Pattaya routine ... I like !

As soon as I arrived in Pattaya, I found myself embracing the daily routine : lazying two hours at the hotel roofpool, then having a nice 150 THB all-you-can-eat breakfeast at Apex Hotel (Mike Shopping Mall area) followed by sitting for 4/5 hours at Dong Tan beach : as a mountain boy I am never tired of gazing at the sea view. Coming back to my room, I would usually do some shopping or read magazines on my phone.

Another day in Pattaya

Only from 6,00 pm would the sechedule vary a little, with visits to different restaurants depending on the mood of the day : alone, I prefer to go to Kiss Restaurant or Salt and Pepper where lonely farangs are the norm, while I would treat my boy du jour to Oh-Aharn ; there I was surprised to find empty seats much more easily than before, even at peak hour.

In the evening, we are still spoilt for choice in Pattaya from massage shops to open-air bars and gogo-shows, but I did not visit a lot. I gave a second chance to Nice Boys but to no avail, and I just realise now that I did not enter any Boyztown bar, doing little more than a quick stroll in the area. I gave Sunee Plaza a short visit, as I had been lured into an almost desert The One Bar by a nice face - who disappeared as soon as I sat down ! Finally Jomtian Complex was once again the place to be, with BC Bar and @Home being the most welcoming. Some more remote places could give interesting results with some luck and some patience, like the new Akha Bar which just opened between Zing and Agate hotels ; a pity the boys there seemed more interested in chatting together than welcoming cuistomers, so that I will never know if they really are hilltribe Akha boys - not that it would matter !

I had two great massages in 41 Massage (former Somjit, near Tuk.Com) with very handsome young guys from Nong Khai ... nice experiences which make me more and more attracted to massage shops for meeting boys, especially as the queue system is now mostly a thing of the past. Compared with the bars, massage shops avoid all the trouble with drinks, mamasan, off, sleeping with a complete stranger and so on, and there are a lot of gems to be found.

Labanoon concert

Finally, I made my yearly pilgrimage to The Venue for their show, as well-done as ever. And above all I had the pleasure to make a dream come true : attending a live Labanoon concert. I am a fan of this group from southern Thailand and love their music more than any other thai artist (look thung artists apart). They came to Pattaya for Loy Krathong and I did not miss the chance, along with a cambodian boy who is a fan too. Despite a long wait, a huge crowd (99 % thai) took part and a great time was had by all.

Now back to Bangkok for two days (and one night !) before the unavoidable flight back home, where the daily routine will be MUCH more boring than in Pattaya !

Misfortunes and second thoughts

There had been this bad fall last year when visiting the Saranrom area ... and this year a pain (which passed quickly) in my foot when staying in Salaya, probably due to too many beers in Hua Hin. At the time, I was beginning mulling over the appropriateness to visit Thailand again, as a trip without beer could be quite boring and not really worth the effort and the money.

And here I was at 4,30 in the morning in my Jomthian hotel room, desperately trying to evacuate all the liquid (Red, soda, Coke, thank you !) I had taken during a long night in Tamnan Chon with three cambodian young men ... The night had been great, but ended in the Pattaya Memorial Hospital emergency service where a very efficient staff took good care of me. Some visits and medication later, everything is OK now but I must confess that my brain has been thinking hard for the three days I had to haul around a not so discreet medical device : should I come back to Thailand again ? Would'not I be better at home skipping the long flight and taking good care of my mother ?

I had scheduled only two days in Jomthian and planned to go back to Bangkok for some days, as well as a short trip to Udon and Nong Bua Lamphu ..; finally I cancelled everything and am now staying in my usual South Pattaya hotel : closer to the Hospital where I have to meet the doctor once again, and to the many facilities that I miss when staying in Jomthian : cheap laundry, eateries of all kinds, markets, commercial centers and so on.

Pattaya seems to be much quieter than usual, although Soi Buakhao is still brimming with girlie bars and massage shops, and the usual bunch of farangs going along with them. I cannot say the same about Sunee Plaza where for the first time in my life I could feel the sad demise of this place where I have had so many great times before. The closing of Sky Bar, the quite ordinary selection of boys in Nice Bar, and these dark and desert sois, were now too hard to bear. As for Jomtian beach, it also seemed very quiet to me, at least in my concession which is a little farther than the most attended ones.

Finally I made up with Pattaya in a dark corner of Day&Night area where I was walking glancing at the boys on offer in front of the massage shops. Win, a 19/y old from Khorat had ventured out of his place to improve his chances of hitting on a customer and accosted me .. bingo ! he was exactly the kind of boy I was looking for : eager, dark-skinned and available. Massage was OK and the boy was not shy and ready for everything. One hour later I was already thinking of my next trip to Thailand !

Pattaya routine

A routine is a sequence of actions regularly followed .. this does not mean it has to be boring. And God it is not boring at all staying in Pattaya on 12 consecutive days, which had not happened to me since seven years. In fact here I was in the morning shaving and telling myself : "It is so nice to be here" ... exactly the same words as those I utter when shaving in Bangkok or Lamphun or everywhere else in the area !

So the routine in Pattaya has mostly been : morning sunbathing at the hotel roof pool, breakfast at noon, and then going to Jomthian Beach to watch the world go by. As for evenings, I stuck mostly to "Salt and Pepper" for dinner, where the food is consistently tasty (although not spectacular) and cheap, and the atmosphere quiet and easy-going. After this comes the highlight of the day : visits to the bars in Sunee Plaza, Boyztown or Jomtien. Quite usual schedule for most of us I guess, which of course can vary a lot depending on the weather and the mood ..

