Current Thailand Trip- a few updates/reviews.

[newalaan2]

Currently on a Thai trip and have been enjoying the Pattaya/Jomtien 'leg' for a good few days now and managed to find some time to check out the forum.

Generally quiet in Pattaya as all low season periods tend to be, Toyboys/Prisma and cupidol seem to be doing fine despite that. Last trip visited Prisma when it was host/beer bar most days as its a nice location in BT to catch the passing odds & sods of the soi and across from Toyboys always enjoyable. It was kinda odd to go in there this trip as a Gogo bar being old Funny Boys location, but enjoyable time there, some nice looking lads I recognised from other bars and enough customers to make the place look busy. Toyboys was busy on the two occasions I visited with plenty of Asian customers and probably one of the few bars still attracting decent amount of westerners. As with Prisma plenty of nice looking guys here but more non-thais than previously. Cupidol was less busyt than previous trip but still enough good looking twinks to make a visit worthwhile. BzBzBz had the largest contingent of staff with a big percentage of them non-thai. But crowded inside on the night we were there parked outside on the terrace for bfs birthday. Nothing really new to report, big cock show in BzBzBz was on the night we were there.

Low season made worse for Pattaya a few days ago when the new 'big boss' not sure of police/army or local government took office for the first change in about 4 years and immediately set about letting everyone know by declaring a 3am close down. Most of these initial 'big boss' arrivals last a couple nights but the 3am closure has been fairly strict. Even Marine Disco which opens all year round till 6am was shocked to have to comply for a couple nights but its back to normal hours while the rest of Pattaya/Walking St is 3am closing which is pretty useless for what Pattaya is known for. Even the side street karaokes have had to close, so it's looked dead by 3am all over Pattaya.

Sunee as usual for low season looks very quiet. Sad to see Eden Bar close for good 2 nights ago, it's managed to keep going through most of the ups and downs over the years but now for sale with all the furniture already sold to Diamond Bar next door. As far as i'm aware the closure was not really to do with poor trade, more decision taken for personal reasons. Winner Gogo has a few cute lads and drinks are very inexpensive but last night at 11pm I was only the 4th customer of the night, I always try to get round as many of the sunee bars as I can as every baht is needed there. Euro Boy bar usually closes for part of low season so was veru pleased to see it not only open but quite busy, some really nice lads work here manboys/twinks/gay and always great vibe about the place, the boys all like working there and get a generous Bt50 per drink bought for them by customers.

Diamond Bar, Sky bar had customers as did Double Shot on the nights it was open now with Happy Hour specials 5-10.30pm, Leo Bt45, standard spirits I think Bt50, only noticed the poster as I sat there/passed as I never get there before 12am. Nice Boys all man-boys just now and had a few customers when I was in by.

Also (probably too late with info)in town on soi sam just outside sunee/soiVC is festival with food stalls/cothes stalls and Thai Superstar concert nightly since 17th june or so, caught Maleehuana Band last week with their show sponsored by Tam Nan Issan and Chang, with Chang Towers for Bt515, nice outdoor festival feel to concert area, not huge but still enough for atmosphere, cost only bt120 for entry, cant remember how long it goes on this week, but for a it's a great evening out for a change from NAB etc if you take off a boy for a evenings enjoyment, not expensive night can be had. Night we were there arrived 10pm with Superstar on 10.30 to 12.30am.

Above just a quick update while I found time, will update more later inc Jomtien. Typed quickly and on small notebook so a few typo errors I cant be bothered changing.

[Moses]

Thank you for your report :)

[gerefan2]

I don't understand how a new cop in town can tell bars to close at 3 am, or any other time for that matter. Surely they have licences which clearly state opening hours? Like in the U.K.
Unless of course they have been ignoring them all along....TiT

[Moses]

I don't understand how a new cop in town can tell bars to close at 3 am, or any other time for that matter. Surely they have licences which clearly state opening hours? Like in the U.K.
Unless of course they have been ignoring them all along....TiT

It is flexible in fact. As I know general licensing law demand owner to obtain 2 licenses: to sell liqueurs (it allows to sell till midnight) and entertainment license (it allows to work until 1am). But both licenses have exceptions "for designated areas" what may be "designated" by local govt to work longer time.

[arsenal]

Nice report Newalaan. I think with the opening of new Cupidol and now Prisma along with the new cabaret bars we are definitely (hopefully) seeing something of a resurgence in Boyztown.

[pennyboy]

I was in Boyztown recently starting in Oscars for a couple of drinks and some people watching. Fairly quiet but reasonably priced. 360bt for 2 Leos and 2 !00 Pipers. I then went to Prisma for my first time. Perhaps I had a bad seat but a flashing light made it difficult for me to see the dancer's faces clearly. The music was almost too loud but they did play a delightful ditty which had only 2 repeated lines of lyrics,
"Suck My Dick"
"Suck My Mutherfugging Dick"
My whisky soda was 200bt but I think the whisky had been added carefully with a pipette. I will give it a try again another night.
I then went to Cupidol where ,despite the "2 Things in Frocks", the atmosphere was much better than Prisma with a bigger and IMO better selection of boys. My whisky soda was 180bt and a more generous measure of spirit than Prisma.
I then returned to my room to meet a Hornet friend.

