Londoner

An old topic, I know, but some up-to-date information would be appreciated regarding my partner's visa to the UK. I have not found the Pattaya agencies I've dealt with satisfactory for different reasons. Has anyone recent experience of using a particular one? I'm not requesting a discussion on whether or not I should be using an agent; that decision has already been made. Just a simple recommendation. My experiences so far have been- bluntly- dire.

I have to add to the above that it is many years since I've been in a gay Thai bar, even though bars were the reason I started going to Pattaya in prehistoric days. Nevertheless, I still enjoy reading about them- even the muscle bars which would never have been my cup of tea- and the guys that work in them, or used to. Such posts encourage discussions about the things I really care about now; gay life in Thailand, Thai society and politics, travel and my interesting decades with an ex-bar boy. And I nearly forgot.; Thai food.

Too many bars offering much the same was one of the contributory factors to Sunee's demise. I am sorry to see it being replicated in the JC but even more sorry for the guys who are struggling to make ends meet as they sit in their almost deserted bars. On my last evening in Thailand, I had my nightly wander up and down the soi; there was the cutest guy I'd seen in weeks sitting alone in one of the bars. He gave me a winsome smile. He deserved a tip just for that smile....and I went back to my hotel. But I must end on a more positive note. The new establishments around Dick's and Soda are still attracting decent numbers of punters and my impression was that they were overwhelmingly male. It suggests that the JC still has life in it.

In this respect they are exactly the same as employees, managers and even billionaires across the world, who are always totally satisfied with what they have and would never, for example, pay a tax lawyer to avoid paying their dues.

For me, it's satisfying my boyfriend's insatiable desire for eating in Terminus 21. Not to mention the taxis back to JC because he's too sated to use the two buses that would get us there for 80bht.

Gerefan is right. I left ten days ago and can't wait to return. We don't visit bars but most evenings I'd take a stroll through the Complex. The guys outnumbered the punters by a ratio of two to one. At least. I reflected that , were I still in the market, I'd have a great time there, with plenty of attractive guys approaching me. A buyers' market. My impression was that there are more twinks now than a year ago. Plenty of masseurs available in the afternoon, too. There's a new (I think it's new) gay bar which also offered massages in that small soi that leads to the beach, behind Bamboo and the money exchanges.

When I was spending some time at the University in Kingston Jamaica in 1970 I recall throwing away the remnants of a Kentucky-type Chicken take away. The bin was surrounded by a group of children and the detritus removed and eaten. Anyone recall the fate of Sebastian, the gay sex-tourist, in Tennessee Williams's "Suddenly Last Summer"?

True....the guys who used to cruise us on Dongtan are now sitting at home playing with their phones rather than with us. As someone says In Shakespeare's Henry 4 (don't ask which part)...."The times that we have seen. Have we not heard the chimes at midnight?" A moment of melancholy for me. Apologies.

The first thing I notice when I go into a Thailand Boots or Watsons is the prevalence of skin-whitening creams on the Mens' Toiletries shelf. It used to be a bone of contention between my beautiful and dark-skinned P and myself....no longer, I 'm pleased to say. It is a political and social issue I first encountered as a young man staying in Jamaica. Unbelievably to me, an island obsessed with Bob Marley, the birthplace of Rastafarianism and of Marcus Garvey, was riddled with social and economic distinctions based on skin colour. Almost white was at the top of the league. And so Thailand didn't surprise me. Just look at the Generals, the tycoons and even the entertainers.

I like the sense of movement, of people travelling for wildly-different reasons and sometimes even for a slight edginess.....there are police road blocks not far away. The political repression in Burma makes it even more interesting. And I mean "interesting", not pleasant. I suppose this may reflect childhood experiences when my parents used to take on me on railway journeys through Europe and the changes I witnessed as we passed from one country to another fascinated me, even as a youngster.

Hotels? gay friendly? How do prices compare with Thailand's?

It's the same everywhere with some British expats. Some living is Spain claim they are there because of the "Blacks". Historically, some expats in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, and Kenya thought they were there to teach the "natives" how to live, others went to Palestine because "God gave them the land three thousand years ago...it says so in the Bible" and replaced, or tried to replace the indigenous population. The history of British colonialism is a tragic one and the attitudes it engendered are still very much with us. Including in Parliament. The Thais are fortunate that most of the expats- at least the ones I know- are there out of love for the people and respect for the culture.

