Patong - The Wake

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, Lashay said:

Closures was ordered by Governor late last night. Only seems to cover "entertainment venues" ie bars and clubs (the favourite whipping boy of authorities) restaurants and hotel bars should be excluded.

Was told today that massage parlours are included in the closures??  

 

If that's the rub, then it will tug at the heart strings!

[blackcab]

A defamatory post and a reply to it have been removed.

[xylophone]

On 3/18/2020 at 2:51 PM, LivinginKata said:

 

Exactly correct. Lots of room for 'negotiation'. Much like the visa situation, all screwed up directives. Many will be serving food and claim to be a restaurant, not covered by closure. Lot of money to made by BiB and officials to make 'compromise'.. 

I suppose that's one way that the BIB can try to capitalise on the current situation, LiK, but they will be missing out on a huge chunk of tea money.

 

However they have found a way to be able to make up some of the shortfall, because over the past two or three days I have seen more traffic cops stopping traffic in Patong and Karon than I have ever seen in the past!

 

They are even stopping Thais who are not wearing crash helmets, so that's a first (or near enough)!!

 

Perhaps they will get off their lazy backsides and do some work for a change, the type of work, I may add, they should be doing anyway on a regular basis.

 

Be careful out there..........they are looking for ways to extract some cash from you!!!

[Kopitiam]

1 hour ago, xylophone said:

I suppose that's one way that the BIB can try to capitalise on the current situation, LiK, but they will be missing out on a huge chunk of tea money.

 

However they have found a way to be able to make up some of the shortfall, because over the past two or three days I have seen more traffic cops stopping traffic in Patong and Karon than I have ever seen in the past!

 

They are even stopping Thais who are not wearing crash helmets, so that's a first (or near enough)!!

 

Perhaps they will get off their lazy backsides and do some work for a change, the type of work, I may add, they should be doing anyway on a regular basis.

 

Be careful out there..........they are looking for ways to extract some cash from you!!!

Just passed through that check point between Karon and Patong.  I don't think they can extract much from the motorcyclists as there are not many on the road.  JungCeylon is in a shutdown, but BigC is still open and not many people in there.  Shelves are still full. No panic buying.

[DFPhuket]

I’ve also noticed a sudden increase in checkpoints. Obviously they don’t think it’s important to keep social distance from the people they’re pulling over. Cash is more important than avoiding the virus. 
 

They always seem so disappointed when I pull out my Thai drivers license. 

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, DFPhuket said:

I’ve also noticed a sudden increase in checkpoints. Obviously they don’t think it’s important to keep social distance from the people they’re pulling over. Cash is more important than avoiding the virus. 
 

They always seem so disappointed when I pull out my Thai drivers license. 

Same same, and I also keep a copy of my passport main page on me (reduced and laminated) just to be sure!

[xylophone]

Post from a ghost town...........

 

And that's just what it looks like at the moment although I do encounter a few people as I wander through Big C, but very sparsely populated, if you could call it that. Anyway I only wander through to pick up odds and ends that I don't really want, as an excuse to get myself out of the room for fear of cabin fever, and to encounter a few other human beings, so I know that the world hasn't come to an end.

 

What does amaze me is the amount of "For Sale" or "For Lease" signs that I see up around the place; so quick, although it has to be said that I think a lot of places were doing it tough before the virus hit and a lot more are going to go the same way unfortunately.

 

Too late for a row of "roller blind" shops in the middle road, opposite Jungceylon, quite a few of which have been demolished, and as I haven't seen anybody going in and out of those shops for many weeks, even months, it wouldn't surprise me to see the rest of them follow suit.

 

Just come back from Tesco Lotus and that had a few people in it, and no sign of panic buying although eggs seem to be a favourite item for filling up trolleys. I was rather hoping that Tesco might have had a clear out of some wine, but that wasn't the case, however I shall keep an eye out anyway.

 

I was tempted to try and get into Tops in Central, but a friend of mine said it was impossible to get in as the whole place was closed up, but then speaking to him today he seemed to think that there was a way to get in to access Tops, so I may give that a try next week as I need a few quality things from them.

