Last Thursday I was walking by the Phaya Thai BTS station and noticed people on the escalators of the new airport rail station that connects with the BTS line.  Apparently it opened June first, but I never saw any announcement.  It was getting late, so I decided to wait until Friday to take a ride and Princess elected to join me for the outing.

This is a soft launch, with very limited service.  From Phaya Thai the train runs every 20 minutes (7am - 10am and 4pm - 7pm) and only on week days (M-F).  From Suvarnabhumi Airport the times are 7:10 - 9:50 and 4:10 - 6:50.  In addition, the train only stops at two stations, on its run between Phaya Thai and Suvarnabhumi Airport.  They are Hua Mak and Ramkhamhaeng, but it does not stop at the big City Air Terminal at Makkasan. Apparently the City Air Terminal still has technical problems.  Based on the current schedule, it is obvious they are initially targeting those commuting to and from work.  Until August, there is no charge to ride the new rail line.

The Suvarnabhumi station is under ground at what appears to be a central location.  Its design is very similar to the MRT stations, but the train arrives and departs from only one side.  I assume the other side will be used for the planned Pattaya line.

The train rides very smooth and quiet on its tracks but lurches side-to-side as much as the MRT and BTS cars.  It is a three car train, each coach separated by a double set of sliding glass doors that automatically open when you approach.  The entry and exit doors slam shut with a loud bang that is a bit disconcerting.  Seating is sparse, compared to the BTS and MRT.  This is due, at least in part, to the spaces left open for people to place their luggage.  The hand rails for standing passengers are at the extreme left and right, making it difficult to avoid stepping on the feet of those seated.  I assume this was done to keep the isle open for passengers dragging their luggage.

There are no instructions for those waiting to get on, so they all pile in front of the doors making it difficult to exit.  Not that everyone follows the instructions at BTS and MRT stations, but most are accommodating.

The design of the stations is more enclosed at train level, so passengers will be more comfortable during heavy rains.  The trade off is they don’t breath as well, which makes them hotter inside.

The ramp connecting the two stations at Phaya Thai has not been completed, but I saw some indications they are about to start work on that.  For now, you have to go down to ground level to transfer.  Use BTS exit 1 for the shortest walk between the stations.

I’ve uploaded some new photos that were taken yesterday.  The album also contains pictures I took in the past, when the system was still under construction and/or testing.

The other day I accidentally discovered a great shortcut to an area where many wats and other interesting attractions are located.  It involves making use of the klong (canal) water taxi system.  I don’t have much experience with traveling on the klongs.   In fact, this was my first time.  They are a very efficient way to get around certain parts of BKK, if you know how to use them.  Unfortunately I have not been able to find any English friendly guides, so I’ve not made use of it.

I had spent the afternoon at Wat Saket and decided to take a chance and use the Klong taxi to get back to the river.  From there I could take a river taxi down to Saphan Taksin, which connects with the BTS.  It is a bit of a long way around, but beats sitting in a taxi, in heavy traffic, for an hour or more.  At the klong taxi pier, I could see the boat was pointing in the right direction for a trip to the river, so I got on.  As it turns out, this is the last stop on its route, so after picking up passengers the taxi made a U turn and headed the opposite direction.  Two stops into this I decided to get off and flag a taxi for the trip home.  Once at street level I quickly recognized my location.  I was just down the street from the Tesco Lotus, which is a short walk to the National Stadium BTS Station.

Later I looked at the area on Google maps and concluded an even better pier to access this shortcut is located directly between the National Stadium and Ratchathewi BTS stations.  Saphan Hua Chang Pier is, at most, a 5 minute walk from either BTS station.  From there, the taxi will make 3 stops before reaching the fourth and final pier where you want to get off.  I know Google maps only shows two piers in route, but there is one more.  So count 4 and get off.  It will also be the stop where everyone else gets off, as this is the last stop on the route.

For those that have never used a klong taxi it is important to understand their stops are as brief as possible, so you need to get on and off quickly.  Climbing in and out of these boats is not easy, but the attendants are good about helping those who are struggling, like me and my fat ass.  Don’t expect a view of anything, as they pull up curtains to keep the filthy canal water from splashing in.  I don’t know the exact fare, but I’m sure its less than 20 baht.  What I do, with any water taxi, is hold out a hand full of coins and let the attendant take what is needed.  Even if you end up paying too much, its still dirt cheap.

Once you reach your destination, you’ll be right next to a half dozen significant attractions and a reasonably short walk to as many more.  If you zoom out on the Google map, it is easy to see this shortcut places you in a location that would be a bit too fare of a walk from the river.  Actually, it’s not that far, but if you have already walked in you then have to walk back out, and that’s what will kill you.  Knowing about this shortcut also offers the option to enter at one side and exit at the other…from klong to river, or the other way around.  A couple of days later I did just that.  I took the klong, which put me next to several things I wanted to photograph.  Then I walked out to the river, with a lunch stop along the way, and road a water taxi down to Saphan Taksin.

