Stickman Weekly, July 21, 2024

Mystery Photo

Where is it?

Last week’s photo was taken of the Bangkok Bank branch in Tokyo, Japan. The person who sent the photo to me pulled a fast one, telling me it was the Bangkok Bank branch in London, England which I had no reason to disbelieve. It took a few of you saying it was in fact the Bangkok Bank branch in Tokyo that prompted me to do some online sleuthing to be sure just where it was. So I was tricked too! We’re back in downtown Bangkok this week.

Stick’s Inbox – The Best Emails From The Past Week

Sexy Night.

Having been a regular at Sexy Night in Nana Plaza for 26 years, I must say this bar is the best and most consistent bar in Nana Plaza, and possibly all of Bangkok. The owner / mamasan does a fantastic job ensuring everyone has a fantastic time and is well looked after by the girls. I am very much into music and I would say the music played in Sexy Night is the best from the ’60s and ’70s. It reminds me of the Vietnam war era with music from Credence, Steppenwolf, The Beatles, Hendrix etc., all played at a level where you can still have a decent conversation. I know the owner’s son works behind the bar and I understood he was going to take the bar over. I hope he does as this is the only bar in Nana that hasn’t changed in 25 years. Nana would not be the same without Sexy Night.

How to avoid cirrhosis of the liver.

I wouldn’t wish cirrhosis on anyone. I am an alcoholic who still struggles. I have good weeks and bad weeks, but hopefully one of the good ones will stick soon and I can get sober properly. However, I will say that in order to get to the cirrhosis stage, you need to either be drinking excessively – that is, 10 – 20+ standard drinks every day for years; or drink for a very long time (e.g. two beers every night for 40 years). I personally was lucky not to fall into the round-the-clock camp. I’m 30, and I’ve been drinking since I was 20, around 8 – 12 beers per night, 6 times a week, and only at night. I recently visited the hospital for a yearly check-up and the only problem I had was mild fatty liver. I know a fair share of alcoholics via support groups and the one thing we all have in common is that we are progressing towards liver failure. The only safe dose of alcohol is 0. Even people who only drink two beers on a Friday once a week are at a risk of liver damage and liver cancer. It’s not nearly as rapid for light abusers vs. heavier, but it can happen to anyone who drinks regularly. The liver does regenerate fully, however. An alcoholic, even a cirrhotic one, only needs 1 – 2 months before their liver is back to normal. If the bar boss keeps his nose clean and stops drinking immediately, he could make a full recovery. That’s an extremely difficult task for an alcoholic though.

You dig your grave with your fork.

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Another nasty to avoid.

On cirrhosis of the liver, something I feel doesn’t get a lot of attention is Hep B which is quite prevalent in South-East Asia. I received one of the Hep B shots in 1997, but I never got the second shot as I ran out of time before my trip. Last month, I had my annual exam and the doctor asked if I wanted a Hep B test. I did and it came back clear, but with immunity from prior infection. About 5% of Hep B cases become serious and can lead to liver failure. Luckily for me, I cleared the disease and have lifetime immunity, but it’s not just alcohol that results in cirrhosis, although alcohol can play a large part. South-East Asia is rampant with Hep B and foreigners need to get fully vaccinated.

More Readers’ Emails

Just how VIP are those so-called VIP areas?

Regarding your question about VIP areas in bars, most “VIP” areas are not very VIP with regards to seating. They are often nestled in some back corner of the bar. As we all know, roaming the bars in a group of 3 or more after 9 PM is often a disadvantage. You are more likely to end up in some back-seat table which has 3 or more seats free. Or placed on bar stools right at the dance floor (which is often not that bad) until another group leaves and a row of seats opens up. My experience is that the VIP area will be used for the few and far between “big spenders” and also for the large groups that cannot easily be accommodated under normal circumstances. No, it won’t be the best seats in the house, but at least you get to keep your group of 8 or 12 people together. Plus, a group of 8 – 12 people is good money for the bar. Recently, some bars in Pattaya have “Reserved” tables. These tables are centrally located in the bar and accommodate the abundant groups of 3 – 5 people who have challenges finding seats together. This ensures these prime spots are not taken up by singles or doubles sipping water for an hour. It works out pretty good, the 3 – 5 people may stick around for a few hours. I’ve often been told I can go sit in the VIP areas in Pattaya if the bar is busy and I am well known amongst the staff. I usually stay put for a better view. Or go to another bar if I just walked in and no seat with a good view is available. Like I said, the VIP areas are usually not the spots with a good view.

