Trip report - Chiang Mai - 29 Dec - in progress

[bkkmfj2648]

Flew Bangkok Airways from BKK to CNG Chiang Mai. Flight was delayed 30 minutes due to late arrival of aircraft. Flight is short and pleasant, about 55 minutes. Fun began at the Chiang Mai airport - luggage quickly arrived but there were NO taxis and there was a huge number of people waiting for the limited number of taxis. After about a 50 minute wait, I was in a taxi and within 15 minutes I was at my hotel, Club One Seven - C17.

http://www.clubonesevenchiangmai.com/

Hotel check-in was quick and easy - they only have 11 rooms. The guy brought me to my room but this being an antique 130 year old Lana Teak House you need to remove your shoes and I leaned on the side railing of the stairs to leverage myself and I immediately broke one of the wooden teak slats with my fat ass. How embarassing and what an awful way to begin my 6 day stay. I guess I need to continue dieting - the last time that I checked I was down to 78kg. But in typical great Thai "save face" style the manager said to me, "mister, it ok, house is very old".

I have a nice room that overlooks the Ping river with a small outdoor terrace. The room has a large 4 poster bed. You feel as if you are staying in the country side. Breakfast is served outside in the terrace alongside the river. Prior to 5pm you feel that you are in an antique gay hotel but after 5pm the place starts to transform as the sauna activities start to pick up and all of a sudden we have many new cute Thai "guests". I have not yet tried the sauna yet - sorry guys - there hasn't been any free time yet with all there is to do in Chiang Mai.

Unpacked my luggage and headed off to the "old walled city with a moat" which was about an hours walk away as the C17 is pretty far away from both the historic centre and popular Chang Phuak gay zone. I arrived on Sunday so that I could take advantage of the 1 time per week Sunday Walking Market. I think that this is the biggest open air market that I have seen in my life. It was packed with people just walking around enjoying the many concerts, handcraft shopping, art, performers, religious ceremonies, and incredible "food courts" that were set up in each of the grounds of the 3 or 4 Wats (Buddhist Temples) that I visited. I ate wonderful things that I have never eaten before. It was truly delightful to have seen this event for the several hours that I was able to. If you do visit Chiang Mai try to make sure that your visit includes a Sunday evening on the "Walking Street". I was so exhausted afterwards that I took the first tuk-tuk that I could find and payed the asking price of 200 bahts back to the hotel. Sauna already closed so I did not encounter any action (I would have been too tired anyway).

Next day after the wonderful breakfast I headed off by foot to discover the Nimmanhaeminda and Chang Phuak gay zone. It took about a 2 hour leisurely walk to get there and it was nice to see the contrasts in the various Chiang Mai neighborhoods. The gay zone is in a nice newer part of Chiang Mai with nice shops, bars, and stores, with many new condo buidings being constructed. I had hoped to have lunch in one of the gay restaurants but it being both a monday and also a government holiday (making it a 5 day weekend) the ones I had hoped to go to were closed for lunch. So walking back towards the centre I ate lunch in the big mall (Kad Suan) on the Huay Kaew Road - it was full of falangs which I found interesting.

Again exhausted, I took the first tuk-tuk from the mall to the "2 Brothers" massage place which is in the cool hippy backpacking hangout area of Chiang Mai which is near the main gate to the old city. To no surprise I chose the 4 hand 2 hour massage from 26 year old O (р╣Вр╕н) and 24 year old Aok (р╣Вр╕нр╣Кр╕Д). Showered alone and awaited their arrival in the small room with a low futon bed. Their massage was an excellent intense deep tissue massage for over 1.5 hours which is what I needed after all of the 2 days of walking. The "happy ending" was in the remaining 30 minutes and was less intense but ok. Then we showered together which was a lot of fun.

Afterwards, I told them that I wanted to buy them a drink in the downstairs bar and we hung out for about an hour together before they were taken by new arriving customers. It was great because I got to see how the other massage guys are chosen by the other customers. I realized that my choosing style is very polite and shy like while I saw other customers reject and then re-select the same guys that they already chose. Maybe it was a power thing. I tried to get the various massage boys to help me find a gay tour guide as I want to go out of Chiang Mai to see the mountains, jungle, elephants, and possibly the famous white Wat in Chiang Rai. With their limited English we did not get very far - but it looks like we are close to finding a gay guide who can drive and speak English.

http://www.2bmassage.com/

Wanted to take a short nap and either try out the sauna or head over to the Adams Apple go-go bar but my body slept until 23 - so I could not try either - so I wrote this trip update. Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and they are having a party here - so I will check it out...

hopefully my report was not too boring. This portion of my trip will be more cultural as Chiang Mai does not have a Twilight zone like in Bangkok.

[Andaman!]

So much to see in Chiang Mai. When I was there last year, I had an excellent gay tour guide called OSS. He drove a Honda Civic which was in good condition and we went all sorts of interesting places over three days.

