Now back in Thailand

[Jellybean]

As I checked in with Qatar Airlines at London Heathrow the check-in lady gave me the disturbing news that I had to sign a waiver exempting Qatar Airlines from the cost of returning me to the United Kingdom if the Thai immigration authorities would not allow me into Thailand. My retirement visa had expired in August so I could only get a 30 day tourist visa, but as my return ticket was dated April 2013 it was possible, though not thought likely, that the Thai immigration authorities might deport me. Happily, after only a little deliberation, I was given a 30 day visa. IтАЩm crossing my fingers that the advice I was given by the immigration officer last year that I can still renew my visa quite easily, but would have to pay a 2,000 Baht late renewal penalty.

So, after an 8 month absence I arrived back in Thailand. I would be staying at the Tarntawan Place Hotel for 5 days.

Tarntawan Place Hotel

I heard about this hotel from good reviews by forum members. I must say I was fairly disappointed when I first saw it. ItтАЩs twice the cost of the Pinnacle Hotel in Lumphinii, the hotel I used before my condo purchase. A part of me was hoping for something a bit grander. I suppose itтАЩs the hotelтАЩs location which dictates the room price and I donтАЩt think it can be faulted on that if you want to be close to the bars and clubs. I also wanted somewhere close to my condo, so the hotelтАЩs location was perfect for me. I wasnтАЩt too happy about my room which looked on to a neighbouring wall. It was dark and gloomy all day long and, after 2 nights, I asked if I could have a front facing room. I was readily accommodated and at a mere 500 Baht increase per night.

I had only a couple of small niggling issues with the hotel, the Internet connection is a little bit dodgy with the signal coming and going all too frequently. A bit annoying when trying to listen to the radio. I was also surprised that I couldnтАЩt access SGF and had to use turbohide (a website I picked up from advice on the forum). But apart from those two very minor issues the hotel suited me perfectly.

After swapping rooms I was really happy with my accomodation. The staff are really helpful and friendly and they bring fruit to your room during the early evenings, which I think is a nice touch. IтАЩve already re-booked for my last 5 days in April 2013 (assuming I get my visa renewed!) and IтАЩll definitely use this hotel when I feel the need for a long weekend trip and get away from Hua Hin.

Rental of my Condo

IтАЩve rented out my condo on a long term rental for the first time. Ideally I would have preferred to rent it out whilst I was in the UK, but it didnтАЩt work out that way.

I found my potential tenants requests really quite strange. They didnтАЩt like my double bed and insisted on buying a new king size bed and separate mattress and charging it against their first monthтАЩs rent. Ok, I thought I could live with that and I rather fancied having a king size bed at the end of their tenancy.

Then they insisted that the air-con be cleaned. Then they asked for a professional clean of the apartment and its electrical items. Yep, I could agree to all that. Then they asked that a large number of items were removed and put in storage. Yes, that could be arranged. Then they insisted that all my curtains, blinds and soft furnishings had to be professionally cleaned. Good lord, when I saw the estimate of the cost, it was surprisingly expensive at 23,618 Baht, I was starting to have second thoughts, but I thought what the heck, it would benefit me in the long run. So the cost of all their requests equates to a month and a halfтАЩs rent, which is approximately what IтАЩve experienced when renting out my place in the UK, so perfectly reasonable I thought. I understand they are Japanese, I wonder if this is of any relevance, by that I mean has it got something to do with feng-shui тАУ new bed etc?

It felt pretty strange staying at a hotel when my condo was so close by. I visited it three times as I packed up my personal belongings, paid all my outstanding bills, signed documents and paid my newly increased maintenance charges following the increase in the national minimum wage and increased insurance costs following last yearтАЩs floods.

The Bangkok Bar Scene

Now if I was NIrish or a447 IтАЩd be telling you all about the 8-10 boys IтАЩd had over the last 4 nights, but unfortunately and sadly things havenтАЩt quite gone to plan. I rarely hear members mentioning the affect of jet-lag. Well, it normally takes me a week to recover and given that IтАЩm here for several months I usually wait a week or so before meeting up with boys off the Internet or the go-go bars. But with only 5 days in Bangkok I really wanted to make the most of my time here. But Friday night was a definite no-no; I was absolutely knackered and had to crawl into bed at 9.00pm and slept through to 9.00am!

On Saturday after packing boxes of my personal belongings from my condo into my car I was looking forward to hitting the bars or going to a massage parlour in the evening. But early evening I started to feel distinctly unwell, the typical effects of тАШflu. By Sunday morning I had a streaming cold (a first in Thailand) and had aches and pains all over. On Sunday I popped into Boots the Chemists for quick acting remedies then headed back to my hotel. I think I must have picked up a bug on the flight over to Thailand!

It wasnтАЩt until Monday night before I felt strong enough to venture out, although I still felt rough and had difficulty speaking. I thought IтАЩd start at X-Boys. I entered soi pratuu-chai (soi twilight) from the top in order to avoid a very possessive waiter I had bumped into a few days before whom IтАЩve known for several years. As I passed Classic Boys the mamasans and door boys who know me from previous visits tried to encourage me to pop in, I said that I intended to call later and I meant it. As I was about to go in to X-Boys a waiter from the former Solid Bar (I think it is called Scorpion Bar) collared me. Crikey! I knew him from April having spent a couple of nights with him, but did not want to renew his acquaintance; he was another very possessive boy.

I am absolutely hopeless at saying no to boys IтАЩve offed from a go-go or host bar. ItтАЩs not like we were boyfriends or anything and IтАЩm sure heтАЩs had a huge number of customers in all the time IтАЩve been celibate in the UK, but I still felt pangs of guilt. Why, IтАЩm not sure. I ended up feeling awkward as if I had been found cheating . . . it was crazy! I said I really wanted to catch the show in X-Boys. I parted saying IтАЩd talk with him later.

X-BOYS

Inside X-boys there were few other customers. I wasnтАЩt at all impressed with the boys on stage. No one particularly stood out. There were at least two whom IтАЩd been with in the past, but I didnтАЩt fancy seeing them again. The mamasans kept pushing me to choose a boy. There was only one who seemed reasonably close to the type that I like so I agreed to talk with him. He was from Laos spoke little English so I resorted to chatting to him in my pidgin Thai. We sat and watched the show, I still felt a bit rough and although we sat close together holding hands and occasionally cuddling I really couldnтАЩt see us together back at my hotel. So I feigned feeling worse than I was and gave him a 200 Baht tip and left.

Of course the waiter from Scorpion Bar was standing waiting on me . . . he looked for all the world like the estranged wife standing with her arms folded with rolling pin in her hand! I really wanted to check out the other bars, but now felt inhibited. I stood chatting with him for a few minutes, said I was going back to the hotel, promised to see him later and gave him a 200 Baht tip! Damn, I really wanted to look in on Classic Boys and some of the other bars.

Looking up and down soi twilight I canтАЩt ever remember seeing it so quiet. Okay, it was a Monday night, it was around 11.00pm and most, if not all, the bars had shows in progress, but even so, I still thought it looked surprisingly quiet. My waiter friend also said he thought it was too quiet.

DREAM BOYS

My ex-boyfriend works in Dream Boys and had telephoned me a few days earlier. He has agreed to come down to Hua Hin at the weekend to help me with some issues relating to my house. He volunteered that his bar is now charging 350 Baht for a drink, 300 Baht for the boyтАЩs drink and a 650 Baht off fee. He told me that many of the boys were concerned that the high prices were putting off numerous customers from taking a boy out of the bar. Rather amusingly he said that many customers on hearing the costs said, тАЬOh my God, so expensive!тАЭ

I therefore avoided Dream Boys on this occasion, but may try it out sometime before I leave in April.

SUPER A

As Super A was just round the corner from my hotel I thought IтАЩd at least give it a look in. The advantage being it was out of sight of the all seeing waiter at Scorpion Bar!

The bar is now at street level and this was the first time I had been inside the new venue. It is a lot nicer than the old bar, but hey that wouldnтАЩt really take much given the very dirty and sleazy nature of the old bar. There was quite a wide selection of boys in the bar. As soon as I entered one boy called me by name and welcomed me in. I didnтАЩt recognize him immediately, but when he told me his name I recalled offing him back in March. His hair had been longer at the time. I remembered that we had had a reasonably good time together. I thought he was straight and was surprised at the time when he offered me his phone number and even more surprised when he rang me several times before I left in April.

I was however immediately struck by another boy. I invited him off the stage and paid for a drink for both boys. The boy from March explained my preferences to the new boy who said he was happy to go with me and so the deal was done. The boy from March gave me his telephone number (although I already had it). I think I would quite readily see him again. I gave him a 100 Baht tip.

Within a short time I was back at my hotel with the new boy. I found him to be satisfactory, but nothing out of the ordinary and not someone I would wish to see again. Although I didnтАЩt think he justified it I gave him the usual 1,600 Baht short time payment, which he seemed quite pleased with.

Visit to the British Embassy

I had planned to go to the British Embassy on Monday, but when I was in transit at Doha I noted DaBossтАЩ note about Monday being a public holiday so I extended my stay at the hotel by one day as I assumed I would need two visits to the Embassy.

On Tuesday I caught a taxi on Silom Road and said to him, pai sathaan-thuut angkrit tii ta-non wi-ta-yu (go to the British Embassy on Wireless Road). He incorrectly took me to the United States Embassy, also on Wireless Road, my heart sank when I saw a very long queue (line) of people, then I realised it was the wrong embassy. The driver apologised and took me to the correct embassy where, happily, there were only 8 people queuing outside.

For the last few years I have obtained a retirement visa by proving to the immigration authorities that I have 800,000 Baht in a Thai bank account. That amount must be in the account at least 3 months before the visa is due for renewal. With the continuing low exchange rate this has proved to be more of a burden over the years, so this year I thought I would try the alternative route and that is to prove that you have sufficient income to survive in Thailand.

I clocked in at the EmbassyтАЩs Consular Section at 10.28am and was seen at 11.35am. I explained I needed a letter from the Embassy confirming my UK income. I handed over my certificate of earnings (form P60), a paper with my address in Hua Hin printed on it and payment of 2,340 Baht. To my surprise I was told to come back at 2.00pm when the letter would be ready. I expected to have to return the following day. At 2.00 pm I returned and by 2.30pm I had the required letter from the Embassy.

I shall take the letter to the Thai immigration office in Hua Hin this coming Friday and see if the alternative system works. Just in case, this year, I shall also take with me the letter from my Thai bank confirming my bank balance. If all goes to plan then I can start to reduce my Thai bank balance and repatriate my money back to the UK.

Well, there you have it a record of my first few days back in Thailand.

[a447]

Wow! That was some report!
Thanks, Jelly. It's informative reports like this that make SGT really useful.

