Pattaya - The New Deadwood?

[lamphun]

More clippings than anywhere else - because every lil incident seems to be reported in Pattaya.

Isn't it someone by the nik Britmaveric whose doing most of the reporting ? This man should be given a medal for alerting the public to the dangers of taking a holiday in Pattaya.

[britmaveric]

More clippings than anywhere else - because every lil incident seems to be reported in Pattaya.

Isn't it someone by the nik Britmaveric whose doing most of the reporting ? This man should be given a medal for alerting the public to the dangers of taking a holiday in Pattaya.

Actually its a secret agenda to keep people away and leave this gem in thailand to us outlaws. Unfortunately it seems the russians masses don't seem to read TV.

[Diablo Bob]

Edit: Inadvertent duplicate post caused by slow upload deleted. More server problems?

No...... I think you pushed the button twice or "Inadvertant duplicate post caused by slow reaction time due to ? . The only server problem in Pattaya is not enough waitresses.

[britmaveric]

Edit: Inadvertent duplicate post caused by slow upload deleted. More server problems?

No...... I think you pushed the button twice or "Inadvertant duplicate post caused by slow reaction time due to ? . The only server problem in Pattaya is not enough waitresses.

Plenty of Gay waiters.

[Mobi]

More clippings than anywhere else - because every lil incident seems to be reported in Pattaya. I check a few other thailand city sites and they don't seem to report them. I think its just a particular mind set with the news sites in Pattaya. What they consider news worthy only comes up as a blip elsewhere. I have a feeling heaps of news elsewhere simply isn't reported unless its a serious case such as murder. (no hiding that)

How about this:

"A similar thing happened about eighteen months ago in my soi in BKK. Following a disagreement and autocation in a nearby karoake bar, a youth was chased into our soi and was slain near it's entrance. The next day you could see dried blood on the road where the victim was slain.

I had to pass that spot everyday, and it was eerie that someone's life had been terminated there - nothing to show except the blood stains still visible on the road.

Again, it seemed to be just one of those things that happens now and then and was probably forgotten by most in the area after a few days.

Apparently a katoey working in the bar had been responsible for the murder, but surprise....surprise....when the police went looking for him THE NEXT DAY (he was staying at the other end of the soi) he had disappeared and as far as I know has not been seen since.

The karaoka bar was soon after completely demolished and replaced with a vehicle works"

and this:

"i witnessed a murder in bangkok last year , it occurred within 20 feet of where i was standing , within 5 minutes of the victim being removed from the scene , the police had disappeared and people were walking about as if nothing had happened. nobody was questioned by the police. the murderers were still in the street , and were pointed out to the police , but they made no attempt to arrest them.

a shopkeeper came out with a bucket of water and a brush and swept all the blood down the drain.

t.i.t."

Both written today on the Steve Parkinson thread, the second one by TaxExile, who is a fully paid up member of "Pattaya Bashers United" (maybe he gets a tax deduction? )

Katoeys murdering people?

Bars being demolished?

Police ignoring murders?

Surely not in Bangkok? That wonderful haven, free of crime, bars, whores and pot bellied farangs?

We might even be safer in Pattaya

Edited May 5, 2006 by Mobi D'Ark

[Diablo Bob]

Edit: Inadvertent duplicate post caused by slow upload deleted. More server problems?

No...... I think you pushed the button twice or "Inadvertant duplicate post caused by slow reaction time due to ? . The only server problem in Pattaya is not enough waitresses.

Plenty of Gay waiters.

Gee. I wouldn't know about this Brit..... when I am out and about with the wife and kids we tend to go to more family friendly establishments.

Care to enlighten us from the OTHER side?

[britmaveric]

Edit: Inadvertent duplicate post caused by slow upload deleted. More server problems?

No...... I think you pushed the button twice or "Inadvertant duplicate post caused by slow reaction time due to ? . The only server problem in Pattaya is not enough waitresses.

Plenty of Gay waiters.

Gee. I wouldn't know about this Brit..... when I am out and about with the wife and kids we tend to go to more family friendly establishments.

Care to enlighten us from the OTHER side?

It's smth I noticed after eating at many restaurants, my mates sussed it too - rather noticeable. Just a mere observation. (my gf is female last I checked)

Edited May 5, 2006 by britmaveric

[Diablo Bob]

Edit: Inadvertent duplicate post caused by slow upload deleted. More server problems?

