The Pattaya Ghost

Halloween Is Done… And So Is The Pattaya Ghost

The Ghost — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 01:00:20 +0000

Almost exactly four months ago I wrote that The Pattaya Ghost blog might only run six months. Blogs take a lot of time and effort and, after my first month doing it, I wasn't sure if I could keep up the pace. As I suspected, I couldn't. So, several weeks ago - as I saw Halloween approaching - I decided to mark the holiday of ghosts and goblins by end this surprisingly successful publication. Click through and read why, see the closing stats and read my parting shots at Pattaya's message board crowds and news outlets.

Flashback: Pattaya Nightlife in Review / October 2008

The Ghost — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:00:21 +0000

The misery that was Low Season 2008 has come to mercifully come to an end. As October ended, Pattaya's go-gos started to see an uptick in business, but discouraged bar owners have low expectations for the coming high season, with many predicting there simply won't be one. The deepening world financial crisis, continuing anti-government street protests in Bangkok, hushed whispers of another coup, armed border conflicts with Cambodia, flirtations to "clean up" Pattaya and airfares that haven't fallen as fast as oil prices are all conspiring to dim any hopes that Pattaya's nightlife scene will see the crowds of past years. October's nightlife news, of course, was dominated by crackdown on daytime bars on Soi 6 and elsewhere. While bar owners were able to negotiate a compromise that allowed bars to resume opening at 1 p.m., not everything has returned to normal with the atmosphere on Pattaya's naughtiest daytime street notably muted. Elsewhere, the city continued to see the usual cycle of bars closing and new ones opening with a belief they have the formula to withstand the hard economic times. Click through and take a look at the month gone by.

Lowlife Pattaya Farangs Hit New Depths With Crimes Against Thai Girls

The Ghost — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 12:00:14 +0000

There's a reason so many people think that the men who travel around the world to Pattaya are scumbags. It's because many of them are. If you actually needed more proof of that, take a look at the local headlines this week. In one case, a beer bar worker decided to hang herself after an Israeli customer she took back to her room stole all her belongings and, in the second, a 35-year-old American drugged and raped a 15-year-old girl.

PAD Protests Claim Lastest Victims: Pattaya Ladyboys

The Ghost — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:00:40 +0000

The ongoing street protests in Bangkok have claimed a new victim: The annual Tiffany's "Miss International Queen" ladyboy pageant in Pattaya.

Save a Prayer: 500 Bible Thumpers Converge on Pattaya

The Ghost — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 02:00:32 +0000

It's time to dig out that can of Missionary Repellent. The world's largest group of Christian zealots, er, evangelicals has decided to converge on Pattaya, of all places, to hold its first big meeting in seven years. The 2008 World Evangelical Alliance General Assembly opened Sunday, presumably nowhere near Walking Street, with a half-day fast and all-day prayer session. More than 500 Bible thumpers will be in town through Thursday, preaching to the choir on this year's theme of "One Lord, One Body, One Voice."

Bar Crawl: Illusion Club Review, Short-Time Blues & Free Pizza

The Ghost — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:00:21 +0000

Signs of life continue to spread along Walking Street with yet another good weekend streak for most bars that lasted through Sunday night. We look at how business is going, as well as offer up the first review of the new Illusion Club, discover short-time pleasures at Club Blu and dine on fine Champagne and pizza.

BKK Crawl: Quiet Weeknights, Busy Weekends & Cheap Water

The Ghost — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 05:24:35 +0000

As in Pattaya, bar owners and customers both say Bangkok remains extremely quiet. Conventional wisdom now is that Nana Plaza and, to a lesser extent, Soi Cowboy are dead except for weekend nights. That certainly seemed to be the case this week, as Nana felt more like a church than the Temple of the Go-Go [...]

Holiday Alcohol Ban Scrapped; Relief All Around

The Ghost — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 08:37:40 +0000

In a rare example of common sense winning out over Thai logic, a government proposal to ban alcohol sales during religious and national holidays has been scrapped. The abrupt decision -- which ran counter to the results of an opinion poll -- will undoubtedly bring huge sighs of relief to Pattaya bar owners and holidaymakers alike.

Pattaya Life: The Visa Run Road to Hell

The Ghost — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 02:00:39 +0000

It's a ritual every long-term visitor to Thailand has to endure and I dread it like women must dread their monthly bleed: The Visa Run. Even if you can put aside how incredibly stupid the entire exercise of traveling three-plus hours to the border is to walk out of the country, get a stamp and walk back in, it's nigh impossible to forget just how annoying the journey and the people you encounter on it are. I made my first visa run five years ago this month and I hate it more than I ever did, even though these days I only have to go about twice a year. Most time I try to time overseas trips to coincide with the expiration of my three-month stamp, but sometimes (like last week) it's simply unavoidable. I have to take the ride.

