Bangkok Update - Soi 4 (Nana), Sois 6, 8, 11, 20, 22, 23, 24 ++

[Papa Sam]

Sois 4, 6, and 8 on November 11th:

Fitzgerald's and the new Champ's bar on Soi 6 are open, Rumours on Soi 8 is also open.

[Papa Sam]

Video: It's Friday night, November 12th, Sukhumvit Soi 4 is not empty but it's not really busy either.

The center of action is Hillary 2. 

Why Not Bar: "A bar with trans girls is obviously lacking of customers." 

The bar area on Soi 7 was closed early at 9 PM when police arrived and shut the bars down.

Soi 8 was busy past 9 PM. Soi 11 was very quiet. 

No tourists on Sukhumvit.

Only hope for thirsty people are tuktuk drivers who can get you to some bars that are open late...

 

Lower Sukhumvit last night:

Edited November 13, 2021 by Papa Sam
Added pics

[Papa Sam]

Bangkok nightlife 12 & 13th of November 21:

Soi 4 Nana:

Fitzgerald's:

Stumble Inn:

I'm wondering when bars will be allowed to reopen: Is January 16th really set in stone?

Sukhumvit this weekend:

Pics from social media (Kun Tabi)

Will Thailand nightlife survive another 2 months of closure?

https://thethaiger.com/talk/topic/8039-news-forum-will-thailand’s-nightlife-survive-another-2-months-of-closure/page/2/

 

[Quietguy]

1 hour ago, Papa Sam said:

Is January 16th really set in stone?

I read that they are just saying bars will not re-open before 16 January. So could be after that.

[Papa Sam]

I read that they are just saying bars will not re-open before 16 January. So could be after that.

But if I'm looking at the latest pictures from Bangkok, I see many of *my* favorite bars are open already, lol... Gogos haven't opened yet, okay. But I can live without them... So why wait for gogos to open? They're a tourist ripoff anyway imo.... let's go back to Thailand ffs!!

[Papa Sam]

Niall was doing a pub crawl over the weekend. Lots of "nightlife-ish" stuff going on in Bangkok at the moment - despite the partial nightlife ban...

On Soi Nana some of the bars and pubs that are open are:
Rest Hub music pub
The Blackout 
The Blarney Stone Irish pub
Hillary 2
Fitzgerald's Pub
Chequers Bar
Always
Hooters Nana
The Kickoff (ex k+s bar)
Morning Night Bar
Stumble Inn

In Patpong the XXX Lounge bar  on PP2 is open (probably the only gogo bar to be open at the moment). Shenanigans on Surawong is also open meanwhile.

Live music back at Shenanigan's on Surawong:

Sukhumvit Soi 7 with its dozen or so small bars is hopping! Bars Niall visited there are:
The Beer Garden
Random@7 live music bar
Heaven on Seven music pub

On Soi 23/Cowboy area only
Scruffy Murphy's is open. But boy that bar is busy!

Soi 33:
O'Shea's is also very busy. Niall doesn't mention the exact time he visited it, but looks like the 9 PM booze ban isn't strictly enforced everywhere...

The Robin Hood is busy he says.

Other Sukhumvit places:
Street bars serving booze
Carl's Jr open :-)

Quite a lot going on for a place where the reopening of nightlife has been postponed until mid-January...

No need to postpone a planned trip to Bangkok over Xmas/New Year Eve imo...

Khao San Road last weekend:

Only fully vaccinated people were allowed into KSR and they had to take a rapid test before being allowed in. Perhaps a model for other bar areas such as Soi Cowboy to entice the relaxation of the booze ban after 9 PM by the authorities?

Another video of lower Sukhumvit from last weekend, unfortunately the YouTuber was not very discreet, so one can clearly see people's faces :-(

Off-topic:

This is how Bangla Rd Patong Phuket looked like this weekend at 11 PM:

Wondering how many people will change their mind and go to Phuket instead of Pattaya?

Edited November 16, 2021 by Papa Sam
Added two more videos and a Twitter post

[Papa Sam]

The Thaiger has a good article on how bars bypass the booze ban in Bangkok:

Bars are closed in Bangkok… but not on Khao San Road

"The Thai government says bars are closed, and will be until mid-January, but if you look hard enough you’ll find many are open… and packed"

"Around 20 to 30 officers lined up for a photoshoot outside the empty Mulligan’s bar. What the cameras didn’t catch was the crowds of people around them. As partygoers stood close together on the street, some with drinks in hand, police spoke into a megaphone, reminding everyone to wear masks and social distance because Covid-19 is still spreading in Thailand. After the warning, bars turned the music back on and bartenders went back to pouring drinks… lots of drinks..."

"Khao San Road isn’t the only place where you’ll be able to go out for drinks in Bangkok. Other bars in the city are serving beer and cocktails in paper cups in a not-so-discreet effort to be discreet."