I found Pattaya much nicer than last March, mostly because of a much lighter traffic and generally less people on the streets. Some nice weather at least during the first days was a big plus, and then more rain meant I could rest in the room. Or receive once again this enchanting Saek from Udon Thani (see post above in June) ... BTW he is OK that I give his Facebook to interested men, but he will not accept anyone and wants someone who can speak enough thai ; please PM for more.

What I liked less was the further tightening of the rules at the beach : the powers-that-be have still increased the free area, so that chair concessions have to even more squeeze the customers ; I wonder how this will look like during high season when you will not have any space if only to lay your things. Worrying, as let's face it : what to do in Pattaya in the afternoon if there is no more fun going to the beach ?

Afternoon routine in Pattaya : Jomthian gay beach

I spent again many days with my young sex-driven friend who now does not want to be called "Noo" any more ; two or three days with him are enough to let me exhausted and wanting some quietness, only to crave for new encounters after three or four days alone. I made the mandatory trip to Ko Larn with him, which was a little disappointing due to chinese tour groups having now discovered Thian Beach, a rather quiet place until now. I am absolutely sure that the decreasing numbers of farang visiting Pattaya has a lot to do with these noisy visitors, who have destroyed what remained of the quietness we could still enjoy before this plague. And the few cuties in the group did not make up for the nuisance for sure !

"Noo" also tried to work in the Jomtien Complex bars. He had an "off" on the first day (by a man who takes any new boy turning up in the Complex) and on the second day he had taken care of another farang until 6.am in another bar, without any "tip" from the guy. He will not repeat the experience and is now looking for another job.

When on my own, I did not visit many gogo-bars ; "Nice Boys" was of course on my list, as well as Winner (too many fem boys for me, but a great atmosphere), Power Boys (limited choice), Cupidol (pleasant atmosphere) and Kawai where I would have happily taken a dark-skinned tall boy (n° 11) back home, had I not already been the victim of "Noo"'s appetite in the morning.

For the first time since very long ago, I left a bar without leaving any tip in the folder. In one of the few beer bars in Soi Sunee, two cuties had appeared but never showed any interest despite my insistent looks. And for good reason : they were chatting with the two other boys, turning their backs and never looking at me. But when another customer showed up, they were all over him within one minute ... I did not finish my Chang beer and immediately left in a huff. Message received, boys ?

But be sure I will come back to Pattaya !

Spoilt but not hellish .. yet !

Better late than never, so I thought I could write about the end of my last stay in Thailand. I guess I did not before because I had rather mixed feelings about it : my usual ten days in Pattaya were great but too many little things did annoy me.

I can stand too much traffic, I can understand that there are too many tourists as I am not more than one of them. What is now harder to accept is the general degradation of the overall atmosphere, mainly because of the changes in the customer base. Noisy russians with no consideration to people around them, rowdy arabs or whatever speeding on their bikes with no respect for everyone, groups of tourists jostling their way on narrow pavements, these are more and more obvious little events that make a former paradise looking more and more like hell. Not that I have something against russians or chinese people, but have everything against lack of respect and impolite behaviour.

The worst happened when I was quietly sitting with Noo at Oh Aharn restaurant : suddenly an extended family of young french-speaking arabs came and sat near our table, and began to speak loudly. Sure one of them was a real cutie but what they spoke about sounded more like stories of trafficking and cheating, with the usual shoutings. We went to sit at a quieter table but once again a place that was an oasis seemed spoilt for ever (I know some will wrongly call me a racist but I could not care less).

I had finally four nights on my own in Pattaya : not a lot but no regrets about the ones I had spent before with Noo ! So I did not visit many places and even had to struggle to find a massage boy to my taste ! I took some time to chat with boys both in Jomtien and in Nice Boys, but could not take the latter as I had already a "full" massage just before ... As for eating, I especially liked the isaan restaurant near the eastern entrance to Jomtien Complex ; I had many meals too at Salt and Pepper in Day&Night where eating alone did not make me feel uncomfortable.

Angel boy in Pattaya paradise

I had a date with a Facebook boy in Pattaya, and like the ones in Satuk and Kalasin, it was great. He was the 7/11 boy I had shortly written about before, and who confirmed he was OK to meet me. He only wanted to be sure that I would give him some money for his time ... The meeting place was in Pattaya Nua, which gave me the opportunity to see the future Terminal 21 mall ... huge ! Saek was much shier than he looked on the pictures, and also very protective of this senior citizen ... we went for a meal in Center Festival as he was hungry, and probably wanted to assess this farang. He did not disappoint in the room, both in attitude and equipment, and of course was still better looking than in the pictures. As he was OK to his picture being displayed on my blog (not that he seemed to know clearly what a "blog" is before I explained it), I happily oblige : this Udon Thani boy is - at least for me - a real stunner.

Back to Bangkok, flight back home, everyday life (not so bad when you do not work any more) and still thinking of the boys who make this place a ... paradise !

Happening city

The second part of my stay was much more usual than the ten days of road-tripping I had spent in the south. But who could say that a visit to Pattaya is uneventful ? As always, every day brought its share of unforgettable events.

I spent most of my days lazying in the sun and despite Jomtien Beach being mostly quiet, It was a surprise never to get bored sitting many hours in the same chair, just looking at the world going by and at the sea. And even when the beach is closed, merely walking along the streets is a nice way to spend some time.

Being alone for most of my time helped a lot, although I sometimes surprised myself to miss my boyfriend. However the boy from Udon Thani had found the right words to join me for three days ; he wanted to visit Koh Larn, which was a quite satisfactory reason for me to accept. He did not show the slightest interest in visiting the gay scene so at least I would not be held morally responsible for a new isan boy falling into the sex industry. Once again we had some great times together, as he is completely unashamed when it comes to sex. Unfortunately he had once again some friends to visit, and I had to spend the third night alone, exactly like what happened last year in Hua Hin. To his credit, I must say we quickly made up for the lost time just before he went back home.

