Stickman's Weekly Column November 24th, 2024

Stickman Weekly, November 24, 2024

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Mystery Photo

Where is it?

Last week’s photo was taken just a few steps into Sukhumvit Soi 8. It featured the first sub-soi on the left, and Red Hog bar, whose name I Photoshopped out. One reader who got the photo right sent further info about this area.

Until recently in that side soi there was a back entrance to a nice little restaurant that is now a massage place. For decades there was a cheap Indian or maybe Pakistani restaurant in there also, open air, very dirty. I believe it’s a Thai eatery now. During Covid, the front of Red Hog was sealed off and the entrance was in that little lane. You had to knock on the door to be let in, but you could hang out there all night and well into the next day. When it became better known that you could sit in there all night drinking with no mask, all kinds of interesting folk would crowd in. It was fun if you could handle the choking cloud of cigarette smoke. The owner kept a filthy dog and literally about 10 cats on the next floor up. That gave the place a strong aroma.

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This week’s photo is challenging insomuch that I didn’t have a clue where it was until I was told. The location is in downtown Bangkok. Do you know where?

 

 

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

Why French-owned bars are so good.

Responding to your question asking why French-owned bars do so well in Thailand, I’ll offer the obvious answer – they do things differently. I used to own a bar in Shanghai and the whole street of Yongkang Lu (20+ “Western” bars) was created by two young French guys with one bar. They called it Le Café des Stagiaires (Cafe of Interns) and hired girls from the top culinary schools in Paris for 6 months – French girls, Moroccans, Vietnamese etc. As far as I know, they weren’t even paid (but got University credit). Would Americans, Brits, or Aussies even think of that?

French-bars, explained.

Explaining the success of French bars, France has historically been a messy country with strikes and industry that is not that competitive. The French self-image is one of history, art, culinary excellence and refined hospitality. Sometimes it’s too much tough love, but often they really deliver. So perhaps the French bar owners asked themselves, what’s our unique selling point?

The not so secret formula.

I understand that Baccara, Red Dragon, Bada Bing, Mandarin, and Shark are under French ownership. All are exceptional gogo bars where I have had great experiences. I think the secret formula for running a top-tier gogo bar is not that secret. Pay attention to your employees’ and customers’ happiness first and the money will follow. I speculate that the owners of these bars take pride and joy in owning and running a gogo bar. Maybe they are present in person a good amount of time to make sure everything is running smoothly. They invest in their bar, parties, and employees. When the staff and ladies are happy, it shows and creates an enjoyable vibe that attracts the customers. They pay attention to the customer’s enjoyment rather than focusing on high-pressure sales tactics. I think part of the non-pushy aspect is that there are usually a lot of customers in these bars, taking the pressure & focus off of one particular customer, as is often the case in less popular bars. When I am having an enjoyable, low-pressure gogo bar experience, I am more likely to stay, and end up buying more drinks and lady drinks. Red Dragon and Mandarin, from my experience, are bars where you get greeted outside and escorted inside by the lovely ladies. Once seated, if you don’t wish their company, they are not pushy. Likewise with the drink staff, they will try to encourage you to choose a lady, but in a friendly, non-pushy way. The last time I went to Red Dragon, this time I just wanted to sit at one of the back tables and watch all the ladies around the bar dancing on the stage without engaging. I felt that the hostess was really in tune with my wishes. I ended up staying for a while and buying lady drinks and tipping her when I left.

French taste in women.

The French have good taste in women. They will often seek out beautiful girlfriends to show off and be seen with.  I imagine the same carries through in their hiring practices.

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Why it may feel like something is off.

