Londoner

Ah, MK....a restaurant on floor 5  Central, in Big C and terminus 21 ( and all over Thailand) that is invariably full in the evenings , catering predominantly to middle-class(ish) Thais.  It is based on the cook-it-yourself model, featuring large, bubbling cauldrons on each table into which diners put meat/fish/vegetables from a huge menu. All very fresh.
it also serves duck in a ginger sauce that I maintain is superior to any that I've enjoyed anywhere in the world, whatever the cost. The staff- young girls and boys, always cute- do a choreographed dance  periodically, the girls enthusiastically, the boys shyly.
The cost (without drinks) is about 800 bht for two. P and his mates think it's  the best place to eat in the world. Or at least, in their world.

Ah, MK....a restaurant on floor 5  Central, in Big C and terminus 21 ( and all over Thailand) that is invariably full in the evenings , catering predominantly to middle-class(ish) Thais.  It is based on the cook-it-yourself model, featuring large, bubbling cauldrons on each table into which diners put meat/fish/vegetables from a huge menu. All very fresh.
it also serves duck in a ginger sauce that I maintain is superior to any that I've enjoyed anywhere in the world, whatever the cost. The staff- young girls and boys, always cute- do a choreographed dance  periodically, the girls enthusiastically, the boys shyly.
The cost (without drinks) is about 800 bht for two. P and his mates think it's  the best place to eat in the world. Or at least, in their world.

Ah, MK....a restaurant on floor 5  Central, in Big C and terminus 21 ( and all over Thailand) that is invariably full in the evenings , catering predominantly to middle-class(ish) Thais.  It is based on the cook-it-yourself model, featuring large, bubbling cauldrons on each table into which diners put meat/fish/vegetables from a huge menu. All very fresh.
it also serves duck in a ginger sauce that I maintain is superior to any that I've enjoyed anywhere in the world, whatever the cost. The staff- young girls and boys, always cute- do a choreographed dance  periodically, the girls enthusiastically, the boys shyly.
The cost (without drinks) is about 800 bht for two. P and his mates think it's  the best place to eat in the world. Or at least, in their world.

Ah, MK....a restaurant on floor 5  Central, in Big C and terminus 21 ( and all over Thailand) that is invariably full in the evenings , catering predominantly to middle-class(ish) Thais.  It is based on the cook-it-yourself model, featuring large, bubbling cauldrons on each table into which diners put meat/fish/vegetables from a huge menu. All very fresh.
it also serves duck in a ginger sauce that I maintain is superior to any that I've enjoyed anywhere in the world, whatever the cost. The staff- young girls and boys, always cute- do a choreographed dance  periodically, the girls enthusiastically, the boys shyly.
The cost (without drinks) is about 800 bht for two. P and his mates think it's  the best place to eat in the world. Or at least, in their world.

My impression is that the JC bars are doing better than they were on my last visit in July. Tuesday was particularly busy...there must have been fifty people enjoying bingo. Don't ask me why when there were a host of cute guys making themselves available. Chacun  a  son gout!
As far as hotels are concerned, ours is full. We struggled and only just succeeded in finding a room for a friend of P who wants to stay with us a for a couple of days next week. On the other hand, I've never seen MK in Central so quiet. In fact, the whole place was quiet.
Our Chiang Mai hotel was busier than since pre -Covid days. The plane was full both ways and the markets and temples had plenty of visitors.
Accordingly, my advice is to book early.

My impression is that the JC bars are doing better than they were on my last visit in July. Tuesday was particularly busy...there must have been fifty people enjoying bingo. Don't ask me why when there were a host of cute guys making themselves available. Chacun  a  son gout!
As far as hotels are concerned, ours is full. We struggled and only just succeeded in finding a room for a friend of P who wants to stay with us a for a couple of days next week. On the other hand, I've never seen MK in Central so quiet. In fact, the whole place was quiet.
Our Chiang Mai hotel was busier than since pre -Covid days. The plane was full both ways and the markets and temples had plenty of visitors.
Accordingly, my advice is to book early.

