Ups and downs in Saphan Khwai

Coming back to Bangkok I continued my exploration of Saphan Kwai and thought it would be of interest for those who like to escape the crowds.

All the bars are still there except Eagle Bar (the one facing Karmanee Hotel) which closed aboy ten months ago. Not a lot of boys in the bars but the general quality has improved.

Gayromeo boy in Lampang

More than ever Saphan Kwai is really a hit-and-miss place. I went to Street Boys on Sunday to find two bored and not to my taste boys. And I went back on Monday to find a place with a least five guys, one of them being one of those that you cannot wait to take with you by fear of seeing him go with another customer. And so I spent part of my evening with Pon, a very energetic boy from Phayao ... and if you know what is said about the Phayao boys and girls in Thailand, you will have understood he was a cute one.

I also went to Talent which is a karoke bar located at the end of Pradiphat Soi 10, so in a more remote location ... Not many guys either but a good selection and a nice captain who will not pressure you to take a boy or even to have a drink ... what a change !

I had also visited the Be High gogobar, Waterloo karaoke bar (next to Street Boy, no sign) and Heaven ... everywhere there was at least one boy that I could have taken.

Big change of pace ahead as I am booked to Chiang Rai, Lampang and Chiang Mai ... cannot wait to look again at these beautiful northern boys.

Not so quiet

I have just spent two days in Pattaya and like everyone, I was impressed how easier it is now to cross Secomd Road than before ... Less tourists for sure, to the point that Sunee Plaza would be probably a deadzone without the all-year-long residents. 

I spent my first evening in Sunee in my old favourite Threezone Bar ; this is a place which does not get a lot of advertising and this is probably better. The thai owner is an absolute delight and he is loved by all the boys who have come one day in his bar ; money does not come in the first place for him, he just likes his job of welcoming boys and customers and providing a nice atmosphere for those who like to chat with other farangs, those who look for company, or those who just want to see the world go by.

This is where I met Tam in 2003 and some other special boys too. One of them was the lao boy I almost fell in love with two years ago. I had the chance to meet him again and spent one night with him : same easy-going guy with a great face and body if you like them slim and masculine.

Boy from Gayromeo

However I did not forget to visit some other places, and especially the new Mic My Boy gogobar where a boy I offed some years ago is now the mamasan ... I have to confess I liked the atmosphere there even if would not have taken a lot of the guys on scene mostly as a precaution. Next door Nice Boys is almost its clone but with a wider range of guys. Both bars very well patronized by the way.

I also spent one afternoon in Jomtien and dared to go a little bit further than the yellow chairs I usually patronize ; imagine more space than in Phuket Gay Beach, prices so low that you think there has to be a mistake, and a very welcomed quietness. No loud-speaking farang, no screaming ladyboy, and no heavy smoker to be heard or smelt, only a former beach attendant which is now a massage boy and who took care of me for a very long time. I guess I will go back, it is worth every additional step needed to go there.

My only disappointment was with the Gayromeo boys I had carefully listed for a meeting. I am still waiting for answers as all of them seem to connect now very occasionally, while they seemed to sleep with their keyboard when I was in my country ...

Tentations

I am now slowly recovering from the flight and am already completely immersed in what will be my new life ... unfortunately for only four weeks.

I have been busy for the whole of my second day with many things to settle and action to take regarding personal and uninteresting things. It appears that I will have to be in Bangkok on Friday morning so I am already in Pattaya now, one day sooner than expected.

Yesterday in Bangkok I had not lost any hope to find Art - the sexy boy from last year - so I went again to Silom and to Super A (undisputed sleaziest bar in Bangkok). Art was not there but I found Tom whom I had "offed" two years ago - as horny as ever. He told me he had "no money because no cutomers" but that was not enough for me : I love to change ....

I wanted to have a look to the street hustlers near Sanam Luang and went there with a taxi ; we spent some time driving through Chinatown where there is currently a big fair going on. There were not a lot of boys around Saranrom park, and I chatted with one of them who said me to be very careful of robbers - especially robbers on motorbikes. After this and due to rain, I decided for a last drink in the bars near my hotel in Saphan Kwai.

..... Gayromeo boy in Bangkok ...

There were only two boys in my old favorite Street Boys and not to my sapecs at all so I left very quickly, only to be hailed into another nearby place. The captain of this bar is the former mamasan of another Saphan Kwai bar and we have been knowing each other for a long time. When entering he pushed a boy to my table and I was happy to know better a young cutie coming from Udon Thani : about 18 y/o I was told, with a short but very strong body and a face to die for ... or to be jailed for. Checking the ID card of this delight, I saw that he was still 15 two weeks ago .... so I chose to leave him in the bar after offering a good tip for his time and the great songs he sang for me. There would probably have been no problem in my hotel which usually has a very relaxed attitude, but any other customer could have thrown me into a big shit.

