Portraits of Patpong under daylight's ugly glare

When night falls, awnings are unfurled and merchandise chokes the center of the pedestrian channel that is Patpong Road. This bygone strip of go-go bars, massage parlors and trinket shops fills to bursting with people and cheap merchandise. 

But Patpong’s lascivious self seems to have given way to decrepit and mostly unthreatening old age since its prime in the 1970s and 1980s. It has evolved into a strange kind of libertine tourist trap, which makes it most unpleasant for residents of Bangkok to navigate. 

While ducking metal umbrellas, side-stepping sex show scorecards and stealing glances at the road's more lecherous guests, it’s hard to get an accurate picture of what Patpong actually looks like. The best time to visit, I discovered, is during the daytime. 

During midday Patpong is transformed by unforgiving light and all its curiosities and flaws are exposed. Some bars are crippled with age, while others look almost dignified. And they all share a thematic simplicity that borders on naïve -- with names like Safari, Camelot Castle, SuperStar -- as if they were dreamed up by people much younger than their customers.

A few months back, before the occupation of this part of Bangkok by protestors and soldiers, I strolled through Patpong in the middle of the afternoon and shot some photos. There’s an uncomfortable beauty in these dreary facades. That, and a troubling sculpture of Lucifer, who seems to have forgotten his pants.

At night, Patpong Road is closed to vehicles as the road fills with vendors
and the street's neon signs shine brightly. During the day, it's a far more dreary scene.

Patpong's infamous bars are succumbing to age, with peeling paint and faded signs now the norm.

We can't be certain, but Gene Simmons would likely be pleased with this homage to his band despite the obvious copyright infraction.

Don't expect Clark Kent to show up here. This bar is filled with "Super Girls," not men.

Many of Patpong Road's bars feature oddly conceived names like "Camelot Castle," which has clearly seen better days.

According to Wikipedia, Patpong gets its name from the family of Chinese immigrants that owns much
of the neighborhood's property, the Patpongpanich, who purchased the area in 1946.

Don't let the devil's missing pants fool you. Patpong's Lucifer nightclub
is one of several venues on the street that isn't devoted to bikini-clad girls
dancing on a stage.

In addition to his pants, aging Lucifer is also missing part of his mustache.

Patpong is also home to a few retail outlets, such as this bag shop.

Patpong is Bangkok's most famous 'red light district,' though these days it's mostly frequented by curious tourists.

Many of the go-go bars claim there is no cover charge, but patrons often report
tales of inflated drink prices and even intimidation.

Larger-than-life lips hang from the roof outside one Patpong bar.

On July 1, 2004, Patpong, Ratchadpisek and Royal City Avenue (RCA)
were named Bangkok's three official entertainment zones.