FunFifties

After arriving late in the evening the previous day at the Arthur and Paul hotel in Phnom Penh (thanks to a flight delay...), I spent the following day relaxing by the pool—reading a book, going for a swim. Later in the afternoon, local guys started arriving for the sauna and steam room—though, in reality, they were there for cruising and sex, of course... It was great fun—people-watching, flirting, chatting, and the occasional bit of touching here and there. Haha.
I arranged to meet a local guy in the city around 6pm. He’s not really my type—a bit too effeminate—but it’s always nice to meet up with a local rather than going out alone, so I decided to meet him anyway. And it turned out to be a really pleasant time. After watching the fireworks show at 7pm for Cambodia’s Independence Day together, we went to get something to eat. The riverside area was incredibly crowded, so he suggested we take a tuk-tuk to a restaurant a bit further away. We had a delicious local meal there. I let him order a few dishes, having made it clear beforehand that I don’t eat fish or seafood—nothing that comes from the sea. When the food arrived, I noticed a salad containing shrimp. He then said, quite innocently, "But these come from the river, not the sea!" Haha.
Naturally, there was no doubt in either of our minds that I would pay for both of our meals. Still, I thought it was very sweet that the guy offered to buy me a delicious ice cream in return—as a thank you for taking him out to dinner. Nearby, there was a bar that sold wonderful, homemade Italian ice cream; it made for a great dessert. To wrap things up, we went for a drink at Toolbox Bar. There were about five customers there, along with a few more guys who were working or just hanging around. Some of them looked really good—quite sexy, actually! I struck up a few conversations, but I was tired, so after a while, I said my goodbyes and headed back to the hotel. It was amusing to see how the guy I was with had already become quite tipsy after just one glass of wine... I got back to the hotel around 11:00 PM, and since the pool, sauna, and steam room stay open until midnight, I decided to go for a quick midnight swim. I ran into a few hotel staff members who were also in the pool, had a nice chat with them, and eventually ended up in the sauna together...

After spending the entire day hanging out with a real estate agent in Siem Reap and looking at numerous properties, I think we have found one that both Cam and I can agree on.  He is far less picky than I am.  lol.  This was actually a totally new experience for him.  He has either always lived with his family in their home town or stayed with others when he worked in Thailand.  Many of the guys from Cambodia who worked in the bars in Bangkok shared housing together.  He said it was a similar situation when he was working construction and food service.  It was a way for them to save more money.  It was a little challenging getting him to understand that his opinion was important…it wasn’t just my place…it was our place together.  So, he eventually would say something if there was something he didn’t like or at least give a thumbs up if it was okay for him.
Someone on the forum had recommended checking out Realestate.com.kh but most of the listings on that site were several months to several years old.  It does not appear to be updated or maintained very well…if at all.  We found two agencies in Siem Reap that we contacted: DaBest and IPS.  I reached out to both, but never got a response from DaBest, so by process of elimination we went to IPS.  They were actually very professional and helpful.  I would certainly recommend them based upon our experience.  Very nice office set up and a rather large staff…including one caucasian whose Khmer language skills were quite remarkable.  Our agent was the assistant manager who is Khmer.
The apartment is tucked away in a quiet neighborhood away from most of the tourist attractions.  The building is approximately 10 years old and has 16 units.  Our apartment is on the 3rd floor (no elevator).  The building has a nice, large pool and also a gym that is very well equipped.  Cam is really excited about that.  The apartment is 2-bedroom.  I know…I originally said I would only look at 1-bedroom units, but after much discussion about his family coming to visit, my family and friends coming to visit…we decided to look at 2-bedrooms.  Each bedroom has their own bathroom, plus a third powder room for guests to use if we have people over for the evening.  There is a nice balcony that overlooks the pool.  Good size kitchen with plenty of storage and counter space, two burner electric stove with hood/fan, new refrigerator, washing machine, and fully furnished.  I believe the agent said it was 128 sq. meters.  The big plus for me is the entire unit has air conditioning…separate units in each room.  Rent is $500 monthly plus security deposit and $0.25/kWh for electric.  Security deposit is two months rent for a one year lease.  We looked at a few places that were cheaper…from $300 up to $500.  That was the top of my range I was willing to go this first time.  Rents in Denver for a 2-bedroom with the amenities I mentioned would start at $2500 up to $4000, so $500 is a real bargain.
The owner is Khmer and lives in Phnom Penh, so it is a process that takes some time with the real estate agent as the go-between.  She would do a 6-month lease, but really prefers a one year lease.  There really is no strong reason to consider a 6-month lease other than a trial run to see if we like the unit and location, but one year makes more sense to me.  She sends the lease to the agent, who prints out a hard copy and completes our information along with photo copies of my passport and Cam’s ID.  Monies are exchanged via bank to bank.  She uses ABA, which the agent said is the most popular bank among most Khmer, followed by ACLEDA.  We will review the lease agreement with the agent and sign it, then they send the signed copies to the owner via bus.  She reviews, signs, then returns copies to the agent, again via bus.  Like I said, it is a process.  Cleaning service is available if we want, which is provided by the property itself, not the owner.  It is $40 per month for weekly cleaning and includes everything…fresh bed linens and towels.  Not a requirement, but very reasonable so I will probably take advantage of that service.  I told the agent my sister has someone come weekly to clean her house in Denver every week and she pays $100/week, so $40 is very cheap by comparison.  As I have already said, everything has been very professional.  I was very impressed with their service.

