aaroninatl

Assignment completed. I have to say I liked my rice crackers a bit better… but these were good too. That milk bun is ridiculously good. I took one bite so I don’t spoil my dinner and get another lecture. 😆 apparently fruits and vegetables are good for me. This is startling new information I learned today.

OK, the register might pass 300 baht now. Got a few new things to try. 👍 been sitting on the patio enjoying a passing shower. But it’s let up. Time for my 2nd 7 Eleven visit of the day. Update: yep. Instantly addicting. Considered sushi flavored Lays, but opted for the rice crackers instead. Zero regrets. Didn't spot any Mansome... but hey I gotta let the other guys on the island have a chance right?

🥱

oh yeah speaking of,the Kit Kat knockoffs too!

I go to 7-Eleven in the US maybe twice a year. Here it’s at least twice a day. What’s your gotta grab? Mine: #1 - the cooling towels they keep inside the chilled drinks cooler. I don’t know what chemical they put in those towels but holy crap it works miracles #2 - the blueberry cookies. For those with commitment issues like me, if you don’t want to buy a full bag, look for these individual size ones. #3 - toasties. I didn’t think I would become addicted to these but here I am. The croissant ham and cheese is my favorite. #4 - coffee milk - sold in little plastic bottles for about 10 or 15 baht. #5 - deet spray - most people buy the one in pink I like the one in orange. I think it actually does help. Keep flies away, but more importantly, you stink less. 😆 #6 - the G’Nite gummies. Honestly, I don’t know if these actually do anything. But they taste great. If I wake up too early at four or 5 AM, I pop one of these My only pet peeve about 7 Eleven is the minimum credit card amount. I think it's 300 baht. I can never get to 200.

If she goes randomly missing, you know nothing.

Did one of the cheesy tours today. The highlight was that guy in the blue pants. Airbnb didn’t even advertise that part of the tour. Otherwise saw some temples and fed some elephants.

Rains for about an hour a day. No flooding or craziness. Just generally cloudy. The rain in the morning yesterday was relaxing as I sat on the front patio here. copy_CA771E7E-41C8-449C-8901-4661EE5A3F8C.mov

In the bag, they are packaged in pairs. Probably for the best. If they were all just in the bag together I'd probably kill a bag before I realize it. I'm diabetic for a reason. 😆

I'm pretty proud of this finicky farang. I'm trying to stay away from western food as much as I can. Tried 2 dishes on Grab today since they were only three bucks each. I have no idea which toppings go with which so I improvised. Beef boat noodles and chicken fried rice. I did stick with the not-so-Asian Coca Cola though. (They didn't have Zero.) Womp womp. But my big addiction are these blueberry cookies they sell at some 7 Elevens. Only 1 in my neighborhood in Bangkok had 'em. Fortunately the one next to my Airbnb on Samui's got 'em too.

yeah same same... I'm too paranoid of losing it out and about. Already lost my Bangkok hotel key card on this trip. I figure if they really need my passport, I'm never very far away from my Airbnb... worst case scenario I can ask my Airbnb host to bring it. I do keep a pic of it on my phone. The Kodak copying idea someone shared is a good one. I don't remember them stamping my passport but that's not a bad suggestion. I figured there must be some reason that place is still in business!

I used to like you! 😆 I'm a Zero addict. I like it almost as much as regular Coke. Blows my mind Diet Coke still exists. Friend of mine who works for the company says older folks set in their ways still buy it. Here in Thailand, I don't know if I've seen Diet Coke. Zero is on store shelves and in restaurants on almost every table. Was surprising.

Got to Chaweng today. Had a great grilled chicken and pasta lunch at Nonna. Relaxed a bit by the pool at Ark. I popped by Pride but it was early so it was still quiet. Chaweng was nice to visit, but no regrets on my location where I’m staying. Chaweng is definitely tourist central. It'd be nice for a night or two. Thought about staying tonight but nah. And btw... the Grindr options were no better lol. So toss that theory. :) Didn't go to the Muay Thai matches after all. Wasn't feeling it. They seem to have events every other night here so might do one of those. Almost went with a songthaew ride, but they were charging 200 baht and Grab was only 380. I figured 200 was the price because of my pasty complexion. But then one songthaew after another quoted the same price. I'm a fan of quick rides and air conditioning so 180 baht more was more than worth it. A Grab moto costs about 150 baht. If it was guaranteed the driver would be hot, maybe. :-P Random thoughts for today... - It's weird that even good looking people wear Crocs here. If you wear them in public in the US, you've clearly given up. - I love that Coke Zero is available everywhere. Diet Coke sucks. - There was a Kodak Express store open today. Convenient for those on short trips and need film developed before you fly home to 1989.

