Patong - The Wake

[Patong2]

15 hours ago, xylophone said:

I meant to ask you about that restaurant, and its menu and food, because there has been a dearth of good restaurants around the place, however having said that, last night I wandered up Soi Sansabai and noticed a few more restaurants open, so a restaurant close to Bangla would be ideal for me.

The re-opened restaurant on the corner of Ratuchit and Soi Sansabai and opposite Red Hot Bar had a very Arabic aimed menu but I had an excellent Curry Chicken and Eggplant or some such and wife had a Moussaka which was Arabic style and not what she wanted. She actually wanted a Greek Moussaka with Bechamel topping etc and it is totally different.

Prices were OK for the location and I'm happy to go back there.

 

Well Patong is still quiet but much improved since we arrived at the beginning of January. We have had to return to NZ last Monday and what a dismal, dreary place it is. Very little traffic except at peak times, very few people on the streets and those all masked and bundled up against the weather. Hardly anyone in restaurants that we saw and driving home 40 km at 11pm on Saturday night hardly saw another car.

 

If you think Phuket is having a hard time adjusting to this new normal, it is faring much better than NZ. How can you have an economy if people are huddled in their homes too scared to go out on the streets.

 

And of course the shootings, 14 in a week in Auckland and this is since I had to hand in my competition guns. Gee, that really made NZ safer didn't it?

[Rhacsyn]

Was out on Bangla last Monday night and started at Blue Beach restaurant. Pleasantly surprised to get to listen to Moody doing some fabulous acoustic versions of a number of well known old songs ranging from Louis Armstrong to Gary moore, Clapton, Animals and even Osis! This was coupled with a dash of a few newer songs and he even played a couple of Thai! He entertained for nearly 3 hours and I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed it. I was mesmerised at times (having had a few beers I should add) as he put his own touch to a number of my favourite "oldies". His gentle, but throaty voice hasn't changed and, as I remember him, a great guitarist. He even did a rendition of "House of the Rising Sun" a song a popular poster on here (Xylophone) also does a great, but different version of! Moody clearly enjoys entertaining and he left at 9pm for a night session at Hippie Road bar (just down from Bangla next to the entrance to Patong Beach Resort). There he played his more traditional blues and rock with his band.

 

On the way there, it was great to see decent numbers of folk enjoying on Bangla and I popped in to Red Hot, only to be slightly disappointed with the change of repertoire, as mentioned by a previous poster. However, Moody did not let me down at Hippie Road.

 

For those who don't know or don't remember Moody, he was the guitarist in a band that played blues and rock many years ago in Tum's bar on soi Sea Dragon, off Bangla. He disappeared during Covid, but I am happy to have caught up with him again now that he is back on the circuit. Originally from Myanmar, plays his music with a smile on his face and a great old/new addition to the circuit in and around Patong.

 

 

[Agusts]

I saw the other night a bar near Bangla had Indian music blasting loud and a few Indian couples and families dancing to the tune, Bollywood style...! Bar owners with empty bars make note..., or not ...!

 

So Patong is officially "Little India" now, as for the beach, well, our Indian and Arab friends are not much of a beach going, swimming and sunbathing crowd, but they love those jetskies and para sailing activities...., you can hardly swim or walk on the beach without being run over by one - all that noise, pollution (air/water) and the horrible smell of smoke...!

 

A few Thais were saying Western tourist won't come anymore due to all this, not sure if your ask me, it's the low season for them with nice weather in their countries, come November with no restrictions, we might have them back and then the prices might go back up to pre-Covid (some already) and that might discourage certain demographics anyway, and we are back to old days...., but who knows...! 

[xylophone]

19 hours ago, Agusts said:

So Patong is officially "Little India" now

That would be a great thing for those amongst us who love Indian curries, me being one of them, however probably not so good for the massage/beauty shop owners; let me explain........ 

 

A lady I know who owns two massage parlours was telling me how she shooed an Indian customer seeking a massage, out of her shop, because he wanted to pay 200 baht for a "special massage"!

 

Other folk I know in that business often refuse to cater for Indian (and I use that term reservedly) men because their personal hygiene leaves a lot to be desired.

 

Having said that, the type of tourist that TAT were hoping to attract to Thailand to boost the economy hasn't worked from what I've seen, and that was further backed up by the same massage parlour owner I mentioned above, when two Polish men came in the shop looking for a Thai massage, which was duly carried out, all above board, and one tipped his massage lady 10 baht, and the other tipped his massage lady 20 baht.

 

It's possible that the two Polish guys didn't go much on the massage, however I know the two ladies concerned and they do give a good real massage, Thai or otherwise, so big spenders, they weren't.

 

Will be going out on the town over the next few days, so I will have a look around and see what's going on.
 

[xylophone]

On 6/15/2022 at 3:32 PM, xylophone said:

Will be going out on the town over the next few days, so I will have a look around and see what's going on.

I went out on Saturday night and had a great time, the best one for ages as far as I'm concerned.

