KenW

Agreed Sam. Play it again. (And, see again how I can't spell - it took you to write it correctly: handful.)

I am booked on the morning bus from Saigon, where I live, to PP next Monday. It will be my fourth time in the capital, a city I have enjoyed very much in the past. The bus trip is a bit tedious, taking 7 hours with no breakdowns or other problems. But that includes a stopover at the border which always takes an hour and a half to 2 hours or so. It is however, a good service, costing a mere 10 USD. You buy your visa on the bus, and the shotgun riders aboard take care of the paperwork and passport stamping. At the gates passengers have to dismount and carry luggage through both the VNese and Cambodian sides, then it’s back aboard, up the road to a nosh joint, all linked up with the bus company, before finally setting off again to the big smoke. I have a room set up at the Golden House hotel on 136 street. I’m really looking forward to being in and exploring that different part of town. In times past I have tended to stay on the Quay and play in the wine bars along there before heading off to Blue Chilli for my night time liaisons. So this time it’s a quite different orientation. But hopefully with similar outcomes, ie some of that dark dark Khmer flesh between my sheets, my belly full of satisfaction. I’m only there for a week, but that’ll be enough I suspect. I can get some of what I’m hankering for, then move on. Armed with my brand spanking new Sony cyber shot (cost me about 120 USD here in SG), I will try to create something here that may interest some FMs. I aint no photographer, but have been, like the good boy I am, studiously pouring over Bumblebee’s thread and advice. So, we’ll see…

Thanks Bb, I'll give it a try.

The two main features that do it for me would be 1) outdoor open air seating a la Blue Chilli or Sally's at Jomtien; 2) a cellar of reasonable cheapish wine. (It can be a small cellar, as I realise there aren't that many winos around the bar scene.) LB staff augmented with a handfull (ha!) of femboys would be nice too.

Yes Bb, ticket purchased already for next Monday morning's bus to PP. Like my pix, by the way? Obviously those of a learner, but after reading your thread 3 times from start to finish I'm up and running with shutter button finger twitching.

My local shellfish eatery last evening. Quietish, as it was a public holiday here in VN. Outdoor street eating like this defines the nightlife in this city (Saigon). The plastic chairs and tables are set out on the footpaths and away you go. This is about 150m from my house. And serving me all evening, the delectable Ms Mee (refusing to smile for the camera).

Thanks Sam, and happy new year to you too. Their reservation manager has been on email to me and it's sorted out. I pay - like you did - when I'm there. Looking forward to it immensely. One more week.

Update to the above: I have to go back to Australia for a while after GOTC. Today I booked a Jetstar flight Darwin - Melbourne with all the taxes and add-ons similar to Air Asia, but roughly the same price as my PP - BKK flight. About 20 bucks more is all. PP - BKK is an hour flight. Air Asia. About USD 140. Darwin - Melbourne is 4+ hours. Jetstar. About USD 160. I do not see value in my little AA jaunt.

Yes, thanks dt. I've just booked to stay on soi VC, at Howard's Guesthouse. So your map is very useful for me.

I'm pretty unimpressed at first take with Air Asia. I've just booked PP - BKK one way. Searching led me to them, with the cheapest flight around (supposedly) at 87 USD. Then the shit all came gurgling out: surcharge, airport tax, fuel tax, then 15 bucks to take 20kg luggage, then 3 bucks to select a seat (I opted not to select one, so they hit me 11 bucks as I clicked continue - presumably fining me for them having to make the seat selection for me; I cancelled and went back and selected a seat for 3 dollars), then 2.60 for compulsory insurance (which I again tried to ignore, but they just went ahead and charged me). I forget the rest, as I was busy frothing at the mouth. But by the time we got to credit card details (3 USD processing fee) I had to pay USD 144.60 all up. That's not double the advertised price, but it's getting on for that. Then I had to do a web check-in and print out my boarding pass. But my printer, along with everything else is in storage, isn't it. So I'm possibly going to be at the airport, flight being called, and me without boarding pass. We'll see. I have to travel so they had me over a barrel. But it looks like it'll be the one and only time I fly with them.

Given PD's advice above - and I think if memory serves me well, Sam stayed there too - I've just booked at GoldenHouse. But while their website is easy enough, at final page of accepting my payment, the site rejected my credit card for some reason. No other bookings I've just made (airlines etc) suffered this problem, so it's them, not me. I've emailed them to see if they can sort it out. Anyone struck this glitch before?

Yeh duke, I've got a mouth like Shane MacGowan's: the Jamieson's and cheeseboards go in, vitriol and toothpicks get spat out.

Bring um on, I say! Congrats to Bb.

A chorus line of ladyboys pissing on me as I kneel naked on the tiles. Then I go along the line playing the organ(s) to the tune of that old xmas carol: (throat gurgling) mnnxxpfggmnlrgubgub...

