Another KAOS party is scheduled for Saturday 7th August, 10pm - 6am.  Expect a mixed crowd of queer fetish deviants and tekno party people of all shapes and sizes.

Another KAOS party is scheduled for Saturday 22nd May, 10pm - 6am.  Expect a mixed crowd of queer fetish deviants and tekno party people of all shapes and sizes.

At 12 noon today the 694-passenger Azamara Quest will dock in Bangkok for a 24 hour stop over before moving on to Ko Samui.  This is the second time an Atlantis Gay cruise ship has visited Bangkok, the first being one year ago.

I was here for that event and it was quite a sight to see.  Over 600 queens, I mean passengers, hit Silom and nobody knew they were coming.  The bars in Soi Twilight filled to capacity.  Large groups got turned away at the sex shows, because there wasn’t an empty seat in the house.

Of course, the clubs were very happy to get all this unexpected business, but no one knew exactly why it happened.  This year all the clubs got a few days advanced notice, so they should be better prepared for the deluge that will hit this evening.

Most of the passengers have never been to Bangkok before, let alone experienced the Silom Gay scene, so it’s a lot of fun to watch, and I’ve already got my seat reserved.

I just got back from a few days in Hua Hin, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.  For those that don’t know, Hua Hin is a beach resort about two and a half hours drive south of Bangkok.  In addition to Thai tourists it mostly attracts western seniors and families. There are also a lot of westerners living there.  Hua Hin has grown quite a bit over the past few years, as it has become a popular alternative destination for those wanting to avoid the risk of another tsunami.

For the past year or so I’ve been reading up on it, and the general consensus is Hua Hin has a very limited and modest gay scene.  Those reports are certainly true, but there was one nice surprise, which I’ll talk about later.  Of course, there are plenty of cute gay boys living there, but there isn’t much to choose from for gathering points.

From the Sawatdee Gay Thailand Forum I found a 2008 thread that listed 5 bars, but shortly after arriving I discovered the only two bars still open are the Red Indian and Guys Place.  I’ve also learned the popular Thai 4 Thai disco is in the Hilton, witch is THE navigational landmark in the central party zone.   Most of the crowd is straight, but a few gays will likely be in the mix.  While I did not take in the disco, several others confirmed there are some gays in the club on most nights.

I decided to visit the Red Indian first, because it was closer and on the way to Guys Place.  I also expected it to be the greater disappointment of the two and planned to stop in briefly before moving on to the nicer place.  The Red Indian is a very small host bar, but clean and comfortable.  A couple of days later I learned it only recently got a complete face lift, and was a bit shabby before.  It has about five boys working there of varying looks, build and age.  All but one was on the feminine side.  Looks are a matter of personal preference, but for me only 3 were even close to my taste.  They had trendy music playing, but not so loud that having a conversation would be difficult.  I had a boy with me, so the fact that they were not pushy isn’t very telling.  I did notice when other customers came in the boys were not all over them, but I’m reasonably certain all were regulars.

After a couple of beers we headed over to Guys Place.  It is located in an area that is set off from the central and very straight party zone, but not too far for walking, if you have a room in that area like we did.  Unfortunately Guys Place is a real dive.  They too had about four or five boys, but only one was what I would consider in the cute range.  I don’t know about all the boys, but one didn’t speak enough English to have a conversation with.  This bar also offers massage, but there was no air conditioning in the main floor bar, so I’m guessing the same is true for their private rooms.

We were seated at a table near the street and could see the signs of the two small bars next to it.  Suddenly I noticed Little Choices, the bar two doors down, had an upside down triangle filled with rainbow colors in its sign.  So I asked if that was a gay bar.  The answer was yes, and it had just opened about a week prior.  So, after one beer, and getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, we walked over to check it out.

The first thing I noticed was someone had put a lot of money into this bar.  As you can see from the photos it’s a classy little place.  I later learned the new owners took it over turn key.  The only thing they’ve done to the place is give it a much needed cleaning and add some pieces of art. They have two big screen TVs over the bar, with music videos playing over a Bose sound system.  The music is a mix of trendy and oldies but goodies, played at a volume low enough to have a conversation comfortably.  I was told a third big screen TV is on order which will be an addition to the pool table area at the rear of the bar.  They, like the other two bars, have very reasonable drink prices.  Beer is 60 baht on week nights and 80 on the weekend.  Well drinks are 100, call drinks (top shelf) 140, and cocktails 180.  I don’t know what a bottle of high end liquor goes for, be we had Ben Moore with free mixers for 1000.  The bar also has free high speed (4 mbps) WiFi Internet.

The staff is very friendly, and the service is good. While I was there they only had two host boys.  One was there two nights and I found him cute, but he seems a bit shy.  I was told the other is cute, but never saw him.  Management said all 10 nights the mystery boy has worked there he’s been offed, if that’s any indication.  Two boys from the Red Indian are moving over, but I don’t know which one’s they are.  The last night I was there two very cute, and obviously inexperienced (working in a bar before) boys came in and signed up.  So by the time I left they had 6 host boys, which is not bad for the short time they’ve been open.

