Just a wee snippet from behind the scenes of the Pattaya bars/boys.
To what extent do Thai boys (and Laos/Cambodian), bar boys in particular discuss their customers with each other? We've always known that boys from the same bar will likely discuss their experiences with us if you off more than one boy from the same bar. This trip while chatting jokingly and generally with a couple of the regular bar boys I know well in Sunee, it was interesting when they turned the topic to gossiping (in general) among the boys themselves but went onto include customers in the subject. Interesting to know how the information flows....and it does! In Sunee for example there are 3 bars adjacent to each other where freelancers base themselves but happily use one of the other bars if needs be. So they inter mingle along with the salaried bar lads and certainly discuss customer 'traits' when interacting, stopping for a chat when passing each others bars or at the food carts/7-11 etc....
When bf and I have had a heavy night out on the town, he most usually avoids the bars the next night, preferring to having friends over to chat/eat or out to movies, BigC or markets, so I'm out on the ran-dan on my own as I don't normally miss a single night out during a Pattaya stay. Occasionally if I fancy going on somewhere, but not alone and the farang friend of my bfs best pal is 'out of commission', will take one of the waiters I have known for a good while in a couple of the sunee bars with me. More often on a quiet night one or other of them will simply say "Newalaan2 I'm really bored tonight! can I go somewhere with you? you have freedom tonight?" and if i'm planning on going around and on for a bit of company will take them with me. Sometimes (actually rarely) will offer to pay small off fee just to 'keep things right' with the bar, but usually the bar bosses will just say 'no problem' to go with me, and if he's a freelancer it's a given. But politeness, and adopting the Thai way of things, no matter how insincere always gives you brownie points.
I'm comfortable with 2-3 regular lads who have the same likes as myself e.g. any kind of thai music, Morlam and even live western rock bands and aren't phased about turning up at a girlie bar with me to catch up with some of my Thai musician friends in bands around town, so can have fun night out at places bf probably wouldn't be so keen on as I don't only visit boy/gay bars when in town. So took one of the Cambodian boys from Euro Boys one night, and we had a great time down Walking St and around town. He said he really enjoyed it as he visited places he would never go to on his own or even with friends so it was different, but he said the next day/night at work he had everyone in the bar keen to know what we got up to, where we went, was I stingy? did he sleep with me? etc.. not only boys from his own bar but from all the three bars which are interconnected. He is a very polite, more quiet lad well liked by other boys and customers alike so he gave away very little, but he said the pressure to tell all was relentless! This quizzing just happened as boys passed by, came and went throughout the evening. But where most of the gossip likely goes on is at a small bar probably known by some expat/regulars but unknown to most just outside Sunee. It is a 'Yaa Dong' bar where they serve cheap booze in the form of local hootch dressed up as 'cocktails' shots and cheap whisky Hong Thong and the likes. Mostly in Issan the 'go to' drinks for cheap alcohol are Lao Khao /white whisky and Lao Dong Yaa. Lao Dong Ya is abbreviated to 'Yaa Dong' (bar) to describe a place which sells it. There is one similar establishment in Jomtien adjacent to The Venue across from the side of Sun Bar where they can also get food. But the one I refer to is just outside Sunee in the Soi across from the old Colonial Bar previously dubbed Soi YaaBaa, where Monty had a bar/restaurant a few years back. This Yaa Dong bar is open most of the evening but does most trade from about 1.30am onwards when the bars close and the bar boys want to 'unwind' have a bit of fun and a drink in a cheap and cheerful place if not enough money to share a night at Sinlapin/NAB or no sponsor has offered during the evening.
Often for a 'nightcap' I will sit at Forest House Bar after 1.30-2am to round off the evening before heading back to the room which is on the 'Yaa Dong' route, and when sat there a few of the passing lads I know will 'invite' me to 'Yaa Dong!' Never been there yet and doubt if I ever will even though it also sells beer as well as the concoctions as I'm pretty sure an 'invite' is just a precursor to an offer to pick up some of the tab rather than desperation to be in my company. Some know who a couple of my favourite lads around sunee are and will often try to use that as 'bait' "Newalaan2! see you in Yaa Dong! Cambodian A or Thai B will be there" So I guess it's here after they have consumed even more alcohol most gossip flows, not only about we customers but also about their own as we all know just how bitchy they can be at times!
Anyway just an aside regarding Pattaya bar boy life after we're out of the way safely tucked up in our Pattaya beds, and just a heads-up that if you do get an invite to one of these very late night/early morning bars, think twice before taking them up on it, unless you get branded alcohol the stuff offered will be absolutely lethal on top of a night of 'normal' drinking! Your potential hang-over could last days! It really wouldn't be worth it.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by francois
