Stickman Weekly, January 5, 2025

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Mystery Photo

Last week’s photo was taken of the lane that runs down the side of Robinson’s on Sukhumvit, better known as Soi 17.

I am reliably told that this general area – encompassing the sois either side of Robinson’s, sois 17 and 19 – is thriving as many new businesses have opened over the past year, in addition to the established businesses. There’s the Westin Hotel and a Thai seafood place on the corner. There’s the popular Bartel’s for bagels and above that, a Korean hotpot place as well as a new nightclub called Apt 101, mentioned in the news section below. There’s the fantastic Charley Brown’s Mexicana in a sub-soi that also has Japanese food, Korean food and a high-end happy ending massage place popular with Asian guys. On Soi 19, there’s El Gaucho, Gigi, Black Swan, Vivin and a good-looking bar in the SQ Boutique Hotel. Word is this is very much an up and coming area.

 

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

50+ years away from Thailand.

I hope this is not the end of the road for the Stickman Weekly column. Even though I’m half the world away and haven’t been to Thailand since 1971, you have a very interesting column. I even enjoyed reading letters about Tijuana, my usual playground.

Where Ricky poops.

Back in the day you used to have a cast of characters like Boss Hogg, Ricky and Dave at Angelwitch. Ricky would cross the road to the Nana Hotel to take a poop. That sort of thing is memorable. Now the continuing storylines seem to be Indians and Africans. Or maybe it’s just my reading and the weekly journal vs. the 10,000 km observer must be part of the change.

The bars make you feel young again.

I am also a ’90s arrival to Thailand, spending many nights in Nana Plaza, and then Pattaya over the decades. I think many miss the days of old that include cheap drinks, cheap barfines, and cheap ladies of the night. But the clock keeps ticking. I was in my mid-20s when I first discovered Thailand and it shaped how I perceived the world. It’s a false narrative in most cases where you believe in words much more than actions. That followed me in many relationships I had later in life when words rarely matched their actions. Thailand will always be unique compared to the West, even if prices continue to rise. Some of my best memories are from what I consider the heyday of Pattaya (2007 – 2010) with my friends bar-hopping till the early hours. Nostalgia aside, I still enjoy heading out for a night of gogo hopping on Walking Street or in Nana Plaza. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get tired of it. I spent a good amount of my 20s, 30s, 40s and now my 50s (we are getting old) in Thailand and I’ll continue to visit, buy a few drinks for the ladies just so I can reminisce about the days of old and make myself feel young again.

A Spaceplus fan.

I discovered something seriously crazy this week. As a bad Christian, I celebrated Christmas in Spaceplus, RCA. I love that club. The sound system is just out of this world. You feel the music, but you can still have a decent conversation without having to yell in someone’s ear. Anyway, later on in the week I found myself checking out the renovated Penny Black and I almost fell over after seeing the price of bottles. A bottle of Black Label will set you back almost 1,000 baht more than in Spaceplus! And it’s not only Penny Black. I got curious and checked out Climax and Hillary on Soi 11, which both had it at almost 1,000 baht more expensive as well. Oh well, that makes it easy for me to choose where to party!

 

 

More Readers’ Emails

Just walk on by.

As I turned into Sukhumvit Soi 13, I saw 2 cops conversing with a dealer, so I tried to get a few photos <see photo above – Stick>. There was another dealer only 5 metres away and he was totally unconcerned. My opinion on this : If you don’t want it, don’t buy it. Same as all the other illegal stuff that’s on sale in the area – just walk on by. The dealers are quiet and polite. We don’t read about any violence or aggression from them (I don’t think they’d dare to draw attention to themselves). I worked with a guy who helped addicts recover. He said the worst path to take is prohibition. People will always use drugs. Making drugs illegal makes criminals rich and forces partygoers to buy unknown pills and powders that could be dangerous. The stigma of drug use means people don’t ask for help and their situation worsens. No government in history has ever successfully banned anything. The War on Drugs has failed. Hundreds of thousands of people are imprisoned. Violence is rife. Drugs are contaminated and people still use them. Decriminalization or even legalization would mean fewer overdoses, better education and harm reduction everywhere. Working in the restaurant / bar / club industry means that I’ve met a lot of people who use illegal drugs. For the most part, they held down jobs, ran businesses and harmed nobody but themselves. I can’t bring myself to judge them any more than I judge an alcoholic or someone who gambles, pays for sex, watches porn or smoke a lot. As long as someone’s past time doesn’t affect others, it’s not my business. If someone drives under the influence or commits a crime while under the influence, they should be prosecuted the same way drunk drivers or violent drunks are prosecuted.

