Social Commentary

Well life is changing...both for me personally and the neighborhood around me. I'm finding myself more and more heading back into the jungle of expats around the Sukhumvit and Silom bar area. Perhaps this is because I am recently single and my body is recalibrating to deal with the dry spell of love. Then again it could be the constant churn of clubs in my neighborhood that's driving me to drink from a different pond.

The entire complex of bars off Ekamai Soi 5 (Thonglor Soi 10) has now been demolished to make way for yet another elite lifestyle condo. This brings the latest count to well over a dozen new condo developments on Ekamai alone and with it, slow moving traffic like fat camp on buffet day. This used to be pretty focused to rush hour with the standard pool of taxis outside Nang Len. Now however with Curve and Jet Metropolitan in full swing you have a better chance of getting gonorrhea from a day old snack pack of KFC than crossing the road.

Another mega club called Muse has opened on Ekamai Soi 5 to join ranks with Bamblu which is just a hundred meters down the road. On the flip side In Da Club has finally changed it's name to Not In Da Club and closed it's doors. Now instead of running a gauntlet of smokers and vomiters to get to my apartment I only have to navigate the nuggets of goodness the soi dogs leave behind and the occasional used condom.

* Please note that although most material today is in some way recyclable, this does not include used latex or my witty insight :P

With all these new bars it seems like the ET Zone is driving out the farang friendly nature that was once the drawing card to the area. In its place is a plethora (I love this word) of Thai venues that provide an increasingly hostile environment for traditional clubbers like me. I don't mean anyone is going to nunchuk your ass just to steal 50 baht and a used AIS card but it would definitely make most farangs uncomfortable. It's kinda like having gas on a first date...it doesn't stop you from going but you might need to sneak out every now and then to let off some steam.

Last Tuesday I walked into Jet around 9 to find it already packed. Immediately every head in the joint turned to look at me. I can only assume this was attributable to the handsome fedora and chestnut highlights I was sporting but more likely it was the fact that the only white that can be seen in Jet on a regular basis is on the walls. I stayed for one beer and payed a whopping 220 baht. For the locals perhaps the impression is that the clubs around here are elite and therefore prices that make a mexican druglord squirm are embraced as bragging rights that demonstrate the buyer has little regard for reason, money or future. For me I've always calibrated the clubs here a notch lower than the international ones around Sukhumvit and therefore expect to pay around 100-150 baht per round.

This same pricing mentality holds across pretty much all the clubs in the area including Blog 9, Curve, Jet, Muse, Nang Len and even Santika although the latter still caters to a better mix of patrons.

Long story short I do find myself going back to the old haunts of Santika and Witch's Tavern but usually those choices are purely of convenience since I can walk to both. For a more solid night out however I'll be heading back to my roots around Sukhumvit and Silom which is where most farangs cut their teeth and will feel more at home (that is if your home has smokin' hotties, wicked tunes and a mind-numbing supply of sex workers and airheads driving daddy's car).

With the changing of the guards Mikey is looking for more opportunities to head out. The last battalion of wingmen is virtually wiped out (or maybe I spelled that wrong and it's actually whipped...sorry guys). Therefore please feel free to keep me abreast of your movements should they involve inebriation, sexual innuendo or an abundance of the female variety. You can reach me at mike@mikesbarguide.com.

Looking forward to partying with you!

Mike