 

Coming back into Patong, by the Texaco garage, I was stopped at a police/army checkpoint, but was cleared to go through after they saw I was wearing a mask (no not the funny face one) and after I showed them my driving licence. On that point I don't know quite what they were looking for or who they would stop and why?

 

Perhaps only allowing residents through??

 

I need to get my 90 day report done next week, and I did hear that the Patong immigration office on the beach road was closed, so it looks like a visit to Phuket immigration is on the cards.
 

[Lashay]

14 minutes ago, xylophone said:

On that point I don't know quite what they were looking for or who they would stop and why?

It became requirement today for all drivers entering patong to be wearing a face mask, more useless <deleted> from the useless mayor who knows she is facing an election soon that she is likely to lose

[LivinginKata]

35 minutes ago, xylophone said:

<snip>

I need to get my 90 day report done next week, and I did hear that the Patong immigration office on the beach road was closed, so it looks like a visit to Phuket immigration is on the cards.
 

 

Have online register and reports that drive through in town working.

[glassdude007]

Expat Bar on Soi Bangala was my home base as well as The Paradise Bar and Bungalows great place to hang out in the Old Patong...

will be missed but never forgotten..

[schlog]

First small steps of the coming wake of Patong.

 

Right now a restaurant giving free kebab opposit the Sleep with me hotel.

 

Scary hard time for Patong and its people. But it's more lively today then 1 week or 2 ago. Still little bit the feeling of walking dead.

 

Sure it will need time but at the end all will be fine. If it's not fine it's not the end. Stay positiv.

[xylophone]

Hi Schlog,

Thanks for the pic, and like you I was out and about a couple of days ago and was lamenting the fact that a lot of the smaller and shuttered shops don't look as if they will ever come back to life again, even more so if the folks who operated a small business out of them have fallen on hard times – – which is most likely.

 

Interestingly enough I drove past the building on the right side of the pic, which is being demolished, and I wondered what was going to take its place as there were quite a few little shops, including a pharmacy, there.

 

Rumours abound that some businesses will be opening on May 1, and if that's the case I'm going to find one of the best restaurants around and indulge myself, that is provided they also open??

 

Bangla is unlikely to open at that time, and thinking about that particular case, so many of the bars were doing it very hard just before the lockdown, with many of them on the verge of going bust after a couple of poor seasons, but now I would imagine many of them will probably never be able to open up again unless the landlords were particularly generous with their rent/lease holidays for these folk. Time will tell.

 

A row of single story, roller blind type shops, opposite Starbucks at the back of Jungceylon have been bulldozed and I've no idea what's going in there, and overall, Nanai road looks like part of a ghost town in an old movie.

 

Sad times indeed, but I was here just before and then after the tsunami, and I marvelled at the way that some of the Thais were able to get back on their feet, so let's hope the same applies this time.

[LivinginKata]

57 minutes ago, xylophone said:

<quote>

Sad times indeed, but I was here just before and then after the tsunami, and I marvelled at the way that some of the Thais were able to get back on their feet, so let's hope the same applies this time.

 

I too was here back in 2004. You can in no way compare that with a global virus disaster.  Confidence will have to be gained before folks fly. Before engage in crowds. I can't see much tourism this year. Maybe some die heads in Oct or Nov 2020. My rental business making no income. Have tenants - can't pay. No income. Expect that for many months. 

[beechbum]

47 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

 

I too was here back in 2004. You can in no way compare that with a global virus disaster.  Confidence will have to be gained before folks fly. Before engage in crowds. I can't see much tourism this year. Maybe some die heads in Oct or Nov 2020. My rental business making no income. Have tenants - can't pay. No income. Expect that for many months. 

Yep, they came back here at the 1st poitunity after the tsunami, take a fair bit longer for people to regain confidence after this i imagine.

[phuketrichard]

i was here as well an although it severely affected a few west coast towns ( Patong, Kamala, Bang Tao, Laguna)

the rest of the island was fine.Recall driving into phuket town the 27th and some people didn't even know what had happened <  In Kamala all electric was out for a few days but i had a generator an many of us leaned what had happened via cnn..
 

It did NOT recover for awhile an even the high season of 2005/6 was way down.

