PattayaMale

I posted that I would tell about my experience using the guide service that was recommended on this site. I have been a bit hesitant to do this because it was not as positive as I had hoped, but that does not mean others should not give it a try, One disappointment is they had No idea where the gay massage or areas were, They told us they were all closed. But when we called one on our own, they said they were open. I have noticed that there is another one (GGG) that Nikon said is close to the Royal City, where we stayed, but again Saw Maung did not seem to know of any.
 
The city of Mandalay and the Mandalay Royal City were nice. The hotel staff was excellent! So this post is only about the guide service from our point of view.
 
Those involved really want to do a good job I believe. They are honest and friendly, but not as knowledgeable or as professional as we had hoped. Saw Muang turned the job over to his "brother" and another friend. 
 
First, we learned that Saw Muang does not really answer his emails by himself. He has a friend that is a licensed guide that does this for him. If he is out of town or busy guiding, there maybe a delay. This was not much of a problem at first. But we had asked for an itinerary as we were sent a 5 day itinerary but we were only there 3 1/2. We also wanted to check so logistic things like currency. Last time I was in Burma (Myanmar) the local currency was not used. I asked if this had changed and if it was easy to exchange Australian dollars as the person I was travel with now live in Australia. We received no reply and no itinerary or communication the 3 days before our trip.
 
When we arrived at the airport, on time, there was no one to pick us up. We waited 20 minutes, and were about to take a taxi to our hotel when Saw Muang and his "brother" showed up. He apologized and said his car had to go into the shop for a motor problem a few days a go so his brother ( who had a very comfortable car) would drive us. Saw Muang helped us get a sim card for our phone and we changed some money and then went off to the hotel.
 
The driver was very good and the car was really new and nice. Great air conditioner. We asked about the itinerary and Saw Muang told us he would tell us at the hotel. 
 
The hotel was basic but good and right across the street from where Saw Muang has his motor bike stand. Saw Muang told us he would take is to see some sites in the city as soon as we took our shower and were ready. So we left about an hour later about noon. He did indeed take us to see many sites. But he just dropped us off and told us to go in and look. After the 3rd site I said they usually the guide goes in and explains the site to us. This is when he told us he could not go in because he is not a guide. Has no license. But the next day his friend who had a license would be with us and Saw Muang would drive his brother's car. He also asked us for an extra $100 dollars but we declined because we had already agreed on the price. He was ok with that but asked if we could pay 1/2 of the entire price now because his brother needed to put gas into the car.
 
So next day came and Saw Muang introduced us to the person who would be our guide for the next 3 days and then told us that his brother would actually be the driver.
 
The person that became the guide did try to explain things to us, but it was hard for me to understand his accent. He seemed to know his business as he had water in the car for us to drink (we did bring two 3 liter bottles because we did not have any the day before. 
 
On our third at lunch we were dropped off at a river crossing and the guide and driver wanted to eat on one side of the river and sent us by boat to the other side. A waiter accompanied us and took us to a place to eat. No one else was there. They brought is menus and we ordered. The waiter came back and said they had no pork dishes. We changed to chicken. He came back and said the only had beef that day. I ordered rice. My friend ordered a fried mixed vegetable....both we terrible...the bottled beer was ok, So we left and found a place that had many other tourist eating. I went in and aske how the food was and the 2 tables I asked said very good! We looked at the menu and the price was 50% less and true...the food was very good!
 
When the guide caught up with us 2 hours later, I explained that and he said ...Ok, I guess I will not send tourist to where I sent you again.
 
I do not want to dissuade snyone from going to Mandalay.  It really is a wonderful place to see. And we found some great places to eat there.
 
Also the driver and guide spent a lot of time with us, I hope that Saw Muang and the guide he provided take the time to find out a little more about what gay travelers may want to know, And if the massage place are closed, can be up front about this before we arrive. And certainly communicate . 
 
Remember in the last few years tourism has risen dramatically. They are still learning how to deal with foreign tourists.
 

Sawmaung contacted me and will be picking us up at the Mandalay airport and taking us to the hotel he suggested, Royal City Mandalay.
 
He quoted a price of $100 USD a day. I am not sure of the itinerary yet, but am going on blind faith of the poster that recommended him on this board.
 
I will do a report when we return.

HA HA..my maximum stay is 3 days!
But we did build a guest house about 100m from my friend's Mother's small house we built for her. You are welcome to stay there.
It has a bedroom, large 'family' room, bathroom with a shower for 6, and is completely air conditioned.............but not internet, so you can just relax!!
Here is a picture of the outside.
 

