The Phuket's Going To hel_l Crowd

[Sir Burr]

Phuket was probably at its most beautiful during the 1970's and early 1980's. This time scale corresponded to a collapse in the tin price, so, tin mining was on a very limited scale then.

If you go back further than this, then Phuket must have looked horrendous.

There was an interesting article in the Phuket Gazette a number of years ago about an English guy who came back to Phuket for the first time since 1956. He grew up as a boy in Bang Tao where his father was connected to a tin-mining company.

He said that he didn't recognize Bang Tao. Back in 1956, Bang Tao resembled the moon. No vegetation as the water cannons had gouged it all out. The seas were red with the water run off.

That was just one area. Phuket was covered with tin mines, all using high pressure water cannons to slough off the top-soil to get at the tin ore beneath. You can see these water cannons at the circle in Phuket Town. This is why the east coast of Phuket has crap beaches. All that silt below the high-tide mark is the product of the many offshore tin-dredgers that were used.

You must remember, that up until World War 2, Phuket was the world's biggest supplier of tin.

Where there wasn't tin mining, there were rubber plantations.

Up until comparatively recently, it was tin and rubber that made the Phuket Chinese rich, not tourism, which is a recent phenomenon.

[geriatrickid]

Find me another place in Thailand where you have all of this:

nice, clean beaches Umm, they still seem to have a problem with raw sewage at a few beaches. Ask yourself why water quality tests are not regularly conducted anymore and when they are, why the results are not made public. I love Karon beach but the water quality is slowly deteriorating and if something isn't done soon, it will be as bad as Patong.

forests, mountains, a lot of green It's not natural green. As has been pointed out, alot of the "forest" is rubber plantation. The natural vegetation has been decimated over most of the island and the indirect toll is shown in the water quality and erosion.

Green lawns doused with pesticide as seen at some condo projects isn't really green now is it? We farangs want to recreate suburbia.

recreational spaces like the pretty Nai Harn lake I'd rather there were a few more national preserves with rangers that enforced the anti encroachment laws.

an international airport within an hours reach Hopefully, it doesn't lose it's safety rating once the 1 2 Go catastrophe issues are addressed.

no terrible traffic and polution like in BKK No it's not polluted like BKK, but there is a growing ground water contamination (and waste of potable water) problem. I try to explain to my friends not to waste water, but like not littering, the pleas are usually ignored.

Am I ripping into Phuket? No. I still think it's a great place to be. Am I bitter? Yes. I miss the situation 10 years ago when it was still modern but there was still real green space and development was manageable. People came for the atmosphere, not for the girlie bars of patong like they do. I remember when Phuket was exotic, now parts of it are like western suburbia. All they're missing are more fast food joints & Walmarts. I love my Carrefour, but how many more big box stores do we need with the massive parking lots and traffic problems like there are at Jungceylon? I guess, I just want a little bit more of Thailand to be around including native trees, critters and what not.

[LivinLOS]

As I get a bit older I can see myself heading for a more quiet life as the international options I like spread to Krabi etc.

Yes Krabi seems to have the potential to become the closest alternative, but the international / infrastructure options are not quite equal yet.

Once there have been more nice, western properties built, once one can be reasonably sure that phone lines can be installed that work well with ADSL, once the CAT CDMA EVDO coverage is better, once there is a Central Festival, an international hospital (don't think there is yet?) and a little bit more foreign population in general (still got stared at badly with turning heads by locals last year when running outside even in an area of several large western hotels), then it would be an alternative.

Yeah my meaning was in say 5 or more years.. As the development spreads, staying in the sweet spot of options but not too busy..

I'm still waiting for you to visit

Ahhhh.. And there was me thinking you skipped out pre dawn to keep it secret !!!

[LivinginKata]

Am I ripping into Phuket? No. I still think it's a great place to be. Am I bitter? Yes. I miss the situation 10 years ago when it was still modern but there was still real green space and development was manageable. People came for the atmosphere, not for the girlie bars of patong like they do. I remember when Phuket was exotic, now parts of it are like western suburbia. All they're missing are more fast food joints & Walmarts. I love my Carrefour, but how many more big box stores do we need with the massive parking lots and traffic problems like there are at Jungceylon? I guess, I just want a little bit more of Thailand to be around including native trees, critters and what not.

So you think that 10 years ago people came for the atmosphere and now people come for the girlie bars. Well, let me tell you that IMHO there was a greater percentage of sex tourists 10 years ago than now. I remember the days when all the girlie bars were busy after 22.00. Now very few of them are busy.

