Singapore not a great deal for the LB's

[buttafly]

A couple years ago it was every ladyboys dream to head off to Singapore for a few weeks or a month and make the BIG money and come back home and brag to all their friends how much they made and how great it is there, etc.... after all, a girl could make 4000b  for short time and 2 or 3 per night = big money compared to the Nana bars or freelancing around Nana or Patpong so many girls aspired to do this and many did indeed make the trek. Some girls could make 100K baht or more on one monthly Visa pass and impress all their buddies and come back with brand name bullshit and lots of extra cake in their pockets.

       But you may notice as you talk to girls in BKK these days that less and less are doing it now. The stories I have heard from the crowd now is that it's just not worth it anymore; they don't make the same money as before, hassles with cops and immigration, the punters paying less, etc..... all add up to "why should I pay for a room or stay with friends, pay for an airplane and Visa and food, etc.... when in the end I can make just as much in BKK?"

   It seems like the days of milk and honey have ended, at least for right now; even some superstars who are famous on the Ladyboy scene on the internet and in Thailand and Spore stay in Thailand now, the extra work and hassle of goring to Singapore just isn't worth it anymore.  Some of the"cut" girls still go there and pass themselves off as ladies and can still make big coin from what I understand, but for the pre-ops it's just not worth it.  

Which is good, of course, for guys [like me] who only go to Thailand  

[Snick]

Not sure I agree with you here, I know a group of girls who make the trip to Singapore every other month and they are doing quite well.

What seems to be happening from my perspective is that a 'higher class' of girls are going to Singapore, those who are very passable, speak very good English and present themselves well. They also happen to be mostly post-ops.

Some of these girls have never worked in a GoGo bar.

[buttafly]

(Snick @ Apr. 03 2007,20:30) They also happen to be mostly post-ops.

exactly, and I made that point above

but even my friend Anny {remember her?}, who is a beautiful cut girl and owns a hair salon in Ramkhamheang told me the same deal; going there just is not worth the hassle anymore as the money to be made is not much more than she made when she was hooking regularly in Patpong.

You are there more so you know more people who are making these treks and it may be worth their time, but the ones I have talked to [the pre-ops], including one very famous girl who sometimes works in Nana, have told me they will just stay in Thailand if the money is comparable.

[gunslinger]

Yeah I agree with Snick, I know one girl who (pre-op) is here at least once a month (ex Obs) and is making more than enough for herself and  her bf (who is able to play internet games all day and all night back in BKK by the looks of things, he is never out of the place)
                I think its a bit tough on some though some just can't hack it.

[buttafly]

(gunslinger @ Apr. 03 2007,20:42) is making more than enough for herself and  her bf

is the BF Thai or falang??

do you ever see Areeya down there these days?

I hear she stays in Phuket for this very reason, the money to be made there is not what it used to be

[gunslinger]

the BF is Thai, i think Areeya got busted here last time, which has pissed on her chips somewhat

[buttafly]

(gunslinger @ Apr. 03 2007,20:56) which has pissed on her chips somewhat

Great line!!

The BF is Thai ....... hmmmm, big surprise, the ladyboy goes off to work and make $$$ while BF stays home and watches video games on the internet......and I keep wondering why ladyboys tell me more and more as they get older "I don't like Thai boy" LOL

[gunslinger]

as they get older "I don't like Thai boy"

i think 27 is the tipping point

[buttafly]

good point ....  at some certain age they all begin to realize that they don't really like being with a Thai guy but up until about that age they are usually still sucked in and as stated here in the past it's natural to want to be with people of your own race and nationality.

 You guys know much more about this topic than I do; Snick lives in BKK and it sounds like Gunslinger lives in Spore or stays there a lot, I have never been there myself.  I was just throwing this out there based on the observations of a handful of LB's I spoke with on  my last trip and also in November who told me the pickings just were not as good as they used to be down there.

   I have also been curious as to why more Nana LB's don't go there .....  certainly the tales of making big  cash down there should attract more and more young and cute LB's but Nana is overflowing nightly with too many girls looking for $$$$ and have no punters in the bars right now ..... can't get visa's to Spore  maybe.

[Stewart]

I certainly don't see less lb's here and I see many of the same girls over and over again. Romeos always seems to be doing good business any time I go there

There does seem to be the variation in visa durations which is a pain in the ass to them (pardon the pun).

If they get a 1 month visa, good news, because the trip cost is then spread over more potential earning days. If they get a 1 week visa, not good because they only have 7 days to earn that outlay back. Maybe that is causing problems

And, yes, I heard Areeya got busted here as well. If they get busted a 2nd time, into prison they go I have been told

[rob69in]

Used to be a "don't come back" stamp in the passport & a head shave. Seems they are getting more pissed off with them & clamp down is coming.

[Guest]

It is not true.

There are more LBs in Orchard Tower than ever, as Stewart can attest to, and I.

There were always complexities to the whole scheme, and there always will be. But a reduction in number? Not at all. It's the reverse, and they still go for the same reason as before...a lot more cash than is possible in Thailand.

Might I add that, if anything, the travellers seem to be getting more attractive. Romeo's is probably one of the best looking THAI lb bars on the planet.

[mardhi]

I have always wondered about this as someone who used to live and work in Singapore. To me at least, the return is not worth the risks - but then maybe thats a farang mind on the case. Sure you might get the equivalent of 2000-4000 b ST, but then again the top girls in BKK get that already. Take into account the airfare, hotels, taxis, drinks etc - I am not sure its worth it. However saying that, what do I or any of us know about how the average LB mind works. Without a doubt though, the opportunity to meet high end guys is much higher in somewhere like Singapore than in BKK, but even so, I really wonder if the numbers really add up or if infact its more of an image thing among their counterparts....

Cheers
Mardhi

[buttafly]

(mardhi @ Apr. 04 2007,03:55)  Take into account the airfare, hotels, taxis, drinks etc - I am not sure its worth it.  

this is why I started the thread ....... recently some girls have told me exactly this but if the bars down there are still full than I guess some are finding it to be worth the trip. Still have to wonder why more and more girls from Nana aren't making the trek, Lord knows they aren't getting any business in Nana right now and low season hasn't even started yet.

[rxpharm]

Airfare is not as big a problem now with the discount airlines operating, hotels costs are generally shared by 2-4 lbs per room depending on the hotel policy. I have heard of some enterprising lbs who have found 2 bedroom apts and paying 290 SG Dollars a week split 4 ways, so that really reduces expenses.

The other big attraction is shopping - if they start buying the designer stuff, the savings can go out the window - but it is less expensive than Thailand (LV bags etc).

If they are serious about saving money, they control their shopping sprees after their first few trips.

The other risk they face is visa overstay, which is the more common reason why they are deported, as opposed to being arrested for prostitution.