mauRICE

Too much competition for you?

You make it sound as if the airport is on a moat filled with crocodiles.😅 Step outside for a few days and have a look. If you're planning just to do KL, then three nights, four days would be comfortable. I'm in KL Mondays to Thursdays and I spend Fridays to Sundays in my home state up north. My family home is about an hour's drive from the nearest Thai border. My partner of fifteen years lives on the other side of that border and it takes about two hours to drive from my house to his in good traffic. 😉 I've never used the hook-up apps but I did hear you can no longer access them here and I remember seeing something about it in the papers. But I'm sure the guys have figured out ways to get around the restrictions. I believe most of the MBs, including many from Africa and Indonesia, used to ply their trade on the apps. Most of the Africans are on student visas. Male massage parlours have mushroomed all over KL and the ads on social media are quite risque. I'm not sure if any hanky panky goes on during the massages but I wouldn't be surprised if it did. As far as I know, therapeutic manhood massages supposedly to help with ED are allowed and, again, it wouldn't surprise me if it goes beyond that. Most of the masseurs are foreign and I've seen some cute ones on social media. From what I hear from friends who are still on the prowl, there's no abatement of gays hooking up but if you're expecting the kind of organised commercial sex scene you see in Thailand, you'll be very disappointed. There's at least one LGBTQ bar in KL that I know of, the long running Blueboy. Of course there are plenty of very nice, upscale nightspots that is welcoming to all. All you need is one friend who's active on the scene and go from there. @spoon might have more current information.

I could be mistaken but I think the guy you like from Jupiter has a girlfriend/partner/wife which is very common among straight guys in the business and I've even encountered a few of the guys who identified as gay who were or had been married and had kids. A handsome guy I know who works at a popular venue that's often mentioned on this forum has three children from three different partners and the girls are still chasing him despite knowing he's a total cad! TiT. 😅

All that sugar making you sleepy? Now I understand why you seem to get tired so easily. Have you tried the seafood which is quite famous in Samui? I don't eat seafood much but I like fish and we usually eat at the Thai restaurants and have fish cooked to order. They've got a great variety of saltwater fish and have menus in English. At home I tend to eat freshwater fish from my own pond. The standard fare would be fish cooked in sweet 'n' sour sauce, deep fried with garlic or steamed with lemon sauce. My HDL tends to go up after these island trips! 😁 I don't snack but will grab some fruit from a fruit cart when I'm feeling a bit peckish. Sometimes I'll pack an apple, banana or some Japanese cucumber (my favourite) and a hard boiled egg into my backpack before I set out on a day of sightseeing.

Please let sleeping dogs lie. 🙏🏻✌️🫶

I doubt very much you know my taste "on" everything. Even I don't know what my taste in everything is and this may come as a surprise to many but I don't know everything. 😏

@jimmie50 should have arrived in Cambodia by now. Hope he's alright.

Wow, so much processed food loaded with carbs and sugar. There's often a fruit cart parked in front of 7-11s in Thailand and you should check it out sometime. Guava has a low GI and Thai ones are fresh and crunchy but go easy on the plum powder as it's loaded with sugar. They're called ฝรั่ง or farang, spelled and pronounced exactly the same way as the commonly used descriptor for westerners. Make sure you get the fresh ones and not the ones that have been soaked in syrup. Unripe mango, pomelo, white dragon fruit, tangerines and Thai jujube (they look like green apples) are also good options for diabetics but, as always, everything in moderation. Next to the cool season, June to August is my favourite time of the year in Thailand being the main fruit season. Longans, lychees, longkong, rambutans (Surat Thani is famous for its rambutans), mangosteens...again, in moderation. I was in Hatyai last weekend and there was still a wide variety of local fruit so you're not too late. Durian is available all year round now; I may be biased but I prefer Malaysian durian to Thai durian. 😅 Be careful of dried fruit: high in fibre but high GI too.

@Londoner Isn't it a thing for older British women to look for toyboys in Africa? I'm quite sure I read a few articles and saw a documentary about it. But perhaps not in Madagascar or Zanzibar. I think they go to Bali for the same purpose. Here in KL I've seen older, plus sized white women with Black hunks in some of the more popular shopping areas. More power to them. Incidentally, what were you doing there? 🤔😏

