Expatrockstar

The Naughty Nightlife Hotspot In Bangkok

The betting is one of the first names that’ll spring up in any discussion about Bangkok’s naughty night-life is Soi Cowboy. This particular street situated off Sukhumwit road in Bangkok is what I like to refer to as the easy man’s Patpong. I would even go as far as saying that this particular street that is home to many bar beers and go go establishments is a more laid back affair than it’s more famous sister over commercialized sister Patpong. This actually makes it a refreshing change – especially if you happen to be here in Thailand on your first trip. It’s what I’d call as a newbie friendly introduction to nightlife in Bangkok. The type of place where you can cut your teeth before moving on and up to others areas such as… The Nana Plaza, Patpong, and Pattaya.

Who Frequents Soi Cowboy?

Apart from the newcomer brigade this small soi caters for mainly European and Japanese tourists, the latter more so these days as there are quite a few Japanese districts situated not far from it. Now as with everything else in Thailand, prices are going up and this can be attributed to a few things:

• Bar Girl inflation.

• Naive two week tourists throwing their cash around like it’s going out of fashion.

• The spending power of the above ‘Japanese’.

However, when comparing the likes of Soi Cowboy to places like Pattaya it’s still quite reasonable – and it is in the capital city after all!

When Should I Go & What’s It Like?

Timing is of the essence here. The best time to hit the bars on this soi are latter on in the evening, I’d say around about 8pm. If you decide to take an excursion down here in the daytime, you’ll be very disappointed – because the bars will all be closed. Though I do think that newbies should take a look during the day, it’ll give you plenty of time to size the place up and orientate yourself before nightfall. Not that there is a lot to this single Soi – but one can get a feel for the bars and so on, call it a kind of reconnaissance type visit.

This place really comes into it’s own after nightfall. It’s only then you’ll be able to get a feel for it. What are my personal views on this entertainment area? Here are a few things that have sprung to mind over the years. These include, but are not restricted to:

• Sleazy feel: As skimpily dressed Iisaan girls touting for customers.

• Excitement: A new world to be discovered. Good times to be had, possibly bar girl farang romances that may or may not bloom.

• Danger: Lurking beneath it’s glitzy exterior lies an underbelly of desperation, drug addiction, gambling and poverty ridden bar girls.

• Good times: A place where memories are made – and some great stories to tell the mates back home, whilst showing all those naughty pictures to your work mates.

• A man’s fantasy come true: If you’ve got the time, and if you’ve got the cash then your dreams can come true in this place.

• Good Time City: A place where you are the top dog. Re-invent yourself anyway you want to! You can be anything here to anybody. It’s true! I once met Andy McNab propping up a bar lol. Wonder who I’ll meet next? The message seems to be don’t be afraid to live out your wildest self!

Upon entering this small soi be fully prepared! You’ll be greeted with a warm sensual assault from various directions.

• Touch

• Smell

• Sight

Touch: As you’re groped around by the hordes of young bar Thai bar girls that hang around on the street just looking to make your acquaintance! These girls will be dressed in skimpy outfits, and are usually aged between 18 – 25. They are what I like to term as ‘The road crew‘. It’s their job to pull the punters into the bars and get them spending! Don’t be surprised if you get into the bar and are disappointed by the hounds in there! The really pretty girls are what brings in the punters, what’s left inside are the more plain looking girls. However, a good bar will compensate for this by dimming the lights. The combination of low lighting and beer goggles are a potent aphrodisiac anywhere in the world!

Smell: This is one that’ll get you. Just walk down the soi and take a deep breath. Then let the myriad of smells assail your senses. The great smell of freshly fried spicy food is everywhere. You might even get your eyes stung by strong garlic whiffs that seem to attack you out of nowhere.

Sight: At night this street really comes to life and takes on a vibrant feel all of its own making – from bar girls shouting out to drunken tourists ‘Sexy man, Hansum man’ to hard bitten hookers crowding around the night stall lapping up their som tam. This place is a real hive of activity. Even down to the air coming alive with sounds of traditional Iisaan music meshed with western hip hop and chart songs. This place really does cater for everyone.

Choosing A Bar

You’ll find lots of bars in Soi Cowboy. In fact if we tried to name them all here the list would be out of date within a very short period of time. Bars come and bars go, bars open and bars close, not forgetting the frequent name changing!

A little bit of advice here. All that glitters is not gold! When choosing a bar to frequent it’s probably a wise idea to stay away from very glitzy flash looking bars. The reason for this is that many bars like these have huge overheads and tend to make up for these by passing the charges on to their punters! My advice would be to walk the street a couple of times. Take in everything and then when you feel confident go into one of these establishments. Sit down and order a beer. You could expect to pay roughly 100 baht upwards for a small beer. After that you’ll be approached by a girl or two who’ll get chatting to you. If you wish to continue your conversation with the girl just buy her a lady drink – and if you really like the girl you can take her out.

If you’re a newcomer to Thailand and are looking for an easy experience, then Soi Cowboy In Bangkok is the more laid back newbie friendly alternative than other more commercial districts.

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