Fishing in Pattaya – Part 2, “happy everyday for the last 13 years” -May 9th, 2008
Reports From the Road
Worldwide Dispatches From Independent Travelers on The Road
I have to differ with James in the “Fishing in Pattaya” article (I am one of the “buddies” he mentions). James says that “if you have been to one beach tourist town in Southeast Asia, you have pretty much seen them all”. Now I’m not calling my dear buddy a liar, Far from it. James is one of the most straight-forward guys I know; as a matter of fact he can be candid to the point of awkwardness sometimes. What I am saying is that James has seen and done a lot more than your average traveler. Same things that get us normal guys off don’t seem to lift an eyebrow on James. I am not as experienced a traveler as James is, but I’ve seen my fair share of places. I’d have to say that seeing Pattaya was something I will never forget without the aid of some serious brain trauma. After the trip there, I said to James that this place should be required travel to any male past the age of puberty.
Now we had been planning this trip for a bit. Actually, I was planning this trip for a good bit. This was nothing new to James. I’m worrying about hotels and exchange rates and the like and James is pondering whether or not to take first class to Bangkok or go economy with me. So finally, when the day comes we fly out on Singapore Air (some of the hottest flight attendants you ever saw) and after a quick lay-over in Singapore we get to Bangkok International. We hustle about getting visas and phone cards and put in a call to our man on the ground Nick Gatsby.
Now, Nick has been in Bangkok for something like 13 years. He has done what you and I dream of doing but don’t have the balls to - well actually I have the balls, but my plan just requires a bit more time. He came out to Thailand with less than a year’s salary and no plan but if you ask him today about it, he’d tell you that he’s “been happy everyday for the last 13 years”. Talk about intriguing right? I mean I get pissed off whenever I had to stop at a gas station and fill up the tank. See that’s the thing, little things like that don’t bother Nick. He’s found his bit of peace out here in Thailand.
Anyway, James makes the intros and right from the get-go we’re all long lost war buddies. Probably because we all share the same goal; get booze, get girls, and make money. Of course, I was the only one new to this game. That didn’t matter, “Duck to water” seems to come to mind. We make a two-hour trip to by way of taxi that Nick had hustled down to more than reasonable price. We talk up a storm and Nick and James both go on with their war stories and I listened, ready for the same things to happen to me (if you ever buddy up with James ask him to tell you a tale or too, I still laugh at some of the stuff that’s happened to him). Finally we get to Pattaya and check into the Resident Garden Suites (theresidentgarden.com). After a quick shower, we all hit the town.
If anything exists on this planet then at one point it was in Pattaya first. That’s the feeling you get when you are there. Anything you could possibly want and I mean ANYTHING is in Pattaya. There is no God in this city, which is a rather dramatic way of saying there is no judgment. The city itself is in complete disarray. Buildings that should be condemned are packed past capacity with guys looking for the quick company and fools looking for the long love. The streets are packed with people and motos and street vendors and kids, yes children, selling overpriced junk to tourist. Everywhere are rusted nails and plastic sun-stripped of its color. The entire city has that humid funk that seems to get underneath your shirt and into your pants.
The women of Pattaya are what make it what it is. They are the heart and soul of this city as a collective, as a whole they are the very life blood of the city. I don’t know too many people who go to Pattaya to golf or watch Muay Thai and even the ones that go there to partake of such activities always do as an afterthought more than a sole reason to go. The reputation for Pattaya is known the world over but I was skeptical. We’ve all heard buddies talking about places that seem too good to be true. Even with James telling me about all of the fun I would have and crazy things I would see I still had this assumption of over-exaggeration on the part of friend. Well, you know what they say about assumptions. Every doubt I had about the place was put to rest the moment we got into the city. Two women per every guy? Try 5, 6 or 7 women per every guy. I’ll let you think about that for a while…
Got it? Good.
After our alcohol induced meandering through the neon lit streets of Pattaya we decided some fishing was in order. Now, I don’t fish. Just never was something I did. But when the idea presented itself I figured “hey what the hell, we’ll have some beer catch some fish and just have some peace and quiet out there.” The boat we were to go fishing on had tons of character and so did the captain and 1st mate. Both of them had their complete life story written into their feet. Never in my life have I seen such bad feet. These guys could have walked through molten hot lava with those clodhoppers. Real cool guys though, I have to say. We left the coast in search of lunch. So after about 7 or 8 Dramamines we got to where the captain said the fish were. Nothing much to the rest of the trip, we fished and talked amongst each other. Drank beer and ate the freshest fish I’ve ever had wile out in this beautiful water with the sun beating down on us. It was peaceful out there. I remember vividly this feeling I got. It was a feeling of escape. As if I had beaten my own destiny. I’m sure at one point James felt this feeling, Nick too.
We got back and got ready to leave. Nick was going back home to Bangkok. Where most people visit and take their memories with them, Nick decided to drop anchor and stay in paradise. You got to give him credit for being so brave. The three of us had a blast. It was a trip that will never forget and was 100 times more interesting than any cruse or cookie cutter vacation package where the majority of the trip you’re just trying to find things to keep you from being bored. And though I was sad to be leaving, James and I were on our way back to Indonesia.
Now of course their are do’s and don’ts that come along with any place like this but that’s something I’ll discuss in a different section one day, along with a more “thorough” examination of this odyssey through Pattaya.
Anthony Otomo is an IT contractor living a somewhat nomadic lifestyle (traveling wherever the money takes him). He is currently working in Iraq and plans to put down roots in Jakarta, Indonesia in the near future. He is happily divorced with a daughter.
