The End Of An Era

[Samulator]

Took this pic 7 months ago.. story very slow to break. Always a warm welcome at Washington square, any time day or night and always friendly. Really a lot of holier than thou a-holes who think they have a grasp on reality. What about the 2-300 girls who used to work there.. whats happened to them now? Have these "upstanding members" of society found a meaningful existence for them? Or are they gonna be wandering the streets with the so-called geriatrics? Actually I met more middle-aged as opposed to older guys in my time at Washington.. It really was a god-send at times R.I.P. Washington square and Bourbon Street...

[BigSkip]

Why do they have to be labeled "Sexpats", Isn't Expats ok? I think thats very offensive not really knowing them. I had a few meals at the Bourbon St Restaurant & Oyster Bar and the Lone Star had great SOS..... it was sad to see them go, even sadder to know whats going on now....

[JJttttt1]

Seems a bit weired life for me:

going everyday to the same bar, drink the same beer till the everning, with the same pals, same "girls", day by day...

How didn't they get hate the beer yet?!

Inscrutable British soul, I guess...

but anyway I can imagine how does it feel to loose the life you are only know.... I wish all of them get well soon.

[anselpixel]

As a relative newbie to Thailand, I have to say this was one of the most clearly-written, humorous, and informative articles I've seen. I came in by way of Chiang Mai, and never even visited Bangkok for the first year. When I did, I booked a really hip-looking little Agoda hotel on Soi 22. The airport taxi dropped me off after dark, and I thought I'd take a stroll to see about dinner. Washington Square (until today, I never even knew what it was called) was just across the street, and I walked through. I was pretty sure someone had made a terrible mistake during the Vietnam war, and bombed allied territory. It looked like the South Bronx in 1970.

Eventually, I stumbled upon The Dubliner, which became a frequent stop during my months there, but I gave a wide berth to all the little bars along the way. I soon found Cowboy and Nana, which sufficed. Now I know what was going on, and it's another good story from a city that has a million to tell. Thanks!

[Sateev]

I could only think of this article as a satire, old men wandering around, lost in the city without an old bar. I have been in Thailand for a long long time and it was pre-Washington SQ and now post Washington SQ. The few times I went there out of curiosity were to Bourbon St. for food, Mexican buffets etc. Only one time did I enter a bar, Silver Dollar. It seemed an unfriendly place, sort of a loser type of place no matter what the era. The great highlights over the years were Gaysorn and Petchburi Rd(late 60's) Patpong, the Thermae, then Soi Cowboy, Nana and Patpong, Clinton Plaza, Ashoke plaza etc. Washington SQ was nothing more than a footnote. Any lost old guy can find a bar, even if blind, very easily.

I'm surprised to hear this from you, especially, but whatever.

The bars there were mainly for regulars, and, of course, unless you were with a group, you might feel left out. And even by the time I got there, the guys hanging out were OLD...

During one stretch back in California, in the late '80s, I sat in a Thai class at Wat Thai LA, and the guy next to me was trying to learn Thai, before moving to Bangkok to take over the Texas Lone Staar - I still have the card he gave me, somewhere. Years later, I met George, the owner of the Lone Star, and realized it wasn't the same guy. What happened to him, I have no idea - probably just another would-be Bangkok bar owner.

Larry's Dive Bar was another good place, although not inside the Square per se. A salt scrub massage at Sakanza at the back of the Square, with or without the optional happy ending, was fairly unique in Bangkok, predating all the pseudo-Japanese massage joints.

Anyway, I think the place deserves as much of a place in Bangkok history as the others you mentioned. Kind of the Crown 29 of night entertainment areas...

[Samulator]

Jeez.. the world's full of 'em! Where are you come from?

[pacovl46]

This article is pathetic!!!

[uptheos]

"Dozens, and sometimes up to a hundred portly Western men with bad skin, aged 55-80, have been reported wandering around the Sukhumvit Soi 22 area since June"

You mean it's not only Chiang Mai?

[michemiche]

This article is pathetic!!!

Agree at 150 % : "Dozens, and sometimes up to a hundred portly Western men with bad skin, aged 55-80" ... Poor ladys !

[Endorphin]

Is this it? My pic but I can't tell.

[pkspeaker]

I think you need to chill, there's nothing wrong with joking, when you joke your making fun of something or someone,, their just goofing on the old guys that hang around here, most of them are laid back enough to take a joke,,..

BTW a few people asked what happened to bourbon street-- it has moved to soi ekkemai just down from the bts station on soi ekkamai..only thing is it's all 'nice' now.. and i think the prices reflect that, obviously they're paying way more in rent now.. RIP the ol rustic buorbon street.

