First impressions

[NanLaew]

18 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Something I've never noticed before in Pattaya. Seems to be quite a few young farang women wandering around. Perhaps they didn't realise that Pattaya is the sort of place that offends them.

At least the backpackers haven't moved in, so that's good.

Maybe they aren't offended.

 

There's a back packers hotel on WS, nearer the north end.

[NanLaew]

On 5/13/2017 at 2:22 PM, thaibeachlovers said:

Physically, W S is pretty decrepit. Loads of ugly hoardings in front of demolished buildings. Seems that a lot of buildings were demolished way back, but nothing going on now. 

Now that is an interesting observation. Is this demolition on the land side or beach side? It would be interesting to see if there's a slow and orderly demolition of the stuff over the water. Leases expire, partial demolition and not a remake/remodel? The demolition notices were posted at the north end of WS the best part of 5 months ago after all.

[morrobay]

On 5/9/2017 at 7:34 PM, thaibeachlovers said:

I passed by the  "beach replenishment scheme" today. Nothing going on, and nothing going to happen, but the hoarding stays up and the beach is inaccessible to the people ( it's filthy anyway, even if one does go on it ).

Just south of the hoarding the beach wall has collapsed.

For most of the length, the beach is above the walkway so the sand spills over the walkway, at least till the rainy season when the beach will get washed away again.

Seems to me that the authorities have no clue how to manage a tourist destination in search of the elusive "hi quality ( spending )" tourist. Of course, when it was a mongers town they didn't need to actually do much, as the mongers will come regardless.

I shouldn't complain- the rubbish infrastructure is all that is keeping the families away and the bars here.

You could have Singapore infrastructure here and still not attract the 3+ star crowd because of the lowlife locals and all the associated lowlife actions.

 

Negative Dept. 

[thaibeachlovers]

5 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Maybe they aren't offended.

 

There's a back packers hotel on WS, nearer the north end.

Oh no, the thin end of the wedge. Can we expect an invasion of the giant snails and foam parties on every block?

[thaibeachlovers]

5 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Now that is an interesting observation. Is this demolition on the land side or beach side? It would be interesting to see if there's a slow and orderly demolition of the stuff over the water. Leases expire, partial demolition and not a remake/remodel? The demolition notices were posted at the north end of WS the best part of 5 months ago after all.

No, the demolitions are on the land side. Started over a year ago, but nothing appears to be going on now.

The only demolition on the water side was rebuilt long ago.

[thaibeachlovers]

5 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Maybe they aren't offended.

 

There's a back packers hotel on WS, nearer the north end.

If they are western women they are offended.

I took my young looking ( she had 2 kids, but looked 18 ) Thai GF to Kanchanaburi some years ago on a tour. Two Australian women on the bus ( not many customers on that tour, so bus nearly empty ) made it very clear that I was a scoundrel for having a too young Thai GF.

I was greatly amused, but that is their attitude regardless of the reality.

[thaibeachlovers]

10 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

No, the demolitions are on the land side. Started over a year ago, but nothing appears to be going on now.

The only demolition on the water side was rebuilt long ago.

Apologies. There is one hoarding on the seaward side. The building hasn't been demolished though.

[thaibeachlovers]

13 hours ago, morrobay said:

You could have Singapore infrastructure here and still not attract the 3+ star crowd because of the lowlife locals and all the associated lowlife actions.

 

Negative Dept. 

It's amazing how the threat of caning makes the low life straighten up and fly right.

 

BTW, if Pattaya was like Singapore, I doubt any of us would be here. I loved Singapore when I lived there, but they had Bugis St to relieve the sterility back then.

Edited May 18, 2017 by thaibeachlovers

[thaibeachlovers]

Paid my first visit to a W S gogo tonight. Had the usual dire noise that passes for music nowadays, but I didn't need my earplugs so I went in. 5 customers and 18 girls, so I guess not many are fans of the noise.

Of the 18, about half were good looking to gorgeous. The prettiest girls were outside touting though.

