Patong - The Wake

[xylophone]

Taking a slightly different tack with this post, although starting off in familiar fashion, as I visited Blue Beach Café and Restaurant initially on my outing on Saturday evening with a couple of friends, and as is the norm for this place, enjoyed a very nice meal.

 

And it wasn't until I had walked up Bangla and had seen the "sights" and then had seen some more "sights" in Red Hot, that I began to think about Patong as a desirable place to visit. This in conjunction with the fact that TAT is trying to encourage wealthy people here, as a sort of "millionaire's paradise", and it struck me that Patong would never be a place that would fit that category.

 

To be perfectly honest (maybe too honest for some folks liking) IMO this place is a paradise for "totally tattooed tw@ts"; old men with huge beer guts, earrings and ponytails, in whatever order one chooses; wifebeater T-shirts; some farangs down to their last few baht, plus of course the usual motorbike idiots from all walks of life, so not a place that millionaires would seek out.

 

If I add to that the number of low rent tourists (including the Indians) who appear to be taking advantage of the Covid lull, including the six fat Aussies who blocked my view two weeks ago, as well as the enormously fat young Aussie woman (I think it was a woman, although it was more the size of a hippo in a dress) and her mate, who was almost the same size, then it sort of completes the picture of "not a desirable place to hang out", and certainly not a "millionaire's paradise".

 

So although Patong and environs does have some expensive villas and hotels, it is not the place where the "rich and famous" hang out, unless they want to slum it for a while.

 

Back on track.........on my visit to Blue Beach, I was informed that there were some rooms/apartments available just above the restaurant, and these could be taken up on short or long term rentals, and I must admit that the thought of living above a great restaurant and bar, with the sea right at my fingertips (or should I say, toes) was very appealing, and still is, so I will have to check out the going rate.

 

Moving around Patong, I noticed that the restaurant pub, "La (or Le) Drinkeria" was being gutted, this is not surprising because it's been empty for a couple of years and although it was sad to see it close, it wasn't a surprise – – why not? Well it wasn't in a good position, with no foot traffic, or come to that, very little parking space, in a side road which is not renowned for its gastronomical offerings and indeed has its fair share of downmarket establishments. So one could posit that it was destined for a short life.

 

Having said that, I do believe that @Patong2 dined there on one occasion  and thought the food was good, and I did take a look around inside the establishment just after it opened, and it was clean and well laid out, and the menu looked enticing, but as I have already mentioned, despite all of this it was destined to fail because of its location.

 

On the subject of restaurants, it looks like the Italian restaurant near the bottom of Soi Nanai 6, which was supposedly "closed for the holidays" has now fully closed, which would be a shame because although there was no foot traffic, there were plenty of parking spaces, and the restaurant looked well laid out, clean and tidy, and had its own pizza oven – – perhaps it's destined to open again when the high season (if it happens) comes around?

 

Luckily there is still a very good Italian restaurant further along in Nanai, called, "Da Moreno" which also does extremely good pizzas, just right for a takeaway if wanted.

 

The roadworks going on in Nanai seem never-ending and quite what they are hoping to achieve with whatever it is they are trying, is beyond me, although drains of some description spring to mind, although that has already been tried twice and apparently not succeeded.

 

The bars and businesses running alongside of that stretch of Nanai which is being dug up, would certainly be suffering from lack of clientele due to that mess, and I feel sorry for them because everything that is going on is beyond their sphere of influence, and probably beyond their understanding (mine too).

 

However the fact that roadworks are going on in that part of Nanai, should have in no way influenced the thinking of whomsoever decided to open a bar and a restaurant near the roundabout end of Nanai – – a place where a previous restaurant had already failed, and just metres from it, a place where a previous bar had already failed!

 

Quite why anyone would want to open such establishments in that rarely visited part of Nanai is beyond me, however I suspect the combination of older farang and younger Thai woman, might have something to do with it.
 

And the beat goes on..............
 

