What on earth happened to Nana Plaza?

[OneMoreFarang]

45 minutes ago, shaggy851 said:

Even head to nonthaburi for a change of scenery places like audition bar have hundreds of fresh girls

Do you have more information about that place? Sounds interesting.

[TSF]

1 hour ago, jamie2009 said:

Thai Bar Owners dont seem to realise by playing Thai music, rock or Issan very loud they won’t attract Farang customers.

Another point is in general it’s an older tourist who come too Thailand and whilst they like music they like background western music so you can have a conversation.

 

Yep, see it all the time. Last year I walked passed this beer garden place near Big C Pattaya Tai, there were about a dozen farang in there with 2 or 3 tables pushed together with beer bottles on the table. Then an hour later when I finished shopping I walked passed the same place. The Thai singer had come to work by this time and was sitting there with his guitar and amp and singing his heart out...to nobody, all the farang were gone. Makes you wonder about the owners some times, can't they put 2 and 2 together? Or is their mindset so pro-Thai/anti-foreign that they just lay the blame on the farang?

[starfarm]

20 hours ago, lovelomsak said:

You are so right. It used to be so much fun.Not sophisticated at all in the old days. Just raw fun. Now it is like an entertainment for guys who never got out of the house till after the kids were married.It used to rock in the late 80's and early 90's. Then it went wide open in your face crazy which was fun too. Now it is like they think Hooters  is fun. the places are boring and I mean boring now.

  I always found Cowboy better and now if they can get the coyotes out it will still be better. Cowboy has always been more thai style. Just raw lets get down to it fun.

  I just skip Bangkok now got direct to Pattaya . I love the Windmill it is all the things that were fun wrapped up in one place but more pricey than it used to be but still can have old time fun.

I visited Nana Plaza a few weeks ago. I left very early. It was my impression that there were very few girls but a lot of ladyboys. And hardly any customers.

[Tongjaw]

10 hours ago, mstevens said:

 

So true.  It did use to be a fun place to go but now it feels seedy, sad and in some ways depressing.  Cowboy started changing when they dressed it up with beautiful neon.  Sure, it looks a sight - and any first timer might be impressed but the vibe is not one of fun at all.

Fully agree. Dropped in a month ago when they where still doing some building work in the middle. Was with 2 old mates who warned me it had changed for the worse. Oh how right they where too, no fun at all. When I lived in BKK for a year 2006 - 2007 I was quite a regular then and had a blast. We ended up in Cowboy and although I find that’s changed we did have a better time. 

[PerkinsCuthbert]

Last time I had fun inside a bar on the 'Boy was 2001. Now I only go once in a while to remind myself how to get a splitting headache and ignored.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 minute ago, PerkinsCuthbert said:

Last time I had fun inside a bar on the 'Boy was 2001. Now I only go once in a while to remind myself how to get a splitting headache and ignored.

You do something wrong there. Maybe next time don't drink so much yourself and buy the girls some drinks. That will improve the situation considerably.

[Thaidream]

Nana Plaza is in its death throes-  the bars are run poorly and the girls are found by agencies and have no reason to be interested in making the bar successful.  It used to be the owner found the girls themselves from their home province and had a relationship because of that.  Everybody looked after each other.   The girls are much older; more interested  in smart phones and lady drinks and could care less about anytype of fun- even if it was acting.  They are not even good actors anymore.

 

I expect that one day soon Nanz Plaza will cease to exist- the  land is much too valuable and once the land owner realizes the golden days of Nanaz are long gone- he will sell the whole place to a developer who will build another mall or condo complex.

 

Cowboy is much better but it also has seen its better days. Most of the old time bar owners have sold out and been replaced by those who have no idea how to run a bar or cater to a foreign crowd.   I was down there a few weeks back and saw big crowds in the street- mostly Asian tourists but when I entered a few of the bars- no customers. 

 

I expect Cowboy will also eventually close or relocate- Again, it exists on valuable land and someone is going to figure that getting a one time big payout beats having to settle leases constantly.

 

The best places to go are nowhere near Nana or Cowboy or Patpong or even Pattaya. A few have already been stated in the thread. However, many punters give Thailand a pass altogether and head for  Angeles City in the Philippines;  Cambodia or Vietnam. Thailand doesn't care- it's got the Chinese to replace the punters- so it thinks.

 

[PerkinsCuthbert]

2 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

You do something wrong there. Maybe next time don't drink so much yourself and buy the girls some drinks. That will improve the situation considerably.

I gave up buying drinks even earlier, around 1987. If you'd been around then you'd know why.

[seancbk]

18 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

About the music: The problem for many bars is to get girls. And to make sure the girls stay in that place. Many customers agree they don't like the music. But the girls like it and if the bars play other music then the girls will possibly work in another place which plays the music they like.

 

The coyote situation is similar: It is difficult for many places to hire girls and make sure the girls stay. It's a lot easier for the owners and managers to hire a couple of coyote girls from a coyote supplier. The girls are more expensive for the bar and they are more expensive for the customer. But it's better to have expensive coyotes compared to no girls at all. And if coyotes quit, no problem, the supplier will get some new girls.

