Guest abang1961 Posted February 18, 2018 Posted February 18, 2018 I'm biased and if this offend anyone, allow me to apologise first. I'm sorry to say this 。。。 urban planning and urban development are NOT the strength of the Thais. A look at just say, Silom Road reveals that there is much to be desired. The authorities are unable to demarcate the proper usage of space and yes, unfortunately the mere existence of street hawkers from dawn to dust do little to "improve" the image of an emerging city. So what's the fate of Soi Twilight? Knowing how un-progressive the Thais are, it may take a gazillion years to spruce up the area. If private developers are looking at turning it into a 5* condo estate, I don't think it will work due to its proximity to the nearby scandalous red-light districts of Patpong and Thaniya. No respected high-ranking and filthy rich Thais would want to be stuck in that traffic there too. Likewise, if the small parcel of land is to convert into another shopping mall, sorry it cannot compare with the spacious Siam Paragon. So my take is that it is still very infantile to put a definitive proposal on how best to redevelop the space... I haven't seen much difference in Silom in the past ten years ....the sleaze is still there... and hope the junta will continue to rule...let things stay status quo for a very long time .. Quote
bkkguy Posted February 18, 2018 Posted February 18, 2018 correct, but ideas presented are quite sensible, nobody is suggesting relocating bars to Saudi Arabia or Nauru after all absolutely - I am sure if you printed out the various threads and presented them at a meeting of Twilight venue owners they would be stunned at the collective wisdom of the forums and seeing as you mentioned Nauru, if the owners did want to consider this option they could try checking with the Australian government which has some recent experience with moving existing functioning operations there - and while it may permanently exclude Dream Boys et al from ever setting up in Sydney or Melbourne it could be a stepping stone to the lucrative US market and a much better option than packing all those dancers and costumes in a leaky boat across the Gulf of Thailand to claim asylum in Pattaya bkkguy Up2u 1 Quote
vinapu Posted February 18, 2018 Posted February 18, 2018 and hope the junta will continue to rule.. I hope you choked on those words and are still in emergency room Quote
vinapu Posted February 18, 2018 Posted February 18, 2018 I am sure if you printed out the various threads and presented them at a meeting of Twilight venue owners they would be stunned at the collective wisdom of the forums not sure about them being stunned but I stand by remark that ideas presented are sensible. Possibly owners even have simlar thoughts. Whether they are workable it's another question. As for shipment to Pattaya by leaky boats I suggest renting out Pattaya-Hua Hin ferries for operation a it seems that they have spare capacity and are quite new. Quote
PeterRS Posted February 18, 2018 Posted February 18, 2018 Knowing how un-progressive the Thais are, it may take a gazillion years to spruce up the area. Take a look at the development plans already agreed for more than a kilometre of Rama 4. Bangkok may not need more malls and 5 star hotels but that's what will go up. To make way for that lot the Dust Thani will close in mid-April. The huge area occupied by the old night market on the corner of Rama 4 and Witayu has finally been closed off and seems ready for construction vehicles. The Rama 4/Soi Twilight block is all old low rise buildings ripe for the wreckers ball. It may not close as stated in May or even later this year. But my view is there is zero chance of it taking years. One reason I have stated before why I feel moving Twilight to a totally different area will never work is the lack of mass. Twilight works because it is near Silom Soi 4, DJ Station and the other venues on Soi 2, and within a short cab ride of Babylon etc. I dont think it matters where the relocation would be. Even if it is right next to a BTS or MRT station, I cannot see it thriving in virtual isolation. Take away the Chinese tour groups and it is already suffering from a severe lack of customers. Are those few regulars seriously going to hop between Soi 4 and another location a few BTS stations away? I doubt it. Then there are the government designated 'entertainment' districts. It would have to be located one of those. Sorry I dont know where they are. Quote
spoon Posted February 18, 2018 Posted February 18, 2018 I thought dusit thani closure has been delayed again until next year? Quote
Boy69 Posted February 18, 2018 Posted February 18, 2018 I wish that we have something similar to Nana Plaza but I doubt the authorities will allow it ,legal restrictions and the current conservative junta agenda will not make it easy. It seens I wil continue to stick to Pattay and Phuket as did on my last trips to the LOS. Quote
Boy69 Posted February 18, 2018 Posted February 18, 2018 I wish that we have something similar to Nana Plaza but I doubt the authorities will allow it ,legal restrictions and the current conservative junta agenda will not make it easy. It seens I wil continue to stick to Pattaya and Phuket the SSSS ultimative destinations (Ses,Sun,Sand and Sex)as did on my last trips to the LOS Quote
Guest abang1961 Posted February 19, 2018 Posted February 19, 2018 I hope you choked on those words and are still in emergency room Oops.. the gay enclave has to converge in a selected district-area. Spreading them out would be a demise or a prelude to disaster and business failure. The Silom-Suriwong area is a good example where gay establishments concentrated within a radius of 500 metres from one another. I really don't think the junta nor the Thais have the will power and the might to do a massive overhaul of the area. Yes there are plans for more urban renewal but look at their pace of progress, we can still have Soi Twilight for some years to come. **Vinapu, please enlighten me on how the junta deals with the gay enclaves/business so far...You know, I am not in Thais so I don't really patronise these joints much. Quote
vinapu Posted February 19, 2018 Posted February 19, 2018 **Vinapu, please enlighten me on how the junta deals with the gay enclaves/business so far...You know, I am not in Thais so I don't really patronise these joints much. even if it seems that ' democrat ' Taksin with his moral campaign did more damage to gay entertainment than junta, very words hoping for junta long rule make my spinal cord numb , hence my comment. I hate those nation saviors whererever they happen to be. Sorry if you felt offended Quote
