London Lowf

Phuket immigration (TR extensions) have been fine, and the original visa is done online with a .jpg.

I thought the younger ones were looking for the same as us older guys, the difference being that they are unhappy at the idea of handing over cash. Thailand does have a reuptation, but I'm pretty sure that it's not for virgins! Mind you, I very rarely speak with young guys so what do i know?

Yes, I chose the phrase with thought. Choice a) Work 7-11 (need education) Choice b) Sell condos (need education, good looks, smart grooming) Choice c) Work on construction site (need to be Burmese?) Choice d) Work in hotel (need education/training) Choice e) Massage (need training) Choice f) Bargirl (need nothing, not even good looks these days).

My previous post was based on a few recent experiences and reminds me of the latest lie - "my yummy man". Actually, I think it was true for a while until she realised that I was not in a position to "take care" of her so that she could "retire".

That is certainly my experience - very few girls want to be a bargirl/freelancer as a career choice, although some of the younger ones are undoubtably out for a hedonistic good time of Xmax rides, beach clubs, night clubs, decent restaurants and boat trips. I think that many just use the job as a way of meeting a good selection of guys with the hope of finding one for the long term, particularly as they approach forty and start to panic. Maybe that's why many seem to prefer older guys as there is a bigger chance of hitting the jackpot.

Just riding around I see collections of second-hand fridges/freezers in front of shop-houses quite often, presumably for spares/repair/recycling. I'd stop at one of those and have a look around.

I print mine at home from a selfie on a very cheap inkjet on photographic paper - never had an issue!

I hope that you're joking - that is downright creepy!

I agree about the New York Bar - the music is invariably atrocious and yet the place is packed with a big crowd also getting a free show from the road outside. As an aside from the usual Bangla stuff, I had a look at the OTOP bars a couple of evenings ago. I did have a look almost exactly a year or so ago but it was very slow to recover from the lockdowns and was deserted. This time it was reasonably lively but I felt a little odd as I seemed to be one of the youngest guys there - at 69! Like Bangla, you still get music from several directions at once but it's not too bad, and it was nice to simply enjoy a beer (or four) without getting hustled. It's definitely a more comfortable drinking environment than the roadside bars along Nanai, etc.

When I needed to speak with someone at Thai Airways back in December 2021 I had to go to the terminal - at the time it was a tiny back-office near the terminals link bridge but I would imagine they have a proper office now.

Ironic!

+1

Que?

The litter-pickers are back! Maybe they don't work on weekends as there is simply not enough room? I must admit that I liked Phuket much more last year - as an early Sandboxer in October I had to endure "dry" bars and shut-down businesses when I first arrived but by the time the peak season arrived things were much improved and it was actually very comfortable and the bars, restaurants and hotels seemed genuinely pleased to have some customers. One thing I remember was a group of excellent breakdancers who used to put on little shows along Bangla during the evening - no room for them these days, although the Thai "cowboy" illusionist still manages to find a bit of space. Last night on Bangla was busy and not too frantic but, after last week, I will avoid it on Fridays and Saturdays. One thing that has struck me is that the most attractive girls around are no longer the Thai bar workers, but the tourists - not the pasty-faced over-excited "are we having fun yet" Europeans but some of the more subdued and elegant Koreans (I think) are quite gorgeous.

The author is clearly a glass-half-full type of person - as a visiting tourist I took a rather dim view of this afternoon's weather!

The deed is done and I like to thank everyone for their advice – even if it may appear that I have disregarded some of it. I’d spotted Prasut Bigbike in Kathu on Gmaps as the closest decent shop and the fact that it got a couple of mentions on here made it my destination. No-one mentioned the place in Patong and so I didn’t even bother looking there. My lid back home is a rather ancient mid-range Suomy Gunwind but I really do not think that I could handle a full-face in this weather and I was also worried that one would not fit under the seat of an Nmax. In addition, I wear glasses and that is another negative. I’d had my eye on the Real Storm flip-up as a compromise, but they don’t stock them at Prasut. I was going to ride elsewhere but then this helmet caught my eye with its lairy yoof graphics – it’s a locally made RD Air Force 1 (so cheap if/when I need a replacement visor) and I tried on the smallest that they had, a large, and it was snug and comfortable with no movement when I shook my head even without the chinstrap fastened. It was quite cheap at B1,590 (so, that’s apparently what I value my skull at?) but I just wanted a decent upgrade from the cheap and nasty lid that came with my hired scooter – it seems solid enough. I was actually a bit worried when I left the shop as it wouldn’t fit under the seat but then later I realised that, unlike in my scoot back home, it should be put in upside down. It was perfectly comfortable on the ride home and I am very pleased with my purchase.