[Olmate]

1 hour ago, xylophone said:

Taking a slightly different tack with this post, although starting off in familiar fashion, as I visited Blue Beach Café and Restaurant initially on my outing on Saturday evening with a couple of friends, and as is the norm for this place, enjoyed a very nice meal.

 

And it wasn't until I had walked up Bangla and had seen the "sights" and then had seen some more "sights" in Red Hot, that I began to think about Patong as a desirable place to visit. This in conjunction with the fact that TAT is trying to encourage wealthy people here, as a sort of "millionaire's paradise", and it struck me that Patong would never be a place that would fit that category.

 

To be perfectly honest (maybe too honest for some folks liking) IMO this place is a paradise for "totally tattooed tw@ts"; old men with huge beer guts, earrings and ponytails, in whatever order one chooses; wifebeater T-shirts; some farangs down to their last few baht, plus of course the usual motorbike idiots from all walks of life, so not a place that millionaires would seek out.

 

If I add to that the number of low rent tourists (including the Indians) who appear to be taking advantage of the Covid lull, including the six fat Aussies who blocked my view two weeks ago, as well as the enormously fat young Aussie woman (I think it was a woman, although it was more the size of a hippo in a dress) and her mate, who was almost the same size, then it sort of completes the picture of "not a desirable place to hang out", and certainly not a "millionaire's paradise".

 

So although Patong and environs does have some expensive villas and hotels, it is not the place where the "rich and famous" hang out, unless they want to slum it for a while.

 

Back on track.........on my visit to Blue Beach, I was informed that there were some rooms/apartments available just above the restaurant, and these could be taken up on short or long term rentals, and I must admit that the thought of living above a great restaurant and bar, with the sea right at my fingertips (or should I say, toes) was very appealing, and still is, so I will have to check out the going rate.

 

Moving around Patong, I noticed that the restaurant pub, "La (or Le) Drinkeria" was being gutted, this is not surprising because it's been empty for a couple of years and although it was sad to see it close, it wasn't a surprise – – why not? Well it wasn't in a good position, with no foot traffic, or come to that, very little parking space, in a side road which is not renowned for its gastronomical offerings and indeed has its fair share of downmarket establishments. So one could posit that it was destined for a short life.

 

Having said that, I do believe that @Patong2 dined there on one occasion  and thought the food was good, and I did take a look around inside the establishment just after it opened, and it was clean and well laid out, and the menu looked enticing, but as I have already mentioned, despite all of this it was destined to fail because of its location.

 

On the subject of restaurants, it looks like the Italian restaurant near the bottom of Soi Nanai 6, which was supposedly "closed for the holidays" has now fully closed, which would be a shame because although there was no foot traffic, there were plenty of parking spaces, and the restaurant looked well laid out, clean and tidy, and had its own pizza oven – – perhaps it's destined to open again when the high season (if it happens) comes around?

 

Luckily there is still a very good Italian restaurant further along in Nanai, called, "Da Moreno" which also does extremely good pizzas, just right for a takeaway if wanted.

 

The roadworks going on in Nanai seem never-ending and quite what they are hoping to achieve with whatever it is they are trying, is beyond me, although drains of some description spring to mind, although that has already been tried twice and apparently not succeeded.

 

The bars and businesses running alongside of that stretch of Nanai which is being dug up, would certainly be suffering from lack of clientele due to that mess, and I feel sorry for them because everything that is going on is beyond their sphere of influence, and probably beyond their understanding (mine too).

 

However the fact that roadworks are going on in that part of Nanai, should have in no way influenced the thinking of whomsoever decided to open a bar and a restaurant near the roundabout end of Nanai – – a place where a previous restaurant had already failed, and just metres from it, a place where a previous bar had already failed!

 

Quite why anyone would want to open such establishments in that rarely visited part of Nanai is beyond me, however I suspect the combination of older farang and younger Thai woman, might have something to do with it.
 

And the beat goes on..............
 

Lighten up on the ozzies pal!! ????????

[xylophone]

3 minutes ago, Olmate said:

Lighten up on the ozzies pal!! ????????

Sorry mate......but what I saw was frightening as regards the size of them, and I have Aussie relatives and friends!!!!

