[QUOTE=TheCane;1816480]I'm glad I went in because I got that card, which I did not expect. It helped add credibility to my field report. Another reason why I put the card in my wallet is because I felt embarrassed. I looked around and nobody else had a "member card". So why the hell did I need one? I could see a waiter watching intently as I put the card away.
And yes, I did visit Sapphire on another night, but the name of the club I went to on the night in question is Babydolls. Here's a link: [URL]http://www.babydollspattaya.com/Babydolls-Location.html[/URL]. Interestingly, Babydolls is co-managed by a fellow American who I spent a few minutes chatting with.
For the record, I liked Pattaya better than Bangkok. And Phuket was even better than Pattaya as far as I'm concerned.[/QUOTE]Don't feel too alone, there are Japanese-only clubs in BKK that we honkeys can't get into, either. In fact, the last time I walked down Soi Thaniya at night, with loads of very pretty women sitting along the street, one and only one even acknowledged my existence. I was literally the invisible man. And I was once refused entry into a western-owned bar / restaurant (Angkor What!) in Siem Reap because they didn't allow Cambodian women after 7:00 pm. Go figure.
Thais are very color conscious, as you have figured out. They may have thought you were Indian, but I suspect they figured you were African. There are lots of issues with Africans in lower Suk. Now you and I can tell the difference between a black American and a black African, but I doubt many Thais can. It's certainly interesting being in a country where what we consider blatant discrimination is tolerated without a murmur.