The Pattaya Thailand Experience
December 28th, 2006I’ve just spent my Christmas break in Pattaya Thailand and this is one place that never ceases to amaze me. Since Pattaya is only about two hours drive from where I live in Bangkok it is an easy and quick getaway from the sprawling city. Pattaya runs along a popular stretch of beach to Pattaya Hill and beyond to Jomtien Beach. A lot has been written about Pattaya over the years since it became a popular retreat for soldiers on leave during the Vietnam War. The lonely planet guide calls it “Thailand’s temple to high octane hedonism”, other reviews I have read describe it as “Pattaya is where Peter Pan went to die” and “the world’s biggest brothel”. On my first visit there many years back I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it but having now visited the place on numerous occasions it is much more than what it appears initially on the surface.
Pattaya certainly has something for everyone. The Thai tourist bureau reports that 1 in 3 tourists who visit Thailand come to Pattaya. It is the most popular beach resort location in the country. Many young Western male tourists love the fast paced nightlife and easy availability of young, beautiful Thai bargirls. It is for this reason Pattaya has a decidedly seedy reputation but this is only one part of this exciting beachfront city. Pattaya is a Mecca for all types of sports enthusiasts. Everyday of the year you will see jet skis, windsurfers, parasails and a number of other boating and water sports being performed off Pattaya and Jomtien beaches. Numerous diving companies run by Thai’s and foreigners offer diving packages for novice to advanced divers to many locations off the mainland and the nearby island of Koh Larn which is visible in the distance from Pattaya beach on a clear day.
For lovers of motor sports you are in luck. Many tourists wisely choose to hire a small low powered motor bike to travel around the city and beaches, however if you are adventurous or crazy enough you can hire the biggest and most highly powered sports bikes available today for a relatively cheap price. A low powered bike will cost you about 200 baht ($5 US) per day up to the most powerful bullet bike on wheels for about ($25 US). Forgot your motorbike license or don’t have one? Who cares, if you’ve got the money you can hire the bike, it’s as simple as that. Having been coming to Thailand for quite a few years now and having friends who live in Pattaya I have heard some horrific stories of adrenaline filled tourists who have not made the flight back home after hiring a high powered motorbike. The newspapers rarely report these incidences as it’s bad for business so very little is written about how many tourists die each year from motorbike accidents while on holidays in Thailand. Don’t let this put you off coming though, if you are sensible you will be ok, the traffic generally moves pretty slowly around Pattaya.
If you like go cart racing Pattaya has multiple tracks to choose from including the Pattaya International Go Cart Track where you can hire the types of super fast go carts that you would need a special motor racing license in most other countries to be able to drive. The track is of international standard and the cars are incredibly quick, in most cases if you are just looking to have fun, the middle of the range cars are well and truly fast enough, the fastest cars for most people are too fast and if you can’t handle the car it tends to be less fun as the car ends up sliding out on most corners and you will then need a push start from one of the track hands to get started again. If you slide out too often they will get tired of continually having to give you a push start and eventually just push you off the track and there is no refund if you don’t finish your session. It’s best to try one of the mid range cars to begin with and then if you feel you need more power you can go for the faster car on your next run.
If you are looking for a more relaxed form of adventure and don’t want to get your feet wet you may be interested in taking a ride in Thailand’s only Thaisubmarine which runs from the island of Koh Larn. It will take you on a safe journey to explore the local underwater life and if you are lucky you might even spot a giant sunfish or whale shark. Also on Koh Larn is a gun range where you can fire all types of weapons from pistols to automatic machine guns, this is a pay by the bullet operation and extremely noisy as you would imagine.
The Thai people are quite an effeminate race of people, most of them grow very little body hair and are quite passive by nature. The reason I mention this is because Thailand is the home of the kathoey. Kathoey is the Thai word for transvestite or ladyboy and Pattaya must literally be the kathoey capital of the world. Although ladyboys are found throughout Thailand, many of them flock to Pattaya to be around others like themselves and where they are not ostracized or to make money as sexworkers. Not all ladyboys are sexworkers but many who are can make more money in Pattaya than in any other place in Thailand. Pattaya is also home to two of the biggest transvestite cabaret shows in the world. These are the world famous Tiffany’s Show and Alcazar Cabaret. Whether you are straight or gay these “girls” are certainly a sight to behold and taking in a show while you are in town will not only be entertaining but will definitely give you something to talk about when you return home. While the “ladies” performing in the show are dressed up in Las Vegas style, over the top outfits the ones working on the streets are far harder to pick as many of them look like ordinary girls in everyway. Some of them have a noticeable Adams apple or a slightly deeper voice and the taller ones tend to have very long feet but generally they are very effeminate and are known for having a great sense of humor.
