Department_Of_Agriculture

Yes, now that you mention it, I do remember that post of yours and recognising that you were talking about Smey. Smey ended-up as second runner-up in that competition. Since we are talking about Smey, I am just going to post some pictures of him here. The one immediately below is from the competition. ReakSmey doth make me sigh... The one above was, obviously, touched-up as a publicity photo. Some more natural ones of him below : And the one below is actually my favourite, because it captures him as he really is, and that smile of his. The one below from Space's FB, which Vinapu has posted on here before. Smey is in the front row on the right corner in the red singlet. On the far left, in the white singlet, is Vong (Monivong), Smey's wingman. Vong also took part in the contest, but did not place in the finals and I doubt that it was him you were talking about. Vong's English isn't great. Smey is fluent.

You left out the most important one, Moshe. You left out the opinion of the Cambodians themselves, which is FUCK ISRAEL

Without bothering with anything like an actual trip report, I will just share some snippets about Siem Reap and Phnom Penh from my time in those places over the last couple of weeks. SIEM REAPBarsG*D (Gays on Display) no longer has go go boy shows. I have no idea when they stopped them but now it is drag, drag and more drag, which is a bloody drag. The only redeeming feature of this bar at the moment is the prominent FUCK ISRAEL graffiti on the ceiling. The bar was largely quiet during my time there. Not that I really care. Barcode had sizeable crowds practically every night. Again, forget about the occasional boy shows that it used to have. It was drag, drag and yet more drag. Needless to say, I found it a fucking drag – but I’ll say it anyway because it deserves to be said. The highlight of these shows was when I said to one of the waiters, “too many ladyboys”. His sympathetic response? “Yes! No girls :(( ! “ That wasn’t entirely true, though. There were quite a few bloody fat girls in the bar on some nights – fag hags, the lot of them. Still, it’s a decent place to go, even if the crowd is shit. I have my favourite waiters there. I didn’t bother with BBall and Rendezvous MassagesThe Sovan Man Massage which was a stone’s throw away from Rambutan closed down, seemingly somewhere in early or mid-August; and the shop is now for rent and they are no longer responding on Telegram. That’s a shame because it had some rather nice guys. That comes on the back of the Man 168 Massage closing more than a year ago, which I consider a real loss because it had precisely the kind of guys I like. Their Man 168 Facebook page has recently come back to life, but that is being operated by just one former worker, offering his own services. That leaves Sanmai Massage as the only full-on man for man massage shop in Siem Reap, as far as I am aware. Sanmai, however, is populated by gay masseurs in whom I have no interest. The massage shops on 2 Thnou Street do have male masseurs, but they are usually hidden in a backroom somewhere, presumably to avoid scaring away the sort of regular customers that those shops attract. Ask, if you want a male masseur. What you may actually get really depends on the masseur, though - some will offer a little more, some won't. Don’t go with expectations of anything more than a massage and you won’t be disappointed. They are, after all, officially and largely, legitimate massage places. Cham Nan Temple Massage: “I am an Izz-ray-lee and I am the worst!” the bloody disgusting old thing declared as I walked into the shop. “And right now I am enjoying with my new boy!” He had heard me request a male masseur and probably thought I was going to engage with him as a fellow conspirator. I glanced at his masseur, and it was, indeed, a very unattractive femboy/ladyboy who was massaging him. I ignored the disgusting old bastard. “Where are you from?” asked the disgusting old “Izz-ray-lee”. I ignored him and carried-on with booking my massage. “What? You don’t speak English?” he demanded in an irritated tone. I shrugged and ignored him. He made some filthy, frustrated noise in his disgusting pseudo-native language, upset that I would not engage with him; but I was there for a massage, not to have a chat with some old pervert tainted by association with genocide. Cham Nan Temple Massage is smack in the centre of town and it is a very decent place to go if you are looking for a real massage and can’t decide which of the myriad shops in central Siem Real to choose. It is clean, central, and nicely done; and I prefer it to the ones on 2 Thnou Street. They currently have only two male masseurs: a younger, golden-skinned guy named Virek, who is the owner’s son; and an older, more built guy in his early 40s named Piset. I can vouch for the quality of Piset’s massage. Both of them speak good English. I had asked Piset how many guys they currently have and he said “two…maybe three boys…but that one not really. That one…”, he trailed off, looking in the direction of the femboy. As I exited the shop, the disgusting old “Izz-ray-lee” was sitting outside, surrounded by the female masseurs. “How was the massage?”, he asked with a leer on his face. I ignored him and walked off. He swore at me. Good. Fuck him and fuck “Israel”. Chamnan is near the Starbucks. Note that in addition to working at the shop, Virek drives a remorque and is available for the monument tours etc. That is an option to consider if you would like a young, pleasant, pleasant-looking, English-speaking driver for the day. DiningKhmer Taste remains my favourite local cuisine place in the city. Inevitably, I return to it after trying others. The food here is authentically Khmer, my local friends assure me; and here you will find locals dining alongside the tourists. Prices are low and the food is good. The waitresses aren’t particularly smiley, but service is good and the girls will chat if you engage with them. Khmer Taste lies just a little bit outside the core tourist zone around Pub Street, but it is easily