Bangkok Reports

[ShinyMewtwo]

You made a very informative post but did not include where the best place to change foreign currency is. Which money changer is the best? From my own experience it may vary from time to time.

[RacShack]

I have a AIS traveller SIM card from last year last used Feb. 5th 2018 is it still going to be good when I land if top up with min? Or will it be expired. ?any and all info would be appreciated, thanks.

I land Dec. 27 or so 2018.

[Hotman 666]

Finding basic info in the forum is hard and I wish ISG had a wiki feature. Since it does not, as a favor to clueless newbies, here is an outline of a few basics you should know before coming to Bangkok.

Getting in: You probably will fly into Suvarnabhumi (BKK), which is pronounced sort of like sue-want to-boom. Get at least enough cash from an ATM or a change booth to pay for your ride into town. The airport is connected to the city by an inexpensive rapid rail line. However, if you have lots of luggage or arrive in the middle of the night, you'll have to take a taxi. Use the queue service, which is very well organized. Remind the driver to turn on the meter or he will charge you a more expensive flat rate. Pay the expressway tolls with the inconvenient thousand-baht bill that you got from the ATM. That will leave you with small bills to pay the taxi. The ride to your hotel should cost around 350 THB (under 10 dollars).

Stay: Bangkok is a sprawling city with many neighborhoods. For practicality, you should stay in the "lower Sukhumvit" neighborhood. Sukhumvit is a very long street, beginning at the Ploenchit shopping center and Skytrain station. Side streets (soi) have ascending numbers as you head east. Odds are on the north side, evens on the south. Anywhere around Nana or Asoke BTS stations is right at the heart of the action. You certainly can stay elsewhere, but it's best to be near a BTS Skytrain station. Most hotels are visitor-friendly, especially if you book a double room. Unless you have some sort of ego problem, there's no need to stay in an expensive chain. There are thousands of perfectly fine rooms by western standards, for less than 40 dollars. Save your money for the important stuff.

Get around: Use Google Maps and download maps before leaving home to save data charges. Traffic is horrible. BTS Skytrain and MRT Subway are your friends. They are cheap and easy to navigate. Ticket machines support English. On the ground, you can hail a moving taxi or use the Grab taxi app. Any parked taxi is probably going to run the "meter broken" fare scam on you. Tuk-tuks are an option, but many drivers will try to pressure you into gem and souvenir shops. Motorcycle taxis are cheap and good if you have a death wish. Importantly, lower Sukhumvit is entirely walkable -- only five or ten minutes between BTS stations.

Food and drink: Western-style food is widely available in bars. Thai food is everywhere, naturally. Street carts are much safer than you'd think (ingredients are very fresh) but you might need a temporary girlfriend to help you make a purchase, as there won't be any English menus. Thai beers are mostly of the "cheap yellow" variety -- only a few bars have craft beers. Distilled spirits may be counterfeit. Wine is not a Thai thing. Best not to drink the Thai whiskey.

Where to find bar girls: There are three primary "entertainment" centers with go-go bars, where you typically are expected to buy one drink but not pay a cover charge. Two are in lower Sukhumvit. Soi Cowboy is a block north of the Sukhumvit-Asoke intersection and has the most neon. Nana Entertainment Plaza is on Soi 4, just south of Sukhumvit, and has a large covered courtyard surrounded by go-go bars. The third center is Patpong, which is north of Silom street near the Sala Daeng BTS station. Patpong is notorious for ping-pong shows and for second-floor bars being clip joints, so beware. "Beer bars," which will not have performing girls, are near all three centers. In fact, lower Sukhumvit has hundreds of them. Sit down, order a drink, and the very friendly girls will find you. Be careful with buying "lady drinks," as the charges can add up quickly. To take a girl from a bar, you'll have to pay a "barfine" of 400-500 baht in addition to whatever the girl charges.

