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Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation
Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation

Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation

matkusti 45 maahan. Lue lisää🇦🇺Queensland
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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Back in Brisbane

    3. tammikuuta, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    Our fight was slightly delayed in taking off, which we didn't seem to catch up. This meant arriving in Brisbane a little after 9 in the morning. By this stage, Brisbane international airport was filled to the brim with people going through immigration. Finally after about an hour and a half we made it back home, that is until next time ...

    Next destination: To be confirmed ...    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Bangkok Part 2 - Day 5

    2. tammikuuta, Thaimaa ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    Our final day in Bangkok was spent packing all of our spoils from Thailand. Our bags were bursting at the seams, so much so that I split my zipper on my bag. Jason was trying to reach his baggage limit but he had left just enough room to make a few more purchases at Platinum before our flight home in the evening.

    I said it was a marathon shopping expedition and Jason was not going to stop until either we keeled over or we ran out of time. My feet were killing me as I dragged them along the shopping centre floors and the streets of Bangkok. We’d done so much walking and dancing over the past fifteen days that I had a massive bruise on my inner sole. But that wasn’t going to keep us from bargain hunting.

    But it came time to finally close the purse and head back to the hotel to collect our bags and make our way to Suvarnabhumi Airport, a forty minute drive from central Bangkok. This time we were more prepared for the budget Jetstar flight and stocked up on some goodies.

    Next destination: Brisbane    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Bangkok Part 2 - Day 4

    1. tammikuuta, Thaimaa ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    New Year’s morning was another slow start. We weren’t sure what shops were going to be open but we thought we’d try our luck at MBK. Once again we wandered the endless floors of shops without a purchase to be bought, so we ditched MBK and headed to Platinum Fashion Mall.

    After traversing most of the six floors of Platinum, we headed back to our hotel.Later in the evening we wandered back to Si Lom near the Patpong Night Markets. Next to Sala Daeng station was my newest favourite cheap shop, Don Don Donki, a Japanese chain. The song for the shop played on repeat. Most of the song is just Don Don Donki on repeat. The song plays throughout the store but the music isn’t synced so all you can hear is Don Don Donki. We stocked up on some supplies from the Don and then headed for dinner in the Night Markets.

    Apart from Don Don Donki, I’ve noticed that I’ve formed an obsession with train announcements. Jason has his doors and windows, I have obsessions with train announcements. Maybe it’s because we spend so much time on trains or maybe this is how I learn some of the local language.

    The Bangkok train announcements were made in Thai and English so it made it easier to learn some of the words: satarni rot fi Sala Daeng (the next station is Sala Daeng). In between the stations there were other random messages played advising passengers that they should not cross their legs or not wear backpacks during peak periods.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Bangkok Part 2 - Day 3

    31. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    New Year’s Eve day started out slow. A late start to the day but Jason was determined to do some more shopping, just in case the world ended and the shops were closed on the first day of the new year. So we headed to Si Lom in search of bargains and street food.

    We started off with a few chicken skewers. One of them I’m not sure which part of the chicken it came from but it was as tough as leather. It definitely wasn't chicken ass though. The vendor told me all of the meat was chicken, and some of them were definitely hearts and livers. Then we went onto dessert with roti pancakes with banana and coconut and condensed milk drizzled over the top. Somewhere along the journey there was also an orange/passionfruit juice consumed.

    Tired and wary, we made a pitstop at the hotel for a quick kip, before going to Patpong Night Markets for dinner. After dinner, there needed to be a costume change so we traversed back to the hotel to get ready to go to Circus, a club in Si Lom Soi 4.

    We arrived at Circus as one of the shows was ending, so we quickly took our place before the next show started. The costuming was fabulous on all of the performers, all of them had great headpieces. The club features drag queens and kathoeys/ladyboys lip-syncing to songs with stripper boys, which they call coyote boys (rent boys/ money boys). One performer has combined being a coyote boy with a show girl, wearing only a pair of sparkly diamantes jocks and a Medusa-like headdress. Their performance was mesmerising with carefully choosen songs to accompany the costuming and choreography.

    For the midnight countdown, we thought that we would head back to the hotel to see if we could watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks from the rooftop bar. Unfortunately it was full and we couldn’t get in. But we had just enough time to quickly walk back to Si Lom Soi 4 before midnight. We had a couple of minutes to spare before the glitter bombs and confetti started to explode throughout the alleyway. We soaked in the atmosphere for a while and then trekked back to the hotel.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Bangkok Part 2 - Day 2

    30. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    The following morning, before I could hardly open my eyes, Jason was champing at the bit to get back to the shops. There was no way he was going to miss out on a post-post Boxing Day bargain. And the thought that the shops might be closed over the New Year period didn’t impress little miss shopaholic. Jason wanted to make sure that he filled his broken suitcase. The suitcase was as good as new with some sticky tape from Mr DYI. MacGyver would be proud!

