mauRICE

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? 🤔😇

This is insulting on several levels. The use of the word homos (along with fags, poofters, pillow biters etc) to describe gay people is considered offensive and not acceptable in everyday conversation. It has a long history of being used as a derogatory slur to demean, marginalise and insult LGBTQ+ individuals. It may be part of the vernacular in Podunk America or of the MAGA crowd, but it isn't elsewhere and certainly not in 2026. Secondly, I don't know why you seem to think it's so unusual for gay people to be interested in sports. You said in another thread that you can't imagine that anyone in this forum would be interested in sports. I let it slide that time but not today. Why would it be so difficult to imagine members of this forum to be interested in sports? Because we're gay? I can assure you that not only are many of us interested in sports but we also play sports. We don't just sit in front of the TV watching it, stuffing our faces and growing fat. LGBTQ+ people playing sports professionally are everywhere. Chiang Mai has an active LGBTQ+ volleyball team and they've thrashed the straight boys several times; it's all in good fun and everybody goes for a beer afterwards. Keep us this insular, macho shit attitude of yours and I can envisage you having problems in Thailand; I'm already forming a composite picture of what you're like from your posts and it's not a pleasant one.

You said in a previous post that I engaged in one upmanship which isn't true and hurt my feelings.😢 To prove my sincerity, I'm not going to challenge your post above. YOU WIN. 🏳

Boy, you guys can sure eat! That's a lot of food on one plate. The restaurant does look very pretty. Guido has done a great job and there more things that he could do at this venue than at the restaurant in Silom for eg provide live entertainment or hold private functions without having to close the entire restaurant. It wouldn't surprise me if he's already got a place in Pratamnak - the Beverly Hills of Pattaya - and will eventually move there when the Soi 4 restaurant closes.

Surely there's a much simpler way of going about all this. Hasn't he met up with forum members previously and presumably they'd have his number, Line or Whatsapp and could try to reach him through one of these? @bkkmfj2648 ?

Hmmm 🤔...or maybe you can play the Judi Dench character, M. She's retired due to her failing eyesight. @jimmie50 Where are you?

I see. Now everything makes sense. Thanks for the clarification! 😘

Danang is in Vietnam. But that's just it. What are the sort of activities that you do or would like to do in your day to day? We know you like going to the 7-11 and eating junk food but you can do that anywhere in Thailand. (Try the markets where you can find a huge variety of sweet snacks and fried foods - then you can say you've gone Thai.) You also enjoy drinking - again not a problem in Thailand. You said you're looking for safe neighbourhoods, good healthcare and good weather. All the major cities and towns in Thailand viz Bangkok, Udon Thani, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Phuket, Pattaya and Hatyai have these and, with the exception of Hatyai, have sizable farang retiree communities. None of them have perfect weather all-year round but I'd say you'd get agreeable weather nine to ten months of the year. You also mentioned that you were looking for a place that would offer quality of life. So, again, what is it that would lend quality to your life in your retirement or semi-retirement? Do you even know? It's a very subjective question which requires a lot of self-introspection. I find that many farang, already unhappy back home, come to Thailand with some vague notions of a sunny paradise that'll make them happy, without really knowing what is it that's going to make them happy and/or realising that happiness also comes from within and that they have to be pro-active in the production of that happiness. They're lazy and expect other people to do the work for them and get all bitchy and whingy when things aren't happening FOR them. I'll give you an example. I know myself. By this I mean I know my advantages, limitations, what my boundaries are and what I would like out of life if I were retired. I would pick a university town because intellectual and cultural pursuits are very important to me and universities tend to have these kinds of activities almost all-year round. I will try to get involved and not just be a spectator. Thai campuses outside Bangkok tend to be very green with lakes and cafes which I love. I also love gardens and animals. I will continue with my charities and spend more time writing, exercising and cycling. I've got other skills which would benefit any community that I'm in which I won't share here for privacy reasons. My biggest advantage is that my Thai is fluent. Sex will no longer be as important to me by that time (it isn't that important to me now) and frankly speaking one could find sex anywhere in Thailand. Your needs and wants will be different but don't move to Chiang Mai when you'd really like to be in Supertown ogling at those Sunee Intimate Bar cuties (and boy are they cute) and drinking yourself to sleep everynight, which would be totally fine. You keep protesting that proximity to sex venues isn't important in your decision where to live but your actions suggest otherwise. And what's funny is that you attribute your protestations to the nature of this forum saying we only discuss sex tourism here. No, we don't. Perhaps that's been your focus but we also discuss food, culture, language, health, Olddaddy, eyecare - just to name a few topics. Just be honest as to what you want but you have to know yourself first before you can figure out what you want. Then you'll have a happier time in Thailand or anywhere else in the world for that matter.

