59 days and counting

Booking is the second step after planning ... and here I am surfing the net for my next trip to Thailand. The flight ticket had been booked about two months ago, and this is fine : the rates seem to be higher as the departure date is coming closer.

It's now time to book the domestic flights : Nok Air has currently a promotion for flights before October 27th and booked 21 days in advance (990 THB anywhere in Thailand) : so well for the journey to Chiang Mai. Moreover Nok has just opened the booking for the winter period : the same price will apply for the Chiang Mai / Udon flight (October 31st). Another great news is that you can again pay with an international credit card ... and it works !

Four nights in Novotel Chiang Mai are also in the bag at a very affordable (but non refundable) rate from their own website (novotel.com). And yes I will stay in Khorat especially after having read some promising information on the TMM website (that I forwarded to some boards).

When you are waiting for 330 days before going back to Thailand, booking makes you touch the reality of your next trip : it is no more only a dream, it becomes a schedule with dates, prices and places. All this stuff looks probably childish for all of you who live in paradise or go there very often - but I am sure you still remember how time was slow when you had still two months in Boring Land before landing in Bangkok.

Tam phoned me two weeks ago but we had no time to chat very long ; he is still home with his mother who had undergone a hospital surgery, and then he should go working as a waiter in a Pattaya restaurant. I think he now understands that this time, I will spend most of my time on my own, but I cannot bring myself to break with him. Lack of courage ? Or something which cannot disappear and is called "love" ?

Euro 2008

The final tournament of the Soccer Euro 2008 Championship will take place in Switzerland and Austria in June 2008 ; the exact dates being from June 7 th (opening matches in Basle and Geneva) to June 29 th (grand final in Vienna).

My country (France) is now leading its qualifying group ahead of Scotland and Italy but of course nothing is decided yet and we will have to wait for the decisive matches especially Italy v. France on September 8th. If France qualifies, it will be very easy for me to go and see them, as I live very close to the Swiss border.

Shall I go ? Well I think that during this period, I'd rather go to ... Thailand. Why ? Of course, if my country does well, it's always nice to gain face from the boys, the taxi drivers or the hotel attendants who always regard you as a demigod if you happen to come from the same country as the World Cup or the Euro winners ...

But the main reason for scheduling to be in Thailand at this time is that thai boys are inveterate gamblers especially when it comes to football ... They gamble with borrowed money, they loose it and how can they repay their debts ? Stealing is one way, and selling themselves is another one. So I guess that the amount of freelancers should reach summits next June in the vicinity of Saranrom, Rama IV or Beach Road ...

Will you call me a vulture waiting for fresh meat ? I would rather think being a benefactor anxious to act for the common good of the boys ...

Saranrom update

Sure I am not in Thailand now (70 days and counting ...) and who I am to write about a place where I have not set a foot since so long .... Nevertheless there has been recently a lot of chatting on the boards about the Saranrom area in Bangkok, and I thought it could be of interest to some, at least for bringing a former entry on this blog up to date.

It seems this area has been for a while the place of choice for gay thais who look after some young male company. The Thai Rat daily published a long report in his July 26th edition ; the title was : "the yellow signboard boy" and it was the story of a 27 y/o rent-boy named Yao who provides services for gay people. So you can say that everyone in Thailand knows what is going on in the area - with all the overstatements that you may expect from a Thai Rat newshound ...

So the article was strongly questioned on many points by some regulars of the place. For example the journalist wrote that the going rate of the boy was 1500 THB, and he would not cut his price ... One poster assured that not a lot of rent-boys ask for more than 500 THB, but some customers use to give more. Especially as some customers are policemen or politicians who prefer to meet boys here than in the gay places : they feel that their privacy is more guaranteed with the street boys than in a gay bar.

Is the Saranrom area as interesting as before ? It seems that since the political demonstrations in Sanam Luang, there are less boys than before because police and army have set many barriers all over the area for checking motocycles and taxis. In fact these control posts are not a problem for the boys, who only fear the patrols who have been arresting them since a long time. But the new police checks are an ennoyance for the customers, who as a result (and also because of the bad economic situation) come in smaller numbers. Less customers, less boys ...

Nothing is lost ... another poster went in the area last Sunday, and he found less boys than before but there are still enough to please anyone. The problem is that he did not dare to chat with some boys because the police presence was a little bit intimidating ; now some boys are waiting in other places in the neighbourhood such as around the Wat Pho compound or south of the park.

Everyone strongly advises againts walking alone and wearing anything that could make the boy think you are a rich person. Chartering a taxi and visiting the whole area seems to be the best and safest way to find new friends ...

Gayboysiam ... I like !

The gayboysiam website had gone for a while and we could fear that it would be somewhat "sanitized" ... it has come back like before, except that all the former pictures have been deleted.

There is perhaps now slightly less porn than before, but the boys are as cute as ever ... I love these pictures which are not professionnal at all, but featuring boys who are so nicer that in the magazines...