However, any idea of a takeaway was dashed when I inquired as to the bill. Baht buses cost the same as 20 years ago, food is about the same as 20 years ago if one goes to the right places, even my hotel has only raised prices by about 30 %, but the bill is 300% higher than 10 years ago. Forgedaboudit!

Outside, if it wasn't for the Chinese tour groups, the street would be very quiet.

 

On the way back I walked up the soi a couple over from Boys Town, the one that is falling apart. If anything proves the city council is disgraceful, that is it. I read years ago that it was disintegrating, and nothing has been done. Plenty of money to destroy the promenade, but none to fix the roads- shameful.

[Chivas]

11 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Paid my first visit to a W S gogo tonight. Had the usual dire noise that passes for music nowadays, but I didn't need my earplugs so I went in. 5 customers and 18 girls, so I guess not many are fans of the noise.

Of the 18, about half were good looking to gorgeous. The prettiest girls were outside touting though.

However, any idea of a takeaway was dashed when I inquired as to the bill. Baht buses cost the same as 20 years ago, food is about the same as 20 years ago if one goes to the right places, even my hotel has only raised prices by about 30 %, but the bill is 300% higher than 10 years ago. Forgedaboudit!

Outside, if it wasn't for the Chinese tour groups, the street would be very quiet.

 

On the way back I walked up the soi a couple over from Boys Town, the one that is falling apart. If anything proves the city council is disgraceful, that is it. I read years ago that it was disintegrating, and nothing has been done. Plenty of money to destroy the promenade, but none to fix the roads- shameful.

Tell you buddy the whole place is imploding for a multitude of reasons its staring everyone in the face yet many claim "doom and gloom merchants" if you dare raise whats in front of their eyes..... Wait to the Chinese and Koreans get fed up with the thais and their scamming the place will be deserted but still the head in the sand approach prevails.

The place is dying everything that is good is destroyed by the ignorant and foolish thais

[thaibeachlovers]

38 minutes ago, Chivas said:

Tell you buddy the whole place is imploding for a multitude of reasons its staring everyone in the face yet many claim "doom and gloom merchants" if you dare raise whats in front of their eyes..... Wait to the Chinese and Koreans get fed up with the thais and their scamming the place will be deserted but still the head in the sand approach prevails.

The place is dying everything that is good is destroyed by the ignorant and foolish thais

My impression is that money has become the great god of LOS and that is the only thing that counts. Tourists are killed, but the reponse is "don't talk about it as it will affect the tourist industry"; roads fall apart, but never fixed because the elites don't live on them; the housing market is a shambles, but don't fix it or the silly farangs might stop buying; and so on and so on.

Meanwhile, the ordinary Thais are so addicted to the machines they don't appear to even care what is going on around them.

 

I'm not wrong that Thais were happier back before the machines took over, even though they didn't have as much money. They really did smile then.

[JSixpack]

1 hour ago, Chivas said:

Tell you buddy the whole place is imploding for a multitude of reasons its staring everyone in the face yet many claim "doom and gloom merchants" if you dare raise whats in front of their eyes..... Wait to the Chinese and Koreans get fed up with the thais and their scamming the place will be deserted but still the head in the sand approach prevails.

The place is dying everything that is good is destroyed by the ignorant and foolish thais

 

Yawn. Just another dire, and wrong, prediction among countless in the last decades. These must be understood as mere wishes of revenge on the ignorant and foolish thais for the disappointment of having snatched away a farang's birthright. That'll show 'em. The latest mantra is that farangs are leaving in droves, which we heard in 2003 when Thailand dared raise visa fees. And you forgot the obligatory Cambodia reference.

 

Yet Pattaya has just continued to grow and remains overall a great place to visit and live. Tourism's doing fine. Cambodia's got another decade to even be competitive.

 

Just gonna have to suck it up, pal.

 

From 1997 hear Lawrence Neal offering the basically the same rant; everybody's gon' go to the paradise of Cambodia, of course.

 

There are two types of articles appearing in the Pattaya Mail with regularity: those where business and political leaders decry the decline in tourism and propose ways to improve the situation; and a steadily increasing number of reports of tourists being insulted, assaulted, drugged, robbed and extorted. All the good intentions and empty proposals by community leaders are not going to change the behavior of the people at street level, and it is they who are driving away the life blood of the city.

