THE GRIM REALITIES OF BAR-OWNERSHIP IN PATTAYA

Snooki’s advice to aspirant bar owners

Have you ever wondered what it’s really like to own a beer-bar or Go-Go bar in Pattaya’s fair city? You have? Did you really talk to the people who run them and find out the true story?

            If you visit as a tourist and dream of being surrounded by idolising, willing ladies, dream on. The reality is somewhat different, especially in the low season, which seems to be most of the year these days. You’ll notice lots of bars up for sale on nearly all the notice boards in this Fun City. Ever wondered why? Ask yourself, if they’re such fun to run and so profitable, why are they always up for sale and why do you rarely see them advertised in real estate shops or publications. Could it be that they’re not so profitable and in reality, really difficult to run?
            Take the girls, for instance, do you think they’re as friendly as they appear when you’re a customer? If you do, you’re likely to be rudely awakened. Most of the girls seem to avoid work rather than welcome it. There’ll be squabbles, jealousy, groups of them leaving in droves. They’ll really stress you out; no doubt about it.
            And you’ll have to pay their salaries in the lean days, when your customers are few and the takings minimal. That’s if they haven’t already been pilfered by the unscrupulous members of the bar-girl fraternity. And don’t forget, for most bar-owners this is a 7 day a week enterprise, which is increasingly becoming a 6 day week as the girls wise up to their being exploited. Then, if you’re a concerned bar-owner, the girls have to be tested for sexually-transmitted diseases. And then you’ve got to get girls who will consistently be nice to the customers or will enthusiastically go out and “jap the farangs”.
            And then you may be afraid to take a welcome break for fear of all the girls leaving, or some unscrupulous, envious competitor reporting you to the immigration police for working. Don’t forget, you can’t lift a finger to help in the bar if you don’t have a work permit and few do! Then there’s ownership itself. Are you going to put the bar in your loved one’s name? If so, make sure she hasn’t got numerous Thai boyfriends, or a completely avaricious family with innumerable sick water buffalos, family members or younger siblings who seem to constantly need new mobile phones or motorcycles because they’re just lost or crashed them. You thought you were the one who wore the trousers, think again! It’s most definitely a risky game – Pattaya roulette, it’s called.
            Then there’s the lease. Make sure your bar isn’t too profitable; otherwise the lease is sure to rise as the landlord gets to hear of it. Or the competitors or the “boys in brown”, who will definitely be round for handouts. And so your profits vanish! There are those who do well, but very few. It’s often a question of prime locations, extremely able Mamasans, adept at keeping the girls, both in place and in line, (like me, until I gave it up and became freelance because it was too much hard work).
            And then there’s the noble art of knowing when to pull out or move on. And make sure you’re not tempted to sell cut price cigarettes from Cambodia or Viagra, for that matter. You need to have been here for a fair number of years to discover all the pitfalls, and you’ll hear many, many stories of failure – for the unwary, Thailand can indeed be the land of broken dreams, not just broken hearts. If you really want to own a bar, do some research. Check location, the competition, where to get stock, how much it will cost to redecorate, buy a new wide screen TV to keep up with your competitors, or a new pool table.
            Then there’s wages, how many employees to have. Think of the regulars, how to handle, freeloaders, or guys who play the girls or worse abuse them! Not an easy game bar-ownership, and don’t believe anyone who tells you it is.
Written by : Snookie
Translated by Warina

Private Dicks Spying on Bar Girls: Ladies Account

Let‘s consider the cases now of a bar girl who was hunted down by the private investigator for doing what comes naturally. I actually know people who were on both sides.

