massage tips for Udon Thani and Vientiane

[Bert]

I will visit Udon Thani and continue to Laos, visit Vientiane and Luang prabang.
Anyone male massage experiences in those places?

[FarangRuMak]

As there are no replies to help you out I think a good strategy is to seek out Lao guys in Pattaya and Soi Twilight BKK and arrange to meet them in Laos.
Some would love the chance to get home for a while and a few thousand baht from you will achieve that and provide you with a companion/guide there.
I have been to Laos twice (Vientiane ) and I found it difficult to hook up there as the locals are shy at home but not in Pattaya or Bangkok.
What will bring me back there again is the friendliness of the people.

[Bert]

Nice to hear that Lao people are so friendly. I heard the same sound from other travellers. So that's very encouraging to start my trip.
I did not know that so many Lao guys are now working (massage? gogo?) in Pattaya and Bangkok. I guess Lao guys are not that different from Thai, so how to recognize Thai from Lao boys? But it's indeed a good idea to find my local guide and also have someone to hook up with in Laos.
Thanks

[pong]

there is no foolproof way to distinguish Lao from Thai-and certainly not from Isan-guys.
In most BKK (and likely PTY) bars/gayplaces there will be nearly/over half of the guys coming from Isan-or often smilingly named'' Lao''. Just ask. (short time) experts can recognise their dialect. (f.e; they say ''pai sai'' in lieu of pai nai?, 20=not yisip/yeep, but ''sao'').
Do not assume to quick they (I mean real Laotains) will want to go back home-and more so with a farang in tow. Many have complicated cross-border schemes (I am a bit interested in that and always ask about ways of how to when i can) and they may forfeit a new entry into TH for it.
For me Lao's in their own country are mostly lazy, or ''laidback'' if you follow tourist brochure-language. There are officially quite strong laws against Laotians going with farang-this mainly applies to ladies though and as mostly in ASEAN should not taken as too seriously. Also do not expect they will be on the know for YOUR entry-regulations re visa and all that-they dont have to deal with it. Basically for US/EU its paying (take cash US$) and waiting for a large stamp/sticker in your passpt.
My best advice would be first to look at some of the well-known hook-up sites and see what they have in stock for those places.

[cdnmatt]

Oh, without question there's a way to distinguish Laos from Thai. I can't do it myself, but the locals around defintely can. Just a simple 5 minute taxi ride is all it takes for example, and they know he's not from Thailand, and proceed to ask where he's from. I''m not sure if it's how he looks (Laos folks tend to have fairer / more pale skin than NE Thais), or how he prouncounces various Thai word / phrases, or what.

Nonetheless, withough question, everyone knows he's from out of country.

[goji]

Several years ago I had a very nice time at a mixed massage place in the following location in Vientiane. 17.966734, 102.602969
Mixed place, so walk past a couple of times & then directly approach one of the handsome boys sat outside.

The boy was so sweet I seriously considered going back there the next year.

[Bert]

Hey Goji,
Thanks for sending the coordinates, do you still remember the name of the place?
Was your experience comparable with Thai (male) massage?
Could you choose your masseur?

[cdnmatt]

Many have complicated cross-border schemes (I am a bit interested in that and always ask about ways of how to when i can) and they may forfeit a new entry into TH for it.
For me Lao's in their own country are mostly lazy, or ''laidback'' if you follow tourist brochure-language. There are officially quite strong laws against Laotians going with farang-this mainly applies to ladies though and as mostly in ASEAN should not taken as too seriously. Also do not expect they will be on the know for YOUR entry-regulations re visa and all that-they dont have to deal with it. Basically for US/EU its paying (take cash US$) and waiting for a large stamp/sticker in your passpt.
My best advice would be first to look at some of the well-known hook-up sites and see what they have in stock for those places.

Oh, the cross border thing isn't very complicated. It's 100 baht for a 30 day stamp, or 300 baht if you have a 60 day VISA. From there, length of time in Thailand doesn't seem to matter. My guy has been living here since last July, just crossed the border again 0about 1 week ago, and hasn't had any problems. He just gets dinged a small "entry fee", and off he goes. Technically illegal, because it's supposed to be free, but then also technical illegal for him to be here more than 6 months out of 12 months.

Still debating if I should get him a Thailand Elite card, but that's 500,000 baht, so think I'll stick with this setup for now.