The Grumpy Old Men pub is in the heart of the tourist district of Changklan in a small soi off Changklan Road itself, close to the river, the famous night bazaar and the so-called Charoenprathet Soi 6 gay street. They're all within short walking distance of one another. I'd leave it to others to write about soi 6 as it's not my cup of tea for various reasons. Warorot Market or Kad Luang, one of the biggest and most popular markets in Chiang Mai, is about a kilometre to the north. I don't know if there's a digital nomad neighbourhood as such but they are typically scattered in Nimmanhemin, Huay Kaew and Santitham. There are four universities within city limits, two public and two private. Most student-run activities open to the public are held during the cool season as are concerts and theatrical performances. September to early October is the peak of the rainy season and Chiang Mai is prone to flooding particularly the areas close to the river such as Changklan. Two years ago, Chiang Mai saw some of the worst floods in her history and Changklan and Warorot were inaccessible for two weeks or more following the devastation from the floods. I wrote about this last year when @jimmie50 said he was going to Chiang Mai. In my humble opinion, the best years of Chiang Mai ended in the first decade of this century and I was very lucky to have caught the tail end of it. I was so enamoured by the scent of the Rose of the North that I even considered moving there. But that lovely scent turned into a repellent odour from the 2010s onwards with the influx of the mainland Chinese, nefarious Bangkok types laundering their money through "grey businesses", rise of scam centres operated by the mainland Chinese (with the help of the locals) and subsequently the arrival of the digital nomads, not to mention the suffocating smoke of the burning season. The main reason I go to Chiang Mai nowadays is to see my two adopted kids whom I hope to bring to Bangkok or down south when they get to university age.

Not me. Police raids usually follow a tip off from someone or some organisation that can't be ignored, for example, an influential NGO dealing with the trafficking of minors (for eg the Paveena Foundation) or more commonly because the venue is behind in their tea money payments. Another possible reason is because the venue has pissed off some phuyai or big shot OR is in direct competition with a similar venue owned by a phuyai or big shot with connections to the police. Being seen to be doing something by influential politicians during election season (Purachai running for Bangkok governor) or a "clean up" before a major national or international event are other reasons. It's almost never because the home minister and police are proactively enforcing the law in order to maintain social order. One exception that comes to mind are the Thaksin directed drug related raids when he was prime minister. Of course viewpoints on this differ.

Now I've seen everything. khaosodenglish.com/featured/2026/09/11/man-arrested-after-allegedly-sexually-abusing-koi-fish-in-bangkok/amp/ https://share.google/OGgo7JAFuv8MO1TMh

I sincerely hope everything will work out for you and Cam @jimmie50 but if it doesn't, remember it's never too early to cut your losses and go back to Denver and regain some perspective before deciding on your next move. Good luck and safe travels!

Ohh I see, fair enough. Thanks for the clarification. Of course. And besides yourself, who will he be playing with when he moves to Battambang? Friends, acquaintances or...?

I'd have thought the more obvious explanation would be them keeping to their workday circadian rhythm even on non-workdays. The working boys don't normally get home till morning after spending time with their clients and hanging out with their friends, then go to bed and don't get up till the late afternoon. And you tend to sleep in more when you've been drinking, no? Moreover, I can't imagine it'd be easy to keep adjusting your circadian rhythm when you've only got one or two off days a week.

Normal I'm not so sure but I reckon most of us do like our men sober. Not unless you're a Carrington or a Colby! 😉 You mean because of the large Liberace-style bouffant held up by copious amounts of hairspray? 😏 You're welcome. I try to do what I can and rest assured you're not alone. The working boys (and girls) are very good at what they do and oftentimes understand human nature and its vulnerabilities much better than the average, wide-eyed, sometimes closeted or semi-closeted, farang. Good luck!

I'm not at all surprised to hear that @jimmie50 is a nice guy. From his earliest appearance on this forum introducing himself as a former special ed teacher and telling us about his arrangement with his sister to care for each other in their golden years, I've had good vibes from him. But it has also made me very concerned about him because in my over 20-year association with Thailand I've seen too many nice guys finish last. Hence, occasionally, I've put him in the dock with my leading/looping questions when I felt he needed a little jolt. I do it purely out of a sense of protectiveness.

Have you got a link to the channel of the influencer that convinced you to go to Samui? How old was he and where was he from? I think perspectives matter. Frankly, I'm a little surprised that you seem disappointed that Kok Samui was full of farang. Didn't your Youtube influencer say loads of Americans and Canadians had moved there and you were drawn by this fact? I don't think it's one of the islands that's popular with Thais and it's not as if you were mingling with the locals in Bangkok anyway. You stayed close to the red light district, ate at Foodland and most (all?) your acquaintances were foreign. Nothing wrong with all that but did you make one Thai friend, even a Thai prostitute friend? How many Thai places of interest did you visit? Pride Bar is just a bar. We were there last December during the high season and found it packed and quite fun. We played Jenga with a couple from Australia and my partner beat a Belgian guy at chess and we played a round of pool. Drink prices were typical of island resorts. We didn't see any mincing working boys to entertain the customers and those spoilt by Pattaya and Patpong or with rusty social skills might find the concept of saying hello and making friends with fellow travellers in a bar a bit jarring. I'm reminded by what dear Olddaddy said about miserable-looking farang sitting by themselves in Jomtien Complex. 😅 [Speaking of the devil, where is @Olddaddy ? Is he still detoxing from his recent Thailand trip?🤔] There's also a cabaret showbar, Blue something, with quite an entertaining show. Dunno whether it's still open or only opens during the high season. Bear in mind that Kok Samui is an island, a bit over-rated and it wouldn't be fair or make any sense to compare it to the Big Smoke. My Thai partner had rented a motorcycle and we were able to see much of the island that way. I found it to be a relaxing getaway and even enjoyed our brief trip to Phuket last June which most gay sex tourists have written off! What can I say, I'm easily pleased and view every travel opportunity a privilege. 😁9

