Patong - The Wake

[London Lowf]

On 6/19/2023 at 10:15 PM, London Lowf said:

This is my first low season visit and I love it - busy enough around Patong but without the crazy traffic apart from each end of Bangla of course!

I spoke too soon - now that they have resumed the major works on "Third Road" central Patong is worse than peak season with Rat-U-Tit and Nanai now being the main through routes. Luckily, I was heading for a (fantastic) pizza at Da Moreno on Nanai and so I missed the worse of it and managed to circle round to beach road and Bangla afterwards without any problem.

[Agusts]

A hotel in Bangla road, in place of Tiger complex, right on the main street..., must be a short time hotel...!? ????????

[xylophone]

22 hours ago, London Lowf said:

I spoke too soon - now that they have resumed the major works on "Third Road" central Patong is worse than peak season with Rat-U-Tit and Nanai now being the main through routes. Luckily, I was heading for a (fantastic) pizza at Da Moreno on Nanai and so I missed the worse of it and managed to circle round to beach road and Bangla afterwards without any problem.

Yes, it looks like you did speak too soon LL, because the traffic on Nanai since the roadworks started has been horrendous, almost impossible to get out of my Soi in fact.

 

As regards Da Moreno, I'd have to agree that it produces probably one of the best pizzas around and I have to stop myself from becoming addicted to them!

 

Out at Bangla last night and it was fairly busy overall, and there were quite a few Indian families, with young and old in tow, out and about in Bangla itself. Having said that not all of the bars were that busy, and Soi Freedom once you got past a handful of customers at the entrance, the rest of the soi contained no customers whatsoever, but many bar girls waiting for them, obviously to no avail and in a way I felt sorry for them.

 

Met up with a friend and we ate at the relatively new Italian restaurant next to where Salute used to be and overall the food was good, so after we finished we caught up with another friend and we meandered off to check out the delights of Bangla and environs.

 

We went to check on a friend and his bar in Soi Sea Dragon, but both he and the bar were gone, and that was a shame because he was a nice guy (from Belgium I think) and at one time he owned two bars in that Soi, so we had a drink in another bar, aptly named "Hangover Bar", and I say aptly, because I'm definitely suffering from one today!

 

None of us had been to Suzie Wongs in an age, so we decided to pay that a visit and it was very crowded, and for whatever reason, I only sat there for about five minutes before I decided I didn't want to be there, so left my drink and walked out, with one of my friends following and the other disappearing somewhere?

 

I caught up with a Scots guy who seemed to remember me from a year ago and wanted to know how I had overcome my Barrett's oesophagus.......apparently I was speaking to him back then about my battles with it and how I overcame them, and he wanted to know the ins and outs of what I did, so I gave him a number to contact me the following day, before we trundled off to Red Hot, which was only about half full and didn't seem to have the same "appeal" as it has in the past. Maybe I'm getting too old?

 

I did manage to sing a couple of songs when beckoned up on stage by the lovely Mayen, and they went down well, but I couldn't seem to put the same sort of vigour into them as I had in the past.

 

Anyway, back to the table to sit down with my two friends and down yet another rum and coke, before deciding that I had better leave and go home, which I did.

 

I am going to limit my Bangla excursions, because I don't enjoy them any more, although occasionally it's good to get out. When I think about it, I realise that there's a hell of a difference between what I was used to back in the two countries in which I lived, where the pubs were meeting places where laughs were had, plans were hatched, outings were planned, and sports were discussed, accompanied by a couple or three pints, compared to here where the bars are purely purveyors of sometimes overpriced alcohol, where every girl wants you to buy them a drink and they cost the equivalent of NZ$10, and if they don't get one they sulk or keep pestering you.

 

In my opinion Bangla was an experience to look forward to, but now it has become stale for me, although I will venture out to a couple of good restaurants thereabouts, and visit a friends bar, but barhopping is not something I want to keep on my agenda.......been there, done that.
 

[spidermike007]

A friend of mine went to Bangla last night. He bought a pretty go-go gal a drink, and asked how much for short time. She said only in the rooms upstairs, and 5,000 baht. No wonder the place is not busy. They seem to be pricing themselves out of the market. Voluntary extinction? Self sabotage?