Cam was actually very good regarding beer consumption this time. He stopped after four beers. He probably assumed I was counting...even though I had told him to enjoy the time with his family and I wasn't going to say anything about their drinking habits. lol. The lush was still a lush...as was the brother-in-law that was selling the light gizmo's in Battambang and Siem Reap. Anyway, it's just something I will need to get accustomed to I guess.

Technical issues with our forum prevented me from writing a live trip report. However, here are a few details regarding the rest of my days in Pattaya:
In general, things were quite quiet in Jomtien. However, as several people pointed out, that is to be expected for early November. It should gradually get busier throughout the month, with the high season only truly beginning toward the end of November. Let’s hope so—the bars and the guys working there could certainly use the business and the revenue. One thing I noticed is that, throughout the evening and night, you can always find some liveliness somewhere. Various bars host shows on different days and at different times; the downside is that you can sometimes find yourself overwhelmed by noise coming from multiple directions, which makes having a conversation while sitting on a terrace quite difficult.
I was pleased to see that the massage guy with the glasses—whom I and others have discussed—hasn’t lost his innocence yet. He can easy be found in grindr when in Jomtien complex. I first met him last year, when he was still relatively new to the scene. He remains just as charming, cute, and—or at least, he certainly gives that impression—innocent as he was before. He’s charming, makes for good conversation, and really takes his time. During his "massage-and-more" session with me, he still made it clear that he’s genuinely focused on the client; he hasn’t been tainted by the "payboy" scene, where, all too often, you get the sense that the guys are just looking to make as much money as possible, as quickly as possible. Not him. He still makes you feel like he’s truly dedicating his time to you. It feels less transactional with him. Bless him.
Dined at the relatively new Schatzi's restaurant. The food is of good quality. For me personally, the portions were a bit on the small side—but they have a great solution for that: delicious homemade cakes for dessert.
I think Guido’s new restaurant is a great addition to Pattaya. It features the same familiar menu we know from the Bangkok location. However, the Pattaya branch offers a lovely, atmospheric setting in the restaurant’s garden, beautifully decorated with lots of lights. The only downside was that I got bitten quite a bit by flies or mosquitoes.
The gay-oriented beach concessions at Dongtan Beach have been relocated. The area where they were previously situated (past the first set of restrooms) is now closed off for a beach nourishment project—specifically, the pumping of sand onto the shore. The concession operators who cater to the gay community are now located between the police booth and the cordoned-off section near the restrooms; they are, of course, easily identifiable by their rainbow flags. During the three afternoons I spent on the beach, I experienced no noise disturbance from the ongoing work. Although the dredging vessels offshore were clearly busy—I could see sand being pumped from the seabed into the boats—you cannot hear a thing from the beach, provided you sit near the first few concessions, close to the police booth. The actual process of sand being deposited onto the beach was visible, but completely silent. So, it’s perfectly fine. According to one of the concession operators I spoke with, they plan to move back to their original location once the stretch of beach further along has been renovated. 
Also see this thread about this subject:

A bit pricey but their lakeview rooms have access without passing the reception. You can bring your guest in easily. Good gym and spa with steamroom (mostly empty).
Hanoi gay P6 sauna - busy and friendly, very few spots to isolate yourself with your fresh sauna date.

The sauna has lots of stair and narrow passages, one must be careful entering various pools and jacuzzis. One large steam room upstairs with a pool is particularly hot and humid (and particularly full of young visitors 😀).

This best sauna in Asia is soon opening some fancy hotel rooms next to the sauna. They said “December or beginning 2027”. The sauna continues to be great place including resident twinks (or welcome committee), who pray for farangs only. However there are other nice guys too. Paid massage is on offer, never tried.
Some visiting hot eurotwink or twunks looked stressed and unsatisfied, I suspect many Asian hot twunks are “only into Asians”. This should be accepted without drama.
In my opinion the sauna is worth “detour”, like the french tyre company used to promote canteens.