walkable from there. If you aren’t familiar with the location, just take a Grab there the first time you go. You should have no trouble finding it on foot the next time. AttractionsSiem Reap has recently added yet another tourist attraction: some big monument or theme park called "Angkor Wat", which is, apparently, a great place to go and take selfies. You may want to visit it while there. Separately, Kbal Spean was at the most beautiful that I have ever seen it on this trip. It is now the rainy season, which locals often call the Green Season, and the hills were wonderfully lush. However it has rained less than it usually does at this time of the year, which means that while there is abundant water flowing over the lingas in the river, the river is not so swollen that the carvings are hidden. You can see it at its best right now – the way it is meant to be seen. It just reminded me of why I love that place so much. While Kbal Spean is a little bit further out, it is always worth the trip. PHNOM PENH Rambutan ResortThe old order changeth, yielding place to new… The long-running and much-loved Rambutan Resort in PP is no more. It is now the Sonitori Boutique Hotel. The Dutchman sold it to a Jap about four months ago and the new owner has spared no time in ruining it. Gone is the lush greenery around the pool that delighted the eye; gone is the canopy of vines above the pool that shielded you from prying eyes; the pool itself is now full of big floats to encourage family fun. No more in-house massage option either. Gone also is the old manager who knew exactly what the Rambutan’s patrons wanted; and in are several new female front office staff. Fortunately, many of the old staff remain and will welcome you back warmly if you are an old guest. Apparently, it was sold for just $50k, as the Dutchman wanted to get rid of it and focus on the Rambutan in Siem Reap – but that only included the business and building. The land is leased from a local. Still. $50k is bloody cheap and had I known it was for sale at that price, I would gladly have taken it In years past, it was balls of an entirely different type that were played with in that pool. On the plus side, the new owner has been slow in setting things up online – the hotel still uses a gmail address and Tripadvisor only provides booking options through Agoda. One consequence of that currently low visibility, coupled with low season prices is that rooms at Sonitori now cost practically nothing , especially when you consider the excellent made to order breakfast that they still provide. I paid $25 per night for my room; and they can’t possibly be making money at that rate. Homos who are fond of the old Rambutan should perhaps launch a coordinated, low-cost invasion to keep it queer-ish. The pancakes at Rambutan PP continue to be much better than those at Rambutan Siem Reap. BarsSpace Hair Bar: Space has lost its lustre for me. Long-time star and all-time favourite, Smey (ReakSmey). has left the bar. Smey’s acting and modelling career has finally reached the level of success that I always wished for him. He is earning well now and has neither the time nor inclination to sit around being groped by strangers till 6 a.m. every night. Boys came and went in that bar, but Smey stayed for ages and only became more handsome as he matured – he was already 30-ish when he won second runner-up in Mr Cambodia. Smey was also sort of ringleader in that bar. Without him there to egg the boys on, the place is now much more subdued and holds much less attraction for me. The number and quality of the boys there at the moment also doesn’t quite stack-up with previous years. Nonetheless, I opened my wallet generously as it is low season, the bar nearly bereft of customers on weekdays and some of those boys there are “friends”. On that note, Pahlin (Polin) is still there and was talking about opening an equivalent bar in Siem Reap, as he notes that there is a dearth of muscle bars in Siem Reap. My complaints about the number of drag shows simply confirmed his belief that a Space-style bar in Siem Reap would work, but he is still going to have to find the money for it. Pahlin is an intelligent fellow - he was formerly a property agent – and anyone looking to pursue that opportunity may want to drop by space and speak to him. AsianCam: The AsianCam bar has moved from Street 222 to Street 224 into larger, nicer, digs. I mention that here because Grab had not updated the address as of the week before, sending people to the wrong place. Gone are all the macho boys who were working there last year. All femboys now, bar a single, new straight boy who began work there recently. Toolbox was as boring as ever since moving to its current/”new” location. Being in that place feels rather like being entombed with a bunch of old queens. Not much going-on there on weekdays, unless you want to drink with the regular crowd whose arses appear to be glued to their seats. DiningThe service at La Croisette is now officially shit, which is a shame as nostalgia occasionally takes me back there. La Croisette has been around since the 90s. The food is decent but not amazing and the view from the top floor terrace over the quay and river is no longer the best offered by any restaurant in the city. Still, it’s not a bad place for a date and there is a good ice cream parlour downstairs. Service is shit, though. Half the food stalls in the PP Night Market were closed. Rainy evenings and the lack of tourists at this time of year mean that there probably isn't enough business for all of them to stay open. Still, I enjoy eating there sitting on the mats and talking to the boys who work in the market. They have more time to chat in the low season than they do when the market is packed. Fans of the durian may also want to take note that the rainy season is a bad time to taste that fruit in Cambodia. Too much water makes the fruit that ripens in the rainy season rather tasteless. Don't waste your money and torture your taste buds with watery durians at this time of year. They are best eaten before the rains start.

