It was Tuesday, June 5th, 2023. I was awakened by James, a friend of mine who recently moved to Thailand from Baltimore, Maryland. He sent a text message reminding me that it was Father’s Day back home in the U.S. Since I was in Pattaya City, Thailand, I didn’t feel the need to do anything special. Unlike in the U.S., Father’s Day in Thailand is always celebrated on December 5th, the Kings birthday.
Shortly after my morning coffee I had nothing planned that day and being a father I decided to make the most of it after all. First I took a quick swim in the pool at my condo. After my swim I arranged to meet my Australian friend Richard for a short motorbike ride to Sattahip: a place just outside the city limits of Pattaya. Richard and I decided to meet-up at a near-by park reserve and from there continue on to Sattahip.
Sattahip is a city approximately 20 miles south of Pattaya City and approximately 120 miles south of Thailand’s capital Bangkok. Sattahip is home to the country’s largest Navel Base. It has about 302 ships and approximately 84,000 navel personnel stationed there. The city is surrounded by seven islands. In Thai the word satta means seven and hip means barrier. Thus Sattahip means the seven barriers which are the islands that protect the coast of the district.
I arrived a little early at the reserve so I decided to cruise around and explore until Richard showed up. I stumbled upon an interesting looking place and went to check it out. It was an outdoor display of statues and various other monuments. To this day I could not tell you the name of this place. If you are familiar with it please leave a comment. Other than a security guard stationed at the entrance, there was no one else in sight. I greeted the guard and then proceeded to walk inside. The guard said something in Thai as I was walking in, but since I didn’t understand him I continued walking. I spent about 15 minutes there before going to meet with Richard. When he arrived we immediately headed out to Sattahip.
When we arrived at the Sattahip navel base we were allowed entrance, but for some unknown reason, we were not allowed to take pictures or make videos. A little disappointed we only stayed a short time before deciding to ride 30 minutes south to Rayong: a city with the population of about 64,000.
Located on the eat coast of the gulf of Thailand, Rayong’s main industry is fishing. It is also the center of Thailand’s chemical and auto industry. In 2012 Ford Motor Company opened an assembly plant there. Unfortunately, Richard and I got sidetracked and only made it to the outskirts of the city. We made the most of it before heading back to Pattaya. I have since been back to Rayong many times. I sometimes go there to shop at the electronic store inside the city’s Central Plaza Mall. Rayong is a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of Pattaya. I really enjoy going there.
So much for Father’s Day in Thailand. I honestly wish I could have taken some pictures and video footage of Sattahip’s navel base, but overall I enjoyed the day. Maybe the next time I’m in Thailand during Father’s Day, I’ll wait until December 5th to celebrate, together with the fathers of Thailand. Let me know what you think.
