The neon lights of Patpong's go go bars first lit up Bangkok's skies during the late 60's. During the time when the Vietnam war was getting warmed up. Droves of US soldiers on leave made their way through the streets of Bangkok and made their way to infamous budding red light district of Patpong.

Today the atmosphere of Bangkok is a shadow of its former self. Yes the sale of sex and booze still prevails, but the overall feeling of commercialization has taken it's stranglehold as shops with items priced only for tourist pop up side by side with go go bars. To be honest how dirty could a place feel when there's a McDonald's and Starbucks just around the corner.

A visit to Patpong today consists of rubbing shoulders to shoulders with sandal wearing backpackers and retiring couples on an exotic tour of Asia. You'll also find a large young crowd visiting some of the best live music venues as well, partying until the 1am mandated shut off time by the Thai government.

Patpong has been so commercialized to the point that even foreign families feel safe to roam it's streets and there is a moderate police presence after Patpong was decreed as a "Entertainment Zone" by the Thai government back in 2004.

But make no mistake, the sale of sex is still the biggest draw to Patpong and there's no signs of slowing down as men from all over the world come to the city considered as the Disney Land for adults.

Patpong is located in the commercial district of Silom not from from where big powerhouse firms such as Price Waterhouse Coopers and other types of International businesses are located. Patpong can be easily reached by taking the MRT or BTS Sky Train. Getting there by taxi shouldn't be a problem at all since every Taxi driver knows where Patpong is.

Patpong is a medium sized red light district with the majority of go go bar action centralized in Patpong 1 and Patpong 2. There is a smaller section for gay nightlife activities located on Patpong 2 and 4.Thai people are very tolerant to gays and transsexuals so if you have a problem with that sort of lifestyle it's best you keep it to yourself.

The most popular street is undoubtedly Patpong 1. By day it's a quiet unassuming street with barely any foot traffic. But when evening time rolls around and as the go go bar's neon lights flicker on is when Patpong burst into life like the first drops of rain on a desert flower.

Every evening at 6pm the streets of Patpong 1 is shut off to vehicles and hundreds of street vendors begin setting up shop, filling their stalls with the latest bootleg movies and knock off luxury goods. You should bargain hard for that must have fake Gucci wallet as prices in Patpong's Night Market is inflated for tourists. A good rule of thumb is to slash the initial price by half and work your magic on getting the price you want. Just make sure you do so with a smile and keep your cool. Anger on your part is a lost of face.

On the flip side don't piss off a Thai shop owner. Contrary to what many guide books wrote about, Thai people do get mad and if you escalate a situation you'll find yourself quickly outnumbered.

Patpong 2 on the other hand is like the little quiet sister, though less touristy it's still busy with mostly single males looking to get away from the noise and lights of Patpong 1. There are less go go bars on Patpong 2 and you'll mostly find open air beer bar establishments with plenty of Thai ladies sitting around ready to keep anyone company. It's a much more laid back atmosphere with a certain privacy, very different from the lively goings on of Patpong 1.

Patpong practically invented the go go bar culture in Bangkok and has been the major attraction in Thailand back since the Vietnam war era. Any man who visits Bangkok and swears he only went temple hopping and cultural excursions is most likely lying through his teeth. Most if not all had at least stepped into the den of sex and sleaze of Patpong red light district.

Go go bars in Patpong use to be a men's only hangout. A place where grown men could reenact there university days where partying all night is the norm.

Today it's not uncommon to see couples and even groups of lesbians consorting, drinking and frolicking with Thai bar girls along side single males looking for either quick sex at a short time hotel or back at their place.

The go go bar atmosphere is relaxed though some places pressure people to buy drinks or choose a girl even if you're not interested. You might even be pestered and frowned upon, but whatever you do don't get angry or annoyed, it's there job to make money.

The most popular go go bars in Patpong bear the names King's Castle and Queen's Castle and as you'll see in Bangkok they have quite a few establishments. Both are basically managed by the same group and have larger sized venues which means more bar girls dancing on stage. They also have a reputation for protecting customers such as strict STD test for working girls and for honesty when it comes to tallying up the drink bill, but you should still keep track yourself.

