Pattaya guidebook- Your gate way to paradise

In India, every group of friends dream to visit Goa and we were one amongst them. If India has Goa then Thailand has a much bigger city called Pattaya, a true paradise for the youth. A cheap flight deal for 12,250 INR (round trip) helped me convince a few of my friends to visit Pattaya instead of Goa. In our 3 days trip, we were engaged in a variety of activities. Apart from being famous for adult activities, Pattaya has a lot more things to offer like stunning beaches, affordable street food, relaxing Thai massage, delicious cuisine, water activities, temples, and viewpoints. ‘The best way to explore a place is to get lost’. This saying fits the situation as we roamed the streets aimlessly and endlessly. The official currency in Thailand is Thai Baht (THB) and 1 THB ~ 2.3 Indian Rupee (₹), 1 Euro (€) ~ 34 THB. Before listing the things to do in this city, let’s have a look at transportation.

Transportation around the city

Tuk-Tuk

Once you get down at the Pattaya bus terminal, you can see many tuk-tuks operating on various routes. A tuk-tuk is a three-wheeled motorized vehicle but in Pattaya, the tuk-tuks were similar to small tempo. These vehicles can accommodate up to 15 people. Tuk-tuks are affordable when compared to taxis. Put out your hand asking for a lift and the tuk-tuk driver will steer his vehicle towards you. I felt that it is an efficient mode of transportation in Thailand. The driver charged 50 THB/person and dropped us off at the hostel. After a few tuk-tuk rides, we realized that we were overcharged. It generally costs 20 THB/person or maybe ever lesser at times. Even though I researched extensively about the prices, certain scams are unavoidable in a foreign country.

Motorcycle taxi

Another peculiar mode of transportation is the motorcycle taxi (MT). It is very common to spot a bike taxi with men or women wearing a vest (orange or red) and a helmet. This was the first time I saw this mode of transport. Approach them directly, bargain and agree for a price and that’s it; the ride is ON. For short distances, MTs are cheaper when compared to taxis and tuk-tuks. After getting drunk, my friends used MT to reach home faster. A driver + two people can squeeze in an MT. But it is illegal for three people to ride on a motorbike. However, rules and laws are overseen in this part of the world.

Things to do in Pattaya

Day 1

We reached Pattaya at noon and due to room issues we lost almost 5 hours dealing with it. So we didn’t have much time on the First day.

Relax with a Thai massage 

As you have a casual walk along the main streets of Pattaya, pretty girls sitting outside the parlours invite you for a massage. They use hand gestures, sounds and anything possible to drag you inside their massage centre. I am sure you will be attracted to enter one of them on your trip. Prices vary depending on the location, shop size, and many other factors. I recommend you to stroll through the streets and then decide on the Massage centre (MC).  MCs here are of 2 types

1. Center offering traditional massage
2. Massage plus other adults services

Traditional massage

The first type has Masseuse (female who gives a massage) offering oil massage services for your leg, back, neck, body. They have Masseuse of all age groups ranging from the early 20s to the late 50s. If you want to experience an authentic and proper Thai massage, then try with old Masseuse. They have years of experience. But it’s hard to miss out pretty girls laying hands on us . These MCs don’t concentrate much on dragging customers inside their shop. But once you enter inside, it’s up to the customer to approach for adult services.

We happened to enter one of these shops and opted for a full body massage (~ 1 hour) for 250 THB. A few of my friends didn’t opt for a massage for various reasons like ‘I hate girls to be treated as an object’, ‘I won’t allow any other girl to touch me’, ‘I feel too shy’, ‘I may go beyond massage’. Everybody has their own opinion, isn’t it? My Masseuse was in the mid-30s and massage was quite good and relaxing. I fell asleep for a few minutes in-between. Post massage, they offered us water and had small talks ‘Where you guys are from?’,’Did you like our Massage?’. As soon as we entered the MC, one of my friends directly picked up a pretty girl and said ‘You are doing massage for me’ and he directly took her inside. This massage centre was so relaxing that, we ended up in the same place the next day for a one-hour foot massage for 100 THB.

