The pics with the date 14.11.2007 are of the housewarming BBQ. Part of the group who came over are shown on them. The BBQ took place at night, ergo after midnight till around 4 am, thats how they do things here ;-)
The ones taken on the 17th are pics of a watermelon specially carved on the housewarming on the 14th by a member of the Simon cabaret staff in honor of the housewarming. Great fruitcarving, isn't it? And ofcourse a pic of the house during daylight. Its a modest place, but more then sufficient!!
The pics shown with the date 24th of November are pics taken for the occasion of Loi Krathon, as reported here earlier. Once in a while you see a slim guy appear in them, thats me! haha..I hope at least I am slimming down, as it is one of my goals while here to get rid of some extra weight ;-)
Also you find a pic or two of Q, who sadly has dissapeared earlier this week :-( No idear what happened, because he was really great to have around, can only hope nothing bad happened to him!
Ofcourse you'l see a lot of Kik appearing in the pics. We wore the same shirt on Loi Krathon. Kik wanted us to do so because he said it was specially for Loi Krathon and well, why not! Its next to a solemn affair also a festivity worth celebrating!!
Now the largest bunch of pictures you'll find on the 28th & 29th of november, Kik's birthday. Starting with a lunch I gave on the top floor, the 25th (!!) of Paradise Hotel here at Patong Phuket with a grand vieuw over Patong. Not all of them are great because of the strong light in the background but it will give you a god impression nonetheless. The evening/nightpictures are of the birthdayparty I gave for kik on the 28th, with lots of his friends present. It was really great fun and I was surprised I got home in one piece, haha.
And 'Teacher', a nickname from a friend of Kik's, was so kind to make some of the pics as well and so one can see me in them with Kik. We both wear clothes made by Wiwat Wis, who's store is next to the Morebar where we held Kik's birthday party. For me it was the first time dressing me like that and it was great fun.
The lady I tok some pics from alone is Kiks mother.
The pictures with elaborate figures, dancing and performing, are taken during the performance of Simon cabaret, where Kik is working as dancer. You'll discover him soon enough ;-)
The Egyptian Queen you see is sandy, a dear friend of Kik and me, and you also find her on the pics during lunchtime.
O, and to let you know: all these women you see performing and in the pics made after the show are all men!! They are called ladyboys here and often more femine and gracious then most women I know!
Again, let me know what you think of the pics taken and shown sofar on the .Mac webgallery!!
Uncensored, haha
Friday, November 30, 2007
PICTURES!
Hopefully all works as they say it should and you can now look at pictures taken while in Thailand sofar.
You have to go to
http://gallery.mac.com/robvermeer
ofcourse if all understood correctly by me, hehe.
If so, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did when taking them and looking at them.
Mostly you will not find me in them, but thats because I am the one most often behind te camera.
I also did not screen them on quality or whatever, but will do so in time. Discovering this way to make it possible to share these pics with you, I thought it best to just show them without first going trough them al and making selections,
So, uncensored, you can have a look!
Like to hear your coments ofcourse, as I do on my written contributions. Send them via this weblog or directly to vermeerrj@gmail.com
Have fun!!
You have to go to
http://gallery.mac.com/robvermeer
ofcourse if all understood correctly by me, hehe.
If so, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did when taking them and looking at them.
Mostly you will not find me in them, but thats because I am the one most often behind te camera.
I also did not screen them on quality or whatever, but will do so in time. Discovering this way to make it possible to share these pics with you, I thought it best to just show them without first going trough them al and making selections,
So, uncensored, you can have a look!
Like to hear your coments ofcourse, as I do on my written contributions. Send them via this weblog or directly to vermeerrj@gmail.com
Have fun!!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
2e week november: Huisje huren & housewarmingparty!
Afgelopen week heb ik met Kik een huis gehuurd hier. Het is hier hoogseizoen en dan zijn de prijzen ietwat aan de stevige kant hier, althans voor Thaise begrippen.
Nu heb ik via de baas van Kik, contact kunnen leggen met een huiseigenaar die normaal alleen aan Thai verhuurt voor Thai te betalen huur.
