Off to Thailand in Oct

[fountainhall]

The community seems nice but wow this thread is really hostile. I'm going back to my blog bong bong!

Well, that must be one of the quickest hello and goodbyes on record!

I still can't apologise for taking a couple of your blog posts apart. I firmly believe you made a big mistake by altering the dates by a few years - or even if the original dates got lost, by then updating them to make them look as though they were penned a few years later. That just devalues any blog, especially one about Thailand where, as others have pointed out, things have been changing quite a lot in the last 5 years or so.

I have since read the Japan posts as I know Tokyo well having worked there and visited many times, most recently 6 weeks ago. I'm sorry to say but again the information is very much out of date. With respect, the post dated November 5 2013 can not have been written at any time in 2013! It mentions this information which I suspect quite a few of your readers might be interested in -

. . . there are plenty of cruisy spots in the area. The most predominant being Shinjuku Park where gay sex workers are common

That was certainly true even though the Park was tiny - barely 20m x 50 m - and it was difficult to find it on most maps. The problem is: that Park closed in 2012. When I was there in late April 2013 it was completely enclosed with a large steel barrier prior to total redevelopment. So anyone relying on that information could spend a great deal of time finding the Park and then discovering it had all been wasted. And I have to add there's another piece of misinformation in the same blog post -

There are however, many great venues very welcoming with signage in English and pleasant staff eager to welcome any who arrive. Its generally predicted that as the economy continues to stagnate many more venues in the area will need to be more welcoming in order to survive.

The first part is just not true. Few venues welcome "any who arrive" unless they are with a regular Japanese customer or speak Japanese and are known to the mamasans. The number welcoming foreigners hasn't changed much in the last couple of decades. But the last part of the quote is true. Ni-chome is not surviving well - for a variety of reasons. Walking around the area in late May I noticed even more blocks have succumbed to the wreckers ball. Go there at the week-end and it can still be fun. On a weekday, I'd stick to the apps.

This is meant to be constructive. Gay life is changing so fast in many parts of Asia. Don't update posts that have information related to a specific tme. Start afresh is my advice.

[Buck Bee]

Lol now u have joined in... Actually Surf Crest asked me to post a thread about the blog a few months ago, as he thought it maybe interesting for readers. There has even been a direct feed from my blog on the sawatdee main page for years.

Think what u want man and for the many others that u mentioned but I'm sure they can actually think for themselves and don't actually need you to speak for them

[Buck Bee]

I'm not even going to respond to that.... Your posts just go on and on about the same stuff. I have to just scroll over your entire posts before I get a head ache lol

[bucknaway]

The community seems nice but wow this thread is really hostile. I'm going back to my blog bong bong!

My ex boyfriend used to always say bong bong for bye bye hahaha

For a less hostile forum, try gaythailand.com
The forum there is engaging and friendly.

[cdnmatt]

well...welll.....well..... i think matty and fountain owe Buck Bee a grovelling apology.

Hardly. There's a chance I'm right, and he was just advertising his blog (again). In that case, don't do that, as there's other more legit ways to get traffic. Try advertising a site in this method on an online marketing forum, and watch what happens. They will tear you a new asshole.

Or there's a chance I'm wrong, and he was just asking a question. In that case, ask stupid questions, get stupid answers. And I'm sorry, but "what's changed in Thailand in the past 5 years" is a stupid question.

[bucknaway]

oh, I will be back in Thailand in October as well. This may be my final trip to Thailand for a while. I am going to give Brazil & Mexico a try. Anyway.... I will be visiting Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai.

My last trip (In April 2016), I only visited Bangkok and Pattaya and found myself being bored and was happy to sit in my room and watch movies on the TV. There was no need for me to go out because I know the streets of Pattaya and Bangkok better than I know the streets in my own town.

I found I was in a rut. I visited in April as I always do. I stayed in the same hotels and condo's. I met the same people and visited the same places.

