Londoner

Ambiance has just had a huge amount spent on refurbishment and so I'm hopeful that the sound-proofing will be effective. If we aren't allowed a decent night's sleep, we'll cancel and return to the Agate where we are spending the first few days of our time in Pattaya.

Asanstudent is fortunate; as a young guy, he has many trips in the future to which he can look forward. Some of us are of an age when we are conscious that we have only a limited number of happy returns! I'm delighted he had such a good time. My solution to "back-home blues" is to book-up another trip quickly.

If you don't like loud music- like many of us- I'd be interested to hear how you react to Le Cafe Royal's late night, early morning performances. I'm praying that Ambiance has toughened-up its double glazing before I arrive in a few weeks.

The EVA service from LHR is a good option. I've made nearly seventy return journeys and have only had one seriously late arrival. Like paulfort, I pay about £450 extra for Premium Economy (return) . Business class is double the cost of Premium. I travel three times a year and for one flight (I choose the return leg) i have a free-upgrade to Business due to air- miles accrued. Very nice it is, too. Sadly, I have to report that it makes no difference either to the amount of sleep I get on board, nor the severity of jet lag....which, by the way, worsens year by year as we age. Melatonin helps West- East but not (in my experience) the journey home.

There is no way that we can ensure that our companions fulfill our desires. I've had had guys change from excited, sexy and friendly to cool and reserved in the five minute walk from Twilight to Tantawan. And promises made in a bar in the search for payment are not necessarily kept. I may even venture to suggest that it may not always be the fault of the guy we choose when things don't work out. My advice to any newcomer is to be laid-back; we are not buying an item in a supermarket but borrowing a human being. Sometimes, it will be very satisfying, more often merely OK and occasionally a disappointment. We may be able to learn from our disappointments in some ways but the element of luck and chance will always trump anything that we plan. We are happier when we accept this,

In the mid-nineties, I would stay in Boyztown and spend the mornings on Jomtien's gay beach which was then very busy. One day, a couple of guys appeared handing out fliers for a"new" gay area not far from Boyztown. Sunee Plaza. In this instance, ther fliers worked and I visited for the first time. I can't think of any other instance in Gay Pattaya which persuaded me to visit an area or establishment; perhaps the internet is a more sophisticated and effective means of advertising. Nevertheless, I'm all in favour of more assertive marketing to support gay establishments.

You will find plenty of guys willing and able though you would be advised to spell-out exactly what you expect from them. They may require a little extra if only on the basis that they may assume that two of you have to more to spend than one! If I were in your place, I'd call over the guy I (or we) fancied, talk with him and see how he reacts. I'd be genuinely surprised if he were to turn down the going price for the usual assignment.

If I were allowed to choose one night to re-live, it would be my first in Pattaya in August 1996. Many happy visits subsequently, but the first.....

Thanks for that vinapu. When newbies post for the first time on this board (and elsewhere, where the aggressiveness of some posters is well-known) we should answer their enquiries even if it is all "old hat" for us regulars. Imagine how disconcerting it is for someone whose first post is dismissed. So, lispice, welcome to the board and to Thailand. Treat the guys you meet with respect and pay the going-rate, correctly defined above. If you go to Pattaya, 1000 is usually fine for short time. Be sure to let us know how you get on; it's always interesting to read posts from those who are visiting for the first time. If you are like me, you will never forget your introduction to Thailand.

Exactly right. Most of us choose Thailand because we prefer twinks and there are plenty of gay Thais who manage to stay "twinks" into their thirties. Two of my regular visitors are 34 and 32 respectively and in the UK would pass for guys who are in their early to mid-twenties.

Yes, it's a beautiful book, full of interesting facts about Thailand with interesting photos.

This is correct. It's something to do with self-image. The guys often don't regard themselves as prostitutes in the western sense, but friends who deserve a tip for being good company.

I too have been wondering why twinks are paid, on average, less than muscle-guys. Is it something to do with age? And is it the assumption that twinks are bottoms and muscle-guys tops?

Look both ways, even in one-way roads like Pattaya Second Road. I nearly met my maker when a powerful, falang -driven motorbike sped out of a soi, towards the traffic, when I was crossing over to Big C.