I’ve posted my photos of Wat Saket.  If you have not been, I highly recommend it.  In fact, I’d put this one on the top 10 list of best wats to see in BKK.

Last Sunday I took a ride on the new BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system, which began operations that day.  I took plenty of photos that are now available for viewing.

The Kinky KAOS II party has been rescheduled for Saturday 19th June, 10pm - 6am.  Visit the KAOS Bangkok web site for more details.

Popular photographic subjects for me are all the Buddhist wats, temples and shrines.  One day I realized every time I go to one of these places the sun is in the wrong location.  Ideal is to have the sun at your back, so the subject has good natural light on it.

If you explore a subject in advance you can plan for the best time of day to shoot it, but I typically photograph in the afternoon and accept the fact I won’t always have good light for some things.  I was getting frustrated with shooting the Buddhist structures, because this problem was consistent.  This had happened so many times I began to realize there must be a reason for it.

One day I was out photographing a couple of wats with an American friend.  As always it was during the afternoon and again the light was wrong.  It suddenly dawned on me why this might be happening.  I reasoned that maybe all Buddhist structures are intentionally positioned to face the rising sun.  I proposed this theory to my friend, who agreed it was a logical assumption, and worth exploring further.

One of the boys was hanging out at my room the other day when this subject popped into my head.  So I asked him if my theory was correct.  He said I was absolutely right about this.  He told me that all Buddhist structures are positioned to face the rising sun for…you guessed it…good luck.  He went on to explain the setting sun is symbolic of death and thus would be bad luck to face things in that direction.

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)

This marks the final chapter in our trip to Korat.   It is also when I discovered why Leo is not nearly as active a Buddhist compared to most boys I’ve been around.

As you recall, I noticed a huge structure off to the right while in route to the lake.  When I asked about it, all Leo said was we would go there later.  After finishing up at the beautiful lake side resort, everyone piled into the car and headed for this mystery structure.  Well, mystery to me.

After parking, we headed into the complex. Leo’s young cousin stayed in the car, because he was still just in his wet underwear. It would have been inappropriate for him to be seen wearing just a shirt and underpants in what I had just learned was a Buddhist wat.

As it turns out, this is a new Buddhist temple, still under construction, but already drawing a big crowd.  While I’m sure there are bigger, Wat Non Kum has the largest temple structure I have ever seen.  The huge temple houses a sculpture of Buddha.  There are many different depictions of Buddha, and this particular one is the largest of its kind (indoors) in the world.

Leo later explained Wat Non Kum is being built by a former Thai movie celebrity, who was on the grounds while we visited.  At the time I didn’t know who he was, but it wasn’t lost on me, by his perch on an elevated seat looking down on everyone, this guy enjoyed some degree of stature.  When I first saw the man my gut feeling about him wasn’t very positive, as his smile did not strike me as being sincere.  He was presiding over the sale of Buddhist amulets, no doubt associated with the new wat.  A large percentage of the proceeds, I assume, making their way into his pocket.  My first clue this wasn’t your typical wat came when I noticed everyone had to pass through the building this guy was in, its only purpose being the sale of items to visitors.

The grounds are immaculately landscaped. With ponds, small lake, water fountains and sculptured trees it is truly a photographer’s paradise.  Unfortunately the group was a bit rushed, so I didn’t have time to take all the photos I wanted.  Come to find out, aside from little cousin sitting in the car, the main reason everyone did not want to stay long was this wat is more of a tourist attraction than a place of worship.  Leo pointed out that there are no monks living on property and no head monk assigned to the wat.  Best I can determine, these commercially oriented wats have started popping up all over the place in recent years, some marred in controversy.

So while busy shooting photos inside the temple, I assumed the family was paying their respects.  In fact, they were all just sitting on the steps outside waiting for me to finish.  I actually learned about most of this after Leo and I were back in our hotel room.  And it was in this discussion Leo finally revealed why he is not a devout Buddhist.

I met Leo shortly after he had done his 30 days as a monk, something many boys in Thailand do while in their mid 20’s.  Leo explained during his 30 day residence at the local Wat he had an opportunity to observe things from behind closed doors and it was very disconcerting for him.

While I suspect other things happened, the example Leo gave had to do with the giving of donations in return for services provided by the monks.  Monks are called upon to do many things, such as bless a new home, car or motorbike.  In return a donation is given, sealed in an envelope.  Leo told me the head monk would regularly express his displeasure with how small the donations were.  He said monks are supposed to give up all worldly possessions, so it should make no difference how much money people give.