Where to find freelancers: In addition to bar girls, there are thousands of freelancers operating in Bangkok, concentrated in lower Sukhumvit. Even in the daytime there will be dozens along the north side of Sukhumvit between Soi 3 and Soi 11. Street freelancers are cheaper than bar girls (and there's no barfine), but there may be greater risks. There also are several bars popular with freelancers. Thermae, in the basement under Ruamchitt Hotel, is packed each night with beautiful women in their 20's trying to land a free-spending Japanese tourist. Biergarten, on Soi 7, is a daytime and evening pickup spot for MILFs in their 30's and 40's. After closing time, dozens of illegal pop-up bars (basically a cooler full of beer) materialize on the north side of Sukhumvit and side streets such as Soi 7, and freelancers will drop their prices. To determine whether a girl is a freelancer, make eye contact and smile. A brief conversation will lead to the truth. Don't bother the girls working at the vendor tables.

Massage: There are many both legitimate and sex-oriented massage shops, and it's usually not hard to tell the difference. If in doubt, ask if they provide "special massage," then ask if "boom-boom" or just BJ or HJ is on the menu. You won't offend by asking, and they've heard it all before. "Oily" massage places such as Snow White are straightforward brothels. With a massage parlor, you don't need to go to your hotel (or rent a cheap short-time hotel), but it can be an impersonal quickie experience. Do take the time to get a good legitimate Thai massage while you're in town.

Money: Get to understand what 500 and 1000 baht mean in your home currency, as that will simplify the math. Blowjobs start at 500, sex typically at 1000, but asking prices of 1500-3000 are more common. "Short time" means an hour and one pop. "Long time" means all night (and maybe half of the following day). If you run short of cash, ATMs are everywhere. Note that you'll be charged a fee for each withdrawal, so a few bigger withdrawals are better than lots of small ones.

Communication: English is common and you won't have any trouble communicating with your hotel clerk or most waitstaff. If you run into a girl whose English is poor, don't despair -- basic sex communicating isn't complicated.

Behavior: You're a guest in a military dictatorship that has horrible prisons. Don't be an asshole, don't break the law, don't even THINK about drugs, don't throw trash or cigarette ashes on the ground, don't get into arguments, don't disrespect the king. If you can't follow those basic rules, stay home.

Ladyboys: Pay attention here. If it looks too good to be true, it is. Some ladyboys (katooeys) invest heavily in surgical modifications. Tipoffs include height, voice, Adam's apple, aggressive behavior. If in doubt, ask politely. There are go-go joints and massage parlors specializing in ladyboys, and it should not be hard to tell the difference.

Angels and demons: Anyone who comes up to you with an offer of help, unasked, is probably a mild scammer. And there are many tales of spiked drinks, et cetera. But it's terribly overblown. The truth is that most people are genuinely friendly and Bangkok is probably safer than whereever you're coming from. Take care. The girl you're talking with might be in it just for the money, or even have plans to pick your pocket. On the other hand, she might be someone who finds happiness in making other people happy. Make your choices carefully. This is where it pays to spend some time chatting with girls before heading to your room. Being respectful, kind and considerate are core Buddhist values. If you wander through Nana Entertainment Plaza before the bars are fully open you may be surprised to find girls lining up to pray at a Buddhist shrine. The more girls you treat as angels, the better your chances of finding one.

If you are a Newby on your first trip to Thailand and you follow this reports suggestions then you will not go far wrong.

Enjoy,

Hotman.

[RacShack]

I have a AIS traveller SIM card from last year last used Feb. 5th 2018 is it still going to be good when I land if top up with min? Or will it be expired. ?any and all info would be appreciated, thanks.

[Etaoin2003]

Biggest warning. Don't fall for a girl quick. Takes a very long time to really know someone. I met more than one guy who met their wife on first day in Thailand. LOL Some of these ended very badly. Girls meet guys for economic reasons.