No...... I think you pushed the button twice or "Inadvertant duplicate post caused by slow reaction time due to ? . The only server problem in Pattaya is not enough waitresses.

Plenty of Gay waiters.

Gee. I wouldn't know about this Brit..... when I am out and about with the wife and kids we tend to go to more family friendly establishments.

Care to enlighten us from the OTHER side?

It's smth I noticed after eating at many restaurants, my mates sussed it too - rather noticeable. Just a mere observation. (my gf is female last I checked)

You know, know that you mention it...... here in Chiangmai, whenever we go to La Brassiere Restaurant we always get served by a particular Katoey. I have to admit, he/she does a ###### fine job and is courteous and actually quite competent.

I guess you and I have been enlightened in the service sense! (No comments appreciated from the gallery)

[Noel]

Edit: Inadvertent duplicate post caused by slow upload deleted. More server problems?

No...... I think you pushed the button twice or "Inadvertant duplicate post caused by slow reaction time due to ? . The only server problem in Pattaya is not enough waitresses.

Hmmm, not much evidence of 'thinking' in post #24, but glad to know you are giving the concept a try...

So the TV server is based in Pattaya?

Good grief, what will the Pattaya Bashers make of that!

Edited May 5, 2006 by Noel

[Buckwheat]

24 of the last 100 postings on this forum have been "news clippings" concerning various incidents around Pattaya.

Since no other local forum posts "news clippings" (including the largest city in Thailand...Bangkok) en masse like this one, I would assume it would give the new or curious reader some degree of concern.

If Pattaya is "No worse than any other place in thailand" why isn't 24% of the content of all the other locations also "news clippings" concerning various incidents? Or are all the "news clippings" from these locations in the forum that was created for them... the "Thailand News Clippings" forum?

Being Thailands second largest city with some 1.5m people I think it's quite obvious that there will be more crime. As a percentage of the population I don't think it's worse than anywhere else. If anything, in the Pattaya area the locals are more used to farangs so probably less likely to target same.

Actually, the point of my post was not THAT "news clippings" are posted, it's WHERE they are posted. There is a forum for "news clippings"...it's called Thailand News Clippings. If I posted a visa question in this forum, it would be moved into the "Thai visas, residency and work permits" forum, and rightfully so. So why aren't "news clippings" moved into the Thailand News Clippings forum?

[Diablo Bob]

Edit: Inadvertent duplicate post caused by slow upload deleted. More server problems?

No...... I think you pushed the button twice or "Inadvertant duplicate post caused by slow reaction time due to ? . The only server problem in Pattaya is not enough waitresses.

Hmmm, not much evidence of 'thinking' in post #24, but glad to know you are giving the concept a try...

So the TV server is based in Pattaya?

Good grief, what will the Pattaya Bashers make of that!

Noel, I am so glad you noticed that. Got it down to a level that even you could understand though, I was a success!

[ray23]

Hmmm!!! Some interesting thoughts here.

But do you think it mihgt be posible that there ar more farrang victimes there a opposed to other parts of Thailand, because there are more farrangs there.

Actually I think the area has a lot to offer, but is it possible that people are visiting there to live life on the edge a bit. You know get away for the daily grind of thier lives and have some adventure?

Could that approach lead to some bad judgment from time to time?

Someone mentioned Vegas on this thread, a place I liked to visit a few times a year, why nice change of pace, but it would not be a place I would like to live.

I enjoy Pattaya in much the same way, it is a wonderful change of pace from Udon, but Udon is home. Pattaya is a vacation spot, to me.

But if I knew Pattaya then maybe things would be different I don't know, it didn't capture my imigination as a place I wanted to live, so I only know the toursist spots, like walking street. In deed a very exciting place.

Gangs that seems to be more prevelant throughout Thailand these days not just Pattaya, even sleepy Udon has them.

More theft why? Could it be because there is more opportunity.

Does Pattaya have a old west out of control, sort of image ya! I think so that is a part of the alure. A place where you don't answer to the social norms that you are living in daily. " a Change of Pace"

Out of total control I don't think so.