He then went to study in Melbourne for six months but is now back in a Chiang Mai.

Unfortunately I don't still have a number for him but he is on Facebook https://th-th.facebook.com/oss.keen and Gay Romeo asian_tourguide4you

OSS is a really nice guide, speaks excellent English and is very handsome too!

Enjoy the rest of your stay in Chiang Mai

[bkkmfj2648]

wow - thanks for the lead on OSS - he is hot.
I already booked, Woody for a two day tour on 02 and 03 January
we will go to see the elephants, jungle, waterfalls, and up to Chiang Rai to see the famous white Wat.
cheers,
m.

[bkkmfj2648]

For New Year's Eve day and night I decided to relax and at the suggestion of the wonderful C17 staff decided to remain on site.
Had a nice leisurely breakfast and had a great conversation with a 50 year old already retired farang from the UK (yes I am jealous). He is preparing for his relocation to Thailand and he bought a condo in Pattaya that is still under construction and he hopes to move in later in 2014. Since I am also very interested in retiring in Thailand I seized the opportunity to ask my million questions - mainly, "why not retire in Chiang Mai?" (since he was raving about CM). He said he chose Pattaya because it is on the seaside and it is very oriented towards the ex-pat community. He felt that CM did not yet have the same level of ex-pat infrastructures and by him living in Pattaya he could easily fly over to Chiang Mai when he would want. I sensed that he had a preference for the CM guys over the Pattaya guys.

does anyone reading this who lives in Chiang Mai have any comments/opinions on what it is like for an ex-pat to live in CM?

Then I decided to lay out in the sun - the Club One Seven (C17) has a great penis shaped pool. There is the on site bar, pool boy, and massage boys, who could ask for more to have a relaxing day.

[attachment=2:15uu12s4]image.jpg[/attachment:15uu12s4]

Then I took a massage with sexy 30 year old Kim. Massage was 90 minutes and I paid 800 to the house and I tipped Kim 1,000 baht. Of course there was the sensual happy ending but it was somewhat mechanical for my tastes and lacked some variety. Kim was obsessed on finding a farang to marry so that he could move to the USA or Europe. He said that the only good farangs are already in a relationship and taken and the rest are butterflies. To kill his conversation and where it was going I told Kim that I was a butterfly to avoid being asked to marry him.

Then I had lunch on the terrace on the Ping river which was lovely and I had some great conversations with the wait staff and other farangs. Then off for a nap in my room. Then for the evening I wandered over to the bar and chatted with the staff to see what I should do for New Years Eve. They said that I should remain at the hotel for the naked party. I had been invited back to the "2 Brothers" bar for their party and I had thought to go to the Adam's Apple go-go bar for their celebration. I decided to stay at C17 since I already had a lovely day with them and I had not yet seen their sauna facilities.

Disrobed and put on a towel to explore the facilities. I was surprised at how big they are. On the ground level, there are the locker area, showers, dry sauna and wet sauna where everyone was walking around with their towels on. Then up stairs, where you needed to remove your towel and shoes, was the naked zone. There is an inter-mix of cabins, hallways, open sex areas with beds, video porno sala, glass wall looking onto downstairs where you can see the new guests that are arriving and another dark room. Then there is another upstairs to a semi-closed area with a big bed, and a hallway with many cabins. We were about 30 guys of which 6 were falang. The guy from lunch had told me that the prior weeks naked party had 150 participants (speaking to the staff they told me that the exact count was 154). The space is very large and could easily accomodate 154 people spread out on 3 floors. For just 30 of us, the space was too large and in typical gay sauna fashion we walked kilometers in endless stand and model chases. I knew then that I had made a mistake for my New Years Eve choice. :<((

However, I did get to watch two hot Thai guys that wanted to show off fuck each other - but I was not allowed to touch them. That was pretty much the entire night - ok to look at the cute Thai boys but you could not touch them (except there were 2 that did touch me but they were not the type of Thai guys that I desired). So in the end, I was only able to play with another farang but after he came he ran away - so no orgasms for me.

I am not much of a sauna guy to begin with as I hate the endless chase as it is a waste of time. I guess I thought "this time would be different" - but it wasn't - so I was angry at myself for making a bad New Years choice. It made me remember when I moved to Italy in 1999 when I visited the various Italian saunas and I saw how badly the Asians were treated as they were not desired and made to feel not welcome. Now I know what that feeling is like, "as I felt like the Asian in the Italian sauna last night".

After going back to my room and sulking for a while I went outside on the balcony and saw an amazing sight for my sore eyes, the sky was full of kongming sky lanterns which illuminated the sky above the Ping river. They brought tears to my eyes and I was happy to be in "Amazing Thailand".

[attachment=1:15uu12s4]image.jpg[/attachment:15uu12s4]

[attachment=0:15uu12s4]image.jpg[/attachment:15uu12s4]

[christianpfc]

To kill his conversation and where it was going I told Kim that I was a butterfly to avoid being asked to marry him.

