So, okay, maybe we’re talking a few feet south of your heart, but in the never ending world of free glossy magazines aimed at gay visitors to Bangkok, it’s been proven the way to a man’s heart is through his gonads. And since that’s also the direct line to his wallet, pseudo-publishers have consistently attempted to become The choice of bar rags for Bangkok’s sex touri. All claim to be the definitive guide in an attempt to entice advertisers to part with some baht, many come and go quicker than a bar boy on a short-time off. The newest to hit the scene is Desire. The monthly guide made its debut in February, and for those not in Thailand there is a website where you can check out pix of the guy they decided to feature as their latest model each month.
I haven’t seen the publication yet myself, but from its website it looks like they took the standard traditional approach: A cover model with more shots of him inside, a map of the gay establishments within the city, coverage of past events at some of the bars – Tawan’s 25th Anniversary, which had been scheduled when the floods hit town and then put off until earlier this year is covered and is how I ran across the site – and the occasional color story in an attempt to suggest the mag is a serious piece of journalism.
Blazing a new trail is never a popular choice in Thailand; why do all that work when someone before you already did. Regardless of their lack of success. But then you can never go wrong with picture of hot guys, and few ever bother to read the articles these magazine print anyway. I’d be surprised if the map they supply isn’t out of date and missing half the places you know of too, because that too is a tradition with these freebee mags.
The Models section of the website features guys who have graced their magazine’s pages in the past, and there are ‘making of’ styled clips of the photography sessions too. I checked out about a half a dozen of the slideshows but since the guys were all younger and less beefy than I prefer my eye candy, I didn’t bother to watch any of the videos. Ya’ll might find hours of entertainment there however.
The Web Board section seems to be an index of sort, with links to more slightly twinky guys in the Desire Gallery section, links to a section called Talon on Tour that is not filled with pix of ladyboys as you might expect but rather seems a half-hearted attempt at providing an overview of some of Bangkok’s and the surrounding area’s tourist attractions (it’s all in Thai and hardly worth translating), and a link to a singular picture under the Desire Show heading that is of a ladyboy and 8 ladyboy wannabes from the ICK pub. Who is an advertiser. Big surprise there.
A lot of the site is under construction or contains dead links – also a tradition for Thai websites – but the G-Pop section has more half naked twinks. There’s also a section called Ask Plernpiss, an advice column from a fat drag queen ladyboy which I was gonna translate but then saw all the 555s sprinkled through the text and figured I’d do just as well reading one of Martin911 posts on the message boards.
The Party and Event section of the site is where I found the Tawan boys’ pix, there’s is also coverage of some event at Ocean Boys, which has since closed its doors and which may be a sign of things to come for Desire too. Folding, is after all a tradition of bar rags in Bangkok too. There are about 20 events covered in this section, so lots of eye candy for you to check out. The bars include the aforementioned ICK as well as a place called Cloud Nine, so I’m guessing Desire covers the local bars too not just those frequented by farang touri.
Dick’s Cafe on Soi Twilight usually has copies of these free mags on the small shelf under each table and it’s always fun to browse through them to see if you spot any familiar faces. I keep hoping I’ll run across a picture of Noom so I can tease him for the next ten years. If you are eating dinner at Dick’s they also work well to slip under the table legs to keep the table from rocking.
Since it’s Tighty Whitey Tuesday today, I’ll post one more photo from Desire and throw ya’ll a twink. Or you can go find your own:
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tim said:
as said in me last reply im not into the muscles but love the use of a mag to stop the table rocking .. so so true .. maybe another use would be as a second beermat … i hate ending the night half covered in stale beer from picking me glass up off a sodden mat .. then having people think i musta run out of bog roll.
Bangkokbois said:
lol
Dick’s isn’t the only place in Thailand that provides coasters that do more damage than good but it is the place I give the coaster back to the waiter as soon as he puts my drink on the table. Without using one there’s a pool of condensation on the table, using one means the gathered liquid is gonna drip all over me everytime I take a sip.
I think that counts as Why I Heart Thailand #493.
Glenn said:
#5 has big muscles but a tiny pee-pee judging by his little thong. Unless he’s a real grower.
Bangkokbois said:
and isn’t that always a pleasant surprise!
Alex said:
I’d say you haven’t missed anything not having seen this magazine in printed form yet. I have, and I’m not impressed. But like you said, it’s not really targeted at tourists and it’s mostly a collection of information about various gay venues, which is often outdated, sprinkled with some photos. Having said that, it’s a pity that only few tourists ever venture out to ICK. The shows can be boring and lengthy, but it gives you time to, uhm, socialize with other patrons.
Bangkokbois said:
And I’m sure you are a great socializer Alex!
The one thing I did appreciate about the mag’s site was its coverage of bars outside of the main touri area. That provides a bit of an idea of what those bars are like and the kind of boys, or ladyboys, you’ll find at each of them. Kinda nice to have an idea if you’ll find guys to your liking before making the trip there.
