Patong - The Wake

[schlog]

2 hours ago, xylophone said:

Spend is down..........so Jungceylon has now introduced a parking fee for motorcycles/scooters!!!!

 

That will p!ss a few people off no doubt!

To be honest. If i'm the GM of JC i had done that long time ago.

And now with Central staff parking there also it's good to have it for real JC customers. 

[xylophone]

5 hours ago, xylophone said:

Probably my last post for a while as I will be heading off to Blighty (Sussex actually) on Saturday to catch up with some old friends and revisit boyhood adventure places

And another reason for visiting Blighty is that I feel I need a break from this place because I appear to have had some sort of allergy for some time now, resulting in itchy rashes on my back and shoulders, sinus type congestion and sneezing (and sneezing seems to be very common round here at the moment).

 

Can anyone tell me why the "Allergy reading" when I look at the weather forecast for Patong shows it to be "Extreme"??

 

There doesn't appear to be much in the way of flowers bursting forth or anything else for that matter, so why so high?

[billythehat]

6 hours ago, xylophone said:

Hab snip:

 

Probably my last post for a while as I will be heading off to Blighty (Sussex actually) on Saturday to catch up with some old friends and revisit boyhood adventure places, all this probably for the last time as I have no real reason to go back again after that.

 

I have teed up a meeting with my best friend at junior school, and his sister, and have a big surprise for them because although nobody knows it, I am their cousin, by virtue of the fact that their father's brother decided to get his leg over my unmarried birth-mother when she was 19 and I was the result. Everything was hushed up and I was adopted out and strangely enough I became good friends with both this boy and his sister over the years so no doubt we will have much to discuss after they have gotten over the shock.

 

Sir, I suggest you pack some extra togs, say, some fur-lined thermal knickers (x-large) for your adventure back to Outer Earth as it can still be a wee bit chilly at night and in the early morning. Beautiful green forests and proper roast dinners await juxtaposed to a political climate akin to any Marx Brothers film. Safe journey.

[GeorgeCross]

44 minutes ago, billythehat said:

Sir, I suggest you pack some extra togs, say, some fur-lined thermal knickers (x-large) for your adventure back to Outer Earth as it can still be a wee bit chilly at night and in the early morning. Beautiful green forests and proper roast dinners await juxtaposed to a political climate akin to any Marx Brothers film. Safe journey.

might want to pack some board shorts as well gonna be 29 degrees on saturday!

 

 

[HighPriority]

Safe travels xylophone 

[madmitch]

Xylo, I arrived back this morning from a few days in England; my reason was nothing like yours but how could I not return to see my beloved Charlton Athletic play - and win - at Wembley!! The forecast for the next few days is good (unlike Wednesday when I was walking around with the hood of my hoodie covering my freezing ears.

 

I've no doubt you'll be spending some money on wine and you'll find so many items now much cheaper than in Thailand, not just in the supermarket but clothes and even items such as glasses. Despite the proliferance of opticians in Thailand, I'll be buying BOGOFs next time I'm back there. Pubs and restaurants (Wetherspoons aside) are very expensive now, especially in London.

 

Have a good trip. I wonder what will have changed in Patong when you come back?

[LivinginKata]

It's been quite some time since I made comment about the 'buzz' in Patong. Xyl was doing a great job of that but he has departed for a short time (we hope). As you all know we have a long term apartment home business in 2 Patong locations. For us it's been the best in 5 years with 100% tenants. Only 2 declared seasonal - 4+ months. Those folks left as planned in April. 3 long timers left due to illness, another 2 due to parental illness. Just today one family who is small scale hotel owner (16 rooms) gave notice of immediate vacation as they have no customers and no income so need to stay in their hotel to save money They tell me they are down to 300 baht day fully serviced but other places down to 200 baht day.  How can that even cover electric and cleaning.  

 

Be honest I rarely go into Patong these days but I drove along Nanai Road about 13.00 today and it was noticeable how few folks were out and about. Small eateries dead. Makro dead. Even that Family Mart to the very south end of Nanai is closed. Other small businesses closed. Depressing.

