Patong - The Wake

[HighPriority]

Certain bars require certain types of girls…

The girls in the Aussie Bar in Bangla don’t humbug for drinks or chatter to you when the footy is on.

They are usually on the ball when you need a refill too, they get paid better than some other bars to NOT humbug.

[xylophone]

21 hours ago, xylophone said:

Regarding Soi Banzaan, that old half constructed building was pulled down a few years ago and they have done nothing about the narrowing of the street, which as you quite rightly say, causes terrible traffic jams at times. However I believe I read that this is a "private soi" so it doesn't come under the council's jurisdiction, hence the reason nothing is done about that road problem.

I thought I would update that piece of news with regards to the narrowing of the Soi and why nothing has been done about it since the building was demolished.

 

 I had a look at it yesterday and when that abomination was being constructed, to accommodate its incursion into the Soi, the electricity providers installed two concrete "posts/pillars/pylons" to enable the power supply cables to circumvent the would-be building and now the electricity supply cables are supported by those, along with a whole myriad of other telecommunications cables. And they are actually in the Soi/road themselves, so to get the Soi back to a normal size, the posts would have to be removed/dug out and the cables rerouted, so that is quite a major job – – and because of this I can't see it ever happening.

 

Having said that somebody has decided to put some tarmac in the Soi where it merges with the "middle road" to at least make it usable now – – as for the rest of it, well it's still an abomination.

[xylophone]

On 8/3/2024 at 2:43 PM, HighPriority said:

Certain bars require certain types of girls…

The girls in the Aussie Bar in Bangla don’t humbug for drinks or chatter to you when the footy is on.

They are usually on the ball when you need a refill too, they get paid better than some other bars to NOT humbug.

Good observation HP, and as regards getting better paid........ 

 

More on that later, but trying to get over my broken coccyx (which is still painful) I decided to go out with a couple of friends on Friday evening to eat at Blue Beach and PERHAPS take a meander up Bangla, not that walking is that easy at the moment, but I thought I'd give it a go anyway.

 

Strangely enough although I hadn't eaten all day, I my appetite deserted me at Blue Beach and I only had an entrée size meal and I didn't feel completely "on the ball" for some reason?

 

Bangla was relatively busy although I can't say that the bars were particularly crowded, so we stopped at Blue lotus bar for a drink and I caught up with a lady I hadn't seen for quite some time who was working at the bar and she explained that the girls there got no salary, but were paid something relative to the amount of drinks they were bought, a sort of commission I suppose? And I've heard this is somewhat of the norm in many bars, sad to say for the girls, who will pester you for a drink, mainly because their livelihood depends upon it. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why there are fewer pretty girls left in the bars?

 

Anyway after one drink I felt a little off colour so decided to walk up Soi Sansabai to my condo and by the end of that Soi I was feeling extremely tired as it has been my first long walk in four months since the motorbike accident.

 

However it was probably not the long walk which affected me the next day, because I couldn't stop shivering and shaking, sometimes quite badly, and I got back into bed for a few hours to see if it would abate, but to no avail. The next day I knew I had caught some sort of virus because about 14 years ago I had dengue, and this resembled it in some ways, but not entirely, so I decided to do some Googling and came up with the Chikungunya virus which seemed to fit the bill.

 

Judging by events since that day I would say that's definitely the case because the shakes and shivers continued for just another couple of days as well as the profuse sweating at night (including soaking wet bed sheets) and the joints in my hips and knees hurt like nothing I could ever have imagined – – so onto the paracetamol.

 

The worst part about it was but I couldn't support my weight so getting out of a chair was a major challenge is was trying to get into bed, and I fell out of bed on my first effort and had no power/strength to get back in, so considered sleeping on the floor.

 

Coupled with that is that I couldn't get off the toilet and was stuck there for more than three hours because I hadn't the strength to lift myself off – – what a useless creature I had become, and frustrated that I could do nothing.

Eventually I did manage to lever myself off, but not without a lot of pain.

 

So the past four months have been the worst I've ever had since I've been here what with the motorcycle taxi accident, broken coccyx, severe concussion, dizzy spells, and now chikungunya, and I sincerely thought that it would be better if I left the country and went back to either NZ or the UK.

