Patong - The Wake

[xylophone]

25 minutes ago, schlog said:

"Lurv" 555. Must be hard for the girls to find patients of love these days with all the indians and chinese around.

 

Yup xylo you so right about the messed up infrastructure in Patong.

Maybe my memory is bad but wasn't the last real big project the building of Rath-u-tit road incl. sewege pipes in 1995?

That was just a few years before I arrived here Schlog, however I do remember them digging up the "new middle road" at least three times to lay new drainage, and I mean the same stretch of road three times because they couldn't seem to get it right, and even now, just yesterday I saw them digging up the most problematic part of it again – – that is the part where the junction of that road meets Soi Banzaan.

 

I thought something was amiss there because the awful sewage-type smell began emanating again from the large drain junction, so this will be interesting.

 

As for the girls being able to find "lurv" with a farang to sponsor them, there always seems to be one or two farangs around who have their brain housed in their small head!

[schlog]

2 hours ago, xylophone said:

That was just a few years before I arrived here Schlog, however I do remember them digging up the "new middle road" at least three times to lay new drainage, and I mean the same stretch of road three times because they couldn't seem to get it right, and even now, just yesterday I saw them digging up the most problematic part of it again – – that is the part where the junction of that road meets Soi Banzaan.

Yup a never ending project with a constant money stream at the middle road.

 

The Rat-U-Thit road building is branded in my memory cause one morning after full night of booze and rain on way home we sunk the car in a flooded open sewer tunnel lol. Crazy days.

 

 

[xylophone]

A quick addition to a previous post..............

 

It looks as though La Drinkeria may have finally bitten the dust as it has been closed again I saw a large A4 size notice stuck on its window; the type that gets stuck on the windows of stores that don't pay their bills, for example, and it had an official stamp on it?

 

If it has closed, it wouldn't be a surprise to those of us who have lived here a while and who have knowledge of the comings and goings of small businesses here.

 

In my previous post I did mention that Green Mango looked to be open again, but maybe I was mistaken and that the current owner/landlord opened the place up for a good clean out, because it seems shuttered again today?

 

Still not too much going on in Jungceylon, and the "This is Siam" basement part of the place is pitifully bereft of tourist activity and I felt sorry for the benches full of massage ladies sitting outside of their respective parlours, waiting for a tourist to happen by.

 

Had to go past the food court to get to these and at 1:15 PM, there was no more than five people in the whole food court, when at one time it would be pretty well full.

 

And is this a sign of the times...............the large Coffee Club coffee shop/restaurant at the front of Jungceylon, facing Rat-u-Thit road, has stopped buying the Bangkok Post for the customers, and when I enquired about this, I was told that they had stopped buying them for all of their restaurants here??

 

I sincerely hope this isn't true because it was one of the draw-cards to be able to sit there and read the paper whilst enjoying the view as well as a few tasty morsels from the menu.

 

It looks like the bar area at the front of the Bella Cose guesthouse is almost finished and what I didn't realise was that this had been tried before in the past and failed – – that is leasing the bar area only, so it will be interesting to see how this one goes.

 

[London Lowf]

The Green Mango is opposite Da Moreno?

 

I've enjoyed Da Moreno's pizzas for the last five years before they went down the pan this visit, and never saw more than one punter in Green Mango - invariably sniffing around the rather attractive bargirl.

[xylophone]

10 hours ago, London Lowf said:

The Green Mango is opposite Da Moreno?

 

I've enjoyed Da Moreno's pizzas for the last five years before they went down the pan this visit, and never saw more than one punter in Green Mango - invariably sniffing around the rather attractive bargirl.

Da Moreno is still open, so do you mean that the quality has gone downhill?? Haven't had one for a while so hope that was just "blip" as ALMOST got one last night!!

[London Lowf]

By down the pan, I meant the quality!

 

One of the culinary highlights of my visits to Phuket was their rather pricey "Universalle" pizza but I had one in the beginning December and the toppings were very sparse. The cheese was virtually undetectable - I expect it to be "stringy" as you eat into it straight out of the oven, but not even close. Annoying as, even after a nine-month absense, I am recognised there.

