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 ...

Central Mall

I have read on the boards that the new Central Department Store has just opened in Pattaya ... a good news for me as the hotel where I usually stay in Pattaya is very close.

This said I wonder wether the sales attendants will be as cute as the construction workers who were there last November ...


BTW I have just introduced some minor changes to the blog layout ; I especially hope that it will be more Firefox-friendly than before.

Greetings

Eternity

I am back in Farangland since six weeks but it seems like an eternity. It is very cold here and we had a lot of snow, which should be good for business but not for heat lovers.

Of course everyone including my boss was delighted that I could escape Thailand one week before the airport closure … I would not frankly agree on this, because being stranded in Thailand is exactly what I was secretly hoping. This being said, I had to suffer a three hours delay at the departure from Bangkok and did not really like it so I guess things are not so simple (and I would have been in a f… sh… had I arrived two weeks late at work …).

The airport closure was a torment for my mind, because of the bad image it gave to the country that I love (and which made one of my fellow worker cancel a four-people trip planned for Januray). And also because I was thinking of all the boys in Pattaya – and all Thailand workers - who were deprived of good business due to these well-to-do thugs blocking the airport only to maintain their egoistic privilege. I got another stab in the heart when I read the news that H M the King would cancel His adress to the nation, as I was really looking forward to hear His kind ans wise words. 

Since then, I regularly get in touch with Tam, and much more often than before. To-day is his birthday – he is now 28 y/o but he still has the spontaneousness and the enthusiasm of a young guy. I guess our story is still far from the end and I am very happy with it. And I thought I was interested only in twinkies … 

I have also kept in touch with the Threezone freelancer as well as with the beach seller. This one had to go back home for a while because of a lack of business. He has comme back to Pattaya now and I hope that he can sell his stuff without being too spoilt by his customers – call it jealousy ? I get a thrill everytime I hear his fresh voice and I really hope to see him again, even if I have to go to his place – it would be good as he lives in one of the provinces that I have still to visit.

What helps me a lot too is reading the reports of a cycling tour that a member of the Gay Thailand webboard is currently riding. Travelling with a bike is my other lifelong passion along with travelling in Thailand so you can imagine how this ride from Chiang Mai to Phuket is a fascinating story for me – even if I would rather travel alone to have a better contact with the locals. But of course this is now only a dream at least for the five years left before I can hopingly retire …

Leaving

Sunday 16th was my last day in Pattaya before … not too long, this is at least what I hope. The beach seller had absolutely wanted to see me in the hotel for my leaving and I had to promise to see him again … I think I will because this boy really turned me on despite (or because of) his shyness. I almost felt some tears in my eyes when the boy walked away.

Temporary monument for Royal Cremation

Back to Bangkok, Tam and me went to Sanam Luang to see the Monument erected for the Royal Cremation, but we both had forgotten to wear black clothes and besides this it was raining again. At night, I could not help going a last time to the Silom area where most bars were open despite the mourning. We went to the bar where I had offed Art ; I did not invite him but slipped him a small tip when leaving, which sparked off some whispering among the other boys.

The last day was the usual race to enjoy the slightest minute left, with a lump in the throat especially this time as it could be – who knows ? - my last time in Thailand … We visited Sanam Luang again, duly dressed in black and admiring the place among hundreds of thais. Back in the hotel, we made the usual last day chores, and then had a last drink in Dick's Cafe. I prefer not to remember the trip to the airport, and the time came for us to part.

After a last Singha beer, Tam went back alone to the hotel ; it made me feel as if I had one night more with him. And I passed the immigration, only to discover that the flight would be late and that I would miss the connection to Geneva. The hassle was beginning again ….

Rays of sunshine

Tam arrived on the 10th although we had first agreed to meet for Loy Krathong on the 12th … but the busses from Phrae were full because of the Royal Cremation, so he had to come earlier. As soon as I saw him, I was sure that I loved him more than any one, more than the beach seller or than the Threezone freelancer. He was tanned from the works in the fields, he was smiling like always and he had the same radiant attitude which made me fall in love five years ago.