Beware the cloth!

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Less Pattaya, please.

I note recently you have mentioned Pattaya a lot more in recent columns and less of Bangkok. Not sure why. I assume it’s because you’ve not received a lot of news from Bangkok. I have no interest in reading about Pattaya as during my few visits to the town I have noted drunks, louts, groups of men whom I would view as being sex mongers and met people sponging money who try to convince you they are ex-special forces or  were part of the Iranian Embassy siege in London in 1980. I really cannot see the attraction. There are far better beaches close by if it’s beaches one is looking for. Not for me, I shall continue skipping your Pattaya news paragraphs and read the Bangkok news.

This Week’s News, Views & Gossip

It has not been a great week for the bars with everywhere closed yesterday and today for a couple of Buddhist holidays. A friend commented, “Is it me, or do Buddha days seem to happen on weekends more often than not? I thought the Buddhist followed the moon, which doesn’t care what day it is.“

There’s about another six weeks of work left on Nana Plaza’s newest bar, in the space that was the former short-time hotel next to Butterflies. This new venue is from the operator of Billboard and Butterflies. The interior walls are now up, separating what will be the hong-nam and changing room from the rest of the bar. The low ceiling in the hotel has been ripped out and the new bar will have the same high ceiling as Butterflies which will help to make it feel much larger. The owner is in no rush to finish the bar in low season and wants it to be perfect when it does open as……a ladyboy bar.

On the heels that Private 69 is for sale comes the notice that the recently opened Bun Bun 1, on the stairs next to Butterflies, is now being shopped actively.

Bars in Pattaya open at 10 PM tonight but, in Bangkok, gogo bars will remain shuttered until tomorrow. When they do reopen, you might like to head to Red Dragon / Mandarin in Nana Plaza or Shark on Soi Cowboy for the big Full Moon Party. It’s the usual high-energy event with girls dressing up (or is it down?!) in skimpy outfits and messing around with neon body paint.

Spanky’s has its latest manager, an American who has been described as friendly. I hate to ask the obvious but given that everyone else is asking this very question, here goes: How long will he last?!

While stock lasts, you can have free beer at the Madame Claude club on Soi 26 when you purchase any service on the menu costing 1,700 baht up. If you’re not familiar with Madame Claude, their brand-new website has all the details.

Do you feel like you’re not getting as much attention in the bars as you used to? You’re probably right. Not only are you getting older, plenty of punters are getting younger. These days, you’re competing with hordes of young men from across Asia who are descending on the bars, amongst them many young Koreans who are particularly popular with Thai women. A reader commented this week that he had chatted with a young Japanese fellow in the bars who he described as was entirely focused on the ladies and very much there with a purpose. Enjoy the music and the vibe in the bar? No, that’s for white guys! This young Japanese guy was there for the ladies. And this Japanese fellow’s age? 20! While young men from South Korea and Japan do appeal to the bar ladies, it’s the age-old story – you might not appeal so much in looks, so you need to change your approach. Hint: put your hand deeper in to your pocket.

Down in Pattaya, Opium, the newest bar from the group that operates XS and Pin Up, has not managed to replicate the success of the first two bars. But the group is not deterred and a 4th bar is on the way.

The Ivygo gogo bar on Walking Street has not just been closed, it has been completely gutted and the neon frontage stripped away. Inside, all that’s left is 4 walls and the roof.

What happened to Burj, the flash Indian nightclub that opened on Walking Street just a few months ago in the building where Bollywood used to be? It has been closed for a few weeks. What’s that all about?

How is trade generally in Pattaya? Walking Street seems to be doing ok, but do factor in that it’s much less popular with middle-aged white guys these days. On Soi LK Metro and Soi Buakhao things have been up and down. Some say business has been good, others say there are bar owners with long faces. Many bars have been described as “steady” which is rather ambiguous.

Sometimes you have to look a little deeper for an insight in to just how busy the bars are. Soi LK Metro’s Top Gun A Gogo currently has an amazing special with all bottled beer priced at 50 baht. That is all bottled beers for just 50 baht, every night, all night long. I don’t recall any gogo bar pricing drinks this cheap ever. What’s the catch? There isn’t one. It’s ridiculously cheap for a gogo bar in 2024.

