Tales of the Extreme City

[khunsanuk]

Hi,

 

This column is meant for the memberarea, but since we are still experiencing problems with the new payment / registration system and I did not want to see this go to waste, I have decided to post it here for all to read.

I will do the same with Itsmedave's movie column. It will appear in the Arts & Culture section soon.

 

Sanuk!

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TALES FROM THE EXTREME CITY

 

I?m writing this column on February 15th, and of course everyone is talking about the new orders regarding closing times for bars and the new entertainment zones. The news is all rather confusing really, and no-one seems to know what?s happening in Pattaya. It seems that from March 1st outside the so-called entertainment zones all places of entertainment (whether selling alcohol or not) will have to close at midnight. Within the zones it seems that bars and discos can remain open until 2am, but bars featuring live music must shut at 1am. Massage parlours must shut at midnight whether inside the zone or outside it.

 

Opening times are even more confusing. Some sources say that bars cannot open until 9pm (inside or outside the zones); other sources say 6pm. Massage parlours can open at 4pm within the zones, but 6pm outside them.

 

Restaurants seem to be another category altogether and nothing I have seen seems to refer to them, apart from a short reference to Khao tom (or rice porridge) shops, which seem to have carte-blanche to open and close when they will. And when is a bar a restaurant, or a restaurant a bar? Does it mean that you can?t have a glass of wine with your lunch? Who knows?

 

Well what does this all mean for Pattaya? There is again confusion on what are the entertainment zones for Pattaya. Pattaya Today newspaper reports that three provisional entertainment zones have been proposed for Pattaya going from soi 18 in Naklua down to the Bali Hai pier in South Pattaya, and from 3rd Road to the beach. Within these areas are the entertainment zones. Though other rumours suggest that the zone ends 100 metres from the beach. Yet other rumours say that the entertainment zones are sois 2, 8 and Walking Street. No map has yet been published delineating these zones, and I don?t know if the government has yet accepted any entertainment zones within Pattaya.

 

The mayor of Pattaya, Khun Pairat, is dead set against the early closing, and there was a wonderful quote from him in the Bangkok Post a few days ago:

 

Pattaya mayor has urged a review of Interior Ministry plans to close nightspots from midnight. Speaking at a gathering of 100 beer bar operators, he said Pattaya would lose tourist income if the proposal came into effect. He would call a meeting with business operators and send a report to cabinet. "We can't sit and do nothing. This proposal is the work of lunatics with no common sense. It will destroy the tourism industry", he said.......

 

Calling Khun Purachai and Khun Pracha lunatics, great!

 

There is also the problem of registration fees for bars (50,000 baht). No bar owner that I have spoken to has been told about the registration process, or where or when to register.

 

It all smacks of the typical Thai thing of thinking that something is a good idea and pushing it through as quickly as possible without thinking of the consequences or taking into consideration other people?s points of view. One thing is for sure though ? this won?t go away. Personally, I don?t think this will make a ha?porth of difference to Pattaya, but there will be big changes in Bangkok. We?ll just have to wait and see what happens on March 1st.

 

PATTAYA now has a new free bus service! As from 14th February 30-seater buses are running from City Hall on Pattaya North Road, round the Dolphin Roundabout, south down 2nd Road (via a spanking new bus lane), turning right at Pattaya Klang (Central Road), thence onto Beach Road and south to Walking Street. From there it turns left into South Road and left again into 2nd Road where it travels north again to the Dolphin Roundabout and back to City Hall. There are also spanking new bus stops detailing where the buses will stop (outside Mike?s Shopping Mall and the Royal Garden on Beach Road, being two of these stops). Unfortunately I have yet to see a bus in action. I have seen two buses (so I know they exist), but they were both parked outside the Royal Garden, and showed no sign of moving. And of course the spanking new bus lane on 2nd Road is being seen as a convenient place to park your car, which kind of defeats the object. Mind you if there are no buses to be seen, maybe this doesn?t matter. I don?t think the baht bus drivers need worry about their income being cut just yet. If I find a bus running I?ll get on it and follow its route, and let you know next time.

 

 

BAR OF THE MONTH

 

Those of you who read Nightmarch?s column will know he has quite a penchant for Diamond a-go-go. I have never rated this go-go as much as he until recently. However all things change in the Extreme City, and at my last visit I was very impressed. Khun Tee the owner of Diamond has now got a farang manager in (an Aussie) who has made some changes: draught beer is now 45 baht a glass; the girls are wearing very short skirts ? most of them forgetting to wear underwear and boob tube tops which keep slipping down. The majority of girls are quite attractive and friendly, and they have a lesbian show which you just have to get down and see. The show happens anywhere between 11:30 and 12:30, depending on how many customers are in the bar. But on my last two visits the bar was very full, and it was difficult to get a ringside seat (which you are going to need if you want to fully participate in the action!). My only complaint would be that the girls are rather mercenary demanding money for performing various ?services?. This needs to change before the bar can be called really top-flight.

 

I WENT to the opening of a new go-go bar on February 14th. It seems rather a rash thing to open a new bar in the current climate, but the owner is Thai, so he may know something we farangs don?t. Anyway the bar is called Showgirls a-go-go and is inside the Prince Hotel on soi 8. The bar is set in a very long, but narrow room, with a long stage taking up most of the room. The majority of the seating is stools around the stage area, but there are 2 or 3 more comfortable sofas in alcoves. On this first night the majority of the girls were the wrong side of 60 kilos and the wrong side of 30 years old, so not much there to attract. None of the girls spoke to me, and between their sets seemed to congregate by the serving counter. To be fair the mamasan had to go round various bars, barfining their girls about an hour before the place opened as she had very few of her own. It may pick up when they have their own girls there. The price of bottled Carlsberg was 95 baht, but they don?t have any draught. Not much to write home about at the moment, but I don?t like to judge a bar on its opening night because there will be initial snags, and things needing to be put right. I?ll visit again in a couple of months (if it lasts that long!) and see if there have been any changes. One good thing was that the food laid on was not the normal roast pig, but beef curry ? and very good it was too!

 

THE high season now seems to be winding down: there are fewer farangs in the bars, and more girls are left at the end of the night, not having secured a bar-fine. This can only be a good thing for residents like me, or people who are visiting right now.

 

WELL that?s it for this time, see you again ? your extreme city commentator,

 

eyebee