Pattaya Ghost Town Or Not

[seven]

3 hours ago, Pdoggg said:

Packed with farang without masks, beer bottles in hand.  Lots of ladies and absolutely swarming with ladyboys.

OMG! I bet bargains can be had too.

Stick a 500b note in your sock, but try at 300b first. 

I've been around the world and can easily say I have never never encountered a people more horny for cash than thais.

 

[seven]

This might be the most depressing clip I have seen this year:

 

[Pdoggg]

12 hours ago, seven said:

This might be the most depressing clip I have seen this year:

Pattaya residents don't seem concerned about social distancing as there is a perception that the virus does not currently exist in Pattaya.  Could be problematic when the second wave comes when the borders are reopened.

With the new rules comes winners and losers.  The winners are restaurants which are now defacto bars and convenience stores that sell the beer that people are drinking on the street.  Owners of beer bars are rightly outraged at this turn of events because if more bars were open there would be more effective social distancing.   

But even if the beer bars were open people want to go where the party is and the festival type atmosphere of Treetown is quite appealing.  Withersppons, only a couple of minutes from Treetown wasn't busy as that's not were the party is at.  Will be interesting to see if the authorities tone things down tonight as last night their focus was on making sure that open establishments had the proper licensing. The above clip is a Nightwish/Nick video and the article below is Nightwish/Pattaya News.

Quote

The Thai Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration officially lifted further restrictions and rules allowing more closed businesses to reopen countrywide on Monday.  Notably, alcohol sales were allowed in restaurants, food courts, hotels and markets but bars, pubs, nightlife and entertainment venues of all sizes were to stay closed.

However, confusion reigned in Pattaya last night leading to Pattaya police to shut many venues that argued they were legally allowed to open while large markets in Jomtien and Soi Buakhao attracted crowds of hundreds drinking alcohol and socializing. Additionally, there was significant confusion and mixed messages on if restaurants that had items like pool tables or dart boards or even music could be used as well.

A significant part of the confusion, according to a local bar owner who has a restaurant license and didn’t want to be named in his letter to The Pattaya News was that he claimed had been told multiple times he could open and was allright due to serving food by city officials. However, with just over a dozen patrons in his establishment police told him to close early in the evening.

The owner was also upset, he said, that markets nearby were crowded with drinkers.

Police were seen, however, hard enforcing a shutdown around 10:30 PM at one popular market that had attracted a large crowd in the middle of Soi Buakhao and entering various restaurants nearby that also appeared to be busy with drinkers that were not eating.

A letter from a Pattaya News reader, Ken, described the situation.

“People have been cooped up for months. Doing this half measure of allowing booze in restaurants only flooded the restaurants with the drinkers who would have been at smaller bars and made the situation worse. If they had allowed the tiny beer bars to open you would have had less crowds and less confusion.”

Police seemed to be, for the most part, soft warning businesses that they believed were violating the rules but it is expected that if the violations continue more harsh penalties will take place.

The majority of the crowds, according to Ken and photos and videos taken of various venues around town, were not social distancing or wearing masks.

Pattaya has had zero recorded cases of the Covid-19 Coronavirus in two months.

https://thepattayanews.com/2020/06/16/confusion-and-crowds-on-the-first-night-of-phase-four-restrictions-being-lifted-in-pattaya/

 

[blind boy grunt]

1 hour ago, Pdoggg said:

Pattaya residents don't seem concerned about social distancing as there is a perception that the virus does not currently exist in Pattaya.  Could be problematic when the second wave comes when the borders are reopened.

 

surely you mean if a second wave comes? not when.  And, what do we wait for after a possible second wave should one come? 3rd?4th, 5th? how long is this nonsense going to go on?

and as i read recently a sneeze can travel something like 27 feet... so what good does 2 metres do anyway?

are we all going to live the rest of our lives scared of shadows?

it's a flu bug or similar... we catch it then we recover or die... end of story.

[Pdoggg]

23 hours ago, blind boy grunt said:

are we all going to live the rest of our lives scared of shadows?

If the border remains closed then there would seem to be nothing to be afraid of in Thailand.   

