Guest pingalicker Posted August 11, 2007 Posted August 11, 2007 Yesterday Fed-Ex delivered my new copy of Lonely Planet's Thailand Travel Guide (12th edition, printed August 2007) that I had pre-ordered directly from LP. It arrived as promised, within the first 2 weeks of August, much to my delight. I'm going to quote the first paragraph on Pattaya (pop. 85,000): A heavy-breathing and testosterone-fueled testament toholiday hedonism, Pattaya has lured tourists for almost four decades, and it's showing no sign of slowing down. And as past visitors move on to more genteel Thai resorts, first-time travellers from Russia and Eastern Europe now air their new passports with a fling in Asia's first and foremost Sin City. Anyone for Pattayagrad? On Bangkok: In recent years, Bangkok has broken away from its old image as a messy third-world capital to be votd by numerous metro-watchers as a top-teir global city. the sprawl and tropical humidity are still the city's signature ambassadors, but so are gleaming shopping centers and an infectious energy of commerce and restrained mayhem. The veneer is an ultramodern backdrop of skyscraper canyons containg an untamed universe of diverios and excesses. The city is justly famous for debauchery, boasting at least four major red-light districts, as well as a club scene that has been rrevived post-coup. Meanwhile the urban populous is as cosmospolitan as any Western capital-guided by fashion, music and text messaging. I have my work cut out for me as it's 820 pages of facts, figures, pictures, etc. Perhaps I will save part of it for the plane ride in October............ Quote
