RIP Pattaya

[jacko45k]

6 minutes ago, JoeMc said:

I assume you are not 'UK/Russian/European..' .. then ??

Or simply not a tourist?

[brokenbone]

im in sync with this evolution, i have no interest in beer & woman any longer

and appreciate the near empty roads much more.

carry on as you go pattaya

[Henryford]

2 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Gogos were at their best for years so if anything was in a tail spin it was bars, so Gogos should recover, bars hit badly and less massage shops in the future. Less Indian restaurants also but who cares about that

A gogos were at an all time low compared to the glory years of the early 2000s. Many of the better ones eg Heaven Above already closed before the crisis.

[scubascuba3]

4 hours ago, Ron jeremy said:

Gogos were at their best??????????

please explain, with the exception of several of the 80-90 the rest have been desolate at best.High barfines and rising costs for the gals, combined with dozens of closures in the last few years. Quality is has never been that poor( exception of several)

have you ever been to pattaya scuba???????

with comments like that I'm starting to wonder. 

Of course many gogos are turd, you have to find the ones that are good and suit what you are looking for. Pinup, 100+ pretty girls in there, packed with customers. Dollhouse, XXX, Electric Blue. The rest who cares. You should get out more and find ones. Where did you go and when?

[scubascuba3]

4 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Gogos were at their best for years so if anything was in a tail spin it was bars, so Gogos should recover, bars hit badly and less massage shops in the future. Less Indian restaurants also but who cares about that

Come on @Salerno be brave and make a post, try and string a sentence together rather than selecting the Sad emojis all the time, that is sad

[scubascuba3]

1 hour ago, Henryford said:

A gogos were at an all time low compared to the glory years of the early 2000s. Many of the better ones eg Heaven Above already closed before the crisis.

Heaven Above has been turd for nearly 2 years. Which ones did you go to?

[ivor bigun]

1 hour ago, brokenbone said:

im in sync with this evolution, i have no interest in beer & woman any longer

and appreciate the near empty roads much more.

carry on as you go pattaya

I feel sorry for those who have lost their livlyhood , but as you say ,its great not to have so much traffic and be able to find a parking space so easily .

[Da Nang]

Lot of opinions. I prefer Pattaya like is it at the moment. Very very silent night time. Only one minus, I'm thirsty!

[scubascuba3]

13 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

Pattaya, sex-tourist's Disney, was virtually dead or dying before the virus.

 

Final nail in the coffin!  

Not really, bars were on the way down and there was a definite swing towards Asian and Indian customers.  The exchange rate was impacting tourists in most countries

Edited April 22, 2020 by scubascuba3

[scubascuba3]

2 minutes ago, Da Nang said:

Lot of opinions. I prefer Pattaya like is it at the moment. Very very silent night time. Only one minus, I'm thirsty!

Bars and gogos being dead for a while doesn't bother me but i would like the option of having a drink somewhere and sitting in for food. As for massages I'm still 50\50 whether to start having them again

[newnative]

     Well, if you're calling RIP for Pattaya you'll need to do the same for many other beach resorts and other tourist destinations dependent on foreign travelers.  Although many of the posters seem to think only Pattaya has been impacted by the virus, that is, of course, not the case.  The New York Times did an article pointing out the severe impact the virus has had on tourist destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico.  It's the same in other tourists spots dependent on foreign travelers with many countries shut down and air travel mostly halted.   

     Pattaya, like all these other tourist destinations, and many other towns and cities, is in for some very slow months ahead.  No doubt about it.  But, dead?  No.  When I look out my window at night I see hotels with no lights on.  However, I see lots of lights on in the condos I can see.  People are still here. This was clearly evident when the Chinese tours were halted.  The tour group Chinese were gone from the streets but there were still lots of farangs around--all the many long-term expats, the winter escape Europeans, and lots of Russian families, among others.  That's a good base to start with, along with all the local Thais and visitors from Bangkok and other parts of Thailand. 

