Bangkok

[Guest fountainhall]

I have opened this new thread as a follow-on from the much read Original twilight bar bangkok. In a recent post lonelywombat asked for information about the Ramkhamhaeng area. I don’t have anything up to date, but have found a couple of more recent maps and can relate the details of a visit to a couple of bars in the area about 4 years ago.

 

I and a farang friend have dinner every couple of weeks and will usually go to a bar or two afterwards. Around 4 years ago, we tried a couple of bars in the Ramkhamhaeng area, even though his Thai bf had advised us we’d be bored. He was right! We were! I cannot remember the name of the bars we attended. All I recall is there were several large ones (massive in comparison to those in Silom Soi 4) in a cluster of almost temporary looking structures somewhere on the left as you proceed up from the city centre end. Looking at the map links below, I suspect they were in Soi 89/Lamsalee.

 

There was certainly some wonderful eye candy around. It’s a university area after all, with Assumption and Ramkhamhaeng universities on the right of the road. Whilst Ramkhamhaeng U. seems to boast several hundred thousand students, it’s an open university and so the numbers actually on campus at any one time are much less. It’s still a lot, though! Assumption, though smaller, is interesting as most of the courses are taught in English and it has a large number of overseas students (several thousand from China, for example). We therefore hoped that at least a few of these students with decent English might be at the bars.

 

These were just plain drinking bars with loud music. Sadly almost everyone seemed there with groups of friends. We saw absolutely no-one hanging around on his own. There were few chairs that we could see, just tables for standing at. Maybe there was a more comfortable area further in, but it was quite dark and we were not in an adventurous mood. Besides, the music was being played at such a horrendously loud level that we could not stand it for more than about 20 minutes. In both, we felt pretty much out of place. These were clearly bars for young Thais and we were the only farang around. Had we had been half our ages and in better physical condition, perhaps we might have attracted some attention. We’ll never know!

 

I relate this only because a few weeks ago we were tempted again to try the area to see if there was now anywhere more interesting. Once again, my friend’s bf said it would be a waste of our time. Nothing much had changed. This time we took his advice. I suspect there’s not much point in visiting the bars there unless you have at least one Thai friend with you.

 

I found a map this morning from a recent issue of Thai Puan magazine only about 5 months old. Note that it squeezes the Ramkhamhaeng, Ratchadapisek and Phahoyothin areas into one map, whereas they’re all actually a long way away from each other (3 miles between the outer two?)! Maybe someone has a more up to date or more detailed one.

 

I am also attaching links from the Thai Puan website giving -

 

1. Thai Puan's map page which includes more Bangkok areas as well as outside Bangkok;

2. List of Venues in the Ramkhamhaeng area*

 

*This also has some web links and comments from patrons, but I do not know how to open the comments yet!

 

http://www.thaipuan.com/area_and_map/area_and_maps.html

http://www.thaipuan.com/venue_review/venue_review_ramkhamheng.html

[Guest HeyGay]

I have my House near the Ramkhamhaeng Area, and I can assure you your be very bored in these Bars, they are for the young or the very young at heart, If you love very loud Music and chatting to guys around a small table where you cant hear a word each other is saying go.

 

If you

[pong]

yes, exactly-I have also always described it that same way. But there are a few more-not nexcessarily anything other, in other sois from RKH, like the cvery famous Edok ()=Thai slang for ''slut''=bad flower). Also 4 sauna's: Farose2, Torpedo, Meeting (very small, very quiet) and Trio (new, soi 48-very quiet soi, sauna sometimes busy). Lamsalee is not the name of the soi, but of that area-crosing with the long Sri nakarin.

BTW-the gay bars at Mochit/Kampaeng Phet rd/Chatuchak 9that is all the same) are 99,99% same-same. (a little north of Sapan kwai).

Anyone with just the slightest idea of what young Thai think is fun would have figured that out by themselves, I guess.

[aussie_]

I have been to the ICK Pub at Lamsalee recently with my Thai friend and they had ten twink type to average build coyote boys dancing after midnight. We wrapped 100 baht notes around a bottle of soda and the boys stood at the front of the stage and poured the water over their glistening bodies. I thought that was quite good and they also had a reasonable quality show. There were lots of cute Thai guys at ICK Pub but I would not venture there without a Thai guy with me or a group of friends.

 

Near ICK Pub we also dropped into a huge barn like place called "Country View" which is similar to the Tawan Daeng Clubs. They played Morlam type music and the drink prices were very good.