Well, we are back in Banteay Meanchey Province at Cam’s home celebrating Independence Day with the family.  We returned yesterday and went so some festival with the entire family.  They had all sorts of food stalls, games for children, music, KunKhmer…just a little bit of everything.  I noticed one other caucasian gentleman.  At one point we made eye contact in passing but didn’t interact or speak to each other, so I am not sure where he is from.  He was with a Cambodian woman and small child.  From my observation, I would say they are married and the little boy may be his stepson.  One other comment…I would guesstimate around 1000 people attending the festival, possibly more, and the other caucasian along with myself were the only two people in the entire crowd who were wearing socks and some form of ‘regular’ shoes.  lol.  Like I said, Cam says I notice the strangest things sometimes.  For the music and the Kun Khmer, someone had gone to a great deal of trouble to set up chairs in rows and after the rows they also had round tables with five chairs at each.  It was interesting to observe people gathering up a number of chairs to save for people and simply stacking them.  One person would arrive early, I suppose, and save the seats.  Even more interesting was when they stacked the chairs to save them, that left a wide area of open space so people from the tables would simply move up to the front and fill in the void where chairs had been.  As a result, when people arrived wanting to use the stacked chairs, there was no space.  It really was just mass chaos.  Then you had all sorts of vendors walking through the crowd selling things…packages of tissue, bags of peanuts, cans of soda…the usual stuff at such events.  What was different here is some of the people tried to navigate through the crowd and chairs with carts on wheels or bicycles.  I came to the conclusion that some people simply have no common sense…either that or they simply don’t care.  To be honest, it was rather annoying with them trying maneuver the crowds when they were on wheels.  Naturally, in addition to all sorts of food there was plenty of beer.  Surprisingly, Cam only had two beers all evening without me making any comments at all.  I had already decided to keep my mouth shut and be careful of my facial expressions as it was definitely a party atmosphere.  However, the lush sister was still a lush.
It was well after midnight by the time we returned to his parent’s house.  Fortunately, everyone was ready for bed.  We were inside with the women and children as before, and the men were on hammocks in the lower level.  Today the men are clearing way what remains of the old chicken coop and preparing that area for a load of dirt that should be delivered sometime this week to serve as a base for the temporary housing.  The children are all busy playing with each other and whatever objects they can find that look like toys.  I am sure if the dirt had been delivered already they would be playing in it, as they all enjoyed the piles of sand and gravel during construction of the fence.  He and his brother had estimated the cost of the fence to be around $900 USD.  It ended up coming in around $1200 because they had not planned on making the steel frames for the wire fence material and then attaching that to the brick/concrete walls/posts.  So, they went a little over their planned budget, but I think that happens most of the time with construction.  That is why I am sure there will be cost overruns with the new house and will eventually be asked to contribute something.  All in all, though, there estimate was pretty close.  The women are all preparing lots of food…but then again, we have 12 adults and 14 children that need to eat…plus you never know who might drop by unexpectedly around here.  I am sure there will be plenty of beer to go around. Not even going to attempt to fight that battle. lol. At least the cases I have seen all say Cambodia Lite. Perhaps a reduced alcohol level?!? No idea how long the rest of the family will be staying with his parents, but we will head to Siem Reap tomorrow after breakfast.  We really need to search for an apartment now that we have made the decision to settle in Siem Reap.
A couple more comments about Battambang, it seems more people prefer Riel over USD there, and not as many places will accept credit/debit card payments.  Those that do seem to add on an additional 3-10% for using the card.  That is actually pretty common in the US these days.  Most businesses are passing on the cost of accepting credit card payments. I suspect most of the hotels or places of lodging will accept credit card payment, and a lot of the restaurants that cater to tourists and foreigners will accept them as well, but many of the small shops will not.  Also, they probably will not be able to make change for anything larger than a $20 bill in USD in the small, local shops.  You may need to go visit a local bank if you happen to have $50 bills from an ATM machine and exchange them for smaller denominations or Riel.  Fortunately, with a bank account here I am able to pay using a QR code directly from the bank account if I don’t have small bills or any cash at all.

.....I checked into Men's; had a long homeland phone call; ate at the hotel, and opened grindr.
First message was from a 19 y/o American blond, complaining about being "bored and horny". He took up my offer to solve his problems, and so I did.
It's only my second time having sex in two countries on the same day. First time was in 2012: morning with a young Chinese-Malaysian tourist in HCMC; evening at the long deceased Hero Massage in bkk. I actually rushed over there during a 5 hours connection, primarily to check whether I was up to it.
Anyway, for some reason - I like the feeling.