As for big box stores, at least they provide much needed car parking spaces.

[Patriot]

Ahhhh.. And there was me thinking you skipped out pre dawn to keep it secret !!!

Off topic but I loved the photos of your trip on your website!!

[YaiJung]

Am I ripping into Phuket? No. I still think it's a great place to be. Am I bitter? Yes. I miss the situation 10 years ago when it was still modern but there was still real green space and development was manageable. People came for the atmosphere, not for the girlie bars of patong like they do. I remember when Phuket was exotic, now parts of it are like western suburbia. All they're missing are more fast food joints & Walmarts. I love my Carrefour, but how many more big box stores do we need with the massive parking lots and traffic problems like there are at Jungceylon? I guess, I just want a little bit more of Thailand to be around including native trees, critters and what not.

So you think that 10 years ago people came for the atmosphere and now people come for the girlie bars. Well, let me tell you that IMHO there was a greater percentage of sex tourists 10 years ago than now. I remember the days when all the girlie bars were busy after 22.00. Now very few of them are busy.

As for big box stores, at least they provide much needed car parking spaces.

When I came to Phuket in '99 it seemed like much more of a sex-tourist place than it is now. Don't recall seeing many families or even farang females in Patong. The bars were open until the last customer went home and the nightclubs were open until after the break of dawn. While not that long ago, it seems like a completely different place to me now.

With the development have come some amenities that I love, but I also miss driving around full speed ahead on my motorbike without a helmet(or international permit) and barely any traffic.

Around 2002-2004 it seemed like everyone and their brother bought a car and parking/driving became the nightmare that it is today. The soi I lived on in Patong had maybe 2-3 cars parked on it...now cars are parked on both sides the whole way down and u can forget about parking anywhere near Bangla. Used to be able to drive down soi sea dragon and park easily in the back. I admit to contributing to the car problem myself, but what can one do, its too dangerous to be driving around on motorbikes now.

So I guess, while I miss phuket how it was when I first came here, I also appreciate the amenities. There are days when i long to move out into the jungle up near Kao Lak or somewhere similar, but we will stay here because of the schools for kids.

Like Donna, where I grew up was a rural area that is now solid suburbia complete with nightmare traffic and strip malls til hel_l won't have it. It saddens me to go home sometimes, but I'm only human and break into a big smile when talking about how much the price of land has gone up.

[HDRIDER]

HI

Been living in Phuket for 7 years, i was 5 years in Patong, but now i would not move back to Patong, I now live in Nai Harn, close to very nice restaurants, close to Farang supermarkets, close to a very nice beach, so guys, stay away from “my” village

[huggybear]

People came for the atmosphere, not for the girlie bars of patong like they do.

So you think that 10 years ago people came for the atmosphere and now people come for the girlie bars. Well, let me tell you that IMHO there was a greater percentage of sex tourists 10 years ago than now. I remember the days when all the girlie bars were busy after 22.00. Now very few of them are busy.

I concur, the demographic is more couples and families now than ever before.

All through the nineties when I would come on holiday the flight from BKK would be packed with single guys headed for Bangla. Not anymore. I think all those guys now head for Pattaya or Phnom Phen.

[Sir Burr]

Yet, Phuket businesses have been very slow to react to this change of demographic.

Still far more girly bars than bars that cater to couples and families.

[ade100]

Yet, Phuket businesses have been very slow to react to this change of demographic.

Still far more girly bars than bars that cater to couples and families.

Exactly. But the thing is in Asian culture it's normal for the married man to go out to girly bars. No one has told Phuket that this is not the normal model in the West…well not since France in the 1800s.

However, as the majority of tourists are from Asian, rather than Western countries, the girly bars are likely to stay.

[Sir Burr]

.......except the Asian tourists are on package deals and don't drink in the girly bars.

[flamingtodd]

I am not to up on Asian Tourist Sociology, but I can say that I love to be home. (Raiwai). I was just in Mumbai at a training course, and Islamic Indian Terrorists attacked the town I was going to next, and the powers that be sent us redneck boys home. Apparently any ties or affiliations with the Great Fearless Leader Bush, ^{(great sarcasm)} and you get attacked and or killed. I was not expecting to be home until September, but the news came very fast, and I was standing in my daughters bedroom 11 hours later.