Yes! And it's so easy to fall for a woman who dotes on your every word, who fetches your drinks and rubs your back and really puts her heart and soul into making you happy. Next week she may be doing the same thing with someone else. Many people might say that means she's a bad person. Perhaps the truth is the opposite. Sisters of mercy, as Leonard Cohen called them. Whether such a person is a good choice for a long-term relationship may turn as much on your outlook as on hers.

There is a Pali word, mudita. It means sympathetic joy, the delight in another person's well-being. It is not mutually exclusive with self-interest.

Anyway, if there are angels and demons, most of us are a bit of both.

[Etaoin2003]

You mentioned illegal pop up bars opening late night on North side of SUK in your report. According to the many recent reports I have read, these bars have been eliminated by the BIB over the last few years.

There are a couple of dozen after closing time every night along Suk and around the corners on Soi 7, 7/1 and 11. The scene was still going strong when I was there at 3-4 am Generally it's not more than a card table, a couple of plastic chairs, some girls who are dying to meet you, and a cooler full of beer that's cheaper than you would have paid in a real bar. The police never really eliminate anything (your guess is as good as mine as to why) . The old night market along Sukhumvit may be "gone" but anywhere there's not an active business, somebody's going to be putting up tables and display racks and peddling T-shirts, sex toys and Kamagra jelly. A lot of that activity has been pushed around the corner onto a side street.

[Syzygies]

Angels and demons: Anyone who comes up to you with an offer of help, unasked, is probably a mild scammer. And there are many tales of spiked drinks, et cetera. But it's terribly overblown. The truth is that most people are genuinely friendly and Bangkok is probably safer than whereever you're coming from. Take care. The girl you're talking with might be in it just for the money, or even have plans to pick your pocket.

I never met a girl that tried to pick my pocket. Ladyboys maybe. People offering help may well be serious scammers too, not good to play down this warning. Not all of them though. However if something seems to good to be true, then it is not true. If you are told it is your lucky day, best avoid. If offer to take you to somewhere great, best not go. If tell you your intended place is closed, it probably is not closed at all. I don't like to accept help unless I ask for it.

Biggest warning. Don't fall for a girl quick. Takes a very long time to really know someone. I met more than one guy who met their wife on first day in Thailand. LOL Some of these ended very badly. Girls meet guys for economic reasons.

[Syzygies]

Hanging back from the top of the stairs in a big arc were the ladyboys. Far better looking than the girls in their own way. Just once single very pretty white faced girl among them. I was immediately certain she was a girl because her face was small and so delicate. Actually I would consider doing her but her body was a bit obscured. Name was Naen. I spoke to her briefly and remained certain she was female. The only one in the standing arc.

Tonight was approaching Thermae and saw Naen getting into a taxi with a customer and maybe a lady boy as well. Naen was wearing a stunning white dress so looked better still than previous night. Between Thermae and Sofitel the usual 3 or 4 short dumpy ugly girls sitting on the steel pipe. Outside Thermae, excluding girls emerging with a Japanese or other Asian guy, all ladies standing outside were ladyboys. Not one real girl. Time was 0:15, so I still maintain worthwhile real girls outside are rare.

Starting much earlier, went to finally meet Bam from Kiss and other affiliated MPs (Honey Bee, Passion, Kiss 2, Absolute, the list goes on to make 7 shops). Apparently Kiss, Honey bee, and Passion are the busy 3. Do they have any good looking girls? Not in my experience. Hard to find any slim models. Bam was a big disappointment too, but not too unexpected. Nothing like the web pic at all. Not even close to the looks of a Bam I once knew at Plaza Soapy (Makkasan years ago). Not really a thick girl like most but well past her best at age about 30. Possible nose job, it looked strange enough to me. Never had a really good service at these shops so forget it. Might go for it, if girl was stunning, or even looked mischievous. LOL.

Did a quick survey of street walkers in Soi 4. Only managed to find one pretty enough to consider doing, really. Cheap girls but not much quality.

