Our monkey cousins

Food of the weekend!

On Friday evening late at night, I had the urge to leave Bangkok for a day or two and go explore a bit. A few hours later, the boyfriend and me were in Lopburi.

But wait, the way there wasnt exactly smooth sailing. Anything but...If I would not live in Thailand, I would have peed my pants and cried a few times probably. But since I live in Thailand, I just shook my head and smiled it off. What happened?

On the way to Lopburi - slow but beautiful!

To get to Lopburi, we have to catch a bus to the north - which leaves from Mor Chit 2 Bus Terminal. That's right near JJ weekend market, which is about a 5-10 minutes taxi ride. But, we took 1 hour and two taxi drivers to get to Mor Chit 2. The first one was hopelessly drunk and didnt know the way. At some point, he just stopped and shouted at us. I was stupidly thinking of giving him money but the boyfriend dragged me out.

In the bus to Lopburi, we suddenly went off the highway onto smaller and smaller roads. And the smaller the roads got, the more congested they were. There was also heavy rain. I still dont know why but our bus trip took 5 hours, 2 more than usual.

Dinner at Lopburi.

Lopburi is a little gem - it is a mini-Ayutthaya! Many palaces, Khmer temples and old houses in the middle of the city. It has a river and two grandiose roundabouts with a statue for King Narai and some UFO-like futuristic monument protected by weird-looking lions.

Impressions of Lopburi.

And then there were the monkeys!!! Especially around the three-pronged temple, there are HEAPS of them. They will take away your belongings if you dont watch out. But if you are nice, they will hold your hands, listen to you and play with your fingernails. It was so cute!

Bangkokbitch's newest faghag, bottom right!

Lopburi is so relaxing it's incredible...the boyfriend and I sat in this open-air courtyard (where they played sweet Thai pop ballads) and sipped beer. Before we knew it was 1am. Then, we passed the local disco and there were a few boys looking at us - well, we are a stunning couple. Whenever we walk around, even in Bangkok, people will mutter: "farang yibpun" (foreigner and Japanese).

Lopburi by night.

The bus back home must have been one of the most uncomfortable rides ever. We sat right at the back - a mistake I will not make anymore. The suspension, I swear must have have seen World War II. Then, back in Bangkok, the traffic was stuck! On a Sunday evening.

I know, someone I know would have been complaining the whole trip about the uncomfortable rides and the heat, di ba bayot?

Means of travel

This is Bangkok, I hear you say...but this was not Bangkok, this was Bangkok times 10! The reason according to the taxi driver: It rained! There we have it again.
By the way, the bus dropped us off somewhere on a field that was totally flooded with water just behind Mor Chit 2 Terminal. We had to duck under power lines that fell down and crawl through a net to get access to the station.

HISPEED internet?

I just came back from a weekend trip to Lopburi with the boyfriend.

But first something else. Internet. We have free wireless in the condo, however it's quite slow. So I got HISPEED internet. Well, it took exactly 9 days to arrive - and you guessed it - it's slower than the wireless.

At my old place, I was on exactly the same plan but speed used to be erratic too. So lets hope for this to be a low. Half the town was without power anyway when we got back home, apparently it rained. Goodness, rain is to blame for everything in this country.

There was a new guy at the condo who (tried to) install the modem for me. He's from Isan for sure and called Oh. There are many Oh's in Thailand by the way, men and women. Oh is not particularly cute but was very friendly.

I kinda liked him. He was without these (sometimes fake) cultural inhibitions that Thais have when they meet farang. He just freely roamed around my condo and even asked our names. That felt quite good!

And - of course - the handyman fantasy again - one time he had to bend over to find a plug and I could see some cute white undies. I must admit, I have a penchant for white briefs!

Ok, that's enough....we dont wanna hear any more!

The young Rolling Stones

I came across these 1960s pictures of the young Rolling Stones this week - and I didnt realise Mick Jagger used to be such a sexy looking guy...

Wonderful...look at this expression, the haircut and the hot lips!! Yummy - and contemporary!

Well well well, Mick. A little trail that leads to paradise?

Also, Keith Richards was quite a cutie back in the days...but lets now have a look!

Look at Keith Richards on the right...HOT!

Nice, nice. very sensual shot, and I love the clothes too!

Well no-one is looking particularly hot in this picture, but look at the fashion of the guy in the middle. (Brian Jones?) Nice Jacket and a cool, straight skinny tie!

Well, these pictures - and many more - are currently being show in the "Not Fade Away Gallery" in New York. If you live there, go have a look!

the gay bangkok week

I have been a bit quiet recently but I havent just been sitting on my hot bum:) bangkokbitch is applying for a very important job, his dream job in fact, so I need to use ALLLLL my braincells for a good application. Wish me luck!