And of course any mag featuring shots of Tawan boys can’t be all bad!
🙂
Alex said:
Thank you, you’re being most charming today. 🙂 As ICK’s patrons are mostly Thais in their 20s, being social comes natural to me. 😉
I’m not really into ladyboys (if I’m not too drunk and if there are other options) and into most of the boys who take part in the shows, but I’ve met some very nice (and very hot) college students who hang out there. I wouldn’t go there each and every week, but once in a while it’s fun.
Bangkokbois said:
“Thank you, you’re being most charming today”
Sorry Alex, it was an off night for me!
🙂
From the pix posted, I’m not sure that ICK would be my cup of tea, but I think I’ll give it a try on my next visit, just to experience a different part of the gay gogo bar culture. Hot college students sound enticing in any case!
Alex said:
Great idea to go there, and I think it would make for a nice change, but ICK is not a go-go bar. It’s a Thai-style gay disco. That’s why I’ve mentioned that most patrons (i.e. customers) are Thais in their 20s. Many Ramkhamhaeng students among them, as it’s very close to RU. They’re not there to off the ladyboys on stage, but to drink and to dance and to mingle with each other (and with me when I’m there 555). 😉
jeffreymonsoon said:
In looking at the pictures of some of these parties and competitions a lot of these guys don’t look to me to be Asian, but because of the context I assume they are all Thai. Is there a distinctive Thai look? Would a Thai person seeing these guys out of context recognize them as Thai? Just curious….
Bangkokbois said:
Good question Jeffrey but I have no definitive answer for you. SE Asians tend to have a different look to them than Asians do, that may be what is throwing you off and is also probably an explanation why touri who say they are not into Asians end up lusting after the local boys when they hit Thailand. You’d think Thais could always recognize fellow nationals, but a friend visiting Bangkok from Indonesia was constantly being spoke to in Thai, which drove him crazy, so I guess not?
Alex said:
Thais often get confused about who’s Thai and who isn’t. When I go anywhere in Bangkok with any South-East Asian friends who aren’t Thai, more often than not someone assumes they are Thai and speaks Thai to them.
It also happens the other way round, an ex-bf of mine is Thai-Chinese and looks pretty Chinese (or Asian American, because of the way he dresses) to many Thais. When I checked in at some hotel with him, more often than not, the receptionist asked him for his passport in English, not for his ID card in Thai. Needless to say this triggered quite a rude response from him, being a Thai as proud as one could be.
Bangkokbois said:
Ouch! I’d imagine that would be worse that being mistaken for Thai!
Glenn said:
At least one of the models is German. The text doesn’t seem to make any sort allusion to him being Thai at all. That threw me a little too, but he’s hot so I didn’t care. 🙂
Bangkokbois said:
What!?
Christian found a way to make money on his last visit?
🙂
ChristianPFC said:
The full title is Bangkok Desire (by chance, I have Vol. 1 Issue 1 in print here from July 2011), which is the successor of Bangkok Variety. They just changed the name for reasons I ignore, everything else is the same as far as I remember.
There is a mystery: none of their (or of other similar publications) models are appealing to me! And none of the underwear worn by them is to my liking.
Bangkokbois said:
Well keep looking Christian, sooner or later they’ve got to hit a homer for you.
tim said:
haha ive seen a picture of christian … hes the sort of guy who could fall the crack in a sidewalk !!!! not what you’d call muscle 🙂
ChristianPFC said:
Fall the crack in a sidewalk? That’s not in my dictionary, but it doesn’t sound like a compliment.
Bangkokbois said:
I think he meant ‘fall through the crack in a sidewalk’ Christian. Not that that is any better!
tim said:
sorry i left the thru out .. as it also fell the crack in a sidewalk .. 🙂 it means your not a fatty or a big muscle man christian … it wasnt a compliment or a put down .. i was just saying you are slim .. which in pattaya is not something you can often say about farang …
Bangkokbois said:
Not to mention he’s under 50.
Christian and Beach Lover may be the only two visitors to Pattaya who can make that claim.
tim said:
1 out of 2 aint bad !!!
ChristianPFC said:
In Germany, we say: “He can dress (change clothes) behind a broomstick without casting a shadow”.
hunter said:
did anyone try the hunk (no.1) on the back row of the 1st pic?
Bangkokbois said:
Not me, I don’t really remember seeing him around much.
hunter said:
Thanks!
I recognize him by his “Superman” tattoo on his arm. Wanted to nail him last time but was already offed. Here is him on the right in the red photo. (not meant to be an ad for the club)
http://www.tawanbarbangkok.com/eng/
Bangkokbois said:
Ah! The Superman tat I recognize. The photo I posted just didn’t look like him. He is a hottie (but I still haven’t offed him. Yet.)
hunter said:
Let me know how good (or the other way) he is when you are done with him, details.
Bangkokbois said:
Any excuse to off a hottie from Tawan works for me Hunter – Thanks!