Pattaya

I was in Pattaya just after my trip in Samet in July 2000, I have been there totally a couple of time during my five years in Thailand but definitely is not a place where you can live.

The first time obviously I was curios and excited about a city like that but soon you realize its madness and nonsense. There is no much to say about, just an enormous brothel.

Pattaya was just a small fishing village until it was discovered as a beach resort by Bangkok residents in the 60s. Soldiers during the Vietnam war, including the United States Air Force base at U-Tapao in Rayong province began using the area for “rest and recreation” (R&R), causing a huge boom in prostitution and of tourism later on.

The over-abundance of jet-skis and speedboats and the practice of dumping sewage in the ocean has ruined the Pattaya marine environment.

Pattaya city has been administered under a special autonomous system since 1978. Pattaya has a status comparable to a municipality and is separately administered by the mayor of Pattaya city who is responsible for making policies, organizing public services and supervising all employees of Pattaya city administration. As you can easily understand Pattaya is not Thailand, Pattaya is Pattaya.

Despite the effort (during last years) in cleaning the image of the city, the whole place is dedicated to the sex industry with enormous profits. Condos, hotels, bars, restaurants, massage parlors, discos, this is what the whole city is all about.

The section of beach from Central Road (Pattaya Klang) south to the harbor is adjacent to the core of Pattaya’s abundant nightlife area, and hence is less family-oriented than the North Pattaya, Na Klua and Jomtien beaches.

Posted on December 15, 2000

Print PDF

RELATED PHOTO GALLERY AND POST

• Yala and Betong

  I was traveling alone and spent in Yala few days. Just for the files it is the only province in the south of Thailand that has not access to the sea nevertheless I ate some wonderful crabs in the classical Thai ”seafood restaurant”. The city was definitely quite in 2000 but now the situation is [...]...

• Mae Sai and Tha Ton

  Tha Ton is a village along the Kok riverside, 24 km north of Amphoe Fang, Chiang Mai. Long-tailed boat with pilot are available for traveling. I was with an italian friend and definitely I keep a good memory of this small Thai village that hosted us one night waiting to get the boat to Chiang [...]...

• Sukhothai

  I arrived in Sukhotai riding a motorbike with an Italian friend, actually we were based in Phitsanulok but we spent the full day in the historical park. It was just great, the archaeological complex is so big that you need to ride the motorbike (or at least a bike) even inside the ruins, obviously they [...]...

• Krabi

  The first time I noted Krabi was on a nice magazine, with nice photos. A paradise, no other words can describe the place full of sandy white beaches and no one around you. Because of that during my adventure in 2000 I already had Krabi on my priority list of places to be visited. Definitely [...]...

• Ayutthaya

  I arrived in Ayutthaya by bus on my way to north, on my way to Mae Sot in July 2000. Still was not clear to me where my soul was actually moving my life but exploring the city was the only thing. Today of course I could not miss the famous ancient capital of the [...]...