Bwana_LB

I made a reservation at the Mercure Soi 11 back in July for this coming January. My room was booked at 2800 baht per night. A few months earlier they'd been asking 2400 baht for the same room. Just checked for the same dates, and the going rate has been raised to 3534 baht, just over a 25% increase. Strikes me as rather extreme.

The airfare boosts are easily understood. Two factors: increased fuel prices (thanks, Putin) and reduced airline capacity. Fewer seats = higher prices. Hotel prices plummeted thanks to COVID but as LOS started reopening and dropping the restrictions, prices have crept back up. The hotel i've booked for January 2023 is now charging about 20% for than they were in February of 2022, but no more than they were before COVID hit. My sense was that many of the hotels are back to where they were pre-COVID but are not raising prices above those levels. From what I hear from a friend in the Thai hospitality business, occupancy rates are still well below where they were in late 2019.

"Plenty of people?" Sorry. Now, unlike Oliver I've seen these assholes. I lived in Charlottesville. But they got their asses handed to them, verbally by counter-protestors and legally by the courts.

Long gone. These freak shows were actually more common in a handful of bars in Phuket/Patong Beach. Curiosity got the better of me and I took in a show in Phuket. Ping pong balls, razor blades, and 50 yards of yarn emerged from pussies you would never want to explore. Other pussies smoked cigarettes and tried (and failed) to blow smoke rings, and fired ping pong balls and darts at targets. Weird? Yes. But also surprisingly boring.

The LAX-BKK itinerary that cost me US$896 a year ago now goes for $1659. I cashed in some FF miles rather than pay that. My usual flight to Rio, typically about $869, is now $1880. Sucks.

I've stayed at Citrus Suites Soi 6 the last few times in BKK. Aside from a mediocre breakfast buffet, it has a lot going for it. Location is hard to beat.

If you show up at night with fewer than two ladyboys, they might suggest you find another hotel. Not that you asked, but few of us stay at the Nana Hotel, because it's a bit of a dump.

Yes. It's their HQ clinic.

That's consistent with my experience. All the hotels I looked into required direct contact with the hotel for ASQ bookings. The hotels had information about the ASQ bookings on their own websites but required that I book the reservation via email with their reservation service rather than through their online systems. It seems that Agoda and other booking services cannot provide the documentation required to complete the Thailand Pass application process.

Still available at every pharmacy.

Phuket's LB scene is small (and smaller than it once was); the scene in Koh Samui is minuscule. Samui is a lovely place for some R&R but a lousy place for chasing LBs, IMHO. That said, both Phuket and Samui are lovely places to hang out on relatively uncrowded and unpolluted beaches (unlike Pattaya), so if you want a little time to de-stress and just chill, both are fine options.

I'm also a fan of Big Dogs, for the same reasons as OTS, who I've joined at the Big Dogs rail to watch the talent arrive.

I'm not sure this is a fair statement. There's no empirical evidence that this is the case. Teno-Em, the Thai generic version of Truvada, has been found to pass chemical equivalence tests, and clinical trials have found its effectiveness identical to Truvada. Gilead would love people to believe that generics are not as effective, but there's no evidence for that claim. If you're more comfortable taking the branded version, go for it, but evidence does not indicate that it's either more powerful (they are chemically identical) or more reliable (the equivalence testing samples from many batches).

Yes. Physicians will tell you to take PrEP for 7 days before any protection is effective. Then take daily, and take for at least 2 days after your last sexual encounter. https://www.pulse-clinic.com/prep/how-to-take-prep/

I've not stayed there, but the Indian restaurant on the top floor is first class. I visit often.

Thanks. I'm actually in the market for Tafero-Em. Teno-Em has the nasty kidney-liver side effects that I'm trying to avoid. I'll check Chula pharmacy in case they also carry Tafero-Em.

Thanks. I am hoping to avoid the generic versions of Truvada, as they have much stronger effects on liver and kidney functioning. I may check with the pharmacy that's around the corner from the Pulse clinic.

A question: do most of the BKK pharmacies carry PrEP drugs? I checked with PULSE Clinic on their price for Tafero-Em (emtricitabine 200mg + tenofovir alafenamide 25mg) and they quoted 2,200 baht per bottle, which is double what it costs via mail in the US. I'm hoping I can find it for closer to the US$35 price. If not, is there a recommended pharmacy that would have a variety of PrEP drugs?

Had no charge at Citrus Suites Soi 6 for two guests.

Many thanks, SAG and OTS. I think the absence of a pool would be a deal-breaker for me. Schlepping across the way to use a pool doesn't really work, as I have enjoyed running from my room to the jacuzzi with my LB guests in the evening at the Soi 6 location. Weather permitting, I'm poolside reading and listening to music for an hour or two every day.

Can anyone compare the Citrus Suites 11 and 13 with Citrus Suites Soi 6? I'm fond of the Soi 6 location; just a short walk to Chaos 9, Nana, and CIRB as well as the Be there soon. . Thanks.

Heartbreaking that Gaggan has closed. It was exceptional (although I never felt it was a top 10 in the world restaurant). I come to BKK frequently, and generally avoid Pattaya. The main reason for preferring BKK is restaurants. BKK has so many fabulous places for food. It's become a foodie vacation destination. Nothing beats having a world-class meal followed by a world-class LB for dessert.

Let's see...CIB, no need for an "air"plane...could it possibly, maybe be...ummmmm...Airlin?

The Nana clinic is not open yet. It's under construction. For now, stick with the Silom clinic: https://www.pulse-clinic.com/silom/

Yes. However, if you ask the desk to send your guest up, they will do so without your having to come downstairs. Frankly, I prefer this added level of security. At the Majestic Grande, I had a couple of ladyboys who had been to my room early in my visit show up uninvited/unannounced later. Not at all cool.