Patpong
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Patpong (or Phat Phong, Thai พัฒน์พงษ์) is an entertainment district in Bangkok, Thailand, catering mainly to foreign tourists, and is at the centre of Bangkok's sex industry. Patpong consists of four parallel streets which run between Silom Road and Surawong Road. Patpong 1 is the main street with many bars of various kinds. Patpong 2 also has many bars. Patpong 3 has bars catering to gay men. Patpong 4 has a few bars with Thai girls that cater to Japanese men.
Although Patpong is sometimes referred to as a "red-light district," its bars are not brothels in the traditional sense. Most are "go-go bars" where women (or men) dance or pose on a stage and are available to customers, who can pay a bar fine to take them out of the bar. Some establishments advertising "massage" are disguised brothels.
Some on Patpong employ kathoeys ("ladyboys" or transwomen) either exclusively or as part of a mixed staff. As of 2005 King's Castle 3 and King's Corner (both on Patpong 1) were known to do so; unlike the kathoey bars in Nana Plaza, many of the staff at these tend to be post-operative.
Most of the gay bars in Patpong are not go-go bars, but traditional gay pubs such as Telephone and The Balcony, catering to both Thais and tourists. The commercial go-go bars for gay men are mostly on Surawong Road or in streets off Surawong.
The area started as a R&R (Rest and Recuperation) location for US troops involved in the Vietnam War. In its prime during the 1970s and 1980s, Patpong was the premier red-light area in Bangkok, famous for its sex shows. Today, the other red-light areas of Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy provide strong competition. However, Patpong is the only one of these areas to lie within the official entertainment zones decreed in 2004.
In recent years, Silom and Surawong have been taken over by the Patpong night market, making movement in the area difficult and filling the area with farang tourist couples and backpackers. Men selling pornographic DVDs have become something of a pest in the area.
Patpong is within walking distance from the SkyTrain's "Sala Daeng Station", and subway's "Silom Station".
External links
- Ajarn article on Patpong. (http://www.ajarn.com/On_the_town/patpong.htm)
- Thailand.com article on Patpong. (http://www.thailand.com/travel/nightlife/nightlife_bangkok_patpong.htm)nl:Patpong