 

I went back a week or so later in case it was just a "blip", but just the same so I won't be returning.

 

Same owner/manager, so I guess they are cost-cutting? Maybe you'll be luckier?

[xylophone]

On 1/30/2020 at 5:35 PM, xylophone said:

It looks like the bar area at the front of the Bella Cose guesthouse is almost finished and what I didn't realise was that this had been tried before in the past and failed – – that is leasing the bar area only, so it will be interesting to see how this one goes.

Well, the bar area has been finished and there is a little news on this front........ 

 

The new lessees are the guys that used to have the large double bar a little north in Nanai Road, called "Champs", so they've closed that and moved here (the front of Bella Cose guesthouse) and perhaps they will make it work because they had successful bar in Champs, and not only that they have a lot of Aussie and NZ regulars, and they seem like good operators according to a friend of mine who used to frequent Champs.

 

I have to say they have made a good job of the bar area, so hopefully this is one new project which will succeed.

 

La Drinkeria has still been shut on the few times I have passed by, although the Green Mango premises are open one day, and closed the next, so have no idea what's happening there?

 

The roadworks on the problematic drain system on the "middle road" were "quick and dirty", as the saying goes and it would appear that although the "digger" was in attendance waiting to do some heavy work, all they appeared to do was clean out the drains, so all that remains is to see when and if the sewage smells return!

 

A new bar, "Fatboys Bar",  has opened on the corner of Soi Bowling and Sainamyen and I'm not sure whether it is a spin-off from the very small bar of the same name further down Nanai Road, or a completely new venture.

 

And as for the name I think it may refer to the nickname of the Harley-Davidson bike, rather than the owner....... ?

[xylophone]

La Drinkeria has been open and shut more times than a hooker's legs, and I thought it would be opening again a few days ago when I saw a truck outside of it, loading some booze...........but it is closed again with yet another notice pinned on the door.

 

Saw a couple of small restaurants in Sainamyen which had closed, sorry to say, as I had watched one of them open, and watched the owner try to make it into a little café style place, all to no avail it seems.

 

For a few days earlier in the week and last week here the amount of tourists dropped quite markedly, especially the Chinese, however tourist numbers seem to have picked up a little now (sans Chinese) so who knows how this is going to pan out?

 

Now it has been mentioned many times on this and other threads that one of the reasons these businesses close, is because of greedy landlords asking unrealistic rental/leases and I know of some bars that have asked for silly prices when they have been up for sale, but this restaurant, IMO, takes the biscuit........restaurant with a 3+3 year lease in Jungceylon complex and an asking price of just under 6 million baht, along with a monthly rent of around 300,000 baht!

 

I'm not the best mathematician in the world, but with the lease rental at that price, plus other overheads of staff, utilities, cost of food, wastage and so on I really can't see this making a profit, especially in this current environment, even if it did previously!

 

The landlord is "Jungceylon" itself and there have been a few closures and new openings over the past months and I really do believe that quite a few of these places are struggling big time.

[schlog]

1 hour ago, xylophone said:

For a few days earlier in the week and last week here the amount of tourists dropped quite markedly, especially the Chinese, however tourist numbers seem to have picked up a little now (sans Chinese) so who knows how this is going to pan out?

Russians are still here in big numbers. Since 1 or 2 weeks the crazy driving french arab banlieue sucks are back. Horrible insane hordes on their motorbikes.

 

Right now only Patong is a headache for driving while rest of the island is like fresh breeze. Since end january i'm 30 minute faster on my trip Patong to Maikhao which is great.

[xylophone]

On 2/15/2020 at 7:20 PM, schlog said:

Russians are still here in big numbers.

Very true, and in far greater numbers than I've ever seen them before!

 

At one time I thought I had the Russian embassy opposite my little Soi what with the amount of Russians milling around the place, in and out of the Mini Mart with plastic bags full of beer and making much noise. However it turns out that the Chang Residence hotel seems to be a bit of a drawcard for them (low price perhaps) and this has been mentioned to me by a couple of the motorbike taxi drivers who are stationed outside of the hotel.