BTW I have the same feelings of "guilt" with the boys, too. And I think I know which boy you are talking about from Scorpion. He has also pounced on me as I came out of X-Boys on a number of occasions.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that feng shui is actually Chinese, not Japanese. Not that it really matters. :)

[adman5000]

Thanks for writing about your first couple days back. I am not going there this year so I enjoy reading about those that do and find out the latest conditions. Even if DB is a bit more expensive, I find it worth it and always find someone of interest there. Good luck.

[francois]

Welcome back Jellybean; Thailand is a better place with you here.

[TravellerDave]

Enjoyed your report Jellybean. Sounds like you have the same problem with jet lag as me, which seams to effect me more and more as I get older. At the start of my October trip to Pattaya I planned to start having sex immediately on arrival, but tiredness overcame me and I wasn't ready for my first boy till the evening of the second day. On the first day I did visit Dongtan Beach but couldn't raise enough energy for a massage in the Jomtien Centre and went straight back to the hotel.

..At the start of my October trip to Pattaya I planned to start having sex immediately on arrival...

It's normal to wait till you get out of the taxi.

[joe552]

Depending on the airline, a quickie with a FA before touchdown should be possible, no? :party

Jellybean, hope your stay is a happy one.

Alas, he might be flying "Drummond Air" where there are no gay stewards in sight - never mind available for mid-air hanky-panky.

[nanette]

Most Japanese are fastidious about cleanliness. I guess it's only fair for the furnished unit to be properly cleaned before taking in tenants, giving them some assurance of safety & satisfaction.

[Neal]

So are we talking airplanes being cleaned or studio apartments? I am more confused than usual. :tongue3:

Did we all miss this bit?


...My ex-boyfriend works in Dream Boys ... his bar is now charging 350 Baht for a drink, 300 Baht for the boyтАЩs drink and a 650 Baht off fee....

Do we all just expect/accept these regular price increases now - to the extent that it's almost ┬г8/$12 for a watered-down drink?

Does anybody here really pay these prices on a regular basis?

No we use Gayromeo and avoid the bars bad news for the pimps but many of the boys are already on Gayromeo especially at 1am.

[Neal]

Brisbane Guy, in all fairness you have been calling owners of go go bars "pimps", and advocating avoiding them by using Gay Romeo when drink prices were only 200 baht and off fees were 400 baht plus we are talking about greedy Bangkok prices. By the reports we see on this board and others, it seems that the Chinese do pay these prices and therefore don't care about you/me and our dollars, lira, pounds and dirham. So my suggestion in Bangkok is to take it elsewhere or to Gay Romeo but if they are really paying these prices, are you being beaten by the cost of the boys tips also? If you are, you'll need to take your lira, dirham, pounds and dollars to another city. But I think, Brisbane Guy, for you, you need to look on the streets and beachis of Pattaya where some only want to pay 5 - 700. :blackeye:

[latintopxxx]

daboss...just ignore the silly twit...every time I'm in Thailand I'm amazed at the comfort and ease with which one can select a boy like a ripe piece of fruit...worth paying 300 for a beer...after all its not the beer u r paying for...its the erotic sex fueled environment...works better than kamagra...

Pattaya? No thanks LaBoss I prefer to be with real people plenty of boys at those prices on Gayromeo but more importantly lots of guys for free because although every boy in Pattaya is a prostitute that isnt true in Bangkok.

[joe552]

Just maybe, BrisbaneGuy, you'll favour us with a trip report sometime soon? :dontknow:

[latintopxxx]

brisbane...stop being so narrow minded....different strokes for different folks...some of us enjoy the "power"that comes with paying for sex.....so in future...remember...prostitutes are GOOD....

Just maybe, BrisbaneGuy, you'll favour us with a trip report sometime soon? :dontknow:Sure Joe heres my last trip report

Stayed in some serviced apartment called Sabai Sathorn behind Chong Nonsi BTS got a special rate off the Internet ate muesli every morning for self catered brekky bought from Villa supermarket nearby bought a WiFi pack from True to go with my iPhone met my many Falange friends in Bangkok for lunch and sometimes dinner at places they probably wont thank me for telling all you sex tourists who basically they despise but Barbican in Soi Japanese Mafia was one someone told me its now closed and The Lofts at Central Chidlom plus theres a few eating places in the Soi where Sabai Sathorn is dont remember there names but family run and the waiter was cute.

Evenings maybe a drink and a meal in the Soi 4 area nothing to right home about one night went to some gogo bar where all the boys were scrawny and covered in tatts so left there pretty damn quick met lots of boys on Gayromeo and had them deliver themselves to Sabai Sathorn as it rained a lot in the evenings and Im not going to get myself wet one of my friends cals it meals on wheels.

The you go mate forteen nights in Bangkok in September.

[joe552]

thanks for posting that BrisbaneGuy - always interesting to read how others spend their time. :notworthy:

[BenCH]

Just maybe, BrisbaneGuy, you'll favour us with a trip report sometime soon? :dontknow:Sure Joe heres my last trip report

...

Wow! No coma or full stop, just everything in one sentence! Did not understand much ...

[joe552]

I'm sure you meant "no comma", BenCH. When correcting others, it's always wise to double check before you hit the submit button. :occasion9:

[BenCH]

Yes, thanks joe! Not correcting others, really, just amazed about their style ... (hope this time without typing errors!)

Always happy to oblige Ben.

[Jellybean]

Firstly, thanks to Francois and Joe552 for your kind comments.

Thanks also to a447 for putting me right on the origin of expression feng shui in such a gentlemanly manner. Strangely enough it had been my intention to say at the point I mentioned feng shui that maybe a447, with his knowledge of all things Japanese, might be able to explain my tenants behaviour in more detail. Well he did, but not quite as I expected! : )

Thanks also to Nanette for pointing out that my tenants were probably just being fastidious over the matter of cleanliness. In previous tenancies the tenants were happy for the condoтАЩs cleaners to do the job, but this couple wanted professional and deep cleaning to be carried out which included the curtains, blinds and soft furnishings. No problem really, itтАЩs all tax deductible, I just hope they leave it as clean when they leave in a yearтАЩs time. : )

ItтАЩs nice to know from TravellerDave that IтАЩm not the only one who suffers from jet-lag.

Oh, and I am afraid to admit I felt a touch of schadenfreude when I read NIrish GuyтАЩs topic headed "sods bloody law". ItтАЩs nice to know I am in good company and that he too suffered from the same affliction as hit me on arriving in Bangkok. Now I see where I went wrong, I went to the pharmacy and received antibiotics whereas NIrish-Guy sought solace in a rumpy pumpy session with a masseur and sweated if off on the dance floor in DJ Station . . . now if only I had NIrishтАЩs stamina thatтАЩs exactly what I should have done!

Yesterday was the first time I had Internet access and was able to read the comments on this thread. It is one of the things I like about SGF; you can never tell how a thread will go. ItтАЩs actually turned out to be far more interesting than I could have predicted.

Now to continue where I left off on Wednesday . . .

The drive down to Hua Hin on Thursday was, happily, uneventful; I never encountered any mad drivers or had any near misses, which is not always the case.

Update on Visa Renewal

Obtaining my visa was my first priority, so I called in at my bank before calling at my house and paid 100 Baht for a letter confirming my bank balance, which I would pick up the next day. I was adopting a belt and braces approach to obtaining a visa this year as I was going down the alternative route for the first time having obtained a letter from the British Embassy confirming my income in the UK. Since this was my first time and I wasnтАЩt exactly sure it would work so I had the bankтАЩs letter to fall back on. As it turned out the Embassy letter was accepted without question, so IтАЩll stick to that method in future years.

I had been feeling particularly anxious about renewing my visa three months late. I was lucky enough not to have a pompous panjandrum dealing with my case this year; in fact she was very helpful and put me at my ease from the start. I had completed forms TM7 & TM8, provided the letter from the British Embassy handed over 2 passport sized photographs, 2 copies of my main passport page, my last visa page, my Departure Card and a hand drawn map indicating where my house is located in relation to the town.

The immigration officer then asked if I had also completed form TM87 тАУ this was a new form to me тАУ no I hadnтАЩt. Not to worry she said and she proceeded to complete one for me. She asked for another photograph, lucky I had extras on hand; she also asked for another copy of the Embassy letter, again I had an extra copy to hand. Then she asked for a third set of copy passport pages, I didnтАЩt have these, but obtained copies for 3 Baht each on the premises. The cost of renewal was 1,900 Baht and, as expected, I was charged 2,000 Baht for late renewal. I also paid 3,800 Baht for a multi-entry visa.

One thing which surprised me was that my renewal date was fixed as 13 March 2014 not 13 December 2013 as I expected.

She then cancelled my 30 day visa and took up 3 pages of my passport with rubber stamp impressions of my new visas. Just as well I paid for the extra 48 page passport! So all I need do now is sign-in every 90 days as usual, but I donтАЩt fully understand why my renewal date is 15 months and not 12 months, which seems like a positive advantage тАУ unless, of course IтАЩve missed something. The whole affair as dealt with in about 45 minutes, definitely considerably quicker than the Bangkok office.

Setting up LifeтАЩs New Necessities

IтАЩve not lived in Hua Hin for around 2 years so noticed quite a few changes. The town is clearly growing, thereтАЩs a lot more traffic and it now appears that every major hotel group and resort has a presence in the town. I also noticed lots of new condominiums and shops.

My house did not have satellite TV installed so I had arranged with my agent for it to be connected, but just as had happened in Bangkok a new HD set had to be fitted, although it wasnтАЩt working correctly until the day after when an engineer had to be called. Without any TV or DVD I spent the night usefully unpacking boxes and putting the contents away and finding out what needed to be replaced or renewed.

There was no Internet connection either and I was advised to buy a Dongle as most contracts ran for 1 year and I needed only 4 months usage. IтАЩve mentioned before IтАЩm not particularly technically savvy and had never heard of a Dongle (well, at least not in this connection : ) ). I went to the recommended shop and they seemed to know immediately what I wanted. I paid 990 Baht and thought that provided a few weeks usage. I first used it on Saturday to listen to London talk radio, but after two hours I lost the Internet connection. I went back to the shop today, hmm тАж apparently you also have to buy a set time schedule, I therefore opted for the monthly unlimited package at 900 Baht per month. It is more expensive than my condo Internet rental which is 642 Baht a month, but it is massively convenient and can be used anywhere and seems quite simple to use which suits me! : )

Building Work

Eight months ago my agent told me that my house was affected by serious structural problems. Apparently all the signs appeared to indicate it needed underpinning. And the terrace I had built 4 years ago had been repaired 5 times over the period. I therefore arranged for a quantity surveyor from Bangkok to meet me on Friday when my agent had arranged for a local builder to call. Rather reassuringly, and much to my great relief, the surveyor advised that the house was only suffering from natural movement and could be easily fixed.