Nice masseur in Pattaya

I also had a great surprise when walking along the backstreets of the Tuk.com area ; the massage boy I had missed last year was sitting in front of one of the shops (a shop which has both girls and boys on offer). Speaking frankly, I knew from his Facebook that he was in town but did not expect to find him so easily. I asked for a boy and as he was the only one, I quickly found myself in a private cubicle with this boy of my dreams. The massage was so-so but he quickly noticed my, say, emotion, as soon as he had finished the back part. The price was easily agreed upon (1500 THB if he stripped off completely) and finally I could hug this really handsome young isan boy that I had been drooling over since some months.

I did not visit a lot of bars as I quickly found what I was looking for. In Jomtien, I saw that BC Bar had been deprived of most of its boys who had joined another place in the Complex ; the place to go for nice khmer boys is now @Home Bar further down the soi, and also the Question Mark Bar which seems to welcome new lads on a regular basis. These Cambodian boys are not really experienced and not as good actors as their thai counterparts, but in Jomtien Complex they are almost the only way to go if you are into manly and handsome boys.

I never forget to pay a visit to soi Sunee where Sky Bar stays a welcoming place along with the Red Ting Tong Bar. I did not really like the gogo bars there, including the new Winner Boys where the atmosphere and the prices are quite interesting but the boys definitely too girlish for my taste. And finally I could not miss going to the Cupidol Bar which is doing so well according to the forums ; they are right, they offer a nice selection of boys which should content everyone’s taste.

Alone, finally

My boyfriend went back home and a new holiday began, but for only a few days left. He was not very happy with me "chasing" him but then I had told him I wanted to stay alone for most of my holiday.

I finally could try to meet the two boys I had known from Facebook ; the first one was another isan boy who had to drop out of school at the end of the school year last March when he was still 17 y/o, because of lack of money. He then came to Pattaya working in a massage shop that I could identify as Ice Massage ; however I never saw him during my stay and then learned he had moved to a girl massage place in the same area. Unfortunately he was also nowhere to be seen, and I guess I will try to forget him. Especially as his Facebook now shows him in a high end hotel in Jomtien where some lucky farang is probably enjoying his charms.

I was luckier with another target, a cambodian guy working in a Jomtien Bar. I first stopped in the bar when coming from from the beach to reacquaint myself with some boys I had taken in the past – not difficult as the staff here is very friendly and eager to share drinks with customers. One of the guys I knew from two years ago suggested that I could bring two or three boys to Kor Larn which they never had the opportunity to visit : himself of course, my target boy, and another one that I "offed" when seeing that target boy was not available.

Great idea, as going with this gang of three khmer boys allowed me to live one of these days that make a holiday in Thailand so special. They were all on-time at the pier where boats leave for the island, which was a good beginning. And on the island they decided to ride a banana tour without asking money from me : they knew I was not interested and I guess the tip I gave to the one I had "offed" was partly used to pay : nice mindset. I really had a blast looking at these three friends playing in the water as if there were no to-morrow, forgetting their hard life and their worries, and offering their perfect bodies to the sun (and to my eyes). And they sincerely enjoyed this escape from everyday life. I could also get more intimate with my target boy and make clear I wanted to take him, which I did.

Happy khmer boy in Koh Larn

I spent my last evening drinking beers with the three of them who seemed sincerely thankful for this trip, and for the tips I gave them for this great time together. I must say that my heart has been moved by one of the three guys : not the older one, not the target boy, but the third one who is a winner in the flesh despite being quite ordinary on pictures (I think I had even "unfriended" him on Facebook, not knowing he was working in this bar).

And that's all for Pattaya 2016, once again a great time thanks to the boys, the beach and the sun.

Pattaya the way I like it

Years follow one another but don't look alike. I was in Pattaya last year at the same time (early November) and did not like it ; but I really enjoyed my time this year. With less tourists around, and especially at the beach, Pattaya is a nice place to be, which I had forgotten.

Sure a construction site going on near my hotel had been a disappointment on arrival, not too much because of noise but as it could mean less privacy and a less sunny rooftop swimming pool in the future ; then hotel rooms in Pattaya are not used mostly for looking at the landscape. Which was more rewarding was the always welcoming staff and the fact that the customer base still includes mostly well-behaved farangs despite low prices and a good location.

When I had spent only two afternoons in an overcrowded Dong Tan Beach last year, I found myself happily stuck in my usual concession almost every day. The operation is rather small and quiet, and we were blessed this year by the daily attendance of the young son of the operator's girlfriend : a gorgeous 14 y/o isan boy, who spent most of his days lazily playing with his phone... an obviously elusive dream for still some years to come. Cuties were few and far between and as always ice-cream sellers were at the top of the list as far as looks – and sales success – were concerned.

With the boyfriend in tow, it was difficult to elaborate scenarios to lure boys to my room … I would have liked to give my calling card to some waiters or sellers but what about setting anything up if they had called me back ? This obviously spoilt part of my stay, and I will make it clear that my next stay in Pattaya will be entirely on my own. Not that I did not appreciate my friend's presence in our evening escapades which lead us to Sky Boy Bar, Oh Aharn Restaurant or to the always great show in The Venue Jomtien. We also tripped to Kor Lan where beaches are also closed on Wednesday but has some private spaces where sunbeds can be rented.

