Widening Of Beach Rd Started At North End

[kimchibob]

2009

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[aveabeeror2]

2009ImageUploadedByThaivisa Connect Thailand1384328883.602378.jpg

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Two to go, who will it be.

[johng]

7th of October 2005

[Awohalitsiktoli]

Perhaps environmentally-aware Westerners like me are no longer significant in Pattaya.

What gave you the idea they ever have been significant?

Disgruntled farangs have always had such an amusing inflated sense of their own importance.

Well, you've only been here a year.

We all know the poster who has an extremely inflated sense of his own importance and that poster is not Thailien8.

[JSixpack]

Perhaps environmentally-aware Westerners like me are no longer significant in Pattaya.

What gave you the idea they ever have been significant?

Disgruntled farangs have always had such an amusing inflated sense of their own importance.

Well, you've only been here a year.

We all know the poster who has an extremely inflated sense of his own importance and that poster is not Thailien8.

I'm honored that the very President of the Doomsayer's Club himself has deigned to take notice of my lowly post. The thought that I may have been blocked had caused me many a sleepless night.

Prez, all your whinin' and prophesyin' doom for so many years--do tell, what effect has it had on Pattaya's development or lack thereof? Exactly zero. You're the living proof of exactly what I said, now ain't you?

So, given the completely ineffectual nature of your cries, I do hope you can take at least comfort in attacking a forum member. Take THAT! HA!

Bitch, bitch, bitch.

Every time a farang gets upset about some change--his favorite beer bar on Beach Rd., is demolished for big new shopping center, the cute Miss Noi nowhere to be found; his favorite seat gone where he used drink Chang from a paper bag and chat w/ the ho's--he's got to cry "last nail in the coffin" "goose killed who laid the golden eggs" and all such End Of The World silliness.

Really, I'd have more pride. Or, if truly that upset, simply leave. My passport and stamps are all in order, however. Why do the old Pattaya haters continue to hang around and whine and cry? Must be because that's what they so enjoy. Life needs to have some meaning, eh?

The BIGGEST avalanche of doomsaying--ever; Beach Rd. widening is nothing--occurred when, after 20 years, the visa fees were raised! OMG!!! THE END!!! Tourism to Thailand was now DEAD. Nobody was going to pay. Thailand hates tourists!

Ah, how many years ago was that. How many millions of tourists since then?

Wish I had a baht for every cry of doom I've heard here--and before there was a TV, in the Pattaya Mail.

[ThaiBob]

Note the lack of shade and shade trees and seating in the pics(post 998 and 1000). As nice as the flowers look, the walkway is plain cement and the potted plants with loose brick borders look pretty cheap. I bet those potted plants didn't last long.

[fforest1]

Jsixpack.You are one of the few people that ever posted in this thread who has ever seen any thing good in

the beach road redevelopment...As a matter of fact you insist that its wonderful....

Me Awohalitsiktoli and about 90-95% of the posters on this thread think the new beach road is a peice of crap..

No seating,No shade,Very few trees,Nothing artistic like water fountains, and no the one eye on a purple stick does not count as art in my book.pathetic water drainage with the new design.lots of beautiful sandbags ect....

Pattaya is pretty damm lucky the Russians are such undiscriminating people...

[thaibeachlovers]

There is no doubt that by any standards, Thailand’s tourist industry is an important contributor to its overall economy.

But just to put into prospective, tourism represents between 6.5 % to 7.3 % of GDP (depending on where you get your stats from) as compared to say, manufacturing at over 40% and agriculture at 13%

Tourism in the UK, at 6.5 % of its GDP, is not dissimilar to Thailand’s percentage of GDP, yet you don’t hear everyone screaming gloom and doom every time something happens that might displease all the tourists being charged exorbitant sums to traipse around the Tower of London.

It is what it is, and no matter what they do to Beach Road, people will still come regardless, if it is the holiday destination they have set their hearts on.

In all the years I have been coming to and living in Thailand, which dates back to the early 1970’s, I cannot recall a single year when the number of tourists has actually dropped. Even through all those riots and airport seizure a couple of years ago, there was barely a dent in the tourist numbers.

Like most of you, I deplore and decry what the venal city authorities are doing to Beach Road, and from day one I predicted that it will all end in grief, as far as the aesthetic ambiance of the road and beach are concerned.

But quite frankly, you could turn the whole of Beach road into one enormous great rubbish dump and I seriously doubt if it would have much impact on the number of tourists coming to Pattaya. Sure some will be hacked off and never come back, but for every one that leaves in high dudgeon, there will be many more to replace them.

If the beach becomes a total shambolic mess, then the tourists who wish to romp in the sand will go to Jomtien, Naklua, Dongtan, Wong Amart and all the other, countless beaches along this part of the eastern seaboard coast.

And of course, let’s not forget that vast majority of the tourists are no more interested in sunbathing on the dangerous, filthy beaches and dipping their toes in the polluted waves of Pattaya, than I am of moving back to a cold, wet and windy temperate climate. Their trips to Pattaya have other, more titillating activities in mind.

