Pattaya From Another View

Seems every few weeks at this site I see some disapproval from fellow expats who have adopted Bangkok as their home of refuge from the lonely western world. The criticism is usually something about how Pattaya is too low and tacky for
their personal noble character. It reminds me of that tool people sometimes use in an attempt to lift themselves up via criticizing others. There is no need to do so. I have noticed that many who criticize do visit here anyway. I guess for
our lovely beach?

Most fellow Falangs I talk with have no condemnation of Bangok. Oh, I think many of us would live there if the air was not so thick with toxins, the money didn't fly out of the pocket so fast, and the police didn't do random shakedowns. Aside
from those things, I find Bangkok fascinating, a place I often visit for a few days at a time and I really like the experience there. And I see beautiful architecture and not to forget, stunning Thai women of a different ethnicity than Pattaya.

Friday nights in Pattaya are jammed with traffic from folks coming from Bangkok. So, not all people in Bangkok find it such an undesirable place. It has its value to some.

For me, I sit on the 22nd floor now and can gaze down on the city and the ocean while a breeze blows through on a hundred degree day. I am comfortable, I am certainly not rich, but have adapted to Thailand and Pattaya, preferring this
life over the lonely solitude and isolation offered to a 66-year old pensioneer in my home country. I am not obese, sleeveless, and I sometimes wear long pants, so I suppose I do not fit the profile some of my high class fellow expats point
to when mentioning the Ekamai bus terminal where the bus to Pattaya departs from, for a wallet saving 113 baht I might add.

Folks, we are all trying to get by and enjoy our lives. If what we do is of no harm to others, who are you to judge? What is the foul?

In my years here I have had several relationships, maybe closer to transactions (aren't they all?) but I did enjoy and have tried to add to some younger person's life in a meaningful when I could and have had a richness of experience
not available to me back home unless I had 50 times the money I have saved and get from my pensions. The things to do here are many and diverse and if a person just looks around at something other recreational sex, there are many possibilities
to entertain oneself.

This town is not all about Beach Road, and it would be intelligent to see another side of this place. The opportunities for human interaction are so abundant it's little wonder one of the best selling t-shirts for years has been
"Leave Me Alone". It was here when I fist came in 2002, and I think some other old boys can date it further back. I do know people who have not been to Walking Street for years and have no interest, yet enjoy the many other Falang
friendly features of Pattaya.

When one first gets here, they hear of many threats to safety, and we learn what is real and what may not be or has not happened to them yet. After seven years from what I felt was more dangerous, Phuket, I think I know how to get by
here. Twice I have had dramas with young ladies and the police in this town, and I saw the police tended to side with me in both instances. The police here need help like their brothers in Bangkok, but they do seem to remember who supports
this town and have treated me with respect on the occasions I had to talk with them in a situation. I can only recall once in my life where a policeman sought a significant bribe from me and that was in the United Stares in 1964 when I was
18.

Stickman has a diverse audience of any nationalities and age groups I can imagine. Among the men my age, many are frequent readers and it is fun talking with friends who are surprised to learn I am the guy writing these subs. We meet
all over town in this subculture we have, from Starbucks, Tukcom, Amy of the sois, including the eighth wonder of the world, Soi Six, and of course the Central Festival mall. This really is a haven for men like me, and many others.

So, for anyone who wants to try and lift themselves up via a condemnation of others, live and let live. If you want self esteem go do an esteemable thing. Let's enjoy this freedom of choice, variety and laughter as long as well can.
Cut Pattaya some slack! It is what it is, an entertainment center and place for poor Thais to improve their lives and foreingers to feel alive.