Pattaya: profane yet sublime!
By DIPANKAR ZALPURI Many of us have experienced the menagerie that is Thailand. Of my various travels, this one opened my eyes with experiences that were at once profane and sublime. I want to talk particularly about the 24 hours that I spent in Pattaya. When I reached Pattaya, a short drive from Bangkok, as many will tell you, it was a culture shock. In the gathering dark, I was whisked off to the infamous ‘Walking Street’ which is after all the raison d’ etre of this place. Walking Street, for the uninitiated, is the most famous place for nightlife, if you know what I mean. It is a major tourist attraction that draws international tourists, primarily for the red-light district with many Go-Go bars and brothels. Garish neon-lit clubs teeming with scantily-clad neon lit bodies simply crammed my view. Even as touts forced upon me sexually explicit photographs of erotica, I reeled at how much sex just a few Baht could buy! The exotic dancers, the novelty shows, open clubs with alcohol flowing and more was literally a mindblowing experience. Especially coming from a morally-policed country, I confess, it struck me how profane Pattaya was in the nights. Considering that I was with a couple of friends, it was definitely a fun evening. Juxtaposed next to these crazy clubs were food stalls selling even crazier delicacies. The sea-food, if you are into it, is fabulous in its staggering variety. On a dare, I even tried a fried grass-hopper available at one of the novelty stalls. Salty and crunchy, enough said! The night was totally entertaining as we club-hopped way into the wee hours. After just a few hours of sleep, I headed to Pattaya beach for a trip to the Coral Island. Paragliding and under-water sea-walking were the highlights. I had never done any extreme adventure sport before that, and so I was simply exhilarated. As I was strapped into a harness and hauled into the sky, I had no time to even feel scared. It is an entirely out-of-the-world feeling, this flying like a bird high above the blue sea. With only the sound of the wind in my ears and sheer isolation, the silence brought a strange calm over me. For the first time in my life, I felt liberated, defying gravity as I looked down. It was only about 10 minutes, but it felt like an eternity until my feet finally touched the deck. Before I recovered, I was off to another motorboat for my first under-water sea walk! A helmet, an oxygen cylinder, a pair of flippers and down I went through 20 meters of clear water to the sea floor. Nothing prepares one for the wonders of the under-water kingdom. Seeing it first-hand is magic. Multi-coloured tropical fish swam by the amazing coral reef. A major thrill was feeding these fish small pieces of bread straight out of my hands. Another quiet descended on me as I looked up at the sunlight filtering in through the water, above which I was soaring just a few minutes earlier! Utterly sublime! In a mere 24 hours, I had seen the material side of Pattaya and then its intangible natural beauty. It dawned on me how awesome the diversity on God’s green earth is. Feedback: youmeandwe@gmail.com
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