PeterRS Posted February 19, 2018 Posted February 19, 2018 I thought dusit thani closure has been delayed again until next year? That is correct. Sorry for the misinformation. Until last week the hotel had notice of its closing in April on its website. Now that has disappeared but other sites say it is postponed to January 5 next year. Quote
bkkguy Posted February 19, 2018 Posted February 19, 2018 I stand by remark that ideas presented are sensible. .... Whether they are workable it's another question. forgive me, sometimes I forget this is a Thailand forum bkkguy Up2u 1 Quote
fedssocr Posted February 28, 2018 Posted February 28, 2018 The General says he wants to shake the "sex tourism" reputation of the country. That doesn't sound like it bodes well for the future of these businesses. (Of course they've said things like this in the past as well) Apparently there was a raid on Soi Cowboy last night. 75 foreigners rounded up on various visa violations. I hadn't heard about this on-going focus on "coloured people". http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/crime-crime/2018/02/28/75-foreigners-arrested-soi-cowboy-crackdown/ Quote
Popular Post reader Posted February 28, 2018 Popular Post Posted February 28, 2018 Being here in Bkk for the past week, can report that Twilight is alive and doing OK. No secret that the Chinese are a big boost to the show bars along with other foreigners. Maxi's has a strong following of locals, expats and visitors, serving up food and drink at reasonable prices. Bonny and Bangkok massage shops chugging along with good selection of guys for every taste. Despite all the various rumors in circulation about its ultimate demise, what impresses me most is that all who work the Soi are proceeding with business as usual attitude. No.guarantees what particular rumor is closest to bring on the money, but it continues to have that certain magic that has kept guys like myself coming back for more. Actually, I'm enjoying it more now than I ever had in the past. It's like pausing to appreciate what has now become an endangered species: all the qualities and beauty you took for granted suddenly come into focus. JackR, vinapu, annualguy and 3 others 6 Quote
vinapu Posted February 28, 2018 Posted February 28, 2018 all the qualities and beauty you took for granted suddenly come into focus. well said Quote
gerefan Posted March 2, 2018 Posted March 2, 2018 I have just spent an amusing hour sitting in Dicks Cafe opposite Dreamboys. They have a desk with a guy counting and marking down every customer entering the bar. I guess he is also allocating them to each of the barkers. Even the aged German is outside yelling "Dreamboys" together with 10 yes 10 waiters. At 2230 he asked how many... answer 19!... 19 on a Friday evening. Interestingly many Asians were walking straight past and going to other show bars.... Quote
vinapu Posted March 3, 2018 Posted March 3, 2018 I have just spent an amusing hour sitting in Dicks Cafe opposite Dreamboys. Interestingly many Asians were walking straight past and going to other show bars.... perhaps we will live long enough to see Dreamboys prices drop down floridarob 1 Quote
paulsf Posted March 3, 2018 Posted March 3, 2018 X-boys dropped their prices first of February. 350. They had a pretty good month. Though It’s hard to tell if the price drop did help business. ChristianPFC 1 Quote
jason1975 Posted March 3, 2018 Posted March 3, 2018 X-boys dropped their prices first of February. 350. They had a pretty good month. Though It’s hard to tell if the price drop did help business. That's good news for me, Will be in Bangkok next next week Quote
bkkguy Posted March 3, 2018 Posted March 3, 2018 the latest statement, last night, direct from the person so respectfully referred to as the aged German above, was "till the end of this year, but our lawyer says we will get another 12 months after that" bkkguy vinapu and Jasper 2 Quote
paulsf Posted March 13, 2018 Posted March 13, 2018 A couple of developments tonight in Twilight. Tomorrow night there is to be a heavy police presence. Only Thai boys will be allowed to work. Cambodian, Lao, Vietnam and Myanmar boys were told to not even be in Twilight tomorrow. Possibly 2 nights, but to be determined tomorrow. On the closure situation. Heard from a somewhat reliable source. On May 1, only Hot Male, Banana Bar, x-Size and FreshBoys will remain open. Everything else will be closed and walled off. We’ve all heard all sorts of rumors, but this came from management types and information was given to workers. So I guess we will just have to wait and see. ChristianPFC, vinapu and Jasper 3 Quote
JackR Posted March 13, 2018 Posted March 13, 2018 Thanks for that info paulsf. I'm in Bangkok currently so I'm sorry to hear that. Do you think it's not worth visiting twilight tomorrow night? And will this affect the bars outside twilight, like Jupiter? I was in dreamboys tonight and didn't seem as busy as on previous trips Quote
bucknaway Posted March 13, 2018 Posted March 13, 2018 Just remember a few lyrics frome some of my favorite songs.... The good old days weren't always good and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems. And one of my favorites... Good times... These are the good times. Go out and visit Twilight vinapu 1 Quote
paulsf Posted March 14, 2018 Posted March 14, 2018 Last night was a quiet night . But overall, Twilight has been fairly busy . I was told this will only affect Twilight. Everywhere else should be business as usual. Dreamboys is all Thai so shouldn’t be affected to much. Everywhere else will be short staffed. If it’s worth visiting tonight, that’s up to you and what your looking for. Maybe a good night to try out Moonlight, Screwboys and Jupiter. TMax, reader, Jasper and 1 other 4 Quote
ggobkk Posted March 14, 2018 Posted March 14, 2018 Thanks, PaulSF for being out man on the soi ! It will be interesting to see how the next few days develop. I just got back from Koh Samui and was planning on being at Maxi’s tonight and seeing a show. Probably will postpone as I’m with a Viet boy - not a working boy now, but there might be trouble. On the May 1 wall...wonder what will happen with Dreamboys! Quote
