Londoner

I've been to The Gambia, Senegal and Zanzibar (Tanzania) but long ago. Handsome guys, undoubtedly, but opportunities are so limited and perilous as to make a sex-jaunt unwise. I had one experience in The Gambia with a cute guy but the circumstances in which it took place were- shall we say- uncomfortable. Plenty of offers for walks up the beach to a quiet areas which I didn't accept. One sort of relationship where sex was offered but, somehow, it didn't feel appropriate in the circumstances. I'm older now and more timid. I wouldn't consider a reprise.

Our last glorious (or so it seems now in retrospect) stay in Pattaya was over a year ago. and as indicated above, was at the Agate in the Complex. I won't rehearse the reasons for our exodus from Boyztown, in my case after twenty-five happy years, but have one reaction to z909's post to share. P had wanted the move to Jomtien well before me but I resisted for the reasons z909 mentions; the facilities of South Pattaya are immeasurably superior to those of Jomtien. particularly the restaurants. This meant that we'd travel into Pattaya twice a day, usually by baht bus, sometimes by taxi. This time last year, that trip could, particularly in the early evening, be uncomfortable. Full buses often with standing room only, of course, but also very slow buses (or taxis) owing to the numerous roadworks. Nevertheless, the superiority of our hotel, its quiet location, its two swimming pool in particular, made our decision worthwhile. And, while moaning at the traffic jams we'd say to each other, "In June, the roads will be clear." Well. we were right but not for the reasons we wanted or expected.

It only takes one carrier.....remember the boxing stadium outbreak last year? I am genuinely astonished and , while pleased that life is returning to gay area, fearful that with such behaviour restrictions will soon be back in place. And just when I was beginning to think about a summer visit.

Thanks....I don't know whether to be relieved that they are not boarded-up and sold as 711s or depressed because another one hundred days of imprisonment- at least- lies ahead.

Traveller123 persuaded P and I to stay at Agate on this very forum; and we love it, more than any of the other hotels in Thailand, some considerably more expensive. Thanks for the post; now that things are looking up, I've been trying to contact Agate but without success. I worked-out that it was closed of course but your report that they plan to reopen cheers me enormously. As far as other possibilities are concerned, I told P only yesterday that Zing is well-liked and gay-friendly. i think it's still open. Cheaper than Agate.

The older I get, the earlier my bedtime. Although the main reason for my being an ex- bar customer is that I'm in a relationship , I have to admit that, were I still a butterfly, I'd prefer to use hornet and Romeo because they allow afternoon sex. And reasonably early nights. Yes, I do miss bars; I had a lot fun for ten years. Now, for the two of us, fun means a good dinner in a decent restaurant, a walk and a quiet drink on the hotel balcony. But I'll make an admission. About three years go, P wanted an early night (even he's getting on now!) and, feeling restless, I had a look at Nice and Winners in Sunee. I'm not sure that, even if I were twenty years younger, today's bars would engage me as they once did. It is true that I've changed but so have the bars.

Kokopelli makes a good point. jA few years ago, P and I were taking a short break in Chiang Mai near what's left of the gay scene in the Night Market when I was approached by a middle-aged guy. "Hi," he said." I remember you from Four Seasons. Don't you remember me? I was the mamasan." Four Seasons was a short-lived go go bar in Patayaland 2 (I think). It closed many years ago. Twenty? I believe I went there once and I know I didn't off anyone. Am I that striking in appearance? I think not.

The American MD of Integrity Legal (Bangkok) on Youtube, is sounding more positive by the day. The junta is likely to be more responsive to the demands of business now that vaccinations are becoming available among potential visitors. I'm quietly confident about an October visit unless the virus has further tricks up its sleeve.

It's an old one that I recall from my time in West Africa. Going for a meal in town I was accosted by a stranger who said, " Hi, my name is Lamin." By the way, Lamin is the name of the first son in every family and so there are many Lamins. ...."Lamin from the pool." He was referring to the hotel pool. "Can you lend me X so I can get the bus home?" Sadly for Lamin, I'd encountered the same ploy in Tangiers- in that case it was the bus driver from the airport, despite my having arrived by taxi. You can only smile at the cheek!

You will need to be careful you don't appear under-aged. Yes, you are right about hotel rooms. P and a friend had a three day break in Jomtien. After finding one beachside hotel not up to the high standard to which he has become accustomed , they moved to the place that P and I stay; the Agate. Less than 1000bht p n. Including breakfast.

A sad story. I hope things work out for these guys. I wonder whether this is just an extreme case of a situation that may be more widespread than we think? There must have been a number of falangs who emigrated to Thailand when the baht was weak? 73/74 baht to £1 at one stage.. Those who took the plunge on limited resources and are still there must be feeling the pinch now with their savings quickly diminishing. I recall thinking when I first went to Thailand twenty-five years ago that the retirees all had beautiful apartments and a high standard of living. But I soon became aware that some of the older guys outside the gay areas certainly didn't appear to live that way. And as a different illustration, I got to know one expat very well. He had had a high standard of living at home in the US and had enjoyed a full -and expensive - life style in Thailand. Then he became ill, his insurance ran-out and he died in a local hospital penniless, not being able to pay for much-needed medication.

