life post gogo bars...

[bkkguy]

That is a really impressive map. Would be great if someone would walk around the complex with a camera to give a visual overview.

Google Street View at your service!

[vnman]

vnman - that would be the icing on the cake. They would also need to add at least one place to dance - as their business model of:

"falang sits down and drinks" gets boring real fast - it is too static and is not conducive to producing energetic fun.

often when I go to JC, I intentionally stand at whatever bar I go to. It makes the waiters and mamasans crazy. They say, please, falang sits.
I respond why? it is so boring. I want to stand like you are allowed to stand. They just don't get it....

I agree! The table system they have in many Asian countries is not for me either. I rather walk around with a drink in my hand.

Also, alcohol works differently on me when I move around instead of being stationary.

[vnman]

Google Street View at your service!

Not very useful, being that Street View updates once every 2 to 3 years if you are lucky.

[Daveuk]

Others complain that all the boys are gay and fem and twinks?

Dodger wrote,

Music...dancing...a few gogo's...more sleaze....and last but not least, a better supply of HOT BOYS. I counted "1" boy in the video that I thought was cute. The rest were unappealing to me and appeared to be well over-the-hill for the working scene. The punters appeared to be waiting in queue for the Bingo game to start.

Dodger wants more action, music, dancing, sleaze and go-go bars.The Complex is so aloud in music that you can't even have a conversation; lots of dancing in Venue and M2M bar; plenty of massage shops; for sleaze that ended with Eros and Good Boys in Sunee. As for go go bars they are not permitted!

And, where go go bars are allowed such as Boyztown and Sunee they are basically empty except for BBB which is a boy bar designed for Asian ladies.

I believe Jomtien Complex is as good as it gets these days with something for mostly everybody.

I was in Pattaya in early July, which was at the end of the Covid restrictions. I wasn’t expecting much action in the 3 gay areas BT, Sunee and the Complex and that turned out to be the case. However I made the best of the situation offing 2 boys from Winner and also visiting the rather quiet Complex where there were a few cute twinks one of which I offed for two nights. I also searched Grindr and Romeo and had 1 boy from each.

I was expecting things to have picked up by now as im contemplating another trip in Early December, but it sounds like the Gogo scene is virtually dead and that for gay action it’s got to be Jomtien Complex and I take note of Dodgers opinion. Pity because I remember the vibrant Gogo scene when I first visited Pattaya 20 years ago when there must have been more than 30 gogos across BB and Sunee.
What’s the situation at the Dongtan Beach is there still a gay section or has that died as well ?

[bkkmfj2648]

What’s the situation at the Dongtan Beach is there still a gay section or has that died as well ?

I usually go to the gay Dongtan Beach once a week. It is still live - but not packed. There are single guys parsed around and then there are clusters of guys together. I have noticed that some of these clusters are the young Russians who are now here in vacation.

Ironically, on 2 separate occasions, I was to meet visiting gay tourists who told me to come join them at the gay beach and they were not officially at the part of Dongtan Beach where the gay rainbow flags are. If you are walking from the 7-Eleven - Pirate Bay and heading towards the gay beach - around the restrooms - there are some cute hawkers who call you to go to their beach - which is prior to arriving at the gay rainbow flag part of the beach. When I asked these 2 visitors why they were not at the official gay beach they responded to me - but look at this sexy cute guy who is our waiter - isn't this gay enough? My hunch was that these cute hawkers were straight.

So, the gay rainbow flagged beach could have even more guys - but they are getting seduced by the cute waiters at the beaches that are prior to arriving at the official gay beach.

[vnman]

This video shows a bit more of the complex.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6rud0QVnqA

[Daveuk]

That video shows the Complex (or as it is now named “Supertown” ) in early evening before the nightlife commenced. The addition of the roof during Covid is a major improvement and contributes to its takeover from BT as the prime area for gay life in Pattaya/Jomtien. I’ve seen another YouTube video showing the recent hallowe’en party later in the evening when things were really humming with many of the boys in scary costumes.
The takeover by the Complex wouid be complete if boy gogos were allowed there. Their absence has been discussed many times on gay boards.

[francois]

Friends were at Jomtien Complex last night, Nov. 8, and reported a very active and lively scene.

[bkkmfj2648]

Friends were at Jomtien Complex last night, Nov. 8, and reported a very active and lively scene.

I can second that. I was there last night and it was heaving.

After drinking some beers at The Meeting Place in the Supertown complex - with my 2 Thai friends we bought our 3 lovely Loy Kathongs - from a lovely friend of theirs who drove down from Isaan to make 61 of them by hand. Quite a talented guy.

We then ventured over to the beach and it was totally packed and truly in a BIG festive mood.
There were plenty of those illegal flying lanterns illuminating the entire sky (I am happy to report that none of them set the condo building where I live on fire, or the nearby beautiful palm trees at the Dongtan gay beach). There were also many fireworks going off and thousands upon thousands of Loy Krathong floaties that were launched into the sea.

This was my first Loy Krathong as a new retiree living here - so I was one of those thousands, with my two Thai friends, who helped me to launch my Loy Krathong into the sea -->> BUT - we had to first follow the correct Thai ritual of:

1.) cut a piece of your hair and place it into the Loy Krathong flower piece made of banana,

2.) insert some loose coins into your Loy Krathong,

3.) light the candle that is in the center of the flowers,

4.) light the incense sticks that are also in the center of the flowers,

5.) say a prayer before launching your Loy Krathong into the water (expressing what you are happy to be relieved of - negative things - and what positive things you want to come into your life).

Then you are ready to go.

I was not dressed properly, so I had to take my shoes and socks off, and because of the shorts that I was wearing, I could not get out far enough into the water to properly launch my Loy Kratong for enough distance that it would not be washed back ashore (bad luck). There were some kids out in the water and after we launched our 3 Loy Krathongs (see below photo), they approached ours and pushed them further out to sea - and I was SO happy about that - but there was a hidden service charge - they quickly removed all of the loose coins that we had placed in our respective Loy Krathong's (see step 2 above). I became upset, but my 2 Thai friends said to me, "stay calm - these kids are very poor and they deserve what they took and you should know that it does not invalidate the above 5 steps - so our good wishes will still come to us."

I am a new retiree here - so I need to learn so much about the Thai Buddhist ways - sabai sabai....

But, for my year 2023 Loy Krathong - I will be much better prepared.

Our_3_Loy_Krathongs_2022_Jomtien.jpg

[Oliver2]

Thanks; a delightful report. I've only once been in Pattaya for Loy Khratong but recall it being an enjoyable experience....far, far better than Songkran! Sadly, I'll miss the Chiang Mai celebrations by just a few days. I'd have loved to see the krathongs on the Old Coat moat.

I particularly enjoyed the anecdote about those entrepreneurial children making a little cash. Good for them!