Thailand present situation

[ro2124]

Recently joined Forum not having been to Thailand for many years, so thought would try to get some info to see if its worth going back
But having looked at various comments on here having my doubts!

Well,still remember first time I went there.
Arrived with jetlag, booked into hotel and the boy who took me to room said. Hey you want girl?.. I said no thanks,... you want boy... No ..OK, you want me?

Mmmh, I thought I think I might like this place :-)
Well I did only went for a month.. and stayed 4 years :-)

It was fun in the old days, first Bangkok later Pattaya... in those days anything went, some of it quite outrageous.But never a dull moment :-)

However many comments I seen on here are pretty negative, crap shows,way overpriced drinks,not very attractive boys (and looking at some of the pics, have to say they were well below standard from what was around in the old days, some real beauties then)
So,..Mmmh thinking cap on... perhaps better off where I am at the moment, in Carribean.
(and Yes its true whar they say about Black boys...ermm... "equipment" :-)

[Dodger]

The scene is a far cry from what it used to be,, no argument there, but is still a fun-loving place for homo's like us.

I like the sound of those well-hung Cerribean guys. Which island are you on?

[Surfcrest]

No doubt, Thailand has modernized over the years. We've gone from sleeping under mosquito nets (some of us) and having cubes of ice put in our beers to cool them down to having Wi-Fi in our rooms, so certainly things have gotten more expensive over time. Just as seatbelts and helmets on scooters have become mandatory (on certain days), they no longer bring elephants into the bars in Sunee as part of the nightly show.

In many ways Thailand has changed and isn't the exciting, "anything goes" world that it once was. On the other hand, things have improved quite a bit. In Bangkok, it no longer takes you several hours to go a few kilometers in rush hour traffic. These days there's a heck of a lot more choice in Pattaya for a night out for dinner.

I don't know... I like both the old Thailand and the new.

Surfcrest

[fountainhall]

Am I wrong, or wasn't the OP discussing bars, boys, drinks prices and fun? Can't see any improvement there in Bangkok! LOL

[arsenal]

Dodger is right. While not as buzzy as it was it still beats anywhere else and you can still have a ball. Or two, haha.

[ro2124]

@ >Dodger
>I like the sound of those well-hung Cerribean guys. Which island are you on?

Well, it's known as Hispanola, which to the uninitiated is split into two parts the larger part on the right is Dominican Republic and to the left the smaller part, Haiti.
Of course completely different to Thailand there isn't the large gay scene, this place is more geared to the Heteros, place is stuffed full of prostitutes.
however with the crappy economic situation many of the guys are not averse to earning themselves some..ermm... Pocket money so to speak :-)
and there is a good mixture here of Latinos and Black which adds to the variety.
As for the hung bit ..well yes, although it's a myth all Blacks are mega hung, they are definitely above average.

Especially compared to the Asian "hung like a badger" variety :-)
Although looking back I think Thais are normally bit better hung than other Asians.

My current "special friend" is actually a Haitian, there are many here legally and illegally they pop across the border as economic situation there is even worse, the Dominicans basically use them as cheap labour and they are treated pretty bad.
Well this Haitian definitely is in the above average bracket ..well actually the biggest I've ever seen and I've been around a bit :-)
It's 9 inches and thick, had to look twice first time to make sure I wasn't seeing things, so I decided it needs a special name! I have nicknamed him "Nessie" after the Loch Ness monster, which seems an apt nickname :-)

But like everywhere there are downsides, the crime rate here has been getting pretty bad, several tourists been murdered recently, although I do recall when I was in Thailand there was this spate of foreigners "accidentally" falling from high-rise buildings in Pattaya, I expect that is still happening knowing Thais?

