Patong Beach ? Family Fun Spot or Bastion of Sleaze?
Patong Beach ? Family Fun Spot or Bastion of Sleaze?
Traditional Thai culture at Patong Beach is largely absent, with the arguably unattractive commercial development of the area leaving little space for the authentic local way of life. Still, this suits visitors for whom the diversity of raw eastern living is not conducive to the comfort and convenience they would expect of a typical sun and sand holiday.
Patong Beach’s main drag epitomises the resort’s relentless pursuit of capitalism, presenting each and every tourist with an endless tirade of solicitation from locals offering goods and services. Patience is a virtue that visitors will benefit from; however, when you’re feeling a tad hung-over or just a safe passage between locations and have no need for a new suit, a Thai massage or a tuk-tuk ride to any of the area’s local beauty spots, you may find yourself getting slightly irritated by the persistence of hawkers. Your Phuket travel guide
The beach itself is a place of great beauty although your ability to appreciate it might be diminished by the masses that descend upon it during high season and the excess of hotels sat ‘behind’ it. If you can manage to render yourself oblivious to such things, afternoon views of the vibrant blue sea waters or evening views of the fiery sunset are impressive.
Enjoy the resort’s shopping opportunities if the gamut of pirated goods are high up on your list of must-buys, else feel disappointed if you were hoping to find any unique Thai curios or original object d’art. Only mass-produced souvenirs and handicrafts line the shelves of the local vendors. Knock-off CDs and DVDs are as ubiquitous as the fake Lacoste t-shirts, wannabe Billabong shorts and North Face backpack wish-they-weres.
Once the sun has set over Patong Beach, certain areas of the resort get ready to become a playground for those seeking the sleazy side of Patong’s evening entertainment. Bangla road and the small soi off of it is the epicentre of the scene and is literally brimming with venues where young Thai lovelies ply male tourists with drink and pursue sexually provocative codes of behaviour.
The girly bars of Patong are frequented largely by male clientele who go to drink a beer or two while enjoying the company of openly-flirtatious Thai ladies. Punters can partake in light conversation, challenge the girls to bar games or just sit with friends and enjoy the music and atmosphere. There’s always the option to take a girl out of the bar for other pursuits, but no obligation or pressure to do so.
At the go-go bars voyeurs enjoy the spectacle of scantily clad females dancing in a suggestive and sexual fashion around metal poles. Punters can simply sit back and be titillated or opt for a little interaction with the ladies, buying them drinks and making plans to take them elsewhere. The scene is undeniably risqué, but the atmosphere is non-threatening and welcoming of any class of customer. A gay scene meanwhile presides at the Paradise Complex on Ratutit road with all manner of venues including bars, massage parlours, saunas and discos.
Less in-your-face and welcoming of couples or groups of female holidaymakers are venues such as The Banana on Thaweewong road and The Shark Club at the intersection of Rat-Uthid and Bangla roads. The vibrant Patong Beach area These clubs and a good selection of establishments like them offer opportunities for drinking and dancing the night away among a mixed and easy-going crowd of mostly holidaymakers.
Few venues close early and it would seem that Thai licensing laws are largely ignored by the majority here, allowing punters to enjoy partying until sunset should they so desire. Though the atmosphere is relaxed and excessive alcohol consumption is common, drugs are not tolerated and visitors are wise to avoid them at all costs.
Patong Beach is a big place and it is possible to enjoy a holiday without having to venture into any of the seedy areas of an evening. However, the rampant commercialism and tiresome hawkers help to preclude Patong from being an ideal family holiday destination. On the other hand, if you are a broad-minded male traveller this is the ideal place to sow a few wild oats.
Phuket in Southern Thailand is one of Andy Burrows’ most beloved holiday destinations.
Article from articlesbase.com
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eBlogging 101: Getting Your Internet Business to Stand Out From The Crowd ? Part I
eBlogging 101: Getting Your Internet Business to Stand Out From The Crowd ? Part I
Since the inception of eCommerce websites there have been a growing number of brick and mortar businesses expanding their sales online. With this growing trend it means more competition and less market share. I have mentioned that eBlogs are becoming more popular as well (an integration of an eCommerce shop with a blog) and I spoke more about it in the post I wrote: e-Commerce With Integrated Blog (e-Blogging). The question Internet businesses face is: how do you stand out from the crowd?
Design and User Friendliness
This is almost too obvious but I still see poorly designed websites lacking user friendliness and easy to use navigations. A well designed website is easy to use, looks professional and instils confidence in potential customers. This reassures them that they can safely buy on your website knowing their products or services will be delivered on time. Furthermore a professional website conveys high quality and strong branding, just how you would attend a business meeting in a proper suit and not a pair of Billabong shorts.
