Patpong BangkokMany people have heard some stories of the Thailand sex industry, often involving Patpong Bangkok. Patpong is named after a wealthy Chinese businessman Khun Patpongpanit who used to own the area. There are two roads off Silom Road where the Patpong action is found; Patpong 1 and Patpong 2 which these days also extends to the various side streets. Patpong Road is the most famous of the Bangkok “nightlife” areas. There is a large night market in Patpong where the prices are more expensive than elsewhere in Bangkok. As is usual in Thailand when they are onto a good thing everyone wants a piece of the action. The result is that the stalls have spilled over from the local streets in Patpong into Silom Road, which makes it a challenging walk because of congestion caused by eager shoppers. It's easy to part with your money in this area so read our common sense tourist tips and keep your money safe. Patpong is famous for its go go bars, sex shows and bars. Some of the sex shows are not for the faint hearted as many of them involve the use of various tools, projectiles and sex aids as part of the performance. The sex industry in Patpong Bangkok started mainly to satisfy the demands of foreign troops in the Vietnam War (as it did in Pattaya) but these days it is fuelled mainly by tourists. Next to Patpong 1 and 2 there is an almost exclusive Japanese street called Soi Thaniya. The prices here are sky high and the bars and clubs are all geared toward the Japanese. In fact, many of the clubs will not permit you to enter without a Japanese host. It is worth a look at Soi in the evening; there is so much neon that the street is lit up like a Christmas tree. If you like golf shops then this street will also be paradise for you; as you know the Japanese are crazy about the game and the area is geared up to meet their insatiable demand. Although Patpong is still reasonably safe there are many more shady characters in the area now attracted by the tourist dollar. Many people who visit the area leave it with no desire to return and I can't say I blame them.
Everything in the area is geared to get the maximum out of the visitors without any emphasis on customer satisfaction. It is not uncommon for unsuspecting tourists to be charged extortionate rates for their drinks in many of the clubs so if you do go drinking there try to stick to the open air bars where you will not find so many pushy bar girls. It pays to be aware of the tourist police in this area as the mention of them can sometimes get you out of sticky situations You may have gathered that Patpong is geared very much towards the tourists but now faces competion from Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy which have both increased in popularity. Return from Patpong Bangkok to the Bangkok main page
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