This might sound like a ridiculous thing to say, but it is believed that white guys are still allowed entry in to all of Pattaya’s gogo bars. Why would I say something as profound as that? Of course we’re allowed inside gogo bars! I am told that this is not the case in some of the Indian discos on Walking Street with at least two such nightspots said to be for Indians only.

Early closing at the Las Vegas Beer Garden on Soi Diana didn’t last very long. By the time last week’s column went live, the modern beer bar complex had returned to regular hours.

A recent column featured comments about bars where both ladies and ladyboys are found on stage. I have to  reiterate that I really do think this is a recipe for disaster. Back in the late ‘90s, it was quite common to find the odd ladyboy or two in a gogo bar otherwise filled with ladies. As more ladyboy bars opened, the stray ladyboys in girly bars moved to all-ladyboy bars. There was a period when the idea of mixing ladies and ladyboys in one bar (and not making it clear there were ladyboys present) went by the wayside. Why have mixed lady & ladyboy bars made a comeback? Like I say, I think it’s a really bad idea.

To clear up an issue that appears to be confusing a small number of readers, Sukhumvit sois 7 and 7/1 are two different sois! Sukhumvit soi 7 is the soi that used to be home to the Biergarten. Today, it is where you find the CenterPoint beer bar complex. There are a couple of dozen beer bars there, and the area has a decent following. Soi 7/1 is about 100 metres down Sukhumvit Road. It has perhaps a dozen venues comprising bars, massage outlets and other saucy spots.

On the subject of second tier bar areas, I’ve always thought bars in the likes of sois 20 and 22 did a fairly constant level of business year round insomuch that they tend to be more popular with a certain type of expat than with visitors. But I might have that all wrong as people tell me the bars on sois 20 and 22 are doing it tough and the low season hasn’t been kind to them. These bars tend to have cheaper drinks so if you’re looking for a more laid-back vibe, you might like to stop by.

This column periodically mentions Angeles City but the Philippines’ other tourist-centric red-light zone – Makati in Manila – doesn’t get any coverage at all. That’s odd because I am told that for as long as anyone can remember, Makati has been known for much better looking women and offering a much higher-class experience than Angeles. Makati mixes a dozen or so gogo bars on and around P. Burgos Street with mainstream nightclubs and lots of restaurants. You might say Manila is to Angeles City as Bangkok is to Pattaya.

Much has changed in recent years due to Covid. The Philippines required testing and certification well into 2023, so most foreigners gave it a miss. The pandemic weeded out the worst bars in Makati and replaced them with what are now some of the best.

Lips is a two-storey bar with pool tables and a few dancing girls on the ground floor and 30+ ladies upstairs. Lips and Maison are said to be the new leaders of the pack. If you’re shopping, get there early as the best ladies get barfined early. Maison also has its share of beauties (but also its share of monsters) who are a bit more wild than their Filipina sisters elsewhere. Fyre has been called a must-visit with nary a boiler to be found.

Don’t go, however, expecting Angeles City – or even Thailand – prices. Barfines run the equivalent of 2,100 – 2,900 baht and – unlike Angeles – that does not include the lady’s fee, which will run you another 3,000 baht – for short-time. I’m sure I’ll get emails telling me you can get cheaper for longer, but, for inexperienced tourists in Makati for just a night or two, do you really want to mess around in some bargain basement venue, or would you prefer an experience to remember?

As for drinks, customer drinks tend to be less expensive than in Thailand, with a San Miguel Light running 80 – 110 baht. Lady drinks range from 220 – 240 but beware the DLD – Double Lady Drink – which they’ll try to get you to buy first for 540 baht. Just say “no” to DLDs.

No, it’s not Pattaya, but below the Nana BTS station.

Reader David captured the snap above below the Nana BTS station. Can we assume he had a good night out?