Being rather more educated than your average thai friend, Tam is open to everything and he really loves eating foreign food … he enjoyed the meal I had planned for our reunion in a good French restaurant (Freelax, Third Road behind Buffalo Bar). Be sure the red wine had the place of honour including for this thai country boy. We then went to Threezone where he is as popular as ever, and he did not mind going to Butterfly karaoke with other boys including the freelancer I had "offed" more than once already … what a change from his former obsessive jealousy.

We staid together on the second day too and went visiting some gay bars in Boyztown ; we enjoyed the Wild West Boys show as well as the boys : for now this place is by far the nicest among the bars I visited in the area, be it for the atmosphere, the service and did I mention the boys ?

The third day was Loi Krathong day … a day that I have always enjoyed to the deepest when in Bangkok but that has yet to impress me when celebrated in Pattaya. The atmosphere in Jomtien was the same as in a commercial fair, there was little to be felt of the incredible beauty of this tradition that you meet in less touristy places. A lot of pictures were taken but I swore Tam his picture would not appear on this blog …

There was then another visit to the beach chairs, with a nice weather for the fourth day in a row … my boyfriend had brought the sunshine with him and he made no bones about reminding me of this. The beach seller gave a massage to both of us and we then had a nice meal in my favorite open air eatery (Nong Jai, along Pattaya 2nd near Mike Shopping Mall, some nice male staff too). I could not help thinking while eating that I was there sitting at the same table with the two boys I liked the most in the world. Like a caring older brother, Tam brought then the beach seller back home on the motorbike we had rent, as the boy was living very far away in the Naklua area. I had not asked anything to him and it was impressing to see Tam taking care of this young guy which he could as well have considered as a possible rival. This day was the last one before the three mourning days, so I wanted to visit some more bars in Sunee while Tam went seeing some movie in Big C. In fact I went to Le Gun Bar where the cutest boy by far was one of the waiters just arrived from Khorat.

What can I do for you ? (gorgeous waiter in Bang Sare seafood restaurant)

The last two days in Pattaya took place in a very special atmosphere because of most gay bars being closed and most boys being off-duty ; we went in the countryside out of Pattaya, and I particularly liked the Buddha Image in the Mountain, where two busloads of school students from Nakhon Pathom were also visiting. We had another meal in Bang Sare (Rim Nam Restaurant, first one when coming from the Bang Sare beach (so with Jomtien in your back). Quiet atmosphere, great seafood and view over the sea and Jomtien : despite a very strong wind, it was another enjoyable time with my lover. The cute male staff (see above) was an unexpected bonus....

Beach seller

After two weeks with a lot of daily packing and unpacking, I was happy to arrive in Pattaya for an eleven-day stay in my favourite hotel. With a nice roof pool, an attentive and never intrusive staff, and far from the gay ghettos, this is a place that I like to call "home away from home". Despite a never ending bad weather, the first half of my stay has been as pleasant as it could be, with the typical schedule being lazy afternoons at Jomtien, and roaming the Sunee Plaza bars in the evening.

Beach boys on Jomtien gay beach

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If I did not mingle much with the Jomtien beach assistants this time, I had a special relation with one of the sellers – whom I cannot give too many details about, as he is still working there. Talking a lot with him, I could discover how hard the life of these guys can be – at least for those who do not want to accept the proposals that they invariably get from many farangs.

This one was a good-looking 18 y/o from Isan, not gay at all and very shy – except for selling his stuff where he showed genuine talent despite his limited English. He had left school at age 11 mostly because his mother abandoned the family and he had to take care of an ill father. He worked at home, then staid some years in Bangkok as a construction worker, and finally came to Pattaya as an occasionnal seller.