      I have to laugh at the posters who claim Pattaya was dying even before the virus hit.  As has been said many times, Pattaya has not been dying but has been evolving into a different resort that draws far more visitors that do not hang out at the bars and go gos.  Many of these tourists spend the majority of their time in places like Wong Amat, Naklua, and North Pattaya and seldom go further south than Central Festival.  Walking Street?  What's that?  They're not on WS--they're at T21 and the entertainments in that area.  What is less important now to the health of Pattaya is the western male tourist, surpassed many times over by Chinese, Korean, Indian, Middle Eastern, Russian, and those from other Asian countries, many traveling as families. 

      Long ago and far away, when Pattaya was a much smaller city, western male tourists were the main squeeze.  Sorry, posters, that is no longer the case.  Let's have a minute of silence and then let's finally move on from the myth of the western male importance to Pattaya's well-being. 

      If you know someone who lives at Centric Sea, ask them to take you to the sky pool at Building A.  I think it's floor 45 and from there you can see forever in all four directions.  With a few exceptions here and there, just about everything you see that is 20 stories or more has been built in the last 10 to 12 years.  It's quite a lot--and it's astounding.  I remember doing just that when I lived at Centric--went to all four sides and pointed at so many highrises that weren't built when I arrived in 2010.  It really is quite amazing when you take it all in.  Just Wong Amat alone looks like a small city with all it's new towers.  None of these--and things like Terminal 21--were built for western male tourists.  Sorry, again, but that's the reality.  That's not to say that western male tourists aren't still important--they are but they are no longer the big cheese. 

      When travel opens up again, whenever that might be, Pattaya will once again attract the travelers it was getting pre-virus.  Big projects like Grand Centre Point 2, apparently still going forward, will continue the trend towards family tourists, destination weddings, and young, small group travel.  Certainly it will be a slow process to pick up--as it likely will be with many other tourist destinations--but the things that were attracting large numbers of new types of tourists to Pattaya before will still be there.  

     

[Silent Tiger]

14 hours ago, shy coconut said:

What is a baht taxi and how do they change the price due to the weather?

 

Anyhow, the chaps who habitually visit Pattaya are currently bored sat at home in europe.,

Australia and wherever else, champing at the bit to get back there.

 

I reckon once the planes start flying again there will be a huge influx of the people

who enjoyed the seedier side to Pattaya.

 

The Thais will come down en masse from Bangkok on the weekend and the Chinese,

Russian and other folk will come too.

 

There is still plenty of life in the old dog yet....

 

 

The blue Baht taxi bus 10b 20b etc !!! they do if bad monsoon weather refuse to take us from walking street unless 100b a number of times !!! & as for ppl chomping at the bit they are but all i speak to will be staying home until nxt year seeing how the year pans out financially !!! I think the old dog as fleas & will be put to sleep very soon !!!

[jacko45k]

4 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Of course many gogos are turd, you have to find the ones that are good and suit what you are looking for. Pinup, 100+ pretty girls in there, packed with customers. Dollhouse, XXX, Electric Blue. The rest who cares. You should get out more and find ones. Where did you go and when?

Certainly true, but  I also find it is what you make of them. Don't sit there nursing a cheap draft with a scowl, sometimes you can make things improve with a little effort!

[kingofthemountain]

57 minutes ago, Silent Tiger said:

The blue Baht taxi bus 10b 20b etc !!! they do if bad monsoon weather refuse to take us from walking street unless 100b a number of times

With the ''blue'' taxi at 10 bahts (songteaw) you don't have to talk to the driver

just wave it when it comes, go inside. ring the bell when you want stop, go to the

cabin, give the 10 baht (Better to always have few 10 bahts coins with you for it) and move.

If you talk to him, asking to specific direction and a price, they think you want to ''privatise''

the taxi only for you, or you want go to a place wich is not on the normal route so the price increase to 100. 200 or more.

If you want take it when return from walking street in the night, walk to second road

there are here waiting, you need to go in the first in the queue, and it starts when it's full

of people. The price is still 10 bahts.