Quiet Wednesday in Koh Larn

We also went to a boy karaoke along with three of his friends and a boy offed from Sky Bar. This shop is located near the Pattaya Tai / Pattaya 3 crossing on a soi linking with Soi Ko Pai 4. Every hour or so, a full staff of about 20 boys goes on the scene and every table is strongly pushed to ask for 1 or 2 of them to join, with a fee of 200 THB added to the bill. The boys go from very cute to ordinary, and from shy to eager, which makes a rather pleasant although expensive experience. My boyfriend and the Sky Bar boy agreed on letting me sleep with the latter, which I did not even really intended to do, but I happily obliged while my boyfriend went to another place with his friends.

Besides this I paid some visits to Good Boys, Nice Boys, Vassa, 360 Bar, with no real interest for what was on offer. Sunee Plaza was mostly very quiet as described on the boards, and I visited only some beer bars, chatting or not with the boys. One of them in in Diamond Bar was especially friendly, and very straightforward about what he would do in bed, but not my type. And I never forgot to stop in one of the Jomtien Complex beer bars where I still have some naughty target to hit.

Not being able to off anyone in my room, I fell back again on the massage places, and must say that I was rather delighted by the two boys I chose (separately) in Ice Massage (next door to Salt and Pepper Restaurant). The first one immediately took good care of my rear part, making sure that my hand was pressing his package, and the second one – a brow skinned young lad from Ubon – took off his clothes immediately to his briefs, and after some light massage, insisted on my crotch ; this obviously lead to more nudity, two happily erect dicks, and even passionate French kissing which is a rare occurrence in this kind of places.

I finally convinced my friend to go back home for preparing the reopening of his business, which will leave me by myself for five or six nights between Pattaya and Bangkok.

... and Pattaya nights

The bar scene in Pattaya was not as depressing as the New Dongtan Beach, except for the Sunee Plaza gay area shrinking every year. Nice Boys was the bar where I felt the better, but I did not have time to visit neither Eros Boys nor Good Boys – although there was this dark-skinned blond-haired lad that did not seem shy at all. Sitting in the very welcoming Sky Bar was the closest I came to this den of debauchery.

Beer bars were loaded with too many gay boys and lady boys for my taste, so I spent most of my time in Jomtien Complex. In BC Bar, the boys are clearly on the male side, besides being generally very cute and eager. Sorry I had not kept up learning khmer language, but I found their english not bad at all and there is always someone speaking english or thai to help you. I took one to my room, and another in one of their rooms above the bar : not a loss of time if you want to know. I was just lucky that the boys I fancied were not already busy with customers.

Kawai Boys in Pattaya

Boyztown had also some interesting staff especially in Kawai Boys which I liked very much – but once again I did not visit all places. Let's just say that the level of drink prices does not always match the cuteness ratio : I was really disappointed in Toy Boys, but that is probably only a matter of personal taste.

As for the massage places, I tried only the one facing Bordeaux Restaurant, among the six or seven shops scattered around the Tuk.com area. I asked to choose my masseur and had the chance to be treated by an absolute delight : Kaow, a young (legal) boy from Nakhon Phanom, who gave me a strong and skillful massage ; unlike most masseurs, he was not reluctant at all when it came to kissing and to wanking himself to completion. He is now back home but will come back after the rice harvesting I guess.

And finally I went to a gay karaoke suggested by my boyfriend who had joined me on my last day in Pattaya. The place is in fact the Royal House Message in Day 1 Night Area, which turns into a karaoke at night. There is a whole line of boys that you can call to your table every half-hour or so, for a 200 THB fee (of which the boy gets 100), pleasant, though there is some pressure to call each time the shift is over. I paid 1700 THB for a red Label bottle, mixers included, and of course some tips to the boys and the waiters. This can make the night out a little bit expensive, but the atmosphere was good and a good time was had by all. This is a rather thai for thai place, so very few gay guys in sight, which I liked.

And that was all for Pattaya for this trip : a rather quiet Pattaya, which keeps all its appeal at night but where I will have to be more inventive for filling my afternoons in the future.

Pattaya days . . .

Only eight nights in Pattaya … I was not in a hurry to go and not dying to leave either, but that was enough. And this although I had never staid for such a short time in Pattaya for most of my 29 trips to Thailand. Oh, no boredom at all, but I felt like one of my favourite toys had been broken : afternoons on Jomtien Beach are definitely not what they were any more.

I could do with less boys, less sellers, less cute beach attendants. But being crammed like sardines is definitely not my idea of a nice holiday. No more privacy, so few free space to invite an unexpected friend to sit down, no more sellers passing just in front of my seat, and hardly any view to the sea except from the front row : sorry, that's no more for me. I went only twice, partly because the weather was really rainy this year, and mostly because I did not feel the need to go. It seems another Pattaya attraction has gone, and the most frustrating is that this reorganisation is beyond all understanding. Let's hope that common sense will prevail in the end, at least when these idiots will have buggered off back to the barracks where they belong.

Purple sunbeds : on the agenda

I had invited my young friend from Khorat to come to Pattaya, as I had not met him since many months. He pushed me to go to Koh Larn and we spent the day on Thian Beach, which we liked very much . The rules about chairs were rather lax, prices quite affordable and the place acceptably busy despite a high russian attendance. I was so pleased that I came back alone, and once again enjoyed my stay despite being on a Sunday. So I guess that trips over there will be on the agenda on my further holidays in Pattaya. I even noticed an all-khmer staff on one of the first concessions (the one with purple chairs), and can imagine that repeated visits could slowly build some intimacy with one of the boys or another …

The last trip back to Pattaya was spoilt by heavy rain, but a russian was nice enough to use his mat to protect me from the shower .. so much for the usual bad naming. By the way I like their president more and more too...

Little Cambodia

I discovered a new interest in Jomtian bars, but in fact I quickly limited my visits to only one of them : BC Bar, near Poseidon Hotel. They have everything I could wish : nice boys, good lay-out and welcoming atmosphere. The boys here are mainly cambodian, so I could as a bonus test my basic khmer : not really conclusive, but trying was good enough to arouse some interest from the boys – especially those not comfortable with english or thai. As a beer bar, drinks are cheap enough but they add 30 THB for boy drinks, which are then passed onto the boy, so you know where your money goes.