He said a formal report would be sent to me by email in English and Thai (the Thai version for the builderтАЩs use) and his fee for this service was 20,000 Baht. Blimey тАУ a bit hefty I thought! I had also arranged for my ex-boyfriend to come down from Bangkok to help with any language problems, but as it turned out the surveyor and the female builder spoke reasonably good English. The builder reassured me that she understood what work was required to be done. I am awaiting her estimate of the cost by email.

Dream Boys - Bangkok

As mentioned in my original post, my ex-boyfriend works in Dream Boys. During my last visit to Thailand in January тАУ April he tried to persuade me to go back with him, but I think the moment has passed, although I am happy and content to remain friends, he still thinks we could resume a relationship. He clearly doesnтАЩt like working in the bars and would much rather be back home working on his fatherтАЩs farm.

Again he complained about his barтАЩs pricing policy, he said that even if the boys are a few minutes late arriving after 8.00pm they are charged a 50 Baht penalty. If they are a few minutes late after 9.00pm they are charged a 100 Baht penalty. He said the owner has also refused any of the boysтАЩ time off during the Christmas and New Year holiday period. He added that the boys think the owner is тАЬcrazyтАЭ in that his actions are driving customers (especially those who may тАШoff a boyтАЩ) away. I felt a certain amount of sympathy for his situation, but feeling sorry for someone is not, in my opinion, a good recipe for starting or renewing a relationship.

Living in Hua Hin

Thailand seems hotter than usual for the time of year. My house is definitely a lot hotter than my condo in Bangkok. There is also a lot more wild life of the creepy crawly variety. Geckos (or jing-jock in Thai) are to be found in every nook and cranny. So when moving outdoor furniture from my storage area we disturbed many of them. IтАЩm afraid I really canтАЩt stand the things, they give me the willies!

Being fair skinned with sweet blood I also need to protect myself from mosquito bites here more so than in Bangkok. It also means spraying rooms with mosquito & bug killer, something I rarely do in Bangkok.

As for a social life I believe there are two gay host bars, although I have yet to seek them out. When I visited the bars that were open two years ago I was always able to find some rather attractive boys that suited my taste. However, I would very much prefer to find someone on the Internet, but have yet to check out PlanetRomeo to see if there are any local contacts available.

Enjoying other parts of Thailand

If the building work on the house and in our communal development is finished in say a matter of 4-6 weeks, then I may consider renting a cheap condo in Bangkok for the remainder of my time before I leave in April. I donтАЩt think I could cope with 4 months in Hua Hin. I noticed that BrisbaneGuy found very cheap accommodation in the Sathorn area so that might be one possibility. Can anyone else recommend any reasonably priced condos in the Sathorn/ Silom area?

I wonтАЩt be back again until next December so I think I need to make the most of this visit and may also contemplate a visit to Pattaya or Chiang Mai, two cities IтАЩve not visited in the recent past.

[adman5000]

Jellybean- Thanks for the detailed report of your activities. Since I hope to spend more time in Thailand in the future, it is very helpful to hear about your own adventures. Thank you.

[christianpfc]

Did we all miss this bit?


...My ex-boyfriend works in Dream Boys ... his bar is now charging 350 Baht for a drink, 300 Baht for the boyтАЩs drink and a 650 Baht off fee....

Do we all just expect/accept these regular price increases now - to the extent that it's almost ┬г8/$12 for a watered-down drink?

Does anybody here really pay these prices on a regular basis?

After two years of absence from this bar, I visited Dream Boys again last month. The bar was full with customers, to my surprise, considering those prices. There are more boys than in other bars, but they do not look different. In my opinion, 350 Baht drink prices and 650 Baht off fee (that would be 1000 Baht without drink for boy before tipping the boy - I can get two boys at Saranrom for that!) are not justified and many years will pass before I set foot into Dream Boys again.

Thanks to Jellybean for sharing.

[Jellybean]

To follow up from my last post on 14 December 2012. IтАЩve now been out here for 4 weeks and I think I can say with absolute certainty that itтАЩs been the most stressful period IтАЩve ever spent in Thailand.

Building Work

The building work on my house started on 20 December 2012. Over the last 5 years IтАЩve spent a heap of money carrying out repairs to my house, especially the roof on the terrace which I had added 4 years ago. Nearly all of the repair work was carried out while I was back home in the UK. But it has become patently clear that my agent paid out my money without checking on the standard of work done. Over the last 3 weeks every piece of work carried out in the past has had to be re-done!

I shall give members one example. I asked for guttering to be put up several months ago after I watched a TV programme in the UK about problem houses. The presenter, Sarah Beeny (who will be known to most British members) pointed out that in nearly every case the problems could be traced back to poor guttering or drains that were blocked or had broken pipes. Rather oddly no guttering was installed when my house was built.

So when I returned to the house and checked the guttering that had been installed I found that it was too narrow to cope with the torrential downpours we experience in Thailand. It had been fitted in the wrong position so that any rainfall would pour over it and into the garden and surrounding area. And, unbelievably, in one case the pipe from the guttering to the ground did not lead to a drain or to a channel that led off the property, it actually ended in the garden where the rain from the roof would have fallen anyway!

A couple of my neighbours said that getting work done when you are not present is a big mistake. Unfortunately I had no choice as I had to protect my house and ensure it was fit to rent out.

As typically happens when you get builders in, new issues are discovered and the cost escalates. In my case thatтАЩs exactly what has happened. The current cost stands at a staggering 176,600 Baht! (Now what a lot of fun I could have had with that!) There may also be other expenditure, which I am currently thinking about. Actually, I sort of expected this to happen and my sister and I talked about it when I was in the UK. She advised me to sell the house once the repair work is completed. Several of my friends here have advised likewise.

DonтАЩt get me wrong I love the house; it is looking very good after nearly all of the issues have been addressed. And I do love Hua Hin, but after buying my condo in Bangkok 4 years ago, IтАЩve found myself coming here less and less.

I had a meeting with my agent last week and agreed to sell the house. The problem is that I donтАЩt think there is a lot of demand at the moment, although my agent says January is probably the best time to sell. I think PeterUK said on another topic that it took him 2 years to sell his property. And one friend also took 2 years to sell his property and IтАЩve heard similar stories from other people.

My Thai builder said she could also introduce me to potential buyers on the understanding that she would receive 3% of the sale if the property is purchased. I think this may be the standard fee and practice in Thailand.

She therefore sent me to a potential Thai buyer last week, but the builder wasnтАЩt present and the Thai lady couldnтАЩt speak any English. As mentioned before, after being away for 8 Months my very limited command of the Thai language has suffered and my vocabulary is very much less than it was previously.

She liked the house, but seemed more interested in me! Why wasnтАЩt I married? DidnтАЩt I have any children? Why do I also have a property in Bangkok? She was also very interested in my illness, the effects of which are there for the entire world to see. Then she truly threw me a googly when she asked how much I paid for the house. ItтАЩs not something we would ask in the UK. My inclination was to say mind your own damned business! But this being Thailand and I am aware that Thais are naturally curious and not nosey I meekly answered her question. I must ask my agent about the etiquette of answering such questions. IтАЩve not heard anything since she called last week, but the builder assures me that she is still interested and has the means to buy my house.

Hua Hin Bar Scene

On one night I visited three gay bars.

NEW GUY BAR

I had visited the тАШoldтАЩ Guy Bar many times in the past and it had always been full with a wide selection of boys. But on this visit I saw only 4 or 5 boys. One was with the only other customer playing pool. I was quickly joined by a boy who I thought was handsome and could have been my type. I bought him a drink and we chatted easily. He had a reasonable command of English and I filled in the gaps with my pidgin Thai. He said, тАЬI poor boy from i-saan.тАЭ тАЬOh really?тАЭ I said admiring a very thick gold ring on his finger. I mentioned I was going to sell my house. Being naturally curious he asked me the selling price. When I told him he said, тАЬYou give me.тАЭ тАЬOh, no, I donтАЩt think so.тАЭ I said. Well no harm in trying I suppose I thought to myself. It was clear I could have offтАЩd the boy, but I wanted to see what the other bars had to offer and since IтАЩll be here for 4 months I thought there was no rush. I tipped the boy 100 Baht and said IтАЩd be back another time.

The bar itself I thought was fitted out well and looked really nice; it just lacked customers and boys.

ROOKIE BAR

This was situated near to the old f├бk-toong (pumpkin in Thai) bar, where I met my first Thai boy. At the time it was the best bar in Hua Hin and had quite a wide selection of boys.

The bar was well designed, looked new and with lots of customers and boys would, IтАЩm sure, be a great place to hang out. When I arrived there were no other customers and just two boys, the owner and one other taciturn boy. The owner, a young handsome guy with a warm, pleasant and inviting personality chatted to me quite readily. I liked him straight away. Whether he is offтАЩable I donтАЩt know, I never asked. He used to live near me in Sathorn, Bangkok. The other boy, handsome but thin, said nothing. Again, IтАЩm sure IтАЩll go back and have another look and IтАЩd like to get to know the owner a bit better even if on just a friendly basis. I could do with some company even of the non-sex variety.

RED INDIAN BAR

This used to be a particular favourite of mine. I had offтАЩd quite a few boys from this bar over the years. It was the place that the boy with, possibly, the best butt in Thailand worked . . . as mentioned by Smiles on another topic. Sadly I never got around to offing him and the night I went to the bar with the intention of seeing him I found out that he had been conscripted into the army and I never saw him again.

On this occasion there were only two boys working, neither of whom appealed to me and I was the only customer. I had a quick drink and left.

All in all I found it a rather depressing first night. None of the bars seemed as busy and vibrant as I had remembered them from previous visits.

On my second night out I visited тАУ

CHICO BAR

Chico Bar styles itself the тАЬbest boy bar in Hua HinтАЭ. Ah well I thought, this must be where all the boys are and where all the action is. Sadly I was mistaken. Although to be fair, it does look good, looks well designed, was playing good music and had, I think, 4 boys in the bar. Maybe it comes alive later?

After ordering a drink a very young (20 year old) and handsome boy sat next to me and we engaged in a pleasant conversation after I bought him a drink. Hmm . . . this boy was lovely, but I thought too young for me. Surely it would only end in heartache for me. I think he was rather surprised when I asked for the check-bin. I tipped him 100 Baht, said I liked him and would come back another night. He escorted me to the door and watched as I walked to my car.

To be honest I think all the stress over my house has taken its toll on me. I hope that once everything is finished IтАЩll regain my old self confidence and libido.

In any case whilst I still have the builders at my house I am reluctant to have any boys stop over. IтАЩve even turned down some boys I know in Bangkok and on the Internet who are anxious to come down and spend a relaxing weekend in Hua Hin. Even my friend, whom IтАЩve nick named Cerberus from Scorpion Bar in тАШSoi TwilightтАЩ, the one with the all seeing eye who never ceases to spot me going into any of the other bars!