[Oliver]

Just back from ten days in Pattaya, I was reassured that there is indeed life in the old girl. I'm always there during this period and so I'm well-used to the vagaries of low -season; accordingly, my expectations were not high. Numbers of falangs were predictably low but there was still a buzz , though it started rather late. The only go- go I visited was Prisma, eager to discover whether the good reports were true...and they were.
I do agree with pennyboy however, that the music chosen is of appalling taste and quality. I'm no fan of "popular"music but once upon a time (in the 90s) I enjoyed some of songs I heard.
As far as I could see from my Ambiance vantage-point, Toyboys had a collection of cute twinks....and that part of the soi was always lively and full of eye-candy.
The host bars were not doing so well this time; Oscars, who always had a few good-looking guys looking for company, seemed to have given -up on hosts and replaced them with a couple of waiters. Even Panorama was quiet.
Ambiance had a decent occupancy-rate during my time there- a lot better than the resort beach-front hotel in Phuket that P. and I stayed in a week before. Of course, it now attracts our straight brethren via Agoda et al.
And just in case, the Boyztown offerings weren't to your taste, hornet had plenty of alternatives, while Planet Romeo has undergone a resurgence since it changed its design.
Overall, both P. and I thought that things were slightly better than this time last year...and the year before.

[Nirish guy]

......360bt for 2 Leos and 2 !00 Pipers.........My whisky soda was 200bt but I think the whisky had been added carefully with a pipette.

Firstly let me say that YES I do understand that my comments to come are more about the strength ( or lack of it ) of the British Pound right now, but the above are two examples of why I just cant be bothered with Thailand in general these days as they think that to give you a beer at well over

[colmx]

Thanks for the Report NewAlaan! And to the other that have also chimed in.

As a fellow night owl have you been to either the new Black Jack club or the club with the big number "8" hanging from the ceiling?
I don't think either of them are gay clubs but I have seen a lot of gay guys posting Live videos from both these venues recently

[Mickp]

I have to agree with you NIrish about prices.
It used to be so cheap once but not anymore,with airfares, accomodation even taking boys including offs etc now is so expensive and for a month visit I spend close to 170,000 Baht incl airfares accomodation etc.
Love to try the Phillipines but I am a bit wary of the reported crime and kidnaps.

[DrewSpz]

Do they have similar areas in the Philippines?

[Mickp]

Apparently yes.

[scottish-guy]

Firstly let me say that YES I do understand that my comments to come are more about the strength ( or lack of it ) of the British Pound right now, but the above are two examples of why I just cant be bothered with Thailand in general these days as they think that to give you a beer at well over

Yeah, NIrish, as I've said - this ^^ is what happens when you type the POUND STERLING sign - you lose everything typed subsequently.

To get round this please do not use the POUND STERLING sign but type Scottish Pounds instead.

Not only will you not lose the rest of your post, you'll give me the very great pleasure of knowing that Arsenal and Frequent will be gnashing their dentures in anger.

Thanks in advance

:D

[Nirish guy]

Ahhhhh yes, of course, that's exactly what happened, I was wondering where the rest of my rant had disappeared too. But glad the gist seems to have gotten across which was even though the pound is shit etc I still get pissed off / resent the blatent gouging that goes on in bars in Thailand where you're given a tiny glass and an even tinier measure of something that's meant to vaguely resemble what you actually asked for and then are asked to pay extra again as it's "imported" ( is it FUCK half times !) as an Irish man there's no quicker way to piss me off and loose my custom than fuck with my drink - and then charge me through the nose for same whilst doing so.

Still as I'm currently sitting at my boarding gate in Birmingham airport on the first leg of my flight to Bangkok ( via Dubai) I guess I'll maybe carry on in the never ending hope that things will have improved, prices will be down, boys will be falling over themselves begging me to take them "for free" and all businesses, realising that business is quiet will have instigated 30% off sales across the range of all their products and services - yeah :-) maybe I'll not hold me hand on my ass on ANY of those things happening, but at least it'll give me something to dream about on the plane after my gin and tonics kick in !

[gerefan2]

Rather than the hard stuff stick with bottled beer and they can't scam your drinks.
It will also reduce your blood pressure (less rants) and maybe preserve your kidneys a little longer!

[arsenal]

NIrish: Stop fucking moaning. As you read this you are in Thailand so...stop fucking moaning and get those boys pants off...geddit...gottit...good. Will we see a touch of the old NIrish magic when he could have a quickie with a boy between courses at dinner? Let's hope so.

Scottish: You can use your beloved Scottish pounds to buy Park Lane, the Old Kent Road or anything else on the Monopoly board which is the value of those strange notes unless backed up by THE BANK OF ENGLAND. Lol.

[scottish-guy]

As I predicted:

gnash, gnash, gnash

[newalaan2]

Bangkok....specifically Silom/Surawong.

