macaroni21

This labour shortage problem is a long time in the making. Falling birth rates need a 20 - 30 years to produce its effects on the labour force. 1991 was the year in which Thailand's Total Fertility Rate fell below the replacement level of 2.1 births per woman, and the TFR has fallen steadily since. It's exactly 30 years since that cross-over year, and now the effects will begin to show. With the gradual reduction of new entrants into the labour market, coupled with the steady economic progress the country has made, it cannot be surprising that job opportunities (or business oportunities for those prepared to venture out on their own) are aplenty, as the news story above says. With that, we can expect wages to rise. Sex work is the one area that is extremely sensitive to labour shortage and rising wages. Sex work tends to be performed by young men (and women) who have no other viable alternative for a livelihood; it is what in economics might be called a leading indicator for a tightening labour market and rising wages. To put it bluntly, there has to be a degree of desperation for a vibrant sex market to develop. That desperation began disappearing among young Thais at least 15 years ago, which was when I began to notice the appearance of Cambodians, Burmese and Vietnamese into the industry. Those of us making regular visits to Thailand will also have noticed the price inflation over the years. But a more interesting comparison can be made between the 2019 massage parlour prices in Phnom Penh, Manila and Bangkok. In Phnom Penh, they were asking for US$10 - U$20 as tip for one hour's service. In Manila, about US$20. In the same year, a typical massage parlour worker in Bangkok would have been asking US$30 - US$50. Go to Japan, and it's at least $150 (likely more -- others with more up-to-date information, please correct me if I'm wrong). The price spread says a lot about unemployment or underemployment in each country. If Thailand prices rise to approach Japanese or European levels, will Bangkok still be a destination? I doubt it, though it may be a while yet before Thai prices go that high. What I will find interesting to observe in the years ahead is whether Bangkok remains a destination but staffed mostly by lads from neighbouring countries, or whether other cities in the region with native supply of labour become the new destinations. Of course, political and moral climates will play huge roles too. The double whammy will be if Bangkok prices rise thus dampenng its appeal, but the scene in neighbouring countries does not take off because of regulation.

Not at all. I read every word. In fact, I looked forward to each installment. Thank you for brightening up these dreary, chaotic times with these wonderful tales of adventure.

Just curious about the ripped, muscly model-quality boys you have hired. You don't have to be specific but could you share a ball-park figure as to the rates they charge?

Not only have your reports gven me much vicarious pleasure, leaving me breathless at times, but I can only marvel at the stamina you have. Day after day, you do your utmost to contribute to Thailand's economy via what looks like an average of two or three boys a day. And you go on like this for over twenty days in a row! If it were me, my batteries would have run down long ago.

Here's hoping some old-timers can help me out here. Over the weekend, some friends and I were reminiscing about old times in the gogo bars of Bangkok. We recalled the really strange item on a bar's progamme where, in between displays of male flesh, often accompanied by foam, fire, glow paint and baptismal glory (hurray!), an elderly lady would appear, dressed in traditional silk finery, to perform a classical dance. My friends and I couldn't agree which bar it was that had this item. Anyone remember? One of us said she -- well into her seventies -- was an aunt of the bar owner and there was no way the owner could ask her to retire, however risible the mismatch of her dance was to gogo entertainment. Don't know whether there was any truth to that.

He directed Saint Jack too, filmed in Singapore in 1979, about hustlers making a living off American GIs having their R&R in Singapore during the Vietnam war. Kind of Patpong-ish, though somewhere in the middle of the film is a gay cruising scene. It's on youtube. Post-Vietnam war, you know the rest: Patpong flourished for decades more, the Singapore scene died. RIP Peter Bogdanovich.

While I don't quite consider myself a fearless traveller, the thing that has so far put me off making firm plans to visit is the risk of quarantine either in Thailand or on return, not the risk of catching Covid. This Bloomberg story dated 16 December 2021 says 43.8 million second shots have been administered, with another 4.4 million booster shots. Out of a population of 69 million, the 43.8 million with second shots represent 63%. The story further says that "At the current pace of vaccinations, the country should reach 90% coverage by March". Given these numbers, even if massage parlours don't visibly declare their staff to be fully vaccinated, the chance of meeting an unvaccinated person is low, and getting lower. I would also bear in mind that a vaccinated person can transmt the virus -- for why else do we have an Omicron surge in Western countries despite their high vaccination rate? It would therefore seem to be just a matter ot time before we bump into someone who is going to transmit it to us. Even people who have recovered from Covid-19 have come down a second and third time! I think we have to resign ourselves to the high likelihood that we will get it. The good news is that so far, Omicron appears, despite its high transmissibility, to cause less severe symptoms. Virologists would say this is entirely expected. Viruses tend to evolve towards greater transmissibility but lower lethality.

