Birthday weekend in Bangkok (May 2025)

[jason1975]

This happened one month ago in May. My 3rd trip to Bangkok this year in fact.

I normally spend 1 to 2 weeks on holiday in Bangkok at end of year but this year I started taking shorter trips in other months.

The first trip was a weekend in February. I went to celebrate friend's birthday. As I could pack light, I didn't take taxi but instead took airport train to Silom on Friday evening. I stayed at new Hotel Nishitestsu Croom until Sunday. My regular guy was back in Vietnam to celebrate Tet so I met another guy  for both nights. They know each other casually. Saturday night was dinner gathering with some favourite forum members at G's. We even took a nice group photo. After that was a trip together to Atlas before we split up to Freshboys and Hot Male. Eventually we met at Foodland again for supper before going back happily with our guys.

Second trip was documented in this trip report.

Now to 3rd trip. This was a special trip to celebrate 50th birthday. I took 4pm Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore and arrived 2 hours later. Like the first weekend trip in February, I packed light. I took airport train. Once I reached Sala Daeng BTS, I walked to Ibis Styles Hotel. First time staying at this hotel. Small room but clean and functional. I chose it for the rooftop pool. I had booked it for 3 nights late last year.

After checking in, I crossed Silom Road to go to Adam Massage for booking at 8pm. Thoroughly refreshed, I went to Foodland Patpong supermarket to get a birthday cake.

At 9.30pm, I entered Freshboys. Mamasan was happy to see me back. Lots of seats available as only about 5 other customers at that early time. I took front row seats facing the stage. Two waiters prepared the birthday cake on the table. 50 candles. My regular guy joined me and sat next to me. I also invited 4 other guys down from the stage. I bought drinks for all of them. Once candles were ready, my regular guy and I lighted them. The DJ played Happy Birthday song - the hilarous and fun Thai version. I cut the cake and we ate while catching up. I told mamasan I would pay off fees for my regular guy for 3 nights. Once we finished eating the cake, I settled my bill. I tucked 200 baht each into the front of the shorts of the guys seated with me. One of them cheekily pulled his shorts wide open for me to tuck the notes in! I also tipped mamasan and waiters. I said goodbye to them and I will see them again.

It was not even 10pm but I was out of Freshboys, happy with the person I had come to Bangkok to celebrate my birthday with.

[vinapu]

This is what we need here, trip report, not endless trading barbs. THANK YOU JASON ! 

50th birthday!?!. I didn't know people live that long

[jason1975]

This is the Thai Happy Birthday song!

[jason1975]

My guy gives me a Vietnamese money note as a birthday gift. He got my date of birth printed as a serial number on the note. What a surprise! He says he hopes it will bring me luck. I promise to keep it forever!

[vinapu]

That's sweat. He must have sharp eye to spot that specific number. 

I have old French note with date of issue being exactly my birthday and my family is instructed to tuck it in my coffin when I expire. 

[jason1975]

4 minutes ago, vinapu said:

That's sweat. He must have sharp eye to spot that specific number. 

I have old French note with date of issue being exactly my birthday and my family is instructed to tuck it in my coffin when I expire. 

I don't think it's a real money note. It's probably a Vietnamese thing to create such souvenirs for birthday celebrations.

[jason1975]

We go to Foodland for supper before going back to hotel room for the night.

He gives me Vietnamese money note with my date of birth printed on it. He also gives me a "I love Vietnam" cap and T-shirt. He loves his country very much. He says I must go to Vietnam with him one day and he will drive me around.

Meanwnile, the Foodland staff have been looking at us. They of course recognise us from our dinner-cum-chess sessions. But I did not bring my chess set out tonight to bar. (It's waiting for us in hotel room!) They see my guy presenting me with the gifts. They would have probably guessed it was my birthday.

Then it hit it. I should have a birthday celebration at Foodland.

"Wait for me," I tell my guy.

I run off to the cake section of Foodland Supermarket.

I buy a single slice of cake plus two number candles - 5 and 0.

I go back and I ask for matches. We have a second birthday celebration right in the middle of Foodland!

