Challenging An Often Heard Mantra

Imagine running a business where the cost of labour was so low for some staff that you could almost count it as zero. Imagine being in an industry where you sold much of your product at 4 times the price you paid for it – without any need to add real
value to it. Imagine being a business owner where the cost of your rent was about the same as 2 days turnover and then imagine that everyone, but everyone, said you should never ever get involved in such a business! What sort of business am I
talking about? A gogo bar in Thailand of course!

It's the second thing you're told after you settle into expat life in Thailand. First you're told not to marry a bargirl – but no-one listens to that, it seems. The next thing you hear is that you shouldn't buy a bar. It's a bit
more difficult to buy a bar than to get married but that aside, it seems that most heed these words.

Bars come in all shapes and sizes but for the purpose of keeping things simple, let's look at the most popular segment of the market, gogo bars. There are perhaps 200 gogo bars in Thailand, and it seems to me that many are quite successful. In fact
the owners of some have done elegantly well. One Bangkok bar mogul bought a light aircraft, the price mooted at 24 million baht. A successful Pattaya bar boss with a couple of venues paid 16 million baht cash for a brand spanking new BMW M5. A
popular English Bangkok bar boss recently told me how he offered 15 million baht cash for a Cowboy bar and was outbid by someone else who came up with the purchase price in cash that very same day. With these sorts of numbers being thrown around,
is being in the bar business really so bad?

A few years back I inadvertently upset some Pattaya bar owners. I mentioned how profitable a certain bar was, a bar to which I was unknown by management until my scribblings appeared online. I had visited the venue that week and the owner had been mouthing
off to all and sundry about the profits he was making. I knew the manager of the venue and he confirmed that the numbers floating around were indeed accurate. I made a passing comment in the column and suddenly the Stickphone was going crazy as
those Pattaya bar bosses I did know told me to edit or pull the paragraph. They were concerned that the authorities would read it and know how much he was making and feared being asked to make greater contributions.

So just how profitable are gogo bars in Thailand? VERY, I would suggest.

The cost of entering the industry can be relatively low. If you wish to start a new bar from scratch, you essentially have to buy the right to the lease, key money as it is referred to locally. Then you have the right to operate a business in that space
for X number of years. Rent is paid on top of that. Key money varies and it is impossible to put a baht figure on it, suffice to say that it could be the equivalent of 50% of the rent. So if, for example, rent was 80,000 baht a month, key money
might be the equivalent of 40,000 baht a month so on a 5 year lease the key money would be about 2.5 million baht. Let's say that the cost of fitting out a smallish gogo bar nicely is 2.5 million baht and with the key money on top, you have
a set up cost for a brand new bar, of 5 million baht. You could fit it out on the cheap and spend much less so less than 4 million baht to set up a brand new gogo bar is doable.

For a larger bar you could double these numbers, or more. Set up costs vary from bar to bar. A small gogo bar I rather like was set up at a cost of less than 2.5 million baht whereas we hear rumours that the bills for constructing Angelwitch Pattaya ran
closer to a million greenbacks, figures I find a little hard to believe, even if it is a very flash venue, built almost to Western standards. There was one very basic Pattaya gogo converted from the previous business and fitted out for under 500,000
baht – so even if you're on a tight budget, you can still become a bar owner!

So what sort of money does a gogo bar pay in rent? In the old days, and we're going back about 6 or 7 years here, Fantasia in Nana Plaza used to cost the Crown Group a mere 45,000 baht a month. And that was at the very time when it was one of the
best bars in the plaza, packed every night from before 9 all the way until closing. Break that down and the bar only needed to do 1,500 baht a night to cover the rent. Even now, I believe that the rent for Angelwitch in Bangkok is not much more
than 100,000 baht a month. Rent in Cowboy and Nana really is not that high. While I don't know what sort of money Angelwitch does nightly, I would have thought it would be close to, or even more than, 100,000 baht turnover a night. So can
we assume that for some gogo bars, the rent runs what a bar does in total turnover each night. From a business owner's perspective, that seems attractive!