Only managed a couple nights in Bkk central. Saturday night Soi Twilight not that busy. As usual the two bars right and left as you enter soi do ok but further in very quiet. Former Solid bar had a few customers but Viet Bar next door was devoid of customers both nights I visited soi, did not see even one customer. Saturday night avoided Classic as the mamasans had taken to join the barkers outside Classic begging....well enough to put me off anyway...so went to Fresh Boys ages since had a visit there. Mistimed by me as the show was in progress, usual boring (for me) stuff shower show, katoey song, big cock show half a dozen 'mature' gents banging their bits on a metal pole...how exciting...Fuck show was conducted as usual 90% in the darkness around the seats begging for tips. Same predictable stuff I'm afraid. About 20 paying customers all Asian bar me. Bt400 for the Saturday night smidgin of vodka smidgin of coke huge amount of ice in small glass. But had some nice looking guys on stage and very keen to try their luck when show was on by sitting near in rotation 'where you from' etc.. and when ignored another just took his place for virtually the whole of the show time. Bill...yes Bt400 my change arrived in folder, of course there were the usual coins, my Bt1,000 payment returned 5 x 10baht coins (really well hidden at the bottom)one Bt50 note and the rest Bt100's, not a 20 baht note in sight.. Only got help with a torch when I asked, I was expected of course to scoop the 5xBt100 notes leave to Bt100 of mush and then distribute the Bt100 notes to those who asked....waiter one asked, some mamas an appearing from nowhere until my folder came back....asked,I gave Bt100 to a cute lad to at least tried with a nice smile. You know it's not about the money when buying a drink or tipping, for me it never has been....it's all about the expectation and others deciding what YOUR money will be spent on.

Usual nice few drinks at Maxxis, Hotmale Bar and Banana Bar...then on to DJ Station. we arrived 12.30am to find a new lay-out. After the left items behind the glass counter as you come in, there is the xray thing...right after this is where you now pay the Bt300-2 drinks for DJ Station...and I assume tickets can be used at all of the bars in the soi now. I didn't check as we just came for DJ. But because no entry as usual at the spot right outside DJ it causes the rear stairway to be much more crowded than usual, because most punters just entered the normal door after paying...but now there is time to think first, and a choice.....so a lot of folks heading to rear stair now, which always used to be quickest and safest way in.

Saturday night the place was absolutely jam packed...never seen it so full, certainly during low season. It seemed all the GOD punters had just been emptied onto the downstairs dancefloor and stage as it was packed with shirtless Asian bodies vying for front row attention...a page right out OF GOD. Rest of the place was just as packed, the area top of the rear stairs where the toilets and bar is was so jam packed it took ages to negotiate it, we were at the point where we just looked at eachother and thought stay or go, but was more difficult to go than climb to top floor where I was triumphant at getting ahead of the crowd to buy our drinks there forgetting the bar up there closed ages ago! so to the toilet, busy..bf wanted cubicle as did couple others, but two persons were already sharing said cubicle, thumps on door and eventually the two appeared to much abuse from the others about why their fucking session took so long! But still got served quickly at the middle floor bar but using that well tried routine of shouting for two Heinekens (an easy drink to dispense while serving others)with Bt20 on top of the vouchers...snatched out of my hand and two Heinekens in their place in 30 seconds to some discontented looks from others daft enough not to use some guile. Great time was had, but still very shocked when lights came on at 2am. That is curfew time at present nobody seems to know what is happening from day to day. But was reliably informed that late night karaokes and small clubs around various Bkk districts are now way back in favour with the late night crowd. Even Patpong was closed by back of 2am, it was actually quite eerie once you got further away from Soi 2 area. Still some underwear stalls on Silom but few compared to previous numbers.

Next night headed to Soi 4 which was pleasantly crowed, packed in fact and a great vibe, lots of younger farang and some females but all enjoying fun...had couple drinks at Connections and Balcony then decided to try NEW Jupitor 2017 GoGo, Bt250 entry with one drink free, some good looking lads but strange format of them going on stage standing in their jeans for a couple of minutes then disappearing, not a lot of time to interact or choose. Anyway that was fine, at 1am (I think)the former ForFun staff took over the stage with singing requests while some of the lads came and went on stage or around the venue. Second drink was offered from 'normal' menu...vodka coke Bt120/Bt140 depending which vodka chosen. I had a Smirnoff Bt140, decent strength and size of glass (compared to Fresh Boys). Bill Bt140 paid with Bt500, fucksake change came back 6 x Bt10 coins and Bt50's and Bt100's. Just gets on my tits that the expectation s to tip at least Bt100 over and above your drink. I mean even if you were the slightest bit boozy you would probably never notice the Bt60 in coins, it was only obvious to me as the bill holder was of such poor quality it felt rather 'heavy'. Gave the coins to the waiter who I knew from ForFun. Anyway apart from that still well worth a visit at Bt250 first drink and normal soi prices for subsequent ones, and the singer had a great voice and did remarkable request renditions.

