Love Interest 2026 Update

[jimmie50]

Quick update on the birthday celebration...had a nice dinner with his two friends.  Cam had arranged with one of his friends to pick up a heart shaped birthday cake which they somehow managed to sneak into the restaurant.  At the conclusion of dinner the restaurant staff brought out the cake along with plates and a knife for cutting.  It was complete with candle and other customers chimed in as they all sang 'happy birthday'.  After dinner we headed to the pool hall where we managed to get in three games of snooker before heading to Silom.  Unfortunately, neither Cam nor I realized it was election day in Bangkok and Soi 4 was completely dark with the exception of G's.  All of the clubs were closed and no alcohol sales permitted.  The guys only ordered Coca Cola for dinner, so the alcohol issue didn't come up.  Not sure how the pool hall managed, but they were selling beer to customers.  Since they were drinking beer, the issue didn't come up.  Only after we arrived at Soi 4 did we find out about the election and ban on alcohol sales.  By this time it was midnight, so we just grabbed a taxi and headed back to the condo where we had some whiskey and coke...well, Cam had a whiskey and coke night cap followed by play time.  It was time to receive my present.  LOL.  

[jason1975]

Happy Birthday! @jimmie50

[vinapu]

16 hours ago, jason1975 said:

Happy Birthday! @jimmie50

+1

[kram987]

16 hours ago, jason1975 said:

Happy Birthday! @jimmie50

+1

[jimmie50]

Well, it is with mixed emotions that I begin to wrap up this unusual trip report.  Unusual in that it did not include details about visits to bars or massage shops or other such escapades.  I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this three month adventure with Cam, but it has turned out to be an amazing experience.  Staying away from Silom was a good decision for us both.  I suppose to some our time together will appear as somewhat mundane and boring.  We have simply enjoyed the time together as a couple.   We have had some interesting, in depth conversations about politics in Cambodia, about our families, about life in general, and about hopes and dreams for the future.  It was fun to venture outside of Bangkok to Pattaya and Chiang Mai for a change of scenery.  We enjoyed cooking meals together, trying new restaurants, going shopping at the various malls…and even playing snooker with his friends.  Having us get sick at different times was a learning experience for us both, but we managed to survive even that.  While I am sad that the time has come for us to temporarily go our separate ways, there is also a sense of peace and calmness this time.  I am confident that our feelings for each other are strong and genuine.  After spending so much time together over the last three months, the next eight weeks apart will be a bit of a challenge, but not nearly as stressful as the separation was between the first of April and my return in May.  My journey back to Denver begins the evening of July 8 with layovers in Taipei and San Francisco.  I will eventually arrive home sometime around noon on July 9.  Cam departs for Cambodia on July 10.  Since he has no plans to return to Thailand as of now, he will have one last night out with his bar friends and one last night out with his snooker pals.  While I do not know all of the specifics, there is an individual that runs private car service from Bangkok to the border area with Cambodia that is safe to cross.  The drive takes around four hours and they travel at night.  He will have to walk the last 100 meters or so across the border with his belongings.  Once in Cambodia, there are others there waiting who are willing to provide transportation from there to his hometown.  Of course, all of this will require payment for the two drivers of approximately 7000 Baht total.  The drive from the border to his hometown will be about one hour.

Surprisingly, airfares for the trip to Siem Reap were much better than I expected given the current situation in the Middle East.  In fact, I just received notice that there was a price drop of $150 USD so the fare was adjusted accordingly (yes, I did the guarantee).  Depart Denver on September 3, once again connecting in San Francisco.  Will have that long flight again to Singapore, then on to Siem Reap arriving on September 5.  Will spend the first week in Siem Reap before moving to Battambang for the remainder of the trip, although we might go back to Siem Reap a few days before my return trip to US is scheduled on December 2.  That is yet to be determined.  Airbnb is secured in both locations.  Will probably start posting in the Cambodian forum, although it doesn’t seem to be very active.  Not sure how effective or helpful that will be.  Hopefully people will respond.  I already have a few questions to post.

[khaolakguy]

Thank you for all the updates. It is good to travel with you on your journey with Cam. I am pleased it is working out and wish you both well!

