Happiness

Only four weeks to go .. I have just come to the point when I have less waiting time than the total amount of time I will spend in Thailand, and this is exactly the point when the next stay turns from an unreachable illusion to a possible fact.

No must-to-do list this time as two-thirds of what I schedule usually stay undone. I only have a booked flight form Bangkok to Ubon on October 28 th and the rest of the stay will be organised from day to day. I just noticed that there will be a long holiday around the 23rd of October so I will have to come to Pattaya some days before. Better to stay flexible as weather, politics, health hazards (and boys) could shatter any tight schedule.

Am I getting older ? I feel that I should be much more cautious this time with many things. I am really concerned about mosquito-borne deseases especially as I will spend some days in the Northeast. And some stories about the atmosphere getting worse in Pattaya are worrying .. not so much about crimes as it is only a matter of not being in the wrong place at the wrong time : but dealing with some of the new patronage Pattaya is now attracting seems more and more difficult for this farang who likes peacefulness, politeness and good eduaction, all of which do not seem to be the main characteristics of some of the new Pattaya visitors.

Hey, it could be worse .. what would be really worrying would be not being able to go to Thailand any more because of money, health, or work … for the time being I am as excited as before my second trip because I know since then that Thailand is the place where I always find happiness.

Hope

You are there so there is a dream
There is a dream so there is hope

These are the first words of one of the greatest lukthung hits of the year by Phai Phongsathon, the cute male singer from Yasothon (mi thoe jung mii khwamfan).

There is hope because once again I should have another stay in Thailand in two and a half month and this prospect fills me with joy – as childish as it may sound for those of you who live full time there.

I have not updated the blog since a long time because of too much work and also too many bad news : troubles in Bangkok, euro's plummetting value, and new rules regarding retirement age in my country : my government wants me to work for about two years more than expected … not very fair if you ask me (more appropriate words being treason and disgrace).

The drought hitting Thailand this year made me also very concerned about my boyfriend Tam who could not work at his farm, and I felt he was quite upset by the severe lack of rain. He has just been hired as a cook in a hotel restaurant in Jomtien and I hope everything will be OK for him.

Even the webboards about gay Thailand could not help alleviate the bad atmosphere. The main one has now turned into a hopeless battlefield where there is very little to read except for some trip reports. One of the posters – the famous LMTU – is one of the few bothering to give interesting information and feelings, but he is generally ranted at by some posters who seem to spend their whole aimless life behind a computer screen (although I admit not knowing – and not being interested by – the whole story). Gaybutton starting a new board again is a good news and the first threads seem to be encouraging (link on the right) - and yes this will be make all of us youger by many years !

I am now in the process of planning my stay and have a lot of housework arranging flights and hotels with the aim to visit some new places in Isaan and also taking my time in Bangkok and Pattaya. And I have to say I am more and more often thinking of having Tam or another brown-skinned Thai boy in my bed …

Uncertain times

I am currently not in Thailand and far from being there … in fact I am just in the middle of my stay in Farangland and it is still five months and a half before I land again in Suwanaphum – flight booked since one month

Despite being very busy at work, I keep tightly in touch with what's going on in Thailand now and I understand the situation is very hot and could change for the worst at short notice. My opinion about all this doesn't matter except for the fact that all this mess is a very sad time for thai people whom I like so much, and beginning with the Highest Person in the country.

And also it seems another step in a downwards spiral which could bring Thailand to a point where I would not be interested to go there again … I am far from it now, having invested so much time and passion to learn this country, loving it so much and still being excited to go there as if it were the first trip.

You should see me recording thai music on my MP3 for my next trip … Or answering with all the details an inquiry about Ubon gay places on a gay webboard (which gave me a strong desire to plan a short visit there very soon …). Not what you could imagine from a respected mature adult …

Would I go if I were to leave in two weeks ? Of course yes but I would be very worried, not so much about my own security but because of all the hindrances the reds' actions would put across my way. I can live in Bangkok without setting a foot in Silom and Siam Square for sure, although I would miss my frequent jaunts to Dicks Café or the Soi Pratuchai massage places. From what I understand, my beloved Saphan Kwai area is not affected at all, and Saranrom area is still brimmed with boys at night - cute as ever and more willing than ever from what I understand on a thai website - although they moved a little further from the former area.

What is more disturbing are the road checks, time losses, and everything which could happen which would thwart the most carefully scheduled plans … This is why nothing is planned yet : I intended at first to go in Chiang Mai again with short stops in Uthai Thani and Phitsanuloke (where I just heard of a new gay bar) but am now more inclined towards Isaan.

