Maintenance Budget For Pattaya?

[thaibeachlovers]

Walking around Pattaya, one has to wonder if there exists a maintenance budget for the infrastructure.

1. The beach walkway is a disgrace. It has not been maintained for years, and now part of the pavement is collapsing into a hole ( if someone falls in and breaks their leg, will City Hall pay them compensation? ).

2. The rather attractive stone and tile walkway on the Naklua beachfront is collapsing. Many of the pavement tiles are sinking into holes. The stone walls are being undermined by the sea, and will soon collapse completely, unless repaired soon.

3. The whole Naklua beachfront is filthy and covered with litter. There is obviously no cleaner at work there. The only tidy areas are those maintained by the deck chair operators.

Incidentally, one of the hawker operations has encroached on the beach with a very ugly plywood constuction.

4. The walkway that links Pattaya Beach to Naklua Beach has collapsed years ago, and not been repaired.

5. The walkway from Bali Hai to the lighthouse is another disgrace. This could be an excellent facility if it was actually looked after.

6. All the pavements around Pattaya are in disrepair.

The common thing with all the above is that they were constructed before the present administration, which seems to be doing absolutely nothing to preseve any of them. Too busy getting mega projects built ( and we all know why that is! ) and chasing working girls away, perhaps!

If there is such a thing as a Pattaya maintenance budget, I can only guess where it's really going!!!

[Mobi]

I wasn't aware that the main beach walkway was ever officially completed.

It seems like they have been digging it up and relaying it for ever - certainly since the mid nineties.

I wonder how many tourists have had serious accidents by tripping up on the collapsed pavings, and falling into potholes?

I used to watch with astonishment as elderly farangs, many married couples, made their way gingerly along the beach walkway at night, carefull avoiding holes, piles of rubbish and building materials, and constantly being diverted into oncoming traffic as parts of the walkway were cordoned off. I'm not talking about sexpats, I'm talking obviously up market European tourists, all dressed nicely, and probably wondering if they will ever get to Walking Street in one piece.

And the powers to be keep talking about taking Pattaya up market.

But was it ever thus in LOS?

[Soutpeel]

I wasn't aware that the main beach walkway was ever officially completed.

It seems like they have been digging it up and relaying it for ever - certainly since the mid nineties.

I wonder how many tourists have had serious accidents by tripping up on the collapsed pavings, and falling into potholes?

I used to watch with astonishment as elderly farangs, many married couples, made their way gingerly along the beach walkway at night, carefull avoiding holes, piles of rubbish and building materials, and constantly being diverted into oncoming traffic as parts of the walkway were cordoned off. I'm not talking about sexpats, I'm talking obviously up market European tourists, all dressed nicely, and probably wondering if they will ever get to Walking Street in one piece.

And the powers to be keep talking about taking Pattaya up market.

But was it ever thus in LOS?

Stange you mention this, was in Vung Tau in Vietnam, not so long ago, and it occurred to me that Pattaya could learn something from Vung Tau, the beach front well maintained, pathways maintained etc...quite a pleasant place to walk about in..

[Mobi]

Stange you mention this, was in Vung Tau in Vietnam, not so long ago, and it occurred to me that Pattaya could learn something from Vung Tau, the beach front well maintained, pathways maintained etc...quite a pleasant place to walk about in..

You don't have to go anywhere near as far as Vietnam.

Just a short drive down the coast to Bang Saen, where you will find an even longer beach front than Pattaya, that, for the most part, is kept in pristine condition.

It is a different local authority (which used to be run by the fugitive 'mafia king' Somchai Khunpluem), and they really take care of their beach. If you down there early morning (before 7 a.m.), you will find a hive of activity. Every beach vendor is busy cleaning his area of beach, and there is a team of council workers, regrading the sand, cleaning up the 'common areeas, and generally making everything safe and spic and span before the arrival if the day's day trippers.

It is a very clean and pleasant beach, so it can be done.

The difference is that Bang Saen is still largely a Thai resort, with very few foreigners, whereas Pattaya is awash with farangs.

But guess who is the Mayor of Pattaya?

Somchai Khunpluem's son, Itthipol Khunpluem. Now ain't that funny?

Anyone want to draw some inferences from any of this??

Edited June 27, 2009 by Mobi

[philliphn]

If Pattaya want tourists to keep returning to visit. Then the local government needs to wake up and smell the sewage.

If you want a better class or tourists like they say that they do. Then some things are fundamental!

1. Safety of the visitor.

2. Not allowing visitors to be scammed and riped off. Starting at the air port.

3. Teaching service workers of all types about customer service and that respect is a two way street. You have to give it to get it. Not just expect it because you are Thai.

