pattayadude

52 minutes ago, pepi2005 said:

In a followup post I had mentioned that Chinese buyers are picking up some of the slack, so the situation regarding to "condos"/condo projects may actually not be that bad.

 

This may true to some extent, but after having spent a few weeks here again and having talked to people who actually know about the market because they are either renting themselves or property agents (who NOT try to sell me something :-)): each of them has said that there is a clear over-supply of apartments in Pattaya now and that prices (for both, rentals and re-sales) have been going DOWNHILL (to use the buzzword ) since a while now. Of course there are stubborn owners who decline to adapt their rates or certain top locations that are still easy to sell/rent, but in general, the impression seems to be that 50-60% of the units "up for rent" in Pattaya won't even get rented during this year's "high season"! Units (also rooms in non-brand hotels) that were easily rented for 1000b/day now have to try to find customers with 600-700b.

 

The problem I see with the direction the city currently takes is that a 'seaside resort' with horrible and polluted beaches, roads increasingly congested by tour busses and less and less vegetation will have increasing issues attracting tourists to spend their holiday here. Here's the link to the 'bar scene': if, on top of that, girls in the major tourist venues like Gogo Bars hit customers for almost the same amount as p4p back in their home countries, punters will prefer to enjoy their main holidays somewhere else (where it's truly beautiful) and buy sex at home.

(Bangkok is at the borderline of an oversupply too already, but at least it's the capitol city which has different dynamics in the property market. Here, it's a holiday destination).

 

If I were city major , I'd ban busses from the inner city. Bus terminals in Naklua & Jomtien, from there only Songthaews and mini buses to get tourists to their hotels. Immediately put a stop on further "killing" Pratumnak hill with "condo" projects - further construction licenses after proving financing and an evaluation of demand and based on ecological / city development criteria. Wherever possible, construction of footpaths along the roads, while doing that, get rid of power lines and put them under earth (as they are starting to do it in Bangkok now). Cleaning up the beaches, patrols & high fines for boats or companies polluting the sea (ideally, partnering up with other cities up to the southern tip of the Eastern Seaboard). Finding a solution for the over-polluted Koh Larn (according to rumors, 30 mt's of garbage piled up there). Dedicated entertainment zones where other projects are not getting an approval, because a smart Pattaya would utilize their already existing 'brand' and protect the scene as integral part of their concept as holiday destination), public transport (electric buses?), limit to 1 vehicle per household etc.

 

23 minutes ago, newnative said:

Good points Pepi2005.  The city needs to be doing much more in the way of sidewalk and road improvements, electric and cable wire management, public transportation, tour bus management, outreach for more mainstream entertainments, etc.  New condo projects need much closer scrutiny and none should be approved without total, verified financing in place and a certain percentage of confirmed buyers who have made substantial down payments, not just bookings.  I don't believe there is a glut of what I think of as desirable condos but there is definitely a glut of undesirably designed condo projects in undesirable locations  that Thais and foreigners alike do not want to buy.  But, even with this glut of undesirable, unsold condos, if you travel out Jomtien Second Road you will see a showroom being finished not far from Sukumvit for yet ANOTHER one of these undesirable, huge  'theme condos'.  Makes no sense to me. 

the reason condos are 50% unsold is because the city itself has became undesirable for many!.traffic,overcrowding ,crime,dirty beach and changing attitudes.Not just my opinion as I don't care too much about these things as long as i'm having fun  but many do care..So developers only build cheap shoe boxes..Perfect for the type of clientele Pattaya  always  have attracted and always will attract as long as it remains a sex destination.

The City of Pattaya either doesn't have the budget to fix some of the mess(path-holes,wires,transportation) or they do NOT wanna fix it .

32 minutes ago, newnative said:

I'm getting a little fatter on the great Thai and other food available in Pattaya but last time I checked I am still just one person. You did say "Americans".  As always, you make a ridiculous comment, you get called on it, and out comes first an insult and then a little essay of misdirection on something having nothing to do with your original comment. Today's essay is  people buying condos for investment, which has no relation to your statement that Pattaya is losing its green spaces in order to provide condo choices for Americans. Now that I read it again, its a dumb statement whether "Americans" is singular or plural.  But, whatever. It's a beautiful morning, nice cool breeze on the balcony with my first cup of coffee, the Chinese are out on the bay doing their parasailing, the speedboats are weaving in and out in an elaborate dance, and the islands are beautiful in the distance.  Life is good.

good attitude!...half full is better than half empty

On 9/13/2016 at 10:42 PM, chicowoodduck said:

On a good day if I sit near the Amari ot Tavern by the Sea I can pick-up their Wifi.....the wind has to be blowing in the right direction and my password and sign-in working.....just a small perk, the chair is extra....?

wi-fi signals aren't affected by the wind unless you were blown away too far outside the range

26 minutes ago, mcfish said:

I wasnt gonna say it but broad day light attackers will only target the weak..thats a fact

35 minutes ago, mcfish said:

I wasnt gonna say it but broad day light attackers will only target the weak..thats a fact

whatever dude

12 minutes ago, mcfish said:

Time to join a gym?

brilliant!..I'm sure a gym membership would help  get my taxi driver to chase their mbike

On 9/10/2016 at 0:59 AM, mcfish said:

Avoid beach road late at night and avoid banging lady boys and you as an expat should know this..your odds of violence will be zero!!!

my cheap stainless necklace was snatched by 2 thugs in broad daylight on 2nd rd. and soi 4..what late night are you talking about?lol

i wonder who came up with the phrase "Land of smiles"???

