macaroni21

I don't know why I am even replying to this thread since I don't see myself doing "nights on the town" anymore. I don't do this in my home city -- never been much of a nightbird -- but in line with the OP's framing, I shall speak only of Bangkok. I'm not much of a drinker, and if possible I try to get dinner before 7pm. If I have to eat after that (e.g. if my massage session ends at 7:30 or 8pm), then it will be a small meal (e.g. Thai-portioned meal, at Foodland). Most of the time, the massage would have been satisfying and I would see no point in heading to the bars after that. If I do go to the bars, it's mainly to update myself about changes, which means I have no urge to visit a bar more than once in a trip. I won't be looking for an off, though I've been know to make exceptions. In any case, unlike some others on this board, I don't do long-time offs, so there's no need to go hunting in the bars, when a late afternoon or evening massage is far more pleasant than dealing with mamasans and constant pressure for tips by any number of staff in the bars. Prices are also getting ridiculous (see my recent reply to @spoon at https://www.gayguides.com/topic/78207-bangkok-trip-report-10-days-of-bliss/page/7/https://www.gayguides.com/topic/78207-bangkok-trip-report-10-days-of-bliss/page/7/

@spoon I appreciate this kind of detail in your reporting. It's useful information for many others on this board, I'm sure. And I totally agree with you: pricing is getting ridiculous and customers like us should start asking about value.

That's what I thought it, but that means that the number of garotos with visibly Japanese ancestry must be miniscule, since they are a tiny fraction of Brazil's total population, even if there is a large-ish community in the Sao Paulo area. I hope @garygx isn't going to be misled into thinking it's easy to find Asian rentboys in Sao Paulo. In other Brazilian cities, the chance would be vanishingly small.

But how many of the garotos in Sao Paulo saunas are of Japanese descent? Aren't those boys mostly from other parts of Brazil?

Has anybody else actually been to Fafa and used their services?

Just heard from Fafa management. It's just a backup Line account. No additional shop.

What we need is a bar/restaurant that offers "no hands chicken with cashew nuts". I wonder how many here know what a "no hands" restaurant is? Idon't know if they still exist, but about 20 - 30 years ago, it was all the rage in Thailand and Vietnam, though only in the hetero market. It's a restaurant, dimly lit of course, in which the customer does not use his hands to eat (nor even hold any utensils). A half naked waitress could sit beside him, sometimes two half-naked waitresses, one on each side, feeding him mouthful and mouthful of whatever food he's ordered. Meanwhile, the customer's hands are free to caress the waitress(es). Alternatively, one waitress on one side does the feeding, while the waitress on the other side leans over, unzips the customer and tastes his ice-cream popsicle. How do I know this: First-hand experience. I was never more terrified! What we need is a gay bar where lovely lads dressed a la Adam feed us Chicken with cashew nuts, while our un-needed hands go exploring as we chew and swallow. For a premium price, get two boys, one on each side.

We may have to accept that the days of print are over. They are costly endeavours, anyway. However, as many have noted, too many gay businesses (not just Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam too) do a bad job of digital advertising. At least maintain a profile on the popular social media platforms, and make sure there are regular posts. The times I have seen Facebook pages with a post dating 12 months back! Viewers might think you've gone out of business since. Because social media pages are public and searchable, there should only be general information, e.g. location, opening times, and no more than a subtle hint of the erotic, for which the word should be "exotic" (coded langauge). A general social media presence should be supplemented by more detailed advertising on selected, exclusively gay channels. The massage parlours use them with effect, sending out blast after blast of boy pics on their subscriber Line. To reach international gay communities (who might visit Thailand) a bar or massage shop could ask a forum like this one for permission to post perhaps twice a month. Say something about an upcoming special event, new additions to staff, promotions, or even a more general post*. All it takes is a small contribution to the running cost of this board. As pointed out, other countries in the region have local language gay digital platforms, and with a bit of effort, a bar owner can reach out to them all. * I recall that Adam's Apple Chiang Mai tried on this board but have since gone silent. ** Toolbox in Phnom Penh is celebrating its 7th anniversary tonight (see https://www.facebook.com/ToolboxBarPP) but not a squeak here.

You've both made very valid points, and indeed we shouldn't homogenise the various tourist attractions. They're on a cline with the great majority of these attractions close to one end, where they are not sensitive to social disapproval -- in fact likely to add to one's social status if one can boast of having been there -- whilst at the other end, they are extremely sensitive to social disapproval (we know what these places are). Our conversation can get confused if we do not make clear what types of venues we're referring to. Restaurants, boat trips, ferris wheels... these aren't sensitive, and it probably does not matter if visitors are shown on the business' social media, or on other people's social media. Mildly sensitive might be a tiffany show or a dance club with shows featuring scantily clad cabaret performers (e.g. White Party). People go there for a fun night; they don't take things further (at least not in the venue itself) and so there's not much to feel guilty about. However, if you're a school teacher or a preacher, maybe even these places are sensitive. In such places, perhaps pictures and videos should avoid patrons' faces; bald spots might do. Then of course, there are "our kind" of places, and I agree it is sensitive except to the most hardcore "so what if I'm a punter?" Here, the problem is not only social media, it is the way the gogo bars hope to sustain themselves by tapping on the hetero crowd for their explicit shows. I have long argued that having gawkers in the room actually hurts the core off-ing business. Social media exposure would be even worse. This probably explains the drift of clientele to massage parlours where there is a lot of discretion. In fact, some of the massage places even take care (like in Japan) to ensure that customers do not cross each other's path. Nine Massage off Sukhumvit comes to mind. It's appointment only, and appointment times are carefully spaced out. The business problem does not go away, however. All businesses need enough customer volume to be viable and profitable. If there is no advertising at all, how does one attract customers? One cannot totally rely on existing clients coming back -- though, in my opinion, thailand's gogo bars even make a hash of that by exorbitant charging and lack of quality control over boys' services. One has to continually bring in new customers as old ones drift away or quite literally die. Word of mouth alone isn't enough. So, advertising cannot be avoided; the question is how to do it right. And this is where niche businesses (e.g. gay sex) have to learn to use niche channels and/or communicate in code. It's a delicate art.

