Stickman

[PattayaOneTeam]

POSTCARD FROM BANGKOK

BY STICKMAN

Evening downpours and soldiers patrolling central city skytrain platforms aren’t doing anything for Bangkok’s nightlife as operators wait for the low season pain to end. Those that have built up a brand name may be faring ok but even the most popular venues have at least one bad night each week, with Sundays and Mondays particularly quiet.

After Soi Cowboy has had it all its way for the past couple of years, it and Nana Plaza are battling it out for the title of Bangkok’s most popular bar area. Touristy Patpong draws first time visitors to the city and few locals gravitate to the oldest farang bar area.

In these times of austerity, pricey Sukhumvit’s soi 33 has almost fallen off the map and the bars scat­tered around soi 22 fight for the few passers by. Soi 7/1 was said to be an up and coming lane, but some venues report selling less than a dozen drinks on a bad night.

It’s not only Pattaya that has a fly­ing club. A 30-something American joined the Bangkok Flying Club, departing from the upmarket Long Table, the bar/restaurant some 25 floors up in the sky that can be seen from the Asoke intersection.

Tragedy struck in Nana Plaza, when the he-once-was-a-she ma­masan of Hollywood Rock tripped and fell, striking her head and it was lights out for good as the fall knocked the life out of her, literally. Intimating that you saw a ghost in the bar has girls screaming in gen­uine terror.

Progress remains slow on the ground floor in Nana Plaza where brick tiling is being laid where the destroyed beer bars on the ground floor once stood. Rumour has it that it will be followed by a frame­work over which a canopy will be draped. A joint venture between two long-term farang bar bosses, it doesn’t look as if drinks will be served until the end of the rainy season, still several weeks away. Down the road in soi 12, construc­tion is moving much more quickly at the Bangkok branch of Insom­nia -and it has to if it is going to be ready for the scheduled early October grand opening.

On the recently reopened mezza­nine floor of the Dollhouse, imbibers get a ringside view and a complete eyeful. It’s even better downstairs where one of Cowboy’s best selec­tions can be found. Taking a leaf from the original Dollhouse in Clinton Plaza, the downstairs troop don the skimpiest of denim jeans, a good look with so many shapely cuties in the bar. You'll only see this treat on Thursday night so now you have good reason to go out before the weekend.

Local TV might carry the Premier League but with Supersport out of South Africa no longer available, British pubs are scrambling for alternative satellite sport solutions. Crossbar on Sukhumvit soi 23 and the Robin Hood on soi 21 are testing various options, from Astro out of Malaysia to screening Inter­net broadcasts, well aware that live sports are a magnet for punters.

stickman runs a popular Bangkok site at www.stickmanBangkok.com

-- Pattaya One 2010-10-01

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[thrilled]

stick is wild

[powderpuff]

What does this have to do with Pattaya?

[onlooker]

I read this article with interest as I considering having some block tiling work done, similar to that in Nana. Does anyone have the contact details for the workers?

[axact]

What does this have to do with Pattaya?

If you go to Stickmans weekly blog he often talks about Pattaya

[powderpuff]

The New Zealander or the English guy who took it over?

[onnut]

The New Zealander or the English guy who took it over?

Stickman is from NZ, there is not an English guy involved.

[powderpuff]

After the Galt thing Stick took a vacation.

I can see this Pattaya One is gonna be real value added.

[DoubtingThomas]

Please don't give this guy publicity. It's a one way street with him.