Frank Georgalis – Writer

Thailand—Culture from far away places Part II

Pattaya Map Pattaya Beach

Pattaya, Thailand and part of Thailand

By

Frank Elias Georgalis

These are the bars where the waiters are generally young THAI BOYS aged 18 to approximately 30, who will not only serve you drinks, but will sit and entertain you. There are also around a dozen go-go bars, where the same service can be obtained, but there is an added entertainment of seeing the boy’s dance, normally on a central stage. In addition to this, there are many hotels, two guesthouses; and many restaurants, serving local Thai food to European cuisine. Additional amenities include mini marts, hair salons,.There are sea-food restaurants, beer bars, discotheques go-go bars, and night clubs. The street is also known for the large amount of glowing colored neon signs which illuminate the street at night. In the earlier part of the evening one can also find live bands and fine dining. The legal closing time is 2:00 am.  Culture Notable businesses today
There are much and many things of great difference to the visitor’s eye. Some visitors can look and marvel; some can gaze with timid glances and cover their faces with both hands as if to hide themselves from some reality. The narrow minded eye will look with contempt and judge without thinking. This is common among the narrow minded people. It is believed that narrow minded people are blocking out the things they don’t like, but they do not know they are also blocking pout many good things in life. This is the place where the old world ran away and the brave new world of the third gender, LADYBOYS is thriving not alone shamelessly but with pride. In my opinion, this is not the image of Thailand. Thailand is vast piece of land inhabited and enjoyed by the nicest people on earth. Although Thailand has never been colonized and never had troops of occupation, has a mixture of cultures like a melting pot
Controversy and problems
Over the past years, Sunee Plaza, one of the area’s biggest shopping centers, developed a reputation for supplying underage boys to pedophile sex tourists. There has also been a problem in the past with drugs, in particular Yaba, being sold around the area. However after a number of police crackdowns and changes of owners, these problems are diminishing. There have been some high profile arrests of pedophiles and many of the bars which supplied the underage boys have closed. There has also been a problem with underage street boys annoying tourists, but again a number of police initiatives have reduced this problem and Sunee Plaza itself is working to clean itself up. The swimming pool, which was used by many underage boys to sleep in, has been renovated and is now open to the public. Good security has removed this problem.the tables and will provide a short show on each table as they pass. Euroboys is unique in that it does not have a stage, but the boys perform on a ground level lit walkway between two banks of padded seating for customers. Wonderland has just reopened (April 2010). This bar, formerly known as Topman, has always been the “showbar” in the plaza. A show with lady boys lip-synching to songs, which male dancers perform behind has been a tradition in Thailand and this bar, and has now been re-established.

The beer bars vary from quiet “local” type bars, where the emphasis is just sitting and watching people to loud and noisy . Examples of this genre are Forest House and the corner Bar at opposite ends of the street. There are music bars which specialize in different styles of music, such as Memories Music bar. There are also party bars, where a regular event is staged. These would include Mike’s bar La Cage, just outside Sunee Plaza in Soy VC. Oud’s bar and café is another landmark, mainly because of the extroverted Oud, who can sometimes be seen performing an impromptu drag show. Duc’s Coffee Shop and bar also contains a book library with books for sale. The Terrace Bar of the Don Plaza hotel is worthy of note as this was opened on a derelict piece of land which was cleared as part of the cleaning of the area.

For accommodation, there are a number of hotels on site, but there are also good budget guesthouses, such as Twoguys Guesthouse, providing personal service.

Thailand, like the rest of the world, is suffering from the generally economic recession. The closure of the airport at Bangkok in November 2008 and the riots at the Asian Summit in April 2009  have not helped the situation and have resulted in governments around the World issuing warnings against visiting Thailand. However Pattaya has been relatively trouble free, and apart from the Asian Summit, has not been involved in any of the political upheaval. However the publicity this has generated has all been negative and has depressed tourist visitors. Sunee Plaza has reacted to this by engaging in a heavy programmed of promotion. A loose collection of business people have united to promote the area, and many joint activities have developed from what before was a disparate group of businesses. A poster campaign leads to a joint party on 15th June 2009 across the soy and there was a grand White Party and gay festival on 15th November 2009. There are always a number of businesses closed for the “low season” (March to October) and this is normal, but they open in October. The work continues to clean the image and cooperation with the City Council and local police is bringing results. Thai culture has been shaped by many influences, including Chinese, Lao, Burmese, Cambodian, and Indian.

