Gay Boy Thailand

This is a report from a gay bar for local Thais in Bangkok, as requested by IwanUK.

The bar is not easy to find. It is in a residential area and even if at least one English language gay guide to Bangkok lists it they don’t have many foreign guests. When I was there they said I was the first farang they had seen in a long time.

I arrived in a taxi and the doormen were timid compared to the ones I am used to in the Silom area. They made no attempt at making me go in, and said nothing, but I went inside anyway.

The place was large and spacious, with comfy seating and carpets on the floor. I sat down in but was asked to move so I could get a better view of the boys. What boys? The waiter, or mamasan, or manager, I am not sure what to call him, clapped his hands twice and a group of boys who had been dozing rose from their sofas. I tried to wave my hands to stop what was happening, but it was too late.

There were 15 or 20 boys and some looked sleepy. The boys were fully dressed in normal clothes. They went to a row of chairs that faced me, the customer, and sat down.

From a distance of maybe five metres I was supposed to judge them and pick the one I liked. I looked at the boys and the boys looked at me. Even if there was no skin on display I felt this was awkward since the whole ensemble lined up for me only. The manager gave his comments one by one, including mentioning which of them were gay (maybe 20% of them). He also showed me face pictures of some of the boys. He had the pictures stored in his mobile phone.

The boys were 20 to 25 years old. They had to be 20 by police orders said the manager, even if one boy was “underage” at nineteen and a half. None were ladyboys or effeminate or wearing fashionable clothes and from the distance I saw them they all looked like straight working class lads from central or northern Thailand. They did not appear to be from Isaan.

The manager was not pushy but the setup made me feel considerable sales pressure. I apologised for not taking any of the boys, the manager turned off the lights on the “stage” and the boys returned to the shadows.

The manager spoke poor English and I used my poor Thai instead. He was a friendly and good-looking gay man in his late 30ies – more handsome than the boys on display.

Some other guests came and went while I was there. They were Thais in the 30-50-age range and arrived in pairs or small groups. The Thais ordered drinks and sang loud karaoke, which was never my cup of tea. Since I had no boy to fondle or songs to sing I resorted to the manager for my entertainment, gossiping with him about the state of Bangkok gay life.

But like in a go-go bar it gets boring after a while if one does not taste the merchandise. If you don’t buy you have nothing much to do. So I left after 45 minutes. Unlike the farang-oriented bars the staff did not expect any tip when I paid the bill, but I gave them some anyway.

Will I return? This is not the sort of place I feel like rushing back to. But I can imagine I could go back once or twice a year, for the gossip, for the friendly atmosphere and for the chance to practice my Thai. I am sure they will remember me if I do.