Thursday, September 04, 2008 'Putt-tuh-YAH' By Jinggoy Salvador
NOT "Patt-EYE-uh" as we all know to pronounce this city 165 km southeast of Bangkok on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand in the province of Chon Buri.
Like the other must-go places in Thailand, Pattaya is a vibrant city from sunrise to sunset after all it is an internationally well-known seaside resort.
People from all over the globe made this area their residence of choice thus expect a colorful potpourri of mixed nationalities.
Water sports, island hopping, lounging on the beach, calorie burning or not, on land or sea, there is a vast range of tourism-related activities await visitors. And so much more...
Pattaya means the "south-west monsoon wind" and was simply a small fishing village until it was discovered as a beach resort by Bangkok residents in the 1960s.
To date, it enjoys a rank on the list as one of the most successful beach resorts in the world. In 2005 alone, they received some 5.4 million tourists and its popularity must be attracting more.
The rapid growth of tourism brought about many negative consequences, such as pollution, petty crimem, even prostitution. Back then, servicemen from all over Southeast Asia, including the United States Air Force base at U-Tapao in neighboring Rayong province used the new-found resort area for "rest and recreation", causing the huge boom in the flesh trade.
Today, even with the city's efforts to clean up Pattaya's image by increasing wholesome entertainment, their core sex-industry has ensured that Pattaya retains its position as one of the world's most renowned party destinations. Pattaya's sex industry is the city's raison d'ˆtre.
Promising myself to spend a few days off Bangkok for each Thailand visit, I ventured to Pattaya and see the place for myself. Lugging a backpack, I took the three-hour bus ride to this city, took a jeep and hopped off to the first shoreline I saw.
I didn't know exactly where I was but decided to take the first available room I see, dropped everything and began exploring the city.
The city is indeed very busy in the tourist sense.
The beach was too overcrowded for my liking. Most sections of the beach are covered by rented deckchairs run by local beverage vendors during daylight hours.
And the water not as clean with the over-abundance of jet-skis and speedboats that has contributed to the pollution of the water along the beach, as has the practice of dumping sewage in the ocean. Swimming was a definite no-go for me. I asked a local where I was, the reply "Pattya Beach".
Pattaya Beach is situated alongside the city center, close to shopping, hotels and bars. I walked a good number of kilometers along the promenade flanking the beach and enjoyed myself. What I was told and read about Pattaya was true and like I said, I have to experience it for myself.