I can't listen/talk and have sex at the same time, even a TV switched on is a disturbance. Every know and then, I come across a chatty money boy, and have to find a way to stop him talking. This never happened with boys who go with me for free.

[zombie]

OP: Thoroughly enjoyable report, so look forward to reading more. I cannot speak for living in CM but I agree with what you were told about the infrastructure compared to Pattaya. Also a lot of the cute CM gays especially the gay ones leave that city to work in the likes of BKK, Pattaya and Phuket.

[goteed1]

Thanks for the report, I'm also visiting chiang Mai at the same time. Thought I would chime in with a few reviews as well...

I'm staying at the Lotus Hotel which is okay. Very pricey, but the location is great for walking to bars and the old city. I booked a loft type room with a bedroom upstairs. However after nights of drinking tons of beer, I should have thought more about it, because negotiating the stairs down to the bathroom to pee in the middle of the night is a little ennerving. the place is very quiet and seems like more of a nursing home for old ex pats at times.

I went to the NYE party here lastnight and it was a pretty nice little do. Just a handful of people, all very friendly and the owner had a host of games for prizes the whole night which was very cute.

I've been to some of the go go bars that are around here, some great some really awful:

Circle Bar - this one is amazing. Great show, or I should say quality show. Actually very sensual, not just dirty. They put a lot of effort into it and it had minimal ladyboy lip synching which I truly appreciated. A large selection of guys, from twink to beefy. The place was standing room only for the 10 pm show.

Adams apple - right across the street from the hotel. Good show, more twinks here, but seems like a quality place and easy to get to!

My New Way? I think that s the name of the place. This one was odd. About half the audience was women. Another good show with a variety of types of guys, but I was seated on an aisle and the staff kept fussing back and forth so much that it made it hard to see the stage. Also, they were very unorganized when I was in there. They kept trying to charge me for the beer I already paid for, so finally I just left.

Freeway- abysmal. Keep away from this place. Something about the place is truly depressing. The guys in this bar are twinks, but they all have this looks on their face like they are waiting to be rescued. If I ever thought of becoming the patron saint of Gogo boys this would be the place. I would goin here pay all of the off fees for everyone and open the front door wide and yell. "Make a run for freedom!". Show was beyond lame and they have the nerve to charge a little more than the other places.

Off to Pattaya tomorrow.

Went to the NYE party here at the hotel

[marti]

Great Report. Thanks for taking the time to do it.

[BonTong]

does anyone reading this who lives in Chiang Mai have any comments/opinions on what it is like for an ex-pat to live in CM?
Well, you could write a book on that! Actually, having lived in Chiang Mai for too many years already, I might even do it one day. But, until then, hereтАШs a few quick thoughts:

Chiang Mai is a great city to live in and a very popular retirement destination for gay and straight alike. No lack of infrastructure, you can get pretty much anything you want here, same as Pattaya, Bangkok Phuket etc. But, Chiang Mai is far more laid back with a fabulous winter climate. There are good hospitals, an over-abundance of shopping malls, with more set to open and so many restaurants and bars you could go somewhere different every night for several years! It used to be easy to get around, though now traffic is becoming a bit more of a problem in the city centre, and there is no lack of new places to live with a massive ongoing construction boom.

You basically have three choices for living here: city centre or suburbs Condo, house in the suburbs, or a house out in the countryside a few km away from the main city. The later requires your own transport, whereas itтАЩs optional for the first two.

What you donтАЩt have, apart from a small area around Thapae gate and the Night Bazaar, is the in your face tourism business that exists elsewhere. And even then itтАЩs quite subdued.

Although there is a thriving ex-pat community, without which I know many foreigners living here wouldn't survive, I personally prefer to avoid most of it/them. Much better to learn enough Thai to manage basic conversations and make some Thai friends, then you will get to see a whole different side to life here.

As to gay life in Chiang Mai, that depends who you ask and where you look. To give an idea, one gay Thai facebook group for Gay Chiang Mai has over 17,000 members so thereтАЩs no shortage of young guys looking for fun. Just look online, Grindr, Jackd, Hornet, Gay Romeo, CamfrogтАж. Personally, I have a large circle of gay Thai friends which is a great way to socialise and meet new people too. Or go to Chiang MaiтАЩs most popular gay club G-Star Vintage which is packed to the rafters with sweet young guys. But, donтАЩt expect immediate hook ups тАУ go with friends and have fun, meanwhile collect phone numbers for later use. ;)

Whatever you do, donтАЩt come to live in Chiang Mai primarily for the increasingly morose Farang gay bar scene (you can read my thoughts on that subject here: Chiang Mai City News - Where did all the Nice Boys Go (http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=2852)). A lot of gay ex-pats I know now avoid the bars completely with the social scene having shifted towards restaurant type places, including plenty of straight venues.