In fact, the much toted government pronouncements to take ‘Pattaya up-market will simply result in more and more tourists bathing in the beautiful clean pools provided by the 5 star hotels, and if they wish to dumb down and go to a real beach, and join the great unwashed in the Gulf of Thailand, there are plenty of other beaches they can go to within a short drive of central Pattaya.

My long term prediction – which I made in this forum some years back - is that one day, ‘Walking Street’ will be closed down and moved lock stock and barrel to a more discrete part of town – quite possibly east of Sukhumvit on the so-called ‘Darkside’.

Most of the businesses on the beach side of Walking Street are there illegally and block the beach which is supposed to have public access.

Eventually the ‘establishment legal billionaires’, (as opposed to the Mafia-infested illegal billionaires), will take over the whole strip and turn the current Walking Street into an area of high class, 4 & 5 star resorts and open the beach back up.

When that happens, it won’t be long before Beach Road receives yet another make-over, probably financed by the tycoons who by then will own the resorts and will have a vested interest in what happens on their door step.

It may not happen in my life time, but rest assured Walking Street’s days are numbered – it’s just a question of when - not if.

Interesting post, but I have to wonder how long you have been involved in Pattaya. The shore side establishments along Walking Street have been threatened with closure for at least 15 years that I can remember, probably longer, and it is unlikely that as long as the present political structure exists, they will be.

There has been a move by wannabe rich businessmen to make over Pattaya ever since it became popular, but the farang bar industry survives and adapts.

Most of the "tourists" are gullible package tour customers fooled by pretty pictures of hotels with swimming pools, and there are millions of foolish people ready to pay to go there. Just another con!

The latest mugs are the Chinese and Indians.

If Pattaya as it was disappears, it won't be because of fancy hotels and swimming pools, it'll be because western men just don't have the money to pay the ever higher costs of the P4P scene anymore. 10 years ago, it was really cheap to have a week or so of debauchery in Pattaya, but those days have long gone. Hotel rooms have more than doubled in price, food is expensive, but the infrastructure, public transport etc are still the same inferior quality they always were, so the people that wanted to go to Pattaya are being forced out, and if Pattaya becomes just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure, who's gonna come?

[JSixpack]

Jsixpack.You are one of the few people that ever posted in this thread who has ever seen any thing good in

the beach road redevelopment...As a matter of fact you insist that its wonderful....

I said no such thing about "wonderful," so how could I insist on it?

All I DARED say was this: traffic is better on Beach Rd. And it is. I like that. Before you point out the bottleneck at 2nd Rd., that bottleneck has been there for many years already and is a separate issue not directly related to the widening. In fact, these days there are numerous traffic bottlenecks all around town. The city has outgrown its road infrastructure--yes.

I also said that the widening wouldn't have been my preferred solution either and that, FWIW, I liked the old promenade and the one before that better. I agreed with you on many points, you see.

But, no, I'm not gonna pretend that traffic isn't better. It must be, with one extra lane. I did comfort you that traffic on 2nd Rd. is as bad as ever. Suck on that if you wish.

I also said the new promenade will make no difference in the tourist numbers. It won't. See mobi's recent post above. Now, this is probably what you find most infuriating: you want DOOM to punish the wicked Thais for taking away something you thought was your own perpetual entitlement.

But, you see, there's just not gonna be any DOOM, just as there wasn't when the sky fell and THE WORST possible crime happened: the raising of visa fees!

My advice is to change your diaper and live with it.

You're exaggerating and lying about what I said again. Do I need to complain to the mods?

Me Awohalitsiktoli and about 90-95% of the posters on this thread think the new beach road is a peice of crap..

No seating,No shade,Very few trees,Nothing artistic like water fountains, and no the one eye on a purple stick does not count as art in my book.pathetic water drainage with the new design.lots of beautiful sandbags ect....

Pattaya is pretty damm lucky the Russians are such undiscriminating people...

I don't care what anyone thinks about the new unfinished Beach Rd. I merely enjoy laughing at all our old geezer predictions of DOOM, such as your own silly prophecy that now nobody will book rooms in the beachfront hotels. True story: a friend of mine tried to book a room for himself and his new wife in one of those beachfront hotels just recently and there were no vacancies at all. Full up!

Edited November 14, 2013 by JSixpack

[Barack]

Jsixpack.You are one of the few people that ever posted in this thread who has ever seen any thing good in

the beach road redevelopment...As a matter of fact you insist that its wonderful....

Me Awohalitsiktoli and about 90-95% of the posters on this thread think the new beach road is a peice of crap..

No seating,No shade,Very few trees,Nothing artistic like water fountains, and no the one eye on a purple stick does not count as art in my book.pathetic water drainage with the new design.lots of beautiful sandbags ect....

Pattaya is pretty damm lucky the Russians are such undiscriminating people...

Jsixpack, strikes me as being a realist. Pattaya is a second class city (that's being kind) with limited resources and why cry and whine over something you have no control over? The primary object of improving traffic flow looks doable and as a driver I can personally attest to. Yes, at night there is still the construction bottleneck by WS with cars and pedestrians sharing the road but things should improve when construction is complete. So to the grumpy old men who post here, stop the sniveling about shade and trees for the prostitutes and their johns and welcome and embrace the new Pattaya.