 

. . . It doesn’t matter if the streets are cleared of garbage, no one is going to walk down them if doing so leaves them open to being insulted and assaulted. Having a beach promenade doesn’t matter if strolling along it means taking the risk of being knocked down and robbed. No one is going to participate in the vibrant night-life if there is a good chance that they will wake up three days later in the hospital with all their possessions gone, or in some cases, not wake up at all. No one is going to seek an exotic experience if it means they might be set up by girls with both a legal age and under age ID, and then extorted for immense sums by the police.

Pattaya is being inundated with rude obnoxious thugs who do not care about the city or its visitors. They do not listen to the community leaders, and the police do not have the budget or manpower to control them. They are driving away the tourists and the income and jobs that they bring. Inevitably, this rabble will win as they reduce everyone to their level of poverty.

Meanwhile, tourism to Cambodia is increasing by 50% every six months...

     --Lawrence Neal, "Down On Pattaya, Pattaya Mail, Vol. V No.5, Friday 31 January 1997 - 6 February 1997

 

Edited May 19, 2017 by JSixpack

[Chivas]

three letters...."lol" sixpack

so wide of the mark its unreal assuming you are actually a foreigner within thailand in the first place...OPEN YOUR EYES

[JSixpack]

26 minutes ago, Chivas said:

three letters...."lol" sixpack

so wide of the mark its unreal assuming you are actually a foreigner within thailand in the first place...OPEN YOUR EYES

 

The track record of dire predictions speaks for itself. Lol all you want to as PTY continues its development anyway. Just had a Foodland open up. Huh?

[beautifulthailand99]

same , same NOT different.....

[beautifulthailand99]

8 hours ago, Chivas said:

Tell you buddy the whole place is imploding for a multitude of reasons its staring everyone in the face yet many claim "doom and gloom merchants" if you dare raise whats in front of their eyes..... Wait to the Chinese and Koreans get fed up with the thais and their scamming the place will be deserted but still the head in the sand approach prevails.

The place is dying everything that is good is destroyed by the ignorant and foolish thais

confirmation bias - we see what we want to see. Pattaya warts and all will survive longer than everyone currently on here and then some.

[JSixpack]

15 hours ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

confirmation bias - we see what we want to see. Pattaya warts and all will survive longer than everyone currently on here and then some.

 

Exactly. Most cesspoolians actually don't have a negative attitude towards Pattaya but aren't posting here in a forum dominated by naysayers, bashers, bigots, and whingers.

 

And you know the confirmation bias feeds on itself and just gets worse unless corrected. Think of it this way: when Pattaya detects a puckered sphincter, it begins to treat that sphincter worse than others. Somehow it KNOWS that you just ain't gonna be able to enjoy our street carnival daily. Never gon' let a due appreciation for surreal sidewalks, cold Chang from a 7/11, a cheap haircut, and classic Pattaya double bubble sandwich massages outweigh what you think are the negatives. You just ain't no hansum man and that's all there is to it. Why?

 

Who knows. Maybe you're too superior. Too negative. Too weak; too delicate. Too inflexible. Too intolerant. Can't accept risk. No street smarts. Can't learn any Thai. Don't have the money. Can't find a way to cope. Whatever. You can be in Pattaya but never of Pattaya.

 

So Pattaya simply figures that, in the absence of all hope of your redemption, you can't dwell contentedly, not to say blissfully, here in our tropical beach resort, round the enchanting glow of pink neon, with we few, we happy few, we band of cesspoolians. (Hah! Sorry, just couldn't resist.) And with our wimmens or reasonable facsimiles thereof. :) So you gotta go, and Pattaya adjusts things around you to help you move along--if you'll just do it.