Ease of use of your website is equally important. If a potential customer can not navigate through your website easily and find the information they are looking for, they will go to the next website on the list. It is very easy to lose a sale because of poorly designed navigations. One way to test the ease of use of your website is to watch friends and family while they complete a few simple task of purchasing and finding specific information. A few things to observe are:
•Do they have to keep backtracking through the website?
•Can they find what they are looking for quickly?
•Can they easily click on images to enlarge the product?
•Does the search function work and return the appropriate results?
•Are the images of high quality without sacrificing time to load the website?
•Is it easy to add items to the shopping cart?
•Is the checkout easy to use?
Additionally, ask them for their feedback and thank them for their time. Be sure to take these findings and implement them to your website. Once you get this right, you will have a higher conversion rate.
Show Your Testimonials
Testimonials is a powerful tool for any Internet business. In the past I’ve utilised this tool to promote and market my products for Dragonboating and it increased my sales by two fold simply by having them displayed. Prospective customers will also feel confident to purchase from you because they see positive feedback from others. With the right mix of testimonials including website’s easy of use, quality of product, speed of delivery and fast resolution of issues, it will cover all aspects of the buying process for a prospective customer. So next time when a customer receives their product, follow up with them 7 days later and ask them to write a testimonial for your website.
Help Customers Find Your Delivery And Returns Information
It’s important to show a link to your delivery and returns page which should be displayed prominently on your website. Most customers want to know whether or not you can deliver to their location, how much it will cost them and how you will handle returns if there is a problem. I have had customers tell me how frustrating it is to find the cost of delivery at the end of the check out page, which is why I have it clear displayed on the website. It shows you are transparent and operate with integrity. This builds stronger trust with your customers as well. They will thank you later in repeat and referral business.
Extra eBlogging Tips
With these basic principals in place, your eBlog should start appealing to more customers. We want to give them that extra incentive for them to buy from you because you will be competing with other popular websites in the marketplace.
Offer Customers To Join Your Loyalty Program: A great way to attract more customers and to keep them coming back for more is to encourage them to be part of your loyalty program. In the past I have set up e-Commerce websites with an option to reward them with 1 point for every dollar they spend. The more points they accumulate, the more chances of earning a nice reward. Your customer will be able to exchange their points for a new gadget – an iPod for example or a product in your range.
Reward Purchases: You can reward customers who come back and order from you by giving them a discount on their next order. The more purchases they make, the more discounts they receive. It encourages them to purchase from you every time.
Bulk Discounts: If you sell products that people buy in large quantities consider offering a bulk discount rate. It’s a great way to encourage larger orders and higher turnover of product for your Internet business. We love to think that we have saved money, even though we have spent twice as much to get that discount. Aldi, the supermarket chain is a classic example of buy in bulk and save, which encourages shoppers to spend more.
The UPOD principle (Under Promise, Over Deliver): This is a principle I practise all the time in my businesses. Let’s say you offer normal delivery to deliver a product, which takes between 3 – 5 days to receive. What if you sent the product overnight via courier and it arrived the next day. Would your customer be ecstatic to receive their product earlier than expected? Of course they would! They would refer it to their friends and family because of fast delivery and good customer service. This is the under promise and over deliver (UPOD) principle that you can apply in your Internet business.
There are a lot of similarities between a brick and mortar business compared to an online business. Businesses that offer good products and excellent customer service are able to capture market share much faster with smarter techniques. They will be the businesses that succeed and do well online. Gone are the days where you just put an eBlog website and hope for the best. You need to implement strategies and be smart to attract good quality customers for your Internet business, then you will reap the rewards.
Tyrone Shum is an internet business marketer. You can read more Internet business articles at Internetbusinesspath
Article from articlesbase.com
eBlogging 101: Getting your Internet Business to stand out from the Crowd
eBlogging 101: Getting your Internet Business to stand out from the Crowd
Since the inception of eCommerce websites there have been a growing number of brick and mortar businesses expanding their sales online. With this growing trend it means more competition and less market share. I have mentioned that eBlogs are becoming more popular as well (an integration of an eCommerce shop with a blog) and I spoke more about it in the post I wrote: e-Commerce With Integrated Blog (e-Blogging). The question Internet businesses face is: how do you stand out from the crowd?
Design and User Friendliness
This is almost too obvious but I still see poorly designed websites lacking user friendliness and easy to use navigations. A well designed website is easy to use, looks professional and instils confidence in potential customers. This reassures them that they can safely buy on your website knowing their products or services will be delivered on time. Furthermore a professional website conveys high quality and strong branding, just how you would attend a business meeting in a proper suit and not a pair of Billabong shorts.
Ease of use of your website is equally important. If a potential customer can not navigate through your website easily and find the information they are looking for, they will go to the next website on the list. It is very easy to lose a sale because of poorly designed navigations. One way to test the ease of use of your website is to watch friends and family while they complete a few simple task of purchasing and finding specific information. A few things to observe are:
– Do they have to keep backtracking through the website?