I suspect the sign on Dream boys is aimed to the police than to potential customers, I doubt that it is true,  I don't think customers are asking boys for their nationality before offing them who cares from which country the boy is if customer likes him . In my last trip I had great experience with 2 Vietnamese and they were exactly my taste I didn't find them less enjoyable than Thais. 

must be all those snow capped mountains

I feel sorry for the Laos/Cambodian guys arrested and deported. Many gay venues won't survive without foreign workers. 
But I do have one amusing memory of a raid in Sunee back in the day....I was sitting in Corner Bar as news came that the Fuzz were on their way. The doors of Sundance Bar were flung open and  a dozen guys  scuttled down the soi, simultaneously trying to  put  their trousers on (pants for US readers)  like characters in a French bedroom farce.
The police never arrived.

I'd be surprised if many bars stay open that long. Even in  unregulated days decades ago, 0200 was more or less "it" for go go and host bars. By then, they were almost or completely empty. 
However, I do recall a certain bar in Boyztown keeping going at full volume until beyond 03.00  a few years back. It was for the benefit of half a dozen punters. And to the detriment of the rest of us.

I feel sorry for the Laos/Cambodian guys arrested and deported. Many gay venues won't survive without foreign workers. 
But I do have one amusing memory of a raid in Sunee back in the day....I was sitting in Corner Bar as news came that the Fuzz were on their way. The doors of Sundance Bar were flung open and  a dozen guys  scuttled down the soi, simultaneously trying to  put  their trousers on (pants for US readers)  like characters in a French bedroom farce.
The police never arrived.

With only a few more days left in Bangkok, I thought it might be interesting to a few to pen a few notes.  Please forgive that they are unstructured.  I hope to understand more from the distinguished posters here present for my next trip or perhaps my last few days here. For context, this is my fourth trip to Bangkok.  My first two trips were for weekends and my second was for a week so I do not try to compete with the experience on this forum.  I cannot commit to a daily report but I am visiting some other countries in South East Asia during my time away and I will try to do the same while travelling.  
 
Before flying from London Heathrow, I jumped at the chance to spend a few days with friends in Oxford as I would be in the UK anyway.  I can highly recommend the ‘Oxford Tube’ as a means of transport, which actually a bus!  It took me from central London, where I had stayed for two nights of tourism to the beautiful city of Oxford in an hour and a half.  Returning from Oxford to Heathrow required a change at Hillingdon station and one more bus for the princely sum of less than 2GBP.  Grindr in Oxford was full of handsome, university types and it was interesting to see many described themselves as ‘trans’, ‘non-binary’ or ‘queer’ despite presenting as a masculine.  Grindr in London was very busy and it was pan-European in nature, despite Brexit!  For those interested, I gathered that the going rate was about 150-200GBP though I did not partake.  
 
Eva Air direct to Suvarnabhumi on their business class product was efficient, friendly and comfortable.  The food was good, the wine flowed and the flight landed right on time after a good night of sleep.  Arrivals was very busy, there was a 10 minute wait at the fast track section but the bags were quick - so quick in fact that most people had not made it through security. 
 
I’ve been staying at Le Méridien, and it is good.  I like the evening pizza menu and breakfast is very good.  I’m not sure there has been much benefit to my suite upgrade, I have barely used the lounge and the men I have brought back to the room have on more than one occasion have been confused about why one person would need so much space (I think even regarding it as an unnecessary extravagance).  No problem with guests, key cards required for the lift, friendly staff.  Lots of gay folk, as I type from the ground floor I am looking at a middle aged guy European couple walking together wearing rainbow pins and holding hands.  Last time I stayed at Raya but I would choose here next time and save a few THB in a standard room.  The lounge is very nice and if I have time I will post a picture from the lounge, which I think may be a fair challenge for the ‘best view from a toilet’ posts previously seen on this forum.    
 
I am ambitious to become a flâneur (I cannot think of an English equivalent) in my later life and there is no better city than Bangkok to practice.  I’ve enjoyed (most of the time) my solitude, thoughts, my wandering, my coffee, my aimlessness and people-watching.  Today, for example, consider Soi 4.  At around noon, a large gathering of very smartly-dressed business types in designer suits queued for street food.  Interested, I wandered down the Soi to see about four carts in front of Banana Bar and other venues in the Soi.  It seemed to the most popular place for these hi-so workers for miles.  I wonder if these distinguished folk know the depravity that takes place just a few short hours after they have gathered their tasty morsels?  I imagine they know all-too-well and care little - and this is why I love Bangkok! I enjoy these aimless considerations.  
 
