jjlucky Posted March 25, 2012 Posted March 25, 2012 Would be very grateful for the wisdom of the crowd on this... I'm headed to Bangkok on March 29, for my first time. Was considering getting a guide for a couple of days, to make sense of the boy scene, among other things. Good idea? Any recommendations? Thanks for your counsel. Quote
caeron Posted March 26, 2012 Posted March 26, 2012 I hired Purple Dragon for 4 of my days in bangkok, as much because I really wanted to see the sights. And it is always easier to navigate with a local. I thought, overall, it was worth it, and if you're uncomfortable navigating the bar scene, it might be a good way to get your feet wet. They will take you to a bar and show you the routine. That said, I have had lots better tour guides, and the bar scene isn't that complicated. I felt the guide I had was more a 'travel' coordinator. He didn't really have the indepth knowledge of the places we visited that I'd expect of a guide and his english while reasonable good, wasn't great. But then again, I wasn't paying that much for him either. Alacarte purple dragon tour guides are I think $65 a day. If you're flying all the way to bangkok, a few extra bucks to get shown around seems reasonable. The bar scene, once you find the places, is really straightforward at the go-go bars. You pay a ridiculous amount for your drinks. 280baht seems to be the going rate, so just shy of $10. But there isn't a cover. Typically a mamasan or the like will chat you up to find out who you like, what you want, etc. If you don't get a good mamasan (who could be a boy waiter, but you get my point), you might want to move bars if your sexual tastes are particular. I ignored a mamasan and while the boy was cute, he didn't deliver. Once you've picked a boy or two, you will pay a 500 baht off fee to the bar. That covers just the bar. You can then take the boy back to your hotel and fool around. At the end of that he'll expect 1500 baht. The locals claim you can do better than this, but at $50, I think it isn't worth fighting unless you've a hankering for a LOT of boys. If you ask him to stay overnight, and most don't really want to, you'll pay more. There are also Massage places, that skip the whole drinking thing, you'll pick a boy or two and the time, and pay the house their fee, and they'll tell you what the minimum tip for the boy(s) are. Again, be specific on what you want or you'll probably be disappointed. That's my .02, there are others here who know the scene even better than I do. Quote
Members axiom2001 Posted March 26, 2012 Members Posted March 26, 2012 Caeron, I've been to Thailand and have done this and that, but man WHAT YOU PRESENTED is great for anyone to read and decipher. Thanks and continue to enjoy yourself if you are still in Bangkok. If you have returned to your home residence, "bask in the afterglow" with a promise to return! Quote
Guest FourAces Posted March 29, 2012 Posted March 29, 2012 I have not been to Thailand however if I were to go alone it might be nice to set up a local guy who is fluent in English to hang with the first few days. But with that said there is so much valuable information in this forum the trip could probably be done without any assistance as well. Either way hope you enjoy your travels and come bak here to share your experiene with us Quote
