The Bangkok Nightlife Guide

[Skylab]

**I wrote this awhile ago on another site and thought it'd be useful to repost this here since the other site is dead. Hope this is useful!**

I'm going to try to write about the nightlife scene here in Bangkok. Since I'm still new to the city, please feel free to add any other suggestions and I'll add them. Simple newbie guide that hopefully will save you money and time.

1) Always use a meter when getting a taxi. You will save a lot if you do this. You will get ripped off if you don't. The following is exactly what to do. Any variation and your outcome is your own doing.

Before you get in, open the passenger front door and look at the driver and say "your destination" (ex Soi Cowboy) then when his head is nodding YES say "METER" when he says yes, hop in, if he says NO then close the door and wait for the next taxi. TUK TUKS ARE BAD!

2) This is obvious but only bring what you need for a night out. It's easy to over spend and very easy to lose everything you have in this city.

3) Always look at the numbers on your currency when making a purchase. New money, bad lighting, bit drunk, distracted by great prices/beautiful women can easily lead you to hand a 1000 baht note out of thinking it's a 100 or 500 note and possibly not getting the right change back.

4) Polite, easy going with care-free smile, bit of a laugh will go a long way to making your night a winner! Thai people lose face when forced with conflict and so will be the first to let most problems off with a laugh, laugh with them.

5) Sukhumvit street is the most popular street in Bangkok. Take this road in any direction and you will find thousands of bars, clubs, resturants, and more. Take note most bars close at 2am-3am. You can find places that serve alcohol till later but it will most likely be underground.

6) Eh women dont have adams apple. If they over accentuate female gestures and look perfect... Advance cautiously.

7) To start a night go to Soi 11 street and go to a place called CHEAP CARLIES. Have a drink there and chill outside for a bit. Beer is cheap.

8) Turn left out of Soi 11 and continue down Sukhumvit. You'll come to Asoke. It's a very busy road that you would not run across. Walk across the road turning left up to it and take your 1st right. You're now at Soi Cowboy.

Soi Cow. The only bar that is NOT a girly bar is the 1st one on the left called Country Roads. It's like a Thai Honky Tonk (Country like bar) a place to leave the folks that don't want to see the gogos.

9) Best girly show you see here is "Susie Wongs" down on the right side of Soi Cowboy. Starts about 10:30pm. Drinks are about 140 baht. Plan to stay about 45 minutes. Then walk out across the street to Shiba's. Have a drink there. Then go out and have a go at a couple that you fancy. The ones I told you about are the best, the class factor drops a lot in othe others.

10) Get a taxi to Pat Pong. From Soi Cowboy it should be 60 to 70 baht. Pat Pong stays legally open till 3am and has a mix of all the clubs. Gogos, lady boys, live music, dance floor, and the infamous Ping Pong Ball Show. This is the ONLY area that Ping Pong shows are at.

A note about ping pong ball shows. This is your night so do what you want. This is as shifty as it gets in Bangkok. Do it once in your life and thats it. Secure the price of drinks and the price of the floor show. DO NOT let any girl working there sit whatever they are drinking at your table. Try to pay as you order. No tab. When the outrageous tab comes, pay what was agreed at your table. Pay no attention to their dramatics as you tell them that you will call the Tourist police #1155 and let them come to decide. Nights like these you will never forget.

11) By 3am there is nothing left that can serv you drinks. Next best thing is to go to an underground club to finish the night off.

Spicy Club. There's no address as its underground. Just jump into a taxi and say SPICY and if he doesn't know then find another taxi. Taxi is free as they get communsission from bringing you there. The cover is 300 baht which includes 1 free drink. If you're in a group its best to buy a bottle for the table which is about 2500 baht. There's another underground club called BOSS although in my honest opinion it's not as good as SPICY. Don't expect the venues I mentioned to be all that great for the ear. With a few drinks though, you'll dance to whatever is on.

12) If you want talented international DJ's then I suggest you check out QBar and Bed Supper. There's are much more classy places and may have a dress code.

13) Let's say you've got yourself a Thai girl from the streets or a venue... How much for her? If a freelancer then about 1000-1500 baht will be the asking price depending on your bargaining capabilities, it some situations it could go down to nothing.

About every girl you see walking around is hooking but on friday and saturday night you get about 20% that are looking for fun with a western guy. These girls have a good job, have their own place, and come slumming. You will know if you have one of these girls for they will PAY for everything. All you drink, smoke, eat.. they do this to show that they are not hookers. You will porobably be taken home by them (nice, usually) and have a great time. If she does too, you may meet up again and she will take you out and show you some great places that only Thai people know to party at.

Bar fines.. Some places to take a girl away from you have to pay the house a bar fine. About 600 baht. Then you strike the price with the girl. bar fines are a good thing as if anything goes wrong you can complain to someone and usually something will be done to make things right. With freelancers you don't have this option. Kinda like a hooker insurance.

14) If you want to meet white people, go to Kao San Road. Just tell any taxi that's where you want to go. Dozens of bars and resturants. Party is jumping here around 11pm till 3am. You can hang out on the street after with everyone else. It's a great road to meet people from other countries since nearly everyone there are backpackers. In the morning time you'll see dozens of backpackers either leaving or coming into Bangkok for the first time. Be aware this street caters to foreigners so the prices are raised dramatically. Go a block away and get beer from 711 or a local shop to pregame.

15) Remember that Bangkok is a big smoke and is not a good representation of most of Thailand or its people. Don't contribute to its polution. Also fdon't do anything bad to anything representing the King, religious people, or artifacts, or the Kingdom of Thailand.

HAVE FUN AND MOST OF ALL BE SAFE!

[babyskin]

going to Google 'ping pong show'