Londoner

The Tarntawan buffet (and its a la carte breakfast) are included in the room price....as is breakfast for your partner. I've never been a fan of cooked breakfast and find the buffet a huge improvement.

I certainly do. Every evening I'd have a drink while awaiting the opening of the go- go bars at 2100. In those days (the 90s), there were plenty of punters and many of the dancers on their way to work would walk past. Eye-candy. The waiters were cute, too. Panorama replaced it and was much the same but by then the buzz of Boyztown was much diminished. Nevertheless, it's still the place to be in the early evening.

Steveboy...the bar you visited was Throb. Very different to Copa. It had a large number of go go dancers and a show with comedy, cute guys and no khatoeys. My boyfriend and I went on many occasions. Copa was very different; few go go dancers and a show dominated by khatoeys.,

Something to do with inside-leg measurements?

Of course, our money-boy friends may like to consider prosecuting some falangs for failure to perform adequately, paying less than agreed, making promises that were not kept, passing on an STD, over-vigorous and painful intercourse (not an uncommon complaint, by the way), publicly abusive behaviour on message boards... Seriously, generally we get a good deal...our sanuk is cheap and safe in terms of harassment from the authorities and the vast majority of the guys we meet are polite and charming. Those of us who enter into a LTR have no excuse not to do so with eyes wide open; we are invariably the older. wealthier and usually the more experienced of the two. It is after all we falangs who have chosen to go to their country for our amusement.

I'd enjoy representing that money-boy in court. I can see the report in the press now; "Rich falang exploits young man's poverty , encouraging an innocent , immature country boy into prostitution- itself a crime- and then resents being expected to pay." I'd have even more fun were there any doubt about the guy's age. I'm sure that someone from back home could be found to intimate that, perhaps, he was only seventeen when he was seduced...assuming the congress was consensual. Remember what happened when Ocsar Wilde took the Marquis of Queensbury to court? A few hours after losing the case, he was arrested.

The three "open" show bars all suffered from their performances being visible from the soi. Anyone walking past could see the absence of punters. And who wants to be at a show where the performers outnumber the audience? I remember X-treme in Soi Twilight. I thought that the show rather good but was embarrassed to be there when the audience was so small.

The Copa guys are self-employed; they decide when and how long they work and receive nothing from management....or that was the case a few years ago.

The punters have voted with their feet...that's why Copa had a handful customers (except for a few weeks in the high season) while Throb, khatoey-free, was full to bursting.

That particular guy got a couple of hundred, maybe less. The two who were paid 1000 each were from Gay Romeo.

Yet another khatoey -show? for heaven's sake......

I'm not sure that the issue is about being seen with a falang. My boyfriend's best mate from up north sometimes stays with us in BT. He's quite happy to walk with us when we go to have dinner together but if he wants to go out to the 711 or whatever in the evening, he wants my bf to accompany him past Toyboys, Funny boys and the massage joint...he says he's "shy". I should add that he's in his 30s, gay but non-scene and has a well- paid job. He lived in Pattaya years ago but never visited BT until my bf and I stayed there.Too shy? Once we went together to Phuket...he wouldn't even walk through the Paradise Complex. I questioned my bf at length about this...all he could say is that "he's shy." He's more than happy to travel with us and stay at hotels in other Thai towns. This is one of the many issues that remind me that, the more experience I have of Thailand and its gay life from decades of visits, the less I understand.

No...when he arrived, I thought he was twenty and his ID had been "passed" by reception. Sanuk was on the cards.

Yes, Tresure has been on PR for a long time using different names. The accuracy of a guy's age is always a source of concern for me since I am, by nature, a worrier. On two occasions guys have turned-up at my room, IDs having been accepted by Reception, and I've turned them away because I felt uneasy. Of course, they both left with 1000 bht. I had a long talk with the receptionist about this and was told that, as far as the hotel was concerned, the guy was of legal age.... in these cases, twenty and twenty-one (I never contact under twenties).. But It was also explained that (obviously) all hotels have to go on is the ID card.And we know that they can be borrowed or forged. Going back a decade or so, a guy arrived at my room and told me , before anything happened that he was using his brother's card and that he was sixteen. He looked, acted and spoke excellent English with such maturity that I was amazed....but I turned him away. I've always wondered why he told me before rather than after. But I was grateful.

