Went to Pattaya last week and here’s what I found:
Vassa Boys – Small bar with only 6 boys on premise. The mamasen said they have a total of 10 boys, but some have not shown up that day. Mostly sissy looking/acting, but there were one or two who were more straight acting.
New Sawadee Boys – has about 15 boys or so, among them at least 4 were underage. The boy who sat with me for a drink told me that the ones without a number are underage, and pointed out a few who were 16 or 17. One Indian looking lad who did have a number told us himself that he was 17. The rest of the boys were ok and there were some good looking ones. However, the long hair transvestite mamasen was extremely obnoxious and unhelpful, and I ended up having to leave the premise just to get away from her.
Toy Boys – There were about a dozen boys. At least two of them looked to me clearly underage. There are no shows, just go-go “dancing.” Actually there wasn’t much dancing either. Like most of the other bars (including the New Sawadee Boys) the boys simply stood stationary in one spot. They didn’t rotate position or turned around, so that the customers only had one view only.
Le Mariana Restaurant – I was looking for a change from Thai cuisine and a nice meal with food to which my stomach is accustomed, so I walked into this nicely decorated (in the context of the environment) new restaurant in Sunee plaza called Le Mariana. Essentially all of the diners were Caucasian male retirees about 60-70+ years of age. As a younger Asian man I was immediately greeted with suspicion. They looked at me as though to say “what are you doing here?” I told them that wished to dine. Duh…..it’s a restaurant for heaven’s sake.
Somehow I was never served the amuse-bouche or bread, even though all other tables were served these items. I wonder whether it was just the chaotic service that typify the place or that an Asian customer is automatically put on a low priority for service. Unfortunately the latter scenario is commonly observed in Thailand. The service staff included an older women and a young trainee, who was trying hard but didn’t quite know what to do (e.g., he rearranged the silverware on my table a few times as though by trial and error before getting it right). The food was credible bistro fare, not outstanding but not too bad. But the service really needs work. My entrée order was placed incorrectly and they had to reorder the correct dish, although they caught the error themselves without me having to point it out. I suppose their service gaffes may have been excusable in some other restaurants in Pattaya, although I set them to a different standard since they clearly have higher aspirations. It would also help if they recognize that Asian men dine as well, not just Caucasian retirees.
|