Travellerdave

Maybe the leases forbid tenants to operate as a Gogo. Here I am assuming that the Complex freehold is owned by some sort of property company which receives rent. It is of course common in the West for leases to contain clauses that forbid certain activities, such as not operating as a bar or brothel. I have even seem a lease clause forbidding the keeping of pigeons (they make a mess).

Is there not some sort of office in the Complex which deals with tenant relations and matters like the maintenance of utilities and repairs ?. Perhaps a member currently in Pattaya could call and make enquiries. He could say that he is acting on behalf of a good number of gay visitors who would appreciate the opening of one or more boy gogos as soon as the current COVID crisis is over. This would increase footfall and lead to less vacant units. Another point is that the Venue has Caberet style shows featuring boy and ladyboy performers. Is there an essential difference between this business and a Gogo ?

The Venue is the only hotel in the Complex where I have not stayed - my favourite is the Zing Resort. I suppose I should edit my statement to something like “where the noise problem largely does not exist”

I believe that some hotel owners or managers have never actually stayed in their establishments. I have stayed in hundreds of hotels over many years for work and tourism ( budget and premium) (U.K., Europe, North America and of course Thailand). Just a few of things I have found and which annoy me are :- Room doors not adjusted so they don’t slam, worn key cards that don’t work, huge mechanical keys more appropriate to a jail. sinks that don’t retain water due to a faulty or missing plug, toilets that don’t flush properly, showers when it’s impossible to set a desired temperature, tv’s with incomprehensible controls, dud batteries in aircon or tv remotes, dim bedside lights rendering reading impossible, useless wifi, rip-off rates for house phone calls, lack of coat hangers, etc etc etc

Londoner - after reading your piece above I reflected that it could have been written by myself given the sentiments you have described. I first discovered Pattaya in 2001 when I visited in company with a gay friend from home, with whom I had spent several holidays in Playa del Ingles, Gran Canaria. After finding our feet we discovered we were in some sort of heaven the centre of which was BT, with its gay gogo’s and outdoor bars. Subsequently I stayed many times at the Ambiance and came to love its querky architecture. There were usually some str guests but usually civilised m/f couples who often had been attracted by positive reports on trip adviser. The change happened after the discovery by Chinese females of BBB, turning it from a gay orientated bar to a boy bar, and contributing to the late night sleep defeating noise with their shrieks. Finally i shifted my custom to the Jomtien Complex where the noise problem does not exists and a pleasant seaside atmosphere prevails for us gays including GAY bars. In BT.I used to patronise Cupidol, after it shifted premises into BT despite the pestering mamasam, who eventually found that I wasn’t an endless source of drinks and that I preferred to select a boy myself rather than be guided by her recommendation. However during the last couple of trips I just found it no longer had the sort of atmosphere and boys I preferred. when I eventually get back to Pattaya (when is the question) I don’t know what I will find in BT (maybe nothing) I hope there are enough elderly dinosaurs like myself to provide sufficient business for a recovery to a semblance of the place we used to love.

I have vague memories of visiting a girlie Gogo maybe 15 years ago but more recently I went with a str guy who I chatted to at the Ambience where he was a fellow guest. The subject was soccer as the World Cup was in progress. He proposed we go to a sports bar to watch a match. This was very busy of course not just with customers but with a range of girls anywhere from 18 to 40 years old. There was a happy atmosphere with much soccer talk and with banter between the customers and the bar girls, promoted by the manager. The bar was well fitted out with a number of large screens and the drinks were at a relatively low price. The girls were sexily clothed and had made a big effort with their appearance which no doubt paid dividends when the customers thoughts turned from sport to sex. later I proposed that he accompanied me to BT where he rather reluctantly agreed to visit a Gogo (Cupidol where I had offed a boy two nights previously and wanted to do so again). Having a final drink back at the Ambience with me and my boy he commented about the lack of enthusiasm of the boy dancers and the high drink prices compared with str gogos and also he found the atmosphere rather subdued compared with the sports bar. He agreed with me that the boys could be better presented wearing more variety than white underwear. He liked his girlfriends in fetish gear and asked why the boys did not wear that stuff on stage. Perhaps gay Gogo proprietors should get some ideas from the str ones.

