On 10/13/2020 at 11:55 AM, polpott said:

Seen and heard about it from your barstool and reading TV. I never said that it doesn't exist, simply that not all bars pay it.

Care to put a percentage of tea money paying bars to bars that don't pay tea money?  

On 10/13/2020 at 3:55 PM, polpott said:

Bar owners. The bars are officially in their wives names which is also the norm.

Do you mean the license?

On 10/13/2020 at 8:17 AM, polpott said:

I don't know of one bar in Pattaya where the bar owner owns the property. Virtually all bars are leased/rented.

I know a bar owner here that owns the land, obviously, through instruments designed to give him control.  He does have a Thai wife.

 

It's a small place, and he has told me he pays the police, despite not pushing any boundaries. 

A post using multi-quotes of quoted content has been reported and removed:

 

5. Please do not quote multiple nested quotes. Quote only the relevant section that you are discussing. Moderators will snip excessively long nested quotes. 

On 10/14/2020 at 12:54 AM, swissie said:

As soon as a vaccine is available and the 77 different Thai Authorities that have a say in it, can finally agree on an "opening-modus", Pattaya Tourism will likely take off in no time at all. Much to the surprise of many.

A vaccine will be discovered, but it is months away.  Then, there is the mass manufacturing and distribution, globally, that will be many more months after that. 

 

Then, airlines need to take to the sky, that will not happen over night, just because a country opens its boarders.

 

What will be left of the tourism areas in Thailand, middle of 2021?  

 

There very well may be a chicken and egg scenario where by tourists will not return until everything is back to normal, and businesses will not return until the tourists return, not to mention affordability issues for those who lost their job, lost their savings, lost their house etc. 

 

Thus, it's possible, Thailand doesn't get back to a pre Covid normal for around 4 to 5 years.   

On 8/19/2020 at 4:24 AM, CorpusChristie said:

Prostitutes, like all other businesses are lacking customers these days .

Other businesses like hotels and restaurants seem to be either raising their prices or cutting back on ingredients ?

  How are prostitutes handling the lack of customers ?

i get them on my fb page offering cheap rates for jiggy

55 minutes ago, Leaver said:

A vaccine will be discovered, but it is months away.  Then, there is the mass manufacturing and distribution, globally, that will be many more months after that. 

 

Then, airlines need to take to the sky, that will not happen over night, just because a country opens its boarders.

 

What will be left of the tourism areas in Thailand, middle of 2021?  

 

There very well may be a chicken and egg scenario where by tourists will not return until everything is back to normal, and businesses will not return until the tourists return, not to mention affordability issues for those who lost their job, lost their savings, lost their house etc. 

 

Thus, it's possible, Thailand doesn't get back to a pre Covid normal for around 4 to 5 years.   

doom doom doom.

3 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

doom doom doom.

Would be interested in your thoughts to the contrary.  

Just now, Leaver said:

Would be interested in your thoughts to the contrary.  

I think it'll all work out ok.

48 minutes ago, HashBrownHarry said:

I think it'll all work out ok.

Maybe for some, but many will go to the wall.  

2 minutes ago, Leaver said:

Maybe for some, but many will go to the wall.  

Would be interested in your thoughts to the contrary.

1 minute ago, jastheace said:

Would be interested in your thoughts to the contrary.

Take a look around you.  Many have already gone to the wall.  

 

Others are holding on for Thailand to open its boarders, thinking plane loads of tourists will flood back into Thailand the next day.  Not possible.  Not going to happen.

 

For how long would you pay the expenses on a commercial premises that loses money month after month after month? 

 

Eventually, it gets to the point that the losses accrued can not be made back within the lifetime of the current lease, and I would suggest, that time is coming for many businesses here in the near future.  

On October 12, 2020 at 7:47 PM, Leaver said:

I remember witnessing a corrupt payment for the first time. 

 

I was having a beer with the owner in his bar. A Thai guy pulls up on a bike and enters the bar.  The owner excuses himself and makes his way to the bar and cashier.  Money was handed over in the middle of the bar.  Thai guy pulls out a small book and makes and entry, then walks out.  Bar owner returns and tells me that was the monthly payment to police.  I asked was that guy actually a police officer, or a third party "bagman."  He said he was a police officer. 

 

He wasn't in uniform, but accepted the cash with staff as witnesses and with CCTV all around the bar. 

 

I suppose when police are collecting on behalf of police, you don't have to worry about the police.  ????

 

When I lived in Bangkok I witnessed the staff from baccara give the police an envelope on a nightly basis. She would walk over to the police barricade on soi 23 and hand it over at around midnight.

9 hours ago, Leaver said:

Would be interested in your thoughts to the contrary.  

Pattaya is great at the moment, never a better time to be here, I bet you wish you were here. It's quieter which expats usually like and cooler 26 degrees, on the lady front they are everywhere. As for bars and restaurants that close maybe better ones will replace them. There's always been too many anyway so maybe demand and supply will work finally

14 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Pattaya is great at the moment, never a better time to be here, I bet you wish you were here. It's quieter which expats usually like and cooler 26 degrees, on the lady front they are everywhere. As for bars and restaurants that close maybe better ones will replace them. There's always been too many anyway so maybe demand and supply will work finally

Totally agree, things are all good for the long term expats.

8 hours ago, Leaver said:

Take a look around you.  Many have already gone to the wall.  

 

Others are holding on for Thailand to open its boarders, thinking plane loads of tourists will flood back into Thailand the next day.  Not possible.  Not going to happen.

 

For how long would you pay the expenses on a commercial premises that loses money month after month after month? 

 

Eventually, it gets to the point that the losses accrued can not be made back within the lifetime of the current lease, and I would suggest, that time is coming for many businesses here in the near future.  

