…… would you rather stay in BKK or Pattaya? 

I have never envisioned to visit Thailand during their songkran for what i heard about most boys usually going back their home. And also i wanted to avoid the crowds. 

But i am curious where you would stay BKK versus Pattaya if you happen to be in thailand during songkran. 

academic for me as April is out of bounds for me for travel and like you,  I don't like crowds and on top of it hate heat - April is hottest month,  but if I had luck in 6/49 and travelled there I'd stay in Bangkok , preferably in Raya as they provide drying rack for clothes ( Furama Sathorn Xclusive also does in some rooms )

35 minutes ago, vinapu said:

hate heat

heat and humidity could be really bad. but i am gonna have a short stretch of days off in mid April and i am entertaining a possibility. 

otherwise i have no place to use the left over PrEP pills. 

I’ve been in Bangkok for many Songkran’s .  I’ve always had a great time.  I read many times all the boys go home. May be true for many Thai hoys , but there are so many non Thai working guys places usually still have a full working staff.    I’m a city person so crowds and traffic don’t bother me, but I do have friends that don’t enjoy it and leave for a week.    The crowds tend to be centered in certain areas, so easy to avoid if you want.   Will you get wet? Probably.  But it’s so hot you dry fast.    Find a hot, wet , shirtless guy to take back to your hotel and help you shower.  Can be fun.   🥵
I live in South Florida so heat is the same for  me, home or in Bangkok.  Not an issue.  Again I have friends that don’t like the heat and avoid it.  
It all comes down to your personal tastes.    It will be, Hot, crowded, and wet.    There also will be a lot of hot working guys looking to make some baht for a week of partying.    

35 minutes ago, paulsf said:

I’ve been in Bangkok for many Songkran’s .  I’ve always had a great time.  I read many times all the boys go home. May be true for many Thai hoys , but there are so many non Thai working guys places usually still have a full working staff.    I’m a city person so crowds and traffic don’t bother me, but I do have friends that don’t enjoy it and leave for a week.    The crowds tend to be centered in certain areas, so easy to avoid if you want.   Will you get wet? Probably.  But it’s so hot you dry fast.    Find a hot, wet , shirtless guy to take back to your hotel and help you shower.  Can be fun.   🥵
I live in South Florida so heat is the same for  me, home or in Bangkok.  Not an issue.  Again I have friends that don’t like the heat and avoid it.  
It all comes down to your personal tastes.    It will be, Hot, crowded, and wet.    There also will be a lot of hot working guys looking to make some baht for a week of partying.    

Many non-Thai boys also go back home. Songkran is New Year when families gathered. For many boys from Laos or Cambodia this is sometimes the only period in the year they go back home to pay respect to the elderly members of the family.

I will follow the boys and fly to Siem Reap Cambodia...

Vinapu: yes, you know which boy I will follow 😉 

I’ll stand by my statement that there will be no shortage of boys in the gogo’s and massage shops.    They love to party during Songkran also.   

3 hours ago, 18past19 said:

heat and humidity could be really bad. but i am gonna have a short stretch of days off in mid April and i am entertaining a possibility. 

otherwise i have no place to use the left over PrEP pills. 

yes, just go !!!

1 hour ago, MarcSingap said:

Vinapu: yes, you know which boy I will follow 😉 

confirmed !

Having been through Songkran more than once if I ventured back when it was on I would grab a boy or two and head up to Khao Kho for a few days until the Songkran parties in Bangkok are finished.

9 hours ago, 18past19 said:

…… would you rather stay in BKK or Pattaya? 

I have never envisioned to visit Thailand during their songkran for what i heard about most boys usually going back their home. And also i wanted to avoid the crowds. 

But i am curious where you would stay BKK versus Pattaya if you happen to be in thailand during songkran. 

Songkran without a doubt is the best time of year to visit Bangkok. Large swathes of the city, like Silom Road, turn into all-out battlegrounds. One day many years back, when I couldn't wait for my Thai friends to wake up by noon, I ventured off on my own, making it well past the front lines, near Soi 4, and infiltrated the enemy's camp when I had to conclude that like my Thai friends, the enemy, too, was apparently still sleeping in. It was then that I spotted three enemy scouts -- three well-armed policemen. So I snuck up on their flank and started shooting. I caught the closest one to me by surprise and drenched him. You can't imagine my satisfaction, the sense of euphoria. But it must have been humiliating for someone trained to handle weapons and street combat. Or so I thought. Unfortunately my approach was not as stealthy as I had hoped, and all three officers, even the one who should be in a rage that he had just been shot by a foreign tourist, rounded on me, guns pointed at my chest. Only the first one began shooting, however. The other two ran to my flanks and within a second I was triangulated. When all three of them started shooting, I was the one who got drenched. I had to wave the white flag.

