Happening city

The second part of my stay was much more usual than the ten days of road-tripping I had spent in the south. But who could say that a visit to Pattaya is uneventful ? As always, every day brought its share of unforgettable events.

I spent most of my days lazying in the sun and despite Jomtien Beach being mostly quiet, It was a surprise never to get bored sitting many hours in the same chair, just looking at the world going by and at the sea. And even when the beach is closed, merely walking along the streets is a nice way to spend some time.

Being alone for most of my time helped a lot, although I sometimes surprised myself to miss my boyfriend. However the boy from Udon Thani had found the right words to join me for three days ; he wanted to visit Koh Larn, which was a quite satisfactory reason for me to accept. He did not show the slightest interest in visiting the gay scene so at least I would not be held morally responsible for a new isan boy falling into the sex industry. Once again we had some great times together, as he is completely unashamed when it comes to sex. Unfortunately he had once again some friends to visit, and I had to spend the third night alone, exactly like what happened last year in Hua Hin. To his credit, I must say we quickly made up for the lost time just before he went back home.

Nice masseur in Pattaya

I also had a great surprise when walking along the backstreets of the Tuk.com area ; the massage boy I had missed last year was sitting in front of one of the shops (a shop which has both girls and boys on offer). Speaking frankly, I knew from his Facebook that he was in town but did not expect to find him so easily. I asked for a boy and as he was the only one, I quickly found myself in a private cubicle with this boy of my dreams. The massage was so-so but he quickly noticed my, say, emotion, as soon as he had finished the back part. The price was easily agreed upon (1500 THB if he stripped off completely) and finally I could hug this really handsome young isan boy that I had been drooling over since some months.

I did not visit a lot of bars as I quickly found what I was looking for. In Jomtien, I saw that BC Bar had been deprived of most of its boys who had joined another place in the Complex ; the place to go for nice khmer boys is now @Home Bar further down the soi, and also the Question Mark Bar which seems to welcome new lads on a regular basis. These Cambodian boys are not really experienced and not as good actors as their thai counterparts, but in Jomtien Complex they are almost the only way to go if you are into manly and handsome boys.

I never forget to pay a visit to soi Sunee where Sky Bar stays a welcoming place along with the Red Ting Tong Bar. I did not really like the gogo bars there, including the new Winner Boys where the atmosphere and the prices are quite interesting but the boys definitely too girlish for my taste. And finally I could not miss going to the Cupidol Bar which is doing so well according to the forums ; they are right, they offer a nice selection of boys which should content everyone’s taste.

Gay Phuket changes ... or not ?

In the middle of my trip from the South back to Bangkok, I found it was a good idea to spend some days in Phuket where I had not set a food since many years – except as a landing point on the road to Koh Yao two years ago. After a rather tiring journey from Trang, I arrived in the new Bus Terminal from where it was still a 35 minutes taxi drive to Patong for a reasonable 450 THB fare. I had chosen not to stay in my usual Rendez-Vous Hotel due to a a much cheaper option in the neighboring Adonis Guesthouse – a nice place too and still more quiet than Rendez-Vous.

After six years, the scene in Phuket has changed of course but not so much. Most venues are still located along the way out from Paradise Hotel, offering some thrill to the busloads of tourists going out of their hotel. Much happens on the street with regular parades of gogo boys and lady boys praising their venue. The boys are mostly masculine and well-built men with very few twinks, and prices remain fair but vary from one place to another : I paid 120 THB for a Chang Beer in one bar and 200 THB for the same in the next one.

Taengmo is across the street from its former location and is now Mo2, and My Way has morphed into Yes ! Bar with three stages and the same good atmosphere I had met in the namesake six years ago. Passport is still there bit not really worth going in of you are on a tight schedule. And then there is Zag and Boat Bar which is known for the shows - that I was not persistent enough to wait for. The soi has many beer bars too which offer fresh air, pleasant company and a view over the continuous flow of boys, tourists and customers doing their own things.

Massage places are booming all over the Complex and many offer a very good selection of boys ; they are more hidden along the side alleys and some offer both boys and girls. A special mention goes to Kai boys which is both a beer bar and a massage shop facing the Rendez-Vous Hotel ; like in the Sunee Plaza beer bars, the hardest is to pick the right boy and bringing him to your table, as many are busy with their mobile phones and will not even care to look at a new customer.

Phuket beach ... the way I like it !

As for the beach, the new regulation allowing the sundecks back was a fantastic news. The chairs were much less packed than in Jomtien, with quite friendly prices (100 THB for a sun lounge) ; the gay beach is no more but did it ever exist ?

After Phuket, back to the sticks with two very friendly towns ; Ranong and Chumphon. Ranong is basically one street with all the banks and a surprisingly vibrant nightlife due to more and more backpackers on their way to the new-found paradise (Koh Phayam) – but you just have to stick to the thai places if you want to avoid them. One or two days more would have been nice to visit the local hot springs. After a very scenic drive over the Kra isthmus, Chumphon would be my last stop before the long bus journey back to an overcrowded and over-heated Bangkok. At least I will not have to pack and unpack my luggage every day any more …

Road trip to the south

I has been a long time since I did not undertake a long trip on my own in Thailand. The last ones were on a private car and with my boyfriend, with all the advantages and drawbacks involved. So relying only on public transportation, it had to be a little bit more constrained but at least I could go wherever I wanted. The aim was to go to Hat Yai and then slowly coming back to Bangkok with stopovers all along the way, and with the added bonus to increase the number of thai provinces where I have spent at last one night.

And so I arrive in Hat Yai which was a nice introduction to the south, being an always buzzing city full of hotel, restaurants and commercial centers. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about gay places and especially gay bars. From the four that were still there ten years ago, only one still remains open after the recent closure of Buddy Boys. City Man seems to do quite well as there were some customers every time I went there, and some boys were offed. There are six or seven manly lads working there, and on some evenings the bar even maintains the old format of the local bars ; a short gogo show where the most daring boys strip to their underwear and dance more or less energetically. The owner is a very playful and welcoming isan guy who will be more than happy to chat with you ; I was explained that the vanishing value of the malay currency had taken its toll on the businesses in Hat Yai and especially on the bars – a speech that we are used to hear to as far as euro or pound are concerned too.

Surprising cable car in the tropics

For the rest, I was curious try the newest tourist attraction in Hat Yai which is a cable car bringing you to the top of a hill (where in fact the view is less spectacular than from the foot …). I had dealt with ski resorts for most of my working life and so was curious to see how they had set this out … This cable car is part of a big park which lays a few kilometers away from downtown Hat Yai, and has also a huge standing Buddha and a nice viewpoint over the area.

After Hat Yai I visited Satun, a mostly moslim town which has however a nice atmosphere and a surprising fine French restaurant. Another day was for Phattalung where I climbed upon the Khao Ok Thalu, a steep ride to a hole in the mountain with one again nice views on the countryside ; unlike the Tham Sua Krabi, no one there except a couple of teens who seemed to be looking for a quiet place for whatever reason. And then it was one night in Trang, another welcoming with its night market and smiling locals.

Too handsome for me

Unfortunately I could not secure any contact through Facebook with any local lad before ; the only one was an isan boy lost in Hat Yai for his studies who was OK for having a meal with me (which in my mind could have lead to more). I must say he was so handsome that I finally did not contact him, and will only leave his beautiful face for you (and me) to dream about. I hope some more fun in Phuket where I will stay three nights.