Bars/HappyHours....New, New Lows......

[KhonKaenKowboy]

It just keeps getting worse and worse.  Yesterday, I had a dental appointment and came into the old city.  Good appointment near Chiang Mai Gate.  Still had a few thousand THB in my pocket, and decided 7 or 8 beers might hit the spot.  Did an up and down LK, even looked at a few sois...I've seen funerals (not even Irish) that were a lot more upbeat and inviting.  Nothing anywhere near tempting...the girls seem to have gotten older, shorter, and fatter.  I'm not real difficult to please...would have been content with a few cold Tigers or Heinekens...lack of craft beer is never one of my complaints.  Moon Mueang; no better.  Was going to go to John's with my 20% off card and do a few, just for the sake of doing it, but just couldn't bring myself to it.  A couple of bald guys at the bar drinking Chang on ice....mai kharp.  Took a red to KSK, did a nice cone yai at DQ and contemplated my next move.  An easy walk from there to Santitham....maybe some promos back in there...but just really tired of having to practically fight them for a cold one, or getting one from that has been around since the Songkran glut.  Decided to stop at Dayli, a favorite for 10 years, and on my wAy home.  That 10 THB fruit cart on the way lives on and that lady is really nice, and runs what easily could be the best fruit cart in the North.  Went into Dayli....a few groups of Thais in there...would have been OK...no promos, but 65 THB for a large Leo.  It just seemed unappealing.  Maybe the early onset of nasty air has gotten to me, but the 67 THB Heinekens in my fridge seemed a lot more interesting.  Strolled around Nimman for thirty minutes or so....can't think of seeing an entertainment area deteriorate so much, so fast in my lifetime.  The Africans taking over my grandparents neighborhood in Miami comes to mind, but that actually took five years+.  It also appears that they are boosting the prices and eliminating promos for these next few weeks, as it may be the only period that they can get away with it.  Restaurant scene was just as bad..a huge oversupply of overpriced Thai restaurants, mostly empty, waiting for the legendary stupid tourists that will pay 170 for Tom Yum, etc.. I think the street food would be safer simply because you know it is at least moving.  The large majority of those places are no where near sustainable at the high rents they are paying.  There is finally a trash can on Nimman with the opening of Mcdonalds, so that is about the only good news.  When will it finally hit bottom?  Can they not read the writing on the wall?  If I went to Bangkok and saw such a pathetic scene; I would change hotels/neighborhoods at the leasst, and possibly buy a ticket out of there on the next day...but as good as Chiang Mai has been over the years...I don't think you would ever see any neighborhood in BKK so dismally lacking in places to simply enjoy a few cold ones.

[evenstevens]

another  narrow minded  bitching thread started  on C/mai,s ,  so to be, downfalls etc etc

wished they  would shoot through to, where they belong, out in the tree.s with the other Galahs who have nuffin  more then to  bitch about, a great retirement  province,which C/mai is  when ALL factors are weighed in

get a new life , out in the tree,s ,if not happy, with the present situation, it would be a blessing for  most, normal easy going expats, and local Thais  who reside in C/MAI

a lovely afternoon to all

[KhonKaenKowboy]

ES, since it appears you have added ebonics to your Ozzy white trash dialect; you should be able to call the kettle black.....suburbs are certainly looking better than before, but that does nothing  for the third world soi dog problem and the horrendous driving to get there.  But, you sure wouldn't be missing much worthwhile in CM.

[amexpat]

Progress!  ES is now just banishing people out to the trees rather than insisting they return to their home county.

[NancyL]

Personally, I rather enjoy reading KKK's little essays about his quests to find someplace, anyplace to enjoy just the right combination of cheap, ice cold beer served by attractive lasses with pleasant personalities.  And, of course, he's hasn't found that holy grail yet, has he?  

 

He's just the target-market the guys behind the "Retire in Thailand on $1000 a month" businesses had in mind as they were slapping together their websites, liberally larded with photos of smiling young Thai women in traditional dress, looking eager to establish relationships with pot-bellied retirees with nothing more than a monthly pension to their name (or so the pensioners would like to think.)

 

Sadly, as he's learning, his demographic is "so 2010".  First it was the wave of Chinese tourists, propelled by the success of the 2012 film "Lost in Thailand" that started to push out his group.  Suddenly all the young Thai women were learning Chinese, not English in order to succeed in the tourism industry.  Then the 2014 coup came along and cleaned out many of the $1000 a month pensioners living the high life between border runs.  Now Chiang Mai's choking traffic, urban sprawl, lack of investment in infrastructure and burning season of ever-increasing length is continuing to make the place even less welcoming.