[London Lowf]

3 hours ago, xylophone said:

So although Patong and environs does have some expensive villas and hotels, it is not the place where the "rich and famous" hang out, unless they want to slum it for a while.

I think that you need to broaden your horizons - Bangla is but a small (seedy) part of Patong, and Patong is but a small (not quite so seedy) part of Phuket.

 

I like the evening vibe of both but I would never base myself there - I stay in the back roads of Kamala and frequently ride to the northern beaches and there are some very desirable areas - have you ever ridden around Laguna? Maybe not "rich and famous" territory but there are plenty of secluded developments off the Laguna/Nai Thon/Nai Yang road that are very exclusive - just do a property search.

 

I'm sure that there are also upmarket developments to the south of Patong but I rarely venture in that direction.

 

Phuket is a beautiful location but it will never compete with Monaco, London, New York of Los Angeles - being a "millionaire" these days is no big deal but the "rich and famous" only want to be seen with other "rich and famous" people.

 

 

[xylophone]

18 minutes ago, London Lowf said:

Phuket is a beautiful location but it will never compete with Monaco, London, New York of Los Angeles - being a "millionaire" these days is no big deal but the "rich and famous" only want to be seen with other "rich and famous" people.

Which was my main point, although I focussed on Patong because that is what the thread is all about!!

 

And I have explored Phuket from top to bottom, so think that I know it fairly well.

Edited September 7, 2022 by xylophone

[London Lowf]

3 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Which was my main point, although I focussed on Patong because that is what the thread is all about!!

 

And I have explored Phuket from top to bottom, so think that I know it fairly well.

????

 

[Patong2]

Definitely a lot more people in Patong than a few weeks ago. Watched the traffic on the corner of Bangla and Ratuchit for an hour or so while we ate at about 9pm and it is much much busier. Good crowd in Bangla but only a few bars like New York and Sweeties had good numbers in and the not many people at all in the Tiger bars.

Certainly not the number of europeans there were 3 years ago which may mean bar spending is down but at least the numbers are starting to come back and there was good feel about the place last night.

And at 5.00am this morning there were still lots of people in Bangla so there were a few hard core partiers around.

Went down to Cape Panwa wednesday and traffic was very heavy and similar to pre Covid days so I think things are on the move all over the island.

I think now would be great time to visit Patong, a lot of good restaurants and bars, not too crowded and the beach is looking clean and uncrowded and the locals are back to being very friendly and those smiles are back.

[xylophone]

On 9/10/2022 at 9:43 AM, Patong2 said:

Definitely a lot more people in Patong than a few weeks ago. Certainly not the number of europeans there were 3 years ago which may mean bar spending is down but at least the numbers are starting to come back and there was good feel about the place last night.

(Shortened your post!!).

 

I have to agree with what you have said @Patong2 as not only was I also out on Saturday evening and Bangla was crowded, and as you said not so many Europeans as before, but I will add that there were more Indian folk than I've ever seen, but I also drove around Patong yesterday and was surprised at the number of shops which were reopening, and others which were newly opened.

 

If one wanted to view how cosmopolitan Patong has become, then taking a walk down Soi Sansabai would be an eye-opener because there are small restaurants of just about every cuisine, with the relative "hustlers" trying to shepherd people into them, as well as massage shops, spas and bars – – many more than I have seen for years.

 

Certainly more activity around the place yesterday, and more people, and this at 4 PM yesterday afternoon!!

 

Getting back to Saturday evening's outing, there were also more people at the Blue Beach Café and Restaurant, where for a change I enjoyed a nice Thai meal, and Soi Sea Dragon was crowded, although there were not as many people at Red Hot, but still reasonable, and whilst at that bar I met folks from South Africa, India, Russia and the US, oh and Italy........ the Awakening is in place!
 

[Patong2]

They have put new barriers up in the street that runs between Ratuchit and Muang Saikor Rd beside Jung Ceylon. I can understand they may want to charge through traffic but the process is strange.

 

Drive into the street and pick up your card.

Go to the parking building on the left, pick up another card.

