Beach day & BuddhA

Hi, Jere writing here!

My name is Jere Burkholder and I am a tenor in the Portland State Chamber Choir. I joined in the fall of 2023 and I am concluding my last year with them, this tour being a spectacular way to complete two years singing in “one of the finest choirs in the world”! I have one more year at Portland State University, in which I will be focusing on wrapping up my two music degrees, Music Education and Vocal Performance, and singing in the University operas. I graduate next Spring. 

Early morning of July 4 was spent bouncing in a bus from the Bangkok airport to Pattaya where our hotel was located. A few choir members had begun to feel the toll of the trip and were not feeling the best, so it was a relief to finally get to the hotel at 3:30 in the morning, where I leapt into my hotel bed and fell asleep immediately. The day of July 4 was beach day, or a free day where we all could rest and recover. I got up around 8:00 AM and consumed a hearty “Thai” breakfast in the hotel lobby, then spent the next three hours with a few other Chamber Choir people, washing all my clothes for the first time from the trip at a nearby laundromat. It was very clear we were in a different level of urban development than the places we had been at in Singapore and Malaysia. Many cycles and Tuk Tuk’s roared past on the Pattaya streets, and there were plenty of mobile food and souvenir vendors on makeshift cycles slowly driving by, hoping to sell their wares. 

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​I finally finished my laundry at around 2:00 PM and headed out to the beach to join a group of other choir people laying out in the sun, hoping to get a sun tan. (Some of whom received a burnt crisp instead of the attractive sun tan they hoped for). I swam out in the waves and enjoyed the ocean for a while before going back to the hotel and showering, and then walking nearby to one of the thousands of Thai massage establishments in Pattaya for a massage. As the day was fading, a group of us decided to go see the Big Buddha up on the hill, which was a decent walk. It was dusk when we got there, and some very studious dogs scrupulously guarded the entrance of the Temple, which was closed for the night. I tried to woo one of them, but was met with a snarl that would have caused the bravest soul to tremble in fear. 

We continued up the long ascending staircase toward the Big Buddha, and when cresting the top, discovered a temple courtyard of smaller buddhas and small buildings, and a beautiful view of the Pattaya cityscape. While we were there, a man came and sat in front of the Big Buddha, crossed his legs and bowed his head meditatively. We then continued our walk back to the hotel, walking down a busy street full of restaurants, bars, massage parlours and nightclubs. And weed dispensaries, like Portland, are literally on every street corner. Even though I wanted to try a hearty Thai meal in Pattaya, I was not that hungry so I decided to wait until the next day to try out the street food, although I did grab a few scraps of leftover pork from Ethan Sperry and Cher at the restaurant they had gone to. That basically concluded my day, I did stop briefly at a bar for a few drinks before heading back to our hotel. Unfortunately I did not have time to see Pattaya's Walking Street, which is a famous and vibrant nightlife area, known for its bustling cultural atmosphere and entertainment venues. Maybe next time...

​- Jere

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