Patpong history

[jigger]

The deep reaches of the web yielded up the following text, from a column in the Bangkok Post called Nightowl from 1996.  Before the Internet, I had an airmail subscription to the Post, just so I could read Trink's columns.

 

Quote

 

October 5, 1996

Nightowl Logo
THE TRINK PAGE

The end of an era?
The nitery entertainment centres of the capital when I came on the scene were Rajdamnern Avenue, between the Democracy Monument and the Royal Hotel, and New Road, near the Oriental Hotel. The former catered primarily to locals, the latter to a mixture of locals and residents. Foreign shows were featured at the Rama Hotel (Silom Road), Cafe de Paris Night Club (Suriwong Road) and Sani Chateau Night Club (Gaysorn Road).

Apart from a few watering holes, Patpong Road was an unremarkable business area. There was a tailor shop, druggist, dentist, airline offices, a place selling greeting cards, a couple of small restaurants. Imbibers usually walked to Club 99 (Silom Road) to satisfy their thirst. It might well have remained that way but for the Vietnam War. With it, Udom, the head of the Patpong clan, had a brainstorm.

Having spent years in the US, Udom foresaw (correctly) that what the American GIs coming here on their way to fight the good fight most wanted was to tank up. Where better than on Patpong Road and its parallel street, Patpong 2? It was a time when farangs could rent shophouses in their own name and he offered a good deal - long leases and no tea money down. Locals took advantage of this deal as well.

To be sure, entrepreneurs in other areas recognised the same opportunity. New Petchburi Road opened and soon there were oases cheek by jowl along its entire length, with a massage parlour on every block. Upcountry, each Air Force base had an ale house zone outside its gates. And lasses poured from farms and villages to work in the gin mills or become mia noys. Long common in the Realm, prostitution went into overdrive.

As bistros were given preferential treatment, other businesses left and the Patpong area became famous the world over. When the first floor establishments were all rented, new ones filled the second floors and to an extent the third floors. Yet it was a boite on New Petchburi Road, Thai Heaven, which boasted the largest number of demimondaines - 200.

After the war ended and the GIs returned home, their clientele was replaced by tourists - Germans, for the most part, who came to see whether the Patpong area lived up to its notoriety. It did. There were also R&R visits from hard-drinking oil workers in other countries. There were other changes, too. The powers-that-be mandated closing times, minimum age for employees and periodic physical examinations.

Udom maintained his policy of not taking tea money, but he jacked up the rents every time leases were to be renewed. Publicans balking at this were told that they had the alternative of moving. There was a waiting list of saloonkeeps waiting to move into the Patpong area. To meet their overhead, the night spot proprietors felt they had no option but to raise their drink prices - now the highest in the metropolis.

Apart from its massage parlours, New Petchburi Road is no longer a nitery entertainment area. Opened as a counterweight to the Patpong area, Soi Cowboy never measured up to it. Its nearest rival is Nana Entertainment Plaza, which has already stolen some of its thunder. Looking to its laurels, the Patpong area still has its universally recognised name going for it.

With Udom's passing away at 79 early in the week, the question is whither the Patpong area? The surviving members of the clan lack his determination to keep it going. Over the years, offers have been made to buy and tear it down - replacing it with high rises and such. It is situated on prime property. One such offer is well over US$100 million (about 2,500 million baht), I've been informed. Is it too good to refuse, I wonder?

* NOT only are the daily downpours filling the reservoirs as I noted in my previous column, they are spilling over and causing crop damage as well as floods. Krung Thep is experiencing floods after heavy rains irrespective of overflowing reservoirs. Unlike years past much of the water is claimed by the sewers or evaporates in several hours, but until then the level is ankle or calf-high. Then again, the traffic-lights are affected by showers - either blinking on and off or breaking down. Which makes driving through intersections particularly hazardous. The constabulary does what it can, but what about when they aren't on duty during the wee hours? Cases of "TIT" (This Is Thailand).

* SINCE Parliament was dissolved, the heat has been off the Patpong area. Dramshops have no difficulty staying open till 3, constellations (after hour meeting places) till 6. Presumably this will last until the elections. I'll keep you Posted.

* VINAI has asked me to pass on that Cosmos Bar (Patpong 2) now opens at 2 p.m. instead of 11 a.m. Done.

* FARANG CONNECTION (NEP), run by David and Ya, was busted for showing. Inconvenient, to say the least, because it is in the process of being subleased. Oh, well.

 

 

 

October 5, 1996

[My Penis is hungry]

I think I have some original pages somewhere, for many really old timers he was the guru

 

Not exactly prosaic writing but for punters around the globe, Thai flights that carried the publication of the day it was gold to get a copy before your next trip.

 

I remember a Thai cafe in Sydney I used to go to that would hold the trunk edition for me. I'd share that with my mates.

[Mekong]

Do you remember every week he would put a “Shout Out” to 2-3 punters, Birthdays, Anniversaries etc, one of my mates biggest claim to fame is that he got  a mention in Trink and he has the clipping framed in his home in Cork Ireland 

[Titanic]

Didn't KS's Sanuk fun in Thailand start in 1996 or was it 1997? It had a comment section added before Nanaplaza. I remember seeing Flashermac on Sanuk fun in Thailand RIP.

[jigger]

I believe KS's original setup was on Delphi Forums.  At one point, we had an archive of old posts from there, but it seems to be lost 

[My Penis is hungry]

I remember one of the earliest versions had a bar girl beauty section, something KS came to realise was a dreadful idea soon after. 96/97 seems about right.

 

It was a branch of from ASFO. Which oddly still limos on.