Bangkok scene 25+ years ago

[dab69]

http://web.cruisingforsex.com/bb/thaila ... s-ago.html (http://web.cruisingforsex.com/bb/thailand/327013-bangkok-scene-25-plus-years-ago.html)

incredible read, at least the first posting I had time to read
wow

[Smiles]

Thanks Dab, an interesting read. Noticed that the thread is from 2007 and has Wowpow posting on it.

The frightening this is I was coming to Thailand more that 25 years ago since 1974

No, the frightening thing is that your math is as bad as your English.

....and his memory, BB. Royal Garden Plaza did not open until 1993, "My Macs" hotel was Mr Mac's, the vicar was not a "fugitive", "Luis fastben" wasn't his name, etc, etc!

Bottomsup certainly seems to have got some of his dates and places mixed up.
The hotel in Boyztown was called Best House (not hotel, although it had a hotel licence); there was never a bakery on the Boyz Boyz site - the corner nearest Amor was originally an Irish bar which moved after the site had been purchased by BBB to Pattayaland Soi 2.
Simon's Cabaret Bar was always on the sea-side in Walking Street and never was an hotel - probably thinking of the original Cafe Paris. Cockpit opened in 1982 and Gentlemans in the same year.

For the comprehensive history and listing of gay establishments 1982-2008 see:

Boyztown 1982-2008, obtainable from most Boyztown venues price 600 baht (half of proceeds to Pattaya Gay Festival.

[Marsilius]

My first visit was in October 1993. I stayed at the Royal Garden Hotel (as it then was) and it had only just opened - in fact, hadn't quite been completed.

If you look no date was given for Royal Garden as I was just looking back in time, actually I can remember being in the Royal Garden before then, so I'm sure it was open, I was not giving dates to items, yes 25 years ago I was here, also before then, from 1974 of course I have to spell it out for some of the slow learners here :joker:



until the British news paper, did any expos├й on the 3rd floor of the Royal Garden Plaza around 1988 saying men were picking up young boys there

Oh yes you did you ball licking liar :colors: :colors: :colors: :colors: P.S. Boyztown 1982-2008 is also full of errors the old dears mind must have been going when he wrote it.

[latintopxxx]

Honestly...why is everyone so bitchy lately.....bottoms up has given us a wonderful insight to Thailand as he remembers it...memories do fade or get intertwined....give the guy a break...
I thought it was a bloody good effort, and as someone who is post 40 can relate to the fact that somehow "it was better then" then it is now....

beach bunny...waiting???
andiinoz....dont dissapoint me....

[springco]

Honestly...why is everyone so bitchy lately.....bottoms up has given us a wonderful insight to Thailand as he remembers it...memories do fade or get intertwined....give the guy a break...
I thought it was a bloody good effort, and as someone who is post 40 can relate to the fact that somehow "it was better then" then it is now....


I agree with you latintopxxx. And yes, indeed "'it was better then' than it is now".

Dont worry they have not lived or they would not be so ignorant.
... blah, blah, blah ... bollocks, bollocks, bollocks ...
Then after 1995 till now, The gay scene Involved, the making of Boyz Town and the start of Crazy Pub ....

You are not in a strong position to accuse others of being ignorant !!!
I remember going to Boyz Town in 1990 and it had been going a long time before that.

Bangkok was very much around Malaysia Hotel and Babylon the old one, built like a Gentleman's club ...

And since your memory does not serve you correctly about Bangkok, let me remind you about:
Rome Club, Apollo, Jasmine and Lonely Boy which were all in Silom Soi 4 before Telephone Bar was built.
Harries Bar, The Garden Bar, Zeros (Ceros), The Bamboo Bar, Charlies Hideaway which were all in Silom Soi 2 before DJ Station was built.
Khrua Silom in Soi 2/1, Talat Naam on Silom Road and Tangmo Bar in Silom Soi 1.
Tulip Bar on Soi Convent.
Green Carnation and Super Lex in Silom Soi 6.
Barbeiry on Suriwong Road which then moved to Soi Anumanratchathon off Silom Soi 6 and then went bust,
The Twilight Bar which is no more but after which Soi Twilight is named,
Do you remember the original Tawan Bar on Suriwong road before it moved to its present location on Soi Tarntawan?

So, your statement "Bangkok was very much around Malaysia Hotel and Babylon" is a complete load of :pottytrain5:

Barbeiry and Super Lex were two of my favorite, but I never knew the names of many of the bars I was in, so no good throwing names at me. as long as it had a drink I was there in those days.
You may have been there but you are definitely 'Not All There'

[quote="Bottoms Up":tciyhiez]
Dont worry they have not lived or they would not be so ignorant.
... blah, blah, blah ... bollocks, bollocks, bollocks ...
Then after 1995 till now, The gay scene Involved, the making of Boyz Town and the start of Crazy Pub ....