Learning from history.

It’s good that it seems to be quiet on the Indian front. People should just accept that they’re there, and move on. Their numbers will most likely keep on increasing in the years to come, so we’ll just have to get used to it. I remember a night in Thermae around 20 years ago. I was talking to a guy who was telling us that it wouldn’t be long before the Japanese punters took over the place. Really? Why? There was hardly a Japanese guy to be seen in Thermae in those days. He was adamant the Japanese would take over and we farangs wouldn’t have anything to say in there anymore. Strange guy, I thought. Couldn’t see it going in that direction anytime soon. Well, in hindsight, the guy was spot on! Less than 10 years later Thermae was indeed a spot for the Japanese and other East Asians, and today farangs are a small minority. So who knows what will happen with our Indian friends? But there will always be places we farangs can go and feel comfortable.

The bar industry and freelancers, today.

The huge influx of foreign freelancers on Sukhumvit is the biggest development in the Bangkok girl scene in well over a decade. In addition to looking more presentable, the Vietnamese on Soi Nana will go for 1,000 – 1,500 baht, although they’ll quote 2,000 if you ask. Zero overheads, no barfine, no overpriced lady drinks. Service quality varies, but Thai bargirls are no longer solid in that department either. In addition to the Vietnamese, Soi Nana has plenty of African and Central Asian freelancers, even a pretty “Russian” or two, all available for 1,000 – 1,500 baht. The Africans were always around, but 2024 was the first year I saw some truly hot ones; in the past they ranged from dregs to borderline. Another option in the same price range are the many Thai online girls. Plenty are decent-looking, but in Bangkok that scene is less accessible to tourists. Even for a Thai speaker, the browsing process is frustrating rather than satisfying. For serious mongers looking for sex, the bars can no longer compete. They will have to shift focus to the fun vibe, drinking, entertainment…..or fleecing casual tourists who don’t know better. Let’s see if this lasts. A crackdown on foreign workers could change things overnight.

 

 

This Week’s News, Views & Gossip

New Year’s Eve was a big night as punters flocked to the bar areas. Note: I specifically mentioned the bar areas. While the big bars were crazy busy, not every bar was packed. Some of the smaller bars were no busier than a regular Friday or Saturday. It sounds like the real party was outside with so many people on the streets surrounding the bar areas it was hard to move. Soi Nana and Soi Cowboy similar were said to be bedlam on New Year’s Eve as people wandered around outside with a drink in hand. Was the atmosphere outside the bars better than it was inside some venues?

The following evening, the first night of 2025, wasn’t nearly as busy in the bars which appeared to suffer something of a post-New Year’s Eve hangover. Lady numbers were way down in some bars as many took the night off to recover. Low staff numbers is not common following New Year’s Eve. In the past, many bars warned staff they had to work on New Year’s Day or face big salary cuts. Bargirls are a different breed these days. If they don’t want to work – even if told to – they won’t! Traditionally, New Year’s Day could be a bit quieter and from January 2nd it would be crazy again.

Spanky’s in Nana Plaza has – you guessed it – another new manager! This time it’s a Dutchman from Amsterdam. I’ve lost count on how many managers Spanky’s has had over the past couple of years. Amongst the many managers who have come and gone, I don’t recall a Dutchman. Perhaps there’s a map of the world in the Spanky’s office and they’re colouring in countries as they go? Place your bets on how long this fellow will last. I shouldn’t be cynical. Here’s wishing the new manager every success.

