Bangkok tips - Nov 2009
by greengrasser@yahoo.com

My last visit to Bangkok was in Nov 2007, two years ago. My following list notes changes I saw. This visit was only for a week, in fact, six days, because I arrived after 10 pm.

A. Flight, CRK - BKK.

1. Cebu Pacific Air, from the Clark airport (CRK), also called Clark Air Base, Angeles City (also referred to as DMIA international airport). I confirmed the flight at the CPA office (Robinson Place mall) in September 2009 when I was in Manila. CPA staff told me to check in three hours before the flight time of 12:20 pm.

2. Issues.

...Flight Change. I telephoned CPA the day before I was to fly out. CPA official said that the flight would leave at 8:15 pm which was about 8 hours later than what I booked and was at night. The schedule for departure was changed in mid-October and CPA did not telephone or email me about the change, although the CPA official claimed that its records indicated that it had tried. As a result, I would lose a night of visiting girlie clubs and I had to scurry to notify my Bangkok hotel to please hold my room and not give it away due to my late arrival.

...3-Hour Check-In. Aher issue was that I showed up at the Clark airport at 5:15 pm, three hours prior to departure as advised by CPA. An airport guard said that the terminal was not opened. He said that the terminal would open at 6 pm (about two hours prior to the flight's departure) when terminal personnel show up for work.

I walked around the terminal building under careful scrutiny by guards, badgered by guys who wanted to know if I wanted a taxi, utilized a men's room, passed a one-man food stand, and returned to the main entrance to sit outside with other waiting passengers on a metal folding chair under a tent.

I tried to find another airline to return on. At the side of the terminal were a few airline ticket seller windows. The Tiger Air clerk said that only CPA flies direct from BKK to CRK. That return flight was re-scheduled from 3:25 pm to just before midnight. That means that when I return to Clark airport, the time will be about 4 am instead of the tolerable 8 pm.

Flying CPA midnight flights is not my first choice for an airline on schedule and for maximizing fun activity time. In addition, I do not like to lose sleep.

3. Clark Airport. The terminal opened a little after 5:30 pm. Airline check-in was ok. Note that the limit for a checked suitcase was 15 kg, but CPA had an October-December 2009 special which allowed a limit of 30 kg.

...Terminal Fee. Then there was a wait for the two officials at the Terminal Fee windows to begin collecting fees. About 6 pm, they began to process passengers' terminal fee of 600 pesos for international flights.

...Immigration. No problem.

...X-ray Check Point. An official asked me to remove an umbrella from my carry-on bag. He pointed at a sign that said an umbrella was a prohibited carry-on item. He gave my umbrella to the CPA clerk checking passengers' boarding pass, who gave me a claim check for my umbrella to be delivered at the destination airport's baggage carousel.

...Passenger Lounge. Inside the passenger lounge were a large number of chairs and some vendors. A hot dog sold for 95 pesos, sandwich starting at 65 pesos, and a Jamaican patty for 55 pesos. A coffee cost 65 pesos.

...Liquids. When we boarded the aircraft, no one checked our carry-on bag for liquids. So, I could have bought a bottle of water inside the passenger lounge.

4. Flight. The flight attendants played a quick game of first-person-to-show-certain-items in return for a prize like a CPA sack. One item was a pencil. No free food and no free liquid was available. A bottle of water cost 50 pesos.

B. Thailand Immigration and Customs.

5. Sick People. Entering the, airport, there were signs asking for the removal of hats. The reason was that there was a camera-like device pointed at arriving passengers entering the airport terminal and a Thai official monitoring a screen. I think this was screening for sick people, using infra-red detector to view red-hot heads.

6. Immigration. No problem with Immigration granting me with my USA passport and no visa, a 30-day stay in Thailand. I showed my e-ticket, but the Thai officer did not look at it.

7. Customs. For previous visits, Customs waved nearly everyone to keep on walking and out of the Customs area. This time was different. It looked like every third passenger had to load his/her bags onto the x-ray machine's belt for screening. This included passengers with many bags and passengers who had only one small suitcase and were obvious short-term tourists.

C. Taxi.

8. Airport Terminal Exit. At the Bangkok international airport, you have to go down two floors to get to the street level in order to get a public taxicab. Most people utilized the conveyor-belted incline. Those people using a baggage cart seemed to struggle with keeping their cart in place, meaning their cart did not have a brake.

9. Airport Taxi Stand. Outside the terminal, one area is sectioned off for public taxis. You tell a clerk at a table or a stand your destination, for example, Sukhumvit and Soi 4. The clerk writes your destination in Thai and hands you a slip of paper. The taxi driver helps you with your suitcase. He usually speaks very little English and thus the clerk has informed the driver of your destination. But, inside the taxi, you will probably have to repeat your destination.

