The FARANG Speaks 2 Much

The Pattaya Ghost - Issue #1

All things Pattaya

Pattaya Ghost Blog

Since last week’s piece on the various bars that have gone bust or are for sale in Pattaya, I’ve learned that the naughty nightlife industry is in even worse shape than is widely known, with four more Walking Street go-gos and another midtown venue up for sale.

Hooty’s a Go Go, The Dollhouse, Highway Star-a-Go-Go (which closed this week), Sexy Girl a Go-Go ( Soi 8 ) and one of Pattaya’s Top 5 go-go bars, which I cannot name right now, are all on the block according to four different sources.

Hooty’s, a perennial loser of a bar, was sold and substantially renovated last year after years of ownership by Ken (aka “Captain Picard”) of Living Dolls Showcase and Dollhouse. The majority owner is a silent partner and first-time bar owner who leaves management of the bar to minority partner Paul, a former Angelwitch, Dollhouse and Showcase manager. The silent partner reportedly invested more than 6 million baht into the purchase and renovation of Hooty’s only to see it founder. Now he wants out, but is holding out until he gets most or all of his investment back. It could be a long wait.

Ken also is reportedly taking offers for Dollhouse, which he bought in 2006. Largely responsible for the revival of Walking Street, Dollhouse these days is more akin to a Doghouse. During a prime-time visit this week, only four other customers were in the bar on a day when 4,600 U.S. Navy personnel were in town.

Despite that, the bar is said to be profitable due to three very unique factors: It has no lease, no key money and absurdly low rent. Dollhouse sits downstairs from Marine Disco and Peppermint Palace on a large block of land given by The King to one of Pattaya oldest families. In return, the “Marine Family” allows two go-gos, the disco, various beer bars and a Muay Thai exhibition ring to operate there on just low monthly rents. With such low expenses, Dollhouse can be profitable on very little income. It’s said to make 200,000 a month in profit, giving it a sale price of about 6 million baht. So while Ken has it on the block, he’s not too concerned how long it takes to sell.

More anxious sellers can be found at Highway Star, whose owners finally threw in the towel after just more than a year upstairs at The Pier complex at the mouth of Walking Street. It’s the second time this bar has gone bust. It died a slow miserable death three years ago a small place now home to Sweethearts a Go Go on Walking Street but rose like a phoenix when The Pier reopened in 2007. Thai-owned, it was really badly designed with an aircraft carrier-sized stage that would look empty even with 50 girls on stage. The most I ever saw on it was 12. As a last-gasp, Highway Star tried to reinvent itself as a ping-pong show bar with stratospheric prices. That experiment lasted two weeks.

Interested in buying? The first thing you need to do is ignore the asking prices for any bar on the market. A 20-year Thailand bar designer-builder-owner estimates Hooty’s worth maybe 3 million baht and Dollhouse around 5 million. Insomnia Gentlemen’s Club, for sale for 4 million, is worth maybe half that, he said, and The Windmill Club, put on the market last week, is worth about 3 million baht, about half of what many expect the owner is asking.

The fact is property values for all Pattaya entertainment venues are going through the floor as the city continues to gentrify. The managing director of the 5-star Royal Cliff Beach Resort told me recently he expects that, within five years, Pattaya will be a resort town for Indians, Russians and Chinese. The typical white farang market is shrinking with each year and each increase in oil prices.

Perhaps that’s why owners of even successful go-go bars are trying to get out. Two different sources have told me that the owner of one of Pattaya’s Top 5 go-go bars is quietly shopping his place, albeit for the right price. The owner declined an offer of 19 million baht a while back. Now, however, those close to him say he’d jump at 15 million. My builder source estimates the bar probably is worth about 11 million.

So what about bars off Walking Street? Forget it. None of the bar areas on Soi LK Metro, Soi 2, Beach Road or Soi Honey Inn are making any money. The only other place worth investing in, longtime bar owners say, is Soi Buakhao. Club Oasis, a great-looking, medium-size go-go, has done very well there serving the expat market and the Club Blu coyote bar has found a strong following.

