christianpfc
May 2nd, 2013, 14:32
Living and working in Bangkok: 3 months
Now I have been living and working in Bangkok for 3 months, and here is a report about my current situation.
ChristianPFC is fit for tropics. I could live and work in Thailand permanently. (Some people on the forums say that holiday is fine for them, but they cannot imagine living here.) After previous stays in England and France, I was prepared for a third world country, and I can cope with tropical weather as well.
I can walk 15 minutes in the full sun without excessive sweating. If I can get in aircon after these 15 minutes, I will be fine. However if I have to climb the stairs to fifth floor (my room), I will sweat significantly. But I prefer too hot to too cold.
By moving to Thailand, I have achieved some of my aims in life:
1. I can wear flip-flops most of the time outside or no shoes at all in my room, I only have to wear closed shoes for work and when I go to immigration/embassy/... No more socks, no more laces, no more bending down to put shoes on and take them off. Wonderful!
2. Never be cold again (in the sense of winter in Europe). Here it is warm (often too warm), or cold in the sense of fresh (aircon).
3. Can eat mangosteen, tom kha gai and other Thai food and fruit every time I want (but on the downside, cheese and chocolate from Europe is very expensive).
4. Sex is available any time and at reasonable prices. But I still have not been able to have someone come to my place in time. I didn't have good sex for a while, and now I am hesitating to spend money in Bangkok bars (that would be drink up to 300 Baht, off fee 500, tip 1500, then taxi to my place 20 minutes and 150 Baht, the boy might be reticent to go that far and/or ask for another 150 Baht for taxi back, simply too much if it starts with expecting poor sex for a lot of money). I have to wait until I'm in a better mood.
5. I don't have to pay TV license. In Germany it's in the range of 800 Baht per month, and nowadays it's a "media fee" that every household has to pay, even if you don't have a TV or computer or radio (except if you are blind and deaf, then you are exempt).
I mainly eat Thai food, about 90%. Once or twice a week, I treat myself to Italian food or expensive Thai seafood or have some cake. I now need 3 meals per day, when I came for holiday 2 or sometimes even just 1 was enough (plus some snacks). Unfortunately, I have to take most meals alone. In France, we went eating in a group and had many interesting conversations during lunch, which I miss very much. In addition, the pizza with goat cheese and the salmon were to die for.
I lost a few kg (I was slim before, now even more) and now all my trousers are too wide, so I had to buy a belt. My physical condition is excellent, I reached or excelled results from 12 years ago. The only problem is that there is no place where I can run for 2 hours or more to prepare for possible participation in the Pattaya Marathon.
I now use aircon (25 degree Celsius) every night. Last month I experimented with fan, I can sleep with fan, but why suffer at 30 C or more when I can have aircon every night for about 800 Baht per month. My room heats up during day, when I come home it's 33 C inside, and even after hours of using fan, inside still 32 C and outside 30 C or less.
My Thai improved slightly. Still serious problems with listening and understanding spoken Thai, especially on the phone or with background noises. But I can sometimes get the gist, and I guess it will take just some more months until I get useful information by listening to Thai people talking about me assuming I don't understand what they are saying.
Thai people in my area are friendly, I sometimes get an invitation for drinking or eating. They have genuine interest in me, are happy that I can speak Thai. Unfortunately, there is a mismatch: those interested in me are either too old, too young, not my type or female. Those I have a sexual interest in show low interest in me, often totally ignoring me. However considering that there are more then 10 who I would like to invite to my room, and some of them live in the slum (no work, no money), there must be one or two who would be happy to go with me for a few hundred Baht, but I don't know who and how to approach the matter!
It's like opening an oyster, you need one point where you start. Some cute boys play basketball, so I can't talk to them while they are playing. After the match, they go home for showering and don't come back. (If there was group showering after the match, I would overcome my aversion to ball games.) When we exchange a few words, there is no subject that I can use to invite them to my room. Except for one, who asked me if I wank and how big my cock is! Unfortunately he is not my type, otherwise I would invite him for a demonstration.
I finally get some calls per week from boys who would like to meet me (for sex for money). I always envied those who complained that they constantly get calls, because I rarely got one when I was in Thailand for holiday. Unfortunately, there is a mismatch: either I am not free or he is not free or traveling would take too long or he is not so much my type that I would like to see him again.