Vandaar dat ik nu in de heuvels rond Patong, in een zeer groene omgeving maar toch slechts 7 a 10 minuten van het centrum van de stad verwijdert, een leuk huisje heb weten te bemachtigen met tuin, ruime terrassen (waarvan eentje overdekt, en een ruime woon/slaapkamer en twee badkamertjes plus grote Thaise keuken (wat neerkomt op slechts een aanrecht met twee gaspitten). Het huis wordt gemeubileerd verhuurt.
En ach, je bent Nederlander of je bent het niet, dus ben ik gaan zitten met de verhuurder en ben over de huur gaan onderhandelen. Eind van het liedje was dat ik bij 1 jaar huur, twee maanden gratis kreeg, ergo, 20% korting. Inclusief gas licht en water, kabeltelevisie, e.d........ kan hier dus vaker neerstrijken zonder dus nog additionele verblijfskosten te hebben, een aangenaam vooruitzicht!
De housewarming ging op z’n Thai. De meeste hier zijn pas tegen middernacht klaar met werken, dus als je ‘iedereen’ wilt bereiken kan je pas vanaf middernacht met een feestje of BBQ beginnen. Zo gezegd zo gedaan dus. Rond middernacht kwamen 10/15 Thaise (gay)vrienden aangezet (wat na 2 am opliep tot ruim boven de 20, o.a. de buren waren toen pas klaar met werken in een van de gaybars hier). En voordat ik er erg in had, werd ik geparkeerd en namen de Thai alles over, van verzorgen van drank, tot het klaar maken van het eten en de BBQ. Ook hier is er een James die graag achter de bbq staat en heerlijke kipsate’s aflevert, grote garnalen en al wat er nog meer op zo’n BBQ terecht kan. En denken wij dat wij kunnen drinken, nou de Thai weten er ook weg mee. Vier uur later en liters whisky, wodka, wat fris ,een berg ijs, vlees en garnalen later, begon het gezelschap langzaam aan huiswaarts te keren. Iedereen moest natuurlijk nog een uiltje knappen voor de nieuwe werkdag zou beginnen.
De hiërarchie trouwens onder de Thai lijkt iets vanzelfsprekends. De grote baas van Simon Cabaret, die zelf een straat verder op de heuvel woont, was er ook en het was duidelijk dat hij alles en iedereen relaxed dirigeerde en met mij afstemde als gastheer en enige farang. Hij liet ook twee van zijn werknemers opdraven om te helpen, alles voor het gemak.
In de wereld van de Thai is het erg belangrijk wie je kent en hoe goed je hem kent en je verhouding met ‘m is. En dat geldt niet alleen voor de Thai, ook als westerling, buitenlander, hier ‘farang’ genoemd is dat iets om zeer scherp in de gaten te houden. Hou jij je daar als farang goed rekening mee, dan verloopt alles een heel stuk soepeler, zeker als je hier langer verblijft niet onbelangrijk!
Begrijp inmiddels wel iets van de maatschappij hier, maar ben er nog lang niet en beslist nog heel erg veel te leren!
Nu heb ik via de baas van Kik, contact kunnen leggen met een huiseigenaar die normaal alleen aan Thai verhuurt voor Thai te betalen huur.
Vandaar dat ik nu in de heuvels rond Patong, in een zeer groene omgeving maar toch slechts 7 a 10 minuten van het centrum van de stad verwijdert, een leuk huisje heb weten te bemachtigen met tuin, ruime terrassen (waarvan eentje overdekt, en een ruime woon/slaapkamer en twee badkamertjes plus grote Thaise keuken (wat neerkomt op slechts een aanrecht met twee gaspitten). Het huis wordt gemeubileerd verhuurt.
En ach, je bent Nederlander of je bent het niet, dus ben ik gaan zitten met de verhuurder en ben over de huur gaan onderhandelen. Eind van het liedje was dat ik bij 1 jaar huur, twee maanden gratis kreeg, ergo, 20% korting. Inclusief gas licht en water, kabeltelevisie, e.d........ kan hier dus vaker neerstrijken zonder dus nog additionele verblijfskosten te hebben, een aangenaam vooruitzicht!