I liked the pics of the mushrooms and the picture of the golden statue. 
 
It has been about 12 years ago since I had been there. My Thai friend took me there. Can you guess why? I am sure you did!

Profile Name varush
Profile Number #13313684
Is this the Guys First Review? Yes/No
Location: Pattaya
Age: 31
Weight: 143 lbs
Body Type: average muscle
Dick Size: M
Sexual Position: Top only
Tattoos: No
Did they live up to your expectations? Yes Details Massage, but says he likes to Top. Bisexual.
Did he look like the photos you saw Online? Hair shorter. Looks better than pic
Is he a "working boy" ? Yes
Were they affectionate/passionate? Yes
Were they on time? Yes
Would you meet them again? Yes
On a Scale of 1-5 with 5 being the highest, what would you rate them? 5
 
English is very good, good sense of humor, very affectionate. great massage! Very good rate for what he does

I never have understood why the grammar and spelling on a message board is so important to some either. The idea in a message that someone posts is more important, at least to me.
 
I am a terrible typist. I hit the wrong keys all the time. I don't do it om purpose. So I agree with Michael. So why do some feel it is so important? I believe it is a medical problem, Superioritis. Almost impossible to cure, but usually not contagious or fatal.

I never have understood why the grammar and spelling on a message board is so important to some either. The idea in a message that someone posts is more important, at least to me.
 
I am a terrible typist. I hit the wrong keys all the time. I don't do it om purpose. So I agree with Michael. So why do some feel it is so important? I believe it is a medical problem, Superioritis. Almost impossible to cure, but usually not contagious or fatal.

I never have understood why the grammar and spelling on a message board is so important to some either. The idea in a message that someone posts is more important, at least to me.
 
I am a terrible typist. I hit the wrong keys all the time. I don't do it om purpose. So I agree with Michael. So why do some feel it is so important? I believe it is a medical problem, Superioritis. Almost impossible to cure, but usually not contagious or fatal.

Hmmm. I am an occasional poster. I do not follow the Boards that much. The title of this thread caught my eye so I started to read the post.
 
After reading almost every reply, I have no idea what the point of this thread is. I am NOT asking anyone to explain it to me!! I just wanted to contribute....although I am not sure what I am contributing to.
 
If anyone is looking for a nice restaurant that serves great Thai food in Pattaya (Jomtien) I would recommend "TOO PUMPUY" on Pratamnak soi 5. They also have great waffles for dessert and European food. But it is the Thai food I really enjoy. I am told that it is owned by 2 Thai lesbians, not that that makes a difference. Very reasonably priced.

Hmmm. I am an occasional poster. I do not follow the Boards that much. The title of this thread caught my eye so I started to read the post.
 
After reading almost every reply, I have no idea what the point of this thread is. I am NOT asking anyone to explain it to me!! I just wanted to contribute....although I am not sure what I am contributing to.
 
If anyone is looking for a nice restaurant that serves great Thai food in Pattaya (Jomtien) I would recommend "TOO PUMPUY" on Pratamnak soi 5. They also have great waffles for dessert and European food. But it is the Thai food I really enjoy. I am told that it is owned by 2 Thai lesbians, not that that makes a difference. Very reasonably priced.

Either way. Just click "new album"

{Thanks for useful tip. I use dropbox but hadn't thought to use it for photos.}
 
The tip about Dropbox... The other nice thing about DropBox photo is that you can make folders and subfolder. So as an example when my Thai friend and I went to Europe last year, I made a folder titled "Europe 2012" then made sub folders for the countries visited. Since all the pictures were uploaded automatically as Michael said to Camera uploads, it took just a few minutes to drag the pictures from that folder to the correct sub folder
 
Dropbox also allows you to make albums of your favorite pictures to share with anyone even if they do not have Dropbox.
 
The other thing I like is that when you delete a picture from Dropbox, you can recover it at a later time. The pictures are always available where ever you have a wi fi connection. You can also download to any device, such as your smart phone or tablet

Good thread here that backs up Vinapu's comments about balloon flights.
 
http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/topic/8781-balloons-over-bagan/?do=findComment&comment=66998
 
 
Thanks for useful tip. I use dropbox but hadn't thought to use it for photos.

It has been a very long time since I read or posted on this forum. A friend told me someone mentioned my friend David Brendel and his passing. Since some mentioned they did not know him I would like to note that David came to Pattaya first in the 1990's. He came back and forth for years before deciding to sell his property and moving to Pattaya just over a year ago.
 
