Pattaya

 Took a bus from Bangkok to Pattaya in 2005.  Stayed at Flipper Lodge Hotel.

 

May 9, 2005 - e-mail sent to my cousin Jeff

At the moment I am in colorful and wild and crazy Pattaya beach for five days while Kade remains behind in Bangkok working at the office.  I needed to get out of the city.  After just one day here I am already noticing how rejuvenated my mind feels. 

May 16, 2005 - e-mail sent to my brother Mark

I could only bear the sun late in the afternoon.  I took these images while enjoying a pool dip.  Of course, you ought to be able to see Coke's presence.  Can we ever escape it?  Images are shown from left to right.  The view to the right shows two large hotels (not the ones on the cape) - one is the Hard Rock Hotel.  There are only four in the world.  Also, if you look out in the distance you can see hilly islands.  These are accessible by speedboat and are very popular for skin-diving.

 

These images are a bit misleading.  I actually didn't step foot in the gulf nor did I choose to do any watersports, such as the banana boat, wave runner or paragliding.  I also didn't select any of the fresh seafood on display at one of the beachfront restaurants.  However, I did rent a lounge chair for 50 cents and I actually did get a massage (easier to tell).  In the evenings, I hit some of the go-go clubs and numerous bars for a beverage and some spicy entertainment.  Pattaya is like Spring Break all year round.  If you want seclusion and privacy, you must go to a pricey hotel, a family-type resort or sojourn to one of the surrounding islands.  Just to give you an idea of prices:  I had a rock lobster dinner and two cocktails for a mere $10.

 

 

 

 

Another unique experience I had once was in Pattaya, Thailand, the "sin city" of the beach, just three hours from Bangkok and filled with gangster and newly-rich Russians (with their model girlfriends and wives), plus more Thai bargirls (prostitutes) and dancing girls you could see anywhere.  I was getting a foot massage and a man from Saudi Arabia, dressed in his traditional clothing sat across from me, getting his own foot massage.  We ended up talking a bit, and he pretty much shared - indirectly, but in terms that were obvious to me - that his visits to Thailand gave him opportunities for sexual fun....things forbidden in his own country.