Bangkok Protests, Is Another Coup on the Way?

Images from Saturday, May 31, 2008
from 2Bangkok.com

A Gathering of Bangkok Bloggers

Head over to the Duke for refreshment and civil conversation.
I turn out to be lucky and encounter Smitty and Pmmp and chinwag with them, then I am subjected to a barrage of insults from Daywalker, have an intellectual discussion with master wordsmith Bangkok Bad Boy and sit opposite Werewolf who after a couple of hours meets your gaze in an off beam way by staring at a point 6 centimetres to the right of your head.
John Brown pops in wearing Hawaiian shirt number 47 and helps me put credit on my phone. We order some mixed starters and all talk about nothing in particular.

To round the evening off perfectly some of us hit the gogos mixing the in-yer-face proximity of the naked Rubenesques of the Cactus Club, The 5 star rockers and the Baccara spinners in their schoolgirl outfits.
That dancer in whatever bar it was who has perfected the booty shuffle comes to sit next to me and drinks her coke. I want to tell her that I plan on going home alone but never get round to it. One butt cheeks fits perfectly into the cup of my hand. I resist slipping a finger up as I have popcorn to eat – got to get my priorities right – right?

Fatigue slowly gets to me as I bid farewell to the gang. Werewolf is shortly going to lose his wallet, his mobile phone or both, but it’s like the tides of the sea –inevitable – who am I to interfere?

Doctor Bond

Topless Thai Coyote Dancers

Dollhouse in Pattaya

Ken also is reportedly taking offers for Dollhouse, which he bought in 2006. Largely responsible for the revival of Walking Street, Dollhouse these days is more akin to a Doghouse. During a prime-time visit this week, only four other customers were in the bar on a day when 4,600 U.S. Navy personnel were in town.

Despite that, the bar is said to be profitable due to three very unique factors: It has no lease, no key money and absurdly low rent. Dollhouse sits downstairs from Marine Disco and Peppermint Palace on a large block of land given by The King to one of Pattaya oldest families. In return, the “Marine Family” allows two go-gos, the disco, various beer bars and a Muay Thai exhibition ring to operate there on just low monthly rents. With such low expenses, Dollhouse can be profitable on very little income. It’s said to make 200,000 a month in profit, giving it a sale price of about 6 million baht. So while Ken has it on the block, he’s not too concerned how long it takes to sell.
Pattaya Ghost

Pattaya Freelancers

Pattaya has a lot of Ladies working as Freelancers.
You can meet them at Pattaya's Beach Road, at Walking Street, at large Shopping Centers (Carrefour, BigC and Royal Garden Plaza are popular), at Disco Clubs and at Pattaya Beer Garden, Pattaya's first real Freelancer Meeting Place.
Pattaya Beer Garden doesn't ask a Bar Fine and there are no Lady Drinks.

If you like one of the ladies, smile to her.
If she likes you too, she will approach you.
The Ladies usually take between 500 and 1000 Baht.

Pattaya At Night

Pattaya in 1965 from Pattaya Ghost

Land Worth More Than Nana Plaza

The land under Nana Plaza in Bangkok is much more valuable than the rents paid by a bunch of bars.
On top of that - the big hotels in the area want it gone and they are influencing the big Thais to push it they way they want it to go. Which is gone.
Keep in mind - the same “group” that is selling out the Night Bazaar would easily sell out the plaza.
So over time I just think the place will have a hard time providing the same revenue stream that a large condo, office building or mixed use development would provide.
The Big Mango

Honey A Go Go in Pattaya is now Sisterz

Honey A Go Go changed over to Sisterz in September, 2007, is now noted to be expensive in Pattaya. Located on Walking Street.
Here are some shots of the old Honey A Go Go.

Bangkok Bad Boy Hits Pattaya

At Pattaya's Whats Up:
The free seats were next to the whipping stage, on which two giggling girlies were punishing each other with one of those foam whips that make far more noise than necessary, without actually, you know, drawing blood or anything. Boring. I took my seat, and immediately received a thwack around the shoulder blades.


