Patong - The Wake

[Agusts]

5 hours ago, hansgruber said:

500k died from Corona virus but in that time the common influenza killed more. 

TB infected 10 million people in 2019 and killed 15% of those infected. That's 1.5 million deaths. 

It's just as contagious yet it's been around since I was a kid and it's still killing. 

No vaccine, no lockdown yet it's killing a million plus year after year. 

 

 

I know it's difficult to follow and believe the numbers and stats that comes out of various countries and organisations, but to say this is just another normal influenza virus is quite naive...

 

Dismiss the numbers of cases and deaths, , but what is a good measure is comparing the number of deaths, all deaths from any source, with average deaths from previous years for the same month or quarter. In countries that were badly effected that number increased by factor of 3 or 4 ...!!!? 

 

Another indication of a serious problem is when hospitals are overwhelmed,  extra temporary ones built, and still people are kept in corridors and parking lots, so many death that the capacity to even bury them is surpassed...!

 

Yes, some countries were not affected much, but some did, and still do..., if you think all the problems in Brazil right now is just another normal flu, you need to read more proper news , not conspiracy theory forums ... !!! 

 

 

[zzzzz]

currently the "Patong the wake"  has changed to the burial of Patong

 

Was just in jung Ceylon.  The whole first building on 2nd road on the first floor  4 shops open, 2nd floor ONE only, (sport store gone)
1/2 restaurants are closed on the restaurant alley.

2nd building has more shops open. Big C at most 50 customers.

STILL thou 20 or so booths selling condos  LOL
 

2nd road/ beach road  80% shops closed and many i doubt will re-open. 

 

With this announcement i can't see "regular tourists" getting back till Oct at the earliest

Quote

The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand now says the proposed “travel bubble” scheme, which could have allowed limited numbers of tourist arrivals from designated “low risk” countries, may have to be “postponed indefinitely”, after its 3 target partners – China, Japan and South Korea – experienced new outbreaks of Covid-19.

On Tuesday, the CAAT’s director-general told reporters he expected Thailand to start exchanging tourists in August with countries that had controlled their coronavirus epidemics as Thailand has. But while negotiations have begun, new outbreaks in Beijing, Tokyo and outside Seoul now mean “we probably will have to postpone indefinitely.”   
https://thethaiger.com/coronavirus/travel-bubbles-may-be-postponed-indefinitely

Sad days ahead

 

 

 

[Sundown]

On 7/5/2020 at 4:34 PM, ChasingTheSun said:

EVERYWHERE in the world that still has a lockdown is suffering bigly. Not just Phuket.

 

ANYWHERE In the world that is tourism reliant has been hit especially  hard.

 

Beaches in Europe are open, and no mask needed. Borders are open to many countries, people travel book hotels and holidays.

 

 

[vinny41]

4 minutes ago, Sundown said:

 

Beaches in Europe are open, and no mask needed. Borders are open to many countries, people travel book hotels and holidays.

 

Where Mask is required in Europe

At least 18 European countries have made masks compulsory in certain spaces. 

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/07/08/face-off-over-face-masks-europes-latest-north-south-split

 

[ChasingTheSun]

2 hours ago, Sundown said:

 

Beaches in Europe are open, and no mask needed. Borders are open to many countries, people travel book hotels and holidays.

 

 

Yup.

 

There is huge pent-up demand for holidays. Once the borders and flights are largely reopened things will get back to normal faster than most realize.

 

The coronahoax hysteria has been beaten down by the science. Time to open it all up, and make the elderly safe with precautions just for them. 

[madmitch]

10 hours ago, hansgruber said:

500k died from Corona virus but in that time the common influenza killed more. 

TB infected 10 million people in 2019 and killed 15% of those infected. That's 1.5 million deaths. 

It's just as contagious yet it's been around since I was a kid and it's still killing. 

No vaccine, no lockdown yet it's killing a million plus year after year. 

 

 

What about BCG

[KarenBravo]

Is it true that some bars and restaurants that opened up are now closing back down?

[xylophone]

11 minutes ago, KarenBravo said:

Is it true that some bars and restaurants that opened up are now closing back down?

I don't know the numbers, however I did meet the owner of a Bangla bar just a couple of days ago, and she had opened the bar, along with her staff, given it a few days and then closed it down again, saying there was no point as there were no customers.

