So much for respecting Buddha.
Walking Street was a mix of closed and open go-go bars on Thursday. Eight bars on Soi Diamond opened, but Naughty Girls A-Go-Go didn't.
“We asked the police if we could open or not and they said if other bars opened, we could,” said Eddie, co-owner of Heaven Above. “When Super Baby started up the music, so did we.”
Heaven was one of eight Soi Diamond go-gos that opened Thursday night. Joining them was Shark Club, Shark A Go-Go, Tiger Lounge, The Sea A Go-Go, Carousel Club A Go Go, Paris A Go-Go, Super Baby a-Go-Go and Super Girl a-Go-Go. Coyotee’s A Go Go on Soi Marine plaza also opened its doors.
All the bars were extremely short staffed. Heaven Above fielded just 11 dancers and showgirls for the evening, even thought Eddie says he never told the staff the bar would be closed Thursday. Carousel’s A and B squads had just four dancers around midngiht, although Mamasan Lak said the bar had had many barfines early. Coyotees still put six showgirls on stage around 1 a.m., but were very short on dancers.
All but one of the bars saw only light-to-moderate trade during the evening, as most punters had been told or assumed everything would be closed. The Sea, however, was an ocean of humanity with more customers in the joint than it had seen in possibly years. The bar had a healthy stock of dancers and most of the patrons were of Asian descent. Most likely they decided upon The Sea once they finished with Super Baby.
“Our costs are the same whether we open or not,” Eddie said. “So it’s better we do. Even if we make only 20,000 or 30,000 baht, it’s 20,000 to 30,000 more than we’d have gotten otherwise and our expenses would have been the same.”
Business As Usual Friday
Punters dismayed at the thought of two straight dry days needn’t worry. Virutally all of Walking Street will be open Friday. The only exceptions are likely to be the two Super go-gos — whose owners plan to respect the concept of giving up alcohol for Lent — and the Peppermint/Happy/Beach Club group.
Lance, manager of Lollipop a Go Go, said he plans to open around 10 p.m. “Las Vegas Paul,” manager of of Wet ‘n Wild a Go Go in the Centre Condo building near Walking Street, announced online that bar will be open all night Friday (and, in fact, was open Thursday). Also confirmed for opening are Club Misty’s, Carousel, Heaven Above, Coyotee’s, and the Shark/Tiger group. And, if history holds, you might also try What’s Up! a Go Go, Insomnia Gentlemen’s Club, and Baby Dolls a Go Go where resident manager Ricky has traditionally tried opening on dry days at his previous bars.
“With the big bars closed, it should be a good night for smaller bars like us,” Lance said.
Slim Picking Thursday
2008 Asanha Bucha Day Parade in Pattaya
South Pattaya was awash with TGs headed to Wat Chai to make merit on one of the three most important Buddhist hoiidays of the year. Unfortunatley, all seem to be accompanied by their Thai boyfriends. Few farangs were to be seen. Meanwhile, at the cinema, which saw the opening of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight, this week. it was jammed.
For Friday, the big question will be whether the bars get the women in sufficient numbers. A tour of a half-dozen go-gos Wednesday showed most places were noticeably short-staffed. Despite the fact that owners were expecting big crowds in anticipation of the holidays, many girls decided to begin their days off early. Club Boesche was missing all its showgirls, several of which were partying at New Living Dolls One.
“You’d think the girls would realize tonight would be a good money night,” grumbled one manager, looking around his badly depleted bar. Perhaps that’s why most bars also were quiet on the customer side, as well. The Street itself seemed busy, but the crowds inside — from Covent Garden to Soi 15 — were surprisingly small.
Ghostly Topics: Baby Dolls, Bar Closures, Beach Club, Happy, Heaven Above, Insomnia Gentlemen's Club, Lollipop, Peppermint Palace, Super Baby, Super Girls, Walking Street, Wet 'n Wild, What's Up!
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