Londoner

Lats Sunday was also the day my boyfriend and I went to Sansuk....and you are correct, the Thai/falang ratio was much better. Even I was popular...though my boyfriend was in a different league! By the way, the restaurant there provided an excellent and well-priced Thai dinner.

Interesting posts on the gay beach at Pattaya and the new Boyztown bar, Prisma. Are you looking at the correct forum? there are more than one on GB's site.

I've just arrived home after three weeks in Thailand- Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya. Hardly a cloud in the sky until last Thursday when Pattaya experienced a shower at 1800. There are advantages to going in the low season; good hotel prices, sometimes even plane fares, more or less the same number of Thai guys looking for friends and less competition from younger falangs, no queues at my boyfriend's favourite restaurants in Central....and yes, as has already been noted, much better chances of fun at saunas. Babylon and Sansuk were both good places to be. The only time in twenty years that my holiday has been badly affected was four years ago when a September trip to Krabi resulted in too much time stuck in a hotel room on Aonang Beach owing to three days of almost continuous rain. Pattaya would have had more to offer for those days.

Good advice...though most of us have to go to Bangkok first. I suspect that there will be bar closures during that period all over the country. I don't know whether this is replicated across the board in Bangkok, but Tarntawan has raised its prices during October....from about 2500 to nearer 4000 bht pn, approximately. Perhaps it's co-incidence. And these new prices pertain on Agoda et al.

Phuket certainly has a gay scene in Patong, though I've never seen it busy.I have just returned from a trip there; hotels are reasonably priced in the low -season but I agree that travel around Patong is a nightmare. Some areas are very noisy- huge sound systems continue until 0600. The Paradise area is OK in this respect. We like Krabi but no sign at all of any gay scene, including massage joints. Have stayed four times over the past few years; usually, we never even see another gay couple. Our beach hotel is, nonetheless, very friendly towards us. May I put in a word for Chiang Rai? that's "Rai", not Mai. The best scenery I've experienced. Quiet town with a superb night market. Competitively-priced hotels but no gay scene. It's my favourite Thai town.

The advantage of hornet (which I've only used this year after many years on GR/PR) is that communication is more or less instantaneous. Planet Romeo's message system I've found to be slow and unreliable. Is the new format better in this respect?

I'm pleased to see that I'm not the only one who finds the new format confusing. It seems modelled on hornet...and one of hornet's disadvantages is the lack of info on the guys. However, my impression is that the change has increased the numbers using it: there were times when I thought that its Pattaya "group" was becoming too small. I'll be sticking to the old Romeo; I find that having it on lap-top and hornet on my tablet works well in combination.

My first experience of commercial sex was in Amsterdam in the mid-nineties. The basic fee ( before drinks, which included beer at £6) was £100 for one hour....as Ryanasia will confirm. My first visit to Pattaya was in 1996 and I paid about 800 bht. Today, that has gone up to 1000 bht plus....a small increase in twenty years. I wonder how much Blue Boy in Amsterdam would be charging now if it was still running?

I ask this every time I go to Bangkok but only because I know that bars change by the month. So, here's the question. I have one night of freedom before my boyfriend arrives. Which are currently the best bars (host and go-go) for twinks?

An hour's flight to Luang Prabang in Laos (cheap on Air Asia) and you'll be in the Thailand of the 70s. Minus the sex.

One thing that I have noticed is that reports on Tripadvisor about Thai hotels that I've stayed in and found friendly often include comments from Asian, non-Thai guests who claim to have been treated badly by the staff.

The food is good and well-priced. And I enjoy the location. There are times when I wish to observe the soi rather than particpate

You did the right thing. The falang's behaviour reflects badly on all of us. It is often remarked that the guys we were meeting twenty, even thirty years ago were more anxious to please; "unspoiled" if you like. Maybe what happened in more recent years is that more falangs have arrived who have less respect for them. And their reactions to falangs generally have become more cynical. That small minority have affected us all.

I have similar impressions of Paradise. Not much of a venue in terms of decor but I have found suitable (that is, twink) masseurs who have delivered good service.

My boyfriend refers to a straight top who is a MB as a "man-man".

I've hired a car on a few occasions when I've been in CM, not so much for the city as for Doi Intanon and other scenic trips. I find driving in the city a nightmare; the one-way system around the Old City invariably defeats me. The last time I was driving, I had to hire a tuk-tuk to lead me back to my hotel. Never again. On the other hand, if you're staying at the Lotus (the gay one) or Mercure, travel at night is not easy if you are dependent on tuk-tuks.

I was guilty of panic after both my father and my older brother were diagnosed with prostate cancer. My PSA rose at every test I had (at one stage six-monthly) but, now, after a full body scan cleared me, my perceptions have changed. The specialist told me he didn't want to hear from me unless my PSA reached 8.0; hitherto, a reading of 3.0 gave me concern. I now have yearly tests and my reading continues to rise but I no longer worry. By the way, I was interested to note that tests in my GP's surgery which sent to the local hospital for analysis were always significantly higher than those in two different hospitals where I saw specialists..

I'd be interested to know whether other falangs have experienced the transition (evolution?) from a sexual to a platonic relationship with a Thai that Steveboy reports. I've made that journey too, and it has worked out well for both of us. I've always thought my experience unusual.

It is quite clear that successive US administrations have indulged big business far too long. They have too much political power and so they can manifest their contempt for the public in any they wish...until public opinion causse them economic pain.

It may be partly due to one incident but I fell less comfortable with my boyfriend in Patong- Paradise notwithstanding- than in any other pace we've visited in Thailand.

My advice is not to assume that a guy you meet in a bar and take off is dishonest. Take reasonable precautions (with valuables for example) , treat your new friend with respect and kindness, pay him the going-rate - or more if you wish- and relax. Most of the guys are trying to make an an honest living in difficult circumstances; a newcomer to Thailand will soon learn how important parents are to them and how much of the money they make is immediately sent home.

Which hotel did you use? And was Paradise busy?

In answer to Michael's post, my answer would be yes.. I spent an hour in one of the bars with a mature-seeming guy with excellent English . When I wished to off him, he told me he was eighteen. I checked his ID and it showed that he wouldn't reach that age for another three months. The bar was well aware of this. No one, and particularly newbies, should take any chances, as ryanasia correctly says.

Am i right in concluding that Arena no longer has slim, gay guys available? That was my impression when I went there in February....previously, there'd always been a few.

But who's calling the shots? police or junta?