27 minutes ago, emiel1981 said:

. The staff member I asked didn’t know the reason for the potential closure—or perhaps they just didn’t want to say, of course...

One guy mentioned that the owner is very rich and can't be bothered with the business 🤷‍♂️

20 minutes ago, emiel1981 said:

I’m taking the bus instead of a taxi! Be proud of me! Haha

You taking the bus, me in row 63 back of the plane..... @vinapu has rubbed off on us?

Next thing we'll be exchanging Traveler's Checks and washing our underwear in the bathroom sink 🥺

18 minutes ago, Olddaddy said:

I couldn't be bothered walking to the bus stop , where is it anyway if I stay at Quarter Silom or Capella , then I have to carry the bag ...buy two seats ....get off at Jomtien bus station ...walk again 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️👨‍🦯👨‍🦯..oh too difficult!

Do they have any seats by themselves?💺

I crossed Thappraya Rd, the big street in Jomtien today TWICE.... I thought of you and considered ordering Grab 😄

7 hours ago, emiel1981 said:

Xboys ... Given how busy the bar was, I find it hard to imagine that they would need to close due to poor business.

I was there on Monday about 3 weeks ago and bar was full as well so it's not lack of patronage which made them thinking about closing.

Excessive tea money requests , rent hike or simply owner trying to get out of business for whatever reason may be completely different matter

7 hours ago, emiel1981 said:

The staff member I asked didn’t know the reason for the potential closure—or perhaps they just didn’t want to say, of course...

I'm surprised staff knows at all as those things often go unannounced. I once offed veteran guy from Zeus bar in soi Twilight and next evening when passing by door were wide opened , bar emptied and old owner of Dreamboys on other side of soi told me they went out of business. both him and boy in question I met day or two later seemed to be taken by surprise.

7 hours ago, emiel1981 said:

The impossible is about to happen... On Tuesday, I have to travel from Pattaya to BKK airport—and for the first time ever, I’m taking the bus instead of a taxi! Be proud of me! Haha

I'm soooo proud that you finally braved on such an adventure. My thought and prayer will be with you on Tuesday. I assume you are taking Jomtien bus to the airport. In case you don't know , one may buy a ticket i day in advance. on the way to Swampy there are free seats so if you want specific seat , come early .

Reminder for others not in the know, that is airport bus but also fast way to get go Bangkok itself by public transport . Once on songtaew I met gentleman who , when I told him I'm not taking any flight , just goin to Bangkok by airport bus , shockingly admitted that in several years of coming there such an option never crossed his mind.

7 hours ago, floridarob said:

You taking the bus, me in row 63 back of the plane..... @vinapu has rubbed off on us?

Next thing we'll be exchanging Traveler's Checks and washing our underwear in the bathroom sink 🥺

no, finally you guys came to realize that are better, wallet friendly , ways to improve one's self esteem than wasting money on business class and taxis to / from Pattaya .

I don't use travellers cheques , perhaps once in mid 90ties and not in Thailand but when doing my own laundry , yes , daily. If one travels with just 3 shirts and 3 undergarments it's only sensible thing to do , short of buying new everyday or using the same for a whole trip, yuck.

By the way , I have 3 identical travel shirts and if you see me in the same next day doesn't really mean it is the same although it may be as they dry in 2 hrs in the room conditions. Hight tech is sometimes usefull

8 hours ago, Olddaddy said:

I couldn't be bothered walking to the bus stop , where is it anyway if I stay at Quarter Silom or Capella , then I have to carry the bag ...buy two seats ....get off at Jomtien bus station ...walk again 🚶‍♂️🚶‍♂️👨‍🦯👨‍🦯..oh too difficult!

Do they have any seats by themselves?💺

no , no single seats.

Pattaya bound bus stop is beside gate 8 at Swampy, right where coupon restaurant is. One floor up from train station

1 hour ago, vinapu said:

wallet friendly , ways to improve one's self esteem than wasting money on business class and taxis to / from Pattaya .

Say the **** size queen...fill in the blanks 🧐

1 hour ago, floridarob said:

Say the **** size queen...fill in the blanks 🧐

wise ?

Technical issues with our forum prevented me from writing a live trip report. However, here are a few details regarding the rest of my days in Pattaya:

In general, things were quite quiet in Jomtien. However, as several people pointed out, that is to be expected for early November. It should gradually get busier throughout the month, with the high season only truly beginning toward the end of November. Let’s hope so—the bars and the guys working there could certainly use the business and the revenue. One thing I noticed is that, throughout the evening and night, you can always find some liveliness somewhere. Various bars host shows on different days and at different times; the downside is that you can sometimes find yourself overwhelmed by noise coming from multiple directions, which makes having a conversation while sitting on a terrace quite difficult.

I was pleased to see that the massage guy with the glasses—whom I and others have discussed—hasn’t lost his innocence yet. He can easy be found in grindr when in Jomtien complex. I first met him last year, when he was still relatively new to the scene. He remains just as charming, cute, and—or at least, he certainly gives that impression—innocent as he was before. He’s charming, makes for good conversation, and really takes his time. During his "massage-and-more" session with me, he still made it clear that he’s genuinely focused on the client; he hasn’t been tainted by the "payboy" scene, where, all too often, you get the sense that the guys are just looking to make as much money as possible, as quickly as possible. Not him. He still makes you feel like he’s truly dedicating his time to you. It feels less transactional with him. Bless him.

Dined at the relatively new Schatzi's restaurant. The food is of good quality. For me personally, the portions were a bit on the small side—but they have a great solution for that: delicious homemade cakes for dessert.

I think Guido’s new restaurant is a great addition to Pattaya. It features the same familiar menu we know from the Bangkok location. However, the Pattaya branch offers a lovely, atmospheric setting in the restaurant’s garden, beautifully decorated with lots of lights. The only downside was that I got bitten quite a bit by flies or mosquitoes.

The gay-oriented beach concessions at Dongtan Beach have been relocated. The area where they were previously situated (past the first set of restrooms) is now closed off for a beach nourishment project—specifically, the pumping of sand onto the shore. The concession operators who cater to the gay community are now located between the police booth and the cordoned-off section near the restrooms; they are, of course, easily identifiable by their rainbow flags. During the three afternoons I spent on the beach, I experienced no noise disturbance from the ongoing work. Although the dredging vessels offshore were clearly busy—I could see sand being pumped from the seabed into the boats—you cannot hear a thing from the beach, provided you sit near the first few concessions, close to the police booth. The actual process of sand being deposited onto the beach was visible, but completely silent. So, it’s perfectly fine. According to one of the concession operators I spoke with, they plan to move back to their original location once the stretch of beach further along has been renovated. 

Also see this thread about this subject:

52 minutes ago, emiel1981 said:

I was pleased to

I was pleased to have been able to catch up with you during your multi-day stay. We had so much to catch up on and many things were percolating during your visit. I wish that I had more energy to hang out more - but that will be for next time.

Enjoy Cambodia and your BKK part II stay.