Londoner

So the Priority Lane will remain open?

Thinking of the gay Asian scene in Canadian cities, has anyone read "The Rice Queen Diaries" by David Gawthrop? Impressions?

I suspect that US citizens may be included when a certain gentleman is transferred from the WH to one of his many golf-courses. Or even better, somewhere less appealing.

It would be an uninteresting world were we all to fancy the same sort of guys. And the competition would be something of an issue, particularly for some of us who are a little on the mature side. Best of all, of course, are gerontophiles. They are more common in Asian cultures than European ones. And before anyone starts sneering, I can think of at least four whom I met in my early visits to Pattaya. They admitted to their taste in customers. Although our money could well have been something of an issue on the MB scene, I also encountered a number "for free" in Babylon. And a couple in London saunas, too.

My Thai partner continues to use the word "gay" to describe a bottom. And the word "man" a top.

Another of my jokes falls flat! I should know by now to leave comedy to the professionals..., you know, comedians of the standard of Donald J. Trump.

Which one? I have developed "a thing" about guys with glasses.... and no, I don't think that it's because my partner wears them!

The other place for older women and young guys was Haiti. I suspect that the level of violence there means that there is very little sex tourism now. The common factor in all these places is, of course, grinding poverty. And perhaps nice beaches. By the way, why are African mbs in Thailand from Madagascar? I've met guys in Senegal and Kenya but I don't recall hearing of them in Thailand. Obviously, the cost of travel would make their appearance in BKK almost impossible...in which case how do guys from Madagascar afford it?

I cannot recall Hebron without tears in my eyes. I visited many times between 2004 and 2017 and was always warmly received by shopkeepers whose premises had been sealed by soldiers, and by the market sellers who experienced daily violence, threats and abuse from the settlers- most of whom were US and Canadian immigrants- and were protected by a net that had been erected to stop the the bricks and rubbish that was rained down on them. I have so many memories of those courageous, kind and generous people; the father of two infant children killed by settlers, whose house had an Israeli army machine-gun stationed on its roof, keeping the inhabitants in its sites 24/7; of a brave Israeli Jewish woman who lived there and worked with the mothers and knew , or seemed to know, everyone in the market by name. She was adored. And the little boy of about ten who approached me, beneath that net and said haltingly in carefully- rehearsed English, obviously practised in school , "You are very welcome in Palestine." A privilege.

It's interesting to see that tourists from two very different countries are in the news. Russia and Israel. Both invaders. The latter are allegedly causing serious concern and there was a demonstration by offended Thais outside the Israeli Embassy in Bangkok this week. Apparently, a sense of entitlement, cultural insensitivity and superiority, something I experienced at first hand from soldiers, policemen and armed settlers between 2004 and 2017 when I was visiting Palestine has resulted in shaming clips on Youtube and protests from local communities.

Yes. The proprietor's determination to please his customer is almost embarrassing. He spent twenty minutes adjusting my bought- in- the - UK spectacles and then adamantly refused to take any payment. He tested my partner and supplied a new pair . Much cheaper than the usual places.

I know Gambia rather well and saw its sex scene at first hand back in the nineties. The beach was a cruising ground for young men, referred to as "bumsters", and they cruised both sexes. "Bum" in the US sense, of course. I used to talk with one of my hotel's security guards who told me about his relationship with a married middle-aged Irish woman. He even showed me a lovey-dovey letter he'd received from her. It hadn't lasted. There was an interesting documentary on the BBC twenty or so years ago where both the women and their guys were interviewed. Predictably, relationships tended to crash once the parties separated at the end of a holiday. The guys were looking for money, of course- Gambia back then was desperately poor with huge numbers of unemployed young men. One women interviewed had actually married her beau, who'd come to live in the UK (pre- Farage days of course). I remember it well, because the woman told us that the marriage wasn't a real one because "it hadn't been constipated." In fact, from what she said "constipated" was an apposite image. Well, mauRICE, although my visits to Thailand have been devoted to one activity- though with excursions and expeditions tacked-on- my travelling in the 90s. when I had a secondment from work, was genuinely cultural. It included included Zanzibar, Senegal, Tanzania and Kenya. And North Africa and the Middle -East. I hope you find this re-assuring! It explains why I found Thailand so enticing....it was the only place where I could see a guy I fancied and bring him back to the hotel without anyone batting an eye-lid. Thank you Thailand.