 

I met some friends in Blue Beach Restaurant and Bar and two of us had already decided that we would eat there, so I perused the menu and although another friend had said that he had the fillet mignon a few days ago and it was very good, I have sort of gone off steak for a while, so I ordered the chicken cordon bleu, and another friend ordered the chicken Kiev.

 

Well, I have to say that my chicken cordon bleu was the best I have ever tasted anywhere, it was fantastic and so much so that I went over to the kitchen and congratulated the chef in person, as did my friend who had the chicken Kiev.

 

So having a couple of lovely meals, accompanied by some nice wine was a great start to the evening, and after a few more wines, we were set to go and let loose on Bangla.

 

We caught up with two others at Blue Lotus Café and bar and sat watching the world go by as is our wont. There was plenty to see because Bangla Road was busy in itself, but that didn't translate to full bars unfortunately, and quite a few of the bars at the beach end of Bangla had little to no customers.

 

The more popular ones did have customers, but nowhere near what they had in recent times, Covid et al., and I felt sorry for the bar owners in Soi Freedom, because throughout the whole Soi, which was pretty full of attractive females, there were only four customers on one table and that was it!!

 

I have to say that I felt terribly sorry for the poor woman standing in front of the "restaurant" halfway down the Soi, which was replete with fantastic wooden tables and chairs/furniture, but I doubt whether anybody had ever graced those since they appeared. Then again, whatever would possess somebody to open up a restaurant/cafe, halfway down a Soi, which was blasting out loud music and looked as out of place as a bull in an orchestra.

 

I can't see anything good becoming of that and unfortunately the poor lady owner/renter will probably be out of pocket before too long – – hard way to learn a lesson, but then common sense is often needed, and that is in short supply in many situations here.

 

We trundled off to Red Hot and were pleasantly surprised because they had changed their repertoire from my last two visits, and the new repertoire was vibrant and crowd-pleasing, whereas the last two visits I had made left me a little flat.

 

So a good evening was had by all, sustained by Captain Morgan and his first mate Coke, and I really enjoyed getting up and singing a few songs as the whole atmosphere was different, and the guys I was sitting with were singing along and having a great time.

 

I think it was about 1:15 AM  when I decided to get a friendly motorbike taxi to take me home, and they always take care of me and seem very very attentive as to my welfare.

 

I do think that Blue Beach Restaurant is going to see a lot more of me, as is the chef with his chicken cordon bleu!
 

[xylophone]

On 6/18/2022 at 12:58 PM, xylophone said:

I do think that Blue Beach Restaurant is going to see a lot more of me, as is the chef with his chicken cordon bleu!

Fulfilling my own prediction, I met some friends at Blue Beach Restaurant on Monday evening and again had the delightful chicken cordon bleu, whilst a friend had the filet mignon and said it was great, so that is next on my list to try.

 

The evening went on a little bit longer than I thought it would, and a few more glasses of red wine were consumed before we decided to head up to Bangla.

 

At the beach end of Bangla, I stood and looked in amazement as I thought I had been transported into Bombay rather than Bangla, such with a number of Indian folk around and I just couldn't believe the numbers, so perhaps they'd been dropped off from a bus or something??

 

However it wasn't a great deal different in Bangla itself, as there were a huge number of Indians around, more than I'd ever seen in my previous years here. Having said that, whilst walking around Patong and also shopping in Big C here, I have encountered many small groups of them, so perhaps Patong is a popular destination for them these post Covid days??

 

Back to Bangla and although it wasn't as crowded as it was a few days ago, probably because of the rain, for an off-season day it was "fair to middling" with regards to numbers, although as in my previous comment many of the bars were nowhere near full, and that was certainly the case when we arrived at Red Hot – – something I wasn't keen on, but was persuaded to visit by friends.

 

That venue was feeling the pinch with regard to customer numbers, although the band's music usually gets a few people up onto the small dance area, but it was different this time, mainly because there was an absolute nutcase taking up that space, running from side to side and lengthways, waving, shouting and gesticulating and generally annoying people, and because of this, hardly anyone wanted to get up for a dance.

 

This man belonged in a mental institution IMO, because there was something very wrong with him (either that or he was on some serious mind altering drugs) and I was very surprised that security didn't drag him away, and because he was annoying some of the customers I heard someone say that he was going to "belt him" very shortly if he didn't stop, but luckily the guy left then, only to return about 30 minutes later, repeating the same performance.

 

Unfortunately he was driving people away and that didn't bode well for the venue, because it wasn't as full as it usually was.

 

Overall there are more visitors/farangs in Patong than for almost the last 2 years of Covid, and regulations as regards wearing a mask are "different", with some stores like Big C demanding that one wears a mask to enter, whereas in Bangla and many of the bars, masks were not a familiar sight. Go figure?

 

Several new bars which have opened up (or in some cases reopened under new ownership) in Nanai Road are almost bereft of patrons for the majority of times that I have passed by, and I wonder just how long they will keep going, because although there are more visitors here than in the past 2 years, they rarely seem to venture into that part of Patong, having said that, it seems that a couple of the bars do have a few regulars, and Rock Bar would be one that seems to have a fairly regular clientele, perhaps because the food is good (or so I have heard).