As an American who grew up and came of age in the city I have to say whoever wrote this is a XXXXXXXX. Even though I would've never been caught dead in those parts (i'm sure someone could counter) there is no way I would disrespect the older generations as this article has. Look, one day you will be old, a little slower, and hopefully still doing what you do. How are you going to feel when they are laughing at your ass because your favorite haunt got bulldozed? Time stops for no man which anyone with a lick of common sense understands. Yet, every single person on this earth pines for a sense of permanence and to deny that means you're A XXXXXXXX. Pretty much.

To laugh at a man in loss, however trivial, is sad. Obviously your job isn't keeping you busy enough. Come hang out in the oilfield for a while so you can gain a bit of perspective. OBVIOUSLY, anyone who would slight the elderly like this article did needs it!

[TPI]

I'm in there now, wandering around lost.

How do I get out?

Does anyone know where I can find another 80 year old hooker?

What can I do about my skin condition?

Sent from my 15 pound, 1980's era cell phone.

Head down to the "Office Bar" in Patpong 1...some of the "girls" are under 60!!

[uptheos]

I'm in there now, wandering around lost.

How do I get out?

Does anyone know where I can find another 80 year old hooker?

What can I do about my skin condition?

Sent from my 15 pound, 1980's era cell phone.

Head down to the "Office Bar" in Patpong 1...some of the "girls" are under 60!!

I happened to go in there on my last visit and you know what?

You're right!

[DrTuner]

Some responses here are just brilliant. I can almost feel the spit flying off the mouths of the righteous

#1 Reason to lurk around TV are the gullible writers, what a wonderful way to get free entertainment. Thank you, carry on

[atyclb]

Did the author really mean to say "more lost and confused" than before ??

[CantSpell]

The original article is the biggest load of rubbish I have ever read in Thailand. "Disorientated 65 year old's walking around in a daze" who is kidding who. OK most are Americans and have been going there for many years but knowing many of them they are just as capable as half the so called youngsters going to Cowboy and Nana. Give them a break they are no more disillusioned than half the population of Bangkok. There are more than enough bars try Soi 7, 9 and 11, great for the oldies.

http://notthenation.com/ .......

Some negative posters might want to check and follow the referenced website in OP (link above) to try to understand what NotTheNation is...

Might save some arguing

Excellent one again by NTN

[advancebooking]

''western men with bad skin''... very funny. Who writes this crap. Why am I reading this crap..

[optimjim]

I for one hate to se the places of old with some character disappear. Before you know it Bangkok will be rebuilt to look exactly like so many major cities in Western countries. Those who resent the existence of bars should simply stay away from them.

Couldn't agree more with you on this,Watcharacters. Shiny new clinical buidings have zero atmosphere as afar as I am concerned. The very grottiness of some of the old bars in Patpong and on Sukhumvit itself (remember "Three Roses" ?) was part of their charm. Who recalls the finest water-hole in Patpong ,the "Napoleon Lounge" ? Wonderful lunchtime snacks, music and polite, friendly waitresses who would spend time sitting with the customers without angling for tips. Also the Sunday night Bangkok Jazz Club band playing there to a packed house. Alas, those places gone forever but I cherish the memories of good times there (and not just as a dirty old man !!!).

[optimjim]

I thought for a minute this was an article from the Onion news. Sounds like it would be a great topic for a PBS or BBC documentary. I can see it now. Richard Attenborough could do the narration. )

What great idea. A BBC - or even a talented-amateur - docu. on the old bars of Bangkok with clips and pictures supplied by us "Old Farts". I am sure there are so many who would contribute really good stuff and make it a really enjoyable watch, with some of the atmospheric Motown backround music. Could even include Grace Coffee Shop (pre the more modern hotel building) and the "old" Thermae. (But forget the smells from the urinals on entering !! yuk.) Great soups though and a Tom Yam Kung with enormous Kungs. Any takers for starting a docu. project ? Come on, there's plenty of creative talent out there --- and how nice it would be to preserve it all on a DVD or similar.

[MaxYakov]

Does anyone know how it got its name? I did a routine recon with photos a few times and I still have them ... somewhere, if anyone's interested (someone was in an earlier post).

[citizen33]

I thought for a minute this was an article from the Onion news. Sounds like it would be a great topic for a PBS or BBC documentary. I can see it now. Richard Attenborough could do the narration. )

What great idea. A BBC - or even a talented-amateur - docu. on the old bars of Bangkok with clips and pictures supplied by us "Old Farts". I am sure there are so many who would contribute really good stuff and make it a really enjoyable watch, with some of the atmospheric Motown backround music. Could even include Grace Coffee Shop (pre the more modern hotel building) and the "old" Thermae. (But forget the smells from the urinals on entering !! yuk.) Great soups though and a Tom Yam Kung with enormous Kungs. Any takers for starting a docu. project ? Come on, there's plenty of creative talent out there --- and how nice it would be to preserve it all on a DVD or similar.

