Thailand Night Fever

FIRST ANNIVERSARY FOR DAVE THE RAVE’S WEBSITE

This week marks the first anniversary of my Thailand nightlife website.  Woohoow!  What a rollercoaster ride it has been.  Who would ever have thought I would be running my own website?  I guess I am as surprised as you guys! 

This is the story so far… After a few beers with my friend John, I decided that it would be fun to have my own website.  John went away and in a couple of days he got me started.  The website was certainly not at all appealing when it was first set up.  In fact, I was heavily criticised by some people about how awful it used to look.  OK guys, you can stop laughing now!  Then, as luck would have it, a skilled web wizard called Mr Ed came to the rescue.  I think you will agree that Mr Ed has done a fantastic job.  The critics will not give us credit for the vast improvement, but they are not laughing now either.  As one reader commented, “Well done Dave, your website is a zillion times better.” 

What started out as fun among a few friends, has now flourished into a very popular website.  I think it has been a remarkable turnaround, especially for a guy like me who was a complete web dummy.  Some people ask me why I bother to run a website, and do I want to quit?  My answer is like the one Tina Turner gave to a guy who said, “Hey Tina, are you going to retire soon?”  The legendary rock star answered, “No way baby I’m just warming up!”  I feel the same way because my loyal following of readers still continues to grow.  There are literally tens of thousands of readers tuning in regularly.  This website’s record month totalled an incredible 400,000 hits.  Not at all bad when you consider that technically it is merely just one man’s blog.  The world now has millions of individuals writing their own online journals.  One Chinese actress started her own blog and she now has millions of readers.

Being Dave The Rave the Go-Go Guru, I feel that I have an angle that has never really been explored on the internet.  My friend John said, “Dave The Rave offers a unique viewpoint from the inside looking out.”  I agreed that this could be my “angle to dangle” and DaveTheRaveBangkok.com was born.  I wouldn’t say my website is any better or worse than others, I just wanted to provide this free internet service for the lads.  Being a humble working class man, I still find it hard to believe how popular my website has become it only one year.  I guess I must be doing something right.

I am pleased with how the website looks now and I am happy to merrily keep on writing.  In addition to the Wednesday weekly “Night Fever”, I will also post up other articles.  I would like to thank David or “Mo” for contributing “Filipino Fever.” 

*DISCLAIMER – I do not believe in using foul language and/or any kind of pornographic images on this website.  Although the photo gallery contained no nudity, it was taken down due to consideration (krengjai) for the Thai bargirls.  I also insist upon all conversations being about people who are at least 18 years old.  Thanks for listening!*

APPRECIATIONS AND CELEBRATIONS

This website started out as an extension of a group of lads chatting while they admire Thailand’s nightlife scene.  One year has past and I still intend to continue with that theme.  I just felt that somebody should provide an internet service like this.  I feel honoured that so many of you guys take time out of your busy lives to visit my website.  Thanks for your continued loyalty and support, it is always appreciated.  Party on people! 

A SERIES OF SOJOURNS DOWN SOI NANA

Do you wonder sometimes where to start your night on Soi Nana?  Here are some observations from a recent series of sojourns down Soi See.  Several times this week I have taken a stroll down Soi Nana.  Last Friday at 6:30 PM the main bars were very busy.  I was pleasantly surprised to see Soi Nana literally teeming with people at such an early hour.   Morning Night Bar was doing its usual brisk trade.  If you did not know, this is one bar that plays a variety of good rock ‘n’ roll music.  Big Dogs Bar at the entrance to Nana Plaza were doing a roaring trade (even by their standards), and obviously off to a great start early in the evening.  Quite simply, Big Dogs Bar was packed.  Lucky Lukes opposite Big Dogs Bar had a scattering of customers.  Lucky Lukes trade does ebb and flow, but they do get a stream of customers.  Further inside Nana Plaza, Pharaohs is the bar that faces the entrance.  From where I looked I could see that all the seats at the front were taken.  Pharaohs is another bar that is now becoming busier.  This is another good OP bar.  (By “OP” I mean Observation Post).  You can see most of the bargirls coming in and out of Nana Plaza.  I continued my way down Soi Nana…  

Golden Beer Bar is the small bar that is attached to Nana Hotel.  This little oasis has incredible drink prices.  It was almost completely full, as I weaved my way past customers to find my friends.  I went to see my friend Darren who was celebrating his birthday.  I ordered a soft drink because it was early, and I had to get through a hectic Friday night in Angelwitch.  I had to look twice when they charged me 40 Baht for a Coca Cola.  Now that is VERY cheap, but especially for a capital city.  Golden Beer Bar’s low prices would even have the Cheap Charlie Clan dancing in the aisles!  Domestic beers are just 80 Baht — again this is very inexpensive for a big city.  For those of you who are on a booze cruise, you guys should take note of the 80 Baht beers on offer in Golden Beer Bar.  Cheers for the cheap beers!