I have to wonder if staff salaries can legitimately be called an expense in a gogo bar. Dancers and showgirls especially are demanding, and getting, higher salaries these days. In the case of dancers, how much money do they really cost the bar? Let's take Tilac Bar for example. Most of the dancers – and all of the new hires – are offered 10,000 baht a month salary. For that they have quotas to meet – a minimum of 8 barfines and 50 lady drinks. 8 barfines @600 baht
a pop is 4,800 baht. 50 lady drinks @ 100 baht each (I think they get 40 baht per drink) means a conservative profit of 50 baht or so per lady drink. 50 x 50 baht = 2,500 baht. That means if a lady achieves these quotas, she will have earned the
bar 7,300 baht, meaning the effective salary the bar pays her is only 2,700 baht. That's peanuts! And that is without any deductions to her salary for things such as turning up late (1 baht a minute or more), taking more than 2 days off a
month (600 baht a night for Sunday – Thursday and 1,000 baht for Friday and Saturday) as well as the other fines for things such as wearing knickers or a bra under their bikini, for which they are fined 100 baht. If they are barfined more than
a dozen or so times, the bar will be making good money out of them. My feeling is that the average girl's actual collected salary at the end of the month is pretty low – and effectively is subsidised by the customer. If a girl gets a high
number of barfines then effectively she costs the bar nothing.

Salaries are paid to everybody from the (foreign) manager to the dancers to the service staff to the cleaners. The typical monthly salary for a foreign manager runs 50,000 – 70,000 baht although some are on a bonus system which can send their salary well
over 100K baht a month. But how many foreign managers are in the industry? I can count them on one hand. For other staff salaries can be very low, just a few thousand baht a month – and that is before any deductions!

Invoices for booze can run large numbers, but it is later sold at a decent profit. Bottled beers are bought in at around 30 – 35 baht and sold at up to 150 baht with around 130 baht being typical these days, I guess. As far as top shelf drinks go, different
bars pour different measures, but a bottle of top shelf is generally bought in at less than 1,000 baht for the good stuff, perhaps as little as 300 baht for the crap Vodka and Gin some bars peddle. Then, with 30 odd drinks poured from each bottle,
they are sold at the same average price of 130 baht or so. We can moot that generally speaking, drinks are sold at four times what the bar buys them in at. These rates would not apply to draft beers which are often offered cheap) and cheap spirits
which may also be sold on the cheap. Of course you have Bacardi Breezers and cocktails which are sold at a lower margin, perhaps 2.5 – 3 times. Overall, the profit margins on drinks are very good.

There are of course a number of hidden costs in running a gogo bar. Running several air-conditioning units seven nights a week costs larger venues a small fortune. Not to mention the electricity required for the lighting, laser and sound systems. The
very biggest bars can have electric bills exceeding 100,000 baht per month.

It's easy to underestimate the extra expenses in addition to rent, salaries and the cost of buying in the booze. Maintenance can be another hidden cost from renovations to repairs to full refurbishment, and then all the incidentals like ice, glasses,
food for parties, air-conditioning & sound system service, sundry items such as toilet paper, towels, etc all add up. General maintenance can amount to some large bills, even in a country where labour costs are low. A lot of cash can be tied
up in booze stock if trade is slow. Water is cheap in Thailand but the water bills for some bars would amaze you. Constantly running toilets, urinals, sinks, the washing up, bars equipped with showers etc. mean some bars use a ton of water – and
that has to be paid for.

The government keeps bringing in more and more licenses and requirements (public music license, entertainment area license, alcohol sales license, fire & safety regulations and the list goes on…) so running a gogo bar today is more expensive than
ever. Of course there are various authorities that can come sniffing. In some bar areas several different divisions all demand a slice of the pie.

It's impossible to put figures on all these numbers. A small bar such as Sexy Night in Nana would have a completely different set of numbers to a larger venue like Rainbow 4.

So what sort of money do the bars do in a night? A big bar in Nana could take in more than 100,000 baht in a night. A really big bar on a really good night could do 250,000 baht, although that would be very much the exception to the rule. On New Year's
Eve, some venues can exceed 300,000 baht for the night although in fairness, that would be considered exceptional, a once a year event. A large bar like Rainbow 4 probably averages 150,000 baht a night or so. It's huge and many barfines,
as many as 70 or 80, are paid every night. It is however hardly the most comfortable spot to sit and drink hence I doubt the average drinks bill would approach the levels found in a bar where customers are happy to sit and drink all night long,
like say Angelwitch or Mandarin. So the mix of money made is different in different bars. Some bars attract drinkers. Some bars attract those looking to bar fine early. For small bars, 30,000 baht might be considered a very good night indeed.
These days, with things so quiet, some of the smaller gogo bars won't even do 10,000 baht on some nights. Every bar is different.