I felt something was ‘off’ about Tawan compared to my previous visits (when this was my favourite bar).  I have since read that the papasan in the beret, that I have before met, has recently passed away sadly and this is probably why. Much lenience is required, I suspect he was well-loved by staff. I have not stayed for a show but when visiting earlier in the evening the men working are less likely to sit alongside customers than in my previous visits.  Some older Thai men take the place of papasan but do not occupy the attention of customers. The place is looking more dishevelled than before.  That has, though, always been part of its charm.  I have a fond (?) memory of walking up the stairs from the bar to a room for a massage (if I assure you that it was virtuous, you will not believe me).  A large rat ran over my foot, leading to my loud screams and a look of horror at my exclamation from the masseur.  Happy memories.  
 
I have not found a guy to take home yet from Tawan as their huddle of men now includes a number of twinks, which are not my type.  I did have an interesting moment with a man who I think said his name was David.  He was my type and I was leaving the bar, having concluded after one drink that enough was enough.  He chased me down the road, threw his arms around me and told me he was horny.  My intention, of course, was to take a man to the room to discuss neoclassicalism’s influence on 18th century Greek literature so this admission of horny-ness took me rather by surprise.  I declined the offer, wrongly now I think about it, as I was in the mindset of marching to HotMale determinedly.  I will try Tawan again and hope that this is a temporary situation caused by the loss of a formidable figure.  
 
HotMale beer bar is still a good spot with fairly priced drinks, smiling staff and good views.  I was surprised to see cannabis being smoked at the tables (only by one group of customers on one day).  There is a very handsome man who seems to stay behind the bar there, preparing drinks rather than waiting tables.  I have been trying hard to have eye contact with him, succeeding often, but receiving a nonchalant response.  Perhaps my portly (read: fat) build is off-putting or the stars just do not align.  I will not give up yet.  Advice welcome.  
 
HotMale’s gogo has been the surprise of my trip, in a good way.  The men on stage are keen to smile and engage with eye contact, are engrossed in securing your attention and not on their phones.  Though they are thin in number, there is something for everyone and especially for me (preferring 25-45, handsome, not thin, Dadbod or muscular-but-not-too-muscular types).  Smoking being allowed will be an irritant for some, but the papasan is flexible about reseating (and it has never been busy enough for this to be a problem). 
 
The HotMale ensemble are mostly topless and wearing fetching, pillar-box red sweatpants.  The show is awkward when it is quiet but ends well with an explicit fanfare that even would make my old Aunt Agatha blush (and she a woman with a remarkable, audacious character).  I had one strange experience with a guy I offed from HotMale when motivated by the aforementioned explicit display.  His girth, so to speak, was impressive from a distance.  Back in the hotel, just as we made progress with a particularly challenging logarithmic identity, I became distracted.  Something about this girth was not quite right.  It wasn’t that there were beads or noticeable defects, but the thickness seemed somehow artificial and not in keeping with the rest of the member concerned.  He was a good egg, and no harm was done.  He showed me his Lao passport which revealed both that he was aged 29 but also that he was considerably more handsome now than when the picture was taken a number of years ago!  
 
FreshBoys has the same loud and irritating mamasan and her interest in me has been only for the purpose of generating tips.  The men are young, I would say 20-25, predisposed to mobile-phone addiction at all times when not on the stage though smiles are frequent.  I am unlikely to revisit but this place will be a gem for some.  
 
The new Sol Bar is interesting and I have no conclusions.  From a distance (that is to say the HotMale beer bar) the men look handsome on the balcony, are mostly topless and I really like the shorts with numbers on rather than the usual badges.  Inside, I had a different experience on my one visit.  In some way, the lighting is not flattering and the building looks more downtrodden than when it was Dream Boys.  Somehow, I have not yet been able to bring myself to have more than one drink but my reason is not rational and based on some ‘feeling’.  I will try again.  
 
