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Most of what we know or have guessed about Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales has come from observing the buildings situated there, the majority of which have been sadly neglected for far too long. There are historical tales, such as the one about Joseph of Arimathea, who traded tin in Glastonbury, just across the water and was one of the first missionaries to go to this area.

Tradition has it that the father of Caractacus took his son on a journey to Rome, where they were converted to Christianity. Later, they returned to the Vale of Glamorgan with Bran The Blessed, the missionary. It is a fact that Christianity was a popular belief there early in the Fourth Century and that south Wales sent several bishops to the Council of Rome.

St. Baruchs Church on Barry Island is one of the oldest shrines in the area, but it too is sadly dilapidated. Barry Island itself became one of the most important monastic retreats in south Wales. Steep and Flat Holms, the old Viking island settlements in the Bristol Channel just off Barry, were also significant in this regard. Another most important link in this chain was St. Illtyds Seminary of 2,200 students in Llantwit Major.

A castle was constructed on the site of an old Roman fort and naval shipyard, which had been on Porthkerry Point, although it protruded further out to sea then than it does now. Furthermore, many wolf and deer bones have been found between Barry and Sully, proving these animals’ existence there in vast numbers Arrowheads, flints, needles and coins show that people inhabited the area with them.

‘The Island’, as it is known locally, was first named Baruch’s Island after St. Baruch, who was found washed up on one its beaches dead in 700 AD. He had been drowned on his return from Flat Holm, where it was common practice for religious students to spend Lent.

He and Gwelches were disciples of Saint Cadoc at that time and on their return to the island, they realized that they had forgotten their enchiridion or religious manual. St. Cadoc made them do back to fetch it. Neither men returned alive. St. Baruch’s most acclaimed student, St. Illtyd was educated there.

Barry Island has had several names, including Island of the Saints and Insular of Peiros. St. Peiro was the leader of the seminary after St. Illtyd and the mentor of St. Samson. St. Doeninas was also a leader of another abbey near Friars Point on the island.

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I first arrived in Thailand in 2004 and I came here more of less by accident. I had travelled a lot in Europe: Russia, Western Europe, Scandinavia, North Africa and north South America, but I had never found the time to travel to Asia.

One night, I was chatting to a friend who had travelled extensively throughout the world and he was telling me about his favourite country, to where he had been returning year after year for fourteen years. Knowing my friend’s experience as a traveller, I was very surprised to hear that he had been choosing to go to the same place in Asia for fourteen years.

I just had to ask him which part of huge Asia held such an attraction for him and he said Thailand. I knew practically nothing about Thailand, except that I had had a few meals at a near-by Thai restaurant over the years. I also knew from collecting stamps as a boy that it used to be called Siam. Anyway, my friend asked me if I’d like to go. I answered that I would ‘one day’ and meant it.

He startled me by saying that he was going to Thailand for a month soon and that I was welcome to go with him, if I wanted. I replied that I had a couple of jazz festivals to go to soon and maybe I would, if there was at least a month between them and if I could get a flight and if… I could hear myself putting him off, but I did not understand why I was delaying.

A few hours later, I went home and being an avid Internet surfer, I checked out a bit about Thailand on the travel brochure sites. It looked really fantastic. The prices were good too except for the flights. Hotels were cheap to reasonable and food and drinks prices were insignificant compared to where I lived. So, I checked the dates of the two Jazz festivals and they were thirty-three days apart. Now for the flight. I spent well into the next morning checking flights and found one for the day after the first festival leaving from our local airport. It was not the cheapest flight, but it gave me more time.

In a reckless moment, I booked it there and then online. I then found a pub with rooms to let online that my friend had said he went to on quiz evenings and guessed that they would be open by now serving breakfasts. I sent them an email and a reply came back twenty minutes later. I had been lucky again. The boss was in the middle of checking yesterday’s figures, when he saw my email come through. However, not sure of his Internet ability, he wanted me to phone him right away. I checked my watch, it was still 4AM so I phoned.

He took my booking on trust and so I did not have to make a payment. I had heard about Thailand, made up my mind to go and booked the flight and room all within five hours and I could not wait for nine o’clock to come to notify my friend that I would be going too.

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It was seven-ish and I was sitting in a nice-enough room overlooking the front entrance to the pub above which I had just moved in. The pub was the Pig and Whistle on Soi 7 in Pattaya. Across the lane was a large hole, which they were hoping to construct a hotel in and next door to that, right opposite me, was a small bar with one lady sitting on a stool outside it. Not that there was a wall there, it was open on two sides. The Soi was lovely and peaceful, I thought. I also thought that I might go and sit in that little bar and talk to that woman, if my friend was late, because I would definitely see him arrive from two metres away, the width of the Soi.

So, I went to the bar in the pub at 19:15 to await my friend who said he would meet me at 20:00. It was much busier than thirty minutes before but not noisy and I sat at the bar. The first thing a barmaid did was say hello, give me a menu and step back. I did not really want to eat, I only wanted a beer as I presumed we would be eating together later, but I wanted to read the menu anyway.

‘A pint of Boddington’s’, I said. It arrived and the girl started laying a setting for me. I tried to explain that I was not hungry, but it was no good. Like in Spain, most people eat and drink at the same time. All the while the girl was smiling at me. Then she said: ‘You live upstairs? My name Charli. What you want to eat?’. So, I gave in and ordered something and rice.

‘You first time in Thailand? You no can eat. Too spicy’, she said with a grin. ‘Oh’, I replied, ‘but I want to try. ‘I put only 50-50 for you’, she declared and went.

I struggled through that meal and it took a Boddingtons and a bottle of water. Charli had been correct, it was too hot for first-time foreign visitors and she had reduced the chilis by 50%. I have always heeded a Thai’s guidance on food ever since.

I moved to by the window to see what was happening as it was dark by 19:30 and I was curious. Within thirty minutes Soi 7 had transformed itself completely. I could see hundreds of ladies and tourists walking about. I wanted to go out and join in or at least sit in the quiet bar across the lane, but I’m embarrassed to say that I was too frightened, so I sat put, rivetted to the Pig like a rabbit in a hunter’s beam.

My friend arrived on time and after we had been chatting for an hour, he said: ‘Drink up, I have someone I want you to meet’. This was it, we were going into that mele. A waitress opened the door for us and the racket and the heat were tremendous. Especially the noise. Every metre at least two or three girls would yell: ‘Hello, sexy man, you want a drink’. Trying to say no politely to each request was impractical, so I just stuck close by to my pal.

Fortunately, we only had about fifty metres to walk and we sat down in another bar. My friend said hello to several ladies and then said, this a girl I have been going out with for some time. I was astounded as I had never heard him talk about her, ever. She was gorgeous, but could not speak English, so I sat in the din in silence. Not for long through, as my friend said, I have a blind date for you and he introduced another girl to me who was equally beautiful, but with whom I could speak a little. She was captivating and I was captivated. The din seemed to pass away, but it was only because I was listening to my new friend. The four of us had the best time and the best food I had ever had in my forty-nine years of existence.

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