On 9/9/2016 at 11:52 PM, sharecropper said:

I've been here for 15 years and I've only seen one serious incident of violence. Had I been back in London it would have been many time that, especially over 15 years, so I know where I'm safest.

just because you haven't seen doesn't mean it's not happening daily.Follow the news and you will realize how often it is happening lately

On 9/9/2016 at 10:32 PM, moonseeker said:

Accept it or leave

leave...better spots all over the world with 1/10 of the crime..sexier women and cost is almost same now

1 minute ago, johng said:

 

all of the above + some see it as fun.

and source of income...sad!

1 minute ago, johng said:

 

Doesn't matter, even if you're Bruce Lee when they attack in packs,  more will join in until  foreigner is down and out.

i'm just curious..tribal rule, pack mentality or patriotism?

Am i ever gonna  read some day a news article such as " 2 Thai thugs were badly beaten and handed over to police by a black-belt certified foreigner after their unsuccessful mugging attempt" or " American expat with a sports-bike caught up with the necklace snatchers after a high-speed chase and the two young thai thugs were badly beaten by him"

Every news article of this kind I come across is always about how foreigner/s were beaten to a bloody pulp!

Doesn't any of the foreigners know how to fight or at least fight back???

Russian (sex) worker gets pulled in a dark alley,robbed and abused at wee hours by an outstanding citizen in mbike taxi camouflage...

just another lovely morning in paradise!

13 minutes ago, pepi2005 said:

Guy driving at full speed on a heavy bike against traffic on 2nd road, about 20 minutes later I just passed where they had stopped him on the Dolphin roundabout in Naklua

if he arrived the Dolphin roundabout by taking the 2nd road, he couldn't have been riding "against" the traffic

9 minutes ago, onemorechang said:

 

Think you are being a bit naive about who is having sex with

prostitutes in Thailand on mass.

 

The locals are not jealous of who we have sex with

as  we are second in that line already.

 

Jealous about our wealth,   yes 100% 

remember money number 1

 

I thought the title was "Thai attitude to foreigners:An all time low?"

even though you are right in your analogy, this isn't about Thai attitude towards Thai.

if the country you were born, the country your forefathers fought for was a top sex tourism destination and a "good" percentage of the young girls were having sex for money for the last 40 years or more with mostly drunk men of all ages from almost all countries in the world, how would that effect on the attitudes of you,on each husband, each wife, each father, each mother, each brother and each sister towards the thousands of sex tourists that flock in&out of your city? Not an easy question to answer..is it!

1 hour ago, newnative said:

In reality, probably the majority living here are by and large satisfied--or else why would they be here? 

last stop?

On 2/17/2016 at 8:06 PM, lovelomsak said:

I didnot know what to say because all of a sudden she seemed very serious

i would have said "Goodbye" right then and there!

14 minutes ago, morrobay said:

And also   increasing the Thai population in Pattaya by condo development aimed at Thais.

emerging  middle-class in almost all of the 3rd world countries is the reason why they are flocking in affordable destinations like Pattaya IMHO..As a result of that  the quality (for some)has diminished and its only going to get worse before it gets better...Cheers

On 12/18/2015 at 10:30 AM, theguyfromanotherforum said:

For example living on ramkhamheang I never even once experienced a taxi driver that won't take me to a destination, let alone not turning on the meter.

human greed..this happens all over the world not only thailand.

Even the rich can't afford $1500 a day after day 3 .LOL

I am not qualified to comment whether or not Pattaya is going uphill or downhill but I still haven't been able to make sense of what happened to the new marina project near Bali Hai pier. It's mind boggling how  a billion baht project has been totally abandoned, let to rot and literally to be washed away right before it was almost completed.No one has taken responsibility! the area is in shambles! The least they could do is make an effort to fix it or dismantle it all together...I wonder if they realized that it's too expensive if they try to do anything so they may have decided that the nature should take care of it in a few hundred years just like in "Life after people" series.

2 hours ago, OMGImInPattaya said:

I think London has one of the highest ratios of public parks and green spaces to land area of any major metropolitan area...so I guess by your definition, it must have a great quality of life. Funny, however, the number of British tourists and expats Pattaya seems to attract. I guess parks are not the be-all and end-all of existence.

 

However, I agree with your general point...but poor Third World countries are generally not noted for the environmental protection and urban planning.  

On 7/29/2016 at 4:59 AM, webfact said:

Her attire is somewhat revealing and would be likely to attract wolf-whistles from most red blooded members of the opposite sex.

opposite sex?

7 hours ago, OMGImInPattaya said:

I certainly wouldn't want to live there...where can i buy my artisanal bread and chocolates...where are the beautiful ladyboys? It might be a nice place to holiday for a week or so but I'll take Pattaya as a place to live any time.

I agree with you.Not only this place lacks artisinal bread,designer chocolates and gorgeous ladyboys, look how bad it's flooded with ocean water.I bet this place has a huge traffic problem with millions of fish around the reef. Also too bad that it doesn't have any ocean front skyscrapers that I'm used to. I'll pass...