1 hour ago, Keeenok Powell said:

Rightist ,obviously.

That doesn't really work as it's a accurate description rather than a derogatory term. Nobody describes a Democrat as being a leftist without an element of nastiness and hatred involved in the description. 

1 hour ago, Mike_Hunt said:

Did I trigger you? Good

I would have expected that reaction from you rather than any sense of kindness or decency. The vast majority of your responses are of a very nasty nature. 

3 hours ago, Dobbsie said:

I have made this point so many times on these forums including Hua Hin, I constantly get attacked by Expats claimimg that places like Hua Hin and Pattaya are amazing places to visit, retire etc These resorsts arent stuck in the 90's its more like the Vietnam war - I have lived and worked in Thailand for 6 years and I have never taken any family or friends to Pattaya or Hua Hin because I find the bars and restauarants so dated and the hotels antiquated given the price. Most of the bars consist of a counter lined with girls in 200bhat dresses shouting at passers by, lots of screens showing sports, a pool table and a couple of old fat ferangs in vests thinking they are living the dream - fact is if they were all packed this would be one thing but they are all empty. In Pattaya if you want a neutral bar and a view you have to go to The Hilton....on top of this the screeching, cackilng ladyboys, the hevay smell of weed, the beach lined with freelancers, gangs of indian men and middle eastern men learing at any western woman - how is this condusive to families, couples, high end tourists etc - My kids are 20 and 26 and are pretty down to earth but Hua Hin and Pattaya would have nothing to offer them - indeed I would be scared for my daughter in these places

You tell it like it is. TAT wouldn’t be pleased but if they truly wanted to improve Thailand’s tourism product, they would take note.

Yeah. Starts smelling like ol' Grandma , pee and camphor. The whole scene is getting "old" and less fun (even tedious, more and more...)

Never been to Pattaya, but this could apply to Samui; it really needs investment around certain areas of the ring road. What I do not understand is it's pretty clear if you provide a clean, modernish atmosphere that looks clean and serve a decent burger or healthy/vegan food, you can charge way more and have more customers, but certain areas are full of neon-lighted, dirty-looking bars with overweight 40+ girls harassing people to come in. Honestly, Thailand needs to move away from bargirls, certain types of massage shops, etc. The services would still be available via the online channels, but hidden away is better to attract families, etc. I doubt Pattaya can change its reputation, but Samui certainly should be looking at this.

3 hours ago, RandolphGB said:

Thais don't spend money unless they absolutely have to - just look at the buses in Bangkok that are limping along from the 1970s.

Those are classics just screaming out for a restoration and being placed in a museum. Instead they are in daily commuter use!

Walking Street today looks much cleaner and more modern than it did 10, or especially 20 years ago. And that’s one of the reasons why the place attracts fewer and fewer people nowadays. 

Crematory-style cleanliness and order have never been a part of Pattaya’s competitive advantage. As well as 5000 thb short time prices. Girls were supposed to be dirty cheap, always smiling and in abundance. 

Today’s Pattaya is all about boring as hell fireworks festivals, mostly for the nouveau-riche Bangkok crowd. Yawn!

3 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Singapore has been fabulously overpriced for decades now, so you might be referring to the 50s or '60s, but I can't remember a time when it wasn't overpriced. 

Personally I wouldn’t say overpriced. You get what you pay for and Singapore offers a far more upmarket experience than most of Thailands offering.

 

It IS true to say that it’s horrendously expensive compared to a lot of cities. Although having said that, there is very good value to be had if you follow a more local way of life. The MRT is excellent, as are the buses, the food from food courts can be excellent. But if you want to own a condo, buy a car and play golf, you better have some big bucks.

16 hours ago, blaze master said:

Deport any tourist or foreigner who doesn't want to follow this rule. 

Isn't that what Hitler said to the Jews and foreigners in 1938 or somrehing similar?

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

I would have expected that reaction from you rather than any sense of kindness or decency. The vast majority of your responses are of a very nasty nature. 

Sob, sob sob!😢😢😢

15 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

around 50 years old with worn out genitals they will find an elderly farang to marry

 

Many of whom post on this board. Marry some old slapper and migrate to Isaan to join the 101st Keyboard Brigade.  Pasty white with that funny old person smell geezers had when we were kids and piss all over the bathroom floor. 

 

As for the article, men come here for poontang and cheap booze. Backpackers come for cheap accommodation and to shag other backpackers from around the world.  I've never heard anyone complain about outdated restaurants or the insides of bars.  The complaints, if any, are about prices and exchange rates. 

2 minutes ago, cynic1 said:

Sob, sob sob!😢😢😢

No sobbing here, just a feeling of compassion and wondering what it must feel like to live within such a dark place. 

3 hours ago, Mike_Hunt said:

You have been one busy fellow.

Will you kiss me, marry me and buy me a house?

I like this quote from the article introduction, " while the government must clarify and stabilize regulations to restore confidence and encourage investment. Without these changes, the city risks ongoing customer dissatisfaction and a perpetuation of existing challenges".

 

Well said and spot on.

The five or so bars in Jomtien and Pratumnak, are still doing a roaring trade 3pm to 5pm selling all beers at B39, in some cases B5 cheaper than a 7/11, which of course can't sell them at that time

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Singapore has been fabulously overpriced for decades now, so you might be referring to the 50s or '60s, but I can't remember a time when it wasn't overpriced. 

Well for better or worse i am old enough to remember the "good ole days" in Singapore in the 70's/80's or so when it was to me a hell of a lot more fun and less sterile and way way less expensive than current version.  Yes it was probably overpriced even then compared to Thailand but wow those Singapore  gals with british accents were certainly very friendly.

