Author: Gill Morris

Having been to Pattaya before I have never been to any tourist attractions there, so with my map and camera in hand I decided to walk to Wat Khao Phrabat.

Walking down South Pattaya Road and along Walking Street is NOT the way to go, because I found myself walking back the way I had come, albeit on a road that runs parallel to South Pattaya Road. That was ok because I got to see the pier and jetty, which I had never seen before, and also the somewhat ostentatious “Pattaya City” sign which adorns the hillside. I eventually found the way and proceeded to walk very slowly up the very steep hill. If you don’t like walking better take a motorcycle taxi or 10 baht bus (literally 10 baht anywhere you want to go) because, it being a viewpoint, it is at the top of the hill, so you need to take water.

But the effort is worth it because, at the top, you get magnificent views over Pattaya City sprawling into the distance.

It was the lookout point I wanted to see and although I visited the temple, which is fairly small, I was more interested in a statue of, what looks like a soldier, but underneath there is a small replica of the larger statue covered in gold leaf and locals making offerings, of roses and garlands of jasmine. I wondered why they would be doing this, rather than making offerings to their normal deities.
My friend told me that this man was an admiral, who joined the Thai Navy sometime before 1900. He served in the Royal Navy for six years and then rebuilt the Thai Navy where he became Captain and then Admiral. Some research on the internet tells me that his name is Kromluang Chomphonkhetudomsak, and he is regarded as the founding father of the modern Thai Navy, who is honoured by the Thai people. On the side of the hill there is, what looked like to me, some sort of naval lookout box, and I watched a few people set off some very loud firecrackers in it, presumably for good luck.

I walked back down the hill and decided to go and see the Big Buddha or Wat Phra Yai (up yet another hill). A motorbike taxi will take you up for 30 baht. At the top you will see a huge Buddha at the top of a set of stairs, flanked by two sets of Naga-a cobra-like snake with many heads. The Buddha hill and the Big Buddha are regarded as the protectors of Pattaya City. The Big Buddha is surrounded by different Buddhas, all in different positions, representing each day of the week. At the back there is a small pavilion with a Buddha’s footprint carved into the stone, and it is good luck for visitors to try and place a coin in the grooves of the pattern on the stone.

On the way down the hill, I was walking again- it’s easier on the way down- I came across some Chinese Gardens, with statues, temples and a beautiful little pond-these are dedicated to Confucius, a Chinese teacher, editor, politician and philosopher in the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history, and Lao-Zi, a philosopher and poet of ancient China.

Aside wandering around looking at the temples and murals, there was a guy with a rucksack on his back. I thought he was sightseeing, like me, but when he passed me he was out of breath- he appeared to be jogging. That’s one way to get round the attractions I suppose!

I decided to walk back down the hill to Beach Road as it was downhill but it was quite a long walk but persevered I did BUT be sure to take plenty of water-I did not; wear sensible shoes-I did not; and don’t forget the suntan lotion- I did. From the peace and tranquility of Memorial look-out point and Big Buddha Hill to the bustling and chaotic Beach Road- the two are worlds apart. Everywhere there are people- walking, cycling, enjoying the beach, in bars and restaurants, even passed out from the night before.

Having felt like I had walked the whole of Pattaya I went back to my room for an afternoon nap, which has become a daily (almost every day) occurrence- I would never think of doing this in the UK but it’s so damn hot here and added to that I am not working at the moment- it’s very tiring doing nothing you know- but the walk made me feel revived (after my snooze of course).

Having spent two weeks back in Surin and realising after one week that, however good it was living there before, it is not the place for me. It would be easy for me to live there again-I mean I have friends there and I know where I am going and the good places to hang out. But I need to go outside my comfort zone again and live somewhere new and meet some new friends.

So I took myself off to Pattaya-which is located on the eastern seaboard, about 100 km southeast of Bangkok. Why? No.1- I wanted to visit my good friend Steve and No.2- I spent a few weeks there when I did my TEFL course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) and whatever you have heard of this place or your own opinion of it- I like it, although I wouldn’t want to live there but it’s good for a couple of days/nights.

So after eight long hours on a bus I arrived around 4pm and met Steve in a bar on Soi Buklaow. We had a good catch up having not seen each other for two years and wandered to the next bar where we spent the next couple of hours with his friend.
However seedy this place is, it is full of life-people in bars, people walking around, motorcycle taxis, baht buses, street vendors, bar girls, bar boys, farangs and Thais, among a whole host of nationalities- it is a place of constant activity….the complete opposite of Surin…so for me a welcome change- at least for a couple of days.

1. Lady-boys- I love lady-boys, they fascinate me. There was a group of them sitting having dinner and drinks in On Nut night market in Bangkok on the first night I arrived back.  I have been out with a few and they are so much fun although they can be bitchy and some of them you just cannot tell that they used to be female- some of them are absolutely stunning but some of them have sorry tales to tell- when sometimes their family disown them because of who they want to be. It’s very sad. I watched a DVD- Beautiful Boxer- about a Thai boy, Nong Toom, who did Muay Thai boxing to pay for his operations to become female, he was accused of defiling the masculinity of Thai kick-boxing  but persevered in following his dreams and now she is a successful business woman, running a boxing camp in Pranburi, Thailand and teaching Muay Thai and aerobics to children.

   

   2. Street Dogs- Oh my god they are such a pain in the ass. Most of these dogs are owned by families who let them out at night, and they go around in packs and it is sometimes very intimidating when they won’t let you pass. I remember once I was walking back to the house I was staying, and after some little yappy pup tried snapping at my heels, he watched until I got back to the house and no longer on his territory. When I first moved into my house, in Surin, the dogs would bark and bark because they did not know me but after a while they got used to my smell and left me alone. For this reason they are actually quite good guard dogs because they bark if they don’t know someone walking around near your home.

