Dear Hillary,
Why do the shops open so late in Pattaya? The main shopping centers officially open at 11, but many of the shops are still setting up at 11.30. I am sure they must lose an awful lot of business with this late opening. Can’t the shopkeepers get out of bed in time? I’m intrigued.
Dear Intrigued,
The shops open late because the sales girl slept in after singing in a karaoke bar till 5 in the morning and having to leave her motorcycle there because she was still too drunk to drive. It’s a hard life for shop openers! No, to be honest, there are two reasons why the shops open late. The first is that for Thai people a watch is a fashion accessory, not something to tell the time, and secondly. Pattaya is a night time city, and even the customers don’t get up till late.