I have not yet made it to the Dream Boy show but will before I leave and update.  I cannot be motivated to go to Jupiter or Moonlight but I must do so because the men are hot and I have seen good reports recently.  My struggle is the passive, unsmiling approach I previously saw when visiting.  Also, I feel the men are hoping a woman will ‘off’ them, there being so many and the men being straight, and I will therefore be a disappointment.  Advice welcome.
 
I would also like advice on the language barrier.  I am almost ready to ask the mama/papasans which men speak English well.  I think this relates to another problem.  My ‘offs’ have been gratifying, but short with little room for conversation.  Yesterday, I had to use Google Translate ask the guy if he wanted a drink from the minibar.  My ‘offs’ last half an hour usually and I am craving more (they are probably enjoying the easy cash!). Though I don’t want LT, I cannot sleep unless alone.   
 
On my first visit a few years ago, I think I got lucky and saw the same man three or four times (now sadly ‘gone’ as per the report of the papasan) and we went for a few drinks before our deliberations on counterurbanisation in the room began.  I enjoyed his company and sense of fun.  This has not happened naturally for me yet. I would like company than extends beyond 30 minutes in the room talking through a phone. Advice welcome.
 
Although I have adjusted to the jetlag, I do also have a dilemma about adjusting to how late everything happens.  I am trying to dine around 2030, as things just don’t begin here until about 2230.  I cannot do a 2am finish and a breakfast that finishes at 10am!  I need more to be occupied with between 1700-2200 and cannot drink alcohol during this time as I will be drunk by midnight!  
 
I will post again and await thoughts and advice eagerly.  
 

Maybe good news for the boys but bad news for the bars it's the main reason of the bars declining .I am not sure what is better in the past the bar scene was thrilling and lively with lots of venues and boys to choose from but not anymore on the other hand you have now the option to invite boys directly to you 24/7 and avoid the costs of the bar.

Interesting topic. In one respect, today's mbs are fortunate. Back in the day, before the advent of the dating sites and Social Media,  there was little  chance of earning much between the closing and the reopening of the go go bars. Yes, there was the beach and I recall Royal Garden being a popular meeting place in its early days,  but limited opportunities were available.
But now, punters and mbs can meet 24/7. And who would have thought that some can hold down two jobs simultaneously? Sitting outside a JC bar, eyeing passing trade and at the same time scrolling through hornet!
 

This is a second-hand opinion...I haven't been to NB for many years... and it comes from a local, Thai guy. He thinks that, unlike most other bars, the NB guys overwhelmingly earn their keep from tips collected in the bar rather than offs. Is that possible? Maybe. It's hardly scientific but when I read about the bar here, the posts seem to concentrate on happenings in the bar rather than in the bedroom.

I don't blame Thailand; it didn't give him cancer. His insurance was from the US; that is what failed him when he needed it most. His last weeks of life were unbearably sad and painful. 
If (or when) I am seriously ill, I'd rather be here.

The NHS was the envy of the world- remember the 2012 Olympics tribute?- but it has been seriously under-funded by successive governments starting with that of Lord Blair of Abu Ghraib and continuing with  the current bunch of gangsters.
Nevertheless, compared to the situation in the US for example, it remains a marvel of compassion and , as I grow old and decrepit, I thank God for it. It's one of the reasons why I'm not in Thailand. My American buddy died in a public ward in Pattaya after his insurance ran out, by the way. He couldn't even afford  effective medication.

It refers to the sort of love, affection and (importantly) sense of debt that a Thai feels for his parents, or perhaps for a special teacher at school or university who has guided him/her.
Or for  a falang who has helped him or her, perhaps changing his/her life for the better.   

This is a second-hand opinion...I haven't been to NB for many years... and it comes from a local, Thai guy. He thinks that, unlike most other bars, the NB guys overwhelmingly earn their keep from tips collected in the bar rather than offs. Is that possible? Maybe. It's hardly scientific but when I read about the bar here, the posts seem to concentrate on happenings in the bar rather than in the bedroom.

The NHS was the envy of the world- remember the 2012 Olympics tribute?- but it has been seriously under-funded by successive governments starting with that of Lord Blair of Abu Ghraib and continuing with  the current bunch of gangsters.
Nevertheless, compared to the situation in the US for example, it remains a marvel of compassion and , as I grow old and decrepit, I thank God for it. It's one of the reasons why I'm not in Thailand. My American buddy died in a public ward in Pattaya after his insurance ran out, by the way. He couldn't even afford  effective medication.

