HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

What is missing in Pattaya?

No smoke without fire?

Bar closing dates

Good dental experience in Pattaya

In support of Eric Bahrt

Responding to Dalmatian Dave

What is missing in Pattaya?

Editor;
I write in response to Jennifer Coleman’s letter published in your 25 July issue titled “Pattaya is Nightlife”. I am a tourist who has visited Thailand and Pattaya many times.
Jennifer seems to understand the reasons for the decline in tourist numbers and the impact that this will have on the city, and suggests that the city fathers can’t see that they are actively killing Pattaya.
Sadly I suspect that Jennifer understands tourism because she is, or has been a western tourist who came to Pattaya for nightlife, whereas the city fathers are not western tourists and therefore lack her insight.
In the absence of insight I expect the city fathers did what they could to understand the tourist trade, possibly by commissioning surveys of Pattaya’s tourists.
I’m sure that all such surveys would have shown that the tourists came for the beach, the culture, Buddhism, and shopping (but not for the bars).
The truth is that some, or all of these things may interest tourists, but not enough to make them favour Thailand over another destination. As a European I can experience everything on offer in Thailand without flying half way round the world. I can get far better beaches, many different cultures, better (and cheaper!) shopping and different religions without leaving Europe.
What may have been missed by the surveys is that the tourists need something extra to make them come. Something that they can’t get at home. Pattaya had this.
What the city fathers probably did not expect was that the tourists who completed these surveys lied. They did not say that they came for the nightlife, the excitement and the all night go-go bars, but that really is why the tourists came.
There was a time when the nightlife in Pattaya was better than the nightlife in Europe. This is no longer true. Night time in Pattaya is now far removed from the exciting, vibrant, and joyful experience it once was. It is actually hard to think of anywhere in the world where having an exciting night out is harder than it is in Thailand.
Who wants to fly to Thailand and have to go to bed at midnight when the bars and the discos are open until 6am in Europe? Octogenarians maybe, but not me. My euro will go elsewhere this year. Maybe I’ll just stay at home; at least I can have a drink here!
So, what is missing? The excitement, the fun, the bars (and the tourists - including me), and it won’t get any better until the city fathers give the tourists back what they have taken away.
My comment to Jennifer is that she is almost right, in fact Pattaya was nightlife, but no more.
Yours Truly,
H. Da Costa

No smoke without fire?

Dear Editor;
I read with interest Dr Penguin’s letter to you mailbag page regarding his experience with a meter taxi driver; however, after living in Pattaya for 4 years and reading lots of letters sent to your paper I cannot help thinking about those famous words of wisdom: “No smoke without fire”.
Over the years I have read many stories about unfortunate farangs that have come face-to-face with the dark side of the “Land of Smiles” and again after reading these stories I keep thinking about the above statement that might make some of these stories questionable! Of course not all the stories I read have anything to do with the lighting of fires. Some farangs are deliberately picked upon for various reasons, and it is sickening that these low-lives (as in all parts of our lovely would) are by fate there to ruin your day or even worse, and if this was the case for our Dr P then I feel for him and his son, a very unpleasant and frightening experience indeed.
Anyway, getting back to the above statement, my advice to farangs is to try and defuse any potentially harmful situation by not helping to start a fire. Never, never make any comment, or use defensive bodily action to a drug/drunken Thai person that could be misinterpreted by them as an insult. This might be all they need to spark them up, and once sparked up the consequences could be terrible leading to injury or much worse. Just smile, say nothing (and I mean nothing) then slowly walk away in a humble manner.
Be safe, be wise!
Yours truly,
A safe, up to now Brit

Bar closing dates

Dear Sirs;
I am a concerned resident in East Pattaya (commonly known as the dark side) where we for some unknown reason are being singled out to have all bars closed by 12 midnight and any day that relates to King and Queen we have to close. Today is the Queen’s birthday and as a resident for many years I respect the closing of bars on this day, but to my dismay it seems only certain bars have to adhere to this rule. Last year I know of many bars that have been fined and closed for being open but I also know of many bars that stay open regardless with no consequences.
Please can the local councils make a list of all rules and regulations which I am sure all bars on our side of the Sukhumvit will adhere to instead of having police raiding bars? Many bars have been closed on our side of the Sukhumvit because the bar owners have not been told the rules and when they get fined or closed cannot afford to reopen.
Locals want to drink locally and hence do not add to the congestion of the Sukhumvit Road late at night, so please local councils show some common sense and tell all bars what they have to do to stay within the law.
I hope you publish this letter as all locals are starting to get very annoyed with this situation.
Kind Regards,
Concerned Resident

