shygye Posted April 9, 2002 Report Share Posted April 9, 2002 RETURN Travel, and Thailand in particular, can affect you in ways you can not anticipate. This was my 7th trip to the LOS. So far, each trip has been different. This trip would also prove to be different, and disturbing. A real rollercoaster ride. Fasten your seatbelt it is going to be a bumpy flight. What is one to do? The Tarheels had a record-breaking season. The most losses in a season in the 92 year history of basketball at UNC. No NCAA bid for the first time in a generation. March Madness? No, this year it is March Sadness. Might as well head for the LOS to soothe the pain and think of a better tomorrow. First, had to do a marathon session on the computer to get all the tax forms completed and mailed out. Second, need to look for flights from the USA to BKK. In the past I have always flown NW but now NW is looking expensive. The fare is about $300 to $400 higher than the same time last year. I can not get an award ticket for all of March! The price for the dates I want is even higher at over $2000 for economy tickets! Sorry NW your yield management has cost you this traveler. I decide to have a look at EVA and their deluxe class. The price looks good at about $850 out of LAX. The times are good with arrival in BKK at 11:30 AM and departure from BKK at 5:40 PM. I can get a $230 ticket from the east coast to LAX. So I?ll give EVA a try. The total cost is about $100 cheaper than the cheapest NW fare (on the dates I don?t want) and I can get my preferred dates and only a 2 hour layover in Taipei in each direction. Third, which hotel should I select? I have tried the Nana Hotel, Majestic Suites, and Dynasty Inn. Mostly I have stayed at the Nana Hotel. The staff knows me and always greet me with a warm smile and kind words. I feel at home there, plus all the taxis know where Nana is located. I have read reports that Dynasty Inn charges a joiner fee if you bring back 2 girls. I liked my stay at the Majestic but it does not have a pool. I?ll try the Grand President for a week. It has gotten many good reviews and see how I like the location. I chose the Executive Studio at 10400 Baht weekly rate. The response of the GP to email inquiries is rather slow. Then for the remainder of my visit I?ll stay at the one and only Nana Hotel. E-ticket receipt. Check! Hotel reservations. Check! ATM card. Check! All systems go for the LOS trip number 7. I know 9 is considered a lucky number in Thailand but how is 7 considered? YOU GOOD MAN Well I made it to BKK in spite of a detour to Anchorage for refueling. I looked for the airport bus but it was not around. I did not want to wait so I went to the taxi stand and asked for the GP. My driver was an older gent and he had good driving skills. This was not to be a white-knuckle ride to downtown. I was a little concerned if he knew where GP is located but he went directly there with no difficulty. The check-in process was quick and painless. Soon I was in room 601 of Tower 1. I was disappointed. The room seemed smaller than the standard room in Nana. Probably all that furniture stuffed in there makes it seem smaller. The bed was a double size, not a king size bed. The TV was off to the left of the bed. Not a good placement for watching TV in bed. The furniture was dinged and scratched. A few tiny ants were doing laps around the bathroom sink. Later I had problems getting the maid to clean the room. There is a reduced room service menu available after 11PM. Each morning I awoke to the sound of screech owls and a guard blowing his whistle. My room was on the other side of the building from soi 11 but I still got blasted by those birds! The Park Hotel parking lot (shortcut to soi 7) closes around midnight. The security guard demands 20 Baht to open the gate. I never had problems with the taxi mafia. A no thank you with a smile and they did not pursue the matter. In fact the taxi guy outside the Ambassador Hotel said, ?You good man. You HANSUM MAN.? GIRLS GIRLS GIRLS Yes, AC/DC you had it right. It is all about girls. Girls we have met; Girls we would like to meet; Girls from our past; Girls in our dreams. Ah yes, I met many girls this trip. There is the dirty dancing, chain smoking nymph. I wonder how old she REALLY is. ?Britney?, with the Britney Spears bod and what a dancer. She works so hard on her dancing that she hurt her wrist. ?Britney? has a nice attitude and may even be a latent SK (Sniff Kisser). Then there is the girl who has only worked bar for one week but speaks English well and isn?t that a bit of gold on your wrist? I?ll leave this one for rabbit. I?m sure when you arrive in June that she has still only worked bar one week. Ah the showgirls Ta, Tok, and Ann. They dance very well and are very limber. They don?t even mind walking from NEP to GP! It must be love! I quickly became a showgirl plaything. What is with this girl Porn? She has the blank stare of a psychopath with Darth Vader soulless eyes. She is freaking me out. Uh-oh, Porn likes me. Must