Patong - The Wake

[London Lowf]

5 hours ago, xylophone said:

A couple of us went to Suzie Wongs, and what surprised me was the "lewdness" of the new "show" which left nothing to the imagination and involved a lot of oral "manoeuvres", shall we say.

You do seem to spend a lot of time in that place ???? I think that Red Hot is just a cover!

[xylophone]

12 hours ago, London Lowf said:

You do seem to spend a lot of time in that place ???? I think that Red Hot is just a cover!

On average about one or two visits per month, and then only because a friend knows a couple of the girls who work there.......on that note, this friend of mine was exclaiming after our last visit as to how amazed he was that a very "innocent" and new-to-Patong girl he met a couple of months ago, and in his words, "who wouldn't say boo to a goose", was now performing these lewd oral acts on stage!!!!! It's all about the money I suppose, but who am I to judge as some of these girls have to earn a living somehow to support their families.

[MRToMRT]

On 6/25/2017 at 1:59 PM, Destiny1990 said:

Maybe they can destroy patong beach simular like they did in Pattaya?no trees, more lanes for traffic,less space for walking and more parking slots for tuktuks.

I am shocked to hear myself say, I think Pattaya is now better than Patong.

[London Lowf]

1 hour ago, MRToMRT said:

I am shocked to hear myself say, I think Pattaya is now better than Patong.

I've never been to Pattaya and so can't argue - however,  a lot of Phuket is quite picturesque which I'm not sure can be said about Pattaya's surrounding area.

 

[Rhacsyn]

15 hours ago, London Lowf said:

They are arriving en masse - my landlord in Kamala says that many are looking for long-term rentals rather than hotels and this is borne out as I ride around the backstreets as the "For rent" signs have all vanished.

 

I took the hint and have agreed a one-year contract on my apartment (at good discount) whereas up to now i have always done a couple of months at a time.

 

Also, I think that the Chinese will soon be back - maybe March?

Arriving en masse they surely are. Karon, from being quite desolate is now pretty crowded at evening times, Mainly Russian from what I can tell.

 

Back to Patong and I was also around Bangla on the evening of the Brazil v Croatia match. Ate at a beach restaurant and witnessed some well presented, polite Russians eating and drinking a plenty.  I had always, in the past, generalised (wrong to generaluse I know but it is what I saw) that they could be somewhat arrogant, and "bulldog bullyish". The latest influx do seem to be of a different ilk.

 

I sat at Blue Lotus for a while and witnessed a small group of Russians there apparently spending freely again. On checking with the staff, they had bought 48 staff drinks (!), but done in a fun way from what I saw.

 

Good for business it seems and, of course, good for the staff.

 

Finalky, as you state, I would also expect to see some Chinese tourists next year. 

[xylophone]

From a Wake to the Resurrection – – – at least for now!

 

Out and about in Patong and surrounds, I will back up what Rhacsyn said with regards to there being a plethora of Russians around, as that's exactly my experience, and Karon has certainly been turned from a ghost town into almost a thriving community due to the Russian influence.

 

Patong is just the same as was Phuket Central when I visited last, although the large newer section of it wasn't that crowded, just the original part.

 

Patong is still a place with almost a "split personality", whereby some of the bigger hotels are pretty much fully occupied, as are many of the medium sized hotels, however there are still those small hotels/guesthouses which are closed, and those that are open don't seem to be doing much business anyway.

 

And as one business opens, another one closes, and that's the case with the small Lotus's shop on Nanai, which is now closed and stripped of its fittings, and the Italian restaurant called "The Loft" is also now fully closed, and I believe the apartments/rooms above it are also empty – – and just to really show that Patong has gone through a rough time, the Chang Hotel just a few metres from it in Nanai is not only empty, but the roof has collapsed in the extension built as a bar/restaurant/rest area and no one seems to be doing anything about it.

 

Whereas a lady I know who owns two massage shops just off Nanai, is looking to open a third one, and the small hotel/guesthouse called "The House" has opened back up again and has been redecorated; so a mixed bag here in Patong.

 

So I ventured out on Tuesday evening, for the first time in over two weeks, and my journey to a Norwegian restaurant near Patong Tower was very slow indeed because the traffic was nose to tail along Beach Road, tailing back round the Dolphin bar complex and up to the roundabout at the end of the third Road. It was a nightmare and the worst I have seen it.

