One night in Bangkok, right? Well, you better move fast because new legislation means that the bars close promptly at 2am, and further legislation has, at the time of this writing, put the kibosh on some of the racier nightlife in places like Patpong (this is reputedly a short-term situation because of the 2003 APEC convention). But the action is still fierce and furious in Thailand's hedonistic capital and a rollicking good time can be had by those who seek it out.
If the Bangkok debauch isn't your scene, it's important to note that the town is not all red-light by any means : There are cultural and artistic events as well as all kinds of discos and bars.
The Performing Arts
Although the large shopping malls and international hoTels often sponsor a cultural show, most travelers experience the Thai classical performing arts at a commercially staged dance show accompanying a Thai banquet; several hoTels and restaurants offer this program. Generally there's a fixed-menu dinner of Thai favorites accompanied by a small orchestra, followed by a dance performance. Combined, you won't get the best food or the best dance.
For a different experience, visit the Erawan Shrine, at the corner of Ratchadamri and Ploenchit roads (near the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok and Sogo Department Store). In front of the large, white marble altar to Brahma, the Hindu god of creation you'll often find musicians and beautifully costumed dancers commissioned to amuse Brahma by a grateful or hopeful worshiper.
There are two major theaters for Thai and international performances, the National Theater and the Thai Cultural Center. The National Theater, 1 Na Phra That Rd. (Tel. 02224-1342), presents demonstrations of Thai classical dancing and music by performers from the School of Music and Dance in Bangkok, which are generally superior to those at the tourist restaurants and hoTels. There are also performances by visiting ballet and theatrical companies. Call the TAT or the box office for the current schedule.
The Thailand Cultural Center, Thiem Ruammit Road off Ratchadaphisek Road, Huai Khwang (Tel. 02247-0028), is the newest and largest performance center in town, offering a wide variety of programs. The Bangkok Symphony performs here during its short summer season. Other local and visiting companies also present theater and dance at the center. If you're to see the Ramayana performed in Bangkok, this is probably the place you'll see it. Call for the current schedule.
The Joe Louis Theater, located in the Suan Lum Night Market (adjacent to Lumpini Park) holds nightly puppet theater performances of stories from the Ramakien as well as comic vignettes of rural Thai life. Complex puppets are manipulated by up to three puppet masters and the theater is also a training facility for Thai kids interested in the ancient art. Shows are nightly at 7:30 and 8:30pm. Tickets start at just 250B ($6). Located at the Suan Lum Night Market along Rama IV Road (Tel. 02252-9683).
For a bit of tongue-in-cheek theater, a couple of Cabaret shows in Bangkok feature Katoeys (aka "Lady-Boys") in 6-inch heels and feather boas performing to pop hits, rather hilarious extravaganzas really. The best is Calypso Cabaret at the Asia HoTel (296 Phayathai Rd.; Tel. 02261-6355), which features performances that are more creative than the standard drag parades at cabarets in Phuket or Pattaya. (Shows nightly at 8:15 and 9:45pm; tickets 700B/$16.) A more typical show for Thailand, featuring much of the same routine as at the resorts, is Mambo (Washington Square, Sukhumvit Soi 22; Tel. 02259-5128), with shows nightly 8:30 and 10pm (tickets 800B/$18).
The Club & Bar Scene
Bangkok is huge, and there are nighttime adventures to be found down any soi in the town. If you'd just like to unwind with an evening cocktail, check out what's happening at your hoTel's lobby bar; many set up jazzy live music to entertain folks. For the best lobby bar atmosphere head for the Bamboo Bar at the Oriental HoTel (Oriental Lane off Charoen Krung Rd.; Tel. 02236-0400), with classy live jazz - some of the best in the city. For the infamous Bangkok sex show scene, check out "Patpong" below. Bars and discos are all over the city and the main areas are listed below, but small nightclubs pop-up here and there around town (and many disappear just as quickly). If you're looking for Bangkok's gay scene, start at Silom Soi 4.
Silom Road & Patpong Most visitors won't leave Bangkok without a stroll around Patpong, the famous sex strip and Night Market with myriad streetside market vendors and blocks of bars and clubs. The Patpong scene centers around Soi Patpong 1 and Soi Patpong 2 between Surawong and Silom roads. It's the home of Bangkok's raunchier sex shows, but even if you're not exactly after any risqu? entertainment, most visitors come to wander the Market area (lots of knock-off goods and pirate recordings), at least just peak in the doors of the go-go dens and hit a casual bar or club. It's a good little wander, but be prepared for big crowds and beware of pickpockets.