 

Not that they like them at all, mainly because of their loud and poor behaviour, and the fact that they get stroppy when they've had a few drinks, trying to persuade the motorbike taxi drivers to take them into Bangla for 20 baht, and getting very annoyed when they are refused.

 

Not only that, a Russian couple decided to get into bonking at about 8 PM on the place where the motorbike taxi drivers usually sit, which didn't go down too well at all!

 

They can also be seen in big numbers at Dons BBQ in Nanai at weekends, tucking into the cheap nosh.

 

A girl who works in the massage place, almost opposite, and next to a couple of small roller blind shops, was terrified the other evening because two large drunk Russians were banging on her door wanting a massage, well after she had closed.

 

Actually one of the "shops" is actually a reincarnated bar, sponsored by a farang who has forgotten how to smile judging by the grim look on his face every time I have seen him, and looking grim with just cause, as I doubt very much whether that bar will remain open much more than another month or so, catering to the three or four farangs who seem to sit there, whilst the Russians can buy large bottles of beer much cheaply in the minimart almost next door.

 

The other place, is actually a shop, also sponsored by a farang, and has replaced another bar, and sells women's clothing, although I would have to say that from the price and meagre choice available, that will also be short lived.

 

I have also seen the Russians out and about in Bangla, very noticeable by their white cotton tops and bags full of beer, but not frequenting the bars as such. A bar owner friend asked if I had noticed that Russian hookers were becoming more plentiful now, something I hadn't noticed, but he assured me it was true!

 

On that note, some bars continue to do it tough, especially those in the Tiger complex, and those in Soi Freedom, whilst others are "so-so", but certainly nowhere near as full as in other high seasons in the good times gone by.

 

As has mostly always been the case, the bars with live bands in (apart from Freedom) are doing pretty well and what was Monsoon bar has now had a name change to Stereo 27, and the sound was pretty good, and although it wasn't packed, there were a good few people in it.

 

Being driven home up Soi Sansabai the other night, I noticed the white Indian restaurant was still very white (glaringly so) and empty, whilst couple of largish hotels/guesthouses had closed notices on the door, didn't get chance to inspect them closely, but if so, then the signs are gradually getting worse.

 

Yet I believe I have witnessed another hotel being built just north of the police station, on the opposite side of the road, at a junction with the new middle road?? At least it looks like that, and I will be interested to see exactly what it is when it's finished, this especially when to all intents and purposes, it doesn't seem an opportune time to build?

 

And The Green Mango has opened up again, but I haven't seen anyone in it, which is a shame because it has a nice large bar and dining area, so maybe someone thinks the time is right, whilst another couple of restaurants up the road have closed?

 

Talking about "opportune times" I noticed that a new wine shop has opened up in what I've always known as "Soi Patong Tower" where there are a few restaurants, including Karlsons and a varied assortment of others. But I'm not sure as to the wisdom of starting up a small "boutique" wine shop in a place full of restaurants which will serve wine by the glass, and also in Patong where there are such establishments as Wine Connection, Big C, Central Patong, Patong Whiskey, Makro and quite a few of the small minimart style stores which also sell wine?

 

The wines in the shop tend to focus mainly on the upper middle price bracket, but do stretch into the high-end Aussie and French wines, with just a minimum of offerings at the low end, including one "fruit wine" at 299 baht a bottle! Although in their favour, I do have to say that apart from one or two offerings, the majority of the wines stocked are not of the well-known/normal names one encounters here.
 

[Timbob]

It's always nice reading your updates Xylophone. I've not posted much on this thread but back in April 2018 I posted this:

 

On 4/10/2018 at 12:14 PM, Timbob said:

They are definitely building something. Here's a photo. It looks like it might be a large water feature or (less likely) a swimming pool.  

