Alaan
July 9th, 2009, 05:05
Just back from a 3week+ visit to Thailand and just posting some updates and thoughts on my visit which included Bkk Pattaya, Chiang Mai/Sukothai and Issan.
Bangkok was probably the quietest i have experienced yet after about 30+ trips.
One plus point though, was a return visit to The Om Yim guesthouse at the start of my stay..the last visit was a couple or so years ago when it first opened and i was dubious whether the cheaper quality finish in the rooms would stand up to the test of time or fade quickly from new to tired. I decided to try it for a night just to see as i noticed from their web-site they had a large room and one thing which had put me off returning was that the rooms were quite small for me ....... Well i was happy to find that there was no real deterioration and the place was just fine.
Our room bed-area was good size...bathroom was standard size but everything worked ok with good water pressure. There are seats as well as the bed in the room and also a kitchen area which has a large table for dining and can seat 6. As well as microwave, kettle, refridgerator, roomsafe etc... The normal cost is Bt1500 which to me is a real bargain for silom area with BTS right on the doorstep for the size of room. There was a 20% off promotion when i stayed which reduced the room to Bt1275. With free breakfast inc. I have to say that i will stay here again at the start of my next visit in Sept sometime. So for those looking for a reasonably priced room close to silom/suriwong attractions i do recommend the Om Yim.
I also stayed at the Tarntawan.........at the end of my visit.......and again i was very comfortable and happy here. Summer special price of Bt2200 per night was agreeable as well. This was the only place which seemed as busy as i would expect.
Soi Twilight is normally very quiet mid-to late afternoon but this time it was dead. Only myself sitting at Dicks for G+T at 4pm.... but spoiled for choice with the Bonny masseurs when i went for massage.
Went back to Soi Twilight in the evening to find it very quiet...the non-gogo bars such as Maxiis where it is normally difficult to find a seat on the terrace only had myself/bf and another table of 3-4. We went to one gogo bar...Boys of Bangkok/Dream boys which i had never visited in the ten years of trips to Thailand. We were in fact ushered up to Dream boys first.. decent line up of guys.. and the show was ok.
The venue was much busier than i expected....having been sitting in the soi for the last few minutes and seeing the small numbers going to and fro... it was maybe more than half full...with mostly asian customers... when the show finished we were ushered down to Boys Bkk bar with our drinks.. and another show from which we departed half way through ......
We headed to another gay area i rarely go to.... which was silom soi 4... the Balcony terrace was quite busy and the Telephone Bar opposite reasonably busy.... but the rest of the soi was dead. had a couple of nice cocktails here then got a meter taxi (after 2 refusals to turn on the meter:some things never change)... to Rachada soi 8.
Hollywood first which was about 80% full...but we were disappointed with the band and dancers choice of music... little known western numbers and only a couple of good thai songs... not a patch on Pattaya hollywood imho. Then onto G-Star...now that was packed to the rafters!... partying groups of thai boys having great fun! my thai partner was there for the first time and really enjoyed it. Then in by Rachada soi8 pub on the way out for a last 'one for the road' beer... it was very busy too.
Even Suriwong road itself was very quiet compared to the usual madness there...very little traffic and the patpong gogos and bars were very quiet...with every waiter/mamasan/owner complaining about very low farang and chinese numbers.... and all blaming swine flu/yellow shirts/red shirts/ bad publicity with thai scams... i NEVER get into political debates... and on this visit i spent much of my converstaion time either trying to change subjects or feigning misunderstanding...(lazy i know...but its the easiest)...luckily my bf cant be bothered with the politics either.
On my first night i also went to a music for life pub in Lad Prao...and later to Gstar. I have to say all the thai for thai clubs and pubs in Bkk we visited were every bit as busy and full of fun loving guys, gals and-those-in-between as usual but the places which relied on visitors.....farang/asian were very quiet indeed. Low of a low season.
Of course the Soi twilight gogos just dont help themselves either.....with the bt220-bt250 per drink alcoholic or soft.... 2 drinks each with your bf is bt1000... whereas you can pop into Solid have a waiter and 2 boys sit with you for bt400. @4 x bt100 per drink. And although i dont usually bother to comment on the doormen tactics in soi twilight as you just get used to seeing it.....on this occasion they were a complete nightmare... EVERY potential customer was badly harrassed.. i dont let it bother me because i usually just steam through the soi with bf in hand to where we have decide to go without a second glance... but all of the Asian customers Thai/chinese/japanese etc.. as they are much politer get forced into bars...frogmarched in some cases only to reappear out again within 2 minutes...or struggle to keep the polite asian smile...turning more into a 'please fuck off' look... Each of these gogo bars would easily get a fair share of the meandering/wondering potental customers if they were left alone to decide where to go by themselves...but all of this pushing, pulling and shouting...i think now is SERIOUSLY putting off potential customers from even entering the soi....let alone their gogo bars....
