumoured to be one of the kept boys of one of Chiang Mai's most notorious and wealthiest ladyboys. That basement host bar also closed in 2021. Above, on the first floor of the same building, is where the very popular and very noisy Sixcrets Cabaret Showbar is. It seems to be on the radar of every digital nomad and the great unwashed ie backpackers. And on the same floor are two smallish hole-in-the wall type bars, also popular with after-work bar-girls, mamasans and assorted types.

When was the last time you visited Wat Umong, @tm_nyc @thaiophilus ? I ask because the street leading to Wat Umong has changed so much over the last twenty years. I agree that the 700-year-old "tunnel wat" is worth a visit, especially about an hour or so before dusk where I feel it is at its most tranquil.

Glad to hear this. Do muay Thai fights at the night bazaar start later now because that must've been quite a rush between sunset and muay Thai? They used to start at 8 PM at the night bazaar stadium at the latest. Anyway, since you had a good time perhaps you can tell us more about this club that you went to very early on a Monday night. Where was it located? What kind of music did the band play? Did they play any popular English covers? The perennial Hotel California? 😂🤣😅 Did the venue serve food? What kind of drinks? Beer only or did they serve cocktails too? What was the set up like? Standing with drink in hand? High chairs? Mainly Thai customers or a mix of Thai and foreign? Young, old, middle-aged? How did they dress? What was the pricing like? Just asking the stuff that our readers usually like to know.

The Thai Government has announced that the royal cremation of Her Majesty the Late Queen Sirikit will take place on Wednesday, 16 December 2026 and the funeral details are as follows: Thailand Sets December Schedule for Queen Sirikit's Royal Cremation The Thai government has finalized communications and operational plans for the final months leading up to the Royal Cremation Ceremony of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, The Queen Mother. The preparations aim to ensure accurate, comprehensive, and dignified coverage, allowing people in Thailand and around the world to witness the grace and solemnity of traditional Thai royal ceremonies. The Bureau of the Royal Household has announced that the Royal Cremation Ceremony will take place from 15 to 19 December 2026, with the following key events: ● 15 December: Royal Merit-Making Ceremony for the Royal Cremation ● 16 December: Procession of the Royal Urn to the Royal Crematorium, followed by the Royal Cremation Ceremony ● 17 December: Collection and enshrinement of the Royal Relics at the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram) ● 18 December: Royal Merit-Making Ceremony for the Royal Relics ● 19 December: Enshrinement of the Royal Urn containing the Royal Relics in the celestial chamber at the Chakri Maha Prasat Throne Hall, and enshrinement of the Royal Ashes at Wat Ratchabophit Sathit Mahasimaram and Wat Bowonniwet Vihara To support smooth and dignified news coverage, the Public Relations Committee has set up a press center, arranged live broadcasts through the Television Pool of Thailand (TPT), and reorganized its sub-committees ahead of the ceremony. Every measure is being taken to ensure that global coverage of the royal ceremonies reflects the reverence and highest standards of Thai royal tradition.

Safe travels @Keithambrose . ✌️

And what happened next, Miss Nancy? Please don't keep us waiting, Nancy Drew!

Agreed. Doi Suthep temple sits atop Doi Suthep or Suthep Mountain, one of the highest peaks in the north. It's probably the most famous tourist spot in Chiang Mai; didn't any of your social media influencers tell you about it? Favourite times to go are early morning when the air is fresh and cool and you can see the morning dew on the leaves and blooming petals or just before sunset, which is popular with couples. There are several ways to get to Doi Suthep. One is as daydreamer suggested (and if you're in the area you might want to visit the zoo at the foot of the mountain). You can also hire a red songtaew from Changpueak Gate, which is the north gate of the old city you went to. Note that these shared songtaews only go when it's full or when the driver has met his quota. Of course you can charter the whole songtaew for a negotiated price. Some people struggle getting on and getting off them so worth bearing this in mind if you have weight or mobility issues, get tired easily or are easily irritable. Another more convenient way and one which I think you'd like is to hire a Grabcar which will cost about 400 to 500 Baht from your accommodation although prices may have gone up now since the illegal American invasion of Iran. I've been up Doi Suthep by car, songtaew and my current favourite, on a big bike driven by my partner. Nothing beats the feeling of the wind blowing on my face and it's fun being able to stop at the various viewpoints and waterfalls on the way up. The only sad part is that people won't be able to see the Hermes headscarf under my helmet but at least I get to wear my Jackie O sunnies - oops, sorry, I know you disapprove of these non-butch, non-macho moments. 🙏🏻 There is a very long flight of stairs to reach the temple but not to worry, there's an elevator type thingy that goes to the top if you have weight and mobility issues. You need to buy a ticket and pay an entrance fee. Dress - this is very important when visiting temples and royal grounds - and degree of enforcement varies with the temple. For Doi Suthep temple, no tank tops, no sleeveless shirts, no shorts for men. Shirts or t-shirts with sleeves and long pants only. I personally prefer light linen and cottons - nothing heavy that will stink when one sweats like jeans.🤮 Lastly food - and I know you've been waiting for this - sorry there are no 7-11s but there are stalls selling drinks and snacks at the foot of the temple so don't worry, you won't go hungry. I suggest you try the local coffee from the stalls and their steamed desserts. The local chains like Roastniyom are fine - have you tried their brownies? - but you might want to let your pink dollar (oops, sorry, another gay reference!) trickle down to the street hawkers, many of whom are hilltribe native to the area. As for the views of and from Doi Suthep, it really depends on the time of day and year. On a clear, non-cloudy day the view of the city from Doi Suthep is fantastic and the mountain looks majestic from the city as its great protector. But during the burning season the mountain is hidden by smoke and haze for about two months and sadly some of the burning is on the mountain itself and one can see spots of the hill forests burning from the city There are a lot more things to see on Doi Suthep and different ways of enjoying it but they'll have to wait as I've got some gay errands to attend to. 🫢 Enjoy your day, you big macho stud you! Grrrr. 💪🤭

