This high quality YouTube video demonstrates that there is more to Pattaya than just girly bars. In just under 8 minutes this video shows you how much Pattaya has developed over the years. Parts of the footage are typical tourist traps, but you can see what Pattaya has to offer. Attention Babe Hunters! Check out the Thai models 4 minutes into the video. Enjoy!
FIFA WORLD CUP 03/07/2010 - The stage is set for an exciting quarter final. At 21:00 Thai time, it is Argentina V Germany, which is followed by Paraquay V Spain at 01:00 hours. Although it is an unpredictable World Cup this year, I think Spain and Argentina will win. However, as we have seen so far, anything could happen. Yesterday, Holland sent Brazil home in a surprise 2-1 result. Former World Cup winners France and Italy both crashed out very early, and pathetic England suffered their heaviest defeat in the history of the World Cup.
WEATHER WATCH – Heavy rainfall has hit Bangkok these past two nights, but the FIFA World Cup is definitely giving the bar trade in Thailand a much-needed boost.
Thailand Tonight is running late and will be online tomorrow 17/06/2010 at around 18:00 Thai time. It has been a hectic week for Dave The Rave with added pressure from the aftermath of the violence in Bangkok. Currently, it is a testing time for many of us here in Thailand.
GO-GO GURU GUIDE – I have started to write my Go-Go Guru Guide, which will cover various aspects of Thailand nightlife. I will guide you through the maze of Thailand’s bar culture. Many people ask me questions and the Go-Go Guru Guide will answer those questions and conundrums for you.
I recall the ancient Chinese curse, ‘May you live in interesting times.’ Well, it has certainly been interesting times, if not downright frightening times in parts of Bangkok recently. (more…)
Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva announced this afternoon that the curfew has been lifted in Bangkok and 23 other provinces. Since May 14th, when clashes commenced between Thai security forces and ’red shirt’ anti-government protesters, over 80 people were killed and over 1,000 were injured. Thai PM Abhisit went on to say that the situation was under control and that there was no need to extend the curfew. Bangkok’s multitude of bars, pubs and nightclubs now have to try to entice customers back, which initially might not be an easy task. The good news is that Bangkok is back open late again. Let’s hope that from tonight we see a lot of people partying and perhaps blowing off some steam. It has been an anxious and frustrating period, but law and order is now restored in Bangkok. Party on!
BANGKOK CURFEW UPDATE 26/05/2010 – All the bars were open in Soi Cowboy last night. In Nana Plaza the go-go bars were open except for the Crown Groups bars. Down in Patpong Soi 2 Bar Bar are open from 2:00pm until 10:00pm for the duration of the curfew. Considering the early hours and the heavy rain, there is quite a good number of bar girls turning up for work. The curfew starts at midnight and ends at 4:00am on Saturday, May 29th.
WARNING! The curfew is serious and starts at midnight until 4:00am. Be aware that a lot of taxi drivers are refusing to take customers from 11:00pm onwards. This especially applies if your destination is some distance. Some notorious taxi drivers are demanding extortionate amounts of money. Therefore, do not leave it too late before you make the journey back to your room. Stickman had to zoom off on a motorbike taxi, because no metered taxi wanted to take him last night. (more…)
BANGKOK AFTERMATH UPDATES 22/05/2010 - Today I will update this ’Bangkok Burning Aftermath’ page, but the news is slowing down now. This means that updates might not appear very often, but I will do my best to provide regular updates. Incidentally, this website has received record web traffic, which shows how important these updates are. On May 20th this website received over 100,000 hits in 24 hours. As always, thanks for tuning in… (more…)
BANGKOK 21/05/2010 - It is early morning here in Thailand. All is quiet on the Eastern Front, as Bangkok sleeps. And on that note I think I’m going to call it a night too. Thanks for tuning in and see you again soon. Cheers!