 

A sprinkling of farangs in a few of the other bars which were open, and about 20 in Hollywood at 2 AM in the morning, so I doubt anyone is making any money, although for now my favourite Italian restaurant which opened about a week ago has stayed open – – – so far.

 

More stores have closed in Jungceylon, to join the basement level of the "Siam" section, which has been totally closed for a few weeks now.

 

It's a sorry state and I feel sorry for those trying to make a living out of the current situation.
 

[LivinginKata]

1 hour ago, KarenBravo said:

Is it true that some bars and restaurants that opened up are now closing back down?

 

Just texted with an owner of a big bar in Bangla. Clearly he is losing money with just staff and electric costs. Property owner and mayor wants him stay open but how can he if he is bleeding money every day. He gives it a month at most then will close. Maybe forever.

[madmitch]

Didn't I read a report in another publication the other day that the Entertainment Association of Patong (or whatever it's called) were calling for 4am closing times again? Or did I dream it?

 

Anyway, what's the point right now? Pay staff more and increased utility bills.

[Kopitiam]

8 hours ago, madmitch said:

Didn't I read a report in another publication the other day that the Entertainment Association of Patong (or whatever it's called) were calling for 4am closing times again? Or did I dream it?

 

Anyway, what's the point right now? Pay staff more and increased utility bills.

They are preparing the ground work for the return of the "good times".

[billythehat]

On 7/15/2020 at 6:45 AM, LivinginKata said:

 

Just texted with an owner of a big bar in Bangla. Clearly he is losing money with just staff and electric costs. Property owner and mayor wants him stay open but how can he if he is bleeding money every day. He gives it a month at most then will close. Maybe forever.

Didn’t anyone tell this ‘big bar owner’ that there were no longer any 2-week millionaires staggering up and down the Bangla circus at this time? 

 

Hilarious that the chief Somchais want the owner to continue to throw his own cash down the hong nam. It would be, in these present conditions, a reasonable proposition for the Somchais who control the land to introduce some financial liquidity to help prop up the struggling businesses. You know, sort work together like real businessmen, one hand washes the other…

 

Equally mysterious, what would a Mayor know about the financial machinations of running a bar and the inherent problems of such in these troubling times? Time to call in Scooby Doo and the gang.

[xylophone]

2 hours ago, Kopitiam said:

They are preparing the ground work for the return of the "good times".

I think I will have gone to that "great vineyard in the sky" way before those times come back!

[redwood1]

PATONG IS LIKE A GHOST TOWN!! WILL PHUKET EVER RECOVER

[xylophone]

On 7/16/2020 at 4:10 PM, billythehat said:

Didn’t anyone tell this ‘big bar owner’ that there were no longer any 2-week millionaires staggering up and down the Bangla circus at this time? 

No, obviously they didn't, however I do think that he was hoping that the lockdown would be lifted by now, or at least the airport was allowing free travel to and from the place, but that is not the case.

 

Furthermore, just the other night when a friend went out to have a drink in a bar owned by someone we both know, he was the only farang in the place and when he looked across at the huge bar/complex opposite, where Soi Crocodile once was, there were only two farangs in the place!! And I don't suppose the fact that there were quite a few police meandering around the place would have encouraged anybody to go out and have a drink!.

 

Harem, which a couple of weeks ago was fairly full of some really delightful women, had thinned out quite substantially and one would have to consider that there was not enough business to keep them gainfully employed, especially as there was only one other bar open in the whole of Soi Sea Dragon.

 

Another friend has decided to delay the opening of his bar and has downsized it and I doubt it will open until such time as things pick up, which could prove a financial disaster for him and many others I would suspect.

 

I did pop along to my favourite Italian restaurant off Bangla, Salute, the other day and was encouraged to hear that he had about 18 diners in total that evening, however when I went along a few nights ago with three other friends, we were the only ones in the place. Such a shame when good restaurants like this (and good bars for that matter) will be forced to close and there's nothing much they can do about it.

 

Having said that, a nice Thai family who along with an Italian guy, own the apartments I am now staying in, decided to open a restaurant in Nanai and the opening night was on Monday, and I spent almost the whole of the previous day helping them out with some wiring in the place, because it was frightening – – no earth anywhere and people were getting "tingles" off various appliances, and furthermore the new hot water shower unit which had just been installed also had no earth, and for me that is an absolute no-no.