not show fear. Must not show fear. Did I mention Porn is freaking me out! But she is a SK. Now this other dancer is freaking me out in a different way. She has a thin mohawk that runs from her pubes to her navel, very light-skinned, and brilliant red hair. Man is she an alien? Probably an illegal alien. This hostess is freaking me out! Is she or is ?she?. Big face, lots of makeup, aggressive, and wearing khatoey style clothes. This looks like an undercover job for jazz. THERE'S A DARK SECRET IN ME My friend Sa me. Sa is a dancer at one of the gogos I frequent. She is a bit of a jokester and always comes over to sit with me. She is only a 6 in the looks department but often gets BF because of her playful attitude. We kid around and talk a little (limited English). I like her as a friend and would never BF her for boom-boom. However she has frequently offered to BF a lady for me. Well, one night she pulls out a black and white photo of a man that looks dead to me. It is a picture of her father. Sa tells me the story of how her father died. As best I can make out, the father died 17 years ago when Sa was 8 years old. He was a rice farmer that was killed by bandits (hung?). Sa told how her mother searched and searched for her father and was finally told of his death. Then another dancer, very popular girl, comes over and says her father also died when she was little. Pun is a waitress at my home bar in NEP. We joke around and share the snacks I bring to the bar. I have noticed over my previous trips that she specializes in the Japanese customer, although she has playfully asked me to BF her. Well this trip Pun tells me she has a boyfriend now and no longer goes with customers. One night I am sitting at my usual spot. From here I can easily see the cashiers desk. I see Pun at the desk and notice she is visibly upset. She sees me and comes over; collapsing in my arms. Sobbing so hard her whole tiny body shakes. This goes on for a long time. Other waitresses come over to talk to her. Pun starts talking in rapid fire Thai full of emotion and anger. It seems a former customer of hers raised a stink when she refused to go with him. I think he threatened to tell her boyfriend that she still works bar and goes with customers. I first met Pim on my 3rd visit. She is about a 6 or 7 in looks but has a gentle, kind soul. She saw me on my previous 2 visits but only came over on this visit. She would sit with me for as long as I was at the bar. She did not keep other girls away and was just happy to be with me. Pim never asked for a LD or BF. Her story is fairly typical. She had a baby with her Thai husband at 19 (unregistered marriage). Soon afterwards the husband left her and the baby. So now she works bar to support Mama and her baby. She does not have a cell phone, or phone at her apartment and I never saw her wear any gold. I think Pim does send most of her money home. On my Nov. 2001 trip I did not see her at the bar when I arrived. Her friends told me Pim?s child (age 7) was sick and in hospital. About a week later Pim returned to the bar. She said her child was in hospital for 2 weeks, and she and her sister were now caring for the child. She worked about every other day and often looked tired. I BF?d her a couple of times and gave her money to help with the hospital bill. On my latest trip March 2002, I learned some tragic news. Pim?s child died about 2 weeks before I arrived. Pim returned home to Surin. Her reason for working bar no longer exists. On my next to last day of my trip the mamasan told me Pim asked her how to email me about 2 months ago. I never received the email. Another girl at the bar also tried to email me but I did not receive that one either. Maybe they misspelled the email address or the junk filter got it or my box maxed out. Could I have averted this tragic loss of a child? This will forever haunt me. HYPOTHESIS Can one have a successful relationship with a BG? This is an often asked question. I had developed a certain hypothesis of perhaps the major obstacle to a successful relationship and this trip added additional credence to my thoughts. My hypothesis is that a BG may become very bored with a '?normal? lifestyle. Most of us have to work and can not go out partying every night. Plus what is an ex-BG to do while you are working? A bored girl will not be happy and may start doing self-destructive activities. Meet Ta. Ta is a very lovely BG I first met about 1 year ago. She has been ?bought? from bar by an expat on expat wages. She has been living with him for several months now and she is bored big time. Ta tried English School but lasted only 1 class because it was so boring. All her friends work in the bar so they are not around during the day. Mostly what she does is shop and watch movies. Nothing else for her to do. Her formal education is meager which prevents her from getting a good job. When I first met her, I never saw her drunk but now she often gets drunk. I would like to help Ta however what she needs most is self-discipline. The