One establishment that has taken some heavy criticism is Hanrahan’s Irish Pub.  On Friday night Hanrahan’s were doing quite good trade.  Directly opposite the road to Hanrahan’s, Hillary 2 was drawing a good crowd (as usual).  Chequers Bar had a gathering of about a dozen expats.  Then I went into Bus Stop.  As I entered through the gateway, two lovely Thai girls greeted me with a traditional “wai.”  (The wai is the prayer-like gesture).  I like the way the Bus Stop Cheerleaders still don traditional Thai dresses.  The Bus Stop girls also greet you with that inimitable Thai smile.  Bus Stop was very busy with most of the tables occupied.  I spotted an Aussie mate and sat at his table.  Aussie John had a little cluster of cuties around him.  After I briefly browsed through the menu, I ordered a Coca Cola, which cost me all of 55 Baht.  For a very tasty bacon cheeseburger, I was charged 95 Baht.  I am pleased to report that it is still excellent value-for-money at the Bus Stop.  However, make sure that you are not in a rush, because service can be slow.  The reason for the slow service at times is because Bus Stop serves so many meals, that the chefs are often going flat out.  Just have a look at the chefs in action.  During peak trading times those woks are going twenty-two to the dozen!  Remember to keep “jai yen” or a cool heart as the Thais say.  Stay cool and try not to be impatient, it will get you nowhere.  You can always partake in some dolly bird watching, while you wait for your food. There are some pleasant sights when you survey the scenery.

From these observations I was lead to believe two things.  Firstly, Bangkok is not as expensive as some people might think; you just have to know where to go.  I am not trying to defend Bangkok’s honour in order to satisfy the Cheap Charlie Clan; I simply like to point out real bargains.  The second thing I discovered was the increase in farang visitors.  The high tourist season is emerging in Bangkok and this was very evident from surveying the scene down Soi Nana.  Also, remember that although this was a Friday night, it was very early in the evening. 

The sudden rise in Singha Beer, Chang Beer, and Thai whisky sales is another clear indication that high tourist season is upon us.  In Angelwitch Go-Go Bar this past week the amount of Singha Beer sold is closely matching Heineken Beer sales.  Other bar bosses have also confirmed this.  Overall, Heineken Beer is by far the most popular beer sold to foreigners in beer bars and go-go bars. Tourists like to test out the local brews and native firewater, and therefore this is a tell-tale sign.

NANA PLAZA — NEON JUNGLE NEWS

The saddest part about the start to this month is how some bar owners in Nana Plaza have been treated by their “lease landlords”.  In the case of the Big Mango Bar closing for example, the Indian lease landlords tried to raise their charges to an astronomical level.  This is absolutely preposterous and just demonstrates their vile ruthlessness.  The Big Mango Bar were forced to close their bar after only two years.  Here is a quote from Baron Bonk, “People seemed to be shocked by the news that Big Mango has closed down.  I am not — it was obvious that despite the best efforts of the owners they were struggling.  That site has been doomed ever since the arrogance of Boss Hogg let the gogo license go.”

What some of you may not be aware of is that the vast majority of Nana Plaza has a different lease landlord.  Most of Nana Plaza will see a rent increase of 20% which is very different story to some of the bars who are at the very front of Nana Plaza.  OK, it is not good news for those that have to pay it, but it is affordable.

Meanwhile, the rest of Nana Plaza endeavours to march on relentlessly — although some go-go bars are limping along behind those with big strides!  Nana Plaza is not the place is once was but it is certainly not dead and buried.  See what happens over the next five years.  Party on people!

DON’T BE A FOOL PROTECT YOUR TOOL

In the meantime, if you can’t be good be careful… Safe sex saves lives!