Life in Kathu

[NamKangMan]

@ stevenl

When is the last time you enquired about the price from a driver, or better still, asked a tourist what they paid?

[NamKangMan]

This topic is about life in Kathu.

Sent from my D90W using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Yes, and the transport problems of the island need to be well understood by anyone thinking to move here as much as any other issue. Based on his comments the OP was expecting it to be something like all the other parts of Thailand which have affordable, reliable transport systems.

Taken from the OP:

"I have considered moving to Kathu since the pricing on accommodations there seems very reasonable."

The OP has stated he is aware of the transport situation here, but I agree with you NJ, it appears he is unaware just how bad it is, hence my comments that whilst you may be paying cheap rent somewhere on the island, if you do not ride/drive whilst intoxicated, it's possible that any savings in rent, will be lost in transport, or in fact, make where you live even more expensive for you.

[britpop]

I now live in kathu, i lived in patong 10 years and all i can say is i should have moved here years ago,

Interesting. What specifically makes kathu such a good place to live?

Lets turn that on it's head and say "what makes patong such a bad place to live", to me there's no comparison between the two, i still have property in patong and our business, i cringe every time i go near the place, so quite rightly i got out of patong, the most important difference i noticed were the people, how a hill and 5 km make all the difference, please Mr Dueleck, i'd be interested in your views on Patong and Kathu and what is your main priority for a contented life, is it people, location??????.

Well i haven't seen much of either place. But what i need is a quiet place. By although it has to bee quiet i want the option to go out and have a drink every once in a while (which is not often, maybe 2-3 times a month). Yeas meeting nice people is very important for me. And want a somewhat "normal" traffic, tired of having to use 10 minutes to wait for an opportunity to cross the road.

Seems as though you are looking for exactly the same as i was looking for, a great little drinking place is the "caddyshack", a great bunch of guys drink there, expats, professional, teachers, local DJ's off the radio, business guys, they welcome families, they have some great parties or you can just have a quiet drink and a chat, a lad called Keith runs it, always greets ever customer in person, The food is excellent, all prepared fresh, the sunday lunches have a great reputation, a proper local pub !!!!!!, regarding local shops, tesco's, supercheap, a market, petrol stations, 7/11's, coffee shops, all on your door step, traffic like everywhere on phuket busy at times, but nowhere near the mayhem of patong, so for me it's perfect

[NamKangMan]

I now live in kathu, i lived in patong 10 years and all i can say is i should have moved here years ago,

Interesting. What specifically makes kathu such a good place to live?

Lets turn that on it's head and say "what makes patong such a bad place to live", to me there's no comparison between the two, i still have property in patong and our business, i cringe every time i go near the place, so quite rightly i got out of patong, the most important difference i noticed were the people, how a hill and 5 km make all the difference, please Mr Dueleck, i'd be interested in your views on Patong and Kathu and what is your main priority for a contented life, is it people, location??????.

Who changed more in 10 years - you, or Patong?

[Peterocket]

It's cheaper because it's not near the beaches. Much of the staff from Patongs tourism sector lives there. It's no more The road between Patong and Kathu is steep, twisty, and treacherous. Many accidents occur there. There is no more criminal element than other parts of Phuket. It's too far from the beaches for me but I have a lot of friends that live in that area and they seem to like it.

BTW, Patong is Kathu district but the area east of the Patong hills but before you reach town is referred to as Kathu, so don't get confused when you try to find the Kathu police station then learn it's in Patong.

Is there any alternatives to transportation from Kathu to Patong then? Because i only have a bike. Like Sonthaew or something. And does anyone have an idea about approximately how much it cost to take taxi from Kathu to Patong?

No songtheaws here.

