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.