Pattaya
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Pattaya (Thai พัทยา Phattaya) is a city of 95,000 inhabitants (2004) in Thailand, located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 165 km southeast of Bangkok in the province of Chonburi. It is one of the biggest centers of tourism in Thailand, with some 1.5 million visitors in 2003.
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History
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Originally, Pattaya was a small fishing village until the rich of Bangkok discovered it as a beach resort in the 1960s. Soon thereafter, American soldiers from the air force base U-Tapao in the Rayong province began to use the area for "Rest and Recreation" (R&R). The city grew quickly, mostly due to go-go bars and other nightlife. When the Americans left after the end of the Vietnam war the city fell into crisis, but with the rise of mass tourism from Europe, the tourism business began to grow again. In 2001, more than 24,000 hotel rooms were available in Pattaya. Despite its reputation as being a destination for sex tourism, Pattaya has seen a large increase in family tourism in recent years due to recent efforts to present a more family friendly image. This now makes up a large part Pattaya's tourism industry. Pattaya has become an especially popular vacation destination for families from Russia, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Pattaya also has a very large international expatriate population due to the large numbers of westerners who frequent the city, a low cost of living as well as having significant western infrastructure, including modern hospitals, shopping malls, supermarkets and fast food.
Administration
The excess tourism business gave Pattaya many unique problems such as water pollution, petty crimes and prostitution. These were out of the central governments's ability to handle. Thus, in 1976, the Pattaya City Act passed the parliament, and Pattaya became a self-administrating municipality governed by a Council-manager government. However this administration system has some problems such as that the mayor may disagree with the city manager, so critics have suggested to abolish the system.
Transportation
To and From Bangkok
Pattaya can be reached by air conditioned coach from Ekamai Bus terminal (Ekamai Skytrain Station) for 90 Baht, from Morchit bus terminal or directly from Bangkok International Airport. The ride is about 2.5 hours and is available every 30 minutes from 06:00 till 23:00. Buses back to Bangkok leave until 20:00. Advance reservation is not necessary.
Taxis from Bangkok will often agree to take passengers to Pattaya for a negotiated price of around 1,200 Baht. There is also daily rail service, and a number of companies offer inexpensive door-to-door transport via shared minibus or vans.
Within Pattaya
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Within Pattaya pick-up trucks known as baht busses (or songthaew) serve as the public transportation system. Baht Busses drive on several routes throughout the city. On set routes along Beach road and Second Road area the normal price is 5 Baht. Foreigners are typically advised to pay 10 baht within town; dual pricing of this sort is not uncommon in Thailand, although some foreigners do choose to pay only the official fare, and it is not clear whether this will sometimes result in difficulties with the driver. Lower fares apply only when the songtaew operating as bus, which are hailed when driving along set routes. A stopped baht bus will expect passengers to be hiring it as a taxi, with negotiated rates. This can be desirable for expediency, and is necessary for destinations that are not situated along major routes. The taxi fare is negotiated with the driver; this should be within the bounds set by the Pattaya city administration, although drivers sometimes attempt to ask for more. A white and red sticker should be in every baht bus with maximum prices for negotiated fares. Baht busses serving supermarkets will usually have a special rate.
Another option is using a motorbike taxi. For a lower price than an exclusive baht bus ride, a motorbike taxi is an ideal choice for a short ride within town, especially for lone travellers. The passenger will ride on the back end of the bike, usually alone (although it is not an uncommon sight to see an entire Thai family riding on one motorbike). Motorbike taxis can be recognized by their drivers wearing colored vests, with the location the serve printed on the back. Motorbike taxi stands can be found throughout town, and in front of all major tourist areas and nightlife spots. Motorbike taxis tend to drive rather quickly and commonly ignore posted signs and traffic signals. Most traffic accidents in and around Pattaya involve motorbikes.