[wwex]

whats the deal? having an opinion on the beach changes is called whinging and whining, having an opinion on the other posters here is called being a realist? I think someones deluded and its not those posting about the subject of the thread

[JSixpack]

whats the deal? having an opinion on the beach changes is called whinging and whining, having an opinion on the other posters here is called being a realist?

No, having an opinion is called having an opinion, and whinging and whining are called whinging and whining according to their standard definitions.

True, Awohalitsiktoli is thought a realist by many.

[JSixpack]

10 years ago, it was really cheap to have a week or so of debauchery in Pattaya, but those days have long gone. Hotel rooms have more than doubled in price, food is expensive, but the infrastructure, public transport etc are still the same inferior quality they always were, so the people that wanted to go to Pattaya are being forced out, and if Pattaya becomes just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure, who's gonna come?

No, those days haven't gone. Pattaya is still quite cheap.

You've managed completely and carefully to ignore

• the rise of discount beer bars such as Mick's where you can buy a beer just as cheaply as you did 17 years ago--cheaper, when you consider that the exchange rate was USD1=B25.
• happy hours and cheap draft at the go-gos. 10 years ago, you'd likely have to pay B85 for a bottled beer. Now B50-65 is common for draft.
• a vast number of new, cheap, small hotels and guest houses all around the Soi Buakeow/Soi Chaiyapoon/Soi Lenkee area, just as affordable as 10 years ago.

To cater to the demand, 10 new go-gos are open on LK Metro, another 3 on the way.

Breakfast at Crazy Dave's is still B99, ain't it?

A short-time room on Soi Post Office will cost you B280--same as 10 years ago. Baht bus fares have risen from 5 baht to 10--that a deal breaker? Mongers love the baht buses, no complaints there. Nor have they ever cared about the beach or infrastructure, really--EXCEPT they'll love the improvements in the internet and cellphone infrastructure, which you ignored of course.

Moreover, at any time the exchange rates could turn in favor of the Western countries. The baht has already weakened over the past year.

I could give more examples, but that's enough to show there's no reason whatsoever to believe Pattaya will become "just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure." The traditional budget segment is growing right along with the new upscale.

Another doom prediction dismissed for lack of evidence . . . .

Edited November 14, 2013 by JSixpack

[10Yen]

I have been hearing the last nail in the coffin rants since 1990.

They must have run out of room for any more by now.

[kevkev1888]

As far as going out, drinking in bars, eating farang food, a bit of short time. Pattaya is the cheapest place in the whole of Thailand!!!

Long may it remain

[cigar7]

I see they have started to install new LED street lights on Beach Road, starting from the North-end. Lights look nice and modern.

[quadrant]

I have been hearing the last nail in the coffin rants since 1990.

They must have run out of room for any more by now.

no problem, you can always get a new coffin.

[thaibeachlovers]

I have been hearing the last nail in the coffin rants since 1990.

They must have run out of room for any more by now.

Pattaya is nowhere near as good for monging as it was in '94. It's just a pale shade of what it was then.

It might be hanging on, but how many of those bar beers always have more than a couple of customers at a time- a handful.

[thaibeachlovers]

10 years ago, it was really cheap to have a week or so of debauchery in Pattaya, but those days have long gone. Hotel rooms have more than doubled in price, food is expensive, but the infrastructure, public transport etc are still the same inferior quality they always were, so the people that wanted to go to Pattaya are being forced out, and if Pattaya becomes just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure, who's gonna come?

No, those days haven't gone. Pattaya is still quite cheap.

You've managed completely and carefully to ignore

• the rise of discount beer bars such as Mick's where you can buy a beer just as cheaply as you did 17 years ago--cheaper, when you consider that the exchange rate was USD1=B25.
• happy hours and cheap draft at the go-gos. 10 years ago, you'd likely have to pay B85 for a bottled beer. Now B50-65 is common for draft.
• a vast number of new, cheap, small hotels and guest houses all around the Soi Buakeow/Soi Chaiyapoon/Soi Lenkee area, just as affordable as 10 years ago.

To cater to the demand, 10 new go-gos are open on LK Metro, another 3 on the way.

Breakfast at Crazy Dave's is still B99, ain't it?

A short-time room on Soi Post Office will cost you B280--same as 10 years ago. Baht bus fares have risen from 5 baht to 10--that a deal breaker? Mongers love the baht buses, no complaints there. Nor have they ever cared about the beach or infrastructure, really--EXCEPT they'll love the improvements in the internet and cellphone infrastructure, which you ignored of course.

Moreover, at any time the exchange rates could turn in favor of the Western countries. The baht has already weakened over the past year.

I could give more examples, but that's enough to show there's no reason whatsoever to believe Pattaya will become "just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure." The traditional budget segment is growing right along with the new upscale.

Another doom prediction dismissed for lack of evidence . . . .

