Dean's Dreaming Again

One of the things I love about Thai women is their incredible acting ability. Beautiful women like the one in this picture have the ability to pretend they don't even know I exist all the while down deep they are crazy about me.
Ah, dream on, khun Dean, dream on.
(More on this, check out Dean Barrett's site.)

"The big difference between sex for money and sex for free is that sex for money usually costs less." - Brendan Francis.
(Quote from Dave The Rave's website.)

Discussing Ketchup in Foodland?

In Foodland one morning, I ate breakfast beside a dismal old git who had pulled an absolute stunner. She was probably a Nana Plaza showgirl. A chum describes these mismatched couples as "pro-celebrity golf" - and it's not too difficult to work out which one is the pro. She'd probably quoted him three times the going rate but some masochists won't be deterred.

In response to her unsmiling wall of silent contempt, he started clutching at conversational straws.

To indicate his fondness for tomato ketchup, he picked up the bottle, licked his lips and patted his belly. "Mmmmmm," he enthused. Next, he pointed at the Tabasco Sauce and started panting like a dog and fanning his mouth with his hand.

I've never been a great fan of condiment-related mime and there were more than a dozen sauce bottles standing on the counter so I decided to skip the rest of his performance by asking for the bill.
(More on this, check out Dave at Mango Sauce.)
Photo supplied by Common Sense.

Lisa Rende Taylor Tells It Right

The interview between Lisa Rende Taylor of the UN Inter-agency Project on Human Trafficking and Anderson Cooper which aired on March 23 on CNN was interesting, with Cooper insisting that it was all child sex slavery, and Lisa pointing out that many of the girls are intelligent, maybe bored in the village, and they want to try the more exciting life in the cities and to help out their families by working in the sex industry on their own free will. (This is two different stories, and Cooper could only see his side.) Lisa Rende Taylor should be proud of sticking up to the big media CNN who parachuted in for a quick one-sided affair.
Reach your own conclusion here on YouTube.

Short Time

I sat next to a sullen looking pole performer in one of Nana Plaza’s top pleasure palaces. I got chatting as you do and asked her why she looked quiet and sultry. Miss Nok explained that her “sponsor” had ended the relationship. And so, I asked Nok, “Do you have a broken heart?” Nok replied, “No, I have broken bank.”
Dave The Rave

Trouble in Paradise?

The Pattaya Addicts gang has sent out a heads-up in regards to a meeting they attended which mentions new rules will go into effect; such as close-circuit tv having to be installed inside and outside of bars and gogo clubs, random drug testing for both employees and customers, employees must be 20 years old and the businesses must keep registration forms with photos on file of all of its workers. Sign up and read more. "The crackdown has begun."

"The Katoeys of Nana Plaza" stills in video

Excerpts from the 120 page 8x10" book of color photographs, portraits of "The Katoeys of Nana Entertainment Plaza" in Bangkok, Thailand taken by Randy Magnus. A beautiful hardbound book where the ladyboys are prettier than the ladys. Check it out.

Nana Coming to Life

The Bangkok Nana Plaza go-go dancers arrive in their street clothes and street makeup, walk by, eyeing the potential customers (and being eyed by them) and heading for their respective bars. Many stopped to wai the Buddhist and Brahman shrines, some lit incense or bought garlands or fruit from nearby vendors to place on the shrines. Others stood about deeply engrossed in cellphone conversations, no doubt assuring men overseas that, no, they definitely were not working in the bars anymore so please keep those checks and wire transfers coming.
Dean Barrett

Bangkok Girlfriend

Her name is Lon.
This blog is not all about her.
But there’s no telling her that.
As we all know, Thai women are angelic creatures who enjoy nothing more than to shower their farang mates with docile caresses. They are far less self-involved than farang women, rarely if ever hot headed, and require little maintenance. In fact, they don’t really even want our money. We just enjoy giving it to them.
Strangely, my darling Lon deviates from the norm we ascribe to Thai females, but only inasmuch as she is an unbelievable pain in the ass who is driving me nuts.

Check out more on this new site at:
Bangkok Girlfriend

Following the Dragon at Chinese New Year

Last year me and my assistant, a girl I bar-fined from G-Spot, were fortunate enough to stumble upon some dragon dancers who walked right in front of us in Chinatown.
The first day they led us to a small Buddhist temple in an alley where they performed just for us and the resident monks. They would bow to the Buddha statues in each of the four walls.

The next morning another (and more skilled) dragon dancing troupe passed right in front of our taxi and led us to the central stage for the national media and government big shots. The cultural commissioner's wife was happy to see the Hawaiian media present (although I had no media passes, only my Art TV Hawaii business card) and told us about visiting Hawaii for a formal tea ceremony earlier in the year.

All the media would run up upon the stage to shoot the commentary by the bigshots and retreat for the dancing. I could see what was happening and was able to place myself in ideal spots to shoot the entertainment, all the time thinking the network TV crew was going to bump me from my vantage spots.
It opened with some beautiful Thai dancers, whom I was able to get backstage before their performances and shot portraits of them putting their makeup on. Then the dragon dancers would jump rope with the dragon body, roll on the stage with the dragon body above them, and even get on each others' shoulders for a rotating spiral effect with the head held up high in the center. And the lion dancers then danced and pranced on top of poles above the audience.

After the formal presentation was over, we followed the dragon across the street where they performed for the masses of spectators of common people. My assistant was very impressed with how I was able to get in among all the big-time media and government officials inside the ropes, right to where the action was. And the cultural commissioner's wife invited us back the following evening to see the queen who was suppose to attend, but I had enough of the crowds, all wearing red shirts for the occasion, and just wanted to get laid by my assistant.

