JensenZ

4 hours ago, bkkgriz said:

Yeah who cares about all of the Thais who are losing their business and income. I'm alright Jack. Selfish attitude bro.

Everyone is suffering all over the world. It's called making the best of a bad situation - putting a positive spin on it. 

I hope you're doing a lot to help all the poor Thais with no income. They don't need your sympathy, but they could use your help.

8 hours ago, Leaver said:

Who can blame them?

 

Many are on fixed incomes, and have been for years.  They have seen the cost of living here rise significantly, yet their pension remain the same. 

 

They have also seen their own currency weaken significantly, whilst the baht has strengthened. 

 

Also, they are now several years older, and just can't party like they used to.

 

Age and affordability has caught up with them in Thailand, and I say this with no offense intended. 

 

I am sure many would like to be able to afford to eat out every night, and have a few beers, like they used to, but many can no longer afford to do so.

Anyone on a fixed income would be in trouble no matter where they lived because obviously their income will depreciate by the cost of inflation. Did they come to Thailand thinking that the cost of living will remain the same, forever?

4 hours ago, kingofthemountain said:

Yes the famous scissor effect

 

in the last 10 years, most of the prices for the

daily cost of life in Thailand has increased by 50 % and the exchange rate

from most on the western currencies against the baht has been a lost

around 50 others %, so it's a global loss of 100% of their puchasing power 

 

They are broke

At least most of the ones still here, the less wealthy have already 

been gone for a long time

Taking the most important costs into consideration.

Rent: Mostly people are paying less rent than 10 years ago due to an oversupply in the market

Electricity: a very slight increase in unit charge

Internet: Much lower and faster

Exchange rate: USDTHB is in the same range it has been in since 2006. I've done better and done worse. Some currencies fared worse than others.

Cost of food has increased in line with inflation, but his is irrelevant as it has gone up in all expat home countries. There's no inflation free haven.  

13 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

If you were carrying an illegal load in your vehicle then surely you would at least try to drive sensibly so as not draw attention to yourself.  

Perhaps he was nervous. What does 400 kg of weed get you in Thailand? Surely it's a very long holiday.

8 hours ago, PatOngo said:

Did you happen to spot any families while you were out and about in the world class family resort?

Yes, I spotted lots of Thai families while I was out and about.

6 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Short sighted... Wait until the economy dies and people start getting desperate. 

 

I hope it doesn’t happen, however, as the economy tanks and people lose income they become more desperate - the potential for everyone else, foreigners included, to become the target of indiscriminate crime, muggings, burglaries etc increases.... 

I'm not worried about it. They are extremely desperate already, and it's still fine. 

Apart from that, I can move if necessary. Either way, what I think about it won't change anything, so allow me to enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasts.

3 hours ago, Leaver said:

On 6/16/2020 at 12:36 PM, JensenZ said:

I can see a lot of beer bars in the Soi Buakhao/LK Metro area opening, and maybe some gogos that had deep pockets, but the high overhead bars on Walking Street won't open until a lot of international tourists return, and only if they've struck up a good deal (concessions) from their landlords. Their wasn't great business before covid struck, so the going will be tough.

 

If Pattaya City Hall wants to retain Walking Street as a tourist attraction, they should be injecting a lot of cash to help the struggling businesses.

I have no doubt the rent for Walking Street gogo's would be expensive, but what makes you think LK Metro gogo's do not have high overheads and high rents?

 

I posted this advertisement a while ago for a gogo for sale on LK Metro.  

 

  https://www.bahtsold.com/view/gogo-lk-metro-394590

 

Take a look at the rent.  250k baht a month.  The ad is dated 8th May, so well into the pandemic, and the landlord still wants 250k baht per month. 

 

This ad even says the Japanese renter left and is not returning, so sounds like he walked away.

 

You don't get to have deep pockets by throwing good money after bad.

I specifically used the words "maybe" and "some" in relation to the possibility of gogo bars opening up in the LK Metro/Soi Buakhao area.

What landlords advertise as the rent is irrelevant. That can and will change according to supply and demand.

Whatever the rent payments will be in LK Metro are definitely a lot lower than Walking Street rents, in the past and in the future.

FYI, 300k is a typical rent payment for small shops in Central Mall. 250K rental is no surprise or shocking.

There will be incentive for some bar owners with deep pockets to reopen because the market will be less competitive for any that do manage to stay afloat. 

