mauRICE

This same lifestyle of hard work, sports, true friends and close family that Cam so loves and adores will soon be your priorities as well, correct?

Good question...not a clue, although he does have family there and also some friends. There are a couple of cousins his age he is close to...perhaps some of them?!? Not sure what either of us will be doing once there in regards to staying busy and interacting with others. Definitely will be a learning experience.

I hope I didn't put you off, Olddaddy. I think you can find something for 2 million baht in Pattaya, just not in the location you want and not with a sea view. Renting while you scout around for something more permanent is a good idea and try renting during the months in which you haven't been in Pattaya previously so that you'll get a better picture of what Pattaya is like all-year round. Pattaya can feel quite different during the high season which can last up to five months.

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

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!

That was life in Bangkok, and he did not have a group of friends there who would play sports. I was referring to life now in Cambodia...and the work I meant was the construction work they are doing at the family home. His schedule at home is totally different from what it was in Bangkok working at the club. At home he is up around 6:30am and they usually are starting to work by 7am. They will take breaks throughout the day, but in general they finish working for the day around 4pm. He will shower and then meet his friends at a nearby field where they play sports. They maybe play for around 90 minutes. Sometimes they will sit around after the game talking and drink a beer, but he is almost always home by 7pm. So very different from what his life was like in Bangkok. And there is always family around visiting. He loves having fun with the nieces and nephews. His friends are actual friends he has known and grown up with and people he says he can genuinely count on if he ever needed anything. Just like he is helping his friend out by paying him to help with the fence project at the moment. While the Cambodian group of guys back in Bangkok do refer to each other as 'friends', Cam says they are not true friends but merely acquaintances.
It is interesting to me the influence the environment and his peers have on him and the difference between his life in Bangkok and his life back home in Cambodia. I refer to it as the nature of the beast, so to speak. Working at the club, drinking with customers, and hanging out with his Cambodian buddies...they were always drinking and quite heavily...not just beer, but lots of hard liquor nightly. He would also smoke (vape) in Bangkok. Back at home, when he is hanging out with his lifelong friends they may have one or two beers but it is not an every day occurrence and never any late nights. Even when family comes to visit, they only drink beer and then it is only one or two at the most. He has not smoked since he has been back home. I suppose it is a perfect example of how peer pressure or our environment influences what we do.

I only use this site from my laptop and it seems better now...speed seems to depend on the time of the day, but I'm using the functions more than before and it's more efficient.

I am only speaking from my personal experience, but the site actually loads much faster for me now. After the site was hacked, it was always very slow to load when it got up and running again. Sometimes it would not load at all. At least for me it is now super fast. As for the format and navigation, I am a member of another forum (although I am not very active there) that uses the same program/software. It has not been a huge adjustment for me, but I am probably in the minority on this. I am sure all of these changes are somehow connected to the site being hacked and the need to upgrade. Nobody likes change...in any part of our lives. Sometimes these things are inevitable.

Just curious, if you're not logged in, how are you able to post messages on this thread?

Since I signed up for the premium plan, it's been fine for me 🤷‍♂️

Don't be jealous because I still have hair...

Same military haircut since I was 17 in the Army, hairspray is to keep it firmly in place, same reason you might use the blue pill 😬

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.

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!

It was great meeting up with you, your boyfriend, and your Denver friend. I certainly never expected anyone from the forum to actually connect with me on my home turf in Denver. This isn't exactly a main destination for folks! lol.
There is something about the posts forum members make and the camaraderie that develops from our mutual interest that we begin to form a vision in our minds of who the person is and what they might look like. I knew right away when floridarob walked in the door of the restaurant that it was him and was exactly as I had imagined. His charming personality and wit you experience online is exactly what you get in person, too. He and I are very similar in that we sometimes like to 'poke the bear' in our posts. lol.
It was nice to hear him describe other forum members he has met in person...far more than I have...since he is a long time member. As he said, the time flew by and it was like meeting an old friend and catching up. Wonderful evening. I cannot say how much longer I will actually be in Denver, but if anyone ever passes through please let me know. Would be great to connect with other forum members as well. I probably have a better chance of meeting others once in Cambodia. While Battambang may not be a huge attraction, Siem Reap is only 90 minutes away by motorbike and I also want to explore Phnom Penh once I am in Cambodia. Give a shout out if you are traveling in Cambodia and we can meet there.

I really do appreciate the leading/looping questions from you and also floridarob. It does cause me to pause and think things through more carefully. I am trying to enter into this adventure with eyes wide open and no blinders on. One step at a time. So far things have been very positive between me and Cam. I do thank you for being protective...I can sometimes be a little naive or too trusting.

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.

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.

One of the great things about this board is occasionally getting to meet one of its members, esteemed or otherwise, on their own turf. 😎
While we were in the Denver area, my boyfriend, another friend who lives there, and I met up with @jimmie50 at a Mexican-themed restaurant, because apparently I don’t get enough of Mexico while actually living in Mexico. 😂
My impression of Jimmie50 was exactly what I expected. He seems like a truly nice, genuine guy, and I have no doubt he’ll handle his time in Cambodia just fine, as long as he stays of prop planes and I'm really happy for him.
We hung out for a couple of hours, and the time flew by. It felt less like meeting someone from an online forum and more like catching up with someone we already knew.
And if anyone’s ears were burning that night, there may have been a reason. Of course, everything we said about all of you was complimentary., more or less 😇
So, how many other members here have actually met someone from this board in person on their/your home turf?

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.

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

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 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.

What say you?