Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
clubs opened to cater to American soldiers on 'R&R'. The scene grew through the '70s and peaked in the '80s,
when official Thai tourism campaigns made the sort of 'sights' available in Patpong a pillar of their marketing.
Prostitution in Thailand
Prostitution is illegal in Thailand but there are as many as two million sex workers, the vast majority of whom -
women and men - cater to Thai men. Many come from poorer regional areas, such as Isan in the northeast, while
others might be students helping themselves through university. Sociologists suggest Thais often view sex
through a less moralistic filter than Westerners. That doesn't mean Thai wives like their husbands using prostitu-
tes, but it's only recently that the empowerment of women through education and employment has led to a more
vigorous questioning of this very widespread practice.
Patpong Today
Patpong has mellowed. Thanks in part to the popular night market that fills the soi after 5pm, it draws so many
tourists that it has become a sort of sex theme park. There are still plenty of the stereotypical middle-aged men
ogling pole dancers, sitting in dark corners of the so-called 'blow-job bars' and paying 'bar fines' to take girls to
hotels that charge by the hour. But you'll also be among other tourists and families who come to see what all the
fuss is about.