 

Just a quick mention about Beach Road when I was driving along there the other evening, because it seemed more alive than it has done for some time, with brightly lit shops and small restaurants advertising their "wares" and potential customers strolling along the road looking into what was on offer.
 

[Arbioty]

Thank you to everyone providing the regular updates. I'm a long time reader.

 

Prior to COVID, Patong was my second home. Over the years, I've made a lot of friends - especially with the locals who work the day shift at the bars on Bangla.

 

Is anyone able to tell me if P.One is still operating? It's on the beach end next to Kangaroo Bar.

 

I'm interested to hear if the usual day shift crew are still there? Nam, Noi and the manager who I've only ever known as "Mama" - for the last 12 years.

 

A special shout to Xylophone - for years I've read your posts in this thread and I check often for your write-ups. I've been to Red Hot countless times and I'm sure I've seen you belt out a tune or two! Thanks for your great write-ups.

 

Steve

[xylophone]

3 hours ago, Arbioty said:

A special shout to Xylophone - for years I've read your posts in this thread and I check often for your write-ups. I've been to Red Hot countless times and I'm sure I've seen you belt out a tune or two! Thanks for your great write-ups.

 

Steve

Hey Steve,

 

Thank you very much for your positive feedback, it is much appreciated and I do enjoy the write-ups after my trips out to Bangla and surrounds, and you probably have seen me "belting out" a number or two in Red Hot, as I do enjoy it, even though occasionally I hit a "bum note" or three......however as Neil Young once said to another band member who commented that he had played a "bum note", he said, "yeah, you get that"!

 

I didn't write anything up on my last trip out on Friday, mainly because after that I got sick with something akin to a cross between an allergy/sinus problems/perhaps Covid again, and felt under the weather for about three days or more, however I seem to be coming right now.

 

Friday night was the night I met some friends at Blue Beach Restaurant and bar and had a delightful steak, which I believe the chef must have marinated for a while before he cooked it, because it was sublime.

 

However that was the evening when a storm blew up and really did belt the rain down, along with strong winds and luckily enough there was enough shelter at the Blue Beach and the awnings kept out the rain and most of the wind and I was surprised how strong they were because they stayed intact throughout a real hammering.

 

Of course staying out of the wind and rain meant drinking more red wine, and then more, and by about 10 PM it had quietened down so I and two friends wandered up Bangla and surprisingly enough there were quite a few people around considering the weather we just had, and although the bars weren't full by any means, they weren't deserted either.

 

Of course we ended up at Red Hot and I did manage to sing three numbers which went down well despite the sparse crowd which was unusual for this place as it's one of the more popular places.

 

I have noticed a few more small restaurants opening up around the place, with a couple in Soi Sainamyen, as well as another bar in Nanai, and there is some more activity small restaurant-wise in Rat-U-Thid road.

 

I suppose the BIB are looking to top up their coffers because just a couple of days ago about five or six motorbike cops were stopping scooter drivers at the junction between Bangla and Rat-U-Thid and asking for god knows what, because I saw them handing out a few tickets, especially to a couple of Indian couples on bikes who were wearing masks and had helmets on, so perhaps it was a licence problem?

 

So on the one hand Patong is encouraging tourists from India, whilst at the same time managing to supply the BIB with a source of easy income – – go figure.

 

Certainly, for the low season, Patong is looking livelier than I've seen it for a while, so perhaps it is clawing its way back out of the "recession" and everything else that has been thrown at it, and I hope so for the sake of the small business owners, especially those who have tried hard to make things work. However I don't have a lot of sympathy for those who have opened small businesses without what would seem to be a "business plan" or for want of better terminology, any idea with regards to where the business is coming from, foot traffic, parking and other things which can make or break a small business.
 

[London Lowf]

6 hours ago, Arbioty said:

Is anyone able to tell me if P.One is still operating? It's on the beach end next to Kangaroo Bar.

 

I'm interested to hear if the usual day shift crew are still there? Nam, Noi and the manager who I've only ever known as "Mama" - for the last 12 years.

Yes, it was open in March so has survived Covid.

 

It was one of my regular places on Bangla as the drinks are fairly priced and it is relatively hassle-free. I can't remember the names of any of the staff though.

[Rhacsyn]

12 hours ago, London Lowf said:

Yes, it was open in March so has survived Covid.

 

It was one of my regular places on Bangla as the drinks are fairly priced and it is relatively hassle-free. I can't remember the names of any of the staff though.

Always good to hear of survival stories and can confirm P"One" bar is still operating as I write. The mother and son "owners" are good friends, and as like many have been through the trials and tribulations but have chosen to keep the business going. I hope they survive to the first true high season for a few years as again, like many, they deserve it.

 

I know that 3 of the original staff have been re-emplyed there as I wave to them each time I pass, and occasionally stop by to give a little support. Sorry, names are beyond me as many are so similar! No disrespect meant to the staff but I will revert with a few names as requested by Steve above. What I can report though, is that thankfully it still operates as one of the hassle free, family style bars on Bangla. Decent prices and good welcome.....