I kept on hold a really hot athletic guy, who approached me on grinder: |\/|@b. I confess to my stupidity: took me too long to get this means - mb.
He messaged me also on Jack'd, under the simple name MB. BTW, Jack'd is the only gay dating app I know, allowing screenshots of profile pics; guess it's a bug....
He charges 2500; I invited him Monday morning before checkout; he was well worth it. Look him up.
Then I checked out; waited an additional hour at DMK airport for a delayed flight to Siem Reap; and.....TBC in the Cambodia forum... (-:

I arrived in Kigali a few days ago and was surprised to see Grindr was active here. Quite a few guys had potential. Even though I said no disappearing photos and no money boys (Grindr doesn’t allow you to use the word “money” but there is a $ emoji for some reason), I got both - disappearing photos and MBs. A few guys offered massage. One guy I really liked didn’t mention money up front but when I asked, he said he needed money to cover transportation because he was a student. It was a reasonable amount.
But then I had an issue with my first hotel, 2000 Hotel - there was construction on the floor above me that went on later into the evening, and after an overnight flight from Cairo, I just wasn’t in the mood. I was supposed to stay there three nights, go south to Kibeho for a night and then return to Kigali for 4 more nights. I didn’t like the location of the 2000 and was unimpressed by their lack of urgency on moving me to a new room even though I saw many empty rooms on my floor. So my intentions of meeting up with this one guy who wanted transportation money went out the window because I decided I needed a 5-star hotel. I moved to the Serena Kigali, which is up in the hills and has pretty tight security. Even though this guy told me anyone can have visitors in hotels, I’m feeling hesitant. That and also, I came down with a cold, I’m having stomach issues, and meeting random strangers is not high on my priority list right now (getting over this cold is). But I wanted to report.
There was another guy who contacted me on Grindr whose screen name was “sauna to dai” - when I asked him what it meant, he said he was at the sauna. The only information he would give me was the name - Sky. I asked if it was gay and he said no. I asked what he does there and he didn’t answer.
There is a nice gym and sauna here at the Serena. I went there on Saturday before I came down with this cold, and there were a few older Rwandans (younger than me) and I wondered if anything might happen. My ideal situation would be to meet someone here at the hotel to avoid the awkwardness of meeting in the lobby and all of that, so we’ll see.
This is my first time in sub-Saharan Africa. After Cairo, I have to say I appreciate the cleanliness. It is spotless. No litter anywhere. Plastic bags have been banned for years. Getting around is challenging because of the hills, but there are a few ride share apps that I plan on trying - one with Volkswagens. The people are lovely - beautiful women and handsome men. My biggest complaint is that they speak at such a low volume as someone with hearing loss it’s incredibly frustrating. Not matter how many times I tell them that my hearing is bad and ask them to speak up, they continue whispering. I’m starting to get irritated by it, but it’s obvious it’s cultural.
My main reason for coming was to go to Kibeho. One of my post-retirement projects is visiting places of Marian apparitions and Mary appeared to three school girls in Kibeho in the early 80s. There was also a genocide memorial there. The juxtaposition of the two sites was very powerful and a bit confusing. The genocide memorial was haunting.
If you want any tips or help with travel planning, I am available for a small fee of 5,000 euros (just kidding - but that seems to be the new thing on this forum).
So, Rwanda has a scene on Grindr and apparently Sky sauna is a place where action might happen. Other than that, it’s a lovely, clean country filled with low talkers.

Wonderful Morocco and Egypt. A carefully planned and prepared trip. It included 20 days in Egypt, with a 4-day stopover in Morocco—visiting Casablanca, Chefchaouen, and Fez my second time there—followed by Egypt, covering Cairo, Aswan, Luxor, and Hurghada. I selected centrally located hotels, arranged transfers, and organized visits to all the major tourist attractions. Whether you need advice on hotels, transfers, local guides, restaurant recommendations, or tips on how to get around Egypt, I can help you plan your entire trip from start to finish. I know people there—individuals you can trust completely—who will welcome you. I will put together your full itinerary for just 200 euros. I’ve come to know Egypt very well, and I’ll be returning next year to discover even more and keep you all updated. I know more than 32 countries. Just ask me. I will help you organize your travel.

Not completely out of the equation. lol. I ask plenty of questions about many things. Cam will confirm this, and probably state it becomes rather annoying at times. 😂 I don't ask questions about the family history of his parents, don't make statements that could be misconstrued or interpreted as judgmental of the culture, history or politics, and am careful about making comparisons to other countries and their cultures vs. Khmer. Even though Cam has gone to Thailand on numerous occasions for work over the years, I have learned he has some very strong opinions about how Thailand has stolen most of what they call 'Thai culture' from Cambodia. I prefer to maintain neutrality and remain silent...simply listening to him vent. It is a case of picking your battles.