Bangkok

IтАЩd left it too late to book up at the Tarntawan Place Hotel for 3 nights at New Year. Although they did call me on the day I was due to set off for Bangkok to say they had a cancellation. But it was too late IтАЩd already confirmed with the Montien Hotel the previous day. As IтАЩve said on another topic the Montien is a lovely hotel with a great location, but they do have a joinerтАЩs fee, which I think was in the region of 1,600 Baht for my room. Given the now well discussed inflated bar prices in Bangkok I was reluctant to add yet a further added cost. So I decided to visit massage parlours and not the go-go bars on this occasion on the basis that IтАЩll come up to Bangkok on a regular basis over the next 4 months.

I already had a list of possible masseurs from the Internet websites that I wanted to visit so I thought I would call the venues and pre-book my selected masseur. But in every case my chosen boy was no longer working . . . damn! Ok then, I would just visit the local places and began with тАУ

FAN CLUB

IтАЩve been at Fan Cub several times in the past and on nearly every occasion I had no regrets over my choice of masseur. There were fewer boys available than during previous visits, I suppose many had gone home to celebrate New Year.

I made a quick decision over which masseur I wanted and opted for the 1 hour oil massage, which I think was 600 Baht. Good Lord, when the boy stripped off in the shower I could see he had a lovely, sexy butt. Hmm . . ., good choice I thought! The massage however was the very opposite of sexy or erotic. To be honest I found his technique irritating. He spent most of the time rubbing my lower legs. I wondered if IтАЩd have any skin left! Thankfully when we moved to stage two things improved immeasurably and I had a very enjoyable time. In the shower afterwards the masseur was very attentive, which I think is always a nice touch to end upon. I paid him 1,500 Baht.

I then went back to my hotel for a couple of hours sleep then joined my ex and two of his friends and went to DJ Station where I saw in the New Year.

BANGKOK MASSAGE

My second choice of venue was Bangkok Massage in soi pratuu-chai (тАШSoi TwilightтАЩ) next to X-Boys Bar. I thought, surely my dear friend Cerberus from Scorpion Bar couldnтАЩt possibly see me this far down the soi.

The boy I chose had hairy legs, which I hoped would mean a hairy ass, a particular favourite of mine, and I was proved correct. The massage was definitely a lot sexier and more erotic than the massage I had at Fan Club and cost 500 baht. The boy did body to body massage which I quite like and he got aroused which is always a good sign of things to come. Although, I did feel a little bit squashed, either he was a little bit over weight or IтАЩm getting thinner. :-)

Stage two was also a delight and I really enjoyed myself and thought I would easily see this masseur again, but not the following night. At the post-coitel stage as we lay chatting, the boy enquired if I had a boyfriend, where I lived, how long I would be in Thailand, all the usual questions. He asked to see me again and raised the question of the absence of a boyfriend, I got the impression he was offering himself. I said I might return the following night, which I didnтАЩt, but may look out for him during a future visit.

INDRA MASSAGE

I walked down to Indra Massage, opposite Tawan Bar, but didnтАЩt really like the boys I saw; I thought they looked a bit effeminate. On reflection I think I should at least have gone inside and made some enquiries, but IтАЩm afraid I just walked by. Hmm . . . what to do now? I know, IтАЩll pop into Super 'A' I thought.

SUPER A

Well I had been at Super A just a few weeks before. When I arrived the bar seemed busy, itтАЩs so hard to tell because itтАЩs so dark. There were more boys on stage and in the bar than during my previous visit. But again the boy I met back in April latched on to me. I told him I was just there for a drink and I wasnтАЩt able to take him back to my hotel as they didnтАЩt allow visitors (lie). I am attracted to him and felt up for a repeat performance. Anyway, to cut a long story short I plumped new depths of depravity and sunk to a new low and paid the boy 1,000 Baht. Dear oh dear how did things get to such a low ebb. Well I comforted myself with the knowledge that IтАЩll be staying at the Tarntawan Place Hotel during my future visits and in December IтАЩll be back in the safety and comfort of my own home so such a situation will not arise again.

.
Meeting with my Lawyer

Whilst up in Bangkok I arranged to meet up with my lawyer (n├бk-g├▓t-m─Гai in Thai or attorney-at-law per his business card). We discussed the possibility of me selling my house. ItтАЩs going to be complicated because my house and land is owned by a company. So the company has to be sold or wound up or my shares in the company have to be sold. My company accounts are due this month and, on my lawyerтАЩs advice, I emailed my accountant mentioning my wish to sell my house/company. His advice will be crucial according to my lawyer in choosing the most tax efficient way to sell. Of course there will be tax consequences here and in the UK тАУ the dreaded Capital Gains Tax comes to mind!

I shall continue to keep my condo in Bangkok. IтАЩve had no problems there.

Once the builders leave I hope I can start to relax and enjoy the rest of my time out here.

All in all I feel rather sad about the need to sell my house, but itтАЩs been a right royal pain in the ass for the last 12 months and I really canтАЩt cope with the stress of it all. I therefore believe I am doing the right thing. In the future if I want to spend time in a beach resort I think the best option would be to rent . . . itтАЩs definitely a lot less hassle!

..At the start of my October trip to Pattaya I planned to start having sex immediately on arrival...

It's normal to wait till you get out of the taxi.


Actually :-))))......My 12 hour stop over in Abu Dhabi on the way home yesterday proved interesting in that very regard - well until the religious CID police spotted us and my taxi driver started freaking out a bit .....but thankfully that was only after all the fun had been had with the cute young horny taxi driver who'd picked me up after I came out of the bar slightly tipsy and after being in Bangkok for some long sort of forgot where I was a chanced my arm, successfully I should add :-) So, no, waiting until you get out of the taxi is not always required, at least not in UAE anyway it seems :)

[adman5000]

Hi Jelly Bean. I loved your written post. Thanks for writing it. I wish we had more such detailed writing on this forum. I also like Hua Hin but it is almost too quiet for me.
I also agree that it seems so much easier to rent than buy in Thailand. In a year or two I plan on trying to stay 6 months or so and see what it is like. The most I have stayed thus far is 2 months and by that time I miss my home country and culture too much.

[Khor tose]

Nice report Jellybean. Hope you continue to find great "enjoyment".

[Thai Dyed]

The boy I chose had hairy legs, which I hoped would mean a hairy ass, a particular favourite of mine...

I think I know the one you mean. I got a photo of this hottie just the other day when he was dancing with his friend!
[attachment=0:3hjwrrj3]Gorilla Bar.jpg[/attachment:3hjwrrj3]

[Magnum]

Jellybean, thanks so much for sharing your experiences with us. It's fun to read and you seem to be more honest/true than anybody else here. I still remember your story about visiting the fat boy in Nakhon Si Thammarat, just great. I'm not an english native speaker, so I really appreciate your clean and faultless writing. When reading some other posts I sometimes can't follow.

Enjoy your stay! :happy7:

[Jellybean]

Crikey! Thanks Magnum, but IтАЩm sure I donтАЩt deserve so much praise. I am a great fan of the posts and topics made by NIrish Guy, a447 and Christianpfc. And if you want to read well crafted and intelligently written posts I donтАЩt think youтАЩll find any better than Dodger. I agree with adman5000 that I wish more members would provide trip reports or day to day experiences from those who live here.

And IтАЩm sure some will think this a little bit controversial, but I was a fan of BeachloverтАЩs topics and posts. I thought they were well written and I believe they did enliven the board and stirred the pot a bit, which, in my view, led to a more interesting read.

My posts are written from the perspective of someone who spends only 4-6 months of the year in Thailand, a sort of semi-expat if you like. I have included a great deal of detail on this thread on the assumption that it would be of interest to members like adman5000 who are contemplating moving out here to live.

I honestly wish I had been aware of this forum before I bought a property out here 8 years ago. IтАЩm convinced that I would not have made so many mistakes had I been able to read members experiences on this board. Forewarned is forearmed, as they say.

I deliberately try to add a bit of humour to my posts to make them more readable and because funny things tend to happen to me out here, like meeting the boy from Nakhon Si Thammarat whom you mentioned. I did say that I felt a little bit squashed when the masseur from Bangkok Massage did a body-to-body massage and when I read your post the thought occurred to me what if the Nakhon Si Thammarat boy had tried the same thing! Oooh . . . it doesnтАЩt bear thinking about! I probably wouldnтАЩt have survived to tell the tale! :-)

In the previous two days my builders didnтАЩt turn up, despite assurances that they would, but they are back again today. So yesterday I took the opportunity of taking my car in for a service as it had been making a funny noise and I wanted it in good order before I drive to Bangkok on the 17th. They discovered a problem with the brakes and fan belt. The total bill came to 5,940.64 Baht. ItтАЩs at times like these that I wish I was on ChristianpfcтАЩs budget! If I can sell my house I wonтАЩt need a car and will save on the cost of car insurance and road tax, which are both due at the end of this month. At this rate I might have to ask my former employers if theyтАЩll take me back! I was pretty good at getting blood out of a stone and by the sounds of it Her MajestyтАЩs Government is in deep need of some extra revenue!

I believe that my car is also due its first MOT test (well thatтАЩs what we call it in the UK. MOT = Ministry of Transport) this month and I think I have to drive to Pranburi to have it tested. One of my neighbours, whose car is the same age as mine, didnтАЩt know they carried out such tests here. Neither did I until a friend mentioned it to me last year.

Anyway, whilst at the garage I asked if they knew where I could buy numbers for an address plaque to put outside my house. The Thai for number is dtua l├кek. Well, I said it every way possible, but they still couldnтАЩt understand me, so I showed them the Thai script in my dictionary. They then said, oh, dtua leeeeeeeeeek . I doubt IтАЩll ever reach more than a basic understanding of this language, never mind being able to master it!

The garage staff were however able to tell me where to find the numbers. So when I arrived at the shopping mall and asked around, stressing I wanted to buy dtua leeeeeeeeeek I was correctly directed to the right stall. But it feels so alien to speak in such a way. Anyway, a plaque with the numbers was made up for a mere 300 Baht.

I mentioned on another thread that one of the joys of being in Thailand is to wake up with the sun shining, getting up, drawing the blinds, opening up the living room and kitchen sliding doors by the pool. Opening up my front door and leaving it open for most of the day. And I especially enjoy my early morning swim before I have my breakfast. But this morning was different. Just as I was about to shower before slipping into the pool I saw a snake in my pool, it was the first time in 7 years . . . aaaggghhh!!!!

The only time IтАЩve seen snakes is on nature films on the TV and at a zoo when they all looked pretty lifeless and docile.

I got hold of a broom to scoop it out with the intention of throwing it over my back wall, but it kind of stood up in the water, puffed itself up like an adder (it may have been an adder, I donтАЩt know) and hissed at me! I withdrew then tried again, but it saw me coming from about 8 feet away and it stood up and started hissing again! I donтАЩt know anything about snakes, but this one definitely scared me!

