Has the Darkside lost it’s sparkle?

[55Jay]

It's been a year ago but I stayed at the East Shore Resort out at the lake for a week. That was alright, quiet, tidy place, good food, nice little bar couple of byrds around, and a pool out back.  That was fine for me, not much interest in the beer bars and go-gos over on the bright side, paying over the odds for Thai beer, mixing with drunk, tattooed <deleted>. 

[KhaoYai]

3 hours ago, The manic said:

Same ownership but different management.

As I said - let out.

[chris2004]

I can't understand why anyone would travel 6-10,000 miles to Pattaya and then decide to live on the Dark Side. No shops, restaurants, a go gos, a few dull bars and no beach. It never had any sparkle.

[giddyup]

1 hour ago, chris2004 said:

I can't understand why anyone would travel 6-10,000 miles to Pattaya and then decide to live on the Dark Side. No shops, restaurants, a go gos, a few dull bars and no beach. It never had any sparkle.

For one you can buy a nice house for less than 4 million baht, not everyone wants to live in a shoebox. Makro, Tesco, Big C etc are 15 minutes away. The novelty of go go bars soon wears off as does a dirty, polluted beach, but there are plenty of nice watering-holes on the Dark Side where you can buy a beer for 45 baht without getting hassled.

Edited June 23, 2018 by giddyup

[LennyW]

1 hour ago, chris2004 said:

I can't understand why anyone would travel 6-10,000 miles to Pattaya and then decide to live on the Dark Side. No shops, restaurants, a go gos, a few dull bars and no beach. It never had any sparkle.

I think people are confusing the dark side as being only Maprachan area, far from it!! the majority of expats living in Pattaya stay on the darkside, Khao Thalo, Nernplabwan, Khao Noi, Siam country club road etc, absolutely littered with bars, restaurants, foreigner orientated shops, many markets.

Huge difference living on the darkside and holidaying Pattaya beachside!

[55Jay]

Dark side is fairly self-contained IMV, geared toward residents and long timers no longer enamored with Walking St. et al..  Bit like the locals and long time residents on Oahu don't hang out with the kooks and tourists on Waikiki Beach.

 

[jerry921]

I get why someone might turn their nose up at the polluted and eroding Pattaya beach and decide that the go-go bars & walking street lack appeal, but then why choose pattaya at all? What else is Pattaya famous for? Why not anywhere else in Thailand?

[giddyup]

Just now, jerry921 said:

I get why someone might turn their nose up at the polluted and eroding Pattaya beach and decide that the go-go bars & walking street lack appeal, but then why choose pattaya at all? What else is Pattaya famous for? Why not anywhere else in Thailand?

Because Pattaya offers more than go-go bars and a dirty beach. Unless you are happy to go completely native, there are many that still want a semblance of a western lifestyle, ie, good shopping centres, cinemas, first class hospitals, international restaurants etc.

[55Jay]

3 hours ago, jerry921 said:

I get why someone might turn their nose up at the polluted and eroding Pattaya beach and decide that the go-go bars & walking street lack appeal, but then why choose pattaya at all? What else is Pattaya famous for? Why not anywhere else in Thailand?

Possible they don't do it all in one place?  Have a run around BKK, slip down to Pattaya for a while, hire one you like and take her on the road for a week elsewhere.

[grkt]

On 6/21/2018 at 1:52 PM, The manic said:

High crime rates and heavy police and army presence. Declining ex pat population. No visitors or tour groups. No energy. No transport. Just a dull place.

 

 

Never met police on dark side ? Where do you spot them ? do they check cars ?

 

 

[giddyup]

18 minutes ago, grkt said:

 

 

Never met police on dark side ? Where do you spot them ? do they check cars ?

 

 

Check cars for what? I have lived on the dark side for 8 years, don't know about this heavy police and army presence, sounds like total BS to me.

[giddyup]

On 6/21/2018 at 1:52 PM, The manic said:

High crime rates and heavy police and army presence. Declining ex pat population. No visitors or tour groups. No energy. No transport. Just a dull place.

Rubbish! Live there for 8 years, hardly ever see a cop, never army, no break-ins, yet can see crime reported every day of the week in downtown Pattaya.

[scubascuba3]

Check cars for what? I have lived on the dark side for 8 years, don't know about this heavy police and army presence, sounds like total BS to me.

Are you on the police checkpoint Line group? Quite frequently a message comes through that there's a police checkpoint by the railway line

[giddyup]

3 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

6 hours ago, giddyup said:

Check cars for what? I have lived on the dark side for 8 years, don't know about this heavy police and army presence, sounds like total BS to me.

Are you on the police checkpoint Line group? Quite frequently a message comes through that there's a police checkpoint by the railway line

I know they set up there sometimes to check licences and helmets etc, but they must do it in peak hours because I've never struck it.

[scubascuba3]

I know they set up there sometimes to check licences and helmets etc, but they must do it in peak hours because I've never struck it.