The NHS was the envy of the world- remember the 2012 Olympics tribute?- but it has been seriously under-funded by successive governments starting with that of Lord Blair of Abu Ghraib and continuing with  the current bunch of gangsters.
Nevertheless, compared to the situation in the US for example, it remains a marvel of compassion and , as I grow old and decrepit, I thank God for it. It's one of the reasons why I'm not in Thailand. My American buddy died in a public ward in Pattaya after his insurance ran out, by the way. He couldn't even afford  effective medication.

I wonder if one of the issues in Dom's death may be connected with the college he was attending.
English professional football clubs put millions into youth football in their determination to discover the next generation of stars. Boys as young as eight are training with my premiership club,  and other wealthy ones.  They are scouted as young as five, their parents are rewarded, promises are made, contracts signed and hopes of stardom and unlimited wealth "sold" to young children desperate for success. And to "pushy" parents.
Only one per cent "make it". Most are disappointed and  many traumatised.
When Dom arrived here, I thought it would end in disappointment, but not tragedy. The standards are so high, the demands so great, the avenues for success so few that only the most able and the most psychologically-strong even make it as far as youth level.  And here was a Thai boy, alone and ill-prepared for the challenge.   Bringing him here was well-meant but football as a career, as an ambition? Unwise. Dreams are fine but the fact that Dom was merely a good player in a village team.
None of this may be relevant to Dom's tragedy but I do have some personal experience of what is serious problem in the UK.. And don't get me started on the problem of impoverished  kids being dragged out of poverty in Africa and abandoned once they are seen not to be good enough. 

My first trip to Pattaya was a few weeks after I'd been staying on Grande Anse Beach in Grenada. I remember looking out of my window at Royal Garden and  saying, "Oh my God."
There were of course some compensations.  In fact, so many that I've never returned to the Caribbean.

I wonder if one of the issues in Dom's death may be connected with the college he was attending.
English professional football clubs put millions into youth football in their determination to discover the next generation of stars. Boys as young as eight are training with my premiership club,  and other wealthy ones.  They are scouted as young as five, their parents are rewarded, promises are made, contracts signed and hopes of stardom and unlimited wealth "sold" to young children desperate for success. And to "pushy" parents.
Only one per cent "make it". Most are disappointed and  many traumatised.
When Dom arrived here, I thought it would end in disappointment, but not tragedy. The standards are so high, the demands so great, the avenues for success so few that only the most able and the most psychologically-strong even make it as far as youth level.  And here was a Thai boy, alone and ill-prepared for the challenge.   Bringing him here was well-meant but football as a career, as an ambition? Unwise. Dreams are fine but the fact that Dom was merely a good player in a village team.
None of this may be relevant to Dom's tragedy but I do have some personal experience of what is serious problem in the UK.. And don't get me started on the problem of impoverished  kids being dragged out of poverty in Africa and abandoned once they are seen not to be good enough. 

I wonder if one of the issues in Dom's death may be connected with the college he was attending.
English professional football clubs put millions into youth football in their determination to discover the next generation of stars. Boys as young as eight are training with my premiership club,  and other wealthy ones.  They are scouted as young as five, their parents are rewarded, promises are made, contracts signed and hopes of stardom and unlimited wealth "sold" to young children desperate for success. And to "pushy" parents.
Only one per cent "make it". Most are disappointed and  many traumatised.
When Dom arrived here, I thought it would end in disappointment, but not tragedy. The standards are so high, the demands so great, the avenues for success so few that only the most able and the most psychologically-strong even make it as far as youth level.  And here was a Thai boy, alone and ill-prepared for the challenge.   Bringing him here was well-meant but football as a career, as an ambition? Unwise. Dreams are fine but the fact that Dom was merely a good player in a village team.
None of this may be relevant to Dom's tragedy but I do have some personal experience of what is serious problem in the UK.. And don't get me started on the problem of impoverished  kids being dragged out of poverty in Africa and abandoned once they are seen not to be good enough.