Having recently been in Pattaya I can definitely say that it's NOT cheap or cheerful, like it was.

<the rise of discount beer bars such as Mick's where you can buy a beer just as cheaply as you did 17 years ago>

Who actually goes to a bar beer for beer? The real reason for going there has got far more expensive, and the cost of getting there has risen substantially since the 90's ( in real terms ).

<happy hours and cheap draft at the go-gos. 10 years ago, you'd likely have to pay B85 for a bottled beer. Now B50-65 is common for draft.>

Happy hours were never the reason I went to gogos and a whole 25 baht saving- alert the media, hold the front page, whoo hoo!

<a vast number of new, cheap, small hotels and guest houses all around the Soi Buakeow/Soi Chaiyapoon/Soi Lenkee area, just as affordable as 10 years ago.>

Most of which are 600 to 800. Hardly as cheap as the 300 I used to pay, especially considering I was getting 70 or more to the pound back then. Now it's 50.

<10 new go-gos are open on LK Metro>

Have you actually been in any of them? Some are rubbish, and I'd never go back to them again. Quantity never beats quality.

<Breakfast at Crazy Dave's is still B99, ain't it?>

You actually pay 99 baht for breakfast, LOL.

<A short-time room on Soi Post Office will cost you B280>

I'm happy to say I have NEVER had to resort to a short time room on Soi Post Office.

I was paying 10 baht for the baht buses way back in 96. Certainly the best deal in Thailand.

<Moreover, at any time the exchange rates could turn in favor of the Western countries. The baht has already weakened over the past year>

But, it hasn't! The baht weakened from 45 or so to 50. That's not making much difference to me.

< but that's enough to show there's no reason whatsoever to believe Pattaya will become "just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure.">

There are many more resorts along Beach than when I first rolled into Fun City, and the infrastructure is still as bad as it was way back then. The city is never going to pay to upgrade it as long as things stay the same with the politics.

At the same time, the number of bar beers on Beach and 2nd has dramatically decreased.

<The traditional budget segment is growing right along with the new upscale.>

Dream on, unless you want to stay in a dump, the old cheap places are being replaced with upscale hotels. Even Sawasdee Court has gone from 400 to 800, and that is far more than what it is worth- it doesn't even have a lift.

[thaibeachlovers]

I see they have started to install new LED street lights on Beach Road, starting from the North-end. Lights look nice and modern.

Ah, so the lights look good. No doubt that compensates for the fact that there is no where to sit.

[BugJackBaron]

10 years ago, it was really cheap to have a week or so of debauchery in Pattaya, but those days have long gone. Hotel rooms have more than doubled in price, food is expensive, but the infrastructure, public transport etc are still the same inferior quality they always were, so the people that wanted to go to Pattaya are being forced out, and if Pattaya becomes just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure, who's gonna come?

No, those days haven't gone. Pattaya is still quite cheap.

You've managed completely and carefully to ignore

• the rise of discount beer bars such as Mick's where you can buy a beer just as cheaply as you did 17 years ago--cheaper, when you consider that the exchange rate was USD1=B25.
• happy hours and cheap draft at the go-gos. 10 years ago, you'd likely have to pay B85 for a bottled beer. Now B50-65 is common for draft.
• a vast number of new, cheap, small hotels and guest houses all around the Soi Buakeow/Soi Chaiyapoon/Soi Lenkee area, just as affordable as 10 years ago.

To cater to the demand, 10 new go-gos are open on LK Metro, another 3 on the way.

Breakfast at Crazy Dave's is still B99, ain't it?

A short-time room on Soi Post Office will cost you B280--same as 10 years ago. Baht bus fares have risen from 5 baht to 10--that a deal breaker? Mongers love the baht buses, no complaints there. Nor have they ever cared about the beach or infrastructure, really--EXCEPT they'll love the improvements in the internet and cellphone infrastructure, which you ignored of course.

Moreover, at any time the exchange rates could turn in favor of the Western countries. The baht has already weakened over the past year.

I could give more examples, but that's enough to show there's no reason whatsoever to believe Pattaya will become "just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure." The traditional budget segment is growing right along with the new upscale.

Another doom prediction dismissed for lack of evidence . . . .

Having recently been in Pattaya I can definitely say that it's NOT cheap or cheerful, like it was.

<the rise of discount beer bars such as Mick's where you can buy a beer just as cheaply as you did 17 years ago>

Who actually goes to a bar beer for beer? The real reason for going there has got far more expensive, and the cost of getting there has risen substantially since the 90's ( in real terms ).

<happy hours and cheap draft at the go-gos. 10 years ago, you'd likely have to pay B85 for a bottled beer. Now B50-65 is common for draft.>

Happy hours were never the reason I went to gogos and a whole 25 baht saving- alert the media, hold the front page, whoo hoo!

<a vast number of new, cheap, small hotels and guest houses all around the Soi Buakeow/Soi Chaiyapoon/Soi Lenkee area, just as affordable as 10 years ago.>

Most of which are 600 to 800. Hardly as cheap as the 300 I used to pay, especially considering I was getting 70 or more to the pound back then. Now it's 50.