 

[xylophone]

I noticed in another thread that it was said, "Phuket is being boosted by Indian/Arab visitors" or words to that effect, and although I haven't been out to Bangla/night-time for two weeks because of this damned sinus infection, a friend went out a couple of days ago as he had been away for two months, and remarked how many Indian and Arab folks were around the place.

 

He said there were quite a few small groups walking up and down Bangla, but none in the bars, which has been fairly commonplace over the years, and it got me thinking that although visitor numbers from those countries are up, I don't think spend will see the same incremental increase.

 

A while back I was thinking that Patong in particular was on the up and up, however I don't think that is the case at the moment, judging from the feedback I've had from a few small businesses I know of.

 

One lady massage parlour owner is into some pretty big debts to the local "moneylenders" and has fled her shop and is hiding out somewhere, whereas another delightful lady I know who owns two such shops is struggling big time with just about no business to speak of.

 

A small bona fide massage parlour near me has been closed now for about a month and I've no idea why, however couple of small bars nearby have also been closed for a while, one of them which has seen several reincarnations, all unsuccessful.

 

In addition, the Italian restaurant nearby has been closed for a while, although a sign on it said that it was closed for the holidays?? Having said that, the furniture appears to have all been moved out as have some of the fixtures and fittings?

 

Also I have noticed that the number of shoppers in Big C has dropped from what it was even a couple of months ago, so all round I don't think the uptick which I had written about previously, is being sustained, despite the TAT "positive spin".

 

Although one has to remember that it is the "low season" so millions of visitors and billions of baht are not the normal expectation for this time of the year.

 

However one high note for those people who love kebabs and similar, is the fact that my friend was very surprised by the number of kebab shops, not to mention those of Indian/Arabic origin, that have opened up in Soi Sansabi and I do believe there was mention of it by another poster, Patong2, who visited the newly opened Arabic restaurant on the corner of that road and Rat-u-thid.

 

I am keen to get out again and sample the food at Blue Beach Bar and Restaurant, and have a nosy around Bangla, so I'll give it a few more days to make sure this damned sinusitis/allergy/whatever has cleared before doing so.
 

[xylophone]

I have been out a couple of times since my last post, so this post is an amalgamation of two trips.

 

Despite a friend saying that when he had been out, Bangla was very quiet, I found just the opposite, as it was quite busy, but nothing like the Bangla of old, and although the bars were not full, they were populated.

 

Two friends and I ventured into Soi Sea Dragon, really just have a look around and perhaps a drink, and there were folks drinking at some of the bars, so we decided to stop and have a drink at one bar, and immediately we sat down, a very petite, attractive and young woman sat down beside me, and the more I looked at her, the more I realised how beautiful she was.

 

However trying to strike up a conversation was pretty pointless as she only knew a few words of English and the lady manager of the bar explained that she had only been there three days (heard that before somewhere) and came from down south and really didn't speak any English (great for business!).

 

My friend did manage to speak a little Thai to her and ascertained that she was 21 or 22 years old and had a seven-month-old daughter back home. Probably the reason she was working in a bar, to be able to support her daughter, and it saddened me somewhat, as things (in general) don't seem to have changed since my first visit here in 2004.

 

A couple more drinks elsewhere and then on to Red Hot, which was about 50% full, by which time I was ready to go home, this especially as I started the evening off at Blue Beach Bar and Restaurant with at least half a bottle of red wine, followed by a rare and wonderful mixture of drinks, which I shouldn't have done, but did – – having the willpower of a tame rabbit doesn't help.

 

Other news around the place: – a friend who thought she had a buyer for her massage shop was terribly disappointed because the owner of the shop building has told her that the property is being repossessed by the bank, so she cannot sell her business at this moment in time! 

 

It must be a sad time for massage shops, because another owner I know has gone into hiding because she borrowed money from the local "money mafia" in order to keep her business going, now she can't pay it back, so she is hiding out somewhere in Patong.

 

There are a couple of other places I've heard of which are having problems with their bank, and I suspect there are more out there because the slight blip/upturn in tourism which occurred a few months ago, and gave some businesses hope for the future, has now tailed off and although places like Bangla can seem quite busy, the spend isn't there, and the nationalities of the tourists are not those which lend themselves to extravagance of any description.

 

Not surprising really, because the other night when I was out I noticed that I was charged 200 baht for a tiny lady drink, and the surprise was that the last time I bought one a few months ago, it was a 160 baht!!!! Seems like the old Thai mindset, that when times are tough and customers are few, put the price of the drinks up!

 

Just to round this up, I will use the word "patchy" to describe the situation in Patong at the moment, because although Bangla Road itself was busy, the bars weren't that busy, and as I've said, some of the massage shops are struggling, but just to balance this, a couple of restaurants along the beach road did have a good number of customers in them...........
 

[Patong2]

Thanks for the update Xylophone

Will be back on Saturday after a couple of depressing months in New Zealand.

Really looking forward to it.

[Rhacsyn]

On 8/9/2022 at 12:36 PM, xylophone said:

I have been out a couple of times since my last post, so this post is an amalgamation of two trips.

