One night in Bangkok makes a grown man humble...
Bangkok's nightlife has a reputation for being wild and rowdy. But at
the same time it's relaxed, safe, enjoyable and great fun! Rapidly
establishing itself as Asia's capital of cool, Bangkok's diverse
nightlife scene features everything from excellent live music and good
jazz clubs to ultra cool bars, trendy clubs and great restaurants - and
go far beyond its once-upon-a-time sleazy and naughty image.
Bikini-clad dancing girls, over-the-top ladyboys and lewd, eye-popping
shows... Yes, the Go-Go Bars that earned Bangkok its worldwide notoriety
are still alive and letting it all hang out. For better or worse,
Bangkok's illustrious 'After Dark' reputation owes much to these spots.
SOI COWBOY
Named after the cowboy hat-wearing African-American who
opened the first bar here in the early 1970s. Flashing neon lights up a colourful streetscape comprised mainly
of middle-aged expats, Japanese and western tourists, and of course a
lot of sexily dressed girls. With cries of 'helloooa, welcome!' the
latter try to lure you into one of the 20 or so A go-go bars that line
its sides... don't be shy, it's pretty easy going and open-minded.
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| Soi Cowboy |
NANA
Nana gets its name from Lek Nana a wealthy Thai-Muslim politician and businessman whose family owns most of the land in this area. One of the founders of the Democratic Party he was a various times Deputy Foreign Minister, Minister of Science, Technology & Energy and honorary consul-general for Iraq. Located in Sukhumvit Soi 4, Nana Entertainment Plaza (NEP) is Bangkok's sleaze
central. Notorious for its racy themed go-go bars - from school-girl
and leather dominatrix to ladyboy - it's literally a 'sex mall', with
three storeys of eye-popping activity all focused around a square-shaped
central atrium.
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| Entrance to Nana Entertainment Plaza (NEP) |
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| NEP in the early 80's then called Nana Plaza SHOPPING CENTER |
PATPONG
One of the world's most (in)famous red-light districts, Patpong is where
it all started (Thailand's Go-Go culture). It has even been
immortalised in a James Bond chase-sequence. Its two parallel
side-streets, found between Silom and Surawongse Roads, house around 100
neon-lit strip bars offering risque sex shows, purchasable pole-dancers
and post-op ladyboys.
Patpong gets its name from the family that owns much of the area's
property, the Patpongpanich (or Patpongpanit), immigrants from Hainan Island, China, who purchased the area in 1946. By 1968, a handful of nightclubs existed in the area as a R&R (Rest and Recuperation) location for U.S. troops serving in the Vietnam War,
although the main R&R area was actually along New Petchburi Road.
In its prime during the 1970s and 1980s, Patpong was the premier
nightlife area in Bangkok, and was famous then for its sexually explicit
shows.
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| Patpong go-go bar & night market |
How Not To Get Ripped Off in Patpong
This seems to happen almost exclusively in Patpong only. As far as we know there are no scams like this at Soi Cowboy or Nana. Most Go-Go bars located along the two streets of Patpong are free to get in as long as you order a drink, which costs Bht120 to Bht150 … but be aware that there are tricky places that will cost you a lot more without actually delivering anything better – and they may even be worse. How to recognize the trick:
- Someone will approach you with a nice list of fun entertaining features such as a 'ping pong show' and other well-known activities with ‘colourful’ names. JUST IGNORE THEM AND CONTINUE WALKING.
- He will say "It's free to see for five minutes"… which means it won't be free after the five minutes are up and as the guy seems trustworthy and speaks really fast, you somehow forget this fact.
- The place not even be on Patpong itself but if it is upstairs and the bar has no sign and no name. NEVER GO UPSTAIRS!
- Once you are in, the show will have only one act and you will be asked for a tip. Basically you will have to tip for each ‘trick’ performed.
- The girls will ask you for a lady drink, whether she sits next to you or even stands across the room… each drink costs at least 200 baht.
- You will not see the bill until the last minute. In most normal A Go-Go Bars or beer bars, your bill is placed in a small box (bin) in front of you, which allows you to check the damage as you drink and let you decide if you want to offer another round or not. Usually a drink is around 100 to 120 baht. In the dodgy ones the bill never comes until the last moment.
- If you ask a girl how much her drink will cost you, she only knows once answer: 'same as yours', so naturally you think 100 to 120 baht… wrong, it's 200 to 300 baht.
- When the bill comes, it’ll be about 1,000 baht (or more) and don't even waste your time arguing; you won't win… just pay up and smile or else get beaten up by the bouncers.
Few foreigners have ever heard of Saphan Kwai, let alone made the effort to go and have a look. It's essentially the Thai man's version of the farang oriented gogo bar areas and while the set up is pretty much the same, there are some significant differences, particularly in the overall atmosphere and feel of the bars.
The most obvious will be apparent when you walk through the door. The
seating arrangement is very much Thai style. There are booths with
comfortable seating around a table. This suits the Thai style of meeting
up with friends to socialise in these bars. The sexy dancing girls
are not the only reason to be there... but it's a much more comfortable
arrangement for everyone when the girls come to sit and talk with the
customers. It's also worth noting that many of the bars here are on a
larger scale than the average
farang bar. The next thing you'll notice is the significantly lower cost
of the
beer. Ice is added to
your beer glass, this being the preference in Thailand and your table is
attended regularly by staff who will keep your glass topped up. Think
restaurant with a go-go bar. Ability to speak Thai a bonus but not really necessary.
NIGHT TOURS ARE AVAILABLE. Some
places may request for an age check (usually not) so this activity if
for those aged 20 & above only. Contact us and
we can plan an itinerary to suit your preference & budget.