I quickly developped a circle of three boys and had good time with them although they had of course a tendency to speak khmer together. One of them spoke good english and another fairly good thai, so we could hold some conversation beyond the usual sign language. Little by little, it became clearer for me why I am more and more attracted to cambodian boys : beyond their often browner skin, and their lean body (due to a healthier food I guess), I learnt that very few khmer guys have tatoos on their skin, as those are regarded in a very negative way by khmer culture. Moreover katoeis are much less accepted in Cambodia than in Thailand especially in the work environment, hence the fact that a majority of khmer guys behave like real men, whatever they do in bed. .

I offed one of the three guys for his good looks and his limited english ; if sex was so-so, I truely enjoyed his company. However on the following day, I wanted to take one of his friends ; he had no problem about this when I spoke with him. So we were once again chatting and laughing and drinking and I was flirting with the former boy as well as with the prospective one. However at some point the latter left the table without saying anything. I thought first he had gone to the toilet, then of a visit to the local tobacco seller ; only after half an hour, boy number 3 told me my new friend was « busy », he had got a phone call of a farang who wanted to have him that night.

Useless to say I left angry, but not without taking the first boy for another night together. If this farang happens to read this blog, I can only call you an asshole at least if you knew that « your » boy was promised to another one that night ; people with good manners don’t behave like that. As for boy number 2, the one who left, I will take great pleasure ignoring him next time I go – supposing that I can resist to his beautiful smile of course.

Beyond this disappointment, I miss the atmosphere and the boys there, and hope they will stay long. This bar has already a good patronage, but thai authorities likely give them a hard time more often than it suits.

Pattaya gay areas changing

How could a stay in Pattaya be only a matter of sea and beach when there are so many boys running around admiring your looks and your wallet ? With my boyfriend’s blessing, I could visit - alone - some of the dens of immorality which mark out the local streets. I even could negotiate some « free » nights in my hotel room, knowing it is so frustrating to find a gem in a bar and not being able to know him more intimately … I know there are often short term rooms for that purpose, but I never find them very romantic for a tryst.

I did not visit all Pattaya bars ; in fact I visited only some in Boyztown, and was really amazed to see how low some of them have gone. Vassa Bar was full of screaming ladyboys except for two boys who seemed not really at ease in this bunch, Dream Boys was average and Lucky 777 was pathetic, you find better-looking guys in every motosai row in Pattaya. I was alone in everyone of these bars, which is not a nice situation when you do not like what you see. I also happened to enter Wild West Boys in the middle of the show, as I had to get some change for the songthaew … only to realise that a visit to the next door Family Mart would have been more fun and less money for the same purpose.

Soi Sunee was as usual better. No hanky-panky this time with my favourite waiter in Eros Boys, the backroom is now closed and I was not in the mood to do the deed in public, unlike some customers ; this bar has a nice gang of boys too, anyway much better than it appears from their website. I kind of boycotted Krazy Dragon, not wanting to support bars which push the price up – they are generally quickly followed by other neighbouring bars.


Actually, I spent most of my evenings either chasing massage boys in Day and Night shops (where it is now commonly accepted that you can choose your masseur), and getting to know better the Jomtian Complex bars, that I had visited many times in the afternoon but almost never at night. Transportation was not as difficult as I had feared, so I went there three or four times, and this was a very refreshing change from Soi Sunee and still more from Boyztown area.

Sea, sand and sun

These ten days in Pattaya have been wonderful thanks to an almost continuous sunny and hot weather. I could indulge in my favorite daytime activity : lazying in the heat or looking at the world go by from under an umbrella.

During a first stay, I had observed that the new regulations had not changed too much the layout of Jomtian Beach, except for the chairs being more packed than before. Sure we now feel a little bit squeezed, but that was not much of an inconvenience as many deckchairs were unused. Vendors were still there, some of them absolutely gorgeous - especially among icecream sellers. I just had to get used to more and more families encroaching on "our" territory ...

Jomtian on Wednesday : an eyesore

I had the curiosity to have a glance on a Wednesday when the beach is closed, courtesy of Dear Leader. Well that was not a pretty sight : few people roasting in the sun, rubbish everywhere, and hideous heaps of unused deckchairs and umbrellas. How authorities can accept such a disaster is beyond me, everyone would be so much better with a 7/7 opening. Those who prefer clean and desert beaches have still 99 % of thai beaches for them, in addition to the wide spaces left between the concessions in the 1% remaining.

Chatting with one of the beach operators, he told me that the general opinion was that the beach could well be completely wiped out of every chair and umbrella within one year … only an isolated opinion of course, but should this nonsense happen, it would mean bye bye Pattaya, welcome Sihanoukville.

Boys holidaying at sea  - the thai way

My boyfriend and me also spent one Wednesday on Nang Ram Beach beyond Sattahip. Unfortunately this was on a thai public holiday and the place was overloaded with thai (and some russian) groups and families by noon. We left immediately, at least once we were able to move our car that had been blocked by some thoughtless driver. Lot of eye-candy of course, but I am not really at ease shooting pictures of young men in the middle of so many people.

Pattaya still a gay paradise

The news of the demise of Pattaya as a gay paradise are grossly exaggerated, I am pleased to say. During the three days I just spent in the beach resort, I could even find again part of the atmosphere I liked so much five or six years ago.

