After 22years Big Bill says good-bye to Patong&Phuket

[asdecas]

Hey Big Bill, I never knew you in your Patong days but I remember you in Patpong when Dave and I used to eat regularly at your joint on PP1. Must have been 1988/9. Take care bro' and enjoy your new home.

[chuckd]

Bill, haven't seen you since you left Derby King. I used to come eat there with Izzy from Crown Royal, Ian and may others. I still fondly recall your meat loaf.

Izzy in Pattaya, Ian and others still in either Pattaya or BKK and I am in Isaan between Loei and Udorn. I'll pass your move on to some of the old hands from Patpong.

Good luck. Chuck

Edited June 21, 2013 by chuckd

[Elfin]

I have never met you but I am Big Bill in another forum, so from one to another, good luck to you and Flower!

[NamKangMan]

I have never met you but I am Big Bill in another forum, so from one to another, good luck to you and Flower!

An Elf impostering Big Bill - that's just wrong. :)

[TheWizardofRnR]

Sorry , True online went offline for 6 hours or so, and haven't been able to respond ,frankly I am so surprised at how many views, Thx from Flo& BB

I had on here.Really good to hear from Izzy's pals , for the people who want to argue over Phuket and Pattaya , please

go to those threads ! Thanks to all the well wisher, from Flower and Moi !

As Don wrote earlier ,I was known for my great Burgers on PatPong 1 in BKK and here @ the Paradise Bar ,it was on the beach rd. in Patong ...a legendary bar that sadly the lease ran out a few years back after 30 years!

Cheesburger's in Paradise was my first gourmet burger there in 1988.....so take that Bangkok Burger, long before your claim of the first BBC was a twinkle in their eye ! LoL

Another of my favorite Don Battles stories ,we were sitting many times in the Derby King, telling Don about wanting to return to Phuket to open up a Deli-Diner & BBQ in Phuket. So , I was shocked when a few years later Don opened in Phuket....my dream and Don (who I guess had money) went and did it.....and he was a Engineer not a chef or even a cook( a quote from an ex-wife of his) After I saw my friend get his Chicken Parmigiana (Parmesan cheese but no red sauce or mozerella), I knew that she was right! Yet I heard great reports on his BBQ Ribs !

When we settle hopefully Flower will start making Pickles again and shipping to the Deli Supemarket in Patong ,for those who inquired!

[Hanuman2547]

When I first visited Phuket in 1983 I thought it was fantastic. Slowly through the years I have seen it go downhill. Since 2000 it has been very bad. My last visit was in 2003 and I don't miss it at all. To many problems which Big Bill has already alluded to and I'm sure a few more. As a former writer used to say, I give Phuket a wide berth now. There are many other places I would rather spend my time at. The touts and taxi/tuk-tuk mafias are just a few of the negatives that put off many tourists. It's no wonder that many expats are leaving.

[IrishIvan]

Moving from Phuket to Pattaya haha... Here is me thinking your moving to a place I call real Thailand but no your going to Pattaya.. Pattaya ain't no different than Phuket.. Rip off prices just the same.. You will soon get tired of Pattaya if you think Phuket is expensive to live there

Wrong!!!! They have baht buses in Pattaya.

Have you seen the traffic jams those pesky smokey shytboxes make?? Its impossible to drive there

[simonfish]

Good luck Bill !!

You wont remember me, but we hung out a few times in the Rock Hard and Patrick's in early 90's. Great fun. (still can't forget that girl Pom).

All the best for you.

[PattayaPhom]

Moving from Phuket to Pattaya haha... Here is me thinking your moving to a place I call real Thailand but no your going to Pattaya.. Pattaya ain't no different than Phuket.. Rip off prices just the same.. You will soon get tired of Pattaya if you think Phuket is expensive to live there

"Real Thailand"....most Thais drive a nice car, visit Burger King, Pizza Company and look at their Ipads while eating. If your talking about Huayrat near Krasang then that is simply rural Thailand. Its the 21st century, Thailand has progressed and even Krasang now had a 7/11 and I believe a small Lotus.

[Ping]

Good luck Bill. I have to say that when you opened up your shop, I thought you'd struggle at that particular location, but you certainly tried hard to make it work. As for Phuket, yes, many things have gone downhill, but people seem to forget the old days of open drains everywhere (stench), the mosquito problem (every bar burned mosquito coils), lack of infrastructure (the only department store was Ocean on the circle near Immigration in Phuket Town; international calls were prohibitively expensive and in Patong, could only be made from one or two places where you had to queue) and countless other issues. I would prefer to put up with things as they are here now rather than as they were years ago. There is always something to complain about wherever you go. (But you're leaving here to go to Pattaya???)