<10 new go-gos are open on LK Metro>

Have you actually been in any of them? Some are rubbish, and I'd never go back to them again. Quantity never beats quality.

<Breakfast at Crazy Dave's is still B99, ain't it?>

You actually pay 99 baht for breakfast, LOL.

<A short-time room on Soi Post Office will cost you B280>

I'm happy to say I have NEVER had to resort to a short time room on Soi Post Office.

I was paying 10 baht for the baht buses way back in 96. Certainly the best deal in Thailand.

<Moreover, at any time the exchange rates could turn in favor of the Western countries. The baht has already weakened over the past year>

But, it hasn't! The baht weakened from 45 or so to 50. That's not making much difference to me.

< but that's enough to show there's no reason whatsoever to believe Pattaya will become "just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure.">

There are many more resorts along Beach than when I first rolled into Fun City, and the infrastructure is still as bad as it was way back then. The city is never going to pay to upgrade it as long as things stay the same with the politics.

At the same time, the number of bar beers on Beach and 2nd has dramatically decreased.

<The traditional budget segment is growing right along with the new upscale.>

Dream on, unless you want to stay in a dump, the old cheap places are being replaced with upscale hotels. Even Sawasdee Court has gone from 400 to 800, and that is far more than what it is worth- it doesn't even have a lift.

Hmm I for one go for the cheap 50 baht beers, but then again I'm a cheap Charlie.

As for the "real reason", well I seem to remember coming here as a tourist 10 years ago and paying 500 or so in the "coconut hotel". You know what? It's still more or less the same. The Apex Hotel raised its prices but there are still Hotels just off Soi Boucow that charge 500 a night and are comfortable(try that in Hua Hin). So overall there has been some inflation but not of a "show stopping" kind.

[JSixpack]

Having recently been in Pattaya I can definitely say that it's NOT cheap or cheerful, like it was.

<the rise of discount beer bars such as Mick's where you can buy a beer just as cheaply as you did 17 years ago>

Who actually goes to a bar beer for beer? The real reason for going there has got far more expensive, and the cost of getting there has risen substantially since the 90's ( in real terms ).

<happy hours and cheap draft at the go-gos. 10 years ago, you'd likely have to pay B85 for a bottled beer. Now B50-65 is common for draft.>

Happy hours were never the reason I went to gogos and a whole 25 baht saving- alert the media, hold the front page, whoo hoo!

<a vast number of new, cheap, small hotels and guest houses all around the Soi Buakeow/Soi Chaiyapoon/Soi Lenkee area, just as affordable as 10 years ago.>

Most of which are 600 to 800. Hardly as cheap as the 300 I used to pay, especially considering I was getting 70 or more to the pound back then. Now it's 50.

<10 new go-gos are open on LK Metro>

Have you actually been in any of them? Some are rubbish, and I'd never go back to them again. Quantity never beats quality.

<Breakfast at Crazy Dave's is still B99, ain't it?>

You actually pay 99 baht for breakfast, LOL.

<A short-time room on Soi Post Office will cost you B280>

I'm happy to say I have NEVER had to resort to a short time room on Soi Post Office.

I was paying 10 baht for the baht buses way back in 96. Certainly the best deal in Thailand.

<Moreover, at any time the exchange rates could turn in favor of the Western countries. The baht has already weakened over the past year>

But, it hasn't! The baht weakened from 45 or so to 50. That's not making much difference to me.

< but that's enough to show there's no reason whatsoever to believe Pattaya will become "just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure.">

There are many more resorts along Beach than when I first rolled into Fun City, and the infrastructure is still as bad as it was way back then. The city is never going to pay to upgrade it as long as things stay the same with the politics.

At the same time, the number of bar beers on Beach and 2nd has dramatically decreased.

<The traditional budget segment is growing right along with the new upscale.>

Dream on, unless you want to stay in a dump, the old cheap places are being replaced with upscale hotels. Even Sawasdee Court has gone from 400 to 800, and that is far more than what it is worth- it doesn't even have a lift.

I'd like to answer you point-by-point, but your method of quoting from my post is actually against forum rules, and I'm keepin' my nose clean around here.

First, you initially said 10 years ago. If you go back far enough, or to the baht crash, you can of course always find cheaper prices. Why not go back to the late 70s? So, in some cases you're merely comparing apples to oranges to your advantage. Reminds me of dear ol' Dad always talking about prices in The Great Depression.

I contend the B300 room you paid for THEN really wasn't better than the B600 room you'd rent now. But PTY does still have B400 rooms. A monger doesn't care if they are dumps. That's NOT going to keep him away. Also, the opportunities for longer-term rents have vastly expanded, leading to a much smaller per day outlay.

Since you were paying 10B before to get to a beer bar and it now costs 10B to get to a discount beer bar (if paying only 45B is important, as it is to many a monger), then how does it cost more to get there?

Now, you, being royalty, have never rented a short-time room on Soi PO, but many a monger does. Cheap hotels still abound on Soi PO and Soi Yamato. And they're doing pretty well--check 'em out.

