To many, Bangkok is synonymous with sex. As in sex for sale. Not that there isn’t a lot of truth in this belief. There’s a good chance tha about 80% of the Thais you come into contact with will offer you a girl or a boy.

OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration. More like 75%. Kidding. But out of the taxi & tuk tuk driver group this is a valid percentage. Hop into that taxi or private car (taxi without the meter sign on top) at the airport and one of the first things a single guy will experience is the offer of a companion. Fact you don’t even have to be single. On one trip, with two female friends in the cab with me, the offer was still given.

Are all women (and most men) in Bangkok available for sex for a few baht? No, it’s just that those that are are readily available. Not that prostitution is legal in Bangkok. It’s not. Really! But typical of the Thai way of life, the stupid laws are just ignored . . . after all there is money to be made!

Now let’s assume you’ve decided part or all of your Bangkok visit will involve getting laid. If you are still reading this, it’s probably a safe assumption. There are massage parlors (yes, that kind) beer bars, go go bars, and host bars all over every touri area of the city. Straight or gay, there are hundreds of establishment to choose from. And you can find them on your own. You do not need to take the advice and help of a cab driver, tuk tuk driver, pr tthat helpful guy youo just met on the street. Doing so will cost you more money because their cut will come out of your pocket. And you’ll probably wind up in a clip joint. That would be a shame because most of these businesses are honest and you will get what you paid for without being ripped off. Find a place on your own, it’s half the fun.

Beer bars, go go bars, and host bars all differ slightly and yet they are all the same. Beer bars are open air establihsments at street level; the waiters, waitresses, and any Thai within 100 ft.of the place are available if you’ve got the baht. Host bars are usually enclosed. In some the ‘hosts’ sit in a special area so you can look thru the line up. In others they sit ormingle with the guests, but there will be no doubt as to who is for sale (that would be any Thai in tthe place). Gogo bars are also enclosed, sometimes up a steep set of stairs. They all have a stage to display the goods and most offer shows with a lot of nudity as well as sex acts tthat you’d probably not previiously considered. Doesn’t matter which form of establishment you choose, the object at all is for you to take a companion home with you. Your object and theirs. That you might spend some baht on over-priced drinks first is OK, too, but walking out with a girl or boy is paramount.

Patpong was the red light district at one time and sex places abounded. Now it’s an over-priced night market for families though some of the more established sex establishments are still there. Try one out. For the cost of a beer, well, you’ll be amazed. The shows are quite . . . original? You’d never have considered that many uses for ping pong balls. And the things they can do with a live bird! For a few hundred baht you can see stuff you’d never see at home, and you don’t have to order take out as these places are used to touri leaving alone (though you can if you want, of course).

There used to be an open beer bar with kick boxing on the corner of Suriwong and Patpong 1. Sad to say it is no more. On one of my first trips there with my friend Dave, we used the place for a rest and a drink (often as Dave drinks a lot) as we circled about the area. We got to know some of the female bartenders quite well, who kept the ladyboys away from us. On several occasions we’d off the entire staff and take ‘em out dancing at one of the after hour discos in the area. Lots of fun walking in to a disco with a dozen women! Sex wasn’t part of the deal (though it could have been, of course) but a good time was had by all nonetheless.

Just enjoying the show can be thrill enough, but if you want a closer experience, Nana Plaza is filled with girl bars as is Soi Cowboy. And Patpong is still firmly geared to the sex trade. For gay guys, Soi Twilight across the street from Patpong has the most bars though there are several others in that area as well as along Sukhumvit.