*deleted*

Cigarettes and whisky and wild, wild women .....:

Well, nowadays only cigarettes are left. Whisky = see the government for instructions and the wild, wild women got replaced by a handpicked selection of seriously overfed walruses, whales and seals. 

In other words = go elsewhere! Traditional tourism is also a challenging undertaking as you end up paying up to 25 times the Thai fee (so happened on Road 2331 in Petchabun; Thai can pass through this published road for THB 20 for my wife, I was supposed to pay THB 500. 
The officer, without asking, tore off one Thai ticket and one Farang ticket and tore it apart to invalidate the tickets. Then only I put my wallet back and said, that I changed my mind and shall choose another road - free of charge. Up to that moment I thought, that I was fluent in Thai. But no, not the case, the officer went berserk and called me things I never ever heard before, my wife blushed and my Thai teacher from 40 years ago cannot be asked anymore. 

Oh well....... 

This is the Classic go go from about 2004 on the Pattayalands .  ,Do visitors really want theme park go go,s with gorillas and moonscapes ? Sure upscale roof top bars with views is fine. + Classic go go,s. But for this theme park stuff , just stay in bum f---- Kansas 

22 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Sounds like they haven’t changed the women from the 1990s either. 🙂

But the ’90s models were much cheaper, easier to maintain, and the rental price was usually for a night, not two hours.

Girls that are larger prefer a well stocked fridge to a well stocked guy im told.

There’s definitely a place for the older style bars and establishments, but charging top dollar for drinks etc won’t wash with those that don’t mind paying more, but want the aesthetics and ambience of a modern establishment. 
I think one of the problems with Pattaya is the eclectic range of visitors. Trying to work on a one price suits all regardless of the venue doesn’t fit. 

4 hours ago, superal said:

Totally agree and my opinion for years . Pattaya is a <deleted> hole . Lack of public conveniences , dangerous broken  pavements , electric cables hanging down below head height , concrete posts in the middle of pavements , no consideration for wheelchairs / push chairs , street vendors occupying the pavements etc etc . It could be so much better e.g. create a promenade on Beach road with seating . Lay new wider , hazard free well lit pavements . Provide hygienic attended public toilets and charge a fee to use them . But the powers that be show zero concern . There are better places to holiday in Thailand and maybe Vietnam is worth a visit ?

I agree 100% with your ideas. 

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

In reality everything has changed in the past 20 years, and all the appeal, most all the funk, all the charm, and all the beauty seems to have gone away from those 3 spots. 

 

I lived on Samui for a decade and left 10 years ago, and all the mom and pop places had disappeared, and were substituted by higher priced operations that had very little charm and personality. Bland, vanilla, and pretending to be classy. Yikes. 

 

Meanwhile the island remained utterly filthy, the beaches congested with debris and litter, and the useless local government refused to spend even tiny amounts of money on cleanup efforts, even though they were collecting billions upon billions. 

I havent' been here that long.  Only since just before covid.

What I like(d) about here was the mom and pop places.  The regular people restaurants, street vendors. etc.

Everytime I see something torn down and put up a soulless "modern" box cage (with as you said normally includes crazy jacked up prices for now a bland experience) It's losing it's appeal. 

It's getting a "suburbanite" feel.
Not a feel like older cities that have charm and history.
But boring old box store suburbs.
 

Who cares about flashy venues what is more important ,is a pedestrian friendly city ,proper maintained walkways,pedestrian only entertainment areas,traffic free beach fronts which are safe and pleasant to visit.

decent clean public transport.

pattaya city is an unplanned mess slaved to the needs of the car .

How about a real smart city cant see any sign of one yet!

 

9 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

A close friend of mine who visits Pattaya annually told me that on his recent visit prices had doubled from the previous year, when it comes to pay for play, and everything was overpriced. In addition to that even more disappointing was the fact that the women were fatter and uglier and it was increasingly more difficult to find attractive young women at a price that made any sense at all. 

 

It seems like in general Go-Go bars, and bars are having a harder time attracting good looking younger women than ever before, as they have too many online options to make really good money. 

 

This seems to apply especially to Phuket, Ko Samui and Pattaya. 

 

 

true,... Anyway, who wants to spend money on fat Thai bar ho(g)s... There used to be a time they were sexy, slim and fit. Now they look like most western woman, unfortunately. Eating all day and on their phones... 

23 hours ago, dinsdale said:

There is absolutelty no reason now or before for the 2-5 pm law that holds any rational scrutiny. As for this latest round of insanity who are the faces behind it?  Who's pushing this insanity? People are not allowed to have even a sip of alcohol from one second past 2 pm til five pm and one second after midnight til 11:00 am. This is a policy thought up by absolute imbeciles.

What places have you been visiting in Pattaya? I was drinking till 2-00 am last night with many bars open past that time. And as regards till 5-00 you can get drinks in most bars at 11-00 12-00 am

Let’s be honest. Pattaya is just one cesspit of sex, corruption. Take away the girls and Pattaya will die overnight. There has been many comments about the quality of girls in bars. Why should an attractive lady be subject to the harsh rules and conditions laid down by most bar owners? It is equal to human trafficking.  The smart ones now are freelancing and on dating sites. 

19 minutes ago, Reddavy said:

What places have you been visiting in Pattaya? I was drinking till 2-00 am last night with many bars open past that time. And as regards till 5-00 you can get drinks in most bars at 11-00 12-00 am

I'm obviously talking about the proposed law. Maybe if you weren't in the bars so much you'd realize this.

4 hours ago, cynic1 said:

Isn't that what Hitler said to the Jews and foreigners in 1938 or somrehing similar?

 

Hitler ? Really ? I mean really? Invoking Hitler over a fun sarcastic comment.

 

Wowie.