10. Expressway Tolls. The driver asks if you want the highway? He is referring to the expressway, because tolls are charged for its use and the driver will ask you for money to pay the toll. I paid two tolls, 45 baht and 25 baht.

11. 50 Baht Fee. At destination, you pay the metered fare plus 50 baht as an airport pickup fee. My destination was soi 10 on the southside of Sukhumvit Road. At 11 pm, the traffic was light, until we got onto Sukhumvit Road, where the traffic was moderate, but slow due to the long traffic light and the traffic turning left from Soi 3 to Sukhumvit. Driving to a destination off of Sukhumvit is tricky because most soi's off of Sukhumvit are one-way and U-turns are allowed at distant intervals. Sometimes, a taxi has to literally circle around several blocks in order to drop you in front of your designated address. Travel time from the airport to hotel was about 30 minutes. and cost 300 baht, which included about 40 baht tip.

D. Exchange Rates.

12. Airport's Exchange Rate and ATM. Inside the Bangkok airport terminal, at least two bank counters displayed the same exchange rate of 32.11 baht per US$ for $50 or $100 bill. For traveler's check, the rate was 33.11; but there was also a processing fee of 30 baht per traveler's check.

I tried the ATM of TMB and the fast cash withdrawal screen showed choices of different amounts including 10,000 baht and 20,000 baht. I stopped to recall my USA bank's dollar limit on daily withdrawals. During the process, a screen announced a fee of 150 baht for the withdrawal. I cancelled the ATM transaction. Others had mentioned Aeon Bank did not charge an ATM fee; however, a quick look around the airport did not locate an Aeon ATM.

13. Sukhumvit Road, soi 2 to soi 21. The next morning I walked along Sukhumvit Road. In general, the exchange rates varied from 33.00 baht at the Bank of Ayudhya to 33.10 baht at TMB. The best rate on that day was 33.15 baht at Asok sidewalk window. It was located on the southwest corner of the soi at the intersection where the skytrain station and subway station are located (Soi Cowboy was about 100 feet away from the northeast corner). Asok consistently gave the best rate each day of the exchange booths and windows in this area.

14. Skytrain Platform at Soi 24. An exchange rate better than Asok's was available at the exchange booths located on the skytrain platform (outside of the turnstiles) at Soi 24 and Emporium mall. For example, when Asok offered 33.1 baht in the afternoon, the booths on Soi 24 skytrain platform offered 33.2 baht that evening. The exchange booths on this skytrain platform also gave better rates when I stayed in a hotel on Soi 24 back in 2006.

15. Super Rich, www.superrich1965.com . Two years ago, Super Rich offered a rate better than exchanges on Sukhumvit Road around soi 4 to 15. Its web site showed that it has several stores, including across the north-side road bordering Central World and on soi 24. You have to register at the web site in order to see its exchange rate.

16. Currency Scam. I wrote a report about a scam attempt on me during my week in Bangkok. Basically, what happened was this: An Arab male in his early 20s, dressed like a Western college student, stopped me on a sidewalk on Sukhumvit Road about 7:30 pm to ask if I knew of an exchange place? He said that they were closed and showed me his wallet filled with an inch-thick bundle of money bills, supposedly US money. He wanted me to show him my Thai currency. Instead of answering this stupid request, I walked away. About 50 feet away, I passed an opened exchange sidewalk window of the Bangkok Bank. The guy was lying. One board member mentioned that Egyptian and Lybian students pulled a similar currency scam in Czechoslovkia, when that country began allowing foreign tourists to visit.

D. Cell Phone.

17. 7-11 Store. I asked my hotel, where can I get a SIM card for my cell phone and buy a prepaid cell phone card. The answer was any 7-11 store. I went to the 7-11 store on Sukhumvit Road and soi 12. The store clerk said that the SIM card cost 199 baht and the lowest prepaid card was 100 baht. There were two companies for them. I asked which was better. The store clerk said Happy. So, I paid 299 baht for Happy's SIM and prepaid card.

DTAC apparently owns Happy, because its initials appeared on my cell phone (mobile) after I installed its SIM card. Its instructions did not indicate that any cell units or minutes came with the SIM card.

Note that in the Philippines I purchased Globe SIM card and prepaid cards. Globe's instructions indicated that you can initiate roaming service (also, can telephone USA and other countries from PI) and cite different rates for different types of roaming calls. However, I did not compare Globe's roaming costs to my Happy purchase, and would not know how to compare the cost of a Thai cell call to my Globe number.

E. Sundries.

18. Supermarkets. Foodland on Soi 5 is opened 24 hours. It did not stock instant noodle soups, as in the past. More of its shelves have non-grocery items than before.