I'm concerned too. @jimmie50 hasn't logged in since 11 Sep 2026, nine days ago which is very unlike him. Internet connection shouldn't be a problem as Cam used to chat with him everyday. Perhaps he's made friends with Angela Jolie, adopted a Cambodian child and decided to abandon us? Yes, you could be our intrepid Bond on the ground. OMG! I just realised that you'd be the first Bond on His Majesty's service ever. How about that.

I understand and are you going to commit seppuku at dawn to relieve yourself of all that misery? I can't think of a more honourable way for you to go given your strong affiliation with Japanese culture. Let me know; I'll be happy to set it up for you. No, no, no need to thank me - what are friends for. 😘

Telling people to avoid a venue without providing any reasons from a first time Thailand and Chiang Mai visitor is pretty strong in my humble opinion. What was it about the venue that you didn't like? What were you expecting from the "experience" and would have made it a "good time" for you?

Oh dear, that's terrible! Can you imagine how frustrated they'd be if they went to a country with no Coke Zero, 7-11 or McDonald's? Quite frankly, it's embarrassing to hear of Americans demanding perfect English when so many of them seem to have barely passable English themselves.

What Mai chooses to reveal or hide about his life is his privilege, not yours. And I agree with you, he hasn't hidden the fact that he's married and the information I shared is already in the public domain. All his and his wife's socials are open, which means one doesn't need to be his friend to see his posts which are public. He even shares posts about his family on the Orion account itself which means he's okay with his customers knowing about them. And you can see his wife running the bar with him. From time to time, he will announce birthday parties of his family members, inviting his friends and customers to attend. As I said, go visit sometime. What I haven't seen or heard anywhere - certainly not from Mai himself - is that he is 110% gay. Thus far only you have made that bold claim here.

No, it was you who stated that he was gay quite emphatically when you said, I spent every night with him during my holiday, and to me, he was definitely gay. 110%. So it is difficult to believe that he's married, although certainly not impossible. Some succumb to the inevitable social pressure, I guess. You even implied that he got married due to social pressure. How would you know this when you didn't even know that he was married and had nearly grown up children. And please don't try to obfuscate the issue by bringing up the alleged discrimination by Shan guys. He gets along fine with the Shan guys; many of his staff are Tai-Yai and his old Tai-Yai colleagues from Adam's Apple drop in to see him from time to time. And some Tai-Yai guys are gay too.

I am and it looks like you've been had, in more ways than one. The fact that Mai is married with family isn't a secret and their family pictures are splattered all over their socials. They celebrate their anniversaries and birthdays at the bar which are usually well attended by their regular customers. Book is there behind the counter daily and is primarily in charge of the business side of things although she does mingle with the customers. Mai is the PR guy for the bar and is well known by many local and visiting farang. Just this past January Book was complaining to me about her sick mum back in Isaan. Mai's sons bear a strong resemblance to him; they have his hair and complexion. Anyway, don't take my word for it; go see for yourself. By the way I have no idea what Mai's sexual orientation is and what role he takes on in bed. I believe he's entitled to his privacy and the fact that he used to be a sex worker doesn't change this. It's his privilege as to whether he'd like to share that side of his life with others and I give him the same respect as I would to anyone else trying to make a living.

555 🤣😂😅 That's not his sister, that's his wife, Book. Book is from Isaan and Mai is from Surat Thani in the south. They've been together twenty years at least and work well together. They've got two adolescent boys who work/hang out at the bar occasionally. I'm not sure how that works as you need to be at least 20 years old to work in a venue that serves alcohol. What's worse is that I've seen both boys drinking and I'm not sure the younger one is of age (as of January this year). I only stop by to say hi when in town and move on. Please verify ages if planning to have sex with any of the guys in Soi 6 most of whom are freelancers or from any other venue where freelancers congregate, which can be tricky as some do not have IDs or they have IDs with fake information (I'll explain this some other time as I'm dozing off). Make sure they aren't stoned or high. This must be the Debbie Downer thread of the year. I'd like to remind readers, particularly those who only visit the forum occasionally, to take trip reports and reviews with a bucketful of salt. They're the subjective views of the reviewer and are influenced by their personality, preferences and biases.

Awww, you liked my post so much that you quoted me twice. 🥰 They were doing it in the bushes? Oh my...🤭 I can just imagine it, "Me Tarzan, you Grandma." 😁