Prices to cry over
Can you imagine paying a 2,500-baht barfine in Sukhumvit Soi 4 in these financially stricken times? Even some of the more grasping bar owners in Soi 33 would blush at that price.
A large new bar called Nana Place, attached to the Rajah Hotel, attempted to set a new record for a Soi 4 barfine on its very first day of business.
The Thai-owned establishment had plenty of boys in brown at its launch party but was deserted when two farang customers popped in to check things out at midnight. They got talking to two hostesses, bought them a few drinks and then questioned them about barfine prices.
The girls quoted an inclusive price of 1,500 to go upstairs for some short-time action. When the lurking papasan saw what was going on, he pointed out that there would be a separate barfine of 500, with the girls receiving 1,500 as their tip – a standard price for Nana bars.
But things got confusing when long-time prices were requested. The papasan initially insisted that each customer would have to pay 2,500 to the bar to leave with a hostess. When the girls became suspicious of how much of that figure they would receive from the bar, he grudgingly reduced his demand to 1,500, saying that the girls would each receive 700 of that amount.
The customers declined his generosity and said they might return once the bar’s barfine policy had been finalised – a wise move since subsequent customers have had some nasty surprises with their drinks bills. You have been warned.
The nearby Big Mango Bar celebrated its first anniversary at its new location on July 11, with a good turnout of regular customers enjoying free food and cheap prices for draught beer and Jim Beam whisky.
The bar’s former location in Nana Plaza has been turned into the Hollywood Inn, a hotel offering short and long stays with a bar overlooking the entrance to the plaza. But business looks desperately slow, even though girls from Hollywood Carousel take their short-time male friends to the gogo bar owner’s new venture in return for a 25 per cent cut of the 400-baht room fee.
Word is that the rooms are far superior to the grubby premises elsewhere in the plaza.
Several Nana Plaza bar owners have confirmed that there are definite plans to knock down the ground-floor beer bars in the centre of the plaza in order to make evacuating the area easier in the event of a fire.
While the three-storey venue has long been regarded by many as a fire trap, the enthusiasm to enforce safety regulations is unlikely to please the Crown Group, which operates the threatened bars, including the popular Pharaohs.
Needless to say the Head Ice Cream, a man never short of bloody mindedness, has decreed that any such removal will be over his dead body – or words to that affect. Of course the HIC is never there in the evenings so safety concerns will be low on his list of priorities: and needless to say in LOS when safety comes up against cash the later normally wins. But after the tragedy of New Years Eve in Thonglor one suspects that city officials maybe a little more sensitive to fire risk. It will be interesting to see who comes out on top!
The No Name Group has responded to the recession by increasing the price of a standard beer to 150 baht in Shebas gogo and Suzie Wong agogo’s in Soi Cowboy, proving that not only Thais pass on the cost of reduced trade to the customer.
Although, along with many Cowboy gogo bars these days, the venues provide a decent happy hour, not to mention risqué shows that would make even the most budget-conscious forget about beer prices. However last time I was in Sheba’s I witnessed the lesbian show. It was a feast of pussy eating but it went on and on and on and on. The girls might be having a good time but after 10 minutes I felt the audience’s attention was wandering more than the tongues on the stage. I for one made my excuses and left for somewhere where there was more perceived action.
I did ask why the prices had gone up and was told it was in line with recent increases – in particular tax increases. Of course that means that all rival bars are cheaper, including, I might add, the Arab’s bars. So as ever customers have an option to pay or not to pay!
There has been strange goings on around the Arab recently with rumours about a problem at the Airport. Of course his bars may no longer have the most expensive beer but they still have the most confusing price structure for lady drinks. It is all too easy to buy a sweet young thing a drink and find afterwards she was a coyote girl and her drink has just cost you a fortune. If the Arab wants to have different prices for different girls fine, but it would be nice to provide the luckless punters with a clue as to which is what. Personally I avoid his places and I certainly would not buy a drink for a girl unless that elusive lottery had finally come up!
With tourist arrivals so down in the kingdom, Patpong is suffering like never before. A nightlife area that relies predominantly on visitors, not expats, has become the dead zone.
Some might say that its decline is karma for the rip-offs inflicted on tourists by some bars, but it is still sad to see Bangkok’s oldest entertainment zone in such a state.
Recent visitors to Patpong’s gogo bars have found themselves extremely popular and handsome, though the incessant begging for drinks can test the patience. The only busy bar seems to be ladyboy venue King’s Corner, which can offer raucous fun for even those not attracted to the third gender. The other bar that holds up is Goldfinger’s – the long time favourite of many long term ex-pat – although even that has been deserted for the past two weeks whilst Randy and Pin visited the USA. They’re back now so dice and shooters are again on the menu. Also Big Andy seems to keep things going at CEB.
The Cheap Baron has been to Ban Chang>
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