Edited June 22, 2013 by Ping

[Valentine]

Hey Bill, all the best for the future wherever you may land. You raise some interesting points about the early days which I fondly remember as well. Someone mentioned Patrick's bar which was a favourite hangout in the wee hours before sunrise if one did not want the noise & bustle of the Soi Sunset bars (where Taipan now resides). On occasion I would wake up at 2 or 3am figuring I wont get back to sleep so would venture out to the Black Rhino where it seemed like a veritable madhouse when sober & had to down a couple of quick tequilas to attain the same level. I will also never forget how a couple of double vodkas would ensure a win for a visiting friend in the titty tequila contest at the Rock Hard.

I know you both have health problems & here's hoping your new choice of lifestyle will be positive for you.

[tirekicker]

Good Luck Bill and hope it all works out for you. I've lived here for 18 year I can fully understand your reasoning for leaving for newer pastures. Every week over the last few years we read about Phuket & Patong and how they are going to fix the countless problems but nothing ever happens and the prices increase to make up for the loss in business caused by the problems.

All the best.

[phuketrichard]

Bill;

best of luck, But, as i have know ya , what over 27 years?? Since u helped me open my Deli in Patong way before anyone else, (Don included) had one on the island (to bad it only lasted 4 months) i seriously doubt ur going to enjoy Pattaya,

Phuket still is the best place i have been in Thailand.

U should have brought ur own tuk tuk and allowed Flower to drive it years ago an saved tons of $$$$

I still don't know why so many locals still harp on the tuk tuk mafia, Who cares??? who uses them ( i have never been in one the whole time i have lived in Phuket) ? we all own motorbikes and cars and only the tourist take tuk tuk and arrivals continue to go up each year.

Everyone keeps saying this or that is killing Phuket but ......

Edited June 22, 2013 by phuketrichard

[grumpyoldman]

Hey Bill, all the best for the future wherever you may land. You raise some interesting points about the early days which I fondly remember as well. Someone mentioned Patrick's bar which was a favourite hangout in the wee hours before sunrise if one did not want the noise & bustle of the Soi Sunset bars (where Taipan now resides). On occasion I would wake up at 2 or 3am figuring I wont get back to sleep so would venture out to the Black Rhino where it seemed like a veritable madhouse when sober & had to down a couple of quick tequilas to attain the same level. I will also never forget how a couple of double vodkas would ensure a win for a visiting friend in the titty tequila contest at the Rock Hard.

I know you both have health problems & here's hoping your new choice of lifestyle will be positive for you.

Do remember you Bill from the Rock Hard days, and as mentioned by Valentine the titty tequila's, good fun back then.

Funny coincidence a friend just came into town who we used to party there at the Rock Hard with, and since he's a country boy (U.S.) we used to go upstairs to Rock Country and party it up with Larry too.

All the best to you and the wife, Bill.

[graeme64]

Best of luck - no idea what you think you will find Pattaya that you wont find here in Phuket IF YOU LEAVE PATONG!

(The below is not aimed at Bill, sorry but just fed up with these comments)

So many .... on here lambasting Phuket, when really you are talking about Soi Bangla and taxi drivers. TIP: Dont go to Soi Bangla and don't get so drunk you can't drive and Phuket still is a great place to live.

If you NEED to go to places like Soi Bangla and NEED to drink yourself stupid every night, I am pleased you dont like Phuket, bugger of and dont come back and we are both happy.

Edited June 22, 2013 by LivinginKata
profanities edited out

[julemanden]

If you're moving to Chiang Mai you are going to love it. Don't know what concrete pastures of the North you are talking about

Anyway I wish you good luck.

Doubt he'd be moving to Chiang Mai with all its smoke/smog as he mentions he's moving for health reasons.

And as for the poster calling Phuket, yet has Pattaya as his location, words fail me

Anyway Bill, good luck with your move, wherever it is that you're heading.

are you for real ? compared to phuket pattaya is paradise on earth, kuckily the most idiotic tourists still seem to flock to the pristine phuket beaches

That's funny most of the idiots I knew have already left for Pattaya

By that you mean your a bigger fool than they are i recon?

[stevehaigh]

i don't get why people who live here complain about high tuk tuk and taxi fares. i've never spent one baht on a taxi here. get a motorbike or car and drive yourself, its easy and cheap.

[hansgruber]

i don't get why people who live here complain about high tuk tuk and taxi fares. i've never spent one baht on a taxi here. get a motorbike or car and drive yourself, its easy and cheap.

So true.

Expats calling for buses and metered taxi probably won't use them anyway.

I haven't and never will.

Thais won't give their cars and bikes to wait at a bus stop anyway.

It will only benefit people who want a cheaper holiday.

