The Good Old Days - What the scene was like 25 yers ago...

Sing_Lofty_sing wrote on a string concerned with the Thai baht:

Dont take what the UK papers give as the rate. As many times they give you the tourist rate but when you get to Thailand its a good bt10 more.
I first went to Thailand and it was Bht 33 to the ┬г. Still short time boys were only bht200 then and all night i think was bht 350.

Tell us some stories about what it was like then for those of us who missed it.

We all live in the past in the sense that we stand on the shoulders of past times. However I would find it interesting to know what went before. Can you remember?

Today you get much more for your foreign currency.
25 years ago I got 2 bath for a danish krone. Today I get 6,5 bath.
A shorttime boy got 200 bath, overnight 400 bath.
In Pattaya there was no Boyztown, or Sunee. Only Simons, but some nice streetboys.
In Bangkok some clubs around Silom - and Suriwongse hotel had the shorttime rooms in the parking lot - and they still have. :geek:

[Brad the Impala]

Sirmrtravels, there are several old threads relating to the early gay bars in the seventies and eighties. I expect through the wonders of ES they have been transferred here from our previous home. I have tried to search for them unsuccessfully, but I am sure that others could find them.

Thanks for the above here are some quotes from that earlier string:

Carruthers wrote: Crumbs, the late seventies/early eighties. Tiffany's was indeed there just beyond the Siam Bayshore at the very end of what was then still called simply "the village". No go-go but even in Bangkok that was still not common. Another bar, "Once Upon A Time", soon opened in the same area in an upmarket attap hut, they brought go-go, of a sort, with guys imported from Chonburi. The Marine Disco was where a lot of the guys hung out and one could drink there till the dawn. Bangkok at that time had a military curfew - 'everybody off the streets by midnight unless going to or coming from Don Muang'.

Other bars began slowly and there was no gay area - the "Cafe de Paris" in a soi opposite the Marine Disco, "Hercules" near where the late lamented "Charlie Boys" was and the "Cockpit", the original Boystown bar - one ground floor unit and open in the afternoon!

In the early eighties Adam & Eve was in an annex of the Palm Beach Hotel in soi 8 (?) before moving across the road to its own premises in the middle of that decade. And yes, David, I do remember "Nautilus" and its owner who craved my duty free Silk Cut - only Thai cigs then!

There was a very professional transvestite show at the Royal Cliff called "The Pattaya Spectacle", some of whose members I 'knocked about with'. And then, oh, joy, we could picnic or barbeque in the sand-dunes at the little known beach at Na Jomtien!!

Blast! I've got to get up and stop this lamp from swinging!!

Old Hippy wrote: My travels to Pattaya in the early 70's found the first gay venue to be Tiffany's Bar. It was located on the Beach Road at the very end of South Pattaya (which is now the walking street) Around the area of the Siam Bayshore Hotel. In those days, we would have dinner at Dolf Ricks by the big tree and then walk to Tiffany's. No off-boys, we were all on our own to communicate the patrons. Similar to London, NYC & Paris, dancing to the music on the judebox wearing platform shoes and bellbottom pants.


Brian chop poochai wrote: The first time I came to Pattaya was in 1975 at the ripe old age of 19. There were 2 (two) gay bars there at that time. Sorry memory fails me as to the names. Pattaya was very small then mainly supported via the US military and U-Tapo air base. I was a young soldier and had to watch myself, but I do remember having quite a bit of fun in those 2 bars......the boyz used to pick me up! Oh the pangs of youth hehehehe!

Asianad wrote: Talking recently with a man who is a carer for a gay invalid, he mentioned that this guy used to come to Pattaya in the late seventies/early eighties.

This has whetted my interest once again as to when and where the gay scene developed. His story some time ago was that Michael (Cockpit)was the first to open in Soi 3 just a single front shop and he feels it might have been downstairs

My first time in Pattaya in 1990, both BBB and the Cockpit were both well established and I can recall Adam and Eve,

Nautilius, several places north of North Pattaya road, Gentlemens Club and another bar in Soi 1.

With Jim Lumsden (BBB) and Michael( Top Man) and Ian McKnight (Cafe Royale) still around it might be possible to get a history of gay Pattaya started. Some of the members of this board might also have memories going back almost 20 years
I might be the only one interested but would appreciate anyone that can offer any of the local history.

No you are notтАж I am тАУ hence the start of this stringтАж. I am also interested in BKK. Twilight I believe was the first and that was on the other side of Suriwong Thaman.

