Happiness a GoGo

I checked out Happiness a GoGo. It was opening night so it was packed inside.

Walking in I thought that I'd come into a roadhouse in the US. There is one stage in the middle and sitting stageside were a group of very rough individuals. There was the bald guy with the long beard, denim vest and lots of tattoos. Next to him was the guy with a patch of hair on the top of his head, lots of tats and the denim vest.

I sat stage side at the only available seat and now could read the logos on their shirts. It seems that my fellow patrons were all from the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club. They were a rough looking group. Weird to see that in Pattaya..

There were some hot looking coyote girls. Some could have been imports for opening day. We'll have to see what the place looks like on a normal evening.

Motorbike front seat

I believe that it's illegal to ride with more than two people on a motorbike... but why let laws get in the way?  The device on this bike pops up to create a seat in front of the driver, so the person in front of the driver (who usually stands) can now sit.  What comfort!  

A Change in the Weather

  The weather has changed recently.   Before each morning featured blue skies.  Now it's overcast in the morning and it looks like it will rain any time.   But there hasn't been much rain.  Just an occasional sprinkle in the evening.   That too will change no doubt....

Happiness a go go

A new gogo is about to open on Soi 7: Happiness a gogo.   It is replacing the Tiger Bar which was an enclosed (and air conditioned) beer bar that suffered from gross mismanagement.   The Tiger Bar could have been very successful has it been run correctly.   I remember walking into Tiger around 9pm and finding the staff asleep on the couches.   Also when they did have customers they would turn the music up so loud your ears would hurt and there was no way to talk to the person right next to you. 

I hope the same idiots are not running the new gogo.

UEFA Euro 2012 Tournament

The city of Pattaya has converted the motorbike parking area close to Walking Street into a little beer garden with a big screen projection TV on which they will be playing games from the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament.   I haven't seen what kind of attendance they've gotten.  I can't imagine it's too much as evenings have been rainy.  But the games are played after 10pm (local time) and at time point the rain does let up.

Six Swimming Pools

  

From my balcony I can spot six swimming pools.   Most are rooftop pools.  Most are small.   Every hotel wants to say it has a pool.

Typical evening storm

You would think that with all the heat in the afternoon you would see lots of thunderstorms at that time.  But that's not the case.  The storms start around 5pm in the western part of Thailand and then race eastward over the bay.  Often the cooler waters of the bay will kill the storm but if the storm is strong enough it will pass over the bay and reach Pattaya, as this one did.

Motorbike wash..

 When riding in wet weather a motorbike soon starts to look very dirty as all the dirty water on the street splashes all over it.

 Fortunately there are places that will clean your motorbike at a very low cost (70 baht which is $2.10).   It takes about 20 minutes to clear and dry a motorbike and they do a very complete job.   Once the bike is clean and still wet a large number of people all dry it at once speeding up the process.   This business cleans cars and trucks as well.    It is on Ko Pee right off 3rd road.

 

The clubhouse next door

Motorcycle Parking

  In Pattaya motorbikes are King.   They are everywhere and they wait for no one.   If there is a traffic jam (and there is one every evening) then motorbikes weave their way between the cars, trucks and buses.  They are like  sharks, they must keep moving of they die.

  But parking them can be a problem especially in places where space is at a premium like in the covered parking area for a condo.     Here is when the lazy selfish nature of human beings shows itself.  I've got many examples to post (and I will post) but here is just one.   In this area there is plenty of room for the motorbikes to park straight in.  Instead people are lazy and just park at an angle.   As a result 9 premium parking spaces are reduced to 6 (33% loss in space).

Friday night visit to Walking Street

Friday night and the weather was great.. no rain in the forecast so it was off to Walking Street, reaching there from Soi Diamond.

Spankys was nice..but barfines were raised to 1000 baht so forget that..

Rotating Bar

late night snack

Cocktail car

Over for a visit

The great thing about living here is that friends stop by to hang out.

View Talay Pattaya Beach

I'm staying at the View Talay Pattaya Beach Condominium, also known as View Talay 6.

It's a 27 story building right in the center of town between Beach and 2nd roads.  Great access to everything and great views as well.

A very quiet Soi 7

Monday was a Buddhist holiday here and that means that entertainment establishments are asked to not sell liquor or play music.    That's not a problem for me, I don't need either of those things to have a good time yet many places choose to just close down (as most are not like me it seems).  Here is Soi 7 which is usually loud and crowded every night.  This night was was eerily quiet.

No customers to be seen

Bangkok Pattaya Hospital

 One of the three hospitals in town, the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital.   My friend likes to go there for breakfast so I joined him this morning.

Dramatic Sky

We begin this blog with a photo of a dramatic sky over Pattaya.

I'll use this blog to share photos and stories of life in Pattaya and perhaps a few trips out of town as well.