[worgeordie]

I think KKK needs to get a hobby,or maybe another one I should say,

as his greatest interest in life seems to be the amber liquid.as that

seems to be the only thing he posts about,finding it cheap,looking

for it ice cold,what a life.

regards Worgeordie
 

[KhonKaenKowboy]

28 minutes ago, NancyL said:

Personally, I rather enjoy reading KKK's little essays about his quests to find someplace, anyplace to enjoy just the right combination of cheap, ice cold beer served by attractive lasses with pleasant personalities.  And, of course, he's hasn't found that holy grail yet, has he?  

 

He's just the target-market the guys behind the "Retire in Thailand on $1000 a month" businesses had in mind as they were slapping together their websites, liberally larded with photos of smiling young Thai women in traditional dress, looking eager to establish relationships with pot-bellied retirees with nothing more than a monthly pension to their name (or so the pensioners would like to think.)

 

Sadly, as he's learning, his demographic is "so 2010".  First it was the wave of Chinese tourists, propelled by the success of the 2012 film "Lost in Thailand" that started to push out his group.  Suddenly all the young Thai women were learning Chinese, not English in order to succeed in the tourism industry.  Then the 2014 coup came along and cleaned out many of the $1000 a month pensioners living the high life between border runs.  Now Chiang Mai's choking traffic, urban sprawl, lack of investment in infrastructure and burning season of ever-increasing length is continuing to make the place even less welcoming.

Actually, 2 hour outcall by UDRU co-eds might be the best value north of Phatum Thani....but as far as the cold beer...there are no guarantees of getting a cold one and a clean glass at places charging triple, so that is even more reason to avoid.  Nancy, quit pretending...you've already stated you were from Detroit...that says a lot.  You know damn well you can live here on 1000 per month...but yeah, still not enough if you fit the CEC demographic of over 70, diabetic, obese, can't eat Thai food...but then again those people are much more suitable investment scheme candidates....maybe they can even get in a photo op, or something.

[kalbo123]

Think he is right on a lot of points, thing to do here is find a bunch of friends and make a nice evening out yourself, then the warm beers and the lousy bars don"t matter anymore.

Going out alone in Chiang Mai is kind of sad..

[amexpat]

24 minutes ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

 Nancy, quit pretending...you've already stated you were from Detroit...that says a lot.

 

Such as?  It doesn't say anything to me. 

[KhonKaenKowboy]

14 minutes ago, kalbo123 said:

Think he is right on a lot of points, thing to do here is find a bunch of friends and make a nice evening out yourself, then the warm beers and the lousy bars don"t matter anymore.

Going out alone in Chiang Mai is kind of sad..

That's a great point and CM userd to be a great place to go out alone, and it seemed like you were treated a lot better than the Brits and/or eurotrash, who only travel in packs.  Notice I still complemented the fruit car on Similar lantana in..still only 10 THB..and the DQ lives on.  Very pleased with the dental work, too.  So it's not all bad, and if it simply took money to fix stupid; Washington dc would have the best public schools on the planet because they spend the most per student, but unfortunately, they have the worst schools on the planet.  Anyhoo...I bought a case of Heineken yai at tesco...born on 11-11-2016 for 799 THB....mugs in the freezer, beer in the frig..  Going to watch my uni play north Dakota state uni on Saturday morning ESPN in football.  We've got some very fast Africans.  My pop slipped me 500 USD for Christmas so I really do want to party..bars girls..even bar-girls...It's up to them really.

[KhonKaenKowboy]

And as far as LK....there is a new website out that will be coming to CM in the next few months, and it ain't uber.  Already doing a booming trade as people arecsick and tired of ripoff ladydrinks, bar fines, cop raids and other distasteful events.  If some like me, who likes to drink, would use it instead of LK, then that is bad news for the beer bar business, as many punters don't mx drinking with sdegra..er I mean pleasure.  Not the nail in the coffin, cause LK  is already dead...., but perhaps a wakeup call for anyplace that attracts customers based on the pretties and not their putrid/warm beer.  Anyone know which site I am writing about?

[Johpa]

Perhaps you just need to come up to the mountains for a few cold ones. Plenty of eye candy up there as well at this time of year.


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[KhonKaenKowboy]

2 minutes ago, Johpa said:

Perhaps you just need to come up to the mountains for a few cold ones. Plenty of eye candy up there as well at this time of year.


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

Yes, been meaning to get away...been busy with visa renewal and a loot can now/clown, but might be a good time to bail.  Might be interesting to see if they ruined the fun in Phayao..there were some really fun nightclubs there...bring in your own bottle for 50 THB....open til 4 or 5...going down to Sukothai next month and looking forward to that.  I think Chiang rai is more dead than here and they may have suffered the most from the Thai shoot yourselves in the feet business strategy.  Lampang was a great trip, but I am wondering about the air there...still found two recent bars and a lady gave me a lift home and another one has been after me to find her an american husband.