Ummm...there are loads of song-thaew here:

Main destinations include Patong, Chalong, Kamala, Kata, Karon, Makham Bay, Nai Harn, Nai Yang, Rawai, Surin and Thalang. Buses leave approximately every 30mins, although this may vary considerably. Drivers tend to wait until they have enough passengers to make the trip worthwhile. Fares start at 15 baht. Song-thaews run from 6am to 6pm, seven days a week.

In Patong, the best place to flag one down is near the Tourist Police Box on Patong Beach road (Thaweewong rd.), at the end of Bangla road. At the southern end of Patong, another popular place to catch a songthaew is opposite the Patong Merlin hotel, at the end of Prachnukhro road. A trip between Patong and Phuket City should cost around 15-20 baht

[Dualeck]

does the 1 or 2 times a month you will go out in Patong negate any savings you have made living in Kathu because there is cheaper accommodation there?

Did you simply miss the fact that i have written, several times, that i don't WANT to live in Patong? It's not only about the pricing difference on accommodations, i don't want the stress and noice that follows daily life in Patong, as many other people who wants to live on the Island for an extended period. But like many others i want to have the opportunity to once in a while visit the Patong nightlife. Are you saying that experiencing the nightlife of Patong is exclusively for the people living in Patong?

[NamKangMan]

@ Peterocket

They are not like the baht buses in Pattaya. Your post could be quite misleading for a newbie to Phuket.

Edited November 12, 2013 by NamKangMan

[Dualeck]

Ummm...there are loads of song-thaew here:

Main destinations include Patong, Chalong, Kamala, Kata, Karon, Makham Bay, Nai Harn, Nai Yang, Rawai, Surin and Thalang. Buses leave approximately every 30mins, although this may vary considerably. Drivers tend to wait until they have enough passengers to make the trip worthwhile. Fares start at 15 baht. Song-thaews run from 6am to 6pm, seven days a week.

In Patong, the best place to flag one down is near the Tourist Police Box on Patong Beach road (Thaweewong rd.), at the end of Bangla road. At the southern end of Patong, another popular place to catch a songthaew is opposite the Patong Merlin hotel, at the end of Prachnukhro road. A trip between Patong and Phuket City should cost around 15-20 baht

I think he is referring to song-thaew in Kathu. Saying there is no song-thaews passing Kathu.

[Peterocket]

Ummm...there are loads of song-thaew here:

Main destinations include Patong, Chalong, Kamala, Kata, Karon, Makham Bay, Nai Harn, Nai Yang, Rawai, Surin and Thalang. Buses leave approximately every 30mins, although this may vary considerably. Drivers tend to wait until they have enough passengers to make the trip worthwhile. Fares start at 15 baht. Song-thaews run from 6am to 6pm, seven days a week.

In Patong, the best place to flag one down is near the Tourist Police Box on Patong Beach road (Thaweewong rd.), at the end of Bangla road. At the southern end of Patong, another popular place to catch a songthaew is opposite the Patong Merlin hotel, at the end of Prachnukhro road. A trip between Patong and Phuket City should cost around 15-20 baht

I think he is referring to song-thaew in Kathu. Saying there is no song-thaews passing Kathu.

The songthaew does go to Kathu District...not sure exactly where the route is though.

[NamKangMan]

does the 1 or 2 times a month you will go out in Patong negate any savings you have made living in Kathu because there is cheaper accommodation there?

Did you simply miss the fact that i have written, several times, that i don't WANT to live in Patong? It's not only about the pricing difference on accommodations, i don't want the stress and noice that follows daily life in Patong, as many other people who wants to live on the Island for an extended period. But like many others i want to have the opportunity to once in a while visit the Patong nightlife. Are you saying that experiencing the nightlife of Patong is exclusively for the people living in Patong?

I am not only talking about Patong - it could be ANYWHERE you chose to live on the island.

I doesn't matter where you live on Phuket, you will encounter the same real estate and transport princples that have been mentioned.

"It's not only about the pricing difference on accommodations" - if that's the case, why is most of your OP a request for information based on "costs?"