Go go bar management may have the best intentions for their customers but that doesn't prevent unscrupulous wait staff from pulling a quick one on a drunken or unsuspecting customer by short changing them. I've heard stories of customers handing 1000THB and getting short change a lot of times. But it's never happened to me once nor any of my friends.

To take a bar girl to a short time hotel or back to your own room (long time) you have to pay a 500THB bar fine. You can negotiate the short time rates with the bar girl but it usually ranges between 1000THB to 2500THB for an hour. Long time rates usually range from 3000THB to 5000THB.

If you're planning on taking a bar girl back to your hotel you have to make sure the your hotel is girl friendly, or else you'll get hit with a 500THB joiner fee.

Keep in mind there are lots of factors involved on the price given to men such as how well the man looks, what race, and how much money she has made during the night already. One quick note, almost anyone working in a go go bar can be bar fined such as waitresses and even the mamasans.

Go go bars in Bangkok have proven to be flexible and changes within the current times adapting to the growing sexual appetites of bi-curious males from all over the world. The trans-gender, transsexual, she-male industry is huge in Bangkok and world famous. Specialized surgeons in Bangkok are skilled in trans-gender operations and their skills are highly sought out from men with deep pocket books who want to look like a woman.

Trans-genders are called Kathoey in Thai but to foreigners they're referred to as Lady Boys and are considered the third gender in Thai socitey.

There are lots of go go bars in Patpong that have Kathoeys working amongst real ladies. King's Castle 1 and King's Castle 2 have a only handful of post-op Kathoeys working inside along a bunch of real women. If you're not quite sure if the lady in front of you is a man or not it's best to ask the mamasans. They wont' lie to you.

King's Castle 3 on the other hand is a 100% Lady Boy go go bar establishment with pre-ops and post-ops working inside, so if that's not your cup of tea, aren't you glad you read this.

There are lots of other go go bars in Patpong to check out. My biggest tip is never listen to a shady tout make suggestions on which go go bars is the best. Use your eyes, it's your best guide. It's free to go inside a go go bar and check out the action inside. Though most management does frown on that, so either buy a beer and sit down or leave in a few minutes.

I use to love playing table tennis when I was a kid and I enjoyed the game from time to time. Until the dreaded day I was forced by my mates to tag along with them to witness the horrors of all horrors, a Sex Show in Patpong. From then on I could never look at a ping pong ball the same way ever again.

There use to be more sex show shops in Patpong but many were closed down and moved because technically it's illegal, and so is prostitution in Bangkok by the way. But just like most things in Thailand, cash causes temporary blindness to vice cops. Matter of fact all of the red light establishments in Patpong are funding Bangkok police stations.

To check out a Sex Show look for anyone holding a menu card pictured on the right. If you can't find them they'll find you because they're all over Patpong.

All Sex Show outlets are located on the 2nd floor, usually above the go go bars. You should inquire about the prices for drinks before you step in. You can try asking the touts that bring you in, but usually they'll lie just to get you to follow them.

Once everything is okay with you just sit back, relax and close your eyes if you're queasy.

The things the "Show Girls" can do there could make a man's testicles shrink to the size of raisins. I couldn't believe my own eyes as a middle aged Thai lady, who's not shy by the way, shoot a ping pong ball out of her vagina with such accuracy that would make the US military green with envy. Then comes the razor blades and darts... I tell you I could barely contain the beers I downed. And after all these years it still creeps me out.

But as the official welcome mat for friends visiting Bangkok, my duties were to take them to wherever they wanted to go. But in the deepest recesses of my mind I never knew that any of them would ever ask to see a sex show involving everyday household objects. And most of my friends who ask to go see such sex shows are ladies!

Just one word of caution though, there are reports of unscrupulous behaviour in Sex Show establishments when it comes to adding up your bills. Reports of bulked up charges is the main culprit. If such problem arises make a polite complaint and if the problem is not resolved look for Tourist police stationed near Patpong 2. These cops will usually help you get your money back, and I do mean usually.

From the six or seven times I've went I've never had a problem before. That doesn't mean it can't happen to you. So keep your wits with you.