    The fear of a great shop shutdown meant there was no time for our usual nana nap. This was replaced with shopping, right up to the time we needed to get ready for the White Party at Siam Paragon. After pruning and preening, we got into a taxi to go to the event. This was probably our biggest mistake – we should have just taken the BTS. We got almost to the end of our route before getting stuck in traffic, just as we were approaching Rama I Road. We sat for about 10 mins without moving. In the end, we decided to jump out and walk the last few hundred metres. Jason was panicking that the fare would skyrocket if we stayed in the taxi any longer.

    We eventually arrived at Siam Paragon where the White Party was being held. There were no lineups to get our wrist bands. We went straight through. It was still early, too early to go into the event itself, so we hung around the shopping centre in our white angel outfits, sans wings and headdress. After a while we thought "bugger it" we’ll go in, top up our wristbands, because everything needed to be paid via our wristbands.

    There wasn’t a line up at security either. We were expecting an hour to get our wristbands and another hour to go through security. Maybe security had nothing to do, but this was the most thorough search, they even went through my wallet. When we went to the toilets to change into our full outfit, we got padded down again.

    As we walked to the photo area, an area set up with all kinds of props and company marketing backgrounds, we were asked to pose in the Gay Marriage in Thailand exhibition. As we started to head into the main exhibition hall, we were ushered by a photographer to pose on a throne positioned just outside. We both sat on each arm of the throne flanked by muscle queens. We felt like celebrities for a nanosecond.

    We had VIP tickets but at this stage of the night there were very few people in the arena. But by 10pm the situation had changed and the arena was almost full to its 10,000-person capacity. Before it got too crowded, we made our way to the VIP section, where we met another guy dressed as an angel. It was the holy trinity 😂

    The production of the White Party was next level. At times there were aerial acrobatics throughout the arena. Or a stage filled with scantily clad Adonises. Towards the end of the evening, Pangina Heals from RuPaul’s drag race performed, flanked also by muscle Adonises and flying high into the arena’s rooftop.

    We stayed until about 2am and then thought we’d try to avoid the crowd exiting at the end of the event. To get out, you had to take a lift or escalator from the top floor of Siam Paragon, a five level shopping centre. 10,000 people trying to exit all at once was going to be a nightmare.

    We made our way to the ground level as we prepared to walk the 40-minute journey home. We thought getting a taxi would be near impossible. So we decided to walk to the other side of the road rather than try to barter with tuk-tuk drivers outside the shopping centre.

    A driver approached us and we started the negotiation process. The starting price was 400 baht but we were firm that we were only prepared to pay 200 baht. He accepted the deal as we quickly jumped in the back of the tuk-tuk. He spun off a million kilometres an hour. These angels had their wings clipped but they were now flying through the streets of Bangkok in a tuk-tuk. As we turned the corner I thought we were going to topple over. At record speed, we arrived outside of Chong Nonsi station.

    The tuk-tuk driver dropped us off only a few metres away from our hotel, and as we stumbled to the hotel we were approached by two guys who wanted a photo with us. I mean with celebrity status comes some sacrifices 😂 😂 😂

    We were starving because we hadn’t eaten dinner prior to the White Party – we had to look our best for the camera!!! We stopped into our local 7-Eleven for the obligatory toasted ham and cheese sandwich with hamburger and chocolate milk. As we walked through the doors, the shop assistants all looked at us and said “suay mak” (very beautiful). With our goodies in hand, we headed back to our hotel to get a little bit of shut eye before another big night.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Bangkok Part 2 - Day 1

    29. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

    The next morning, Jason had a full itinerary of shopping on the agenda at Platinum Fashion Mall. It was going to be an ultra-shopping marathon over four days. The baggage limits from Koh Samui no longer applied. The sky was almost our limit. But first we needed to refuel to get us through the marathon. We headed across the road, away from the tourist priced vendors and mixed with the locals trying tender skewers of meat and other goodies along the street.

