Pattaya:BanglamungBedsideManor

[ncr]

An excellent article (http://www.time.com/time/asia/2005/journey/pattaya.html) / concise history of Pattaya by Time Asia Magazine, as mentioned and recommended by Stickman (http://www.stickmanbangkok.com) in his column from 25 September 2005.

[GWR]

This is the most unusual business name I've seen in Thailand. Even more tasteless than Pattaya's infamous 'Dog's Bollocks' pub. Interesting to note, however, that apart from the 'Long Horn' Restaurant, the gag pretty much ends with the title. The fact that it describes itself as Australian-run suggests ......

Shagwell Mansions hotel Pattaya
Four star hotel Pattaya budget accommodation

Pattaya budget accommodation on Pattaya’s heart. Our hotel is a new quality 62 room budget Pattaya’s hotel with tropical garden and swimming pool. Situated in Pattaya’s center our budget hotel offers easy access at Pattaya’s beaches, Pattaya’s main shopping areas and Pattaya's nightlife.

Our hotel has all facilities that guarantee a quality accommodation while in Pattaya. The hotel’s complex include sports bar, night bar, swimming pool, barbeque garden and the well-know Pattaya’s restaurant “Long Horn”.

http://www.shagwellmansions.com

[jpatokal]

I've been waiting for an enterprising hotelier to franchise the name of this fine hotel in South Korea:

http://www.hoteldongbang.com/eng/index.html

To quote my trip diary from my visit...

My lodge for the night in Jinju was the Dong Bang Tourist Hotel, chosen solely on account of its convenient location, full facilities and suitable price. Yes, I understand that there is potential for misinterpretation in the name, and the type of uncultured riff-raff who find places like, say, Chiang Mai's fine, upstanding Porn Ping Hotel somehow "funny" would also be amused by the concept of a Dong Bang Tourist... but I did not crack a grin when their business card proffered the handy phrase "Take me to the Dong Bang Hotel" in hangul; I did not smirk when the room service menu suggested a "Dong Bang Breakfast" (a very pleasant way to wake up, I would add); I did not guffaw when a sign outside advertised the "Dong Bang Game Room" (say honey, how about a round or two of Hide the Sausage?); I did not snicker when the "Dong Bang Mini Bar" offered some "Jerked Meat" as a snack; and I did not do my best James Brown imitations ("get on the scene-ah! uh! like a...") when I found the "Dong Bang Night Club" downstairs. No, I just rolled about on the ondol floor laughing my ass off and pilfered all the logo-branded Dong Bang Tourist swag I could find. These guys would rake in the dough if they opened a branch with a souvenir shop in Bangkok.

[GWR]

Just when I thought the site might have decided one fornication joke was enough: -

Swimming Pool

Our pool is no ordinary pool. The Shagger Pool has a major tree in the middle around which is located 6 in-water barstools for those patrons who don’t have the willpower to make it to the bar 2 meters away! Its kidney shape allows you to exercise in circles or straight line and its shallow end with steps provides a resting zone if you so wish. 10 laps equal 100 meters. The water is cleaning by a process of ionization which must be very good as it cost us a fortune to install. Needless to say it is not heated. The pool is surrounded by bars-to the west is Darcy’s Bar and to the east is the infamous Outback Bar. Service is provided from both directions by our Shagettes!

Two things are barred from the pool-pissing and glass drinking containers!
Shagwell encourages and supports all water sports!

[GWR]

http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_02_10_49_2.htm

Presenting the man who has converted his bedroom into a funeral hall and has slept in a casket for 5 years.

A weird story now from Nong Pla Lai sub-district. This is Khun Nipichom aged 36 who, for the last 5 years, has been living in a casket inside his bedroom which is decorated in the style of a Buddhist Funeral. The casket itself is worth 80,000 Baht and is Khun Nipichom’s bed. We only had one question for him which he was happy to answer. Why would you do this? It goes back to the death of his grandmother which he remembers clearly from his childhood. He found the entire funeral ceremony fascinating and decided to replicate the funeral hall inside his home. Remarkably he is married with two children. His wife sleeps in a bed next to the casket. Khun Nipichom continued by mentioning that he has donated all of his organs to medical science when he dies and is adamant that this casket be used for his funeral which we hope is many years away. Local residents believe the man is simply crazy and after visiting him and listening to what he had to say, we concur.