So the motto of the story is to "Follow the Dragon," it'll take you to where the action is.
Art TV
(bottom photo by Dean Barrett at this year's event.)

Watching Soi Cowboy Wake Up

Watching the soi wake up is an enlightening experience. Many of the girls live above the bars in which they work - so we see them emerging, sober and docile, into the soi to buy lunch from one of the countless food carts. Office workers pop into the soi to buy food, looking warily at the girls and hastily beating a retreat once they’re loaded up with som tam.

Later in the afternoon, some of the girls who’ve managed to acquire their own apartments (or spent the night in someone else’s) begin to arrive - some by foot, some in taxis or on mopeds or motorbikes. Some even arrive on the back of their Thai boyfriends’ motorbikes (which the girls probably paid for).
Bangkok Bad Boy

Dean Barrett Walking Down Soi Cowboy

This YouTube link features Dean Barrett walking down Soi Cowboy, talking about the nightlife. It's great.

Dave The Rave Has A New Look

Dave The Rave has updated his website,
complete with some new photos. Some exciting stuff.

Dave writes about Valentine's Day:
Valentine’s Day is a lovely time in Thailand, when the girls and guys can have some fun and offer hearts in the form of gifts and stickers. It is also visually appealing to see the pole performers in the go-go bars all wearing seductive red outfits. Valentine’s Day is a time when the world can celebrate love and romance, but in the nightlife areas in Thailand it is a time for fun and frolics. Being the man with the reflective dome, my head ended up being completely covered with love heart stickers. This is another good reason why I still enjoy my time here, because the Thais will spontaneously party and have fun. The world can be such a serious place, so it is always enjoyable to be able to escape that.

Have a look.
Dave The Rave
Dave also has a new video out. Take a look at Youtube.

"The Katoeys of Nana" Book Available

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.

New Year's Eve at Soi Cowboy

However, without question, the winner of the most-fun-bar on New Year's Eve is Dollhouse also on Soi Cowboy. In his wisdom, Darryl every year brings in an enormous amount of tiny Styrofoam balls so that one must wade and swim across the floor, one hand on a glass and one hand on a lovely, skimpily clad lady.

Dean Barrett

Hog's Breath Is Sold - Changes to Come

Sources tell me that The Hog's Breath Saloon at Nana Plaza was sold on January 10th, 2007.

This will be a great blow to all of the ex-pats and regular patrons who relied on this establishment as a meeting place to discuss their sex addiction, alcoholism, and their game of golf with a few beers.

Maybe Bob and his wife are dancing with relief.
(See what Dave The Rave has to say.)

photographs by Randy Magnus

Here is an update from Dean Barrett on Hog's Breath:
It was sad to see Bob and his friends carrying out the interior items from the Hog's Breath in Nana Plaza - deer antlers, boar's head, boxes, etc. Bob had the bar for God knows how many years and finally under financial pressure from a bank had to sell. Rumor-Control Headquarters has it that the wall between the Boar's Head and Spanky's will be torn down thereby creating a bar in which at least two customers and two dancers can cram inside at the same time. Apparently, Bob still will carry on his free Sunday chili as well as golf tournaments, etc., but based in the tiny Tavern Pub just down the street on soi 4 which also according to Rumor-Control Headquarters might knock out a wall to take over the hair dresser's thereby creating a pub in which at least two or three customers can sit down at once. Perhaps if this trend continues someday one entire floor of Nana Plaza will be one big bar. A friend of mine went by the old Hog's Breath the next night and a girl outside said, yes, it is open, and sure enough inside were three customers drinking despite no dancers and no decor. I guess go go bars never die; they just get carried away.
Dean Barrett

Nana Panorama

Here is a panoramic view of Nana Plaza taken during the early evening. I found it on NanaPlaza.com. Check it out by clicking here.

Bombs Cancel Bangkok's New Years Celebration

Bombs went off shortly after 6 pm in Bangkok on New Year's Eve. This caused the New Year's celebrations to be canceled. But the gogo clubs could stay open all night until 6 am. More bombs went off after midnight.
So the best place to be at would be cuddled up with your teelak (girlfriend) in some bar, enjoying the show, and staying off the streets.
More on this from Bangkok Post, or Bangkok Bad Boy.

Christmas in Bangkok

Christmas at Soi Cowboy
I found this image in Dean Barrett's archives from last year. Hopefully, there will be some photos from this year's holiday season.
Happy Holidays to everyone.

Christmas at Nana Disco

This shot is from a couple years ago, showing the dance girls at the Angels Disco (or Nana Disco), dressed for the holidays. (Its the dance club that's found inside the Nana Hotel.)

Maintaining Face

It takes a lot of courage for a Thai female to decide to enter this type of work. The one difference that sets Thailand apart from other countries is the Thai culture. It usually falls to the females to take care of the parents. The money that they make goes to support their parents and they live on the minimum amount that will sustain them. Often they live in small rooms without air conditioning and many live with another person to even further lower their costs.
The face being gained here is they are not pocketing the money for themselves but supporting their families who probably live upcountry. So if you decide to spend some time with a Thai lady who you met at a nightlife venue, keep in mind that you are making a donation to her family and not to her. By doing this she gains face with her family. Her family more than likely turns a blind eye as to how she makes her money. This is the case in the vast majority of cases.
(To read more about this, click on Dave's name.)
Dave the Rave

Songkran Festival Celebration in Pattaya

Photo from celebration in Phuket

Here is a link to Jim Suay's video on celebrating the new year in Pattaya. This takes place in April.
Check it out.