koiyai

Remember it well. My first trip was Jan 1989 - I went to Pattaya after spending a week doing Cowboy, NEP and PatPong. I landing was only 20 and lost my virginity in the Miami Hotel on Sukhumvit Road about 12 hours after landing. Unfortunately I dont have any pictures left as my (thai) wife, who I married in 1993, destroyed any evidence of what I did before. BTW - we are still together and have 2 lovely children. Back then the formula was basically the same as today. However, it was pretty much a mongers only town for Europeans, Australians and North Americans - there was no pretending to be a family resort and definitely no Russkies or Indians in town. Maybe a few Japs. I think there were slightly less gogos than today and far less beer bar places. Cost wise its difficult to remember exactly but I think drinks were 40-50B in a gogo, BF was about 300B, ST was about 250-300B and LT 500B. Overall, there were far far less people, nowhere near as crowded down WS as you see today in high season - fewer katoeys too. Pound/Baht was about 42-45 (I recall it going down to about 36 - ouch - after the Pound dropped out of ERM in 92).