Gadfly Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 Based on past responses to posting this sort of news, I will start with a disclaimer: no, I am not predicting the end of NEP. Nor am I predictig that a comet is about to hit the earth or the sky is falling. I am simply reporting the news and, later on, posing a question. Last night NEP was dark by 1 am. Nana Disco closed promptly at 2 am. Without warning, lights on at 2 am sharp. (There are some things in Nana Disco at 2 am I'd rather not see, so a bit of warning would have been appreciated.) :smirk: I asked a mama-san earlier in the night when the bars close, and she said 1 am for 'about the past week'. A BG said 1 am for the 'past few days'. (In NEP, and Thailand generally, I guess that is close enough to be saying the same thing). Because I knew the bars would be closely shortly, I walked over to Nana Disco a bit after midnight. No idea how long this policy will be in effect, but wondering if anyone else knows anything about this. Any ideas? Also, I have to aske the obvious question: is this related to the appointment of a new national police chief, and his criticism of the Bangkok metro police chief? Anyone know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Zeppelin Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 It might not be related in any way, but I think there's a big meeting of ASEAN ministers taking place. I think they're all staying at the Imperial Queen's Park Hotel in Soi 22. They've been there for most of this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neo Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 Nana has been somewhat cyclical in recent years flip flopping between 1am or 2am from time to time. Either time is bad to me because I object to someone having the audacity to tell me what time to go to bed based on what makes sense on their own situation. But the key work around here is to grab your favorite girl and follow her to the slim picking on tap later at night elsewhere. I have all but lost hope the change in government will allow things to get back to "normal". The thing I have noticed is the move to kill off the beer girls who wear sexy outfits of the beer they are promoting has had a lasting effect. In Suan Lum, the mecca of beer varieties, they now wear street clothes (yawn). In a favorite restaurant catering to Thai's the uniforms are now just the colors of the beer, with no branding on them and they are very conservative in nature. One approached and I had to ask if she was promoting Chang or Heineken because the color combo was ambiguous. And now they are talking about requiring ghastly pictures of sick and dying people on every alcohol container. I'll admit there are alcohol problems in Thailand, but the way they are going about cracking down on it seems rather draconian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gadfly Posted February 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 The thing I have noticed is the move to kill off the beer girls who wear sexy outfits of the beer they are promoting has had a lasting effect. In Suan Lum, the mecca of beer varieties, they now wear street clothes (yawn). This is a good point. I thought they were going to outlaw them to altogether. Instead, they have to wear street clothes? A bit of a digression, but a pet subject of mine is the alcohol policy here. The problem has a name, and I won't mention his name, but he is wealthier and probably more powerful in many ways than Mr. T. Because of this, you will see all sorts of very public but totally infective measures. In most countries, tax rates go up with higher levels of alcohol. Here, the system is different. It is largely based on the products 'underlying value or cost' and, to a lesser extent in practice, on the alcohol level. It's all very untransparent. The net effect is this: high octane (high alcohol), but cheap gutrot booze is relatively cheap. In places that have more rational tax policies, these policies have created incentives for drinkers to move from high alcohol booze to wine and beer. It's not the end solution, but it is pretty effective. I don't think you will never see this in Thailand, and there is a reason for this. Under the last government, a foreign advisor - invited to advise on this issue - made this point to the government and in the press, and was essentially hold by the then Health Minister to "shut up". I can't imagine that things are any better now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gadfly Posted February 10, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 It might not be related in any way, but I think there's a big meeting of ASEAN ministers taking place. I think they're all staying at the Imperial Queen's Park Hotel in Soi 22. They've been there for most of this week. Didn't know about this. I didn't venture over to Soi Cowboy. Soi Cowboy is closer to Soi 22, but in a different police district. Any changes there? Neo is right - the policies change. It is more unpredictable. To me, it seems like they change more in NEP than inSoi Cowboy. One girl I met in Nana Disco was complaining loudly because she arrived a bit after 1 am thinking the place would be open for about another 2 hours. She and her friends were livid when the lights when on at 2 am. I guess it is all part of living here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 Yes, but not a good part... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Zeppelin Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 I've just been chatting to one of the girls from Cowboy and she told me the police have been closing it at 1am this week. Last night they didn't turn up so it was open until 2am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristianTroy Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 Nana will be more pricey soon, the hour between 1am and 2am is the one when people are drunk and spend the most money on lady drinks! The G-Spot guy told me that he makes 20% of his nights income between 0:30 to 1:30 even when the amount of people is smaller at late night! The earlier closing times cater the older guys who don't wanna hang out until 3am anymore but the young people will be send home when they start to get in a good mood! It is bleeding out slowly! If you know someone running a Nana Bar ask him about the taxation on the leases for 2008. Expect a beer to cost 160 baht or less girls in the bars. Nana is slowly but guaranteed bleeding out! Not sure about alcohol taxes but since the banks are taking the taxes directly from your account as soon as it shows up I believe the government will celebrate that for a couple of years before they instate the next level of farang punishment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preahko Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 it was the consensus among BGs and taxi drivers when I was there on Thursday night (both NEP and Cowboy) and witnessed the very abrupt, right-on-the-hour closings that the new national police head is doing some chest-beating...but the ASEAN thing on soi 22, which I didn't know about, sounds just as plausible if not more so. preahko Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bibblies Posted February 10, 2007 Report Share Posted February 10, 2007 I hate early closing but what's wrong with early opening to counteract it? Logically, you can maintain the same number of hours if you start earlier yet the bars are hardly alive at 8pm. Why is this? I can't work out whether it's the laziness of the girls making the punters not show up at those times or the punters not arriving early enough making the girls not bother. Which is it? I'm a night-owl but I'd be willing to start my night earlier if the girls were only there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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