Patong - The Wake

[phuketrichard]

Having  lived in Patong in 1985 thru 1996 and now living in Kamala, all i can say is Patong never died,

just constantly reinvents itself for a changing tourist market.

 

Edited June 26, 2017 by phuketrichard

[Lucky mike]

I think Patong has been slowly been choked to death by greed ! Rip Patong.....

[AJBangkok]

15 hours ago, NamKangMan said:

 

I agree, but with the majority of tourist coming to Phuket these days being Chinese, I can't see the Chinese buying a bar / guest house / cafe / restaurant, or taking an Issan bride.  

 

That makes for a lot of empty establishments here in the future, that previously catered for westerners, and we are already seeing it happening now.

 

I agree with you that your average Mr Wang from Wuhan is far less likely to come to Phuket, fall in love with a bargirl, and move here to run a cafe etc than your average Bob from Bristol or Bruce from Brisbane.

 

However taking a bigger perspective if the clampdown on Zero Baht tourism actually works then it is possible that in order to claw back as much money as they can from Chinese tourism, the Chinese ( corporate or illegal interets - not individuals ) do acquire local businesses or have locals front businesses on their behalf.

 

They are doing it already We've already seen crackdowns on Chinese tour guides, Chinese tour companies, Chinese bus and boat owners and chances are these people are not just going to give up and go home. They'll just find a better way to keep doing it and get thier share of the pie. 

 

For that to happen then you'd need Chinese tourism to be sustainable and grow. Investment wouldn't happen overnight  but slowly they could acquire the venues and retask them so that maybe in 10 years time nightlife in Patong will be about popping out at night for a bowl of noodles and a cold Tsing Tao, followed by a foot massage , and some late night entertainment by cracking a bottle of Remy at the local Karaoke. Paradise.

[xylophone]

2 hours ago, Lucky mike said:

I think Patong has been slowly been choked to death by greed ! Rip Patong.....

I was going to add to that, greed and stupidity, but in thinking about it it is the greed which is creating the stupidity!

 

In an effort to get more rent and/or key money from anybody and everybody, more shops, shophouses and small hotels are being built, but the problem is there are so many empty (and near empty) ones at the moment although that doesn't seem to be a problem for the landlords/owners.

 

Just a couple of days ago I was driving down the "new middle road" and was astounded by the number of closed places, newly built and existing empty places and those still being constructed. The near derelict building alongside and slightly behind the "B-Qik" car maintenance depot has been transformed into a lot of smaller establishments (bigger than your average shop) and a couple of establishments have set up shop (sorry about the pun) however with so many similar type buildings being empty a little further down the road, one has to wonder about the future of these.

 

Still I don't suppose the owners mind too much, especially if the new occupiers pay a few months rent upfront and/or some key money, because they will keep that if the business fails and just wait for another sucker to come along.

 

Sometimes I do feel sorry for the occasional Thai family who have set up shop because it has been their dream, only to see it fail miserably and lose their money. I know of a couple of establishments where this happened and one Thai lady approached her cousins to put some money into opening a restaurant, so they did and it failed – – it failed because it was in exactly the same position that the previous restaurant was in and that also failed . Out of the way, no foot traffic, nothing different offered to many others near that strip and so on.

 

Sometimes it would appear that people just do not do their homework.

[Prometheus33]

19 hours ago, Monkeyrobot said:

Full of Chinese, one of them walked up to me and started taking a photo of the shrimp yellow curry I was eating, strange people and the tuk tuk drivers don't like them either, they really haggle on the price, 

Yep, full of these Chinese and you know what?! They spend a great deal on their trips to Thailand (and elsewhere) .......... at hotels, restaurants and shops. Today, the Chinese tourists are a major contributor to the Thai tourist industry (and to global tourism as well ........ check relevant data at locations France, Germany, UK , USA etc) .. So,  "full of Chinese" , really ?! ........  and they "haggle" too ?!  

A request, please do not belittle any race , nation or colour ..

