You still think Thailand is a gay paradise?

[Armando]

Maybe Thailand isn't currently the gay paradise as it used to be, but for gay holiday makers if there is somewhere better than Thailand to go these days, where would that be?

That really seems to be a comment from someone who has not travelled much in search of other places which could also be called a gay paradise. What about the South American cities which many rave about? Closer to Thailand, what about Tokyo? What about Taipei? What about some of the islands in the Philippines? If you know where to go, the gay tourist can have a great time. There are certainly loads of willing local guys.

What about Singapore? This may seem an odd choice given the colonial A377 article in the criminal code. But the government has said it will not use it and seems to have stuck to its word. There are still gay bars, gay saunas, great cruising and a lot more - although obviously pricier than Thailand.

The main difference between these places and Thailand seems to be a lack of gay gogo bars. But then we have no idea for how much longer these bars are likely to operate. Hopefully many more years, but we have seen how so much of the gay scene has gone way downhill in the last decade or even more. The gay scene in Chiang Mai is a mere shadow of its former self. Phuket is worse. Unless you stick to Bangkok and Pattaya you are certainly not in any form of gay paradise. Even in Bangkok quite a few central saunas and massage spas have closed for good, including the much missed Babylon. So gay tourists have to travel further out to find the smorgasbord of gay activities in which they could previously indulge in the city centre.