Where do you find sex?
James Barnes reflects on why some bars are not doing so well and others are enjoying brisk trade...
The internet is a modern miracle that has transformed the way we live our lives. Shopping for clothes, planning our holidays and even booking cinema tickets are quick and easy, online. A wealth of research is but a swift Google away, social networking sites connect millions of тАШfriendsтАЩ and, although I cannot fathom how, according to the news networks, Facebook and the like are now pivotal in the revolution tagged, the Arab Spring. Of course, the web has always been a font of pornography but now, it is being used increasingly to arrange real sexual encounters.
Gay Romeo, Gaydar, Camfrog and Gay.com are the most popular тАШhook upтАЩ sites here in Thailand and certain bar owners have suggested that they are negatively affecting business. No off fees, no need to pay for booze, no need even to venture out. The convenience of arranging trysts from the comfort of a hotel room and the prospect of saving a few baht, threaten their businesses, they say. This is mostly a myth.
Travellers are certainly used to digitally organising their sex lives back home but back home they donтАЩt have go-go bars. The novelty of being away on holiday and going out to tour the bars, have a drink or three and selecting a cute guy from a stage will always beat the lonely pursuit of thrills on the net. There are so many disadvantages, online. Your would-be amour needs to be trusted. Is the age on his online profile truthful? Is that moist young man displayed, showing a recent picture or was it taken when he was young and lovely, twenty-five years ago? Is it even him? Reports of online beauty who knock on the door as beasts abound.
But, more importantly (even more important than beauty!), security is a real worry. If a guy is taken from a bar and causes a problem, at least the customer can go back there and have some recourse. Internet connections have no security and there is no comeback if you find yourself hosting a thief- or worse. Violence has resulted from internet hook ups. The service provider may have no more than a hotmail address to identify the perpetrator and will certainly disclaim all responsibility.
While the bars suffer a downturn, the massage spas report an increase in business. How can this be if the problem is online dating? Those bars with fewer customers have to look to themselves for the answer to their woes. Are the drinks prices a rip off? Is the music being played too loud and there to entertain the staff or the customers? Are the тАШshowsтАЩ old hat, boring and lacklustre? Could the place do with a facelift and are the lavatories clean? There are plenty of bars that are getting it right and they are the ones who enjoy a brisk trade.
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