Post #6- Tom Lonergan

Pattaya. A tourist hotspot where you see more foreigners than Thai's. Where old foreign men and young local girls seem to be the best of friends. Of all the places we have visited in Thailand, this was definitely the one I was most eager to leave. Despite the gorgeous beaches and wonderfully warm weather, there was a darker side to this place. The men showed little to no respect to the women, and staring for extended periods of time seemed to be the norm. Even though I was not the target of these stares, as someone with three younger sisters, I could barely stand by and watch it happen to the girls in our group. I don't know the customs in these tourists hometowns, but much of the behavior I witnessed would be enough to get a visit from the police back in the United States. There were less smiling faces and more vendors shoving goods down your throat, hoping to make some easy money from the foreigners. A few days to soak up the sun on the beautiful beaches was great, but Pattaya will not be on my list of places to return to. However, the visit taught me a lot. It showed me in a more drastic way than any of our other destinations that you cannot make assumptions about an entire country based on any one city. Every country has some shady areas where the low life's hang around, and Pattaya is definitely one of those cities in Thailand.