Number of Cambodian boys at Home and Sun bars
Each time I visit Jomtien over the last 12 months, I notice the number of Cambodian boys greeting passersby, out the front of these two bars. Numbers of boys are down in front of almost all bars, but not here.
I mentioned to my dinner companions ,and it was wiped away as
"they all come from Siem Reap, and want to gossip in their own language"
I did not mention this was not what I had seen.
My friend who is using a stick to assist his slow walking was staying at Poseiden. Next night we walked to Dolce Vita for a few drinks and noticed the Home and Sun boys did chat but in the main stood in the path or sat on plastic stools. From where we sat there seemed to be 20 boys between the two bars plus boys upstairs we could not see.
At dinner several nights later at Poseiden we met as a group again and I raised the subject . Same guy dismissed the story and said the owners pay all the boys every night.
Doing the sums that did not make sense.
We figured about 4 boys a night being offed. Maybe after 11 when we left, there may be a few more.
So we went to Home next night for a few drinks. The boy that looked after us was pleasant, not restuarant standard but good service. Later we later asked how he got paid.
He does not get paid but there are boys who do and they share the tip money left in folder paying the bill. We found out he gets the tip if left on top of the folder.
He also qualifies for an off fee upstairs or leaving for outside. All boys must charge 300 baht for off.
It started to rain and we missed a few nights but went back again to find out more. There are two rates 100 baht a night if arrive at 4pm or nothing if come later. Rates vary but could not get more info,but some boys go off almost every night.
Between just these two bars we counted at 10pm 32 boys. As we walked back to Poseiden the number of boys available was less than over a dozen bars.
This was coming into monsoon season. We noticed when it started to rain all the boys shifted the tables chairs or cushions, inside without being directed. After the rain pased away out they came and reset.
It will be interesting to see if the numbers grow much more in high season
Re: Number of Cambodian boys at Home and Sun bars
Quote:
Originally Posted by
lonelywombat
All boys must charge 300 baht for off.
It started to rain and we missed a few nights but went back again to find out more. There are two rates 100 baht a night if arrive at 4pm or nothing if come later.
Lonely, Is it 300 Baht per off or 100 Baht or nothing if come later.?
Re: Number of Cambodian boys at Home and Sun bars
Francois. It's 300 baht off fee at anytime. The boys get 100 baht salary if they get to work at 4.00pm but nothing if they choose to arrive later.
Re: Number of Cambodian boys at Home and Sun bars
Ok, I did not fully understand Wombat's post. Thanks arsenal.:heart:
Re: Number of Cambodian boys at Home and Sun bars
how can one tell they are cambodian...all look the same..bit like trying to distinguish between germans and dutch...same...same...
Re: Number of Cambodian boys at Home and Sun bars
We discussed that with the boys we were talking to.
The owner is quite interested in Cambodia. He did have a hotel in Siem Reap that did not take off.
There is perhaps another possibility in Phnom Penh.
Re: Number of Cambodian boys at Home and Sun bars
I find nothing surprising in the first post.
If a bar was going to pay the minimum wage (330 baht or whatever it is now), purely for acting as waiters serving customers, then most of these bars would have to cut the headcount down to 2~3 people.
However, the bars are stuffed full of cute young lads who are supposed to make their money by getting tips for sitting with customers 100 baht at a time, or by renting their ass out for 1000+ per time.
Of course, this may have some seasonality to it, so if they cannot make enough over the calender year, then it's time to find a new career.
Those who are doing it need to be fortunate enough to look cute & after that, they need to work at it by being friendly with customers and if they do get an off, deliver sufficient service to ensure they stand a good chance of a repeat off with the same client.
This is how capitalism works. The system offers them way better opportunities than some communist regimes have offered. For example the Khmer Rouge, or the Vietnamese government in the 19980s before they introduced some market reforms (remember all the Vietnamese boat people).
Re: Number of Cambodian boys at Home and Sun bars
This system is common in about all Thai bars-the boys have to earn their ''salary'' at least by the nr. of offs they can produce-during the month. Same for most m2m massageshops. or in an adapted form in about all THai shops as such, whatever they sell (on commission). How/what they do among themselves is of course up to them. In the past most bars would simply dismiss a boy who was (repeatedly) not able to earn his keep. There were/are also penalties to be paid (or rather withdrawn form salary) for not turning up, being late or whatever.
Its with a little experience (and nice to see you keep going on here, dear latin) quite easy to see and even more to hear the difference between real Thai and Khmer-much easier as between Thai/Isany and Lao or even between most Thai and normal Bahma-Burmese.
Re: Number of Cambodian boys at Home and Sun bars
Quote:
Originally Posted by
pong
Its with a little experience (and nice to see you keep going on here, dear latin) quite easy to see and even more to hear the difference between real Thai and Khmer-much easier as between Thai/Isany and Lao or even between most Thai and normal Bahma-Burmese.
Read this four times and again
What the hell are you talking about. Even if I guess, such a long way off topic.
Re: Number of Cambodian boys at Home and Sun bars
I dislike the complex because it is full of fem twinks shreiking and grabing your arm as you walk by thankfully the two bars mentioned here have mostly Cambodian manly boys......