Moved on to buy some medication (past the petrol pump Charoen Pharmacy got 15 sheets of my medication for 225 Baht so 15 Baht for a sheet of 10) and then went in Billboard for a drink and a look. A lot of good bodies in there if you like skinny slim tall models (tall in high heels at least). So quite a few girls had body at least 8 out 10 as far as could tell with a bra on. Stand out girl was 810. A bit more meat on her tits and ass. Very curvy. Body scores 9 and face a 9 also. 816 and 818 looked quite good to me too but skinnier maybe scoring 8 and 8 (face and body). Met one of my Shark girls in there with a customer. She said she has not worked Shark bar for a month. Maybe has been booked out by her customer for full month. She is a saucy fun slim girl. Might consider trying 810 one day. Can anyone recommend? She looks just a little distant compared to most girls. 818 would be 2nd choice.

On way out of Soi 4 met the infamous Pin, ex Boss massage. Face not really that pretty scores 6 to 7, but she is very curvy (implants) and has a very cheeky mischievous look about her. I asked her how come she quit Boss. Says she gets a lot of Farangs on Soi 4, so makes more money, starting 6 pm. I guess Boss customers are mainly Asian and Asians would not pick Pin. She is clearly Farang type of choice.

Just before that met a tall girl street walker I used to do. Looks like a ladyboy, and needs a lot of makeup to make face look not too ravaged. I gave her away not because the sex wasn't good, just her face and body not up to standard and started to want more money because I am not a quick fuck.

Met some possibilities, but so few to challenge my regulars. No overheads for regulars come to visit me. Hope to get my Shark girl to visit privately as well. Managed to make contact again with ex regular from Crazy also yesterday. So some productive re hook-ups with old girls. My do list is slightly expanded, instead of continual shrinkage.

So my advice if you are a guy that does not get bored by super girls too easily, is collect the contacts for a set of really great super girls to come and visit you. Does not matter then if is a holiday and bars are closed. You are pretty much guaranteed to get good sessions. Most of my regulars, I have known for years. One or 2 possibilities to become regular from this year but not yet certain.

[Ivanba]

I watched football at Gulliver's on Soi 5 - a pub style bar with pool tables and lots of TVs. They will put it on for you if you ask. They have food also. It's a nice bar. You can actually relax without a whole bunch of girls bothering you. But there is enough eye candy to keep you happy. If you get bored, you can put your name in line for a pool game or two! They open at 11 AM. I did see a good sports bar at Raddison Blue. Can't remember the Soi. They'll probably have it. Good luck and post a report!!

You might try Roadhouse Barbeque on Rama IV at Surawong.

[Syzygies]

You mentioned illegal pop up bars opening late night on North side of SUK in your report. According to the many recent reports I have read, these bars have been eliminated by the BIB over the last few years. I spent the winter of 2016 living in Soi 8 and used to love wandering around in the wee hours checking out the talent and vibes at these impromptu bars and was disappointed to read they were closed down. It was an interesting and unique part of my experience living in central Bangkok.

So have the pop bars had a Renaissance or is this exaggerated or incorrect reporting?

1 or 2 Cart bars have arrived on Soi 23 again maybe one in Sukhumvit between 21 and 23 and a couple in Soi 21 almost connected to Cowboy. Might be some others in side sois but I just mention what I saw recently.

[DelBosque]

Finding basic info in the forum is hard and I wish ISG had a wiki feature. Since it does not, as a favor to clueless newbies, here is an outline of a few basics you should know before coming to Bangkok.

Getting in: You probably will fly into Suvarnabhumi (BKK), which ................

Great report Etaoin for the new ones. Thank you (but I'am a very old one!

[Tomasb]

You mentioned illegal pop up bars opening late night on North side of SUK in your report. According to the many recent reports I have read, these bars have been eliminated by the BIB over the last few years. I spent the winter of 2016 living in Soi 8 and used to love wandering around in the wee hours checking out the talent and vibes at these impromptu bars and was disappointed to read they were closed down. It was an interesting and unique part of my experience living in central Bangkok.

