Hi you maniacs,
What did I learn during this holiday? If you pass out drunk before doing the deed and are still wearing a condom - remember to take the dam thing off. If not, you may get up during the night to take a piss and end up having a water balloon filled with urine bursting at your feet.
The more the jet lag from my 27 hour journey home lifts - the more the memories of my holiday become vivid pictures. What a wonderful time!
This trip marked the beginning of my transition to 3 month stays and I have to say that IтАЩm not holidaying in LOS any more тАУ IтАЩm living there. This was also my first stay in an apartment which I had secured during my last holiday which created a more home-like environment. I missed the pool at Chateau Dale, but the fact that I had my own place more than made up for the difference. I rented the apartment on a one year lease last November and just completed the re-furnishing this holiday. Located in Jomtien Plaza, it offers close proximity to Dongtan Beach, plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance, and a 10 minute motorbike ride to Soi Sunee and BoyztownтАжjust perfect.
I finally purchased my own motorbike versus renting as I have always done in the past. Having a signed one year apartment lease qualified me to obtain a Certificate of Residency from the Thai immigration office which is required when purchasing a motorbike or car in LOS. The alternative for those who are just visitors versus residents is to purchase your car or motorbike in a Thais name - which of course is risky business. My apartment complex offers free indoor secure storage for my motorbike during my returns to the U.S. which is a great convenience.
The final touch to my living quarters included the purchase of an electric bass guitar and amplifier which fulfills a burning desire to start playing music again. I spent 12 years in a previous life earning a living with a bass strapped around my neck and plan to spend plenty of afternoons in the future having some fun again. I also purchased a good set of headsets as to not alienate the neighborsтАжa lesson I learned all too well back in the 70тАЩs.
I spent most nights visiting the watering hole at Corner Bar and enjoyed the banter with Michael, Thomas and the staff very much. Their drinks are like bomb shells, leading to such events as to fall asleep while wearing an un-used condom. I also visited YayaтАЩs Bar frequently because of the friendly and outgoing staff, as well as the fact that I met a boy there who I almost immediately became attached to. Barry and Yaya are both great guys who really know how to operate a business and keep their customers and staff happy.
I maintained the routine of visiting Thep daily at Nong Palia Prison much as I did during the previous holiday. He is doing as well as expected all things considered. I made the 45 minute motorbike rides to the prison at 6:30 each morning, got to see him (through glass) around 8:30 AM, and arrived back in PTY at around 10:30 AM in time for breakfast at Two Guys. For those who havenтАЩt ever stopped in at Two Guys Guest House youтАЩre really missing something. John (TGтАЩs owner) is just a great guy to be around. His place provides a home-like atmosphere where visiting farang meet sometimes just to have breakfast and a friendly chat even if theyтАЩre not lodging at Two Guys. They serve a great western style breakfast, and the waiters Aek and Geng (sp?) couldnтАЩt be friendlier or more outgoing.
With all the things going on with ThepтАЩs incarceration and my life during this period in general, the last thing I had intended was to get seriously involved with any boy at this juncture for anything more than some short time fun. No such luck. I met a boy who IтАЩll refer to as Sab during my second week in town who literally blew me away. And yes, you can take that quite literally. After spotting him sitting at a local beer bar I just intended to buy him a drink and share some banter with him, but that encounter led to us seeing each other very frequently for the next few weeks тАУ to living together for the next few months.
Unlike all the Isaan farm boys IтАЩve met and spent time with over the years, Sab comes from a stable family environment in Udorn Thani where his father owns and operates several businesses including a snooker club, karaoke club and internet shop. Sab is seeking independence from his father who sounds somewhat controlling and places his education as the number one priority. He attends a technical school located on Threprasit Road focusing on business management curriculum including accounting principles, computer operating systems, etc. He is not a ladyboy, nor is he the boy-next-door; he is simply a gay boy who takes a tremendous amount of pride in himself which shows in all his actions. He dedicates 2 hours each afternoon to exercise which involves both running and badminton. He also dedicates about the same amount of time each day on his studies and can operate a computer with all 10 fingers as fast as some of the executive secretaries IтАЩve worked with. HeтАЩs extremely intelligent and speaks, reads and writes English fluently. Add to this his wonderful sparkly personality and great sense of humor and how could anyone resist being with him. I surly canтАЩt.
As far as my perspective of the scene in PTY in general, it is quite diminished from days gone by. The economy has really taken its toll which has forced many of the working boys to return home and businesses to dim there lights. The gogo scene in both Sunee and Boyztown is still alive and well as most of you know. There are plenty of boys and lots of fun to be had, but the fact remains that things are getting worse exponentially.