self-discipline required to improve her education or skills and achieve a normal life in Thailand or Farangland. And then there is Tok. Tok is a former BG married (registered?) to an expat pulling 400K per month. She has developed a retail establishment with her sister. This keeps her from getting bored plus gives her some money of her own. She truly loves her husband but for the past few months he has been pulling away. Can he not believe her love? Has he found someone else? Has he gotten tired of her? These are all questions racing through Tok?s mind. He is a very lucky guy to have found this gem and he doesn?t even realize it. GO-GOS A-GO-GO The reported demise of the gogos, especially NEP, has been greatly exaggerated. I was present at the unveiling in NEP at midnight March 8. Things were popping out all over. Overall the crowds are down at NEP. You can tell because the Sumo Hamburger Guy is only setup a few days during the week. There are still lots of cuties to BF. I made the sacrifice, in the name of Nanapong, and visited several gogos at SC, CEP, and NEP. Maybe I deserve a medal or letter of commendation. Well here it goes but remember the gogo scene changes rapidly and I may have hit some on a bad day. Midnite - SC: This is my favorite gogo in SC. Several cuties to BF, the music is not too loud, the drink prices are lower, low pressure, and just a good ambience. Oh, some of the girls really dance. Hmmm, is that Christian rock? Hallelujah brothers and sisters, I see the light and it is red and it is blinking. Joy Bar - SC: This is a small bar but has a good fun atmosphere. I only saw one girl I would BF but this would be a good spot to meet friends before doing your SC bar-hopping. Dollhouse - SC: I would give this place a miss. I did not see a single girl there I would BF. In fact, if a bird flew through the bar all the girls would point (bird dog). I did not try the buffet. White and Black - SC: I just popped in here to meet a friend, honest. I did not see any girl of BF quality. It does have a nice relaxed atmosphere and the toilet is in good working order. No need to go to the KFC. Dollhouse - CEP: There are still cuties to BF here but not as many as last year. Hey DJ watch that volume. A few days it was just too loud. It gave me a headache and the girls were complaining also. One thing I don?t like is the girls leave the stage and go to the backroom to eat from 7PM to 10PM it seems. Makes it harder to connect when your ?waan jai? is chowing down in the back. Candy Store - CEP: Very few customers in this gogo. There is 1 lithe young lady of BF quality. Low pressure place and free popcorn. The DJ plays mostly techno stuff, no rock ?n roll. White House - CEP: This place has recently reopened. Not a single BF quality girl. Hollywood 3rd floor - NEP: This is my favorite bar for historical reasons. The girls run the full spectrum from the cute to the absurd. There are several BF quality girls that are also SK. It does not have the p***y show anymore but the other shows (beer dance, girl boxing, paint show) still go on. Rock Hard - NEP: Only saw 1 BF quality girl in the place. Bottoms Up - NEP: I liked this gogo. This is the place with the lower drink prices and the BF is 350 baht. Maybe 4 BF quality cuties that I saw. I did not like them hawking the 10 baht bags of popcorn. Playskool - NEP: It was filled to the rafters. Too crowded for me to find a seat so I did not stick around. Carnival - NEP: This is a kind of depressing place. It seemed under-populated because there were no girls dancing on the other stage. Drink prices are high and sorry no BF quality ladies in here. It is sad when the porno playing on the TV is more interesting than the girls dancing on the stage. Voodoo - NEP: Be sure to visit this gogo. Voodoo and Angel Witch had lots of BF quality cuties. Sometimes Voodoo had more cuties and sometimes Angel Witch had more cuties. It is a big bar which makes it difficult to see all the girls. Angel Witch - NEP: If you go there I?m sure you will find a cutie. Watch out for the hostess with a big face. Otherwise it is low pressure and has a good atmosphere. G Spot - NEP: There are some BF quality girls in here however I found the place a bit cold. It did not seem like people were having fun. Well, as you can see I spared no effort or baht in the name of Nanapong. Do I get a medal? SOMCHAI!!! Riding taxis in the Big Mango can be an experience in and of itself. I remember getting into a taxi and being assaulted by the strong odor of menthol. It was like my head was immersed in a jar of Vick?s Vapor Rub. Man, my sinus was wide open for a week. But beware taxi driver Somchai. The wannabe F1 driver. Somchai take us to the disco. Somchai why you drive so fast? Somchai why you change lanes? This one not any faster. Somchai why you change back to other lane? Somchai why you accelerate when all the cars are stopped ahead? SOMCHAI! Look out for that motorcycle! SOMCHAI!! Look out for that tuk-tuk! SOMCHAI!!! Look out for that bus! ?I too