Rampa in Bangkok

The Bangkok gay scene is widely considered as one of the most vibrant in Asia. Of course I couldn’t help checking it out my self and perhaps come up with a comparison of the scene in Manila. Probably a good starting point is to visit a gay bar, which I did last Saturday night. I chose a bar not frequented by tourists so I ended up in the far end of the city, near the Chatuchak weekend market.

One of the first things I noticed about the string of gay bars in the area is how pedestrians from the outside can see the people inside the bar through the glass walls. When I arrived there at 10 pm the bar was already packed. Bangkok has a stringent rule on bars closing down at precisely 2 am, thus explaining the early rush of the party-goers. You’d find an EMPTY gay bar in Manila if you come in earlier than 1 am and back home the party ends at roughly 4 am.

Scattered all over the bar were tall tables and a few stools. I could hardly see any trace of a dance floor. On the tables were bottles of whiskey, Coke, soda water, and glasses. I was told that indeed whiskey is the drink of choice in Thailand. I could not even remember drinking whiskey ever and I don’t know how strong the drink is. I settled with the local beer instead. I heard the boys are allowed to bring their own whiskey and they can just buy the soda water and Coke inside. Cool no?

The music is a good mix of mostly pop songs, a few R&Bs, trance, and house. However, the limited space for dancing only allowed the guys to stay around their table and bob their head to the very loud music, while downing copious amounts of whiskey.

Looking around the bar I saw a relatively young crowd; perhaps in their 20s, but hardly anyone looked beyond 30 to me. Their fashion sense was mostly influenced by Japanese and Korean styles. You know, spiky hair, sneakers, T-shirts hugging their frail frames, and skinny jeans. Surprisingly, there was an absence of the muscle Marys or gym bunnies, which sharply contrasts with the abundance of such type of gay men in any Manila gay bar. And yes, nobody was wearing any foundation in the gay bar I went to. There are lots of guys who at first sight would take my breath away though, especially the Chinito ones. But in general, I miss the bravado of gay men in Manila.

In fact, this is where I found a huge contrast in the behaviour of gay bar patrons in Manila and Bangkok (or at least in that particular Bangkok bar). There was a dearth of sexual energy in the place, unlike in Manila where flaunting and snaring were the rules of the game. Tuloy I miss the sight of men groping and kissing under the flashing lights. This might explain why I was more relaxed last Saturday night than any of those instances that I was in a Manila gay bar. I found my self dancing with a cute guy (sigh...), we talked *make that shouted* for a bit, but no numbers were exchanged. So innocuous, noh?

At exactly 2 am, the lights were switched on and the guys slowly trickled out of the bar.

I had fun.

Anyway, I do not want to make generalizations yet about gay bars in Bangkok. I heard there are crazier places in some areas (albeit very touristy). I would explore that next.