Smiles
November 8th, 2013, 10:44
(This posted on Gaybutton as well. The True 'banning' issue for Sawatdee makes it a real problem to post here. As I am with True, I must use a proxy server to access Sawatdee, but that puts another piss-off on the table: the proxy server can (and does) go down fairly often, so taking the time to compose a long post like this can cause a lapsed connection and the whole thing is wiped out. Easier to write it on Gaybutton and copy it here as well.
I sure wish there was some way of cajoling True to get Sawatdee off it's blacklist.)
__________________________________________________ ___________________
Hua Hin (my home town) seems to go in longish cycles when it comes to the Gay Scene(s). Not much more than a year and a half ago the town was graced with 4 or 5 gay bars ~ all 'host' style ... no gogo bars allowed! ~ and frankly it had a 'feel' in the air that things might well keep it going with some good choices for a night out on the town. The number of Thai guys hanging around in any one place at any given time was not what I would call a deluge of Isaan-&-environs flesh, but what it lacked in quantity it made up for in quality, some of the more handsome guys I've ever met or watched called Hua Hin home.
But alas, like the fucking stock market these days, what goes up must come down, and this is a 'down' year by the looks of it (in fact, the stock market is generally better right now!). There are now (early November, 2013) only two brave stalwarts still standing: (1) the "we'll-always-be-here-coz-we're-owned-by-the-cops" Red Indian Bar, and (2) the best place in town by a long shot, New Guy Bar.
Having checked out Red Indian numerous times over the last few weeks ~ it's my reportorial duty, and just for this post ~ at different times of the night from 7:00pm (i.e. dead as a painfully uninterested straight drunk-to-the-gills GoGo boy on yaba) until 1:00am (i.e. a few stupourated farang lying on a couch ... not a Thai guy in sight except for the cashier) not much seems to have changed there except for a movement of furniture and bar which seems to happen every year, like clockwork (I think everything in the place is on wheels, including the boys). Red Indian never changes ... it has been in the same place since at least the early 2000's.
New Guy Bar is much much better on every level of criteria one could conjure up and it just happens to be located a 3 minute walk from our place so it's easy to monitor.
NGB is owned lock stock and barrel now by 'Tum' (or 'Tam', whatever) who was sadly unfortunate enough last spring to have his farang boyfriend pass away unexpectedly, leaving Tum with the joint to take care of (and pay for the upkeep of). And he's done a terrific job . . . and is now 'lucky' enough to be about as close as one can be to owning a monopoly: a gay bar dynasty if you will. I asked him a month or so how things were going in this, the low season, and he said that not too bad actually тАж certainly the place was taking in enough to pay the bills every month. This bodes well for the up-coming high season.
But it's a really nice place. Well low-lit (in an unfortunate sea of ghastly white flourescent lightbulbs which most Thais think of as just about the cat's meeoww) and cozy, great variety of seating up at the long bar, or with one's chosen squeeze on a sofa (way at the darkly back, next to the Hong Nam???) or the tables and chairs at the front. And for ambience: across the street, unlike most places which look out on a cement apartment block or a 7-11, is a large empty lot with green trees and jungle foliage and a hidden walk way down to the beach.
At any given time Tum sometimes has 12 Thai guys hanging around, or conversely, at low tide, 3 ... seemingly related to how many have gone off middle to long term with some semi-rich tourist from bloody Norway, or even worse, Belarus. This happens a lot here in New Guy Bar.
We go there quite often for a few games of pool, some conversation with the owner and a number of the guys there who have become friends ~ Hua Hin is a small town.
Some photos below from the latest Big Night at New Guy Bar ... i.e. the ubiquitously faggish Halloween Night. Thais don't really "get it" (neither do I), but it's a party so in fact they do, in their own way. Lots of body painting and masks and and lady boys pretending to be Priscilla's of the Desserts: the lady pictured below did a spectacular rendition of her take on 'Being An Iguana', and Being a Lady at the same time.
The charming little soi leading down to New Guy Bar. I've been down this alley so many times I feel like a bowling ball.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB11_zpsf050a955.jpg
Preparing for the big night. Usually some of the boys do this, but times are tough, and ladies must be hired.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB7_zps82bdf37e.jpg
A few assorted photos of early prep ... guys starting to saunter in ... mediocre snooker taking place (I know, I watched) ... Morlum music on YouTube playing on the TV screen ... filling up.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB5_zps690d398e.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB3_zps1ab6bc8b.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB1_zps69c01d81.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB_Hallween6_zpsec581cdd.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB_Hallween5_zps89d2df22.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB_Hallween4_zpse5ead15b.jpg
The party at high midnight. A number of lost-looking souls ... there's always some middle-aged partly grouchy looking, partly lonely looking dude sitting in a corner by themselves and hoping for the finest example of handsome Thai studdliness to come waltzing over and magically make his day. But the grouchy part does not resonate well with Thai guys heavily into party mode, and the boys of Hua Hin are 'different', often feeling that they don't really need to sidle up to farang at the very moment their big toe crosses the bar's threshold. I guess one could say that HH guys are not quite so 'Suneefied' as the pros of Pattaya.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB_Hallween3_zps133ef2c8.jpg
The Iguana Lady.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB_Hallween7_zps7459d773.jpg
A fun night in (for all intents and purposes) the only gay bar in Hua Hin ... right now.
