Living in Thailand - 2 The experiment continues

For a couple of months at the end of last year, I experimented with living in Thailand, trying out different areas and apartments rather than hotels, so I could experience life there as a resident instead of a tourist. It was the first part of what is becoming a three stage experiment before I make a long term decision on where I would like to spend my retirement.

The second stage of this experiment occurred recently from mid-March to mid-April and was geared to testing my reactions to higher temperatures and my first Songkran. In the 13 years I have been coming to Thailand, this was the first time I had been in a period other than October to December.

As usual, I flew by EVA (Evergreen De Luxe), non-stop from London to Bangkok, but for the first time ever, I went straight to Pattaya by taxi to arrive in Center Condo once again in the early evening. I had heard from various people that booking taxis in advance was sometimes difficult; either e-mails were not answered, or taxis did not turn up at the airport. This with some of the regular services recommended by posters on this forum. I decided to try one not mentioned before; Nim's travel in Sunnee Plaza, which I had contacted via Monty's website (http://www.beauzo.com/ ).

I was told the transfer from the airport to Pattaya was 1200Baht + 200Baht for tolls and parking fees. The taxi turned up on time to greet me on arrival and gave me smooth passage to Center Condo. I can recommend them.

The next few days were spent settling in to my new apartment and meeting friends I had made on my last trip, together with those who had come from my home county in England on my recommendation. Additionally, I met up with a Forum poster who had contacted me via the ezboard inbox on realising we were both going to be there at the same time. He was good to meet and be with and soon became part of the wider group of expat and long-stay friends. Such is another benefit of this worthy forum.

My new apartment was very similar to the previous one mentioned in my last report, but this one faced West and overlooked the whole of Pattaya Bay. It was fantastic to be able to sit on the balcony and look at the view while having breakfast, or occasionally, when overnight guests wanted to take thing slowly, sit there drinking a nightcap under the stars, seeing the lights on the boats out at sea.

I have this little difficulty with certain noises, like sawing, hammering, drilling, etc. (in the apartment block) during the daytime, or musical chimes which trigger barking dogs and three-hour sermons over loudspeakers (from the nearby temple) in the middle of the night, when it interferes with what I like to consider my happy home for the stay. The renovation noises which plagued my last trip so badly were, happily, not so bad this time, but were there sufficiently to be a nuisance at times. I soon discovered that the Temple celebrated festivals in their own anti-social way by waking us all up at 3 am and continued until 6.30am! This occurred on a few nights, to celebrate special тАЬMonk daysтАЭ and also for the full 8 nights of PattayaтАЩs Songkran. Why they feel this is acceptable, I do not know, but on the advice of my landlord, I started taking sleeping pills for the first time in my life.

The Temple also celebrated a Festival with a тАШstreet-styleтАЩ market in their own grounds, including music, film shows, and kiddiesтАЩ fun fair. This seemed great fun for the Thais as I walked through it one night and totally acceptable as it closed each night, as with all other entertainment establishments at about 1am.

I stuck to the business of enjoying Pattaya and Jomtien and their entertainment of beer bars, showbars, Jomtien beach and various dining venues in the company of friends, both old and new. Special productions are always a treat for me, so I went to a couple at Throb in Boystown to see the energetic and erotic shows titled тАШBest of BritishтАЩ and тАШBest of AmericaтАЩ. What a pity about the overcrowding and smoky atmospheres at these special nights. IтАЩd go there more frequently if it wasnтАЩt for this discomfort.

The best treat for me was to go to the Swimwear contest at Jomtien complex, organised and sponsored by a variety of bars from both Pattaya and Jomtien. Well run (apart from the stage threatening to collapse under the weight of all those hunks) and a good bargain with a drink and a snack included in the 200Baht admission fee. It was pleasing to see a dancer from the new тАШLa LunaтАЩ showbar in Sunnee Plaza win the competition. Not only was he the most handsome (in my eyes), but the promotion it gives La Luna is well deserved as they put on a very good show in their home venue, with caring personal attention to customers by both management and staff.

Once again, I found myself spending most of my evening time in Sunnee Plaza rather than Boystown. The few occasions I visited Boystown for the bars was to meet friends at Panorama, an obvious meeting place that is readily identifiable to newcomers, or to see special shows and the occasional go-go bar. Two bars stuck in my mind; one whose name I forget which had an aggressive manager who insisted a go-go boy who sat with me be bought a drink; the other was the GentlemenтАЩs Club which has always been a favourite with me for itтАЩs calm, quiet ambience, attentive guys and pleasant management who have never insisted I buy a go-go boy a drink. I ought to add that if I do the inviting I always buy them a drink and give them a tip if I donтАЩt off them.

