Ludo and Annemarie from Nieuwkerke

It's Saturday night, my wife and son want to see a Thai movie, so we go to Central Plaza on Beach Road Pattaya. I buy the tickets, the popcorn and the coke and then leave them alone. I exit the building through the back onto Second Road on my way to Klein Vlaanderen, one of my favorite restaurants.

I settle down on the terrace on the busy street with a Singha beer and order, as usual, a steak with pepper sauce, completed with fried potatoes and vegetables. Klein Vlaanderen has a very extensive menu, but I almost always choose the steak, because I like it better than in any other restaurant in Pattaya.

Terrace

While I wait for my order, I watch the busy car traffic, including the dozens of buses with tourists on their way to the shows of Alcazar and Tiffany's and also let my eye slide over the other tables on the terrace, which are all occupied. It looks like many guests staying in Klein Vlaanderen, whether or not accompanied by a Thai lady.

At the table closest to me is a couple, apparently Dutch or Belgian, in my early sixties. I think about that, because how often do I not read on this blog that Pattaya is not so suitable for older couples. So what are these two doing here? Well, if I want to know, I'll have to ask them, won't I?

Introduction

So, when she and I have finished the meal and sit down for a while, I brazenly (as befits a right-minded journalist) approach them, introduce myself and ask if I can ask them a question. Yes that is allowed! It turns out to be Ludo and Annemarie (names changed) from Nieuwkerke in Heuvelland, Belgium. Well, I probably don't know where that is, but I have a surprise for them.

I know, because in Nieuwkerke I often visited the Willequet factory, where chips and other potato products were produced. Ludo thinks that's wonderful, because he is a potato farmer and has always delivered to that factory. Enough to talk about, of course, and Ludo tells me that the factory unfortunately no longer exists and that a larger Belgian company has been incorporated. His company still exists and is mainly run by his eldest son.

Pattaya

But now the key question: what is a couple your age doing in Pattaya, the Sodom and Gomorrah of Thailand? Ludo and Annemarie have to laugh hard at that question, because they have been there for a week now and are fully enjoying this seaside resort with its countless fun things to see and do. They are in Pattaya because their second son lives here with his Thai wife. That son has a technical position in the port of Laem Chabang, has bought a house near Lake Maprachan, which will be ready in a few months.

Until then they will stay at the Centara Beach Hotel on the corner of Central Road and Beach Road, where Ludo and Annemarie have also taken up residence. When I first came to Pattaya myself, I also stayed there, although it was still called Nova Lodge at the time, an excellent mid-range hotel with a beautiful swimming pool in a garden landscape.

What to do?

You can choose during a holiday: resting/lazing or being active. Ludo and Annemarie do both. They alternate one day at the pool, some shopping and so on with an excursion to somewhere the next day. They have already been to Nong Nooch Park, the Sea Aquarium and Pratumnak Hill and have also attended a show at Alcazar. Annemarie especially loved the latter with the beautiful ladies and beautiful costumes.

Ludo thought that was a bit less, well, the show was fine, but he didn't like the idea that the showgirls were ladyboys. The program also includes the tiger zoo in Sriracha, Sanctuary of Truth and they also want to make a trip to the monkey island. Three weeks is much too short, Ludo and Annemarie say in unison, there is so much to do and so much to see and so much to do.

nightlife

No, you won't find the couple in the busy discos of Lucifer, Marine and so on, but it's vacation and Ludo likes a glass of beer, while Annemarie occasionally sips a Breezer. Close to their hotel in Soi 8, they have chosen a “favorite pub” in “We are the World”. Nice, somewhat older bar ladies, well old, say around 25 – 28 years old, nice sixties live music and a very reasonable price.

Every day around five o'clock you can see the couple hanging out at the bar and often for a nightcap before going to sleep. Annemarie thinks the ladies are not only beautiful, but also cozy. In her best coal English she enjoys herself with the ladies, who like to play a game with a Western lady or chat about anything and everything. Especially her beautiful gray hairstyle makes Annemarie the star of the bar.

Walking Street

Yes, Ludo and Annemarie have also been to Walking Street. They even visited an a gogo bar with their son and daughter-in-law, with the dancing half-naked girls on the chrome pole. They found Walking Street itself fun to stroll through, the visit to the A gogo bar was less. Yes, Annemarie saw that they were all young and beautiful girls, but she didn't need to be so naked. Ludo didn't like it either, he says seriously and when his wife isn't looking for a moment, he chuckles behind his hand.

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Image of Pattaya

Pattaya is a city for single men looking for cheap comfort. They are often pot-bellied men with tattoos and poorly dressed. What do Ludo and Annemarie think of this image? Well, says Ludo, we sometimes go somewhere else; in Antwerp or Rotterdam you also see people like that, but we think you see what you want to see. If you don't like that, look the other way. We are not bothered by it at all.

Food in Pattaya

While preparing their travel Ludo and Annemarie were already aware of the many options to eat in Pattaya. Especially Ludo foresaw problems in advance, because he is not a big fan of “foreign food”. Annemarie is a bit easier and also wants to try Thai cuisine, which Ludo unfortunately does not dare. They often eat in their hotel, but occasionally, as now in Klein Vlaanderen, they eat in a restaurant. No rice for Ludo, but an ordinary dish of a piece of meat with fries and some vegetables. Annemarie this time too, but she has already had some Thai dishes without the sharp red peppers.

Living in Pattaya

I explain to them why I went to live in Pattaya as a retired widower and they both understand my decision at the time. They themselves would like to live in a nice house here, for example near their son on Lake Maprachan. Ludo likes to create a beautiful vegetable and flower garden around his house, despite the fact that I tell him that the soil is certainly not very suitable for potatoes. Leave that to me, says Ludo, my seed potatoes thrive everywhere. Well, it's not in it. They cannot miss Belgium, the Heuvelland, their family and certainly their two grandchildren. In fact, they are already a little homesick.

Children

Speaking of grandchildren, Pattaya is also not suitable for families with children, I say. Ludo and Annemarie totally disagree. When our grandchildren are a little bigger, we would like to take them here. There are also so many attractions for children, which starts with that beautiful swimming pool at our hotel. You cross the street and you are on the beach, where, at low tide, the children can play to their heart's content. Then you also have that large swimming pool in Pattaya Park, the zoos and the sea aquarium or they go horseback riding at Horseshow Point. They won't be bored for a moment.

Finally

We end the conversation, pay our bills and say goodbye. Ludo swings his Annemarie towards Soi 8 between all the cars, on his way to “We are the World” for their nightcap. Can there be two or more?

I go back to Central Plaza to pick up my wife and son, of course they have to eat (watching a movie apparently makes you hungry) and then go home.

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