An old pal, Gotland, the famous Swede who had several bars in Old Patong recently sent me this load of digital pix.

It shows Old Patong along the beach and newly built Soi Bangla [Bar Road] pictures of those fun beach shacks and shops before the bull dozer ran them over...

Look carefully at the pictures of a time when fun on the beach was open to any and all! These beach shacks were shelter and home and business to their many happy inhabitants for a little more than a year.

In those early days, the owners living IN the shacks/bars/huts and did quite well at that! Life was a true shangri-la in Old Patong, where a hammock or a grass mat was all you needed and a small oil lamp since there was no water/electricity to any of these huts. Naturally "business owners" got a "discount" on Signha and Mekhong, so there was great incentive...:-)

All provisions were hand carried or better yet, in Old Patong, the ice boy or the water boy or the motorcycle market would deliver needed supplies to anyone paying.

Old Patong, where clever capitalism flourished and the dreams of tomorrow lived today!

Note the several snap shots of our pal Gotland sleeping UNDER the bar, a common practice is Old Patong!

Later a lottery was held with all the members given a chance at the new shops that would be built along the newest road in Old Patong, Soi Bangla!

btw, here is PROOF POSITIVE that the SUBMARINE being built on the sandy stretches of Old Patong happened! Not only is this the very first submarine built in Thailand, it is the ONLY submarine made of ....cement! Ya Der German-Thai Technology in action!

Thanks again to Gotland, the happy Swede!!!

Rumor has it that Gotland is working on a book of his life and travels, Gotland was one of the people that made Old Patong the fun, happy place it was. We all look forward to his book.