He told me his "boss" gave him 30 % of what he could sell, but not a lot of farangs were buyers, so the income was not high. What struck me was his incredible willpower to face all the problems he had, and his invariably good-humoured nature despite a not so bright future. Refusing any extra money above the agreed price and uneasy like a child when I offered him a mobile phone to replace the broken one he had, it was obvious that he was not a liar but a good boy.

Shy (and cute) beach seller

He moonlighted as a masseur too and took care of me with much more strength than many others on the beach. On the following day, unable to stand it any longer, I asked him if he could give me another massage, but this time I would need a special one. After some hesitation, he told me that he had gone only once to a farang's place (he feared being raped ...) and only for an ordinary massage.

However he finally accepted to go and I have to say that I was very happy to give him the tip he had asked for – I will never forget the time when he took his briefs off and his virility at first very discreet quickly developped into a long and slim pole that I had the pleasure to bring to climax. This is when he told me he had never jacked off before, and only had wet dreams – will I ever know wether this was true or not ?


Other discoveries of this first week were the Jomtien night venues that are easy to forget when you live in Pattaya. A special mention goes to Rockhard Boys where the guys are really cute and the atmosphere very hot.

Another usual haunt was an old favourite of mine, the Threezone Beer Bar in Sunee Plaza, the place where I met Tam five years ago. After a long "lady-boy only" period, they now welcome freelancers again and they have some real cuties coming on a more or less regular basis. Besides this, the thai owner is a very nice guy, and he has completely redone the place ; what has not changed is the unobstructed view over the entry to Villa Rouge and the soi life, which leads to carefree and relaxing unforgettable times.

A promising excursion to Kor Larn which turned quickly to a nightmare because of pouring rain (but these wet half-naked russian boys are so hot!), and more than one disappointment from visiting some Boyztown bars : these were the other events of this first week. To-night Tam will join me for the rest of my stay and this prospect makes me surprisingly happy despite what it means as regards my cherished freedom ..... I guess that I love him more than I thought …

Halftime in Bangkok

Coming back from Isaan, I decided not to go to Pattaya immediately, but rather stay three more days in Bangkok.

Shy owner fled the scene, sorry

I can swear the coffee boy from Saphan Khwai was not the reason for this difficult decision, as I quickly understood that he was not available ; a very shy guy too as he chose to flee the scene when I asked him if I could take a picture of his shop. So you will have to go to Pradiphat Road if you want to see him (Sunday closed). Avoid Mondays because it seems it is his girlfriend's free day.

I finally went back to the Flower Shower Gogo Bar (or is it the Taurus Bar ?) in Silom Soi 6 (between Golden Cock and Nature Boy) as I could not help thinking of Art, the dark-skinned boy I had chatted with on my first day. He was still there, and this time I "offed" him to my room and he accepted – after much pressure from me - to stay for the night. Was it because of his dark skin ? Or his wild looks ? This guy turned me on big scale, and each time I touched his skin, I felt horny like with very few boys before ; a matter of chemistry I guess as he his not outstandingly cute. He also proposed me to go to the internet cafe and find boys on-line and invite them for a sex party in my room … which I declined for obvious security reasons. Unfortunately this boy was also a heavy (ciggies) smoker and had the typical barboy biorythm : looking at TV for the whole night and going to sleep at dawn, so I was almost relieved to see him go back home at 6 in the morning.

Not wishing to spend another day in Bangkok, I then chose to take one day off in Hua Hin. Using one of the numerous rot too leaving from Victory Monument saves the long trip to the Southern Bus Station, so I arrived in the sea resort at 1 in the afternoon, leaving plenty of time for shopping and for a short walk to the beach. My hotel was the PP Villa Resort which doesn't advertise on the net but proposes a perfect location (300 m to the beach and should be the centre of gravity of all the local gay places), big and quiet rooms and a sunny pool for a very decent price (1200 THB high season).