[grumpyoldman]

If you NEED to go to places like Soi Bangla and NEED to drink yourself stupid every night, I am pleased you dont like Phuket, bugger of and dont come back and we are both happy.

Way not to mince words Graeme! I like it.

[bangkokheat]

good for both of you, at least you have the balls to move from a place that makes you unhappy rather than whinging and doing nothing about it.

i take it your disabled, if your looking for a wheel chair friendly motorbike i can help you in pattaya

all the best to you both

[KarenBravo]

i don't get why people who live here complain about high tuk tuk and taxi fares. i've never spent one baht on a taxi here. get a motorbike or car and drive yourself, its easy and cheap.

Maybe because we are not all selfish and can actually realise that it would be a benefit for people other than ourselves?

[stevehaigh]

i don't get why people who live here complain about high tuk tuk and taxi fares. i've never spent one baht on a taxi here. get a motorbike or car and drive yourself, its easy and cheap.

Maybe because we are not all selfish and can actually realise that it would be a benefit for people other than ourselves?

i never knew that driving my self around was selfish. you learn something new every day on TV.

[mdotinc]

most of these thai people in phuket are too busy worrying about "right now" that they can't even see "later". Instead of gaining a customer for life, they will choose to charge you as much as possible the first time, because they are greedy.

They don't know that if they continue this behavior, people will stop coming here, and they will have no more tourists to scam and rip off. And it will be their own doing...

anyways...i've talked enough about the officials, lets talk street vendors...

Edited June 22, 2013 by mdotinc

[stiggy]

Best of luck - no idea what you think you will find Pattaya that you wont find here in Phuket IF YOU LEAVE PATONG!

(The below is not aimed at Bill, sorry but just fed up with these comments)

So many .... on here lambasting Phuket, when really you are talking about Soi Bangla and taxi drivers. TIP: Dont go to Soi Bangla and don't get so drunk you can't drive and Phuket still is a great place to live.

If you NEED to go to places like Soi Bangla and NEED to drink yourself stupid every night, I am pleased you dont like Phuket, bugger of and dont come back and we are both happy.

I drive and never venture into Patong unless on business. Phuket has changed ,unfortunately mostly for the worst.Awful traffic, attempted and actual break-ins rife,lots of scammers from the big boys right down to the cheeky ones at 7 that try and keep your stamps :0 Demographic of expat changing dramatically, prices rising etc etc.Its still not a terrible place, but for a lot of long term residents (10 years plus) it's simply to much.

Same can be said for other islands, samui, Phi phi, koh Tao.Some call it progress, I call it unplanned over development.

I cant wait to leave, made even better now by knowing I will make at least one person happy

Good luck Bill,hope you recapture some of the excitement you had when first moving to Phuket, at your new destination.

[charleco]

Big Bill so long,

Had a very good time in the hard rock with you as the host ,good luck for you and your family.

I can't blaime you for leaving Phuket ,its changed to much.

Take care buddy .

[JeezeLooeze]

17 continuous years in Thailand based in BKK. Used to go to Phuket (Patong) and Koh Chang on a regular basis in the early years and still remember the dirt road along Ao Nang Beach, Krabi. Pattaya haven't been to in over 10 years and that was because of work. All these places I avoid now for the reasons Bill has stated (just realized it way before him?) but will reconsider if I'm in and out of the confines of a resort and don't have to venture outside deal with the riff-raff rip-offs. I've discovered fresher places to holiday where Thais still retain their beautiful smiles.

Edited June 22, 2013 by JeezeLooeze

[kevvy]

So long Bill and good luck. Getting around affordably is such a problem here. I can't say I blame you. If your still here July 6th and 7th, I hope you can make it to the US independence day event at the airpark so everyone at the Navy League can say goodbye. I know you were a supporter in the past.

this post isa about big bill , not about 4th of july celebrations .

[kevvy]

good luck bill, i hope you find your enjoyment up north . cheers mate .

[KarenBravo]

i don't get why people who live here complain about high tuk tuk and taxi fares. i've never spent one baht on a taxi here. get a motorbike or car and drive yourself, its easy and cheap.

Maybe because we are not all selfish and can actually realise that it would be a benefit for people other than ourselves?

i never knew that driving my self around was selfish. you learn something new every day on TV.

You're being obtuse.

What I meant was that just because I don't and never will use public transport, that doesn't mean I can't recognize that a cheap public transport system with fair prices might benefit people less fortunate than myself.

Your attitude is selfish.

Geddit now?

Edited June 22, 2013 by KarenBravo

[Rorri]

Almost brought a tear, to my eyes, but I understand how you feel, I made the move, away from Phuket, February this year, moved to Mukdahan. My life feels so much better, safer and quieter, I do not miss "corruption" Island, mmm except I do have this strange craving for a Burger. 555