Londoner

Agreed; neither "cheap" tourism (and this includes students in gap-years) nor downmarket sex tourists are what the Junta wants. There are still plenty of islands in the south that can be further developed with expensive hotels and golf-courses without the obvious manifestations of commercial sex. Women will be available, of course, but not the sort that parade along Pattaya Beach Road. The Japanese hostess bars along Thaniya may be the model. As far as we are concerned, further consolidation and fewer venues and "gay areas" are likely but we can cope with that, surely? We lost Saphan Kwai long ago, Sunnee and Boyztown (well, almost) more recently but the Patpong area seems to have a future while the Jomtien Complex is, we're told , already flourishing again. We shall undoubtedly be fewer in number as younger gay men prefer destinations ( and facilities) closer to home: and cultural and economic expectations may limit the numbers of young men and women choosing to work in the sex industry. At least in Thailand- if not elsewhere, yet. It is sometimes forgotten that, even in the 90s, some bars were almost empty and quickly closed . Fewer but more vibrant bars (and areas?) may provide a better environment for us.

Screw Boys provided me with my first sex-show back in 1997......yes, many twinks. Michael Notcutt, in his unmissable gay guide of that era, informed us that the original plan was to call it Schoolboys. Oh dear. Perhaps a wise decision not to go ahead with that, not that Screw Boys is a particularly refined name for a bar.

I loved Lotus. Its location in a residential part of CM was (for me) unique. Not to mention being a few metres away from AA. Pity about the availability of transport but back in those far-off days, I used to hire a car. P won't allow me to now! By the way, does anyone recall the owner Mohammed's gay dog? it had a close (sic) relationship with the pooch from a shop across the soi. Really! one evening I watched them enjoying themselves while I drank my Singha at the Garden Bar. I wonder what David Attenborough would say?

Thanks.

Dating back to my first visit, back in the late nineties, AA was always the only true go go bar in CM. Very good it was too....at least fifty dancers, the majority being twinks. And a cute audience , many of them students from CMU, added to the enjoyment. I remember trying the other local bars and remained unimpressed.

I am pleased for you. And for myself....I'm computer-illiterate and was anxious as to what I| could if I had problems. My flight and hotel are booked for July. Some will find my trepidation funny or, even worse, pitiful but it's very real. I curse the Thai junta for putting me through this, not just the expense- that I can tolerate- but I have supported the economic welfare of many places ( not to mention young men) in Thailand, from Krabi to Chiang Rai for decades. They could at least have made an exception for someone with my disability!

The size is important...make sure (if you haven't already done so) that it is one page - the one with the photo- only.

I didn't stay with a guy more than one evening in the nine years I was a butterfly , that is before P came into my life and changed everything.

Long terms are problematical for the guys. P and his friend were taken to Koh Chang by a falang a year or so before I met him. It must have been about 2002. They had a great time and loved the chalet/hotel right on the beach. Being with a friend was very important. It's important that the guys have time-off...that is, time to socialize with friends, go the laundry, clean the room, talk to Mama or just relax without being with the falang all day. One of P's friends related a tale of woe which involved his spending a week as an appendage to an elderly falang, given no time off while remaining in Pattaya. For much of this time, he said, he just sat around, the falang not being very active. Yes, he was well-paid....but very miserable. If only, he said, he'd been allowed a couple of hours a day to do his own thing. And by the way, I know another guy who was taken to the Banyan Tree in Bkk (very nice too) but walked-out after two days, despite the financial loss, for much the same reason.

I relish my role as Trades Union Rep for bar boys....and so, "long term" doesn't mean (or shouldn't mean) a night and early morning in bed with appropriate remuneration, then hours visiting temples or beaches without pay. Post-coital extra time should be rewarded.... as I'm sure all of our experienced contributors recognise. And yes, I have it on good authority from more than one of my union members that some "LTs" are very long indeed!

We have flown Air Asia X to Bali a couple times; the plane was full both ways. They were running two flights a day, if memory serves me correctly. The prices were significantly lower than other airlines were offering. The collapse of the tourist industry there must have hit the company hard.

A good point....I shall wait a few days in order to allow the system to bed-down. There will be high demand at first with visitors planning an early June trip leaving their applications later than they may have done before.

Yes, a good conclusion to an evening at Sansuk. My singleton-trips to Pattaya invariably ended with a lonely dinner in PIC Kitchen.....the sala with chairs as opposed to the one where you had to sit on the floor. Unusual menu, traditional service reminiscent of the Good Earth in Chiang Mai. Two years ago, I saw a bill-board in Jomtien announcing its re-opening. Did that happen? Now P and enjoy two Thai restaurants in Terminus 21. Sadly, two years of ageing since I was there means that I can't even remember the names.

Following an interesting topic regarding eating in Bangkok, may I suggest an up-to-date review of what's available and recommended in Pattaya now?

Fair enough. I shouldn't have commented like that. Thailand is fascinating in many ways and I've spent much of my time over the past two decades exploring areas where there is no commercial sex scene....Krabi and Chiang Rai to name just two.

I was always ambivalent about BKK; we never stated more than couple of days before moving on. However, the buzz of arrival in Thailand, the noise, the smells, the heat....and then the taxi to Surawong observing the skyline.Aand that first night walking through Patpong to Soi Twilight (of blessed memory). I don't think I ever spent a baht there but the bustle, the crowds... magical.

Don't get me started!

A number of Blue Elephants in London. My favourite is two hundred yards from Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea FC. The taste is always better after we win!

".....bliss was it in that dawn to be alive But to be young was very heaven." I appreciate that Wordsworth wasn't thinking of saunas , or even sex, but he was right. Like Richard256, I now have to live on my memories.

Yes....that is certainly the case. I suppose what I really meant was, were I in BKK now, it would be the handsome young men who would be dominating my thoughts.

I wear a fabric- pocket belt with a zip under my shirt.

I'd be fascinated to hear why you like Bangkok. Yes, the temples are interesting, the shopping good and the food excellent....but this wouldn't be enough for me. What have I been missing?

The Ambiance penthouse rooms were always our favourites. They were redecorated and refurnished about three years ago. They all had nice sofas, decent bathrooms and were very spacious. No problem with visitors, naturally. The top floor of Copa was similar. I preferred Ambiance because it maintained a 24 hour reception; Copa was more like an apartment block. I stayed at Ambiance about sixty times over twenty years making friends with many of the staff....who were charming. We only moved to Jomtien because the new(ish) bars were too noisy for us during the night and early morning. We were sad to go.

Yes; I'm pleased for you...and for me, since my application will be made soon.

BBB dancers always reflected its owners' tastes, though I do recall offing a charming twink back in the 90s. And he wasn't the only one there, though the equally popular Cockpit directly opposite was more to my taste in this respect.