Bangkok is hot, noisy, crowded, dirty...and spectacular!!! I had an amazing time. To anyone who plans on going, I strong recommend the Magestic Grande Hotel. 5 star quality at 3 star prices. I cannot say enough about the place.

Every day I went to a massage parlor; I preferred a soapy massage to picking up a bargirl. At my age (54) I have to pick and choose my spots, and i loved the soapy massage experiences. My first stop was a place called Nataree. There were about 50 girls in the fishbowl. They quoted me 2000 baht (about $50), but I talked them down to 1800, which was still a lot, as I knew someone who got charged 1600. But I didn't care. I chose a small girl named An, mainly because she made a strong effort to get my attention while I was choosing. She was 20, with small but perfectly shaped breasts. She soaped up the air mattress next to the bath and gave me a body-to-body massage. Then it was on to the bed for a bbbj until I shot my load. Then into the tub to get cleaned up, then back on to the bed for a massage. Then she slipped a condom on me and we fucked until I came a 2nd time. It was a great 2 hours, and it represented a typical experience. In subsequent days i also went to Mona Lisa and a place called Evita, but I liked Nataree the best. On my last day I arrived there at opening time (2:00 PM) and there was only one girl in the fishbowl. But she was young and cute, so I chose her. Her name was Kip, and she was the best one yet. I was too wiped out by this time to go a second time, so she spent the last 45 minutes giving me a real good Thai massage. Guys, if you never had a traditional Thai massage what the hell are you waiting for? Kip had strong hands. By th time she got done my entire body had turned to jelly. So good was she that I gave her a 500 baht tip. I tipped a lot in BKK, not just at massage parlors, but at restaurants and bars. The country is so cheap that a big tip to them is just a few dollars to you.

My favorite restaurant was a place called Bourbon Street, in Washington Square. If you're over 40 and want to chill in a quiet place then Washington Square is it. The food at Bourbon street was authentic cajun. I had both jumbalaya and crawfish bisque, and both were good. There is a waitress there named San, and since the place was fairly empty when I was there, she was chatting me up, and I ended up staying about 3 hours each day I was there. I think I fell in love with San while I was there; Bangkok can do that to you, and if I were not married I would have made a play for her. But sex with a massage parlor girl requires no committemt or affection; it is purely for pleasure, so I can justify it, but if i had sex with San there would have been emotion involved, and that would have been cheating in my eyes, so i turned down a chance to see her after work. There were a lot of stands sellling fruit. Every day I'd buy a pineapple, which got cut into thin slices and placed in a plastic bag with a handle, and a long toothpick to spear the fruit.

I also did a lot of sightseeing. Bangkok has some incredible buddhist temples, and even if you're not into the religion, the temples are worth checking out. Most are reachable by water bus, and the Sjytrain takes you right to the river, so no cab is required. I saw the Grand Place, Wat Arun, Wat Po, the Glden Mount, the Standing Buddha, Emerald Buddha, Reclining Buddha...well. you get the idea. I also spent a morning getting lost in Bangkok's chinatown, which was so far off the beaten path that the signs were no longer in English. Everywhele else is bilingual. The water bus was lots of fun, and between that and the skytrain and the subway you get go almost anywhere without taking a taxi.

I did check out Nana Plaza, but I was only looking, not buying, so it quickly got boring. If you want to get laid then you can't miss at Nana Plaza. I wasn't even trying to pick up a bargirl, but in the 30 minutes i was there at least 10 girls made a strong play to get my attention (and my money). I bought couple of them drinks just too talk with them, but once i told them I wasn't looking for sex they got disinterested. Gullivers on Soi 5 is a good place to grab a beer if you're in the Nana area and just want to drink in a less frenzied atmosphere.

All in all, Bangkok is a great place to visit. Just remember that the weather is hot and humid. Also remember that there are Thais living and working there who have nothing to do with the tourist industry, and based on how most westerners act, they hold us in low esteem. And I can't say that I blame them. To them westeners are just drunken sex maniacs. I always acted polite with the locals, and it was a good investment.

Well Rainer, sounds like you done good!

Glad to hear that you found some soapies to your liking. I've always heard good things about Nataree, but have never made it there. As you know, the choices and possibilities are endless in Bangkok. Forget about mongering for a minute; just the opportunity to get a daily 1.5 to 2 hour traditional Thai massage for $8-$10. bucks is worth the trip alone!

Its good that you did some sightseeing. Negotiating all the public transport can be harrowing for the beginner (I got really screwed up on the water taxi - could never tell what stop we were coming to, or which boat to take!), but it sounds like you took it in the right (fun) spirit. I've yet to try the new metro - that will be for next time.

Funny how you mention the heat and humidity - late November is considered the beginning of the cool season!