One big plus though immigration is so relaxed it's almost unbelievable, officially one only gets 30 days, but in practice after that you just stay and theres no hassle. I've been here two years and although technically an illegal immigrant, they don't bother you at all.
I've known people been here six years with no hassle and even started businesses. All that happens is the day you leave after so many years, you might get funny look at immigration and then they say OK x-amount of dollars please and that's it no problem.
Well depends how long you over-stay, fines are on a sliding scale from six months to 5 years or longer. But the fines are reasonable and definitely much cheaper than having to leave the country every 2 or 3 months- like bloody Thailand! thats one thing that always pissed me off about Thailand. Don't know how it is now, but I used to have to go to the nearest embassy which was in Malaysia every two or three months,.. three day trip on the train, expensive and time wasting!

But unfortunately as they say good things never last, there has been talk here lately of clamping down on foreigners living here, so changes are afoot by the look, which is one of the reasons for looking elsewhere.

So at the moment it's a tossup between Thailand and Eastern Europe which used to be pretty good too, but things have changed.
Decisions, decisions :-)

[ro2124]

@ >Dodger
did reply to your question re which island, but seems Moderators have got their knickers in a twist over something, so reply is blocked for now, so you may not see it.

[Moses]

@ >Dodger
did reply to your question re which island, but seems Moderators have got their knickers in a twist over something, so reply is blocked for now, so you may not see it.

not a reply, but letter "at" - @ from e-mails is blocked... too many spammers, all posts with such letter are going to moderation, that why you don't see spam at forum: it is filtered by robot and moderators...

so, if you don't want to see your reply been published with delay - just don't use @ then, also it has no sense at forum since here isn't Twitter with autotagging of recipient... hint: you can use 2 (in meanig "to Dodger") if you want shortcut: 2Dodger or 2:Dodger

I'm looking for mod which will allow to print recipient's nickname in one click, but still didn't find it...

[fountainhall]

I enjoyed this part of your post


All that happens is the day you leave after so many years, you might get funny look at immigration and then they say OK x-amount of dollars please and that's it no problem.
Well depends how long you over-stay, fines are on a sliding scale from six months to 5 years or longer.
Makes it sound like you're happy to spend a few years in jail - but I realise that's not quite what you meant!!

I've been a confirmed Asia-phile for 35 years (the term rice queen really does tend to grate!) and I'm not going to change now. Whilst you obviously enjoy the attractions of Hispaniola, it does seem from what you write that the negatives are at least as great as those in Thailand, if not more so. Yes, we still hear of occasional gruesome murders of tourists. There is still the occasional flying farang, mostly in Pattaya and usually some poor soul who has lost everything to the girl he was sure loved him so desperately he happily put her in charge of all his assets, of bar owners whose businesses have tanked (not nearly as lucrative a profession as it probably once was) or of the agonies of discovering lover-boy's attentions had been transferred elsewhere.

Yet despite the grumblings I have posted about the bars and nightlife scene not being nearly as much fun "as they used to be", as you rightly say good things rarely last. Time moves on. Yet Thailand continues to offer a great deal. The visa regulations here have been tightened up quite recently and I'm not sure how you get a long-stay multiple re-entry visa unless you are over 50 and can show you mean to live here for at least that period of time.

[fountainhall]

On the other hand, things have improved quite a bit. In Bangkok, it no longer takes you several hours to go a few kilometers in rush hour traffic.
Ahem??? A recent survey of almost 300 cities around the world had Bangkok as No. 2 for traffic jams after Mexico City!! But I guess you meant the convenience of the Skytrain and subway systems. ;)

[Oliver]

Haiti sounds interesting but surely the people there resent Americans after the US's success in stifling democracy over the past two decades?

As far as Thailand is concerned...yes, its nowhere near as exciting as it was when I first came but there is nowhere I'd rather be.

[Dodger]

ro2124,

Thanks for the feedback.

The way you describe the scene in the Dominican Republic it doesn't sound too appealing with the exception of those well-hung nessies.

One advantage of being over 50 (and I can't think of too many others) is that fact that I qualified for a Non-Immigrant O-A Thai Visa which some refer to as a Retirement Visa. I have been traveling to Thailand for the past 15 years on a 60 day tourist visa and paying a fee to have it extended 30 more days to cover my routine 3 month stays. Last month I went through the process of getting the O-A Visa here in America which will now allow me to stay in Thailand as long as I want based on an annual renewal.

