Pattaya Today, Thursday 16th

[Pilotman]

Those who have been unfortunate enough to catch any of my posts about  Pattaya know that I am far from a fan of the City it's people and it's visitors.  However, girding my loins and clenching my teeth, I had occasion to reluctantly, go into the City today for the first time in many weeks. Some observations:

 

• Very quite, even for supposed low season.  More Indians, in groups, ( a lot of them) walking around than farangs, who were notable by their scarcity.
• Central Plaza food hall is closed, presumably for renovation, coffee shops had lots of empty seats, some shops have obviously closed down.  The others very quiet.
• They are digging up parts of Second Road so the traffic was still bad, despite volumes being noticeably down.  Maybe that was a Thursday effect. not sure.
• Bhat busses seemed to be wandering around with very few passengers.  Taxis were stationary or running empty. I didn't see one taxi with any passengers, most seemed to be just parked up. 

 

The City looked very tatty and run down, but that may be just my jaundiced eye. I won't be returning any time soon.  My heart lifted when  I was settled on the No 7 Route, heading east. 

 

[bkk6060]

You obviously hate the place and focus everything on the negative:

You saw Indians.

A renovated food court.

Some road construction.

And parked taxis.

Wow, ok sounds like a thorough review of the entire city and current state.

 

It is sad you will not be returning.  I am sure you will be missed by many.

Thank you so much for your observations and review of your visit.

Hope you had a safe ride out of town.

[NCC1701A]

and in this corner, weighing in at...

[Rimmer]

Flame removed,  If the OP continues to post slurs and flames I will close this topic and give Mr OP a holiday

[champers]

You don't even know what day it is. Today is the 18th. A man whose time has gone. Deep, eh?

[jacko45k]

I was told the food court in the Central Festival Beach Rd had temporarily moved to the other end while the old one is renovated and expanded.

Lot of digging work, burying electric cables etc. Some attempt to improve the look of the place.

It has always been a bit tatty, looks better at night with the lights.

 

There used to be low seasons in the past and a few weeks when it looked empty. It will be busy in peak season.

[newnative]

     Oh my goodness gracious!  You poor thang!  How utterly, utterly awful for you to have been subjected to such a terrible experience!  It must have been a nightmare for you  when you came upon the closed food court!  And, likely no warning to prepare you!  Were you able to find any food at all in the city?  The thought of you going hungry hopelessly stuck on a road under construction while having to look at tatty buildings and Indians is giving me heart palpitations.  I need to try to turn my mind off the horrors and not think about it.  Darn, there I go thinking about it again!

      I tell you, I was really and truly beside myself with worry but praise the lord you were somehow able to escape, even if hungry and depressed at seeing all those empty taxis.  I trust that now you are well away from all that awfulness you have been able to unclench your poor teeth. 

     My stars!  What in tarnation possessed you to go there in the first place?!?  Good night nurse!  As old Uncle Wilbur used to say, you need to have your head examined!  Well, mister, I hope you've learned your hard lesson and learned it well!  I think no tv tonight for you, frightening me so!

 

[galt67]

The food court at CF has been permanently(?) re-located to the Beach front side of the mall.

 

And Second road work, as stated, is to 'bury' most (all?) of the unsightly cables.

 

'Tatty'? 'Run down'?

 

You're correct. Perhaps your 'jaundiced eye.'

 

 

[newnative]

3 hours ago, champers said:

You don't even know what day it is. Today is the 18th. A man whose time has gone. Deep, eh?

Now, now.  After his horrible experience surely you can't expect him to remember the date!  He's been severely traumatized for goodness sake!  It's indeed encouraging that he was able to unclench his teeth long enough to say it was Thursday, a day that will, apparently, live in infamy.

[Jingthing]

That food court still exists. Just moved to the beach side. Is that permanent? I don't know but it kind of looks like it is. But that begs the question what's going to be in the old space?

[RoadWarrior371]

Just to be clear, we cry and whine for better drainage and electrical systems, and complain when construction occurs during low season to fix the same.  Carry on.

[Thaiwrath]

6 hours ago, Pilotman said:

My heart lifted when  I was settled on the No 7 Route, heading east. 

 

Okay, so you are not a Pattaya fan. 

I am not in love with the place, but have some very goods friends there, who I often visit, and always enjoy my times there.

I think you should now post about the paradise (somewhere east) along route 7, where you reside, and let Pattaya residents give their opinions of your dream location.

[swissie]

There is something that I will never understand.
Retiring Farangs investing a impressive amount of money (House/Condo) in a place they don't like (!?!). Venturing out of their "Farang-Fortresses" only when absolutely necessary. Having known beforehand that Pattaya is not a peaceful provincial town in the south of Spain.
-----------
The "sleeze", the "mai-pen-rai" attitude has found perfection in Pattaya. Easy for me to say: I am only a frequent visitor and I don't own (unsellable) "property" in Pattaya.
So again, I don't know why anyone would buy (unsellable) property in a place they don't like. Exclaiming "I diden't know what Pattaya is/was all about" simply doesen't wash.
-----------
As said, certain things I don't understand about Farangs having choosen Pattaya as their domicile while disliking it with a passion. Especially as Thailand has to offer so many alternatives as far as surroundings, lifestyle etc,etc is concerned.

