Unforuntate

[Glasseye]

I really enjoyed taking the ferry between Pattaya and Hua Hinn. It  was a relaxing pleasure, very comfortable, and much shorter and safer than taking that miserable drive. I have some very good memories of those trips. Sad to see it go, for sure.

 

https://thepattayanews.com/2021/08/10/pattaya-to-hua-hin-ferry-service-officially-ends-this-time-for-seemingly-good-as-contract-canceled-and-port-returned-to-pattaya-city/

[Stillearly]

A real shame if it is permanent, made it very easy to get across , hopefully they will reconsider once things eventually start to recover 

[Golfingboy]

Never had the pleasure, but was on my list for next time…..shame

[Horizondave]

7 hours ago, Golfingboy said:

Never had the pleasure, but was on my list for next time…..shame

+1

[Derek Dangleberries]

According to one of Dan Cheeseman's YT Vlogs, traffic was only one way anyway even before Covid struck.

After Covid  will all the bars stay closed ?

Hua Hin expats (according to DC) don't use bars.. especially bars with girls in.. nor happy hours , nor breakfasts . They are only happy paying 120 baht for a small Singha (apparently Chang deliveries are stopped at border control ) whilst paying 200 Baht for khao pat gai because it is the only Thai they know!

But from DCs vlog I think the real problem was the IQ test on arrival because only "highly educated" farang live there...

 

[maipenrai]

I only did the ferry  crossing once, from HH to Pattaya and it was definitely better than the long road trip, but I would have enjoyed it more if the vessel had an open deck area where one could go out and catch some fresh air. Landing wasn't a lot of fun, with the Bali Hai pier absolutely jam packed with Chinese who weren't keen to make room for arriving passengers - I finally just started bunting them out of my way as I dragged my bag the long way to the shore...

[Yesitisdakid]

There was a report awhile back that they said it never made any money always operating at a loss. The virus gave them an excuse to throw in the towel 

[Glasseye]

12 hours ago, maipenrai said:

I only did the ferry  crossing once, from HH to Pattaya and it was definitely better than the long road trip, but I would have enjoyed it more if the vessel had an open deck area where one could go out and catch some fresh air. Landing wasn't a lot of fun, with the Bali Hai pier absolutely jam packed with Chinese who weren't keen to make room for arriving passengers - I finally just started bunting them out of my way as I dragged my bag the long way to the shore...

 

Unfortunate.... Maybe when they rebuild Pattaya they can bring in a refurbished Queen Mary and we can enjoy that transit in complete luxury.

[Glasseye]

2 hours ago, Yesitisdakid said:

There was a report awhile back that they said it never made any money always operating at a loss. The virus gave them an excuse to throw in the towel 

 

Sounds like a few bars in town that we once enjoyed. Not much left other than a few dirty towels.

[Lirchenfeld]

23 hours ago, Golfingboy said:

Never had the pleasure, but was on my list for next time…..shame

 

16 hours ago, Horizondave said:

+1

+2

[forcebwithu]

Ferry to be replaced by this...

Thai Bridge – A proposed sea bridge across the Bay of Bangkok

The Thai Bridge (Saphan Thai) is a proposed bridge spanning the Bay of Bangkok, connecting Chonburi Province in Eastern Thailand to Phetchaburi Province on the Gulf Coast. While the exact location isn’t stated, it is roughly from Pattaya to Hua Hin. The project has been quoted at 900 billion baht (29 billion USD).

The bridge length has been estimated from between 80 to 100 km, depending on its design and location. Some reports have stated it being a tunnel, while others have mentioned a bridge and tunnel combination (similar to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge).
...

[Yessongs]

14 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

Ferry to be replaced by this...

Thai Bridge – A proposed sea bridge across the Bay of Bangkok

The Thai Bridge (Saphan Thai) is a proposed bridge spanning the Bay of Bangkok, connecting Chonburi Province in Eastern Thailand to Phetchaburi Province on the Gulf Coast. While the exact location isn’t stated, it is roughly from Pattaya to Hua Hin. The project has been quoted at 900 billion baht (29 billion USD).

The bridge length has been estimated from between 80 to 100 km, depending on its design and location. Some reports have stated it being a tunnel, while others have mentioned a bridge and tunnel combination (similar to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge).
...