Of course, if you want gay for pay there are still four go-go bars and plenty of massage places that continue to flourish. The added bonus is that many of the guys here are Tai Yai from BurmaтАЩs Shan state and quite a different proposition from Thais; that IS a good reason to live here. :ymapplause:

I could say more but the above is too long already. Hope itтАЩs useful. In summary, I think Chiang Mai is a fantastic place to live as an ex-pat!

[BonTong]

I went to the NYE party here lastnight and it was a pretty nice little do. Just a handful of people, all very friendly and the owner had a host of games for prizes the whole night which was very cute.

I dropped in for five minutes too, seemed a good time was being had by all. Event pictures online here (http://www.city-now.com/comment.php?cid=544713&lang=English&f_month=12&f_year=2013#rank544713)


Freeway- abysmal. Keep away from this place. Something about the place is truly depressing. The guys in this bar are twinks, but they all have this looks on their face like they are waiting to be rescued. If I ever thought of becoming the patron saint of Gogo boys this would be the place. I would goin here pay all of the off fees for everyone and open the front door wide and yell. "Make a run for freedom!". Show was beyond lame and they have the nerve to charge a little more than the other places.
And there was me thinking that the boys were there because they'd already been rescued by Uncle Ray (the owner and patron saint of Gogo boys) =)) Can't imagine what causes that "look" in their eyes.

I have to say I quite like Free Guy, in my opinion it's much friendlier than Circle Pub. However, I can understand the comments if you don't know the place - first impressions and all that.

[Khor tose]

Thanks for the report, I'm also visiting chiang Mai at the same time. Thought I would chime in with a few reviews as well...



I quite agree with your report on the go-gos in Chiang mai. I Strongly suggest you try the bars around the night bazaar area which are not in the gay guide, but include4d in "out" magazine.
I am referring to SO BE IT, SECRETS, Yokka Dok (at times) AND CU Bar. I truly believe if more people were directed to these bars there would be many more positive reviews of Chiang mai.

[newalaan2]

hopefully my report was not too boring. This portion of my trip will be more cultural as Chiang Mai does not have a Twilight zone like in Bangkok.
No not boring, thanks for taking the time to post it. It's a reminder to me that I haven't been up there for a couple years or more. Always used to include a trip there at least once annually when I was unhitched, but have also been a few times with bf. When I used to go there as a single guy I found the karaokes great for meeting guys as well as the bars. When I have been with bf we have used the time more to check out different places on chance rather than just hit the gogo bars....places like Rachada Cafe , Solo Bar (close to our accommodation) and the likes. We drove there and it was great having the car to travel around the areas around Chiang Mai as well as the attractions in it.


I'm staying at the Lotus Hotel which is okay. Very pricey, but the location is great for walking to bars and the old city
I tried the Lotus on a very early visit and fund it not to my taste, I finally discovered PJs Place and never bothered trying anywhere else after that. Found it ideally located and top quality everything about it.



I Strongly suggest you try the bars around the night bazaar area which are not in the gay guide, but include4d in "out" magazine.I am referring to SO BE IT, SECRETS, Yokka Dok (at times) AND CU Bar. I truly believe if more people were directed to these bars there would be many more positive reviews of Chiang mai.
Good call Khor Tose, I think every bar should have the opportunity to be of service to gay travellers, not every type of bar suits everyone so the more bars advertised for visitors the better. Those visitors can then make up their own minds whether they are worth the visit or not. It was only in the early days I visited one or two of the bars in this area, and in fact it was the owner of one of these bars who took me round a tour of the karaokes and clubs around Chaing Mai I was unaware of, AND split the bill with me the whole night! I found those venues he introduced me to very handy for future trips to visit on my own or take a boy after the bars.

Great to have a an updated thread about Chiang Mai. It has got me considering a trip there on my upcoming visit to Thailand later this month as itinerary still not finalised.

[BonTong]

....the bars around the night bazaar area which are not in the gay guide, but include4d in "out" magazine.
I am referring to SO BE IT, SECRETS, Yokka Dok (at times) AND CU Bar.
Well, these places are certainly included in our gay guide ;) - read all about them here: Chiang Mai Gay Go-Go and Host bars (http://www.gayinchiangmai.com/News/chiang-mai-gay/bars-gogo-host-sex-show/#NBZ) The listing even includes Google Maps for each place, along with directions so you can easily find them. The night Bazaar bars are also included in our pocket guide to gay Chiang Mai (http://www.radchada.com/down-loads/) with addresses/directions in Thai it's ideal to carry around with you and show to tuk-tuk driver.

[marti]

Whatever you do, donтАЩt come to live in Chiang Mai primarily for the increasingly morose Farang gay bar scene (you can read my thoughts on that subject here: Chiang Mai City News - Where did all the Nice Boys Go (http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=2852)). A lot of gay ex-pats I know now avoid the bars completely with the social scene having shifted towards restaurant type places, including plenty of straight venues.
I really disagree with this part of your report. This may be true if you are only in Thailand for sex. Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai have much to offer the average person who is trying to learn good things about the country.

