Londoner

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.

Are these guys confined to the bar or offable?l

I was in both Winners and Nice three weeks ago. On both occasions I saw falangs who were so ignorant of safe sex- or uncaring about the risks they are taking- that they were giving blow-jobs to the dancers, one after the other. Taking risks with their own health is, of course, up to them; risking the health of young guys who may not know better or who are desperate for money to pay the rent is another.

I don't see BBB as necessarily the best place to start. The guys there are predominantly straight and macho. Many of us are more interested in gay twinks and so a newcomer should be aware of Cupidol and Prisma if he wants to see go-go. But I agree that Oscar's, Panorama and Serene are good places to catch the atmosphere of the soi.

I have arranged next-day assignations in bars - on one occasion receiving abuse from the bar-owner for so doing- but am aware that, if a guy receives a better offer from another punter, he'll take it. And that the next day, his circumstances may have changed. The last time I did this- apart from with whom guys I know well- I was kept waiting all afternoon....and eventually he didn't turn-up. For me, a wasted afternoon in a relatively short holiday.

I shall say this again, as I always do when the bar/apps dispute occurs...if bars were open in the afternoons, I wouldn't need the apps.

Disappointed with hornet this trip, I tried registering for Jack'd and Blue'd on my my laptop and then my tablet and was unsuccessful. Both devices were deemed "incompatible." Romeo, which last time (June) yielded no riches, has now overtaken the truncated hornet as the better option, at least for me.

The show bars in BT aren't operating at the moment (the funeral? or the low season?) and the soi is quiet, even at 2300. I found last time that the show bars were just about tolerable and it's only the karaoke nights that, like Macbeth "murder sleep." And , to be fair, they don't happen often. Street parties, when they do occur, are equally disruptive....but I've often posted about this problem so shall say no more. By the way, Up2U, The Boat Bakery has been closed for some months now. The site is being re-developed. I remember it from back in 1996....a long time for a business like that to survive in Pattaya.

I'm a regular- three times a year- at Ambiance so I declare my bias. But I did inspect both Copa and Le Cafe for a friend. I used to stay at the latter when Robbie was there, The place has been up-graded since those days. There is a lot of difference in the the rooms at Ambiance. The cheapest are small and, facing the back, have little natural light. The better ones are fine but I always take a Penthouse room; I like the open-ness of them, their size and the views of the soi, the sea and the chedi. But you have to pay for these privileges, naturally. I like the reception staff-indeed all the staff- and this brings me onto Copa. If anything, the rooms are better. Newer of course and brighter. But the reception is not as professional as Ambiance and it is more of an apartment block than a hotel. My friend chose Copa and was happy there but this one issue led him to Ambiance for his second visit. He felt more secure (particularly with visitors) as a newbie than at Copa. The rooms at Le Cafe are fine but there are no penthouse ones .Good restaurant, too. Copa has none. The other factor is noise. Copa and Cafe Royal sit on top of noisy show-bars. Ambiance is affected by this too but has the advantage of its show bar being enclosed. Even there noise from across the soi is sometimes a problem. The 0300 karaoke at Cafe Royal is unbearable. Of course, these are not considerations for night-owls.

I had a good friend who was living in Thailand. His beloved boyfriend was continually stealing money from him. He refused to give him up; he was deeply committed to him. My advice to him was never ever to leave money lying around, not just for his own sake but to protect his boyfriend by not placing temptation in his way. It is wrong to tempt others to commit a misdeed.

I'd be annoyed. Nothing like this has ever happened to me. I'm afraid that it is a case of caveat emptor; if we invite strangers into our rooms, we need to take care that there is nothing available that may be taken. To be blunt, though I lock money , camera etc, away,I'd never before considered the possibility that the minibar would be a temptation. I suppose that all you can do is to check the bar before before and after, while the visitor is still there. Or just accept this this is an occupational hazard that's unlikely to happen again.

The older I get the worse it becomes and its apogee is the second or third night in Thailand when I go to be sleepy, fall asleep immediately and then wake after an hour unable to continue my sleep. A distressing experience. I was advised to try valerian and I still use it, but I'm doubtful as to its efficacy. I'm diffident when it comes to sleeping tablets. Are they available over the counter in Thailand?

Numerous massage joints in Day/Night area are worth a look. The masseurs tend to sit outside so you can check what's on offer without entering.

Were there many punters present? And what time were you there?