The first was an investigator who I’ll call Bert, who’d come to Thailand and had run out of money; largely having spent it in bars on booze and ladies. He was a cruiser of Bangkok venues like Nana Plaza, Thermae, Soi Cowboy, The Grace Hotel, Hard Rock Cafe, Novotel, Spazzo’s, Riva’s, The Soi 7 Beer Garden, and the beer and go-go bars in Patpong, so he was well versed in all the right places to find girls-on-the-game.
One day, bemoaning his lot, he was approached by a gay in a bar and asked if he’d like to spy on “errant girls” (his phrase) for their absent boyfriends who were sending money back to them from overseas. The idea was to find out if they’d kept their agreement not to return to the bars and if they went “off”. It was money for old rope, so obviously he agreed to become what he called a “ferret”, which is an animal that’s particularly good at hunting in secret places, so I’m told.
He apparently did 3 stages of checking-up. The first involved being equipped with a photo of the girl in question and then going around the bars she’d previously worked at and if she was found, actually visiting the girl’s bar in person to find out if she was bar-fineable. The investigator, let’s call him a Private Dick, goes back twice and takes photos with his phone to prove she’s working.
The second was for the Private Dick to actually pay the bar-fine and take the girl to a hotel. He told me they were supposed to make an excuse and leave before it came to sex, but quite often he did actually have sex. The Dick is also supposed to take photos inside the hotel, too.
The final stage was to discover whereabouts the girl lives and if she lived with anyone, not a friend which many do, but a Thai boyfriend, or even another farang. There are some around who are quite happy to live off the Thai girls and the money sent to them by the foreign lover, the same as Thai men. The Private Dick had a “whale of a time”, getting expenses, free drinks and sometimes getting sex for free by promising not to expose the girl to her foreign absentee boyfriend. He was doing what he’s always done, except this time he didn’t have to pay one baht. And he and the detective agency were ripping of their clients, charging on average about 15,000 baht a time. And they call Thai bar girls corrupt!
The next little story is about a very enterprising bar girl who had to “run the gauntlet” (a Private Dick’s phrase) of a private detective. Her name for this story is Daeng and she had a farang boyfriend from the US, Bill, who was sending her 25,000 baht a month to keep out of the bars, keep herself and send money home for her family. Daeng actually lived with a Thai man, Lek, who didn’t work himself, but lived off her earnings, any earnings. When her boyfriend Bill phoned her she’d make sure only she answered the phone and that Lek shut up when she was on the phone. However, Daeng had a heavy Yah Bah and Ice habit and effectively spent all her money, to the extent that she had to pawn her phone. Lek had already made her pawn all the gold that Bill had given her. Inevitably, when Bill couldn’t contact her, he started to get suspicious. She told him she’d lost her phone and would he mind sending her more money to buy a new one, which he did, but he then started to phone her at bar times from 7.30pm to 2am. Obviously, this was a slight problem, involving her having to go into a relatively quiet side room, put a blanket over her head and speak softly, making sure no one came in.
Daeng had heard of farang absentee boyfriends hiring private detectives to investigate the Thai girlfriends and she had a pretty shrewd idea of how they might operate. She happened to spy one, one night, thankfully he wasn’t looking for her, but he was very obvious. For a start he spoke very good Thai and was with a Thai lady that it was obvious wasn’t his girlfriend because they weren’t “lovey-dovey” at all. The Thai lady went round all the girls and kept showing the “victims” photo to all the girls, asking if they knew her. They all did because the girl in question was a favourite of them all, who wasn’t actually working at the bar that week because she’d gone to Koh Samui with another farang client. However, they were all loyal and didn’t give the game away.
Daeng began to take precautions in case Bill sent the ferrets out after her. She told all her sisters-in-charms not to speak to strangers about her and to tell her if anyone came in the bar asking after her. She even dyed her hair blonde, using a lot of make-up so she wouldn’t look like her photos that she knew Bill had of her because she’d given him several. Her life became a true ordeal where she had to interrogate all the guys that wanted to take her “off” to make sure they weren’t ferrets. If they were over-inquisitive, she just refused to go “off” with them. This meant her weekly average really declined and Lek started to get heavy, beating her up because she wasn’t bringing in enough money to support his drug habit. He’d already spent almost all the money Bill sent every month, leaving very little for Daeng to send home or live on. She tried to get rid of him, but he had all the characteristics of a leach, bloodsucking and was difficult to throw off; she didn’t attempt the tried and tested way, trying to burn him off with a cigarette-end though for fear of what he’d do to her.
One day, the inevitable happened and a guy came in the bar that actually looked like a ferret, so she knew right away he was a Private Dick. She tried hiding but the Mamasan told her to go out on the floor and despite the fact she’d tried to disguise herself, the ferret saw through her; there weren’t enough girls for her to hide effectively. She got a phone call from Bill two days after, accusing her, but after all the stress he’d put her through, she couldn’t maintain the pretence and told him the truth. Obviously, Bill dropped her, but then Daeng told me, there are plenty more fish in the sea, right?
Now you might be very righteous about bar girls who do this sort of thing, but you have to understand where they’re coming from. And Bert, the ferret, told me he’d also been hired to spy on farang men who were short timing around the favourite venues. They were total idiots when it came to trying to disguise their deceits. So, at the end of the day, let’s give them both, the bar girls and the straying farangs a bit of rope. They are only doing what comes naturally after all and if you’re foolish enough to lavish vast sums of money on bar-girls, what do you expect?
Written by Warina Punyawan