From the Headlines: Thai Girls on Tour & Hard-Headed Brits

The Ghost — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 02:00:12 +0000

Thailand around the world is the theme of this week's From the Headlines as we pop into Thai massage joints in The Netherlands, check out the controversy over Thailand's sex business in Fiji and jet off to America to help a Christian photographer bound for Pattaya. Plus news on hard-headed Brits and hot Thai teens coming to Fun Town.

If These Are the Teachers, Thailand’s Next Generation Is Doomed

The Ghost — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 02:00:41 +0000

If you want to know just how bad many foreign teachers of English and other school subjects are, this blog is not the place. Frankly, forums such as Ajarn, Teak Door and Thai Visa do a good enough job ripping teachers apart - many justifiably so - that I don't need to get into it. Having said that, I ran across a blog from a new teacher in Pattaya this week that simply couldn't go without comment. Because, if this is the best Thailand can give its children, then the country is truly doomed.

TFS2M: Bar Crawl Edition — New Bars, Lower Prices & AC/DC

The Ghost — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 02:00:08 +0000

This week sees the merger of The Ghost's regular Bar Crawl column with the Sunday column on The Farang Speaks 2 Much blog. While the full version gives Bangkok readers a recap of the happenings of Soi 6 detailed extensively here, as well as the reincarnation of Bubbles, this abbreviated edition adds some items not previously reported, as well as a couple new tidbits the Bangkok audience didn't see. So, In this edition, prices continue to drop for girls and booze, Waking Street's coming disco shuffle, more bars opening despite the hard times and AC/DC's new CD gets premiered.

Ghost Writers: Mining Gems on Beach Road by Francois

The Ghost — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:30:25 +0000

Today marks the debut of a new column called "Ghost Writers" featuring articles submitted by readers of The Pattaya Ghost. And this first column is a great one by frequent blog commenter Fancois. Today he tells us why he likes Beach Road and lays out his favorite strategies to find the best, most-attractive freelancers at Pattaya's famed "Coconut Bar." Enjoy. And if you're interested in writing a Ghost Writers column, use the Contact link and tell me your idea!

Finally, Some Good News for Tourism… If You Beleive TAT

The Ghost — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 02:00:22 +0000

Perhaps Thai tourism officials have decided that telling the truth isn't helping. So, in the face of armed conflict with Cambodia over a temple, deadly street protests in Bangkok and a world economic crisis, Tourism Authority of Thailand now are saying bookings from British visitors are totally unaffected and, in fact, will rise 5 percent this year. After saying in recent months they expect significant declines in visitors to Pattaya in high season, Asian tourists were canceling due to political unrest and noting that hotel bookings might fall 20 percentage points below last year, TAT officials are now saying that, when it comes to British visitors to Thailand, everything is just fine.

How to Tell the Wife You Were Drugged by a Hooker in Pattaya

The Ghost — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 02:00:19 +0000

How many times have we heard this story? Man comes to Pattaya on holiday. Man brings hooker back to room. Man gets drugged and loses all his valuables. But what does his wife back home say when the local newspaper calls? British holidaymaker Bill Dodd likely just found out. The Scarborough sandwich shop owner was recently drugged and robbed of 5,000 baht and his mobile phone. His story, not yet reported by Pattaya media, ended up in his hometown Scarborogh Evening News. To be fair, the paper did not say he was entertaining a woman. But for many, his story of "thieves" (in the plural) sounds a little fishy.

Bubbles Lives Again as Pattayaland Gains Another Girl Go-Go

The Ghost — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:00:07 +0000

Following the opening Legs Club in July, Bubbles on Soi Pattayaland 2 will come back from the dead, replacing the now-closed Crystal Boys go-go. The bar has been leased by Brian, owner of Rodeo Girls down the soi, and will have its soft opening later this month.

Soi 6 Gets OK to Again Open at 1 p.m., But More Sedately

The Ghost — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:07:29 +0000

A week after a stunning crackdown on opening times, bars on Soi 6 will be allowed to again open at 1 p.m. starting Wednesday. But when they do, there will be noticeable changes. In yet another City Hall meeting with bar owners - the third in the past seven days - city officials agreed to allow bars to resume afternoon operations in exchange for limiting the number of girls allowed outside, a new dress code and a requirement for bars to "self police" each other and turn in owners breaking the agreement.