 

After meeting an old friend at "West" Norwegian restaurant we ambled along the Beach road footpath as best we could, because it was chock-a-block with tourists, however we did reach the Blue Beach Café and Restaurant after a bit of a struggle and managed to have a beer before moving onto another bar in Bangla.

 

When I think about it, overall it was a very cosmopolitan evening because during that time I met Norwegians, Brits, South Africans, Russians, a guy from Austria and one from Israel, not to mention many Thais of course, and getting up to sing a few songs in Red Hot, I was singing along with the lovely Mayen, who has a great voice and personality, and is from the Philippines!!!

 

Bangla itself was crowded, when we got there at about 9 PM, and it was still crowded when I left Red Hot at 1:30 AM – – not really a wake!!!

[LivinginKata]

Slight aside. Lotus's in Kata also cleaned out .... gone. I guess SuperCheaps won that battle. Kata Karon packed  with visitors. Our long stay home rental business full both Patong and Kata. What a turn around.  

[xylophone]

23 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

Our long stay home rental business full both Patong and Kata. What a turn around.  

Good to hear LIK and long may it continue for you.

[LivinginKata]

23 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

Slight aside. Lotus's in Kata also cleaned out .... gone. I guess SuperCheaps won that battle. Kata Karon packed  with visitors. Our long stay home rental business full both Patong and Kata. What a turn around.  

WoW. Just notice Lotus's on Nanai Road stripped out,

 

Edit .... already reported ...Doh

[xylophone]

On 12/29/2022 at 8:13 PM, LivinginKata said:

WoW. Just notice Lotus's on Nanai Road stripped out,

 

Edit .... already reported ...Doh

Whilst we are on this subject LiK, I noticed that another couple of shops in Nanai Road have closed, whilst a tiny coffee shop/cafe just at the end of my drive which opened about six months ago, is now for sale. Not surprising really because the place was hardly big enough to accommodate six people let alone have enough space to be able to prepare food.

 

Similarly the one right next to it has just changed hands from a "bar" to something which suggests a tiny restaurant with souvlaki being one of the main dishes – – good luck to that in a place where there is no foot traffic whatsoever.

 

I also see that the restaurant/coffee shop which was previously called 555, and is almost opposite Soi Banzaan, which had closed some time ago, now appears to be in new hands and shortly to open up again as..........?? 

 

I went out last night to bid farewell to a friend here who was heading home today, and he suggested eating at the Italian restaurant in Soi Patong resort, called "Anema E Core", and it was right next door to where my favourite Italian restaurant was situated, namely "Salute" (which has now moved to Phuket town), and the food was great, and not expensive and it's no surprise that every seat in the outdoor dining area was taken.

 

My friend was telling me about an incident that happened in a small massage shop in Banzaan, which I recommended to him, whereby a scruffy looking Indian guy wanted to get a foot massage/pedicure and the staff refused, not only because he looked scruffy/dirty, but because he offered to pay 100 baht for the service, so he left the shop, only to come back a few minutes later and asked for a manicure for the same price, and he was refused again.

 

Strangely enough they have had similar incidents over the past few months, and lo and behold, whilst we were dining at the Italian restaurant, two Indian guys tried to get into the massage shop right next to the restaurant, and they were in lengthy discussions with the attractive young woman owner, and she kept shaking her head and they kept trying, and eventually after trying for at least five minutes to negotiate "whatever", they left.

 

I've never been a great fan of Indians, owing to the experiences I've had with them over the years, and the experiences I've heard from various folk I know here who run businesses, and just to add another grievance to these experiences – – they seem to have taken over from the Chinese with regards to walking three abreast on very narrow roads, such as Nanai Road, which makes it very difficult for traffic to pass, and I swear that sometime in the very near future someone will plough into them as a way of saying, "get out of the way". In fact I did clip one with my wing mirror not too long ago, but they still continued walking three abreast, in their ignorance.

 

Bangla was busy last night and after eating, my friend and I parted ways and I went to Smiley bar in Soi Freedom, and that Soi was fairly barren until late on when quite a few people gathered at the far end of the Soi to watch the lady boy show. Not "my cup of tea", so I stayed and had a few drinks with a friend at Smiley Bar and decided to go home from there, passing up my usual singing stint at Red Hot, and as I went by I noticed that the usual band which plays until about 11 PM, was still playing at 11:20 PM, so definitely wasn't in the mood for getting up to do a few numbers.