Of course if you don't want to walk from walking street to second road, if you don't

want to wait untill the taxi is full or if you want go to a specific location not on the normal route, you have to pay a special price, nothing wrong with it

Edited April 22, 2020 by kingofthemountain

[champers]

3 hours ago, newnative said:

     Well, if you're calling RIP for Pattaya you'll need to do the same for many other beach resorts and other tourist destinations dependent on foreign travelers.  Although many of the posters seem to think only Pattaya has been impacted by the virus, that is, of course, not the case.  The New York Times did an article pointing out the severe impact the virus has had on tourist destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico.  It's the same in other tourists spots dependent on foreign travelers with many countries shut down and air travel mostly halted.   

     Pattaya, like all these other tourist destinations, and many other towns and cities, is in for some very slow months ahead.  No doubt about it.  But, dead?  No.  When I look out my window at night I see hotels with no lights on.  However, I see lots of lights on in the condos I can see.  People are still here. This was clearly evident when the Chinese tours were halted.  The tour group Chinese were gone from the streets but there were still lots of farangs around--all the many long-term expats, the winter escape Europeans, and lots of Russian families, among others.  That's a good base to start with, along with all the local Thais and visitors from Bangkok and other parts of Thailand. 

      I have to laugh at the posters who claim Pattaya was dying even before the virus hit.  As has been said many times, Pattaya has not been dying but has been evolving into a different resort that draws far more visitors that do not hang out at the bars and go gos.  Many of these tourists spend the majority of their time in places like Wong Amat, Naklua, and North Pattaya and seldom go further south than Central Festival.  Walking Street?  What's that?  They're not on WS--they're at T21 and the entertainments in that area.  What is less important now to the health of Pattaya is the western male tourist, surpassed many times over by Chinese, Korean, Indian, Middle Eastern, Russian, and those from other Asian countries, many traveling as families. 

      Long ago and far away, when Pattaya was a much smaller city, western male tourists were the main squeeze.  Sorry, posters, that is no longer the case.  Let's have a minute of silence and then let's finally move on from the myth of the western male importance to Pattaya's well-being. 

      If you know someone who lives at Centric Sea, ask them to take you to the sky pool at Building A.  I think it's floor 45 and from there you can see forever in all four directions.  With a few exceptions here and there, just about everything you see that is 20 stories or more has been built in the last 10 to 12 years.  It's quite a lot--and it's astounding.  I remember doing just that when I lived at Centric--went to all four sides and pointed at so many highrises that weren't built when I arrived in 2010.  It really is quite amazing when you take it all in.  Just Wong Amat alone looks like a small city with all it's new towers.  None of these--and things like Terminal 21--were built for western male tourists.  Sorry, again, but that's the reality.  That's not to say that western male tourists aren't still important--they are but they are no longer the big cheese. 

      When travel opens up again, whenever that might be, Pattaya will once again attract the travelers it was getting pre-virus.  Big projects like Grand Centre Point 2, apparently still going forward, will continue the trend towards family tourists, destination weddings, and young, small group travel.  Certainly it will be a slow process to pick up--as it likely will be with many other tourist destinations--but the things that were attracting large numbers of new types of tourists to Pattaya before will still be there.  

     

Grande Centre Point 2 will actually be number 3. There is one on Sukhumvit as you head to Bangkok from Mini Siam.

Many European tourist destinations will be off limits, so Pattaya could be a viable alternative. An example is Tenerife who announced today that they are not accepting tourists till October, at the earliest.

[newnative]

2 minutes ago, champers said:

Grande Centre Point 2 will actually be number 3. There is one on Sukhumvit as you head to Bangkok from Mini Siam.

Many European tourist destinations will be off limits, so Pattaya could be a viable alternative. An example is Tenerife who announced today that they are not accepting tourists till October, at the earliest.

   Yes, I know about the one on Sukumvit--which I believe took over one of the Trust condo projects.  Not sure why the new one being built in Wong Amat is referred to as number 2--perhaps because the one on Sukumvit is just called Centre Point without the 'Grande'.  Maybe the "Grande' moniker designates a higher-tier hotel with more convention and meeting room facilities, more suites, etc. 