– Can they find what they are looking for quickly?
– Can they easily click on images to enlarge the product?
– Does the search function work and return the appropriate results?
– Are the images of high quality without sacrificing time to load the website?
– Is it easy to add items to the shopping cart?
– Is the checkout easy to use?
Additionally, ask them for their feedback and thank them for their time. Be sure to take these findings and implement them to your website. Once you get this right, you will have a higher conversion rate.
Show Your Testimonials
Testimonials is a powerful tool for any Internet business. In the past I’ve utilised this tool to promote and market my products for Dragonboating and it increased my sales by two fold simply by having them displayed. Prospective customers will also feel confident to purchase from you because they see positive feedback from others. With the right mix of testimonials including website’s easy of use, quality of product, speed of delivery and fast resolution of issues, it will cover all aspects of the buying process for a prospective customer. So next time when a customer receives their product, follow up with them 7 days later and ask them to write a testimonial for your website.
Help Customers Find Your Delivery and Returns Information
It’s important to show a link to your delivery and returns page which should be displayed prominently on your website. Most customers want to know whether or not you can deliver to their location, how much it will cost them and how you will handle returns if there is a problem. I have had customers tell me how frustrating it is to find the cost of delivery at the end of the check out page, which is why I have it clear displayed on the website. It shows you are transparent and operate with integrity. This builds stronger trust with your customers as well. They will thank you later in repeat and referral business.
Extra eBlogging Tips
With these basic principals in place, your eBlog should start appealing to more customers. We want to give them that extra incentive for them to buy from you because you will be competing with other popular websites in the marketplace.
Tyrone Shum is an internet business marketer. You can read more Internet business articles at Internetbusinesspath
Article from articlesbase.com
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Join the Surfing Culture through Billabong Clothing
Join the Surfing Culture through Billabong Clothing
Billabong clothing is a clothing line which was established in the year 1973 in Australia and since then has been providing the world with the most amazing sportswear and surfing accessories. Billabong is an Australian English word meaning a small lake, specifically an oxbow lake, a section of still water adjacent to a river, cut off by a change in the watercourse. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. Obviously the love of water and sports led to the brand name.
Billabong shorts were invented in 1973 by Gordon and Rena Merchant of Australia. They made each board short by hand in their home for many years. Due to heavy demand, they had to move their business to a warehouse to produce them faster and to keep up with demand.
Billabong specializes in all kinds of clothing, such as jeans to board shorts and wetsuits to shirts. All around the world, Billabong has taken over the surf and snow market in clothing and has grown to a huge multinational corporation. Billabong clothing is sold in most parts of the world and has chains all over. Now Billabong line entails denim walk shorts, flannels, fleeces and all ranges of wetsuits. Billabong caters to four specific interest groups and all their clothing is aimed at these areas. Snow – for the skiers and the snow boarders; surf for all the surfing culture originated and associated; skate for the boarders and wake for the wake boarders and water skiers.
Around the brand the company has managed to develop a culture based on the surfing culture which revolves around high adrenaline sports and good physiques. All people involved in this culture crave to be completely involved in it. Billabong has and still produces active lifestyle clothing, accessories and related products designed and distributed to a worldwide customer base of board riders and their products have always been based on an authentic environment and sold through specific retailers. Active enthusiasts in every department from marketing and sales, to design and merchandising, bring a genuineness and unique quality to both the innovative products and related events produced by the Billabong brand.
For all your Billabong clothing and accessories visit http://www.wipeoutonline.co.uk/, which own a wide range of Billabong clothing and super deals.
Article from articlesbase.com
Billabong Board Shorts ? Becoming a Fashion Trend
Billabong Board Shorts ? Becoming a Fashion Trend
Who’s not familiar with Billabong board shorts? Everyone in the water sports are into these shorts. Boring designs and styles of shorts are being outmoded by these trendy and hippy shorts perfect for anyone to wear in sports activities or just a fashion wear for the summer. What’s with the Billabong brand that most surfers and beach lovers are hooked so much with?
Perhaps one of the reasons why Billabong is so popular is because of the company’s long operation in the business. It takes time to prove one’s worth as a manufacturer of clothing and the continuous patronization of the customers has proven its ability to provide us with quality products. And one of the clothing lines it launches is the huge collection of board shorts.
The next thing why many people are considering Billabong shorts are the various designs catering to the taste of the fashionable teens and young adults. Board shorts of Billabong are not limited into the casual style and classic cuts. Prints and designs are being deliberately considered to market almost everyone. The different themes of prints provide a wide selection for the customers from girly to masculine and unisex designs.
The Billabong board shorts are known for their durability. This is one aspect of the clothing product all of us look for and the manufacturer is committed to provide us with only quality products. Long users can attest to that and even the new users are convinced in the durability. You don’t have to buy each summer for another board shorts because you can simply keep the old one until the next summer comes. If taken care properly you will sure to enjoy their function for a long time.