 

And before I leave this post...........the bloody traffic in Patong is dreadful; bring on the low season!!!!!!
 

[London Lowf]

9 hours ago, xylophone said:

And before I leave this post...........the bloody traffic in Patong is dreadful; bring on the low season!!!!!!

I've gone home to the UK for Xmas and NYE and am glad that I have - back soon though!

 

Do the Indians haggle over everything? They even seem to make a meal of it at the ForEx kiosks.

[xylophone]

15 minutes ago, London Lowf said:

I've gone home to the UK for Xmas and NYE and am glad that I have - back soon though!

 

Do the Indians haggle over everything? They even seem to make a meal of it at the ForEx kiosks.

Seems they do LL, as well as sharing a bottle of beer (and I have seen that on a few occasions, this for the non-believers) and I actually witnessed three of them going off with a particularly fat and ugly lady boy when all else had failed!! 

[LosLobo]

19 hours ago, xylophone said:

Whilst we are on this subject LiK, I noticed that another couple of shops in Nanai Road have closed, whilst a tiny coffee shop/cafe just at the end of my drive which opened about six months ago, is now for sale. Not surprising really because the place was hardly big enough to accommodate six people let alone have enough space to be able to prepare food.

 

Similarly the one right next to it has just changed hands from a "bar" to something which suggests a tiny restaurant with souvlaki being one of the main dishes – – good luck to that in a place where there is no foot traffic whatsoever.

 

I also see that the restaurant/coffee shop which was previously called 555, and is almost opposite Soi Banzaan, which had closed some time ago, now appears to be in new hands and shortly to open up again as..........?? 

 

I went out last night to bid farewell to a friend here who was heading home today, and he suggested eating at the Italian restaurant in Soi Patong resort, called "Anema E Core", and it was right next door to where my favourite Italian restaurant was situated, namely "Salute" (which has now moved to Phuket town), and the food was great, and not expensive and it's no surprise that every seat in the outdoor dining area was taken.

 

My friend was telling me about an incident that happened in a small massage shop in Banzaan, which I recommended to him, whereby a scruffy looking Indian guy wanted to get a foot massage/pedicure and the staff refused, not only because he looked scruffy/dirty, but because he offered to pay 100 baht for the service, so he left the shop, only to come back a few minutes later and asked for a manicure for the same price, and he was refused again.

 

Strangely enough they have had similar incidents over the past few months, and lo and behold, whilst we were dining at the Italian restaurant, two Indian guys tried to get into the massage shop right next to the restaurant, and they were in lengthy discussions with the attractive young woman owner, and she kept shaking her head and they kept trying, and eventually after trying for at least five minutes to negotiate "whatever", they left.

 

I've never been a great fan of Indians, owing to the experiences I've had with them over the years, and the experiences I've heard from various folk I know here who run businesses, and just to add another grievance to these experiences – – they seem to have taken over from the Chinese with regards to walking three abreast on very narrow roads, such as Nanai Road, which makes it very difficult for traffic to pass, and I swear that sometime in the very near future someone will plough into them as a way of saying, "get out of the way". In fact I did clip one with my wing mirror not too long ago, but they still continued walking three abreast, in their ignorance.

 

Bangla was busy last night and after eating, my friend and I parted ways and I went to Smiley bar in Soi Freedom, and that Soi was fairly barren until late on when quite a few people gathered at the far end of the Soi to watch the lady boy show. Not "my cup of tea", so I stayed and had a few drinks with a friend at Smiley Bar and decided to go home from there, passing up my usual singing stint at Red Hot, and as I went by I noticed that the usual band which plays until about 11 PM, was still playing at 11:20 PM, so definitely wasn't in the mood for getting up to do a few numbers.

 

And before I leave this post...........the bloody traffic in Patong is dreadful; bring on the low season!!!!!!
 

Reading your posts I recall my early adventures when I used to stay at a mansion in Soi Veerakit near Baanzan for extended periods in the early 2000's.  

 

Your posts bring back fond memories!
 

