You experience everything in Thailand (51)

Soi Nana (1000 Words / Shutterstock.com)

It is always nice to read a story below from a number of friends who are visiting Thailand for the first time. No temples or Thai culture, just enjoy what the nightlife in Bangkok and Pattaya has to offer. It is the story of Khun Peter, which was already on the blog years ago, but fits very well in our series “You experience all kinds of things in Thailand”

This is the story of Khan Peter

My first time…..

March 2005 was my first encounter with Thailand. A friend of mine took the initiative to book a holiday to Thailand. The organizer of the trip needed little convincing. According to him, Thailand had a lot to offer: sun, sea, swaying palms, a vibrant nightlife and…. beautiful women. Who am I to say "no"?

Four bosom friends left for Bangkok with EVA Air. I was as green as grass when it came to the ins and outs of Thailand. My comrade had delved into the matter a little more. I thought the big grin on his face was very suspicious. But I liked to be surprised. Not that I'm out of touch or anything. After many years of traveling and visiting many countries, it had to be crazy for me to be surprised about something.

Nana Hotel Bangkok

I knew as much about Thailand as I did about Goeree-Overflakkee, so nothing. We arrived at Don Muang and I was quickly overwhelmed by the humid heat and the typical Oriental scents. The taxi was directed to Bangkok. When the taxi driver was told to take us to the Nana Hotel, he started laughing in a way only men can. I knew right away, it wouldn't be a 'normal' vacation again.

The Nana Hotel in Bangkok is perhaps the most infamous hotel in Thailand. Once built in 1963. The rooms were simple and boring then. The only thing that stands out is the enormous double bed in the hotel room. Since I am the smallest in the group of friends at 1.86, that could be a logical explanation for the choice of this hotel. After all, a spacious bed is never a bad thing. But knowing my comrade, that wasn't the main reason. The Nana Hotel is centrally located to Soi Nana and Soi Cowboy and it is 'guest friendly', which can be interpreted broadly. There is a coming and going of Thai ladies.

After checking in, you've barely been in your hotel room for five minutes, the phone rings. “Do you want a woman for massage sir?” asks a male voice on the other end of the line. Massage? Yes, yes, that kind of massage has very little to do with Thai massage, I was not that naive.

The hotel does not have much else to offer. One of my friends even had to move into another room because the cockroaches were crawling on the edge of his bed.

Rookie

The street-side bar at the Nana Hotel (where Hooters is now unfortunately located) became our gathering place. It's a good place to spend time with a cool beer within reach. You're short of eyes. As if a circus parade passes through the street every hour. Street vendors, food stalls, ugly farang with beautiful Thai women, crackling tuk tuks, a Thai open-air theater. An attractive Thai neatly brought our cooling beers on a regular basis. She always smiled kindly and challengingly at me. I really didn't know that she would also open a beer for you in your hotel room for a bar-fine and some negotiations. We did notice that there were a lot of female staff walking around. How green can you be?

Parking area

A special spectacle took place every night after about 01.00:XNUMX. The parking lot next to the Nana Hotel turned out to be a kind of gathering place for bar ladies who were still looking for a sponsor for a 'short time' or the whole night. The bars were closed and the parking lot filled up.

Old ladies walked past with plastic bags full of cold beer. Enough patronage. Food stalls appeared out of nowhere. Especially those with water beetles and grasshoppers were very popular with the ladies from Isaan.

It was a mix and a colorful collection of Thai and farang from all corners of the world. For example, I had a beer with a young businessman from Iceland who had his teeth renovated in Bangkok. He went to Thailand every year especially for it. It clicked, after that he regularly went out with our group.

Soi Cowboy (CrackerClips Stock Media / Shutterstock.com)

Self Cowboy

The fact that the world is small became clear when at one point a Dutchman walked by and recognized one of my friends. They had been in class together in high school. Then we lost sight of each other. It's bizarre that you meet a classmate from Apeldoorn in an immense city on the other side of the world. His schoolmate lived and worked in Bangkok as a web designer. After reminiscing and having a few beers, he would show us Soi Cowboy.

Soi Cowboy? I had no desire to go to a Western Saloon or see a rodeo. No, he didn't think so. He took us to several bars. There was one with a floor and a transparent floor. When you looked up there were Thai ladies dancing in short skirts on the transparent dance floor. They were quite forgetful, as they were not wearing an essential item of clothing. It's strange that they forgot all about that at the same time. That night lasted a long time…

Pink elephants?

One evening we decided to eat chowder at a German bierstube, down the street. Not obvious at 35 degrees, but good. In those days, now almost 20 years ago, you saw a group of Thai people walking down the street with a young elephant every evening (fortunately that is now forbidden). At the bierstube the elephant stuck his head in through the doorway. I took another picture of it.

When I called another friend in the Netherlands the next day and told him enthusiastically that we had eaten chowder at a German bierstube in Bangkok and suddenly an elephant walked in, he started to worry and advised me to cut down on alcohol. to drink.

The days in Bangkok passed with the usual tourist excursions. China Town, The Grand Palace and yes, we too fell victim to a scam. The tuk-tuk driver informed us that the Palace was closed in the morning. But don't worry, we could take the tuk-tuk and he would show us a number of temples. After one temple it became tailors, jewelers, tailors and even more jewelers. To the point of boredom. Also learned from it again.

Pattaya

After a few days in Bangkok we left for Pattaya by minivan. The only thing I got from this place is its infamous side. A kind of Amsterdam red light district, but squared. During the day it was hardly noticeable, but after nightfall, Pattaya transformed into an amusement park for adults. Everywhere we went we were welcomed with cheers and cheers by the bar ladies. A strange sensation, especially when you compare it to going out in the Netherlands.

My comrade had booked our hotel in Pattaya: the 'Flamingo hotel'. This hotel was run by a Dutch owner at the time, a well-known local figure, but I have forgotten his name. The Flamingo hotel turned out to be a gay hotel. I asked my traveling companion if he had suddenly fallen in love with men. “No, but how could I know that?” was his response. “What color are flamingos?” I asked him. “Didn't a light come on then?” By the way, it was an excellent hotel, we were not jumped by horny men, so we decided to stay.

The majority of the hotel staff were either ladyboys or in the conversion phase. A beautiful Thai maid also worked there. Don't bother, the hotel owner told me, she is the girlfriend of a KLM pilot. A neatly married man, of course, who occasionally went to celebrate after a long flight. A different sweetheart in every town. This confirms the prejudices once again.

The days in Pattaya were spent according to a fixed ritual: the beach, food, going out, sleeping, etc. A nice time. We have been amazed again and again by Pattaya and everything we have seen and experienced there. Before that, I had been coming to Brazil for many years, where a friend of mine emigrated. I had experienced a lot there and I thought I had seen it all, but Thailand and certainly Pattaya surpasses everything!