[Kerryd]

Argh ! Every time there is a crime reported in Pattaya, we end up with the same kind of discussions, and I end up having to remind people (again and again) why it seems so bad here.

The last stats I saw from the Tourism Authority estimated over 5 MILLION tourists visit Pattaya every year !!

Another stat mentioned an estimated 150,000 Brits visit every year, and approx. 50,000 live here ! I can't remember the stats for the Aussies or yanks, and Canadians weren't even mentioned

Now, think about how many bad stories you've heard over the last year and divide that into 5 MILLION tourists and probably a couple hundred thousand ex-pat residents (not including all the Thai tourists). Suddenly, the bad stories we hear/read/see don't seem to be as significant a problem.

Why does it seem so bad then ? As I have mentioned before (a couple of times), most of the people here watch the english language news and read the english language weekly rags. We are naturally curious/interested in events that involve other farangs. The papers/TV follow the old media adage "If it bleeds, It leads", so it seems most of the stories are about crimes involving farangs. Farangs are the demographic these "news" outlets cater to, and they feed us stuff they think is of interest to us.

The media do have stories on occasion about locals offing themselves or getting busted for something, but how many of you pay any attention to those stories ? Think about this. If that had of been a Thai guy killed in the same manner, we wouldn't even be having this discussion right now. Most of you would have glanced at the story and moved on to other threads.

Even in the "News Clippings" forum, I don't see too many articles about all the crap happening in the south (involving Thais primarily). I'm surprised when I pick up the Nation or the Post and see major stories about violent events going on down there. You think Pattaya is bad ? Not even close.

I like Brit's idea of having a secret agenda (hoping to scare away a lot of the louts and touts that come here. Unfortunately, it will take more than a few bad stories here to scare away 5 MILLION visitors every year, especially, as noted earlier in this thread, many of them are Russian now, along with all the Asian tourists.

I've been coming here since '93, been living here (work permitting) for a couple of years. Never been burgled, robbed, threatened, ripped-off or been victimized in any way (I don't mind paying 10 baht for the baht buses, to me it's a 5 baht fare and a 5 baht tip. Peanuts).

I often stagger home from various "establishments" at weird hours of the morning. I remember on my first trip, drunk, staggering down soi 17 lost, unable to find my hotel. Saw a group of young guys on a corner and thought I was in for trouble (which would have been the case if I had still been in downtown Vancouver). One of the guys started towards me, I thought this is it, I'm going to get jumped.

He asked if I needed help. I told him I couldn't remember where my hotel was. I told him the name of the hotel, he pointed at the next intersection and told me to go left. I warily walked up the middle of the soi until I got to the intersection, expecting to see a dead-end alley, but lo and behold, there was my hotel !!

If I had of done the same thing in Vancouver (or many other major western cities), they would have been fishing my corpse out of a dumpster the next morning.

I bought a copy of one of those guy rags (FHM or something like that), as I was heading to Pattaya in 2000 I think it was. The cover story was "Pattaya, the most Dangerous City on Earth" (or something very similar). I was pissed when I read the article on the plane. I wanted nothing more than to get somewhere where I could fire off some very nasty letters to the Editor. The story was full of crap, and the person who wrote it would have ended up getting in trouble no matter which city in which ever country he visited.

The point being, if you are looking for trouble, you can find it here. Then again, you can find it almost anywhere if that's what you want.

But hey, if it seems too dangerous for you here, feel free to go somewhere else ! I hear Chang Mai is nice

[xyz]

Argh ! Every time there is a crime reported in Pattaya, we end up with the same kind of discussions, and I end up having to remind people (again and again) why it seems so bad here.

The last stats I saw from the Tourism Authority estimated over 5 MILLION tourists visit Pattaya every year !!

Another stat mentioned an estimated 150,000 Brits visit every year, and approx. 50,000 live here ! I can't remember the stats for the Aussies or yanks, and Canadians weren't even mentioned

Now, think about how many bad stories you've heard over the last year and divide that into 5 MILLION tourists and probably a couple hundred thousand ex-pat residents (not including all the Thai tourists). Suddenly, the bad stories we hear/read/see don't seem to be as significant a problem.