De housewarming ging op z’n Thai. De meeste hier zijn pas tegen middernacht klaar met werken, dus als je ‘iedereen’ wilt bereiken kan je pas vanaf middernacht met een feestje of BBQ beginnen. Zo gezegd zo gedaan dus. Rond middernacht kwamen 10/15 Thaise (gay)vrienden aangezet (wat na 2 am opliep tot ruim boven de 20, o.a. de buren waren toen pas klaar met werken in een van de gaybars hier). En voordat ik er erg in had, werd ik geparkeerd en namen de Thai alles over, van verzorgen van drank, tot het klaar maken van het eten en de BBQ. Ook hier is er een James die graag achter de bbq staat en heerlijke kipsate’s aflevert, grote garnalen en al wat er nog meer op zo’n BBQ terecht kan. En denken wij dat wij kunnen drinken, nou de Thai weten er ook weg mee. Vier uur later en liters whisky, wodka, wat fris ,een berg ijs, vlees en garnalen later, begon het gezelschap langzaam aan huiswaarts te keren. Iedereen moest natuurlijk nog een uiltje knappen voor de nieuwe werkdag zou beginnen.
De hiërarchie trouwens onder de Thai lijkt iets vanzelfsprekends. De grote baas van Simon Cabaret, die zelf een straat verder op de heuvel woont, was er ook en het was duidelijk dat hij alles en iedereen relaxed dirigeerde en met mij afstemde als gastheer en enige farang. Hij liet ook twee van zijn werknemers opdraven om te helpen, alles voor het gemak.
In de wereld van de Thai is het erg belangrijk wie je kent en hoe goed je hem kent en je verhouding met ‘m is. En dat geldt niet alleen voor de Thai, ook als westerling, buitenlander, hier ‘farang’ genoemd is dat iets om zeer scherp in de gaten te houden. Hou jij je daar als farang goed rekening mee, dan verloopt alles een heel stuk soepeler, zeker als je hier langer verblijft niet onbelangrijk!
Begrijp inmiddels wel iets van de maatschappij hier, maar ben er nog lang niet en beslist nog heel erg veel te leren!
Wiwat Wis
Nee, dit is geen raadseltje of een andere vreemde kreet, maar de naam van de eigenaar en ontwerper van kleding van het winkeltje direct naast de gaybar gelegen waar ik sedert mijn aankomst hier nogal vaak buiten op het terrasje zit.
Deze ontwerper en verkoper van zijn eigen kledinglijn, is een Chinees-Thai en erg gay. Hij ontwerpt en maakt , wat ik althans vind, prachtige lekker zittende kleding die hij ook exporteert naar West Europa, w.o. Amsterdam.
Zijn naam Wiwat Wis, tevens gebruikt hij Wiwat ook als zijn merknaam.
Prachtig hoe Chinese namen soms dus klinken en hoe bruikbaar en lekker in het gehoor liggend!
Hij is een van de weinigen hier die convectie en designer kleding maakt die ook voor de groter gebouwde westerlingen hier, zoals ondergetekende, heerlijk draagbaar, goed passend en modieus is. Vooropgesteld natuurlijk dat je van zijn stijl houdt.
De man is alles behalve verlegen en heerlijk om mee te beppen en geintjes mee te maken.
Een van de avonden zit ik buiten op het terras bij zijn buren, komt hij naar mij toe en begint voor het terras mij enthousiast te vertellen over nieuwe kleding die hij gemaakt heeft en wil graag dat ik er eentje van uitprobeer. Wordt van het terras zijn zaak in ‘gesleurd’, zonder noemenswaardig tegenstribbelen mijnerzijds trouwens, en voordat ik het weet heeft hij mijn shirt uitgetrokken en krijg ik een prachtig bewerkt zwart overhemd aan, die fantastisch luchtig blijkt te zijn en origineel. Verkocht dus, haha....... gelukkig sta ik inmiddels op zijn lijst van klanten die een leuke korting krijgt.
