
Londoner
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Why can't Jomtien Complex become an International destination
Londoner replied to gayinpattaya's topic in Gay Thailand
Like Macaroni, I'm a noise-refugee from BT. One of the many things that annoyed me was that the noise was for the benefit of owners and their friends. The worst of all the nights I endured was when the owner of a well-known venue in BT had a birthday party not in the bar, not at his home but outside my room. I wasn't invited! And then, another owner put on a show for a friend's birthday outside Panorama rather than in his own bar. I had a look at about 01.00. An amplified singer was performing-loudly- for an audience of four. Yes, I counted. -
Freshboys, Dreamboys Hot Male- Not many customers?
Londoner replied to zoomomancs's topic in Gay Thailand
I can't comment on the bars but, in general terms, I thought the difference in terms of the number of falang visitors, between my July and my November visits seemed minimal. I would qualify that by noting that Agate was busier though that was reflected in more straight guests. I must confess to having been a little disappointed, particular by BKK; I'd hoped to see the first signs of a High Season. -
Why can't Jomtien Complex become an International destination
Londoner replied to gayinpattaya's topic in Gay Thailand
I'm pleased that this issue has been raised. When I was a regular at Ambiance in Boyztown, a major concern became the prevalence of all-night parties- street parties- which apparently demanded the utilisation of huge speakers suitable for stadiums outside the hotels and bars. These parties weren't popular- the number of attendees was never above thirty or so- but among other business-owners , they caused anger. Not only were we residents at the hotels denied sleep, bars like Panorama were emptied of customers as those who wanted to chat with the guys or with friends were unable able to do so owing to the deafening noise. I recall seeing potential punters arrive at the Pattaya 2nd Road end , hearing the noise, and moving elsewhere. BT was built fifty years ago by bar-owners working together and attracting punters to an area which had different bars, encouraging bar-hopping. That co-operation ended two decades ago and it became every bar for itself. We all saw the inevitable consequences. I hope the JC doesn't follow suit. -
Christmas arrives in Thailand even before it does here, in the UK. Lotus, in Jomtien, was playing Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer on a loop in mid November. Only the sheer joy of being back in Thailand prevented me from screaming.
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8th and final report on Pattaya: warning against Tee
Londoner replied to 12is12's topic in Gay Thailand
Thank God that we falangs never, ever lie on our profiles! -
Tarntawan and Agate! I'm envious. They were two of the three hotels we stayed in last month and I'm sure you'll be equally delighted. If you are interested in swimming, try the smaller of the two pools at Agate. The chances are that you'll be on your own. And take a few minutes to look at the hotel's displays in the corridors. Absolutely fascinating....my partner wouldn't go anywhere without gazing lovingly at the quartz, agate and other precious stones.
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Back in Thailand from Cambodia, October 2022 trip report
Londoner replied to vinapu's topic in Gay Thailand
Vinapu writes,"I don’t like the sober, smile absent look....." We may not agree on what constitutes a good-looking guy but, boy, am I with you there! give me a smile, particularly a shy one, and I'm anybody's! -
The new establishments in the Dick Cafe soi and its adjoining corner have done wonders for the Complex as a whole.
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Are others a little wary of buying drugs from small pharmacies which may not be kosher? I bought some omezaprole back in November in Pattaya, the price of which was so ridiculously low, compared to those in the UK, that I wondered.
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Interesting; my experience, as already mentioned was the same and I too arrived at that time. Are there good and bad times to arrive? I always thought that late afternoon was a busy period.
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Not this old chestnut again. Its origins lie in another forum a few years ago and the posts it produced were sickening. I'm not surprised you "saw nothing of that"; it was always a fantasy propagated by a couple of individuals toying with racial stereotypes. I cannot believe there 's a safer place to wander at night than Pattaya....as long as you watch out for all the traffic, not just fantasy Arabs on motorcys! Not to mention broken pavements.
