The Sinking of Santika

Well it's about time I took a little time and had a "come to Jesus" entry about my favorite haunt. Santika was, for the longest time, at the top of my list for night spots. In addition to a location that keeps the farang ratio low enough to remind me I'm in Thailand, no cover, and a band that can successfully play their way through a whole english song; it also attracted a stream of regular talent and newbies meaning it was a surefire hit.

I'm sad to say that in the last 12 months even Santika has begun sliding down that slippery slope that all successful farang friendly bars do. I suspect this has a lot to do with the new establishments that are popping up like a 13 year old watching Blue Nuit. Curve, Jet and Muse all have a solid stream of patrons that I was sure were cut from a different cloth from those frequenting Santika. Well for whatever reason the number of farang has increased drastically while at the same time the number of people in total has decreased. In fact I can't recall the last time I was there when the club was actually packed like it was even 6 months ago.

These observations aside I like having the extra room and being a regular there I'm happy to see familiar faces but it's been brought to my attention by some newcomers that perhaps Santika is no longer as rosie as it once was. I'm not suggesting we all boycott it and join the herds of sheep further along Ekamai but I can definitely say I'm branching out more often to Silom, Sukhumvit and RCA.

Let's hope my time machine works and we can all go back to the good old days. Until then you can still expect a good time but it'll cost you a little more energy and patience.