Just back from Pattaya.

[gerefan2]

Posh...the Arabs holiday in Pattaya in their hot season. At the moment it is cool there...so no Arabs. Have no fear they will be back in June.

The Ruskies used to get 1baht for one Rouble. Now they only get 0.5 baht per Rouble.
Have no fear they won’t be back any time soon.

[poshglasgow]

I remember when I first visited Pattaya in 1993 £1 was worth about 38 Baht!! Later, around 2003/2004, it reached a heady 70 Baht.
Why so low at present (43 to £1)? Brexit? Low interest rates in the UK? Strong Thai currency?

[FarangRuMak]

I remember when I first visited Pattaya in 1993 £1 was worth about 38 Baht!! Later, around 2003/2004, it reached a heady 70 Baht.
Why so low at present (43 to £1)? Brexit? Low interest rates in the UK? Strong Thai currency?

The baht is surprisingly strong against western currencies over the last few years.
I've often been told that it's "tied to the dollar" but I have to admit I don't have a clue what that means.
Anyone out there can explain why it has strenghened against the £ for instance-even long before Brexit became likely?
I suspect that the Thai economy is doing ok such as it is (though wages are low by western standards) and it did not buy into big big debt craze that brought about the 2008 crash.

[frequent]

I've often been told that it's "tied to the dollar" but I have to admit I don't have a clue what that means.

Strictly speaking it means that as the US dollar fluctuates against other currencies, the baht fluctates in the same way. Since however the baht has fluctuated considerably against the US dollar over the course of the past few years, it clearly is not tied to the US dollar. But it sounds good, so ignorant people will parrot it

[arsenal]

The entire world economy has shifted towards Asia over the last decade and Thailand has been part of that. With 4.5 billion people it's not surprising.

[poshglasgow]

Given that when I was in Pattaya two weeks ago, and found that many of the go-go bars were depressingly empty, I mulled over the possible reasons. I kept coming back to what I think is having the greatest negative impact on gogo bar takings: the mobile hook-up sites like Grindr and Hornet seem to me to be the main suspects.

The subsequent drain on "off" revenue (in the region of 400 baht per off these days) which the bars were almost assured of before the advent of these apps and the widespread use of smartphones among the boys, must be crippling. When I visited the bars, many of the guys were standing on the stage, phone in hand, quite possibly arranging farang hook-ups after work or at the beach / hotel the next day, without the bar receiving any kind of benefit.

It's all so depressing really. I found nothing of the energy, excitement and vibrant atmosphere that pervaded these clubs in the past; just a collection of bored, listless young men, some on their phones, others staring at customers and nodding their heads, while others were taking more than a modest interest in the wall mirrors. Whatever happened, for example, to the spontaneous gymnastics that saw the boys suddenly hang upside down from the chrome poles, and countless other captivating displays of vitality and youth? However, on the positive side, it's the go-go bars that will offer the greatest opportunity to examine the goods before purchase. We have all heard the stories of the stunning photo on a boy's Grindr profile bearing no resemblance to the dreadful apparition that knocks on the hotel room door!

[Tintin]

I came to the same conclusion. If you compare it with the situation of 30 or 20 or just 10 years ago, then the atmosphere in the bars of today is really depressing (with a few exceptions). However, I like to see what I get, and therefore I still prefer the bars over the apps.

[a447]

However, I like to see what I get, and therefore I still prefer the bars over the apps.

And it is for that very reason that I think gogo bars will survive.

Although what you see in the bar is sometimes not what you get in the room, it's still the best way to judge whether or not the guy is worth the risk.

I've only ever used the apps once - in Prague - and I remember being very nervous as to what kind of guy would actually turn up. Luckily, he matched his profile perfectly and all went very well.

But what if the guy doesn't match his profile? What do you do then? I would find it very difficult to turn him away. There would be a massive loss of face.

So going to the bars saves me from all that stress. And there are surely many others who think the same.

[francois]

Tonight I visited Winner Bar in Sunee Plaza and the atmosphere was much like that of the good old days. Many patrons and many boyz and lots of fun.

[newalaan2]

Tonight I visited Winner Bar in Sunee Plaza and the atmosphere was much like that of the good old days. Many patrons and many boyz and lots of fun.

Good to hear that. Reasonable drink prices being one of the reasons it attracts a decent custom for the area. The level of pricing encourages customers to shell out for a few drinks for the boys and instead of just having one for themselves and on to the next bar, also encourages customers to stay a bit longer, which in turn keeps the boys interested. On my last trip in October which is more low season it did good business some nights, what I noticed was many of the farang customers were fairly generous on the drink and tip front, as they are in Euro Boys bar when it is busy. That's something I didn't notice when in the BT bars.