The boys have two options.  They can work full time and get a small salary and other benefits, or they can come and go as they please and just make tips.  The bar also gives them a percentage of drink sales and 100 of the 300 baht off fee.  While I’m on the subject, a Thai informed us the going fair market rate in Hua Hin is 1000 for short-time and long-time (sleep over).  I thought that was kind of interesting.

Management told me they have a full kitchen and plan to offer a good selection of Thai and western dishes.  Right now they open at 4pm and close around 2am, but in the future they’ll be starting much earlier and serving breakfast in hopes of building a community gathering place.

The first two nights I was there the bar enjoyed a modest crowed, but on the last night, a Thursday, the place was packed.  It draws a mix of locals and tourists, both western and Thai.  All the Thai guests were VERY cute boys!

There is a guest house next door that’s closed and available for rent.  Management told me they are looking at expanding into that property at a future date, so there will finally be a full service all gay guesthouse in Hua Hin.  Right now there is one gay friendly guesthouse, the Pattana, but they don’t have Internet.  Even so, I read it’s quite popular, and when I tried to book a room 4 days out they were full.  We stayed in one of the hundreds of straight guesthouses down in the central party zone which is inside an area loosely defined by Wat Ampharam, the Hilton, Damnoern Kusem road and Dechanuchit road.  I don’t think it was lost on anyone, guests or staff, that there was a gay couple staying there, but we were treated very well.

The Little Choices management plans to identify good places to stay near the bar that promise to be gay friendly.  They also have a web site under development that will list their recommendations.  I’ll link to it from RQD once it’s on-line.  In the mean time, you can call them at 087-276-6546.

As for the beach, it’s much cleaner than Pattaya, but there is no gay area and from my very limited observation it’s not a place to pick up boys, but I could be wrong about that.

From Bangkok you can take a mini van from Victory Monument for 180 baht and be there in 2.5 hours, and they make one toilet stop in route.  You can also take the train.  I think it costs 150 baht and takes 4 hours.  No doubt you can get a taxi to drive you there and back, but I don’t know what the standard rate is.

One interesting thing is you won’t find any 18 or 19 year olds working in the gay bars.  The police have asked them to employ, in any capacity, boys that are 20 and older.  It’s also a safe bet you won’t find any Pattaya style age games being played in the Hua Hin bars.

The Sawatdee Gay Thailand thread I mentioned above does include a map of the Hua Hin gay bars

Bar staff, management, one host boy (left), and Princess (black pants)

I don’t think there is a single teen or twenty something boy in Thailand that would turn down the opportunity to take in an amusement park.  Most of which have never even experienced one.  Bangkok has two very large parks, but they are quite a long way from the central city.  Even so, they are well worth taking the boys to if you want to make an entire day of it.

An alternative, for however long it lasts, is a traveling carnival that just moved into Bangkok, and is conveniently located within short walking distance of the Phloen Chit BTS station.  They have set up in a vacant lot at the intersection of Wireless Road and offer a good mix of rides for both the young and older kids.

It’s a bit expensive, compared to what you get for your money at the big parks, but the convenient location makes up for it.  You pay 50 baht a head just to enter, and then buy tokens for the rides, or “toys” as the boys call them.  They also sell a special package for 500 baht that covers most of the rides an older boy would want to take in. Three or four of the really popular rides are not included in the package and will cost an extra 250 baht each.  I think they discount those rides if you buy the 500B package, but that got a little sketchy in translation.  I was told that the package, plus all the other high priced rides comes to a total of 1,150 baht.

Figure on spending between one and one and a half hour taking in all the rides, more if you decide to sit and have a beer.  There are plenty of portable toilets that appear to be well maintained.  If you are a smoker, the security guys will point your boy to a location next to the water ride, so you don’t have to leave the grounds.

I guarantee your boy will have a great time and there is plenty of eye candy to look at while he’s getting the piss scared out of him on one of the rides.  Take a camera!

KAOS is having another party on Saturday 20th February, 10pm - 6am.

Leo just got a call from a friend in Korat telling him that the X Size Gay disco has reopened.  Leo is leaving today for Korat, so I’ll get more details when he returns, but the word he got was it is still much the same as I described in my earlier post.

UPDATE: 12-27-9

I just got a call from Leo who is now in Korat. He told me his friend was wrong about the disco reopening. It seems this is one of those friend told a friend who told another friend scenarios and the original source was wrong.

KAOS Bangkok will be celebrating their 1st birthday with loads of prizes, surprises and of course, the most twisted, tuffest teKno in town.

ExpeKt a mixed crowd of queer Bangkok boys, deviant divas and teKno party people of all shapes & sizes.  100 baht or FREE ENTRY + beer for those who dress up.

DJ Bradley Kaos is having another party on Saturday the 10th of October, 10pm - very late.  ExpeKt a mixed crowd of queer fetish klowns, deviant akrobats and tekno party people of all shapes & sizes. Experience a virtual big top complete with juggling bears, kaged lions and raving midgets.

