Londoner

Yes he did. He was returning to the US for treatment to his kidneys. Some posters on another forum loathed him, even gloating at his demise. Not that board's finest hour, in my view. He had made enemies when he owned it. We'd often breakfast together at Ambiance. He was good company. He had two rooms there on a long-term rental. Penthouse suites, one for him, the other for whoever his plats de jour were. Note the plural. I knew one of his entourage well, indeed, had been offing him for some years. Whatever other posters said, he was liked by his guys (a big thing for me, much more important than being liked by falang visitors and expats) and this was confirmed by P who knew him by repute and whose judgement I respect.

"Happy Place." Pattayaland Soi 2. It had many good features- clean toilets for one. It was a personal request from Neil to P and me to visit and so we couldn't turn him down although being "past" bars by that time. It must have been the last time the two of us were in a go go bar together! Neil was in poor health and wanted to semi-retire. He left the bar in the hands of an old friend, one of the dancers from Throb. Apparently, this guy rented the premises to associates for out- of- hours parties. Neil was told and, in in the small hours, went there and sacked the mamasan on the spot. He was replaced by yet another friend who had previously been dismissed from Neil's entourage after some unacceptable behaviour ( don't ask) in one of Bangkok's swankiest hotels. Very cute , as I recall. As for the bar, the music was too loud for sensitive souls like me and nor were the guys to to my taste....too macho. Neil put a lot of money into the project.

I've just returned after what must be my eightieth (more or less) trip. And I'm pleased to say that there was no loss of enjoyment, though the twenty hours travel is increasingly stressful. As is the "recovery time"....longer now than it was when I was younger. Of course, a major factor for me is that I have someone I love awaiting me. That reunion is something I look forward to. We continue to take pleasure from the most mundane activities; walking the beach- this time in Lamai ( Koh Samui) as well as Jomtien- deciding where we're having dinner, me watching P make his devotions in the temple, and so on. Even having a shared breakfast. I'm always conscious that I smile more and laugh more when I'm with him. I sometimes wonder whether I'd still be travelling to Pattaya if I was still playing the bar-scene as I was twenty years ago. Reading posts about bars does cause some nostalgia but, overall I think that what I have now is better, though not without the inherent tribulations of a long-distance relationship. Anyway, the good news is that the next trip is only fifteen weeks away. And where to go this time before Jomtien? Krabi? Chiang Mai? Bangkok? Chiang Rai? Decisions, decisions. I am certainly fortunate, and my determination to spend my last years living as disgracefully as possible undiminished. And yes, I suppose I should admit that a particular activity remains fun, just in case the more prurient of our posters were wondering!.

I must add a reflection on the Bangkok/Pattaya conundrum for newbies. For me, Pattaya would be a better place to start if "offing" is your prime purpose. It is smaller, though growing by the day, and I'd bet my bottom dollar that there are more willing professional guys per punter there, encouraged by-another guess of mine - that more of them don't have day-jobs. There's also Jomtien beach; not exactly Phi Phi but pleasant nowadays. It's a good place to spend a sunset hour, as more and more people are discovering. My boyfriend and I ate in The Sandbar a couple of nights back- it also has a bar- and the scene on the promenade outside had an almost Mediterranean feel. Some posters prefer BKK because it has many popular bars which offer the more manly type of guy, in which case BKK is undoubtedly the better bet. But for twinks? and almost twinks? In my view, no contest. By the way, Pattaya is, as Kokopelli says, significantly cheaper.

If you are a newbie, as your post suggests, I'd advise you to present your companion to Reception so that his ID is checked and held until he leaves. In other words, choose a hotel which provides this level of security. And don't be embarrassed.

Is this not, in the main, an urban "thing"? In rural areas, Songkran is more traditionally-celebrated. Farmer know the value of water in Isaan and so on and don't waste it.

Nor I....but I found being the only customer in a bar- which made me the performer and the guys my audience- very off-putting. If the mamasan was standing outside and I was about to enter, a sure sign that something was amiss would be when started to clap to warn the dancers- who were sitting down in an empty bar- to stand-up. I'd get out PDQ!

