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Pattaya 1984


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I first went to Pattaya in 1984, it stretched from Royal Garden Plaza to about half way down Walking Street. The RGP was the Royal Garden Resort in those days. Second Rd was more or less a dirt road, and all the bars were along the sea front. A Singha was 30bt and Kloster was 40bt, there were no other beers on sale. We got 32 baht to the £ so it was expensive back then. It was also the first time I got in an air con car and I remember water dripping on my feet from the unit.

The road to Bangkok was 2 lanes wide and you hardly saw an undented vehicle and very few had rear lights, it was astonishing to see so many old and battered unroadworthy cars, lorries and motorcycles in use. Bangkok was a mass of corregated iron sheds and I do not remember any skyscrapers. It took a bit of believing that the iron and wooden sheds were the peoples' homes, We only found out when my pal's girl took us to her home and I remember how shocked and embarassed we were on discovering that people lived in such filth and poverty.

The main road into Pattaya from Bangkok was Beach Rd and the side roads (sois) were empty of bars and restaurants. There was not much to Pattaya North of where the Royal Garden Plaza now stands. Walking St was open to traffic and was known as The Strip.

Most of the Western tourists seem to be men who worked in the Far and Middle East in the oil and hotel trades. There was a lot more German influence in the town then and most of the fellows we met were German, Swiss and Austrian. One weekend the American Fleet pulled in and the girls went crazy putting their make up on to look their best. The Yankee sailors did not seem to have the restraints imposed upon them that they had in later years apart from the 'Shore Patrol' and when the Cobra Gold boys came to town. Perhaps some older Americans could comment on this. There were no such things as what we now refer to as the 'Benidorm Fusiliers' and all the tourists behaved in a civilised manner. I do not remember seeing any policemen and only two ladyboys. 

The bars were just like they are now except every bar had a VCR showing the latest Hollywood movie. The barfines were 100 bt and the girls wanted between 300 and 500bt and they all stayed with you till the next day if you wished them to do so. My pal and I had a double room in the Royal Garden Resort and they charged us 300 baht to bring a girl back! Should you wish a girl to give you a BJ she would often inform you that Buddha would not approve. 

I spent the last 4 days with the most beautiful girl I'd ever met in my life, her name was Mai Lee but when I left I never kept in touch as traveling to the LOS was expensive then and it was not worth going for 2 weeks which was what most of us got in the way of a holiday. We never heard of any crime whatsoever and everyone was courteous and polite and we were extremely downhearted in the minibus back to Bangkok airport.

I did not go back until 1999 and I had become one of the middle aged/elderly male tourists chasing after younger women who we used to regard with disdain back in 1984. I still go there now but for much longer holidays and in spite of all the negative aspects associated with the place there is still nothing to touch it anywhere in the world. Many of my friends now live there and some are happily married but there are also a lot of falangs of all ages who will never learn.

Two old sayings are very apt where Pattaya is concerned "A fool and his money are soon parted" and " There's no fool like an old fool". 

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