Tips for Foreigners visiting Pattaya from a concerned courtesan.

Pattaya – sometimes known as the Sex Centre Of The Universe - has an ambiguous reputation among foreigners, despite its lavish beaches, bars and broads. Often, they don’t fully grasp the complexities of the Thai lifestyle, so, as a Thai, I’m going to you some guidelines to ensure your stay in our fair country is trouble-free and enjoyable.

HOSPITALITY AND ENTERTAINMENT VENUES
Pattaya is now one of the most popular seaside venues in Southeast Asia, with a multitude of hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, cafes beaches, sports and entertainments – sufficient to cater to every taste under the sun. One of Pattaya’s greatest attractions, however, is the Go-Go bars, beer bars clubs, pubs, and discos where you can meet willing companions of all three genders: girls, boys and lady boys, so that you need never again go lonely, either for a short holiday, or in the longer term, usually at a cost, however.
Transportation is much cheaper than in Bangkok, the regular taxis – the blue Baht Buses or song taaw normally cost 10 Baht anywhere within the city boundaries; a new, local bus service operates an air-conditioned service for a flat fare of 20 Baht; motorcycle taxis normally cost from 20 Baht upwards; and longer distance buses will take you to Bangkok, and Suvarnabhumi Airport, from the North Pattaya Bus Station, or all points north from the Pattaya Klang Bus Station; additionally, buses to the local conurbations, such as Chonburi and Rayong operate on Sukhumvit Road. Otherwise, just walk to all your favourite venues.
If you want to travel on motorcycle taxis or privately in a Baht Bus, arrange the fare beforehand, and don’t argue or pick a fight in the event of dispute, the Thai will recruit 30 compatriots and you’ll always come off worse. If in doubt, take the Baht Bus driver’s name and or call the Tourist Police.
CHILL AND ENJOY You are guaranteed to have the time of your life in Fun City – Pattaya – as long as you go at the Thai pace, which can be summed up in three words/phrases: sanook (enjoy), sabai (relax) and mai pen rai (it doesn’t matter). Don’t try and force Western values on the Thais, otherwise you’ll be constantly frustrated.
BARS Bars are located in virtually every available space in Pattaya, though if you’re gay, go to Boyz Town or Sunni Plaza. The bars in Pattaya come in 4 varieties: beer bars, Go-Go bars, drinking bars and Karaoke bars. The Beer Bars, which normally open from 5pm to 2am, are usually the cheapest, especially during Happy Hours, and have willing hostesses, but you’re likely to be asked to buy a lady drink for the lady who comes up and engages you in conversation. If you wish to further enjoy the lady, to release her from the bar, you must pay a bar fine, normally in the range of 300-500 Baht, to the Mamasan, the lady in charge. Your chosen companion will either accompany you back to your room, or up to her room on the premises; the latter is cheapest as in certain bars the overall price includes both the bar fine and Horizontal Mattress Gymnastics (HMG). If you take a lady back to your room, negotiate the price beforehand, but pay afterwards, and make sure you DO pay, otherwise you’ll find either the police or local heavy brigade standing at your door!
The Go-Go Bars, which normally open anywhere from 6 to 8 pm and stay open till 2 am, are voyeur parlours and charge more than the beer bars for the drinks, the privilege of taking the lady, or boy off the premises and for the HMG. You can just drink and enjoy, but you will usually be approached by one or more ladies, especially if you ogle them too much on stage. Again, the same applies as regards buying lady drinks, but you can face them down and refuse to buy one, it’s not compulsory! The bar fines and the charge for HMG are normally higher in Go-Go bars, the former 500-1000 Baht, usually, and the lady’s fee 1000-3000 Baht. It is possible to indulge in HMG for free, but you have to look like Brad Pitt and/or be from 20-24, if you’re a young geriatric, forget it!
Drinking Bars. These are just normal bars where you can go for a drink, but without ladies, or at least ladies who can legitimately go off with you to your hotel/room.
The Karaoke Bars are usually Thai only, just as most beer bars and Go-Go bars are farang only, so don’t be surprised if the Thai regulars look at you aghast. Despite their name, they are once again venues for HMG, the singing and booze are incidental.
For the time of your life, you can go to the body massage parlours, which offer a luxurious, ultra-sensual time with a bath where the lady acts as a nude sponge! HMG extra. The price here is usually 1,500 Baht inclusive.
Beware of bill-loading, always check how many drinks you’ve had and check the maths