AJ from the Pattaya News shares his opinion on whether it's possible to set up covid rapid testing checkpoints in Pattaya:

https://www.facebook.com/Xylanic/posts/10165874717020008

"The ccsa has basically said areas that show they are able and ready to open like khaosan can. But areas and owners need to come together for this."

"The biggest issue is alcohol sales have not been legally allowed even in restaurants by the governor in Chonburi and there is dispute on who can allow it in Pattaya as an exception zone. This is being worked on by eight major tourism associations many not even bars directly. I'd advise every bar and restaurant owner I know to do a Thai stop covid assessment (need a Thai speaker) and show you are prepared for opening if we have any chance of opening like Phuket, Bangkok, etc.
Having staff vaccinated will also be a must. Bangkok also agreed to somewhat silly rules in theory like 9pm cutoff which I'm sure places here would initially agree with to just be allowed to open."

Khao San this past Saturday:

::

Edited November 15, 2021 by Papa Sam
Added video

[Mabulox]

In Soi 8, where there was Via Vai, the Italian restaurant, closed due to the crisis, moved Rumors from Soi 7.

A couple of ladyboys working here.

P.S.

Not my Pics

[Papa Sam]

55 minutes ago, Mabulox said:

In Soi 8, where there was Via Vai, the Italian restaurant, closed due to the crisis, moved Rumors from Soi 7.

A couple of ladyboys working here.

P.S.

Not my Pics

Thank you, Mabu! Will certainly check out Rumours next time I'm in town!

Do you perchance know if Vagabond Bar, across from Soi 8 on Soi 11, is still there? Ladyboys used to hang out there a lot - before the pandemic that is.

www.facebook.com/vagabondbarbkk

[Mabulox]

I don't know... at the moment I'm in Italy and I don't think I'll go back soon, but I try to ask my italian friends living there (Nana)

[Mabulox]

22 hours ago, Papa Sam said:

Thank you, Mabu! Will certainly check out Rumours next time I'm in town!

Do you perchance know if Vagabond Bar, across from Soi 8 on Soi 11, is still there? Ladyboys used to hang out there a lot - before the pandemic that is.

 

 

 

I heard my Italian friends, they report that street bar that was in Soi 11 almost near Havana and would have closed before the pandemia, it seems have moved to another area of Bangkok

[Papa Sam]

16 hours ago, Mabulox said:

I heard my Italian friends, they report that street bar that was in Soi 11 almost near Havana and would have closed before the pandemia, it seems have moved to another area of Bangkok

I see! Thank you!

Soi Nana, tonight November 16th:

Soi 8 tonight:

Source: Twitter

[Papa Sam]

Hillary 2 getting disinfected last night after closing hours:

KSR at 9 PM:

Nana hotel parking lot last night with the tall Landmark hotel in the background:

Pics from social media

Polls show that 57% of Thais are not happy that drinking alcohol in restaurants is allowed for fear of new clusters:

https://www.bugaboo.tv/news/588175

Edited November 18, 2021 by Papa Sam

[Papa Sam]

TGIF: The Soi 7 bar area was packed Friday night:

KSR too:

Apparently only one KSR bar closed at 9 p.m. the others remained open...

Phrom Phong Friday night:

Slightly off-topic: Xmas tree at EmQuarter:

A motorbike ride Saturday night November 20th, apparently after 9pm, through Sukhumvit Soi 23 (massage street) right turn through Soi Cowboy, Soi Nana and back to main Sukhumvit Rd, left turn to Soi 7 back to main Sukhumvit Rd until Thermae / Ruamchit Hotel.

Pic from social media

[Papa Sam]

Warren and Chanya: One Night in Bangkok, upload date: November 22nd, 2021:

I assume Warren Gerdes is so well known in our small but illustrious community that I don't have to introduce him and his lb anymore.

[Pdoggg]

22 hours ago, Papa Sam said:

I assume Warren Gerdes is so well known in our small but illustrious community that I don't have to introduce him and his lb anymore.

He's a new name to me.  Nice video though!   

[Woodie]

I was watching his videos some time ago, but was unaware that his lady was a Lady Boy.

 Has he just made the move?.

[Papa Sam]

23 hours ago, Woodie said:

I was watching his videos some time ago, but was unaware that his lady was a Lady Boy.

 Has he just made the move?.

 

On 11/23/2021 at 7:03 AM, Pdoggg said:

He's a new name to me. 

Warren is a retired Aussie living in Thailand with his beautiful lb girlfriend (had her SRS already) called Chanya. They've been together for 10+ years.

Warren ("Wazza") is a very prolific and popular YouTuber. He's got 9,000+ subscribers. How many ladyboy themed channels have more than that? I guess not so many. Cheyenne's channel has almost 20,000 subscribers and Serena's has 14,000+ subscribers. Cine de Rose has about the same number of subscribers as Warren. The really excellent Exploring Bangkok channel however has currently only 3,000+ subscribers and Sara has less than 3K subs same as Ladyboy Mansion.