4. Keep the beach clean, safe, with proper manitenance of it as a high priority.

5. Fix all the side walks and keep them properly maintained.

6. Police Officers should never be allowed to scam expats or tourists. One experience like that and you won't be back. Checks and balances have to be put in place to assure that this inappropriate behavior does not happen.

Thailand is losing face.

[bobright]

Stange you mention this, was in Vung Tau in Vietnam, not so long ago, and it occurred to me that Pattaya could learn something from Vung Tau, the beach front well maintained, pathways maintained etc...quite a pleasant place to walk about in..

You don't have to go anywhere near as far as Vietnam.

Just a short drive down the coast to Bang Saen, where you will find an even longer beach front than Pattaya, that, for the most part, is kept in pristine condition.

It is a different local authority (which used to be run by the fugitive 'mafia king' Somchai Khunpluem), and they really take care of their beach. If you down there early morning (before 7 a.m.), you will find a hive of activity. Every beach vendor is busy cleaning his area of beach, and there is a team of council workers, regrading the sand, cleaning up the 'common areeas, and generally making everything safe and spic and span before the arrival if the day's day trippers.

It is a very clean and pleasant beach, so it can be done.

The difference is that Bang Saen is still largely a Thai resort, with very few foreigners, whereas Pattaya is awash with farangs.

But guess who is the Mayor of Pattaya?

Somchai Khunpluem's son, Itthipol Khunpluem. Now ain't that funny?

Anyone want to draw some inferences from any of this??

citizen of pong seems oblivious of the fact he lives in one of the most dangerous suburbs of pattaya. the maprachan reservoir area with all its plush and posh bungalows and security today is merely a scary calm , placid locale where amidst hours of laughter and jokes , a showdown can take place within two to three seconds as noted by a reader and writer here in this forum panel. blame it on whatever you want - the beer bottle or drugs or whatever, mia nois included and faces -na yai or kai na or na ted. ever heard gun-shots in the surrounding hill/mountain tops near maprachan? perhaps not. perhaps they are not within ear-shot to some bungalows that are air-coned all day long. yes, many well-endowed farangs live in the neighborhood. it's nice and cosy now like wong amat and jomtien before. heard of the snatch-thieves on motor-bikes in these places in broad daylights not so long ago? where do these criminals live? wong amat and jomtien? remember the security guards who shoot each other when one snitch on the other in the posh jomtien muli-storeys condos? remember the security guards who orchestrated all the thefts witihin the very condos they are supposed to guard? paradise, pattaya is not - unless one continues to wear those rose tinted glasses as mentioned by one writer here. able to dodge a couple of bullets now and then whilst travelling to and fro at night in these seemingly pristine lake areas around pattaya ? bang saen is pristine because of the son of so-and so is in control unlike pattaya's dirt and grime? remember, the ex-drug and others who live in exile now in the khmer kingdom is no different today from yesterday . the north korean leader is no different from his son he is grooming to take over north korea today. it may not all be in the dna, but how different can it not all be? chonburi will always be chonburi. so what if the UN data is five years old? so what if all these calm appear valid today? will lucifer show his horn? think about it. this note is not prescriptive and never meant to be. the opionions offered here remains to be corrected. E. & O.E. like they say. ( errors and omissions admitted).

[Mobi]

My God, what a rant!!

Just for the record this thread is about maintenance budgets - ie. budgets to keep the infrastructure up to standard; the roads and beaches clean etc.

It is not a thread about crime, although IMO you can digress if you really want to.

Just a couple of points.

Firstly I have lived in Pong, within walking distance of Pong market and the Wat for nearly 4 years now. I am not in a "farang village" and the only crime I have ever experienced is having my water meter stolen.

Apart from this we have enjoyed a peaceful, crime free life, and get on well with all the local villagers. I don't doubt there is a lot of crime in the Mabrachan area (even a few murders), but it seems to pass me and my family by, and I'd warrant that the area has a much lower overall crime rate than Pattaya and Jomtien.

Now if you wanted to comment on the state of roads in the Pong area then I'd be with you 100%

Secondly, Pong is not a suburb of Pattaya. It is a Tambon, within the Ampur of Banglamung, under the police jurisdiction of Banglamung, is within Chonburi Province (Changwat) and has no connection whatsoever with Pattaya City. In fact my house is at least 20kms East of Central Pattaya.

[johng]

The promenade at Bang Saen is excellent it puts Pattaya's to shame several times over.

The difference is that Bang Saen is still largely a Thai resort, with very few foreigners, whereas Pattaya is awash with farangs.

Yes its the big fat Farangs that keep walking on beach road that cause all the potholes

...they should be charged double the Thai price for everything as compensation.

March 2005........ still not finished.

Edited June 29, 2009 by johng