Ploenchit Center, between Soi 0 and Soi 2, has a Villa supermarket in its basement. I did not go in, but it was opened.

Supermarket, in the SunAsia square between Soi 12 and Soi 14. Closed.

Tops supermarket, in the basement of Robinson department store, between Soi 17 and Soi 19, occupied all the space, removing the cooked food counters. Special-priced items are only for card-carrying members; non-members pay the regular price. About 8 pm, left-over lunch items such as rice meals and raw salads, were discounted.

19. Laundry. A massage parlor on Soi 10 has a daily laundry service. It priced wash-and-iron a shirt for 35 baht and jeans for 40 baht. Clothing brought in one day were promised for 8 pm the next day.

Wash-and-fold service, on Sukhumvit Road near Soi 8 advertised 80 baht per kilogram. No minimum was listed.

20. Hardware Store. I needed a small screwdriver and bought one for 30 baht at a hardware on Sukhumvit Road, near Soi 15.

21. Used Paperbacks. A sidewalk stand on the corner of Sukhumvit Road and Soi 4 sells used paperbacks for 100 baht.

A store located on the north side of Sukhumvit Road and a block west of the skytrain station at Soi 24 specialized in used books.

22. Newspaper. Bangkok Post is an English language daily newspaper. Its Wednesday edition has a multi-page section on technology, including the internet.

23. Pharmacy. Charoen Pharmacy, located on Sukhumvit Road between Soi 2 and Soi 4, near Bully's Pub, has generic viagra and other pharmaceuticals. If you buy at least ten packets, it will give a discount, usually about 10 percent.

24. Electronics, Camera, Computers. Pantip building on Phetburi Road has five or six floors of many vendors. To get there, I got on the #2 bus on Sukhumvit Road and paid 7 baht. The bus went straight and westward, turned right on Ratchadamri Road passing Central World Plaza, and turned left on Phetburi Road. Pantip building is located next to the second pedestrian overpass. To return, walk over the pedestrian overpass to the other side of Phetburi Road and wait for the #2 bus, which may take a half hour.

I shopped for a cheap compact Panasonic digital camera, because Panasonic has a relatively fast power-on and uses SD memory card. First, I tried the stores on the 4th floor of Central World Plaza and the lowest price was about 7,000 baht for a Panasonic FS7. I walked over to Pantip, which took about 20 minutes due to crowded sidewalk. At Pantip on the 3rd floor, I purchased a Panasonic FS4 for 3,900 baht with no bargaining.

25. Watch Battery. To replace a dead watch batter, I saw three possibilities. Pantip building, ground floor, a counter in the middle sells watches and changes battery. Clerks said that their price started at 60 baht and depended on battery size. Second possibility was a sidewalk stand on Soi 5, near the front of the A... Hotel, which sets up after 5 pm. Third possibility was a sidewalk stand on Soi 4 just before the NEP entrance. After removing my watch back cover and seeing my battery was a 2032, this fellow wanted 150 baht. I said I could buy a new watch (sidewalk vendor near Pantip building) for 100 baht and declined a new battery. He lowered his price to 100 baht, which I accepted.

26. Tipping. Bring a lot of $1 bills. A dollar was worth about 33 baht. To tip the equivalent of $1 in Thai money, you need a 20-baht bill and a 10-baht coin. It is easier to dig out of your pocket a $1 bill, rather than root around for a bill and a coin, or two small bills.

27. Condominium. I saw a billboard advertising a one-bedroom condo for 2.9 million baht on Soi 16. See www.voguecondominium.com or www.voquecondominium.com since it was not clear whether g or q was intended. Note that I heard reliable building management might be a problem in Bangkok.

F. Travel Agencies for Air Ticket within Thailand.

28. Internet Purchase. I tried to purchase airline tickets on the internet for travel within Thailand. Thai Air, Air Asia, and Nok Air would not accept my credit card and my credit card company said that it received no request to process any credit charge. One person said that you have to become a member of Royal Orchid, in order to book and purchase a Thai Air ticket. I am guessing that Air Asia is not allowed to sell air tickets for travel within Thailand, because it is a Malaysia air carrier.

29. NokAir. Several weeks later, Nok Air accepted my credit card for a purchase at its web site; but before I hit the button to submit my credit card data, I hit a Back button to double check that my personal data was exactly the same as my credit card's personal data. I think the Back button reset the month to the month that I purchased the ticket rather than a few months later when I wanted to fly, without resetting the day.