So have the pop bars had a Renaissance or is this exaggerated or incorrect reporting? I am coming to spend the winter again after a two year hiatus so looking forward to everything the Big Mango has to offer. I used to frequent Bangkok Beat to the point I almost got my mail there, but they too, alas, closed in 2016. Wondering if there are any suitable replacement venues with live music that have opened?

[Etaoin2003]

Finding basic info in the forum is hard and I wish ISG had a wiki feature. Since it does not, as a favor to clueless newbies, here is an outline of a few basics you should know before coming to Bangkok.

Getting in: You probably will fly into Suvarnabhumi (BKK), which is pronounced sort of like sue-want to-boom. Get at least enough cash from an ATM or a change booth to pay for your ride into town. The airport is connected to the city by an inexpensive rapid rail line. However, if you have lots of luggage or arrive in the middle of the night, you'll have to take a taxi. Use the queue service, which is very well organized. Remind the driver to turn on the meter or he will charge you a more expensive flat rate. Pay the expressway tolls with the inconvenient thousand-baht bill that you got from the ATM. That will leave you with small bills to pay the taxi. The ride to your hotel should cost around 350 THB (under 10 dollars).

Stay: Bangkok is a sprawling city with many neighborhoods. For practicality, you should stay in the "lower Sukhumvit" neighborhood. Sukhumvit is a very long street, beginning at the Ploenchit shopping center and Skytrain station. Side streets (soi) have ascending numbers as you head east. Odds are on the north side, evens on the south. Anywhere around Nana or Asoke BTS stations is right at the heart of the action. You certainly can stay elsewhere, but it's best to be near a BTS Skytrain station. Most hotels are visitor-friendly, especially if you book a double room. Unless you have some sort of ego problem, there's no need to stay in an expensive chain. There are thousands of perfectly fine rooms by western standards, for less than 40 dollars. Save your money for the important stuff.

Get around: Use Google Maps and download maps before leaving home to save data charges. Traffic is horrible. BTS Skytrain and MRT Subway are your friends. They are cheap and easy to navigate. Ticket machines support English. On the ground, you can hail a moving taxi or use the Grab taxi app. Any parked taxi is probably going to run the "meter broken" fare scam on you. Tuk-tuks are an option, but many drivers will try to pressure you into gem and souvenir shops. Motorcycle taxis are cheap and good if you have a death wish. Importantly, lower Sukhumvit is entirely walkable -- only five or ten minutes between BTS stations.

Food and drink: Western-style food is widely available in bars. Thai food is everywhere, naturally. Street carts are much safer than you'd think (ingredients are very fresh) but you might need a temporary girlfriend to help you make a purchase, as there won't be any English menus. Thai beers are mostly of the "cheap yellow" variety -- only a few bars have craft beers. Distilled spirits may be counterfeit. Wine is not a Thai thing. Best not to drink the Thai whiskey.

Where to find bar girls: There are three primary "entertainment" centers with go-go bars, where you typically are expected to buy one drink but not pay a cover charge. Two are in lower Sukhumvit. Soi Cowboy is a block north of the Sukhumvit-Asoke intersection and has the most neon. Nana Entertainment Plaza is on Soi 4, just south of Sukhumvit, and has a large covered courtyard surrounded by go-go bars. The third center is Patpong, which is north of Silom street near the Sala Daeng BTS station. Patpong is notorious for ping-pong shows and for second-floor bars being clip joints, so beware. "Beer bars," which will not have performing girls, are near all three centers. In fact, lower Sukhumvit has hundreds of them. Sit down, order a drink, and the very friendly girls will find you. Be careful with buying "lady drinks," as the charges can add up quickly. To take a girl from a bar, you'll have to pay a "barfine" of 400-500 baht in addition to whatever the girl charges.