So it was a second night alone - not really alone as I was already thinking of a Gayromeo boy that I will contact before my next stay in Bangkok.

Realizing ... once again

Finally I am here ... Despite the joy to come back being blurred by the rigours of the journey, I finally realise that the time has come for a new stay in the country I love.

The flight in itself was an ordinay one ; I saw my thai friend in Geneva when waiting for the plane and he asked me to settle some problems for him in Thailand, and I will happily oblige. And in Zurich I did not go to downtown because Zurich airport although nice is a little bit intricate for a newcomer, and I did not want to have to rush for my connecting flight. I also was thinking about the dubious atmosphere in Zurich Railway Station at night and my holiday would have been completely destroyed should have I been robbed of my bag, so I did not want to take any risk.

Zürich Main Station at night ; not this time

In Suwanaphum I was a little worried to be noticed by the H1N1 squad, as I was not feeling very good and a little bit feverish due to a cold I had caught in France, but they did not spot anything. And going through Immigration was a breeze with only three indian people in front of me who were quickly turned back because they had not filled in the immigration form. Waiting for the luggage took another 15 minutes and I was down very quickly to the new taxi stand. Tam was the first and only thai I phoned.

However I did not realise I was in Thailand again until going out from my hotel for the first time. This has to be the best time of the holiday, when you suddenly feel free from all constraints and you are a little bit dizzy about this new freedom. I discovered the soi life again with great pleasure ... the boys were arriving for work in the local gay bars, the laundry had opened a new shop where a girl bar was located (much more useful if you ask me !), as well as a new restaurant right in the middle of the bars. And I will then discover that the very cute boy who used to sell coffee in front of my usual internet cafe was no more there .. he had opened a restaurant on his own, the owner told me. Eleven months had gone by.

How about my first night in gay Bangkok ... due to a short downpour at 7 pm I feared that not a lot of boys would turn up in the Saphan Kwai bars so I decided for a trip to Silom instead. I drank a coke at Dick's Cafe where I had never seen so many people before. And in spite of repeated glances with a cute massage boy from neighbouring Bonny Massage, I chose to go to the sleazy places in Soi Anuman Ratchathon. I hoped to meet again Art - the boy I met last year in the now closed Golden Flower Bar, but he was nowhere to be seen. Lots of guys up to my taste in Solid Bar.

Not willing to indulge in a night long relationship, I finally chose the easy option and entered the Twinks Massage Place - which had received some good and bad advertising recently on the Sawatdee Forums. What I can say is that there are a lot of cute boys on supply here, mostly in the 18-20 range and mostly with nice tanned faces. The welcoming ladyboy was not so bad although a little bit insistent ... He announced that the 500 THB you have to pay was not a massage fee but the price for the room ... couldn't be more clear ! I chose a 18 y/o Roi Et guy with a very cute and smiling face but obviously lacking experience.

At last I had reached in Thailand and well ...

Countdown

At the beginning it was eleven months … you could as well have said forever …

And the time elapsed slowly, punctuated by daily and weekly virtual trips through the net … and then it became six months to go, and then one month … and to-day it is one week ; one week left before I land in Suwanaphum.

I checked that the same Swiss flight to-day arrived on time, and it did. I checked my bags and they are still there … although far from being ready. I checked my international driving license and had to rush off to extend it in case Tam would like to drive out of Chiang Mai. And where is this thread with the directions to this gay karaoke in Laksi which I promise to visit since at least ten years ?

I got some news and they are now no more virtual : there was a terrible downpour in Pattaya to-day, and the 'reds' will stage a protest in Pattaya on the 24th, just on the day I will come back from Pattaya to Bangkok. And the guys on Gayromeo are less and less virtual too, and more and more like the promise of a nice evening … or more.

Once again the time has come back when there is nothing really important in life except my family and THE next trip. It looks like this last week is going to be soooooo… long.

See you in Bangkok !

Adam's Apple

According to their newsletter that they just have sent me, Adam's Apple would already be open - contrary to what I wrote below. However it would be only a soft opening before the Grand Opening Party on October 9th (private party from what I read on Thaivisa.com), and probably a full closure on election days in Chiang Mai (October 4th).

For me the opening will be at the end of next October and I cannot wait to go and see their show ...

In-trend

The in-trend destination for gay sex tourists this year will obviously be Chiang Mai – and you know what ? In about five weeks I will be there too - although I usually carefully shun everything "in-trend".

