There are a slew of night time options here in Udon, I mean, within the general category of "bars". Outside of bars, there's really nothing to do once the sun goes down. Lucky for me, its not really a problem as my nights are filled with homework and dinner, leaving me really only one night to have to fill in - Saturday. And so it was that on Saturday night, at the behest of my friends Pahm, Dtahn, and Maew (who run UdonMap.com), I headed to the Full Moon bar faaar south on Tahan Tanon Rd.
The Full Moon, named no doubt after Thailand's famous monthly party, was fully decked out Tiki-style, but with a live band singing covers and a table full of hostesses greeting me as I came in. I quickly maneuvered my way to the bar and talked the bar tender into keeping the TV on the Yankees-Cleveland game (even in Thailand, the $^%$ Yankees!). it wasn't long until I felt a tap on my shoulder and a barked out question: "Hey! Who are you?!"
Turning around, I was greeted by a forty-ish Thai woman who introduced herself as Owna.
"NO! Not Owna. I am the owna. Of the bar. My name is Niki."
Niki ended up being a complete riot and made me feel at home. A lifelong resident, she had opened up Full Moon about 20 years ago and ever since, its been the best bar in Udon Thani. As the band played on and the clock approached 11, I could see what she meant - even so far from the town center the place was filling up.
"Do you want to sit with a girl?"
Instead of yes, I asked her to tell me about the hostesses and what exactly was going on here. The girls, who unlike in Bangkok are not allowed to leave with customers (nudge nudge, wink wink, know what I mean?) are paid a monthly salary of 4,000 baht. Hardly enough to get by. The real money comes from tips. Having a girl sit with you are the table is going to cost about 90 baht per half-hour. With drinks bought (a percentage of the drinks bought for the girls goes into their pocket) and tips, on a good night a girl could pull in another 3000 baht. Since the bar doesn't open until 10ish and closes at 1, a hostess can bring in $90 - not bad for 3 hours of work. I could see why it was such a popular career choice.
I was plied with shots, Niki determined to get me drunk for some unsavory reason, but by midnight her sister decided that we were going off to see Mr. Tong. Mr. Tong is the proprietor of Mr. Tong's bar, which sits across from the mall and is doomed for closure within the next month. Actually, all of the little bars along that road are doomed for closure, as the mall has bought up the entire block with plans for expanding. When I first heard of this, I didn't really care as I had been past those bars before and they never looked that appealing - small, danky, and really nothing special looking. Mind you, I never stepped into one, so it was just a preconcieved notion and one that was doomed to crumble in just a few seconds.
As we walked up to Mr. Tong's, it was clear who the owna was - he was the guy with the open shirt, gold chains, and microphone in hand crooning out Thai karaoke songs. With Niki's introduction, I was soon in good company. I met Dtani, who owns a place called the Bossonova bar and before I could leave for the night, I had to promise him that I would pay his bar a visit. I had such a good time there and felt stupid for judging the place just by looks the last time I was in Udon. Well, lesson learned.
There are ex-pat owned bars in Udon, which I've been to, but none of them have made me feel as nearly as welcomed as I have at the local haunts. Thais are funny enough as it is - give one a bar and lookout! In just a few short hours, I was bought rounds, introduced to friends, and educated on how the various bars in Thailand earn money and operate. In contrast, my last conversation with an expat went like this:
"Ah, bloody hot today, ain't it?"
"Yep. Like yesterday."
"Got that right."
"..."
"..."
Niki ended up leaving at 1am, which is when the bars are supposed to close, but with Mr Tong's doomed to the wrecking ball he figured, what the hell and kept the lights on well past the time. Before she left, Niki offered me some parting advice: "If you need anything, Jacob - anything, you give me a call. If you get into trouble, just tell them to call Niki and I will straighten it out. I am going to be your step-mother in Udon, I promise you!"
Uh...great!
"Now, give me a kiss!"
Niki settled for a kiss on the cheek and a promise that I return to her bar soon. As I walked home I made a promise to myself that from now on, I would only frequent Thai-owned bars and restaurants...the food is ten times better and the company, well - priceless.