It's that time again for everybody's favorite game, "Guess the Ladyboy!" Below is a picture of some ladies within the Phuket nightlife. Only some of these ladies may not be ladies at all. Can you guess which one in the group is one of Thailand's infamous ladyboys, or "katoey?"
Click the "Read More" button below to see if you're correct and learn the tricks of the trade to make sure you don't take a ladyboy home with you by accident!
Perhaps the most frequently asked question I get here at www.peteinphuket.com concerns the ever present "bar girls" in Thailand. I have tried to shy away from the subject matter for risk of sounding like too much of an expert on the matter. However, after careful consideration, if I have a menu devoted to the bars of Phuket, then I would be foolish not to include an article about bar girls. They are present in 99.9% of the bars in Phuket, so I'd be remiss to ignore the topic. Besides, I'm certain that once this is posted, it will become one of if not THE most popular posts on the website. God knows that I need the web traffic in order to retire soon on ad clicks. (Don't be bashful)! If you are going to frequent the nightlife scene in Phuket, aside from the lazy beach bars that dot along the coastline and a few other places, you are bound to come across the lovely ladies of the night. Called "bar girls" for lack of a better word, these staff can be found doing various tasks a normal staff at a bar would be doing. Behind the bar serving drinks, at the cashier station tallying up bar tabs or greeting customers in entrance; they are everywhere.
Nothing to write home about there. However, you'll also find a really good looking, young bargirl cozying up to a much older and much fatter man at the bar. In addition, at some establishments you'll find scantily clad ladies in front enticing customers (namely male Western customers) to come in by gyrating in hula hoops, grabbing arms or screaming "Bon You Sai" to guys on motorbikes ("Where do you come from?" in Isarn Thai).
If you want a good game of pool or a chill place to have a beer, then Mayden's Bar is definitely worth checking out. With two full size pool tables and one mini table that the English call snooker, Mayden's is a must if you fancy a game or two of pool.
If you are lucky or unlucky enough to come face with the local pool shark Jay, take my advice- don't start wagering on games. Ever see the movie Color of Money with Pau Newman? It's called a hustle and you'll feel just that- hustled- by the third game. But Jay is such a nice guy that you won't feel bad losing all your money to him.
Aside from the cool local flavor Mayden's has, the signs in the restrooms won me over. Any watering hole that posts signs like these deserve to be ranked up there with the top bars (perhaps dive bars) out there.
Definitely swing in for a drink and ask for Mama and tell 'em peteinphuket.com sent ya'.
Words to live by
I call him the Godfather of Kamala. If you need anything taken care of, Malcolm Morley- the owner of Blackcat's Bar-is your man. As I was to quickly learn, Malcolm's tough demeanor harbored a guy who would take his shirt off his back to help you out.
When I first met Malcolm at his bar, I was petrified of him. I could I barely understand his Manchester English accent when I signed the contract to rent one of his 32 rental motorbikes. But to say the least, I feared Malcolm for some reason. So, when I inevitably dropped his new motorbike on its side one night, putting a nice scratch on the new side panel, the fear of God was in me. I had 3 weeks before I had to return Malcolm's motorbike. Even worse, I had become a regular at Blackcat's bar, and had to park my motorbike out in front of his bar. I thought I was clever in parking down the street from his bar and walking in, but as I was soon to learn, nothing gets past ol' Malcolm. He knew that I spilled his bike the day after I did the deed, but he didn't say anything to me almost as a test to see how honest I would be! When I finally built up the courage to tell Malcolm about the scrape (the day I was to return the motorbike, mind you) Malcolm told me he knew, and quickly said no problem and we came up with an agreeable solution.
The one and only KoiFlying solo upon my arrival to Thailand back in 2009, Koi's Bar was the very first bar I mustered up the courage to enter in Phuket. And luckily for me, the bar's owner whose name happens to be Koi shockingly enough, is one of the nicest, most helpful and outgoing people I have met not only in Thailand but in my entire life. To this day she remains a good friend of mine, not just on Facebook but in real life too which is rare these days! I remember when I first sat down at her bar, I was grumpy having just paid 1200 baht for a phone that randomly decided to shut off whenever it felt the need to. Having heard me mention this, Koi declared, "Come on! Let's go get this straightened out. Hop on the back of my bike." You will find that most Thai people can speak some English. Koi, on the other hand can speak English perfectly, having learned it first from watching CNN news then mastering it having married her British husband.