Up one floor, don’t forget that this coming Thursday, January 9, On Top will open its doors on the top floor of Nana Plaza, next to Butterflies.

And Las Vegas on Soi Nana, the Claytons gogo bar (to use Aussie / Kiwi vernacular; Google it if it’s a term you’re unfamiliar with) is due to open any day too.

 

 

As I wrote in a recent column, more Russians have discovered Bangkok and are choosing to spend more time there. Feedback from a few of you is that there are noticeably more Russians out and about in Bangkok. It’s mainly Russian couples – often aged early 20s to mid 30s, and Russian families – usually parents and a couple of kids. Single Russian guys in the likes of Nana and Cowboy? There’s been no mention of that.

I am bemused when I receive emails telling me that Bangkok is over. “It’s done”, they tell me, “It’s finished!” Or it’s dying or it’s over or its demise is imminent or some other nonsense. “Walk away, Stick”, they say, “Or you’ll go down with it, like the Titanic!” Those of you sending me this nonsense are being dickheads. The truth is the complete opposite to what you’re saying. Downtown Bangkok is booming. There are bars galore opening and it feels like seldom does a week go by without a new venue joining the fray.

Perhaps the most talked-about bar to open is The Basement. It’s only been going a couple of days but already there are predictions that this could be the next big thing on Sukhumvit. Located in the Times Square building, the building right next to the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, The Basement describes itself as Bangkok’s newest super hip hop club. It’s cut from the same cloth as Levels with lots of tall tables and stools. It’s said to be done out very nicely with LED and laser described as phenomenal. It opens at 10 PM and they hope to go through until 5 AM. Entrance fee is currently 300 baht for men and 200 for women. Whether it’s free to get in early and whether this includes a free drink, I don’t know. These clubs often have drinks somewhat pricier than bars popular with farangs but prices seem very reasonable with drinks prices starting at 99 baht which includes beers and some spirits. Given its location basically halfway between Nana and Cowboy and an easy walk from both, as well as being almost opposite Thermae, the location couldn’t be better. It’s still very early days but give it a bit of time to catch on. Quite a few people have already said to expect big things. Let’s not forget that the owners are behind Insomnia (and a few other venues) in Pattaya. They will know how to bring in the girls. And when the girls get there, the boys will surely follow.

 

 

Also opening this week was Aces Nightclub in the Ambassador Hotel, on soi 11. With that location, one wonders if it will become popular with freelancers. It opened on New Year’s Eve but was closed on Friday night. What was that all about? Because it’s located in Ambassador Hotel, there is an assumption it will cater mostly for Indians. If you happen to drop by when it reopens, let me know how you find it.

And then there is APT 101 Club which opened on soi 17 just over a month ago. There was no grand opening and none of the fanfare that often accompanies new venues, hence I’m only mentioning it now. The decor is said to be very, very nice. It’ll set you back 500 baht to get in and one drink is included. For those who complain the naughty bars are pricey, you might like to steer clear. To give you an idea about drinks pricing, a  G+T will set you back 330 baht++. It’s a young crowd – think cool and in vogue – and it isn’t obvious that any of the girls are working. APT 101 Club is owned by the same people behind Charcoal, Above 11 and Havana. With so many venues opening, how can anyone say Bangkok is dying? Such talk is complete and utter nonsense!

There’s just one small snippet of news from Pattaya this week. Atlantis, on Walking Street – which was previously Sweet Heart – closed this week. That’s another of the rapidly dwindling number of older, smaller, distinctly farang-style Pattaya gogo bars to have gone by the wayside. Walking Street isn’t evolving into a more diverse entertainment area, it has evolved already.

 

 

Sharing bathrooms is not that big a deal in the naughty bars in Thailand and ladies drifting in and out of the men’s room with urinals happens all the time. One wonders if in Twins Bar, on Sukhumvit soi 23, are the ladies required to piss in a hand basin? I thought that’s the sort of party trick that was reserved for around the corner on stage in Long Gun.