First there is this Lavender Lanna Hotel / Power Boys gogo bar and other businesses, which are due to open in October among growing controversy. Some tell that this will be a great improvement for the town, others including gay activist Nathee Thirarotjanapong fear that the complex will be located in a too visible location and will bring a bad light on Northern culture, especially because of the wide advertising all over the world. What do I think of this ? Well, erased threads, heavy insinuations, banned posters and conflicting viewpoints do not allow to have any opinion on this when you are 9000 km far from the spot, except that many businesses are probably feeling that their interests are seriously threatened by the new venue. There is likely still more to this, as I understand that Chiang Mai is currently preparing local elections. What I know is I did not choose to come to Chiang Mai for this place and I am not even sure I will have the time to visit.

What is more interesting is the opening of Adam's Apple which is scheduled on Octobre the 9 th after a dress rehearsal yesterday. I have great memories from this bar and can only hope the format will not be too different. In the same Chang Phuak area, another sleazy place is said to open soon near Viang Bua Mansion (Happy Dicks is the more recent name) ; and there is also the older bars like Freeguys where I already know I will "off" someone because these Thai Yai boys are really my style.

What worries me is the fate of some other bars. Those in the small alley near Night Bazaar seem to be still there : they will remind me the sudden surge of adrenalin I felt three years ago when facing unexpectedly a young Tai Yai boy in the common toilets. A similar bar is Yum Boi Boi which had just opened in Santitham Plaza – also north of town. It seems they had available hosts, unlike other gay bars in the area which are more thai-oriented. However I just had the news that they have closed until early October ; hopefully this will not be a permanent closure, as they are said to have promising young lads.

. . . Yummy guys in Chiang Mai (thai-eyes website)

What is also new about Chiang Mai these days is the great updated information you can get on the net through nice websites such as the already well-known ratchada.com, and also asiancoop.com, chiangmaichimes.com (Nightlife section), thai-eyes.com and the gay section on Thaivisa.

Homework is so easier when you have good updated information . . .

Things to do

This morning I spent at least three hours choosing a hotel in Lampang where I will stay only for one night … and here I was once again roaming the streets of the small town, trying to locate the house of boys and another bar where there could be boys for rent … The hotel also had to be not too far from the bus station as I will use a bus for coming from Chiang Rai and for going on to Chiang Mai as well. And close to the song thaew which will bring me to the Wat Phra That Lampang Luang which will be the highlight of my short visit. Finally I will stay at the Phin Hotel which gets rather good reviews everywhere and is conveniently located in downtown Lampang.

So I am gradually working out the schedule of the trip, at least regarding transportation and lodging. The rest will be left to instant decision making depending on the boys I will meet, the rain, and a famous virus which hopefully will not destroy my so long awaited stay.

However this is the list of things to do for this trip …
- helping Tam to overcome his sadness after his mother passed away … he should like Loi Krathong in Chiang Mai
- climbing the Samoeng Pass near Chiang Mai on a bike (already on the list two years ago and left undone)
- recovering from my trip in one of the Suriwong massage places, preferably Twinks Massage on Soi Anuman Ratchathon
- exploring Pradiphat Soi 21 where a little advertised boys bar is said to have opened recently
- expanding the list of the provinces where I have already already spent at least one night … 20 so far and counting… good excuse to go to Potharam in Ratchaburi province …
- finding the gorgeous boy met on Romeo … 19 y/o and a body to die for, not working in a bar but in the @~~##88$` Restaurant in Pattaya - and trying to "off" him (he is not the guy on the picture above).

So many things to do and so little time ..

Emotional

I do not like to post links to songs I like because there would be too many of them and it is generally very boring for the readers.

This post will be an exception for a thai song that deeply moves me everytime I hear it. I first heard it when it was the the theme tune of a Thai TV programm about schools in the poorer areas of Thailand. And I burst into tears when my thai-swiss friend sang it in a karaoke in Saphan Kwai many years ago. This "rongrian khong noo" is simply one of the best songs I have ever heard.

It tells the life of schools in the mountains, far from anything and without too much money, where a lonely teacher dedicates himself body and soul to the education of the mountain children. It tells the will of the thai state to bring education into the remotest parts of the country, it tells the sadness of traditional life and culture being forgotten and in the same time the hope for a better life for these poor children.

It tells the feelings of my father and mother seventy years ago in the Alps ...

The lyrics of this thai song are simple and incredibly touching, and the tune is also fantastic especially in the version linked below with an amazing flute player. May I say that tears still come into my eyes because of such a beautiful melody ...