Massage with Adult services

The second MC is based mainly on adult services. Apart from normal massage, they offer body to body massage, sandwich massage, shower together and many more. 5-6 good looking girls were sitting outside and inviting us. So basically from the outside one can find which type of MC it is. If you are visiting Pattaya mainly for this type of service, it’s better to look for the second type.

Nightlife at the Walking street

What’s the first thing to do in Pattaya? The answer is ‘Head to the walking street’ From 8 pm until dawn, this street is full of life. This entire stretch of 700m is dedicated to fun, party, night clubs, pub crawls, games, adult shows, and entertainment. The whole atmosphere was colourful and energetic. It reminded me of the Amsterdam red-light district, Madrid pub crawl. After partying we returned home at 2 am.

Tip: Don’t get carried away by anything or anyone. Everyone here will try to pull you inside their building. Ask all possible questions. Never give money first no matter what all they promise to offer. We went inside Pattaya’s biggest Indian night club, Nashaa. The entry was free but crowded inside. We saw Indian men of all age groups dancing with Thai girls. You shred some Thai Bahts on the table, instantly a girl will approach you. The atmosphere and Bollywood music was great.  We spent some time and moved to the next pub.

Day 2

Coral island adventure

Pattaya is famous for its water activities in Coral Island (Koh Larn). They offer a wide range of activities such as Parasailing, Snorkeling, Jetski, Sea walking and many more. Read Pattaya-Coral Island Adventure to know more about the water activities. Day 3 We started the day off visiting the Big Buddha temple.

Pray at the Big Buddha temple

Built-in 1977, this temple’s location is on a small hill, south of Pattaya. The temple has an 18m tall golden Buddha statue for worship. The rituals of Buddhism and Hinduism are similar. Here are a few things to keep in mind while visiting a temple.

• Dress modest (Cover knees and shoulder).
• Remove footwear while entering the premises
• Avoid showing public affection
• Maintain silence

On the way up the hill, you can also see the park with figures representing Chinese history on how they gained power. One can spend an hour in the temple.

Hike to the Pattaya viewpoint

Straight after the Big Buddha, we had 15 min steep hike to the viewpoint. It was a super sunny day and once reaching the top, our eyes were searching for a drink. This place had a variety of juice shops ranging between 20 – 40 THB. Later we saw the best view of Pattaya city. It was truly magnificent to view the city and the beach from such a height. The sun didn’t allow us to stand there for a long. So we descended very fast. Sunset would be the best time to visit this viewpoint. I recommend visiting Thailand in February to avoid the scorching heat of the sun.

Touch of fear at the Tiger Park

Our next tuk-tuk ride was to the Tiger Park. Few friends were against animal torture. So they didn’t want to visit. I was very much excited to see a Tiger and sit next to one. The tigers are classified into four groups according to their age, tiger cub, Small, Medium and Big Tiger. We opted for a Medium Tiger because Big Tiger package was expensive. Extra fee will be levied if you want to get clicked by a professional photographer. Their picture quality is good so worth the money. In the end, once you come out, you can have the pics in a CD and/or USD.

I saw a hoarding ‘Tigers are not drugged’, instantly moment of panic started. I panicked more on seeing signs of the ‘Dos and Don’ts‘ inside the cage. One of the strictest rules ‘Don’t to run inside the cage or anywhere around the premises’. This would create unwanted attention, therefore, the tiger may become active. We had to wait for our turn to enter the cage.

