Soi Cowboy - Red Light District, Bangkok
Cheaper than Patpong, this Red Light Area is the Alternative Patpong
The best known red-light districts in Bangkok are Patpong, Soi Cowboy, Nana Plaza and Soi 23. Patpong needs no introduction and is located conveniently between Silom and Surawong Roads. The other 3 are located off Surawong Road.
While they all offer sex for sale, they also offer food and drink, entertainment, revues, karaoke, discos etc., are often well lit, cater to as many couples as singles, and are often run by a respectable looking husband and wife. They are never what you would expect.
Thailand's culture is schizophrenic. On the one hand there is Buddhism and the deep-seated belief and preoccupation with leading a good life of moderation. On the other hand there is the sex industry. Prostitution is against the law but brothels thrive beside police stations. There is a happy acceptance of transvestism set against the modest behaviour of most Thais who would never kiss in public, and who even swim fully clothed.
Then there are Bangkok's red light districts, areas in which adult entertainment is well established and whose names are a byword for girlie bars, gay bars and katoy (transvestite) bars offering sex shows.
Soi Cowboy
Soi (means street) Cowboy is an area with about 50 establishments with names reminiscent of the Wild West (which it sometimes resembles). Names like Rawhide, Apache, Big Gun, Susie Wong, Black and White and Dollshouse. Long Gun is one of the longest running bars, small and usually crowded, offering live shows every night. It is popular for many reasons, not least because there is no cover charge and the shows are considered to have more content, i.e. a modicum of creativity and less in-your-face sexploitation.
Soi Cowboy is considered a little down-market but it has a laid-back feel about it and it attracts many locals. Prices are reasonable. Beer is usually around 150 Bht. (£2.50 or $5.00) but it can vary and with the currency fluctuations at the moment, it may vary from month to month. A drink for the girls (or boys) who work the bars will cost extra and it is well to ask at the time how much you will be paying. Imported spirits can be expensive and are frequently fake, so best avoided if you care for your health. There is a good trade in making raw spirit which, when mixed with coke or lemonade, is indistinguishable from the real thing - until the hangover the next morning!. Don't be fooled by the clean looking, unopened bottle either.
The boys and girls who work these bars are frequently good company and are often invited out for a meal or to spend the evening on the river. They can be amusing, entertaining and good fun, and it is not always about sex. Bar fines (the fee paid to take a girl or boy out of the bar) vary according to the establishment and the owners and can be as little as 500 Bht. (£8.20 - $16.50) to 3000 Bht (£50 - $100)
Important Advice:
Never run a tab in one of these places and never get drunk. It's no use calling the Police if you find yourself without money after an evening spent in one of these places. Don't try to argue your way out of it either, bouncers in these establishments can turn rough and although dental work is cheap in Thailand, you don't really want it to go down that road, do you?
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