 

All this got me thinking about why I first came here, and it was the nightlife and the atmosphere with it, which I revelled in, and in those days the traffic was nowhere near as bad, nor were the crowds, but now the whole situation has changed and I find it a nightmare. Of course not forgetting that I retired early because I had a pre-cancerous condition in my throat caused by stress so was advised to get out of my stressful job by my brilliant NZ doctor, so here seemed ideal......back then.

 

I really don't know what I saw in Bangla all those years ago, because now I see it as just a place to drink/get drunk, for old men to grope and chat to younger women and for some women to look for the ultimate sucker, and I've seen a few of those in the past.

 

Perhaps it was because I was younger that I saw it with younger eyes, but now whatever it was has faded and I will consider moving out of Patong after I've done a bit more research as to what other area is less crowded and friendly, on Phuket – Rawai perhaps?

 

Getting back to Patong, as I mentioned in another post, someone has managed to fill the holes in Soi Banzaan with tarmac, but it's only temporary and will soon disintegrate again, and the state of the roads here in general is abysmal.

 

On the subject of Banzaan, someone has decided to open up a "Monster eightball (or is it billiards) Hall" and the venue is large, so it wouldn't be cheap to rent the place, and although I'm not an expert in this particular art, I immediately thought to myself that they either have some insider knowledge, or they are desperate to lose some money? Time will tell.

 

Yesterday I decided to make my way very gingerly to a Thai lady-friends massage shop to try and massage my legs back into some sort of functioning entity, because this virus was playing havoc with my leg muscles, and they were very good, as they always are, as I've known them for quite a few years. However they mentioned that they were struggling for business, and the only business that "almost" came their way was when small groups of Arabs enquired as to the price of a massage and then tried to beat them down from that price, which they didn't like one bit.

 

It would appear that these people came from Kuwait, and were certainly not favourites for the massage ladies, come to that nor were the Indians or Pakistanis, and the boss lamented the fact that there were fewer and fewer "farangs", whom they could put up with. Tough times for these ladies.

 

And I would suggest that it's tough times for many farangs as well, because a couple of days ago I got a message from someone on Facebook, whom I had no contact with for years, asking for a 3000 baht loan – – right out of the blue. I thought about it, and wasn't too sure whether it was a scam or genuine, so put my mind at rest I blocked him. It was something I would never consider, especially as I only knew the guy many years back through a girlfriend of his, and we had nothing in common then, and I wouldn't know if we did now, because of no contact over the years. He must have been desperate.

 

And on that note that's about how I'm feeling at the moment, so I will do some research on other areas on the island which are not too crowded, have decent accommodation and decent restaurants.

 

As I have mentioned before, I am wondering if it's time to call this thread to a halt, because the "Wake" has long since passed and now it's business as usual with its ups and downs, scams and scandals and bar-flies.

[London Lowf]

43 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Perhaps it was because I was younger that I saw it with younger eyes, but now whatever it was has faded and I will consider moving out of Patong after I've done a bit more research as to what other area is less crowded and friendly, on Phuket – Rawai perhaps?

 

I'm in my 70's now and I still enjoy people-watching and the buzz of Bangla - I spend 50% of my life on Phuket and, although I could never live there, I ride into Patong six nights a week (there's a great band on in my local bar on Thursdays). I have a few  favourite bars and chat with a couple of the girls in Blue Lotus (and your favourite pole dancer) and tip them in cash but never buy lady drinks or takeaways.

 

It's going to be difficult to relocate - rents have gone crazy in the last year or so even if you’re well in with some locals (I am, fortunately) but I have recommended Kamala to you in the past.

 

[Agusts]

3 hours ago, London Lowf said:

 

I'm in my 70's now and I still enjoy people-watching and the buzz of Bangla - I spend 50% of my life on Phuket and, although I could never live there, I ride into Patong six nights a week (there's a great band on in my local bar on Thursdays). I have a few  favourite bars and chat with a couple of the girls in Blue Lotus (and your favourite pole dancer) and tip them in cash but never buy lady drinks or takeaways.

