Pattaya Gogo Guide Information Pages
| Subject |
|
Date page reviewed |
Date page updated |
| Toilets |
|
30-08-2008 |
30-08-2008 |
Subject: The Good Loo Guide of Pattaya
To the "First Time" visitor to Pattaya from Western countries, the "not
spoken about in good company" thoughts are about the Toilet (or rest room)
facilities. In the past couple of years, it has got more "user friendly". Most
"closed/aircon" bars have their own toilets, but standards vary considerably.
German owned bars usually have the best toilets. Most hotels have easily access
toilets which are up to European standards.
All Gogo bars have toilets, some better than others, but always inside
their premises. Some even have attendants to hand you a towel after washing
your hands. In places like Kitten Club and Marine Disco, the attendant may well
try to give you are shoulder massages as you are holding onto your Crown
Jewels! Some of these "better" toilets leave a crisp 20 Baht,
or even a 50 Baht note in the Tips tray. Leave
what you want, not what they hint. I have seen newbies not having a 20, so they
leave a 100 Baht note. Would you tip $3.00 when
the average wage is $5 per day?
The "open air" beer bars always have a toilet block or two to serve
their customers. For a fee of 5 Baht, you can use the urinals or toilet
cubicles. If you want toilet tissue, you will normally be given about 4-6
sheets, so keep some spare tissue with you. Some need a clothes peg for your
nose but newer toilet blocks have a lower Smell Factor. Most of the places now
have "European" seats and not squat loos where you stand on the foot prints and
hope for the best.... These places are also mini stores, selling everything
from Halls sweets to condoms and contraceptive pills.
Shops do not usually have toilets, but rely on the building owners to
have toilet blocks either inside or adjacent to the complex.
If you are lucky, some have "Bum washers" where
you use a water jet to clean yourself, and the toilet paper to bab yourself
dry. When you are used to this method, you don't want to go back to "Sandpaper
mode" with toilet tissue. As it does not hurt if you have an upset tummy and
have to do several trips to the loo..... See below
For more light hearted thoughts about the toilets of Pattaya, read
Duncan Stearn's article which appeared in the Pattaya Expat magazine and is
reprinted with his permission.
BOGGED DOWN AGAIN by Duncan Stearn (nightmarch@hotmail.com)
A wee item in the September 14, 2002
edition of the Phuket Gazette newspaper and headed "Public toilets to win
certificates" caught my attention and, intrigued. I learned about the existence
of the W.T.S.
Forget those high-powered meetings on global warming;
ignore the ministrations of august but clearly protectionist bodies such as the
World Trade Organisation and the World Bank, the W.T.S undoubtedly has its
finger on the pulse of world movement.
W.T.S. is the acronym for the
World Toilet Summit and according to the item, they recently portrayed Thailand
as having one of the worst public toilet records in the world. Now, just
contemplate that for a moment. One of the worst in the world. Thailand it is
further down the S bend than countries like Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi,
Lesotho, Mongolia, and most countries ending in the letters 'stan'.
The
Thai Health Department, caught with their trousers down on this sensitive
issue, have moved quickly to promote the benefits of clean public toilets in
seven tourist destination provinces (including Chonburi) by dangling the carrot
of hygiene certificates to be issued for those who meet the required American
standard.
Included among the rules that need to be followed in order to
earn a coveted hygiene certificate are: there must be enough public toilets to
meet consumer demand; the urinals must be cleaned every four hours, there must
be no broken bowls and the urinals should emit no odours.
This is the
opportunity for Pattaya to take the initiative and lead the country in
state-of-the-art, urinal facilities. The flow on effect in terms of tourist
numbers could be enormous. With the number of businesses here In Pattaya
operating under international standards there is no doubt we have the talent to
be at the porcelain edge of urinal cleanliness. Or we will be when the local
government gets around to erecting a few of these structures.
Sadly the
city fathers pondered long and hard on this a long time ago and solved the
problem of public toilets very simply. We don't have any. However, this
constipated approach is now set to change with the prospect of earning a nice
gold-framed certificate to put up on the wall.
Here in Pattaya it
anybody is silly enough to venture that far from their home or hotel and needs
to respond to the call of nature then all they have to do is follow the example
of the motorbike taxi and Baht Bus operators and find a conglomeration of
foliage or suitable shrub against which to find relief.
Read more of Duncan Stearn's books. He also
appears on the web each fortnight in the Baronbonk newsletter.
This article came from his book Our Man in Pattaya  and is reproduced with his
permission
To buy on line go to DCO shop for the book Our Man in Pattaya and his many other titles are under
the listings for Books -
Pattaya on page 2. |
Here is more information and the listings.
Friend or Enema? In most good places, you will find a short hosepipe
with sprayhead by the toilet. In older places, a water pail with a floating
plastic bowl. "Why?" you may ask. In Thailand, it is considered cleaner to wash
yourself clean instead of tissue to grind yourself clean. The toilet tissue is
to dry yourself after washing. In fact, it is a more comfortable way especially
of you have an upset stomach.
Don't flush the toilet paper? In many places, you will see there is a
bucket for used paper, like in places like Greece. The small bore sanitary
pipes get blocked by paper. Also, the sewerage system cannot keep up with the
massive building programme in town for people of non-Thai hygiene standards
(Thais are the cleanest people is South East Asia and maybe the world.)
Upset stomach? We all think that travelling means upset stomachs. This
is true, because the diet is different and our stomachs are not used to the
local "Good" bacteria. Plus a more generous amount of chilies in our diet. When
this happens, visit you local drug store. There is usually one within 200 yards
of your location! My tip is to eat a Nestles LC (Live Culture) Yogurt to get
you back to normal.
|
Shopping complex |
Location |
Remarks |
|
Royal Garden Plaza |
Beach Road / Second Rd |
Free. 2-3 areas per floor |
|
Mike Shopping Mall |
Beach Road / Second Rd |
Upstairs somewhere |
|
Central Festival Centre (Big C) |
Second Road opp Soi 2 |
Free. Front and rear of mall |
|
Pattaya Bazaar |
Dolphin Roundabout |
Chargeable. |
|
Tesco |
Both branches |
Free. On both Mall floors |
|
Carrefour |
Pattaya Klang |
Free. On both Mall floors |
|
|
|
|
These days there are open air Bar Complexes
opening and closing every month, so a list here is hard to keep up to date.
Every complex has a toilet block. Just ask at the bar you are drinking in and
they will point you to the nearest one. These are a few examples.
The enclosed bars (in shophouse, etc,) normally
have toilets towards the back of the building or under the stairs. Normally a
toilet seat and urinal. Often a shower for the staff.
| Rating |
Bar Complex Name |
Location |
Remarks |
| * |
Best Friend Beer Bars |
Beach Road, near Soi 13/4 |
Not good |
| *** |
Beer bars over Sabai Rooms parking |
Under beer bars, 2nd Rd, |
Deluxe |
| * |
Soi Happy bars |
Soi Happy, Walking Street |
New but bad |
| * |
Siren Beer Bars |
Start of Walking Street (North end) |
Not good |
| ** |
Covent Garden complex |
Soi 16, Walking Street (Near South end) |
New |
| *** |
Smile Avenue Beer Bars |
Near Tim Bar on Second Road |
Deluxe |
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