The Destination Thailand Visa was launched this week. It’s a 5-year multiple entry visa which allows you to stay in Thailand for 180 days each time you enter the country. After 180 days in country, you can extend the visa for another 180 days for 1,900 baht. Alternatively, you could exit the country, return and you will get another 180 days. The application fee is 10,000 baht (or equivalent in your local currency). This visa is going to be hugely popular and will greatly reduce the headaches that come with visa runs and applying for a new visa outside the country every few months, something many have had to deal with over the decades. The requirements for the Destination Thailand visa look straightforward. You need to show a bank balance of at least 500,000 baht equivalent and you need to provide evidence that you meet one of the many criteria such as being a digital nomad, working remotely, travelling to Thailand such as medical treatment, studying Thai cooking etc. Comparisons with other types of visa are inevitable, particularly the LTR visa and the Elite visa. Each of these visas has its respective advantages and disadvantages but you have to say that the Destination Thailand Visa stacks up very favourably. Certainly, the Destination Thailand Visa is easier to get, and costs much less.

I imagine there will be a real influx of foreigners in to Thailand using this visa, especially amongst those aged under 50, who don’t have work in Thailand and are not married to a Thai national. As attractive as the Destination Thailand Visa is, there might be a catch. Now, to be clear, I’m speculating here, but given that this visa is available to digital nomads and foreigners working remotely, don’t forget that those who stay in Thailand for more than 180 days per year are tax resident in Thailand. I’ll let you join the dots. Whether anything comes of this, time will tell.

A month or two back I raised the issue of whether one would prefer to be compensated by the perp if they were the victim of a crime, or see the perp face criminal charges in a court of law. That question has proved prescient after it was reported that the two Kiwi brothers who ran through a police checkpoint and later disarmed and assaulted a Thai policeman in Phuket earlier in the year are now back in New Zealand. The outrage online that they are back in New Zealand was ferocious as many of the sanctimonious hang ’em high brigade had to wipe the spittle off their computer screen as they ranted and raved. My take on the way this was handled is that everyone involved is happy with the outcome. We can assume that the case was settled peacefully out of court. The two NZ brothers will be happy because they are out of prison and back in New Zealand with their families. They can get on with their lives. The policeman who was assaulted would have been sufficiently compensated and agreed for charges to be dropped. One imagines he would have requested a significant sum of money, perhaps as much as the equivalent of a year’s salary. As his injuries weren’t serious, I would say he is happy with the outcome. Others who later became party to the case would also have had to be compensated for, ummm, errr, the time they spent looking in to things. There’s no need to tie up the court’s time with a trial. There’s no need for the perps to languish and suffer a long prison sentence. Like I say, all affected parties are happy while many sanctimonious foreigners will rant about it online. The incident happened in Thailand and was resolved in a manner many Thais are quite comfortable with. If the party who is injured / suffers a loss agrees, incidents like this can be resolved. It seems like a perfectly reasonable outcome to me.

Things not going as well as they could be with your Thai girlfriend / wife? Is she constantly nagging? Does it feel like she constantly expects you to entertain her? If there is one piece of advice I’d offer when in a relationship with a Thai woman, irrespective of her background and whether you’re in Thailand or Farangland, it is to make sure she keeps busy. A job is ideal, and hopefully she has a decent bunch of friends. Thai females can get bored easily, and that’s when they start to nag – so make sure she keeps busy!

Thailand-Related News Articles

British and Danish nationals are accused of a violent robbery in Bangkok.

The bodies of 6 foreigners were found at the luxury Grand Hyatt Hotel in the heart of downtown Bangkok.

An Iranian and his Thai wife are found murdered in their Pattaya restaurant.

Immigration says it will process passengers faster, at around 45 seconds per person.

Expats are unhappy at the new visa options and general relaxing of visa rules.

The chief inspector at a police station in northern Thailand is arrested and charged with running a scam call centre.

Closing Comments

The last reader’s email this week stated a preference for bar news from Bangkok, as opposed to reports from Pattaya. My preference is for the column to be Bangkok-centric while also including bits and pieces from Pattaya, and elsewhere. In an ideal world, this column would contain a mix of news and gossip, some of it from the bar industry, some of it general expat news, along with my thoughts and observations on life in Thailand and life as a foreigner regularly interacting with Thais. One never knows what will happen so the nature and content of the column can vary week to week. If there’s less news and gossip from Bangkok, it was either a slow news week or I didn’t do well gathering all the news and gossip that week. News from Bangkok will always take preference over news from elsewhere.

Your Bangkok commentator,

Stick

Stick can be contacted at : stickmanbangkok@gmail.com