Thailand Trip Report February/March 2026

[floridarob]

4 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

Enjoyed Dick’s Cafe.  Food was good

Wish I could say the same, my last time was as unmemorable as my first time a decade or 2 before, Dick's in BKK was great, Jomtien just never captured the same tastes, yes, the waiters are nice but it's a shame to have horrible Thai food IN THAILAND 🥺 

[khaolakguy]

2 hours ago, floridarob said:

Wish I could say the same, my last time was as unmemorable as my first time a decade or 2 before, Dick's in BKK was great, Jomtien just never captured the same tastes, yes, the waiters are nice but it's a shame to have horrible Thai food IN THAILAND 🥺 

+1

[vinapu]

5 hours ago, floridarob said:

Wish I could say the same, my last time was as unmemorable as my first time a decade or 2 before, Dick's in BKK was great, Jomtien just never captured the same tastes, yes, the waiters are nice but it's a shame to have horrible Thai food IN THAILAND 🥺 

Sophie's Kitchen right across from Dick's has one of best chicken with cashew nuts  in the whole Kingdom 

[kram987]

2 hours ago, vinapu said:

Sophie's Kitchen right across from Dick's has one of best chicken with cashew nuts  in the whole Kingdom 

+1

[daydreamer]

A couple years ago, I was staying at East Suites with a Thai boy from Bangkok.  We ate dinner at Dick's Jomtien one night.  He told me he never wanted to eat there again, as the Thai food was not good.  

The following night he suggested we go across the soi to Sophie's, and we both agreed the Thai food at Sophie's was very good.

I agree, the former Dick's in Bangkok was very good.  I think Dick's Jomtien needs to hire a different kitchen team.

[PeterRS]

4 hours ago, vinapu said:

Sophie's Kitchen right across from Dick's has one of best chicken with cashew nuts  in the whole Kingdom 

Out of curiosity, do you ever eat anything else? LOL

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, PeterRS said:

Out of curiosity, do you ever eat anything else? LOL

In Sophie's Kitchen , no

In Thailand , yes. Chicken Rice soup in Foodland is my another staple as well as German/Thai fusion schnitzel in G's

[jimmie50]

continued…Installment 26:  Last day in Pattaya turned out to be a real dud.  Woke up with a scratchy throat and a little nauseous.  Not sure what brought that on.  Decided it was probably best to skip breakfast.  Took some medicine for the nausea, then popped a Halls cough drop in my mouth and laid back down.  Probably slept two or three more hours.  Stomach seemed to have settled down a bit, but later in the day it went from nausea to diarrhea.  Sorry gentleman…I know…TMI.  Let’s just say I didn’t venture far from the room and there was no fun activity on the agenda.  Since I will be heading back to Bangkok in the morning and already have plans to meet Cam in the evening, thought it best to give my body a chance to recover from all of my recent activities.  I also think it quite possibly could be from too much sun on our boat trip.  I am very fair skinned and burn easily in the sun.  Have had similar issues in the past from sun poisoning.  Some medication I take recommends avoiding prolonged exposure to sun.  Disappointed that I did not get to experience Pattaya City.  Next time I will plan to spend more time exploring Pattaya, and perhaps even make it a trip with Cam.  I know from our conversations that he loves the beach, and I don’t believe he has ever been to Pattaya.  Concerned it might not be a safe place for him, though, if the Pattaya police are so aggressive about rounding up illegals.

[jimmie50]

continued…Installment 27: Thought I would update forum members on the massage shop situation in Pattaya.  Had a text from both the guy at MV and Soda.saying they were going back to Laos within the next day or two.  Don’t know about other shops in Supertown, but these two particular shops told the boys they could no longer work there.  They are tired of dealing with the police and want no more problems, so want no more illegals working at the shop.  If that was the intent of the police raids, then I guess they probably consider the raids a success.  However, if the raids were simply a shake down to gain money from illegals…if no more illegals, then no more money.  May have backfired on them.  Perhaps those forum members who actually live in Pattaya have more information.  I am merely passing on what two guys (both illegals) from two different shops have shared with me now.  I can understand the frustration from shop owners if this is accurate.  Feel sorry for the boys, though, and their situation.  The guy from Soda said it will probably be a couple of years before he can return once he goes home.

[mauRICE]

1 hour ago, jimmie50 said:

...Don’t know about other shops in Supertown, but these two particular shops told the boys they could no longer work there.  They are tired of dealing with the police and want no more problems, so want no more illegals working at the shop.  If that was the intent of the police raids, then I guess they probably consider the raids a success. 

I've asked this question on this forum before but didn't receive an answer: what's preventing the guys from getting legal? I know many young men and women from neighbouring countries who are working legally in Thailand (visa and work permit) in the services, entertainment and construction industries.

[mauRICE]

1 hour ago, jimmie50 said:

continued…Installment 26:  Last day in Pattaya turned out to be a real dud.  Woke up with a scratchy throat and a little nauseous.  Not sure what brought that on. 

