Friggin’ sex touri! Yeah, OK, it’s still what Patpong is all about. Sorta. But much like Las Vegas, they’ve cleaned up their act a bit and tried to make it a family destination. The main area, Patpong 1, used to be lined with bars and go go joints. Walking down the soi meant a constant come on from barkers enticing you into their joint to see sex shows they’ve only dreamed about in Tijuana. The night market was there, but almost as an after thought.

Now, the street is lined with stores, the night market is the draw, and you see as many families with kids as you do the sex-starved single guys plowing their way up the street. Not that the barkers are not still there . . . I only hope they don’t flash the naked women pix at the couples carrying their kids, but being Bangkok, you never know.

And it’s a typical SE Asia paradox, too. They’ve gotten rid of many of the bars, and revamped the area to not just be about sex. But when you do find the sex, well, anything goes. In the old days, nudity wasn’t always guaranteed in a go-go bar (not that it wasn’t available, it was just a hit or miss thing). Now nudity is commonplace, and the sex acts . . . geeze! XXX action, everywhere. And as each joint tries to out do its competition, the shows not only have become exceptionally graphic, but humorous too . . . the Thai mind of what constitutes a hot sex act is quite liberal; I had to stifle my laughter watching a local guy hopping across the stage like a bunny while impaling his partner who looked nauseous from the bumpy ride. (Oh, did I just admit to going into those places? Opps!)

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