 

It's going to be difficult to relocate - rents have gone crazy in the last year or so even if you’re well in with some locals (I am, fortunately) but I have recommended Kamala to you in the past.

 

 

I have been meaning to ask you for a while, aren't there any police checks between Patong and Kamala late at night...? 

 

I used to go to Kamala and even Rawai from Patong, the opposite of your direction, just once or twice a week for something different. But not for the past couple of years, as I heard there are usually many police checks nowadays, looking for you know what...! 

 

[London Lowf]

2 hours ago, Agusts said:

 

I have been meaning to ask you for a while, aren't there any police checks between Patong and Kamala late at night...? 

 

I used to go to Kamala and even Rawai from Patong, the opposite of your direction, just once or twice a week for something different. But not for the past couple of years, as I heard there are usually many police checks nowadays, looking for you know what...! 

 

 

There is invariably a check on beach road at Lama Park on the way home at 1am/2am but I have never been pulled over there.

 

I've recounted this in the past - Once or twice a week there is one on the approach to Kamala but, the only time they stopped me and asked if I had been drinking, I told them "Only beer, no whiskey!" and they were happy with that. They now wave me through once they recognise me with the occassional "Go Papa!".

 

There are (very few) advantages to being an old guy!

 

 

[London Lowf]

Oops - Loma Park not Lama Park

[Patong2]

Sorry to see the problems you are having Xylophone.

We have had our share of mobility problems too and it definitely gives you cause to consider whether Patong is the best place to be.

Are in New Zealand for the past two weeks and already finding it cold (8C as I write this) and boring.

Stuck here for treatment for at least another 8 weeks and it is certainly not a long term option for us.

We will be happy when we get back to Patong.

The thing with Patong is there is such a variety of things that are interesting, challenging and even still exciting (if you find it still exciting to look at attractive women who dress to be looked at).

A walk at 6am along the beach is equal to anywhere in the world.

Supermarketing, restaurants and cheap eats are available easily.

We eat at many restaurants around the island and because of my wife's limited mobility choose places we can park close to the venue. Lots of choice of so many different tastes. 

A short walk down to Soi Sansabai and you can have a ringside seat and a good meal at Summer Breeze or The Yorkshire and others, to a constant parade of, dare I say it, the good bad and the ugly up and down the street for as long as you like.

Having spent periods of time living in places like Ko Khaeo and Cherngtalay, we just find them too quiet for our liking. Nice to visit but not to stay long term.

Patong ain't what it used to be, but it is still pretty darn good.

[xylophone]

15 hours ago, London Lowf said:

It's going to be difficult to relocate - rents have gone crazy in the last year or so even if you’re well in with some locals (I am, fortunately) but I have recommended Kamala to you in the past.

Your comments are well noted LL, and I know you recommended Kamala to me in the past, and I have been there quite a few times when I had friends who lived there, but it did absolutely nothing for me and I always considered it a "one-horse town". Also a couple of those friends have moved out and another one has died, so even less attraction for me to move there.

 

There was a time when I quite liked sitting in Smiley Ban watching the world go by, but that view is now blocked by the dancers at the front, attractive as they are! Also my other favourite bar in that Soi, Island Bar, is now no longer the same as it was, as it was sold out from under the previous owner by his then "girlfriend", when he was visiting his home country, so he returned to having "no bar". The perils of owning a bar in Patong!

[xylophone]

7 hours ago, Patong2 said:

Sorry to see the problems you are having Xylophone.

We have had our share of mobility problems too and it definitely gives you cause to consider whether Patong is the best place to be.

Are in New Zealand for the past two weeks and already finding it cold (8C as I write this) and boring.

Stuck here for treatment for at least another 8 weeks and it is certainly not a long term option for us.

We will be happy when we get back to Patong.

The thing with Patong is there is such a variety of things that are interesting, challenging and even still exciting (if you find it still exciting to look at attractive women who dress to be looked at).

A walk at 6am along the beach is equal to anywhere in the world.

Supermarketing, restaurants and cheap eats are available easily.

We eat at many restaurants around the island and because of my wife's limited mobility choose places we can park close to the venue. Lots of choice of so many different tastes. 