[xylophone]

3 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

A friend of mine went to Bangla last night. He bought a pretty go-go gal a drink, and asked how much for short time. She said only in the rooms upstairs, and 5,000 baht. No wonder the place is not busy. They seem to be pricing themselves out of the market. Voluntary extinction? Self sabotage?

With those prices SM007, it could well have been the Suzie Wong establishment!

[spidermike007]

7 minutes ago, xylophone said:

With those prices SM007, it could well have been the Suzie Wong establishment!

Even when I was there many years ago, the prices I heard quoted were rather outrageous. Bangla in general seems to be a limited market for punters who do not have deep pockets.

[London Lowf]

7 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Even when I was there many years ago, the prices I heard quoted were rather outrageous. Bangla in general seems to be a limited market for punters who do not have deep pockets.

It wasn't that long ago that I used to barfine from the Bangla bars - not the Go-gos - and the rate was always B500+B2,000.

 

Having said that, there was a very pale straight-off-the-plane guy in the bar opposite to me last night and he was getting well and truly fleeced by about four girls but seemed quite happy about the attention. He went off with one of the "dancers" and I would imagine got a very poor deal but probably didn't care.

 

(There are dozens of very mediocre Thai girls in London at B6,000/hour)

 

[BarraMarra]

Way back in 2008 i used to go to Scruffy Murphys the Irish pub top of Soi Bangla the band was brilliant with a lead singer who played the violin and guitar turned out he was from Wigan my neck of the woods if you could sing he would let you get up mant a night id fall out after singing Down Under to get the Aussies singing along with me or a Barrovian in Patong instead of Im an Englishman in New York happy times. The girls would wait for you to buy them a drink and after id consumed enough id be off with my Tilak to the Patong Lodge hotel just up at the top of the Hill out of patong.

[grumpyoldman]

"In my opinion Bangla was an experience to look forward to, but now it has become stale for me," -Xy

 

Yep, first did Bangla 1993 and am not going to bore anyone with "the good old days", as everything changes. Ended up spending 11 years in Phuket, some of those years made it to Bangla once in a year. As Xy said, "stale".

 

So I'd watch for Air Asia sales and when that party itch happened, hello BKK for the weekend. Couple nights in Bangkok is hugely better than Patong. More to do, prettier girls.

[HighPriority]

19 hours ago, xylophone said:

 

 

We went to check on a friend and his bar in Soi Sea Dragon, but both he and the bar were gone, and that was a shame because he was a nice guy (from Belgium I think) and at one time he owned two bars in that Soi, so we had a drink in another bar, aptly named "Hangover Bar", and I say aptly, because I'm definitely suffering from one today!

 

.

 

Lovely Bar @xylophone?

[xylophone]

52 minutes ago, HighPriority said:

Lovely Bar @xylophone?

Yes HP he did have Lovely Bar, as well as one of the bars on the side of the Soi in which he sold Belgian beers on occasion, but that went many months ago. He was always good to have a chat with and as I knew him, the girls didn't hassle me, but I did know one of the girls from way back, so she always got a drink from me!

 

Don't know where he has gone, which is a shame as it was a sort of "bolthole" bar for me, away from the madding crowd.........perhaps that is why he left; too quiet with little business?

[spidermike007]

16 hours ago, London Lowf said:

It wasn't that long ago that I used to barfine from the Bangla bars - not the Go-gos - and the rate was always B500+B2,000.

 

Having said that, there was a very pale straight-off-the-plane guy in the bar opposite to me last night and he was getting well and truly fleeced by about four girls but seemed quite happy about the attention. He went off with one of the "dancers" and I would imagine got a very poor deal but probably didn't care.

 

(There are dozens of very mediocre Thai girls in London at B6,000/hour)

 

Wow. What can one say to that? If the punters were not so gullible, desperate and vulnerable, the pricing would self correct. Maybe. Ah, the good old days. I remember on Samui 10-15 years ago, you could get a solid 9, a true supermodel type for 1,500. How things have changed. Those top shelf gals are now getting 30,000 baht and up online or with escort services in Bangkok or Phuket.