Pattaya gay beach after the crackdown

It was so at the beach, where I usually spend a lot of time. Especially on saturday, I was happily disturbed by many vendors, some of them ranking very high on the cuteness scale. There were even some boys showing themselves obviously looking for customers … a rare sight from what I understand. As for the new lay-out of the chairs and umbrellas, I found it a little more cramped than before, but at least my favorite operator was still there, with enough seats to choose.


I did not go to many bars, leaving them for a later visit. I liked the atmosphere at De One, which is the new name for the former Yaya Bar, where I chatted for a long time with a boy from Chayaphum who told me he was 27. However he had already worked in Soi Sunee 10 years ago, so when he was 17, in the (in)famous La Copa Bar – the La Copa’s former owner being now the De One new owner, this is a not surprising return to the roots.

The other places visited were Nice Boys, where I found the boys quite ordinary despite being very willing and daring, and of course Sunny Boys because of its new reputation as the place to be in Sunee Plaza. Well, from what I saw of the boys still there at 11.00 pm, I think that coming earlier should be still more interesting …

The beach and soi Sunee reminded of the Pattaya of old …unfortunately the traffic, the neverending construction sites, and huge price increases in some restaurants, brought me quickly back to reality.

Enticing massage shops

I spent nine nights in Pattaya and what struck me first when arriving was the low numbers of cars in the streets, a clear signal of low tourist numbers. Low numbers at Jomtien Beach too with full ranks of empty chairs, and tiny attendance in most bars I went.

I visited many of them, both in Boyztown and Sunee Plaza ; no great atmosphere in most except in Eros Boys where I had hardly stepped into the bar that a young cutie from Surin pounced on me – and I was the one thinking that Eros boys were not known as the most handsome in town !

The last den of sleaze remains Good Boys bar, where I had long chats with one of the boys here ; finally we could go behind the screens, at my request, as this one was not keen on having a private encounter – and a higher tip. No jerking-off contest that night (ten contenders and reward 500 have I been said), but more than one cubicle was the scene of very intimate activities.

On a different note, for the first time since eighteen years I was treated to a round of drinks by the owner of a Sunee Plaza bar ; this was in Sky Bar, where Tam and me spent some time – but not that much - chatting and looking the world go by. A kind attention which is for me the best incentive to go back if the place is nice, which it is.

To find more life, we had to go to Jomtien where the bars were very well attended ; however the cutest boys were already looked after by regular customers. Lack of Cambodian boys who had fled the country due to a groundless rumour, was also obvious as they are usually a nice addition to the place. And we did not forget our usual visit to see the show in The Venue, as good as ever.

Among a deserted Sunee Plaza, I indulged only once into closer encounters, and it was in Happy Boys where I chose to try their massage service – at least this is the way they call it. When I think of it, I remember having had more pleasure roaming the Day and Night area and looking at the massage boys, than visiting Soi Sunee. They have really hot guys there, and at least three shops are now boy-only places. In Relax@Me, a sturdy 20 y/o from Udon managed to get me to visit three times – good chemistry was enough.

It seems that I am now more and more enticed by the massage shops rather than the bars : everything is so more convenient with on-site activities : no need to care about
transportation, meals, hiding the money ... and telling lies to the boyfriend to have the hotel room vacant ...

Changing, but same-same

I liked my ten days in Pattaya, not more than usually but not less. My boyfriend staid with me everyday but this was not a burden : it seemed I have met again the smiling boy I saw for the first time ten years ago, with the added bonus that he has now fully acknowledged the fact that I had to be alone and free for some evenings.

Apart from the above lao boy, I did not take advantage of this freedom, and we spent most of the evenings together, first in a good restaurant and then either looking for the never disappointing show in The Venue, or sipping some gin tonic in Sky Bar, facing the now forgotten Threezone Bar where we met on the first time. To tell the truth, I liked to be there too because this place offers unobstructed views over the almost opposite Good Boys Beer Bar, allowing me to inspect the boys for a possible visit (which did not come).

Escapade to Hat Sai Kaew (thanks GB for the tip)

I also had enough time to visit most of the gogobars in Sunee Plaza and Boyztown ; for the first time I found that the latter won hands down regarding the quality of boys on display. I liked the staff in X-Boys Land, but hated the mamasan who came begging me to invite a boy as "they have nothing to eat, no customer, never seen that in Pattaya" and so on. Most inappropriate as I was with my boyfriend. And still more uncalled for when I knew that they asked an outrageous 260 THB for a drink.

In Sunee plaza, I went to Eros Boys Bar just to see how a sleazy bar looks like (there are not a lot remaining these days …) and once again was ensnared by one of the waiters, whose invitation to go in a side room I could not resist – just like last year. I visited every gogo bar and some beer bars, but was mostly disappointed by what I saw ... low season I guess ... 

As for the massage places, it came as a surprise that that the "traditional" gay shops like Blue House had very few staff on duty, when other places in the Tuk.com area were brimmed with beautiful young men (and girls for some). On one night I passed in front of Apple Massage – facing Bordeaux Restaurant – very late at night and a handsome lad called me. I obliged but another boy told him that it was not his turn ; despite this, I think I could have taken the first one but in order to avoid an incident, I chose both. Not a big deal at 200 THB for one session (plus tips), and as the place was void of other customers, there was no restraint in the action – except they did not take out their clothes. I took him alone some days later, again in an empty room, and this time he stripped immediately and went directly to the deed. These places would be a huge hit with more private rooms, and if the customer was sure that he could choose his partner without it turning into a tragedy.

Beach seller taking a break in Jomtien (not the one I tell about)

But we come to Pattaya for the beaches (and the temples), right ? I found myself completely comfortable with the atmosphere in Jomtien, in one of the smallest and quietest concessions far from the hustle of the red/orange/yellow chairs. I did not even have to complain about the Russians which I found much more polite and respectful than some depict them. Not a lot of Thai boys for sure but still some sellers which would have more success selling their ass than what they offer - sorry to tell it downright so, although most of these guys have probably got it since long.

