Stickman Weekly, September 22, 2024

Mystery Photo

Where is it?

Last week’s photo was taken from the walkway connected to the Asoke BTS station, looking towards buildings at the start of Sukhumvit soi 12. Despite its central location roughly halfway between Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy – and being very much in the zone – only 9 readers got it right. To give more of you a chance to get the photo right, I am including a particularly easy shot this week.

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

What happened to them?

Talking of the mysterious disappearance of SeeMee reminds me of the height-challenged (‘dwarf’ sounds so unkind) gent who used to sit on a chair outside CheckInn 99 on Sukhumvit Road opposite the Landmark Hotel. I was a frequent visitor and he always greeted me with a smile. Then he was gone! Anyone know what happened to him?

Wonderful memories.

What a weekly that was! I bet it felt good going through your archives and digging out those images. That walk down ‘memory lane’ prompted me to take a look at the first batch of photos I first took in Thailand in 2004. I remember it like it was yesterday. I took a trip to Udon Thani with a lady I met. We spent 5 days in the family home. A couple of times her dad took me to the fields he worked and I couldn’t believe the heat and back-breaking work that poor guy had to endure. It was a wonderful trip with me buying all the beer and whiskey to quench the thirst of this alcoholic family. All in all, they were a really pleasant bunch of people, literally living on the margins of poverty, but they shared what they had with me and didn’t really ask for anything. That kind of experience was new to me and I found it quite endearing. Walking through villages, meeting people and just taking the time to absorb it all is something that is etched in my mind and heart forever. I saw her a few times after that, but demands for handouts for the family and sick parents took its toll. I often wonder what happened to them all and where they are now. Her brother was a drug addict and her dad was on his last legs even back then. I do remember that they had a grandma living with them and she was 102 years old and looked amazing. Beautiful memories!

Thinking about the Oriental.

I note that the Oriental has again been awarded the trophy of “the best hotel worldwide”. I wonder how these people always come to this kind of conclusion. Did they spend a week in each hotel to get a proper impression? I confirm that the place certainly is a jewel – I spent more than 500 nights there although after the big renovation several years ago I don’t go anymore because they doubled prices. Now I moved to a 3-/4-star place in a soi downtown and I am as happy as I was at the Oriental.

More Readers’ Emails

A new direction for Cowboy?

You mentioned a few times that there were once many different types of businesses in the plaza (restaurants, beauty shops, non-girly bars etc.). I really wish that were still the case. I understand of course that the market dynamics changed with more tourism, and rents increased, but it sounds like it was an all-inclusive place to spend a night – you’d be able to spend 6 hours in the place without leaving if you wanted, with points to meet up with friends, etc. I wonder if Soi Cowboy could move in that direction. Oasis / Stumble Inn seemed like a bit of an experiment in that regard and they seem to be doing alright. The gogo bar patios always seem to be stocked with people starting their night or having some beers with friends.

Taxi troubles.

There’s been times where it was so difficult to get a taxi in Bangkok that I couldn’t even get ripped off by one to get back to my apartment. Like you said, it seems they simply don’t want to take anybody at all in some cases. I feel not an ounce of pity for any drivers who pull shit like this and I personally hope they suffer the consequences of their piss poor attitudes, sooner rather than later. The apps are no better, either. Both Grab and Bolt have fare surges that are far beyond reasonable most of the time, and if you try to book the app when fare surging isn’t taking place, you’ll be waiting indefinitely.

Another day in Thailand.

Trucks from the Pin Up Group, brazenly recruiting girls on Soi 6.