[HighPriority]

5 hours ago, xylophone said:

Yes HP he did have Lovely Bar, as well as one of the bars on the side of the Soi in which he sold Belgian beers on occasion, but that went many months ago. He was always good to have a chat with and as I knew him, the girls didn't hassle me, but I did know one of the girls from way back, so she always got a drink from me!

 

Don't know where he has gone, which is a shame as it was a sort of "bolthole" bar for me, away from the madding crowd.........perhaps that is why he left; too quiet with little business?

He was a nice bloke ????????

My wife’s friends Pizza and Aey used to work there in circa 2017.

 

[jts-khorat]

On 6/24/2023 at 8:15 AM, spidermike007 said:

Even when I was there many years ago, the prices I heard quoted were rather outrageous. Bangla in general seems to be a limited market for punters who do not have deep pockets.

As every trade person knows, asking and getting are never the same.

[xylophone]

On 6/25/2023 at 9:36 AM, xylophone said:

Yes HP he did have Lovely Bar, as well as one of the bars on the side of the Soi in which he sold Belgian beers on occasion

Just remembered, that bar was called, "Monjo Bar".

[HighPriority]

13 minutes ago, xylophone said:

Just remembered, that bar was called, "Monjo Bar".

Yes, that one had a “toilet” ????????‍♂️

????

Was it monjo or mojito ?

 

My wife said that he and his wife sold out but after further interrogation she confessed to having no idea what had happened… ????????‍♂️

[xylophone]

44 minutes ago, HighPriority said:

Yes, that one had a “toilet” ????????‍♂️

????

Was it monjo or mojito ?

 

My wife said that he and his wife sold out but after further interrogation she confessed to having no idea what had happened… ????????‍♂️

Yes it did have a toilet and it was called Monjo bar, whatever that meant!

 

He told me that he had sublet it (sub leased) and was focusing on Lovely Bar, but quite where he is now I have no idea?

[xylophone]

I have got an Aussie friend of mine who has come down from Chiang Mai, so will be out to eat tomorrow, probably at Blue Beach and then a wander around Bangla, but not too late as I've decided to curtail my late evenings in that place.

 

Driving down Nanai, apart from being a nightmare now that the roadworks are directing traffic into it, I noticed a few things happening, inasmuch as the building which was the "Loft" restaurant is having a bit of a makeover, which I did mention before, but it looks like the rooms above it are being tidied up/made ready for occupancy, so it'll be interesting to see what this becomes.

 

The old guy who "caretakes" the hotel named "Chang Residence" by virtue of the fact that he stays inside the locked downstairs compound, has told me that it has closed completely and that he is out of a job, not that it was ever much of one anyway, but it seemed to provide him with a place to bed down at night. Often I would take some food over to him and a few other odds and ends, but now I'm not sure what will happen to him?

 

I did mention a bar that was undergoing some sort of renovation, and it was called "Ting Tong Bar" but now it has had a complete makeover and is called "Hurricane Rock Bar" and it looks like it's got a new owner, but the decor is appalling IMO, because it's all black, from the floor to the tables to the "chairs" which look like they've been made out of repurposed oil drums, and of course it's right next door (actually attached) to a fairly successful bar which has its fair share of wifebeater wearing customers, called "Offshore Bar".

 

Today they were tying up balloons outside because it was obviously an opening party which they were getting ready for, and of course there will always be a few mongers who will attend the balloon parties because the drinks can sometimes be cheap or even free on occasion, and possibly some food, but after that initial opening has died down it will be interesting to see how it fares.

 

Very quiet out and about now apart from the traffick in Nanai, and judging by what I've seen, more businesses will be finding it very difficult, indeed a small coffee and waffle shop just inside of Nanai 6 has closed and the small massage shop next door to it hasn't had much if any business in the last couple of months.

 

Low season and hard times are in the offing, despite the short upturn a few months ago.

[London Lowf]

5 hours ago, xylophone said:

I did mention a bar that was undergoing some sort of renovation, and it was called "Ting Tong Bar" but now it has had a complete makeover and is called "Hurricane Rock Bar" and it looks like it's got a new owner, but the decor is appalling IMO, because it's all black, from the floor to the tables to the "chairs" which look like they've been made out of repurposed oil drums, and of course it's right next door (actually attached) to a fairly successful bar which has its fair share of wifebeater wearing customers, called "Offshore Bar".

