Bangkok,
amongst other titles, is known as the
City of Angels and for a lot of people
that is exactly what they find as soon
as they get off the plane. The Bangkok
Nightlife will continue to amuse,
astound and amaze you long after the
initial thrill has passed. It is well
advised, however, that before you start
to indulge in any of the pleasures that
are found here we strongly suggest you
read through our.
Although
Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles,
there are plenty of people who would
like to relieve you of your hard earned
cash as soon as possible. In common with
any other countries you may have
visited, it's best to be aware of the
various pitfalls you may come across. If
you use our information but ignore our
advice and warnings, don't be surprised
when you come unstuck.
The main entertainment areas of Bangkok
Nightlife are situated in several
different areas of the city. The first
area we will visit is the Sukhumvit Road
district. Running between east and west
Bangkok, this road probably has the
highest concentration of nightlife
venues for the open-minded visitor.
Starting at the western most end, you
will find yourself looking at a large collection of outside
bars sitting under the expressway, known collectively as Soi
Zero. Although strictly speaking there isn't actually a
Sukhumvit Soi Zero, this area was named such because of its
location west of Soi 1. It was formerly called the Buckskin
Joe Village. There are quite a few beer bars, some of which
have pool tables and are air-conditioned.
Keep walking along Sukhumvit heading
east and quickly you will come to Soi 4,
the home of
Nana
Entertainment Plaza. Nana Plaza
is a complex full of go-go and beer bars
and is probably the best known adult
entertainment venue in the area.
Further along at Soi 7 is the aptly
named Soi 7 Beer Garden, a daytime venue
for both visitors and working girls.
Continuing on to the Soi 23 area we come
to another large entertainment centre
located in a single road known as
Soi
Cowboy. Soi Cowboy is an
ex-pat's favourite haunt and some people
will never go anywhere else. Soi Cowboy
is undergoing a kind of self
re-invention. In the past year or so
there have been a lot of changes in the
Soi starting with the opening of the
Dollhouse.
This
large, two storey go-go came as a kind
of a wake up call to other bars in the
Soi which had remained unchanged for
many years. After the opening of this
'diamond among the rough' other bars
started to sit up and take notice.
Recently refurbished or rebuilt bars
include Suzie Wong, Baccara, Shark,
Cowboy 2 and the soon to be finished
Sheba.
In the same area are the Asoke beer
bars, another collection of outside bars
similar to what you might find in
Pattaya. It's a bit hard to describe
these. As with most small beer bars, the
owners seem to change on a regular
basis. If you want to check these out it
will take you about five minutes to
decide for yourself what you think of
them. And just around the corner is Soi
23 itself which has a few bars some of
which are done out in the interiors of
whichever country they are meant to
represent.
On the other side of the road is Soi 22,
home of Washington Square, mainly
frequented by ex-pats and ex-Vietnam
vets who couldn't bring themselves to
leave Thailand. Washington Square is
definitely one of the more quiet bar
areas.
A little further along you will arrive
at
Soi
33. This is where you will find
the area containing the establishments
known as Painter or Artists Bars, so
called because most of them are named
after various different artists. Soi 33
bars are a totally different style from
a lot of the places you may visit.
Again, some people love them and some
hate them.