I dont know whether fake IDs is a common problem in Morocco or not, but going by a general rule that the more corruption a country has, the more possible that fake documents can circulate... However, what I was tyring to say was that knowing the probability of encountering fake IDs is quite irrelevant. Even if you could establish that someone is over 21 (not just 18), it still does not make homosexual relations with this person legal. And since it is not legal, you remain vulnerable to a shake-down. So, knowing about fake IDs or how to spot them doesn't really do much good. In Thailand for example, I wouldn't know how to spot a fake ID, but there are reports that these circulate. If I were to take someone back who looks borderline young -- in reality, this does not happen because borderline young are not my type -- I would be able to rely on the hotel reception to spot a fake for me. Many hotels require visitors to leave their IDs at the desk while the visitors are upstairs. I don't think I'd be able to do that in Morocco. It would only add one more party (the hotel receptionist) who could blackmail me. Yet without the aid of a local person verifying the ID, a foreigner would not have a reliable way of detecting fakes.

Vinapu - which soi is this on? I too notice the size reduction, but also that the front door, when open, has a direct view of the (tiny) stage. The old Tawan had a wall panel that blocks the line of sight, enabling the old bar to have explicit shows. This may not be possible in the new set up.

Phuket sounds better than I remember it -- though my memories are perhaps a decade old.

For homosexual acts, there is no age of consent. It is illegal for adults, though corruption being what it is, you may be able to get out of trouble if you're generous enough, as @msclelovr says. However, there are reports of the "boys" engaging in blackmail, precisely because it is illegal. It's they who threaten to bring in the police. Abiding by American law is pointless. In Morocco, you're subject to Moroccan law. In the US you're allowed to criticise your president openly and loudly, Try criticising the king in Morocco.

TUI's cancellation may not be linked only to the number of Omicron cases in Thailand. This sentence "some EU nations are already instituting quarantine for returnees from countries with the new variant" suggests that bookings are being cancelled because travelers don't want to be inconvenienced with quarantine on return. However, how serious a problem this is I can't say as I haven't been keeping track of which countries are re-imposing quarantine.

Vinapu was prescient! Why, I wonder, was Boyztown alive on Wednesday and dead on Thursday? Tea money still pending? Or was Wednesday's street show not actually within the rules?

The blue new location doesn't look like it can seat more than 6 patrons....

The picture above is just click bait, but the video itself is interesting in its own way. Perhaps those more familiar with the non-touristy parts of the city can tell us where it was filmed. It has English subtitles (I think machine-translated but good enough to get a sense of what it's about).

Here's reason to keep it up well into our senior years, helped by Viagra. A roaring sex life keeps you young in more ways than one Viagra could be used to treat Alzheimer’s disease, study finds US scientists say users of sildenafil – the generic name for Viagra – are 69% less likely to develop the form of dementia than non-users QUOTE: They found sildenafil users were 69% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than non-sildenafil users after six years of follow-up. To further explore the drug’s potential effect on Alzheimer’s disease, researchers developed a lab model that showed that sildenafil increased brain cell growth and targeted tau proteins, offering insights into how it might influence disease-related brain changes. The findings were published in Nature Aging. Cheng cautioned that the study does not demonstrate a causal relationship between sildenafil and Alzhemer’s disease. Randomised clinical trials involving both sexes with a placebo control were needed to determine sildenafil’s efficacy, he said. Dr Ivan Koychev, a senior clinical researcher at the University of Oxford, who was not involved in the study, said it was “an exciting development” because “it points to a specific drug which may offer a new approach to treating the condition”. Read more here: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/dec/06/viagra-could-be-used-to-treat-alzheimers-disease-study-finds?fbclid=IwAR3NFEtwUhC0QY_oSMAYCwXZX-kTtMz4Hvxj81fs4Lf0-3-oQyXfEDkOp0o

You mean "lateral" is the Thai pronunciation of Ra (pid) An ti ge(n) test?