An interesting thing that I've noticed about bars - when the owner bails out due to, for example, a big rent hike, they often take their chattels and branded stuff with them and spring up in a new location with the same signage.

 

This happens frequently on Bangla (your Smiley Bar, etc.) and I used to go to Offshore Bar years ago when it was much further down Nanai towards Banzaan, and I also believe that Ting Tong has moved, albeit not very far.

 

Now that I stay in Kamala I have noticed that there is one bar in particular that has changed locations three times in the last four years.

 

 

 

[scottiejohn]

10 minutes ago, London Lowf said:

when the owner bails out due to, for example, a big rent hike, they often take their chattels and branded stuff with them and spring up in a new location with the same signage.

Are you implying there is something wrong in a bar owner taking his own belongings/property to a new location because of a rent hike?

He has not "bailed out" he has been "forced out"!

[xylophone]

12 hours ago, London Lowf said:

An interesting thing that I've noticed about bars - when the owner bails out due to, for example, a big rent hike, they often take their chattels and branded stuff with them and spring up in a new location with the same signage.

 

This happens frequently on Bangla (your Smiley Bar, etc.) and I used to go to Offshore Bar years ago when it was much further down Nanai towards Banzaan, and I also believe that Ting Tong has moved, albeit not very far.

I see no reason for them not to take their chattels and branded stuff with them when they go to a new location, after all they belong to the owner, and in many cases a bar will have been in, say for example Bangla, for many years and has become well-known and a bit of a focal point, so that's building up their "brand" so to speak, so good to keep it.

 

Smiley Bar is a good example of that as it has been around for almost 20 years and is well known, and only changed positions because of a new ownership agreement with a couple of friends. Offshore Bar, I'm not sure about, but again it was a well-known bar years ago.

 

I also believe that there are bars which close down and move elsewhere, not only because the rent has increased, but because the business has dropped off, and in some cases, quite markedly, so they're hoping to resurrect that by moving elsewhere – – but often as not it doesn't happen like that.

[xylophone]

On 6/24/2023 at 8:41 PM, London Lowf said:

Having said that, there was a very pale straight-off-the-plane guy in the bar opposite to me last night and he was getting well and truly fleeced by about four girls but seemed quite happy about the attention.

Interesting comment about getting fleeced LL, and it happens all too easily if you're not careful. However last night I went out to eat (more about that later) and after I and my friends had finished they decided to go home so I took a wander up Bangla and much to my surprise it was crowded (again).

 

I should have suspected this because the beach road was full of traffic from end to end, but of course that could have been because of the roadworks in the other Soi. 

 

I noticed a lot of folks in Bangla of Arabic and Indian descent, and Kangaroo Bar was full, whereas the last time I was out it was about half empty, and the same went for a couple of the other music bars which were also half empty, but the New York Bar was full and fairly humming, and my old favourite, Red Hot was only about half full and the band didn't appeal one iota, a lot different to the second band that usually comes on.

 

I was considering heading home after eating at Blue Beach with two friends, which I didn't enjoy very much because the music was far too loud and we went there to catch up, but we couldn't hear each other across the table and the band was belting out the music, which made it virtually impossible to hear each other, which spoiled the evening for me.

 

When I go out to eat and I have done so thousands of times in my life, I like to go with friends, have a chat, eat good food and drink good wine, have the occasional discussion and laugh, and then all is well with me and the world. But what I don't like is to have music blaring out which drowns out any hope of conversation and really doesn't have a place, IMO, in a restaurant – – if I wanted to hear music that loud I would go to a rock concert or similar.

 

I enquired as to the days when this particular small band was on again and will make sure that I don't visit my favourite restaurant on those days. Sorted.

 

Now back to my comment about getting fleeced.......I was considering going home after my dinner, but decided to wander over to the new Smiley Bar, mainly because I know a couple of the girls there and have known them for years, so I thought a chat would be in order with perhaps a nightcap drink.

