Londoner

One of the issues that my generation of Thailand-falangs faces- not youngsters like olddaddy of course- is that now I know that each trip I take may be my last. "Carpe Diem" are the last words I say to myself when climbing into my car for the drive to the airport. It's not just the advent of the Final Curtain, but the increased possibility of ill-health that would make the already arduous journey to BKK beyond my capabilities that haunts me. Then there comes the farewell to P. Will it be the final one? It's not a subject I choose to raise with him directly but the legal and financial implications for him have to be addressed; and he knows that I'm seeing my lawyer about my will when I get home. That embrace as we part company at the airport shortly will be deeply affecting. It always is. So, living each day as if it's your last, something we used to sing, of all places, at Primary School, remains a powerful precept for lovers of Thailand; and even more so for lovers of Thais. i should apologise for adding a melancholic note to an interesting thread but, let's be honest, it has been the elephant in the room, has it not? Or perhaps it's just me.

This thread strikes a chord. And not a pleasant one. I'm in into my third week in Pattaya and am having a great time after thirty months away. Mainly thanks to the efforts of my partner, whose good humour and enjoyment have kept me smiling. However, those thirty months of separation took their toll on me physically and mentally. I lost both my oldest friend and then my brother, both to cancer, and this led to my relationship- my very distant relationship- with P assuming enormous significance. So this trip, on which I lavished time and money, the financial savings from six missed journeys to Thailand , was essential. It has gone well but there have been issues with my stamina. Gone are the late nights; 0300 when I was a butterfly twenty years ago, and 2300 during my nearly eighteen years involvement with P. It's now a 2100 retirement. And I'm always ready. Also gone is my 1800 pre-dinner Singha. Until now, a highlight. A time for reflection. Now that one beer is, bluntly, too much for me. On the credit side, I've swum every day and my bedroom stamina has been excellent. I face the onset of old age with sadness. I was seventy- three when I was last here. Those two missed years have undoubtedly made a big difference to my routines. However, flights and hotels (BKK, Chiang Mai and Jomtien) in November are all booked and paid for, and so I must have some life left in me. The aim is to spend what's left of my existence living as disgracefully as possible!

Even in the Golden Age (for me, that was the late 90s) there were duds. Caveat emptor; we take risks when we invite strangers to our rooms for intimate encounters. Most, in my experience, were either OK or good; a handful were miserable. Mai pen rai.

Green shoots are evident here in Pattaya. Beach Road was almost back to pre-Covid levels in terms of traffic, both human and vehicular, on Saturday night. But that was Saturday when Bangkokians like to visit. Nevertheless, there's plenty here to enjoy, though others can comment on the bars. I'm not sorry I came, despite pangs of sadness at the closure of some favourite places. Back again in November when I suspect that the green shoots will be higher. So my advice to vortexed is yes, come.

Here's the best way......suraksa.p@theagatepattaya.com

We are eating breakfast at Zing. Limited menu but charming service. Unusually good coffee, by the way....and you won't hear me saying that about many places in Thailand. I'd be surprised if any hotel is serving buffet breakfasts when occupancy rates are so low. It's just not profitable to do so. We are booked in Chiang Mai's Amora for November and I was even unable to choose a breakfast option there.

I think you may be right. I remember guys I met in host-bars saying exactly that.

Agate has been our home for recent visits. Rooms in November cost only 1200 bht pn. Gay-friendly with many single gay men enjoying local opportunities. Two swimming-pools, blessedly child-free. East suites are well-appointed but I would suspect that, unlike Agate, subject to noise -pollution from the bars.

I accept that. But in general terms- and of course, I'm writing as someone who has spent much of his life among people of different ethnic backgrounds- I can only note the difference in terms of the level of outrage and compassion expressed in the West when the victims are white. And the national culture is Christian.

I still contribute to Sawatdee. I suppose that the fact that my country has invaded and bombed- or helped to bomb- a number of countries over the past few years makes me wary of casting the first stone at citizens of other countries.