Well, here it is today:

 

 

I was right that it's a swimming pool. This only became obvious a few months ago when they filled it with water. But I'm not quite sure what the building is for. My guess is a water park but what do you think? You can't see it in this photo but there's another structure to the right with stairs and a big slide down to the pool. I rarely see anyone working there these days, so I suppose they're run out of money.   

 

[xylophone]

16 minutes ago, Timbob said:

It's always nice reading your updates Xylophone. I've not posted much on this thread but back in April 2018 I posted this:

 

Well, here it is today:

 

 

I was right that it's a swimming pool. This only became obvious a few months ago when they filled it with water. But I'm not quite sure what the building is for. My guess is a water park but what do you think? You can't see it in this photo but there's another structure to the right with stairs and a big slide down to the pool. I rarely see anyone working there these days, so I suppose they're run out of money.   

 

Well spotted Timbob, as I didn't even know it was there, despite being in that area many, many times!

 

Running out of money would be a good bet, or perhaps running out of water!! As we all know that Patong has millions of gallons of surplus water to splash around the place – – yeah right.

 

Talking of water parks, a friend has told me that the huge acreage of ground which has been cleared and can be seen between the road from Kathu going towards Central, and the almost parallel road running out of Kathu towards Tesco Lotus, is also going to be a waterpark?

 

However it is absolutely huge and would be more akin to a type of major DisneyWorld structure – – time will tell, unless anyone on the forums here knows exactly what it is?

[LivinginKata]

2 hours ago, Timbob said:

It's always nice reading your updates Xylophone. I've not posted much on this thread but back in April 2018 I posted this:

 

Well, here it is today:

 

 

I was right that it's a swimming pool. This only became obvious a few months ago when they filled it with water. But I'm not quite sure what the building is for. My guess is a water park but what do you think? You can't see it in this photo but there's another structure to the right with stairs and a big slide down to the pool. I rarely see anyone working there these days, so I suppose they're run out of money.   

 

 

I see that structure as I drive along middle road in the day. Dead then. I always assumed it was some sort of night venue, bars and the like. Big pool. Interesting. 

[Lashay]

On 2/25/2020 at 1:09 PM, LivinginKata said:

 

I see that structure as I drive along middle road in the day. Dead then. I always assumed it was some sort of night venue, bars and the like. Big pool. Interesting. 

Yeah it was meant to be a new night life area. Many bars owners i know had been approached to open there, all had no interest. Everyone remembers the Thai boxing stadium bar complex flop and that was when industry was doing a lot better.

[Timbob]

On 2/26/2020 at 3:13 PM, Lashay said:

Yeah it was meant to be a new night life area. Many bars owners i know had been approached to open there, all had no interest. Everyone remembers the Thai boxing stadium bar complex flop and that was when industry was doing a lot better.

Nice one. It's good to know.

 

Since it's not far from my balcony, I'm glad this 'night life area' project seems to have stalled. There are occasional events in the neighboring plot and the music can be VERY loud. 

[Olmate]

8 hours ago, Timbob said:

Nice one. It's good to know.

 

Since it's not far from my balcony, I'm glad this 'night life area' project seems to have stalled. There are occasional events in the neighboring plot and the music can be VERY loud. 

That’s Patong, what’s up with your community spirit!

[xylophone]

Driving along Nanai Road couple of days ago and for no reason whatsoever, the title of a book came to mind, this when I saw about a dozen motorbikes or more driving south down Nanai, with no one on them wearing a crash helmet.

 

As I said, this was for no reason whatsoever, but the book title was, "A day no pigs would die" and I translated it in my mind to, "A day when no crash helmets would be worn". Luckily enough later I did see a few crash helmets being worn, but nowhere near enough, especially with the accident rate here, and of course it being the law.

 

However, just yesterday I drove back from Chalong in my car and at the small and strange roundabout at the south end of Nanai, where it joins the new middle road, plus the road going towards the beach, as well as the road south to Chalong, there were police checks on every corner and quite a number of motorbike riders had been pulled over – – not before time.

