Nichtmarch 9 January 2003

[PattayaPete 530]

Crazy Hour again: In an amazing resurgence, over the past 18 months or so Walking Street has wrested the mantle of premier chrome pole palace venue from its rivals down in Pattayaland Soi 2. On Saturday night January 4 Club Electric Blue became the 25th ogling den on or in the environs of Walking Street when the former Baby 3 opened its palatial doors with a private party. This was followed by a dance contest on January 5.

 

The new venture is the brainchild of Big Andy, formerly of Dollhouse, the ogling den that started the revival of the chrome pole palaces on Walking Street. Andy knows how to make a buck from a boozer and those familiar with the old Baby 3 wouldn't recognise the joint now: a rabbit warren of shiny metal, mirrors and black tiles.

 

Like Dollhouse and its clone Living Dolls, Andy has drafted a veritable giggle of serving wenches, all decked out in a kind of sailors uniform. Clutches of dancing damsels regaled in electric blue g-strings strut their stuff on a main stage downstairs as well as a small revolving and one fixed stage upstairs. There is also a dancing stage with a glass floor.

 

The proposed café to accompany the den wasn't finished as of opening night, Andy tells me it's expected to be up and running by about January 14.

 

Phung, formerly of Spicy Girls and Dollhouse, is the mamasan, the air-conditioning is just right and booze prices reasonable, averaging around 90 baht.

 

The joint opens at 7:30 p.m. and until the end of January happy hour will run to 8:30 p.m. with house liver wasters and Thai rotgut at just 10 baht. Bottled Chang amber nectar will be 35 baht all night, every night.

 

Hands on your mallets: I'm always impressed by people who are willing to 'have a go' and when it doesn't quite work can think laterally and make the changes needed to get on the road to success. One such place is the former Polo late night boogie barn (Walking Street).

It didn't last too long in the competition to attract the freelancing baht, going up against establishments like Marine Disco and Tony's. However, management has been quick to act and in a stroke of brilliance now runs a series of non-stop 'erotic sexy' shows that, in my humble opinion, have propelled it straight to the top of the charts as far as show bars are concerned. And yes, that includes the polished Living Dolls Showcase.

 

The shows are all different, some better choreographed than others, all involving a limited amount of clothing and including elements such as fire, water, and soap as well as occasional audience participation. If the 'cleaning lady's' method of soaking up the residue after a sexy soap suds act should ever become the industry standard then there'll never be an empty sleeping palace in Pattaya again.

 

The music is good and not too loud and the dancing maidens are not only attractive they get to wear some pretty snazzy glad-rags. On the down side, most thirst quenchers are priced at 120 baht, not exactly cheap, and the place is quite smoky with a struggling air-con. Definitely worth putting on the must visit list.

 

Cheap booze all night: The Spicy Girls ogling den in Pattayaland Soi 1 can sometimes be a hit and miss affair. I've been in on some occasions and the place is full with punters and plenty of smiling and friendly dancing maidens. Other times it can be as quiet as a haunted house at midnight with a motley crew of average lookers, albeit also friendly.

 

That said, the management of the den are always trying to come up with new and better ways of enticing imbibers through the front door. They are continuing with an extended Happy Hour from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. with all bottled amber fluid at just 60 baht and house liver wasters at 70 baht. Then, between 9:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. it's the turn of the spirit jockeys with gin, vodka, bourbon and the like at a mere 40 baht.

 

If you happen to miss out in some way, bottled Chang beer is just 45 baht all night and rotgut, a.k.a. Sang Thip or Mekhong, is also 45 baht from opening until closing. Lady drinks remain just 70 baht and come in a decent-sized glass rather than the usual gob-full of lolly water served up at far higher imposts in some other dens.

 

Of course, the music is also a major attraction for many punters, a blend of British pop and rock and no dance, trance, techno or hip hop. The Elephant Man recently sold his share in the joint but thankfully the new partner is taking a 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' line.

 

Hustler's take note: The Sportsman's boozer and noshery in Soi 13 has started a pool competition on Sunday evenings with all welcome. The entry fee is 300 baht but all the money in the pot is divided into first and second prizemoney. Worth a shot if you're good at the pot.

 

Good views and good taste: The Baywatch noshery (Beach Road, around the corner from Pattayaland Soi 1) does a good value breakfast consisting of two slices of toast (butter and jam), two eggs any style, one sausage, bacon, tomato and fried potatoes with a choice of tea or coffee and orange or pineapple juice for 125 baht. Considering the place is right on Beach Road with good views of Pattaya Bay and the passing parade it represents good value.

 

Depends on the toss: The 101 Walking Street businesses issue has once again raised its almost timeless head above the parapet following the installation of a new governor for Chonburi province.

 

The new broom kicked off with the usual poli-speak, all firm hand on the tiller, steady as she goes rhetoric, determined to make an impact. I think it'll all end up being a bit Yes, Minister with the Thai equivalent of Nigel Hawthorne making all the right noises while employing metres of red tape and wily stratagems designed to tie the new head honcho in knots. My bet is that the Australian cricket team will lose a Test series long before the 101 businesses come a'tumblin' down.(They already have: Ed)

 

Say it ain't so: There are some nasty little rumours circulating around town suggesting the possible return of the Thai Wisdom Fair, that exercise in bureaucratic nonsense that led to the weekly closure of a great chunk of Beach Road so that people could walk down and observe Thai handicrafts and the like. The result was that traffic along Second Road and Third Road turned into a nightmare and businesses across the length and breadth of Fun Town complained bitterly that Saturday night trade was in a downward spiral.