I also like (and agree with) your comments on locals versus tourists. Were you only there for a total of 4-5 days/night? I could never go for that short a time, given the travel time each way, and also given that I wouldn't be able to pry myself away after only a few short days!

-- Mr. Plug

I was there last month for the 1st time. I mostly hated the place - hot, dirty, ugly - an absolute dump, but I got enough of a taste to want to go back. I even just borrowed a Thai language course from the library.
I stayed at the Nana hotel, which was good enough for me, and hung around Nan Plaza at night. The last night there, I ended up taking 3 girls out clubbing and took one back for afters.
I know next time, that I will have to take my own condoms and lube as the girls there are not that professional and probably can't afford the good ones anyway..

I was in Hong Kong for a 4 day business conference and I went to Bangkok afterwards, so I didn't fly all the way there just for Bangkok. The water taxis are more complicated then the skytrain and subway, but once you realize that there are 3 lines, orange flag, yellow flag and no flag, you can look at the chart on the entrance to the pier and figure out which bus you need to take, as the stops are clearly markeed. It helpes if you know in advance which stop you weant to get off at. The information desk is also very helpful for a newcomer. Often any of the 3 lines will go to your stop. Just be ready to board because the boat doesn't wait around. The subway was great for getting to the massage parlors. Hua Kwang is the stop to get off at, and the soapies are in sight once you leave the station.

I got into a routine while i was there, which worked well for me. After gorging myself at the breakfast buffet I went into the hotel gym and did a 5K on the treadmill machine. Then I'd go sightseeing, returning to the hotel around noon. After a shower I'd go eat lunch, usually a 3 hour affair. Then I'd hit the soapies, after which I'd return to the hotel for a short nap, and evenings were spent drinking.

It might be winter over there right now, but that just means that the rainy season is over. On a farenheit scale, the temperature was about 90, with matching humidity.

glad you had fun, ive been to Thailand once and love the place. I wish i had enough money to go back now. I never tried Naratee, but i definately reccomend Barons for a cheap and brilliant oil massage and for a soapy Poseidon. In Poseidon they have the girls in the fish bowl, girls as sideliners and girls on the top floor are model category and also apparently you can order girls from a catologue some of which have appeared in the thailand penthouse. Anyway i looked at every girl there and i choose a girl from the fishbowl (the cheapest price) and she was easily the most beautiful girl there and probably the most beautiful girl i seen in Thailand in my opinion of course. Next time i hope to go to Pattaya

Rainer, you say "So good was she that I gave her a 500 baht tip. I tipped a lot in BKK, not just at massage parlors, but at restaurants and bars. The country is so cheap that a big tip to them is just a few dollars to you."

You appear not to realise that your 'King for a week' tipping spree will eventually ruin it for everyone. This sort of activity not only gets the locals used to the large tips you freely hand out, but will lead to increases in prices and an overall increase in the expectancy levels of everyone who comes into contact with visitors and tourists.

I was also in Bangkok end of November/beginning of December 2005 and it has changed alot from when I was last there in 1999. Incredibly cigarettes cannot now be displayed in 7elevens or anywhere else, although porn is openly for sale in the street markets and of course the flesh trade is as obvious as ever around the sukhumvit area and patpong.

I have spent around 11 months in total in Thailand at the end of the 90's, but Bangkok, with it's never ending constant pestering and hard-sell attitude has most certainly taken the shine off this once attractive destination. I would suggest getting out of the capital and hit the major flesh zones of Pattaya, or head south to Phuket.

Anyway, glad u enjoyed yourself, but do remember about over-tipping - anywhere!

I'm off again for a short visit to Amsterdam next weekend, so if all's well I'll porbably post a report on that.

Rainer,

Glad you enjoyed the Majestic Grande! Great location, great hotel, low price! Soapie Massage is one of the higlight's of visting Bkk. All the sightseeing was great, Grand Palace, Golden Mountain, Nana Plaza. Soi 5, Gullivers,,,every man has to visit this environment once in their lifetime,,maybe twice, or three times.:-)


Sabai Sabai !!!!!

I also love the soapies but usually try and do both while in Bangkok, ie have a mid/late afternoon bath and take a bargirl home for the night. Outside Bangkok the soapies ain't up to much, half a dozen so so places in Pattaya but the places upcountry tend to be poor.

El B, you are obviously younger than I if you can do the soapies AND the bargirls in a single day. I "hit the wall" when I turned 48, and ever since I've had to ration myself when it comes to sex. (I'm 54 now). I was having 2 pops at the soapies, and I was too spent afterwards to want to have more sex that evening. I did check out the bargirl scene, and I enjoyed buying the girls drinks just to talk with them, but I wasn't up for sex. Next time in BKK I will change course and lay off the soapies for a day or two and take a bargirl home with me.