Everywhere else is struggling. Ka Dik, a coyote bar on Soi Honey Inn, became the latest victim there, closing only two months after debuting with its strange name. And Sexy Girls, a two-story go-go on Soi 8, is up for sale for 6 million baht but will be lucky to get 2 million baht.

In Other News… So Much for the Smoking Ban

Pattaya’s smoking ban is all but dead, with bar owners saying both Health Department and city police have started taking bribes to look the other way as long as smoking is restricted to small, specific areas inside the bars.

Two big bar owners admitted to me this week that they’ve paid off cops from health department enforcement officers (the ones actually responsible for policing the new regulation) and Pattaya Police (who can still exact fines). In return, they can permit smoking in areas away from most customers.

Examples of such “smoking sections” can be seen at Insomnia Club disco on Soi Marine, Angelwitch on Soi 15 and Club Boesche in the Covent Garden section of Soi 16 all pointing smokers to either a special room on to upstairs tables. Of course, just because those bars have smoking sections, it doesn’t mean their owners paid off the cops to have them.

Indeed, Walking Street bar owners are flouting the law more brazenly by the day. During recent vists to Lollipop a Go Go and Club Misty’s bar managers were seen openly smoking with customers.

The fact is police enforcement of the ban has been almost non-existent. Police did check several Soi 15 bars early in the week. No one was caught or fined and no other bars have reported seeing the BIB the rest of the week.

“As we all know, things can change here in a heartbeat. But it’s looking increasingly likely that it’s not going to be enforced and the whole idea will be swept under the carpet and forgotten about,” said Robin (aka “Pieman”), owner of Catz a Go-Go on Soi 16.

Pattaya Cops Make Jumbo-Size Pornographer Bust

Perhaps the most surprising story this past week was the reaction to the arrest of Todd Arthur Williams, a 47-year-old American well-known his huge waistline and short temper. Williams was locked up by Pattaya police June 9 in his North Pattaya high-rise condo for allegedly running an Internet pornography business. The cops claim he and Bangkok-based partner Gary Schmad filmed Pattaya bar girls having sex and then selling the DVDs online. An arrest warrant has been issued for Schmad and Williams reportedly was released on 300,000 baht bail.

The story in and of itself is really not a big deal. These guys were pretty small fish. What was surprising was the reaction of those that had encountered the 400-pound Williams in the past. I, myself, had the misfortune to spend nine hours at Bangkok airport with him a few months ago when our flight to the Philippines was canceled.

I detailed my excruciating night at the airport with him on my blog earlier this week, but never expected the rabid hatred that poured out from commenters: “This fat slob has messed with a lot of people and is just evil. Now nice to see him taken down for good,” said one commenter. Others derided him as “a loser amongst all losers,” a “total pig,” and a “fat, worthless piece of crap.”

It seems he really upset a few people. Commenters described him standing in the middle of the street in Bangkok haranguing taxi drivers, pulling a knife on another farang at an all-you-can-eat buffet in a Pattaya hotel, offering $100 to anyone who would have sex with his friend’s girlfriend while the friend was out of Thailand, and ruining various Internet message boards with constant streams of abuse.

It just goes to show that, in Thailand especially, what goes around eventually comes around, and usually twice as hard.

Bits & Pieces

• The former Taboo go-go bar in Soi 16’s Covent Garden has been sold and will soon undergo a third redevelopment.
• The Navy has left town with a mixed reaction by bar owners. Some complained the guys came in, drank one beer and barfined all the dancers. Club Boesche lost 25 women in one hour on Thursday, leaving 2 dancing by midnight.
• Former go-go bar Gothic (Soi BJ) has reopened as the Ezy Bar beer joint with very tall and deep-voiced working talent.
• The Voodoo bar complex has reopened with its centerpiece go-go bar being redeveloped into more beer bars.
• A new freelancer / sports bar called Goodfellow is under construction on Walking Street.
• Irish bar Gamebird outside the doors of New Living Dolls One, is opening a second location on Soi 15.
• Closed go-go bar Gorkle’s has been sold and is being redeveloped into a coyote bar.
• Police closed popular expat hangout Noi’s Beer Bar for 30 days for operating after midnight. Yikes.

Pattaya Ghost Blog