Nana Plaza Beginnings

A shot of the original sign,

back when it was still the Nana Plaza Shopping Center.

Inside the Nana Plaza Shopping Center.

photo dug up by Stickboy Bangkok

Police Checks Around Soi Cowboy

The stopping and searching of foreigners in and around Asoke is at unprecedented levels.  I see it with my own eyes in the area and many readers have relayed their experiences.  One foreign restaurant manager hears reports daily from customers and relays these.  The cops who perform these checks do so in a very specific area and are unintentionally driving some away from that area.  Their actions have caused such angst that some are saying that they will forego visiting Soi Cowboy - which is just a hundred metres or so from where many of the checks take place - and visit Soi Nana instead.

Stickman

A Stickman reader added:  
Regarding the many reports of police stop-and-searches, it's getting outrageous.  One downtown police district is having a field day targeting Western males.  I rode my bike back from Silom to lower Sukhumvit on Friday and went through FIVE separate checkpoints.  It's downright oppressive these days.  Today, however, was a different story.  A guy I know was randomly stopped by police while on a motorcycle taxi.  He was searched and found not to be carrying anything illegal.  However, they insisted on a pee test (at 4 PM in the afternoon) where he tested positive for marijuana.  The fact is that he DID smoke marijuana - but in Holland yesterday where he wasn't committing any crime.  He had to settle the matter as he was told that if he didn't he would be blacklisted from Thailand.

Recommendations if you are arrested:
As a westerner, whether a tourist or an individual living in Bangkok, you may very well be stopped at random and subject to immediate arrest by Bangkok police. If you are stopped and harassed by Bangkok Police, especially common in the Thong Lor and Lumpini police district areas popular with tourists, here are some recommendations:

1) If you are taken to a police facility, do not sign anything. You will be verbally insulted and browbeaten (there is no anecdotal data that suggests you will be physically harmed). But refuse to sign. If you do sign, even an acknowledgement that you have been detained can be interpreted by Thai courts as an admission that you resisted arrest.

2) Demand that the police contact your embassy on your behalf. Again, sign nothing.

3) At least one person was able to get the police to release him by saying he needed to go to the hospital “to get my medicine.” Your dying while in police custody is a public relations snafu that the police would prefer to avoid.

4) Particularly on a weekend, you may be forced to spend a night in a Bangkok jail. Hang in there, sign nothing, and sit tight until your embassy representative can assist you.

WoWasis Travel Blog 

another report on this is at
Bangkok Coconuts

Random urine tests are not new in Thailand, but recently they have become much more common in the tourist areas controlled by the Thong Lor and Lupini district police.

 Globial Dispatch

Bubbles at Nana Plaza

Wild Thing, Tokyo Player before it and Las Vegas before that never set the world alight despite the fine job The Nana Group did on the original casino-themed fitout of Las Vegas.  Wild Thing may well be the worst performing bar in Nana Plaza for the past 3 years with fewer customers even than the single shophouse bars on the middle level.  So when I heard that Wild Thing had changed hands this week and has been taken over by a couple of guys with much industry experience I scratched my head and wondered.  These guys have the pedigree to make it work, but its location makes it a challenge.  The plan is to install a bubble machine and rumour has it that the renovated venue will be called Bubbles.

Stickman

A Few of the Girls at Playskool Go Go Club

A few of the girls from Playskool Go Go Club with their wigs on,

standing in front of the Nana Plaza entrance sign.

Nanapong Dance Contest - #2

 

Club Electric Blue in Patpong was the location of the 

2nd recent Nanapong Dance Contest, October 2014.

Nanapong GoGo Dance Contest

Nanapong Dance Contest has 'an innate ability to bring
the best out of gogo dancers, transcending era. 
No-one else has organised such wild entertainment that
 exceeds anything Bangkok's gogo bars have ever seen.'

The next Nanapong dance contest takes place at PlaySkool, 

on Nana Plaza's ground floor, on Sunday, October 12th.

And if you're going to be visiting Bangkok over the high season, 

mark these dates in your calendar for planned dance contests:

January 25th, 2015, Dollhouse, Soi Cowboy.
February 22nd, 2015, Club Electric Blue, Patpong soi 2.

Read more about the Nanapong GoGo Dance contests

at

Stickman

Put Your Money in to a Good Cause

Outside Hot Lips bar on Nana Plaza's middle level is a money tree.  

Hot Lips bar is collecting money for Camillian House, 

a registered non-profit children's charity which helps, 

amongst others, children with HIV.  

If you find yourself in the plaza over the next few days 

do consider a small offering for a great cause.

Stickman

Dave the Rave Moves To Spellbound

 

Dave the Rave is now working for Peter, the founder and owner of Pretty Lady Bar, and Matt, the founder of Angelwitch.  This dynamic duo now own and operate Spellbound.  The self-styled gogo guru has parted ways with the Nana Group and will be keeping an eye on things at Spellbound.  I thought Spellbound was excellent when I was in there a month or so back and I am sure with Dave in charge it will be one of the most fun bars of its type in Bangkok.
Spellbound is located in Nana Plaza where Pretty Lady use to be on the ground floor.

Stickman

Soi Cowboy Bar Reviews - Highlights

After Skool Bar and Toy Bar - has a naughty boys corner

Dollhouse - happy hour until 9:30pm with buxom bar girls

Jungle Jim's Bar can be hands on

Pretty Girls are at

Sharks

Baccara

 

 Expensive drinks are at:

Deja Vu

Kiss

Long Gun

 Midnite

Rio

Sahara

Spice Girls

 

to get more information on Soi Cowboy bars,

click on 

Dave The Rave 

 

Ladyboy Go-Go Bars in Nana Plaza, 2014

Some of the more interesting photos lately to come out of Nana Plaza

in Bangkok has been the promo shots from some of the Ladyboy bars

like Cascade and Obsessions.  Katoey anyone?

