The internet at the Secrets Hotel is acting up and they might fix it in the morning. So I am at an internet cafe which charges 40 bahts per hour. The Starbucks on Beach Road charges 120 bahts for an hour.

Today, I visited Jomtien Beach which is an entirely different world then Pattaya.

First, for the uninitiated, the "Baht-Bus" goes along all the main streets in one direction. They are basically pickup trucks which drive in one direction. When you want to jump aboard, you simply wave at one of them and they will pull over to pick you up. When you want them to stop, then there is a buzzer you push in the back. The fare, by law, is 10 bahts. The fare is paid when you get off and you have to walk to the front of the pickup and the driver will take the fare. You can sit on the baht-bus as long as you want and the fare will be only 10 bahts. This is the best deal in Pattaya. When you first get to Pattaya, you should jump on the back of the pick-ups and just ride it for as long as possible. Then jump on the back of another going the other way to get to know the area.

You can ask the driver questions, and as long as those questions are in Thai, then he will answer.

The baht-bus (compact Japanese pickup-truck) takes only 10 minutes to get to Jomtien along 2nd road. At first, I was hesistant to use it because it seemed a little weird hopping on the back of a pickup truck without talking to the driver. However, once I got used to it and the buzzer system in the back, then it became second nature. You will not find a better deal in Pattaya then the baht-bus.

In Jomtien, the atmosphere is much more laid back with a higher end crowd. There are 90% less vendors approaching you, no drug dealers or any of the other rif-raff that you have to put up with on a daily basis in Pattaya. Jomtien is much cleaner and just seems like a better area all the way around.

If you are the sensitive type that does not like to get approached by vendors or put up with some hassle, then Jomtien is the place to be. Once you get to know the baht bus, then going to and from Pattaya's hot spots would not be a problem. Its only ten minutes away.

Here are a few pictures of Jomtien.






I thought I would hang out with this woman once more. She is going to start working at one of the Go-Gos on the 29th. She gave me the inside scoop on a few things.

The women in all the go-gos know each other. The girls in Secrets know the girls in Airport Go-Go and they know the ones in Heaven Above. Its like one huge social network and they all know each other one way or the other.

The women typically live in the apartments in the images below. These are basically studio apartments. Unairconditioned ones go for 3500 rent + 500 utilities a month. For about 2000 baht more then you can get an air conditioned fully furnished studio complete with television for one month.

Here are images of the apartment this woman lived in. I must say this is a step up in comparison to the Angeles City dorms. I went into a house once where the women lived in Angeles City and it was basically bunk beds in every room. An unairconditioned house that looked like it had never been renovated (house must have been at least 30-40 years old) and pictures of old barfines lined the walls of each bunk. The Angeles City dorms did not look like a happy site. However, the Pattaya Apartments looked very livable and I know there are much worse apartments in America.





Here is a sign I saw for a condo-hotel which charges 8000 baht and on Walking Street. These condo-hotels lack the typical services of hotels, but as I have seen, there is not much service the hotels give anyway. A kitchen is important because food around Pattaya is not cheap and, in my opinion, not great quality. The best deal on food is the buffet over at the Lek Hotel which is 110 bahts for breakfast and 180 bahts for dinner. The only better deal is the 7-11 where you can get a small microwaved dinner for 50 bahts and soda for another 17.

I would not mind making myself food each day. I do it anyway when I am at home so for me it would not be a big deal.



Here are various pictures of the woman. I gave her 2000 baht for staying with me last night and keeping me company until 6pm. She will be back tomorrow to accompany me to the Rock Island. I found out that there is another boat that will take me there for 40 bahts round trip. There is always a cheaper way to do things in Pattaya...you just have to figure it out.

Photos: Jomtien 135 136 137

Now seeing that you can get an apartment here for 5000-6000 bahts a month (a few hundred dollars), I see that its entirely possible to live here on a social security or pension check. The only thing to get over is the legal hurdles. I do not believe its a problem seeing the many advertisements on the street for immigration lawyers. Some way there is a way around the visa requirements. I did see many older men walking around the women's apartment area and suspect that some may live there.

She must be doing well with her sponsors. Most of the working girls in Pattaya share the room with other girls. My friend that works in a massage place shared one of those rooms with 3 other girls. Last one home ended up on the floor as there was no more room in the bed.

Really enjoy reading your trip report, my travel buddy swears by Secrets Hotel, but I would not stay there myself, but I do like the one stop shop concept, of a hotel, bar, hookers.