Siem Reap rarely fails to surprise and delight. This time that delight sprang from the most unlikely of places: the G*D (Gays on Display) bar. I have no particular interest in G*D and its dancing queens living out their diva fantasies on stage, but that bar used to have a go go boy show at 10:30 and I recently dropped-by to see if that was still on. Alas, no more go go boy shows apparently; but even better than dancing boys was the wonderful, prominent FUCK ISRAEL graffiti on the ceiling. I really think it is quite wonderful how Thais and Cambodians have decided they don’t want to take shit from “Israelis” anymore. The Thais hate them because of the appalling way they treat the natives in Thailand. The Cambodians, on the other hand, hate them because they see and decry the genocide of the Palestinian people and they know who is responsible for it. Cambodia was brutally bombed during the Vietnam war and the country endured genocide under the Khmer Rouge. They don’t need anyone to tell them what genocide is. They know it when they see it – and they see the same thing happening to the Palestinians now. They hate what they see the “Israelis” doing the Palestinians. When even my tuk tuk driver informed me that “Na-tan-ya-hoo very bad,” and “Israel not good. Very bad. I see Gaza. All bomb. All destroyed,” you know the tide is turning globally. GOD has spoken and the message is FUCK ISRAEL.

I think he sa-moke ladyboy...

Two gay bars in Hua Hin? There used to be a bunch of them, but I was only aware of one now, which is New Guy. I haven't been to Hua Hin since the pandemic though. What is the other one? Shangri-La has really gone down the drain. The rooms are worn; quite a few of the fabrics, from the bed sheets to the upholstered walls are stained. On top of that, many of the rooms don't even have facilities to wash. Overall, the Krunghthep Wing is in better shape, but it can be quite a constitutional to walk to the restaurants from that area. It may not be tiring but it soon gets tiresome. Apart from that, service at the hotel has really gone down, and that begins as soon as you arrive, with bellboys and doormen often not doing their jobs and security not helping to lift your suitcase for screening. In fact, it might even begin before you arrive if you communicate with them by email. The Shangri-Las, in general, are beginning to look worn and dated and seeing standards slip. Bangkok is the worst of the lot though. The breakfast is still fab, though - apart from the hordes of Indians who now throng the hotel and insist on speaking at the top of their voices so you can hear how important they are even if they are sitting two tables away. They would all like you to know that they are doing business with some very important Indian or other whom 99% of us have never heard of or whose name you probably can't even pronounce. The view of the river from the Krungthep wing is still one of the best in Bangkok, though; and it almost makes up for everything else.

