YesOriginally Posted by kittyboy
Yes
Well well well Kitti ... the Aquarius Hotel (in the West we would call it more like a motel). The first joint I ever laid my weary head ~ on a pillow ~ in Bangkok (circa 2000).
I met Suphot there (he was the desk check-in guy, the cooker-of-breakfasts in the morning, and in the evening, the bartender.
The Aquarius had a huge police raid in November 2000 regarding under-age Burmese boys (or Cambodian, can't remember which). The owner, an older man named Khun Vichai ... you might recall that? Eventually cleared his name and business in the Thai Way ... i.e. gobs and gobs of money, but the hotel started to go downhill after that because of the notoriety, but stayed open for at least 10 more years. Mr Vichai apparently was stricken with depression and died sometime around 2012-13 (not exact on that). On top of that there was also a huge rigmarole for years regarding Vichai's family and their desire to get their hands on his quite substantial riches ... which hardly helped his depression.
You and your handle Kittyboy: Suphot changed his name about six or seven years ago (a very common thing to do with Thais). His new name is Kittyphot. Thus banks, land offices, anything governmental use his new name, but nobody else in his family, amongst his friends and acquaintances, myself etc etc etc ... everyone still calls him (Pot or Suphot).
(Just interested FYI: Suphot ~ and Kittyphot ~ are still living together after almost 20 years. For obvious reasons I have heart warming thoughts regarding the Aquarius).
Just another reason why I love living in Thailand
christianpfc (April 20th, 2019), dinagam (April 14th, 2019), snotface (April 14th, 2019)
My first hotel in BKK, too. I read about the raid, and recall that a falang- an American- was also arrested although the guy he was with was over eighteen. The issue was, I assume, that the guy was Burmese. He wrote a very long and detailed account which I saw on the internet. He even spent some time in gaol though he was never convicted of any crime. It made me a touch paranoid about offing for a year or so.
I liked the place. The accommodation was basic but clean and the traditional Thai architecture attractive. Furthermore, Silom and Surawong were walkable. For a Thailand newbie as shy and retiring as me, the fact that there were cute guys working and available on site was a huge plus. However, the problem with the law meant that I never returned.
Oliver, one small correction: the farang who was arrested was Canadian, not American.
Perhaps all Canucks are pedos? Probably, oh well.
Mr Vichai -- who was gay -- was instrumental in helping the farang get out of jail, and then get outta Dodge . . . probably never to return.
More lucre for the cops to divvy up.
Just another reason why I love living in Thailand
Just on the record:
How do I know details regarding the Aquarius boondoggle?
Easy ... Suphot told me pretty well everything.
He was there during the raid. He was in one of the photos of all the the employees there that night, which was splashed all over the Thai newspaper rags, as was the photo of the Canadian sitting in the hotel room with one of the criminal boys. He accompanied Mr Vichai to the police station to help out if necessary. Mr Vichai held Suphot in very high regard..
I have searched as hard as I could to find the web page which the farang started just a few months after the Aquarius incident. I did read it when it came out (in 2001 ... the incident was in Nov 2000), but I can't find it now
Just another reason why I love living in Thailand
Yes, Canadian... I remember now. He was treated abominably. It certainly impacted me for a few trips....I remember talking to Hugh at Ambiance about it, asking whether the hotel had ever been raided in like manner..
LOL..I like that Kittyphot What made him choose that name?
My memory of things is a bit hazy - I tend to focus on the present and future - but I was at the Aquarius guesthouse in probably October of 2000 with my boyfriend. We were living together in Berkeley California. We stayed at the Aquarius for maybe 4-5 days. I must have either met or seen Suphot. That was 19 years ago.
As I remember it the Aquarius was a residence with 3-4 rooms upstairs and a set of rooms in the back. The more basic rooms looked like some sort of addon had been done off the kitchen? It was so long ago I don't remember very well.
The rooms in the main house were nice..etc. and the rooms in the back were more basic.
At one point my ex wanted to go to DJ station. I was tired so he got 3-4 of the boys from Aquarius to go with him (I ended up paying the off fee) to DJ station.
Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one, and they all stink.
Maxis was just opening when I popped in about 5pm ish today. Hot Male bar was open. The Hot Male sign is also along from Freshboys on the first floor of Patpong 2. I presume that's the go go bar but I haven't been in. The last 2 nights both Freshboys and Lucky Boys have been full of customers. Many Viet men, which I like, in Freshboys. A good mixture of men in Lucky Boys. Screwboys is as ever, and a beer is still 300 bt, though a bit short of men and customers last night.
I walked past today and Hot Male on Patpong 2 is still a building site inside so it may be a while before it opens.
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