Did anyone hear anything about this?
I'm going to take a look there now.
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Did anyone hear anything about this?
I'm going to take a look there now.
Well let me answer:
Attachment 11877
I’ll take some more pics later
I have no idea what is going on with that. The entertainment venues are still ordered closed. If DJ Station is open, I hope they found a way to open legally.
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Govt explains delay in reopening entertainment venues
19 November, 2021
The Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration has given two reasons for delaying the reopening of entertainment places, and said operators must improve disease control standards.
Apisamai Srirangson, a spokeswoman for the CCSA, admitted on Friday that when the government postponed their reopening from December to Jan 16 the operators of entertainment venues were bitterly disappointed.
One reason for the delay was that the country had not been able to bring the number of new daily Covid-19 cases to below 5,000 and fatalities continued at about 50 a day, she said.
The other reason was the Public Health Ministry and local organisations said the operators of entertainment venues had not registered compliance with the Covid-19 control standard, known as Amazing Thailand Safety and Health Administration Plus (SHA+), Dr Apisamai said.
The standard was mandatory for reopening, she said.
"Please improve your premises ... Whether reopening will happen or not does not depend on the decision of CCSA, but on the readiness of the premises themselves," Dr Apisamai said.
Covid-19 vaccination of staff of entertainment venues was among the criteria of the SHA+ standard. Details of the standard were available from the Department of Health, she said.
Premises that met the standard would get an SHA+ sign from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Visitors would look for such signs at entertainment venues, Dr Apisamai said.
Under the CCSA's plan, from Nov 16 to Jan 15 the Interior and Public Health ministries would enforce disease control and ventilation regulations and officials would evaluate the reopening readiness of entertainment places.
From Jan 16 onwards, entertainment places would reopen only in high surveillance, surveillance and tourism pilot zones. Places that cause Covid-19 outbreaks would be closed.
Entertainment venues have been ordered closed since early April after some of them were found to be the centre of Covid-19 outbreaks.
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand...ainment-venues
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Well, well, well who would have guessed it? This song was made for you vnman . . .
Hey Thai boy!
Your eyes are full of hesitation
Sure makes me wonder
If you know what you're looking for
Baby
I wanna keep my reputation
I'm a sensation
You try me once, you'll beg for more
Oh, yes sir, I can boogie
But a I need a certain song
I can boogie, boogie-boogie
All night long
And yes sir, I can boogie
If you stay, you can't go wrong
I can boogie, boogie-boogie
All night long . . .
The same as our conversation over on GayGuides...and the same that's happening all over the world. Governments decree "you must be a resturant to open" so if you own a bar all of a sudden you create a menu which for example has four choices on it - those being 1) A Burger 2) Chips 3) A burger and Chips 4) Chips and a burger....( you're getting the idea here I presume) and you get on with it and should the police call a) you're running a restaurant ( albeit with a shit menu) and or you give them some money to bugger off again.
It really isn't that hard to work out and it backs up my view that not everything in life is as black and white as you seem to see it sometimes or feel it should or must be.
I'm guessing it's maybe the differnce between Americans who seem to like things being black and white so they know where they stand verus the Irish who it seems much prefer to "work the angles" to see where life takes them - which is why SOME of us will be in bars at 4am whereas others will be complaining about the bars all being closed at 9pm and it not being worth even going out! :-)
Like I said, I think it is idiotic to go to a foreign country and start intentionally breaking the laws. I obey the rules, not try to circumvent them. I haven't seen the inside of a Thai jail yet and I plan to keep it that way.
I can certainly understand why they bars would be trying to figure out ways they can open, but posting a menu showing a few sandwiches - that seems awfully risky - too risky for me, especially if they are not licensed to sell food. Maybe they'll be able to get away with it, but I don't want to be anywhere near there if they find out the hard way that they can't.
If your idea of a good time is to be in a bar at 4:00am if the law says they are to close by 9:00pm, enjoy it.
Besides, at my age I don't want to be anywhere at 4:00am other than at home sound asleep . . .
No doubt all the members and board owners are law abiding citizens here and wouldn't dream of ever breaking Thai laws, for instance by hiring a prostitute ? Or riding a motorcycle taxi without a helmet etc.
My hypothesis is that in general, Thai police try to maximize tea money by setting the price at the highest level which does not stop re-offending. Which is what Northern Irish is perhaps alluding to.
However, according to a newspaper report you posted, the farang recently caught in Pattaya were detained overnight and the fines were quite steep. Like over 15,000 baht if I remember correctly.
This doesn't seem to be following the normal principles, unless of course it's setting a suitable deterrent to ease future collection of tea money ? Or have Pattaya Police hired a different economist ?
Either way, the board is (mostly) populated by adults who can make their own decisions, preferably after understanding the potential consequences. The fine might be more than expected.
There was a homeware shop not far from me in London that suddenly starting selling baguettes as well when only food shops were allowed to be open during a UK lockdown. Now that the lockdown has gone so have the baguettes.
Rules everywhere are made to be circumvented by those with imagination. Not saying it’s right but an entrepreneurial spirit will usually find a way.