More entrepreneurs are into franchising or selling these board shorts of Billabong and they have been doing great in the business. As a businessman, you won’t have hard time selling the products since they have been known in the market already. All you need to do is provide the customers with access to the internationally acclaimed products.
The billabong board shorts are also known for the comfort they provide. Wearing one will remove any anxiety you have with your previous brand. With regards to prices they are available in great offers too. Wide range of prices are there to choose from for those price conscious shoppers but want to get the quality and comfort of Billabong clothing products.
Get your own set of billabong board shorts from the ABS store.
Article from articlesbase.com
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Billabong Shorts are Must-Haves for the Summer Season
Billabong Shorts are Must-Haves for the Summer Season
Summer is just around the corner which means more sun and more fun! Summer is a season we always look forward to enjoying with friends and family. It is the perfect time for beach outing, getting a tanned skin and putting on your favorite colorful summer outfit. To some summer is a season for swimming lessons, surfing and wakeboarding. It is a time where everyone can enjoy!
Summer will not be complete without parading your summer wear which includes bikinis, halter tops and the most common one during summer-the shorts. Shorts are so comfortable during hot and warm weather conditions. They provide the fashion need for the beach setting as well as to places where you want to relax-anything not formal. Hence, shorts are must-haves for any closet. They come in many designs and colors both for men and women.
If you are fond of collecting and wearing shorts perhaps the famous brand is the Billabong. Billabong shorts are favorites of many because of the quality the name stands for. Most of us are considering Billabong shorts to be a part of our summer outfit. You can flaunt whatever you got through these shorts.
Since it is summer, watersports are everywhere. All beach coasts are crowded by beach lovers and families taking time to bond with each other. You can also find group of friends along the shore having their skin tanned naturally under the sun’s heat. And shorts are mostly worn by many teens and young adults both men and women.
Billabong shorts are also available for those who are engage in sports related to water. These shorts are called board shorts. The garment and design of the shorts are intended for water use with features favorable to long exposure to salt water. These are some of the Billabong shorts that you can include in your summer stuffs or daily wear. No one will question your fashion statement with shorts for they can go along with any top and footwear. Their versatility has made them the top choice of everyone.
During this summer try to flaunt your beautiful body and built with the right summer clothing and that you can get from Billabong. Your sexy curves deserve such brand name which is known to supply magnificent and quality products. The name Billabong on your outfit can even add sophistication to your personality making you the envy of many as you pass by.
ABS has loads of billabong shorts for you to chose from.
Article from articlesbase.com
Billabong Shorts for All Occasions
Billabong Shorts for All Occasions
Billabong! Just the name itself anyone can imagine a scenic oxbow lake. Fashion wise Billabong is indeed a clothing brand named after that very same lake. It is an Australian word for it. The company is known to produce quality clothing from head to foot. One apparel this brand is so famous for are the shorts.
Billabong shorts carry the brand’s name with high elegance and fashion statement for all ages and for any occasion. The shorts are admired for the comfort and wise engineered design with a purpose. Every detail of its shorts is tailored with sophistication and wearer satisfaction. Anyone cannot resist wearing one with the brand’s pride in every piece.
Billabong shorts are available both for men and women. Billabong men shorts include those for watersports such as the surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding shorts and for everyday shorts known as walk shorts. Shorts are very comfortable than pants. With your lower legs exposed you can have the ease in movement each time you want to. The shorts for men by Billabong doesn’t only limit to sporting events. The walk shorts are perfect for any get-up to match with a shirt to go strolling in the mall or any recreational venue. Billabong men shorts are made of 100% cotton.
Next are the women Billabong shorts. Just like the men shorts these shorts are creatively designed to provide comfort to the wearer. The denim shorts are pre-washed to give a fade look with pockets adorned with Billabong trademark. The Billabong shorts for women come in huge collection. There are athletic shorts, fashionable and trendy and walking shorts for any off-water event.
The watersport shorts both for men and women by Billabong are made based on long experience of clothing quality and function. The lace up features makes the action more effective if engage in any event. The fabric is designed so as not to rub the legs which can distract the performance of the wearer. Running shorts are mostly come in free sizes to cater any body type. The waistbands can perfectly hug any built. Anyone who gets to wear any Billabong shorts can say, “That’s exactly what I am looking for”.
Another thing that most shorts lovers look up to with Billabong clothing is the durability of the product. Even if you wash and wear them all the time the fabric remains the same with colors still vibrant and beautiful. Including Billabong shorts in your summer wardrobe can make anyone you pass by dumbfounded.
Get your own set of billabong shorts from the ABS store.
Article from articlesbase.com
Categories: Billabong Shorts Tags: Billabong, Occasions, Shorts