Difference now is the world is affected and many of those that travel to se asia, Thailand, Phuket, wont have the $$ to come, so expect 18 months till things are back to semi normal.

if you own a business and ur renting the shop space, prepare ursleve

 

[schlog]

All crisis have one thing in common. One day they will fade away first in the news then in daily life. It's only the question when. My guess is sooner then later. I would not be surprised if we see a better high season this year then last year. 80% chance imho.

 

Most guys i know are financally not affected by this crisis. Not in austria, russia or here. They save right now money because they can't spend staying only at home. Sure some friends are hit hard and that's sad but they will stand up again with our help.

 

When i came here first, 3 weeks after black may i learnd soon how quickly things can change for good. Had the best months of my life in that year and still here.

 

Lift the restrictions and we will see tourists again. More and more people got already that this covic19 is not more then the other corona viruses before. Like Sucharit Bhakdi, one of thailands most competent and famous professor doctor of infection epidemiology said, get back to normal life now!

 

[xylophone]

3 hours ago, schlog said:

All crisis have one thing in common. One day they will fade away first in the news then in daily life. It's only the question when. My guess is sooner then later. I would not be surprised if we see a better high season this year then last year. 80% chance imho.

 

Most guys i know are financally not affected by this crisis. Not in austria, russia or here. They save right now money because they can't spend staying only at home. Sure some friends are hit hard and that's sad but they will stand up again with our help.

 

When i came here first, 3 weeks after black may i learnd soon how quickly things can change for good. Had the best months of my life in that year and still here.

 

Lift the restrictions and we will see tourists again. More and more people got already that this covic19 is not more then the other corona viruses before. Like Sucharit Bhakdi, one of thailands most competent and famous professor doctor of infection epidemiology said, get back to normal life now!

 

Sure, as the old saying goes, "this too shall pass" however I'm not as optimistic as you about the recovery time, my friend, or indeed what Patong will become.

 

Well before this happened, tourism was down here because of many things; tourists drowning, beach chair fiasco, jetski rip-offs, strong baht and price increases, as well as many people waking up to the fact that this place was not "good value" any more. And rather than the influx of Chinese helping too much, they cheapened the place and the majority were part of the zero baht brigade.

 

If you go to the entertainment centres, then the bars of old were filled with folks from the UK, Europe, Australia, NZ, to name a few, however that dropped off quite markedly almost 2 years ago and didn't seem to be recovering, even before the Covid-19 scare.

 

To coincide with that, the number of backpackers/similar seemed to be on the rise, so the "Pearl of the Andaman" became more like a "shell in the sea", and the dream of making this into a place for wealthy tourists turned even more sour when cheap flights from China and India took hold.

 

Whatever dreams were once envisaged for this place, have been ravaged by corruption, greed and poor planning and it's quite possible that this has gone too far to be able to turn back and recover.

 

It could well turn into a place where poor foreigners look to spend their holidays, and even then take back home with them memories of poor infrastructure, poor service and not being value for money.

[billythehat]

2 hours ago, xylophone said:

Sure, as the old saying goes, "this too shall pass" however I'm not as optimistic as you about the recovery time, my friend, or indeed what Patong will become.

 

Well before this happened, tourism was down here because of many things; tourists drowning, beach chair fiasco, jetski rip-offs, strong baht and price increases, as well as many people waking up to the fact that this place was not "good value" any more. And rather than the influx of Chinese helping too much, they cheapened the place and the majority were part of the zero baht brigade.

 

If you go to the entertainment centres, then the bars of old were filled with folks from the UK, Europe, Australia, NZ, to name a few, however that dropped off quite markedly almost 2 years ago and didn't seem to be recovering, even before the Covid-19 scare.

 

To coincide with that, the number of backpackers/similar seemed to be on the rise, so the "Pearl of the Andaman" became more like a "shell in the sea", and the dream of making this into a place for wealthy tourists turned even more sour when cheap flights from China and India took hold.

 

Whatever dreams were once envisaged for this place, have been ravaged by corruption, greed and poor planning and it's quite possible that this has gone too far to be able to turn back and recover.

 

It could well turn into a place where poor foreigners look to spend their holidays, and even then take back home with them memories of poor infrastructure, poor service and not being value for money.