So nutshell, new DJ entry payment area changed, DJ 2am closing, Jupitor 2017 new agogo? well, boy bar anyway, well worth a visit at Bt250 compared with Soi Twilight minimum Bt400, I reckon the singing bit at 1am or whenever may be to comply with some license or other...and take care with change in bill folder...

[Mickp]

Your right about the tipping !!!
I refuse to tip unless the service was adequate and nor do I tip if the minimum change I got back was either a 50 or 100 baht note in a bar UNLESS I found the service was worth it !

I have to work hard for my money no one gives me tips in my job so why should I give some surly waiter a tip even its 20 baht with not even a thankyou ! Oh its expected dear you say,sorry not this old girl.

Of course I have gave tips of 50 b and 100 b in a bar to the lovely Waiters who are polite :(but Im damn sure im not tipping some waiter who constantly hovers over me checking my glass every minute or so its so annoying.

[frequent]

Your right about the tipping !!! I refuse to tip unless the service was adequate "adequate"?! I only tip if the service was superlative. If it was merely adequate there's no value-add to justify a tip. In restaurants I always examine the bill to see if they've sneaked* a "service charge" on, in which case I never tip, as that's what the mandatory service charge is for

* I was going to use "snuck" but the Forum word police who objected to my using "welsh" rather than "welch" would have again been out in force

[christianpfc]

There was a survey [citation needed] how the tips are distributed among staff, or rather how the collected tips are used, and one place (or rather the owner of the place) uses the collected tips to pay the electricity bill.

One more reason (I don't know where the money is going) for me not to tip. (That can be helped by giving it directly to the staff, so he can keep all of it to himself - but that would be unfair to those who do work in the background, and in a restaurant it's the cooking that is important, serving could be done by a machine).

[aussie_]

I was in DJ Station the previous weekend. It is a huge fire hazard especially when packed on the weekends. If you can get out you would still be trampled in the stampede to escape down the narrow entrance /exit. At 200 am it closed on the Saturday night and there was a mostly orderly exit but still some pushing from people in a rush to get out. If there was a fire at DJ it would almost certainly be a major disaster. I hope it never happens but it is so obvious there are too many people in such a dangerously confined space.

[newalaan2]

There was a survey [citation needed] how the tips are distributed among staff, or rather how the collected tips are used, and one place (or rather the owner of the place) uses the collected tips to pay the electricity bill.

One more reason (I don't know where the money is going) for me not to tip
Yes, but really CPFC you might be talking about one rogue owner amongst dozens, that is more like an excuse not to tip than a genuine reason. I always leave Bt20 in any folder anywhere, it's nothing....so even if the owner does steal it, big deal. But in reality you know and I know the bulk of folder tips are shared between staff. Like you I tend to tip directly to a waiter or staff member who has deserved it for whatever reason, but always leave 'something' in the folder. What irritates about the 'coins' at the bottom of the folder is the intent to mislead you or try to shame you into leaving an excessive over-the-top tip for virtually no service aspect. Agogo.....they take your order and bring it to your table sometimes without a word never mind any other 'service' aspect, yet 'expect' you to leave a tip of minimum Bt60 and try and trick you into leaving even more. If a customer was na

[Marsilius]

If a customer was na

Oh, dear. Can we assume that there is something other than the dreaded pound sterling symbol that causes posts to terminate without warning in mid-flow?

[cdnmatt]

Moses, change the charset of the database tables to UTF-8. Bet that solves it.

Your database tables are probably on the default charset of "latin1", which means they only allow 4 bit characters. The pound sign is an 8 bit character, so need to change to UTF-8 charset to support that. Just one simple SQL statement against each database table should do the trick. :)

[gerefan2]

Agogo.....they take your order and bring it to your table sometimes without a word never mind any other 'service' aspect, yet 'expect' you to leave a tip of minimum Bt60 and try and trick you into leaving even more. If a customer was na

Hang on a sec, what gogo bar expects a 60 Bt tip for bringing you one drink??

Sometimes I would leave that at a restaurant where the waiter has taken my order, delivered my meal, got the sauces, taken away the dirty plates, bought me the check bin, then taken it to the cashier and bought me the chance.

BUT a there's no way a fucking waiter would get that tip for bringing me a glass of bloody water.

[Moses]

Just one simple SQL statement against each database table should do the trick. :)

then half of mods will stop to work and any update will turn sets back or will make mess... thank you... developers know about this bug over 1 year and it is fixed only in v.5.x for now, but we are using 4.x and still waiting for fix...

[newalaan2]

As a fellow night owl have you been to either the new Black Jack club or the club with the big number "8" hanging from the ceiling?
I don't think either of them are gay clubs but I have seen a lot of gay guys posting Live videos from both these venues recently

Sorry Colmx didn't get round as many places as intended....always the same. But what I did not notice was the change in many of the boys attitudes to where they like to enjoy their spare time after work etc.. maybe it was a low-season change or maybe I was influenced by the opinions of our crowd but Walking St was mentioned a lot when suggesting late(r) night fun. Most of the guys still like NAB but it is definitely not the be-all end-all must-go place of previous trips. We too are just as happy nowadays to go to any club/pub/bar we enjoy and a specifically gay connection not now that important.