I had the chance to meet again Phat, who was a very shy rookie when I first met him five years ago (see below : "beach seller", October 2008) ; just coming back from two years in the army, he has now turned into a wonderful young man. I only noticed that he would not mind at all a massage session in my room .. what a change since 2008 when it was so difficult to convince him to come and still more difficult to make him strip off … 

So much for this 2013 trip, the last one during my working days ... Next year will be another life, but I still do not know what it will look like.

Food for thought

Visions at Jomtien Beach

This 10-days stay in Pattaya was as usual a time for resting, cooling down, and lazying in the sun not only for fun, but also for health reasons I explained some years ago. So the pattern of my days were quite the same : hotel roof-top in the morning, Jomtien Beach  in the afternoon, and the bars at night. But besides the growing sadness to see the time elapsing so quickly and the end of my vacation coming to an end, something new was entering my mind every day :  the thought I should begin to think over what I will do when I will have plenty of time for me.

Economic crashdown allowing, I should retire in about 14 months time, which leaves me about one year to make plans. Not an easy task when from one day to another you may learn of any bad news dashing the huge hope of finally leaving the rat race and leading the life you want after so many years of hard work. Useless to say I am still thinking about it, although it becomes more and more obvious I will not stay in Thailand for the whole year : an ageing mother, family links, and financial constraints, will probably force me to limit the duration of my stays. But every "rooms for rent" sign made my heart leap : at last these signs are not ALWAYS for other people, one day they will interest me too.

There is no need to comment about what everyone can read on the boards : more and more arabic and russian presence, less and less bars, and very few people in Boyztown. However I thought there is still no other place on earth like Pattaya, and I could not imagine ignoring it despite the fact I love to visit the provinces.

I could not find a new favourite bar to hang out the way I used to hang out in Threezone Bar. Diamond Bar was a little too big for me, Samorn's Bar could have done the trick but the boys did not seem to be really concerned. I guess I will have to see the new avatar of Threezone Bar, which I could not visit, having to leave before their opening. Finally I spent some time in CU Bar which has very frisky boys, and I could not escape a drink behind the famous screens : with two boys all over me and two other boys helping themselves with farangs facing my table, quite a nice experience …

I also had the surprise to find a boy I had offed a very long time ago and who is now a part-time waiter at Eros Boys. I could not recognise him straightaway but I had already noticed him ; anyway he was the boy I would have chosen. "Hello, do you remember me, I am P.. from Four Seasons Bar". He wanted to go to my room and then to his place, and then to a room above the bar, which I declined for various reasons. We finally ended in a small room besides the bar – a place appartently designed for this purpose, and it did not take long for me to show him my appreciation. A great face, and the same lean and dark-skinned body I cherish above all. I asked him why he could remember me so well, "because you were one of the very few thai-speaking farangs I ever met" was his answer – another incentive for learning thai I had not thought of. 

European atmosphere

Besides this, I spent most of my time with my boyfriend, who had additionnal health problems. I will never forget the time when he came back from the dental surgery, shivering and suffering as I had never seen before. Fortunately things went better and we were able to made our trip to Bang Sare for another seafood adventure. He decided then to bring me to the Big Buddha mountain and to the neighbouring vineyard (Silver Lake resort) where they try to recreate some européean atmosphere.

Another evening was devoted to the mor-lam concert on Third Road but I was a little disappointed by the artists they had on that night (not a well-known singer but an orchester from Khon Kaen), and also by the less than comfortable conditions – if your friends insist on finding a chair, this will not be for allowing the old farang to sit down, but for having a place to keep the drinks …

All in all we got along well despite the fact I had not invited him to my isaan trip ; to speak the truth he was working when I was preparing my trip and reserving my flights, and so I could not imagine he would be free. He will have now to find a stable job so that he will be able to buy the car he is dreaming of – and which I am financially unable to pay for. But this is another story.

Sight-seeing

My second day in Bangkok was just how I wanted it to be : walking in the Silom area, having a light meal in Dick’s Cafe and ending the night by a badly needed massage. Achieving the latest is not always an easy task : I remember having roamed around the area without finding the boy of my dreams and finally going home without entering any shop. It went better this time thanks to one of the four massage place in Soi Twilight - Marso Massage formerly Red Massage - and to one of their lads who happened to be good and really service-oriented.

Beauty is everywhere in Pattaya

I wanted to smell the atmosphere in Pattaya so I am there now for three days before going to isan. I spent the first evening with my boyfriend and treated him to a nice meal from my country, and especially the good bottle of wine which goes with it. So we went to Froggys near the bus station for Bangkok, and I was not disappointed. This time Tam was less positive, but I guess his recent and current health problems were the main reason.

The following evening was the usual Sunee Plaza sight-seeing tour on my own. After reading so much during eleven months about what has been going on, I am always excited to check by myself. The news from the boards are generally up-to-date but nothing can replace the personal feeling. Sure the place was rather quiet, but you could still have a good time there ; moreover the special village atmosphere which makes the place so attractive had not disappeared at all.

I have visited three gogo-bars so far : Nice Boys, Mic My Bar and Eros, all had their fair share of customers and boys. Sorry there were too many tatooed guys in Mic My Boy but I could meet an old acquaintance who is the mamasan (not the one who gets so much bad mouth here and there I think). Nice Boys was very lively but no-one to my taste when I went there. As for Eros, there were not many boys left so I did not visit the private boxes.

As for the beer bars, the advice to try Diamond Bar was a good one as the atmosphere here is very nice and the viewpoint valuable. They seem to do quite good and they even had more customers than the green chairs bar opposite. I also visited Samorn’s Bar but the boys did not seem really interested in new customers although some of them are obviously worth of a new visit - which I will do as soon as possible.

