Gay Bulgoslavia

Things I now know about gay Budapest:

• It's rapidly developing, in the same way that Estate Agents say "King's Cross is rapidly developing". Perhaps they mean "upsleazing"?
  
• The Hungarian flag looks rather like the Rainbow flag in the dark, so it's all too easy to blunder into an expensive hotel by mistake.
  
• Since my guidebook was published, everything's moved.
  
• The only places that haven't moved are the hooker bars.
  
• There isn't a phrase in any language for "too old for rent, too young to punt - so i'll just sit in this corner reading Dorothy L Sayers, if that's okay..."
  
• Actually, I believe the phrase is "falling between two stools", which is unfortunate.
  
• There's one gay bar without either a sling or a rent boy - but that's because it's too small. Mystery Bar is an art deco caravanserai squeezed into a living room. Silk tents, ornate mirrors, and a stall selling liquor. The sheer lack of space means that the line between drinker and bartender is thrillingly blurred.
  
• Even a place described as "the most cultured and friendly gay bar" has upsleazed. It's now called COXX, and has a wet room. Don't ask.