The Malaysia Hotel - extremely quiet.

A few days ago, I went to the Yenakart/Sathorn soi 1/Sri Bumphen/Ngam Duphli area with fellow bloggers Kawadjan and Bkkdreamer since the latter has recently moved there. It is supposed to be a renowned gay area, which hosts none less than Babylon, the most famous gay sauna in Bangkok and the Malaysia Hotel, the most famous gay hotel in Bangkok.

The Malaysia Hotel. I was really there!

I had the feeling when I would go there, there would be scores of moneyboys lining the sides of the streets and that they would all flirt me, due to my hotness and the size of my wallet (it's big!! because I have too many driver's licences and business cards:P)

But, there were only a few old farangs, most with Thai girls...Of course we went to that gay restaurant, owned by a farang and his Thai boyfriend (correction: only by the Thai boyfriend). And Im sorry but if the quality of the food and the service means anything for the future of your restaurant I fear for your couple of thousand bucks you invested here.

The Malaysia Hotel again, with the now famous legs of kawadjan and bkkdreamer!

The place is very clean inside but lacks athmosphere...The food is not good. But I think it might taste good to farang tourists. The service was very good and sweet but the farang's boyfriend ruined the whole f***ing visit. We dont want to see your theatrical über-gay acting. Oh well, maybe the farang tourists like all of that...I hope it for the farang boyfriend and his invested money!

Yesterday, I had to go buy a new deodorant, since the old one (Issey Miyake) ran out and started giving me rashes. I went to Paragon and didnt find anything. But wait, there was a HOT salesguy...so I approached him.

That's how I smell now...anyone knows the smell?

He had a dark, quite manly face with big jaws and friendly eyes. His hair was spiffy and his voice was sooooooooft and reassuring. And all that in the elegant black Paragon uniform. Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, I bought some kinda deodorant that hardly smells like me. The hot salesguy said the perfume is sa-maat sa-maat (smart smart) and that it matches me. Thank you:)

One Thailand?

I had a lovely weekend with the boyfriend, my kpop star. Since I am renting my new place, I have hardly left it and the boyfriend loves coming here - no wonder - it's a cracker of a place.
I dont have my 14th floor view from before but I can see trees and the sky now. I also have a living room AND a bed room. And a nice swimming pool in a great neighbourhood...cant ask for more.

View from the living room

But yesterday, I thought it was time to show the nice sides of Bangkok to the boyfriend. He has been living here since October, but hardly travelled around. He hates the heat and is a bit shy to interact with locals.

The noodle soup. yummy.

We took the bus, out to Nonthaburi. The tiny green bus. It was very uncomfortable, but who cares. I am 174cm tall but I could hardly stand in this bus. Luckily I am not Dutch...
In Nonthaburi, we just got off at a random place and ate noodle soup. Im sorry but noodle soup has to be the `f*cking best food in the world. If you try 100 soups, you get 100 different tastes, it's simply amazing!

The noodle soup troop

After the noodle soup, we strolled through the markets, saw fish (live and dead), meat, veges, spices, chicken blood, flowers, clothes, towels, shoes - and desserts. Well, bangkokbitch and his bf are sweet boys, so we bought some desserts. A special rice with coconut, sticky coconut rice with custard (my favourite), naam daeng (red syrup with condensed milk over ice) etc...

market in nonthaburi

Flowers on the market

Our tummies filled, we took the ferry back to Bangkok proper.

We then arrived at National Stadium, where the OTOP (One tambon (district) one product) festival was running. This festival is meant to be a showcase for the provinces and their special products (clothes, other manuf goods, sculptures, and most importantly - food food food).

The OTOP festival

There were HEAPS of people and the central stage was abuzz with shows of look tung singers, kathoey plays and strangely, there was something like an advertisement film of Thailand and it's products.

Look Tung show - amazingly kitchy!

I found that part a bit odd. Why does Thailand have to market itself to Thailand? Nevertheless, the thing that amazed me the most is the variety of Thai products and people that was on display. I think Thailand should increasingly celebrate its diversity and not hold on to the illusion of one Thailand of Thais.

The new home in Ari and the plumbers...

Nono, HE didnt visit me...

I am now back in Bangkok, for nearly a week. Coming to Thailand after Europe is a bit of a shock of course. Most of my readers will know that in fact. I landed at Subvarnabhumi at about 10pm with the Nanny State Airline. The border control took about 10 minutes as always. It always takes them about 5 minutes to find the Visa and another 5 minutes to stamp my passport.

The lovely boyfriend waited at the airport - ah dont we love these welcomes? He was by far the cutest of the whole bunch of people waiting at the exit...and I was proud that he was waiting for ME!

