I was on a 3 day search & destroy mission with my lawyer and we went down WS last Tuesday evening. We were a tad hammered before going there but we don't remember all that noise being played out at street level. There's always been the open bars and clubs with bands playing but this time it seemed that everyone was piping their music to the street. I recall that gogo bars usually had their hostesses and touts with placards out on the kerb but it seems now they also have whatever is playing inside, blasting away outside too? Is that meant to attract customers? Made for an uncomfortable loud stroll between bars, beers and babes... not really pleasant at all and virtually impossible to find a place to make or take a quiet phone call. Anyone else noticed this trend or care to comment? My last trek down that way was only a few months ago and I reckon it was busier but audibly quieter.

You could be right. Whether it's up-country, a minor or major town the noise levels seem to be getting worse. Only Bangkok is quieter IMHO. Maybe Thais are getting deaf from all these years of amplified sounds and need louder noise to hear. Wait until more Thais get iPods ...

Peter

Old age NanLaew !!

You didn't think the new batteries in the hearing aids would make a difference?

There is no doubt it is a lot noisier in the last couple of months due to new street-level bars.....

I mostly blame Goodfellas, which opened with outrageously blaring speakers facing the street, and prompted aural retaliation from all nearby bars, but it is noticeable all along the street as well, at least up to Covent Garden, due to the new bar complexes.

The other really noticeable development down there is the increasing number of Russian women (OK, Russian-SPEAKING women) who are handing out fliers and trying to get customers into their bars. More by the month.

I won't do more than mention the blindingly obvious point about work permits.

i dont notice the notice the noise in my ears , my eyes are too busy

Off topic post full of photographs deleted, nothing at all to do with noise on Walking Street.

It is noisier and IMO City Hall needs to have a bit of a crackdown regarding outward facing speakers, st signs and signs that stand on the pavement, together with that a ban on people walking along drinking alcohol or even better a ban on selling alcohol unless its consumed at a bar.

Old age NanLaew !!

..heard of the flight to suburbia?

we are all gettting old and not in sync with the new.

that probably explains it.

notice the us marines in town lately?

how many live in pattaya or are re-runs in pattaya?

pattaya like many similar places are for the the forever youngs.

time to move on, maybe?

Thanks to those regular WS'ers and business owners who confirmed my aural observations. My lawyer and I had a fair skinful and we were on the back of a similar 3-day bender in the Big Mango and probably hadn't got over the jet lag from the previous Fridays flight. The noise level wasn't unbearable but compared with a walk down Soi Cowboy, it was just too loud, incoherent and confused and served little purpose IMHO. You couldn't define from which 4m-wide shophouse any particular song was coming from.

I have already moved from Pattaya so no need to grate on the 'you are getting old' excuse; but Pattaya is for EVERYONE regardless of age IMHO. It's just a shame that the WS experience where you could sit in most of the bars or walk down the street and have a conversation without raising your voice is no longer available. If City Hall doesn't try and regulate it, WS will be a place for the forever deafs!