It seems to be mainly the evening i get the alerts. I guess the police are looking for drink drivers

[grkt]

8 hours ago, giddyup said:

Check cars for what? I have lived on the dark side for 8 years, don't know about this heavy police and army presence, sounds like total BS to me.

 

I have NEVER seen a rat on the dark side ! Weird when it might be where most drug is found in Pattaya area, because this is where Thai are living.

But I guess that checking people at Pattaya, mostly innocent foreigners, is a lot easier to make money...

 

 

 

 

[grkt]

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

Are you on the police checkpoint Line group? Quite frequently a message comes through that there's a police checkpoint by the railway line

 

hello,

 

can you PM me how to join this group ?

 

thanks a lot.

 

 

 

[giddyup]

6 hours ago, grkt said:

 

I have NEVER seen a rat on the dark side ! Weird when it might be where most drug is found in Pattaya area, because this is where Thai are living.

But I guess that checking people at Pattaya, mostly innocent foreigners, is a lot easier to make money...

 

 

 

 

They can't make any money if you are innocent, unless they are planting drugs. Surely you don't think it's only Thais who deal in drugs?

[grkt]

5 hours ago, giddyup said:

They can't make any money if you are innocent, unless they are planting drugs. Surely you don't think it's only Thais who deal in drugs?

 

As they are 65 millions I guess that 99.99% of drug dealers in this country are Thai, right ? So when do they only check mostly innocent foreigners and do not work in the darkside where FOR SURE There is a lot a more to be cleaned. But maybe less cash to be done...

 

 

 

 

[giddyup]

Just now, grkt said:

 

As they are 65 millions I guess that 99.99% of drug dealers in this country are Thai, right ? So when do they only check mostly innocent foreigners and do not work in the darkside where FOR SURE There is a lot a more to be cleaned. But maybe less cash to be done...

 

 

 

 

I guess you never watch Thai news channels because all the major drug busts seem to involve Thais only. I'm talking big busts, pickups with a half ton of ice or yaba, not some falang caught with half a joint. So not sure how these drug busts happen if they are only checking falangs. You know there is another world outside Pattaya?

[grkt]

7 hours ago, giddyup said:

I guess you never watch Thai news channels because all the major drug busts seem to involve Thais only. I'm talking big busts, pickups with a half ton of ice or yaba, not some falang caught with half a joint. So not sure how these drug busts happen if they are only checking falangs. You know there is another world outside Pattaya?

 

Why not trying to read and understand instead of posting an over stupid reply ?!

 

I am talking about road checks on the DARKSIDE OF PATTAYA, understand ?!

 

Of course in the rest of the country they check Thai more than foreigners ! But in Pattaya I hardly see Thai stopped by the rats.

 

 

 

 

 

[giddyup]

2 hours ago, grkt said:

Of course in the rest of the country they check Thai more than foreigners ! But in Pattaya I hardly see Thai stopped by the rats.

Take your blinkers off maybe you will.

[grkt]

8 hours ago, giddyup said:

Take your blinkers off maybe you will.

 

Thank you champion, but as you might not even know where is Pattaya dark side maybe you can pass on this one and come again next life when you will know what you are talking about ?

 

 

 

[giddyup]

2 hours ago, grkt said:

 

Thank you champion, but as you might not even know where is Pattaya dark side maybe you can pass on this one and come again next life when you will know what you are talking about ?

 

 

 

Only lived on the Dark Side for 8 years, turn right at the temple end of Nern Plubwan, not far from the elephant village.

[grkt]

3 hours ago, giddyup said:

Only lived on the Dark Side for 8 years, turn right at the temple end of Nern Plubwan, not far from the elephant village.

 

So why arguing if you really know something ? In 8 years you have never met a roadcheck on the darkside !

 

 

[giddyup]

34 minutes ago, grkt said:

 

So why arguing if you really know something ? In 8 years you have never met a roadcheck on the darkside !

 

 

Never said that. Been stopped twice in 8 years at the bypass road for licence check, never been stopped for a drug test/search or whatever.

[grkt]

Just now, giddyup said:

Never said that. Been stopped twice in 8 years at the bypass road for licence check, never been stopped for a drug test/search or whatever.

 

Near the railway only, never deeper in the darkside.

 

 

 

[giddyup]

3 minutes ago, grkt said:

 

Near the railway only, never deeper in the darkside.

 

 

 

Never. Rarely see a cop or police car.

Edited June 25, 2018 by giddyup

[scubascuba3]

Never. Rarely see a cop or police car.

To be fair i think you need to get out more, i thought we'd already established further up the thread that the police hangout by the railway line

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, scubascuba3 said:

4 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Never. Rarely see a cop or police car.

To be fair i think you need to get out more, i thought we'd already established further up the thread that the police hangout by the railway line

I already said I was stopped there twice for a licence check, but have never been stopped locally, ie Kao noi, Kaotalo, Nern Plubwan area for anything, never seen any checks in those areas. Out every day, so how much more should I get out? What area do you live anyway? Where are all these checks/road blocks, drug searches etc being conducted?