Londoner

Yes....that's an increase of 30% since we were there pre-Covid. The baht-bus system in Pattaya is remarkable value and you can hire one from outside Terminus 21 to the Complex for 200bht. A taxi costs 400. I don't know about other users but our experiences with public transport in Chiang Mai aren't that good either. Tuk tuks charge 200bht for what I regard as a short journey- Tapae to Night Market, for example. And I never got the hang of the bus service there.

It is amazing to recall that I was paying 200 bht or sometimes 300 bht to the bar back in the late 90s. Like the cost of a baht bus ride, there are things in Thailand that remain extremely good value. We have been very fortunate. Or at least I have.

The absence of that facility on the new ones I posted about will deny you your preference, and it will cut down on the number of passengers who can use the bus by four or so. But I promise you; the improvement in comfort is huge. I suspect a rise to 20 bht is iminent. And it will still be good value. Especially for a Londoner....

Has anyone travelled in the new buses? Quieter and smoother, more comfortable seating, better protection from the rain but no "cage" at the back to allow extra passengers. We were lucky enough to have two Jomtien to Pattaya journeys on them back in November. Perhaps, they will eventually replace all the old (and very old) ones.

Thanks for the memories! My goodness, what great times I had in those days. If only there were photos.

A worrying issue for some of us. Neither of the two principal beneficiaries named in my Will live in the UK. One, of course, lives in Northern Thailand, the other (who also exercises Power of Attorney because he understands and writes English better than P) lives in Palestine and is, at present, dodging bullets and, as a senior UNWRA officer, is shortly to lose his salary, and probably much else. You can imagine the complexity of my solicitor's task ensuring that my bequests are safely delivered.

I wish you every success and the fortitude to withstand the inevitable set-backs and problems that accompany a commitment such as this. I suggest that you take things very slowly. P's interpretation of what has happened to us over the past twenty years is totally at variance with mine and is based on Buddhist and Thai cultural beliefs. We must tread carefully when dealing with the deeply-held religious and cultural values of others, particularly those we love.

I've reported before that my partner knows ten of his former workers at Dreamboys (Pattaya) who are in LTRs with foreigners, having met them in the early 2000s. Mostly via apps but I've met five of the couples in Pattaya, their relationships still going strong. I wonder if anyone more up-to-date than me on the current scene- in other words, almost everyone here- knows of any ongoing or recent relationships like this flourishing. Or perhaps they are a thing of the past, when the guys who came to Pattaya and Bkk had experienced rather different childhoods than today's workers. For some, arrival in Pattaya on the late bus was their first experience of electricity. But what about the guys from Laos and Cambodia, the ones I see nowadays when we're staying in the JC? Perhaps they have different expectations to those of the Thais of two decades ago,or possibly of today, for whom netting a falang tourist or expat was the golden key to a life of plenty. Or so they hoped....and yes, it was for some. Perhaps the non-Thai guys in the JC, in other words probably most of them, look on a stint on the scene as a short -time occupation. Or merely sanuk? I really don't know. And the Thai guys still operating; now that economic fortunes are better for most Thais, do they feel that their times in Pattaya are for fun rather than endured out of desperate necessity? Again, I don't know and rely on my "successor- punters" to advise.

So, reading between the lines and considering the labyrinthine workings of Thai bureaucracy, the change could be months away. Or more. I merely hope it doesn't occur just as I'm about to leave the UK. Perhaps there could be an alphabetical programme of implementation.....and the UK comes well-done the list! By then I'll probably be past caring.

When are the new entry/visa requirements likely to be introduced?

One reason begins with the letter "T". The other with an "N".

I'll be asleep, I hope, assuming that those d**n fireworks don't keep me awake. Rest and relaxation is important bearing in mind that 2025 will be even worse than 2024.

"Watched"? I heard the drilling for two weeks when I was trying get my much-needed afternoon nap at Le Cafe Royal, the manager having thoughtfully moved me to to one of the rooms next door. My last ever stay at that hotel. The Throb show gave me many laughs and a few bruises, as when "the monkeys" used me as a suitable target for their "erotic" satisfaction. Some evenings, the audience was two hundred strong. It was particularly popular among older women tourists. There have been other dance shows but I can't think of any with so much comedy.

Are the shows popular with women? And are the punters mainly Asian? Do the performers still "pass the hat" around for extra tips?

What shows are available nowadays in go go bars? They used to be in important part of an evening's entertainment, particularly in Soi Twilight. I remember the trapeze act and the candle wax shows. A little arty-farty for me. Such shows could be quite elaborate. X Boys had a dance scene which involved nearly-naked guys dancing around an enormous paper-mache phallus and then stroking it, resulting in a shower of milk being sprayed over all and sundry. At least, I hope it was milk. The most extraordinary that I saw was in Pattaya's Sawatdee bar. It once put on a special performance by an apparently celebrated- and rather plump- ladyboy; the place was packed. . A waiter brought her a toy-trumpet, which she then placed next to her rectum and "played" to tumultuous applause. She was no Dizzy Gillespie. Her piece de resistance required a dozen or so balloons and some darts. The balloons were distributed around the bar, she lay on he back with her legs in the air and fired (or perhaps farted) the darts to burst the balloons. Her accuracy was staggering. Even the famous le Petomane couldn't have done better. So Bangkok regulars....please provide an up-date on what's on offer now. I doubt that there's anything can anything to match that performance...or am I wrong? Apologies for yet another trip down Memory Lane.