My impression is that currently in Europe, N America and Australia there is a huge pent up demand for holidays. Many who have retained jobs or business are flush with cash due to lack of spending opportunities in the lock downs. My hope is that when the vaccines start to defeat COVID probably next May to July that dam will burst and tourist friendly resorts such as the Thai ones will experience a boom. Numbers of Gay visitors will arrive in Pattaya and Bkk to enjoy the sun, nightlife, value hotels and the exotic atmosphere and of course interaction with attractive young Asian guys. Opening a closed gay bar or Gogo takes little capital, only perhaps a little generosity to the boys in brown. I personally would not like the Gogo boys to dance naked regardless of what goes on in girlie bars. Perhaps variety away from the whities maybe more towards thongs jocks or speedos.

I used to be a little amused and more than a little annoyed when the Chinese tour parties passed through BT gawping at us gays sat in the open bars. Of course that did not happen in Sunee and in the Complex there was sometimes only a few harmless str MF couples visiting to see the action and us gays with our Asian boyfriends.

The reduction in gay tourists visiting Pattaya has been discussed within several threads by members. There is no doubt that it has happened with numbers of older gays dwindling and not being replaced by younger. This is in contrast with the vast increase in family holiday makers and str sex tourists. I first visited in year 2000 and for me the attraction of the low priced facilities , the climate, the gay nightlife and especially of Asian boys has never faded. We have had to live with incursions. into OUR bars by Chinese ladies and onto OUR beach by females. I still do not understand why it has happened

Vinapu - that’s a very depressing question ! As to z909’s advice about the joiner issue. I have seldom had a problem with this. In Pattaya I stay in known gay friendly hotels, but on several occasions in Bangkok when just walking in looking for a room I have asked about joiners and in addition stated that I am gay and my joiners will be male.

Z909 That picture taken from the Classroom balcony is torturing me, in excise in dark cold locked down England. What I see is sunshine and blue sky and a view of the darker blue of the warm tropical sea. Worst of all you mention you mention a naked boyfriend walking on the balcony. A sign I see reads “short time long time” - Anytime with a Pattaya boy would would would be heaven for me just now !.

I would go along with z909 in that if you are looking to off one of the more attractive boys it would be better to get there early, when most of them are in the bar and have not been claimed by other customers either for an off or for in -bar activities. It’s very frustrating to arrive with the intention of offing a certain boy only to find him draped around someone else. This is less likely to happen 8 to 9 pm.

The pandemic will not last for ever. Mass tourism will restart - the Thai economy demands it, including gay tourists eager to resume inter-action with Thai boys. The dating apps do not provide the full experience. The Complex is a better location for gay oriented facilities. Sunee will become increasingly part of the Muslim zone and BT could be developed by a luxury hotel and shopping area like Terminal 21 attracting Chinese Visitors with money to spend. The Jomtien Complex would be complete by the addition of a couple of gay gogos. Maybe a revival of the gay beach ?.

Barry Kenyon is the former British vice consul In Pattaya, who wrote a very entertaining book about his experiences of dealing with the difficulties and disasters of the British expat community over a number of years. So he certainly speaks with authority about the current situation. I’ve looked at a few YouTube videos of Covid Pattaya which show many girlie bars open for business (although customers are very thin on the ground), particularly in the Soi Buakhow area where many retired expats reside in cheap rooms. I have the impression that gay expats do not favour that area but instead live more in Jomtien often with their boyfriends. Perhaps the Complex bars are surviving better with their custom.

As I understand it the kids don’t actually get a meal as such as the school kitchens are usually closed. What they get is a weekly voucher of £15 which can be used in food stores. So it is not necessarily the case that health eating is promoted. The kids parents can use the vouchers to cover purchases of all products. About 15% of families benefit. In school times free meals are given to all of the younger kids (about 5 to 8 years) even those from wealthy households. There’s a lot of votes in such schemes. The left wing promotes benefits such as this in that it promotes the view that the ‘ State will provide”. I very much doubt if many kids in Britain “go to bed hungry”. In fact my observation is that some kids from lower income families could benefit from less food not more.