My sex life is going down. Contrary to my expectations, more prostitutes (now over 80%, when I came here on holiday it was 50%), and the last good sex has been a while ago. My idea was to meet two or three boys per week from gayromeo or camfrog or from real life for free or cheap, find a boyfriend or move on or stay fuckbuddy. Complete failure. I still haven't managed to get a single boy from my area in my room (to study English and Thai, and then probe if more is possible), can't use camfrog (no own computer, no webcam in internet cafe, no pro version) and results on gayromeo are disappointing.
I calculate my chances of ever finding a boyfriend very low (details in a separate topic).
Whole series of events go wrong. Last weekend in Pattaya may serve as an example. Friday night was ok (I offed a waiter, so I could not be sure that there are no tattoos and no body hair, back in my room his body was exactly as I like it, but he did not show any activity in bed). For Saturday I had planned to meet one boy during day and one at night (both barboys I know from previous trips). One was away during day and one was not available. At night, I went to the boy's bar, he was there, taking part in contest, so I could not off him. I waited till after 1am when he left the bar, but he had other commitments. Other bars were closed already, so I called another boy. He did not pick up, but why I was holding my phone I heard someone call my name. It was another acquaintance I would love to get in bed with again. While I was chatting with him, the boy I called minutes before called back (vibration, I did not pick up). After some chat (and a lot of drama, this boy has by far the highest drama to sex ratio of all my Thai friends) I realize his plans for the night do not include me. Actually, I think he does not intend to go with me again and is just teasing me and looking for drama. This has been going on for half a year (drama and teasing) in real life, on phone and on skype. I should move on. I tried my best:
He: "When do you go back to Bangkok tomorrow?"
I: "Up to you!",
He: "No, I mean when do you leave Pattaya?",
I: "We can leave whenever you want.".
But he wanted to go to disco with his ladyboy friends from Obsession bar. Nothing for me (too late, too loud, and they would probably present me all the bills, I would still have to go to bed alone, anyway I wasn't invited - I have fallen that low, I am not even invited to pay the bills!)
A stroll through Sunee (about 2 am) shows very little remaining activity. But then I walk past New Sawatdee Boys which is still open and that looked promising earlier that evening (but I prefer gogo bars where I can see the boys in underwear, I rarely go to beer bars). So I went in and a boy sat next to me. I could not find any fault with him in the bar and he caught me in a moment of emotional weakness, so I offed him. Back in my room, hugging, cuddling, kissing, affection exactly as I like it, but seen in light not so much my type. He called me a few times, now I have to prepare him that we will not meet for sex for money again. At New Sawatdee Boys, there is no way I can escape him because I walk past every time I am in Sunee. Fortunately, he will go back to his home province in four weeks so time will solve this problem (a boy who is everything I want, but not my type!). So I won't be lumbered with him for long.
That might be a consolation to others. Getting laid in Thailand is not only about age and looks, even speaking Thai does not improve my current situation, neither does living and working here. It's more about attitude and how much money you are willing to spend. A friend of mine goes to Hua Lampong railway station and kind of says: "You, you and you, want to come with me? Free beer, cigarettes, food, 300 Baht for sex." Two of them say yes, one says no, and 15 minutes later he is in his room with them. Others go to Soi Twilight, Boyztown or Sunee or gay discos, and for a few thousand Baht they spend the night surrounded by Thai boys who tell them they love them and want to become their boyfriend. Both cases are not my style, I make elaborate plans that fail most of the time.
I have a lot to catch up regarding electronics. Not having an own computer is cumbersome (use internet at work or in internet cafe), I will buy one soon. (Update: finally bought a laptop, now I just need internet.) In addition, I will need a new mobile phone, that will be quite a jump from my current one which is from around 2005. Then I will be able to use GPS and googlemaps and access internet from my phone and will try out grindr and similar applications and read and send SMS in Thai. Actually, I would rather study Thai with local boys (really, not just as a pretext!) and have sex with some of them then being in the internet two hours a day or more.
Work is so-so (that's optimistic, work-wise I have quite a low as well, but I won't bore you with details).
Expenses are higher than expected, I spend about 30,000 Baht per month (detailed expenses will follow in a separate post), and that is without saving for retirement or health insurance (I have health insurance from my employer, I don't know how much this covers). Add one-time expenses (my lost passport will cost about 10,000 Baht, I will buy a computer soon), and I spend all money. For flights back to Germany, I will have to use money I saved when I was working in Europe.
Summary: my main objective for my relocation to Thailand was to have sex regularly, for free or cheap (definitely not Soi Twilight prices) and maybe even find a boyfriend. So far, complete failure in all aspects.