All Discos are open to ladies of any nationality, but for male seekers, discos predominantly cater to farang heterosexual males or mixed Thai and farang males. The former include Marine Disco and Lucifer’s on Walking street, whereas the latter are Hollywood, Slim and Excite. The ladies are freelance, either free-ranging or after hours bar girls and usually cost 500 Baht. These are rarely free! NB if you indulge in illegal substances, avoid the discos as they’re subject to impromptu police searches and blood testing!
Under normal circumstances, you won’t be ripped off by the ladies, not unless they’re high on speed, but be cautious and don’t put temptation their way. Be considerate and don’t forget you’re usually far richer than they’re ever likely to be, which is why farangs have gained a reputation for being walking ATMs – also most ladies won’t believe that you’re broke, even if you are.
A cautious note re.mixed gender individuals, otherwise known as lady boys or katoeys. These are normally males who are at one of a threefold transition stage: they merely dress as ladies, they’ve got breasts due to implants and/or hormone treatments, or they’ve had the cut and are effectively fully female. They can sometimes be impossible to tell apart from the real article, but here are some tips, they’re often:
• tall
• deep-voiced
• large-footed
• equipped with an Adam’s apple (though not all)
• physically much stronger than ladies
• much more exhibitionist
MONEY AND VALUABLES Here, the best policy applies globally, not just to Pattaya – don’t be stupid, or too intoxicated! If you want to loose all your valuables, leave them exposed, or walk around sporting weighty quantities of gold. The safest bet is to secure large amounts of money, watches or other valuables in the safe at your hotel, or leave them at home, the same goes for money. Carry two wallets, one with a minimum sum and the other secured deeper on your person. Avoid flashing your money, change 1000 Baht notes for smaller denominations before partying and don’t leave your cash loose. Only use ATMs when there are either many close neighbours, or no one’s close and secure it on your person immediately. Don’t give your credit card number to anyone, irrespective of how long or how well you know them. Watch suspicious character, rogue motorcycle riders and don’t sit too close on buses, or put your wallet in a front pocket.
FARANG BANDITS Though this happens more often in Bangkok than Pattaya, beware the sidling farang, or beach bum with amazing, get rich quick scams, these include time share bandits, gem-sellers, con-merchants and sellers of non-existent or way overpriced bars or condos. Don’t leave your brain at the airport and exercise a modicum of intelligence. That also applies to Thais who sidle up and try to get you to buy ganja, coke etc or to go and see live sex shows. It’s often an excuse to rob you. Remember, there’s virtually nothing free in this life.
HARD LUCK STORIES Many bar girls are past-mistresses of the hard luck stories and their tales are legion: sick water buffaloes, mentally infirm or medically needy family members, new babies, new condo rents, motorcycles needing repair, essential new mobile phones etc. etc. They are nearly all windups, but not all! Check’em out first. And pay the rent yourself rather than giving the lady the money. And also try not to fall in love at every bar you visit, or to marry a new dynamic lover at the drop of a hat. Exercise discretion, good people.
DRIVING Always, repeat always take out the most comprehensive insurance you can before venturing out onto the maelstrom that passes for Pattaya roads, especially hiring cars or motorbikes. If you don’t, you may have someone conveniently back into you, to get a new bumper etc, have to pay horrendous medical charges for causing death, injury or substantial damage to vehicles or motor cycles. Re. motorbikes don’t drive like a maniac, despite what others may do, don’t ride Harleys and always wear protective clothing especially a hard helmet. Try and secure a hired bike at night in case some individual, including the person you hired it from, decides to steal it.
Expect to have to pay instant fines if you’re stopped by the police and don’t argue, if you don’t want to be incarcerated indefinitely. Always practice safe driving techniques and anticipate that the driver next to you will perform the most ridiculous manoeuvre, including signalling without actually doing so. And always carry a legit international driving licence and a copy of your passport with current visa page.
MAD DOGS Finally, avoid dogs at night, they’re all schizophrenic – nice during the day and bite your legs off at night, even if you’re riding a motorcycle. Look out for snakes in unlikely places and finally don’t be a mad dog yourself, or an Englishman i.e. don’t go out in the mid-day sun without protection. Always walk in the shadow, and take frequent, but short sunbathes with a high sun factor.
Apart from that – chock dee – good luck, keep your wits about you and ENJOY, because to all intents and purposes you only live once.
Story by : Snookie