This Week’s News, Views & Gossip

Down in Pattaya, some bar owners are furious at the French-owned Pin Up Group. This group runs what are arguably the two best, and most popular gogo bars on Walking Street – Pin Up and XS. It also runs Opium. In the column of September 1st, I wrote that Pin Up Group would soon open its 4th Walking Street gogo bar, Chick A Gogo, to which I asked the question, “Where are they going to find 100 odd girls to fill Chick A Gogo? XS, Pin Up and Opium each have a heap of really attractive girls. How does a brand-new bar find dozens and dozens of attractive new ladies?” That question was answered this week by the king of Soi 6, Bryan Flowers who posted online about the latest issue he faces as a bar mogul. The Pin Up Group is actively recruiting girls by using two trucks which drive up and down sois with lots of bars. The trucks park right outside the bars so all the girls can see the huge screen on the side of the truck outlining all the positions available in the Pin Up Group bars – and the generous salary packages on offer. Placing adverts around town is one thing, but parking right outside the premises of a competitor’s business in an effort to lure their staff away is beyond brazen! The ad is ingenious, featuring a QR code so girls can get the details for the positions on their phone. Needless to say, this has not gone down well with bar owners at all, some of whom are seething. In response, the usually mild-mannered king of soi 6 is trying to get soi 6 closed to traffic which would prevent these trucks from parking outside bars. Whether he can get that to happen, time will tell. These trucks are not just targeting bars on soi 6, but are driving up and down other sois filled with bars and stopping right outside bars with lots of girls. There has long been an unwritten rule in the industry that you don’t try to recruit girls already working in other bars. This could end badly.

What do I really think about this approach? Honestly, I’ve got mixed feelings. On the one hand, it goes against the spirit in which most bar owners have operated (in their interactions with one another). On the other hand, plenty of bars treat girls badly and impose unreasonably harsh conditions. Let’s forget we’re talking about the bar business for a moment. How would a restaurateur feel if a competitor parked a truck right outside in this fashion, attempting to recruit service staff and chefs? I imagine things would get nasty.

In Bangkok, Sugar Club on Sukhumvit soi 11 will celebrate its 9th anniversary this coming Wednesday, September 25. Doors open at 9:00 PM and there will be complimentary drinks through until 11:00 PM. Please note that Sugar Club is a classy venue and a few rungs up the ladder from your run-of-the-mill Sukhumvit bar – so no flip-flops or vests! For bookings, call: 061 391 3111.

It’s Shark Week with the Shark gogo bars in both Bangkok and Pattaya making the news. It’s going to be wet on Soi Cowboy tonight as Shark Soi Cowboy celebrates its 22^nd anniversary with an “Aqua Night” themed party. “Lesbian Mermaids” – whatever they are – top the menu of entertainment options tonight, along with a “Shark Cool Girl” contest. You’ll have to visit yourself to see exactly what those entail. There will be free food and sexy shows are scheduled all night long.

Shark first opened on September 11, 2002. There were no anniversary parties from 2020 – 2022 but when they resumed last year, the observed birthday was moved to September 22, the birthdate of the father of the two French brothers who run the Shark / Mandarin / Red Dragon group.

Shark opened in its new prime location on Walking Street this week.

Down in Pattaya, the huge new Shark Gogo Club opened this week in its new spot on the corner of Soi Diamond and Walking Street. It’s 3-storey, lighted frontage towers over the nightlife strip, adding some much-needed atmosphere. The reviews from the first few nights have been overwhelmingly positive, with some online commenters calling it Pattaya’s best gogo bar. If you happen to stop by, let me know what you think.

Now that Shark Pattaya is open, the plan is to recreate the same exterior look at Shark on Soi Cowboy. The outside of the Soi Cowboy Shark bar looks much as it did 22 years ago, with its ageing neon lettering and cartoon shark. It will all be replaced with the same towering, lighted façade while the outside patio bar area will remain. After high season, the interior will get the Pattaya treatment, with all new stages and seating that will require the bar to close for a short time.

On Patpong soi 2, the new name for the gogo bar in the space that was previously Dok Pub is Virgin X. Signage went up on Friday night and the bar is currently in the process of recruiting new girls. No advertising trucks are being used, mind you!

The sign for Virgin X went up on Friday night.

Proving you can never put much stock in the professions of gogo bar bosses, the same Nana Plaza manager who spent September 12 moaning about how slow it was, how the rain was going to get worse and how business would get worse before it got better was euphoric and filled with optimism just 5 days later. “Mr. Sky Is Falling” had to be reminded of his doom-and-gloom rants the previous Thursday after shouting about how his bar had smashed records on Sunday and Monday and how, in one month this low season, the bar had made more than it did during any high season month under previous management. Just Who is Mr. Sky Is Falling? Can’t say, I’m afraid….but feel free to take a guess!

Along these lines, the general feeling is that business in Bangkok is trending up again and that, this year, there really wasn’t a low season, at least as we used to think of it. As I wrote when I was in town, it felt like most places were positively humming.

