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It is hard to imagine, but Pattaya’s near-deserted “Walking Street” used to teem with revellers, as pulsating music filled the air and neon lights flashed until the early hours.
Before the pandemic, the coastal city south-east of Bangkok was a buzzing party scene, and was once described by the Lonely Planet travel guidebook as “an eye-popping sensory explosion”.
Today, bar stools sit atop dusty tables, the odd light bulb flickers and “For Rent” signs hang on bars, nightclubs and restaurants up and down the infamous red light district.
Crowds of tourists from all over the world have vanished – the only people around are a few locals heading home before the COVID-19 curfew kicks in.
South-East Asia correspondent Mazoe Ford and Supattra Vimonsuknopparat