This trip i'm going to go out with a bang. I won't let any grass grow under my feet. I am going to try new hotels, move around and explore the unknown and meet new people.

Part of me wants to do the safe and comfortable thing and stay where I have always stayed, eat where I always eat and not rock the boat. So when I land I will only be in Bangkok one night before I am flying off to Phuket for the weekend. When Monday comes I hope to be in Chiang Mai. Wednesday I hope to be in Pattaya and after 7 days I plan to be in Bangkok for a few days before dragging my tired ass onto the plane to fly back home.

[bucknaway]

What has changed in the last 5 years?

Bangkok...
You can take the Skytrain from the Airport to Bangkok.

There are now 2 Airports in Bangkok.

Silom, the night market area sometimes takes a break. I forget if it is Sunday or Monday when the night vendors don't set-up.

A lot of the guys are using their cell phones to meet others so make sure you have grindr, planetromeo, jackd and the like loaded on your phone.

The prices in the bars have increased significantly and there are a lot more guys from Cambodia and Vietnam working in the bars.

It is just my opinion but I feel as if tourists are taken for granted now in Thailand. 5 years ago I felt as if the Thai smile was the face of the public welcoming tourists. That smile has been replaced by a blank stare as they run your credit card.

Bangkok's subway is up and running and very popular with locals and tourists but operates on a different payment system than that of the sky train.

What is new in Pattaya?

Wednesday's the beach vendors that rent chairs are not open for business. You can still go to the beach and meet guys but if you want to sit on the sand bring a towel or a stool.

Pattaya is having a problem with Jet Ski scams and they claim to be trying to address the problem.

They installed cameras and flood lights along the beach to discourage crime and prostitution but has caught many folks having sex in the sand.

Pattaya has a gay sauna now. "Sansuk" and just went through a major expansion.

Those are the things that pop into my mind. If I remember anything worth mentioning I will post it.

[Moses]

Gents, please take in account: owners of this forum invited topic-starter to forum. Please don't be so hard.

[cdnmatt]

Geez Bucky, you make it sound all pretty drab down south in Bangkok and Pattaya, lol

If anyone is looking for that "Thai smile", it's definitely still up here in Khon Kaen at least. They still seem quite happy to have a white guy around spending his money. Obviously though, dress and act respectfully. You can't act up here same as you would in Pattaya. Wandering around in a wife beater with a bottle of Chang just doesn't go over well here. As long as you're a decent individual though, you will definitely get that "Thai smile", and people will be more than happy to help you out in any small way they can.

Knowing basic Thai is somewhat a necessity, as there's little English spoken. I'm pretty sure people, especially those under 25, know more English than they let on though. They just don't want to use it.

Giks are available here, but tend to be difficult to find. I don't really do that type of thing much, but if you have a little patience and persistence, they are out there. There's no actual gay bars or anything, or at least not that I know of. There's quite a few massage places available -- just hop on Grindr, and you'll see people advertising. Sometimes it's a small shop, other times it's just some guy in his apartment who bought some massage oils / creams.

There's loads of construction all over the place. Large road projects, condo buildings, new housing divisions, etc. Just recently they installed new sewer lines just beside my street -- I'm assuming to get ready for the rainy season, which seems to have started in the past week because it's been pissing down rain.

Not sure how great it would be here for a tourist though. It's kind of a place where you need to live, and not sure if just visiting would be much fun. Simply because you can expect people to be weary of you at first, simply because you are a farang. Give them some time to suss you out and get to know you though, and that "Thai smile" will come out.

[fountainhall]

Gents, please take in account: owners of this forum invited topic-starter to forum. Please don't be so hard.

Sorry Moses but at no point in the early posts did anyone mention the poster had been invited! How could we be expected to know?

But even so, what would happen if one of your guides led guests to historic sites, bars or clubs which had closed? Your guide would have angry customers and the complaints would certainly get back to you. When a blog has posts dated this year but the information is wrong because it is actually around 5 years old, is there any difference? If so, then I'm sorry because I don't see it.