Nightmarch 21 February 2003

[PattayaPete 530]

Reminder: The Diamond ogling den (Soi Diamond, Walking Street) will be holding its fourth Dance Contest on Friday night February 21, kicking off at 9:00 p.m. Thai time (read: 9:45 p.m.). The first three contests have all been taken out by chrome pole molesters from the What’s Up ogling den (Soi 15, off Walking Street) so it will be interesting to see if they can maintain their unbeaten record.

 

Two years on and still going strong: The Blues Factory late night boogie barn (Soi Lucky Star, off Walking Street) will be celebrating its second anniversary this March and the concept has deservedly found its niche in a tough market.

 

I spent some time in the place on Valentine’s night and it was almost standing room only. The band seems to be constantly upgrading their material and the general atmosphere is friendly and laid-back. In fact, it’s probably one of the best venues to take a wife / girlfriend in Fun Town.

 

Out in the boonies: The management of the Wallis rock and roll beer boozer (Soi 2) has introduced a pair of happy hours to entice punters onto their bar-stools. Every night from 6:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and again from 1:30 a.m. until closing time most liver wasters are flogged off at 45 baht while the amber nectar slides into condoms at 50 baht. A live band kicks off at 8:30 p.m. and pounds out the sounds until closing.

 

Front end loading: Being the sort of person who obtains his jollies by vicarious means, I haven’t been able to determine whether the following is common practice or just a few one-offs.

 

It appears as though some of the dancing maidens in the Happy ogling den (Walking Street) are telling prospective long-term and even short-term customers that they will have to cough up more than the bar fine if the sweet young thing is to be allowed to leave the den on their arm. The dancing damsels are claiming that customers must also pay the money they want up front to the management before they can go and change into more suitable street attire.

 

What this effectively means is there is no room for negotiation, just pay a set fee or go elsewhere, even if the customer claims he’s only taking the damsel for a candlelight dinner and a tango at a nightclub.  I watched as one Fun Town expat peeled off 1,500 baht and handed it to the mamasan before going off with the dancer, while I was told of another occasion when a newcomer to the fleshpots of Pattaya shelled out 3,000 baht for the right to take a young lass out for a long-term organ recital. That said, I’ve also been informed that the traditional 500 baht bar fine, with no up-front fees, is also continuing. So maybe the ‘pay-before-you-play’ is merely an ambit kick-off and if a punter shows reluctance then the old-style method of transaction is trotted out.

 

I can’t help but wonder if someone is taking a cut from all this, at the expense of the customer in the initial stages, but ultimately from the dancer. I’d be interested to hear if other people have had a similar experience in Happy or anywhere else for that matter.

 

Bulldozed into oblivion: The perils of doing business here in Fun Town were yet again drummed home when Denis the Menace, the popular mine host of the OK Corral (Soi Skaw Beach), informed me of the dramas he’s experiencing after finding out that almost half his boozatorium is on land not owned by the lessor. The first he knew of any problems was when an earth-moving device turned up at the end of his beer garden with the intention of digging it up.

 

It transpires that Soi Skaw Beach and its surrounds are about to undergo some major changes. According to Denis, the long-established Made in Thailand outlet on Second Road is due to be demolished and two new sois will be pushed through to Soi Buakhow. A row of shop-houses will be built along the new sois and a beer bar complex consisting of 80 boozers will arise at the Soi Buakhow end.

 

Down in Soi Skaw Beach, a hotel is set to be constructed opposite the OK Corral and after the Cupido complex (The Hangar) is torn down, a shopping mall will be constructed. Denis will lose approximately half his boozer and he tells me he needs to do a lot of re-construction to make it functional. Hardly surprisingly, the lessor has refused to drop the rent or offer any form of compensation, despite the fact he must have known all along that the lease was technically invalid. Mind you, considering the fact the building has existed on the encroached land since at least 1987 the lessor probably thought he’d earned ‘squatter’s’ rights.

 

More than a name: According to Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson the name for the noshery and boozer Pig and Whistle (Soi 7) is ‘said to have its roots in peg (a drinking vessel) and wassail (a festive drink). Thought you’d like to know.

 

 

My e-mail address is: nightmarch@hotmail.com

Author od Pattaya "Patpong on steroids"

No reproduction without specific reference to: nightmarch@hotmail.com

[Guest]

as long ago as sept 01 this practice was also happening.

a mate of mine had to pay up front for his long time, i think 2000+500b/f to the mamasan.

[OnMyWay 0]

I was in LOS just recently and never was asked to pay any up front fee other than the occasional bar fine. But, I think I would have asked for the check bin and headed down the road 2-3 meters to the next den of illrepute!

 

Mark

[Raylene 1]

barfine is OK.

but paying the rest upfront to the mamasan is just wrong.

I would take my business elsewhere if confronted with that.

 

I did just that last October when i was in Pattaya.

A gogo dancer once told me her rate for taking her out of the bar was 3500 baht for LT.

I smiled, payed my checkbin, and left.

I went next door, had a drink, saw a cutie, barfine 500 baht and no word of longtime rates.

baa daa bing, baa daa boom. me and my LT were out the door.

fun and games lasted all night back at the hotel.

in the morning i slipped 1500 baht into her purse.

then i thought about the other girl who missed out. ah, such is life in Pattaya.

the important thing is to smile.

[redctt 0]

thats a common occurance in Bk now,pay everything up front and off you go,i refuse to do that,i would rather give the money to the girl my self,and let myself be the judge of what i should pay her.

[Joop 0]

I have been out of the bar fining scene for a while now, but there is no way I would pay before the service...  

 

When I was an young buttefly, the girl was given a sliding tip based on performance...  The happier I am, the more she is gonna get...  And I tell them that before the night begins...  Worked very well...  Especially on the second or third time I barfined them...

 

Cheers

 

Joop