So the moral of this story is: Do not shoot Thai police officers with your high-powered urban assault waterguns. They are not as sleepy as they look. In fact, they are likely decoying you, ready to pounce with their years of street combat training. And with waterguns filled with icy water.

Actually, the moral of this story is do go to Bangkok during Songkran. Go into debt if you have to. You'll have more fun and excitement than you've had since your first trip to Disneyland. Or maybe even Babylon. When else can you assault police officers with a watergun and have them play wargames with you? It was such a good laugh.

As for the natives leaving town during Songkran, in recent years that is more the exception than the rule. Bangkok becomes such a huge festival zone during Songkran that young Thais from all over the country migrate to the big, wonderful metropolis to join the wargames.

But there's a lot more going on than aggressive watergun play. Some Thais -- and foreigners -- prefer carrying small buckets of water that they mix with colored chalk, walking up to strangers they think are cute, gently caressing some of the chalky mixture onto the faces of their objects of desire and saying, "Happy Songkran ka." So there's a lot of flirting going on in the streets, too.

If you dig EDM festivals, the S2o Festival is one of the best in the world. Tiesto will be on hand this year. If I remember correctly, it opens at 4 in the afternoon and keeps going until midnight. This attracts young and old tourists from around the world. Definitely not a gay event ... but so much eye candy! It's delicious. You can check it out here: https://www.s2ofestival.com/

Please do not sneak flasks of tequila into the event as I don't want them to be on the lookout when I show up with mine.

At night, there is the SK party, a three-night circuit event that is much bigger and more extravagant than the massive White Party, which takes place in a smaller venue during New Year's. Again, lots of lickable eye candy here.

As for the fun on Silom Sois 4 and 2, these zones are packed much fuller than on any other weekend of the year (except maybe New Year's). When Soi Twilight was still going, that street was a party all day and all night, so I imagine there will be at least a little activity in gay Patpong, if that's your kind of thing. And with all the gay tourists in town, the apps will be a smorgasbord of finely toned Asian asses, medium-size dicks and ripped abs.

The downside to traveling to Bangkok during Songkran is it's expensive. However, you can slightly lower your hotel bill by booking through the gcircuit site https://www.gcircuit.com/hosthotels.php -- you don't have to have tickets to the actual event to book a hotel through their site. I've done it before.

Or maybe ask for a frequent-guest discount at your favorite inn. I've had success begging for lower rates.

I've also had success waiting until the last minute to book my flight, then pouncing when Thai Airways lowers its fares. Not sure if that's gonna happen this year as a lot of us have been waiting three years to finally get back at and ambush Bangkok's well-trained and disciplined police force. I'm gonna bring bigger and drunker friends, buy a bigger gun and fill it with icier ammo. Just you wait, coppers!

Also, plan to stay for at least two weeks because when Songkran ends in Bangkok, sometime around April 15, then everybody hightails it to Pattaya, where the wargames continue until April 19. The watergun wars there are even more fun than along Silom as the baht buses, everyone in them, motorcycle taxis -- even arriving tourists and their suitcases -- are fair game.

OK, everybody, fallout and reassemble at the foot of Silom at 1400 hours on April 13. If you're early, be wary of the cops who only seem to be minding their own business.

 

🥰❤️😍🥰❤️❤️❤️

This is exactly why I love this board. 

I know I can always count on you. Many thanks!!!

On 2/12/2023 at 10:16 AM, BiggusDikkus said:

Songkran without a doubt is the best time of year to visit Bangkok. Large swathes of the city, like Silom Road, turn into all-out battlegrounds. One day many years back, when I couldn't wait for my Thai friends to wake up by noon, I ventured off on my own, making it well past the front lines, near Soi 4, and infiltrated the enemy's camp when I had to conclude that like my Thai friends, the enemy, too, was apparently still sleeping in. It was then that I spotted three enemy scouts -- three well-armed policemen. So I snuck up on their flank and started shooting. I caught the closest one to me by surprise and drenched him. You can't imagine my satisfaction, the sense of euphoria. But it must have been humiliating for someone trained to handle weapons and street combat. Or so I thought. Unfortunately my approach was not as stealthy as I had hoped, and all three officers, even the one who should be in a rage that he had just been shot by a foreign tourist, rounded on me, guns pointed at my chest. Only the first one began shooting, however. The other two ran to my flanks and within a second I was triangulated. When all three of them started shooting, I was the one who got drenched. I had to wave the white flag.