[zzzzz]

Indians not only share a bottle of beer, many ladies report they try to "share" the ladies as well Plus ask for a discount  LOL

[Peterw42]

35 minutes ago, zzzzz said:

Indians not only share a bottle of beer, many ladies report they try to "share" the ladies as well Plus ask for a discount  LOL

A guy in a bar told this ??

Seriously, repeating this tired old rubbish just makes you look stupid. 90% of Indians, you dont even see, they stay in resorts, dine in expensive restaurants, hire private transport. You wont be crossing paths with them in soi sexpat nursing a happy hour beer.

[zzzzz]

you all didn't see the LOL
dam hard group here   ????

[Patong2]

It is quite amusing walking down to the beach through Bangla Rd at 5am and often there are 2, 3 or 4

Indians bargaining with girls and ladyboys for whatever.

Often the discussions are heated and yesterday a lovely Thai girl had clearly lost her temper and was shouting "F.... Y...." at the top of her voice in Soi Sansabai in some dispute with an apparent Indian.

 

 

[xylophone]

On 1/4/2023 at 10:40 AM, zzzzz said:

you all didn't see the LOL
dam hard group here   ????

I didn't realise you were having a bit of a laugh about what you posted, and that's why I gave it a "like"........and the reason I didn't realise that you were having a laugh is because I have personally witnessed the two events you mentioned!

 

Indians sharing a bottle of beer is quite often quoted and I didn't believe it until a couple of bar owners I know told me about it and I dismissed it, that is until I saw five Indian guys in Soi Sea Dragon sharing a large bottle of beer between them (no straws) but passing the bottle round to drink out of!

 

The Indian guys trying to share one woman is also not uncommon according to some of the "bar girls" I know, and indeed I was there when the attractive manager of a large bar was approached by three Indian guys who wanted to bar fine her, but she refused and told them to ask someone else, which they did (at the same bar) and she refused them, until (as I already mentioned) a really fat, ugly lady boy took up their offer and off they went.

 

So, not barstool stories, but actual events, and as I said, I only post what I see and experience.......and no I don't spend much time on bar stools because I only drink about three small bottles of beer a week, if that. Wine is my preferred drink, and none of the bars serve any decent wine, so I mainly drink at restaurants, although I may have an occasional rum and coke at a friends bar or Red Hot.

 

<removed>
 

[London Lowf]

10 hours ago, zzzzz said:

Indians not only share a bottle of beer, many ladies report they try to "share" the ladies as well Plus ask for a discount  LOL

No need for the LOL as you are merely stating the truth. This thread is primarily about Bangla and, in addition to Xylophones observations, I have also seen apparent Indians sharing drinks, sitting in bars without even buying a drink but thinking that they can grope the girls, and negotiating in a group with the freelancers.

 

No, not all of them, and I agree that some are hi-so, but the bottom-feeders are noticable to anyone who frequents Bangla and the beach road.

 

[CharlieH]

A number of troll posts and responses removed.

 

Stop the personal remarks and keep it civil please.

[xylophone]

I decided to venture into the heart of what a socially inept poster described as a "cesspit" in order to renew my 90 day extension, and I was very surprised, because I expected to see a long queue – – but there wasn't!

 

In fact there were only three people waiting outside of the office, but nowhere to park my bike until the guy who does the 90 day extensions appeared at the back door, immediately recognised me and asked me for my passport and told me to wait!

 

So sitting astride my motorbike (because there was nowhere to park) I waited just a few minutes and he returned with my passport and the 90 day extension and bid me Happy New Year, and I thanked him profusely, and I have to say that this guy is the one I have dealt with over many years and he is particularly well mannered and helpful.

 

It would appear that the queues of previous months are no longer evident, which will be good news to Patong residents.

[d4dang]

I stayed at the Sea Dragon for a while in 84/85/86 Patong was growing...pretty cool when Sean Penn got punched out...Bangla boys tuned him up...delayed filming for a few days...the nude beach before it became the Meridian....King's Cups are the best

[xylophone]

There is certainly a buzz around Patong, but having said that, it's a little bit sporadic.....shoppers abound along the beach road in the early evening, whilst in other areas they are few and far between!

