11 replies to this topic

[Gene]

I met a guy in Boyztown at a Bar. He was a customer like me. He looked to be about 35, which probably means he was closer to 40, very handsome, good shape and well dressed. He said he was from Bangkok where he worked for a bank. He spoke good english. We had a few drinks which I paid for and he accepted my invitation to come back to my condo.

When we got there, I went to take a shower and handed him a towel. He didn't follow me into the bathroom. When I got back to the bedroom, he was sitting on the bed with all his clothes on. I asked him if he wanted to shower before having some fun, at which point he said: "OK, but I charge 3000 Baht for one hour with an old man."I was shocked, not because I'm not used to paying for sex here, but I was sure that a 35+ banker could not possibly be a rent boy. I told him he should have made his commercial intentions clear at the bar.

At that point, he looked at me and said: "You don't honestly think a handsome young thai man would go with an farangs for free fun, do you ?" After he left, I discovered that my wallet with about 7500 Baht was empty.

[JimLA]

After he left, I discovered that my wallet with about 7500 Baht was empty.

Clever con artist. He obviously wanted you to throw him out so he could make off with the 7000, not just 3000 for the trick. I guess he would have sneaked the money back in your wallet had you agreed to the 3000 price for sex ?

[Up2u]

I met a guy in Boyztown at a Bar. He was a customer like me. He looked to be about 35, which probably means he was closer to 40, very handsome, good shape and well dressed. He said he was from Bangkok where he worked for a bank. He spoke good english. We had a few drinks which I paid for and he accepted my invitation to come back to my condo.

When we got there, I went to take a shower and handed him a towel. He didn't follow me into the bathroom. When I got back to the bedroom, he was sitting on the bed with all his clothes on. I asked him if he wanted to shower before having some fun, at which point he said: "OK, but I charge 3000 Baht for one hour with an old man."I was shocked, not because I'm not used to paying for sex here, but I was sure that a 35+ banker could not possibly be a rent boy. I told him he should have made his commercial intentions clear at the bar.

At that point, he looked at me and said: "You don't honestly think a handsome young thai man would go with an farangs for free fun, do you ?" After he left, I discovered that my wallet with about 7500 Baht was empty.

I know Boyz Boyz Boyz has older free lancers trying to hook-up with farangs. I'm surprised you expected to get a "freebie". Sorry about the theft.

[Naughty but Nice]

Lonely old men looking for love can be easy prey.

That accounts for 85% of Pattaya's farangs then.

I can imagine nothing worse than these geriatric farangs literally dragging themselves to the beach each day then back to a bar day in and day out trying to regain a lost youth and by opening their wallet making themselves believe they have found a true love

IMHO that is not life but merely and existence and a very pathetic and boring one at that.

[Gaybutton]

Unfortunately you fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book. This sort of thing is addressed in a thread on the Gay Thailand web site ( see http://www.gaythailand.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=629 ). Also, someone recently posted about a con job in which the boy stayed with the "farang" for about a week, making the "farang" think the boy absolutely adored him. The "farang" trusted the boy far too quickly and began to get careless. One night the boy tossed the "farang's" valuables over the edge of the room's balcony, while the "farang" was asleep, to his accomplice waiting below.

There are a few precautions that can avoid this sort of thing:

1. There really was no reason for you to be carrying around 7500 baht in the first place. Don't cash out more than you need and don't carry more than you need. If you have a substantial amount of cash on hand, keep it locked in your room safe. Do not open the safe with anyone else in the room with you.

2. If you are bringing a stranger to your room, no matter what his age, then you are also placing yourself at risk. Next time, have him leave his ID card with the hotel's desk clerk. Make sure the ID card actually belongs to your "guest." Another trick is for these people to use stolen ID cards. Instruct the desk clerk not to give it back to him unless you are personally present or the desk clerk first calls you to make sure everything is ok. Check your wallet and valuables to make sure before allowing the desk clerk to return the ID card. Make sure your "guest" knows the instructions you have given to the desk clerk. If the "guest" even hints at reluctance, that's a definite red light. Get rid of him. Whatever you do, don't take him to your room. You can always go out again and find someone else or just live without it for the night. That's a lot better than losing valuables and still ending up with nothing.

3. Before even leaving your room for the evening's activities, hide whatever amount of tip money you might give to someone in a place he is unlikely to search. As soon as you enter your room place your wallet and valuables in your room safe. Better still, have the desk clerk store your valuables in the hotel safe until after your "guest" leaves. That way you won't be alone in your room with a stranger who knows you have valuables and money in your safe. The trick is to take precautions so that your "guest" won't have any kind of access to your money or valuables. Even if he finds where you hid the tip, that was money you intended to give him anyhow. He might act upset and may complain that you don't trust him. You know what to tell him? Tell him he's damned right you don't trust him. You just met him. Tell him you have been burned before and you're not about to take any chances. If he persists, show him to the door, say bye-bye, and get rid of him. It's not worth the risk.

4. If this was someone you met in a bar, report the incident to the bar owner, even if he was just a customer. At Boyz Boyz Boyz, talk to Jim Lumsden. Point out this person if you can. Then let Jim handle it.

