In a go-go bar, the uncapping of a soda bottle can be a life-altering experience. Launching ping-pong balls, shooting darts, dispensing razor blades, puffing cigarettes - is there no limit to a bar girl's talents? I have vivid flashbacks to the cult comic, 101 Uses of a Dead Cat. Many tourist couples enjoy this kind of thing. But a solitary male walking into a go-go bar is asking for it. First, you'll be bookended by two girls. Their touchy-feely candour is not to be mistaken - you're a revenue stream in a thriving industry serviced by trained professionals. A mama-san will bill you for three drinks (two for the bookends), a cover charge, and endless demands for tips including one for almost blinding you with a dart aimed at a balloon above your head. Girls rotate from working the stage to the seats. If a girl returns to you often enough inevitably you'll be asked to "go upstairs". Going upstairs is expensive for the budget traveller, (invariably upwards of 2,000 Bt). It's easy being virtuous when you're on a budget.

 
 

Photography by Danny Lim © 2003