 

Driving back home to Kata about 14.00 I drove along Karon main village street that is usually humming with tourists walking about even at that time of the day. Absolutely dead. I was shopping in Makro Kata this morning .... absolutely dead ... car park almost empty. Not at all a good sign for the low season.  

[xylophone]

2 hours ago, madmitch said:

Have a good trip. I wonder what will have changed in Patong when you come back?

Thanks for your good wishes mm, much appreciated.

 

And if things are cheaper in the UK, that will suit me fine – – especially wine!!!!! Shame I can only bring back two bottles.

 

As for things changing in Patong, well if my last night out (last night) is anything to go by, then nothing much: –

Sparsely populated Bangla; big bellied Indians; black hookers; bogans heavily tattooed; bars bereft of much custom; belligerent Chinese and all the other "B's" you can think of.

 

Was dropped off at the bottom of my soi (in the pouring rain I may add) and underneath the shelter built for the motorbike taxis were six Russians, very drunk and loud and obviously imbibing from drinks they had bought at the Family Mart next door, so with all I have just mentioned, I doubt whether it will change much by the time I get back, because it's a slippery slope Patong is on, but the powers that be can't see it, only the poor buggers struggling to make a living here.

[Patong2]

It is certainly quiet in Patong and it seems even worse elsewhere.

Took a drive north up the coast on Wednesday and Layan, Bang Tao and Nai Thon are just plain empty.

Had lunch at Nai Thon and we were the only people in the restaurant and then drove to Nai Yang and very quiet there too. Ended up at O-Oh in Cherng Thalay for coffee and then an early dinner and again the only people in an excellent restaurant with well priced food of pretty good quality.

 

Sad to see these businesses not doing better when they are doing most things right but the fact is there are few potential customers here at the moment.

 

 

Edited June 1, 2019 by Patong2

[madmitch]

I flew in on Friday morning with Turkish Airlines. The flight was no more than one third full, which was great for me as I had the row to myself. Without the constantly crying and screaming pair of kids behind me it would have been a very pleasant flight! Apart from making the mistake of choosing the booth behind a family of four who were a bit slow in having their fingerprints and photos taken, Immigration was very quick. Despite the new biometrics we still have to fill out the TM6 and of course there's the TM30 report to Immigration, which I've already done online.

 

I'd guess that airline slots are booked on an annual basis but at this time of year with Turkish, Etihad, Qatar and Emirates all with daily direct flights to Phuket, I'd be surprised if any of them are making money on the route.

 

Karon and Kata seem very quiet, even compared to last year, with a few Russians and Chinese around but not much else. We'll no doubt hear that numbers are up at some point from the authorities. I reckon we'll be seeing fewer Chinese staying in the beach areas as new hotels are springing up such as the Ramada and The Beehive on Chaofa West. A couple of tour guides have said this to my missus already. It seems the likes of The Hilton Arcadia are no longer chopping their prices to rock bottom to accommodate the Chinese groups. I don't know if the same is happening in Patong.

[steelepulse]

I've always liked May as to me it seems the quietest month.

[Joe Mcseismic]

1 hour ago, steelepulse said:

I've always liked May as to me it seems the quietest month.

Really? I've always thought September was the quietest.

[DrDave]

On 5/30/2019 at 1:54 AM, xylophone said:

I've often mentioned about spend before, and things certainly aren't getting any better with the owners of two massage places telling me that they are constantly getting hassle from both Russians and Chinese to drop the prices for their massages, from 300 baht to 200 baht, however they will have none of it.

As a point of reference, I was in Chiang Mai last week and saw that one hour massages have dropped to 150 baht in some shops, with none over 200 baht. Maybe the Russians and Chinese have been doing a bit of traveling? It would seem so, as Chiang Mai was packed with Chinese.

[xylophone]

5 hours ago, DrDave said:

As a point of reference, I was in Chiang Mai last week and saw that one hour massages have dropped to 150 baht in some shops, with none over 200 baht. Maybe the Russians and Chinese have been doing a bit of traveling? It would seem so, as Chiang Mai was packed with Chinese.