This time next week many readers will likely be nursing a hangover and trading stories of an epic night at Billboard in Nana Plaza. Yes, the huge 9^th Anniversary Party is only 6 days away. This coming Saturday, September 28, is a night not to be missed, with free food, free gifts and the Billboard Babe of the Year pageant with 40,000 baht in prize money up for grabs. Get there early or book the last few remaining VIP tables via LINE at: https://lin.ee/zyQjwES.

Speaking of Billboard, a reader observed a sizeable group of Indians enter Billboard on Friday night, walk around the bar and then go straight back out. For whatever reason, it would seem like Billboard was not to their taste. Is there something which makes a gogo bar appeal to Indian tastes? If there is, could we see gogo bars catering to Indian men coming soon?

I am told there are a number of hijab-wearing women who have joined the Hello, hansum man, I go with you profession. There were plenty of African women on the game but I don’t remember seeing any hijab-wearing women when I was in town. I am told that down Soi Nana near the Novotel and the intersection with Soi 6 is the place to find them. Please remember to leave your pager and walkie-talkie in your hotel room, lest you freak them out.

There are heaps of working girls with profiles on websites and apps which started out as dating sites but which have since developed a reputation as places for ladies looking for money. A common note in the profile of many ladies these days is, “No India!”

Speaking of Indian gentlemen, my other half is convinced that some male Indian tourists are learning Thai specifically for the purpose of hitting on mainstream Thai women. Last month, she was twice approached on the walkway above the Asoke intersection – a particularly busy area – by Indians complimenting her. The other half said in each case the fellow was trying to speak Thai but he only seemed to know a small number of words like cute and beautiful. To the Indian readers (and everyone, for that matter), most Thai women HATE being hit on in such a public place.

Whatever happened to the watch-seller who was a feature in the Nana area?

A couple of you asked why I didn’t include a photo of the watch seller with the cancerous growth on his face in last week’s collection of Nana Plaza photos. I actually had the photo above lined up but deleted it because there were already more than 50 photos and this particular shot was not taken inside, or immediately outside the plaza. I have photos of him inside the plaza but I couldn’t find them when I was hunting through the archives. He’s a character, but he could be grumpy and pessimistic, and was often ranting about the Indians in the same line of work as him – selling knock-off watches.

In answer to those of you who asked, I’m afraid I won’t be doing a similar column to last week’s about either Patpong or Soi Cowboy. I spent much less time in those areas over the years, although I was a regular on Cowboy between 2007 and 2015. In the case of Patpong, I don’t know enough to write such a column and with Soi Cowboy, I don’t have many photos taken prior to 2004.

I have previously mentioned the Copper buffet. The original location is way out in Pinklao, a suburb in what many refer to as the other side of the river. Not so long ago, Copper opened a new branch at Gaysorn Amarin which is much more convenient for those who think Sukhumvit is the centre of the world. Unlike many of the 5-star hotel buffets which appeal to an international audience, Copper very much caters to Thai tastes with many Thai dishes done very well using high quality ingredients like beef noodle soup using wagyu beef. There are plenty of seafood options – which the Thais love – and some international dishes. The format is not the usual help yourself buffet, rather you go to stations and tell the server / chef what you’d like. Some items are plated up there and then and passed to you while other dishes are cooked fresh to order and brought to your table. It would be beneficial to speak Thai, and go with someone who has been before as the way it all works isn’t very intuitive. Most staff do speak some English but despite the buffet’s high price (packages run between 1,600 – 2,800 baht), don’t expect 5-star hotel standard English. A final note about Copper, if you have a Thai other half who is not so keen on your typical 5-star hotel buffet spread, Copper may well appeal to her.

Scallop fettuccine with truffle sauce at Copper, Gaysorn Plaza.

Speaking of 5-star hotels, the house-made blueberry jam at the breakfast buffet at the Landmark Hotel is oh-my God good! It’s just about worth going out of your way for – and I say that as someone who doesn’t eat jam. This was the first time I have eaten jam in several years. It matches perfectly with their freshly baked croissants. I can’t wait to get back just for that!

All over Bangkok there are tall buildings going up. Depending on what criteria you use to classify a building as a skyscraper, I see that Bangkok has either the 9th or 10th highest number of skyscrapers of any city in the world. It really is amazing how the city’s skyline has changed in a relatively short space of time.