[Jingthing]

Maybe not as many dislike it as you imagine. For me its a poor man's Miami Beach. Didn't know going in that immigration would grow so onerous.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[newnative]

13 hours ago, swissie said:

There is something that I will never understand.
Retiring Farangs investing a impressive amount of money (House/Condo) in a place they don't like (!?!). Venturing out of their "Farang-Fortresses" only when absolutely necessary. Having known beforehand that Pattaya is not a peaceful provincial town in the south of Spain.
-----------
The "sleeze", the "mai-pen-rai" attitude has found perfection in Pattaya. Easy for me to say: I am only a frequent visitor and I don't own (unsellable) "property" in Pattaya.
So again, I don't know why anyone would buy (unsellable) property in a place they don't like. Exclaiming "I diden't know what Pattaya is/was all about" simply doesen't wash.
-----------
As said, certain things I don't understand about Farangs having choosen Pattaya as their domicile while disliking it with a passion. Especially as Thailand has to offer so many alternatives as far as surroundings, lifestyle etc,etc is concerned.

    Who says Pattaya farangs have '...chosen Pattaya as their domicile while disliking it with a passion'?  Not this Pattaya farang resident.  Why would I stay in any place 9 years if I didn't like living there?  My partner and I started in Rayong when we moved to Thailand and after about 3 months we knew it wasn't for us--and we picked up and moved to Pattaya.  If we didn't like Pattaya we would be long gone.

    Most of these posters, including the OP of this thread, don't live in Pattaya at all.  They love to come to Pattaya for a day or two--or even a few hours--see only a small part of greater Pattaya, usually the bar areas, and then make their sweeping, misinformed, and often inaccurate statements.  

    The prize winner so far, among many, might be that Songkrang Guy.  I forget his T-V name. Posted awhile back about his second visit.  (We'll leave unasked why he made a second visit--it's a mystery why these guys who dislike Pattaya and its residents keep coming back again and again. And, if they don't come back they keep posting endlessly from whatever dreary place they are now at that isn't Pattaya and apparently isn't worth talking about.) 

     Songkran Guy stayed in a part of town I never go to, in a condo project I have never heard of, spent his time hanging out at bars I never go to, and then came to the conclusion that all Pattaya farangs are, in his words, 'f*cked up'.  This from observing some mid-morning bar patrons.   These ridiculous postings are somewhat amusing but bear no relationship to the reality I know or the enjoyable life I live here.  Now, back to my watching the sunset over the ocean.

[Rimmer]

Some off topic posts and replies have been removed,

[Jonathan Fairfield]

I visited Pattaya last month with the family.

 

It was the first time i'd been about a year. I thought it was great, we all had a really good time.

 

It did seem quiet but that wasn't a bad thing for us.

 

Coming from Hua Hin, there is so much more to do in Pattaya.

 

Beach road looks loads better now with the walkway right along there.

 

There's a great choice of restaurants, loads of good pubs/sports bars, good shopping and lots of things to do for my little one. 

 

Yes sure, in parts Pattaya is tacky, sleazy and run down but those areas are fairly easy to avoid if that's not your thing.

 

As a destination to visit for a few days, Pattaya's brilliant

 

 

 

[Emdog]

"Very quite, even for supposed low season."

Is this the British English usage aka "I quite like it" or alt usage of "I quite like it"? haha

[reargunnerph3]

They've been digging up roads and renovating all sorts of things for the 19 years I've been in Pattaya. They make money by not doing anything right the first few times so dig it up fix it, dig it up again for pipes, dig it up again to fix the pipes they didn't do properly the first time etc.

[allanos]

58 minutes ago, Emdog said:

"Very quite, even for supposed low season."

Is this the British English usage aka "I quite like it" or alt usage of "I quite like it"? haha

Quite so! (Btw, I typed this quietly) ????

[allanos]

18 minutes ago, reargunnerph3 said:

They've been digging up roads and renovating all sorts of things for the 19 years I've been in Pattaya. They make money by not doing anything right the first few times so dig it up fix it, dig it up again for pipes, dig it up again to fix the pipes they didn't do properly the first time etc.

Their favourite song is "the gas man cometh", by Flanders and Swann! ????

[Suradit69]

On July 18, 2019 at 3:04 PM, Pilotman said:

Very quite, even for supposed low season

Maybe both " quite " and piece full.

[jaygino]

5 minutes ago, Suradit69 said:

Maybe both " quite " and piece full.

not piecefull, infact its quiet loud in Pattaya bars ????

[1FinickyOne]

On 7/19/2019 at 3:41 AM, swissie said:

I don't understand about Farangs having choosen Pattaya as their domicile while disliking it with a passion.

obviously they liked it at one time... the first time I was there it was just a dusty road w/some bungalows around... but that was in 1974... things change, places change, and people change too... it is not that difficult to understand though... guys go in there and it is very exciting for them at first... then they get sick of it. 

[dotpoom]

Best news I heard all day!

[hobobo]

Good, I won't be flying on your airline then, Mr Pilotman!

[Pilotman]

2 minutes ago, hobobo said:

Good, I won't be flying on your airline then, Mr Pilotman!

you probably already have mate. 

[Enoon]

On 7/18/2019 at 10:01 PM, Jingthing said:

Maybe not as many dislike it as you imagine. For me its a poor man's Miami Beach. Didn't know going in that immigration would grow so onerous.

Sent from my Lenovo A7020a48 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

 

When I look at your profile image I see a brown genie with their hands on their hips, a big black nose with a broad brown grin underneath, winking at me and sporting an outrageous quiff.

 

I place it #2 after the Llama (or was it an Alpaca?) in your image top 10.

 

 

[cat handler]

And?

[remorhaz]

I remember visiting Pattaya for the first time 10 years ago and recently when I did so I am very guilty of wishing it was 10 years ago ... again.  I am sure I am not alone in this - first time you saw the place it was awesome, different, magic etc. and you want to return to those feelings.  I understand.  Things change and so do we.  Was Pattaya better 10-20-30 years ago?  I don't know but I know that I enjoyed myself a lot 10 years ago and wish I could go back and do it all over again.  Serious question for anyone... is there 'another Pattaya' in a different country such as Vietnam but more like Pattaya was 10 years ago?