Kaos, London’s legendary queer underground party, brings twisted teKno and perverse performance to Bangkok. From the dark underbelly of London’s East End to Raindogs, a unique private art, bar and dance space in the shadow of Bangkok’s expressway.  100 baht or FREE ENTRY + beer for those who dress up.  Free limited edition DVDs for best dressed cirKus freaKs.

Kaos is all about the creativity that comes from the music, the performance and, most importantly from the Kaos party people. Dress up, dress down, experiment and push your boundaries.

TRAVEL TIP - take the metro to Klong Toey station or taxi to the Rama 4 junction with the expressway, then walk 100m down a small path along the side of the expressway

Visit the KAOS Bangkok web site for more details.

After leaving the family hosted BBQ, Leo and I drove into the city to pick up Little and O who were just finishing their dinner at a restaurant.  From there we drove to the Khunying Mo (Thao Suranaree) monument.

The monument is situated outside the west gate of the old city.  Originally the city was surrounded by a mote which had four gates (north south east west) for entry and exit.  You can visit this Korat City Map web site where you’ll find a Google map that can be zoomed in for easy view of the monument.  Look for the square area and zoom in on it.   North of the monument is a circular outdoor stage and park area.  The four original gates still exist, and streets run through all but the west entrance, which is now blocked by the Khunying Mo statue.

First order of business was to stop and buy flowers, candles and incense so the boys could pay homage to Thao Suranaree.  While the boys were on their knees praying to the statue I walked around taking pictures.  I didn’t have my tripod with me, so it was difficult to get a decent shot of the famous lady.  This was the best of the bad, and it also shows the gate in the background.

Khunying Mo (Thao Suranaree) Monument

Once the boys finished paying their respects there was the ritual of group photo shots, with each taking turns shooting every possible combination of two and three people posing in front of the statue.  Once everyone was satisfied they had taken enough photos, we headed back to the car, but this time we took a route that passed through the gate.

Just before crossing to the other side, Leo stopped me and said he needed to explain something.  He told me there is an old tradition that when a couple passes through the gate it means one agrees to come live with the other in Korat.  As he is telling me this story I notice, out of the corner of my eye, Little aggressively dragging O to the other side.

After receiving fair warning of the consequences, we walked toward the gate.  Just before crossing the magic line I stopped and pretended to bump into an invisible wall that kept me from continuing through the gate.  This got a giggle from the three boys.  A few more photos were taken before we got in the car and drove to the disco.

Leo outside the gate

The Xsize Disco is located next to a much larger straight (mixed crowd) club called The Mix…go figure.  Xsize is a bit different from any other gay Thai 4 Thai club I’ve been in.  All the tables were standard height round pedestals, as apposed to the usual bar height square metal fixtures one finds in most establishments.  It wasn’t a very big place and most of the space was taken up by a large stage in the shape of an X.

Periodically throughout the evening, 5 or 6 coyote boys would get up on stage and dance, one at each tip of the X and one or two in the center.  Just like in a GoGo bar, they would rotate every few minutes so everyone got a good look.  Of course, each could be offed for the evening.  By my standards, only two of the boys were cute, and Leo told me all were screaming queens, but he didn’t know who was a top or bottom.

I didn’t go look, but Leo told me there was also a karaoke bar in the back with “straight” host boys that could be offed.  He said the boys had been imported from Bangkok, but didn’t know any more details.

Unlike the Thai 4 Thai clubs in BKK, cute boys were few and far between.  Leo told me there are a lot more cute gay boys in Korat, but they are all at the mixed clubs.

Around 12:30 they had a short ladyboy show that was mostly comedy and audience participation.  When the show finished they opened the stage for dancing and it quickly filled with ass shaking boys.

When we first got there Leo asked for his bottle of whiskey he had opened on a previous visit.  The bottle should have been three quarters full, but it had been tapped and there was only a quarter left.  Needless to say Leo was not a happy camper.  His brother, who works there, said it was probably the doings of the cashier, who is “no good”.  We quickly finished that bottle and ordered a new one.

When it was time to order yet another bottle, Leo said his friends had brought their friends and there were a lot more people tapping the bottle than he had planned for.  He suggested we not buy another bottle and leave.  It was only 11:30, so I suggested we get one more and leave after it was gone.  Leo was concerned about the cost, but with his brother’s 40% discount on mixers the bill only came to 1600 baht.

We ended up leaving around 1:30, but several in the group elected to stay and continue partying.  Later I heard that Little was a bit upset with O, because he got real drunk and started kissing all the boys in the club.  Leo said it was Little’s own fault.  He likes to poor heavy and get O drunk, and then complains when O looses self control.  The two were pretty smashed when we left, so there’s no telling what they ended up looking like, considering the club stays open until 4 or 5 in the morning.

About a week after were got back to BKK, Leo’s brother called to inform him he was out of a job.  Both Mix and Xsize are owned by the same individual, who sold the clubs to a new owner.  The new owner closed Xsize for remodeling and let all the staff go.  It is unclear what type of club will open in its place, but for now Korat is once again without a gay venue.

That’s it for day two.  Sunday was another full day that included a trip to the lake, and a look at an enormous new wat being built.