Good dental experience in Pattaya

Editor;
I have gone to the dentist in Pattaya 3x now, and have been impressed by the quality of dentists here. I would like to outline the differences between dentists here and my home country.
1) In my home country, I was told that the dentist was only available 2 months hence, at a specific time. On a recent visit, I was 10 minutes late and was told the dentist had gone to lunch and I needed to make a new appointment 2 months later. In Pattaya, I walked straight in and the dentist treated me straight away. No hanging about, long waits.
2) In one case, I had a broken tooth, but the root was OK. The home dentist wanted to do a root canal and a crown. I said no thanks. The Pattaya dentist was able to save the root, putting a crown over the root.
3) Price: The cost of treatment is significantly less than in Europe.
4) Technology. I was unable to see any difference in technology between the 2 locations.
I used the dentist opposite Tukcom.
Best Regards,
Matthew J. Montgomery
Jomtien

In support of Eric Bahrt

Editor;
Eric Barht was 97% correct in his letter about Angeles City. I had spent 5 full years in the Philippines, most of that time living in Angeles City and did quite a bit of traveling around the Philippines from my residence in Angeles City. I spent quite a bit of time in various hotels in Angeles City before getting an apartment there. Almost all hotels have signs warning the use of safe boxes is at your own risk. There are master keys at the desk at most of these hotels and many thefts occur in the rooms and from these boxes. That is a fact, not a rumor.
Underage stings are and were common in Angeles City and other places in the Philippines. I spent time in Tacloban, Cebu and Manila, and the same underage stings occurred to unwary travelers. The problem with the sting and the police, most of the time local police, is that they are not really looking for an arrest, just the money. Depending on what the traffic will bare, 50000 pesos is not out of the ordinary bribe that is taken from the traveler caught with an underage girl. This is and was a common practice.
One writer who questioned Eric had stated if a girl had a city issued ID Tag and worked in a bar in Angeles City, then a traveler could feel safe that the girl was not underage. Ha Ha. Not so. I had a g/f for 2 years and when I met her she had such an ID which said she was 18 1/2 yrs. I later found out it was not her name on the ID card, and I was lucky that when I first met her, she had just turned 18. She had that card for 1 year when I met her. It was quite common for girls to switch IDs and get an Angeles City ID card that said the girl was 18 +, when she was underage. A little grease the wheel by the bar owner gets the IDs with no problem. So if you want to check any records, you will come up empty.
Also many of those farang who live in Angeles City do have money interests there and do not want the truth out. Also those once or twice a year visitors a year to AC do not have the time to get a feel on what is going on in AC. My last 2 years in AC I lived in Filipino neighborhoods and was known by everyone and had many friends there. I was not allowed to go out at night and walk the streets alone in the area where I lived. It was not safe. One only has to visit the Philippines and open your eyes at how safe it really is not. Armed guards, with shotguns, at banks and shopping areas, even small stores. You enter, you get searched. Armed security guards at hotels. That is at almost everyone of those establishments. Try to find ATM’s in AC, very hard to find. Why? Not safe to have them.
There is not enough space here to list the many hairy incidents I faced and others have faced in AC.
Eric Bahrt is correct in what he says, do not doubt it one minute.
Bob,
Pattaya

Responding to Dalmatian Dave

Dear Editor;
I am writing in response to “Dalmatian Dave’s” letter, in particular where he states, “I have not seen a letter deterring potential visitors from coming to our own fair city!” My advice to him is to read Mailbag more often. For example Vol 29 from Andy. This is just 1 typical letter of someone quitting Pattaya. I too have been to Angeles City and had no problem, but there again I was with a bunch of burly Yorkshire men. It is wrong to criticise someone for their opinion, after all this is a democracy, and we are all entitled to our own opinion. Take a day off Dave and lighten up.
Walking Dude

Letters published in the Mailbag of Pattaya Mail
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