Week 11 Assignment by Jang Jun Hwa

 

200802967

Jang Jun Hwa

Fraternal Twins, Gold Coast and Pattaya

 

　　　Do you have any plans for the winter vacation? During the upcoming vacation, I will go to the beach. Does it sound weird? However, if you get some information on Gold Coast in Australia and Pattaya in Thailand, which are famous for their beaches, you will understand me. I highly recommend spending your holiday in one of them. Those two cities seem to be fraternal twins, which have not only many similarities, but also differences.

　　　When I visited Gold Coast, the ambience of the city reminded me of Pattaya in many ways. In both cities, there are many tourists. A large number of people visit Gold Coast and Pattaya every year. According to Allpattaya.com, the number of tourists in Pattaya is over 5 million. When it comes to Gold Coast, the city council's statistics show that it attracts more than 10 million tourists annually. In addition, winter is the best season to travel these two cities. Thailand is known for its tropical climate. Even though temperatures fall to a minimum in winter, the average temperatures are about 25 degrees. During this season, it hardly rains and the weather continues to be cool and pleasant. As for Gold Coast in Australia, the temperature is the highest. This is because Gold Coast is located in the southern hemisphere. It is usually clear and warm. People can enjoy a perfect weather for outdoor activities such as surfing.

　　　Meanwhile, they have a big notable difference in those two cities. It is the scenery of the city at night. At night, it is hard to see people on the streets in Gold Coast. Except for the weekend, the city seems to be a place where no one lives. On the other hand, people can find the splendid night in Pattaya. The streets are crowded with people who do not merely follow the tour guide and want to fell the real Pattaya. There are many bars which offer Muay Thai show and mini concerts, and markets where people can buy Thai traditional crafts. Among many attractions, the biggest surprise is the red-light districts. A lot of young girls solicit openly on the streets, holding tourists by the arm. During the Vietnam War, the US soldiers came to Pattaya to get rid of their stress and its seedy sex industry was thriving. Christopher Evans wrote in his book, Adventure guide Thailand, "Not surprisingly, the prostitutes, pimps, pill pushers and pornography purveyors moved in as more and more US soldiers discovered that Pattaya was the place to party."(pg. 146)

　　　You will be surprised how similar and different Gold Coast is with Pattaya at the same time. Tourism is still the most important industry in both cities. Especially, from November to January, the number of tourist reaches its peak. However, the main reason why people visit each city can be little different. Gold Coast is called the surfers' paradise, but Pattaya is considered a place to party.