I asked him if he had discussed this with his parents.  Leo told me he had and their response was there is good and bad everywhere.  This apparently wasn’t enough to dissuade Leo’s disenchantment with the Buddhist faith.  He still participates in the big religious holiday ceremonies, and will occasionally make use of the altar in our room. I have never seen him wai a Buddhist shrine as we pass it and he has no desire to visit anything Buddhist unless it is for a major event.

I have noticed that Thai youth, in middle and upper classes, seem less reverent than those from the lower echelons of society.  I would not go so far as to say this is a fact, but it is the impression I’m getting.

ON ANOTHER NOTE

This month Leo and I celebrate our first year together.  Neither one of us can remember the exact date we became boyfriends, but both agree it was sometime in November.  It doesn’t really feel like a year has passed, but I guess that’s a good thing.

I’ve added a new page that talks about all the dogs in Thailand, and my unprofessional assessment of the situation.  It was originally part of the photography page, but got so long I decided to break it out as a separate piece.

READ DOGS IN THAILAND

A reader asked the following questions…

“How about something about Songkran and Gay Pride ? There has been mention about “Farangs” in Thailand. How about other Asians like Singaporeans and Japanese in Thailand and how the Thais respond to them? I hope you won’t mind my suggestions.”

Photo Courtesy of Private Boy Movie

I did a brief piece about the Songkhran festival back in December.  I don’t have much more to say about the event, other than its one week out of the year I stay close to home.  In my opinion it has gotten way out of control.  I guess it’s a novelty for those visiting, but I’m probably not alone in the feelings of a westerner living here that Songkhran festivities are mostly an annoyance.  In my opinion, if they went back to the more traditional gentile poring of water on hands and shoulders it would be a charming season.

Gay Pride is celebrated here in BKK, and other farang frequented cities, such as Pattaya and Phuket.  In Bangkok, the celebrations are mostly, but not exclusively, hosted by the big bars in Silom Soi 4, namely Telephone and Balcony.  This is also where the majority of festivities take place.  They used to have a Gay Pride parade here in Bangkok, but the last one was in 2006.  I’ve never made an effort to find out why the parade was discontinued, and won’t speculate on it publicly.

In response to the question about how Thais relate to those from neighboring countries, my observations are limited mostly to the statements and reactions made by the boys.  Japan and Korea set the standards for all that is trendy in Thailand, at least from the youth perspective.  Of the two, Korea tops the popularity charts.  Any time the boys have an opportunity to meet a younger Japanese or Korean, they get very excited.  I never hear anything said, one way or the other, about Singaporeans.  My impression is they are viewed much like we in America do our Canadian neighbors.  Nothing is ever said about the Cambodians or Vietnamese, and compared to the numbers from other Asian countries you don’t see a lot of them visiting Thailand.

Laos was once part of Thailand, and the two cultures are very similar, including language, which is almost identical to the Isan dialect.  Due mostly to their political environment, I suspect, Laotians are much more conservative than their Thai counterparts, but that is rapidly changing.  I’ve noticed a lot of Lao boys try to pass them selves off as being Thai.  I’m not sure why this is, but it may simply be an issue regarding immigration violations.  Thai and Lao can cross the border for 24 hours without a visa, so illegal Laotian immigrants are common in Thailand. I get the subtle impression there is a bit of an “us and them” attitude on the part of Thais toward Laotians.  It may be a social class thing, or it could be that I am completely misinterpreting it.  I’ve not spent any time actually trying to investigate this.

Chinese culture is heavily integrated into Thai, and there are a lot of Chinese Thai citizens in Thailand.  I don’t know what the actual numbers are, but Chinese Thai are known for having a higher percentage of wealthy, compared to other Thais.  This is not my area of expertise, but it appears to me that China is at a similar stage of development as the post WWII industrialization of Japan.  I remember a time when we Americans would refer to the products made in Japan as cheap copies, and that reputation seems to be prevalent now with Thais toward Chinese imports.  My observations are only superficial, but I get the impression there is an “us and them” attitude toward Chinese.  I don’t know very much about the Chinese culture, but it would not surprise me to learn they don’t share the same attitude as Thais regarding avoidance of confrontation.  I do know this is the case with those from Hong Kong, but that’s the same as comparing apples to oranges.  The Chinese have a reputation for being stingy with their money, so when Soi Twilight is filled with Chinese tourists the boys know its not going to be a good night for them.

I’m really speaking out of school on much of this, but I’m sure there are plenty of readers, with more expertise on that subject, that will be happy to offer their views.  It is much easier to get people’s opinion on a subject when you put something out there for them to react to.

And if all of this is a bore, there is the traditional photo of another cute Thai boy to enjoy.

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.