[Surfcrest]

Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai have much to offer the average person who is trying to learn good things about the country.
What sort of good things marti? Let us know what else is up there that you think we should experience.
You mentioned a little over a week back that you are enjoying this cool weather...would that be in Chiang Mai or somewhere else in Thailand?

Surfcrest

[BonTong]

Whatever you do, donтАЩt come to live in Chiang Mai primarily for the increasingly morose Farang gay bar scene (you can read my thoughts on that subject here: Chiang Mai City News - Where did all the Nice Boys Go (http://www.chiangmaicitynews.com/news.php?id=2852)). A lot of gay ex-pats I know now avoid the bars completely with the social scene having shifted towards restaurant type places, including plenty of straight venues.
I really disagree with this part of your report. This may be true if you are only in Thailand for sex. Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai have much to offer the average person who is trying to learn good things about the country.you say "really disagree", but then make exactly the same point that I was. i.e there is so much to do in Chiang Mai (and Chiang Rai, another of Thailand's gems), and its a great place to live and enjoy life. And, in my opinion, "if you are only in Thailand for sex", Chiang Mai is really not the place to go if those are one's only expectations.

There is also a big difference between visiting a place for a few days as a tourist (or even sex tourist) and thinking the gay scene is fun, compared with living somewhere and seeing the same handful of ex-pats in the same handful of places week in week out..... It gives you a very different perspective.

[thaiguest]

Thanks for the report. Interesting for one who has not been there for some time. I have been to Chiang Rai though. Last trip -at the airport- an (abnormal) unpleasant
experience. The next in line taxi grunted when I said " North Hotel please". He walked ahead to the taxi without taking my suitcase, never spoke a word during the short ride and dumped my suitcase like it was radio active on the st outside the gay venue. I held out my 100 baht tip note and as he was about to grab it I pulled it back and re-pocketed it. Did he take off with tyres screaming!?

[firecat69]

I love that story. Put in my memory bank for future use!!!

[Oliver]

Is North Hotel in Chiang Rai an exclusively -gay hotel? I thought it was just "friendly".
I was in Chiang Rai two years ago at the Wangcome with my Thai boyfriend. We had no problems with staff, taxi drivers or anyone else there. Perhaps your driver was just a miserable bugger who's rude to everyone.

[thaiguest]

Is North Hotel in Chiang Rai an exclusively -gay hotel? I thought it was just "friendly".
I was in Chiang Rai two years ago at the Wangcome with my Thai boyfriend. We had no problems with staff, taxi drivers or anyone else there. Perhaps your driver was just a miserable bugger who's rude to everyone.

The owners are gay ( unless sold on). One from Norway, one Thai ( Hence name NorTh Hotel.)
It's open to all as I assume a pure gay venue is not feasible in Ch Rai. I reported the nasty driver to the Thai partner. He said that Ch Rai has many Christians and of late many evengelical Jesus freaks from the U.S. preaching esp to the hill-tribe people. Many Christians there are homophobic as per other countries.
So looks like I was unlucky to have met one. I have taken taxis from the airport before and since with no problems.

[bkkmfj2648]

New Years Day - quite relaxing breakfast on the Ping river under the sun with the air full of that after fireworks smell. Went into the deserted city centre to prepare for the big trip up north tomorrow. Haircut, backpack, medicated eye drops (the dust up here is killing my ability to wear my contact lenses) from the pharmacy. Mission accomplished even if many places were rightfully closed after last night's mayhem. Then I treated myself to a great meal (eggs Benedict for lunch) at, the "Butter is Better" diner in Chiang Mai (189 Chang Klan Road) http://www.butterisbetterbakery.com/

I highly recommend the place and I loved the kitschy 1950s/60s d├йcor.

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Then set off to the "Classic Massage" place at 27/2 Thapae Road, Soi 4 (between the Night Bazaar and the Thapae Gate)

http://www.classichousemassage.net

for a 2 hour 4 hand massage from 30 year old Net and 27 year old Joe. The mamasaan is an interesting character - with a deep raspy voice of someone who has smoked and partied way too much in his life. The massage was very good with a strong contrast between the 2 guys, Net massaging in an extremely strong manner provoking some pain but in a good way, and Joe who was more adapt at stretching my muscles. Part 2 of the massage was interesting in that the strong guy also stroked too strongly and many times I had to remove his hand from the equipment to avoid a premature end to the pleasure where the other guy maintained a perfect slow and sensual rhythm. So, I decided to play with the strong guys tool but when I reached to grab it, what I found in my hand felt like 3 balls, and while roaming around the merchandise I discovered that the 3rd ball was actually a small penis (truly sad as the guy was hot and extremely manly). Then Mr. sensual brought me over the edge and our mutual fun concluded. I took a shower alone and then dressed and went downstairs to pay but I could not find anyone so I ventured behind the curtain in the employee zone to find all of the 6 cute guys all laying down together on a big mattress watching TV. Then the mamasaan came from out on the street (she/he is very protective of her boys) and took me away from them darling guys to the front desk to pay the 1,200 Baht to the house and 800 each to the guys, but I instead gave them 1500 each, as they truly worked hard.

