Stickman Weekly, October 26, 2025

  

Mystery Photo

Last week’s photo was taken on soi which connects Sukhumvit soi 3 to Sukhumvit soi 11. Only about a dozen of you got it right.

This week’s photo is once again in downtown Bangkok and in the heart of the Stickman zone. I would expect all stereotypical Stickman readers to get this one right! On first glance it may look obscure, but believe me when I say it’s not!

 

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

Still like Thailand, but visiting less often.

I will miss your writing and the unique insights into Thai and expat life. Subsequently, I will be reading your next 10 columns with joy and a sense of sadness. However, I fully support your reasons for calling it quits. Over the past 15 years or so that I have read you, I too have seen the ups and downs in Thailand and the vastly changing demographics. It has changed the place massively for me both in good ways and bad (increasing prices, congestion and changing services etc). Additionally, as I have gotten older I seem to have little interest in hanging out in bars anymore. I suspect I’m not alone and the aging population of bar hounds is slowly, but surely, declining. I still love Thailand for the people, the food, and all the amazing things there, but I have decided recently to cut back on my overall travel and will probably only visit once every 5 years or so.

Walmart, here I come!

I thought you would be around to write a eulogy about this old Asia hand when I moved on to the underworld. Good for you. If you continue till the end of the year, bow out gracefully. Don’t stir the pot or get any last jabs in, despite the temptation. You don’t have to give unnecessary accolades either. It has been a good run, and the time is now if you ever wanted to move on to something like a Walmart greeter.

Will the site remain?

I worry what will become of the site and all of the posts. It’s a history book of records of an almost mythical time for farangs. It would be shameful to lose. I am a writer by trade and have often wondered if I could do some version of your site, but I’ve never had the connections to the bar owners and main players, and I think that’s a big part of the consistent interest. There’s also the sinking feeling that the medium of writing is dying as people turn more and more to social media. I hope the site lives on in some capacity.

From weekly to monthly?

Sorry to hear your calling it a day. Maybe you could cut it back to once a month? <A few people have suggested this but, unfortunately, it’s not doable. The only way I can write a column about Thailand with any sort of frequency *requires* me to keep a close eye on Thailand – and that is exactly what I wish to move on from – Stick>

Music that reminds you of Thailand.

My first visit, almost 10 years ago, it seemed every club I went to in Bangkok, sometime during the night played ‘It’s My Life’ by Bon Jovi – a minor chart song in the U.S. (#33 on Billboard), a good 5 – 10 years after Bon Jovi’s peak. Here in the Land of Smiles, they treated it as if it was the biggest song ever! Their enthusiasm for it was infectious and I still look back on it fondly when I hear it. <Long-timers may remember this song was the official Nanapong anthem – Stick>

The fond memories music triggers.

My first trip to Thailand was in September, 1999, as a 24-year-old backpacker, exploring the back alleys of Khao San Road. There was a bar in one of these back sois, Rock n Roll Bar, where the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Around the World” seemed to be playing on repeat. It was so appropriate considering my journey from Boston, USA. Every time I hear that song I’m reminded of the friendly bar tender Dang and the taste of the old Sang Thip whiskey! The bar seemed to be a front for nefarious activities with many of the workers embracing the Carabao style!

Thailand’s most popular bar song.

About songs that make us think of the old days in Thailand, for me, it’s “Hotel California”, by the Eagles. There was a time when if that song was by some chance not on when you walked into a gogo bar, you could bet it would be played shortly. But then the bars slowly started to switch to techno-pop and such garbage, and the transition was complete by the time I left in 2015.

How music can lure you back to a bar.

When I was a young teenager in 1970, I had just left school and there was a UK band named Christie. They had a huge hit record in 1970 called Yellow River and another called San Bernardino. Their third hit was called Iron Horse. I saw the band live in my home town in 1971, and they were great. They went off the radar and might have split up. I am very much in to music and over the years have worked security for many famous bands. I was in Thigh Bar in Patpong one night with a few UK mates around 20 years ago drinking and listening to the music when the young DJ played Iron Horse. I hadn’t heard the song for around 30 years and here we were in Patpong and it was being played. Where the young DJ heard that song or got it from, I’ll never know. I always return to Thigh Bar when I am in Bangkok.

Geography counts against Patpong.

This is probably stating the obvious, but, for me, I don’t go to Patpong because of its distance from Nana Plaza. Being able to walk from one bar area to another, from Nana to Soi Cowboy is preferable.

 

 

 

 

This Week’s News, Views & Gossip

The passing of Queen Sirikit which was announced yesterday will be felt in the nightlife industry. Some bars have already postponed or even cancelled events and live music performances planned over the next few days. Some bars may ease back on the music volume a bit and there might be a little less general revelry. Looking further out, things might be a little subdued over the next few months, up to and beyond the New Year celebrations. It’s never clear how these things will play out so talk to staff in your favourite bar or keep an eye on their social media for updates.

