New rents make agogos gogo in Soi Sea Dragon
Phuket remains busy and February saw a fresh influx of romantics are here to celebrate St Valentines Day in the sun. Needless to say all the girls about town are eager to receive Valentines gifts although they never heard of him before leaving the farms of Issan. Heart shaped balloons and cuddly toys are all over the streets. It is a seller's dream come true.
Four days later will be the Chinese New Year celebrations and it will be fire crackers and gongs for a few days. The Chinese New Year is a big event for Thais of Chinese extraction on Phuket from the old trading days. Many Chinese traders settled and stayed in Phuket and their descendants carry on their traditions. There will be a series of special events in Phuket City .
PATONG'S ONE WAY TRAFFIC
The one way system came into force on 15th January. Now traffic on the Beach road is North bound only and Ratutit South bound. It has eased congestion but the traffic has speeded up to such an extent that you have to have your wits about you to cross the roads. I think they will have to start using the traffic lights to break up the flow. Another alternative would be to build a number of pedestrian over passes at the main junctions. It is only a three month experiment and then the whole system will be re evaluated.
HEMINGWAY'S
This new restaurant opened a few months ago in the Banzaan Market complex at the rear of Jungceylon. I found it to be good value for food and very clean and tidy. The owners have not crammed in the furniture "a la Thai style" and so the tables are well spread out. The bar is on a separate level from the dining area and has a comfy armchair and settee area to read the daily papers that are on hand. You have a choice of eating indoors in the air con or sitting outside on the terrace. The menu offers a choice of Thai and English dishes including steaks and fresh seafood. The full English breakfast lived up to its hype and my beers were only 60 Baht each. They have a cocktail list and also a small but good selection of wines. My only moan is the small size of the coffee cups. I would like to suggest that the owner pop across the road into the Carrefour and buy some large coffee mugs. They also produce their own home baked pies which looked enormous. The main advantage that Hemingway's has over others is that is has a choice of two car parks - one beside it and one underneath too. It can be accessed from the Nanai Road or from the new road that leads to Jungceylon.
DRAGON CLUB CHANGES
For some inexplicable reason Dragon have started to demolish the entire front bar area. All the pool hall,the Internet station and the long bar have been taken out. It seems a bit strange to start such work in the middle of high season, but then again, the Dragon never sleeps - it is busy all year round. Dragon have only recently imported a bevy of Bangkok beauties who are lined up to do more dance routines in the later part of the night.
SOI SEA DRAGON CHANGES
It is lease renewal time for some places in Soi Sea Dragon and the following changes have already happened. Some were planned and others have come as a surprise.
CHAMPAGNE A GO GO SOLD
Champagne A Go Go has been sold and the new owners have taken possession and closed the place for re modeling. I hear it is no longer going to be A Go Go but will revert back to being an open air music pub.
BOTTOMS UP CLOSED
This Go Go has gone. The owners did not want to (or could not afford to) renew the lease. It was always one of the minor players struggling to make its way. I hope their employees can find a home in one of the neighbouring establishments.
EROTICA CLOSED
In a classic case of "too many cooks" the owners have had a bust up over the lease and other things so the doors are closed after only three months in business. I would like to think that this is a temporary glitch as the place was different and did try and entertain its patrons with good shows.
KAMALA BEER GARDEN
I believe that the Kanala Beer Garden is probably the most popular drinking den in Kamala even though there is some healthy rivalry with the Mountain View Bar at the south end of the village. The Beer Garden recently underwent a major expansion. The back wall has gone and there is now a large outside dining area. There are also new toilets and a pool table area set aside from the main bar area. The owner has a computer sound system full of classics from the 70s and 80s. There is a full menu ranging from bar snacks to full dinners. The place is now a lot better as there is a pleasant air flow keeping it smoke free and cool. Prices are pub prices and there are several choices of draught beers available alongside a wide variety of bottled beers. There are plenty of pretty staff on hand and service is slick.
SOI SANS SABAI
This Soi is the late night after hours last chance saloon. Once drinkers leave the Bangla area they hotfoot it up to the various bars and restaurants that enjoy a late licence. Now every available space has been converted into a small bar or a snack shack. One enterprising fellow has put up a small kiosk selling Bratwursts and sandwiches. The Thai food vendors are also there in force with all sorts of food choices. Unfortunately the street has also become a through road for traffic exiting the one way system. The police are going to have to take steps to reduce the number of motorbikes that are left double parked at the top of the road blocking traffic. There are two perfectly good car parks just 50 metres further up the street.
TAXI AND TUK TUKS WOES
Yet again the main tourist complaints are aimed at the poor taxi service from the airport and the piratical attitude of some Tuk Tuk drivers. Several times a day a group of planes land within an hour of each other and the passengers then find that there is a long wait for a taxi. In some cases people are waiting for more than one hour and this should not be happening at any International Airport . Why cannot the taxi companies co ordinate with flight arrivals to have the maximum amount of taxis there on site? This is done every else in Asia so why can't Phuket get it right? If this is too big a problem then perhaps they should open the airport to all taxis and scrap the monopoly. I encourage all tourists to take the time to fill out the customer comments on the taxi receipt.
Tuk Tuks are the other main complaint. Only last year a set price system was debated and the Tuk Tuk Organisation agreed to it. Less that a few months later they were back to charging random fares above the prices agreed upon. This means that you still have to haggle to find out exactly what your journey will cost. Tourists do not like this - especially when the driver looks like an extra from a Johnny Depp pirate gang. The drivers have also introduced price hikes for all sorts of excuses ranging from "late at night" to "big hills to cross". Be sure that if you are using a Tuk Tuk you confirm the exact fare before getting in it.
Prowler can be contacted at ab_prowler@yahoo.co.uk
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