Good post, Sir, and at last a realistic appraisal on the subject. My comments in red below.

 

Well before this happened, tourism was down here because of many things; tourists drowning, beach chair fiasco, jetski rip-offs, strong baht and price increases, as well as many people waking up to the fact that this place was not "good value" any more. And rather than the influx of Chinese helping too much, they cheapened the place and the majority were part of the zero baht brigade. Agree with these points and would add that they only scratch at the reasons why tourism was in serious decline. They failed to take care of their core customer base and that was the beginning of the rot. You kick a dog long enough and hard enough, sometimes it will turn around and bite you, but most of the time it will not come back.

 

If you go to the entertainment centres, then the bars of old were filled with folks from the UK, Europe, Australia, NZ, to name a few, however that dropped off quite markedly almost 2 years ago and didn't seem to be recovering, even before the Covid-19 scare. I would say that the bars had gone off the boil long before that by delivering a poor product at an inflated price. The writing was on the hong nam wall and the clever ones got out early.

 

To coincide with that, the number of backpackers/similar seemed to be on the rise, so the "Pearl of the Andaman" became more like a "shell in the sea", and the dream of making this into a place for wealthy tourists turned even more sour when cheap flights from China and India took hold. To me, the idea that the wealthy (I mean seriously wedged-up) would consider Phuket as a destination in its present state is laughable. More so if they had been before.

 

Whatever dreams were once envisaged for this place, have been ravaged by corruption, greed and poor planning and it's quite possible that this has gone too far to be able to turn back and recover. I fear you may be correct in your summary. The cancer is rooted too deeply in the culture and without the bas***d farang, the pack may turn on itself. The economic damage is enormous and civil unrest is never far away when there is a lack of money and food. There was an article reporting of farangs up-country dishing out free grub to the locals. Admirable, yes, but really, does anyone think the Thais will remember the deeds of the good-hearted farang? More importantly, why should it be the work of the ‘dirty farang’ to bail out a government that has more than enough funds to feed its’ own?

 

It could well turn into a place where poor foreigners look to spend their holidays, and even then take back home with them memories of poor infrastructure, poor service and not being value for money. I think it already has; that golden goose has long since flown. Here in outer earth, the financial impact on small businesses like my own has been extremely serious and recovery, when it comes, will be slow and the national debt will have to be repaid for many years to come. The rich and corrupt will still be the same beast, the poor will still be poor, the middle classes will become the new poor. Contrary to the views of some of the incumbent inmates on prior posts, there are at present, no mobs of dirty farangs camping outside of the airports in their domicile nations waiting for the first flights back to Lalaland.

 

[schlog]

16 hours ago, xylophone said:

Sure, as the old saying goes, "this too shall pass" however I'm not as optimistic as you about the recovery time, my friend, or indeed what Patong will become.

 

Well before this happened, tourism was down here because of many things; tourists drowning, beach chair fiasco, jetski rip-offs, strong baht and price increases, as well as many people waking up to the fact that this place was not "good value" any more. And rather than the influx of Chinese helping too much, they cheapened the place and the majority were part of the zero baht brigade.

 

If you go to the entertainment centres, then the bars of old were filled with folks from the UK, Europe, Australia, NZ, to name a few, however that dropped off quite markedly almost 2 years ago and didn't seem to be recovering, even before the Covid-19 scare.

 

To coincide with that, the number of backpackers/similar seemed to be on the rise, so the "Pearl of the Andaman" became more like a "shell in the sea", and the dream of making this into a place for wealthy tourists turned even more sour when cheap flights from China and India took hold.

 

Whatever dreams were once envisaged for this place, have been ravaged by corruption, greed and poor planning and it's quite possible that this has gone too far to be able to turn back and recover.

 

It could well turn into a place where poor foreigners look to spend their holidays, and even then take back home with them memories of poor infrastructure, poor service and not being value for money.

Xylo i'm with you in all points. Would i come here as a tourist? No way lol.

 

But Igor in Irkutsk doesn't care about all that points. Karon was packed with russians this high season. Lets check in 02/21 if they also took over Patong.

 

For now let us hope Salute and Tops will be open on 1th may incl. alc sale.