In recent columns you mentioned people saying there is something off in Cowboy. I don’t know if it has anything to do with Soi Cowboy but I hear it from some of my friends and colleagues, and feel it myself. But it isn’t limited to Soi Cowboy. For some, it may be Soi Cowboy now, but for me personally it’s Cowboy and Nana that feel off. In my opinion, the feeling we can’t describe is simply boredom. If you sit in the same place in the same bars, looking at the same girls every week (or even every month), things get stale at some point. I really like Patpong right now because I visit it a lot less than Nana or Cowboy (which are on my way home, while Patpong is out of the way) and that is why everything in Patpong always seems a bit more exciting for me at the moment. Give it some time and attrition in Nana and Cowboy, and those places will feel exciting again.

Bar owners hate criticism.

Your closing comment about bar owners not reacting well to criticism, even if what is said is true, simply reflects the way things are in Thailand. They’ve adopted local practice. Say or write something negative and be prepared for the possible consequences.

High season crowds.

Once again you’ve written of wall-to-wall wanderers and standing room only in bars, yet it’s still a way to go until high season is upon us. It might be because I’m an old fart, but that isn’t really my idea of a good time. I do accept it might be a younger person’s thing, as I have watched several videos shot in London at 2 or 3 AM and Soho is heaving, with queues outside bars, clubs and restaurants. Each to their own, I suppose. <It should be noted that there is a general consensus that the high season is very much now, while the peak may still be a month or so awayStick>

Outstanding, if slightly unusual, service!

For something non-bar related, a few weeks ago I ran into trouble with my desktop PC. At midnight I decided to order a new PSU from JIB Computer. Call me seriously surprised and confused when they called me up at 3 AM to tell me the PSU was delivered at my condo. Don’t get me wrong, what amazing service, but maybe you shouldn’t call us at 3 AM!

 

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This Week’s News, Views & Gossip

Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy were bursting at the seams Friday night with some bar owners fantasising about record-breaking numbers over high season. In Nana Plaza, Tycoon A Gogo’s manager said Friday may have been the bar’s biggest night ever, with both the main bar and the upstairs Lace Lounge full all night. Even rival bar managers are commenting on how well Tycoon and Lace are doing. So why are these two bars now firmly hot spots? There are two prime reasons bars do well – hot girls and sharp pricing. Tycoon’s 99-baht local beer happy hour that runs until 11 PM nightly. And a new group of girls along with a mamasan defected from a rival bar.

Nana Plaza’s newest bar, being built in the spot that was once a short-time hotel next to Butterflies, is still at least a week away from completion. The owner of Billboard and Butterflies, which is building the new bar – and keeping its name and concept under strict embargo – said he wants it to be “perfect” for the soft opening. There’s an outside shot it opens by next weekend, but probably as much of a chance it doesn’t.

Across the road from the plaza, things have picked up at Nana Nightclub which is developing something of a following amongst Indians. And with multiple reports that there are more Eastern Europeans on Sukhumvit presently, perhaps it should be no surprise that Russians are stopping by. Russians and Indians on Soi Nana make for an interesting change in the mix of punters on the soi. Soi Nana has quite a few Indian eateries and other Indian-themed venues these days so one shouldn’t be surprised.

On Sukhumvit soi 8 this week, a friend commented that he didn’t see a single lady outside any of the massage shops with all, presumably, busy inside. It’s the very definition of high season.

 

Congratulations to Baccara which this week celebrated 25 years on Soi Cowboy.

 

Baccara’s 25th Anniversary Party was massive. Both sets of partners were on hand and the buffet included not only the usual spit-roasted pig, but a giant skillet of tom yung kung-sauteed jumbo prawns. As a sign of just how busy it was, the pig had almost entirely been devoured by 9:30 PM. Baccara has had an off-and-on relationship with social media, but it’s on again and, after deleting its last Facebook page in 2022, has started a new one you can follow here, or use Instagram or Twitter.