[hank75]

@jimmie50 firstly I want to congratulate you for trusting your instincts and rolling the dice! Looking forward to reading about your Cambodian adventures in September.

14 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

The drive takes around four hours and they travel at night.  He will have to walk the last 100 meters or so across the border with his belongings.  Once in Cambodia, there are others there waiting who are willing to provide transportation from there to his hometown. 

Yes this is pretty much the standard border crossing, they need to change cars from a Thai registered vehicle to a Cambodian registered one, as well as get their passports checked at the border. Don’t worry there is an efficient system of coffee money for any boy whose documents have fallen behind.

Not a good idea for foreigners to try and cross by land though, at least not until the border situation has calmed down. I knew a boy who married a Chinese female customer who was already living in Thailand. They decided to move back to Cambodia for a lower cost of living. At some point last year he tried to take her through the land crossing, as the family home where they planned to stay was close to the border. He was allowed through but she was not, no matter how much money they offered, and cried bitterly the whole way back to Bangkok airport with her huge pile of luggage, where she had to buy a very expensive plane ticket.
 

[floridarob]

5 hours ago, hank75 said:

a Chinese female customer

This needs a WTF emoji.....

Was it because of her nationality ....would anyone else have the same problem, and why?

[hank75]

1 hour ago, floridarob said:

This needs a WTF emoji.....

Was it because of her nationality ....would anyone else have the same problem, and why?

It was due to Thai-Cambodia border tensions, if you recall they closed the border for some time last year in retaliation to Thai military action. It seems they were letting Cambodians through but not Thais and foreigners. And whether the border is functionally operating now is anyone’s guess as it seems to open or shut on a whim (unless you are a Cambodian national)  

[jimmie50]

2 hours ago, hank75 said:

It seems they were letting Cambodians through but not Thais and foreigners.

Cam is not concerned about it at all.  Says it will be no problem for him as he is returning home.  He has other Cambodian friends who have done the same thing recently without any issues.  Not sure what the situation would be in reverse if he tried to enter Thailand without a visa.  My understanding is obtaining a visa for Thailand from Cambodia is not an option currently, but not 100% sure of that.  

[hank75]

2 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

Cam is not concerned about it at all.  Says it will be no problem for him as he is returning home

Yes exactly 

2 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

My understanding is obtaining a visa for Thailand from Cambodia is not an option currently, but not 100% sure of that.  

I’m not sure either but based on Jupiter’s recent videos I saw some Cambodians have returned to work at the bar. A very tall guy with a swimmer’s build is one of them. It seems to suggest they can re-enter Thailand now but that is only my guess. 

[vinapu]

15 hours ago, hank75 said:

I’m not sure either but based on Jupiter’s recent videos I saw some Cambodians have returned to work at the bar. A very tall guy with a swimmer’s build is one of them. It seems to suggest they can re-enter Thailand now but that is only my guess. 

I noticed him too as well as at least another two Cambodians but whether they came with visa or just snuck through the border is not clear.

[macaroni21]

Hmmm... Sounds like @vinapu has snuck into Thailand and Jupiter bar like the Cambodians. 🤔

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, macaroni21 said:

Hmmm... Sounds like @vinapu has snuck into Thailand and Jupiter bar like the Cambodians. 🤔

no , I have habit of checking daily of Jupiter's Facebook feed like this 

https://www.facebook.com/Jupiter2018?mibextid=LQQJ4d

can't vouch that every clip is recent though as from time to time I see somebody who I know is not in Bangkok at the moment 

[emiel1981]

On 7/5/2026 at 11:13 AM, jimmie50 said:

Well, it is with mixed emotions that I begin to wrap up this unusual trip report. 

I was absent from this forum for a long time after my vacation in Thailand last March. That actually happens to me all the time. Maybe it's because I find it so sad that my stay in Thailand is over, and I enjoy reading less on the forum about all the fun and exciting things happening in Thailand while I won't be going back there anytime soon myself because there are no new travel plans yet. But now I've become curious again and started catching up on the forum a bit. Naturally, it immediately makes me want to head back that way myself. I can't deny that I'm already secretly keeping an eye on airfares again... haha. Maybe I'll fly that way again in November, otherwise not until March.