Do nothing with either card

 

Hand back card to leave carpark

Hand back other card to leave street

Pay nothing for either at this stage.

 

Remember the barriers in Soi Sansabai before Covid?

Same same put up but did nothing.

Are these new barriers going to be the same or will there be a fee?

 

Do you think they are workable in the long run?

 

[Patong2]

While on the subject of Jung Ceylon, some good news.

They appear to be opening part of the centre by Big C, access from the walkway you use to get to Big C from the carpark building across the road.

Stalls with stock being erected yesterday but not obviously open.

[xylophone]

45 minutes ago, Patong2 said:

While on the subject of Jung Ceylon, some good news.

They appear to be opening part of the centre by Big C, access from the walkway you use to get to Big C from the carpark building across the road.

Stalls with stock being erected yesterday but not obviously open.

Open later in the  day, but just a few "free standing" stalls at the moment........more to come!!??

[schlog]

3 hours ago, Patong2 said:

They have put new barriers up in the street that runs between Ratuchit and Muang Saikor Rd beside Jung Ceylon. I can understand they may want to charge through traffic but the process is strange.

 

Drive into the street and pick up your card.

Go to the parking building on the left, pick up another card.

Do nothing with either card

 

Hand back card to leave carpark

Hand back other card to leave street

Pay nothing for either at this stage.

 

Remember the barriers in Soi Sansabai before Covid?

Same same put up but did nothing.

Are these new barriers going to be the same or will there be a fee?

 

Do you think they are workable in the long run?

 

Right now it's a test run. They will start to charge on 1th next month. Will be in same way like underground parking before. Buy park free. Buy nothing pay for parking. Maybe this way they get taxi and tuktuk there under control.

[xylophone]

Caught up with a friend of mine at Blue Beach Café and Restaurant and had a main course of schnitzel, accompanied by a few glasses of red wine, and enjoyed both.

 

Earlier on the place was absolutely full, so it's good to see this new place pulling in the customers, as it is a great location and serves great food at reasonable prices, and it's just what Patong needed, IMO.

 

Trying to cut the length of my posts down I will skip through a few things in bullet point fashion: –

 

– As before, Bangla Road was crowded.

 

– The road itself was busy but the bars didn't seem to be that busy, neither did the live music bars, and indeed Red Hot was only about 30% full.

 

– Went to Suzie Wong's for the first time in an age and that was packed, and for me it's good fun, as a friend and I have known a couple of the girls for some time now, although it's best not to go overboard on the drinks for the girls, but they will always ask for them and if you have the willpower of a tame rabbit, then your pockets will soon be emptied.

 

– Soi Sea Dragon was not as crowded as on my previous visit, but at least it's picking up from what it was a few months ago.

 

– Red Hot, as already mentioned, was not that busy so the atmosphere wasn't as good as it has been in the past, however I was fortunate enough to be able to get a table next to a few Aussies who were part of JetStar (airline) crew who were here for about three days due to some unforeseen circumstances, and they were good company. I was offered a few drinks by a couple in the crowd, including one Indian guy, who looked as if he was fairly wealthy, who was adamant that I had to have a drink because he enjoyed my singing so much (no he's not tone deaf), so I weakened and threw down another tequila.

 

The rain put a dampener on the late evening (pun intended) however Bangla still remains the place to be for the nightlife and crowds, with the beach road providing plenty of choice as regards restaurants, even if the areas a little further out from Bangla are still suffering from lack of customers/tourists.
 

[xylophone]

Many of us will know when spring is upon us, the dawning of the new season, when we see the buds on the trees and early spring flowers begin to open up, and there are signs of a "dawning" here in Patong.

 

About two weeks ago I saw the first signs of the property spruikers, dressed in their white shirts and dark blue/black trousers, gathering in a bar along Nanai, which seems to have been traditionally a place where they do gather. Only a few of them, but there they were and I wondered if the property market was beginning to open up again?

 

Then just three days ago I saw a French guy who previously managed about four property booths in and around Jungceylon and I hadn't seen him for the duration of Covid, so thought that he must have come back here for a specific reason....... 