young to die!?, yells Noi. ?I too old to die!?, I yell as another bump launches us airborne. Finally we make it to the disco. Weak kneed and shaky we stumble out of the taxi. I?m not feeling well maybe I go back to hotel and lie down for a day or two. No Somchai, you can not drive me back to hotel. I?ll take tuk-tuk! BIRTHDAY GIRL I had just left Midnite and hanged a right heading for Asok station when I heard my name called out. There was Nok with her friends Noi and Nut. Nok is a stunner (she stunned my heart after my 1st night with her) I met some time ago. They were headed out to celebrate Noi?s birthday and asked if I would like to come along. I was going to CEP then NEP, my usual route, but decided to tag along with them. I wasn?t sure where they were going and neither was Nok. We grabbed a taxi on Soi 23 and proceeded down the zigzagging soi. Pretty soon we are in the midst of Bangkok traffic. It is a good thing Thaksin solved the traffic problem in 6 months. I notice a brightly lit building, a MP and it is HUGE. I ask if we are going to RCA but they don?t understand me. We keep driving along and Nok points out a restaurant, has a 10 meter tall lobster, she likes. Another couple of turns and what is this? Young ladies are sitting and standing outside in white outfits and short skirts. That looks interesting, but a final turn and we have arrived at the Hollywood Disco. Noi pays the taxi and we meet Nut?s boyfriend outside. Nok says she has never been to the disco. This is also my first time at the disco. A sum of 500 baht is requested. Is this for admission or drinks and mixers or both? It is about 9:50 PM and the place is almost completely empty. There is a stage with a runway, a DJ booth in the back and 4 large projection screens. A screen resides on each side of the stage and two on the back wall. There is a long counter running from back to front on the left and right side. There are small round tables scattered about with barstools and no dance floor. A hostess, carrying a bottle of the house whiskey, leads us to a table near the end of the runway. Soon glasses, a bucket of ice, and mixers appear at our table. The server, a guy wearing a blue shirt, mixes and serves the drinks. There are numerous servers that continually circulate through the room mixing drinks and checking to see if you need more ice, mixers, or whiskey. Some snacks appear, fish balls with dipping sauce (sweet and hot), and potato and shrimp chips. Prices? A bucket of ice is 50, mixers are about 100 to 200, and a bottle of house whiskey is 500. It is a little after 10 and the show starts. People are continually coming in up until a little after midnight. The band has a good sound and although the bass is vibrating my liver it is not too loud. The dancers are pretty good and WOW look at the outfit the singer is wearing (just barely). A mix of farang and Thai songs are played. The screens show live shots of the performers intercut with the associated music video. That singer can really belt out the song and belt down that Jack coke an admirer gave her. Another admirer handed her a drink wrapped with several 1000 baht notes! The first band session lasted a little more than an hour and then the DJ started up. One of the dancers jumped up onto a platform by the DJ booth and was gettin? down. People were dancing by their table and it was getting tough to move around. It looked like it would be difficult to pickup a girl here. The girls I saw were in groups (I did not see any stunners besides my own.) I think the method is to give the girl your number to hookup later, but you better speak Thai. At least that is what happened to Nok when she went to the toilet. The second band session started at midnight and continued til about 1:15 AM. We left at 1:30 AM, but most of the people were staying until the lights come on. I had a lot of fun there with Nok and her friends. This is a venue that is best experienced in a small group. Although I did see singles seated along the counters. Be sure to have 5 baht coins for the toilets! MAU (DRUNK) I called Nit to see if she wanted to get together this evening. She was already at Hard Rock Café and invited me to join her there. I took a quick shower, changed my clothes, and jumped into the first taxi on soi Nana. This was my first mistake of the evening, always ask before getting into the taxi. The driver had no idea where Hard Rock was located. He did know Siam Square and off we went. We hit a wall of traffic near Siam BTS and I got out to walk the rest of the way. I have never been to HRC before but remembered seeing it from Siam station. I cut through a shopping center to the next block and saw a glowing neon guitar down the street. Well, the glowing guitar is not on the establishment I seek but HRC is just 30 meters down the soi from there. Now I have to find Nit. Fortunately, HRC is not that big. I had imagined it was much bigger. Nit was sitting in the corner near the cloak room. The place was pretty full and it was just a little past 