    Fuelled up the marathon began, going up and down the stopping centre aisles sifting through clothes and shoes, handbags, over the shoulder bags etc. Jason was like a hawke, poised to pounce on his next prey. Loaded up like pack mules we returned to the hotel, traversing the streets of Si Lom to Ratchadewi station and onto Chong Nonsi.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Back to Bangkok

    28. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ☀️ 33 °C

    We arrived late back in Bangkok due to delays with flights from Koh Samui, so we decided to get a Bolt/taxi rather than the train which involved two train line changes. During the course of getting back to Bangkok my suitcase had lost a wheel. It was running on three wheels only but still functional as long as it was balanced. When we got Jason’s bag from the carousel it had also been damaged, the handle had snapped in half. Battered bags collected we made our way to level four to meet our taxi driver.

    We checked into our hotel, which was located opposite the Chong Nonsi train station. It didn’t take us long and we were on our next expedition to Patpong markets for food and more shopping. Patpong was only about 800 metres from the hotel. It was in a perfect location to go between Patpong and Si Lom.

    After a bite to eat and a bit of shopping, we returned to our hotel for a costume change before hitting the bars. It was a Saturday night and there was a buzz in the air. The bars and streets were pumping with party goers. But before Cinderella’s coach turned into a pumpkin, we headed home.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Koh Samui - Final Morning

    28. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    Over night the rain pelted down and it seemed maybe there would be another nahm tuam น้ำท่วม (flood) in Samui. We needed to get provisions for our trip back to Bangkok, so once the rain subsided a bit we dared to risk getting stuck in a storm. At least we had our trusty umbrellas!

    It wasn’t too long before it started to bucket down again. We stopped for some respite but we didn’t have much time to spare before we had to check out and head to the airport. We then got a message to say that our flight has been delayed by an hour. Others at the resort had their flights delayed until the late afternoon when they were meant to be travelling earlier than us.

    We ordered a Bolt taxi and waited for it to arrive. The time was starting to tick by and then when we got into the taxi it took fifteen minutes to get to the end of the street. Panic started to set in a bit, thinking that we may miss our flight. Due to the weather, all flights were delayed and the airport seemed chaotic. Somehow we were able to skip the queue and drop off our bags and get to the gate, only to be advised that boarding had been delayed until our flight time. We’ll eventually get to our next destination.

    Next destination: Bangkok    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    A Night in Koh Samui

    27. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Being a Friday night, the plan was to head out with the other Aussies to the Diva Cabaret show and then end up at Pride Bar, the only queer nightclub in Koh Samui. Jason decided to ditch the cabaret and instead got a massage.

    I met up with the other Aussies at the Diva Cabaret show, which is really aimed at the cis-heterosexual audience. Kathoeys/Ladyboys with their queer backup dancers lip-synced to an array of Western hits, even doing the French song from the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. After the show, we stumbled a block to Pride Bar where we met up with Jason. With already a few drinks under my belt, I went straight for the bucket of gin and soda. Go hard or go home. But that was enough to do me in for the night.

    Around midnight Jason decided that we would walk home. We needed to convince the others with us, but in the end it was the best decision. A few others had left earlier and taken a taxi home, which ended up taking them an hour to get home and 700 baht. And that’s just to go less than 2 kilometres!    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Koh Samui - Day 5

    27. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    The next day we took a walk up to the pagoda near our hotel, Chedi Wat Khao Hua Chuk. The steep incline to the pagoda meant there was no need for leg day in the gym. At the top of the pagoda, there’s a panoramic view of the island. There were two Thai ladies who were taking in the views. They didn’t speak much English and our Thai is very basic but we were able to strike up a conversation. The clouds were starting to gather over the island so we decided we better make tracks home. We made it back to our room just before it started to piss down rain.

    Once the rain eased, we went in search for lunch, settling on one of the restaurants along Chaweng Beach Road. Finally, we got a curry that was nice and spicy. All except the Massaman curry that I had at the Patpong Night Markets in Bangkok have lacked any spice, despite asking for it to be Thai spicy.

    As we tried to find our way home, another British tourist asked us, once again, if we spoke English, the second in two days. She wanted to know where she could get valium or sleeping tablets, prefacing her question with “I’m not a drug addict, I just have a 16-hour flight back to the UK”. Throughout the conversation she repeated this statement, which made me question whether she really was a drug addict. We told her that you needed a prescription in Thailand for anything that she was after. She thanked us and we went on our merry way.

