Sandy seascapes from
Naklua to Sattahip were packed - as were the roads connecting them - on
Labor Day May 1 as families and individual workers took a break to enjoy
sea and seafood.
Urasin Khantaraphan & Surasak Huasoon
With most weekdays filled with hard work, Thais from around the region
flocked to Pattaya-area beaches to relax on Labor Day.
Sandy seascapes from Naklua to Sattahip were packed - as were the roads
connecting them - May 1 as families and individual workers took a break
to enjoy sea and seafood. While some reported smaller crowds than last
year due to Thailand’s economic slowdown and the imminent start of the
new school year, there were still lots of people around.
With holidays comes
traffic in and around Pattaya.
Pattaya and Jomtien beaches were the busiest, with
people coming from around the Eastern Seaboard and Bangkok for the day.
In Sattahip, Dongtan Beach, Sraikaew and Toey Ngam beaches, all under
the care of the Royal Thai Navy, were filled with people. The Navy Wives
Club offered beach massages and set up booths selling locally made
products.
Col. Somchai Inruang, chief of Jomtien Beach municipal officers, said
the day went smoothly with only minor issues. There were about 10
lost-child cases while officers dealt with routine cases of littering,
alcohol-related accidents, parking problems and complaints about food
vendors gouging tourists with higher holiday prices.
Local beaches were packed
to the brim on Labor Day.
Sombut Thongbun, 44, and Kanchana Iemlaor, 34, said
they came to Pattaya from Uthaithani for the day. Ten family members
piled into a vehicle to relax at the beach and they will return home
that evening.
Sirinth Phetpong, a 19-year-old at Rajamangala University of Technology
Krungthep said 19 extended-family members came in two vehicles to
Pattaya for the holiday. She said her group often goes to Bang Saen
Beach on holidays, but she prefers Pattaya as there is more to do.
Patcharapol Panrak contributed to this story.