I learned very quickly they are definitely very picky about USD. It must be in absolute pristine condition. If not perfect, their bank will not accept it or deduct from the value if they try to deposit into an account. I had read about this before my trip, so made sure that most of my bills were brand new. I am getting more accustomed to using the Riel now. The thing I dislike more than anything is using the ATM at ACLEDA. I cannot speak about other banks, but since I opened an account at ACLEDA I will use their ATM's occasionally. If you request USD, they only provide $50 notes...always brand new. This is fine except many of the small businesses we frequent are unable to make change for the larger bills...in USD or Riel. That was really frustrating until I opened the bank account. Now, if they cannot accept the $50 notes I can just open the bank app on my phone and pay using the QR code. Quick and easy.

Summary
 Again thanks to 18past 19 for an inspiration to travel. And to Jason 1975 for coming for weekend to see me ( and his guy ) .I set off thinking about seeing old friends  and catching with parts of Cambodia I never went to before.
Boys were my thought but this time , only 2 month after last trip,  not primary one. My mood was, no hunting , no sweat, what happens in this department , happens. It worked better than expected.  Few times when they really could to better  neither disappointed nor upset me but yes , I need to revise my hiring practices before next trip ( likely in 2032 , possibly sooner).
 Big Five – Midnight waiter ,  BOI  from Jupiter, Tan from Jey Spa, D from Dreamboys and guy I offed from Goodboys upon returning from Cambodia  were highlights, each earning their money way all should  -  giving customer whatever makes him happy. No antics , no BS and no complacency.

Next day
 
For church one needs to dress up so I did. Upon returning , as I have habit I emptied my pockets, what is in the right  pocket – usually keys and transit card goes to  right side of desk and what is in the left pocket wallet and money ( all my long life I carry money lose , not in the wallet ) goes to the left side of desk. While doing that I realized what I’m holding – yes, wallet I lost  hours before  my departure.
 How it happened? I recall  checking pockets of my trousers hanging on the hanger and nothing was there. Mystery , mother of all mysteries. Likely  deep pockets are to be blamed and one of them burdened with wallet in was hanging below line of my patting. I was not in panic then but time was limited and I wanted to deal with cancellations first, hence slacking on patting
Great relief , cards were cancelled but  there were documents – driving licence and insurance cards   I was spared  inconvenience of asking for replacement of and most important – laminated small last picture of my parents together.
 Best part was  to realize that after all , no I did not left my wallet on the counter in the pharmacy.

Day 19
 BOI declined breakfast option, I messaged reader I will be at Foodland at 9 and he showed up  there for our last talk this trip. Returned to the room, picked up my luggage , paid 80 baht for beer we drank last night,  collected my 1000 baht deposit and walked to Sala Daeng station.
Train to the airport  was surprisingly very empty for no particular reason , it looked as first  or last train  not middle of the day one . Airport was breeze, including automated gates and soon I was on my way to Taipei luxuriating  in whole 3 seats  for myself
( yes floridarob , it was row 63 ).   
Connection was reasonable 2 hours and on my long flight home I got widow seat in the last row of 777 and seat beside me was unoccupied so I could utilize that last sleepless night  to catch sleep aboard. I had 2 books to read prepared  but managed to finish only half of thinner one.
Arriving in late evening is good to  fight jet lag if any as one can go to bed at ‘normal’ time . At home in my mail box among other stuff  I found a note that tomorrow morning there’s funeral mass for a neighbour who died in meantime.
 