Jeez DrDave, if you think about that, it will be very hard for the massage girls and the owner to make any money, unless of course the turnover is so huge that it compensates for this. But take the cost of 150 baht, and the owner has to give something to the girls, so either the girls get very little or the owner gets very little – – in actual fact they both get very little, and this is exacerbated somewhat because both the Chinese and the Russians are renowned as being poor to non-existent tippers!

 

Times are certainly tough, but with any luck the Chinese will continue to flock to Chang Mai to take advantage of the cheap prices and the air quality with which they are familiar, and Patong might see some respite from the loud and ignorant hordes.
 

[DrDave]

8 hours ago, xylophone said:

Jeez DrDave, if you think about that, it will be very hard for the massage girls and the owner to make any money, unless of course the turnover is so huge that it compensates for this. But take the cost of 150 baht, and the owner has to give something to the girls, so either the girls get very little or the owner gets very little – – in actual fact they both get very little, and this is exacerbated somewhat because both the Chinese and the Russians are renowned as being poor to non-existent tippers!

 

Times are certainly tough, but with any luck the Chinese will continue to flock to Chang Mai to take advantage of the cheap prices and the air quality with which they are familiar, and Patong might see some respite from the loud and ignorant hordes.
 

I agree, xylophone. It's very difficult for the massage ladies to make any money if the bulk of their customers are cheap charlies. In our case, we always tip 100 baht, but I've also seen customers stiff the staff with no tip or maybe 20 baht, which I think is disgraceful.

 

In my mind, a tip represents compensation for personal service, and I can't think of anyone more deserving of a generous tip than a massage lady spending an hour completely focused 100% on providing a service to me. Now contrast that with someone like a barista who spends 20 seconds making a coffee, and expecting a tip.

[Joe Mcseismic]

I'm against tipping. Let the business owners pay them a decent, living wage. After all, they are the real beneficiaries of the services provided.

[xylophone]

5 hours ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

I'm against tipping. Let the business owners pay them a decent, living wage. After all, they are the real beneficiaries of the services provided.

Everyone to their own, so I tip generously like DrDave and if I find a really good lady I request her every time and tip well.

 

That's my style and has always been.

[Joe Mcseismic]

24 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Everyone to their own, so I tip generously like DrDave and if I find a really good lady I request her every time and tip well.

 

That's my style and has always been.

Oh, I tip, it's just I don't like it and I blame the owners of the businesses.

[DrDave]

12 hours ago, Joe Mcseismic said:

I'm against tipping. Let the business owners pay them a decent, living wage. After all, they are the real beneficiaries of the services provided.

I understand what you're saying, and agree in some cases, depending upon the nature of the business. The fact that there are tip boxes on the counter of fast food restaurants and places like Starbucks amazes me. What exactly is the service these people are performing for me?  Restaurants - I always tip well because wages are low, but unless the service has been exceptional, the expected 20% doesn't sit well with me. I agree that the wages of restaurant service staff should be just another cost of doing business, just like rent, utilities, food, supplies etc. Raising wages and reducing tips would also be more equitable from a tax perspective. 

Massage shops, however, operate on a different business model. I don't know what the current split is, but in the past it was common to have a 40/60 or 50/50 split between the shop owner and the massage ladies. The shop owner has considerable overhead, and isn't making a killing at those splits.

[madmitch]

12 hours ago, DrDave said:

I understand what you're saying, and agree in some cases, depending upon the nature of the business. The fact that there are tip boxes on the counter of fast food restaurants and places like Starbucks amazes me. What exactly is the service these people are performing for me?  Restaurants - I always tip well because wages are low, but unless the service has been exceptional, the expected 20% doesn't sit well with me. I agree that the wages of restaurant service staff should be just another cost of doing business, just like rent, utilities, food, supplies etc. Raising wages and reducing tips would also be more equitable from a tax perspective. 

Massage shops, however, operate on a different business model. I don't know what the current split is, but in the past it was common to have a 40/60 or 50/50 split between the shop owner and the massage ladies. The shop owner has considerable overhead, and isn't making a killing at those splits.

I don't think 20% tips are expected in reestaurants in Thailand.

