When the CIA Ran Covert Operations From Bangkok's Red-Light District

[rooster59]

When the CIA Ran Covert Operations From Bangkok's Red-Light District

By Oliver Slow

 

 

A new museum in Patpong, long known for its seedy nightlife, is showcasing a less understood history of the area.

 

Before the pandemic, touts working the neon-lit main drag of Bangkok's notorious nightlife district Patpong, near the city's Old Town, would emerge from the shadows, aggressively offering options for massages, sex, or tickets to the area's racy ping-pong shows.

 

On a recent Saturday evening, however, there were few to be seen. Against a back-drop of mainly shuttered Go-Go bars, a few solitary drinkers, and an otherwise largely empty strip, one man slouched on his tuk-tuk and lazily shouted an offer of "boom boom" (sex) from a distance before giving up.

 

Full story: https://www.vice.com/en/article/epddza/when-the-cia-ran-covert-operations-from-bangkoks-red-light-district

 

VICE: 20-10-31

[khunPer]

Interesting article with the history of a – for some – well know street(s) in Bangkok, with a almost family oriented night market in the middle, at least full of families when I was there; don't know if dads had to check "the shops" behind the night market stalls...????

 

By the way the door "Rose" on the photo in the article, might also be a well known entrance to a second floor bar for some...

 

Edited October 31, 2020 by khunPer

[4reaL]

5 minutes ago, khunPer said:

Interesting article with the history of a – for some – well know street(s) in Bangkok, with a almost family oriented night market in the middle, at least full of families when I was there; don't know if dads had to check "the shops" behind the night market stalls...????

 

By the way the door "Rose" on the photo in the article, might also be a well known entrance to a second floor bar for some...

 

 

There was no tourist night market when Poe held court.

 

 

[phantomfiddler]

4 hours ago, khunPer said:

Interesting article with the history of a – for some – well know street(s) in Bangkok, with a almost family oriented night market in the middle, at least full of families when I was there; don't know if dads had to check "the shops" behind the night market stalls...????

 

By the way the door "Rose" on the photo in the article, might also be a well known entrance to a second floor bar for some...

 

A truly great bar, along with The Kangaroo nearby !  If one could make it from the entrance door to the bar with one's pants still around one's trousers, that was a true test of determination ????

[VBF]

3 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

A truly great bar, along with The Kangaroo nearby !  If one could make it from the entrance door to the bar with one's pants still around one's trousers, that was a true test of determination ????

One didn't usually try too hard! ????

I enjoyed The Kangaroo on my first trip to Thailand in 1985 - happy, happy days! 

 

Not been to Patpong for a long time (early nineties) but I thought it had lost most of its nightlife years ago and was simply a tourist market now?

Edited October 31, 2020 by VBF

[yellowboat]

Spooks just wanna have fun too.  

[katana]

15 hours ago, rooster59 said:

When the CIA Ran Covert Operations From Bangkok's Red-Light District

Wonder what is was that first attracted them to set up offices there...

[Salerno]

45 minutes ago, katana said:

Wonder what is was that first attracted them to set up offices there...

 

To blend in with the rest of the CIA/SAS/SEALS propping up barstools ????

[kensawadee]

I got me a Thai wife out of a bar called 'Pussy Galore'... Does anybody remember that upstairs bar (but not one of the 'Rip-Off' bars...

Needless to say that that wife didn't last long........

[Caldera]

Ah the CIA, wasting tax payers' money boozing, whoring and massacring people.

[camble]

Patpong Museum is well worthwhile. 350 baht, includes a drink in their bar and a personal guide through the museum. Great way to spend an hour. 

[camble]

11 hours ago, katana said:

Wonder what is was that first attracted them to set up offices there...

For recruitment 

[Ventenio]

87 percent of TV tells people they are undercover agents.  Thais don't understand, but the farangs can spin the web of deception.....lol

 

i met a guy who said he was undercover.....had three backpacks....said one had money and 10 passports.....lol

 

but then seemed to worry about if the noodle soup was 40 or 50 baht.  lol

[dddave]

There was a time when "Madrid" had the only edible pizza in Bangkok.

