Travel Diary

It was quite early, but we were already packed. All alarms also went off on time. Checking out, we waited for our taxi. It arrived on time and we got in. the ride now was smooth and painless. Traffic was so light at 6am. What seemed like a long ride to the airport when we arrived four days prior was now a fast 40-minute trip.

At the airport, we checked in and found free WIFI access by sitting next to the Sky Lounge. Sweet! A while later, we boarded the plane and headed west.

Even on the plane, the immediate increased heat was apparent. We knew a great change in the weather was in store over the next few days. The plane flew over Vietnam and then the green lush country of Laos. Soon, we were landing in Bangkok.

A shuttle bus shuttled us over to the immigration lines, which weren't too bad. Afterwards, we got some Thai money (Baht) and found a bus heading to Pattaya. The fare was cheap and we even got assigned seats.

That said, there was a slight problem when we boarded. Someone was in Terry's seat, but had the right number. The system must have double booked a seat. It was also full. Luckily for us, they let him sit in the "tour guide" seat for the journey. He offered no tour though.

I noticed a big change in many things. The roads were better developed and people drove much more safely in Thailand. The foliage is even noticeably different than Vietnam. The colors seemed different too, but that was probably just because it was sunny outside for once. I think it was the first real sunlight I had seen since leaving California.

We hadn't really arranged an itinerary very well in Pattaya, but just had an idea of what area we wanted to be in. We'd find a hotel once we got there. I guess that's easier said than done, but this was a vacation about adventure.

After debating a little on which stop to exit at, we finally left the bus. Heck, we were in Pattaya. That was what was most important. How big could the city be?

(Hint: big cities are often big.)

We first found an open taxi which brought us into the downtown area. However, finding the exact section was tough for the driver and we were literally going in circles looking for the location. We even ended up way too far south where the city sign is located, and we made a U-turn in the "Tourist Police" parking lot. That was actually good to know. They rely on tourism so much that a special department of police has been created to assist with protecting those same tourists.

Heading back north again, we finally just exited and paid the fare. Despite the extra driving, we still only paid the agreed on price, a couple of dollars.

Now it was a lot of walking. The bad part was dragging around the luggage. Since we didn't have a reservation, we had to simply check each hotel, finally locating a good one in a decent location, and with a good price--only about $60 total.

This location had WIFI, but it would cost about one dollar for the access code. As well, the code only worked in the ground floor lobby area. No matter. We just needed to update email and check a few maps. During that time, I wanted a cold beer (remember, we were now in a HOT area). I figured the cheapest place was at a local 7-11 and two businesses down, there was one waiting for me. I got a large Chang beer and it offered quite a kick. I had a light buzz about halfway through it.

Then we began exploring the streets. The streets are busy during the day, but not too crazy. Mainly, one sees many overweight westerners walking around--many with dark tans. One also sees many massage places. Despite what many think, most of the places (actually, all the ones I even saw) only offered "safe" massages--the Thai Massage being the main one. I'm sure those "other" places exist and are bountiful, but again, I never saw one advertised.

Trolling down to the beach street, we saw the ocean and many beachgoers taking in the hot sun. Few were swimming out in the ocean, which wasn't too surprising as the beach is known for being very polluted (one of the world's ten worst, in fact). Despite that, the water did look clean.

Next up for us was a Thai massage. It was about $6 and lasted an hour. Similar to the Taiwanese and Vietnamese massages, they work on the feet, legs, back, arms, and head. No, nothing else.

We got some food and returned to the hotel. In a short while, we went out to observe the night life of the city.

That's when things really come to life. Neon lights are all around and pretty girls are scattered everywhere enticing men (and women) to come inside. Adding to that, there are many women who...well...were not born as women. It's a little shocking to see.

Another widespread sight is those same out-of-shape old men arm in arm with Thai women, some old, some very, very young. Apparently, they seek companionship or otherwise with these ladies and pay what I imagine is a low price for the hour, night, day, or perhaps longer.

We did meet another westerner who was there enjoying the night life. He had an interesting story as he had served at the end of the Vietnam War and then came to Thailand. He now had a Thai wife up in Bangkok. He said he bought a place in Thailand and worked as a flight attendant for an American company. It's always fun to learn new stories about people around the world. It's certainly not the life for me, but I'm glad it works for others.

We visited a happening bar, but the band was pretty lousy and the music was too ear-splitting. I wasn't thirsty anyway, so we bid farewell to the gentleman and heading back and crashed.

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