[Patong2]

4 hours ago, Prometheus33 said:

Yep, full of these Chinese and you know what?! They spend a great deal on their trips to Thailand (and elsewhere) .......... at hotels, restaurants and shops. Today, the Chinese tourists are a major contributor to the Thai tourist industry (and to global tourism as well ........ check relevant data at locations France, Germany, UK , USA etc) .. So,  "full of Chinese" , really ?! ........  and they "haggle" too ?!  

A request, please do not belittle any race , nation or colour ..

Can this post be removed?

Just idiotic in the context of the thread

[GiantFan]

Back to things I miss, Montes was a relaxing place to hang out with good food and weekend BBQ.  Parking no problem and the staff good.  Hard to find anything similar in Patong these days.

Edited June 26, 2017 by GiantFan

[naboo]

Been to Patong once, for a few hours back in 2010. I have to return next month as my sister is visiting with my niece, and Patong is their choice of destination.

 

What's unmissable? I'm not looking forward to my visit, so  give me something to look forward to. It can't be that bad, surely?

[xylophone]

8 hours ago, GiantFan said:

Back to things I miss,

I used to hang out at a pool bar/pub in Bangla on the corner of Bangla and Soi Sea Dragon in 2005 and 2006.

 

It was called the Bier Kutscher (or similar) and served good bar food, had friendly staff and was a great place to people watch........played the occasional game of pool, but not my forte!!

 

Sad to see it go and Monsoon now stands where it once did.

[schlog]

1 hour ago, xylophone said:

I used to hang out at a pool bar/pub in Bangla on the corner of Bangla and Soi Sea Dragon in 2005 and 2006.

 

It was called the Bier Kutscher (or similar) and served good bar food, had friendly staff and was a great place to people watch........played the occasional game of pool, but not my forte!!

 

Sad to see it go and Monsoon now stands where it once did.

I think it was the Bierkutsche. Originally it was some meter more up Bangla road and was a good swiss-german-austrian restaurant.

 

On many night outs in the 90' it was our starting point. After a good Gschnetzeltes with Roesti went down to U2 for warm up and watch. Usually when the Christine girls strolled down Bangla, it was time to head to Banana for 2h entertainment.

 

The "love clown" show was always a burner. At 2am went up to Saloon bar and the bars next and behind Fire House. There then rock till 7-9am before we had gaeng hoi pet pet breakfast in the small thai restaurant right side where today Jungcylon is. A friendly tuktuk driver brought you home for 20 thb per person.

 

Patong was paradise of love and rock. Always inspiring and a surprise. Without Patong i would never met guys like Axl Rose but in the 90' it was normal and a lot fun. Never thought that a small bone like him could drink this way lol. 

[Patong2]

12 hours ago, naboo said:

Been to Patong once, for a few hours back in 2010. I have to return next month as my sister is visiting with my niece, and Patong is their choice of destination.

 

What's unmissable? I'm not looking forward to my visit, so  give me something to look forward to. It can't be that bad, surely?

Naboo

what are your likes?

The beauty of Patong is it has such variety.

If you like the rural atmosphere of Thailand there are still patches a few minutes away by car or bike.

You want deserted tropical beaches with white sand? 30mins north to Mai Khao?

You want crazy frenetic night life? still flashes of it in Bangla at night.

Shopping, don't ask me about <deleted> shopping, suffice to say the ladies in your group have a huge choice to waste their time and money (hopefully not your money)

 

Last night my wife had an in depth conversation with a guy who had taken a lady boy back to his room the night before, while I was discussing with a guy his experiences in Cambodia & Vietnam in the 70's and 90's and that was only 2 hours of our day.

 

If a person can't still have a pretty pleasant time here, they are probably a pretty unhappy person or just a miserable prick but you should have met Patong when it was alive.

[xylophone]

13 hours ago, naboo said:

Been to Patong once, for a few hours back in 2010. I have to return next month as my sister is visiting with my niece, and Patong is their choice of destination.

 

What's unmissable? I'm not looking forward to my visit, so  give me something to look forward to. It can't be that bad, surely?

As Patong2 has said, the nightlife in Bangla is worth a visit and you can go from the seedy to the enjoyable (live band) in one strip.

 

Some nice restaurants nearby if you wish to explore.