BANGKOK EMERGENCY UPDATES 20/05/2010 - Regular updates will appear on this page. The latest breaking news will be posted at the top of the page. With an extended curfew imposed in Bangkok, I will be monitoring the situation closely. Hold tight riders, this is by no means over… (more…)
BANGKOK STATE OF EMERGENCY - Due to the serious situation in Bangkok, I will try to post updates at least every hour. Stay tuned it is going to be a long night… (more…)
BANGKOK 18/05/2010 – The United Nations has urged Thailand to put an end to the violent clashes and restart negotiations. This is easier said than done, because a minority of extreme anti-government militants are hellbent on violence. It is a very difficult situation for the Thai government to deal with and a tremendous amount of restraint and tolerance, will be required by everyone here in Bangkok… (more…)
Out of the three main go-go bar areas in Bangkok, Soi Cowboy remains the busiest overall. This will probably become more evident, as the rainy season approaches. The main reason is simple; the clientele in Nana Plaza and Patpong consists of an increasing number of tourists and infrequent visitors. Therefore, the number of foreign visitors drops in the rainy season, as you well know. In addition to a general decline in foreign visitors, Patpong has recently suffered further from the anti-government violence in Silom. Furthermore, Patpong and Nana Plaza have more restrictions on ‘showing’ than in Soi Cowboy. It is unfortunate for Patpong, but with Soi Cowboy being relatively unaffected by the anti-government protests, Cowboy will inevitably benefit from this situation. Soi Cowboy has become popular with resident expats for several reasons, which includes the numerous Happy Hours on offer. (more…)
Despite the recent bomb blasts at Sala Daeng Skytrain Station, I decided a visit to Silom was long overdue. I spontaneously felt I needed to go and report what was happening in Patpong. (more…)
TRAVEL WARNINGS 23/04/2010 - Several countries have issued Thailand Travel Warnings. However, Germany advises that visitors to Bangkok should avoid Silom district and any groups of anti-government protesters. At this stage, I agree with Germany. Meanwhile, America, Britain and Australia continue to send out ‘broken record’ Travel Warnings. No matter where the actual problem areas are located, they constantly send out Thailand Travel Warnings. This makes it a very difficult task for foreigners to evaluate the situation. (more…)
Down in Kao San Road, Patpong, Soi Nana and Soi Cowboy, the water wars were wet ‘n’ wild under the searing sun. Songkran is a lot of fun for those who enjoy getting soaked, but it is very frustrating for those of us who do not want to participate. When you live in Bangkok, or Pattaya there is no escaping it. Why can’t they just leave the dry people alone? During the water wars, even passing motorcyclists have bucket loads of water hurled at them. Combined with too much booze, it’s no wonder there is so much carnage on the roads during Songkran. I think there should be designated areas and times for the water wars – this would allow the normal people to go about their daily business. However, Thailand being Thailand, it probably will not ever happen. (more…)
BANGKOK DEATH TOLL RISES TO 20 WITH OVER 800 INJURED
BANGKOK, APRIL 10, 2010 – During Saturday night Bangkok witnessed the worst street violence in almost two decades. Thai Army and Riot Police were locked into pitch battles with defiant Red-shirt UDD Protesters… (more…)
RAINBOW ROUNDUP – Continuing on our journey into the neon jungle, we decided to check out a couple of the Rainbow Bars. Rainbow 1 was as lively as ever and the line-up remains for the best part very impressive. Most of the go-go girls were sporting mono bikinis, but I spotted a few who were in their birthday suits. Yes indeed, things have finally changed in Nana Plaza. The gang decided to visit Rainbow 2, which is located next to Obsession Bar in the far right corner. Rainbow 2 was never a favourite of mine, because I felt it never created the right atmosphere for Westerners. The amount of open space is partly to blame, but the biggest reason is that it has remained a Jap Trap for many years. However, things have changed and Rainbow 2 has become more farang friendly. The stage was packed with go-go girls and the majority were facially and physically attractive. These Rainbow bar girls know they are cute and sexy, I have never seen mirrors get so much attention! (more…)
Despite the Thai capital being quieter due to the ongoing political problems, it is still business as usual in Bangkok’s bars, pubs and clubs. In fact, some bars and clubs have recently been granted later closing times. This is good news for the nocturnal revellers who want to party on until the wee hours. (more…)
Nowadays, taking a late night stroll down lower Sukhumvit Road is very different to what it used to be years ago. A continuous row of makeshift mobile bars set up shop after midnight along lower Sukhumvit, right on the roadside. The pavement pubs stretch from Sukhumvit Soi 3/1, right along towards Sukhumvit Soi 19. Some of the pavement pubs sell booze from around midnight until cockcrow. Most of the pavement pubs charge 80 baht for a standard drink, which is reasonable enough. However, this concrete jungle is a dodgy place, with various creatures of the night on the prowl. (more…)
A variety of stealth sleuth operations has discovered shocking evidence that there is sex-on-sale in the tourist resort of Pattaya. Several police divisions have revealed that a very serious crackdown will begin next month to catch foreign business people who are financial backers of gay bars, beer bars and go-go bars, where there is sex-on-sale in Pattaya.
Police investigations will determine who pays the bills and gets the profits. If the person is a foreigner, then their visa will be revoked and they will be expelled from Thailand. If it is a Thai, they will be arrested if sex is for sale. There is supposedly much concern about organized crime in the nightlife venues, said one official.
One Police Chief commented, ‘Where did the money come from? Who is behind it? Where does the money go?’
‘I advise anyone who has invested in a bar that might be suspected of illegal acts to clear up the problem and make sure they are not associated with any business that is engaged in illegal activities. The Thai police are taking this very seriously. Sure, in the past we have heard rumours of crackdowns, but I don’t think we have ever seen a crackdown like the one that is about to happen,’ said Drew Noyes, Managing Director of the Pattaya Times.
DAVES RAVES – You may have noticed that the Pattaya Times has covered this story, whereas the BIG media channels and newspapers have not covered the story at all. It will be interesting to see what happens in Pattaya next month.
NOTE THE QUOTE – THAILAND CRACKDOWNS
‘Probably what the Thailand needs more than anything is a crackdown on crackdowns.’ (Anon).
PATTAYA TIMES – Full story on this link – QUICK CLICK
TRAVEL WARNINGS 23/04/2010 - Several countries have issued Thailand Travel Warnings. However, Germany advises that visitors to Bangkok should avoid Silom district and any groups of anti-government protesters. At this stage, I agree with Germany. Meanwhile, America, Britain and Australia continue to send out ‘broken record’ Travel Warnings. No matter where the actual problem areas are located, they constantly send out Thailand Travel Warnings. This makes it a very difficult task for foreigners to evaluate the situation. (more…)