Anyway being able to go there again would be so great in itself in these uncertain times that everything else will come as a bonus.

Samui

Yes the pool is in Koh Samui ; at least this is what we could guess from this picture.

I never went there despite some good information we read here and there about gay nightlife in Chaweng. Samui is not yet in my plans for my next trip (just booked my flight at a reasonable rate but still a long time from to-day).

By the way I opened a Twitter account (see link in the upper right corner of this page) but I am not smart enough to be sure it will be useful or not ...

Trifles

I still wonder how I am able to endure eleven months at home when I perfectly know that for the next four or five years, my stays in Thailand will only be the usual four-weeks trips – if everything goes well ! I am said one could get mental disorders from situations like this ?

How much I would like to explore the country on my own, go wherever I wish to go and stay as long as I want … for now it's only a dream and a dream which could come true .. or not ! Uncertainties about retirement age, about health and everything which could happen, about the future of our euro, seem to grow every year.

Some novelties have just come to enlighten the time I have to spend here … trivial things but which are so important when you are stuck in a neverending winter and a boring routine..

First there was the new Lonely Planet French edition … I know some regard this travel guide as useless and tacky and I am the first one to escape the places they advise too strongly. They have some good information however and they provide good reading when you are far from Thailand. For the first time they have included a chapter about a province which is one my favourite ones : Phayao ; this shows that they try hard to find interesting new places to visit. I was egoistically relieved that they did not list my preferred hotels in Bangkok and Pattaya, which will make them stay affordable and not too busy … And two provinces I want to visit one day – after viewing some TV programs about them – were not listed as well, so I guess that I should be very quiet next time in Nong Bua Lamphu and Uthai Thani …

Another important (for me) trifle was the new Thai TV schedule. I know there are a lot of thai channels on the net but I prefer to look at TV on a real TV set so my choice is limited to the international thai channel known as TV Global Network. Since January they have a new schedule with lots of music which seem to come from Fun TV .. if you don't know this channel, your boyfriend does. Many programs show lots of songs in the lukthung and phua tchiwit genre, and this improves daily life a lot …

You need everything when you count eight months before going back to the place you love

Happy New Year 2553

A very happy New Year to everyone ... 
                                                 and thank you for coming

Same same or different ?

After a 10 years affair with Singha Beer, I changed my mind and turned to Beer Chang some years ago. I had the privilege to be the first customer to taste their new brand in Threezone Bar and must say I was very pleased with it. They call it Classic and I found that it tasted much better than the Singha Beer and also the former Chang … however some think that the Chang company changed only the packaging and not the liquid, so is there a chemist over here who could tell more ?

Speaking about drinks, I have closed the accounts of my trip and for the first time I spent much less in the bars and discos than before … an average 975 bahts a day as compared to 1300/1400 before. Not sure this is linked to my new fondness towards Chang Classic (which comes cheaper), but I did not go very often to the karaokes and did not set a foot in any disco, and this made all the difference … However the costs for eating have soared to an average 1120 bahts a day, thanks to my boyfriend being a voracious gourmet … Accomodation remained low at an average 870 bahts a night tips included, and transport was 510 bahts a day despite three air tickets (flight to and from Thailand not included).

Highest item was the boys (counting all tips from the 100 bahts for the guy sitting and chatting in a bar, to the gifts and tips for the boyfriend) : 3300 bahts a day, accounting for about 45 % of my daily expenses.

But after all, aren't they the main reason why we go to Thailand ?

Missed ones

It is already one month since I came back - boredom and sameness have taken its toll again after a one month stay in Thailand. Like before, phone calls with Tam, the net and the thai television will remain the only links with the place I love, and this probably for still ten months as I cannot see how I could go back before next October.

This trip was a nice one, and if I cannot say any more that the last trip was better than the former ones, I still have to wait for being disappointed. Despite all what you read here and there, Thailand is still the best place for single men who like hot weather, cheap prices and hot boys - and much more.

I could feel once again how easy it is to meet cute and willing boys not only in the bars but using different ways. I used Gayromeo for the first time and this was probably the best session in the trip – although without any romantism …

However I will forever think of another boy I had picked before the trip and whom I never could meet … he did not log in since October 17 th and we only had some short messages. He told me he worked in KFC Royal Garden so I went there to have a meal (which tells a lot about how badly I wanted to meet him)… no one to be seen. I guess I'll have to add him to the list of the missed ones – like the waiter in the hotel in Lampang and the waiter in the Nong Jai restaurant in Pattaya.

