Noisy Phuket?

[kal147]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here in this forum and there is much for me to learn about Phuket. I've done some research already, and from what I've learned Phuket sounds very appealing. I am considering moving there from the States to teach english for a couple of years. I understand that pay is low and that I may need to supplement my income thru savings in order to live in nice apartment or house .

I was under the impression that Phuket was much more laid back, less crowded, and a more congenial place to live than Bangkok. However, I came across this article that seems to say that Phuket has a problem with overcrowding and noise pollution.

Is it true? Is Phuket crowded and loud with a lot of noise pollution?

Here's the article, any comments/clarifications would be appreciated.

http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:FzT1f...&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

Din of discontent grows in Phuket

Published on Mar 26, 2004

When Democrat candidate Anchalee Vanich-Thepabutr swept the March 14 election for the chairmanship of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation, capturing 54 per cent of the votes compared to 4 per cent for the Thai Rak Thai candidate, many observers attributed the landslide to widespread dissatisfaction with the quality of life in Phuket.

Though still touted as a "paradise" by tour companies and, more ambiguously, as a "lifestyle" location by some property developers, more and more local residents, both Thai and long-term expatriate, have begun to see the island quite differently.

"Yes, it's a great lifestyle if your style includes a love of noise," said an English retiree who moved four months ago into an upscale villa development near what used to be a prime west coast beach.

"We now count 13 karaoke bars within a 3km radius of our Bt48-million home. They start at around 6pm and go until two or three in the morning. Our grandchildren came to visit us with my daughter, but they had to leave a week early because they couldn't sleep. It's not only the noise - what's really killing us is the reverberations from the speakers. They go right through our walls," he told The Nation on condition of anonymity.

A Canadian computer consultant expressed similar concerns about his new home in a top-tier residential estate.

"This place was sold to me as a luxury development", he said. "And now, a year later, we find ourselves trapped in cacophony. Two months ago the local government [Tambon Administrative Organisation] began installing loudspeakers on all the telephone poles. Now, starting at around 5pm most days, we can listen to everything from village news and campaign speeches to Chinese music to fruit and fish commercials. There's nothing optional about it - no way to escape it," he said.

Most residents, when asked to comment on quality-of-life issues in Phuket, are reluctant to give their names, citing fear of retribution from the police, whom they see as being in collusion with karaoke owners and other wholesalers of noise pollution.

A 27-year-old Thai waitress, who would give her name only as "Pom", told The Nation that business at the Chalong Bay restaurant where she works is declining. "At least half of our customers complain about the [noise from the] 'sing-a-song' bar next door, but there's nothing my boss can do about it."

When asked why the boss doesn't call the police, the waitress smiled, looked around, pointed to the karaoke and whispered, "Because they're usually in there."

Warunee Pakpien, 35, a sales person with a leading magazine publisher, suffered from noise of a different kind. When she bought her new townhouse, it never occurred to her that a business could lawfully open shop in the house next to her. When a tour company moved in with four tour guides, four drivers, a mechanic and four large buses, she became alarmed.

"They worked on the buses all night, revving the engines, drinking and laughing. The police told me they could do nothing about it. In the end, the company went bankrupt, but that was just luck for me.

"What I learned is that buying a home almost anywhere in Phuket is a gamble. There is no residential zoning, and you cannot choose your neighbours," she warned.

According to Alasdair Forbes, managing editor of the local English-language newspaper the Phuket Gazette, the passage of new zoning laws will not in itself bring the peace that residents want. The problem lies in the enforcement.

"What few zoning laws we do have don't work because they're undermined by the enforcers. Beaches, for example, are public property in Thailand, and it's basically against the law to build on them. So how do you explain the scores of restaurants, tour offices and air-conditioned tailor shops on the sands of Bangtao and Kamala?

"And the law requires karaokes to have glass doors to contain the noise, but this requirement is rarely met," Forbes noted.

But it's not only noise and corruption that distresses local residents. In February of 2003, the provincial government announced that it wanted to "consult with the Phuket people" regarding the location for the construction of an International Convention and Exhibition Centre (ICEC).

After extensive debate, the voters were asked to select one of four proposed sites.

The village of Tha Chat Chai at the north end of the island won, with 90 per cent of the votes. In last place was Saphan Hin, with only 8 per cent. With the critically important issue settled, Phuketians were happy.

A few months later, the Thaksin Cabinet in Bangkok announced that it had considered the matter and decided that the ICEC would be sited in Saphan Hin.

"So when we hear that the government wants to 'consult with the Thai people' about legalising gambling and opening casinos, we know that Phuket is at risk," said a prominent local property developer.

"I believe it's safe to say that the vast majority of Phuket residents do not want a casino here. But most of us think the decision has already been made - and that Phuket is going to have one.