[LivinginKata]

3 hours ago, madmitch said:

I don't think 20% tips are expected in reestaurants in Thailand.

 

That's an US idea expectation. Tips are not expected here in Thailand although that has changed in the past 10+ years. Myself, I work on 10% so long as service was good. Bad or poor service no tip. But for me it;s not about percentage. I might spend only 200 baht but if I enjoyed the experience I would not leave only 20 baht. That would be insulting.

[DrDave]

7 hours ago, madmitch said:

I don't think 20% tips are expected in reestaurants in Thailand.

You're right MM. If a tip is expected, normally the expectation is about 10% in Thailand. I was thinking more about the US where 18-20% is the norm. There are many stories of snooty waitstaff in places like New York chasing patrons tipping less than 20% out in the street, verbally accosting them.

Interesting that many higher-end restaurants here will bury a 10% service charge in the bill, resulting in many customers essentially double-tipping. Not sure how much of that service charge goes directly to staff, but that's a whole different discussion.

[xylophone]

On 5/30/2019 at 8:16 PM, GeorgeCross said:

might want to pack some board shorts as well gonna be 29 degrees on saturday!

 

 

Well George, it never got that high and lately the temp at night has been around 10 with some daytime temps around 16......so am finding it bloody cold!!

 

[LivinginKata]

1 hour ago, xylophone said:

Well George, it never got that high and lately the temp at night has been around 10 with some daytime temps around 16......so am finding it bloody cold!!

 

 

That's why I have never been back for 24 years. Mind you a shocking weather day across Phuket.  Dark. Dull. Rain. Windy. Worst I have seen in a long time.

Edited June 8, 2019 by LivinginKata

[xylophone]

3 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

That's why I have never been back for 24 years. Mind you a shocking weather day across Phuket.  Dark. Dull. Rain. Windy. Worst I have seen in a long time.

That I can put up with LiK............but not the cold any more, and at least the rain is warm in Phuket!

[xylophone]

On 6/8/2019 at 3:45 PM, LivinginKata said:

That's why I have never been back for 24 years. (cold weather)

Well LiK I got back to Patong early Monday morning and was pleased to be back here, this especially as the weather in Blighty was atrocious and on one particular day (about midday) the temperature dropped to 9° C and there was one hell of a windchill, in amongst the driving rain – – so much so that I had to get in my car and drive around the place with the heater full on to get warm; and this in "flaming June". More like flaming (or other expletive) cold.

 

I think it was madmitch who was commenting about the prices in the UK, but apart from things like some fruit and vegetables, everything else was expensive and for those people who keep complaining that Patong (or Thailand) is expensive, then they need to spend some more time in Blighty to see the reality.

 

Even the cheapest shirt, discounted in Marks & Spencer's, was slightly more expensive than here and the average non-discounted shirt was twice as much as I would pay for one here.

 

The car parking cost me £9 per day and a soup and a pasta meal, accompanied by three glasses of wine cost me £36.

 

And as for the pubs, well I visited six in all, in and around Sussex and IMO they were all dingey and guilty of serving very average food, even the Wetherspoon's outlets.

 

However this thread is about Patong, so anyone thinking that Blighty is going to be better than Patong cost -wise, needs to think again.

 

Having only been back nearly 3 days I haven't had time to have a full reconnoitre, but I noticed the motorbike car park under Jungceylon is very sparsely populated indeed, no doubt because of the charges being applied, but seriously, 20 baht for an hour or two is not going to break anyone's bank.

 

Dons pool bar is still a mess and really hasn't taken any shape since the concrete has been dug up, and Montes looks as quiet as it's always been, although I may have missed some action there?

 

The roller blind bar that was for sale near me appears to have obtained a second lease of life, or a new lessee, not sure on that one.

 

And just to show that there is hope on the horizon, or more farangs leaving their brains on the plane (not sure which) the former Nanai Sports Bar/Burger Me/many other incarnations, seems to have got a new "owner" as I saw a farang and what looked like a real estate agent (or similar) negotiating a couple of days ago and now the place is being "remodelled/restructured" to ready it for its next role in Nanai road's ever changing scene. 