If a lot of other bars and entertainment venues pick up on DJ Station's idea and start doing the same thing, for some strange reason I don't see Thailand's powers-that-be letting them get away with it very long.
Also, it's kind of hard to circumvent a 9:00pm mandatory closing time.
The solution is so simple - let the bars and entertainment venues reopen normally without imposing all these silly rules. If another outbreak occurs and can be attributed to that, then close them. Thailand is not usually proactive, but if they're going to be proactive, at least do it in a way that makes some sense.
I knew somebody would try that one.
I took some extra pictures and I will share them tomorrow. It was busy in Soi 2 but I'll tell you more about that too.
Anyone know what the menu on the blackboard says?
That's exactly what they'd do back in Kansas, but like I've told you before, this isn't Kansas.
If no silly rules were applied - there would be no grounds for eliciting "tea money". Haven't you figured that out yet?
I hate sounding so crass about this, but for Christs sake, how many times do people have to keep teling you this before you finally catch on???
Entertainment venues are broke and will do whatever they can to survive. If flipping a few burgers can be leveraged to opening an entertainment venue, then so be it. They're probably already paying the local BIB for the privilege...perfectly legal or not.
Nothing to do with serving food (I remember The Cabal Club in London decades ago gave a spoonful of potato salad and a lettuce leaf to get around the law) but here, the 'bars' open have to have restaurant licences to open at the moment..
They are not obliged to serve food with drinks.
If no restaurant licence along with their alcohol, cigarette licences -- they are closed.
Presumably, D.J. has obtained a restaurant licence.
This morning, news that some committees reporting to CCSA are pushing for earlier re-opening than mid- January.
I forgot to mention above that they also need SHA certification AND this all only applies to Bangkok at the moment.
First, a question, can you post profile pics here from Grinder? I mean, I sometimes want to mention a boy, and it would be easier if I could post his picture. Obviously, I didn't ask for his consent.
Friday was clearly a different day compared to the last few. There were a lot more boys out and about and the ratio of foreigners to Thai was also less Thai heavy. Still, only a few foreigners compared to before COVID.
I went to Soi 2 very early and uploaded the first picture in the thread in real-time. As you can see in the pictures below, there was already something happening, but DJ was pretty empty.
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I had a lonely drink in one of the bars in a sad-looking cup :-)
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They had live music at Balcony, so I decided to go there and come back to DJ later. Balcony was busy enough and people seem to enjoy the music. Honestly, I didn't think it was bad either. One of the staff members is also very cute which means I had some eye candy most of the evening.
At around +/- 22:00 I went back to Soi 2 and ordered a drink at DJ Station. Upstairs was closed. The dance floor was blocked with tables and chairs and people were just dancing where they were standing. But that answers Dodger's question of where one can eat. The waiters are probably not on the menu for, in dining, takeaway may be an option.
Attachment 11883
I met this foreigner who was Dutch too. He told me a very interesting story. It seems that he was in Pattaya last week and went out drinking every night and that there were boys too. So go figure, I wasn't even looking for this information and still found it. But I know, this kind of criminal activity is not for everybody so let's gloss over that.
As you can see in the pictures It was busy in most of the bars in Soi 2. I've seen so many cuties out there. If that's your thing, Bangkok might really not be so bad.
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I hadn't been in DJ for years so this toilet was a shocker.
Attachment 11888
At 23:00 the lights went on in DJ and people didn't hang around. First a picture of the iconic Burgerking next to Soi 2. How often have I not found a last-minute fling when leaving.
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Many went to Soi 4. Me too! Had a few drinks and met some people. We went to the after-hours place I went to before but this time there was no table available. I hung around the bar with one other farang, we must have been the only ones.
Attachment 11894
My bottle was still there but I couldn't even manage one drink and was ready to call it a night. Coincidently, a boy I had contact with through the apps for at last 3 days, contacted me and asked if he could come to see me. I told him "OK" and I waited outside for him. Another case of "WHY ARE YOU USING PHOTOSHOP" this guy had such smooth skin and all that his photoshopping did was make me hesitant to meet him.
Needless to say, I was happy. The boy is from Cambodia but he looks Vietnamese to me. His skin was very light. I'm not going to share any (traceable) info about him so I can tell you that he had the smallest penis I have ever seen. This includes the time that I was in a sauna in Amsterdam and fooled around with an Italian trans boy. And that was in the late 90's. Anyway, this top didn't care. Tonight we are going to have dinner together.
I went for a COVID test this afternoon. I need a Rapid Antigen Test. That should be 1100 baht at the Japanese building of Samitivej hospital. Of course, after sticking that qtip down my throat and nose, I came to the cashier and she wanted to charge me 4000 baht. After objecting, they admitted they had made a mistake and said that we had to do the test over again. REALLY? My protest was in vain so I surrendered to another probing.
For those of you who missed Bangkok traffic, I can tell you that it's back. it took a long time to get back to Silom. Finally in my hotel and I check my email..." sir, this is the hospital, we found your wallet." Well, KMN! I remember now that I put it on the desk of the reception and I must have just left it there. Luckily they found it.