[steelepulse]

If the two week quarantine for all people entering TH, I really don't see many people coming.  Take this into account along with what has been posted here, there really isn't much reason to come in 2020.

 

It would be nice if the island used this downtime to clean up, clean up corruption, build out the infrastructure up to decent standards etc.     

 

Wait, is that a unicorn I see flying by?

[LomSak27]

18 hours ago, xylophone said:

To coincide with that, the number of backpackers/similar seemed to be on the rise, so the "Pearl of the Andaman" became more like a "shell in the sea", and the dream of making this into a place for wealthy tourists turned even more sour when cheap flights from China and India took hold.

Interesting commnet.

I would have said backpacking in mainland SEA; north/northeast Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Indonesia have been on a ten year decline that shows no sign of stopping. My observation, but the comment is from GH owners in Thailand, LP. Laos, Sumatra Java in Indo. & more. Now I do see young people with spinner luggage handle in one paw, clutching I phone in the other. I view them as something different than the stereotypical hygienically challenged backpacker of yore. However even if you count those, the numbers are in decline.

 

I don't doubt your observation, just interesting that there is an influx in phuket.

 

 

[phuketrichard]

if phuket is dying as many said.

Why are so many big hotel chains building new  4 star hotels/resorts and taking over old hotels/resorts an remodeling them on the island and Laguna, seems constantly building more condos, 4-5 star hotels/resorts as well?

PLUS look at the $$ being spent on roads on the west coast..

Ahh never mind, those here know more than the investors..   ????

 

Once Thailand opens and you can fly again, traveling in 2020 will be great, low crowds, discount prices etc

 

pS;

travel in Burma & laos has been increasing yearly for more than a few years

Edited April 23, 2020 by phuketrichard

[madmitch]

22 minutes ago, phuketrichard said:

if phuket is dying as many said.

Why are so many big hotel chains building new  4 star hotels/resorts and taking over old hotels/resorts an remodeling them on the island and Laguna, seems constantly building more condos, 4-5 star hotels/resorts as well?

PLUS look at the $$ being spent on roads on the west coast..

Ahh never mind, those here know more than the investors..   ????

 

Once Thailand opens and you can fly again, traveling in 2020 will be great, low crowds, discount prices etc

 

pS;

travel in Burma & laos has been increasing yearly for more than a few years

It actually has very little to do with how prepared Phuket is, how many new hotels and whether the roads are looking bettere. It is entirely about the appetite of the world population for travel. And I think you are right in that 2020-2021 season will be in many ways the best times for tourists with less traffic and lower tourist numbers but this in turn is likely to be a double whammy for businesses.

 

It wouldn't surprise me if hotel prices are close to low season prices throughout next season and this would be a disaster for the hospitality business at all levels. I think it depends upon the Chinese and the Russians, the only nationalities that might arrive in large numbers, and those who have been coming here for many years, particularly Scandinavians. Will the repeat tourists be back? I have my doubts, sadly.

 

But its too early to speculate - and I wish the likes of AOT and TAT realised this!

 

 

[steelepulse]

53 minutes ago, phuketrichard said:

if phuket is dying as many said.

Why are so many big hotel chains building new  4 star hotels/resorts and taking over old hotels/resorts an remodeling them on the island and Laguna, seems constantly building more condos, 4-5 star hotels/resorts as well?

PLUS look at the $$ being spent on roads on the west coast..

Ahh never mind, those here know more than the investors..   ????

 

Once Thailand opens and you can fly again, traveling in 2020 will be great, low crowds, discount prices etc

 

pS;

travel in Burma & laos has been increasing yearly for more than a few years

Could perhaps all of these chains building new hotels formulated a plan a number of years ago based on projections, ROI etc. etc.  Surely all of these chains plan things out a few years in advance and not just make a random plan on a spur of the moment as to where to build and expand.  