Ongetwijfeld zal ik, zeker als het weer wat warmer wordt straks, de nodige keren creaties van hem aantrekken als ik naar de DWH kom. Dan moeten jullie zelf maar oordelen.
Zonder problemen past hij zijn ontwerp aan, aan mijn specifieke en afwijkende bovenbouw wat mij natuurlijk helemaal goed bevalt.
Wil je zelf een keer kijken naar wat hij zoal maakt, google hem dan maar eens, dan kan je zijn website bekijken!
Deze ontwerper en verkoper van zijn eigen kledinglijn, is een Chinees-Thai en erg gay. Hij ontwerpt en maakt , wat ik althans vind, prachtige lekker zittende kleding die hij ook exporteert naar West Europa, w.o. Amsterdam.
Zijn naam Wiwat Wis, tevens gebruikt hij Wiwat ook als zijn merknaam.
Prachtig hoe Chinese namen soms dus klinken en hoe bruikbaar en lekker in het gehoor liggend!
Hij is een van de weinigen hier die convectie en designer kleding maakt die ook voor de groter gebouwde westerlingen hier, zoals ondergetekende, heerlijk draagbaar, goed passend en modieus is. Vooropgesteld natuurlijk dat je van zijn stijl houdt.
De man is alles behalve verlegen en heerlijk om mee te beppen en geintjes mee te maken.
Een van de avonden zit ik buiten op het terras bij zijn buren, komt hij naar mij toe en begint voor het terras mij enthousiast te vertellen over nieuwe kleding die hij gemaakt heeft en wil graag dat ik er eentje van uitprobeer. Wordt van het terras zijn zaak in ‘gesleurd’, zonder noemenswaardig tegenstribbelen mijnerzijds trouwens, en voordat ik het weet heeft hij mijn shirt uitgetrokken en krijg ik een prachtig bewerkt zwart overhemd aan, die fantastisch luchtig blijkt te zijn en origineel. Verkocht dus, haha....... gelukkig sta ik inmiddels op zijn lijst van klanten die een leuke korting krijgt.
Ongetwijfeld zal ik, zeker als het weer wat warmer wordt straks, de nodige keren creaties van hem aantrekken als ik naar de DWH kom. Dan moeten jullie zelf maar oordelen.
Zonder problemen past hij zijn ontwerp aan, aan mijn specifieke en afwijkende bovenbouw wat mij natuurlijk helemaal goed bevalt.
Wil je zelf een keer kijken naar wat hij zoal maakt, google hem dan maar eens, dan kan je zijn website bekijken!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
49/2 Ha Sip Pee Road and the seconde Q !
This is the name of the street which runs trough the hills around a part of Patong Phuket, where I rented a house for when I stay here in Thailand!
When hearing the name I thought nothing of it, but when I heard its translation I thought: It has to be the place for me here!!
Ha Sip Pee means 50 years. And well, being busy with my 50th year I thought it a good sign. Also the number of the street, 49. I just turned 49 last oktober.
So, translated my adress here is 49/2 50 year Road.....cool huh?
Now more about the little Thai house itself. Its typically for the Thai layout of a house here, a very modest one that is. Its downfloor area consist of a Thai kitchen and small bathroom with shower and wc, which is no more then a long sink with a two pit cooker and a fridge, O and ofcourse running water. The kitchen is large and further empty, and I will have to fill it whith whatever I might need.
The other half of the ground floor is an open area which contains of a table and two comfi benches. In front of it you find the little garden with a terrace and a path to the main street.
Before you get to the open area you find stairs going up to the first floor, which covers the whole downstairs area, kitchen as well as openair sittingarea.
On this first floor one not only finds a balcony but also a reasonably large sitting/sleepingroom with another bathroom with wc and shower. This room has been frisheid with a kingsize bed, a TV and DVDplayer with cabel (!!) so one can watch allmost non stop movies here, and pretty recent ones I discovered at that! A sofa and wardrobe, another firge and a dressingtable, and ofocurse a table with the sofa.
