Walking Street was busier with more road workers and heavy machinery than punters and bargirls on the first night after Pattaya’s bars were allowed to reopen.
Only two go-go bars – Tantra and Windmill – opened on Feb. 1, joined by only a handful of beer bars. Most did not have enough staff or potential customers to justify opening on a Monday night, while others had not finished cleaning and preparing their venues.
The majority of go-go bars were said to be planning to reopen this weekend, with a few starting on Thursday night. But the frivolity will be short-lived, as all bars must close by 11 p.m.
Meanwhile, heavy machinery was put in place and workers started to dig up parts of the nightlife strip as the Provincial Electricity Authority began work to bury overhead power and communications lines in a project that will last through January.
One business owner, identified only as Wuttipong, said even if he could reopen, the barriers and work sites would be right in front of his venue. Better to just stay closed, he said, especially when bars must close by 11 p.m.
