Londoner

I was in LP last year. My estimation of the tourists there is that they largely consisted of two distinct groups; the elderly (UK readers will know what I mean if I call them Saga tourists) and the young backpackers. This neatly fits in with the hotel accommodation available; there are plenty of cheap places like we find in Chiang Mai. As far as the Chinese are concerned, on both occasion we were there, we saw coach-loads arriving at the National Museum in the early morning. They'd gone by the early afternoon. I didn't see many (or any?) in the evening in the restaurants or the markets. Nor on the boats. Responding to the question about Vientiane, P and I agreed that it was the least interesting of all our Asian destinations. The Mekong, so beautiful at LP, is hidden from view by ugly vegetation stretching a hundred metres from the corniche. The markets are purely local- food, clothes, home supplies- and we didn't find the restaurants anywhere near Thai standards. A couple of taxi jaunts to the country were OK. Just. In short, is is hardly a tourist destination. More of a commercial centre.

I've been to Bali twice with P. Very gay friendly (there's a gay travel service called Bali Friendly if you need transport around the island) but we didn't sample the gay life. Usually tucked-up in bed by the time it got going! The problem is the congestion on the roads around Kuta, Legian and Seminyak. But for a gay couple I cannot think of anything negative to mention. P. loves Bali and feels comfortable there. The other successful foreign visits have to been to Laos; Luang Prabang twice (highly recommended) and Vientiane (dull). No discernible gay life but full acceptance of us wandering around hand- in- hand. I can offer more personal advice, if required.

Keep an open mind. One thing I've noticed over the past few years is the number of ageing falangs wandering hand-in hand with Thais in their late thirties. Twenty years ago, the Thais would have been cute twenty-somethings. The reason, I suggests, is that contrary to received opinion on gay forums, some LTRs do work and result in long-lasting relationships. And yes, my boyfriend, aged thirty-eight, was holding hands with me (rather older) in Terminus 21 last week after seventeen years of.....well, quite a lot really.

Hornet- or at least its free version- has further limited the amount of info available on the guys. Sometimes it is almost non-existent. Often there is only one photo- a recipe for disappointment. The only free filters are for age and race. I'd suggest that Romeo has taken over from hornet in terms of ease of use and the extent of the location.. And the reason is that hornet has marketed its premium version so aggressively.

Welcome (Soi 4), Banana (Soi4), Hotmale (Patpong). Red Dragon may be good late in the evening ; I was too early on the nights I was in Bangkok.

The new PR is more suitable for tablets and phones. Make sure you switch on the "radar" so that you are restricted to local guys. Your geographical location must be correctly defined.Check the filter opportunities so that your numbers-quota (the choices that are screened) is restricted to the type of guy you are interested in. You don't want to waste valuable profiles on ageing falangs like myself! Here in Jomtien, i can access guys up to five miles plus away. I too didn't like it at first but now I believe it to be an improvement on Classic. By the way it is very similar to hornet, if you use that. Come to think of it, it's now faster.

The above is a harsher and probably more accurate assessment of the scene than mine. I didn't want to be too discouraging.There 's always the apps! I still think CM is a great place to visit and second traveller123's suggestion for a trip to the Chiang Rai district....for me one of the most beautiful in Thailand.

Chiang Mai is no Bangkok, nor a Pattaya....it's probably nor even a Phuket. The venues tend to be spread over a wide area, open late and are aimed at locals rather than tourists. Transport isn't as straightforward as you may be used to elsewhere. Try Adam's Apple if you seeking something similar to the Bangkok bars. Make sure you have the means of transport back to your hotel. But Chiang Mai is a fine location with fascinating temples and scenic trips outside the city or on the river. Twenty years ago, it had a small but thriving gay scene; nowadays, you have to seek it out.

T'was ever thus. In 1995, my first visit, I saw a cute guy dancing at Cockpit just before I left for home. I couldn't get him out of my mind. No worries; I was back three months later and enquired about " number 41"....that was all I knew of him. "Go home long-time," was the answer. And that became a regular response to similar enquiries on subsequent visits. Pattaya . I learnt my lesson; many Pattaya guy don't stay long.

My objection (and why I always warn potential travellers) is that Songkran isn't just for participants; everyone has to join in whether they like it or not. In my case , it was receiving a bucket of iced water in my face while travelling from Jomtien at 30 mph in a baht-bus. It hurt. More annoying than dangerous or painful was a small Thai child pointing a water gun at me in 2nd road on my way to dinner and wetting me despite my explicit unwillingness to play. The parents seemed to consider it funny. I thought he deserved a slap.....which is exactly what the wife of the Norwegian Ambassador did to a child when similarly assailed. Older posters may recall the furore that followed. .