A short walk down to Soi Sansabai and you can have a ringside seat and a good meal at Summer Breeze or The Yorkshire and others, to a constant parade of, dare I say it, the good bad and the ugly up and down the street for as long as you like.

Having spent periods of time living in places like Ko Khaeo and Cherngtalay, we just find them too quiet for our liking. Nice to visit but not to stay long term.

Patong ain't what it used to be, but it is still pretty darn good.

You also make some very good points Patong2, putting forward your view of Patong from NZ, and the thought of being in a place where it is 8° C now fills me with dread!

 

Yes, you are quite right, there are a lot of things to do in Patong and even in my "sick/poorly" state I have managed to get down to Big C to do a little shopping and many of the girls there know me from the years I've been shopping at the store, so I'm greeted with smiles and helping hand if I need it, which has been necessary after the fractured coccyx.

 

I had forgotten about the Yorkshire as a place to eat, although years ago I had a few good meals there, so must put that back on my list of things to do. However these days I do spend more time in my condo cooking my dinners, than eating out, but then again the options for eating out, as you quite rightly say, are manyfold.

 

As for a walk along the beach at 6 AM – – hmmmm, not for me I'm afraid, and anyway walking at this moment in time is "difficult", let alone at 6 AM!!

 

Thinking about it, the fact that I've had a rough four months, what with the motorcycle taxi accident, fractured coccyx, concussion and now Chikungunya, has quite probably clouded my view of the place, although nothing can take away the fact that the traffic here is bloody horrendous, not to mention dangerous, so perhaps I should have a rethink.

 

Having said that, it's probably time to have a look around down south, and not Kamala as mentioned in the post above, as I've never really explored the south, so that something I will put on my bucket list.

 

Meanwhile I'm hoping that things get better, although I'm not sure that I will ever be a regular visitor to Bangla again as I was only ever a regular visitor to a couple of bars, both of which were owned by friends, not to mention having a singsong at Red Hot, which I did enjoy!

 

I will end by saying thank you for your words of encouragement and for giving me a different and positive view of Patong. Good health my friend.

[simon43]

IMHO, you should never close this thread Xylophone!  It's very interesting to read about the changes (good and bad, mostly bad it seems), in Patong and on Phuket Island.

 

I left Phuket some years ago and have been bouncing around mostly in Burma and Laos for some years.  But as I approach my UK retirement age next year (66), I have been trying to find somewhere to live in Thailand that I can afford, and which is beneficial for my health.

 

As we get older, realistically it's all downhill as far as health is concerned.  I was forced to visit the UK last February for some cancer tests, and I did seriously consider returning to live in the UK.  However, my pension income would only allow me to rent some dingy room, and I would be condemned to 'waiting to die' in said room.  Since my bad luck (if you can call it that), would see me living to 99 years old, the thought of 33 years in that room put me right off returning to the UK!

 

I have been sounding out living in Krabi and currently am in Koh Lanta.  But both locations have very high humidity levels ('cos the clouds from the sea can't get over the hills behind the coast).  So it's not very nice (for me).

 

I can't afford to rent in Phuket, but perhaps next week I'll drive over to Takua Pa or north Khao Lak and see what I can rent.  The sea breeze in those locations makes for a pleasant temperature.

 

My ex-wife #3 is still managing her small airport hotel, but it makes no profit to speak off, mainly because of the competition from other hotels and guesthouses (which didn't exist when I built it in 2012).  We are very good friends, and it maybe that she throws in the towel and comes to live with me and perhaps opens a small food business/stall. 

 

Note that #3 ex is the sane one, #2 ex who is completely mad has offered for me to live with her again in Phuket, but I would rather slit my wrists!!

 

I hope you get over your accident and fever Xylophone. If you need any help getting off the loo, then I can send mad ex #3 over to help.... 🙂

Edited August 17 by simon43

[xylophone]

2 hours ago, simon43 said:

IMHO, you should never close this thread Xylophone!  It's very interesting to read about the changes (good and bad, mostly bad it seems), in Patong and on Phuket Island.

 

I left Phuket some years ago and have been bouncing around mostly in Burma and Laos for some years.  But as I approach my UK retirement age next year (66), I have been trying to find somewhere to live in Thailand that I can afford, and which is beneficial for my health.