I liked Sri Lanka; been there three times of which two were longish trips of about two weeks. Transport infrastructure however was (and probably still is) ramshackle in terms of vehicles, routes and punctuality, even chaotic, but fortunately, enough people speak some English that one can ask around. I personally think the best sights are in the north of the country though most visitors stick to the southern beaches. As far as the erotic goes, it's available (mostly in the south) but it takes effort, and much depends on chance, e.g. street cruising, and perhaps nowadays on the apps (I don't know too much about that) There's nothing like the shops one gets, so conveniently, in Thailand or Indochina. However, as a massage enthusiast, I do like the aryuveda treatments though, even if they tend to leave me covered in oil. However, as an example of how basic Sri Lanka can be, there are aryuveda shops with no shower facilities, or if they have, the shower room is rudimentary, and then there are days when they say, "sorry, today water cut off" -- after you're covered in oil. ---- Oh, this should really be in the Sri Lanka thread, not the Thailand thread. If only we have a way to tag our posts with multiple tags.

I just thought of the massage parlours along Silom Road under the Saladaeng Station. Nowadays, their staff are getting on in age; some may well be in their 40s. By the way, I noticed that you've asked questions in the past about Hong Kong, Taipei and Bangkook (Klover Massage, etc) in preparation for your trips, but we have yet to see any trip report. I encourage you to do so, otherwise in future, people may become less likely to respond to your future questions. "Social goodwill" goes a long way even if it is subliminal, and it has to be earned.

But the risk is that the captain will say, "I do you. Now. No need make appointment."😝

Go to Arena, and speak to the captain. Ask him to call one of his ex boys back from retirement, fix date and time.

I sometimes have to remind myself that it's a 2-step process. First upload, then insert into draft post. Other days, it accomplishes the 2nd step by itself... Don't know why. All it does is confuse.

That's it. End of discussion ? 🤣

Plenty of plastic surgery and not a muscle in sight 🤣

Or go to Rio if April vacation time is non negotiable.

If you go to ShamelessMackTwo, it's easy to pull up the posts about Hanoi. If you're using a laptop, the city categories should be on the left panel. If you're using a phone, then the city categories are at the bottom (you need to scroll down). Those posts are from a late 2024 visit to Hanoi; no guarantee that the mentioned shops are still operating. I look forward to your trip reports in due course.

Are you looking for free hookups? Or do you see yourself as past the sell-by date? If you're looking for erotic massages, then there are a few such shops in Hanoi, but I wouldn't describe them as "spas". "Brothels" would be more accurate. Twinks aplenty in them.

The quiet contributes to the deadly. That's a turn of phrase. I would not have thought of that analogy. 🤣

I don't know what you're hoping to see by way of "old type" Vietnam, but most of Hanoi is undergoing a major construction boom with skyscrapers shooting up with no regard for their neighbours. If you mean the Old Quarter of Hanoi then be prepared to have your toes run over by motorbikes. It's congested, over-touristed, noisy and stressful to walk through. In the Old Quarter, the pavements ("sidewalks" to people from Trumpland) are either non-existent or narrow. In any case, motorcyclists treat pavements as parking lots for their vehicles, forcing pedestrians onto the streets, where other motorbikes zoom past with only centimetres to spare, or they make a sudden turn and cross right in front of your feet. Read this: https://shamelessmacktwo.travel.blog/2025/03/03/hanoi-miscellany-november-2024/

Their Facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/p6sauna I wonder if they have legit rights to many of the photos they've posted.

It does sound as if you do get my point. The "very dry" heat of Perth summer is the kind of low humidity (desert air) that cities in the Bangkok to Saigon belt don't experience. While the humidity in March and April in the latter cities is not as high as in the wet season, it's still palpable when compared to cities at the edge of deserts. That's why I described it as "medium high". OK, "medium" might be a better description. What you're also describing is the wind created by the temperature differential between inland and a huge ocean. The very hot desert air (50 degrees and more) tends to move, whereas in southeast Asia, the air is more likely to sit and cook. Agree about Japan (and much of China). Late June to late August is impossible for me too. What we need is a sex paradise somewhere like 10 to 15 degrees south of the equator for the midyear period. Perhaps northern Madagascar? I can't find climate data for northern Madagascar, but I can find data for Comoros Islands (12 degrees south). The coolest month there is August, with average day maximum 28 degrees and minimum 21 degrees. Sounds nice.

If you look at a map, you will see Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) roughly at the same latitude (10 - 13 degrees north). Many of us are familiar with Bangkok in April which, aside from the madness that is Songkran, is also unbearably hot (35 degrees and higher). Phnom Penh and Saigon would be similar, in the same way that Port of Spain (10 degrees north) and Barbados (13 degrees north) would be similar. In Southeast Asia, it's not just the temperature, it's also the humidity. Even in the dry months, humidity remains medium-high unless one is a considerable distance from the sea. Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Saigon are quite close to the coast. So 35 degrees is nothing at all like 35 degrees in Perth, Australia. For better temperatures in April -- warmish but not too hot -- look for a place about 20 - 30 degrees north. That means somewhere between Hanoi and Hangzhou (or Shanghai). However, the economics of sex in these rich cities would be quite different from that of the poor cities in Southeast Asia -- which may be an important consideration for you.

I would say yes.