Sampling Condo Living in Jomtien Beach, Pattaya

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Friends of ours from Canada were vacationing at Jomtien Beach, a beachside resort suburb of the city of Pattaya, just two hours south of Bangkok, so we decided to take a detour en route to Myanmar and spend a few days enjoying the sun and experiencing briefly the lifestyle of luxury condo living, while visiting with friends from back home.

This was not real hard to take. How could a sixteenth floor, beautifully furnished, one bedroom suite with a view of the ocean be anything but? Lounging around the pool or taking in the beachside restaurants and night life was not bad either. The beach was okay, but far busier and crowded than beaches we generally gravitate toward. All in all, it was nice to get an idea of what condo lifestyle in Thailand could be like.

Historically, Pattaya was the resort area that developed when American military personnel frequented it during the Vietnam war. It has since, some fifty years later, evolved into a sex capital for Thailand, with its famous Walking Street being analogous to the Red Light District of Amsterdam. Walking Street is a huge tourist attraction, particularly for Russians, as evidenced by the signage everywhere in Russian. We spent a couple of hours one evening taking in the Street's sights, with its abundance of male and female prostitutes, window dancers, freak shows, Thai boxing matches, bars, and Short Stay Hotels. It was - like Amsterdam's Red Light District - something to experience once, but that is probably enough of a glimpse into this reality.

And so we prepare to shift gears and discover soon another, very different reality, the ancient culture of Myanmar.

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Photos

Condo Luxury
How could this be hard to take?

Another Condo Shot
All this for fifty bucks a night?

The Tower
This fifty story tower was part of our condo view. During the daytime, we regularly watched a gondola descend down one side, and a chair lift down the other. We considered doing the chair for a day or two, til one of our buddies took a closer look at the chairlift security features, and they seemed a little lacking, so we decided to pass.

Poolside Lounge Lizard
Hold your breath, Stan. . . Okay, you can relax now, pictures taken:)

Walking Street Pataya
Welcome to Walking Street Pattaya

Walking Street Pataya Bilingualism
Note the signage.

Window Dancer
I managed to get a quick photo of this Russian girl dancing behind the glass before another Russian woman, perhaps the manager ? Came running up and said "No photo without pay!" I declined.

Thai Boxing Match
The match we watched went for about five minutes. Thankfully, there was no blood, but the kicks were loud and hard. They don't mess around. It's not like on TV.

Walking Street Pataya Street View
The street extends for about seven blocks, with adjacent side streets connecting to the main along the way, so it is fairly sizeable area.

Short Time Rooms
Just in case you thought I was making that part up. 300 Baht is about ten bucks.

Beautiful Condo View
It was pretty sweet to sit out on this deck and enjoy this view while eating breakfast, playing a game of cards, or strumming a few tunes with our friends. So all in all, Jomtien Beach, Pattaya, was a good detour en route to Myanmar.