 

Despite a friend saying that when he had been out, Bangla was very quiet, I found just the opposite, as it was quite busy, but nothing like the Bangla of old, and although the bars were not full, they were populated.

 

Two friends and I ventured into Soi Sea Dragon, really just have a look around and perhaps a drink, and there were folks drinking at some of the bars, so we decided to stop and have a drink at one bar, and immediately we sat down, a very petite, attractive and young woman sat down beside me, and the more I looked at her, the more I realised how beautiful she was.

 

However trying to strike up a conversation was pretty pointless as she only knew a few words of English and the lady manager of the bar explained that she had only been there three days (heard that before somewhere) and came from down south and really didn't speak any English (great for business!).

 

My friend did manage to speak a little Thai to her and ascertained that she was 21 or 22 years old and had a seven-month-old daughter back home. Probably the reason she was working in a bar, to be able to support her daughter, and it saddened me somewhat, as things (in general) don't seem to have changed since my first visit here in 2004.

 

A couple more drinks elsewhere and then on to Red Hot, which was about 50% full, by which time I was ready to go home, this especially as I started the evening off at Blue Beach Bar and Restaurant with at least half a bottle of red wine, followed by a rare and wonderful mixture of drinks, which I shouldn't have done, but did – – having the willpower of a tame rabbit doesn't help.

 

Other news around the place: – a friend who thought she had a buyer for her massage shop was terribly disappointed because the owner of the shop building has told her that the property is being repossessed by the bank, so she cannot sell her business at this moment in time! 

 

It must be a sad time for massage shops, because another owner I know has gone into hiding because she borrowed money from the local "money mafia" in order to keep her business going, now she can't pay it back, so she is hiding out somewhere in Patong.

 

There are a couple of other places I've heard of which are having problems with their bank, and I suspect there are more out there because the slight blip/upturn in tourism which occurred a few months ago, and gave some businesses hope for the future, has now tailed off and although places like Bangla can seem quite busy, the spend isn't there, and the nationalities of the tourists are not those which lend themselves to extravagance of any description.

 

Not surprising really, because the other night when I was out I noticed that I was charged 200 baht for a tiny lady drink, and the surprise was that the last time I bought one a few months ago, it was a 160 baht!!!! Seems like the old Thai mindset, that when times are tough and customers are few, put the price of the drinks up!

 

Just to round this up, I will use the word "patchy" to describe the situation in Patong at the moment, because although Bangla Road itself was busy, the bars weren't that busy, and as I've said, some of the massage shops are struggling, but just to balance this, a couple of restaurants along the beach road did have a good number of customers in them...........
 

Thanks as always for your informative updates!!! Having ventured around after a few weeks away, 200 Baht seems to have become the "norm" for ladies drinks.

 

As for the massage businesses, I counted 30 massage parlours in or close to Bangla, most with numerous staff idling outside. Sadly, I cannot see any future for a large number of them. In addition, quite a few tattoo parlours have appeared in place of some good old bars too as well as a couple of trinket selling shops on Bangla. Sad. Well sad for me anyway 

 

Nevertheless, I will venture there again today, following your eating and drinking route as a guide ????

 

[xylophone]

8 minutes ago, Rhacsyn said:

Nevertheless, I will venture there again today, following your eating and drinking route as a guide

We may well bump in to each other.........who knows?

[Patong2]

What a difference a couple of months make.

Went for a walk this morning at around 5.30 and much more traffic than May, even had to wait to cross  the road.

Bangla Rd had quite a few people still drinking and partying and quite a few girls around.

More people partying on the beach. 

Things definitely looking busier on first impressions but it is Sunday morning after Saturday night.

(Hasn't Kris Kristofferson got a song about that?)

 

 

[xylophone]

21 minutes ago, Patong2 said:

What a difference a couple of months make.

Went for a walk this morning at around 5.30 and much more traffic than May, even had to wait to cross  the road.

Bangla Rd had quite a few people still drinking and partying and quite a few girls around.

More people partying on the beach. 

Things definitely looking busier on first impressions but it is Sunday morning after Saturday night.

(Hasn't Kris Kristofferson got a song about that?)

 

 

Welcome back to Patong, and following on from your post, on Friday evening I went out with four friends for a lovely meal at Blue Beach Café and Restaurant, and after that decided to explore Bangla Road, and it was very busy, probably the busiest I've seen it since before Covid!

 

To cut a long story short regarding my visit: –

– Bangla Road was very busy.

– Kangaroo Bar was packed to overflowing.

– Bar Funk was about 50% full, which was good considering its recent level of patronage.

– Soi Freedom was a mess and full of small bars and other spaces which didn't seem to know what they wanted to be – – bar/café/eating place/whatever, as well as average looking women and lady boys. A sad demise from previous times.

– Black Horse bar had a few people in it, mostly sitting outside, probably because the music was so loud and thumping.

– Ended up at Red Hot which was only about 30% full and also was shocked to be charged 230 baht for half glass of wine!!

Overall, as Patong2 has said, "things definitely looking busier....... ". 

 

And I do remember the Kris Kristofferson song!