On the other side and towards the other end of Soi Cowboy, Majestics, Bangkok’s newest ladyboy bar, is now open. The single shophouse bar which was, until recently Weed Hub, can be found next to Long Gun. For decades Soi Cowboy was known as (1) a laid-back lane (2) with bars cheaper than elsewhere (3) very much the domain of expats and (4) free of ladyboy bars. How many of those 4 descriptions are valid today? You tell me about (1), (2) and (3) which are all subjective, but certainly (4) is no longer accurate. Today, Soi Cowboy has 3 dedicated ladyboy bars and for all I know, there might be a ladyboy or two thrown in to some of the girl bars too.

Over in Patpong, the large glass windows / walls of the former Dok Pub / Dok Club / Virgin X on Patpong Soi 2 were bad for when gogo girls were on stage, but apparently are perfect for ladyboys. Virgin X, now technically called Dragon Queen (although permanent signage hasn’t gone up yet) is now a ladyboy gogo bar / cabaret. Reports say there may be a few natural-born women mixed in. Frankly, a mixed gogo is even less appealing than a straight-up ladyboy bar.

 

High season in Pattaya.

 

Back in the Nana area, black ladies continue to ply their trade and their presence seems permanent and they’re hardly newsworthy anymore. They are just one part of the international contingent whose numbers are swelling. Thai ladies still dominate, of course, but there are also many Thai-looking (but not Thai-speaking) freelancers lining the Nana Hotel side of the soi. These ladies are most likely from Myanmar or Vietnam, but don’t rule out Cambodia or Laos.

Speaking of Soi Nana, it is rammed with people until very late in to the night, amongst them many lookyloos who walk at a snail’s pace, taking everything in, stopping and getting a few snaps for their social media, of course!

Speaking of the swarm of mainstream visitors in the nightlife areas, how has Long Gun seemingly become a destination for nightlife tours? The bar is attracting a disproportionately high number of mainstream visitors keen to catch the icky shows of yesteryear which remain a feature in the bar. As soon as the show finishes, they all file out of the bar. I made the mistake of stopping by Long Gun when I was in town but didn’t observe this phenomenon. Reports from Soi Cowboy regulars is that this appears to be a part of an organised Bangkok nightlife tour, even if there is no obvious tour guide.

Current trends on Soi Cowboy beg the question of whether investing in the gogo bar industry would be worthwhile. Take a stroll along Cowboy at different times of the night and the busiest bars appear to be Country Road, Penny Black and Stumble Inn. What do these three venues have in common? They’re not gogo bars! The first two are known for live music and Stumble Inn is a bar and eatery. Three of the busiest bars on the soi don’t have chrome poles or staff in bikinis.

The security checkpoint at the entrance to Nana Plaza generates a lot of chatter and there’s plenty of misinformation out there, so let’s get things straight for the record. If someone looks like they’re aged less than 25, they could be asked to show ID to prove they are of legal age – 20 up – to enter. Some people, especially late-teen girls with makeup, can pass for much older, hence they may be asked to show ID. Let’s also consider that Thais aren’t great at guessing the age of foreigners – so they may ask someone to show ID to prove their age. There has also been the odd comment from people clearly aged well over 25 being asked to show ID. One fellow in his 70s commented he was asked to show ID. In such cases, it is not an age check, rather it could be that the person’s face or description matches someone who has been banned from the Plaza. The person is asked to show ID to verify that he is not someone who has been banned. With all of this said, the queue to enter the plaza moves quickly and I’d be surprised if you’re in it for more than 30 seconds. I get it that some don’t like the idea of a security checkpoint but the world’s a funny place these days and  I really don’t think it’s such a bad idea.

Hand-written bills are largely a thing of the past in Bangkok gogo bars with most bars running one of the popular gogo bar software programs which are supposed to keep staff honest. So what’s going on in Geisha in Nana Plaza, with hand-written bills? A friend stopped by this week with a bunch of friends and when it was time to leave they were presented with a printed bill. None of the drinks were theirs. The staff flipped over the bill and showed their drinks order on the back, hand-written in Thai. Said friend can read Thai – and the bill was correct. But why would it be hand-written on the back of someone else’s printed bill? Have the staff got some scam going? Or was it something as simple as the computer being down?