Why does it seem so bad then ? As I have mentioned before (a couple of times), most of the people here watch the english language news and read the english language weekly rags. We are naturally curious/interested in events that involve other farangs. The papers/TV follow the old media adage "If it bleeds, It leads", so it seems most of the stories are about crimes involving farangs. Farangs are the demographic these "news" outlets cater to, and they feed us stuff they think is of interest to us.

The media do have stories on occasion about locals offing themselves or getting busted for something, but how many of you pay any attention to those stories ? Think about this. If that had of been a Thai guy killed in the same manner, we wouldn't even be having this discussion right now. Most of you would have glanced at the story and moved on to other threads.

Even in the "News Clippings" forum, I don't see too many articles about all the crap happening in the south (involving Thais primarily). I'm surprised when I pick up the Nation or the Post and see major stories about violent events going on down there. You think Pattaya is bad ? Not even close.

I like Brit's idea of having a secret agenda (hoping to scare away a lot of the louts and touts that come here. Unfortunately, it will take more than a few bad stories here to scare away 5 MILLION visitors every year, especially, as noted earlier in this thread, many of them are Russian now, along with all the Asian tourists.

I've been coming here since '93, been living here (work permitting) for a couple of years. Never been burgled, robbed, threatened, ripped-off or been victimized in any way (I don't mind paying 10 baht for the baht buses, to me it's a 5 baht fare and a 5 baht tip. Peanuts).

I often stagger home from various "establishments" at weird hours of the morning. I remember on my first trip, drunk, staggering down soi 17 lost, unable to find my hotel. Saw a group of young guys on a corner and thought I was in for trouble (which would have been the case if I had still been in downtown Vancouver). One of the guys started towards me, I thought this is it, I'm going to get jumped.

He asked if I needed help. I told him I couldn't remember where my hotel was. I told him the name of the hotel, he pointed at the next intersection and told me to go left. I warily walked up the middle of the soi until I got to the intersection, expecting to see a dead-end alley, but lo and behold, there was my hotel !!

If I had of done the same thing in Vancouver (or many other major western cities), they would have been fishing my corpse out of a dumpster the next morning.

I bought a copy of one of those guy rags (FHM or something like that), as I was heading to Pattaya in 2000 I think it was. The cover story was "Pattaya, the most Dangerous City on Earth" (or something very similar). I was pissed when I read the article on the plane. I wanted nothing more than to get somewhere where I could fire off some very nasty letters to the Editor. The story was full of crap, and the person who wrote it would have ended up getting in trouble no matter which city in which ever country he visited.

The point being, if you are looking for trouble, you can find it here. Then again, you can find it almost anywhere if that's what you want.

But hey, if it seems too dangerous for you here, feel free to go somewhere else ! I hear Chang Mai is nice

I was just about to write Pattaya off, with all the media attention on crime lately. But like you, I've never been injured or robbed in Pattaya either. I've been coming here regularly for about 10 years now. I think you are right.

[Stravaig]

Why talk about Pattaya as if it was such a homogenous place? Like any other city, it has "good" and "bad" places and all sorts of different people. It's like talking about London as if every place/area in London were the same.

If you go looking for trouble in Patters, you're sure to find it. If you just want to go out and have a few drinks, a meal, perhaps enjoy some live music, some "company" or whatever, as long as you're not aggressive and don't get into a brawl or do some other stupid thing, then chances are you'll be OK.

Yeah, I know there are no guarantees but there aren't anywhere else either. I think this is a good place to live - otherwise I wouldn't live here. The Pattaya-bashers who live here should consider moving somewhere else, and those who don't live here should look to their own place before being so quick to criticise ours.

On the other hand - maybe it's not so bad if the moaners stay away and leave the place to those of us who like it.

[snoophound]

Its not that bad given the flotsam and jetsam that gravitate to pattaya .

hel_l I live in Sydney ,burglarys in my apartment block regularly,jeez just last week in what was meant to be a secure underground carpark my neighbors mercs wheels were stolen,,gang related shootings on the rise ,we dont have soi dogs but we do have people esp chinese immigrants with those yapping handbag dogs that bark incessantly and pee in the common areas.

Sydney is meant to be one of the most desirable places in the world to live too.

So stop with the whining and worrying.

No worse than any other place in thailand

What statistics are you basing that comment on ?

Most of the folks I know that live in Pattaya have been burgled at least once.

What statistics are you basing that comment on ?