 

Some businesses are doing well and two of my favourite massage shops, with whom I tried to book a massage yesterday, were fully booked, so will have to try another day. On that same note, Big C was busy with a few shelves in the food section being almost empty! Also it is great to see Jungceylon opening up again, although not fully, as there is some serious remedial work going on in a few areas, and I have to say that I miss my Subway sandwich, so I hope that shop opens up soon.

 

I wandered around and went to the third floor to top up my phone via AIS, and although there are quite a few empty spaces (what is left of shops) the cinema is open and a few other shops have sprung up, so things are on the up/looking good.

 

A friend of mine has just returned from Malaysia, so I met him last night at Blue Beach Café and Restaurant for a nice meal and some good wine, and that was three quarters full and it is a wonderful location in which to relax and eat, and as it was his first time back for a while, he wanted to visit a few bars, and especially the folks he knew in them, so we did, where we met up with two other friends and in all visited three bars. However I left them at about 11 PM because they wanted to go on drinking and I have never seen the sense in drinking for drinking's sake and although I enjoyed a couple of drinks which included a beer and some good wine, I felt I'd had enough, so home I went, leaving my friends to their own devices.

 

Before I left it was good to catch up with a girl we had known from way back, as she was now working at a small bar in Soi Sea Dragon and she was pleased to see us, however far from being the petite girl of the past, she had certainly put on a few pounds but she was still a jovial soul. We asked her about the two other girls who worked with her when we knew them way back, and they were both in Australia and I think one was married, and they'd been there for a few years. So it brought to mind some of the girls I had known here who had moved on to other countries, the UK, Australia, Switzerland, Finland and Italy to name but a few that I can recall at this time, but they all had one thing in common inasmuch as they were "bar girls" who have found partners and moved on, and it was pleasing to remember that.

 

Bangla was busy, which was expected as it is the "high season" and the music bars varied in customer numbers, although a couple of them were "murdering" songs which would even make a tone deaf person cringe! 
 

[London Lowf]

7 hours ago, xylophone said:

So it brought to mind some of the girls I had known here who had moved on to other countries

But how many have been disappointed with The West and/or the man and returned to Thailand? I have met quite a few.

 

Anyway, as always, good to read an update from you - keep an eye out for me in about ten days!

[xylophone]

On 1/7/2023 at 7:43 PM, London Lowf said:

Anyway, as always, good to read an update from you

Well LL, here's a bit of an update, but this one is about restaurants in which i have eaten, although there is an element about wine that I was going to put in it, but I will post that in the "red wine in Patong" thread.

 

Whilst I went to look around a lovely upmarket wine shop just off the beach road, I noticed in the same pedestrian walkway that they were six restaurants, and I had eaten at one called "West" (a Norwegian restaurant) and the food was good, and also at the end of that road is a "Karlssons" which has a great reputation for steaks, amongst other things, and I got to thinking about the restaurants I've eaten at here which folks may or may not know about so I thought I'd post about a few of them.

 

I mentioned the Italian restaurant called "Anema E Core" (off Bangla Road) in the previous post and the food was very good, and of course one of my favourites is the Blue Beach Café and Restaurant, not only because the food is good, with a varied menu, but the setting is fantastic, actually right on the beach.

 

I've also mentioned "Da Moreno" in Nanai Road and I believe the pizzas are some of the best to be found anywhere. And to add to that there are a couple of other Italian restaurants, the names of which I cannot recall right now. Also I have eaten at "Lamai" and "Savoey" along the beach road and one particularly good restaurant is called "Sea Salt" (which is part of the Diamond Cliff hotel) and I know the executive chef and you are sure to get the highest quality food and preparation with this particular gentleman in charge.

 

Skipping around a little here and the "9th Floor" has to get a mention because everything about it reeks class, although it's not in a particularly salubrious area, and it was a shame that the restaurant "Higher" was destroyed by fire because I thought that was a very good restaurant indeed.

 

I have eaten takeaways from the "Kohinoor Indian Restaurant" and thought they were good, and I notice it has just opened up again so I'll have to visit shortly.

 

There are a few more around the place which I've eaten at, but I must give the "Yorkshire Inn" a mention because it was a place where you were assured of getting good quality, well-prepared typically English food, and the beef and ale pie with accompaniments was a delight and was often sought after for the "comfort food" effect.