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I know-knew- three of them: Tuk Com, Royal Garden top floor and Central. And they are now all gone. For those who didn't try them, they were slightly cheaper versions of MK, minus the cute waiters and waitresses* (they were buffet style) but with the benefit of free soft drinks and , significantly for me, free sweets which included unlimited Panna Cottas. Sadly, not MK's unmissable roast duck though. If a meal for falang+ boyfriend (non-drinkers) in MK cost 800bht or so, Hotpot's version was 500/600. Good value. Perhaps too good to survive. * And now those d**n robots.
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I agree with that. I'm no lover of BKK but I find the journey from the airport into the city -traffic notwithstanding- nothing less than thrilling, even if it can be frustrating.
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Macaroni21 makes reasonable points but our experiences in Pattaya, Chiang Mai and (briefly) Bangkok weren't different to those of non-gay tourists. We visited temples in and around Chiang Mai and the beaches and numerous restaurants in Jomtien and Pattaya, staying at hotels which were not specifically "gay". And no bars of any kind, by the way. And yes, China is the key. The booming Indian market cannot replace it and replicate its spending power.
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It depends on what you mean by a beach view. The row of hotels overlooking Dongtan certainly have uninterrupted views of the sea but you'd have to check whether a particular room has one. Those hotels have narrow beach fronts for obvious reasons, stretching a long way back as far as the Pattaya road where the main entrances tend to be. I assume that the rooms with the best views will be priced accordingly. And will be the most in demand.
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Is it being suggested that our experiences in Thailand are so bad that we won't return? Not in my case, anyway. I'm now just ending my second trip since the re-opening, with a third one only fourteen weeks away. Prices are still good-in particular restaurants and hotels- at least the Bkk, Chiang Mai and Pattaya ones we've been in- and, as far as concerned, no suggestion of a hike in prices.
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On our return from Chiang Mai a week ago, the wait for luggage was only five minutes....perhaps the domestic services are better? After all, most of the passengers on my flight had hand-luggage only.....a d**n nuisance, by the way, since the overhead trays were clogged. In fairness, however, there was one carousel in that area suffering problems, resulting in hordes of passengers- I believe from more than one flight- crowding around it anxiously.
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It was difficult enough for me to engage in any sort of verbal contact with the guys I offed from bar. An inevitably better-looking and wealthier falang would have made it impossible!
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How on earth did those of us in Jomtien get into Pattaya itself last night? We watched a few baht-buses trundle past us with determined travellers hanging on the back for dear life- not just the usual three or four- and then saw a family anxiously waiting for a bus at 1900...which never arrived! And where could the buses drop their passengers? I've no doubt that 2nd Road was clogged with traffic. We were in Central at midday and even then central Pattaya was at a near-standstill. i saw footage on You tube; it looked a good show but I feel for those who never made it there. Particularly that family in Jomtien.
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No, no and....no. Never have been sociable. But there was an occasion in Pattaya when I was exactly that. It was my during first trip in 1995 . I used to have a pre bar-opening drink in Panorama, and often found myself in fascinating conversation with other falangs. I'd only been "out" for a couple of years and being able to talk with other gay men was delightful after all those years of silence and repression..
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Yes. It's not large....the buffet offered by Amora in Chiang Mai , a huge place where we stayed last week- was bigger and better, if more expensive. Agate is a relatively small place, after all. But it suits our needs, particularly in view of the fact that we eat early.
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"Nobody had bothered to inform me...." Yes, me too. Prices good, planes fine, plenty of staff to assist but a change of time without notice on Sunday was a d**n nuisance. The real plus for me is that the airline is based at Swampy, meaning that the taxi trip to Pattaya is only an hour, as opposed to an eternity from DMK where most other budget airlines are based, particularly if the flight arrives in the evening.
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My performance scrutinised? As P. often says, "OMG".
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We used Thai Vietjet for our recent BKK-CNX trip; has anyone else had experience of this airline?
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The Agate buffet breakfast is now available. We find it more convenient, both in terms of opening-times and the and variety of food on offer, than when we had to breakfast elsewhere on our previous visit. The cost is 200 bht for a cooked course- Western and Asian- bread/toast, cereal and fruit with orange juice and unlimited coffee. We find it good value.