How many folks do you know that live in Pattaya ?

How many of them have been burgled once ?

How many of them have been burgled more than once ?

Where are YOUR statistics ?

Naka.

[nathansouthall]

Pattaya?

Use you're common and you're fine.

I'm quiet but if some chump gets in my face, I knock 'em down.

Tam alai goddai yung gai.

[moo7]

in my experience most of the violent crimes occur outside of the main tourist area. it seems that you have better odds if you stick near the main part of the city, especially at nite.

i know many people (myself included) that have been involved in some kind of motorbike purse/necklace snatching. some involved a simple grab for the bag/gold, others involved knives, guns, and/or kicking over the motorbike to make you crash and then robbing you. all of these happened across sukhumvit road, on the rurual side of town (nernplerbwan, etc).

in the last couple of weeks there were 2 incidents that i know of against falangs. first was an older man up on budda hill that was robbed for his rolex at knife point by two thais. he tried to fight for it and got his throat cut. last i heard he was alive in the hospital.

about a week ago there was a guy taking a bar girl home on the back of a motorbike to his house, deep into the rurual area across the highway. two guys on a motorbike pulled infront of him and slowed down til they both stopped. they robbed him at gunpoint, he gave up everything without a second thought. they let him go. a few minutes later, while he continues on home with his girl, the robbers return and catch up to him. they shoot him, he crashes the bike, they stop and keep shooting til he's dead. the robbers take off and leave the thai lady alive at the scene.

the concensus of all the locals i know is that the crime rate and violence is going out of control. a lot of them are afraid to drive home alone late at nite on the other side of the highway. some of them have altered their routines/social habits so they dont have to.

this is my preception based on my experiences and the experiences of my thai friends that have lived there for many years. its not scientific...take it for what its worth.

[Kerryd]

in the last couple of weeks there were 2 incidents that i know of against falangs. first was an older man up on budda hill that was robbed for his rolex at knife point by two thais. he tried to fight for it and got his throat cut. last i heard he was alive in the hospital.

From the stories I read, the old guy was out jogging. A couple of Thai youths approached and demanded money from him. He refused. They threatened him with a knife and he resisted, resulting in a knife wound to the neck (fortunately not life threatening). I never heard/saw anything about a watch.

about a week ago there was a guy taking a bar girl home on the back of a motorbike to his house, deep into the rurual area across the highway. two guys on a motorbike pulled infront of him and slowed down til they both stopped. they robbed him at gunpoint, he gave up everything without a second thought. they let him go. a few minutes later, while he continues on home with his girl, the robbers return and catch up to him. they shoot him, he crashes the bike, they stop and keep shooting til he's dead. the robbers take off and leave the thai lady alive at the scene.

Quite a bit different than the stories that have been posted in this forum regarding this very incident (the Steve Parkinson shooting).

In any event, 2 serious crimes against farangs in a week. If the Tourism Authority of Thailand's stats are accurate, Pattaya gets about 5 million foreign visitors a year. Add to that probably 100,000+ ex-pat residents of various nationalities (the estimates I've seen today estimate Pattaya's population at around 500,000 total). That works out to close to 100,000 visitors a week, and 1 serious crime per 50,000 visitors.

Las Vegas is similar in size, and gets a large number of tourists as well. According to the FBI's 2005 stats, Vegas experienced about 4,410 serious crimes in 2005 (serious being murder, rape, robbery and assault). That works out to about 12 per day.

How about Honolulu, Hawaii ? Population estimated at 377,000. Serious crimes in 2005 - 1,185 (a little over 3 per day).

New Orleans (pre-Katrina) ? Population est 462,000. Serious crimes in 2005 - 2,086 (ave 5.7 per day).

Hmmm. I don't know about you, but having spent the last few hours researching this, Pattaya appears to be a lot safer than some other well known tourist destinations..

Edited May 11, 2006 by Kerryd

[Banyai]

No worse than any other place in thailand or the world IMHO. It's magnified in Patters simply because not much going on elsewhere in the news, so a 1-3 sentence minor story elsewhere is turned into a major news event.

