The Pattaya Experience; Fun and Then Some Caution!

On day two, we took a grab taxi to Pattaya /pʰát.tʰā.jāː/. It takes about two hours from Bangkok. After a super comfortable ride on the expressway, we reached our AirBNB condo on the 9^th floor of one of the skyscrapers lining the Jomtien beachside. Our gracious host was really cool and had left us perfect instructions for an easy check-in. The condo had everything we needed to chill out and relax. My daughter was already glued to the infinity pool on the 6^th floor. The place had a mix of local, Chinese, European and American families staying in. It was a gated complex with all basic and luxury amenities including a 24/7 café.

Beaches, Sanctuaries, Theme parks, Koh larn Island trips… Pattaya had lot to offer! But I will start with a word of caution!

I feel that Pattaya, though it looked like a sleepy town as you walk next to the beach, is not exactly for the solo traveler. Bangkok was packed with the hustle and bustle of life and activities. But Pattaya was eerily silent and devoid of the mundane hum of life and had too many foreigners who didn’t exactly look like they were in search of one true love! We met people who were in Pattaya just for the Walking Street!

I mean no judgements…! One needs companionship and love should be celebrated and embraced in all its million forms but not when it is exploitative and forced. Majority of the Thai BL love stories deal with the emotional scars that the LGBTQIA carry but they are remarkably silent when it comes to the exploitation and discrimination they face as a result of over commercialization of pink tourism. The rainbow painted walls that looked genuine and in sync in Bangkok, looked unequivocally out of place in Pattaya....

The Songthaew or the Baht Bus is a good way to travel in Pattaya when in groups. It is very economical as they charge just 10 Baht per head for nearby destinations, and they are quite frequent on the beach roads. Unfortunately, we also had a bad experience with a Songthaew driver who demanded ridiculous amount for a short ride after initially agreeing to a rate. But staying calm and not arguing helped. We just checked the grab rates for the same ride and showed him. He thought he could shout and intimidate us. We just waited for his tirade to end and then gave him what was reasonable. We had safety in numbers, but if you are alone, then please stick to grab taxis and call the police if trouble still courts you. This is not to complain, it is just a word of caution, and I am expressing what I felt. India is familiar to me; I exercise caution and follow my instinct, because I know what all can go wrong. But when you are in a foreign environment, sometimes one tends to throw caution to the wind, even when all the brains cells scream danger in chorus!

Moving on to the good parts now, Pattaya has a lot to offer! We started early with a morning trip to the Sanctuary of Truth Museum, a work in progress. One must buy a ticket and be part of the guided tour to actually understand the beautiful architecture of the place which looks like a wooden castle with an aura of a temple. It stages a perfect blend of major eastern belief systems, especially the cycle of life and features various mythological figures in its design from the Hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva and then the Ganesha to the Buddhist Guanyin and various celestial nymphs and representation of the four elements. The museum is entirely made of wood and every single wall, frame and surface is adorned with some carving and follows the general theme of the dichotomy between the good and the evil. This place stands right on the seashore and looks out of this world. There is nothing like it anywhere! One must not miss this mesmerizing methodical marvel of human creativity and endeavour.

Horses at the entrance of the Sanctuary

We then headed to Mini Siam, a miniature park with all the famous structures in Thailand and the world. This place is also beautifully maintained and quite scenic with artificial waterfalls, lakes and bridges in between.

Just adjacent to the theme park, is Wat Phra Yai, the iconic Buddhist Temple of Pattaya with a towering gold painted Buddha Statue and a staircase guarded by seven-headed golden naga serpents on both sides. Although, the stairs will look daunting from the entrance, but they are flat and effortless to climb. The panoramic view from the top covers the Kohlarn Islands and the Pattaya beaches. It was not crowded, and we could enjoy the peaceful space and view uninterrupted by reel enthusiasts and selfie sticks!

The Dolphinarium needs prior booking for the main attraction, that is the Dolphin show. One must plan and book in advance to enjoy the grand show. All the other places also offer online booking and sometimes we get better deals online and can avoid the queue.

The Pattaya Floating Market, I feel, is somewhat a tourist trap! It is good for a walk about and has some scenic spots created for photo- ops. Everything was over-priced, including the ticket and the boat ride. Also, the glamourous drag queens very politely ask you to pose for a picture with them but then turn a shade sneaky and demand a hefty tip right away! I felt bad for them that they had to resort to such means to earn a living. They could have been provided a booth of their own for this activity. So, if you must experience the charm of a floating market, you can check it out. For us there was literally no good way to come back from the market since it is on the expressway. The grab taxis cancelled rides and the songthaews were charging 300 baht for a 70-baht ride. We were stranded outside for a good 45 minutes. Thankfully, there was a 7 Eleven nearby to replenish our energy and to pass time. We finally managed a grab-taxi. It would be better to hire a taxi for 2 hours and check this place out.

One of the major charms of Pattaya is also a day trip to Koh Larn Islands. One must plan to reach the jetty in the morning hours to be able to catch a 45-minute ride to the white sandy beaches of the Island. The boats heading to Koh larn Island dock at two different beach piers; Tawean and Na Ban. Tawean is known to be less crowded and offers better views, but the last trip to Tawean is at 3 pm and the last trip back from there is at 5 pm. So, it is better to head to Koh Lan in the morning itself and then come back by afternoon on the last ferry. We can spend the calm morning hours on the beautiful sandy beaches and come back to Pattaya for lunch.