However the news that Threezone Bar has been taken over by two thais was a good one ; I just hope I will still be there on their opening day. Nostalgia, nostalgia ….

Specs

I had never seen so many building sites in Pattaya : there were at least four running in the immediate vicinity of my hotel – fortunately without any disturbing noise. And when there are construction sites going on, there is a great chance that construction workers come along.

I could by chance take some pictures, which only confirmed that I should one day try to know one of these workers better. They usually match what I say to a mamasan when she asks me about my specs regarding boys : soong, phom, dam (tall, lean and dark-skinned) and of course narak (cute).

Sagging workwear

Still the best

My last week in Pattaya was a little bit uneventful but every second of it was worthwhile. Pattaya is still the best place to go for us, and was much better than what I could have feared.

I staid most of the time with Tam who had taken some free days from his work. He is really not the kind of boy who would spend all his time in a room, so that having good meals and visiting new places were frequent. He brought me to the Floating Market south of Pattaya : a tourist-oriented place full of thai people, which was surprisingly well laid-out with a pleasant atmosphere. And Tam did not event indulge too much in boundless shopping of useless trinkets.

Floating Market in Pattaya

I also had some time of my own which I used as usual to stroll round the bars both in Sunee and Boystown. This was enough to feel relieved after all the bad things I had read on the boards : there are still boys, there are still customers, there is still life. Sure the numbers were not very high especially in Sunee but bar owners who know their jobs can still enjoy a regular customer flow.

I especially liked Nice Boys in Sunee where a waiter approached me, which is not the rule in this bar. He had probably noticed that I could not take my eyes out of him, so we spent a lot of time chatting before taking the plunge. I told him I had one day passed through his home town (Kalasin) and noticed how the boys there were especially beautiful : I could see him blushing at the compliment – and not I am not very good at smooth talking, I really thought this. For me, this bar had by far the best staff all over Sunee.

Happy Boys was once again visited and once again, entering without any other intention than having a quiet drink quickly turned into a strong need to know better the boy who took my attention. He had already taken care of me last time and I did not remember how it went, although I should have printed his dark skin and his long hair in my brain. In this place you just have to be very cautious to turn down any offer by any other boy : some seem to specialise into coming upstairs uninvited.

I was more disappointed by the beer bars : few guys, fewer cuties in my opinion. I felt that you had to go many times in a bar and get acquainted with one guy or two before feeling really welcomed, so this is a definite hindrance for tourists. Not that this is a big surprise for me, as this is exactly the reason why I feel so good in my favourite taproom : Threezone Bar where I have been a loyal customer for the last nine years (and at first because my then boy special had moved to freelance there).

What was the most worrying was strolling along the sois in the immediate vicinity of Sunee Plaza : in either direction, arabic presence is increasingly heavy, making our Sunee looking more and more like the Gallic village in the middle of the roman empire. How much will this last I wonder, and I can only hope that another area would replace it in case of a huge gay drain.

For the time being, there should be still be some boys and bars available next time I go there, in October.

Holy days

The last ten days of my trip are the holidays inside the holiday : I stay in Pattaya, planning nothing, letting life carry me along. I have just come yesterday with Tam who had joined me in Bangkok, and he does not dislike this life as most of the time he has as much freedom as I have.

The typical day begins for me with a two or three hours working session around the hotel swimming pool, where I put a lot of efforts into improving my suntan. In the same time, Tam lazes in the room reading motoring magazines or looking at some movie on the TV. We get together at noon for a meal in our favourite eatery which is the same as last year : Nong Jai on Tipp Plaza – despite all the cute waiters from last year having gone elsewhere.

Latest attraction at Jomtien Beach

I then go to Jomtien, usually alone as Tam does not like too much doing nothing in the heat of the beach. I usually escape the hustle of the yellow chairs and walk some meters farther on until I reach a place with less cute beach attendants but also less noise, less shouting, less cig smoking and more space.

And this does not mean the place is boring : most beach sellers pass by, including the newest attraction which is a huge blue ball you can move from inside for a fee.



In the evening we have another meal at Nong Jai or at Oh Aharn Thai on Pattaya Tai where everything is really delicious. And then I go to the bars mostly alone, although Tam sometimes goes with me especially to the Pattayaland bars. And I have to say that I like to go to Pattayaland more than before : there are so many boys to look at, and so many bars to discover. With J Jimmy James, Euro Boys and Sundance now closed, shopping around Sunee Plaza is quickly done, whereas there always seem to be a bar you do not know in Pattayaland.

Two days ago, we went again to Tamnan Chon with Tam, one of his friends, and the usual friend of his friend with the girlfriend in tow. The night was good with lots of music and alcool but I could not stop noticing that the friend of the friend was more and more often looking at me and putting his hand on my knee – and I was more and more interested in him. When I went to the toilets, he followed me and stood in front of the next urinal ; it was obvious he wanted to show me what he had between his legs and it was not an ugly sight at all. I felt very unconfortable when we went back to our table where my boyfriend and the boy's girlfriend where waiting, pretending not to have noticed anything. To make a long story short, Tam went to his own room, and the boy came to mine. The action was beginning to heat up when he began to ask for a rather steep fee – just at the moment when I was really excited by this young isan guy, how could I have refused. Sex was good and I guess it was mostly due to the fact that I felt like a young man whom another young man was craving for (or was it for my wallet ?)… In fact the guy was a mere money-boy : I came upon him yesterday in a beer bar where he was working. I will never know why this boy ended up at the same table as me that night, but it is such a nice illusion to feel desired by someone when you did not expect it at all …