 

 

I'm pretty sure the girls don't really care that much about the music.   My friends and I all like the dance music and the improvements to the bar.  They are becoming a lot less seedy.  We enjoy one particular bar and go there maybe once a month.   We never barfine any girls, although we do buy our favourite girls 4 or 5 drinks each.  

 

[seancbk]

3 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

 

If some enterprising bar owner decided to play only Issan music the place would be an instant goldmine, as THAT is what the girls like. And if they like it they will dance to it properly and have fun and make it a fun place to be, and that would draw in the customers. I'm sure they can come up with a sexy version of Thai dress, even something as simple and common as uni uniforms. I've been in one bar in Nana on a number of occasions when they do put that music on close to closing time and I've seen the way the girls suddenly come to life. So I know for sure it would work. I just wish I was a bar owner...... 

 

If any bar played Isaan Music that would definitely drive the customers away.   Don't ever become a bar owner!

 

[cms22]

And it's the cost.... I remember when I was in my early 20s (very early 1990s) teaching English at ECC earning about 23k a month.... a night down NP was about 500 baht, drinks only (and that would include a couple of lady drinks).

These days drinks only down NP (and including two or three lady drinks) I'm sure it would cost about 4/5k. Relative to earnings between then and now, that is a big jump. 

[cms22]

55 minutes ago, PerkinsCuthbert said:

I gave up buying drinks even earlier, around 1987. If you'd been around then you'd know why.

I was around from about 1990.... Bought hardly any lady drinks in the early days. But the girls were so free and easy in those days -- I had loads of freebies! These days I don't reckon a young fella of 22 could get the same perks.

But please tell me if I'm wrong.

Edited May 6, 2018 by cms22

[seancbk]

4 minutes ago, cms22 said:

And it's the cost.... I remember when I was in my early 20s (very early 1990s) teaching English at ECC earning about 23k a month.... a night down NP was about 500 baht, drinks only (and that would include a couple of lady drinks).

These days drinks only down NP (and including two or three lady drinks) I'm sure it would cost about 4/5k. Relative to earnings between then and now, that is a big jump. 

 

Won't cost that much, unless you are drinking like crazy.    8 bottles of beer, plus 4 lady drinks is under 2000 THB in the venue I prefer.

[seancbk]

2 hours ago, shaggy851 said:

I dont mind the music, all of my time in bangers had been in the naughties anyway, about 9 years total. What i have noticed is changes in that time and nearly all the places i enjoyed are gone. Now i also enjoy pattaya but not walking street bars much. Nana plaza is too crowded and the girls are overworked. Half of them are off their faces and the other half heads buried in phones. You have to be a big spender in bangkok to get their attention, but its not worth it. I did take a couple girls upstairs at nana a while ago and one had just came back into the bar scene after years spent overseas with a farang. I cant say i didnt enjoy myself but i will say most guys just need a change of scenery. Dont march straight to soi 4 the same as every other tourist, head out towards petchaburi road and find bars like napolean that moved or down the other numbered sois off sukhumvit. Recently i found a bar i liked out at ramkamheng. Even head to nonthaburi for a change of scenery places like audition bar have hundreds of fresh girls

 

Audition Bar (& Bistro ?)  sounds like it might be fun but if I've found the right one, its about 20-25 km from where I live on Sukhumvit.   Which is way too far to travel for a night out.

[quandow]

4 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Or maybe you are not so handsome anymore...

Really?!?  You HAD to GO THERE???

 

Well then, THANK you for reminding me I used to be handsome! 555

 

P.S.  I wasn't handsome THEN and I SURE AIN'T HANDSOME NOW!

 

 

Edited May 6, 2018 by quandow

[holy cow cm]

Yes all is not the same as the fun wild west days from before, but it is still fun if with the right people. Even hanging with a chick buying her drinks can be fun. We are still lucky we have this and hope that it continues on into the long future. 

[OneMoreFarang]

20 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

Yes all is not the same as the fun wild west days from before, but it is still fun if with the right people. Even hanging with a chick buying her drinks can be fun. We are still lucky we have this and hope that it continues on into the long future. 

Good comment!

I see from time to time YouTube videos about Nana, Cowboy, etc. And the new arrivals still can't believe how good it is - similar to my experience more than 20 years ago.

When I arrived in the land of smiles I though almost all girls are pretty. Now I think maybe 10% of them are according to my taste. But I pretty sure that even one of the average Nana girls would be a stunner compared to what's available "back home".

I am sure lots of things really changed. But a big part is also what we remember from the time when we were young(er) and the first time in Thailand.

[sanemax]

33 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

Yes all is not the same as the fun wild west days from before, but it is still fun if with the right people. Even hanging with a chick buying her drinks can be fun. We are still lucky we have this and hope that it continues on into the long future. 

I just do not see the enjoyment factor about hanging out with prostitutes and buying them drinks , just sit their listening to their lies with the knowledge that shes only there with you for financial gain

[Thaidream]

If you learn to speak Thai and listen to them- it can be quite interesting  You will find the good, the bad, the ugly and pure evil.