 

And later that day I was riding my bike in rat-u-thid road and I was pulled over by a policeman, at the top of Bangla, so I joined the queue of other riders, many without helmets, and I was told I could leave without having to produce any licence or whatever, but I did have my helmet on and was driving at a slow speed, so this was no surprise.

 

On to other things, and the new building at the intersection one above the Patong police station looks to be a hotel, although it is still being built, so it could be a block of apartments.

 

Either way, Patong needs either one like a Moose needs a hat rack!

 

Whilst this new building is going on, a hotel just off rat-u-thid road, which has about 30 rooms, is just about to close its doors because it has less than half a dozen customers in there at present, and this is high season, or so called.

 

Feedback from a contact in the wine trade is that some hotels are cutting back on their stocks of wine because of the downturn.

 

I was out on Wednesday evening to catch up with one of the posters on TV and it was a very pleasant evening, not that I stayed too long because I already had about a bottle of red wine and beer before he turned up, so I was mindful not to imbibe too much more.

 

So I headed home at about 12:15 AM and thought I would l go straight home, but as they say, "the best laid plans of mice and men"..........because I was stopped in my tracks by a Thai guy who used to be the door manager at Nidas  gogo, and he has got me so many times whilst I've been meandering my way up Bangla because he wanted to take me to a new club, and he pestered me so much (and to be honest I felt a little sorry for him) that I reluctantly followed him down the little dead-end soi which is next to New York bar.

 

He did say that the girls were beautiful and all that stuff, but it was a small place with four girls shuffling around hanging onto poles, and even the best looking one there would be in the very average category, so I was gone within about three or four minutes!

 

But what did surprise me was the state of that little Soi, which as I recall had a Mexican style restaurant in it at one time, along with a cheap hotel/hostel, along with a few other shops, and at the far end were the Bangla Suites, because now it looked almost derelict!

 

It is not a place I would normally visit, and it really did look the worse for wear, with empty shopfronts and nothing going for it at all.

 

I did succumb to temptation a little further up the road when I popped into Red Hot to listen to the band and was invited onto the stage to sing a few songs, which I always enjoy doing, and that the audience appreciates them, just makes my day, or should I say night/early morning!
 

[bloodyholly]

19 hours ago, xylophone said:

Driving along Nanai Road couple of days ago and for no reason whatsoever, the title of a book came to mind, this when I saw about a dozen motorbikes or more driving south down Nanai, with no one on them wearing a crash helmet.

 

As I said, this was for no reason whatsoever, but the book title was, "A day no pigs would die" and I translated it in my mind to, "A day when no crash helmets would be worn". Luckily enough later I did see a few crash helmets being worn, but nowhere near enough, especially with the accident rate here, and of course it being the law.

 

However, just yesterday I drove back from Chalong in my car and at the small and strange roundabout at the south end of Nanai, where it joins the new middle road, plus the road going towards the beach, as well as the road south to Chalong, there were police checks on every corner and quite a number of motorbike riders had been pulled over – – not before time.

 

And later that day I was riding my bike in rat-u-thid road and I was pulled over by a policeman, at the top of Bangla, so I joined the queue of other riders, many without helmets, and I was told I could leave without having to produce any licence or whatever, but I did have my helmet on and was driving at a slow speed, so this was no surprise.

 

On to other things, and the new building at the intersection one above the Patong police station looks to be a hotel, although it is still being built, so it could be a block of apartments.

 

Either way, Patong needs either one like a Moose needs a hat rack!

 

Whilst this new building is going on, a hotel just off rat-u-thid road, which has about 30 rooms, is just about to close its doors because it has less than half a dozen customers in there at present, and this is high season, or so called.

 

Feedback from a contact in the wine trade is that some hotels are cutting back on their stocks of wine because of the downturn.

 

I was out on Wednesday evening to catch up with one of the posters on TV and it was a very pleasant evening, not that I stayed too long because I already had about a bottle of red wine and beer before he turned up, so I was mindful not to imbibe too much more.

