Pattaya The Sound of Silence

[Manforallseasons]

https://youtu.be/ROCuH3lUCoQ

[Dodger]

Thanks...I was feeling a little down in the dumps today, and that cheered me right up.

[gerefan2]

Thanks...I was feeling a little down in the dumps today, and that cheered me right up.

Had quite the opposite effect on me. Chernobyl. Best summed up in one of the comments:

“It's like a old gold rush town no more gold, packed up and gone. Sad situation even the cat at the end doesn't see any rats no more.”

[Dodger]

...Had quite the opposite effect on me.

LOL...I was jesting.

[gerefan2]

LOL...I was jesting.

Stevie knows I’m a simple man!

[cdnmatt]

Here, if you're into sad songs tonight, here's one that's kind of fitting for the Pattaya situation right now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouEezpuPc3A

I don't quite like it, but Leo keeps sending it to me every couple of weeks.

Or pick yourself up a bit... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaSoq9FELF8

I'm not afraid of getting older, I'm one less day from dying young". It's nice, catchy...

[dab69]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDD4iK_zKpw

Pattaya at breaking point

[Dodger]

Pattaya at breaking point

The areas shown in the video are pretty much the same areas I cruise on my motorbike when I visit Pattaya - and it always looks the same.

The Soi Buakhao Market still draws a fair amount of people, as do a few of the restaurants popular with farang along Soi Buakhao like Hungry Hippo and a few others, but most of the other places are deserted as shown in the video.

It's hard to imagine how any of the businesses survived this past 15 months.

I have to admit, driving in a dream. It's not hard to imagine what Pattaya was like back in the 1950's - 1960's. There may have been more rice paddies and fewer buildings back then, but the population was probably close to what it is now.

[StevieWonders]

It’s to be hoped that Pattaya springs back into life by October when Dodgems’ daughter is due to visit. It would be unfortunate if there are no boy bars she can visit so as to get an insight into how her father spends his evenings.

[Nirish guy]

as do a few of the restaurants popular with farang along Soi Buakhao like Hungry Hippo and a few others,

I think I spotted on another drive by video I watched the other day that Hungry Hippo is no more now too !?

Opps sorry scrub that, wrong place ! - Thinking back that was "Chunky Monkey" I'm thinking of, it's so difficult to keep a track of all which animals are surviving the cull these days ! :-(

11170

[latintopxxx]

can only assume that Pattaya has been hit the hardest as its main market was foreigners, is BKK normal or also terribly quiet?

[goji]

can only assume that Pattaya has been hit the hardest as its main market was foreigners, is BKK normal or also terribly quiet?

Back in the winter, businesses in Bangkok that catered to tourists tended to be quiet or shut, whilst businesses catering to locals were doing fine. For instance, Patpong market was closed, so there are some advantages to the pandemic.

I presume it's the same currently, excluding businesses forced to close by restrictions ? No doubt some members with current experience can comment.

Even around Pattaya, in the less touristy areas, where businesses cater to locals, the percentage open was much higher. I guess even that would deteriorate over time, as the local economy is no longer primed with tourist money.

[Dodger]

Pattaya was built on bars...exotic nightlife...and prostitution. Take those things away and it returns to its former self....a sleepy fishing village.

The only difference is the fisherman floating around in their small boats casting their nets now have 10,000 empty sky scrapers as a landscape..

[Oliver2]

And what will happen to the new malls? Will fishermen be able to spend much in Terminus 21?

[gerefan2]

It should be noted that Walking Street, Beach Road, 2nd Road and connecting streets, plus Soi Buckau are the only really deserted areas. These are of course the main tourist areas. Jomtien didn’t look to be as bad.

Most of the rest of Pattaya operates normally when the bars are open. Take the dark side for example. When I rode though it in January and February it was as busy as ever. You wouldn’t know there was a problem.

[Patanawet]

MFAS, thanks for your links but any chance that you could give a brief description with the links as to what they contain. Thanks. P.