I will have to be bolder next time …

Last day in Paradise

This evening will be the 21st time I will leave Thailand to go back home. I never can get used to go through what is a real ordeal - and this is like that since the very first time. And the thought of a long and tiring flight is another sad prospect.

The last two days were spent with Tam in Bangkok after our nine days in Pattaya : this allows us to sort out all sorts of things like last-minute shopping, laundry, and for Tam the mandatory visit to an aunt in Minburi. This also makes the transition to "normal life" easier. And I have to say that it makes me love Bangkok more, as it is the place where I will have the last good time before all the hassle waiting for me at home.

Yesterday, while Tam was in the sticks, I had a short trip to Silom where I have spent a lot of time during this stay. I wanted to see Soi Twilight for a last time – as if I wanted to be sure this place was not a dream. And I also wanted a last massage …

The Bangkok Massage boys had almost dragged me to their den but I decided to walk on to see what was available. The Bonny Boys were not up to my taste and there were not a lot of them outside so I went on to the Red Massage some meters further. Three or four guys were sitting waiting for customers, including a rather small one with a shy but beautiful face … I went upstairs and asked to see all the boys, and about seven or eight more lads sprang from nowhere .. a good bunch of guys of all styles, but I chose the one I had seen first.

He came from Cambodgia and was 19 y/o ; the message was rather curious : I had asked for an oil massage but he did not use any oil at first. He quickly managed to spend some more time insisting on my buttocks while I was still lying down, and he moved my arms in such a way that my hand was located exactly under his naked groin … I did not need any persuasion to do what I had to do and his cock quickly showed that he liked it. I was liking it too and we cuddled some more time before I came.

I was thinking that the sex had been good but the massage very brief, when he finally brought oil and another towel and made an ordinary but nice massage for exactly the time I had paid for. After some more cuddling – but once again no mouth-kissing - it was his turn to send a long spurt of his liquids inside my mouth.

I rewarded him accordingly and hurried back to Saphan Kwai where I was to meet Tam. After another meal in Rakhang Thong, we decided to go to Sanam Luang again … bad choice as the demonstration by the yellow shirts was just breaking up. Nevertheless the night market was in full swing, and there were even some boys along the streets, among many policemen and all the demonstrators looking for their bus. Tam told me he had come across injured people due to what he thought being a crash ; only this morning we heard that this was in fact a bomb attack.

We escaped the place for our last night together before long. And believe me or not, I am almost weeping my tears when writing this.

Night Market in Sanam Luang

Randy devil

The best boy I had this time was not found in the bars : I finally could get in touch with one of the Gayromeo lads I had contacted before my trip.

His messages had been very straightforward and exciting : "can do everything", "I send you picture of my dick" and the like … not very romantic but we sometimes need to speak clearly, don't we ?

He gave me his phone number and we had an appointment in front of the movie rooms in Centre Festival (so very close to my hotel). Missed meeting as he failed to turn up, which did not came as a big surprise.

I called him back and we finally met in front of Tuk.com : he was only 40 minutes late … Small guy; seeming to be in a hurry … and curiously he spoke mostly english while our messages were all in thai. We hopped on a songthaew to my hotel and this was the big feast … a very passionate guy, who makes you understand what a sex worker really should be : kissing, fucking and being fucked, giving you the illusion he is really enjoying himself. It seemed everything could have been possible with this little sex bomb … exactly the kind of guy you would take for some hot group session.

From my computer screen ...

His age was officially 18 but I still wonder whether this was true … the ID Card had an almost invisible picture ("should replace it but no have time"). He had worked in Euro Boys before (where I have always found the boys to be quite experienced despite being on the youger side, special training perhaps ?), but I still wonder how one can be so skillful at having sex when being so young - or am I deluding myself about the young generation ?

Having seen this sex bomb on Gayromeo, I felt like having spent some time with a celebrity – and he did not refuse to have his pictures taken and sent on the net. He is often on line these times so you should find this little devil easily … don't expect too much preliminaries however, it's all about sex, and good sex. And beware the ID …

... to my bed

Out and about in Pattaya

Beaches, pool and shopping .. there was of course a lot more than this during my nine days stay in Pattaya … and it was roaming the restaurants and the bars. The typical evening schedule being : a good meal with Tam, and then me heading to the bars with Tam spending time with his friends – some have not gone back home yet.