My enjoyment of this current trip started within twenty minutes of landing at BKK.....the many cute young guys who work there immediately reminded me just how different -and better-Thailand is for such as I. And then my rather long wait at the luggage carousel was made bearable by the presence of two handsome young airline reps, my mask hiding an admiring smile. My holiday was off to a flying start.

I can only speak for Pattaya today, though I suspect that BKK is much the same.. It's a mistake to expect more than a semblance of the old glories of the past. Too early for anything other than the green shoots of a recovery. But don't be discouraged; there's plenty here to keep you happy. And that means a lot more than other places can offer. Anyway, we're overjoyed to be here.

LHR cancellations have tended to be of short-haul flights and mostly from T3. Predominantly BA. But this is not say that all was well at T2 on Tuesday. The EVA flight was on time and ready to leave when " operational issues" induced a full stop. And a two hour wait on the apron leading to the runway. I've never encountered anything like that before.

I checked-in at Heathrow for EVA's BKK flight on Tuesday. I was asked for my Covid certificate. I was surprised but, ever the pessimist, prepared. At BKK, immigration procedures were back to what they were pre-Covid.

Sawatdee is more Pattaya-centred. Many posters here contribute to the forum there.

I'm a bit of a bore about the north but the journey from Chiang Rai to Mae Salang, a Chinese town inhabited by the descendants of the defeated Nationalist army is, for me, the most fascinating in Thailand. Better than Doi Inthanon. Some of the roads aren't for the faint-hearted- narrow and mountainous-but what views!

I am led to believe that the guys on the scene prefer Asian customers because they pay better; particularly the Japanese. I'm disappointed to read the comments about falangs. One of the things that impressed me on my first visit in the late 90s was that, as far I could see, the punters (who in those days were overwhelmingly European and American) seemed to treat the guys well. And this was confirmed by Thais when I got to know them better on later visits. What a pity if things have changed. I wonder if the fact that many of us had lived our younger days in an atmosphere of repression back home made us more appreciative of our new Thai friends? Perhaps later visitors took them and the opportunities they offered for granted.

Not yet. Tuesdays only... and that's from the horse's mouth! Three times a week was indeed the plan a few weeks ago , starting in July. I booked for Monday11th and within a few days, EVA called me, said that it would be one a week- Tuesdays only- and transferred me. But more flights soon, apparently.

Double posting; sorry.

Good news for UK travellers. The EVA LHR-BKK flight, suspended for heaven knows how long and now scheduled to fly just once a week for a few weeks, is actually in the air as I post. Delayed.... but who cares? I must admit that I feared another cancellation after two disappointments and an enforced change of date.

Yes, I noticed that, although I think pressure is on all classes. Here are some possibilities. Many of us missed out on trips- in my case six- and promised ourselves that the Great Return would be special with so much money saved. For me, that meant Business Class instead of Premium Economy. EVA's Business Class prices (£3000 now and £2500 in November) are good value; consumer surveys rate it very highly. I've experienced it on up-grades and can vouch for its comfort.. And I was also aware extra space in EVA's Business Class with each seat protected by a sort of retractable barrier for privacy....I considered this an extra anti-Covid precaution. By the way, I think EVA's Business Class has been expanded....but this is only an impression. Other airlines may have made similar changes. .

I don't wish to be melancholic- particularly with my return only a week away- but when we are too old for this game, what will stay in our memories won't be a 3000bht here and there, but the pleasures such encounters gave. And still do in retrospect.

What about the numerous massage places in the Jomtien Complex? The guys seem to be visible, some in uniform, some not.

I was fascinated by vinapu's story. Some falangs develop a sense of ownership which is overpowering, and in the case of long-distance relationships, completely counter-productive...and ultimately destructive.

If you take a masseur to your hotel room, you pay a bar fine, just as you would when you off someone from a bar. This bar fine is the same as the basic fee you pay in the massage shop. So I suspect reader is correct. I was once brave, or foolhardy enough, to have massage on a recalcitrant shoulder in the Blind Masseur place in the JC. It was excruciating but, having paid the fee to the manager, I didn't think twice about paying the masseur a tip.