 

Wat Chalong is a place I recommend to visitors, as are Cape Panwa and Promthep Cape and whilst on the way the small road around the coast is very scenic.

 

Exploring the East Coast makes a nice day out and the beaches in the north west are a cut above the others.

 

Although others decry it I enjoyed Phuket Fantasea as did the others I went with..........not your slick hollywood type show, but a rustic yet enjoyable effort.

 

Shopping is best in Phuket Central Plaza, not too far from Patong and worth the trip.

[xylophone]

On 6/26/2017 at 8:56 AM, phuketrichard said:

Having  lived in Patong in 1985 thru 1996 and now living in Kamala, all i can say is Patong never died,

just constantly reinvents itself for a changing tourist market.

 

Maybe true enough, but if a place keeps reinventing itself to match a market which is sliding down the socio economic scale, then it will end up in a sorry state indeed. Suitable for bogans, lowlife, cheapskates and objectionable tourists........

[beechbum]

5 hours ago, xylophone said:

Suitable for bogans, lowlife, cheapskates and objectionable tourists........

Funny stuff, you think patongs only just become suitable for those types...they and every other type imaginable have been going there for a very long time.

 

[Mysterion]

I first visited patong in 2010.

 

IMHO, it has hardly changed since then.

 

Sure there are a few more shops/guesthouses on new middle road and allot more PRC tourists, but it has still retained the overall look and feel since 2010 at least.

 

When did Patong change rapidly from a quiet fishing community to what it had become in 2010?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 27, 2017 by Mysterion

[phuketrichard]

since 2010 the whole third road has filled out an many places on 2nd road have been torn down and rebuilt heading ever higher...

Plus the whole area behind junk ceylon has been torn down  ( for what, i  have no idea )

it was NOT a fishing community since prehaps the 60's,  surely not when i first visited in '75

[Scott]

Troll post reported and removed.  

[NamKangMan]

On 26/06/2017 at 11:56 AM, phuketrichard said:

Having  lived in Patong in 1985 thru 1996 and now living in Kamala, all i can say is Patong never died,

just constantly reinvents itself for a changing tourist market.

 

 

"just constantly reinvents itself for a changing tourist market." - I see it as a "chicken before the egg" scenario. 

 

Does Patong / Phuket reinvent itself because the tourism market coming here has changed, or has the tourism market here changed because Patong / Phuket refuses to implement any positive change for tourists????

[phuketrichard]

tourism market has changed and the smart owners changed with the different tourists

 

 

 

 

[NamKangMan]

On 26/06/2017 at 2:40 PM, AJBangkok said:

 

I agree with you that your average Mr Wang from Wuhan is far less likely to come to Phuket, fall in love with a bargirl, and move here to run a cafe etc than your average Bob from Bristol or Bruce from Brisbane.

 

However taking a bigger perspective if the clampdown on Zero Baht tourism actually works then it is possible that in order to claw back as much money as they can from Chinese tourism, the Chinese ( corporate or illegal interets - not individuals ) do acquire local businesses or have locals front businesses on their behalf.

 

They are doing it already We've already seen crackdowns on Chinese tour guides, Chinese tour companies, Chinese bus and boat owners and chances are these people are not just going to give up and go home. They'll just find a better way to keep doing it and get thier share of the pie. 

 

For that to happen then you'd need Chinese tourism to be sustainable and grow. Investment wouldn't happen overnight  but slowly they could acquire the venues and retask them so that maybe in 10 years time nightlife in Patong will be about popping out at night for a bowl of noodles and a cold Tsing Tao, followed by a foot massage , and some late night entertainment by cracking a bottle of Remy at the local Karaoke. Paradise.

 

"chances are these people are not just going to give up and go home. They'll just find a better way to keep doing it and get thier share of the pie." - or move their operation to a neighboring country. Eg. their Communist cousins in Vietnam, where they are prepared to welcome a new "pie" to share.  

 

Not to mention, Vietnam already has casinos in operation. 

[NamKangMan]

6 minutes ago, phuketrichard said:

tourism market has changed and the smart owners changed with the different tourists

 

 

 

 

 

Really?

