It really depends on the person and their perspective of his Pattaya measures up. I'm sure there are many people who live in Pattaya and love it. I'm just as sure there are many who live in Pattaya and hate it and consider it to be the biggest mistake of their lives ever moving there. In a lot of cases it comes down to money. Nice condo/ car/bike. Female companionship and nice restaurants. All sounds great!

Consider a different reality. 3000 baht a month fan room living in shorts and a singlet/ wife beater in an environment surrounded by similar people. Must be so depressing. No hope of renting a companion. Chasing balloons for a free feed based on buying two small beers in two hours. Not much fun in that life.

4 hours ago, Berkshire said:

You might want to give this thread a pass Ms. Yinn.  Because it may be hard for a woman to understand that there are a lot of guys who really prefer to pay and be with many different young women, than be stuck with one woman their own age...even if it's "love."  If a 60 yr old guy wants to be with a 20 yr old hottie, he knows that he will have to pay.  But then what else is he going to spend his money on?  It's money well spent.   

This is the great lie spread by women, young is attractive to everyone.

 

It's only that there is very little option for old fat women that they judge old fat men. For us it's logic, for them it's immoral.

 

There literally is no Pattaya for women that I know of, so they're stuck with trying to bang the golf/tennis pro, the Bali boy hiring surfboards and the window cleaner.

 

So Yinn, whoever the hell she is, would definitely bang a hot young guy given opportunity, but since no such choice is offered, paying a hot girly is completely immoral and should be illegal.

1 hour ago, emptypockets said:

And where do you live?

We know.....Cambodia. Hardly in a position to criticise.

Yes, in a very good position to criticize and I will continue to do so.

1 hour ago, madmen said:

Dude your anger is palpable and most definitely some frustration there. Sounds like you need a weekend in soi 6! Clear the pipes and mellow out! 

Not likely!!

Yes, Pattaya is the only place on this planet where social life is up to my standards.

Why not say Pattaya is the best for prostitution because that is the only thing you highlight?

9 hours ago, kenk24 said:

oh, I thought once in the airport you would have to wait too... but I guess not... the airport in CM is easy to get to... close to town.. 

 

eye candy? just go to any shopping mall in Thailand... 

For eye candy, Bangkok is much better.  That is if you like real Thai women that are educated and have good jobs.  

3 minutes ago, Hanuman2547 said:

That is if you like real Thai women that are educated and have good jobs. 

Why would I care if she was educated or employed?

Do you want her to go halves on a date and discuss dark matter?

3 hours ago, DannyCarlton said:

Nope, all the things you mentioned are close by in Pattaya […] You really know nothing about Pattaya.

I am eager to learn, because I have been there many times (going with friends), and each time, we struggle to find interesting daytime activities.

 

I speak Thai, and have of course asked the “locals” for advice, but majority of those I have come into contact with are either not actually locals, or sleep during the daytime, the few that have given suggestions, have been clichés like Koh Lam, Nong Nooch, Sanctuary of Truth, or similar touristy stuff.

 

And what I am looking for is not just a big restaurant with lots of Thais listening to folk music, it’s ironic you claim I have no idea what Pattaya is about when in fact I wrote about what the other places had to offer, and it seems that it is you who have no idea what is actually in these other places.

 

For example in Chiang Mai I can go to a waterfall, lake, the mountains, rice paddy fields, hot springs, or other scenic places, and have a picnic there, and without hawkers wanting to sell me a seat, so that the person who took me there can get a kickback. There are dozens if not hundreds of such places in and around Chiang Mai, what does Pattaya have to offer in this category?

 

I also mentioned Chiang Mai as having universities, this means students, which in turn means lots of commerce that cater to students / young people. A retired guy living in Pattaya may not care for these things, but one positive aspect of social media is that today every shop goes out of their way to make everything “instagrammable”, so the aesthetics of such places, and their merchandise, are much higher than what you see in Pattaya (where it seems nobody cares about aesthetics or ingenuity), and you also find more speciality shops, because there is a market for originality.

 

I do know that there are also lots of young girls (and ladyboys) in Pattaya, but they tend to spend their time either at work, with customers, or sleeping, so they do not create the same kind of dynamics as having students, and as you have probably seen, most of the girls shop from their place of work, by having the vendors pass by with whatever items they think may entice the girls.

 

Also, and I am sorry to say this, but majority of the girls in Pattaya are, in lack of a better word, “low class”, they are not driving demand for anything apart from the food they are used to in Isaan, and they are more than happy getting this from the food cart passing by their bar.