So, I bought a NokAir ticket for Sep 10 instead of Nov 10. I immediately sent an email, noting the error and asking for a correction. No reply. About Sep 10, I sent another email. NokAir responded that my ticket did not allow a change of date, its review of my purchase revealed no error, but it would allow me to change my ticket by my going to its office at the airport or telephoning its office (a 4-digit telephone number, which was obviously an in-Thailand number). I decided to wait until I was in Thailand to buy airline tickets.

In Bangkok, I used my cell phone and dialed NokAir's four-digit telephone number. After I emailed it jpg photos of my passport and credit card, I telephoned NokAir a second time and was able to change my Sep 10 ticket to a Nov 10 ticket, with a new reservation code, for about 800 baht.

30. BT Eldorado Travel, Soi 11. A flyer was given to me announcing this travel agency had discounted domestic and international airline tickets. I visited the office and its representative quoted me a price for one-way Thai Air ticket, which was about 300 baht more than the Thai Air's web price.

31. Business Air Centre, Soi 11, www.aircentre.net . Its representative told me that no travel agency dealt with NokAir and that I had to telephone the airline. Next, its representative quoted me a price for the one-way Thai flight, which was about 50 baht more than the Thai air's web price. The following day I bought it and paid in cash, although the same representative had to correct her error of stating a second price about 100 baht higher. Luckily, I had written down her first quote and after I showed it to her the next day, she checked her calculation and determined that she had erred. I paid in cash.

G. New Hotels.

Note that some hotels have a lower rate if you stay a week or a month, of which there might be a requirement to pay in advance in cash plus a refundable deposit to cover room service or mini-bar..

32. Paradiso Boutique Suites, Soi 10, www.paradisosuites.com , 66-0-2-255-9494. Located several feet away from Sukhumvit Road. Clerk said hotel has been opened six months. Rates start at 1,500 baht (until Dec 15, 2009) and 1,600 baht for a Standard Room, 1,700 and 1,900 baht for a Superior Room, and 1,900 and 2,100 baht for a Deluxe Room. A superior room had floor to ceiling, 10-foot wide window view across the narrow soi of an adjoining park. I suspect the standard rooms were on the other side of the building and would have a smaller view of nearby buildings.

33. S Sukhumvit Suites Hotel, www.ssukhumvitsuites.com, 66-2-661-7262. Located on Sukhumvit Road, near Soi 23. Very convenient to Soi Cowboy. Rates start at 2,200 baht (1,800 baht per night for a minimum of 3 nights) until Dec 31, 2009 (rack rate of 2,825 baht) for Superior Room with Double Bed, 2,500 baht (2,000 baht per night for a minimum of 3 nights) until Dec 31, 2009 (rack rate of 3,060 baht) for Superior Room with Twin Bed, and higher for Deluxe Room and Suite..

34. Ibis Bangkok Nana Hotel, Soi 4, 66-0-2667-5888. Located next to Omni Tower. Rates start at 1,600 baht (sign display rate of 2,500 baht) for a Standard Room.

H. New Hotel Sign.

35. Miami Hotel, Soi 13, miamihotel@thaimail.com, www.thaimiami.com, 0-2253-0369. Located about 50 feet from Sukhumvit Road. Rate start at 900 baht for a Standard Room, and 1,100 baht for a Suite, limited to 3 persons. The female clerk who looked aged 40s with a male-like voice said that the hotel has 120 rooms and was usually full on the weekends, so book early. Building looked and smelled old, and in the lobby reclined a frail Thai lady who looked on the verge of never moving again. It has a highly visible 3-story high vertical sign displayed on Sukhumvit Road.

I. Remodeled Hotel.

36. Ruamchitt Hotel, 199 Sukhumvit Road, booking@ruamjit.com , 66-0-2254-0205. Located between Soi 13 and Soi 15. Rate start at 1,500 baht for a Deluxe Room. Thermae coffeehouse is located in the basement of this building.

J. Impression of Sukhumvit Road.

37. Pavement Squares. The first thing that came to mind as I walked along the sidewalks of Sukhumvit Road was that the pavement squares were not level or flat. Some squares were missing. Some squares were broken in half forming a V (sort like a small animal trap) or broken into bits. I wondered if too many motorcycles had been driven over the squares as I dove out of the way of motorcycles driven on the sidewalk, especially the southern side of Sukhumvit Road, or possibly heavy vehicles unloading supplies? Then I wondered if the rainy season had brought a lot of street flooding that had undermined the sand/rock support under the squares? I guessed that it would be possible for vibrations, like from an earthquake, could cause the sidewalk uneveness. The sidewalk in front Robinson Department Store and The Westin Grand Sukhumvit Hotel was being repaired; I wondered who was paying the laborers?