You are not in a strong position to accuse others of being ignorant !!!
I remember going to Boyz Town in 1990 and it had been going a long time before that.[/quote:tciyhiez]

But it was known as Pattaya Land until a certain Leatal Lady got her hands on some money. P.S. PANORAMA was known then as Just A Friend and much beter run than it is today.

But it was known as Pattaya Land until a certain Leatal Lady got her hands on some money. P.S. PANORAMA was known then as Just A Friend and much beter run than it is today.

The 'Lethal "barbecue" Lady' wasn't the so called brains behind it (her 'living' partner was), and I do recall Singa Beer actually paying for the Boyz Town Sign across the street which was, at the time all to do with a deal about only selling products supplied by that particular company............

:cheers:

P.S. PANORAMA was known then as Just A Friend and much beter run than it is today.

I remember the bar where Panorama is now being called CocoBanana.
I thought Just a Friend bar was on the site of Amor Restaurant - but could be wrong on that.

The five shop units at the top (western) end of Pattayaland Soi 3 were originally intended for one business.
However, the first two (next to New Orleans) became Keyhole - a lady bar - before changing to Amor A-Go-Go and then Amor restaurant. The other three shop houses were opened as Baby Go-Go 3 and lasted just a few days before police closed them down stating that another lady bar was not wanted in a gay street! The premises then became Just-A-Friend, before the lease was sold to
Cocobana who later sold on to Panorama. The shops were, and still are, leasehold.

The five shop units at the top (western) end of Pattayaland Soi 3 were originally intended for one business.
However, the first two (next to New Orleans) became Keyhole - a lady bar - before changing to Amor A-Go-Go and then Amor restaurant. The other three shop houses were opened as Baby Go-Go 3 and lasted just a few days before police closed them down stating that another lady bar was not wanted in a gay street! The premises then became Just-A-Friend, before the lease was sold to
Cocobana who later sold on to Panorama. The shops were, and still are, leasehold.

Thanks for the correction.

[lonelywombat]

Then after 1995 till now, The gay scene Involved, the making of Boyz Town and the start of Crazy Pub, also, who was the first to have a gay venue there, and the only other venue there was opposit, called the California Hotel if my memory is correct. Now In-chat after Miss Sunee her real name.


My first visit to Pattaya in 1990, [Boyztown] Pattayaland was up and running. We found it after seeing the arch over soi 3 from a baht bus going home from the beach. At that time, BBB was open and had been for several years, Cafe Royale was open, my favourite bar in those days Cockpit also had a restaurant on the first floor and Serene was merely a short cut to Beach road. Amor was at that time as was Panorama,a gay bar. I think Amor opened around 94/5

You mentioned Gentlemens Club in soi 1 but there was another, the name escapes me.

In addition to Memories and Adam and Eve was the naked swimming bar that makes the Throb and Copa bar look very tame. One complete wall was a narrow swimming pool up to the roof, with 3 huge portholes through which you watched to boys swim naked, simulate sex and JO. On quiet nights I have watched them have sword fights on the stage using their erections as swords. Next door was an Indonesian restaurant owned by the local rep of Spartucas.

[lonelywombat]

Bottomsup certainly seems to have got some of his dates and places mixed up.
there was never a bakery on the Boyz Boyz site - the corner nearest Amor was originally an Irish bar which moved after the site had been purchased by BBB to Pattayaland Soi 2.


For the comprehensive history and listing of gay establishments 1982-2008 see:

Boyztown 1982-2008, obtainable from most Boyztown venues price 600 baht (half of proceeds to Pattaya Gay Festival.

I have to disagree with you. When I first came back to Pattaya 91/93 I used to stay at Ambience, and used to breakfast at that small cafe and continued for a while after Ambience took it over. Ambience might have owned the premises but it was operated by someone else at that time.

In addition to Memories and Adam and Eve was the naked swimming bar that makes the Throb and Copa bar look very tame. One complete wall was a narrow swimming pool up to the roof, with 3 huge portholes through which you watched to boys swim naked, simulate sex and JO. On quiet nights I have watched them have sword fights on the stage using their erections as swords. Next door was an Indonesian restaurant owned by the local rep of Spartucas.

It was called Nautulus and had price list on the table 400 baht an off needless to say the boys did most of thier work after hours.

In addition to Memories and Adam and Eve was the naked swimming bar that makes the Throb and Copa bar look very tame. One complete wall was a narrow swimming pool up to the roof, with 3 huge portholes through which you watched to boys swim naked, simulate sex and JO. On quiet nights I have watched them have sword fights on the stage using their erections as swords. Next door was an Indonesian restaurant owned by the local rep of Spartucas.