Now I have been living and working in Bangkok for 3 months, and here is a report about my current situation.
ChristianPFC is fit for tropics. I could live and work in Thailand permanently. (Some people on the forums say that holiday is fine for them, but they cannot imagine living here.) After previous stays in England and France, I was prepared for a third world country, and I can cope with tropical weather as well.
I can walk 15 minutes in the full sun without excessive sweating. If I can get in aircon after these 15 minutes, I will be fine. However if I have to climb the stairs to fifth floor (my room), I will sweat significantly. But I prefer too hot to too cold.
By moving to Thailand, I have achieved some of my aims in life:
1. I can wear flip-flops most of the time outside or no shoes at all in my room, I only have to wear closed shoes for work and when I go to immigration/embassy/... No more socks, no more laces, no more bending down to put shoes on and take them off. Wonderful!
2. Never be cold again (in the sense of winter in Europe). Here it is warm (often too warm), or cold in the sense of fresh (aircon).
3. Can eat mangosteen, tom kha gai and other Thai food and fruit every time I want (but on the downside, cheese and chocolate from Europe is very expensive).
4. Sex is available any time and at reasonable prices. But I still have not been able to have someone come to my place in time. I didn't have good sex for a while, and now I am hesitating to spend money in Bangkok bars (that would be drink up to 300 Baht, off fee 500, tip 1500, then taxi to my place 20 minutes and 150 Baht, the boy might be reticent to go that far and/or ask for another 150 Baht for taxi back, simply too much if it starts with expecting poor sex for a lot of money). I have to wait until I'm in a better mood.
5. I don't have to pay TV license. In Germany it's in the range of 800 Baht per month, and nowadays it's a "media fee" that every household has to pay, even if you don't have a TV or computer or radio (except if you are blind and deaf, then you are exempt).
I mainly eat Thai food, about 90%. Once or twice a week, I treat myself to Italian food or expensive Thai seafood or have some cake. I now need 3 meals per day, when I came for holiday 2 or sometimes even just 1 was enough (plus some snacks). Unfortunately, I have to take most meals alone. In France, we went eating in a group and had many interesting conversations during lunch, which I miss very much. In addition, the pizza with goat cheese and the salmon were to die for.
I lost a few kg (I was slim before, now even more) and now all my trousers are too wide, so I had to buy a belt. My physical condition is excellent, I reached or excelled results from 12 years ago. The only problem is that there is no place where I can run for 2 hours or more to prepare for possible participation in the Pattaya Marathon.
I now use aircon (25 degree Celsius) every night. Last month I experimented with fan, I can sleep with fan, but why suffer at 30 C or more when I can have aircon every night for about 800 Baht per month. My room heats up during day, when I come home it's 33 C inside, and even after hours of using fan, inside still 32 C and outside 30 C or less.
My Thai improved slightly. Still serious problems with listening and understanding spoken Thai, especially on the phone or with background noises. But I can sometimes get the gist, and I guess it will take just some more months until I get useful information by listening to Thai people talking about me assuming I don't understand what they are saying.
Thai people in my area are friendly, I sometimes get an invitation for drinking or eating. They have genuine interest in me, are happy that I can speak Thai. Unfortunately, there is a mismatch: those interested in me are either too old, too young, not my type or female. Those I have a sexual interest in show low interest in me, often totally ignoring me. However considering that there are more then 10 who I would like to invite to my room, and some of them live in the slum (no work, no money), there must be one or two who would be happy to go with me for a few hundred Baht, but I don't know who and how to approach the matter!
It's like opening an oyster, you need one point where you start. Some cute boys play basketball, so I can't talk to them while they are playing. After the match, they go home for showering and don't come back. (If there was group showering after the match, I would overcome my aversion to ball games.) When we exchange a few words, there is no subject that I can use to invite them to my room. Except for one, who asked me if I wank and how big my cock is! Unfortunately he is not my type, otherwise I would invite him for a demonstration.
I finally get some calls per week from boys who would like to meet me (for sex for money). I always envied those who complained that they constantly get calls, because I rarely got one when I was in Thailand for holiday. Unfortunately, there is a mismatch: either I am not free or he is not free or traveling would take too long or he is not so much my type that I would like to see him again.