[champers]

5 minutes ago, newnative said:

   Yes, I know about the one on Sukumvit--which I believe took over one of the Trust condo projects.  Not sure why the new one being built in Wong Amat is referred to as number 2--perhaps because the one on Sukumvit is just called Centre Point without the 'Grande'.  Maybe the "Grande' moniker designates a higher-tier hotel with more convention and meeting room facilities, more suites, etc. 

Work does appear to have stopped on the new one. No cranes or pilers in motion when I have gone by.

[newnative]

1 minute ago, champers said:

Work does appear to have stopped on the new one. No cranes or pilers in motion when I have gone by.

I see.  I saw activity when I went by late last week but perhaps work has now been suspended.  

[yogi100]

20 hours ago, Pilotman said:

OP, the 80s and 90s may have been good for visiting western sex tourists, old farang slobs and worn out clapped out divorced bitter men,  but not for the Thai people, who had to service them for a pittence, or the bar girls working for a few Baht and no protection against the mafia that ran the place and exploited them.  I don't like the place now, but I don't look back on those times with rose tinted glasses.

It was us 'visiting western sex tourists, old farang slobs and worn out clapped out divorced bitter men' who actually put Pattaya on the map and brought a degree of prosperity to a little unheard of village that went on to become a city.

 

In the '80s and '90s Thailand was a very poor country and the money we spent on our holiday which we'd often taken many months or possibly a year to save up for made all the difference to the Thai people who worked in the tourist industry of Pattaya. And to a large extent that of their families up in the villages as well.

 

Even these days many working men still save much of their income simply to spend a few weeks in the resort that they have come to love and regard as a second home.

[scubascuba3]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Certainly true, but  I also find it is what you make of them. Don't sit there nursing a cheap draft with a scowl, sometimes you can make things improve with a little effort!

Depends, if you want to see pretty girls and the gogo is full of fuglies you might as well do a U turn out straight away

[Pilotman]

4 minutes ago, yogi100 said:

It was us 'visiting western sex tourists, old farang slobs and worn out clapped out divorced bitter men' who actually put Pattaya on the map and brought a degree of prosperity to a little unheard of village that went on to become a city.

 

In the '80s and '90s Thailand was a very poor country and the money we spent on our holiday which we'd often taken many months or possibly a year to save up for made all the difference to the Thai people who worked in the tourist industry of Pattaya. And to a large extent that of their families up in the villages as well.

 

Even these days many working men still save much of their income simply to spend a few weeks in the resort that they have come to love and regard as a second home.

Good for you, but personally, I think they would have ended up in a much better position all by themselves and without Western sex tourists.  And I think it was the Yanks in the 1960s and 1970s who actually started Pattaya on its path, from a small villiage, to its long awaited, much anticipated (by some of us) and inevitable ruination and destruction.  

[IvorLott]

21 hours ago, Pilotman said:

OP, the 80s and 90s may have been good for visiting western sex tourists, old farang slobs and worn out clapped out divorced bitter men,  but not for the Thai people, who had to service them for a pittence, or the bar girls working for a few Baht and no protection against the mafia that ran the place and exploited them.  I don't like the place now, but I don't look back on those times with rose tinted glasses.

Was that how you first come to Thailand?

[pineapple01]

41 minutes ago, yogi100 said:

It was us 'visiting western sex tourists, old farang slobs and worn out clapped out divorced bitter men' who actually put Pattaya on the map and brought a degree of prosperity to a little unheard of village that went on to become a city.

 

In the '80s and '90s Thailand was a very poor country and the money we spent on our holiday which we'd often taken many months or possibly a year to save up for made all the difference to the Thai people who worked in the tourist industry of Pattaya. And to a large extent that of their families up in the villages as well.

 

Even these days many working men still save much of their income simply to spend a few weeks in the resort that they have come to love and regard as a second home.