It was a pain in the ass getting this in the States because, along with all the other required documentation, I needed a medical exam, as well as a criminal background check, both of which are not required to obtain an O-A Visa if you apply when you're in Thailand.. At first this didn't sound like any big deal but scheduling a doctors appointment on this short notice with my busy work schedule was a challenge to say the least - and getting the criminal background check consumed nearly an entire day, but in the end it was worth it.

Frankly, with all the problems going on in the world right now I prefer spending my time in the exotic and tranquil Land of Buddha with its vibrant and open gay scene, availability of guys, low cost-of-living, and even a few nessies if you look hard enough.

Good luck with your travel endeavors.

[francois]

Not to quibble but, to my knowledge, you cannot get an O-A visa in Thailand, only in your home country. You could have gotten an O visa in your home country without the medical check and police check and then gone the retirement route once in Thailand. But all's well that ends well.

[ro2124]

2Moses
>not a reply, but letter "at" - from e-mails is blocked

Ah Yes, now I see the problem-one lives and learns :-)

2Fountainhall

>Makes it sound like you're happy to spend a few years in jail - but I realise that's not quite what you meant!!

Well as I said jail is not on the table here, a reasonable fine and Bobs your uncle,everyone's happy, wish more countries were like that.
In Thailand if I overstay that long ,yeah no doubt its off to jail and massive fines too I expect.

>it does seem from what you write that the negatives are at least as great as those in Thailand

Yeah well wherever you go there are different issues, nowhere is perfect I guess...used to have a lot of fun in Tunisia as well, but now the Islamist Loonies have ruined that.

Another irritation here is noise, these Doms are without doubt the noisiest people on the planet there is only one volume setting Full Blast! and some of these brain-deads drive around with SUVs with massive banks of loudspeakers in the back, pumping out a Zillion Watts of noise. They literally make the window glass vibrate and rattle as they go past- without ear plugs I would be a wreck as I would never get any sleep.
Actually the Government has recently listed noise as an official Health Hazard as its so bad, but you know these countries, laws are there to be ignored and no one takes any bloody notice of noise laws.

Traffic here not as intense as Bangkok, but actually far more deadly in fact DR is statistically the most dangerous place on the planet in terms of fatalities and having seen some of the suicidal drivers here, I can believe that! Red lights and one way streets are merely an inconvenience to be ignored. Only the brave or insane drive on public holidays since half the drives are pissed out their brains.
Ah well never a dull moment ...guess it beats a wet weekend in Bognor :-)

[ro2124]

2Dodger
>Thanks for the feedback.

youre welcome :-)

>The way you describe the scene in the Dominican Republic it doesn't sound too appealing with the exception of those well-hung >nessies.
Yes the "Nessies" are one reason to put up with the rest of the bloody hassle :-)

>. Last month I went through the process of getting the O-A Visa here in America which will now allow me to stay in Thailand as >long as I want based on an annual renewal.

Yeah visas are always a pain. I hate all bureaucracy with a passion and police checks etc are a load of hassle I can do without and in fact might be a problem for people like Brits of a certain age, as in the bad old days thousands were jailed in UK just for being gay,and although really innocent the cops never forget and no doubt keep things like that on file and would fuck up your life with glee.
Well the hypocrites pardoned Oscar Wilde eventually, but doubt they will do that for all the other thousands of innocents whose lives they ruined.

> as well as a criminal background check, both of which are not required to obtain an O-A Visa if you apply when you're in >Thailand..

Well dont know if true, but a friend who has lived in Pattaya for 20 years says if you ..errm... know the right people you can get things done by "donating" a certain amount,which would not seem too far fetched knowing the corruption in these places

>Frankly, with all the problems going on in the world right now I prefer spending my time in the exotic and tranquil Land of Buddha >with its vibrant and open gay scene, availability of guys, low cost-of-living, and even a few nessies if you look hard enough.

