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HISTORY OF PATTAYA |
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 In
fact only 40 years ago Pattaya as we know
it today, didn't even exist. On the stretch
of coast between Sriracha and Sattahip, there
were only a small number of fishing villages
and in Pattaya bay itself, there were just
a few fishing families who had settled here
because of the calm waters and the safety
of the bay, protected headlands to the North
and South and by mountains behind. Their nearest
neighbors lived just around the headland to
the north, where, in the old days salt used
to be produced (Naa-Klua = salt fields) but
where there were now mainly fishing families.
People traveled about by foot or by bullock
carts because, except of the main road from
Bangkok to Sattahip, only a few dirt roads
and tracks existed.
Nevertheless,
the bay and nearby islands provided good,
safe fishing and more and more families came
here to settle down, Gradually a village developed.
At
first was know as Tupphraya the general name
for the area which dated back to the time
when Pharaya Taksin (Duke Taksin) camped near
here with the followers he had gathered to
help free Thailand from the Burmese (Tupphraya
- the Pharaya' - army) The pace of life was
slow and it seemed as if Pattaya would remain
an out-of-the-way place forever. Even up to
30 years ago there were only a few buses serving
the 100 or more families who lived here and
visitors from elsewhere were few and far between.
But things were destined to change and as
usual, it was a war (the Vietnam War) which
changed them. The U.S.A. sent soldiers to
build the air base at U Tapao and many of
these took to spending their leisure time
and money in Pattaya. The
beaches were clean in those days and the sea
breezes made it pleasant and cool. People
in the surrounding areas were quick to spot
the business opportunities and bars guesthouses
begun to spring up. The fisher - folk probably
resented this intrusion, but it provided a
good market for their catches and they soon
got on the bandwagon by offering fishing trips
to Koh Larn for about 50 Baht per head. Gradually,
visitors from Bangkok also begun to use the
resort at weekends, although the trip was
a tiring 3 to 4 hours on the two-lane road.
Later
the US Military based in Thailand begun to
use Pattaya for rest and recreation (R&R)
and bigger hotels and entertainment places
(including the oldest profession of them all)
were built to cater for them. Thus the' 60s
and' 70s saw the most rapid change and development.
In 1964 in view of its new importance, Pattata
was raised to the status of a village and
in 1979, elevated to that of a Teasban Nakhon
(Municipality), responsible now for its own
administration.
Today
Pattaya is Thailand's premier beach resort
and attracts annually more than a million
tourists from all over the world. Pattaya
provides high standard hotels, restaurants,
sports, entertainment and shopping facilities.
The resort is Thailand's most important diving
center and the east coast is also a paradise
for golfers. |
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