Z909 your last post resonates with me. In the distant past many of the talented people you mention would have been motivated to go into politics both local and national. Very few do that now particularly into local government. The standard of local elected leaders in the U.K. is usually very low. Mainly they are people that have not succeeded in any other field and have a lot of time on their hands. The problem is that the people you mention don’t want to stand for election. A previous mayor of our town told me that he had frequented suggested to good prospects that they might like to stand only to get a negative response.

Yes I would not disagree with most of the posts so far in the choice of Winner. During my last trip in February I went there from my Jomtien hotel knowing that I would find boys I like - twinks. As Vessey describes you can check your choice out before committing to an off. For me this would to tongue kiss him and briefly feel his cock For size and hardness. Of course performance varies but I’ve not had a major disappointment. My other selection would be from the host bars in the Jomtien Complex maybe the Question Mark or Home Bar. There most of the boys are Cambodian. For a long time off it’s better to wait till approaching midnight but before I liked to sit appraising them , perhaps chatting to other customers from different countries, before inviting a nice one over to sit down in one of the double seats. The Khmer boys are usually very willing in bed In top or bottom mode. Of course the selection of bars is much smaller than when I first discovered Pattaya 20 years ago. Then there was maybe a dozen gogos in Sunee alone and I remember Kaos/ Villa Rouge and Krazy Dragon in particular, and of course Euro Boys. In BT Cupidol has provided a number of bed companions In the past particularly when I stayed at the Ambiance, but I’ve not found their boys as attractive during my last three trips. I think reminiscing like this is a small antidote to the pain we feel at not being able to travel to the places we love.

Yes it must be about 8 or 9 years since Euroboys Closed as a Gogo - mores the pity. It was one of the best gay establishments - smart decor and cute boys. ive never seem boys in high heels in Winner - that would seem bizarre to me. In February none of the boys looked like potential ladyboys. Being gay I have no interest in the latter.

Could be either Business or pleasure or maybe those guys have both in mind. At least it’s a start but the prospects of mass tourism from Europe and North America seems remote.

No cringeing from me looking at those boys - they are super appealing. The one in the foreground of the second picture has a really nice hairstyle and would have been an off for me.

It’s much easier to enter the forum now whereas previously I had to tediously login each time. Hopefully the improvements should increase the number of posts so as to make the forum an even better place to visit for gays with an interest in Asian guys and Thailand travel.

The Churchill boy was later a model in Private Boy Movie and was I believe one of its stars. Spoon - what don’t you like about their hairstyles ? They are usual for Asian guys 18 to 25. I can’t remember exactly how long ago but I remember visiting and offing during one of my trips, then a couple of months later it suddenly closed. Perhaps it was raided for reasons of underage or drugs ?

A couple of pictures of Euroboys dating back a few years. It was a favourite Sunee Gogo for me. Loved those tie-sided shorts.

Thanks Michael for that interesting trip to Pattaya in the Covid era. I really wish that I could be there to take advantage of the great value facilities there. The room rate for a 5* hotel of 2200 baht is really incredible - probably the normal price would be 4000 to 5000. You mention a buffet breakfast which is generally not available now in Europe for Covid reasons. You enjoyed your stay with your boyfriend but maybe you would have been better to use a more gay oriented hotel like those in the Jomtien Complex, assuming they are open ? i too have memories of Krazy Dragon (table top dancing boys) and Kaos in Sunee. I had many offs from Kaos.

I think that z909 has it right with 2020 ie Thailand will not open up to any significant tourism This year. Not upmarket Not mass either. It’s already nearly the end of the year so even there was a sudden unexpected opening the tourists would not arrive in quantity till 2021. i suspect that many members of this board would be regarded as quality tourists if expenditure was the criteria. My spending on airfares, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment must be into an upper group. It’s just that my activities with Asian boys would not meet approval, as would not those of str sex tourists. maybe at arrival travellers could be asked (a) to show proof of funds - say 6000 baht equivalent per day of the allowed stay. (b) promise not to engage in sex tourism. Perhaps forbidding guests to take persons to their room who were not registered would help in the drive for upmarket tourism. just a few ideas - please Thai government let me in for a few weeks so I can advise you !.