Simple but most effective. One hardly neds more because one lives mostly outdoors anyway.
Al in al not too expensive as well, to be honest, when living here as a farang its hard to get anything so wel located and so cheap...which surprised me because it is right now high season here!
I rented the place for one year for 10.000 bath per month (which is a discount of 2 months rent but one conditiën: all needed to be payed at once).
I took the place ofocurse, its quite located amidst the green hills and same time very close to the city centre of Patong...only 5/10 minutes on motorbike. The hills are rather steep and walking would really be too much, hehe. But honest, no sane persoon would walk up that hill, and certaily not more then once on a day...and I go up and down several times a day ;-)
Okay I go on with the original story: I rented this place for a year, so I can return here for one and have not to think about accomodation animeren and the expensive it brings me, but also its a place for Kik to stay as well, its closer to his work at Simon Cabaret, his boss lives one street further up the hill, and it might help him to focuss on his career and study he now thinks of picking up again because the worries about his housing are now for the time being at least, behind him.
Sofar I have not spotted any other farang on my little part of this hill and with only Thai around me, who are all very friendly but sadly hardly speak any english as well.
Slowly these past weeks I grow more and more indipendent, getting to know (Thai) friends and getting beter informed by the week.
Kik wil fix the garden in a flower rich environement...neighbours seem to have some plants/flowers which attracts dozens of butterflies....I hope in a couple of weeks or a month or so to have the same amount of buterflies in our garden, its so beautifull to watch them!
Q
O, and to my big surprise two evenings ago a puppy came into the garden and dining area, and hasn’t left since! According to Kik can dogs choose their ‘owners’ for themselfs and its a good omen that the puppy walked in.
I named the little guy “Q”, after Q from James Bond, Q from Star Trak, and Q, the white big dog I had for a while together with Alberto but had to give back to the animalshelter because he was simply not fit to be on his own and could bark extremely loud and did so every time I left the house and or he was on his own. Neighbours started to get crazy about it, though they addored Q. Then stil an Alderman/vice major here I could no longer keep him if I wouldn’t want to get in a serious fight with my neighbours with whom I allways had a very good understanding.
Hopefuly this puppy Q will be different and will not only stay but be very happy and pleasant companion. I started already to buy dogfood, though not for puppies, still need to find that speciallity!
When hearing the name I thought nothing of it, but when I heard its translation I thought: It has to be the place for me here!!
Ha Sip Pee means 50 years. And well, being busy with my 50th year I thought it a good sign. Also the number of the street, 49. I just turned 49 last oktober.
So, translated my adress here is 49/2 50 year Road.....cool huh?
Now more about the little Thai house itself. Its typically for the Thai layout of a house here, a very modest one that is. Its downfloor area consist of a Thai kitchen and small bathroom with shower and wc, which is no more then a long sink with a two pit cooker and a fridge, O and ofcourse running water. The kitchen is large and further empty, and I will have to fill it whith whatever I might need.
The other half of the ground floor is an open area which contains of a table and two comfi benches. In front of it you find the little garden with a terrace and a path to the main street.
Before you get to the open area you find stairs going up to the first floor, which covers the whole downstairs area, kitchen as well as openair sittingarea.
On this first floor one not only finds a balcony but also a reasonably large sitting/sleepingroom with another bathroom with wc and shower. This room has been frisheid with a kingsize bed, a TV and DVDplayer with cabel (!!) so one can watch allmost non stop movies here, and pretty recent ones I discovered at that! A sofa and wardrobe, another firge and a dressingtable, and ofocurse a table with the sofa.
Simple but most effective. One hardly neds more because one lives mostly outdoors anyway.
Al in al not too expensive as well, to be honest, when living here as a farang its hard to get anything so wel located and so cheap...which surprised me because it is right now high season here!
I rented the place for one year for 10.000 bath per month (which is a discount of 2 months rent but one conditiën: all needed to be payed at once).