Its traditions incorporate a great deal of influence from India, China, Cambodia, and the rest of Southeast Asia. Thailand’s national religion Theravada Buddhism is important to modern Thai identity. Thai Buddhism has evolved over time to include many regional beliefs originating from Hinduism, animism as well as ancestor worship. The official calendar in Thailand is based on the Eastern version of the Buddhist Era, which is 543 years ahead of the Gregorian (western) calendar. For example, the year AD 2010 is 2553 BE

The traditional Thai greeting, the wai, is generally offered first by the younger of the two people meeting, with their hands pressed together, fingertips pointing upwards as the head is bowed to touch their face to the hands, usually coinciding with the spoken word “Sawasdee khrap” for male speakers, and “Sawasdee ka” for females. The elder then is to respond afterwards in the same way. Social status and position, such as in government, will also have an influence on who performs the wai first. For example, although one may be considerably older than a provincial governor, when meeting it is usually the visitor who pays respect first. When children leave to go to school, they are taught to wai to their parents to represent their respect for them. They do the same when they come back. The wai is a sign of respect and reverence for another, similar to the namaste greeting of India and Nepal

It is worth noticing, but  not judging, even though Walking Street has made a turn from being a red light district to having built stores and restaurants have that are rigged to cater to tourists and their  young families, nevertheless the taste and touch of being a red district has not  gone away.

Thousands of tourists are strolling along the wide Walking Street marveling the  extraordinary scenery. They are marveling the young and beautiful ladies who are lined up in front of the  many dark and door less bars, with charm and smiles, trying to get the mostly male walkers to come in to have a drink with them. They are so charming and charismatic in their  profession they can remove your clothes without touching a button. They are all dressed in uniforms of the bar’s colors. Most of the time a patron in the bar sitting next to his hostess, strikes a bargain with the day regarding a brief sexual encounter which winds up in one of the $10 per two hour stay around in the many old hotels on Walking Street or a by-alley.  As one strolls down the street will be astonished seeing the beautiful tall ladies parading on the street, to discover that  they are not  ladies at all, they are what they call themselves Lady boys, who are gay men but are wearing lady’s clothes and have implanted or homo-grown female breasts and are the hostesses for gay bars. Ladyboys are a little more complicated subject and a just a “mention” of them will not do justice so, I shall take the subject up at a later date and a later article.  Aside from the beautiful uniformed hostesses there are many, many other young women who would like to be called working ladies, but in essence they are our ladies of the night. From their dressing, one cannot tell if they are working girls, as they like to be thought of, looking for sexual partners or they are the girls next door. The street is patrolled by the tourist’s police who most are volunteer Europeans, retired and permanent residents of Thailand, with much law enforcing experience and are doing fantastic job maintaining order. With all the beer that is flowing from the bars and liquor stores, and all the people staggering and stumbling on the street, holding a bottle beer as if it is their security blanket, I personally have not seen a fist fight or bar brawl.  I have never seen an angry Thai man or heard a Thai lady screaming madly or being vulgar

One may say that I have taken too much time and space writing about the women. Why Not? The  majority of the male tourists are visiting Pattaya for the plenty and beautiful women, who are mostly from the northern poor provinces of Thailand who have  come here looking for a better life by beginning to look for work, but unfortunately instead they became sexual partners for the tourists. Two years ago when I first arrived in Pattaya I was astonished to see big men with big stomachs European and Russian men being accompanied by beautiful young ladies. But I now notice that the tourism has changed. The European men have thinned out and were replaced by a younger group of tourist  coming from India, Iran and other third world countries. Because of their young age and their growing up environment tend to be classless and lacking civilized manners and social graces. This phenomenon has reached the point where they have spread fear and misery around the city. Some of these working ladies prefer to go to their rooms with empty pockets and growling stomachs than spend one hour with these modern ill mannered creatures

Like most Asian cultures, respect towards ancestors is an essential part of Thai spiritual practice. Thais have a strong sense of hospitality and generosity, but also a strong sense of social hierarchy. Seniority is an important concept in Thai culture. Elders have by tradition ruled in family decisions or ceremonies. Older siblings have duties to younger ones.

Several different ethnic groups, many of which are marginalized, populate Thailand. Some of these groups overlap into Burma, Laos, Cambodia and Malaysia have mediated change between their traditional local culture, national Thai and global cultural influences. Overseas Chinese also form a significant part of Thai society, particularly in and around Bangkok. Their successful integration into Thai society has allowed for this group to hold positions of economic and political power. It is safe to say that these varieties of cultures had a tremendous impact on the Thai cuisine.

