Londoner

In Thailand, only when I was surrounded by a snarling pack of dogs in an expensive area of Chiang Mai. And I'm a dog-lover, forever being reprimanded by my boyfriend for being friendly to stray mutts....something I now do to tease him but shouldn't. Elsewhere, I was frightened when I strayed into West Kingston, Jamaica in 1973, when the Army and the Police were at loggerheads and Manley's newly -elected left-wing government was being undermined, violently, by the CIA. The only times I'm frightened in Palestine is when those crazy armed settlers who believe that God gave them authority over all of us swagger by. The silly callow soldiers can be a nuisance when they point rifles at you but being white is a good defence. The Border Police are nasty and even more ideological and they graciously gave me a a taste of tear-gas when they were attacking some ten year-olds.

The odd thing is that, in the late 90s when I started staying in BT, there were more bars, often packed with customers and dancers and no legally-enforced closing times and yet the noise was contained within the premises, at least to a large extent. At any rate, it was not likely to cause sleep disturbance. Then came the era of open bars where there was no protection from the noise within. And open-air karaoke. And (for a period) all-night parties for a handful of friends. The bars of BT have, until recently, catered for those who want to see go go dancers and watch a show but also for those of us who enjoy sitting in a bar and chatting with boyfriends or perhaps with hosts or friends, enjoying a drink and soaking up the atmosphere. I resent the intrusions of street music into both my sleeping-patterns and my evenings with my boyfriend. And, as previously noted, if LCR is as disruptive as feared by other establishments, we shall move. I know that the possibility of loss of custom is a worry for other businesses in the soi.

Twenty plus years of staying at Ambiance will come to end after (or during) my next visit in January if LCR's new shows are as disruptive as seems likely. My boyfriend and I retire long before 0200 and so we will have no alternative.

And who will Le Cafe's customers be? How many of the readers of this site want to hear deafening music like this at 0200....and yes, we are told the bar won't close until then. Meanwhile, huge amounts are being spent on a refurbishment at Ambiance. The hotel (like BBB and LCR) is now Chinese owned. Is the projected market Chinese? and do they want hip-hop at 0200? Who does? Apparently, BBB staff enjoy loud music but since when have the preferences of the staff out-weighed those of the punters? Funnyboys, Prisma and Oscars have all gone- Prisma is to be part of the new, improved Ambiance. It looks as if Boyztown will no longer be gay....but who will replace us?

I'm with Paborn regarding discussion of prices. Negotiating prior to the event is a relatively recent development, perhaps encouraged by the apps. It was not expected in my bar-offing days (that is, up to about 2009) and was considered bad-form by the guys. In all those years (from 1995) I was never expected to negotiate and money was never discussed. I can understand why.

The placing of huge loudspeakers on the corner, facing Panorama and Cupidol, was a disgrace. They are not for punters but for BBB staff and they make conversation in Panorama impossible. The noise even disturbs the top floors of Ambiance. Meanwhile, the new Cafe Royal was warming-up its own contributions to noise pollution when I was In Boyztown three weeks ago. Deafening. In this case, the noise is aimed at those of us wishing to have drink and chat on the Ambiance terrace. The word is that Boyztown managements are concerned that the the selfishness of one or two venues will drive away business. What's left of it.

I used to like Rice Queen Diaries. It suddenly disappeared.

If we choose to visit a country like Thailand, where most people are much poorer than us, and to benefit from the cheap hotel and restaurant prices, not to mention the sexual opportunities offered, we should accept that some people will try their luck. There are circumstances in which such attempts are not only understandable but laudable. A son/daughter trying to help impoverished parents for example. I'm not one of those who claim that we are exploiters; we often give more than we take. Nevertheless, we are in the privileged position of having a choice- to go or not to go, to buy or not to buy- while some of the people whom we meet are living from day to day and often have responsibilities at home which are exacting and even distressing. I maintain -as I said earlier- that for the most part, their response to us is remarkably graceful. If sometimes they push the boundaries, I for one am prepared to grin and bear it. And to choose (there's that word again) whether to acquiesce.

