Several years ago I decided to move out of New York, not wanting to become a septuagenarian in grimy clothing subsisting on cat food. My destination options were Paris, Palm Beach or Pattaya. 

I had already lived in Paris during the 80s.

At 50 I was still too young to enter into gigoloship at the Breakers in Palm Beach, so it was Pattaya for me.

I’ve been happy about the move, although the recent murder of two Russian women on Jomtien Beach has placed a spotlight on the city’s unsavory reputation.

National police chief has visited the Police HQ on Soi 9 to tell their local counterparts that the current situation was unacceptable and intoned he suspected there was a farang gang connection.

“I believe the murder may be linked to a crime organization and there may be other people behind it”.

The Russian ambassador also asserted that the motive might not have been robbery. The alleged killer contended that he was frigthened by the women’s screams, which contradicte his bravado from the jail cell.

“If the police ever beat me up again, I will shoot them!”

Pattaya is renowned for its sordid United Nations of criminals;  English football hooligans, drunken Vikings, British Gary Glitter wannabes, Yugoslavian ATM robbers, French counterfeiters, German neo-Nazis, Danish bikers, Russian mafia ad nauseum.

I avoid all bald-headed, tattooed thugs wearing wife-beater tee-shirts and don’t associate with anyone whose name is Spike.

Unless they have an amusing story, because the rest of the farang population seems to be made up of lovesick postal workers on an extended holiday and they have nothing to say about having to delivered circulars to people who thrown them in the trash.

Angry.

You bet they are.

So am I considering moving to Phuket or Chiang Mai?

Phuket is too expensive and Chiang Mai too polluted.

For better or worse Pattaya is my home.