I love Subvarnabhumi airport. It's a melange of rich hi-so people coming back from a Japan shopping trip, rich students coming back for the holidays from Australia, working-class European single males up to probably some naughty things here, young backpackers from Aussie, Europe, America and Japan, tons of Korean tourgroups with old women wearing huge golf-hats and the odd Thai countryside person (99% a woman with a skirt that is too short).

All in all, a cacophony of rich and poor, West, East, North and South which I have never seen at another airport.

The next morning, I felt extremely foreign. In fact, I felt like exactly a year ago, when I first arrived in Bangkok. Only that I spoke the language (more or less) and knew how to get around. But nevertheless, I had heaps of luggage and needed to take a taxi, in 35 degrees. Like a real tourist...

That feeling of foreignness subsided soon - very soon in fact - and the next day I had a new home, in Ari. I actually live between Ari and Saphan Kwai - a very good location. From here I can venture to the gastro-paradise and hangout-place for the beautiful and rich, ARI, but also to the absolutely solidly Thai middle-class suburb of SAPHAN KWAI.

This situation, much alike bkkdreamer's (since he moved recently) is awesome. Every evening I can choose which side I want to dine or hang out at. So far, I like being served by kathoeys at Yum-Saap in Big C and walking through seemingly 24/7 stands of food in Saphan Kwai just as much as sipping a drink at Iberry in Ari.

So my new place is awesome, I even have a proper bedroom, and therefore I needed to celebrate. I invited a few friends for dinner and me and the boyfriend prepared fingerfood. Bread with cream cheese, salmon and lime. Dark bread with salami, onion chutney and parmesan cheese, salads and tons of fruit.

However, before that, I had to call a plumber, twice!




And the Polish one didnt come either:)

A Plumber - in gay minds, this only leads to one picture. Some topless hot guy with a muscly body coming to "fix" some pipe but you end up doing something else with his pipe...:)

I had three plumbers coming in two days...coming as in paying me a visit not the other thing...

Just before the arrival of my guets at my little party, the tap in the kitchen BROKE OFF. Yes, it just broke off, which resulted in a friggin fountain! The boyfriend was smart and knew how to turn off the water feed within seconds but the kitchen was wet - and we were too!!

The plumbers came within minutes, were not hot, not muscly and not topless, but got me a new tap within 5 minutes. Good job!

The next day, I wanted to do laundry, but alas, the washing machine had no plug, only three fuzzy wires at the end. I called the plumber again. This time a different one. He was a little bit cute, smiled a lot and when he bent over the washing machine, I thought that this must be what many people imagine - and more....

Well, there was no more of that......but moreover a new plug:)

someone got angry (not me)

some guy wrote me on a gay internet contact site. read the exchange of words (and hate) here.

he is from the philippines, hence my reference to Imelda (Marcos, the wife of the former dictator and president of the philippines, she seems to be an icon for gay Filipinos thanks to her garish style and love for shoes)

pinoy man: hello cutie, can you drop at my place in nonthaburi?????

bangkokbitch: Why, did I forget something?

pinoy man: well not exactly....maybe you'll see something

bangkokbitch: tell me my dear what makes you think i would like to have sex with you?

pinoy man: did i tell you anything about sex? i dont know if u would like it with me

bangkokbitch: hahahaha, what else did you mean? discussing imelda's shoe collection?

pinoy man: well if u are forgetfull of the word "friendship" then i would think thats u are.....and if u cant think of an expression like "no thanks" i would think you never had a chance to educate ur self

pinoy man: hey little idiot are u still alive????????

pinoy man: remember this and take it from me huh....if u cant behave well here in thailand better leave and go home to ur homeland....we all offer friendship here in asia not war and we dont tolerate rude people here....this is land of smiles dont change it! it can never be like germany! EVER!

pinoy man: i hope i can see you in some gay spots here and see your angelic face...IN PERSON, FACE TO FACE

bangkokbitch: relax man.

1. you invited me straight away to your home. for my taste that is too straight-forward

2. you were writing naughty messages. i am not looking for sex.

3. i did no say anything rude. look at my messages. i hardly said anything.

4. why do you have to be racist against white people? if you differentiate people by the colour of their skin and continental origin, YOU are sowing war and not me.

5. why do you have the guts to tell me i should go "home" and judge where my home is?

5. thailand is not the land of smiles (or do you work for the tourism authority?) and I am not german.

As you might have noticed, I have something against people thinking they have the right to fuck someone, especially when they think they can do that by writing ONE cheap "sexy" message. I think it's very rude in fact.
Then, he obviously went bonkers...