Well i suppose nothing exciting here to report really.....just a few observations from my visit in June.
Bangkok was probably the quietest i have experienced yet after about 30+ trips.
One plus point though, was a return visit to The Om Yim guesthouse at the start of my stay..the last visit was a couple or so years ago when it first opened and i was dubious whether the cheaper quality finish in the rooms would stand up to the test of time or fade quickly from new to tired. I decided to try it for a night just to see as i noticed from their web-site they had a large room and one thing which had put me off returning was that the rooms were quite small for me ....... Well i was happy to find that there was no real deterioration and the place was just fine.
Our room bed-area was good size...bathroom was standard size but everything worked ok with good water pressure. There are seats as well as the bed in the room and also a kitchen area which has a large table for dining and can seat 6. As well as microwave, kettle, refridgerator, roomsafe etc... The normal cost is Bt1500 which to me is a real bargain for silom area with BTS right on the doorstep for the size of room. There was a 20% off promotion when i stayed which reduced the room to Bt1275. With free breakfast inc. I have to say that i will stay here again at the start of my next visit in Sept sometime. So for those looking for a reasonably priced room close to silom/suriwong attractions i do recommend the Om Yim.
I also stayed at the Tarntawan.........at the end of my visit.......and again i was very comfortable and happy here. Summer special price of Bt2200 per night was agreeable as well. This was the only place which seemed as busy as i would expect.
Soi Twilight is normally very quiet mid-to late afternoon but this time it was dead. Only myself sitting at Dicks for G+T at 4pm.... but spoiled for choice with the Bonny masseurs when i went for massage.
Went back to Soi Twilight in the evening to find it very quiet...the non-gogo bars such as Maxiis where it is normally difficult to find a seat on the terrace only had myself/bf and another table of 3-4. We went to one gogo bar...Boys of Bangkok/Dream boys which i had never visited in the ten years of trips to Thailand. We were in fact ushered up to Dream boys first.. decent line up of guys.. and the show was ok.
The venue was much busier than i expected....having been sitting in the soi for the last few minutes and seeing the small numbers going to and fro... it was maybe more than half full...with mostly asian customers... when the show finished we were ushered down to Boys Bkk bar with our drinks.. and another show from which we departed half way through ......
We headed to another gay area i rarely go to.... which was silom soi 4... the Balcony terrace was quite busy and the Telephone Bar opposite reasonably busy.... but the rest of the soi was dead. had a couple of nice cocktails here then got a meter taxi (after 2 refusals to turn on the meter:some things never change)... to Rachada soi 8.
Hollywood first which was about 80% full...but we were disappointed with the band and dancers choice of music... little known western numbers and only a couple of good thai songs... not a patch on Pattaya hollywood imho. Then onto G-Star...now that was packed to the rafters!... partying groups of thai boys having great fun! my thai partner was there for the first time and really enjoyed it. Then in by Rachada soi8 pub on the way out for a last 'one for the road' beer... it was very busy too.
Even Suriwong road itself was very quiet compared to the usual madness there...very little traffic and the patpong gogos and bars were very quiet...with every waiter/mamasan/owner complaining about very low farang and chinese numbers.... and all blaming swine flu/yellow shirts/red shirts/ bad publicity with thai scams... i NEVER get into political debates... and on this visit i spent much of my converstaion time either trying to change subjects or feigning misunderstanding...(lazy i know...but its the easiest)...luckily my bf cant be bothered with the politics either.
On my first night i also went to a music for life pub in Lad Prao...and later to Gstar. I have to say all the thai for thai clubs and pubs in Bkk we visited were every bit as busy and full of fun loving guys, gals and-those-in-between as usual but the places which relied on visitors.....farang/asian were very quiet indeed. Low of a low season.
Of course the Soi twilight gogos just dont help themselves either.....with the bt220-bt250 per drink alcoholic or soft.... 2 drinks each with your bf is bt1000... whereas you can pop into Solid have a waiter and 2 boys sit with you for bt400. @4 x bt100 per drink. And although i dont usually bother to comment on the doormen tactics in soi twilight as you just get used to seeing it.....on this occasion they were a complete nightmare... EVERY potential customer was badly harrassed.. i dont let it bother me because i usually just steam through the soi with bf in hand to where we have decide to go without a second glance... but all of the Asian customers Thai/chinese/japanese etc.. as they are much politer get forced into bars...frogmarched in some cases only to reappear out again within 2 minutes...or struggle to keep the polite asian smile...turning more into a 'please fuck off' look... Each of these gogo bars would easily get a fair share of the meandering/wondering potental customers if they were left alone to decide where to go by themselves...but all of this pushing, pulling and shouting...i think now is SERIOUSLY putting off potential customers from even entering the soi....let alone their gogo bars....
Well i suppose nothing exciting here to report really.....just a few observations from my visit in June.