Anyway; I enjoyed reading your updates. It's great that things are going so well between you and Cam! To be perfectly honest, I'm usually very skeptical about Western men meeting a younger Asian boyfriend and whether that can work out. But fortunately, things are going very well for you so far! It must be quite an adventure to stay in Battambang. Curious to see how that will be. Whether you will also feel at home there as a Westerner in the longer term. And who knows (hopefully) I might run into you again when I am in Asia again!

[PeterRS2]

On 6/28/2026 at 5:11 PM, jason1975 said:

Happy Birthday! @jimmie50

Belated Happy Birthday! Apologies for missing the day but I found myself rather unexpectedly locked out of the forum (my fault) and had difficulty getting back in as I explain under the Comments & Suggestions forum.

Absolutely delighted your relationship is progressing so well.

[jimmie50]

Well, I have arrived back in Denver safe and sound.  Flights were all good, connections went smoothly, and on all three flights we somehow managed to arrive at our destination at least ten minutes early.  Suvarnabhumi was very busy.  I was able to bypass the majority of folks and went to the seniors/disabled line for immigration and security.  That was smooth sailing compared to long lines elsewhere.  Taipei was busy, but not nearly as much as swampy.  The thing that always gets me in Taipei is even though you just got off a secure plane into a secure area without ever leaving…they still make transfers go back through security.  Strange system to me, but I see that a lot in Asian airports.  They do it in Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan as well.  All three flights were full.  I was surprised by this.  Based upon news reports, travel in general is down due to high cost and the situation in the Middle East.  That certainly did not seem to be the case on these three flights.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I was sad leaving Cam, but he surprised me by insisting that he ride with me all the way to the airport.  He did not want to part ways as we left the condo one last time.  Neither one of us was quite ready to say goodbye.  I kept in touch along my journey via text, and in Taipei and San Francisco he called for brief video chats.  He met his bar buddies that first night after I left to say their goodbyes.  There was six or eight of them that shared snacks and a large bottle of Johnnie Walker Red Label.  I think he said they played cards as well.  That would have been July 8th.  July 9th he met his other group of friends and they went to some market for food and drinks, and then ended up at the pool hall to play snooker.  That will be his last hurrah.  He will take transportation to the border this evening (10th).  I did ask Cam if the border is officially open now and he said no.  They do not cross at any official check point.  More a situation of locals crossing back and forth.  He doesn’t know about guys returning to work, but said if they were it was without any type of visa.  Some people are getting across because of medical emergencies, but even that was limited and only for 14 days.

Over the three months we were together, we accumulated a lot of stuff.  When he first arrived at the condo, he had one small piece of luggage and said it contained pretty much everything that he owned in Thailand.  We went shopping a number of times.  He would never ask for anything, and trying to get him to tell me things he needed or wanted was like pulling teeth.  We also bought a few things we needed for cooking in the condo, and had a good supply of cooking supplies that we gave to his roommates.  All said and done, we made three trips to his room each time carrying three large grocery bags from Tops filled with stuff.  I tried to persuade him to let me purchase a larger bag as I could not see how he could possibly manage everything going back home in that small one.  He repeatedly refused, so I eventually gave up.  He claimed to have a large soft sided bag he could cram full of everything.  He also kept reminding me that he has to be able to carry everything across the border by hand, so he did not want a big piece of luggage.  And, as usual, I overpacked.  I did not wear half of the clothes I brought with me.  I am determined when I go to Cambodia in September to only bring one large bag and one small carry on.  My last two trips to Bangkok I have traveled with two large bags and one carry on.  Way too much stuff.

I arrived in Denver at 8:30am local time and have managed to stay up and stay busy all day.  Hopefully, I will be able to sleep tonight and adjust to the time difference quickly.  Have to wait and see how that works out for me.  lol.  I might make one more post on this thread to let everyone know about Cam’s journey home.  Then I will be switching to the Cambodia forum.