My School by Phongsit Khamphee
โรงเรียนของหนู (พงษ์สิทธิ์ คำภีร์)

Too long

Meeting my "sapecs"

Eleven months is really too long when this is the time you have to wait between two trips to Thailand.

Should I believe what is written on the boards, I should be cheated or assaulted at every street corner, laid up in bed by whatever virus, and stuck in an airport. Being a hardcore Thailand fan (should I write : sex tourist), it would take much more to give up a long-awaited trip.

What I fear much more is closed bars and too few boys – so just in case I opened a Gayromeo account ; I have to say I am favourably impressed by what I can see … no date for the moment (too early …) but a nice collection of boys who meet exactly my sapecs (specifications). And also some nice chats – some in thai, some in English with above average cute lads who are obviously looking for customers.

The schedule is now ready and flights are already booked … Air Asia had a promotion for flights priced at 700 THB including taxes … who could resist to that ? So it will be two days in Chiang Rai (I am booked at the North Hotel who is gay-friendly, ideally located and not expensive), one in Lampang just to find the house of boys I read about in the TMM webboard and five in Chiang Mai where I will stay in Mercure (former Novotel) : I had to weigh up the pros and cons of this hotel against the Viang Bua Mansion for a long time, but Mercure – although more costly – has a pool and is closer to the main street, which could be convenient at night. They also have a shuttle bus to the Night Bazar at night ; I just hope that the sleazy joints overthere will hold out till next October.

The remaining weeks will be spent between Bangkok and Pattaya – I am already dreaming about my next visits to the Saranrom street hustlers (no way I will be deterred to go there by some unverified reports), to some massage places near Silom and some promising bars in Sunee Plaza.

Sorry not to give any report for the time being ; be sure I keep in touch with everything going on in Thailand so that I can waste as little time as possible once I am there.

Mourning

Tam's mother has passed away … I had a phone call when going to work and I did not realise immediately, but had the confirmation when I phoned back four hours later. She was a heavy smoker and it was no surprise that she died of lung cancer - despite being still young at 58 y/o. 

She was a tiny and feeble woman that I had met twice when going visiting Tam's house in Phrae province. She had probably some worries with her only son when he was a teenager ; recently they were living in the same house and they seemed to go along very well again.

Tam seemed to be very greatly affected by this death ; I am too because this woman was a shy but very nice and thoughtful mother. And her death made me realise how lucky I am to still have my own mother who despite being 82 y.o is as healthy as ever.

Tam had got his good looks and his strength from his father but she had given him her sweetness and her honesty. I hope that he will overcome this event with the help of his friends and his family ; what I hope too is that he will not sink into discouragement, especially as the bad economic situation does not allow him to find a job which would have helped him to forget this loss.

He did not ask me for money but I sent some for helping him with the ceremony. We will meet again in Chiang Mai for the Loy Krathong festival, and though I still want to have some free time on my own, I think I will spend more time with him than last year.

Revival

Northern thai boy

More than five months since I last updated  … I have been really overloaded with work this year and did not have time to think of new subjects. In fact my only contacts with Thailand were through the news and the webboards. I also had some phone calls with Tam who is going well despite a broken arm, and also with the two boys from my last stay in Pattaya : the beach seller and the young looking freelancer ; both are now back home because of the poor number of tourists in Pattaya.

Things are going to improve for me and I should now have some more free time. Unfortunately I will go to Thailand only once this year, because of too short holidays. And I have now begun the process of planning and booking – the best part of the trip they say, but surely the most important when you do not want to waste your time. In fact I am already booked on a Swiss flight, a company I have never tried before and I am thrilled to test it for the first time (especially as I could have time enough for a drink in my favourite bar during waiting time in Zurich).

What stays in my memory after a Thailand trip is mostly the visits I make in the provinces, more than my stays in Pattaya. This year it should be up to the north once again ... In fact I cannot forget the wonderful Shan boys since my stay in 2007, and I also want to ride a bike in the mountains.

So my intention is to visit Chiang Rai for two nights, and Chiang Mai for four nights. Accomodation is not booked yet but I have read good reviews about The North Hotel in downtown Chiang Rai (they have a roof terrace too ..) and Wiang Bua Mansion in the northern part of Chiang Mai … close to Adams Apple which should have reopened.

I also will make a short stay in Lampang, for the horses and for the wat … and also to look for a house of boys which was mentioned on a thai webboard … just for my own general knowledge of course.

I have yet to think about how Tam will fit into the schedule … I would like him to be with me for the Loy Krathong Festival and will get out of my way to be in any other place than Pattaya on that day. Loy Krathong is so romantic in any place in Thailand except Pattaya where it has turned into a commercial fair that I want to avoid at all costs.

Now four months and a half and counting ...