Londoner

When an Afro-American praises a red-neck buffoon who has obvious contempt for non-white people across the world, I reach for my sick-bag. James Baldwin will be turning in his grave.

. "Things are looking good?" Where?

Thanks for the pm. There appears to be a problem with my pm box so my reply may not reach you. If not, thanks for your help.

I appreciated the recent posts about Agate. Are there any other recommendations for gay/gay-friendly hotels in Jomtien? 4* star standard.

Is it fair to suggest that those who prefer twinks prefer Pattaya?

Arrived today to find the longest queue at Immigration in over twenty years.of visits A separate queue had been formed outside the Immigration Hall to control access. Despite this, it took me only fifteen- plus minutes to make it to luggage retrieval.

I have just one opportunity for a Bangkok massage in a couple of weeks time and don't wish to make a mistake.; which of the Silom/Surawong .places would you recommend for twinks?

It sounds attractive but I wonder about travel into central Pattaya. Sometimes, the queues for the bus outside the school are very long in the evening.

Rely neither on numbers, nor on many of the guys you see still working at the same bar during the next visit. This was a lesson I learnt painfully on my second trip to Thailand in 1997. All those plans! The same is true, by the way, of hornet and Planet Romeo.

Vinapu's question is apposite; airport rates are higher than those in the city. Best to change-up only what you need to get to your hotel.

The mamasan whom I saw in Prisma a few weeks ago was Joe. He had formerly been at Powerboys. Previously, he was at Lucky7 and many years ago, Throb. He's plump with long hair and has hardly changed in fifteen years. A very nice guy, well respected by gogo dancers .

That is the correct attitude to take. "A soft word turneth away wrath." We are visitors in a very foreign country; we hold many of the aces (money in particular) but a graceful and benign response is sensible for both offender and victim.

All over the world, entities have been created without the consent of the indigenous people. We in the West have done this for financial and political reasons in the Middle East- the current troubles result from decisions taken by the UK and France in 1917 and subsequently in the 30s and 40s to which the views of the largely "darker-skinned" natives were considered irrelevant., while the "states" that we left behind in Africa were nonsensical ethnically. Again a source of troubles years after the evnt. The first time I visited Mae Salong about fifteen years ago (it's a settlement of Chinese nationalists who fled after the civil war) I was intrigued to pass a school where military band music and a running commentary by someone or other was being broadcast across the area. I assume that the idea was to turn ethnic Chinese into good Thais. The hill-tribes are another matter, of course.

That's an interesting question. In the twenty years that I've been visiting Thailand, the gay scenes in both Pattaya and Bangkok have changed enormously; but Chiang Mai's is unrecognisable. As far as the Chinese tour groups are concerned, it's true that they dominate now; but the decline in CM's gay scene began before their arrival . I'd suggest that it was apparent by 2004 or so...but that's a guess. For me, CM's appeal as a gay destination ended when the old AA closed. Whether that closure was a symptom or a cause, I don't know. But I do recall that many of the punters at AA were students from CMU; where do they go now? Night clubs of one sort or another I expect. CM has flourished as a destination; you need only to look at the budget airlines and their popularity and the new hotels. The Lavender Lanna -which had an undeserved bad press, in my view- was the last attempt to resurrect the gay scene. A decent go-go bar with some cute guys, relatively cheap accommodation, and a roof-top restaurant which I always liked....and it failed, with tragic consequences for the owner. I now visit annually with my boyfriend; and the gay scene is irrelevant to us. But I regret its passing if only because it was so distinctive. .

Not true. I've never had any interest in non-twink masseurs and for years my first port-of call was Arena. I didn't go back for over a decade until three years ago and there were certainly twinks available or I'd not have returned. I've stopped now because, as you correctly say, they are no longer there.

I appreciate that some people prefer straight guys- chaqu'n a son gout- but surely it is no surprise if you off a guy whom you know to be straight who won't bottom? And even if you aren't sure, can't you discreetly ask? I always do....and I don't even want anal intercourse. I just feel more comfortable with gay guys.

....and in the afternoons? The last couple of times i've been to Arena at about 1500, there have been plenty of guys available but none who even remotely resembled twinks. And I've learnt that the Soi Twilight massage joints are barely operating at that time, if at all.

I'm not in the least surprised that Sansuk have responded appropriately well to the complaint and jones is quite right to report this. Things do go wrong when running a business, particularly a hotel, and the important issue is how well they respond to a complaint.

Any response from Sansuk? I find the sauna and restaurant to be efficient and well-run ( I've not stayed in the hotel) so I am shocked.

It depends on what you mean by "hungry". People aren't starving and dying from diseases of malnutrition certainly. But there are people (and this includes some of the working guys we meet) who miss meals for a day or so due to the demands of rent. The fortunate ones are in locally-based friendship groups and one of their strengths is that when one of them has a good night, he will share his money by treating his friends. I suspect that this is more prevalent in Pattaya , where the guys live closer together.

Patpong; opposite Twilight. Next to pink Panther .

Except that the hiv virus is not found in saliva while it is in semen.

There is a big difference between sharing saliva and semen.

Perhaps you should read the latest [posts on the subject of opportunities for young gay men from Isaan. Six pages of interesting, informed and non-abusive comment.

I appreciate that this sounds precious but my view is that we have a responsibility to the guys who work in the bars, some of whom are new, inexperienced and not well-educated in matters of sexual health. And anyway, I always advise the use of condoms for oral sex.