Duh. Silly title. Of course they wouldn't know it if they had dementia especially among certain nationalities that generally lack self-awareness. I recall reading somewhere that dementia is quite prevalent among older foreign residents in Thailand due to loneliness. They aren't alone because they have people around them but they're (emotionally) lonely. I don't know whether this finding was anecdotal or based on scientific research but going around places like Chiang Mai and Pattaya where there are a lot of older farang one gets the vibe that quite a few of them aren't "all there" (which may not necessarily be clinical dementia but some form of personality disorder or social dysfunctionality ). https://www.newsweek.com/older-americans-have-dementia-without-knowing-experts-reveal-signs-to-watch-12414002

I think I know the videographer. Small world, isn't it? ☺️ Pattaya can get really busy during the high season. I think I like it better like this. Clear skies, fresh air although the Supertown boys tell me it rains quite often (which helps to clean the air). If you've been to KL in the last week or so, you'll understand why fresh, clean air has become such a valuable commodity.

I didn't know Lucky but it sounds like he had an interesting life and an amazing and fruitful career. His advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights is particularly admirable. If Lucky had survived his dogs, I hope that there's somebody taking care of them now that he's gone. I'm very sorry for your loss, Rob. The fact that you kept in contact with Lucky for 20 years and noticed that something was amiss when he didn't reply also says a lot about you. 🫶🕊

Thanks for the pics, @aaroninatl . Some of the guys are looking quite buff and I take back and have deleted my Marlon Brando comment from my previous post. I agree that associating muay thai with HIV is not only tenuous but betrays a total lack of understanding of how HIV is transmitted and, coming from a guy who proudly bragged about taking advantage of a young man whom he himself said was high on drugs, is just plain hypocritical.

Hi Aaron. Has it been raining in the evenings? I didn't realise you had a ranking of the bars. Did you get a chance to chat with the guys and find out what their thoughts on world peace and global warming were? There's an entire devoted thread devoted to Moonlight on this forum somewhere. My favourite, Joey, has left for greener pastures. My other favourite, Babe, is still there on and off. (Babe is the shorter guy in your duo pic above. He may be short but, trust me, he's packing it.)

There is an unseen heirarchy of working boys (and girls) - a social pyramid of prostitutes, if you like - which those not in the industry may not be aware of which could explain the reluctance of Patpong boys to go to Fake. Those who aren't Thai speakers aren't very high on the totem pole. There's also something about not peeing on another man's turf. They may be more amenable to going if they've got a friend working there. Another exception is if they're exceptionally goodlooking in which case they'd be welcome anywhere. Note that venues like Fake, Asgard and other host bars are primarily drinking bars and if you don't drink and/or are put off by excessive drinking, you'd feel out of place. I've only been at the invitation of Thai friends and barely lasted an hour at these places as I don't drink and am totally put off by any form of excess, especially alcohol. Seeing youngsters ruining their health like that day in and day out upsets me and drink-driving related fatalities happen almost daily with this lot, in a country where drink-driving related accidents hardly raises eye-brows anymore. Only yesterday, I saw the funeral of a karaoke hostess in Chiang Mai on social media. She was driving home drunk at 6 in the morning, had fallen asleep at the wheel, crashed into a lamppost and died on the spot. She was a single mum and it totally broke my heart seeing her 12-year-old son leading the cortege to the crematorium. He had specially ordained as a monk for the occasion. For some of these venues, inviting a host to your table and buying him drinks is compulsory and at Asgard and Fake the minimum number of drinks that you need to buy a host depends on his popularity. Most of the stars will expect a 100-drink minimum on any given night, which will allow a customer to "mao" (เหมา) or "charter" him until closing time. Otherwise he gets back on stage at the end of the hour and is available for bidding by other customers. Boyz Boyz Boyz in Pattaya is unique in that the boys are rotated every 20 minutes! Host drink prices range from 350 to 500 Baht depending on the venue, from which the venue takes a 50 to 150 Baht cut per drink. If you plan to go to Fake to see the shows, bear in mind that is a very large venue reminiscent of an evangelical tabernacle and the best seats are nearest the stage and are usually reserved for VIP customers. It's fine if you're contented sitting in the galleries and watching the shows on the big screen TVs. The majority of Fake's patrons are East Asian. Security is very tight, especially around the stage area as some female customers have been known to go crazy watching the highly erotic performances. Most of the performers are straight but their lead dancer, now 38 but physically very fit, is gay. He goes everywhere in Asia to perform at various clubs but is especially popular in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Yes! Aussies like you and Olddaddy are doing a great job. Keep it up!