I emailed my agent and she sent two pool boys round. Even they recognised it was a dangerous little bugger. Again it stood up, puffed itself up and hissed as they tried to capture it. It took two of them from either side of the pool with long poles and they whacked it to death as the builders and I stood watching from a safe distance. What a way to start the day, but it beats waking up in the cold and dark back in the UK! :-)

[nanette]

The snake probably was a cobra, which is a poisonous specie.

[Jellybean]

Thank you Nanette. I really meant to say it looked like a cobra, not an adder. I also meant to say тАЬdire needтАЭ and not тАЬdeep needтАЭ. Just two further indications that I am losing my grip . . . sorry!

Out, out damned Builders!

Well finally, the builders left on Friday, but not without incident!

The last work to be done was to replace the substandard and inadequate guttering which had been put up only a year previously! The work had been subcontracted to a guttering specialist, but they had left by the time my builder arrived. I pointed out that one pipe at the back of the house ended up in a raised plant box, which would clearly flood and spill over during a heavy rainfall. Extra piping was bought and extended from the pipe to a drain. Why had it been left to me to point this out?

Then I asked for a simulated rainfall test to see how the roof and the new guttering coped. So a workman went on the roof with one of my garden hoses and started sprinkling the roof with water. Hmm . . . the new guttering seemed to be doing its job perfectly, the water was being carried away with no (as with the previous narrow guttering) spilling over. Then one of the pipes became detached and the water from the roof started pouring on to the terrace! Well words nearly failed me and only a series of vowels and expletives came out of my mouth! The pipes hadnтАЩt been soldered! The subcontractors were called back and the piping properly soldered.

I paid the builder her final payment; the total cost came to 169,500 Baht with an additional 7,634 Baht spent on new or replacement items. The civil engineer from Bangkok was an extra 20,000 Baht. I know IтАЩve banged on about the cost and I accept that everyone who owns a property has to factor in maintenance costs from time to time. But the reason IтАЩve mentioned the point here is that this is the 6th time IтАЩve paid for the roof to be repaired and over the last 4 years IтАЩd already paid out 121,285 Baht for the same repair work! The difference is that I wasnтАЩt present during the last 5 repair jobs, so hopefully my presence this time has made a huge difference.

The Pool Pump

But the builders hadnтАЩt left when the pool guys informed me that they couldnтАЩt repair my pool pump, which had been on the blink for the previous 2-3 days. Sensing the stress I was under with the faulty guttering they apologised for having to tell me, but the company producing the pump had gone out of business and IтАЩd have to buy a new pump. The problem was that the walls and roof of the small pump room had been added after the pump had been installed. The roof would therefore have to come off to remove the old pump and install the new one! Oh my God, could my poor heart take any more shocks? : (

Okay, I said, so whatтАЩs the bad news? After a few тАШphone calls and some discussion the best they could do was 28,000 Baht. Well I had no choice, without a pool pump the pool was useless, so I agreed to the work.

They came round on Saturday and spent most of the day replacing the old pump with the new one. The boss assured me that the pump had a 5 year guarantee . . . if I get any more shocks like these I doubt very much IтАЩll be around in 5 years time! : )

All Quiet On The Western Front

So Sunday was the first morning IтАЩd woken up to no builders on site and no building work being done. I spent part of the day bringing my records up to date detailing all the various costs over the last 4 weeks. Oh, and by the way Christianpfc, I donтАЩt do this out of any sense of pleasure, itтАЩs done to keep the inspectors at Her MajestyтАЩs Revenue & Customs back home in the UK happy and тАЬsatisfiedтАЭ. :-)

And now I am free to invite some boys I know in Bangkok to come down and visit or find out if any of the boys in the Hua Hin bars fancy calling for a short or long visit : )

I decided that my holiday in Thailand actually starts from today, I intend putting the last four, stressful, weeks behind me and comforted myself in the knowledge that 4 months rental income from my condo in Bangkok will cover the cost of all the repair work. So allтАЩs well that ends well.

Oh, and I would like to add a correction here. IтАЩve said in the past I donтАЩt like geckos, especially in my bedroom and IтАЩve done my level best to keep them out! But I said the Thai word for gecko is jing-j├▓ok; well I meant to say jing-j├▓k.

jing j├▓ok actually means fox and I donтАЩt have any trouble with foxes in my house! : )

Going up to Bangkok

Now whilst Hua Hin may not be a gay Mecca, I think I can safely say it is most definitely a straight Mecca. The town is very busy and there are lots of traffic jams. p┼Пm m├вi ch├┤rp r├│t-dtit (I donтАЩt like traffic jams.) p┼Пm ch├┤rp m├вak-gw├аa r├│t-m├вi-dtit (I prefer no traffic jams!) Now I get a certain amount of schoolboy humour out of that last Thai word тАУ I know, sad!

Anyway, there is a by-pass which avoids the need to drive through Hua Hin and the next town of Cha-am, but IтАЩd never used it despite the lead road being in the next soi to my left. So last week I carried out a test drive to find out where the road leads and where the exits are. Hmm . . . after just over an hourтАЩs round trip IтАЩd established the route and shall use it on Thursday when I head up to Bangkok for a long weekend trip.

IтАЩve had to restrict my time in Bangkok because IтАЩve signed up to attend a Thai language school here in Hua Hin on Monday the 21st. In Bangkok I have one-to-one lessons, I prefer that to group classes because you can come and go as you please. With a group class if you miss a lesson then you have a hell of a job trying to catch up. But their one-to-one classes are quite expensive at 550 Baht a lesson, which is far more than I pay in Bangkok.

Floating Market

So on my way home I noticed signs for Hua HinтАЩs Floating Market (there may be more than one) which I had never visited. Later I found out it was only a 9 minute drive from my house!

Anonone mentioned on another topic that he would like if I would post pictures of places on interest in Hua Hin. Well IтАЩve looked through my photos and almost every photo has a recognisable boy in them so, as a project, I intend to revisit some of those places and take some more post card type photos.

However, at the Floating Market I did take post card type photos, which IтАЩve posted below. Now, just as I arrived two touring coaches also arrived and out decamped loads of gorgeous looking young Thai men in, I would guess, their early twenties. IтАЩm afraid youтАЩll just have to take my word for it because I have no photos to show you. Despite the urge to take sneaky, surreptitious photos, I am just too shy to have acted like some pervy paparazzi! :-)

[anonone]

Hey Jellybean. Another great installment of your report.

Thanks so much for posting some of the photos. I totally understand the comment about all your photos having pictures of the boys in them. I like taking pictures, but they tend to be of the people I am having fun with...not the postcard scenes. I had to make a conscious effort during the Isan trip to take photos appropriate for posting.

Curious about the bus loads of 20 something guys at the floating market (of course...) Any idea where they originated from or what type of trip they were on? I can't imagine that this was a trip solely to see a floating market....just doesn't seem like the ideal audience for that.

I also read your saga of the home repairs with much interest..and sympathy. I oversee construction projects as part of my real job, and trying to do it without being on site is a major risk...though I understand sometimes unavoidable. I can only imagine how difficult it was dealing with Thai contractors, language issues, etc. Hopefully, with you being on site for this latest round of work the outcome will be much better.

Glad to hear you now have the time to relax...and find some companionship. :love4:

Enjoy.

[joe552]

Jellybean, it's been fascinating reading the highs and lows of your trip so far. Hope you can now relax and have some fun

[a447]

Yeah, I agree.
A very intersting read. Thanks.

[Jellybean]

Curious about the bus loads of 20 something guys at the floating market (of course...) Any idea where they originated from or what type of trip they were on? I can't imagine that this was a trip solely to see a floating market....just doesn't seem like the ideal audience for that.

The same question occurred to me Anonone. I assumed they werenтАЩt from the armed forces because they had a variety of hair lengths. There is an army base in Hua Hin, presumably to protect members of the Thai Royal Family, so soldiers in uniform are a common sight. Oh, I do find Thai boys in military uniform very sexy, well apart from the great brute I went all the way up to Chiang Mai to see. I was expecting to see a real cutie, as per his photo, but he turned out to be a Shrek look-alike! Just my luck! I think I ended up buying him a mobile just to get rid of him!

But talking of soldiers, I believe there is a beach, perhaps 10 or 15 minutes drive from my home known to me as тАШthe army beachтАЩ. I havenтАЩt been there for years, so as part of my photographic assignment perhaps I should venture down there and see what delights I can capture (on my camera)!

Anyway, to get back to your question, the conclusion I reached was that the boys were from a college or university, but since I never spoke to any of them IтАЩll never know for sure.

Thanks for your comments Joe552 and a447. What we donтАЩt hear very often is how expats and semi-expats like me spend their time here. IтАЩve found posting my thoughts on the forum quite cathartic. I would also be genuinely interested to hear how other expats spend their time; I mean whose you arenтАЩt working.

[Jellybean]

I drove up to Bangkok on Thursday morning. As always seems to happen, the closer I got to Bangkok the crazier the driving skills of some of my fellow motorists seemed to become!

There are those who zig zag from lane to lane as if they are driving on a racing track and insert themselves dangerously in between cars rather than use the outside, overtaking lane! Then there are the ones who tail gate you and appear to be just a few feet away from the backs of cars. And when I am trying to leave a gap between myself and the car in front to allow for braking distance they seem to get so angry and try to intimidate you so they can go where? Just one car in front! And what would happen if I had to slam on the brakes? Of course having left no braking distance they would be right up my tail end! : )

Wherever possible I always let these loony tunes overtake me in the belief IтАЩd rather have them ahead of me than behind me! Anyway, rant over; I wanted to write about my first day in Bangkok and not ting-tong drivers!

Long term accommodation in Bangkok

One of my neighbours said he could find me tenants for the month of February at the sort of rent I can command in Bangkok. It is short notice and before I can accept I would need to find alternative accommodation.

So after lunch I went to look at Cordia Residence on Sala Daeng Road, just off Silom Road, which is very central for all things gay. Oh dear, despite the cost of the room being an expensive 20,000 Baht a month, which I was told was slightly bigger than the rooms priced at between 16,000 and 18,000 Baht that I had originally gone to view, it still seemed quite depressingly small and sparse to me.

I expected a kitchenette, but it was just a room and a bathroom, and no view! The price includes electricity, water, Wi-Fi, a small TV with a DVD player and daily delivery of 2 bottles of water. I was told the price would be reduced to 18,000 Baht per month if I opted for a long term tenancy of 3 months or more. There was a small extra charge for a weekly change of bed sheets and towels.

To be honest I was expecting so much more for 20,000 Baht and felt quite disappointed. IтАЩm sure IтАЩve read about other members living in similarly priced and even cheaper apartments in the 8,000 тАУ 10,000 Baht range. Are they more easily pleased or have I simply got used to a higher standard? My first reaction was, no I canтАЩt live in a room that size, or smaller, for a month with no kitchen facilities and no outdoor facilities like a swimming pool.