ATLAS TO REOPEN ON PATPONG 1...AS WHITE CAT BAR What was Atlas on Patpong 2 is now set to reopen as White Cat Bar on Patpong 1. As suspected, the reopening was delayed by the difficulty they have had in persuading some of their boys to come move from Tawan. Apparently, they have made progress, though, and they are targetting to reopen on February 1st or soon thereafter. As per the video below, the interior is now fully ready and it doesn't look bad. Regarding the location, they had originally intended to reopen on Soi 6 but found a cheaper location on Patpong 1. While my captain friend was sending me pictures of the progress on the interior, he forgot to mention that it was not on Soi 6 as he originally said it would be. That would, obviously, explain the reports of "no progress" from members who have taken a stroll down Soi 6. All's well that ends well though. The bar will be located across from the Music Bar on Patpong 1, on the Madrid side of the road. The choice of name seemed a little odd to me, but when he sent me the location on Google Maps, I realised that it located in the old Wild Cat Bar. The Wild Cat was a rather notorious bar, originally known as the Fire Cat, that introduced the really wild girlie shows to Thailand in the 80s. It long ago changed hands and changed names, becoming a rip-off ping pong show bar. Good riddance to the Wild Cat and I look forward to welcoming the White Cat. The new name is obviously a riff on the old one. It doesn't look too bad, does it? RYVL9150.MP4 There have been several gay bars on Patpong 1 over the decades and it has never gone well for them. The most recent were that batch of three short-lived bars in 2019 after Soi Twilight closed - SuperBoys, Sweet Banana and Chill Out Boy - that were doomed from day one. May the White Cat fare better.

That can't be right. FaFa has a strict policy of only hiring boys with a degree in English literature; particularly those who specialise in the Augustans. A couple of them have told me that they actually prefer the Romantics, though.

Since you don't say how much time you intend to spend in each country, it's probably a bit pointless to give overly detailed suggestions. All the more since it isn't clear what your specific cultural interests are. Generally, if it is traditional culture and history that you are interested in, northern Thailand has more to offer than central Thailand does. As some have already mentioned, if you are looking for culture, Chiang Mai is the right place to start. It also has enough to offer in-terms of "entertainment", both straight and gay. The food is excellent - many Thais will tell you that it has the best food in the Kingdom; the people are nice and there is plenty of old architecture, as well as natural attractions in the surrounding region. It has also some interesting museums and is the best place in Thailand to watch Muay Thai casually, with nightly fights and five stadiums in central Chiang Mai. It has interesting night markets, especially if you are there on the weekend and good hotels. It is not quite the "Rose of the North" that it was, even not too long ago, but it is still a nice place to visit. If you are already up north, be sure to visit the 13th/14th century ruins of Sukhothai, the capital of the original Thai kingdom. Spend a night in Sukhothai so you can see it at your leisure, rather than burning yourself out with a day trip. Sukhothai and Chiang Mai are the two big cultural attractions in the north, but there are also several other smaller cities that are worth visiting when you are up there. Close to Chiang Mai is the ancient city of Lamphun, which you can do as a day trip. Also easily accessible is the charming old riverside city of Chiang Saen. Dividing your time between these will spare you the "temple fatigue" that can easily set-in when visiting so-called cultural attractions in Thailand. If you decide to stay in the Bangkok area/central Thailand, you should at least do an overnight visit to Ayutthaya, the capital of the second Thai kingdom. It is only about an hour north of Bangkok, and while the ruins are less impressive than Sukhothai, they are definitely worth visiting. Additionally, the adjacent modern part of Ayutthaya city has its own nightlife area, although your friend will be better catered to than you will. If you are going to Ayutthaya, be sure to spend at least one night there, rather than rushing back to Bangkok. In Vietnam, beyond Hanoi, be sure to visit the old Imperial capital of Huế in central Vietnam. I suspect it will turn-out to be one of the highlights of your holiday. From there, it is only a short trip to the beach city of Da Nang. Nearby also is the old city of Hoi An. It's a bit touristy, but there is still quite a bit to see. If it is an either or choice, go to Huế instead. There are trip reports that mention most of these places, and I assume people will chime-in if you have questions about any specific place. Obviously, there is plenty more online. Chiang Mai is a good place to start, though.