[jason1975]

After Foodland, we walked to Ibis Styles. The room I got had the same layout as shown in the Agoda listing. We spent the next two hours together before I was exhausted and fell asleep first. He slept later at 3am. It's his usual sleeping time. So he watched Tiktok videos but he kept volume down for my consideration. The next morning, he wakes up and goes to work at his packing and delivery job. I really respect him for working two jobs!

 

[jason1975]

In March, I stayed at Silom Lofts on Soi 3 which came with kitchen and my guy cooked for me for the first time.

Hence, my guy expected me to book the same place for this weekend. He wanted to cook dinner for my birthday.

I didn't realise that and in any case, I had made booking for Ibis Styles back in late December. I couldn't cancel it.

So I did the next best thing. I searched on Agoda for an apartment with kitchen and booked it just for one night.

I found a unit on Soi 8 near the massage shops at Soi 6. Good location. But the pictures do not show a proper kitchen. No stove. There's a sink, microwave oven, full-sized refrigerator and what looks like an electric induction cooker. So I am keeping my fingers crossed.

I checked into the unit at 3pm. It's a double storey unit. The beds are on 2nd level. The toilet is small. I discover the TV doesn't work but the electric induction cooker works and that's good enough for me!

[jason1975]

Backtrack to morning. I continued sleeping after my guy woke up and left. I went for lunch at 11 then lazed around in room. At 1pm, I went to pool to have a dip. A lone Spanish looking young lady was sunbathing. A Hong Kong gay couple was in pool in their Speedos. 🥰 Ibis Style was venue of a pool party during Songkran but it's not exclusively gay hotel. I've seen straight couples around at lobby and taking the lifts. I found out from my guy in advance that it has been raining in Bangkok lately so since there was a bit of sun, I grabbed the opportunity to go to Ibis Styles pool. As I got out of the pool one hour later, clouds started forming. It was going to be a rainy Saturday.

[jason1975]

After confirming that there is a working electric cooker at apartment, I sent a Line message to my guy. He will buy ingredients after he finishes work and he will bring them to apartment.

I leave apartment and go for massage at Sun Massage at nearby soi 6. This is the first massage shop once one enters soi 6. Its previous name was G-Zone Massage and before that, it was known as Natural Massage for the longest time. Change of names is because of change of owners. This particular massage guy has been working there for at least 2 years and is one of my favourites.

After massage, I was hungry. I went to Foodland to eat then bought soft drinks and snacks for tonight.

Dinner would not just be the two of us. I had also invited 3 other guys. All Vietnamese. After dinner, I would host blackjack night. No gambling with real cash. But I would give out 100 baht for each lucky blackjack.

I came back to apartment at about 5 and a few minutes later, my guy arrived. He had finished work early and went to local market to buy chicken, beef and vegetables. He got started on dinner prep - washing the vegetables and chopping the meat. While he was doing this, it started raining heavily outside.

I grew sleepy and went upstairs to take a nap. The rain was perfect for sleeping. I woke up at 7.30pm. Oops. I had an 8pm appointment with the guys at Midnight formerly known as Hot Male beer bar downstairs. I saw my guy sleeping next to me. I didn't want to disturb him and decided to let him sleep a while more so I silently made my way out of the apartment.

[jason1975]

It was still drizzling but it was acceptable to walk in the rain. Not the heavy downpour just an hour ago. Just like the previous night, I stopped by at Foodland supermarket to buy a cake. Then I made my way to Midnight bar. The guys there welcomed me happily. They knew I was coming. I sat at sofa with my favourite waiters and bought them drinks. We caught up awhile then I said let's do birthday celebration. All the waiters came over to sofa, the Thai Happy Birthday music song was played and they sang and wished me Happy Birthday. A UK guy who had been sitting at the bar came over to shake my hand and wish me Happy Birthday! Then he left the bar. The waiters told me he's the new co-owner! The other co-owner is a Thai. I enjoyed my 3rd birthday celebration with the waiters. They have become my good friends over the years and I have taken them to DJ station and karaoke several times.