Today I plan to check out Tarntawan Apartments to see what their rooms are like before making any firm decision. I think the cost is about the same as Cordia Residence.

My current feeling is that it is not worth all the upset of moving up to Bangkok for a month to live in accommodation I would not feel comfortable in. Better to just stick to my current plan of coming up to Bangkok once a month for several days at a time and forgo the offer of one monthтАЩs rent.

Do other members have any experience of renting out condos in Bangkok and can anyone recommend accommodation up to 18-20,000 Baht a month in the Sathorn/ Silom area?

Massage Parlours

FAN CLUB

On my way to Cordia Residence, on a soi off Sala Daeng Road, I was given a flyer for Fan Club and shown a laminated card (Crikey! Just as well I proof read this, as I originally typed "lamented card"!) showing a selection of boys. IтАЩd already visited Fan Club earlier this month and wanted to try something different during this current short visit. If however I find myself at a loose end, then maybe IтАЩll pop in and see if there is anyone who takes my fancy :)

PLAYBOY MASSAGE & SPA

As I passed Playboy Massage & Spa, on Silom Road, I was stopped and given another flyer. IтАЩve passed this venue many times and occasionally IтАЩve spotted a boy that I would have happily spent a pleasant hour with, but I was usually busy doing other things.

The boy who handed me a flyer really did attract my attention. Hmm . . . could I find the time to have a massage at this venue? I donтАЩt recall hearing anyone reporting on this place. Maybe I should just pop in just to update members on whether itтАЩs worth a visit or not. I told the boy I found him handsome and would come back.

Hotmale Bar

After reading a447тАЩs enticing posts about Hotmale Bar in тАШsoi TwilightтАЩ I just had to go and see for myself. I last visited this bar in April 2012. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much busier it is now and there was definitely a much bigger selection of boys on offer. And тАШmyтАЩ waiter was nowhere to be seen so I could just sit back and relax . . . hurrah!

I think there were 3 or 4 go-go boys and coyote dancers that interested me. I had however forgotten that two of the mamasans knew me from way back and how pushy they are. I had hardly ordered my drink when they were asking what boy I wanted to take off. I tried to remember the numbers that a447 had written about, the ones with the hygiene issues, in order that I could avoid them!

There was one very sweet looking guy that I especially liked and he had been smiling back at me, but no more than that. I happened to say to the mamasan that I thought he was sweet when, before I knew it, he had called him off the stage and he was on his way over to us. I donтАЩt like when the mamsans force your hand in that manner. I really donтАЩt like to send a boy back to the stage, even with a tip, IтАЩm sure it must be very humiliating for the boy.

However, I did like him and was pretty certain that I would off him. He wasnтАЩt Thai, spoke very little English and just seemed to repeat everything I said to him in English, which I found quite funny. So my small smattering of Thai helped bridge the gap in communication and, surprisingly, he could understand my pronunciation!

Of course the mamasans kept coming back and asking if I was going to take him. Then somewhat sinisterly I was told if I didnтАЩt take him another customer would. Was this just a ploy to force my hand? Well, it worked and I agreed to pay his off fee. The boy seemed quite happy, which is always a relief . . . hahaha!

So he got changed and we sat and watched the show. I think I must have seen too many shows because I felt IтАЩd seen it all before and I didnтАЩt find it at all sexy. And I didnтАЩt find any of the big cock show boys remotely sexy. I did have a sneaking suspicion that my boy wouldnтАЩt have appeared in the line up and I was proved right, but it was of no consequence because he had a really cute bum and, in my book, that trumps a big cock!

IтАЩm not normally attracted to short boys, always feel a bit awkward out in public with them. So when we got on to the street I really was surprised to see how short he was. There was only a short walk back to my hotel, but even so we got quite a lot of stares.

I wasnтАЩt disappointed with him; he was a real little cutie. If I had been staying at my apartment I would almost certainly see him on a regular basis, but as I am here for only 3 days I doubt very much that IтАЩll see him again this month.

I paid 560 Baht for 2 drinks and 400 Baht for the off fee, i.e. 960 Baht. The waiter brought 40 Baht back in change which I told him to keep, so I spent 1,000 Baht. I paid the boy 1,600 Baht for a short time. Crumbs! I donтАЩt think I could afford to pay 2,600 Baht a night 7 nights a week. Perhaps itтАЩs just as well I am currently living in the great gay void that is Hua Hin! I wonder if NIrish is a millionaire?

Oh, and lastly, the all seeing waiter from Scorpion Bar has been calling and texting me. Now do I see him or continue to try and skirt round his area of sight. The trouble is he seems to have binocular vision. IтАЩll just have to try moving very quickly . . . in and out of bars in a flash! : )

-0-

PS What a pain in the ass it is having to use turbohide to get Sawatdee-gay-thailand.com. So to post this IтАЩve reverted to using my often complained about Dongle which has, on this occasion, come to the rescue!

[anonone]

Thanks for another great update, Jellybean.

Everyone keeps posting all these great pieces about Bangkok...almost makes me want to visit the big city again instead of always heading straight down to Pattaya. However, since BF doesn't like Bangkok it will probably not happen.

I assume you are hitting Bangkok every so often for the nightlife and a change of scene? I know you have a place there, but sounds like you are going to rent it out now...?

And I totally agree that a cute bum wins out over a big cock. A kindred soul.

Hope you find a place to hang your hat for the next month.

[nanette]

Jellybean - I think it's quite easy to deal with men with hygiene issues by showering with them, & lathering all the body parts that you would want to explore later. Let them use the bathroom first for whatever reason, but insist on showering together. :nud:

[nanette]

Jellybean - I think it's quite easy to deal with men with hygiene issues by showering with them, & lathering all the body parts that you would want to explore later. Let them use the bathroom first for whatever reason, but insist on showering together. :nud:

[a447]

Jellybean wrote:
I really donтАЩt like to send a boy back to the stage, even with a tip, IтАЩm sure it must be very humiliating for the boy.
Yes, it certainly is humiliating. I feel sorry for the boy, even though I tip him a little. I managed to overcome that problem by telling the waiter that if he brought a guy over without my asking, I would not off him. It has worked.


Then somewhat sinisterly I was told if I didnтАЩt take him another customer would.

Yep. That's an old one. Just tell the waiter "Oh well, if he gets offed, I'll choose someone else." Again, that works.

Do you remember the boy's number? If I recall, number 37 and 45 were certainly offable. And did you get to see 01 - the gogo dancer??

A night out in Bangkok usually costs me a packet (over 3000 baht on most nights) - which is one of the reasons I prefer Pattaya; it's just so much cheaper. More bang for your buck, so to speak. 400 baht for 2 Pina Coladas at Maxi's, 3 bar visits at 300 baht a drink, 200 baht if I get a boy to sit with me (more at the hands-on bars) plus 1 drink for the boy, 500 baht off fee (they charge more at Hotmale for gogo dancers), 1500 minimum tip short time.....it goes on and on. And that doesn't include accommodation and food!

300 baht is now standard in Soi Twilight, show or no show and I think they have lost a lot of the farang who previously visited. Never mind, plenty of Chinese to take up the slack. The bars are laughing all the way to the bank.

Yeah Ive got a few regular Asian students here that I can have for 3000 to 4000 baht in Aussie dollars and sometimes for free so by the time I add up the airfare and accom its often much cheaper to stay at home and give Thailand a miss but Ill be back again after Songkran the variety is much more I guess.

[adman5000]

I am very interested to see what you find out about monthly apartments. I want to do this on my next trip, but the hotel I normally stay at gives me a great rate because I stay there frequently. I would like to have a place with a living room and cooking area included. A long time ago I used to stay at a place on Saladaeng when they had good rates, but then they increased their prices significantly. I tried some other places, but I get tired of depending on a taxi so now I stay with a place within walking distance. I tried the Pinnacle a few years ago but last time I was there I thought their rooms were dark and needed updating-also too far away.

Please keep writing your updates. Enjoy your writing style.

By the way, I have visited the Army Beach mentioned somewhere in your thread. (if it is the one south of Hua Hin and with some nice trees.) On several occasions, I have seen the army guys training there.

[Jellybean]

I assume you are hitting Bangkok every so often for the nightlife and a change of scene? I know you have a place there, but sounds like you are going to rent it out now...?

Yes Anonone, having had an apartment in Bangkok for 4 years IтАЩm finding it exceedingly difficult to keep away and remain in Hua Hin. My apartment is rented out until December. I would have preferred that it had been rented out during the 8 months I was away, but things didnтАЩt quite work out that way and the rental income will, amongst other things, pay for all the maintenance work that IтАЩve had undertaken at my house in Hua Hin over the last 4 weeks.

So I arranged with the Tarntawan Place Hotel to stop over for a few days once a month until I leave in April. But I may consider renting out my house and renting an apartment in Bangkok, but it would have to be one in which I would feel totally comfortable. (See Tarntawan Apartments heading below.) Staying at a hotel is not quite the same as living here. This morning I visited my apartment building to pick up mail, it was a totally weird experience not to be able to go up to my apartment and to find myself restricted to the lobby . . . roll on December! : )


And did you get to see 01 - the gogo dancer??

I was looking out for your No.1 boy a447, but IтАЩm afraid I didnтАЩt see him. ThatтАЩs not to say he wasnтАЩt there, it just means my eyesight is unreliable. For example, last year whilst in Dream Boy Bar I asked for a particular number. The waiter went away to check but couldnтАЩt find the boy. The mamasans were called in to help, but they too couldnтАЩt find the boy I was after. Then a bar boy friend of mine got involved and it transpired there was no boy with the number quoted working that night . . . it was my faulty eyesight that was to blame! : ) IтАЩm almost positive that he wasnтАЩt there because I donтАЩt recall seeing any truly humungous cocks on display.


Please keep writing your updates. Enjoy your writing style.

By the way, I have visited the Army Beach mentioned somewhere in your thread. (if it is the one south of Hua Hin and with some nice trees.) On several occasions, I have seen the army guys training there.

Thanks adman5000, thatтАЩs nice to know.

Yes, the Army Beach you mentioned is the same one I referred to in an earlier post, IтАЩll try and check in out over the coming weeks.

Tarntawan Apartments

Now to continue where I left off from my last post, I wanted to check out the accommodation at the Tarntawan Apartments. Unfortunately all the rooms are occupied at the moment, so it was not possible to look at any of the rooms. Apparently, had I mentioned my interest earlier, I could have viewed a corner room, which I think is priced at 21,000 Baht a month. I explained my interest to the director and asked him to email me if and when a vacancy arises.

The entrance to the apartments is round the corner from the Tarntawan Place Hotel and opposite the Glitz Hotel and Tawan Bar. As a location IтАЩd certainly prefer it to the Cordia Residence on Sala Daeng Road, but without seeing the room I canтАЩt really make any decision.

Fresh Boy Bar

My plan, such as it was, was to visit the two bars out of the line of sight of my Scorpion Bar boy, whom IтАЩve previously nicked named Cerberus. So I started with Fresh Boy Bar.