สาวลูกครึ่ง รีเซฟชั่นโรงแรมดับปริศนา เปลือยท่อนล่าง

พนักงานโรงแรมสาว ลูกครึ่งไทย-อเมริกา ดับปริศนาคาห้องพัก ในสภาพท่อนล่างเปลือย ไร้ร่องรอยการทำร้าย พบแต่เพียงยานอนหลับชนิดรุนแรงเท่านั้น

พัทยา – วานนี้ (15 ต.ค.56) เมื่อเวลา 13.00 น. ร.ต.อ.กฤชฐา ประทุมแก้ว ร้อยเวรสอบสวน สภ.เมืองพัทยา จ.ชลบุรี ได้รับแจ้งมีคนเสียชีวิตโดยไม่ทราบสาเหตุภายในโรงแรมแห่งหนึ่ง หลังรับแจ้งจึงพร้อมด้วย พ.ต.อ.อนุกูล ปรีดายุทธ พนักงานสอบสวนผู้ทรงคุณวุฒิ นำกำลังตำรวจ แพทย์เวร รพ.บางละมุง และหน่วยกู้ภัยมูลนิธิสว่างบริบูรณ์ธรรมสถานเมืองพัทยา รีบรุดไปตรวจสอบ
ที่เกิดเหตุภายในห้องพักพนักงานบนชั้น 5 พบศพ น.ส.แคโรไลน์ เพจ ศรีชาญกิจ (Miss.Caroline Paige Srichankij ) อายุ 27 ปี ลูกครึ่งสาวไทย-อเมริกัน นอนหงายอยู่บนเตียง สวมเสื้อสายเดียวสีขาว ท่อนล่างเปลือยเปล่า มีเลือดไหลออกมาจากจมูก ตามร่างกายไม่พบบาดแผล หรือร่องรอยการถูกทำร้าย คาดว่าน่าจะเสียชีวิตมาแล้วประมาณ 1 วัน ใกล้กันพบถุงยาโรงพยาบาล มียานอนหลับชนิดรุนแรงที่ใช้เฉพาะแพทย์สั่งเท่านั้น ตรวจสอบอย่างละเอียดไม่มีร่องรอยการต่อสู้หรือรื้อค้นทรัพย์สิน
สอบปากคำนายสมควร สีตระโส อายุ 55 ปี เพื่อนพนักงาน ให้การว่า ผู้ตายมีตำแหน่งเป็นพนักงานต้อนรับของโรงแรม ก่อนหน้านี้ไม่เห็นลงมาทำงานจึงมาตามที่ห้องพัก แต่พอเคาะประตูห้องกลับไม่มีเสียงตอบรับเลยคาดว่าน่าจะเกิดเหตุร้าย จึงตามพนักงานรักษาความปลอดภัยมาช่วยกันงัดประตูเข้าไปจนพบกลายเป็นศพอยู่บนเตียงดังกล่าว

