yogi100

To be honest I have never seen a Russian behaving badly in Pattaya in the last twelve years. They keep themselves to themselves mainly because of the language barrier. We hear these soppy rumours about their 'Mafia' but if it exists in Pattaya I've yet to see any evidence of it.

Before you commit yourself do you really like Hua Hin and would you be happy there in the future? There have been lots of conflicting opinions about living in the town in threads on several forums about Thailand.

I agree. I'm not particularly fussy about where I have to piss but the food and booze in Thailand often means that a fellow can be caught short and if you have to pay to use the amenities you expect a certain degree of hygene and comfort such as adequate tissue, a hand held bidet, a reliable flushing cistern and a clean seated toilet bowl. Keeping such facilities clean and presentable should be the responsibility of any conscientious lavatory attendant. Older chaps often visit the toilets several times during a drinking session at a bar and normally expect acceptable standards The Thais don't seem to grasp this logic and don't think of tomorrow. That is one of the reasons I prefer to drink in gogo bars.

It would not be so bad if the toilets were clean and the paper was not rationed. If I'm in Walking and nature calls I have no scruples about popping into into Tony's, the Marine Bar or any gogo bar, use their toilet and walk out again. Never had a problem.

I've seen rats on the beach after sundown and you can bet Ivan and Svetlana have as well and will tell their friends when they return to Mother Russia. Very few Russians come for the crumpet. They come as couples or with their families, they won't come back, there are a lot of beautiful clean beaches nearer to home that they will visit on future holidays.

I doubt that many Russian tourists ever return to Pattaya, the beach leaves a lot to be desired, they don't seem interested in the girls and they can go shopping anywhere in the world. It's a ten hour flight from Moscow to BKK. Russians are comparatively newcomers to the travel game and will probably try different destinations every year much like the British holiday makers did when cheap package tours became available in the 1960s and 70s.

Do a crawl round some WS gogo bars if you like draught beer. Sweethearts 55 baht, Champion 49 baht, Happy 59 baht etc. Then, if you get bloated head up to Oasis for their Happy Hour, before 10pm all shorts are 100 baht for 2 and they don't hold back on the spirits either, I don't know if they're still charging VAT though!

That's my pet hate along with vendors prodding you in the back while you are seated at a bar looking at the girls or having a chat. I also find that some Thais have no qualms about interrupting you when you are in conversation with someone else.

Over the last twelve years I have often eaten from the carts and never had a digestive problem apart from one time when I bought some large steamed prawns. Friends of mine have twice required hospital treatment after having dined in those fancy seafood restaurants in Walking St. I have had diarrhea and upset stomachs a few times after eating falang food from cafes and restaurants but never Thai food. The food I have purchased from the food stalls has never given me any trouble probably because they have been fairly busy, I suppose they have a fast turnover of stock and their food has not had the time required to go off.

Lots of English people live in Europe now and visit Pattaya on a regular basis.

Well said Evil. But you can't expect Mr P to let an opportunity like this to slip through his fingers without slipping in some of his PC liberal nonsense.

We often read articles on these forums denigrating Falang women. Hundreds of expats and holiday makers must have read the forums and been aware of the plight of this unfortunate fellow, the vast majority of us are obviously male and not one of us lifted a finger to help him, myself included. Out of the tiny handful of female readers it took a Falang woman, Tracy Cosgrave to do something about it. It makes you think doesn't it. Even the Not fit for purpose British Embassy refused to help and dismissed him as a 'nutter'. Well done Tracy.

Sue's Place had a few punters in there last night as did the Blue Parrot next door which is another old bar. Over the road the Viking Beachcomber was pretty dead and that miserable old git with the dirty old shop that sells all sorts of odds and ends is still in business. I walked through Pattayaland last night, had a drink in the Classroom, which was dead and Rodeo Girls is closed down with a great big For Sale sign hanging up. I then walked round to the Best Friends complex and they have actually started pulling down the boxing ring that I remember from 27 years ago in 1984. All that remains is the concrete base. Most of the bars are indeed shut so it would seem that that complex is going to be redeveloped. It's a shame because that complex was part of the very essence and character of Pattaya and will soon disappear forever. Over the years I've had many terrific nights in that area and met two girls from those bars of whom I was very fond. One married and Aussie and the other a Scotsman. But there are now so few Falang drinkers who patronise that area I suppose the end is inevitable. The rumours we heard a few years ago about the authorities planning to change the face of Pattaya sadly seem to be under way. It won't be long before the sea front will be all shopping malls and fancy restaurants.