From the Headlines: Anteaters, Hitmen & Golden Cyclists

The Ghost — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:55:36 +0000

From a Russian hitman in Pattaya to the zoos of Bangkok, the weird and colorful are the subjects of this week's From the Headlines. We also get a closer look at Pattaya's glittering man on the gold bike, check out professional corruption training, check out the manhunt for mysterious white Muslims in Jomtien Beach and learn how one property developer is making selling condos in a distressed market as easy as baking cookies.

Is War with Cambodia Next? Not Today, At Least…

The Ghost — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 04:15:59 +0000

If a global economic crisis, ongoing street protests in Bangkok, negative media reports, bar crackdowns and talk of holiday alcohol bans weren't enough to scare people away from visiting Pattaya, Cambodia is threatening to go to war with Thailand if its troops don't leave that country by tomorrow. Cambodian prime minister Hun Sen gave Thailand an ultimatum yesterday to withdraw troops from a disputed stretch of border within 24 hours or his forces would turn the area into a "death zone," according to this and other wire service stories.

Pattaya Hotel Occupancies Plunge From Double Hit to Tourism

The Ghost — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:00:19 +0000

Economic problems abroad and political strife in Thailand have dealt Pattaya hotels and tourist business a massive blow, with hotel occupancies dropping to just 30% citywide and tourist attractions now postponing new investments. ''This is the greatest crisis for tourism businesses in Pattaya since I have been in business for more than 10 years," Alisa Phanthusak, assistant to the managing director of Tiffany Show Pattaya, told the Bangkok Post Monday.

TFS2M: Days Numbered for Pattaya’s Sprawling Sex Market

The Ghost — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 01:00:06 +0000

In the six days since city officials clamped down on afternoon bars on Soi 6, Pattaya's online forums and local pubs have been filled by howls of anguish from hardcore mongers pining for the "good ol' days" when only sex tourists came to Pattaya. Few want to admit, even to themselves, the obvious fact that not only were the good old days not all that good, but that they're also gone forever. As I reported in my Sunday column on The Farang Speaks 2 Much blog, any doubt that Pattaya's days as a sprawling, free-for-all sex market were numbered was eliminated last week when Banglamung district officials swept down on Soi 6 and other downtown bar streets. Police served notice to bar owners that, under their entertainment licenses, they could not open before 6 p.m. Letters informed them that, from that point on, police would strictly enforce the licenses and with violators facing fines of 50,000 baht and 30-day closures.

Asian Tourists Canceling, Scandies Unfazed by Thailand Unrest

The Ghost — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:48:39 +0000

If you want to know how many people are planning to come to Thailand, one of the best sources is the airline industry. This week there's mixed news out of the major carriers, with Thai Airways cutting flights and Scandinavian Air Service saying its bookings are unaffected by world events and Thailand's political turmoil.

On the Ground on Soi 6: A Field Report by ‘LikeAKing’

The Ghost — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 11:00:51 +0000

While this week's clamp down on operating hours for bars on Soi 6 and elsewhere sounds firm, the reality -- as is usually the case in Thailand -- can be quite different. To give readers a sense of what actually is (and isn't) happening on Pattaya's most famous afternoon entertainment sreet, The Ghost presents this excerpt of a field report posted to the Pattaya Addicts message board by board member "LikeAKing." He found some bars open, but enthuiasm quite low. Read more inside.

Pushy Bargirls, Ladyboy ‘Flashers’ Prompted Soi 6 Crackdown

The Ghost — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:00:04 +0000

In the end, it was wild bargirls and ladyboys that did - at least for now - the afternoon fun on Soi 6. City Hall officials say this week's decision to enforce entertainment licenses that specify bars on sois 6, 7 and 8 can only open from 6 p.m.- 2 a.m. directly resulted from an unspecified foreign TV broadcast that showed both bargirls and katoeys exposing themselves in public. "It's out of control," a bar owner who attended the City Hall meeting quoted a Pattaya official as saying. The crackdown was also prompted by numerous complaints from tourists, Soi 6 residents and business owners about noise, bar staff accosting people walking down the street and blocking traffic. Similar complaints were also received about sois 7 and 8.

The Boxer & His Fantasy YouTube Showgirl: Match Over

The Ghost — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 05:00:51 +0000

We all knew it would end this way, but maybe not this soon. Muay Thai boxer Bill's fling with his fantasy YouTube showgirl is over. As you might have expected, the one-month affair ended in screaming over money, flying home electronics, slamming doors, hours of sulking and threats. "I'd like to say that it seemed like a good idea at the time but it didn't," Bill writes in his Fight Passport blog "I pretty much knew this was coming."