 

Then the final proof, if you wish, that the property market is starting to swing back into action (slowly but probably surely) was when I saw one of the motorbike "people chasers" who pull up alongside of unsuspecting pedestrians and ask them to take part in a prize draw with a scratch ticket, which is always a "winner" no matter what. And to claim that prize they have to turn up to a presentation on property ownership and investment (promising returns of between 10 and 15% per annum) and listen to what the presenter says, and then they are free to get their prize and go – – yeah right!

 

What they don't know is that the pressure is really put on the customer in order to get them to sign a document, even if it's to give over their credit card details for a deposit, and that pressure is relentless, and some folks actually buckle under it and do sign up, and it's not surprising when you consider that some of these spruikers are only paid on commission and they are ruthless, and are bullies in most cases.

 

So perhaps this activity heralds the beginning of the awakening/dawning of Patong.......we will see. Having said that the whole area of property investment here, as conducted by these cowboys, reeks of dishonesty and pressure and the "scratch ticket" ruse, where everyone is a winner, is downright dishonest.
 

[HighPriority]

Ahh, my first time in PaTong... ????

The pure exaltation on the faces of the 2 moto riders when I drew the "lucky Ticket" was a sight to behold, hi 5ing each other as they roared away to spend their bonus at their favorite bar !!

I missed out on the ipad but did get a Tshirt...

[madmitch]

3 hours ago, HighPriority said:

Ahh, my first time in PaTong... ????

The pure exaltation on the faces of the 2 moto riders when I drew the "lucky Ticket" was a sight to behold, hi 5ing each other as they roared away to spend their bonus at their favorite bar !!

I missed out on the ipad but did get a Tshirt...

Sound like they were better actors than most of those in Thai soaps!

[HighPriority]

44 minutes ago, madmitch said:

Sound like they were better actors than most of those in Thai soaps!

Hardened professionals mate !! ????

They even told me not to sign anything ????????

[Patong2]

In Bangla Rd at 5.30am this morning and there was a guy sitting on the footpath selling plants about 400mm high in pots so I presume they were pot plants.

I wouldn't know a pot plant from a pine tree so I have no idea what they were.

Crossed my mind that a tourist would be a foolish to walk into his hotel with one of these in his hand.

 

[London Lowf]

5 hours ago, Patong2 said:

Crossed my mind that a tourist would be a foolish to walk into his hotel with one of these in his hand.

Yes, but not everyone on Bangla is a tourist - plenty of ex-pats and long-stayers who stay in a property with a garden or even just a balcony. Maybe I'll buy one..... I usually just grow from avocado stones for a bit of fun!

 

Edited September 30, 2022 by London Lowf

[Agusts]

5 hours ago, Patong2 said:

In Bangla Rd at 5.30am this morning and there was a guy sitting on the footpath selling plants about 400mm high in pots so I presume they were pot plants.

I wouldn't know a pot plant from a pine tree so I have no idea what they were.

Crossed my mind that a tourist would be a foolish to walk into his hotel with one of these in his hand.

 

I think growing pot in Thailand is legal now... ! (over 21 ?) , tourists wouldn't have problem taking it to hotel, may have issue taking it back home - depending where he lives... ????

Edited September 30, 2022 by Agusts

[Olmate]

5 minutes ago, Agusts said:

I think growing pot in Thailand is legal now... ! (over 21 ?) , tourists wouldn't have problem taking it to hotel, may have issue taking it back home - depending where he lives... ????

Take home to Oz.They  will do a NedKelly on you! ????

[xylophone]

Coming Alive, Coming Alive, ah, ah, ah, ah (apologies to the Bee Gees for rearranging their "Staying Alive" lyrics!).

 

Not the usual Bangla stuff, but other events around the place........a trip along the Beach Road at  5 PM or thereabouts highlighted a lot of activity with many of the shops and restaurants alive and well and touting their wares, and the amount of cars, motorbikes and tuk tuks around the place, accompanied by a fair amount of foot traffic, suggested things were on the up and up.