 Another new thing is that almost every picture is now labelled as "userpost at Gboysiam.com" and the note obviously damages the picture - especially when it hides a strategic point, like for this delightful guy (and it is a real shame, isn't it ?).

Tasty

I generally do not let myself influenced by advertising ... but if I were in Thailand now, no doubt I would try these Volz crackers ...
(special thanks to the 2bangkok website)

Planning

In France we say that the best moment, in love, is when you climb up the stairs ... Planning a trip to Thailand is a little bit like this, because at this stage you still have the time to think carefully, to make choices ... In fact you are already in your trip but, what's more, you still have all the time and access to all information for making the right decisions.

So since I bought my flight ticket for next October, I am now in the process of planning the details of my trip. Not that I am too much into detailed planning - especially for holidays - but it helps not to be stuck in the wrong place at the wrong time ... coming back from Pattaya to Bangkok just after a long thai holiday for example !

As I love Bangkok, I always stay there for some days after arriving in Thailand, or between upcountry trips. And I must stay in Pattaya for long periods, for .. err ... health reasons that I already wrote about. This leaves too few days for exploring other parts of the country.

My first intention was going to Phuket where I did not set foot since before the giant wave... but reading the boards convinced me to rather go to Chiang Mai where I will stay four to six days ; there were great reviews about Chiang Mai both on the Sawatdee forum and the Thaivisa gay forum ; also many enticing threads on the thaimalemessageboard refering to the beautiful mountain boys ... I mean, views .... who can be found in the area.

Typical gay bar in the Climbing Wall area

Having staid last time in the Pornping Tower close to the Night Bazar, I would have gone back there as it is a nice and convenient place .. but too far from the Chang Phuak bars, and I always found it a pain in the ass to go back from Chang Phuak at night (travelling the other way is much easier).

A german poster on Sawatdee wrote he had a great time in Novotel, which is close to the Chang Phuak bars, has a pool, and is quite affordable if you use their own website to reserve (novotel.com), so I think I shall go there. Being out of the main touristy area is another plus, as well as the possibility to easily ride a bike (another of my favourite pastimes) to some places I have already spotted : Huay Thung Thao lake, the Samoeng loop, and of course Doi Suthep if I am fit enough !

Clinching argument for Novotel : the pool

So here I am bound to trip to Chiang Mai (Nok Air should be my choice, because travelling by train is really too time-consuming). Coming back would be on another flight, or preferably using the Nok Air flight to Udon Thani for one night (would REALLY love to spend a night there without any boyfriend !), and then another night in Khorat (where I have not set a foot since ten years !) before heading back to my Saphan Khwai nest.

Nice schedule isn't'it ?

Boys next-door

I am not too much into boys from magazines : too smooth, too white, too clean ... In the bars I always end up offing the boy-next-door type and am rarely disappointed. Here in Farangland, no boy like this in the streets but many on the thai forums... Here is another list of my favourites ...


















He wants to be called "catmagic", 19 y/o, 168 cm and 50 kgs ... manliness at its best




















Khim, 18 y/o, 176 cm, 60 kg ; he would like to be pampered like a baby ... any candidate ?

Off, 23 y/o, 165 cm, 50 kg ... I am now trying to find out where he bought his pants.

Personals

The Siamdevil website seems to be definitely closed now, but there many other thai sites with boys - although less daring than Siamdevil.

Now I regularly read the Gboysiam personals, where many thai guys send pictures, messages and phone numbers. Unlike Siamdevil which seemed to lure mostly money boys, Gboysiam aims mostly at gay thais looking for friends - even if some ask for some support or at least for someone who would take care ... I do not think farangs would be welcome on this site but I think I will try my luck when I will be in Thailand.

What is great about this site is the eye candy which it provides free of charge. Besides the odd nude picture, you will find heaps of young cute thai guys ... here are some of them (including some slightly under 18 y/o, but Gboysiam being an open website and the pictures not being sexual at all, I think I can post them without any problem). Some pics are not great quality (probably taken with mobile phone) but the featured boys are ....







His name Boy, 17 y/o, 172 cm and 56 kg ... he would like to chat with friends ... At least two of the answers he had, told him he had a too upcountry (baannok) face and he would better go back where he come from !!! Pay douay !!! ....



















His name Khe, 24 y/o, 178 cm and 65 kgs ... would like to chat with everyone except if you are called Daen ... I could stand a chance ...














He doesn't give his name, is 18 y/o, 170 cm and 60 kgs, and is looking for friends for chatting and playing games. His beautiful face has got him a lot of votes ... he has mine too !


More to come ...

Biggest ones

. . From what I can see, I would say ... isaan ? . . . 

Not that I am particularly interested because I know that generalization is not truth ... but there is a thread now running on a thai webboard about where in Thailand you can find the boys with the biggest ones ....