I think beer bars should be permitted to open now but there are obviously not enough expats to support all of the existing Pattaya bars.   I guess the bars that will do best are those with a strong expat clientele or a really unique selling point.

If/when the border is reopened it's a whole new ballgame.   It's pretty apparent that many people resist social distancing so if entrance requirements are not strict when the border opens then there could well be a second wave.

Given that the Thai economy heavily depends on tourism there will probably be some sort of opening.  I think at first it would be wise to open to just a handful of relatively safe travel bubble countries such as New Zealand.  Why not do that now?   But there will be lots of pressure from tourism related businesses to open to China.

A mandatory two week quarantine is a deal breaker for most tourists.  Instead I hear there could be measures such as a doctor's note stating that you're covid free combined with proof of insurance.  I've also heard that everyone could get tested at Swampy and if anyone on your flight test positive then every passenger gets quarantined. Again, a deal breaker for short term tourist.

I will probably be stuck here for years as once I leave I fear I won't be allowed back in.

 

[Pdoggg]

 

Mr. Pornchai Sung-iad, Permanent Secretary of Banglamung District, warned owners at restaurants firmly- If your main business is selling alcohol you are considered a bar or a pub and not a restaurant. He stated regardless of license status that violators will be closed and fined. The closure would last until bars, pubs and entertainment venues are legally allowed to open. Entertainment venues are still legally closed by the Thai government due to Covid19 prevention measures.

Pornchai instructed police to enforce the rules across the Pattaya area, ensuring that restaurants were not encouraging drinking without dining or other pub and bar like activities. He clarified that according to the measures given by the Thai Government that the relief of allowing alcoholic beverages at restaurants was to enjoy a beverage with a meal, not for groups of people to meet for only drinks like a bar.

Pornchai also stated that if restaurants that were allowed to open were violating social distancing rules and other rules like not using the Thai Chana platform for Covid19 tracing they would also be shut.

Multiple venues were inspected and shut in the Soi Buakhao area after alleged violations of both primarily selling alcohol or violating social distancing rules according to Pornchai.

https://thepattayanews.com/2020/06/17/pattaya-police-warn-if-your-primary-business-is-selling-alcohol-or-violating-social-distancing-you-will-be-shut-restaurant-license-or-not/

[stoolpusher]

22 hours ago, Pdoggg said:

If the border remains closed then there would seem to be nothing to be afraid of in Thailand.   

I think beer bars should be permitted to open now but there are obviously not enough expats to support all of the existing Pattaya bars.   I guess the bars that will do best are those with a strong expat clientele or a really unique selling point.

If/when the border is reopened it's a whole new ballgame.   It's pretty apparent that many people resist social distancing so if entrance requirements are not strict when the border opens then there could well be a second wave.

Given that the Thai economy heavily depends on tourism there will probably be some sort of opening.  I think at first it would be wise to open to just a handful of relatively safe travel bubble countries such as New Zealand.  Why not do that now?   But there will be lots of pressure from tourism related businesses to open to China.

A mandatory two week quarantine is a deal breaker for most tourists.  Instead I hear there could be measures such as a doctor's note stating that you're covid free combined with proof of insurance.  I've also heard that everyone could get tested at Swampy and if anyone on your flight test positive then every passenger gets quarantined. Again, a deal breaker for short term tourist.

I will probably be stuck here for years as once I leave I fear I won't be allowed back in.

 

That's my concern Mr. P , if I head back to see dad I don't know if they will let me back here .I do have to do my next 90day report around the 3rd so I will have a few questions to ask 

[blind boy grunt]

14 hours ago, stoolpusher said:

That's my concern Mr. P , if I head back to see dad I don't know if they will let me back here .I do have to do my next 90day report around the 3rd so I will have a few questions to ask 

well don't take it for granted what info you are given Nosher...  i doubt that your common or garden Nakhon Nowhere immigration man will have a clue.  And always remember that many Thais, even those in uniform would rather just tell you anything, right or wrong, than admit to not knowing.