3. Don’t “wai” kids when they “wai” you- In Thailand the accustomed greeting (if you enter a home or work or even a restaurant, is for people to “wai”; which is when both palms are pressed together, as in a prayer fashion, and the head is bowed slightly. There are rules though and most Thai people forgive Westerners the fact that we do not know what these rules are.  If you “wai” your parents, grandparents, or a monk the tips of the fingers should be touching between your eyes; a friend you would have your fingertips at the tip of the nose; if someone younger “wais” an older person then the older person does not return the gesture. When I got back to Surin we went to a local bar for a beer and said hello to the owner who had a child in the back. As the child should have she greeted me in the traditional way and I returned it- I just got carried away because I was all excited at being back in Surin.

4. Staring- Oh how Thais love to stare, especially when you are in a non-touristy place, such as Surin, where I am based for a few weeks. They don’t mean anything by it, they are genuinely interested in seeing a foreign woman in their midst. I remember living here and was doing my weekly shop and this whole family spotted me and stared and I thought “for God’s sake what are you lot staring at now?” So I waved and was treated to the most wonderful smiles and enthusiastic waving. It made me laugh and really made my day.

5. Wonderful Smiles- Thailand is known as The Land of Smiles and believe me it is true (apart from the moody immigration officers at the airport). Everywhere you go if you smile you get the most wonderful smiles back and if you ingratiate yourself into their culture a little by speaking to them and making friends, you will be rewarded with ever-lasting memories. I have so many friends here- people in bars and restaurants, people in schools, people that I have met once or twice- when I lived in Surin I went to a restaurant only once in a three year period, and on arrival back here, some two years later, the lady remembered me. It is such a nice feeling.

6. Friendly People- As no.5 but everywhere you go you will find Thais a friendly bunch of people. You only have to walk down the street and say “sawadee ka” (Hello) and they will say it back to you. On my daily run around the park they say “hi” and engage me in conversation about where I’m from, what I’m doing here, what my name is. It’s so easy to talk to them and become friends with some of them.

7. Chicken Balls (on sticks) – Any market has these and they are delicious. You can get chicken, pork, beef and prawns and these are skewered onto a stick which are then deep fried so they cook and served in a plastic bag with a little bag of chilli sauce. Delicious and so cheap, about 10 BHT each (around 1p).

8. Ants- Ants are everywhere, in the kitchen, in your bed, in your cup of tea, in your food. Tiny ones that don’t bite- they are so small they won’t do you any harm but they do get everywhere but after a while you just tend to ignore them even when you see hundreds of them marching in a line towards a piece of food that you have maybe left out after lunch. They love sweet things, so things like sugar have to be kept in the fridge because, even if the sugar is in a sealed container, the little rascals still find a way in. Then there are the large red ants that also march around outside on their daily business but these ones are aggressive and if you annoy them they will give you a nasty bite.

9. XL clothes- Being someone who likes to keep fit and (tries) to watch what I am eating and drinking I still have a few unwanted pounds here and there but it pains me to buy XL clothes when I am normally around a 12/14 but living in an Asian country one has to put up with certain things, and as Thais are generally smaller the clothes are made smaller. So XL it is then!

10. Taking alcohol into bars/clubs-This I love. Certain clubs and bars, especially in places like Surin, will allow you to bring your own bottle of vodka, whiskey or whatever you want (sometimes you have to pay a corkage fee), so you only pay for whatever mixers you have- which makes for a cheaper night out if you are on a budget. I found out the other day that at a couple of regular hangout places, here in Surin, the staff will let you keep a bottle behind the bar (even putting your name on it), so that every time you go there you only have to buy the mixers.

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My treasure is my best friend Kelly. We spent so much time together over the past two years, we always have a great time whether we are chilling watching TV or a movie or out on the town having a few wines together. Our Thursday sessions out and about were the best times. She is beautiful, funny, kind and great fun to be around. My little treasure MWAH  😉

Knowing someone in the country you are visiting has its benefits. My Sri Lankan friend, Pubudu, had already taken us around Colombo for the day and he had taken me to a beach side restaurant for dinner. You get to go to places that you wouldn’t normally go to simply because you don’t know the places exist.

So on the last Friday of our trip we arranged to have a night out in Colombo with Pubbs and his friends. We got a tuk-tuk to meet Pubbs at his work place and then we drove to Floor by O- a bar in Colombo’s district 7.

It is 1000 LKR (around 5 GBP) to get in, although ladies get in free. The entrance fee is taken off the bill at the end of the night and we found out that the reason they do this is because people were coming in and not buying anything.

It was quite busy when we got there so we had to sit outside on the pool terrace. We met up with Pubbs’ friends, Nuwan and Kurt, had a few drinks and dinner and then went inside to soak up some Sri Lankan atmosphere.

It is quite a small club but it was very busy, the music was banging and they had a band playing as well. Everyone was dancing and enjoying their Friday evening- while we watched what was going on from the bar until I found myself jigging along to “Achy Breaky Heart” (there is a first for everything, believe me!)

We left there around 11pm and went to another bar- Margarita Blue Retro Pub- which is located in the Galadari Hotel. Much plusher than the previous one with more of an older crowd, great music again with a band playing and great views from the garden terrace.

It is such a pleasure meeting new friends- Nuwan was great fun to be around- he was a great dancer (he told us he had dancing lessons but then his friends added only for ONE DAY, which made us all laugh). Having had a few too many drinks we left around 1am and got a tuk-tuk back to Mount Lavinia.

We had a great time with the guys- I can’t thank them enough for showing us a bit more of Colombo at night, and to Pubbs for being our designated driver (he was sick so not drinking) and being very patient with us all getting drunk around him.