Eg:

"I have considered moving to Kathu since the pricing on accommodations there seems very reasonable."

"But is it cheap to live in Kathu for any specific reason?"

"And does anyone know a rough estimate about the pricing of tuk tuk/taxi between Patong and Kathu?"

These questions have been answered for you, and the cost of transport from Kathu is one of the reasons.

I am not saying Patong nightlife is for Patong residents only. I am saying, depending on where you live, including Kathu, that you will pay a very high price for transport to the Patong nightlife for your 2 to 3 nights out a month. In many cases, you will pay more for transport than the cost of food and drink for your night out.

So, if you chose to live in a quiet little part of Phuket, to avoid the "stress and noise" and pay around 10,000 baht a month rent, you should be prepared to possibly pay 500 baht to Patong, and 800 baht to get back home from your night out.

Do that 3 times a month and that's the equivilant of 40% of your monthly rent spent on just transport to, and from Patong, for only 3 nights out a month, and you haven't even have a meal, or a drink, on your night out yet.

I have told you what I do when having a night out in Kata. Some of my friends do the same. It may be an option for you. It's certainly cheaper.

Many expats, including most locals, chose another way around the transport problem here and ride whilst under the influence. I don't recommend it, but it's your choice.

That's all I am trying to point out.

Get it????

Edited November 12, 2013 by NamKangMan

[Dualeck]

"It's not only about the pricing difference on accommodations" - if that's the case, why is most of your OP a request for information based on "costs?"

Eg:

"

Either you have a very slow mind or you just want to argue. And if so i want to politely ask you to please don't ruin the thread. I have never said that money is not a problem or an issue and that i don't care about costs and money. What i am saying is that money is not the main reason for why i don't want to live in Patong. I ask you to please start to understand this (at least try), as it gets very difficult for me trying to have a discussion with you if you can't comprehend that.

Edited November 12, 2013 by Dualeck

[stevenl]

His purpose in his Thai Visa life is to make every thread about his own personal issues with Phuket transport. Unfortunately that leads to repeating the same mantra over and over again, and leading every thread he is active in in the exact same direction.

[nedkellylives]

I do not think the majority of posters care what the prices of transport or anything else is in Pattaya

Only alcoholics need to keep drinking to they are over the legal limit, and the majority of posters are not alcohics

and know there limits when driving, 1 small beer a hour keeps you legal when driving, 2 beers a hour will put you over

the legal limit very quickly, you do not need to be drunk to enjoy other peoples company, but you do if you talk a load

rubbish which other drunks do not beleive anyway

[LivinginKata]

Ummm...there are loads of song-thaew here:

Main destinations include Patong, Chalong, Kamala, Kata, Karon, Makham Bay, Nai Harn, Nai Yang, Rawai, Surin and Thalang. Buses leave approximately every 30mins, although this may vary considerably. Drivers tend to wait until they have enough passengers to make the trip worthwhile. Fares start at 15 baht. Song-thaews run from 6am to 6pm, seven days a week.

In Patong, the best place to flag one down is near the Tourist Police Box on Patong Beach road (Thaweewong rd.), at the end of Bangla road. At the southern end of Patong, another popular place to catch a songthaew is opposite the Patong Merlin hotel, at the end of Prachnukhro road. A trip between Patong and Phuket City should cost around 15-20 baht

I think he is referring to song-thaew in Kathu. Saying there is no song-thaews passing Kathu.

The songthaew does go to Kathu District...not sure exactly where the route is though.

More like an old fashioned bus rather than a songthaew. Some tourists refer to them as cattle trucks. The route from Patong beach to Phuket Town runs through Kathu, down to the Caltex gas station and turns right at the traffic light. Runs on a schedule every 30 minutes. Fare to Phuket is 35 baht, this is much the same fare Patong/Kathu. Big problem is the service stops about 18.00

[Peterocket]

Ummm...there are loads of song-thaew here:

Main destinations include Patong, Chalong, Kamala, Kata, Karon, Makham Bay, Nai Harn, Nai Yang, Rawai, Surin and Thalang. Buses leave approximately every 30mins, although this may vary considerably. Drivers tend to wait until they have enough passengers to make the trip worthwhile. Fares start at 15 baht. Song-thaews run from 6am to 6pm, seven days a week.

