Cambodia is a long way from being "gay friendly".

It is night and day in comparison with Thailand, in regards to attitudes.

You can count the number of "gay" venues in Cambodia on one hand.

You might well be right with your observation regarding Silom Shopping Complex, Khun Sextile, but keep in mind that many new shopping malls have been built all over Bangkok. Toilet cruising aside, I suppose, Silom Shopping Complex couldn't really compete with most of these. Many of my Western gay friends still frequent Silom's and Sathorn's gay venues like the ones I've mentioned, but for shopping, they are quite literally all over town nowadays.

I'm not convinced that the overall number of Western gay tourists coming to Bangkok is in decline, but I agree that it's hard to know and it can be misleading to try to generalize from friends' reports.

What I'm quite sure about and what has been discussed many times, however, is that their cruising and dating behavior has been changing significantly within just a couple of years.

When I moved to Bangkok some six years ago, and before when I had still been a visitor myself, most fellow farang on GayRomeo were young-ish expats and visitors. Now you see guys of all ages looking for online hook-ups, including some mature friends of mine from my lovely home country.

So I do understand the decline seen in go-go bars and similar places, as many visitors chat with Thai guys before they even come to Thailand and make private arrangements to meet them, without using a bar to facilitate it.

I'm pretty certain that for my next visit to Thailand (last was in 1986), I'll be visiting for the food and the culture and not the go go boys, Western or local.

back to the subject:
Sapan kwai is not dead-but slowly, slowly diminishing. There are 5-6 of those karaOKThai-style bars left in that ''gaysoi'' and 1 goog-beHigh. Just as it always has been.
Those DJ-Thai style disco's wont apperal to single older farang-for 99% of them > the only glorious reports from that come from visitors who shared their black label bottles with groups of friends and, I guess, were too drunk to note. These are in Ram-uni, Ratchda and OToKo (a little beyond Sapan kwai). IF you like thunderous noisy music, Thai-style table dancing and not cruising-go with groups to amuse yourself. Again that gayscout listing (going out) lists them. Even though maps on google are not 100% coorect-they will lead you to nearby-and then open mouth and ask.
What has grown in BKk are the m2m massageshops-all over town, some 40+ now. Some ex barboys staff them, mostly part-time students or those who cannot stand the gogo as ''work'' themselves. But no off-its only service (or outcall in some).

A brief update!

So I visited the Silom Soi 6(?) area last night, and went to Nature Boy, choosing it only because I had been there before and knew the scene.

There were 8 boys working and I was the only customer. They did the usual thing of all converging on me, which I really do not like. (I prefer to be the one who makes the selection.) Two of the guys I entertained during my last visit (nearly two years ago!) remembered me well.

Quite honestly, although there was perhaps one guy I would have off'ed, I found the atmosphere so oppressive that I just wanted to finish my beer quickly and get out. Unfortunate. Had I been more comfortable, it could have been a good evening.

Any experience or suggestion on how to deal with THAT scene there?

More to come.

Easy. Just tell the ones you want to sit with to stay, and the rest to go away!

Icon: I know you are 100% correct, but I am always worried about hurting guys' feelings. Call me crazy, call me naive. I guess it is just part of my upbringing that I cannot shed.

Oh well!

You won't hurt anyone's feelings. You just have to make your preferences known. They would prefer that to having you leave because you were uncomfortable.

Amen to that. Cambodia is light years from LOS Check out my posting in the other area of CFS...

Why not just slip a 20 baht note and discretely say you just want to talk to these two.... They'll understand, and have the chance to get the next guy when he comes in... Thats what I do'. Got to have supply of 20's in your back pocket though... I;ve done that at NB's and Super A although I think I used 100's at Super A because the large group had been putting on quite a show...

I notice venues mentioned here are the more "chicken" type.Are things as dispiriting at the slightly older major venues...Dream Boy eg.

Haven't been to Bkk for a year and wondering if things are actually slipping.Reading between the lines from Icon's posts you still have greater opportunity in Bkk than USA etc but it is tedious and commercial.And did I see someone say "the thrill is gone"?Now that was a great blues song.

Apart from the Twilight mafia, the choice of scantily dresses host bars in Suriwong/Silom is now down to Super A, Nature Boy, Golden Cock and Screw Boys - and of course Tawan. - and elsewhere in BKK, not much ! ( Moustache in Sukumvit?) There's still Charming in Sapan Kwai (street clothes) and not sure about Be-Hi. Have I missed anything?

Jupiter 2002. The Inter Mustanche's (as spelled in add and web page) House is running a big add in Max calling itself a go-go, karaoke and cocktail lounge. I have not been there in years, has anyone?

aboutG.net :: Lifestyle for special men :: INTER MUSTACHE'S HOUSE

Is the Blue Boy Club still in business?

I know Blue Boy in KL is still open - never knew one in BKK.

I think he means Blue Star Boy -- long gone.