Longer stays

It was good to be in Bangkok again. Sure the place is hot and overcrowded but there is always something to do there - the first being updating the blog after one week in the sticks.

I always find myself promising to spend more time in the capital, but I say the same about spending more time in Pattaya and also spending more time in the provinces. So I guess the problem could only be solved by a so much awaited retirement, which is not within sight for the time being. This time however, one week in the South and in the Northeast was enough, probably due to the fact I had packed to many things into a too short period of time.

I could not help but going again to the infamous Soi Anuman Ratchathon area, and if I managed to avoid Nature Boy, I was more than happy to enter the Nice Boys Bar. Not for the many questionable boys hanging about there, but for the boys on the scene who were rather intersting to say the least. I did not take one but chatted for a long time with a tall slim dark-skinned guy who was hiding behind the others.

In fact I had reserved my evening for the Boys Bangkok 2011 Massage Shop (under Super A Bar) where I had been so impressed by the overall cuteness of the staff. The best was still the one I had already taken - although I do not like to choose a boy for massaging more than once. And so we went up stairs with Bank, his stunning smile and his good skills for everything you want in a boy massage place (including massage).

On the next day, I went checking the situation in the Saranrom area, as I had not read anything new about it since a long time. I am happy to say that even on a Sunday evening, the place had many guys of all ages and all shapes, in fact more than I had seen last year. As usual you have to be cautious enough and also to know that the truth at, say, 10 pm, may be very different thirty minutes later. Most potential customers use a car or a taxi to drive around the place but as a pedestrian I was welcomed by most boys.

The other places I visited were Solid Bar in Silom and Charmming Bar in Saphan Kwai where they have every day a steady flow of nice young men.

Pattaya will follow and I am already sure that the place is far from dead despite all comments that you can read here and there on the boards.

Isaan fix

I had not planned to visit the northeast this time as my schedule was very tight and I wanted mostly recover from a long hard-working period. However there was this boy from Camfrog, and there was also the opportunity of a fast direct flight from Phuket with Air Asia (they offer three flights a week directly to either Ubon or Udon).

So after a short 3 days stay in Phuket, it was a sharp transition from an over touristy island to an almost farang-free Isaan. My first night was in Ubon Ratchathani which I had liked so much last October. This time I chose to stay in downtown Ubon in a simple thai hotel : Krung Thong Hotel (welcoming staff, 450 THB a night and with very clean rooms), whose main advantage is to be next door with the Black Beans Karaoke.

After an afternoon of shopping and strolling around the Thung Sri Muang park, I went straight to the bar. However contrary to my last year's visit, they had less boys, and these were not really interested in this poor lonely farang. I was not treated to detailed introductions of every boy like last year, but left alone sipping my beer. A pity as the boys seemed to be on the interesting side as far as looks were concerned. As for the other places in town, I could not visit "Famous Bar" ; the place was now called "G-Place", not knowing whether the "G" would stand for "Gay" or for "Girls", which obviously would change completely the interest of the place. Just one word to say that the other place is still open and well.

I was a little bit intimidated to think that I would meet in real life the Camfrog boy with whom I have been chatting for a long time. And when I saw him sitting on his moped in front of my hotel in Mahasarakham, it seemed to me that I had been knowing him for ages. Everything went well, we spent two days and two nights together and he was far from being the shy student I had pictured.

Faces in Mahasarakham

By the way Mahasarakham is a vibrant small city with many students, and a general good atmosphere. I staid in the high-end Taksila Hotel (Wasu Hotel was full) which has everything you could want from the best hotel in town (except a swimming pool) ; it is rather conveniently located close to the market and the bus station. Nevertheless I do not really feel at ease in these "Hi So" places - even when they come at only 1000 THB a night. Having a young-looking boy (aged 21) in tow did not help, although the staff was absolutely delightful.

