Where have all the tourists gone? That is the question many are asking themselves, especially down at Chiang Mai’s Night Bazaar in the row of outdoor beer bars known locally as “sleaze alley”, due to the area’s past reputation for it’s freelance underage street kid hustlers, drugs and frequent gang fights. We popped in recently on a weekend night and one bar owner was telling us he’s never seen things so bad even in rainy season. Unusually for this year’s rainy season, it was a pleasant dry evening when a few more people should have been out and about, yet the bars were almost deserted. We counted two other farangs, both long time ex-pats as the only other customers there.
The good news is that many of the underage teenagers that used to plague the place have disappeared, probably in anticipation of a much vaunted new social order clampdown. Rainy season always brings one or two casualties and changes of ownership in the alley, but so far since DT’s bar closed all have survived. However, rumor has it the site will be redeveloped in the coming months so these bars may not have a long term future anyway. Of course, as with the Peak Bars further along the soi it took a couple of years from the announcement of closure until the bulldozers finally moved in so this may be another slow and painful death. From the general state of the place re-investment in cleaning and maintenance has obviously already ceased.
Some of the fun times from a few years ago, as depicted on this video on Youtube, seem a distant memory:
Meanwhile Chiang Mai’s go-go bars were reporting brisk business this weekend, although nearly all from Thai customers which are the mainstay of these places. Helped by the fact everyone just got paid, Karaoke bars Barocco and Relax were both packed with Thai revelers, keen to quickly dispose of their hard earned cash.
In another development, news has reached us from Pattaya of plans for a new gay venue in the Chang Puek area. Mike, formerly from La Cage in Pattaya, is apparently opening a new up-market host bar. It has been rumoured to be at the former Doi Boy location and will be called the “Sky Club“ though we haven’t been able to confirm that. His idea is to surround the drinker in a lavish environment, and he has a backer to help set the place up and take care of local issues. His “no expense spared” approach will ensure that you can get the best drinks in a great setting, and the staff will make sure your every desire is taken care of. We understand they also intend offering a show late in the evening. More details when we get them.
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