Pattaya - Asia's City of Sin in Transition

Not a diligent blogger by any stretch of the imagination. Always seems to be something more enticing than hammering the keys on my aging lap top. It was easier while staying in the northern parts of Thailand where time seems to be irrelevant. The objective of this blog, I thinks, was to provide an outlet for me to express myself. I do talk to myself or meditate in a loose sense on life but why not put something down more permanent to look back on as life moves by at its hectic pace.

Here I go again with my attempt to blog. The next few blogs will be about the Eastern sea board, centering on Pattaya and its surrounding. Lots to cover and some of it a little to completely perverse but hard to avoid discussing the wild side of Pattaya. The town popped up during the Vietnam war as a anything goes destination for the troops. It has just recently, after 40 years, begun to redefine itself which has been hilarious yet successful. It is now a family destination and I would venture to guess it will be predominately families in ten years time and the hell raising westerners will be a memory. Its proximity to Russia and ex-Soviet Union Bloc countries, as well China, are the factors behind the evolution of Pattaya. Baby strollers everywhere and families that look just like Americans (before we became a plump nation) outnumber westerners in the area around my condo.

This blog is about my not so well thought out reason I'm here and the next entries will be about the area's crazy entertainment venues and bizarre daily life where the ironic is normal. A city with numerous five star hotels and restaurants that are in the heart of a city of sins and excitement.

How I Landed on the Eastern Sea Board

Now, after 4 months in the Northern Thailand and the rice paddies, I find myself again on the Eastern sea board of the Gulf Of Thailand. Our condo is minutes away from the Pattaya, a city that would cause Vegas to blush. It is the most dynamic city I've ever experienced and driven by greed with few restraints. There are a limited number of laws that are enforced and when they are is usually a random process. If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, then you better deduce how to separate yourself from it. No knight in shining armor with a badge and clock in his holster will offer any assistance. It is just part of the excitement and those that live here simply avoid the dangers.

How I ended up here is a long story and a little cloudy. The gist: it was a rush and the air was clean. For those that have spent time in developing nations, the second reason is not as easy as you might conclude. As luck would have it, a crazy American living in the same building stabbed my current neighbor, a fellow American that coincidentally went to the same college as me. The president of the home owners association also went to ASU, but I'm digressing. Anyhow, he stabbed Robert ( neighbor) a few times and then returned to his condo. The details of what happened next are not too descriptive. From what I gather from anecdotal conversations and an article in the paper, he was eventually taken down to the police station, a report was taken, and the situation was then completely forgotten. Months later somehow a Thai person in the building that had contacts in the Thai legal system brought the case to the forefront again and the insane American was booted from the country.

His place had a nice view and its placement offered privacy. The building is wave like and the condo is at the precipice of one of the waves garnering it almost complete privacy. I walk around in boxers or even less at times so this is important. We do get to see our 83 year and German neighbor prance around naked on his balcony but he is here rarely and nudity doesn't bother us. The prior infamous owner installed a fake video recorder which covered his patio and forced him to cover up. At his request, I removed the video recorder and he resumed his naked patio visits. I do enjoy the tiny condo with its incredible views (minus the naked raisin ), from both balconies and brisk to hurricane force winds that cool it down.

As I write this we are already thinking about moving on to N. Thailand soon. It has been a nice 3 months here in Pattaya but the tourist season is almost upon us and I don't do well with the hordes. I think the next blog entry will focus on the nightlife and Deuan and will jump on the scooter on Saturday night and take some random crazy pictures of things you would never see in the states.