Ate dinner later and then off to bed early to be ready for the great adventure tomorrow.

2nd of January тАУ the big adventure to Chiang Rai.
Woody and his тАЬfriendтАЭ Non, picked me up from the C17 hotel around 10:40 in their nice 2012 black Nissan. We then stopped off for some road snacks and gassed up the car for our journey up north with the first stop being lunch at the hot springs which are at the beginning of the Chiang Rai province. We passed through some nerve wracking mountain curves тАУ as the Thais drive like Italians тАУ so I was somewhat prepared but not from the we drive on the opposite side of the road point of view. Here is a little info sheet that they gave me with their picture that I took тАУ they are so cute and info on how you can contact them if you want to use their тАЬservicesтАЭ as they only charge 2,000 for in-city trips and 2,500 for out of Chiang-Mai trips plus expenses of food, gas, and hotels if your trip includes over-night stays like ours did (the distances are just too far to do it all in one day).

[attachment=4:1c8l956g]Woody_Chiang_Mai_tour_guide_info.jpg[/attachment:1c8l956g]

The Chiang Rai hot springs are basically a tourist trap where you can eat lunch, buy some souvenirs, and look at the small geyser hot spring. In the back, there is a place where you can go into them тАУ we did not. We ate lunch and why the 2 guys asked me what I wanted to eat, I replied with farang revenge and said, тАЬItтАЩs up to youтАЭ тАУ they both laughed as they said that is what every Thai person says to the farangs. They chose great dishes as I truly like to eat like real Thais when both my stomach and intestines are in good working order.

Then we headed off for the famous White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) which is VERY impressive as it is a gigantic non-conventional Buddhist Temple, very white (which blinds you in the light) and very ornate. In addition, it is a тАШwork in processтАЩ, as it is not yet completed and they are adding many more sections.

[attachment=3:1c8l956g]white_temple_chiang_rai.jpg[/attachment:1c8l956g]

Both Woody and Non made sure that I saw everything which included the тАЬrepair shopтАЭ as the guys explained to me that an important temple so large needs constant repairs. Then the guys said, тАЬyou need to make a wishтАЭ and so we paid 60 baht each to be given a tin ornament where you write your wishes on it and then hang it on a tree тАУ there are millions of these ornaments on several trees тАУ very good way to fund the expansion of this very artistic place.

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-->> Note that the elapsed time to the White Temple from Chiang Mai is about 2.5 hours.

Then we headed into town (the temple is about 12 km outside of downtown Chiang Rai) to find our hotel. We stayed at the Wiang Inn (893 Phaholyothing Road) and paid 2,200 baht for 1 night for 3 people тАУ breakfast included. They guys said we should relax, and shower. I thought oh yeah тАУ some fun. NO тАУ after I showered their local friend said that the guys had to take me to the outskirts of Chiang Rai to the river to eat on the river during the sunset. No problema тАУ so we headed out to a great place on the river to eat overlooking a big Buddha that was located on the other side of the river. Food was great and we had some great laughs.

Then we had to run to meet their local friend who took us to one of the most wonderful flower festivals that I have ever seen in my life тАУ held at the Suan Mai Ngam Rim Nam Kok Park тАУ called the Chianrai ASEAN Flower Festival. It was enormous and the aromas of all of the different flowers was delightful. In addition, it being night time it gave the show a different aura as the water misters were on and made many of the scenes appear to be surreal. Here is a photo of the 4 of us with their friend Ban giving us the tour.

[attachment=1:1c8l956g]IMG-20140109-WA0032.jpg[/attachment:1c8l956g]

Then we ran off to a 2nd flower festival (as if one was not enough) called the 10th annual Chiang Rai Flower Festival with a flower tunnel acting as its entrance way. Of the 2 festivals, I preferred the ASEAN one as it seemed to include more variations of flowers тАУ however the 10th annual festival was also very impressive.

During our walk at the 2nd festival, I noticed some tension between Woody and Non and found out later in the night back at the hotel that Non had gotten some intestinal bug and we had to stop at the nurses station. Woody was disappointed because we were supposed to have some fun later back at the hotel тАУ but I was ok with it тАУ as I preferred that Non be taken care of by Woody as we had a big day ahead of us tomorrow.