[darrendsd]

On 5/5/2018 at 3:37 PM, thaibeachlovers said:

The girls are just as pretty as back then ( seem taller now though ), but none seem to be enjoying themselves,

The girls don't enjoy themselves and they never have, who enjoys selling their body's to total strangers night after night?

 

For those who think that these girls enjoy themselves, it's all a act, after a while some people realize this, some don't 

[Doctorbu]

Too many ladyboys there for my taste....didn’t used to be that many in the late 90’s or early 2000’s. I don’t normally mind them but they have gotten very aggressive....

[AsiaHand]

It has been on the decline since about 2003 when the original owners started being pressured out by the Thai landlords and the lady boys became the dominant force there.

[lovelomsak]

What is really wrong is they now want to attract big spenders of the not so much fun crowd.The Hooters crowd. They want the guys to eat,drink  and barfine . In the old days it was beer and women simple. .

  The bar staff used to be good to the customers. I know guys who got so drunk the staff took them home and the next day the guy would come to the bar and settle his tab.for the night before.Now you have to watch your drink and check your tab constantly.

  

[natway09]

Maybe we are all getting old.

As an old boy who watched German shepherds, donkeys , monkeys , snakes all doing their stuff on

Pat Pong, drank in Nana (once it got going) Cowboy they are no longer worried about the small money we spend,,,,,  they chase the "high rollers" & they need to with rents the new owners have imposed.

The amount of "Ladyboy bars in Nana should give you a clue ????? Do you think they would continue with that format if the monies not flowing is ???

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, darrendsd said:

The girls don't enjoy themselves and they never have, who enjoys selling their body's to total strangers night after night?

 

For those who think that these girls enjoy themselves, it's all a act, after a while some people realize this, some don't 

If you take the hours they work, how much of that time are they actually having sex? I guess not even 10% of the time. The rest of the time they talk with their friends, drink, smoke, shout, and lots of other "crazy" things which good girls in good jobs don't do. It seems many girls like to do that. And I am sure many like to use their skills to outsmart all those guys. And many girls who stopped working in a bar go back and buy the other girls some drinks and have fun.

I don't pretend it's the perfect job. But I am sure lots of these girls have a lot more fun then others who work in "normal" jobs.

[lovelomsak]

1 hour ago, sanemax said:

just sit their listening to their lies with the knowledge that shes only there with you for financial gain

That is the fun of being with them. You know that at any time you want. You simply lay down the money and the action is there.They play you,you play them.It is a meat market with quarantees. Go to any bar in the world and put effort into picking up some office girl or such. And the lies will flow and no quarantee you will end up in bed together.. Many times all you get is the lies.

Also no baggage attached to bar girl pay her to go and finished. 

[sanemax]

7 minutes ago, lovelomsak said:

That is the fun of being with them. You know that at any time you want. You simply lay down the money and the action is there.They play you,you play them.It is a meat market with quarantees. Go to any bar in the world and put effort into picking up some office girl or such. And the lies will flow and no quarantee you will end up in bed together.. Many times all you get is the lies.

Also no baggage attached to bar girl pay her to go and finished. 

Whilst I do realise that not everyone tells the truth all the time , its just that Thai prostitutes tend to lie ALL the time .

   Along with their superficial happy personality  , with all the lies and pretense , laughing along to your unfunny jokes .

  Laughing hysterically when you say "Im drunk" .

If you hire prostitutes anywhere in the World , then you are pretty much guaranteed sex .

   Thailand and other Countries are the same , most non prostitutes are not as easy and promiscuous as prostitutes .

Some guys are of the belief that they actually "pulled" a girl that night , went to a bar and picked up a chick, like they didnt used to do when they were younger .

   Anyone can go out and get a prostitute for the night

[lovelomsak]

19 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Anyone can go out and get a prostitute for the night

Yes is  it not nice to know that is possible?

 I would rather have them available than not have them available.

  Long live the oldest profession.

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

If you take the hours they work, how much of that time are they actually having sex? I guess not even 10% of the time. The rest of the time they talk with their friends, drink, smoke, shout, and lots of other "crazy" things which good girls in good jobs don't do. It seems many girls like to do that. And I am sure many like to use their skills to outsmart all those guys. And many girls who stopped working in a bar go back and buy the other girls some drinks and have fun.

I don't pretend it's the perfect job. But I am sure lots of these girls have a lot more fun then others who work in "normal" jobs.

 

You're spot on. Many of these girls love the job as they get paid a decent salary to most of the time sit around doing bugger all except chat and party with their friends there or just look at their phones. If - if - they decide to go with a customer they can make several days money in an hour or three, and maybe even get taken to a hi-so place they can brag to the girls about (gain face). Sure it can take its toll on some, but I know of a few who tell me that, although they might get drunk every night, when they go home they don't touch a drop. Work is work, home with family is something else.

[tropo]

7 hours ago, berybert said:

Its a sad day when someone realizes whore houses aint what they used to be. 

 

Sadder still when guys are still frequenting them nearly 30 - 40 years later and saying they aren't like they used to be.