IтАЩve noticed that some posters have made passing references to recent visits to Phuket, but I was disappointed that no one bothered to post a trip report. So, hereтАЩs a brief up-date from my trip last week.

I last visited Phuket at the height of the peak season at New Year and was quite surprised at the crowds of people and large volume of traffic on the streets then. So returning in May, at the end of the season, I was expecting a big contrast. But I was again surprised that whilst there were fewer numbers around, Patong was still quite busy тАУ busier than previous years I am sure тАУ and there was still a lot of traffic on the roads. There used to be only a few тАШtuk-tuksтАЩ lazily cruising along Thaweewong road in the middle of the day, but the new (permanent?) one-way system now ensures there is a constant flow of traffic everywhere making it hard to cross the roads at anytime.

The weather was quite variable with some heavy showers blowing through (the tail end of cyclone Nargis that caused all the destruction in Burma) but when the sun shone, the beach was quite busy. But the surf and rough sea meant that the jaet sa-kii boys were not doing good business.

The тАШgay-beachтАЩ is still located near the look-out tower, but the redevelopment of the old Patong Beach Bungalows site is nearly complete and the new La Flora Resort is open for business. This place is nothing like the old bungalows it replaces, and with low season rates starting at THB 7,000 rising to 9,800 for the cheapest rooms in the next peak season, itтАЩs aiming at a very different market. I wonder how long it will be before the try to chase the gays away from тАШtheirтАЩ beach in front?

The bars and clubs in the Paradise Complex were all quite busy too with a good crowd of gay farang and Asian visitors in town. My Way was playing to a full house each night (although the crowds were supplemented by a few groups of str8, mostly Asian tourists) The shows were of the same high standard and Khun Bon was there all the time interacting with his performers on stage and being a good host to everyone there.

Tangmo was not so busy and apart from a mild make over for the stage back-drop, the place, like the performers, is looking a little tired. Khunying Tangmo was not around when I was there and the other mamasans were looking as bored as the audience. The boys here are all the younger (but surely 18+) queeny types, compared to the more mixed and macho at My Way.

For me, the best bar currently is the relative new-comer, also managed by Khun Bon, BB Studio. This place, like My Way, is a clean, well decorated and furnished bar, run more like a Bangkok go-go bar, with boys dancing in boxer-briefs earlier in the evening and two shows later, which are тАШall boyтАЩ with not a katoey in sight. The shows are imaginative, with well choreographed dance routines and even тАШsexy-showsтАЩ with near-nudity and simulated sex routines тАУ the real McCoy still not allowed in Phuket. They even have a guy imported from a Bangkok bar that does what they coyly call a 'tomahawk show', who whips out his weapon and shows it off around the audience.

Everywhere else seemed much the same as always. Passport and Mamasan bars each have about 10 boys and anything from 0 to 2 customers at any time. All the restaurant/beer-bar places like Connect, Knuds, James Dean and Maprang all seemed to be doing good business and, as usual, some of the best looking boys in Patong are working/hanging around at these bars. There seemed to by a new open fronted bar next to My Way, called White Lotus (or something like that) тАУ it looked attractive, but I didnтАЩt have the time to visit. Boat Bar and Kiss discos are still popular after the show bars close, and each put on a brief show of their own. Galaxy seems to be the late-late venue of choice for the local boys these days, but I'm not sure Night Station is still around.

So as far as I could see, the season in Phuket is still swinging along, but more monsoons are sure to arrive next month and things will then quieten down until November.

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