Exeter. The one on Turl Street, not the one in Exeter 😄

As spoken by the queens on here, it shall ever be the Queens' English. Which college were you at, Ambrose?

According to the Captain, Arthur has now said the bar will reopen on the 15th of January. Although, I should point-out that Captain was almost rolling his eyes when he said that. The original reopening date was the 26th of December; that got pushed to New Year's Day; then it got pushed to the 10th of January; and now it has been pushed to Jan 15th. The immediate assumption was that the supposed plan to reopen was just a face-saving measure, but I doubt that. As I shared in those pictures previously (and my friend shared video of the interior fit-out as well), they have done a lot of work on the interior of the building, which obviously cost money; not to mention the cost of actually renting the venue. I doubt they would have done all that if they were simply claiming that they intended to reopen as a face saving measure. After all, they weren't publicising it. My guess - and it is only a guess - is that they may be having difficulty recruiting staff. It is quite possible that the Atlas staff who moved to/moved back to Tawan are quite happy there now. After all, Tawan now has about 30 guys and with no competition from Atlas, is probably getting decent customer numbers. Not to mention that the staff moved there just in time for the Christmas/New Year/ White Party boom in visitors. The less experienced staff might well think that those are the kinds of numbers that Tawan regularly attracts and that it is the better option. Who knows though? As I said in my original post on the subject "I would not hold my breath for the new venue to open on schedule. Indeed, let's see if it actually come to pass." I shall update as I hear back.

Actually, it's quite the opposite - his quote of 3,500 was precisely because he did not want to milk the OP (OAP). When a boy quotes a "ridiculous" price, it is often just a polite way of saying that he really does not want to go with you. It's slightly more subtle than saying "I would rather fuck a soi dog than fuck your old arse." Of course if you agree to his price he may come-up with some other excuse not to go with you or, alternatively, that may be the price for which he thinks he would be able to endure the unendurable. I am sure we have all played the "how much would you demand to fuck that fat bitch over there?" game in school.

Funny you should have said that as the topic just came-up on the "Guido's Cat" thread. Thais definitely do not eat cats and you aren't going to see that in Thai markets - but you will see it in Vietnamese markets, where cats are considered a great delicacy and are treated horribly. Consumption of cat meat is particularly popular among lower-income males, and it can be inferred from the statistics that about 70% of the Vietnamese bar boys in Bangkok eat cats. Vietnamese migrant labourers in the region are notorious for grabbing cats from the street for food and cat meat is undoubtedly available in Bangkok at some of the Vietnamese stalls and restaurants that cater to Vietnamese migrant labour. Hiring a Vietnamese money boy in Bangkok is fuelling the trade in cat meat and the kidnapping and abuse of cats, as they go out to spend that money of this "delicacy". All quite revolting. The pictures below are from Vietnamese markets. if you should ever come across something like that in Thailand, be assured that you stumbled onto a place that is serving Vietnamese migrants, not the Thai locals.

No, most ethnic Thais/Siamese will not be going back to their hometowns to celebrate Chinese New Year, The "Thai Chinese" will, though. Some of the Siamese will, of course, take the opportunity to go home since their ethnic Chinese employers may have closed the business for the Chinese New Year, but the Siamese do not celebrate Chinese New Year, per se. The Siamese will celebrate only to the extent that they are happy to celebrate anything and everything. In September or October, as I was riding down Silom Road past the Hindu temple, they were having some massive festival with lots of Hindu idols laid out on makeshift altars along the road. It took forever for my motosai to negotiate that stretch of the road because it was completely packed with Thais who had shown-up to partake. The sight of Thai girls in Sarees with vermillion marks on their foreheads was rather sweet. I love the way Thais embrace things and make them their own while staying true to what they are as a people.