[jason1975]

At 9pm, I left Midnight to go to Z Spanky Pool bar to meet my regular guy and the other guys whom I had invited for my party. We played pool for an hour then we went to Foodland Supermarket to buy beer and snacks and we walked back to soi 8 apartment.

[jason1975]

At the apartment, my guy did the cooking but the other guys helped out as well. There was chicken and beef and lots of leafy vegetables. My guy likes to eat healthy. He insists that I take the chicken drumstick. He says that in Vietnamese culture, the chicken drumstick is offered to the guest of honour or VIP!

[jason1975]

By the time dinner was over and we cleaned up, it was already 11.30pm. Time for blackjack! We played till 2am then my guests left happily. Everyone hit blackjack several times. After closing the door, my guy and I retired upstairs and that's the end of day 2 of weekend birthday celebrations. 

[floridarob]

57 minutes ago, jason1975 said:

Everyone hit blackjack several times.

Strip blackjack...or Truth or Dare blackjack?

[jason1975]

Just now, floridarob said:

Strip blackjack...or Truth or Dare blackjack?

Just normal casino style blackjack

[jason1975]

The next morning at about 8am, my guy went off to work. I checked out of apartment and went back to Ibis Styles. I continued sleeping, now in a more comfortable bed. I woke up for lunch at soi 3 local eating place and came back to hotel and wanted to swim in pool but it started raining. Darn. So I ended up in hotel room watching Netflix the whole afternoon.

Thankfully the rain stopped at 5 and I could go out for a walk. I passed by Soi 4 and lo and behold, sitting on a stool was massage guy from Adam Massage. He smiled at me and off we went to his shop for massage!

After massage, I went to Shennanigans bar where I had arranged to meet my guy. It was football night and we watched live football matches (English Premier League, Spanish La Liga) for the next few hours - ending with El Classico - Barcelona vs Real Madrid. Both of us were Real Madrid supporters. Unfortunately, Barcelona won the match.

We left Shennanigans and walked to Happy Beer Garden. We wanted their private room for karaoke. To our utter disappointment, Happy Beer Garden was closed! "Shall we go to Sky Bar karaoke?" My guy says the rooms at Sky Bar are too big for two people. So we decided to postpone karaoke to next trip.

We walked towards Foodland for supper. On the way there, we walked past Good Boys. It was closed as well!

"Buddhist holiday?" I asked my guy.

But he said his bar was open. And we looked around. Atlas, Hot Male and Dreamboys were all open.

At that moment, the waiters from Midnight saw me. They knew it was my last night in Bangkok and cheekily asked for one round of drinks to toast me Happy Birthday one more time and wish me good luck. Sure, why not.

They opened a bottle of Jagermeister (which cost 1500 baht) and poured out 10 shot glasses. I then placed a 100 baht note below each shot glass. Everyone gathered around and toasted me loudly.

"Happy Birthday! Cheers! Kanpai!"

[jason1975]

My guy and I went to Foodland for supper. I took out my chess set and we played while eating. After we had finished, we went back to hotel room for what seemed to be the most intense and wild night we ever had in all the years we knew each other. We slept soundly after that but not too soundly because we had to wake up by 8am - he had to go to work and I had to go to the airport!

[jason1975]

And that's my trip report! Short trip and I wasn't sure if it's worth posting. Nothing really new for seasoned forum members to read about. It was a memorable birthday for me, that's for sure. And I am thankful I have my guy for making it special.

Back at home, I went to buy an acrylic magnetic display stand for banknotes. This is where I put the banknote from my guy and I see it every day. 🥰🥰🥰

[jason1975]

Another observation to add. Being in the company of 4 hot shirtless guys in kitchen is an unforgettable experience!

[Slut1215]

Sounds like you had a blast! I'm happy for you.

[vinapu]

3 hours ago, Slut1215 said:

Sounds like you had a blast! I'm happy for you.

+1

 

[ichigo]

Thank you for sharing - always happy to read reports no matter how short!

[jason1975]

17 minutes ago, ichigo said:

Thank you for sharing - always happy to read reports no matter how short!

🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