Beautiful young voices fill the air at the
Pattaya Orphanage.
Manoon Makpol
Christmas may not be a recognized holiday in Thailand,
but thousands of tourists and residents got into full spirit for the Dec. 25
occasion, with wintery winds bringing a touch of the North Pole to the
Eastern Seaboard.
Main roads from Naklua to Jomtien Beach were fitted with
Christmas trees while hotels, nightclubs and beer bars across the area were
a sea of red Santa hats, with plenty of would-be elves decked out in
red-and-while miniskirts as well.
Santa joins the choir at the
Montien Hotel Pattaya.
Merry-makers brought in the holiday with fireworks, while
some even sang carols and hung stockings in hopes they’d wake up with a
special gift in the morning.
Christmas week was an important milestone for Pattaya
this year as it tries to recover from the perception gap world travelers had
about the impact the country’s flooding crisis had on the city. While
business certainly has picked up, businesses along Walking Street were
perceptibly quieter than past years with surprising amounts of room to
stroll along the main drag and as many as half the seats available inside
the avenue’s bars on Dec. 23 and Christmas Day itself.
Mother Nature certainty did its part to make it feel like
Christmas, as strong winds that inspired arctic shivers blew into town just
after midnight Dec. 25 and blew strong for the next 36 hours, plunging
temperatures into the teens and replacing visions of sugar plums with hot
cocoa in the heads of those awaiting Santa’s arrival.
Boys will be boys at the
Sheraton Pattaya Resort’s Christmas celebrations.
Thai style Christmas
celebrations at Joy’s Paradise bar in Jomtien.
Santa pays a visit to a fun
table during the Pullman Pattaya Aisawan Resort and Spa’s celebrations of
Christmas.
Santa’s helpers visit some
honored guests at Jomtien Garden Hotel.
Good times had by all at the
Sea Max Condo Christmas party.