Having a baby here is fantastic because I am treated so much differently than when I am alone. I took my fat baby girl to the beach in Nai Harn and we had a blast. When we stopped for gas, the Gas Attandants had her dancing in her seat, and the Beach Technicians smiled and made her laugh. We stopped at the After Beach Bar on the hill and she hardly spent any time at the table .

I love this place, hands down. I just wish Don's would open earlier, Howard would Rehire RYAN, and that idiot with the cajun food idea, and the bad social policy would open the cajun place.... !!!

Thanks huggybear for starting this topic.

home, alive...

todd

[donna]

i really liked the above post until i read the 'idiot' comment. please do try to keep this lovely thread on topic and refrain from name calling. big sister IS watching, people

glad to see you make it back safe and sound flamingtodd.

[F1fanatic]

Yet, Phuket businesses have been very slow to react to this change of demographic.

Still far more girly bars than bars that cater to couples and families.

Exactly. But the thing is in Asian culture it's normal for the married man to go out to girly bars. No one has told Phuket that this is not the normal model in the West…well not since France in the 1800s.

However, as the majority of tourists are from Asian, rather than Western countries, the girly bars are likely to stay.

Living in Rawai, the girly bars are full of ex-pats.

[Sir Burr]

Yet, Phuket businesses have been very slow to react to this change of demographic.

Still far more girly bars than bars that cater to couples and families.

Exactly. But the thing is in Asian culture it's normal for the married man to go out to girly bars. No one has told Phuket that this is not the normal model in the West…well not since France in the 1800s.

However, as the majority of tourists are from Asian, rather than Western countries, the girly bars are likely to stay.

Living in Rawai, the girly bars are full of ex-pats.

Most of them retired and a fair few already married (just lookin', no touchin')

[F1fanatic]

If they're just lookin' and not touchin', how on earth are the bar girls making their money? (Where's the innocent expression emoticon?)

[huggybear]

If they're just lookin' and not touchin', how on earth are the bar girls making their money? (Where's the innocent expression emoticon?)

Maybe SB can revise:

"just lookin' and not touchin in public''

[flamingtodd]

i really liked the above post until i read the 'idiot' comment. please do try to keep this lovely thread on topic and refrain from name calling. big sister IS watching, people

glad to see you make it back safe and sound flamingtodd.

I wish to officially apologize for the 'idiot' comment. I wish to instead, however, re-word the comment, henseforth.

My new comment will now be 'ninkumpoop' . Please excuse the spelling.

todd

[huggybear]

i really liked the above post until i read the 'idiot' comment. please do try to keep this lovely thread on topic and refrain from name calling. big sister IS watching, people

glad to see you make it back safe and sound flamingtodd.

I wish to officially apologize for the 'idiot' comment. I wish to instead, however, re-word the comment, henseforth.

My new comment will now be 'ninkumpoop' . Please excuse the spelling.

todd

FT,

regarding the idiot comment, what cajun place were you referring to? I don't think I've ever seen cajun food in Phuket.

mmmmmmmmmmm.........cornbread..........

[Sir Burr]

I think flamingtodd is refering to these two threads by a guy who turned out to be all mouth and no trousers:-

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Authentic-Ca...ml&hl=cajun

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Cajun-Food-U...ml&hl=cajun

[LivinLOS]

What the hel_l happened to him.. Did he even open his doors ?? seemed so gung ho about it too..

Could have at least got a feed or two before he went bust and heartbroken

[Sir Burr]

Dunno. Didn't it all rely on his Mummy?

[DrDave]

What the hel_l happened to him.. Did he even open his doors ?? seemed so gung ho about it too..

Could have at least got a feed or two before he went bust and heartbroken

If I recall correctly, after pumping the idea for the cajun restaurant for a few weeks, he made what was considered by many, a series of racist or discriminatory comments in another thread. Several other TV members responded that they would never set foot in his restaurant due to his comments, and he was never heard from again.

[flamingtodd]

EXACTLY!

Amanda printed them to prove a point to some Colombian friends who were here visiting her. I remember she said something about bad publicity is stronger than good. I only know because I read them at her house, and started craving some Southern Louisiana style food in a deep and dark kinda way.

I am no chef or an expert, but that kind of food is easy and cheap to make.

But not a restaurant, a couple of items on the menu somewhere would be enough for me. I don't enjoy all of it, but a few things are fantastic.

…as I can tell many of you already know, with regards to the original threads so graciously attached by our esteemed colleague in the Indian Ocean. Warm regards this Monsoon Season. Look forward to a couple in October.