In Geisha, a fellow was keen to barfine a lady. As has increasingly become the case these days, Big Mama inserted herself to the negotiation. Mama sized up the fellow and obviously considered him to be a man of considerable means, opening the negotiation with the all-in price of 9,200 baht. Yep, you read that right – not 9,000 baht, but 9,200 baht. When pressed to explain such an odd number, the mamasan said that 1,200 baht was for the barfine and the long-time fee was 8,000 baht. Of the 8,000 baht, 3,000 baht had to be paid in advance to the mamasan, the remaining 5,000 baht to the girl later. Once upon a time, 8,000 baht was quite the asking price. These days? Well, things have changed. There are people who are happy to pay however much is asked. And where does the 3,000 baht paid in advance go? I think we can guess!

Some time over the past couple of months, popular Nana Plaza bar Sexy Night upped the price of lady drinks. A lady drink in one of the plaza’s most loved bars will set you back 220 baht. It should be worth noting that Sexy Night does not partake in the double lady drink nonsense.

While massage joints litter the likes of sois 22, 24, 33 and 39, Sukhumvit Soi 11 hasn’t really been known as a place for a rubdown. How hard is it to extend the massage frontier to a new street? Pretty darn hard. Dragon Heart Exclusive Club, a luxury massage spa on 11, has spent the past eight months trying to gain traction in a nondescript office building across from Hillary 11, but finally seems to have turned the corner – and opened the door for more massage places, including a new one that has opened just 50 metres away. This Dragon Heart lineup photo above, taken on Friday, shows the high-end hostess club / nuru massage venue, has nearly a dozen attractive ladies, (with more not pictured.) Dragon Heart has a new website where you can learn more, so check out DragonHeartBangkok.com.

Popular Sukhumvit soi 23 bars Craft & Whisgars are about to turn 10. You can celebrate on Saturday, November 30th. The night will feature live music, good company, and flowing drinks as they celebrate their first decade. From humble beginnings as one of Bangkok’s first craft beer venues, they’ve become a go-to spot for connoisseurs of craft beers and fine whiskey.

Which bar did I spend more time in during my first few years in Bangkok than any other? I watched France humiliate Brazil in the 1998 Football World Cup there. I saw more fights in there (mostly involving Asian men, funnily enough) than in all other bars I visited, combined. In early 1998, a Jack + Coke set you back just 60 baht and if it was late and you’d had too much to drink, a bottle of water was just 30 baht. You could order food if you were hungry and you could choose the music with a jukebox on the premises. Of course, I’m talking about the Thermae. You’d go there late because nothing was happening early evening. Stop by before 10:00 PM or 10:30 and there’d probably be no more than a dozen die-hards or so. It was best not to get there until at least midnight and it really was the case of the later, the better. Back in those heady days, the Thermae was dominated by older expats, many who had been hanging out for a decade or two in Bangkok. These days, the Thermae is very different. It’s largely an Asian crowd although there’s always a small number of Westerners. The other big change from the good old days is that things get going much earlier. On Monday night of this past week, a good friend sent the following note, “The foot traffic going in to the Thermae has to be seen to be believed. It’s literally been constant with Asian men and young ladies.” This was at 8:00 PM!

The photo above would make an interesting mystery photo snap. This sport was a favourite of many old hands – but not in this guise. Where is it? Taken a couple of days ago, it shows progress on the site that was once the Honey Hotel, on Sukhumvit Soi 19. The Honey was one of those old Bangkok institutions that gets the old hands’ eyes glazing when mentioned. Back in the early ’80s, it was one of the go-to hotels on Sukhumvit for oil and gas workers. And for decades it was popular with naughty boys. It wasn’t just a place to lay your head at the end of the night, many spent their days around the pool, hanging out with like-minded gents, and their respective companions. The Honey closed several years ago and it has taken until now to redevelop the land. This photo was taken mid-week but what you see here has already been covered in concrete. You’ve got to love the pace at which construction takes place in Thailand. They don’t dick around.
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Thanksgiving is this coming Thursday, November 28th. Various spots will have a special Thanksgiving menu. Scruffy Murphy’s on soi 23 looks like it would be a good choice. 995 baht gets you a 3-course Thanksgiving dinner.

