Riverside, Silom & Lumphini - Bangkok - page 307

BANGKOK'S GAYBOURHOOD
The side streets off lower Th Silom are so gay that they make San Francisco look like rural Texas. Every night, a
pink tractor beam draws gay locals and tourists to the in-your-face sex shows in nearby Duangthawee Plaza, the
chilled open-air bars on Soi 4 and the booming clubs near Soi 2; below are our picks.
Bars
Soi 4 is a tiny alleyway packed with gay bars, most with strategically positioned seats to best observe the nightly
parade.
Telephone Pub OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP ( www.telephonepub.com ; 114/11-13 Soi 4, Th Silom;
6pm-1am; ; Si Lom exit 2, Sala Daeng exit 1) Telephone is famous for the phones that used to sit on
every table, allowing you to ring up that hottie sitting across the room. Its popularity remains even if most of the
phones are gone. The clientele is mostly 30-and-above white men with their Thai 'friends'.
Balcony OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP ( www.balconypub.com ; 86-88 Soi 4, Th Silom; 5.30pm-1am; ;
Si Lom exit 2, Sala Daeng exit 1) Located directly across from Telephone, this is yet another long-stand-
ing cafelike pub that features the occasional drag-queen performance.
Bearbie OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP (2nd fl, 82 Soi 4, Th Silom; 8pm-1am Tue-Thu, to 2am Fri-Sun;
Si Lom exit 2, Sala Daeng exit 1) A bear bar as perceived through the Thai lens, Bearbie replaces beards
and bikers with local 'chubs' and teddy bear-themed karaoke rooms.
Duangthawee Plaza OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP (Soi Twilight; Soi Pratuchai; 7pm-1am; Si Lom
exit 2, Sala Daeng exit 3) This strip of male-only go-go bars is the gay equivalent of nearby Th Patpong. Ex-
pect tacky sex shows by bored-looking young men.
Nightclubs
The area's clubs are located in dead-end Soi 2 and Soi 2/1; if the following are too packed, alternatives are just
steps away.
DJ Station OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP ( www.dj-station.com ; 8/6-8 Soi 2, Th Silom; admission from 100B;
10.30pm-3am; Si Lom exit 2, Sala Daeng exit 1) One of Bangkok's and indeed Asia's most le-
gendary gay dance clubs, here the crowd is a mix of Thai guppies (gay professionals), money boys and a few
Westerners.
G Bangkok OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP (Guys on Display; Soi 2/1, Th Silom; admission 300B; 8pm-
late; Si Lom exit 2, Sala Daeng exit 1) As the name suggests, Guys on Display is not averse to a little
shirtless dancing. Open late, this is where to go after DJ Station has closed.
Saunas
In Bangkok, there's a fine line - often no line at all - between male massage and prostitution. Saunas, on the oth-
er hand, don't involve any transaction past the entrance fee.