[phuketrichard]

1 hour ago, steelepulse said:

Could perhaps all of these chains building new hotels formulated a plan a number of years ago based on projections, ROI etc. etc.  Surely all of these chains plan things out a few years in advance and not just make a random plan on a spur of the moment as to where to build and expand.  

of course,

my post was about the fact phuket has not been dying, (discounting the current situation)

What will happen in the future>>no idea

 

BUT i think 3-5 star places will be hurting till at least high season 2021 as those that fill those rooms from around the world, (except the Chinese who will flock back in June  ???? )  will not have the bucks to travel and vacation anywhere

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, phuketrichard said:

if phuket is dying as many said.

Why are so many big hotel chains building new  4 star hotels/resorts and taking over old hotels/resorts an remodeling them on the island and Laguna, seems constantly building more condos, 4-5 star hotels/resorts as well?

PLUS look at the $$ being spent on roads on the west coast..

Ahh never mind, those here know more than the investors..   ????

 

Once Thailand opens and you can fly again, traveling in 2020 will be great, low crowds, discount prices etc

 

pS;

travel in Burma & laos has been increasing yearly for more than a few years

You also make some good points, however I was mainly referring to Patong in my post, rather than Phuket on the whole, although I did make reference to it on a couple of occasions, unintentionally really.

 

As for the building of new hotels/resorts, well it's really a game of two sets of players, the big consortiums who can build those, versus the smaller guesthouses and hotels, and we all know what has been happening to the latter group, because times have been very hard for them.

 

As for the former group, they represent a different sector, and higher up on the West Coast here, I have stayed at some beautiful resorts, with pristine beaches and they will still attract tourists, far different from those who will visit Patong.

 

Also interesting to bear in mind that the occupancy rates of some of the higher class hotels have been "suspect" over the past few years, especially in the figures that TAT has published, and I know that from an executive who works in one of these hotels, where they play the "who has the highest occupancy rate" game to be able to appear higher up in the stats – – also seems to be a "face" thing from what I can understand.

 

Again, the visitors to the higher class resorts and establishments, especially those out of Patong, for example, are not subject to rules regarding chairs/loungers on the beach and can control their own areas, so a pristine beach, with a high-class resort, would suit many people, however I doubt whether the fact that effluent regularly flows out into the sea from some of these places (newly built as an example) will be a drawcard.

 

IMO the island represents contradictions which can hinder its growth in the future – – luxury resorts, effluent flowing into the sea, noisy jetskis and rip-offs, stupid regulations with regards to the likes of beach chairs etc, tourist rip-offs with regards to tuk tuks and the like, generally poor infrastructure which affects things like sanitation and health and an "entertainment centre" which is way past its best and also is subject to price gouging.

 

The fact that "investors" still seem to invest here is not really anything to go on, as investors take chances all the time, and if you witness the likes of the derelict condo buildings, the "Phanason on the Park" 300 apartment development which was going to be a local centrepiece, as well as the vacant "buildings/areas" which were supposed to be ????? (a couple on the road heading towards Chalong Circle, just past the Green Man pub for example) then that just adds to the contradictions here – – building going on at a great rate in the same vicinity as recent failures??

 

And staying on that note, it will be interesting to see whatever is going to be in the absolutely huge development (some folks say a waterpark plus all of the Disney-like accompaniments) going on between the huge space between the roads leading into Phuket town, because so far, the millions if not billions spent on the extension to the Central shopping centre, judging by the type of shops and the prices, specifically built for tourists, has proven to be a white elephant.

 

What Patong has missed has been the chance to be a world-class tourist and entertainment centre in the "Pearl of the Andaman" and now reaches out to the budget travellers from China and India......... 

 

You mention Burma and Laos, and sure, travel to those countries has been increasing, off a very low base, so the figures look good, and especially so if travellers are looking for something different, but whether or not the-powers-that-be cater for the high-end tourists or the lower end/budget traveller, will determine what their future holds as regards tourist destinations.

 

Back to Patong, and as a long-term resident here, the corruption and lack of planning and infrastructure has led to far too many taxis and tuk tuks vying for the tourist baht, fresh water and sewage problems, as well as horrendous traffic problems and these are not things that the high-end/big spending tourists will travel halfway round the world to experience. Patong has killed the golden goose.
 

[bloodyholly]

20 hours ago, billythehat said:

Good post, Sir, and at last a realistic appraisal on the subject. My comments in red below.

