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Since it would make a very long day of traveling from Ao Nang tot the island of Koh Chang I decided to have a stop-over for a day between Bangkok and Koh Chang. Although I always have said I would never go to Pattaya when travelling in Thailand, the location of the city was ideal for my stop-over and it would give me the opportunity to check whether my prejudices about this city were right. Once Pattaya used to be a small fishing village. Nowadays it is known for being the Disneyland of hedonism where nightlife, massages and bars are all in some way related to sex tourism. Because I certainly didn’t want to be in the middle of this, I booked a room in Jomtien beach area, a few kilometers south from the crowded and crazy Pattaya city center. The area is supposed to be more mellow and the beach is supposed to be a bit better. After spending one day in Jomtien I have to conclude that my prejudices were right. The tourists around are mainly Russians (Hello Baboesjkas!) and older western man accompanied by young Thai boys/girls/ladyboys. The touts from the bars don’t hesitate to touch you wherever they like to get you into the bar. And the few kilometers of beach is mostly filled with umbrellas and sunbeds, while the water is a bit filthy. One day on this beach is enough for me knowing that better beaches await me in Koh Chang (Thou I succeeded in finding a piece of Jomtien beach that wasn’t too crowded). And I didn’t felt the urge to visit Pattaya city to see more of this kind of tourism. It was an interesting day, but I was happy to move on to a more relaxt island vibe.
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