Suicides

Stickman was noting in his weekly column that a lot of people commit suicide in Pattaya. It's true... although I disagree with Stickman that they are at all fishy (as in maybe murders disguised as jumps from extremely high places).

I have my own opinion as to why there are so many suicides in Pattaya.

A lot of people view Pattaya as a final hurrah... the last stop in life. They come here to live out the final months of a terminal illness, to make a temporary but final escape from dire situations elsewhere, or from just a general sense of despiration or depression. Whatever the specific reason, many people here consider themselves to be at the end of the line. They come here for one final blowout before ending things. It's simple: If you know that your life is ending, what better place than Pattaya to get one final rush of life before moving on to the hereafter?

Another reason is that many people choose death over leaving Pattaya. After living here for years, faced with the proposition of going back to the humdrum of farangland, many choose death. I know personally of 2 people who made that choice. Pattaya is life with the volume turned up to 11. It's hard for some people to fathom going on with life at any lesser level.