Soi Cowboy in Bangkok

Named after the cowboy hat-wearing African-American who opened the first bar here in the early 1970s, this red-light district has a more laid-back, carnival-like feel to it than Patpong or Nana Plaza. Flashing neon lights up a seedy streetscape comprised mainly of middle-aged expats, Japanese suits, tourists and gaudily dressed working girls. With cries of 'hello, welcome!' and mock brute-force - a playful arm tug usually - the latter try to lure you into one of the 40 or so go-go bars that line its sides.

Each is dark and noisy, lines of grubby faux-leather seats typically arranged in tiers around a UV lit central stage. The girls sway and shimmy, most wearing little more than an I'd-rather-be-watching-Star Movies expression. When the song finishes (typically thumping techno or anthemic rock) they desert their allotted steel pole as if it's iron-hot. Some run off to touch up their make-up, others make a beeline for their mobile, or their spicy pappaya salad. But most step off stage to mingle and flirt in hope of earning that elusive 'lady drink' and a quick-exit with you; or the next man, or the next...

Top establishments include 'The Dollhouse', where sartorially challenged girls dance with rarely seen enthusiasm. With its transparent glass ceiling and school girls in unfeasibly short skirts, 'Bakara' belongs in a shady Tokyo backstreet - and is thus a big hit with the Japanese. 'Rawhide' features exactly that - raw hides, only alongside choreographed dance troupes that vary from accomplished to atrocious. We could continue, but the truth is that variables - bars, girls, levels of depravity - fluctuate fast in go-go land. Beers vary in price, the general rule of thumb being that the cheapest are found in the tattiest bars. 'Lady drinks' will set you back more, but for the premium expect your companion not to act like one (leg rubbing, dry humping etc).

However Soi Cowboy is more than merely a hunting ground for degenerates. It's also home to some of the city's most outlandish scenery... The street's hue of sleazy pink neon makes everyone look less than human. A couple of times each night an adolescent elephant trudges forlornly down the street, a reflective CD dangling from its tail. Rickety street carts serve protein-rich meats, insects and other unidentifiable snacks to the Isaan girls who comprise the workforce; and shots of mystic herbal whisky - yaa dong - to foolhardy farang. On rainy nights, when neon shimmers off electronic puddles, it all resembles a dystopian backstreet from some sci-fi film-set. Call us sentimental but it's these surreal pleasures, hidden amidst all the iniquity and perversion, that make Soi Cowboy.

How to get there: Less than 100 metres from Sukhumvit Road, between Asoke Road and Sukhumvit Soi 23 (the nearest Skytrain station is Asoke, or MRT station Sukhumvit).