Friday morning: report writing; expanded satisfactory Foodland breakfast; some grocery shopping; off to continue my gallery hopping. Unfortunately, this time all save one was a dud. I think the route took me about 3 hours and 3 kms, from the southwestern point of chinatown back to the hotel.
My feet certainly earned a massage; I pre-booked N from Sun to come to my hotel room at 4 pm. I first gave him the added tip for Monday's session, and then continued to a 90 minutes one. Unsurprisingly N was just as good as previously, this time freely sharing about his life and plans. Again, for me the conversing adds a lot.
God rested on the 7th day, and so do I; the day beginning on the evening before. I treated myself to a DELICIOUS and elegant dinner at Meridien; spent the evening-night reading and chatting in my room; then treated myself to a disappointing breakfast buffet at Montien; continued my rest; and in the afternoon went to Lupini park to listen to the crows cawing and watch the long big lizards swimming lazily.
After dark I resumed my carnal pursuits by visiting 1/0 sauna. Enterance is 450, but as a promotion they gave me a coupon for another free enterance; lucky me.
I arrived at the midpoint of 7:30-8:30 "event": 4 guys with green-glowing neck rings on a low stage (dark room of course), interacting with patrons - fucking sucking fucked sucked.
There were 30+ guys around them, most of which were just watching. There was also some touching groping between patrons. Off and on I contributed my part to the action.
Getting a little hot I retreated a toward a source of cool ventilation, not noticing that I was partly standing in one of the doorways. Soon every groping hand of guys entering or leaving was introducing itself to my erection.
If (BIG if) I observed correctly in the dark some expressions or body language, it seemed that certain passersby were pleasantly surprised by my relative length, devoting more HJ time to the interaction. (Based on the times when I reciprocated, medium me was bigger than all others.) This being a first to me, I was quite satisfied to stand my ground for like 10 minutes (without blocking the door), until I exploded.
Notwithstanding this hot experience, if memory serves (another BIG if), 1/0 is one of the best saunas I have visited, maybe second only to Taipei.
5 floors (the event is at the back of the 5th), sqeaky clean, very well organized, nice bar without loud music; welcoming receptionist with excellant English.
At least 50 patrons; receptionist said not only on Saturday night. Most were young and local, but also a few other combinations. I saw only two farangs older than me. Very good ambiance.
Tomorrow I'll use the free coupon to experience beyond the event.

Does Anyone follow this grab driver or familiar with him? He has on 886K followers on Facebook and majority of his videos are of him picking up customers late night and at some point their hands wander to his crotch and he doesn't seem to mind......

https://www.facebook.com/sarawut.pechprakob

I guess I must hang around with a different crowd in Pattaya... because for me, it's about one every three to four weeks or so.
Just today, I spotted an RIP notice for yet another of the Laos guys from TB. I would estimate that liver cirrhosis is the most common cause of death (often driven by fake whiskey), followed by HIV (often masked as 'cancer' or 'lung infections'), and then motorbike accidents.

Day 18 , last full
Breakfast at Zing is very good value, for 200 baht we have selection of Asian and western offerings, fruits ,yoghurt, eggs made to the order, soup and dim sum style buns and other goodies . Tea is Dilmah, not some cheap stuff from dollar store.   
I checked out at 10.30 and at 11 am bus started rolling toward Swampy. In reverse of yesterday situation, rain started as soon as  we pulled from the bay. What a luck again.
It looks that rain was sticking to the sea as  highway was mostly dry and in 1 hr 50 minutes we were back in civilisation. Since I had room already checking in was not my concern but what I noticed , cleaning lady was too smart.
Upon seeing nobody slept last night she did not replenish tea and water even if yesterday I left her double tip. Not that I missed either but rules are rules, whether I used bottle or not , there was always two new bottles  placed. So cruelly I decided not to leave tip tomorrow morning ( in hotels I tip maids daily , as it goes ) .
At 2.30 meeting with reader at Foodland, we spent good 2 hours talking.
BT from Goodboys  is messaging me daily with his ‘I miss you, when I can see you  “ messages  so I sent him message  from Foodland  that I will be in my room from 5 pm the latest but that was not read until after 6 and he did not show up until 8.
I like him and when he is here he is not a time waster but I could  use more of his company , specially after all that ‘ I miss you “ waxing. After about 1 hr he went to work ,  but not before requesting “ I want to sleep with you tonight “ , unfortunately I had other plans for my last night.
 Waiting for BT I asked BOI  from Jupiter about LT tonight , he agreed immediately and commented “ why I must be always on your last night?”   ( always means in Aug he was my last guy indeed )  but , always diplomat I responded “ crown is always placed  last “ . He liked it a lot, not that I exaggerated. Our 1st meeting few trips ago was  so, so but after that each subsequent is better and better – I’m not giving that easy on guys I kind of like. 
 I told him I will pick him up from the bar after show  and went there at 10.30  entering exactly when walkabout started. Similarly like 2 days ago I tipped 3 guys (not the same three ) and two returned smile during next walk.
 After show BOI suggested we go to 7/11 to buy something to eat likely sensing that at end of trip I may be low on cash , I had about 1000 still left    but 7/11 it was and stuff we bought was quite tasty.
 Not sure it’s good idea to have such a hunk on my last night as before long trip I could use some sleep but damage  was done. I had only a hope that sleepless nigh means better sleep on the flight and was happy to learn I was not wrong.
We really hit it on, I think he appreciated repeat business and I cherished his personality , patience and first and foremost  massive body , as close to what I like as possible.
I mentioned crown and it was indeed proper crowning of very rewarding trip.