Are there any Chiang Mai massage joints that employ twinks?

Hank....I paid a visit to the BCH in June to replace some lost blood-pressure medication. It was 0030; the hospital was almost deserted and I had to wait no more than ten minutes before I saw a doctor, who spoke excellent English. I bought the replacement medication at a total cost of 1500 bht. The service was impeccable. The answer to your question from my experience is yes.

They communicate with extreme difficulty as far as I can see. We were staying in a large Chiang Mai hotel popular with Chinese tourists recently when we witnessed an extraordinary (and fortissimo) dispute between Chinese guests and Reception. It was in a variant of English but while the receptionists were quite proficient, the guests vocabulary was small....but expressed loudly. This was the way the colonial British and later generations of British tourists communicated in Europe; the approach was to speak English loudly. repetitively and slowly and eventually you get what what you want. I expect that mbs use apps, by the way.

I'm intrigued by the longevity of the Paradise Complex. It's not like Pattaya's Boyztown which has seen a massive decline in numbers of visitors over the past decades; in fact, my first visit was in 1997 and it was deserted then. I was new to Thailand and was disappointed to compare it with the liveliness of Pattaya. I've visited Phuket on about seven or eight occasions since then and it has remained exactly the same. How does it survive? By the way, the tourist clientele of Patong seemed younger than that of Pattaya- and less Asian- on my last visit in 2017. And there seemed to be more couples. I wonder if the straight scene is thriving.

Regarding the sexuality of the guys we off, if your preference is for the more macho guys who work at the glitzy places like Moonlight, then yes....many are gay-for-pay. And I suspect that many of those prefer to top. However that's not my scene so others can answer more accurately. If you like twinks, then you'll meet plenty of gay guys. In my twenty-five years of visiting, I've never knowingly offed a straight guy though I have been mislead on occasions! For some falangs it doesn't matter of course. As far as twinks are concerned, their expectations and repertoire need to be discussed and agreed upon. If you use the apps, then it's one of the issues that can be sorted-out before meeting. Plenty of twinks bottom. And others too, I'm told. You shouldn't expect anyone to "breeze" past reception. Hotels usually check and often retain ID cards for the duration of the visit. You will usually be telephoned by reception to ensure that all is well before your visitor is given back his ID. Always make sure he has his ID before you pay the bar-fine. And that he's old enough! I've never been to a bar with company. You will see groups, often Asians, but falangs seeking to off are usually alone. If you are flying to Thailand, you will note an unusually-high number of single men at check-in!

Is Red Dragon a host bar?

....and the safety and ease of meeting them. Unlike many other destinations.

Thai guys wishing to develop a LTR may well be more abundant in Pattaya. Many visitors to BKK are there for three or even fewer days before moving on elsewhere and so the possibilities of developing a relationship are appreciably less than in Pattaya, where visitors stay longer and are more likely to extend a one-night experience into something deeper.

Russia and the US are now allies - or so Trump claims- so why punish innocent Cubans for historical events? Are only US nuclear bases permissible? There are hundreds of them,particularly around Iran. And the US remains the only country to have actually used them. By the way, memory suggests that the Russian ships turned-back before delivery, thereby saving all of our lives here in the UK.

You are better off being sick in Cuba, despite sixty years of Yankee sanctions. Particularly if you are Black.

Im conscious that I've bored many a board (well, two) with my complaints about loud music but Spoon's reference to Cupidol reminds me that I was a victim that night as well. At 0200, I looked over the Ambiance balcony to see what was happening and was irritated that the "show" was for the benefit of only four customers, all- as far I could discern- falangs. I thought it bad enough when an even louder party outside Copa a few years back had attracted a mere twelve punters at 0300...but four?

Yes.... no doubt they pay a heavy price in later years. They should be offered ear-plugs. No....a better idea; turn the bloody music down. Who really enjoys it?

It was certainly happening when I was eating across the soi at Balcony. But at Banana?

Verys Strange....but kitsch, I'm afraid. Like the White temple at Chiang Rai. For me, the oddest is the "Tunnel Temple" at Chiang Mai- Wat Umong. And it's 700 years old. Built into a mountain side. Fascinating grounds too.

A beer bar with waiters available for offing .