    After a few wrong directions, we made it back to the resort, ready for leisurely drinks by the pool. We had started another tradition of catching up with a group of other Aussies staying at the resort. We’d all meet by the pool and have a few drinks.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Koh Samui - Day 4

    26. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    The next day we, once again, wandered the streets for food, and once again got lost. We realised that there are a couple of side streets that can only be accessed through weaving between alleys and carparks. Maybe by the end of our trip we’ll get the hang of it.

    Later in the evening, we met two Indian American guys at the pool, they were heading back to Bangkok. We also meet a group of other Aussie guys from Melbourne. And in true Melburnian snobbery they looked down on us; Just because Brisbane isn’t in Victoria doesn’t mean we are in a different universe. One of the Melbourne crew was staying in the penthouse suite and showed us around the joint. It was nice but I thought it might have been nicer based on the price.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Koh Samui - Day 3

    25. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    On Christmas morning, we woke to quietness, no children screeching and screaming. It seemed peaceful. The streets were reasonably quiet with less traffic on the roads. And we continued our tradition and made our way to central Samui for lunch. As we were walking home in the wrong direction again, we stumbled upon a British tourist who asked us if we spoke English, a theme that was going to repeat throughout our Koh Samui episode. For some reason, other than the Aussie queers at the resort, there were very few Aussies to be seen. There were plenty of Brits and Russians to make up for it. The Brit was trying to find his hotel but it didn’t seem to exist at the location according to Google Maps.

    We also needed to recalibrate Google Maps so that we could make our way home. We returned to our room to get ready for the disco pool party at the resort. We weren’t expecting much but they actually had entertainment by the local drag queens midway through the party. It was a great opportunity to meet other guests at the resort too.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Koh Samui - Day 2

    24. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    The next morning we spent lazing about at the resort before deciding to wander around the city centre to have lunch. I’m not sure how we kept getting lost, there are only two main streets. The trouble is that they are not connected via side streets. So if you take the wrong turn, you need to backtrack. We were about half an hour late to our tailor because we’d taken the wrong street in the wrong direction. Well, Jason had complained that he hadn’t done enough steps that day.

    There seemed to be a regular pattern forming; laze about at the resort and then go in search for food. Rinse and repeat. We grazed through the stalls at the night markets, eating Thai sausages, Thai rice paper rolls, mango sticky rice and coconut ice-cream. Luckily the airlines don’t have a weight limit for human cargo.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Koh Samui - Day 1

    23. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We hadn’t gotten our act together to get clothes tailor made in Bangkok so we thought we better try in Koh Samui. We stumbled upon a tailor in one of the markets and decided to see what he had to offer. He seemed friendly and didn’t seem to be inflating the prices so we decided to get five shirts each. Jason was informed by Tony the Thai Tailor that he has a very common Australian name. Thai Tony had many Jasons in his phone address book.When we went back a couple days later for a fitting, we ended up walking out with another two shirts.

    They say Thailand is the land of smiles; I say it’s also the land of Pad Thai, curries and massages. So in true tourist fashion, we went for a massage. I’m still not 100% sold on the massage and even more wary now after reading about several Aussies who had suffered injuries from getting a massage in Thailand. We've not had any issues, but there have been a few moments where I think "I hope they are trained and fully certified to do this". Jason didn’t have to worry about his massage being too strong. He complained the massage was too soft. He obviously likes to get tortured.

    After the massage, we made our way back to the resort to have showers and tuck in for the night. In contrast to the highly developed urban area of Bangkok, the electricity in Koh Samui is prone to fluctuate which can then affect the hot water systems. And there had been a recent power outage which meant no hot water for Jason. He was not a happy chappy.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Kicking back in Koh Samui

    23. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    We had a 7am flight so we were up at 4:25am to get ready and get a Bolt to the airport. We got to the counter at the airport but we had a few problems using the self check-in machine, it printed boarding tickets but not luggage tags. So we had to queue to speak to a real person. You had to queue to drop off bags anyway, so I can’t see the point of the self check-in machines. To Jason’s amazement, his bags gained as much weight as we had over the past five days. We only had a 20kg limit, so that meant losing something or limiting the shopping in Koh Samui. I’m sure you can guess which one won out in the end.

    The 45-minute flight from Bangkok to Koh Samui included a full meal: chicken and rice, yoghurt and fruit. More than Jetstar offered on an international flight. For the price of the flights from Bangkok to Samui, you would expect something more than cheese and crackers.

    We arrived at Samui airport, which really were a row of small sheds linked by undercovered pathways. We collected our bags for the only baggage claim carousel and went in search of the meeting point to find our driver who would get us to our resort.