This was yet another bar I hadnтАЩt visited in a long time. I think there must have been 16-18 boys available, although quite a few were already sitting with other customers. Oh, and yet another mamasan who knew me from way back, he used to work at X-Size Bar for quite some time.

The first boy to catch my attention, and not in a good way, was an outrageously camp and thin boy who was way off the scale on the camp as Christmas-ometer! He kept pointing and smiling at me and miming for me to take him. Never in a 1000 years I thought! Happily someone was interested in him and he quickly sashayed off the stage.

Most of the boys were quite small and thin, although I discovered later that there were about 4 taller and more muscular guys. But there was one great lug who reminded me of the soldier IтАЩd met in Chiang Mai and he started suggesting that I take him . . . no thanks, the Chiang Mai soldier boy was enough for me! : )

Then another boy caught my interest, he started staring and smiling at me. Hmm . . . now I really did like him and I found it quite funny when he started to mimic my gestures. He didnтАЩt lose my line of sight as he moved around the stage. Yes, he was a definite maybe I thought to myself, but I did notice he had a rather small bulge. Okay so another small cock, no matter, I think his good nature and funny character would make up for that.

Then the show started all the usual things IтАЩd seen a 100 times before. Then they had a big cock show, which I donтАЩt usually find the least bit sexy because all the boys I want to see never usually take part. Then I noticed that quite a few of the cuter guys were going to be involved, including the cheeky one whom IтАЩd been admiring. Oh, and surprise, surprise he wasnтАЩt small at all, in fact he had a fairly respectable member! But his bum wasnтАЩt as cute as the Hotmale Bar boy.

Then they all took part in the ten pin bowling routine, which I hadnтАЩt seen performed in this bar before and took a particular interest as my cheeky boy would be participating. Afterwards the boys mingled amongst the audience in the hope of collecting tips. I tipped тАШmyтАЩ boy 100 Baht and for the first time ever in watching these shows I actually felt the very hard member presented to me. Hmm . . . no it wasnтАЩt a prosthetic, definitely the real McCoy! : )

Yes, I did like him, but I thought not tonight, I wanted to explore a little further, so when he was out back changing I slipped out of the bar.

Cost of my drink was 280 Baht and I was told that the off fee is 500 Baht, i.e. 100 Baht more than Hotmale Bar.

New Classic Boy Bar

To avoid walking past Scorpion Bar I took the long way round to Classic Bar via Rama IV Road. I must have arrived around 11.15pm and the bar was packed, I canтАЩt remember the last time, if ever, IтАЩd seen it so busy. And it looked like it had been given a complete re-vamp. It had quite a glitzy look and all the old seating had been replaced with comfortable sofas. Normally I would sit by the door, but on this occasion the only seating was down the bottom end of the bar near the toilet area, with possibly the worst view in the bar. The show was in mid flow and three naked boys with hard-ons were performing in the enclosed pool behind the stage.

During the show one of the mamasans, who again knew me from way back, welcomed me back to the bar after a long absence. I told him I liked the new design. He said they had a new boss. At one point during the show the MC spoke about the тАЬNew Classic Boy BarтАЭ hence my subheading.

As I looked around I could see quite a few boys I liked, but they were already sitting with other customers. After the show was over, which I quite enjoyed the remaining boys got up on the stage. There were probably 30 or more boys available, mostly thin, twinky types, but I couldnтАЩt really see clearly from my vantage point. Hmm . . . I thought, IтАЩll come back tomorrow at an earlier time and see the full range and maybe off one of the guys IтАЩd seen with other customers.

As I left the bar there were quite a few boys sitting in the vestibule outside and nearly all were very handsome, but appeared too thin and short for my taste. Several asked me to take them out. I said, тАЬMaybe tomorrow!тАЭ A couple shouted back in unison, тАЬMaybe tonight!тАЭ :)

Cost of a drink was 270 Baht.

Where to next? Maybe IтАЩll try Super тАШAтАЩ again I thought.

Heart Beat Club

As I was walking down Suriwong Road, a guy stopped me and suggested going to Heart Beat Club. IтАЩd never been before; it is down soi sarika (or soi Wall Street Inn) where the Wall Street Inn is located, almost opposite тАШsoi twilightтАЩ. But as I approached I could see there were only 4 thin boys on the stage and it didnтАЩt seem to have many customers so I thought, maybe another time, and walked back down to Suriwong Road. Acting as your intrepid reporter I realise I should have gone in, in the interests of fair and accurate reporting! : )

Screw Boy Bar

Ah, I hadnтАЩt been here for a long time so I thought IтАЩd pop in and have a look before ending up in Super тАШAтАЩ Bar. Oh my God! All the boys were stripped to the waist and were wearing jeans without numbers and looked like a bunch of vicious thugs. It was the scariest sight IтАЩd seen in a go-go bar. They all looked so aggressive and appeared to have such a bad attitude. Had the bar changed, was it for women only now? I looked to my left and there was a single woman being fondled by two guys.

The female mamasan welcomed me and said. тАЭOh, you not come here for 2 years.тАЭ which was about right, but how could she remember that? Yes, all the boys were available, although I feared that if I tried to off any of them theyтАЩd slit my throat as soon as look at me! : ) But still, there was something very sexy about all those mean looking boys all charged up on testosterone. The bar was quite dark and it took a bit of getting used to and after the feeling of being intimidated died down I started to relax and look around.

There were many, perhaps between 20 and 30, manly looking guys the very sort I like, but were any of them gay and what would they do in the тАЬbedroom departmentтАЭ? IтАЩve had many gay-for-pay types in the past; I donтАЩt mind that as long as they can do what is required of them. Then I spotted one really sweet guy, he kept staring at me. He was sitting in front of the stage. Then he got up and went on the stage, but he still kept looking at me. He had a lot of tattoos on his chest and was thinner than I normally like.

I decided to play safe and invited him to join me. He was immediately very affectionate hugging me, touching me and holding my hand. Hmm . . . yes, he might do, although again I thought he is very thin. He couldnтАЩt speak any English, wasnтАЩt even Thai, but could speak Thai; he was from p├б-m├вa (Burma).

I bought him a drink; the drinks cost 200 Baht each. The off fee would be 500 Baht, which I said was тАЬp╔Щ╔ЩngтАЭ (expensive) for such a low life bar . . . well I didnтАЩt say that last part out loud! : )

We then began a series of negotiations. I asked him in Thai how much he wanted . . . тАЬs─Гam-pan bahtтАЭ he replied. тАЬWhat 3,000 Baht! No way, you are joking arenтАЩt you!тАЭ I said in my pidgin Thai.

The mamasan was called to assist. I said I wanted him for short time only. We agreed a price of 1,500 Baht which he seemed very happy with. All the time he clung to me and was very affectionate. One thing though, тАЬNo fucking!тАЭ he said, so he did know some English after all! So was he straight too? I said I was okay with тАШno fuckingтАЩ but I did outline what I did want, to which he agreed when the mamasan explained it to him.

Anyway, by this time IтАЩd had enough of bar hopping so I agreed to off the little guy from Burma. Cost of two drinks at 200 Baht each plus the off fee of 500 Baht meant a total of 900 Baht.

Back at the hotel he didnтАЩt exactly let me do everything he had previously agreed to do, this caused a slight pause, but it wasnтАЩt a deal breaker and of little consequence. I think he earned his 1,500 Baht, which I readily handed over.

He then gave me his mobile number and explained in Thai that he wanted to see me again and that I didnтАЩt have to pay the bar, I could just call him and heтАЩd see me again for 1,500 Baht. Thankfully he never thought to ask for my number so I wonтАЩt be plagued with phone calls from him. DonтАЩt get me wrong, he was a nice little guy, no attitude problem, but too thin for my taste and just not good enough to see again. But I would like to try out the Screw Boy Bar again and take a chance with some of the more manly guys. Maybe next month!

I think if I ever lived in Bangkok I would have two phone numbers one for boys and one for friends and make sure the boys one was left turned off around the end of each month my friends there tell me the number of calls and messages peaks then when the boys realise they may not have money to pay the rent on there room or at least thats what they say.

[Jellybean]

Before I set off on my last night out in BangkokтАЩs go-go bars I had an unexpected visitor at my hotel. My bedroom тАШphone rang and reception said I had a visitor. тАЬWho?тАЭ I asked. Crikey! It was the Burmese boy from Screw Boy Bar. Ah, he had figured out he really should have asked me for my mobile number.

This has happened to me in the past at my condo, but our concierge staff has strict instructions not to send anyone up without residentsтАЩ clear instructions.

I therefore told the hotel receptionist that I was not expecting the visitor and had made other arrangements. I didnтАЩt particularly like to send him away, but given his failure to let me do as agreed the previous night I didnтАЩt see any point in seeing him again. He was really lucky that he hadnтАЩt found himself with a customer who would have sent him back to the bar empty handed (or short changed) for not fulfilling his side of the bargain.

I do however find it surprising that having failed to stick to his side of the agreement he could possibly think IтАЩd want to see him again.

New Classic Boy Bar

As mentioned in an earlier post I planned to return the next night to New Classic Boy Bar to get a better all round view of the boys and a better vantage point to see the show.

Well, what a difference a day makes. The bar was nowhere near as busy as the previous night. I arrived around 10.00pm and managed to secure a seat on one of the front row sofas. I wasnтАЩt exactly comfortable being so close to the stage, so when a back row sofa became available, about 10-15 minutes later, I moved and found myself smack bang in the middle with the best view in the bar. By the way, the sofas are so, so comfortable I hardly felt like moving.

However, the boys that I quite liked the previous night were nowhere to be seen. Had they been offтАЩd long time by the previous nightтАЩs customers? Anyway, the boys on view were too thin, too small and a little bit too effeminate for my taste.

So when the show reached the same stage as I entered the bar the previous night I made my exit. I donтАЩt think the mamasans were too happy that I didnтАЩt take a boy with me. In previous years IтАЩve been a regular at this bar, but it was always the more masculine guys that I offтАЩd and I didnтАЩt see any on Saturday night.

Cost of a drink was 270 Baht

Given my unexpected visitor from Screw Boy Bar, I judged it was too soon to visit his bar and decided another visit to Super тАШAтАЩ Bar was the best option. However by the time IтАЩd made my way back to Suriwong Road via Rama IV Road I decided it was too early and thought about going into X-Boys Bar. IтАЩve had quite a lot of success in this bar in the past, but the downside is the very pushy mamasan.

Hot Male 2 Bar

So whilst I stood in тАШsoi TwilightтАЩ pondering on where to go next a sweet boy from Hot Male 2 host bar invited me to sit down. So I sat there watching all the comings and goings. And still wondering if I should risk X-Boys. I could see from my sedentary position a sign outside X-Boys stating they charged 300 Baht a drink.