I find it extraordinary that these guys don't harass us for more money after a 1000 bht encounter. Even if they have neither our email addresses, nor our phone numbers, they could still pursue us via hornet or Romeo. It would be annoying for us, and some may be tempted to give in. Yet, in twenty years, this has happened to me only once. Amazing Thailand, amazing Thais. And yes, I did give in on that occasion and was paid back royally on my next visit. Not in baht, you understand......

Thanks.

Would you explain how to do it , please? Assume that your instructions are for a six-year old and I may understand them.

Me too, Paborn. I rely on my boyfriend. You can access the "Classic. Planet Romeo site" (note the full-stop) where you live and choose Pattaya as your place of interest. The "classic" will give you some indication of likely friends in Pattaya. The more usual Planet Romeo (ie the app one) identifies your present location so it has to be set up when you are there; the same goes for hornet.

Not much fun when firing at Redshirt protesters with whom they went to school.

Give Babylon another chance. The low season is more productive for falangs since there are fewer of us around. Even then, it varies from day to day. I fear that your age- infinitely preferable to mine though it is- suggests that the saunas popular with young Thais may not answer your needs.

Correct; that's why I went to Palestine for the first time in 2004 - to see for myself. It was a traumatic experience, i was frequently angry and often tearful at the suffering I witnessed ... and it changed my life. In the words of John Ruskin;"We did not travel for adventure, nor for company, but to see with own eye and to measure with our hearts."

"The Dark Ages" through which Muslims are supposed to be going have been imposed by our governments. The colonisation of the 20th century, culminating in that of Palestine 1948, the support for vicious autocrats and their oil, humanitarian interventions (sic) have resulted in blow-back. We call it terrorism and fight it with...well, our own terror. As ye sow, so shall ye reap. I tend to think that, so far, we've got off rather lightly compared to the mayhem and despair we've brought to the Islamic world..

The guys are in a difficult situation. If they are too forward, they can annoy some of us. Older readers may recall the 1990s gay guide "The Men of Thailand." The writer always stipulated in which Bangkok bars the guys approached and vice versa. It seemed that in the more Thai orientated places (often in Saphan Kwai), they didn't, while in Boyztown and so on they did. Nowadays, I enjoy a drink in the early evening while my boyfriend spends his usual two hours showering and getting ready for dinner (an exaggeration...it's only one) and most assuredly don't want contact in the bars other than a smile and a sawatdee khrap. Twenty plus years ago, as a shy newbie looking for company, I welcomed it.

I overlooked the latest comments debunking this story but I shall let my response stand. For heaven's sake, have you seen the behaviour of my countrymen in Soi 6? I've seen plenty of instances of bad behaviour in Boyztown and Sunee; are the Britons and Germans responsible held to be typical of their countries or ethnicity? Any other examples of "Arab" misbehaviour in the area? Or was this example interesting because there are none? And now we have yet another reference to the Sunee motorcyclists, an issue which encouraged a barrage of racist comments on another forum a few months ago. You may recall that this included sick jokes about razor wire across the soi and other hate-filled posts. I'm sorry to say that much of this racism was posted by Americans but I know them to be atypical of their countrymen in Thailand. And I've met plenty. Just as I believe that this Arab to be atypical. As are the drunken British louts in Soi 6.

Sun Bar was certainly busy two weeks back. If only Boyztown had been a week later.

Two weeks ago, the Hotmale host bars were active; I met a very nice Cambodian guy there. Banana bar had a few hosts too...it's been a long time since it had more than a few. I was only there one night but, as far as I could see, there was little change to what I'd seen four months ago. I can't comment on the go go bars. The loss of Dicks was very sad. It was a good place to watch the world go by. The Jomtien Dicks, on the other hand, was still going strong last week and I had an excellent dinner there.