The bar with the tank was called 'Nautilus' built and operated by Barry Bakker a South African theatrical come radio presenter who moved to Pattaya from Hong Kong with his Chinese business partner, Don to open the bar in 1987. They later sold it to an English guy who ran it to the ground and was later found murdered in Pattaya. Barry returned to Hong Kong after selling up about 90 - 91 time but sadly died September 2002.
Dolf Rik, Dutch raised in Indonesia and imprisoned by the Japanese as a teenager was also an author, painter and chef. He was probably one of the founding fathers of fine dining (along with Bruno) in Pattaya. He owned the International restaurant 'Dolf Riks' in the same block as Nautilus Bar. Dolf was not the local rep as such of Spartucus, he might have been mentioned in the book, but actually despised the author after getting to know of his 'tastes'... Dolf later sold his venue to Bruno and retired (actually he opened a small place in Nakula) until he sadly died late '90's of old age. He was an extremely intelligent man who spoke six or more languages fluently, and because he had lived in Pattaya since it was a small fishing village was a wealth of information about the place.....

http://www.humorlinks.com/doubletake/cast.htm

http://www.pattayamail.com/304/continue.htm

:cheers:

[Brad the Impala]

Dolf was indeed a remarkable and kind man who looked after his staff as family. They were his family. In the beginning his restaurant was at the mouth of Walking Street. He was a source of all knowledge about Pattaya and it's residents, and the few other local businessmen often gathered at his bar for a nightcap after their own businesses had closed. Those were the pioneering days in Pattaya in the early seventies.

He later sold his prime location and moved the restaurant inland. The new venue was just as successful, and from there he walked me round one night and introduced me to Nautilus, which was a memorable bar of it's kind. Well described in the post above, the decor matched the name, and the interior design and lighting gave the impression of a submarine.

[lonelywombat]

You mentioned Gentlemens Club in soi 1 but there was another, the name escapes me.



The bar I tried to remember was Why Not

Thanks for this link by PM to an early history of Pattaya .Great read

http://www.spicemag.net/viewarticle.php?article=93

What about the Rainbow with the twins?

Lonelywombat: you are half right about a "bakery" in the end shop of BBB!

When BBB purchased the end shophouse they turned it into a coffee shop called Fairies for Ambience hotel. It was run by Oliver Minto as an employee of BBB who formerly had a small cafe in the soi between Pattayaland 1 and 2. After Oliver left, an Australian lady and then another lady ran the place for some time before BBB decided to move the coffee shop to its present location and incorporated the old coffee shop into the bar. The name was quite offensive for some patrons!

Dolf Riks lived two houses away from me in Naklua in 1985 and I knew him well. After he sold his restaurant to Bruno he tried to run a smaller establishment in Naklua at the end of the soi where he lived; unfortunately, it was too small and too isolated to be successful and his health did not allow him to give it 100 per cent attention. After he died his staff ran it for a short while before it closed through lack of business.

It was an Englishman called Ron who took over Nautilus after Barry left but he spolied the atmosphere there by starting up a cabaret show as well as the swimming show. His murder has never been publicly solved.

The orginial three bars in Pattayaland Soi 1 were Why Not, Gentleman and Number One. In 1985 there was also a bar called Hercules on the other side of the street but it opened and closed that year.

I was the ground landlord of Rainbow in Pattayaland Soi 3 which was above Cockpit Bar; I well remember the twins!

Pattaya, one of the only clubs as so to speak, I suspect lots of bars, was Tiffany, yes the show, it was then a bar/show place, albeit small located at the pier end of the beach in Pattaya, later on in the evening everyone used to go to Simon disco where there used to be a crowd and also a drag show. There was also a gay beach in a secluded area in Wongamat.

The original Tiffanys was next door to Club 69 (just behind) at the end of beach road just a little further on from Siam Beach View [?Shore].
It was in a wooden building and had a swimming pool outside 69's front door. It had relocated to North Pattaya before 1985 although I am not sure when.
Simon Cabaret was on the sea side of Beach Road and was a cabaret show not club; Simon Disco a few doors down carried on after Simon closed and has been replaced by several lady beer bars in a huge barn of a place.

It's nice to look back and remember places and friends that one enjoyed all those years ago, but I can't help thinking about not hearing of any falang business partners mysteriously dying or being imprisoned until certain people turned up on the gay scene in 1987...Perhaps there was but I certainly don't recall anything happening that left a bad taste in the mouth pre '87 time!!!!!!

:cheers:

[Marsilius]

You are too harsh in dismissing Sanook's comments as necessarily "lies".

There have been several long threads on this board in the past (way before May 2009 when I note that you joined our community, Bottoms Up) where well-documented historical events have been explored in exhaustive detail.

One might almost be tempted to say that there's no smoke without fire - though that would perhaps, given the specific allegations, be somewhat tasteless.