 

So in summary, I think I have a pretty good grasp of what Pattaya has to offer, I do also know a couple of decent places with good aesthetics, and I’ve had plenty of fun there tagging along to Thai birthdays, pool parties, concerts, etc.

 

But the place is a complete and utter dump! As I said in my original comment, the only thing there is the girls, everything else is better elsewhere.

 

And actually, as someone who speaks Thai, I also find the girls outside of Pattaya better on all levels, but maybe not as easy, unless you go to the Thai girlie bars ????

 

13 hours ago, stouricks said:

I stopped reading after this statement.

     Why did you stop reading ? It is centrally located .

 

27 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Why would I care if she was educated or employed?

Do you want her to go halves on a date and discuss dark matter?

Different strokes for different folks!  Halves?  Sometimes she even offers to pick up the tab.  Dark matter?  Maybe not.  The financial markets, yes!

5 hours ago, White Christmas13 said:

You just gave your age away ????

Heard it yesterday on Mobituaries podcast, so no.

5 hours ago, Burma Bill said:

That is true, living for nearly 20 years in the north of Thailand - Lanna then Isaan, I have always avoided Pattaya so I do not know how ex-pats live there but I do know how most ex-pats live in the north!

You also said "Pattaya, in my opinion, is a dump and to be avoided!!"

 

How in heavens name do know what Pattaya is like if you have never been here. Your comments are typical of the anti Pattaya brigade. A load of boring old f**ts.

4 hours ago, emptypockets said:

It really depends on the person and their perspective of his Pattaya measures up.

Yep. We're seeing a lot of overly narrow perspectives here, too. Pattaya's a large place with a lot of different areas offering very different lifestyles: countryside, suburbia w/ golf courses, private schools, malls & discount dept stores, high rise sea views, small Thai town.

 

Most seem to know nothing beyond the bar & sex scene--and are absolutely obsessed with only that for some reason. Yet for most long term residents, many of whom have families, most of whom just lead very ordinary lives, that scene actually seems rather unimportant and just part of the wallpaper. Still, we like our colorful wallpaper. It's quite unique.

 

Quote

Consider a different reality. 3000 baht a month fan room living in shorts and a singlet/ wife beater in an environment surrounded by similar people. Must be so depressing. No hope of renting a companion. Chasing balloons for a free feed based on buying two small beers in two hours. Not much fun in that life.

If you’re impoverished, chances are you’re not terribly happy no matter where you are. Would a fan room and balloon chasing beat the unpleasant living conditions on the street or in government housing back home? Some might think so. I once urged an impecunious old pensioner to hasten home to Surrey and receive critically needed medical attention from the NHS. He flatly refused. Flatly. No, said he loved Pattaya and preferred to die near the memories of the good times. So he did, not long thereafter. His ashes were scattered in Pattaya Bay.

Now we do have Cheap Charlies who chase the balloons just ‘cause they’re cheap. We had old Germans in my building using the swimming pool showers just to save on their water bills.

One can dream up worst case scenarios for any location. Doing so regarding anything in Pattaya from walking on the street to buying a condo is one of the great sports on the forum. But in other locations more expensive than Pattaya, our impoverished might not even have a fan. In short, people do have different standards of comfort depending on their situations.

29 minutes ago, BigStar said:

Would a fan room and balloon chasing beat the unpleasant living conditions on the street or in government housing back home? Some might think so. I once urged an impecunious old pensioner to hasten home to Surrey and receive critically needed medical attention from the NHS. He flatly refused. Flatly. No, said he loved Pattaya and preferred to die near the memories of the good times. So he did, not long thereafter. His ashes were scattered in Pattaya Bay.

There appears to be no government housing for single men in the UK.

I'd say the fan room in Pattaya is probably the better and more affordable option.

2 hours ago, Hanuman2547 said:

Different strokes for different folks!  Halves?  Sometimes she even offers to pick up the tab.  Dark matter?  Maybe not.  The financial markets, yes!

Making money ......... probably the dullest subject in the world.

If I still needed to make money at age 60+ I'd kill myself.

Sounds like a monger in action.  Let's deal with some realities.  Pattaya is very polluted and the air quality is very close to Bangkok and actually exceeds Chiang Mai for parts of the year.  The infrastructure is overtaxed and traffic and roads are in poor shape.  The police have round the clock check stops 24 hours per day.  The people are less friendly than other parts including Bangkok.  The ones who drift here are generally here to make a quick buck and cons are existent everywhere.

