2. PATAYA means the wind blowing from the southwest to the northeast at the beginning cohe rainy season. In the old days, Pataya was only a small fishing village on the Gulf of Thailand. But in just a little more than a decade after its beauty was discovered by the first Oun of American servicemen, from Nakorn Ratchasima in 1961, sleepy Pataya became Thailand's premier and most successful beach resort which annually attracts hundreds of thousands of pleasure-seeking visitors. Fishermen's huts along the beach were replaced by full range of accommodations from super deluxe hotels to bungalows and mini-pockets guesthouses. Fishing vessels were adapted to become tourist boats. And the quiet powdery beaches are frequented by swimmers and sunbathers from various parts of the world.