 

PS. Did I mention that I will never be going back to the UK ever again as it holds absolutely nothing for me now and I do anticipate spending the rest of my natural life here or nearby, with perhaps the occasional trip to countries closer to here .......Phuket is cheaper, better weather, more lively and vibrant and full of smiling young and attractive women, rather than glum fat-arsed farang females.

[JHolmesJr]

Im long overdue for a trip to Patong...hope the totty is still as lovely.

[xylophone]

34 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

Im long overdue for a trip to Patong...hope the totty is still as lovely.

Ah, music to my ears Mr Holmes....... so long since I've heard the word "totty" and it was one of my favourite words in my youth in England and New Zealand, along with "crumpet".

 

And for my money, now that I have just visited Blighty and seen what's available, I fully appreciate what's on offer here at Patong, more so than ever before.

 

If you need a few pointers as to where the action is here, then by all means send me a PM, otherwise I'm sure a man of your standing will know exactly where to go and what to see!

[schlog]

51 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Well LiK I got back to Patong early Monday morning and was pleased to be back here, this especially as the weather in Blighty was atrocious and on one particular day (about midday) the temperature dropped to 9° C and there was one hell of a windchill, in amongst the driving rain – – so much so that I had to get in my car and drive around the place with the heater full on to get warm; and this in "flaming June". More like flaming (or other expletive) cold.

 

I think it was madmitch who was commenting about the prices in the UK, but apart from things like some fruit and vegetables, everything else was expensive and for those people who keep complaining that Patong (or Thailand) is expensive, then they need to spend some more time in Blighty to see the reality.

 

Even the cheapest shirt, discounted in Marks & Spencer's, was slightly more expensive than here and the average non-discounted shirt was twice as much as I would pay for one here.

 

The car parking cost me £9 per day and a soup and a pasta meal, accompanied by three glasses of wine cost me £36.

 

And as for the pubs, well I visited six in all, in and around Sussex and IMO they were all dingey and guilty of serving very average food, even the Wetherspoon's outlets.

 

However this thread is about Patong, so anyone thinking that Blighty is going to be better than Patong cost -wise, needs to think again.

 

Having only been back nearly 3 days I haven't had time to have a full reconnoitre, but I noticed the motorbike car park under Jungceylon is very sparsely populated indeed, no doubt because of the charges being applied, but seriously, 20 baht for an hour or two is not going to break anyone's bank.

 

Dons pool bar is still a mess and really hasn't taken any shape since the concrete has been dug up, and Montes looks as quiet as it's always been, although I may have missed some action there?

 

The roller blind bar that was for sale near me appears to have obtained a second lease of life, or a new lessee, not sure on that one.

 

And just to show that there is hope on the horizon, or more farangs leaving their brains on the plane (not sure which) the former Nanai Sports Bar/Burger Me/many other incarnations, seems to have got a new "owner" as I saw a farang and what looked like a real estate agent (or similar) negotiating a couple of days ago and now the place is being "remodelled/restructured" to ready it for its next role in Nanai road's ever changing scene. 

 

PS. Did I mention that I will never be going back to the UK ever again as it holds absolutely nothing for me now and I do anticipate spending the rest of my natural life here or nearby, with perhaps the occasional trip to countries closer to here .......Phuket is cheaper, better weather, more lively and vibrant and full of smiling young and attractive women, rather than glum fat-arsed farang females.

Welcome back xylo.

 

I'm with you. After every trip to europe i'm so thankfull for many weeks for living here.

[JHolmesJr]

1 hour ago, xylophone said:

If you need a few pointers as to where the action is here, then by all means send me a PM, otherwise I'm sure a man of your standing will know exactly where to go and what to see!

 

Nowadays the millennials want all the totty info handed to them before they get on a plane.

Where? How much? How long? When to pay? What to do if she is a starfish? What does it mean if she leaves her toothbrush behind?

 

I like to jump right in and see what happens...I will start at the Tiger Disco area and see where my hormones lead me.

 

God, I miss that after hours disco on the hill between Patong and Karon beaches....what a freak zone.

 

But I might PM you if I need some current info. Or there's always WSG. :)