Life in Thailand - Test Results

[Armando]

Excellent post by Dodger with essential tips there for many of us. I have never visited Bang Saray but it does sound like an ideal place for retirement provided one has transport (never driven a motorcycle) and a long-term partner. For the rest of us I guess the question is Pattaya or Bangkok. I used to love Chiang Mai but the gay scene in general has gone massively downhill in the last decade I have ruled it out. Obviously I exclude the apps which I would everywhere. If you like to meet up with guys you have never seen before and who may or may not look like their photos/profiles, they're fine. But like some posters, I like to see who I am going to spend some time with. So the bars for me are important.

But I moved to Thailand only in part for the boys - the Thai boys of whom like others I have fond memories stretching back many years. I did not want Lao, Vietnamese or Cambodian boys, even though I know many can be great. And increasingly this seems to mean the apps. A gay scene and a more lilberal lifestyle was only a part of the reason for moving. I have other interests, like sight-seeing, local culture, concerts both pop and classical, meeting like-minded guys who might become friends, occasional travel to learn more about neighbouring countries - and so on. I found Pattaya just did not work for me. Yes, I like a nice beach but I prefer many others in Thailand to those in and near Pattaya and I don't have to live by one.

So I selected Bangkok. Finding a condo iin a quiet area was difficult but with help I found a nice affordable one. Being based in Bangkok gives me much of what I want and I enjoy it. It's not perfect, but where is? Perhaps Dodger put it best, "One thing I’ve learned is that there’s a significant difference between coming here as a routine sex tourist for holidays and living here full-time." How very true!

[arsenal]

A Pattaya expat walks into a bar. He sits down and orders a bottle of the hard stuff. Soon a few of the bar boys join him. They play on their phones, as does he. He pays the bin, tips them and goes home.

The next night he does the same thing.

He does this night after night until he either has no money left or no liver.

Dodgers success is very much the minority result for full time expats.

[Oliver2]

I note Arsenal's posting and suspect that he'hit the nail on the head.Perhaps the key to Dodger's success is that he was in a ltr before becoming an expat.

[Dodger]

I note Arsenal's posting and suspect that he 'hit the nail on the head. Perhaps the key to Dodger's success is that he was in a ltr before becoming an expat.

I think Arsenal hit the nail on the head as well.

One of the many things I love about Thailand is that we have the options.

[Armando]

Around 25 years ago on a visit to Bangkok, friends took me to one of the regular meetings of the Long Yang Club. Basically for expats and Thais who enjoyed the company of expats, I seem to remember it was held in a house very close of the Malaysia Hotel. It was if I again recall correctly just a social gathering with drinks, small eats and lots of chat. Ratio of expats to Thais seemed to be around 2 to 1. It seems the Bangkok Club ceased operating quite some time ago. I think that's a pity because it was an ideal place to gather and get to know people who might become friends. Living in Thailand I try not to become cocooned in an expat ghetto.

I know there were similarly named clubs in various parts of the world. Anyone know if they still exist?

[arsenal]

Ltr not so important, the number of unfortunate balcony deaths demonstrates that.

I think it's all to do with the individuals mindset. For a start say godbye to the excitement and thrill of Pattaya as experienced by myself and say Gerefan or Latin. The adult Disneyland will lose its sparkle and if you're not very careful become a source of constant irritation.

Myself, I think a happy retirement involves doing lots and lots of little things. A rolling buffet if you will of things you do on an ad hoc basis when the mood takes you.

[gerefan2]

I think it's all to do with the individuals mindset. For a start say godbye to the excitement and thrill of Pattaya as experienced by myself and say Gerefan or Latin. The adult Disneyland will lose its sparkle and if you're not very careful become a source of constant irritation.

you.

You are quite right Arsenal, Pattaya was full of excitement on my first and early visits over the last 20 years.

What one has to take into account is the fact that everything is now completely familiar and can become boring. One Gogo bar is much the same as another.

Also over that time we have all got a little older, and our interests change.

I personally find a 3 month visit over the European winter and a month in the summer are sufficient and realise when it is time to go home.

If I was thinking of living in Thailand as well as the lack of things to do during the day I could not live in a condo permanently. Not after living in a house all my life!

I would need a nice place, but that would mean living a long way from the “entertainment”.

[scottish-guy]

“Expats” = Immigrants

[latintopxxx]

bkkmfj....care to elaborate on your comment.....whats the difference..." I have been exposed to the Thai-on-Thai network of masseurs and escorts - which are different than the ones that we mainly see in Grindr."

[bkkmfj2648]

bkkmfj....care to elaborate on your comment.....whats the difference..." I have been exposed to the Thai-on-Thai network of masseurs and escorts - which are different than the ones that we mainly see in Grindr."

How I found out was as follows:
One of my Thai friends was lamenting that he did not have any customers recently.
I asked him to show me his social media profile - which was in Hornet - as he told me that is where he finds most of his Thai-on-Thai customers.
After I looked at his Hornet profile I said to him - but you need to put some words in English, Japanese, Chinese, or Korean if you want to attract foreigners as potential clients.
He replied - no - you do not understand - I only want Thai customers.
I was surprised. I asked how do you find each other in Hornet and then he showed me around 25 Hornet profiles that were Thai-on-Thai.

Then I could not resist and I said to him - but you let me be your customer sometimes - why is that? He replied, I did not meet you in Hornet I met you here on the beach at volleyball and you are a nice and fun guy so I allowed you to be an occasional customer.

But then I pushed back - but there are many more friendly farangs like me - if you would just modify your Hornet profile to some of the above mentioned foreign languages you could probably double your client base. He replied, no - it is too scary for most of us to do that as we don't know how to interface with farangs as they can be overwhelming. He said that the Thai clients already understand the Thai mentality.

So, this is how I discovered this entire Thai-on-Thai underworld.

Furthermore, it was one of their birthday's and I wanted to treat them to drinks after volleyball at my friends bar in Supertown.
Oh my GOD - what push back I go from some of the Thai volleyball guys.
They said that if they would enter into Supertown people might talk an think that they are - wait for it - escorts or host boys....
They said to me no way....

After much pleading with them and with some pushing from my other non-volleyball Thai friends - we did convince them to enter into Supertown and we had a GREAT time that night.

so, there are definitely 2 different worlds in the Thai world of how they look at and perceive things to be.....

The irony is if you meet one of the guest boys from most of the Supertown bars they generally don't have any shame to walk around with you to the other bars within the complex - but going outside of the medieval walls of the Supertown complex into the general public area - sometimes that can be a struggle.

So, you have Supertown guys who don't want to be seen with you outside of the Supertown complex walls and guys that you meet outside of the Supertown walls (i.e., like from volleyball on Jomtien beach) who dread to enter into the Supertown complex.

I find all of this amazing.

Since I want the fun of both worlds I accommodate depending on which group I am with....

thoughts?