Sue's place must be one of the oldest bars around with its original name. It's next to Palmers and I got chatting to Sue a few years back who was by then an old lady. Her husband was an American serviceman who was in the US Navy and he settled in Pattaya and set her up in the bar. He died and she carried on running the bar until fairly recently. I assume she has retired or also passed away as she is no longer to be seen in the bar. There were older bars than Sue's along the Beach Rd but they have all been pulled down or renamed apart from TQ1. The Best Friend's Complex was there in 1984 but I fear it will soon be gone. All the bars at the back have closed down and they no longer have the Thai boxing. Don't be surprised to see a new hotel or shopping complex appear there in the next year or two. There are very few punters in these bars nowadays so sadly the demise of this part of Pattaya's history and character looks to be on the cards pretty soon.

If I hear some one bad mouthing the UK I usually find out that they are also British and I agree with their comments. In contrast to VicVegas I find that the deplorable state of Britain today can be laid at the door of left wing politicians, not that the current shower of Conservatives and Liberals in control are any better. None of them care two hoots about the British working man. The longer I stay out of the UK the less its problems concern me. I find it hard to be patriotic about a country that is governed by those that put the interests of wealthy businessmen and foreign immigrants before those of its own people. The only reasons I feel any affection for the place are my family and the few friends who are still there and the National Health Service which we all need as we get older.

Is he still your friend?

Classroom was always my favourite gogo bar. I still pop in there occasionally for old times sake but the atmosphere is gone. There are some pretty girls there but very few punters. With all the nearby poofter bars and draught beer at 100 baht I suppose it's only to be expected. But it was a Classroom girl from whose lips I first heard the words 'Short Time' in about 2001. She wanted 1000 baht for a ST and it put me right off my stroke and I never approached that girl again. I went to the Best Friend Complex last night and I had a look round the bars and there literally was not one attractive girl that took me eye in any of the bars and there used to be some darlings there. This was however at 1 am and the good'uns may have been barfined. 10 years ago our evenings were nearly always spent in Pattayaland and the Best Friends bars and there were always pretty girls who would wipe your face with a cod towel, pour your drink out, light your fag, massage your shoulders and even want to cut your finger nails. How things have changed. The bar fines were 200 baht in a BB and 500 in a GG bar. The girls always were happy with a 1000 baht and would stay with you till the next day. Unfortunately the lack of attractive women seems to be the norm all over Pattaya now especially in the beer bars. I had 6 regular girls at different times until about 4 years ago and they were all very attractive and good company. Every single one of them has got married to Falangs and only one remains in Pattaya, she married a German who set her up in a restaurant in Naklua.

The Cowshed?

We all used to have a drink in the Chang Bar 2. A Dutchman, Martin owned it and his ex wife owned Chang Bar which was two bars along and there was much bitterness and rivalry between them. Poor Martin is dead now. He was a tall, slim, fit looking fellow in his late 40s when he passed on. It shows that you never know what's round the corner. The toilets were a fair old walk and we used to joke about getting a motor cycle taxi to go for a piss. The toilet charge was 3 baht and if you were a regular punter Martin would make a point of giving you the 3 baht! I think he owned Goodfellas in Soi 6 when it first opened up after the Chang Bars were knocked down but he died soon after this.

The way things are going in the UK you might one day have more Poms in Australia than Aussies!

The Kitten Club in Pattayaland is now called Obsessions. It used to be a brilliant gogo bar. It's now just another Ladyboy joint with very few punters. Before the poofters took over the area Pattayaland was a better place to spend an evening than Walking Street. There must have been about 10 gogo bars that were heaving every night. You could spend the whole of your night out in Pattayaland and never need to venture further afield.

I stupidly let a barber in Soi Exite dewax my ears and had a painful infection set in within a couple of hours. I had to get some drops from the Pharmacy and Neurofem painkillers to put it right but it took a couple of days before the pain subsided.

Those snaps were taken prior to the 4th of November 2010, before the advent of the high season. Take some more now of the same bars at the same angles at 11 pm on any night of your choice before the end of January and display them on this forum.

What month? Nov, Dec, Jan?

One evening myself and few of us, about 7 people in all decided on a seafood dinner. We went to Tops at the corner of Second Rd and Central Rd and bought a selection of assorted seafood, fish, prawns, mussels, cockles and scampi. We also purchased some pork fillets. They cook it for you while you wait, either steamed or grilled. We also bought some crusty fresh white bread, some salad and then crossed the road to the small supermarket and bought a 2 litre bottle of Italian red wine. We then made our way to our friends spacious room on Second Rd where we tucked in and ate till we were all full and the girls were 'im' as the Thais say. The whole lot cost us about 1500 baht including the wine and it was a wonderful meal at fraction of the cost in a fancy seafood eatery. It was about 7 years ago so it would be more expensive now especially in view of the exchange rate. It was one of the best meals I've ever had anywhere. Try it yourself.