For a long time Angelwitch in Bangkok was on the market for sale at 55 million baht, or in real money, about $1,750,000. I have no idea how this number was arrived at, but if we use the conventional method of selling a business at around 3X annual earnings,
that would suggest an annual profit of around 18+ million baht, or around 1.5 million baht profit per month, a decent earner by anyone's standards. I have heard it said that many gogo bars in Nana Plaza operate on a 40% or so net profit ratio,
meaning that 40% of the turnover is the effective profit. Such margins are very attractive and not commonly found in a more conventional business.

I don't know what the asking price for Angelwitch is now, or even if it is still up for sale, although if anyone was game enough to present Khun Matt with a suitcase containing this amount, I'm sure he would give you his best smile and absolutely
his best handshake! Cripes, he might even wai you too! Of course a business is only worth what someone is prepared to pay for it and I don't know that Matt received any serious offers at that price or not. But you do hear
of bars – or is that *did* hear of bars – changing hands frequently for 10 – 12 million baht and not that infrequently for around the 20 million baht mark. That's a decent chunk of change!

There's no doubt that many have done very well in the bar business over the years. Millionaires have been made – and I am not talking in baht! There was the fellow in Pattaya who built a 30 million baht house which he wrote about over a period of
time in a local rag, although in fairness, he is a shrewd businessman with his fingers in many pies. There's the bar owner who bought a new Merc for his Mrs. for 10 million and more than a few owners with monstrous condos around the city.
One owner has a million *dollar* condo on Sukhumvit, financed entirely by profits from the bar industry.

Many bar owners start with one venue and end up with a bunch. Just look at how much money The Arab has tied up in Soi Cowboy properties. Like him or loathe him, his bars are the best decorated and for the most part are immaculately kept. He could have
as much as 2 million in greenbacks tied up in Cowboy.

If you had a few clues, were not an alcoholic and were prepared to open your eyes, listen to others and learn about the business, I cannot help but feel that there is A LOT of money to be made in the gogo bar business. Start small with a small investment
of say 5 – 6 million baht, decorate the bar nicely, get a good DJ, offer high salaries to attract the best girls and poach one of the best bar bosses like Larry, Dave, Ricky or Paul and I think that even in these difficult times, you would be
laughing all the way to the bank. You'd have to get a good location, of course, but I cannot help but think that now might be a good time to get involved in the business. I've done the numbers and I believe that if you're prepared
to do things properly and run it like a real business, I really do feel that there is a lot of money to be made running a gogo bar in Thailand!

Where was this photo taken?

FROM STICK'S INBOX (These are emails from readers and what is written here was not written by Stick.) Preference may be given to emails which refer to the previous week's column.

EMAIL OF THE WEEK – Customer service, Thai style.

No forward thinking.

The changing Western visitor to Asia.

Enough is enough.

Not tempted by the bars.

Anti-naughty nightlife.

What can a poor beautiful girl do?

Who is lying?

Nana Plaza received closure order papers last night and ace bar manager Tricky Ricky has said that the Pattaya bars were also told to close. It is most likely that all bars in Bangkok and Pattaya will be closed on both July 7th and 8th, two Buddhist holidays.
We can't mess with religion, can we, but with that said, yet again the tourists have to suffer a 5-day holiday with no banking, and very few bars & nightspots open. Welcome to Thailand! As always, check out
DaveTheRaveBangkok for last minute news on bar closures. Dave will update his site if there are any changes.

The number of tourists in town remains low and out on the streets it's as quiet as ever. Even the number of freelancers hovering near the bus stop near soi 5 is down. This week, for those who are daring, there were a few fair lookers but also a handful
of aggressive cocks in frocks. I even noted a few new species, perhaps from India but from that corner of the planet for sure. With Africans and the occasional Eastern European already established, the days of it being a Thai
only marketplace are long gone.

Following on from the recent news that bars on the ground floor area of Nana might be about to become part of Bangkok bar history, we've yet to see any sign of demolition work in the plaza. Maybe the Crown Group has used their not inconsiderable
financial resources to maintain the status quo?

I expect you'll find the prices have increased in all of the Arab's bars in Cowboy in line with Sheba's and Suzy Wong's recent price increases. I don't know for sure because I don't frequent his bars.