I think honestly if you use common sense, the likelyhood is minimal that anything bad will happen to you in Patters. (lack of common sense always seems to be the downfall of most of the news worthy events here)

Oh yes it is it maybe the most dangerous place in thailand ...:no worse then any place in thailand ...garbage

[Mobi]

No worse than any other place in thailand or the world IMHO. It's magnified in Patters simply because not much going on elsewhere in the news, so a 1-3 sentence minor story elsewhere is turned into a major news event.

I think honestly if you use common sense, the likelyhood is minimal that anything bad will happen to you in Patters. (lack of common sense always seems to be the downfall of most of the news worthy events here)

Oh yes it is it maybe the most dangerous place in thailand ...:no worse then any place in thailand ...garbage

My God!

I admire your powers of reserach to resurrect a 6 month old thread and start the war all over again

[Creeper]

Pattaya is not a desirable place to live, it's overcrowded, dirty, polluted, at times it resembles a giant building site, the traffic problems are terrible, crime rates are spiralling...etc etc...

You call that an idyllic location?

Take away the Bar scene, and the place has absolutely nothing to offer, unless your dream holiday or retirement destination involves walking around Big C or Carrefour.

If some time in the near future some progressive Thai Government decided that The Pattaya sex scene will be a thing of the past, those multi Million Baht Farang houses in Farang Ghettos might fetch 500,000 Baht off of a local Fisherman, most would just fall into disrepair after being on the market for years, unable to sell at all, at any price.

It's good for a night out, it's a good place to go for a holiday if you are a male.

That's it. To live in Pattaya full time, no way.

I just cannot imagine anyone who would travel thousands of miles to live in such a place full time, it don't make sense. Ok, 20 years ago, now, no way.

[britmaveric]

No worse than any other place in thailand or the world IMHO. It's magnified in Patters simply because not much going on elsewhere in the news, so a 1-3 sentence minor story elsewhere is turned into a major news event.

I think honestly if you use common sense, the likelyhood is minimal that anything bad will happen to you in Patters. (lack of common sense always seems to be the downfall of most of the news worthy events here)

Oh yes it is it maybe the most dangerous place in thailand ...:no worse then any place in thailand ...garbage

My God!

I admire your powers of reserach to resurrect a 6 month old thread and start the war all over again

Indeed!!!

[libya 115]

Pattaya is not a desirable place to live, it's overcrowded, dirty, polluted, at times it resembles a giant building site, the traffic problems are terrible, crime rates are spiralling...etc etc...

You call that an idyllic location?

Take away the Bar scene, and the place has absolutely nothing to offer, unless your dream holiday or retirement destination involves walking around Big C or Carrefour.

If some time in the near future some progressive Thai Government decided that The Pattaya sex scene will be a thing of the past, those multi Million Baht Farang houses in Farang Ghettos might fetch 500,000 Baht off of a local Fisherman, most would just fall into disrepair after being on the market for years, unable to sell at all, at any price.

It's good for a night out, it's a good place to go for a holiday if you are a male.

That's it. To live in Pattaya full time, no way.

I just cannot imagine anyone who would travel thousands of miles to live in such a place full time, it don't make sense. Ok, 20 years ago, now, no way.

Your post is acceptable. It explains why you would not choose to live in Pattaya.

I might remind you that Pattaya is more than just Soi 6 and Walking Street. Pattaya is a city. It has verve, it is true, it has heart, it has life and it is brave.

There will always be those people who prefer 'non-city' life. Those who prefer the peace and quiet of a desert island or the slow pace of life in the North East of Thailand.

Your opening sentences describe a city. You state that it "is not a desirable place to live." You do not desire it, others do. I was born in a British city, and I prefer to live in a city. To me, Pattaya is a city that possesses qualities that British cities do not.

What is idyllic? Idyllic for yourself might be solitary farmland and eating organic local produce at 0500 and then going to sleep at 1900.

"Take away the bar scene and the place has nothing to offer"; now you must know that this is not true. Do long term residents choose to live here for bars alone? I doubt it.

I also doubt that a property crash would occur, if the bars were closed. People like Thailand for the weather, the food, the people and the seaside location. Then there is the golf, the whole ex-pat scene. The place is agreeable to those who are sociable and gregarious.

O.K. It is not your cup of tea. I hope that you find happiness elsewhere, but do not post shallow, and ill-thought posts before considering the many thousands of normal residents who choose to live here, not for 'go-go' bars or cheap thrills, but for a quality, value, exciting, sunny, cheerful and friendly lifestyle.