    The resort is located a few minutes walk from central Samui on the North East side of the island. We checked in and immediately headed out to explore the town. We wandered to take a sticky break at the beach, which was crowded with tourists and deck chairs. It really is my worst nightmare, 7 kilometres of deck chairs and drunken tourists.

    All of the walking had worked up a hunger so we picked one of the restaurants on the main drag. Jason hasn’t had much luck with getting a good Pad Thai so he decided to go with a different dish, while I tried the Pad Thai and I have to say it is one of the best that I’ve had. Maybe Jason will have better luck next time.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Bangkok - Day 5

    22. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    The next day was spent lazing around, doing some washing and aimlessly strolling around Saint Louis and Sathorn. By aimless I mean on the hunt to fill our gullets with all kinds of sweet and savoury tastes. With full bellies, we headed home to pack and prepare for our next destination.

    Next stop: Koh Samui.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Bangkok - Day 4

    21. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

    Saturday mid-morning we raised our weary heads only to get some sustenance. Today’s mission was to head to ICONSIAM, a fairly new development along the Chao Phraya River, including a massive luxury shopping centre and the tallest building in Thailand.

    The opulence was a stark contrast to the little restaurant that we had lunch at. It may not have had five-star decor, or no star decor, but the local cuisine of chicken and holy basil and crispy pork fried rice was tasty. Ped dtae waa aroi mak mak (spicy but very tasty). And only $5. 50 for both dishes.

    After a short pitstop at the hotel, we were off again, taking the BTS from Saint Louis to Sala Daeng. Now the mission was to choose a massage parlour. There were three in a row. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe, we choose that one. This time, there was no agony; well, only a little bit. I can never relax enough for the masseuse to do the back twist and they end up giving up.

    After the thousands of steps that we had walked over the past couple of days, a full body massage was what the doctor ordered. It also allowed us to mosey home, stopping by the 7-Eleven for the obligatory treats to take home. That is after Jason went shopping for an over-the-shoulder bag. He set his eyes on one and commenced the bartering process. Back and forth numbers flew. Ning phan hok roi baht (1600B). No, hok roi baht (600B) was the final price. But before Jason could click his heels three times and say there’s no place like home, she tried to pull a Taylor swifty and change it up for a different, lower quality version. But her techniques were no match for the shrewd shopper. Jason spotted it and quickly replaced it with the original bag. She may fool other farang bah (stupid/crazy foreigner) but not this one.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Bangkok - Day 3

    20. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

    The following day, we continued our hunt, punctuating the shopping with a few Thai treats. Again, it started with a false start. We had returned to Platinum Fashion Mall to finish off the levels that we hadn’t gotten to the day before. I had to keep reminding Jason that this was a marathon not a sprint. But it wasn’t too long before the training wheels were off and the shopping machine was in full bartering mode – although we do like a fixed-priced store.

    After a few more small treats from off the streets and rehydrated from some freshly juiced passionfruit, it was time for the obligatory foot massage. We took our positions and then the agony and ecstasy began. It was a rollercoaster of “why the hell am I paying for this torture” to “this feels divine”. I don’t know how the guy laying down from us could be fast asleep and snoring. They had to wake him to massage his shoulders and back after which he asked for another hour massage. My masseuse had difficulties trying to get me to relax so she could break my back, I mean do the spinal twists to realign me.

    The walk and train trip home did seem much easier than earlier in the day. The BTS, an elevated rail system, has become our main form of transportation. Our hotel is located next to Saint Louis station, which made it easy to get around. Beats sitting in the Bangkok traffic or trying to barter with the tuk-tuk drivers.

    We only rested for a bit and then recommenced the ongoing saga of searching for food. We needed to be fuelled up to tackle the Bangkok clubs in Soi 2. Full as a goog, we paid our 400 baht admission fee and entered the club. Our admission ticket got us two free drinks. With so much media attention on poisoning cases in Laos and Fiji, we decided to stick to Singha beer. Surely you can’t go wrong with bottled beer.

    The clock chimed eleven times and it was time for the show to start. The first diva came on stage with her backup dancers and did her number. They really needed a trigger warning because she could haunt houses. Then the Thai Mariah Carey graced the stage doing a heartfelt rendition of "Without You". She was followed by a couple of other Queens, including one doing a Dua Lipa medley.