 

So I headed home at about 12:15 AM and thought I would l go straight home, but as they say, "the best laid plans of mice and men"..........because I was stopped in my tracks by a Thai guy who used to be the door manager at Nidas  gogo, and he has got me so many times whilst I've been meandering my way up Bangla because he wanted to take me to a new club, and he pestered me so much (and to be honest I felt a little sorry for him) that I reluctantly followed him down the little dead-end soi which is next to New York bar.

 

He did say that the girls were beautiful and all that stuff, but it was a small place with four girls shuffling around hanging onto poles, and even the best looking one there would be in the very average category, so I was gone within about three or four minutes!

 

But what did surprise me was the state of that little Soi, which as I recall had a Mexican style restaurant in it at one time, along with a cheap hotel/hostel, along with a few other shops, and at the far end were the Bangla Suites, because now it looked almost derelict!

 

It is not a place I would normally visit, and it really did look the worse for wear, with empty shopfronts and nothing going for it at all.

 

I did succumb to temptation a little further up the road when I popped into Red Hot to listen to the band and was invited onto the stage to sing a few songs, which I always enjoy doing, and that the audience appreciates them, just makes my day, or should I say night/early morning!
 

The construction at the intersection near the police station is, as I’ve been told, is indeed another hotel, financed by a member (or two) of the Indian community 

[xylophone]

4 hours ago, bloodyholly said:

The construction at the intersection near the police station is, as I’ve been told, is indeed another hotel, financed by a member (or two) of the Indian community 

That would add up as a few months ago I saw 3 Indian guys on the patch of bare land, pointing here and there, so wondered if they were eyeing up a development?

[xylophone]

As the saying goes, I cannot make head nor tail of this place, this especially given the fact that another poster has suggested there is a hotel going up not far from the police station in Patong.

 

I say this because La Drinkeria has now got a huge SELL notice on the door, along with an accompanying telephone number, so as predicted, doomed to failure.

 

Also noticed another bar in Nanai which has a For Sale sign on it, and a small restaurant which also seems to have shut up shop.

 

And of course the smaller to mid hotels are struggling with low occupancy rates.

 

Regarding my first paragraph, I know of someone who has a small hotel (11 rooms) and who is trying to sell it for 34 million baht, but it's been on the market for a couple of years and no takers, so I ran this past a real estate agent friend of mine who specialises in hotels, and his comments were that the guy must be dreaming, or in cloud cuckoo land!!

 

I tried to do the numbers, but couldn't make them work, and I tried to inform the seller of my friends comments (respectfully so) and he seems to think that reducing it to 30 million baht might work!!!

 

Maybe I stay here because I do like living in "cloud cuckoo land"...............??

[eezergood]

On 3/2/2020 at 4:36 PM, xylophone said:

As the saying goes, I cannot make head nor tail of this place, this especially given the fact that another poster has suggested there is a hotel going up not far from the police station in Patong.

 

I say this because La Drinkeria has now got a huge SELL notice on the door, along with an accompanying telephone number, so as predicted, doomed to failure.

 

Also noticed another bar in Nanai which has a For Sale sign on it, and a small restaurant which also seems to have shut up shop.

 

And of course the smaller to mid hotels are struggling with low occupancy rates.

 

Regarding my first paragraph, I know of someone who has a small hotel (11 rooms) and who is trying to sell it for 34 million baht, but it's been on the market for a couple of years and no takers, so I ran this past a real estate agent friend of mine who specialises in hotels, and his comments were that the guy must be dreaming, or in cloud cuckoo land!!

 

I tried to do the numbers, but couldn't make them work, and I tried to inform the seller of my friends comments (respectfully so) and he seems to think that reducing it to 30 million baht might work!!!

 

Maybe I stay here because I do like living in "cloud cuckoo land"...............??

I can tell you without running to numbers, 30 mil for 11 rooms is overpriced by a factor of 10! 

[Olmate]

1 hour ago, eezergood said:

I can tell you without running to numbers, 30 mil for 11 rooms is overpriced by a factor of 10! 

$100,000 US? Better run them numbers then!