Reports of Vietnamese hookers on Soi Nana have featured in the column since things came back to life post-Covid. The Vietnamese fit in to the landscape and don’t stand out like the African hookers do, right? That may be true if you’re looking through the eyes of a foreigner. But Thais are quite clear: those women aren’t Thai! A Thai might not know where they come from, but they do know that they’re not Thai. Even if they’re on the other side of the road, I can usually identify someone here in Farangland as a foreigner (Aussies and Brits aside), so too do Thais pick up on the small stuff and subtleties like the clothes they wear, the way they carry themselves , their general features, hairstyle etc. Look really closely and you’ll probably agree with the locals that Thais and Vietnamese do look a little different. Of course, sometimes you just can’t tell. In other words, the Vietnamese on the game on Soi Nana don’t operate in the shadows with the Thais unaware. That is not the case and yes, it means that the Vietnamese street-walkers have to pay for the privilege of operating in the area.

I get it that some find the African streetwalkers quite fetching and while some love to roll out the old “Once you’ve had black, you’re never going back” mantra, with so many African hookers on Soi Nana and other parts of Sukhumvit, it got me thinking about sexually transmitted diseases and specifically AIDS. My understanding is that parts of Africa have high AIDS rates. Yes, I am aware that AIDs is not contracted as easily from females by males as it is the other way around, but it still strikes me as a very risky business. And with more and more African ladies around – and no doubt some of them are quite busy – could they contribute to an uptick in AIDS on the soi, or other STDs? It goes without saying that whoever you’re with, always party with a party hat.

 

 

Full marks to Shark in Soi Cowboy where it appears a genuine effort has been made to communicate clearly the pricing of lady drinks and barfines to customers. Last year I received a lot of reports from readers who felt they had been tricked by deceptive pricing in bars which priced one lady drink as two. In Shark this week, a mamasan took the time to show a customer – who just so happens to be a Stickman reader – a small piece of paper with writing that read, “Two lady drinks 440 baht.” She then showed him another small piece of paper stapled underneath with writing which read, “Barfine 1,000 baht ST and 1,200 baht LT.” That’s about as transparent as you can get. Well done, Shark.

More and more people tell me that many ladies’ opening gambit for short-time in Bangkok gogo bars is 4,000 baht (over and above the barfine). Some say that any lady quoting such a high fee does so because she doesn’t actually want to go with you. That could be the case, but my feeling is simply that these are the rates many customers will happily pay today. Remember, if you had just discovered Bangkok and you were quoted this price, you’d think it perfectly normal. If, however, you are a long-time naughty boy who has been around for decades and remember the days when 1,000 baht meant all-night long, you might balk at today’s asking prices.

As the years roll by, I find myself willing to pay more than I once would have for a product or service I am particularly keen on. What once was a price I would have been unlikely to pay, these days – if it’s something I really like – I will happily dig deep in to my pocket. I guess this is quite normal behaviour, and as we get older, our financial situation typically gets better. But it seems some young guys got the memo early and are willing to pay whatever it costs when it’s something they really want. In a chrome pole bar this week, a young Asian customer believed to be Korean was quoted 15,000 baht for a bit of fun. She must have looked like an angel – because the young Korean made a counteroffer of 12,000 baht which she accepted.

 

 

On Soi Nana, depending on what you’re looking for, you might be disappointed if you don’t read the fine print at Grace Massage before entering.

These no happy ending signs can be a bit of a misnomer. I am not specifically referring to Grace Massage here but there are plenty of massage shops which have a similar sign – yet hanky-panky is available on the premises. What’s that all about? My best guess is that the business has a no-sex policy but many ladies are willing to break the rules if suitably motivated.