Day 17   
 In the morning   breakfast at Foodland together , again very modest choice by the boy. I don’t mind spending  this or that on the meals but I want  them to clear what they ordered and , if choosing something  more expensive  - to seek my approval.
 I know few boys which I like  quite a lot but don’t approve  their  restaurant habits  and in their case I usually tell them that I have only that much for our meals so watch what you order please. Definitely not a case with my guy from last night and I liked it that way.
Before  I set off for this trip  I was thinking about going to Pattaya to sample new G’Bangkok location there but knowing that in  second  week I will be travelling almost every 2nd day ( Sun, Wed , Fri, Sun ) I resolved to decide at the last minute.
( For uninitiated : G’Bangkok is name of restaurant owned by Guido and his cat. Pattaya location is extension of original, still opened location in Silom , soi 4)
 I had another reason to go , namely to see  clingy guy I offed from ToyBoys  on my last trip in July I was very happy with on both nights.
 Warned bkkmfj about my uncertain  plans , decide to keep my room in Raya for mt last 3 nights ,   booked room at Zing, half way between Pattaya and Jomtien for today , knowing that id I resign , loss will be modest (25$) and even booked 12 pm  ticket for bus from Swampy to Jomtien.
After returning  from Foodland I decided to go , packed whatever I needed for such short trip, sent message to bkkmfj that I’m coming  and went to the airport . In 2 hrs I was at Jomtien bus station , 20 minutes of that time was taken to combat traffic in the city itself. It was bit concerning as very heavy clouds were gathering over city.
I bought ticket for return tomorrow right away , took songtaew to the hotel and miracle of miracles , very second I entered lobby , heavens opened  but I was on dry side. It was pouring  extensively for  about 2 hours. It stopped just in time  Bkkmfj was supposed to show up.
I find him in good spirits so next our we spent in the lobby and them in my room exchanging news old and new and then we set off for longish walk  down to the Guido’s new place.
 My impression were reported and illustrated here on page 3 :
The opening of Guidos - Page 4 - Gay Pattaya - Gay Guides Forum
Guido seemed to be very happy to see us , place was quite busy  for Monday evening , actually for every evening , we liked food and ambiance so I’m glad I made an effort to see old forum friend and sample Guido’s new offerings.
Filled with excellent food we took another long walk along beach where we parted ways, Bkkmfj went home and I continued toward  Jomtien Complex. It was not very busy , I did not spot familiar faces nor any guys who I would be interested in so I hopped aboard songtaew  and went to Pattaya proper.
Boyztown  not very busy, few freelance masseurs , at least two of them of ‘ of interest” grade.  My guy from ToyBoys was eating outside and jumped immediately to welcome me and invite inside  but I promised I will be back as I wanted to see show at XBoys first.
I noticed that old , corner location of BoyzBoyZBoyz is opened  but nobody inside and only then I realized that they moved to former Music Bar location under Le Café Royale hotel. Being limited with time , I left surveying new premises to the next trip . X boys at 10 pm, was quite packed.
Show started almost immediately . Quality of boys very variable  but in hour of need I’d grade few boys as offable. Definitely everybody was friendly and not shy . I was happy to see veteran A  is still there, he recognized me as well planting kiss on me at the same time I performed vinapu tuck on him.
Lots of flesh to be seen, cocks galore, definitely most progressive bar of them all.  B Boys  did their number as always but there were only 4 of them and only one  I recognized from previous crew, fortunately , one most handsome. ( yes bkkmfj, THAT one ) .
At 11 pm I went to Toy Boys again,  about 8 boys in the stage trying to bring an attention to themselves in very friendly manner  but I had already my assignement. Bought him a drink , he agreed to long time , “ just like before”  he said and soon we were on our way to Zing. Since ‘like before ‘ was mentioned my expectancies were very high, indeed just like before  but it did not meant to be .
It did not take long before complain “ I want to sleep “ was logged countered with my ‘really? But my mood was already damped. Only  closer to the morning  he become more active  but even that not to a degree  I was familiar with when we were together in July. Classic case of entitlement , “  he offed me already and now I can try to get with as little as possible”.
When at 6 he announced he must to leave, it was silent  “ thanks God” from me. Big disappointment and he must to realize it as during day and next day he sent me few very revealing clips , meaning likely as consolation prize but for me it was too late. I did not even bother to respond. What a change in 2 months sighted I getting ready for the breakfast. Waste of money and opportunity of good night sleep

