A Night out in Paradise

Patong is an area of Phuket known for its crazy party scene. It's like the Vegas of Phuket: loud, crazy, dirty, full of prostitutes and sex shows, no open container laws..etc. In the right state (read: really, really drunk) it can be a fun experience. The main drag in Patong is called Bangla Road. It's quite the experience in and of itself. There's a tequila bar right across from Suzy Wong's (which I found out was a strip club by accident) where you can get 6 shots of "Tequila" for 100 Baht (~$3). Tequila is in quotes because whatever they give you, it's not Tequila. It's some mix of liquor, with Tequila involved (I think) but who really knows here?

Needless to say, there's no such thing as a low-key night on Bangla Road. While Patong/Bangla can be fun in the right circumstances (again read: smashed), it's not really my cup of tea. The other weekend, however, Matt took me and a bunch of the girls out in Patong but to Paradise, instead of down Bangla. Paradise is the gay area of Patong, and it was AWESOME.

(the girls before going out in Paradise)

Paradise is not nearly as sketchy as Bangla, and obviously has a lot more style! Instead of a lot of strip clubs, it's full of really cool, slightly smaller bars.

(/\ Peter being Peter)

And of course, lots of fabulous lady boy shows! Mariah, Celine, Rihanna...they were all there. And they were fantastic! The girls and I spent a good portion of the night, front and center in front of the stage singing along with the lady boys.

While I think Bangla Road can be fun sometimes, Paradise was much more my scene! If you ever find yourself in Patong after dark, I highly recommend stopping into Paradise and grabbing some shots and a lady boy show at one of the bars.