Still on Soi Nana, some talk of the soi like it’s a zoo. And in some ways it is. L7 Cafe is a small eatery on the soi opposite Omni Tower which is doing its bit to uphold the notion of Soi Nana being a zoo. Out back of the restaurant is a cage, and in that cage is a lion cub which has been described as very playful. That really isn’t the place for a wild animal and while I have mot seen it with my own eyes, it’s kind of sad to hear. How long until it is transferred to a larger enclosure where it can thrive? Or perhaps it stays on Soi Nana, gets bigger, stronger….and escapes?! How would that be reported? “Wild pussy on the loose on Soi Nana!”

Still in the Nana area, the photo below was taken by a long-team reader at one of the 7 Elevens in the area. I guess we can deduce from the Indian visitors’ lack of attire that the cold snap didn’t last very long this year.

 

 

Last Sunday, just after the column went live, the other half started making noises about how we should move to Auckland. This came completely out of the blue. She has a good job here in the provinces and we live in one of the prettiest places in the country with, arguably, the best weather. We have just about everything we need, without the traffic that mars Auckland today. So what was this sudden desire to move to Auckland all about? Was she secretly chatting with a handsome, rich Aucklander online? No, or at least not that I am aware of! New job opportunity? No! It turns out she’d been on the local Facebook group for Thais in Auckland and was blown away by the availability of Thai food in Auckland. There are a few thousand Thais in Auckland and it seems many make Thai food and sell it exclusively to other Thais on the Facebook group. Southern Thai food, Isaan food, and many Thai dishes not available in Thai restaurants because they don’t appeal to non-Thais. Such a variety of Thai food available was, to her, sufficient reason to suggest that we move. With Thais it’s so often about food! They might present another reason for doing something but dig deep and often you’ll find that food is a big part of the equation.

Speaking of food, the other half and her sister love Charley Brown’s, Bangkok’s oldest Mexican restaurant. And I have to admit that I am rather partial to it too. It’s located on Sukhumvit soi 19, but it can be a bit tricky to find, tucked away in a small sub-soi, sort of right behind Robinson’s and The Westin. Whenever we’re in town, the other half’s sister insists we take her. Along with the food, she’s got a crush on the English owner. Only problem is, he prefers Western birds! But that aside, the food is fantastic, and the Margaritas are just as good. I know it hardly sounds like a manly drink the passion fruit Margarita is worth ordering. Before moving to Thailand, Charley Brown’s head chef had cooked for a number of celebrities. The last two years, the only alcohol I have consumed has been at Charley Brown’s which convinces me the owner is quite the cretin, suggesting that I drink! Readers, don’t be concerned, I am not someone who has had issues with alcohol; it’s simply that I lost the taste for it and I have chosen to largely refrain from drinking. I still enjoy a few drinks when I am on holiday.

 

 

I’m no fan of the ASEANNow site (previously known as ThaiVisa), although there’s no doubting its popularity amongst older expats. I’m still on the mailing list and get an email or two per day with headlines linking to the forum. Above is a screen capture showing links to articles from their first bulletin of the year. There are many ways you could interpret that. To me it’s a reminder that more often than not, when a foreigner makes the news in Thailand it’s for all the wrong reasons.

One of my favourite places in South-East Asia to spend a couple of lazy days is Vientiane. It’s super laid-back, has great coffee and just so happens to be very easy to get to if you’re visiting / living in Thailand. Vientiane has long been popular for visa runs, or what some now refer to as a “border bounce” – where you leave Thailand, cross the border, enter another country and almost immediately – often within an hour – return and re-enter Thailand. The border crossing at Nongkhai in to Laos has been a favourite spot for visa runners / border bouncers and exiting and re-entering was never a problem, until now. At this time, it is no longer possible to exit Thailand at Nongkhai and return the same day without a valid visa. If you don’t have a valid visa, you might have to spend a day or two in Vientiane – which is no bad thing – before being allowed to re-enter Thailand. This rule is specific to this particular checkpoint / different border crossings have their own rules.