I can see from some of the recent post here that MontyтАЩs new place has already been discovered. I saw Monty the first night he returned to PTY and also visited his new bar which is fabulous. It appears as if it were professionally decorated on both levels, and with MontyтАЩs flair for the creative his bar will surly do well - all things considered. My favorite GogoтАЩs were Nice Boys and Mic My in Sunee, although I didnтАЩt spend enough time in Boyztown to provide any sort of meaningful feedback. Tom Yom was fun on a few nights for just watching the younger boys jumping around nude acting likeтАжwell, acting like young boys, and Happy Boys was OK as well for a quick drink and peek up a few baggy undies. Mostly, I avoided the gogoтАЩs and spent most of my time either bending my elbow at Corner or YayaтАЩs in the evenings or heading out somewhere else with Sab.
One of the things that discouraged me somewhat was the personality changes of some of the the expats which became more and more evident to me as time went on. Most of the guys that IтАЩm referring to are guys who IтАЩve known for years and the changes IтАЩm seeing in their personalities overall are unfortunately not of a positive nature. Most, if not all of the people that IтАЩm talking about seem to have lost their luster for live, and along with that their positive thinking. IтАЩm saying this knowing that the aging process is something that affects us all and the fact that an aging person loses what I refer to as luster may seem normal and acceptable, but what IтАЩm referring to is something different. These guys seem to be consumed with anger and discontentment for some unexplainable reason. The only thing I can figure is that they have allowed themselves to become so saturated with the lifestyles and daily routines that they have constructed for themselves that they have evolved to blaming those around them (especially the Thais) for the consequences of their own actions.
On one occasion a farang who IтАЩve known for years as one of the friendliest and socially intelligent persons around flew off the rocker one night in Corner Bar and yelled with an angry voice at a Thai boy who had entered the bar to strum his acoustic guitar and sing a song to visitors a t the bar. The ironic part of this is that the visitors at the bar, me being one of them, were enjoying this guys music, but for some reason the farang felt that this shouldnтАЩt be allowed in the bar тАУ or at least in his presence. On another occasion another farang who IтАЩve also known for years flew off his rocker as he was seated at one open beer bar and yelled angrily at the boys seated at a neighboring beer bar because he felt that the boys were talking too loud. One of the boys responded, and rightfully so, that the farang should go to the temple if he didnтАЩt want to hear talking and laughter тАУ that this was a bar and a place for fun.
The examples that I just gave you are just a few of the things which I observed during my holiday, which, if for no other reason, should be a wake-up call for those suffering with this type of self-inflicted depression. Live is intended to be enjoyed and you are sitting in the middle of one of the greatest places on Earth for a gay farang to find peace and contentment, not to mention the fact that you can tug a hot Thai boy into your sack with the nod of your head. If any of you depressed expats are reading this - for GodтАЩs sake quit bitching at those around you for having fun and start figuring out what you need to do to change in your own life(s) to get back in the saddle again.
OK, now that IтАЩve got that off my chest, I also enjoyed Dongtan Beach, although there seems to be more vendors than boys visiting these days which doesnтАЩt do much for the eyes but a good place to pick up a few good porno movies (yes, I know theyтАЩre illegal) and get a good massage under a coconut palm for a whopping 200 baht. I actually prefer the massage parlors which seem to be recruiting more gay boys than in the past, especially those places with surround TukCom. If someone wants a fun afternoon adventure try Cupids Massage which is located at the rear entrance to TukCom. They staff about 10 gay boys of ever type who are starving for money right now. 300 baht will get you a one hour oil massage and of course you cheap bastards have to tip a little more for the blow job.
My favorite restaurant for Thai food is My Thai located in Soi Day Night right across from the Mosaic Apartments. The only exception to this is an open-air cafeteria style Thai restaurant which is located on Pattaya Klang just one block from Carrfour which is just simply the best. If youтАЩre looking for this place just look for a big red banner (names in Thai) and it sits on the same side of the soi as Carrfour. They serve the best spring rolls IтАЩve ever eaten and their stir fries are just great. You can feed you and the boy youтАЩre with for less than 200 baht and that includes appetizers and soft drinks. This place is a bit out of the way тАУ but a favorite with the Thais and you will see why. For farang food I still like Rich Man-Poor ManтАЩs on soi 9 Jomtien Beach and Shenanigans (Jomtien) for their all-you-can-eat pork spare ribs which they serve every Tuesday.
IтАЩll return in 3 months to live it all again, only this time I will have my music waiting for me, as well as a boy who I canтАЩt wait to see and experience again. Sab is staying in my apartment during my absence and will be a sight for sore eyes when I return. He and I plan to take several trips during my next holiday which will include a short trip to Phuket and another trip to Chiang Mai probably in the November-December time frame. We will have to coordinate the timing of these trips as to not disrupt his schooling, but we are both motivated to make this happen.
So, thatтАЩs that. A great holiday -finally settled into a place I can call home - and a very special person who has shined a ray of light into my life. I feel fortunate to have this opportunity and still have to pinch myself sometimes to make sure itтАЩs real. I have no idea what the future holds for Thep and I and just find myself trying not to think too much as nature takes its course.
Mai pen rai
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Originally Posted by Dodger