Recreation
Pattaya's main attraction are its beaches. Pattaya Beach is situated along the central city in close proximity to shopping, hotels and bars. The over-abundance of jet-skis and speedboats have made the beach water along Pattaya Beach somewhat polluted. The section of beach from Central Road (Pattaya Klang) south to the harbor is directly adjacent to the core of Pattaya's abundant nightlife spots. Therefore is much less family-oriented than North Pattaya, Naklua and Jomtien Beach.
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Jomtien Beach is divided off from the main part of Pattaya by Buddha Hill, just south of the city. In contrast to Pattaya Beach, Jomtien is a popular spot for family vacationers and watersports enthusiasts. There is little in the way of shopping or beer bars on Jomtien, which is essentially a residential area with beach side hotels, bungalow complexes, condominiums and restaurants. A wide array of watersport activities can be found, including jet-skis, parasailing and scuba diving. Jomtien is also home to Pattaya Park, an entertainment complex with a waterpark, roller coaster, monorail and children's activities. The 56-story Pattaya Park tower is a Pattaya landmark and can be seen virtually from anywhere in the city.
Ko Lan is a small island situated 7.5 km west Pattaya. Ko Lan is accessible via speedboat and ferry. The ferry departs every couple of hours, and is a 45-minute ride costing 20 Baht each way. Speedboats will cost considerably more, but can get to the island in under 15 minutes. Ko Lan has several beaches, which are known for their cleanliness, relaxing atmosphere, soft white sand and crystal-clear water.
Other activities include golfing at one of the area's many golf courses, go-cart racing and different theme parks and zoos such as Mini Siam, Sri Racha Tiger Zoo and Elephant Village.
Nightlife
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Pattaya is world famous for its nightlife. Hundreds of bars, restaurants and clubs line the busy streets, and are bustling with activity 365 days a year. Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) matches can be seen from many of the open-air beer bars along Beach Road and the highly popular Walking Street. Pattaya also has numerous exotic clubs such as go-go bars and cabaret shows to suit all tastes.
Climate
Pattaya enjoys a tropical wet and dry climate, which is divided into the following seasons: Warm and Dry (November to February), Hot and Humid (March to May), and Hot and Rainy (June to October). The most comfortable time of year coinsides with the peak tourist season, which is on and around Christmas and New Years.
Crime
Because of Pattaya's status as a major tourist destination, it's important to note that like any other major tourist area, petty crime does exist, mostly in the core of the tourist areas. Pattaya in general is a relatively safe destination.
Petty crimes such as pick-pocketing are a known problem in and around the major tourist areas, such as Jomtien Beach and Pattaya Beach. To help curb this problem, a special Tourist Police division was established to aid foreign tourists (farangs) who have been scammed, robbed or pick-pocketed.
Pattaya's prostitution has given rise to certain criminal elements, but it is nevertheless an accepted phenomenon by most sections of Thai society. This means that much of the "underground" crime associated with prostitution does not exist here. Problems are easily avoided either by abstaining from such activities altogether, or by patronising the more "respectable" establishments (some of which are owned by the police themselves).
In 2004, a British national with connections to organized crime was killed in Pattaya, and another British national was arrested as a suspect. This gave rise to worries that the area might serve as a hideaway place for foreign criminals.
Other crimes include drinking-related offences such as fights, which are generally between tourists.
Pattaya, along with the rest of Thailand, is known for its abundance of pirated DVD Movies, Music CDs and Software. Such vendors can be found anywhere along main tourist areas, having their own booths or simply approaching customers in bars, beaches and restaurants. The quality of DVD movies can vary from perfect quality to simply a bootlegged version obtained from a handheld camcorder in a movie theater. Generally, a DVD movie will only be of good quality if it's DVD release date in the United States has already passed. Although this practice is illegal, local police do little to stop it, and only perform raids on shops and vendors for publicity.
External links
- Pattaya City Hall (http://www.pattayacityhall.go.th/)
- Wikitravel: Pattaya (http://wikitravel.org/en/article/Pattaya)
- English Pattaya newspaper (http://www.pattayamail.com/)
- Expats helping Expats (http://www.pattayaexpatsclub.com/)
- Pattaya City guide (http://www.mypattaya.com/)de:Pattaya