 

How do you explain all those vacant bars in Tiger????

 

What about all the businesses for sale here????

 

I suggest, the tourism market changed because Patong / Phuket failed to move with the times and offer a quality holiday experience, and just continued on with the same old BS and scams, thus, losing the lucrative western market, and repelling return tourists. 

[NamKangMan]

On 26/06/2017 at 3:56 PM, Prometheus33 said:

Yep, full of these Chinese and you know what?! They spend a great deal on their trips to Thailand (and elsewhere) .......... at hotels, restaurants and shops. Today, the Chinese tourists are a major contributor to the Thai tourist industry (and to global tourism as well ........ check relevant data at locations France, Germany, UK , USA etc) .. So,  "full of Chinese" , really ?! ........  and they "haggle" too ?!  

A request, please do not belittle any race , nation or colour ..

 

"They spend a great deal on their trips to Thailand" - really????  Why is it they are called "zero baht tourists" then????

 

"A request, please do not belittle any race , nation or colour." - I think you will find it's their financial capacity that is being discussed.  Not their race, color, nationality etc etc. 

[NamKangMan]

14 hours ago, Mysterion said:

I first visited patong in 2010.

 

IMHO, it has hardly changed since then.

 

Sure there are a few more shops/guesthouses on new middle road and allot more PRC tourists, but it has still retained the overall look and feel since 2010 at least.

 

When did Patong change rapidly from a quiet fishing community to what it had become in 2010?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"IMHO, it has hardly changed since then." - I think you will find the prices here have changed at a faster pace to other destinations in Thailand, for the same product.  Eg. a Singha beer.

[madmitch]

28 minutes ago, NamKangMan said:

 

"IMHO, it has hardly changed since then." - I think you will find the prices here have changed at a faster pace to other destinations in Thailand, for the same product.  Eg. a Singha beer.

And the root cause of this is the fact that rents are among the highest in Thailand and are continually increasing. The greed of landlords is probably the major factor in Patong's decline.

[NamKangMan]

19 minutes ago, madmitch said:

And the root cause of this is the fact that rents are among the highest in Thailand and are continually increasing. The greed of landlords is probably the major factor in Patong's decline.

 

I agree MM.

 

These greedy Thai landlords were always going to push the tourism market to find the highest point at which they were prepared to pay, just before it broke. 

 

Add to that, paying more for transport per day than your food and beverage, or your accommodation per night, and it was only a matter of time before the independent western tourists would wise up.

 

With a rapidly declining western market here, Phuket's answer was to replace this market with rock bottom F & B, and room rate, Chinese package holiday tourists, in coach buses.

 

Good luck with that. 

 

Phuket's in a race of its own - to the bottom.

 

 

[xylophone]

16 hours ago, beechbum said:

Funny stuff, you think patongs only just become suitable for those types...they and every other type imaginable have been going there for a very long time.

 

Perhaps that is the case and I've not really noticed it, however a few times of late I have witnessed something I have never witnessed here before..............

 

I meet friends in a local Starbucks quite a few times a week, so you could say I'm a regular visitor and have been since it first opened and there follows just a few things, which for me epitomises the depths to which we have sunk here.

 

A Chinese guy with his wife sitting in Starbucks clipping his toenails (and the skin off his feet) and they were flying all over the floor and the table. I was mortified as was the manager of Starbucks and promptly told him to stop, whilst the shop girls swept up the clippings from the floor. By the look on his face he thought it was a perfectly normal thing to do.

 

An Indian guy sitting on an armchair in Starbucks, with his shoes off and his dirty feet resting on the table. I stood over him and suggested that it wasn't good manners to put one's feet on the table, especially as other people had to eat from those very tables, so he reluctantly took them off. Again, it seemed like the norm for him.

 

If you want to see mess, then look at the places where a Chinese family have been drinking and eating. For at least 75% of the time there will be food and drink on the floor, not to mention wrappers and other rubbish and the lovely Thai staff are always having to clean up after Chinese families have been there and indeed all of these girls who speak a little English say to me, "China, I don't like".