Doom doom doom.

1 hour ago, scubascuba3 said:

Pattaya is great at the moment, never a better time to be here, I bet you wish you were here. It's quieter which expats usually like and cooler 26 degrees, on the lady front they are everywhere. As for bars and restaurants that close maybe better ones will replace them. There's always been too many anyway so maybe demand and supply will work finally

Apart from the incessant rain you mean? I was thinking watching UK News last night, had I been over there I would be making efforts to get back here, quarantine and silly expensive Visas notwithstanding. It looks miserable.....

35 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Apart from the incessant rain you mean? I was thinking watching UK News last night, had I been over there I would be making efforts to get back here, quarantine and silly expensive Visas notwithstanding. It looks miserable.....

I don't mind the rain, it isn't for long, makes a nice change from the many months of humid heat

7 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Apart from the incessant rain you mean? I was thinking watching UK News last night, had I been over there I would be making efforts to get back here, quarantine and silly expensive Visas notwithstanding. It looks miserable.....

I can assure you it,s far from miserable here rain or no rain....miserable is when your sat indoors back in the UK in wintertime looking outside at the cold damp and dreary weather and night time closing in at 4pm....the only consolation is that the central heating is working fine.....now that IS miserable

On 10/13/2020 at 3:40 PM, rott said:

I do know one but he is very much the exception to the rule. 

So these people you socialise with, they are the property owners not the bar "owners".?

Amend that I know three. 

On 10/13/2020 at 3:55 PM, polpott said:

Bar owners. The bars are officially in their wives names which is also the norm.

Ah, so these bar "owners" are actually bar renters. 

On 10/13/2020 at 7:09 AM, Leaver said:

Did you ask your police friends how they can afford two investment condo's, a BMW, and two mia noi's, on a 15k baht salary a month?  ????

Easy:

 

Condos on a 200 year mortgage with 250baht a month payment.

BMW is not actually a BMW, just has some stickers of the brand all over.

Mia noi's are happy with a bowl of sticky rice and spicy mango salat.

On 10/13/2020 at 8:17 AM, polpott said:

I don't know of one bar in Pattaya where the bar owner owns the property. Virtually all bars are leased/rented.

they don't own the bar, they own the business and lease the premises.

8 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Pattaya is great at the moment, never a better time to be here, I bet you wish you were here. It's quieter which expats usually like and cooler 26 degrees, on the lady front they are everywhere. As for bars and restaurants that close maybe better ones will replace them. There's always been too many anyway so maybe demand and supply will work finally

I live in Pattaya, and I miss the vibrant nightlife that was on offer to tourists.  Sure, traveling around is easier and the beach is nicer, but Pattaya is lacking the "atmosphere" of a holiday destination.  I'm not complaining about the closed boarders, they had to be closed.      

 

I agree, there's no problem on the lady front, particularly as many were moving to freelancing off apps pre Covid anyway.  

 

I hope the bars and restaurants that closed are replaced, and if they are, I think it will be a gradual process, over years.  I'm fine with what's available now, and can only hope that what's open now can stay in the game and remain open, otherwise, we will all lack variety and choice here.  

8 hours ago, HashBrownHarry said:

Totally agree, things are all good for the long term expats.

Without western tourists holidaying here, pre Covid and post Covid, who will replace the current generation of expat retiree?

 

It was a holiday to Pattaya that advertised Pattaya as a retirement destination.  We saw last high season western tourist numbers were way down. 

 

There may not be as many western expats here in the future unless Thailand / Pattaya can lure back western tourists, some of whom will become the next generation of western expat retiree.  

8 hours ago, HashBrownHarry said:

Doom doom doom.

Reality. Reality. Reality.  

9 minutes ago, Leaver said:

I hope the bars and restaurants that closed are replaced, and if they are, I think it will be a gradual process, over years.  I'm fine with what's available now, and can only hope that what's open now can stay in the game and remain open, otherwise, we will all lack variety and choice here.  

I could have a different woman every night until I'm 233 years old, believe me I've done the maths. Still restaurants from every country imaginable in Pattaya. The cull hasn't gone far enough for me, still way too many dire Indian restaurants in Pattaya. I doubt they will go away anytime soon though, they still have just as many customers as before........zero.

3 minutes ago, Leaver said:

Without western tourists holidaying here, pre Covid and post Covid, who will replace the current generation of expat retiree?

 

It was a holiday to Pattaya that advertised Pattaya as a retirement destination.  We saw last high season western tourist numbers were way down. 

 

There may not be as many western expats here in the future unless Thailand / Pattaya can lure back western tourists, some of whom will become the next generation of western expat retiree.  

Where's the correlation between tourists and expats? The first couple of times that I came to Thailand I didn't even visit Pattaya. On subsequent one month holidays in SE Asia I probably averaged 4 or 5 days in Pattaya.

1 minute ago, polpott said:

Still restaurants from every country imaginable in Pattaya.

This was one of the attractions of Pattaya for me.  All the different cuisines.  I eat out most nights of the week. I do hope choice and variety remains available here.  

1 minute ago, polpott said:

On subsequent one month holidays in SE Asia I probably averaged 4 or 5 days in Pattaya.

That would make you a tourist.  Right?  

 

Only those transferred here for work, or offered a job here, may have come to Pattaya "sight unseen."  

 

The vast majority of current western expats had a holiday here first, or several holidays here, before deciding to live here.  

 

If Thailand / Pattaya doesn't attract western tourists, there will be a decline in western expat retirees in the future.  Then, you have other issues like exchange rates and cost of living here etc, but it's attracting them here for a holiday that advertises Pattaya to them as a retirement destination.