Cathouse in Nana Plaza is running a buy-one-get-one-free drinks deal on draught beer. Heineken, Singha and Chang draught is available in chilled half pint beer mugs. The special for draught beer runs from afternoon until closing. Cathouse also has a special deal with all bottled beers only 69 baht all night every night. Who said drinking in Nana Plaza was expensive?!

Spanky's in Nana Plaza has taken on a bunch of new dancers which has certainly helped fill their stage.

They have finally completed a centre-dividing fence in the busy part of Sukhumvit that is no doubt designed to keep the inebriated and the unaware from becoming car bonnet ornaments with the changing traffic patterns.

Some fine young Americans were in Phuket this week and as if proof was ever needed that the jungle drums ring clearly, Patong was set upon by the maidens of Isaan who endured 20 odd hours on the road to make the journey down to paradise island to entertain them. When the navy pulls out, I'd expect many of the girls will too, the number of tourists around not nearly enough to sustain an increase in the bargirl population.

The price of a beer is going up in Soi Cowboy. Is the reason the recent (small) tax increases or does Thai logic prevail – put up prices because there are fewer buyers around?! The price of a regular drink in Suzy Wong's has gone up to 150 baht,
after 9 PM. Apache Coyote prices have also gone up, to 105.

Wherever you were in Bangkok this week, you will have heard Michael Jackson's tunes being played over and over again. I guess it is like that all around the world. Many gogos have also increased the Michael Jackson quotient.

My spies tell me that Catz-a-gogo (Soi 16, Walking Street) has recruited some seriously cute girls of late and, for a small bar, now boasts one of the best line-ups in Fun City. Like everywhere though, the best ones often go early so perhaps the best
thing to do is to take advantage of their unique happy hour where ALL drinks are 65 baht. That includes beers, top shelf spirits – even cocktails and Bacardi Breezers! All is not lost even if you can't make it early though as the full range
of drinks are just 85 baht once their happy hour finishes. It has to be the best value gogo bar in town.

The main reason I go into Angelwitch in Nana Plaza is to see Dave, who as you probably know is the genius behind DaveTheRaveBangkok. The reason I don't
go there so often these days is the pricing of drinks at Angelwitch. Sorry, but 145 – 150 baht is simply more than I am willing to pay. I don't feel it is value for money. I do however feel that anyone new to Bangkok or visiting Nana Plaza
for the first time should visit because the bar, while not unique (Long Gun in Cowboy also has very good shows), it does have shows better than probably anywhere else. Anyway, I am rambling, get to the point Stick! I will not be visiting Sheba's or Suzy Wong's after 9 PM with confirmation that drinks prices in Suzy Wong's also went up to 150 baht. Frankly, that's too much and to me, it just does not represent value for money. Suzy Wong is not the bar it used to be and the number of customers is well down. Where this is all interesting is that Soi Cowboy has had an advantage over Nana for some time, nudity in some bars and, crucially for many locals, cheaper prices. With these big-name Cowboy bars putting prices up, what price difference that existed between the two major Bangkok bar areas no longer exists. It won't need much in the way of an attitude change on Cowboy for there to be a swing back towards Nana and you know what? I think it is starting to happen already. I've said it once and I'll say it again – as good as Cowboy is, it ain't going to remain the most popular bar area forever!

Still in Cowboy, Coyote Apache has taken on more of a Nana look as it is bikinis on for all. Some dancers are pleased that they are no longer required to dance in their birthday suit but some aren't thrilled at losing an edge to less revealing bars.

It would be a fair assumption that other Cowboy bars may soon follow suit and dancers' laundry bills will go up. This will contribute even more to levelling the playing field with Nana. Interesting times…

Even Tilac has not been as busy this week as it has been and some girls were complaining that the ratio of customers to dancers was not as it should be.

Overall it would seem that both bar owners need to bite the bullet for a while as Thailand's economic pendulum passes through the lowest point of the swing. Bar owners need to try harder to please customers, understanding that this is
far from the best of times. A little more for a little less will ensure the bars will still be around when the good times return.

There was much concern amongst the employees of The Arab's bars this week as word spread quickly about his arrest and subsequent bail set at the astronomic figure of 4 million baht. Will we get paid they were asking themselves. Last week I ran a
rumour that the Arab had been arrested upon entering the Kingdom and charged with various crimes, only to later be released on a whopping bail of 4 million baht. I checked this story out and three different sources confirmed it to be true. So
I did what any columnist should do and dropped an email to the man himself. Here is his response:

Although the Arab denies that he was arrested, charged and later bailed, every indication is that his denial is fabricated. Note in his reply that he did not stay on topic and looked to place the blame on others. If you look at Thaksin and what he is
charged with you will see the same type of response. It's funny how The Arab spends so many words on the subject of prejudice and not the issue of the bail.