And the apps? I have sometimes had a look (just for old time's sake) and Romeo, at least , seemed reasonably busy even at the height of the emergency.

I was a butterfly until I met P.....eighteen years ago (oh my God!)....and very rarely indeed re-offed any of my numerous companions. However, in the early days of our relationship with him, the Pattaya scene was often discussed. And more than a few things I learnt surprised me. One of them was that being offed again by a falang was much prized because it raised hopes that an LTR is a possibility. Once a guy had spent a few days with the same falang, those hopes were encouraged. Ultimate success was a relationship that extended beyond the falang's holiday and became a regular source of income. And I was staggered when, a few years after we met, P went through the names of his friends at Dreamboys and related how many of them had achieved this ambition. In fact, the two of us actually met three of them with their falangs in Pattaya by chance. All were in their thirties. I wasn't in the least bit interested in an LTR until I met P, preferring the thrill of the chase, the trawling of bars and the final decision as to who would be coming back to the hotel with me. However, from the bar-boy's perspective, while a well-paid encounter with a clean and gentle falang was more than welcome, the ambitious guy was likely to be thinking of the next step. And hoping.

I notice that the some straight massage joints are called "soapies" now....and I know what their specialisms are....but are there any gay soapies?

At last I've seen it. No more sleepless nights.

They may be less willing to do the farming and labouring jobs to which others are returning.

I sometimes while away the gloomy hours of London's lockdown by looking at the Pattaya section of Romeo.....and note that the percentage of ladyboys seems to be rising by the week. So it's the same on the other apps, is it?

So P has been telling me. As soon as I moan about London's weather he brings up his habitual complaint about the temperature falling below 60 F....on some nights.

In my innocence, I had always assumed that "go-go" was short for "go-go dancing." Sadly, the dancing part had almost disappeared by about 2005 to be replaced by "go-go posing". Were there any gay bars in Thailand where dancing was on the menu pre-Covid? I no longer frequent the bars and so it's a genuine question. Winners perhaps?

His posts were always those of a man with a gentle and generous spirit.

Gay bars have depended on foreign workers for many years; and the same is true of the Thai economy generally. Cheap, un-unionised, easy to get rid-of, often ill-treated.... now it's all their fault. Who made money out of "illegals" , to use Trump's favourite word? Yes, the workers- but not very much. More went into the pockets of their employers, corrupt officials and politicians. And remember that the first immigration-dodgers who brought Covid into Thailand - in Chiang Rai- were probably Thai women who'd been working as bar-girls for rich Burmese in a posh hotel. Or perhaps the smugglers and enablers. As always, "it's the poor wot gets the blame." It's not as though they wanted to be infected; I suspect that a more likely explanation is that they had family to support. Another example of capitalism exploiting the poor and then blaming them for the consequences.

I thought that Travellerdave, had already clarified this issue...probably. Jomtien and Jomtien Complex are not the same. It is quite possible that the Complex is able to apply particular rules.

I used to have my hair cut regularly in BKK....and about 300 bht was about what I usually was charged. I'd be willing to pay an extra 100bht for a cute guy to see to me! Now, I like the guy in the Complex near Dick's who only charges 100....much the same as in the many places near Tuc Com. Here in London, a basic hair cut , even for OAPs is £10. In my case, it takes less than ten minutes. Thai always barbers attend to me lovingly and with infinite care.

Despite what I wrote earlier, I'd be very upset if Ambiance were to close. And Panorama , too. There are people who worked at the hotel for many years and for whom I have great affection . I remember one of them being in tears when I explained that I would not be returning on that last morning as I left. Thanks to Travellerdave, P and I have had happy times at the Agate...and I can confirm that we've never heard any noise from the Complex . My posting record reveals just how fussy I am about that issue.

I recognise that the bars in Boyztown had been hurting for many years....at least ten, I'd guess and that the sort of gay tourists (like me) that built the gay scene of the 80s and 90s are long gone. However, I continue to feel a deep resentment at what happened between (roughly) 2015 an 2019. Boyztown may have been struggling but it was still alive. The few go go bars had loyal customer bases, as did the Ambiance Hotel, its terrace that those of three bars in the Panorama corner. Then a decision was made to chase the female clientele in BBB followed by the coup de grace, the purchase of LCF. Forgive the personal bitterness in what follows. After twenty years of patronising Ambiance three or four times I year, I spent my last night there two years unable to sleep at gone 0300 due to unbearably loud music from LCR accompanied by the screaming of women. I looked out over the balcony. There were but a few customers but each of them was apparently endowed with astonishingly loud voices and an infinite capacity for banshee-like screaming. With a plane to catch, tired and low, I sat down with P (who'd never had the sentimental attraction to Boyztown that I had) and we decided on the spot that it was the end of Boyztown for us. And we became regulars at the Jomtien Complex. I know for certain that I'm not the only person driven out by the transformation of a gay soi into a very different one. And I'd add that that the change that affected me and others was that it was no longer suitable for those of my generation, nor even of my boyfriend who is nearly forty. The new visitors to the soi were often Chinese and female but it was their youth and the behaviours that accompany youth that eventually lost Ambiance (and Panorama) my custom. I've just re-read the above. And yes; I am getting old.