[cmtg1]

another one trick pony who only moans and groans and manages to weave (sigh) beer into all of her postings and all of her different names


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[balo]

6 hours ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

Nothing anywhere near tempting...the girls seem to have gotten older, shorter, and fatter.

 

You live in the wrong city mate , Pattaya should provide you with what you're looking for : very cute girls ,  entertainment , drama and a bit of bar fighting mixed with some ladyboy attacks. And you can watch it all from a bar stool every night.   Forget Chiang Mai 

 

[NancyL]

I'm going to self-edit.  I'm just not in the right frame of mind right now to respond.

 

[KhonKaenKowboy]

1 hour ago, NancyL said:

I'm going to self-edit.  I'm just not in the right frame of mind right now to respond.

 

What's the matter Nancy, did you drink the lion's share of boxed fruit juice?  Was it a good month?

[orang37]

What's a predator to do when he can't afford fresh livestock ?

 

~0:37;

[KhonKaenKowboy]

37 minutes ago, orang37 said:

What's a predator to do when he can't afford fresh livestock ?

 

~0:37;

I need an 18 yo gf like I need a management job at McDonalds.  Likely would struggle with the cold beer concept, too.  Would probably make her parents happy to get rid of her.

[Scott]

An off-topic post has been removed.  

 

[cyberfarang]

53 minutes ago, KhonKaenKowboy said:

I need an 18 yo gf like I need a management job at McDonalds.  Likely would struggle with the cold beer concept, too.  Would probably make her parents happy to get rid of her.

You asked in your OP; when will it hit rock bottom? Well have I got news for you, it all ready has hit rock bottom, it definitely could not get any worse. You`ve heard of cheap and nasty, this has become expensive and nasty.

 

LK is all ready completely dead, I wrote that off long ago and as for the rest, there is certainly nothing to write home about. Someone mentioned it`s not much fun going out alone in CM, but even if I were with a whole bunch of people, I still would not know where to find any action in the town, even worse outside the town. I suppose we could always talk about the weather or have another Donald Trump debate just to make our night out seem more interesting.

[Sandy Freckle]

...., as sad as a vegan Christmas..., and as lonely as a bastard on fathers day.

[SooKee]

6 hours ago, cyberfarang said:

You asked in your OP; when will it hit rock bottom? Well have I got news for you, it all ready has hit rock bottom, it definitely could not get any worse. You`ve heard of cheap and nasty, this has become expensive and nasty.

 

LK is all ready completely dead, I wrote that off long ago and as for the rest, there is certainly nothing to write home about. Someone mentioned it`s not much fun going out alone in CM, but even if I were with a whole bunch of people, I still would not know where to find any action in the town, even worse outside the town. I suppose we could always talk about the weather or have another Donald Trump debate just to make our night out seem more interesting.

 

Yah, expensive, lack of variety, lack of LIFE!!, virtually nowhere with any kind of quality feel to it, nothing with a view, nothing with a good vibe or good music, squat.  Comes to something when you start to think that one of the most promising places is the Hangout at Hangdong.  Not that it's bad, but when it's one of the stars of the nightlife there's a problem somewhere.  Thinking back, when I've gone out over the last year here I've not so much enjoyed it, just made the best of a bad job, enjoyed it as much as possible.  Even then, several times I've thought why did I bother even going out.  Fine I guess if you just wanna go out sit down and drink a few beers and be content with whatever there is (or isn't).

 

Operation GTFO T-29 days and counting :)

[daoyai]

The party at El Patio last night was great, live music, everyone dancing spilled out onto the street...

[hml367]

17 hours ago, NancyL said:

Personally, I rather enjoy reading KKK's little essays about his quests to find someplace, anyplace to enjoy just the right combination of cheap, ice cold beer served by attractive lasses with pleasant personalities.  And, of course, he's hasn't found that holy grail yet, has he?  

 

He's just the target-market the guys behind the "Retire in Thailand on $1000 a month" businesses had in mind as they were slapping together their websites, liberally larded with photos of smiling young Thai women in traditional dress, looking eager to establish relationships with pot-bellied retirees with nothing more than a monthly pension to their name (or so the pensioners would like to think.)

 

Sadly, as he's learning, his demographic is "so 2010".  First it was the wave of Chinese tourists, propelled by the success of the 2012 film "Lost in Thailand" that started to push out his group.  Suddenly all the young Thai women were learning Chinese, not English in order to succeed in the tourism industry.  Then the 2014 coup came along and cleaned out many of the $1000 a month pensioners living the high life between border runs.  Now Chiang Mai's choking traffic, urban sprawl, lack of investment in infrastructure and burning season of ever-increasing length is continuing to make the place even less welcoming.

