As part of Bangkok's remake and emergence as a modern world-class city, she's been scrubbed up and sent to rehab and doesn't see as much of that old crowd from the wrong side of the tracks these days. Not to say that prostitution in Bangkok has gone the way of the dodo, but it has gone from pigeons to bluebirds. Much the same way that some US cities have dealt with crime and homelessness, Bangkok made life just difficult enough for the sex industry that it's largely just packed up and moved along elsewhere, most notably to Pattaya which now holds the claim as Thailand's numero uno destination for sex tourists. With a single change in the law, the imposition of a 1 AM closing time for bars, the Bangkok party scene was dialed down from an extravagant 11 to a prosaic 6. When I was in Bangkok 10 years ago, 1 AM was pre-crescendo any night of the week at places like Soi Cowboy and Nana Entertainment Plaza. An excellent chronicling of life in Bangkok and Thailand over the past decade that covers this particular aspect of Bangkok life along with a multitude of others can be found at www.stickmanbangkok.com. It's written by an expat (a Brit I believe) who's been living there for quite some time and makes for interesting and entertaining reading even if you never plan to set foot in Bangkok.
My guest house during my week in Bangkok was located just a few Sky Train stops from the Nana stop along Sukhumvit Road so I thought I would take the pulse of the current state of Bangkok nightlife by sampling some of what was on offer on a Saturday night in that area renowned for its abundant array of hedonistic diversions, purely for the sake of research of course. I scratched Nana Entertainment Plaza from my list of possible destinations as my 10 year old memory of that temple to prurience and debauchery was that it was more than my much mellowed constitution could now withstand. So I alighted onto Sukhumvit Road peering up each soi (a soi is a side street off a main street in Thailand) as I strode along. There was definitely a vigorous energy in the air and no shortage of vendors selling food, drinks, various gift items and there were plenty of bars broadcasting open invitations to passersby via the medium of flashing neon. Like Goldilocks I wanted a soi that was lively but not overbearingly so with welcoming lights but not garishly so and with an overall feel of conviviality all within the bounds of respectability. In a stroke of good fortune I strolled past only a few soi's before I came upon one that nicely satisfied my uncompromising criteria.
Just 30 meters or so up my chosen soi I began to encounter very friendly young girls hanging around on the sidewalks and hailing me from the many open-air bars that lined the soi. It was immediately apparent that the blow officialdom had dealt to the solar plexus of Bangkok nightlife had fallen far short of taking it out for the count.
Most of the girls on the street were in small groups and the girls in the bars were working within the protection of the bar establishment, all part of the important aspect of security in what is unquestionably a risky occupation and they all played the part anyway of enjoying themselves and each other's company.
As I entered a darker stretch of street between the pools of light cast by the bars and restaurants and saw a very pretty and young, I'd guess about 20 years old, girl dressed in white shorts and blouse standing alone in a sort of rough-cut niche in a wall next to the sidewalk. As I passed by she looked at me and motioned towards me without saying anything as she probably spoke little or no English. There was no practiced smile on her face and she stirred the air with no trickle of frivolous laughter but rather her face was weighed with an expression of sadness and pleading as her hand reached out towards me before falling softly and resigned back to her side as I made no motion to pause and responded with only a cursory tight smile and slight nod of the head. In this unexpected and momentary encounter my mood was stamped with the realization that the festivity in the air and the facile accessibility displayed by the women is born of the yawning disparity between what many of them desperately need and what most of the revelers regard as a birthright.
After walking a few more minutes I came upon a friendly little bar called The Tavern or something similarly nondescript but descriptive enough and was drawn in by the small group of foreigners who appeared to be in my age range and the numerous flags of North American and western European countries festooned around the entrance. The atmosphere inside was charged with a testosterone fueled spirit and I was immediately welcomed into the fold after disclosing my nationality and favorite football team (an NFL team was accepted only after first revealing my nationality). I was joining another yank along with 2 Cannucks, a Brit, and a Norwegian and the patrons were being served by 2 very friendly and attractive Thai women who skillfully played their pivotal part in keeping the men entertained and the beer and money flowing. Whether this pair of bartenders was available for 'extra' services I wasn't sure, but oftentimes they are. Even if they are not, the perception that they are or just their friendly demeanor is enough to add to the stag party ambiance and result in a little extra lingering by the customers and fattened bar tabs. The other American was a very large individual and had a capacity for beer consumption commensurate to his build. By the time I called it quits a couple of hours later his beer count, including those before I arrived, was at least 12 and he didn't seem intoxicated! Or perhaps I was and was no longer qualified to make that judgment.
On my way back down the soi to the Sky Train station I passed the girl on the sidewalk again. This time she didn't bother looking at or gesturing towards me but I could see she still had the same unhappy troubled air as before and I'm guessing she had seen no business while I was in the bar unless it was a really expeditious customer. I was thinking I wanted to do something to help her but what? I wasn't going to hire her services. Give her money, give her insipid advice in a language she doesn't understand while assuming some sort of morally superior attitude? Perhaps I could have given her a little money since that's the reason and the only reason she was there that night, but would it have obviated her need to come back the next night or the next? In all likelihood she was helping her family. A surprisingly high percentage of women in that business, at least in Asia, pass the money they earn directly into the family coffers, clouding the case that prostitution is the realm of only the degenerate and dissolute. The fact that it's the world's oldest profession is testament to the fact that it's a complicated issue without simple explanations or solutions.
This is the infamous Nana Entertainment Plaza exposed to the unforgiving Bangkok sunlight. Like many of its patrons and workers, probably better seen in a darkened state amidst flashing lights and loud music after sunset. I do like the Christmas tree no doubt set up so that Santa can leave gifts for all the nice boys and girls!
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