Hat Yai revisited

Why did I chose to go for a two-days stay in Hat Yai rather going to Pattaya two days earlier ?. In fact I do not know myself, even if a promotion by Nok Air (2160 THB return all inclusive) was an enticing offer. I think only curiosity lead me there, as this town has not a lot to offer except good shopping opportunity.

First surprise : I was the only farang on board, both outwards and return. I knew that the town had been recently affected by some assaults by the local rebels, but I had not heard of any travel warning for the Songkhla province. In town, farangs were very free and far between, the population being clearly divided between the chinese and the locals.

The main reason for my curiosity was obviously the current situation of the local boys bars, which gets very few updates on the boards - I guess someone has to do the job, right ? Not a lot of changes since my last trip three years ago ; two bars which are still alive and well, and more and more saunas and massage places - that I did not visit. However I could not find the place advertised in the Bangkok Post Nightlife Guide as "Boys Pub Bar", with as address : Nipat Uthit Soi 3 (not very accurate, as there are three Nipat Uthit Roads, all very long and running parallel one another, and from the maps only one has a Soi 3).

Buddy Men Club, gay bar in Hat Yai

These two bars are located close one to another : Buddy Men Pub along Sriphunawat Road (along a short cut to Akarn Road to be more accurate) and Top Man Pub along Akharn Road, so in the south part of town. Buddy Men Club was surprisingly well staffed with about seven rather good-looking young men - mostly coming from the North of Thailand. And Top Man Pub had mostly local southern boys and a welcoming owner from Khorat.

I took a boy from Buddy Men, a 21 y/o from Chiang Mai which told me he was a tribe boy - rather useless in bed. Pity I had not chosen another one which proved to be much more affectionate when I chatted with him on the next day - a thai yai from Burma. Off rate 1500 THB short-time and 2000 THB for the night, including tip for the boy (who gets respectively 1000 THB and 1500 THB). An additional tip is always welcomed.

So much for Hat Yai, but I guess I will have to update myself once again in one or two years, as none seems to really bother about these remote areas ... the Buddy Men owner having told me he sees about one farang a year in his place,  ...