 

Looking up Bangla, even that had a smattering of people already in the bars, with a few walkers milling around as well.

 

Many more motorbikes parked outside of Big C, and across the road, and the Starbucks attached to Jungceylon had a couple of handfuls of customers; and as regards Jungceylon, I was informed by an employee of Power Buy in Central that he thought they would be reopening in November!

 

A general drive around Patong over the last couple of days has shown that this activity is the norm, that is, apart from the places which are still closed and look like they will never open again, for instance those small shops in Rat-u-thid, many of which have been partly demolished and I guess the restaurant the "Lucky 13" wasn't that lucky after all as it is closed and in a state of disrepair.

 

I did mention an Italian restaurant not far from me in Nanai which I thought had closed "temporarily" (for the holidays?) However that looks to be totally devoid of any signs of life and whatever was left standing has now been stripped out, so closed down!

 

With that are some signs of hope, although to be honest I don't give some of them much hope........for example, opposite the junction of Soi Banzaan and Soi Nanai there was a type of Italian sandwich bar which never did much business, and being that there is nowhere to park, and it's not really "foot traffic friendly", it's not surprising it closed. However some hopeful punter has decided to open a bar in that space, which is hardly big enough to "swing a cat" as the saying goes, so I believe it will go the same way as "Le Drinkeria" – – time will tell.

 

Following on from that, it is in a row of establishments, which already has six or seven bars in about a 50 m stretch, so custom will be at a premium!

 

I did say that this wasn't the usual Bangla stuff, however I did go out with some friends on Saturday night and did the usual dining stuff and ended up at Suzie Wong's again, and was there at the right time to see a seductive "towel routine" whereby the towels were partly removed at times, and I have to feel sorry for one of the girls, because I think she must have had a nasty accident when she was younger and fallen on an axe, because she had acquired a nasty gash, the poor girl!!!!

 

I'll get my coat................

[Patong2]

Nobody got washed away in the big flood last night?

No one drowned on the way home from Bangla?

One polite ladyboy was sleeping in the lobby of our building as "electrics wet"on her MG that was stopped on the side of the road

[xylophone]

25 minutes ago, Patong2 said:

Nobody got washed away in the big flood last night?

No one drowned on the way home from Bangla?

One polite ladyboy was sleeping in the lobby of our building as "electrics wet"on her MG that was stopped on the side of the road

Not a night to venture out old chap, esp as have got a bad sinus infection, but no doubt all of the sights, sounds and peculiarities of Bangla will be on show next weekend!!

 

PS. Apart from the ladyboy sleeping in the lobby of your building, but then again..........

Edited October 16, 2022 by xylophone

[HighPriority]

@xylophone please save me from backtracking… I’ve got a friend who is in PaTong at the moment, what is the name of the restaurant on Beach Rd ?

[xylophone]

4 minutes ago, HighPriority said:

@xylophone please save me from backtracking… I’ve got a friend who is in PaTong at the moment, what is the name of the restaurant on Beach Rd ?

Blue Beach Cafe and Restaurant..........If one were to go to the bottom of Bangla where the beach is, then turn right for about 50 m, there is an alleyway down to the beach and the restaurant is at the end of that alleyway, actually on the beach – – and for further directions, it is almost opposite Savoey restaurant.

 

The sign is above the alleyway entrance, and there is a massage place there, mostly staffed by ladyboys I think?????

 

Would be interested to know what your friend thinks of it HP.

Edited October 16, 2022 by xylophone

[HighPriority]

2 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Blue Beach Cafe and Restaurant..........If one were to go to the bottom of Bangla where the beach is, then turn right for about 50 m, there is an alleyway down to the beach and the restaurant is at the end of that alleyway, actually on the beach – – and for further directions, it is almost opposite Savoey restaurant.

 

The sign is above the alleyway entrance, and there is a massage place there, mostly staffed by ladyboys I think?????

 

Would be interested to know what your friend thinks of it HP.

I’ll pass it on to him and see if he can drag himself away from Bangla, the ladyboys might do the trick !!!
????????

[schlog]

The wake....today the cruisers are back at patong bay.