Admittedly it was long ago, but I must admit that a customer sitting with a guy near me calling a waiter for a tissue, was perhaps one orgasm too far (or perhaps too close) for me. Another memory even more ancient, was of overt oral sex performed, again not far from me. I reflected that the toilets may have been a better venue, though I must admit that in those far-off days the toilets in many bars were, well.....I wouldn't have invited my mother to use them.

I have been told that NB isn't a typical go go bar, in that the guys tend to earn their money from tips within the bar rather than through offs. Hence the games. Not my cup of tea (it never was) but it has managed to provide entertainment for decades to a loyal fan-base....so it must be doing something right.

Sorry Caeron, I down- voted you accidentally.

Welcome! Your first visit....how I envy you. I can still remember my first night in Thailand, where I went, what I saw. And who I met. That was nearly thirty years ago. You're in for a treat. Any questions you have will be answered by regulars on this site.

Yes Tuesdays. We eat early (1800 or so) and always room then.By the way, it's gay, though women are (naturally!) welcome. Many will recall its older brother in Soi Twilight. There's a newish restaurant not far from the gay section on the beach....we ate there three months ago and were impressed. A little more expensive than Dick's. I wish I could remember its name... Thai menu and also drinks available from a bar.

Thai food? Dick's , two hundred meters from you, is reliable. And you can people-watch as well. It offers straightforward Thai food, nothing fancy, but well-prepared and generously dished. And well-priced.

No personal experience of Covid? or Hiv? Lucky man.

Very wise. Covid is still with us....and TB always has been and is often to an indication of HiV infection. i hope Win has recovered.

Nor for me. Other people have a right to their own enjoyment but not to impinge on mine, such as throwing a bucket-full of water in my face when I'm in a crowded a baht-bus.

The presence of so many cute guys around the Complex is really cheering. When I was a Boyztown regular I recall wandering through the JC after an afternoon at the beach and thinking how dull it was; not now. And I agree about Soda. The guys there are always so friendly even to those of us just passing by. And there are invariably plenty there, even in the early afternoons.

Plenty of cute guys in that area. The massage places are open during the daytime too. The guys sit outside and so it's easy to choose.

Though not over-impressed, I am always happy to see my beloved Thailand on the screen.

......and the traffic? what's the latest on the roadworks? I understand Beach Road is affected.

Thank you Vessey for the photos, particularly appreciated by such as I, whose bar-going days are over. Happy memories of twink-bars.....the photos we usually see tend to be of "the other sort" of bar. Cockpit, Moonlight, City, Sawatdee and (for personal reasons) the old Dream Boys. They cheered me up on a grey London morning.

I expect I've said this before but the traditional Thai Songkran is a beautiful festival, just as Loy Kratong often is now, at least it was on Jomtien beach this year. The tender sprinkling of water on grandparents and washing of Buddha images; quiet reverence and respect. Very Thai. Songkran's degeneration into an orgy of water fights and rowdiness is sad for some of us, something I experienced once and never again. Is this the result or a bi-product of tourism? Or would it have happened without us? By the way, does anyone recall the scandal of an embassy official's wife - Norwegian?- slapping a child who squirted water in her face in Pattaya?

In EuropeI think you'll find that one hour means exactly that. I can remember some Thai guys spending time with me before and after the event, particularly those who had a good grasp of English. I kept the refrigerator well-stocked with drinks. Soft drinks, before you ask. I learnt a lot from them in my early visits; about life in the rural areas, why they came to Pattaya, what life was like for them on the scene...it was part of the Pattaya experience for me and very different to what I had experienced in Amsterdam "houses", my only previous experiences. Different and better. And cheaper.

It interests me that SE Asians have difficulty in recognising each others' backgrounds. My Thai boyfriend- mixed Thai, Chinese and Hmong - was frequently mistaken for an Indonesian when we were in Bali. Even in Thailand when he is with me, he is sometimes asked where he's from. I stand out (like a sore thumb, some would say!) as British!

Wonderful....a priceless conversation. How I miss Thailand! I always tell P that I laugh more in a day when I'm there than in a month back home.