Baht Buses and Nudibrancs

[PattayaOneTeam]

Of Baht and Buses

I often really enjoy the pleasure – or should I say, the experience - of getting baht buses between Jomtien and Pattaya, even though the recent city centre road chaos has made it much less enjoyable recently.

Sometimes, especially in high season, getting baht buses is like watching a soap opera, and the later at night it gets the more you see, although, frankly, not much of it is that pleasant. It’s more like Russian Roulette.

Earlier in the low season, there were so few tourists around I was once outnumbered one evening by a gang of female pickpockets (5 women with oversized, empty bags on their laps, who promptly got off my bus when it reached town, crossed the road, got on another one and headed back to Jomtien). They spent the journey either raucously conversing or eyeing up my well protected pockets.

Sometimes you get a feel for how international the city is becoming by talking to or overhearing people on baht buses.

A few days ago I met an Ethiopian who was here for medical tourism at Bumrungrad Hospital who had come to Pattaya for the weekend; that was an interesting conversation as I had recently been to Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, which is where he lived. I rapidly followed that up with encountering a couple from Liberia, here for a 2 week holiday.

More negatively, on another baht bus ride I witnessed a German guy sternly request a sprawling Indian to take his feet off the seats, and other passengers huffing and puffing as an ignorant passenger lit up a cigarette and choked out the others.

I also often smile (or sneer?) at the reluctance, bordering on wilful refusal, of Russians to give up even an inch of the ample space next to them, when there are other people wanting to sit down.

As an experiment, at 1am recently, I waited for a baht bus in town on a Sunday night to take me back to Jomtien.

SIXTEEN buses passed me before one stopped. Most were hired privately by couples or foursomes, but the others were empty, kerb-crawling looking for special rides at stupid rates from pissed-up tourists, oblivious to the likes of me, waiting for a 10 baht ride. I waited well over 20 minutes before one stopped for me.

Often, on the way into town in the evening, I see the usual high season queues of Russian and other Jomtien tourists stranded on Thappraya Road, unable to hail a baht bus going into town as mostly Russian couples and foursomes have hired them already. This is an increasing problem.

I think it’s high time the baht bus mafia stopped blocking the establishment of a proper bus service in Pattaya, subsidized by City Hall if need be, to cater for revellers who are otherwise stranded earlier in the evening, trying to get into town, or by the late night greed of baht bus drivers, or lack of available baht buses, on their way home.

Even if it only ran at night in high season, it would be worthwhile.

It isn’t right to say the best interests of the city as a tourist destination are being best served by the current cartel, and although, on the whole, I am actually a fan of baht buses, I also think they are preventing the city from catering to all tourists, by inadequately coping with high season numbers, as the increasing queues of frustrated people waiting for rides gets longer every high season.

Diving in Puerto Galera

I am writing this in Puerto Galera in the Philippines, where I come to dive as often as possible.

It’s a laid-back place, and without the diving I’d probably have to resort to self harm to keep me entertained. Luckily the diving is world class, so that won’t be happening anytime soon.

Comprised of over 7,000 islands, the Philippines is heavily reliant on both national and international maritime links, for goods and people, and bad weather at this time of year plays havoc with inter-island shipping, as the authorities have learned the hard way that unstable, overloaded and badly-maintained craft in heavy, stormy seas, equals very bad news all round, and they often close the shipping lanes in bad weather.

But whatever the weather, below the waves the sea life here is wonderful. Hopefully these photographs of Nudibrancs will covey the picture better than my waffle.

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-- Pattaya One 2011-12-04

Edited December 4, 2010 by webfact