We did have a few late nights but there was a very wide ranging and mixed consensus about where the best place might be on a specific night. For instance after bfs birthday bash on BzBzBz terrace there were a lot of suggestions on where to go....maybe because that stage of the bash was to be a shared bill effort with neither me or bf allowed to contribute as a present to bf from friends...so maybe more wanted their 'say', but this was nearing 1am when a 3m curfew was possible so NAB was dropped right down the list in favour of Walking St as we were close to there...so that was first consideration agreed on...then where...Stonehouse, Insomnia, 808 club (possibly where the 8 hangs down from the roof colmx was talking about?) Walking St Pub, AZab, Stonehouse 2 (Soi16Pub)and others all quickly discussed but Marine Disco was favoured because all wanted another bottle aand it was expected Marine would be open long enough to make that worthwhile (5am?). So that's where we headed, put 3 tables together and had a great time....but a shock came here to as Marine Disco on this night did not avoid the 3.30am curfew (this was couple of weeks ago 23rd last month). Also more gay lads are going to Marine for late night fun, there is a gay boy area, Katoey-ladyboy area and the rest straight. Some are just happy to go somewhere close to BoyzT, Sunee which stays open late 5-6am.

A note on changing attitudes...years ago it was the 'norm' for westerners/farangs like myself, colmx, martin etc to head to the current fad disco of the day (until shunned the fickle gay crowd for the next one) and there was always quite a few farangs in the clubs, but now those set ups are less common, even few and far between in low season, and while boys still love their late night fun after work or if not offed now mainly have to pay for it themselves, and so the share aspect kicks in or the buy a SanMig BacBreez and make last while the dance the night away in some Walking St club. If they go for the boozy night with a bottle NAB is simply too expensive as an initial set is Bt2000 to start, so Tam Nan Issan and the likes are essential where a bttle is Bt1000 and mixers 3 for Bt100 easily shared, even a bottle at Stonehouse is too expensive for Thai lads, whisky bottle is a 'reasonable' Bt1200 for 70cl but the mixers are Bt90 each! so outside even a shared bill limit. Marine Disco is a good example where bar boys can enjoy late night fun at not too expensive cost as Marine has a double pricing system which is vital to bring in enough Thais for the farang/foreign customers. Thais get a beer in Marine for Bt120, foreigners pay Bt170. If a Thai is with a foreigner and pays the bill the higher price is obviously demanded.

We did visit Insomnia, 808(pet-soon-pet)drank beers there, they have Bt30 frozen shots at Insomnia the Thais seem to love, but the boom-boom dance beats and rap-crap do my head in after about an hour of the repetition as it's just too loud to have a laugh or a conversation of any kind, so I much prefer the likes of Stonehouse which is more like the old version of Hollywood with Live Band playing mix of western, Thai rock-pop, decent dance music for the DJ section. Current trip we came across what is referred to as Stonehouse 2, really Soi16 Pub at the far end of Walking St past Tonys towards the Indian, Arab end of Walking St, it's an expensively laid out bar with very high ceiling, everything brand new, two floors with toilets, snooker, relaxing area upper level and big stage and sound system on lower flor. House band(s) is/are excellent musicians/vocalists and can turn their hand to just about any request western/dance/Thai. While not cheap, they do have specials most nights Bt90 for beers, or 3 for 2 on bottles beers/bac breezers etc... as it's still getting off the ground with sometimes 30 customers in this huge place and 15 waiters to serve. I dropped in by a few nights here on way to elsewhere in Walking St and had a great time. Even couple games of pool upstairs overlooking the main area.

Couple nights in Tam Nan Issan were usual top fun. Tons of guys arriving after 1am from the bars all out for maximum fun. No low-season at Tam Nan Issan! Went to huge Morlam on Xyte old place Sai Sam on 30th, Bt140 entry sponsored by Leo so small Leos Bt50 and large bottles poured into plastic cups Bt100. At least half the massive crowd was gay/femme/katoey, was there for two hours with a friend and was approached multiple times for 'cheers' and not many foreigners there. Toilets are usually, from what I remember, outside the Morlam area but there were decent toilets (Bt5) in the arena this time. If your really want to see how much fun half a dozen gay lads together can squeeze out of 2 hours then a Morlam Night is a must.

So many bar boys/gay boys not too bothered about not hitting NAB and are happy with Walking St, Tam Nan Issan, and other smaller venues which have popped up in Soi Korpai, North Pattaya etc...

[colmx]

Thanks for the update NewAlaan - 7 weeks until my next trip... so not long to go!
We tried a few of the places on Walking st during our last trip at Songkran, we like to east at sunset in Pattaya Beer Garden, so often pop in to Zaab cafe or stonehouse for a few starter drinks.... But it seems we always ended up in Hollywood, NAB, Tum Nan Chon or Tum Nan Issan in the end.