I took the place ofocurse, its quite located amidst the green hills and same time very close to the city centre of Patong...only 5/10 minutes on motorbike. The hills are rather steep and walking would really be too much, hehe. But honest, no sane persoon would walk up that hill, and certaily not more then once on a day...and I go up and down several times a day ;-)
Okay I go on with the original story: I rented this place for a year, so I can return here for one and have not to think about accomodation animeren and the expensive it brings me, but also its a place for Kik to stay as well, its closer to his work at Simon Cabaret, his boss lives one street further up the hill, and it might help him to focuss on his career and study he now thinks of picking up again because the worries about his housing are now for the time being at least, behind him.
Sofar I have not spotted any other farang on my little part of this hill and with only Thai around me, who are all very friendly but sadly hardly speak any english as well.
Slowly these past weeks I grow more and more indipendent, getting to know (Thai) friends and getting beter informed by the week.
Kik wil fix the garden in a flower rich environement...neighbours seem to have some plants/flowers which attracts dozens of butterflies....I hope in a couple of weeks or a month or so to have the same amount of buterflies in our garden, its so beautifull to watch them!
Q
O, and to my big surprise two evenings ago a puppy came into the garden and dining area, and hasn’t left since! According to Kik can dogs choose their ‘owners’ for themselfs and its a good omen that the puppy walked in.
I named the little guy “Q”, after Q from James Bond, Q from Star Trak, and Q, the white big dog I had for a while together with Alberto but had to give back to the animalshelter because he was simply not fit to be on his own and could bark extremely loud and did so every time I left the house and or he was on his own. Neighbours started to get crazy about it, though they addored Q. Then stil an Alderman/vice major here I could no longer keep him if I wouldn’t want to get in a serious fight with my neighbours with whom I allways had a very good understanding.
Hopefuly this puppy Q will be different and will not only stay but be very happy and pleasant companion. I started already to buy dogfood, though not for puppies, still need to find that speciallity!
"Rob, come have a drink, party with us!"
Luckily I went to sleep rather early last night. Around 0.15 am I shut of the TV and lights. I must have fallen a sleep immidiatly. Till I was woken up by lots of noise outdoors, like it came from right under me. I thought “O NO, not again”. I put on my sarong and took a peek outside my door and guess what? My neighbours just got home and wanted to celebrate a farewell party of one of the guys going back home to northern Thailand. They appologised deeply to have waken me up.
Well, couldn’t sleep right away anymore so I decided to smoke a cigarette on my balcony and watch the events go on next door. Within minutes they started to appologise again for my miscomfort and then the guy who supposidly lives there appeared, saw me and immidiatly invited me over to join and drink with them on the departure of his ‘brother’ back north. (One never knows if its a real brother or a feel-like-a-brother person). O well, why not I thought, Kik not being home still, I put on shorts and a t-shirt and joined the festivities.
Thai like to make a party for whatever occasion. And be it 9 pm or 4 am, they go for it. In the kitchen delicious food was being prepared and before I knew I was sitting with ladyboys all around me and a few guys (who mostly work as go go boys in Paradise complex, not all of them being gay by the way) and drinking to the one upstairs, packing his suitcase for his departure not much later.
When dawn broke, the guy who’s leaving we just celebrated, had left already for an hour or so, the party broke up. All went quite in my little street again and I managed to fall a sleep again, in my own bed, with Kik this time.
He came back late, as is often the case, because some of his friends called him to come over for a talk, and as most Thai would do, he went. And as is mostly the case here, it becomes late, or early, depending from the point you look at it.
Quite a different lifestyle I find myself into, which is a good experience in itself. Thank God I already slept 4 hours though☺ !
Well, couldn’t sleep right away anymore so I decided to smoke a cigarette on my balcony and watch the events go on next door. Within minutes they started to appologise again for my miscomfort and then the guy who supposidly lives there appeared, saw me and immidiatly invited me over to join and drink with them on the departure of his ‘brother’ back north. (One never knows if its a real brother or a feel-like-a-brother person). O well, why not I thought, Kik not being home still, I put on shorts and a t-shirt and joined the festivities.