[GWR]

Shallow or what!? I suppose I am the eternal skeptic.

One wonders whether hotel marketing has really left the cave-dwelling era just yet. Personally, I'd rather have the door and leave it open as and when I felt in the mood! Oh well! I suppose they are in touch with their target audience. I also get the impression that most rebranding exercises (see article foot) are little more than a cigarette packet doodle carried out on a PC: -

PATTAYA TOURISM
Amari banks on 'sexy hotel'

Doorless bathrooms to feature at Ocean Tower

The Amari Orchid Hotel Pattaya is spending Bt1 billion on a new tower block and convention hall that it says will be the first "sexy hotel" in the city resort. It is scheduled to open next June.
......
Seventy per cent of the rooms in the tower will be "sexy rooms", meaning they will have an open bathroom.

"We are the first hotel to dare to provide rooms without bathroom doors," Stamm said. "It is a part of our strategy to be different from all of the others."
.....
With its new additions, the Amari Orchid Pattaya plans to attract more honeymoon couples, meetings and conference guests, as well as up-market tourists, both local and foreign.
.....
"We've also rebranded our properties from 'resort hotel' to 'resort and tower hotel', which means more and bigger facilities," he said.
.....
Suchat Sritama
The Nation
Pattaya

[jpatokal]

One wonders whether hotel marketing has really left the cave-dwelling era just yet. Personally, I'd rather have the door and leave it open as and when I felt in the mood! Oh well! I suppose they are in touch with their target audience. I also get the impression that most rebranding exercises (see article foot) are little more than a cigarette packet doodle carried out on a PC: -
Having large windows between the bathroom and the bedroom is a fairly common feature in newer high-end hotels. However, they can be opened and closed, and this really comes in quite handy: watching a water nymph in her bubble bath can be fun, but listening to her digestive system process the extra helping of baked beans from the morning's breakfast buffet usually isn't...

[GWR]

This actually looks worse than Bangkok!:
http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_18_09_50_2.htm

Walking Street Electric, TV and Telephone Cabling Complaints

http://www.pattayacitynews.net/pic_webnews/18_09_2_3.jpg
[Photos: http://www.pattayacitynews.net]
We are featuring this story in response to a number of complaints we have received concerning the state of the electric cables along Walking Street, which is Pattaya’s top nighttime tourist destination. For many years business owners and Tourists have complained about the overhead wiring and they would like to see the wires placed underground. With more businesses opening along the street, the number of electric, telephone and TV Cables has increased and despite some modifications to the Electric Pylons along the street, the state of the cabling is causing some concern. We also understand that Short Circuits of transformers occur on a regular basis along the street, especially during rainstorms, which sometimes leads to mini-explosions and fires which is clearly not good for tourism. The pictures that accompany our TV Report have been sent to the Technical Services Department at Pattaya City Hall for their consideration.


http://www.pattayacitynews.net/pic_webnews/18_09_2_4.jpg

[GWR]

Quite why Pattaya City News were expecting unseemly incidents at this event is hard to gauge. The 'Yellow Shirt Brigade' are hardly renown for their mindless acts of drug-fuelled hooliganism and wild debauchery. Even T-Bone has a fairly staid rep, in spite of the fact that they were well-received at the mega rock-mud fest at Glastonbury in the UK this year:

“Smile For your Father” free concert held at the Bali Hai Port

At the Bali Hai Port at the south end of Pattaya Beach, an event organized by National TV Station TiTV took place on Friday Night. “Smile for your Father” is a series of 5 free concerts to be held around Thailand in celebration of His Majesty The King’s 80th Birthday. Thousand of people turned out for the event which was declared open by Privy Councilor Admiral Choomporn. Top Thai Bands and Singers including Gan Kor Club, Palmy and T-Bone performed at the event which according to Police went-off trouble free.


http://www.pattayacitynews.net/pic_webnews/06_10_1_4.jpg
[Photo: Pattaya City News]

[GWR]

Long Neck Tribespeople Setup Local Tourist Attraction

http://www.pattayacitynews.net/pic_webnews/20_05_1_4.jpg
[Photo: Pattaya City News]