Actually probably ended up in TNC more than anywhere else last trip... its a real hit and miss. if you have the right crowd and table it can be fantastic.... Bad table usually means crappy night!

Speaking of the "olden" days... Myself and BF loved Heart of Darkness in Phnom Penh when we went back in Jan, it reminded us of the much missed x-ray with the friendly crowd and waiters... Liked it so much that we have decided to go back to PP again on this trip!
Had some issues there with an ignorant drunk farang, but $5 bought us a private bouncer for the night to keep him at bay! Kinda like the wild west!

[colmx]

So many bar boys/gay boys not too bothered about not hitting NAB and are happy with Walking St, Tam Nan Issan, and other smaller venues which have popped up in Soi Korpai, North Pattaya etc...
Like you say, I have noticed on FB that they go to NAB when there is a sponsor.... but tend to hit walking when they are trying to have a night on the cheap!

[Mickp]

Wow Colmx what happened with the drunk farang?
No doubt about it you certainly get around,3 trips this year to Thailand this year already you make so jealous !

[FarangRuMak]

D J Station.
I have always been scared in this upstairs, packed venue.
The place would have to burned down first and we with it, (like a medieval pile of faggots)and then perhaps an escape strategy would be conscieved for it's replacement.

[Tintin]

If there was a fire at DJ it would almost certainly be a major disaster. I hope it never happens but it is so obvious there are too many people in such a dangerously confined space.

I still enjoy my visits at DJ Station, but the question is not IF there will be a fire there or not, but WHEN it will be.

[newalaan2]

D J Station.
I have always been scared in this upstairs, packed venue.
The place would have to burned down first and we with it, (like a medieval pile of faggots)and then perhaps an escape strategy would be conscieved for it's replacement.

Totally agree. It's the first time for years I've visited DJ and it has been anywhere near full. We really didn't realise just how packed it was until we reached to top of the rear stairs I was perfectly ready for an about turn but bf was at front and had soldiered on further in to the crowd, we did have that few seconds look at each other which said 'go back?' but we kept going and it was a bit concerning to be honest. Booze won the 'throw caution to the wind' feeling.....

Even in February/March on our last visit the place was all but deserted and had the 2nd floor beside the aircon overlooking the dance floor to ourselves, we don't really like it busy when we are there together and not looking to hook up so the quieter the better. Wouldn't do that again. I assume the GOD closure had a lot to do with how busy it was the night we were there. On the second floor when not busy it's an easy quick exit down the rear stairs, but not now, the lay out is different because of the entrance change now. Add-in the effect of alchohol to the packed element and if there had been any kind of emergency he night we were there it would definitely resulted in multiple casualties.

[newalaan2]

7 weeks until my next trip... so not long to go! Speaking of the "olden" days... Myself and BF loved Heart of Darkness in Phnom Penh when we went back in Jan, it reminded us of the much missed x-ray with the friendly crowd and waiters... Liked it so much that we have decided to go back to PP again on this trip!
Yes I loved Maya and then x-ray for exactly the same reasons. Mentioning PP with the same sentence as x-ray means we would probably enjoy PP. Next trip in Sept/Oct we want a change for a few days so have decided on Phuket, thinking about C&N hotel, is that one you've recommended in the past? But would love to try PP. Look forward to any updated info on PP after your visit if you can.

SUNEE ROLL-CALL.
A while since I did a decent trip report and if I did one for June 2016 it was/would have probably been along the lines of sunee had reached a new low of low season, well on this visit it certainly was the quietest I've ever experienced. The last Sunday I was there was a new low, with EDEN BAR closed for good, and RAINBOW BAR closed for 4 weeks (first time I've seen that) along with DOUBLE SHOT sunday closure it was a very sad scene indeed.

Sad but not dead. Still enough bars open for a very worthwhile visit! From the first soi, FOREST Bar open all hours as usual with regular/loyal customers, OUDS CAFE too always open, with customers most nights, had nice toasted sandwich with salad and fries here as well as nice coffee, with Oud and Gai as always funny and entertaining and full of information about local goings-on, then nothing until TING TONG RED, which on this trip was very quiet indeed, previous trips it was the shining light of the soi, but now no weekly shows and most nights very few customers and boys, but on saying that they are expanding during low season to open more rooms and restaurant. Then on up to DIAMOND BAR, again usually always open, always 5-6 boys there with a couple of cuties, and game of pool here always fun. EDEN closed as I said, then EURO BOYS, probably the busiest and most fun of all the sunee bars, for me anyway. Very busy some nights, usually it actually closes for low season so was delighted to see it not only open but very busy. Boys here mostly freelance and so can have 10 boys some nights, 5-6 other nights, but some lovely cute lads here, mix of Thai and Cambod boys but Cambod boys good English with clearer pronunciation, to my ears anyway, due to their ability to roll their R's. Boss here great, creates a good vibe, lots of laughs and fun here very visit. Further up is WINNER Gogo, again was very quiet when I visited, had 10 boys on the nights, but few customers which puzzling considering the ridiculously low drink costs and the cuteness of 3-4 of the boys, boys actually dancing on stage even if only 2-3 customers and very keen to interact with punters. EROS open but didn't visit.