One of the reasons I think the ladies of the night look better today than in the past is due to the emphasis modern ladies place on their appearance and the lengths they go to make themselves look good. Unlike the past, many ladies invest in themselves, and are willing to spend – in some cases a lot of – money on making themselves look fabulous. Nowadays, there are plenty of ladies who work in bars who go to the gym. They don’t just get their hair set like in the past, some get expensive haircuts in big-name salons. They are well aware that money spent on how they look is an investment in themselves. Many ladies make much more effort to stand out from the crowd. I don’t wish to sound mean, but in the past many girls looked like they had just stepped off the bus from Isaan. They were skinny to the point they almost looked malnourished, had no makeup and as my old friend Lecherous Lee used to love saying, they had hair like straw. Today, many make a real effort with their appearance, dress so much better and some actually look quite glamorous. The transformation from the fresh-faced farm girl type is dramatic. I know plenty of you disagree with me and talk of the ladies being more natural in the past, but I am firm in my opinion that these days, the ladies look better. So we’ll just have to agree to disagree!

Down in Hua Hin, there’s a raft of new bars to look forward to in 2025 with 3 of Bangkok’s favourites – Scruffy Murphy’s, Craft and Whisgars coming to a complex which is currently under construction. The project is scheduled to be completed in February. More news closer to opening date.

I’ve written a few times about how you see all manner of slogans on t-shirts in Thailand. The snap below was taken by a friend at a market in Bangkok this week. Was this t-shirt purchased as a souvenir while on holiday in Salt Lake City?

 

At a market in Bangkok this week, is that a souvenir from a trip to Salt Lake City?

 

Down in Pattaya, Penthouse X on the ground floor of the Penthouse Hotel on Soi Pattayaland 2 opened this past Thursday. It describes itself as an “xtreme adult entertainment club” which might get some minds boggling but sounds to me like puffery. If you drop by, let me know how you find it. This is the spot that was once Kitten Club.

On Soi LK Metro, the original gogo on the soi, Champagne, is scheduled to reopen next Sunday, November 30th. It will be in a different spot from the original location. I understand there will be 99 baht drinks. It looks like this is not just opening night pricing too, which feels like it’s really turning back the clock. The new Champagne is from the folks behind The Den.

Word from Pattaya matches what I am hearing from Bangkok with visitor numbers appearing to increase week on week.

Are you yet to receive a refund from Thai Airways for flights that were cancelled due to Covid? More than 4½ years later, a Kiwi reader refused to give up on the ticket he bought for a flight from Auckland to Bangkok in March 2020 which was cancelled. He went to the Thai Airways office when he was in Bangkok to get this sorted, once and for all. He was taken to the Finance Section Building, and was refunded the price of the ticket in Thai baht cash. If you never got that refund from Thai Airways, drop by and see them!

I am no fan of paying for things electronically when I am in Thailand and prefer using cash. That’s not to say that I don’t understand the convenience of paying electronically. This was reinforced when a reader based in the States told me about a situation this week. A friend of his in Bangkok had a small accident this week. She got in contact with him and he recommended she seek medical care. She went to hospital and sent photos and videos of herself while she was there. She was with the doctor for a short time and when it came time to pay, the hospital emailed this fellow in the States a link with the itemised bill and 26 (!!!) different ways he could pay. I imagine it was all the usual credit cards, payment systems like Pay Pal, Stripe, WeChat and goodness knows what else. You’ve got to admire the way the better run Thai businesses make paying so easy.