There are a number of karaoke bars in Pattaya and Bangkok ( and perhaps elsewhere) where Thai guys entertain Thai ladies and are available for offs. Apparently, according to the mamasan of one of these bars whom I know, the guys are, on average, better-looking than the ones we meet. I've seen the photos; stunning. Prices are similar to those of Bangkok bars. The clientele tend to be local women with under-performing husbands, or partners who work abroad. The mamasan makes a good living.

Where did you buy them? (Not War and Peace).

I've taken my boyfriend to Bali and Laos on a number of occasions. No problems. I wouldn't take him anywhere where he felt uncomfortable. I wrote this before seeing a447's post-we must have been posting simultaneously- and he is absolutely correct; the feelings of our partners are paramount.

Uranus is correct. It is a fact of life across the world that it is the poor who are driven to-or choose- prostitution. The rest of us have more choices. And Isaan has been one of the most deprived areas in Thailand, hence its support for Thaksin . His premiership was the first time that a Thai government had showed any concern for the poor and their lives improved economically. Birth control helped too!

In Thailand, only when I was surrounded by a snarling pack of dogs in an expensive area of Chiang Mai. And I'm a dog-lover, forever being reprimanded by my boyfriend for being friendly to stray mutts....something I now do to tease him but shouldn't. Elsewhere, I was frightened when I strayed into West Kingston, Jamaica in 1973, when the Army and the Police were at loggerheads and Manley's newly -elected left-wing government was being undermined, violently, by the CIA. The only times I'm frightened in Palestine is when those crazy armed settlers who believe that God gave them authority over all of us swagger by. The silly callow soldiers can be a nuisance when they point rifles at you but being white is a good defence. The Border Police are nasty and even more ideological and they graciously gave me a a taste of tear-gas when they were attacking some ten year-olds.

The odd thing is that, in the late 90s when I started staying in BT, there were more bars, often packed with customers and dancers and no legally-enforced closing times and yet the noise was contained within the premises, at least to a large extent. At any rate, it was not likely to cause sleep disturbance. Then came the era of open bars where there was no protection from the noise within. And open-air karaoke. And (for a period) all-night parties for a handful of friends. The bars of BT have, until recently, catered for those who want to see go go dancers and watch a show but also for those of us who enjoy sitting in a bar and chatting with boyfriends or perhaps with hosts or friends, enjoying a drink and soaking up the atmosphere. I resent the intrusions of street music into both my sleeping-patterns and my evenings with my boyfriend. And, as previously noted, if LCR is as disruptive as feared by other establishments, we shall move. I know that the possibility of loss of custom is a worry for other businesses in the soi.

Twenty plus years of staying at Ambiance will come to end after (or during) my next visit in January if LCR's new shows are as disruptive as seems likely. My boyfriend and I retire long before 0200 and so we will have no alternative.

And who will Le Cafe's customers be? How many of the readers of this site want to hear deafening music like this at 0200....and yes, we are told the bar won't close until then. Meanwhile, huge amounts are being spent on a refurbishment at Ambiance. The hotel (like BBB and LCR) is now Chinese owned. Is the projected market Chinese? and do they want hip-hop at 0200? Who does? Apparently, BBB staff enjoy loud music but since when have the preferences of the staff out-weighed those of the punters? Funnyboys, Prisma and Oscars have all gone- Prisma is to be part of the new, improved Ambiance. It looks as if Boyztown will no longer be gay....but who will replace us?

I'm with Paborn regarding discussion of prices. Negotiating prior to the event is a relatively recent development, perhaps encouraged by the apps. It was not expected in my bar-offing days (that is, up to about 2009) and was considered bad-form by the guys. In all those years (from 1995) I was never expected to negotiate and money was never discussed. I can understand why.

The placing of huge loudspeakers on the corner, facing Panorama and Cupidol, was a disgrace. They are not for punters but for BBB staff and they make conversation in Panorama impossible. The noise even disturbs the top floors of Ambiance. Meanwhile, the new Cafe Royal was warming-up its own contributions to noise pollution when I was In Boyztown three weeks ago. Deafening. In this case, the noise is aimed at those of us wishing to have drink and chat on the Ambiance terrace. The word is that Boyztown managements are concerned that the the selfishness of one or two venues will drive away business. What's left of it.

I used to like Rice Queen Diaries. It suddenly disappeared.