A side note to my post about the new house...we were having lunch at a restaurant in the older area of town, a place called White Rose (would not recommend or personally return), and seated at the table next to us were two female travelers and their Cambodian tour guide. The two ladies were from France, but their table conversation was in English. I assume the tour guide had good English skills, but no knowledge of French. In any event, the two ladies were asking many questions. Since they were sitting just beside us, it was easy to hear the conversation. The guide was explaining about the border conflict with Thailand and commented that before the conflict many people would travel from Cambodia to Thailand looking for work. The ladies asked if that was lucrative for the Cambodians and the guide laughed, and then responded that most of the time it was not the best decision. He went on to explain that most of the people who went to Thailand to work were not good stewards or managers of their money. Consequently, they would often return home with empty pockets having spent on their hard earned money on frivolous things instead of saving or sending it home for family. That was interesting to me, since Cam has obviously been very good about saving his earnings from both construction jobs, food service jobs, and the job at Hotmale...sending it home for his mother to safeguard or purchasing the gold. In that regard, I would say he must be the exception rather than the norm, and has definitely stayed focused on the end goal...building the new house. Gotta give the boy credit!!!

So it seems we will be going back to Cam’s parents to have a family get-together before we head to Siem Reap.  I am not exactly sure if this will only be overnight, or for a few days.  Since they are not good about planning in general, nor do they seem to share information with me…it will just be another go with the flow moment.
Speaking of his parents, I thought it was time to provide an update on the new house.  Yesterday afternoon, Cam had a rather lengthy conversation (over an hour) with his brother and father.  They were discussing some pretty specific details about the project.  After he had finished the call, I decided to insert myself into the discussion by asking some specific questions.  For example, I was curious if they planned to put pipes in the concrete slab for electrical and indoor plumbing. Affirmative.  Will the house be elevated like the current house (on stilts)?  The slab will be about a foot higher than ground level…that is all.  Will they do concrete posts, brick walls like the fence, and then do concrete stucco over the brick or build frames and pour concrete walls?  Same as the fence…concrete footers and posts, brick walls, then stucco over the brick.  Stucco will be tinted some color, but he hasn’t decided on color yet.  Tiles on roof…again unsure of color.  Do they plan to install any type of air conditioning.  Planning for it in the bedroom if possible, but will depend upon the cost at that time and the availability of funds.  They will just open windows and use fans in main living area.  Probably not of interest to most of you, but I get curious about the plans, and also have questions since my father was a stone mason and helped to build houses.  I would be his helper some summers, so picked up some general knowledge about building.  I asked if they have a concrete mixer truck deliver for the slab and he said ‘no’, they do it all mixing by hand from bags with sand and gravel.  It is cheaper that way.  Mixer truck is too expensive.  Even though the actual start date is December 8, they are doing some preliminary work in preparation.  During Cam’s absence, the family has been dismantling the old chicken coop and cleaning up the surrounding area.  Cam has ordered a load of dirt to be delivered and the family will work on distributing and leveling the dirt creating a pad or landing spot for the temporary housing.  They won’t actually begin to disassemble and reassemble the current house in the temporary location until that magic date of December 8.
I know many here have expressed concerns about the cost of building the house and where the money is coming from…namely…am I the foreign donor or ATM?!?  lol.  I have asked Cam before about the financial picture.  While he has never avoided my questions, his answers have always been general and not very detailed.  I was pretty pointed this time in my questions.  He and his brother have estimated the total cost, with family providing all of the labor, to be $15,000 USD.  Cam previously told me that he had saved $7000 USD and his mother was safeguarding that money.  That always made me a little nervous, since I had never met his family and only knew what little information he shared.  Not all family members are trustworthy.  In this case, mother was a safe choice and I have seen the bank account.  They do, in fact have $7000 USD.  Cam has also been buying and saving gold during his time working in Thailand and Cambodia.  Gold is usually a good, safe investment, so I thought this was very smart on his part.  He has accumulated enough gold over the last couple of years that if sold on today’s market would net him approximately $8000 USD.  He said his cost to buy the gold was probably around $6500 over time, so that would be a nice profit he made of $1500.  Not bad by my estimation.  He said he watches the gold market every single day and will sell off the gold when he can get the best possible price or maximum return on his investment.  Smart guy.  That gives him the estimated amount he and his brother think will be needed to purchase the materials needed to build the new house.  I am sure that incidental things may come up they hadn’t considered or planned for, so I still may be asked for some assistance in the future, but he seems to have this all figured out without any contribution from me at the present time.  They are actually very determined to do this on their own as a family.

I think it is really great from your comments that Cam sounds almost as invested as you in your explorations/observations. You guys must really be learning a lot about each other, and about his country, as you travel together.
Good to read about. Thank you, especially for your self effacing style!