38. Other Tourists. At night, the northern side of Sukhumvit Road, from Soi 3 to Soi 11 and further east seemed was, as in years prior, lined with sidewalk vendor tables allowing hardly more than a single file of pedestrians to walk by. Most pedestrians were Arabs or Indians. Some were blacks, probably Africans because some spoke a fluent non-European, non-Arabic language. Some were Europeans and Asians, but they appeared to be minorities.

Two years ago, along Soi 3 from Sukhumvit Road to the Grace Hotel, particularly at night, was a group of 100 black men standing around. In November 2009, I walked along Soi 3 on Sunday night about 8 pm and did not see any black men staniding around. This might be due now to sidewalk vendors lined up, mostly on the curb side of Soi 3, selling all kinds of stuff.

I walked along Soi 3 in order to visit the Grace Hotel coffeehouse, because someone mentioned that Russian girls were there. However, I did not see any.

39. Sidewalk Food and Drink. Two ago, I noticed that about midnight, many sidewalk vendors would pack up their wares and another group of vendors would set up female sexy clothing for sale or set up food carts with tables and chairs for their dining patrons. In November 2009, even more food carts, tables and chairs were setup at midnight and new to the sidewalk were drink carts. These drink carts were also setup on Soi 21 in front of the entrance to the subway station and had names like Fantasy Bar and Easy Bar.

40. Street Walkers. Two years ago, street walkers appeared in the evening, first in front of the Nana Hotel's parking area, second around midnight between soi 5 to soi 7, and sometimes at night in front of Robinson's department store. In November 2009, there seemed to be available females in front of Tony Roma's near the bus stop at all times, day and night, and almost anywhere along both sides of Sukhumvit Road although not congregated like Tony Roma and Nana Hotel..

41. Beer Bars in the Building, between Soi 1 and Soi 3. Gone, the building looked stripped inside and outside. Two years ago, these beer bars were doing less business than when they were under the expressway on Soi 0 (zero). If beer bars are your scene, then visit the beer bars in the Queen Plaza on Soi 22. Most beer bars also have pool tables.

42. Clinic. New clinic, www.thainakarin.co.th , on soi 4 located across from Bus Stop restaurant and Rajah Hotel.

K. Big Eats.

43. Nana Hotel, soi 4. Monday - Friday, lunch, 200 baht net. Add 25 baht for mineral water. A waiter claimed that a glass of drinking water was no longer available. Coffee (very good) is included in the buffet.

44. Hotel Ibis, soi 4. Monday - Friday, lunch, 149 baht net. Price was advertised as a promotion. Buffet was advertised as pizza and pasta. You check off on a slip of paper which of four types of pasta and which of four types of sauce, which a waitress will take to the kitchen and return in 5 minutes with a small portion of your selections. Warm, but not hot, slices of pizza are ready as well as three entrees (pork & vegetables, chicken & vegetables, fish & vegetables), sauteed vegetables only, white rice, spring rolls, fried fish appetizers, sushi, salads, fruits, soups, desserts, and fruit juices. I ate there twice and three items were memorable: a green curry chicken (actually chips of white meat) that had spectacular taste, sliced papaya that was the most sweet and ripe and firm ever tasted, and fried fish sticks of rolled white fillet better than any frozen fish stick sold in the USA.

L. Massage Parlors.

45. No Sex. Baan Thai, square off of Soi 5. Priced at 270 baht for one hour of Thai massage and 350 baht for two hours. The two-hour massage is priced at 400 baht by other massage parlor. Oil massage cost more. This massage parlor had new signs posted on their walls inside. The signs said, "No Sex". Over the years, I have had a high percentage of good Thai massage at this massage parlor. However, in November 2009, my therapist gave me a good massage, but used too much palm presses and forearm presses -- which I believe is less therapeutic than point pressure.

46. Darling, Soi 12. On a Saturday evening, about 8 pm, this massage parlor had about a dozen females available. The floor manager quoted a price of 2,500 baht for 1.5 hour and said that the price included sex. He was not clear on whether a tip was to be given to the girl. I asked about a body massage? He answered that two girls were available for a body massage. I asked if the body massage meant that the girl used soap and her body and not just her hands. He answered yes, but I had doubts whether he understood my question.

Further down soi 12 is the restaurant, Cabbage and Condom, which does some charity work.

M. Non-girlie Clubs.

47. In my 2007 report on Bangkok, I listed some clubs with live bands. The following is an update.

... Soi 4. SWAN 5 COYOTE. Gone.

... Soi 7/1. TEQUILA DRAGON. Has new name, no live band, and all-transvestites.

... Soi 7/1. BANGKOK BEAT, www.bangkok-beat.com. Was called Absolute 7. A beer cost 100 baht during happy hours, and afterwards 130 baht. It has a big flat screen monitor that showed boxing.