The bar scene used to be predominantly the domain of older guys, for whom success wasn't so easy to come by in their homelands. The bars of Thailand left them satisfied. Then younger travellers started to visit. I am not talking
about backpackers here who have been visiting the country for decades, but younger guys who spent much time and money in the bar environment. The old boys were irked initially, curious that young guys who should have no problem getting a bit back home were invading their domain. They were to find that the younger lads' eagerness to bonk all night long and pay the absolute minimum ensured the older boys remained popular. There's a new group, who while not new to
the bars per se, who do seem to be visiting in increasing numbers. Lesbians! Yep, more and more lesbians are frequenting the naughty bars. They have money and they are prepared to spend it. And you know what? Some of the girls are rather keen
to go with them. Now what do you think about that? Personally, I find it hilarious, but a few guys I have spoken to have been less than impressed!

A reader advises that the Bargirls' Get Rich Quick Guide is available in the book shop just off Beach Road in Pattaya on Central Avenue, between sois 6 and 7.

The Philippines seems to be attracting a lot of interest recently and I am hearing from more and more expats who are fed up with Thailand and heading that way. The most common complaints about Thailand concern changing visa rules, the fact that the Thais
really do not care for us and of course, ever increasing prices. For me, I cannot really comment as I have never been to the Philippines. It's a place I would like to check out one day. What puts me off is the safety issue and that the local
cuisine is not highly regarded.

I have done something I should have done a long time and put my mobile phone in the draw. If you want to contact me, it's email only.

Stickman reader's story of the week is the positive piece by Mac BKK, titled "Thai Stereotypes".

Quote of the week comes from a Phuket John. "I met a young lady who had graduated from Buriram Rajaphat University who spoke perfect English, and I thought that all you could major in there was Connect Four."

Here's a piece on expat salaries.

From MSN Money comes a story about the massive charges levied when using a British bank issued ATM card
abroad.

Well-known local journo Andrew Drummond adds more detail to the King Power fiasco, suggesting 160+ foreigners
have been conned since April! But, this letter issued by King Power suggests that the couple highlighted in the original article in The
Times were in fact caught shoplifting with a link to CCTV footage of it!

Not Thailand-related but I think you will like it anyway, daily sex makes for healthy sperm!

This very handy spying device could let you know what your girlfriend is really up to!

From The Nation, there's trouble brewing at the Foreign Correspondents' Club.

This YouTube clip shows some savage beasts in Pattaya laying into others on Walking Street and is a great example of fighting
in Thailand, how it is all about numbers and how the boot is put in when people go down!

Three foreigners were found dead in Pattaya in 3 days.

Ask Mrs. Stick

Mrs. Stick is happy to answer any questions regarding inter-racial relationships as well as cultural peculiarities that may be confusing or baffling you.

Question 1: Back in January my Thai wife got the call that we all dread, her father had collapsed following a massive stroke. This hit her family hard as he had never been sick and even though in his mid 80's he still rode around on his motorbike and helped out in the fields, where he collapsed. Luckily we were already set to travel to Thailand and arrived six days after the stroke. During the time in the hospital he picked up a severe infection in his brain, lungs and stomach, which required a transfer to a big hospital 2 hours away in Korat to clear, but not before irreparable damage to his lungs so that he required oxygen to breathe. By this stage, it was clear to me that he would not make it – he could barely move, needed to be fed and changed (by his family who stayed with him in hospital), was almost unable to talk and needed constant oxygen. The doctor suggested to the family to “make their hearts strong” and let them remove the oxygen and let dad go. This suggestion was refused and so the family continued to feed and change him like a baby for another six weeks, until his heart failed. Now three months after his death, the family is in a
similar situation with their mother, who has been sick for a long time with cancer, which is now in its final stages. Her condition now similar to that of the father, barely able to move or talk (too weak), cannot feed herself and needs changing like a baby. The doctors all say there is little they can do for her and she only has a short time left (they have taken her to four, hoping for a different answer). Again, they have been told to “make their hearts strong” and to let her go, but they insist on dragging her to the hospital for fluid transfusions. Why are Thai people unable to accept the inevitable and let them pass with dignity, rather than drag it out for weeks or months? I know it's difficult (I had to do it for my father) but surely it is for the best?