[DrDave]

I seem to recall that quite a few years ago, the rule of thumb for the value of a guesthouse ranged between 500,000 and 1.5M baht per room, depending upon various factors. That would put your friend's property value somewhere between 5.5 and 16 million baht.

That was in a good economy. In a depressed economy, well, different numbers...

[madmitch]

 

11 hours ago, DrDave said:

I seem to recall that quite a few years ago, the rule of thumb for the value of a guesthouse ranged between 500,000 and 1.5M baht per room, depending upon various factors. That would put your friend's property value somewhere between 5.5 and 16 million baht.

That was in a good economy. In a depressed economy, well, different numbers...

It seems to me that everyone overestimates the value of their businesses in Phuket whether they own or rent the premises. How many places have had the For Sale sign up for years?

 

There's a place near me been on the market for about five years with the owner wanting around 6 million baht for a rented business. During that time similar businesses have closed down as contracts have expired and can be picked up for a nominal sum, but they remain empty as no one is interested.

 

The real value of a business is what  someone is prepared to pay for it. In many cases around Phuket, especially right now, that amount is a big fat zero!

[xylophone]

1 hour ago, madmitch said:

 

It seems to me that everyone overestimates the value of their businesses in Phuket whether they own or rent the premises. How many places have had the For Sale sign up for years?

 

There's a place near me been on the market for about five years with the owner wanting around 6 million baht for a rented business. During that time similar businesses have closed down as contracts have expired and can be picked up for a nominal sum, but they remain empty as no one is interested.

 

The real value of a business is what  someone is prepared to pay for it. In many cases around Phuket, especially right now, that amount is a big fat zero!

True MM and valid points all..........this is not only for businesses but for houses and condos too, although the occasional house will sell when the price paid is about half what the seller initially wanted (have seen that on a couple of occasions).

 

Having said that a few smaller businesses do get bought, but these are the ones which have failed time and time again, but are "re-incarnated" with high hopes, but which inevitably fail again. Recycling I suppose.

 

La Drinkeria was a prime example; the two roller-blind bars near me are another, and just out side of Starbucks in Jungceylon (middle road side) a new kiosk is being built in place of one which was demolished because the business failed, and that one was taken over from another business which also failed, but right next to this new one is another empty kiosk which failed because of.............lack of business!! 

 

And back to the hotel I originally posted about, it should be said that all of the rooms are large (40 sq m or so) and the hotel almost centrally placed, so a sort of boutique hotel if you like........but the price????? Yet when I speak to the guy about it he just cannot see that the price he is asking is way over the top, and to honest his stubbornness on this matter becomes very wearing!

[xylophone]

I don't quite know where to start with this one, so how about starting with a chuckle!!

 

I noticed a massage shop the other day and its name was, "Come Well Massage" – – don't know if it lives up to its name though?

 

Out and about a bit these days, including the other evening in Bangla, and just a few days ago I was pleased to see little bit more activity as regards customers in some of the restaurants in restaurant alley in Jungceylon at night, and Wine Connection was about three quarters full – – good for them, although not good for just a few others in that stretch, but more than I expected to see there overall.

 

Obviously there are far fewer people around at the moment, and I quite like that, however I do feel sorry for the businesses that are struggling, and it's those businesses that can barely get by anyway which suffer in times like this, and I noticed a few more vacant "booths" on the third floor of Jungceylon, as well as a couple of empty ones on the first floor, something I hadn't seen before.

 

As for the businesses in the basement of Jungceylon, This is Siam, well they are struggling big time with a few more closures, and fewer and fewer people visiting the food court, so the Jungceylon management have decided to open a food court on the top floor/ground floor of that particular part of the complex, in place of the large sports store that was there previously.

 

Will be interested to see how it goes although, IMO, having the food court in the basement of a place where not many people venture, mainly because not many people know it's there, was a mistake in the first place, and at least the new place will be visible.

 

Jungceylon itself is these days sparsely populated, and the large Starbucks which I frequent, has on occasions been just about empty, with the small Coffee Club place a little further along inside, looking very sad for itself indeed, with many empty chairs.