2 hours ago, Ron jeremy said:

Why would they throw good money into bad nvestments ?fact is there are about 50 percent too many bars and 50 percent fewer customers. And at least 50 percent, ( probably 75) unattractive gals in most bars.

cull the herd, it'll only make the good bars more profitable with more attractive woman. And the heffers can go back grazing on beach road.

To keep Walking Street as a local tourist attraction.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Pattaya: Just another night in the "Family Resort" - drunk driver, threats to fight police, lynching, injuries, baseball bat

This title is absolute nonsense.

"Just another night" in Pattaya is like a graveyard and has been for months. The above incident didn't change a thing. 

42 minutes ago, ExpatOilWorker said:

Some interesting comments from Indians on that site.

Yes, a lot of hate, and not shy to speak their minds.

News out today that a 2nd wave is hitting Beijing, which has just locked down, again!

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/china-cancells-over-1200-flights-shuts-schools-over-new-coronavirus-outbreak-in-beijing/articleshow/76417126.cms

Unlike in the US, at least they will be able to control their population to bring it back under control as quickly as possible, but hopes of a travel bubble with China might still be a long way off - bad news for Thailand.

Very troubling news out of China, where they actually admit a new outbreak is on the way, in Beijing:

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/china/china-cancells-over-1200-flights-shuts-schools-over-new-coronavirus-outbreak-in-beijing/articleshow/76417126.cms

20 hours ago, Leaver said:

I have often said the slices of the tourism pie here are getting cut thinner and thinner.   As you allude to, the virus may provide a reset for this.  

 

Only the businesses themselves know their own bottom line.  It would be a calculation of how much money they are willing to spend to either hang in the game for tourists to come back, which can also mean they remain closed in order to minimize loses, to when is their lease due, to speculating on tourists returning, to any rent discount given by the Thai landlord. 

 

As we have seen in some threads recently, some business owners have decided it's financially beneficial to walk away.      

 

As I said, sports bars can be busy with expats watching sport, but that doesn't mean the bar is making a profit.  In many cases, expats watching a sport match are similar to balloon chasers here, except the sport is on offer, not a meal. 

 

I actually think the biggest beneficiaries will be the retired expat that has a small bar as a hobby.  He's never needed or turned a profit before, so will still be here, and will probably pick up a few extra customers after the demise of the larger establishments that have huge overheads.

 

I can see a lot of beer bars in the Soi Buakhao/LK Metro area opening, and maybe some gogos that had deep pockets, but the high overhead bars on Walking Street won't open until a lot of international tourists return, and only if they've struck up a good deal (concessions) from their landlords. Their wasn't great business before covid struck, so the going will be tough.

If Pattaya City Hall wants to retain Walking Street as a tourist attraction, they should be injecting a lot of cash to help the struggling businesses.

16 minutes ago, davemos said:

Small sample and results depend on the questions asked too .There's  a old adage 'statistics  can prove anything , I asked people buying beer at bigc if they wanted pubs to open .100% said yes .

and even more importantly, where they are polled. Conduct the poll in Pattaya and see what you get. 1116 is an extremely small sample, more like a joke, and probably just to give the newspapers a story.

2 minutes ago, riclag said:

I think if you want to come here from the( pick a number)  infected countries! They should enforce a two week quarantine !

There are those who still don't get or refuse to take serious the hygiene guidelines . Example coughing and sneezing without attempting to cover up 

A quarantine for the infected people AND all the other passengers and crew?

Infected countries or not, I wouldn't be rushing to get onto a plane anytime soon.

11 hours ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

It will be a long time before foreigners are welcomed back here. 

 

You can blame a number of factors; UK and US governments' poor handling of the crisis, Thai xenophobia, etc., but if you left at the start of this crisis at any time in March or April expecting to waltz back in, well... you've only yourself to blame. 

Seriously? no mention of China in your list? Wait! I forgot. The WHO said that they should be praised for their exceptional response.

This is the most pathetic nonsense that Biden has ever uttered, and that's really saying something.

He's assuming he's already won, and that if he won Trump would refuse to leave office, and that would lead to military intervention to remove him.

If Trump contested the win along the usual channels, which would not be a first, he has until mid-December (December 18 in 2000 election) at least to contest close contests if there's justification for it. It's done through the courts, but Biden somehow things he's so popular that he could incite a military coup.

He's really getting ahead of himself here. 

12 minutes ago, EricTh said:

A bubble is a two-way agreement and not 'arrogantly decided' by one party like you claim.

 

That means both countries must agree. If Australia don't want to join, Thailand isn't going to force them. 