Yeah you are right, seems world is getting nastier every year ...and if youre from US probably even Thailand is safer :-)
Things going on in US of late, seems if the mass shooters or gangs dont kill you, the trigger happy cops will :-)

>Good luck with your travel endeavors.

Thanks:-)

[fountainhall]

Well the hypocrites pardoned Oscar Wilde eventually, but doubt they will do that for all the other thousands of innocents whose lives they ruined
Surely Oscar Wilde has not been pardoned by the government? Alan Turing was pardoned a couple of years ago but Wilde - no.

[Marsilius]

As the following link indicates, recent attempts to secure a pardon for Oscar Wilde haven't exactly generated an overwhelming wave of support...

https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/25171

[Dodger]

Not to quibble but, to my knowledge, you cannot get an O-A visa in Thailand, only in your home country. You could have gotten an O visa in your home country without the medical check and police check and then gone the retirement route once in Thailand. But all's well that ends well.

I could have gotten the O-A Visa in Thailand with no problem but it would have required a trip to the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok to get the verification of financial income statement one needs to complete the process. I simply did not want to hassle with this.

It is actually recommended by some that you get the O-A Visa in Thailand versus your home country due to the fact that a medical exam and criminal background check are not required. I just preferred getting this done at home so I didn't have to mess with this during my holiday when there are much more important matters at hand...LOL.

[fountainhall]

I also obtained my O-A Visa in Hong Kong. The pain was not so much the medical check. I actually had it done here in Thailand in a shady clinic across from Soi Twilight on Suriwong. The doctor merely tore off a chit and signed it. No need for any checks, i was told!!! It was the police check that took time and meant an extra trip to Hong Kong since it took weeks for my fingerprints to go through the system. Not sure if it is the same if you go through the process here, but I actually got 2 years with my first visa/multiple reentry permit. During the first year, every time you reenter the country you automatically get another 12 months. Then during the second year the amount of time you can stay reduces to the end of the 2nd year. Thereafter you have to go to Immigration to get a one year renewal each time.

[francois]

I could have gotten the O-A Visa in Thailand with no problem but it would have required a trip to the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok to get the verification of financial income statement one needs to complete the process. I simply did not want to hassle with this.

It is actually recommended by some that you get the O-A Visa in Thailand versus your home country due to the fact that a medical exam and criminal background check are not required. I just preferred getting this done at home so I didn't have to mess with this during my holiday when there are much more important matters at hand...LOL.


There is a great deal of confusion regarding an O Non Immigrant visa and an O-A Non Immigrant visa. There are advantages in getting an OA visa in your home country/country of residence if you want to get medical and police clearance but not all consulates will issue then. Instead they will give an O visa not requiring the medical and police check. If you really want to know more about these visas you can do more research on Thai Visa Forum. Whatever works is best for you.

[ro2124]

2 fountainhall

ah yeah, you could be right there and I got my knickers in a twist.

But they did put up a blue plaque on his house "The famous playwright Oscar Wilde lived here"

Well, that also qualifies as hypocrisy I reckon...maybe they should re-write it:

The famous playwright Oscar Wilde lived here- at least until we persecuted and jailed him resulting in his early death.

===========
2Marsilius

>As the following link indicates, recent attempts to secure a pardon for Oscar Wilde haven't exactly >generated an overwhelming wave of support...

Mmh yeah that does seem surprising,as Turings pardon was supported by many.
Cant think why?
Maybe with Oscar poorly publicised or just too long ago...who knows.

[catawampuscat]

I have a friend who used to live in Pattaya and then decided to sell his condo and return
to USA. He frequently goes to Dominican Republic and has told me the scene is basically old white
fat man 'smoke' young well endowed black man. He doesn't bottom, so that may be possible.
If one is content to only 'service' straight men without any reciprocation, D.R. could be okay.
In Thailand, some of the well endowed superstars in the bars will also lay back and let you
'service' them and some will do a 'chuck wow' show as well.
However, if one like to get 'smoked', to top and kiss , D.R. will not be satisfactory. Anyone can
easily find what works for you in Thailand, especially in Pattaya.
All you need is money and do shower as bad body odour is a no no..

