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After the Christmas
Tsunami that hit the western coast of Phuket many would
believe that the coast line was devastated beyond
repair, but I can report that the beaches and towns
around Patong are well and truly back to near normal. As
can be seen so graphically in this Wow (new) bar boys
T-shirt worn by Ton, 5 years of problems overcome, but
still ALIVE AND KICKIN!
If you had just arrived from Mars you would not know
what had happened to this coast unless like me you sat
at a beach side restaurant and talked to the owner about
how slow business was. The photo albums, available at
most places for the asking, now show the historic but
horrific devastation and with pride they show how they
have overcome great difficulties and how things are
today. In a short time they have recovered and business
is back on the up. At the time in December 2004 I put
pictures sent into me by friends on my web site as a
momentum of the event and they are still there. One
photo, not there but widely seen in the press, I will
always remember of this Tsunami is the one, of drift
wood in a huge area of a bay near Patong, when you first
look at it it is of wood debris and water but as you
look closer there are hundreds of blotted dead bodies in
amongst the drift wood! A truly horrific picture which
shows the power of the waves and what water can do to
damage life in such a short space of time. We have seen
it yet again in the recent New Orleans tragedy. What
Patong now needs is the support from customers like us. |
It was a weekend for me to see
a friend and to visit the Patong Gay area and renew acquaintances
after their ordeal. I was there in April for the Gay Pride Festival
so it was a low season report that I was looking for. We had a
great time, everywhere is clean and fresh with the greatest of
welcomes possible everywhere we went. Many Boys to greet you with
smiles, owners are happy to talk to you and the shows and bars were
not packed but busy so service was no problem. Surprisingly we
also found a few new bars and places had opened bucking the expected
trend as it were.
The weekend started off with an easy flight from Pattaya on
www.bangkokair.co.th
direct to Phuket, only available every other day at present but the
other daily service via Samui is also a pleasure to use with little
waiting time in Samui. Low season special offers make it a 3000
baht round trip without the drag to Bangkok Airport. On arrival the
heavens opened in a lunchtime tropical downpour but it was the only
daytime rain we saw all weekend. I was met and soon on my way to my
friend’s home in Patong but there were many Taxi touts offering
discounted rides for 400 baht as against the normal 600baht into
town which is about 45 minutes away.
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Then it was off to
the Paradise Centre the heart of gay life in Patong. Ok
it is the lowest of low seasons imaginable but there was
life after death and customers were everywhere. As we
entered the Soi many boys greeted us at every bar and
welcomed us inside but we had arranged to meet Ulf and
his friend Boy at Connect Guesthouse. Ulf is a great
friendly guy doing so much for the gay scene in Phuket.
Not only does he run the hotel and massive information
web site at
www.gaypatong.com but he is a full time PR man for
the Phuket Hospital promoting international health care
for all at
www.phuket-health-travel.com so if you have a need
contact Connect and Ulf Mikaelsson in particular.
The hotel rooms have been renovated yet again and are
very comfortable right in the action with a great www
connection in every room and out back in the Internet
Café. Food and drinks are served on the terrace where
you can while away the time people watching or deciding
on which of their special local gay trips to take. One
special that is coming up is the Malaysian ‘The Straits
Games TSG2005 Friendship Beyond Games.’
www.mylpg.net/tsg2005.htm This will be held Sept 30
– Oct 2 in Kuala Lumpur with competitors due in from all
of Asia. Connect Hotel and others are sponsoring the
Phuket Team and it is hoped to host a future event
soon. |
Connect Guesthouse |
Whilst on events
the
www.fridae.com Nation V Parties are due at Karon
Beach during the weekend of Nov 4 – 6. These huge disco
parties are usually held in Singapore but due to
unfavourable Authorities there this year they are to be
held in the K sports stadium and at various
locations around Phuket. One venue of note is in the
new Central Festival restaurant area! You will be able
to dance your socks off at events or literally Rock
Around the Clock, the choice is amazing some events
start at 4 am others at 8 am! I am told it will be
very like the Mardi Gras events of Sydney Gay Pride when
thousands gather to dance all night in a spectacular,
for us older guys, people watching event. The main
party hotels may be full already but connect to Connect
Guesthouse email:
connectguesthouse@beachpatong.com or for
full details and availability see web site
http://www.fridae.com/promo/nation/20050829.htm
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Saturday was a shopping and eating time to ourselves but
that evening we again set off in our search of Paradise
Found! We found Jochen sitting outside his bar which had
recently re-opened after his holiday. The Art Display was
again in place and nice to see so many young local artistes
on show.
www.siam.de/inserate/jochens
Jochen’s Gallery Rooms and Bar is on the left side of
the OUT street of Paradise Centre, as you enter and at the
centre of the bars James Dean Two
www.jamesdeanbar.com
, Visa and Spartacus Sauna, then Tangmo Club with outside
promotion stage at the end.
Tangmo Club Street Show below
  
