Bangkok (Lonely Planet) - Andrew Burke [82]
Patpong actually occupies two soi that run between Th Silom and Th Surawong (Map; G2) in Bangkok’s financial district. The two streets are privately owned by – and named for – the Thai-Chinese Patpongpanich family, who bought the land in the 1940s and initially built Patpong Soi 1 and its shophouses; Soi 2 was laid later. During the Vietnam War the first bars and clubs opened to cater to American soldiers on ‘R&R’. The scene and its international reputation grew through the ’70s and peaked in the ’80s, when official Thai tourism campaigns made the sort of ‘sights’ available on Patpong a pillar of their marketing.
These days Patpong has mellowed considerably, if not matured. Thanks in part to the popular night market that fills the soi after 5pm, it draws so many tourists that it has become a sort of sex theme park. There are still plenty of the stereotypical middle-aged men ogling pole dancers, sitting in dark corners of the so-called ‘blow-job bars’ and paying ‘bar fines’ to take girls to hotels that charge by the hour. But you’ll also be among other tourists and families who come to see what all the fuss is about.
Most tourists go no further than stolen glances into the ground-floor go-go bars (see Click here), where women in bikinis drape themselves around stainless-steel poles, between bouts of haggling in the night market. Others will be lured by men promising sex shows to the dimly lit upstairs clubs. But it should be said that the so-called ‘erotic’ shows usually feature bored-looking women performing acts that feel not so much erotic as demeaning to everyone involved. Several of these clubs are also infamous for their scams, usually involving the nonperforming (ie clothed, if just barely) staff descending on wide-eyed tourists like vultures on fresh meat. Before you know it you’ve bought a dozen drinks, racked up a bill for thousands of baht, and followed up with a loud, aggressive argument flanked by menacing-looking bouncers and threats of ‘no money, no pussy!’.
Were we saying that Patpong had mellowed? Oh yes, there is a slightly softer side. Several bars have a little more, erm, class, and in restaurants such as the French bistro Le Bouchon in Patpong 2 you could forget where you are – almost.
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LUMPHINI
Lumphini Park
Map
bounded by Th Sarasin, Th Phra Ram IV, Th Withayu (Wireless Rd) & Th Ratchadamri; 5am-8pm; air-con 505, ordinary 13; Lumphini exit 3; Sala Daeng exit 3 & Ratchadamri exit 2
Named after Buddha’s birthplace in Nepal, this is Bangkok’s largest and most popular park. Its 58 hectares are home to an artificial lake surrounded by broad, well-tended lawns, wooded areas, walking paths and the odd scurrying monitor lizard and ambling turtle to complement the shuffling Bangkokians – it’s the best outdoor escape from Bangkok without leaving town.
The park was originally a royal reserve but in 1925 Rama VI declared it a public space. In the years since it has matured and, as the concrete has risen all around, become the city’s premier exercise space. One of the best times to visit is early morning, when the air is (relatively) fresh and legions of Chinese are practising t’ai chi, doing their best to mimic the aerobics instructor or doing the half-run half-walk version of jogging that makes a lot of sense in oppressive humidity. Meanwhile, vendors set up tables to dispense fresh snake’s blood and bile, considered health tonics by many Thais and Chinese. A weight-lifting area in one section becomes a miniature ‘muscle beach’ on weekends, when the park takes on a festive atmosphere as the day cools down into evening.