Is Phuket really that bad?

[ltnt]

the scams, the corruption, and the shakedowns and the perpetrators thereof are all par for the course of a third world country mostly lacking in morals, ethics and justice, but overflowing with greed, egotistical pride, and a pathological hatred of foreigners.

And this my friend must be the ideological equal of Europe, South America,Mexico, Africa or the USA? Amazing what good planning does for a country...

[ltnt]

Like I said, Phuket is a shithole.

Good post Harry. "That's my story and I'm sticking to it."

I base my opinion on watching the decline of Phuket over more than two decades. Why should I change it?

Indeed Why? After seeing paradise crumble into a heap of pathological wasters, why indeed Harry. Had to steal that one, (pathological) from taxexile. Seemed appropriate.

However one could say the same for numerous past paradise locations in the LOS. Bangkok was once "quaint." Chiang Mai was exotic, and Pattaya, well Pattaya was simply Pattaya being Pattaya.

Seems we're rapidly running out of space to call Pristine in the LOS. It also seems the case for the balance of the world as well.

Never fear, the great equalizer will strike and all will return to normalcy.

[FailSafe]

Never fear, the great equalizer will strike and all will return to normalcy.

You mean like a tsunami...?

[Bettyboo]

Don't forget what a wanker Travelmate is!

You're spot on; he reded me for agreeing with you...

And French/Belgians are kunts - don't forget that either.

[jizzybloke]

You're spot on; he reded me for agreeing with you...

what the window licking nancy kunt Travelmate

[Bettyboo]

^ yep.

He reded me last week too, for nothing; don't think he/she likes me... Might be sensitive to my Papillion/Socal jokes?

[Marmite the Dog]

Don't forget what a wanker Travelmate is!

You're spot on; he reded me for agreeing with you...

And French/Belgians are kunts - don't forget that either.

Oh, that reminds me. We had a poll in the mods room - here are the results so far...

Is Travelmate a wanker?

Yes - 100%

No - 0%

Fairly conclusive, if you ask me.

[jizzybloke]

[Jesus Jones]

Am i missing something, what's the problem with TM?

[Marmite the Dog]

Am i missing something, what's the problem with TM?

He whines like a girl when someone points out that he's a wanker.

[ice4351]

I was disappointed when I visited Phuket in July. Every beach was full of trash and not a trash can in site. What is that all about?

[Bettyboo]

^ very frustrating when Thai families, pickups/Beemers?Hondas -matters not..., just throw their shit on the floor and leave it...

[Phuketrichard]

I live in Phuket and have been since the mid '80's an its still a great place. Not overally expensive and plenty fo choices for dining, entertainment, shopping and beaches.

Patong is the center for night life and its not as bad as everyone makes out to be. Its only a few streets .

I live in Kamala and it would be hard to find a nicer place with the right combination of everything for living. Plenty of other farangs agree judging by the number of homes for rent an condos being built not to mention millionaires row.

One mans paradise is another's slum. thank god u all that hate it stay away!!!

[Phuketrichard]

phuket is for people who want an asian experience but without the asia.

or who want the blackpool experience with some palm trees and sunshine.

shitholes they most certainly are, their resorts pander to slobs and tourists who have no real interest in their destination, so long as the sun shines, the beer flows and the food is watered down to suit their insipid palates. a surfeit of readily available gonorrhreal whores is just the rancid pickle on the greasy burger that is phuket.

the scenery is abysmal, any beauty or picturesqueness has been overdeveloped, probably illegally, by the leech like greedy self serving inhabitants and carpet bagging incomers. those that deal with tourists, the police, the taxi drivers, the market stall owners etc. the ambassadors for thailand if you will, are pond life scrapings without any redeeming qualities.

the scams, the corruption, and the shakedowns and the perpetrators thereof are all par for the course of a third world country mostly lacking in morals, ethics and justice, but overflowing with greed, egotistical pride, and a pathological hatred of foreigners.

phuket, beneath the neon and stainless steel surface, has probably reached the social development of 15th century europe.

the island is thailands sodom, why the thai government in bangkok allow this festering sore to exist in its present state is beyond me.