Is there really more demand for ping-pong balls shows today? I thought these ridiculous, terribly degrading shows had been left in the past but not in Patpong, it seems. Ping-pong shows largely disappeared for a few years – or at least they weren’t widely promoted – but they have made an almighty comeback and are more openly promoted than ever. Not only will you be approached by touts motivated by the commission they receive for every person they refer to a bar, there are large signs on Patpong soi 1 promoting said shows. What used to be exclusive to the main Patpong soi can now be found on Patpong soi 2 where XXX – previously known as Club Electric Blue – has reopened as a ping-pong show bar. Touts badger passersby to step inside XXX and enjoy a ping-pong show.

Speaking of Patpong so 2, just a few strides away from XXX is Kinky Girls which is run by the same lady. It’s battling on, but feels somewhat out of balance. The bar has just a few dancers and way too many service staff, both in front of and behind the bar. Trade has been lousy in Kinky Girls for a while which makes me think the rent is sufficiently low to keep the bar going.

 

 

A snap taken out front of Nana Plaza a couple of nights ago by a friend shows the crowd on Soi Nana is as diverse as ever. There has been conjecture this week that visitor numbers are on the up. I ran this by a friend who works in Nana and his response was an emphatic, “No way!” With that said, the calendar tips over to November this coming week so I’d expect things to start picking up any time.

Orbit in Nana Plaza should open soon. As of Friday, it was still in darkness. Orbit is Thai-owned and my experience is that the Thai owners are much better at keeping their mouths shut, and generally keeping secrets than foreigners in the bar industry. That’s why the opening date remains a mystery.

Lollipop, the first gogo bar on the ground floor of Nana Plaza has erected a new sign, pictured below. Call me a stuck in the mud but I rather liked the classic old sign.

Down the road in Soi Cowboy, have renovations resumed at Showtime? A large blue tarp is draped across the front, blocking the view of what’s going on.

 

 

On Sukhumvit soi 33, fetish bar Demonia is offering buy 1 get 1 free all night long on Tuesday nights. That’s a great deal. If you’re on a tight budget, do note that Demonia has an entry fee.

Are there more ladyboys currently parading outside Thermae than usual? There have always been a few lingering on the pavement outside – remember, entry is forbidden to ladyboys and is strictly enforced. Recent reports are that there are more ladyboys than ever at the top of the steps.

The stretch of Soi Nana from The Tavern down to the Novotel has become known as the place to go if you’re looking for variety. Along with the Africans who stand out from the crowd, there are ladyboys, Vietnamese, Myanmarese and what a friend terms “Burka chicks” – of which there were more this week than he has ever seen before. Looking for something different? Have a fetish to tick off the list? You might find what you’re looking for a few minutes’ walk down Soi Nana.

Speaking of African freelancers, they drift up and take over the top of Soi Nana, and assemble in front of Stumble Inn when most bars have closed, around 3:00 AM ish. If you have a thing for African ladies, after 3:00 AM is prime time / when you’ll find the best selection.

No-one likes double lady drinks except the ladies themselves, of course, who benefit by making double commissions. Expect a double lady drink in a Bangkok gogo bar to set you back 350 – 400+ baht. Single lady drinks in most Bangkok gogo bars today are in the 200 – 250 baht or so range. But not all bars charge over the top prices for a double lady drink. In Soi Cowboy bar Afterskool, where the girls love a mouthful in the back corner, a double lady drink will set you back just 260 baht. For that, she gets a shot of Tequila and a tumbler of Coke. That’s not a terrible deal when you consider what many bars charge for just one lady drink. And in the single-shophouse gogo bars the ladies are much less hurried. It’s not where you typically find the most attractive ladies but if you’re looking for a bar that feels like Bangkok 15 or 20 years ago, Afterskool isn’t a bad choice.

 

 

The rainy season must be just about over for the year. It usually comes to an end in Bangkok in late October or early November. But it can vary. In the time I have known Thailand, there have been years when the rain stopped as early as mid-October. Other years it stuck around right through until the start of December. That, however, is not the norm. You need about a week or so without rain to say with certainty that the rainy season is done for the year. And don’t forget that the rains end at different times in different parts of the country. The rainy season starts earlier in the north and northeast, and finishes earlier. So while the rains might have stopped by early November in Bangkok, it can still be raining heavily on Ko Samui through December and in the deep south right through until New Year.