[holy cow cm]

Patpong used to be a lot of fun. Still has some ok bars on the back soi near Foodland now.

[Thingamabob]

In those happy days almost every American I met hinted at an involvement in espionage. Patpong was a really fun place, and the original Queen's Castle was written up in Time Magazine as being the best bar in the world. Then came the night market, techno music and cheap charlies. Never been the same since..

[3NUMBAS]

21 hours ago, kensawadee said:

I got me a Thai wife out of a bar called 'Pussy Galore'... Does anybody remember that upstairs bar (but not one of the 'Rip-Off' bars...

Needless to say that that wife didn't last long........

yes i have a photo when i can find it .alied with the firecat and lipstick bars..beers were cheap , then

 

just 30 bhats

[norfolkc]

Washington Square another notable area at that time full of spooks 

[Darksidedude]

On 10/31/2020 at 7:50 AM, khunPer said:

Interesting article with the history of a – for some – well know street(s) in Bangkok, with a almost family oriented night market in the middle, at least full of families when I was there; don't know if dads had to check "the shops" behind the night market stalls...????

 

By the way the door "Rose" on the photo in the article, might also be a well known entrance to a second floor bar for some...

 

ventured up there many times patpong was great in the 90"s, never seen the place before the markets arrived i think 1990 must have been the first year as i had mates that were there 1988 and no markets were there then

[Darksidedude]

On 10/31/2020 at 12:24 PM, phantomfiddler said:

A truly great bar, along with The Kangaroo nearby !  If one could make it from the entrance door to the bar with one's pants still around one's trousers, that was a true test of determination ????

yes

[Darksidedude]

On 10/31/2020 at 3:40 PM, VBF said:

One didn't usually try too hard! ????

I enjoyed The Kangaroo on my first trip to Thailand in 1985 - happy, happy days! 

 

Not been to Patpong for a long time (early nineties) but I thought it had lost most of its nightlife years ago and was simply a tourist market now?

My first trip 1990 24 years old a mate told me go up to that kangaroo bar its a great aussie bar, walked in 3 girls had my shorts down before i ordered a drink ha ha what a experience hooked for life Patpong is nothing nowadays 

[khunPer]

3 hours ago, Darksidedude said:

ventured up there many times patpong was great in the 90"s, never seen the place before the markets arrived i think 1990 must have been the first year as i had mates that were there 1988 and no markets were there then

The photos are from a Google-search, but this here that's pretty much like how I remember the middle of Pat Pong in 2003...

 

 

However at the back of the middle row stalls had another raw of vendors facing the more (for some) interesting offers...????

 

[khunPer]

On 10/31/2020 at 9:24 AM, phantomfiddler said:

A truly great bar, along with The Kangaroo nearby !  If one could make it from the entrance door to the bar with one's pants still around one's trousers, that was a true test of determination ????

I actually visit it – Rose  – once, it was in 2003, my first visit to Pat Pong.

 

My friends, which were/are regular Thailad travellers, always talked about this Pat Pong thing and especially – when someone was heading for Land-of-Smiles – to "say hello to the girls in Rose Bar"; my friends however never introduced me to Pat Pong.

 

So, after a few trips to Bangkok I decided to find Pat Pong by myself, and of course "the girls in Rose Bar". Pat Pong was easy, just take the Sky Train, but after walking up and down both the short, and the mega-long soi, I couldn't see a Rose Bar. Second time at the very bottom on the long soi a young, English speaking Thai man could see I was searching for something, and offered his help; he was studying and made little extra income from helping people find, what they were looking for, for 20 baht he would find what I was looking for. Fair enough, I had already been through everything twice.

 

"Rose Bar" I said, he looked like a spoke an alien language – which I actually did – so I had to repeat it several times. He didn't know what I was asking for, and began to ask other Thais for help, I could see they shoked their head. »What was the name again?« he asked. "Rose Bar!" »Ah, Lose Bar, come on« he smiled and led me all the way up the almost the very beginning of the long Pat Pong soi. And there was this tiny door with the "Rose"-sign on top, so I happily gave the young man 20 baht and thanked him – when I was about to enter he said: »<deleted> bar, you know?«...????