Sorry to hear you've been unwell. Did you forget your Morning After pill again? You must remember to take it within 72 hours of your last...you know. 😉

Give your body a bit of rest and get well soon. 💪🫶

[Olddaddy]

3 hours ago, mauRICE said:

I've asked this question on this forum before but didn't receive an answer: what's preventing the guys from getting legal? I know many young men and women from neighbouring countries who are working legally in Thailand (visa and work permit) in the services, entertainment and construction industries.

I imagine cost ...and time 

[PeterRS]

Non Thai nationals are severely restricted as to the type of paid employment they can enjoy in the Kingdom. Most require a work visa or a special visa permitting work for a shorter period of time. My Burmese bf has a visa from his employer and has recently had it renewed for a further year. WIth the best will in the world, I cannot see massage work being acceptable as Thais can very easily do this. Unskilled labour working on construction sites is frequently mentioned. In that case I assume the employer obtains the necessary paperwork.

ASEAN is supposed to facilitate mobility of labour, but this generally applies only to skilled labour.

[jimmie50]

4 hours ago, mauRICE said:

what's preventing the guys from getting legal?

I think the issue is because they are working in a massage shop.  It is my understanding that massage is one of those 'protected' jobs that are restricted for Thai only.  What I have read online is that the Thai government does not make a distinction between the different types of massages.  Everything seems to be classified as 'Thai Massage', which is one of those protected categories.  If the guys chose some other line of work, they could perhaps obtain a work visa.  It is called the Alien Law Act and was enacted in 2008.  There is a rather lengthy list of jobs which foreigners are not permitted to do: massage shops, banks, tour guides, beauticians/hair cutters, handcrafts, etc.  I think one of the reasons for the law was the preservation of Thai culture.  Not sure what the full rationale was/is.  

[jimmie50]

4 hours ago, mauRICE said:

Give your body a bit of rest and get well soon.

As they say, I have been burning the candle at both ends.  Think it finally caught up with me.  

[macaroni21]

23 minutes ago, jimmie50 said:

I think the issue is because they are working in a massage shop.  It is my understanding that massage is one of those 'protected' jobs that are restricted for Thai only.  What I have read online is that the Thai government does not make a distinction between the different types of massages.  Everything seems to be classified as 'Thai Massage', which is one of those protected categories.  If the guys chose some other line of work, they could perhaps obtain a work visa.  It is called the Alien Law Act and was enacted in 2008.  There is a rather lengthy list of jobs which foreigners are not permitted to do: massage shops, banks, tour guides, beauticians/hair cutters, handcrafts, etc.  I think one of the reasons for the law was the preservation of Thai culture.  Not sure what the full rationale was/is.  

Ah, @jimmie50 beat me to it. I was going to say the same thing. 

I recall a Burmese guy I hired thru Zeus explain to me that he was "legal" insofar as he was doing construction work in my hotel room, since his work permit was as a construction worker. 

To get such a permit one obviously needs a construction company to sponsor it (for a fee, no doubt).

This might work for the Zeus guy since he wasn't tied to any specific location, but such a solution wouldn't work for Soda Massage or other shops in Jomtien Complex, since the boys are tied to a location, sitting in front of a shop all day.

[thaiophilus]

3 hours ago, macaroni21 said:

he was doing construction work in my hotel room,

Construction work? would that be "erection"? 😈

[Keithambrose]

6 hours ago, thaiophilus said:

Construction work? would that be "erection"? 😈

Depends what he was erecting....

[vinapu]

11 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

  I think one of the reasons for the law was the preservation of Thai culture.  Not sure what the full rationale was/is.  

when comes to laws is less about rationale and much more about whose interests are to be protected.

[macaroni21]

10 hours ago, thaiophilus said:

Construction work? would that be "erection"? 😈

Haha, at that very moment however, the word that came to mind was "drilling"..,

[jason1975]

I know of some guys at the bars who paid money to a fixer to get a one-year work visa so that they don't have to make visa runs.

[jimmie50]

continued…Installment 28:  Had an ok night, but thinking about the drive back to Bangkok and not sure if my body was functioning at a normal level I decided it was probably a good idea to skip breakfast and just had water.  ok…please don’t chastise me…lol.  I admit it…I am a spoiled American.  While I do enjoy taking public transportation, for some things I just prefer door to door service.  So at the recommendation of a forum member, I booked a car/driver with LimoPattaya.  Picked me up at Zing exactly on time at 10am.  Traffic was light up until we got into central Bangkok, so the driver made very good time.  Provided bottled water, told me to let him know if I wanted to stop anywhere along the way, professional and friendly service.  Advanced booking online, but no payment required in advance to make the reservation.  Price included tolls, which seemed to be many along the route.  Cost was THB 1600, plus I gave him 200 tip.  I know, I know…there are cheaper options out there.  I wanted to be picked up at the hotel and dropped off at condo, so I was willing to pay the price for that service.  Already had a text from Cam before I had a chance to let him know I had arrived back in Bangkok.  Hopeful that I have no health related issues like I did in Pattaya the day before, because it is going to be a crazy, hectic race to the finish line.  Already know I will need to spend some time with Paradise guy, Chaichana guy and Green massage are asking me if we can meet one more time, Banana guy actually did text me when I was out to dinner at Dick’s Cafe.  Simply told him I was in Pattaya.  Didn’t offer any additional information.  Think he is regretting the aggressive tone of his message now.  Not sure if I will make any time for him before I leave or not.  Undecided.  Still want to make my way back to Ganymede, and a host of other shops I was planning to visit this trip but haven’t managed to get to just yet.  Seven weeks seemed like a lot of time at the outset, but now I am having this sense of urgency.  Also concerned about the status of my flights for the return trip.  Paying close attention as jet fuel supplies dwindle in most of Asia and no end in sight to the Orange Overlords war games.  I also want to spend most of my time with Cam.