“Ha. Nice one. Thanks. Yeah.”
Thwack!
“Yes, very good.”
Thwack!
“Okay, I think you’re beginning to labour the point somewhat.”
Thwack!
“Right, that’s enough now.”
Thwack!
“Seriously, fuck off.”
Thwack!
“Check please.”


Pattaya is the sex capital of the world for a reason. There is a practically unlimited number of women available for sex, usually for less than you’d pay in Bangkok (gogo “superstars” excepted). Some of them even have two legs, two arms, and can point both eyes in the same direction.

Unfortunately, this does attract the kind of Westerners who I don’t really like bumping into, and I stand by that. It’s not a moral judgement thing - a whoremonger in Bangkok is no better than one in Pattaya - it’s that I’ve only ever seen one fight in a Bangkok bar in over two years (and that was on Khao San Road). Whereas it seems to be a nightly occurrence in Pattaya, along with the muggings, rapes, drugs and other unpleasantness.

There are hundreds, nay thousands of beer bars and gogo bars in Pattaya, and - as in Bangkok - most of them are depressingly dull.

The best gogo bars in Pattaya, however, are several orders of magnitude better than the best gogo bars in Bangkok. No contest.

Bangkok Bad Boy

Wow! The Big Mango Bar is Moving In Next Door

Does the little old lady still have the little garden that she tends to in the front yard?
And the girls that look bored at the massage parlor?
And the mercedes still parks at the very end of the soi?
And the coconut ice cream guy rides up on his bike in the afternoon so I can buy cold treats for the receptionist?
And just a little closer to soi Nana is a little market with a couple tables where you can get a bite to eat? The Thai neighborhood regulars always sit there. And my Thai girl would buy soda water at the tiny market to rinse with after a blow job….
It was always so peaceful.

You guys will probably use my hotel for short-time use….
I wonder if the prices are now going up because of Big Mango is now in the neighborhood?

Damn, there goes the neighborhood!!!
ArtTv


Pmmp: You are sooo spot on. I’ve spent a few days there now and I’ve seen all that you’ve mentioned. The garden lady is our next door neighbor. She has indicated on more than one occasion that she would like a job in the bar.

(photo by Randy Magnus)

Suan Lum Night Bazaar in Bangkok, Thailand Closes

Bangkok’s popular Suan Lum Night Bazaar is to finally close, with its hundreds of tenants moving out to make way for a mall and hotel complex.

“It is the intention of Crown Property Bureau to comply with the court order and to carry out this order as stated,” said the Crown Property Bureau in a statement printed in Thai language newspapers.

Tenants refusing to leave could face “seizure, arrest or imprisonment,” warned the agency.

A Western Girl's Impression of Soi Cowboy

Men of all ages frequent this street, and become the patrons of strip clubs and the clients of women they choose to go home with.
As I stood with my mouth open and eyes bulging from confusion and disbelief at the spectrum of men who walked before me,
I thought about their mothers, wives, girlfriends, sisters – and all the other women who played invaluable roles in their lives. Would these men so mindlessly venture down Soi Cowboy if the women in their lives were watching?....

Some dancers looked at themselves in the mirrors as they danced, others watched the crowd, and some noticed us near the bar and gazed with soft, lingering eyes. Around the stage, eager men – many of whom were old, balding and overweight – appeared mesmerized by the girls’ charm.
Though I had read extensively about the Thai commercial sex trade and had even witnessed the dynamic between men and women at a US strip club (first year Women’s studies project – but that’s a different story),
I quickly learned that I was unprepared for the evening’s events. I was caught off guard when I saw the numbers attached to women on stage — and realized the numbers were for purchasing them for the night. I became overwhelmed and turned my head to cry.

After a couple of minutes, I glanced upwards above the stage and realized that a glass ceiling separated two dance floors. The upper level had girls dancing as well, and the floor below them was transparent so clients could have a full view up their skirts.

As we were about to make contact, two dancers came over and swarmed around us, enclosing us in a small circle. It felt as though we were long time friends – just catching up as young, jovial girls often do. We danced, sang, drank and talked together – enjoying each other’s company, without the interference of men, until one of the girls was called on stage to dance and I was jolted back to the reality of the situation.

