But after about a year everything changed and cases are now skyrocketing, along with deaths. The sprawling city of Bangkok is likely a leading factor. Strangely Cambodia has about 10% of daily cases compared to Thailand but 50% of deaths with a population of 67 million in Thailand compared to 16 million in Cambodia.
But looking to the future indications are the Thai government want to rebuild after the pandemic with a new image.
No longer will back packers and sex tourists be their tourism targets. The former don't spend much and the latter spend plenty but they do not get the tax revenue from sex workers unless they file tax returns, which ain't likely. Now they want to attract families as the safe place to vacation and lose the image of the past.
I am sure Pattaya will never return to the way we knew it, with hundreds of gay and straight go go bars. They have all been boarded up for months and most of the workers returned to their country homes.
The vaccination roll out in Thailand has been very slow and in Pattaya flu jabs are being offered to try to placate the frustrated population.
Every city in the World has been devastated by the Covid 19 virus. But most will eventually return back to something like the pre pandemic normal. Even Bangkok will be back as the crazy justling city of old. But Pattaya is unique.
The famous Walking street, till daybreak it would be so crowded you could not walk without brushing against someone. Being an early riser I would sometimes visit an open front bar at 5.00a.m. where you sit at tables set out on the street. The music was great and by this time some of the punters were feeling no pain as they get into the atmosphere on the dance floor.
Now this and many other bars will fall victim to the bulldozer as this side of the street faces the Gulf and some big plans are afoot to capitalize on this.
Recently I saw a picture of hundreds, sitting cross legged in 4 rows all along the beach. Each held a bowl and volunteers moved along the rows dropping a dollop of some precious food into their bowls. Last time I saw this beach, it was packed with tourists and these people now sitting with their bowls were hustling everything from deck chairs to banana boat rides, ending with a sharp U turn throwing everyone into the water.
A few years ago I remember sitting in a bar, one of a dozen such bars in Sunnee Plaza and a real old guy looked to be over 100 was sitting there with a huge smile on his face.. On either side was a naked young guy chatting and joking with each other, and the old guy was just sitting back with both hands full. No movement but if there was ever a look of contentment this was it. What a way to go...
That is all now in the past, but there is a similar culture in Cambodia. Siem Reap like Pattaya is a satellite city away from the capitol. I don't think they Have the Go Go bars, but I saw one quote a few years ago, saying there are more Siem Reap boys in Pattaya than in Siem Reap. That will not be the case now. Maybe I will get lucky if I ever manage to make it down there and meet up with this wonderful Cambodian young man I met in Pattaya a few years ago. I went to Phuket for a few days and when I got back to the hotel, he had been there looking for me and left a note with his phone number and saying he wanted to see me every day.
We spent some happy hours together doing the city.
Unlike most cities in the World, I don't think Pattaya will ever return to it's pre pandemic normal. I believe it is destined for a new normal. A normal where tolerance is minimal and Gay or very old is O.K. but don't get too close.
Perhaps Siem Reap in Cambodia is ready to fill that void.