Mrs. Stick says: I think this is not a question I can answer for Thai people. It is different for every family. Our grandmother and grandfather might be the head of our family, or maybe they were in the past. We are expected to look after them so it is hard to say goodbye. For me, I cannot say it is ok to let someone die. It's just not right for my family.

Mr. Stick says: Hospitals in provincial capitals in Thailand are generally ok but the best hospitals and specialists are in Bangkok. It could be expensive but is there any harm in taking her to Bangkok to one of the big name hospitals like Bumrungrad, BNH, Samitiwej or Bangkok Hospital for the opinion of top class professionals? Of course, this could cost quite a bit and the recommended care could potentially cost a lot. A tough choice.

Question 2: I would be grateful if you could answer a question for me regarding a young lady that I have known on and off for a number of years and I have now decided to take from the bar and send her home to her province while I prepare for a visa to
bring her to my country. She is very excited about this. However, I have only been back from Bangkok for a day and she has contacted me to say that it is necessary for me to pay the bar 10,000 baht to release her. I have not heard of this before
and I have never had a reason to disbelieve her so I'm not sure what the situation is. I would be grateful for any input. The bar in question is Cocktail Club in Soi Cowboy. I might add that I left this bar a lot of money in custom over a
short period last week. Am I being scammed?

Mr. Stick says: The simple answer is that yes, it is a scam and shame on Cocktail Club AND THE GIRL for trying this on with you! This is a common, long-running scam. I will try and outline the situation in some detail so others know how to deal with it. My apologies if this response is a little long-winded. Quite simply, the notion that someone should have to pay money to leave a job is ridiculous and smacks of slavery. Any bar employee can walk away from the bar at any time without paying anything! If she does this in the middle of the month there will be deductions made for failing to go to work and for failing to reach her barfine and drinks quota which will most likely cancel out her salary – and she will receive no salary for that month. If she wishes to receive her salary, she could wait until pay day, collect her salary and then leave and not return – as is very common in the industry. It's not nice for an employee in any industry to leave their employer in a lurch like this, but with that said, in the bar industry there isn't always a great deal of loyalty shown either way. What usually happens is that the mamasan (or perhaps the manager / owner of the bar) puts pressure on the girl to extract 10,000 baht from the customer / boyfriend. This money does not usually go to the bar but to the mamasan, or it might be split between the mamasan and the girl – as is most commonly the case. The mamasan will tell the girl that this money allows her to "return to the bar if things don't work out with the guy", the suggestion being that if the payment is not forthcoming then she cannot return to the bar. What the bar / mamasan does not say is that 90% of the girls would be welcome back to work at the bar anyway. Most bars struggle to get enough girls. Every case is different but oftentimes the mamasan is an older woman who simply puts pressure on a younger, impressionable woman. Tell your girlfriend to work until the end of the month, to collect her salary and then leave. Alternatively, tell her to leave immediately!
To add a little more, I asked this question to the owner of a Bangkok gogo bar and here is his response.

I get a bit of flak running this column and one of the most common complaints is that I have used this column to enrich myself. That is of course complete bollocks. It is said from one or two quarters that I accept money or free services to promote business. Sure, I sell advertising and some of the banner ads you see here are paid for. That's perfectly normal for any website. But some people claim that I write comments in the body of the column in exchange for cash or valuables, and that I also favour paid advertisers. Again, not true. Over the years I have talked up many venues. I used to talk up the Big Mango when it was in Nana Plaza and guess what? You would find me there every Friday without fail, grabbing a burger and having a few beers with friends before doing the rounds. All paid for by me! I talk up the buffet at Molly Malone's and guess where you will find me at least one Sunday every month? I also talk up Bradman's Bistro and Tilac, where you will also frequently find me. And down in Pattaya I often mention Secrets and Catz where I can be found. In fact on my last two visits to Pattaya I only went to Secrets and Catz and nowhere else. I have my favourite spots and I will tell you about them. That does NOT mean that I am being paid off at all. If you think I am favouring a venue too much, stake it out, and sooner or later, you will see me there. If an advertiser is up to no good, I would drop them as an advertiser. Shame on you if you suggested otherwise.

Your Bangkok commentator,

Stick