Visitors walking through the busy market will be harried by grinning touts with menu-boards Telling of "ping-pong ball shows" and other circuslike spectacles. These upstairs "sex show" places charge an entrance fee or have a one or two drink minimum; if you're interested, be sure to negotiate for exactly what you'll pay as many get lured upstairs and have large surcharges added to the bill. If there are problems, just pay up, get a receipt, and go to the tourist police on Surawaong Road. The Tourist Police here are a force to be reckoned with, and have helped many a traveler out of just such a scam. Go-go bars are open to the street and passers-by get a peak at the groups of scantily clad young ladies crowding together on a central catwalk (and looking pretty bored really). You won't pay an entrance fee, but it's more or less a "drink or leave" policy and the ladies will circulate from stage to the bar area (see "The Sex Scene," below for more information).
Despite its rep as a go-go center, there are lots of good bars in Patpong. O'Reilly's Irish Pub, 62 Silom Rd., on the corner of Soi Thaniya just east of Patpong (Tel. 02632-7515) is a lively bar full of locals and travelers. The Barbican (9/4-5 Soi Thaniya off Silom Rd.; Tel. 02234-3590) is a stylish hangout with great food and they feature some nice live music. The Irish Exchange across from Patpong on Convent Road (next to Silom Complex at 1/5-6 Sivadon Building; Tel. 02266-7160) caters to Bangkok yuppies and foreign expatriates with Irish pub style and live music after office working hours. Head to Silom Soi 4 (between Patpong 2 and Soi Thaniya off Silom Rd.), where you'll find small home-grown clubs spinning great music as well as the city's prominent gay clubs: Telephone Bar (114/11-13 Silom Soi 4; Tel. 02234-3279) and The Balcony (86-8 Silom Soi 4; Tel. 02235-5891) foremost among them.
Siam Square - Siam Square, on Rama I Road between Henri Dunant Road and Phayathai Road, houses quite a few popular joints. Here's where you'll find Bangkok's Hard Rock Caf?, featuring good live bands, 424/3-6 Siam Square Soi 11 (Tel. 02254-0830). At the Hartmannsdorfer Brauhaus, 2nd floor, Siam Discovery Center, Rama I Road (Tel. 02658-0223), you'll find home brews in a nice atmosphere - with special beer discounts on Sundays.
A great disco, Concept CM2 goes nightly with live or DJ music - a very popular place in the basement of the NovoTel Siam (Siam Square Soi 6 Tel. 02255-6888). Spasso, in the Grand Hyatt Erewan HoTel (494 Ratchadamri Rd. (Tel. 02254-1234) is a great Italian restaurant that turns upscale club featuring live music acts nightly.
A little bit north of this area (a short cab ride away), near the Victory Monument BTS station (a cab-ride up Phayathai Rd.), check out live jazz and blues at Saxophone Pub and Restaurant. They're at Phayathai Road on the southeast corner of the Victory Monument traffic circle (Tel. 02246-5472).
Khao San Road Over on Rattanakosin Island in Old Bangkok, the backpackers on Khao San Road still party on despite more and more restrictions. Start at Gulliver's on the corner of Khao San and Chakrabongse roads, then explore the back lanes off Khao San for small dance clubs (some the size of broom closets) and hang outs. You'll find lots of travelers in their 20s, and the atmosphere is always laid-back and anything goes. In the middle of Khao San, don't miss Lava (249 Khao San Rd.; Tel. 02281-6565) a popular basement dance club. For a more laid-back evening, head west of Khao San to riverside Phra Athit Road where there are any number of small cafes with live folk, blues, and rock cover acts and lots of small venues full of Thai college students going "beat". Acts change nightly so walk the road's length, have a peek in each spot to find the Thai Joan Baez or young Pete Seeger yet to be discovered.
Sukhumvit Road One of the most happenin' areas of Bangkok, the small sois along busy Sukhumvit play host to a wide range of bars as well as Bangkoks top clubs. You can hop the skytrain from one to the next or, after midnight when the skytrain stops, hop a tuk-tuk or taxi.