The massage is a tradition practiced in Thailand for centuries and it was meant to improve health, clarify thinking and even help achieve a sense of peace with Buddha.

Through the years Thai massage has become more and more popular amongst the Thai and it's not uncommon where Thai people would visit a traditional masseuse at least three times a week. There are institutions and spas dedicated to this age old form of health and physical therapy.

There are plenty of traditional Thai massage parlors along Surawongse Road, and are considered unisex. Get ready for some pain as the masseuse are well trained and know where to take out the kinks in our bones. The first foot massage I had was torturous and I quickly learned how to say in Thai "Jep Mak Mak!", roughly translated "Very Painful!".

Then in the early 80's came and one day a Thai opportunists came up with the idea of having naked woman wash a man down with her body in a bathtub filled with bubbles followed by a sloppy massage and intercourse. And thus the business of Soapy Massage was created and ever since it then it has become quite a popular attraction for men.

Patpong has only a handful of soapy massage parlors. There are only two that I've been to, JC Infinity Massage and Versailles Massage. Both are just across the street from Patpong 1 pass Surwawongse road. There are some smaller ones within Patpong 1 and Patpong 2 but it's very poorly managed.

JC Infinity Massage and Versailles Massage rates depend on the girl or model category you choose. The prices usually range from 2000THB up to 4000THB and includes a 1 hour half or 2 hour soapy experience.

To be quite honest Patpong isn't really well known for its soapy massage parlors. For a better soapy massage experience it's better to visit the Huay Kwang area on Ratchadapidesk road, just northeast of Patpong and easily reached by MRT, Bangkok's underground train system.

I'm a major food fanatic and I love Thai food, the spicier the better. But through the years of living here I started to miss all sorts of other foods that I enjoyed in my former life. Thankfully Bangkok has a wide range of International restaurants to keep any one's palates satisfied.

There are plenty of great Thai restaurants and they're easy to find of course.

But I'm going to recommend you a couple of great places to eat dinner and enjoy a beer. Best thing of all, their prices are easy on the wallet and you can use the money you save on a nice foot massage.

My first restaurant recommendation is Mizu's Kitchen located in Patpong 1. The specialty in this 50 year old restaurant is the Sarika Steak. I can't tell you how hard it is to find a decent steak in Bangkok. There are American style steakhouses in Bangkok with imported steak but it's pricey and practical for special occasions.

Mizu's grain fed beef comes from a ranch up north and it has a nice beefy taste and it's fresh and not flash frozen. They don't take request on how you want your steak cooked, but when you do get your steak it's rare to medium rare which is to my liking. But the problem is the steaks are presented on a sizzling cast iron plate which retains so much heat that your steak will still continue cooking.

What I do is take the meat and move it to my salad plate. By the way there's some type of beef juice the waitress pours over your steak. It gets messy so use the greasy table covers to protect yourself. The size of the beef is about the size of 3 decks of cards and includes veggies, salad and bread. For my appetite I usually order twice. It's cheap. You should try out some Japanese specialities such as curry dishes, it's quite delicious.

Don't let the tacky decor and slightly run down atmosphere scare you away but do avoid the French Onion Soup, it taste like dishwater. Stick with the entrees instead.

Some other noteworthy restaurants are Le Bouchon and Tapas, both are very popular hang out spots for tourist, expats and local Thais which makes these establishments a great place to meet people and share stories and travel tips.

A lot of people who've never been to Bangkok have some notion that there are hookers on every street corner. It's absolutely not true. Bangkok is a safe city full of decent hard working people. But just like any large western city it does have its share of crime. So use your common sense when traveling.

And whatever you do don't fall in love with a bar girl or any other girl working in the sex industry. Check out Bangkok bar girls, freelancers and escorts and you'll see why.

Don't be scared of visiting any of Bangkok's red light districts. Especially Patpong because there is a police presence in the area. After all Thai tourism plays a major role in filling the country's coffers and a few bad publicity could really screw up tourism.

Most importantly Bangkok is a city full of fascinating cultural sights and attractions. You should take some time and visit those places. Learn a few things you never knew before about a culture different than yours. Discover a whole different side of life and interact with the people who welcome you as their guest in their country.