That was it for me from Bangkok, I hope (it is because my COVID test just came back negative). Home for a few weeks and then a very long trip to Colombia and Mexico. I am posting about my Latin trip on another board under a different name. I'll link to it here or somehow copy it. The problem is that posting the pics is a lot of work.
Great report and photos vnman. Thanks and safe travels!
vnman, screenshots from dating sites may be posted on the members only forum - Gay dating applications - discuss and share your experience here forum. See link below:
https://sawatdeenetwork.com/v4/forum...xperience-here
vnman...
The pics and details you shared are just terrific.
I think we should dub you the "Geraldo Rivera" of Gay Thailand.
I think it's fair to say that you've rekindled a lot of spirits.
Happy Trails.
How unfortunate that the great posts/photos by vnman are being interrupted by so many off topic and meaningless posts that contribute nothing to the topic.
Ok, back on topic. I agree that the posts/photos themselves are excellent, but if you can get beyond the good looking boys, do you like what you see? I don't.
Where's the social distancing?
https://i.imgur.com/Wl2aTYO.jpg
What about the face masks? What happened to that?
Is it great to just chuck the precautions to the wind? Does anyone really think they're getting away with this because some "tea money" changed hands? Is this sort of rule circumventing going on at other venues too?
Very sorry, but while some may see this as great fun, and if it wasn't for Covid so would I, but under current circumstances I see it as dangerous. And if any Covid cases result from this, you can kiss goodbye the powers-that-be allowing the bars to all reopen any time soon. Think about that while you're telling me all about how fabulous this is.
Perhaps if Public Health Officer Gaybutton stepped outside, he'd notice that no one gives a fuck any more, pandemic is over, it only exists in media, amplified by social media. Covid19 is epidemic now, and it is quite safe to go outside, even sit without a mask at Balcony at soi 4 and Station at soi 2.
1 At some point, Thailand needs to move on and consign all this social distancing nonsense to the past. Once enough people are vaccinated, the death rate from covid will be about on par with flu, as it is elsewhere. The death rate will also be far below some of the other causes of premature death, which Thailand does nothing about. Of course, it could be argued that Thailand needs to vaccinate a few more people first, but the cut off point ought to be within a couple of months.
2 Has DJ somehow got licensed as a restaurant ? I'd imagine anything is possible, with an appropriate application and appropriate fees paid, either over or under the table.
If so, they would be entitled to open.
I presume people are entitled to remove masks in a restaurant, since they need to eat.
Then if they are complying with the law, I don't see the problem. I presume those members who argued against restrictions on restaurants also shouldn't see a problem.
It's full of consenting adults, most of whom correctly realize they are going to get covid several times during their life.
Those who don't accept the risk can stay at home & don't need to impose their choices on others.
I see. I didn't know it is quite safe now until you decided it is and people don't give a fuck anymore. If I'm a public health officer, that makes you a modern day Typhoid Mary. Even if you're right, which you are not, that makes it perfectly ok to break the law, refuse to comply with the rules, jeopardize the health of others, and jeopardize other businesses? Are you one of those people who make a scene at airports by refusing to wear a face mask on the plane?
One Covid case arising from what is going on at that venue - just one - and how do you think the prime minister and CCSA will respond?
Their whole point, right or wrong, is to prevent exactly what is going on in those photos. I don't know about Bangkok, but if that was going on in Pattaya the place would have been raided and every one of those people would have been arrested.
So you go right ahead and rationalize all you want. Go ahead. Be that much of an irresponsible person. Go anywhere you want without wearing a mask. Let me know how far you get.
Thank you vnman.. Although Bangkok is not my patch so the photos/reports don't rupture my heart the way Pattaya ones do it's still bern lovely to read. You're right, the photos do take a lot of work what with image resizing and all and you also interspace them with text which also takes s lot of work but presents a better product.
Of course Rolls Royce threads like yours also attract the spluttering belching old Trabbants coughing their acrid fumes everywhere.
tie po po face
Well said Nirish Guy - gray is better!
Yes, and let's not forget that only vaccinated people were allowed inside the premises.
There comes a time that enough is enough. This was not only good for the owners but so many staff went back to work again and of course, the place needs to be cleaned again. And what about that little food stall you see in one of the pictures? I think that a lot of people's lives just got a little better because Soi 2 opened.
Apparently some think that time has come. In some ways I do and some ways I don't. However, the only time that counts is when the powers-that-be who put the restrictions in place feel the same way and remove the restrictions. They are the ones who get to make the decisions. As farang guests in their country, we don't get to have any say-so whatsoever. We may not like the rules and restrictions. We may think enough is enough. We may find much of it absurd. That doesn't matter. What does matter is the rules and restrictions are in place and we are expected to comply and obey them. I, for one, intend to do just that. I don't want to risk the consequences or risk arrest.
If any of you want to break the rules, take the risks, and suffer the consequences if you get caught, that is your own affair.