Where to find freelancers: In addition to bar girls, there are thousands of freelancers operating in Bangkok, concentrated in lower Sukhumvit. Even in the daytime there will be dozens along the north side of Sukhumvit between Soi 3 and Soi 11. Street freelancers are cheaper than bar girls (and there's no barfine), but there may be greater risks. There also are several bars popular with freelancers. Thermae, in the basement under Ruamchitt Hotel, is packed each night with beautiful women in their 20's trying to land a free-spending Japanese tourist. Biergarten, on Soi 7, is a daytime and evening pickup spot for MILFs in their 30's and 40's. After closing time, dozens of illegal pop-up bars (basically a cooler full of beer) materialize on the north side of Sukhumvit and side streets such as Soi 7, and freelancers will drop their prices. To determine whether a girl is a freelancer, make eye contact and smile. A brief conversation will lead to the truth. Don't bother the girls working at the vendor tables.

Massage: There are many both legitimate and sex-oriented massage shops, and it's usually not hard to tell the difference. If in doubt, ask if they provide "special massage," then ask if "boom-boom" or just BJ or HJ is on the menu. You won't offend by asking, and they've heard it all before. "Oily" massage places such as Snow White are straightforward brothels. With a massage parlor, you don't need to go to your hotel (or rent a cheap short-time hotel), but it can be an impersonal quickie experience. Do take the time to get a good legitimate Thai massage while you're in town.

Money: Get to understand what 500 and 1000 baht mean in your home currency, as that will simplify the math. Blowjobs start at 500, sex typically at 1000, but asking prices of 1500-3000 are more common. "Short time" means an hour and one pop. "Long time" means all night (and maybe half of the following day). If you run short of cash, ATMs are everywhere. Note that you'll be charged a fee for each withdrawal, so a few bigger withdrawals are better than lots of small ones.

Communication: English is common and you won't have any trouble communicating with your hotel clerk or most waitstaff. If you run into a girl whose English is poor, don't despair -- basic sex communicating isn't complicated.

Behavior: You're a guest in a military dictatorship that has horrible prisons. Don't be an asshole, don't break the law, don't even THINK about drugs, don't throw trash or cigarette ashes on the ground, don't get into arguments, don't disrespect the king. If you can't follow those basic rules, stay home.

Ladyboys: Pay attention here. If it looks too good to be true, it is. Some ladyboys (katooeys) invest heavily in surgical modifications. Tipoffs include height, voice, Adam's apple, aggressive behavior. If in doubt, ask politely. There are go-go joints and massage parlors specializing in ladyboys, and it should not be hard to tell the difference.

Angels and demons: Anyone who comes up to you with an offer of help, unasked, is probably a mild scammer. And there are many tales of spiked drinks, et cetera. But it's terribly overblown. The truth is that most people are genuinely friendly and Bangkok is probably safer than whereever you're coming from. Take care. The girl you're talking with might be in it just for the money, or even have plans to pick your pocket. On the other hand, she might be someone who finds happiness in making other people happy. Make your choices carefully. This is where it pays to spend some time chatting with girls before heading to your room. Being respectful, kind and considerate are core Buddhist values. If you wander through Nana Entertainment Plaza before the bars are fully open you may be surprised to find girls lining up to pray at a Buddhist shrine. The more girls you treat as angels, the better your chances of finding one.

[JLifesOn]

I took a lady from Thermae out last night thinking she was an independent, but later on she told me she needed to call her mamasan to let her know she was going to stay LT.

[Pointy Stick]

I was probably wandering around at the same time as you that night and I thought to myself "wow these chicks are far hotter than the Soi 4 FL's." I will definitely be far more circumspect now.

So good lady choices outside? Very few indeed, I saw just 1, and maybe a second showed up at the end, but wasn't sure if she would stay outside or just chatting to a friend briefly. Maybe 12 to 15 ladyboys. The standard of girls out on the footpath on Sukhumvit odd Sois side at night is not very good all up. Maybe a petty one exists sometimes.