[xylophone]

I haven't posted for a while because of various ailments, including a bad allergy (to what, I don't know) then a bad sinus infection and latterly "turning" my ankle which obviously damaged ligaments because my foot swelled up like a balloon, so I've been housebound........... 

 

All the same, I was determined to go out last night, so I caught up with a couple of friends and because it was some time since I was out and about, I over imbibed quite markedly!!

 

Started at the Blue Beach Café and Restaurant and sampled the delicious Chicken Cordon Bleu, whilst my friend had some spicy pork balls, and this is something I must try next time I'm there because they were very tasty.

 

Anyway after a lovely dinner and a few glasses of wine, we ventured onto Bangla Road itself and it was very crowded, almost reminiscent of the old days, in fact it WAS reminiscent of the old days, with many touts advertising "sexy shows", others promoting suits and shirts, and of course the usual plethora of girls trying to coax us into their particular bars.

 

We stopped for a couple of drinks just inside the entrance of Soi Freedom, at a bar which is now run by the previous management of Smiley Bar, and it was good to catch up with those folks, whilst being able to view the comings and goings in the Soi.

 

The lady boys show is still going, but I wouldn't say it was going strong, because I think there is a limited audience for tall/overweight former blokes, dressed in drag and miming to Tina Turner songs! So the expat foot traffic in the Soi was very limited, although the Blue Lotus Café was fairly busy, which is a good sign.

 

From there we ventured into Soi Sea Dragon, which was crowded and getting back to its old ways, although I have to say that there is a dearth of good looking girls in that Soi, certainly nothing that appealed to us in any way, shape or form. So we quickly looked into Suzie Wong's and that was packed, so we didn't stay and walked on again where a friend suggested we try a go-go called "The Lover" as he seemed to recall that he visited it many years ago and was keen to see what it was like.

 

So, we three pushed aside the curtains and stepped into the place, only to see it was "staffed" by dumpy overweight girls with drooping boobs! Not my scene at all, nor that of the other guys, so a quick exit was made.

 

We decided on one last drink in that Soi, so sat at a table and whilst we were deciding what to drink, a petite and average looking girl, who had not spoken a word to us, then asked us to buy her a drink, and one for her friend! It's no surprise then that we refused, so without saying anything they just moved away.

 

I may be harking back to times way gone by, but I do recall many years ago that the girls would try and engage in conversation with you, have a laugh with you and so on, before expecting a drink, and not usually asking for one either – – but now we have decidedly average girls, who cannot engage in any sort of conversation, almost demanding a drink the minute one sits down, and they can't understand why they are not bought a drink. Unbelievable!

 

We ended up at Red Hot, which was crowded, and it was good to meet up with a couple of people I knew from before, one of them being aircrew and others being acquaintances I'd made whilst singing my songs there in the past.

 

Unfortunately the willpower was quickly diminishing as the evening went on and more alcohol was consumed, and after I had finished a couple songs, a youngish Russian couple at the next table, bought the three of us a beer each, so I got chatting to him and in a way I felt sorry for him, because although I have never really met a Russian to whom I have taken a liking, he seemed genuine and was here in Thailand escaping the war, and I'm not surprised, because he had a delightful young wife and didn't believe in what was going on in Russia, so left the country – – and I can't say that I blame him.

 

Just before I leave this post I have to congratulate the band at Red Hot because they played a version of "Hotel California", with three of them playing guitars, which was absolutely outstanding, and the best I have ever heard outside of the original recording by the Eagles. Not only that, some of their other renditions of various songs were brilliant, and this has to be the best live band I've ever seen, even surpassing the very famous ones I have had the pleasure of watching live.

 

So it looks like Patong is back on song, and for the tourists and "two-week millionaires" it's still a paradise, but for the old buggers like me, who have been here many years and seen most of what there is to see, it's a once or twice a week venture out, just to relieve the cabin fever and prove to myself that there is nightlife in Patong!!

[zzzzz]

could the pick up in Patong be accounted for by an additional 20,000+ Russians since Nov 1st?  ????