At this point I would like to change direction and speak about the country of Thailand then I will get back and write about Pattaya, Thailand and its heart and the people who make it tick. At first I would like to be thought by my readers as a novelist and not as a journalist. It is a known fact that journalists write what they see and hear but novelists write what they see, hear, and feel about them.

My website is not being domineered, colonized or dedicated to any single subject. I am a man of all seasons and my website tends to become a variety of seasons escorted with sadness, humor, fact and fantasy and some modern philosophy. I was advised by the marketing experts to stick with one or two subjects but me, being a true lover of dramatic stories I could not stop my myself from writing short stories. How can I forget that legislative satire that exists in America. How can I overlook President Bush’s performance, Dick Chain’s unthinking statements, Clinton’s or Obama’s songs and the dances on the podium as if they are entertainers

I must write what I have learned and believe about health longevity and how can I avoid philosophy, humor, tragedy and triumph? I’m not trying to be different, but being dedicated writer and lover of the arts and sincere follower of my conscious and my subconscious mind, not being influence by any outside interference, that’s what make me different. I can hear some of my readers screaming for me to get to the point Here I am to the point.

I have been living here in Thailand, off and on, for two years. I like this land but I cannot say that I am looking to leave my bones here. Firstly, being and optimist. I don’t think of ever dying, secondly I don’t think I will be too selfish to apply an imposition on my brother and sister to come from America, a 12,000 mile trip, every year to just light a candle on my grave on my name day. Thus I have not designated any place for my burial even though I have visited many countries and places around the globe, I haven’t found any place to park for the rest of my life not alone leave my bones. I have a friend named Bill who is selfish and revengeful. He left on his will, being childless and married six times, for his fortune to go to his wives annually, after they visit his grave and watered the turf with water brought in from America. He claims they made him suffer while he was alive, he wants them to suffer after he is dead. He added in his will that if one fails to come and visit his grave, her share will be divided among the rest. He hopes that they will eventually kill each other.

Coming back to my subject, Thailand, totaling 513,120 square kilometers (198,120 sq mi), is the world’s 50th largest country in land, while it is the world’s 20th largest country in terms of population. It is comparable in population to countries such as France and England and in land size California in the United States. The local climate is tropical and characterized by monsoons from May to September, as well as a dry, cool northeast monsoon from November to mid-March. The southern isthmus is always hot and humid.

Thailand is home to several distinct geographic regions, partly corresponding to the provincial groups. The north of the country is mountainous, with the highest point being Doi Inthanon at 2,565 meters (8,420 ft) above sea level. The northeast, Isan, consists of the Khorat Plateau, bordered to the east by the Mekong River. The centre of the country is dominated by the predominantly flat Chao Phraya river valley, which runs into the Gulf of Thailand. The south consists of the narrow Kra Isthmus that widens into the Malay Peninsula. Politically, there are six geographical regions which differ from the others in population, basic resources, natural features, and level of social and economic development. The diversity of the regions is the most pronounced attribute of Thailand’s physical setting

The Chao Phraya and the Mekong River are the sustainable resource of rural Thailand. Industrial scale production of crops using both rivers and their tributaries. The Gulf of Thailand covers 320,000 square kilometers (124,000 sq mi) by four good size rivers. It contributes to the tourism sector owing to its clear shallow waters along the coasts in the Southern Region and the Kra Isthmus. The Gulf of Thailand is also an industrial center of Thailand with the kingdom’s main port in Sattahip along with being the entry gates for Bangkok’s Inland Seaport. The Andaman Sea is regarded as Thailand’s most precious natural resource as it hosts the most popular and luxurious resorts in Asia. Phuket, Krabi, Ranong, Phang Nga and Trang and their lush islands all lay along the coasts of the Andaman Sea and despite the 2004 Tsunami, they continue to be and ever more so, the playground of the rich and elite of Asia and the world.

Thailand Buddhist Temple

Thailand has a prevalence of Buddhism that ranks among the highest in the world. The national religion is Theravada Buddhism. Thailand’s southernmost provinces – Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat and part of Songkhla Chumphon have dominant Muslim populations, consisting of both ethnic Thai and Malay. The southern tip of Thailand is mostly ethnically Malay, and most Malays are Sunni Muslims. Christians represent 0.5% of the population. A tiny but influential community of Sikhs in Thailand and some Hindus also live in the country’s cities, and are heavily engaged in retail commerce. There is also a small Jewish community in Thailand, dating back to the 17th century