Decided to simply relax at the condo the rest of the day.  Had a text from Paradise guy, but said I wasn’t feeling well and would let him know a good day for us to meet.  Skipped lunch as well and continued with water only up until dinner time with Cam.  Met at our usual time and location, 8pm at Midnight Bar.  This time we both went upstairs to give mamasan the off fee as I wanted to confirm plans for the 3-days.  Made sure mamasan clearly understood Cam was mine!  Went to Sarica again as it is good and also convenient.  Ate inside the A/C.  Just had some rather bland noodles, avoided anything spicy, and only ate about half of my dish.  I was feeling ok, but not wanting to take any chances or push my body too much.  Saving as much of that for Cam as possible.  After dinner, I asked him which show we should go to and he actually had an unusual but admirable request.  He asked if I would mind going to Hotmale, because there had not been many customers and he really wanted to support the club and his friends.  I enjoyed the show at Hotmale, so that was fine with me.  He said a couple of nights they didn’t even have the show because there was not a single customer at show time.  Most of the bars and clubs are noticing a significant decline in customers due to the situation in the Middle East.  The comment I hear most often is peopler are leaving Thailand trying to get home, but nobody is coming to Thailand at the moment.  Customers are canceling or postponing their travel plans until this mess is sorted out, or airlines have canceled flights due to lack of jet fuel.  No win situation for businesses here.  So, we went to Hotmale and earned some bonus points with mamasan.  Handful of other customers…all Asian…two groups of two females and another group of two guys and a female…plus me and Cam.  Not a huge crowd, but better than nothing.  After the show we headed back to the condo for our usual routine…shower, wild thing, sleep. Slept late, went for some breakfast, then Cam went to the fitness room where he worked out and I simply admired the view. I can never get enough of that view.  After his workout, we said our goodbyes and he headed back home.

No sooner had Cam left and I returned to the condo than I received a text from Paradise guy.  His usual…what are you doing.  Said I was thinking about going to get a manicure.  He informed me he had taken the day off and was coming to see me.  No previous discussion about this.  Total surprise.  Guess he didn’t like the fact I put him off the day before since I wasn’t feeling well.  Anyway, he said he would be at my place around 1pm.  That gave me a chance to tidy up a bit and hide any evidence of an overnight guest.  lol.  Showed up with a container of those small, white coconut pancakes I like but are difficult to find, plus bael juice.  Strange combination.  First time I have actually had bael juice and enjoyed it, but not so much with the coconut pancakes.  Chilled out watching YouTube videos on television before deciding it was time to take a late afternoon nap.  Naturally, we needed some physical exercise before the nap.  Needless to say we were exhausted after all of that exercise and slept a good two hours.  Took a shower and then he headed home.  All in all, a wonderful afternoon.

I should probably be writing that this was the end of the story for the day…that I rested in the evening for my upcoming three days with Cam.  However, things took an interesting turn of events and the stars aligned perfectly.  What was originally going to be three days/nights with Cam turned into six days/nights.  This includes the overnight after returning from Pattaya.  After Paradise guy went home, my plan was to just relax and chill out at the condo.  Wasn’t really entertaining any thoughts of going anywhere.  Then I received a message from Cam…well, several messages back and forth and we both ultimately wanted more time together since the end of my trip is approaching quickly.  We were able to have a really good conversation that previous night which I will share in a different post.  I will just say for now that he came back and stayed the night with me again.  I told him at this point it was foolish for him to just go home on Friday and come back to me on Saturday…he might as well stay with me the entire time, and he readily agreed.  Informed mamasan of the change of plans and paid the off fee for six days.  Think I am becoming a VIP at Hotmale.  lol. Of course, this puts a kibosh on all of my other meets.  Willing to forgo all of that to be able to spend my remaining time with Cam.  Sorry to leave everyone hanging, but I don’t think I will be online much or updating my trip report for the next few days.  lol.

[mauRICE]

@jimmie50 Prioritise your health and make sure you're fit and healthy before boarding that long flight home. But, of course, enjoy your final few days in Bangkok with Cam and it's okay if you can't meet the others. There's always the next visit! Quality over quantity!

By the way, "What are you doing?", "Have you eaten or not?", "Where have you been?" and "Where are you going?" are very common Thai greetings. You don't have to provide specifics in response; a cursory reply would suffice, followed by whatever it is you'd really like to talk about. My favourite is "I haven't seen you for a long time!" and I'd tease them with a detailed reply of the number of times we'd seen one another recently. It tends to stump them initially, followed by a big laugh. 😆