 

Pattaya is only redeemed by its cheap rents and location.  If you are someone who simply chases addictions such as sex or alcohol or whatever Pattaya is definitely the place for you.

Have to agree with the poster on most things but it's great to make trips elsewhere when the mood takes you.

1 hour ago, tlandtday said:

The police have round the clock check stops 24 hours per day.

Do you get round the clock stops for less than 24 hours? ????

It's not that Pattaya isn't those things it's the others that offset it

 

Rank reputation among Thai

Pretty disgusting mob of people honestly. Thai, farang

A dangerous thuggery about in the streets

No serious transport for a city of its size

No real Thai food

The second, third tier women go to Pattaya.

The hordes of Russian, Indian, Chinese, Middle Eastern

The aggressive ladyboys

The general grubbiness of the place. Quite unclean.

Beach road has been a dump since 2006. I'm sure it's not changed.

Traffic and management are non existent

If you want to travel south, it's poorly situated

The Dark side. Just riff Raff, mostly skint British expats

 

9 hours ago, jesimps said:

The people who criticise Pattaya the most are those that have never visited the place and those from out in the sticks who would love to come here but their wives won't let them, so they knock it out of frustration and jealousy. I've lived here for 13 years and love the place and wouldn't live anywhere else in Thailand.

Well said, sums the situation up perfectly

8 hours ago, possum1931 said:

All these road works in Pattaya remind me of when I was living back in Scotland, when driving you could hardly turn a corner without running in to road works.

Auckland a bit the same, now. Roadworks everywhere... 

 

I hated every second was there, could not wait to get out, found it dirty, dreary, boring and depressing.
First went 35 years ago, went back recently, didn't find much had changed.

 

But each to their own.

 

I'm sure there are those who would say the same about my favourite spots. 

Everyone has their own needs and peculiarities. 

 

Vive la difference!

If the Jomtien beach water was cleaner the place would be top notch.  I do love Pattaya basically for the convenience.  Easy to walk around.  Baht bus system is fantastic to hop on and off, no need to rent a motorbike.  Plenty of Thai and Farang food although a lot of the western food is falling by the wayside lately.  Massage prices and stuff like that are still among the lowest I have seen.  Easy bus rides up and back to Bangkok.  Plenty of hotel and lodging options.  It has gone downhill the last few years but still my favorite, with Karon beach and Ao Nang in the running for their scenery and relatively clean sea water.

21 hours ago, kenk24 said:

From CM you can fly to near anywhere in an hour... in Pattaya it is over an hour just to get to the airport... so, who is isolated? 

What and Chiangmai airport is inside the walls? 

So from there you can get a plane to Bangkok Airport... I can certainly drive there much faster than you can get there by plane. 

 

10 hours ago, gimo said:

     Why did you stop reading ? It is centrally located .

 

Yes, Pattaya IS actually in the south. Chiang Mai - Bkk = 703km. Bkk to Patts = 150km. Patts to Hat Yai = 1070km.

OK, I stopped reading because I thought he was writing BS!

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

What and Chiangmai airport is inside the walls? 

who said that?

1 minute ago, kenk24 said:

who said that?

Someone who thinks it takes zero time to get there!

10 hours ago, Hanuman2547 said:

For eye candy, Bangkok is much better.  That is if you like real Thai women that are educated and have good jobs.  

If it is eye candy, for looking at, what would a degree matter and how could you tell?

 

I am not a big eye candy guy, but this does not make sense... 

12 hours ago, emptypockets said:

It really depends on the person and their perspective of his Pattaya measures up. I'm sure there are many people who live in Pattaya and love it. I'm just as sure there are many who live in Pattaya and hate it and consider it to be the biggest mistake of their lives ever moving there. In a lot of cases it comes down to money. Nice condo/ car/bike. Female companionship and nice restaurants. All sounds great!

Consider a different reality. 3000 baht a month fan room living in shorts and a singlet/ wife beater in an environment surrounded by similar people. Must be so depressing. No hope of renting a companion. Chasing balloons for a free feed based on buying two small beers in two hours. Not much fun in that life.

     Umm.  If you're dirt poor you're not going to be living the HISO life anywhere.  Try finding a 'fan room' for 3000 baht a month ($100) in America.  More likely you'd be enjoying the comfort and amenities of a large cardboard box, among others in the same boat.  It may not be the high life but one does have a roof over one's head and many prefer warm weather with shorts and a singlet to having to bundle up with layers of clothes for many months of the year in cold climates.  Whatever floats one's boat.