Proposed Menu: Pizza: - Marinara - Quattro Formaggi - Neapolitana - Carpaccio - Prosciutto e Funghi Pasta: - Al tonno - Arabiatta - Carbonara - Bolognese Dessert: - Nui - Ton - Beer - Wut - Sao - Golf

Regardless of how any of us might think we shouldn't overreact to the Omicron variant and try to carry on as usual, particularly in our plans to travel to Thailand, the fact is that it is not something entirely within our control. News from many countries are of borders slamming shut again, or quarantines being demanded. Japan is barring entry of all foreigners. Morocco is banning all incoming flights. Who knows how many countries will follow? Airlines will be watching and adjusting their flight frequencies. I will predict that singling out southern Africa will prove meaningless. The variant has already reached many other places as the rising number of reports of Omicron being found here and there, in just the last few days, attest. So, if governments are of a mind to close borders or require quarantine, it won't be restricted to travellers coming from or through southern Africa. Of special cooncern is this report in the South China Morning Post (and elsewhere)that says Omicron has some 43 mutations in the spike protein compared to the original virus and compared to 18 mutations in the Delta variant's spike protein. Since the mRNA vaccines were developed to target the spike proteins of the original virus, this may mean reduced effetiveness of vaccine protection for those who have been vaccinated with either Pfizer or Moderna. It's to early to be certain -- no doubt we will hear more shortly -- but the big bad news is if the answer is "yes, noticeably reduced effectiveness", then we can expect more border control measures as countries try to protect their domestic populations while waiting for modified vaccines.

Read the fine print: "Visa on arrival is not available yet and Foreign travelers are required to apply visa from Royal Embassy or Consulate general of Cambodia in the host country." So, while it might not be similar to the Thai Pass, there is still an online application to be made for visa. This may be an existing and proven system, in which case the bugs would have been sorted out long ago, or it may be new. And does anyone know where to find out more about the differences among A B C K T E visas? Which countries qualify for "exemption visa"?

Such a plan may well draw domestic tourists; this market doesn't need the bars that farangs frequent. Even in the past, how often did we see Thais in the bars?

What's missing from Richard Barrow's stories is whether the featured persons had been vaccinated. Quite possibly the response protocol is differentiated by vaccination status of whoever tests PCT-positive. Also missing is that there is no second PCR-test to check if the first was a false positive??? I have long been concerned that this is the hidden side of Thailand trying to promote tourism. Much of the communication that I have seen stress this part: "If you test PCR-negative on arrival..." and then speaks of sandbox freedoms or reduced quarantine. Missing from the communication is any clarity about the other limb of the "if" statement. If not, then what? It's like a sales pitch for Bog-Sod Airlines. "If we take off on time, load your bags onto the same plane, and our pilot is not inebriated, then we will arrive at Paradise Beach by noon ..."

How brilliant! They deserve a prize. No, wait, they deserve a visit.

You'll have to take the Skytrain (BTS) to Saphan Khwai Station. If you're starting from Saladaeng station, that will involve a change at Siam station. the Gbeat website has a map but it's in Thai, so I have attached an equivalent map in English. It shows Gbeat Massage to be only 100 metres from Saphan Khwai station -- far closer to the station than most other attractions of the area. My question is a different one. I think I know what "H.173" and "W.60" means, but what would "S.52", "S.54" or "S.56" mean? I also notice that the website speaks of a promotion that ended in April 2021. It has not been updated since then, so one naturally wonders if it is still open. On the other hand @TotallyOz shared pictures of the guys above and he must have got them recently, perhaps from their Line account?

I am not referring to the users of parks, who may indeed include those less well off. I am referring to the street vendors, food cart operators and ordinary folks living in squatter colonies some miles from the proposed Chong Nonsi Park. Have you seen food sellers pour away unfinished soup into drains and wash their utensils by the side of same drains? I have, all the time. Have you seen toy vendors throw plastic wrap onto the ground, which then gets blown into drains? I have. Have you ever had a hard time finding a rubbish bin so that you can throw away your empty drink can responsibly? I am sure many of us have. When the municipality fails to provide basic sanitation amenities (clean water and sewage connections for squatters, to begin with) people do what they must. And then all that stuff drifts down canals and khlongs to the same parks that city planners imagine. I am not pointing moral fingers at those who have no choice but to live on the sidewalk or carry on their trades there. I am just stating a reality of poverty. But the downstream reality that follows is that somebody then has to take care of the rubbish in the waterways. I don't know how many board members have taken the Khlong Saen Saeb boat starting from near Pratunam and that goes all the way eastwards to Lat Phrao and Bangkapi. If you have you would have noticed the water - seated on the boat, you'd just be 30 cm from the virually black surface - and kept your fingers crossed you don't fall into it. Even being splashed would be most unwelcome.