[wyrleyboy]

I just found my old diary from a trip I made to Thailand in 1993.
Flew out of London on QANTAS, before the days of Etihad, Qatar Airways etc.

In Bangkok I visited Big Boy, New Title, Tawan-still going strong, Bangkok Garden, Super C, Nasa Disco and even Witches Taven.

In Pattaya stayed at the Weekender 500baht per night. First night ate in Dolf Riks then visited Nautilus (which was raided by police) and Memories.
Over the following days went to Ball Park Pub, Cabaret Pub, Adam & Eve, Stary Night, T&M Club, BBB, Dice Disco, Why Not, Taboo, Mr Macs Sky bar, Cocobanana, Cock Pit, Moonlight. In the afternoon regularly went to Day and Night department store (now Tuk Com)coffee shop

I hired a Mira car from Via for a side trip to Sing Buri, to attend a monk's initiation (I had to eat frankfurters throughout my visit since these had been purchsed specially for falang) On this trip I met a young man who is now my partner.

I was nearly twenty years younger then, when beer cost between 80 and 100 baht in the clubs. Can't remember the exchange rate then, but not a lot mre than it is now.

How times change and stand still.

Still keep coming back, next trip in about five weeks.

one thing all the people who remember thailand of 25 years ago ... is that they all hated the fact there where so many fat old men about ...
now 25 years on and they are the fat old men ... they now hate the fact all the young guys dont like the fat old men ...
isnt it wonderful that you often have to look back to see the future!!! :alc:

[martin911]

Can you rem how much (in Thai bhat ) the rates back for the off fees and short/long time rates ??

cheers !!

[francois]

Can't remember the exchange rate then, but not a lot mre than it is now.


About 25 TB per 1 USD

[Brad the Impala]

In the early to mid seventies the normal tip was 100 Baht, perhaps plus 20 Baht for a taxi.

[Neal]

I remember just 10 - 12 years ago it was 43 and once 44 baht to a dollar!
:party

[Marsilius]

In 1993, at the time of my first visit, the exchange rate was 39 baht to the pound. Over the years since, it has gone up to about 70 - and very briefly to about 90 at the time of the panic associated with the Asian economic crash in the mid 1990s - and is now in the mid 50s.

In 1993 a boy from Barbiery in Bangkok expected 500 baht for a short time assignment. I was too nervous then to approach street boys but a friend never paid more than 200 baht.

[jinks]

Places mentioned:-
These are around 1995, scanned from prints.
Which reminds me of the situation when you finished a roll of film.
Your companion would run it to the nearest photo shop and we all saw the results the very next day :violent1:

The Sky Bar where a very kind man called Jim (surname withheld) use to let the orphans of the parish sleep in his bar if they cleaned it and serviced the customers in the two Mr Mac rooms that he retained for the purpose.

http://www.jinkscorp.com/hols/thai/pattaya/pre96/images/skybar2_jpg.jpg

Cockpit, sensational cabaret.

Picture 1.. a younger me with a little hair.
http://www.jinkscorp.com/hols/thai/pattaya/cockpit/images/06_jpg.jpg

Picture 2... used and credited on the cover of Michael's Book.
http://www.jinkscorp.com/hols/thai/pattaya/cockpit/images/03_jpg.jpg

And on the roof (before they built penthouses) of The Ambiance Hotel, my first and long time thai friend, Jim.
http://www.jinkscorp.com/hols/thai/pattaya/pre96/images/nirut-kameedee_jpg.jpg

[Marsilius]

jinks: Who is this "Jim" who you say owned ("his bar") the Sky Bar? In 1993, and for at least a couple of years after that, the owner was Ken, a delightful Ulsterman who introduced my partner and I to the delights of Pattaya, and he was followed by Alan and David who were partners until the place finally closed.

[jinks]

http://www.jinkscorp.com/hols/thai/pattaya/pre96/images/jim_jpg.jpg

Jim, was/is an Englishman who ran a small bungalow complex in Gran Canaria.
I stayed there several times. I likable guy with much yonger tastes than mine.
He left the island in a great hurry before the authorities found him.
The reason why cannot be discussed here, it is against the rules.

He ran the Sky bar and refused to pay the boys in blue who raided the bar almost monthly.

They "arrested" all the boys. Jim would then pay the "fines" owed by the boys and they would return.

I only went there twice, mountain goat territory up all those stairs.

Jim left the bar for Sri Lanka - same reason as for leaving Spain.

I met Ken when he had his teeth fixed.