Londoner

Thanks for the photos.

That's right, squeeze more money out of the poor and line the pockets of the billionaires. Let 'em die. After all we made good money out of our colonialism and imperialism and they are no longer of any use to us now. By the way, I can't remember "paying" for the establishment of the NHS- it was before I was born- but like 90% plus of the UK public I am now benefiting in my advancing years from the efforts of the Socialist government after WW2. I'm also aware that the disdain of the Conservatives for the NHS and desire to underfund it-how many of their MPs deign to use it when they can afford to pay extra to jump the queue?- has made us rely on staff from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean for many years.

There are a number of places like this around the 3rd Road area....I know the mamasan of one of them. He once showed me photos of the staff. The gay bars were outclassed in terms of their looks! Very popular with the Thai wives of ageing falangs, apparently.

....those that can afford it. The thing about the NHS which makes it the envy of the world is that it supports all citizens. Like private education, private health care is there to benefit the wealthy. I hope that the next Labour Government abolishes both. Interestingly, life expectancy in the US is front page news today.

I think it a great shame when Britons spread false information about the NHS on an international forum like this. As a correction, for the vast majority of us, the NHS is one of the greatest achievements of our nation and the envy of world. Particularly the USA. It's why we live longer, on average, than Americans. I appreciate that wealthy Britons who can afford private care don't agree....but "they are few, we are many", as Shelley wrote. I've been impressed by the quality of care I've received in Thailand....in Bangkok when I required a replacements for a lost blood pressure medication and in Chiang Mai when I had a bad cut on my foot. I found the treatment cheap and effective.

Easier posting of photos?

Check Tarntawan on Agoda. It's usually much cheaper there....though I realise it's the high season. We're there in January (we booked early) and are paying only 60% or so of your price.

Thanks llz...that's the one. But beware; I thought I'd be smart with my boyfriend whom I'd only known for a short time, by repeating some phrases in my execrable Thai. He was not amused...and I quickly stopped. On the other hand, I also bought, much later, a book of Thai idiomatic phrases and used some of the "romantic" phrases on him. He was charmed and delighted.

Expect to meet plenty of his entourage in the bars and saunas....though they'll be incognito. The Vatican is, and always has been, full of Friends of Dorothy.

Published about twelve years ago; "Thai for Gay visitors." Damned if I can find my copy! The slang was up-to-date at the time, as my boyfriend confirmed. I bought it in Pattaya.

Agreed; there are not many of us to go round nowadays. That generation- often closeted gays whose formative years were spent in a society where gay sex was illegal and who found freedom in Thailand- have mostly passed on. I'd be surprised if the the Asian customers of today have taken their places in the LTR market.. Look around; if you see falang/Thai couples together in restaurants ,staying at hotels together, shopping and so on, the falang will likely be in his 70s and the Thai in his 30s or thereabouts. Partnerships, as it happens, like mine.

In my experience, nothing gets underway before 2230 in Chiang Mai in the gay bars.

I've said this before- maybe even on this very forum- but one of the abiding memories of my first time in Bangkok, was dropping my wallet in Blue Star (where Dreamboys used to be) and of a waiter running down the soi to return it to me. I've never had a baht stolen in over seventy visits. Of course, I take sensible precautions.

I too find the convenient cynicism of a minority of punters disheartening. I learned a lot from P when we met in 2003 and from his friends, too. Firstly, that the imperative- both religious and social- to send money to parents was overwhelming and that some guys would prefer to go hungry than fail in this responsibility. Secondly, that the guys looked after each other and so if one was going through a bad time in terms of "offs", his friends would take care of him. It may be that things have change on the scene now and I suspect that some of the more popular guys in the big Bangkok bars where Chinese clients are dominant are doing very well nowadays. However, in the period when I was a punter, the one way out of the industry and the achievement of relative comfort was to find a falang (or falangs) who' go the extra mile in terms of support.

Agate (according to my boyfriend) is the best hotel he's stayed in. And we've stayed in many, all over Thailand. I tend to agree. As I've said before, if you book, do so directly with the hotel by email. Best prices.

Agreed. The "feel" of Pattaya is very different to that of Bangkok, though perhaps this is not as marked as it was twenty years ago. Even the guys you meet are different- Lao and Cambodian rather than Vietnamese, for instance, and a higher proportion of twinks. And the falangs? more of them are on extended holidays rather than short stays. It is very different!

Fifty? a youngster by Pattaya- falang standards....and a lot more sanuk lies ahead. The same can't be said of many of us. I have to agree about hotel rooms. I spend more time in my room than in my younger days (when I was fifty...or sixty) and am fortunate enough to be able to pay. Last year , P and i spent a week in Luang Prabang and the hotel, though not cheap, was a disaster. What a relief it was to arrive at the Agate after the journey from Laos. Everything worked! By the way, the Agate website is decidedly odd when it comes to reservations. Anyone planning a stay should consider using an email direct.

I must correct Boy69; I paid 1600 in October and I'm paying 1800 in early January. High Season certainly affects prices....but not that much. The same goes for flights. Anyone staying at the Agate should book direct; unlike other Thai hotels (Tarntawan springs to mind) Agoda et al do not offer the best prices.

Flights and accommodation are always the major costs of a Thailand trip. The good news is that hotel prices remain remarkably good value- I've just paid 1600 pn at the Agate which includes breakfast- while flights booked on-line from LHR to BKK remain good value, particularly if you compare the cost of European travel. Restaurants- of all levels from the cheapest to those offering "fine-dining"- are much more affordable than here in the UK. It's not all bad news!

Many gay men don't do anal sex. If you are enjoying your current practices, why is it so important to change?

Does anyone remember Star Boys, opposite Boyztown near Welcome Hotel? Many , many years ago it was a favourite (only twinks!) and I remember the bar -prices placed on each table. After drinks it listed the cost of "offs". The cheapest were, of course, the go-go boys. But then the pricing went on to list waiters, the barmen, and- and this is why I recall it so vividly- the mamasan. She or he was forty at least and....well, not very attractive. And the most expensive. And no, it wasn't a joke.

I remember when Screwboys opened- it was in the late 90s- and that the owners had toyed with the idea of calling it "Schoolboys". Not a good choice.

Thanks for that....I hadn't bothered to check. I'll be pleased if EVA flights are better value-they usually are- because I'm flying BR 68 to BKK tomorrow. The cost of my Elite ticket was over £1000, the highest I've ever paid . That's more than £100 than my May ticket and my January 2020 one. I put it down to the Brexit pound. I enjoy EVA privileges- most significantly lounge access- and so I'll remain loyal.

The hotels look attractive and well-priced. Gay-friendly? visitors welcome?

True...even BA is offering cheap flights (direct) from London. Despite the strikes.