A sleepy little fishing village … where?

Orlando Barton

If you’ve ever met any old-timers in Pattaya, it’s interesting to hear them talk about “the old days”. My Uncle was in the US Air Force stationed at Utapao Air Base just south of Pattaya during the Vietnam Conflict. I’ve got old 35mm slides from 1968 showing people riding horses on a pristine, natural and deserted Pattaya Beach.

Google “Pattaya” and read dozens of descriptions of this place. Most have two things in common. All of them mention Walking Street and the sex business. Most of them mention the fact Pattaya was once a “sleepy little fishing village”. For those of us who live her, it is hard to imagine.

For us Johnny-come-lately’s, Pattaya appears to have sprung forth from the ground a fully-functioning seaside tourist-infested madhouse. It’s like someone took some “Las Vegas Seeds” and planted them here by the sea. We assume Pattaya was always here glowing in the dark … one big neon distraction.

The story this week’s picture tells is where you might find that sleepy little fishing village now. It is taken from the pier in Bang Sare, a 15-20 minute drive from Pattaya. Visit the villages between Jomtien and Sattahip like Bang Sare and Ban Amphur, and you’ll get the full-on fishing village experience.

Full story: http://www.inspirepattaya.com/lifestyle/sleepy-little-fishing-village/

-- Inspire Pattaya 2016-06-05

So where are these 'old 35 mm slides'?

I would love to see these shots from 1968

Some more fishing boat pictures that I took thirteen years ago at Bang Sare:

Bangkok was once a sleepy fishing village on the banks of a slow moving river...........

I dive regularly from Samaesan. A fishing port, not really sleepy though. There are still loads of fishing villages around. Not Bang Sare anymore I'm afraid. Too many yachts.

If you love old style, still working fishing villages, travel to Prachuap Khiri Khan and along the coast to Chumphon...Many small fishing villages, usually situated up tidal rivers. Not at all over run with tourists...yet.

If you love old style, still working fishing villages, travel to Prachuap Khiri Khan and along the coast to Chumphon...Many small fishing villages, usually situated up tidal rivers. Not at all over run with tourists...yet.

you can head to Trat, also

I went to Pattaya in '67, stayed at a place called The Big Wheel, or The Wheelhouse--not sure which. It was a drunken party trip with friends and we took a taxi from the Nana hotel. The place was built out over the water at the end of the road. It was run by an old American named Bill Wheeler. At that time, I believe there was only one road in from the highway. There were maybe 10-15 bars and a dozen restaurants, mostly all built out over the water on stilts, and a very few hotels. I don't remember any fishing boats, but that doesn't mean they weren't there. We stayed only three or four days before returning to BKK. I didn't return to Pattaya again until the mid-eighties; the place had surely changed by then. I could not find the Wheelhouse again, may be it was gone, but there was more than one road in by then.

I was in Pattaya in '64 whilst in the navy. We anchored in the bay and took a 'liberty boat' to the beach. As far as I remember there was a 'beach road', which wasn't tarmacked, with one bar, a shop and a few 'houses'. Boy oh boy has it changed since then!

Shit.....now they know....

Hardly sleepy. Both BKK hordes and southern dwellers attack on weekends.

I Live here in Bang Saray, week-ends are full of people coming to the beach,Buildings going up all the time. Not so Sleepy Anymore..People have found our Jewell..

I don't think anyone is claiming Pattaya is a sleepy fishing village now. That would be ridiculous. Just saying that back in the '60s it was very much asleep!

Bangkok was once a sleepy fishing village on the banks of a slow moving river...........

My grandparents visited bangkok in 1952 as part of a round the world cruise. The description in his dairy is not a sleepy village. He said it was a madhouse of activity at the port. He also had been there in 1910's in the merchant marine and said it had grown considerably but was always a busy port.

TH

I was meaning BKK way way way way back....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Bangkok

I don't think anyone is claiming Pattaya is a sleepy fishing village now. That would be ridiculous. Just saying that back in the '60s it was very much asleep!

The Lonely Planet does. A friend of mine came to Pattaya for the first time last year. He brought a copy of the LP guide and it didn't contain one....single....mention....of Pattaya. Just doesn't exist in Lonely Planet world.

Some photos I shot 6 years ago ;

it's a little bit south of Pattaya, maybe not far from Jomtien

Surrounded by condos , Now, used to be a few restaurants, too, remember Mr.Dog Restaurant, south of Jomtien before the big seafood rest.and u have to veer left