Thai like to make a party for whatever occasion. And be it 9 pm or 4 am, they go for it. In the kitchen delicious food was being prepared and before I knew I was sitting with ladyboys all around me and a few guys (who mostly work as go go boys in Paradise complex, not all of them being gay by the way) and drinking to the one upstairs, packing his suitcase for his departure not much later.
When dawn broke, the guy who’s leaving we just celebrated, had left already for an hour or so, the party broke up. All went quite in my little street again and I managed to fall a sleep again, in my own bed, with Kik this time.
He came back late, as is often the case, because some of his friends called him to come over for a talk, and as most Thai would do, he went. And as is mostly the case here, it becomes late, or early, depending from the point you look at it.
Quite a different lifestyle I find myself into, which is a good experience in itself. Thank God I already slept 4 hours though☺ !
A Ladyboy Bar?? an idear?
Its now tuesday the 20th of November, end of morning. In The Netherlands it is now around 6.30 am. A time at which paperdelivery guys are busy delivering the morningpapers.
At the moment its cloudy but for me as a westerner who has not yet been here long a very comfi temperature.
The previous evening during one of my solo dinners I had made a list of topics I would like to enter in this new experience of mine, to keep a blog like a kind of diary.
After dinner I had a meeting with Pong, a barowner as you find many here, but he’s gay and runs the place I like to visit most. He knows I scout for opportunities as well as escaping from Holland for a while. The place he runs lies in the middel of what they call here “Paradise Complex” after the big Paradise Hotel which lies in the middle of it.. His place is called The More Bar, and is one of those typical Thai bars: An outdoor bar which is allowed to use the indoors facilities of the Karaoke Bar indoors next to and behind it. The bar consist just of the bar and the terrace in front of it. From the terrace one has a beautifull look at all the people walking to and from Paradise Hotel as well al the guys going to the gay places, bars, massage houses, disco’s and cabaret-gogo bars in the streets around it. The big advantage of it al is you only hear one kind of music and no contest between all kinds of sounds like you hear in the next streets al the time and which at times can be very disturing to ones ears ;-).
Pong, who happens also the be a friend of Kiks, wanted to show a new place he intends to open by the start of next month. We walk down the walkway to the hotel and then turn to our right. I see the new big disco they are creating there and also a karaoke place by the look of the sign above the door where a lot of work is still going on around 9 pm. The new disco will be part of the hotel and will also be the biggest in the Paradise Complex, which also happens to be the gay district of Patong Phuket. Next to it you find a little ally and on the corner I see a dark looking building in terrible need of a paint. That building is no part of the hotel, and the ground floor has been the focus of Pongs attention.
In the past weeks I had talked with Pong several times about that most of the (gay)places were all the same and that the area was crying out for something different to add to it.
Now he told me his plans for that spot: A ladyboys bar! And indeed, such a place doesn’t excists here yet in Patong, and would be indeed new, maybe even a novelty for the spoiled western tourists who allways like to try something different and new.
He asks me if I would like to give him input in how to make the place effective for the tourists and not only for the Thai.
He plans to open as soon as he can (still, the place looks like a buildingsite, so still a lot needs to be done there) because this month he still has the place rent free and he already payed a half years rent in advance from december onwards so he needs to earn money quickly. Logically.
Indeed a challenge to come up with some idears new to Patong and possibly attractive for the westerners hollidaying here, or as they call foreigners here “farang”, as being one myself. Hence his question to me.
I like a challenge and I like to discover if I indeed can come up with fresh new idears to make a place work here in Thailand, so I agreed to give it a serious thought!
So, in the next couple of days I have to come up with some idears the Thai haven’t thought about....yet!
By the way Ladyboys are guys who look so much like girls that one would not longer think of them like boys, they have breasts like women and below the belt they are in every way still men. They also tend to look more female then most women I have seen walking around. And you have a lot of ladyboys here in Thailand I can assure you. And many tourist get confused seeing them! Gays or heteroseksuals a like.
At the moment its cloudy but for me as a westerner who has not yet been here long a very comfi temperature.