[fountainhall]

Well, that also qualifies as hypocrisy I reckon...maybe they should re-write it:

The famous playwright Oscar Wilde lived here- at least until we persecuted and jailed him resulting in his early death.
Totally agree!

[ro2124]

2catawampuscat

>and has told me the scene is basically old white fat man 'smoke' young well endowed black man

Well yeah to some extent, I would agree with that.

>....If one is content to only 'service' straight men without any reciprocation

Yes there is also some truth in that some of them are pretty useless in bed, apart from said white man sucking their enormous sausages, they don't really do much else. Which of course is partly understandable if they are straight
My problem is I like straight boys with enormous sausages :-)
Well, as I think the old rock 'n' roll star Little Richard once said, "There is only one thing better than a big cock,- a bigger cock" :-)

So guess I'm a "Size Queen" then, so have to put up with their little imperfections. Of course there are some who are different and perform better, but bit more difficult to find.
And there are real gays too, but they are the usual type you find all over the world... camp, bitchy, jealous, etc you know the type. That really doesn't do anything for me, had one or two real gay ones but not really my thing.

Another plus is they are not too pricey,some will go for under $30 for a whole night now thats a bargain :-)

Doubt that will be possible in Thailand these days, although not sure what the rate is these days?
What is the average fee these days?
and of course one has to take the "take out" fee and the crazy beer prices into consideration and guess most bar boys only want "short time" not all nighter?

Think performance wise the best ones I ever had were the Tunisians, even the straight ones enjoy it. In fact they are virtually gagging for it, I could tell you some stories about Tunisia,what used to go on there was unbelievable.
Well reason being I guess, Arabic societies are very oppressive you cannot do anything,sex before marriage is out, no porn, no nothing.
So all the young straight guys are boiling with sexual energy they can't release, so if Mr White man comes along and offers his bottom (and a few Dinars :-) they go for it with a vengeance!

Of course now these places are off-limits with the lunatic Islamists on the loose... shame really it was fun than the old days.

[paperboy]

my money is still on cuba. saying that, this is my 5th trip to cambodia.

[ro2124]

2Paperboy

Yeah as Im just across the water from Cuba have considered it. Cubans are very handsome indeed, from what one hears, but I hate crap bureaucracy and they are very strict with Visas and stuff.... Still might, force myself later :-)

and Cambodia? No thanks spent couple of months there and hated every minute of it. Constant hassle soon as one leaves hotel constant barrage "Hey you Massage, hey you taxi hey you want girl " (Aaaahhrg God forbid)..... was like running a gauntlet, not a bloody minutes peace..of course happens in Pattaya etc too, but not as mad as that lot.

And really cant recall seeing any attractive boys, couple of crap gay bars mostly empty, in all total shite! Thailand was more fun

Well can only comment on Siem Riep where I was, maybe other places are better, but doubt will ever go there again... my last day there kind of finished it off for me. Decided to have haircut before leaving, worst decision I ever made! Went to hairdressers and said to the woman just a trim please medium short. OK she said ,..then proceeded to shave my head completely and I looked like f******g Kojaks twin brother! Tried to stop the crazy bitch but too late.
What made it worse I was very tanned and now had a shiny white gleaming dome...looked like a bloody circus freak for weeks...never again!

[christianpfc]

and Cambodia? No thanks spent couple of months there and hated every minute of it. Constant hassle soon as one leaves hotel constant barrage "Hey you Massage, hey you taxi hey you want girl " (Aaaahhrg God forbid)..... was like running a gauntlet, not a bloody minutes peace..of course happens in Pattaya etc too, but not as mad as that lot.

And really cant recall seeing any attractive boys, couple of crap gay bars mostly empty, in all total shite! Thailand was more fun
My impressions of Cambodia were different. Boys cuter than in Thailand, gay saunas in Phnom Penh ok, host bars so-so (but then I'm not a fan of host bars in Thailand either). No hassles. But lack of public transport and low number of tourist attractions (to my taste) limit my stay there.