WHEN the USS Abraham Lincoln docked in Thailand last week after 286 days at sea, the 5,000 exhausted sailors on board could not have been happier.
But just as delighted as they filed ashore after their record-breaking deployment were the 50,000 sex workers based in the nearby resort of Pattaya.
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The Marines were expected to splurge an estimated £2.2m during their five-day shore leave – which ended on Sunday – and a large chunk of that will have been spent in the resort’s sprawling Red Light district.
Known as Sin City, Pattaya is like nowhere else on Earth, as The Sun discovered when we visited the coastal city 90 minutes south of Bangkok when the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier was preparing to dock.
Prostitution is technically illegal in Thailand but to say it is tolerated would be an understatement – and nowhere is that more evident than in Pattaya, especially on Soi 6.
The narrow alleyway runs for just 370 yards from the main thoroughfare of Sai Song Road down to the beach but contains a staggering 97 go go bars.
They include Wicked, Sexy in the City and Love Weapon as well as ones with much more explicit, literal names.
Hundreds of women begin to gather through the afternoon and by night it is a noisy, chaotic tourist attraction where the sex workers clad only in tiny bikinis grab men who pass by.
Some hang on for dear life in the hope of dragging a customer into their bar where they will plead for them to buy a drink before quickly turning the conversation into a sex sales pitch.
Most Thai women are quite small so it will be relatively easy for the muscle-bound Marines to prise them off, but a few more steps and they will find another one clinging on.
Down on nearby Beach Road the atmosphere is calmer but no less busy with sex workers positioning themselves every couple of yards along the promenade.
The women here are less aggressive and are more likely to wait to be approached or simply ask: “Where you from?” as you pass by.
The road leads into Walking Street, the most popular tourist spot in the resort.
It is open to vehicles through the day but barriers are erected at 7pm every evening turning it into a 1,000-yard-long pedestrianised High Street from Hell, a migraine-inducing cacophony of deafening beats and neon glare.
There are scores of go go bars along the street including one called Legacy which the US Marines were likely to boycott – the neon sign outside advertises the fact that it offers “Russian Girls”.
The street itself is crowded with touts who thrust laminated menus into tourists’ faces as they hawk tickets for “Ping Pong Shows” while dealers offer ecstasy for 1000 baht (£22) a pill, the same price that the street walkers sell sex for.
The Lincoln arrived in the port of Laem Chabang, 15 miles north of Pattaya, on Wednesday with its deck packed with helicopters and war planes including the latest F-35 fighter jets and its hull streaked with rust after nine months at sea.
It set sail last November and later played a crucial role in the war with Iran.
By the time it docked it had set a modern day record for the number of days at sea.
But that lengthy deployment has brought a host of serious problems with reports of suicide attempts, food shortages and blocked toilets.
The first sailors who disembarked wearing civilian clothes certainly looked delighted to be on dry land again as they headed off to book into a local hotel.
The commander of Carrier Strike Group 3, Rear Admiral Robert E. Loughran, said: “Our arrival in Laem Chabang provides a well-deserved opportunity for our Sailors and Marines to rest and recharge.
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“What this strike group has accomplished is truly historic. I could not be prouder of the exceptional professionalism and expertise demonstrated by every member of this team during our operations.”
Some family members flew in from America to spend time with their loved ones for the first time in nearly a year before the Lincoln began its long journey home on Sunday.
Those left to their own devices had plenty to occupy them in a resort that is well used to entertaining troops.
The US Navy has been visiting this stretch of coast since the Vietnam War.
Pattaya was just a sleepy beach town back then but a nearby naval base and an airfield used by American bombers brought thousands of service personnel to the region and changed the resort’s nightlife for ever.
The city’s mayor, Poramase Ngampiches, said restrictions had been placed on the crew’s activities during the Lincoln’s stay, including visiting certain entertainment zones after sunset which he said could present a negative image.
He said: “We have to be frank, the city has a reputation for bar girls. We can’t stop that.
“What we can do is to show that Pattaya has changed, that we now have other things, such as sports, seminars, wellness and family-friendly activities. It’s a mixture of everything.”
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Whatever the sailors who have not set foot on dry land in nine months decided to get up to, local traders were hoping for a bumper payday.
One bar had a sign outside saying: “Welcome all US military personnel. Thank you for your service.”
And food seller Saroch, 45, said military port visits were good for business, adding: “They’re here for drinks, having fun, and letting loose.”
One aspect of “letting loose” is still technically illegal – the Prevention and Suppression of Prostitution Act 1996 makes that clear.
But it is rarely enforced, one reason being that prostitution is such an important part of the Thai economy – it is estimated to generate £4.4bn every year.
If any sailors made it north to Bangkok in their brief time on shore they would have found that the picture there is much the same.
The notorious Nana Plaza on Soi 4, off Sukhumvit Road, is effectively a three-story shopping complex where the only things for sale are sex and overpriced drinks.
Each floor has a balcony running around the central area with a series of bars such as Red Dragon, Angel and Witch.
That central area is festooned with Premiership Club pendants although they are yet to update them from last season – those from relegated West Ham, Burnley and Wolves are still on display.
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The bars have a curtain instead of a door with a helpful member of staff holding it to one side to usher punters in.
Once inside potential customers are greeted by a small stage with a pole surrounded by two or three rows of seating.
A woman will occasionally put on a pole dancing show but for the most part they crowd onto the stage to dance lazily in the hope that a punter will pick them, using the number pinned to their bikini or mini skirt to let staff know which one they are interested in.
In some bars a couple of naked women covered in soap suds cavort in oversized baths as they encourage men to place Thai banknotes between their breasts.
Prostitution is such an accepted part of the night-time economy that the Plaza employs its own security guards just like any regular night club might.
Wearing body cams and with walkie talkies strapped to their belts, they use metal detectors to scan customers, check bags and ID anyone who appears under the age limit of 20.
Outside the plaza, the nearby streets and Sois (alleyways) are packed with street sex workers.
Joy, 36, said: “It is 2000 baht (£44) for one hour or 5000 (£112) for the whole night.
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“I go to men’s hotels or if they don’t want to do that there are two guesthouses near here which I can use. One charges 250 baht (£5.60) for one hour. The other charges 300 baht (£6.72).
“They are both very safe and clean and both provide condoms.”
Back in Pattaya, even if the American sailors were prevented from visiting the city’s hotspots, as the mayor claims, they still had access to hundreds of massage parlours that are often a front for brothels.
On Beach Road, Mint was one of the many sex workers hoping that the arrival of the Lincoln might provide a welcome boost to business, regardless of any official restrictions.
Dressed in a black top and sparkly white miniskirt, she was keen to chat to any passing man in the hope of persuading him to take her back to his hotel or to a room she uses nearby.
But she did make it clear that there was one thing she would not let any American sailor do, no matter how long they had been at sea.
She said: “It’s 1000 baht (£22) for one hour.
“I will do everything but kiss – I want to save that for when I get a boyfriend.”