[bkkmfj2648]

12 minutes ago, jimmie50 said:

He will take transportation to the border this evening (10th).  I did ask Cam if the border is officially open now and he said no.  They do not cross at any official check point.  More a situation of locals crossing back and forth.

Thanks for this update Jimmie.

I am biting my nails about this informal border crossing that Cam needs to make.

Please let us know that Cam safely gets to the other side. 🙏😇👍🤩

[vinapu]

1 hour ago, jimmie50 said:

And, as usual, I overpacked.  I did not wear half of the clothes I brought with me. 

there's that old traveller's saying : " take half of things and twice as much money"

[PeterRS2]

3 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

The thing that always gets me in Taipei is even though you just got off a secure plane into a secure area without ever leaving…they still make transfers go back through security.  Strange system to me, but I see that a lot in Asian airports.

I understand it has nothing to do with Asian airports and totally to do with the American Immigration rules. If you change planes anywhere en route to the USA you have to go through a second security check before the flight into the USA.

[hank75]

4 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

All three flights were full.  I was surprised by this.  Based upon news reports, travel in general is down due to high cost and the situation in the Middle East.  That certainly did not seem to be the case on these three flights.

I suspect some flights/ flight paths have been cut to increase passengers on still-running flights. This reduces operating costs while eliminating risk of flights taking off half empty which is not profitable. 

4 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

Then I will be switching to the Cambodia forum.

We will have to migrate over there with you to follow your adventures. Wishing Cam a safe journey home. 

[jimmie50]

Apparently this individual has been making these border runs for quite some time.  All of the Cambodian guys seem to be aware of him and use his services.  There will be several others making the journey tonight along with Cam, so perhaps safety in numbers?   Anyway, approximately 7:30pm Bangkok time and he is awaiting pick up sometime between now and 10pm.  They actually pick the guys up wherever they currently live.  Cam reassures me it will be fine, but I am still anxious and worried for his safety.  I will keep everyone updated.  Oh...and because there are several traveling at the same time the price is only 5000 Baht from Bangkok to the border.  Once in Cambodia, the price to his home will only be 200 Baht.  Big difference!  

[vinapu]

30 minutes ago, jimmie50 said:

Apparently this individual has been making these border runs for quite some time.  All of the Cambodian guys seem to be aware of him and use his services.  There will be several others making the journey tonight along with Cam, so perhaps safety in numbers?   Anyway, approximately 7:30pm Bangkok time and he is awaiting pick up sometime between now and 10pm.  They actually pick the guys up wherever they currently live.  Cam reassures me it will be fine, but I am still anxious and worried for his safety.  I will keep everyone updated.  Oh...and because there are several traveling at the same time the price is only 5000 Baht from Bangkok to the border.  Once in Cambodia, the price to his home will only be 200 Baht.  Big difference!  

don't be anxious. I also know few boys who were using this service either way. There's was time last year when tensions were high that even this service was suspended. 

[khaolakguy]

5 hours ago, jimmie50 said:

Cam reassures me it will be fine, but I am still anxious and worried for his safety.  

I would be anxious too! Not because I/you know anything about this process, but because you would hate anything negative to happen to him and this whole process is so alien to privileged western sensibility. We have to accept that Cam and others in his situation know better about these things than we do!

Please let us know when he is safe in his own country. 

[mauRICE]

1 hour ago, khaolakguy said:

I would be anxious too! Not because I/you know anything about this process, but because you would hate anything negative to happen to him and this whole process is so alien to privileged western sensibility. 

Why would it be "so alien to privileged western sensibility"?

@jimmie50is American and I believe the issue of illegal migrants from Mexico and elsewhere has been one of the hot button issues plaguing American politics for as long as I can remember; unless @jimmie50 has been living under a rock or has a tin heart, he would have surely have heard and have feelings about it. Children have been cruelly separated from their parents and many have been incarcerated in cages at the Texas border while waiting their repatriation under the current administration. Even the mighty Obama had kicked out thousands including undocumented migrants who had paid into the system.

Relatively speaking, the Thais have been quite kind to their neighbours who have snuck in to seek better economic opportunities and I don't see the Thai government planning to build a wall anywhere.