 

Anyway after six hours of hard work which entailed the likes of getting into roof spaces, drilling holes in walls, running new earth cables and rearranging some wiring in the consumer unit, at least they had most of the socket outlets in the place earthed, ready for opening.

 

On its opening evening it had about 12 farangs and a couple of Thai girls in the place, so I would imagine they would be fairly happy about that. It is called SottoScala and it is in Nanai Road about 100 m north of the "Supercheap" store, on the right-hand side, and would be worth a try if you like plain Italian fare which is not expensive at all.

 

Looking around the place, a few more stores have closed in Jungceylon and as already mentioned the whole of the, "This is Siam", floor is locked down – – again not surprising because there's hardly anybody around.

 

Nothing much else to say really about the place other than that which has already been said, and my outlook for the place is not optimistic at all. 
 

[London Lowf]

Xylo – like you, I have become increasingly pessimistic over the last few weeks and am very surprised that there are folk optimistic enough to open a new enterprise!

 

The impression I get from the Thai news media is that the government have abandoned the foreign tourist industry and I have to admit that this could make sense to the average Thai as the overwhelming majority seem to regard foreigners as disease-ridden scum. Rather lose 15% of GDP (or whatever the tourism figure is) and save the other 85% of the economy by hiding from the pandemic.

 

Of course, on here we are mainly tourists and ex-pats and so we maybe lose sight of the fact that, in the grand scheme of things, even the complete economic demise of Phuket is of no significant consequence to the country as a whole. The average Thais seem to be scared ****less of a “second wave” caused by opening up the borders even though, based on the official statistics, they haven’t really had a first wave – amazing for a country that had so many daily flights from Wuhan!

 

Yes, on a personal level we feel sympathy for those (very few) businesses and people that have shown genuine kindness, fairness and good value to us, but there is also a general consensus that Phuket is riddled with greed, corruption and suffers from a lack of investment in the infrastructure - the expression sǒm-nám-nâa comes to mind!

 

Seemingly intelligent forum posters on here and elsewhere believe the Thai government figures regarding death and infection rates and are horrified at the statistics from the rest of the world. I read one recent claim that the Thai government will only open their doors to countries with no recorded infections for a clear sixty-day period and that is not going to happen for a long time, if ever.

 

I have been visiting Phuket for the last six years (so still a newbie compared to many on here) and have not really considered any alternatives as it suits my needs perfectly – weather, beaches, fun nightlife and a decent dentist! - but I am now pretty certain that my trip in December (flights paid for) is just not going to happen and am looking at a plan B. Most of South East Asia currently appears to be similarly anti-visitor, but parts of the Caribbean compare well and are apparently open and welcoming. Maybe I will go there and never bother with Thailand again? How many thousands are thinking along the same lines?

 

The next “season” is not that far away, and I can’t believe that the Thai holidaymakers that the authorities are trying to encourage are going to save Phuket despite the advertised incentives. I haven’t given up completely on Phuket yet, but I’m getting very close.

[xylophone]

14 minutes ago, London Lowf said:

Most of South East Asia currently appears to be similarly anti-visitor,

I have seen it posted that Vietnam is more welcoming to tourists and was supposed to open up fully on July 1, although I don't know whether it has or not.

 

Like you, I feel so sorry for the average poor Thai who wanted to provide for themselves and their family by opening up a small business in Patong, which seems to be the dream of many Thais, only to see it shattered, not only by the fact there is a virus alarm, but by what would appear to be total ineptitude by the government.

 

I have said similar on here and on other threads, so I won't carried on, but I am saddened by the fact that the powers that be here in Patong, for example, were quite ready and willing to pocket all they could squeeze out of the economy and the small businesses, but now would not do anything to help out.
 

[London Lowf]

5 hours ago, xylophone said:

I have seen it posted that Vietnam is more welcoming to tourists and was supposed to open up fully on July 1, although I don't know whether it has or not.....

 

You gave me hope there - divert from Singapore to Vietnam instead of Phuket and maybe get into Thailand in early 2021?

 

But, according to the British Foreign Office a few moments ago "Vietnam has temporarily suspended visa waivers, issuing of visas and the entry into Vietnam for all foreign nationals".