[xylophone]

A Saturday night venture out into the party area of Patong, i.e. Bangla Road, produced much the same result as my last post, with only a couple of slight differences......... 

 

First of all I caught up with a friend at Blue Beach Café and Restaurant and this will certainly be my "go to" Food & Drink establishment in Patong, as the food is varied, from snacks to full on meals, there is wine by the glass, and the food is great, superb even; especially the chicken schnitzel which I had last night, which was to die for (luckily I'm still alive, with just a few dead brain cells after last night's excesses). Also it was fairly busy, so I think locals are starting to get the hang of the place and good that they do, and continue to support it.

 

Wandering up Bangla after the meal and a few glasses of red, the words of a friend came echoing back to me – – "that Bangla Road was busy and full of Indians and Arabs"! Because it was, and because of this the bars were not exactly packed, however I did see one small group of Indian men walking along with a beer in each hand, and that is a rarity.

 

The music bars, all bar one, were not very full at all, and my favourite, Red Hot, was only about 15% populated, which is the lowest of ever seen it, which in itself is sad because they play probably the best music in Patong.

 

I had considered ending up at Red Hot, but after settling in to the Blue Lotus café for a few drinks with friends, time got away on me and the alcohol killed a few brain cells, so at around 11:45 PM I thought I had best trundle off home, which was a wise decision, considering how I felt this morning.

 

Just a note, whilst I was sitting at the Blue Lotus café watching the world go by, it struck me that Bangla is no longer the place where one can see pretty/beautiful women, as they are few and far between at the moment, and also of note was the amount of very fat people wandering around the place, and indeed at the table in front of us was a party of six from Australia and five of them were enormous, almost blocking the view of Bangla!!!

 

Perhaps Bangla/Patong is becoming a place for wrinklies/misfits/uglies/fatties and oddities, so I'm not sure quite where I fit into that mix!!!
 

[Patong2]

45 minutes ago, xylophone said:

 

Perhaps Bangla/Patong is becoming a place for wrinklies/misfits/uglies/fatties and oddities, so I'm not sure quite where I fit into that mix!!!
 

Disclosure - we were not in Bangla Rd last night so the venerable Xylophone couldn't have been referring to us - at least not this time..

Since arriving back last week we have enjoyed catching up with places and folks and it certainly is still a great place to be. A lot of traffic about and some re opened places but still a lot more spending tourists needed.

Having said that the beach is a wonderful place at 6.00am with even squirrels to watch.

Look forward to a meal at Blue Beach later in the week and a wander home through Bangla

[grumpyoldman]

8 hours ago, xylophone said:

Perhaps Bangla/Patong is becoming a place for wrinklies/misfits/uglies/fatties and oddities, so I'm not sure quite where I fit into that mix!!!

 

When I used to get bored with the Phuket scene I'd jump Air Asia to Bangkok for a weekend. Lotsa of babes in BKK.

[xylophone]

"Now for something completely different", although related in some aspects to the thread..........

 

I have occasionally posted that it looks like Patong is in a sort of recovery mode, although somewhat patchy, and the more I look and learn, the more this keeps coming back to me.

 

For example there are many small businesses and small buildings which are up for sale, some being repossessed by the bank by all accounts, and I personally know of a few small businesses which are struggling big time, although this seems to be contradicted, at times, by new openings of bars etc and also by the reopening of a few "roller blind shops", so it's "all over the place as the saying goes".

 

Related to this, are a couple of events which happened just recently, with farangs asking to borrow money from me. Actually one of them started asking about two years ago, just before Covid, and although it wasn't a great deal of money (3000 baht) and it was almost paid back on time as promised, it became a repeat performance, so it became quite obvious that this particular person couldn't live on what meagre pension he was getting, and I was financing his stay, so I told him it had to stop, and it did.

 

Now two years later on he approached me again and this time wanted to borrow only 500 baht, and out of stupidity and a jai dee, I gave it to him, but said it was the last time and hopefully I will get it back next week.

 

A couple of months back, I guy I had known for a few years here, and only caught up with him occasionally at Starbucks, asked to borrow 8000 baht and said it was because money owed to him hadn't been paid and that I would get it back within two weeks. Well, about a month later I eventually received it, however just a short while ago I got another telephone call from him asking for the same thing, so I politely refused.

 

Where is all this leading – – well it struck me that there would be quite a few farangs in this situation living here, this especially as exchange rates in the likes of the UK and other parts of Europe were not good versus the baht, so these guys must be struggling, and probably struggling big time.

 

So IMO these guys are caught between a rock and a hard place, as the saying goes, because not only are exchange rates against them, prices of just about everything, even in Thailand, are rising quite substantially.

 

On the one hand I feel sorry for them and their plight, but on the other hand cannot help wondering why they didn't plan for something like this, or indeed put some sort of savings plan in place to help complement their pension when they got it?

 

One thing I do know, is that I am not prepared to become a "lender of last resort" to farangs here, even though I do help a few Thais out with occasional nonrepayable small loans (I say this because I know I will never get it back) and in just about all of the cases these poor folks never had the opportunity to save money for the future, so it is something I do quite willingly.