What date will this be done? LOL! 

[Freee!!]

1 hour ago, Yessongs said:

What date will this be done? LOL! 

Probably St. Nevermore In The Year 2525 😉

[Glasseye]

5 hours ago, Yessongs said:

What date will this be done? LOL! 

 

5555555555555555

 

No doubt we will be off over the moon hanging out with Buddha by the time that becomes a reality.

[fforest]

 

If you look at old youtube videos of the ferry 2 things are mostly missing....Thai people and families.....At 1,250 a person one way it does not take long to get expensive......

I think on average they ran at about 25-40% of capacity....When the ferry even ran.....When the ferry did not run they still had HUGE overhead costs that had to be paid every month....Docking fees,maintenance,insurance,rent,employees, etc etc

Basically it was a huge ongoing money pit...And a hungry one at that....

Once the original 15 billion baht start-up of fun money was used up I guess no more cushion padding was going to be forthcoming,and I guess they had no choice but to shut down....

I was still surprised by this because the ferry was the showpiece for the fabled and glorious EEC, Eastern Economic Corridor.....I thought there would be UNLIMITED money provided to keep the ferry going no matter how great the losses.....

 

This is encouraging in that all the EEC nonsense might be headed for the bin...

 

Edited August 13, 2021 by fforest

[Sea-Hawks]

On 8/11/2021 at 4:21 AM, maipenrai said:

I only did the ferry  crossing once, from HH to Pattaya and it was definitely better than the long road trip, but I would have enjoyed it more if the vessel had an open deck area where one could go out and catch some fresh air. Landing wasn't a lot of fun, with the Bali Hai pier absolutely jam packed with Chinese who weren't keen to make room for arriving passengers - I finally just started bunting them out of my way as I dragged my bag the long way to the shore...

To break up my long 2-3 month visits, I would usually go to HH 1-2 times for a couple to few days. On my first few trips,  I use to hire a shuttle van.  The trip is waaaay to long, even with a date accompanying me in the back row of seats.  I eventually took the ferry and sat in Business class.  Being from the Seattle area, I’ve taken ferries my whole life.  Parents always forced us kids to go out on the deck, so the adults could sit inside & drink…so nowadays have no interest in stretching my legs out on a hot sunny deck. I’ve spoken with with my buddies in HH and they believe a service will resume once there is a need again (whether it is the previous company or new one). 
 

Regarding the Chinese tourist hoards …yup that is a problem. The first dozen years I use to move outta their way on WS when some idiot Chinese was looking about and not watching where they were going or was taking photos while walking and not paying attention to oncoming people…these days, I have no problem bulldozing through them.  I had a friend/first timer with me on WS once when I bulldozed through a Chinese guy on his camera walking towards me and my friend was a bit shocked at what I had done.  By the time my friend left after 2 weeks, he understood why I don’t bother moving around them anymore.  I use to live on Cozy Beach and in order to get to my condo, I would have to pass the tour buses and hoards of Chinese tourists up on Big Buddha hill.  Many a times I would have to watch out for the clueless Chinese guy on his camera aimlessly walking into the street.  A couple times they bumped me while I was driving on my motorbike.  I remember one time with a chinese guy on his camera walking backwards bump me while I was on my motorbike, I grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar and yanked him away.  Now, before anybody gets offended, I’m asian and have a few Chinese relatives.  I’m not against chinese people, just clueless idiots, doing stupid stuff.  

[Freee!!]

5 hours ago, Sea-Hawks said:

To break up my long 2-3 month visits, I would usually go to HH 1-2 times for a couple to few days. On my first few trips,  I use to hire a shuttle van.  The trip is waaaay to long, even with a date accompanying me in the back row of seats.  I eventually took the ferry and sat in Business class.  Being from the Seattle area, I’ve taken ferries my whole life.  Parents always forced us kids to go out on the deck, so the adults could sit inside & drink…so nowadays have no interest in stretching my legs out on a hot sunny deck. I’ve spoken with with my buddies in HH and they believe a service will resume once there is a need again (whether it is the previous company or new one). 
 