Coming back to Bangkok was an eight hours chore with an unexpected bus change in Khorat, and the dreadful section from Saraburi to Morchit where there is absolutely nothing to see except traffic jams, countless trucks and soulless factories. It was huge relief to be back in Saphan Khwai. Alone, meaning : with the whole town for myself.

Resting in Phuket

I usually choose to stay in Phuket only for a few days because I know that except for the beach there are not many things to do there : everything is expensive, especially transportation, and as I can never go there when the weather is at its best (December to February), I have already spent many afternoons in my room catching upon my reading. Not my idea of a trip to a seaside resort, although my accommodation at the Rendez-Vous Guesthouse was as good as ever.

Phuket beach

I had a nice day which I lazily spent on the beach, which ended with a wonderful sunburn. Curiously enough, the boys do not seem to know a lot about the so-called gay beach although it is well signposted with the rainbow flag.

As for the evenings, I visited my favorite Yes! Bar every night - only for the boys and the atmosphere as I did not time enough to look again at the show. Another bar of interest was Mamasan Bar which is a little bit hidden at the end of the main soi (turn left when going towards the mountain). They also have a staff of energetic boys, although obviously lacking some discipline. I took one from there for a nice evening. My Way was not on my list as I had read some bad reports, however I paid a short visit to find older boys, but some with a very nice face; like in most bars, not many boys due to the very low season I was assured.

Spartacus is as always specialised in rough isaan guys who lacked a little bit of distinction. And Super Boys is still sleazier than before with only four boys. Another bar has opened next door as a host bar (Backstage Bar) and seemed to be much classier from what I could see.

As for the beer bars of which there has to be more than a dozen all over Paradise Complex, they obviously had not a lot of staff but a deeper examination could have lead to find gems for sure.

Possibly best gay bar in Thailand

I came into Phuket being a little bit worried about the scene in the middle of the low season, and my first steps into Paradise Complex seemed to confirm this : few people and few boys in the open-air bars.

So I am delighted to tell that after a first evening, things are much better than expected. First there are a lot of gay places now, open-air bars, massage places and gogo bars. The boys are there and if they are probably in fewer numbers than in the winter, they still outnumber the customers.

I began the evening with a massage in Spartacus Bar, where they had many boys on the premises ; one of them was so insistent on providing a massage, and so good at selling his services, that I could not resist. The place is not really designed as a massage place with very little privacy in the rooms, but that could be more exciting for some …

I made a quick visit to Tangmo Bar where I had memories of a place filled with nice boys … it seems to have changed for the worst, but this was perhaps only one bad evening, or perhaps there was not anyone meeting my requirements.

I left then for a small place which has opened probably not a very long time ago ; one row for the customers on the length of the bar, facing the scene where the boys were dancing in two shifts. The place is called “Yes !’ Bar and is located on the main way to Paradise Hotels (which is now the way out). The first impression was great with probably one of the best mix of boys for everyone’s taste, two funny captains, and a boy which I thought was the usual underage boy hanging out in street clothes ; he told me he was in fact the mamasan and that he was 20 years old – which I still not really believe. No pressure from him, no boring words, a very cute face – I would vote him without any hesitation as the cutest and nicest mamasan in Thailand.

Yes Bar! in Phuket

The better came with the show : not a cabaret show like those you usually find in the Phuket bars, not a sex show with the usual tricks, but an absolute success. The actors were some of their own gogoboys, and when you find that the one you had fancied will be part of the show, this is a first good news. When you then see that all acts are perfectly laid out, totally innovative, with good looking boys, a communicative atmosphere, you think you have had a good evening. They have made the traditional candle show a feast for the eye, and if only one boy could be seen in the nude (and not in the in-your-face way), the whole performance was an hymn to the young male beauty.

When I think of all the shows I have already seen in Thailand (be it in Adam’s Apple in Chiang Mai or of course the Soi Twilight ones), I can only conclude that I have never been fascinated by any show like this before. The conclusion is simple : nice mamasan + great looking boys for everyone’s taste + innovative and wonderfully performed show ; this bar has to be one of the best (or possibly the best) in Thailand now. As my Michelin guide says : “vaut le detour”.