Ruthless Money Hungry Thai Women

จดหมายฉบับนี้ฉันได้รับทางอีเมล์ ตอนที่ฉันเป็น บ.ก. หนังสือ พัทยาเดลินิวส์ อ่นแล้วเศร้าใจจังค่ะ ผู้หญิงไทย ไม่มีเครดิตเลยในสายตาคนต่างชาติ

Dear Editor: I just returned from a 3 week vacation in Thailand and Pattaya and after reading your editorial could not help but reply to it.

I have been to other Asian countries but never have I seen girls as ruthless and money hungry as they are in Thailand. They make bargirls in the Philippines look like little angels.

It seems they have but one goal (to extract as much money as they can from a foreigner) and hide no intentions about what they want. It would seem to me that foreign men would eventually get the word out about these women and stop patronizing the so called tourist bar areas of Thailand and go to other countries. The women aren’t even that pretty in my opinion.

I don’t know why men from other countries think that Pattaya is so great when they get ripped off so much. I was never ripped off and I did take a couple women out but I soon realized how it is here so it was strictly business for me so I could walk away.

I have also noticed something else since I have been reading your newspaper on the internet. Everyday I read about some farang falling to his death from a building or a condo. It seems like an everyday occurrence and it always seems to be an accident. But the one common factor is that a women is usually was in the room or with the man when this happens. Are these women pushing men off buildings because they are angry the man does not give them money? This sure seems strange to me but the incidents are always reported as accidents.

As for me I am never coming back to Thailand for vacation I think I have already seen enough but good luck to any men who think they can find the love of their life here. It is strictly about the money here. And with the financial situation of the world now and tourism falling off these women are going to become more ruthless than ever.

In reply to Paul D.

There’s nothing that can be written in a pertinent response that has not already been written or said thousands of times before. Well seasoned commentators discuss the issues raised by Paul D. time and time again.

The fact remains that men who seek the “love of their life” in a Thai bar are on to a loser. Thai bar girls are there to make money and men pay them for the services they offer. They are selling themselves and they are prostitutes, and it’s maybe unfortunate that this term is not used more often. If it was, it might bring home the message easier to the guys that fall by the wayside exactly what they are dealing with. For those that decide to extend their business transaction into a relationship “she used to work in a bar” sounds much better than “she used to be a prostitute”.

Times are hard and you can’t blame Thai girls working in the bars for trying to earn as much as they can, which is not to excuse the more unscrupulous behaviour the likes of which we report in the PDN. Whether they will be become more “ruthless” in the worsening economic climate remains to be seen. It could well be that they become more exploited themselves by their customers’ decreasing spending power.

As for the cases of foreigners falling from condos we can only go by the official reports we receive. Whereas some of these deaths may seem suspicious we feel it is not our role to comment on probable cause unless backed by the evidence available to us at the time.