Some good ideas here. However, you've not been to Pattaya recently if you find it "tacky". Try staying in one of the North Pattaya hotels: Dusit is the the traditional choice but there are some brand new, very contemporary ones available. Go to the top of Terminus 21, the newest mall, and look out. You won't see anything "tacky" but a replica of Singapore or Shanghai. Some of us may miss "tacky" Pattaya, though its remnants are still there in South Pattaya, itself under redevelopment near Pattaya Tai. Daddy415 is right about Koh Samui but I wasn't impressed by Charweng a few months ago, nor its beach. Try Lamai. Krabi's island beaches are immeasurably superior. Number one for me remains- as I've often said- Chiang Rai. The best night market I've seen in Thailand and wonderful touring.... the Lanna temple in Chang Saen close to the Golden Triangle and, best of all, the Chinese village at Mae Salong....if you can cope with the drive up the mountain roads. If, like me you are attracted to border towns, try Mai Sai. Fascinating.

Mea culpa; an entire phrase was omitted from my post. It should have read; "As for character being based on the conduct of the government of the country...." In truth , I'm a sort of a patriot in a left-wing sort of way, at least when it comes to our cultural legacy. It's just those d**n politicians I can't stand. Which must also be true for Cambodians at the moment.

D**n right.... the shift is to Evangelicism and helped the appalling Bolosnaro win power in Brazil. Look at what these people have achieved (sic) in the US and be afraid.

I wonder where Cambodians come in this "league"? Or what about Isaan guys as opposed to Songkla or Chiang Rai ones? As for character being based on the conduct of heaven's sake, I'm British! how would you like to be judged on that basis?

The rats we saw in Surawong three weeks ago were congregated in piles of food refuse from street vendors' stalls. There may be issues with refuse collection.

I go along with that. And we need younger posters, just as gay Thailand needs younger gay visitors. Look at it this way; any new poster may be trolling. Maybe. However, some may just be not well-versed in the conventions and appear naïve. So what? If there is one chance in twenty that the newbie is genuine, give the poor b***** a break and see what happens. Who gets hurt by being generous?

I noticed those a couple of weeks ago....but BKK didn't compare with Pattaya and Jomtien in this respect. South Pattaya, I should emphasise, rather then the posh part around Dusit and Terminus 21. And, like those in BKK, hardly a customer to be seen.

i had my first gay experience at forty-five. And I'm not alone among my generation; we lived the best part of our lives at a time when gay sex was illegal. At least in the UK. My first significant experiences with men occurred in Pattaya. And I met other guys in Boyztown who were in the same poition than me. I knew little when I arrived. And there were no forums like this to help, just a couple of gay guide books. In short, I prefer to accept that these are bona fide questions , even if the internet provides more information nowadays. After all, we- this forum- represent the "horse's mouth" when it comes to gay sex in Thailand.

My first trip to Thailand was to Pattaya. Subsequently, i tried Phuket, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, all of which had promising reports regarding encounters with Thais, and each proved to have its own distinctive charms. However, none has replaced Pattaya. The one thing that continued to drew me to Bkk was Babylon. Specifically the "old" Babylon. But even the new one gave me hours of pleasure- and often surprising delights ("Does this guy really fancy me? Me? Surely not!"). It was the best sauna I've ever attended. And I've tried quite a few around the world. Now that it has gone, there remains just one Bkk experience which ensures that I always spend a day or two there; the sheer thrill of arrival at the airport and then the drive into Surawong...the clammy heat as the doors slide open and I look for a taxi, the sights, smells, sounds. After nearly eighty visits, it still sets the pulse racing. And the bars? I 'm years out of date but i was (and remain) a twink-lover and this was a good reason to prefer Pattaya. Not that there weren't once enjoyable twink-bars in Bkk, but to me they just didn't compare to what was on offer in Pattaya. From what I've read here, Bkk still seems to be more suitable for admirers of hunkier guys.

That makes two of us in Thailand....pleased I'm not alone.

UK posters in particular may be amused by this Thai woman comedian on Tik tok which my boyfriend has just shared with me. She has replicated the Liverpool accent remarkably well...and others, too. Tik Tok Crispy FrOiD

Food in most restaurants remains excellent value. The set meals in Japanese places like Fuji and Yayoi particularly so. We find it hard to pay more than 7/800 bht anywhere, though neither of us are drinkers and so that makes a difference. Dinner prices in London restaurants always shock me when I'm just home from Thailand!

Two days drop in succession....just at the wrong time for me!