Londoner

Will it be a beer bar? with hosts? surely not another show bar? Like thaiophilus, I have happy members of Cocobana. The place to be before the 2100 opening of the go go bars, watching the guys on their way to work. Crowds of them. You'd have to be there before 2000 to get a seat with a good view. O tempores, o mores.

We've stayed in more than twenty Thai hotels (plus some Balinese and Laos ones) over the past few years and haven't encountered anything like that.....perhaps some make a distinction between registered guests and casual visitors? I'm surprised by Copa. A friend of mine stayed there and entertained regularly without problems. Perhaps there was something personal between your friend and the receptionist? Not that this would justify it.

Those bloody yellow signs... I can't walk past one without a sigh.

Email the hotel a few days before you leave giving time of arrival.

The shopping improved when a new mall opened a few years ago... but I can't think of other improvements between my first and last visits- 1997 and 2017. Anyone seeking a commercial sex scene (including via apps) should stay in Pattaya. As far as are beaches are concerned, Krabi is a good bet. Temples and culture? the north - Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai- or Bangkok.

Meanwhile , members of the "hi-so" family believed by many to have been the killers, having escaped from the island after the murder are living in luxury elsewhere. When it comes to the use of torture, even the medievals didn't believe that it led to the truth....and , no doubt, the Thai authorities don't either. Their concern is merely to protect the tarnished image of their country; any foreigners would fit the bill. And a "confession" was essential.

All true. The cartel run by the baht-bus equivalent - 200bht for even the shortest journey- will make anyone miss Pattaya. Patong seems to attract more young couples- straight ones- than Pattaya. Boy69 will find better beaches in Krabi but most of them require a boat trip. No gay scene. P and I have been five times; we always seem to be the only gays in the village...Aonang, that is. Not that this has been a problem.

Plenty of venues, few customers....but that was also true back in 1997, when I made my first visit and was comparing it to Pattaya. I've seen Youtube footage of a busy scene but it seems to be limited to the high season. As ichigo says, plenty of gay massage joints. Choose carefully!

Are there any gay guys in Nice now? Apart from the clients, I mean....

Don't go anywhere near the Amazon rain forest...too many fires and rapacious ranchers

There may well be temporary jobs in the cities but work remains hard to come by in the north and north-east.

The "much-hated Red government"? Just a couple of inaccuracies. Firstly, it was moderately left of a centre, hardly "red". Secondly, it was deposed by a bunch of kleptomaniac generals because the damn peasants- the majority of Thais- had the audacity to keep on voting for it. That's the problem with democracy; it keeps getting in the way of the powerful. Hence the junta.

Brazil has a racist and homophobic government. And it was elected on a popular vote. Isn't that a consideration? I was brought-up on a mixture of the 1950's film "Black Orpheus", The Girl from Ipanema and and the 1962 Brazilian football team and it remains the country in the world I'd most like to visit. But not at the moment; and I'm not even Black! Now, if Lula was back in power and gays, the poor and Black Brazilians were treated with dignity......

I use my bank, Lloyds, to Bangkok Bank. £10....but the exchange rate is poor. Four working days. A reliable service.

I encountered one on one of my firsts trips to Thailand, many years ago. In my ignorance, I thought it some sort of tumour and was repelled. I never saw one again; is it possible that this is because I was only interested in offing twinks? Perhaps mooks were more popular amongst other guys?

Thanks....good quality photos and an accurate map.

Indonesia is a huge collection of many islands; some are more liberal than others. No problems for gays in Bali, for example.

I can see that. When I decided not to relocate back in 2004, it was one of the many considerations that guided my decision. The anticipation and thrill of the journey- departure and arrival, if not the night on the plane- as well as the contrast with my life at home, help to make each of the days I'm there memorable.

When I'm in Thailand, I send a daily email report to a gay friend who collates and binds them for me in attractive covers. I re-read them before each trip, reliving happy memories and anticipating adventures to come. Photographs are included. The first is dated 2003 and the there are sixty or so. They also chart the development of my relationship with P. whom my friend has met in Pattaya.

Is the "First" World so much better? We shoot each other in the supermarket and schools and drop bombs on cultures and nations we don't like. Unless car ownership-or in the US, assault-weapon ownership- is considered the summit of achievement, then we should welcome the fact that some people don't care for it. I've travelled widely over the past decades; there's nowhere I've visited, however poor, that hasn't got something to teach us. And that includes Thailand.

I suspect that, for a few of us us if f not for many, the long-distance nature of the relationship is a plus. P is very Thai, rooted in his culture and religion as well as his family, while I am very much the urban Londoner whose interests are very different. Equally important, P is 36 and I am 72. I have no desire to live permanently in Thailand; I investigated the possibility thirteen years ago and, wisely as it turned out, decided to stay in London. Nor would P be happy here; he'd be friendless and far from his family. Three visits a year, each of which is an adventure, travelling in Thailand and Asia together, keeps the relationship fresh. For the remaining nine months, we have LINE! And yes, I miss him badly. I fear that,one day, the journey may become too much for me. Until then, carpe diem.

I paid Agoda £22 pn at Tarntawan for a September stay seven weeks ago; the price is now over £40. Ergo, book early? Well, no. A year ago, Chiang Mai's Amora's Agoda's price actually decreased after I'd booked. Vianapu is correct; some prices are very complicated and some of the bigger hotels have an array of rooms with different designations that are hard to understand. Breakfast, in my experience, is always worth paying for with the room price. I booked a room at a Krabi hotel in May- rather more expensive than usual- and , seduced by an apparently cheap deal, didn't pre-book breakfast. Buying it daily was expensive and in the long-run, cost me a lot.

And avoid those parked outside hotels and tourist spots. I remember being told that Tarntawan to Babylon was 200 bht. The metred cost is about 70 bht And when there's a row of them, prepare for a cartel.

The Agoda prices for Tarntawan are very low- about 60% of what they were when I was there in May. Or they were when I booked a few weeks back. I can't see them going much lower for Thai nationals. Perhaps it's an introductory offer owing to the change of management. An odd thing about Agoda (and perhaps other agencies) in Thailand. Sometimes, the prices undercut rack-prices by a huge amount; in other cases, the hotel offers better prices for direct booking. Jomtien's (excellent) Agate is in this second category.

I agree...but always smile when you do so. A smile is often returned, but even if it's not, it is far more effective than a show of annoyance The loss of the 300bht will be a good price to pay for learning this lesson. And yes, a good supply of 20s and 100s is a must. Ask when you change money and use the 500s and 1000s in restaurants.... and 711s. I've never had any problems there, even if I'm only spending 30bht.