Down the other side, RAINBOW BAR was open first few nights then closed for 4 weeks, great place just to sit and relax early evening with Winner Gogo opposite. GREEN CHAIRS bar always open and on some nights there were quite a few customers in addition to the man-boys playing 'snooker'. Round to BLUE CHILLI and usually quiet but occasional nights full house out front. ONE BAR next with usual regulars, then GOOD BOYS, never been in as the boys not my type, but there were about 10 boys outside every time I passed always asking passing customers to visit and always at least one or two customers back there in the shadows. Across the now very dark and depressing soi is the bright red light of SKY BAR they do get a good crowd some nights and I popped in most nights as host Alain is very welcoming as are his boys, also quick game of pool here too. Finally DOUBLE SHOT, packed full of man-boys every night except Sunday closing, owner very polite attracting some well-healed customers not scared to ring the bell despite 15 working boys as well as customers. Even though mostly not my type the guys here are great laugh and good fun, straight maybe but not adverse to hugs and kisses after couple beers.

Final two agogo bars NICE BOYS, Beer always tries to get some good looking lads, very playful and fun, some nights have a good few customers who seem to like a good time with generous tips and drinks going around. POWER BOYS open, but didn't go in this visit. Arab Disco LASER DISCO seemed as busy as ever from 1am, went there last visit for a great night, but didn't bother this time round.

JOMTIEN COMPLEX.
Still love visiting this place. The sheer amount of available boys on one strip of bars is incredible. Many punters complain and find the same format at about every bar boring. Not me! I have absolutely nothing like this back home so just the act of being able to go out on an evening in shirt sleeves on a balmy/warm night and enjoy the company of any amount of cute, keen lovely thai/Cambod/Loas boys any night of the week still beats anything. Being able to relax in a setting with no attitude, the occasional beer bar show, a professional dance show at the Venue and good vibe could for me never be boring. I know some complain about boys sitting outside and seeming to lose interest once you are in, but I find chatting as you arrive there is always someone willing to sit with oyu, and if you do call anyone over they are there in a flash. Sometimes customers want to be left alone to choose for themselves if they want company and the boys respect that. The first 2-3 drinks I often like to catch up with sms's, missed calls, calls and thoughts for the nights plans, but as I say if you ask a boy over for a drink they are very very keen to oblige.

The other Jomtien bars like Mixer, Tommys and Festival are nice bars too with very friendly lads, love sitting at Festival Bar outside late afternoon with the lovely breeze which often blows down that soi they have nice coffee too, relaxing with cool beer or glass of wine...long way from home......great!

ACCOMMODATION/FOOD.
Stayed at Mosaik as usual for most of the Pattaya part of the trip, and probably repeating myself from previous posts but still high standards here with new furniture, bed and mattress still as good as the day they were installed. Bf likes to cook, so received cooking hot plate, utensils, microwave on request. Didn't really know who my Mosaik neighbours were in terms of nationality as one never seems to bump into anyone in the block, I use stairs not lift, so maybe miss them this way. We didn't take Vigo pick-up to pattay this time so no parking issues. Stayed again for few nights at East-Suites for Jomtien part at the start of trip, and again consistently high standards in the huge immaculate room.

Because bf likes to cook we tend to eat Thai In Pattaya as well as Issan. With such a wide range of food types while it never gets boring, I do have cravings for western food in between. Deli Diner next to Petite Planet filled this gap with ease. There are a few small restaurants along this soi near Tuk Com, with little to choose between them both in price and quality. Stayed with Deli Diner as it covered everything I needed. Lovely strong Americano coffees, which I had virtually every day, and the food I ate here was excellent. I'm not that bothered about price, i'll happily pay well for tasty food, but DeliDiner is very reasonable. In fact their breakfast is ridiculously under-priced, i'm sure it used to be Bt129, bit now Bt99 for 2 eggs, 2 back bacon, 2 (british style) sausages, fried potatos, mushrooms, tomato and beans if you wanted, with 2 toast and coffee, although I always paid more for fresh made Americano rather than the free filter, all delicious and FAR too much, I left way more than was polite but I just didn't expect the platter to be so big. Much better here is the option to choose individual items, 2 poach eggs with 3 lean back bacon and toast Bt60, add Americano for total Bt110, ridiculous. I also shun the 'special' 3 course menus as they are just too much for me at one sitting, so prefer choosing from main menu, pork medallions/mash/crisp veg Bt129, a steal with coffee/drink Bt200. Bf also ate here with me and had spicy/hot seafood dishes which he said were excellent too! high praise indeed from an Issan food addict. So handy being just along from Mosaik and with a massage shop next door and one right across the soi plenty of lads chatting, as well as many cute lads passing to go to Tuk Com. Great passing traffic (though not the fucking cars and motocys).