Besides the new go-gos on LK Metro and environs, the Walking St. go-gos still exist, of course, and it costs a B10 baht bus ride to get to them. And many of them do offer cheap draft beer--as they didn't before. What a monger saves on cheap beer, he can spend otherwise. Hence a cheap holiday PTY is certainly doable.

The number of beer bars on Beach Rd. and 2nd Rd has actually dramatically INCREASED, not decreased, when you consider the vast number that have been built north of Soi 6 on 2nd Rd. And there are still sufficient numbers on Beach Rd. Add to those the huge number of new beer bars in the Soi Buakhow area, and those in Naklua . . . .

A few were displaced from Beach Rd. and some on 2nd Rd (many of which moved across the street). That's all that happened--it hardly represented the Chicken Little event you'd portray it to be.

But you see there's no monger requirement that a beer bar must on Beach Rd or 2nd Rd anyway. You don't have a point.

Furthermore, since the 90s, there's been worldwide inflation, not just in Thailand, so salaries are often higher. Consider a typical monger job in the UK, perhaps the sort from which you retired. Just in the past few years,

Hod Carrier Salary

The average salary for a Hod Carrier in the UK is:

£23,333

Hod Carrier Salary Comparison

In 2008, the average salary for this job was £16,224.

--http://www.mysalary.co.uk/average-salary/Hod_Carrier_7120

So, mongers should be able to afford more now than they did. Last tourist season, the go-gos at LK Metro did GREAT business--that's why three more are being built as we speak.

You seem to have lost touch with the average monger since you moved to the posh block. His tastes seem to have fallen far below your own high standards.

In short, as I already said, there's no reason whatsoever to believe Pattaya will become "just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure" because we have some nicer new hotels and a mall on Beach Rd.

The traditional budget segment is growing right along with the new upscale. It's just a fact that the monger scene today is, all totaled, considerably larger than it was 10 years ago and, moreover, looks to expand even further. Nor does it signify DYING PATTAYA if a particular beer bar of thousands doesn't stay until the earth cools exactly where it was in 1992.

You haven't made your case at all.

[thaibeachlovers]

10 years ago, it was really cheap to have a week or so of debauchery in Pattaya, but those days have long gone. Hotel rooms have more than doubled in price, food is expensive, but the infrastructure, public transport etc are still the same inferior quality they always were, so the people that wanted to go to Pattaya are being forced out, and if Pattaya becomes just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure, who's gonna come?

No, those days haven't gone. Pattaya is still quite cheap.

You've managed completely and carefully to ignore

• the rise of discount beer bars such as Mick's where you can buy a beer just as cheaply as you did 17 years ago--cheaper, when you consider that the exchange rate was USD1=B25.
• happy hours and cheap draft at the go-gos. 10 years ago, you'd likely have to pay B85 for a bottled beer. Now B50-65 is common for draft.
• a vast number of new, cheap, small hotels and guest houses all around the Soi Buakeow/Soi Chaiyapoon/Soi Lenkee area, just as affordable as 10 years ago.

To cater to the demand, 10 new go-gos are open on LK Metro, another 3 on the way.

Breakfast at Crazy Dave's is still B99, ain't it?

A short-time room on Soi Post Office will cost you B280--same as 10 years ago. Baht bus fares have risen from 5 baht to 10--that a deal breaker? Mongers love the baht buses, no complaints there. Nor have they ever cared about the beach or infrastructure, really--EXCEPT they'll love the improvements in the internet and cellphone infrastructure, which you ignored of course.

Moreover, at any time the exchange rates could turn in favor of the Western countries. The baht has already weakened over the past year.

I could give more examples, but that's enough to show there's no reason whatsoever to believe Pattaya will become "just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure." The traditional budget segment is growing right along with the new upscale.

Another doom prediction dismissed for lack of evidence . . . .

Having recently been in Pattaya I can definitely say that it's NOT cheap or cheerful, like it was.

<the rise of discount beer bars such as Mick's where you can buy a beer just as cheaply as you did 17 years ago>

Who actually goes to a bar beer for beer? The real reason for going there has got far more expensive, and the cost of getting there has risen substantially since the 90's ( in real terms ).

<happy hours and cheap draft at the go-gos. 10 years ago, you'd likely have to pay B85 for a bottled beer. Now B50-65 is common for draft.>

Happy hours were never the reason I went to gogos and a whole 25 baht saving- alert the media, hold the front page, whoo hoo!

<a vast number of new, cheap, small hotels and guest houses all around the Soi Buakeow/Soi Chaiyapoon/Soi Lenkee area, just as affordable as 10 years ago.>

Most of which are 600 to 800. Hardly as cheap as the 300 I used to pay, especially considering I was getting 70 or more to the pound back then. Now it's 50.

<10 new go-gos are open on LK Metro>

Have you actually been in any of them? Some are rubbish, and I'd never go back to them again. Quantity never beats quality.

<Breakfast at Crazy Dave's is still B99, ain't it?>

You actually pay 99 baht for breakfast, LOL.