Sunnee Plaza, for me, is still a relaxed, more sociable area to spend a night out. It has a wide variety of venues to cater for most needs and tastes; from the obviously purely erotic to the delightfully artistic showbars; from the тАШattentiveтАЩ host bars to the friendly ordinary bars on the edge of the street; from barbecue style to simple Thai style to standard restaurants, serving set menus or ├б-la-carte. To me, it has a total тАШvillageтАЩ feel to it and I feel quite at home there.

Two events demonstrated the value of the considerate expat community that thrives in Pattaya:

Firstly, I attended one of the meetings held on Wednesday teatimes at the Thais4Life bookstore in Soi Yensabai. I was welcomed back as an old friend and people were genuinely interested in my progress in my тАШexperimentтАЩ and were happy to give further advice and information to my queries during the discussion. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend other meetings due to Songkran activities, but IтАЩll definitely be a regular during my next, longer trip.

Secondly, a frequent visitor to Pattaya, who was a mutual friend of me and an expat, found that he had offed a guy with an STD. After ensuring the short time was even shorter, he discussed the issue with our expat friend who suggested that they go and take the boy from the bar, after discussing the problem with the bar manager, to have a test at the local clinic. This was done immediately and the guy was tested, diagnosed and given treatment and medication that same night, paid for by the farang (about 1,000Bt, I think). Our expat friend ensured that he would check on the guy to make sure he was continuing to take the full course of medication. This extraordinary act of kindness, generosity and caring concern came naturally and is not the first time IтАЩve seen such selflessness from the expat crowd (see my report from the last trip). Needless to say, both the boy and the manager of the bar were delighted that the problem had been resolved.

It makes me proud to think that one day I might become part of that caring expat community.

With the obliging help of a friendly expat, I toured the local area for possible insights into the sort of place I may want to call home in the future. Diamond Apartments in South Pattaya Road, a new development, had a variety of units for rent at 14,000Bt to 18,000Bt per month, long term. A small group of bungalows in a garden style setting where a basic, unmodernised semi-detached was going for 8,000Bt per month on a yearly rental period.

Having seen a development on the maps called тАШThe VillageтАЩ off Third Road, I was interested to see what it comprised. We went there to find a well organised, peaceful village with various types of houses. We saw a vacant unmodernised two-bedroomed terraced house with air conditioning available for 11,000Bt per month on a six month period.

In Center Condo itself, there seems to be a variety of apartments, either modernised, or not, available for a wide range of rental prices.

I learnt a lot during this first serious excursion to view potential property types and areas for my future possible residency in Thailand. It was obvious, but salutary: You get what you pay for; - I prefer the modern, European look and facilities, so I have to pay a premium for that. Nevertheless, even recognising my modern desires, I think that rental prices are at a reasonable level for living long-term in Thailand.

I deliberately booked this trip to include the whole of Songkran in Pattaya, as I had heard as well as read the different attitudes of farangs to the event. Now IтАЩm always up for a party thatтАЩs different from the rest, so include me in, I thought.

I started my final week of this trip anticipating a fun time at my first Songkran. I lost my Songkran virginity during the trip to the beach today. It wasn't such a big deal, really, just a question of getting used to being wet. I even enjoyed being 'pasted' with talc on my face by a nice young man, saying "Sawatdee khrap Songkran". I felt I'd been initiated into the fold.:o

A quiet, pleasant time at the beach followed.

Then for the journey back. Bloody hell, it was murder! I thought I'd got the best of them by using the back passage behind the shops, then fleeing to the Jomtien Complex and pick the Baht bus up there. So far, so good. Then, almost as soon as the bus started, being full of all ages from 5 to 85 year olds, we were assailed from both sides every minute. Not gentle 'splish-splashing', but bloody great dollops of dunking from buckets. None of us found it amusing!:x

My interest in Songkran has been short-lived. Hey ho, at least I easily steam dry at this temperature.

