Londoner

Dear abidismali, Offing a guy from a bar, or even via hornet, is not the same as picking-up a stranger on the street; his identity will be known. Don't worry! just take normal precautions with money and valuables. If you are nervous, stay in a hotel where the ID card is held. Tarntawan in Bangkok and Ambiance in Pattaya for example. In twenty years and seventy plus stays, I've never lost a baht. And even if some of the guys I've offed have performed poorly, I've never met a nasty one...except a cheeky little bugger who wasn't satisfied with 1500 for ST and went off in a huff. He wasn't menacing though, just annoying. You are safer with a MB in Thailand, particularly from a bar, than anywhere else I can think of.

I saw a hi-so Thai take a group of guys from the stage in Toy Boys a couple of years back...they sat in a row playing with their mobiles. Five of them; it meant that there were only six left on the podium for the rest of the customers to enjoy. Ostentatious and selfish behavioiur. I've also seen similar behaviour in Xboys and, worst of all , many years ago in Solid, when five of the eight present were sitting down with a falang and were "out of circulation".

I have a small keyboard to use with my tablet....but after one trip depending on it, I bought a Chromebook....not that much bigger and much better.

Perhaps he could try being the bottom....though I don't like to think how .

You may laugh, but that has happened to me in Pattaya and the price I gave was 1200. Admittedly, it was an to old friend whom I'd not seen for some time and had offed from Wild West for old times sake....but he did say it. And he took the money!

The possibility, however small, of VD and Hiv infection is why I would advise the use of condoms. It's up to you whether you take the risk. However, we have a responsibility towards the guys we pay who may not be aware of the risks.

To my chagrin, I had to send some money urgently to my bf....Western Union were giving 40bht to the pound. A record?

The submarine is just what's needed to keep the monks and the Red-Shirt farmers at bay.

Surely the rooms above the bars in Sunee are full or tenants? the problem is that most of them are asleep until 1500.

My boyfriend and I visit CM regularly; we both love it. The only gay-scene venues we visit are massage joints. Our favourite is Paradise which is within walking distance of Thapae. However, even fifteen years ago when I was single, I found the gay scene diasppointing compared to Bangkok and Pattaya. Its venues are spread-out, for one thing, and usually don't get going until 2230 or later. I used to stay at Lotus (the one near Adam's Apple, not the huge one near the shopping mall). Adam's Apple was, by the way, the place to be in the late 90s with sixty or so dancers and a full house of punters regularly. Students from CMU would come , resulting in the audience being as cute as the performers! We love CM for its laid -back atmosphere, its beautiful and ancient temples its markets (Anusarn is our favourite) and its excursions to mountains, forests and rivers.

I'm surprised at the lack of emphasis on the availability of partners in the afternoons. My meetings (Hornet or Romeo) take place in the afternoons; my evenings are spent with my boyfriend in restaurants and other places of relaxation- not gogo bars. This is partly due to the fact that, now I'm older, i'm more "up for it" in the afternoon but also due to my lack of interest in Pattaya's beach. When I was single and visiting Pattaya twenty years ago I relied on the go go bars- and of course they were more interesting then- but found the afternoons rather boring. I suspect that without the advent of the dating sites, I would no longer be spending any time in Pattaya.

I'm now charged 100 bht for Babylon to Tarntawan- much the same distance as your Sathorn-Silom trip.- and that's a 40% increase over the past two years. There is a strict rotation among the motor-cy taxi drivers, as I found out on my first visit when I decided that I wanted to choose a mature rider. Having approached the oldest , he motioned to a one who was barely pubescent and had yet to learn the meaning of fear.

There are also many who are married....their wives must know and, to some extent, approve.

My bf- whom I'd met in a bar - was once called a prostitute (in Thai) by some young guys while we were going to eat in Central, Pattaya. He was furious and told me that the word was inappropriate. On the other hand, he said, "bar-boy" was was entirely acceptable.

Any concerns regarding the ages of the guys at Power Boys?

Is his desire to go with you due to his hope that this will become a LTR? And is that something that you are considering? Or is he just looking for a holiday (nothing wrong with that) and perhaps to meet-up with some friends- many Cambodians are in Pattaya. Will you book two rooms at Ambiance? If you plan to "off" other guys, this would make it much easier. But be up-front with him. Tell him honestly (as far as the language problems allow) what you are offering. It's not fair to raise expectations that cannot be met. If you tell him, he may prefer to stay in BKK....this is high-season, after all. And, of course, be sure the money angle is explained....and then fulfilled.

It never lost it, even with an Afro-American president. In fact, the more successful individuals "make it", the more virulent the racism becomes. That is the story of the past ten years.

I'm with Ronnie. The minstrel photo is insulting. I recall a wooden effigy of one in, of all places, Krabi. Thais don't understand the history of the struggle. If you ever have the chance to see the musical "The Scotsborough Boys", there's a magnificent (and tear-jerking) scene at the end when the boys reappear on the stage in black-face. One of the great theatrical moments of my life.

"Bai-gan" (or pai-gaan" as I pronounce it) is not rude; it just means "let's go" or something like "we're on our way now." Anyway, that's how the bf and I use it.

The US will attempt to reimpose its criminal classes on the Cubans....you know, Batista's henchmen. Casinos and mafiosi- the American way. I hope that the Cubans will continue to say, "Cuba si, Yankee no!" If the US was ever fortunate enough to elect a government of probity and intellect, it should beg Cuba to teach it how to run a National Health Service.

Boyfriend. I'm too old to give a damn.

To be blunt, I suspect that abidsmalili is too obsessive about Arabs. Their impact on Pattaya life is minimal and on the gay scene almost non-existent. I suppose the fact that I've spent so much time among Arabs (Christian and Muslim) in Palestine makes me less likely to stereotype.

Ten years ago, Pattayaland Soi 2 was packed every night, the area around Penthouse particularly so. Cats' Whiskers and The Classroom always seemed particularly busy- at least from the outside. The area was so popular that it ran its own tuk-tuk service across the city. Now it is a ghost-town. The go-go bars are still there but a glance through the doors will show that they are doing no better than the gay bars in Soi 1.

Fair enough but don't wander the gay areas during the daytime....wait until the lights come on and the guys and punters arrive. My first view of Soi Twilight and Patpong was a terrible disappointment- it was 1100am. Litter-strewn. almost deserted and much of it shuttered. But then I returned at 1900.... That was in 1995 but the same applies today.

I've followed this issue with interest and can sympathise with both sides of the argument. However, there there is one aspect of Kokopelli's last post which deserves to be considered carefully. We know that Thai authorities like a quiet life when it comes to activities which may be termed illegal and so the influence of an agent provocateur, perhaps threatening unwelcome publicity, or perhaps someone with friends in high places, should be taken seriously. However much the authorities would prefer to let sleeping dogs lie, if such a person (or organisation) is determined to make a fuss, and has the means with which to do it, then investigations and possible prosecutions are more likely.