Someone should make boudin.

todd

[markg]

My view is this.

Phuket is a big island, bigger than most people think, and there IS something for everyone. Million dollar plus houses and the community that that encompasses is available. However, one can also live very frugally in a completely Thai environment and possibly never see another farang again. (Most places on the east/north east side of the island for example)

We cant complain that things aint like they used to be but still take advantage of Central, Lotus, Big C, Makro and Jungceylon. These things have sprouted up BECAUSE things aint like they used to be.

Yes it's busy in high season in the shops and on the beaches, but there are still plenty of places to go which arent busy.

Phuket is changing - sure it is - and so is everywhere else. That Eden we sometimes remember in some far flung place from 20 years back has also changed!

I dont think Phuket is going to hel_l, i still think there is something for everyone.

[moskito]

LOL, I am currently writing on an article for a german speaking newspaper about Phuket and searched the TV-Forum for a thread whis someone posted here regarding the income tax from tourist rooms.

All in all I LOVE PHUKET but without pink googles many things are wrong here, specially in Rawai Nai Harn area. The roads are rotten. Many holes with diameters up to a meter and 10cm deep, which are very dangerous at night. I never see somewhere a building place to fix the roads here. The only road where THEY really take care is the big Rawai Road because many times VIPs driving on it. The small roads are a shame. Watertrucks which deliver to the big Tourist Hotels in Kata and Karon damage the streets, once the road is a little bit open, wait for the next rain.......

Another example the crossing Sayuan and Road to Kata in Front 7/11 there was a STOP sign which was damaged in an accident. Its gone since 4 month and NOBODY knows now who can drive first....thais always go the risky way without stopping, every single day there are accidents happend there....NOBODY TAKE CARE

WHERE does all the money go which THEY make with the rooms for tourists, with tax etc.??

Nothing changed here in Rawai after the Orbator election some month ago. The situation become worst than before.

Its like the whole country stands still at the moment.....frustrating

nice pic of the road condition. That deadly trap is open since a YEAR !!!!!!!!!!!

and its not the only one

[thaigerd]

"its like the whole country stands still at the moment.....frustrating"

yes. it does

Gerd

[tracer]

The crazy thing is, is that all the bad boys got rich in Patong.

Back when it was a fishing village, the fishermen used to supplement their food/income by growing fruit, rice and vegetables which could only be grown on the fertile land from the base of the hills to about half-way to the beach.

When the head of the family died, he would divide his land amongst his children. His favourite child would get the fertile land whilst the lazy wastrel would get the land closest to the beach, only good for growing coconuts and next to the public toilet (the beach).

When tourism started, which of the children got rich?

PS. I still remember when a rai of land in Patong was first sold for over a million baht. Everyone was flabberghasted and thought the buyer was a complete mug.

Sigh........if only.......

to tell the truth what normally happened is that the sons grabbed the fertile land and the daughters got stuck with the land on\ near the beach which nobody wanted!!!! Its the reason why most of the beachland is in hands of females....

[tracer]

The crazy thing is, is that all the bad boys got rich in Patong.

Back when it was a fishing village, the fishermen used to supplement their food/income by growing fruit, rice and vegetables which could only be grown on the fertile land from the base of the hills to about half-way to the beach.

When the head of the family died, he would divide his land amongst his children. His favourite child would get the fertile land whilst the lazy wastrel would get the land closest to the beach, only good for growing coconuts and next to the public toilet (the beach).

When tourism started, which of the children got rich?

PS. I still remember when a rai of land in Patong was first sold for over a million baht. Everyone was flabberghasted and thought the buyer was a complete mug.

Sigh........if only.......

to tell the truth what normally happened is that the sons grabbed the fertile land and the daughters got stuck with the land on\ near the beach which nobody wanted!!!! Its the reason why most of the beachland is in hands of females....

about 22 years ago there was a plot for sale ON THE BEACH, for about 400000 baht..... If I remember correctly busstation in Phuket town went for a similar price....

[LivinLOS]

So this week, we have a Thai beating hospitalizing an OAP (after knocking him off his bke) with total impunity..

And this is favorite spot for an energetic swim yesterday !!!

Look at the nasty toxic run off.. If phuket wants to attract 'quality tourists' maybe they should worry about the water quality and not let developers trash the place for short term gain just because they have money. That new development is just leeching that into the water there with no thought or consideration of stopping it. Notice how even in the surf thats not breaking up easily..