So the moral of this story is: Do not shoot Thai police officers with your high-powered urban assault waterguns. They are not as sleepy as they look. In fact, they are likely decoying you, ready to pounce with their years of street combat training. And with waterguns filled with icy water.

Actually, the moral of this story is do go to Bangkok during Songkran. Go into debt if you have to. You'll have more fun and excitement than you've had since your first trip to Disneyland. Or maybe even Babylon. When else can you assault police officers with a watergun and have them play wargames with you? It was such a good laugh.

As for the natives leaving town during Songkran, in recent years that is more the exception than the rule. Bangkok becomes such a huge festival zone during Songkran that young Thais from all over the country migrate to the big, wonderful metropolis to join the wargames.

But there's a lot more going on than aggressive watergun play. Some Thais -- and foreigners -- prefer carrying small buckets of water that they mix with colored chalk, walking up to strangers they think are cute, gently caressing some of the chalky mixture onto the faces of their objects of desire and saying, "Happy Songkran ka." So there's a lot of flirting going on in the streets, too.

If you dig EDM festivals, the S2o Festival is one of the best in the world. Tiesto will be on hand this year. If I remember correctly, it opens at 4 in the afternoon and keeps going until midnight. This attracts young and old tourists from around the world. Definitely not a gay event ... but so much eye candy! It's delicious. You can check it out here: https://www.s2ofestival.com/

Please do not sneak flasks of tequila into the event as I don't want them to be on the lookout when I show up with mine.

At night, there is the SK party, a three-night circuit event that is much bigger and more extravagant than the massive White Party, which takes place in a smaller venue during New Year's. Again, lots of lickable eye candy here.

As for the fun on Silom Sois 4 and 2, these zones are packed much fuller than on any other weekend of the year (except maybe New Year's). When Soi Twilight was still going, that street was a party all day and all night, so I imagine there will be at least a little activity in gay Patpong, if that's your kind of thing. And with all the gay tourists in town, the apps will be a smorgasbord of finely toned Asian asses, medium-size dicks and ripped abs.

The downside to traveling to Bangkok during Songkran is it's expensive. However, you can slightly lower your hotel bill by booking through the gcircuit site https://www.gcircuit.com/hosthotels.php -- you don't have to have tickets to the actual event to book a hotel through their site. I've done it before.

Or maybe ask for a frequent-guest discount at your favorite inn. I've had success begging for lower rates.

I've also had success waiting until the last minute to book my flight, then pouncing when Thai Airways lowers its fares. Not sure if that's gonna happen this year as a lot of us have been waiting three years to finally get back at and ambush Bangkok's well-trained and disciplined police force. I'm gonna bring bigger and drunker friends, buy a bigger gun and fill it with icier ammo. Just you wait, coppers!

Also, plan to stay for at least two weeks because when Songkran ends in Bangkok, sometime around April 15, then everybody hightails it to Pattaya, where the wargames continue until April 19. The watergun wars there are even more fun than along Silom as the baht buses, everyone in them, motorcycle taxis -- even arriving tourists and their suitcases -- are fair game.

OK, everybody, fallout and reassemble at the foot of Silom at 1400 hours on April 13. If you're early, be wary of the cops who only seem to be minding their own business.

 

I, like many residents, stock up on beer and lock themselves in their rooms for 3 days.

Sadly the insanity in Pattaya lasts a full week so I have to hide in my condo for three days and then flee to Bangkok for four nights. Arriving in Bangkok on 16th the city is very quiet, recovering from three days of madness. 

I did Bangkok Songkran a couple of times. Would I do it again? Very unlikely. 
As for Pattaya, you couldn't pay me enough money to go near the place. It's a week of Arabs and Indians violently hurling ice buckets at innocent bystanders, even into taxis and baht bus's. The stories I hear are horrific. Why the police don't round them up and deport them baffles me. 

I will do the 1 day of Songkran in Jomtien, on the 19th. Prior to 2019, it was one, if not "THE" best day of the year. In previous years Jomtien, and the complex itself have been very good at keeping things calm and dry on the run-up to the 19th. I am hoping the influx of half a million Russians don't change that.  

