The Russians are coming! the Red Shirts are coming!

...but the Summit Leaders ain't coming!

It was the day of ASEAN Summit. When I walked past the hotel lobby, the hotel staff warned me not to wear red top. "Not too worry. Red isn't my favourite colour", I said. Besides too hot for red in this weather. I'm a greenie.

Even though the focus of the protest was in the Royal Cliff Beach hotel not far from Fraser Resort where we stayed (less than 1.5 km), but there is no hint of any political disturbances. It was very localised event (the later Bangkok disturbances are more widespread). The Red Shirt successfully stopped the Summit from starting. This was the first time I heard about the Red Shirts. I think the first time the world heard about it too.

Red Shirts protest
Source: Telegraph

First came the US sailor boys, then the Russians in droves. History is full of ironies. If you don't know what I'm talking about, read my diary on my first day of arriving Pattaya.

I was somewhat surprise about the large number of Russian tourists here, and not just hot-blooded tattooed youths who frequent the many unique Thai traditional adult entertainment venues (some of the tattoos are probably done at the many affordable local tattoo parlours that are sandwiched between massage shops. Some are unisex. Some are men only).

Pattaya has diversified away from the sex industry, and the tourist demographics also expanded from young men, people with different sexual orientations, to include couples, families, and just about anyone. I guess the tropical heat and cheap Thai Baht attracts the snowed in Russian as much like snows and Russian dolls attract people like me who grew up in the sub-temperate zone.

Some message shops are attracting Russian tourists...

...while others are actually run by Russian. I have visited this place a few doors from Fraser Resort and met the Russian owner

After dark, the (in)famous Walking Street at the end of Pattaya Beach lit up with neon lights of restaurants, go-go bars, strip joints, discos, open-air bars with Muay Thai (Thai boxing), open-air bars with snake rattler, open-air bars with pool tables, open-air bars with ...(just fill in with your imagination).

Many children visiting here at night, chaperoned by their parents, wide-eyed, dazzled, confused or titillated by all the sights and sounds. I've seen the same sights - parents with children in arms, prams, and hands - walking through Lan Kwai Fong in Hong Kong or the red-light district in Amsterdam (de Wallen). Red light district isn't just for the Reds: former Soviet Russian or Red Shirt protesters.

One of the gate of Walking Street at the western end

We dined in this seafood restaurant at Walking Street. The food is not too bad, but the view of the ocean at dusk more than made up for it.

The Pattaya beach at dusk could be quite nice.

While some Russian tourists, especially the young ones, are attracted by the red-lights and neon lights, the family are obviously more attracted to the Pattaya beach and its water sports.

First Impression of Pattaya

Long Time No See.   Love You Long Time.

I had been to Pattaya once in my younger days in the 1980s.  After a 1.5 hours, the various shops' signages told me that we were in Pattaya. My first impression was....holy cow!!!

Sahassadeja (Guardian giant )
at the Bangkok airport

My vague memory of the trip that I took with Darren 25 or so years ago told me that Pattaya was a sleepy fishing town with rustic cottages that was invaded by a red-light district, and a small scatterings of 3 to 4 stars hotels fringed along the beach that made up Pattaya.

Either my memories played tricks on me or Pattaya's growth have exploded in the last 25 years. I think it's a bit of both, with the latter being playing a larger part.

I guess things do change a lot in 25 years, but Pattaya is now resembling more like a bustling town (or even city) than a red-light district next to a beach. There was not a trace of what I can recall left (I meant the fishing cottages, not the sex industry. That grew in size (let's get our mind out of the gutter).

The fishing cottages are replaced by mega malls. I think the fishermen who were here still here, but instead of catching fishes, they now catch tourist dollars. Upwardly mobile. Pattaya has become so big that the ASEAN Summit will be held there next week with leaders from countries like China and Japan will be there. It's no longer just a red-light district, but a tourist destination for the whole family, and you do see them here.

I told David, an Aussie expat who worked in Pattaya, how heavy was the censorship on Thai TV. Many images were being blurred on the screen: anything from a knife, naughty bits, obscene gestures, gun and even cigarettes. Thai TV audience needs lots of imagination to understand its content. I told him this heavy handed censorship is in line with Thailand being a traditional Buddhist society.

After hearing that, he commented what a schizophrenic society Thailand is. I understand where he came from considering that he was working in a red-light district that would make Amsterdam's counterpart blushed. The contrast between Pattaya and its very traditional values pretty extreme.

I told him that Pattaya was no more weird than Kings Cross. He looked at me with the incredulous expression like I just told him that Aussies came from Mars. For those who don't know, Kings Cross is Sydney's red-light district. I didn't mean Kings Cross is a stark contrast with Australian culture, just its geographical surrounding.

Why is there a red-light district in Kings Cross, which is smacked bang in the middle of surrounding dandy neighbours of Potts Points and Elizabeth Bay? The whole area around Kings Cross are upmarket, upper middle income eastern bay areas. You don't usually see a red-light district in such suburb. For one thing, the rents in these areas are typically high.

USS Kitty Hawk docked at the Garden Island, Sydney in July 2007

Kings Cross is only a walking distance from Garden Island where the US navy docked its aircraft carrier while its crew cruises down to Kings Cross for some red hot R&R. Like The Village People (not the Pattaya villagers. Ok, maybe) would sing, "you can't stop the sailors..." Oops music...(Yeah I suspect Village People is popular in Pattaya).

All this was created by the US navy during the Vietnam War when the sailors popped down there for R & R. As a side note, I bet large percentages of Asian (and Australian. Ok, the world's) red-light districts are probably single handedly created by US Navy in the 20th century.

As it turned out that the fast pace of growth of Pattaya wasn't due entirely of tourism (now much more than just sex industry), but Thai government conscious effort to expand it, at least in recent decades. That have also added a growing population of Western expats, whom could easily be mistaken as tourists. Their 'natural tan', as supposed to three-days lobster tan, should be a dead giveaway.

Is this farang trying to get some extra attention?

But if you look closely, its vestiges of fishing life could still be found plying their trades alongside with international tourism.

Fisherman does it with good old-fashioned elbow grease

Of course, with the explosive growth of Pattaya, it isn't just the farang tourists and expats who contributed to the breakneck population pace of growth. Most Thai you meet here would likely be born somewhere else in Thailand.

In the West, if you have extra members come into the family, add a house extension
In Thailand, add a side trolley to your motorbike

Pattaya never sleeps

Ronald McDonald greets customers with a Thai wai (palms together with a light bow)