Terrible news broke last weekend in Pattaya where popular, highly respected expat Barry Kenyon was killed while crossing the road. It was reported that he was hit by a motorbike ridden by a foreigner. Some reports say that he was on the median strip when the motorbike hit him. Barry Kenyon was a long-time resident of Pattaya, a former British Consul, a long-time contributor to the Pattaya Mail and for decades had been providing help and advice to the expat community. I sat down with Barry way back in 2006 at that old branch of Coffee World in the Royal Garden Shopping Centre for a lengthy chat. That was the one and only time we met but we were in frequent email contact and he would frequently provide feedback and loved to take the piss out of what I wrote, from time to time. He had a field day with my comments about squiggles on the side of a Pattaya condominium. I took a trip down memory lane and re-read my 2006 interview with Barry Kenyon which was a reminder not just of how knowledgeable he was, but how incredibly helpful he was to those in need. Barry Kenyon was 84.

The only other bit of news I heard from Pattaya this week was that the number of Indians out and about is very high. A friend visited Koh Larn. For a time it was full of Russians. The next wave were the Chinese. This week, a friend visiting the island said it felt like he had been transported to India.

 

 

The Slavic-looking fellow pictured above has been on Silom Road this week selling trinkets. A sign written in the Thai language – no English / other languages – says that he is thankful for any sales which will help finance his travel around the world

One of those issues in the nightlife industry that I have shirked covering is the security checkpoint at the entrance to Nana Plaza and the heavy security presence throughout the complex. I have received many emails about this over the past few years, but I have not covered it in any detail. Many of you have told me that you feel the security presence isn’t needed with some saying they actually felt safer before security was ramped up. I think the reason for such a large security presence may be misunderstood. I have always felt that the security presence in Nana Plaza is less about protecting customers, and more about protecting the complex / the owners’ financial interest and the bar operators and their businesses. Consider, for example, the laws regarding the legal age of customers and bar employees. Bars found breaking laws such as selling alcohol when they shouldn’t be can suffer closure orders of 30 – 90 days. But in the case of a bar found with underage staff, 5-year closure orders are not uncommon. Ditto for bars where drugs were found on staff or customers. Such a closure order would be a disaster for the complex operator with an empty bar for 5 years not generating any income. This is why the security staff take such a close interest in the bar staff entering the plaza and they even have their own lane. Such a large security presence in the plaza keeps a lid on any problems and protects the owners’ interests. It’s not all about protecting punters although that is certainly part of it.

 

 

Talk in recent columns about whether individual ladies in bars go or don’t go, and the confusion and frustration this causes some customers has been an ongoing issue for some years. The days when almost every lady would go with any customer are in the distant past. There is, of course, a very simple solution. The long-closed Secrets in Pattaya operated a system where every staff member in the bar wore a lanyard where the colour of the strap made it clear whether they go, or don’t go. Green meant they were good to go. Red meant they didn’t go. Wouldn’t it be nice if bars operated this system? But don’t expect that to happen any time soon, for obvious reasons. Would you buy a lady a drink if you were aware there was no chance she’d leave the bar with you?

Do you choose which bar to head to based on the ladies, but ultimately park yourself in the bar with the best music? I can only speak for myself as someone who enjoys going to the bars to watch sexy ladies dance and enjoy the music and the atmosphere, but has zero interest in anything beyond that. I’d usually head for Shark or one of the Mandarin Group bars where you’re guaranteed lots of attractive ladies, every night of the week. But I never stay long and I inevitably end up in a bar where the music was more to my liking, even if the ladies weren’t nearly as easy on the eye.

 

 

Some say that you can tell how good a lady will be in bed by the way she dances. I have no idea about that – but what I do know is that there is a way I can tell if the lady I am dating is compatible with me and we could have a long, happy relationship. Some years ago I sort of stumbled on to it. In every one of the best relationships I have had, the lady had this particular trait. Was it her education level? No, but certainly I have found the better her education, the higher the chance of a decent relationship. Was it her level of English? No, I have found zero correlation between a lady’s level of English and whether we are compatible. The one thing I have found that has always been the case is her driving style. Yep, as crazy as it sounds, in all of the best relationships I have had, her driving style is the same as mine. Weird? Probably, but it has proven to be highly accurate. And how would I describe my driving style? In a word, “impatient”. Not necessarily fast. Not reckless. But most definitely impatient. And when I think back about all the ladies I have had really good relationships with, every one of them (talking Kiwi ladies from the distant past here, as well as Thai ladies) all had a driving style I think could reasonably be described as impatient. Coincidence? I don’t believe in coincidences!