[tropo]

I just cannot imagine anyone who would travel thousands of miles to live in such a place full time, it don't make sense. Ok, 20 years ago, now, no way.

Imagine that, people like Pattaya. I do, and I hardly ever bar hop or drink alcohol. Could there be something about Pattaya that people find appealing, or are all Pattaya lovers irrational.

[Kerryd]

I just cannot imagine anyone who would travel thousands of miles to live in such a place full time, it don't make sense. Ok, 20 years ago, now, no way.

Imagine that, people like Pattaya. I do, and I hardly ever bar hop or drink alcohol. Could there be something about Pattaya that people find appealing, or are all Pattaya lovers irrational.

I travelled to Pattaya for the first time over 13 years ago. I found it to be a much nicer place to relax and have fun than Bangkok, and have been going back ever since.

I made the decision to live there after considering a number of factors in a number of countries. The infrastructure of the country was a prime consideration (transportation, hospitals, schools, ect). The exchange rates, the people, the political situation, the weather, the crime rate and even the food were also considered.

When I compared Thailand (and Pattaya) to many other places (like Mexico, the Phillippines, Cambodia, Peru and so on), it comes out above the rest. Is it perfect ? No, of course not. Various places/countries have features that may be more attractive to some, but are lacking in other areas.

Is Pattaya more dangerous than other places ? Not at all. We've hashed and argued this out here many times. We've researched crime stats (FBI Serious Crime Stats) from other places similar to Pattaya (like New Orleans pre-Katrina, Las Vegas, Honolulu) and found Pattaya to be far safer than those other places.

In fact, you are more likely to get into trouble in most of the major Western cities (LA, New York, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Toronto, Munich, ect) than in Pattaya.

The problem most people have with Pattaya is the sex trade industry. They don't like it for what ever reason, and use it as the basis to slag the place. They feel they are morally superior to anyone that would live in a place like Pattaya, while blissfully ignoring the fact that the same kinds of things are happening in their own backyards (cities).

If you don't like the place, and don't want to travel or live there, fine. Don't. Find another place that more suits your wants and needs. Why waste your time complaining about a place you don't intend on ever going to ?

[Tolley]

Pattaya is a very dangerous and evil place.

Stay away.

Women of easy virtue troll the streets looking for the naive and uninitiated.

Before you know it you will have a Thai wife a house in her name and the entire family on the payroll.

Be careful out there it is a jungle.

[johnnyk]

Its a dangerous place for people who are too drunk/stupid to keep their eyes open.

" for people who fancy themselves as hard men.

" for people who choose not to learn anything about Thailand and its ways.

" for people who shouldn't be allowed out alone to their local mall .

Other than that there are many many falang who have contented lives away from the nightlife.

[suiging]

Pattaya must have something. When someone starts a thread like this ( and there have been many ), they run and run.

Try a thread based on Northampton, or Sudbury and see what response you get.

Love it ( and I do ) or hate it ( and there are many that feel this way ), but you can't ignore it, something is going well

[Gary A]

I rented a house in a gated "secure community". It was broken into once and it was attempted a second time. But NOT in Pattaya. That was in Bangkok. Expats are far better off living in a condo that has good security. The back door of that house had double dead bolts. One at the top and another at the bottom. A prybar made short work of the deadbolts.

As far as personal safety, if you wear gold chains, have a Rolex on your wrist and like to drink you are making yourself a thief magnet. For the ladies that carry a purse, get one with a long strap that can go around your neck. Carrying the purse in you hand makes you an easy target. In all my years in Thailand, I have never been mugged. A group of ladyboys tried it, again in Bangkok, but I had a firm hand on the pocket that had my wallet in it.

That same group of ladyboys DID manage to rob a farang. A couple of nights later that guys friends organised a team. They sent one guy ahead alone. Another group shadowed him from the front and still another group from the back. Sure enough the same katoey grabbed his wallet. That katoey was run down in a dark alley and the guys nearly killed him. They were later laughing about it and I told them they would go to jail for a long time if the cops figured out who gave the katoey that serious of a beating. The cops did spend a lot of time asking around and fortunately were not given any information. I was happy to see a little justice done but keep in mind that YOU will suffer if you are caught.