 

Yeah, confirmation bias helps one reach ASAP the terminal last nail in the coffin and killed the goose gibbering stage and bugger off with sour grapes. After all, that would be best for you and spare the rest of us more bashing. It's the only way, as reasoning and rational perspective are utterly futile. Now it's always a source of relief when one of our malcontents does head for the exits. In fact, we should present some sort of TVF Buggered Off Award on the announcement. Problem is, we're just not gettin' that many announcements out of all the thousands. Sheee-it. I mean, though everybody's been heading for the exits for the last 20 years, we only get an official announcement maybe--what, twice a year? Seems like we get a lot more posts from members heading for the entrance and seeking advice. Huh? We don't talk about those.

 

@JESSVANPELT had it right:

 

I also understand that this is a THIRD WORLD country, so right away I'am not going to get upset about all the things that are not the same as they are at home, If I wanted things that way I'd stay at home and a lot of the Moaners here should have, Unfortunately Thats the only bad part of this place. . . .

 

Being Happy here is Easy, Accept it for what it is and enjoy it
    --JESSVANPELT, on 2015-10-08 11:59:10

 

 

Edited May 20, 2017 by JSixpack

[Chivas]

16 hours ago, beautifulthailand99 said:

confirmation bias - we see what we want to see. Pattaya warts and all will survive longer than everyone currently on here and then some.

For christ sake keep you crass anology out of it. There will be guys on this forum who have been in and out of Pattaya way longer than me but at 25 years+ I'm no newbie in any shape or form.

If you cant see whats going on right in front of you then you deserve everything that comes you way and the rest of the head in the sand brigade. Numbers of tourists are declining year after year in Pattaya despite what bullshight comes out of the mouths of TAT.

 

Look at the latest fiasco gone viral around the world over Uber and the hooligan element of the pattaya mafia. You're clueless

Edited May 20, 2017 by Chivas

[johng]

 
On the way back I walked up the soi a couple over from Boys Town, the one that is falling apart. If anything proves the city council is disgraceful, that is it. I read years ago that it was disintegrating, and nothing has been done. Plenty of money to destroy the promenade, but none to fix the roads- shameful.

Could be that that road is a private road and so not the city councils responsibility....but generally yes the roads and foot paths around town are in a very poor state...even after resurfacing for some reason the manhole covers are never flush with the road surface making it quite (more) dangerous for motorcycles.

[JSixpack]

1 hour ago, Chivas said:

Numbers of tourists are declining year after year in Pattaya despite what bullshight comes out of the mouths of TAT.

 

How did you notice any decline among the 8.1 million? That's a lot of clicks on your clicker, ain't it? Or is it a matter of just knowing? Third Eye and all that. I suspect that's really just a wish for the ignorant and foolish thais. We ain't ignorant 'round here. Nosiree. 

 

Overnight arrivals make an unprecedented jump
Half of the top 20 most visited destinations in Asia Pacific saw more than 10 percent growth in international overnight arrivals from 2015 to 2016. Destinations that benefitted most from this growth include Northeast Asian and Southeast Asian markets – Seoul (32.7 percent), Osaka (23.8 percent), Bali (22.5 percent), Tokyo (22.2 percent), Hokkaido (21.9 percent), Chiba (21.5 percent) and Pattaya (20.6 percent).

     --http://newsroom.mastercard.com/asia-pacific/press-releases/mastercard-asia-pacific-destinations-index-2017-bangkok-remains-top-destination-singapore-attracts-top-spending-tourists/

 

Mastercard, not TAT.

 

Seems to me last time we discussed this we discovered the decline was actually measured only at your favorite beer bar when you were in attendance, or am I mistaken? No, now that I think about it, I think that was where you measured the overall level of Chinese spending in Pattaya.

 

Quote

Look at the latest fiasco gone viral around the world over Uber and the hooligan element of the pattaya mafia.

 

Completely insignificant blip. Note the letter above I quoted from the Pattaya Mail in 1997.

 

Edited May 20, 2017 by JSixpack

[beautifulthailand99]

1 hour ago, Chivas said:

For christ sake keep you crass anology out of it. There will be guys on this forum who have been in and out of Pattaya way longer than me but at 25 years+ I'm no newbie in any shape or form.

If you cant see whats going on right in front of you then you deserve everything that comes you way and the rest of the head in the sand brigade. Numbers of tourists are declining year after year in Pattaya despite what bullshight comes out of the mouths of TAT.