All the above describes a small section of Patong and NOT the rest of the islands.
Obviously u have never been to the Laguana area, Nai ton area or Kamala where there are some great hotels/resorts and a beautifl beach with warm water and no high rises ruining the view.

the island is a great place to drive around and fantastic scenery.

[cambtek]

I first went to phuket in 1978 when patong had only that old concrete hotel.Nai harn had johns bungalows in the middle of the beach where he sold smack and customers died regularly.
We stayed over the estuary at the end of the beach.
One could walk over the top of the hill to patong passing kata and karon,both with broken down empty bungalows.
There was 10 acres for sale on the beach at kata or karon-where club med is now.
The cost-25K,and i had the money.
Bugger.
The nicest place was always the bungalows right on the tip of the island,past where the yacht club is now.
Apparently the bungalows are still there and run by the same family.
I think a bungalow was a dollar a night there.
I met the guy who built the yacht club in 1981,prince siri.Hell of a nice chap,oxford or cambridge educated and loaded.
He also had the big game fishing association and his house and office on silom I think.
His car collection was there as well,about sixty mainly british sports cars.
I have googled him since and cant find him-anyone know of him?

[cambtek]

Kamala sounds great.You wouldnt want more visitors would you?
humphrey

[tamsin]

The word you are looking for is "shithole".

The most expensive place to live in Thailand but haven't heard it referred to as a 'shithole'. Patong perhaps but the rest of the island/Krabi?

Asking 'cause I've never been there.

You haven't heard it called a shithole because you haven't read the Phuket forum much then.

Even places like Karon and Kata are turning into tuk tuk mafia, indian tailor-laden, tourist rip off joints, and that whole coast is gradually filling up with yet more hotels and accompanying riff raff.

The other side of the island is gradually being swallowed by construction for yet more overpriced villas for semi retarded businessmen from Yoorp and their entirely useless "homemaker" wives (read: lazy fat cows).

Probably the people that like to live down in Rawai away from it all will tell you it's OK - which is probably true if you like an insular lifestyle.

Krabi is a different animal, it's a separate administrative zone and doesn't have the thieving cunts running it that Phuket does. But of course, as it grows in popularity, the low lives will come sniffing.

Like I said, Phuket is a shithole.

In fact, I'd rather go to Pattaya than Phuket, at least you know where the rip offs are and you can simply avoid them.

Of course, that is just my own opinion.

Ahhhh funny. I've lived on Phuket for around 15 years and whilst I agree with much of what you say, it is very beautiful. Just take the irregular baht buses (lucky Pattaya), and adopt a 'mai sonchai' (don't care) attitude re the rest. When I used to complain about being hassled for massages/clothes/tuk tuks every 5 minutes in the tourist areas, my Thai husband taught me this. When you stop giving people your attention, they stop giving you theirs.

As to Rawai, that's my current area. And word has it that a bloody GoGo bar's about to open on the main drag. Rawai? FFS.

[tamsin]

Oh, and by the way, the Phuket Forum on TV would put most people off living anywhere on the planet. I once remarked this forum possibly the worst on TV and was told to browse the Samui one

[taxexile]

I live in Phuket and have been since the mid '80's an its still a great place. Not overally expensive and plenty fo choices for dining, entertainment, shopping and beaches.

Patong is the center for night life and its not as bad as everyone makes out to be. Its only a few streets .

I live in Kamala and it would be hard to find a nicer place with the right combination of everything for living. Plenty of other farangs agree judging by the number of homes for rent an condos being built not to mention millionaires row.

One mans paradise is another's slum. thank god u all that hate it stay away!!!

phuket is promoted worldwide by the thai government as a premium tourist destination, where foreign visitors will be treated to an wonderful holiday experience amidst smiling happy thais.

the reality is very different (see my quoted post above)

tourists are cheated, scammed, intimidated with violence and imprisonment, lied to and taken advantage of at almost every opportunity, with little or no protection from the authorities, including the police.

ita all about the greed and the avarice of the locals, their corruption and their disrespect to the people that line their pockets. the people there have only one aim in life, to take as much money as possible from the tourists by offering the least service in return. lazy, nasty and greedy sums them up.

due to a lack of affordable public transport on the island tourists rarely get to see the side of phuket that you mention, although i personally doubt it still exists to any great extent.