Woke up and had breakfast and we checked out and set off for the Mae Sai Myanmar border crossing. I was very excited as I have always wanted to go to Myanmar and this was an extra bonus as I had not asked for this in my original request to Woody. Since I found out that Woody is a refugee from Myanmar (hill-tribe Shan people) now living legally in Thailand with documents for 10 years тАУ who better to show me Myanmar than Woody. Unfortunately at the border crossing they guards were about to let me cross when the 2 tour guides were held up due to missing papers. So, I aborted my entry. Damn тАУ so close yet so far. Woody was visibly disappointed, but it seems that they had changed the rules again for his entry тАУ as in the past (August 2013) he just left his Thai documents with the border guards (Woody would keep a photocopy with him) and then he was free to enter Myanmar тАУ unfortunately the rules had changed and this was no longer allowable. He actually needed a visa paper and even his partner, Non who is Thai from Isaan also needed a similar paper. They could see that I was very disappointed but I told them that Myanmar would be for another time and that I appreciated the attempt that they organized.

So, plan B was that Woody called his friend who was waiting for us in Myanmar to come over and join us for lunch. They took me up the massive number of steps to the famous Wat Phra That Wai Dao which has an excellent view deep into Myanmar (my consolidation prize) where we ate lunch. In addition we explored the very interesting Temple complete with a giant scorpion statue which was built to scare away the former Burmese invaders. Then they took me to the large Mae Sai market тАУ but I was marketed out and not very impressed. Then their Myanmar friend (sorry I forgot his name) went back to Myanmar and we headed off to our next stop, the тАЬGolden TriangleтАЭ тАУ where the Ruak River merges with the Khong River and the 3 points of Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand meet.
It was again another exciting moment as Woody was convinced that the Nava Tatong Boat tour company would get us into Myanmar as they marketed a boat ride to all 3 countries. So, of course we signed up, paid and jumped on the first boat for Don Sao Island in Laos. When we arrived we just jumped off the boat and we were in Laos тАУ no border control or anything. I was so excited and easily fooled as it is an island in the middle Khong River full of trinket and souvenir shops тАУ and there is nowhere to go but just on foot on this small Laos island. Anyway, it was a great photo op to show that I was in Laos. Plus the local people were very nice. Any currency was accepted тАУ Lao Kip, Myanmar Kyat, Thai Baht, USD, EURO, etc.

[attachment=0:1c8l956g]20140103_154603.jpg[/attachment:1c8l956g]

Then after some short sightseeing on the tiny island back on the boat to venture into Myanmar. NO WAY!!! Only a drive by, as the boat guy said that if we set foot onto Myanmar territory that he could not guarantee our safe return and it would require lots of $money$ to be allowed to leave Myanmar. So, Myanmar was definitely not in the cards for this trip. So, back to where we started on the Thai side to explore the giant Big Golden Buddha at Ban Sop Ruak, Golden Triangle. This Buddha is so high up in the air to be intentionally visible in all of the 3 surrounding countries. Worth seeing.

It was starting to get late so they guys suggested that we commence the 5 hour journey back to Chiang Mai.

Back in Chiang Mai, the guys insisted that I take a quick shower and that we go out on the Chiang Mai go-go bar scene to see:

Circle Pub тАУ 161/7-8 Soi Erawan, Changpuak Road тАУ this was a very busy and great fun place with a very lively go-go bar show, including shower scene, and a sensual fuck show тАУ where it is somewhat discreet to leave a little to the imagination. Woody introduced me to a guy from his hometown village who performs in the show тАУ who is a H O T T Y тАУ but Woody said, no wait, I want to show you one more bar. I was so ready to off him.

New My Way bar тАУ 3/5-6 Hatsade Sewee Road. Soi 3 тАУ T. Chang Phuak тАУ this bar is funky. It has seen better days and the dancers are somewhat more amateurish тАУ especially when compared to Circle Pub. Here the guys were rougher and very local, but fun (between shows they were mixing with the crowd in a friendly way). The show was somewhat lame. I did not see anyone that I wanted to off so we called it a night. In hindsight, I should of told Woody to bring me back to the Circle Pub to see if I could have offed his hometown friend. Oh well, I left that to imagination and for a future repeat visit to Chiang Mai.

Back to hotel and I kissed both Woody and his boyfriend Non (they finally confided with me that Non is his partner). By the way, they both work at the Classic Massage place that I reviewed earlier in this post тАУ unfortunately when I visited they were already engaged with other customers. I would definitely like to play with them. But more importantly, they are EXCELLENT guides full of information and friends in other places that they introduce you to which enhances the trip experience. I was very impressed with Woody тАУ being an ex-refugee and after 8 years being able to; become legal in Thailand, be a massage boy, and to open a tour guide business. His dream is to open his own massage place with a tour guide side business. I believe he will get it as he is determined, smart, and believes in what he does and he is a fun guy.

Ok, this terminates my Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Mae Sai, Golden Triangle trip report. Next Trip Report will be for Koh Samui.

[Oliver]

Thanks for the reports; Chiang Rai remains my favourite Thai destination. I strongly recommend a trip to Mae Salong; breathtaking views and a unique Chinese village. I find Mae Sai - the border town between Thailand and Burma- fascinating, too.