Each trip, I ask the same question; a regular -one of whom has been reliable and still handsome performer for ten years- or take a chance on a newbie who may or may not be a star. I'm in Pattaya at the moment and have relied on my three regulars. However, the one chance I took has turned out to be a star and- assuming he stays here-has joined the ranks of the regulars! How lucky we are....in a week's time, back in chilly London, I shall be thinking about this with a tear in my eye!

I use Planet Romeo....the Classic version when I'm at home, the other one here in Thailand. But I must add a cautionary note. In August 1996 I made that first life-changing visit to Pattaya. I was so overwhelmed,I booked another trip for October. In my dreams I had a list of three guys whom I was determined to meet. To my horror , all three had "gone home" on my return. And as my visits grew in number, I became aware that the go go community is transitory. Some stay to make a career (meeting the "right " falang) but many others are here in Pattaya for six months or a year before returning home. So my advice is, don't expect your favoured guys to be around on your next visit or even to answer your messages. You may be disappointed.

The curious thing about fundamentalism is that in whatever religion it gains a foothold, the results are very similar. Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu,even some of the wilder extremes of Buddhism. Anti-women, anti-gay, repressive socially, oppressive politically and aggressive militarily. My experience in Palestine is that the fundamentalism in Occupied Palestine is predomiantlyJewish. It is Jewish women who tend to be subservient and closeted while Palestinian women are defiant and politically- motivated. In the schools, it is usually the young girls who are the most articulate and politically aware; the boys tend to be the ones who are involved in confronting the settlers and Occupation Army. You don't see women with full-face veils and in the larger towns, the dress of girls tends to be t-shirts and jeans. Very different to the settlement women....not that you often see them anyway! Islamic countries were the ones where gay sexuality was tolerated and, in some cases, culturally -celebrated, right up to the middle of the 20th century. Wilde and Gide in North Africa, Burroughs and Orton in Tangiers for example....while in Medieval Islam there was a literary culture that celebrated gay love in poetry and song.For centuries, European gay men went to Islamic countries to escape oppression. A personal memory. In 2009 my boyfriend was seriously ill in hospital. My Muslim Palestinian friend made a special journey to Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to pray for him. I joked that my boyfriend was the first gay , Buddhist Thai to have had special prayers said for him in the third most holy site in Islam in nearly one thousand years! And in case you're wondering, Allah answered the prayer!

Krabi is certainly worth a visit and boat-trips to many beautiful islands- those which haven't yet been closed by the government- are enjoyable. But be aware of the crowds, predominantly young Chinese on my last two trips. Aonang has little going for it in the evenings other than restaurants...and those are not that good in my view So, for me, Krabi is sun , sea and sleep. Heaven help you if you hit a bad period of weather as we did a few years ago. Air Asia offer amazing deals from Dom Muang airport. It is , of course, nowhere near as good a location as Swampy , nor are its facilities as good. But it's a lot better than it was a few years ago. Return flights at about 2500 bht if you book early.

I can understand Paborn's perspective; those of us who live in the west depend on the perceptions of others. And "the others"- the media, the politicians, the economic elite- have their own fish to fry. Remember that Islamic nations were colonised and brutalised for political and economic gain for two hundred years and, now allegedly independent, they are seen as a threat to the colonial-settler enterprise of Israel....with which the west is closely allied. We have have tied our colours to the mast for too long, the mast being colonialism, what Edward Said calls orientalism and now Zionism- three ideologies that require fear and loathing of "the other".In this case, Islam. And when our mistakes result in blow-back- as in Iraq, Syria and most obviously Palestine- we refuse to consider how we are responsible for the catastrophes that inevitably follow. My perspective is certainly very different to that of most people in the west; I have spent too long in Occupied Palestine to be blind to the realities of of living under a foreign and malicious occupying army. And of course, it was my own country, the UK,that ran away when Palestine was invaded in 1948, leaving the very people the UN had asked us to protect to be slaughtered or exiled.And their descendants colonised.