Q Bar (34 Sukhumvit Soi 11 Tel. 02252-3274) is the place for the slick urban hip of Bangkok, its only rival is the similarly ab-fab Bed Supper Club (26 Sukhumvit Soi 11 Tel. 02651-3537). Both are ultramodern, have great expat DJs and boom-boom-boom late into the night 7 days a week. The newly built Conrad HoTel (87 Wireless Road, just across from the U.S. Embassy; Tel. 02690-9999) hosts two of Bangkok's newest and best spots: 87 is an ultra-chic, ultra-exclusive club and their Diplomat Bar fills with, well, diplomats from the U.S. embassy as well as Bangkok's hip and happenin' hobnobbers (gets so crowded that the bar often spills over into the lobby). Faith Club (96 Sukhumvit Soi 23 Tel. 02261-3007) is newer on the scene and another popular haunt. Call ahead to any of these for the latest events and, if possible, wear black and bring your posse.
For bars along Sukhumvit, try The Bull's Head (Sukhumvit Soi 33/1 (Tel. 02259-4444), a fun local pub that draws crowds with frequent theme parties and a clubhouse attitude. Larry's Dive Bar (8/3 Sukhumvit Soi 22 Tel. 02663-4563) is a laid-back little place, like a little island getaway in the busy city and just as affordable. Bruahaus Bangkok (President Park, at the end of Sukhumvit Soi 24 Tel. 02661-1111) is a popular brewpub, as is Taurus Brew House (Sukhumvit Soi 26 Tel. 02661-2207), which packs them in - especially on weekends - for home brews and live pop music. Taurus also boasts one of the better discos in the Sukhumvit area, just across from the Brew House, this hip and huge "complex" has live music, a giant disco, and good food. For the best live music, however, head for Riva's, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit HoTel, 250 Sukhumvit Rd. (Tel. 02653-0333), with international bands and lots of dancing. For a quick drink at a unique little outdoor bar, try Cheap Charlie's, in a little alleyway off of Soi 11 (near Suk 11 guesthouse). It's like a small beach bar, but in the middle of Bangkok and drinks are "affordable" and it's a fun after-work atmosphere. Tell them Charlie sent you.
Similar to the Patpong sex show scene, Sukhumvit hosts a few small go-go bars areas that are "same-same but different" like Patpong without all the hype. Check out Nana Plaza just on Sukhumvit Soi 4 or Soi Cowboy (the oldest go-go scene, dating from Vietnam War days) between Soi Asoke (Sukhumvit Soi 21) and Sukhumvit Soi 23. The girls are not shy and business is brisk and attracts more of an expat clienTele than touristy Patpong.
The Sex Scene
Since the 1960s and particularly since the Vietnam War - Bangkok has been the sin capital of Asia, with sex clubs, bars, massage parlors, and prostitutes concentrated in the Patpong, Nana Plaza, and Soi Cowboy districts. Sex is for sale in many quarters in Bangkok, and suprise at seeing the many older Western gentlemen strutting about town with lovely young Thai ladies is a common impression for first-time visitors.
A startling increase in HIV-positive cases in the last twenty years brought on mandated as well as grass-roots efforts to educate about use of condoms. It's working. AIDS is still a major concern among sex workers, but the tide of new cases has slowed somewhat. Recent crackdowns in Patpong means that some of the raunchier shows and more overt venue for prostitution have closed, but in other cases, the focus has shifted to younger and younger women. The picture certainly isn't rosy.
Go-go bars and clubs are really little more than fronts for prostitution, and very thinly veiled fronts at that. The men and women in the clubs are all available to take out of the bar. You'll be required to pay a "bar fine" (about 410B/$10), and you can take the companion of your choice out to other clubs, or to someplace more private. Sex is negotiated directly with him or her. If this is your scene, take great care: Apart from the condom thing (use one) the prostitutes are known to slip you drugs (which happens), rob your hoTel room while you're sleeping (which happens), or get you mixed up with illegal activities (which happens).
If you're staying in a very expensive upmarket hoTel, many times you will not be allowed to bring prostitutes through the lobby. Most hoTels require guests to register visitors and will bump you up to the next pay category. There are cheaper hoTels popular with punters where overnight or short-term visitors can register separaTely at a security desk or ask any "new friend" about cheap alternative hoTels near the go-go bars.