 

 

2025 bookends the days of venturing from Thailand to a Thai embassy or consulate in a neighbouring country to apply for a visa. Embassies and consulates like those in Vientiane, Phnom Penh, Penang, Savannakhet or Saigon no longer accept visa applications in person. For a while, some operated on an appointment system but that has been done away with and now anyone who wishes to apply for a visa at one of these embassies / consulates needs to do so online. And to do that, you need to be located in that country. Perhaps visa agents or visa run firms will come up with some sort of work-around, but it does rather look like the end of an era. The days of just turning up at a Thai embassy in the region to apply for a visa in person which was issued without fuss, within 24 hours are over!

If there is one thing I’d take from the previous paragraph it is that things continue to tighten up. It used to be that you could exit and re-enter Thailand at any border point without issue, and it used to be that some would live in Thailand on back to back to back tourist visas or non-immigrant visas. Some people did this for more than 10 years. Each year things tighten up a little bit more. That said, there are agents in Bangkok and Pattaya who can help you out.

The t-shirt below is the work of popular Bangkok YouTuber, Bangkok Pat who is designing a few t-shirts with a similar theme to gently mock what he calls, “the ‘quality tourist’ obsession of the TAT who keep churning out these hubs and campaigns yet have failed to settle on any demographic they deem a quality tourist.” Pat wrote further in an email, “There are many factors of course but their lack of knowledge of the world outside of Thailand is obvious. I always thought the whole quality tourist tag started by Thaksin was to have a pop at sex tourists and say they were no longer welcome, yet they are not able to settle on any one type of tourist who will freely throw their money around like the western tourists of old. Instead we get these masses of low spending unkempt tourists getting in everyone’s way on Walking Street and Sukhumvit Road.”

Thailand-Related News Articles

Quote of the week, “Today, Bangkok gogo bars are enjoyable to visit, sit back and watch, rather than get dirty down in the weeds.”

A drunk Thai-Brit fatally stabs a Japanese guy in Pattaya.

3 foreigners die in a hotel fire not far from Khao San Road.

A Brit dies after becoming lost in a wooded area on Ko Samui, following a party.

Bangkok Pat put a huge amount of effort in to his 47-minute video about the Bangkok district of Bang Na.

A Japanese tourist who collared a cop in Chiang Mai apologises after trying to release a floating lantern in a prohibited area.

Three Americans who base-jumped off Emsphere in October will be arrested and charged if they ever return to Thailand.

An American tourist riding a dirt bike in Chiang Mai collides with a Thai woman, killing her.

In a barely believable scam, two Africans con a Thai man in a deal with $90,000 in counterfeit US currency.

A Spanish student is gored by an elephant at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand.

 

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Closing Comments

Readers of this website are a bit like testosterone. The more, the merrier – and I don’t want to lose either because it takes a lot of effort to replace them. So I am kicking myself after I may have scored an own goal last week. Did I inadvertently lose some readers? I closed last week’s column opener by asking whether this was the end. I wanted to keep readers guessing – but not for long – and in the closing comments at the very end of that column I answered that question by saying I would continue writing the column for at least another year. After the column went live, I received a steady stream of emails speculating about whether I would continue or not. It was only then that I realised some people had not read through to the end. I know readers may skip parts of the column not of interest, but it hadn’t occurred to me that might include the closing comments. I’ll keep that in mind in future.

You may have noticed that the last two columns have a slightly different focus to most of the columns I wrote last year. This is deliberate. Like I said last week, I want to take the column back to its roots. Part of that is to focus on Bangkok and much less on Pattaya. (More than half of all of the negative feedback I receive relates to Pattaya-related news and gossip and it seems to be that those based in Pattaya / more interested in Pattaya can be quite hard to please.) There will be a little less focus on the gogo bars – but I will still cover them. Basically, the goal is to produce a more balanced column overall that is not totally dominated by nightlife news. I had hoped to include an opener this week but at more than 5,000 words, I figure this week’s edition is more than long enough.

I received some really nice emails this week about the column continuing and am very grateful for the encouragement. Knowing the column is still enjoyed by many is all the motivation I need to stick with it.

Your Bangkok commentator,

Stick

 

Stick can be contacted at : stickmanbangkok@gmail.com