 

There must be many great entertainment places that us farangs never hear about in Bangkok.

[Guest lonelywombat]

I wonder if it possible to use gayromeo to meet with some gay thais , to visit these place. I am told that not all BKK boys on GR are money boys and for an offer of a fee and drinks maybe a friend/guide for the night could be arranged.

 

I do like the Ick Pub mentioned by Aussie and am not sure whether he thinks it unsafe or useles to attend by yourself, with no understanding of thai language.

[Guest fountainhall]

I wonder if it possible to use gayromeo to meet with some gay thais , to visit these place. I am told that not all BKK boys on GR are money boys and for an offer of a fee and drinks maybe a friend/guide for the night could be arranged.

I'm sure you'll find a lot of guys in the BKK section of gayromeo happy to show you around along the lines you suggest. Be prepared for them to ask if they can bring a friend - at least for the bar hopping part.

 

I do like the Ick Pub mentioned by Aussie and am not sure whether he thinks it unsafe or useles to attend by yourself, with no understanding of thai language.

I cannot believe it is unsafe - at least no more unsafe than the Silom venues.

 

Something else I wonder, though. There are certainly money boys around at DJ, Balcony and Telephone. From my short visit, I got the impression that the Ram bars were for Thai guys out just to have fun - i.e. not hook-up with money boys. So should you happen to have any luck in meeting someone you like, my hunch is he will not be asking for money, other than possibly a taxi home.

[aussie_]

I do like the Ick Pub mentioned by Aussie and am not sure whether he thinks it unsafe or useles to attend by yourself, with no understanding of thai language.

 

Sorry I should have explained further. I always feel safe at the Thai clubs but with my limited Thai language skills it is easier to direct a taxi to the location, order drinks etc with a Thai guy or group with you. I feel more comfortable going with a group but I am sure you could go to ICK and if you make an effort to be friendly with the locals without being too forward you could find yourself invited to join a table of Thai guys.

[Guest]

From my short visit, I got the impression that the Ram bars were for Thai guys out just to have fun - i.e. not hook-up with money boys.

This area may be worth a visit for residents or long term visitors. I'll use the valuable time on my shorter visits in Silom, where a pleasurable evening is guaranteed.

[pong]

for another insider description of these bars (actually the OToKo=Chatuchak, if I remember well, go to the ricequeendiary.blogspot and search for it. it is by now some 2 years old, but will still hold. Safety is never an issue, nor is getting a taxi-back to that safe Silomzone. There are also allnight buses-pretty fast. In fact I really do not quite understand why people even fuss about that. And-as a reminder to al'this is such a great bar/place''-this is never ever true for 100%. At least try to make an effort to describe what kind of people it would appeal to. The 60+ senior visitor would not stand out too much at DJ, but will in these places. OTOH you may be such a novelty, that invitations are a plenty-especially if the bottle of local brown alcoholic spirits gets empty. Do not even expect to get hooked on-that will happen, if at all, later-on the street, when lights are on and closing time has arrived.

[ChristianPFC]

It is quite different from the bars in the Silom area. Very few Farangs, loud music (I always use earplugs), and groups of Thai standing around their tables. Best to go with a friend or meet a friend there, else you will stay alone. Nonetheless, I go there at least once every time in in Thailand for holiday. The have the best coyote dancing I have seen in Bangkok. Unfortunately, it's interrupted frequently by messages in Thai, for which they stop the music as well. The area is easily accessible by bus or even by canal boat, the Saen Saeb canal is not far behind (about 100m from ICK), and The Mall Ramkhamhaeng and the pier are diagonally opposite.

 

The surprising thing is, I even met a moneyboy there. I was there alone and chatted up some Thais (their English was ok) when they asked me if I wanted to go with X, who is a moneyboy. Exactly this boy was the cutest among the coyote dancers and I had oogled him a lot on stage. Unfortunately, he asked for 2500 Baht, I was not sure what to reply, during my silence he lowered to 2000 and to 1800. Then he got a phone call which was more important than I, so I left alone (I think 1000 for short time would have been fine). Unfortunately, I have neither his phone number nor gayromeo profile, but maybe his is still there when I come back.

[Guest fountainhall]

The area is easily accessible by bus or even by canal boat, the Saen Saeb canal is not far behind (about 100m from ICK), and The Mall Ramkhamhaeng and the pier are diagonally opposite.

The klong boat is great for getting to that part of Bangkok. Unfortunately, I believe it stops at dusk, so it's not much use for the bars.