9 PM on a Saturday night. I had to stand because chairs were scarce. Nit was drinking a glass of red wine and I ordered ?nahm soda?. Looking around the room I noticed there were quite a few farang. There were more farang than Thais in this joint. You could come alone here and sit by the bar or come in a small group and grab a table. However you need to get there early if you want a seat. Nit said there were some freelancers here, but I did not see any girls that ?suay?. I found the service to be a bit spotty. You had to sometimes grab a server. The Filipino band started its first session at 10 PM. The band has a good sound, and the male and female singer are also good. If the monitors did not show the band, I would have never known how they looked. The band played all farang songs. People danced by their table. Between sessions, the DJ played a mix of Thai and farang songs. The second band session started about midnight. Throughout the evening Nit kept ordering glasses of red wine (180 baht). I could tell she was getting ?mau? but was unable to cut her off. I did drink half the wine in her last two glasses while she was not looking. But too little too late, she was very drunk. Now a drunk TG on your hands is not a good thing, not good at all. What is that Roman saying, when the wine goes in the truth comes out? I did not like the HRC as much as the Hollywood Disco. The HRC can be cheaper if you do not drink much. You are never hassled to order more drinks. However in the HRC you could be anywhere in the world. In the Hollywood Disco you could only be in Thailand. ?Nough said. SET ME FREE It has been a little over a week since I left the LOS. Old man winter is taking his final blast before his long slumber. Twelve time zones away yet when I am in Bangkok I feel at home. Seven trips in less than two years. My first trip was like a visit to Fantasy Island. Everything was good with the women friendly, the food tasty, and no worries. During my recent trips, I am beginning to glimpse the other side of the coin. Like my hometown, its imperfections are now evident. Like my hometown, the LOS is now in my blood. The Kyle Minogue song, ?Can?t Get You Out of My Head?, was played at most of the gogos, Hollywood Disco, and Hard Rock Café. It penetrated my thoughts and infused my body with its incessant beat. I can?t get Thailand out of my head. I can?t get Pun, Pim, Britney, Noi, ? out of my head. Maybe I care too much. Perhaps I do not care enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 10, 2002 Report Share Posted April 10, 2002 Great story! Wish I could get over to LOS more often, just too damn much going on. I'd love to be able to write some trip reports of my own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 10, 2002 Report Share Posted April 10, 2002 Wow, seven trips in two years, it seems when Thailand gets you it really gets you. Thanks for the report Shyguy it was a very informative read in more then one way. I was thinking about staying at the GP on my next trip, would you recomend the Nana instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spirit_of_town_hall Posted April 10, 2002 Report Share Posted April 10, 2002 Excellent report, well observed. You mentioned an expat pulling in 400 k baht a month, the lifestyle you could live off that amount. STH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 10, 2002 Report Share Posted April 10, 2002 Great report a little dark though. I feal the same about LOS I cann't get it off my mind. I dream about the girls, places, and experiences I have. The only way to subside them are to keep planning new trips. I get back and 4 months later go again. 400k a month or 9000 us is nice...talk about living well, hell I'd party like a rock star 24/7. I cann't wait 6 more days then I fly out to the image of my dreams. SkiBum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygye Posted April 11, 2002 Author Report Share Posted April 11, 2002 Well Nana has that homey feeling. I think I would only stay at GP again if I wanted a 1-bedroom place. Or if it was a mix of business and pleasure. The pool at GP is open till 9 PM. Soi 11 does flood at the GP when it rains. The girls did seem to prefer the GP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiHome Posted April 11, 2002 Report Share Posted April 11, 2002 Would like to point out that the expat getting the 400K a month (probably at least half paid in home currency into home country bank account) has to actually work every day for that, more then likely over 60 hours a week. If you party 24/7, the income would stop very quickly. TH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet mouth Posted April 13, 2002 Report Share Posted April 13, 2002 Shygye, You asked: What is that Roman saying, when the wine goes in the truth comes out? The real saying is: [color:green] When the wine is in the man, the brains is in the bottle color=green> Sm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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