Have they outlawed bicycles / cycling at Benjakit Park? I went to the park for my morning walk every day when I was in town, and I never once saw anyone riding a bicycle. In the past, bicycle riders were the bane of those of us who used to walk or run around the park but, like I say, this time I didn’t see one.

Benjakit Park, where the cyclists were conspicuous by their absence.

What’s with all these hard men walking around Sukhumvit? It felt like there was an amateur boxer convention taking place when I was in town and all the participants had been let loose on Sukhumvit, competing to see who could look most like a gorilla. Seeing angry, shirtless, roided up white men walking around with a grimace on their face, trying to look tough but merely succeeding in looking miserable made me laugh. You’re in Bangkok, dickheads, how can you not be happy? Perhaps the classic bar sign, “No shirt, no service” could be adapted and placed around Sukhumvit. Walking shirtless around the central part of a capital city is not a good look – or am I starting to sound like a grumpy old man?!

There were more homeless on Sukhumvit Road than in the past, yet even they were often better dressed than these shirtless white guys. The homeless seem to disperse as the sun comes up. If you find yourself walking around the Nana and Asoke area before dawn, you might be surprised just how many homeless people live in the area.

A reader’s email this week opined that more variety on Soi Cowboy might make it more appealing. More than a decade ago, I wrote a column opener about how Soi Cowboy might be even better if it modeled itself on Silom Soi 4, the gay soi which has bars of various formats to restaurants and everything in between. With that said, I’ll be the first to acknowledge that Patpong is the most diverse bar area, yet the bars there tend to be quieter than elsewhere – so does diversity work? I would have thought a few more eateries would work well on Soi Cowboy, sort of like Woodstock in Nana Plaza back in the day where you could have a meal and a few drinks and then stop by the spicier bars. And surely such eateries would work better than the multiple cannabis stores on Cowboy which have so few customers.

What is it with so many Thai women’s ladyparts and tumours & cancer? Over the past several years, a good number of Thai women we know have discovered something is growing downstairs. These ladies have all been aged mid-30s to mid-40s. None were ever sex workers and with perhaps a couple of exceptions, most weren’t what I’d call loose. Some have been fortunate, with the tumour surgically removed. Others have had to undergo a full hysterectomy. Two have died, one from complications following surgery and another after the cancer metastasized. Why does it seem like so many Thai ladies develop a tumour down there? So many of the other half’s friends have this very health issue, as well as a number of other Thai women we know. Is it that these ladies are getting regular health checks which pick things up early? Some of these ladies wonder if it’s because they used a particular brand of the contraceptive pill. Could it be somehow related to diet? Could it be somehow environmental? Is it an oestrogen detox issue? Who knows! But for sure, the sheer volume of ladies we know who have / had this issue makes you wonder what’s going on.

Thailand-Related News Articles

Quote of the week comes from a friend who runs a very successful restaurant in Bangkok, “If you come across any foreigner in Thailand who wants to do business with you, run as fast as you can!”

Two Chinese men are arrested for using a remote jammer to steal from cars at a popular motorway stop between Bangkok and Pattaya.

Thailand’s Finance Minister says that ideally, the Thai baht should be at 47 to the US dollar.

Last week it was the Oriental, this week Capella Bangkok is named the world’s best hotel. (Next week, the Nana Hotel?!)

In Sydney, a Thai man who killed his Thai girlfriend with his bare hands is sentenced to 23 years behind bars.

It must have been a slow news week with the mainstream media reporting on a fight between two Aussies outside a Phuket bar.

Closing Comments

Last week’s column pretty much confirmed something I have suspected for some time – that there is more interest in non-nightlife news than nightlife specific items. While the opening piece last week about Nana Plaza over the years went down well with old-timers, I received about 4 times as many emails when I wrote The Eternal Conundrum. The trend is clear: there is more interest when I write about expat affairs than the nightlife industry. It hasn’t always been this way. I guess that’s simply a reflection of the way things are going and it’s hardly exclusive to this site. With all of that said, I have no plans to change the mix of the column. Things will continue in very much the same vein.

Your Bangkok commentator,

Stick

Stick can be contacted at : stickmanbangkok@gmail.com