All was buzzing and plenty of promotion and free shows in
the street at all the bars. They open generally around 8pm
but are still Alive and Kickin’ at 3 to 5 am in the morning
some go all 24 hrs. It seems the Social Orders are
different out here! CU Tonight is another great and dressy
show bar with the best of presentation, stage curtain and
all which gives it a great edge on the others.
  
  
  
The white Boat Bar at the end of the Soi
www.boatbar.com is
the disco of Patong run by Deng who has been here for
years. The outside bar attracts many free lancers and
customers alike and his show at midnight was a pacey disco
orientated affair, as you would expect, but the usual packed
out disco bunny customers were lacking on this Saturday
night.
Sunday was a sunny drive along the western coast of Phuket
Island to see for ourselves the effect of the Tsunami. This
wooded road winds and follows the coast line closely giving
you some spectacular views of the sea and beaches. It drops
down to some great inlets and places to stop off to eat
drink shop or swim as we did and I recommend it to you all
as a day trip to do, particularly if you time it to be at
the famous View Point south of Kata Noi Beach for sunset,
when lovers gather to kiss and be together! Start up at
Bang Tao Beach then Surin, Kamala, Patong, Karon, Kata and
many of the other beaches which are now in clean order and
back to full use, some rebuilding is in evidence but much
less than in Pattaya for instance.
  
Patong Beach waits for you with low season warnings.
Below Kata Noi Sunset View Point
 
 
We were late that evening, as lovers are, into our Paradise
Found and had time to see only the Tangmo Show which has the
largest of stages in town and a fast and yet traditional
show with some spectacular costume set numbers like the
Chinese opening we saw, just magnificent!
www.tangmophuket.com
  
   
   
  
Many boys again joined us having drinks and fun as you do
when in these parts! Uncle Charlie’s Show Bar is at the end
of the Soi up by the
Royale Paradise Hotel
but time was against us this trip to see it all apart
from the street show.
Uncle Charlie's
Wow Karaoke and Bar
Inside the Centre is the Aquarius Hotel, Sauna and Gym,
www.aquarius-sauna.com
rumour has it of a new owner and the Flying Handbag Bar was
again busy as we passed by. On the main strip the Passport,
Ruby Slipper and
James Dean Bar and Guesthouse
also had plenty of boys and customers with a new bar
about to open just up the side of Connect Guesthouse.
Another recent attraction is the Wow Karaoke and Bar open
next to CU Tonight which is run by Khun Pong who has owned 4
other bars in the area including CU. An open bar with
Karaoke up stairs it is the place to go for late night fun!
Last of all we visited the new Restaurant and Rooms of the
Newspaper Restaurant on the main strip for a late supper.
Part of the Tangmo Group it is a welcome new find in
Paradise. Open nearly 24 hrs for great food from full
Breakfast 150 baht to full dinner about 450 baht the Menus
is a great addition to the services available in Paradise.
Thai and Western foods are on offer so you can eat very
reasonably at anytime in the superb new surroundings of
Modern Thai style. The friendly waiters lead by Khun Pu,
were eager to please and for entertainment we had a singer
to serenade us and this was 3 am already! They told us
about the new development above of 4 rooms and soon to be
extended next door into 10 letting rooms. So eager were
they that we were invited to inspect the rooms and we were
highly surprised at the quality on show. See
www.tangmoclub.com for information but they have
remodelled as below since the web site. These, added to
James Dean Guesthouse, Jochen’s Rooms, Aquarius and the
Connect Hotels give most travellers a good choice of
Paradise accommodation right at the heart of the gay scene.
For further information on hotels and places outside the
Centre check out
www.dreadedned.com
or
www.pattayagay.com
  
Tangmo's Newspaper Restaurant and Rooms
Patong at 3 am Below
  
We had a refreshing fun weekend with plenty to see and do.
We searched for our Paradise Lost but more importantly
Found another Paradise in Patong, ALIVE AND KICKIN! Do visit before the
high season comes along.
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