Sure, Bangkok might have the go-go bars and massage parlors. But they don’t have this. This truck is without a doubt, my favorite thing in Koh Samui. Every time it goes by my day gets 10x better. IMG_9838.mov

Yeah if I could get Chris' content with Sam's delivery... perfect YouTube channel.

Oh and someone asked (snark-ily) who the YouTuber who moved to Samui was. He came up in my feed this morning... Chris from "Retired Working For You." He's been doing travel vlogs for years, mostly in Bangkok. His content is specifically geared to guys my age (50ish) who are looking to retire now vs waiting until their 70s... how to budget, acquire the right visa, choose medical coverage, etc. He does do travel stuff too like good restaurants and so forth. But the content about semi-retiring and making the move now is what kept me hooked back in March when I booked all this. He lived in Bangkok for years and eventually moved to Koh Samui with his family. The other YouTuber I watch frequently is Sam Tyler. Lots of Bangkok specific content... spas, food, shopping. But tbh 90% of time I watch his stuff because he's a cuter, younger Jesse McCartney... with a British accent.

Going to head up to Chaweng this afternoon and might stay the night instead of coming back to Lamai. I do like the area I picked... it's definitely nicer from what I've read. But after a couple days of Lamai peace and beach life, I'm ready to liven things up again a bit. Not in need of bedroom fun, but if I find it, splendid. :) I think I'm still a little worn out in that department from the Bangkok leg of the trip. This has turned into a nice reset. It was dull to me at first, but I think that night on the beach with the fire show while the waves crashed against the shore chilled me out. In Chiang Mai, I found an Airbnb with great reviews near "The Grumpy Old Men : My Beer Friend Taproom." Sounds like my kinda place. I originally booked a place in the northwest part of CM that's known as the digital nomad neighborhood. Looks like the gay life is on the north central side. But yeah like I've said in previous posts, being near the gay stuff isn't all that crucial to me. If I want to have some fun up there, Grab has worked great. When I get to Chiang Mai, the mission is more to see what daily life is like. I'll probably do a few touristy things... the elephant sanctuaries and a temple or two... but primarily, I'm going to wander around the various neighborhoods and take a few apartment tours.

LOL yeah well aware. Yes this is my first Thailand visit. But I've been to over 20 countries. :) I think the US is the only country that calls our version of football... football. When I'm in Colombia, I always go to at least one game. There's nothing anywhere in the world like a soccer game's energy in countries like that. In the US, a fan chant might pick up for 30 seconds. In games there, they'll start singing before the game begins and it doesn't stop until after the final whistle. It's wild. I imagine most here aren't into sports but even still, you should go to a game if you ever travel to a spot where soccer/football is big. You can't match that energy in any sport in the US college or pro. Plus the guys in attendance are hot... I figure that'll probably be a bigger selling point on this board. :-)

Adapting and appreciating the island vibes a bit more tonight. copy_FDF633A2-A38A-4AE6-9D78-285387853308.mov

Nothing better than waves crashing on the beach at night. And then a few cute twinks show up and light up the night.

I'm going to stick it out. It's only a week... enjoyed walking around last night and checking out the shops and markets. Talked with some ex Pats last night who said this is the sweet spot on the island. One called Chaweng "Temu Mardi Gras." 😆 I think those were my exact words when I described Pattaya City. (I liked Jomtien though.) I'll still check Chaweng out probably Friday or Saturday night. As for not staying near the airport/gay area... maybe it wasn't such a bad call. Saw this on a Thailand reddit I follow about Koh Samui being overrated ... "I find this is a regular complaint and I don't understand who's telling people Samui is wonderful. It doesn't suck, but Chaweng does. The south of the Island is absolutely gorgeous, but most people are in Chaweng. And Chaweng sucks. Get yourself down to Lamai if you're going to stay in Samui. It's prettier than Chaweng, and closer to the beautiful parts of Samui." No regrets. Just like the crappier bars I went to in Bangkok, it's all part of the experience. The bad makes you appreciate the good even more. Being on Samui is just accentuating the stuff I really loved about Bangkok. The energy. The people. The options. The personalities of the different neighborhoods. My Cambodian guy said I'd probably be bored here and in Chiang Mai. I hope the latter isn't true. Maybe I'll end up like the YouTube guy and choose Bangkok as my first home base... and then move to a quieter part of the country if/when the magic wears off. I still think Chiang Mai will be my ideal. We'll see. The cooler temps and CM having that taste of city life but being cheaper and more "livable" should fit me. I've always lived near big cities but never wanted to live in one. Until now? I was 90% sure a month ago CM will be it. Now I'm 60%. Burning season is my only concern about CM life. I'm going to enjoy Samui for what it is... a chill out spot. I'm literally a minute walk from a nice beach. And I'll hit up the touristy stuff like Pig Island and probably the zip line through the jungle and waterfalls. Doing a deeper dive with Thai food and so far, no misses. I think I've eaten more rice in the past 2 weeks than I have in my life. But yeah unlike CM and (unexpectedly) Bangkok... there won't be any scouting for a spot to unpack while here on Samui. As for renting a motorbike... ehh, I'll stick to Grab. Pricier but safer. Riding in a car on the left side is weird enough. Driving on a bike I'm not used to on roads I don't know... nah. Using Grab's motorbike option is super cheap. Maybe I'll do that a time or two. Finally found the first thing about Thailand I don't like. It took 2 weeks. It's about time there's a negative. Football at 7am. Took forever to find a way to stream the game this morning. And it'll be more of a pain when the games are in the middle of the night over here. But for all the positives, I can figure out a way to keep football in my life when I get here. Has dipshit renamed the Gulf of Thailand yet or is this map still valid?