 

Look at the latest fiasco gone viral around the world over Uber and the hooligan element of the pattaya mafia. You're clueless

Me and the  missus only intend living in Patts - using it as a Thailand base for 3 months of the year as a respite from the dark,cold wet UK winters. For the rest of the time happy to live back home. If I lived there full time .....I would probably go mad.

[beautifulthailand99]

On 11/05/2017 at 3:42 AM, JSixpack said:

OK, having said our rosary, are we 'bout ready to cue the applause and come to our inevitable, most damning, feared conclusion that this ain't no world-class family resort?

'resort' is probably ok.....as in 'the last resort' !

[thaibeachlovers]

23 hours ago, JSixpack said:

 

How did you notice any decline among the 8.1 million? That's a lot of clicks on your clicker, ain't it? Or is it a matter of just knowing? Third Eye and all that. I suspect that's really just a wish for the ignorant and foolish thais. We ain't ignorant 'round here. Nosiree. 

 

Overnight arrivals make an unprecedented jump
Half of the top 20 most visited destinations in Asia Pacific saw more than 10 percent growth in international overnight arrivals from 2015 to 2016. Destinations that benefitted most from this growth include Northeast Asian and Southeast Asian markets – Seoul (32.7 percent), Osaka (23.8 percent), Bali (22.5 percent), Tokyo (22.2 percent), Hokkaido (21.9 percent), Chiba (21.5 percent) and Pattaya (20.6 percent).

     --http://newsroom.mastercard.com/asia-pacific/press-releases/mastercard-asia-pacific-destinations-index-2017-bangkok-remains-top-destination-singapore-attracts-top-spending-tourists/

 

Mastercard, not TAT.

 

Seems to me last time we discussed this we discovered the decline was actually measured only at your favorite beer bar when you were in attendance, or am I mistaken? No, now that I think about it, I think that was where you measured the overall level of Chinese spending in Pattaya.

 

 

Completely insignificant blip. Note the letter above I quoted from the Pattaya Mail in 1997.

 

Why would any of us decrying the state of Pattaya give a monkey's about the number of Asians in Pattaya? Most of them just walk through Walking Street, and the few that do paricipate give the ladies way too much money and have ruined it for us non millionaires as they only want to go with Asians now.

Of course we are complaining about the state of Pattaya as it affects us. Why would we care about other demographics? We ain't here for the benefit of other people.

[thaibeachlovers]

A first impression I forgot to mention in my gogo post, is that while I'm happy the girls don't use those ugly thigh boots anymore ( it was a drag having to go to ladyboy gogos just to see legs ), I'm wondering about the present craze for winding a ribbon around one leg. Seems pretty bizarre, unless it's some sort of code.

[bkk6060]

5 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

A first impression I forgot to mention in my gogo post, is that while I'm happy the girls don't use those ugly thigh boots anymore ( it was a drag having to go to ladyboy gogos just to see legs ), I'm wondering about the present craze for winding a ribbon around one leg. Seems pretty bizarre, unless it's some sort of code.

Isn't it a code for I want your money?  For guys that want to tip?  Place a bill under the ribbon.

Edited May 21, 2017 by bkk6060

[JSixpack]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Why would any of us decrying the state of Pattaya give a monkey's about the number of Asians in Pattaya? . . .

Of course we are complaining about the state of Pattaya as it affects us. Why would we care about other demographics?

 

Nobody said anything about the number of Asians In PTY (which, being an Asian city, has always had them around) or about your caring about them in the context of the present (sub)topic; nor does anyone care if you don't care.

 

The Mastercard Index counts tourists from all nationalities.

 

Quote

We ain't here for the benefit of other people.

 

Truer words were never spoken.

Edited May 21, 2017 by JSixpack

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Isn't it a code for I want your money?  For guys that want to tip?  Place a bill under the ribbon.

Might be. I saw an Asian guy trying to put money under a girl's ribbon, but she wouldn't let him touch her.

He must have been watching American movies to get the idea that is appropriate. Hopefully it won't catch on here.