Last time I did the nasty on a blogger who shouldn’t be, so I’ll be nice this time around and switch back to handing out some kudos. Not that being nice is my normal inclination or the purpose of this category, but I can’t resist with this one. Here’s a blog that was blogging before the blogosphere existed, so it’s actually a website, and a straight one at that:

http://www.stickmanweekly.com/index.html

Stick has been covering the straight gogo bar scene in Thailand for decades. His writing style is enjoyable and his photographs . . . I’m envious! Stick has mastered the night time/neon lit genre and his pix of the Soi Nana and Soi Cowboy scene are incredible. Every damn one of those photos pull you in, telling you a story. He should assemble the best and publish them in a book. Seriously.

He publishes a weekly column that goes on-line every Sunday night covering a specific topic (his Red Shirt coverage last spring was unbiased and timely), an update on what is happening at the bars and entertainment complexes in Bangkok and Pattaya, a section highlighting news stories about Thailand from around the globe that you probably missed, and a Q & A column from a Thai legal firm.

Reading what’s up in the world of girl bars in Bangkok may not be of immediate interest to gay guys, but what’s good for the goose . . . what he reports on the industry holds true for the gay bars, too.  And he also covers everyday life in the Kingdom for expats and touri alike. So you will be able to relate. For the disgruntled among us, his and his readers ‘walking ATM’ stories will elicit a knowing grunt. And after reading a few weeks worth of entries, you’ll be damn glad you can’t yet marry your Thai boyfriend.

When I first started visiting Thailand, it always pissed me off that the girl bars charged so much less for a drink, and the expected tip for a night’s companionship was a joke compared to the boy bars. Things have changed. Buy a girl a drink in the bars nowadays and you can be paying up to 800 baht! And the muscle studs at Tawan have got to be envious at the amount that their female counterparts are demanding these days. Amazing what you can learn when you step outside your box. And it certainly puts gay bar costs into perspective.

Come to think about it, maybe Stick should clue his readers into how much cheaper offing a guy is . . . maybe some of the skinflint straight expats in Pattaya might decide it’s better to go gay!

Stick is dropping hints that he might end his stay in Thailand, and his weekly column, at the end of this year. I sure hope not. In any case, I really need to get off my ass and finally drop him a thank you email for the entertainment his site has brought me over the years.

Take a big breath, click on the link, and give his site a try. You will enjoy it!

(Oh, and the photo on this post is one of my favorite of his, to give credit where credit is do. And for you bloggers that insist on picture-altering watermarks to claim credit for your crappy shots, notice the way Stick does it. . . and take a hint!)