Tam is always eager to eat thai food – although he cannot stand too spicy food which always allows me to make fun of this poor thai boy who streams with sweat as soon as he swallows some hot stuff. Not like his fellow countrymen, he also likes farang food and I had reserved our first night in Pattaya for a very nice meal in the Petite Planete Restaurant in Days and Night … This is a good French restaurant established since about 15 years which tells a lot. The pumpkin soup was a little too sweet for him but what he liked most was the Cotes-de-Bourg red wine I had ordered and which both of us enjoyed…

The other place we went most often was an open-air restaurant close to my hotel ; this delightful place is located along Pattaya 2nd Road on Tipp Plaza, which located between Mike Shopping Mall and Center Festival. Not gay at all – we felt sometimes like being given some funny looks by other farang customers – but with both thai and farang food being regularly good and plentiful and a very good atmosphere epecially at night. Like most eateries in Pattaya, there is always one waiter or more who is especially cute and enticing and I was beginning to have a special relationship (smiles, frequent glances … ) with one of them when it was time to leave.

Nong Jai Restaurant, Tipp Plaza in Pattaya

What about the bars ? I had visited some of them during my first trip so I tried to visit the other ones. All in all I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw especially in Boyztown area. I event took a boy there, which I had not done since a long time.

My favourite was by far Funny Boys, who had just got some new lads from isaan, and this is where I picked Golf, a very sweet boy just arrived from Nong Han in Udon Thani province … short time of course (sending Tam spend the night elsewhere being out of the question) but great time. Funny Boys had a wide selection of guys, some stunners, a nice noise level and the perfect timing for seeing the guys go on stage and dance without being bored by a too long shift.

Most of my time was of course spent in Sunee ; I "offed" a young guy from Villa Rouge Bar during the short time the bar was open as I had been completely enthralled by his face as he was sitting on the scene waiting for his turn to dance : 19 y/o from Nakhon Pathom, rather effeminate which is not really my style but he was soooo cute. And I went to most gogo bars there, except Look Boys which was open and had boys in front of it but no one inviting you to enter. Curiously enough I did not enter any other beer bar than Threezone – which had loads of nice freelance boys with new ones turning up almost every day.

Beaches

My holiday would not be a good one if I spent all my time in Pattaya. But it would not be a true one without at least some days in the sin city. Why ? Boys, of course, but also the sun and the beaches – I explained some months ago why I need a lot of sun-bathing - mostly for my health.

I was lucky this year as the weather changed around October 25th, while it had waited for November 10 something last year. Jomtien is not the proper place to get a good tan … the roof pool in my South Pattaya hotel was more efficient and Jomtien beach had to be left for relaxing and admiring the beauty of nature …

However I had a one-day trip to Kor Larn with Tam and another boy – the beach seller I met last year, who had never been there before. This time we hired a speedboat, hoping to escape the crowds … only to find ourselves on another beach with groups taking turns to land and to embark. By chance the afternoon was more quiet, but I guess I'll have to study carefully the map next time in order to go to one of the smaller beaches – if there is one left.

Haat Mae Ramphung east of Rayong

Another trip was made to Rayong with Tam and Phi Kho ; I had wanted to discover the beaches beyond Rayong since a long time and I was not disappointed. No need to go to the overcrowded and overpriced Koh Samet : on the mainland you will find miles of almost desert beaches (at least during weekdays), with clean and warm water and some delicious and cheap seafood restaurants – just check that that have fresh food … I surprised myself thinking that this was the kind of place I could well choose for a quiet retirement … but it would probably be too boring to stay there, as it is a long 100 km drive to Pattaya.

We also passed in the small fishing village of Samaesan which is the last one in Chonburi province before reaching Rayong. Besides a museum and a pagoda offering great views over the sea, Samaesan has no beach of its own and – to tell the truth – stinks of a strong fish odor. However I was said that some islands could be reached by hiring a boat and it would be possible to sunbathe and swim in the buff (information to be confirmed as I thought that these islands belonged to the Royal Navy). Also I could not help spotting some beautiful men in the streets of Samaesan : Burmese and Cambodian hired by fishing boats calling at the harbour.

Fishboat and fishermen near Samaesan

Samaesan is about 40 km from Pattaya through Sattahip and could be reached on public transport using Rayong-bound bus until the Samaesan junction, and then on a motorbike taxi. Of course better to have one's own wheels – especially if you should be lucky with the young fishermen …