 

Speaking to the boss of a massage parlour the other day and she said that her girls now have all taken to working just eight hours per day (on a shift type basis) because there is not enough work for them. She had a second parlour, but she sold that a few months ago because business was poor.

 

As I have already mentioned, I did venture out in Bangla the other evening to catch up with friends, have a bite to eat and have a "boys night out".

 

The restaurants in Soi Patong Beach were busy, apart from the newly opened one called "Nomads", and there were a fair amount of people wandering up and down Bangla, but nowhere near the usual amount, nor with the usual "vibrancy", and that showed in a bar I was in with my friends, because just a few people wandered in, looking like they'd rather have been somewhere else!

 

As many boys do, we wandered along to Nidas gogo bar, mainly to suit a guy who had just arrived from the UK (well that's my excuse anyway!) and there were only six farangs in the whole place! This from one of the most popular bars of that type.

 

Wandering home at about 1:30 AM, after a few songs in Red Hot, and I was very surprised at the much reduced numbers of girls in Soi Sansabai, who usually flood that little Soi on their way to the likes of Illuzion, Hollywood and Taipan.

 

Tough times are here and I think they will be here for a while longer yet, sad to say for the small business folk who barely manage to make enough to keep their families clothed and fed.
 

[xylophone]

STOP PRESS.........Bangla Road to close!!!

 

Out last night to catch up with a friend before he departs these shores for Blighty in a day or so, and there were quite a few people around in Bangla, although obviously not as many as has been in the past, all things considered. 

 

But what surprised me was the popular music bars of New York and Stereo 27 were packed to the gunwales with revelers; obviously no fear of Covid19 amongst these folk!

 

Outside of that, the other bars were sparsely populated, so not a lot going on.......then the bar owner of the bar in which my friend and I were drinking, came along and said that he had just had the news that Bangla Road was to close from today until the end of the month, including all bars to be shut!

 

Obviously that didn't go down well with the girls working in the bar I was in, with a few of them worried about having no money for two weeks, whilst others were talking about going home to their respective villages, and I felt sad for them, because this was out of the blue and times have been tough in the bars anyway.

 

As for the closing of Bangla Road, well I don't know if this is the full story, because as you know, we never get the full story here, so only time will tell whether or not this actually happens or if some sort of compromise is reached?

 

Just skipping around a bit here, and in Jungceylon yesterday it was very quiet indeed with only a few people milling around, and Big C was also fairly empty with plenty of stock on the shelves so as yet I haven't seen any panic buying, but maybe that will come.

 

It will be interesting to see what transpires here over the coming few weeks, not only with how folk handle this outbreak, but in how many businesses go bust, mainly because they've been hanging on for a while now and it could well be that this is the last straw for many– – sad to say.

[LivinginKata]

2 hours ago, xylophone said:

<snip>

As for the closing of Bangla Road, well I don't know if this is the full story, because as you know, we never get the full story here, so only time will tell whether or not this actually happens or if some sort of compromise is reached?

 

 

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

[Patong2]

Really enjoy reports of what is going on.

We are booked to come back in April but who knows what could transpire.

With all its problems we still miss Patong and hope to be back there soon

 

Thanks for taking the trouble to update us.

[Lashay]

3 hours ago, xylophone said:

 

As for the closing of Bangla Road, well I don't know if this is the full story, because as you know, we never get the full story here, so only time will tell whether or not this actually happens or if some sort of compromise is reached?

 

Closures was ordered by Governor late last night. Only seems to cover "entertainment venues" ie bars and clubs (the favourite whipping boy of authorities) restaurants and hotel bars should be excluded. So guess where people will go to drink and socialise instead...

 

Stupid thing is goes against what central Gov said yesterday and their objectives. Was meant to apply to BKK only as they are dealing with a cluster there.

 

Also one of main motives for canceling/postponing Songkran holidays was because they did not want load of people moving around, especially to the provinces with all their elderly and more limited healthcare infrastructure. Guess where a hell of a lot of most at risk of infection as constantly dealing with people from around the world are heading today?

 

Also pattaya governor has given same order