Again done in a bit of a hurry before I forget.....not proof read.

[Mickp]

Great report,I forgot that Ting Tong Red has rooms, good to hear their expanding.

cant wait until I arrive in a few weeks.:yahoo_mini:

[arsenal]

Great Report Newalaan2.

[a447]

Good to hear that Sunee is alive and kicking, even if with only one leg.

[colmx]

Yes I loved Maya and then x-ray for exactly the same reasons. Mentioning PP with the same sentence as x-ray means we would probably enjoy PP. Next trip in Sept/Oct we want a change for a few days so have decided on Phuket, thinking about C&N hotel, is that one you've recommended in the past? But would love to try PP. Look forward to any updated info on PP after your visit if you can.

Yes the C&N Hotel is where we usually stay in Patong, its quite old but has some very nicely refurbished rooms (they call the new rooms "studios" on most booking sites)
Make sure its the Hotel and not the Resort that you book, the Hotel is the one nestled half way between Paradise complex and Jungceylon Center.

As for PP and Heart of Darkness being the new X-Ray, I will report on that once we get back, it may be that we hate it this time around and never want to go back!

[newalaan2]

Make sure its the Hotel and not the Resort that you book, the Hotel is the one nestled half way between Paradise complex and Jungceylon Center.
Yep that's the one we've booked, thanks for the heads up on the Resort, didn't realise there were two C&N's. It's also handy, as we'll be renting a car from NineCarRent, that it has parking facilities something difficult to find around patong close to Paradise Complex. Any other recent-ish Patong info?

[arsenal]

I'm assuming they still have the parasailing going on Patong Beach. Spend an hour or two watching the humungous sized farang being dragged down the beach and into the air. It shouldn't be funny but it is.

[Smiles]

I'm assuming they still have the parasailing going on Patong Beach. Spend an hour or two watching the humungous sized farang being dragged down the beach and into the air. It shouldn't be funny but it is.
What? No YouTube link?

[Moses]

What? No YouTube link?


https://youtu.be/ILnKGAERaAo

[christianpfc]

Any other recent-ish Patong info?
http://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2016/12/phuket-patong-29nov2016.html

[newalaan2]

http://christianpfc.blogspot.com/2016/12/phuket-patong-29nov2016.html
Thanks for that, only occasionally dip into your blog, but when I do there's lots of great detailed info. We have differing needs/requirements/likes/dislikes regarding Thailand so while much of it doesn't apply to me there is still plenty which does interest me.

At one time there were so many members on this and other gay forums who, like myself, visited Patong/Phuket regularly, and offered up trip reports but now very few and far between. I used to visit twice a year every year at the start of trips, now I just stay in Jomtien for a change at the start of a trip. Looking back I see it's 3 years since I last visited. Since I'm with bf i'm not bothered about actually staying in the Paradise Complex as I/we usually do, so trying C&N Hotel along the road from the complex, VIP room there with low season promotion just over Bt1,000 a night, free one way transfer from airport included, as is breakfast (7-10am?...can't see me taking advantage of that!) also has parking facilities which is a blessing as we will hire a car and from experience getting parking near/in Paradise Complex very expensive and difficult to find free spaces. Not concerned about monsoon weather at that time of year (Sept/Oct)as I've experienced that many times in Phuket over the years and doesn't affect the enjoyment for me.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE BKK AIRPORT- PATTAYA.
What I did forget to include in the trip report was money exchange experiences. On this trip I actually found the best exchange at Suvarabhumi airport on lowest floor where the access to BTS is. There was a Q of about 20 Chinese tourists at Superrich who were offering Bt43.25 per GBP, which after some quick online research on the internet, the day before and the day of arrival found to be the best I had seen. But just around the corner from Superrich (there are about 6 different exchange booths in the same location) was Value+ the exchange I used on my previous trip. They had no customers Q-ing and their rate was very slightly better at Bt43.35. I exchanged 4,000GBP here two lots of 2,000GBP as they ran out of Bt1,000 notes, and I had to do it in two separate transactions for some reason.

At one time T.T. exchange in Pattaya were far and away the best rates in Thailand, but since they opened so many branches around Pattaya, some directly across the street from other's their rate barely matches the best available. So the other exchange I did in Pattaya was done at the Chinese exchange outside of Friendship Supermarket, they are open to negotiate a bit better rate for over 1,000GBP especially if GBP notes are new/mint. The night I needed to exchange more further into the trip in Pattaya this small booth closed at 9pm, but there was a note which said to go to Friendship Supermarket next door if urgent exchange was required. The 'boss' came down to see to me, gave me a slightly better than advertised rate, all transacted in one of the backroom offices in Friendship shop. They had the money counter machine there and were very helpful.

[frequent]

Thanks for that, only occasionally dip into your blog, but when I do there's lots of great detailed info.Whenever I read it, the thing seems a sorry saga of failures with boys or boys who are failures

[scottish-guy]

An accurate reflection of gay sex adventures then - rather than the ridiculously embellished accounts we read from people who IMHO can only possibly be total fantasists