Down to the South

The second day in Bangkok was less adventurous than the first one but quite as enjoyable. Tam and Phi Kor joind me for the evening and we could not have begun it better than by a great meal in my favourite Saphan Kwai open-air eatery - Rakhang Thong near Elisabeth Hotel for those who do not remember.

We then headed to Silom for a show ; on an advice by a boy from Maxxis Cafe we first went to Hotmale but quickly decide to change for entering X-Boys ; we had what we were looking for. Not really my cup of tea but you really have to see anything what Thailand can offer. I preferred by far our last stay in Staxx Bar in Saphan Kwai listening at thai songs and chatting again and again.

On the next morning, Tam and Khor brought me to the airport on their way back to Pattaya, as I had booked a flight to Hat Yai. I like to go to these towns where they do not see many farangs, especially if I know that there are a few bars that could interest me.

The situation has just changed a little since my last visit. The bars are still within walking distance one from another in the southern part of the town. The good news is that the overall quality of the boys has much improved and there was much more variety and numbers than before, even on a quiet Sunday evening. So for the record you have to know that Buddys Bar has opened again after a two year closure. G-Men seemed to be less interesting, but City Man (same street as G-Men) had really a good bunch of nice men from all over Thailand. They even provided a show as there were some customers (including a group of more or less true women) - very tame show by Bangkok standards though.

Drink prices were 120 THB in City Man and 150 in the other two ; and in Buddy Boys you off a boy paying 1200 THB for short time and 1700 THB for the whole night including the tip for the boy - an old Hat Yai tradition due to the fact that some customers (did I say from Malaysia ?) used to offer ridiculously low tips to the boys before this rule was introduced. Although I did not ask in the other bars, I guess that the rule and the prices are similar.

All this is probably not enough to be worth the trip but you could combine it with a trip to the south to discover an almost farang-free scene reminding the good old days in Thailand ... and also a bustling city which is a shopping paradise.

See you now in Phuket...

Life starts again

Yes life has just started again. I have been in Thailand since 24 hours and it is as if I had never left. My hotel has the same outdated charm as ever and the boys seem to be cuter every year ... don't tell me about being bored, I will be if Thailand turn into a new Singapore, and I hope it will never happen.

The flight with Swiss was a delight as I was lucky enough to have two seats for myself (some empty seats on the flight, which I have rarely seen before). And at the airport, I had just showed up when an immigration booth just opened in front of me .. good things can happen for me too.

As I had just left from work to go to the airport (with only two hours to have a meal, a shower, and finish packing my bags), no wonder I was quite tired for my first night in Bangkok. So I immediately went where I had dreamed to go : have a massage in Silom. In fact I wanted badly to try the new place below Super A and God I was not disappointed ; the staff is made only of gorgeous boys, and you would need more time than I have to try them all. I chose a young man from Bangkok who began with an almost serious massage, but the situation quickly changed as I felt his cock more and more close to my skin until he put it just in my willing hand. What could I do ? He had the face of an idol, he did not mind French kissing and he was the perfect introduction to three weeks in Thailand.

After this I went to Dick's Cafe just to see more cute faces in the massage places around and to tatse my fist Chang Classic since such a long time. Back to Saphan Kwai then with a short stay in Street Boy where I could not see many street boys that I like so much. And then I went to Be High which had about six very macho boys, including a young lad just arrived from isaan but with too many tatoos on his skin. I had a long chat with a young man from the north and he was very happy to tell me about his life which began in the Shan State in Burma.

To-day will be another day to get used to my new life in the three forthcoming weeks. Tam will come visit me during his weekly free day along with Phi Khor from Threezone Bar and it should be a nice evening. And to-morrow back to scouring the country for new places and new boys : I am booked on a flight to Hat Yai where I should stay for one or two nights.