Thursday, October 7

We made it to Pattaya! 

Out hotel is right on the beach, and our room is awesome—it has totally over-the-top ersatz Rococo stylings, and is spacious and comfortable. There is a little kitchenette area with an espresso machine, tea kettle, toaster, etc, the bathroom has a large tub with jets and a separate shower (and bathrobes!) and there is a sweet balcony with a table and chairs and a lovely view of the sea.

 

View to the right...

View to the left...

And there's a pool!

Pattaya itself it not a total ghost town, but the streets are lined with lots of restaurants, bars, and go-go clubs that are almost all closed. There are still conveniences stores, eateries, and massage parlors open—but the parts of town devoted to the sex work industry (which is a lot of it!) feel particularly shut down.

For lunch, we stopped at an open-air Turkish place, and ordered chicken kebabs…

After lunch, we picked up some beverages at the 7-Eleven, and headed back to our room so Roman could teach his class, while I wandered a little of Pattaya on my own.

In the afternoon, we went to the beach, and I waded into the water while Roman sat on an upturned bucket on the sand, playing his guitar. 

I was a little disappointed by the beach, to be honest—there was a lot of trash along the coast line and in the shallowest part of the water. The water was warm and felt nice, but I found it a little icky swimming through floating plastic caps and straws. But Pattaya is big, and there are plenty of other beaches (and nearby islands) to check out. 

In the evening, we walked into town, away from the beach, to what’s supposed to be the best pizza place in Pattaya. It felt somehow festive getting pizza on the first day of our beach vacation, and it was delicious.

Afterwards, we took a long walk past more empty storefronts, and then onto a busy street, lined with bustling street food carts and sexy clothing stores. There are no tourists to speak of in town, but we saw a handful of local Thais and expats hanging out, eating and chatting, and occasionally sipping a covert beer.

Then we turned onto the Pattaya Walking Street, which used to be the center of the sex work industry in Pattaya--the city's primary red light district. And it was deserted.

Like, every single bar, club, and restaurant was closed, though a few would be randomly lit up--with bright neon candies, or with the lights from a sole TV set.

It felt creepy, like walking through a deserted amusement park at night. But it was sad, too, thinking of all the people put out of work by this pandemic.

At the end of the walking street, there was, surprisingly, an open family mart with a few people people hanging out in front--it felt kind of like seeing a mirage in the desert--and I went inside, while Roman befriended a purple dog.

And then we headed home for the night.