 

I wasn't considering buying them a drink, but as we got chatting away (and their English was good) and we had a few laughs, I bought a couple of rounds of drinks for the four of them and actually enjoyed the almost 1 hour I spent at the bar with them, so I didn't begrudge the drinks and I didn't consider myself being fleeced because I was willing to buy them drinks and they didn't ask for one.

 

After that I trotted off home and had a decent night's sleep for once.

 

[London Lowf]

2 hours ago, xylophone said:

........I didn't consider myself being fleeced because I was willing to buy them drinks and they didn't ask for one.

Volenti non fit injuria!

 

If I ever bought two rounds of LDs for four bar workers in exchange for an hour's chat then I would consider myself well and truly fleeced - but I am obviously far less affluent than you are (or just plain mean!)

 

PS: I hope you included the pole dancer!

 

[jts-khorat]

On 7/3/2023 at 5:00 PM, London Lowf said:

An interesting thing that I've noticed about bars - when the owner bails out due to, for example, a big rent hike, they often take their chattels and branded stuff with them and spring up in a new location with the same signage.

The reason is simple: licensing is tied to the company/bar, but not the adress, so if you want to avoid the hassle of getting it all done new, you take your "old company" simply with you.

[xylophone]

14 hours ago, London Lowf said:

Volenti non fit injuria!

 

If I ever bought two rounds of LDs for four bar workers in exchange for an hour's chat then I would consider myself well and truly fleeced - but I am obviously far less affluent than you are (or just plain mean!)

 

PS: I hope you included the pole dancer!

 

Your post misses the point I was trying to make in my other post, inasmuch as I have known three of these girls for many years, a couple of them for over 10 years, and one of them is married to a friend of mine, so to be able to catch up with them was a pleasure – – and I always know what I am up for when buying drinks, and it is of no consequence to me as to the cost of such.

 

Fortunately the horribly tattooed and muscular pole dancer wasn't there at the time, and even if she had been, because I didn't know the woman, I wouldn't have bought her a drink!

 

Anyway LL, everyone to their own...........

[Olmate]

14 hours ago, jts-khorat said:

The reason is simple: licensing is tied to the company/bar, but not the adress, so if you want to avoid the hassle of getting it all done new, you take your "old company" simply with you.

not sure thats correct, the premises surely is part of the licence.? 

[London Lowf]

 

2 hours ago, xylophone said:

Anyway LL, everyone to their own...........

Yes indeed. I'm glad that you realise that my post was not intended as a criticism but more an illustration of our differing attitudes towards LDs as even I have now been going to Bangla long enough to have acquaintances going back several years.

 

And I'm sure you realise that the pole dancer comment was a quip - I'm well aware of your attitude toward her from previous posts, but surely you have some sympathy now that she has lost the gig in Tiger?

 

(Yes, I'm still joking!)

[xylophone]

14 minutes ago, London Lowf said:

 

Yes indeed. I'm glad that you realise that my post was not intended as a criticism but more an illustration of our differing attitudes towards LDs as even I have now been going to Bangla long enough to have acquaintances going back several years.

 

And I'm sure you realise that the pole dancer comment was a quip - I'm well aware of your attitude toward her from previous posts, but surely you have some sympathy now that she has lost the gig in Tiger?

 

(Yes, I'm still joking!)

All in good fun LL, and on the subject of Tiger, any news on the grapevine of what's going to happen to it??

[London Lowf]

6 hours ago, xylophone said:

.....any news on the grapevine of what's going to happen to it??

I would imagine that you'll hear before I do as you are far more chatty with the locals than I am - I'm always scared that they'll start touting for LDs if I say more than "San Miguel mai manow" to them!

 

I thought that the pole dancer said something about Tiger re-opening as a bar complex in six months, but I might have misheard - I often do with my poor hearing and the Bangla backing track!

 

I'll try to ask a few (male) people over the next few days.....

[xylophone]

3 hours ago, London Lowf said:

I thought that the pole dancer said something about Tiger re-opening as a bar complex in six months, but I might have misheard

So, being demolished as a bar complex...............and reopening as a bar complex!!

 

Sounds very Thai LL.