<A short-time room on Soi Post Office will cost you B280>

I'm happy to say I have NEVER had to resort to a short time room on Soi Post Office.

I was paying 10 baht for the baht buses way back in 96. Certainly the best deal in Thailand.

<Moreover, at any time the exchange rates could turn in favor of the Western countries. The baht has already weakened over the past year>

But, it hasn't! The baht weakened from 45 or so to 50. That's not making much difference to me.

< but that's enough to show there's no reason whatsoever to believe Pattaya will become "just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure.">

There are many more resorts along Beach than when I first rolled into Fun City, and the infrastructure is still as bad as it was way back then. The city is never going to pay to upgrade it as long as things stay the same with the politics.

At the same time, the number of bar beers on Beach and 2nd has dramatically decreased.

<The traditional budget segment is growing right along with the new upscale.>

Dream on, unless you want to stay in a dump, the old cheap places are being replaced with upscale hotels. Even Sawasdee Court has gone from 400 to 800, and that is far more than what it is worth- it doesn't even have a lift.

Hmm I for one go for the cheap 50 baht beers, but then again I'm a cheap Charlie.

As for the "real reason", well I seem to remember coming here as a tourist 10 years ago and paying 500 or so in the "coconut hotel". You know what? It's still more or less the same. The Apex Hotel raised its prices but there are still Hotels just off Soi Boucow that charge 500 a night and are comfortable(try that in Hua Hin). So overall there has been some inflation but not of a "show stopping" kind.

Been to Hua Hin and it has a crappy beach, is overbuilt below high tide line, has no decent public transport, is way too expensive and doesn't even have a decent nightlife. Why would I want to go there again?

[thaibeachlovers]

Having recently been in Pattaya I can definitely say that it's NOT cheap or cheerful, like it was.

<the rise of discount beer bars such as Mick's where you can buy a beer just as cheaply as you did 17 years ago>

Who actually goes to a bar beer for beer? The real reason for going there has got far more expensive, and the cost of getting there has risen substantially since the 90's ( in real terms ).

<happy hours and cheap draft at the go-gos. 10 years ago, you'd likely have to pay B85 for a bottled beer. Now B50-65 is common for draft.>

Happy hours were never the reason I went to gogos and a whole 25 baht saving- alert the media, hold the front page, whoo hoo!

<a vast number of new, cheap, small hotels and guest houses all around the Soi Buakeow/Soi Chaiyapoon/Soi Lenkee area, just as affordable as 10 years ago.>

Most of which are 600 to 800. Hardly as cheap as the 300 I used to pay, especially considering I was getting 70 or more to the pound back then. Now it's 50.

<10 new go-gos are open on LK Metro>

Have you actually been in any of them? Some are rubbish, and I'd never go back to them again. Quantity never beats quality.

<Breakfast at Crazy Dave's is still B99, ain't it?>

You actually pay 99 baht for breakfast, LOL.

<A short-time room on Soi Post Office will cost you B280>

I'm happy to say I have NEVER had to resort to a short time room on Soi Post Office.

I was paying 10 baht for the baht buses way back in 96. Certainly the best deal in Thailand.

<Moreover, at any time the exchange rates could turn in favor of the Western countries. The baht has already weakened over the past year>

But, it hasn't! The baht weakened from 45 or so to 50. That's not making much difference to me.

< but that's enough to show there's no reason whatsoever to believe Pattaya will become "just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure.">

There are many more resorts along Beach than when I first rolled into Fun City, and the infrastructure is still as bad as it was way back then. The city is never going to pay to upgrade it as long as things stay the same with the politics.

At the same time, the number of bar beers on Beach and 2nd has dramatically decreased.

<The traditional budget segment is growing right along with the new upscale.>

Dream on, unless you want to stay in a dump, the old cheap places are being replaced with upscale hotels. Even Sawasdee Court has gone from 400 to 800, and that is far more than what it is worth- it doesn't even have a lift.

I'd like to answer you point-by-point, but your method of quoting from my post is actually against forum rules, and I'm keepin' my nose clean around here.

First, you initially said 10 years ago. If you go back far enough, or to the baht crash, you can of course always find cheaper prices. Why not go back to the late 70s? So, in some cases you're merely comparing apples to oranges to your advantage. Reminds me of dear ol' Dad always talking about prices in The Great Depression.

I contend the B300 room you paid for THEN really wasn't better than the B600 room you'd rent now. But PTY does still have B400 rooms. A monger doesn't care if they are dumps. That's NOT going to keep him away. Also, the opportunities for longer-term rents have vastly expanded, leading to a much smaller per day outlay.

Since you were paying 10B before to get to a beer bar and it now costs 10B to get to a discount beer bar (if paying only 45B is important, as it is to many a monger), then how does it cost more to get there?

Now, you, being royalty, have never rented a short-time room on Soi PO, but many a monger does. Cheap hotels still abound on Soi PO and Soi Yamato. And they're doing pretty well--check 'em out.