 

Thankfully, the widening of Beach Road made it necessary to halt the Fair and the whole idea seemed to have disappeared into some civil servant's filing cabinet. Unfortunately, someone somewhere has managed to dig out the file and the usual raft of pen pushers is, to use government-speak, 'examining the viability of a reintroduction of this culturally uplifting and morally desirable demonstration of Thai ingenuity and productivity.'

 

Ringing the Changes: The following is a long but by no means totally comprehensive list of the changes that occurred in Fun Town during 2002.

 

·13 Coins noshery: closed after 13 years of operation.

·After That beer boozer (Soi 7): New ownership.

·Amazon ogling den (Walking Street): formerly Sexy 2001. New ownership.

·Anne's Place noshery (Soi day-Night 2): closed. Re-opened under new management and name.

·Angels ogling den (Walking Street): formerly T.W. One. New ownership but now closed.

·Best Corner beer boozer (Soi Diamond): closed and moved further into the soi. Now a 7-11.

·Big Willie's ogling den (Soi Diamond): opened.

·Chock Dance ogling den (Soi 6/1): opened and closed.

·Crazy Dave's beer boozer/noshery (Soi Chaiyapoon): formerly Yorkshire Rose. New ownership.

·Destination beer boozer (Soi 7): formerly Lek. New ownership.

·Diablo late night boogie barn (Walking Street): Opened.

·Don't Go Home Alone Tonight late night boogie barn (Soi Marina Plaza): formerly Feigling Pub and ogling den.

·Dubliner, The beer boozer (Soi Chaiyapoon): formerly The Firehouse. New ownership.

·Far East Rock ogling den (Soi Post Office): Closed, then re-opened.

·Force's beer boozer/noshery (Third Road): opened.

·Fuck You dine and dash establishment (Soi 6/1): Name changed to Love You under new rules.

·Goldfingers ogling den (Soi 7): formerly Super 7. New ownership.

·Kitten Club ogling den (Pattayaland Soi 2): formerly Cat's. Management still same.

·Kittens ogling den (Naklua Rd): formerly Pussycat. Management still same.

·La Cuisine Au Beurre noshery (Soi Day-Night 2): formerly The Waffle. New ownership.

·Laurie's Place beer boozer (off Second Road): opened.

·Lek beer boozer (Soi 7): moved from an outside to an inside location. Management still same.

·Living Dolls ogling den (Walking Street): formerly Dream. New ownership.

·Living Dolls Showcase ogling den (Walking Street): formerly Blackout. New ownership.

·Made in Thailand beer boozers (Second Rd): opened.

·Mulligan's beer boozer (Pattayaland Soi 1): formerly Tropics. New ownership.

·Ole noshery (Soi Day-Night 2): opened.

·Paris Pigalle ogling den (Walking Street): formerly Drop In. New ownership.

·Pattaya Hollywood beer boozer (Soi 8): Closed. Re-opened in Green House centre.

·Pink Lady noshery (Beach Rd): moved up the road from near Soi 8 towards Central Road.

·Polo late night boogie barn (Walking Street): opened. Now a show bar.

·Private Dancer ogling den (Walking Street): formerly Winchester.

·Sea Fox Entertainment late night boogie barn (Walking Street): closed. To be re-opened under new management as an ogling den/noshery in January as Club Electric Blue and Simply Blues Café.

·Sexy ogling den (Walking Street): closed and knocked down. Now a beer bar named Too's.

·Simon Cabaret (Walking Street): closed.

·Simon Cabaret Beer Bar Centre (Walking Street): opened.

·Soi 1 Beer Bar Centre (Soi 1): opened.

·Star Dice café/disco (Beach Rd): opened.

·Stringfellows ogling den (Soi Yamato); formerly Angels of (the name changed under new rules) and Angels of Sleaze. New ownership.

·Super Lions ogling den (Soi Diamond): formerly Tiger's. Management still same.

·TJ Noi's ogling den (Soi Skaw Beach): opened and then closed.

·What's Up ogling den (Soi 15): opened.

·World Wide ogling den (Beach Rd): formerly known as G-Strings. Re-modelled. Management remains the same.

·Wunderbar beer boozer (Beach Rd): closed, re-opened on Second Road in Green House complex.

·X-Ray ogling den (Soi Zero): opened.

·VALE: Pattaya lost two of its long-standing characters when Stoney, the Aussie owner of Stoney's Place beer boozer (Walking Street) and Wynn, the owner of Welsh Wynn's died during the year. The town is a sorrier place for their loss.

 

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

Author of Pattaya "Patpong on steroids"

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

[Fonz 0]

WOW Pete

Feel as if been wacked with your sledge hammer.

 

All good stuff will help on next trip.

[monkeyman 1,604]

This is the stuff.

 

Congrats to all concerned. Much appreciated.

 

be seeing you

monkeyman

[duece 0]

Good stuff!

Looking forward to more informative reads in the future,

Well done!

Duece

[Skate 9]

OK Guys,

 

I can be a little slow at times.

So what's in the liver wasters and Thai rotgut ?

[Hubster 0]

Liver wasters - mixed drinks

 

Thai Rotgut - Thai whickey (e.g., mekong)

[wobbly_1 18]

Just following your opinions on Electric Blue which definately seems ok.

 

One bar upstairs topless and one downstairs usual go go type but with Chang at 35baht a bottle all night not expensive.

 

Also Polo is definately worth a visit as someone is trying something different than the chrome poles routine.

 

The dancers have different routines with between one and 8 of them on stage at anytime.

 

There is audience participation and seeing a farang coming of the stage with a huge stalk on under his y fronts after being used/abused in the oily massage routine was worth the drinks price alone

 

Get there before 10 and the drinks are 60 baht instead of the usual 120  

 

I have been there twice and was never hasseled for Ladydrinks, raffle tickets or anything else.,

 

It appears the girls sit on the left side of the club and you go and hassel them if you want