In Patong, the best place to flag one down is near the Tourist Police Box on Patong Beach road (Thaweewong rd.), at the end of Bangla road. At the southern end of Patong, another popular place to catch a songthaew is opposite the Patong Merlin hotel, at the end of Prachnukhro road. A trip between Patong and Phuket City should cost around 15-20 baht

I think he is referring to song-thaew in Kathu. Saying there is no song-thaews passing Kathu.

The songthaew does go to Kathu District...not sure exactly where the route is though.

More like an old fashioned bus rather than a songthaew. Some tourists refer to them as cattle trucks. The route from Patong beach to Phuket Town runs through Kathu, down to the Caltex gas station and turns right at the traffic light. Runs on a schedule every 30 minutes. Fare to Phuket is 35 baht, this is much the same fare Patong/Kathu. Big problem is the service stops about 18.00

So there is a regular cheap public bus that runs throughout the day.

At night it would be necessary to use a taxi or personal motorbike.

As per your original post.

[NamKangMan]

"It's not only about the pricing difference on accommodations" - if that's the case, why is most of your OP a request for information based on "costs?"

Eg:

"

Either you have a very slow mind or you just want to argue. And if so i want to politely ask you to please don't ruin the thread. I have never said that money is not a problem or an issue and that i don't care about costs and money. What i am saying is that money is not the main reason for why i don't want to live in Patong. I ask you to please start to understand this (at least try), as it gets very difficult for me trying to have a discussion with you if you can't comprehend that.

"Either you have a very slow mind or you just want to argue." - neither, actually.

Anyway, I wish you good luck selling time share. :)

[NamKangMan]

His purpose in his Thai Visa life is to make every thread about his own personal issues with Phuket transport. Unfortunately that leads to repeating the same mantra over and over again, and leading every thread he is active in in the exact same direction.

Wrong.

This, from the OP:

"And does anyone know a rough estimate about the pricing of tuk tuk/taxi between Patong and Kathu?"

It would seem logical that the OP would be informed of the transport situation here, given he directly asked for prices, under the mistaken belief he could "negotiate."

[Dualeck]

Anyway, I wish you good luck selling time share.

Eeeh what the hell? Timeshare??

And how childish are you?

[NamKangMan]

Anyway, I wish you good luck selling time share.

Eeeh what the hell? Timeshare??

And how childish are you?

Well, if you don't know about time share on Phuket - who has the "slow mind?"

Edited November 12, 2013 by NamKangMan

[Dualeck]

Anyway, I wish you good luck selling time share.

Eeeh what the hell? Timeshare??

And how childish are you?

Well, if you don't know about time share on Phuket - who has the "slow mind?"

Well i don't see how that is related to me. Anyway, i asked you politely to stop messing up the thread.

Edited November 12, 2013 by Dualeck

[Dualeck]

It would seem logical that the OP would be informed of the transport situation here, given he directly asked for prices, under the mistaken belief he could "negotiate."

I really don't see the problem in wanting to have a rough estimate of the normal pricing in the back of my mind when asking drivers for prices regarding transportation to a specific area. I would in fact regard it as an advantage.

Edited November 12, 2013 by Dualeck

[NamKangMan]

It would seem logical that the OP would be informed of the transport situation here, given he directly asked for prices, under the mistaken belief he could "negotiate."

I really don't see the problem in wanting to have a rough estimate of the normal pricing in the back of my mind when asking drivers for prices regarding transportation to a specific area. I would in fact regard it as an advantage.

