What did you expect? Much as I agree with you that Pattaya is not a great place for a holiday, I think that it would not have taken much research before your holiday to discover what kind of place it is and the atmosphere that prevails there.
Having lived in Thailand for 8 years, I would suggest going off the beaten track to avoid feeling that everyone is out to take advantage of you. Thai people are very friendly on the whole and make many more concessions to foreign visitors than people in many other countries. Enjoy your trip.
Deal with it Deal with it champ, most of these people make next to nothing and the extra 10 cents they charge a foreigner means nothing to you but alot to them.
Enjoy your holiday and stop crying a river over such minor matters.
Your blog is entertaining and gives a balanced perspective you have on Thailand. Anyway, please do not let us down by saying that the Thais, being generally poorer, make you feel lucky to be an American. There are Thais who live in very basic houses, Thais who live in luxurious villas or condos and Thais who live in something in between. I think this is just like in the US. The only difference is that USA has a larger proportion of middle class population than Thailand does. If you have a good friend who is less well to do, I trust you would not say in the public ( this website is a public place) that his inferior living condition make you feel lucky to belong to a richer family. Equal relationships cannot be formed upon that type of belief/feeling.
In fact, Thailand, though far from being rich, is not a dirt poor country. With its population of 60 million, the country's GDP ranks around 18th in the world. It stands around 93th among over 230 countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita. This is roughly the same as Brazil, somewhat better than Turkey and well ahead of China and India.
Welcome to Thailand! Travel safe and have a great time.
I am a 54 year old single American man from Connecticut travelling for one month in Thailand. This is my second trip to Thailand, having spent 17 days there last year in Bangkok and Koh Samui.
This year I plan on getting some dental work done at Bumrungrad Hospital and then spend the remainder of my time travelling throughout Thailand. This blog will be a record of my journey.... full info
Scott
non-member comment
What did you expect?
Much as I agree with you that Pattaya is not a great place for a holiday, I think that it would not have taken much research before your holiday to discover what kind of place it is and the atmosphere that prevails there. Having lived in Thailand for 8 years, I would suggest going off the beaten track to avoid feeling that everyone is out to take advantage of you. Thai people are very friendly on the whole and make many more concessions to foreign visitors than people in many other countries. Enjoy your trip.