My sex life is going down. Contrary to my expectations, more prostitutes (now over 80%, when I came here on holiday it was 50%), and the last good sex has been a while ago. My idea was to meet two or three boys per week from gayromeo or camfrog or from real life for free or cheap, find a boyfriend or move on or stay fuckbuddy. Complete failure. I still haven't managed to get a single boy from my area in my room (to study English and Thai, and then probe if more is possible), can't use camfrog (no own computer, no webcam in internet cafe, no pro version) and results on gayromeo are disappointing.
I calculate my chances of ever finding a boyfriend very low (details in a separate topic).
Whole series of events go wrong. Last weekend in Pattaya may serve as an example. Friday night was ok (I offed a waiter, so I could not be sure that there are no tattoos and no body hair, back in my room his body was exactly as I like it, but he did not show any activity in bed). For Saturday I had planned to meet one boy during day and one at night (both barboys I know from previous trips). One was away during day and one was not available. At night, I went to the boy's bar, he was there, taking part in contest, so I could not off him. I waited till after 1am when he left the bar, but he had other commitments. Other bars were closed already, so I called another boy. He did not pick up, but why I was holding my phone I heard someone call my name. It was another acquaintance I would love to get in bed with again. While I was chatting with him, the boy I called minutes before called back (vibration, I did not pick up). After some chat (and a lot of drama, this boy has by far the highest drama to sex ratio of all my Thai friends) I realize his plans for the night do not include me. Actually, I think he does not intend to go with me again and is just teasing me and looking for drama. This has been going on for half a year (drama and teasing) in real life, on phone and on skype. I should move on. I tried my best:
He: "When do you go back to Bangkok tomorrow?"
I: "Up to you!",
He: "No, I mean when do you leave Pattaya?",
I: "We can leave whenever you want.".
But he wanted to go to disco with his ladyboy friends from Obsession bar. Nothing for me (too late, too loud, and they would probably present me all the bills, I would still have to go to bed alone, anyway I wasn't invited - I have fallen that low, I am not even invited to pay the bills!)
A stroll through Sunee (about 2 am) shows very little remaining activity. But then I walk past New Sawatdee Boys which is still open and that looked promising earlier that evening (but I prefer gogo bars where I can see the boys in underwear, I rarely go to beer bars). So I went in and a boy sat next to me. I could not find any fault with him in the bar and he caught me in a moment of emotional weakness, so I offed him. Back in my room, hugging, cuddling, kissing, affection exactly as I like it, but seen in light not so much my type. He called me a few times, now I have to prepare him that we will not meet for sex for money again. At New Sawatdee Boys, there is no way I can escape him because I walk past every time I am in Sunee. Fortunately, he will go back to his home province in four weeks so time will solve this problem (a boy who is everything I want, but not my type!). So I won't be lumbered with him for long.
That might be a consolation to others. Getting laid in Thailand is not only about age and looks, even speaking Thai does not improve my current situation, neither does living and working here. It's more about attitude and how much money you are willing to spend. A friend of mine goes to Hua Lampong railway station and kind of says: "You, you and you, want to come with me? Free beer, cigarettes, food, 300 Baht for sex." Two of them say yes, one says no, and 15 minutes later he is in his room with them. Others go to Soi Twilight, Boyztown or Sunee or gay discos, and for a few thousand Baht they spend the night surrounded by Thai boys who tell them they love them and want to become their boyfriend. Both cases are not my style, I make elaborate plans that fail most of the time.
I have a lot to catch up regarding electronics. Not having an own computer is cumbersome (use internet at work or in internet cafe), I will buy one soon. (Update: finally bought a laptop, now I just need internet.) In addition, I will need a new mobile phone, that will be quite a jump from my current one which is from around 2005. Then I will be able to use GPS and googlemaps and access internet from my phone and will try out grindr and similar applications and read and send SMS in Thai. Actually, I would rather study Thai with local boys (really, not just as a pretext!) and have sex with some of them then being in the internet two hours a day or more.
Work is so-so (that's optimistic, work-wise I have quite a low as well, but I won't bore you with details).
Expenses are higher than expected, I spend about 30,000 Baht per month (detailed expenses will follow in a separate post), and that is without saving for retirement or health insurance (I have health insurance from my employer, I don't know how much this covers). Add one-time expenses (my lost passport will cost about 10,000 Baht, I will buy a computer soon), and I spend all money. For flights back to Germany, I will have to use money I saved when I was working in Europe.
Summary: my main objective for my relocation to Thailand was to have sex regularly, for free or cheap (definitely not Soi Twilight prices) and maybe even find a boyfriend. So far, complete failure in all aspects.