What ladyboy channels on YouTube are you subscribing to?

On his vlog he mainly films his and his GF's daily lifes on the suburbs of Bangkok. Personally I've stopped subscribing to his channel a while ago already because the videos somehow became repetitive to me. But once in awhile he's putting out some great videos, like the one above!

He sometimes - but unfortunately not very often - does videos on the nightlife scene in Thailand, for example recently this rather depressing one about the state of affairs in Bangkok's Patpong area:

BTW here's the link to his channel:

https://youtube.com/c/WarrenGerdes

I think he's got hundreds of videos there...

He sometimes is also doing live streams where he answers questions about living in Thailand in general and with a Thai ladyboy in particular.

First time with a ladyboy:

If you want to support his work you can buy him a coffee here:

https://www.buymeacoffee.com/warrengerdes

or subscribe to his Patreon channel:

https://www.patreon.com/chanyawazza

Of course he's also on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/chanya.wazza/

Is there really no one on this board who has heard of him before?

Edited November 24, 2021 by Papa Sam
Added content

[Papa Sam]

Live from Soi 7 as I post:

Sorry the live stream has ended and the video is not available anymore.

Street bar / alcocart main Sukhumvit & Soi 11, Saturday night November 27th:

The popular Bully's Pub on the main Sukhumvit Rd, between Soi 4 Nana and Soi 2, was demolished earlier this year. In the new building there's now a fitness studio:

 

Will it reopen next to the fitness studio? Their Facebook page suggests that:

Source:

https://www.facebook.com/BullysBKK/

Sukhumvit Soi 7, Nov 30th:

Soi 7 bar Grand Class (GG) is SHA certified:

Pic source: Twitter

[Papa Sam]

Sukhumvit Soi 23 is famous for it's "special massage" places.

They primarily cater to Asian, particularly Japanese, guests. But speaking from my own experience, it's no problem getting a rub'n'tug in one of these places...

Some of the massage parlors in this part of lower Sukhumvit are even farang owned - or rather owned by the missus' of the farang...

Since these types of massage parlors aren't yet allowed to open (3 Dec 21), they had to come up with some interesting ideas. Pink Soda 23:

for example looks more like a bistro or a sports lounge with big screens hanging on the walls than a typical massage parlor for the area:

Pic source: Twitter

Unfortunately I'm not aware of any ladyboy massage in this Soi let alone a ladyboy massage that looks that nice :-(

[Papa Sam]

Some of the smaller Thai owned Soi 11 bars are open - at least behind the curtain:

Beers 100 b, mixers 150 b 

The big farang owned nightclubs on Soi 11 (Insanity, Levels, Sugar...) not open.

Pic and info from social media.

[Papa Sam]

On the corner of the main Sukhumvit Rd and Sukhumvit Soi 22 last night:

Occasionally there are LB freelancers hanging out there in the small bars...

Pic source: Twitter

The deputy governor of Bangkok yesterday reiterated that bars, karaoke clubs and other nightlife and entertainment venues can indeed become restaurants but they must strictly follow the "golden rule" that is if they want to become restaurants selling alcoholic beverages, they must comply with strict hygiene safety standards - in other words they must implement SHA/SHA+ and/or TSC2+ standards.

With respect to the appearence of the omicron variant in Thailand, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) asks all relevant agencies to monitor the situation closely and inspect establishments that have reopened to see if they comply with the current regulations.

https://www.posttoday.com/social/general/670061

Translated from Thai into English using Google Translate so please bear with me if it's not 100% correct.

In other news:

Today is Lennon Day. John Lennon was killed 8 December 1980 in New York by Mark Chapman, a Beatles "fan"...

Give peace a chance.

R.I.P.

[Papa Sam]

Some Sukhumvit Soi 11 bars in Bangkok are not really hiding anymore that they are open for business:

Pic source: Twitter

Video of Soi 11 bars 2:25 ->

Sukhumvit Soi 7:

I suspect the girls in front of No Bra Bar are ladyboys...

Edited December 10, 2021 by Papa Sam
Added pics

[Mabulox]

A Bangkok Eyes Map of Nana Plaza@7 bar

[Papa Sam]

Thank you for the map, Mabulox!

http://bangkokeyes.com/soi7plazamap02003.html

It's a pity that Our Place Bar didn't make it through the last round of bar closings:

Video of the current Bangkok nightlife scene:  Sukhumvit (Penalty Spot), some Soi 11 bars are open, Soi Nana, KSR... Skip to 1:20 because the beginning is just advertising for a hotel:

Last night in front of Drop In Bar Sukhumvit Soi 7:

Sukhumvit Soi 7 December 11th:

Pic source: Twitter

Edited December 11, 2021 by Papa Sam
Added pics