"In my view, a casino would further erode the quality of life here, and is inconsistent with the government's stated objective of improving social order," he added.

Phummisak Hongsyok, former mayor of Phuket town and currently chairman of the Phuket Real Estate Agents' Club, notes that despite all the government talk and changes in direction on entertainment zoning, little to nothing has been accomplished on the ground.

He also wonders why foreigners should not be allowed to own land in Thailand when they can do so almost anywhere else in the world.

"What's the worry? They can't take the land with them when they leave Thailand. It's the foreigners who should do the worrying, given all the changes in the rules by our government. It's difficult for them to know where they stand, and that is not good if we want foreign investment," he said.

The Nation

PHUKET

--------------------

Seminar on island's woes

Overcrowding, property development, planning, zoning and quality-of-life issues in Phuket will be discussed at a seminar tomorrow at the Le Meridien Phuket Beach Resort.

Joining the panel are Sommai Prijasilpa, head of the Foreign Relations Office; Tranai Tan-ngamtrong, an architect and city planning consultant; and Samroeng Chaisorn, former vice president of the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation.

Leading the seminar will be four prominent local and foreign businessmen, with The Nation editor Pana Janviroj moderating the discussions.

The proceedings will be conducted from 2.30-5.30pm in English and admission is free to readers of The Nation and the Phuket Gazette.

THE NATION

[chingy_]

there are many part of phuket (town you might say), there are some noisey and there are some peace and quiet place, depend on where you wanna stay, there are alots of folks in here are from PHUKET they might give you first hand how's like, i myself is from Bangkok so PHUKET is a quiet place for me regardless of where im at.

never judge of what you read, ask the local and they will tell you the real story

Edited January 28, 2005 by chingy_

[LadyinRed]

This article seem to reflect only on areas where the little karaoke bars are. True they are a nightmare - just make sure you don't get a house near 'em.

Where I live it's quiet at night - only jungle noises and the occasional moped tooting around.

[hotshot]

Phuket noisy??? I don't think so......but maybe it's because I am deaf?

Compared to BKK Phuket IS for sure a Paradise.....even if someone was stupid enough to offer me 10 million Baht to relocate to BKK I would refuse!

I live in Phuket Town, and here it's very quiet and peaceful even though I live near Big C and Lotus.

I can imagine living in Patong near the night life scenes can be quit noisy.....so simply stay away from these areas!

Good luck!

[fatter than harry]

I live in Patong, near the nightlife scene, and it's not noisy.

[chingy_]

even if someone was stupid enough to offer me 10 million Baht to relocate to BKK I would refuse!

liar (j/k)

I live in Patong, near the nightlife scene, and it's not noisy

maybe you are drunk most of the time to noticed it was noisy Edited January 28, 2005 by chingy_

[Tornado]

I think it all comes down to luck. Zoning laws have been implemented, but???!!!

I find the problem with noise is the dogs (up to 10 in 1 house - near my old house), not the soi dogs though.

It took me 2 years to sell my old house as the dogs would come out in force as soon as anyone came up the street. It was a bad situation and frustrating as the owners were great people. Anyway sold and moved to a quieter (for now) area - no where near Patong!

Edited January 28, 2005 by Tornado

[igotworms]

Perpetual construction and construction trucks zooming around the island are the worst things about living here. Noise for the most part is not a factor.

[Goooner]

Its only noisey here when i get home and crank the music up after a night on the town

[RDN]

It's a gamble - buying land and building a house is difficult enough, but when you've moved in and settled down to enjoy the peace and quiet.... the guy next door turns out to be a "big bike" freak who likes to roar off at 1 am every night, pick up a "friend" from one of the local bars, roar back at 2:15, roars off again at 4 am (having finished his "entertainment" and taking his friend home) and then roars back home again at 4:15. This is why I left my penthouse apartment in Patong and moved to Rawai. I could tell you the name of the place because it is still advertised as "located at the quiet and chilling hillside of Patong”. "Quiet" ? B.S.! Both the owner and his mates all owned ridiculously noisy bikes and the only time I didn't see or hear them was the two or three times I visited the place before I signed up for three months.

Rawai had another problem - after 2 months of peace and quiet, the beautiful open fields behind my house were bull-dozed flat, lorries started dumping 3 feet of dirt on top of the land in preparation to build more houses. There is absolutely nothing you can do about it except move. So I did.

Now, in Chalong, there is only a little noise, but I am lucky that it is not near me. There is one farang who has just moved into a house about 500 metres from where I live. He has a "big bike" and I can hear him roaring off at 9 or 10 at night, and he comes back at 2, 3 or 4 am., but my house is sufficiently far away from the soi that it is not much of a problem. I have great sympathy for the Thai people whose houses are right on the edge of the soi. I bet they really appreciate him waking them up in the early hours of the morning.