    By this stage, we had already missed the last train home, and after finishing our drinks, we decided to stumble the streets home hoovering up any goodies along the way. And no drunken night out would be complete without a choccy milk and toastie from 7-Eleven. I mean I needed to get rid of the beer taste in my mouth. By the time we rolled through the doors and had showers Cinderella’s carriage had long been a pumpkin. Time for some shut eye before we do it all over again.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Bangkok - Day 2

    19. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    Next morning we got up and had a leisurely breakfast before the hunting season began (aka our shopping expedition). We stopped for a 7-Eleven toastie, which was fast becoming our go-to snack in between meals and other grazing. Amongst the other provisions we also purchased my Thai sim card so I too could be connected to the world (that is, connected to Google Maps in an attempt not to get too lost).

    At first we had another false start, wandering around with no purchases in sight. We headed to Platinum Fashion Mall and all of a sudden it was like supermarket sweeps amassing all kinds of wares: sunglasses, bags, t-shirts and underwear. Jason seemed to be fuelled by shopping, gaining more energy with each purchase.

    I, on the other hand, longed to consume anything and everything that came our way. We settled on lunch at a Thai-Chinese fusion restaurant. Jason was not particularly happy with his Pad Thai. I think they thought he said no spice instead of a little spice.

    After a bite to eat, we resumed the shopping expedition. Jason was on the hunt for shorty shorts – and I mean ho-ho-ho shorty shorts - so he could fill the vacancy at Super Pussy nightclub in the Patpong Night Market. He was taken to a store which promised him goods that would fulfil his wishes. He took one look at them; they weren’t skanky, I mean small, enough 😂. After we left, the shop assistant ran back to his friend mocking Jason that the shorts weren’t hoochie enough.

    As the coffers started to deplete, we decided to replenish the funds. It was at this point that we realised that Jason had lost his ATM debit card. We figured that he didn’t take the card from the machine when we got cash out the night before. Luckily no other transactions had been made. I really thought the Lost World series had been axed earlier this year when we went to Europe. But it seems it has been commissioned for another season. Soon it will be syndicated and re-runs played continuously on Foxtel.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Bangkok - Day 1

    18. joulukuuta 2024, Thaimaa ⋅ ⛅ 32 °C

    We arrived in Bangkok to temperatures in the high 20s. Who would have thought that we needed to escape to Thailand to get away from the heatwave in Australia! As soon as we cleared customs, Jason had ordered a Bolt, a ride share app used in Thailand. We were on level 2 of the airport, but the Bolt driver was on Level 4. We had to quickly rush up the escalators and try to find the driver amongst a sea of taxis. All of a sudden a car pulled up and a man was waving his phone and pointing at us. Yes, it was our driver, so we quickly jumped in and took off along the Bangkok motorway.

    The trip from Suvarnabhumi airport to Sathorn in the centre of Bangkok brought back memories of previous trips. Things seemed like the same old Bangkok we knew, but perhaps a bit more hi-tech. We arrived at the hotel, and in stark contrast to the budget transportation, we landed one of the most luxurious apartments that we have ever stayed in. So spacious we almost needed an intercom system to contact each other.

    As we got out of the car, I started to pay the driver, but Jason thought the driver was trying to extract more money than the app quoted for the trip. The extra was the two tolls, and in any case it was only $5.

    We quickly checked in and dropped off our bags to go in search of provisions. We got some cash out of the ATM near the hotel and then headed to the closest 7-Eleven. I’d forgotten my passport so couldn’t get my Thai sim card. By this stage, Jason had been awake for 24 hours and needed to get some shut eye, so we tucked ourselves in for the night.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    From BrisVegas to Bangkok

    18. joulukuuta 2024, Australia ⋅ 🌧 30 °C

    We got to Brisbane international airport with a couple of hours to kill. At first we thought we could fill in the time with a bite to eat. But at midday most of the food outlets had already closed. WTF! So we had to resort to stale sandwiches from the newsagent.

    It wasn’t long before we heard an announcement blaring through the airport advising all passengers on Jetstar flight JQ65 that boarding was about to commence. It was the first false start to the trip. A nano second later a real person informed us that the previous announcement was automated and that in actual fact our plane had arrived late and as such our boarding was delayed. What an excuse to get a coffee and a milkshake before boarding the budget Jetstar flight.

    We had a meal included but we had no idea how budget the meal was going to be. If their domestic service is anything to go by we could expect banana bread and cheese and crackers. It was a little more substantial than that, slightly. That was if we didn’t starve before they got to us.