[stoolpusher]

9 minutes ago, blind boy grunt said:

well don't take it for granted what info you are given Nosher...  i doubt that your common or garden Nakhon Nowhere immigration man will have a clue.  And always remember that many Thais, even those in uniform would rather just tell you anything, right or wrong, than admit to not knowing.

The Immo guy puts everything in writing for me with his stamp on it , as you know BBG Thai government does like paper work . If the info is worth the paper its written on then I will be fine .

[BigTel]

From what I understand the Pattaya Beer Garden is closing it's doors on the 30th Sept,  the staff have been told it's just until flights and tourists start up again so the closed period is anyone's guess  at the moment. The pic below I noticed this Morning .

[petesie]

Fantasy Lounge closes tonight. 

[stoolpusher]

30 minutes ago, petesie said:

Fantasy Lounge closes tonight. 

I hope yours and some of the other bars can accommodate   the Fantasy staff Petesie .

  There must be quite a few places about to close as we have had many come to our shop looking for work .

 I wish the staff all the best.

[Pdoggg]

QG's favorite newspaper reports:

Quote

Only about 16,000 foreigners remain in Chonburi, the majority of them Chinese, according to Pattaya tourist police.

More realistic than the extremely low numbers previously reported but if the majority (50% +1) are Chinese that would mean all other nationalities combined would be less than 8,000 for the province. 

If in Vegas, I'd take the Over on that number. 

Where are the Chinese?  It's possible that I don't notice them as I might assume they are Thai.

Why would the paper quote the Tourist Police?   Wouldn't that be Immigration's domain?   

[Pdoggg]

Although details are not finalized, I believe that traditional massage shops might be able to reopen on Saturday in Pattaya.  Perhaps restaurants will be able to stay open until 11PM and serve booze.

[Pdoggg]

As Quinn reported HERE happy days are here again!

Starting February 1st, Pattaya bars, pubs, and nightlife entertainment venues can be reopened until 11:00 PM. with alcohol and live music (no dancing). Restaurants can also open until 11:00 PM. with booze.

 

[blind boy grunt]

sorry...i don't believe it until QG confirms.......

[Quietguy]

2 hours ago, blind boy grunt said:

sorry...i don't believe it until QG confirms.......

I can confirm. But foreign visitors will still be needed - and no dancing on the tables in Emmy's Bar bbg. 

[blind boy grunt]

thanks QG...   i can promise you i won't be dancing. can't even walk at the moment! fecked my ankle somehow.

so a good excuse...i'll leave the dancing stuff to 'travolta' Quinn

[Quietguy]

Sorry to hear about your ankle. I hope it is better soon.

[Pdoggg]

 

[Pdoggg]

On 1/29/2021 at 8:44 PM, blind boy grunt said:

i'll leave the dancing stuff to 'travolta' Quinn

 

[Pdoggg]

There is a new cluster from The Box 69 between Soi Bongkot and Sukhumvit in Pattaya.  This club caters to a Thai clientele. 

Pattaya is more dangerous than ever but safer now than when Thais return from Songkran though many out of work Thais will not be returning.

[Pdoggg]

Starting Sunday, Pattaya restaurants must close at 9PM for dining and 11PM for takeaway.  No alcohol sales will be permitted in restaurants.

But at leat for now there is no curfew, condo pools are open, and beer can be bought from convenience stores, and traditional massage shops (not soapies) remain open.

[seven]

Hope for the best! We have the highest transmission rate in Europe, according to msm and how you want to spin the numbers. The reality is far from that though. 

[Woodie]

Got a message from my doctor to contact the surgery. Called them and the girl said,oh yes it is about the flu vaccination!!.

I said what about the covid one????. Oh yes we have that too. Here's me waiting to hear about the covid one and they tell me the flu one is available. Fair suck of the sav!.

Can I get the covid one?. Oh yes sure.

Blow me over with a feather. So going in Tuesday.

It is the Astra one,(probably made by General Motors), but better than nothing. Would rather have the Pfizer. A 48 year old woman died a week after having the Astra. So the chances are about 1 in 400,000 of having blood clots. I will chance it.