... Sukhumvit, bwt. Soi 5 and 7. CHECK INN GARDEN. Same professional show as before, because same 3 female singers and a male keyboard player-singer as before. Think of it as a nightclub to take your favorite bar fine, although there were about six available female hostesses for table companionship. A draft beer cost 140 baht.

... Soi 18. LA RUEDA for Latin dancing. Closed on a Friday night, about 8 pm. Closed forever?

... Soi 4, off of Silom Road. NORIEGA, bar-restaurant. New name. Maybe ww.silomsoi4.net will indicate if any place on this Soi 4 has Latin dancing.

N. Soi Cowboy.

48. Of all the foreign (farang) monger areas in Bangkok, Soi Cowboy is the best. It is located on the east side of Soi Asoke (or Soi 21, a north-south wide street), about 50 feet from the subway station on Sukhumvit Road and Soi 21. One major change are neon signs now up to 3-story high, side-by-side, lining both sides of Soi Cowboy -- similar to Las Vegas' Strip. Note that Soi Cowboy has not only (girlie or go-go, ie, girls dancing on stage) clubs, but also bars (no stage) and a few ordinary (non-monger) stores. Many clubs have been re-modeled since my last visit two years ago.

49. Price for a beer was up to 150 baht, depending upon the club, and seemed to range from a regular price low of 130 baht for bottled beer and 90 baht for draught (draft) beer. Some clubs offered happy hours to 8:30 pm, some clubs to 9 pm, and one club to 9:30 pm. Happy hour price may apply only to local drinks and not to beer. Ask the waitress for a drink menu.

50. Lowest beer/drink prices during happy hours were offered by the following group of clubs: OUR PLACE, SPICE GIRLS, DEJA VU, MIDNITE, and KISS. I paid 40 baht for a small glass of draft beer and 50 baht for a vodka and soda. Waitresses did not understand my order for a whiskey and soda. A menu at one of these clubs listed the following prices: bar fines of 700 baht, 800 baht during happy hours, and 1,400 baht during holidays. lady drinks of 150 baht, 170 baht, and 200 baht. Two drawbacks were tbat during happy hours these clubs served weak drinks and had as few as three girls dancing on stage.

51. Low beer/drink prices during happy hours were offered by DOLLHOUSE, TILAC, SUZIE WONG, and SHEEBA. The first club has a 60 baht drink price, the second club has a 70 baht price, and the latter two clubs had a 75 baht price. These four clubs had more girls dancing on stage and these girls tend to be better looking, or younger, or not as heavy as those girls in the clubs listed in #46. However, one night six girls entered through the front door to get on the stage at Suzie Wong -- which suggested that they had just been dancing at Sheeba.

52. Clubs with Shows. In the past, clubs with shows starting after 9 pm were: Long Gun (now named Lucky Star), Rawhide, and maybe Baccara (1st floor's glass ceiling was the glass dance area of the 2nd floor). Now it seemed that nearly all the Soi Cowboy clubs have at least one dancer and sometimes half to all the dancers go topless during their second song and nude for the third song. Nude dancers should answer the question of whether a dancer is a transvestite. However, I frequently wondered if a nude dancer was a real girl or a post-op tv? .

53. Personal Experiences. The club Baccara was the most crowded club on a Monday night at 9:20 pm and had the surliest waitresses; I immediately exited the sausage-fest. The club Dollhouse had the most attractive dancer on stage; she was medium slim, beautiful face, 20-years old, rounded C-cup (if man-made, it was beautifully done), and flawless healthy skin and body -- but I knew that I could never have her because she wore a badge with the number ten.

O. Nana Entertainment Plaza (NEP). Located on Soi 4 across the street from Hotel Nana. This plaza has not only (girlie or go-go, ie, girls dancing on stage) clubs, but also bars (no stage) and many gay clubs. I rate NEP a distant second to Soi Cowboy and not a whole lot better than Pat Pong.

54. Clubs with Low Priced Beer/Drinks. MERCURY, EROTICA on 2nd floor, EROTICA between 2nd and 3rd floors. Mercury offered bottled beer for 65 baht during its happy hours and 95 baht regular price. It is located near the elevator on the second floor and next to its staff hawking its happy hour price were staffers of two other clubs hawking their clubs but their beer cost 135 baht. Erotica offered a price of 69 baht for a bottle of Tiger light beer. The upper Erotica club had more and better girls on stage than the lower Erotica club on the 2nd floor.

55. Clubs with Shows. SPANKY offered a bottle of Chang beer for 100 baht and presented ten topless girls on stage and one girl bathing in a glass shower cabinet. Its show was only two songs long and consisted of two girls disrobing, slithering around, and the last song ended with two girls slithering against each other and sucking on either end of a peeled banana. Symbolic, but not stimulating.

