A few more street pictures

Hi

The temperature here still below average and this guy was doing a good trade selling cheap fleece jackets, 100 baht each, about £2 or US$ 3.

Nice person, I chat to him a little bit, works hard, travelling about in his motorbike and side cart.

Some still selling skirts and blouses

Others carrying on with food, in this case, fruit

The Thais are feeling cold

Hi

It is not cold here but even with December being one of the mildest months and the last few days being cooler than usual here some Thais are complaining it is cold.

They are of course more used to the very high temperatures that often occur here.

So a lot of the street talk is of it being cold, some walking around with either a blanket or towel around them as I would guess many don`t bother to own a jacket.

For me being from the UK, it is great, like a British summer !!

Current maximum day time temperature is around 25C.- 27C, night time only a slight drop down to about 18C- 20 C.

The local Thais are more used to it being around 30 C upwards so of course for them it feels " chilly "

Some Jomtien pictures

Hi

Jomtien is slightly to the south of Pattaya central,overall part of the same city ( naklua being to the north)

Jomtien has arguably the best beaches of the 3 areas although none are really anything special.

An interesting sign on an arch as you enter Pattaya from Jomtien

"Pattaya The Extreme City " quite appropriate

From the beach

Promenade, quite pleasant for a walk

Some nice shaded areas

A lot of trees as well as plenty of food and drink vendors

One of the many side streets off the main beach road

An " English " breakfast for fuel after walking, cost approx 150 baht ( £3)

Old picture so prices would be somewhat higher now

Back on the Beach

All for now.

Italian restaurants in Pattaya

Hi

Although it might seem strange to be craving Italian food in Pataya, there are numerous Italian restaurants here, difficult to match Italy but some are OK for some dishes.

First one, Volare on soi bukhao ( a main road in Pattaya and easy to find )

I have eaten there a few times, not always consistent, which seems to be a problem with many Pattaya restaurants.

I went recently with my girlfriend who had a ham and cheese salad as a starter, she enjoyed it albeit it is only fairly cheap processed cheese and ham, nicely presently, price was about 150 baht ( 4 Euros )

I opted for the cold cuts starter, quality was good, salami, ham etc.

This was approximately 340 baht, about 8 Euros

The main course was lasagne, a little disappointing, as the cheese used did not seem to be of the right quality/type.About 280 baht.

Wine was about 300 baht ( 7 Euros) for a 1/2 litre of house red, acceptable, wine is expensive here due to the high import duty imposed.

Pattaya today

Hi

It is very unusual for there to be rain at this time of the year, generally November through to February a good time to visit, not too hot and normally dry.

Just a very short rain shower today, cleared in less than 20 minutes.

High season does not seem to have arrived yet, a slight build up in visitors but not the same as previous years.

Maybe a combination of general world economic conditions plus the bad media press Thailand has received of late.

Some business will be struggling to survive.

Big Buddha Hill Pattaya

Big Buddha Hill is quite a popular tourist attraction located on Pratumnak Hill, about 2.5 kms from  central Pattaya

The views from the top are pleasant, allowing for an overview of much of Pattaya/Jomtien.

From central Pattaya a bahtbus charter would likely cost between 150- 200 baht or a motorbike taxi similar, a little cheaper.

There are steps leading up to the Big Buddha itself but a fairly gentle climb.

The Big Buddha quite impressive close up, also there are smaller images/statues.

Worth allowing an hour or 2 for a visit.

View from the top of Big Buddha Hill

A few more photos

Hi

High season here in Pattaya is traditionally  November through to February.

Weather wise it is a good time, dry most of the time, a month or more can go by without rain and it is the cooler part of the year, whilst still being warm/hot.

Some come here just to escape European winters.


A  small parade of shops on the way down to the local beach, about 5 minutes walk from where I stay, they don`t really do much trade, surprising they survive really

A very popular snack, mango and rice, I don`t  actually like it but many do

'Wong Amat" Beach, plenty of better beaches yet property with a view of it attracts a premium

Hence the high rises that have sprung up over the last few years

I sometimes come down here, sit on the rocks and feel at peace with the world, not a bad view either.

Here they have partioned off part of a swimming area, Jet Skis quite popular here but they sometimes get too close to swimmers, not a safe combination

All for now

Some street life pictures

Some pictures from the area I stay in, naklua, which is slightly north to central Pattaya, 10 minutes or so by road.
Popular with Germans, resulting in there being some good quality restaurants in the area, as well as those wanting to be near to busy central Pattaya whilst being able to live and sleep a little away from it.

Street food is popular in the entire city, mobile carts that set up for a few hours in regular spots.

Street view

Plenty of gold shops, shuttered down with red livery and massage shops

Some cheap accommodation, this place has rooms from 400 baht a night ( about US$ 14)

Rooms a little tired looking but with air-con and hot water, OK just for sleeping in.

Open air bar getting ready for trade later

Fancy some fruit, another mobile sales cart

Main naklua road picture, note the spaghetti junction electric cables, they feature heavily all over Pattaya.

The dark blue vehicle is a " bahtbus ", communal taxi, plies the main routes around Pattaya, wave it down, jump on, press a buzzer on the roof when you want to get off, just 10 baht ( 33 US cents), 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, great when you get used to the routes.

Another fruit stall, set up all over town

Or maybe you need a new towel, stop by and buy one

Hungry and don`t want to eat from the street, no problem, plenty of restaurants to choose from, this one is quite popular

Maybe just a quick snack of " Frie Chicken ", they`ve never bothered correcting the sign in years

More to follow, enjoy !

An introduction

Hi

This the start of a blog based on Pattaya, which is a coastal city located approximately 130 kilometers southeast of Thailand`s capital  Bangkok.

I first visited about 12 years ago, made many return trips before moving here in 2009, to spend most months of the year here.

It`s proximity to Bangkok makes it a useful base for also visiting other countries in the region.

Pattaya is well known for it`s sometimes wild nightlife but in recent years more and more families decide to visit, enjoying the very large variety of shopping, from street markets up to one of the largest coastal shopping centres in the region.

Some Thais living in Bangkok also visits for the weekends, causing the roads to be busier Friday evenings & Sunday evenings on the main entry routes in to Pattaya.

More to follow.