And so it went on for seven days, during which I discovered a few things to remember if I ever visit at this time again: Drenching by water terrorists usually only occurred during the afternoon, as the little beggars are still asleep until midday: Once you pass the Police Box going towards Dongtan Beach youтАЩre unlikely to be attacked: It seems to stop at sundown by consensus (apart from the penultimate night): In an almost empty baht bus, you can fool the terrorists by hunching up against the driverтАЩs cab, so they donтАЩt see you until youтАЩve passed (Oh, the cries of тАЬAaaaahhhтАЭ as they realise youтАЩve outwitted them!): The return bus journey from the beach is usually full, so you get wet, - very wet! There is definitely a sadistic streak in these people as you can do nothing but take it, sitting there like a passive target. Some drivers will even slow down, or stop by a terrorist station and wait until he knows youтАЩve all got drenched. Other drivers will actually speed up past them to minimise the attack. Mai phen rai, - what the hell.

As the week progressed I got used to it, but never really enjoyed it, other than to see the Thais obviously having a ball with their lively smiley antics.

The last day was different. I had heard that Pattaya would be complete mayhem, so ever eager to sample the difference I ventured forth armed, not with a water gun/cannon/pistol/bowl/bucket, but with a cheap(500Bt) disposable underwater camera and dressed for the beach. Within yards of the condo alleyway, I was drenched, plastered and into it all as I walked the streets to Beach Road, getting wetter and more plastered as I went. I was on a mission, - to get close and see and experience the fun and games that is Songkran. From the roadside, I was getting a new perspective and catching some of it on film. Unlike on the buses, or on motorcycles, where the passengers could not avoid the inevitable, I could duck and weave, dodge and dive to try and outwit the attacks. It was fun. Many of the pictures I took really remind me of the atmosphere that day. The only thing missing was my water equipment. Maybe next time!

Time to go home:

After four weeks of fun in the sun, I think that I was ready to go home this time. The constant heat of 30+*C was a bit uncomfortable for me and the needless excesses of Songkran and the Temple had taken their toll on me. As many expats were saying; if only it lasted two or three days, it could be enjoyable, or at least tolerated. As it is, it was obvious that not only were there fewer tourists around in this low season period, but many expats and long-stay residents deliberately chose this time of year to get out of Thailand completely.

I booked a taxi from the тАШJoyтАЩ travel agency on the ground floor of Center Condo which took me comfortably to Bangkok for 800Bt, plus 155Bt toll fees. I pre-booked one night at the Pinnacle Hotel via the Dragoncastle website and Jimmy, arriving mid-afternoon to check my room and then go straight to the Babylon Sauna until 9pm, when I went direct to the Balcony Bar, which was quiet, then on to Bangkok Boys for a really saucy show in front of an audience of mainly Japanese tourists, then Solid Bar on the recommendation of another forum member who I met in Pattaya. Solid Bar reminded me so much of the gentle ambience and gorgeous guys in GentlemenтАЩs Club in Pattaya, so I was in Heaven for my last bar of this trip.

A taxi at the Pinnacle took me to the airport for 500Bt next morning for a flight that was best forgotten; delays; turbulence; virtually full. I was glad I was not in Economy.

How much did it all cost this time?

A bit more per day than last time, but little difference overall. An increase in guests тАШin my loomтАЩ to four per week, rather than two last trip, accounts for the extra couple of hundred pounds expenses in Thailand to about ┬г1,000 (75,000Bt). Airfare and other UK expenses came to about ┬г800 again, making a total of ┬г1,800 for the whole trip of 31 days

Summary:

This was a trip well worth doing. I didnтАЩt see as many expats and other friends as in October to December, but thatтАЩs understandable with it being low season and Songkran. IтАЩd come again at this time of year now IтАЩve lost my Songkran virginity and know what to expect (nothing like experiencing it first hand as well as reading about it on the forum). I didnтАЩt venture far, either, with no side trips out of town, but there was plenty to take in and enjoy for a one month trip.

IтАЩve already booked the same apartment, together with the flights on EVA for the final stage of this three stage experiment. For three months, mid-October to mid-January, IтАЩll be testing my reactions to the longest period away from home, including Christmas and New Year. My itinery will be such that I can use the trip as if I were actually living in Pattaya, doing things as a resident and learning if I really can live in Thailand, be it for six months each year, or permanently. IтАЩm looking forward to it with keen anticipation and hoping to meet all the friends I made last year again. In the meantime, Spring and Summer in the UK are a good time to spend at home.

Sanook. Just want to have fun in the sun.