 

The countries in Thailand's upcoming travel bubble is most probably China, South Korea and Japan. 

 

Australia probably won't join even though they are invited.

Why did you even have to waste your time typing this out? There's no argument -  It obvious that both countries have to agree.

The way the article was worded suggested that if Thailand allows a bubble, the other country would automatically agree, hence the arrogance. It was written in a way that suggested other countries will be jumping at the opportunity to bubble-up with Thailand.

On 6/12/2020 at 7:05 PM, DrJack54 said:

I would be amazed if NZ did that deal.

Also think NZ population is ~5mil.

Bit bigger than say city of Melbourne. Au.

In my travels throughout Thai, I very rarely run into NZ tourists. This is just a smoke screen to cover the zillion Chinese about to be allowed back. Make it look like Thai gov are not just allowing only Chinese.

Yes, NZ will hardly FILL any bubble. Thailand is coming across as a rather arrogant, thinking that any country they deem fit will jump at the chance to join their bubble.

Any infection rate data coming out of China is suspect at best, and total nonsense at worst. I don't believe NZ will be rushing to bubble up with Thailand if the bubble includes China. Bubbling up with China will slow down the possibility of other bubbles.

NZ has to be very careful how they handle this as they rely on Chinese trade even more than Australia. They must not invoke the wrath of China by following Australia's lead.

13 hours ago, ratcatcher said:

I imagine Kaleiopu sent an email to his Maori brothers as soon as Cook had been murdered.

Too bad you regard Cook's death as a good deed. I know there were serious confrontations with the Maori and that in retrospect is sad but fact., but Cook's seamanship and knowledge led to the eventual settlement of the Islands by Europeans.

In this case I'm considering Cook's death from the POV of Maoris, and Australian Aboriginals, not the settlers. It's a pity you view everything from one perspective. Also you're viewing it from the perspective of a person living in 2020. Go back and consider it from a circa 1770 viewpoint. It's easy to look back and come to the decision that everything worked out great when you're living in 2020, but a lot of very bad s**t happened in the years between. By the looks of it, with BLM protesting taking off around the world and historical statues coming down all over the place, bad sh*t is about to happen again... as if covid-19 wasn't bad enough already.

However, if Cook hadn't claimed NZ and Australia for the British, another country would have at some point in history. Either way, European settlers would have gone there. The only difference is which language they would be speaking now.

14 hours ago, fvw53 said:

At this moment the leading astrophysicists of our times such as Lawrence Krauss (which are nearly all atheists) confess that we understand at maximum 5% of what happens in our universe (before I thought it was 25%)

I would not trust the diagnostic made by my any doctor if he could understand only 5% of my body....would you?

 

It's impossible to put a number on it, but I would put the number closer to 0.0000000001% or much less. Suggesting that man might know 5% of what happens in our universe is preposterous (or extremely arrogant). Considering the timeline of the universe, we are just a blip past the stone age.

3 hours ago, OneeyedJohn said:

If u wanna be totally literal about it, the curfew should finish at 23:59 tonight and normality should resume at 00:01 hours Monday morning.

 

There is no such time as 00:00

Of course there is. You can also call it 24:00 if you like.

1 minute ago, fittobethaied said:

Remember....I said this in my OP so that members would feel the freedom to comment with no repercussions:

 

"I promise not to condemn anyone nor debate the issue on this thread or make personal contact with anyone who chooses to share".

It seems there's a fair few angry people posting here, that obviously had bad experiences with religion at some point in their life.

I'm going to give you a different take on this. I actually believe, beyond doubt (in my mind) that the Earth, Universe and mankind were created by a God, or the God, or a supernatural entity, for want of a better word.

The problem is, knowing that makes me even less likely to follow him. As a supernatural being with unlimited powers, why does he watch by while the whole world suffers (wars, genocides, earthquakes and other natural disasters, starvation, poverty, persecution etc etc)? I don't see the love Christians constantly speak of. Why would I want to spend eternity with an entity with no compassion for his own creation, who just stands by and watches them suffer, just because his original man and woman (Adam & Eve) sinned?

Christians make a big deal about Jesus being persecuted and crucified. What is the big deal about that considering he is supernatural and knew he was coming back anyway? Other people took a longer to die on these crosses, so supernatural intervention even shortened his period of suffering. 

So in a nutshell, what is the point of all this? What is it you want? My mother and my older brother are so stressed out about going to heaven, but it doesn't seem all that enticing to me.