[FarangRuMak]

I notice that the Laotians are more accepted by the Thais than say the Cambodians. Many have cultural and family connections with Isarn so they feel at home there I think.
There are a few nice Lao boys working in the last beer bar in Soi Twilight Bangkok (on the right-same side as Dick's Cafe) and 2 of them have frequently offered to go with me to Lao and they have no problem bringing me to their homes. If I take either I will let visit their homes alone. I think one of them is called Ton and he's very cute.
When in Laos I'm a bit wary of the police etc. The people are nice but the state is still run by Commies. Commies love their secret police. (See thread by Marsilius; Cuba/S G World.)
Good luck with the Trip.

[frequent]

Nonetheless, withough question, everyone knows he's from out of country.I wonder. Isaan was originally populated in the 19th century by ethnic Lao and Khmer who were invited in by the Thai king. If goji had been around he would have been complaining about the government being more welcoming to the newcomers than to the Thais themselves. Meanwhile Bangkok was being colonised by ethnic Chinese, who still make up the merchant class. Most older Isaani speak either Khmer or Lao as their first language at home and certainly know if someone is from the "other" group. It's more likely that just as the urban Thais of Bangkok can spot a country bumpkin a mile off, the rural Thais can equally spot someone even more of a bumpkin from a neighbouring country without much of an effort. Lunching at Mrs Balbirs a couple of weeks ago with a Thai I was informed by him that the waiter (mango chutney anyone - see my restaurant review) was "probably" Burmese despite the fact they exchanged a very few words while the order was being taken

Not, mind you, that Thai people are racist. Everyone knows that it's only middle-aged white men who can be racist

[goji]

Hey Goji,
Thanks for sending the coordinates, do you still remember the name of the place?
Was your experience comparable with Thai (male) massage?
Could you choose your masseur?

I don't but street view shows the place (picture added).

The experience was comparable with a boy in a regular Thai massage place. He was easily persuaded to strip off & a happy ending was enjoyed. Not like one of the gay places with everything on offer.

A number of male & female masseurs were sat at the table outside (blurred in the photo). I walked up to the boy & selected him. Due to an unexpected shortage of local currency, I tipped him the equivalent of $10, which was met with a beaming smile.
The next time I went to the shop he was out of the seat like a rocket to get my business.

[FarangRuMak]

+Frequent
Yes and fascists ...and women of any colour can't be rapists.
I notice that many people from Sisaket can speak Khmer.
I love to reply with an interrogative "sow baht?" in Bangkok when the Chinese /Thai asks for yisip baht.
They look at you like you're a Hilly Billy in Macy's.

[justaguy]

Oh, the cross border thing isn't very complicated. It's 100 baht for a 30 day stamp, or 300 baht if you have a 60 day VISA. From there, length of time in Thailand doesn't seem to matter. My guy has been living here since last July, just crossed the border again 0about 1 week ago, and hasn't had any problems. He just gets dinged a small "entry fee", and off he goes. Technically illegal, because it's supposed to be free, but then also technical illegal for him to be here more than 6 months out of 12 months.

Still debating if I should get him a Thailand Elite card, but that's 500,000 baht, so think I'll stick with this setup for now.

Many Lao guys "loose" their passport, because doing a 30 day border run every month is a tedious task. Not to mention costly, from BKK there are agencies that do the trip for a thousand baht. Do it yourself is cheaper, think about 600-700 baht by using bus + tuk tuk to border and back.

If such a guy lost their passport, there is no easy way to get him to go to Lao, as it would involve a trip to the Lao embassy to get a laissez passer.

By the way, there is nothing illegal about your guy being here more than 6 months out of 12.

[cdnmatt]

Not, mind you, that Thai people are racist. Everyone knows that it's only middle-aged white men who can be

racist

This is one thing I'll never understand. I keep telling Leo to go find friends to play sports with, or go to the movies / markets / eat with, or whatever.

He always replies the same. He hates Thai people, and his mother warned him against making friends with Thais. For fuck sakes, you live 250km down the road. I guess you may have had different history lessons in school, but aside from that, you're the exact same people.

[Nirish guy]

I guess you may have had different history lessons in school, but aside from that, you're the exact same people.

Just the same as you Canadians and your friends just down the road there in the good old US of A. Or perhaps us Brits and our friends just 250km away in France and Germany I guess then.....all the exact same people - aren't you / we ??

[justaguy]

Ask about the little green man and when does it return :)