 

 

A partial quote from a comment under a YouTube video of NancyL and her husband in relation to retiring in Thailand: "Once you've settled into your new life in Thailand, there are some important matters to consider. Here Nancy Lindley, Coordinator of Lannna Care Net in Chiang Mai, and her husband, Roger, talk about how to retirees can prepare for their later years in Thailand.
Stop wondering about money for retirement. You can live happily, comfortably, and easefully on $1200 per month."

 

So at least Nancy seemed to be supporting a 20% higher amount to live on. 

[Trujillo]

The OP was initially talking about how things have gone downhill rapidly in the areas with bars and female staff. 

Why do some people assume the OP spends all his time moaning about drinking places and drinking? And what if did? Who cares?

Or would you rather he spend more time studying the Bible while knitting a Santa sweater? I know I would -- SANTA AKBAR!

 

For me? I never go to those places in the evening because I don't want to drive home faced (not because of the actual driving, but of the potential for hitting a police check ... and general laziness). 

If, however, the places along LK were nicer, better staffed (if I want a beer with someone who looks like the old bird selling noodles from the corner stall, well, I'd go have a beer with the old bird selling noodles from the corner stall), better music, (price doesn't really figure as I am not on the retire on the skin-of-your-teeth program) I'd probably start checking out the scene. 

But the current feedback loop at LK makes improvements almost mute. 

 

By the way, Bison always destroy Jackrabbits....

 

 

 

[KhonKaenKowboy]

22 minutes ago, Trujillo said:

The OP was initially talking about how things have gone downhill rapidly in the areas with bars and female staff. 

Why do some people assume the OP spends all his time moaning about drinking places and drinking? And what if did? Who cares?

Or would you rather he spend more time studying the Bible while knitting a Santa sweater? I know I would -- SANTA AKBAR!

 

For me? I never go to those places in the evening because I don't want to drive home faced (not because of the actual driving, but of the potential for hitting a police check ... and general laziness). 

If, however, the places along LK were nicer, better staffed (if I want a beer with someone who looks like the old bird selling noodles from the corner stall, well, I'd go have a beer with the old bird selling noodles from the corner stall), better music, (price doesn't really figure as I am not on the retire on the skin-of-your-teeth program) I'd probably start checking out the scene. 

But the current feedback loop at LK makes improvements almost mute. 

 

By the way, Bison always destroy Jackrabbits....

 

 

 

Exactly...but the Jackrabbits got them in the regular season....the Bulldogs are tough this year...and likely glad to be in the heated dome as opposed to a cold, windy valley.

[lkn]

59 minutes ago, Trujillo said:

But the current feedback loop at LK makes improvements almost mute. 

 

Isn’t the “problem” with LK that it is frequented by old men on a budget (like our OP) who expect the girls to put out?

 

The young Thai girls that the OP seek just don’t want to work in such an environment when better options are available, and who can blame them?

 

[KhonKaenKowboy]

1 minute ago, lkn said:

 

Isn’t the “problem” with LK that it is frequented by old men on a budget (like our OP) who expect the girls to put out?

 

The young Thai girls that the OP seek just don’t want to work in such an environment when better options are available, and who can blame them?

 

You didn't comprehend very well, if you actually read through.  I made it clear I wasn't looking for an 18 yo virgin (there aren't any).  If there was a place that looked anywhere near inviting, even if they looked like "the older bird selling noodles" I still would have done a few beers.  Dark, dirty, expensive, empty, unfriendly.......price is only part of it..and notice I did find large Leo in Nimman for 65....still an avoid.  And did I mention they have trouble with cold beer?  And no place to smoke my 1000 THB pack of Partagas minis.  Solution 799 THB case of Heineken in my frig.

[Squeegee]

About the short, fat women...

 

One thing you need to understand is ASEAN has indeed had an impact.

 

After the Thaksin years, curfews and crackdowns, internal stuff, plus social media and the general market decline, you really are now grubbing round the dregs in the bars.

 

Check out various smart phone chat apps with social networking features, life updates and meet-me-now or who's-around functions and you will see Vietnamese going to Singapore for a long weekend; Thai ladies off to do a few weeks in a resort doing massage, escorting and hostessing in Malaysia; Thai ladyboys, Filipina ladyboys in Viet Nam for days, weeks or months pretty much establishing a circuit.

 

There's a new generation of flying sisters out their, or rather, up there, not high class women living jet-set lifestyles, they are the hot ones that moved with the times and have empowered themselves.

They are the new go-go dancer that was probably making somewhat more than your average English teacher; they're increasingly decked out in genuine designer gear, gifted by their often Japanese or Korean sponsors.

 

 

There's some of the picture. Go see for yourself across the social media.

 

 

 

I'm amazed nobody has really been observing this yet.