The previous evening during one of my solo dinners I had made a list of topics I would like to enter in this new experience of mine, to keep a blog like a kind of diary.
After dinner I had a meeting with Pong, a barowner as you find many here, but he’s gay and runs the place I like to visit most. He knows I scout for opportunities as well as escaping from Holland for a while. The place he runs lies in the middel of what they call here “Paradise Complex” after the big Paradise Hotel which lies in the middle of it.. His place is called The More Bar, and is one of those typical Thai bars: An outdoor bar which is allowed to use the indoors facilities of the Karaoke Bar indoors next to and behind it. The bar consist just of the bar and the terrace in front of it. From the terrace one has a beautifull look at all the people walking to and from Paradise Hotel as well al the guys going to the gay places, bars, massage houses, disco’s and cabaret-gogo bars in the streets around it. The big advantage of it al is you only hear one kind of music and no contest between all kinds of sounds like you hear in the next streets al the time and which at times can be very disturing to ones ears ;-).
Pong, who happens also the be a friend of Kiks, wanted to show a new place he intends to open by the start of next month. We walk down the walkway to the hotel and then turn to our right. I see the new big disco they are creating there and also a karaoke place by the look of the sign above the door where a lot of work is still going on around 9 pm. The new disco will be part of the hotel and will also be the biggest in the Paradise Complex, which also happens to be the gay district of Patong Phuket. Next to it you find a little ally and on the corner I see a dark looking building in terrible need of a paint. That building is no part of the hotel, and the ground floor has been the focus of Pongs attention.
In the past weeks I had talked with Pong several times about that most of the (gay)places were all the same and that the area was crying out for something different to add to it.
Now he told me his plans for that spot: A ladyboys bar! And indeed, such a place doesn’t excists here yet in Patong, and would be indeed new, maybe even a novelty for the spoiled western tourists who allways like to try something different and new.
He asks me if I would like to give him input in how to make the place effective for the tourists and not only for the Thai.
He plans to open as soon as he can (still, the place looks like a buildingsite, so still a lot needs to be done there) because this month he still has the place rent free and he already payed a half years rent in advance from december onwards so he needs to earn money quickly. Logically.
Indeed a challenge to come up with some idears new to Patong and possibly attractive for the westerners hollidaying here, or as they call foreigners here “farang”, as being one myself. Hence his question to me.
I like a challenge and I like to discover if I indeed can come up with fresh new idears to make a place work here in Thailand, so I agreed to give it a serious thought!
So, in the next couple of days I have to come up with some idears the Thai haven’t thought about....yet!
By the way Ladyboys are guys who look so much like girls that one would not longer think of them like boys, they have breasts like women and below the belt they are in every way still men. They also tend to look more female then most women I have seen walking around. And you have a lot of ladyboys here in Thailand I can assure you. And many tourist get confused seeing them! Gays or heteroseksuals a like.
two days late but finally posted...hope the beginning of a good start keeping my blog!
3e dinsdag van November, eindelijk zover?
Het heeft even geduurd, maar ga vanaf vandaag, met deels terugwerkende kracht, van alles en nog wat hier neerzetten. Van grotere en kleinere belevenissen hier in Thailand en, wie weet ook elders...maar eens kijken hoe lang we dat vol gaan houden. Leuk lijkt het me wel ☺
Alleen jamer dt ik nog steeds niet doorheb hoe je hier foto’s geplaatst kan krijgen. Zie bij anderen dat dat wel lukt....maar goed, des te uitdagender is het dus om sommige dingen goed met woorden te schilderen!
Het heeft even geduurd, maar ga vanaf vandaag, met deels terugwerkende kracht, van alles en nog wat hier neerzetten. Van grotere en kleinere belevenissen hier in Thailand en, wie weet ook elders...maar eens kijken hoe lang we dat vol gaan houden. Leuk lijkt het me wel ☺
Alleen jamer dt ik nog steeds niet doorheb hoe je hier foto’s geplaatst kan krijgen. Zie bij anderen dat dat wel lukt....maar goed, des te uitdagender is het dus om sommige dingen goed met woorden te schilderen!
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