I sure wish there was some way of cajoling True to get Sawatdee off it's blacklist.)
__________________________________________________ ___________________
Hua Hin (my home town) seems to go in longish cycles when it comes to the Gay Scene(s). Not much more than a year and a half ago the town was graced with 4 or 5 gay bars ~ all 'host' style ... no gogo bars allowed! ~ and frankly it had a 'feel' in the air that things might well keep it going with some good choices for a night out on the town. The number of Thai guys hanging around in any one place at any given time was not what I would call a deluge of Isaan-&-environs flesh, but what it lacked in quantity it made up for in quality, some of the more handsome guys I've ever met or watched called Hua Hin home.
But alas, like the fucking stock market these days, what goes up must come down, and this is a 'down' year by the looks of it (in fact, the stock market is generally better right now!). There are now (early November, 2013) only two brave stalwarts still standing: (1) the "we'll-always-be-here-coz-we're-owned-by-the-cops" Red Indian Bar, and (2) the best place in town by a long shot, New Guy Bar.
Having checked out Red Indian numerous times over the last few weeks ~ it's my reportorial duty, and just for this post ~ at different times of the night from 7:00pm (i.e. dead as a painfully uninterested straight drunk-to-the-gills GoGo boy on yaba) until 1:00am (i.e. a few stupourated farang lying on a couch ... not a Thai guy in sight except for the cashier) not much seems to have changed there except for a movement of furniture and bar which seems to happen every year, like clockwork (I think everything in the place is on wheels, including the boys). Red Indian never changes ... it has been in the same place since at least the early 2000's.
New Guy Bar is much much better on every level of criteria one could conjure up and it just happens to be located a 3 minute walk from our place so it's easy to monitor.
NGB is owned lock stock and barrel now by 'Tum' (or 'Tam', whatever) who was sadly unfortunate enough last spring to have his farang boyfriend pass away unexpectedly, leaving Tum with the joint to take care of (and pay for the upkeep of). And he's done a terrific job . . . and is now 'lucky' enough to be about as close as one can be to owning a monopoly: a gay bar dynasty if you will. I asked him a month or so how things were going in this, the low season, and he said that not too bad actually тАж certainly the place was taking in enough to pay the bills every month. This bodes well for the up-coming high season.
But it's a really nice place. Well low-lit (in an unfortunate sea of ghastly white flourescent lightbulbs which most Thais think of as just about the cat's meeoww) and cozy, great variety of seating up at the long bar, or with one's chosen squeeze on a sofa (way at the darkly back, next to the Hong Nam???) or the tables and chairs at the front. And for ambience: across the street, unlike most places which look out on a cement apartment block or a 7-11, is a large empty lot with green trees and jungle foliage and a hidden walk way down to the beach.
At any given time Tum sometimes has 12 Thai guys hanging around, or conversely, at low tide, 3 ... seemingly related to how many have gone off middle to long term with some semi-rich tourist from bloody Norway, or even worse, Belarus. This happens a lot here in New Guy Bar.
We go there quite often for a few games of pool, some conversation with the owner and a number of the guys there who have become friends ~ Hua Hin is a small town.
Some photos below from the latest Big Night at New Guy Bar ... i.e. the ubiquitously faggish Halloween Night. Thais don't really "get it" (neither do I), but it's a party so in fact they do, in their own way. Lots of body painting and masks and and lady boys pretending to be Priscilla's of the Desserts: the lady pictured below did a spectacular rendition of her take on 'Being An Iguana', and Being a Lady at the same time.
The charming little soi leading down to New Guy Bar. I've been down this alley so many times I feel like a bowling ball.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB11_zpsf050a955.jpg
Preparing for the big night. Usually some of the boys do this, but times are tough, and ladies must be hired.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB7_zps82bdf37e.jpg
A few assorted photos of early prep ... guys starting to saunter in ... mediocre snooker taking place (I know, I watched) ... Morlum music on YouTube playing on the TV screen ... filling up.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB5_zps690d398e.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB3_zps1ab6bc8b.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB1_zps69c01d81.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB_Hallween6_zpsec581cdd.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB_Hallween5_zps89d2df22.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB_Hallween4_zpse5ead15b.jpg
The party at high midnight. A number of lost-looking souls ... there's always some middle-aged partly grouchy looking, partly lonely looking dude sitting in a corner by themselves and hoping for the finest example of handsome Thai studdliness to come waltzing over and magically make his day. But the grouchy part does not resonate well with Thai guys heavily into party mode, and the boys of Hua Hin are 'different', often feeling that they don't really need to sidle up to farang at the very moment their big toe crosses the bar's threshold. I guess one could say that HH guys are not quite so 'Suneefied' as the pros of Pattaya.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB_Hallween3_zps133ef2c8.jpg
The Iguana Lady.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/sawatdeephotos/Message%20board%20posts/On%20the%20road_2013/NGB_Hallween7_zps7459d773.jpg
A fun night in (for all intents and purposes) the only gay bar in Hua Hin ... right now.