5. If you find yourself in a situation that seems too good to be true, then assume it isn't true. Expattaya and JimLA are absolutely right. Even if you gave him 3000 baht, the sex would probably have been him lying there like a rag doll and doing nothing. But he never expected you to give him 3000 baht. He knew you would refuse when you know you can "off" someone much younger and probably better looking for far less than that amount. He gave you a highball figure and made insulting remarks knowing that you would most likely have hurt feelings, would refuse to give him money, and send him on his way. That's just what he wanted you to do. That's why you want the front desk to hold his ID card. Since you did not do that, you had nothing. You didn't even know his name, where he lives, where he works, or anything about him at all, so he's gone and so is your money. Even if you see him somewhere again, now all he has to do is deny he ever met you. You have nothing as evidence to show that you did indeed meet him and he stole from you. On the other hand, if the hotel desk was holding his ID card, and you discovered money and valuables missing, then the police could have been called. That would be the last thing he wants.

These guys can almost smell a newbie and they know just how to prey on them. I'm sorry you were a victim, but don't feel alone. A great many "farang" have learned the hard way the answer to your "who can you trust?" question. The answer is: Don't trust any strangers at all.

[Trongpai]

If I ever run into a Pattaya con man, I'am calling Gaybutton who can in a few thousand words, an ordered list, and well reasoned prose but saying the same thing 20 different ways, talk to the con man who would never con anyone again.

Gene: Thanks for the post, it takes courage to detail something like for all to read, but by sharing that story, you could very well help some fellow farang in the same situation.

[Gaybutton]

If I ever run into a Pattaya con man, I'am calling Gaybutton

Now you know why I won't give you my number. If nothing else, I can just talk the guy to death, can't I . . .

And it wasn't 20 different ways. It was only 19 different ways.

[mauRICE]

I can imagine nothing worse than these geriatric farangs literally dragging themselves to the beach each day then back to a bar day in and day out trying to regain a lost youth and by opening their wallet making themselves believe they have found a true love.

I can. Living alongside other geriatrics in a fancy USD2,000 a month retirement facility in Boca Raton or God's waiting room, as it is affectionately known, waiting for your number to be called. A life devoid of any opportunity for intimacy or exploring one's latent sexual orientation (I know so many older farang who are undergoing a sexual enlightenment in LOS who, by choice or circumstance, were "straight"/celibate at home), or experiencing a new culture and the thrill and excitement of living in a developing country (how many of your friends back home can actually say they've survived a military coup - or worse, Songkran!).

Now, I'm talking about having a good time here, not love or a relationship; sex, sun, sea, good food and an eclectic bunch of wierdos you count as friends. Where in the world would you find a Hedda, an Ayatollah, a Pearl, a crotchety old colonel and a lush like Edith in the same room but in LOS, dispensing bar stool wisdom to expat wannabes and slinging vitriol at each other while at it. If having a great time in your twilight ears is your goal, then there is nothing wrong in spending money to achieve it. It's cheaper here than in most other places in the world, with a developed long-term tourism industry buoyed by an institutionalised sex-for-pay culture that is accessible to even the most reticent, guilt-laden and novice punter, all lovingly presented with a smile and a respectful wai. Come on, where else but in Thailand would you get the opportunity to not only treat a hooker, but fete his family as well in a homestay package that promises to be a holistic whoring experience? Prostitution doesn't get any more wholesome than that, I tell ya ~ Hillary will be pleased to know that it takes a village to raise a whore.

The key to achieving this goal is a no-brainer: MONEY, COMMON SENSE, a sense of fair play, MONEY, a dash of cultural sensitivity, COMMON SENSE, a basic command of the language and most importantly, the ability and willingless to see the Thai people as normal human beings with the same needs, weaknesses and strengths as we do - and to resist the Orientalist tendency to view them as a romantic and idyllic Other, weak and in need of protection, with values and emotions trapped in a 19th century time warp.

I must say I've never had any emotional or compensation issues with Thai guys but then again, I don't usually seek the extraodinary. I appreciate that they subscribe to the same natural laws of attraction as I do. And when I occasionally seek the extraordinary or have the extraordinary thrust upon me, I expect or am prepared to compensate for it, within reason, of course. I'm 33, fit and would like to think that I have a modicum of looks. However, if a strapping twenty-year-old were to dance up to me at a disco in Pattaya offering a roll in the hay, I could not reasonably discount the possibility that the offer was made in return for some consideration, knowing, as I do, the economic realities on the ground and the culture of patronage underlying it. More so if I had made the offer. My ego wouldn't like it, I know, but I would be prepared nonetheless.

[Hedda]

Right on, Maurice. For a guy who is only 33, you have captured the joy of sex after 50, right here in Shitsville - as opposed to waiting for some Lauderdale real estate agent to dump your ashes down the condo loo before the new owner arrives to take possession.

You can dream virtually any sexual fantasy you want in Pattaya, and have a good chance to enjoy it, in the flesh - not on a CD you watch alone in a darkened bedroom.

The great danger, of course, is when old men start to confuse what's being offered, i.e., sex for sale, to what they craved and achieved in their younger days: romantic love shared on comparable testosterone levels.

Like any contact sport, you usually reach an age where indulging can be dangerous to your health. The task is to keep the commercial sex in perspective and not mistake it for the young man's game you are now too old to play.

If you do that, you can have a wonderful life here in Shitsville, where a new adventure awaits you every day at the beach, the bar or the nearest 7-11. Try that in Lauderdale.

.

[Taxi driver]

If you do that, you can have a wonderful life here in Shitsville

Seems a contradiction to say you can have a wonderful life in a place you still deride as "Shitsville."

[Jersey]

Seems a contradiction to say you can have a wonderful life in a place you still deride as "Shitsville."

I never saw a hog that wasn't happy rolling in slop. It's a wonderful life for them, why not most of us on holiday in places like Sunee ?

[Palpatine]

I never saw a hog that wasn't happy rolling in slop. It's a wonderful life for them, why not most of us on holiday in places like Sunee ?

There is something to be said for candor.