ANGELWITCH's lowest priced beer cost 150 baht. Its stage was filled with 15-20 topless girls, some had obvious implants. Its show consisted of four songs. The first three songs alternated between four and two and four girls and were notable by the first song danced to the music, Camina Burana disco-version; second song danced by girls pouring lotion on self and other girl, and thrid song danced by girls covered in soap suds/whipped cream to the music Love Hurts. In the past, this club and its sister club in Pattaya put on very dramatic shows, but this show seemed tame and simplistic. The fourth song was danced by four girls as a simple, fast Thai folk dance in sort of native costume -- sort of a tribute to Thailand.

56. Personal Experiences. I did not have a chance to visit the Rainbow clubs, which in the past had the most and the best looking girls in NEP. I got the distinct impression that NEP was on a downturn similar to Pat Pong's decline, judging by the foreign wives accompanying their husbands in the clubs, strange mongers (creeps?) in the clubs, more transvestities in clubs and more transvestite clubs in NEP, and fewer female dancers than in prior years.

P. PatPong. I took the skytrain from the Nana station to Siam station, where I changed train, and on to Sala Daeng station. Cost was 25 baht. I walked around Soi Convent which has the restaurants, Coyote and Molly Malone's. Then I walked across Silom Road to look at the restaurants on Soi 4, which many years ago had several gay clubs and was called PatPong 4. Then I walked around PatPong 2 and PatPong 1. In the evening, the street PatPong is filled with vendor's tables and tents, which completely filled the street. However, wider aisles have been left between rows, and fewer tables blocked entrances to the clubs.

57. Clubs with Shows. I did not visit any. In the past, clubs with shows were located on the 2nd floor, which gave the club a little time to warn nude dancers to put on their clothes in case of a police raid. Shows were nearly all just a series of tricks that girls perform with their vagina. Male solicitors would entice customers, including couples, with a reasonable beer price and no entrance fee. But, during the show, a club staff would demand payment of a high show fee. A few club might not demand a show fee, but their shows did not demonstrate a high skill or unusual trick and seemed tacky.

58. Personal Experiences. On a Saturday night, about 8 pm, most clubs on the street level had opened doors, through which were seen only a few girls dancing on stage. There was not much of a crowd and the Thai hawkers were not particularly aggressive. Inside of clubs were some tourist couples and strange mongers. It could be that these clubs were just opening up for the night.

The club KING's CAMELOT had 9 dancers on stage and its happy hour price for a bottle of beer was 100 baht. A pretty girl wearing the badge number 4 had a bulge between her legs, prompting the question -- was she wearing a menstration pad or hiding male genitals?

The club ELECTRIC BLUE had ten girls on stage and its happy hour price was 2-for-1 drinks for 125 baht, the same price for a lady's drink. One dancer on stage had the kind of female build that is not seen often which I like and find to be a personal turn-on, a sort of mid-20 year old body of a medium build with proportionate hips and shoulders, etc. Strangely enough, similar to my section #53, this girl too was wearing a badge with the number ten. It meant she was too good for me.

I guessed if you have a lot of time in Bangkok, then hanging around PatPong could result in finding a good girl.

Q. Art Bars, Soi 33.

59. On a Friday night about pm, I walked along Soi 33. I did not notice any major change from my last visit two years ago. Fewer girls were on the sidewalk in front of their bars pressuring bypassers to come in. Many people referred to Art Clubs on Soi 33, because they are named after famous painters and they have available girls. But, to me they are more like bars with available girls since they lack a stage, dancing girls, live band, or a dance floor for couples.

On the east side of Soi 33 was a wide alley, which lead to THE OFFICE pub on one side and MOJO's on the other side. Mojo's advertised coyote dance at 9 pm. The bar RENOIR had a lot of customers at its ground floor bar and a lot of girls in knee-length white dress.

Signs indicated that happy hours ended at 9 pm and lowest price was 90 baht for a draught (draft) beer.

R. Washington Square and Soi 22.

60. On a Friday night about 8:30 pm, I walked around Washington Square, which is across Sukhumvit Road from Soi 31 and Soi 33. The first thing I noticed was that the big building in the square no longer advertised a transvestite show. Instead the building housed a pub called Sportsman.

Along the left side of the square are the two falang bars: SILVER DOLLAR and LONE STAR. Along the back side of the square are: Bourbon Street restaurant, three adjoining indoor little bars, and near the Soi 22 entrance/exit another indoor little bar. There was hardly anyone walking around.