Pre Covid:

Our Songkran used to start in Silom on the night of April 12th, at the time Twilight was still going strong and the party poopers on Soi 4 had not brought in their water ban. As soon as it hit around 23.00 the water would start to flow and Songkran would unofficially kick off.

We would then spend the day of the 13th in Silom and move to Khao San road on the 14th, before heading to Pattaya that evening.

Pattaya on the 15th was usually Soi 6/7/8 in the day time before heading to Country Road or Bamboo Bar in Jomtien, just in time to "terrorise" the Baht bus customers heading home from the beach. (Remember Songkran haters: one mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter!)

16 and 17 were usually quiet enough in Pattaya, except Soi 6/7/8, Soi Buakow and some play in Jomtien near Country Road/Bamboo Bar.

Naklua was the place to be on the 18th and it used to be mobbed with gay boys out having fun and grabbing cocks at the same time they plaster powder on your face! A bag of beers is usually a handy thing to have with you for sharing with new friends. There was usually also an outdoor Morlam that night which again would turn to water chaos, especially as it is so hot, there is no option but to cool down! A lot of the gay boys stay up all that night, usually ending up on walking street which unofficially turns 24 hours for 1 night only.

On the 19th it is of course all out madness all over the town with bumper to bumper traffic for miles, again we usually hit Soi 6/7/8 and Central before heading to Jomtien Complex for the festivities there... 

When i first started coming to Pattaya in 2001 it was guaranteed to rain at 19.00 on the 19th and all water play would stop, I remember wading home the roads were so flooded with rains, however the last few years pre-covid I noticed that water & powder play would continue on until the early hours of the 20th, especially in the late night venues

Post Covid:

Last year was a disaster with Covid and the water play ban, The "powder parties" in JC were fun last year, but not very good for your lungs!

Who knows whether the authorities will once again make another water ban... But if they don't we will be repeating our traditions as much as we can!

 

On 2/11/2023 at 10:16 PM, BiggusDikkus said:

At night, there is the SK party, a three-night circuit event that is much bigger and more extravagant than the massive White Party,

Finally my wish was fulfilled.  now we can buy single night party tickets. 

And i was surprised to Montien on the list of host hotels. i thought it is not very gay friendly or joiner friendly. 

8 hours ago, 18past19 said:

And i was surprised to Montien on the list of host hotels. i thought it is not very gay friendly or joiner friendly.

If both guests are registered, they really can't object. Montein's reputation is about denying access to unregistered guests (joiners) of ether persuasion.

6 hours ago, reader said:

If both guests are registered, they really can't object. Montein's reputation is about denying access to unregistered guests (joiners) of ether persuasion.

Although they were one of the earliest five star hotels in that sex orientated area, as Reader writes they were careful to ensure that it never became a place for casual hook ups. Having eaten there several times last year, the food in the Ruenton restaurant is fabulous, I am confident that the hotel isn't gay unfriendly. I believe it is still owned by the original family who had it built.

14 hours ago, reader said:

Montein's reputation is about denying access to unregistered guests (joiners) of ether persuasion.

thanks God there are many choices in the area where one doesn't need to be concerned with this kind of restrictions

On 3/8/2023 at 7:18 AM, reader said:

If both guests are registered, they really can't object.

the issue is i would need to change the name of the other guest two or three times a day. 😉

On 3/8/2023 at 2:01 PM, khaolakguy said:

the food in the Ruenton restaurant is fabulous,

Having eaten there only once with a local friend, my experience is limited. but i didnt find anything to complain during my short visit for a dinner that time. 

if they are joiner friendly i would have loved to stay there. 

12 minutes ago, 18past19 said:

the issue is i would need to change the name of the other guest two or three times a day. 😉

forget about Montien, stay in Raya where you belong, no issues and discreet service elevator in the back in case of bout of shyness

On 2/11/2023 at 12:12 PM, 18past19 said:

heat and humidity could be really bad. but i am gonna have a short stretch of days off in mid April and i am entertaining a possibility. 

otherwise i have no place to use the left over PrEP pills. 

With the heat, most guys take shirt off on the street and in the bars.  I still remember dancing/squeezing in the crowd of shirtless/wet/smooth guys. Those are the good old days.

11 hours ago, scott456 said:

  I still remember dancing/squeezing in the crowd of shirtless/wet/smooth guys

perfect for someone with olfactophilia.