Comments on: Living in Thailand – Look at Little Sister

By: Steve

Steve — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:06:26 +0000

Bart, very good story on the current situation in the Pattaya area. I had the very good fortune and luck to be stationed in the US Army at Camp Samae San from 72 – 74. Samae San was approx 3 km south of the sprawling Utapao air base and was by any standards the shangra-la of military posts, We ran a gas station in Pattaya Beach and it was symbolic at best and we pumped maybe 150 gallons of gas a month mainly to diplomats and other military vehicles. Across the paved road from us were boats waiting to be day chartered and the waterline was less than 75 feet from the gas stations pumps. I must say that Pattaya was fairly undeveloped then and if I remember right there was one hotel with a second floor in town. I think your assessment of Pattaya being an R & R center is just a little off. There were practically no service people there on leave or R & R because there were no hotel facilities to house any great numbers. The only service people that went there were the army and air force people and once or twice a year a navy ship would dock farther south at the deep water port and the sailors would head to Pattaya or Sattahip. Prior to being stationed in Thailand, I did a year in Vietnam and I did do an R & R to Thailand but it was Bangkok only and there were no buses or any mention of Pattaya. The Pattaya residents have told me that their area was kept immune from the masses of GI’s on leave. The Patpong district of Bangkok was the place to go back then. No question about that. Have you ever done any research about the most famous bar/massage place in Bangkok? That would be Thermae’s and is no nonexistent. Classy and well managed, it was the place to go.
I might add that one of my fellow army soldiers got bored while working at the gas station one day and while his co-worker watched the pumps, this young soldier explored the surrounding area and poked around a few vacant beach houses looking for odds and ends. Returning to the gas station, he proudly displayed his findings. He had several real nice blankets that would be used to entertain ‘guests’ in the back room of the station while bored. These blankets stayed on the cots pushed together that we all used from one time or another. A few months later we were visited by the Thai police in one of their purple Chevy Nova 4 doors and the broken English speaking officer had a flyer that he wanted posted in our window. Always willing to stay on the good side of the Thai police, we obliged. On the flyer was a drawing or photo of the great seal of the Kingdom of Thailand. When one of our girl ‘friends’ came over to chat, she saw the flyer and then began to nervously tell us what it said. “Someone has broken into the royal beach house and stolen some things” she said. “Several of those things stolen were blankets with the royal seal on the blanket……………….like the ones you have back there”. We knew right then and there we had in our sordid possessions the king or queens blankets and now we knew why they were so nice and comfortable and made from only the best Egyptian mills. There were the royal seals to confirm it. Immediately these blankets went into the Jeep and were disposed of in the patches of Nipa Palms on the road to Utapao a safe distance from Pattaya Beach. My stay in Thailand would have probably included a year or two stay in prison if we were caught with those blankets. Later we found out that that the royal family indeed had a beach bungalow within 100 yeard of our little station.
Visiting Thailand again recently, I agree with you 100% about the Chonburi Coast giving one a choice of many experiences. There is no other place like it in the world. Choose your way of life. Change it up every week or so. Keep up the very informative stories. Steve

By: ernest knox

ernest knox — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:54:54 +0000

Time to put away the Singha, Bart. I lived in Pattaya from 1988 until 1999 and saw it transform from barely tolerable to downright unlivable. I agree with the points raised by the poster above but would like to add:
Horrendous traffic and the pollution that results. Beggars and ripoff artists everywhere. Quality house construction is unavailable unless one pays an exorbitant fee to a Bangkok builder. Dual-pricing for Thais and foreigners. Outrageous medical charges for much-less-than-adequate services. Ad nasuem…

By: Bart

Bart — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:21:39 +0000

My hat’s off to you for surviving village life. Even with 300,000 people, Phuket was too small for me. I’ve lived here nearly ten years and I still speak Thai like a 5 year old with Tourret’s Syndrome. (My restaurant Thai however is excellent!).

Come on down to Jomtien Beach … it’s like the old “Cheers” bar … where everybody knows your name … but without getting in your business.

By: Bart

Bart — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:16:55 +0000

Thanks for your comments Richard. I’m a big fan of the Philippines as well. Later this year I’m going to visit Palawan for the first time … I can’t wait. Good Luck!

By: Bart

Bart — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:14:40 +0000

Hi Garrie,

Credit Cards from the US and Canada do work in most ATM here. It is advisable however to make sure the bank knows that cash withdrawals and purchases from Thailand will be coming through. Its a red flag for many banks and I’ve seen them cut off access to cash at the most inopportune times. Since he will have an Education Visa, he can set up an account with any number of Thai banks as well.

Hope this helps … I’m sure your son will have a great time!

By: Bart

Bart — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:10:00 +0000

Thanks for your comments Alexandra. I’m sure being a mam-farang in Thailand could be quite intimidating. Not only are Thai women beautiful, but most of them are tough as nails. Good for you for “getting over it”. I just wish Thai women would “get over it” with the whitening cream and nose jobs! I caught my wife wearing underpants with extra padding in the rear. I guess she wanted to be “bootylicious”.