At this point one almost misses PeterRS. Almost.

Did you write porn manga in Japan? There's a distinct Shōnen-like quality in the way you think and write.

Don't tell him that. Don't listen to Travelingguy, a-447. Just cross anywhere, anytime you like without looking left and right. Don't worry; Buddha will protect you, I promise. 🫶

You all are derailing my thread: I'm going to huff, puff, eat more junk food, put you on ignore, throw a tantrum, stomp my foot, privately message other members like a snivelling coward to blackball all of you...😂🤣😅 Take your time; nothing much going on here other than a few chronic whingers...just glad to hear that you're safe and enjoying yourself. You really need some new material, Keith, but I understand it's hard to get new material when Olddaddy isn't posting! 🤷 By the way, I believe pure gold is one of the safest metals to humans. Otherwise they wouldn't use it in teeth.

Nothing, if that's where you feel you'll get the best treatment. Have you considered Ashworth and Rampton Secure? And if none suits, there's always a balcony in Pattaya...

Which would be fitting as he couldn't tell his arse from a hole in the ground.

Arlington? Tel Aviv? Blackpool?

This video adequately explains the use of the e-gates.

Thorough, pithy, no-drama survey of Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Thanks, @Department_Of_Agriculture .

It seems it's not only @jimmie50 who's gone MIA but I haven't seen @floridarob and @Olddaddy posting for sometime either. @Olddaddy has been especially subdued since his return from Thailand. I hope you guys are okay.

Whaaat? You're still getting monthly visits from your "friend"? 😯 When the "friend" comes to visit beyond a certain age, a medical check up is in order. Please look up colposcopy, not kidding. 🙏🏻

I think 100 Baht is a bit on the low side for a place like The Gentle Massage which I've been to many times (is the gay bar further down the soi still open?). It isn't high end but it it's not exactly low end either. 200 Baht would be the absolute minimum for a 90 minute massage if I'm satisfied with the masseur's skill and responsiveness to my instructions (for eg level of pressure, which they'll ask you at the beginning of the massage). His looks do not impact my decision on how much to tip (after all it's not something he has any control over) but personal hygiene (no damp shirt smell, no cigarette breath) and general demeanour do (politeness, no excessive talking). In general, I've rarely been disappointed with the massages I've had in Thailand and always tipped well. In fact I can't recall the last time I had a disappointing massage. Sensual massages get extra ฿. I feel that if you are plus sized, need special assistance due to mobility issues or have particularly rough skin, then a higher tip is warranted because it does mean a lot more work for the masseur. The most interesting, relaxing and erotic massage I've ever had was a tantric massage from a masseur in Bangkok. He had been specially trained in this technique and the client needs to be roughly of the same height and weight as the masseur and be sufficiently flexible for the massage to be carried out safely and effectively. I saw him three times before he moved back to his home province. I feel tingly all over just thinking about the experience. 🥰

Three toilets? 😯 Wouldn't be easier to just put on the Depends? 🤔 Another piece of the puzzle...

Yes but at least he says he's fine. I'm sure it's not easy to adapt to his new surroundings but he seems very determined and I hope his determination will get him through both physically and emotionally. And let's not forget he taught in the American public school system; if he survived that, he can survive anything! 😅 PS If there's no "cell service" where he is, how come he's able to receive and reply to Line messages? And how was Cam able to chat with him somewhat effortlessly these past few months?

Why is it "embarrassing to have an abundance of Thailand immigration stamps in your passport"? Don't they know that you go to Thailand to reflect, meditate, make merit, visit temples and study Thai language and culture? Surely I'm not the only one who do these things? 🤔😇