Should you tip in a bar of oral relief after you have been serviced? You’ve paid the fee in full – in some bars you pay beforehand, in others after the fact. The service was as expected and the price charged was fair. Some would quite reasonably ask, why tip? I understand that the going rate for the standard service in such venues in downtown Bangkok is in the range of 700 – 800. Some venues charge a thousand although I believe this may be an opening gambit and the fee is negotiable. 700 – 800 baht for a few minutes’ work isn’t terribly bad money, right? You might want to reconsider that. In some of these venues, including what is perhaps the best-known house of oral services, the lady’s share of the 700 baht fee is…..200 baht! You might like to keep this in mind the next time you’re in such a venue. And also consider that in any venue where you pay the fee to the house – such as massage shops, naughty and otherwise – the lady only gets a cut of the fee paid and it’s seldom more than 50%.

 

 

Tipping in Thailand, how much to tip and even whether to tip, can be such a divisive topic, especially if one party is American and the other is not! I can only speak for myself. As a New Zealander, we simply don’t have a culture of tipping. My policy in Thailand has always been to tip if service is particularly good and / or the service exceeds my expectations. If the service is merely perfunctory – as is not infrequently the case in tourist areas – I don’t tip. And I don’t tip if a service charge has been added to the bill. That’s what I do. But you should do as you please! I know the tipping discussion has been done to death, but I raise it again because I am not convinced that tipping means superior service levels on subsequent visits, as some claim. What will get you great service next time is being a fun person to be around, and sanuk in the eyes of the Thai service staff. Most Thais respond very well to fun-loving foreigners. I was chatting with an expat friend about this and he made the observation that in venues popular with foreigners, familiarity can breed contempt. He believes that in some venues, when you tip regularly, some staff see you as a regular who will visit regardless. They feel that they don’t have to make a real effort, and service standards can slip. This may not be widespread, but it’s not the first time I’ve heard this theory. It raises the question of whether to tip at all. On the subject of tipping, while I am not big on tipping unless I feel it is deserved, I pretty much always tip taxi drivers. Again, that’s just me and you should do as you please.

There’s a certain, albeit very sad, irony in the way so many Thais have been scammed in recent times, with some losing large sums and in some cases, life-changing amounts of money. In my early years in Thailand, there were a lot of scams perpetrated by locals against foreigners. When I started this site, there were so many stories of Thai women involved in the bar industry scamming Western men. This would not infrequently come up in conversation with everyday Thais who didn’t know what to make of the Internet and a farang who wrote about life in Thailand for a foreign audience. When I talked about the site and explained what I was writing about, they had no sympathy for anyone silly enough to fall victim to any scam and only had themselves to blame. I’d love to talk with some of those people today and see what they make of all of these call centre scams targeting Thais. Being the victim of a scam can be hard for a Thai, especially if the loss is considerable. Some feel such great shame and humiliation that they press the self-destruct button. One of the saddest stories was a young fellow of school age who was scammed online when buying a second-hand iPhone. It never arrived and his attempts to contact the seller went unanswered. He had been scammed of, from memory, 9,000 baht. The torment was so great that he chose to end his life.

 

 

Thailand-Related Links & News Articles

Quote of the week comes from the Dirty Doctor, “Soi Cowboy’s The Arab is a bit like an STD that just keeps giving.”

From The Stickman Archives comes my 2006 interview with Barry Kenyon, titled Barry Who?

Thai Immigration provides evidence showing claims that a Belarusian model was abducted from Thailand were false.

Much respected Pattaya expat Barry Kenyon dies from injuries sustained in a tragic road accident.

Intergrity Legal’s Benjamin Hart made a nice tribute video to Barry Kenyon.

A bogus doctor in Bangkok was arrested for performing illegal penis enlargement surgeries from inside his car.

An American accused of killing an insurance industry executive claims he was beaten by seven ladyboys in Thailand months earlier.

A scam centre raided in Myanmar on Thursday saw hundreds rush to cross the border into Thailand.

Vietnam’s economic rise and tourism sector growth is said to be spooking Thailand.

An Iranian couple are arrested for stealing $1,600 from an Indian tourist in a downtown Bangkok shopping centre.

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Closing Comments

Why did I announce that my involvement with this column will soon end and not wait until the end of the year? First and foremost, it gives me time to deal with any maintenance issues. You might, for example, have old readers’ submissions you wish to have removed. You might appear in the background of a photo and like yourself blurred out. Or perhaps your wife has been featured in glamorous photos in this column and you would like said photos removed. I can carry out any edits like that now, while I am still involved. At this stage, it looks like I will be writing the column through until the end of the year. I wanted to give the owners ample time to make a decision about what they will do with the site going forward. Will they get someone to replace me? Will the site stay online? I honestly don’t know. I’ll let you know more as I learn it.

Your Bangkok commentator,

Stick

Stick can be contacted at : stickmanbangkok@gmail.com