Merry xmas and a happy healthy & prosperous new year to all. As I have said several times in print already, this is a wonderful forum, and it's largely due to the way it's run and organised by you PD. Very well done. Lots of good friends and friendships hereabouts. Hope to see you soon at GOTC etc. It's a delightful chilly winter morning here in tropical Saigon. I'm off to a bar about 200m from my house for a xmas dinner. Full roast turkey lunch with xmas pud followed by a cheeseboard. In local currency 15 bucks equivalent. Drinks extra. Basically the price of a barfine or short term room. Pretty good deal. Run by an English mate of mine & his VNese girlfriend (they're all straight today - boo hoo). Never mind, had a nice time with a local femboy last evening to make up for it.

Same to you Sam, and to all FMs.

Has the big fat guy in the red suit got something in his sack for me this xmas? Perhaps to make up for the shit year I've been dealt thus far. My locale is suddenly abrim with possibilities and potentials. First, there's Ms Mee as in the posts above. I haven't seen her for a couple weeks, since she started asking me for money. Buy hey, I don't mind paying for a one-off yuletide fling. Last night I had cause to go out with an ultra straight party of a dozen or so VNese, including 3 children. So it had to be Ken on his best and straightest behaviour. Nevertheless, I was able to suss out one new location (a new buffet eatery) and one familiar beer bar with many new staff. The former included a bevy of gayboy waitstaff, one with the biggest cock sucking lips. At one stage in proceedings, after lots of winks and smiles, one of the said trio followed me into the loo. We managed a quick kiss and grope, but space was far too small and public to go for anything serious. Possibilities noted however. The latter has a new pretty boy gayboy with lovely long hair (shoulder length) who I will bet money dons the girlie attire. After lots of winks, and me slipping in my usual clandestine thumb sucking act to indicate intent, he rushed up to me as the party was leaving and we had a hurried two sentence conversation. Big possibilities there. I said in VNese I'd be back soon.

I agree with Bb, this is a smallish but quite special forum, what with quality of personnel and posters. Merry xmas to you all and best wishes for 2012. May yours be a year of delicious LB cock!

Yes, well done randiuno. Always nice to see a lifelong fantasy fulfilled. (You are not alone as a romantic.)

Couldn't agree more PD. I've used the Bell bus service each time I've been to Pattaya. It is superb. They are so efficient. That website is also most user friendly, making online booking a breeze.

Full time wino sounds good to me. (Forget the cars)

Thank you Larry and a merry xmas to you and all staff at LBR. This is a terrific site - in my opinion - and the season brings out the joy in what has gone down here these past 12 months or so. From Vietnam can I send to everyone a Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh Uncle Santa Claus' best wishes.

Typically the right wing Oz media has been full of headline screeching like "Pulpit-led revolt." Typical of the churches to lead the vanguard wanting to hold us in previous centuries. What they don't twig to is what the opinion polls are saying: the days of right wing intolerant ignorant bigotry are numbered. History is leaving you behind. Dare I add this Larry without getting into trouble: it hopefully will help the demise of those endless and needless threads on certain other forums of the "I am not gay" denial variety.

At their biennial conference in Sydney yesterday the Australian Labor Party (ALP) adopted as part of their policy platform the right to gay marriage. What this means is the ALP, the current party of government in Australia, will bring to the House of Representatives early next year a bill to make this law. There will be what they call in Australia a conscience vote, which means those members of the government benches who don't agree with it, don't have to vote for it. The conservative opposition parties will of course oppose it, almost to a man and woman. So it will be a close call as to whether it becomes legislation or not. However, the time is ripe. If it does not become law in 2012 it will, I would predict, within 5 years. There is that mood about, not only among rank and file ALP members, but from what I'm hearing, within the wider community as well. In fact on the cable tele this morning one journalist pointed to an opinion poll showing 70% approval among Australian electors. In any Westminster system that's a huge majority. As another journalist quipped: the long jihad in Australia against poofters is drawing to a close. It will only be the minority rump of bigotry that continues its cacophany of screeching opposition in years to come. This all has huge implications for LB lovers of course. Especially if that mood for change spreads to other jurisdictions. In countries like Thailand and Vietnam LBs still carry passports marking them as birthed males. Therefore LBs can't marry as normal females. I would not be allowed, by law, to marry one in Aus at the moment, for example. Though I have heard Thailand approves such marriages already (correct me, those in the know, if I'm wrong). However, if one of us from Aus now wanted to marry the LB of our dreams, it won't be long before we can have them come to Aus with the intent of a wedding.

Well, that code's all very well for you Poms. But if I said to my lot: check that Ocker over there, all heads would turn looking for a fat ugly bellied cove in a singlet with a shaven head, sub-knee length longs (or is that shorts?), calf length white tennis socks and joggers, trying loudly in English to get the world's cheapest deal on some electronic gizmo.