Safari bar still closed

[3NUMBAS]

A sad site ,many good nights  in there ,a scene of much debauchery

[KhaoHom]

Everything is struggling. I see lots of proper business closures about town. It could open later in the year into high season. I think this era is over tbh. Lower Sukhumvit is a pale shade of it's former self. Yeah, it's low season but there are staff layoffs. Patpong on life support since forever

[Celsius]

What is it? They had lions and elephants? What happened to them?

[brewsterbudgen]

A classic bar.  Many a good night there back in the late 2000s.

[Magictoad]

25 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

A classic bar.  Many a good night there back in the late 2000s.

And before that!

[3NUMBAS]

I was having a honest pee at the troff when a female reached round and grabbed my todger without a word

[garygooner]

One of my regular 'warm up' bars before I really got going. Aah the 90s were especially good. 

[3NUMBAS]

Agreed the 90s were really good

[PeachCH]

What a tragedy when a bar closing down.🤣🤣

[Bredbury Blue]

Back in the 90s, when I used to pop in for a swift half, it used to play the best music down the 'Pong.

[Chris BKK]

Not only the Safari Bay closed, but many others, Patpong closed down in covid, and lots of staff laid off. It has never recovered I would estimate 50% of bars closed and very quiet. I went to Crown Royal about 1 month back with a couple of visitors, it was 8.30pm and we were the first customers of the bay and the only visitors there, a shadow of its former state in the early 2000s on a Friday night was standing room only. Now dead quiet like lots of bars

[Thingamabob]

On 7/14/2025 at 2:04 PM, 3NUMBAS said:

Agreed the 90s were really good

The late 60s,70s and early to mid 80s were even better. The introduction of the night market was the beginning of the end.

[kingstonkid]

1 hour ago, Thingamabob said:

The late 60s,70s and early to mid 80s were even better. The introduction of the night market was the beginning of the end.

 

 

The 60-70 were operated by the Vietnam War and US forces.  The nighttime market was a way to draw people who were not just interested in the sex shows, and it was a place to visit for tourists.  

 

While COVID was the death knell for many of the mainstays from that era, the nighttime market itself was dying.  

 

Cowboy and NANA started to take control and opened sooner than Patpong did from the recovery,  

 

However, Patpong and Walking street in Pattaya suffer from the same thing.  They are chasing the old time customer that is willling to lookat a girl that just shifts her feet and calls it dancing as well as the fact that the street looks like hell and the main businesses that attracted people are closed.

 

The Madrid restaurant was a place that many went to for a meal. There was a restaurant on the corner that offered Thai Tex-Mex, which was great not only for the food but also for the staff that worked there.

 

There is one thing that is missing and it is places for people to go and dance and have a good time.  There used to be a bar that had live bands that played rock roll but now it is all the new crap.

 

The owner sees no value in fixing up the soi and therefore it is going to look like a dump.  

 

OH yeah, one other thing that has hurt PP is the price of hotels in the area. Used to be you could stay in a nice room at the end of the soi; now it is priced high, driving the people to NANA, where the hotels are cheaper and girls more aplenty with better shows.

 

 

 

[Thingamabob]

30 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

 

 

The 60-70 were operated by the Vietnam War and US forces.  The nighttime market was a way to draw people who were not just interested in the sex shows, and it was a place to visit for tourists.  

 

While COVID was the death knell for many of the mainstays from that era, the nighttime market itself was dying.  

 

Cowboy and NANA started to take control and opened sooner than Patpong did from the recovery,  

 

However, Patpong and Walking street in Pattaya suffer from the same thing.  They are chasing the old time customer that is willling to lookat a girl that just shifts her feet and calls it dancing as well as the fact that the street looks like hell and the main businesses that attracted people are closed.

 

The Madrid restaurant was a place that many went to for a meal. There was a restaurant on the corner that offered Thai Tex-Mex, which was great not only for the food but also for the staff that worked there.

 

There is one thing that is missing and it is places for people to go and dance and have a good time.  There used to be a bar that had live bands that played rock roll but now it is all the new crap.

 

The owner sees no value in fixing up the soi and therefore it is going to look like a dump.  

 

OH yeah, one other thing that has hurt PP is the price of hotels in the area. Used to be you could stay in a nice room at the end of the soi; now it is priced high, driving the people to NANA, where the hotels are cheaper and girls more aplenty with better shows.

 

 

 

All good points, although I would not agree that Patpong in the 60s and 70s was mainly frequented by GIs. They were certainly there in  numbers and, btw, were well behaved and good company, but were by no means the only people enjoying the nightlife on Patpong in those days.

[thaiowl]

Used go there every Friday night in the 90's. Just the best nights out followed by Elvis and Tom Jones at Radio City.

[saintdomingo]

On 7/22/2025 at 1:41 PM, Chris BKK said:

Not only the Safari Bay closed, but many others, Patpong closed down in covid, and lots of staff laid off. It has never recovered I would estimate 50% of bars closed and very quiet. I went to Crown Royal about 1 month back with a couple of visitors, it was 8.30pm and we were the first customers of the bay and the only visitors there, a shadow of its former state in the early 2000s on a Friday night was standing room only. Now dead quiet like lots of bars

Shame isn't it, beautiful old Bangkok bar. Sadly tastes have changed to the Anytown/Anywhere sports bar or plastic paddy bar with TV screens everywhere.

Bangkok bars are/were for a different generation. We can only be happy that we experienced and enjoyed them.