Residential zoning does not work - you can have a motorbike repair shop open up right next door to you, just like the one on Rawai beach in the middle of a group of restaurants.Even if there is zoning, if you move to an undeveloped area, what's to stop the owner of the land next door from starting another housing "project"? Before I signed the contract for my current house, I got the landlord to add to the document that she would not allow more building on her land, because opposite my house is a large open space with mature trees and is big enough for 2 or 3 more houses. My house was the last to be built, much to the annoyance of my neighbours who are now my friends, but at the time they hated all the noise and disruption to their peaceful lives.

There is nothing you can do about neighbours with noisy trucks and bikes apart from be friends with them and talk to them. One of my neighbours has put a strip of wood across part of the dirt road so people don't drive right past the front of his house and kick up dirt - this was explained to me by him and is no problem. He also asked me to stop my bright outdoor lights shining on his bedroom window - again no problem for me. My other neighbour's wife started running a business selling "nok" and other fruit at a local market. Trucks started coming at 2 or 3 am to unload and load up crates of fruit. I talked to him and his Thai wife about it and it stopped the very next night.They now use someone else's garden to store all the goods before taking them to market.

So, if you have neighbours you can talk to and who are reasonable there's a good chance you can have a pleasant stay. But if you have some inconsiderate bast.ard, there's not a lot you can do. One of the great things about Thailand is that it is very cheap to live here. Unfortunately that means that it attracts all types of people. Back in England, I lived in a relatively smart area where we had no problems with noisy neighbours - in Thailand, your neighbour could be "the neighbour from he.ll".

One tip: before I moved to where I am now, I went there several times, late at night and just sat there in my truck, listening and watching, trying to assess what the area was like. Well worth doing - if I'd done that in Patong, I would never have stayed where I did.

[naka]

Probably would have been prudent to do some research before

plonking down Bt 48 million on a houseand then complaining

about something that was forseeable. Dipstick !!!

[chingy_]

bt 48mil home

[kal147]

Thank you all for your replies. It seems the concensus is that there are many quiet places to rent a house/apartment on Phuket, but one has to do his/her due diligence.

From my research, it seems that excellent housing can indeed be rented on Phuket for a small fraction of what the same would fetch in the States.

I found this listing, is it for real?

http://www.deliver-it.nl/houses/index.html

It appears that $500US/month can rent quite the house on Phuket. Far superior to the $100US/month studios that seem much more common -- at least in BKK.

I plan on staying on Phuket for 2 years, and I could easily supplement any income I earn there with $500US/month out of my own pocket. I don't need a lap of luxury, however, I would like my residence to be comfortable and spacious based on American standards.

Edited January 29, 2005 by kal147

[tedkarma]

Yes, for US$500 or so - you'll find a very nice house. The website you list is legit - and perhaps typical. Don't forget though - how nice photographs can make things look - and the things they purposefully DON'T show.

Noise seems to be an issue in most 2nd and 3rd world countries - but I've had good luck on Phuket. An occaisional noisy neighbor - but had that issue back in the States too. The suggestion about checking out the 'hood is a good idea - go back at different times of day - different days of the week. I've been in the same house now for three years - and have had great neighbors - and have a great landlord. I can easily recommend Cherng Talay as a great place to live. But, you may want to find your job before you decide exactly where you wish to live - as driving all the way across the island is becoming increasingly difficult.

Phuket is booming - so if you live next to a large empty tract of land - especially if it has a fence around it - you can guess the dump trucks, graders, and cement trucks are on their way.

If $500 is your budget - you'll live comfortably indeed - I would think (we all have different standards) that you could do very well - with a bit of shopping around - for even $400 or less. BTW, by comfortably - I mean a western standard 2 bedroom + house, with A/C, furnished, UBC installed, freshly painted and clean - and perhaps even with the TV as part of the package.

THe only thing I can hear right now - is the munching of my cat - he's eating breakfast - and my neighbor's chickens. BTW, get used to chickens . . .

Edited January 29, 2005 by tedkarma

[tedkarma]

check this link for more about teaching English - and Phuket.

http://phuketdelight.com/teach.htm

Send me an e-mail or PM to talk about the teaching scene on the island.

Enjoy!

[hotshot]

It appears that $500US/month can rent quite the house on Phuket. Far superior to the $100US/month studios that seem much more common -- at least in BKK.

I plan on staying on Phuket for 2 years, and I could easily supplement any income I earn there with $500US/month out of my own pocket. I don't need a lap of luxury, however, I would like my residence to be comfortable and spacious based on American standards.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You can easily find a nice house for rent in Phuket including everything. * PM me for more details

* Edited by FTH