I'm sure your hearsay, gossip and kangaroo Courts are not what we were thinking of when we look back to Pattaya of the Past, unless you have proof of your accusations, you should not be speading your lies here. :blackeye:

Is that a royal 'we' ? and pray tell me what accusations and lies am I spreading unless you know of any pre '87 unexplained mysteries that happened.....

:cheers:

[quote="Bottoms Up"You can crawl your can squirm, but you cant hide from your post, that quite clearly is suggesting some one mysteriously died and was may be Imprisoned, by pointing the finger at Innocent people, with no case to answer, as the Pattaya Thai Court said when charges of misdoings was claimed by a certain investigative journalist and the Bangkok post, who was fined heavily, case not proven. So that makes these certain people you accused, Innocent until proven guilty.[/quote]

Thanks for reminding everybody of the alleged 'unsolved' mystery kittycat, I'm so happy it is still all fresh in your (and now everyone else's) mind ....

:cheers:

Yes your right innocent people should be in every ones mind, same as dangerous nasty people who try to whip up lies and deceat should be exsposed like you.

'your'...'deceat'....'exsposed'.... your grammer is like your 'growl or is it a meow kittycat?

:cheers:

Don't you mean PRE 87 POST 87 is 88 onwards

Don't you mean PRE 87 POST 87 is 88 onwards

Well spotted andy, I stand corrected and have duly edited....

:cheers:

[Brad the Impala]

A very impressive sharing of memories, until a little viper, or was it a harmless grass snake, popped it's head up.

I first visited Pattaya in 71, as a slim young hippie, and stayed three months. I visited regularly for the next four or five years, and the first gay bar that I can remember was at what is now the Royal Cliff end of Walking Street, pretty much the last building on the left. It had a swimming pool almost outside the front door, which belonged to a bungalow complex. Inside there were no shows or gogo, but a small bar seating about four people, half a dozen rattan tables and chairs, a dance floor and, of course, a mirror ball. Would gay discos have ever got off the ground without mirror balls? I gather from others memories that this may have been called Club 69. I have no memory of that name, or any other, although I do recall the number for a reason that escapes me.

I did have a plan to develop the bungalow complex(with pool and gay bar) into a gay complex, but I was having a lot of fun, and no one thought that Pattaya could entice the number of gay visitors to make that sort of operation successful, so..................!

I do remember a usual clientele of about ten Thai guys, with between two or no western visitors. The guys, wearing tight tight trousers and platform heels(it was the seventies) loved to dance, nowhere else was playing that 70's disco music in Pattaya at that time, and choreographed, for fun, their own sync line dancing. It was a very chilled and friendly place. I behaved very badly in there one night, because I could, and was drunk and broke a few glasses, they forgave me, but I never quite forgave myself. For statisticians and historians there was no off fee and although the guys there were gay, and I was cute, I would always give a guy a present(probably cash) if we spent time together. Hey, it was a big deal for them to get the fare for the bus to Bangkok, and I had spend a thousand times that much to get to Thailand.

In all my visits, then and since, I never visited the Royal Cliff. Despite their gay managers and despite(or perhaps partly because of) their early and successful promotion of Pattaya as a European Tourist Destination, I never forgave them for taking my beach! It became the Royal Cliff's private beach, but it should never have been shut off to the public like it was. It was a wonderful haven that I visited regularly. I biked out from Pattaya, walked down the cliffs. The sea was pristine, the sand was clean, the beach.......would always be deserted, except for a fisherman or two. But the Royal Cliff destroyed that, perhaps that's progress.

The other greatest place in the early days of Pattaya, the R&R Resort, was the Fantasy Club. It was about half way down Walking Street, on the sea side. It was a wooden building with a large enclosed space and a great balcony overlooking the sea. The point for most of the customers was the girls, but for me it was the fantastic eight or nine piece band. Their music was wonderful, almost entirely cover versions, but what a brass section they had! The guys were friendly, and a couple were cute, and thinking back I must have been a groupie!

For me they were my introduction to the people of Thailand. I had so much fun with them, and learnt a lot about life, but not enough to stay in touch properly. I took my first hesitant steps to learning the Thai language. The dictionary translated a homosexual as a katoey, so that's what I told people I was!

Good god Brad I hadn't started wanking in those days you must be on your last legs you poor thing.

[Brad the Impala]

Good god Brad I hadn't started wanking in those days you must be on your last legs you poor thing.

Yeah, but I've had a lot of fu..........n.

Good god Brad I hadn't started wanking in those days you must be on your last legs you poor thing.

Yeah, but I've had a lot of fu..........n.
What do you do for fun now change your colostomy bag?

[Brad the Impala]

Good god Brad I hadn't started wanking in those days you must be on your last legs you poor thing.

Yeah, but I've had a lot of fu..........n.
What do you do for fun now change your colostomy bag?

You are looking for a reaction, and you have got one. Moved to Ignore.