Don't be mislead by the guys who come here; they are money-boys, with the accent on "money." I'm not criticising them for that....I hope they do well.....and you are right; they are certainly good-looking. But I wouldn't suggest your visiting Madagascar or Zanzibar for sex. Beautiful with a unique wild -life? Yes. Exceptional history and culture? Certainly. Read about the nineteen century Queen Ranavola and her interesting tastes and activities. But in places like this, beware the police; in Zanzibar they are underpaid- as I suspect they are in Madagascar- and my ability to rent a car marked me as a wealthy foreigner waiting to be fleeced. It made me nervous. Most importantly, I wouldn't recommend offending any local cultural and legal norms, particularly those relating to sex; if you were lucky, it would merely be very expensive. More likely you'd be prosecuted.

Thai guys keep their looks far better than we do. Or at least better than me.

I'm still in communication with the best masseur I ever met; Copa, circa 2003. We reminiscence about those times- he loved his years in Boyztown. He was cute, affectionate, technically proficient and so he made a decent living. He's forty-three now and, sadly, has a rather humdrum job in Chonburi. One of the good things about masseurs back then, pre SM days, was that you could have a good time in the afternoons: go go bars opened at 2100.

Perhaps we could now consider how a Thai guy on the scene finds a real falang boy friend? And at the risk of being repetitive, I note again that the Class of 2005 at Pattaya Dreamboys produced many successes, four of whom I've met.

The more that US ships and military personnel get as far away as possible from the Middle East, the better. Best of all, go home.

Yes; I reported last year that he helped me with an adjustment, refusing to accept payment for twenty minutes plus work. My experience led my partner, who was due to buy a new pair of spectacles in Pattaya Tai, to use his services instead. He was very pleased with the service he received; and the price. A guy like that , working alone, deserves customers.

independent.co.uk/asia/southeast-asia/pattaya-thailand-abraham-lincoln-navy-b3042837.html Plus ca change when it comes to UK media.

Yes. Better educated. Physically healthier thanks to better medical care at home. And more confident.

I was brought-up as a Methodist and "signed the pledge" when I was eight years-old. My parents discovered that I was a reprobate when, on "vacs" from university, I completed a boozy night with my friends by being sick all over my bedroom. God bless them both; my mother quietly cleaned-up and my father never even mentioned it. I have now taken-up my "pledge " again; I blame Thailand. It was my habit to have a Singha at Panorama before going to dinner with P. One of the reasons for this was that he habitually spends an hour preparing for the event and I lose patience. That one Singha was a joy; I would watch the cute guys saunter past on the way to their go go bars, often waving and sharing suggestive pleasantries. I would muse that, were I to attain Heaven, my preference would be to relive that hour or so through eternity....together with an evening with P in the offing. And then, age setting in, more and more I found that even one beer was having an effect on me and not a pleasant one; perhaps my eight year-self (not to mention my twenty year old one) was saying, "No mate; alcohol isn't for you." A glass of wine, an occasional cognac, a glass of beer here in the coolness of the UK; no problem. But not in Thailand where, thank heavens, I have other interests.

When I reported the incident-with some embarrassment- at the local Cop-Shop, I was told that one of the offenders-a portly guy- had a nick-name there; "Pavarotti"!

The only time I have been scammed was in Prague, long ago. Two policemen approached and told me to be careful because there was a problem with counterfeit notes prevalent in tourist areas. They checked mine and told me that they were fine. An hour later, I was paying for a beer in a pub when I noticed that half of my cash was gone. Half, I emphasise. They weren't policeman.

Thailand scams are having repercussions on the ease with which I can send money through my bank to my partner, although I've been doing so without any problem for decades. And also on the availability of my email account when I'm in Thailand. ....or so I am informed by bank and email provider.

Ask yourself whether you would have dealt with British or Australian people in the same way.