    The hosties started in the row over from us, they served the guy sitting next to me, skipped us and then they went to the other end of our row before running out of supplies and aborting their mission, only to return to serve the other row again. “Excuse me, you’ve missed us!”. The wait wasn’t really worth it: beef lasagne, cheese and crackers and a drink. It filled the hole for a moment. Luckily, I also stocked up on extra supplies for the flight.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Back in Brisbane

    26. toukokuuta 2024, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Well, the epic journey home commenced with the first leg: Berlin to Copenhagen. Auf Wiedersehen Deutschland!

    With a few hours waiting around Copenhagen airport, we boarded our next flight to Singapore. We had a couple of hours in Singapore before our final leg home.

    Next destination: Bangkok    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Berlin - Day 2

    24. toukokuuta 2024, Saksa ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    After a slight sleep in (anything after 6am is a sleep in for Jason), I awoke to Jason champing at the bit to go shopping in the Schoenberg district. He was such an eager beaver that he didn’t bother to check the opening hours of the shop. Turns out the shop only opens from 2pm until 8pm. What better excuse to wander the streets munching on currywurst and other goodies we found along the way.

    We wanted to take advantage of being in Berlin on a Friday night, so hit the clubs again. But not before another nanna nap and some refreshments. We had to be up at 3:50am so that we could be at the airport by 5am for our 7am flight. It was inevitable that it would be a sleepless night. We got back to our accommodation around 2am, after a late night snack run from local Burger Meister. There was literally only a chance to get a few winks of sleep before setting out on our epic journey home.

    Next destination: Brisbane via Copenhagen and Singapore.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Back in Berlin

    23. toukokuuta 2024, Saksa ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    It seemed like it was only yesterday that we were partying in Berlin; it had almost been a year since we were in the German capital and we were ready to do it all over again. We started out catching the 9:38am Deutsch Bahn from Hamburg Central Station direct to Berlin. Well, it was direct until there was a technical problem with the train and we were forced to exit the train at Berlin Spandau. At this stage, we were about half an hour later than the expected arrival time. The announcements were all in German so we needed the assistance of the lady sitting across from us, otherwise we would have still been on the faulty train.

    We waited for another 5 minutes or so and caught the train for the remainder of the fifteen-minute journey to Berlin Central. From Central Station, we took the U-bahn to Warchauserstraße station. I was pleased to hear the train announcements had not changed in the intervening year: “Einsteigen bitte!" ("please enter!"), "Zurückbleiben bitte!" ("please stay back!").

    The first challenge was finding our accommodation. It should be straight down Warchauserstraße and then hang a right. We arrived exactly at the point that Google Maps said the accommodation should be. But on closer inspection we were still one more street away. That just means more steps for Jason to drag his suitcase!

    The next challenge was to find our “intimate apartment” amongst the labyrinth of hallways and rooms in the building. Our room was 318, so we logically assumed that we would need to go to level three. No, that wasn’t the case. That just means more steps for Jason to drag his suitcase!

    We eventually found our room and checked in. We had little time in Berlin, so we needed to make the most of it. Firstly, we needed to stock up on provisions for next two days. We headed to what appeared to be a local supermarket. We wandered around the store looking for milk. There was plenty of oat milk, soy milk and other alternative milk but no cow’s milk. In a very ocker Australian accent and slightly raised volume – so that they can understand it better 😂 - Jason asks: “I’m just looking for some cow’s milk”. To which the shop assistant replied, “we don’t sell it, it’s a vegan supermarket’. Oops!

    Finally, we stumbled upon another supermarket. This time it was a bio supermarket; or as Jason referred to it – the biodegradable supermarket. It had what we needed so it did the trick.

    All stocked up, we could relax, and even have a nanna nap before hitting the clubs. It was only a short 10-minute walk from the club to our accommodation. At 1am, we didn’t feel like traipsing across Berlin to get home.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Hamburg - Day 2

    22. toukokuuta 2024, Saksa ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    The government of Hamburg, officially the Free and Hanseatic city of Hamburg, provides tourists with a free public transport card for three days. So on our second day, we took advantage of the free public transport and set out on a pick-your-own adventure.

    We started out by exploring Speicherstadt, the largest warehouse district in the world. Built between 1883 and 1927, the buildings stand on oak log piles in the port of Hamburg within the HafenCity quarter.

    From the warehouse district, we needed to make a brief stop. Both of us weren’t feeling the best. Hopefully it wasn’t the mushrooms from breakfast; I mean, Erin Patterson was nowhere to be seen, so surely we couldn't have been poisoned.

    After recharging, we set back out on our pick-your-own adventure, jumping off the bus when the scenery tickled our fancy. One stop was near some gardens on the outskirts of St. Pauli.

