Pattaya

We're spending a week in Pattaya, Thailand, which is situated on the coast about 2-hours south of Thailand. We decided to come here because Thipp's Thai-Canadian friend Samantha is wintering here with her husband Mike. I had never heard of Pattaya before and now that I'm here I know why.

Pattaya is a huge tourist town that follows the ocean for miles and miles. There are lots of new condos under construction and plenty of places falling apart. Depending on what part of the city you're in there are also many girlie bars and tattoo parlours. Apparently there is plenty of great golfing available I the area. Unfortunately I don't golf. Still, we're happy enough being here as our hotel is really nice and we're finding enough to do, or not to do.

There are lots and lots of old tourists in Pattaya, especially males. And by old I mean that they make me appear young again. A lot of these old guys are giving it their best attempt to defy the ageing process. There are various approaches taken. Some dye their hair and it is often of a colour so inconsistent with the rest of their physique that their hair looks more like a hat. Others walk around displaying relatively new tattoos, presumably adding to their street-cred back at the rest home. Others speed around on rented motor bikes, often with a local woman perched on the backseat. It feels like spring break for Grandpas.

There are also a lot of Russians here. I would bet that there are more Russians tourists here than all other nationalities combined. Hopefully they are having a good time because if they weren't I couldn't imagine them looking any grimmer.

Next Tuesday morning we'll catch a flight from Bangkok to Laos. Thipp phoned her family in Vientiane last night to tell them the news and Thipp said that they were yelling with excitement. Samantha's daughter, Victoria, also booked the same flight as part of her planned travels and this morning Samantha and Mike decided to come too. I think things are going to get interesting.