 

Well before this happened, tourism was down here because of many things; tourists drowning, beach chair fiasco, jetski rip-offs, strong baht and price increases, as well as many people waking up to the fact that this place was not "good value" any more. And rather than the influx of Chinese helping too much, they cheapened the place and the majority were part of the zero baht brigade. Agree with these points and would add that they only scratch at the reasons why tourism was in serious decline. They failed to take care of their core customer base and that was the beginning of the rot. You kick a dog long enough and hard enough, sometimes it will turn around and bite you, but most of the time it will not come back.

 

If you go to the entertainment centres, then the bars of old were filled with folks from the UK, Europe, Australia, NZ, to name a few, however that dropped off quite markedly almost 2 years ago and didn't seem to be recovering, even before the Covid-19 scare. I would say that the bars had gone off the boil long before that by delivering a poor product at an inflated price. The writing was on the hong nam wall and the clever ones got out early.

 

To coincide with that, the number of backpackers/similar seemed to be on the rise, so the "Pearl of the Andaman" became more like a "shell in the sea", and the dream of making this into a place for wealthy tourists turned even more sour when cheap flights from China and India took hold. To me, the idea that the wealthy (I mean seriously wedged-up) would consider Phuket as a destination in its present state is laughable. More so if they had been before.

 

Whatever dreams were once envisaged for this place, have been ravaged by corruption, greed and poor planning and it's quite possible that this has gone too far to be able to turn back and recover. I fear you may be correct in your summary. The cancer is rooted too deeply in the culture and without the bas***d farang, the pack may turn on itself. The economic damage is enormous and civil unrest is never far away when there is a lack of money and food. There was an article reporting of farangs up-country dishing out free grub to the locals. Admirable, yes, but really, does anyone think the Thais will remember the deeds of the good-hearted farang? More importantly, why should it be the work of the ‘dirty farang’ to bail out a government that has more than enough funds to feed its’ own?

 

It could well turn into a place where poor foreigners look to spend their holidays, and even then take back home with them memories of poor infrastructure, poor service and not being value for money. I think it already has; that golden goose has long since flown. Here in outer earth, the financial impact on small businesses like my own has been extremely serious and recovery, when it comes, will be slow and the national debt will have to be repaid for many years to come. The rich and corrupt will still be the same beast, the poor will still be poor, the middle classes will become the new poor. Contrary to the views of some of the incumbent inmates on prior posts, there are at present, no mobs of dirty farangs camping outside of the airports in their domicile nations waiting for the first flights back to Lalaland.

 

Coming to a bookseller near you shortly. (With apologies to

John Milton)

[LivinginKata]

2 hours ago, xylophone said:

 

<quote>

 as well as the vacant "buildings/areas" which were supposed to be ????? (a couple on the road heading towards Chalong Circle, just past the Green Man pub for example) then that just adds to the contradictions here – – building going on at a great rate in the same vicinity as recent failures??

 

 

Wife told me when start build couple of years ago that this was the owners of sea food restaurants Kang Eng (spelling). Told they sold the sea front land at Kang Eng 2 for 60 million Baht (seems too cheap to me) and started building that huge new complex aimed at bus tours. 

 

Who knows - maybe the land sale deal fell through. Finished buildings but no fittings. Long before any virus problem. Been stalled over a year, maybe more, 

[billythehat]

3 hours ago, xylophone said:

Hab snip:

 

far too many taxis and tuk tuks vying for the tourist baht, 
 

…indeed, but market forces dictate price. Do you think these stalwarts will have now lowered their prices to Pattaya baht bus levels? ????

[madmitch]

4 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Wife told me when start build couple of years ago that this was the owners of sea food restaurants Kang Eng (spelling). Told they sold the sea front land at Kang Eng 2 for 60 million Baht (seems too cheap to me) and started building that huge new complex aimed at bus tours. 

 

Who knows - maybe the land sale deal fell through. Finished buildings but no fittings. Long before any virus problem. Been stalled over a year, maybe more, 

It was definitely supposed to be a seafood restaurant as there was actually a sign at one point stating such but the Kan Eang story doesn't sound right. That land is worth a lot more than that; it is huge.

Edited April 23, 2020 by madmitch