 

As we get older, realistically it's all downhill as far as health is concerned.  I was forced to visit the UK last February for some cancer tests, and I did seriously consider returning to live in the UK.  However, my pension income would only allow me to rent some dingy room, and I would be condemned to 'waiting to die' in said room.  Since my bad luck (if you can call it that), would see me living to 99 years old, the thought of 33 years in that room put me right off returning to the UK!

 

I have been sounding out living in Krabi and currently am in Koh Lanta.  But both locations have very high humidity levels ('cos the clouds from the sea can't get over the hills behind the coast).  So it's not very nice (for me).

 

I can't afford to rent in Phuket, but perhaps next week I'll drive over to Takua Pa or north Khao Lak and see what I can rent.  The sea breeze in those locations makes for a pleasant temperature.

 

My ex-wife #3 is still managing her small airport hotel, but it makes no profit to speak off, mainly because of the competition from other hotels and guesthouses (which didn't exist when I built it in 2012).  We are very good friends, and it maybe that she throws in the towel and comes to live with me and perhaps opens a small food business/stall. 

 

Note that #3 ex is the sane one, #2 ex who is completely mad has offered for me to live with her again in Phuket, but I would rather slit my wrists!!

 

I hope you get over your accident and fever Xylophone. If you need any help getting off the loo, then I can send mad ex #3 over to help.... 🙂

Thank you for your kind wishes Simon43 and I do remember your posts from way back when you were building your "hotel/guesthouse" in Phuket – – such a shame you had to leave it.

 

If ex-wife number three is still managing her small airport hotel, is there any opportunity to move into a room there to act as a handyman or suchlike?? Just a thought.

 

For the record, there are rooms (Thai style, but clean) available in the likes of Nanai Road for around 5000 baht per month, and probably less, and provided one stays away from the likes of Bangla and a couple of the other roads which are more like nose to tail traffic jams, then maybe things will improve, if indeed that's what you want.

 

Whatever transpires, I wish you all the very best in your endeavours Simon.

[zzzzz]

go live at turtle beach with Steve Rosse

FYI:
its very easy to live on phuket island with less than $1,000/month ( even for 2 of us) 
we eat well, dont drink or bar hop and mostly cook at home

[simon43]

Xylophone, thanks for your kind words. Both ex'es have offered me space to live, but their locations (and your suggestion of Nanai Road) don't fit into my requirements to accommodate my ham radio hobby! I like to live in rural locations, so will drive over next week and leisurely look around in Phang Nga for suitable accommodation.

 

Note that I'm not 'on the bread line', but it's wise to find lower-cost accommodation, since my future income is likely to reduce, not increase...

[hansgruber]

After all this time it's funny how nothing really changes at all.  If it does it always for the worst.  

 

[xylophone]

2 minutes ago, hansgruber said:

After all this time it's funny how nothing really changes at all.  If it does it always for the worst.  

 

Hmmm, hansgruber, I think you are about right with that comment, and I will agree with the fact that "if it does it's always for the worst".

I can't think of much that has improved over the years I've been here, if anything, and certainly there are areas which have become worse, if not pitiful now: –

 

– The heavy traffic which is nose to tail on some of the roads.

– The condition of the roads themselves, which has become downright dangerous in places esp for m/c drivers.

– The policing which was always poor, but is now laughable to non-existent, and this allows poorly maintained vehicles on the road, motorcycle drivers with no helmets (both Thai and farang) and downright dangerous drivers.

– Patong Hill, after the slip was repaired, coming from Kathu to Patong is a dangerous joke because once it rains the Toyota passenger vans cannot get any traction and slip back onto the cars behind, and sometimes skew sideways. Of course poor driving techniques don't help one bit.

– The tour buses are full of ill mannered Chinese who can make life a misery when trying to shop. Visa free trip?

 

However, one thing which seems to have improved is the fact that in talking to a Tuk Tuk driver to ascertain the cost of a trip from one side of Patong to the beach road, he told me that the cost of every trip within Patong was now 200 baht, which surprised me and is a far cry from being ripped off in the past for a short trip!! A bright spot in the darkness here!