 

High season on Pattaya’s Beach Road. Note: These friendly ladies are not Thai.

 

I chuckle at some of things Thailand expats complain about. One such thing is the premium version of YouTube. Some El Cheapo expats can get heated over such small amounts of money which is especially amusing when you consider that anyone in Thailand benefits from regional pricing. In the USA, YouTube Premium runs $13.99 / month. In Thailand, the very same package sets you back just 179 baht per month. Some expats rant about what a rip-off this is and how they wouldn’t dream of paying for ad-free YouTube, notwithstanding that they appear to spend an inordinate amount of time watching YouTube videos. The premium version of YouTube is ad-free except for ads the content creator has embedded in the video. What does 179 baht buy you in Thailand these days? A simple plate of food in a basic Thai restaurant. A drink in a bar. A cup of coffee and a lousy croissant. Is it really worth getting bent out of shape over such a trifling amount of money? I have been a YouTube premium customer for a few years and find it very much worth it.

Christmas is just a month away and many restaurants and hotels have released their Christmas menu. I imagine that most anywhere offering a special deal will put on a decent spread. Choosing where to enjoy Christmas in Thailand really comes back to how much you’re willing to spend. There can be a big range in prices. I really like the Robin Hood in Pattaya for its location and the quality of its food. The Christmas menu at Robin Hood looks great but – and this is a big but – it’s pricey! No doubt, there are some tasty offerings on the menu but 4,499 baht for Christmas dinner in a British pub is more than you’ll pay in many 5-star hotel restaurants. I really don’t want to sound like a hypocrite after just pointing the finger at those who are too cheap to pay for YouTube Premium, but this pricing for Christmas dinner strikes me as up there! By way of comparison, Bangkok British pub Christmas menu pricing is in the ballpark of 1,000 baht, or a little more. Quite a difference!

Thailand-Related News Articles

Quote of the week comes from a friend, “Whenever people have asked me if Thais drive on the left or right, which has happened a few times over the years, I answer ‘Yes’.

A number of backpackers have died after drinking tainted cocktails in Laos.

Air India faces a backlash as passengers are stranded in Thailand for 80 hours.

A British teacher suffers life-changing injuries after a terrible road accident in Krabi.

A 36-year-old Brit tourist was found dead in a drain in Phuket.

Female Thai serial killer “Amy Cyanide” who killed 14 friends by poisoning them with cyanide is sentenced to death.

Thais are concerned about Chinese snapping up property in Chiang Mai.

Jake Needham is in fine form in this nicely put together YouTube interview.


Closing Comments

20 odd years ago, I can remember sitting in Woodstock on a Friday night with members of the NanaPlaza.com forum discussing the bar business. And on this particular night the topic was the ever-increasing number of men visiting Thailand and whether one day the equation would change and there wouldn’t be enough ladies to cater to all the horny men. This has never been an issue. Until now. High season is here and there are lots of naughty boys in town. There are the stereotypical sex tourists and, perhaps more common today, planeloads of young guys keen to hook up with local ladies. I hear more reports that some guys are finding it hard to meet ladies – and they are getting frustrated! There are only so many local ladies interested in foreign men and – let’s be clear here – Thai women don’t “need” foreign men like they did in the past when Thailand was a much poorer country. Apparently some of these men have certain expectations which aren’t being realised. There have been reports of 20-something guys badgering Isaan-based 40-something single mothers on dating sites. Ladies almost old enough to be their mother, located hundreds of kilometres away, are being offered money to travel to Bangkok and meet these men. I am hearing more and more stories emerging of what sound to me like, for want of a better word, mismatches! Some of these fellows seem very determined to get with local women, resulting in what sounds like a really weird dynamic. I’m really don’t know quite what to make of this.

Your Bangkok commentator,

Stick

 

Stick can be contacted at : stickmanbangkok@gmail.com

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