 

Caribbean still in the lead!

[redwood1]

These are not my pictures......But I was amazed at how empty Central Patong Shopping Mall was so I thought I would repost them here.......

 

 

 

Central Patong Shopping Mall car park last Thursday, 11.45.. empty ..

 

Central Patong Shopping Mall food court last Thursday 12.00

 

 

Central Patong Shopping Mall H&M last Thursday 12.15 

 

 

Central Patong Shopping Mall last Thursday 12.30 center court .. empty ..

 

 

 

 

[Patong2]

 

Thanks Redwood

Those photo's of Central Patong are pretty depressing.

How are the food places downstairs faring? 

If business is that slow would the food be OK?

 

Well, we are still keen to get back, better than dying of boredom whilst cold and wet in NZ.

[redwood1]

Correction on the above picture dates.....These pictures were from the 16-17 July 2020.

[schlog]

3 hours ago, redwood1 said:

Correction on the above picture dates.....These pictures were from the 16-17 July 2020.

Xylo you sure can confirm pic 1+3+4 are JC and not central. Only pic 2 is patong central.

[schlog]

4 hours ago, Patong2 said:

 

How are the food places downstairs faring? 

If business is that slow would the food be OK?

 

Very quiet. Let's say it in a nice way i buy there since the lockdown only my wine and import beer at tops.

[redwood1]

24 minutes ago, schlog said:

Xylo you sure can confirm pic 1+3+4 are JC and not central. Only pic 2 is patong central.

I have no idea......I just reposted the pictures.....I just assumed they were correct...Anyways no matter the mall the pictures tell the same story...

[ChasingTheSun]

I was at Central Festival & Floressa this afternoon.
 

There was actually some relatively decent local foot traffic, considering the lack of overseas tourists.

[xylophone]

On 8/3/2020 at 3:49 PM, redwood1 said:

I have no idea......I just reposted the pictures.....I just assumed they were correct...Anyways no matter the mall the pictures tell the same story...

Yes the whole scene here in Patong is depressing and seems to be going in a downward spiral, as would be the case when there are no tourists with new money to spend, so what little money there is is being sought by local Thai businesses hoping that local Thais have a little money to spare!

 

It's got to the stage where girls from the 7-Eleven are walking around the place with little hand trolleys full of snacks, hoping to sell some. Nothing expensive, just low cost stuff, hoping to get a few takers, but at least they are being proactive.

 

Apparently two of the pharmacies in and around Jungceylon will be closing within a week, although I think Boots will be staying open.

 

I also noticed another couple of the property booths have disappeared, as have more of the little stalls on the third floor and I'm not sure how long these can hold out for because nobody goes up there now.

 

I did venture into Bangla about a week ago, and the biggest bar in Bangla, where Crocodile once was, had no farangs in it whatsoever, although it was pumping out the music and had a couple of Russian dancers gyrating on empty bar tops. Can't see that staying open much longer under these circumstances.

 

The Thai folks I know who have just opened an Italian restaurant in Nanai are finding it a struggle, as I said they would, and this despite the fact that they are churning out cheap meals, then giving a discount on top of that, and still hope to make a living – – there cannot be much profit in a dish of pasta with Bolognese sauce, delivered to the table at a cost of around 80 baht or less?

 

And when there are only about four or five customers a day, the future does not look too rosy IMO.
 

[Agusts]

The cinema in jungceylon top floor is open, some movies on some days are just 39 baht, go and enjoy it..., new film Eva on Monday is one...

 

[ThePearl]

Can someone put a report in on O Top bars....yes they were struggling before....but be interested....Koola bar old stomping ground. Sawadee krap.

[Agusts]

4 hours ago, ThePearl said:

Can someone put a report in on O Top bars....yes they were struggling before....but be interested....Koola bar old stomping ground. Sawadee krap.

I was there a couple of times recently, about 9 or 10 bars open..., very few people I'm afraid, last time they told me I was the only customer all night in one bar. Not a place for Thai tourists to go, only a few of those come to Phuket now..., and of course no other visitors to the island now...

 

No idea when they will allow some foreign tourists in, they don't even want to talk about it right now, having zero covid19 cases become a curse !!!? They don't want to spoil it...????

 

[ThePearl]

Cheers...

The Doors keep playing...