a great place to drive around you say, are you fucking mad ? the roads, the driving and the accident rate would shame a failed african banana state.

great scenery you say, are you blind ? with roadside shacks selling shite and electrical cables blocking every line of sight, where exactly is the great scenery of phuket. one very ordinary and overdeveloped cape and a couple of colonial style houses in phuket town.
anything else? no, i didnt think there was.

at almost any other holiday destination in thailand you will find better scenery, a better maintained environment, less litter, better beaches, better value and more welcoming hosts.

like i said, its a 5 star shithole that offers little that cannot be found elsewhere for half the price and a tenth of the hassle.

its a carbuncle, a boil, a toilet, filled with scamsters, corrupt losers and of course the thousands of bewildered tourists who have fallen for the admittedly brilliant way the thais have perfected the almost impossible art of turd polishing.

[Looper]

tourists are cheated, scammed, intimidated with violence and imprisonment, lied to and taken advantage of at almost every opportunity

Maybe for a newb but it is not hard to stay out of trouble once you know the ropes and the locals and burmese/nepalese are generally friendly I find. It has everything you need if you just want a 2 week break with some beaches and nightlife.

[sagegong]

tourists are cheated, scammed, intimidated with violence and imprisonment, lied to and taken advantage of at almost every opportunity

Maybe for a newb but it is not hard to stay out of trouble once you know the ropes and the locals and burmese/nepalese are generally friendly I find. It has everything you need if you just want a 2 week break with some beaches and nightlife.

Good Luck, You are most probably not the average tourist.

[sabaii sabaii]

the island is a great place to drive around and fantastic scenery.

Those are famous last words in Phuket

[Phuketrichard]

to all u that knock it
do u live here??

[sabaii sabaii]

You don't need to live in Beirut, to know it's a shithole

Thousands of News Articles clearly show what Phuket has to offer

[sabaii sabaii]

Road accidents are the biggest cause of death to foreign tourists in Thailand. On top of this Phuket has one of the highest road accident rates in Thailand, with motorbike accidents being the most common cause of death on the island. You really need to take care when taking to the roads in Phuket. We hope the following tips will help you to keep out of harms way.

If there is one piece of advice to keep in mind when driving in Thailand it is this. Don't assume anything. Just because someone is indicating right, doesn't mean they won't suddenly turn left. There is no highway code and driving tests are practically a formality. Therefore, you should always expect other drivers to do things you don't expect. This includes running lights, not indicating, overtaking on blind corners and anything else you can think of. However, just because the locals drive like this does not mean that you should follow their example!

Cars drive on the left, most of the time. You will see a lot of motorbikes driving down the wrong side of the road in Phuket. Most of the roads are narrow and can have a few potholes, so don't drive fast. The roads can also become very slippery when wet, so even more care should be taken during the rainy season, especially on motorbikes.

You should keep to the left of the lane when riding a motorbike, and keep an eye for overtaking cars. Most car drivers have an irrational urge to overtake motorbikes, even in queues of traffic. You really need to be alert on a bike. Apart from cars, there are all kinds of things on the roads, dogs for instance, that you don't want to hit. Any kind of motorbike accident is almost always a bad one.

Larger vehicles have the right of way in Thailand. Coaches and lorries often tear around as if they were the size of motorbikes, everyone else just has to get out of the way. Unfortunately, this is an unwritten rule of the road in Thailand, which doesn't look like changing any time soon.

Wearing a helmet while riding a motorbike is mandatory and if you are caught without one you will be fined on the spot. Due to the large number of fatalities from motorbike accidents, the local police have stepped up their efforts to enforce this law.

Wearing seatbelts in cars is compulsory for the driver and front passenger. You shouldn't really need to be told to wear your seatbelt in any case.

The police are increasingly cracking down on drink driving which has been a big problem among both locals and tourists here in Phuket. There are a few police checkpoints around the island where you could be stopped and checked for drink driving using breathalysers.

This has not been intended to scare anyone from venturing onto the roads during their holidays. In fact, renting a car or motorbike is definitely the best way to explore the lovely island that is Phuket, but please take care.

Traffic Signs
If you are planning on driving while you are here, you should familiarise yourself with Thailand's regulatory traffic signs. See Thailand traffic signs

Happy Motoring