    After a few happy snaps, we jumped back on the bus and got off in the centre of St. Pauli. This seemed to be the entertainment district, with pubs and clubs scattered all of the place. We walked down one street and found a sign that said “men under 18 and women prohibited from entry”. Well, that doesn’t exclude us. But we were fairly certain it would be the red light area. And sure enough, it was a street of shop windows and mostly vacant chairs. There were a few sex workers on duty, but it was clearly too early for most.

    As we turned the corner into the next street, we could hear a guy shouting and seemingly cursing. A few others stopped in their tracks. We had to walk past him to get to our next destination, so we kept a wide berth. Jason reassured me that it might not have been as bad as it sounded: “it is German, it always sounds harsher than it is” 😂.

    We took a few more steps and a woman walking towards us appeared to be under the influence of some drug. I commented to Jason on how sad it was that the drug ice has taken over the world, destroying so many lives. Jason replied with “how do you know it’s ice?”. Well, unless she decided to wake up with half her makeup smudged, a tea cosy on her head, a blank stare and could barely walk upright, I’d say she was under the influence. It was also sad to see so many homeless in such a wealthy country.

    We headed back to our safe haven near the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, but not before securing another cinnamon roll. As we pondered over which flavour to choose, a local started speaking in German. We’d learnt the phrase “ich sprecke kein Deutsch (I don’t speak German)”, but we couldn’t quite get it out quick enough. Oh well, we still have time to practice at our next destination.

    Next destination: Berlin.    Lue lisää

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  • Jason and Ricky 's Gaycation2024 TravelsMatkaaja

    Hanging out in Hamburg

    21. toukokuuta 2024, Saksa ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    From Amsterdam, we set out from our hotel on the canal, traipsing through the cobblestone pathways, to catch the 8am train to Hamburg via Osnabrück. Along the way, Jason kept cursing the fact that we brought suitcases instead of backpacks. “Bring suitcases to Europe, it’ll be fine”, he muttered to himself.

    We boarded the train and got comfortable for the almost three-hour journey through the Dutch and German countryside. Across from us was a young woman, wearing a hijab, and her child. Before setting off, her partner said his goodbyes and disembarked. I could see him waiving goodbye from the platform, but Jason, ignorant of this, surmised the most elaborate story: they couldn’t afford two first-class tickets, so he took his seat at the back of the train in second class.

    Not long after boarding, the ticket inspector came by to check tickets. He asked the woman for ID. I assumed that she must have had a concession ticket and he wanted to confirm her eligibility. Jason thought he was racially profiling her and he was checking her visa/residency status. I hope it was the former. No-one else was asked for ID in our little cabin.

    We arrived in Osnabrück a little before 11am and a train headed for Hamburg was waiting on the platform. This seemed too early for our train. Before Jason went to jump on the train, I made him check with the train guard. Yep, this was the 10:23am train that was running very late. Apparently only 64% of trains run on-time in Germany. So we waited another 15-20 minutes for the correct train.

    We got to Hamburg around quarter past one and made our way on foot to our hotel. The hotel was supposed to be across the road from the station, but of course we took the wrong exit and instead of an 80m walk it turned into a 480m walk. That meant further for Jason to drag his suitcase!

    We checked in and immediately set out to explore the city centre around the hauptbahnhof (Central Station) and the St. George area. The train station would be the epicentre for most of what we did over the next two days.

    Roaming about the city we stumbled upon Cinnamood, a cinnamon rolls bakery with all kinds of decadent flavours. Of course, we had try a couple. They were the tastiest cinnamon rolls I’ve every tried, so fresh and gooey. In true Ricky and Jason fashion, we would revisit once more before we headed to our next destination.

    We explored the harbour area, Binnenalster, which is an artificial lake that is “inside” the city walls. The old city walls no longer exist, and have been replaced by two bridges, the Lombardsbrücke and the Kennedybrücke.
    We then decided to explore the southern end beyond the Hamburg hauptbahnhof. All of a sudden we felt we had roamed into a different world. There seemed to be a boundary that we crossed. German no longer seemed to be the first language of the residents. The smells and sights of the Middle East filled the air. I had only looked down for a second, and we hadn’t walked that far to end up in Morocco!

    Later that evening we went for dinner at a restaurant close to the hotel. As we sat down, Jason looked around, and said “have we landed on the set of Cocoon? “. The average age was probably 65 in the shade. We survived without having the youth, or what remains of it, sucked out of us.    Lue lisää

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