The main reason for my short trip to Hua Hin was seeing again the Nong Khai boys in Faq Thong Massage Place. And the good news was that the three of last July were still there, with a fourth one having joined meanwhile. I chose two of them, the one I had chosen in July and another one, very short and very tanned and who will prove a tireless mouth-kisser. As always when you take two boys from the same place, the performance was tempered by a lot of shyness, but they were so hot that I did not regret my choice.

I paid a short visit to the other places in Hua Hin : Red indian had more boys than last time including some isaan delights, Guys Bar was less exciting than in July, and I finally could locate the Candlelight Bar that I had vainly looked for last July (and it was worth it despite the very few boys in this bar)

Although the beach, with its dead fishes, sandflies and horse dung, didn't appeal to me, I could really have staid longer in Hua Hin without feeling in the least bored. I guess I should consider staying longer there in the future : Hua Hin is definitely not a BYOB (Bring Your Own Boy) place any more. However I went back to Bangkok, without stopping in the famous gay resorts in Potharam ; I would have taken some pride to have been the first one to write a review on the boards, but time is really too short when you are on holiday.

My last visit in Bangkok was another taxi trip to Sanam Luang (Saranrom area). Despite the Royal Cremation events, it was business as usual along the streets including near the entry to Tha Tian pier ; however I went back home alone. I wanted to be on top form for my stay in Pattaya.

Isan escapade (2)

On the third day, I went to Roi Et which is known for its lake in the middle of the town and also for a big Buddha statue. It is a very short trip from Sakhon Nakhon with at first a beautiful mountain scenery, a bus change in Kalasin and then the typical isaan landscape until Roi Et. The bus from Kalasin to Roi Et was full with gorgeous students, one of them seating next to me.. I will always regret to have answered “one” to the bus attendant who was collecting the travel fare and had asked me “kii thii” (how many tickets) ?”. I should have been swift enough to tell “only one, but I would like so much pay for two …”.

Quiet afternoon in Roi Et . . .

Roi Et town was not quite up to what I expected : I thought the lake would be busy at night but it was not at all despite the place being very romantic and convenient for cruising. There are only two bars near the lake, all of them farang places for the few local expats living there… That will teach me not to believe one word of what local motorsai drivers say : one of them had insured me that boys came at night near the 99 Hotel, but I did not see anyone of them. So it was another lonely night in the Petchara Garden Hotel, a former upmarket place who has lowered its prices down to 550 THB (breakfeast included) probably due to a not very convenient location two kilometers far from downtown. But god how boring these upmarket hotels are ...

The last stay was in Khorat where I had a great disappointment seeing that the alley leading to the Buddy Boys Bar had remained locked up – with no explanation about a possible closure. Sure this place never had a lot of boys but it is (was ?) a very old gay place in Khorat and I hope I just went there on a wrong day (east end of Soi Lampru, 120 meters coming from the Thanon Suranari intersection, find a wooden sign on your right with only thai writing except for the word “IN" in English).

With the help of a motorsai driver, I could locate the Tawan Bar ... closed as well. It is a place in the middle of nowhere with no sign on the house, but this was probably the right location (south west of Sima Thani Hotel but south of the railway) as it fitted with the description I had read on the TMM website. The motorsai driver told me it was a very good bar and was still opened yesterday, but who would believe a motorsai driver ?

In Pailin Square, there is also an all-male disco called Khorat 69, I did not go inside because I was alone, but this one was well alive and had very promising boys standing in front. Another small bar reported to be located in the commercial center along the Sima Thani Hotel could not be found as well, despite an eager search... So much for the Khorat scene on that day (and it was on a Saturday night).

There are still some hookers along the moat near the Ya Mo Monument (in the Cathai Hotel area), but one who solicited me had no ID Card and seemed a little bit dangerous so I did not take him - although being so horny after four nights of chastity …

All in all an interesting trip to Isaan but not for the boys - although I could have done much better with a little bit more luck, daring and experience.