As for Chiang Mai, any recommendations for Thai restaurants? My boyfriend and I will be there next week and plan to celebrate our respective birthdays at The Whole Earth.

[BonTong]

Thanks for the reports; Chiang Rai remains my favourite Thai destination. I strongly recommend a trip to Mae Salong; breathtaking views and a unique Chinese village. I find Mae Sai - the border town between Thailand and Burma- fascinating, too.

As for Chiang Mai, any recommendations for Thai restaurants? My boyfriend and I will be there next week and plan to celebrate our respective birthdays at The Whole Earth.
If you like the Whole Earth and want something with Thai food thatтАЩs similar try Ruen Come In (http://www.ruencomein.com/). Very hi-so in a beautiful location. Another great place for Northern Thai food is Huen Muan Jai (http://www.huenmuanjai.com/) off Huay Kaew road roughly behind Soho Bar (five minute walk). Or for more of a budget option also near there is Lemon Tree on Huay Kaew; been around for years but still good. A bit out of town is Huan Soontaree, owned by a famous singer who still performs Northern Thai Lanna folk songs at the restaurant.

For modern trendy Thai food try MoC MoL, Fine Thanks or Mix. ThereтАЩs also the big places on the river like Good View, Gallery , riverside etc тАУ they are all together.

For gay owned places Sabbai Di Santitham is always a good choice, or Anchan Vegetarian (If you like Thai vegetarian). A small, relatively new and budget place is Bird Of Paradise, run by Bird who used to work in Silom Soi 4. Details Here (http://www.radchada.com/chiang-mai-gay-bars-pubs-restaurants/)

I second your recommendation for Mae Salong, very picturesque place with an interesting history. The remanants of the Kuo Ming Tang army from the Chinese Civil war escaped here after they were driven out of Burma. The Thai authorities let them stay in return for their help in fighting communism. The town became a bastion of opium production but is now famous for its Oolong tea.

[attachment=1:29k1qisr]maeSalong_2.jpg[/attachment:29k1qisr][attachment=2:29k1qisr]MaeSalong.JPG[/attachment:29k1qisr][attachment=0:29k1qisr]maesalong3.jpg[/attachment:29k1qisr]

[bkkmfj2648]

wow BonTong,

great suggestions. more reasons for me to continue to explore Northern Thailand.

thanks,

m.

[Oliver]

Thanks, BonTong, for your suggestions. I enjoy the ambiance of The Whole Earth and so Ruen Come in seems a good bet for us.

By the way, I've had some memorable drives in many countries across the world, not just in Asia, but the Chiang Rai- Mae Salong one is one of the best. The views are wonderful and ever-changing as the road twists and turns up the mountains. The only problem for me is that I want to stop and look too often!

[Magnum]

bkkmfj2648, great report, thank you for sharing. Has anybody else had experiences with Woody as tour guide? Do you have other recommendations re gay tour guides in Chiang Mai? Thanks.

[rtu55]

What are the going rate for ST/LT in Chiang Mai? More expensive that in Pattaya, but not as expensive as in Bangkok? What should one expect to have to pay in a Chiang Mai go go-bar as for example Adam┬┤s apple for taking a boy off, in off-fee and tip for the boy?

[Tomas1576]

Hi, does Woody (What a promising name...) have a webside or a place where I can find more information?

[BonTong]

By the way, I've had some memorable drives in many countries across the world, not just in Asia, but the Chiang Rai- Mae Salong one is one of the best. The views are wonderful and ever-changing as the road twists and turns up the mountains. The only problem for me is that I want to stop and look too often!
Well, since the thread got bumped....

I recently drove the road between Mae Suai (on the 118 CM- CR road) and Fang. Stunningly beautiful! Also the road between Chiang Khong and Chiang Seang overlooking the Mekong. Fang is an interesting place for a night out too. If you don't mind Thai style places it soon becomes apparent that not everyone there is straight =P~

[attachment=1:xo6ubkew]Mountains of Northern Thailand 2.jpg[/attachment:xo6ubkew]

[attachment=0:xo6ubkew]The mighty Mekong.jpg[/attachment:xo6ubkew]

[bkkmfj2648]

[quote]
Tomas1576 wrote: Hi, does Woody (What a promising name...) have a webside or a place where I can find more information?
/quote]

Hello Tomas, yes Woody has an information card with all of his contact details that I have just uploaded. Woody and his partner are a very fun and open minded couple that will take you anywhere you may want to go.
If you don't know what you want to see they can organize something for you if you just
give them a couple of hints. They have a nice Nissan car with excellent air conditioning.
Any other questions about them just ask. I have used their tour services on 2 different
trips and their massage services 4 times - both were excellent. Woody's level of
English is very good.
Enjoy them and treat them well and you will be so happy for doing so. :)
M.

[bkkmfj2648]

Woody's information card

[attachment=0:1nigzpo9]1437504416641.jpg[/attachment:1nigzpo9]