 

I have eaten at a few Thai restaurants, but I wouldn't put any of them in the same class as the restaurants I've mentioned above.

 

Quite a selection here to choose from for the expats, and even though @Adumbration has labelled Patong a cesspit in one of his posts, I have yet to encounter a town fitting that description, which has such a nice selection of restaurants!!! 

[London Lowf]

I have no class at all - I am quite happy at the food soi at the end of Bangla!

 

But maybe I'll treat myself to a snitzel at Blue Beach next week.

 

[Adumbration]

6 hours ago, xylophone said:

Well LL, here's a bit of an update, but this one is about restaurants in which i have eaten, although there is an element about wine that I was going to put in it, but I will post that in the "red wine in Patong" thread.

 

Whilst I went to look around a lovely upmarket wine shop just off the beach road, I noticed in the same pedestrian walkway that they were six restaurants, and I had eaten at one called "West" (a Norwegian restaurant) and the food was good, and also at the end of that road is a "Karlssons" which has a great reputation for steaks, amongst other things, and I got to thinking about the restaurants I've eaten at here which folks may or may not know about so I thought I'd post about a few of them.

 

I mentioned the Italian restaurant called "Anema E Core" (off Bangla Road) in the previous post and the food was very good, and of course one of my favourites is the Blue Beach Café and Restaurant, not only because the food is good, with a varied menu, but the setting is fantastic, actually right on the beach.

 

I've also mentioned "Da Moreno" in Nanai Road and I believe the pizzas are some of the best to be found anywhere. And to add to that there are a couple of other Italian restaurants, the names of which I cannot recall right now. Also I have eaten at "Lamai" and "Savoey" along the beach road and one particularly good restaurant is called "Sea Salt" (which is part of the Diamond Cliff hotel) and I know the executive chef and you are sure to get the highest quality food and preparation with this particular gentleman in charge.

 

Skipping around a little here and the "9th Floor" has to get a mention because everything about it reeks class, although it's not in a particularly salubrious area, and it was a shame that the restaurant "Higher" was destroyed by fire because I thought that was a very good restaurant indeed.

 

I have eaten takeaways from the "Kohinoor Indian Restaurant" and thought they were good, and I notice it has just opened up again so I'll have to visit shortly.

 

There are a few more around the place which I've eaten at, but I must give the "Yorkshire Inn" a mention because it was a place where you were assured of getting good quality, well-prepared typically English food, and the beef and ale pie with accompaniments was a delight and was often sought after for the "comfort food" effect.

 

I have eaten at a few Thai restaurants, but I wouldn't put any of them in the same class as the restaurants I've mentioned above.

 

Quite a selection here to choose from for the expats, and even though @Adumbration has labelled Patong a cesspit in one of his posts, I have yet to encounter a town fitting that description, which has such a nice selection of restaurants!!! 

Can you please provide a rating for each of the restaurants in your post based on how noticeable the smell of sewerage is while dining.

[London Lowf]

4 hours ago, Adumbration said:

Can you please provide a rating for each of the restaurants in your post based on how noticeable the smell of sewerage is while dining.

Post deleted - thought you were someone else.

[xylophone]

13 hours ago, Adumbration said:

Can you please provide a rating for each of the restaurants in your post based on how noticeable the smell of sewerage is while dining.

An ignorant and arrogant response, and the only smell I get is from your enviousness after I posted about my life and achievements (in response to your slurs) which seemed to antagonise you no end!!

 

Poor soul, and I'm sure the owners of a couple of restaurants here, who are members of ASEANNOW will be none too pleased about your comments. LOL.

 

And as London Lowf had posted:- "If you detest Patong so much why do you put yourself through the pain of reading and commenting about it? Very odd behaviour. .."

[Bkk Brian]

Just now, xylophone said:

An ignorant and arrogant response, and the only smell I get is from your enviousness after I posted about my life and achievements (in response to your slurs) which seemed to antagonise you no end!!

 

Poor soul, and I'm sure the owners of a couple of restaurants here, who are members of ASEANNOW will be none too pleased about your comments. LOL.

 

And as London Lowf had posted:- "If you detest Patong so much why do you put yourself through the pain of reading and commenting about it? Very odd behaviour. .."

Leave him to it, he's resorted to trolling. Thanks for the regular updates.