 

Back to the thread..........as long as there are the  usual "two-week millionaires" coming from overseas, then the local economy can be bolstered somewhat, however the plight of some of the farangs living here full-time will mean that they aren't able to do that, so are we in for many more months/years of "Patong – The Wake", or will it be back to the full on party mode of yesteryear?

[Patong2]

Interesting post Xylophone

an unpleasant position to be put in but times are getting hard for many unfortunately.

 

Reminds me of 20+ years ago when we first came here when there used to be a number of guys that we referred to as "tropos" who had obviously run out of money and were "on the bones of their ass"

They were generally heavily tanned and unkept and a bit ragged.

They would cadge a beer or similar and I certainly felt a twinge of sympathy but I try to sort my problems out before I sort others out.

 

They had diminished in numbers and I presume that either Immigration had caught up with them or they had moved to cheaper areas. 

 

 

[redwood1]

18 hours ago, xylophone said:

"Now for something completely different", although related in some aspects to the thread..........

 

I have occasionally posted that it looks like Patong is in a sort of recovery mode, although somewhat patchy, and the more I look and learn, the more this keeps coming back to me.

 

For example there are many small businesses and small buildings which are up for sale, some being repossessed by the bank by all accounts, and I personally know of a few small businesses which are struggling big time, although this seems to be contradicted, at times, by new openings of bars etc and also by the reopening of a few "roller blind shops", so it's "all over the place as the saying goes".

 

Related to this, are a couple of events which happened just recently, with farangs asking to borrow money from me. Actually one of them started asking about two years ago, just before Covid, and although it wasn't a great deal of money (3000 baht) and it was almost paid back on time as promised, it became a repeat performance, so it became quite obvious that this particular person couldn't live on what meagre pension he was getting, and I was financing his stay, so I told him it had to stop, and it did.

 

Now two years later on he approached me again and this time wanted to borrow only 500 baht, and out of stupidity and a jai dee, I gave it to him, but said it was the last time and hopefully I will get it back next week.

 

A couple of months back, I guy I had known for a few years here, and only caught up with him occasionally at Starbucks, asked to borrow 8000 baht and said it was because money owed to him hadn't been paid and that I would get it back within two weeks. Well, about a month later I eventually received it, however just a short while ago I got another telephone call from him asking for the same thing, so I politely refused.

 

Where is all this leading – – well it struck me that there would be quite a few farangs in this situation living here, this especially as exchange rates in the likes of the UK and other parts of Europe were not good versus the baht, so these guys must be struggling, and probably struggling big time.

 

So IMO these guys are caught between a rock and a hard place, as the saying goes, because not only are exchange rates against them, prices of just about everything, even in Thailand, are rising quite substantially.

 

On the one hand I feel sorry for them and their plight, but on the other hand cannot help wondering why they didn't plan for something like this, or indeed put some sort of savings plan in place to help complement their pension when they got it?

 

One thing I do know, is that I am not prepared to become a "lender of last resort" to farangs here, even though I do help a few Thais out with occasional nonrepayable small loans (I say this because I know I will never get it back) and in just about all of the cases these poor folks never had the opportunity to save money for the future, so it is something I do quite willingly.

 

Back to the thread..........as long as there are the  usual "two-week millionaires" coming from overseas, then the local economy can be bolstered somewhat, however the plight of some of the farangs living here full-time will mean that they aren't able to do that, so are we in for many more months/years of "Patong – The Wake", or will it be back to the full on party mode of yesteryear?

Well guys who watch every baht should definitely be living in Pattaya instead of Phuket.....The cost of living in Pattaya can be a fair bit less for the thrifty expat..

[billythehat]

On 8/21/2022 at 7:23 AM, xylophone said:

 

 

Perhaps Bangla/Patong is becoming a place for wrinklies/misfits/uglies/fatties and oddities, so I'm not sure quite where I fit into that mix!!!
 

Sir, pray allow me to suggest a suitable identity to soothe your doubt in this area.

 

I suggest Handsome Man a most agreeable moniker.

[HighPriority]

5 hours ago, billythehat said:

Sir, pray allow me to suggest a suitable identity to soothe your doubt in this area.

 

I suggest Handsome Man a most agreeable moniker.

Surely that is beyond reasonable doubt…

[xylophone]

In amongst the doom and gloom of the rain over the past week or so, and the complete mayhem caused by heavy machinery digging up the huge 2 m² drain-like concrete thingies/drains which were put in place in Nanai, just after the junction with Soi Banzaan, supposedly to stop the road flooding – – but which had to be cleaned out of mud and sand by huge diggers (no not Australians) every so often, there was something to brighten up my week, and for that matter anyone else's week, should they have heard about this event!!??

 

I refer to the birthday shindig at Blue Beach Café and Restaurant, as it was the owners birthday on Saturday, so I and a few friends went down there to celebrate, and to meet up with other friends from around the place, many from bars and establishments in the Patong area, especially Bangla, where this lovely lady already owns a couple of bars (and works very hard at making them profitable and customer friendly) and it was a delightful evening.