I did the journey from Krabi; it took about two hours from there- I don't know about the time from Phuket. But I can say that the trip was not "bumpy" and I'm a good judge because I can be sea-sick at the sight of the first wave. I should add that it was in January and the trips don't take place unless the weather is calm. What was very disappointing to both my boyfriend and me was the visibility for snorkelling. Not only that; the reef around the islands has been degraded to such an extent that there is little marine life to see. If this isn't a consideration and you are content with just swimming and sight-seeing, Phi Phi is fine.

Sorry about hijacking this thread but this Japanese guy fascinates me The first time I saw him was in 1997. He was accompanied by three young guys, one of whom offed an embarrassingly young-looking dancer. I recalled then that the Samurais were heavily involved in pederasty and wondered whether his dress was some sort of "tribute act".

Apologies for the irrelevance but the Chinese/Japanese topic reminds me of the two occasions when a Japanese guy has appeared in a Soi Twilight go go bar dressed in full, traditional Japanese costume. Has anyone else seen this? Any explanation?

Fair enough....perhaps I was alluding to what I don't like, in particular heavily-built, muscled, tattooed guys. When I first visited the soi in 1998, few of these guys were on show. Blue Star ran two parallel "troupes", one twinkish, the other more macho. They took the stage separately. But the other shows I recall tended to be of younger, less muscled guys. In those days, the punters were predominantly Western with a few Japanese, unlike today.

Are there any shows in Soi Twilight which feature twinks?

Is that a good thing? I prefer an ID check and a phone call when my guest leaves. I would recommend this strongly to anyone new to Thailand.

The LHR-BKK deal on EVA is a good one. I've done the journey more than sixty times over the past twenty years and only on a couple of occasions has the plane been late. And the Silver Card is worth having too. I was previously a Gold (which meant a personal welcome from a flight attendant on board!) but EVA changed the mileage demands and so I'm a Silver now. Avoid the evening meal on the plane- too late and not very appetising and instead eat in the lounge. A hot dinner, salads , soup and much else is available. Wine and a cognac too. I can eat at a reasonable time in my view- 1800- rather than at 2300 which isn't good for sleep. Another plus is that you can queue at the Business check-in at BKK which is always much shorter than the other ones, even if, like me you are a mere Elite passenger. Then eat in the EVA Lounge, thereby avoiding the uncomfortable experience of eating in-flight. Every three round trips I get an up-grade to Business Class on one leg.

I used to visit but a khatoey mamasan took a fancy (sic) to me....I think she mistook me for another customer and her unwelcome attentions drove me out. Is the coast clear of such people if I return?

Me too; frequently over the years. And yes, Tify is effective. I put the problem down to the plane journey. Since smoking was abolished, the carriers have saved money but cutting down on the quality of their air-cleansing. Dirty air recirculates throughout the journey. One sick passenger can easily effect two hundred others. The effects aren't felt immediately...if I suffer, it is usually after five or so days. And the same thing often happens on the way home. One travel doctor has advised tea-tree oil applied to the nostrils to avoid this problem.

I second Travellerdave's comment....and add that I've stayed forty-five times over the past eighteen years. The cleaning is one of the hotel's strengths.

Many years ago, I stayed in one of those rooms at the back. I was bothered by a giant a/c extractor fan on the building opposite (about a metre away). It would start-up periodically....and very loudly. Perhaps I was unlucky and other rooms don't have this problem. And I didn't like the absence of natural light. But the rooms are good value. I appreciate the friendly and helpful staff at the hotel.....reception, restaurant, cleaners. Both my boyfriend (Thai) and I feel very much at home there. He's in his thirties but the cleaners "mother" him! When we visit hotels across Thailand , he's particularly sensitive to the way Thai visitors are treated.