 

As if to add insult to injury these Chinese families have no control over their children and let them run around the place shouting and screaming as they see fit and on at least a couple of occasions I have stood over the family and asked them to quieten down, telling them it is a restaurant/coffee shop, not a playground. They have no respect for other people's comfort or well-being.

 

At the back of Jungceylon, a Chinese woman decided to let her child defecate on the area which has seats in it (where people could sit and relax), when there were toilets no more than 100 m away.

 

These are instances that I have witnessed in one particular place in Patong, so lord knows what is happening in other areas and for me this is a sure sign that this place is on the slide with regards to its tourists and the quality thereof.

 

 

Edited June 28, 2017 by xylophone
speller

[GiantFan]

4 hours ago, xylophone said:

 

At the back of Jungceylon, a Chinese woman decided to let her child defecate on the area which has seats in it (where people could sit and relax), when there were toilets no more than 100 m away.

 

 

Saw a kid taking a wiz ion the Nanjing metro.  Mom didn't seem to mind.

[Prometheus33]

5 hours ago, NamKangMan said:

 

Really?

 

How do you explain all those vacant bars in Tiger????

 

What about all the businesses for sale here????

 

I suggest, the tourism market changed because Patong / Phuket failed to move with the times and offer a quality holiday experience, and just continued on with the same old BS and scams, thus, losing the lucrative western market, and repelling return tourists. 

Neither Patong nor Phuket has failed .. both are alive and doing well ...... Perhaps one can say that it isn't doing as well as it used to. That's  for sure .. have you taken a look at the world economy recently ?! .. Most people can't afford a decent holiday because they simply do not earn enough these days !! Tourism in Patong / Phuket has taken a hit same as other tourist spots at other places .. 

I was in Patong recently (@ the Burasari) and enjoyed my stay  .. as did my son and his fiancee ( she flew Prague Moscow Phuket , I mention this because the focal point of her / their holiday was Phuket / Patong not Bangkok or elsewhere ) , both have just completed their MBA and I dare say very discerning travellers !! They spent 15  days in Patong and 6 days in  Kata and say they will be back  again .. When young people feel a place is worth going back to, well, I reckon there is hope yet !! 

[madmax2]

The chinese i have seen are about 50% or less couples and 50% or more single women, time to get rid of the bar girls and try out bar boys

Countries all around the world are chasing the Chinese tourist trade, including the USA who are making their tourist visa easier to get for the Chinese and for a longer period of valid to stay time

 

Plenty of new tourist resorts opening all the time, and lots of backpacker/guesthouse being opened by Thai people who give employment to their own family members and are not interested in new updated vehicles and overseas holidays just better wages and conditions for their own people

 

Compeat or starve, Travelworld Australia are now offering a lot more holiday package deals all around the world, including sea and river cruises, train trips, coach trips, disneyland packages, RV hire packages, plus the usual airfare, transfer and accommodation deals, you name it

Where Aussies used to return to places like Bali or Phuket year after year they now try new holiday destinations every year 

[xylophone]

2 hours ago, Prometheus33 said:

Perhaps one can say that it isn't doing as well as it used to. That's  for sure

I have said the same in many posts in the previous "Patong is dead" thread – – no it isn't dead, however it is struggling.

 

Despite the fact that it is struggling and there are some fairly obvious signs around, for the average everyday holidaymaker, they probably wouldn't notice any difference. They might not look down the back of the two Tiger establishments to see the empty bars, they won't know that where now there is nothing, there used to be thriving Sois and they certainly won't know that there are condos/apartments/houses which have been for sale here for years.

 

I doubt if they would even venture to look at the  Phanason, Ace, Dinso unfinished/derelict condominium projects, not to mention several other unfinished buildings around the place......... this because they are here with one thing in mind, and that's to enjoy their holiday, not to analyse the state of play here, so to speak.

 

They also won't know about the reduction in business over previous years (yes I know it's now low season, but that's a comparison to other low seasons) because these things are just not advertised.

 

No it's not dead, and as I have often said, it will be alive for many years to come, but in what state that will be, well that's anyone's guess, however a few of my recent posts do give a clue as to where I think this place is heading.