 

No, I didn't, but I was curious enough to go up second floor – even I was advised never to go up to second floor venues – and when I opened the door the was a room full of red-dressed girls and no customers; however one lady, laying in sofa in the corner, was dressed in black. She shouted: »Welcome, you are the first customer in three days.« I presume she was Rose.

 

I ordered a Coke, was sat down on a bench – no table – with a bottle in one hand, a glass in the other, a girl each side, and a girl, who in no time had managed to roll her top down, sat on her knees in front of me; immobile with Coke and glass in my hands I could feel busy fingers, from several hands, fiddling with my belt...????

 

I've never before, or ever since, finished a Coke that fast...

[3NUMBAS]

pussy galore in june 1989

Edited November 2, 2020 by 3NUMBAS

[VBF]

On 11/2/2020 at 6:20 AM, khunPer said:

I actually visit it – Rose  – once, it was in 2003, my first visit to Pat Pong.

 

My friends, which were/are regular Thailad travellers, always talked about this Pat Pong thing and especially – when someone was heading for Land-of-Smiles – to "say hello to the girls in Rose Bar"; my friends however never introduced me to Pat Pong.

 

So, after a few trips to Bangkok I decided to find Pat Pong by myself, and of course "the girls in Rose Bar". Pat Pong was easy, just take the Sky Train, but after walking up and down both the short, and the mega-long soi, I couldn't see a Rose Bar. Second time at the very bottom on the long soi a young, English speaking Thai man could see I was searching for something, and offered his help; he was studying and made little extra income from helping people find, what they were looking for, for 20 baht he would find what I was looking for. Fair enough, I had already been through everything twice.

 

"Rose Bar" I said, he looked like a spoke an alien language – which I actually did – so I had to repeat it several times. He didn't know what I was asking for, and began to ask other Thais for help, I could see they shoked their head. »What was the name again?« he asked. "Rose Bar!" »Ah, Lose Bar, come on« he smiled and led me all the way up the almost the very beginning of the long Pat Pong soi. And there was this tiny door with the "Rose"-sign on top, so I happily gave the young man 20 baht and thanked him – when I was about to enter he said: »<deleted> bar, you know?«...????

 

No, I didn't, but I was curious enough to go up second floor – even I was advised never to go up to second floor venues – and when I opened the door the was a room full of red-dressed girls and no customers; however one lady, laying in sofa in the corner, was dressed in black. She shouted: »Welcome, you are the first customer in three days.« I presume she was Rose.

 

I ordered a Coke, was sat down on a bench – no table – with a bottle in one hand, a glass in the other, a girl each side, and a girl, who in no time had managed to roll her top down, sat on her knees in front of me; immobile with Coke and glass in my hands I could feel busy fingers, from several hands, fiddling with my belt...????

 

I've never before, or ever since, finished a Coke that fast...

Why......did you suddenly remember an appointment elsewhere? ????

[khunPer]

5 hours ago, VBF said:

Why......did you suddenly remember an appointment elsewhere? ????

Something like that...

[Reigntax]

On 11/1/2020 at 5:56 AM, kensawadee said:

I got me a Thai wife out of a bar called 'Pussy Galore'... Does anybody remember that upstairs bar (but not one of the 'Rip-Off' bars...

Needless to say that that wife didn't last long........

So it went from pussy galore to pussy nomore?

[John Drake]

On 11/1/2020 at 12:19 AM, katana said:

Wonder what is was that first attracted them to set up offices there...

 

It was actually a bit of a business district. Air America had its office right next to the Air France building. The Madrid is still there, right down from where Air America was.

[John Drake]

On 11/1/2020 at 1:55 PM, dddave said:

There was a time when "Madrid" had the only edible pizza in Bangkok.

 

When I was last there a couple of years ago, it was still the best pizza in Bangkok. And it had Chicken Fried steak.

[John Drake]

On 11/2/2020 at 1:20 PM, khunPer said:

I actually visit it – Rose  – once, it was in 2003, my first visit to Pat Pong.

The White Rose in Vientiane was actually much more notorious.