The problem is, the "rough estimate" is whatever they collude to charge you. You have stated that you know how f**ked up the transport situation here is, but in reality, it's beyond a rip off, it's extortion, and you will pay what they demand, or walk - sadly, it really is as simple as that.

Public transport is an essential service, like electric, medical and education, and on Phuket, the mafia have been allowed to control it, and for quite some time. Due to the new demographic of tourists coming to Phuket (package holiday makers on coach buses) I expect transport prices to rise, and keep rising.

It makes it financially tempting to ride under the influence here, but I advise against it.

So, a scenario is, and it happens a lot, it's 2am, in Patong, you are half drunk, and it's starting to rain - you can ask the price, but when they all say "1000 baht Kathu" - what are you going to do? This is a serious question.

I know you do not want to live in Patong - I accept your reasons for not doing so. I'm not suggesting you live in Patong.

I was pointing out what a few other members also pointed out, and that is, the further away from the beach, shopping and nightlife, the quieter area and the cheaper the accommodation, but the question of transport costs then arises.

Tourist get caught by this all the time. They go for a cheaper guest house or hotel, away from the main attractions of Phuket, and then end up paying more to get around, than their accommodation for their holiday.

I have suggested you ride to Patong, check-in to a 500 baht per night room (low season price) walking distance to the nightlife, go out and have a good time, sober up in the morning and ride home. As crazy as this seems, you can live in affordable and quiet Kathu, and pay only 1500 baht for your 3 big nights out a month.

[Dualeck]

I have suggested you ride to Patong, check-in to a 500 baht per night room (low season price) walking distance to the nightlife, go out and have a good time, sober up in the morning and ride home. As crazy as this seems, you can live in affordable and quiet Kathu, and pay only 1500 baht for your 3 big nights out a month.

Oh my god this is like the third time you write the same thing. And that also goes for the rest of your post. I get it, you have pointed these things out several times now over a short time. It's all in writing here, people can see what you have written earlier and you don't have to keep on repeating yourself.

[NamKangMan]

I have suggested you ride to Patong, check-in to a 500 baht per night room (low season price) walking distance to the nightlife, go out and have a good time, sober up in the morning and ride home. As crazy as this seems, you can live in affordable and quiet Kathu, and pay only 1500 baht for your 3 big nights out a month.

Oh my god this is like the third time you write the same thing. And that also goes for the rest of your post. I get it, you have pointed these things out several times now over a short time. It's all in writing here, people can see what you have written earlier and you don't have to keep on repeating yourself.

Life in Kathu is good my friend. Enjoy. :)

[Dualeck]

Life in Kathu is good my friend. Enjoy.

Well I haven't decided yet. And believe it or not, transportation is not the only thing important for me

[jimihendrix]

I dont think anyone has mentioned the BANG WAD DAM (a local haven for bicycling and running with a 5km paved jungle circle around the water).

[Dualeck]

I dont think anyone has mentioned the BANG WAD DAM (a local haven for bicycling and running with a 5km paved jungle circle around the water).

This actually a major plus. I love jogging and has actually been actively searching for a decent place to jog her in Phuket.

Edited November 12, 2013 by Dualeck

[NamKangMan]

I dont think anyone has mentioned the BANG WAD DAM (a local haven for bicycling and running with a 5km paved jungle circle around the water).

This actually a major plus. I love jogging and has actually been actively searching for a decent place to jog her in Phuket.

Maybe you would be interested in joining this club.

http://www.phuket-hhh.com/index.html

[Dualeck]

Maybe you would be interested in joining this club.

http://www.phuket-hhh.com/index.html

Nice. I will seriously consider that.

[huahinjoe]

Bang Wad Dam you can bite wild air so great and the golf courses looking nice, if u go the way to Ko Kaew is nice trip too

OP just need a scooter and can have a nice stay in Kathu for sure, piece of piss to reach anything (beach, shopping,town) in 10minutes..