After being here a short time he had to return to the USA due to cancer. He had surgery and returned Pattaya, bought a car, and was enjoying life again when he experienced stomach pain and returned to the USA where more serious surgery was done. Recovery was very slow and painful. He started chemo but stopped it when the doctor suggested that it might only prolong his life for a short time.
 
It was then he decided to return to Pattaya. He preferred to die in Pattaya even though he would not have insurance and VERY limited funds. He felt if time came and he ran out of funds, he would prefer to take his own life. He really loved Pattaya and had many Thai friends. Over the many years he visted Pattaya, he was as kind as he could be to those that worked at the beach and in the entertainment zones. He took groups of boys to the beaches in Satahip and bought the beer and food. He did not have money to pay offs for them and the guys understood it. Many times the Thai guys would call him late at night just to go over and crash on his couch. He was that kind of guy.
 
He was not one to brag about what he was doing or gossip about others. He was not political and HATED the boards early on and never posted for years and years. He justed liked to be with the Thai boys. He could understand how people at the different bars and boards would talk so much about others. He only knew about the postings on the boards because people would sit around and complain, at which point he would get up and go to another bar to visit another Thai guy and buy them a drink.
 
It is my opinion that is why he did not have that many farangs who knew him. But if Dave could help someone he would do what he could. He did not judge others. He was too busy living his own life.
 
Maybe a lesson in this. I am reflecting on his philosophy of life. Something I can learn from.

Since the Visa on Arrival is no longer available, we had to go to the Burma (Union of Myanmar Embassy) in Bangkok. We drove to Bumrungrad Hospital since I had an appointment there and took a taxi to the Embassy (71 baht)arriving at 9am. You enter the Embassy on the side street Pan. When we entered there were four windows. You can get forms from window one if you haven't filled the forms out before arrival. They also check the forms to make sure you have all the paper work then then give you a number. (They also provide glue to attach your picture to the application). They have 3 types of numbers; tourist, Thai, business. Those wanting a Thai and Business visa were processed very fast. The Tourist takes longer. It seemed that the reason for this was that their are many back backers from different countries and the Embassy is staffed with only , Burmese, Thai, and English speaking staff. The fee was 850 baht and the visa would be ready in 2 or 3 days. For an extra 450 baht we could get express service, which allowed us to pick up the visa the same day which we did.
 
We returned at 3:30pm and the process was simple to pick up the visa. Just give them the receipt they gave you earlier. There is a big sign asking that you ensure that the visa is correct AND that your arrival card has been signed by an official. If it has not been signed even though you have a visa you will not be allowed to enter.
 
As I wrote earlier, most, maybe all of those seeking a visa were backpackers. Easy to start conversations with.

My Thai Friend and I will be visiting Yangon (Rangoon) Burma towards the end of September. I saw here that the military has cancelled "visa on arrival". We are going for just 4 days, but the reason for the post is to again encourage the new owners to think about making a separate forum for each close Asian country like, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Myanmar.
 
I did a search to find information on traveling to Burma and if any gay scene. The search engine here is not fantastic, but there were a couple posters that I sent a PM too that provided some helpful information. I will post after our trip in the Asia forum, unless new forums appear.
 
But if anyone has some tips please send me a PM if you don't want to post here.

Many many many people have been asking when Allen's service will be held. Here is the information.
 
Thursday August 13

1pm Transport Allen from Bangkok Pattaya Hospital to Wat Chai
3pm Bathig Rites
7pm Chanting and viewing sponsored by Asian University

 
Friday August 14

7pm Chanting and viewing sponsored by Friends of Allen Briggs

 
Saturday August 15

10am Feeding of the Monks
2pm Celebration begins with speakers, prayers, and music
3pm Monks arrive for cremation ceremony
4pm Celebration of Allen's life at Panorama

 
Tom from Cafe Royale will be handling the catering for the Celebration. He has promised us a fabulous buffet appropriate for this occasion. Tim of Panorama will make sure all runs smoothly. Hopefully all those who knew Allen, knew of Allen, or new friends who never knew of Allen will come to celebrate. Allen always was very welcoming to everyone and when he had his message board promoted Pattaya heavily.
 
Allen was a great planner. He was thoughtful and far sighted enough to actually have provided the funds through an insurance policy to Wayne Beard to pay the expenses of this final "Meet and Greet". Ken, Allen's boyfriend will be there to help you enjoy yourself and has invited many of his Thai friends. Allen choose this time so all of us could get a good start on a happy Thai weekend.
 
Please PM me if you have any comments or suggestions.