It would indeed make an interesting documentary. Some have had a shot at documenting some of the history already:

http://www.bangkokeyes.com/area__.html

[tinfoilhat]

i pity those that read everything at face value and cannot recognize satire. I never ceases to amaze me how many out there just don't get it.

[hyperdimension]

A salt scrub massage at Sakanza at the back of the Square, with or without the optional happy ending, was fairly unique in Bangkok, predating all the pseudo-Japanese massage joints.

I think it was called "Sazanka". Great hand technique there.

[kennedy]

As an American who grew up and came of age in the city I have to say whoever wrote this is a XXXXXXXX. Even though I would've never been caught dead in those parts (i'm sure someone could counter) there is no way I would disrespect the older generations as this article has. Look, one day you will be old, a little slower, and hopefully still doing what you do. How are you going to feel when they are laughing at your ass because your favorite haunt got bulldozed? Time stops for no man which anyone with a lick of common sense understands. Yet, every single person on this earth pines for a sense of permanence and to deny that means you're a XXXXXXXX. Pretty much.

To laugh at a man in loss, however trivial, is sad. Obviously your job isn't keeping you busy enough. Come hang out in the oilfield for a while so you can gain a bit of perspective. OBVIOUSLY, anyone who would slight the elderly like this article did needs it!

+1

[moskito]

It was an eyesore but lets not throw up yet another shopping mall, hotel, office tower or high end car dealer. The area has plenty of all of this now, several unfinished buildings ie on Sukhumvit 27 have become eyesores for the skyline. What the area does need is a parking garage.

WHY ??? as far as I know Bkk has a PERFECT public transport system.....so use a bus, skytrain, bkk-helicopter, or taxi or just WALK .... FUTURE dont need more and more cars....

[moskito]

“We are world leaders in providing economically desperate Asian women and unhealthy Western food. As governor I promise that these men will be taken care of.” ... says Bangkok Governor Sukhumband Paribatra.

Surely, these men should have noticed that their favorite bargirls were moving out elsewhere over the past 10 years, or these senior expats were so addled they couldn't remember what they'd heard a few hours later?

Presumably, and hopefully, the bar-girls and especially their Mamasan's aren't the same ones working there back in the 80's and earlier?! The thought of that being the case, just doesn't bear thinking about!!

no idea whats wrong with the OLD mama sans, never had any problems with them or the girls..... not like today when business has become like a money making factory.... want my OLD Bangkok back end of the 80s were PERFECT... go visit a "show" now and you see what I am talking about... a single girl cleaning the "stage" 20 min, before she giver herself 3 ping pong balls and after running around with a basket asking for TIP... LOL

[canuckamuck]

Once again a warning label should accompany some posts for the sake of our humor impaired members.

This is not a real news article and intended solely for purpose of humor. Some readers may find the content to be objectionably and irretrievably over their heads. We apologize in advance for your indignation.

[moskito]

I thought for a minute this was an article from the Onion news. Sounds like it would be a great topic for a PBS or BBC documentary. I can see it now. Richard Attenborough could do the narration. )

What great idea. A BBC - or even a talented-amateur - docu. on the old bars of Bangkok with clips and pictures supplied by us "Old Farts". I am sure there are so many who would contribute really good stuff and make it a really enjoyable watch, with some of the atmospheric Motown backround music. Could even include Grace Coffee Shop (pre the more modern hotel building) and the "old" Thermae. (But forget the smells from the urinals on entering !! yuk.) Great soups though and a Tom Yam Kung with enormous Kungs. Any takers for starting a docu. project ? Come on, there's plenty of creative talent out there --- and how nice it would be to preserve it all on a DVD or similar.

It would indeed make an interesting documentary. Some have had a shot at documenting some of the history already:

http://www.bangkokeyes.com/area__.html

hehehehe the good old Thermae and the urin smell... entrance crossing the "kitchen" and always busy till everybody found something... I never enjoyed the new one same like the old one. Sometimes we drove there when Patpong closed to early around 5 in the morning... I liked the SAFARI in Patpong road and the Pussy Galore first floor.... absolutely nice Mama San there always friendly...good old times without the bullies on the doors everywhere, asking for 200 entrance for seeing a show not worth watching anymore

I am sooooo dam_n happy I lived this times... I do not want to be a kid today anymore - NO THANKS

[spectre324]

Anyway. Bless their cotton socks.

That story writer has to be tongue in cheek! can't possibly be that many nut cases unless they are from europe!

[TinoThailand]

Hey! Conspiracy theories were not aloud here, Washington, Planned Demolition... What's going on folks?