(Please note that Cascade is now called Charades and
Obsessions is now called True Obsession due to some legal thing.)

Sukhumvit Police Check Point Update

      There are two very different types of police checks taking place in the Sukhumvit area of Bangkok.  From time to time you might walk by, or more likely, be a passenger in a vehicle stopped at an intersection where a police checkpoint has been set up.  These checkpoints may take place deep in some sois (between soi 23 and 33, on soi 16 and on soi 39 seem to be the main spots) but are usually carried out at the Asoke intersection itself, where traffic coming up from Rama 4 Road turning left on to Sukhumvit is stopped.  It's a favourite late-night checkpoint spot.  Officers target motorbikes, pickup trucks, taxis, any vehicle with foreign passengers and private vehicles with passengers in their teens and early 20s.  The officers shine torches in to the vehicle and in some cases may ask occupants to get out.  The cops at these organized checkpoints are professional and polite.  

     The other checks carried out in the area are made by two coppers riding around on a motorbike who ride right up to and stop foreign males.  They usually ask where you're going, where you've been and then make a decision whether they are going to search you or not.  My experience has been that responding in polite Thai ends it with no mention of a search at all.

Stickman

The Strip a Go-Go in Patpong Soi 2

The Silom Road end of Patpong soi 2 is where you find all of the best bars in the Patpong area.  There is in addition to The Strip is Bada Bing, and  Club Electric Blue.  Along with Pink Panther and Black Pagoda, most locals agree these 5 bars are the best of Patpong.

Stickman

Rainy Season at Soi Cowboy

 First it was a military coup and with it came the curfew.
 The curfew has been lifted,
and now the rains have come to Bangkok, Thailand.

So not too many customers.

(photo by Stickman)

Angeles, Philippines Bar Scene Alert

If you think it's bad here in Pattaya.....
A pal's just got back from the P.I. and he says 7 bars in Angeles were raided in the 2 weeks he was there. The raids are not police driven for kick-backs but driven by American 'do-gooders' trying to put an end to trafficking. When the bars are raided staff and CUSTOMERS are locked up. My pal said it's really hurting Angeles.
At least here we only lose a bar-keep or two when bars are raided and let's face it, there's plenty of them to go around.......

Pattaya Rag

Songkran at Nana Plaza 2014

April 12th Songkran at the Nana Plaza Beer Garden.

Come and get wet.

Nana Plaza Beer Garden

 The current Nana Beer Garden that's located in the center of Nana Plaza

use to be three beer bars called  Pharaohs, The Roadhouse, and The Alibi.

The K&S Bar has taken over the space that Zen Bar was at on Soi Nana

next to the entrance to Nana Entertainment Plaza. 

read more at Bangkok Eyes

Club Electric Blue, Bangkok

One of the hot girls at Club Electric Blue.

The best choice of go-go bars in Bangkok, 

located in the heart of Patpong's night market in Bangkok, 

home of the sexiest girls in Thailand, so they say.

Club Electric Blue

Bangkok Go-Go Bars Filling Up with Coyote Dancers

A simple rule of thumb is that coyote dancers 

are supposed to perform best on the dance floor.  

Gogo girls save their best performances for the bedroom.

They are primarily dancers i.e. entertainers, but they may be available.
It varies from bar to bar, girl to girl.

Stickman

Dave The Rave at the Wild Thing

 

Dave The Rave hanging out at the Wild Thing and Billboard go-go bars

 on the top floor of Nana Entertainment Plaza, looking good.

You can read more of Dave The Rave announcements at

his website, Dave The Rave - Go Go Guru.

Kasalong - A New BJ Bar in Bangkok

A new BJ bar will open next Sunday, March 9th, between Sukhumvit sois 6 and 8.  To be called Kasalong - the sign has yet to go up - it is the brainchild of an ex-Lolita's employee.  Kasalong is just around the corner from Lolita's and less than 10 metres from the entrance to S6 Hotel - which until recently was known as Crown Hotel.  There will be a pool table on the ground floor, but the real action will take place upstairs.  The decor is said to be nice but if it doesn't blow you away, the girls certainly will.  Standard service will run 700 baht with full service also available.

Stickman 

Another one worth noting has been open for a little over a year is Som's Haven.
If you walk on the side of Sukhumvit Road with the even numbers, there will come a street named Sukhumvit Soi 14. You turn into that street and in about 20 meter there will be a small alley on the right side. Walk inside and about 50 meters in front you will see the Som`s Haven bar on the left side.  
The girls are friendly and the atmosphere is relaxed, not pushy and very open.  

Bangkok Night Life Guide

Coyote Dancers at Angelwitch 2

Coyote Dancers can now be found inside the ground floor

Angelwitch 2 and at top floor Wild Thing at Nana Plaza.

Coyote Dancers are typically better dancers,

more fun to watch, but are usually not available 

to be barfined.

Stickman

Big Mango Bar is now the M Bar

The old Big Mango Bar in Bangkok just off of Soi 4 (Soi Nana) will reopen in the next week as the M Bar, a sister bar to The M Pub at the Ascott Hotel in Sathorn Road.  It will be operated by the same owner of The Pintsman in Silom, formerly the Duke of Wellington.  

Major renovations have taken place and upstairs is now open with windows and natural light.  It's not a girlie bar so there will be no hookers - at least none working or based on the premises and no drink quotas.  

The new owners promise good food, live sport on TV and free pool.

Stickman