W

Wai: A highly complex form of greeting and farewell, in which one folds one’s hands and holds them before himself/herself, the precise position determined by the relative ranks of the persons meeting or parting – generally, the higher the hands are raised, the greater respect that is shown.

Washington Square. Located in the heart of the "Farang ["Foreigner"] Ghetto" along Sukhumvit Road, this square is popular with long-term expats, especially retired military personnel, oilfield workers, etc. It isn’t obvious – one of the creators of this web site changed buses in front of it for six months before realizing there was anything inside – but worth finding. It has a number of bars and restaurants, as well as two massage parlors, several offices, and a katoey ["transsexual"] cabaret.

The Square isn’t really a square such as one might find in many American towns. It is a fairly large area bounded by low-rise buildings, with 3 almost-abutting buildings occupying most of it’s center. The majority of the bars and restaurants are located in the interior perimeter, though a few are in the block of buildings in the center. A single street loops around the central block of buildings. There are two gates, one on the Sukhumvit Road side, on the north side of the Square, the other on the Sukhumvit Road Soi 22 side, on the west side of the Square, giving access into the southwest corner of the Square.

Not nearly as well known, even locally, as the (in)famous Patpong, Nana Plaza, or even Soi Cowboy [see individual listings elsewhere here for further information on each], Washington Square is an excellent place to go for inexpensive American food and alcohol. There are also two Japanese restaurants in the Square, but they might as well be on another planet; our focus isn’t the Japanese market – at least not yet – so we don’t cover those. Of particular note are the Cajun food available at Bourbon Street Restaurant; the Mexican food at Bourbon Street Restaurant, Silver Dollar Bar, and Texas Lone Star Bar and Restaurant; and steaks available at those same three eateries.

Few tourists make it into Washington Square, except the odd few who wander in by accident from one of the hotels along Sukhumvit Soi 22. Most of the patrons tend to be local expats, with a few Western-oriented Thais mixed in with them. For them, Washington Square is very much a tiny enclave, with an atmosphere akin to an American Western frontier town. Except for Bourbon Street Restaurant, which is family-oriented, and Mambo Cabaret, which draws almost exclusively Japanese tourists, the places can be boisterous, at times, but sedate – even very quiet – at other times. Local humor writer Roger Beaumont once wrote an article about the denizens of the square in which he referred to them as "men with thousand-yard stares" – an apt description. They’re plenty rough around the edges, maybe, but hard-working and honest. And very much worth getting to know, even if only briefly. (By the way, there is virtually no violence anywhere in the Square – which is more than can be said for certain other places in the city.)

Square patrons tend to be extremely helpful, and not only to each other. Untold lost tourists have been put right by "Squaronians" – as they are called – even getting taxi fare back to their hotel if they have wandered, lost, until they were broke. Squaronians are extremely protective of the ladies in the bars and restaurants, partly on the principle they live here and don’t want anyone to do anything that might make the waitresses hold dim views of foreigners (which might affect how the ladies view them), but more because they are gentlemen. Treat a lady badly without reason and you may find yourself "invited" to depart the premises; old-timers function almost as if they themselves are managers – and get backed up by the real managers and/or owners! Even an old-timer violating the unspoken rule of "be nice to the ladies" will find himself running into a wall of ice, should he return unrepentant.

There are ladies who come to the Square. For the most part, they are the girlfriends, wives, or daughters of Squaronians. Most are Thais. Many of the girlfriends and wives once worked in the Square, where they met their boyfriends/husbands. The "be nice to the ladies" rules applies doubly to these ladies (especially the daughters), who by and large are treated virtually as queens.

The two chief draws of the Square are its cheap prices and the absence of gouging, cheating, and the like. It’s always a good idea to check your bill, as many of the cashiers aren’t educated, so may make (honest) mistakes. But in general, you won’t find the padding of bills for which, for example, the upstairs bars in Patpong Road are widely known to engage. Nor do you find hidden charges, etc., which you will find in other venues around the city. (ALWAYS ask, in other venues, about charges that may be added to your bill. Particularly irritating – and costly – are the so-called "entertainment fees" numerous a-go-go bars add without telling you – and these can run into the thousands of baht – per person!) This never happens at any place on Washington Square.

It isn’t difficult to reach Washington Square. For those staying in central Bangkok, it lies only about a kilometer further east out Sukhumvit Road from Soi Cowboy/Soi Asoke. There is a bus stop on each side of Sukhumvit Road directly in front of it, and a Skytrain stop at the Emporium Shopping Center, located almost immediately beyond the Square. The original Villa Supermarket is diagonally opposite the Square’s northeast corner, behind which is the well-known Bull’s Head. The bars of Sukhumvit Soi 33 [a.k.a. "The Great Painters Bars" (for the names of the original bars along the soi] and "Millionaire’s Row" (for the relatively high prices – high in comparison to Washington Square, that is) are readily accessible from here, as the entrance of Soi 33 is almost directly opposite the Square, slightly east (towards the Emporium and its Skytrain stop). Further, the adventurous might enjoying combing the back sois across Sukhumvit Road, which are peppered with various places, sometimes alone, sometimes in clusters, as is true for the sois on that side of Sukhumvit for much of its length.

Thanks to the Skytrain, numerous other places are within a few minutes’ reach. To the west one can find Nana Plaza, Soi Nana [Sukhumvit Soi 4), Sukhumvit Soi 3, Clinton Plaza, Thermae, Soi Cowboy, Soi 33 [See entries for each either above or below]. Phaholyothin Road and its continuation Phayathai Road lie northwest – and the Skytrain runs their lengths [See entries for Phaholyothin Road and Phayathai Road below]. Convent Road, Patpong Road, Silom Road, Silom Soi 4, and Thaniya Road all lie to the southwest in a concentrated area [See entries for "Convent Road," "Patpong Road," "Silom Road," "Silom Soi 4," and "Thaniya Road" above].

So, if you want good, inexpensive food and drink, a congenial atmosphere, and a glimpse of a fascinating mix of blue-collar workers, retirees, a few businessmen, drifters, drinkers, and dreamers, the Square should figure high on your itinerary. You will be hard-pressed to find a more interesting, congenial group anywhere in Bangkok.

Wat: "[Buddhist] Temple"

Western Calendar. This calendar – the one based on the birth of Jesus Christ – is widely understood and used in Thailand, despite the fact that the official calendar is the Buddhist Era one, in which, for example, the Western calendar year 2000 is 2543.

Wet Season. [See entry for "Rainy Season" above.]

Wild Country Bar [Washington Square]. The third bar, on your left, as you move away from the Square’s front gate; immediately next to Texas Lone Staar Bar and Restaurant [See entry for "Texas Lone Staar Bar and Restaurant" above]. Another favorite gathering place for Old Thai Hands, this single-shophouse bar is run by the popular Thai lady Riam. Offering a Happy Hour 3:00 P.M.-7:00 P.M. Monday through Friday during which all beers are only 50 baht – the cheapest on the Square, and in most Bangkok bars, for that matter – it can be crowded during late afternoons and early evenings. Darts, television, music. 12 P.M.-1:00 A.M.

Wire Remittances. [See entry for "Electronic Funds Transfers" above.]

Wire Transfers. [See entry for Electronic Fund Transfers above.]