 

The saxophone player kicked off the evening, and although I find it a little too loud, others seemed to like it, but it does make one have to shout across a table in order to have a conversation!

 

Next up was "Moody" a songster and guitar player par extraordinaire, who entertained the guests, and there were fair few, and it was good listening to his songs whilst munching down the delightful food off the menu, as well as far too many glasses of red wine, which later on were topped up with a few other drinks at Red Hot.

 

Travelling along the Beach Road in order to get to the Blue Beach, the motorbike taxi driver encountered a couple of large convoys of jetskis being towed off the beach and back to their place of rest, so I suppose there is a market for these things these days, even if they are, in the main, operated by louts.

 

Bangla itself was busy again and although some of the bars were sparsely populated, just a few of them were showing signs of a recovery, and this especially Bar Funk, which was about three-quarters full, and that's saying something for a bar that size.

 

The folks walking up and down Bangla, as before, were a mixture of races, even though I would guess that the number of Indians has decreased, however I have noticed some well-dressed folks from Arabic countries (Saudi etc) around Patong and hopefully they are helping the economy here, although not spending in bars by the looks of things.

 

I was pleased to see Red Hot busier than last Saturday, and also with a decent few young foreign "girls" (including a couple of delightful ones from Israel) having a good time on the small dancefloor in front of the band, which made very pleasant viewing for this old Kiwi, and especially when I got some hugs and a few kisses from these very same girls after I did my stint with the band, and I still say that this has to be the best band in Patong by a long shot.

 

So all in all it was one of the best nights I've had in years, with the entertainment at Blue Beach, not to mention the excellent food and camaraderie there, and Red Hot, so there is life in the old dog yet – – both Patong and yours truly!
 

[xylophone]

I did mention in one of my previous posts that I observed a decreasing number of Indian folk around the place, however having seen a few more groups of them around the place after that post, and just seeing this in the "Thaiger" publication, perhaps I was wrong!

 

Having said that I have seen small groups in Big C buying "knickknacks" and nothing of any note, so along with that and previous posts, I can't see them adding much to the coffers of Patong/Phuket. This from the "Thaiger"............

 

Even though Malaysia has now beaten India for its number of tourists to Thailand overall, Indians are still the biggest tourist group in Phuket. From May 1 to August 30, the island province saw 104,350 Indian tourists arrive on its shores, according to Phuket Immigration.
This was out of a total of 436,326 foreign tourists that arrived in Phuket in that time frame. The other countries sending the most tourists to Thailand, in order, have been: Australia, Singapore, the UK, Malaysia, Germany, the US, and Russia.

In reference to the above, I have seen quite a few Aussies around the place, but don't like the news about the "return of the Ruskies" as I have only ever found one that I have liked in all my years here, and when I commented to him that the Russians seemed a surly lot, he agreed wholeheartedly, and he was Russian!

 

Mentioning the Aussies, a large Aussie bar which was a sort of "Sports Bar" in Nanai Road, and has been empty for almost the duration of Covid, has now opened again, and driving past, the internal decor is bright red, so not my "cup of tea" or should I say "pint of beer", as the saying goes.

 

Also, unfortunately the huge roadworks and reworking of the drainage system, if that's what you can call it, is just near the bar, and some traffic has to be rerouted away from that part of Nanai, so not ideal for a new/reopened bar.

 

Time will tell.
 

[xylophone]

Hopefully I'm not getting too tedious for posters, however perhaps it's nearly time to say, "Patong – The Awakening" because having just been out and about, more of the roller blind shops in Soi Banzaan have opened, as has the small guesthouse which was called, "The House", however in amongst that there are still a few buildings for sale, so as I have said previously it's a mixed bag.

 

A highlight of this afternoon was my visit to "Tops Patong", which has just opened again and which was quite busy, so I scouted around looking for any opening specials, and I have to say that the prepared food counter looked very enticing, and obviously it was the same for a few other punters because there were quite a few around the place partaking of the food they had purchased there.

 

I think the amount of people in the place surprised the owners/managers because I had to wait behind about four or five people in the only cashier/checkout available for that section, and there were more queuing behind me, so I don't think they anticipated how busy it would be.

 

Good news on the horizon.........well, we'll just have to see!
 

 

[Patong2]

That's a good sign with Tops reopening. 

It probably is time for "Patong - The Awakening"

 

Up at Boat Avenue today and came back via Thalang and the new "Robinson's" is open and has been for 3 days. Carpark was full and certainly looks like a good start.

 

Keep those reports coming Xylophone, they are of interest even if we have not got out much lately.

 

[grumpyoldman]

On 9/2/2022 at 5:22 AM, Patong2 said:

That's a good sign with Tops reopening. 

It probably is time for "Patong - The Awakening"

 

Up at Boat Avenue today and came back via Thalang and the new "Robinson's" is open and has been for 3 days. Carpark was full and certainly looks like a good start.

 

Keep those reports coming Xylophone, they are of interest even if we have not got out much lately.

 

Yes, have to think there is some optimism for this post Covid, high season. Should be busy.