I’m a big Bangkok fan as well, but I choose to live by the sea and visit the big city a few days at a time rather than the opposite. Now that they’ve build the Sky-train connector to the airport, I can drive an hour, park my car, and spend the day in BKK. In the evening I take the Skytrain back to the airport and drive home. No traffic, no problem parking … it’s great! Keep reading my articles and you’ll see something about BKK coming up soon.

Whether it’s the neon paradise of Pattaya or the misty mountain tops of Chiang Mai, you are correct … giving in to Thai culture is the key to enjoying yourself here.

By: Peter

Peter — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:38:07 +0000

Driving from BKK airport last Sunday after midnight it took 1:20 on a deserted road going 140km/hr. One hour is hyperbole.

I am glad you are happy to live in Pattaya. To me it looks like Torremolinos or any of the other concrete coast towns that we have all come to love to hate. Except, you have to add the broken (or non-existing) sidewalks, the thousands of beer-bellied foreign men looking for cheap sex , corrupt police, and so on and so forth.

The only good thing about Pattay, IMHO, is that is is in Thailand.

By: A. B. Siddique

A. B. Siddique — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 11:36:49 +0000

Yes the article is nicely describing the real life style of South East Asia, Thailand is a different culture & the people are always smiling to greet the farang. Thanks for such a good insight. A.B.Sidique Bangladesh.

By: Don Porter

Don Porter — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:56:05 +0000

Thanks Bart -

A completely accurate and well-written article. I will refer it the many people asking me about life in Thailand.

You have reaffirmed my observations and conclusions. I’ve lived the small village life (brutal), medium sized city (but 99% Thai), and have spent a fair amount of time in Pattaya (Jomtien Beach area). Yep, Pattaya is the best overall fit for most of us western ex-pats. I need to check out the “sleepier” beaches of Jomtien or Na Jomtien like you mentioned as they may be an even better place for long term stays.

You are so correct on your opinion regarding the language problem. It has worn me down to the point that living in a city such as Pattaya/Jomtien would be my only option if I intend to stay here into the future.

By: Richard Parker

Richard Parker — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:04:57 +0000

As a frequent traveller to Thailand, I enjoyed Bart’s well balanced article (pros & cons of expat living) and learned a bit more about Thailand. I am considering entering the expat life in Thailand or the Philippines.

Richard Parker
Greensboro, NC, USA

By: garrie

garrie — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:51:33 +0000

Just to let you know, I enjoy reading the Thailand articles, since my 17 yo son is about to leave for a year abroad there as a foreign exchange student. We still don’t know where he will live because as far as we know, a host family has not yet been selected.

Here is a practical question I hope doesn’t sound too dumb, but if he comes equipped with a visa/debit card from our bank, will he be able to acceess spending money via ATM’s just like here or is there another system with which we should acquint ourselves before he departs?

Thanks!

By: alexandra

alexandra — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:48:17 +0000

Hi Bart,
Thats a good article and spot on! Only thing I would add though, is from female perspective.
I’ve been working in Thaiand on and off for 20 years, lived in both Bangkok and Pattaya, my kids went to school in Pattaya, which was great , they loved it.
But I just want to add a note for Women, Thailand can be a little hard to take for “some women” I manage it fine, but have come to accept the dark and light sides of Thailand, its not always so easy for a lot of women though. I’ve seen many a marriage go bad and women fleeing for home, mostly out of insecurities that where probably there in the first place. You live in a country where its hard to find an unattractive woman and they are all tiny! Even your average sized woman has a hard time not feeling huge there, you do get it under control after a while, but its not always easy. What we think are insults there from Thais regarding body size, feet size etc are usualy not an insult, they are just light hearted comments. But it can wear you down if you dont keep your head. If you can get past that, it is a great place to live. Personaly I prefer Bangkok, mostly just for the vibe of it and not so many expat males falling off their bar stools lol If I was to live near Pattaya again, agreed, I would live further south than Jomtien and if beach isnt yoru thing Chiang Mai is beautfiul , with an artist feel to it. Many musicians and artists live in the mountain areas and there is a calmer vibe to that area. Its still a good sized city with all the mode cons, but just very different to the southern areas, cooler as well.
I’m single (no not because of thailand lol ) and love working in Thailand, where else can you go out have a massage, manicure etc, go out for dinner, have a few drinks and still have only spent 20 dollars.
There are always so many amazing shows and artists coming into Bangkok, if you get away from the tourists and expats, you will meet many amazing Thai people. That is the key to thailand, to truely make home, integrate an explore the Thai culture. There is an amazing world there, away from what you see in Tourist brochures. Great place to set up a business or run one from, especialy if its an online business. Still many opportunities there if you can come up with something original.
Good luck
Alexandra

By: Cees Cuijpers

Cees Cuijpers — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 02:45:22 +0000

Hi Bart,

As a permanent resident for almost 12 years now in Bangkok’s little sister town ‘Pattaya’, I only FULLY agree with the excellent content of your article here…
Very well done, and GEeee…what a place to live huh??