Erin's Earth Travels

(Editor's note: Just bar-fine one. They are not victims, they are professionals, and will show you a really good time if they like you. And you can hear their story, as they send the money back home for the sick buffalo, and to gain merit with their family.)

Cockroaches Found at Nana Hotel in Bangkok

Cockroaches are being reported at Nana Hotel,(across from Nana Plaza), both in the rooms and at its restaurant, and these are not the ones on the sidewalk for us to eat.
Stickman


(ad of Nana Hotel from After Dark Magazine from 1967)

Nana Hotel Update. Part 2
Noticed Nana Hotel prices lately? I just ate lunch there this week and saw that all their prices went up significantly. Had three dishes and drinks and the bill was almost 800 baht. It was about $25 US for lunch at Nana Hotel for two people.

Their lunch buffet is still 200 baht but I had it a few weeks ago and it was the worse buffet I’ve ever had.
pmmp

Book of Portraits of the Katoeys (Ladyboys) from Nana Plaza

Now available, a 120 page 8x10 inch book of color portraits of the Katoeys of Nana Entertainment Plaza, by Randy Magnus.
It can be ordered at:
The Katoeys of Nana Entertainment Plaza.




Photographs by Randy Magnus


Katoeys:
This is a land where the boys are often prettier than the girls.
Someone told me that if it looks too good to be real, its a Katoey (Ladyboy.)
These girls are from Nana Plaza clubs Temptation, Cascade, Obsession, and Casanova.

Werewolf's #1 Found Photo

This image of Britney Spear's
shaved beaver is Werewolf's
most popular found photo.
See for yourself, hidden at
Werewolf's Lair.

Stickman Update During This Slow Season

Hollywood in Nana Plaza has canned their happy hour leaving just Erotica and Pretty Lady as the only two nightspot in the plaza with happy hours.
Each bar offers 80 baht drinks before 9 PM but I can't understand why so little is done to promote it. Unless you catch the small signs inside the bars advertising happy hour prices, you'd never know!

Tilac in Soi Cowboy, a lady drink will set you back just 100 baht. Shark Bar has heaps of really pretty girls but I would suggest the venue is in dire need of a new DJ...

Phuket doesn't quite have its usual charm at the moment with daily rainfall making the streets quiet. Many bars are quiet and while that might put some off visiting, the flip side is that it's an excellent time to go girl shopping, short or long time, before the remaining girls get discouraged and go back home too.
In Kata, Karon, Chalong and Rawai, one has their pick of the girls and there are still some cuties if you want to take one home to take care you through the rainy season. As far as a shorter period goes, my secret spies on the paradise island confirm that you can have company all night long for a thousand baht, a far cry from Bangkok or Patong prices. Barfines have climbed up in some bars from 200 to 300 baht but overall it's still a good deal.

This weather we're currently experiencing in Bangkok really is a drag. I don't mind the rainy season per se because it lowers the temperature and the air is a little clearer for a day or so.
But what I don't like is that it makes going out and meeting friends a real pain.

Stickman

Bangkok Nana Plaza Video

Yet another Nana Plaza walk through video. Very brief scene inside one of the clubs.
Enjoy.

Mikes Place in Patpong 2

Mikes Place, a bar in Patpong that is in the same space that used to be occupied by Lolita’s.
I wonder what they do there.
Read a review (sort-of) at Werewolf's Lair

The Cyclone in Burma

Offically 78,000 are dead, UN estimates death total could exceed 200,000. They are trying to survive and are in desperate need of outside aid. The military government is hoarding the relief, and refusing outside aid workers from entering the country.
www.irrawaddy.org

Tattoo Festival in Pattaya

For more information on this event, click on 2nd World Tattoo Arts Festival in Thailand, thanks to Jimmy Wong.

A Gulliver's Girl, Really?...

...Really I am quite excited because I know that soon I will be making love to a man that I do not know.
That is quite exciting. I will let him make love to me even though I will hardly know anything about him and I will probably never see him again.
I think I am starting to think like a bad girl, even though I am a good girl really.

A Bad Good Girl in Bangkok

(Billy Bangkok of The Farang thinks this is a fake blog. Read what he has to say about it here.)

Gulliver's is located at Soi 5. Its a popular place to pick up freelancers.