Inside the cage

Once we stepped into the cage, it was altogether a new feeling. Everyone is our group became silent. The whole cage was wired so the cage keepers instructed us to be careful. The cage had 3 Tigers and they were moving around freely. We started clicking pics with one of the Tiger. But internally, the fear builded up when I imagined that another tiger would attack me from behind. Later, the instructor asked us to touch the second Tiger which was resting. Touching the Tiger was the scariest moment so far . My heartbeat was raising and I had a feeling that at any moment the Tiger will turn pounce on me. Yes, of course, the cage keepers are present for rescue. But it couldn’t stop me from imagining. This is one of the MUST TRY experiences in your lifetime.

Our package included walking around the park. So we strolled a bit clicking lots of pics, admiring all other Tigers groups. Tiger Park also offers a buffet lunch for 300 THB. The food was delicious offering a wide variety of options. It also had a section for Indian food.

Scenic Floating market

The floating market is öocated a few hundred meters from Tiger Park. The entrance fee was 200 THB. This market is worth a visit because it offers a scenic view, plenty of street foods, boating and a great escape from the afternoon sun. As soon as we entered, a mini train took us around the place.

First, a free neck massage for 5 minutes. I believe these complementary gestures are to welcome more tourists. Later, we had a walk through all the shops. The market gave a pleasant sight of Thai culture. One can spend a good 2-3 hours here.

Best moments

The most memorable moment in Pattaya was our way back from the Floating market to the hotel. It was evening and we were waiting for a tuk-tuk ride. Some tuk-tuks were overpriced, some full, some refused to go to the city centre, fearing the festival celebrations. I wondered ‘What is going to happen if he drives us through the city?’. After half an hour, we finally managed to grab a tuk-tuk ride at a bargained price. As we slowly drove through the city’s main streets, locals were waiting for vehicles on the road.

Songkran

It was Songkran, Thailand’s water festival, the most famous in the country. This event marks the start of the traditional Thai new year. The festival is about cleaning, purifying and having a fresh start to the new year. The locals spotted our tuk-tuk and tried splashing water on us. Initially, we dodged a few shots by ducking inside the tuk-tuk. But later, realized that there is a long way to reach the hotel so ducking wouldn’t help. There was no escape from them. As we passed further, it got worse.

Water attack

The locals targetted is with huge water cannons, loads of water buckets, water guns. Few even threw ice cubes. Seeing localites going crazy on each other, targeting all tourists, travellers, vehicles; that 15 min passage of crazy adventure was the best time in Pattaya. We had no idea who targeted us and when. After splashing, we heard them say Sah-Wah-Dee meaning Happy New Year.

Drenched fully in water, I couldn’t capture those scenes.  My main priority was protecting my mobile. We were fortunate to experience this and now you know why tuk-tuks wanted to bypass these routes.

Pattaya – The All in One city

Overall I enjoyed three days in Pattaya and felt that time just flew by in this busy city. This is a place mainly for the youth. One can come here and enjoy the Thai massage, party hard, do water sports, enjoy the fabulous beaches and pray as well. I don’t quite remember which city offers this ‘All in One’ package. No wonder why Thailand is the best in Tourism and Pattaya has everything a tourist needs. Coming from India on a budget trip, we spent 27,000 ₹ (incl everything) Excited to go to Thailand? Have a look at the visa process for Indians

Other information

Reaching Pattaya

From Chennai, we opted for a late-night flight to Bangkok because it was cheap. Just outside Bangkok airport, public buses operate every 20 min to the Main Bus Terminal (MBT) for 30 THB. The 30 min ride was crowded even at odd hours. The bus terminal was huge with a large chain of fast food shops and free toilets. Don’t even expect the free toilet to be clean. Use it at your own risk. At Bangkok’s MBT, we bought the bus tickets to Pattaya for 117 THB. The air-conditioned bus was decent and the ride was smooth. Travel tiredness made us sleep during the entire 2.5-hour bus ride.

Cuisine

Thai cuisine had almost everything. We saw all types of meat ranging from chicken to crocodiles. Roadside shops sold fried insects as well.

Overall experience:  out of 5 Time of visit: April 2019

”The only trip you will regret is the one you don’t take.”– Anonymous