61. Heading south on Soi 22, on the west side is Queen's Park Plaza. This consists of a lot of beer bars, most have a pool table. Some customers and a few girls were seen. It reminded me of the Soi Zero beer bars and its successor the beer bars in the now-defunct two-story building between Soi 1 and Soi 3.

62. Between Queen's Park Plaza and Sukhumvit Road is a little square which has several restaurants. In the far left corner is a club called TINA. When I entered the club, six girls jumped up and ran to their position and the music was started. Even though a sign advertised a beer for 100 baht, I did not stay not wanting to converse with the girls.

63. Passing the square housing Tina and Honey House towards Sukhumvit Road were more indoor and exposed beer bars. One exception was TITANIUM. This place has a modern style, dark lighting with some disco lights, air conditioned, ice bar on the second level, and a band stand with musical instruments ready for playing in the front left corner. Its happy hours were 7 pm - 10 pm with 2-for-1 beers that cost 150 baht. There were ten girls dressed in white mini-length nurse's cap and uniform; I guessed they were waitresses. On the second floor was a sign advertising party for a band in celebration of its CD release. At 9 pm, it was a good place to have a couple of quiet beers, cool off, and enjoy hypnotic house music.

S. Free Lancers.

64. Free lance girls, for whom you do not need to pay a bar fine, are available. One change seemed to be that girls standing on the sidewalk in front of Tony Roma's restaurant, between Soi 3 and Soi 5, are there at all hours, fewer during daylight and more at night. At night, free lance girls were still on the sidewalk in front of the parking space in front of the Nana Hotel, Soi 7 beer garden, and Termae coffehouse between Soi 13 and Soi 15, 8 pm - 1 am.

A forum member told me that Russian girls were available at a high price in the coffeehouse of the Grace Hotel. I visited it on a Sunday evening, about 8 pm, and did not see any.

Of the above places, Thermae was good on a Thursday night at 10 pm when there were about 40 girls (including a few who were young and fresh-looking), but was not good on a Sunday night about 9:30 pm when there were about 50 girls (all looked well-experienced) and about 30 guys with more guys walking in. By the way, a waiter will bug you to buy a drink or leave the second you walk in; a soda water cost 60 baht and a beer 90 baht.

T. Sources of Current Info.

65. Of course, there are boards with recent trip reports. Some useful web sites with information on Bangkok nightlife were: absolutelybangkok.com , www.bangkokbargirls.info , www.stickmanweekly.com , and www.tfs2m.com

U. Final Words.

66. Bangkok is a big city and has a lot to offer a monger. However, I believe that a monger has to have a lot of money to be able to enjoy a variety of good or quality girls, especially needed in order to compete against other mongers, and to be able to afford a number of entertainment venues, and a lot of time to search. Otherwise, a monger has to have a lot of patience, learn to speak some Thai, and possess some personal quality that girls would find appealing. For me, Bangkok is worth an occasional visit, but there are hopefully other cities worthy of most of my time.

Keep on mowing.
GreenG

Above is the sidewalk exchange window I used. See tip #13.




Above is the front of the Charoen pharmacy. See tip #23.




Above is the sign about the lunch buffet at Ibis Hotel. See tip #44.

Above is the building that used to house the Soi zero beer bars. See tip #41.




Above is a front page advertisement. It lists prices for different surgeries. For your amusement and/or medical need. I do not know if the hospital is good or not.

Hate to go under the knife for a face lift and wake up with a sex change.

Curious---did the umbrella you were forced to check at CRK show up at BKK? I had the same problem, but was flying on Asiana to Seoul. My umbrella did not show up (surprise surprise!). I think the CRK airport personnel do a big business in the sale of umbrellas in AC.

I've never had the umbrella issue arise in any other airport in the world, including Manila. WTF?

Thanks for all the detail. Should prove useful to many!

Yes, I got both my suitcase and my umbrella, which had been placed in its own tray.

However, any passenger waiting for their luggage could have grabbed my umbrella, or even my suitcase, because nobody checked my baggage claim tickets.

By the way, I bought the umbrella at the 2nd floor store above JJ supermarket, Angeles City and paid 99 pesos. Full-length umbrellas were sold at a higher price. I am guessing street vendors wanted more than 100 pesos for their umbrellas, especially when it rained.

I guess when I was in US, I should have bought some umbrellas at the dollar store.

Ive just booked a flight with Airasia from my own country with out any problems, lets hope they will let me board it LOL.

thanks for the updated information, great read...

yes great info! thank you! i'm in Bangkok now and will be here for a few weeks. i will use what you have written!

Thanks. The information in your report is very helpful because it is so SPECIFIC. Even if I disagree with you assessment, you provide enough information for me to draw my own conclusions. And when I agree you provide all the information I need to follow your lead. A big Thanks.