For many years now the Karen long-neck hill tribes have been a tourist drawcard in the north of Thailand, but now a tour company has decided to bring the hilltribes down to earth and has established a community near Pattaya. A total of 19 Karen with long necks and 11 other hilltribe people have been set up in a makeshift village at Khao Cheejan in Na Jomtien sub-district. As is to be expected a number of shops selling tourist trinkets and clothes have been erected while the Karen sit about like exhibits in a zoo. A number of tourists, both Thai and foreign, were seen visiting the village and expressed surprise at seeing the Karen so far south. Khun Weerasak, the manager of the tour company that established the site, said he had permission from the Interior Ministry to bring the Karen to work in Thailand.
http://www.pattayacitynews.net/news_20_05_51.html

I'm inclined to say what would you expect from a Ministry lead by a Minister whose idea of humanity stretches no further than helping his sons out the the latest 'fine mess' that they have gotten themselves into.

[waerth]

This was also in the nation rag. Where they also had the entrance fees posted:

Thai 25 baht
Foreigner 250 baht

........

[GWR]

New Government-funded Rescue Scheme to be implemented here in Pattaya

On Tuesday Morning at Pattaya City Hall, Khun Ronagit, Deputy Mayor of Pattaya chaired a meeting attended by members of the Sawang Boriboon Rescue Foundation who were told that Central Government are preparing to implement a new rescue program called “OTOS” which stands for One Tambon, One Search and Rescue Team. The idea is for every sub-district to have its own dedicated rescue unit. Currently, rescue services in the Pattaya and Banglamung areas are provided by the Sawang Boriboon Foundation which is a private charitable foundation. It is thought that the Foundation will be used to implement the OTOS scheme with the assistance of government funding. Rescue services, especially quality of service including better response times are expected following implementation of the scheme.
http://www.pattayaone.net/news_15_07_51.html

[GWR]

Questions asked of local Hospital as Sick Man is left to sleep rough

http://www.pattayaone.net/pic_webnews/30_07_2.jpg
http://www.pattayaone.net/pic_webnews/30_07_2_5.jpg
http://www.pattayaone.net/pic_webnews/30_07_2_6.jpg
[All Photos: Pattaya One News - Seehttp://www.pattayaone.net/news_30_07_51_2.html for more pictures.]

Late on Tuesday Night, Khun Sanit, a Pattaya Councilor in charge of Pattaya’s emergency services department received information that a man was sleeping rough in Soi Arunothai 11, Central Pattaya after he had just been released from a local Hospital where he was treated for a lung infection. Khun Pirat aged 35 was spotted by local residents who were concerned about his well-being. He was wrapped in a blanket from the Banglamung Hospital and appeared to be severely emaciated. A bag containing medication was nearby and Khun Pirat who is infected with the AIDS virus was weak and clearly needed to be hospitalized. It was discovered that he was released from Hospital earlier in the day and the man was transported to the area and left outside a house apparently occupied by the man’s former girlfriend, who was not in the house when he was dropped off. Questions are being asked as to why this extremely sick man was left outside the house by Hospital Staff and according to the Hospital Director, Khun Prasit, the man wanted to be taken to the area and left outside the house. We can confirm that Khun Pirat is back in Hospital and receiving further treatment and the Director confirmed that he will not be released until suitable accommodation and a responsible person to take care of him is found.
http://www.pattayaone.net/news_30_07_51_2.html

[GWR]

http://www.pattayaone.net/news_30_07_51_2.html

My guess is that they may have got certain apologies by threatening to take their advertising elsewhere:

Investigation into Banglamung Hospital AIDS patient case criticizes the media

Following our report on Wednesday relating to the case of Khun Pirat aged 35 who was apparently left to sleep rough by Banglamung Hospital Staff, Khun Siriwat, Chief Investigator from the Ministry of Public Health, Eastern Region, led a press conference on Thursday Morning where he announced that this case is now under intense scrutiny by a specially appointed public health sub-committee. However, Khun Siriwat criticized a number of media organizations for suggesting the Hospital was negligent. Khun Siriwat claims that staff were following Khun Pirat’s express instructions to be left outside the house of his former girlfriend. A number of media groups have issued apologies following the initial report. Khun Siriwat confirmed that Khun Pirat’s condition continues to deteriorate and he is now receiving oxygen and has already been given a blood transfusion. His relatives in Nongkai Province have been contacted and are due in Pattaya soon.
http://www.pattayaone.net/news_31_07_51.html