Besides the new go-gos on LK Metro and environs, the Walking St. go-gos still exist, of course, and it costs a B10 baht bus ride to get to them. And many of them do offer cheap draft beer--as they didn't before. What a monger saves on cheap beer, he can spend otherwise. Hence a cheap holiday PTY is certainly doable.

The number of beer bars on Beach Rd. and 2nd Rd has actually dramatically INCREASED, not decreased, when you consider the vast number that have been built north of Soi 6 on 2nd Rd. And there are still sufficient numbers on Beach Rd. Add to those the huge number of new beer bars in the Soi Buakhow area, and those in Naklua . . . .

A few were displaced from Beach Rd. and some on 2nd Rd (many of which moved across the street). That's all that happened--it hardly represented the Chicken Little event you'd portray it to be.

But you see there's no monger requirement that a beer bar must on Beach Rd or 2nd Rd anyway. You don't have a point.

Furthermore, since the 90s, there's been worldwide inflation, not just in Thailand, so salaries are often higher. Consider a typical monger job in the UK, perhaps the sort from which you retired. Just in the past few years,

Hod Carrier Salary

The average salary for a Hod Carrier in the UK is:

£23,333

Hod Carrier Salary Comparison

In 2008, the average salary for this job was £16,224.

--http://www.mysalary.co.uk/average-salary/Hod_Carrier_7120

So, mongers should be able to afford more now than they did. Last tourist season, the go-gos at LK Metro did GREAT business--that's why three more are being built as we speak.

You seem to have lost touch with the average monger since you moved to the posh block. His tastes seem to have fallen far below your own high standards.

In short, as I already said, there's no reason whatsoever to believe Pattaya will become "just expensive resorts with a crappy beach and infrastructure" because we have some nicer new hotels and a mall on Beach Rd.

The traditional budget segment is growing right along with the new upscale. It's just a fact that the monger scene today is, all totaled, considerably larger than it was 10 years ago and, moreover, looks to expand even further. Nor does it signify DYING PATTAYA if a particular beer bar of thousands doesn't stay until the earth cools exactly where it was in 1992.

You haven't made your case at all.

<Since you were paying 10B before to get to a beer bar and it now costs 10B to get to a discount beer bar>

I was referring to the cost of the airfare to Thailand which has gone up significantly.

I don't know why you think mongers go to bar beers for the beer! The price of a drink is irrelevant, but I can't discuss the real reason or cost ( which has increased significantly ) as it would violate forum rules.

There are more bars and gogos than ever before, but most are virtually empty, most of the time.

Edited November 15, 2013 by thaibeachlovers

[JSixpack]

There are more bars and gogos than ever before, but most are virtually empty, most of the time.

It's low season. Remember that when I noted that traffic is better on Beach Rd. owing to the new lane, you instead attributed it to "low season?"

They do well enough in high season. They don't have to be crowded at all hours. That's a common fallacy around here we often hear. Fact, 5 years ago, same thing was said about the beer bars on Sois 7 - 8. Big C was predicted to fail for that reason. Central Festival--predicted to fail, not enough shoppers, none can afford to shop there. All the condo buildings are empty, all units unsold (even in the old buildings)--lights aren't constantly on.

They're all still there. Must be some mongers in there when you're not looking. As I noted, last high season the go-gos of LK Metro did great.

[thaibeachlovers]

There are more bars and gogos than ever before, but most are virtually empty, most of the time.

It's low season. Remember that when I noted that traffic is better on Beach Rd. owing to the new lane, you instead attributed it to "low season?"

They do well enough in high season. They don't have to be crowded at all hours. That's a common fallacy around here we often hear. Fact, 5 years ago, same thing was said about the beer bars on Sois 7 - 8. Big C was predicted to fail for that reason. Central Festival--predicted to fail, not enough shoppers, none can afford to shop there. All the condo buildings are empty, all units unsold (even in the old buildings)--lights aren't constantly on.

They're all still there. Must be some mongers in there when you're not looking. As I noted, last high season the go-gos of LK Metro did great.

<As I noted, last high season the go-gos of LK Metro did great>

Well, if they were in some of the gogos that I visited, mongers these days have very low standards, LOL.

[Rimmer]

The topic is:

Widening Of Beach Rd Started At North End, just in case we had forgotten

[threelegcowboy]

The topic is:

Widening Of Beach Rd Started At North End, just in case we had forgotten

And some new art work has been added on Beach sidewalk at Central Shopping. Looks too moden art for me. Boring.

The real work of art for Patters Was down on Central Rd at beach. I miss the Mermaid with froliking dolphines. Pics from me asap.

Like to hear some opinons on this. If you want to talk that other stuff...open a tread with correct subject line.

[threelegcowboy]

Look at this mindless modern art. Its not the kind of art you can look at and have an appreciation. With the Mermaid you could marvel at length with fondness.

Can anybody tell me what that modern art in front of Central Shopping is ?

[champers]

Look at this mindless modern art. Its not the kind of art you can look at and have an appreciation. With the Mermaid you could marvel at length with fondness.

Can anybody tell me what that modern art in front of Central Shopping is ?

Never mind the modern art. It looks like there's somewhere to sit down. Yippeeeee!!!