Oh such a quandary . . . what to do, where to go next? I looked across at Bangkok Massage parlour and saw the masseur who had given me a very happy ending a few weeks earlier. Then I thought about a447тАЩs comments on another topic and had to agree, the boys seemed more interested in their mobile phones than securing business/money for themselves. Surely that was the whole point of them sitting there night after night.

Time dragged on and it was now 11.40pm. I asked for my check-bin. . . good lord, only 60 Baht for my orange juice! I was expecting something outrageous like 150 Baht, so I gave the waiter 80 Baht. He appeared to want me to stay but I thought IтАЩd like to see my waiter friend in Hot Male Bar.


Hot Male Bar

As I reached the top of the stairs, low and behold it was my waiter friend who greeted me followed by my chubby mamasan friend. The bar however was pitch dark I couldnтАЩt see very much, but it soon became clear that the bar was absolutely packed and I didnтАЩt think IтАЩd find a seat. No, I thought, IтАЩll just go to Super тАШAтАЩ. But my two friends were insistent that a seat could be found for me. тАЬOkay then.тАЭ I sighed.

I really wanted to make my peace with the waiter and, if possible, see him that night. I had surmised that my boy from Thursday night would have been offтАЩd as I assumed he would be pretty popular. But how wrong I was, no sooner had I sat down when my cutie from Thursday sat next to me. How on earth had he spotted me so quickly in the dark, busy bar?

Oh dear, my waiter friend, who hadnтАЩt been working on Thursday didnтАЩt look too happy, not the reaction I had intended. Although I was pleased to see the boy IтАЩm not really sure that he should have joined me uninvited.

There was a strange smell around the seat area and I was moved to another seat at the back of the bar where I missed the boy on the stage reach his climax . . . just my luck!

I bought my boy a drink and, worst luck; my waiter friend served us, definitely a cringe worthy and embarrassing moment! My boy said he had missed me and was happy to see me. We sat back to watch the remaining part of the show then he had to go on stage with all the other boys. I was surprised to see so many still without customers. I still didnтАЩt see your No1 boy again a447, although I wasnтАЩt in the best position to see every boy in the bar.

Then two mamasans approached me and said another customer wanted to off тАЩmyтАЩ boy, who by this time had returned to me. I said, but I had bought him a drink, no matter, a customer wanting to off a boy apparently trumped my drink :)

Oh, the dilemma, now I really liked the boy and he had seemed genuinely happy to see me. And he must have spotted me almost immediately I had entered the bar. So I turned to the boy to make a decision saying it was up to him. He chose me, which made me very happy, but so much for my intended diplomatic mission to improve relations with the waiter!

Oh, and the chubby mamasan reminded me that I hadnтАЩt tipped him on Thursday night, so I tipped him 100 Baht before leaving. I paid 560 Baht for 2 drinks and 400 Baht for the off fee, i.e. 960 Baht and told the waiter (not тАШmyтАЩ one) to keep the change as I handed him 1,000 Baht.

Back at the hotel I had another enjoyable time with the Hot Male Bar boy. This time we exchanged mobile numbers. He said he was going home in 2 weeks (visa run?) but would be back. I said I was going to Hua Hin later that morning, but would be back in 4 weeks time. I agreed to call him on my return and paid him 1,600 Baht again.

So all in all not the night I had planned, but nevertheless still an enjoyable night, indeed an enjoyable 3 nights in Bangkok. Roll on next month!

Tour de Thailand?

I left my hotel at 9.00am feeling totally fagged out! Three consecutive nights of rumpy-pumpy had taken its toll. So much for thinking about having a massage with a happy ending in the afternoons! Clearly I was out of practice, if IтАЩm going to up the ante IтАЩll have to go into training for my next visit :)

Great, Sunday morning in Bangkok would be the best time for me to set off for Hua Hin. The last time I left the hotel mid-week it had taken me 30-40 minutes to just get to my condo in Sathorn! But this time I was out of Bangkok and on the main road south in 30 minutes, then all of a sudden I hit a traffic jam, it turned out to be the mother of all traffic jams! I kept thinking what is the cause? IтАЩd already past an accident, three cars backed into one another in the outside lane. Hmm . . . I thought, if only you had been taught about maintaining your breaking distance!

I crawled along at a snailтАЩs pace then it became clear what the cause of the delay was, cyclists, 100s if not 1000s of them and occupying up to two lanes for mile after mile after mile! For fuckтАЩs sake, just my luck to pick a day when it appeared a sort of Tour de Thailand was taking place. Instead of 2 hours it took me 3.5 hours to get home. I was absolutely knackered. Think itтАЩll take me a month to recover for next monthтАЩs sexcapades! : )

Back to normality

Yes back to normality with a bang. Tomorrow I shall see my accountant, my company accounts are ready. He has emailed to say the accounts preparation and taxes will cost 22,745 Baht. IтАЩll also want to discuss with him the most tax efficient way to sell my house. Talking of which, a French guy and his Thai wife called today. He is interested in renting long term with the possibility of buying. He seemed to like the house and its location, but who can tell? If he offers a long term rent thatтАЩs going to throw the cat amongst the pigeons. If truth be told IтАЩd much rather have a clear offer to purchase, but this being Thailand I rather doubt this process will go as smoothly as I would wish.

Then my car tax and car insurance is due shortly . . . aagghh . . . now is it better to be a regular visitor to Thailand or to live here? Now thereтАЩs a question!

[Jellybean]

Another night out in Hua HinтАЩs gay bars

I went out with the intention of talking to one of the boys I spoke with 3 or 4 weeks earlier, but when I walked into the bar, much to my surprise, there were three other fa-rang there sitting with boys . . . a busy bar indeed for Hua Hin!

I couldnтАЩt see тАШmyтАЩ boy in the gloom, but a handsome, dark skinned boy, sat next to me at the bar. He had a lovely smile, didnтАЩt speak any English, so my pidgin Thai came in handy yet again. I bought him a drink and we went through all the usual pleasantries. Then тАШmyтАЩ boy got up from the table with the two fa-rang and came up to the bar and said, тАЬHello, do you remember me?тАЭ I said, тАЬOf course, hello ***!тАЭ He said, тАЬOh, you remembered my name!тАЭ Little did he know I was there specifically with the intention of meeting him . . . oh well c'est la vie!

IтАЩll admit to feeling just a tiny bit jealous; he was with an even older old codger than me and after 30 minutes or so, left with him. Grrrrhh . . . if only I hadnтАЩt been so indecisive a few weeks earlier. As a former lodger of mine once said to me, when referring to his good luck in picking up handsome men, - It pays to be bold. That should always be my maxim! Anyway, there will, IтАЩm sure, be another opportunity to meet the other boy!

So I carried on talking with my new boy. Typical, he turned out to be straight; I always seem to fall for the straight ones! So I went through the same series of negotiations I went through a week earlier in Screw Boy Bar in Bangkok.

Despite him тАШbatting for the other sideтАЩ I agreed to take him home. He liked my house and small swimming pool and said he likes swimming. Hmm . . . I wonder if I can persuade him and some of his bar friends to drop by sometime for a bit of swimming and other associated shenanigans! Suddenly Hua Hin seemed like an okay place to be after all! : )

At some point I must have touched on my favourite b├кte noire, the ever present jing-j├▓k, because when he went into his bathroom he called me to report he spotted a gecko. I entered with a degree of caution to find one in the sink hiding under the plug. Ah, so thatтАЩs where the little buggers are coming from! I quickly pulled the small plunger closing the plug . . . and thatтАЩs the way itтАЩll stay! : )

He was manifestly much better than the Burmese Screw Boy Bar boy, he actually allowed me to do all he had agreed to do in the bar and, halleluiah, he had a gloriously sexy hairy ass! However, apart from being a great nipple licker, which rates very highly in my book, he wasnтАЩt exactly very proactive for a тАШtopтАЩ, but thankfully he was prepared to follow my directions. He did do his job and he, more or less, satisfied my needs.

There was however no indication that he enjoyed himself, which although doesnтАЩt happen that often with straight boys, still makes me feel that things havenтАЩt exactly gone well. Although, I suppose, from his point of view, receiving his payment is the prime indicator that the night has gone well. Perhaps then I shouldnтАЩt have been surprised that he gave me his тАШphone number and asked for mine. Clearly he saw me as a means of receiving a regular income without a great deal being asked of him. For me though, I would prefer if he too had reached a climax. I wonder if there is any way I can communicate that to him. Maybe through speaking with his captain, or is that not really the done thing?

Afterwards, a boy from the bar was supposed to call and pick him up, but there was no one spare and there was likely to be a delay. He wasnтАЩt worth keeping overnight. And, despite not feeling really comfortable driving at night because of my eye problems, I decided to drive him back into town, when I would have much rather have curled up in bed and gone to sleep. On the plus side, it probably earned me some kudos with the boy and his bar . . . no one wants a bad reputation do they, especially in such a small town as Hua Hin!

The total bar bill came to 660 Baht, which included the off fee of 300 Baht and three drinks at 120 Baht each (he had 2 drinks). Short time tip to the boy 1,000 Baht.

A bit of turbulence ahead . . .

After all the trials and tribulations of my first month in Thailand I was looking forward to a well deserved bit of rest and recuperation followed by intermittent periods of rumpy-pumpy.

All was going well, I was well pleased with the work done on the house and I didnтАЩt think I had too many financial worries, then like a bolt out of the blue I received a telephone call from my condo manager. Her first words were, тАЬI have some bad news for you.тАЭ So no attempt to sweeten the pill there! : )

Oh, oh . . . my tenants have been recalled to Japan by their employer and will not be able to honour their lease and remain at my condo until December. They have fully accepted that they will lose their two months deposit . . . just as well, because IтАЩve spent it! : )

Oh, no . . . I had calculated that their rent would have paid for all my repair and maintenance work and that I had nothing to worry about. The manager said she would try her best to find me another tenant, but this is sometimes easier said than done.

First things first I thought, stay in control, donтАЩt panic. My head says, perhaps another long term tenant will come along, my outgoing tenants apparently said they would try and help . . . well thatтАЩs really nice of them, perhaps there is someone else in their company looking for or needing suitable accommodation.

But my heart said, great, I can return to living in Bangkok for the next 3 months . . . I almost started packing (well that was a bit of an exaggeration, but the thought did occur to me!)

On Monday I shall go and see my agent in Hua Hin and see what the chances are of getting a long term rental for my house. But what about my plans to sell the house? Should I put this on hold for another year? Jeez тАУ such a major decision and all I want to do is chill out!

My Bangkok property definitely commands the higher rental income, but in all honestly, IтАЩd rather live in Bangkok. I suspect IтАЩll go along with the first property to find me a tenant. Ideally, IтАЩd prefer to have both properties rented out until at least the end of the year to put me on an even keel financially.

Sometimes I think my life plays out like a soap opera, anyone else ever think that about their own life? : )