420, I must thank you for the Majestic Grande recommendation. Luxury for $70 a night!

I do understand where you are coming from, milf.hunter, concerning tips, as your point is well-taken, but everyone's personality is different, and it gave me great pleasure to be able to be a big tipper. Thailand was my first venture into the Third World, and I had never been in a situation where I could throw money around like it was confetti. It was intoxicating. Those girls at the soapies provide a great service (and I do mean great) and they get very little money out of it. I tipped big wherever I went, including restaurants and bars, and whenever I stopped at a sidewalk food stall (I loved eating the fresh pineapple) I gave a generous tip there as well.

To be honest Rainer it is becoming more of a struggle for me these days as often soapy babes and later overnight company insist upon multiple pom-pom! I recall a particularly silly episode on the last day of my 2000 trip. I was determined to get the most out of my final hours before heading for the airport at midnight. After a sweet bargirl left my bed in the morning I set about a 3 soapy extravaganza starting out at the Chao Phaya 2 midday happy hour, then splashing around in a Meree bath and finishing of in BIWA soapy just in time to get a taxi to Don Muang. I do not receommend that to anyone.....6 hours immersed in hot soapy water had taken it's toll aside from the obvious wear and tear certain part of my body had been subjected to. I was sat on that plane a like kanckered old shrivelled up prune!

Rainer,
thanks for taking my earlier post about tipping in the spirit with which it was intended. When I re-read my own post some days after I posted it, it did come across as being a little too critical.

Glad you returned from BKK with good memories.

Chok di krap.

"You appear not to realise that your 'King for a week' tipping spree will eventually ruin it for everyone. This sort of activity not only gets the locals used to the large tips you freely hand out, but will lead to increases in prices and an overall increase in the expectancy levels of everyone who comes into contact with visitors and tourists. "

I fully agree with you. Tipping so much cause prices to go up.

This is also what happened in Amsterdam thanks to some of you american guys, especially before the euro.

I seriously doubt that I will "ruin" it for everyone by being a generous tipper. To each their own.

whats generally the best time to hit thailand?

Well, it's never cold... Jan is the most popular time, probably because of the climate, but it also makes it busy and hard to book. So far, I've been in October, August and April and it seemed exactly the same each time except April was quieter and a bit hotter..
Incidentally, mid April is Thai new year which is quite an experience. It's a bit hotter, but the new year celebrations cool you off.

If your going for sanuk then anytime apart from high season....Dec-Jan.
I've been in LOS most times of the year. Songkran is fun but I also enjoy the rainy season.

When I lived in the region I visited Bangkok many times at all times of the year. Although there is some variation in the weather I never found it to make much difference. Mostly I was on short business trips so my sanuking was generally in evenings. My preference was to stay on/close to Sukhumvit with Nana and Soi Cowboy in easy reach, Toy Bar being my favourite. Patpong is pretty much a tourist destination and the risk of rip-off is higher there, especially in the upstairs places.

I second the recommendation on Baron's for an oily massage although I also used a hotel outcall massage service, Sabai Sabai, for a really relaxing end to a busy day. A soapy massage (or three!) is a must. If you feel like something a bit different then a blow job bar is quite an experience.

The Skytrain is a great way to get around, it's really easy to use so have a go.

Ah memories.

This is a great point about BKK, too many farang (foreigners) make the mistake of thinking that all Thai women are bar girl (in their alcohol fuled minds) and nothing could be further from the truth! The sex industry in Thailand is actually very small but seems quite large because it is avaiable in small concentrated areas like NEP, Soi Cowboy and Patpong.

I suggest that if anyone does go to this amazing country do some research on a specialist Thailand site like: www.ukbkk.com where you will find a huge amount of free information.

Treat the bar girls nicely, make them smile and laugh, tip them well the next morning (never before hand) and they will make you feel like a king!

If you like 1 particular bar and want to try several of the girls from it, make it very very clear that you ear a "butterfly", the girls will understand this, otherwise you are leaving yourself open to a whole load of grief! As the first girl you bar fine will think you are her personal ATM each time you come to the bar!!!

One of the simplest things to do in terms of sight seeing, is get a BG that you like and can have fun with take you for a day out, just tell her where you want to go and she "ought" to will know how best to get there! Unless of course she is "farm fresh" from backofbeyondburi!!! Then you might have to show her round!!! :-)

You are right the Majestic Grande is a wonderful alternative to the JW Marriott just up the road or the Landmark and at half the price too. Don't forget that Annie's Massage is just across the road from the MG! 20 metres to walk after you walk out the front door of the hotel. I have to say I have walked past it a hundred time and chatted with the girls but have never ventured in! I will one day! :-)