"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
Zebedee (October 27th, 2020)
Wow, the video with that article is scary. Businesses, and workers are suffering alike.
Although even with all the closures I still think I'd rather be there than the UK just now if I'd a choice perhaps !
christianpfc (October 28th, 2020), goji (October 28th, 2020)
No offence, but the UK is a very bleak place to be in ....as is most of Europe regarding Covid-19....but added into the mix the UK has Brexit charging towards it, the effects of which will certainly be negative economically.Originally Posted by Nirish guy
I too would like to visit Pattaya even though I live in Perth WA, where life is practically Covid-19 free.
Just wait until we come back! :-)
and from Pattaya Mail today:
Pattaya Boyztown: end of an era?
https://www.pattayamail.com/featured...-an-era-331380
In case some readers are not aware, Barry Kenyon is a long term observer of Pattaya having been the Honorary British Consul there for 14 years from about 1996. He knows what he is talking about. But then it merely echoes what some of us have been saying here for months. Unless there is a flood of western gay tourists by the high season about to start, Boyztown will join Sunee as mere memories of happier fun times.
Manforallseasons (October 28th, 2020)
This line in the Thaiger article struck me the most:
"......the sleazier side of Pattaya has continued to grow, with a growing number of proprietors trying to glean an income out of a slowly declining western patronage".
I felt some time ago that this would almost have to happen, because the farther the economy falls downhill - the closer Pattaya will get to its roots.
"Sleazy" is the bedrock of Pattaya, It was spawned from "Sleaze".
The Barry Kenyan article (Pattayamail) linked to this post by dab69, is centered on the future of Boyztown, but fell short of capturing what's going on in "Gay Pattaya" in general in my opinion.
Gay venues in Pattaya started migrating to one centralized location several years ago - well before the covid-19 pandemic. As we all know, that location is Jomtien Complex (now dubbed Supertown). Over the past 9 months, when so many businesses have closed and the economy has plunged to its lowest level in 50 years, Supertown has actually increased the number of gay venues in operation. Based on reports from expats who regularly visit Supertown, businesses are slow and customers are limited, but the lights are on, boys are lined up in mass wearing their best smiles, and there's no immediate indication that things are going to change anytime soon.
We've known for many years that Boyztown and Sunee Plaza were going downhill, for the mere fact that the number of gay tourists coming to Pattaya was declining exponentially. Plain and simple. Maybe this will change in the future - maybe it won't, but one thing that appears to be clear (at least to me), is that the gay venues, i.e., host bars, gogo's, cabarets, massage parlors, etc., will always be alive in Pattaya, although the demographics will certainly continue to change.
The Chinese, who seem slated as the first tourists to return to Pattaya in 2021, seem to prefer show bars, cabarets, and other venues which offer some sort of visual entertainment, versus host bars, which are more popular with western gay tourists. I imagine places like BBB and Copa in Boyztown, and The Venue and M2M in Supertown are well aware of this.
Yes, I agree, the sleazier side of Pattaya will continue to grow. Areas where busy shopping malls once attracted a steady flow of customers may be turned into slums with more stray dogs roaming the sois than food vendors, but the gay venues, which have flourished in sleazy environments since the beginning of time, will continue flying their rainbow banners.
a447 (October 28th, 2020)
I agree that sleaze was the “bedrock” of Pattaya but that was a strong “WAS”. There is little if any sleaze left in gay Pattaya excluding the apps and what has been dubbed “Supertown” is anything but super.
"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
"Areas where busy shopping malls once attracted a steady flow of customers may be turned into slums with more stray dogs roaming the sois than food vendors,"
Yes. Pattaya will become a no go area. Police will travel around rarely and then only in armoured cars. Nightfall will see gangs prowling the streets looking for anyone stupid enough to be out after dark. Crime lords will control the streets selling hard drugs to a largely wasted population. Food will be hard to come by with residents and expats making do with whatever they can scavenge. Rumours of hijacked food lorries will lead to armed gangs of the citizenry gathering eh masse to ensure they get to control it. Petrol stations will have military protection and only those with special permits will be allowed to buy fuel. Gunfights and armed raids will become a regular feature outside these depots. The huge shiny apartments blocks will crumble and decay and only tbe most desperate will live there behind heavily barricaded doors. Vicious dogs will be their chosen method of protection. Bars will only open during daylight hours and only behind locked doors with a guy holding a shotgun at the entrance. The atmosphere will be one of fear and suspicion as battle scarred punters drink homemade hooch distilled out of rotting vegetables. I can see it all now.
arsenal, why not tell us something of your time spent currently in China it might be a pleasant change from the usual Covid inspired hum drum?
BTW...Deli Diner is no more.
"In the land of the blind the one eyed man is king"
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