Doesnt sound like its much different to how Las Vagas started... Yanks, Whores, Mafia, and Pimps.

[Pilotman]

25 minutes ago, IvorLott said:

Was that how you first come to Thailand?

No, first came to BKK (now DMK), to collect an aircraft that had gone tech there some days before.  Went on visiting the country, but didn't make it to Pattaya until around 1992 and that for a long weekend with my wife.    

[yogi100]

40 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

Good for you, but personally, I think they would have ended up in a much better position all by themselves and without Western sex tourists.  And I think it was the Yanks in the 1960s and 1970s who actually started Pattaya on its path, from a small villiage, to its long awaited, much anticipated (by some of us) and inevitable ruination and destruction.  

It was the the Germans who really opened up Pattaya as an international holiday destination.

 

When I first came in the 1980s it was still common to see Bratwurst and Zimmer advertised outside many bars, cafes and lodging houses.

 

Many of the families to be seen living in nice houses out in the boondocks owe their comparative wealth and comfort to the generosity or possibly the stupidity of some falang their daughter picked up in Pattaya.

[IvorLott]

Seriously, the 'Pattaya is finished' nonsense has been rolling on far too long, the whole thing smacks of wishful thinking from those whose wives or shabby, diminishing finances no longer allow them to visit. Most of the posts you read bleat on and on about 'rip off bar-girls' or 'rip off anything' which proves that point 100%. The uninformed have been sounding Pattaya's death knell for years now, yet it still stands and remains as popular as ever which really seems to stick in their craw, hence the frequent repeat of this tired, incorrect theme. Now they are trying to use the pandemic to reinforce their agenda, which is utterly laughable, as no-one, not a single person in the world knows for sure what will happen when the crisis passes, apart, of course the 'TVF crystal ball merchants' who are only as clever as they think they are, which is not very, they can make only wild speculations at best, not  a single fact can they produce. 
Personally, having had my own contract postponed in March until the crisis passes, i have been told to make travel plans back to BKK as soon as it is possible, that all staff will have the usual 2 week 'settling back in' period, followed by a month's leave, then back into our usual cycle of three months in the field, then three months off. I, and a fair few other of my BKK based expat colleagues and friends, plus a good few 'Pattaya long termers' of my acquaintance have all spoken of a desire to head back there ASAP, 'blowing out' big time, if you pardon the filthy expression. I would guess, that given time to build up funds, while in lockdown, denied the chance to get their Pattaya 'fix', I reckon there will be a huge rush once restrictions are lifted, while it probably won't recompense the businesses, who have suffered during the crisis,  such a rush will certainly go a long way to rebuilding, so cue a great deal of wailing from the 'can nots' once this bally crisis passes....

[jimmjam]

pattay will become a 2nd hua hin, not as lively just so so ????

 

[yogi100]

47 minutes ago, IvorLott said:

Was that how you first come to Thailand?

That was how most of us first came to Thailand although few will admit it.

 

It's very strange how many falangs come to Pattaya, get involved with a local woman, move up to Issan or some place no one's ever heard of and into a house they've bought her and then spend a lot of time on forums wailing about what a rip off hell hole Pattaya is and how the men who go there are perverts, rogues and ne'er do wells.

 

It makes you think.

 

 

 

 

Edited April 22, 2020 by yogi100

[pineapple01]

1 minute ago, yogi100 said:

It was the the Germans who really opened up Pattaya as an international holiday destination.

 

When I first came in the 1980s it was still common to see Bratwurst and Zimmer advertised outside many bars, cafes and lodging houses.

 

Many of the families to be seen living in nice houses out in the boondocks owe their comparative wealth and comfort to the generosity or possibly the stupidity of some falang their daughter picked up in Pattaya.

I think its possible that it seemed like Germans because they were Ignorant and Arrogant like Chinese are today. I was there,and in reality it was Scandinavians,England and Europeans,  the Russian Invasion was the Wind of Change.

[madmen]

Usually the pattaya is dead threads start smack in the middle of low season but the OP chose a world crises pandemic for the latest dead thread . classic !