Now that I'm spending longer periods on Phuket I would like to buy my own crash helmet rather than rely on those supplied with my rental bike. I've only noticed one shop with a decent selection in my area and that is the shop at the hospital/police station intersection but I've never looked inside. Are they any good? Their rental side gets some bad feedback but that's not really relevant to me. Maybe there are better places if I ride over towards Phuket Town? Please don't suggest Lazada/Shoppee as I need to try it on before I commit. PS: I always use a full-face at home but I imagine it would be stifling over here at the low speeds - any input?

I had to ride into Patong at about 6pm on Friday evening and the traffic was horrendous - the hospital/police station intersection was a nightmare even on two wheels. Last night I went to Bangla and it was the busiest that I have ever seen it in the eight years that I have been visiting - parking the scoot was quite a challenge and navigating Beach Road and Bangla was slow and difficult. Odd, because on previous visits it has been reasonably quiet - do people only "party" at the weekend, even when on holiday? The queue to get in to Illuzion was pretty much blocking the street at 11:30 and, when I returned a little later after some nosh it was just the same. There were also loads of youngsters (sub-30) in the bars and I saw a couple of groups that had settled down with a full bottle of spirits - great for the bars, but not so good for the girls. I've remarked before that it is becoming increasingly infrequent to see a bar-fined girl doing the "walk of shame"along Bangla with a total mis-match in tow - it still happens, but on nowhere near the same scale of a few years ago. I think that Bangla has recovered remarkably well and is now attracting a younger crowd who are more interested in drinking and partying with their mates rather than seeking out the sexier attractions. One thing that did sadden me was the rubbish everywhere - last year there were litter-pickers constantly going back and forth and they kept the place pristine. Now the area is covered in cigarette butts and general rubbish.

I'm not saying that this is the case for the OP's mate, but...... I am a 69 year-old retiree. I am financially secure by western standards, very comfortable by Thai standards. I have never been married or had children - when I pop my clogs I have no benefactors. I am not looking for a woman to "take care", but if I was then I accept that there are many here that would happily do that in return for a comfortable life and maybe a sizable bonus in a few years time and I would have absolutely no problem with that. Many street-wise Thai girls (or women) that hang around in the farang areas know that there are thousands of guys like me and these mutually beneficial hook-ups happen all the time. And there's a good chance that the guy will treat her with more kindness and respect than many of the younger, more "eligible" guys that she has met in the past - some of us "mature" guys also still in decent shape and have a good understanding of a woman's physical desires. I'm saying all of this from personal experience, not from picking up "stories" on here - but I accept that I do tend to meet a certain type of woman.

Jeez - some paranoid guys on here. It's only a girl, not Putin!

At B500 a pop? Highly unlikely given that the OP has stated that she is very attractive.

There's a fine line between a prostitute and a woman looking for an older, wealthier guy to "take care". Either way, as long as the guy is aware of the way these things work then there shouldn't be a problem.

Yes, I'm back! Phuket in general seems a lot busier than a month ago and the traffic through Cherngtalay is worse than ever despite (I assume?) the hill being fully open. The ride around Patong yesterday evening was heaving. I was expecting difficulty parking my scooter on beach road but it was fine and I found a slot opposite Pimnara as usual. Walking into Bangla I was pleasantly surprised to see that they have finally got rid of the stupid "keep left" rule. It was about 10pm and the street was busy but still room at most bars although Kangaroo was heaving, as always. Further along, the Rock Star bar was almost empty so I ended up there - maybe they've had some bad feedback on the internet? Looking to my left, Black Horse next door was full - it used to be my main bar but, since the owner seems to have decided to "bring in the girls" to assist with post-Covid recovery, I can rarely find a seat. The bar opposite was not very busy (as usual) but that may be because of the rather unexiting girls dancing on top of the bar, although the sister Blue Lotus next door does seem to be doing much better these days - maybe because the girl that I had a problem with some time ago has taken her bad attitude elsewhere? Bar Funk didn't seem very lively from my viewpoint and I later wandered down to the food market for a pad Thai and that was also not very busy. On the return walk I looked in to Tiger and then along Soi Sea Dragon and, although my initial impression about Bangla being busy was based on the footfall along the main drag, a closer look made me believe that it is not any busier than mid-December. As I said at the beginning, driving around Patong it definitely looked full of tourists, but maybe Bangla is not the major attraction these days. Too many stories of being scammed in the bars?

This must be why they are generally getting so big! I've noticed that some of the most successful mobile traders on Bangla are the ones selling snacks - some of the bar girls cannot resist and, as soon as one buys, they all seem to follow suit.

I'm not an expert on Kathu town, but riding through it and looking at property rental sites it seems to have a lot of suitable accomodation. Significantly closer to Phuket town as you dont have to deal with "the hill". I think that a lot of expat Patong business owners tend to live there.