Pattaya vs. Bangkok: YMMV
[QUOTE=Goatscrot]If all you are interested in is sex, then Pattaya is still a good place I guess, but for me seeing the least common denominator of humanity really kills the fun, no matter how "great" the girls are, and truth be told I did not see many "great" girls. If you are interested in girls, but want good food, a nice urban environment, good coffee shops, etc, spend your time in BKK.[/QUOTE]Point taken in respect of Pattaya's seedy side. The beach is nothing special. There are lager louts in abundance, stumbling down the sidewalks clutching a giant bottle of Beer Chang, their lobster-colored flab and tribal tats on full display in a wife-beater T-shirt bearing some hackneyed aphorism or advertising. The lower rungs of the commercial sex scene are all over town and seeing those girls before breakfast is enough to put a guy off his feed. And then there are the "civilian" tourists, who arrive in their gigantic buses and toddle around Walking Street gawking at the punters like they are animals in a zoo. If you don't care for Russians or Indians or left-handed Lithuanians it's easy to cast a gimlet eye toward the riffraff and conclude the city has gone to the dogs.
But I still love the place in limited doses. With a little effort you can get off the beaten path and find a punter scene largely devoid of gawkers and civilians. On any given night there are at least a few hotties in the go go clubs on Soi LK Metro. There are diamonds in the rough in the Soi Six bars and on the Dark Side. Are the Pattaya girls up to Bangkok standards? Who can say? But when the sun sets all I need is one sweet young thing that pushes my buttons. Some nights the search is protracted, but to me looking is part of the fun. Maybe a guy who lived in Bangkok would prefer a less-involved evolution, like an after-work stop at one of the nice soapies.
When I'm not on the prowl it's just as easy to take the road less traveled. From central Pattaya you can walk east and in ten minutes find yourself in a part of town that's virtually unknown to visitors. It's far from sophisticated, but that's OK with me. I love eating at the hole-in-the-wall places and watching the locals go about their daily routine. It's not world class cuisine like you get Bangkok's upscale eateries. But it's great value for money and they don't care I'm wearing shorts or dining alone. Ditto for the hawker stalls inside the night market on Soi Buakaow. No Michelin stars for the old ladies who do the cooking, but chowing down at a communal picnic table under a bare bulb with the working girls is so different to my life in the world I find it a refreshing change of pace.
Perhaps Mr. Scot's perspective is informed by the fact that he lives in Bangkok, whereas I (very) sporadically do the Two Week Millionaire holiday. As the Bard reminds us: "If all the year were playing holidays, to sport would be as tedious as to work." If I lived full time in Thailand, I suspect Pattaya would get old fast and I too would probably gravitate toward the "nice urban environment" in Bangkok. But for the occasional holiday, I still have a soft spot for Pattaya.
Bunky
Adult fun in Koh Phangan (other than parties)?
I am visiting Koh Phangan for a week. Curious to know what all places of adult action are present in Koh Phangan except for the parties.
Spa / Massage with happy endings or FS.
Any pointers would be highly appreciated.