The general opinion is that the Northern boys have it generally short and round (about 5"/ 6"), and if you find bigger ones, they probably come from the mountains or from beyond Mae Sai (meaning : Burma).
You will get the right size (6 / 7 ") from the boys in the center of the country.
Num isaan have it long (from 7" upwards) and big, swarthy (almost black), stiff, and they know how to use it (เอาเก่ง).
The biggest ones come from the south : 7" to 8", fleshy, dark-coloured, but rather violent and not inclined to wheedling ...

Our thai counterparts seem to have the same feeling as us, but they do prefer northern boys because they are neat and clean, handsome and unblemished. And of course some dek nua have it quite big too ...
Which I can personnally confirm ...

Dream

Those of you living in Thailand have probably forgotten it now ... waiting for a time that seems never to come, counting every week end every day and see the numbers go down VERY slowly ... Many people are always complaining that time flies but be sure that those who are waiting their next flight to Thailand see it very differently.

Anyway I have nearly reached the two-thirds of my 11-month stay in Farangland, but it is as if my next trip to Thailand was still only a dream, as if it will never happen.

A poster on the Gaythailand forum expressed exactly what I am thinking now :
I don’t know what it is about the place that has me so obsessed with it but not a day that goes by that don’t think about it or just up and moving there and some how making a living there if I can. It’s like some sort of spell has been placed on me and I cant stop thinking about being there. I find myself getting very sad about not being able to return as fast as I would like, do to the fact I am working to much here and just don’t have the time

This was on a thread asking which were the top five reasons for holidaying in Thailand ... I simply could not answer, as the boys are surely not the only reason to go ; I could only answer that I guess it is a subtle mix of softness and freedom :
- softness and beauty of people (including the boys), landscapes, climate, the language, the food
- and the sense of freedom mainly because of the cheap prices and the unmatched quality/price rate for almost everything (including sex).

When you are in this state of mind, you must have something tangible you can grab to ... for now, this is for me a flight ticket that I bought three weeks ago (arrival on October 17 th for 28 nights), and a work of planning which takes most of my freetime - not that I like planning every detail, but at least it makes feel you like being there.

I should be on my own this time, because I don't think I could spend all my days and my nights with someone. I did not phone Tam since New Year, and he phoned me only once in April ; he told me he was going to bouat (enter monkhood for some weeks), and then he will perhaps work in a restaurant in Pattaya - he may well be there already.

Will the dream come true ?

Rainy day

To-day was a holiday in my country but it did not stop raining, so I had
a lot of time to surf the net.

I came across one of the many thai websites that I did not know, and this place seems quite interesting especially for finding a boy.The site is called Siamdevil but the links I had found are now all down.

This guy is called Tor, 19, and from what he says, he looks for someone who will take care him.

I will not (however I logged his phone number just in case), but he really made my day ...

Life in thai prisons

Some of us often use the Paknam web network to learn thai, order books, read thai blogs and forums, and much more. This network includes many websites which are maintained by students from a school in Samut Prakan, and in fact I could not think of more complete resources covering many aspects of life in Thailand.

One of the students, who from what I understand was the leader in developing the sites, was called Gor, and he used to write a weekly column in the Bangkok Post when he was still very young. I had met him in his school where I had bought some books and besides being quite cute, he was also a very shy guy but with a great personality.

Gor is now in prison for having been found with five drug pills in his pocket ; he has just written a book which is a story about life of thai teenagers. This book (in English !) is entitled "Gor's Thailand life" and could interest many of us I am sure ...

Gor a student, columnist, webmaster, drug addict, father and prisoner

Gor also writes a blog about life in prison and describes his daily life ; you will find it at http://www.thaiprisonlife.com/

Those who want to know more about sex in thai male prisons will probably read this excerpt with some interest ...
Now I am the cell boss which is sort of good news, but it is also really bad news. I didn’t ask for this job. The old cell boss is now chained up in solitary confinement. Last week, about five people from my cell gang raped a hilltribe boy. It happened during the middle of the night and as I was sleeping I didn’t learn about it until the following morning. Normally these kinds of things don’t get reported if it happens to boys from Burma, Cambodia or Laos. They are never here longer than 90 days. But, this hilltribe boy knew someone who had been here for a while and he reported it for him. The cell boss didn’t actually have anything to do with this gang rape, but he is responsible for anything that happens. So, all of them have now been chained up and moved to a different section of the prison. The cell boss will probably wear leg irons for about three months. I doubt he will get his job back again.
Rapes don’t really happen that often. Usually after the first time it happens, the boy sort of agrees for it to continue in return for food and other stuff. This doesn’t mean that they are gay. It is just that they have been here a long time. People can also buy sexual favours from the lady boys. I hope I will never have to do that, but I must admit that some of the ladyboys are starting to look attractive. Pornographic magazines are naturally banned in prison. However, it is possible to rent one for the night for one packet of cigarettes. If the guards catch you they will punish you and confiscate the magazine. The owner of the magazine will then fine you 15 packets of cigarettes. You have to pay otherwise you will get beaten up.