On my very first trip to Thailand I came to visit a friend originally from my home town who owns a gym in Pattaya. On the first occasion I went out at night in Pattaya my friend took me down what is called Walking Street, it is a road by day and a walking street by night and perhaps the single busiest area in Pattaya. Walking Street is filled with bars, restaurants, clubs and discos. It is the “anything goes” part of town and if walking down this street doesn’t make your head spin than I don’t know what would. After dinner my friend took me to some go go bars and discos and as it was starting to get late and I was becoming very tired my friend said he wanted to take me to one more place before I head back to my hotel for the night. On entering this particular venue it didn’t strike me to be any different from any of the previous bars we had been into earlier but once inside this very dark establishment I remember my friend laughing when I told him “wow, the girls in here are gorgeous, they all look like supermodels”, and they did. The thing was though there were no girls in this bar as he went on to explain, this was an exclusive kathoey bar. Unless you have been to Thailand it is hard to imagine how a man in a dress could look like a supermodel but although not all of them do, some of them look as beautiful as any girl you would see anywhere in the world.
When a young kathoey knows “she” is different she can easily obtain hormonal medicine to enhance her estrogen levels and diminish her testosterone levels to the point, after a number of years, where she has basically grown into what looks like a woman. One of the side effects of taking female hormones from a young age is an increase in height, this is why many kathoeys are much taller than other Thai men and women. Some kathoeys actually develop hips like a woman and grow breasts, however many ladyboys opt for surgery to make them look more feminine. The truth is I can’t explain how some of them manage to look so beautiful, it’s just something you would need to see for yourself but many of them certainly don’t look like what you may consider to be your typical transvestite. Over the last couple of years I have lived in Thailand I have often heard the saying among expatriates and Thais alike “if she looks too good to be true she is a he”.
While my parents were visiting me in Thailand this year we took a trip to Pattaya for a few days and visited the Noong Nooch Tropical Gardens which has one of the world’s most incredible elephant shows. Watching elephants play soccer, shoot basketball hoops, ride push bikes, dance, paint pictures and more was simply amazing. This combined with great seafood restaurants, excellent shopping, easy and readily available transport and an always upbeat atmosphere with plenty of options to keep you busy made Pattaya one of the highlights of my parent’s holiday to Thailand. The same thing goes for other friends of mine who have come to visit, some of whom were initially not interested in going to Pattaya were pleasantly surprised that there is much more to do than just hit the bars and clubs.
The other great aspect of a trip to Pattaya and Thailand in general is the cost. Your American and Aussie dollars, British pounds, Euros and most other currencies go a long way in Thailand. Let me warn you though, this place can be very addictive as the low cost of living and high quality of life without many of the oppressive rules and regulations of the Western world makes Thailand a very attractive option. I liked it so much I decided to move here and have no immediate plans to return home. If you’ve been here before you will know what I’m talking about and if you haven’t I’d certainly suggest putting it on the top of your list of exciting travel destinations. Although there are many fantastic locations in Thailand, if you are flying into Bangkok do yourself a favor and check out Pattaya since it’s only 2 hours drive away and I have no doubt you will thoroughly enjoy your stay. Just keep your eyes peeled for out of control motorbikes and who knows you might meet the “girl” of your dreams. Good luck.
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December 29th, 2006 at 6:49 pm
Thanks for sharing detailed information about Pattaya. I had visited it last year and did enjoy the coral dive and the para gliding. I was unable to see the other aspects of Pattaya and will surely return to enjoy them. Yes! Thailand is a great place to be in. Cheers.
January 25th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
Great bit on Pattaya. I am headed to Thailand for my honeymoon, and was going to avoid Pattaya given the “seedy” reputation the city has. After reading your page, I will definitely have to check it out. THe trannie shows sound like a trip!
Thanks!