Variety baby! It's a good thing. I have no regrets... I really like both guys I connected with. They're both quality guys. I don't really know if either would be boyfriend material... to me the age difference would be too strange back in the real world. But the time spent was enjoyed... even if it snatched away my chance to have some fun with that dude from Jupiter. 😆

Which is fine... it's not why I'm here. Reading other comments, I think some still are assuming I flew to the other side of the planet for 24 hours to get laid lol. I'm not that pathetic. 😆 I talked a lot in my posts about my Silom escapades because that's what the site/board is about. The places I booked were strategic. For Bangkok, it was my landing city. I didn't really think there'd be much chance I'd ever want to live in a big city like that. So I booked a room near the crazy fun that I can't experience in the States. We have strip clubs but the Bangkok scene is vastly different. I also wanted to be close to the BTS/MRT so I could wander and check out other stuff we don't have... the temples, go see a couple Muay Thai fights, try the Thai foods I've loved in the US to see how different they are in Thailand, and maybe do a concert or two. Did I have fun at the bars and get a couple massages too? Yup! Had a blast. But to the guy who assumed I spent all my time within the walls of Silom, LOL... no I did not. For the last time, I posted about that stuff because that's what this message board's content is. If you really want me to break down the Muay Thai matches I saw, I can do that... but I think you'd be pretty bored. What won me over about Bangkok was the feeling of calm within such a metropolis, the safety, the kindness and general happiness of people, the convenience of having everything at your disposal, the ability to get a taste of home when you want it... let alone the cost of living, quality healthcare and all the other perks I read about over the past year from those who've made the move. Bangkok just pulled the rug out from under me. I thought the heat would be too much. It can be brutal and I know I wasn't there during the hottest months, but it wasn't unmanageable. I also thought air pollution would be much worse given their traffic. So yeah BKK wasn't really meant to be the part of my trip that it became. It was just supposed to be where I landed. This trip was all about Chiang Mai and at one point, Koh Samui. As for Koh Samui, the YouTube guy who first inspired the thought of living in Thailand lived in Bangkok for years and within the last few years, decided to move his wife and kids to Koh Samui... so it intrigued me. Someone asked his age... I think he's around 50ish (my age). I wanted to see what he liked. He doesn't talk much about KS on his channel because he probably knows the most clicks he gets are from his Bangkok content. But there wasn't a thought that I needed to be near a gay club. I just wanted someplace with good reviews and this one did. After I already booked the flight/room, I did some more reading I realized KS isn't probably going to be a candidate as I've lived near beaches... and I rarely went to the beach. Fortunately I only booked 1 week here. The place I'm staying in Chiang Mai is probably nowhere near the gay life either. Based on reviews I read and stuff I watched online, the area I picked seems like a safe, agreeable kind of spot to where I'd like to unpack my suitcase when I do move here. I posted early on that my gut all along has been that CM is going to be my pick. I never thought Bangkok had a chance until I got there. Bangkok is a big city without the drawbacks of big cities I've visited and lived in. I didn't anticipate that. Had I thought Bangkok would've been a contender, I probably would've stayed somewhere else instead of Silom. And as for my observation on the racial switch once I got to my gate. It was just such a stark contrast to walk through the airport that was almost completely Asian and then when I got to my gate, I felt like I was in Orlando. It was weird. Somehow it was off-putting. I wasn't ready to be back in the US yet. I knew there was a big ex-Pat and tourist presence here. But I was surprised that it was that lopsided.

Oh I don't think he could look bad. He's a stunner. Just the pic doesn't do him justice. He made my jaw drop. In a city filled with hundreds of entertainers, he really just took 100% of my attention that night. And I wasn't even buzzed lol.

Dude my first page of Grindr search results has guys who aren't even on this island lol. Ah well. I'm just going to enjoy the place for probably why I booked it ... chill island beach vibes. Looks like there's some fun stuff to do... pig island, zip lines, snorkeling. Again, this trip wasn't intended to be all about bedroom debauchery. It just kind of went that way in Bangkok haha.