Regarding the Chinese tourist hoards …yup that is a problem. The first dozen years I use to move outta their way on WS when some idiot Chinese was looking about and not watching where they were going or was taking photos while walking and not paying attention to oncoming people…these days, I have no problem bulldozing through them.  I had a friend/first timer with me on WS once when I bulldozed through a Chinese guy on his camera walking towards me and my friend was a bit shocked at what I had done.  By the time my friend left after 2 weeks, he understood why I don’t bother moving around them anymore.  I use to live on Cozy Beach and in order to get to my condo, I would have to pass the tour buses and hoards of Chinese tourists up on Big Buddha hill.  Many a times I would have to watch out for the clueless Chinese guy on his camera aimlessly walking into the street.  A couple times they bumped me while I was driving on my motorbike.  I remember one time with a chinese guy on his camera walking backwards bump me while I was on my motorbike, I grabbed him by the back of his shirt collar and yanked him away.  Now, before anybody gets offended, I’m asian and have a few Chinese relatives.  I’m not against chinese people, just clueless idiots, doing stupid stuff.  

I have a tendency to not only bump into clueless idiots who don't watch where they are going, but also make sure they go down, all the while acting like another of those clueless idiots so they won't accuse me of doing it deliberately. It is fun watching Chinese (and Japanese) tour groups suddenly split like the Red Sea.

[Jambo]

17 minutes ago, Freee!! said:

I have a tendency to not only bump into clueless idiots who don't watch where they are going, but also make sure they go down, all the while acting like another of those clueless idiots so they won't accuse me of doing it deliberately. It is fun watching Chinese (and Japanese) tour groups suddenly split like the Red Sea.

I can recall the Chinese tour groups wandering around W Street and trying to cross Beach Road but I cannot for the life of me recall Japanese as a tour group doing the same?

Mind you, I could never tell Stork from butter either.

[Freee!!]

3 minutes ago, Jambo said:

I can recall the Chinese tour groups wandering around W Street and trying to cross Beach Road but I cannot for the life of me recall Japanese as a tour group doing the same?

Mind you, I could never tell Stork from butter either.

My experience with those tour groups isn't limited to Pattaya or even Thailand. And those experiences with Japanese tour groups date back at least 20 to 25 years (way before Chinese tour groups appeared).

[tko]

9 hours ago, fforest said:

This is encouraging in that all the EEC nonsense might be headed for the bin...

Not if the constant roadwork in Rayong is anything to go by.  They seem to finish a resurfacing project and couple weeks later want to redesign the layout of the same roads with overpasses or tunnels, etc.  It's a PIA driving around here.

They've ripped Sukhumvit up in front of daughter's school, too.  The only good thing about her being stuck in online classes is we don't have to take her there and pick her up.

Before everything shut down again I did enjoy how easy it was getting to Pattaya when highway 36 was mostly complete.

[Glasseye]

1 hour ago, Freee!! said:

I have a tendency to not only bump into clueless idiots who don't watch where they are going, but also make sure they go down, all the while acting like another of those clueless idiots so they won't accuse me of doing it deliberately. It is fun watching Chinese (and Japanese) tour groups suddenly split like the Red Sea.

I have just discovered avoiding those scenes altogether is the most sensible approach. Sheeet, who needs to around that nonsense ?

[Sea-Hawks]

2 hours ago, Freee!! said:

My experience with those tour groups isn't limited to Pattaya or even Thailand. And those experiences with Japanese tour groups date back at least 20 to 25 years (way before Chinese tour groups appeared).

A filipino co-worker gave this shirt to me last year…haven’t worn it yet out-of-the house yet, not sure how well it’ll be received, lol   

 

 

 

[Freee!!]

1 hour ago, Glasseye said:

I have just discovered avoiding those scenes altogether is the most sensible approach. Sheeet, who needs to around that nonsense ?

AMEN! to that, but sometimes it isn't possible to avoid them.

[Jambo]

15 hours ago, Freee!! said:

AMEN! to that, but sometimes it isn't possible to avoid them.

Well no need to lay awake worrying you might bump into one on the Hua Hinn Ferry.  🤣

[boydeste]

16 hours ago, Sea-Hawks said:

A filipino co-worker gave this shirt to me last year…haven’t worn it yet out-of-the house yet, not sure how well it’ll be received, lol   

 

 

 

You could get away with wearing that methinks.