While prostitution is technically illegal in Thailand, this law is never enforced. International reports about poor farmers selling their children into prostitution are true - many children are held in brothels against their will. However, the majority of sex workers are adults who enter the industry of their own free will out of basic economic necessity and often support many people on their earnings. Remember that child prostitution, slavery, and violence against sex workers still happens; if you encounter any of these activities, please report them to the Tourist Police (Tel. 1155).
Massage Parlors
Bangkok's massage parlors were recently the subject of major scandal. One of the towns biggest parlor operators, when squeezed by recent conservative pressure, turned and exposed police corruption, going public about his many years of pay-offs to police ledgers, followed by lots of drama and finger-pointing (and all quickly forgotten). Though suffering from official pressure to close, Bangkok has hundreds of these giant facilities, advertised in neon as "modern" or "physical" massage parlors, that offer something quite different from traditional Thai massage (more or less just direct sex for sale).
Physical massage involves a masseuse first washing the client and then, covered in soap (or oil), using her entire body for a "body-body" massage (sometimes a "sandwich" of two masseuses). Nearly all massage parlors are organized along the same lines. Guests enter the lobby where there's a coffee shop/bar and several waiting rooms where young Thai women wearing numbers pinned to their blouses sit on bleachers. Guests choose a woman from behind the glass, then proceed to a private room for between 1 and 2 hours. It's all negotiable, but rates for a physical massage start at about 1,500B ($37) and increase for different services.
Chiang Mai Hotel - Chiang Mai Resort, Thailand Hotel Reservation Service by Allresort Thailand
One night in Bangkok, right? Well, you better move fast because new legislation means that the bars close promptly at 2am, and further legislation has, at the time of this writing, put the kibosh on some of the racier nightlife in places like Patpong (this is reputedly a short-term situation because of the 2003 APEC convention). But the action is still fierce and furious in Thailand's hedonistic capital and a rollicking good time can be had by those who seek it out. 
There are two major theaters for Thai and international performances, the National Theater and the Thai Cultural Center. The National Theater, 1 Na Phra That Rd. (Tel. 02224-1342), presents demonstrations of Thai classical dancing and music by performers from the School of Music and Dance in Bangkok, which are generally superior to those at the tourist restaurants and hoTels. There are also performances by visiting ballet and theatrical companies. Call the TAT or the box office for the current schedule. 
Visitors walking through the busy market will be harried by grinning touts with menu-boards Telling of "ping-pong ball shows" and other circuslike spectacles. These upstairs "sex show" places charge an entrance fee or have a one or two drink minimum; if you're interested, be sure to negotiate for exactly what you'll pay as many get lured upstairs and have large surcharges added to the bill. If there are problems, just pay up, get a receipt, and go to the tourist police on Surawaong Road. The Tourist Police here are a force to be reckoned with, and have helped many a traveler out of just such a scam. Go-go bars are open to the street and passers-by get a peak at the groups of scantily clad young ladies crowding together on a central catwalk (and looking pretty bored really). You won't pay an entrance fee, but it's more or less a "drink or leave" policy and the ladies will circulate from stage to the bar area (see "The Sex Scene," below for more information). 
Khao San Road Over on Rattanakosin Island in Old Bangkok, the backpackers on Khao San Road still party on despite more and more restrictions. Start at Gulliver's on the corner of Khao San and Chakrabongse roads, then explore the back lanes off Khao San for small dance clubs (some the size of broom closets) and hang outs. You'll find lots of travelers in their 20s, and the atmosphere is always laid-back and anything goes. In the middle of Khao San, don't miss Lava (249 Khao San Rd.; Tel. 02281-6565) a popular basement dance club. For a more laid-back evening, head west of Khao San to riverside Phra Athit Road where there are any number of small cafes with live folk, blues, and rock cover acts and lots of small venues full of Thai college students going "beat". Acts change nightly so walk the road's length, have a peek in each spot to find the Thai Joan Baez or young Pete Seeger yet to be discovered. 
A startling increase in HIV-positive cases in the last twenty years brought on mandated as well as grass-roots efforts to educate about use of condoms. It's working. AIDS is still a major concern among sex workers, but the tide of new cases has slowed somewhat. Recent crackdowns in Patpong means that some of the raunchier shows and more overt venue for prostitution have closed, but in other cases, the focus has shifted to younger and younger women. The picture certainly isn't rosy. 
