Chiang Mai

[Nikom]

Some suggestions about Chiang Mai? Last visit, low season, I returned to Chiang Mai after an absents of 7 or 8 years having stayed in Bangkok or Pattaya.

 

Still love Chiang Mai and want to go back in a month or so. My problem is I like to go to a go go and see the boys several times on stage or nearby and then choose. This last visit to Chang Mai I only found bars that just had the boys walk through once and you had to choose. One place the boys had numbers which you could not read. Another had the boys walk through once, no number or name and thus no method of contact. Another had the boys stand at the back of the bar while the customer’s seats faced the opposite direction!

 

Any suggestions about where to go or how to be able to choose a boy?

 

Any restaurant suggestions for dinner???

[Bob]

Your post about the bars - limited contact, a walk-through one time, unreadable numbers - hasn't been my experience at all. It almost sounds like you were not there during one of the shows and/or perhaps arrived after a show was over. I admittedly don't go to the showbars more than a few times a year and, given I'm hitched (hog-tied?), I don't go looking to off anybody; however, that's never prevented me from easily zeroing in on who I would off if the inclination were to hit me.

 

Would be happy to recommend some restaurants but would ask that you please give us an idea of what type of food and/or ambience you're looking for. For falang food, I personally don't think there's any better place than Chez Marco on Loy Kroh. The House on Moon Muang is also a favorite of mine and it serves a mixture of falang and Thai food (and, while Chez Marco might have a slight edge on quality for falang food, The House has very good Thai food and the ambience is much better and quieter there in my opinion). Also, the newer place "The Market" (or perhaps the name is "River Market") on the river (on Charoen Bpratet about 200 feet south of the old iron bridge) is a very exceptional place with great falang food, very good Thai food, and a rather fancy sushi bar. If you happen to have a particular type of food you like or you favor a particular Thai dish, mention that and one or two of us likely can recommend a place or two for that.

[Nikom]

Thanks much for your message. Appreciate it.

 

Restaurants: Thanks for the ones you mentioned. Will try them. I mostly eat Thai food five days and then need some steak!

 

Bars. I will give it another go. I was there last during low season and most did not have a show or wanted to put a show on for just me! I guess I am spoiled from Bangkok and Pattaya where you can see all the guys on stage a couple of times and then choose one. I really don't understand at Freeboy why the guys all stand at the back of the bar while the seats face the stage????

 

Any problems bring guys in for short time in the Mercure Hotel?

[Bob]

Any problems bring guys in for short time in the Mercure Hotel?

 

Shouldn't be any problems doing that. Some hotels (justifiably in my view) don't like it when somebody books a single and then have people over every night (or multiple times). I can't imagine, however, you'll have any issue at Mercure.

 

There are untold numbers of restaurants here in Chiangmai and I'd guess that I haven't even tried 5% or 10% of them. When you're anyplace for a substantial period of time, I think you tend to gravitate back to those places you know and where you liked the food or service. One of my favorite Thai dishes is the simple "kao man gai" (rice with boiled chicken pieces on top and it's always served with a bowl of chicken soup/broth and a garnish of cucumbers slices) and I know 3 places I eat that all the time (4-5 times per week, almost always for my first meal of the day). Two great places for that on Sirimangkalajarn and even the Topp's cafeteria at Kad Suan Kaew has some great kao man gai ...and I'm forgetting about another good place near Tanin market too! Oftentimes, for Thai food, the clearly best places to go are Thai restaurants - and often stalls on a street or little "hole-in-the-wall" restaurants here and there. There's a superb "jok" (rice congee or porridge) restuarant on the north side of the moat (maybe a couple of hundred yards west of the Chang Phuak gate) but you'll often find yourself waiting for a seat early in the morning or about lunchtime.

 

For Thai food, just go to where the Thais go....and, if you go in a place an almost nobody is there or only falang are there, it's usually a good idea to go elsewhere! The Thais don't suffer bad food at all and it's amazing how one can find good Thai food by simply walking around and stopping wherever a lot a Thais are eating. The Jok restaurant noted above is an example of that.

 

I understand what you said about the one bar - I too have found myself turning around to see who the heck was there (and it wasn't too easy to see faces or numbers in that particular case). And, no, they usually won't put on a show just for one or two people so occasionally it's hit and miss. Try New My Way or Adam's Apple and my guess is you won't be disappointed.

 

In any event, have fun whatever you end up doing.

 

P.S. Chez Marco serves an extremely delicious steak entree (my guess is it's Australian beef) for, if my memory is correct, 495 baht. It's really good.

[atri1666]

Just stayed 2 nights there and no problem with guests in room. Also had good fun in HOM and liked the show in Adams Apple. Lots of monstercocks there.

[Nikom]

THANKS everyone. Will sample all suggestions!!

[Nikom]

On another site a poster stated that the Chiang Mai government “plans to expunge late night and “adult entertainment” from the city.

 

Anyone know any details about this?

 

Does this mean the Adam’s Apple and the Circle are going………..

[Bob]

Anyone know any details about this?

 

The story stems from a meeting by the Governor of the Province who discussed the issue of complaints of locals about noise, drugs, and after-hours clubs. There's an article about it in the current online issue of Chiangmai Mail.

 

I'm not sure how much authority the Governor has within the confines of the City of Chiangmai but I'm doubtful that any of the gay venues are targeted. So, I wouldn't worry about it for now.