I recall seeing signs advertising new hi rise condos for less than 700,000 baht - that's a little over $21,000. Even if you step up to 1 million baht, it's still only a little over $30,000 (at 33 baht/dollar). Not a bad price for a retirement home!

While I think that only Thai individuals can own property in Thailand, I recall reading that foreign corporations can own property. If that's the case, I may have to set up a shell US corp and buy me a little slice of Heaven!

Before I get anyone's hopes up, I just read more about ownership and there are stricter restrictions than I thought.

More than that, I have no idea WTF they were advertising for 700,000 baht, but I just ran a search online for condos for sale in Pattaya area and even 1 million baht won't get you anything (you can find a place, but it'll be about 300 sq. feet!). I saw some places that I thought looked pretty nice in the 3-5 million baht range, though ($100-$150k).

That photo of your girl against the pier wall is outstanding. The exposure and choice of focus is perfect. The faint lights in the background give an amazing backdrop to those photos as are the color differentiation. You are definitely becoming a good photographer whether by accident or not.

I would disagree with you that Pattaya food is overpriced and of poor value. If you do not like Thai food then that might be the case. Street food is an average of 20 baht and is outstanding. A bowl of amazing guay tio(noodle soup with pork/beef/chicken) is normally 30 baht at the most and there are vendors all over the city. Angeles City by comparison is extremely expensive and overvalued. Most of the prices for food in Angeles City is comprable to American prices for inferior quality.

You should also check out Shenanigan's from time to time as they have specials every night and the restaurants is amazingly beautiful for how cheap the food is. They even have all you can eat barbecue for 299 baht on certain nights and the quality is superb.

The only food I would consider overpriced in Pattaya is India food. The tourist population of Indians and Paki's is through the roof now and the restaurant owners know it and charge 3 times the price they did 5-7 years ago. The prices for Indian restaurants now is actually a lot more expensive that the USA.

Great reporting Portege! Even if you have reached some conclusions that myself and others might find ridiculous, you're at least speaking your own truth and I admire that.

I'm not surprised you've decided to spend more time with Bun. She's as sweet and true as they get and, unlike so many Pattaya girls, she'll never try to scam you or talk bullshit and lies.

I've known her since she arrived in Pattaya and I've spent a lot of time with her. Roadglide suggested sponsors but I don't think she has any. Bun saves her money. She's not a party animal. She doesn't do drugs and she doesn't even like to drink too much. She won't make any demands that cost you money. She always prefers to buy street food rather than a restaurant. Of the tens of thousands of girls to choose from in Pattaya, you found one of the best. Trust me, I know.

Pattaya is the "city of illusion". In fact, Thailand is the "land of illusion". I've always enjoyed the irony, so many guys refer to Thailand as LOS...land of smiles...when, in reality those smiles are part of the illusion, the brilliant marketing of the Thai tourist bureau 20 some years ago. In the short time you've been there, you've seen through most of the illusion and I applaud you for that. But I would also caution that you've also made some hasty and erroneous conclusions. Keep an open mind and just enjoy it for what it is.

Bun is a diamond in the rough. Treat her well.

Thanks for keepin it real and keep up the great reporting. It's much appreciated!

August, 2008

oops

Photo: Bun

I think this is just a tourist destination where the locals try to get all they can from the tourists. This was the same way in America at one time (and still is to a certain extent), but there have been many laws which protect the consumer put into effect and lots of lawsuits that have put American businesses in their place.

Someone traveling to Pattaya just needs to be aware the nature of the place which is basically a tourist destination and be especially aware of everyone, including the ladies, that try to sell you a service or product. Let the buyer beware.

In looking around, I think considerable money can be made through business and real estate enterprise here. However, this is basically a shyster type city where you have to be especially shrewd and have extravagant common sense/street smarts about you. It seems very easy to get ripped off.

To the Thai people, they are just trying to do business and, in that regard, they are trying to negotiate the highest price they can. However, in the process of doing so, it might turn some people off. It also may not be what some are used to as they were spoiled with the consumer protection afforded in their own countries.

In Angeles City, I always felt like I was coming out ahead. The prices of everything seemed very reasonable when compared with the service given. The hotels delivered what they promised. The women seemed to deliver well for the price charged. In Pattaya, you need to be a little sharper and on your toes when it comes to getting what you paid for...

(Message edited by Portege on December 12, 2009)